Do Less

I felt I needed to keep it simple this week. Many of us are in the middle of celebrating the various holidays that happen between November and the beginning of January and the last thing we need is something more to think about...or do.

So for this week here's my advice...keep it simple.


Do less. Take some time to sip a warm beverage. Snuggle into bed 15 minutes earlier than usual. Drive more slowly. Soak in the tub. Rather than putting something ON the "to-do" list, erase something instead. Take a leisurely walk after a meal. Spend less time checking your technology devices. Dig deeper into a conversation with someone you care about. Take an extra deep breath. Go to a Restorative or Gentle yoga class rather than your typical Power class.

Someone once asked me what would it be like for me to go at 70%. I said, "I have no idea as I never do...". Since then I have given myself the 70% experience and although it's not my default speed, I was actually OK with it. And don't tell anybody, I actually really enjoyed slowing down!

Can you be OK at 70%?

Try it out and let me know.

Darkness To Light

Here in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting short and the nights long. The natural environment seems to be drawing into itself and shedding excess leaves and growth until a more opportune time to grow and bloom. We are approaching the Winter Solstice.



I love the idea of the Winter Solstice as it relates to light. The actual day in 2011 is Thursday December 22 representing the shortest day of the year as it relates to the number of daylight hours that we see. From December 23 the daylight hours begin to lengthen.

We step from darkness into light.

Isn't that what our own personal growth is about? Gaining clarity about our own life path and purpose? Moving from ignorance towards greater wisdom? Turning inward to see our own inner light's radiance?



One of the fundamental teachings in yoga is that we are all born divine. This divinity possesses a radiance that is often referred to as residing in the heart center. Just look at a healthy newborn and you can't help but see that they are divinely perfect beings. And the thing is, that never changes...it never leaves us. What happens is that we simply forget. We travel through our lives and begin to disconnect from this notion of being whole and beautifully complete.



What our yoga practice does, is help us to remember. It helps us to still the distracting chatter of our mind and to celebrate the magnificence of our physical body so that we can connect once again to the light that lives within.

Let's take a moment on December 22 and connect to our inner radiance and all the potential that is sitting within.



The word Namaste' describes this precisely.



"The light in me, sees and honors the light in you. When we are both in this place, we are one."





Peaceful Solstice.

Into The Future

I've been living in the future...lately, that is. I keep thinking about things that are off in the distance-planning, planning, planning. I recently heard Bhagavan Das say, "we are so busy planning that the only time we stop planning is when we die...". Wow...that really struck me.



I've been thinking about things that haven't yet happened and in the midst of it all I've come to notice one thing. That I'm missing what's happening in the present moment. I've been so busy thinking about the next workshop, our upcoming tennis tournament, retreats in April and August, and in a more sobering tone, about death.



There...I said it. The big "D" word. Death is not a topic that people in our culture care to talk about. It's a subject that makes most of us uncomfortable. We hear about it on a daily basis, but it seems as though we're able to keep it at a comfortable distance away from ourselves, with a perspective that it's something happening outside of our own lives, until we are confronted directly by it.



Our eldest dog, Yindi, is almost 14 1/2 years old and if you know anything about golden retrievers, she's an old dog. Of late, she's been struggling with having an appetite, her energy is low and at times she's seemed indifferent to things that normally set her off, like a doorbell or phone ringing. My husband and I have been sitting on the precipice of "what's next" for our beloved girl. "Is it her time?". It's a difficult place to be when you see your pet at the precipice of transitioning.



Thankfully, we had someone who deals with animals in transition give us a huge reminder...she's still here. She's still present. Focus on her life and all the joy you've received rather than on an impending death.



It's inevitable...death (and taxes), right? We know it's going to happen to all of us at some point along our journey. And when we wear the mantle of always looking to the future, of planning ad nauseum, we can often forget the beauty of what is present. Take this moment to experience exactly where you are, fully present in this time of your life.



In this moment.



In this breath.



In this moment, Yindi is sleeping comfortably at my feet. She has inspired me ever since she was an 8-week old adorable puppy and continues to do so, including today as I sit down to write. She's here and so am I. I will stop planning just for a few seconds and I will breathe (and reach down to pat her head) in this moment.

One Good Story

Not long ago, Ed and I were driving someplace at the end of a long day and we began to catch up with each other as to what had been happening in our separate worlds.



It seemed as though Ed's day was one that had "tough/bad news" strung throughout it...he met a guy that held fear around recovering from heart surgery, so and so was found to be acting inappropriately with student athletes, his nephew was about to undergo knee surgery, the stock market was down, he didn't hear back from an important client....It was as though the road he traveled that day was strewn with things that were really hard and challenging.



As I had come to the end of my own day that had a similar set of stories, I simple turned to Ed and said, "Please tell me a good story...".



What is it about drama in life that keeps us interested?



All you need to do is watch the news for a nano-second and you'll know exactly what I mean. Or switch on a "reality" TV program, or talk radio and you'll hear the tragic back stories of all the people involved. For some reason, it keeps us dialed into that channel..."What happens next? That happened to someone I know! I'm so thankful that's not MY situation. Wow...that person is really messed up..." and on goes our internal dialogue, our reaction that ties us to it all.



I once heard of a news station that tried to offer only "good" stories and it failed miserably. Do we need to hear the bad to realize how lucky we are? Wow...I hope not. Is it meant to spring us into action, to propel us into a different social consciousness? Two reactions to seeing or hearing about human suffering are:



1. Turn away and pretend it doesn't involve you; OR

2. Do something about it



I am witness to #2 often within the yoga community. Yogis gather together when they see or hear about a person, place or group that is suffering and will often use a collective energy to help elevate the situation or people into a better place.



I often hear people talk about how much something disturbs them, maybe it's homelessness, and then they move onto the next subject. How about changing the story? What would it be like when you have the awareness of something that bothers you, that really lights your fire and inner drive and do something about it? What can you as an individual or in a collective group do to affect or change it?



When confronted with a "bad story", what do you do with it?



Are you able to rewrite a "bad story" into a good one. Please...share with me your "good story"!

The Gift of Giving

This week my thought is around the upcoming holiday season and how we approach our gift giving. This thought has been stimulated from a couple of different people-most recently by my friend Cheryl Thomas, a yogini extraordinaire based in Sebastopol who recently wrote a similar article in her weekly e-newsletter.



As a kid, I remember sitting down with the Sears catalogue, folding over the pages of each and every toy that I wanted; stuff I hadn't even laid eyes upon until they were displayed within this 400-page tome of goodies temptations. I would mark off page after page and exclaim with excitement to my Mom, "I want this! Oh...and look at this! I want this as well and this and this...". Of course, Christmas day would arrive and none of my ear-marked goodies were under the tree. I'm not complaining as I had abundant, memorable and exciting holidays with my family and was plenty satisfied at not only the gifts received, but being at home sitting amongst the low tide of wrapping paper scattered over the living room floor.



As I've journeyed along in my life, I have tried to find my own way of celebrating the holidays. It still includes some gift giving, but now my intention is aimed more at subtle ways of expressing how I feel about family and friends. Plus, being in a marriage where we also celebrate Hannukah adds a different element of what it means to give and receive.



I would like to think that I give what I can of myself always...throughout the year, not just at the holidays. So, when the idea of staying local with our gift giving came across my desk, I was intrigued. What is available in my local area that will give a gift to someone but also give to a local business as well?



