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YogaTalk

Practical reminders for ordinary splendour

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PLANET WONDER

October 29, 2018

I don’t mind sounding corny – some things just can’t be said enough:

Our home planet is unique…

Close enough to our sun to be warmed, but far enough away not to be scorched…

Half-days basked in light and half-days cooled in shade…

So much potential for life – this earth could be heaven. How lucky we are. 

Here are some personal thoughts on how experiences of everyday wonder can help lift us from the swamping rigmaroles of personal life. I think of it as giving things a yogaturn. Because…

Because, it’s just so easy to get wrapped up in our own little world.

I got bogged down this summer. A health crisis was consuming too much energy; I could manage to teach well enough but had no creative urge to write. Small things got to me. I could get anxious about the least thing and, in the continuing rainless weeks of baking heat, I did not thrive.

One day, we couldn’t bear the screeches of our neighbours’ grandchildren on their trampoline, swings and slide. With no quiet indoors we went out to escape the noise.

On the market, two blokes stood smoking as they faced into the hatch of the little snack bar. They seemed oblivious of our efforts to get served, as we manoeuvred forwards and back to avoid their clouds of smoke.

We headed for the clean air of the hills, escaping with the curlews on the hot scorched moors.

Soothed but hot and thirsty, we then took refuge in the coolness of a favourite pub in trendy right-on Hebden Bridge. The place was busier than we’d ever seen it. People with drinks wandered uncomfortably from room to room looking for seats. Two ladies eating pickled eggs and drinking wine were comfortably sprawled across all the bench seating for three tables at one side of the room. I managed to squeeze up next to a guy’s big rucksack which he did not move from the seat; he and his stuff were monopolising a space which could have seated five or six. He looked the sensitive type but clearly wasn’t!  I couldn’t help noticing that the book he sat reading was called “Higher Consciousness”.

How come people seemed so uncaring and oblivious to each other’s needs?

I like to people-watch. I learn a lot. Normally I’m upbeat in observation with a light-hearted yogaturn overview – but not that day. I longed for planet simple, where social interchange was always easy, caring and thoughtful.

I often head off to the hills in my heart and mind – it helps me see a bigger picture which is more compassionate and kind. But not that day. I just felt annoyed. Husband said I needed to get on the yoga mat, and he was right. Getting on the mat does always seem to sweeten life and set things right. I had been unwittingly sinking into my own realm of the unwell, yogaturns somehow slipping away in my preoccupation with personal affairs and health.

These yogaturns are for any time, whatever our situation and however we’re feeling – we just sometimes need reminding.

Selfish and defensive behaviour are often rooted in uncertainty, ignorance and fear.

Remembering this is in itself a yogaturn, which helps us feel compassion toward the inconsiderate or unkind, at times saving us from our own knee-jerk reactions.

Yoga helps us raise a more attuned self-awareness which is not self-obsessed.

Remembering this is another yogaturn, so we don’t take ourselves too seriously and can have a light-hearted default mode, even if we’re not in a good place at the time.

I like to lie down on my back on the yoga mat, semi-supine, open-handed, arms out wide. Eyes closed, I imagine a starry sky on a clear moonlit night. Having seen such skies and felt sublime I can invoke those feelings once again, purely through memory.

Letting such wonder be part of the ordinary everyday is yet another yogaturn. It uplifts and enriches life.

When I remember to gaze up at the heavens , I’m overwhelmed with wonder at this vast display of space and time.

Such feelings bring a shrinking sense of self without denting self-esteem. We can be reminded of our own short transient life without fearing its end.

Gobsmacked by starlight, I know that I am but one of similar billions, with each of us a tiny part of this boundless ever-changing universe. Such feelings humble me, helping me feel more connected to others and our world.

Perhaps the word ‘awe’ is overused today – but not felt enough.

Feelings of wonder, awe and the sublime are not so rare – they can just easily be missed or overlooked.

It’s not necessary to visit exotic locations, have bucket lists with bungee jumps, be an astronaut, blow our mind on drugs… to be uplifted by a transformative experience.

Such feelings come at different levels, take varied forms and induce a range of emotions. But all will help steer us away from self-preoccupation.

Shared experiences of awe and wonder can help people bond, to have more respect and love for our home planet and for each other.

Soaking up all the small wonders of our daily life adds up to an awful lot of awe… Reminding myself and others of this is the reason for this blog.

