Easy yoga: give your body a massage

November 17, 5:40 AMPhiladelphia Yoga ExaminerJonathan Bartlett

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We all spend a little too much time inside our minds, if mine is any indication. It ricochets into the ‘past’ (did I really say that at the party last night??!!) and then into the future (omygok! Will there be enough food for the party tonight??!!), willy-nilly it goes, bouncing here and there and everywhere.

            Dizzying it is at times, and we all find some way to slow it down. We all, I think, have our own yogas, a method for controlling the mind activity, whether it’s playing golf or having sex or meditating--an activity that puts our awareness outside of the self.

            During yoga asanas, we perform the movements mindlessly by mindfully placing our awareness in our breath, in our bodies, in a mantra or a repetitive prayer. But if you have not yet taken a yoga class or done some asanas in your home, one easy way to temporarily disconnect from the mind is to give your body a massage--mindfully. 

Disconnect your thoughts, temporarily interrupt the self-chatter and touch your body with your hands. You can do this clothed or unclothed but I find it best to do it in the shower as warm water pelts my skin and the sound of the shower helps to drown out the mind activity.

Some yoga folks who have embraced Ayurveda(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda, more on that in a future column) recommend regular oiling of the skin, depending on your dosha, your particular constitution. Sesame oil is readily available and often prescribed. Since I have been shown to have Pitta characteristics http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv-pitta-characteristics.htm, it’s been suggested that I use coconut oil.

Me, I start at my toes, massaging the soft flesh that pads the feet, and examine my toes, funny little nubs they are, I think. Then I move up to the calves and the thigh, buttocks and genitals, repeat the procedure on the other side then move up the body, really feeling every part of my body, putting my awareness into my fingers and hands, and experiencing the sensations that arise.

Of course you can do it any way you want, but each time you self-massage, try to make it a new experience each time, as if your mind has just been planted inside this vessel and you are examining all of its features for the first time.  I think you’ll be surprised by the experience.

One last thought: if you choose to try this yoga, see if you can do it without recrimination, temporarily mute the critic as your feel your skin and your flesh.

Give it a shot, see what happens.

You have nothing to lose but your mind.