Monday Morning Rambles: Speak To Your Body Through Asanas...

This weekend, I went on a little road trip with my classmates to Farmingdale, Long Island to attend a Liya Workshop which was taught by our Anatomy Teacher, Janine (aka "the body whisperer").

The Workshop "How Yoga Enhances Communication Among the Body’s Systems" focused on how asanas can bring together harmony and communication between the mind, body, and spirit.

As always Janine taught us so much so I decided to make a list of the highlights to share with you:

• When we listen to our body, it will guide us correctly
• Our body works likes a Mandala "Each person's life is like a mandala - a vast, limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear, and think forms the mandala of our life" - Pema Chodron
• Proper alignment is key to distributing forces
• Fascia is another way for the body to communicate in the body; to keep it healthy, you need to stretch it. When it gets "stuck" it becomes hard to break it up because it is mostly made of collagen 
• Some poses that help the nervous system are tripod, rabbit, headstand
• When we come from our heart, the ego can't be involved
• The practice of Pranayama, breathes new life into every single cell of your body 
• Twists are beneficial for someone who is suffering from diabetes
• Disease is created by an imbalance in the mind, body, and spirit
• Meditation improves the quality of your health "What you think, you become" and is a great tool for people who suffer from depression (I agree!)

Speaking of depression, one thing stuck out to me from the lecture. Janine spoke about how our body can give us signs of someones ailments and she said that sometimes a person who has rounded shoulders, it can be sign of depression since the heart is not open. I suffer from depression and I suffer from scoliosis which rounds my back a little so it made me wonder if this could be one of the causes.

I find it "funny" that the asanas which are beneficial for my scoliosis are back bends, which are heart openers and ironically theses are the poses that are the hardest for me.

Hmmm there goes that whole mind, body, and spirit connection.

After the workshop, some of my classmates and other members of the Yogashakti family went to grab dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Nothing opens up your heart like good people and lots and lots of laughter...

Namaste...