Shift Your Perspective (Pratyahara)

Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses from the external world. This week, give yourself a chance to exist without all the distractions.
I practice mindfulness is much as possible but, it's particularly difficult while I'm in the shower to stay focused on the process. I'm just so habitual with it that it's automatic and I don't have to focus. My mind wanders, my ability to notice my surrounding fades in and out with my attention to my thoughts. It would be confusing to try to watch a movie if they made the movie the way we actually existed in the world, with these pauses in our attention to our surroundings to layer over memory or emotion or whatever we happened to be distracted by. That's our whole lives, spent in and out of our external environment trying to match up what's inside with what's outside and vice versa.
Hopefully, you get so focused on yoga that it becomes something that is all-consuming (in the best possible way). Have you ever read a book or watch a movie or painted a picture or listened to a song where you got so involved in it, so ensconced in what you were doing or what you were experiencing, that the rest of the world went away? That's the practice of pratyahara. 

We spent so much time in our senses, it makes sense that we would be easily depressed and more stagnant, more prone to be still in the winter. Everything about the weather outside is telling us to be home. This, of course, is just for our area of the world. Other areas of the world are experiencing the hottest time of their year at this point, so it's all about perspective. 

We all have a foundational idea or concept that we base our existence on. My parents always believed strongly that there was more good in people than evil and because I was raised with that idea from a very young age, that is my perspective on everything that people do in the world. Which gives me a lot of hope when I see all of the horrible things that happen because of people. I'm well aware that is not everyone's basis as they grow. Sometimes a parent's point of view can be entrenched in child and it gives them less skills to deal with the bad things that happen. It may be harder to shift a perspective that was set in childhood but it is not impossible. 
So, there is a dual purpose to the practice of pratyahara. Not only does it provide relief from the constant barrage of stimuli entering your mind, it allows for your attention to focus on the mind and its' machinations. It's another way you can create that "at home" space within yourself, by knowing yourself better.

It may be daunting to see and feel and smell and taste all of the ways in which it is cold and dark and not that much fun outside but it is possible to control your senses so that you are not as overwhelmed by their input. And then you are calmer & more peaceful. And, just maybe, you're a skier or a snowboarder, or a ice skater, or a snowshoer, or a cross country skier. There's lots of ways to enjoy the dark and cold.

Exploring Your Motivations

Why? 

Every decision you make, the way you choose to feel, or the reactions that occur that seem out of your control, each has a basis in yourself somewhere. Each one of us is motivated by something. It could be avoidance of pain or the search of pleasure, the two main forms of suffering as Patanjali tells us in the Yoga Sutra.
In the article below you'll find a new program that helps leaders to become more mindful. It is a combination of modern science and ancient wisdom that combines to assist people to become very aware. This awareness, this mindful living, allows one to reach a more peaceful inner state. When you know how you feel and the reasons for that feeling, you can begin to make gradual changes which result in your increased wellbeing.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6061586
This week we will strive to keep the at home feeling and from that nonthreatening, non judgy place, watch how you decide. What is your motivation for your choices? Every minute of every day is spent making decisions. You can probably feel the overwhelmed sensation at the end of a particularly busy or stressful day. That feeling exists when you are taking in and processing stimuli as you make decisions based on it. There is a constant stream of information flowing into you and if you don't quiet yourself from time to time, you get overloaded. How mindfully are your decisions made? Do you have motivations that you've hidden from yourself? Are you really honest about why you do what you do? And is there a way to rectify it?
Yoga offers us tangible techniques with which to answer these questions and make changes, if needed. It is not a quick fix. The success you have in knowing yourself better through yoga is all about your part in practice. If you don't want to know, you never will. But, then, you'll always be living in a stressed out, suffering state of mind. People who practice yoga will still get stressed out; will still have pain. Physical life will never be devoid of all pain. But a regular yoga practice will dull the edge of every challenge you encounter, increase your stamina, and will allow you to live with more lightness.

