With the fast-paced world we all live in today, everyone has their own stress relievers. What are yours? Some people have a favorite song they play to calm themselves. Others go talk with a close friend. As for me, I've accidentally classically conditioned myself to go raid the gum drawer every time I feel mounting pressure. I do not promote this behavior~although you might be thinking the contrary after my last post, which I dedicated to gum. The topic I actually want to talk about on this post is: yoga practices!
It isn't the actual yoga poses I wish to talk about, but rather certain calming meditative-type practices. I thought I knew I few things or two about yoga until one day at school, my teacher (who is also a yogi) began talking about a specific yoga practice that I was unfamiliar with.
Try this:
1) Sit down (if you aren't already).
2) Focus on your breathing. Draw in steady, slow breaths.
3) Now lift one of your hands and put it out in front of you. (I find this the most relaxing when I can rest my arm on something in front of me~like a table.)
4) When you exhale, direct your breath at the index finger pertaining to your raised hand. Keep doing this until you can feel the blood pulsating through your finger. Can you feel your livelihood going through your veins all the way to your capillaries?
5) Now, if you really want to challenge yourself, try to distinguish which way the blood is traveling through your finger.
You wouldn't believe how quiet the class was after this 90 second activity. And we did this meditative yoga exercise almost immediately after lunch~the time when most of us are at our most active!
Now, whenever I feel like relaxing and improving the longevity of my life~yes, that's right; there are studies that indicate people live longer when they are consciously aware of their heart beating~I focus on feeling the blood coursing through my veins.
Also, if you have trouble falling asleep, I've read this is a good way to train your brain to let go of your thoughts and to fall peacefully into slumber.
Well, happy stress relieving!
It isn't the actual yoga poses I wish to talk about, but rather certain calming meditative-type practices. I thought I knew I few things or two about yoga until one day at school, my teacher (who is also a yogi) began talking about a specific yoga practice that I was unfamiliar with.
Try this:
1) Sit down (if you aren't already).
2) Focus on your breathing. Draw in steady, slow breaths.
3) Now lift one of your hands and put it out in front of you. (I find this the most relaxing when I can rest my arm on something in front of me~like a table.)
4) When you exhale, direct your breath at the index finger pertaining to your raised hand. Keep doing this until you can feel the blood pulsating through your finger. Can you feel your livelihood going through your veins all the way to your capillaries?
5) Now, if you really want to challenge yourself, try to distinguish which way the blood is traveling through your finger.
You wouldn't believe how quiet the class was after this 90 second activity. And we did this meditative yoga exercise almost immediately after lunch~the time when most of us are at our most active!
Now, whenever I feel like relaxing and improving the longevity of my life~yes, that's right; there are studies that indicate people live longer when they are consciously aware of their heart beating~I focus on feeling the blood coursing through my veins.
Also, if you have trouble falling asleep, I've read this is a good way to train your brain to let go of your thoughts and to fall peacefully into slumber.
Well, happy stress relieving!
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