In Yoga: A Manual for Life Naomi Annand shows you how to use the ancient practice of yoga to live better in the modern world. Utilising simple, breath-led movement, this beautiful practice companion teaches you how to wake up feeling energised, calm an anxious mind, sleep better, feel inspired. Ideal for total beginners to more experienced yogis, this manual includes everything you’ll need to live a more balanced, grounded life, from five-minute life hacks to longer sequences with specific goals in mind. Always accessible, Yoga: A Manual for Life has at its centre the principle of authentic self-care. Naomi Annand was a dancer in the Royal Ballet Company until her career was curtailed by injury. She then discovered the therapeutic power of yoga and has been teaching ever since. In 2012, Naomi set up her own studio in east London, Yoga on the Lane. ‘Beautiful, informative, useful’
‘A beautiful and succinct book, full of imaginative sequences. It’s the ideal companion for anyone looking to develop a home practice.’ Hannah Ridley, Harper’s Bazaar UK
£20.00
Illustration: Figure © Kate Winter; Background: ‘Mikado’ © Tracie Andrews
Naomi Annand
Anna Jones, columnist and author of The Modern Cook’s Year
Yoga: a Manual for Life
Be calmer, happier and more creative.
Yoga: a Manual for Life Naomi Annand
BLOOMSBURY SPORT Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY SPORT and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2019 Copyright © Naomi Reynolds, 2019 Illustrations and cover illustration © Kate Winter Yoga pose photographs © Scott MacSween All other photographs © Laura Edwards Design by Studio Polka Naomi Reynolds has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on page 220 constitute an extension of this copyright page All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes The information contained in this book is provided by way of general guidance in relation to the specific subject matters addressed herein, but it is not a substitute for specialist advice. It should not be relied on for medical, health-care, pharmaceutical or other professional advice. This book is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health or any other kind of personal or professional services. The reader should consult a competent medical or health professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.
The author and publisher specifically disclaim, as far as the law allows, any responsibility from any liability, loss or risk (personal or otherwise) which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and applications of any of the contents of this book. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for UK HB: 978-1-4729-6322-2 US PB: 978-1-4729-6321-5 eBook: 978-1-4729-6320-8 epdf: 978-1-4729-6319-2 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Yoga: a Manual for Life
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Naomi Annand
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
Introduction What yoga means to me Just after my 21st birthday I bought myself a round-the-world plane ticket, thinking I was embarking on a journey into the unknown. It had been a traumatic year: injury had ended my career as a ballerina with the Royal Ballet. Seemingly overnight, years of training were rendered obsolete and for the first time since I was 10 years old, my life was stretching out in front of me with no obvious destination. Back then, I imagined that the adventure would be geographic and external, indexed by the stamps in my passport and the escapades I experienced along the way. Little did I know that the great personal discovery of this trip would not be out there in some uncharted landscape, but inside in the great unknown depths of myself. And the key to this, of course, was yoga. To begin with, the attraction was primarily physical. After more than a decade of high-stress ballet training and years of dancing en pointe, my body was a mess: I had a cyst on the back of my knee, a fractured foot, arthritic feet and adrenal fatigue. But slowly, over the course of many weeks, in backstreet Thai boxing gyms and hot studios in downtown Honolulu, I started the process of mending myself. I stopped limping. My shoulders relaxed. My chest opened. My toes spread. I started to remember that my body was a part of me, not simply a tool to be wrung for all its worth. But as I went through this process of bending and breathing and paying radical attention to my every action, I also experienced a more profound change. My confidence blossomed. I started the necessary conversations with myself that allowed me to grieve a vocation lost. I started to learn how to accept myself as I was. It might sound corny, but I befriended myself, maybe for the first time in my adult life. And as this continued I realised that this was what I had to do. By the end of the year I was teaching full time and I haven’t stopped since. After 10 years of teaching all over the world, I set up a studio, Yoga on the Lane, in east London, hoping that I might introduce to others the practice that had done so much for me, as well as connect with teachers and yoga students of all stripes to develop a meaningful community. This book is an extension of that. All around me, I see people struggling with the demands of modern life: its pace and stress and relentlessness. But I also see how yoga can and does help people develop a more sustainable way of being in the world. Of course, this means articulating a practice that works for the here and now, a yoga that is alive to the reality of life, with its time constraints and hectic schedules. Here it is, then: Yoga: a Manual for Life.
