I'm Smiling...

I walked into a Dealership at lunch to have my 25,000 mile tune up completed. The place was packed! People getting their car washed, tires checked, tune ups... a madhouse! I was one of many standing in line waiting to be helped. I waited... and waited... and waited. Fifteen minutes later a young man asked if he could help me. By then I was annoyed and irritated... so yeah! He could definately help.

Noticing that I wasn't practicing Ahimsa (non-violence in any way) I was only hurting myself by continuing to be irritated. So... I smiled. Simply a smile... I said hello to a couple of service people walking by. They smiled back. Simple acts of kindness... a smile... a hello during a very busy time when all of the other customers are complaining. As my car was being processed the expectation was set that my car might take longer than usual. Instead of an hour probaly an hour and a half or two. I smiled... I'm ok, I have all that I need to keep me occupied.

By the way, my car was ready in under an hour. I smiled....

Surrendering to Allow Change

I'm a gatherer of information... I always have been. So as I continue to expand my knowledge on Yoga as a whole I am searching for information on different types of yoga. As I enter the new year I am reading information to decide what branch of Yoga to study. During my search I ran across a book called "Yoga from the Inside Out: Making Peace with your Body" by Christina Sell. She describes her childhood as troubled and has a very driven nature. Within the first couple of pages in the book she hits on a huge point for Westerners: Surrender.

"... I was aware that there was not even a story line connected to the emotions at all. My body was simply releasing stored feelings. I continued to stay in the pose, following my breath and taking instruction from my teacher. Before leaving the workshop that evening, my teacher told me to not be afraid as I would go through changes. He said, 'You know, your challenge has never been strength or your willingness to work hard. You are good at those things. What you need to do now is surrender.'"

I notice the stored tension in people all around me in the workplace. People are fighting themselves from the inside - out! I see hunched shoulders, bad backs, sore necks, headaches, jaw clenching... the list goes on and on. Culturally we are taught not to show outbursts of emotions and/or feelings. As children we are taught that our outbursts are wrong or bad in some way. When, in fact, children are doing what our animalistic instinct tells us to do - release tension when the tension was there in that moment. Instead we push it inside of us and figure we'll deal with the hurt, defeat, pain, or suffering somehow.

A couple of years back I had two cats. One cat was older and calm, almost regal. The other was a kitten, full of spitfire and spunk. The kitten would stalk the older cat and jump out to attack him on countless occasions during the day. Although funny to watch, the older cat didn't enjoy it as much as I did, or the kitten. Of course this was all good and fun to the kitten. Each time the kitten pounced the older cat would let him have his fun, understanding the routine. Once the "attack" was over the older cat would simply get up and shake it off from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. Then calmly walk away.

Animals release energy under stressful situations in that moment. Animals do not instinctually store tension. If you watch two ducks in a pond arguing at each other at the end they will flap their wings to release the tension. Imagine; a business setting two executives in a heated discussion in a filled conference room. Then, after the discussion, shaking or flapping his/her wings to release the tension? Culturally, there is etiquette and a time and place for the release of tension. What humans have over animals is CHOICE. The option to choose a reaction or action in a situation. There are tools we have to help control our reactions.

The Yoga Asanas are an excellent tool to release stored tension. Our bodies were made to be flexible and limber. Heck, babies do a form of asana without even realizing it! Yet the majority of Westerners are stiff and knotted - fighting ourselves from within. I often hear, "I'm too inflexible for yoga" and "I can't do yoga! I can't touch my toes if you paid me!" If we change the thinking about our "inflexibility" to having "stored tension in the body," we can begin to focus on that during a pose and, with our breath, surrender and stop fighting ourselves. We do not need to flap our arms or shake from nose to tail... simply breathe and focus on the stored tension to surrender to it.

One of the purposes of Yoga is to allow... allow the pose to happen... allow the energy to build and the body heat up... allow the body to cool and rest. The first "rule" of yoga is Ahimsa; non-violence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or to the self. This goes as far as non-violence in thought, word, and action. Practicing surrender in our Asana allows us to move beyond the mat and utilize the practice in real-world situations... surrendering into a situation and accepting what is. Once we accept what is we have the choice of action. Following Ahimsa, our action would be mindful and, even within our thoughts, compassionate.

