Last Thursday my mom had her second knee replacement in three months. At 72, her joints had failed her to the point that she was just about considered disabled. Her first knee replacement in January had gone so well that she pushed up the date for her second one by six months.
So on Thursday, only a few hours after my mom’s surgery, my 15-year old daughter called her to see how she was feeling. In her usual infectiously enthusiastic manner, my daughter blurted out, “Grandma, welcome to your life!”
Her words took my breath away. They were perfectly timed, perfectly delivered and incredibly empowering. Here was a 15 year-old, reminding a senior that at any moment we have the opportunity to start anew. “Grandma”, she said, “now you have two new knees and now you will be able to do all those things that you couldn’t do before”.
What an invitation. Welcome to your life.
The Buddhists teach us about the “fresh start”, and that at any moment we can choose to begin again. They teach us that with each breath we have an opportunity to start over. Our yoga practice teaches us that each pose can be compared to a little life and when the pose is over we begin again we new focus and new breath. The final and arguably most important pose of our yoga practice, savasana or final rest, reminds us to “die” to who we were when we started our practice and to begin anew. We rise from our mats, fully renewed and refreshed and as some will say with new eyes and a fresh start.
So I invite you all to do as I have done in the past few days. That is to adopt my daughter’s words as my new daily mantra. Chant them when you arise in the morning. Remind yourself of them when you transition from home to work. Go to sleep with them as a reminder of how blessed you were to have experienced another day.
Whether you have new knees or just a new outlook, welcome to your life.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
On Finding My Feet
We talk about feet all the time at Verge Yoga. If you’ve ever taken class with us you have probably heard your teachers say, “press into your big toe’ or “anchor into your inner heel”.
For years I have been listening to my teachers and observing my body. And for years I have been trying to communicate with my feet. I have backed off of poses and modified with the intention of understanding how my foot works in the pose. I have studied my feet without much reward. I’ve walked barefoot and brushed my teeth on one leg for years. The process has been long and sometimes painful……
Well, I am happy to announce that the connection is finally being made. My feet are coming alive in my poses and I feel more grounded and much more stable in my practice than ever before. I certainly am not the master of my feet yet but these days I can feel little light bulbs turning on in my feet. It is very exciting. (scary, but true)
As I write this, I recognize how silly this all may sound (to a non-yogi that is). However, most of us that have been practicing Hatha Yoga for more than a year get how important the feet are to the health of not only our bodies but also our minds.
Our feet are our foundation. They are our connection to the earth. If you have weak feet, you have a weak foundation. If you have strong, functional feet, you will have a strong, stable foundation. Let me tell you, having just found a small portion of my feet in my practice, it is worth the work.
The easiest and the best way for us to continue to work the muscles in our feet is by walking barefoot as much as possible. Stand in Tip Toe pose when you are at your kitchen counter. Press into your big toes while standing in line and yes, brush your teeth on one leg.
You may not feel anything right away. Perhaps you’ll turn on a small light bulb here and there. Perhaps you will feel more stable mentally or emotionally in a tense situation. Perhaps you will have spring to your step. Perhaps you will feel as sturdy as a mountain.
It’s all possible. Don’t stop trying. It is worth the ride.
For years I have been listening to my teachers and observing my body. And for years I have been trying to communicate with my feet. I have backed off of poses and modified with the intention of understanding how my foot works in the pose. I have studied my feet without much reward. I’ve walked barefoot and brushed my teeth on one leg for years. The process has been long and sometimes painful……
Well, I am happy to announce that the connection is finally being made. My feet are coming alive in my poses and I feel more grounded and much more stable in my practice than ever before. I certainly am not the master of my feet yet but these days I can feel little light bulbs turning on in my feet. It is very exciting. (scary, but true)
As I write this, I recognize how silly this all may sound (to a non-yogi that is). However, most of us that have been practicing Hatha Yoga for more than a year get how important the feet are to the health of not only our bodies but also our minds.
