In yoga, it is considered essential to silence the fluctuations of the mind (vrittis). As Patanjali, author of the Yoga-sutra, says, “Yoga is the stopping of this spontaneous activity of the mind”.
The different disciplines of yoga offer many ways to control your emotions. Meditation, breathing exercises (pranayama), yoga postures (asanas) and the yogic vegetarian diet (different from a classic vegetarian diet) are all very effective in stabilizing the mind and creating a more harmonious and peaceful life.
Meditation and breathing:
Meditation
It allows us to welcome emotions and to distinguish ourselves from them in order to rediscover our true nature. Meditation is a powerful tool to calm the mind. As the mind becomes calmer, it also becomes more concentrated, more powerful, and capable of performing any task more easily, quickly and efficiently.
Through regular meditation practice, new mental habits are created that are positive and comforting.
Breathing
It is a wonderful tool for the body (muscle relaxation, effort management…) or for the mind (control of emotions, calming…). The Yogis have known for thousands of years the intimate connection between breath and mental state. The breath and the mind (especially the emotions) go together like the accelerator pedal and the engine of your car. If the engine is running fast, it means that the pedal is depressed. If you do not press the accelerator, the engine idles. The state of one always reflects the state of the other. The same is true for the relationship between breath and spirit.
Let us look at some examples. You have a big fight with someone. The voices are amplified, the temperaments are inflamed. How is your breathing?… In this very emotional state, breathing has become irregular, shallow and fast. The breath corresponds to the mental state. Conversely, on the positive side, we will examine how a good mental state is reflected in the breath. Imagine you just woke up from a nap on a Sunday afternoon. You feel calm, rested, invigorated. How is your breathing? Slow, deep and rhythmic. Your breathing corresponds to your mental state.
Outside of Yoga classes, it is possible to help the mind to calm itself by simple exercises such as cardiac coherence (subject of a future post). Thus in case of anxiety, fear, anger, insomnia, breathing becomes a wonderful tool, a natural remedy that costs nothing and takes only a few minutes. 🙏 🙂
You must be logged in to post a comment.