By its very nature, the fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind — where our more well thought out beliefs exist — and moves us into “attack” mode. This state of alert causes us to perceive almost everything in our world as a possible threat to our survival… Fear becomes the lens through which we see the world… Our heart is not open. Our rational mind is disengaged. Our consciousness is focused on fear, not love.
Shannon Martin
*****
Faster, harder, better, run, flee, add more to the calendar, get out of town...
When our nervous system is in overdrive, our minds become frantic. We either fight with words or throwing objects; most of the time we leave.
Leave the scene with an addiction, an impulse to overeat, overspend, overindulge, over-watch, drive faster, evacuate a relationship, whatever it may be. We highjack and move... our ANS, autonomic nervous system, becomes entrenched in adrenalin. Shallow breath, holding breath, fleeing body.
Yoga gives us the opportunity to stay....to pause....to wait with the breath. Practicing the pause creates space or sukham, and then we learn to be more self-disciplined even if it is only on the mat.
Therefore, when I tell you...practice the pause, stay in the pose, connect with your exhale, slower is better and less is more, there is a purpose.
Spin cannot accomplish this space, boot camps cannot achieve it, Cross Fit cannot out lift it, running cannot create enough distance, and neither can eating too much.
Yoga...it is more than just the physicality of the movement. It is the work inside that makes the difference. There has to be a reason something has lasted thousands of years.
Eventually, it will carry over into our daily habits. I will be waiting for you on the mat...at the door...to congratulate you for coming home to yourself. Let's breathe.
Namaste'
Jeanne K
No comments:
Post a Comment