Are you FORCING it?

So....have you noticed anything different about the sun lately? 

I have.  

It all started a few weeks ago while sitting on my deck in the afternoon.  I noticed that the sun was hitting my book at a slightly different angle than usual.  
  
A few days later I stepped out into a brisk morning to let Pluto do his "doggy business" and I realized that every cell of the atmosphere was no longer effortlessly permeated and filled with the sun's energy, but instead the sun now had to "push" through a crisp edge on the breeze and labor a bit to warm the morning.  

And, finally, perhaps saddest of all, I realized that my skin was no longer readily absorbing the sun and tanning was becoming a part of the past instead of the present day.

Dang!

The seasons shift subtly, although we don't always notice because we aren't as attuned to the rhythms of the natural world as we once were.  My senses told me weeks ago that the change was coming -- but they also calmed me with the reassurance it wouldn't happen overnight.  I was okay with it, but not with the "Back to School" sales and flyers and signs that appeared far earlier, like July 5th.  Those signs infuriate me with their bold desire to run people right out of their summers and into a shopping frenzy.  I choose to ignore them as long as possible.
  
Is it because I don't want to get back to school?  
Is it because I don't want summer to end?
   
Well, yes.  Obviously.  

But......

I think its also because man, society, culture, the big box corporations, etc. (whatever you want to call it) are always RUSHING us along and hitting us over the head with their messages.  Its so FORCED.  And I have great disdain for FORCED in all facets of life, but especially in a yoga practice.  I dare say -- I think forcing things usually ends in regret.

The reason is this:

If you listen to your competitive or ego mind and rush or try to force yourself into a yoga pose, you will find it is more harmful than beneficial in the long run.  Whatever you think you've gained by forcing yourself into some vision of a pose today will cost you tomorrow as your body recoils and tightens in exasperation.

On the other hand, our bodies are part of nature's world-- still soft, warm animals -- no matter how hard our society tries to "overcome being human."  Our bodies rely on the their senses and pay attention to subtle shifts, like the sun.  They are constantly recording important information that leads to acceptance of life unfolding.

And, for this reason, we must listen carefully to our bodies for guidance in our yoga practice (and our daily life!).  They blossom open only when they are ready.  They heal only when they are ready.  We cannot force them.  Your body needs consistency... to sense and record the subtle shifts you're making every day in your practice in order to accept bigger changes down the line.    

Just as I needed to sense the subtle shifts in the sun over a period of time before I could possibly go out and buy school supplies.  

Namaste~
Tammie  

The Self Observer

If you have read more than one of my posts, or ever attended one of my yoga classes, then you've heard me mention the concept of observing your mind's reaction, stepping outside of it, and becoming an observer at least a gazillion times.  (You can consider this gazillion and one.) 
I don't know about you, but I often find my mind (and more specifically, my ego mind) taking over the conversation in my head.  Its kind of like that guy who just won't stop talking.

And, sometimes, I honestly think my mind might even "stir the pot" just for a little entertainment value.  It can be quite immature.

My mind will say all sorts of things -- like a mean girl in junior high school (no offense if you are a pre-adolescent.  You have hormones as an excuse).  And, just like the mean girl in junior high, it all comes from insecurity.  The mind wants to be superior -- LARGE and IN CHARGE.  And understandably so -- it is the "point person" for much of our daily activity.  

But, guess what happens when the mind is allowed to run wild and rampant without discipline?  Well, let's just say it will act similarly to your neighbor's untrained dog -- you know, the one that drives you nuts barking all day, jumping up on you, doing its doggy business in your yard....

I don't want my mind to act this way and I'm pretty sure you don't either.  So, what's a girl to do?  Well, yoga, of course.  But I hope you realize by now that there a million ways to get into a "yoga frame of mind" -- yours might be gardening or meditating or knitting -- whatever works to slow down your ego mind's frenzied activity and allow you to connect to the self-observer mind.

Speaking of the self-observer, here's one of my favorite passages about using the self-observer.  I found this excerpt in a book called Spiritual Literacy:  Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life (a real gem of a book, by the way). 

This particular passage is by Anne Scott and taken from Serving Fire.

"For me, learning to use the self-observer has been a lesson in composting.  I have always been fascinated by the compost pile just outside our garden.  It contains bits of old food, thick and gnarled weed roots, rotting flowers, egg shells.  It seethes with life.  Over time, with moisture and heat, this decaying pile of unwanted organic matter becomes sweet-smelling, fertile, crumbly compost.  And so it is with the discarded parts of ourselves that we have swept under the carpet.  Under the watchful eye of the self-observer, all that we have rejected, denied, and hidden, is exactly what can nurture our growth."



P.S.

