Tools To Establish A Yoga Wellness Routine
Terry resting on Yogi’s back, and Mashal in the background.
Happy to be here in this moment and share a few tips that could help you through these often overwhelming times where we are isolated and alone or living in very close quarters with loved ones. To everyone, my heart is with you.
Hopefully you are all in your homes, in voluntary or maybe involuntary quarantine. I say hopefully, because I do believe we need to listen to our pandemic experts and follow protocol so we can get through this as quickly as as possible. So please do stay home, wash hands , disinfect, wear masks when you go out, you know the drill. It’s for you and it is for everyone around you. There is so much we cannot control but this we can control, by being human Beings and respecting human kind.
That said, I would love to give you some tools to help you through your days in confinement. A little boost for the immune system and the morale.
Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas in our daily life where we are with family, friends or alone, in small areas can be challenging. I have found for myself, that establishing a routine, having a bit of a schedule for each day, actually helps me to keep grounded and connected. It will help a lot to establish a good routine to keep us balanced and bring some sattvic (harmonious) quality into our lives.
Marcel Proust, a French author wrote,
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
We have an opportunity to turn our difficulties, fears, worries and sadness into something that can support us and guide us, but we have to be committed, we have to do the work, we have to practice. Yoga, at its truest, insists upon giving us not the answers, but a way to find our own answers.
So lets open our eyes to a new way of seeing our surroundings. Whether a small apartment, a house in the country, a farm, look beyond your discomfort and take a deep inhale into your core and exhale, just let it all go your worries and fears, frustrations and confusion. These energies will not help you to move forward. Bring your awareness into the moment, with each inhale and exhale, feeling gratitude for each breath you take and the life energy within you.
I truly know how this negative energy can creep up on you, seep into you and fill you with fear, sadness and dread. But we all have free will power, we all have a choice, and we can all choose to do something. For me too, I have to do my practice to not be overwhelmed by life, tragedy and sorrow. Each day is a new day, where I practice again and again, non- attachment, practicing on focusing on the moment and Santosha, contentment for where I am right now, for what we have this day and allowing things to be as they are, knowing that life will unfold itself, maybe in ways beyond my understanding right now, but I do see a brighter and lighter world appearing. A world of connection, of compassion and understanding for each other. Imagine, never in the history of this world has the whole planet lived the same experience and gone through the same trials and tragedies. It is unique.
I would like to suggest that you establish a daily routine and help you with this. Instead of just letting yourself do nothing, sleeping in, waking up when you feel like it, eat whenever and however, watch the news and too much tv or Netflix, start being active, and create. Move toward the light, expansion and not contraction with negative and sad thoughts. Practice quieting the mind, energizing the body, boosting the immune system, being a better human for you and for those around you.
Here are some tools that I offer, as an idea of how you can establish a positive and life giving routine into your day.
Tools To Establish A Yoga Wellness Routine
1. Wake up early and rub you hands together
Wake up before others awake in the house, where everything is still and quiet.
As you lie in bed, rub the palms of your hands together to generate heat then lightly cup your hands over your eyes. Feel the energy, be aware of the warmth and slowly blink your eyes open into your hands. This is a traditional Indian routine done every morning.
Wash your face, brush your teeth.
2. Pranayama
Then find a quite place and sit comfortable and begin a Pranayama practice, awaken your body and balance your energies. This is important, a good Pranayama practice cleanses and revitalizes the lungs. Remember this virus affects the lungs, so we want to keep them strong and resistant. Its also a good check to see if your lungs are healthy or infected with either the Covid-19 or something else. If you practice everyday, you are very aware of your inhale and exhales and how long you can retain your inhale, if it begins to be more difficult or even impossible, time to see the doctor.
I have also begun to add a pranayama technique from Sadhguru, I really like it, you can find it on his website and app, both of which I highly recommend that you look into. Each day during this turmoil everyone is going through, he gives a talk and answers questions, and there are many different techniques to learn and practice.
