Going To The Edge

We all have limits. The question is, do you know when you've pushed beyond yours? My thought of the week is just about that: finding the edge but not diving over it.



When I was a kid, I used to walk right up to the edge of cliffs and lookouts, particularly when we'd be on a family camping trip to a State or National Park. I had this curiosity about what it would be like to "fly" over the edge. It was common for my Mother's hand to be gripping the waist band of my shorts just in case I actually thought I could fly. I loved stepping up to the edge. It wasn't until I went bungy jumping off a bridge in New Zealand that my curiosity was satiated; it didn't feel exactly like the soaring feeling I thought it would offer. It felt like falling...really fast.



We all have our boundaries but unless we have awareness, we often don't know where that border begins and ends. In our physical practice of yoga our edge is the place where we can maintain steadiness of breath, move freely without pain and feel the effects of the pose. If we press beyond our edge, we often face discomfort, hold our breath, feel pain and increase our chance of hurting ourselves. Conidering that yoga is a way to deepen our connection through our physical experience, if we hurt ourselves, we hit a roadblock in that process.



Our edge can shift, often quickly. We may begin our practice feeling sluggish and unmotivated, but as we begin to couple our breath to our body, bring heat into our tissues and reach out of our daily habitual postures, we may find that our edge expands and begins to open. The opposite is also true. We may arrive on the mat full of great intentions for an ambitious session and realize that once we begin, we need to back off and go easier than we had originally planned.



The changes of how we feel move not only throughout our practice but from day to day, week to week and year to year. It's a great disservice to ourselves to hit autopilot and go through the motions. Our lives ebb and flow...things are constantly shifting and our experience varies. It is through paying attention to how this shift is taking place that deepens our practice. When we listen to what our being is telling us from a deeper place, we set foot on the path of transformation.



And only YOU can determine your edge. No yoga instructor has the ability to tell you how hard you should or shouldn't be pushing. Nobody knows your body better than you. Nobody. So get to know yourself a little better by listening to all the cues it's sending you.



Get curious...step up to your edge without pushing beyond it and see if you can avoid the temptation to fly!

Energy Out...Energy In

Balance...that's one of the primary themes of a yoga practice. I'm not talking about being able to hold your tree pose for long periods of time, but about keeping our individual energy needs in check.



I'm also not talking about energy in the form of calories...we've all heard that to "maintain our weight, we need to take in as much energy in the form of calories as our body needs". They even have energy measuring devices on cardio equipment so you can see how many calories it takes to stride on your elliptical trainer for 20 minutes.



What I'm referring to is the vital energy that is housed in our bodies, the same energy that flows throughout the greater universe. This energy, prana, is a current that penetrates through our physical selves, our thinking minds and our spiritual being. We notice if this energy balance is out of whack when we over commit to things outside of us and under commit to keeping ourselves in good health.



We say yes to helping a friend, sitting on a committee, hosting an event or babysitting a child. All noble and loving acts...but in addition to all that we're already doing, we might be stretching ourselves a bit thin. We don't have enough reserve at the end of the day to meet more than our basic needs. Where's the time for you if you're always looking after things outside of you?



Many of us have had the experience where we push ourselves and slide right past the point where we need to say "no more" but keep going. regardless. For short periods of time, this is often easily managed. But, what if your m.o. is always turned to that switch? What if taking time for yourself feels like a luxury rather than a necessity?



Now is a great time to reflect on what you do to support your own needs. What are you doing to move and enjoy the power of your body? How many moments in the day do you notice how your breath is moving in and out of your lungs? Do you have at least 10 minutes in a day where you're not interrupted, asleep or connected to an electronic device? Do you think about how the food you eat is becoming part of your body? Is it nourishing you in the way you desire? Are you connecting to people who love and support you? Are you learning something new?



I was inspired to write about this topic because I've just come off a very intense 11-day work stint. It's been great on so many levels and by day 11, my inner voice went from a quiet whisper to a louder shout of "take time for yourself this weekend!".



So, I'm listening. Few plans. Good tea and green juices. Sunshine. Bicycling. No alarm clock. Time with Ed, Koele (my dog), and friends.



Ahhhh...back in balance.

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.