Prayer, Mantra, Intention

Prayer is a means of changing our minds. Prayer is a means of getting inside the mind and shifting its focus. It does not matter whom or what you prayer to. God, Goddess, Allah, Buddha, St Francis, Zoraster, Nergal, any one or no one will do the trick. My personal prayers are generic, to an unnamed receiver, or more generically to the universe and all that is. So perhaps the word mantra is a better semantic choice for me. If you don’t like either of those words, think of this as setting your intentions for the day.

My first mantra today was of gratitude. I said thanks to the universe for including me. I was grateful to my body for waking up, to my spouse smiling at me, to the dog thumping her tail at the bedroom door, to the roof over my head, and the delicious warm water that flowed from the shower head.

After bathing I anointed myself, making a tangible and tactile prayer of love and thanks. I rubbed rose-scented cream into my face and invited myself to step into the world with an open mind and willingness to receive what is offered. I rubbed lemon scented shea oil into my arms and hands and I said thank for to them for all the work they do each day. I rubbed shea oil with ‘creativity juice’ into my feet and legs and said thank you for carrying around all day long. And I rubbed ‘mama love’ lotion into my belly and was grateful for my babies (now grown) and my health and the organic functioning of this body. Then I looked in the mirror, smiled at the whole package and said thanks beautiful!

As I walk forward into my day, my ongoing mantra is for willingness. May I continue this morning’s self care ritual with each step of my day. May I be willing to eat healthy, fresh foods that nourish my body. May I be willing to move and exercise in a way that brings joy to my flesh. May this self-care provide the base from which I can help others be happy and at ease in their physical beings. May my small contributions make the world a better place today.

I bow to the miracle of this body. I bow to you and the miracle of you. I bow to this world with awe at the beauty that surrounds me.

Celebrate your body!

Celebrate your body. Your body is your most precious possession. You’ve got this one vehicle to experience life. There are no trade-in’s. These are your feet, your legs, your belly, your chest, your arms, your neck and your head…, your one and only chance to be alive. Love it! Look in the mirror each day and say thank you. Thanks for this opportunity to breath. Thanks for this opportunity to move. Thanks for this opportunity to take in the world.

Look into the mirror and say ‘hello beautiful!’ ‘hello handsome!’ Every time you see your reflection wink and flirt with yourself. Fall in love with your body. Fall so deeply in love with your body that you are willing to give it the best of care.

How to take care of your body: Feed it nourishing, healthy, fresh, delicious food. Eat beautiful fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meats raised as close to your home as possible. Move and exercise your body in a way that you enjoy and that gives you pleasure. Movement should be a joyful celebration of being alive. Find a loving and compatible partner to share intimate touch and pleasure.

Do not abuse your body. Do not self-flagellate. Do not self-injure. Do not self-denigrate. Do not self-chastise. Do not allow others to abuse your body. Do not allow others to poison your mind. Protect your body from abuse, physical, spiritual and emotional. Hold your body up as the sacred and holy vessel that it is. Avoid consuming cultural materials that make you feel inadequate, that is, avoid magazines, television, radio, or any advertising that holds up unhealthy body images as beautiful or normal.

You are worth it. You are worth rejoicing over. You are a miracle, just the way you are!

Happy Earth Day! Love Your Mother!

Today, in honor of the earth, take many mini retreats:
Fill up a glass with cool fresh water, drink slowly, savor it, repeat often. Say thanks!
Stop often and take a deep breath, smell the fresh spring air, stand next to a lilac bush and let yourself get high on it's perfume. Say thanks!
Eat local fresh fruit and vegetables. Slowly. Savor each bite. Say thanks!
Dig in the dirt, plant a seed. Marvel at the abundance arising from the soil. It is a miracle. Say thanks!
Look around you. Like a small child notice all the little miraculous gifts of spring: earth worms, flowers everywhere, emerging plants, baby squirrels, birds nesting, birds calling, birds returning to the Valley for summer. Say thanks!
Feel your body. You too are part of the earth. Your physical, primal, animal body is the biggest gift you have. Say Thanks!