Inner Peace: Co-Create with Yourself

Conflict resolution

After creating the space inside to feel at home, you can begin to see patterns around the way you treat yourself. This week practice focues on working with, instead of against, yourself.

I had the privilege to be able to have the time to watch the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute in Pennsylvania give a webinar two weeks in a row. He is my teachers' teachers' teacher. He is an interesting person. He has an intensity, yet at the same time he's very quick to laugh and very relaxed about himself. He's comfortable in his own skin. In response to a question he advised speaking directly to yourself in an attempt to coordinate the mind and body. He suggested telling your stomach what you plan on feeding it and giving it permission to digest it. He also recommends giving yourself permission to fall asleep and rest deeply. Instead of sleep as a mindless exercise where you are at the mercy of exhaustion and you pass out because you have run yourself ragged, decide to sleep. Make it your conscious choice.

My teacher says yoga helps us co-create with the universe. This week, take steps to co-create with yourself. View yourself as a partner. The body and mind are dealt with as separate entities in the western world. How can that be? It may seem like a ridiculous thing to do, but try talking to yourself. We all do it anyway, why not try it with a specific purpose in mind. (You don't have to tell anyone.) Take the time to inform your body what it will be receiving. Then listen to see if there's any response. Definitely try the bed time talk. Allow yourself the opportunity to rest without the pressures of the next day. One of the ideas that came up in Sunday's class was inner tranquility will never be an option while you are anticipating the next move. Just as in savasana, or any part of your yoga practice, make the moment count. Don't sit still on the outside full of anticipation of the next step. Don't fall asleep just to get to the morning routine. Allow yourself to rejuvenate. 

The body has an awareness of what it needs. We just need to quiet down and listen. 

Comfortable in Your Own Skin: Make your self a home

Continuing our series of mental tranquility practices, this week we consider finding comfort inside of ourselves, whether it be accepting certain physical limitations, mental predilections, or emotional tendencies. It's a psychological phenomenon, the inner conflict that arises when what we project outwardly is different then the truth of what's happening inside. Cognitive dissonance is the technical term. Sometimes we can't even see it. It may be the result of feeling inadequate. It may be that your particular emotions are not in sync with social norms. Regardless of the cause, working to accept all parts of yourself, even those you don't like, is well worth your time.
When the colder weather hits we may seek to comfort and warm ourselves, not only with extra clothing but with food and our homes. We are more likely to be stationary when it's winter, but stationary doesn't have to mean sedentary. And comfort food doesn't have to mean fat and sugar. Practice opening up to the idea of nurturing yourself. When you truly nurture yourself, it isn't  something you'll regret later.

Take time, not just this week, but through the winter months to examine what you do to comfort yourself. What techniques do you already utilize to calm and nurture yourself? Let's expand upon this foundation. I think any self nurturing you can do has to start with the mentality that you deserve it. Sometimes, without meaning to or realizing it, we hold things against ourselves. Maybe embarrassment over a poorly handled interaction with someone, or something you missed at work. Learn how you feel about yourself. Watch how you treat yourself, how you speak to yourself. Believe that you deserve better. Create a space inside of yourself that feels like home; occupy that space.

I attended part of a workshop over the weekend that was a presentation for caregivers and how they can care for themselves. One of the things that came up was sometimes when you're taking care of a loved one your needs can become over shadowed by their needs. We may not all have to care for an ailing loved one, but we all have things we must take care of. We all have decisions that must be made; have to choose between getting one thing and another done. I always struggle with the dishes/children decision. I have to do the dishes, but I only have a limited time to spend playing with my kids. It's how we handle these kinds of choices that will determine how we feel about ourselves later. Both have to get done. One for the health and development of my children and the other because we need to use the utensils. It took me a long time to realize I can do both. It's more about the quality of the attention paid to the task at hand. Hone your awareness, your ability to focus on a task and your work will get done better and quicker. You'll be better able to handle the unexpected. You'll be less stressed and better able to relax.