9
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
Introduction What yoga means to me Just after my 21st birthday I bought myself a round-the-world plane ticket, thinking I was embarking on a journey into the unknown. It had been a traumatic year: injury had ended my career as a ballerina with the Royal Ballet. Seemingly overnight, years of training were rendered obsolete and for the first time since I was 10 years old, my life was stretching out in front of me with no obvious destination. Back then, I imagined that the adventure would be geographic and external, indexed by the stamps in my passport and the escapades I experienced along the way. Little did I know that the great personal discovery of this trip would not be out there in some uncharted landscape, but inside in the great unknown depths of myself. And the key to this, of course, was yoga. To begin with, the attraction was primarily physical. After more than a decade of high-stress ballet training and years of dancing en pointe, my body was a mess: I had a cyst on the back of my knee, a fractured foot, arthritic feet and adrenal fatigue. But slowly, over the course of many weeks, in backstreet Thai boxing gyms and hot studios in downtown Honolulu, I started the process of mending myself. I stopped limping. My shoulders relaxed. My chest opened. My toes spread. I started to remember that my body was a part of me, not simply a tool to be wrung for all its worth. But as I went through this process of bending and breathing and paying radical attention to my every action, I also experienced a more profound change. My confidence blossomed. I started the necessary conversations with myself that allowed me to grieve a vocation lost. I started to learn how to accept myself as I was. It might sound corny, but I befriended myself, maybe for the first time in my adult life. And as this continued I realised that this was what I had to do. By the end of the year I was teaching full time and I haven’t stopped since. After 10 years of teaching all over the world, I set up a studio, Yoga on the Lane, in east London, hoping that I might introduce to others the practice that had done so much for me, as well as connect with teachers and yoga students of all stripes to develop a meaningful community. This book is an extension of that. All around me, I see people struggling with the demands of modern life: its pace and stress and relentlessness. But I also see how yoga can and does help people develop a more sustainable way of being in the world. Of course, this means articulating a practice that works for the here and now, a yoga that is alive to the reality of life, with its time constraints and hectic schedules. Here it is, then: Yoga: a Manual for Life.
9
72
BALANCING POSES
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
A
73
DANCER POSE Natarajasana
STANDING FOOT-BOUND BALANCE A AND B Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
A From Mountain Pose, lift one leg forwards and upwards as if there were a magnetic pull between your thigh and your stomach. Hold your shin, reach for the outside of your foot or bind your big toe with your peace fingers, sealing it with your thumb. On an exhale breath, extend your right leg forwards while maintaining an upward reach through your spine, hugging your right arm back into your shoulder so that you don’t allow your leg to pull you off-centre. Reach upwards through the tips of your ears and feel the length this creates from your standing leg up into the dome of your soft palate. Take at least five breaths here before coming out as you came in.
B
Practice note Choose what kind of hold you’re working with: the outside of your foot, or the inside with your shoulder open. Either way, make sure your shoulder feels comfortable. If neither is working, you can use a strap around your ankle to make the shape more accessible. If you’re struggling for balance, practise near a wall, side on or facing, and use it for occasional support.
B Only when you’re ready, on an exhale breath, from A take your leg out to the side without tipping or lifting your hip. Shift your weight a little to find balance in your standing leg and, if you feel confident and steady, you might turn your head over your shoulder. Take a few breaths here and then, on an exhale breath, bring your leg back to the centre. You can come out of the shape at any point, folding back in as you had unfurled earlier. Practice note Practising next to a wall is a great way into this pose. You could stand sideways to the wall, or with your back against it, which is great for maintaining alignment in your torso
Stand on one leg, then reach back with your opposite hand for the outside of your raised ankle. Keep length in your arm as you hold your ankle and let the weight of your thigh drop towards the ground; this will help to relax your shoulder and create a feeling of ease across your chest. Before you go any further, make sure your hips are reasonably level, your knees are side by side and your eyes are resting straight ahead. From here, slowly extend your other arm up to the ceiling, take a deep breath and look to create length and space in the torso by lifting your ribs away from the hips. Exhale to initiate the see-saw of the body and feel equal extension through your long arm and side body as you press back into your leg. While reaching upwards and forwards, feel the pull in your held leg as you press energy into your back hand and extend the thigh away from the hip. Breathe and feel this dance of energy between the back foot and front arm. Don’t worry if you fall out of the pose – it’s part of the journey.
