Language of the Heart

This is the time of year which always brings me back to the concept of the heart. The brilliance of Anahata (our heart center and 4th Chakra) and all that it means to be human. It is a time of year where everyone seems to see others and have an innate need to be nicer, more giving, more compassionate. When we love someone, we want to be near them—to give gifts, share experiences, and receive the other’s love. Out of love, we offer support during periods of illness, and encouragement during challenging times. We do not hurt or harm those we love. Love unites us. Giving, receiving, sharing, and uniting are love’s way. They are blossoms that bloom wherever love grows. With love in our heart it is possible to see beyond the faults and judgments which often color our relationships with others and with ourselves.

This past weekend we had one of our Advanced Studies & Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training sessions. Our focus for the December weekend is on the space of the heart and back bending. These students are reading The Living Gita which contains a section where Krishna comforts and advises his troubled disciple Arjuna by telling him about three paths. Each, he says, is a kind of yoga—a way to live in the world and at the same time maintain inner peace. They are the path of action (Karma yoga), the path of devotion (Bhatki yoga), and the path of knowledge (Jnana yoga).  Karma yoga, he says, is the ability to conscientiously evaluate one’s motivation, to act with skill and determination, and yet not be attached to the outcome of the action. Bhatki yoga’s path is about uplifting human hearts. On the path of bhakti yoga, help is proffered and spirits are healed through love—through the soul’s love for that which is eternal, and through the love of the eternal for each soul. For some, its appeal stems from an inherent attraction to God. For others, gratitude toward yoga matures into love and respect for a teacher, for a system of practice, or for the natural universe and invites deeper introspection as to who/what God is.

One of my very first yoga teachers taught me the name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit verb root krsh, which means “to draw or pull in, to draw to one’s self.” The idea of Krishna is not merely an embodied teacher, but an indwelling force that is constantly calling to us, drawing us to our self. Like a flower whose form and color attracts wandering bees, the concept of Krishna is the voice of beauty and truth within us—drawing us inward to drink from our own being. The call of the self is to know the Self. It is our soul calling to us and beckoning us to come home. It is a call issued by one’s heart—a call that clears away fears and past faults. In yogic terms, Krishna’s voice is the voice of love, truth, and self-acceptance, flowing through one’s own God-given soul. We are called to come home to our soul, to take the time to delve inward and make this most fantastical journey through the veiled layers (koshas) that cover our soul.

Did you know the heart is the most powerful source of electromagnetic energy in the human body, producing the largest rhythmic electromagnetic field of any of the body's organs? Well it is!!! The heart's electrical field is about 60 times greater in amplitude than the electrical activity generated by the brain!!! I don’t know about you, but when I learned this my mind was blown. Science has also found there is a direct relationship between the heart-rhythm patterns and the spectral information encoded in the frequency spectra of the magnetic field radiated by the heart. Thus, information about a person’s emotional state is encoded in the heart’s magnetic field and is communicated throughout the body and into the external environment. How cool is this??!! Again, my mind is blown.

The interaction between two human beings is a very sophisticated dance that involves many subtle factors. Most of us tend to think of communication solely in terms of overt signals expressed through facial movements, voice qualities, gestures and body movements. However, scientific evidence now supports the perspective that a subtle yet influential electromagnetic or "energetic" communication system operates just below our conscious level of awareness.

The ability to sense what other people are feeling is an important factor in allowing us to connect, or communicate effectively with them. The smoothness or flow in any social interaction depends to a great extent on the establishment of a spontaneous linkage between individuals. When people are engaged in deep conversation, they begin to fall into a subtle dance, synchronizing their movements and postures, vocal pitch, speaking rates and length of pauses between responses, and, as science is now proving (but many of us are already very aware), important aspects of their physiology also can become linked and synchronized. Tah-dah! It is always fun when science can show what we can feel and know within us to be true 😊 Okay….back to the yoga…..

Aside from the electromagnetic energies, we have the subtle body energies. This mixture of energies within our heart can be confusing. Some are fancies of the moment. Many express desires, habits, and attachments that condition the way we act. Some are attempts of the ego to secure itself. And still others reflect spiritual experience and aspirations. As we sort through these various energies, it is not always easy to know the difference between truth and attachment, between devotion and dependence. Our biggest problem here is our habit of projecting energy outward with an expectation of outcome which usually leads to great disappointment. Alternatively, if we cultivate love, not for what the world sees as glorious, but for the flower of life blossoming in us—then our devotion will surely bear fruit. In many areas of the world people greet one another by bowing their heads and bringing the palms of their hands together at their heart. Similarly, in the West, a sign of prayer is to lower the head and join the palms at the chest. These gestures reflect the belief that it is the heart, not the mind or ego, in which we see ourselves most truly.

To go a step deeper, in the Yoga Sutras, a silent dimension of the mind exists, called the buddhi, that brings the energy of the heart to awareness. In fact, in a sense, the buddhi consists of heart energy. When we have awakened it by quieting our senses and lower mind through prayer or meditation, we feel the various forces of life, including our own desires and emotions, moving within. And if we are very still, we will sense the presence of that which is eternal among those forces.

