We all heard about the importance of relaxation, and how it is for our body. And we know that one has to do shavasana or the corpse pose after the regular routine to let the energy spread evenly throughout the body and the blood stream to restore. But what do you think about being relaxed during a workout?
What I’ve Discovered
It all started from those rare cases when I felt like being deprived of enough energy to do the workout, or simply sick. Since I try not to miss a single practice, I exercise every day. So sometimes it’s obviously more difficult than during other days, so what I found is that if you relax more during your practice, you will be able to work out quite well. It will be different, but nevertheless pretty effective.
How I Do It
I begin my yoga routine as usual: a simple warm up followed by 3 rounds of Surya Namaskar. Then I start doing my regular sequence, during which I try to relax listening to my body needs – which poses it wants to do. At some point you feel like ‘dropping control’ over your body (to some extent, of course, and it is easily regained), and then the ‘real’ practice starts. This is a very efficient technique; you start feeling more energy coming through your body, you get more power, and even the flexibility. You might feel how the Prana flows in Nadis.
Usually such a routine will last as long as your regular one, but it may vary in time, as well; it all depends upon how relaxed are you and how far you can go in ‘releasing’ your body from your mental control. It can be challenging in the beginning, but the fruit is amazing! When I manage to practice this way nicely, I really feel like ‘recharged’ completely. My energy levels are higher than usual, and I feel myself far less tired after the work day.
The Key Points
There are two:
Relaxation- The ability to ‘let your body go’, or the releasing of your mental control over your body.
Once you manage to do that, you will see how your body knows exactly what it need to restore itself. In a regular daily life we often or I may say – always – suppress our body real needs by simply not hearing or ignoring them. During this relaxation and ‘dropping’ of control, we allow our body to do what it has to do to tune itself to the best condition possible. Of course it takes time – don’t expect your body will restore itself after one session; but if you practice regularly, you will see how beneficial it is to do yoga in a relaxed state, and to allow your body to do what it wants.