Inside Yoga 45 (4/12/2011)
For some of us, at this time of year there is a conflict taking place. This battle takes place within us, but has a lot to do with our environment and world around us.
The source of the conflict lies in the way we live our modern lives ignoring our connection with nature. Not all of us, but many of us, live our lives ignoring, or in denial, that we are a part of nature.
Winter is now upon us and it is a time of year when the rest of nature is either in hibernation or has slowed down for this cold and dark season; from flora to fauna we see it all around us.
Yet, in our modern world many of us carry on living our lives as if it was the height of summer and then wonder and complain that “I feel so tired” and other such comments. We struggle with tiredness, with sickness (the old cold etc) and a general feeling of fatigue.
We feel like this because it is winter. And not only that, it is a northern latitude winter, which has very short days – and barely any sunlight most days – and long cold nights. No wonder we feel like sleeping!
The point I would like to make is that we are better off acknowledging that we feel the way we do due to the season we are going through, and adapt accordingly. Yet, many of us feel guilty that we are so tired or sick, we must be able to do everything, right now – we must keep going at the same pace.
Our modern world is fixated on living 24/7 lifestyles, keeping busy, filling our heads full of everything we can (from music to facebook – our lives are so crammed), no wonder we feel overloaded.
Now, I am not suggesting we hibernate for the winter, though it is tempting, but I am suggesting we adapt our lifestyles at this time of year. We give ourselves the space, and importantly the permission, to slow down, to put our feet up and rest. And to restore our energy levels and pace ourselves, so that we can work and meet the demands that our lives bring during winter.
That is why at my classes last week I introduced some restorative yoga postures. Yoga means union, and it helps us to maintain a union with our inner experiences and the world beyond; and it also helps to bring balance to our lives.
So when we are struggling with cold and dark wintry days, with our energy flagging, it is appropriate to adapt our yoga practice to suit the situation.
A restorative yoga practice is, as the word suggests, about restoring our energy levels and vitality. There are times when an energetic practice is suitable, such as in the summer months when it’s hot and sunny we perhaps feel more energetic, but in winter something slower and static deep is needed.
The postures we did this week were both relaxing and deep, by using props we can put the body into a position which is fed by gravity to gain the stretching and physical aspect of the posture. While the resting and static nature of the position allows the body to recover its energy.
We can apply a restorative approach to other classical yoga asanas (postures) such as the forward bend, by resting more gently in the posture and avoiding the temptation to attempt the deepest stretching. We can still practice yoga regularly, but we adapt it to suit our energy levels.
In winter, we can also change our diet. In yoga there is ayurvedic medicine which places importance on our diet as a solution to any health problems and also maintaining good health.
It’s no coincidence that our ancestors and even our parents’ generation understood this, with meals such as winter stews and soups. These meals, one pot meals in essence, are easy to digest and warming meals. In winter our digestive system finds it harder to digest, as the body is busy fighting off the cold, infections and fatigue. So if we give it food which is easy to digest and still nourishing we are being kind and wise at the same time.
Another pattern that I have observed while teaching yoga, is that many people feel guilty about being tired and wanting to take it easy. We have developed into this modern society which doesn’t know how to moderate our activities – we must be busy and active all the time. We live in a hectic world where burn-out is common.
At this time of the year it is so hard to keep going non-stop. What we need to do is give ourselves the space to relax and put our feet up, and when practising yoga adapting the session to suit our needs. There is no need to feel guilty; we can still work, rest and play if we learn about our needs at this time of year. It is about finding a rhythm of living that is in harmony with not just our inner world, but the world outside.
Both Buddhism and yoga refer to suffering, sadness, and dissatisfaction as being caused by a sense of separation. When we are pushing ourselves to keep going when sick, fatigued or both, feeling irritable and grumpy, we are experiencing a deep separation. We are not in union with anything, we in a battle with ourselves and perhaps everyone and everything around us – or more likely, those we love and hold dear.
We learn through yoga practice to be connected with ourselves – our inner world – and also with our outer world, from the natural environment to the people and animals around us.
This can help us through the seasons, but if we do find it difficult to do nothing – feeling guilty for stopping. Here is a way of disarming that unwelcome thought. If we decide to do nothing we are doing something, as the conscious decision to do nothing is doing something. If we procrastinate we are wasting time – so be decisive about doing nothing – let your body and mind have a break at times.
