Tomorrow is the first Sunday of June, can you believe it? I’ll be at Lotus Bloom rolling out my mat and celebrating PRANA and life’s vital energy. My last email sparked some great conversation amongst our community about just how vital it is to move our bodies every day, especially in the morning. A few friends of mine are injured and can’t do what they once did, some new mama friends of mine are tired and are reassessing how to carve out time to move and then there’s a host of peeps who know it’s good for them, but are up against some internal obstacles.
In the yoga tradition there are five koshas or sheaths of the self, each one communicating and integrated with the others. For the sake of a quick overview imagine them as nesting dolls. The outer most sheath is the phsyical body or the anamaya kosha, the next layer inward is the pranic body or the pranamaya kosha. Go one more layer inward and you are in the mind body or manomaya kosha. So pause right there! Have you ever noticed what happens to your mind after a walk or a few sun salutations? Why people sometimes walk away in a heated discussion? The next time you move your body with your breath notice what happens to your mind? BOOYA. Many times it gets cleared up, that which was stored is dissipated, maybe there are fewer thoughts or less attachment to the thoughts present…hmmmm….
So, when we wake up in the morning and move our bodies we initiate this subtle and gross level of communication to all parts of ourselves. It’s so cool. That communication comes from moving our breath with our body and the result is optimal digestion and elimination, a more positive outlook on the day, more energy, a clearer mind, not to mention greater strength and endurance to engage in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I’m ALL OVER THAT!
So, to complete the vision of the koshas, the next layer is the intuitive body or the vijnanamaya kosha – it’s where we have the ability to reflect and observe our mind, etc. And at the core is the bliss body or the anandamaya kosha. So to tie it all together from the lens of movement, when we move our bodies, we accelerate the communication on all these levels and even prepare ourselves for meditation as we sit and clear the pathway to a deeper experience of the Self, the core of who we are.
So, for my friends with injuries there’s no need to jump around, or keep going to your flow yoga class. As difficult as it might be to take a break ~pause~ do some deep breathing/pranayama and seek all the ways you can clear your mind through moving prana with your breath instead of the habitual ways that may have informed an injury. For my friends who are new mamas, move any time of day when you can and don’t be rigid with where, when, how or how long. For those of you who are finding obstacles to movement, roll out your mat before you go to bed, set your intention and your alarm (I find intention to be louder than any alarm), and set a timer and move for 20 minutes. If that feels like too much, start with 10 and you may be surprised.
So basically shake what your mama gave you and notice the shift!
Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?
Big hugs,
Rachel
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Rachel Peters is a yoga teacher, yoga health coach, lifestyle and habits expert, easeful living advocate, and lover of wild places. She leads others towards Embodying Ease through a yearlong wellness & lifestyle journey to dissolve perfectionism, embody daily habits that promote mental clarity, overall ease, and deeper connection to life on this wild ride of modern living. Learn MORE today!