Here are some ideas and I would love for you to share what you've heard about or have come up with:



1. Instead of going to a corporate store (Target, Macy's, Saks etc), buy from a locally owned shop. We have many of these in our area ranging from local artists, florists, foodies, clothing retailers and many more.



2. Buy a local service. Massage, car detailing, pet sitting, gardening, handy person or even a private yoga class for you and your friends.



3. How about a gift certificate from your local hairdresser, manicurist or barber?



4. Buy a series of yoga classes for someone wanting to step onto the mat.



5. How about a tennis or golf lesson with a local pro, or a round of golf at a local course?



6. We have some delicious local bakeries and coffee shops that would love to offer you their goodies.



7. Things need to be spruced up? How about hiring a cleaning person for a day or a professional organizer to help you streamline your life?



8. Get a computer tune-up with a local I.T. whiz.



9. Want some custom woodwork, garden beds or repairs-hire a local handy person.



10. Need some 1-1 support try a personal trainer or private yoga session.



11. Find a nutritional consultant to support better choices and options.



12. Offer gift certificates from local restaurants that encourage more plant-based, locally grown and organic foods.



13. More? Think of local musicians and bands playing at nearby venues and local craft/street fairs.



My list could go on but the whole idea is to think locally even if it might seem so much easier to shop online. If you're out and about in your neighborhood, stop in to see what your community has to offer. Not only will it support them and their businesses, but it will enhance the connection you have to your local community. Rather than buying something that is made overseas, see what a difference YOU can make by keeping it local.



We can all make adifference in our gift giving. May the holiday season be one of ease, peace and conscious giving!



If you wish to contribute ideas or names of services and businesses, please comment on the Desert Yoga Therapy Facebook page.

Gratitude

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving which lends itself to an easy (if not obvious) thought of the week...that of gratitude. Recently, I was invited via Facebook to join a group that has set the intention of writing and sharing five things that you are grateful for, every day for a month. I thought this to be a great practice, one that I can share with a larger community, but more importantly, a practice that reminds me of how incredibly abundant my life is.



If we find ourselves trapped within the looping negative dialogue where nearly every thought and sentence begins with something like:


"I'm frustrated with...

I don't have enough...

I'll never get...

I'm mad at...

I'm not worthy and...

This country is in a..."



Then maybe it's time to undertake a serious gratitude overhaul!



One of the many striking things we noticed when traveling through India was that people generally seemed happy. Not only were they incredibly polite, but how they greeted us as well, as the day seemed to hold an authentic sense of thankfulness. So many of these people had much less in the material world than we here in the States, yet their industriousness seemed to hold an underlying sense of being thankful for the chance to make a difference in our experience.



When we sit each day and engage in an inner dialogue that conjures up all that we're thankful for, it's as though a switch is flipped. We shift our perspective away from what appears to be lacking to what is present in our lives. A practice of gratitude lets us remember all that we are, all that we have and all that we can do. It's more than enough when you get right down to it.



So, for this Thanksgiving and the next few weeks, I will stay committed to my daily gratitude practice. Feel free to join me...you'll be thankful you did!

Deeper Into The Breath

Last week as I taught classes and sat with 1-1 yoga therapy clients I used breath awareness as a teaching point. As I did so, my own insight into the breath and its power became deeper. (If you missed last weeks "Thought of the Week" called Just Breath, click here).



The longer I practice yoga or converse with esteemed teachers, the more highlighted the breath becomes. It's not as though I never knew on an intellectual level the breath played an important role, but the actual practice of using the breath to alter attention, emotions, release tension and penetrate into my being continues to expand.



If we look at the Eight-Faceted Path expressed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras they are:

1. Yama (universal moral principles)

2. Niyama (individual disciplines)

3. Asana (physical poses)

4. Pranayama (breath regulation)

5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)

6. Dharana (concentration)

7. Dhyana (mediation)

8. Samadhi (spiritual absorption)



From this philosophical perspective, if you engage in the above practices you create a framework for living a yogic based lifestyle. The importance of the breath is integral to the yoga way because if you didn't include it, it would make the other practices something other than yoga. If you did physical postures without the awareness of breath it would be calisthenics; if you didn't have the breath to anchor your attention it would be difficult to pull the senses inward, to concentrate, much less glide into a meditative state.



The breath is the thread that connects our body, mind and spirit. We are thought to have five "bodies", called the koshas (also translated as sheaths). Our breath takes us from our most gross and obvious sheath (our physical body), through our breath, mental, intuitive and, hopefully, out to our blissful body. And who doesn't want to live in a more blissful state?



We need our breath to take us on this journey.



The other amazing insight that came to light this week was asking the question, "What other organ/system in the body is both able to function whether you are unconscious or fully conscious?". Can you dilate your pupils upon request? Can you digest your food just by thinking about it? Can you ask your heart to speed up or slow down (without using the breath)? Can you alter your temperature? I know I can't! But what I can do, is to bring my full awareness, my full consciousness, into how I am breathing. I can also completely ignore it without dying...my body will still breathe whether I'm thinking about it or not.



Ultimately, isn't that what our personal evolution is about? Consciousness? We become more and more connected to how we are living this life in a physical way through our bodies, in a mental and emotional way through our thoughts and words and in a spiritual way through our disciplines and actions. As these practices unfold, we begin to recognize that the key that opens all these doors is our breath.



OK...exhale. Digest these words and then...dive deeper!

Just Breathe

You're doing it now...as you read this. Your breath is most likely moving in and out of your body unconsciously, without you even noticing it. It just does what it does, minute after minute, day after day and year after year. In...out...in...out...



Now that it's been mentioned, perhaps you've begun to notice it. That's the amazing thing about breath awareness...we don't need awareness to breathe, but with awareness our breath turns into a powerful tool. Within a minute you can decrease your stress by paying attention to breath. You can stop yourself from blurting out words that you'll regret and can't retract. You can begin to calm and alter the voice of the harsh inner critic. You can begin to unwind tension in your body. You can notice subtle scents.



On a deeper level, the breath penetrates into the darker chasms of our consciousness, the place where we begin to become a witness to, rather than a participant in, our "stuff". If we have a feeling of confusion and begin to settle into our breath, we begin to unravel what is at the heart of the chaos. We can let ourselves "be" in the experience from a place of compassion and non-judgment. We begin to see what it's like to identify and sense the experience without feeling like a choice-less victim to it.



How do we tap into the power of the breath?



Through practice...over and over again.



You can begin now.



Sit tall with your back away from the chair if possible. Place your feet flat on the floor and rest your hands in a comfortable position on your lap.



Close your eyes and exhale as much of the air out of your lungs as is comfortably possible. As you begin to inhale, allow your navel center to move forward away from your spine and fill the lungs with air, expanding your rib cage. Hold the breath in for a couple of seconds and release into an exhale. At the end of the exhale, feel your navel center drawing back in toward your spine. Pause and repeat.



Breathe through your nose if possible.



Make the breath smooth and even.



Easy.



Don't just read about it...TRY IT!

Giving Unconditionally

Have you ever given someone a gift, done them a favor or sent them a card and then heard nothing in return? Nadda...zippo...zilch. Not a word. How does this make you feel?



Typically in our culture when we give something to someone else, we are taught that it's polite to say something such as "thank you" in return. A non-response can leave us wondering if the person received what we sent and if so, why they hadn't acknowledged it.