When we take the time and commit to peeling away our veiled layers, we uncover a genuine love and acceptance for all that we are…..the mess….the beauty of our being….of our life….of our history….of our path. We begin to see others as souls on the same journey, yet on a very individual road and we can offer compassion and empathy to them. One of my favorite yoga teachers once told me we can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. He also told me gratitude is the heart’s memory.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.”

'Tis the season…..
Let’s get to it. Your heart awaits you to discover its brilliance.

Peace and whole lot of Merry….
Merry Christmas.

Onward and upward.
Trish

Becoming unstuck

 

 

One of the grandest things about our practice is that we can release our stuck emotions and lead ourselves to a higher place.  Our breath can lead us to some amazing internal spaces if we let it. We can become awake and aware of our physical body as well as the impact on the mental body, the emotional body, and our subtle (energetic) body.  We store so many emotions in our hips and often these emotions are too difficult to dealt with. We store memories, emotional pain & energy from our partners current and past, and childhood trauma in the fascia (connective tissue) of our hips and pelvis. In traditional Chinese medicine anger harms the liver, worry harms the stomach, fear/trauma harms the kidneys… it’s all connected! 

In yogic terms, there is no separation between mind, body, and spirit. The three exist as a union (one definition of the word yoga); what happens to the mind also happens to the body and spirit, and so on. In other words, if something is bothering you spiritually, emotionally, or mentally, it is likely to show up in your body. And as you work deeply with your body in yoga, emotional issues will likely come to the fore.  Any sense of unease or dis-ease in the body keeps us from reaching and experiencing samadhi. Asanas are one path to blissful contentment, working to bring us closer by focusing our minds and releasing any emotional or inner tension in our bodies. Though the ancient yogis understood that emotional turmoil is carried in the mind, the body, and the spirit, Western medicine has been slow to accept this. But new research has verified empirically that mental and emotional condition can affect the state of the physical body, and that the mind-body connection is real. The body knows how to heal itself, but often these emotional burdens weigh on us & slow down the flow of healing energy.

 

I’m sure we can all bond over taking a yoga class with pigeon pose and the fact that some serious sensations come up, and QUICK. It’s inevitable to feel something: satisfaction, discomfort, anxiety or my favorite – a good old cry. Let’s not pretend. We’ve all been there. We’ve all busted out a tear or two with a good hip opener. Pigeon’s main purpose is to unlock our deepest fears, traumas & anxieties lingering in our bodies and release that undesirable stagnation. Practicing this pose awakens the sacral chakra, helping us connect to our emotions, relationships and creativity.


We can think of our hips & pelvis as our “junk drawer of emotions.” The brain is connected to the hips via the nervous system. We store buried emotions, past experiences, fear and trauma in our cells, floating deep within our physical bodies. These traumas stay with us as stale energy sabotaging our bodies & spirit. Our hips are like a bowl catching & holding the residue of this pain.  By surrendering and softening into our hips, we learn to stabilize our breath through the discomfort in order to release deeply held tensions. These tensions have physical, mental, emotional, and energetic components as we can not have one of these without the others. If something happens to us physically, there is mental, emotional, and energetic reaction as well. 

"The holistic system of yoga was designed so that these emotional breakthroughs can occur safely," says Joan Shivarpita Harrigan, Ph.D., a psychologist and the director of Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care in Knoxville, Tennessee. "Yoga is not merely an athletic system; it is a spiritual system. The asanas are designed to affect the subtle body for the purpose of spiritual transformation. People enter into the practice of yoga asana for physical fitness or physical health, or even because they've heard it's good for relaxation, but ultimately the purpose of yoga practice is spiritual development." This development depends on breaking through places in the subtle body that are blocked with unresolved issues and energy. Anytime you work with the body, you are also working with the mind and the energy system—which is the bridge between body and mind. And since that means working with emotions, emotional breakthroughs can be seen as markers of progress on the road to personal and spiritual growth.

Difficult and stressful breakthroughs occur most often when the release involves long-held feelings of sadness, grief, confusion, or another strong emotion that a person has carried unconsciously throughout his or her life.  Our bodies are amazing protectors. Whenever something happens to us, our body is involved. This is particularly true of trauma. The body comes to the defense of the whole being. In defending it, the body does things to stop the pain from being fully experienced. So the body shuts it off; if it didn't, the body would die from emotional pain. But then the body keeps doing the physical protection even long after the situation has ended. The body keeps score.

When a breakthrough does occur—even if it's much-needed—it can be hard for us to cope with it.If there is a release of emotion in a particular asana, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras [II.46-49], the thing to do is relax into the pose, regulate the breathing, and focus on God to become centered in the deepest aspect of one's self. Our practice is a conduit that encourages us to explore deeper connection to our emotions so that we can better know and understand ourselves. We learn our reactive patterns, hot buttons, and compensatory patterns physically, mentally, emotionally, reactiv

ely and so much more.  Out body holds truth and is the storehouse of our soul. Yoga is. practice….not a yoga perfect and not a yoga performance. It heals. It guides. It teaches. Honoring and embracing the process of surrender within our asanas allows us to find ourselves free of resistance and cultivating inner peace deep down within. We learn to honor our feelings and emotions as we start to see them as an opportunity for growth, self-compassion, and self-love. We begin to heal our way back to the most brilliant version of ourselves….one pose….one breath at at time.

