Embrace the changes with love

When change occurs, I can go either two ways: breathe through the rough, stormy waters or go into a deep, dark hole of depression. However, at times, I find myself in between these two junctions or trapezes. I feel like I'm standing in that limbo with my arms folded and a wrinkled up face asking, "Hmm, which way do I want to go right now?"

The old part of me wants to go to that familiar place of darkness and self-loathing. It wants to numb it with food or alcohol. It wants to just sit there and feel like there's nothing that can be done and it's always going to be this way. But then my other part wants to allow space, compassion and love. You're probably thinking why you wouldn't just go that way. But how many times have you found yourself in the middle? How many times have you stood in the crossroads contemplating? How many times do you think it's just easier to be "this" way?

I really want the space, compassion, and love. My body and soul yearn for it, while my mind plays the two scenarios over and over. I know transition and change. I've been there. The process is very familiar to me. I know we all handle it differently, and that deep down everything is and will be okay. It is just when you're in the midst of it, that it just doesn't seem possible.

The feelings that typically arise are overwhelm, anxiety, fear (of the unknown), lost, insecure, frustration, impatience, and sadness. Deep down, we want to be happy; however, there is some work involved. In the past, when I would read those self-help books about finding true happiness and joy in your life, I just wanted to skip right to the happiness and joyful state; or I would say, "Yeah right! I can never get that", "I'm too old", or "I don't deserve it." I didn't realize that I had to (actually) go through the dark periods to get to the light.

In Judith Lasater's book, Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life, she quotes one of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, first book verse three, "Then the seer abides in its essence." In regards to the practice of yoga, Judith explains that Patanjali refers to yoga as being in "a state of wholeness", and when we can sit in our wholeness, "we can sit in our true nature." So, while experiencing a change or transition, why do we feel fear or bad about the way we feel? Well, for one thing, it's the unknown, and who wants to be there!?!. For example, imagine all the layers of an onion. The core of an onion is its wholeness. So when we think ourselves like an onion and there is a shift occurring, we begin to peel a layer, which is a layer of our past histories, experiences, beliefs and stories, most of, which may not be serving us anymore and holding us back from what we really want. That first layer is the first step toward your wholeness. Your true self towards freedom.

So what stories do you tell yourself as to why something is the way it is? Are they really true? Who would you be without those stories?

Find a quiet place and take about 15 minutes to write down at least five of those stories you may tell yourself. Then pick one that you say the most. Close your eyes and say that story or belief to yourself about 5-10 times. Note how your body feels when you say it to yourself. Feel the sensations and the emotions that come up. Be aware of any self-judgments. Allow your body to soften and relax even if it may feel uncomfortable or tense. Next, turn it around. What new story or belief do you want to tell yourself?

Here are some positive mantras or affirmations you can tell yourself when you're faced with a shift or transition:

* I always can make a choice.
* Change and transition is growth, and I welcome it with love and compassion.
* I trust myself.
* I take one step at a time.
* I have lots of time.
* I am perfect just the way I am.

When you say the positive mantras to yourself, really feel it in your body and note the difference. If you just repeat it over and over, and still feel tension or stress in your body, take a breath and pick a different one. Allow yourself time and space for it to come.

YOU ARE an amazing, powerful being, who can be what you want to be and do what you want to do. There is a wealth of possibilities and it all starts within.

Rekindling an old relationship

With yoga. I've had this itch and it's I'm missing my relationship with yoga. Although I don't want to dwell in the past, I remember being SOOOOO excited about practicing and going to class at the end of the day. The other night I came home from teaching a yoga class. It was about 10pm and I was still quite amped from the class, so I grabbed a book off the shelf, "Light on the Yoga: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" by BKS Iyengar. I remember reading this book in teacher training as it was required. At the time, I looked at this book as, I HAVE to read this, so I'll just plow through it to get it done. HA! I was 26 years old and had been living in San Francisco for almost a year. I was definitely in a different state of mind altogether. I still wanted to make more friends, party, etc. So I wasn't quite into "that part" of yoga.

