I’ve been surprised by how tense I have felt in this beginning of summer. I suppose there is a lot going on. There have been lives suddenly cut short. There have been other endings, and the ironing out of questions for the new beginnings, trips towards friends who are suffering, family worries and accidents, decisions to be made, choices to ponder, and more driving in somehow worse traffic.
I decided to try listening again, rather than teaching on yoga as a way to investigate my tension. The Shift Network aired some messages given on National Yoga Day (which yes, was June 21, but better late than never on this one). I heard H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji from Rishikesh, India say:
See less pieces, and more peace. Start living yoga and not just doing yoga.
I thought that was a pretty perfect sound bite.
Perhaps being in preparation mode for all the moving pieces was making me feel too fragmented. Once life separates itself like this, it can be difficult to see how those same pieces that come out of your experience in the first place can peace themselves together.
Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word for yoke, or union. There are 8 limbs to practicing yoga, and the asana, posture practice, is only one of them, a teeny little limb off the great yoga tree trunk. Another blog entry will be on these other limbs, but I was thinking what could we further find from this limb of posture practice that we share in our morning classes. Perhaps to find the new perspective on whatever stress you might be perceiving, we could choose a posture, any posture, and truly just be in it. Sounds far too simple. For instance, if you are in one of the warrior asanas, notice for yourself what are all the pieces to it-how does your body feel in it, how does your breath sound, and where is it located, does it change your mood at all? And of course, if you are fully present in this observation, judgement will not infiltrate, but rather, purely, information. This would not be a magic formula, just an offering to your body and mind.
We all know by now that being in the present moment is the best advice. It helps mitigate stress, and offers perspective so that our emotions can be more easily felt and thus allow us to choose our actions rather than be trapped by our changing feelings and sometimes act unconsciously. The artful practice of truly living in the moment IS the practice of yoga itself.
I will be there to practice with you this week and next, and then I am away for several weeks. So DO come NOW, and if you are new or have not been with us for a while, I will offer these next two weeks unlimited for $36 dollars! An offer you can’t refuse…. Well, you can, but why? Worst is, you feel good!
In appreciation, Michelle
MONDAYS 8:30-9:30 am
TUESDAYS 9:15-10:15 am
THURSDAYS 8:30-9:30 am