This one he is sharing with everyone to pass on, especially to those in the health care system, whether doctors, nurses, caretakers etc. So if you know anyone in these fields, share it with them and maybe show them how to do it, not in person, but through Whatsapp etc.
Pranayama Techniques
Sadhguru Kriya (cleansing technique) to enhance lung capacity and boost the immune system.
Sit comfortable and bring your hands to your knees, open your elbows out to the sides and lightly push down on your knees, open your chest and heart, allowing more expansion in this area. Eyes closed.
Stick your tongue out of your mouth as far as it goes, inhale and exhale fully and completely from your belly 21 times, through your mouth.
Roll tongue upwards until tip of tongue is touching the roof of your mouth. Inhale and exhale completely through your mouth, 21 times and slightly constrict your throat to make a noise.
Take a very deep full inhale and hold for 30 - 60 seconds. This shouldn’t be too difficult, unless you have condition such as asthma or are elderly, so please practice with caution or not at all.
You can do this 1-3 x a day to boost your immune system and clear your lungs. I like to do it in the morning and evenings.
3. Alternate Nose Breathing
After this lung cleansing technique, move into Nadi Shodana, alternate nose breathing. This technique clears and energizes the subtle energies within the body, mainly the Ida and Pingala Nadis, the right and left side of our brains, Yin and Yang, male and female, Shiva and Shakti energy, right lung , left lung, balancing and harmonizing our body at a physical, mental, emotional and subtle energy level. If you can do it for 10 min. If you have your own routine for this, go ahead, but if you are new to this, here is an easy way to begin and will balance your Being completely.
Sitting comfortably, your left hand in your lap, palm facing upward, raise your right hand and fold the index and middle fingers into your palm, your ring finger and little finger extended and help together. Your thumb will be to close your right nostril and your ring finger to close your left nostril.
Begin with closing your right nostril. Soften your shoulders and relax your jaw. (You can close your eyes and also bring your awareness to your Ajna Chakra , the 6th Chakra located between your eyebrows, this is to bring focus and go inwards and connect with your inner wisdom, to find peace and tranquility.) Inhale and heal fully through your left nostril, then close your left nostril with your ring finger, at same time opening your right nostril, inhale and exhale fully here, then change nostrils and continue like this for 10 minutes. If at anytime you feel dizzy or uncomfortable release your hand and come back to your natural breath. This is also really nice to do before you go to bed, balancing your energies after the days activities and to all your mind, preparing yourself for sleep.
4. On Beginning Meditation
You are ready to begin your meditation! Now don’t get all worried about this, thinking, I cant do this, I cant stop my mind from thinking, I am no good at this! Get out of your own head and don’t worry, this is supposed to be enjoyable, and though it might not seem so at first, let me help see how you can make it so. Don’t worry about having thoughts, let them come but also let them go. As the thought appears, acknowledge, “Yes, I am thinking this…” but instead of going down the rabbit hole with this thought and creating stories around it, without fighting it, just bring your focus back to your inhale and exhale. Feel your breath, feel your breath breathing you. Inhale…. Exhale…. Feel and be aware of the air passing through your nostrils and what it feel like as it makes its way down to your lungs.
Become aware of the gentle rise and fall of your chest and your belly. Don’t try to control your breath in any way, just be aware of what it is doing and what it feels like, without any judgment. Continue like this. Eventually or even right away a new thought or many thoughts will arrive, again try not to go down the rabbit hole of what ifs, just bring your awareness back to each inhale and each exhale. Slowly, with time, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a week or a month, it doesn’t matter, you will feel your mind quieten, you will feel your breath ever so quiet, almost imperceivable. Remember it doesn’t matter, you might come to this point, and bang a new thought hits you! No problem, just bring your focus back to your inhale and to your exhale. This is your experience, no one else’s, its your journey, and remember Yoga is about personal experiential experience, your experience, only through your own process will you discover your truth, your true authentic self, no one else can do this for you. Its just for you. So, no worries, have fun with it, play with it, allow it to happen as it does. There will be days you will practice with ease, and others that it will be nigh on impossible. It doesn’t matter, there is no goal, its the journey, your journey towards inner peace.
