When you practice yoga, especially amid the hustle and bustle of modern life, I think one of its most profound effects is on your nervous system. It really is amazing at telling your body everything is okay. If there was an emergency you would probably be running or hiding, rolling out your yoga mat is an unlikely strategy. So when you take this time away from your email and daily demands, your body is returned to the present.
In our day to day lives we are not always able to listen to our bodies. You may be tired when your alarm goes off but it might not go down so well if you tell your boss you are going to come in later. If you have children, especially young children you have to care for them as their wellbeing is in your hands. Sometimes this is extremely hard and somehow you find it within yourself to get done what needs to be done on, on a day to day basis.
Hopefully you also find some time for yoga or whatever helps you to unwind. As you tune into your own breath and start to actually tune into your body, you start to sense how it actually feels. Sometimes you feel tired or there is some emotion that you didn’t want to acknowledge that suddenly comes up. Most of the time we are left with a lovely, blissful feeling, but sometimes we are left with a realization that we need an early night.
Yoga is a physical challenge but is also calming. I find people sometimes feel tired during or after yoga and think that it is the yoga itself. To a certain extent maybe it is, ashtanga yoga certainly is a physical challenge. My experience tells me that yoga is often where we embody our own experience more fully and so we notice if we are tired mentally and physically.
Let’s take an example from my own life today. I did some running intervals earlier in the day and I worked hard. As far as my nervous system is concerned it probably thinks there was some urgent problem, after all who would push their body hard just for fun? Well, me! When I do yoga this afternoon, it will be harder because of the run, not just because my body will be tired but also because I will be slowing down and reconnecting with my body. Honestly, I will probably start my practice a little amped but as I breathe and connect with my body, I will return to a parasympathetic state, which will help me recover from my run.
The idea that we store our emotions in our body and that that they can return to us has become popular in recent years. I have certainly experienced this and have nothing against the concept but I wonder if this happens because we are in a safe enough space to acknowledge how we feel. I don’t think there is anything wrong with putting aside how we feel to get something done. Maybe it’s not ideal but I think it is part of being human. I also think it is important to tune back in when we can to give our body time to recover.
Let me know if this resonates. Helen
