Preventative Coping Skill: Yoga
I’ve done yoga off and on for many years now. It hasn’t always been my go-to form of exercise but has been something I’ve tried to integrate into my routine a couple of times a week.
The other day I came across something that a yoga teacher said and thought it was really powerful. She said that yoga isn’t about the poses or being able to do a headstand or handstand. Rather, it’s about using the postures and their ensuing sensations to get into the body, exploring how our body responds to different postures, and noticing what comes up when we are attuned to our breath.
And I thought that was beautiful and powerful.
Our body can be a beautiful communicator and provide helpful insight into how we feel. But, we have to be able to hear what it’s saying. Yoga can help us practice listening to our bodies.
Another effect I like of yoga is that it can teach us how to feel a sensation, lean into and sit with that sensation, but also remind us that no sensation is permanent and will eventually pass. No matter how long they make me hold chaturanga, I know if I stick with it, lean into the heat building in my upper body, eventually I’ll get to move out of that pose and the fatigue my upper body was experiencing will pass. Just like it is with emotions.
And, a goal of yoga is to keep a relaxed posture throughout the poses. Even with tension rising in targeted areas with the poses, the goal is to keep a relaxed face and posture. This can help us to be attuned to our emotions, but not exaggerate or give them more weight than they deserve. We can work to name that our stomach is upset which means we might be anxious, but name that while keeping our shoulders relaxed, our jaw at ease, and our forehead calm.
I now have picked up the frequency that I do yoga and have already noticed its impact on my attunement and communication with my body.
Yoga has a lot of powerful lessons to teach us. If you want to try yoga, I’ve used the app DownDog for several years. They have paid versions you can go with but I’ve used their free version and have found it sufficient for my practice.
Happy Yoga-ing!
