Life is right here, right now

This is something I most certainly need to contemplate at the moment!  Having been swept along by the vata season and doing a million and one things, with just as many possible outcomes and options, I am very much being drawn into the future and trying to work out what will happen.  In order to stay in action I have been doing exactly that – maybe being too much in action – busy, busy, busy!  If I am completely occupied (usually with work tasks) I can’t think about the future and what may happen and try to work it all out.  This is OK for a short time but, like any avoidance strategy, it can start to take over and create imbalance.

Moving through the hatha flow with Kirsty kept reminding me to be present, feel the body, stay with the sensations and at the same time not aim to be picture perfect, but accept what I bring to the mat today.  In this way each pose felt like a special gift to myself, I wanted to linger in the sensation and drink it in fully, rather than race through till it’s complete and already moving on to the next.

It is when life gets busy, stressful and you feel you may not have time for your practice, or your exercise, or your self care routine, then it is even more important to sanctify those parts of your day.  To keep filling yourself up, making yourself feel like you are worth it, to give you the best possible foundation for the day ahead at work, or give you the presence of mind you need to look after the kids on your own again.  I am still in the process of learning this too 🙂

Much love Gemma xxx

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Ujjayi breath and mental health

Good Morning!  Some of you may have noticed I haven’t posted for a few days; I didn’t do my daily practice on Friday which I put down to having an incredibly long day, although afterwards I can see that is an excuse which I could use most days!  However yesterday I was inspired to practice with Chris in his mini Ujjayi breath intro and workshop.  The inspiration was sparked by a Yoga, the Brain and Mental Health conference I went to on Friday night.

Throughout both the lecture by the lovely Dr David Beales and Heather Mason the breath featured heavily, much more than the physical postures (asanas).  I was very interested to hear how clearly Chris explained the importance of the breath, even saying that Ashtanga Vinyasa is meditative breathing practice for restless people, which is an image I love!

Dr Beales recounted a quote from a book by Ronald Ley, “Breathing is exquisitively sensitive to stress” and reminded us that mindfulness is the conscious of your breath to maintain present moment awareness.  Heather talked us through a plethora of scientific research which time and time again found Ujjayi breathing affects the physiology is such a way to decrease activation of structures in the body which have a potential to increase the likelihood stress and poor mental health.  For example the slow consistent pressure on the lung wall through Ujjayi breathing activates slow adapting stretch fibers that indirectly activate parasympathetic response, which is the ‘rest and digest’ action of the nervous system, promoting calm and relaxation.

Therefore Chris’s video was a reminder to myself of the importance of and a useful brushing up tool on my Ujjayi breathing and my ability to teach it to my students.  Thanks Chris xx

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Intro to Meditation

Reminded that meditation is natural and we all do it, even without realising, which for me makes it feel much less out there and New Agey.  As someone who is learning to bring meditation into my daily practice being reminded of the history, science and methodology is very grounding.

Clare gives us three core aspects of guidance to meditation; presence, breath and the witness effect.  Time to practice 🙂

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Yoga nidra for vata in the morning

I am certainly feeling the effects of the vata season.  Vata is one of the Ayurvedic doshas (combination of elements) and governs movement in the body.  Movement, change and activity are aspects of vata.  Autumn is the vata season with changing temperature, increased wind and a dryness in the air.  The season being of vata qualities makes it much more likely that the vata in each of us will shift into excess.  This likelihood of excess is increased even more if you are busy, over active and have some stress during the autumn.  Which can manifest itself as anxiety, insomnia, digestive challenges and weakness, among others.

I have been sleeping less than usual and which leaves me feeling more prone anxiety, worry and feeling weak.  So this morning after the clocks changing and waking up at ridiculous o’clock I decided to deeply rest my body and mind with a yoga nidra practice.  It was soothing, calming and restorative for my body, afterwards I feel my energy is smoothed and softened rather than jagged and angular.  This helps me to be more soft and open as I go about my day, rather than spiky and haphazard.  It was the perfect practice to prepare me for my busy ahead.

xxx

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Relaxation with …. myself!

There was going to come a time when I practiced with one of my own videos, as in a video that I am featuring in and teaching.  It has intrigued me as a couple of my teachers have recommended following your own practice as a very good way to learn and grow as a teacher.

I started small with a 15 minute relaxation, called Savasana with Gemma.  It was interesting and a couple times my mind did wander to judgement of myself, but to be honest I was so wrapped up in the relaxation that 90% of the time I completely forgot it was me!  The practice originated with the Sivananda tradition and is very effective at encouraging deep relaxation in a short period time.  In a Sivananda class savasana is at least 15 minutes long to give the body and the mind time to rest and restore, which is easily overlooked in many asana classes.

My experience of the practice today was so effective that I fell deeply asleep for a whole hour, luckily waking up with some time to spare before I need to head to my next class.  It was the kind of sleep my whole being so desperately needed, when I awoke I was a good colour, all my muscles felt like they had been reset and my skin feels smooth and soft.  I didn’t realise how exhausted I was until I tool the time to properly and deeply relax – I must I recommend it!

Love xxxx

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