Cleanse the Palate

Today we will twist. Twisting stimulates the samana vayu. The samana vayu is located in the upper abdomen. It is concerned with digestion but also with the movement of the breath. It is a circular motion. It's the wind created when your breath and fire meet.

We have been concerning ourselves with a lot of varying types of fear recently and maybe it's time to let go of the idea of knowing anything for a minute and just exist. This can be just as much of a challenge as being aware of you and all your motivations. Sometimes to just be is enough. But if you're a driven individual, merely existing can feel like a waste of time. It is similar to the challenges that arise when in savasana or meditation. To sit still and be aware can be even more challenging than moving and being aware. As the body stills, the mind rushes in to make sure we are feeling productive. That we are pacifying our egos appropriately.

Our asana will make sure that we feel productive. The class will be a challenging combination of twists and forward bends. Burn it up and let it go. Over and over again. Then we can take a few moments to exist without the weight of our baggage clogging us up. Perhaps we can then let ourselves exist and have that be enough. Even if it's just for a moment.

Fear and the Udana Vayu

Be Less Timid When Expressing Yourself

The udan vayu governs the energy which travels up and out of our bodies and is concentrated in the throat.

This class focuses on the examination of the fear of social interactions. Our relationships are ruled by our communications with others. We are intensely social animals, needing a partner to procreate and feeling lonely when we don't have regular intimate contact with another human.

So, consider society. Consider how you feel about your place in it. Are you nervous when meeting new people? When going into unfamiliar social settings? Or maybe your confidence abounds when encountering strangers and it's when you are moving deeper into a relationship that you begin to feel worried and start to clam up. Intimacy can be awkward and nerve wracking. So maybe you express yourself to people you know you'll never have to see again.

Putting yourself out there honestly leaves you vulnerable and if you've gotten punched enough times without being prepared, I understand why you can't unclench anymore.

But lets try.

Change is Vital to Growth

There is no need to fear it.

Consider for a moment becoming the best version of yourself. When you ponder that idea, what obstacles do you encounter?

Perhaps the idea of becoming a "different" person is scary. I put different in quotation marks because letting go of useless habits does not mean you will be a completely different person. You won't suddenly dislike your friends and family. You won't spontaneously become a vegetarian and want to sell your TV.
You may begin reducing the amount of time you devote to TV and start paying closer attention to your nutritional intake. You may wind up understanding your friends' and families' points of view better and discover more patience.

This week I want you to know why you are afraid of change. What do you really think is going to happen if you start making changes in your life?

This is a prevalent attitude in our society. Don't dare do anything to disrupt the "American way of life". Change is fought by fearful people and has been for as long as I know of. Even when change is going to benefit people, it is railed against.

Ruts are very comfortable. I know all about it. I only ask that you take a look around yours every once and a while and see if it's the best thing for you.

This week's asana is designed with vyan vayu in mind. Vyan is the energy movement in the body that circulates throughout. It is said to be the governing force of the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

Prana Vayus and Fear

The next few weeks will be focused on the way energy moves in the body. More specifically, we'll be examining how fear causes us to close off the flow of energy, which leads to illness, reduced productivity and emotional stagnation.
Vayu translates as wind, and refers to the different ways energy flows in the body. The apana vayu is energy that flows down and out, and is concerned with elimination.

When the body encounters stress there are a very specific set of responses that occur. We prepare to fight or flee. I'm sure you're familiar with the vast body of information that exists regarding stress and health. Our bodies do not discriminate between being in life threatening danger and a stressful social situation; our bodies react the same way to the stress we feel behind the wheel or in our cubes as we would feel faced with bigger, badder situations. Fear is fear regardless of the catalyst.

The question in today's day and age, when we're not faced with the possibility of death every day, is what do we fear and, more importantly, why? What can't we let go of? Why? We probably all know what we fear. The more important piece is why.

This week we're not going to think. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the way to know the details is to clear the chatter out as much as possible. Set your breath to a steady rhythm and watch it. Let the smooth rhythm of your breath permeate your mind until your mind is smooth and quiet. Take your time and layer as many techniques to occupy your mind as you need until you can achieve single pointed concentration on the breath.  Then you will become receptive. Ideas will come to you. You will know things about yourself that you usually bury deep under a layer of noise.

Asana this week is focused on the idea of letting go. We will infuse our bodies with the same smooth rhythm that dominates our mind and breath. As the body flows you will loosen tight tight muscles; begin to reverse the effects of the stress reaction.

I taught this class on Tuesday and after I introduced the idea of knowing our fear better I had some stern participants. I don't blame anyone for being apprehensive about the exploration of their fear. Keep your sense of humor right at your finger tips. Never let it be far from you. Experience the lift asana brings to you. Let it light your way through the dark.

Ring it in Right

I've never been overly interested in celebrating a random calendar date, but I do like the idea of new beginnings  Any day could be celebrated as a new year. After the whirlwind of the holidays, now is an excellent time to relax, restore and rejuvenate.

Now that it's certain the world isn't ending (whew!), it's the perfect time to commit yourself to taking care of yourself. It's so easy to get wrapped up in your responsibilities  Then, when you finally have a couple minutes to yourself, you're likely vegging out; watching TV, messing around on the computer, having a drink or something less than healthy to eat. I got a video game for Christmas. It is the ultimate time suck. We choose things that aren't the best for ourselves under the guise of a reward for hard work, but they don't really rejuvenate us. We aren't relaxed after watching TV. In fact, we are advised by people who know to eliminate TV from our nightly routine. Imagine what you could do with the time freed up by turning off the TV. Not to mention being less stimulated, so being able to fall asleep easier. Ultimately, you decide what you spend your time doing. Choose to fit something relaxing into your schedule.

I can not stress this enough. Get a massage!

So this week is dedicated to the three r's. And while the idea of relaxation is an enticing one, restorative yoga comes with its own challenges. It's hard to keep the mind steady. We use so many techniques to harness the wandering mind: breath awareness, body movement, special kinds of breathing patterns, imagery, mantra, meditation. Yet we can still find ourselves off on a tangent even in the middle of these practices. Once the body is restful, it's even easier for the mind to set off after whatever story line it finds in the moment. Practice is everything. Settling yourself into a restorative pose is an excellent way to practice keeping your mind on the task at hand.
Then your only problem is staying awake.