About Yoga Off The Mat - The Movement For Modern Life Podcast
Kat Farrants, founder and CEO of Movement For Modern Life, talks with experts in different fields and looks at them from the point of view of a yogic lifestyle. With her discoveries, we learn how to take our Yoga practice off the mat and live a happy, healthy, sustainable life.
Publisher
Kat Farrants
Category
health & fitness · health & fitness · religion & spirituality
During our lives, we might encounter a range of bigger transitions such as changing jobs, entering a new stage of life, moving and illness. But there are also more subtle transitions such as shifting from work to relaxation, the beginning and end of the weekend and returning from a holiday. Transitions, even exciting ones, can be daunting. They are filled with uncertainty and without always being conscious of it; we sometimes avoid them and what comes up for us for during them.
Transitions in yoga
In yoga, we also encounter transitions, for example between time on our mat and the day as a whole; the period at the beginning of the practice before we start moving, and the period of rest at the end. With a home practice it can be especially tempting to cut out these parts. We might feel restless or find it difficult to stop and feel an urgency to move on. There are also the transitions during our practice. One example is how we get from one posture to another and how we move during our flow. Again during those times we might witness a tendency to rush through and to want to get into the posture as quickly as possible. We might feel a resistance to slowing down, exploring the space in between postures as well as holding the postures themselves.
The Challenge of Transitional Space
There may be several reasons we are uncomfortable with the transitional space in life and in our yoga practise. We may have become so used to having a direction and targets that it feels unfamiliar just to be and let the experience unfold more gradually. The transitional space can sometimes feel endless and we might feel anxious about being feeling lost and directionless. During transitions we often have time for more reflection but perhaps feelings and thoughts might appear that challenge assumptions we have of ourselves, how we live and relate, and in yoga how we are approaching our practise and what we really want from it.
Pause and rest to connect
To manage the the transitional space we often set ourselves goals. Goals can provide a sense of control in the face of the unknown. Everything can then be evaluated and defined in terms of outcome and achievement. In our yoga practice, we might start targeting postures and become fixated on being able to do a certain posture in a certain way. As a result however, we might be less connected to what is actually happening in our body. We might not be aware for example, that we are overusing or underusing certain parts of our body or that a part of the body is starting to feel strain.
That’s why taking rest poses during our practise can be so important. Not just to rest, but to pause and take a moment to more fully connect with how we are feeling and how we might want to approach our practise. Something I often ask myself in the transitional space during practise is, “how can my practise meet me where I am right now?” We can ask the same in day to day life when we take a moment to slow down and pause – “how can life meet me where I am right now?”
Less attachment, more curiosity
When we become less attached outcomes, we can start to fully embrace the journey both in life and with yoga. Our whole experience starts to open out. Take the example of walking around day to day. Often, we are so focused on our destination (getting from a to b) that we remain unaware of what is happening around us. We might not notice the subtle shifts of seasons, the changing colours and smells and others changes to the environment. We might not notice someone who needs our help.
One thing I find helpful is to vary my walking routes. Rather than take the same route that tends to keep me on autopilot, I find consciously choosing a route that is guided by how I am feeling keeps me more connected and present in the experience of moving to my destination. I start to move slower and I become more curious.
20 Jan 2021
Interview: Nutrition for Health and Wellbeing
In this interview with MFML, founder of Urban Kitchen (https://www.theurbankitchen.co.uk) and a nutritional scientist, Toral Shah, shares her thoughts on the impact of nutrition on health and wellbeing, particularly on chronic lifestyle diseases. Discover the role nutrition plays in health optimisation, prevention of disease and in reducing the risk of disease. We also explore the importance of protein, supplements and eating a variety of foods, as well as coping strategies for difficult times.
Find out more about nutrition for sleep (https://movementformodernlife.com/blog/food-to-help-sleep-toral-shah/) in our blog from Toral.
9 Dec 2020
Ep 42: Yoga and Joy
What can yoga and Buddhism teach us about joy, both for ourselves and others?
“The Brahma Vihara help us create a capacity for these qualities which open our hearts and gives us insight into the very challenging truth that nothing is permanent.”
In this episode, Mimi Kuo-Deemer shares her thoughts on yoga and buddhism. She talks about some of the lessons we can take from buddhism to help keep us happy, healthy and on track mentally. Mimi explores the Buddhist concept of Mudita, which is sympathetic joy; the antithesis of competitiveness and individuality. How can that concept help us get through trickier times and awaken our hearts to interconnectedness and letting go?
In this episode you will find out about...
The Brahma Vihara - divine abodes or boundless states (4:30)
* What are Brahma Vihara and what do they cultivate? * The opposing characteristics and how they affect us.* The role of meditative practices. * How these virtues can influence our mind, behaviour and relationships.
Mudita (20:00)
* What is Mudita and sympathetic joy? * Why we should let go of comparison and envy. * How can we focus on cultivating generosity?* How does this link to Daoism?* Book Recommendation: Loving Kindness (https://uk.bookshop.org/books/lovingkindness-the-revolutionary-art-of-happiness/9781611808209)by Sharon Salzberg
The Practice (30:00)
* How to start with the meditative practice of the Braham Vihara. * The importance of a steady consistent practice. * To whom should we extend these qualities and why.* Medicine for social conflict and healing divisions. * The common sources of suffering.* A buddhist’s interpretation and explanation of the Brahma Vihara.
Awakening the heart (44:00)
* The difference between the brain and the heart. * Dealing with paradox.* Accepting impermanence and letting go.* Recognising interconnectedness.
Taking it into real life (54:40)
* The role of movement in understanding the Brahma Vihara.* Noticing impatience and suffering when moving on the mat. * The benefit of slow movement. * The challenges of instant gratification.
Do you want to explore all our classes, including more from Mimi? Check out all our classes for FREE for 14 days here: https://movementformodernlife.com/chooseplan (https://movementformodernlife.com/chooseplan)
Discover Mimi's classes on the Brahma Vihara here: https://movementformodernlife.com/yoga-class-1371-buddha-teachings-yoga-for-sympathetic-joy (https://movementformodernlife.com/yoga-class-1371-buddha-teachings-yoga-for-sympathetic-joy)
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