Say, "Ha!"

 

Today's "Well" page in the New York Times includes an article presenting the benefits of breath. The author, Lesley Alderman offers evidence that, "Controlled breathing, an ancient practice, can reduce stress and soothe your body."

We are invited to: "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat."   Click HERE to go to the article. Read about studies in the works.  Celebrate scientific study that supports the healing, soothing powers of breath. 

I always say. "Don't forget to breathe."  In my classes, I say this with regularity. I know that often, even in the gentlest physical exertion, the breath tends to be held. 

"Breath is the most important thing." As we practice yoga, this is something else I say with predictable regularity. My understanding of the long history of yoga has included this value since the time of Buddha. 

Please, breathe.

Oregon Coast. Wind. July 2016

Consider laughter.

Yoga class.

Enter a classroom.

Often, but not always, the lights are low. Often, but not always, it is quiet. 

Find space. Preparation for practice begins.

Often, but not always, there is a solemnity associated with the soft light and the quiet in the yoga room. This setting can help us start to turn inward. We are beginning, opening, letting go. 

But what about laughter?

What about a yoga practice that embraces laughter, encourages laughter, even forces laughter?

Today in the New York Times, I read about the healing powers of "laughter yoga." The piece presents wonderful photos of this practice in process.

Celebrating the power of laughter.

See the article here.

In classes I teach, we often pause and practice lions' breaths together. I describe the experience as a moment to take a break, a moment to clear our breathing, to strtetch. We widen the muscles of our faces. And, with encouragement, we laugh. 

We roar. It feels great.

Mix your own colors.

In yoga, as in life, you bring all the pieces and parts of your story to the experience.

It is uniquely yours. 

Paint your picture.

"Growing Older, and Happier"

In today's New York Times, the "Well" page offers a lovely tid-bit. On aging, the report is entitled, "Growing Older, and Happier."

According to Nicholas Bakalar reporting on a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, "Older people tend to be happier than younger people,..." Click HERE to read his short article.

Bakalar quotes Dr. Dilip V. Jeste of the University of California, San Diego suggesting, "We become wise. Peer pressure loses its sting. Better decision-making, more control of emotions, doing things that are not just for yourself, knowing oneself better, being studious and yet more decisive."

Notice.

Have you seen something for just an instant? 

You turn to look again.

It's gone.

Is it?

For Once, Then, Something

Robert Frost

Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs
Always wrong to the light, so never seeing
Deeper down in the well than where the water
Gives me back in a shining surface picture
Me myself in the summer heaven godlike
Looking out of a wreath of fern and cloud puffs.
Once, when trying with chin against a well-curb,
I discerned, as I thought, beyond the picture,
Through the picture, a something white, uncertain,
Something more of the depths—and then I lost it.
Water came to rebuke the too clear water.
One drop fell from a fern, and lo, a ripple
Shook whatever it was lay there at bottom,
Blurred it, blotted it out. What was that whiteness?
Truth? A pebble of quartz? For once, then, something.

Yoga. You and your brain. Studies show.

In a recent article published in the New York Times, Gretchen Reynolds reports that,

"A weekly routine of yoga and meditation may strengthen thinking skills and help to stave off aging-related mental decline, according to a new study of older adults with early signs of memory problems."

The article, entitled "Yoga May Be Good for the Brain", can be found here.

I support a regular practice of yoga and I celebrate studies exploring any and all possible benefits. 

But I also remember, the benefit of yoga is strongest in the moment that you practice. It is best in each individual *now.*

By any other name.

The photo shows me leading a class. We have our arms lifted, elbows bent, palms forward. There are many names for this position.

"I Surrender",  "Cactus",  "Goal Post" or "Goddess."

By any other name, we are lifting our arms up and holding them. We are sitting tall and breathing into the subtle exertion of raising the weight of our arms. Building strength.

Artwork by sound-hindu-god-photo.blogspot.com

Facing Dog.

Zoe has come to live with us.

She's a dog. 

She's been here for less than a week. We are all getting used to each other. Zoe was living with a bunch of other dogs and some humans. She was a working dog, breeding, mothering pups, nurturing and seeing them off in short order.

And now in retirement, we have her with us.

She's a little confused. That's clear. A little shy; she cries at night. 

Really, she's doing pretty well. She put up with a good bath, a new collar and everything else. 

We've been taking long walks together. I've been talking with her. She looks into my eyes in that dog way. That way that says, "Whatever it is, it's okay." 

Dog love.

More sunlight.

Spring. The days are getting longer; how wonderful!

Recently, in a class we prepared  for "utkatasana."  We build this posture while sitting on the chair. And then we often stand and embrace  this "fierce" pose, also called "lightning bolt."  It calls on the strength of our legs, our bellies, our minds and our spirits. 

One yogi whispered to me in class. "I used to dread this pose, now I don't!"

Beautiful. More sunlight.

Go to this site for more.

With thanks for the photo to: https://yogatherapyalacarte.com/

Please Hold.

Learning the postures in yoga involves building the physical components and then reaching the pose. How long does this take; a class, a year, a lifetime?

Sometimes we flow into a pose and then, with breath, flow to the next pose in a beautiful sequence of movement.

And sometimes we stay where we are, and hold.

Holding a posture gives us a chance to approach our own edge; the place where we attempt to reach a balance between effort and ease. It is a way to build not just physical endurance, but also the ease of the spirit. We can hold and feel what is happening in this unique moment. One breath, and then another.

Time.

The popular notion of "mindfulness" reminds us that each instant is unique. Celebrate the instant and no longer fret over its passage.

Is it that easy?

It's not easy. But here is what I know--the practice of yoga lends us moments of quiet and a softening that we can carry into the relative chaos of our days. 

