Yoga
Monday 13th November click link to view reel.
Namaste everyone,
As November progresses towards (Christm…) the winter months we will be working with backbends in addition to balances.
Backbends stimulate energy, strengthen the back muscles, open the chest, improve flexibility, lengthen the spine, and help realign our bodies into balance.
Standing balances help us to feel grounded in addition to strengthening core muscles, improving concentration, focus and willpower, strengthening the legs, ankles and feet and develop our control of balance.
We will work to strengthen and make flexible the whole body eventually combing standing balance with back bending! Something to look forward to but do check what the mind has to say about the thought of balance and back bending!
Watching thoughts helps us to notice what is habitual, what is part of our story telling mind and what belongs to the realm of our perception which is of course coloured by our conditioning and ego (which we all have and isn’t all bad but, we should keep an eye on it!) which can push us to be more than the body and breath are able!
Yoga asks, what is the feedback from body, breath, nervous system, and mind? When we drop in regularly to our whole being we begin to listen to the subtle feedback and move beyond the ego/conditioning of our mind. When we listen to the subtle feedback, we can learn to respond rather than react not only in yoga but also off the mat in daily life. Deepening this mind/body connection assists in noticing when the body is not in balance and when we notice we can address the imbalance before it becomes a physical pain or upset.
Through the practices of yoga, we become conscious of how we move, and we deepen our connection to the mind. Every thought is a connection to the body, therefore, be aware that what we think affects how we feel and how we feel affects what we think so keep practising dropping into the communication between thoughts, feelings and movement both on and off the mat to really get to know the inner and outer self.
A strong mind-body connection lowers blood pressure, anxiety, and fatigue while improving digestion, rest, pain management, cognitive function like memory and attention, and strengthening your immune system and stress tolerance.
https://mirror.co/reflections/posts/mind-body-connection
Looking forward to working towards our inner selves this week and in the coming weeks!
Shanti Om
Sue 🙏 x
Click the link for a short meditation on finding balance. Meditation for balance