At this time of year we need to kickstart and boost our energy levels. Now is the time to energise our sluggish bodies and minds after the festive season and look to the spring. Yoga keeps the body flexible, fit, and strong as well as clearing the mind, relieving anxiety and stress.
Although yoga postures are physical, the results go beyond, stimulating the mind and spirit. More than just a fitness routine, yoga quietens the mind and prepares it for meditation and relaxation. It is impossible to relieve mental stress without a tool. Yoga is the ideal tool. Because yoga is non-competitive, anyone can attend a yoga class and take it at his/her own pace.
Yoga is not about comparing yourself to others. It is about feeling the best you can feel and freeing yourself from such self-limiting comparisons which are products of the ego. So as yoga practice improves the physical body it also brings health to the mind, helping to eliminate self-limiting thoughts, bringing tranquillity and focus by going inward instead of outward on things which are not important. Certain foods hinder and help this process. The key to good nutrition is to consume wholefoods (ie as close to their natural state as possible ).
Colleen Fitzpatrick is a nutritional therapist and yoga teacher practising from Westport Clinic, a holistic health clinic which also offers massage, acupuncture, and psychotherapy. www.westportclinic.net/ 087 693 7792/ [email protected]
