PRANA . AYAM
The sanskrit word 'pranayama' is commonly translated as 'breath control' but consider this perspective: {prana} means 'life force/vitality' and {ayam} means 'to extend out'? Therefore, the practice of pranayama is actually aimed at removing restrictions (mental or physical) on the breath in order to extend your vitality...not adding more constraints to it as the 'breath control' definition suggests. The next time you are practicing I encourage you, instead of trying to control your breath, simply focus on removing barriers around a full, potent breath, and watch how your experience shifts. Yes, this may mean you do not go as deep as you normally do in certain asanas, but I bet you will feel much more vibrant when you're finished. Your nervous system will thank you too...so breathe easy.
(((big love)))
What are the health benefits of soaking and sprouting nuts? Stay tuned while I write...
rebirth :: renewal :: reset :: revitalize :: restore
Happy Spring!
In yoga, like in all of life, the transitions are usually the most unfamiliar & most awkward territory. We tend to plow through them, gritting our teeth, and rushing to the finish line. In your practice today, notice the postures within the postures as you transition slowly and diligently. This requires supple strength, steady resolve, and a light heart.
In the end, we are all born & we all die...so life is the ultimate transition. Don't rush it, don't take it too seriously, and appreciate the spaces in between your thoughts. That's where the magic happens...
♡♡♡♡♡
We all have the opportunity to choose mindfulness over mind-fullness moment to moment, situation to situation, sunrise to sunset. While some days (moments, situations) are more challenging than others, committing to a mindful mindset does not mean you are passively floating through your day, winking at the clouds, and ignoring everything that does not "serve you". At the end of the day, we all can not possibly want renounce the lives we have built for ourselves in order to retreat to seclusion in full-time contemplation (thank goodness?).
The practice of mindfulness has a much more potent impact when invited into the thick of our day-to-day lives; it may be a bit of unexpected news that comes your way, a person in your path that is particularly irritating, or simply the art of balancing big dreams...while remaining rooted in reality. Choosing mindfulness instead of reactivity (anxiety) does not suggest that you will all of a sudden posses super powers with which you can control your external environment. Rather, it requires that you--and me, and we--take responsibility for our internal experience first (whether you like said experience or not) and then use that information to contribute appropriately to the arisen situation. If we can not first approach ourselves from a place of honesty and integrity, how are we expected to show up in that way for others...especially those that challenge us the most?
“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” -Pema Chodron
Consequently, mindfulness is the opposite of expectation and the foe of resentment. Mindfulness is the manifestation of honesty, patience, and grace. Being present takes guts, courage, trust...and almost always a sense of humor.
How can you commit to practicing and living more mindfully today?
'Hark, now hear the sailors cry.
Smell the sea and feel the sky!
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic...'
Van Morrison
No, I am not announcing a studio opening...any time soon at least! There is just something about Colorado snow days that soothes my social life in hibernation mode and sets my brain into full-on dream mode.
Dream Studio Necessities
-- heated studio | non-heated studio | meditation/workshop room
-- massage | acupuncture room that local therapists can rent hourly
-- a juice + tea + raw food bar
-- an indoor + outdoor community area with lots of floor seating | yogi library |art gallery | light
-- eucalyptus steam room in men's | women's changing rooms + community hot tub
Who wants to practice with me at my fictional {for now} yoga studio?! Happy snowday dreaming...
Did you know?! Runner's lunge and downward dog had a baby! I introduce to you: downward facing lunge dog.* This hypoallergenic breed of a hip opener demands more supple strength than your regular runner's lunge. In runner's lunge, it is common to rely on tension in your hips to catch and suspend you in the posture. This is not ideal, because tension only breeds more tension until it reaches a breaking point. Furthermore, this 'tension hammock' approach makes it easy to check out of the experience, drop the breath, and fidget when any unwelcome sensation catches you off guard. Try downward facing lunge dog: add down dog arms to your runner's lunge--and notice the shift in integration.
You may need to lengthen your stance to get your arms out straight...then really turn on your arm strength and back leg length to encourage flexibility in your hips and low back. Remember to press with your arms rather than your neck (collar broad, neck long), and subtly breathe the bent-leg thigh back and down. Animate both feet and allow your exhale breath telescope your ribs away from your hips, walking your arms longer and your torso lower and lower...and lower.
Hold yourself accountable for 6 full breath cycles on each side. Smile; this is what enlightenment feels like! Half-hanuman (1/2 splits) or pyramid pose are great counter postures to follow.
Have fun...now go!
*Sanskrit name pending
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