Are one of those person who are almost addicted to any kind of physical activity? Do you know when to stop?
I am here raising my hand, I am one of those.
I’ve been having a fairly active life style with up and downs since I am 5 years old; then is when all started with dancing lessons, then my mom signed me up to swimming lessons because she doesn’t know how to swim and she didn’t want me to be afraid of the water as she is.
Followed by gymnastics lessons, witch I loved it and I still do I just never felt comfortable with the competitive side of it. As a young adult more dancing arrive into my life and then is when I also started working as a professional/acrobat dancer. I saw the Cirque Du Soleil for the first time and I went crazy passionate about aerial circus acrobatics together with my university career in Physical Education + my Yoga Teacher Training and so on…
The thing is I was one of those person who care so much about learning and improving form the physical aspect of my career, that I used to think taking restorative/relaxing classes was a waste of time ..
I was so wrong!
Growing older I understand and I am more interested in how much do we need to slow down when we need it and by doing it we will have more energy for the future trainings as well as faster improvement, because we gave the time to our body and our mind to absorb all the information we are putting in each activity we perform.
Yoga for all levels
Yoga is truly the all-inclusive exercise. There’s a yoga class for everyone, regardless of your body type, health condition, or level of activity.
There are 2 styles of yoga classes I prefer when I need to reset and recharge the body and the mind:
Hatha Yoga being my first approach to yoga, is a style I recommend to practice if you are an active person who shaving a hard time with slow flow classes because you are always running at 120% and also for beginner who would like to try yoga classes but you don’t know where to start
This school is considered the most traditional form of yoga practice. Ha means Sun, representing the heat and the masculine aspect. Tha means Moon, representing the coolness and the feminine aspect. In these classes we aim to balance “Ha” & “Tha“, soul and mind with a slow flow yoga sequence. We are still moving, but we move slowly and we hold the posture for a couple of minutes. Including 20-30 poses in each classes with the benefit of increasing flexibility, stability, balance and awareness on our movements.
Here I am sharing 3 postures you can practice any time:
The 2nd style I strongly suggest is Restorative Yoga, focusing on 5-6 postures only, holding each posture 5-10min; using props that will allow you to relax into the pose and hold it for longer periods of time (up to five minutes).
Restorative yoga classes are for all levels because it focus more on the meditative and healing aspects of yoga. Is great for improving:
- Specific health conditions like chronic back or neck pain, anxiety and high blood pressure
- Alignment between your body, breath and mind.
Sharing some postures you can practice any time
Now there is a warning here, I know this might be a hard class to follow if you are a person who is used to super active, powerful classes and doesn’t know when to slow down.
If this is you, I suggest to start with Hatha and then as you are feeling comfortable with slow flows you can transition to Restorative. I am saying this because I used to be one of those who thought moving slow or staying still was a waste of time, not knowing when to shut down and not being able to appreciate the stillness, the observance of the self, so much needed.
We talk often about self care but how much do we actually do about it.
If you think yoga is not for you, give yourself some time, be aware there are other activities you can approach to restore, like meditation, Tai Chi, or something much more simple as a slow peace walk, reading a book or enjoying a cup of tea
So don’t wait any longer, either or, choose the style of yoga or the style of physical activity you feel comfortable with; we tend to postpone things even if we know there are good for us.
Go and get comfortable in your clothing, grab your yoga mat and let’s get started!
I love Manduka brand, if you don’t know it I am leaving here a link to some of my favourite leggings for yoga practice.
Oh, just one more thing I want to share
If you live in Cayman Islands or you are visiting feel free to stop by to one of classes I am currently teaching at Quintessential Movement Studio.
Remember to check with a certified instructor anytime is needed.
Namaste,
Renèe
Let’s keep in touch
*Disclaimer: This post includes an affiliate link to the course. This is at no extra cost to you. I will receive a small commission of the sale if you decide to purchase the course. I do not endorse anything I have not read or used myself.