Lie down and relax?

Lie down and relax!

Do you find that easier to say than to do?  If yes, you are not alone.  It takes effort to detach from the obligations and pleasures of our daily life and find the time and space to learn how to become quiet. 

And then, how do you do it?  The key to a quiet mind is the body.  "Your mind is in a million pieces," said Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar in Ann Arbor in 1973 "and your body is in one.  My body is in a million pieces, but my mind is one." 

It is easier to sleep well if your day includes some exercise.  It is easier to relax at the end of a yoga class after using your legs, arms and back in a variety of yoga poses before you lie down.

Are you over-active? sedentary?  Do you need flexibility? strength?  All of the above?  We usually over-do some things and under-do others.  Our habitual posture and movements are uneven and our bodies become accordingly lopsided as we get older. 

Do you stand more heavily on one leg than the other?   Do your knees knock or legs bow?  Does your lower back sway or has it lost its curve?  Imbalances are future pain waiting to happen.  Doing yoga can help you avoid some of the pain caused by imbalances, and help you deal with pain when it comes. 

Try this:  interlock your fingers in your usual way.  How does that feel?  Then, change the interlock so the thumbs and all of the fingers go the other way.  How does that feel?  Different?  Strange? Weird? Wrong?!  

 Did you hurt yourself?  No, you went from habitual to balanced, and at first it feels funny.  Your mind says, go back!  Go back to what you are used to.  Go back to what is comfortable. 

Okay, so go for it!  Go back to the first way, then to the ‘other’ way.  Go back and forth several times, first slowly, then faster and faster.  Now stop on the 'other side.'  How does it feel now?  Not nearly as strange? 

Congratulations!  You are beginning to bring a little balance to your body and your mind.   Sally Rutzky (Introductory Certified Teacher)

 Each week one of the teachers at the Yoga Space shares her thoughts and experiences in this blog. The Yoga Space is a studio just east of Dexter serving Saline, Chelsea, Manchester and Ann Arbor.  We have been helping people with their flexibility, strength, focus and stress management for over 14 years. Welcome Week with Free Classes and some Fundraising Classes for Alpha House September 3-7. Fall Classes begin September 9. We offer a free class the last Friday of each month from 6-7 pm. 180 Little Lake Dr #1 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103. www.yogaspaceannarbor.com 734-622-9600