Recently I took part in a yoga and mindfulness day. We started at 10 am and finished at 4 pm out at Lockton village hall.
I hadn’t met Kim prior to this and this was my first full day doing yoga etc. I have practiced before but, it was only around 5 mins a day just for recovery. I loved that is was encouraged to leave phones in the car and try not to look at them for an entire day. I didn’t even have my watch on to track the yoga and the walk. I thought if it was a no tech day, then it should be entirely a no tech day.
We started off doing moon salutations and learning the benefits of them. For those who do not know, moon salutations are supposed to de-stress you and ground you ready for the evening. Best done when the moon is up and sun salutations are the opposite.
Whilst break time rolled in so did the storm. The roof sounded like it was going to blow off and the rain had hit pretty hard. We had been lucky in the morning as we were in the eye of the storm.
Through out the day I did not go out to look at my phone nor did I use my watch. It was a bit strange not knowing what the time was or anything but I felt so much more relaxed from it as they day went on. Despite the rain we still went out for the mindfulness walk.
On the mindfulness walk we looked around at our surroundings and tried to focus on the there and now. Despite the mud and the rain, I managed some bits with that as I had to take my glasses off mid way through.
We stopped for the meditation session in a clearing by a river. This is where I noticed the soft sound of birds in the tress over the wind and rain. I watched a small aphid climb its way through the soggy moss. It looked like a forest for it compared to us and it was like a tranquil sleep. Despite getting soaked I actually drowned out how wet I was and just watched the rain and the river.
We moved up to an old church up the track where they was a grave yard. I get impressed by how the trees form in the wild and create these wild shapes. It is very fitting for graveyard and to sit in those trees and reflect is impressive. I actually found what I thought was citrine in a tree next to a few graves. I only noticed it as I was looking across the branches.
So there is no real reason why it was there, but it is known for cleansing and promoting spiritual growth. To absorb negativity and promote positive vibes.
Not something I would have thought I would have found on a grave site but there you go!
We came back in, stripped off all the soggy clothes and got into some nice warm dry ones. Being completely soaked through I had to go down commando as you do as I did not anticipate having to change my pants.
We started off doing longer stretches ready for Yoga Nidri which is yoga sleep. Trying not to fall asleep was the easiest bit for me but by the end I was fidgeting as I wanted to move. Yoga Nidri is a guided meditation that aims to induce the relaxation that is similar to sleep, whilst being aware of you surroundings.
I actually really liked this bit despite getting fidgety by the end of it, but I did feel completely relaxed and it was like a weird dream state. I want to give it another go at some point and incorporate it into my daily. Thinking for Sundays as that is when the work gremlins start creeping in.
From this workshop with Kim, I still use the bits I learned to this day. I have been doing moon salutations as a daily thing before bed. I plan on forest bathing a lot more often and since doing so my head is so much clearer. I found just gentle stretching before bed really sets you up for a good nights sleep and I have been waking up more refreshed.
LCW FITNESS 