Life Yoga… from the mat to breathing the calm in the middle of life’s mayhem

Whether you are a long-practising yogi or have just begun to dip a well-placed palm or toe onto your yoga mat…  give yourself an extra (gentle, calming) challenge: bring the core focus of your practice into the often-chaotic, day-to-day reality of life.

Ahhhh the bliss of stepping into the studio or practice space.

The phone goes off.

The emails abate…  iphones and blackberries stop pinging and ringing… and that delicious space that silence creates helps to bring that inner-feeling of calm to pass even before the pranayama has begun.

Space – time – to be – to feel – to stop – to experience and to lose yourself in the guidance of your teacher, as you move from asana to asana.  Your yoga mat is your temple space and your body is your temple : indeed! Yet when you have created the space inside with your breath, you are feeling calmer, clearer, centred and balanced in body and mind, how often do you bring this experience into the midst (or should that be mist??) of your daily life?

It is said that it takes 30 days to successfully establish a new habit.  Recoding our mind – and therefore our body – with the messages that eventually enable us to take our hands off the gear stick and to enjoy the relaxed mode of auto-pilot ; so give yourself this healthy-habit challenge:  create calm in your life just ONCE each day with these simple steps:

* Stop – put your iphone/blackberry and other electronic devices to one side – ensuring they are switched off.

*  Stand or sit in a position where you can create alignment :

– plant your feet squarely on the floor and feel your connection with the earth below

or

– sitting cross-legged OR if on a chair with your legs hip-width apart and feet planted on the floor – again, feel your connection with the earth below

* visualise roots travelling down from your feet or your seat bones

* open up your palms and bring your thumb and fore-finger together

* consciously relax your shoulders, rolling them back to open up your chest

* release your neck and allow your chin to gently tip in

* bring your tongue to the top of your mouth behind your teeth

* relax your jaw

* smile and breath – inhaling the breath through your nostrils, up to the top of your head and as you exhale visualise your breathe releasing all toxins, all tension all aggggghhhhhh you may be feeling down to the earth below

* continue for 10 x cycles allowing your breath to fill you more and more

* complete by raising your hands over your head and extend your hands, fingers interlinked above your head

* release

Now – how are you feeling?

Notice the differences – and benefits – in how you are thinking and feeling – physically AND energetically.

Repeat! (just 39 days to go)

And let us know……     how when and where is your Life Yoga benefitting you most?