Sue Ransom Yoga

Let’s get straight into this.

1 Your Body

One day one of my lovely yoga ladies told me she’d been chopping wood and, as she was working, realised she was putting all her weight over one hip. Understanding that this imbalance might lead to aches and pains – perhaps a sore back the next day – she balanced herself more evenly and took regular breaks to stretch and re-set.

I was delighted!

As I often say, yoga’s all about awareness. When you take a little time in your week to focus your attention intentionally on your body, you create an opportunity to befriend and become more aware of it. We probably all have a tendency to bowl along ignoring how our bodies feel unless something hurts, right? Then we want it fixed. It’s important to notice not only where you feel physically vulnerable and need to take extra care, but also where you’re feeling physically comfortable, at ease, and pleasant. To notice, enjoy and appreciate where you’re feeling good.

So, how does your spine feel right now as you’re sitting, or perhaps lying, reading this? Our bodies change all the time. How does it feel as you bend gently forward? Gently back? Your spine, all the little muscles that run alongside it?

It’s possible that many of the injuries we think are sudden and caused by one particular moment or incident (I’m not talking here about a trauma like a fall or another accident) are actually repetitive strain injuries from repeated patterns of posture and movement. We sit slouching forward from Monday to Friday with all that implies for our muscles and posture, then take a big swing at a ball playing beach cricket at the weekend and injure our shoulder.

Practicing yoga can bring a variety of movements into your weekly repertoire that may be absent otherwise. It brings an element of play into movement that we often loose as adults – just watch the flexibility of a toddler, or a young child climbing a tree.

In my yoga sessions we seek a balance between sthira and sukha – effort and ease. And, ultimately, as you become more aware of your body on the mat, you take this away from the mat with you, and out into your daily life. As the lady I mentioned at the beginning did, when she took good care of herself while chopping wood.

2 Your Breath

What’s your experience of your breath right now? Chances are you weren’t aware of it at all until you read that last sentence. Your autonomic nervous system generally takes care of the breath without it being necessary for you to make any conscious effort at all. But, unlike other systems in the body also controlled by the autonomic nervous system like your blood pressure and digestive function, the respiratory system in humans is unusual because we have the option of some conscious control over it.

So. What is your breath doing right now? Is it shallow? Deep? Which part of your body is expanding the most as you inhale? The abdomen? Chest? Does your breath feel easy and pleasant? A bit jerky or laboured? And, if it’s the latter, do you know what the reason for that is?

In my yoga offerings you’ll have much opportunity to befriend your breath. We bring awareness to it, co-ordinate breath with movement as we encourage the breath to be perhaps a little deeper, longer, slower, and let the breath rhythm cue the pace of the corresponding movement (and our nervous systems love this soothing rhythm). We play with the breath in many ways. It’s a process. We befriend it. Just as with movement, taking awareness of our physical bodies off the mat and out into daily life, you can take increased awareness and familiarity with your breath off the mat and into your day.

When you take deep, long, slow abdominal breaths that get your diaphragm moving stimulating the vagus nerve, this can take you into a parasympathetic nervous system state. The state in which you rest and digest, mend and befriend. In this state our bodies repair and rejuvenate, it’s conducive to positive emotions like joy, delight, wonder… and of course these positive emotional states support good relationships We’re able to think more clearly and be creative.

You might like to pause a few times during the course of your day and bring awareness to your breath. What’s it doing when you’re driving? At work? Walking? Shopping for groceries? What’s it doing when you’re talking to a friend? If you’re in a stressful situation, what’s your breath doing then? If you’re agitated you may notice it become irregular – perhaps you don’t even breathe at all but catch yourself holding your breath. If this is the case – you notice you’re agitated, and your breath pattern is disturbed – your mental state is influencing your breathing. You have the opportunity to flip things around. Use your breath to calm you and influence your mental state. Take some deeper, longer, slower breaths to take back some control and, as you come into a calmer way of being, you’ll be more mentally able to deal with the stressful situation you’re in.

3 Your Mind

I invite you, in a moment, to take a pause from reading this. Let your gaze go towards the window, or to wander around where you are right now. Do this for a minute or so, and then begin to read again…

Where did your thoughts wander to? What did you find yourself thinking about? Something triggered by your immediate environment? Maybe you wondered what the point of the exercise was. Or started thinking about things you need to do. Or randomly remembered something pleasant. Or began thinking of a problem that’s troubling you…

Sometimes our heads are busier than others. At times we may be constructively planning. We may be having a happy meander through memories that make us smile. Or we may be ruminating on an issue we can’t fix. Or have negative self-talk dominating our thoughts. As you observe your own thoughts, you may notice certain patterns. If you recognise some of these patterns as being unhelpful, right there is an opportunity to interrupt them before they escalate. To choose to guide your thinking in more beneficial directions.

Yoga is not a magic fix. It’s a process. There’s a reason why it’s called practice. Rather like learning to play a musical instrument. You wouldn’t expect to begin learning to play the violin and then join the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra a week later. Rather you’d spend many hours practicing, becoming more familiar with your musical instrument. Making mistakes. Learning from them. Learning to handle it better and create music. In our yoga practice we’re the instruments – you’re learning and practicing to “play” or have more control over your body, breath and mind. To bring more harmony into your life.

We frequently rush around all day, moving fast, breathing fast, thinking fast. In yoga practice there’s time to be attentive to yourself. To take stock. As your movements take a regular rhythm and pace, as your breath slows and deepens, maybe there’s an opportunity, too, for there to be a little more space between your thoughts.

If you would like to begin, rekindle or continue practicing on your yoga journey with me, I offer regular weekly group sessions, private sessions for groups and individuals, and workshops throughout the year in and around Richmond in beautiful Tasman Bay, near Nelson.