Time to jump-start your yoga routine? The root of this intention can vary widely, but a common thread is to shed body weight, increase energy, and reduce stress.
Kreg Weiss, co-founder of My Yoga Online, shares with us his thoughts on how to keep our practice grounded by balancing out the warmth of a yoga workout with the cooling elements of restorative poses.
The immediate notion behind jump-starting your practice is to shift into a steady schedule of vigorous practices like vinyasa yoga.
The sequencing in vigorous practices creates an ample vehicle to jolt the metabolism into high gear and help increase metabolism.
What is sometimes neglected is the opportunity to fully delve into the practice of tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system and balancing out the stimulating warmth with a substantial dose of internal cooling.
The overall concept of ‘yoga’ and ‘union’ becomes more apparent as we balance out the stimulating warmth of vinyasa with the earthy calmness and cooling of yin-style postures.
Bring in a bolster cushion, or other props to settle into places of deep surrender. Give the nervous system permission to savor true states of parasympathetic vibration. As we absorb the benefits of the vinyasa practice, these cooling phases become a bridge to carry our practice into the rest of the day. Prana becomes grounded, external stressors become less relevant, and the benefits of our practice become enhanced into our daily wellness routines.
One of the key benefits, especially for those seeking to improve body weight composition, is the rebalancing of the adrenal glands. As the body surrenders in extended cooling poses we can mimic this release mentally and emotionally. The purging of chronic stress and anxiety helps turn off the adrenal glands and the production of stress-related cortisol hormones.
Cortisol production is accompanied by the production of insulin. If we exist in chronic states of stress, the production of insulin signals the body to uptake food energy as fat into fat cells. Therefore, by training the body and nervous system to purge stress, we readily improve our capacity to manage healthy body weight.
Consider (as teachers and as participants) integrating a generous amount of yin/restorative style poses and sequences near the end of each practice. Get the props out and dedicate several moments to explore layers of release and grounding. These cooling phases of the practice can dramatically help shift us into deeper states of healing.
Time can fly by in a vinyasa practice, and often we find ourselves with only a few final minutes to pop in a quick Savasana. Consider reserving a solid amount of time to weave in several earthy poses as well as a complete Savasana. Here are some recommended propped-up poses to ground and finish off your vinyasa flow:
Embracing his training as a kinesiologist, Kreg explores yoga with a purposeful, integrity-driven quality to allow for an experience of connection and reflection while the body finds holistic expansion and renewal.
Learn more about Kreg at his site: KregWeiss.ca
