The concept of rest has been leading my practice and my teaching this past week. My intention has been to simply rest and to help my students find the space so that they can rest as well. There is something so comforting to me about the word rest. It seems to give me permission to slow down and shut down from the world even if just for an hour.
The need to rest our minds from overstimulation is now more important than ever. The media is in a frenzy barraging us with news of the financial markets and the election. On my mat last week I realized that I was feeling mentally and physically fatigued because I had been over dosing on news.
It was during that practice that I decided to just rest my mind. I felt an overwhelming desire to not do or think about anything. And so I did. During that practice, I let go of my need to perfectly execute each pose. I let go of having to go “deeper” in a pose. I let go of the alignment principles. I let go of everything and I rested. It was an incredible experience and is one that I have been able to duplicate over and over during the week.
After sensing my own overloaded mind, I then sensed this same syndrome in my classes. As a society, we have all been on an intense media high since early September and I think that we are all starting to feel the effects of the prolonged stimulation.
If you’ve been in one of my classes over the past week, you have probably heard me repeat the phrase, “Rest your mind on your breath”. It is such a relief to me to give myself permission to not think, not solve, not ponder anything at all!
There are so many decisions to make these days, that we truly exhaust ourselves by over-watching, over-listening and over-thinking. If you feel overloaded as I did a week ago, then I offer you this simple advice:
Try not to read or listen to the news more than once or twice per day.
Rest your minds in your cars by driving in silence.
Rest your minds at home by making a conscious decision as to when to watch the news
instead of having the buzz of the talking heads in your ears in a continuous steam.
Take 5 conscious breaths once every hour.
Get on your yoga mat and rest your minds while moving your bodies.
These practices have helped me get off the spinning wheel that I was on just a week ago. I hope that they will help you too.
I wish you a well deserved rest.
Peace.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Move Slowly, Move Peacefully. Go Far.
There is an Italian saying that goes, “Chi va piano, va sano, va lontano. Chi va forte, va alla morte”. Loosely translated, this means he who moves slowly, moves peacefully and moves far. He who moves too quickly and forcefully goes right to his death!
I was reminded of this wise saying this week as the news of our troubled financial institutions took over the headlines. The predictions have been out there for us to read. Everyone knew that we were headed for more troubled times. However, we, meaning individuals, corporations and banks, continued to overspend and over borrow. The rush for financial gain has blinded our vision and we now pay the price as some of our oldest financial institutions head towards their death.
My nonna (grandmother) would often quote that Italian saying emphasizing the morte or death part with her hands. “What is the big rush?”, she would ask me? “Piano, piano, piano”, (slow, slow, slow) she would mumble to herself as I raced in and out of the house.
Finally, 30 years later, I am beginning to understand my nonna and it all started on my yoga mat. By slowing down my practice I have begun to move through my poses in peace. I have also been able to move in deeper and further than ever before. By slowing down physically, I have started to slow down my mind. The mental chatter will now sometimes (not always) settle into a rhythm sometimes in the first 20 minutes of practice.
I truly believe that our yoga and meditation practices parallel the way that we are living our lives. My practice is always so harshly honest that I cannot stand it sometimes! My practice reveals if I am forcing or moving too quickly. My practice reveals if I am lazy or doubtful. And as I like to say, if it is happening on your mat, it is happening in your life too!
I wholeheartedly believe that what I do at the individual level will happen at the collective level too. So if I over consume or over borrow, I will add to our aggregate issues. But if I learn to move slowly in this world, perhaps I will move more peacefully. And if I move more peacefully I know that I evolve as an individual. Now that affects the aggregate in a whole new way!
If we all start moving and acting more slowly, I know that we will move and act more peacefully. And if we all move and act more peacefully, I know that collectively we will evolve as a species. That is something to cheer about.
Grazie Nonna for your wise Italian words and for being my first yoga teacher.
I was reminded of this wise saying this week as the news of our troubled financial institutions took over the headlines. The predictions have been out there for us to read. Everyone knew that we were headed for more troubled times. However, we, meaning individuals, corporations and banks, continued to overspend and over borrow. The rush for financial gain has blinded our vision and we now pay the price as some of our oldest financial institutions head towards their death.
My nonna (grandmother) would often quote that Italian saying emphasizing the morte or death part with her hands. “What is the big rush?”, she would ask me? “Piano, piano, piano”, (slow, slow, slow) she would mumble to herself as I raced in and out of the house.
