The role of ritual in Yin Pilates
Although I very often do it, I must admit that until recently I have been a bit wary about beginning my Yin Pilates sessions with a 5-minute visualization or relaxation practice. On reflection, I think this was a reaction to my early Yoga experiences, where I found chanting in Sanskrit and bowing to multiple Hindu deities somewhat off-putting. I did not want my clients to feel the sense of irritation that had put me off. It is not that I am opposed to group rituals. In fact, history tells us that they can be powerful healing experiences, practiced in almost every culture. Of little interest to Yogis perhaps, recent research in mind/body medicine demonstrates such experiences can be measured in factors like lowered blood pressure and increases in immune system function. My discomfort stemmed from
the religious overtones. What I wanted from Yoga was effective stretching and a sense of calm and relaxation. I was not searching for a religious conversion. Of course, I could have ignored that aspect of it, but it seemed too pervasive, and there were too many benevolent “yoga smiles� for me to be comfortable. So, I threw the baby out with the bathwater and quit.
Now that I’m a little older and perhaps wiser (many will beg to differ!) I can see the value in reflective rituals, in taking some time to tune into how we feel and to becoming more intimate with ourselves. This doesn’t mean holding hands in a circle and singing “Kumbaya”, nor bowing to a bunch of candle lit foreign deities. It can be as simple as slowing down and asking the following questions for example: • How is my mood right now? • How are my energy levels? (do I feel tired, upbeat, fatigued, calm, relaxed, anxious etc, etc..) • How am I emotionally today? • How is my body feeling? Tight, hot, pulsing, relaxed, sore, uncomfortable? • How is my mind? Racing, scattered, dreamy, focused, centred...?
We all acknowledge that our lives are so busy that we rarely stop to ask ourselves these basic and fundamental questions. So, why not take a moment at the start of a class that’s focused on health, relaxation, and stretching to “check in?” It might be the only time that you do it all day. For some, it might be the first time that they’ve ever checked in. Once you have checked in, you can proceed in a calm, focused, committed way to doing something that’s great for yourself. The moral of the story? A short reflective practice at the start and/or end of class doesn’t have to be intrusive or religious. It can help you to tune in, to increase your personal awareness and as this progresses, to transfer this degree of consciousness to all of daily lived experience. The end result-a you that is less reactive, more aware and who is therefore able to live in-sync with his or her deepest values. Sound good? It does to me!
Yin Pilates training includes modules on stress and the body and developing simple relaxation and visualization scripts.