Every year at this time I begin to wilt. I notice it first in the yoga room, but it spills over into all areas of my life.
I conveniently forget that this happens every year, so I get annoyed that my practice has somehow stopped growing, that the fun has dissipated, and that I'm actually a little bit sore, more than feels good. Outside the yoga room I get nothing done and lack focus or drive. On and off the mat, I slog through every task, mind and body weary.
A couple weeks ago I participated in a very intense meditation course. I was so tired and distracted I thought something bad was happening to me. Meditation practices usually recharge and settle me, so the feeling was unfamiliar to the point of alarming. Concerned, I spoke with the teacher who, knowing the power of the meditation, suggested that perhaps I had a deep weariness within me, which the mediation was bringing to the surface in order to burn off.
When he said this, it felt like a reasonable explanation. Instead of fighting the fatigue, I allowed myself to rest without explanation or shame. After four days of sluggishness, on day five I emerged from the meditation practice finally feeling refreshed and renewed.
Yoga and meditation practices help us notice our own energetic shifts that occur day to day and season to season. And if all things are connected, it makes sense that any balancing acts we experience internally may also be happening concurrently in the external world around us. The 5 Elements teaches us how to recognize these energetic highs and lows, how to find balance again, and to embrace the unique gifts each seasonal energy brings.
Today's blog offers three steps to finding balance in yoga when those yoga highs and lows become too exhausting to maintain.
Internal/External Recalibration
With the late summer Earth element season, we enter a time of balance. Past the rising energies of Wood and Fire that naturally spring upward with their embodiment of inspiration, momentum, and growth, and before we to hunker down in autumn and winter following the naturally inward, downward energies of Metal and Water, we get this perfect season of comfort, strength, consistency, and support.
But first, the lethargy sets in, signaling that the first half of the year's rising energy is finally starting to taper down. During the past two seasons, we've all enjoyed the natural rise and expansion of the shared collective energies of the spring and summer. After a winter hibernation, we latch onto the initial growth of spring that gains momentum through summer solstice right up until where we are now. At this point in the year, the inertia from this steadily rising energetic tide is winding down. And we can feel it.
But don't worry! What feels like an energetic downtown is really just a leveling off and equalizing of internal and external universal energies. The end result? Balance, support, comfort, and freedom to turn inward where we can refocus our intentions.
Channeling the balanced energy of late summer season will bring stability to a yoga practice and recharge anyone who needs to regroup and ground down before the rest of year flies by.
Begin by implementing these 3 steps into your your next pracitce.
Yoga Highs, Yoga Lows: 3 Steps to Finding Balance
# 1 Slow Down
While you don't have to abandon your active power flow, do slow down your mind and be deliberate with your movement.
A great way to implement this, no matter the pace of the practice, is to wait to make a move on the mat until that move is actually cued. Too often, because we know what comes next, we hurry on to that next expression. And sometimes finding stillness where we are is really hard, so we transition into something else, something easier, instead of building our patience and endurance.
While learning to patiently await the next instruction, all of your senses will awaken to new levels when you focus on observation and implementation instead of a final presentation. Remember, a yoga practice is not a yoga photo shoot where with a goal to capture the pinnacle of one moment of one posture. Every part of every pose deserves attention during practice.
This newfound - and newly earned - awareness will deepen your experience and make practice more rewarding because it will consistently feed every part of you. Highs and lows will level out into a steady peace. Try it out. While this can be challenging at first, you won't be disappointed.
Pro Tip for Yoga Teachers
Notice your cues and be as clear and specific as possible. If you aren't providing instruction throughout a posture, students will continue to rush ahead because they won't know what to focus on, why to maintain where they are, or how to self adjust within the posture. When your cuing is helpful, students are less likely to tune out and the class energy will be more cohesive.
# 2 Let Go of the Outcome
My greatest growth in practice has always come when I embrace consistency over progress. When I'm not trying to improve anything, when showing up on the mat and keeping up my practice is the only goal I have, I inevitably discover doorways open.
# 3 Embrace Repetition
This one is always an ongoing internal struggle for yoga teachers and students. We all want to learn new things, try something different, and expose ourselves and our students to new challenges. But in my experience, often these desires can be found within a familiar flow when we really decide to tune in and pay attention.
Every new posture wakes up the analytical and thinking part of the brain. Once we no longer need to unpack the "what comes next?/what am I doing?" part of a practice, we release the thinking, analytical side of ourselves during yoga. This self-liberation of the mind brings us one step closer to finding our flow and being "in the zone."
Never underestimate the skills required to really master one thing and the rewards of doing so.
In Conclusion
As the dog days of summer continue, welcome the natural balance of the season by slowing down, letting go of the outcome, and embracing repetition. Once the Earth element energy settles in, we'll all be past the initial fatigue it brings and be resting comfortably on stable ground.
When I finally settle into the natural ease that the Earth phase of yoga practice brings around every year, I really love it. Each practice is not new (Wood phase), or exciting (Fire phase), but it nurtures me none the less - maybe even more because I have no expectations. Every practice is both an offering and a gift. Like Mother Earth, my practice welcomes me to the mat with a warm, familiar embrace.
I hope that by implementing these three tips, you will feel that way as well.
Thanks for reading!
Namaste,
Lara
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