Finally, 30 years later, I am beginning to understand my nonna and it all started on my yoga mat. By slowing down my practice I have begun to move through my poses in peace. I have also been able to move in deeper and further than ever before. By slowing down physically, I have started to slow down my mind. The mental chatter will now sometimes (not always) settle into a rhythm sometimes in the first 20 minutes of practice.
I truly believe that our yoga and meditation practices parallel the way that we are living our lives. My practice is always so harshly honest that I cannot stand it sometimes! My practice reveals if I am forcing or moving too quickly. My practice reveals if I am lazy or doubtful. And as I like to say, if it is happening on your mat, it is happening in your life too!
I wholeheartedly believe that what I do at the individual level will happen at the collective level too. So if I over consume or over borrow, I will add to our aggregate issues. But if I learn to move slowly in this world, perhaps I will move more peacefully. And if I move more peacefully I know that I evolve as an individual. Now that affects the aggregate in a whole new way!
If we all start moving and acting more slowly, I know that we will move and act more peacefully. And if we all move and act more peacefully, I know that collectively we will evolve as a species. That is something to cheer about.
Grazie Nonna for your wise Italian words and for being my first yoga teacher.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A Golden Summer
This summer my parents and my in-laws each celebrated their golden 50th wedding anniversaries. The happy couples got married two days apart in 1958. We celebrated this summer by honoring our parents and their amazing achievements. These two wonderful couples stayed together for fifty years while so much chaos and confusion occurred in the world. They were blessed to stay healthy and happy in spite of the risk of disease, accidents and premature death.
Both couples said that their recipe for success was their strong commitment to one another. They vowed to love and honor one another fifty years ago and were able to ride the storms of life on the foundation of those vows. Now, we all know that the story doesn’t always have such a happy ending but I do think that we can learn so much from people who have endured, persevered and achieved success from many, many years of hard work and commitment.
In our world of fad diets and fad fitness trends it seems that many of us jump into the newest and greatest fad feet first only to drop it like a hot potato in a month or less. Hollywood goes so far as to celebrate fad weddings only to see those fad marriages dissolve in a year or less.
What I have learned and continue to learn from my yoga and meditation practice is the necessity of a committing to a consistent practice. Practice can include prayer, meditation, yoga, walking, cooking, painting, etc. A practice can be five quiet minutes with your morning cup of coffee.
We will all be called to different practices.
I took some time the other day to write down my current practices. There are many in my life. A chose a few of the more important ones and committed myself to practicing them consistently for the next fifty years of my life. (That is if I am so blessed as to have fifty more years to live.) It was a powerful experience and has since charged me up in many ways.
So I thank my parents and my in-laws for demonstrating the powerful force of a committed practice. I am grateful to be a product of such commitment.
I share with you all below a terrific passage from the brilliant Buddhist teacher, Jack Kornfield. He further and more eloquently addresses what I’ve humbly tried to explain.
Peace.
If we do a little of one kind of practice and a little of another, the work we have done in one often doesn't continue to build as we change to the next. It is as if we were to dig many shallow wells instead of one deep one. In continually moving from one approach to another, we are never forced to face our own boredom, impatience, and fears. We are never brought face to face with ourselves. So we need to choose a way of practice that is deep and ancient and connected with our hearts, and then make a commitment to follow it as long as it takes to transform ourselves.
--Jack Kornfield in A Path with Heartfrom Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
Both couples said that their recipe for success was their strong commitment to one another. They vowed to love and honor one another fifty years ago and were able to ride the storms of life on the foundation of those vows. Now, we all know that the story doesn’t always have such a happy ending but I do think that we can learn so much from people who have endured, persevered and achieved success from many, many years of hard work and commitment.
In our world of fad diets and fad fitness trends it seems that many of us jump into the newest and greatest fad feet first only to drop it like a hot potato in a month or less. Hollywood goes so far as to celebrate fad weddings only to see those fad marriages dissolve in a year or less.
What I have learned and continue to learn from my yoga and meditation practice is the necessity of a committing to a consistent practice. Practice can include prayer, meditation, yoga, walking, cooking, painting, etc. A practice can be five quiet minutes with your morning cup of coffee.
We will all be called to different practices.
I took some time the other day to write down my current practices. There are many in my life. A chose a few of the more important ones and committed myself to practicing them consistently for the next fifty years of my life. (That is if I am so blessed as to have fifty more years to live.) It was a powerful experience and has since charged me up in many ways.