Our feet are our foundation. They are our connection to the earth. If you have weak feet, you have a weak foundation. If you have strong, functional feet, you will have a strong, stable foundation. Let me tell you, having just found a small portion of my feet in my practice, it is worth the work.
The easiest and the best way for us to continue to work the muscles in our feet is by walking barefoot as much as possible. Stand in Tip Toe pose when you are at your kitchen counter. Press into your big toes while standing in line and yes, brush your teeth on one leg.
You may not feel anything right away. Perhaps you’ll turn on a small light bulb here and there. Perhaps you will feel more stable mentally or emotionally in a tense situation. Perhaps you will have spring to your step. Perhaps you will feel as sturdy as a mountain.
It’s all possible. Don’t stop trying. It is worth the ride.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Drain of Dwelling
Caution: Graphic content included!
After spending an hour in my yard doing spring cleanup yesterday, I headed inside for a drink of water. I grabbed my sturdy uncapped SIGG water bottle and took a swig. Gulp, gulp, gulp….
I felt something tickle my inner lip and in an instant I sprayed water out of my mouth and across the kitchen. There, in a puddle of water, sat the culprit. A disgusting, crunchy Stink Bug!
I groaned and gasped for a moment and then I ran to tell my daughters. Can you believe it? How gross! When my husband called I had to tell him right away. Can you believe it? I am traumatized!
I re-lived my epic Stink Bug story at least 20 times during the course of the evening. Each time groaning and gasping. I dwelled and dwelled over and over again.
By the time I went to bed, I was drained of reliving the Stink Bug story. “Enough already!”, I said to myself. “Just let it go and stop wasting your precious energy.” As I reflected on my silliness, I recognized just how often I dwell on my stories and dramas. There are stories from 25 years ago that I will often relive just for the pure sport of it.
Buddha said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
He was right of course. It’s much healthier to just drop the drama and get on with your life. But did he ever have a Stink Bug crawl in his mouth?
So the moral of the day… check your water bottles before you drink! (oh yeh, and “be here now” and all that stuff too)
After spending an hour in my yard doing spring cleanup yesterday, I headed inside for a drink of water. I grabbed my sturdy uncapped SIGG water bottle and took a swig. Gulp, gulp, gulp….
I felt something tickle my inner lip and in an instant I sprayed water out of my mouth and across the kitchen. There, in a puddle of water, sat the culprit. A disgusting, crunchy Stink Bug!
I groaned and gasped for a moment and then I ran to tell my daughters. Can you believe it? How gross! When my husband called I had to tell him right away. Can you believe it? I am traumatized!
I re-lived my epic Stink Bug story at least 20 times during the course of the evening. Each time groaning and gasping. I dwelled and dwelled over and over again.
By the time I went to bed, I was drained of reliving the Stink Bug story. “Enough already!”, I said to myself. “Just let it go and stop wasting your precious energy.” As I reflected on my silliness, I recognized just how often I dwell on my stories and dramas. There are stories from 25 years ago that I will often relive just for the pure sport of it.
Buddha said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
He was right of course. It’s much healthier to just drop the drama and get on with your life. But did he ever have a Stink Bug crawl in his mouth?
So the moral of the day… check your water bottles before you drink! (oh yeh, and “be here now” and all that stuff too)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
There is no doubt in my mind that the Olympics are a two week bag of emotions. The buildup to this event is huge for every athlete that participates and it is four years in the making. When their moment to compete finally comes, these athletes are literally “on the verge” of huge emotion. They have prepared themselves for the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.
Olympic athletes or elite athletes of any sort voluntarily put themselves “at risk” to experience big emotion, scary emotion if you will. They certainly did not reach a high level of success because they played it safe.
Most of us play it safe in life. We will do just about anything to avoid the risk of feeling pain or the agony of defeat that we also shut ourselves off from the potential to experience the thrill of victory. Then we wonder why. Why doesn’t opportunity come my way? Why can’t I make more money? Why can’t I find my soul mate?
