Daily Excerpt: How to Stay Calm in Chaos (Gentile) - Tuesday, Stay Flexible
excerpt from How to Stay Calm in Chaos by Julie Gentile
Tuesday
Stay Flexible
Do you consider yourself flexible?
I’ve been teaching yoga on Tuesdays for several years and ever since I began, Tuesdays have reminded me to stay flexible. Not just in the body but in the mind and in the heart.
When some people think about yoga, they think about the movement part of it, but yoga is more of a path than it is about the asanas (poses). Our poses come to life with our breath, and we move so it’s more comfortable than sitting for meditation. [MR1]
The flexibility you learn in yoga extends well beyond the mat. Being flexible in thought and mind can lead to creativity and innovation, helping you transform, reevaluate, and innovate daily routines. Although so many things are closed right now, new possibilities are available if you are open to them. This is the beauty of remaining flexible.
Staying flexible also helps you find rhythm and flow. Let this be a friendly little nudge to let you know that it’s OK to learn or try something new, even if you don’t have a plan or feel prepared. Find new ways of looking at things. Think outside of your norm. For example, if you were used to going to the gym to work out every day, adjust your workout routine. Can you exercise at home with videos or apps to stay fit?
If you find you are struggling, out of balance, or feeling like certain things have been taken away from you, think about the things you can control: your decisions, actions and routine, who and what you surround yourself with, and what you eat, read, and watch. Do your best to stay flexible, even if flexibility is new for you. This is the time to learn and grow, and this is true at any time in life, not just during a crisis.
If you’re like me, you find yourself sitting hunched over a device for several hours a day. (Yes, even yoga teachers have to remind themselves to sit up straight and relax their shoulders.) Below are some simple stretches you can do in just a few minutes to stay flexible and give yourself a break from all that hunching.
You deserve a yoga break.
Begin in a comfortable seat on a chair or on a yoga mat for these stretches. If you’re on a chair, come forward a few inches from the back of the chair and ground your feet.
Self-Care Practice: 5-Minute Yoga Break
“Yes” and “No” Neck Stretch
Begin with your spine tall and long, head over heart. Observe your breath. As if you are doing it in slow motion, bring your gaze over your right shoulder and then over your left shoulder a few times, as if you are slowly shaking your head “no.” Bring your head back to center. Dip your chin toward your heart, then paint your nose tip upward like you’re nodding your head “yes” in slow motion. Do this a few times.
Neck Rolls
Bring your head back to center and then draw your right ear toward your right shoulder. Keep both shoulders relaxed. Roll your chin toward your chest and then draw your left ear to your left shoulder. Roll your chin toward your heart again. Repeat two more times on each side.
Individual Shoulder Shrugs
Bring your head back to center. Draw your shoulders up, back, and down. On an inhale, bring your right shoulder toward your right ear. On an exhale, release and relax that shoulder. Repeat two more times on the right side, and then change sides.
Wrist Rolls
Squeeze your hands together in fists. Inhale. Burst open the hands and fingers like a firework. Exhale. Do this a few more times. Then, with your hands in fists, slowly and mindfully roll your wrists one way and then the other.
Seated Cat/Cow Pose
With your hands on your knees, on an inhale, draw your shoulders together as you shine your heart forward, looking up toward the sky for Seated Cow Pose. On the exhale, round your shoulders forward and hug your belly button toward your spine as you gaze toward your belly for Seated Cat Pose. Repeat two more times, linking breath with movement.
Lateral Stretch
Extend your arms up and alongside your ears. Take your right hand on your left wrist and reach your arms toward the right. Send a full breath into the left side of your body. Come back to center, separate the hands, then take your left hand on your right wrist and reach to the left. Breathe into the right side of the body for one full breath. Come back to center and release.
Bonus Tip: Visit my Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel and www.juliegtheyogi.com to view how to do these stretches and to explore other yoga and self-care content.
How to Stay Calm in Chaos earned honorable mention
in the Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards mind/body/spirit category
For more posts about Juie and her books, click HERE.
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