Yoga and Meditation - Sol Flower Wellness

Do You Crave Peace and Balance Amid the Chaos of Everyday Life?

Does your body hurt? Are your joints achy and tired? Do you ever get out of bed and feel stiff and sore? Are you overcome by obsessive thoughts? Is it difficult to shut down your mind when it’s time to sleep? Maybe you find yourself short of breath at times or you just feel antsy most of the day. Sometimes you may get overwhelmed with the tasks of your day or allow fears to take over and rule your life. Like many of us, you may put yourself last on the list and wonder why no one realizes that you need a break too.

Maybe you have tried other forms of exercise or therapy and you still feel you could benefit from some extra tools. You may be looking for a way to nurture your own mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

Yoga and Meditation are Tools for Everyday Life

Yoga and meditation are great tools to take care of you. These are ancient practices that originated within Eastern traditions. Both were brought over to the West decades ago and have gradually been integrated into mainstream culture. People practice both yoga and meditation for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Meditation exists in many forms across different cultures and religions from a simple focus on the breath to guided meditation or just sitting in the silence. Meditation is very simple to learn, does not take a lot of time, and yields new insights and awareness each time you sit down to practice. You can practice by yourself or in a group. You may find that meditating in a group is a very powerful experience and enjoy sharing a sacred space with other like-minded individuals.

Although there are almost as many ways to practice yoga as there are people, there is one common thread: union of body, mind, and spirit. You may have wondered about yoga but don’t know where to start. Even though yoga has reached mainstream status, it is not unusual to feel apprehensive about it. Or, you may have attended some classes but the poses were not explained, or everything moved too fast, and you found yourself confused and frustrated. You are not alone in this experience. Yoga is a practice that has many benefits for everyone and being able to slow the process down, practice at home with an instructional video, or just discuss it further with a knowledgeable coach or teacher may be just what you need to enhance your experience.

Yoga and Meditation Are Healing Practices

Through gentle stretching, strength building postures, and proper alignment, your body can rest and heal. Yoga can help you to develop a body-awareness that allows you to know your body more intimately, listen to what it needs from you, pick up on stored emotions and blocks, and connect with your spiritual source. Meditation is a practice that assists you with becoming an observer of your constant thought cycles. Through this method of detachment and observation you can become more clear and intentional about where to put your focus, which thoughts to continue and which to stop.

Through meditation discussions within your therapy sessions, or practicing the meditations offered on this site, I can help you to integrate these practices into your daily life. I have created a few meditation and yoga videos and blogs that you may access on this site and use to inspire practice on your own from your home, office, or on the road anytime you would like. This option creates flexibility for you and does not require you to travel to my office at a specific time to reap these benefits. When you develop awareness of your breathing patterns, notice the openness and fluidity that you feel from postures, and the peace that comes with a regular meditation practice you may begin to realize that life is less overwhelming and you are more equipped to handle the common stressors that are a part of daily living.

So you would like to try yoga and/or meditation, but some concerns or questions are holding you back…

I’m not flexible, how can I do yoga?

The only flexibility that yoga requires is that of your mind. There are modifications for every pose and many times all that you need is an intention that moves you a bit deeper each time. One of the foundations of yoga is self-acceptance. When you work at your own pace, you are able to tune into your body and begin to self-regulate what you need in each moment.

Will yoga or meditation interfere or compete with my religious beliefs?

This is a very common question. Because yoga and meditation are often associated with Hinduism, Buddhism, and other ancient eastern traditions, you might wonder if either practice is religious in nature. They are not. Yoga and meditation are certainly spiritual practices, but they are connected to whatever spiritual or religious connection you have. These practices are tools to create a deeper relationship with your divine source; however you choose to define that.

What will I do with myself in all that quiet?

In the meditation platforms that I offer, the meditations are guided. This means that I am guiding you through a visualization or contemplation exercise and providing you with a primary focus. However, if you encounter a meditation that has a fair amount of quiet built in, recognize that the purpose of meditation is to observe your thoughts. So, while sitting quietly in the silence, you may practice exploring your feelings about quiet as those thoughts come up for you. There is so much insight to be gained from sitting with and observing your thought patterns and bodily sensations. Even the discomfort you feel is worth noticing. There is information for you in that. You may surprise yourself and realize that you actually love the quiet when it is provided in a nurturing, relaxing way.

I don’t know anything about yoga or meditation. Am I expected to?

You don’t need to know anything about yoga or meditation to begin. That is what I’m here for! What you can learn from yoga and meditation is infinite, so taking a lifetime to learn it would not be unreasonable. Yoga and meditation are, by definition, “practices,” therefore mastery is not the goal, but practice, practice, practice.

You Can Find Peace and Healing

If you are realizing that the benefits of yoga and/or meditation will serve to improve your overall well-being, start now by watching my videos below or listening to some of the meditations I have provided. I invite you to practice and learn along with me as you begin to build your own self-care regimen! Clear your body of thoughts and feelings that do not serve you and realize how quickly you can feel more open, breathe more deeply, and feel more connected and present.

START YOUR YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE NOW!

Explore the links below to begin