Well….let’s get to it.  Upward and onward. 

 

Letting Go

Have you ever entered into a yoga practice with a lot on your mind? When you stepped on your mat, did thoughts about finances, relationships or your desire to achieve a certain posture fill your thoughts? Sometimes, when the mind is cloudy or racing in this way, our asana hardly feels like yoga at all. Rather than embracing our union with our soul, we find ourselves just going through the motions while distracted, stressed and unfocused.

Within our practice, we are continually told by our teachers to let go.  Most of us have had teachers prompt us to 'drop your worries with every exhale,' or 'release what no longer serves you,' or 'let go and release into the posture.'  When we are told to 'let go' during physically challenging poses, we need more than brute strength and exertion to evolve our practice. When we finally access a pose that requires strength, balance, and steadiness-it is often because we've learned to see the exploration aspect of asana as equally valuable to the goal itself. We've let go of the need to achieve and surrendered to the process. In this case, 'letting go' means to release any thoughts, worries or fears that keep us from receiving the gifts of total relaxation, rejuvenation and internal energetic release gifted to us by our practice.

The Yoga Sutras explain what 'letting go' really entails. In the translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda, Sutra 1.29 states, "From this practice, all the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of the inner Self."  During yoga, consciously moving towards 'letting go' creates space for becoming more engaged and connected with our inner wisdom and truth. We are no longer held back by limiting beliefs, repetitive thoughts about life circumstance, work, our bodies in asana , or our never-ending to-do lists.  We move beyond our desires for our practice to look a certain way. We transcend limitations of the mind and body and step into a deeper knowing. Even though doing so can be extremely difficult and seem almost impossible at times, it is only when we 'let go' that the real yoga begins.

Yoga means 'to yoke' or 'to connect' with our souls and God. Therefore, in order to do so, we must release the worries of the smaller self, if only for our practice. We can think of 'letting go' as happening simultaneously or just before stepping forward into a higher awareness of our bodies, our minds, our hearts and souls. 

Sometimes, this feels like release. Sometimes it feels more like acceptance. Sometimes it's more active, like moving forward to pursue higher knowing and trusting inner wisdom. Some days, letting go means celebration, while other days it feels like surrender. 

Letting go on our mats as well as in our life takes courage. Letting go is, in fact, the hardest asana. It takes faith. It takes trusting in something that we only see glimpses of.

When we have a deep emotional attachment to an event or circumstance in our life and we're being asked to 'let it go', it can often feel like we're being asked to move on and forget about the past, person, or event that we're deeply connected to. Some attachments are so deeply woven into the fiber of our beings they seem almost impossible to let go. We live in a culture that allows 365 days to 'let go' of the death of a loved one. As such, everyone is patient, loving, kind, and willing to support us going through the first year. However, on day 366 our culture seems to think it's time to get over it, let go, and move on.

Even with my prior experience of letting go with the death of my brother, Ryan and my person, Amy, it took me almost three years to really figure out what it means to let go when what you're letting go of is an essential piece of your heart, soul, and identity.

As a bereaved sibling I struggled for a long time with believing that I had 'the right' to be happy. I struggled with reconciling happy moments in my life with the deep grief I felt for losing my brother, Ryan, who was truly the other half of my soul. Once I learned that life isn't making a choice between the two emotions, but rather learning to balance and integrate them both into each situation, I was able to let go of my belief that I couldn't be happy and begin to hold both feelings.  I had to re-engage this lesson when my son was born on the tenth anniversary of my bother's death. To have such joy and such penetrating sorrow at the same time was hard for me. It took many years to be able to balance the two polar opposite emotions and have love and acceptance for both of them. Yoga helped tremendously by allowing me the sacred space to explore the light, the dark and allow healing.

The same happened when I went through a divorce, lost my 'person' and now again with the loss of my father. It is such a strange place to be with the loss of my dad-knowing he is no longer suffering and am glad it is over. It also leaves me without my dad who was my rock. The grief is raw, penetrating, and deep. The other day I was meeting with my pastor and it felt so weird to be talking about the memories of my dad for his memorial service. Watching my mother grieve in her way and of course me in mine, brings back a lot of memories from when my brother died. Things I though I had 'let go' of are back and demanding attention. This time, however, I am looking forward to the process where previously I ran from it, ignored it, and kept busy so things were 'okay'. 

These types of events leave us with wounds that are carved deep into our souls and can be much more challenging to overcome. They pound us with waves of feeling overwhelming and leave us with a void that feels insurmountable. The good news is the human spirit has the capacity to overcome almost anything. When we let go of the thought that we can't heal from something that has deeply wounded us, we open ourselves up to the growth potential this event holds. It might take a lot of time, help from professionals, and deep soulful work on our part. But healing from these types of wounds can be the most transformative and powerful things we do in our lives. It is what brought me to yoga for the first time and showed me this is what I was meant to do-teach.

Forgiveness is an important aspect of wholehearted living and healing. It's separate from letting go of attachments that keep you from healing and becoming the incredible individual the world needs you to be.  

