Happy Spring! Any day now it will start to act like it. The first day of spring marks not only an equalization of light and dark in our day, but the gradual increase of light, heading to the solstice when we have the most light. What a pleasure it is to think that thought!
Spring is a transition between extremes. As we move through our days, months, and years we are constantly navigating transitions. Moving into and out of sleep can be quite a challenge for some. Transitioning gracefully from one phase of life to the next is something everyone could potentially struggle with. And, we all have varying degrees of anxiety around the concept of change. The extent to which you are able to ease into changes in your life determines the extent to which you are stressed.
Yoga gives us tools with which to increase our ability to handle change and thereby decrease our stress levels. Practicing yoga becomes an exploration of the self. As we learn to train our awareness to focus internally, we increase our understanding of our reactions. As we are clearer about our motivations, in the form of seeking out what we like and avoiding what we dislike, we can begin to exert ourselves over these forces to become more adept at navigating our own personal paths.
Awareness of our reactions is not a practice that can only be done on a yoga mat. In fact, it is crucial to the integration of your increased knowledge that you encourage yourself to become aware of your reaction throughout your day. This awareness stems from presence. The ability to corral our mind and insist it focus on one thing at a time is another of yogas' great gifts. It make take years of practice, but what else is there but time to practice?
Yoga gives us tools with which to increase our ability to handle change and thereby decrease our stress levels. Practicing yoga becomes an exploration of the self. As we learn to train our awareness to focus internally, we increase our understanding of our reactions. As we are clearer about our motivations, in the form of seeking out what we like and avoiding what we dislike, we can begin to exert ourselves over these forces to become more adept at navigating our own personal paths.
Awareness of our reactions is not a practice that can only be done on a yoga mat. In fact, it is crucial to the integration of your increased knowledge that you encourage yourself to become aware of your reaction throughout your day. This awareness stems from presence. The ability to corral our mind and insist it focus on one thing at a time is another of yogas' great gifts. It make take years of practice, but what else is there but time to practice?
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