“It is one of the greatest glories of this universe that the common and inconspicuous life of ordinary men contains a thousand daily opportunities for spiritual splendour.”

From Seven Schools of Yoga. By Ernest Wood, 1931 

Here are some suggestions for wonder-triggers:

  • Look at an insect up close.
  • Don’t miss a chance to get out in the natural world.
  • Visit a cathedral or some similar awesome building or engineering project.
  • Expose yourself to be blown away by someone’s creative talent, music or art, from the past or the present.
  • Close your eyes and conjure up memories of awe and wonder, evoking similar feelings just by remembering them.
by admin 
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PRACTICE

THE COMPLETE BREATH

February 4, 2018

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There’s a practice in yoga known as the Complete Breath. It’s simple and utterly delightful. It aids the body systems, can calm, yet also invigorate to empower action, or be a soothing prelude to sleep.

Just a few are beneficial, but five minutes of complete breathing goes a long way in reducing mental clamour and disquiet. So let’s begin… Listen to the podcast above or read the practice below.

Make yourself comfortable. Take a few minutes’ rest.

Close your eyes. Let the mouth gently close and the back of neck soften.

Notice the nostrils, imagine them softly flaring.

Follow the breath as it flows in and out at the nose.

Let the exhales be softer, let the inhales be a similar length.

Allow the face to relax, the jaw to release… the shoulders to let go.

Imagine your eyes are wide, extending out towards the temples.

Let your brow be smooth and free of frown.

Notice what you see with your eyes closed.

Feel the passages at the bridge of nose, down the throat into the lungs, to be clear and spacious, with plenty room for the breath to move in and out.

Let the belly expand out with each inhale, and enjoy the steady rhythm of your breathing.

And now let your in-breaths gradually deepen.

Feel the chest widen as each inhale fills the vault of your ribcage.

Feel the belly draw back with the exhales, as your ribcage remains big… deep… and wide.

Immerse yourself in the movement and waves of your breathing, and soak up this power into every nook and cranny.

Mark with short pauses where the in-breaths turn into out-breaths.

Don’t labour. Make each breath as comfortable as possible.

Remind the face to relax and the back of neck to soften.

Allow yourself this time to create feelings of physical and mental space.

Settle into the rhythm of your breathing…

Imagine any unwanted cares being released with the exhales.

Imagine drawing in clarity, energy and joy with the inhales.

Presently… when ready… let go of controlling the breathing, allow your breaths to become softer and softer.

Then…when you’re ready… end the practice as you began it… calmly and gradually.

 

by admin 
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PRACTICE

A BREATHING PRACTICE

May 31, 2017

A practice for breath awareness:

Find a comfy warm spot.

Lay on the mat in Savasana (flat on the floor) – you may prefer to sit – you may prefer to try this lying in bed.

Begin by taking the attention to the breath and the heartbeat.

Take a moment to arrive in the space you are in.

This action – or lack of it – may be enough to aid your calming and relaxation process. If that’s the case, don’t search for more. Be happy that you are in a good place in the mind and body.

Become more aware of the breath and inhale gently and softly through the nose. Allow the outbreath to be equally as long as the inhale – or maybe a little longer if that feels comfortable for you.

It can be useful to breathe in to the count of 3 and out to the count of 3. This helps to focus the mind on the breath and away from external distractions. If you become uncomfortable, return to your free and normal breath at any time.

Next notice where you are breathing – in the chest – the belly?

Try directing it consciously first to the belly then the chest. Notice how the belly expands, and how the movement creates subtle movements of the hips in their sockets, or the gentle tilt of the pelvis. If you are holding tension in these areas the movements may not be happening.

Take the awareness and focus to these areas and try to relax as you exhale. With a little patience and practice these movements will become apparent as you tune in to the body.

Notice when the chest expands how the ribs lift and widen and how the shoulders are able to move in the joints.

This is the body’s natural way of creating space and movement in the joints and is perfectly normal. Observe a young child or baby as they are sleeping – young enough not to have learned the sensation of holding tension or subconscious restricting habits.   You may be able to recreate this special free breath in your own practice.

When you feel comfortable with this gentle breathing you will be able to do it anywhere and use it for your own wellbeing and relaxation. 5 or 10 minutes every day will have you doing this without having to think about it.

by admin 
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