|
In classes last week we talked about how the practice of yoga before bed helps us sleep. One student shared that she practices the 3-count breath once she has tucked herself into bed. It quiets her so she can falls off to sleep. Another student shared that once in bed, she pictures each body part starting with the feet and relaxes the part, like we do in our shavasana practice.
What yoga practice do you do to help you sleep?
0 Comments
 from yogajournal.com I live in cranberry country. There are lots of cranberry bogs wherever I drive because the land is sandy and there are lots of bodies of fresh water. In early November, the cranberries are picked. It is common to drive behind a large truck full of cranberries during picking time. Cranberries are tasty and also provide health benefits. Thanksgiving meals oven include cranberry sauce. Cranberry bread is fun to make and eat. Dried cranberries are tasty when added to cereal, trail mix and muffins. I found a few articles that write about the benefits of cranberries.
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/lifestyle/sweet-tart-2/ "Sweet Tart" Cranberries prevent many problems plus a recipe. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/cranberries-year-round-superfood "Cranberries, Year Round Super Food" Only blueberries have a higher antioxidant count! http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269142.php "What are the Health Benefits of Cranberries" This is a more technical article, but good. 
from meditationaustralia.org.au
Recently I read an article by Rebecca Tolin called, "5 Mindfulness Meditations to Master Your Emotions and Face Stress." Rebecca writes how we can approach our emotions even when we are off our mats. She refers to a book by psychologist Erin Olivo who says stress "boils down to emotion." Rebecca writes, "In Wise MInd LIving there are really only eight core categories {of emotions} to choose from: love, happiness, fear, anger, sadness, shame, jealousy, disgust." Rebecca gives us 5 situations of stress and the strategies to respond to them including meditations we can do for ourselves. The meditations can be practice by all of us. The 5 stressors may or may not directly apply to us, but we experience similar situations no matter where we are in our life. Enjoy reading this article and let me know how it helps you (or not). Give some of the meditations a try!
http://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/5-mindfulness-meditations-master-emotions-face-stress/ One of my Thursday night students says that since she has been back to practicing yoga on a regular basis, she is sleeping so much better. There are nights where after a long day of work, taking care of the kids, dealing with everyday stuff, it is hard to relax and settle into bed. To facilitate our readiness for sleep we can practice yoga. It might be some time sitting with our breath and a hand mudra or it could be a series of poses. There are a lot of references online to bedtime yoga practice, but I have picked two to share for you.
- The Livestrong website has a slideshow called "Nameste at Night". Livestrong recommends that we avoid practicing vigorously before bed, but instead pick a few relaxing poses and some deep breathing over about 20 minutes. There are 13 slides which include a description of 10 poses. This practice is done on your mat. http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1009344-namaste-night-10-yoga-moves-remove-stress-relax-bedtime/#slide=1 - Women's Health Magazine website has a 13 slide practice for bedtime done on your bed called "Yoga for Bed" by Tara Stiles. It is a nice relaxing practice. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/yoga/bedtime-yoga Please remember, when you try any practice to listen to your body and do not try anything you are unsure of. Do you have a yoga practice that helps you to relax at night? Please share it. Today is Veterans Day. A day we set aside to honor those who have served our nation.
Rosemary, a member of my Chair Yoga classes mentioned a story she saw on WCVB Channel about a woman who runs a class for people with amputations, injuries and mental injuries. I have listed the connection below. Enjoy and please feel free to leave comments. http://www.wcvb.com/menino/woman-using-yoga-to-help-wounded-warriors/29657130 |
AuthorI enjoy yoga as it brings peace to my life. Teaching yoga has brought joy to my life and given me a chance to encourage others in learning yoga. Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
