Are you hustling in your yoga practice? Here’s why you might want to try something different
Ever noticed that you feel rushed in your yoga practice, catching your breath, skipping half of the flow to keep up with other students, itching to get up out of savasana when you just arrived?
You might be bringing hustle to your mat my friend!
So how do you hustle less in your yoga practice and why do anything different? Isn’t it good to get sweaty and messy in a strong vinyasa flow?
Well, Yes and No.
Yes, a hot and sweaty yoga class can be amazing, it’s challenging but so great. You feel like you’ve squeezed out all the ick in your body, untangled your self and you will most of the time, walk out of that power style class feeling strong, re-set and oh so good!
However, there are times when this might not be what your nervous system needs.
If you are already in a state of fight/flight and loads of us are, you might want to explore practicing a little slower to help down-regulate that over stimulated nervous system.
Not convinced?
Keep reading to find out why slowing down on the mat might be your new superpower.
One - Let go of stress
Slowing down your yoga practice helps to mitigate stress. Most of us most of the time spend our days in fight/flight mode, always on, ready to bolt at any moment in other word in a constant state of stress. Slowing down your practice helps to reset the nervous system, activating the rest/digest functions of the body and switch off the stress!
Two - improve body awareness
Being deliberate and in less of a hurry improves proprioception (awareness of the body in space) and this increased body awareness helps you get to know, well, you better!
Being able to tune in to where you feel muscular tension and tightness helps you to know what your body needs and the bonus is it helps to prevent injury.
Three - self care for the whole self
Slowing down the body helps slow down the breath and the mind. Slowing down the body, breath and mind is where self care begins…aka strengthens mind-body connection.
When we have a stronger mind-body connection we are better able to identify and meet our own needs.…and you guessed it, being able to meet our needs is caring for the self :)
Four - improved physical strength and wellbeing
Our bodies crave rythym but also rest. Prioritising a slower rhythm in yoga supports the health of our joints, muscles, connective tissues and major organs as well as improving strength - longer slower holds equals good stuff for the muscles and bones.
By slowing down we mirror the natural rhythms and cycles of the body which helps us to improve our physical strength and well-being.
Five - sustained sense of calm off the mat
Slowing down your yoga practice isn’t just about what happens on the mat!
When you practice moving and breathing mindfully and slowly in yoga, it reminds us of the power that going slow and taking time to rest can have in every day life.
The more you practice, the more instantaneous slowing down becomes - so that post yoga bliss can be carried with you beyond the mat.
Kerry x.
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