Tree posture helps us stay in balance
As I write this, Inside Out’s Autumn term is getting under way, so I thought I’d take this oppotunity to share with you some of the things we are going to be focussing on in class, as we head towards Christmas.
The team and I have had some happy hours planning our autumn sessions. We were all keen that we should work with autumn energy to ensure that we all stay fit and healthy during this transitional season. Autumn can be a busy time, back to school or work after the summer holidays, new fitness regimes as we head towards the party season and all the busy-ness that seems to be part of autumn, and it is easy to get swept along by this if we are not careful. Naturally, autumn is a time for stillness, reflection and letting go of what is no longer needed – you only need to look at the trees to see what I mean – so it’s no wonder we can feel a little jaded as the days shorten, if we don’t take care of ourselves.
So, with this in mind, we will be working on improving our balance, which helps us to stay grounded and focussed, even under pressure, so expect Tree, Dancer, Eagle and time stood in Mountain to give our mind and soul time to catch up with our physical body. Forward bends are an excellent way of letting go of things we no longer need…bad habits, negative thought patterns, non stop mind chatter…just like the leaves, they’ve served their purpose, now it’s time for the tree to let go of them. Think about what no longer serves you and consciously focus letting it go when practising forward bends.
We’ll also be supporting our kidneys. On a physical level, the kidneys do not like to be cold, so it’s nice to “warm” them up, which in turn helps the detoxing process. From an holistic viewpoint, the kidneys hold fear and sometimes it can be a little bit frightening to release long standing habits and emotions, therefore we use twists, rotated triangles and strong backbends to facilitate this letting go process.
I’m sure you’ll also be pleased to hear that our Autumn programme includes plenty of relaxation, giving us time to be calm and rejuvenate.
More Autumn wisdom next time. Until then I hope you enjoy our classes as much as we enjoy teaching and planning them! Take care Ix