How yoga changed my life…

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A little muse on REAL Yoga…

Yoga was developed not for the “strong, flexible/bendy body” that is so often portrayed in the media, but to prepare you for seated meditation.  By easing out the aches and pains, the kinks and knots that build up in us all, our post-yoga body and mind is then far better prepared for stillness, for meditation.  Equally, through movement and the breath, we still the mind, let go of inner chatter, are calmer, more observant and certainly better at being “in the here and now”. This calmness, through practise, becomes inner stillness – which in turn allows us to glimpse, experience and rest in our inner nature, or true self.

It is for us as individuals to learn what “true self” or “True Nature” .  this might translate as experiencing and trusting in our own inner wisdom or “guru”. But don’t despair if that monkey mind is still going at a rate of knots…or you can’t touch your toes or hold a balance…it’s all about gentle progress along with “Ahimsa” – a Sanskrit word meaning ‘do no harm’.  So we work gently, with what the body and mind can do, and listen deeply to what our body tells us, rather than the mind pushing us through old patterns and beliefs.  Those unhelpful, but very common, shoulds, musts, ought to’s got to ( SMOGs – I can recommend giving those up for 2023!)

How Yoga changed my life…

Back in 2007 I became severely ill with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), also known as ME.  At my worst I was like a concrete block in bed, barely able to move and just about managing to crawl to the bathroom.  This got triggered by a two year period of extremely stressful situations; moving back to the UK having lived abroad for 3 years, moving house twice, two close bereavements in the same year (my Grandma and mum), my then-husband losing his job and being unemployed for a few months, to name the main events!  This all culminated in me getting very ill with ‘true flu’.  I was in bed for 3 weeks and it took me about 5 months to recover.  If I knew then what I know now…For the next year I struggled to regain my health and kept pushing myself to live a ‘normal’ life; my son was young, I was studying and working and doing what 1000’s of other mums do…you just keep going.

Until I couldn’t.  It took many years before I could really start to live a normal life again – and during that time my understanding of yoga completely changed.  Pre-illness I practiced what many of us consider to be yoga…strong, flexible, balancing, moving swiftly – today I’d call it “fitness yoga” because the teachers didn’t share any of the science or wisdom behind the postures, the breathing techniques nor broached the philosophy.  I was oblivious to all of that, seeing it as a way to keep strong, flexible and supple …and yes, it helped me feel much calmer too.

Wired but tired..In the early weeks of CFS, my nervous system was so “wired” that it literally felt as though my fingers were stuck in an electric socket, and I also had severe insomnia and shooting pains in my arms.  I turned to breathing practices to calm my body and mind – and they did begin to soothe my system.  Often at midnight (or 1am, and 2,3 4 am!) I would get out of bed, lie on the floor and go through some simple postures + breathing to calm my body down.  I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy!

Something was changing… it took a long time and so much was trial and error…but this new way of practicing yoga began to have a definite, positive effect on my health.  I found a book called “Beat Fatigue with Yoga” by Fiona Agombar…an absolute lifesaver!  Fiona had experienced severe ME/CFS too – even worse than mine, she ended up in a wheelchair and hospitalised.  She too turned to yoga and eventually trained as a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for fatigue.

The Power of Slow Yoga...it was slow, gentle yoga that supported me through that time of illness.   There is definitely a “power” to slow yoga; we become mindful, aware, and witness our physical practice and our thoughts.  This ensures that we tune in to what our body wants to do, rather than what our ego says we must or should do.  The Power of slow means we can draw on the wisdom of the therapeutic aspects of yoga rather than use the postures to get fit (although you do).  The silver lining of learning the truth of yoga is that it has taught me how to listen deeply to what my body needs, to be kind to myself and to honour and respect what I can do, not what I can’t.  This experience is then translated into my teaching style – guiding my students into a very mindful wellbeing practice.

Slow Yoga gives us the spaciousness we all need to soothe the mind and the body, to invite the parasympathetic nervous system back into balance, to “rest and digest” and boost the immune system.  It is particularly recommended if you struggle with stress or anxiety, low mood, fatigue issues or feel you might heading for burnout.  Post-Covid has left so many of us functioning on auto-pilot – not having the time or space to re-set the nervous system as we stumbled our way through the weirdest of situations!  Slow yoga can help with that too…

Yoga for my life today…I might get up early and do 10, 30, or 60 minutes of yoga to start my day well…or I might take my dog out for a walk and stand in a field and do simple, mindful movement with breathwork – that’s yoga too!  As is putting the kettle on and doing 5 rounds of alternate nostril breathing while I wait for it to boil.  My yoga today might look like standing in a supermarket queue and ensuring that I’m in Mountain Posture (Tadasana) weight evenly balanced on each foot, standing tall yet relaxed, my shoulders drawing down and open…BUT!  Our yoga can also draw on the wisdom of the philosophy – a way of life; how we treat ourselves and others; our care for nature; speaking our truth; honouring our values.  The philosophy gives a path to follow that is not associated to any religion (although many religions and other philosophies have the same core values).

Real Yoga is…a journey of remembering who you are; underneath all that busyness, the mental chatter, our ego, or the negative beliefs about ourselves…there is a wholeness, a beauty, and a deep well of inner peace that we can touch and rest in.  Often called our True Nature it is our authentic self, and the part of us so often hidden in our busyness.

And now a Yoga Teacher sharing my experiences with you…My two year Holistic Yoga Teacher Training is hugely influenced by everything I learnt during my years of illness.  I have other trainings too, in counselling, positive psychology coaching and sound healing.  These different modalities combine to make a truly wide ranging and holistic approach to health and healing.  Each year I ensure I complete CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and this has included “Yoga for Stress, Burnout & Fatigue”, “Breathing for Non-Breathers” and ongoing exploration of “Subtle Yoga for Resilience”.

My final thoughts on True Yoga…Don’t be fooled – or put off by – the commercial images of yoga.  These ancient practices are beautiful, powerful, healing and spiritual (whatever that means to you).  If you can run a marathon, you’ll love the discipline (and protective nature) of yoga.  If you have a health condition or recovering from an illness – the gentleness can support you.  If stress, anxiety or low mood dog you…yoga can support, calm or uplift you.  If life is tickety-boo for you (hooray!) the postures and breathwork will help you stay that way!

What you learn ON the mat…is taken OFF the mat into your daily life.  The postures build strength, flexibility and balance – which helps you move more efficiently during your daily life.  The breathwork calms the mind and detoxifies your body – but it also improves your digestion (your immunity is dependent on this working efficiently).  Concentration and meditation help you to control and manage your thoughts – creating a more mindful, aware state of being.  The philosophy reminds you how to live a good life and to help co-create a good world.

True Yoga is far, far more than ‘just exercise’ or ‘just good breathing’ – it can be a way of life if you choose.  But at its core, it is about coming home to your True Nature…and from that place of Being and knowing…other healthy ways of thinking, behaving and acting naturally emerge.

Join me on the mat?  Yoga classes – Slow, gentle, holistic …in person or livestream via Zoom.  All welcome