Wednesday, April 5, 2017

April at BoT Yoga

Just Breathe

Last month, I promised to look further into the breath during our classes. We focused on noticing the breath, where it expands and contracts. We used weighted, warm bags to focus our minds and our breath to specific spots in the body. We focused on letting our thoughts fall in the space between the breaths.
Have you put more thought into your breath this month? Have you noticed it as it expands and contracts in the body? As you stand in line at the store, have you found yourself thinking about the diaphragm lifting on the exhale and dropping on the inhale? Have you found yourself in bed trying to fill the lungs, expanding in the back against the mattress and front body, feeling the body open up and loosen tension?
The breath is essential to letting go of tension. It can help you focus your mind and once you can focus the mind, meditation practice begins. In her book Yoga Cures, Tara Stiles says that meditation sets off the vagus nerve, which sets off signals in the body that make you happy. Put simply, slow, steady breath calms the body and a calm body means a calm mind.

Speaking of the Mind...

Looking forward into April, we can continue to think about the mind and how to settle it into stillness. First, we still the body. Then, we still the mind. 
Not an easy task, I know. It takes time. It can take years. The rewards though? They are worth the time. 
A few years ago, there was no way I could have sat in front of a class to even just say hi. Now, I sit in front of classes weekly to guide movement and breath. I got here because of breath and meditation. I learned to control the fight or flight response my body naturally falls into when I'm faced with scary things like standing on my mat in front of a group of people and talking them through a class. I learned to breath steadily and focus my mind rather than falling into a panic. I am still dealing with anxiety, of course, and won't be giving any speeches in front of a large crowd anytime soon, but it has decreased in such a way that I conquered several goals in 2016/17 that I NEVER thought I would. 
What are your goals? Could a calmer, steadier breath and a still mind help you to achieve them? What are your experiences with meditation and pranayama? 



Namaste to all of you,

T.