OMG
Ever have one of those days?
…you’re tired, running late, you slept terrible, some kid had their head in your armpit all night, or their foot in your face if you’re really unlucky. The dishes didn’t get done by the oldest. And the dog threw up on the floor. Carpet. Three times.
OR. You don’t know how you’re going to pay November bills and anxiety might be getting the better of you. You’re boss is a real ____. There’s a big thorn in your life that you aren’t sure what to do with.
(Big grown up stuff – how’d the heck did that happen????)
So there are a lot of things you could be feeling. Tired. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Angry. Sad. Depressed. Fuzzy. ______ Fill in the blank with your fav.
So, do you sign yourself up for “one of those days”. Or…
APPLY some of the skills you learned on your YOGA MAT to your life.
Focus on Perspective
Take just a moment to realize that more than likely, none of the above mentioned things are going to eat your leg off. Maybe go a step further and know that like being in first grade, it’s just a lesson to learn. (Learn it or turn away. Learn it and you go to second grade. Turn away and you might find yourself a repeater. Small or large, it’s all good stuff.)
10 Deep Breaths
You might need more oxygen in your brain. I mean your brain literally might be so oxygen deprived that the fuzziness is your brain starving. Deep breathing helps engage the parasympathetic nervous system, the “CALM YOU DOWN” button. Seriously. It’s science people.
Get Moving
Flow. There are a lot of yoga poses. Forward bends, back bends, side bends, inversions, twists. Check this out…each one of the categories of yoga poses has a specific affect on the body, in relation to energy, how you feel. Forward bends are calming. Back bends are energizing. Twists are releasing…And this is not voo doo hoo doo stuff. There is science behind it. Actual physiological events that go on in the body. So, putting yoga poses together is like cooking. Mix this with that and you get brownies. Mix this other with that other and you get quiche. One sequence of poses might leave you ready for bed time, another have your ready for your BIG RACE/MEETING/EVENT. Another can stimulate the digestion so that you might stop at Starbucks for coffee and the lady’s room. Sequencing. A big thing that distinguishes YOGA from other forms of exercise. More to come on this.
Invert Yourself
More oxygen to the brain – one of the reasons that inversions make us feel good. Legs up the wall, nice easy forward bend, headstand if that’s in your practice. This is a big benefit yoga. The circulatory changes and redirection of oxygen. It helps to calm, decompress, get the brain more O2.
Actively REST
I don’t mean to fall down in a stooper, put your head under the pillow and hide.
Sit on the swing, find that quiet place in your heart and stay there, listen to the birds chirp, crickets do whatever they do. Watch the squirrels carrying on. Sit in your chair and listen to the wind in the trees. Lay down on your bed and feel each breath that comes into the heart. Actively rest. Just for a short bit, for a long bit. It all counts and might just change your day up in a big way!
