Feet

It's been a week about the feet. Recently, as we were driving north through the Owen's Valley in California, I was listening to a podcast called Slow Home, and something that was mentioned during that podcast really stuck with me, "Live Where Your Feet Are". I loved that, especially as just a couple of weeks ago I wrote about "The Tug" and how we so easily get pulled out of the present moment and into the past or future. Live where your feet are was another layer in supporting us in connecting to being present.

Then I got to thinking about our feet and how they have this incredible anatomical design. A size seven foot can carry around a grown adult, navigate terrain, adjust when needed, often without any conscious effort. The arches themselves have an adaptability through over two dozen bones that absorb shock and transfer weight. As an evolving species, our feet were another sensory mechanism for gathering information about our environment. We had to be mindful as we evolved largely without shoes or paved/smooth surfaces. It was a necessity to pay attention to where we stepped as to avoid sharp objects, thorns, slippery patches, and wiggly poisonous snakes. If you've ever injured, knocked, bumped or scraped your feet you know how many nerve endings are gathered in this area of our body. It's necessary for us to truly get a sense of where we are in the world in literally detecting the shape and texture of our terrain.

And yet, we've lost touch with the incredible sensations that our feet can detect through shoving them into supportive shoes and walking on concrete. We no longer have the same primal need for this tactile information and, in a sense, have become less connected to the earth in a most fundamental way. The beauty of our yoga practice is that it gives us an opportunity to come back to living where our feet are on so many levels--physically, emotionally, and metaphorically.

One of the great gifts of being in the Eastern Sierras was that it encouraged me to be connected to my feet. We spent time hiking in Lake Tahoe as well as walking along the lakeshore. The sand of Nevada Beach was incredibly coarse as it's made from granite. I was walking along the shore barefoot and was completely aware of my feet upon the rough sand. It was as though they were being exfoliated with each step and the beauty of the experience is that I was fully present. It brought me to truly being in my feet, feeling the cool water and the texture of the earth. I felt every step and was grateful for each footfall in this beautiful location.

Let's take a moment to honor our feet and the millions of steps they have taken. Think about the daily trails you carve as you wander from place to place in the home, go to the market, or slip outside for exercise. Reflect on the more structured and intentional walking paths from boardwalks, hiking trails, beaches, bushwalks to the planned treks on the Camino de Santiago, Inca, Pacific Crest, or Appalachian trails. Our feet are under us for every step and most of the time we don't even notice. Perhaps we are so engrossed in our surroundings that we disembody and merge with nature. Perhaps we have a blister and notice every foot strike. Either way, let's find gratitude for how our amazingly sturdy feet have supported us every step of the way.

Live where your feet are!

Ripples

Last weekend I was talking to a close, longtime friend who has also completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training course that I run. She teaches yoga as a side gig and was sharing with me that after her class last week she invited her students to view the TV profile that had been broadcast about therapeutic yoga, featuring yours truly. And then she said, "It just keeps rippling...". Some of what I taught my friend is now rippling out from the San Diego area through her actions. So my thought for the week is how we create a ripple effect from our actions and, hopefully, it comes from a perspective of positivity, compassion, and love. 

In yoga teacher training we talk about acting from our highest intentions which are driven from that inner place of wanting to have impact. When we act from the motivation of serving others with kindness, we certainly don't do so in order to see what comes back to us as a result. We teach without ever really knowing what impact it will have on someone and we keep teaching with authenticity to meet an internal need to be of service. 

I hadn't really understood how one person can have impact until we were getting ready to move from Australia to the United States. The previous four years I had been managing the group fitness program at the University of Melbourne. It was a large program with many enthusiastic participants with classes being held in basketball stadium size gyms, multiple classes each day and 20+ instructors to make it all happen. I taught every day in the program and I had my finger on the pulse of all the numbers over the four years I was there. I remember sitting with a friend for coffee one day and telling her that I had tallied the numbers for my time at Melbourne Uni. Over the four years, I taught 848 classes that averaged 45 people per class which translated to seeing close to 40,000 people! I was so stunned by these numbers, I double checked them. I said to my friend that I had never anticipated when I began teaching that I would have such an experience. It was truly the first time I caught a glimpse of the impact that one person can have.

