Align Again and Again and Again
Lessons From The Mat- Align Again and Again and Again (written in 2016)
A student of mine said to me during class that she thinks the name of the studio is really appropriate...because you have to align yourself again and again and again. I never actually thought of the name of my studio in that way before. This process of reshaping the body and realigning our minds and spirits is a daily commitment. Each day we are faced with new realities as well as ones that have been with us for a long time.
Think of your daily activities that might continually reinforce the aches and pains you have *these can be mental/emotional too!!!). Simply driving your car puts you into a weird shape- chin jutting forward, low back rounded into the seat and shoulders forward to keep the hands on the steering wheel- and most of you do this every single day. Not only do we put our bodies into positions that cause wear and tear on the joints and spine, but we have thought patterns that we engage in continuously even if we don’t notice them. If you are perpetually worrying, stressing out, or thinking any variety of thoughts over and over these thoughts become ingrained in your mind and then color your perception.
What I have noticed is that people try to counteract the activities that perpetuate aches and pains and stress with repeating things like sit up straight because they sit at a computer all day, or strengthen their core because of their bad backs. The problem is, when these actions are done without awareness they start to become their very own version of a tension. It leads to breath holding, poor digestion (from sucking in your gut), shoulder tightness and neck pain.
So what should you do that will help? Do some form of exercise every day that strengthens the core and helps teach the muscles to “sit up straight.” The deliberate action of these physical activities done in a contained amount of time are many times more powerful and effective than unconsciously trying to maintain a shape that you think you need to be in all day. One way causes real strength, the other causes tension.
With yoga in particular, you don’t need to have instruction every single time you do your practice. You can have a weekly class and learn something from the teacher, have a teacher see your form, and the rest of the week do it at home. You will develop a routine that works for you because you put the poses together in a way that feels good. This seems like an easy thing to do, but I know how hard it is to find the time, motivation and confidence to “do it right,” so here are some ideas to help you develop a daily practice.
1. People who exercise in the morning tend to be more consistent. Not only have I read this somewhere, but I have the privilege of witnessing this in the studio. So, I suggest setting aside 30 minutes or so in the morning before you eat to do a little yoga.
2. Keep the time frame that you exercise doable. I am so guilty of this. I want to practice for 2 hours every morning, but the reality is…I am not getting up at 4 to make this happen. That is not my thing. Maybe it is yours and I know people who actually do that routine, but it isn’t me. I have to do it in small bits throughout the day. This might be even better for you simply because it keeps your body remembering “good posture” even in the midst of day. Schedule 10 minutes 3 times a day and do a variety of poses that feel good at those particular times of day.
3. I keep saying schedule…if you use a calendar, actually mark off that time and keep it sacred…no matter what you will practice at that time even if your practice is just lying on your back the whole time.
4. Speaking of lying on your back the whole time…give yourself permission to not have to kick your own butt every single time you get on the mat. Variety is fun for the brain and it also allows you to take a break once in a while without completely throwing the practice out the window just because you are feeling out of it one day.
5. Don’t stop! Restarting a habit is way harder than getting it started the first time.
I hope this is helpful in getting you into a daily practice. You can use any form of physical activity, but of course I think yoga is ideal. If you want to learn more about why I think that, send me an email or stop by the studio sometime and we can chat.