Our eyes play a considerable role in balance: where we look, but also how we look. Rest your gaze at a point and then ask yourself: ‘Does it feel like a stare?’ If so, soften behind your eyes a little and notice how your body feels more relaxed and easy within this complicated shape.
when it can otherwise be pulled away from your centre. As with all balancing poses, imagine your eyebrows are a spirit level to help you maintain balance between left and right, and the front and back of your body.
Sequencing in a self-practice You can transition into this pose from a vinyasa sequence, propelling forwards from a high lunge. Alternatively, come from Mountain Pose for a simpler grounding option.
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BALANCING POSES
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
A
73
DANCER POSE Natarajasana
STANDING FOOT-BOUND BALANCE A AND B Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
A From Mountain Pose, lift one leg forwards and upwards as if there were a magnetic pull between your thigh and your stomach. Hold your shin, reach for the outside of your foot or bind your big toe with your peace fingers, sealing it with your thumb. On an exhale breath, extend your right leg forwards while maintaining an upward reach through your spine, hugging your right arm back into your shoulder so that you don’t allow your leg to pull you off-centre. Reach upwards through the tips of your ears and feel the length this creates from your standing leg up into the dome of your soft palate. Take at least five breaths here before coming out as you came in.
B
Practice note Choose what kind of hold you’re working with: the outside of your foot, or the inside with your shoulder open. Either way, make sure your shoulder feels comfortable. If neither is working, you can use a strap around your ankle to make the shape more accessible. If you’re struggling for balance, practise near a wall, side on or facing, and use it for occasional support.
B Only when you’re ready, on an exhale breath, from A take your leg out to the side without tipping or lifting your hip. Shift your weight a little to find balance in your standing leg and, if you feel confident and steady, you might turn your head over your shoulder. Take a few breaths here and then, on an exhale breath, bring your leg back to the centre. You can come out of the shape at any point, folding back in as you had unfurled earlier. Practice note Practising next to a wall is a great way into this pose. You could stand sideways to the wall, or with your back against it, which is great for maintaining alignment in your torso
Stand on one leg, then reach back with your opposite hand for the outside of your raised ankle. Keep length in your arm as you hold your ankle and let the weight of your thigh drop towards the ground; this will help to relax your shoulder and create a feeling of ease across your chest. Before you go any further, make sure your hips are reasonably level, your knees are side by side and your eyes are resting straight ahead. From here, slowly extend your other arm up to the ceiling, take a deep breath and look to create length and space in the torso by lifting your ribs away from the hips. Exhale to initiate the see-saw of the body and feel equal extension through your long arm and side body as you press back into your leg. While reaching upwards and forwards, feel the pull in your held leg as you press energy into your back hand and extend the thigh away from the hip. Breathe and feel this dance of energy between the back foot and front arm. Don’t worry if you fall out of the pose – it’s part of the journey.
Our eyes play a considerable role in balance: where we look, but also how we look. Rest your gaze at a point and then ask yourself: ‘Does it feel like a stare?’ If so, soften behind your eyes a little and notice how your body feels more relaxed and easy within this complicated shape.
when it can otherwise be pulled away from your centre. As with all balancing poses, imagine your eyebrows are a spirit level to help you maintain balance between left and right, and the front and back of your body.
Sequencing in a self-practice You can transition into this pose from a vinyasa sequence, propelling forwards from a high lunge. Alternatively, come from Mountain Pose for a simpler grounding option.
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
A dynamic practice — to uplift and energise Yoga has a unique capacity to both enhance and transform your mood. This playful and challenging sequence is ideal if you’re feeling flat and need a lift, but it’s also a brilliant way to embody an already heightened mood. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a practice that should be rushed. The dynamism comes from you moving with your breath: there’s a feeling of power that can only be realised with a genuinely expansive inhale breath and a fully realised exhale. So take your time. Don’t dash through the poses, ticking them off. Pay attention to each moment. A nice image is one of the pendulum. Think about the rhythm of your breath, how it ebbs and flows, with a gentle pause at the top, like a pendulum following its parabola. These spaces between the breaths are an opportunity to feel the magic of the space between, the place we can inhabit that turns exercise into moving meditation.
