Are you already leaping into a New Year’s Resolution type of mindset, but haven’t taken enough time to relax after the hectic holiday season? Fostering a balance between action and rest is essential. The “doing” pattern of life is helpful to fulfill our desires and achieve our goals, but if we aren’t mindful, it’s easy to slip into only doing and not being. Why not try a less is more attitude this week?
One of yoga’s true gifts is teaching us how to be present––not anticipating the future and not fixating on the past. If we are too focused on what is happening next, we cannot be fully present in what is happening right now. Consider a few of your favorite activities where you’re simply in the flow––running, surfing, gardening, dancing, listening to music or whatever is your perfect state.
Contemplate stepping back and slowing down to find your sense of flow and nourish yourself. Sure, it is a New Year, but that doesn’t mean you need to move full steam ahead regardless of how you are feeling. Check in now: are you feeling buoyant and light or weighed down on some level? A quieter style of yoga allows you to dive deep and truly feel what arises within each pose. Choose a more serene approach to create more peacefulness within.
It’s vital to balance out your output of physical energy. This week’s classes will benefit you by tapping into your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your relaxation response When we are so busy doing, our adrenal glands can get stuck operating in a “fight or flight” mode and that means we’re headed for burn-out. Stress is a fact of life and using various modalities of yoga to keep ourselves balanced is key.
Slower types of yoga are designed to help recuperate and restore not just your physical energy, but your emotional and mental energy too. When you settle into stillness and there’s no action required except to breathe and relax, a sense of freedom arises where you can examine your thoughts and emotions. A slower-paced class is an excellent way to prepare yourself for meditation and deep contemplation.
Life is a dance between rest and work, softness and strength, and yin and yang. When we make time to truly relax and restore our body, mind, and spirit we create more energy for the times we need it. It’s a new year and time for a fresh start. Choose to take care of yourself and enjoy these practices designed just for you.
1. Jackie Casal Mahrou - Slow Flow: Grace & Ease
2. Erin Wimert - Yin for Runners
3. Christen Bakken - Slower & Deeper: A Gentle Vinyasa Flow
4. Shy Sayar - Therapeutic Yoga for Wrists, Shoulders, & Neck