Wow, school holidays really are a crazy time, it’s so busy near where I live in Fremantle as it’s a bit of a tourist centre during the holidays. We are fortunate that we are able to enjoy this place when it’s quiet but when it’s peak hour, I feel like I’m stuck in a time warp with everyone buzzing around me and I’m standing in the middle of it feeling very out of place. I hate to generalize but in my experience, most people find it hard to slow down or just genuinely believe that they can’t. Reasons vary with some not wanting to slow down and wearing their “speed” like a badge of honor and then those that want to slow down but just can’t seem to find the time or just don’t know how!
Well, I’m here to introduce you to the concept that slow is the new fast! You see, I believe firmly that when we slow down, we actually achieve more and things also seem to slow down around us. In turn, this makes everything seem more manageable and less “fast” in the first place.
This is often reflected in the way I approach teaching my weekly yoga classes and here is why we often move slowly:
- Most of us need to slow down, not speed up so I’m catering to what most of you need (sorry if that’s not everyone but we can recommend “fast” classes if you want them!)
- Slowing down causes the body to switch into parasympathetic nervous system dominance or your “relaxation response” (Read more about the relaxation response here, a term coined by Dr Herbert Benson)
- More of your less obvious bodily systems are involved when you move slowly which means your central nervous system has an enhanced awareness of the areas you are working on ie more awareness = increased neural activity
- If you move quickly, you often skip over problem areas or don’t even notice them, try doing it slowly, it can be just as intense, if not more so!
- This equates to much less of a chance of injuring yourself during class, especially if you are a beginner to yoga or injured
- This allows you to “feel” the movement in your body rather than just “do” it leading to an expanded learning experience.
- It allows you to relax
- You will probably sleep better, this is the most common feedback we get about our classes which makes perfect sense!
- It allows you to relaxxxxxxxxxxx…
- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ………ok, you get the message right!
So, if you want so slow down, you have come to the right place, this is what we do and relaxation is pretty much guaranteed! Sound good? All you need to do is come along, I know it is hard in your “fast” life but join us for some “slow”, I promise you won’t regret it 🙂
Join our Beginners Yoga Classes in Applecross, Fremantle & Winthrop, Perth anytime! Slowing you down is our specialty but if you’re not nearby, we have a great referral network so please don’t be afraid to ask!