My ego mind was just telling me to not admit to anyone that it acted like a mean girl and it had me contemplating not sharing this post.  


But then I typed and read that passage.  


And I thought a new thought.


Viva La Self-Observer!

Namaste~
Tammie

Yoga Warrior: Battling The Undisciplined Ego

Have you ever been really angry?  It is like a spark of fire.  It can be scary.  Its a powerful and potent emotion, but it doesn't have create more pain.  In fact, all energy is simply energy.  It is how we choose to express it that either empowers us or robs us of our power. 

I experience anger like a huge rush of energy rising up from my solar plexus.  It cannot be ignored.  By its very nature, it requires my attention.  Basically, I have two choices:  

1.)  explode blindly in reaction to it, doing something I will potentially regret that causes additional pain and suffering.  

Or....

2.) summon the discipline to direct this powerful energy with consciousness and work toward ending pain and suffering.

I'd like to tell you I always choose option #2, but I can't. After all, I'm just a silly human.

I will tell you that practicing the Warrior Series of poses has helped me choose the second option more often by strengthening my discipline and focus.  Warrior pose is not about going to battle with anyone or anything outside of yourself.  Warrior pose is about battling the illusions that we mistakenly build up around ourselves, usually the projection of our egos.  Warrior Pose might make you a little .....angry (or frustrated may be a better word) at first, because it will undoubtedly show you just exactly where you have been undisciplined. But that untapped energy is exactly what will help you power up your pose if you use it to your advantage.  

Practicing any of the Warrior Poses requires great strength and commitment, found in the solar plexus, balanced with flexibility and openness.  Warrior stands steady and unwavering in principle, but open in heart, reaching either up toward the heavens toward her highest self (Warrior I) or out to the world with compassion (Warrior II).  

The warrior is connected to the solar plexus (where the ego is housed) to express who she is and where she stands in this world.  But she does not allow all of the energy of her self-identity to remain stagnant in her solar plexus.  The warrior chooses option #2:  discipline and direct that powerful energy with consciousness and work to end pain and suffering. 

Warrior comes in a variety of expressions (there are many variations), but they all share one essential component:  a disciplined and strong solar plexus to act as the energy center, powering the pose and creating extension through the spine and limbs. 

Whether you are practicing Warrior I, II, III, IV, or Reverse Warrior, you will need to choose option #2 to find expansion and extension in your spine and limbs.  If you mistakenly trap the power in the solar plexus you will cause tightness and gripping in the hips, shoulders, legs, arms, and spine.  You will constrict yourself, instead of expand yourself.  You will have blindly chosen option #1 by reacting and you will cause yourself some pain and suffering in your pose. You don't want this!  

Here are a few tips for practicing option #2 and elevating your Warrior from a competitive ego struggle to a powerful and balanced expression of conscious energy.

First, get into Warrior I:

Warrior I requires a gentle spinal rotation and spinal extension as you reach to the heavens from a broad, grounded stance.  Enter the pose from downward dog, bringing one foot forward in line with the fingertips and turning the toes of the back foot to point slightly out.  Now your back heel is aligned with the inside edge of your front heel.  As you bring your chest and spine upright, you spine should be centered between the front and back foot.  Your chest should be squarely facing forward, broad and open.  Root your back heel as you bend your front knee directly over your front ankle.  Slowly sink the hips and pelvis toward the earth as you find your stance.  Broaden your collarbones, rotating the upper arms away from your center.  Then externally rotate the upper arms and lift them overhead so that your palms face one another at shoulder width.  Gaze at the heavens.

Then, explore these finer points to help you choose Option #2 while you're in the pose:

The heads of your femurs are internally rotated in the hip sockets are the thighs are engaged and working strongly.  On an inhale, engage your lower buttocks, as if drawing your sitting bones closer together.  Feel the perineum draw up and in to elevate the energy through your spine, crown, and arms vertically.  On an exhale, consciously release gripping around your shoulders and hips.  Allow your shoulder blades to slide down your back toward your waist without ever disturbing the extension of your arms upward.  Allow your hips to soften and open, sinking your power center closer to the earth.  As the energy and your awareness sinks into your hips, direct the power of your solar plexus to push the head of the femur of the rear leg back deeper into the hip joint.  Feel the whole femur move toward your hamstring, lengthening the back leg and allowing you to more firmly ground and root your stance through the back heel. In turn, this allows you to feel safe and relaxed, better equipped to start the process over again, inhaling to extend toward the heavens, lifting the heart higher and directing the energy from your solar plexus consciously through the higher chakras  which are the heart, throat, third eye, and crown; where love, communication, intuition, and self-realization are housed.  There.  Now doesn't that feel better???

Happy Practicing!

Namaste~

Tammie