November 2020
I skipped September's blog and here we are, HERE we are....At pivotal time. Full moon still shines light upon us, the ghouls have disappeared and the chill of the approaching winter is on the way. Svadhyaya-Always and Ahimsa,... ALWAYS. So, where does this leave us?... Well,.. in the same place as always - REMEMBER... We have to remember - who we are. Why we are here. We ( yes, each of us, all of us...), have SOMETHING - a gift, a message, a smile, to share-to offer. In September, We had the FIRST Yoga Tree Teacher Training FULL weekend ( August was our ceremony to set the intention). October - 2 weeks in beautiful St. Barts' with our dear, kind, generous, amazing friend. So,..now, November - unbelievable that we are closing in on the END of this 2020. What an interesting experience this has been. My amazing son is 15, driving a 5 speed, being a wonderful addition on this planet as a stellar human and making me so incredibly proud to be his mom. What can we DO - we,.. WE ... all of us,.. each of us? LIVE! Live, be kind, don't harm, be truthful, be joyful, don't take what isn't yours, give freely and be generous, offer your gifts without thoughts of reward. Be aware of where you place your attention - it will be where you set your intention. So, these things have all been said before but I felt like writing. I am realizing, I get WAY too stressed out and miss out on - joy sometimes,.. I TRY so hard to make things in life really good, and then,... maybe I get too caught up in it...I had a reminder this weekend to- CHILL out ... how else can we say it? Take a deep breath,. slow down, it's going to be OK. In the same breath, I am teaching the Yoga Trainees that studying and practicing and teaching Yoga, involves being an activist, absolutely! Be strong in your beliefs-be kind, do not harm,... LOVE unconditionally. Being a parent is such an amazing opportunity to PARTICIPATE in life. Being a mom, well, for me, it's the most amazing gift/opportunity/yoga, IN THE WORLD-I LOVE talking with my son. Listening to his thoughts, just being with him. I like to just stop the world sometimes when he shares with me and absorb every word. I highly recommend this.
So,.. I think I'll snuggle up with Poseidon, have a cup of tea and finish writing later. NAMASTE'
दुःखदौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्वश्वासप्रश्वासा विक्षेपसहभुवः॥३१॥
duhkha-daurmanasya-angamejayatva-svasa-prasvasah-viksepa-saha-bhuvah
"An agitated mind (viksepa) manifests symptoms (bhuvah) in: the body through physical trembling and physical discomfort (angamejayatva), in the breath through irregular breathing (svasa-prasvasa), in the mind through negative thinking (daurmanasya) and in the emotions through emotional suffering (duhkha).
(duhkha): " a general unhappiness, an emotional discomfort that is often deep-seated and felt on a physical level in the chest region. This emotional pain can be connected to distress, grief, sadness, anguish and a general sense of misery."
(daurmanasya): "a negative perspective on life, often related to pessimism, sarcasm, a dark mood, lack of self-confidence, and can bring someone to despair and depression."
(angamejayatva): "physical unease, often manifested in trembling, shaking, twitching or the inability to be still."
(svasa-prasvasa): "whenever the inhale or exhale is disrupted, meaning we are holding the breath or the breath is short and shallow, the breath is said to irregular."
This sutra presents Yoga as a holistic system. These four symptoms are interconnected. When we affect one of the levels (body, breath, thoughts and emotions), the others are affected as well. Yoga works on those four levels. If we are scared or stressed, we feel emotional discomfort (manifested in anxiety, sadness…), leading to negative thinking, manifested in the body depending on where our physical weakness lies (migraines, neck tension, stomach issues…), causing our breath to be irregular (we hold it or we breathe in a short and shallow manner). The breath is more subtle and we rarely pay attention to it. The following are common relationships between the breath and our emotional states:
- anger: forceful and rapid exhalation (like an angry bull)
- disappointment: prolonged exhalation (sigh)
- anxiety: short and shallow inhalations and exhalations
- shock: breath suspension
- calmness: long and smooth breaths
If we can see these symptoms as triggers for awareness, we can learn a lot about ourselves in moments of discomfort. 🌈 What is making us feel this way? Why have I had neck tension since adolescence? What feelings are associated with this physical discomfort? Once I gain that awareness, I can stop blaming external factors and take the next step and apply one of the tools Patanjali gifts us with!
IHere Patanjali presents us with the method of how Yoga views healing: holistic (from body, to breath, to thoughts to emotions). Practically speaking, this means that most of our physical symptoms are manifestations of deep-rooted emotional troubles. Healing in Yoga, therefore, takes time. We do not have magical pills for anxiety, back pain or pessimism. Yoga works with reflection, awareness and action. Through reflection we become aware of many deep tendencies and behaviors we have had that negatively affect our health. That awareness helps us see how we can change and create positive and constructive changes in order to create magnificent lives! Sutras I.32-I.39 mention eight techniques or tricks for calming the mind " shared from weeklysutra
We are so fortunate to have such amazing knowledge available to us. 🙏
We have to trust and breathe,... love and be kind - to others and ourselves. Meditation is such a lovely way to really sit with ourselves. As we are still and listen, we observe obstacles and distractions. There must be consistency and a regularity with our practice to be effective but this is a simple practice that leads to peace.
I find that meditating each day sets the foundation for a peaceful start to the day, ... does it stop the chaos? no,... Does it quell all of the anxiety and stress? no,.. but it helps to remind me that I create my environment and my ongoing habits contribute to the tone of the day,... Will I choose joy? Be strong and have integrity. Be authentic and kind and caring,.. Look inward with self study to learn and grow. Do not harm. Take a deep breath, right now,.. just stop and close your eyes,... As you open the eyes, ... think of something that brings you joy. Imagine devoting your day to that joy. Now, slow down and open your heart to all that comes your way today, but do it with a little space open around your heart. Be true to yourself,.. do this by way of slowing down and listening,... In following our dharma as we are taught in the Gita, we feel purpose and this, feeling driven to share our gifts and ourselves, this brings JOY into the heart.💓
much love and light
lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
namaste'
Kerry and the Yoga Tree family
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