Today, I did an "Evening Revival" routine, which is a gentle routine meant to open the shoulders, back, and hips. I know I've mentioned it before, but I was again amazed at how difficult I find the simplest poses when I need to hold them for extended periods, and really focus.
I hold stress between my shoulder blades, and this routine focus on the upper back much of the time. What the DVD claims to be a release of stress feels much different to me in this area. It's not painful, but it's very uncomfortable, and makes me feel uneasy.
Standing with my feet wide apart, arms extended out to my sides, and twisting around, I could feel that my upper back just did not want to release. I'm taking this as a gentle reminder from yoga that I need to be more mindful of my stress. I need to let things go as them come up, instead of storing them away in the tense muscles of my back.
And most of all - I need a massage! ;)
Namaste
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wishing...
Tonight, I'm wishing I could keep the confidence and inner strength I feel doing yoga going all the time. I'm wishing, because right now, it feels so far from reality. I finished my practice tonight - a vigorous power yoga session - feeling great, feeling strong, feeling accomplished. But then I read something that upset me, and I lost that feeling in an instant. How do you get it back? Even better, how do you not lose it?
When I feel personally attacked, or worse, when I feel someone is attacking someone I love, my heart starts to pound, my breathing gets shallow... I guess it's some version of fight or flight. I don't like it at all, and I recognize that it's an unnecessary reaction. Why can't I breathe through it, focus on calm, see the trivial nature of the problem, etc.?
I was planning on coming here to post about how my neck and shoulder practice has released so much tension that I felt I could arch back in my standing back bends with much more ease tonight. And, my arms are getting so much stronger that for some chaturangas, I'm not using my knees - that's a huge improvement. But then I read that one thing... and I let myself get diverted.
Yoga is definitely not an easy answer, or a cure all for everything. I guess I should focus on the skills I have, and know that I'm working on strengthening them, and with time, I can hope to react better to stressors that really shouldn't stress me at all!
Namaste
When I feel personally attacked, or worse, when I feel someone is attacking someone I love, my heart starts to pound, my breathing gets shallow... I guess it's some version of fight or flight. I don't like it at all, and I recognize that it's an unnecessary reaction. Why can't I breathe through it, focus on calm, see the trivial nature of the problem, etc.?
I was planning on coming here to post about how my neck and shoulder practice has released so much tension that I felt I could arch back in my standing back bends with much more ease tonight. And, my arms are getting so much stronger that for some chaturangas, I'm not using my knees - that's a huge improvement. But then I read that one thing... and I let myself get diverted.
Yoga is definitely not an easy answer, or a cure all for everything. I guess I should focus on the skills I have, and know that I'm working on strengthening them, and with time, I can hope to react better to stressors that really shouldn't stress me at all!
Namaste
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Today, I prepared for my yoga practice by reading from "Meditations for the Mat" by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison. I picked a sequence of poses from Yoga Journal, and sat down on my mat to read. One line really stood out to me, and gave my practice purpose:
"Let your practice be a refuge from the need to control."
Reading that, my heart felt lighter, and I was eager to begin. I eased through the sequence, conscious of my body and its movements. I focused on aligning my breath with the transitions, and in doing so, let the worries of the day fade away.
I can't control other people's thoughts or actions. Most days, I struggle to control my own. And I certainly can't control the Navy. (For those who don't know, I am married to a Submariner.) Even though all of that is obvious, I recognize that I have trouble truly accepting it.
Practicing yoga is one way to help myself let it go, and calm my mind from the worries over lack of control. I hope that in this year of yoga, I can learn to carry the calm I find while doing yoga into the rest of my life, and be a better person for it.
Namaste
"Let your practice be a refuge from the need to control."
Reading that, my heart felt lighter, and I was eager to begin. I eased through the sequence, conscious of my body and its movements. I focused on aligning my breath with the transitions, and in doing so, let the worries of the day fade away.
I can't control other people's thoughts or actions. Most days, I struggle to control my own. And I certainly can't control the Navy. (For those who don't know, I am married to a Submariner.) Even though all of that is obvious, I recognize that I have trouble truly accepting it.
Practicing yoga is one way to help myself let it go, and calm my mind from the worries over lack of control. I hope that in this year of yoga, I can learn to carry the calm I find while doing yoga into the rest of my life, and be a better person for it.
Namaste
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