Letting go is a work in progress. It is a practice. Now, where have I heard that before....?

Let's get to it. Come home to your practice. Onward and upward...

Trish

Stay in the practice

Every now and again we find our schedules packed full. Sometimes this is a result of outside forces and is a phase we must travel through. Other times it is the sum result of our choices and the willingness to idolize the busy-ness of life. When this happens we tend to let go of the things that fill us up. We tend to deviate from our spiritual path and fall into survival mode; getting what needs to be done and that is about it. A mentor of mine recently told me, “Trish, sometimes maintaining is moving forward. It is important to not lose our practice both in faith and in yoga. Always be in the practice.” 

For me right now, I am experiencing the outside forces and choices converging. I know it is for a time and my choices are ones that will push me toward where I want to arrive. It is important to allow space each day to get on our mats, to meditate, to connect with those we love whether near or far away from us. Give space to breathe into our body and get a read on where we are at in mind, body and soul so we don’t lose ourselves and our direction. 

My mat provides me this space of inner contemplation and allows me to reset my compass. I steal away 10 minutes two to three times per day to meditate. This gives my mind the peace and rest to sojourn through the current chaos. My weekends are technology light so I may be present to my loved ones who are near and I keep connected to those my heart calls to through virtual and voice means. Every tendency within me wants to retreat, slam down the protective barrier to the heart, and become numb in order to get what needs to be done, done. My inner circle knows this about me and I love them for asking me deeper things and asking me how they can be present for me so I don’t lose myself in the barriers of the default cages I put around my heart. They check in when I have no strength to reach out.  They are brave and I love them so for it. I need to stay in the flow of my practice and connection to God and to my heart.

Our yoga practice helps us focus our mind on our breath, to find stillness. We live in a world opposite of this. Our senses and monkey minds are stimulated with various forms of technology, advertisements and communications. And awards badges of honor for being busy and ‘doing it all’. Our yoga practice helps us to rise above this crazy. It strengthens our ability to stand aside and reflect, without judgement, and be the witness to what’s happening around us; to observe ourselves and how we relate to the world. 

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the Indian classic texts. It tells the story of Arjuna, a Prince who finds himself on the battlefield opposite his cousins, ready to fight for the Kingdom. Arjuna is uncomfortable with the idea of battle as he will be fighting against relatives and causing death. Arjuna asks Krishna to be his charioteer. Krishna stays by his side and offers his knowledge about the meaning of life. Consequently, Krishna teaches Arjuna the meaning of yoga. There is one part of the Bhagavad Gita that teaches us we will always deviate from the spiritual path. This is known as ‘yogat calita-manasah'. It’s in our nature to get distracted and search for change - this is our ego stepping in. Our minds are fickle (shocker, right??!!). We as humans are malleable and can be pushed and pulled in different directions with ease unless we are grounded in our practice both in faith and in yoga.

Arjuna asks in the Bhagavad Gita what happens if we deviate from our spiritual path; “...What is the fate of the unsuccessful yogi who begins the path with faith, but who does not endeavor sufficiently, due to unsteady mind, and is unable to reach the goal of Yoga in this life?” - Chapter 6, verse 37  Followed by; “Does not such a person who deviates from Yoga get deprived of both material and spiritual success, O mighty-armed Krishna, and perish like a broken cloud with no position in either sphere?” - Chapter 6 verse 38.

I once heard a teacher of mine describe these verses using imagery of clouds. God made us all and we are all connected—one prana, one breath. A single cloud in the sky sometimes deviates from a small cloud and joins a big one. If it cannot join a big one, then it is blown away by the wind and becomes a nonentity in the vast sky. This resonates with me. It reminds me if we lose our way, it doesn’t make us bad yogis, it makes us human. It’s our nature, just as a cloud drifting and taking a different form is a cloud’s nature. The important part is finding our practice again or being aware of the drifting and coming back sooner.

“A man must find time for himself. Time is what we spend our lives with. If we are not careful we find others spending it for us. . . . It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, 'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?' . . . If one is not careful, one allows diversions to take up one's time—the stuff of life.”  ~Carl Sandburg. 

What is the take away? Even in the chaos we need to be still. We need to heal so we also need to feel. Don’t lose your way. God always leads. Stay in the practice. Your dharma awaits your potential!! 

So here we go…in the flow….onward and upward.

Rise Higher

Spring beckons the call of transformation as all things dormant await with anticipation to spring to life once warmer weather hits. We have rituals like spring cleaning and winter yard cleanup. We start to want to get in shape for swimsuit season. We go on (or long to go on) tropical vacations. As we travel through our normal Wisconsin spring weather chaos…70 degrees one day, snow the next….we get restless. The change of seasons creates an urgency to transform, to clean out, to become.

Our life is ours. It is the only one we are given. Each breath is shared yet our own. It’s not a right/wrong or a pass/fail kind of life. It is the light woven with deep and the dark. We get to flow and make mistakes which prune us back which allows us to grow.  The things that make us the most uncomfortable are the spaces and places we learn the most from, not our successes, but our struggles. Think of it as ‘failing forward’. Remember, failures are LAUNCHPADS. Often the resulting growth is not something we ever dreamt possible. We don’t need to have it all figured out. We need to cultivate the ability to embrace and be okay in the gray area of ‘this is my life right now’ which does not define what it will be. We need to give ourselves permission to change it. We just need to keep moving and make ourselves present to the journey, be brave and dig deep within, trust our intuition, and listen to God’s guiding voice.

