Monday Motivations

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It is the last Monday of 2014! Well done to everyone for making it through another year of trying to be the best You that you can be. Despite the natural urge to look back at all the moments gone, now it is time to be in the present moment. This time of year is always challenging and full of distractions, and the pressures to meet all our physical, financial, social and personal goals can become very stressful.

The easiest way to combat holiday stress is to remain in the present moment; in the now. If you are finding this time of year particularly difficult, especially when it comes to focusing on the now, try to fit in a bikram yoga session before New Year’s. You will feel the weight of the past and the anxiety of the future lift off your shoulders leaving a pure you, ready to celebrate the New Year in harmony.

Bikram yoga helps us get into the present moment and to stay in it regardless of outer distractions. It helps strengthen the muscles in our brain that deal with focus and being completely present in the moment.

One of Bikram Yoga’s keys to bringing awareness into the present moment is breathing. Focusing on your breathing both in class and out in the big world is an immensely powerful tool to combat the worries and unnecessary weight of the past or future. After all, all we have control over is the present moment. No matter how hard we try or how much we want to travel back in time or into the future, all we have ever had and will ever have to play with is the present moment. The most successful, happy people are the most present, self-aware people.

Being in the present moment is a tension-free experience. Once fully present, the fears, anxiety, hurtful memories and chaos of life melts away, everything we hold on to from the past or future becomes redundant, and we become fully empowered to make the most of the current situation - the given moment.

So if you are looking for some relief, and a holiday from your holiday the key is to be present in the moment - be in the now – and you will have no trouble making it through this hectic time of year :)

If you need to fit in some Bikram sessions before New Year’s, see our class schedule over the next few days below.

classes

All you have to do is get here, we will help you achieve the rest!

Happy New Year Yogis !  :)
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Monday Motivations

bikram-yoga

 The importance of looking after yourself with injuries is perhaps one of the most useful tools we can have in this lifetime because let’s face it – we all get injured sometimes and yet we all have to keep going to work or being parents or friends, and it is not always easy to do the right thing for our bodies, no matter how much the desire or willpower is.

Having an injury doesn't always have to be as obvious as a cast on the leg or visible inflammation of the tendons. Our bodies store things; they have a memory just like our mind does, and they can easily get out of alignment from years of wrong posture and abuse to the body – just like the mind can get out of balance from years of unbalanced thinking.

One does not have to be an athlete or body-builder to be in danger of working the body out of its alignment and physical balance. Things like sitting forward for long periods at your desk, carrying kids and handbags; these can all have negative effects on the body and without consistent Yoga, the body starts to remember and believe everything ‘bad’ it is being told. It is only natural!

When you go to Yoga your body starts to re-align and re-format itself; it starts to learn again how to be at its strongest, most supple, most balanced and most effortlessly functioning. This is why it can often freak out a little bit. It takes time and persistence to change the memory of your body. You’re almost literally starting from scratch again – and it’s not always easy! But what is ever truly worth-while that is easy?

People can experience a transition in their body, a transition that many Yogi’s understand and feel as the awakening of their true potential. However sometimes this transition can put people off; they feel disheartened and confused. When people’s bodies start rewriting themselves it sometimes causes them to stop their practice because their body is changing and they don’t know how or why.

If you have ever doubted yourself and your Yoga practice know that when you feel your body changing or feeling something different -  it is changing to a new, better functioning body, with a memory that is healthy and strong. It’s not always easy, but easy is not the way to achieving anything worthwhile. So do not be put off before your body gets its chance to improve.

The body is the most valuable thing we have and it is never too late or too difficult to transform it into its rightful place of well-being, regardless of its tumultuous history. We have to look at the whole picture to really understand the intimacies that make it up to be a whole. This is why it is so important to keep coming to Yoga - focus on one part of your body and you won't be looking after the rest of yourself, nor will the rest of yourself be looking after you!

The importance of the rest of your body being strong and functioning properly is that it will better support your healing process. Having an injury in one place shouldn’t mean neglecting the rest of your body.

Rather than giving up because of a single thing and allowing the rest of your whole body and mind to cave in and resign – give yourself another shot. Keep trying, keep pushing through the transformation stage of your body and its memory. As soon as you make it through, you will have a better relationship with your body and mind than ever before. You will have learned how to keep the whole picture in constant view, and what a wonderful picture it is <3

Book your next class here: www.bikramyogabritomart.co.nz

Namaste
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