Have you ever found that at the end of a long day most of which has likely been spent sitting at a desk, you feel too shattered to do anything with your evening but too hyped up and buzzing to really relax?This sense of feeling both tired and hyped up is common and it can be difficult to know how to deal with this state. But yoga is the ideal way to re balance.
In this hyped up state our mind and body are out of balance, the mind is over active and the body is depleted of energy. This is why we can't relax. Yoga brings the body and mind into balance.
In this hyped up state our mind is active and busy yet our body is tired. How come? Well mental activity uses a lot of energy and this consumes glucose. This is what leaves us feeling depleted. Our bodies are tired through use of this energy. So the first thing we have to do is rest the body.
Yin Yoga is a great way to do this: its restorative postures work on the deeper fascia of the body, encourage breath and energy through the system and are deeply renewing. A short series of Yin postures could include the pigeon posture (raja kapotanasana) shown above, the seated forward bend (paschimottanasana) shown left. Forward bends help to calm the nervous system and simple lying and seated twists revitalise the body, energise the nervous system and move stagnant energy to re balance your body. In Yin yoga the postures are held for anywhere between five breaths and 10 minutes.Once your body starts to relax, you can bring your mind into balance and harmony with the body through doing a simple breath awareness practice. Start by breathing deeply and focus on releasing tension on the out breath, breathing in and out through the nostrils. On each out breath, let go a little more. Then focus your awareness on the movement of breath between the throat and navel, breathing in the breath rises from navel to throat and breathing out the breath moves from throat to navel. Simply follow the movement of breath with awareness.
Finally, be aware of your 'default relaxation' habits. Many of us think that by watching TV or browsing the internet before we go to bed, we are relaxing. But beware of how much you actually reactivate the mind with these activities! Then, if your mind isn't relaxed, you sink into sleep with the brain active (beta waves dominant) instead of relaxed (alpha waves) and you don't get enough restful sleep. This is why we often wake up feeling drained and depleted, despite having 'slept well'.
To unwind a little before going to bed and help the mind get into a state of relaxation you can practice nadi shodana (alternate nostril breathing).
If you practice yoga you will have more energy to do your other tasks throughout the day. Time will expand to accommodate the practice and your life!