Yoga is a gateway to healing as we connect with our soul.  The studio allows us a sacred and sweaty space to move these amazing bodies…these vehicles and homes for our souls. Having a safe space to practice and sweat allows us to be able to get the pause we so desperately need. The pause allows us to ground and take a breath so we can see things clearly. Then we can make the changes, recognize the path, and step forward to our own brilliance God manifested in each and every one of us.

Our hearts open up differently when we are moving our bodies and putting in our very own sweat equity. Our yoga practice breaks us wide open and we get to see deeper and deeper layers of who we are and who we want to become. Who God made us to be is slowly revealed. There is a strength in our vulnerability.

Transformation is always happening. Be awake. Be alive with it. Be present. Our mat is a 21-square foot, sacred space to rise higher.

Onward and upward. Our lotus awaits….

You go, I go.

There are times in your life when you are pushed, pulled, and maybe torn apart. It is in these times where we often feel overwhelmed and like we want to give up. It is chaotic and numbing.  We tend to retreat into ourselves rather than reaching out for help. We answer 'I’m fine' all the time in a mechanical response rather than authentically saying ‘You know what? I’m shitty and I could use some help.’  I have friend(I call her my human) and together we made a pact: You go, I go. It simply means that n o matter what you travel through, I am going with you. I got you. I am here. You are never alone. It is a sacred space to be able to be honest with who you are in THAT moment…when things are deep and dark and be loved, supported, and held rather than fixed. 

We live in an age characterized by an increasing sense of insecurity. The specter of a fragile economy looms over us, and our workaholic culture is rampant with greed, deception, and “image is everything” messages. The different forms of pressure we encounter in our daily lives are generally manageable when they are low in intensity and don’t arrive all at once. But it’s not unusual to have a few challenges manifest at the same time and compound one another. When we are anxious or stressed, we often make poor choices that only make things worse.

When we have a “bad day” at work for example, and we come home to a tense interaction in a relationship, we may find ourselves eating foods that we normally are mindful to avoid, while parked in front of the TV. Unhealthy food selections may be comforting for the mind, but ultimately decrease our energy levels, and can undermine our sleep and our sadhana, leading to more unhealthy choices.

If, on top of these normal challenges, we experience the loss of a parent or break up with a long time partner and have to move, our decision making can lead us unconsciously into a downward spiral for weeks at a time. Emotional upset, combined with harmful choices that affect our physical well-being, can make us more susceptible to disease, lose our will power and look for happiness in the old places that bring temporary pleasure but deplete us as well. Hafiz says it well in this stanza of the poem, Cast All Your Votes for Dancing:

Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins That may buy you just a moment of pleasure, But then drag you for days Like a broken man Behind a farting camel.

The teachings of Yoga offer us practical ways to both cope with stressful stretches of life, and to maintain our momentum towards the ultimate resolution of all our suffering, the experience of the unchanging joy within. The first step in this direction is the cultivation of equanimity through some regular meditative practice. Before we can expect to have the clarity and presence of mind to respond in a mindful way to a challenging situation, or a string of them, we must build in ourselves a strong, balanced foundation.

A tree grows slowly with very little change in appearance even over the course of a year. But what we cannot see is the growth of the root system that gives the tree its ability to withstand strong winds. In the same way, a regular practice of calming and focusing the mind in some way, develops a steadiness deep within us. Even if we don’t feel especially focused, we are getting the benefits—even recent scientific studies verify that.

Like any new habit that we want to sustain, a meditative practice is best developed gradually by starting with a very doable but committed effort. Practicing this way develops will-power, a baseline of calmness, an ability to observe our own thoughts and feelings without being swept away by them, and the power of choice. By choice, I mean our ability to consciously choose how to respond to a situation, instead of falling into an old and unhealthy pattern.

This ability is invaluable—we can be present to both what is happening around us, and to the feelings arising within us, and make wise decisions that cause no harm to ourselves or to others. Imagine for example, when being criticized unfairly, having the poise to choose not to be defensive or take it personally. Instead, we may be able to observe that the person saying hurtful things is upset or suffering in some way.

Another benefit of a regular practice is that we can use the same methods that we use when meditating, during a stressful event, to promote physical and mental balance. Slow steady breathing and/or the inner repetition of a mantra can be effective allies when fear or anger rise up and threaten to take over.

Here are three other strategies that are excellent approaches to difficulty, each correlating to a different aspect of our being. The first strategy is to act with compassion, both toward ourselves and toward others. When we are struggling, we may be tempted to become defensive, circling our wagons in order to protect ourselves. But to withdraw in defense builds armor around our hearts and prevents us from being fully engaged with life. Sri Gurudev beautifully encapsulated this idea when speaking about the root cause of disease, by pointing out the “I” in Illness and the “We” in Wellness.

