​Shavasana is the thing I love most about both yoga teaching and participation. Pictured above is todays yoga shavasana! I have been recently reminded I can gift myself a mini shavasana practice each and every day. This blog is all about this taking time for a daily '5 minute Relax Shavasana'

Last weeks blog, Better FOR Others - Relax  talked about ways we can improve the quality of attention we  bring to any situation so that we can be better FOR others. We explored ways to bring our 'better FOR others' self to a situation when we are agitated, stressed, or worried, or when we are feeling spaced out, dull or sleepy.  What about when we are feeling really out of sorts, edgy uptight, not ourselves? We'll explore that this blog
 
This third feeling I was going to discuss last blog is when we are feeling really out of sorts, edgy, uptight, not ourselves. Toward the end of writing the blog I was feeling that way myself! So instead of going on I decided to practice what I preach and I went and did a '5 Minute Relax Shavasana'! So let explore what is helpful when we are feeling .........

3.  Feeling really out of sorts, edgy uptight, not ourselves
Alan Wallace reminds us when we are feeling really out of sorts we should note that without judging, or beating ourselves up. He suggests that maybe this is not the best time to be interacting with others as we certainly are not in a position to offer our best selves. He recommends that we do ourselves and others a favour and take some time out to relax!

• Go and lie down for a while -
• I find what I call the '5 Minute Relax Shavasana' practice is excellent to do here.

As I have said before my yoga teacher Andrew recommends we do this practice each and every day for the rest of our lives. I have found it an amazingly restorative practice and have more recently enjoyed doing the Relax, Release and Return practice during my '5 Minute Relax Shavasana'.

I am strongly encouraging you, and myself too, to start and maintain this simple, effective practice. Taking time out to relax and restore is essential for our well being and for others too. I know I am no use to anyone if I am stressed out or really out of sorts. Stress is exhausting and causes so many mental and physical problems. Taking time to relax is vital, especially given the many distractions and the hectic nature of our lives. Incorporating this simple 5 minute break into each day and practicing the 3 R's during the day whenever you remember will give your body and mind a well eared POM break. 

So how do we do our '5 Minute RELAX Shavasana?

1.  Find a comfy spot to lie down.
     A comfy chair can sub in if somewhere to lie is not available. 

2.  Pop an eye pillow over your eyes, or close them.

3.  RELAX THE BODY
 You can do a progressive relaxation starting with letting go of the muscles in the feet and heading up the body ending with the face and head.

4.  RELEASE THE THOUGHTS
If you are like me, all sorts of thoughts will pop into the mind. Try to see them like passing clouds - that pop into the mind, last for awhile and pass on through. That is the RELEASE  bit.  We don't need to think about them, we simply notice, relax and release them with joyful indifference, like watching a passing parade, leaving our peace undisturbed. 

5.  RETURN TO THE BREATH 
Kindly bring the mind back to the breath when it wanders off. Notice the sensation of breath at the nostrils or the rise and fall of the chest - whatever feels right for you. When you  notice the mind has drifted away from the sensation of breath with a thought, sensation or feeling.....

• Be happy you have noticed - no beating up!!
• Relax 
• Release the thoughts
• Kindly return to the sensation of breathe 

6.  REPEAT STEPS 3 - 5 OVER AND OVER FOR 5 MINUTES 
 
SOME TIPS

• You may want to set a timer so you are not concerned about the time. Do not to use your phone as this will be a distraction. A kitchen timer works well. 
• Place your phone on silent and in another room so you are not distracted.  
• When your mind strays from the breath, which it will, be a kind encouraging friend who returns it to the breath, not a harsh critical task master. I am much more receptive to a kind encouraging approach rather than a harsh critical one. Being aware of the unhelpful critical inner voice and replacing it with a kind one is always helpful.  Practicing positive self talk in mediation is very helpful in creating this helpful habit.  

So why not give it a go, you have nothing to lose except maybe some stress. Other will appreciate a more relaxed you too.

If you find it tricky to find 5 minutes and a place to do this in a busy working day maybe an after work or evening practice might work. Or a lie or sit in a park during lunchtime might work too.  

I have been enjoying using my POM lavender eye pillow for my '5 Minute RELAX Shavasana. I have been making these eye pillows for some time now and use them in my yoga classes, as you can see pictured above. As the eye pillows can't be washed they are enclosed in a WDC hand woven washable pillow case.  They come with instructions, and a POM bookmark and are available here. So you may want to gift yourself or someone you know an opportunity to relax each and every day. 
  