What it does require is practice, practice and practice!
And now, you have lots of time for that, so enjoy your time and make the best of it.
5. Yoga Asana Practice Tools
Now you have a choice of either starting your yoga asana (physical yoga posture sequences) or taking a little break with a cup of tea. I like to make my herbal tea and then sit down to read something inspiring for 1/2 and hour to an hour.
Right now it’s The Wisdom of Yoga by Stephen Cope. He is a psychologist, yogi and meditator at the Kripalu Center, and he writes about the Yoga Sutras as it flow in his daily life in relationship with a group of friends. Its full of interesting tidbits of actual life and how they incorporate the Sutras and how it helps them. Short stories of their everyday lives, trials, anxieties and hangups. A great read and I have highlighted a good part of the book! Here is one insert:
Yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness” Yoga is to still the thought waves of the mind. Yoga is to bring a natural quiet to the mind and body- so that we can, for the first time, see clearly. And in this stillness- miraculously, outrageously- the knots undo themselves. Inner realities emerge.
There are many great free youtube videos for a yoga class, there is Yoga International, Yoga Journal, Gaia, as well as some great apps for your phone like Downdog.
I am working on putting up some audios and videos for classes, when they are ready, you’ll be the first that I invite!
6. Tools for Practicing Mindfulness
Throughout your day, try to practice mindfulness in everything you do. Whether washing dishes, having a shower, preparing a delicious meal, spending time with your partner, family, children. Whatever you are doing, do it with your full attention and awareness in the moment. Make it quality time to enjoy for yourself and with others. Feel gratitude for allowing yourself this moment, to really enjoy and be present.
There is a fun little app called Lotus Bud (not sponsored) and it will remind you every hour to stop, breathe, be mindful, relax, Be. It send a pretty little chime or bell sound of your choice, to gently remind you to stay present and enjoy the moment, to relax and breathe.
As the day begins to slow down, it is good to have a routine to prepare your body to relax, to release any tension from the day, and if you are living in close quarters with several people or even just alone, there will be tension and negative thoughts you will want to release to enjoy a good nights sleep.
7. Evening practice
Yin Yoga is a beautiful way to end the day and there are many online you can find (until I am ready to offer you some of what we do) for beginners to advanced.
Or any gentle stretching and relaxing poses.
8. Evening Mantra Meditation
Then finish your evening with a guided meditation, or listen to a mantra or chant a mantra yourself. My favorite one in this moment is one from Sadhguru, “Brahamanadha Swaroopa” this is the video below.
It is good to begin with some Pranayama breathing, just gentle full long inhales and exhales, to relax and be present, maybe adding a little Nadi Shodana/ alternate nose breathing, then I will listen to this beautiful mantra and let it enter my heart and soul. For me, it fills me with love and hope and I feel peace all around me. You can listen to it as short or as long as you like, but 10 minutes would be the minimum to receive its benefit.
This is another one to release any built up negative energies you might be feeling.
A beautiful mantra for Babaji Mahavatar. It is said that every time you say his name Babaji, you receive a blessing. Whether this means something to you or not, the music will fill your soul with love and healing.
Finish your practice by bringing your hands together, palms touching to heart center. This once again aligns your energies, right and left and chant 3 rounds of AUM followed by Saanti.
A = the essential sound of the Universe. Feel the vibration in your belly, this is the center where all the Nadis, subtle energy points begin and connect.
U = the preservation of the energy of the Universe. Feel it in your heart center, where unconditional love resides.
M = the transformation of the Universe. Feel it inside your head.
Saanti means peace.
Then finish with these words:
Peace in my Heart
Peace in my Life
Peace in the World.
My deepest wish for you, to have peace in your life, and that it carry you through your difficulties and guide you towards enlightenment. We are all on this journey together.
Namaste,
Terry.
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