79
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
A dynamic practice — to uplift and energise Yoga has a unique capacity to both enhance and transform your mood. This playful and challenging sequence is ideal if you’re feeling flat and need a lift, but it’s also a brilliant way to embody an already heightened mood. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a practice that should be rushed. The dynamism comes from you moving with your breath: there’s a feeling of power that can only be realised with a genuinely expansive inhale breath and a fully realised exhale. So take your time. Don’t dash through the poses, ticking them off. Pay attention to each moment. A nice image is one of the pendulum. Think about the rhythm of your breath, how it ebbs and flows, with a gentle pause at the top, like a pendulum following its parabola. These spaces between the breaths are an opportunity to feel the magic of the space between, the place we can inhabit that turns exercise into moving meditation.
79
82
A DYNAMIC PRACTICE – TO UPLIFT AND ENERGISE
FINAL REPOSE
Three-part Breathing
Of the eight limbs of yoga, pranayama is the one concerned with the manipulation of the breath. One of its most accessible techniques is Three-part Breathing, which is a great tool for busy minds that crave concentration and focus. Either sit down or lie on your back. Place your hands on your belly and breathe into them. Inhale. Pause. Place your hands on your ribcage. Inhale a bit more. Pause. Shift your hands to your upper chest. Inhale your sips of breath into the tops of your lungs. Pause. Exhale slowly and steadily. To get the timing right, imagine your breath climbing a ladder. It goes two steps up, and then pauses. Another two steps, and then pauses. And then another two steps, and pauses. Which means you have six steps to calmly and steadily climb down as you exhale. Work at a pace that is suitable for you and your lung capacity. There should be no stress or selfcompetition around this. Please make sure you listen to your body and stop at the first signs of discomfort, and come back to your natural breath. After you’ve done a few rounds, stop and observe your natural breath pattern. You’re aiming to feel a fullness and an elasticity in the lungs, but more importantly to feel measured and in control of your breath.
82
A DYNAMIC PRACTICE – TO UPLIFT AND ENERGISE
FINAL REPOSE
Three-part Breathing
Of the eight limbs of yoga, pranayama is the one concerned with the manipulation of the breath. One of its most accessible techniques is Three-part Breathing, which is a great tool for busy minds that crave concentration and focus. Either sit down or lie on your back. Place your hands on your belly and breathe into them. Inhale. Pause. Place your hands on your ribcage. Inhale a bit more. Pause. Shift your hands to your upper chest. Inhale your sips of breath into the tops of your lungs. Pause. Exhale slowly and steadily. To get the timing right, imagine your breath climbing a ladder. It goes two steps up, and then pauses. Another two steps, and then pauses. And then another two steps, and pauses. Which means you have six steps to calmly and steadily climb down as you exhale. Work at a pace that is suitable for you and your lung capacity. There should be no stress or selfcompetition around this. Please make sure you listen to your body and stop at the first signs of discomfort, and come back to your natural breath. After you’ve done a few rounds, stop and observe your natural breath pattern. You’re aiming to feel a fullness and an elasticity in the lungs, but more importantly to feel measured and in control of your breath.
96
big difference
Small change
Laptop survival kit CLOCK
Laptops (like the one I’m writing this on!), tablets and mobile phones are disastrous for our posture, encouraging us to hunch and cramping us into positions that run counter to all our natural instincts. The solution obviously is to spend less time on them but modern life makes that difficult, so the next best thing is to have a three-part toolbox of physical remedies that you can dip into to prevent injuries. Don’t wait until you’re already feeling tight: prevention is always better than cure.
TOWEL Take a bath towel or, if you’ve got one, a strap in both hands and hold it in front of you wider than shoulder-width apart with some spare towel/strap at each end. Lift it above you, using the ends if you need to, and take a few deep breaths. Soften your front ribs and keep an equal reach through both arms so you are balanced and stable from your pelvis and up through your arms. To come out, breathe in, reach straight above your head and then breathe out and bring your arms to resting by your sides. Place the prop on the floor and stand in Mountain Pose for a few breaths so you can feel the effect on your body. Do a few rounds, experimenting with less space between your hands.
