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healthy body

Yoga

Spine Is a Metaphor for Life

December 6, 2017

In the Ashtanga system of yoga as propounded by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, you practice backbending daily. In the closing series, you practice the Urdhva Dhanurasana followed by the Sarvangasana and Halasana.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram and Facebook, you know that I’m focusing on my backbends a lot these days. Backbends have always been challenging for me, and for this reason I favor forward bends in my practice. It’s easier to do the stuff that comes naturally to you.  But doing that which you know you’re not good at, now that requires real discipline.

I have forever intended to work on my backbends in my personal practice, but I never got around to it. But in Pune we devote an entire week of the month to backbends. So you see advanced practitioners doing the Urdhva Dhanurasana 108 times etc. There was one particular class that I feel changed my practice forever. My spine became accessible and I became open to the idea that I CAN do backbends in this lifetime. I resolved to continue the practice and I practice a back bending routine on most days. You can see a snapshot of a typical backbending practice in this video.

I often see students lamenting their inability to bend backwards (I’ve been there myself).  Over the years I’ve learned that when it comes to bending back, more doesn’t always mean better.

The flexibility of your spine can give you a clue about how you approach life.  Do you have a tendency to bend over backwards to accommodate people and situations ? Bending like you don’t have a spine can also be described as being ‘spineless’.  Conversely, are you unable to bend back at all?  Not able to be open to an uncomfortable situation or a different point of view?

In terms of yogasanas, a certain amount of resistance is necessary to execute the full expression of the asana.  A body which can fold easily at every single joint has to work hard to provide the counterforce to hold an asana steady.  So we see the inability to gauge the centre in Sirsasana and Natrajasana.  We see an inability to hold Parsvakonasana.

Being too flexible is not always a good thing.  Too flexible with your time, with your emotions, with your boundaries, with yourself…

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Yoga

Healthy Body, but Healthy Mind?

November 30, 2017

With the ongoing focus on mental health have you gauged the state of your mental health?

The only way yoga works for you on a physical level is by changing you at a mental level.  Daily practice actually changes neural pathways in your brain which rewires you to think differently.  Not only are you making a conscious connection between your body and mind, but you are also ensuring that vital hormones (which are responsible for your moods and feelings) are also secreted to your system in optimum amounts.  Too little or too much leads to conditions such as Thyroidism, PCOS/D, PMS, anxiety, depression etc.

Exercising and eating a wholesome diet are key to overall good health.  But there are a few easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your thoughts aren’t sabotaging your health.

  1. Audit your quality time.  Who are the 5 people you spend most of your time with?  Do they make you feel good about yourself?  Do they lift you up or ensure you’re always down?  When those around us respect and love us, we feel stronger and more confident.  This is because when you hang out with good friends chemicals called serotonin and oxytocin which cause feelings of well being, are released in your body.  So think about the 5 people you’re spending most of your time with and consider making some changes for the better, if required
  2. Journaling.  I’ve been a compulsive journal writer since I was in second grade.  You’ll still find stacks of my journals in my parents’ home.  I was journaling all the way to the time I started working for Infosys.  But as time went on and work got hectic, it took a back seat.  Until my birthday earlier this year when one of my students gave me The Five Minute Journal.  Sitting down to do this every day has actually had a positive impact on me.  Use journaling as a means to think through things, vent, gain clarity.  Write about whatever comes to your mind, even if its just a re-cap of your day.  It feels great to be able to express yourself in a forum where you won’t be judged, where there is no right or wrong.  Sometimes seeing your thoughts and feelings physically in front of you is just what you need to feel better.
  3. Affirmations.  I would actually club this under the umbrella of meditative practices.  Write a few statements (on your phone works just fine) and go back to them often throughout the day.  Statements should be positive such as ‘Everything happens for the best.’  Reading such statements often to yourself can change destructive deep seated thought patterns that you may be unconsciously holding on to.  Repeating positive affirmations to yourself is a simple way to re-boot your mind set.

These are a few of my go-to tools to stay centred when everything around me is off balance.  Like yoga, these tools will take some time and effort to work their magic.  But once they do, you’ll have a healthy mind in a healthy body.

 

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