Louise Marie Vien
By Louise Marie Vien, From the Heart Yoga
How do we manage to cope, stay safe, healthy and at peace thoughout this pandemic? How can yoga help?
Yoga is a practice with many tools to help guide us through life. It offers us many coping skills on many different levels.
What can yoga teach us?
Yoga is not only physical stretching, and strengthening of the body through Asanas (poses) to keep us physically fit, which is important during these times, but it also trains us to use our minds more clearly.
Yoga teaches us how to work through our emotions, and most importantly how to open our hearts so we can live in peace and harmony with ourselves, others, the world, nature and our ever changing environment. It is a life-long path of learning, and the beauty is that we always begin and continue with where we are.
There are many different techniques or limbs used in yoga. I will speak to a few that can greatly assist during these times and all times.
Asana/poses
- Asanas keep us physically tuned up, flexible and strong in our bodies
- Staying home may lend itself to inactivity, asanas will greatly assist our bodies and enable us to become more body aware
Pranayama/breath control
- This is another very important practice within yoga
- There are many different methods of pranayama that are used for many different reasons
- For instance to give us energy when we are tired and down, to calm us down when we are stressed and anxious, and to lay a foundation for meditation
- During these times of stress, one technique to calm us down, is to take deeper slower longer breaths, and if possible taking a longer out breath
- This will immediately stimulate your rest and digest parasympathetic system and bring about a calmer state quickly
Meditation
- Meditation is a technique that helps us to clear the mind and ultimately become more aware of ourselves, our emotions, our reactions, our surroundings and others
- There are many different methods used for many different reasons
- During these times it will help to ground us, to become less reactive, and to help us move outward from a deep relaxed clear state of mind and from within
- We learn to accept what is and move forward
The depth that yoga can take us within ourselves is limitless. If you would like to sample a free mindfulness meditation video session, please visit “Meditation” on my site: Fromtheheartyoga.ca.
I wish everyone a safe journey through this pandemic. May you stay healthy, safe and strong in mind, body and spirit.
Namaste
Louise Marie Vien teaches Hatha Yoga and Meditation from her From The Heart Yoga home studio located in the beautiful escarpment of Waterdown. She is a regular yoga instructor at Royal Botanical Gardens and YMCA Hamilton. As a volunteer instructor for The Good Shepherd and Halton Women’s Place, Louise has worked to encourage confidence and compassion, and to enhance the rich gifts of life and health. Louise received her training certification in Hatha Yoga at Sheridan College and is an active member of Canadian Yoga Alliance, Yoga Alliance (USA), and Yoga Alliance International.