Yoga teaches us about giving in a slightly different way. It's called SEVA or selfless service. When we attach an expectation to giving it can lead us toward disappointment particularly when we aren't acknowledged in return. The practice of seva goes deeper than giving and receiving. It's a simple practice of just giving. The giver offers a service and the act of giving is enough with no expectation of a reply.



It's a practice that teaches us to open our hearts, let go of expectation and feel what it's like to simple do something or give something to someone else. I'm not saying that this practice tolerates ingratitude, but it shifts our motivation for giving to just that...to give. If we can offer some aspect of ourselves to someone in need, or out of love and not bristle if that's the end of it, then we are stepping into the practice of unconditional giving.



This idea relates to last week's topic of holding space for someone else by being an attentive listener. Can we offer to listen without the lure of fixing the other persons problem or offering unsolicited advice? Can we make a donation at a charity event and not expect to get a goody bag in return? Can we let go of our attachments to words, items, time or even sharing our lunch by giving these freely away?



When we are in the practice of service, it has the potential to fill a deep need- to feel appreciated and helpful to others. It's to offer support in a way that doesn't have a monetary value connected to it. It's as though the act of seva teaches us to be rewarded by the act itself and not the resultant outcome.



Find some way this week to put yourself into selfless service. It may not put food on your table, but it will be a feast for the soul.

Me, me, me, me, me....

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that one of the messages that is a common theme is taking time to look after yourself. I'm big on that. I am often in classes encouraging people to make time for themselves, particularly amidst an often

hectic schedule. Getting yourself to a regular class is part of the strategy as is taking moments throughout each day to connect to your breath and dive deeper into your heart.



My thought for this week is looking outside of ourselves and being there for others. Have you ever been in a conversation with somebody, telling them about something that's been going on in your world and they reply by turning your story into their own, somehow shifting the conversation to being about them?



One of my favorite lines in the movie "Beaches" with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey is when Bette's character says to Barbara's character, "OK...enough about me. Tell me, what do you think about me?". That's what I'm talking about.



One of the limbs of the eight-faceted path of yoga are the precepts of the Yamas. They include: Ahimsa (Compassion/Nonviolence), Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Nonstealing), Brahmacharya (Nonexcess) and Aparigraha (Nonpossessiveness). The topic this week relates to the third yama of Asteya, or nonstealing.



So how does flipping a conversation back to oneself relate to asteya? As Deborah Adele writes in her book The Yamas & Niyamas-Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice, "asteya calls us to live with integrity and reciprocity." When we undertake "one-upmanship" on somebody we are stealing from them in not letting them be heard or express how they are feeling. We bring ourselves into a place of needing to speak our voice and not offering to be silent and simply listen.



And just as last week's topic was around leaving space for yourself, this week is the other side of that. Being able to hold space for others. Communicating from our hearts and being received by someone who listens is often a rare gift.



Is this a gift you can practice this week? Can you offer a safe place for people to be heard? Can you notice when you want to jump into the conversation and make it about yourself and resist?



This is part of the yogic practice of Asteya. It's part of the process of taking our yoga off the mat and into our day.



Try it...it feels amazing to be a great listener!

Leaving Space Space For Ourselves

Traveling is a great teacher. When we step out of our ordinary and habitual schedules we reconnect to meeting our basic needs-food, shelter and getting from place to place. Where will we be staying? How do we get from the airport to the hotel? Is the food safe? Is the water clean? Can I walk or do I need some other form of transport?



Being in India was a practice in meeting basic needs and once we felt safe and settled, a space of open possibility was present. Once our most basic needs were met...what will we do with our time? For me, it meant meditation, reflection, reading, learning, exploring and experiencing all that my senses could handle.



So now that I've returned to my every day existence, I have asked myself the question "How can I continue to leave space for myself, particularly when I am facing a ramping up in my schedule?".



Are you someone who molds themselves around other peoples lives be it your family, kids, job, friends or significant others? Do you give of yourself to the extent that there's no time remaining for you?



One of my intentions is to remain in an awareness where I leave space for myself. It's an intention of not over-scheduling or over-commiting, but practicing being OK with no firm commitment. But more so, it's about having at least one thing that I do for myself everyday that's beyond my basic needs.



I have heard some yoga students say recently, "I need to get back to my yoga, or I know how important making time for my yoga is..." To me, that's leaving space for ourselves where we stay committed to doing something that nourishes and supports us on a deeper level of our being.



Perhaps this week is a good time to ask yourself the same question, "How can I leave space for myself?". And decide what that looks like within the framework of your daily life. If you need to, pencil it into your daily diary. Make an appointment with yourself. It will be the best gift you can give yourself because when we feed our own fire, we bring light to others.

Self Reliance

One day during our recent trip to India, we were taking a tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) out to Sarnath, the place where the Buddha was thought to have given his first sermon five days after his enlightenment. As we were bouncing along the road, our driver dodging and weaving to avoid cows, pot holes and other vehicles, I noticed this young child walking by himself along the road. He would have been no older than two years, partially clothed and seemingly quite at ease ambling along by himself, no apparent sibling or adult within sight.



I thought to myself, "Wow! You'd never see that in the States...a kid under two just walking down the road with no obvious care in the world". It would freak people out, just as the sight of this solo child made me stop and think about how different life was in India.



I realized that from as young an age as possible, many of the kids we saw were being taught self-reliance. Intentional or not it was a striking difference to what I knew.



It has led me to my thought for this week that of relying on others. If we need support, assistance or help, can we ask for it? Do we seek out people to do things for us or "fix" us to avoid our own responsibility of looking after it ourselves? How does the practice of yoga fit into the idea of self-reliance?



One of the many beautiful things about yoga is that you can do it anywhere. You don't need a sticky mat, groovy designer yoga clothes or soft lights. Yogis from way, way back practiced on dirt in not much more than a loin cloth. They did have a teacher (guru) to help open the doorway to the practice, but as soon as the door is even cracked open, the student can begin practicing on their own.



I know that when I started a more regular asana (physical) practice, my need for chiropractic adjustments all but disappeared. I no longer needed to wait until an issue arose to have someone adjust me into a better place. I was doing that myself through the practice. I'm not minimizing the need of a chiropractor, or any other health practitioner, but how much responsibility can we take for our own health? Unfortunately, our culture is awash in having an issue and solving it with a prescription for medication.



How can we own our own health without putting it into the hands of others?



We can do so by better understanding our relationship to ourselves...all aspects of ourselves-body, mind and spirit. Yoga is one way to deepen this knowing by putting through conscious connection to awareness of breath, to moving our body, and to changing our inner dialogue to one which embraces who we fully are.



Yoga teaches us to become reliant on our inner voice. To trust our instincts and intuition. We glean what is needed to open our hearts from its teachers and teachings so that we may ultimately be in a fully loving and compassionate relationship with our own self.



And just as this two year old Indian boy mosey down the road, we too can find a sense of freedom by taking wellness into our own hands and using the support of others to enhance the process.

Grateful For Choice

Having just returned from my first trip to India, I was given so many different insights, gifts and experiences. What to share? Where
do I begin? How do you concisely summarize such a wild journey?



Overall, it was an amazing adventure with all of my senses being fully switched on and often into overdrive. Sights, smells, tastes and hyper-vigilance caused my being to become electrified with excitement. India is such an incredibly diverse place with rich history, vibrant colors set against a deeply embedded spiritual backdrop.



