Why yoga makes you happy

The mind-body connection in combination with increasing breath awareness not only lifts the mood temporarily but can have an overall positive effect on your life. Research show that practicing yoga releases the hormone Oxytocin in the blood stream, which reduces Cortisol levels (the stress hormone), lowers blood pressure and encourages the flow of positive emotions. 

What you cultivate on the mat - increasing self-awareness, finding moments of stillness and changing body and thought patterns - will allow for change, growth and happiness to blossom of the mat as well. 

The next time you yoga, try to have more fun with it. You don't need to take it too seriously, allow yoga to be a tool to help you get rid of tension and stress rather than creating more of it. Happy practicing :)

Photo from Tuesdays outdoor yoga, taken by Lisen Julin for Vasabladet

A sacred journey

"Your life is a sacred journey. 

It is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation,

continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, 

stretching your soul, 

learning to see clearly and deeply,

 listening to your intuition, 

taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. 

You are on the path... 

exactly where you are meant to be right now... 

And from here, you can only go forward, 

shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, 

of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love." 

~ Caroline Adams 

10 Benefits of taking Yoga outdoors!

1. Connect to nature. Breathing in the beauty that nature offers, actually reaching towards the sun during sun salutations, turning your gaze to the sky or looking at the sea upside down. 
2. Increase energy by breathing fresh air filled with oxygen and life force energy (prana)
3. Heighten your senses, paying attention not only to the breath and the poses, but also the noises all around the sensations of the sun or the wind.
4. The best yoga playlist, allowing the birds and the wind to create the best music
5. Increase present moment awareness. Taking advantage of the surroundings, even what may seem like distractions, for example cars or other noises, also allowing them to bring you to the moment.
6. Improve balance, the ground might be uneven adding an extra challenge and a more playful attitude towards the balancing poses!
7. Grounding poses taking it to a whole other level, actually feeling the ground or even grass underneath. In the end relaxation, (shavasana) actually surrendering to the earth beneath
8. The sun! Especially living in Finland we need to cherish this time of year and boost ourselves with vitamin D! Allowing the warmth and the light to fill up every cell of your being
9. Improve confidence, if you've never done yoga before, boost your confidence by getting out of your comfort zone and try something new! If you already yoga, shake things up outdoors allowing your practice to blossom!
10. Post-practice possibilities are endless, you're already outside and got the yoga glow going, what could be better?!

Photo taken by Saara Oinonen, www.birdy.ratata.fi/blogg/

Strong people:

"Strong people don't put others down...

They lift them up."

- Michael P.Watson

How to create balance, part 3

Focusing on the opposite energy

To focus on the opposite energy means that on a rainy, dark or cold day, yin is in the air and we need to find a way to bring some yang quality into our lives. On a hot, summer day when yang is dominating  we need to find ways to introduce some yin energy to find balance.

If you're feeling stressed, pause for a minute, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. By calming the breath, we also calm the mind. If your day is very yang (fast paced, active and all over the place) a yin practice would be your yoga of the day to calm the nervous system and nourish yourself from within.

If you're lacking energy, feeling tired or your day is more passive, a yang practice, or getting the body moving with any other physical activity would be uplifting both for the body and mind. 

However, focusing on the opposite does not mean to push yourself to do the opposite of what you naturally feel more drawn to, but rather to reflect over what you need. By beginning to pay more attention inwards and by learning to identify the yin and yang energies, you have the ability to make more conscious choices. 

In balance poses it's all about finding balance over and over again, that applies to creating inner balance as well. What does your body need today? Maybe you really do need to rest if you're tired. Maybe doing something more active when stressed is necessary to be able to calm a restless body or mind. Or is in fact the answer the opposite? What does your mind need? And what is the heart longing for? By reflecting over these questions you can develop a deeper understanding for what you need to feel balanced and most importantly how you can create that for yourself. 

How to create balance, part 2

Previos blogpost: Understanding yin & yang

Understanding balance and imbalance

The yin and yang energies are in a constant flow, never static. A healthy flow and shift of yin and yang create health and balance between body, mind and heart, while imbalance may result in illness and disease. There are two different types imbalance, excess of yang and excess of yin:

• Excess of yang energy
  This type of imbalance may result in restlessness, hyperactivity, anxiety, aggressiveness and frustration and/or feeling burnt out. The energy of constantly needing to move and do creates makes it harder to relax and wind down

• Excess of yin energy;
  Examples of this type of imbalance are feeling tired, weak, lacking self esteem and confidence, feeling hopeless, overthinking and depression. 

The topic of yin and yang is very subtle, so don't worry if it seems confusing. By becoming more aware of the internal energies step by step we can begin to understand how the energies affect us, giving us tools to handle the constant change of life without losing ourselves in it.  

Coming up: How to regain balance

Summer Yoga has begun!

This summer I am offering 4 different yoga classes. Even though the classes are different yoga styles, they are themed for summer, favoring postures such as forward folds, mild back bends and grounding poses to balance the body and mind. 

Lets cultivate having a creative and playful attitude towards practicing this summer, not being too hard on ourselves and expressing ourselves more freely from an open heart.

EveryBODY can yoga!