Time Again.....

A few of the students were talking yesterday morning as they waited for the 7:30 am Hot Yoga class to start. The conversation turned to time. The common theme was they just didn't have enough time to do everything they needed to do.  Hmmmm....sounds somewhat similar to my last blog.  I knew I wasn't alone with my dilemma.  But was it really a dilemma? 

If I back track to Buddhism 101, my world is not coming at me, but from me.  If I want to change my outside perception of my world, I first have to change the inside. So what was I doing in my life that caused me to have this lack of time perception?  I don't have a corporate type job to stress me, In fact teaching and running the studio doesn't feel like a job at all.  Another student came in yesterday and said she was glad it was Saturday and without thinking I responded "everyday is like a Saturday to me".  I feel that blessed to have this life. 

What can I do to change this perception?  First of all I did my best to stay focused on the task at hand, finish one thing first before going on to the next. It's like when you are working on the computer and before you know it you have 25 web pages open and don't remember what you were looking for in the first place.  Then I became more realistic with what I can actually fit in my day.  And that it's OK to say no once in a while.  If something that I though would take only a 1/2 hour ended up being a hour, so be it.  Accept it and move on. I haven't balanced my personal checkbook in 3 years and haven't bounced a check once. I check my balance on line to keep track. 

I meditated on patience.  I meditated on the attachment that we have on time.  How we think that if we aren't busy we aren't important or productive.  As my perception started to shift so did my week.  Time opened up where I thought there was none.  I still followed through with responsibilities and deadlines that I had (after all owning a yoga studio is still a business) but with a different frame of mind.  No one or nothing got left by the wayside.  In fact yesterday I  taught in the morning, met friends for lunch that were in from California, worked on advertising and promotions for the 3rd year anniversary celebration next month, went for a bike ride with my husband, chit chatted with the neighbor and still had "time" left over.

When I was thinking of taking my teacher training, I really felt that I didn't have enough time in my life to handle it.  My teacher, Michael Johnson told me that the more time we give away the more we will get back.  Crazy talk!!! But he was right....the time was there.  I just had to shift my perception. So give it a try.

Every time I sit down to blog I tell myself today is the day that I will write about a yoga pose and it just doesn't seem to happen. But I am open to any and all suggestions. Yoga is so much more about changing our inner world and everything else just seems to follow...and just breathe.

By the way tonight at our free meditation class, we will be learning how to use bio feed back techniques to reduce stress.  It is from 7 PM to 8 PM tonight.  The class is free but we do accept donations for local charities.

Time After Time

What is time?  When I googled the meaning of time, when used as a noun the definition is "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole. " But when used as a verb the definition is "plan, schedule, or arrange when (something) should happen or be done". That is the one I seem to have a problem with lately. 

In the yogic teachings of the the 8 Limbs of Yoga by Master Pantajali, one of the five Yamas (restraints) is Satya or truthfulness. At first thought we think of lying which is correct, but it goes much deeper than that.  All of the Yamas & Niyamas (observance) do.  (To learn more about the Yamas & Niyamas read the book by Deborah Adele appropriately titled "The Yamas & Niyamas".) But I digress. Am I being truthful about the number of things I can plan in my day?  Do I allow time for hiccups or interruptions of my so called plan and schedule?  Did I allow for the extra time when I took my son grocery shopping with me that he had to read every label?  Do I allow extra time when I take my mom out and take in consideration that being 87, there is no such thing has running in and out of a store (especially Costco, those free samples and all). 

How many times have we heard "we all have the same 24 hours in the day". Are we being truthful in what we make a priority in our 24 hours?  Do we plan for rest, play and sleep?  Don't get me wrong, I love everything I do in my life and I think that is part of my conundrum.  I want to do it all.  But there should be moderation with everything. Who do I say no too?

Goodness, I haven't blogged in over a week.  Sat down several times to do it but.....

As I remind myself and others, I am a work in progress.  So I am still working on this one.  I ordered Mitch Albom's new book of fiction “The Time Keeper” to sell at the studio.  The cover jacket tells us "the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift".  I can't wait to read it...when I can find the time....and just breathe.