It has a busy-ness to it that is uniquely Indian and what appears to be untamely chaos, seems to flow smoothly in its own rhythm. As we traveled along the often pot-holed roads, catching glimpses of camels, cows, donkeys and the odd elephant, it gave me good time for reflection.



I often had the feeling of how fortunate my life is...not just through abundance, but primarily through having choice. It's my ability to choose how I live my life that really struck me. I saw creatively industrious people, working all angles to find a way to earn money often with the aim of simply feeding their family. My impressions of a male dominant society had me reflecting on how I am able to choose to create my own business as a woman. People would ask my husband what he did for a living, but wouldn't ask me what I did, perhaps assuming that I didn't have a career other than looking after my husband (which is quite a traditional and valued role in Indian culture with people we came across).



I realized that if I do work hard I can make a difference in my socioeconomic reality, that I'm not necessarily born into a role that I have to stay with throughout my life. That my choice for education is abundant and varied. I can become anything I set my sights on...I didn't necessarily get that impression with the people that I met along the way.



I left India feeling as though it gave me the gift of remembering and recognizing my many blessings. That I have been given opportunity in my life that is unheard of in other lives.



Thank you India...I look forward to returning to learn my next series of lessons.

And Away We Go...

It seems as though when we have some plan sitting off in the future that it will never get here...and then-BANG-it's here!



Ed and I leave this week for Australia and then onto India. After setting our feet on Aussie soil, we will spend some quiet time adjusting to the time zone by staying at a resort just north of Cairns. Then the days that follow, I will be teaching at Sanctuary Retreat in Mission Beach, a magical place that seems to be sitting within an energetically healing vortex.



From Australia we then fly to Delhi, India...a maiden voyage for both of us. It's taken months of planning, emails, vaccinations, packing and re-packing and we hope that the pre-trip effort will make for a smooth and of course, adventurous journey. We spend 20 days touring India, fly back to Sydney, Australia for a stop with friends and rest before arriving back in the States September 29.



When people hear how long we'll be away, their jaw drops. It's quite unusual for Americans to take more than two consecutive weeks to vacation. Aussies and Europeans on the other hand see it as being quite normal. We are taking this time because we can...we are in good health, have gratitude that we can afford to go and more importantly still have an unquenched thirst for adventure and a curiosity to explore. We didn't want to look back and say, "I wish I would have done it when..."



So, away we go...to see more of this incredible planet, to taste things that are unfamiliar, to see a culture that birthed yoga, to meet people that are different to us and be fully immersed in each and every moment.



Love

Light

Peace

&

Namasté

Continuous Flow

We recently returned from a short camping, yoga, music and white water rafting trip along the South Fork of the American River. It was the perfect combination of connecting to things that light my fire...the fire that resides not only deep in my heart, but within my soul.



The river was a metaphor for life. As I sat in early morning meditation, listening to the ripple of the rushing water it reinforced the ever-changing moments of our ordinary lives. It reminded me that nothing in life is permanent, but is constantly facing change and transition. As the river flows, it comes up against obstacles...often huge exciting rocks that create power and white water. When we're rafting, we face it head on most of the time, but sometimes hit them sideways or even backwards giving our hearts a rush of adrenaline, an instant of being completely absorbed in the moment with absolutely no distractions. Paying attention to anything other than the river could mean a harder journey, falling into the current and being at the mercy of something greater than ourselves.



The river gave the opportunity to simply let go. To allow its grace to carry us along its path as well as giving the gift of being able to absorb the beauty of the natural environs. The journey down the river provided contrasts of hot summer sun and cool river water. Of still pools and roaring rapids. Of peace and the deafening sounds of nature.



It is said that we never step into the same river twice. When your foot enters the water, if you were to remove it and step back into the exact location, it would be a different river than the moment before.



The river is life. It is our life.



It was a blessing to be with Mother Nature and realize even more deeply who I am.

Bumps In The Road

Ever have one of those days? You know, the one that seems to have a string of events where you think, "geez, when it rains it pours. One more bad thing and I'll have to call it a day".



I had one of those days this past week where it all began with a lousy night of sleep, followed by a dog with malaise, rejected credit cards (unknown fraudulent activity alert), phone calls to the bank, clients canceling appointments and blah, blah, blah. On and on it endlessly unfolded. By the time I sat down at the end of the day, just before teaching an evening class, I said to Ed, "it's days like these that I appreciate getting on my yoga mat even more...". We agreed that when we look back, we won't remember the details only that we had some bumps in the road.



Life does cycle through highs and lows. It's as though all of our experiences are a pendulum swinging from one side to the other. What our yoga practice teaches us is where to find the middle, rather than to inhabit the extremes. I once heard a quote that went something like this, "when we can see both sides of a situation with neither of them being right or wrong, it's called wisdom."



In recognizing that both sides exist; joy/sorrow, hope/worry; hot/cold; happy/sad; satisfaction/frustration etc, we can fully appreciate where we are at and realize that life isn't static, but always changing. It assists in helping us to appreciate the present moment, to know that if this moment feels lousy, I know potentially the next may also feel lousy, but it may also shift into feeling better, even glorious. What keeps us coming back to the full experience of the moment is easy...it's the breath. There is nothing more present than the breath you are in the process of breathing.



So, when things seem more challenging than usual, know that this too shall pass. That we can connect to our center by paying attention to our next inhale.



Now...breathe in and ahhhhhhhhhh!

Have You Been To The E.A.C.?

E.A.C.=East Australian Current...what you may be asking has that got to do with yoga?



I've just had my anniversary. It was five years ago this month that I began a relationship with my inner self. A formal commitment of sitting on my meditation bench or cushion every day. In the beginning, I had some resistance to getting up a half an hour earlier than my usual early morning rise. Sleep was such a tempting companion. But, I promised myself that I would stick by my vow to sit in quiet everyday.



Five years later I can report that not only am I still in this daily courtship, but it's gotten better over time. In fact, I am now aiming to lengthen my sessions aiming for a minimum of 45 minutes each morning. It seems I have once again been inspired to do so through reading Sally Kempton's book, "Meditation For The Love Of It". Now she doesn't talk about the E.A.C., but that's one of the things I thought of through her teachings.



The YouTube Scene above from the movie, "Finding Nemo" is where Marlin, Nemo's Dad, meets Crush, the sea turtle. Marlin tells Crush the story of how Nemo was taken to Sydney and he's on his way to rescue him and needs to find the fastest route which is the E.A.C. Crush, the Southern California inspired surfer dude turtle, tells him "Duuuude, you're in it" and to hold on tight. I thought of this scene as a representation of the flow of universal energy that is present and within all beings.



When we allow ourselves time to settle below the surface agitation of our thoughts, we begin to connect to this current of energy. The energy is subtle and is always present, but as we live our busy lives we often pile layers and layers of distraction on top so we forget it's even there. We might have glimpses of it as we play or listen to music, walk in nature or see the adorable face of our pet. Wouldn't it be amazing to know this feeling always?



Putting our backside on the meditation cushion is a practice that offers daily chances to experience this deeper, more subtle and sublimely opulent aspect of ourselves. It's the time where we touch "spirit" and begin to know who we truly are, not defined by what we do or the roles we play, but our true selves.



Before my commitment to my meditation practice, I was a theoretical meditator...I had read about it for years but rarely practiced. The most recent discovery I've had through my practice is creative inspiration coupled with a drive to put things into action. Fear is always part of the equation, but as I recently read, if you have more love than fear, you can do anything. And being at 51% love and 49% fear, still works.



