Ever wondered why so many yoga poses are named after
animals? Did you think cat pose,
downward dog, monkey pose, and eagle pose were just cute translations from
Sanskrit used to popularise yoga in Western society? The ancient yogis found imitating an animal’s
skills an uplifting and enlightening experience.
Have you ever seen two ducks get in a little tiff on the
pond? It usually ends with one quickly
flapping off in a huff. Animals are able to release their emotions and the
tension in their muscles that comes from hormonal changes in their bodies,
which we refer to as the “fight or flight response”. They diffuse the situation
by circulating their blood and balancing the energy in their bodies. Five minutes later, they have restored
balance and go blissfully floating away.
Animals throughout nature innately know how to blow of steam
to keep themselves in check, but humans struggle with this. We are so busy multi-tasking, keeping
ourselves busy, and living in constant stress that we are unaware of the
sensations in our body. Yoga and
meditation give us the perfect opportunity to observe ourselves from a
physical, emotional, and spiritual perspective. The stillness of meditation
gives us a break from our daily routine, lets us clear our minds and observe
our bodies. Yoga allows us to become
more aware of the tension in our bodies and release it through slow, deliberate
movements. Yoga also changes the
hormonal balance of our bodies to shut off the “fight or flight response” of
the sympathetic nervous system and instead, stimulate the parasympathetic
nervous system to allow our bodies to breath slowly, relax, and produce the
chemicals that boost our immunity, keep us happy, and let us sleep better. Once
the tension from the body is released, the mind can become still.
So let’s take a lesson from the animals – be aware of
sensations in your body, release the tension through yoga, and prevent chronic physical and mental health problems.
By Spa Samurai
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