Yoga is Hard Work

Most of the time new students come to yoga because they want to make a change in their lives, sometimes they come because they are curious, but occasionally they come because someone more or less strong armed them into coming.

I think this is what happened the other day with two new students. It was obvious pretty much from the start who was who in this duo.  I did my best to offer them both modifications for the poses to help them enjoy the experience.  Student A was appreciative, Student B....well....not so much. I gently reminded the entire class that child's pose was always an option as a modification as it is in any class we teach at Santosha.

As the class was practicing Navasana (boat pose) I offered a suggestion to Student B and she looked at me and said that it was hard and she wasn't going to do it.  OK, not a problem, after all it was her practice. I spoke to them after class, as I try to do with all new students, did they have any questions and reminded them to use their free week to try out other classes and teachers.  I could be wrong, but I don't think I will see Student B anytime soon.

Yep, Yoga is hard work.  We move, breathe and engage muscles that haven't been awake in a long time.  But let's look at this from another angle. What's harder, starting to take care of yourself now while you can still get up and down off the floor or having someone help you in and out of chairs because you have no core strength to lift yourself up?  Lengthen and strengthening your upper body now or hurting your shoulder when you lift a gallon of milk out of the fridge, increasing your stamina now or getting winded walking from your home to the car 20 feet away. These are not fictional situations, these happen to people I love everyday. 

My mom (whom I love dearly) is 87 years old and never has taken care of herself.  I asked her why recently and she said that she didn't think she would live this long.  But it really should be about the quality of the life we live since none of us are guaranteed the length.  It's about the "dash" in between the dates on our tombstone.

Elections are coming up again and with it the talk of health care reform.  But bottom line it is our responsibility to "reform" our health.  My mom says that she never thought that she would age this way, with so many limitations on her body.  But she didn't do anything to prevent it.

Do I know for sure that my practice of yoga will assure me a long, healthy life? Of course not, but all the studies are showing me that it really makes a difference.  Who is going to push you in your wheel chair, drive you to doctor appointments, and remind you to take your daily medications? 

I really didn't mean to get this preachy, I was just trying to make the point that yes yoga is sometimes hard to do, but the benefits are amazing.  For those of us who are mom's, was pregnancy, labor and delivery hard?  It is sometimes hard to be a parent or spouse.  Yes, yes, yes.  But the benefits are worth the labor.  We do things that are hard all day long that don't make us a better person, why not try doing something that does.  Start to take care of yourself now.  Walk, bike, swim, do yoga and.....just breathe.

P.S. I want to share a link with you from the Natural Awakening Magazine . It’s article (starts on page 31)  of the importance of breath and injury free yoga. Enjoy!

Meditation.....with The Beatles

Last Sunday we had our free Meditation & Study group. We had a nice crowd considering it was a beautiful Sunday evening in Michigan.  Numbers tend to go down in the summer since we are usually cooped up in the winter, in the summer us Michiganders are outside as much as possilbe.

OK, enough about the weather, let's get back to last Sunday. In walks this smiling ittle man who told me his name was Sam.  Sam heard about Santoha Yoga from Fred, one of our students.  Sam has a booth at Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens where he sells incense, Buddha statues, things of that nature and that is how the two met. 

Sam was born and raised in India and has practiced yoga and meditation most of his life, so it was a honor to have him here.  He reminded me of the interviews I have seen of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, always laughing and smiling and with that twinkle in their eyes.  You know the one I mean; where they know something we don't know. But we do know.  It really is no mystery if you think about it.  I am going to take a wild guess and say it might be the practice of meditation. Hmmmmm.

  

Sam went on to tell me that he was at a Ashram (a kind of spiritual retreat) back in the 60's.  In fact he was there at the same time The Beatles were there.  I will admit that I became a little star struck, the thought that at one time this constantly smiling man shared the same space, the same energy as The Beatles.  So I hugged him!  I had never met anyone who had met the Fab Four and it just seemed to be the thing to do.

Now I know that The Beatles dabbled in more than just meditation and I am not here to judge.  But remember they are the ones that reminded us that "all you need is love, love....love is all you need, love is all you need....and just breathe.