If I add up five years of seated meditation it equates to 912 plus hours of getting to know me. And just think, I could have spent that time doing something else, like purusing Facebook or watching TV.



It's an adventurous ride, find your current and as Crush would say, "Dude...hold on tight!"

Me? I'm Too Busy...

Do you save relaxation time for when you go on vacation? If so...read on.



This past week I was introduced to a new group of women who had a great assortment of backgrounds, professions and interests. A couple of them asked me what I did and I replied, "I work as a yoga therapist within a medical practice." The next question was, "what do you treat most often?". I hesitated for a moment to sum up the many challenges that come into the studio and I said, "What I see the most is women who don't make time to look after their own needs". Both women had a momentary pause and then began shaking their heads, agreeing in unison.



My restorative yoga teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater recently said, "There's a difference between sleep and rest. And you need both every day". Have you ever caught yourself saying, "I'll get rest when I__________...go to bed; go on vacation; finish the housework; write my novel; balance the check book etc...."



Is during sleep the ONLY time you rest? What if your sleep is interrupted or shorter than usual? What if this happens on a regular basis? If this is the cse, you are missing out on two key ingredients to balanced living---sleep and rest. It's during our down time that the body literally catches up with itself. It's able to process all that it's been exposed to throughout the day...cellular metabolism and breakdown, digestion, thinking, feeling, reacting and reading are just a few. If we neglect putting the brakes on to allow the time and space to regenerate we run a greater risk of breaking down...you can run from it, but you can't hide.



So this week I would suggest increasing your awareness of how you spend your time resting. When I was in kindergarten, I had a snappy napping mat, blue on one side, red on the other and edged in white piping. We had time-outs given to us during our half day at school, not because we misbehaved, but in order to recharge our batteries. Lights low. Quiet. No talking. No doing. Simply hanging out on your red and blue mat.



As adults we can do the same thing. Go into a quiet place. Lower the lights. No talking. No doing. Simply hanging out. If I could manage it as an extremely active five year old, I'm thinking you could as a grown up.



Get out your nap mat. Or better yet, take a restorative yoga class.

Choice

With Independence Day approaching here in the United States, I was reflecting on what it means to me. What came up was having the ability to choose.



I remember an experience I had when I returned to western culture after spending 6-months in Africa. I was in London and headed to the supermarket to buy some basics. As I stood in the brightly lit and wide aisled store, looking at the enormous selection of cereals all I experienced was the feeling of being completely overwhelmed. There was just simply too much to choose from and my next reaction was to leave.



Yet at the same time, I was struck by how much we take for granted, particularly as it relates to the number of opportunities we have to choose from. In less fortunate countries, there may be only one cereal choice, if any at all. You might go for days and only subsist on bananas and maize meal. In the developed Western countries, we have created abundance and much of this began when people left their countries seeking other places in which they had more choice, more opportunity to live as they wanted and not as they were told.



The Fourth of July reminds us that we wanted to be able to create our own utopia with freedom to practice speaking, praying and expressing ourselves without oppressive censorship. It took a collective courage to realize the need and seek a path of creating a way of life that supported this ideal.



Our yoga practice is a way of seeking our own liberation and manifesting it into something that is greater than ourselves. But, we must first know what it is that we need to connect to, our own inner freedom and then trust the ancient methods that have been passed down through generations.



The Buddha said that suffering is a given in life and through making particular choices about how we undergo our daily existence we can move further away from this suffering to liberation. Brené Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W a research professor of Social Work (author of the book, "The Gifts of Imperfection") found that we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Thus, if we have difficulty in tapping into our own hearts, how can we fully connect into the heart of others? By uncovering our own deeper need, one of which is love, we can begin to not only better our own lives, but more fully engage in other peoples lives...you know...spread the love from the inside out.



As we engage in the process of discovering what we need more of in our lives (peace, knowledge, freedom or socks), we can then begin to set in motion our plan of striving to reach it. Just as our forefathers knew they were suffering and sought freedom, we too can look at our own lives from a similar perspective.



This brings me back to cereal. We have so much opportunity sitting within reach. We have so much (sometimes way too much) to choose from that we often forget that having choices is a result of having freedom. For those less fortunate, they can still find freedom in their hearts and spirits. For us, we have the chance to not only choose between the high fiber/gluten-free granola or Captain Crunch but also how we choose to be in a relationship with ourselves, other beings and our planet.



I am grateful for being able to live in a country where I have the power to choose. Happy Independence Day to all!



Now let's go check out some fireworks!

Stepping Up To The Edge

Every summer as I was growing up, my family would pile into our Ford station wagon, loaded with camping gear and head for some state or national park. As we walked the park trails and stop at the vista points, I would walk right up to the edge and peer over at what lay beyond or below. My Mom's hand was often felt holding onto the waistband of my shorts for fear that I might check out whether or not I could actually fly. These moments exhilarated me and terrified my Mother.



Over the years that same curiousity has brought me to the edge of where things feel safe and then start becoming scary. With the recent release of my CD, I have felt a similar sensation...that feeling of bordering on the fearful edge of the unknown. This place is slightly different to the primal fear of plunging over a cliff, yet it all boils down to the same basic instinct.



The CD experience is a new one for me: taking the seed of an idea, growing it into an actual product with the support of my brother Ken and then releasing it into the public arena. The most terrifying part is that of the release and the feeling of opening myself to not only judgment but failure. It could be a flop. People could think that I have no idea what I'm doing. What was I thinking?



So why do it? Why risk failure?



Why not! It's the experience as a whole, regardless of the outcome that is a fantastic teacher. It has offered an entirely new set of challenges and, hopefully, opportunities. We have a limited amount of time to change not only our own lives, but impact the lives of others. So why wait until it feels safe and holds no fear.



If we relate it to our asana practice in yoga, it's that moment of experiencing our first handstand, headstand or shoulder stand. When the support of the wall is no longer there and we're holding ourselves upside down all by ourselves! It's not as though one day we just decided to turn ourselves head over heals and found complete success and ease. All poses are built on a foundation and a set of progressions. We go through the basics to reach into a deeper place of each pose and one day, we find ourselves upside down.



Fear is what keeps us in check. It's what steps in front us and says, "hang on a minute...are you sure you want to go there?" When we can face the scary moments in our lives such as relocating, quitting our job, releasing a CD or kicking up into a handstand, it's as though we can acknowledge the inherent fear and ask it to simply step aside.



So what fearful voice is sitting in front of you at the moment? Have you laid the foundation to be able to feel the fear and do it anyway? Go on, step up to the edge and challenge yourself!

Play Date

When I was a kid one of the main objectives in each day was to play. The sound of the bell ringing for recess was sweetly received and I'd rush out to the monkey bars and repeatedly flip myself over in circles, find an open swing, enter into a game of hotly contested dodge or kick ball or try to maintain my queen of the hill status as a tether ball maestro. I couldn't get enough of it. I simply loved to play.



When I saw the class schedule during my first year as a physical education major, I was curious as to the subject called PLAY THEORY...really? A class about play? What could that possibly entail? Well, quite a bit. as I came to learn more about the subject, I came to understand the distinctions between play and non-play (often referred to as work). Play is by definition undertaking something simply for the sake of the experience. It's an intrinsically motivated process where the outcome is irrelevant. No prize, no paycheck, no finish line, no personal best. As a result of being motivated intrinsically, we gain a deep satisfaction for engaging in something purely for the "fun of it".