This takes practice... which brings us back to our mat. Within this circle there is a surrender to the process. Change will come as we allow the surrender to happen.

Simple Acts of Kindness

In the book "How Yoga Works" by Geshe Michael Roach, the main character discusses the cause and effect of thoughts as planting seeds in the mind. It is an overwhelming consideration that a single thought can manifest itself into something so much larger that does not serve us well. The simplification of the idea is what draws me to the blog today... as the book describes the first humans sitting in a cave eating, the idea of sharing food enters one of the humans' mind. As the human shares food, this single act of kindness starts a kind of chain reaction. "And then maybe the next day the first human goes out again looking for some food, and he is special, you see, and he notices that food seems a lot easier to find that day. And then some unspeakably holy, sacred string of thought passes through his mind and he says to himself, 'Maybe food is easier to find for me today because I shared my food yesterday.'"

This thought has been with me for the past couple of days. As the world around me seemed to be frantically looking for gifts or "getting somewhere," I wondered if my act of kindness to whomever I came into contact with would change the way that they interacted with me. What I found was an amazing reaction to just looking people in the eyes, smiling, and caring about them.

I'm not a psychologist, but I am an observer. What I observed is that when a person is engaged with a simple act of kindness the intention of their actions changes. For example: engage a cashier at a grocery store with a simple smile and conversation that may empathize with a busy Holiday season. Suddenly her posture changes, she's no longer worried how long the line is getting, she starts to smile, then laugh and brighten. More interesting; she isn't throwing produce across the scanner anymore... instead... she is intentionally taking care of the food. I even started noticing acts of kindness when driving. I observed my stress level decrease and traffic seemed to move a lot smoother as I focused on being kind to others around me... and my car too. I take care of you... you take care of me.

Of course - there are always exceptions to the experiment. I've allowed those interactions to pass knowing that maybe, one day, it will make a difference. Until then, I will keep experimenting and observing.

I would love to see your comments on observations. Please share!

Peace, Love and Joy this holiday season...

Patience

[The following "Day" is an excerpt from the book "Meditations from the Mat" by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison]

Day 108: "How poor they are that have not patience! What would did ever heal but by degrees?" William Shakespear

This morning it is very quiet outside. Schools are closed for winter break, adults are home with their families and not rushing to work... the world outside has slowed for a moment. I notice the difference between this morning and yesterday with all of the snow and plows passing by the house every other hour. This morning all I hear is a bird chirping outside... and it's wonderful. It seems as if the world is healing itself after being scraped and picked.


Choosing to read this Day out of Rolf's book is perfect for this time of year. "As our spines become increasingly flexible, we begin to understand the extent of the physical consequences of decades of compensating for a bad back. Then we embark on a period of reconstruction. And this is where the real work begins." As the snow continues to fall nature is also going through a period of reconstruction. This is an annual occurrance, it happens everywhere in varying degrees. As it is with nature, it is also with us.


Nature turns inward during winter. It is a time of rest and inward reflection. "In A Course in Miracles, the adage "Many are called but few are chosen" is used to suggest that although life offers all of us countless opportunities for growth, all too few of us bother to pick up the signals. We don't choose to hear the message." As you do your practice, whether it is Yoga, Running, Meditation, Swimming, or another form of physical activity, take the time to turn inward. Take the time to pay attention to the signals and be aware. If we are not aware the message will pass us by.


Not to worry... it will come again... for God/Universe/Higher Power is patient and is waiting for you to become who you already are.

The Study of Purity

[The following "Day" is from "Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga" by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison]



Day 188:
Amy's Story: "I have had fibrocystic breast disese. Within the first month of yoga, the disease - and all of the painful symptoms - went away completely. Emotionally, I felt as if had let go of something, and then I realized that my illness was completely gone, Yoga makes me feel more like taking care of myself, so I am more conscious of what I put into my body , and I am more present. more aware of how things are affecting me. I feel more committed to taking care of myself."

