October Downshift in Paris: Week 3
Relax, slow down, laze, take it easy, put your feet up, chill the F out. If there’s one thing you should recommit to this autumn, it’s rest.
Welcome to the third and final installment in a 3-week series that is hopefully 🤞 giving you ideas for surfing this season’s changes. If all that means to you is laying on top of a bolster or drinking a London Fog (IYKYK) while staring out the window, our work is done 🤣
But seriously though, one of the advantages of paying attention to the seasons and the shifts from one to another is developing an awareness of how you respond to change. Do you resist it? Do you welcome it? Even paying just a little attention to how your body and mind respond to fluctuations in things as simple as temperature or light or sound can yield interesting data. As yoga teacher Amanda Dates like to say, practicing yoga is a lot like running an experiment in a lab: you test, you see what works, you learn from failure and you keep pressing on with your research.
Take a break
According to immunologists and other health experts, there are four things you should do this season to keep your immune system even-keeled and functioning at optimal levels: eat healthy, get your vaccines (Covid booster and flu shots, particularly if you will be traveling or visiting older friends/relatives), move your body and get some rest.
The food and exercise bits we’ve touched on a bit here and here, and the vaccines aren’t yet available (in France they should be at your local pharmacy by October 17th) so what we really want to focus on is rest. Rest is vital for vibrant health.
In October:
Sleep! We don’t all require the same amount however experts agree that adults need, on average, six to eight hours per night. According to research, not getting enough sleep or good quality sleep, reduces your body’s ability to fight off infection.
If you feel tired during the day, give yourself a five minute meditation break or if you’re able, try taking a disco nap. Rest helps to regulate stress which, when chronic, weakens the immune system.
If your body and mind are exhausted, balance dynamic yoga sessions (Yang) with practices like Yin, Restorative or Yoga Nidra which are a low-impact/high return way to unburden your body and unclench your mind (see ideas below)
Mind matters. When your brain hasn’t been given enough time to chill, your mood, performance and health suffer. Mental downtime is critical for recharging and restoring your brain’s ability to cope with this thing called life. Meditation is one way to reset your mind to zero, but a walk can also do the trick.
Relax, slow down, laze, take it easy, put your feet up, chill the F out. If there’s one thing you should recommit to this autumn, it’s rest.
From Yang to Yin: Traverser joyeusement l’automne (Paris)
at Mayashala with Marjorie Picard
As its title suggests, this workshop will echo the joyous transition into autumn by moving from an energetic (Yang) practice to a more contemplative (Yin) one. Asanas and pranayamas will be designed to welcome the descending energy of the season in order to find more balance and grounding, and to discover ways to float through this season by embodying its governing element, Air.
What you can expect: a full spectrum session set to an ambient and atmospheric playlist at this beautiful loft-like studio in the 11e arrondissement.
👉 Saturday Oct. 21st, 2023
👉 14h30-17h
👉 35€
👉 Reservation required
Unlock: Yin & Yang Hip Openers (Paris)
at Yoga Village with Paola Costa
The pelvis and hips are the seat of our personal power, as well as the seat of our mobility and flexibility—at once physical, mental and emotional.
Our legacies, histories and experiences are etched in the body’s memory at the level of, among other things, the pelvis and hips. This practice will seek to open, reveal and liberate the tensions in those specific areas of the body.
👉 Sunday Oct. 22nd, 2023
👉 14h30-17h
👉 45€
👉 at Yoga Village Opéra/Capucines
👉 Reservation required
Sign up via email: contact@yogavillageparis.com
