The Everything Yoga Blog

Downtime

2013-05-16T23:38:15-04:00

I recently had a week of down time. Even though I was taking classes in something I enjoy, I was away from my daily routine. I was also away from my computer (although I did check email on my phone). I spent a good portion of time just hanging out. I finished a book that I've been wanting to read for a week and made a dent in another book on my to read list. While I didn't get a lot of sleep while away, I came back feeling refreshed.

There's something special about unwinding and being in a state of peacefulness that calls for being rather than doing. A change of scenery isn't even necessary. Enjoying some down time could be as simple as powering down the cell phone and other electronics (including the TV) and filling the hours with silence (and, if you're like me, a little yoga and meditation...and some time spent out in nature). Vacations are fun, yes, but often they are bookmarked by periods of frenzied preparation and catchup and filled with lots of doing, seeing, buying, etc. All of that activity feels normal, making a half day of unscheduled nothingness seem intimidating.

I vote to give nothingness a chance. Sure, it may seem a little intimidating at first but after a while the peace sets in. Bliss.

If you need help taking some downtime here are two goodies (one is free) for you:

How would you like to spend a weekend with Pema Chodron without even leaving your house? Omega online learning is hosting a live video event featuring Pema Chodron and Tim Olmstead which kicks off tomorrow, May 17 and runs through Sunday, May 19. The weekend features talks and guided meditations and allows for plenty of downtime in between sessions. Click here for more information and to sign up.
For at-home retreat do-it-yourselfers, block off a half day, full day, or better yet, full weekend and schedule meditation sessions, yoga practices, walks in nature, naps, journaling, or anything else that catches your fancy. To help you with the meditation portion of your at home retreat -- or to build a daily practice so that every day offers up some peaceful retreat-like time, download Jeff Carreira's free ebook, The Miracle of Meditation.

Nothing to do. Nowhere to be. Ahhhhhhh...enjoy!

Namaste!

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Open Wild

2013-05-06T13:49:38-04:00

Wild Thing Pose.

I hear the name and BAMMO -- the song starts rocking through my mind (I just can't help myself). When I heard about this posture for the very first time, I laughed. Surely it was a joke, right? Then I stopped thinking and started doing. I realized it wasn't a joke but an exhilirating leap into the unknown.

Camatkarasana (for those of you who like the Sanskrit...or for those of you who tend to giggle when hearing the name Wild Thing) is an opening posture that essentially flips Downward Dog, leaving you feeling invigorated. I can still remember the first time I attempted it. I found myself wondering whether or not my hand would support myself and whether my body would actually twist that way. My heart accelerated while my mind wondered, "Can I do this?" It's been said that this pose symbolizes a celebration of personal power and freedom. At the time I was a little short on both, so I guess my fear was not surprising.

Then there's the other translation of Camatkarasana: the ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart. I'm on better footing with my personal power and freedom so nowadays I heartily -- no pun intended -- relate to this translation. Yes, my heart still beats faster when I come into the pose...but it's more about excitement and open-heartedness. It's funny how something that seems so very scary at one point in time seems like an exciting opportunity later on.

In fact, it was a series of exciting opportunities that have gotten me to where I am today. At the time the actions seemed big, almost Herculean and just a wee bit scary. But just like in Camatkarasana, I grounded and stretched only to find myself exactly where I wanted to be -- wide open. Yes, Wild Thing, you make my heart sing.

So in the spirit of the ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart and leaping into the unknown, I revisit Wild Thing Pose. Join me, won't you?

And on the topic of opening, I have two more goodies:

--If you'd like to embody Camatkarasana, join The Love Tribe and vow to open hearts no matter what by visiting the the Love Master, Sal Annunziato, on Facebook. He'll send you a Love Tribe band so you'll always remember to be open and wild.

--Laughter also opens the heart (and is good for the nervous system), so check out The Laughter Project. It asks the following questions: Why do you enjoy laughing? What is the funniest moment in your life? What will always make you laugh, even in the face of adversity?

And here's a little solo Laughter Yoga to get you going:

Feeling more open? I sure am. Keep it up.

Namaste!

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Allowing for Space

2013-04-28T21:28:56-04:00

I had a serious blast from the past the other day as I recounted a period of my life when a lot was going on. As I retold the events to my friend, I realized how my life back then resembled a soap opera (haven't watched one of those since the 80s but I do remember the over-the-top so as to be laughable drama). So much so that it was only in recounting that time period did I realize how truly crazy things were, how crazy I was. I couldn't see it then -- the running from one thing to another without consciousness, the jumping into something before even getting out of what came before, the high of the drama of it all rather than slowing down and getting in touch with how I was actually feeling about my actions, my life, my relationships, myself (if I had slowed down, I would have realized that I wasn't feeling very good about any of it).

It reminded me of what I used to say my friend during that time period: "I just need a minute." Ironic how that was my mantra back then even though I never actually did take a minute. Oh, no, it was non-stop drama for me, one unconscious action after the next after the next. By the end of that time in my life, I was left with my head spinning, wondering, "Whoa, what just happened?!?!" I can tell you what didn't happen: I didn't give myself space to simply be and feel what was going on. I guess you could say that back then space felt boring, like admitting some sort of defeat. And, more importantly, space felt empty, which can be scary.

