Tag Archives: relaxation

Restorative Yoga Therapy

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Why Restorative Yoga therapy? Tired?  Restorative Yoga Therapy is a key component to a balanced yoga practice whether you are an active athlete or a weekend warrior.  The body is able to stretch passively while the mind enters a calm abode.

In a restorative yoga class, the nice thing is there is no chasing involved. By bringing the support of props to practice, the practitioner receives the benefits of the posture without the overextension.

restorative yoga therapy for gratitude

restorative yoga therapy for gratitude

As anyone who is tired and or stressed out knows, mood is affected so easily that it is often hard not to be reactive, frustrated, anxious, or cranky. When we yogis speak of gratitude, it is often hard to get to that positive attitude when you are not in the right yogamind…

Last week I spoke about the ananda maya kosha and how practices of restorative yoga help undo layers of tension in the body and help train the mind to accept the parasympathetic response easier, so that the innermost peaceful core is accessible.

“Say thank you to your innermost Being. Even if you cannot see at the moment what to say thank you for, keep on saying thank you. It will change the vibration inside and make you light and open and full of love, forgiveness and joy” ~ Mooji

 

Restorative Yoga Therapy

Peaceful Warrior

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My latest post on MindBodyGreen

For many of us, the end of summer can mean an end of a relaxed pace of life. Whether we are going back to work or back to school or simply returning to busier routines, there can be an underlying sense of worry due to these new pressures.

Unfortunately, worry is often accompanied by anxiety, fear, and stress. These emotions trigger out flight-or-flight response, so that we sleep less, take shallow breaths, digest poorly, and react from an overall cranky place.

Over on the opposite side of the nervous system is the parasympathetic system, which likes prayer, and trust, and prefers peace and relaxation.

Ease or disease; we’re equipped to handle both. The one we give more attention to will get stronger, like a muscle…

I am not going to tell you that there is a magic wand to make worry go away, but you can adopt strategies to bring your mind under control, which is what the entire system of yoga is about. This should not be underestimated since the mind is responsible for conjuring the worry up in the first place.

Here are 7 ways you can cultivate yoga mind and become a peaceful warrior instead of a nervous worrier:

1. Try putting first things first rather than attacking everything at once.

2. Practice patience and LETTING GO and LETTING GOD with one thing.

3. Try to balance out the go go go with a bit of go with the flow. A restorative yoga pose is a great beginning.

4. Visualize your worries as hecklers at the comedy show, and try to use their lines to improve your material 🙂

5.  Practice yoga not to escape, but to help illuminate the way.

6.  Meet yourself where you are on your mat by adding a yoga prop so there is a sense of honoring yourself.

7.  We neutralize stress as it comes up…this does not mean sweeping things under the rug, perhaps by learning to use the breath as a tool for managing the emotions.

Why not take a moment now to bring your palms together in front of the heart, into Atmanjali Mudra (gesture of prayer)? Affirm that you are grateful for this moment and connect with your heartbeat and the rhythm of your relaxed breathing.

Feel it as a moment of peace, harmony, balance, repose, and the heart’s desire. As a result, you may feel more clear and rested so you may want to do it more often…

Let me know how it goes.