This week we invite challenge into our practice, this offers the opportunity to develop awareness on physical, mental and energetic levels. Awareness is a key aspect of our practice. As we embrace challenge in our physical practice, we develop the ability to take responsibility for our bodies, minds and ultimately our own lives, as we integrate our learning on the mat into everyday life.
When we practice yoga we develop the awareness to take the body to the point of resistance (and very importantly not beyond), to rise above any resistance the mind may offer, and to really work at the threshold of our ability. We cultivate awareness to discern between the body resisting (when we listen, with compassion and take a break from the physical practice) and the mind resisting (when we consciously bring the focus back into the posture, back onto the breath and commit to staying with the physical challenge). This discernment allows us to experience the full benefits of the practice.
Cultivating self compassion is a very important part of this process, at times we may find ourselves powering through energetic blocks. These energetic shifts occur when we cultivate awareness of experiences that we have unconsciously held onto in our subconscious mind and consciously bring these experiences into the conscious mind, where we then have the option to let go. As unconscious becomes conscious, we move from darkness to light or ignorance to awareness. This can be a joyful, liberating experience! It can also be a challenging one. We may find that we need to give the mind a little time to catch up, to process the energetic shifts. Sometimes the most compassionate course of action is to slow down, to work at our own pace and maybe even take a little step back from our practice, give ourselves a little time to breathe with awareness and acceptance into the challenge.
How we meet our challenge on the mat translates into how we meet our challenges in life. Our yoga practice gives us the opportunity to cultivate focus, commitment, courage, compassion, stamina and determination so that in life we cultivate the capacity to turn our challenges into our opportunities. Join us this week as practice kriyas that connect us with the qualities we need to make these transformations.
This Monday and Tuesday we practice a kriya to strengthen the abdominal and navel centre. The navel centre represents will power, stamina and determination. As we centre, strengthen and balance the energy at the navel point we connect with the boundless energy within and cultivate the ability to transform ourselves at will, helping us to enhance our performance both on the mat and in life.
This Wednesday we will be working with ‘Stress set for adrenals and kidneys’. This rejuvenating kriya works on a physical level to release stress and muscular tension within the body through pranayama (breath) and asana (posture). Once we let go of tension, our bodies are physically free to perform optimally and as energy flows freely within the body we connect with the power, clarity and focus we need to set our intentions, realise our goals, to move forward in life and be in our highest potential in each moment.
This Thursday we will be working to raise the energy from the lower centres of the body with a rejuvenating kriya for ‘pelvic balance, energy and potency’. When we walk through life with grace and strength we feel connected to the world and are ready to act, to experience this we need not only to reign in the mind but also bring the physical body into balance. When the physical body is out of alignment we can experience stress, injury and limited endurance. This amazing kriya brings the mind and body back into balance, maintains energy and gives us the clarity and presence of mind to be the best that we can be in each moment.
See you soon love Yeli