Our world can often appear to be a very scary place. The violence, greed, apathy, and suffering that happens is something that can not be ignored and shouldn’t be. We should be responding to it and doing our best to relieve it where it shows up. This is true even in our own bodies and spirit.
When we find that we’re feeling additional suffering inside ourselves due to the pressures we perceive from the world, we need to relieve them as soon as possible. Not in the “self gaslighting” way, although that sometimes does work as a way to distract and reevaluate, but in a way that restores us to peace. The same peace we can share back into our world.
Modern yoga and traditional yoga offer many potent methods to help our bodies shed suffering that has been trapped in our bodies. I have my personal favorites and those are what I will be sharing with you.
When we are trapped in our nervous system’s overload, our minds don’t get a chance to operate in a way that allows us to see the “Long Game” or the “Big Picture”. We behave as if the threat is near and present… and when it’s actually not we become hyped up with nowhere to go.
Practice 1: I want you to take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders, and shake out your arms. You can also do some side bends and twists here. Now, I want you to watch your body as if you’re watching someone else’s. Analyze the sensations coming in as you bring to mind your next thought: “I am afraid of -blank- “. Chances are you’ll be able to see the stress retighten it’s grip as soon as it comes to mind. See if you can separate yourself from the stress flowing through you. As if it’s a chemical that’s seeping back into your body… because it is.
By seeing where the stress is being held in your body, you will be able to see it go too.
Practice 2: Seated in a comfortable spot with a blanket if you tend to get cold, take a deep breath in and a long breath in. Next, count to 5 on the next inhale and 5 on the exhale. Keep the count of 5 for the inhales and exhales but now lift your chin a bit, press your heart forward and relax your jaw. Now, stop counting to 5 for each breath and start counting each inhale and exhale as 1. Get to 10 and repeat 3 times. When you are done, slowly wake up your 5 senses one at a time. Notice the space in your body that has released your previous tension.
Practice 3: check out my 3 part blog series on heart openers. The Link is here. These specific postures help to ground us in the present (connecting to our Muladhara (Root) Chakra. The poses also bring energy, movement, and relief to the areas most effected by chronic stress, our Manipura (Solar Plexus), Anahata (Heart), and Vishuddha (Throat) Chakras.
Balancing the pressure of wanting to fix the worlds suffering, as well as our own and our loved ones, is paramount to our yoga practice. Yoga will give you the tools to make the world a more peaceful place for yourself and others. It is a practice though, and will be a practice as long as suffering exists. The important part is that we see that and always choose Compassion, Kindness, and Wisdom.
SUNYATA YOGA 