This week is about honoring how each and every one of us has impact. Any time we act from our highest intention, engage in what we love and support others in thriving, we make an impression. To think that each one of us can lift another is a tremendous recognition of our own power. The ability to simply bring a positive moment and/or experience into someone's day is deeply humbling. I am beyond grateful that I can sense this experience on a regular basis and it makes my heart smile to once again be reminded of this. 

Let's celebrate the positive connections that we generate. Let's recognize how energy, action, and intention can move powerfully away from us and make a commitment to doing so from the highest perspective possible. And although some of my numbers might be staggering, it's not about that. It's about the quality of the ripple that we create. It might just have the power to blow you away...

The Tug

Imagine this scene. A couple is having a dinner party at their house and in the middle of a deep and thoughtful conversation with another couple. Almost imperceptibly, their 3-year old, who is meant to be in bed, is at Papa's side tapping on his thigh. The Tug...the moment that pulls us away from what we were currently focused on. Papa's a loving father and responds to the child's request for some water and leaves the conversation. Upon returning, he might say something like..."What'd I miss?" or "So, where were we?". The train of thought got derailed.

I've been talking about "the tug" throughout the week as it happens all the time. We especially notice it when we're sitting quietly in meditation and every conceivable thought seems to appear. Each thought is like that child trying to grab our attention and pull us away from our intention-that of staying focused on one thing. Our practice this week has been to honor "the tug" as we know it's coming and to recognize it as that moment of recognition in which we've been pulled away---the magical moment. We awaken to the moment of no longer being present. And when we wake up, how do we regain our focus?

Try this. Close your eyes and simply listen to all sounds you can hear. See if you can do so without attaching any judgment to the sound, just hear it. Every sound you hear is happening in the present moment. Have you ever heard a sound from the past or in the future? You may have a memory of past sounds, but those are living in our minds and not in the present moment. Now connect to sensations in your body. What does it feel like when the air moves in and out of the nostrils? Can you sense tension in your shoulders, jaw, or abdomen? Whatever we can feel in our body is happening in the present moment. Another way to find presence is to notice where your eyes are looking. In a yoga practice, this is called Drishti (the focal point of a held gaze). When on the mat, can you find only a few points that anchor your gaze as you practice? All of these techniques are ways in which we experience the NOW.

So why is this important? Why do many wisdom traditions, including yoga, emphasize being present? What's wrong with projecting into the future or reminiscing about past occurrences? Well...nothing. Unless you spend most of your time in those states of consciousness. The only place our life is happening is in the present moment. All moments that have gone by and all moments yet to come only live in our minds. It can be thought that anxiety is a projection of the future, and depression a reflection of the past, so we can begin to connect mental states to our current state by focusing on the living in the present moment. This is often referred to as mindfulness, where our current experience is one to which we are fully connected.

Mindfulness can find its way into all aspects of our day from how we pay attention to our morning rituals of getting dressed, grooming, and eating to connecting to one task (uni-tasking) at a time throughout the day. Just eat when eating rather than watching TV, being on a device, driving, or having a conversation. Pay attention to how your body moves through the day and what it touches (feet on the earth, clothes on the skin). Do one task at a time and really notice what it feels like to fold clothes, drive a car, wash a dish, or touch a keyboard.

The more we practice being mindful the more it gets infused into a way of being, rather than just a passing sensation. We can begin to truly live fully in every moment and not miss the extraordinary mundane moments of our lives. We'll begin to get better at recognizing "the tug" and honoring it for reminding us that we are always in a state of practice, coming home again to the moment of NOW.

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!