Slowing down my back

My practice this week has been very altered.

My lower back has been overly stretched, which takes TIME to heal. I know this.
I would tell students, friends and strangers...give yourself time--let yourself heal, but personally, I discover a spot of impatience with myself and time.
Being "hurt" is when I am reminded of how I depend upon my physical body to
emotionally and spiritually deal with my day.
Deal with my time.
My space. 
My body.
And then I realize, how often I go through my day physically incorrectly.
I rarely bend my knees when I pick something up or even put on my shoes,
so I suppose this is a good reminder I am not indestructible or 20 years old.
I was officially 39 1/2 yesterday. Still young, but thankfully--not that young. 
I am celebrating this time, this age by moving forward playfully. Consciously. And trying to develop a gentler mind approach with myself.


So, this morning as I was slowly working through an online practice,
I realized how helpful modifications really can be.
Doing mainly a vinyasa practice, I flow between down dog and standing poses often, which I have struggled with all week.


The first time this happened was during my YTT a year and half ago, but not from yoga--well, possibly yoga--naked time yoga. No details needed other than between all the actual yoga I was doing and a healthy romp, caused me to overstretch my lower back. It took a few weeks to heal, but it did--and now, here again--I'm overstretched.


This time though, it's a symbolic overstretch that is physically manifesting itself.
I am aware that as a well loved, single momma of three divine daughters--that works as a full time librarian and part time yoga sharer, I am spread thin.  And my back wants to wake me up.  
It's shouting slow down.
Take it easy.
Stand still.


So I open my practice this week to slowing down.
Standing in the moment.
Listening in meditation.


Om.

Sleepytime or a quiet yoga class for little ones

This morning I am going to one of the local preschools to do yoga
with 3-5 year olds.  This is one of my most favorite classes...maybe
because I started doing yoga with kids before adults...maybe
because of their unbridled joy for play...maybe because my heart
loves it all.

I am doing a sleepytime/quiet yoga theme this morning.
Funny, considering their children on a snowy morning...inside a building,
but it's worth the try:)

Assuming things go as planned, this is my agenda:

1) Introductions...never assume anyone remembers you or your name in general:)
2) Dedicate to someone you love, placing hands over heart.
3) Centering: Imagine a butterly. What color is it? Do you see the sky behind it?
    Watch it flutter flower to flower, till it quietly lands.
4) Warm-Up: Lighthouse, water, boat
5) Sun Salutations
6) Story: Peace and Quiet, A Yiddish Tale
7) Laying down, make legs a candlestick; hug knees into chest
8) Star relaxation

There are about 25 kids and 4 teachers to this lovely class.
Off I go...have an Omazing day!
xoxox

Dispassionate Viaragya

Viaragya or dispassion has been my floating word recently.
I haven't come to my personal meaning fully --yet--

but I have found a setting for it.

Recently I have found that I can apply the word dispassion to replace
people I am having aggravation towards.
We all have folks who, given the right circumstances, we end up just not caring for personally.
Maybe there's the bathroom girl-gossip or out right 'I don't like you' looks, but I truly dislike venting my anger or ickyness with other people...even friends.  I believe thoughts are things that come back to you, one way or another....

When I find I don't like someone or something they do, I visualize myself handing them a flower or a floating heart.  I have felt this work for me many times before, but when it hadn't worked for me recently--I really felt at a loss.

Then--during many moments of aggravation these past few weeks, I remembered the word dispassion.  Every time I thought of someone I didn't care for, I just said the word:
dispassion.
Over and over again.
So...now--I am letting go of this extreme dislike...unattachment.
Dispassion towards people and events I can't control, or even care to.

Om.
Xoxo

Evergreen-ish

I sat on my mat this morning, half sick with a cold that doesn't make asana-sense, but quite capable of morning meditation.


So, I sat. And like most times, the first 5-10 minutes are the most monkey-mindish. 
And then I placed Om with my inhales and exhales, visualizing the symbol within my third eye. 

As I sat, I began thinking:
Evergreens
Christmas trees
Nature
Divinity
Atman soul
Evergreens being the divine tree, never dying, like the glowing Atman
Without veil--maya--
Heart.


And the next thing I knew I was "seeing" a snow capped mountain, wondering
how that was/is related to evergreens...possibly that a mountain
doesn't die or change either--maybe the landscape, but at the base--
it is always a mountain.