Happy Earth Day! Love you Mother! Love yourself!

yoga desk posture

you're probably sitting in a chair right now.
stop and look at your shape:

• are you slumped into the back of the chair?
• are your shoulder rounded toward your ears?
• is your belly loose and collapsed?
• is your upper chest concave?
  
• is your head forward of your chest?
• are your knees or ankles crossed?

while a chair slump might feel comfortable in the short term, it will yield significant long term body pain. so, lets make some adjustments:

1. draw yourself forward so you are not leaning into the chair back;
2. place the soles of both feet on the ground, steady, parallel, and comfortable;
3. rock your pelvis back and forth and side to side to soften the hip sockets;
4. find a central alignment for your pelvis, neither hollowed in the belly nor the low back, but balanced, your pubic bone and tail bone feel almost level;
5. lift your pelvic floor (the trampoline beneath your digestive and reproductive organs);
6. lift your lower belly;
7. interlace your fingers and place your palms on your upper chest;
8. float your heart toward your hands and breath into your palms;
   
9. turn your palms away and stretch your arms out in front of you, move your shoulder blades forward and back a dozen times or so, and then gently hold the shoulder blades loose and low on your back;
10. bring your palms and your interlaced fingers behind your head;
11. rest your head back into your palms like you resting your head on a pillow;
12. stretch your elbows wide while you gently lift the back of your head, lengthening your upper neck;
13. release your hands and arms;
14. let your upper arms dangle from your shoulder blades;
15. bend your elbows to rest your hands on your thighs or the desk in front of you;
16. close your eyes and tune into how your body feels right now.
    

this position takes strength: ab strength and back strength. When you go back to your work you may find yourself unconsciously returning to your slumped posture. Don't berate yourself. Just notice and then take a moment to bring yourself back into alignment. You may need to do this 100 times a day. And you will be in less pain, happier and stronger at the end of the day for effort.

Here's to a happy and healthy body! Cheers!

be a puddle: savasana

lie on the floor
feel the back of your body on the floor
notice all the places where you touch the floor
soften into those places
let your weight fall into the earth, like sand melting through an hourglass
release deeply
release so deeply that your tissues seem to melt
and your bones fall to the back of your body
your abdomen begins to feel like a mountain lake
deep, clear, and dark
your breath blows gently across the surface of the lake
and you see the reflection of the sky, the stars, and all that is
you are a reflection of all that is

Pointing at the earthworm in the palm of your hand: wake up!

The goal of yoga is to awaken. Awakening comes by many different paths and in many different flavors. The path may be long and toiled or sudden and unexpected. We might just open our eyes one morning and notice the intoxicating beauty of the earth and be struck into awakening. We might hear the song of birds or the screech of a raptor and know peace. We might take a deep breath of the perfume of the garden and be swept into ecstasy. We might hold an earth worm in the palm of our hand and know that we are one. Each moment is an opportunity to wake up.

Your awakening might be a bud beginning to make itself known or it might be a lightening bolt ready strike. There are many opportunities to be wake up. Yoga is an arrow pointing the way. Yoga gives us the tools to be awaken each moment.

Today's practice: Take a deep breath. Look around you. Feel your skin on your body. Notice any tension you are holding and invite it to melt. Let the melted tension flow down through your body and out through the soles of you feet. The earth will absorb everything you give it. Breath into your wounds and injuries: the metaphoric and the physical wounds, the wounds of your psyche and your body. Let your breath expel the thorns that your flesh is holding and melt the structures you have built to protect the thorns. Give the thorns of your flesh and all the pain you are holding to the earth. Make it an offering. Water the earth with your tears.

Now take an even deeper breath than the one you started with. Fill your body with space. Follow your exhalation to the tip tail of its ending and then receive another complete and full inhalation. Continue with deep, long and slow breath cycles. Make sound on your exhalations: sighs, growls, groans, moans whatever you need to increase your internal space, to expel any remaining thorns or toxins. Close you eyes as you do this. When the sounds subside enjoy the silence, let your breath slowly return to normal. When you open your eyes lift them off the computer screen and look around you. Take in the wonder of where you are and what you see.

