Mind and body connection
Mind and body are related. So when your body relaxes so does the mind and vice versa.
Before the body can relax it often needs to move, that is where the asanas come in. After the body is worked out, stretched and opened, the body is more than happy to let go. Compare it to a child, a child is also happier to relax after it’s burned away its nervous energy.
Of course the opposite can also be true sometimes, when a body is wired, it can be so tired it doesn’t know how to let go anymore. Giving it help through yin yoga and restorative poses can bring the body back to a state of equilibrium so it can let go again. Then the mind will also let go of the wired state.
Savasana after a Yoga practice
When we practice asanas in yoga we stretch and influence all the meridians (energy channels) in our body. We also influence our nervous system. This can bring about big changes in the body.
After a yoga practice you need to give the body and your nervous system time to assimilate these changes. If you skip the integration part (Savasana) after a yoga practice and go straight back to being active the chances are you will feel agitated and on edge. This is unnecessary and if you keep doing it that way, your nervous system will become chronically over-stimulated.
A general guideline is to take 6 minutes in Savasana for every hour you practice.
I believe everybody should build in enough time for Savasana after a yoga practice.
I even believe it is the most important (and maybe the hardest) pose to master. But it’s so worth it!
A gentle challenge
I invite you to spend some time each day for a whole week, focusing on doing one relaxation practice a day, either after your yoga practice or just by itself. If you can make time for this for 7 days in a row your experience of life will be different, I promise!
Suddenly a problem doesn’t feel like such a big deal anymore, you’re much more able to go with the flow and accept life as it presents itself to you. Maybe that’s hard to imagine, but there’s only one way to find out…Just try it!
I have created a Guided relaxation / Yoga Nidra program that you can follow to guide you in this challenge.
Love,
Esther
