Feeling frazzled, overheated or burnt out? Here are a few simple ways to calm your nerves and temper the intensity:
Stay Hydrated Nothing will zap your energy and leave you feeling lethargic or cranky faster than dehydration. If sipping plain water isn’t your thing, try adding 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp of Liquid Chlorophyll to your water. Chlorophyll is a natural deodorizer, a caffeine-free energizer and it helps alkalize the body. The peppermint flavor is extra fresh and cooling on a hot summer afternoon. Take a Deep Breath Sitali Breathing is a technique used in yoga to cool the body and emotions. To practice sitali breath, find a comfortable seat with a tall spine, and rest your hands in your lap. Roll your tongue like a straw (or purse your lips like you’re sipping through a straw) and inhale, feeling the air cool your tongue. Then close your mouth and exhale out through your nose. Sitali breath is a good exercise to use for emotions that generate heat in the body, like anger, irritation and impatience. This breath can be practiced anywhere from a few cycles to a few minutes, until you feel cool, calm and collected. Move Mindfully Overexertion, whether physical or mental, can fry your nerves. Any movement done mindfully and slowly is a calming remedy. Try countering your excess heat with these 3 cooling, soothing yoga poses: Camel. Release heat by stretching your abdomen, solar plexus and chest. Start with your knees hip distance apart and place your hands on your lower back. Hug your navel in and up as you lift your chest and gaze up. If your lower back feels supported, place your hands on your heels for more opening across your chest. Time: 3-5 breaths, 1 or 2 sets. Butterfly. When overheated, we become more self-critical, agitated and competitive. Surrender your efforts and turn inward with this fold. Start from seated and bring the soles of your feet together. Interlace your fingers around your toes and round forward. Feel enough space in the front of your body that you have room to take deep, steady breaths. To lessen the intensity, prop each knee up with a blanket or block. Time: 2-5 minutes Legs Up the Wall. The ultimate restorative pose, this gentle inversion helps you shift into a state of rest and relaxation. Lay down with your tailbone towards a wall and slide your legs up. If your hamstrings are tight, position yourself farther from the wall or bend your knees. Time: 5-15 minutes.
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You’ve heard the health claims, you know it’s good for you, and all your friends do it. Yoga continues to rise in popularity, thanks to it’s wellness benefits and a wide variety of styles that target different audiences. But could yoga be beneficial at work? Here are 3 reasons your answer should be a resounding ‘YES!’: You hit a wall at 3pm While stretching and moving increases blood flow, the secret power behind yoga lies in the breath. Deep breathing can help the body shift into a state of alert relaxation, delivering more brain power, focus and mental clarity to help navigate office distractions. You don’t need a sweaty, vigorous workout to get the benefits. Through simple breathing techniques, a calm but watchful frame of mind can be achieved. There’s grumbling around the water cooler Misery loves company, and all it takes is a chronic complainer to drag down office morale. Yoga instills a sense of mindfulness and empowerment. Employing mindfulness during yoga practice can bring to light repetitive thoughts that we all experience from time to time, including fear of trying something new, self-criticism, or jealousy. By observing thoughts and choosing non-reactivity, you begin to cultivate a spirit of ingenuity, confidence and teamwork. You don’t know Sharon in Accounting Is your office so big that you don’t know everyone by name? Do you regularly work with one set of colleagues and find it difficult to get tasks accomplished when you have to collaborate outside your group? A weekly yoga class is a fun, positive way for people to come together and bond over a shared experience. Getting employees together outside of the usual meetings fosters teamwork and cross-departmental cooperation. The perks of a regular yoga practice extend far beyond fitness and flexibility. Ready to try a class in your office? Contact me for your free trial session and find out what yoga can do for you! Spring is a time of renewal, freshness and potential. Staying attuned to seasonal shifts and incorporating elements of nature into my daily yoga practice keeps me in alignment with gentle wisdom of the natural world. Here are 3 of my favorite rituals to harness the energy of spring: Plant a Seed Seeds, eggs and budding flowers are a reminder of the potential for new life. Take a cue from gardeners and sew new seeds of intention. The energy of spring makes it a great time to get clear on what you want to make happen- it could be a goal for this month or an overall theme like patience or devotion. To plant that seed in your mind, set aside 20-30 minutes to journal about what you want to create, why, and anything you can do to get started. Then take a handful of seeds outside and cover them with dirt. Envision these small seeds, so full of potential, as symbols of your biggest dreams. Even a magnificent redwood tree began as a tiny seed. Watch the Sunrise & Sunset There are two times of year with equal parts daylight and darkness: spring and autumn equinoxes. With equal parts light and dark, we find balance within ourselves, acknowledging both our positive and negative aspects. Take some time to journal on your characteristics. Without judging yourself, bring to mind one of your darker traits, an aspect of yourself that you tend to hide or feel ashamed of. Consider how that habit has served you in the past. Reset your attention on a positive attribute, one that you'd like to see more of, and set a clear intention to embody that quality going forward. What would your life and your relationships look like if you acted on this positive trait more often? Watch the setting sun as a symbol of old patterns that fade away and the rising sun as a reminder of rebirth and a new way of being. Spring Cleaning What needs refreshed in your life? Spring brings a breath of fresh air to the world and inspires us to clear out clutter from our homes, our bodies and our minds. Clean out your closets. Fill your home with fresh flowers. Diffuse or wear essential oil of jasmine to increase openness, or cypress for grounding and cleansing. Eat more greens, grapefruit, asparagus and seasonal produce. Participate in a cleanse to detoxify your body. Consider what thoughts, patterns and habits no longer serve you and replace them with more positive responses. All of these actions represent shedding the old and making room for something new to enter. Wishing you a spring full of inspiration, joy and new possibilities! |
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Disclaimer: All information and resources found on JennaMillerYoga.com are based on the opinions of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. I am not a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist, therapist, or your mother, and I don’t play one on the internet. Consult a doctor before making any health changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
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