Mind, Body, Balance

Have you ever noticed that its usually easier to balance one leg than the other? We easily recognize a lack of balance in our physical selves, but it can be more difficult to recognize a lack of balance in our mind and spirit.  Our physical imbalances, however, are indicative of imbalances in our mind and spirit.  We may never fully realize that imbalance, however, except through meditation.  In Western culture, however, the word meditation frequently raises eyebrows or is brushed aside as something that we busy, successful, hard working people can't be bothered with.

Not only do we think we can't be bothered, but another common response is fear. To sit and meditate for 5, 10, or 30 minutes makes people nervous and anxious. I've heard people say countless times that they just can't sit still for that long, or they feel like they're wasting time because all they can think about it all of the things they need to do.  What could possibly be so important in our lives that we can't allow ourselves a window of time to do nothing?  Why are we so accepting of letting our bodies sit around and do nothing but we refuse to allow our minds to do the same?  And to be fair, we aren't really doing nothing.  We are simply being in the state that we are meant to be in. Yoga is our natural state.  The asanas, or poses, that one moves through in a physical yoga practice are intended to prepare the mind and body for a seated meditation practice.  The mind-body connection of yoga reveals to us where we are resisting our natural state.

Balance poses, such as Vrksasana (Tree pose), demonstrates the challenge of remaining grounded when we have less support to rely on (one leg instead of two).  Similarly, our life situation is more challenging when we feel that we have no one around us for support.  Yet we always have the one most important source of support: Spirit.  Spirit resides within so we can never be without.  Find your physical balance and see how it translates to your inner balance.

The way you feel about your yoga practice as you move through the asanas reveals your willingness to accept things as they are.  Whatever will be will be. Frustration, anger, worry, fear, these are all forms of resistance to what is happening to us in that moment. We resist challenging asanas for fear of failure.  We tell ourselves, "I can't do that."  And that is true if you have already decided that.  But when you face a challenge with a positive mindset, you can change the outcome dramatically.  Fear of lifting that other foot off the ground in an arm balance such as Crow, or lifting into headstand without the wall behind you may be all that's stopping you.  Fear tricks un into believing that we have lost our balance, that we are unsupported, that we are going to fall or fail.  Honor your body and where you are in your practice, but don't let fear be your guide. 

Try using this short practice below to regain your balance and confidence when life tries to knock you down:

Come to Balasana (Child's pose).  Sink your hips to your heels and rest or forehead on your mat or a block.

Breathe.  Let your breath become slow, deep, and balanced.  Close your eyes and take a deep breath to a count of 4. Hold your breath for a moment at the top, then exhale completely for a count of 4. Hold your breath empty for a moment and repeat this breath cycle several times.

Stand up to Tadasana (Mountain pose).  Root both feet into the mat and stand tall, shoulders drawn down from your ears and the crown of your head reaching up to the sky.

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)
Vrksasana (Tree pose)
Return to Tadasana and repeat previous 3 poses on the other side.

Bakasana (Crow or Crane pose)

Come to easy seated pose for 5 minutes of meditation.  End your practice with the mantra below, repeated several times. (Sound keeps the Universe in balance. Try this mantra to balance the energy of the sun and the moon within you, to build confidence, and clear your spiritual path.)

RaMa RaMa RaMa RaMa RaMa RaMa Ram Ram Ram

Do A Little Dance

Have you ever noticed that its usually easier to balance one leg than the other? We easily recognize a lack of balance in our physical selves, but it can be more difficult to recognize a lack of balance in our mind and spirit.  For many, that imbalance will never be fully realized except through some meditative source, whether that be yoga, a seated meditation, or a moving mediation such as walking or running.  In Western culture, however, the word meditation often incurs eye rolls or raised eyebrows, or is brushed aside as something that we busy, successful, hard working people can't be bothered with.  But what if we simply decided to make that time?

I was a guest teacher at an elementary school in Wisconsin a few years ago and in the middle of my lesson, the principal came over the speaker and told everyone it was time to stand up and dance.  At first I thought it was a joke, but seconds later The Macarena came on and all the kids got up and started doing the dance. When the song ended, they all sat back down and we went on with the lesson. It was amazing and it took less than 3 minutes. Apparently, they did this twice a day, and the kids and teachers had to drop whatever they were doing and get up dance, move, stretch, or whatever was called for.

