Seasonal Transition

You can feel it in the air. It's getting cooler (well, almost) and thank goodness! Apparently, the desert has had its hottest summer on record, so we are more than ready to feel the cooler autumnal winds and temperatures. We have just passed the autumnal equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere (the vernal equinox in the Southern) and fall is officially on its way. The equinox happens twice each year where the daylight and darkness hours are the same. In the north, our days will become progressively shorter as we approach the shortest daylight hours of the year at the Winter Solstice. These shifts in season are times of transition which are demonstrated by the inherent cycle of Mother Nature.

As summer turns toward fall, it's a perfect time to reconnect to the rhythm of the earth and get grounded. It's a time where not only do the temperatures begin to drop, but humidity lessens and winds can increase. Trees respond by dropping the last of their sweet summer fruits ending the cycle of production and head into the cycle of dropping what they don't need to enter hibernation--their leaves. And it's not terribly obvious to us here in the desert. We know that fall is here because we no longer have triple-digit temperatures but we don't have changes in the fall foliage as in other parts of the country. So, in some ways, it's easy for us to miss the signals of change. Since we can get almost any fruit or vegetable at any time of the year, we miss the cue that some of them may not be in season locally.  Without drastic shifts in the weather, we keep on doing what we've been doing.

It can get even more confusing living in a seasonal community. Just as the natural cycle is asking us to slow down and turn inward, people begin to return to the desert. Our roads, restaurants, and social calendars will begin to get busier, beckoning us to get out there and participate, another reason to pay attention to balancing out the increase in activity through mindfully making time to turn inward.

My thought this week is more of a seasonal reminder that we have passed the equinox and things are changing in our environment whether we notice it or not. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, we are approaching Halloween and Thanksgiving, times where tradition brings us to eating more root vegetables, squash, and pumpkins with pomegranates and persimmons coming into season. If we eat seasonally, we feel how it's directing us toward the earth so it's a perfect time to begin letting go and dropping our own "leaves". This time of year is perfect for re-balancing our digestion, possibly through cleansing (Ayurvedic cleanses are specifically geared toward this time of year), to slow down and reconnect to our inner sacred time through ritual and meditation.

Yet, perhaps the greatest gift we can give ourselves this time of year is one of softness. Maybe for the next little while, we let go of being on the self-improvement train and practice loving ourselves just as we are...in this moment.

All At Once

The past two weeks have been intense: we were delayed in Australia six hours for our return flight to the States; the morning after we arrived home, my Mom went to the emergency room; a tree fell across my sister's driveway blocking access to her house; a good friend's Mom had passed away; another friend had to put their dog down and finally, I got a notice saying my insurance had been canceled due to a missed payment. WHAT?! It felt like everything was happening all at once, with just enough gathered momentum to create a feeling of overwhelm. I know that if this had happened 25-years ago, I would've gotten through it but been a hot mess in the process. I never knew that when I first stepped onto my yoga mat that it would prepare me for the ups and downs of daily living but it has, and for that I am grateful.

We expect things to happen in life, big and sometimes intense challenges, but when they stack up in short succession it can be enough to push us over the edge. Our practice can support us in finding what we need to do to keep from submerging. It may get rocky, but we don't capsize as easily. And when life is full of challenges, we are often pulled outward into the chaos. We focus on details of events, begin to project into the future and create stories around the unfolding drama. Yet we know that when we become established in our yoga practice, we remember one of the things it has taught us is to go inside, rather than out.

One practice we've been undertaking in classes throughout the week is related to BRFWA-Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch and Allow. This is a process that supports us in connecting into the experience and turning our awareness inward so we have an opportunity to dissipate any tension that has a tendency to accumulate when an intense situation arises. Here's a simplified explanation of the practice:

Breathe - See if you can connect to what's happening to your breath in the present moment. Are you able to slow it down? Deepen it? Can you breathe in a way that's even and rhythmical, in and out through the nose?