Stand sideways to the wall with your shoulder roughly 10cm (4in) from it. Reach your arm straight up the wall, and then creep your hand back to 10 to, or 10 past the hour, depending on which side you’re working. Spread your fingers and look for length through your middle and fourth fingers. Take a few breaths and then creep your hand to quarter to or quarter past and take a few breaths. Feel an opening across your chest and arm. Find more depth by pivoting on your feet and turning your chest into the centre of the room. Stand in Mountain Pose between each side and compare the sensations between your left and right. Repeat on the other side.
HAND Interlace your fingers and use your right thumb to massage into the centre of your left palm. Circle into the root of the thumb and up towards the knuckle. Release the interlace and using your thumb, continue to massage from the root of each finger up to the pad. Repeat for the other hand.
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
97
96
big difference
Small change
Laptop survival kit CLOCK
Laptops (like the one I’m writing this on!), tablets and mobile phones are disastrous for our posture, encouraging us to hunch and cramping us into positions that run counter to all our natural instincts. The solution obviously is to spend less time on them but modern life makes that difficult, so the next best thing is to have a three-part toolbox of physical remedies that you can dip into to prevent injuries. Don’t wait until you’re already feeling tight: prevention is always better than cure.
TOWEL Take a bath towel or, if you’ve got one, a strap in both hands and hold it in front of you wider than shoulder-width apart with some spare towel/strap at each end. Lift it above you, using the ends if you need to, and take a few deep breaths. Soften your front ribs and keep an equal reach through both arms so you are balanced and stable from your pelvis and up through your arms. To come out, breathe in, reach straight above your head and then breathe out and bring your arms to resting by your sides. Place the prop on the floor and stand in Mountain Pose for a few breaths so you can feel the effect on your body. Do a few rounds, experimenting with less space between your hands.
Stand sideways to the wall with your shoulder roughly 10cm (4in) from it. Reach your arm straight up the wall, and then creep your hand back to 10 to, or 10 past the hour, depending on which side you’re working. Spread your fingers and look for length through your middle and fourth fingers. Take a few breaths and then creep your hand to quarter to or quarter past and take a few breaths. Feel an opening across your chest and arm. Find more depth by pivoting on your feet and turning your chest into the centre of the room. Stand in Mountain Pose between each side and compare the sensations between your left and right. Repeat on the other side.
HAND Interlace your fingers and use your right thumb to massage into the centre of your left palm. Circle into the root of the thumb and up towards the knuckle. Release the interlace and using your thumb, continue to massage from the root of each finger up to the pad. Repeat for the other hand.
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
97
Yoga and suffering
164
YOGA AND SUFFERING
Really? I can hear you thinking. You’ve spent all this time talking about self-care and self-compassion, about not going too far, not pushing, not striving to get into advanced poses, and now you’re going to start talking about suffering?
Isn’t the whole point of everything this book is about – overcoming stress and fatigue, quietening our inner critic, getting better sleep, strengthening and conditioning our bodies – about avoiding suffering? The answer to this is of course yes. But it’s also no. It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea that we should all be happy, all the time. And that if we’re not, we’re somehow failing. The pressure to avoid suffering becomes a source of suffering itself, which is an absurdity, particularly in the context of yoga, which is about radical acceptance, suffering and all. Because life is complex. Endlessly changing. In the space of a few minutes we can experience wildly fluctuating emotions and sensations, and this is simply the inescapable human condition, not something that should be denied or something that we think we might overcome.
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
165
Embracing complexity and the full range of the human experience is essential to yoga, from the way you live your life down to the way you place your mat. When it comes to practising, it’s easy to get obsessed with creating the perfect conditions – lighting candles, burning essential oils, dimming the lights, adjusting the temperature. You find yourself getting preoccupied with creating an environment that attunes every one of your senses to the process of getting calm. I only need think about all the times I’ve got the mood just right in the room – candles flickering, the sweet smell of lavender and camomile, the mats laid out perfectly with silk eye bags and beautiful floral bolsters – and then a car alarm goes off outside the studio just as my students are arriving. It’s always a perfect illustration of the futility of imagining that we can control everything, when actually what we need is not to try to deny complexity but to accommodate it. In the big pinch points of our lives – when we’re grieving, or getting over an illness, suffering from post-natal trauma, or the break-up of a relationship – we need to remember that these are the moments to get on the mat. Not because yoga can guarantee happiness, or even necessarily escape, but because its animating principles – deepest acceptance and unwavering non-judgement – are precisely what’s needed in such situations (particularly because we so often find ourselves not knowing how to react in these traumatic moments). Often, it’s best simply to be with an experience, to witness your thoughts without judgement, to be present and attuned to your emotions and to accept them for what they are. I find that yoga is the surest way to do this. And it always seems to remind me that such states of being are not constant. The practice is a cycle: it reminds me that nothing is fixed. That suffering is a part of life but that it will also end, as it always does.
