Perhaps you are like me, not moving that much in the last weeks of the year? Other commitments take over and suddenly two weeks are gone with little or no movement practice at all…
Movement is medicine! As I am coming back to a more or less daily yoga practice I feel tightness here and there from not spending time on the mat for a few weeks. I also feel the excitement of feeling my body again.
It is all about noticing. Noticing how your body feels. Noticing how you feel while moving. No judgment is needed. You are just checking out what’s happening now, what’s here for you in this moment. Years ago I would feel irritation noticing my body being more stiff or less strong than I wanted it to be. At one point I had a slipped disc and just decided to give up yoga as I found it so depressing to move less well. Now it is different. I am meeting tightness with an open mind. I feel curious about how my body feels as I move through movements and yoga postures. Just as we befriend our breath in breath awareness I am befriending my body in my movements. I roll out my mat, put some cool music on, lit a candle and I am ready. I decide to practice for approximately 30 minutes and always end up staying longer.
Over the last few months I have been playing a lot of tennis. Yoga and meditation has helped me gain a lot of awareness of my body, and now I feel changes in the body from playing tennis. They are not “good” in terms of a more flexible body, rather the opposite. From the way I move on the tennis court the front of my hips has gotten tighter and I can feel a slight compression in the back of my neck. And I don’t mind! I view it as a new experience, an opportunity to learn. As I notice these changes I get a chance to know my body even more. With awareness of what I feel on the yoga mat I can adapt my practice in order to balance and counterbalance my movements on court.
The body is fantastic. Your body is fantastic. Nature is amazing. Love your body, adore your body. Listen to your body during yoga practice and notice what it tells you. Most of all, listen to the aliveness within you and let it energise you. You have a body pulsating with aliveness, happy to move and able to shake off blockages wherever they might be. A little bit of openness in the body from yoga practice will feel like a lot of extra space for freedom of movement.
I hope to see you on the mat soon!
