One of the best things about virtual yoga is getting to meet everyone’s pets.
Deep Relaxation in the Time of COVID19
In the time of COVID19. We are under daily threat of life, income, homeschooling and more. This constant stress, conscious and/or unconscious is triggering our sympathetic nervous system and a deep breath from time to time may not be enough at this moment in time to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest and digest system).
We need to relax completely at least once a day. This is not watching Netflix, reading a book, knitting or going for a walk. Relaxation means relaxing completely. These other things can be a distraction and provide some relief, but they do very little to relieve the stress that we hold inside in the form of muscular contraction and tension.
To reverse the tension-holding pattern, we can work with the energy body (pranamaya kosha). The systematic relaxation of the body and all of the different ways of doing that offer a precise, orderly way to release tensions from our toes to the top of our heads and all points in between. A number of these techniques exist, and, like most yoga practices are best learned from an experienced teacher and then honed through patient practice. Yoga and world cultural traditional relaxation practices vary from simple tension/relaxation exercises to more complex visualization techniques that require exploring fine distinctions in the subtle(energy) body. Many practices involve moving our attention through the body methodically, often while resting in svasana (pronounced shvasana – corpse pose). Neuroscientists are beginning to discover that these practices can begin to change the way the brain responds to the perception of stress and we can learn to experience stress and move back to healthier neural pathways with more equanimity.
Most relaxation techniques require that we withdraw our attention from the drama of our lives. In yoga we call this withdrawal, pratyahara (withdrawal from the senses). Letting go of memories, plans, worries and fantasies and focus on the present moment and allow the mind to move from point to point from one part of the body to another, from one visual concept to another. Listening deeply to our bodies, helps us to stay embodied and aware of what we are actually feeling. Breathing from the diaphragm, while systematically bringing our attention to point to point in the body can release tension and increase the flow of energy (prana) to each point, each visual image brings energy to that part of the brain where that image ‘resides’.
These types of practices lead to healing and cleansing and build the neural pathways to ease in meditation and deeper practices. Try this once a day for 10-30mins and see how you feel. Lie on the floor – comfortably – stay awake and aware of your breath, rotate your attention from one part of the body to another – trying to include all body parts and let the breath be deep, full, effortless. Notice if you start to fall asleep and bring the attention back to the breath and continue scanning the body. If you would like to practice this exercise with a teacher, yoga nidra is a really nice easy practice that you can listen to an audio recording and have this experience.
Sign up for our newsletter and get a FREE AUDIO RECORDING of Samasa Yoga Nidra and try this out for yourself. Email us at [email protected].
Stress Free Living
Stress-Free Living
How often do we get up in the morning and absentmindedly stumble to the kitchen put on the kettle or coffee pot and numb to our bodies, lost in thought head to bathroom duties? Once we fill that first cup many of us automatically set ourselves on autopilot and fly through the day. What if, instead, we take this advantage of this time to practice mindfulness – to tune into the present moment and be present for ourselves and others.
Let’s practice taking a moment before we start our day to scan our body, mind and emotional sense of being. Notice how you brush your teeth, feel each stroke, relax the facial muscles and take several deep abdominal breaths to calm the mind. Lowering the breath into the belly relaxes the nervous system and can help us to feel more grounded.
The key to ‘waking up,’ is to maintain an open, spacious awareness of our surroundings, connect with all of our senses and continue our routine with acute attention to breath and body. Notice the weight of the spoon that you are eating your oatmeal with, take a deep breath and smell your food before putting it on your mouth, notice the sound of the birds outside, use all of the senses to get back to the present moment.
Try concentrating on your hands to anchor the mind, noting sensations such as texture, temperature, vibration, how others respond to your touch. To re-establish mindfulness when attention wanes choose a recurring land mark in your routine – your coffee cup, water glass … you get the idea. Each time that you come back to that landmark check in with awareness. If your attention wanders off to day-dreaming, to-do lists, or a rehashing of an old confrontation, notice, and as you are able come back to the present, back to the sensations in the hands.
We can further explore the body’s experience, as well as work on posture, by checking in with your tender places. Am I leaning in to listen and straining my back? How long have I been in one position? Does my body need to move? Can I relax my jaw? Becoming aware of where the body feels stressed can give you information about where to focus in your yoga practice and bring new awareness to the routine we live in.
As we practice this type of mindfulness, we become more skilled at paying attention and we can develop the awareness of how all of our day to day experiences land in our bodies. When conflict arises, notice how the body and the mind feel and if you are aware enough to pay attention to the sensations and feelings that arise. Practice being curious about how these experiences affect the body and the mind. Dissolve any agitation by repeating an affirmation of compassion such as, “May I feel at ease,” “May we all feel heard and seen,” and one of my favourites, “I am loving awareness.”
Gradually, as we learn to use our morning/daily routine as mindfully as in our yoga practice, we can set in motion a more relaxed, awake, conscious state of being that will promote overall wellness and peace of mind for you and those around you.