It’s all about energy …

A few weeks ago, I spent the weekend exploring restorative yoga and meditation with a group of yoga buddies.  Boy!  Was I looking forward to that weekend after months of supporting family health needs, young adult transitions,  and various pet, pooch and pony needs without much of a break for myself at any time.  Two whole days of lying down in some of the yummiest yoga positions known to humankind, simply being mindful.  What could be better?

Well as it turned out, quite a lot actually.

By the end of two days, I felt REALLY down and that low mood continued for several days. 

But why?  

Isn’t mindfulness the keystone of emotional, mental and physical wellbeing?  Somehow we have developed a cultural belief in relaxation and mindfulness as the quick ‘fix-it’ for all our 21st century ills, but for whatever reason, my brain had missed the memo.

Mindfulness originated as a practice in the Buddhist tradition. In the modern world, it has come to be associated with paying attention in the present moment in a meditative way.  It has been cited as a cure all for everything from stress, depression and anxiety to coping with  modern living.  It is now used extensively by medical, therapeutic and non medical practitioners with a wide range of individuals and for a wide range of reasons.  

It turns out, however, that belief in the ‘super hero’ quality of mindfulness is a little displaced with Buddhist gurus being replaced by modern day theorists and scientists.  The evidence for its effectiveness is sketchy and even the good old NHS website notes that whilst mindfulness can be helpful, it is not for everyone and can make some people feel worse.  Yikes!

So did my low mode come from an extended stay in relaxation and mindfulness?

I popped the question to my yoga teacher buddies and we came up with a different theory.

In yoga, we talk about the Gunas, three fundamental energies that form prakriti or matter.  Everything in the universe, animate and inanimate is made up from prakriti and so everything is connected.  The Universe is in a constant state of flux as these three energies fall in and out of balance.

The three gunas are:

Tamas:  Ignorance and inertia.  A tamasic person may be prone to depression, apathy, boredom and self doubt. Tamas can be associate with the past and with acceptance

Raja: Action and passion.  A rajasic person may be passionate, and not know when to stop. Rajas is associated with the future, desire and the external.

Sattva: Purity and knowledge. This is the state of the harmonious present, awakening and conscious self knowledge.  It is the ideal state holding the other two in balance. A truly sattvic person may be happy in the service of others without aspiring to any reward for themselves.

We hold aspects of all three gunas within us, and they ebb and flow throughout each day, and throughout our lives.  After all it would be no good being rajasic when we need to sleep, or full of tamas when we have a job interview. Perhaps we are more rajasic when we are involved in our careers, but can become a little more sattvic raising our children.   In truth, we each also have a default, or comfortable state.  Call me Rajas, why don’t you?!!!

The important thing is to keep these energies in balance, and to tap into the one we need, when we need it.  We are resilient when we can move easily between one state and another, bouncing back quickly to a point of equilibrium and harmony.

So perhaps my low mood had little to do with the state of mindfulness itself, but rather more, an extended stay in the tamasic state, when my energies needed something a little different.  Perhaps too much tamas is not my thing and I’ll leave restorative yoga where I usually put it, a lovely practice to end a workshop or retreat. 

Vinyasa flow anyone?