Each week we’ll be exploring a restorative yoga pose or breathing technique with images/video and tips. Check in at Lacuna Loft on Wednesdays to anchor your week with peace, grounding, + community (and don’t forget to join the dialogue all week long). Excited to journey together! This week we’ll be exploring an inverted yoga pose.
Restor(y)ing Mind+Body+Soul (pt. 3)
This has been my mental practice over the last few months. How can I rename an ‘obstacle’ as an ‘opportunity’? How can I see a challenge as space to learn something new? What if every moment was an opening to practice joy, gratitude, and love in the world?
I am daily faced with so many of these choices. At first, they don’t even seem like choices – just instant reactions. But with some good long breaths and a chance to look at things from another perspective, I realize that I get to choose how I respond and how I add joy or pain to my day. Some examples include:
I forget to set my alarm – panic mode and aggressive behavior as I rush to my day OR realize I needed the sleep and communicate with people that plans have changed?
Parking ticket – angry at the city police for fining me, angry at myself for forgetting quarters OR a moment to ‘donate’ to the city and be grateful for the parking spot?
Big zit on my face – self hatred and anxiety over what people think of me OR reminder that we are all more than our appearances?
Someone “cuts me off” in traffic – send some angry words their way (and really only back to myself since I’m alone in the car) OR send some love, forgiveness, and stay calm?
I’m doing the dishes for my roommate, again – time to list all of his/her terrible traits and wallow in self aggrandizement OR peaceful time to play in the bubbles and give a little love (no matter why) to another human being?
And the list goes on.
To better remember that every situation has another perspective to it, I practice physically switching my orientation. Check out this everyone-can-do-it inversion to get the blood flowing around in your body in different ways. You may just find that it helps change your brain’s patterns of perspective, too! If so, leave us a comment about it!
Ingredients:
A wall
Scoot your seat up to the base of the wall and swing your legs up towards the ceiling. Release your arms to your side. Close your eyes. Breathe in and out through your nose. Gradually lengthen and deepen your inhales and exhales until they match (ex: breathe in for 4 counts and out for 4 counts). See how slow you can let your breath become and then finally let go of controlling your breath and just enjoy! Some variations:
- Spend time here while considering “problems” and turn them into “possibilities”
- Grab a pillow for under your neck & head
- Put a blanket on top
- Angle some blankets/pillows to lift your hips up off the ground (with head still low) to give your legs more room if they are tight
What do you think of our weekly yoga posts and poses? Have you ever tried this inverted yoga pose to invert your perspective? We’d love to hear from you!