So I thank my parents and my in-laws for demonstrating the powerful force of a committed practice. I am grateful to be a product of such commitment.
I share with you all below a terrific passage from the brilliant Buddhist teacher, Jack Kornfield. He further and more eloquently addresses what I’ve humbly tried to explain.
Peace.
If we do a little of one kind of practice and a little of another, the work we have done in one often doesn't continue to build as we change to the next. It is as if we were to dig many shallow wells instead of one deep one. In continually moving from one approach to another, we are never forced to face our own boredom, impatience, and fears. We are never brought face to face with ourselves. So we need to choose a way of practice that is deep and ancient and connected with our hearts, and then make a commitment to follow it as long as it takes to transform ourselves.
--Jack Kornfield in A Path with Heartfrom Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
Friday, August 8, 2008
A Sharper Image
Yesterday I had my eyes checked. It had been a year and a half since my last exam. The doctor strengthened my prescription… by a lot! In the words of Emeril, she said, “we’re going to take it up a notch”. I stepped outside with my new vision and my world was magnified! The leaves on the trees were defined and clear, the signs on the road popped out right in front of me. The clouds seemed so close that I felt I could touch them.
I enjoyed my drive home and drank in these new sharper images. I felt awake and alive.
This feeling of clarity reminded me of how I often feel after a yoga or meditation practice. Often times when I step out of the doors of Verge Power Yoga my world seems clear and sharp. Everything around me seems closer and more accessible to my touch. After practice, I feel a sense of connectedness with everything. I feel awake and alive.
What I recognized yesterday was that our practice sharpens our vision on a daily basis. It is as if we receive a new set of eyes every time we step on our yoga mat or our meditation cushion. Every time we are able to stabilize thought and settle the nervous system, we wake up just a little bit more. We connect with our world just a bit more. Essentially, after every practice, we “take it up a notch”. We sharpen our vision. We become clearer. We become more awake and more alive.
My revelation from yesterday is that to practice yoga and meditation is to receive a new prescription for life… every day. What a blessing.
Peace.
I enjoyed my drive home and drank in these new sharper images. I felt awake and alive.
This feeling of clarity reminded me of how I often feel after a yoga or meditation practice. Often times when I step out of the doors of Verge Power Yoga my world seems clear and sharp. Everything around me seems closer and more accessible to my touch. After practice, I feel a sense of connectedness with everything. I feel awake and alive.
What I recognized yesterday was that our practice sharpens our vision on a daily basis. It is as if we receive a new set of eyes every time we step on our yoga mat or our meditation cushion. Every time we are able to stabilize thought and settle the nervous system, we wake up just a little bit more. We connect with our world just a bit more. Essentially, after every practice, we “take it up a notch”. We sharpen our vision. We become clearer. We become more awake and more alive.
My revelation from yesterday is that to practice yoga and meditation is to receive a new prescription for life… every day. What a blessing.
Peace.
Friday, July 25, 2008
An Extraordinary Practice
Yesterday I had an extraordinary practice. I took the one hour noon Stationary Series class. Same series of poses practiced one or two times. Very ordinary you might say.
It was anything but. This practice was something else. From the outside, I moved from ordinary pose to ordinary pose. But from the inside, my world was magnificently brilliant and completely alive. The reason for this, I think, is that I was able to stay present for a sustained period of time.
The Buddhists say that when fully present, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Washing the dishes can become a deeply fulfilling practice. The Buddhist practice of sand art supports this philosophy. Each grain of ordinary sand, placed properly by a monk will collectively become a beautiful picture.
I stepped onto my mat yesterday with a simple intention to pay attention to my breath. That’s it. And I began… interlace fingers under chin, set gaze… take a deep breath in.
As I moved from pose to pose, tension melted from my body and the sound of my breath became magnified in my mind. A deep sense of peace came over me and the amazing thing is that I didn’t recognize this until after the practice. I was so focused on my breath that my mind did not recognize thought. I was practicing above the level of thought. So cool!
This state of being was not new to me. I’ve had glimpses. What was different for me yesterday was that I was able to sustain this state for the entire practice. The predictability of the Stationary Series supported and contained my experience.
Many of our regular Flow students are challenged in the Stationary Series. Mentally challenged, that is. I’ve heard it said that the Stationary Series is “so boooorrrring” or “it is the same poses over and over”. That’s right, it is! I felt the same way once.
However, the simplicity and the predictability of the SS class is the container in which the mind can practice being present. Since there is nothing to anticipate, the mind can relax in the moment. That is the beauty of the ordinary.
