As I continue my journey of discovering the body, the mind and their interactions I am finding it useful to group my findings in this series called Mens Sana in Corpore Sano. Posts will include elements of yoga, meditation, nutrition, sports and lifestyle
Relaxation: the warrior’s mind is a calm lake
Getting to the warrior’s mind is the only purpose of yoga. Balance, Flexibility, Strength are all side effects.- Keshava
By pushing our body to its limits, the mind has no choice but to surrender the thoughts it is hanging onto so it can focus on the body and the feelings coming from it. Elimination and body clearing comes as a side effect
Body and Mind – the Reciprocity principle
Body and mind are one. If you work on one, the other will follow. A happy mind translates into a happy body, and manifests through smiles and open postures. Reciprocally, in order to achieve a happy mind you can work on your body. Creating a smile, and an open body posture, have an almost immediate effect on the mind and your outlook to the world.
Tailbone movement
Every back bend starts with tucking the tailbone in. Every front bend starts with pushing the tailbone back.
Opposites
The back is naturally weaker that the front in the western lifestyle. Sitting at a desk has our back – especially the upper back – constantly stretched while most physical standards drive us to focus on chests and shoulders workouts for a beach body, which have the very consequence of reinforcing the imbalance between strong and contracted front muscles and stretched and weak back muscles. Hence the hunchback posture. One of the most important physical side effects of yoga is to stretch and relieve the front muscles while building stronger back muscles. An open chest ; a better posture ; a taller you will follow. And as a side effect of a side effect, the open chest will promote a happier you by reciprocity principle.
Guillaume 