Saturation

Last week I attended SYTAR (Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research) in the beautiful coastal California city of Newport Beach. People come from all over the world to attend as this is hosted by IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists). I was fortunate to connect with fellow yoga therapists from Australia, the UK, Puerto Rico, Japan, USA, and Canada. These conferences are deeply rich in content, wisdom and experience. It's a phenomenal honor to be sitting in the same room with people whose life's work has been connected to living well through the practices of yoga.

What was truly impressive, was the newly minted recognition of being a "Certified Yoga Therapist" (C-IAYT), with a current registry of approximately 1500 and growing. People ask, "isn't all yoga therapeutic?" The answer to that can be a bit tricky as it depends on how it's being taught and what type of training the instructor has undertaken. C-IAYT's have upwards of 1000-hours of formal study under their belt and work beyond the use of just asana (poses) to empower people in establishing mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance. It tends to focus on 1-1 situations and on one's individual needs. Over the past several years, I have been working to translate this quality to small group, therapeutic classes. The conference presents loads of the latest research, small group discussions, practice sessions, lectures on breath and so much more.

My thought of the week is saturation. As I was driving the 2-hours back to the desert, I was completely full. I felt almost incapable of having a meaningful conversation, so drove home without the temptation to catch up on phone calls and settled on listening to "Ocean of Grace" by Prema Hara instead. I felt cerebrally stuffed and utterly full. Unlike the the Monty Python skit of being "utterly full" with the exploding man (Watch here if you dare...be warned, it IS Monty Python), who has completely disconnected from what it means to be saturated, I recognized my need to not add anything else.

We are truly lousy at recognizing when we've had enough. We are taught more is better and often go to the point of diminishing returns. One analogy is how puddles form in a lawn when torrential rains occur. The rain is nourishing and necessary, but at a certain point the grass can no longer absorb the gift of the clouds. Our yoga practice can be an example of how we begin to connect to that point of greatest benefit. When we go there, the next thing that follows is the most important pose in yoga: savasana. Savasana is translated as "corpse" pose, indicating the death of the outer world to enliven our inner experience. When we surrender into this final repose of relaxation, we enter the sweet spot of absorbing all that has come before.  It is during this time of doing nothing, of non-striving and letting go, that we more deeply embody our practice. Instead of adding another "wafer-thin mint" (another Monty Python reference), we allow ourselves to digest our experience.

As I was explaining my theme of the week to someone, they commented on being with their brother when a big news story (about violence) had just occurred. She said, "maybe we should be watching to see what happened" and the brother replied, "I just can't watch any more news about violence and terrorism." He was saturated and a natural response was to simply disengage from taking in one more "wafer thin mint" of experience.

I encourage all of us to slow down enough this week and begin to notice when we have come to the state of contented fullness. And when we notice that condition allow ourselves to do nothing else but simply be. Let's give ourselves space in which to digest and assimilate our experiences. Let's give ourselves permission to simply be present with what is and say, "No more, thank you. I'm full!"

Consistency

Many years ago, when my professional life was focused on personal training, clients would hear me say, "consistency is the key". Getting into a groove of regular movement and choices that support optimal health relies upon making a regular and consistent choice to do so. You may have heard the saying, "you can't exercise your way out of a poor diet" and although this week's thought isn't about diet and exercise, it is about the day-to-day choices we make and whether they are supporting us in the way we desire.

In yoga, "samskaras" represent ingrained behaviors. I like to think of samskaras as "brain ruts or grooves", things we've repeated often over a lifetime, that have become the default setting of who we are. Something happens, we get triggered and without thinking we're angry, sad, anxious...you name it. Yoga teaches us how to find the gap between that stimulus and our habitual response so we have time to check in with ourselves before reacting. "Is this how I wish to be in the world? Is this in alignment with my best self?". If yes, awesome, keep going and if not, then this is the moment we can begin digging ourselves into a new groove of behavior. 

