A Yoga Space for All

We stand in the place where opposites come together

Or, as I re-draft this. “We stand in a place where “perceived opposites” come together. We can use our practice today to experience how we feel a presence in our lives in the world and how the world is a presence in our lives.

Whether you have had a heightened experience deeply or remotely during the last weeks to follow the intensity of COVID we were brought back abruptly (back several years perhaps) to the deaths and social unrest stemming from racial violence, retribution and mass frustration.

The principle of Ahisma is the practice of non-violence. The practice is intended to be engaged on and off the “mat”. When our body, emotions or mind are in tremendous resistance, we can use our practice to restructure. That may require modification, removal of expectation or ego parts as we address or change opposite aspects of our pose, belief or lives. Often a muscle might dominate over something. Or, our mind might insist on moving longer or deeper into a stress pattern. Yoga offers another tool in these cases.

Letting Go – non possessiveness helps us to vary our practice and can create a strong relationship with equanimity. It is also mentioned in the yoga Sutra that to release the tendency to grasp or yearn can be brought out in our practice.

In this Yoga set today, I am offering a path and practice to unite and yoke together the moving center, emotional center and the mind. This can bring awareness to these philosophies.

Consider how your body in each pose is a place where aspects of yourself come together. See and feel where the poses might hang you up or push and work through the breath to enhance the union. Try to regain a sense of the balance the pose levels within you following the practice.

Glance through your morning as you approach the Sunday Class.

Link to Class

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85357112117?pwd=VlMvQmNldk0xRUdsbCs2REZzTTV0QT09

Zoom Village Class Pacific Standard Time 9:00 am-10:15 Class ID #853 5711 2117
Password: 031245

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💙   Begin with separation of the inhalation and exhalation.

💙   Lie of your back with a prop under your head and knees bent or resting on a bolster

💙   Our 4 minute breathing practice will lead to deeper and slower breaths. Try to engage in awareness on the moments of pause and shift from one to the other.

💙   Remove any bolster and continue to bend your knees suspending/them above your hips

💙   Allow even gentle rocking of your whole body

💙   From a seated position stretch over one leg, then the other (3 times)

💙   Calm your breathe to a slow and deeper pace as you reach your arms overhead

💙   Now stretch both legs in front of you and both arms up (alt. use a blanket under hips)

💙   Use your hands and knees to come into kneeling dog stretch – release your wrists

💙   Now, engage opposites energies of your back-front core–notice strengths & resistance

💙   Engage in Standing poses

1. · Tadansana
2. · Reaching back leg extension
3. · Warrior 1
4. · Warrior 3 (prep – meaning leaving back leg down)

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 8 sets

💙   Phase into wide leg stances

1. · High lunging
2. · Triangle Pose
3. · Warrior two
4.  End in a revolved pose of choice (revolved triangle, lunge, or half moon) 

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 4 sets

💙   This can be an excellent time to unify elements of your practice.

Consider your stages of awareness, your moving center, your mind (ego) and your heart.

1. · Balance with your feet (toes lifted, calves lifted) and (repeat with arms raised)
2. · Balance on one foot (turning out one knee – tree pose)
3. · Balance with one leg crossed and one bent behind (stability-strength-flexibility) Dancers pose)
4. · Finally open up from a high lunge to Warrior 3 (lifting the back leg this time)

💙   Return to Mountain pose and enter silent sun salutation – 2 sets

💙   Return to your seated position with single leg and both arms stretched forward (both sides)

💙   After a Slight Twist engage in comfort of kneeling pose (alt use low blanket under knees)

1. Experience Camel Pose – 3 times

💙   Lie on your back (use a strap if available) press one leg against couch or wall

1. Maneuver the alternate leg in lifted leg series
2. Switch legs

💙   Return to prone position for plank pose on forearms or palms 

💙   Return to kneeling downward dog

💙   Give yourself kindness! Elevate the legs (up the wall or in shoulder stand alt. blanket prop

We can conclude the practice with knees softly resting. Allow your awareness to reflect on the space of the breath – the space between the breaths. Release attachments and explore parigraha as a state of being.

Fall 2017 Reiki 21-Day Purification Retreat

Day 2 

Use the spark of sunrise to enliven our path ahead

Sunrise can present a spot of hope of joy and a way to not delve into the known or unknown. Sunrise avoids the how to agenda and rigorous path by teaching us to move slowly and celebrate the mystery. It is a pause – one of gratitude and reverence.

At the beginning of the day is the true breath, pushing through slumber. The morning air brings the spirit of the breath and is precious, divine and something that awakens our senses for the day. The morning dawn energy gives us ozone exchanges like no other time and the molecules are energized and excited with the light. Connecting to this time, being outside, observing our senses helps us adapt with intuition throughout the day.

Use Pranayama practice, breathing techniques each morning. Start with five minutes. Allow yourself an upright posture. Breathe the air slowly in and release slowly. Then, connect the inhalation to gratitude for the day and the exhalation celebrate the gift of life. Afterwords conduct a light stretch.

Natural Interval Kinetic Education (3)

Today's message resurfaces the famous 'ol adage, Just Do It - or as Grigg says in The Tao of Relationships (3) Just Doing.

Flowing from the mountain to the sea, the stream touches every stone in its path. Rain wets where it falls, from highest to lowest, from hardest to softest, from driest to wettest.

Indiscriminate water. It moistens and nourishes everything. Beyond accepting and rejecting, it is even beyond choosing. No will. No struggle. Just doing.

So what is NIKI (Natural Interval Kinetic Education). It's my term for the process of Just Doing. To both give and receive in our relationships requires us to keep fluid. Go with what is natural and avoid stresses of a rigid plan or structure. This way we can respond in the moment of conscious activity -- and do effortlessly.  If the mindset of the doer /doers can remain centered or pure there is no struggle. Kinetic action is happening and fulfilling. And, at the same time action produces great nourishment.

We can sync our attitudes and mindset towards a common goal but these will change (dry, wet, high, low), regardless they WILL change. So when that happens consider it an "interval". As with conditioning intervals create momentum and can give fresh perspective of aptitude and outcome. It move us away from stacking up resentments or burnout. This creates more desire to work on the goal.

When we sign up for something or join efforts consider the flow of these dancers. They learned about the flow of elements working alone and together and then trained themselves reaching new skills and honing equanimity. Thus through a process like NIKI they reached that flow when the need arose, the performance or coming together challenged them.