Change Your Perspective
I walked into the studio to teach my Monday evening class, and invited my students to face what is normally the back of the room, instead of the front. Surprise!
The front of the room is mirrored, and I’ve been distracted by my students craning their necks to check their posture, attend to wild hairs, or sneak a peek at their neighbor before getting into a pose.
I’ve been flirting with the idea of turning away from the mirrors for quite a while, but didn’t feel bold enough to do it. I was afraid my students would be anxious about the change, and I was afraid that now wasn’t the best time to change things up. Lots of disturbing events in the world.
But, I did it anyway.
As my class turned away from the mirrors, I encouraged them to tune into their bodies. Now more than ever, we need to build and nourish our mind-body connection and give our nervous system a break.
My students were uncertain in the beginning, just as I expected. Their brows furrowed; they cast cautious gazes around the room as we moved through the poses. They responded with grouchy, halfhearted smiles. About halfway through class though, they started to settle into their new normal.
We can’t change most external factors in our world; however, we can always look inward and change our relationship with our mind and bodies. Yoga is a great way to do that. Think how strong you’ll feel, and how calm if you follow these simple cues.
- Send your breath down into your ribcage, instead of letting it get stuck in your chest.
- Note the squareness of your hips in crescent warrior.
- Feel the strength in your feet and ankles when you stand on one foot.
- Feel the expansion and contraction of your torso when breath comes in and goes back out.
It’s hard to believe, but some people say our smallest actions have an effect on our world; it sure can’t hurt to develop a positive relationship between our minds and our bodies.