Ah, September, the month of getting back to work or school after summer holidays. If you’re anything like me, September feels a bit like New Year’s: exciting new beginnings of classes or work, or returning to the rewarding and comfortable rhythm of structure.
Whether you’re experiencing your first journey away from your parental home or going back to school after a long period off, it can be a bit anxiety-producing or just generally over-stimulating with the excitement of new adventures. The social practice of meeting up with friends—old or new—over coffee seems like a great way to balance upcoming responsibilities with social time.
As you likely know, coffee is a stimulant, great for when you need a burst of concentration or to focus on your studies or to meet a work deadline. When it’s consumed daily or multiple times a day, however, it can lose its beneficial boost and lead you down a road of needing more and more for the same buzz. When we’re entering a period of increased energetic stimulation, it’s more supportive and balancing to reach for a lower-caffeinated, or altogether decaffeinated, drink you enjoy. It can take some getting used to, but you’ll notice with a bit of time that you’ll feel less jumpy and anxious, and even, for some people, less irritable.
Yoga is also great for balancing out anxiety or over-stimulation. If you have time for an entire class, wonderful. Pick a slower (notice that I’m not saying less challenging) style of flow or even opt for a yin class or a relaxing restorative one. Balance out the stimulating yang with some grounding yin energy. If you don’t have time for a class or even a few sequenced postures, opt for the ol’ reliable: savasana. In Sanskrit it literally translates to “corpse pose,” and it involves deep, full body rest (not napping), on the floor with a bit of focused breath.
Lay down on your back, legs slightly wider than hip distance apart (support your lower back with something under your knees if necessary), open your arms about 45 degrees away from your body, with the palms facing up if comfortable. Then, take five to 10 deep and slow three-part breaths. Breathe in through the nose down into the low belly, out into the ribcage, and, finally, up through the chest, right to the collar bones. Pause and then slowly exhale, through the mouth in reverse: chest, ribs, and then belly. Repeat.
Until next time, keep it real.