You may be confused about why I say Yoga isn’t about the poses; it’s about You. Ancient Yogis taught that to be in Yoga or joined together, one should train the mind and heart. The instructions include both the conscious and subconscious portions of our mind. We’re on autopilot when we aren’t present or in the here and now. Have you ever been lost in thought when you were driving, and then when you arrived at your destination, you didn’t remember the trip? Your subconscious mind was telling your body what to do. The subconscious mind takes control when you aren’t mindful of your daily life, but how does it know what to do? This is where science enters the picture. Remember the All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten poster? That poster’s creators explain Kindergarten learning as how we live the rest of our lives, and they are partly correct. Researchers identified early learning up to age seven as the subconscious mind’s programming. So, where do we learn our programming? You guessed correctly, from our parents! The saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree has meaning. Want to poke the bear when you and your loved one are arguing? Tell them they’re acting just like their mother or father. I’m not sure why this makes us so mad, but I’ve found that I’m more like my parents than I thought. One day, I was talking to my mom on the phone, and she was eating a snack of cheese and crackers. It wasn’t the highly processed ones, but the cheddar cheese you slice and saltines. She said she had some potato salad with it. Suddenly, I realized why I liked the food I liked; I wanted cheese and crackers with potato salad. If we want to break free from our programming, we can, but it takes time to repeat the new thoughts or behaviors we want to adopt. There’s a fast-track way to change things called self-hypnosis, which I’ll describe in a future blog post. Mindfulness takes on a new level of importance when you consider that it can get you what you want and change your can’t to can. Our Yoga practice is essential to this process, and it goes back to breathing. Paying attention to our breathing is one of the easiest ways to bring us into the present moment and awaken our consciousness. Whatever your goal is, you need your consciousness to get there. If you allow your subconscious mind to be your guide, you’re letting whoever programmed you take over. And it’s not just our parents who program us. Think about who influences a child younger than 7 years old: church, school, grandparents, neighbors, childcare workers, TV, and more. We’re like sponges just soaking it all in, from infants to children. Since breathwork keeps us in the moment, we should practice daily. Picking a specific time for practice is a great way to make it a habit. Remember when I mentioned that you should practice breathing when your day isn’t stressful? For me, that’s during the early morning before the demands of the day beckon. I get up early before the sun rises but if that is intimidating to you, try this morning light meditation. Watching the sunrise can become something to look forward to. Plus, when we expose our eyes to morning light, we help to regulate our circadian rhythm for a good night’s sleep. After trying the meditation, visit our Facebook page and share your experiences.
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AuthorDr. Lisa Clow Archives
January 2025
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