“Tiredness is for the mind, not the body”, a colleague once told me when we were discussing about the issue of low energy and exhaustion that most people complained about. It made so much sense! Have you noticed, even if the exhaustion is from physical exertion, do we always feel rejuvenated after a period of physical rest (unless it is a good deep sleep)? Not if the mind is working overtime! In the guise of “resting” have you noticed the mind has been busy as ever, trying to rationalize why rest is necessary whilst feeling miserable about not “doing” anything, worrying about work pending, feeling guilty about being “unproductive”, comparing with others and how much they are able to accomplish... at the same time feeling sorry for oneself! The so called “rest” actually leads to more exhaustion.
If we look at the nature of the most exhausting thought patterns, they are mostly about two opposing streams of thought fighting with each other. Conflict is the staple food for the ego. The more we judge ourself or others' behaviour, struggle with choices in life, get caught up with what is “right” and “wrong”, what I/they “should be” or “should not be” doing, the less energy we have. Mind has become a battle field and our vital faculties are like wounded soldiers: weak memory, poor attention and decision-making skills, lack of energy and enthusiasm... Like a leaky pot, we continue to lose vital energy (prana). Prana also gets trapped in our conflicting belief and emotional patterns and the more the Prana gets stuck, the less we have at our disposal. We get caught in a vicious cycle recreating more traps for the Prana, all through life!
How can yoga help resolve these conflicts and release the stuck energy for our daily activities? How can we overcome this kind of exhaustion that is not necessarily coming from any organic cause? Let us not rule out the possibility of such chronic thought/emotional patterns actually precipitating illnesses in due course, if not dealt with appropriately...
Try this next time you are feeling really tired (in lying or seated position, to start with):
1. Recognize the familiar thought and its manifestation:
When the mind begins to chant, “I am so... tired/exhausted/burnt out etc.,” whatever way your mind labels that feeling, simply take notice.
Listen to the thought without judging or resisting it. Just listen, with care.
Listening is also about observing what symptoms in the body reflect this thought. “What is happening in my body right now?” Without trying to verbalize the sensations, can you simply observe what is happening in the body? Spend just a couple of minutes on this.
Scan through the whole body to identify those parts that are feeling dense, painful, heavy or irritable. Also those parts where you feel no specific sensation.
On a subjective scale of 0-10, make a note of how tired you are feeling.
Observe your breath: the quality of your breath reflects the actual quality of prana at your disposal. Is the inhalation short? How deep is the exhalation? Are you holding the breath a lot? Where are you feeling the breath in the body?
2. Allow and surrender:
Allow this tiredness to take over completely. Surrender to it. Mentally tell yourself, “it is OK to feel this tiredness” “I fully allow myself to feel this exhaustion”. Soak yourself into it, feel the heaviness in your body, deep inside your bones.
Let the body become really heavy with this feeling. If you are sitting, place your palms and feet down so that you can completely ground yourself and transfer this heaviness to the earth. If you are lying down, of course surrender your weight to the earth completely, letting go, dropping down...
The mind might still be busy doing its work. With each thought that arises, see it like a wave in the ocean of the body and allow that wave to sink into and merge with the bottom of the ocean. Exhale deeply and completely, allowing all thoughts, sensations to sink into the bottom of this ocean.
Hold your breath a few seconds after the exhalation. Observe the stillness - feel the complete, total surrender to the moment.
By now, you would observe your inhalation has become deeper and longer, moving into the abdomen, indicating that some of the stuck, stale energy has been released, creating more space.
3. Open and invite fresh energy:
Now focus on the inhalation, breathing into the abdomen (allowing the upper abdomen to expand) and continue to exhale slowly and completely. With each inhalation, you are inviting fresh prana to enter and fill the body. You may also hold your breath for a few seconds after inhalation that helps to build up and consolidate your energy resource.
4. Move if you like:
Simple opening arm movements, followed by seated or lying twist and a gentle forward bend with deep slow inhalation and exhalation will make a tremendous difference. Let it be intuitive, as you continue to listen to what the body wants.
Go back to your subjective scale and check the level of tiredness now. Has it shifted, even by a few points?
This practice will help us get in touch with some of our deep rooted thought and belief patterns that preoccupy the mind so often. Once we recognise the resistance, we can repeat the same process and release the stuck energy.
So, the next time your mind comes up with the familiar line, simply listen, smile and invite this sensation, surrender to it, let it seep through you, release and let go. Having cleared the clutter, now invite and enjoy the fresh, nascent prana... with each breath...
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
- The Buddha
Best wishes,
Saras
