Our body bombards us with signals of dis-ease. How can you hone the skills for deeper listening? ( read NYTimes article below)
Drawing attention inward and staying there for several minutes can be difficult. Our internal landscape changes constantly and busy lifestyles often circumvent introspection. Lifestyle intervention is a holistic approach to living an energized, joyful and healthy life. As creatures of habit we benefit from a shake down or gentle reassessment of what is and is not working well for us. A crucial part of health is switching up our fitness routine, embracing varying forms of movement, respiratory and otherwise, in which we are NOT proficient. In other words we may be unable to touch our toes in Yoga but we are actually creating new neural pathways and connecting to possible signals of di-ease in a myriad of new ways. Yoga is not just for flexibility or suppleness-its a doorway to utilizing our breath maximally and efficiently, a world of ‘Ah-Ha’ moments. Soulful exploration piggybacks rhythmic breathing as toxins are flushed from the body, mental acuity increases, connection to spirit grows and your life force is nourished.
To live in ‘healthy bones’, (the ancient yogis say prana-lifeforce is in our bones), with an attitude of gratitude we move and think in ways foreign to our comfort zone. We are surrounded by miracles every day and yet desensitization roadblocks us from seeing the beauty which surrounds us, is us. We are not so separate from our surroundings. In a world of tuning each other out I beseech you to tune in, go deeper, be still…listen closely to your body’s messages.
Prepare to look like a bumbling you know what- like all new tasks there is an awkward stage. Though it may feel like all eyes are on us no one really cares or is looking. In yoga class students are encouraged to focus on their own experience. Go inside and practice exploring places you inhabit-just as important notice the breathless idle places you have vacated. This practice of ‘Witness Conciousness’, http://www.kripalu.org, teaches us to observe without judgement. It’s beautiful, scary, difficult, sad, divine, humbling and so much more. I promise its worthwhile. Color outside of the lines, play with pranyama and asana…move outside of the box and remember there is no one right way.
Read article from ny times on Medical Cancer treatments and Yoga http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/nyregion/30yoga.html?ref=yoga
Note: Learn breathing techniques/pranayama from a skilled yoga teacher. Yoga has become so trendy there is a lot of watered down Mcyoga out there-every other person is certified. Teachers have a huge variation in training-from 8 hours to 2,000+ hours. My suggestion is to take from a few different teachers/styles and switch it up now and then. You won’t know what your missing if you aren’t trying different forms of yoga. If one style or teacher is working well for your body, mind, soul stay the course but don’t cheat yourself-be open to other classes now and then.
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