Every time we sit down on the meditation cushion, step on our yoga mat or show compassion we are creating a deeper groove into the samskara we desire. A great example of this is His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. He has worked his entire life (or lives) as the Bodhisattva of compassion. His natural and automatic response to most situations is that of compassion; he has dug so deeply into this sensibility, compassion is almost always his go-to reaction.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Cindy Rathbun, a long-time yoga student, and friend of mine. Cindy began practicing yoga with me in 2008 following a diagnosis of breast cancer. She was no longer able to practice yoga in the form she had previously known and began approaching her practice from a therapeutic perspective. She wanted to continue practicing knowing that yoga would not only deal with her fatigue and offer a form of exercise but would bring her peace of mind. The practice that evolved, centered on staying calm, focusing on breath and providing a way for Cindy to look ahead without fear.

Overcoming the fear, learning to work with it, and moving on from it was a big hurdle. Yoga provided the opportunity to sit down, breathe and clear the mind. Over the past 9 years, her practice has gotten deeper, as she has grown stronger and gained more tools for her own personal journey. "Yoga provides a chaos-free environment in which to practice kindness, find deeper connections, and a sacred, safe space", says Cindy. Positivity, centering, and believing things will be okay have kept her coming back to the mat for the past several years as she refuses to "be defined by life's bumps on the road".

At the vibrant age of 70, Cindy recognizes the need to stay physically active and at the same time accepting that the body will change over time and with that understanding, to do the best she can for where she is at this place in time.  This is part of the refuge that Cindy has found on the mat, a place that is not only good for the body, but even more-so for the mind and the heart. She has found the ability to adapt her practice to what she needs and feels completely empowered to do so within a safe and supportive environment.

One of the biggest lessons that Cindy has learned from her practice is that "you don't have to be the shining star, rather look at where I've come from. You don't have to set that bar to where you can't reach it and you need to be realistic."  Although yoga is not about the poses, Cindy especially loves the warrior poses as they represent who she is, standing with determination in her full beauty and strength.

Words of advice from Cindy to those who are hesitant to step onto the mat: "Find the right class and instructor. If you don't like one class, find another". On a final note, Cindy says, "Yoga has many layers and you get from it what you need. There's always more to learn and explore. And it's never too late. Yoga is about finding peace and quiet, calm in a crazy world. It's about reinforcing that you need that quiet time and you can't be running 100 miles an hour,  24/7 without being detrimental to yourself. It's knowing that it's part of my day, like brushing my teeth. It's about carving out that space for myself."

I have much respect and gratitude for Cindy and thank her for her commitment to her own practice, involvement in our yoga community and to the love she radiates so easily. Thank you, Cindy!

You can listen to the full interview by clicking on the link below. We met for the interview over lunch, so you will hear our full dining experience as well! And a fair warning, the entire interview is about 22 minutes in length.

Check out the interview with Cindy by clicking here

Mandala

My thought of the week has arisen through contemplating the different cycles we experience and how humans have sat in circles for millennia. I'm enamored with the cycles of the moon as it offers a nightly display of change. We also cycle through our day from the moment of awakening, through our morning rituals, daily commitments and nightly wind downs.  Our moods cycle as do the seasons, our biorhythms, the hands of a clock ticking off the journey of time, as well as our fluctuating energy levels.

Mandalas have served humanity throughout time and are well recognized in Buddhism, Hinduism, Aboriginal and Hopi native cultures. The psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Jung, used them in treating patients to help them see the totality of the Self when looking at mandalas in contemplation. Each mandala has its own meaning and can be unique pieces of artwork. What each of these has in common is they all begin with a center point with varying shapes, such as triangles, circles and squares moving concentrically from the middle, representing harmony and unity. This is what makes them such an inviting point on which to focus for contemplative practices. It's as though we are able to step back to the time when we stared into kaleidoscopes as kids, marveling at the changing mandalas with the simple turn of the tubing. 

I love how the mandala connects to the concept of our yoga practice begins within. If we can visualize the sacred space behind the physical heart, the place often described as the seat of our soul, and imagine it as the center point to our own journey, we can see how we are weaving the mandala of our lives. 

As Pema Chodron said, " Each person's life is like a mandala - a vast, limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life."

One way to experience this is through sensing the midpoint of the heart and drawing concentric spirals outward. These expanding circles are influenced by the sights, sounds, actions, and relationships we experience. We add to our own personal mandala by sensing our intention of how we wish to be in our lives. If you were given a blank piece of paper and were asked to sketch your own life mandala, what symbols would you want to represent you? What colors would reflect your nature? What objects and shapes would resonate and honor your essence? It's not dissimilar to the practice of what you would like to hear at your own funeral...what are you creating and is it in accordance with your highest self?