As we transition from being kids into teens and adults, we are discouraged from playful behavior. "Quit fooling around. Focus. What's your goal? What are you going to do when you grow up?" are often phrases that confront us during this transition. If we replied back, "I don't know, I just enjoy learning, or sleeping, or swinging, or hoola hooping" we'd be seen as having no direction, being lazy or apathetic.



Now I'm not suggesting that we don't have goals or ambitions. But why do we need to let go of playing? What sparks your interest, makes you crack up laughing or drives you to dance and whistle? What are you passionate about that doesn't need to have a dollar sign attached to it? And if it does...isn't that a playful bonus?



With Father's Day arriving tomorrow, I am reminded of how playful my Dad was. We used to play catch or volleyball, go hiking or sit around and shoot the breeze. On the way home from church one day, we even had a skipping race down the hill to our house ...can you imagine a grown man skipping as fast as possible down a hill as he raced his daughter? I don't have to imagine it...I remember it as being one of those embedded highlights of his playful nature. With Dad racing down a hill, skipping no less, he was teaching me that it's ok to be playful as an adult.



And as my Mother used to say, "now go outside and play..."



Well then...off you go!

Shifting Gears

Here in the northern hemisphere we are about to experience the summer solstice-the longest day of the year. What this signals in my world is a downward shift from high season to the lower gears of summer. Being desert rats, we get somewhat accustomed to three straight months of triple digits...we're a hearty and heat loving kind of people. As the temperatures rise, the seasonal people begin to flee, leaving us plenty of room on our roads, ease of getting into restaurants and a definite sense of a letting up.



I have been very blessed with what seemed liked my busiest season ever and, quite frankly, I now feel a bit beat up. Parts of my body have been aching, my energy is lower than the amped up speed of the season and I'm just getting over a cold. I find myself thinking, "what gives?". And then I begin to recognize an old pattern, one that I experienced during every semester break and holiday when I was at university. My studies and activities as a physical education major had me pushing myself both academically and physically. Add part time work into that mix and I would find myself getting slammed with some form of cold, flu or infection during every break. I felt as though I couldn't catch a break...time off was spent sniffling, taking decongestants and spending my "free time" feeling lousy.



Since we moved to the desert (a dry climate) and I dove deeper into my yoga practice, I can't remember the last time I got hit by a cold. Until now. I think it's a universal reminder that we need to keep ourselves in balance...the harder we push, the harder we fall (eventually).



I'm not complaining as I feel so fortunate to be doing what I love and to have abundance around it. I'm just aware that thinking I'm super-human is beyond me and I need to heed the warnings of overdoing it. So, my thought for the week is what do we do to keep ourselves in balance?



Sometimes we're going along and don't realize we've been doing too much until we get sick. It's as though our subconscious says "enough already, I'm taking you down because you're choosing not to do it yourself". For me, it means the following:



*Get enough sleep. That translates to at least 8 hours (yes, each night, not accumulated over two or three nights)



*Stick with my daily meditation practice. It sets the framework for each day



*Make healthy eating choices. Translation-plant based, organic and fresh



*Don't push hard when exercising if my inner voice is saying, "whoa Nelly...take it easy today"



*Stay committed to regular movement-yoga, walking, weights etc



*Find fun stuff to do rather than always feeling the need to "work"



*Practice compassion toward myself. I'm doing the best I can.



I'd love to hear from you as to how you keep yourself in balance, or what throws you out of whack. I hope you enjoy a blissfully nourishing week that connects you to body, mind and spirit.

The Symbolism of The Lotus

This past weekend our niece graduated from high school. We took the long drive from the desert to the central coast of California to hear her Salutatorian speech and see her receive her diploma. Not only are we proud of how well she has performed on the academic stage but, even more impressively, how she has grown and evolved into a young adult.



Over the past several summers she would come and spend a week or so with us, without her parents and often accompanied by a sibling. We have seen her transform from a shy young girl into a still reserved, yet more confident, young adult. We have all experienced the turbulent times of adolescence and puberty...braces, pimples, bad hair cuts and the feeling of not belonging. And there is something completely hopeful and refreshing when you see the emergence of a young adult despite all those rocky and potential disruptive pitfalls.



I was amazed to hear the complexity of thought, the full circle and youthful wisdom as my niece bravely took the microphone in front of peers, family, and hundreds of strangers. I caught myself thinking, "Wow...I never knew the depths of her insight as she is so quiet on the surface. When did that happen?".



As a symbol of new beginnings and transitions, we gave her a necklace with a lotus flower etched in silver. I see her wearing it as a totem as she stands in the doorway of her first semester at The University of Notre Dame, to remind her that sometimes what transforms us is often the most terrifying. To step into this new phase knowing that it will hold the potential for incredible learning and opportunity, and yet it might just be like wading through muddy waters to reach a point of clarity.



The lotus is symbolic of this journey as it begins its transformation by taking root in the murky and stirred up waters, only to make its way to the surface finding clarity through persistence to realize its full and magnificent beauty.



As my teacher Judith Lasater says, "May we live like the lotus, at peace in muddied waters". My wish for all of us is that we find our own clarity through turbulent times and emerge in the full expression of who we are.

Our Own Evolution

In class this past week, a student told me how much she was going to miss seeing Oprah on daytime TV. She said how Oprah has inspired her over the past many years to "become a better person". That conversation connects perfectly to my thought for this week, that of our own evolution.



I have often told people that I have two selves: the evolved self and the unevolved self. The unevolved self is the one that I've always known and if someone has "done me wrong", the unevolved self is the one that wants to seek revenge. She's the one who wants to plot ways in which to teach the other person a lesson and that I couldn't possibly be the one who is wrong. You know her, the defensive perfectionist.



Fortunately, through many years of seeking, I have also come to know my evolved self. She's the one who puts both feet on her yoga mat, sits her backside down on the meditation cushion, pauses before words leave her mouth and is willing to admit she's wrong and say she's sorry.



The evolved person is the one I seek to be all of the time and when I slip back into the alter ego of the unevolved self, it simply doesn't feel that good. The great thing about personal growth is that it has become easier to recognize when that's happening and even better when it's just about to happen and I interrupt the fire breathing dragon from bursting forth.



Part of our yoga practice is learning to be with what is present. Sometimes the unevolved alter ego speaks so loudly that we think we have no choice but to let her take over. That's where breathing really works its magic. If we have awareness, we can choose to deepen our breath, reason with the inner demon and release an exhale that doesn't contain actions or words that don't serve our higher self. It's creating space between the stimulus and the response. It's hard. It takes practice. Daily.



I'm thinking I'm not alone on this one...come practice slaying your inner dragon with me by coming to class, reading this blog or simply by taking a deep breath.

Building A Foundation

This past week, the theme I was teaching in classes was regarding a surprising, yet beneficial, effect of doing yoga-that of building a strong foundation. I'm not only referring to a strong physical foundation that sets us up for more stable poses, but the more esoteric foundation upon which we live our lives.



I didn't realize this benefit when I first stepped onto the yoga mat. I was curious about what yoga was all about and remember that every pose sounded the same...blahblah-asana. Over time as my practice has unfolded, I have repeatedly experienced how the practice of yoga has kept me emotionally afloat. In the past, if I had an overstuffed schedule or an unexpected event occur I would physically (and emotionally) fall apart. As the foundation of my practice grew, so did my resilience to the unexpected. Instead of floundering and losing a sense of myself and that which centers me, I was kept afloat. Perhaps staggering and stumbling through it, but not crumbling...a big difference.