As with everything in life, there are two sides of the coin. When an athlete steps onto the field it is with the understanding that he or she may win or lose. They know that there are no guarantees. They are willing to risk it all to win with the understanding that they may not. It seems, however, that our society has tried to change the rules. We have been conditioned to want a guarantee of winning without experiencing any discomfort. On a whole, we are not willing to risk much but expect a lot in return. Life just doesn’t work that way and these past two weeks our Olympians have reminded us of that.
So once again, it comes back to our yoga mats. Patanjali, who wrote the yoga sutras thousands of years ago, said that every time we practice yoga you experience what he calls a “short life”. You will encounter the ecstasy and the disappointment that you may feel in your daily lives if you dare to. You face fear, doubt and joy. You feel the thrill of holding a challenging warrior pose and the agony of trembling in a balance pose.
As your practice becomes consistent, you will find the courage to risk experiencing deeper emotion both on and off the mat. You will learn to step toward discomfort more often than backing away from it. In a sense, when you practice hatha yoga, you are training for your own Olympic event, that being your daily life.
Olympic athletes or elite athletes of any sort voluntarily put themselves “at risk” to experience big emotion, scary emotion if you will. They certainly did not reach a high level of success because they played it safe.
Most of us play it safe in life. We will do just about anything to avoid the risk of feeling pain or the agony of defeat that we also shut ourselves off from the potential to experience the thrill of victory. Then we wonder why. Why doesn’t opportunity come my way? Why can’t I make more money? Why can’t I find my soul mate?
As with everything in life, there are two sides of the coin. When an athlete steps onto the field it is with the understanding that he or she may win or lose. They know that there are no guarantees. They are willing to risk it all to win with the understanding that they may not. It seems, however, that our society has tried to change the rules. We have been conditioned to want a guarantee of winning without experiencing any discomfort. On a whole, we are not willing to risk much but expect a lot in return. Life just doesn’t work that way and these past two weeks our Olympians have reminded us of that.
So once again, it comes back to our yoga mats. Patanjali, who wrote the yoga sutras thousands of years ago, said that every time we practice yoga you experience what he calls a “short life”. You will encounter the ecstasy and the disappointment that you may feel in your daily lives if you dare to. You face fear, doubt and joy. You feel the thrill of holding a challenging warrior pose and the agony of trembling in a balance pose.
As your practice becomes consistent, you will find the courage to risk experiencing deeper emotion both on and off the mat. You will learn to step toward discomfort more often than backing away from it. In a sense, when you practice hatha yoga, you are training for your own Olympic event, that being your daily life.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Intend to Rest
One day about two years ago I surrendered. I was practicing Flow and I just let go! (Sorry, couldn’t resist the rhyme).
There I was on my mat, moving through my practice when all of a sudden the silliness of my controlling mind became crystal clear to me. I recognized in that moment that my habit of pushing my body in my asana practice had actually been draining my energy. In that moment, I chose to enjoy the practice and to allow myself to be refueled instead of drained.
Interestingly enough, pushing my body for many years had actually been counterproductive. When I finally let go and allowed my breath to guide me in and out of poses I found that was I able to get a good rest while on my mat. I found that by backing off a pose when I lost my rhythmic breathing, I was able to relax and find new places to play in the pose. The wonderful result of surrendering on my mat was that my practice deepened tenfold.
Almost all new yoga students will over-try and over-struggle in their practice. We start out wanting to “be good” at yoga. As I often say in class at Verge Yoga, there is nothing to achieve and there is no perfect pose. Of course, I know that when I say those words, most students are thinking, “yeh right, okay, whatever Cara”. Please trust me that it took me 10 years of committed practice to finally “get it”.
I recognize that it is paradoxical to intend to rest when you come to your “power yoga” practice and I also recognize that most yoga students come to the practice for the physical work out. The good news is that you can rest, sweat, strengthen and re-energize all at the same time!
