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September Newsletter |
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Dear Melissa,
Can you believe it is September 18th already? Fall classes
and activities are in full swing....are you back into the flow
of things? This month's newsletter will cover the topic of
getting into flow. How can you get into flow? How can yoga help
to improve the flow of energy in our lives? Read on for valuable
information about finding flow.
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Is your life flowing in a direction that is for your greatest
good or do you feel like you are swimming upstream? Founder of
flowdreaming, Summer McStravick suggests that "Like a river
to the sea, your personal Flow always travels in one direction—a
natural, positive direction. When you fight your Flow or try to
make things happen that may not be right for you, you’re going
against the Flow—which can feel like swimming upstream." Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi defines flow as, "Being completely involved in
an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies.
Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the
previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved,
and you're using your skills to the utmost." Buddhists call this
process mindfulness or being fully aware of your present moment
without judgement or reflective thinking. Flow happens when you
are fully engaged and not anxious. Flow is achievable if you are
happy while doing things that help you grow and develop.
My accupuncturist talks about the natural flow or rhythm of
energy in terms of yin and yang. In nature we have the yin
energy of night and yang energy of day. So too should our daily
activities flow with the more active energy of the day and
restful energies at night.
Breath Meditation
We can also find flow by following the breath. If you start by
being aware of your breath, you know it comes and goes. It is
like the end of one wave from among the endless ocean waves.
They continue to come and disappear to be followed by another
and another and another. They come. They disappear. They come,
they end, they flow back to be covered by another incoming wave.
You can hear the sound. It's rhythm allows you to experience the
flow. |
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Take Yoga Classes with Melissa |
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The Wellness Connection, Ajax Ontario
Hands on Health Care, Whitby Ontario
Roos Gym, Ajax, Ontario
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Yoga is one way that we can find flow or joy in complete
engagement with an activity. It is a means of balancing and
harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. Yoga beings by working
on the outermost aspect of the personality, the physical body.
When imablance is experienced by the physical body, the organs,
muscles and nerves no longer function in harmony, rather they
work in opposition to each other. Yoga aims to bring the
different bodily functions into perfect coordination so that
they work for the good of the whole body. Through the practice
of yoga, awareness develops of the interrelation between the
emotional, mental and physical bodies. A disturbance in any one
of these affects the others.
Prana, or vital energy, which corresponds to chi in Chinese
medicine pervades the whole body. This energy follows flow
patterns in the body called nadis which are responsible for
maintaining all individual cellular activity. Yogis believe that
stiffness in the body is due to blacked prana and a subsequent
accumulation of toxins. When prana begins to flow, the toxins
are removed from the system ensuring the health of the whole
body. Practicing yoga can help to improve the flow of energy in
the body. |
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Melissa West
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Find flow in your life by taking classes with Melissa.
Check out my
website for schedule and class details |
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