Nature is everywhere. A sidewalk tree, leaves underfoot, moss in the cracks, flocks of pigeons, solitary hawks and noisy seagulls.
Feel the wind on your face. Open up your senses to it and you’ll realize that nature is all around you.
Month: January 2017
Dedicate your practice
At the beginning of a yoga class, the teacher asks us dedicate the class to someone or something. Maybe it’s a place, maybe a person. Breathing, stretching and stillness benefits us, but also everyone else around us. We are all connected, so therefore whatever you do effects me.
Dedicating a class clarifies our intention behind a practice and reminds us that self-improvement is not about the individual, but the collective. This works for any exercise – dedicate a walk, a run, a swim, a bike ride or a breathing exercise.
The act of dedication make us pause and reflect on why we are doing this every day, and that it’s not just about us. Enjoy!
Show up and be
Yoga doesn’t mind about your mood. Its nose doesn’t get put out of joint because your mind is all over the place, or you feel bloated, achy and tired. Yoga doesn’t mind if you are feeling out of sorts.
It’s just asking you to show up and be. That’s all. The rest will take care of itself.
Take the leap and believe in magic
Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it – Roald Dahl
Be in touch
Staying in touch is different than friending, following or subscribing to someone on a social network. Facebook is a community of digital contacts and it’s an awesome vehicle to communicate, but don’t confuse digital connections and digital browsing with seeing someone in the flesh. I know there’s a diaspora of people across the world and that’s what makes social networks so great, but I’m talking about being physically proximate with your community, neighbors and friends.
If you stopped using Facebook tomorrow, how many people would notice? I mean really notice. How many people would be knocking on your door, walking around to the back door, peering in a window or phoning to check in? Compare that to the reaction from friends, family and co-workers who are in physical contact with on a regular basis. I’m talking about a morning run together, popping in for tea, walk and talks at lunch time, kid’s play dates, weekend coffee meetups…that’s what “being in touch” means. It’s not scrolling down a digital news feed and flicking through photos for a quickie endorphin hit.
Networks like Facebook and Twitter are a means to communicate and organize. Check out the Women’s Marches that were organized across the country…and it all started with a small group on Facebook. What’s even more awesome is that the Facebook group manifested into a physical march for millions of people. What gave it power was the physical manifestation. Physical contact nurtures the soul and makes the connection real.
Be proximate with your community and be in touch. It’s good for the community and it’s good for you.
p.s. thanks to Stephen Bartels for inspiring this post and Lindsay Bartels for the edits
Falling out and learning how not to
Yoga is about gentle balance. A yoga pose is about using body weight and strength to oxygenate. The only way to improve is to gently push the body beyond its comfort level as technique improves. Going beyond the limits means losing balance and sometimes falling out of a pose. Don’t get frustrated when a pose ‘breaks’ and you find yourself flat on the mat. Falling out and learning how not to is the way to improve.
Gently push yourself everyday, and remember if you are forcing it then it isn’t yoga.
Make the call
Think about an old friend. Someone you’ve known for most of your life. Commit to speaking to them today or writing them a note.
The day you forget where you came from, you won’t belong where you are.
Mental travel
Need to think through a life event decision? Travel to a new place. Break the daily rituals and well worn paths of every day. Let the decision go, don’t mull over it. Don’t worry…it won’t go far. The newness and discovery of travel will keep your mind and body occupied with new smells, sounds, tastes, and sights. When you get back, invite the decision into your mind again. I think the answer may be waiting for you at home right where you started all along.
Going out, is going in
‘I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.’ – John Muir
Roll up the mat
Yoga is the meeting of mind and body. It’s a way of life. Being in a studio with like minded people is a powerful way to practice. But what happens when class is over and you plug back into the life’s demands and pressures?
When class is over, lie down in Savasana – lie on your back, with arms and legs are spread out like a snow angel, close your eyes and breath deeply. Relax and let your mind wander. Unchain the brain. Imagine letting a dog off the lead at the beach and watch it sprint towards the waves – your brain will react in the same way.
After a while, slowly standup and re-engage with the sights and sounds of the day. Your next moves set the tone for the rest of the day. A lot of people jump up, crumple up their mat and hurry out. I do it from time to time too when I’m distracted, anxious and am already living in the future.
Stay in the moment and set the tone with how your matt is rolled: Stand up straight after savasana, relax the shoulders and jaw. Now tighten your tummy and bum, and do a slow forward bend towards your mat. Pick it up from one end and start to roll it. It doesn’t have to be at a snail’s pace, it’s about the intention to focus, do a good job. Rolling the mat keeps you in the yoga mindset, and makes you focus on the task at hand. It gets you out of your head, stops you from checking the phone or thinking about the next thing waiting for you. It also prepares you for the next class with a nicely rolled mat and makes set up for the next class easy.
Roll up the mat after class and continue the yoga outside of the studio.
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