Feb 12

Feb 12 Stormy Mind, Yoga and Meditation

How strange it is to watch the storm in our mind. Some days we may have light cloudiness, mostly sun, some days it’s like watching that inevitable dark cloud grow closer by the minute. The storm clouds of our mind can be much more challenging to deal with then the storm clouds in the sky.

How can we accept the process of letting the storm wash over us? Letting our emotions act like the rain in the spring. Sometimes it’s unwanted, or even unpleasant, but with the washing away comes new life.

I have to often remind myself of the new life those storms can bring. It is so easy to get weighed down in the cold and gray. On days when nothing seems to go right my mind struggles to find the light, the memory of warmth.

When I have days of rain clouds and ice storms in my mind, here are some tricks I use to reset and find the light of day.

Yoga:

Inversions. Any inversion that I have in my practice at the moment. Headstand, shoulderstand, legs up the wall, or handstand all work. Really, any pose that gets your feet over your heart and head. In these poses gravity is helping to draw the energy (and blood flow) to your heart and brain a little easier. This will help with clarity, focus, and energy. When you rise up from an inversion everything seems brighter, literally.

Meditation:

This is a simple meditation that takes just a few moments. It is a mantra meditation that I find helpful when feeling overwhelmed. It only takes a few minutes, and it's a nice reset.

With each breath, state the word associated with that breath in your mind.