People Watching

Recently I was on vacation with my family. I spent most of my time watching my kids play at the water park, swim at the beach and eat...and eat...and eat...

When I had a spare moment between sunscreening three unwilling children and making sure that they were all well hydrated, I people watched.

As I sat there I realized, I watch people daily and I see them all in so much pain. Wincing in pain, avoiding their bodies and their minds. It makes me crazy to sit idly by (I usually don’t) and watch because I can help them with The Yoga!!! It’s crazy simple. Child’s pose, easy seated pose, forward fold, down dog....all will realign and readjust your spine. Moving synovial fluid through your joints. Getting down to ground reaction force and breaking down tension between tendons and lengthening muscles. It will open channels of every part in your body that will allow you to move intentionally and move forward mentally. Conquering things you never thought possible..in every facet of your life.

Alas....the majority are either

A) Not actually listening...which is, passively listening and not allowing the information to sink in...to the body...to the brain.

OR

B) Are completely resistant to trying yoga or to change, or to reveal truths they are avoiding ...who freakin knows!! They either vehemently oppose any Yoga or the like, or don’t realize how closed off and resistant they actually are in their Yoga practice, whether it’s to physical adjustments or advice. The latter can at least be addressed and potentially helped. These people have already done the work to show up on their mat, which is in fact more than half the work.

Now...

How do we slow down? Change focus?

We BREATHE! Breathing... Pranayama, is the essence of life force. So use it to your advantage to slow the nervous system down by allowing parts of the body to receive oxygen. Breathing to create space allows you to cultivate length in the spine and other parts of your body such as the hips, shoulders and chest cavity. Reducing pain and inflammation and promoting flexibility and mobility of the joints. Additionally, and equally as important, internal growth occurs when we allow ourselves to create space in our mind. When we rush. It is impossible to let information sink in...to the body and to the brain. So SLOW down! Breathe!

Whether it’s through life or through a yoga flow, we are not giving ourselves time. We are not giving ourselves the space to unwind, to unravel, to open, and create space where so much space is needed. So take the time, slow down and breathe! If you're doing Yoga at the very least take 5 full breaths in each pose. It will only improve your practice. A personal lesson that my amazing mentors and Yoga teachers have taught me and I thankful for it.