YogaTalk

Practical reminders for ordinary splendour

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BEST FOOT FORWARD

Let’s get straight to the point. What I’m thinking is… throw the shoes to the back of the cupboard!! ‘Have I lost my senses?’   Maybe I have, or maybe I’ve just gone to sleep. Let me explain…

Consider what it feels like when you cover your ears, they don’t work properly, the sound is muffled. In other words the sense of hearing is dulled and the sensitivity is lost.

Imagine the same scenario with your feet. Put on a lovely comfortable pair of supportive shoes. The result is the feet are so cosy they go to sleep. They have nothing to do, no ground to feel, no heat or cold sensation. In other words, they’ve stopped having to bother. We may even work harder to search for sensation by stamping or hitting the ground harder in order to compensate. This can have the knock-on effect of creating tension or damage in the joints.

SET THEM FREE!

Kick off the shoes and socks, walk along that lovely shag pile that cost a fortune. Let the wool tickle the toes. As the feet feel what is beneath them, enquire where the weight is. Feel the toes spread as the weight shifts to the front of the feet. Feel how much they are able to bend when there are no shoes to stop them.

Take it to the beach for the wow factor or walk on the early morning dewy grass before breakfast. This will wake up the feet and let them feel again.

Clearly it would be poor advice to say no to footwear completely. It’s obviously not a good look with the interview outfit or at the busy shopping centre. We need to be aware of the hidden dangers of walking on unsuitable surfaces or being hurt by sharp objects. Let’s do it when we can. There’s nothing like the feeling of the ground beneath the feet or feeling the earth rise up to meet us as we walk. So feel your feet on the ground and let the floor be your friend.

 

(Inspired by my deliciously very touchy feely feet and an article I listened to by Leslie Kaminof)

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ON STANDING

In a volatile world the successful species are those who can evolve fast enough to continue thriving in a changing environment.

Beside the long age of earth our own species is still very young. The human primate has evolved in a short space of time, through the merit of adaptability, to become the planet’s most creative and most destructive inhabitant.

We now stand erect on hind legs, balancing our large-brained heads, able to manually grip by virtue of long, opposing thumbs.

At peak, we humans are astounding. But looking around at each other now…

How well is our species? Are we thriving?

The protection lent by footwear and clothing has revolutionised what humans can do.

But not being barefoot, and over-reliance on the support of shoes, has robbed the feet of their natural spring-power and strength.

Too much walking on hard, flat, urban floors has left us less able to cope with mixed outdoor terrain.

Gravity keeps us rooted to the fast-spinning planet. Its force pulls us down whilst we then spring upwards like plants into sunlight. But this beneficial, grounding force does not always seem good; the head may feel a heavy burden for the upright spine, the body a weight to be dragged around. And with too much chronic strain life is not lived so well.

At such times, how one thinks, breathes and moves simply gets in the way of the natural well self.

Living bones are light, but when rightly used can have the strength of reinforced concrete.

One’s weight is easily borne when fit and well.

Bones do not just resist vertical pressure well – they actually benefit from it.

Shock-absorbing discs between spinal vertebrae help counter compression.

We are tallest in the mornings after a night’s rest, becoming shorter through the day.

Moisture loss from discs over the course of the day shortens the spine. A night’s rest gives time for thirsty discs to reabsorb this moisture.

Splendid rich movement in the course of the day gives additional restoration, plumping the discs up again.

Variety of movement and adequate rest reflect the ease or unease we then have in standing for any length of time.

A well, able-bodied person can easily balance, with effortless poise, the head’s weight on the top of the spine.

The spine’s curves are a spring for bouncing back – but with too much hardship in life these curves can develop too much or too little to give adequate support.

Without the spring in our step we are no longer able to absorb the shock of anything more than restricted basic movements.

How well we are becomes apparent when just standing still.

Our phenomenal body-mind can feel vibrant and vital, grounded but weightless, flexible and strong.

The spine is our tower of strength. When it isn’t, our freedom has gone.

 

SEE STANDING PRACTICE

 

 

Kit Hartley.   Lidgett.   May 2017

 

 

 

 

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PAUSE, CONSIDER, ENJOY !

