santosha - contentment in the present moment

The present moment is once again a fine teacher. How often do you wish "if only..."? Or "All I need is..."

Instead, what if you take a moment to be grateful, content for what it is you already have or for who you are? It's a tricky thing to do, especially when we are constantly bombarded with images and messages telling us otherwise. We create impossible expectations which feeds our ego and drives the endless cycle of mental chatter and negativity.

The key to overcoming our discontent is the practice of santosha or contentment (one of five niyamas - yogic observances). Living in the moment is the first step to embracing this concept. The amount of time and energy I spend thinking about what could be, what isn't or who I'm not; and how little time I spend on who I am and what I have is shocking. It's an eye opener and enough motivation for me to LET GO of these attachments. I've so much to be grateful for and it's a disservice to myself and insulting to the amazing people I have in my life not to recognize just how blessed I am. I'm lucky to have a roof over my head and food in my kitchen. I'm loved and supported by my family and friends. I'm on an incredible journey of self discovery and healing, one of which I'm excited to share.

Be gentle with yourself. Recognize and take solace with the knowledge that you're not alone. Take the time to breathe into the present moment and let go your attachment to perfection, expectation and to anything but the truth.

You have all you need for happiness, right now. You don’t need to change anything about yourself, or your life. You just need to see what’s already there. - http://zenhabits.net/uncover-happiness/

Namaste
NA

Stop thinking, and end your problems. - Laozi

I'm a thinker. There's no doubt about that, which is why the following quote resonates with me.

"Every once in a while, when we catch ourselves running with a train of thought, we should stop and consider how we got there, what triggered the thought , and whether it’s worth staying with it. [Thought as a Sense]

As an academic it was my job and pleasure to think critically. But there is a BIG difference between thinking critically and over thinking. Despite the voice above the cacophony of mental chatter, telling me to chill out, breathe, let go, intense emotions of my passionate idealism often get the better of me and exacerbate a vicious thinking cycle.

“I think and think and think, I‘ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”  - Jonathan Safran Foer

Yoga and meditation are my salvation. Connecting with the breath and developing an awareness around sensation and emotion is about tuning into our intuition and listening to what our body is telling us. As part of a greater whole, we are infinitely wise and this collective wisdom is not found in politics, academia or even popular religious dogma. Of course, in reality, my over analytical brain often responds with "what is that feeling?" "what does it mean?" "why am I feeling this?"; and my superhero grip on attachments, especially the kind that doesn't serve me (are there any other kind?) keeps me stuck everywhere but the present moment.

Calming the mind and shifting from a "thinking place" to a "feeling place" is most definitely easier said than done, but it's all about the journey. And what a wild journey it is as I continually return and follow my breath wherever it may take me.

Happy mindful, travels!
Namaste
Nancy-Anne

somewhere on this journey...

Since my last entry, there was and continues to be a lot of learning and growing. The catalyzing lesson of 2013 was the power of authenticity. Of being yourself and of being present. The more time I spend in the moment, the more focused and confident I feel. And often the results are profound.When you live from one breath to another you create the space for things to happen as they are meant to, and the results are mind blowing. Of course this is much easier said than done and I'm always reminding myself that it's part of my journey.

The first step to realizing my authenticity was overcoming my fear of judgement and failure. Deep down I know these fears are unfounded and silly conquering these fears is not easy. The ego is a powerful beast but your breath is more powerful.

When I connect with my breath, I'm gifted with a personal connection, sensation or something more tangible. At this point in my journey it's hard to articulate the reward but at the very least it's a renewed sense of confidence, an inkling of my potential. The icing on the cake? Everybody has their own fears and obstacles which they need to overcome. You aren't alone. And when we take the time to breath and hang out in the moment while practicing yoga or meditation you will not be disappointed.

 So simply, slow down and see where your breath takes you.



“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” 
― C.G. Jung

“Live authentically. Why would you continue to compromise something that's beautiful to create something that is fake?” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

the power of your breath

psmag.com

It's been just over a year since moving to Calgary and I've discovered just how much I love teaching yoga! Watching people touch their toes for the first time EVER is extremely rewarding. Moving mindfully and with gentle, focused breathing is what and how I teach. The biggest aha-moments for many of my students is the power and influence of breathing on the body-mind connection. Pranayama is breath control and through a variety of exercises or inquiries it keeps us in the present moment as we maintain our focus on the ebb and flow of our breath. When you move or simply sit in stillness with your breath, amazing things can and do happen! I had a student whose shoulders were uneven due to a broken collarbone (~20 years) and after a handful of yoga sessions which included pranayama his shoulders were even.

dailydownwarddog.com

The benefits of breathing for mental health cannot be overstated. A few moments spent exploring the qualities of your breath alleviates depression, anxiety and stress. It can be as simple as matching the length of your inhalation with that of your exhalation or slightly less simple as alternate nostril breathing. Start practicing one breath at a time, notice when you hold or restrict your breathing and let that pattern go. To get you started (read hooked on pranayama!) try Bumblebee Breath (Brahmari).