Relax - During intense situations, we often subconsciously prepare ourselves to fight, flight or freeze which primes the sympathetic aspect of our nervous system. We might notice our shoulders, jaw, chest, fists or belly tightening. Can you notice the tension and relax it?

Feel - All of our emotional experiences are filtered through our physical body. If we ignore, tamp down, or turn away from the emotion it simply hangs out in the tissues until it's addressed. The saying "the issues are held in the tissues" applies here. So as the experience is happening, can you notice where in the body you feel it? Can you describe the feeling?

Watch - As we are finding the breath, trying to relax, and noticing where our tension is held, this part of the process asks us to simply watch, without judgment, the experience. Almost as though we are witnessing it from outside of ourselves.

Allow - Once we've tapped into the experience, we allow it to be acknowledged for what it is. Here we accept what's presently happening.

The beauty of this practice is that it gives us a method for dissipating the energy of intense situations. And the tricky part is that we need to practice doing so BEFORE the intense situations happen. And that's one of the reasons we come to the mat...to practice finding equanimity in the midst of challenging moments. Our asana practice encourages us to be in these situations. Imagine you're doing a pose that really challenges you. Can you find your breath? Relax the parts of the body that aren't needed to do the pose? Feel where the sensations are centered inside your body? Watch the experience and let go of judging yourself? Allow a sense of presence and ease as the intensity builds? It's the same for both physical and emotional difficulties but we need to practice the experience on all levels.

It's ineffective to ask someone in the middle of a crisis to "take a deep breath and relax" if they've never done so before that moment. We come to the mat to practice finding ease when things get challenging so that when everything happens all at once, we have a way of getting through and being with it, perhaps even with a smile on our face!

Footprints

This week I asked people what came to mind when I said the word "footprints". The majority of people said, "sand" and others came up with something along the lines of "leaving an impression". My mind immediately goes to the sand image, in particular, the many footprints I've left along Brooke's Beach where we go for our morning sunrise meditation during the retreat at Sanctuary, in Far North Queensland, Australia. We arrive just before the sun rises over the Coral Sea and the beach has been swept by the overnight waves. Sometimes the sand is smooth and, at others, a collection of sea artifacts have washed ashore. But one thing that is missing are footprints, that is, until we are blessed to feel the sand between our toes as we greet the day. Ahhhhh....what a fantastic awakening!

As I thought more about the symbolism of footprints, impermanence, as well as our carbon footprint, came to mind-what are we leaving behind? I love the idea of having stepped onto many beaches around the world, leaving only my footprints and taking away only photographs. These are the places where my feet have kissed the earth and, really, I am the only one to remember these personal contact moments. Our footprints remind us about walking our own path and about the transient nature of our existence. It is said that we leave footprints everyday, so imagine the millions of impressions you've made throughout your life alone! How many of those have been created by following the footprints left by others? How many of them have been created because you left the known path and  stepped into the unknown?

More deeply, this thought began to germinate during the Sanctuary retreat when a group of people were talking about legacy and what they were leaving behind. I didn't hear the entire discussion, but someone replied, what about your "energetic footprint" that you're leaving behind? That stuck. Think of someone who is no longer on this earth that you knew and what it feels like when you think of them. That's an energetic footprint. Did their behavior influence how you behave or point you in a particular direction?

Not all of us can leave a legacy that's concrete, such as our own dedicated library, small fortune, or many children. But what we can generate is a potent impact through how we have lived our lives. What our yoga teaches us is to explore the multiple layers of who we are, moving through our energetic layers known as the Koshas. We begin by moving our physical body, which is the Annamayakosha (also known as the food sheath). From this obvious physical place, like an onion, we delve through layers of the body, to energy, mental/emotional layers, and more deeply into wisdom and bliss. But many of us who step onto the mat, stay connected only to the physical aspect of the practice and can miss out of the profound experiences if we were to dive more deeply.

