As you begin your yoga practice today, bring to mind thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that you hold onto. As you stand in Mountain Pose on your mat, connect to your breath. Gain a greater connection to yourself with full, deep, and complete breaths in and out of your nose.
As you continue to connect to self, again, be aware of the thoughts, feelings and beliefs you hold onto. Are these thoughts and feelings ones you want to guide you through your days? Do the beliefs you have truly your own or do they come from other sources like your parents, teachers, or church? Take a moment with your breath and determine how they influence you and how you walk through your life. Do they serve you well? Do they reflect who you are today? Do they reflect who you want to be? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then maybe this is your opportunity to begin releasing the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that no longer serve you. Begin the process of opening yourself up to new thoughts and beliefs that truly reflect who you are today and/or who you would like to be in the future.
This yoga practice will feature poses that invite release and create an opening for which to generate new thoughts, new feelings, and new beliefs that may better serve you on your life journey.
Featured Poses:
Begin with a few Sun Salutations to bring warmth to your body. Integrate the following poses and intentions as you invite more opening to your life.
Pigeon Pose:
This pose allows for the body to experience both resistance and release. As you focus on the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that may no longer serve you, also be aware of why you still tend to hold onto them. Do they give you a sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, or sense of identity? What would happen if you decided to let go of them?
Let’s say, for example, that you are holding on to a notion that you are not talented in a certain area. Ask yourself: “who told you that you were not talented?” Did someone say you could not sing, play baseball, or write poetry? Because of these external opinions, have you limited your singing, ball playing, or writing? If you feel that you truly hold a talent or strength in a certain area, give yourself the permission to express it. Move through the resistance of external influences and open yourself to your greatest potential.
In Pigeon Pose, be mindful of the sensation in your outer hips and thighs as you hold this pose. If you feel tightness or even discomfort, this may represent resistance. As you continue to breathe with ease (slowly in and slowly out) you might find yourself more comfortable in the pose, even moving deeper into the posture. This is you giving way to the resistance, the external influence, and rising into your own. Stay here for at least 10 breaths. Perform the same pose on the other side.
We would love to hear your experience with this practice. Please post a comment.
Namaste.
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