So next time you step upon your yoga mat whether at Verge Yoga or somewhere else, set your intention to “rest” during your practice. Keenly observe yourself when you begin to force your way into a pose. If your breathing becomes labored or imbalanced then back off the pose physically until you find the precise place where the breathing is rhythmic and unforced.
Enjoy the ride and enjoy the most peaceful savasana you have ever had. Please let me know how you do.
There I was on my mat, moving through my practice when all of a sudden the silliness of my controlling mind became crystal clear to me. I recognized in that moment that my habit of pushing my body in my asana practice had actually been draining my energy. In that moment, I chose to enjoy the practice and to allow myself to be refueled instead of drained.
Interestingly enough, pushing my body for many years had actually been counterproductive. When I finally let go and allowed my breath to guide me in and out of poses I found that was I able to get a good rest while on my mat. I found that by backing off a pose when I lost my rhythmic breathing, I was able to relax and find new places to play in the pose. The wonderful result of surrendering on my mat was that my practice deepened tenfold.
Almost all new yoga students will over-try and over-struggle in their practice. We start out wanting to “be good” at yoga. As I often say in class at Verge Yoga, there is nothing to achieve and there is no perfect pose. Of course, I know that when I say those words, most students are thinking, “yeh right, okay, whatever Cara”. Please trust me that it took me 10 years of committed practice to finally “get it”.
I recognize that it is paradoxical to intend to rest when you come to your “power yoga” practice and I also recognize that most yoga students come to the practice for the physical work out. The good news is that you can rest, sweat, strengthen and re-energize all at the same time!
So next time you step upon your yoga mat whether at Verge Yoga or somewhere else, set your intention to “rest” during your practice. Keenly observe yourself when you begin to force your way into a pose. If your breathing becomes labored or imbalanced then back off the pose physically until you find the precise place where the breathing is rhythmic and unforced.
Enjoy the ride and enjoy the most peaceful savasana you have ever had. Please let me know how you do.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Smile
If we are not able to smile then the world will not have peace. ~ Thich Nat Hanh
I came upon this quote just a few days after the earthquake in Haiti. Just reading this master’s quote made me smile and reflect on how blessed my life is. Sure it was easy for me to smile as I sat in my cozy house in suburban Philadelphia. What about those around the world who were not reading in their cozy house? What about those in Haiti without homes? How do they manage to muster up a smile in the midst of their own poverty and tragedy?
While I don’t have the answer to that question, I believe that we find our ability to smile in hard times when we are filled with faith. Perhaps it is faith in God or in a higher power that assists us. Our faith is our foundation, it is the “rock upon which we build our house” as I referred to in my last blog entry.
My faith is strengthened from my daily practice which includes yoga, meditation and prayer. I believe that this foundation is built one day at a time and I mindfully prepare myself for those days to come when it may not be easy to smile.
For now I feel that I must continue to smile and to pray for those who are having trouble smiling themselves. In the words of the Great Buddhist Peace Prayer:
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings find happiness and the root of happiness.
Our smiles can help so keep smiling. :)
I came upon this quote just a few days after the earthquake in Haiti. Just reading this master’s quote made me smile and reflect on how blessed my life is. Sure it was easy for me to smile as I sat in my cozy house in suburban Philadelphia. What about those around the world who were not reading in their cozy house? What about those in Haiti without homes? How do they manage to muster up a smile in the midst of their own poverty and tragedy?
While I don’t have the answer to that question, I believe that we find our ability to smile in hard times when we are filled with faith. Perhaps it is faith in God or in a higher power that assists us. Our faith is our foundation, it is the “rock upon which we build our house” as I referred to in my last blog entry.
My faith is strengthened from my daily practice which includes yoga, meditation and prayer. I believe that this foundation is built one day at a time and I mindfully prepare myself for those days to come when it may not be easy to smile.
For now I feel that I must continue to smile and to pray for those who are having trouble smiling themselves. In the words of the Great Buddhist Peace Prayer:
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings find happiness and the root of happiness.
Our smiles can help so keep smiling. :)
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