20 Minutes to Change your Day

I once met a man called Hugh who did a lot of yoga. 

We were on a yoga weekend and ended up sitting next to each other at lunch; apropos of nothing I commented that on the days I practised yoga, the day seemed then to roll out more evenly and beautifully afterwards, as if there was all the time in the world for everything (as opposed to that horrible, I'm-never-going-to-have-enough-time-for-all-I-need-to-get-done-today feeling that has become the default setting for too many of us). 

Without missing a beat he replied that yoga makes you realise the things that matter and the things that don't, so that after you have practised, you don't waste time on the small stuff.  You breathe more deeply, you take more time, you trust more that everything will get done in its own right time.  

I'm not sure that I had put two and two together before and made this realisation, but it was so obvious when he said it and of course, he is absolutely right.  Yoga reframes your day, and when you have practised regularly for long enough, it reframes your life.  Yoga helps you to acknowledge what is important and to leave aside the other stuff.  It teaches you to live with your brain fully engaged with whatever it is you are doing and that helps you to do things better, more successfully, more easily.  You rush less and make fewer silly mistakes.  You deepen the quality of the attention given to any situation and this improves both the way you perform in that situation and your experience of it.

Try to remember that the days when you feel that you have no time for yoga, are likely to be the days that you need yoga the most.

Commit to the idea that it is within your power to take 20 minutes out of your day for yoga and thereby to make your whole day better.

Many days put together become a life.

Prescription for Peace

Yoga is your prescription for a peaceful life. Take twice daily.

It turns out that what the yogis of old discovered through practice and observation, medicine has now validated with scientific evidence: yoga is good for you.

We all contain four hormones that contribute to our sense of ease, peace, health and contentment and yoga done the right way can stimulate them all.

1. DOPAMINE- Dopamine is responsible for feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation.

   How does yoga increase dopamine? Achievement stimulates dopamine, so completing the goal of rolling out your mat and doing some yoga makes you feel good. Yoga helps you sleep well too, which increases your dopamine levels. Exercise, meditation and breathing practice all increase your dopmaine levels.

   If you are struggling with motivation, you could have low dopamine levels, but DOING yoga will stimulate dopamine and therefore improve your motivation. A virtuous circle, so just begin. Call friends and ask them to hold you to account if you can’t get yourself motivated, or check in with our Oak Tree Yoga community who are always on hand to support and encourage you.

2. SEROTONIN- Serotonin is a crucial chemical for increasing mood and decreasing anxiety. Researchers have found a clear connection between low serotonin levels and increases in depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Besides being helpful for mental health, serotonin also improves digestion, sleep, and bone health.

   How does yoga increase serotonin? Serotonin is stimulated by exercise and by managing stress. Yoga gives you both benefits in one practice. A mindful walk in nature will also help - listen to something inpsiring as you walk, or go in silence (don’t make a call, or check your texts when you’re out, or you’ll fail to stimulate serotonin. If you can’t stop yourself from looking, leave your phone at home)

3. ENDORPHINS - Endorphins are released during pleasurable activities such as exercise, massage, eating and sex. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.

   How does yoga increase endorphins? Yoga is exercise, yoga makes you smile, yoga helps you breathe well and all of these things stimulate endorphins. Lying in savasana at the end of class feeling peaceful, content, renewed?? You’re enjoying the feeling of endorphins swimming about in your bloodstream.

4. OXYTOCIN - Oxytocin is typically linked to warm, fuzzy feelings and shown in some research to lower stress and anxiety. Oxytocin has the power to regulate our emotional responses and pro-social behaviors, including trust, empathy, positive memories and positive communication. Thanks to oxytocin, we get a warm, tranquil feeling whenever we're with the people we care about.

   How does yoga increase oxytocin? The positive feelings generated by coming together with like-minded folks to practice stimulates oxytocin . The way you hold yourself kindly during your yoga practice and the more positive feelings you generate towards yourself, your family and friends and the world in general are also caused by stimulating oxytocin. You can even stimulate oxytocin in your body by hugging yourself, so the kind of yoga we do, where movement is gentle, breath is deep and the physical self is felt and nurtured is all good for stimulating oxytocin.

Poor motivation? Depression, sadness, anxiety? Low mood, negative mind set, feelings of overwhelm? We ALL experience these things from time to time to a greater or lesser extent. Forgive yourself for being a lovely, normal human. Embrace yourself, ask friends to help keep you motivated, just BE on your mat (it doesn’t matter too much what you do when you get there… can you see now, how just lying there and listening to your teacher’s voice will sometimes be all that your body needs to stimulate all of these helpful hormones?)

Be kind, do yoga.

Namaste x

Don't take the pill, do the work

It’s a lot harder to do the work than to take the pill. An entire pharmocological industry has grown out of this fact.

I am not anti-medicine and I applaud our scientists for their skill and dogged determination. Some of my special needs yoga student’s lives have been transformed beyond recognition by the meds that have reduced their seizures or improved their lung function. Another student’s life has (literally) been saved by meds for the very serious mental health condition which has sometimes seen him hospitalised for his own safety.

I am however very pro doing the work.

Yoga, breathwork, good diet and relaxation work when they are applied to back pain, social anxiety, depression, chronic conditions and a multitude of other difficulties, physical and mental, that so many of us confront throughout life.

So does looking deeply at the sources of your pain.

That these are not quick fixes is their power. You are not going to understand that your depression or anger comes from your need for perfectionism, which comes from your need not to disappoint yourself or others, which comes from the way you were brought up by your (probably very lovely) parents. To understand the provenance of your problems does not mean that you turn to judgement and blame of your early carers. It means that you understand clearly the framework in which you are operating, so that you might choose a healthier and happier modus operandi for life.

That this work is hard is evidenced by the fact that so few people are doing it.

That this work is of utmost value is evidenced by the peace and wisdom of those who have done (and continue to do) it.

So don’t take the pill, do the work. Understand yourself and how you got to be here. See more clearly how you contribute to the longevity of your own pain by the deeply ingrained habits and attitudes you are carrying through life with you. Move forward with compassion and forgiveness in your heart (for you, for them, for everything). Make changes accordingly.

Practise, reflect, choose wisely every day - a daily dose, so to speak. The side effects are that you live better, feel happier and have more positivity to contribute. Everybody wins.