Pause, Consider, Enjoy!

We are all living in an increasingly busier world. We want to get where we’re going more quickly. We want to make more out of the day. We want to achieve something meaningful before our heads fall onto the pillow every evening.

If you’re like me you can forget to pause for a moment and simply enjoy what you are doing. That may even mean enjoying doing nothing at all. So many of us consider this to be a waste of our precious time.

More and more I am learning to stop and consider how precious is life really – if I’m filling the day with tasks that ‘need’ completing or doing something else that I consider urgent or must be achieved before my next supposed vitally important appointment!

I ask myself – ‘What would happen if that job just didn’t get done?’ In truth the answer is ‘Very little’… nobody would die, the world wouldn’t stop turning.

Realistically we all have to get on with the daily chores of working and living, but making the time to pause for a moment can mean the difference between a life well lived or a life rushed by without attention to all of our needs.

Jumping off the rat race isn’t a treat. It’s what we all need to maintain that all important work-life balance. Having a little pleasure every day means we don’t crave the costly and special indulgences at the weekend.

Even better, it doesn’t have to cost a penny. Take a break in the day to enjoy the spring sunshine as you walk down the high street or in the park (if you’re lucky enough to be close to the new sprouting greenery of a spring day). Take pleasure from the blue sky and the warmth of the sun’s rays as they fall on the face. Enjoy the movement of the legs and feet as you place them on the ground one foot in front of the other. Marvel at the body’s ability to breath in the energy of the new day before us. Relish the pleasure of simply being able to do all of these things without issue or conscience.

Not all of us are lucky enough to be able to do everything we want to, but let’s look at what we are able to do and take thanks and pleasure in doing them.

We can then attack the rest of the day with renewed vigour and vitality. We may even achieve more than we hoped for.

SEE ARTICLE ON PAUSING

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ON RESTING

Rest is a lull from action – a period of some minutes sitting or lying in comfort, free from mental clamour or thoughts which disturb the mind.

Resting helps us thrive. The lack of it will make us restless and unwell. The full regenerative power of proper relaxation is often overlooked or undervalued as a vital part of health, despite its positive effect on everything we do.

When our life is out of balance it is also common to feel restless, and the things we eat or drink or do to help us relax might be making things much worse. We are naturally pleasure-seeking creatures, and can too easily do what does not serve us best!

When feeling under pressure and short of time, it is easy not to make the room for decent rest –even though a break will help us feel and function so much better that it saves time and energy in the long run.

Lack of proper rest is a major source of human suffering. Conscious repose is therefore a basic Hatha Yoga practice.

During rest, the mind has moments free from conscious thought. Organs function at their optimum rate. With the heart and breathing steady, the nervous system calmed and soothed, then the mind is quieter.

Such quality repose gives respite, where we can restore strength and renew vigour. It improves the mental state so we are less over-reactive at other times.

By taking care we become more aware of how things can drain our energy and make us vulnerable to malaise.

Holding unnecessary and habitually unconscious muscular tension can indeed wear us out. The mind and body are part of each other; where there is muscular tension there is also mental. It is a vital part of human make-up. But in chronic excess it is a common bane of life, much more than people realise.

Many do not know that holding on to tension causes hurt, not just to themselves but to others. A tightening reaction to a situation influences our response, over-reaction being a common cause of conflict. Hence the aim to be free of this is a worthy part of daily life.

Rest is distinct from sleep. But while resting, there may well be pleasant moments drifting between wakefulness and slumber. An optimum nightly period of deep sleep helps keep us well. But it is possible to be restless and asleep. It is possible to sleep in pain. It is possible to sleep with such tension that teeth are ground away. Holding tightness during sleep means waking up exhausted.

A simple focus for attention at the beginning of rest will aid relaxation. Bringing the mind to settle on just one or two things reduces mental fluctuation.

Stirring up emotion is un-restful, so this focus should be neutral, such as the breath, the hands, or some non-evocative sound. A visualisation needs careful choosing, so that it does not set off a train of thought.

