Page Name
Awaken & Renew
INSIGHT FOR THE JOURNEY
This is a new section of our web site we hope will inspire you to awaken and renew your practice and life.
This month we are featuring a creative connection between the benefits of yoga and something men can digest
...
a TOP 10 LIST!
Created by one of our own yogis!!
The energy in the last several weeks may have left some of us feeling like we've been spinning our wheels. Winter is a great time for stillness, but most of us have been able to still "work" in the wintertime by at least laying some groundwork for projects, relationships, change and new paths. Not so this year! The energy has brought some of us to an absolute screeching halt, while the rest of us seem to just want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers up over our eyes. With the weather extending winter beyond it's normal boundaries, it's been a time of going deep inside ourselves to become aware of what may still need some clean up work, or completely letting go. It's a tough process that began back in late September and is just now finishing up. Our need to go within ourselves and confront our patterns in life requires deep rest. When we don't take the time to get deep rest we become depressed. Know you are not alone if you missed an opportunity for rest and are now experiencing depression. It's our body and Souls way of getting our needs met.
Sometimes we think a detox can "fix" depression. The energies for detox will be so much more supportive in the Spring! Right now we need warm foods, warm spaces and warm dispositions. I've found that Bach Flower Remedies can be so helpful in this area as well as continuing your yoga and Pilates practice. I know there are days when it seems difficult to get yourself down here and unroll your mat, but the mindful movement will improve your mood and help your nervous system get some deep rest.
Here is a small list of some of the remedies that work great for depression. See which one seems to speak to you. Better yet, go down to Bountiful Nutrition and hold the remedy you think may be best. Notice how you feel at a very subtle level. This is the feeling the remedy will give you as it begins to work. It's a great way to know which remedy is right. For more information you can go to www.bachcentre.com.
BACK FLOWER REMEDIES FOR DEPRESSION
Agrimony is recommended if you tend to maintain a smiling appearance while suffering inner anguish and despair.
Centaury is helpful for depression accompanied by feelings of intimidation.
Cherry Plum relieves feelings of fearfulness, whether of things real or imagined.
Gorse may be chosen for a sense of hopelessness
Honeysuckle for those whose thoughts dwell on happier times past.
Rescue Remedy is the first choice to ease acute anxiety.
Sweet chestnut for bleak despair and grief.
Walnut is useful for depression that results from difficulty in adjusting to change.
Wild Rose is more beneficial for people who have lost interest in life, who have become apathetic and have stopped caring about anything-something many mildly depressed people experience.
Willow for depression caused by resentment
TOP TEN REASONS FOR MEN TO DO YOGA!
A guys list to yoga.
11) Anger Management! I am 5" 6" tall. I have "short man's disease." The chip on my shoulder is more like the whole block. My anger and stress have dropped remarkably since I started my yoga practice. Especially during the drive to and from work, that is where I really notice the difference. I am now able to let people squeeze into those small gaps, I recognize the more patient drivers who use their blinkers, I am no longer one of those who crisscross the highway seeking out the fastest lane. I am a nicer, more mellow person. Through the power of my own intention I am more in control of who I am, rather than let outside forces control me. It's a big change.
10) Alzheimer's prevention. Yep, it's true. Here's why: As we age (I am 43) , we tend to lose our natural curiosity and desire to learn. We get "set in our ways" "stuck in a rut". Kind of like with our bodies, without exercise our brain begins to atrophy, to become stagnant. Yoga is an activity which stimulates our brain. It is an exercise and philosophy with many paths of self-study and opportunities for growth. In short, do not become an old dog, learn a new trick.
9) Flexibility. If you are still alive, chances are you are going to stay alive. Increase your elasticity! Make it easier on yourself to get up in the morning and lay down at night.
8) Golf. The key to golf is a quiet mind with a repetitive swing in a fluid arc. Yoga absolutely helps to create the space to quiet your mind. By practicing alignment exercises, your body becomes adept at being a fluid, dynamic and well-coordinated set of muscles. Quiet your mind and let 'er rip, your body will know what to do. Golf and yoga are also similar in another respect, even if you play your "home" course repeatedly it is always a different enough experience to keep us coming back for more. Yoga is like that as well. Each teacher is unique, every day is going to hurt somewhere else. It's the good kind of hurt that comes from getting better at being yourself.
7) Skiing/Snow boarding. This is definitely my favorite. A little story for you...one day while skiing the crud at Brighton I found myself flying out of control through the cut up junk with one leg in the air, my face not to far from the snow and I was dragging a hand for balance. I knew that disaster was imminent...then I thought wait a minute, this is a lot like a "1/2 Moon" pose. I realized that all I had to do was calmly square my hips, bring my leg back into place and all would be well, and it was! The point being that my balance has improved so much in my 4 years of yoga that after 35 years of skiing, I am still getting better.
6) Mountain Biking. Another great sport. The cardiao benefits of my yoga practice enabled me to blow by my buddies on the up-hills whenever we go to Mueller Park or more recently when we had a biking weekend trip down in St. George. I always had thought yoga was just a bunch of stretching and standing around in weird positions. It is so much more and cardio (especially when you get to more advanced levels) is a clear and present benefit. So ditch your step steppers and do your "Sun Salutations."
5) Fun! I am not making this up! Well, if your idea of fun is to try and stand on one leg, breath in unison with classmates and be humbled by how flexible you are not (compared to our female classmates) this is a darn good time.
|
I wake up in the morning, and I consciously create my day the way I want it to happen. Now, sometimes, because my mind is examining all the things that I need to get done it takes me a little bit to settle down and get to the point where I'm actually intentionally creating my day. When I create my day, and out of nowhere, little things happen that are so unexplainable, I know that they are the process or the result of my creation. And the more I do that, the more I build a neural net in my brain and I accept that that's possible. It gives me the power and the incentive to do it the next day. --Dr. Joseph Dispenza |
4) Energy. I sleep less, I wake up feeling more refreshed. There is a synergistic relationship with yoga where the amount of energy expended comes back to you exponentially. What I mean is the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Energy to be a good husband, father or success in your business and life! It's a positive energy that attracts even more positive energy and the world sure could use more of that!
3) Abs. A totally unexpected benefit. Thanks to all my yoga teachers and my own hard work, I have a flatter healthier stomach then ever before! I played all kinds of high school sports, ski instructed and I still mountain bike like a mad man, but nothing has been so good for my internal organs as yoga.
2) Your honey. Uh huh. You know what I am talking about! Throw out your Viagra, laugh at those ED commercials! You do your yoga and your main squeeze will throw out the pills for you!
1) Do it for you. Be all that you can be. Be a role model for your baby-boomer brethren. Get rid of your high-blood pressure medication, heal those old injuries. Feel good. We are living longer and longer, be healthy more and more. All it takes is an open mind and a willing spirit. If you have read this far, I bet you have both. Thank you for sharing your truth and inspiring men and women to transition their lives through a regular yoga practice.
Thank
you for sharing your
truth and inspiring men and women
to transition their
lives through a regular
yoga practice.
