MINDFUL MONTH — Interview with Jovana from Lao Yoga
MINDFUL MONTH of holistic habits & reconnection
— Interview with Jovana from Lao Yoga
As part of our thoughtful Interview Series of our Mindful Month of Holistic Habits and Reconnection we are now focusing on the body and movement. In conversation with Jovana, the inspiring woman behind the yoga studio Lao Yoga, we learn more about how we can use yoga practice to lean into the new season, embrace the time of hibernating and use it for inner self-reflection.
How do you ground and reconnect with your inner self in the shift of the seasons?
Jovana: There are many ways of grounding ourselves. For me of course, it’s my yoga practice and my mat. I use it as a main tool, which always helps me to understand and meet my needs, asking myself what really matters to me in this time, right now? Our priorities shift each season. As yogis, we are called to cultivate inner awareness and learn how to harness the energies present to us during various times of the year. During the change of seasons, the phases of the moon etc. So I choose grounding exercises to bring an awareness to the safety of the here and now, and to encourage my body and mind to connect and work together.
Keeping the spirit of the seasons in mind and listening to the inner rhythm of season gives us clues on how to attain balance in our practice. For example, the season of winter makes us more reflective and internally-directed. It is a time of hibernation, of looking within, and slowing down. There is less day light, more darkness, more quiet hours, and less prana (or vital energy). So I become very intentional about adding in more meditative, contemplative, and inwardly-directed practices to balance the physical asana practice.
“I have two gentle reminders to serve as tools for healing at this time of the year. First is rest, which means to be aware of my energy levels and try not to push past my “reserves”. The second is spending time in silence. Whether in meditation, contemplation, or reflection. It is a very sacred practice to me which allows me to hear the more subtle call of the Self and reconnect to essential parts of myself.”
Which mindful habits do you integrate in your daily life?
Jovana: I try to establish a regular meditation practice to fully experience the present, either in the morning or in the evening but it depends on how my day allows it. A 20-minute asana and pranayama practice is essential. During the day, I like to make space for a reflective pause, without music, without influences from the outside. A moment where i’m having a cup of green tea in solitude and silence, simply breathing, tasting, smelling. It’s also important to practice positive self-talk and gratitude. In the evening, my daughter and me have a bedtime ritual in which we sing or listen to a mantra together, look for the evening star and make a wish, or simply read a few pages from her book.
How do physical exercises positively affect the inner state of mind?
Jovana: Yoga is the only mode of so-called physical exercise which directly works on the mind via the physical body. Yoga not only infuses the body and the mind with fresh positive energy, but also harmonize it in the entire body. When the different parts of the body resonate with the same frequency, the mind loses its perplexity and it settles down into tranquility. Yoga asanas activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the nervous response which triggers relaxation in the body) and help switch off the sympathetic nervous system (the nervous response which keeps one on the edge of fight or flight possibilities). This happens because yoga seems to work upon a trio of the major glands of our endocrine system – hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the adrenal glands. As the activation of the parasympathetic system signals the brain that all is ok in the body, the brain drops its defense guards and relaxes. The more the mind becomes calmer with calming yoga poses, one becomes more mindful of oneself as well as the presence of the world around. Release of oxytocin, and endorphins while practicing yoga helps bury the negative emotions for the moment which imparts tranquility to the mind. Release of another hormone called melatonin also receives a boost with the regular practice of yoga poses to calm the mind, melatonin boosts the quality of sleep which is directly linked to a calmer mind.
Tell us about Lao Yoga and how you nurture inner self work in the context of your yoga classes.
Jovana: Lao Yoga is a matter of the heart that inspires you to open yourself to the path of consciousness and healthy interaction with body and mind. The aim is to carry one from the yoga mat out into the world in order to face the everyday challenges of life open-heartedly and with a little more ease and serenity. Lao Yoga creates moments in which you can let go and just breathe. It offers space to arrive in the moment and simply be - without judgement. Students come to class from very busy lives and situations that continually compete for their attention. This overabundance of stimuli means that we need to create an environment of space and peace so the practice can be absorbed rather than rejected.
„As yoga teachers, we guide with our words. So what I try to do is to choose a very essential form of language in the class. Through meditation, introspection, and moments of silence, we encourage inner contemplation. Our classes and programs are mindfully designed and are always connected to a specific underlying subject. It can be a conversation, a question or dialog we have during the practice that encourages deeper reflection or self-inquiry. It is an open invitation for students to blur the lines between how they feel on the mat and how they live their lives.”
Do you have a mantra to end this year with?
Jovana: “This is the beginning.” - But this is very personal. Everything in life — every situation and every relationship — has a beginning and eventually an end. This is what I learned this year. It’s important to appreciate and accept the end of an era — to walk away sensibly when something has reached its inevitable conclusion. Letting go, turning the page, moving forward, etc. It doesn’t matter what you call it, what matters is that you leave the past where it belongs so you can make the best of the life that’s presently available to be lived. So all endings are not THE ENDINGS, it’s just our life beginning again in a new way. So I keep repeating this and hope this mantra resonates with someone in the outside.
Which song makes you feel grounded and connected to your soul?
Jovana: Asilo — Jorge Drexler