Recently, a dedicated yoga student of mine was facing major surgery. She has been doing yoga for at least four years and has attended three retreats. In addition to her practice, she used another tool of guided visualization, a CD created by my brother Ken and I, aimed specifically at preparing ourselves before undergoing any procedure or surgery. The day of her surgery, she was delayed approximately two hours and sent me an email to say...

"We're out on a lovely, shaded patio. I am about to tune back in to my Optimal Healing CD. Jayne, Thank You. It will be my prescribed therapy for anyone about to have or having had a surgical procedure. Calming, reassuring words, with just plain beautiful music."


This is the foundation I'm talking about. When we attend a yoga class it's as though we're sitting in a purposeful, comfortable and controlled lab. We begin to practice not only poses, but how to be centered in times that challenge us. When a pose gets challenging on the mat, what do you do? Leave? No...you find your breath, release as much tension as possible and hang in there. It's a relevant metaphor for life.



We practice yoga for so many reasons. One which is powerfully subtle, is that a consistent practice will build a foundation for our daily lives...all elements of it.



So why not try this week to lay another brick, another level, another floorboard...hop on a mat and get going!

Heart to Heart

Have you ever had the experience where you are greeted by someone who gives you a hug and you're not sure if they meant it? You know, the one where they avoid eye contact, turn their head away, throw just one arm around you and keep at least six inches between the two of you? It's the hug that is the complete opposite to how a child who has missed you comes charging up to you, leaping into your arms and throwing themselves into a full on wrap around type of hug.



My thought for this week is around connection. The simple act of honoring the person standing opposite you. Now hugs aren't always appropriate and sometimes we simply don't wish to receive one. But I'm betting most of the time it's not the hug but the feeling of vulnerability that can often accompany physical contact.



A moment is felt when someone truly embraces us. For me, it's a feeling of being loved; of being supported; of surrender. It's allowing myself to let go into another persons arms without the need to control or judge the moment. It's when we soften our defenses and allow another person to communicate to us without words.



One of my teachers, Nischala Joy Devi, describes hugs as being the "pure connection of one heart to another". When you face someone and connect your heart centers you acknowledge and honor each other in a place of acceptance...even if it's for only a brief moment. It's as though you are saying "I see and honor the light in you and can connect to you on a level that isn't merely superficial"- in other words Namasté.



Having lived in both Australia and the USA, people greet others socially in slightly different ways. Aussies will often give a social kiss on the cheek (right cheek to right cheek, no hug). Americans will do the handshake or the slap on the back hug (no kiss on the cheek). And sometimes, people mix things up a bit in both countries depending on how well people know each other. An Aussie mate might throw in a bear hug and an American a peck on the cheek...whatever method, what is most important is the connection.



This past week I had a student return to class following the death of her husband. I gave her a big hug and welcomed her back to the class. To this she replied, "Thanks for the hug, I needed that. I can never get too many hugs."



So if in doubt, hug it out. It might touch someone in a place longing to be recognized.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Often at the beginning of a yoga class I will ask students "What do you need from your practice today?" Sometimes this question is met with a small shrug of the shoulders or a comment of "whatever comes..." but often I hear students asking for poses that work on a cranky lower back or that open the hips.



My thought for this week is to chat about our hips. If you think about how our anatomy has evolved over thousands and thousands of years, we've become upright. Our hip and shoulder joints changed as we moved from four to two limbs. This transition alone meant that the front of our hip joints needed to open up and extend in order for our spine to find its way to be perpendicular to the earth. Thus, the distribution of our body weight put the weight bearing through our pelvis and legs.



Additonally, it is said that the hips and pelvis hold our emotional baggage. They become a dumping ground for unresolved issues...all the more reason to make peace with our hips.



It's no wonder that our hips can be a bit tricky-often tight and out of balance. The structure of our hip joint is a ball and socket being formed by the head of the femur into the concave space of our ilium. Our body's most powerful muscles are around the pelvis...the gluteals (our power house in the back), the quadriceps in the front thigh, hamstrings in the back thigh, our hip flexors lying deep within and our abbuctors and adductors that move the femur into and away from the mid-line.





With the low back settling itself via the sacrum right into the pelvic bowl, it's not surprising that they often have a cause/effect relationship. If our back is weak or tight, our hips suffer. If our hips lack strength or range of motion, our back compensates. You know the song...."the hip bones are connected to the back bone and the back bone's connected to the rib bone...". So, let's look at ways to keep our hips happy and living in harmony with its neighbors.



Avoid any sustained posture or positions. That includes sitting for hours on end without getting up or shifting in our chair, lying in bed (notice how we naturally toss and turn during sleep to interrupt the same held position) or standing for extended periods. If your job has you in one of these postures, learn ways in which to switch it up at least every 30 minutes.



Seated chair stretches are a worthwhile repertoire of movements. For example, place one ankle on the top of the other thigh, sit tall and let your knee open out wide. Lean forward with a long spine to enhance the stretch. Doing a seated cat/cow stretch (extending and flexing the spine) as well as simple seated twists help to interrupt sustained postures. Better still, get up and walk at any opportunity...to take a break, deliver a message, complete a task.



Yoga asana (postures) abound for opening the hips. To get a safe and full range of options, why not check out a class? I suggest during classes that in order to build a home practice to select just one pose per class and practice it for a week. You'll be amazed out how much you benefit and learn over a steady time frame.



And it might have you saying "hip, hip hooray" for your hips!

I Got Nothin'

As I sat down to write this weeks message I had nothing. I was blank. Then I thought to myself...wow...isn't that the point? I'm trying to find nothingness everyday when I meditate and here I am, in the middle of the day, looking for something and all I got was nothing. And of course, that has now led me towards the thought for this week which has nothing to do with nothingness, but with layers of transition.

What I mean by layers of transition is our ever evolving understanding of something in particular. As an example, when you begin yoga, you are presented with many new ideas: breath awareness; staying present; poses. It can all seem a bit big and overwhelming...nothing subtle about it. But as we journey along our practice things that are initially unfamiliar begin to become more known as we peel away the layers of their complexity. We gain a subtle awareness that was lying within all along and it is time and persistent consistency that allows us to see things in greater detail.

This can be applied to anything...playing tennis, initially we just try to meet ball and racquet and as we progress we look to less obvious changes such as grip, spin and placement. The same can be said for any physical endeavor, intellectual pursuit or spiritual connection.

As we commit to any practice we can find ourselves in a deeper place that initially seemed unfathomable. So why not try this week, look to the next layer of discovery in whatever you're committed to doing...work, pleasure, relationship, nature or yoga. Go ahead...peel away another layer!

Change the Channel

(Revised from April 2009)



One day I was in the gym beginning a workout with a client. As I stood next to her treadmill, one of the many TV's were on and the one in front of her was tuned to some news station. What I saw next, really hit me as a thought for the week. CHANGE THE CHANNEL! Even with the sound being turned off the TV, the images alone set a definite tone of fear, death and destruction. There were, count them, four images on the screen at the same time. I noted to my client that each one of them was about some terrific disaster. I then said, "what a great way to begin the week".



Our thoughts, images and words hold power.