Effort and Ease

Musings On Body and Mind

My yoga practice, over many years, has brought me many benefits.

I first came to yoga as part of a journey to soothe an aching spine. First, the physical discipline certainly helped me heal. There was benefit there, and that was good. Having brought a strong athletic drive and a long held competitive spirit to my early learning, my practice was full of the kind of striving that is just one aspect of yoga. As I studied the history and meaning of yoga as a practice of the mind and the body, I learned the value of turning my attention inward. I found myself in yoga class after yoga class and little by little I learned to let go of the urge to compare my physical abilities to those of my classmates. I began to learn about the benefits of finding a balance between effort and ease.

This is an age old journey. It is part the very earliest thoughts and writings on yoga.

In an interview, my teacher, Natasha Rizopoulos says this:

 Q.How does your Asana practice help you focus and make decision from your gut without wavering?

A.A consistent Asana practice teaches the powerful principles of Abhyasa and Vairagya, persistent effort and non-attachment to results. If you believe that you’ve given your best, then you trust the outcome whatever it is.

Click here to see the entire interview.

Yoga and Bone Health, Encouraging News!

Jane Brody, science writer for the New York Times, has been writing the "Personal Health" column for the paper since 1976. Her informative pieces appear weekly in the Science Times section of the paper.

This recent piece "12 Minutes of Yoga for Bone Health," published on December 21, 2015, presents a discussion of studies done on the benefits of yoga and bone health. Click on the link to read this interesting and encouraging article.

And click this link, to literally see more. 

From: 

YOUR BODY ON YOGA: AN X-RAY LOOK AT THE BONES MID-DOWNWARD DOG

By Ashley Oerman, January 5, 2015 "Womens Health"

A "Flexible" Approach to Yoga

I share with you here a recent story printed in The Boston Globe. The article offers a glimpse at some trending variations of yoga. The writer, Kara Baskin, reports on her travels around town experimenting with some of these practices.

It's got me thinking.

One does not have to look far to find yoga "combos" in many shapes. One can discover, for example, yoga plus arial acrobatics, yoga plus pilates, yoga in the water on a paddle board or even yoga plus boxing.  

I fight the urge to roll my eyes as I hear of some of these "hybrids."  

Yoga is the linking of breath and movement with intention--on a paddleboard? Why not?

Interest in yoga is booming. It is wonderful that the awareness of a mind/body practice is reaching more and more and more people.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2015/09/04/taking-flexible-approach-what-yoga/y2vUg2WIfFdoXtV2pts02I/story.html

Travel.

Summer.

Summersaults.

I have been traveling  and visiting and preparing and packing and unpacking. Nearly finishing laundry from one adventure, before heading off on the next. Yes, sitting on the floor of my bedroom, the last bag is still unpacked. And off I go again this weekend. I am traveling to Maine, to a lovely little island in a big beautiful lake, to witness the wedding of a young man I met when he was 8 days old. 

I am fortunate to be hopping from place to place with pleasant purposes. Even in the disorganization of coming and going, I am happy to see relatives, have reunions with great friends and celebrate the cycles of life.

Balance. 

And I am remembering the yoga.

It is balance that is at the heart of the practice, as it is in life.

Visiting the ocean for the first time. 

A Glance Back

I am looking over my shoulder at my beginnings in Yoga.

I was first drawn to the physical challenge of yoga practice.

Then, it was simply a new arena for exertion, for my body.

I was active, with a busy family life and also a habit of taking on athletic challenges.

A distinction of my pusuits was that they were solitary. 

Historically, I was not drawn to teams or games, but to the challenge of besting myself. Running, riding, skiing, swimming--faster longer. I was a true believer in the "endorphin-high." And I enjoyed the solitary nature of it. Though alone in the efforts, I always watched the others around me. With determination, I asked myself, could I pass them?

As I think about my many pre-yoga years, I can discern what was a yoga-like nature in my sports. Even as I looked to get ahead of another on the course, I also enjoyed the meditative quality of being alone with it.

And then came yoga.

It took time, years, for me to come to understand and appreciate the "mind' part of the mind/body nature of yoga. It took time, years, for me to let go of the competetive piece as I came to my mat. At first, I looked around. Could I balance as well?  Could I reach as far?  Could I hold as long? 

With study and time and seasoning, I began to close my eyes and open my experience. I began to find balance.

A Doctor's musings on mindfulness.

On Taking Notice — Learning Mindfulness from (Boston) Brahmins

Michael W. Kahn, M.D.

N Engl J Med 2015; 372:901-903March 5, 2015DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1410397

A young resident sees the value of mindfulness as he learns about communication between a seasoned Doctor and his patient. 

Click here to read  this story  published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  It is a sweet example of one doctor's experience, learning to appreciate the importance of paying attention in ways that may not be taught in medical school.

Mindfulness means, very simply, paying attention. It is sensitivity and awareness. And add to that, the intention to slow down. It is something we cultivate in yoga practice. It is something to apply as we travel the world.

March. March. March.

Tulips on my table. They are yellow and lovely.

But, here's my small gripe:

Nowadays, I feel like I can pretty much get any flower at any time of the year. I remember, not too long ago, that to see the first tulips in big bunches for sale at the market in late February when we were just beginning to hope for Spring--that was something amazing. It was like the surprise and delight of fireworks. That experience has become diluted and a little bit, I feel robbed. The modern engineering of light and soil and seasons, has brought us all tulips, all the time.

That said, no matter what, I love tulips.

The yellow bunch on my kitchen table is some nice tonic to the persistence of snow, snow, snow outside.

About to break the ALL TIME RECORD in a winter for snowfall up here in New England.