I can personally attest to Amy's experience. Although I have not had a disease like Amy's, I have experienced the aspect of purity that Amy expresses... and the desire to maintain the body and an optimal level of functioning. Last year I started taking yoga classes seriously. I was at the studio 3 to 4 times a week. During this time I noticed that what I ate at lunch "inflamed" my belly so much that I could not do some twisted positions. Bothered by this, I started cutting out foods that could inflame my body. I had already cut out pop and coffee so the next thing to go was gluten. I didn't see an immediate difference - but in two weeks I noticed that my belly wasn't as bloated at class and I could bind while in twisting poses... like my hands could actually touch and there wasn't any discomfort!

The next step was after the holidays, I completely cut out sugar. WOW... what a difference that made! It affected everything from my hormones to my weight! And, I was no longer bloated. During this time period (3 months) I went from 165'ish to 132... a size 10 to almost a size 2.

My goal was not to lose weight, or fit into a dress or pair of jeans. My goal was to simply function and feel good... to balance out my physical body just as I was balancing out my mind during my yoga practice.

A week ago I received the Chopra Center Daily Practices Guide in the mail. I didn't open the packet of information until last night. There is a section on Eating Awareness Techniques that helped me become more aware of my habits and begin changing my un-conscious eating patterns immediately. Here they are and I hope they help you too:

"{The environment in which food is prepared and consumed makes an important contribution to the nourishing influence food has on the body. By paying attention to a few simple principles, you can help your system extract the highest levels of nourishment from everthing you eat.}

• Eat in a settled atmosphere.
• Don't eat when you are upset.
• Sit down to eat.
• Eat only when you feel hungry.
• Reduce ice-cold foods and drinks. They put out your fire.
• Don't talk while chewing your food, engage in light-hearted conversations.
• Eat at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow.
• Wait until one meal is digested before eating the next.
• Sip warm water with your meals.
• Eat freshly-cooked meals whenever possible. Reduce FLUNC (frozen, leftover, un-cooked, nuked (microwaved), and canned) foods.
• Minimize raw foods - cooked food is much easier to digest.
• Do not cook with honey, replace with maple syrup. Honey can be used as a condiment.
• Drink milk separately from meals, preferably warm and either alone or with other sweet foods.
• Experience all six tastes at every meal.
• Leave 1/3 to 1/4 of your stomach empty to aid digestion.
• Sit quietly for a few minutes after your meal. Take a walk if you can."

If you are interested in balancing out your physical body with nutrition I highly recommend going to www.chopra.com and taking the Dosha quiz. I also highly recommend reading about Ayurveda and the natural and practical practice to balance the body.

I hope this has helped or touched someone today - thank you for allowing me to share.

Do what you love...

The following "Day" is taken from a book called "Meditations from the Mat" by Rolf Gates.

Day 150:"Let the beauty that you love be what you do" Rumi

As I prepare for an all day big corporate meeting, and presentation within that meeting, I know I will be dealing with pain bodies and egos everywhere... In one room... All day. So how do I bring my dharma forward in that setting? I will make them laugh... I will bring joy... I will support the work that came before me.

"... dharma is the recognition that each of us is born with unique gifts, and that it is our path to discover these gifts and share them with others. In sharing our gifts we live most fully, perform maximum service to those around us, and empower them to live out their dharma."

During Rolf's Vinyasa Teacher Training in 2009, the class noticed that each of us has a unique gift that we have shared with each other over the course of the training. As luck would have it, we have continued sharing our gifts via email, pictures, Facebook, blogs, etc. We continue to support each other in ways that are blind to the outside world.

As we practice - we share, we support, we grow...

"As we inhale, we prepare; as we exhale, we deepen the posture. Coming to the mat, we prepare; going forth into our lives, we shine. Our practice is an inhalation, our dharma is an exhalation."

Inhale joy... Exhale and shine....