YOGA FOCUS
WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS
– DO YOGA!
Yoga won’t stop bad things from happening, but with regular
practice you will be able to better process your thoughts and
emotions, says Lisa Greenbaum.
ow many times have you heard
people say ‘turn that frown
upside down’, ‘embrace the
positive’, ‘look for the silver lining’? The
reality is, it’s not that easy, and sometimes
we need to be angry or sad to really process
what is happening. It sometimes seems as
though it’s become socially unacceptable to
be anything but upbeat and happy, but the
fact is that putting on a happy face when
your inside isn’t smiling is actually an angst-
inducing act of suppression. So be mad. Be
upset. Be angry. Be frustrated. Cry into your
pillow. And then do yoga.
The literal translation of ‘yoga’ from
Sanskrit is ‘union’ – union of mind and
body, and through this union, connection.
Connecting to our true self, our own light
within. Yoga teaches us that we are not our
mind, we are not our body and we are not our
emotions. Through movement (asana) and
breathing (pranayama) we are able to clear
our minds of external thoughts and just be
(meditation). The more we repeat this, daily
if possible, the more centred we feel. This
H
allows us to be in a more balanced state, the
highs not quite so high and the lows not quite
so low. When we are challenged, we are able
to pause and process before we react.
Yoga won’t stop bad things from
happening, or amazing things either.
However, with a regular yoga practice you are
able to process your thoughts and emotions
somatically rather than having them build into
stress, chronic tension or full out explosions.
Yoga shows you that your emotions are okay.
It helps you to weed through the obstacles in
your life so that you prioritise what’s important
and let go of what isn’t. Yoga teaches you
that you are always enough.
Try the following practices for the days
you can’t practice yoga, to help process
and keep stress levels low, and advise
clients and participants to make it part of
to push down and your belly to push
into your hands. Continue your inhale,
feeling an expansion through your
side ribs and back, and your final sips
of breath come into your chest. Exhale
slowly and repeat this breath 10 times,
or until you notice your mind has
become calm and centred.
2
that looks like an inverted ‘V’. Keeping
your hands inline to your shoulders
and your feet inline to your hips, press
your glutes up to the sky while
keeping your knees soft. Eye gaze
comes between the legs, while
opening your chest and back, and at
the same time experiencing a great
stretch for the hamstrings. This pose
feels great, and at the same time lets
you see the world from a different
perspective – upside down!
their daily routine:
1
3-part breath. Find a space to sit
comfortably with a tall spine and bring
hands to your belly. As you inhale,
soften the muscles of your
abdominals, allowing your diaphragm
Downward Dog. An amazing stretch
Lisa Greenbaum holds her E-RYT 500 in yoga and
is the Program Development Manager for YogaFit
Australia and Director of YogaFit Canada.
Gain the skills to instruct fitness-focused yoga this Spring
A range of YogaFit Instructor Training workshops are taking place across Australia this Spring.
• YogaFit Fundamentals: 13-15 & 20-22 October, Brisbane; 3-5 & 10-12 November, Sydney;
1-3 & 8-10 December, Perth.
• YogaFit Level 3: 21 & 22 September, Sydney.
• YogaFit Level 4: 30 October-2 November, Melbourne; 6-9 November 2017, Sydney.
• YogaFit Level 5: 4 & 5 November, Melbourne; 11 & 12 November, Sydney.
• YogaFit Anatomy & Alignment 2: 23 & 24 September, Sydney.
• YogaFit Older Adults: 29 September, Melbourne
• YogaFit Prenatal: 30 September, Melbourne
• YogaFit Meditation & Mindfulness: 1 October, Melbourne
Find out all you need to know at yogafitaustralia.com or call 1300 493 832 or email
[email protected]
28 | NETWORK SPRING 2017