Everything Changes

I met a new student the other day and asked if she had practiced yoga before. She replied, "yes, but I can't do what I used to do" to which I replied, "neither can I!". It got me thinking about what I used to be able to do with my body when I was a competitive gymnast in the early years. I was gifted with great flexibility and I could back bend to extremes and had beautiful splits in three directions. Once I undertook more focused training as a gymnast and built strength to match the flexibility, my body could move easily and with fluidity. It took effort but if often looked effortless. 

My body doesn't move the same way as it did in the past. Everything changes. Part of my practice is simply being okay with that. I have remnants of the younger Jayne insofar as I can still hold a decent handstand and have good balance and strength.  Yet my joints talk to me on a regular basis and if I'm listening, they ask for me to take my time and be gentle. When I do listen, my body responds. Over the years my being is becoming better at understanding that everything changes.

What I may have "lost" from a physical perspective has been replaced by something I had no clue about in those younger years: Insight, patience and wisdom. With the changing waves of my physical self, I needed to learn how to make peace with all of it because as I age, everything changes. We begin to learn that we have other options than throwing on our super-hero cape and giving it our utmost. 

And so it goes, the numerous cycles that we are constantly experiencing whether they be the subtle shifting from one season to the next, the seemingly overnight growth of a young puppy or the wrinkles that we begin to notice around our eyes. No matter how desperately we wish it would stay the same, everything changes.

In the wisdom traditions it is said that when we deny the basic truth of change and adhere ourselves to the idea that things will remain constant, we suffer. Attachment to the things staying the same can lead us down the path of suffering. It's natural to wish for certainty as it gives us a sense of security, even if it is a false notion. We hold on tightly to what's familiar, we often stay in jobs or relationships based on what they were in the beginning and have fear of letting go due to an unknown future.

It is taught that if we can see each moment for exactly what it is and find a sense of ease within that moment, we can learn to be at ease with all that is in transition. A simple practice is to watch the breath and notice how it shifts.

Begin sitting comfortably and close the eyes. Without changing anything, notice how you're breathing. Where is the breath obviously moving in your body? What thoughts are floating about in your sphere of consciousness? Next, exhale the breath completely so you can take the next breath slowly and deeply into the body. Pause. Exhale that breath slowly and with ease. Repeat a few times then sit and notice how you feel. Did anything change? How does this moment compare to how you felt the last time you had an argument with someone? Everything changes.

The practice of noticing change can also be related to help in managing pain and difficult moments. People who pay attention to their pain sensations begin to notice they change, the pain isn't often constant or at the same intensity. Grief and tragedy are also difficult as they often feel as though they are permanent states, yet speak to anyone who has suffered a loss and ask them if it's still as intense as when it first happened. Usually the answer will be "no" as everything changes. 

As we shift away from the solstice we can once again be reminded of the transitions in our lives, from the minute to the gross. We can relax into the present moment and realize everything changes. Can you let go into it?

Harmony

A really cool thing is happening tomorrow, Sunday June 21, 2015. Yes, it's Father's Day here in the USA as well as the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Aside from those colliding events, June 21 is the inaugural International Day of Yoga. India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi proposed the idea of an international day of yoga to the United Nations and thus, the day was born. PM Modi stated that "yoga is India's gift to the world" and indeed it has had far reaching tendrils since it was first brought to the West in 1893 at The Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago by Swami Vivekananda. The unfolding of the story is captured in the book, "American Veda" by Philip Goldberg. 

The intention of the International Day of Yoga is to promote harmony, a simple and accessible way to physical health, spiritual health and well-being. It promotes respect for fellow human beings and for the planet in a way that does not discriminate. More can be found  here on the United Nations web site.

We are living in violent times and fortunately, I live in an area where the violence seems far way..."over there", yet, being part of the all encompassing web of humanity violence affects all beings. And although I feel safe in my community it is a vital part of my yoga practice to reach into my local yoga community in perpetuating loving kindness as we are primed to do so. 

