15 Jun Yoga and movement
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” This famous phrase by Albert Einstein can’t be more accurate. From birth to death, we are in constant movement. At a physical level, our muscles, bones and organs grow, change and move from the moment we come to this world until we die. At a mental level, our mind is constantly moving from one thought to the next bringing different sensations and states of being, and speaking of the emotional level, emotions and moods lead us to act and react in many ways. The fact of the matter is that we do not stop moving even when we are lying on the couch watching Netflix.
So the question is: What if we consciously created opportunities to support these mental, emotional and physical processes that happen on a daily basis? We would charge ourselves with vitality to enjoy life, we could listen and understand better the signals of our body (and thus avoid diseases) because the truth is our bodies are talking to us all the time. For example, when one has pain in the lower back because he has been sitting for hours, when your eyes are tired after many hours of screen time or when your neck is stiff to be looking down to your cell phone texting on WhatsApp. Likewise, there is the incessant internal talk that takes away hours of sleep, produces anxiety, depression and other evils that many still do not connect with their unhealthy habits.
It is time for us to stop ignoring this reality and look for opportunities to connect with our inner being, with our body and with our mind and this is precisely what practices such as yoga and meditation offer us.
Those who know me well, know that I appreciate and encourage others to practice meditatio, but when it comes to yoga, I have not had the discipline to do it constantly. This month, I decided to give me the opportunity to do it in a magical environment without distractions. I left my usual exercise routine to devote myself to practicing yoga with a group of people I did not know, knowing that I would be totally isolated from the outside world. (Some people are terrified of not having a Wi-Fi signal full time, a few days outside of the radar is a gift that they will learn to appreciate).
I was lucky to be able to find a retreat that offered the combination of yoga and meditation, organized by Natural Yoga. The place could not be better: Bahia Cinto – Parque Tayrona, in Colombia. I must say it was a wonderful experience. The yoga practices were physically demanding and they helped me to create space in my mind, to calm the talkative monkey inside my head. The vegetarian diet (for a master of the creative cuisine of Taganga, Magdalena), was incredible since it was full of color, flavor and love. And of course the combination of dedicated and knowledgeable teachers together with a harmonious group of practitioners, made this experience a true gift for body and spirit.
We must not forget that we feed ourselves in many ways: our environment, thoughts, relationships, love, the work we do, movement in all its forms, and finally, the food we consume.
Benefits
Physically, yoga helps tremendously to improve flexibility, balance, tone and strengthen the body, improves posture, respiratory capacity and glandular functioning, which increases vitality as well as helping to have a restful sleep.
At the mental level, it contributes to concentration, to find inner peace, to release ties that limit us and to understand that we function better when we recognize that mind and body are closely linked, they are a unit.
At an emotional level, it helps to create perspective, to flourish the innate wisdom that each one has, to improve self-esteem and confidence.
In addition, for those of us who like high impact exercises, it is an excellent alternative because it compensates in ways that relax and strengthen bones, muscles and joints. I encourage you to investigate on your own so that they leave your comfort zone as I did, try something different and always keep moving.
Life is short, do not let it slip away without realizing that you have all the potential to experience abundant life.
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Bear hugs!!
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