May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Currently, we can all connect to the importance of resilience of
body AND mind.
In our human design, we are wired for survival. Our nervous system is always on “ready,” scanning the horizon, listening for what can keep us moving away from danger and this is part of how our brain and nervous system work for us. Because of this, we easily fall into the tendency of dwelling on the negative, and this habit can deepen to exacerbate the negative emotions, often shifting our perspective, blowing things out of proportion.
Luckily, yoga practice has a lot to offer. When you find yourself in a place that hijacks your emotional and mental resilience, here are some yogic tools, which are immediately available to you:
Connect to your breath to RELAX your mind and your body. Automatically, when you “watch” your breath, it becomes slower and deeper, and this helps to quiet the mind. REPLACE the racing habit of worrisome thoughts with a grounding, one-pointed focus on the breath and notice how the body follows the breath to also quiet from the hard-wired sympathetic response, releasing subconsciously held tension in the body. Continue to RELEASE the worry and the tension with one of many yogic breathing exercises (pranayamas – “life energy”) and if you are not familiar, join our classes to learn. REMIND your nervous system of the “positives,” by changing your perspective and seeing the silver linings in the situation(s). You can think of this from many angles … literally: do an inversion, imagine your exhalations releasing whatever is not serving you, write down your negative thoughts and throw them away, journal the “positives,” i.e., your blessings – you won’t have enough space on the piece of paper and your contemplative practice will take a great turn, an upward spiral. Let’s meet each other there!
Want to supplement your practice and replace the negatives with something new?
Look HERE for aromatherapy
a. Quiet the nervous system with aromas of lavender, chamomile, and Serenity blend.
b. Elevate mood with citrus and floral oils like Wild Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Geranium and Neroli.
c. Ground the nervous system with tree oils like Siberian Fir, Cedarwood, Frankincense and Juniper Berry.
d. Support the Respiratory system with Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Myrrh and Breathe blend.
2. See the special themed classes below and come join us online for these empowering classes!
Peace,
Mona Flynn