Yoga for Every Mood: Finding the Right Flow
In a fast-paced world, it is no surprise that more
people are becoming interested in yoga, and the reason is simple: yoga makes
them feel good! Why do they feel good? It's because yoga leads to many
beneficial changes, including increased relaxation and greater awareness. Yoga
also improves one's mood through a combination of participating in physical
activity, breathing, and meditation. Those who practice yoga regularly frequently
report that it elevates their moods and clears their minds. One reason that
yoga is so effective in increasing mood is that it is a physical form of
meditation. Most believe meditation is sitting in a quiet room with one's legs
crossed and arms resting gently on the knees, while chanting in the dark!
Actually, meditation is simply about focusing the mind. When you drive a car,
chop wood, or do anything where time passes as if you were in a trance, you are
essentially meditating. Yoga is meditation in motion - you do not come to class
to clear your mind, but to engage in activities that require thought. Some
people increase their levels of awareness through meditation while doing
challenging physical activities. Furthermore, the breathing exercises practiced
in yoga increase the oxidation of the body and are very beneficial to one's
mood.
1. Understanding Different Yoga Styles and Their Effects on Mood
People arrive on their mats for many different
reasons, but with a myriad of choices available – think vinyasa, hatha, yin,
and kundalini hybrid styles – the process of selecting a class starts with
feeling out what kind of yoga experience you are in the mood for. Yoga teachers
generally break a yoga practice down into two or more components, with the
physical and mental benefits differing for each person – or for the same person
on a different day, based on their emotional state and intention. With that in
mind, we are focusing on how each of us might be uniquely affected by our
choice in yoga class, with our own unique emotional objectives. This can start
as simply as asking yourself, “What kind of workout do I want to do today?” or
“How do I want to feel at the end of my practice?” Exercise and movement
stimulate the production of those feel-good neurotransmitters known as
endorphins. This means that vigorous yoga practices such as vinyasa styles and
powerful kundalini practices can energize, uplift, and literally make you feel
happier. On the opposite end of the spectrum, gentler classes and yin-inspired
practices are designed to bring students into a state of relaxation and might
inspire activities such as journaling, artistic expression, or nap-taking post
savasana or meditation. First, hatha as a physical practice can help to raise
physical energy while torquing the masochistic mind. Hatha utilizes the
practice of balancing both the sun and the moon in the human system, making it
a great style to balance your emotions. Certain poses and sequences can help to
tune your endocrine system, increasing the production of mood-changing hormones
– also known as “those feel-good vibes” – in your emotional factory within your
brain.
2. Customizing Your Yoga Practice for Different Moods
Countless factors play into what—and if—you choose to
practice on a given day, and one immense force behind those choices is your
current emotional landscape. Imagine, now, if you could go even further, if you
could craft a short sequence customized to your particular mood. Let's start to
break down how that might be possible. One of the most important aspects of
this process is personal emotional awareness. Getting to know what moods you
may want to influence gives a clear target to aim for. It's also important to
keep in mind that whether or not you would like to alter your mood, you can
positively influence how you'll feel in your practice overall by choosing
energizing or calming poses and moving in a way that makes sense for you that
day.
Again, you can utilize some of the suggestions above
to highlight poses that either build to greater poses or break down more
advanced poses. If you would like to work towards an introspective class, feel
free to move through more sun salutations or other standing poses. Here, it
might be helpful to work towards a gentle flow or even a completely restorative
class. If sadness, anger, or another mood has come up, working in backbends can
be especially helpful. Digging into arm balances that simulate flight is a
great move here. You may even want to build to a sequence that begins and ends
in legs up the wall. If, on the other hand, you're wanting a bit more energy or
joy, focusing on forward bends can help to mellow out based on your particular
needs. Once your chosen postures are documented, spend some time brainstorming
sequences that can build you towards those shapes. In building your sequences,
think about combining poses that also move you there. Think of various
sequences that can make you move into the pose via the peak pose in different,
more prepared ways. As an example, think of various options to open the hips so
that backbend becomes more willing. Where can half pigeon fit in your sequence?
Each variation and prior pose can help build another step closer to a peak
pose.
3. Incorporating Meditation and Mindfulness into Your Yoga Practice
Quietly sitting, body present, breath present, senses
open and receptive, we become acutely aware of what is arising out of the
unconscious mind. We notice an endless variety of sensations, thoughts, and
feelings—in short, the moods of our moment-to-moment existence. It is by
softening our focus, holding the felt body and breath in the amplifying
container of awareness, that we can explore the relationship between the mind
and body and the oncoming present. The practice of meditation is the
actualization of a yogic path from the outer layers of relationship to the
heart, the embodied space within which all thoughts, emotions, and sensations
arise, merge, and disappear. The benefit of combining the tools of meditation
with our asana practice is real and can be a useful technique or even a refuge.
The first and most immediate effect of deeper contemplation integrated with
movement is increased focus and ease of attention. A gentle but intentional
focus flows into the roadmap of the breath, deepening the contact between one's
experience and the core integrity of body, mind, and emotion. Like the
meditative practice of body scanning, the combination allows for a more
thorough and complete experience of the felt immediacy of "me in this
moment." Meditation practice opens awareness to observing self and slows
the ritual of reactivity so that what is immanent may be felt, excavated, and
made to inform new habits and ways of being in the world. Think of your work on
the mat as preparation to be more. More still. More calm. More grounded,
responsive, and able to parent the child being called forward by this day.
4. Case Studies and Practical Applications
Why practice yoga? What makes practicing yoga a
valuable tool for students and teachers? Why are these lessons important to
educators? Here are five portraits highlighting real-life ways that yoga can
help integrate or isolate us from our inner lives. Patricia is an artist and an
art educator at a museum in New York City. Before she arrives at the museum,
she breathes deeply in her car or takes a taxi because it is "important to
calm myself first. If I take the subway to work, I must prepare myself when I get
up at night at home. I maintain silence; I do not check my email or read
newspapers. Yoga in times of high stress has also helped me stay focused and
relaxed while working. I have to make contact with people whom I do not yet
know and be sensitive and attentive to their needs. Many people come to the
entrance of the museum rather uncomfortable and worried. People are often wary
of change. The deep breaths I take, body postures, mental disciplines, and
feedback I have given myself are immeasurable gifts that I have given myself.
Then, after my yoga, I could pass on the beautiful gifts of art to others.