Is your basic yoga practice aging? Does it bother you? Try to focus more inside your body than on your postures. I tell people all the time to find stretching in their body. Look for tension in your muscles, and when you find that it stays there and breathes into it.
Everyone will find stretching a little differently. Some people will be able to fold forward, with palms on the floor, while others will be able to reach the front of the thighs. It doesn't matter where you should go to find your stretch, as long as you can draw attention to yourself and pay attention to different parts.
It's magic when you focus on your muscles and just let it stretch, and then ... ahhh ... it releases. When you feel it, you understand what it means to breathe in a tense state. This is when you can increase your stretch, exhaling a little deeper into it. Your mental focus is the key.
You can practice the same basic yoga poses in each class and make them different, focusing on different areas of your body.
Tired of this forward? Try to squeeze the quadriceps muscles in your front thighs and notice if your hamstrings are a little loose. Raise your belly up to your spine and see if your stretch will change. Close your eyes and focus on the sensation in the muscles you work and the surrounding muscles.
Down the dog? Press with your fingers and thumbs and rise through your belly. Pay attention if this allows your hips to rise higher. Push your quadriceps back and note if your movements move closer to the floor.
Rising dog? Press the upper parts of the legs into the floor and pull up with your quadriceps (even if you practice the cobra, activate the thigh muscles and press the tops of the legs). Send your shoulders from the ears and back to open the chest. Do you feel your front body expanding?
Triangle? Press the front foot on the larger side of the foot. Do you feel that the movement of the thigh in the thigh? Enlarge the spine by pulling the head forward and from the lower back. Does it help him to slightly open the upper shoulder?
Work your postures, and do not move them. Close your eyes and focus on the areas of the body in which you work. Remember your breathing. Try to keep it slow and even. If you find yourself struggling with your breath, go back out of your posture and adjust so that your mind can be calm.
Giving your mind and body exercise yoga practice increases your awareness of your body. This awareness can lead to a multitude of good. When you raise awareness, you can avoid injuries, respond to stress in a healthier way and mostly turn to your practice when you need it.
You can reduce stress simply by recognizing that you are in a stressful situation and breathe in order to relate the physical symptoms of stress that you feel in your body. Obviously, we can not always get away from a stressful situation and do yoga. But if we can be aware of stress and choose how to respond to it, we can use yoga techniques to relate some of them.
Last week, I met a new student who told me that her yoga practice was a gift; a gift that she could take with herself, wherever she went, and use her any time she chooses. Earlier, I heard this analogy. I have another student who tells me that my yoga classes are like massage. Students remain relaxed, less tense and happy; physically and mentally.
We are less tense because we stop thinking about everything that happens to the world when we focus on ourselves for a while. It gives the brain a rest, although you are still thinking. During your holiday, at the end of your practice, try to be present. Being present is not always easy or well defined. You can always think about what you should do or who are waiting for you to do something for them.
Last night I asked my class to think about the world outside our bedroom. Everyone runs around doing their stuff. I asked them to attend to being present for a minute, and just let the thoughts go out of their ears. Be here and allow yourself to relax - consciously allow your brain to be peaceful.
So, if we take this feeling and keep it in the depths of our minds? If we take this calming breath of yoga and every time we sit back and use it to bring us to a calm, peaceful state?
Use your basic yoga practice to strengthen the connection between mind and body. Even basic yoga poses can be a powerful tool if you add focus. Use your yoga to your advantage.
For more information on basic yoga postures, please visit my information website: http://www.basic-yoga-information.com