Have you ever had that experience -- the one where you automatically parrot back the phrase "I love you" when it's said to you even though you're not quite sure you really love the person you're saying it to (I KNOW this has gotten some of you in trouble at one point in your life, yeah?)? Or perhaps you've jumped from one relationship to the next without any time to decompress/evaluate/take responsibility and improve in between? Or you've loaded up your schedule with all sorts of busy action items because you want to avoid feeling something? Or you've packed your social calendar so that you never have to spend a quiet moment alone? Yeah, we've all been there. It reminds me of what so many of us do when confronted with a crying person -- rather than let the person feel those intense emotions, we rush to make it all better and often blurt, "Don't cry. It's okay." I'd rather be the person crying than that person I was in continuous motion/denial helping me keep my feelings at bay.

Recently, my friend and I were chatting about something we learned about a mutual friend -- this person got divorced from a partner of 13 years only to get re-married approximately 3 months later. My initial reaction to that news was similar to the message I was trying to give to myself during that hectic time of my life: "Whoa, take a minute!" My friend called the quickie re-marriage "a cry for help." Perhaps (or perhaps a boon for divorce lawyers???). While, I would never recommend that any recently divorced person to get married within the first few months, I think it's a fairly common occurrence. Suffice to say, I'm reeeeaaaaally grateful that I didn't go so unconscious as to get married during that time of my life.

Which brings me to what my friend and I love to say these days: "When nothing is happening, everything is happening." Oh, so true. These days I get my excitement from taking that minute and giving myself the space devoid of the drama and the continuous action. Let me tell you that I'm so far from bored it's laughable. You see, the space is where the good stuff is...and by good, I mean intense.

My yoga practice is the same way -- a mix of flow and holds. I like flow and sometimes my natural tendency is flow right on through my practice, leaving very little space for me to feel anything. Since I'm a fan of balancing things out, I add static postures into my practice because they go against my natural inclination (file this under: sometimes what you want isn't always what you need). That way I have flow but I also have the space to really get into my body and feel what's happening with me on any given day.

It would be an understatement to say that I never want to relive that chaotic time in my life again. I'm going to actually take that minute, hang out, breathe it all in, and act from a conscious place.

Anybody with me on allowing for space? Here's a little reading that's meant to be done s-l-o-w-l-y. Take that space that notice what feelings the word evokes. Then do the same on your mat. And then in your life.

Namaste!

Clearing Mind Clutter

2013-04-22T21:59:50-04:00

One more thing since we're on the topic of clearing clutter. Starting tomorrow (April 23) Deva Premal and Miten are hosting a 21-day journey exploring mantra. Each day you'll receive a new mantra, along with its meaning, an audio of it being chanted and a meditation on the mantra's energetic quality. It's free to participate. Click here to learn more and/or sign up. I don't know about you, but this seems like a kinder, friendlier version of Spring Cleaning -- no blood, sweat and tears involved.

Namaste!

Clearing the Clutter

2013-04-22T21:51:13-04:00

This time of year always brings up memories of my mom running around the house like a Tasmanian Devil carrying out this ritual she called Spring Cleaning. There was cleaning involved, changing of the curtains and bed spreads, and lots of blood, sweat, and tears (okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit -- I don't remember any blood). Interestingly enough, I did not inherit this Spring Cleaning gene. Until this year, that is...

Despite the fact that I recently moved (and I had thrown out/donated a lot of stuff then), I found myself feeling a desperate need to clear things out. Two contractor bags later, I felt lighter and happier. Slowly but surely, I'm making my way through the house asking myself the all-important question "Do I really need this?"

An interesting question, for sure. Is it need or want or merely habit or comfort? I wonder the very same things when I sit on my meditation cushion each morning and thoughts churn round and round in my head. Do I need it or want it or is it a habit that I hide behind? It's funny how my answer to that question has always included justification. For a time I even asked myself that question in regards to my yoga practice. There were times the answer was that I was using my practice to hide. It was a way for me to convince myself that I was being open hearted because of my focus on "spirituality" and my inner world.

Sometimes it's a little of all of it -- needs, wants, comfort. In regards to determining if something needed to be cleared, I started drawing the line based on how I feel. I did this with a person not too long ago. I liked this person. A lot. I felt connected to him. I found comfort in him. Despite all of this, I didn't feel good about the relationship. Something just didn't feel right. I spent a lot of time justifying why the relationship was good for me, why I should work on it, why it needed to be in my life. But there was this lingering unease. My feelings were affecting the relationship and I ended up hurting this person, which was something that I never wanted to do. As much as I wanted to hold on, I realized that I needed to let it go. Or maybe it was that I needed to let it go more than I needed to hold on.

I realize that clearing isn't something that should only be done each Spring -- it needs to be done continuing. It reminds me of pruning, and the picture of Karate Kid's Mr. Miyagi trimming his bonsai. In order for it to grow, you must continually trim it. Hmmmm...guess I've got some growth on the way because I'm trimming things down over here and not just things in my physical space -- I'm clearing out thoughts, beliefs, and people as well.

It feels good to lighten the load and feel the revival of Spring.

Namaste!

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