10 Ways To Get ‘Unstuck’
We’ve all experienced times where we feel stuck. We struggle to find a new way to approach a problem. It could be about money, relationships, career, family or even our schedule. In situations like this, we need an infusion of fresh energy around the issue as well as a new way of thinking. There is no way out of approaching a problem from the same perspective unless something shifts. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So, how do we find a new way of thinking? 1. Exercise. When we feel stuck, we need to refresh our brain and move the stuck energy of feeling defeated through the body. The best way to do that is to move. Walk, run, practice yoga, hike or just do 25 jumping jacks in your house. Make exercise a regular part of your “poor perspective” detoxification. 2. Look at the issue from the opposite point of view. If you feel you have no time to yourself, pretend you have all the time in the world. If you feel you are cash poor, pretend you have all the money you need. If you’re worried about booking new work, look at the time you have free in your schedule as an opportunity to find quality work versus just taking the first thing that comes along. When we start to look at something from another angle, we find immediate relief of anxiety, even though part of what we’re doing is tricking ourselves into a new way of thinking. This alone won’t work, but sometimes it can result in a new idea to emerge. 3. Think outside the box. I am very concrete in my thinking. This is helpful from a practical standpoint but limits my ability to think of a new solution to a problem. A perfect example is my schedule. I have a set schedule each week around teaching yoga classes. This limits my ability to be spontaneous and do things like travel on short notice or buy last-minute theatre tickets. This created a great deal of anxiety for me until I started to imagine myself booking an afternoon or evening off, in advance, at least once every few months. Sure, it’d lose the spontaneous flavor but the main object is to relieve some of the anxiety and have some balance in my life. 4. Don’t rule anything out. We tend to gravitate towards certain solutions as our fixer-uppers. Need a job? Look on the Internet and apply for job postings. Need to find more time in your schedule? Drop your exercise routine to find more free time. While these things may solve your issue […]
Ten Ways to Get Started with Yoga After an Injury
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been approached or have had conversations with people in class about how to best get started back with yoga after an injury. This also applies to starting yoga for the first time after an injury. I thought this would make a good topic for my next column. Maybe you’re reading this and like one of the people I spoke with, you’re afraid you’ll get hurt again. Maybe you have a memory of how fit you once were and now, faced with your injured body, you’re frustrated and feel there is no way you’ll be able to taste that feeling of strength and flexibility again. Maybe you have “good days” and “bad days” and have just given up on the idea of doing anything physical. The good news is yoga is the perfect exercise to do in instances like this. Why? Because yoga poses and sequences can be modified to fit just about anyone’s body and physical condition. Yoga’s intensity and be increased or decreased depending on the pace, the poses selected, the use of props and the sequence offered. Here are some tips for getting started back or getting started for the first time: Check with your physician before starting a yoga practice. This is pretty obvious but depending on your injury, you might not think to check. Yoga is getting a great deal of exposure these days as being a contributor to injuries and despite that, there are a number of physicians who are actually suggesting it to their patients, as well as physical therapists who encourage people to attend class as well as therapy. Review the classes on the schedule at your local studio and make a selection based on your physical condition and requirements. This may require some consultation with the studio owner or one of the teachers. Generally speaking, if you’re a beginner, these are the best classes to attend. These classes will be geared towards people with little to no experience. Even if you have experience, with your injury, you may be looking for a slower pace and more time to move from pose to pose. These classes generally provide both. If you are unable to put weight on your hands or have an injury to the upper body, power yoga or vinyasa (flow) classes may not be the best choice. There’s a great deal of movement from standing to the ground as well as many poses where weight is put on the hands in these classes. Now, having said there, there absolutely is a way to modify these sequences so you can skip placing weight on the hands. This would require one on […]