Ok, so I have officially been back for a full week now and I am still decompressing and processing all the information I learned in India. I also realized that I had broke my computer habit while I was away which is great for my personal life but not so great for this blog. I guess now is the time to learn balance in all things. I would also like to invite you to become a follower (like my mom and my friend Linn-thanks Ladies) and leave comments. I have so much I want to share with you that sometimes I don't know where to start so your comments would be appreciated.
The last post I introduced the Pancha Koshas (5 sheaths of our being) and mentioned that imbalance in the first 3 layers- the body, the energetic layer, and the mind manifests as dis-ease in the body. See ancient yogis thousands of years ago figured out that there are only 2 causes of dis-ease: Stress born diseases or non-stress born diseases. The non-stress born diseases are injury, infections, toxic exposure, or congenital. Everything else is born from stress. Knowing this is powerful! If something is caused by stress it can be healed by removing stress from your life and learning new ways to move in the world that benefit rather than harm the body.
This is where yoga comes in to play. In the western world we have adapted yoga to mean physical activity for our physical body. It's time to learn that yoga is so much more than that. The physical practice is only a part of the picture. Yoga is a way of life. It is an ancient spiritual science that has the capacity to bridge the gap between the demands of the modern life-style and the natural rhythms of our true-selves. Where modern medicine is largely a science of disease and treatment, yoga (and other alternative modalities) offers techniques for the healthy functioning of the human mind and body that both prevent and reverse disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently defined health as a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well being. Sure we all know the mental and physical aspect of good health but did you know that your social life and spiritual life also play a major role in your overall health as well? Each factor is interdependent on the next for good health. If any of these areas are lacking or dysfunctional, dis-ease will occur. Another way of saying that is poor attention or misguided attention in anyone of these 4 areas can cause stress and stress will breed dis-ease in the body.
So here is your first basic lesson on how to combat stress in your life.
Calmness of the mind
Relaxation of the body
Slowness of the breath
Can you think of any area in your life where implementing these three things would not be beneficial? So the first step to calming the mind and relaxing the body is slowing down the breath. One easy technique is making the exhale longer than the inhale. Try it- over the next week anytime you start to feel stressed out or pain- slow your breath down and make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. Take 10 of these slow breaths then just observe how you feel afterwards. Now you are doing yoga.
The last post I introduced the Pancha Koshas (5 sheaths of our being) and mentioned that imbalance in the first 3 layers- the body, the energetic layer, and the mind manifests as dis-ease in the body. See ancient yogis thousands of years ago figured out that there are only 2 causes of dis-ease: Stress born diseases or non-stress born diseases. The non-stress born diseases are injury, infections, toxic exposure, or congenital. Everything else is born from stress. Knowing this is powerful! If something is caused by stress it can be healed by removing stress from your life and learning new ways to move in the world that benefit rather than harm the body.
This is where yoga comes in to play. In the western world we have adapted yoga to mean physical activity for our physical body. It's time to learn that yoga is so much more than that. The physical practice is only a part of the picture. Yoga is a way of life. It is an ancient spiritual science that has the capacity to bridge the gap between the demands of the modern life-style and the natural rhythms of our true-selves. Where modern medicine is largely a science of disease and treatment, yoga (and other alternative modalities) offers techniques for the healthy functioning of the human mind and body that both prevent and reverse disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently defined health as a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well being. Sure we all know the mental and physical aspect of good health but did you know that your social life and spiritual life also play a major role in your overall health as well? Each factor is interdependent on the next for good health. If any of these areas are lacking or dysfunctional, dis-ease will occur. Another way of saying that is poor attention or misguided attention in anyone of these 4 areas can cause stress and stress will breed dis-ease in the body.
So here is your first basic lesson on how to combat stress in your life.
Calmness of the mind
Relaxation of the body
Slowness of the breath
Can you think of any area in your life where implementing these three things would not be beneficial? So the first step to calming the mind and relaxing the body is slowing down the breath. One easy technique is making the exhale longer than the inhale. Try it- over the next week anytime you start to feel stressed out or pain- slow your breath down and make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. Take 10 of these slow breaths then just observe how you feel afterwards. Now you are doing yoga.
This was very helpful. I have been paying more attention to my breathing since I read this and noticed I breath very shallow and quick when I stress. Taking the time to breath deeper and slower helped me naturally reorganize my body mind and I was able to choose how I responded to my circumstances / stress. I was able to make healthier choices. I noticed I was given another chance to enjoy my view of the world i am experiencing. I was able to honestly accept my challenges instead of running from them. I can choose to sedate or Celebrate!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Guydance! You are so right- when we become mindful of our breathing we have insight into our thoughts. You indeed are very insightful and I am quite impressed that you were able to tap in to that understanding! Keep up the good work and the fancy footwork my friend- Marnie
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