Like it is always a tree.
And the divine light shining
inward,
shines outward...
No matter what time of the year.


Om.

Tat Twam Asi

This past year in reading one of Swami V's books, I came across the mantra:
Tat Twam Asi


Though translated in various English phrases, "That thou are", I didn't really understand what I was supposed to understand about who That and Thou are.

And when I can't understand something, I don't force my way to the path, but I do open up the lines of communication to get to the path.

I read the phrase over.
And over.
And over.
I put it on my phone, so there it was/is--along with the picture of my family.

I let it happen.
And finally it did.

I read somewhere else a different sort of translation--
Tat: My soul/atman/innermost being connected to the
Twam: Braham/God/Universe
and bringing it all together in this great big connection is
Asi: Union

And  there you go...I got it.
Well, at least for now--a beginning of an understanding,
that may or may not be how I interupt it tomorrow.
:)
Om xoxo

Word of the day: kula

I don't remember if it was my family, teachers or both, that instilled the idea of learning a new word a day.

It seems the concept should partner people together, but I suppose it doesn't matter, because in the end--I still-- almost at 40-- try to enhance my vocabulary.

So my word on Monday was kula: meaning family or group.
If you look up kula via wikipedia, you'll discover it means different things in different languages.
I am interested in the Sanskrit interpetation of the word, even though according to the New World Encyclopedia it is a difficult word for English interpretation. 

Personally, I don't see the difficultly in it.
I know there's the saying we can pick our friends, but we can't pick our family.
First off, I don't buy that saying.
I think we come to this place, this space, choosing our family and friends to love and learn about and from...but if not--then at what point do we acknowledge our family brings us lessons and ideals to learn positive and negative from?

Ok. Then there's this looseknit idea of 'family' --the people we mean to spend our time with.
On purpose.
With intention.
Friendships.
Relationships.
Working relationships.
Spiritual community.
Our kula.
Tightknight group of folks who love each other or at least tolerate.

If we are fortunate, we have a supportive immediate and extended kula.
And if we don't--we should honor our inner light, to place our Being towards the highest.

On Monday evenings class, I threw out the word kula while they were in childs pose, explaining the meaning of family.
I don't get into my personal beliefs too much, but try to share philosophy and ideas that correlate to the practice.  One thing I did say was that when dealing with our kula, our family--our base--we can use the chakras or energy centers in our body that coincide with words and ideas, to help us.

Our base chakra or muladhara chakra is said to reside at the base of our spine.
It's what keeps us stable in relationships, work, family.
And seeing how we're coming upon the holiday season, this chakra can take a beating...dealing with positive and negative past family baggage or even work that we're trying to accomplish before our time off.

That's when we need to ground ourselves.
So--Mondays class was full of grounding poses.
Heart opening poses through grounding poses, that hopefully offered insight or thoughtfulness.

I enjoyed Mondays class because I realized I spoke as I usually write.
There's a true gap between what I physically say versus my written word.
I feel more comfortable writing, sharing what may or may not be accepted.
But what I've been striving to find in my teaching is this voice I carry through writing, into my real-life teaching.
And what I feel comfortable in doing is sharing words.
Sharing stories.
To me these are real 'things' that people can carry in their heads in a positive way.

Sharing with their own kula.
Family.
Om

Saucha

On my hands and knees, mopping my floors, the word 'saucha' popped into my mind.
Saucha is one of niyamas in yoga philosphy, meaning purity or cleanliness.  Dealing with my household,
I find it the most difficult.  Once upon a time, my girls were young- I was married and worked very part time. 
My household was never perfect, but it was much more tidy.
Then my girls grew alittle and I was no longer married, working two full time jobs.
My household was less than perfect and hardly tidy.

And then yesterday, with my youngest at home sick, I took/take such joy in being able to clean--truly clean.
Not the surface wiping, but getting into the corners and delving into the practice--delving into saucha.
At a certain point, I remind myself--this is not permanent...the cleaning, the messiness--the moment.
Soon there were a housefull of girls rearranging any order I may have illusioned myself into creating.
And then that will disappear too--but I will have the thought and the word to ponder on:
Saucha.

Plus, I have other positive purities within myself--my household that I can see the abundance in and appreciate. It is a constant practice. Much love.
Om.
xoxo