Each time we step onto our mat we connect to the deepest places that reside within us. We have an opportunity to remember that peace and ease are accessible through slowing down, quieting our mind, connecting to our breath and moving our body. We begin to harmonize the connections within our own being between our body, our mind and our soul. When we make that connection and step off our mats to interface with the rest of the world, how we are can affect everything else.

If we are sending out feelings of contentment, ease and peace, it has an effect on those we meet. Our practice begins within and we as a collective can be the peacemakers. When we find our own balance, we begin to shift the collective consciousness. You can bet that those acting violently against others or the earth are out of balance. The ancient practice of yoga offers tools of restoring to our natural rhythms harmoniously.

So how does it work? How do we bring ourselves into balance? We are told that if we exercise and eat right that all will be well. However, we know that it's the bigger picture of our life that makes a difference. More specifically ask yourself if you're doing the following:
Eating whole, fresh foods
Moving in a variety of ways every day and at varying intensities
Finding solitude and time for reflection, contemplation or meditation
Hanging out with people who uplift and support you
Living with purpose
Serving others
Being connected to family and social networks
Undertaking activities that bring you joy
Laughing 
If you reflect on the above list, does anything jump out that could be more abundant in your life? If the answer is yes, then take the next step to bringing that into your tomorrow.

Self-care is vital for inner peace and once we realize that looking after ourselves is a step toward community and world peace, we are taking action to bring yoga into realization.

So on the first International Day of Yoga think about yourself and how it relates to the community and your world beyond that. Take a deep breath and find gratitude for being an agent of change. The world needs us so desperately..."there is no way to peace, peace is the way" (Gandhi, Thic Nhat Hanh & A.J. Muste).

SYTAR

Maybe you're one of those super observant types who sees the above image of a sitar and then notices the title of this weeks blog being spelled sytar. And perhaps you're thinking to yourself, that's not how you spell it...okay smarty pants, you're right. SYTAR stands for the "Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research", the name of a conference that I attended last week in lovely Newport Beach, California. This was the fourth SYTAR I've been to and it was far and away the best yet.

Part of the enjoyment was hanging out with my other tribe, a handful of Australians who had crossed the Pacific to be at the event. It reawakened a loving and familiar place that rests deep within me and was incredibly refreshing. For that, I am truly grateful to have such an extended and ranging network. The other part of the enjoyment were the many interesting, informative and interactive sessions with those on the forefront of yoga therapy here in the States.

The conference had about 350 attendees which makes for easy dialogue and interaction. And the depth of knowledge rubbing shoulders with each other was a reflection of people who have been living from a yogic perspective for many, many years. These are not trendy or fly-by-night practitioners of this ancient science, rather people who have dedicated themselves to yga through teaching, research and innovation. People who have studied with the contemporary masters stemming from Krishnamacharya were everywhere, sharing their varied perspectives and experiences.

My highlights were numerous from working with yoga therapy balls to suffering and awakening, healthy aging and the recognition of the impact of yoga and how it's permeated into modern Western culture. In the US alone, the numbers of people participating in yoga is projected to be 20.4 million with another 10.4 million people interested in participating. That's almost 9% of the population. Wow! Part of the reason for that is the amount of evidence-based research that has emerged over the past five years, increasing exponentially, and offering real alternatives and integration for people gaining and maintaining their health. People are experiencing the many benefits that yoga has to offer.

It also means that those of us who offer it to the masses have a responsibility to delivering both safe and authentic teachings. One comment that came from many at the conference was holding onto the traditions of yoga not so much those within the last 100 years but in the past 1500-3000 years! The fear is that yoga is being distilled into another option for exercise, a physically based undertaking that sways too much toward what's sexy, appealing and trendy. I would guess that most people who come to yoga do so through the doorway of a physical practice, which is awesome, I'm all for that. However, if our lens stays only on the physical, we miss out on the majority of the practice and its benefits. SYTAR emphasized how the practices of pranayama (breath control), mantra and meditation would add greater richness into the physical, pose-centric practice.