Don't get me wrong! I valued and still value what I learned in teacher training, and don't regret the experience one bit. But as I sat on the couch the other night and read the first sutra with translation and description, I said out loud, "OOooooohhhhhhh! That's what's going on." I totally laughed at myself, but felt a spark in myself. I love reading something for the second time because you always catch something different you didn't the first time. The spark was to practice more, EVEN IF it's for 15 minutes. I know I've blogged about this before, but the more I think about it and feel how great I'm going to feel, I know it's gonna happen.

I want to be easy on myself. If I think I can only do 15 minutes, then I'll start with that and see where it takes me. I won't say, "I can't do it if I only have 15 minutes." Screw that attitude! I'm going to do what I can and love it! I want to read a Yoga Sutra a day; practice a pose that I know is challenging for me; and be present for everything that unfolds.

I want to breathe, be in my body, and love my body. That's what yoga means to me. And, boy, do we have a lot of catching up to do on the mat.

How yoga can support the immune system

Yoga has many benefits for the whole body. The benefits fall under five different levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual. Some people think yoga is for flexible people, or people who are in shape. But really now. Is that really true?

Yoga means "to yoke" or "union", meaning an union of the mind, body and spirit. There's a philosophy, not just the physical poses. There's study of the breath, meditation, and way of being. In other words, it's a process and journey into and within the self. According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (book II:29), " the only requirement for practicing asanas is that it be 'steady and comfortable'. The body is held poised, and relaxed, with the practitioner experiencing no discomfort. When control of the body is mastered, practitioners are believed to free themselves from the duality of heat/cold, hunger/satiety, joy/grief, which is the first step toward the unattachment that relieves suffering (Feuerstein, Georg)." The poses essentially help open channels, shed old patterns and beliefs, strengthen the body and increase energy, so we can see a bigger part of ourselves. This doesn't mean you have to master them either because that can take lifetimes. But why not start from wherever you are? Also, for example, look at an onion. There are lots of layers there until you get to the core. Then look at events in your life as layers of an onion. Sometimes those layers are thick and/or thin. There may be some layers we're still hanging onto and not ready to peel away. Then there are times when we can really go deep and for a moment take a glimpse and feel the core of ourselves. It is the essence of who we really are. Life is a series of moments and it's so vital that we experience each one fully.

I'm sure you've seen many articles and studies that claim how yoga can improve health and reduce stress; and by all means, this is in fact very true, especially if you allow yourself to attend a weekly yoga class for a couple months. I know over the past 10 years, yoga has supported me in many ways throughout my life. One of them is being present. Present to the sensations in my body, the activity in my mind, and how I'm feeling emotionally. When I'm not present, I get stuck in a whirlwind of negative self-talk, which can create anxiety and depression. This, then, leads to low energy, and even illness if I'm not too careful. It's at these moments when I need to be present because it's a layer of the onion that needs to be acknowledged and, perhaps, get peeled off!

So, why the immune system in the title of this post? The immune system is our bodies' defense system against illness and other pathogens that may enter the body. If it's weakened, we open our bodies up to lots of unpleasant stuff, especially if we experience stress on a regular basis. Now, I'm not saying stress is necessarily a bad thing. It's a great alarm system to tell you that something is wrong. But if we don't pay attention to the feelings and emotions that arise and look at the stress from a distance; we may react to it from a very negative place causing our bodies to go into the stress-response or fight or flight.

The fight or flight response is activated via our Sympathetic Nervous System. Physiologically, when a person is in a potentially dangerous, traumatic situation, the adrenal glands release the hormone, cortisol which basically revs you up to fight for your life or flee (flight). All your blood and energy rushes to your limbs, therefore shutting down your digestive system and reproductive system. So, for example, if a zebra is running away from a lion, it's going to need all the cortisol and adrenaline it needs! However, when a zebra gets away from its predator, it knows how to "shake off" or release that trauma and let it go. Most humans will internalize that trauma and will go into that fight or flight response every time a "stressful" situation comes up. For some people today, just thinking about their boss, job, bills, or a difficult mother in-law will ignite this response!