Yoga and suffering
164
YOGA AND SUFFERING
Really? I can hear you thinking. You’ve spent all this time talking about self-care and self-compassion, about not going too far, not pushing, not striving to get into advanced poses, and now you’re going to start talking about suffering?
Isn’t the whole point of everything this book is about – overcoming stress and fatigue, quietening our inner critic, getting better sleep, strengthening and conditioning our bodies – about avoiding suffering? The answer to this is of course yes. But it’s also no. It’s so easy to get caught up in the idea that we should all be happy, all the time. And that if we’re not, we’re somehow failing. The pressure to avoid suffering becomes a source of suffering itself, which is an absurdity, particularly in the context of yoga, which is about radical acceptance, suffering and all. Because life is complex. Endlessly changing. In the space of a few minutes we can experience wildly fluctuating emotions and sensations, and this is simply the inescapable human condition, not something that should be denied or something that we think we might overcome.
YOGA: A MANUAL FOR LIFE
165
Embracing complexity and the full range of the human experience is essential to yoga, from the way you live your life down to the way you place your mat. When it comes to practising, it’s easy to get obsessed with creating the perfect conditions – lighting candles, burning essential oils, dimming the lights, adjusting the temperature. You find yourself getting preoccupied with creating an environment that attunes every one of your senses to the process of getting calm. I only need think about all the times I’ve got the mood just right in the room – candles flickering, the sweet smell of lavender and camomile, the mats laid out perfectly with silk eye bags and beautiful floral bolsters – and then a car alarm goes off outside the studio just as my students are arriving. It’s always a perfect illustration of the futility of imagining that we can control everything, when actually what we need is not to try to deny complexity but to accommodate it. In the big pinch points of our lives – when we’re grieving, or getting over an illness, suffering from post-natal trauma, or the break-up of a relationship – we need to remember that these are the moments to get on the mat. Not because yoga can guarantee happiness, or even necessarily escape, but because its animating principles – deepest acceptance and unwavering non-judgement – are precisely what’s needed in such situations (particularly because we so often find ourselves not knowing how to react in these traumatic moments). Often, it’s best simply to be with an experience, to witness your thoughts without judgement, to be present and attuned to your emotions and to accept them for what they are. I find that yoga is the surest way to do this. And it always seems to remind me that such states of being are not constant. The practice is a cycle: it reminds me that nothing is fixed. That suffering is a part of life but that it will also end, as it always does.
Yoga and self-care
216
YOGA AND SELF-CARE
We live in a culture that constantly bombards us with contrary messages. On the one hand we are forever being sneakily encouraged to believe that we are falling short and that happiness could be achieved if only we were to eat better, look sharper, work harder. Yet on the other hand we’re always being told that we deserve to be limitlessly indulged. That we’re worth it. That we should spoil ourselves.
So it’s little surprise that so many of us get trapped into a cycle of self-flagellation and self-indulgence. Faddy diets followed by binges. Ridiculous overwork followed by expensive spa breaks. And too often, yoga, at least superficially, can find itself slipping into either camp: either in the form of a punishing hot aerobics-like class or, at the other extreme, simply another form of ‘me time’, like a popcorn movie or a pedicure (both of which I love, by the way!). But the point of the practice is its capacity to break you out of the denial/indulgence cycle by rebalancing your relationship with yourself. And this is done through authentic self-care, which is genuinely and profoundly, maybe even life-changingly, nourishing.
