Movement may feel glorious when you listen to your body rather than tell it what to do. We can guide it surely but can you allow your body to flow in the guidance, can you allow it to dance in the guidance or does it all feel a bit stiff and awkward?
If it feels a bit stiff and awkward it’s because you’re guidance is coming from your confused thoughts about how to move, you’re left and right sides are getting mixed up, your motor cortex is crashing!! This is what happens when there is no awareness of the inner body movment, of the energetic current that runs through your tissues connecting all your body parts. This makes movement simple and easeful.
Sometimes the simplist movement, perhaps something you do all the time, eg roll over in bed, becomes so awkward when you roll over on your mat …lol. That would never happen in bed!!
Our self talk gets in the way, our thoughts get in the way.
Sure it can feel a bit awkward the first time we do something new with our body, however, when we listen to our body, we can quickly learn to let go of the guidance and flow through it. You can feel the current of energy that runs through you, seamlessly connecting all the body parts from the toes to the head and fingers. Sensing these connections not only strengthens your body but softens it as well.
This type of practice offers up a delicious soft strength, it feels amazing and can be achieved with presence. Having presence, bringing the body and mind together in symphony. Being concious of the body as one whole orchestra playing a symphony of joy and freedom!
Movement performed this way feels glorious. Glorious Movement!! Some types of movement are not joyful they are harsh and painful. For me that’s not what the body wants, it desires a peaceful nervous system so that the body feels safe, from one moment to the next, all day long. This way you can prevent injury yet still work the body. That even if I have a pain somewhere I can still accept and treat it kindly by taking care of my whole body so this painful point can be fully supported. Allowing it to heal naturally and to feel supported through my yoga practice, until it’s mended, even if that means hospital treatment.
Oftentimes people stop coming to class when life presents a problem, a crisis, a misfortune. This is really, really when you need your practice, this is what your practice is for, to support you through these challenging times. Yoga provides tools in the way that other types of movement don’t. When you have a physical injury it can effect you psychologically as well, or perhaps your problems are all psychological and no injury but this too can often cause injuries. A clouded, anxious mind ceases to pay attention to where the body is in relation to the space around it and this leads to a nasty fall.
During challenging times of the body and mind, you need to find your breath to calm your nervous system, and your fascia needs to contract and release to find the soft strength in your body, this will support your recovery. You need to have presence otherwise you are scattered mentally and tightening physically. Potentially making the situation worse!
Perhaps you feel a Yoga practice is self indulgent when everything else is going wrong. Yoga is offering you so many tools to support your recovery. so this is not an indulgence it’s a sensible thing to do. If you need medication that’s fine but Yoga can help to heal the wounds, it’s not just a sticking plaster. Is supporting your body and mind in difficult times an indulgence or an act of compassion? A matter of urgency even.
If you want a healhty body and mind then you need to move and practice meditation. Movement keeps the body and mind working efficiently and meditation keeps them calm, helping you self regulate your stress and anxiety.
Feeling the springyness in your body that allows you to get up and down easily, walk well, feel light in your feet as you run up and down stairs, sense your aliveness, play with your children/ Grandchildren, enjoy life without fear of injury as you discover true stability, balance and freedom in your body. This is what the practice of Yoga is for.
I can teach you to rediscover yourself!!
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