This sentiment left me inspired (literally...to breath in!) when I returned to teaching this past week. My two words for the week were "breathe easy". The intention is to shift from the mechanics of the breath to the feeling the breath has on you. When you're in a child's pose where does your breath go? Is your breath ragged? Uneven? Can you notice how your breath shifts depending on the type of pose or sequences of poses you're practicing? The breath is the key that opens the door into our deeper selves. It connects our layers of energy and nourishes the physical cells of our body. When we let go of struggling with our breath our mind becomes quieter, our tension dissipates and we begin to tap into remembering who we truly are.

"Polishing the mirror" is a beautiful phrase that refers to knowing who we truly are at birth. Throughout our life things happen to us and we begin to forget...as though the mirrors to our souls gather dust and we no longer have clarity. The practices of yoga, the breath in particular, are ways in which we begin to blow off the dust. It's easy to begin...sit with your back straight, close your eyes, let go of tension and see what your breath is doing. Honor it exactly as it is. Then see if you can expand it, slowly, evenly, in peace and with ease.

Get to know your breath and you might tap into the same magic of the seers 3000 years ago. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Aging Gracefully

Last week I had the unique honor of attending the 100th birthday celebration of a friend and long-time client. I met him when he was a spry 89 years old and have seen him through his chapter as a nonagenarian and now into the next decade. He is my first client to reach the 100 mark, but I have had a few in their 80's and 90's. What they have taught me is much more than what I have taught them, as I have looked for those common traits among those who are active and doing well into the later chapters of their lives.

What they seem to have in common are: strong family networks; physical activity; an ability to laugh easily; a spiritual connection; and purpose. 

The researcher, explorer and author, Dan Buettner, who wrote the book "The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who've Lived The Longest" and the more newly released "The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like The World's Healthiest People" identified common factors from long, well-lived people around the world. One of those factors that stands out about longevity is the ability to live well, rather than just living for many years. It's about the quality of the journey, not necessarily the quantity of years amassed.

We are learning that setting up our environment, both internal and external, plays a vital role into how well we live. Inflammation is a key buzzword in the wellness world. Essentially it implies that if we can reduce and minimize how inflamed we are, we have better health outcomes. Inflammation shows itself on many levels: physical, emotional and social. We know that any word with "itis" is a reflection of inflammation in the body-tendinitis, bursitis, colitis and appendicitis are all hot-spots of irritation on the physical level.

How many times in a day do your emotions flare up? Anger, disappointment, frustration, depression and agitation are symptoms of emotional fires. If we add fuel to them they get larger and become more powerful. What sets you off in your day and how do you handle it when you're "on fire"?

We can keep extending this reach of inflammation into our social realms simply by looking at conflict, disagreement and violence around the world. We know that these situations are not a reflection of inner peace, balance or harmony.

So part of living well and aging gracefully includes being in an environment that supports inner and outer peace. Some of this is a matter of good fortune and into what environment we are born. The other part, however, can be created through our own actions, thoughts and words. The ever-evolving body of research, that at times is enormously overwhelming, also points us in the direction of more specific choices that we can make that will set us up in a more positive way.

How we nourish our entire being will set the stage for ushering us into our advancing years with more grace and overall balance. This includes the food we choose to eat, the company we keep, daily self-care rituals, a sense of purpose (why am I here?) and a sense of connection to an energy or consciousness bigger than ourselves.

The author, Isabel Allende in her TED talk reminds us that part of aging gracefully means saying "YES to life" in whatever comes whether it be joy, grief or sadness. At age 71, she wants to continue to "stay passionate, engaged with an open heart". My thought for the week is to listen to the words of our elders, embrace the wisdom they have gathered along their journey, to accept who we are in the present moment so that the process of aging touches us from a place of grace.