|
by Steve
Nakon
A Strategy for Healthy Living
Maintaining inner balance, reducing stress,
and engaging the body’s self-healing powers are
essential to lasting health and wellbeing.
One of the many benefits of yoga is that it
can be used as a therapeutic tool. Although yoga
promises
no magic pose or posture that in and of itself
can cure disease, yoga does present a science
that includes principles of movement, attention
to the
breath, and awareness of consciousness. In today’s
world where our daily lives are filled with stress
and tensions, yoga is a proven antidote. It provides
a strategy for healthy living.
Each of us is an individual made up of a group
of complex systems working together. Although
our needs and conditions are different, there
are some
common conditions that most of us experience
at one time or another. Sore backs and tight
shoulders
are one; digestive problems are another.
Personal Practice Exercise
This exercise helps
to relieve the common condition: tension in the
neck and shoulders. It also stretches
the body along the spine. Start standing with
your hands resting at your sides. Take a few
deep, full
breaths noticing and relaxing your shoulders
and your arms. Do a few shoulder rolls, up, back,
and
around. Slowly bend forward with your knees slightly
bent. Place your hands on your thighs and allow
your hands to slide down your legs as you exhale
and bend forward. Continue slow, smooth breathing
as you allow your hands to reach comfortably
toward you ankles. Don’t be to concerned
how deep a forward bend you achieve or how far
your hands
reach. Relax, pay attention to your back and
spine. Surrender, let go, let your arms and hands
dangle
in the deepest expression of the pose. Keep your
knees slightly bent. After two or three deep
breaths, begin to slowly rise up, vertebrae by
vertebrae
back to standing. Take your time coming up. Don’t
rush; enjoy the journey. Stand quiet and see
how your breath behaves.
This exercise is best
performed
on an empty stomach and not recommended for
those with back issues or disturbances.
This Yoga Spirit article was
originally published in the Transitions Bookplace
Newsletter, September/October
2002
| 