What's in a transition?

From a yoga perspective we call moving from one asana (or pose) to another a "transition". Sometimes these transitions can be pretty funky (wild thing into chakrasana or crow into chattaranga) and sometimes they can be simple (standing up in tadasana to sitting down in sukhasana).

When I am planning classes I really think about how each pose connects to the next and the importance of transitions. It's not just from a nice yoga flow perspective but also to avoid injury and ensure we are moving the body and mind in a way that is beneficial.

Off the mat we can also think about moving through the different chapters in our lives and the transitions we undergo with these changes. For example, the change from childhood to adulthood is not a quick change - it is a serious of subtle and gradual transitions.

The Victorian poet William Blake perfectly captured the change from the innocence of childhood into the experience of adulthood in his poetry. I think this transition is something many can understand and identify with - but what about the transitions that occur in our lives after we reach adulthood?

During my 300 hour teacher training with YogaBellies I learnt in detail about the different stages of a woman's life and how these stages affected things emotionally and physically. Starting with the inner goddess this is perhaps represented when a woman first reaches adulthood - a divine energy of strength and confidence. The type of yoga practice craved may be energetic (vinyasa or ashtanga based).

Moving from the goddess stage, we reach the mothering stage. One does not have to mother a child to experience this stage of life - indeed the mothering phase can be felt through anything from enjoying cooking, looking after and nurturing loved ones to tending to a garden and nurturing life with green fingers.

The mother is caring, devoted and sensitive. The type of practice associated with this phase of life may be softer and less challenging with a focus on meditation especially as the responsibility of taking care of others can present worry and anxiety.

As we move towards the next stage, I must flag that this is a transition which is not spoken about nearly enough! During the empower training I learnt so much about the transition from mother to peri-menopause and menopause. The timeframe of this transition can be up to 10 years and so much happens to a women physically and mentally. From grey hair and changing hormones to loosing 20% bone density, this is a time of life which needs to be understood and appreciated whilst the change is happening. It is not easy and women can benefit so much from restorative practice, meditation as well as strengthening of muscles to offset bone density loss.

Understanding how we can compliment the different stages of life with diet, exercise and communication is really a way for us to enjoy these transitions rather than fear them. Change is good and must always come.

Thanks for reading.

Namaste

Kim