Movement is Medicine

And Other Ways to Stay Healthy and Sane During Times of Crisis

"That which is used - develops. That which is not used wastes away." 
​~ Hippocrates

Being at home for weeks on end, as we're all discovering first hand, may not be much fun. Conversation may be drying up, and unless you have a dog or a small child, you might not be getting out for exercise on a regular basis. There are a number of activities we can practise to stay physically healthy and mentally sane. Below are some suggestions and practices that I hope you'll find helpful.

1. Motion is lotion. Your body's tissues need to move, to be hydrated regularly, to slide against each other to create ease and flexibility. If you don't move, you can seize up like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Motion is the oil you need to get unstuck. Your joints need to move (each vertebra on the spine too) to stay lubricated with synovial fluid, and healthy. Too much sitting has been linked to many ailments, including excessive weight, hip and back pain, shoulder and neck pain, anxiety, depression, some types of cancer, diabetes and varicose veins.

Here's a simple Half Sun Salutation to help you get moving. A set of yoga blocks, hard books or a sturdy chair is helpful if your hands don't touch the floor.

• Mountain Pose: Stand tall with your feel hip width apart, arms by your sides. Ground through the 4 corners of your feet: base of the big toe, inner heel, outer heel, base of the pinky toe. Breathe fully into the belly.
• Upward Salute: Inhale and turning the palms up, raise both arms overhead. Lift the collarbones.
• Forward Fold: Exhale, bend the knees, thighs parallel, and fold forward from the top of the thighs. Place your hands on thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles, or the floor.
• Half Forward Fold: Inhale and come up half way, spine long and extend through the crown of the head.
• Step Back: Exhaling, draw the right knee into the chest and send the leg straight back, toes pointing down. Drop the foot the the floor. Lower the knee to the floor (or a firm blanket for more knee support).
• Crescent Lunge (pictured above): Inhaling, lift the chest and collarbones, and raise the arms overhead.
• Step Forward: Exhaling, bring your hands to the floor, blocks or chair, curl the back toes under and push off the foot to step forward.
• Half Forward Fold: Inhale and come up half way, spine long and extend through the crown of the head.
• Forward Fold: Exhale, and fold forward over the thighs. Place your hands on thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles, or the floor.
• Upward Salute: Inhale and turning the palms up, raise both arms and come up to standing with a long spine. Arms are overhead. Lift the collarbones.
• Mountain Pose: Exhaling, release your arms down by your sides. Stand tall with your feel hip width apart. Ground through the 4 corners of your feet: base of the big toe, inner heel, outer heel, base of the pinky toe. Breathe fully into the belly.
• Repeat series, this time stepping the left leg back first.

2. Gentle breath practices can help the mind to stay calm and focused. When you breathe in, your nervous system moves into  "fight or flight" . When you breathe out, your nervous system moves into "rest, digest and heal." Shallow rapid breathing can increase a sense of anxiety and disconnectedness. So a simple practice of lengthening your exhale can begin to calm the mind.

Breath Practice: Lengthening the Exhale to Calm the Mind

• Inhale comfortably and count as you breathe in, to a count of 3 or 4 or 5.
• Exhale, gradually lengthening the breath out so it's longer than the inhale. Go slowly and if your breath feels forced, return to a normal breath. Over time it will feel more natural to lengthen the exhale.
• Notice how your mind feels as you practise.

3. A quiet mindfulness practice can help you to work with difficult emotions. The RAIN acronym can be a helpful way of thinking about this.

R = Recognize the feelings - So often they fly under the radar of our conscious awareness, or we try to push them away because they feel uncomfortable, or sometimes just awful.

A = Allow and acknowledge your feelings- As in "hi, old Sadness, I see you." Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn has a lovely breathing mindfulness practice: "Breathing in, I hold my fear with tenderness, Breathing out, I care for my dear little fear."

I = Investigate with kindness - What does this feeling feel like in my body? What sensations come up with it? Do I try to push it away? Are there memories associated with these sensations? Often we judge our feelings; I shouldn't be sad, I shouldn't feel like this, I have so much, why can't I be normal, happy, etc etc etc.

N = Non-Identificaton - Recognize that you are not your feelings. You are not your body, nor your mind, nor your thoughts. Beyond these lies a deeper Awareness.

Feelings just are. They arise spontaneously, and if they invoke pleasant thoughts and associations we like them; if they invoke unpleasant ones we tend to shy away. 

Recognizing, acknowledging and sitting with feelings means to sit with what is real, what is happening in this moment. And when we do that, they start to shift, because change is inevitable. 

If you want to start a conversation about how a regular yoga or meditation practice can help your well-being, see here to set up a complimentary 15-minute phone conversation with me.

See here for SPECIAL online group or private rates (applicable for as long as self-distancing is required.See more here.

If you have any comments or simply want to connect, leave a comment below or send me an email at info@yogaspiritus.com. 

Thank you, and be well,
Namaste,
Donna xo