P.S.  I am always telling anyone who will listen that this practice of yoga has brought the most amazing people into my life. What else would bring Sam from GTC, his Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Beatles and little old me together!

Meditation.....have it your way.

When we think of meditation we usually think of the more traditional forms, like the pictures we see in books and magazines,  someone sitting straight and tall, hands and fingers in some type of configuration (a mudra) resting on the thighs or knees. Eyes closed with a look of peace and contentment on their faces.  And you would be correct to a certain extend. 

But there are other ways to help us calm our minds.  I recently read a definition of meditation in the book Buddhist Boot Camp which I think sums it up.  "Meditation is finding calm when the world is not calm".  How many times did I stress out even more when I thought I couldn't find the time to meditate? This is where operation meditation plan B comes in.

Take a walk among nature.  As you walk really sense the smells and your surroundings.  Take off your shoes and feel the sensations of the sand, the grass or even the sidewalk.  Goodness, there are over 7,000 nerve endings in our feet that connect to different areas of the body. 

Sit by a lake, stream, any body of water and you will find instant calm.  Find a wave and watch it as it takes shape, as it builds momentum and then disappears on the shore.  Let this remind you that that any craziness that is going on in your life will be like the wave as it comes to shore....soon disappearing.

Ride your bike as you feel a slight breeze on your face. Want a stronger breeze, go faster!  Try and match the rhythm of your pedaling to the rhythm of your breath.  Find a balance, calm.

When was the last time you sat and watched a sunset, I mean really watched it. Do this while holding hands with someone you love, both in total silence, and just feel the energy move between you, each helping the other to find peace.

Really, really short on time?   Close you eyes…and just breathe.

P.S.  Join us at Santosha Yoga the 3rd Sunday night of every month (which happens to be tonight) from 7 PM to 8 PM for our free meditation class. 

We Need to Stick Together Till the End

On Sundays I teach Yoga in the Park in downtown New Baltimore from noon to 1:00 (shameless plug, but maybe not since it's a free class).

As I walked to the spot where we meet, I got closer and noticed that there was a seagull lying on the ground, obliviously in some type of distress.  Other birds were around him, maybe 8 or so.  Two of them seemed to be arguing with each other or upset.  As the students started to arrive I steered them away from our friend and we started class.

As the students started to move and breathe, they seemed less concerned about our friend and more about their practice.  At one point in the class, someone motioned to me that the bird had died.  Thankfully Cindy Paparelli, the guru in charge of the New Baltimore Farmers' Market, happened to walk by.  Being as discreet as I could, I whispered to her what going on and she took our friend away.

Only after class was done and the last of the students were on their way home, did I reflex on what had happened and came to an interesting realization.  The other birds had left after the bird died.  They were there until he needed them, and then there were gone.  Birds are like us in the way that we bond and form relationships. 

We all need to be part of a family, a community, a network.  We need to be there for others as we need them there for us. 

The next time you see someone in distress, be there for them.  Not sure how to do that or what to say?  Just your calming presence will help them out and maybe remind them to.....just breathe.

Just for today....

Did you ever have one of those days (weeks, months) where you just can't seem to balance your mind, level out your emotions.

Sometimes all we need are a few little sentences that encourage us first thing in the morning to set a more positive tone for our day ahead. Meaningful words that when read or written down can adjust our thinking, or shift our focus (if needed).
 

Five simple sentences that can help lift stress dissolve anger, worry or negative thinking. Five refreshing sentences that when read or meditated on, can bring us closer to a more connected and inspiring way of life.

Below are the 5 Reiki principles that I have chosen to share with you today. Read them gently and slowly. Enjoy....and just breathe.

1: Just for today, I will not be angry

2: Just for today, I will not worry

 

3: Just for today, I will be grateful

4: Just for today, I will do my work honestly

5: Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing

P.S. Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a combination of two Japanese words meaning universal life energy. Reiki is an ancient laying-on of hands healing technique that uses the life force energy (universal energy) to heal and balance the subtle energies in our bodies (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual).