At Kula we’re finishing our second week of the 30 Day Yoga & Mindfulness Challenge. Have you started to feel the difference it makes when you turn the gaze inward? Aside from endless benefits that being mindful bring to our mental state (lower stress levels and less anxiety to name a few), being fully present is also excellent for the physical body. We’re so accustomed to relying on external factors to cure our ailments that we forget the amazing things the body is meant to do on its own. Instead of reaching for a quick fix, try letting the body work the way it was intended.
If you feel: Hungry
What we put into our bodies directly affects how it can perform. The saying “you are what you eat,” may seem old school- but it’s true! Next time your body starts to feel fatigued, run down or grumbly, take a moment to consider what you’ve put in your belly. Think of your body as a fine car- if you’re only putting in the minimum level of cheap petrol, of course it won’t run like a champ. For example, when the 3 p.m. lull rolls around and we need a little snack, too often we turn to packaged goods full of artificial nasties. Fast food doesn’t have to something we grab from a drive-through window. Try fruits, veggies or nuts and keep in notice how to body responds. You’ll get a boost of long lasting energy, without a sugar crash.
If you feel: Flat out
There really is no substitute for sleep. One can only run on coffee for so long. If your eyes feel heavy, limbs are dragging and the mind is feeling cloudy take a hint! In the same way that our arms shake in Plank pose urging us to drop to the knees, our body gives us signals that it needs a break. Imagine you’ve got a big day ahead- instead of Google-mapping your way to the closest caffeine hit, try scheduling in 20 minutes of down time and let the body reset. Yes that’s right, we give you permission to take a mini Savasana.
If you feel: Achy
Got sore muscles, cramps, or a headache? Before you head for the painkillers, scan the body for tension. Get moving to get relief. Flowing through a few rounds of Sun Salutations is a great way to release kinks after a bad night’s sleep and increase circulation. Sitting with your legs up the wall in Viparita Karani is really a cure-all, combatting everything from tired feet to high or low blood pressure and menopause by increasing blood flow to major organs; like a tune-up for the body.
Being mindful helps us realise how interconnected the body and brain really are. And when we start focusing on being present, our physical self starts to rise to the challenge.
About the author: Miranda Raimon is a yoga instructor, Kula studio manager and freelance health & wellness writer from the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Kula Yoga has a beautiful hot yoga studio on Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn, Melbourne. Kula offers ‘Hot Yoga’ classes for detoxification, dynamic poweryoga ‘Flow Yoga’ as well as a gentle ‘Light Yin Yoga’ option. Beginners through to advanced students are welcome to all classes. Kula also provides prenatal & postnatal yoga classes, and provides Melbourne workplaces with group corporate yoga programs to build employee health, fitness and wellbeing, and school yoga programs. Kula also runs an annual ‘Kula Cruise’ yoga retreat sailing from Bali to Lombok & the Gili Islands. Find out more on our website www.kulayoga.com.au. Or follow us:
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