If I could bottle my experience yesterday, I’d sell a million by next week. But I cannot. As Krishnamurti said, “true power must be experienced”. I encourage you to practice only the Stationary Series for your next ten classes. At first it may seem ordinary but fasten your seat belts, the extraordinary may be only a breath away!
Peace.
It was anything but. This practice was something else. From the outside, I moved from ordinary pose to ordinary pose. But from the inside, my world was magnificently brilliant and completely alive. The reason for this, I think, is that I was able to stay present for a sustained period of time.
The Buddhists say that when fully present, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Washing the dishes can become a deeply fulfilling practice. The Buddhist practice of sand art supports this philosophy. Each grain of ordinary sand, placed properly by a monk will collectively become a beautiful picture.
I stepped onto my mat yesterday with a simple intention to pay attention to my breath. That’s it. And I began… interlace fingers under chin, set gaze… take a deep breath in.
As I moved from pose to pose, tension melted from my body and the sound of my breath became magnified in my mind. A deep sense of peace came over me and the amazing thing is that I didn’t recognize this until after the practice. I was so focused on my breath that my mind did not recognize thought. I was practicing above the level of thought. So cool!
This state of being was not new to me. I’ve had glimpses. What was different for me yesterday was that I was able to sustain this state for the entire practice. The predictability of the Stationary Series supported and contained my experience.
Many of our regular Flow students are challenged in the Stationary Series. Mentally challenged, that is. I’ve heard it said that the Stationary Series is “so boooorrrring” or “it is the same poses over and over”. That’s right, it is! I felt the same way once.
However, the simplicity and the predictability of the SS class is the container in which the mind can practice being present. Since there is nothing to anticipate, the mind can relax in the moment. That is the beauty of the ordinary.
If I could bottle my experience yesterday, I’d sell a million by next week. But I cannot. As Krishnamurti said, “true power must be experienced”. I encourage you to practice only the Stationary Series for your next ten classes. At first it may seem ordinary but fasten your seat belts, the extraordinary may be only a breath away!
Peace.
Monday, July 7, 2008
A Little Mental Atrophy
I’ve been out of town with my family for the past 10 days. We spent 4 days at a soccer tournament in Maine and the next 6 days on the Maine coast. The weather was great, the beach was beautiful and I relaxed just as one should while on vacation.
During the week, I ran a few times on the beach and stepped onto my yoga mat twice. I thought it was a pretty good attempt at keeping up with my physical routine. I came home feeling slightly toxic (but well tanned).
Having returned on Saturday, I stepped onto my mat at Verge Sunday morning at 7:15 am. The body felt fine, a bit slower and softer, but not too bad. It was my mind that was a whole different story. In short, I could not pay attention. I was distracted and dulled. The “fierce focus” that I had trained and developed over the past few months was definitely out to lunch.
I was truly surprised at how weak I felt mentally. My mental muscle had atrophied as a limb does when casted for a few weeks. During the practice, my mind continuously drifted to the past, the future and to places I had never even been before!
For the most part, I am very focused during practice. I do as the teacher says. I listen to my breath, focus my gaze and listen to my body. While my mind does drift away, I am usually able to catch my thoughts before they become a story and pull me away completely.
Over the past few months I have been very focused on being focused and in so doing I think that I have actually become mentally stronger and more stable. So what astounded me during my practice on Sunday was how quickly that mental muscle had softened due to lack of practice. It further convinced me of my view that we can train our mind to be focused just as we train our muscles to lift more weight.
I don’t regret taking the time to relax. In fact, I believe that it is just as important to rest and rejuvenate as it is to train and gain strength. So now my weak mental muscle and I will get back to work on the yoga mat and the meditation cushion so that we can build up the strength to focus, pay attention to stay present for a sixty minute Stationary class.
Peace.
During the week, I ran a few times on the beach and stepped onto my yoga mat twice. I thought it was a pretty good attempt at keeping up with my physical routine. I came home feeling slightly toxic (but well tanned).
Having returned on Saturday, I stepped onto my mat at Verge Sunday morning at 7:15 am. The body felt fine, a bit slower and softer, but not too bad. It was my mind that was a whole different story. In short, I could not pay attention. I was distracted and dulled. The “fierce focus” that I had trained and developed over the past few months was definitely out to lunch.
I was truly surprised at how weak I felt mentally. My mental muscle had atrophied as a limb does when casted for a few weeks. During the practice, my mind continuously drifted to the past, the future and to places I had never even been before!
