Tag Archives: pranayama

Craving a Vacation? 10 Ways to Cultivate your Yoga Mind

Posted on by

Yoga Mind

Craving a Vacation? 10 Ways to Cultivate your Yoga Mind

published on Greenster

It’s Friday as I write this post.  The end of a typical workweek.

Yet, for many of us, Saturday and Sunday are far from mini-holidays. Thinking about this fact leads me to reflect on the concept of “time off”.  For parents with children, is there really such a thing?  If you’re self-employed, what does this expression actually mean? Some of us work, get groceries, cook, clean, do laundry, have family obligations–the to-do list is constant and never-ending. When we think of time off, we visualize taking a break from these daily activities and duties but by the weekend, when we have the “time off” work, we might have to pick up on some of the chores.

If you “can never relax”, as some people have expressed to me, then is time “off” really valuable or any different than time “on”?  As well, what are we taking time “off” from?  It seems to me that the expression is literally dependant on one’s mind-set. And that, dear friends, is what Yoga can help you with: a relaxed mind can travel through time and space with more ease.

How can Yoga help?  Many people turn to Yoga for “stress-management,” expecting yoga to take their stress away.  That may not happen, but Yoga can offer the best possible “time-off” in that it gives the thinking mind a little brain holiday. As Daniel J. Siegel says in The Mindful Brain, “Stillness is not the same as a void in activity, it’s more like a stabilizing strength”.  This calm inner center is what provides us with the ability to relax even when we are in the midst of taxing circumstances. That is the number one reason to cultivate what I like to refer to as “yoga mind”.

Your “yoga mind” is able to surf into stillness even when you are on-duty, and it becomes your essential tool.  I am not referring to ‘spacing out’, but rather, learning how to tame the mind, calm the chatter and experience newness within the daily flow.

Here are 10 ways to cultivate your yoga mind and incorporate the peaceful perspective into your week without getting on a plane (though that could be nice too!):

  1. Take a break from social media –whether the whole weekend or just part of it, in order to have a break, you need to create one!
  2. Turn your cell phone OFF (not to vibrate)
  3. Skip one thing in your routine and see if you miss it
  4. Try a new yoga posture
  5. Try a new pranayama
  6. Invest 15 minutes a day in relaxation
  7. Cut out one yoga posture from your daily flow or -try the same posture but in a different variation
  8. Take a break from sitting a lot by standing and shaking your legs out
  9. Periodically close your eyes or look away from the computer and take a few easy breaths
  10. Just sit quietly and follow your breath for 5 minutes

Photo Credit: Ian Bothwell

published January 30, 2013

believe

Posted on by

306018_388611114550502_1483780733_n

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discouraged? Sometimes it helps to try things differently, sometimes not to try, but always BELIEVE that natures design evolves itself. Pranayama for optimism:

A great breathing practice to help foster optimism is Kapalabhati Pranayama (pronounced (kah-pah-lah-BAH-tee). Kapala = skull and bhati = light (implying perception, knowledge).
This wonderful breathing exercise will clear the mind, release emotional tensions, improve digestion, and leave you feeling energized and “brighter,” almost as if your brain was standing in a warm and happy sunbeam.
Build up slowly!
Step by Step Guide: 
Sit comfortably, using any support or props.  Try seated tadasana on a chair, if you like.
Focus on your lower abdomen, placing your hands there, one atop the other. Breathe in and then try laughing.
Notice the activity under your hands, as the belly contracts in short bursts.
Inhale, and as you exhale next time, repeat the same “ha ha ha” action but using short exhales through the nose.

Your inhales can be long, passive and slow, the exhales will be shorter bursts.  You can keep your hands on the belly and use them to pump the abdomen until you are comfortable and feel more adept at the rhythm.

balance

Posted on by

balance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what do you do to create balance in your life?

this pose may not be for you, but anyone can start a simple ‘balanced breathing practice’…why not try 10 breaths with inhale 5 counts, exhale 5 counts…

hope

Posted on by

hope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need some good cheer? Try pranayama!  Yogatherapy cheer up breathing practice: Kappalabhati

A great breathing practice to help foster your new attitude is Kapalabhati Pranayama (pronounced (kah-pah-lah-BAH-tee). Kapala = skull and bhati = light (implying perception, knowledge).
This wonderful breathing exercise will clear the mind, release emotional tensions, improve digestion, and leave you feeling energized and “brighter,” almost as if your brain was standing in a warm and happy sunbeam.
Build up slowly!
Step by Step Guide: 
Sit comfortably, using any support or props.  Try seated tadasana on a chair, if you like.
Focus on your lower abdomen, placing your hands there, one atop the other. Breathe in and then try laughing.
Notice the activity under your hands, as the belly contracts in short bursts.
Inhale, and as you exhale next time, repeat the same “ha ha ha” action but using short exhales through the nose.
Your inhales can be long, passive and slow, the exhales will be shorter bursts.  You can keep your hands on the belly and use them to pump the abdomen until you are comfortable and feel more adept at the rhythm.