Think Calm

 

Happy April!

Today I wanted to share a breathing exercise that I’ve been practicing lately with quite some dedication. I’m 29 weeks pregnant and I started practicing this breathing exercise to lower my blood pressure and stress level. Doing this exercise consistently helps calm the mind and nervous system, release tension in the body and lower your stress level. The key in this exercise is to make your exhalation double as long as your inhalation. This is very individual so you have to feel what is best for you. You might want to start with inhaling on 2 and exhaling on 4, and work your way up to inhaling for 3 and exhaling for 6, inhaling 4 and exhaling 8. You should feel at ease when you do it and not strain yourself. Because if you strain yourself and push yourself to hard then the whole purpose of this breathing exercise goes out of the window.

Take a comfortable seat, either on a chair or in a crosslegged position using a blanket to sit on. You want your spine to be long, hips and shoulders relaxed. Lift the center of your chest to create some openness. Close your eyes and take a moment to just feel the flow of your natural breathing. When you feel ready inhale for 2, 3 or 4 counts and then exhale for 4, 6 or 8 counts. Choose what is best for you. Continue like this for at least 5 minutes and work your way up to 11 minutes.

May I suggest that you use a timer so you don’t have to worry about the time.

Try it and see what happens. Only good things can come out of it.

Tip for everyday calmness:
You can do this breathing exercise ten times (an inhale and an exhale counts as one time) where ever you are. Just inhale for 2 or 3 counts and exhale for 4 or 6 counts. You can do it in your car (don’t close your eyes), walking, waiting in line etc. 

Namaste,
Helén
 

A Simple Meditation

 

Happy Spring!

Sometimes a simple visualization meditation can change the course of your day or the way you feel, and it doesn’t have to take up much of your time. The meditation that I’m sharing with you today is a visualization meditation to draw your attention within to leave external stimuli. Your supportive tool is to focus on the physical body and breathing. You'll feel grounded and calm.

A Simple Meditation Visualization

Namaste,
Helén
 

My Meditation Practice

 

The deeper I dive into my yoga practice the more I appreciate the beauty of meditation. Through my own journey I've come to realize that there is no yoga without meditation. What I also come to realize is that there are many pathways to meditation. I find it very helpful though to have a daily seated practice. Simply watching my breathing, allowing my thoughts to come and go in stillness. The more I practice I weave in moments of meditation into every day living. These moments are often short but very rejuvenating. It can be meditation through a certain action, walking, gazing, pausing to feel and breathe, noticing beauty around me...

Turning Inward

Pratyahara is the 5th limb in the eight-limb path of yoga. Pratyahara means turning inward and it is a process in which our senses withdraw from external stimuli. Here we settle in and become aware of our inner landscape. The process and practice of pratyahara prepares us for deeper meditation. Taking a moment to pause and slow down give us an opportunity to reflect and draw within.

Give yourself the gift of taking a pause. Turn your mind gently inward. Breathe and let tension melt away.  Listen attentively. Feel. This is  pratyahara, to freely choose to leave external stimuli and direct the attention within.

Cozy up

Savasana - Corpse Pose or Deep Relaxation

As you bring your yoga practice to a close let yourself rest in savasana. Personally I have to remind myself of the importance of this elegant and simple pose. By resting in savasana after our practice we make a smooth transition that will sustain the qualities that we cultivated during our practice.

Savasana, teaches us to surrender into the moment and to relax in a wakeful state. Practicing this pose is an art, because here we want to move into a state of pure feeling, pure awareness.

Props for your savasana

Here I use a soft scarf under my head, an eyepillow for my eyes (a scarf or a soft towel also works), a rolled blanket under my knees and a blanket to place over my whole body to stay warm. Be creative with your supportive props.
As you lie on your back with your props supporting you, let your arms rest alongside your body with palms facing up. Let your arms and legs become heavy. Let your breath flow in a natural rhythm in and out of your nose. Begin to progressively release tension from the body. Allow yourself to completely relax. Exchange thinking to pure feeling.
Stay for about 10 minutes or longer. Here is some wonderful soothing music to use for your savasana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW1XKdeLDPM
 
Getting out of the pose
Take your time getting out of the pose. Deepen the breathing. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Slowly bend your knees into your chest. Stretch the arms over your head and roll over on to your right side. Curl into a fetal position and stay there for a moment. Slowly lift up to sit and take a moment to notice how you feel. Namaste.

“Savasana is about shedding... We have many skins, sheaths, thoughts, prejudices, preconceptions, ideas, memories and projects for the future. Savasana is a shedding of all these skins, to see how glossy and gorgeous, serene and aware is the beautiful rainbow-colored snake who lies within.” B.K.S Iyengar

A Restorative Practice

Spending some quiet time in a restorative pose is a gift to give to yourself. Restorative yoga is a deeply restful and meditative form of yoga. This rejuvenating practice allows both the body and mind to move towards harmony, balance and calm. The body is supported by props like blankets, and bolsters or pillows. This practice helps us to dive into the moment and experience deep relaxation. If only for 10 minutes, it will do you so much good. Be creative with your supportive props.

 

New Beginnings

January...the beginning of a new journey...

New question to be asked.

New dreams to discover. 

New lessons to embrace.

Thinking about the lessons 2016 brought; all that made me smile, all that made me grow and the fresh new year ahead. Above else to focus on love, kindness, respect, authenticity and acceptance of the beauty of imperfections in our lives.
 

This is really a month to dream. To look forward to the journey ahead of us and the journey within.
 

Happy New Year!

 Namaste, 

Helén