How much quiet is needed for rest can depend on the frame of mind and the individual. What is background sound to one could be distraction to another. Sounds heard should not stir us by the listening. Eyes tend to close, but softly gazing into the back of closed lids can help focus attention.

Thoughts may come and go while resting. Observing thought waves can be a conscious practice. At rest, one can be aware of thoughts, of their frequency and intensity, without being spurred by them into more thinking. In skilful rest one is not roused by, or attached to, the kind of thought one has; they remain as mental fluctuations, like clouds drifting across our mental sky.

Prolonged minutes of wakeful rest, with thought waves pleasantly absent, may be regarded as meditation. This can happen with the eyes open but not looking. A lowered gaze helps keep the mind from distraction. And any aural or visual input needs to be non-evocative.

Slipping into the rapture of meditation does not come from trying not to think. It is a mental state, inherent from early age, which can happen spontaneously – if we allow space for it to happen.

At such times one is unaware of breath or body unless they demand attention.

Minutes of meditation can compensate for hours of lost deep sleep.

Daydream, rest and meditation are a welcome default setting for the brain. Such wakeful disengagement from daily action can foster insight and creative thinking. It can produce effortless inspiration. And, out of this void, solutions to weighty problems can appear without bidding.

 

Kit Hartley.   Lidgett.   May 2017

 

 

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The power of rest

 

Nervous energy keeping you awake…   insomnia…   high anxiety…  

Sound familiar? Wouldn’t you like to wave them goodbye, and say hello to well-balanced harmony, and proper sleep?

Please do check out our related Yogatalk articles and practices, on recovering sleep and rest.

You might think that me being a yoga teacher makes me forever bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and superfit…   Wrong!!

Quite honestly, I have a string of health issues and a history of addictive tendencies and anxiety.

I really don’t mind admitting this, because when people see me well and happy they must then conclude that yoga actually works – saving me from myself!

Joy and I teach yoga so we can share with people these simple ways to keep fit and well. This website is our way to try and cast the net a little further.

Lack of rest and sleep is a growing malady for the world; its proportions are endemic, especially it seems for the young. Too many teenage brains are in a constant device-checking default mode, even throughout the night!

So these poor frazzled brains have acquired minimal attention spans; they’ve forgotten how to rest and even how to sleep… and they’ve still got adulthood to come!

Alarmingly, we can grow accustomed to this compromised state, and regard it as normal.

Yoga’s focus on vitality and energy, which I love, makes modern science fascinating to me.

I read in the New Scientist (a kind friend gives me her old ones – I read them and pass them on to others) that our present age is being called the Anthropocene, viewed as the period when human activity is having a significant impact upon our planet, and all its occupants.

Scientific data confirms that more and more of us are living in the realm of the walking unwell. Modern neuroscience has raised awareness (useful but alarming) of the link between lack of rest and poor health.

Lack of sleep and rest really is torture.

There’s a growing interest in how the 24-hour cycle (or the circadian rhythm) affects health, and a growing consensus that we tick along to not one, but thousands of body clocks. Understanding this can improve lives.

It’s now no longer trendy to burn the candle at both ends – hurrah!

And we should now be encouraging our exhausted teens to stay up late, and to rise late… this suits them better, apparently.

Modern science is finally catching up with yoga teachings as a route to health. If we know what to do, and feel inspired to do it, we all have the power within to keep well. Yoga is joyful, not austere, and inspires us to practise. 

As I said, I’m no stranger to anxiety. I was an anxious child, but I developed numerous strategies in order to cope.

Years later, in my first ever yoga class, I was reminded of some of these nuggets, and I thought, ‘So it’s called yoga – seems familiar!’ The point being that I could have avoided years of anxiety, just by remembering – or by taking up yoga sooner.

Feel free to check out ‘A resting practice’, which my childhood experiences helped to formulate.

A practice can help positive overcome negative. It can help quell that anxiety of being wide awake at 3 when the alarm is set for 6.

Once free from fretting and mental clamour, we can just savour the peace of a new dawn. We can slip back into lovely sleep, or just happily rest and listen to the blackbirds.

Ps the practical reminder ‘A resting practice’ will soon also be available as a podcast, along with others… so watch this space!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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