For the most part, I am very focused during practice. I do as the teacher says. I listen to my breath, focus my gaze and listen to my body. While my mind does drift away, I am usually able to catch my thoughts before they become a story and pull me away completely.
Over the past few months I have been very focused on being focused and in so doing I think that I have actually become mentally stronger and more stable. So what astounded me during my practice on Sunday was how quickly that mental muscle had softened due to lack of practice. It further convinced me of my view that we can train our mind to be focused just as we train our muscles to lift more weight.
I don’t regret taking the time to relax. In fact, I believe that it is just as important to rest and rejuvenate as it is to train and gain strength. So now my weak mental muscle and I will get back to work on the yoga mat and the meditation cushion so that we can build up the strength to focus, pay attention to stay present for a sixty minute Stationary class.
Peace.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Heat is On
The last few days in Philadelphia have been hot and humid. For those of you not living in the area, we’ve had record temperatures for four days. Those in the media here have had a field day with their excessive heat warnings and stories on how to “beat the heat”.
As the wave began and I started to melt, I remembered a quote written by Eckhart Tolle in his book, The Power of Now. He wrote, “Learn to surrender to what is”. In his book, Tolle advises his readers to try to surrendering to the moment instead of resisting what is happening.
So in this heat and humidity, I tried to do just that… surrender. I surrendered to the heat on the side lines of the soccer fields by staying cool under an umbrella. I surrendered by drinking tons of water and eating light. I surrendered in my yoga practice by slowing down. I surrendered as a teacher by keeping my classes simple for my students. Much to my surprise, it worked! I survived the heat without a lot of mental drama and the high heat is now over.
I think that the reason I was able to keep my cool is because I didn’t think or talk about it much. I consciously ignored the media hype. I think that if I had resisted the heat or struggled with the fact that the heat index was 107 degrees my experience would have been quite different. I know that I would have been thinking and talking about the heat incessantly. I would have also been watching the tube for ways to “beat the heat”.
What I’ve learned from Tolle is that resistance requires energy. Resistance causes thinking and too much thinking requires a lot of energy and creates stress. Too much stress agitates the nervous system and, and, and… generates HEAT! When we think and resist and whine and complain, we literally fry our systems. Wow. This was a big “ah-ha” moment for me. So by simply not thinking about the excessive heat, by surrendering to the moment, I was able to stay cooler both physically and emotionally.
This is a start. I recognize that it is a whole lot easier to surrender to a heat wave than to something much larger like a strained relationship, a work situation or an illness. This was a baby step for me, but it was a necessary step. I know that I will be faced with greater challenges in my life that will require me to let go and surrender. For now, I’ll take the heat wave and work from there.
Peace.
Recommended Reading: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
As the wave began and I started to melt, I remembered a quote written by Eckhart Tolle in his book, The Power of Now. He wrote, “Learn to surrender to what is”. In his book, Tolle advises his readers to try to surrendering to the moment instead of resisting what is happening.
So in this heat and humidity, I tried to do just that… surrender. I surrendered to the heat on the side lines of the soccer fields by staying cool under an umbrella. I surrendered by drinking tons of water and eating light. I surrendered in my yoga practice by slowing down. I surrendered as a teacher by keeping my classes simple for my students. Much to my surprise, it worked! I survived the heat without a lot of mental drama and the high heat is now over.
I think that the reason I was able to keep my cool is because I didn’t think or talk about it much. I consciously ignored the media hype. I think that if I had resisted the heat or struggled with the fact that the heat index was 107 degrees my experience would have been quite different. I know that I would have been thinking and talking about the heat incessantly. I would have also been watching the tube for ways to “beat the heat”.
What I’ve learned from Tolle is that resistance requires energy. Resistance causes thinking and too much thinking requires a lot of energy and creates stress. Too much stress agitates the nervous system and, and, and… generates HEAT! When we think and resist and whine and complain, we literally fry our systems. Wow. This was a big “ah-ha” moment for me. So by simply not thinking about the excessive heat, by surrendering to the moment, I was able to stay cooler both physically and emotionally.
This is a start. I recognize that it is a whole lot easier to surrender to a heat wave than to something much larger like a strained relationship, a work situation or an illness. This was a baby step for me, but it was a necessary step. I know that I will be faced with greater challenges in my life that will require me to let go and surrender. For now, I’ll take the heat wave and work from there.
Peace.
Recommended Reading: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
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