So when your body is in this fight or flight response regularly, or kicks in when you forget to pay your gas bill, this could result in high blood pressure, poor digestion, adrenal exhaustion, and other illness such as the common cold or viruses. In the past, I used to operate like this all the time. My anxiety was so high, it led to poor digestion (constant bloating and constipation); adrenal exhaustion (low energy); and I would get a cold-like illness once a month. Then, of course, all of this led to depression because I didn't have the drive or energy to do anything that I wanted to do! I also was constantly trying to have control over things that were out of my control.

Even though I had a regular yoga practice, I wasn't fully connected to what was happening to my body. I know I was resisting something and that anxiety, trying to ignore it or push it away, which only made it worse. I knew if I stopped and felt what I was feeling, it would be uncomfortable. But it's the uncomfortable that we need to be with in order to learn from those situations or people that trigger our emotions and move forward in our lives toward what we really want.

A great way to teach your nervous system--especially the Sympathetic Nervous System--to calm down is to have a restorative yoga practice. Ideally, you want to practice restorative yoga once a week, but depending on your schedule, it's fine if it's every other week or once a month. As long as you do it! Give yourself a break! Restorative yoga poses offer an opportunity to relax and renew your whole mind, body and spirit. The poses are supported by props--blankets, bolsters, straps, blocks, chairs, wall--to bring the body into a passive state, where no effort is required. The only effort that is required is your intention and will to do it. There is also the breath. A way to observe the breath as you are in the pose. This will help you day to day, so whenever you may feel stressed, you'll be able to take a nice, deep belly breath and be in the moment and get clear. I do this in traffic either on public transportation or in a car.

For instance, poses such as Supta Baddha Konasana (supported bound angle pictured above) calms the mind and nervous system; improves digestion; gives space to the reproductive organs; decreases anxiety; and relieves menstrual cramping. This is just one of many restorative poses, but doing this pose for 3-5 minutes daily will do a lot.

What if everyone did this pose once a day or once a week? How would people generally feel everyday? What if you did this pose before you went to bed?

If you want to learn more about Restorative Yoga, come to a RESTORATIVE YOGA WORKSHOP I will be facilitating on February 26 from 2:00pm-4:00pm at The Doelger Center: 101 Lake Merced Blvd, building #14 in Daly City. The sequence of poses will be devoted to the immune system. I hope you can come and experience this delightful, healing practice.

REGISTER HERE NOW!

For questions, contact Liz 415-637-5825 or lizsfilippone@gmail.com. Visit her website at www.movingyogi.com and her blog at www.lizmovingyogi.blogspot.com.

Reap the Benefits of Stillness

(From www.yogajournal.com daily insight)

In yoga, stillness is as much a state of mind as a lack of movement. Most of us don't spend much time thinking about the material nature of human consciousness, but in classical yoga, consciousness is at the heart of the practice.

According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, the so-called contents of our consciousness—perceptions, thoughts, emotions, memories, fantasies, even dreams—have a kind of material existence (though, of course, the matter is a lot subtler than that of a tree or a rock). Furthermore, these contents are in constant fluctuation. The word Patanjali uses in sutra I.2 to aptly describe this movement is vritti (pronounced VRIT-tee), which means "to revolve" or "to whirl about."

While we can't physically touch the vrittis, or fluctuations of mind, we can easily experience them. Close your eyes and, for a few minutes, direct your awareness away from the outer world. If you're a contemplative person, you've probably done this many times before. It's possible to consciously step away from the contents of your mind and observe them more or less "objectively," at least briefly.



IN THIS ISSUE
Intro to Yoga: Philosophy
http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/925