'Tis the season of stress.
With so much going on in this time of celebration, family. friends and finals for all the students out there, it is so important to take some time for you.
After a terrible day, no matter what the reason: a never-ending pile of work, a heavy heart, a miscommunication, a bruised ego, whatever... yoga is the best therapy. An intense practice forces you to exercise, breathe, meditate and sweat it out!
This past weekend, I had one of those days: all of the above. My first reaction was to drink some wine while sharing some giggles with friends. Great distractions, yes, but only for a moment.
The next day not only was my head throbbing, but I hadn't dealt with my emotions. I felt even worse. It had been a just over a week since the last time on the mat, I needed to get back.
One of the greatest advice that one of my yogi mentors has taught me is in is that when a feeling or an emotion comes up, to simply take note of that feeling, exhale, and let it go. This is great advice in practice and in life.
Hips are the storage containers for repressed emotions, so when you are feeling down & out, try a hip-opening pose like half pigeon pose. This pose is a great stretch for the groin, chest, and back. My favorite thing about the pose is it's difficulty lies in the patience that it takes. During a deep hip opening stretch like this, feelings of negativity and discomfort are bound to come up, and you must breathe in and be patient. Exhale and let it go. AHHHHHH.....
Open hips = happy you.
Click here for for step-by-step instructions.
So this holiday season, remember to take the time to do something for yourself.
Make time to get to your favorite yoga class. It will have you feeling amazing and also help you get a head-start on dealing with that holiday bulge. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment