你喜歡用怎麼樣的練習開啟你的一天？｜What Kind of Practice Do You Enjoy to Start Your Day?

這陣子工作相當忙碌，讓我好久沒有時間，好好地進行一場瑜珈練習。

昨天終於稍微到一個可以喘口氣的段落，刻意比平常起得都早一點，給自己安排了一場早晨瑜珈。
當我踏上瑜珈墊，開始逐步的伸展自己的身體時，我才又再度意識到，身體的感覺是多麽的真實，工作的那些紛擾好像都瞬間褪去，成為背景音樂。此時此刻，只有我的身體和我的心，坦承相見。

再度把專注回到自己的身上，這種踏實的感覺，真好。

一段時間沒有讓自己好好的徹底伸展，每天都被困在辦公桌前數小時，加上早晨起床身體處於最緊繃的狀態，今天的練習以各種酸痛與緊繃開始。我沈澱思緒，專心感受身體在每個動作中發出吶喊。漸漸地，身體終於慢慢的甦醒並溫暖起來，筋骨也在一頻一動中被舒展延伸，我的呼吸逐漸穩定，心也在不知不覺中平靜下來。

我很享受這個過程，全神貫注在自己身上，專心地和自己的身體對話，感受每個動作在身體帶來的感受及變化。

你是否曾經留心觀察過自己的身體？

以我為例，我每次進行瑜伽練習時，感受最強烈的會是我的左小腿後側及右下背，這都是以前小時候不懂得保護身體，所造成的舊傷。這些舊傷若沒有妥善照顧，很容易再形成沾黏，造成緊繃疼痛、血液循環不良或氣血不順，在中醫或瑜伽中則稱為氣節、結結或「瘀」。

我的左腳踝數年前曾經扭傷過，當時沒有妥善的處理，造成常常以同一個角度再扭傷，扭傷若不是太疼痛我也不太以為意，造成多年後的我小腿肌肉施力有點不平衡（受傷的那側避免再度受傷所以會有自我保護機制，但這樣也造成另一側的肌肉使用過度），所以左腳因為長期不敢使用造成組織沾黏，導致活動力不佳，需要靠一些例如下犬式或是肢體前彎等伸展小腿肌肉的動作來幫助我徹底拉伸。

另外就是小時候沒有注意自己的坐姿。以前還沒有接觸運動與解剖學時，不知道為什麼無知的會有些奇奇怪怪的姿勢，例如我會把左腳盤起來放在椅子上，讓自己的屁股坐在左腿上，或是翹二郎腿，長期下來造成骨盆有點歪斜，這樣的不均衡也造成右下背慣性疼痛，還曾痛到差點連久坐都是問題，看了好段時間的物理治療才有好轉。但是已造成的問題已經不可逆，所以為了避免右下背疼痛的舊疾復發，我也必需常常伸展及放鬆我的下背，例如貓牛式或是眼鏡蛇式都是我久坐之後的好選擇。

一直到我現在成為了瑜珈老師，並且對自己的身體有了更多的覺察與認識，我才發現以前自己的無知，唯一慶幸的是，現在的我，學會如何觀察自己的身體，並且在狀況惡化前進行自我預防及療癒。

每次瑜伽練習，我會花時間感受我左腳小腿和右腳小腿的不同（曾受過傷和健康的身體感受真的會很不同），還有右下背因為舊傷，讓我在做動作時，總是會感受到較左下背的角度受限不少，因此我需要多關注在這兩處，感受每次的狀態，安排適合自己今天的練習。

隨著你的瑜伽練習越來越進入狀況，你會越能覺察到身體那些精微的感受，感受到能量的平衡，與氣血的順暢與否。

你喜歡用怎麼樣的練習開啟你的一天？

以我個人而言，會視今天的活動量及需要耗費的心神而定。
如果今天需要在電腦前久坐，我會選擇陽瑜伽的練習，例如拜日式系列加上一些比較有挑戰的體式，讓我的身體得以保持一定的活動力並促進血液的循環與代謝。如果我今天活動量會比較大，或是需使用大量的腦力，我會選擇多做陰瑜伽來讓身體取得平衡，讓自己不至於過度燃燒殆盡。週末較有餘裕時，起床前我會先在床上進行幾個陰瑜伽的伸展，讓身體從長長的睡眠中甦醒過來，然後接著冥想及調息練習，下午有空的話再進行陽瑜伽或是重訓的練習。

陰瑜伽有趣的地方在於，他讓瑜伽練習，納入更深層、更精微的身心靈考量。
我們身體的器官和經絡，其實影響我們生理及心理上的感受甚深，只是平常我們可能完全沒有注意到之間的關聯性。一但失去平衡，腎臟會與恐懼、害怕相關，肝臟關係著生氣和嫉妒，脾臟關係著執迷不和憂慮，肺關係到悲傷和傷痛，心臟則關係到憎恨及消沈（突然發現「大動肝火」這句成語其來有自）。

因此，我也會視我當天的心神狀況，安排陰瑜伽的序列：

平衡恐懼、缺少靈感，以及能量不足 ⮕ 腎臟序列
平衡茫然、散漫、久坐和電腦倦怠 ⮕ 腎臟序列
平衡生病、虛弱和脆弱的免疫系統 ⮕ 腎臟序列
平衡怒氣、怨恨、排解身體毒素及改善遲緩 ⮕ 肝臟序列
平衡急躁、挫敗和不滿 ⮕ 肝臟序列
平衡焦慮、散漫和自我懷疑 ⮕ 胃/脾臟序列
平衡悲傷、沮喪、執迷不悟和不舒服的感覺 ⮕ 肺部/心臟/大小腸序列
平衡消化不良、痙攣、憂鬱和思緒太多 ⮕ 胃/脾臟序列

給自己小小的自我覺察練習

安排自己的練習，我認為是個非常「浪漫及藝術」的過程。因為你必須向內和自己對話，需要探詢自己今天的身體狀況如何，慢慢覺察身體的哪個部分正在向你發出訊號。這個過程是需要時間及練習的，若是今天行程滿檔或是情緒高張，這樣的狀態是很難進行自我了解與療癒的，因此我會說這是個「天時地利人和」的過程。

平日工作若過於忙碌，沒有時間進行這樣的自我疏理，週末我會給我自己一些時間，讓自己重新聚焦。試著問自己以下的問題，並且試著去自我解答。

我今天的感受如何呢？
為什麼我會有這樣的感受和情緒呢？
什麼樣的瑜伽或運動可以讓我感覺更好呢？

慢慢練習透過這樣自我的覺察，找到最適合自己的方式，而非一味被動的接受台上老師的指導。雖然我自己是瑜伽老師，但我更希望幫助大家挖掘到內心那個可能從來都沒發現過的地方，去找尋到讓自己感覺最適合、最舒服的練習方式，畢竟每個人的身體結構都是獨一無二的，你當下的感受、經驗及狀態，就是最真實的，不會有第二個人有和你一模一樣的歷程和感受。唯有靜下心來，品味自己的練習，才能對症下藥，排除自己不論是生理或是心理上的不適或困頓。

接下來我會慢慢製作上面提到的陰瑜伽序列影片，有興趣的朋友歡迎繼續追蹤接下來的文章和影片 🙂

Recently, work has kept me in an extremely busy state, leaving little time for yoga or simply reconnecting with myself.

Yesterday, I finally reached a point where I could pause. Rising a bit earlier than usual, I decided to treat myself to a morning yoga practice. As I stepped onto my mat and began to gently stretch, I realised once again how real and grounding the sensations in my body were. The noise of work faded into the background, leaving me with only my body and my heart, meeting each other openly in that moment.

Refocusing on myself brought a deep sense of stability and calm. It felt wonderful.

Having spent so much time at my desk recently, with no opportunity to fully relax or stretch, my body was stiff and achy, especially first thing in the morning. As I settled into my practice, each movement brought with it reminders of tension and tightness. Gradually, my body started to awaken, muscles warming and extending with every stretch. My breath became steadier, and my mind followed, easing into stillness.

I enjoyed this process so much—being fully present with myself, having a gentle dialogue with my body, feeling each movement, and observing the subtle shifts that followed.

Do You Ever Take A Moment To Truly Observe Your Body?

For instance, I’ve noticed that certain areas—like the back of my left calf and my right lower back—often speak up during yoga practice. These are remnants of old injuries from my younger days when I didn’t know how to properly care for my body. If left unattended, these old injuries can lead to adhesions, tension, poor circulation, and what Traditional Chinese Medicine or yoga might call “blockages” in energy flow.

Years ago, I sprained my left ankle but didn’t give it the proper care it needed. As a result, I found myself repeatedly rolling it in the same way, overlooking the injury as long as the pain wasn’t too severe. This pattern led to an imbalance in my calf muscles: the injured side avoided strain, while the other side overcompensated. Now, to keep my calf mobile, I incorporate poses like Downward Dog or Forward Fold for a deep stretch.

Lacking knowledge of anatomy or the importance of proper sitting, I developed quirky habits, such as sitting with my left leg tucked under me or crossed-legged. Over time, this unbalanced position led to a slight pelvic tilt and recurring pain in my lower right back. It was only through a long course of physiotherapy that the discomfort began to ease. Though the structural issues remain, I’ve found ways to manage them with frequent stretching and relaxing postures like Cat-Cow and Cobra, which are perfect for counteracting the strain of long hours of sitting.

Now, as a yoga teacher, I understand and appreciate my body more. I see my past ignorance for what it was, yet I’m grateful for the awareness I’ve developed to observe, prevent, and even heal.

During each practice, I noticed the differences between my left and right calves and the limits in my right lower back compared to the left. These imbalances remind me to pay close attention to how I feel on any given day, guiding me to adapt my practice accordingly.

With a more mature practice, you may also begin to sense these subtle messages from your body. You’ll become more attuned to energy balance and the flow (or blockages) within.

What Kind of Practice Do You Enjoy to Start Your Day?

For me, it depends on my schedule and mental energy.
If the day ahead involves a lot of desk work, I choose dynamic, warming poses like Sun Salutations or energising asanas to promote circulation and keep me alert. On more physically demanding days, or when I need mental clarity, I turn to Yin Yoga for grounding and rebalancing so I don’t feel drained. On weekends, I love beginning with gentle Yin stretches in bed to wake up gradually, followed by meditation and pranayama. Later, if I have time, I may add a strength or flow session.

Yin Yoga, with its emphasis on deep, subtle aspects of mind and body, is especially enriching.
Our organs and meridians affect us profoundly, both physically and emotionally, though we’re often unaware of these connections. When balance is disturbed, emotions like fear, anger, or sadness can surface. In TCM, this relationship is mapped as the kidneys relating to fear, the liver to anger, the spleen to worry, the lungs to grief, and the heart to joy or sorrow.

Thus, I choose my Yin sequences based on my emotional and physical state for the day:

To balance fear, lack of inspiration, or low energy ⮕ Kidney sequence
To counter sluggishness or tech fatigue ⮕ Kidney sequence
For immunity and resilience ⮕ Kidney sequence
To manage anger and detox ⮕ Liver sequence
To ease frustration or restlessness ⮕ Liver sequence
For anxiety, self-doubt, or scattered thoughts ⮕ Stomach/Spleen sequence
To release grief or attachment ⮕ Lung/Heart/Intestine sequence
For digestion, cramping, or overthinking ⮕ Stomach/Spleen sequence

A Gentle Self-Reflection Practice for Yourself

I see arranging my practice as a deeply “romantic and artistic” process. It requires tuning into myself, asking how my body feels, and discerning which parts need attention. This self-inquiry is challenging when overwhelmed by work or emotions, which is why I reserve time over the weekend to reconnect. If you’re looking to cultivate this awareness, consider asking yourself questions like:

How am I feeling today?
Why do I feel this way?
Which yoga or movement would best serve me right now?

Developing this mindful approach can help you find your own practice rather than following a teacher’s guidance exactly. As much as I love teaching, I encourage everyone to discover the parts of themselves that may have been long hidden and explore what feels genuinely good. Each person’s experience is unique—only by quieting the mind can we truly attend to our needs, whether physical or emotional.

Stay tuned as I work on creating videos of the Yin sequences I mentioned above! I hope these inspire you to continue following along in your journey 🙂