How to create a short targeted yoga practice to change your mental state
When you want to change the way you think or feel at any given moment, the first thing you need to do is identify what exactly it is that you are experiencing right now. Are you tired? Irritated? Frazzled? Impatient? Sad? Disappointed? Something else? The simple act of acknowledging how you feel is a useful therapeutic tool for decreasing the emotional charge. It works because your limbic system (the more emotional part of the brain) and your prefrontal cortex (the more rational part) tend to work like a seesaw – stronger activation in one area diminishes activation in the other. “When your limbic system becomes aroused, the resources available for your prefrontal cortex decrease. However, this works the other way, too. Increasing the arousal of the prefrontal cortex can dampen down the arousal of your limbic system. You can make this switch happen by trying to find the right word to identify an emotional sensation, a technique that is called symbolic labeling.” (1) This will serve as a jump-off point for your yoga practice.
Here is a simple template for creating a short yoga practice to change your mental state. Let’s use it to create a practice to deal with strong emotions.
How to create a short, targeted yoga practice to change the state of mind
1. Identify the state you are currently in – point A – and where you would like to end up (realistically) – point B. In this example we will try to move from being mildly irritated (point A) toward feeling more balanced and clear (point B).
2. Think of a main theme for your practice that could help you move from point A to point B and which meditation/reflection would cultivate that theme. If you find yourself lost in the sea of possibility, or if nothing at all comes to you, it is always useful to fall back on the images of basic elements and their qualities: fire can be purifying and clarifying, water is flowy and powerful, air is light and spacious, earth is nourishing and essential to growth. You can also use images from nature, like trees (that are grounded via roots, yet can move with the wind), mountains (that are sturdy and peaceful), sun (which is warming and life-giving), and even hurricanes (that spin fast, yet have a very quiet place in the center). In our example, the main theme will be purification, and we will use the image of fire. Since we are dealing with emotions, we will want to use the energy of emotion as fuel for an imaginary fire to purify and bring more clarity. We will use the fire to purify the three main sites of the body where you might experience an emotion: head, chest, and belly.
3. Assess the energetics of your practice. Will this be a Brhmana, Langhana, or Samana (balancing) practice? The choice should be directly linked to your theme. This will guide your selection of poses and breath patterns. (Our practice will be Samana because we want to both purify (Langhana quality) and enhance (Brhmana quality). We will use the elements of both practices and add Kapalbhati (purification Kriya).
4. Think of how you can anchor your main theme in your body with poses and symbolic gestures. Pick two to three poses where you will manifest that idea. These will be your Core Poses. (We will use the gesture of touching the head, chest, and belly with our hands to bring attention to those areas. We will make this gesture in Sukhasana, Vajrasana, and part of Virabhadrasana 1.)
5. Pick two to three Compensation Poses for your Core Poses that can also be used to support the main theme. (We will use Cat-Cow and Uttanasana to mentally follow the air as it moves through the head, chest, and belly.)
And that’s it! You can change your starting and ending position, but generally speaking, for mind-centered practice, it is best to start and end in a comfortable sitting position (on the floor, bolster, blanket, or chair). This allows you to establish your theme and to deepen the breath at the very beginning of the practice, and then to observe the effect of the practice at the end. If you choose other starting and/or ending positions, you need to have good reasons for it.
Whatever you do, be sure to stay present with your experience for the entire practice. At the end of the practice, take time to assess whether or not you were able to get to your target state and analyze which elements seemed to work and which ones didn’t. It’s always best to be honest with yourself about your findings. You can use that information next time to fine-tune your practice.
This 25-minute yoga practice is based on the template outlined above and is designed to shift your mental state.
Here is a simple template for creating a short, targeted yoga practice for energy management. Let’s use it to create a practice to build your energy up in the morning if you wake up groggy and unfocused.
Here is a simple template for creating a short, targeted yoga practice. Let’s use it to create a short practice for the hip flexors for folks who sit a lot during the day.
This is a terrific tool, Olga – thank you for putting it into simple, accessible words and visuals!
Thank you Julie! So happy to hear you find it useful.
As always, you explain the yoga tools in such a clear, ground-to-earth manner, something we can apply easily. I love it even more when you just so happen to be on the theme I did this week in class (being aware of your thoughts and emotions in order to modify them through practice). It will give me even more depth and more ideas for next week.
Thank you Manon! Writing this down always helps me clarify my thinking about those matters. I like things to be organized and clear for my own benefit, as well 🙂 Glad to hear that it gave you some ideas for future practices!
Thank you, this wonderful. I admire your talent