Tag: Pranayama

Through Kindness And Compassion

Through Kindness And Compassion

Amber_Young

I like to think that the feminization of yoga starts with the premise that we are all perfect just the way we are.  The transformation comes not in our hips and bellies, but in our attitudes about them as we learn to let go of (and thus be liberated from) society’s dictates.  We start on our yoga mats, but we take these concepts off the mat and into our daily lives – we learn to see ourselves as we really are, without judgement, and embrace the power we have to enact change through kindness and compassion.

Linda Sparrows

I’m just working on the handouts for my Because You Matter 6 week program, and I came across this quote – this is why I love yoga, and why it is an anchor for me. It’s true, if we’re able to come to ourselves with acceptance and kindness, we start to support change in the world around us simply by coming into coherence with this energy. It’s not about the physical changes or the “appearances”, it’s about how we feel inside – it’s about how deep we allow our breath to travel and how kind and gentle we can be with ourselves. It’s about being okay with making mistakes and softening our expectations, especially around ourselves.

I’m learning alot about the human condition these days, and feeling, often overwhelming waves of compassion and sometimes deep sadness. I’m choosing to allow those emotions to fuel my actions in the world. I’ve been reflecting a little more on what I can do to support myself to thrive and understanding that this is where the ripples for the greater collective start.

I offer you a short and very sweet breath practice to join me in today, only if it resonates. A little video to help to support the release of blockages inside of you, and to bring you into a place of calm, peace, compassion, and love. This practice can also potentially help to relieve anger and stress, and can be very calming for your nervous system. This pranayama (or breath practice) is called Bumblebee breath, you may be familiar with it by it’s traditional Sanskrit name, Brahmari breath. The sustained exhale that happens naturally in this practice supports the relaxation response for our whole body wellness. The toning we bring in, attunes us to the vibration of the heart.

Making your self care a top priority is important, as we’re all – yes, that includes you, processing alot right now. I sense that if your actions are grounded in kindness – that you are in alignment with what the world needs more of right now……..

Sending you love as you journey through your days,

Amber

Do you want to practice together? You can see my schedule (and find our more details) here.

Learn more about Because You Matter, a beautiful 6 week journey into your breast health and whole body wellness. Click here for more information. My next offering starts in March of this year.

Soul Wisdom Self Reflection cards, a little extra support on your journey.

Non – Negotiable Time For YOU

Amber_Young

Sat Naam and Namaste Beautiful You

Happiness is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions.

– Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatoso

This is not always that easy to attain.  We all have a history and our own unique story that brought us here, to this moment in time.  I want to offer you a very gentle reminder to take some time for YOU.  We need to carve out windows for our self care, to access that state of happiness that lives inside of each of us, it just gets lost sometimes.  Did you know that your nervous system gets overwhelmed by the constant stimulation of our present day world; we start to break down if we don’t take time to restore equilibrium.  It is vital to our health to take the needed breaks in our day to re-calibrate, reconnect with our breath, and give ourselves space to let go of the stress we accumulate over time.  This can be as short as a 3 minute breath practice.

To join Amber for a simple little practice and a check in click here

The majority of individuals use only 1/3 of their lung capacity; we have forgotten how to breathe fully.  People are often unconscious to their breath, letting the chaotic external rhythm of life dictate their internal rhythm.  When our bodies are under a lot of stress, or we’re deeply concentrating we often hold our breath, or revert to rapid shallow breathing, which in turn creates more internal stress on the body and the mind.  Only when you’re breathing fully is your body actually capable of responding positively to stress.  Taking a simple full deep breath helps a person to relax, decrease their stress, and calm their mind.

HOW TO BREATHE FOR RELAXATION:  THE FULL RESTING BREATH – TECHNIQUE

  1. Sit in a comfortable position, with your back as straight as supports you (using support if needed) – this allows for a greater ease in your breathing.
  2. Inhale slowly, through your nose – breathing deeply and consciously
  3. Take 5 seconds  – first fill the lower part of your lungs, feeling your abdomen push out as you inhale making space for your diaphragm, bring the breath to the middle of your lungs feeling your ribs expanding, now into your upper chest – the upper part of your lungs
  4. Slowly begin your exhale to a count of 5, allowing the air to leave from your upper chest, your rib cage, and now slowly pulling your abdomen back and in towards your spine – allowing your body to rid itself of any stale O2 and stagnation in the bottom of your lungs
  5. Briefly pause after the exhale, and allow the next inhalation to begin
  6. Repeat steps A to E at least 5 times in repetition, 3 times a day
  7. If it helps, while introducing this breath into your body, do so with your eyes closed and simply concentrate and feel the inflow and outflow of your breath, if your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your breath.

