yoga poses to encourage calm

yoga poses to encourage calm

Yoga poses to encourage calm enable the brain to focus, not on fighting gravity, but surrendering to it. One of the ways we achieve this is through supporting the head. A forward bend with the head supported on a block, for example, allows the brain to recover from mental fatigue, gain mental clarity, and can be held for a more extended period of time. Great benefits are reaped, such as a reduction in blood pressure, and lowered heart rate, which are all very soothing to the nervous system.

yoga poses to encourage calm

yoga poses to encourage calm

Paschimottanasana, or seated forward bend pose, is a lovely spine lengthener, assuming you can get the thoracic spine to expend. Sometimes very tight hamstrings pull the pelvis and the result is more struggle than surrender. When done comfortably though, it is a pose that benefits the digestive system, and stimulates the reproductive system, a long with producing calm. Whereas it may be hard to support the head on a block, you can always use a horizontal or vertical bolster. For those of us who cannot rest with that, sit on a blanket stack and bring a chair over to rest the head. Breathe and relax. Properly supported, a restorative forward bend can really encourage calm.

Yoga and the practice of surrender

let it go

Word of the day ishvara pranidhana ~ surrender to the divine. In the West we tend to think of this concept as a last resort, a giving up out of angst or failure. In the East, and in the spirit of the intention of Patanjali, it is more of an ongoing path/inner practices (and one of 5 niyamas). The ‘goal’ is ultimately to still the agitations of our mind, and connect us not only with the core of our own peacefulness but also to help us see the interconnectedness of all beings. Sounds huge right? I think it is more like a path of balancing well intended action with letting go once we have done our best, standing aside in trust that we are connected to a source of universal power greater than our understanding.

Forward bends can be particularly soothing, with the head lower than the heart; in this photo, I would add a block or two under the head – it is very calming