Yoga Movement:
Having taken an Anatomy and Physiology Yoga course with Gary Carter (a charming Yoga teacher in Brighton – United Kingdom) I learned the importance of keeping the body supple and the consequences when we forget to include some sort of movement practice as part of our regular habit.
The way the body works is similar throughout the animal kingdom and exercise is crucial, if we don’t want to seize up. Animals are naturals, as whether domesticated or not they maintain a hunting instinct and pursue it fervently, which keeps them active. As we know the internal organs, bone and muscle continually renew themselves, throughout our lifetime. However when inactivity and injury abound the ligaments, tissue and fascia take action to protect the area and save energy. The result is a hardened build-up in the affected area, where we ache, stiffen, often referring to it as ‘getting older’. And this is why as we age, some grow weak and pained, while others radiate health and happiness. The good news is its mostly reversible through manipulation and movement.
They Should Be So Lucky:
And there are people who break all the rules, they are generally found to have a great mental attitude at play and this is another important factor. Some of us will be sprightly at a ripe old age with no more exercise than others who are bent double. However what has been shown is that exercise increases the ‘feel-good’ factor. If you feel you’re not someone with a naturally great energy and uplifted spirit for life, then movement will probably be beneficial, no matter how little the adjustment to begin with.
My preferred ‘choice’, has been Yoga for the last 8-yrs, I took to it possibly because I was flexible with a natural sense of rhythm and found it to be quite balletic somehow. But everyone is different and there’s something for everybody, with masses of options.
Although Yoga spoke to me through dance, when I first took it up, injury and inappropriate practice have helped me respect it and my body, resulting in a very different approach now.
Moving Towards Health:
Its important to avoid injury, as it can put us off exercise for life. We have to take ownership and responsibility for our body, which means connecting mind to body as quickly as possible so we can be consciously aware of the affect a particular activity is having on us, at the time we are taking part. If something feels too challenging, lets not be egotistical about it but instead drop down a notch and slowly, with regular practice we’ll reach our goal and move beyond.
We can all find something that suits and its usually something we’re comfortable with (so the body likes it too). It often turns out to be something we’re good at (not that being competitive is helpful where exercise is concerned). We just need to be mindful when participating, especially if its been a while since we did anything more stenuous than going out to pick up a sandwich at lunchtime. And just have fun with it, it doesn’t have to be such a big deal. Smiling during exercise usually helps.