If we don't have something to anchor us into a positive frame of mind, then the constant bombardment of negativity will lead us down a path of dis-ease and ill-health. I'm not suggesting that we become ostrich-like and bury our heads. What I'm saying is to stand firm in our connection to what is here and supporting us...Mother Earth and the greater universe. Perhaps we should be standing buried up to our ankles in the earth, grounding us into a fundamentally magnificent connection. Earth Day this past week was a timely reminder to do just that...connect.



My question to you this week is this. What do you do to practice keeping yourself in a positive and optimistic mind-set when we are challenged to think that the sky is falling?



Of course this connection leads me to the practice of yoga which has a set of guiding principles that keep us focused on the idea that if we look deeply inward and peel away obstructions we finds something quite simple. Love.



If you're curious and wanting to learn more...come to a class and step onto the path of yoga. It is so much more than lengthening muscles. It's expanding our consciousness and connections. I hope you enjoy a beautiful week!

Feet

(This is a revised blog from 2009)

With the onset of spring here in the Northern hemisphere and the weather inviting us to spend more time outdoors has brought to the thought for this week.

Feet.

Think about the last time your feet actually touched earth. Soil. Dirt. Not concrete, tile, carpet, shoe-beds or socks. We live in a society that is smoothly paved for easier movement. We certainly notice potholes in our roads, but how often do we notice the actual earth under our feet?

Our feet connect us to the earth in the most primal way. We have a huge number of nerve endings in our feet and motion detectors within our joints to give us feedback on unstable ground. But from a yogic perspective, our feet are the reminder that we are supported by the earth-always.


I love the practice of standing barefoot and imagining that the soles of our feet are able to send energetic cables right into the middle of the earth. In return, the earth's energy travels back into our soles and through our body and out the crown of our head connecting us to the heavenly realms of infinite space. It's as though we are the conduit of this vital force simply by being in our body and walking upon the earth.

If you need to feel yourself in a amplified place of presence, kick off your shoes and walk barefoot in sand, soil or grass. Or really go crazy and get into gardening bringing this amazing tactile experience into your hands as well. That's right...I said it..."take off the gardening gloves and get some dirt under your nails". Not only will you connect to Mother Earth, but your soul will send a message of gratitude and remembrance.

31 Flavors

You're at the store and you see the latest cover of Yoga Journal with a practiced yogini striking the perfect pose and you think...?

Some people might think, "Wow, that looks really hard. I could NEVER do yoga". Or, "Wow, that looks beautiful. I hope one day that I can strike that pose". Or, "I'd love to do yoga just because they wear such comfortable looking outfits". Or, "Wow...what the heck is that?".

When people say that they practice yoga, we often flash on the image that dons the cover of yoga magazines. We think of the flexibility that is often exhibited, how lean the yogi looks and what a physical undertaking it appears to be. But did you know that yoga has six systems?


Hatha
Raja
Bhakti
Jnana
Kriya
Karma

Hatha yoga is the umbrella term that covers all the different styles of yoga that are the mainstay of our yoga paradigm. Vinyasa, restorative, gentle, ashtanga, Anusara, Iyengar and Bikram are just a few of the types of classes you'll see on a typical yoga menu. Postures, breathwork and relaxation are the construct for many of these styles.

So, what are the other five systems?

Raja means royal and adds concentration after body and mind are cleansed and trained to stay calm and centered. It includes the eight-faceted path of yoga (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi).

Bhakti is the yoga of devotion. A new wave of enthusiasm has been expressed in the Western yoga world through the practice of kirtan (keer-tan), a call and response method of music and singing that opens the heart to the Divine. Music and yoga festivals have sprung up across the country, such as Bhakti Fest and Spring OMmersion that gather like minds in a celebration of music, yoga and dance. Check out the above link to the upcoming festival in Joshua Tree this April. This practice is not limited to kirtan, but is also the practice of selfless love, compassion, humility, purity and the desire and serious intention to merge with the Divine.

Jnana yoga is practical philosophy/metaphysics. It is both theory and practice. Jnana Yoga uses the intellect as a tool to understand that our true self is behind and beyond our mind. It is a quest for the self by direct inquiry into "who we are." It is, however, a mistake to think that the source could be found with the intellect alone. For the purpose of self-discovery, Jnana Yoga probes the nature of the self through the question: Who am I?

Kriya yoga is the yoga of action designed to rid the body and mind of obstructions. Kriya Yoga is a complete system including mantras, meditation, and other techniques towards controlling the life-force and bringing calmness and control over body and mind. These practices were the foundation of the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Parmahansa Yogananda.

Karma yoga is the yoga of selfless service. It is the giving to others and the Divine without ego, attachment or expectation. Charity work is often a reflection of the practice of karma yoga.

(Reference: Zentrum Publishing's Self-Realization.com)

With so many items on the menu, which practice do you choose? As I have walked down this ever expanding path of yoga, I use the guidelines of Raja yoga to follow a lifestyle that encompasses the eight-faceted path. One of the main thrusts of yoga is to find what echoes within your own being. What is it that speaks to you? That feels right? Is it experiencing your body and breath through movement? Is it connecting to that deeper place within? Is it finding a sense of calm amid chaos? Or is it all of that?

Whatever it is...take that first step and begin to explore to find it.

Lag Time

The practice of yoga is about enhancing our awareness and experiencing the connection between our body, mind and spirit. Many instances exist in which we experience this connection within the same moment.

We see the face of a golden retriever puppy and our heart melts. We have an argument with somebody and we feel our teeth clench, a tightness in our stomach and our shoulders rise. We get a phone call that we didn't get the job and we slouch forward and hang our heads. We catch an early morning sunrise that infuses light and color stretching across the sky and we have no words as our breath has been taken away.

Our senses perceive, our bodies react, our spirit soars.

But, when traumatic events happen all of these deeper connections might not occur simultaneously. We see the ravages of Mother Nature; a loved one passes away; we get a medical diagnosis that we weren't expecting; we lose our job; our beloved pet dies. In these moments of life that seem to hold unbearable challenges, we do what we need to do in order to get through it. We donate money, we volunteer, we grieve, we job hunt, we set a course of action.

My thought for the week is the idea that there is a lag time between traumatic events and their full unfolding. We get through the obvious but fail to recognize an undercurrent of emotional upheaval that comes with it. It may not even show up until days, weeks or months after the initial event. Here are a couple of examples of what I'm geting at...

My father passed away when I was 19 years old and I went through a tremendous grieving process at such an unexpected loss. Many years passed (24 in fact) when during a yoga training, I felt a different kind of grief over his death that seemed to arise from some deep place within my cells and soul. It was another layer of grief that had been stuffed down so deep, that it wasn't until years later that I was ready for it to surface and meet it face to face.

Another example is when my husband, Ed, had a heart attack in 2009. He went through the physical trauma of open heart surgery and recovery, yet it wasn't until we were in Australia some 4-5 months later that the emotional element of the event truly hit him.

With all this being said, the point is to always hold ourselves in a compassionate embrace. That the interwoven strength of our physical body, to our emotional/mental selves to our deeply held spiritual being cannot be denied, much less ignored. Our yoga teaches us to be with what is...whatever it is. To know that all feelings are valid and that healing on the different layers of our being takes time.

All of us are healing from something. Honor what it is and recognize that it is part of our human experience and there is no greater practice than the practice of love and compassion. Try it on yourself and see what happens.