It can be a very simple but powerful guideline to ask ourselves, in a time of crisis, “How can I act with compassion towards the others involved, while at the same time maintaining my own well-being?” If we “lose it,” we won’t be of help to anyone. If we can take care of ourselves, with the intention of sustaining our ability to serve others, then we have already brought a more peaceful presence into any situation.

If we can maintain a little equanimity, we can make use of a second approach–analyze the situation. We can do this in a number of ways. We can make note of where we have no control, like tasks we are assigned at work or what another person thinks about us, and where we do. It is often the case that the only place over which we do have control is in how we respond, and we can focus our attention there versus obsessing about what we wish would not have occurred.

We can also analyze whatever strong feelings arise in a time of difficulty, like frustration, anger or anxiety. The root cause of our distress is fear, either over not getting something we want, or of getting what we don’t want. If we can see clearly that we are suffering from our own expectation of some desired outcome, we become empowered to change the situation by simply letting it go, and accepting things as they are.

We may be more successful at letting go of something we are holding onto if we replace it with something else. So if we can step back and see the thoughts that are disturbing our minds, we can consciously adopt healthier thoughts that won’t cause us any harm. Many of us have experienced losing someone we love and most of us probably reacted with sadness and/or depression. Deep down, there may well be a fear that we will not be happy without that relationship intact.

The third strategy is probably the most sacred. It is simply to surrender. This can take many forms, but they all involve an acknowledgement of the truth of our suffering, and a humble admission that we need help. Using whatever form or concept we have for God, we can pour out our hearts and open ourselves to the Grace that is no doubt there for us if we are receptive.  We can find relief in remembering that our lives and the events around us are always unfolding according to some Divine Plan that is often beyond our ability to understand. Especially if we have developed a faith that all that comes to us is ultimately for good, we can pray for the support to accept even that which makes us suffer. Humbling ourselves this way helps us escape the false sense of control that our ego likes to sustain, and opens us to learning in new ways. Humility can also make it easier for us to simply ask others for help.

Opening our hearts this way to others and/or to God, relieves the unconscious sense of separation that may be a root cause of our unhappiness, compelling us to search for fulfillment in myriad ways. In a sense, all the difficulties we face are teaching us to let go of the things that we believe we need to be happy, and guide us to find the unchanging source of peace within. If we can see this principle at play in our lives, challenges become easier to accept, knowing as Rumi puts it, that “…. each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.  (Rumi)

I look back at darker times in my life….some truly depressed and dark. I realize I have grown so immensely. I am currently n a very trying time with various aspects of life twirling about….some major ones circling the drain and I am waiting for the bottom to fall out. Every once in a while I find myself naked, exposed, vulnerable...and the next moment I am standing strong, confident, and ready to do good shit. I had a conversation with my human the other day and we decided NOW IS THE TIME. To change. To grow. To become. To know. To let our hearts be known. We are stepping into epic shit. You go, I go. And yeah yoga....yoga lets me feel all this.....unabashedly. On my mat I remember how to feel, how to let go, how to forgive, and how to grow. I choose when to challenge myself and when to back off, when to be bold, and how to be gentle. I find my balance. Yoga offers me a wordless place that I can find, deep in my breath where my mind starts to seem less important. I can move to build heat, to burn away my struggles, and to let my heart become free; free to feel. I can reside in the more feminine. There is discipline in Asana. I become completely present. I find forgiveness as I exhale. I am truly able to uncover my graceful self, easy in my own body, soft and grateful in my heart. But in my practice, I find a sacred place....an exquisite space...where I am complete with alive stillness connected to God.

Okay...you go, I go....HERE WE COME!

Onward and upward as usual….

A Heart of Greatness

The heart is essential to our life, pumping oxygenated blood throughout our body. But it’s also the place where we experience many of our feelings — from a quickening beat when we see our loved one step off an airplane after a long separation, to a painful pause that happens when we hear bad news. It is the sacred space within each of us where our GREATNESS lies. We just need to get out of own own way and tap into our heart space.

Okay heroes some fascinating science for you:

People have known for a long time about this intimate connection between the physical sensations of our body and the emotions that arise in response to the world. People who have a natural capacity to monitor the internal state of their own body have been shown “to be more intuitive, experience stronger emotional arousal, have better memory for emotional material, and perhaps be better able to control their negative emotions,” Vivien Ainley, a neuropsychologist at the University of London, told Psychology Today. (Mind Your Body: Inward Bound The mysterious connection between emotion and physical sensation is coming into ever-sharper focus. By Tori Rodriguez, published  March 9, 2015)

The Institute of HeartMath, a research center dedicated to the study of the heart and the physiology of emotions, has conducted numerous studies identifying the relationship between emotions and the heart. A number of their studies have provided new insight into understanding how the activity of the heart is indeed linked to our emotions and our health, vitality and well-being. Recent HeartMath studies define a critical link between the heart and brain. The heart is in a constant two-way dialogue with the brain — our emotions change the signals the brain sends to the heart and the heart responds in complex ways. However, we now know that the heart sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. And the brain responds to the heart in many important ways. This research explains how the heart responds to emotional and mental reactions and why certain emotions stress the body and drain our energy. As we experience feelings like anger, frustration, anxiety and insecurity, our heart rhythm patterns become more erratic. These erratic patterns are sent to the emotional centers in the brain, which it recognizes as negative or stressful feelings. These signals create the actual feelings we experience in the heart area and the body. The erratic heart rhythms also block our ability to think clearly.