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And that’s because it’s the product of authentically listening to your body, your mind and your heart. A kind of deep enquiry into where you are in the there and then. Because we’re not always the same and there’s no reason we should be. All of us exist in cycles – from the momentto-moment cycle of our breath to the grand cycle of life and plenty more in between. Women’s needs change throughout the menstrual cycle just as our needs change as we enter middle age, and everyone’s needs change throughout the cycle of the day. Throughout the year, too, you’ll find yourself drawn to different ways of practising depending on the season. In the summer, I find myself instinctively choosing longer buoyant sequences. And then in the winter, when the days are shorter and we’re naturally stiffer, almost without thinking about it I find myself doing shorter grounding sequences. The truth of the matter, though, is that you won’t know what it is you truly want unless you really listen. It’s only then that you are able to tune in to what you need. And it is exactly the nature of this enquiry – radical attention, total openness and non-judgement – that means it isn’t simply a diagnostic tool, but also a form of future-proofing, a way of making sure that you do your best not to get run-down in the first place. And this is the true purpose of self-care and the thing that elevates it from mere individualism into a collective good. Looking after yourself – harnessing the genuinely calming power of your breath, taking steps to sleep right, avoiding burnout, finding balance – lightens the load on the healthcare system and just generally adds to the gaiety of the nation. Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s essential to society’s well-being.
Yoga and self-care
216
YOGA AND SELF-CARE
We live in a culture that constantly bombards us with contrary messages. On the one hand we are forever being sneakily encouraged to believe that we are falling short and that happiness could be achieved if only we were to eat better, look sharper, work harder. Yet on the other hand we’re always being told that we deserve to be limitlessly indulged. That we’re worth it. That we should spoil ourselves.
So it’s little surprise that so many of us get trapped into a cycle of self-flagellation and self-indulgence. Faddy diets followed by binges. Ridiculous overwork followed by expensive spa breaks. And too often, yoga, at least superficially, can find itself slipping into either camp: either in the form of a punishing hot aerobics-like class or, at the other extreme, simply another form of ‘me time’, like a popcorn movie or a pedicure (both of which I love, by the way!). But the point of the practice is its capacity to break you out of the denial/indulgence cycle by rebalancing your relationship with yourself. And this is done through authentic self-care, which is genuinely and profoundly, maybe even life-changingly, nourishing.
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And that’s because it’s the product of authentically listening to your body, your mind and your heart. A kind of deep enquiry into where you are in the there and then. Because we’re not always the same and there’s no reason we should be. All of us exist in cycles – from the momentto-moment cycle of our breath to the grand cycle of life and plenty more in between. Women’s needs change throughout the menstrual cycle just as our needs change as we enter middle age, and everyone’s needs change throughout the cycle of the day. Throughout the year, too, you’ll find yourself drawn to different ways of practising depending on the season. In the summer, I find myself instinctively choosing longer buoyant sequences. And then in the winter, when the days are shorter and we’re naturally stiffer, almost without thinking about it I find myself doing shorter grounding sequences. The truth of the matter, though, is that you won’t know what it is you truly want unless you really listen. It’s only then that you are able to tune in to what you need. And it is exactly the nature of this enquiry – radical attention, total openness and non-judgement – that means it isn’t simply a diagnostic tool, but also a form of future-proofing, a way of making sure that you do your best not to get run-down in the first place. And this is the true purpose of self-care and the thing that elevates it from mere individualism into a collective good. Looking after yourself – harnessing the genuinely calming power of your breath, taking steps to sleep right, avoiding burnout, finding balance – lightens the load on the healthcare system and just generally adds to the gaiety of the nation. Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s essential to society’s well-being.
In Yoga: A Manual for Life Naomi Annand shows you how to use the ancient practice of yoga to live better in the modern world. Utilising simple, breath-led movement, this beautiful practice companion teaches you how to wake up feeling energised, calm an anxious mind, sleep better, feel inspired. Ideal for total beginners to more experienced yogis, this manual includes everything you’ll need to live a more balanced, grounded life, from five-minute life hacks to longer sequences with specific goals in mind. Always accessible, Yoga: A Manual for Life has at its centre the principle of authentic self-care. Naomi Annand was a dancer in the Royal Ballet Company until her career was curtailed by injury. She then discovered the therapeutic power of yoga and has been teaching ever since. In 2012, Naomi set up her own studio in east London, Yoga on the Lane. ‘Beautiful, informative, useful’
‘A beautiful and succinct book, full of imaginative sequences. It’s the ideal companion for anyone looking to develop a home practice.’ Hannah Ridley, Harper’s Bazaar UK
£20.00
Illustration: Figure © Kate Winter; Background: ‘Mikado’ © Tracie Andrews
Naomi Annand
Anna Jones, columnist and author of The Modern Cook’s Year
Yoga: a Manual for Life
Be calmer, happier and more creative.
Yoga: a Manual for Life Naomi Annand