Balance Yoga: Physical Wellness & Mental Clarity

PHYSICAL WELLNESS & MENTAL CLARITY

As the dust settles from the busy holiday season, you’re probably thinking about your laundry list of New Year’s resolutions. If we had to guess, they fall along the lines of exercising, eating healthier, sleeping more, and developing better routines. Instead of placing unrealistic expectations on yourself, we encourage you to approach 2022 with Balance - see what we did there?! Balance Yoga, located at 152 S. Dargan Street in Downtown Florence, opened its doors on October 1, 2021, with the mission to promote physical wellness and mental clarity through creative movement and energetic practices. We asked Bridget Hearne, owner of Balance, to share some of the benefits of yoga, and here’s what we learned: “Yoga offers so many benefits beyond physical health! In addition to strength and flexibility, a consistent, balanced yoga practice can promote mental calmness & clarity, reduce stress, and clear energetic blockages & imbalances! Also, it just makes you feel good!” Whether you’re brand new to yoga or have fallen out of your routine and ready to step back on the mat, Balance offers a variety of classes that will have you achieving goals this year – both physically and mentally! As with any practice, consistency is key. “One of my teachers told me a long time ago that a consistent five minutes a day is better than five hours crammed in once a week. I took that advice to heart, and during seasons of life when I couldn’t make it to a studio, I practiced the foundational postures at home. Along with meditation and breathwork, that simple routine had such a profound impact on my daily wellbeing both mentally and physically. I can’t encourage folks enough to take just five minutes a day to move their body intentionally and breathe with awareness.”

For more information or to sign up for your class, head to Facebook and Instagram @balanceyogaflo.

"This set of foundational postures is physically strengthening, lengthening, and energetically grounding. The next time you’re short on time, give these six postures a try!" - Bridget Hearne

WARRIOR 2

Standing with your feet together at the top of your mat, take a big step back with the left leg, pointing your toes to the long edge of your mat. Keeping the right toes pointed forward and the shoulders stacked over the hips, bend deeply into the front knee, and extend the arms. Set your gaze softly over the middle or ring finger. Take 7 breaths. TIP: Avoid allowing the right leg to collapse in and keep the energy of your knee pressing out towards your pinky toe.

SIDE ANGLE

From Warrior 2, keep a deep bend in the front knee and drop your right forearm down to the top of your leg. Avoid collapsing through the torso and into the right shoulder. Reach the left arm up and overhead, feeling length all along the left side of the body. Take 7 breaths. TIP: Press the feet down into the mat and away from one another, like you’re trying to rip your mat in half!

TRIANGLE

From side angle, take your gaze down to the mat. Begin to straighten through your front leg as you extend the right arm down towards the ground. If it feels okay on the neck, take your gaze up to the ceiling. Take 7 breaths. TIP: Use a block or some support to bring the ground closer and prevent your torso from collapsing.

TWIST

From triangle, gaze down towards the mat and bring both hands down to frame your front foot. Lift the back heel as you ground down through the left hand and extend the right arm up towards the ceiling. Take 7 breaths. TIP: Visualize your ribs revolving around your spine and draw the right hip into the body.

CHAIR

Finally, from your twisted lunge, bring both hands back down to the mat. Gaze forward, and keeping the right knee bent, step the left foot forward to meet the right into chair pose. Reach the arms up and forward. Hold for 7 breaths. TIP: Keep lengthening through the lower back and drawing your navel back towards the spine and up towards the ribs.

** Repeat all previous steps using the other side of your body! **

LEGS UP THE WALL

No yoga practice is complete without an inversion- and rest! Legs up the wall gives you the best of both worlds. In addition to reducing stress and anxiety, it also promotes healthy circulation. Find a stable wall and swing your legs up!

In addition to your physical and energetic health, Balance also emphasizes the importance of mental health. Beginning in January, Balance will release monthly themed habit trackers and mindfulness cards that will encourage you to create consistency off the mat. “I believe simple, consistent habits and mindfulness practices – both on and off the mat – can create huge positive shifts in our mental health. I hope people feel supported and encouraged in their mental and physical health journeys, not just when they walk through our doors for a class, but when they leave and move through their day-to-day lives.”

Bridget is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Psychology, and once complete, she plans to offer therapeutic options to support people working through their mental health journeys.