3/21/2023 0 Comments Inward office yoga![]() This idea applies to teaching in offices, yes, but the truth is…many people are coming to studios either before or after work as well. End with pranayama or stillness in silence. A simple body scan or breath focus on a part of the body. In Savasana, offer guidance to keep the mind focused. This attention to sequencing will gently lead the yogi to be able to experience rest without heaviness (tamas) and to practice stillness without the racing mind (rajas). Eventually move to holding poses for a couple breaths. Allow the progression of the sequence to go from quicker movement to slower vinyasas with the breath (cat/cow, standing balance flows, half sun salutations, bridge vinyasas). Then, slowly work toward balancing the energy in excess. Shaking the hands, arms, legs like you’re trying to get water off of them. If there’s not much room, a simple “shaking” practice will also work. You can add to this by making gentle fists that will “tap” your ribs and back as you twist. My favorite (if there’s space for it) is to start standing with feet a little wider than hip distance and turning quickly right and left from the hips (and the opposite foot will pivot as you turn) with the arms dangling and swaying as you twist. And if people have been sitting all day, start them moving in a different plane instead of more seated work. Stillness, meditation, pranayama are all wonderful practices for achieving balance and experiencing sattva, but to get there, sequencing is vital.įirst, appease the energy present. If I were to start class by asking them to lie still on a bolster, it would be too extreme a shift of energy. ![]() Most office yogis show up in a state of excess rajas. ![]() The subtle energies of nature that are present in everything…and the idea that at all times, we are experiencing some sort of combination of the three: tamas (heaviness/inertia/dullness), rajas (activity/turbulence/imbalance) and sattva (light/balance/harmony). What’s the antidote for this racing mind? Is it stillness?įor this, let’s turn to the Yogic concept of the gunas. Their minds are full, exhausted and running amuck when they make it to class. I’m guessing most of them even have a reminder to come to class. Folks are having to multi-task and keep track of a million things as their Outlook reminders pop-up every 5 minutes. I wasn’t cut out for this! My mind was way too active. I remember closing my eyes, hearing my heart pound loudly and feeling antsy, like there was no way to be still. Frantic and running late, the whole drive I was creating to-do lists in my head and when I finally made it to the studio and sat on my mat, the teacher instructed us to sit and practice stillness and quiet. I remember one of my first Yoga classes – I had raced to the studio from work. By Alison Wesley, Certified Yoga Therapist and Franklin Method Educator
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