By:
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
This
evening it is a cold, misty, rainy February night in the Catskill Mountains of
New York. As I sit down to write this article about celebrating life with Yoga,
I am reminded of a conversation that I had with some friends a few nights ago.
One of these friends is a certified Yoga teacher at the 500-hour level and the
other friend is a professional musician, who specializing in playing sacred
chants from India. Although both of these individuals are well versed in how to
cultivate a positive mental outlook through the practice of Yoga postures,
breathing exercises, chanting and meditating, they are both struggling with a
degree of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal
Affective Disorder is a form of mild to moderate depression that often occurs
during the dark, winter months, particularly in areas of the world that have a
limited amount of natural sunlight during the winter time. When we do not get
enough natural sunlight to sustain adequate levels of serotonin, many
of us often feel a bit dysphoric or mildly depressed. For some
individuals, this depression may be serious enough to necessitate ongoing
support from a mental health professional and/or health care provider. There
are also many ways of naturally boosting serotonin levels during the winter
months, so that you are not susceptible to seasonal depression and
the attendant inertia that can result from a chronic low mood.
By
continuing to stay physically active and socially engaged during the wintertime,
you will be less likely to be impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder. In
addition, by practicing vigorous Yoga postures, warming breathing exercises and
replenishing relaxation techniques, you will be more likely to offset symptoms
of dysphoria or mild depression. Romancing the sun energy during your Yoga
practice will naturally help you to revitalize your body and mind. One way to
“court sun energy” during a Yoga practice, is by grounding your practice within
the context of a flowing series of Sun Salutations.
The Sun
Salutations are a series of flowing Yoga postures that are linked together by
the breath. This series of Yoga poses warms up the entire body, as it moves the
spine through a complete set of complementary movements. It is also very
strengthening and helps the mind to quiet and come to a one pointed focus. If
you are currently living in an area that is quite warm all year long, you may
be able to practice Yoga outside in the direct sunlight. By practicing the Sun
Salutations in an outdoor setting while you are facing the sun, the warming and
energizing aspect of the series will be enhanced. If you live in a geographical
area that is cold during the winter months, you may be able to practice Yoga in
a studio or room that has large picture windows, so that you can place your mat
in such a way that you are facing the sun, while you flow through the Sun
Salutations.
Practicing
the Sun Salutations while facing the sun, either through a large window or in
an outdoor setting, will help you body’s bio-rhythms to come into alignment
with the natural rhythms of the earth, which will help to create more harmony
and balance in your body and mind. You may also want to consider heating up the
room where you are practicing Yoga, so that you can benefit from an increased
level of detoxification through heat. Of course, you will have to decide how
much energy and money it will take to heat up the room where you are
practicing, before attempting to replicate a Hot Yoga class in your own home
studio!
Still,
during the cold winter months, heating a small room up even moderately will
help your muscles to relax, which will help to increase your level of
flexibility and the flow of energy throughout your subtle body. If you teach a
Yoga class, and are able to lead a class in an environment outdoors, that is
wonderful. If you are not able to teach a Yoga class outside, heating up your
studio to a comfortably warm level will help your students to dispel the damp
coldness of the winter months. In addition, by guiding them through a strong
series of Sun Salutations, you will further support your students in the
process of embodying the life giving essence of the sun.
Virginia
Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty
years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she specializes in writing
customized articles that are 100% unique. She is currently accepting Yoga and
health-related writing orders and may be contacted at:
enchantress108@gmail.com.
©
Copyright 2016 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications
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1 comment:
Romancing the sun energy during our Yoga practice will naturally help us to revitalize our body and mind. Thanks for posting this nice article.
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