I am often heard to say that "our practice begins within". When we connect to our own hearts with loving kindness and compassion, when we truly get to know the essence of how we wish to be in the world, the energy we are generating ripples away from us. And we just don't know how far those ripples will go. We energetically put it out to the Universal melting pot and hopefully the ingredients we are adding are coming from the purity, harmony and influence of our most loving selves. So if you would  like to create a mandala that reflects your true self, begin within and reflect as to what that means. And then paint the canvas of your own life and share it with the world!

SEVA-Service

This past week we celebrated Memorial Day here in the US of A. It's a day where those who have lost their lives in military service are honored and remembered. It seemed logical that this week's thought should then focus on how we serve others and how we ourselves are served. In yoga, this is called Seva, often translated as selfless service. The above quote from Mahatma Gandhi is one that I have taken to heart and when I feel like I'm getting over-drawn into my own life's dramas, this quote is that gentle tap on the shoulder to get out of my own way.

In 2011, I felt called to be doing something to broaden my overall practice of yoga and that calling was finding a way to serve something much larger than myself. We had spent time in India for the first time and I felt as though my radar dish was wide open to receive the inspiration of how I could better serve. Then along came the 2012 Global Seva Challenge with Off the Mat, Into the World. They had been raising money and awareness around different issues the previous few years in places like Cambodia, South Africa, Uganda, and Haiti. Their 2012 mission was to address the issue of sex trafficking in India. This was the spark that lit my fire. Ending violence against women and women's empowerment are hot button issues for me, we had just returned from India and it seemed like the Universe was holding the door wide open for me to step into service.

As I said "yes" to the challenge with a goal of raising $20,000 I began to feel like I may have taken on too much. I'm a yoga educator, not a fundraiser. How was I going to raise $20K? So my initial thought was to reach out to my community and ask for help. The response was incredible as people began to step up, get behind the cause, host events, buy t-shirts, sell wristbands, and make donations. The turning point of the fundraising year was in July 2012 when lululemon athletica Palm Desert offered to host a candlelight yoga class. It was July...dead of summer with all the snowbirds being away and I thought to myself, "I'll be happy if 25 people attend"...well, 55 people turned up to support and donate.

The momentum just seemed to grow as did the fundraising tally and by November for the final event of "One Love Coachella Valley", we had reached the goal and whatever above that raised was a bonus. We hit the grand mark of $28,000 and last year, I raised an additional $5000 to top up the funds for a playground in one of the facilities. Having reached the goal, I went on the Bare Witness Tour and came face to face with the young women and girls who's lives began in such a precarious way and now they were safe and had opportunity sitting within reach. To say it was powerful would be an understatement.

Seva is doing something with no expectation of anything in return. Throughout the fundraising year, we had bi-weekly calls working with the issues that can come up in doing such confronting work, different ways to raise money and awareness and to talk about compassion fatigue and resilience. Undergoing the Seva challenge was a pivotal point in my own personal yoga journey. I truly didn't want anything in return and when things got challenging, I would think of that 9-year old girl, sold into prostitution, often by family, and that would snap me out of whatever was draining my doubt. It taught me empathy and compassion. It connected me to my local community in ways I had never imagined. It gave me a different and huge sense of purpose, beyond doing yoga poses. I got out of my own way to serve others and the rebound back to me opened up my heart wider than it had ever been open.

This past Monday we had a special Memorial Day yoga class and it was like a reunion with many of the people who had supported me through the Seva Challenge in attendance. To have the energy of this expanded community, greeting each other with hugs and "it's so good to see you!" comments, I know the experience went far beyond myself, another side effect I never anticipated.

This week moments of silence were held to honor the memory of those who died in their service to their country. We remember and honor them. This week we honor how we serve others and how others have served us. It's to hold gratitude and remembrance inside our hearts and to recognize that when we get absorbed in our own everyday challenges, one way to shift that energy is to step out of the way and help someone else.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Indeed Mahatma, indeed!