New Habits = New Movement

Looking for a change in routine or habits? Then change the direction in which your body moves.

The mind mimics our physical movements. Walking tall, lengthening from the tailbone up through the spine, with a long neck to the top of the head can feel powerful and confident (and shows when entering a room or presenting to others).

Think about walking with your heart lifted and open, you'll most likely be met with opportunity while gaining and spreading feelings of welcoming.

Feel gripping and tensing of the muscles and/or limbs usually equals stress and suffering in the mind. Hence, the term tension headache and stress in the neck.

Hunched over phones, laptops, steering wheels and just sitting too much, our bodies constantly leaning over forward - not open but closed off. Closed off to others and the world.

This is why yoga is so exhilarating for not only the body but the emotional body as well. The movements of yoga take up space, elongate the body, use every inch of muscle and move the body in different planes of space and direction. Yoga poses specific to emotional wellbeing are sequenced to relieve the suffering of the mind and have been used to do so for centuries.

Yoga movements provide:

*Letting go and spilling out thoughts that do not serve through a forward fold.

*Detox in rinsing the body through twists.

*Through lateral bends we take up space and open the lung capacity. In a world where we are often told to stay in our "box", to be small in stature and maybe not to be too loud or take up too much space, to make way for others in being "polite".

*Elongate the body in a halfway lift to bring the heart forward while easing tension from the shoulders down the back inviting opportunities and warmth to/from others.

*Engagement of muscle to bone in chair pose, focusing on the center midline of our bodies, igniting our core or digestive system and sense of balance. Feeling lit from the inside out and rooted, rather than in the air flighty and frazzled.

Moving in different ways physically results in expanding our minds to move in different ways.

Yoga provides a vast array of out of the box movements and body altering sequences.

Thinking differently and mindfully takes us away from habits that are stagnant and repetitive which do not allow for growth. Motivation to simply move out of the boxes that we build around ourselves that come to stifle our energy and our potential in purpose, community, health, relationships and self. Make your way to a yoga mat to change the way your body moves and the space you take up. Then get off the mat and see how the change in your body can change your mind and actions in daily life. You'll be amazed at what taking up physical space can do for your mind and heart space.

Written by Brooke Halperin

Brooke will be teaching every Thursday at 6pm starting Jan 5th at Good Juju Lombard. Be sure to check out Brooke's classes. Book it at goodjujuyoga.com