I can notice the many ways my body shifts while waiting in line, the thoughts that come and go sitting in rush hour traffic, I can even notice how the air touches my feet once I remove my socks. With awareness sharpened from Yoga practice, I can then use it in daily living. The poses are no longer isolated points that gather all of our attention, rather it becomes part of a continuum. When we link the breath to the movements, we cultivate complete awareness. With this type of attentiveness, Surya Namaskar becomes a full body meditation. Stepping the leg back to lunge, we notice how much the back and abdominals accommodate the leg floating as it searches the ground behind. From standing to forward bend, there are hundreds of micro adjustments in our legs to accommodate the movement. In a Sun Salutation for example, instead of attending to the poses themselves, we can shift our attention to the in-between process. To clear away the distractions so we can know ourselves at all times and give meaning to the mundane. It is sharpening the tools to notice ourselves living our lives. I find Yoga practice simply as a rehearsal to my life. Darkness defined as those in-between times where we check out so either boredom or anxiety sets in. One of the ways a Yoga practice becomes useful is by bringing light into darkness. Perhaps the anxiety that arises during the holiday season is the lack of attention towards the mundane aspects of life. However, it seems much of our awareness is pulled towards the more remarkable events. The insignificant times that fill the backdrop of our lives are what make life possible and hold the memorable ones in place. While not exciting, these events are important to the balance of life. The billions of steps it takes to get to our destination. The thousands of times we put on our socks and shoes and then take them off. But for every significant moment, there are millions of mundane ones in between. I have witnessed friends scramble from one party to the next making sure to keep up with all the events in the city. The idea that there is something more fun happening somewhere and one hopes not to miss it. I have learned, living in San Francisco, of the concept “fear of missing out” (FOMO for short). Our lives are highlighted by celebratory events such as holidays, parties, festivals, concerts, and such. While these gatherings are meant to bring joy and connection in the winter months, why do they bring on such stress and anxiety instead? Before we know it, we will be preparing for the end of year holidays. This Thursday is Halloween, dressing up in costume knocking from door to door collecting candies – it’s a childhood dream! In a month, we will be gathering family around a well-stocked dinner table giving thanks for the many blessings. As the days become shorter, we weather the darkness with celebrations. When a Hindu friend was explaining the holiday, I noticed a joyful warmth come over her as she recalled her stories of the celebration. This is the time for the body and the mind to rest, for our breath and heart rate to slow and to become quiet and still.Last Sunday October 27th marked the first day of Diwali, the festival of lights celebrating the light overcoming darkness. We finish as we began: lying down in relaxation. Is always the final posture of the practice. Savansana (literal translation - corpse pose), In the beginners and refreshers course we progress from basic asanas through variations to the more challenging.īoth gentle and more challenging options are always given. They may be practiced standing, sitting or lying down. We flow through a series of movements which works the whole body.Īsanas can be described according to their characteristics: forward bends back bends It's important to prepare our muscles by warming them up, so we begin by working through a gentle sequence pf movements.Ī classical sequence to warm the body and prepare for posture practice. We begin with a short relaxation to help to switch off, to relax away any tension and to prepare for the practice by beginning to focus on breathing.ĭeep, steady, rhythmic breathing is an integral part of yoga practice. Muscles properly for the practice by warming them up, so we begin by working through a gentle sequence which takes the spine through it's natural range of As with all exercise, it is important to prepare our The sanscrit word pranayama comes from three root words: prana, meaning energy yama, meaning dicipline or control and ayama meaning extention or stretch. Practice and we spend a few minutes doing some pranayama exercises. Deep, steady, rhythmic breathing is an integral part of yoga To switch off from whatever has been happening in our busy day, to relax away any tension and to prepare for the practice by beginning to focus on our breathing.
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