Balance your energies

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Last week Dr. Jake’s yoga wisdom revolved around innovation (changing behaviours, thought patterns or situations that are making us stuck (that are making us hibernate) and turning them around by creating or innovating. In other words,  changing negativity into positivity.

The focus was on unblocking, opening up some positive energy with the inhale and letting go ofstuff that is stuck, with the exhale.  This week we will take this a step further.

When we practice yoga, we are not only moving energy but balancing  energy: we are balancing our nervous system.

We unblock channels of energy and move towards changing gears: we move from the SNS the sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight) to the PSN the parasympathetic nervous system. (rest and digest).

How does this happen?  It happens by moving through our practice with mindfulness: being mindful of and controlling the breath.

End result? We give our mind a break.  We move into the rest and digest mode!  

For the last couple weeks we have been not only consciously controlling our breathing while doing  the asanas but also using Alternate nostril breathing, a form of pranayama.    In a nutshell,  ANB balances the two hemispheres of the brain. The right side of the brain is the feminine side; it is the moon energy,  calming and nurturing (the rest and digest side).  The left side is the masculine side: it is the sun energy, energizing and analytical, (the fight and flight side).  When we inhale through the right nostril we are tapping into the left side of the brain; when we inhale through the left nostril we are tapping into the right side of the brain.  Sounds complicated but it really isn’t. 

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