I think every school should do this. I even think every business should do this. Calling for the Marcarena isn't necessary for the lawyers, bankers, customer service employees, and such (or maybe its completely necessary!) but at least a call to stand up, stretch, breathe, and take a lap around the office a couple of times every day.  Consider this a walking meditation, a few minutes every day to clear your head and remember your breath.  Just those few minutes will help to bring your mental and physical self into better balance.  Why would a business owner or company want their employees to do this?  Here are just a few:

1) Meditation, breathing, stretching, all calm the mind and allow for clearer thinking, better judgement, heightened awareness, and improved decision making and problem solving...all good qualities in an employee.

2) Provides relaxation and stress relief to employee when they need it most - during their workday.

3) Improves the workplace environment - happy, strew-free employees communicate and work better with one another and with clients and customers.

4) Improves mental and physical health employees

5) Increases the productivity of your employees, and thereby improves the productivity of your company.

Maybe someday schools and businesses all across the country will have meditation breaks - sitting down for a 10 or 15 minute meditation.  To sit and meditate for 5, 10, or (gasp!) 30 minutes makes people nervous and anxious. I've heard people say countless times that they just can't sit still for that long, or they feel like they're wasting time because all they can think about is all of the things they need to do.  All of these things are exactly why people need to mediate.  What could possibly be so important in our lives that we can't allow ourselves a window of time to do nothing?  Why are we so accepting of letting our bodies sit around and do nothing but we refuse to allow our minds to do the same?

Our obsession with time is one thing, but I think fear is another.  For many, its that stillness, that silence that we fear. What will we find when we enter that space of solitude? Yet fear is usually a good indicator of what we really want and need. Fear of meditation is therefore a sure sign that it is exactly what we need. Instead of recoiling from that fear, embrace it and let it be your guide.

~Namaste

One Month of Mindful Eating

"Mama, what's wrong with the potatoes?!"

With the exception of eating just about anything over the past two days so long as it would stay in my stomach, I find myself almost 4 weeks into living a whole foods plant based lifestyle.  And now that I'm fully recovered from that nasty stomach flu (which has launched a massive campaign against my intestinal track this winter...too much info?), I'm practically chomping at the bit to get back to my leafy greens and rainbow colored plates of food.  Tonight we celebrated the return of my appetite with something somewhat gentle: homemade gnocchi with artichokes and a sprinkling of kale...or we would have, had those potatoes that I spent 20 minutes delicately rolling into perfect little balls, not completely dissolved into the boiling water (luckily, there was plenty of back up pasta, gluten-free and gluten-full, in the pantry).

Nevertheless, my little helper, Maggie, was in full force today in the kitchen...and what kid wouldn't be, we're playing with flour for crying out loud.  I'm also 90% on the gluten-free train these days too, so the flour we used to roll the potato dough was rice flour...oh wait...perhaps this is why my potatoes dissolved...  

I do like the gluten-free thing though.  But, if I'm craving a sandwich or toast, I've found this great sprouted wheat bread.  Its tasty and I'm comforted by the fact that the ingredient list isn't half a mile long.  Have you looked at the ingredients in bread ever?  Didn't our moms or grandmas once bake this stuff at home?  I'm pretty sure 80% of what's in there wouldn't be found in grandma's pantry.  But I digress.  Some say that there's no real health benefit to being gluten-free and I can't say I know enough to argue a strong case either way.  What I do know is that I simply don't like how I feel after eating a lot of gluten, in a bowl of pasta or pizza for example.  To me, that's all it takes.  If my body feels bad, that's a pretty good sign it doesn't want or need whatever is being put into it.  How do you feel after a long night of drinking? Exactly. Body doesn't need all that alcohol.  That's how I feel after a big wheat-filled meal, an over-indulgence of sugar, or after a meal with too much salt.

So onward it is with plant based eating!  Despite the mess we managed to create in the kitchen tonight, and the unexpected turn of event in our dinner plan, it was delicious, healthy, and brought my family together - something I hope will happen for decades to come as we go through our long lives together.  What a beautiful thing.

~Namaste.