Yin Yoga and TCM: Autumn season- main element, organs and emotions
An important component to autumn is the feeling of letting go, associated also with this period of acute changes. Autumn is a wonderful time to reflect on what is no longer needed and to let go of what no longer serves us. This can translate into something big like letting go of a person, a home or a situation, but can also refer to letting go of a belief, way of living or material possessions for instance. It's natural for us as humans to resist change or uncertainty, but once we understand how life itself is made entirely of change and uncertainty, then we might come to an understanding and acceptance of this in the long run and offer space for new beginnings and growth.
About Range of motion
The joints play a major role in everyone’s ROM and generally, it is not something that can be taken for granted; several factors can lead to a loss of ROM in time, for instance injury, improper posture, lifestyle, genetic factors or even too much movement. Respecting our boundaries in regards to our joints can help us preserve our ROM longer in time, whether we refer to our spine, knees, shoulders, hips or wrists.
Yoga and Gratitude
Gratitude is more than saying thank you out loud; gratitude is a way of seeing life, leading us to be more mindful about our thoughts, actions and speech, in order to attract more positive occurrences, people and situations, aligned with our values. Being thankful exists in the mind but gratitude comes from the heart.
Yoga and the importance of the present moment
When you get those blissful pauses in your practice, let yourself settle instead of anticipating the next cue. Take your time and when it gets hard, notice how your mind reacts. Notice the miracle of breath flowing in and out. Notice what the mind says, how it talks to you, and just like in your meditation practice, gently guide it back to the body and breath.
About Integrity
Integrity is essential to all practitioners of Yoga because it creates a foundation of deep honesty upon which a practice can best be built. Moreover, integrity is fully expressed in the relation with oneself, in the way we honor commitments to ourselves, take time to be considerate of our actions, and represent our practice also outside the Yoga class.
Tension vs Compression in YOGA
Yoga is teaching us to practice ahimsa (non-violence) in our practice, to meet tension with kindness, respect the capacity of our bones, and help find our own intention (optimal health) and personal alignment by shaping the poses into our bodies and not the other way round.
Yoga for grief
Whenever we feel like we need to numb or ignore our feelings, Yoga is a reminder not to shy away from those feelings. The only way to deal with uncomfortable emotions is to stay with them and learn to embrace them, knowing that feelings are temporary.
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