Yogic Philosophy of the Week - Dharma
In the light of a New Year and all the promise that it brings - it always seems to be a fitting time to reflect. Dharma is the idea that everyone has an individual life purpose. To be content, yogic philosophy states that it is important to be active in the seeking of your dharma. Your dharma is ever-changing, it is not static. Part of understanding your dharma is investigating who you are with self-inquiry. Before delving into self-inquiry - I like to do a few yoga poses to stretch all the kinks out and then meditate - just sitting somewhere comfortable and breathing in and out full and conscious breaths with my eyes closed for ten minutes. I will then ask myself questions such as: What do you feel is your greatest gift to the world? What can you give to your community to make it a better place? What brings you the most joy or inner-peace? What makes you feel fulfilled? What things give you that expansive, bubble rising up in your chest feeling? What gives you the most relief from suffering?
You could write your answers or type it out, give it a go and see how it goes - you might just surprise yourself with what comes out as it always does for me.
Pose of the Week - Thread the Needle
After an eventful 15 hour turned into a 28 hour journey from Dublin to Austin, unsurprisingly - my shoulders hurt. But I knew just the remedy - Thread the Needle. So good. It’s so good that I almost always include it in the beginning of my classes. It’s definitely a pose to memorise as it’s so easy for our shoulders and backs to tense up. The physiological benefits of this pose are that it:
Stimulates the upper chest muscles
Opens the muscles of the shoulder
Detoxifies the body through the twist
Stimulates circulation to the arms, hands and fingers
Soothes the digestive system
Releases tension
‘Thread to Unwind’
