Making the most of post-yoga bliss
Life is different immediately after yoga class - but for me, the bliss does not last. Reaching this calm state of mind - however short-term it's effect - has been a life-saver through the recent crisis in my life.
But I can't maintain three and four yoga classes each day as a method of remaining calm and centered... though I have done just that on some occasions. On some of my worst days, I just stayed for the next class, and the next class and the next class - until I completely exhausted my body and 'broke through' my negative thinking.
And I don't recommend that kind of extreme yoga. It's good for the mind, but hard on the body.
Guided Meditation After Yoga Class
Today I attended a Moksha Flow class that was guided by my favorite teacher. Her slow and fluid movements, and her constant attention to the breath help to focus my attention into the present moment. She has a calm and steady voice - and selects some of the best meditative yoga music that I've heard. At the same time, she guides the class to an awareness to the sensations within the body - the subtleties within each pose, in such a way as to maintain an attention focus with the sensing part of your brain.
This combination of breath, calm voice, music and attentiveness to sensing the body - turns off the analytical thinking mind... it brings you into 'The Zone' and disconnects the part of the brain that monitors time. The one hour yoga class seems to take no more than 25 minutes - and many times I have mistaken our final resting pose as an intermission in the middle of class!
But this is temporary relief from my crisis, and not a lasting solution.
As I mentioned in my post on Moving Meditation, the physical practice of guided Hot Yoga is one part of the two approaches I'm following in order to address all the issues that lead to my life-altering crisis. The second approach is a method of guided meditations that are intended to bring the brain into an Alpha Brainwave State before practicing mental movies that evoke the appropriate emotions about specific life-choices my crisis has forced me to face.
Some of these issues and situations are negative patterns that I want to diminish, weaken and extinguish, while others are positive patterns that I wish to enhance, strengthen and develop.
In each case, these are changes that I want to script DEEPLY into my sub-conscious mind, bad and hurtful habits that I want to break, as well as good and nurturing habits that I want to cultivate. Habitual ways of being that I act on emotionally and reflexively - rather than just information or good ideas that I philosophize and talk about.
Immediately following the moving meditation style of Hot Yoga class - I am following with an hour of sitting meditation. While my mind is in the most receptive state - I am extending this calm. I am intentionally practicing my mental movies. I am intentionally calling up the appropriate emotions and feeling them deeply.
Some of the mental movies help me map negative feelings to actions and thoughts that are hurtful to others - and help me gain empathy for the suffering my thinking and actions have caused others.
Some of the mental movies help me build and map new, constructive and positive feelings to service that I can provide that will benefit and help other people.
Alpha Brain Waves Open The Sub-Conscious Mind
In both cases, true personal change can only happen when these ideas and information have penetrated past the conscious mind, and become part of the sub-conscious. The moving meditation of Hot Yoga helps to quiet the thinking, rational mind that is hyper-active during times of stress. These fight-or-flight 'High-Beta Brain Wave' states of mind are appropriate while in a true emergency - but they limit the ability to take in new information and are not appropriate while striving to make true changes to your personality.
In order to make true and lasting changes to our state of being, our reflexive thoughts and feelings, we must achieve the quiet and calm Alpha Brain Wave state that opens the door to our sub-conscious. And then we must begin the deprogramming and reprogramming - we must actively practice the new states of being in our mind - over and over and over again, if we are to begin seeing those changes manifest as habits in future times of stress.