Rest and Relaxation are words that seem unavailable for those seeking to be productive and successful. The stigma of taking a break signifies weakness and is avoided. Unfortunately, our bodies need breaks! Lots of science supporting how our minds and bodies need rest. This is one of the reasons our school system includes breaks. This week is Spring Break for my community. While many take an opportunity to seek a break outside of town, some have a 'Stay-Cation' and just take a break from their daily routine.
When we don't allow ourselves to take a break, our bodies find a way to make us take a break - that isn't always pleasant. When we overwork ourselves into a constant feeling of stress, our bodies find a way to make us stop. Sometimes our constant stress just allows our bodies to be more at risk for germs that lead to cold/virus, and may end up turning into more serious illnesses such as heart disease and emotional disorders. In this less than ideal state, we may not be on full guard, allowing us to be open to many types of injury. Sometimes, when we don't take the time to listen to our bodies and what they need each day - our bodies start screaming at us until we are forced to stop.
Yoga is beneficial in helping reduce stress in our lives - allowing our bodies to take a mental break, and the physical aspects help reduce built up tension in the body. There are multiple ways yoga helps us to find release - but the main ones is tapping into the vagus nerve releasing the negative feedback loop that keeps our bodies in constant stress.
But - what happens when we are stressed out IN yoga? Many doctors and psychologists send clients to yoga classes for reducing stress. While there are multiple forms of yoga, finding a style and type of yoga that feels best for your body is important. There is yoga for everybody - but not every yoga class is ideal for every body type. Friends that are healing from PTSD or past trauma - or even current trauma, need to find a safe place to allow their bodies freedom and healing on their own terms. Many psychologists are even incorporating yoga into their practices to allow multiple modalities of healing. Sooooo....if you would love to find yoga, but haven't found a class that meets your needs - keep searching. Every instructor and every class can be different - don't let one class decide yoga is not for you. One way to find a yoga instructor that might fit your needs is to go to the yoga alliance website and discover the training an instructor has obtained. You can also just go try out various classes with an open mind, and find one that you feel most compatible. I truly believe we can find healing with yoga, and try to make each of my classes available for those healing.
If you look through past blog posts, you can find multiple ways yoga has helped me heal through the years - from gaining self esteem in helping me be my most healthy self - to overcoming grief - to enduring the daily struggles life brings our way. The following video shows a more gentle yoga flow to help relax the body - there are some variations of one of the more intense hip stretches - stop at any point your body feels it needs to hang out in -
The collage pic below shows several of the poses from the video - some are a little hard to decipher - they are listed in order from top left to bottom right - forward fold, twisted lunge, half pyramid, childs pose, cow, kneeling plank, kneeling crocodile, cobra, cat, puppy, side reaching childs pose, one-legged forward fold, double pigeon (fire log), bridge, fish with butterfly legs, corpse pose.
When you're body is feeling more like relaxing without a lot of movement - the pic collage below shows some restorative yoga poses you can achieve at home - with just a throw pillow and blanket off your couch (that's where mine came from) -
The poses include and easy seated position (top right) - using the props to sit on for hip comfort is always a choice - to take a minute to focus on the breath at either the beginning or end of your session - or both. Next is child's pose (bottom right) - with the pillow in-between the knees and chest and the blanket under the ankles. Then maybe a hip stretch (top left) - the one chosen is a supported z-sit pose with the hip resting on the blanket and pillow finding comfort for your body - be sure to even out with the pose on each side. Next is restorative bridge/fish (middle left) with the blanket under the shoulders - either lengthwise down the spine or horizontal across the shoulders - with the option of the knees bent with the pillow between the legs. Then final relaxation of your choosing - the pic (bottom left) shows the pillow under the head and neck with the blanket under the knees for spine relief. If these don't feel awesome on your body - please contact me for more options. Ideally, if your body and environment allows, its best to stay in each pose 5-15 minutes.
If you've tried yoga, and it's just not your thing - I encourage you to find an outlet for stress release to give your body a break each day - or at least each week. Find time for you! Your mind, body and spirit will thank you for it!
