Grounding in the Elements (Part 1) Co-written with Barbara Stamis

 

Disembarking from the airplane upon our arrival in Athens, we felt a deep craving to take off our shoes and let our puffy, swollen feet hit the earth. After flying for over 13 hours and running around several airports our bodies felt as if they had been through a time warp… deeply dehydrated, exhausted and experiencing a sensation of floating a few feet above the ground. Our senses were numb, our minds foggy and our energy scattered...

Out of Balance…

In Chinese medicine, astrology and various Vedic traditions, the general philosophy is to support the natural flux of the body as it ebbs and flows towards hoemeostasis. This can be accomplished using the qualities of fire, air, earth and water, because these four elements have attributes that can characterize our personal natures.

Air - Movement, Change, Communication, Ideas, Dispersion, Objectiveness, Expansion

Earth - Stability, Consistency, Rigidity, Practicality, Persistence, Caution

Water - Conformity, Personal, Sensitivity, Emotion, Nurturing, Depth

Fire - Heat, Assertion, Confrontation, Motivation, Speed, Strength, Boldness, Leadership

Surely, during and after our 13 hour flight, we were intoxicated with an over-abundance of the qualities of air. The imbalance was clear and we deeply craved stable ground to walk on and a consistent REM sleep cycle.

In Athens we determinedly planned our mission to overcome jetlag as quickly and smoothly as possible. Digging into our own tool boxes and relying on our mutual advice, we decided to keep moving rather than give in to the lethargy. We soldiered on for over an hour, connecting to the cobblestoned sidewalks and then treated ourselves to a nourishing meal. Our evening culminated with calming meditation, the goal being an uninterrupted eight hour sleep.

Pleasantly surprised, we awoke eight hours later quite refreshed. We continued to settle in by removing our shoes and climbing up the Acropolis to the Parthenon. Our bare feet trod the cool, smooth, marble steps of this cornerstone of civilization. Following in the footsteps of the ancients before us was an authentic and spiritual welcome into the old city. As we pressed firmly into all four corners of our feet, spreading our metatarsals with deliberate awareness to prevent us from falling, our fog began to lift. Gravity assisted the weight of our bodies and downward push into our legs and feet. The earth element began to balance our over-abundance of air… The antiquity of the Acropolis combined with the simple proprioception of the various temperate surfaces created the support we needed to move us closer to homeostasis.

After just one day in Athens, we are now nestled into the beautiful island of Kefalonia where we are able to easily embrace the quality of water by floating in the salty, warm, serene sea.

Welcome Home

After a very long forced rest I am happy to say I will be back in class today.  My body is still healing so it will be a new experience for me teaching with this body.

Laying around for all of this time allowed me to do plenty of self reflection, which for me leads to questioning.  I began to look at asana and pranayama with fresh eyes.  Simply deep breathing in child's pose was difficult and took my focus to another level.  I had to listen.  I had to breath and gently move into my body with grace and ease as to not ask what my body was not ready for.  I feel most of all that after surgery my body needed LOVE.  Not just healthy foods and rest which are extremely important, but the kind of love that comes from meditation and visualization.  Self awareness. Pulling in healing with each breath.  Seeing in my mind's eye my tissue healing, my body resting. Yoga but on a new level for me.  


Gil Hedley, a Somanaut and over all amazing human being wrote,

" Our bodies often do the opposite of what we want. They make noise when we want to be quiet, run out of steam when we'd keep going, stay up when we want to sleep, demand undivided attention when we're already very busy. Having a body is like having kids! Love your body generously as you would a child. Comfort it when hurting, forgive it quickly, respect its innate wisdom, & allow it scope to have a mind of its own."

Harvest

Let's not think or discuss for awhile and just listen to Rufus Wainwright and Chris Stills melodic voices take over some Neil Young.


 

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

For all my students who patiently and impatiently listen to me discuss the book The Body Has Its Reasons I hope you can enjoy this TED talk.

As Therese Bertherat says, "Our body is ourself. It is our only perceptible reality. It is not opposed to our intelligence, to our feelings, to our soul. It includes them and shelters them. By becoming aware of our body we give ourselves access to our entire being--for body and spirit, mental and physical, and even strength and weakness, represent not our duality but our unity."

Time and Practice

I have not written for awhile..... I moved to a new part of town with my partner and opened a studio in my home.  During this time I felt as though I had no time.  Teaching, moving, transitioning my whole attitude towards home and sharing space (this is a whole new experience for me as I have never lived with anyone).  I felt afraid, excited and overwhelmed. Like always I stayed with my discipline around my Asana practice but started to feel as though my Yoga practice had fallen by the way side.  My practice off the mat was suffering. Was it time that I lacked or perspective? 

Here in this short passage I found time.

At one of the Dalai Lama’s talks he was asked, “Why is prayer important for a spiritual life?”

His reply was that prayer (meditation) is, “A simple daily reminder of your deeply held principles and convictions.”

Another listener asked, “For someone who is really busy, how does one find the time to do these kinds of prayers and meditation practices?”

The Dalai Lama said, in essence, you can always make time. But then he went on to add:

…if you think seriously about the true meaning of spiritual practices, it has to do with the development and training of your mental state, attitudes, and psychological and emotional state and well-being. You should not confine your understanding of spiritual practice to terms of some physical activities or verbal activities, like doing recitations of prayers and chanting.

If your understanding of spiritual practice is limited to only these activities, then, of course, you will need a specific time, a separate allotted time to do your practice — because you can’t go around doing your daily chores, like cooking and so on, while reciting mantras. That could be quite annoying to people around you.

However, if you understand spiritual practice in its true sense, then you can use all twenty-four hours of your day for your practice. True spirituality is a mental attitude that you can practice at any time.

For example, if you find yourself in a situation in which you might be tempted to insult someone, then you immediately take precautions and restrain yourself from doing that. Similarly, if you encounter a situation in which you may lose your temper, immediately you are mindful and say, “No, this is not the appropriate way.” That actually is a spiritual practice.

Seen in that light, you will always have time.

A Taste of Compassion

Just a little note that I will be teaching an hour of basic Yoga and mindfull movement  this coming Saturday April 2 at 2PM in Huntington Beach.  Here is the link for 'A Taste of Compassion'.

 It is my first time attending this conference so I am not sure how it goes however the topic of discussion is something we can all look at.  How many times in a day can you transform your words into a more positive less reactive language. How would this transform your relationship to not only yourself but to those who come into contact with you?  Remember that we are what we think.  Hope to see you there!

Ask Yourself

Are you a fountain or a drain? Do you fill those around you? Do you fill yourself? Are those you surround yourself with fountains or drains?  Do you walk away from seeing a friend and feel supported and rejuvenated or tired and tense? This question has become increasingly important to me and I hope to you as well.