Many studies have found that the risk of developing heart disease is significantly increased for people who often experience stressful emotions such as irritation, anger or frustration. These emotions create a chain reaction in the body — stress hormone levels increase, blood vessels constrict, blood pressure rises, and the immune system is weakened. If we consistently experience these emotions, it can put a strain on the heart and other organs, and eventually lead to serious health problems. Conversely, HeartMath’s research shows that when we experience heart-felt emotions like love, care, appreciation and compassion, the heart produces a very different rhythm. In this case it is a smooth pattern that looks like gently rolling hills. Harmonious heart rhythms, which reflect positive emotions, are considered to be indicators of cardiovascular efficiency and nervous system balance. This lets the brain know that the heart feels good and often creates a gentle warm feeling in the area of the heart. Learning to shift out of stressful emotional reactions to these heartfelt emotions can have profound positive effects on the cardiovascular system and on our overall health. It is easy to see how our heart and emotions are linked and how we can shift our heart into a more efficient state by monitoring its rhythms.

Now let’s shed some light on getting to our GREATNESS...!!!

Our yoga practice offers us the tool set and opportunity to go inward and cultivate our interoception. We learn to travel inward toward our soul and become ’the witness’. When this skill set is developed and mindfully practiced, we learn to understand why we feel the way we feel, what triggers us, and learn what is ours and what belongs to someone else.  Our yoga makes us more internally aware as we move from the outside in toward the soul.  Our practice is a challenge and opportunity  each time to go inward and be preset ….and be aware.

Backbending in our practice encourages a deep physical opening of the chest and heart center. They also elongate the spine; release tension and stress from the neck, shoulders, and back; create space for the lungs and deeper breaths; and energize our practice, body, and mind. In addition to backbends, focusing on love and gratitude while practicing will open our emotional heart. Opening the heart teaches us to be humble, vulnerable, and lead with our hearts in both practice and life. It allows us to tap into and OWN our GREATNESS.

Okay…so here we go….Shhhhhhhhh

Close Your Eyes….

Shhhhhhhh

Quiet your mind…

Slowly place your thoughts upon your heart. Shift your mind into your heart-space….Have you ever wondered why do we have to remind ourselves to treat ourselves well?

Why do we work so hard to make others feel better about themselves, but never afford ourselves the same blinding love and effort?  We do it with our co-workers and colleagues, the barista at the coffee shop, the waiter at the restaurant and the clerk in the department store, but why is it so important to us that others like us? Shouldn’t we be more concerned to know that we like ourselves? Why does this happen? Why do we do this? It happens because we are wired for connection and one-ness, we do this in an effort to reconnect to that core desire we all have inside, to feel loved.

What if we woke every morning and made a promise to love ourselves just enough today? Just enough that we remember who we truly are, just enough that we feel the deep warm stirring within our hearts that we matter, that we are good and kind and just enough that we remember we are important and filled with greatness.
What is greatness? Greatness is knowing that you are made in the image of God and that your life has meaning, no matter what profession you work in or how your life is graded by the status quo societal expectations of a spouse, two kids, a mortgage and a retirement fund.

Greatness….roll it around in your mouth.

Grrreaatness, grrreat like the Tigger character from Winnie the Pooh? No, softer, greatness, like the sacred seed of the lotus flower or the seed of the oak who knows its purpose is to bloom and bestow beauty upon the land or to grow tall and mighty. They do not seek acceptance from the world first in order to fulfill their legacies, rather, they are wired to fulfill their destinies.

You are already wired to fulfill your destiny. Hmmm…..Amen for dharma!  Woo-hoo!

Like a magnificent Botticelli or Monet, your cells already know what to do…you need only decide. Decide what? Decide to allow the process and assume you are already wired for your own unique brand of greatness. I was told often when I was young 'to be lady. It was expected of ‘us’.  I somehow had ingrained in me this idea of what was acceptable and ladylike--translation, 1950’s version of a well mannered, sophisticated woman who was a lovely cook, wife and hostess. Added modern ingredients of working and having kids and a clean home and oh yes….bake cookies and muffins and stuff. Was I still supposed to wear pearls and dress?

Where did this idea come from? Hmm.. Be a lady….After a few “what the?? Rolling around in my head and voicing to myself there is nothing about all that (circling my finger around this analogy) that even remotely interests me.” Ummmmm I’d rather be a Warrior. Period. I am strong, smart, driven, and independent. I don’t want the old ways to determine my opinions or path in life. I want to blaze a new world trail. Be humble. Be kind. Be nurturing. Be giving. Be a Trailblazer. Be a Warrior. Be a Power Lighthouse. I am a Lionesses. Hear me Roar.

Greatness makes space for others while we focus on ourselves.