Did you know that a seemingly simple resting breath, as described above, provides your body with the following benefits:

  • Purification of the blood stream
  • Relaxes the chest and diaphragm
  • Allows a more relaxed state in the muscles of the chest wall
  • Strengthens the lungs, thorax and abdomen
  • Increases resistance to colds
  • Calms the nervous system, calms the mind
  • Aids digestion, massages your internal organs
  • Increases confidence
  • Clears phlegm
  • Helps to lift depression

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With so much love

Amber

 

Day 23 Yoga Support with Amber

Amber_Young

“I wish you mouthfuls of laughter and warm hands and bowls of nourishing soup and starry glittering at the periphery of your eyes as if someone is tapping you gently on the shoulder, whispering a song from your childhood that makes you smile and weep at the same time, in a good way, like when you know who you are.

I wish you a loving letter from an old friend when you least expect it, with words that warm you like small sticks of kindling that catch and smoke and smell of ancient sandalwood forests and the tiny blue birds that sing at night, and a low slung moon, lying on her back, like a bowl of light. “  – Meredith Heller

I came across these words today, and they made me smile.  I hope they do the same for you

Welcome to day 23 of our 30 days of yoga support during a challenging time.  It is an honor to be welcomed into your day, one I don’t take lightly.  Thank you.

I hope you’re doing okay, and that you’re carving out some time to reconnect with nature in the  midst of all of this.  Such a powerful way for us to fill our reserves, by simply walking through the woods, or sitting by a tree or the water.  It always amazes me how relaxed I feel when I take that time.

Today we’ll be exploring a powerful breath practice for your immune system, and your inner vitality.  This breath is called the breath of ten, and it helps to move stagnation through the body, increase your lung capacity, stimulate and support the lymph nodes in your arm pits helping to cleanse and detoxify your breast tissue, your lungs, your thoracic cavity, and it assists in pulling the lymph up from your lower extremities (just to name a few benefits).  This is a potent practice which helps us to be able to better overcome pathogens, bacteria and viruses we encounter.

To view the practice click here

The basic practice:  Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine (ensure your body is comfortable).  Your elbows are bent and the forearms and hands are relaxed in a clapping position about a foot apart.  Your hands move in and out like you are clapping – inviting a flapping movement at the armpits (pumping fluid through the axillary lymph nodes), your hands do not make contact.  This will make more sense once you watch the video.  Concentrate on the energy between your hands.  Your breath is timed with the  movement of your hands, inhaling with 5 powerful strokes of breath in through your nose, exhale in five powerful strokes out through the mouth.  Try to maintain the rhythm and the movement with the breath.  Start with 3 minutes, and slowly you can increase your time.  Your eyes are closed down and once you settle into the practice allow your internal gaze to fall at the point between your eyes.

Make sure you take some time once you are finished to sit in stillness, sense what is happening inside of you and allow yourself to integrate the practice. This is an important step every time we come to our mats.

I am so grateful you joined me today, and I can’t wait to check in with you again tomorrow.

“The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.  Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding” – Thich Nhat Hanh

My love travels with you

Big giant love filled hugs, Amber

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Day 12 Yoga Support with Amber

Amber_Young

Welcome to day 12 of Amber’s 30 days of yoga support.

It is an honor and a blessing to join you today on this blessed Easter Sunday.  From all of us at Surya Daya we wish you a Happy Easter, and wish for you peace, happiness, and renewed hope for what lays on the other side of our present day circumstances.  You may not be watching this on Easter Sunday, but please know whatever day you do decide to open this link, I hope you know how grateful I am that you have chosen to share this little window of time with me.

Today we will be exploring a gentle practice to help bring you back to your center.  We’ll be taking some time with an alternate nostril breath sequence.  During our day our nostrils will shift their dominance periodically throughout a 24  hour period.  Sometimes this rhythm, which we call the ultradian rhythm, becomes quite out of balance usually due to increased stress in our lives.  By doing this particular practice we support our bodies to come back to a state of balance. From this grounded place of being in the world, we are able to more easefully live with the flow of life, rather than resisting what is.

To view the practice click here

“When you accept yourself exactly as you are, you shift from living for tomorrow to appreciating today.” – Kris Carr

My love is with you,

Till tomorrow

Amber

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