Have a great fortnight - I look forward to connecting with you soon 

Kind Regards 
Maree xx

If you'd like to connect further, please get in touch to ...
Find out more about us and pom-melbourne  
 
Email me maree@pom-melbourne.com to

• Buy POM products in support of the Kandy Women's Development Centre and other community projects  
• Come to Crafternoon or attend a Workshop

Subscribe to pom-melbourne.com to receive my weekly blog posts 

​Relax is my new favourite word and Relax, Release and Return and the 5 Minute Shavasana are my two favourite practices. 

I have found them very useful things to be mindful of and put into action to facilitate, greater quality of attention, presence with others, peace of mind and less worry and exhaustion.

Minfulness is word which has received lots of attention and hype. As I understand it, it simply means to pay attention to what is going on. Mindfulness is not a skill that we need to develop, it is a skill we already have, a skill we are all constantly using. So, we don't need to develop this ability but we do need to learn how to use it well. 

Alan Wallace reminds us "It is the quality of attention (mindfulness) we bring to situation that makes the difference". He goes on to say "when we attend to - that is watch over, care for and really look at - our own thoughts, desires and emotions if we find we are out of sorts, we can note that and not beat ourselves up, not judge ourselves". Instead, we can  improve the quality of our attention. 

So how do I improve the quality of attention I bring to my self talk, connection with others and situations? A quality of attention informed by kindness and respect. How do we improve the quality of attention so that we are less exhausted, have increased well being and a greater sense of connection with each other?

The next few blogs will address ways to try to improve the quality of attention we  bring to any situation so that we can be better FOR others. I am certainly not bringing my 'better FOR others' self to a situation when I am agitated, stressed, or worried, so lets do a recap of that first. 
 
Ways to improve the 'quality of the attention' we bring to life when.......   

1.  Feeling restless, agitated, distracted, stressed, worried

Alan Wallace suggests we just PAUSE and do three things 

1.  Invite your body to RELAX
I have found tuning into my body very interesting. I find I often have stress in muscles that are not needed for what I am doing. A tight jaw and frown are certainly not necessary to help me chop the veggies. So bringing awareness to my body and inviting it to relax is very helpful for my well being and health. Releasing the tension is restorative and saves energy.  

2.  RELEASE the thought stream/storyline
I find it very interesting to bring awareness to the scribble that is often going on in my mind, with a kind, non-judgmental interest. "Oh my funny mind there it goes again, about to worry about stuff that hasn't happened yet and churning over stuff that is already happened"! None of it is helpful or even necessarily true! So, by bringing awareness to the thoughts and RELEASING the thought stream or story line I can liberate myself from worry and agitation and promote peace of mind.

3.  RETURN to your breath as an anchor for calm
The breath is like our anchor in the present moment. It brings us back to the only time that truly exists - the present moment. And when we return there to the breath there is no fear or worry.  Returning to the present is a present we can give ourselves anytime.

2.  Feeling spaced out, dull, or sleepy
Once again I am not bringing my 'better FOR others' self to a situation when I am feeling spaced out, dull or sleepy. So how do I improve the quality of my attention? 

Alan Wallace suggests we just PAUSE and do 3 things

1.  Refresh your attention
Feel the energy in the body - brighten your mind. Maybe get up and stretch

2.  Restore your focus - on the breath, activity, person

3.  Retain your anchor (don't just wander off again, stay)

3.  Feeling really out of sorts, edgy uptight, not ourselves
In actual fact I am feeling that way right now  and certainly not in position to offer my best in continuing this blog.  So I have decided to write about what to do regarding when you are feeling out of sorts next blog. Hint - I am off to have my 5 minute shavasana to restore and be in a position to offer my best (and dinner) when everyone gets home tonight.

Have a great fortnight and make sure you take some time to relax! I look forward to connecting with you soon 

Kind Regards 
Maree xx

If you'd like to connect further, please get in touch to ...
Find out more about us and pom-melbourne  
 
Email me maree@pom-melbourne.com to

• Buy POM products in support of the Kandy Women's Development Centre and other community projects  
• Come to Crafternoon or attend a Workshop

Subscribe to pom-melbourne.com to receive my weekly blog posts