This past week, we've been using guided imagery to create energy within our own hearts, expand it and share it with others who are suffering. We've also been trying to sense the pulsation of energy in our body once we have established a particular posture. When we know the pose, we can take our attention away from the mechanics and feel the other sensations which are present. We enhance these connections through other practices of meditation, chanting, guided imagery, and surrender.

Everything in the Universe is vibrating at some frequency. Toning, humming, chanting and singing are our natural ways in which we connect into a felt vibration. Hum the letter "M" and feel it resonate in the chambers of your throat, mouth, lips and head. This is another energetic footprint that can easily be experienced and support us in tuning into the present moment, and when we are in the present moment we are connected to the wider grid of energy.

So this week, reflect on what you are creating in your day-to-day experience and notice if it's aligned with the sense of your truest nature. What imprint is your being making in this lifetime? And if you really need to re-calibrate your frequency, try walking in the sand and let the ocean kiss your ankles...that'll work!

Finding Home

This week I asked people what came to mind when I said the word "footprints". The majority of people said, "sand" and others came up with something along the lines of "leaving an impression". My mind immediately goes to the sand image, in particular, the many footprints I've left along Brooke's Beach where we go for our morning sunrise meditation during the retreat at Sanctuary, in Far North Queensland, Australia. We arrive just before the sun rises over the Coral Sea and the beach has been swept by the overnight waves. Sometimes the sand is smooth and, at others, a collection of sea artifacts have washed ashore. But one thing that is missing are footprints, that is, until we are blessed to feel the sand between our toes as we greet the day. Ahhhhh....what a fantastic awakening!

As I thought more about the symbolism of footprints, impermanence, as well as our carbon footprint, came to mind-what are we leaving behind? I love the idea of having stepped onto many beaches around the world, leaving only my footprints and taking away only photographs. These are the places where my feet have kissed the earth and, really, I am the only one to remember these personal contact moments. Our footprints remind us about walking our own path and about the transient nature of our existence. It is said that we leave footprints everyday, so imagine the millions of impressions you've made throughout your life alone! How many of those have been created by following the footprints left by others? How many of them have been created because you left the known path and  stepped into the unknown?

More deeply, this thought began to germinate during the Sanctuary retreat when a group of people were talking about legacy and what they were leaving behind. I didn't hear the entire discussion, but someone replied, what about your "energetic footprint" that you're leaving behind? That stuck. Think of someone who is no longer on this earth that you knew and what it feels like when you think of them. That's an energetic footprint. Did their behavior influence how you behave or point you in a particular direction?

Not all of us can leave a legacy that's concrete, such as our own dedicated library, small fortune, or many children. But what we can generate is a potent impact through how we have lived our lives. What our yoga teaches us is to explore the multiple layers of who we are, moving through our energetic layers known as the Koshas. We begin by moving our physical body, which is the Annamayakosha (also known as the food sheath). From this obvious physical place, like an onion, we delve through layers of the body, to energy, mental/emotional layers, and more deeply into wisdom and bliss. But many of us who step onto the mat, stay connected only to the physical aspect of the practice and can miss out of the profound experiences if we were to dive more deeply.

This past week, we've been using guided imagery to create energy within our own hearts, expand it and share it with others who are suffering. We've also been trying to sense the pulsation of energy in our body once we have established a particular posture. When we know the pose, we can take our attention away from the mechanics and feel the other sensations which are present. We enhance these connections through other practices of meditation, chanting, guided imagery, and surrender.

Everything in the Universe is vibrating at some frequency. Toning, humming, chanting and singing are our natural ways in which we connect into a felt vibration. Hum the letter "M" and feel it resonate in the chambers of your throat, mouth, lips and head. This is another energetic footprint that can easily be experienced and support us in tuning into the present moment, and when we are in the present moment we are connected to the wider grid of energy.

So this week, reflect on what you are creating in your day-to-day experience and notice if it's aligned with the sense of your truest nature. What imprint is your being making in this lifetime? And if you really need to recalibrate your frequency, try walking in the sand and let the ocean kiss your ankles...that'll work!