Stress is more and more present in our lives. The rhythm is speeding up, we are hyper-connected, always exposed to noise, always busy doing something. Whether we notice it or not, this has an impact on our body.
Our society favors productivity, activity, "doing". There is not much space left for just "being".
Like everyhing in life, it is a question of balance. The same applies for body and mind.
It is good to be stimulated, to have desires, projects and be doing things. But if we live only in this enery we wear ourselves out.
We also need some more quiet time, when we allow our body, our nervous system and our mind to renew.
Kundalini yoga works on both energies:
pingala, the masculine energy, yang, stimulating, vitalizing, solar, warm, linked to objectivity and the sympathetic nervous system
ida, the feminine energy, yin, restorative, lunar, cold, linked to imagination and the parasympathetic nervous system.
When both energies get balanced, a 3rd channel gets active,sushumna, a netural energy.
This month I invite you to counterbalance the effects of stress in both classes, the Friday evening and the Sunday morning one. Both classes will have a physical, active part, but will also largely rely on the breath, our best ally to fight against stress.
Breathe.
And between two classes I invite you to observe your breathing and take a few deep breaths. It can be when you are stuck in traffic, when you are queuing at the supermarket, when you are in a meeting, when you are cooking. It does not matter when. The goal is to become conscious of your breathing, that is often shallow, short, and to start deepening it. By this simple action, you inform your body that "everything is fine" and that it can relax. Chances are that your body (and your mind!) will immediately relax.
The more you integrate these conscious breaths, the more your unconscious, automatic breathing will integrate these patterns. And before you know, your breathing pattern will have changed.
So remember, just take a deep breath once in a while.
Your body and your mind will thank you! :-)