Nourishment
The theme of this months class was born out of having a 5 hour visit to A&E with 3 children. One with suspected appendicitis and the other two in throws of chicken pox. Having spent the last few weeks having little sleep , in what felt like an explosion of childhood illnesses along with the demands of single parenting the word NOURISHMENT came to me loud and clear.
So that is what I am exploring this moon cycle . The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, there are so many places to go with this word….
Yoga in it’s essence is nourishing. We use the frame work set out by the ancient yogis in order to steady the mind, awaken and open to pure awareness. The practice allows us to nourish our body, mind and spirit through our asana, pranayama and meditation.
We can hone in on the naval region in the body which in itself holds so much gold. Deep abdominal and spinal twists can be emphasised in the physical practice as well as kriyas for purification cultivating detoxification in the body promoting optimum health. Understanding the vayus, (the movement of prana in the body), particularly Samana vayu the movement of prana (energy) around the belly. Manipura chakra- our seat of personal power and self esteem, can we take the time to understand this in relationship to ourselves.
Each conscious breath is nourishing.
Rest. The power of rest to nourish. I hear friends and students who are experiencing varying degrees of burn out. We all seem to be on the go at 100 miles and hour and live in a society that undervalues REST. It’s all go, go, next, next: What about this breath, this meal, this sunset, this moment.
Of course, diet is the foundation of nourishment. Diet is the cornerstone of the yogic lifestyle. Fresh satvic food is a big part of our practice.
What about nourishing our minds? What are we watching on TV? How much time (honestly) are we spending on our phones? What and who are we choosing to surround ourselves with.
These are all important questions. I sense that we are all on information overload and perhaps seeking wisdom teachings for our nourishment.
Finally the good old fashioned nourishment of FUN!… there is so much to be said for listening to music, being with friends, dancing to our hearts content in the fields, mountains or on the dance floor. Some of us with nourish ourselves with a wild swim, reading a book, writing poetry or tending to the garden.
Whatever nourishes your soul… find it and do it regularly.