Living from our Sacred Heart-space every single day is better than any diet, exercise regime, glass of wine, or hot bath with candles and essential oils. The frequencies of our greatness are wired into the field of our heart and when we tune in and pay attention, consciously, with presence, the whole world can shift on it axis for us.
Synchronicities line up and matching manifestations are drawn to us. Our heart blasts its unique frequencies. Frequencies that hold our deep desires that our consciousness keeps whispering to us in an attempt to get us to connect our mind consciously with our heart. The only thing that gets in the way of manifesting the dream desires that we hold is the lack of belief in our greatness which resides quietly and patiently in each of our hearts.

Yogis…it’s time to get out of the way and get into your own heart. Big love. All love. There is only love…and greatness.

Let’s get to it!

Onward and upward as usual...

Growing as a Student

Well here we are, settling into the new year. The Resolution craze creates Resolutionists that will give up and walk away mid-February.  In Sanskrit there is the word SANKALPA. Sankalpa means an intention formed by the heart and mind -- a solemn vow, determination, or will. In practical terms a Sankalpa means a one-pointed resolve to focus both psychologically and philosophically on a specific goal.  It is a resolve. 

Our resolutions typically begin with 'I will...” or ‘  will not…”. Yoga teaches us there’s a world of difference between “I will” and “Thy will.” Most New Year’s resolutions spring from our misguided desires of the ego, senses, and conditioning. They almost always fail because they start from the assumption that who you are is not good enough, and reinforce the mistaken belief that your happiness depends on acquiring what you want.

A sankalpa practice starts from the premise you already are who you need to be to fulfill your life’s dharma (purpose that blesses others). All you need to do is focus your mind, connect to your most heartfelt desires, and channel the divine energy within. Our soul has always been. Our experiences were Divinely created for our spiritual growth. Our yoga practice takes us on an incredible inward journey to our very own soul.  This alone beckons us to answer the  questions, "What kind of student am I?” And “What kind of student do I want to be?"

In the yoga sutras, it is said there are three types of students: the mild, the medium and the intense. These three categories are then further subdivided into three sub categories. For example, the mildly-mild, the medium-mild, and the intensely-mild, and so forth. To determine what kind of student we each are we must come to understand our penetrability, our openness to the teachings, our personality, and our level of determination. There are teachers and practices of appropriate caliber foray type of student we may be.  Yoga is for everyone, but not every Yoga is for everyone.

In reading The Yogi’s Roadmap by Bhāvani Silvia Maki (below excerpt is taken from pages 49 - 50), I came across an exquisite description of these student types. At the beginning of our Advanced Studies & Yoga Teacher Training program, we have our aspiring yogis read this at the beginning of their journey and again at the end of their journey so they may reflect on where they started and where they arrive.  It seems appropriate for each of us, especially at this time of year, to understand where we are and where we want to be. What would it look like if we each created a sankalpa to deepen our experience as a student? How much change could we ignite in this world? Let’s take a look...

The ‘intense student’ is considered to be of the highest caliber, and is passionately focused, even tempered, and open to learn what he did not know. Introspective and patient, when the intense student does not understand something, rather than bombard the teacher with questions, the student takes the time to investigate and ponder the topic more deeply. The intense student is able to sit still for long periods of time, without fidgeting, and the normal restlessness we encounter today. This extraordinary student is able to hear things the first time, and recollect it exactly. Guru described the perfect student as “not asking questions, but obedient”.  Much of the student’s capacity to receive the teachings is dependent on his ability to be free of skepticism and to fully entrust himself in both the process and the teacher.  A rare and exceptional individual, the intense student is imperturbable, having worked through his personality issues.

The ‘mild student’ is described as only demonstrating a mild interest and motivation in the process of his transformation.  Unstable emotionally, he lacks the necessary ardor to be consistent in self-application.  When confronted with his negative character traits, he is unwilling and or lacking the courage to step out of his own comfort zone and is apt to opt for excuse, rather than results.

The ‘average or medium student’ is more ‘middle of the road’. On the fence, the medium student is poised between his interest in the esoteric nature of spiritual and psychological existence, and the exoteric nature of his needs and desires in the world. Although this type of student is aware that his inner work is what enables him to find success in life, the student is easily distracted, and needs a strong guiding hand to shepherd him back to his task.  Both the students in the mild and medium categories are more likely to be extroverted, quick to project their frustration and expectations and often are full of what they think they know.  This type of student might be quick to lose faith in the ability of the teacher.

A Buddhist analogy speaks of the different types of students as different types of vessels.  First, there is the leaky pot which cannot retain anything, and that quickly forgets what is has been instructed. Next, is the covered pot that cannot take any information in, as it is already brimming full of its opinions and beliefs. Finally, the poisoned pot which taints everything with its own distortions and neurosis.  The role of the student is to be an open vessel, and to make space for teachings, and ultimately it is this very discipline that qualifies her as a worthy disciple.

So…. What kind of a student are you in life? On your yoga mat? In your own home? Within the relationships you engage in?  Can you commit to creating change within you? Are you willing to do the work? Do you have a special human you can be raw and authentic with while you excavate and commit to deep inner transformation? 

This next year offers us all such opportunity to fine tune where we are going and who we are becoming. Let's get to it with our words, actions and deeds. Go within! it is a glorious ride!

Onward and upward!

Trish