Conversations: Within Our Body & Mind
This past weekend I attended a Fitness Leadership Conference with the YMCA Calgary. It was nice to be immersed in a learning mindset for a weekend! Throughout the various 1.5hr sessions I attended I kept coming back to the “conversation we have with ourselves” from a physical and psychological lens.
Our body and mind are incredible! The ways in which they work together to move us, process information, process nutrition, react to stimulus, protect us, and so much more. Observing this from the perspective of our yoga practice, we are in constant conversation with our body, mind, and spirit as we breath, take shape, and focus.
Let’s take a look at the brain, the very center of our nervous system. Our left brain controls the right side of the body. It’s connected to language, speech, logic, and time. Our right brain controls the left side of the body, and it is connected to images, emotions, our senses and memory, and spatial thinking. Consider a typical 60min yoga class, we are using the left and right sides of our brain continuously. Listening to the teacher, watching the demonstrations, awareness of our bodies within our space, awareness of sounds and smells, etc. The conversation between both sides of the brain is continuous.
Now let’s take a look at the mind. The processes of our mind are far less understood than the physical organ, the brain. Our mind has power beyond the possible. It can enable the impossible, but it can be the causation of fear, restraint, etc. Science shows that 80% of our thoughts are negative. How can we change this? Through the practice of yoga, we can work to control our thoughts, welcome positive thoughts in, push the negative thoughts out. Our practice can allow us the time to see a negative thought and look for the positive side of it.
This week my inspiration is focused on intentional conversations within our body and mind. Creating practices which give us awareness of the topics of conversation going on both physically and psychologically.
Journaling Ideas: This week take the freedom to write about your day. Don’t think too much about it, don’t stop to correct spelling, or sentences. When you’re done, go back and analyze your words. Were they more emotion based, was your thinking more abstract, big-picture, or was it dialed in on specifics? Observing this will tell you whether your thought process that day was more left, right, or balanced. Notice if your writing provided observations beyond the obvious, were your emotions expressed and if you spoke about yourself, was it in a positive or negative way.
Meditation Ideas:
Right brain meditation. Sitting in a balanced seat. Breath into your left lung, left rib cage for 2-3mins. Feel the space around you, take in the scents, the sounds. Are there any emotions that are attached to what you are sensing? Are there any images that pop into your mind? Softly squeeze and pulse through your left hand to come out of your mediation.
Left brain meditation. Sitting in a balanced seat. Breath into your right lung, right rib cage for 2-3mins. Begin to think about letters or words. Begin to think about numbers. Are there any logical sequences being created? Softly squeeze and pulse your right hand to come out of your meditation.
After a 10-15min warm-up below are suggested poses for your week to help facilitate opening in body and mind.
Yoga Poses to Add to Your Practice This Week:
- Seated/Supported Wide-Legged Forward Fold Pose (Upavistha Konasana): Feel balanced between the left and right sides of the body. Breath equally into both sides.
- Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Find equal weight in the left and right side of the body, balancing our mind, our thoughts, our breath.
- Three-Legged Downward Dog (Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana): Working through both the right and left leg. When lifting the left leg breath from the left side of the belly down into the right hand and press firmly. Repeat on the other side breathing down and pressing through the left side.
- Head to Knee Pose (Janu Sirasana): Focus on the forward fold to left, breath into the left side of the body ask yourself what emotions come up. Repeat on the other side, perhaps find a one-word mantra to say on this side.
- Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana): Working into one side of the physical body while bringing the senses in the opposite direction.
- Corpse Pose (Svanasana): Take this for 10mins, at least. Allow your thoughts to come and then release. If negative thoughts seep in, try and turn them positive before you release them.
Remember to always practice within your own limits and take care of physical and emotional well-being.
Wishing to learn more about the practice of yoga? Join our upcoming 200HR Yoga Teacher Training in Calgary, AB! Within this training you will learn about Yang and Yin postures, how to plan a practice of tension, release, and restoration.
If you want to share your experience with us, follow us on Instagram: @albertayogacollege
With gratitude,
-Stephanie