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.

Growing Pains

We all arrive at tough times, we all can feel frustrated and blocked. It's essential... It's growth. I see this often in my Yoga practice. My body can seemingly feel injured or weak or incapable of moving into certain asanas with ease. If I push I only hurt myself or create more frustration. I'm a pusher, I like to move through blocks quickly but what I have discovered over and over again is that pushing results in the opposing force pushing back harder. Whether it's a muscle, ligament or emotion there is an element of time and space that is required for growth. It is my practice to wait, listen to my body and allow it to open and understand when I'm ready (although I often feel as though I am always ready!). The challenging part is to have enough patience to relax around the times when I am not able to move through the pain but I am meant to sit with it. I never have looked back at one of these hard moments in my life and thought that it was a period of failure. With a little time and perspective these rough spots in my life always reveal themselves as times of growing and learning.

I read this on a card at a gas station off the 5 freeway halfway between Laguna Beach and Redding. I appreciate the sentiment.

"The bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you do not turn." Anonymous

What Lies Beneath

I find it more and more essential to read between the lines.  Whether it's regarding a contract for a new job or a pain in the body it can be almost guaranteed that there is more to the story. The initial pitch for the job may sound exciting!  The small twinge at the origin of your hamstring may be a tiny whisper that comes and goes throughout your Yoga practice... Hmm.  It's not to say that all is wrong and that surely the new job will totally suck.  Same as the small whisper in your body, it may or may not be your hamstring slowly pulling away from the bone.  However, it is up to you to look deeper.  Practice svahdyaya, self-study and care enough about your personal well being to acknowledge the potential depth of all things.

I find this short video to be a modern example of the power of self study.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ItsAllAboutBloodFlow#p/c/0/KqmeB6GB25Q

Truth

"Truth is stranger than fiction, but this is because fiction is obliged to stick to probability; truth is not." -Mark Twain

Dedication of Merit

This is a traditional Buddhist prayer taught to me by my teacher Cyndi Lee and passed along to her via her guru Gelek Rinpoche. During my first three years of studying Yoga I would recite these words with the rest of my classmates after each asana class. I still recite the words daily. I hope these words reach into you as they have reached into me.

"May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness,
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering,
May all beings never be parted from freedom's true joy,
May all beings dwell in equanimity,
free from attachment and aversion." -- Gehlek Rinpoche

Wandering Vagus (the nerve not the city)

While driving up to teach a class in Corona Del Mar this week I turned on NPR and caught the tail end of a discussion.  A fascinating discussion. A physician and a yoga teacher explain the benefits of deep breathing through the eyes of science.  Their main topic was the function of the vagus nerve, the tenth of twelve cranial nerves that begins in our brain and runs all the way into our colon. Even more impressive than its length is how this nerve effects our bodies. One of the responsibilities of the vagus is to keep the larynx open and to provide the impulse for the lungs and diaphragm to function, all in an effort to....breathe.

The vagus is composed mainly of sensory fibers, in other words, the nerve is a massive communicator to our brain of what is going on in our viscera. Studies have shown that when the vagus is stimulated our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are put into balance. The stress response is stopped. How then do we stimulate this giant nerve?

Seeking stress relief in our crowded lives has become a multimillion dollar industry.  Believe me, I'm in it! Between my organic food, acupuncture, and various forms of body/energy work it can really start to rack up bills.  The good news is, in order to put the brakes on our stress response it's up to us to get comfortable, sit as best as we can right in the middle of our bodies and take a slow deep breath. It's free.

Through practicing Yoga I know the benefits of Ujjayi breathing. After a few minutes of pranayama, my mind becomes more steady, I drop into my body and I feel like my feet are on the floor. As my mind slows I am able to listen to what my body needs in each asana. The breath is the catalyst for, and director of, all movement. Out of Patanjali's eight limbs of Yoga he gives pranayama (breath work) the fourth limb. In my ten years of practicing Yoga the benefits of deep breathing continue to surpass the benefits of my asanas. It is essential to the practice of Yoga.

 Now, there is an art to deep breathing, not to be confused with hyperventilation. Breathing slowly, through your nostrils may seem like nothing, however it can be done incorrectly and lead to adverse effects, like fatigue and dizziness. Make sure that you learn the techniques of deep breathing or Ujjayi breathing with a trusted teacher. I suggest a yoga class or the 'Science of Breath', by Swami Rama.