A different kind of flow

If every yoga class you walked into started with the same breathing chants, same movements, same flow, same timing, same pattern from start to finish, would you be bored, or would you embrace the routine? Would the routine become dogmatic movements or could you, would you, keep refining and exploring your breath, your postures, your movements so that they were seamless and graceful, fluid and strong? Would you be able to vary your effort and modify the poses based on how you felt that day, or would you keep trying to "perform" the same every single day?

Sometimes, you just have to change things up completely to break the ritual to prevent it from becoming habitual. No where that I have studied has it said that you MUST do Surya Namaskar A exactly as in a textbook. No teacher that has imparted their wisdom has faulted me for exploring different ways to express my movements. In order to make yoga mine (or, yours), it must fit what you need, integrate your essences and help you grow your understanding of yourself.

So, why not move a little differently? 

Create your own flow that focuses on subtle graceful movements, and focused muscular engagement rather than pure momentum and power to get you thru a sequence. Refine from the ground out, from the inside out, rather than just taking the form of the pose and then trying to force the body to a static hold.

Try circling the arms and lifting one knee up, balacing on one foot not just at the ankle, but inside the foot, up the calf, around the front and back of the thigh, deeply into the hip, reaching the spine up up up the arms up up up, shoulder strongly rooted on the back and the drshti soft in front of you. Hold the lifted leg with integrity, rather than like a dead weight. Breathe fully into the thoracic cavity, then as your sweep the arms with control back down, bring the lifted leg down. 

With minimal transition of weight to the other side, repeat with the other leg. Continue a few cycles, left up, right up, engaging the low belly, strong upright posture and healthy spinal curves, with minimal extra movements - don't let the energy "leak out" through inactive limbs (limp ankles or wrists) or be drained away by extra movement made with momentum (aka "flinging body parts"). Like strong cables wrapped around a healthy framework move seamlessly through the sequence, not really pausing but transitioning very slowly, guided by the breath. Placing the foot down is a silent and easy process - noiseless and gentle.

Add on to this movement, take the leg back, side, twisting the body, straightening the leg, even bowing forward. All this work in the core, all this control with the raised arms, all this lengthening of of the body and intentional placement of limbs creating a harmonious, integrated yet unconventional flow that just may take you deeper into a practice of mindfulness.

You can intensify by adding stepping forward (or back, or sideways) to lunges or straddles but doing so place the limbs quietly, shifting your center of gravity and really call the muscles into action. I like to conjure images of a dancer in my mind, each movement strong without being forceful, controlled without being rigid, energy stored and released in just the right way to make the entire being vibrate with light. 

Or you can intensify by taking deeper and long inhales and exhales, and slowing down your movements even more, practicing balancing along each increment of body positions, feeling the heart rate calm and noticing subtle shifts in energy as the heart beats and the internal seems to move more quickly than the external!

Just a few suggestions  - let me know what works for you!

Blessed new year, solstice, holiday season with family, love and lots of GIVING

Short post from my jammies, three days from a plane trip and fighting some sort of virus. Had to commit the unthinkable and cancel a yoga class today - when really my heart needs it so much.

On the plus side, my sweet son who is five keeps asking if I'm better and trying to snuggle with me, and would rather "stay home wif you" than go to a Chanukah party with his friends.

To more yoga, more mindfulness, more love, more space for all three.

Trying New Things

Today is the day, that maybe, you change your life. Not drastically, but subtley. Mindfully. Gently. Authentically. Not by taking a yoga asana class, not by doing a power workout but by simply thinking about what (simple) things you need to create a sense of physical and emotional well being, clear cognitive function, spirituality, and ability to express your self creatively. SIMPLE THINGS. Like, providing your body with nutrition. Like, breathing. Like, reading something that inspires you. Like, connecting with a friend. Like maybe, ok, doing some asana, but more simply, how about just standing still, tall, aligned, grounded and connected, breathing in prana and exhaling to relax? 

Make a list of all the things you value in life. Short or long list, no matter. Now, make a list of things you can do to SUPPORT those things (support the vitality, well being, spirituality, creative expression). And now, make a list of things (you may or may not do) that disrupt vitality, well being, spirituality, creative expression.

Can you, will you, commit to doing ONE of the supportive things, for some specific period of time, and be accountable for it? Make it doable, make it non-self-effacing (for example, committing to reading 2 hours every day would never work for my schedule and I'd only be upset with myself for not reaching my goal... so make it accessible but appropriately challenging). 

Now, call a friend. Or post it on your blog, Or tell your yoga teacher, or post it on facebook. MAKE YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE, not to open yourself up for disappointment (remember, these are reachable goals, doable exercises that create a better sense of self for you, try to not set yourself up to fail) but to make sure you have some reinforcement!

Here, I'll share mine.

1) Meditate for 5 minutes a day, every day of the week. Morning or night doesn't matter. But just sit, breathe and deepen. 

Every time I take the time to do this, no joke, I feel like a weight lifts off my physical and psycological being. The transitions easier, I have more patience, I feel more grounded and yet more open hearted and spiritual. The transformation is obvious to my family, and so why would I not embrace this.

2) Eat a good, healthy, nutritious, non-rushed breakfast at least 5 of the next 7 days.

If I slip into poor eating habits and skip breakfast, or eat something too filled with carbs, my entire day body/mind balance is thrown off - blood sugar drops, craving for short term energy foods, foggy thinking, mid afternoon exhaustion, general impatience... nothing that makes me feel good about being. SO, breakfast it is.

3) Spend at least 10 unadulterated minutes with my son playing. That doesn't sound like much, but I mean, 10 minutes of focused time on something (reading, building train tracks) where neither of us is not trying to multitask, read email, watch tv, post on facebook, watch a video, do laundry, clean, etc. FOCUSED loving attention with eye contact, genuine love and vested involvement.

Ok, you have my list. Feel free to post yours. We can check in :)

Mindfulness is the Heart of Yoga -

Thoughtful article on listening to your body, removing ego, being mindful, and above all safe in your practice:

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/908