If you have to wait for the results of a medical test or for an operation, time can drag by. The long days can drag you through life. And life itself can become heavy.
If you wait by focusing only on that one moment in time in the future, you miss out on our life. You basically choose to abandon participating in your life in the present moment. Your whole world becomes the impending results, and your imagination will probably be quite overactive.
Yoga tools are actually quite simple, and can help you live your life with more pleasant moments. You can exercise your right to choose how you will be present with your life in any given moment.
Here are some suggestions on ways to use yoga tools:
Body Awareness – Listen as calmly as you can to the messages of the body by feeling the sensations: tingling, temperature, pressure, discomfort, etc.
Breath Awareness – Focus on the movement of the breath from neck to abdomen. Or listen to the sound of the breath.
Breathing Pattern – Become aware of the pause at the end of the exhalation, and comfortably extend it by a seconds or two.
Self Study – Journal on an experience. Choose a positive or negative experience.
Relationships - Ask a trusted friend to spend some time with you, and share your feelings with honesty.
I hope you capture many peaceful and pleasant moments. Do let me know how you fare.
Heather Greaves, Student of Yoga – heather@yogatogo.com
1. Shallow Chest Breathing
Is your breathing shallow? To check, place one hand on the chest, and the other just above the navel. If the hand on the chest moves more, then shallow breathing is your normal breathing pattern.
Shallow breathing, also called paradoxical breathing, creates tension in the shoulders, neck and thoracic spine and increases heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and metabolism.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: To correct chest breathing, practice the following exercise 10 – 20 minutes daily for several weeks until breathing from the diaphragm becomes natural and easy.
• Lie on your back with you knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a hard cover book or 10-15 lb sandbag on your abdomen around the area of the navel.
• As you inhale through the nose, lift the book. As you exhale through the nose, the book lowers.
2. Rough Breathing
Your breath is jerky. Sit comfortably with the spine lengthened. Notice your incoming and outgoing breath. Is it smooth?
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Place one hand about 4 inches away from your body. Move one finger from navel to chin as you inhale, then back down as you exhale. Practice with awareness of the breath.
3. Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing exacerbates high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease, dry cough and many other medical problems.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Sit comfortably for 3-5 minutes and practice breathing through the nose. You can also press one nostril closed with a finger or thumb and breathe slowly through the other nostril. Then change sides.
Yoga breathing exercises must be practiced without force.
This basic pranayama, breath awareness, helped reduce the angst and anxiety that had been my shadow companion.
Meditation had been part of my daily routine for many years. Yet angst and anxiety was my shadow companion. Sure, I was definitely peaceful. Yoga philosophy had answered many of life’s big questions for me. I could accept life’s dramas, and understand that we were all actors. The law of karma and reincarnation I got. This knowledge had brought a great deal of calm.
So how come I was still anxious? The fact that my breath was shallow would have contributed significantly to the angst. I remember once a massage therapist said to me something like, “Your breath is high up. Try to get it down here.” Her hand was resting on my belly and I couldn’t get my breath down there.
In my heart of hearts, I prayed for an answer to this anxiety, which would step out from the shadows every now and then. One day I suddenly realized my prayers had been answered. I couldn’t remember the last time I was anxious. What was it that had changed things for me?
I had begun to practice the basic pranayama breathing exercise – simple breath awareness; being aware of the breath. Breath awareness is vital in yoga therapy. My meditation practice changed and became this basic breath awareness; sitting and following the breath in and out. I don’t remember exactly how long each practice was. I know it was at least 10 minutes. And it was definitely in the morning. Meditation is also important in yoga therapy.
If you have used any no cost pranayama, breathing exercise, to cope with anxiety, or to reduce the number of times you take medication, I’d like to hear your story. Comment below.
“People get ready, there’s a new age coming, you don’t need no baggage you just get on board.“
What 3 mistakes prevent you from dropping mental or emotional baggage? How can yoga exercise and daily meditation practice help you drop baggage and march to a new age?
What 3 mistakes prevent us from dropping baggage and moving forward to a new age easily and with courage? How can a daily practice of yoga exercise and meditation bring courage?
Mistake #1 – Pointing Fingers – Whenever you are uncomfortable, unhappy or upset you point fingers and blame other people. Whenever you blame someone for your troubles, your troubles instantly become heavier than they actually are.
Solution: Take personal responsibility for your response to what is happening. “I take full responsibility for my response to this situation.”
Yoga Exercise: Breathe deeply for as long as it takes to begin to accept this thought, or totally accept it. Assume correct posture to increase breathing capacity as well as gain a courageous feeling. Start a daily meditation practice of at least 3 minutes of breath awareness.
Mistake #2 – Constantly Making Comparisons – You keep comparing yourself to other people and feel you are less than others. You don’t know your own strengths, or you forget to recall them. Instead you keep focusing on your weaknesses. Or on the other hand, you feel you are better than others. You keep seeing others weaknesses, as you take pride in your strengths. You create so many extra thoughts. Baggage!
Solution: Consider that each individual has a special place in the universe, a unique part to play, and gifts and talents to play the part.
Yoga Exercise: Practice 3 fundamental principles of yoga (self discipline, self-study, and surrender to the divine) to see reality. Be firm about your daily meditation practice, and read an inspirational book daily.
Mistake #3 – Thinking Your Thoughts Are Okay – You think that because no-one can know your thoughts, it is okay to think whatever you want. You think your criticisms affect no-one, and therefore it is alright.
Solution: Put a full stop to your thoughts, and practicing calming the mind.
Yoga Exercise: A daily meditation practice that controls all senses.
And now I invite you to a free instant download of a special daily meditation practice for a courageous spirit. You can practice this meditation right into the new age.
Share with me your thoughts on these points; I’d really like to know. Simply use the comments section below.
January 15, 2009 Comments Off
Free download Perception Checklist
Perception checklist:
Download
1. Consciously Exhale – Let it go when you exhale. Breathe out slowly through the mouth. Notice the exhalation becomes longer. The quality and length of the exhalation will depend on the way you were breathing immediately before. Never force the breath. After some breaths you may be able to breathe out quite easily through puckered lips; and eventually through a very small opening. Breathe out through the mouth and breathe in through the nose.
2. Hand Position (1) – Gently press the tips or the pads of all the fingers together. The fingers may be gently curled or extended straight out. Your hands themselves can rest in your lap, or you can keep your elbows close to your body with your hands comfortably in front of your chest. The important point is that the hand position should be free of tension. Relax the fingers.
3. Hand position (2) – Rest the cupped left hand on your lap. Rest the cupped right hand into the left hand. (Both palms are up.) Relax the shoulders, and let your body weight drop down. Be aware of your breath in the lower abdomen.
4. Animal’s Head – If you are choosing to be mad at what someone is saying, (it really is your choice) choose instead to imagine a talking animal head on the individual.
5. Posture - Let your posture work for you, rather than against you. If you are sitting, plant both feet on the floor. Be aware of what is supporting your body and feel the connection in those places. Feel your feet on the floor; thighs, buttocks and back on the chair. Lengthen your spine. If you are standing, stand well and stand tall with the weight of your body falling equally on both feet, if possible. If you are lying, be as comfortable as possible.
6. Eyes - You may keep them open, 9/10th open, or completely closed. The choice is yours.
7. Mental Focus - Count each exhalation starting from one. The first exhalation is one, the second two, all the way up to ten. Once you reach ten, start again from one. Or if you prefer you could repeat a word or phrase that has meaning for you, like “aah” or “peace”. Another option for mental focus could be your name for God.
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