Find a comfortable seat or lie down and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths by inhaling through your nose and exhaling a sigh. Settle in and clear you mind of expectations, preconceived ideas, stresses, worries and anything that doesn't serve you. Remember that it's your intention that's important. When you are ready inhale and exhale through your nose and allow your belly to gently expand with your inhale and flatten with your exhale. Stay calm and think of fluidity, softness, ease. When you are ready inhale through your nose and exhale your breath as a hum. Play around with the pitch of your hum and watch that you don't force it. Notice any sensations that arise. How does you body and mind respond to the gentle vibrations which your humming creates. We are unique individuals and each of us will feel and respond to brahmari breath (and yoga in general) differently. There's no right or wrong, it is what it is and in this yogi's opinion humanity's diversity is inspiring and worthy of celebration!

The benefits of  Brahmari breath include relief from anxiety, depression, insomnia and restlessness, it builds confidence, improves memory and concentration and mitigates migraines. From a physical perspective, Brahmari reduces hypertension and lowers high blood pressure. Give it a try. Take the time to be curious and explore!

the fabulous majority!

Since so few of us fit into society's (read the media's) grand definition of beauty it seems reasonable to presume that there only a few yogis who are atypically bendy, and therefore capable of some of the more acrobatic poses. Popular yogis, like Rodney Yee was a dancer and a gymnast before he became a well known yoga teacher and practitioner  Talk about an unfair advantage! Many everyday yogis are unable to complete a pose as demonstrated by yogi models, and I wonder how many of our favourite yogis are moving in pain or compensating their movement in one way or another.

Most of us have anatomical limitations stemming from tight or weak muscles, injuries and genetics which challenge our yoga practice. As such, we move in pain or compensate our movement to get into and out of some poses.  I'm flexible which is helpful for getting into some poses, but there are poses for which I lack the muscle strength or congruency to do correctly. Instead of moving purely, and honoring where I am, I'll let my ego take over and simply flex my way through a pose.

Beauty, similar to how we look in our poses is an external characteristic and doesn't begin to describe our heart or our intention, that is our True Self. That said, challenging ourselves with poses IS fun, and the key is not to take it too seriously. I approach my poses from a "function over form" perspective which essentially boils down to adapting a pose to suit your body and mind to where you are in the present moment. I describe this perspective in terms of a spectrum, and I encourage my students to find where they are along it as we practice.

For example, Vrksasana (Tree Pose) is broken down into 1) balancing on one leg (right) and 2) externally rotating the opposite leg (left) in the its hip socket, and 3) lifting your (left) foot and placing it anywhere along the (right) balancing leg, except for the knee. The variations that define Vrksasana's spectrum is where you place your foot on your standing leg, whether or not you use your arm to lift and place your foot on your leg, and your arm variation (eg Warrior arms, Charlie's Angel, in prayer, hands on wait, T-position, eagle arms etc.). There are as many ways to express your Vrksasana as there are yogis, so have fun with it and get creative. Try introducing some flow into your pose by flowing from one arm variation to another, just remember to stay connected with your breath. Here are a few examples of where I fall on the Vrksasana spectrum:

Remember, yoga is a personal practice and the diversity among us physically, creatively and mentally is inspiring, extraordinary and worthy of celebration. Make each pose your own!

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely." - Louisa May Alcott

yoga for kids

Last month I attended an awesome workshop with Donna Freeman, an amazing and passionate woman who teaches yoga to kids. Our fun filled weekend together zoomed past and once again I'm left needing more! I am passionate about the environment, and my niece and nephew provide the impetus to fight ecological injustice and ensure that their children have a clean and healthy environment. And now thanks to Donna I have a new set of skills and the ability to share my passion for yoga with them. As adult yogis we are blissfully aware of the benefits of yoga and our kids deserve to reap those benefits too.

powerfulmothers.wordpress.com

Yoga provides a fantastic foundation for child development because it refines their ability to express themselves, to concentrate and cooperate with their peers, as well as improve fine motor and locomotor skills. I had never thought about these basic skills that make us functioning Homo sapiens, largely because they are second nature, but it's a fascinating process. As an aunt, I absolutely love watching my niece and nephew discover the world around them. I love facilitating and then watching the "eureka!" moment.

A simple, secular approach to yoga philosophy teaches kids to be kinder, well rounded individuals through principles of non-violence, non-stealing, honesty, respect, compassion and patience.  These principles are universal across the world's religions and are important characteristics for kids and parents to embrace. And most importantly, yoga gives kids an opportunity to be a kid, to have fun and be silly, the yoga teacher included!!

ahhh...sana

Since taking the therapeutic intensive with Susi Hately and more recently an online anatomy course, my practice and teaching style has changed. As my knowledge of biomechanics improves and I continue to embrace yogic philosophy I evolve as a yogi. Currently, the word asana is catalyzing my perspective. Asana loosely translates into sitting still, comfortably and at ease, and in the past I used asana generically for yoga pose. This more authentic definition of asana has big implications for me because more often than not, I took my poses into the deepest modifications available. By no means is this a bad, but these modifications restricted my breathing and I forced me to compensated with muscles other than those intended for the movement(s) associated with a pose. Hmm.

I've also started to think about what causes my discomfort, how I can improve movement, and the difference between form and function. I can't address this in a single blog entry but it's certainly foremost in my mind when I practice and develop my classes. Lately, I'm thinking about how my cues land and how I can help my students find ease in their poses while improving their movement. But as always, I'm enjoying the challenge of sharing my revelations with my fellow yogis while refining my own yoga philosophy around some key principles of movement.