Jump up and live again!

savasana

Earlier this week I had a couple hard hormonal days. My body hurt. I ached all over. And my soul hurt, my heart hurt. I felt useless. I wanted to crawl under the covers and not come out. Everything felt pointless. I thought I should just close shop and throw in the towel. Why did I bother anyhow? I identified with my failuresI could muster kindness out in the world and in the hours that I taught, but my family bore the brunt of my grumpy day.

Then I awoke on Thursday and the frump had passed as quickly as it had arrived. I took a deep sigh of relief. Relieved that my body felt better. Relieved that this is how I usually feel: hopeful, easy, and happy. Relieved that my body is healthy and functioning just the way it is supposed to.

I had the lovely realization that I could begin again. Each day when I wake up I get to create the day ahead of me. I didn’t have to carry the frump along any farther. I could set it aside, brush the crumbs off my shirt, and begin again. I could step into being the being that I enjoy being.

Savasana is corpse pose. It is the most important yoga pose. We end every practice with it. We give ourselves the opportunity to completely let go. We shed everything that we are and come to the deep rest of a corpse. We invite silence into our systems: our mind, our body, our spirit. We suspend doing. We suspend being. We rest as completely as we are able.

And then we return. The simple sound of a bell begins to call us back. We notice where we are again. We notice the delicious touch of the air on our skin and in our lungs. We listen to the sounds of the room around us. We take a deep breath. We expand the body in all directions. We recompose. We follow the desire of muscle and tendon and we begin to stretch and wiggle. We luxuriate in the movements that arise spontaneously.

We resurrect ourselves from Savasana. This is a moment of choice. Who do we want to be? How do we carry our yoga forward into our lives? How do we stay integrated in each moment? We make a choice and set the tone for what will come next. This is a powerful moment. We return to sitting and bow our heads and notice ourselves returning. We make a choice, set an intention, and say a prayer. Namaste.

Yogini's lunch

I don't usually post recipes ... but this was too delicious to keep quiet about:

In a large frying pan:
~ 2 T balsamic vinegar
~1 T concentrated sweet juice (I used pomegranate, but cherry or grape would work fine)
~1 T soy sauce
~1 t honey
~1 T coarse mustard

saute 1 stalk rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces in above sauce
add one 'bunch' greens (I've used turnip and raab, but any hardy green would do)
add 1/2 bunch watercress
continue to saute until greens are wilted and rhubarb is soft.

Cut more spring raw vegies in bite size pieces: today I used snap peas and carrots and beets. Make a bed of this crunchy sweet stuff and then pour sauteed vegies on top
Add a protein of your choice: today I used turkey, yesterday good (local, no oil) canned tuna

Delicious!

Seated Yoga Break for Gardeners

A seated yoga break for gardeners. The standing variation of this sequence is included in the post below.



The Gardener's Yoga Sequence: Standing or Seated is:
Tadasana (Mountain Pose, stand or sit up tall, lifting from arches, pelvic floor, base of ribs and base of skull)
Chest expansion (lace your hands behind your back, lift them

away from your back and stretch open your chest)

Samasthithi (stand or sit tall with arms reaching for the sky, fingers

interlaced and palms facing up)

Chandrasana (crescent pose, from Samasthitihi arch slowly from side

to side and stretch open the sides of your waist and hips)

Parsva Chandrasana (same pose but reach forward and to the

side to stretch into your lower back and your back ribs)

Virabdhrasana (warrior pose, lunge with the back foot turned out and heal down,

interlace your fingers and lift your arms behind your back and then overhead)

Pavritta Virabdhrasana (same pose, but revolved and twisting the chest to face over the front leg)
Parsva Virabdhrasana (warrior 2, with back hand resting on your thigh and front arm reaching for the sky)
Wide legged Utkatasana (stand with feet wide and turned out, come to a

half squat, rest your hands on your knees)

Cat/Cow in wide legged Utkatasana (same pose but

begin to tilt your pelvis, alternately arching your spine toward the sky and toward the earth)

Yoga for Gardeners

May: The gardens in Corvallis are in full GROW mode. Tulips, dogwood, redbud, cherry trees, and lilac are all blooming in the studio garden. The weeds are growing faster than I can keep up. Mulch needs to be spread. The amazing miracle of spring is at hand.

And with all the garden work pending, people start coming to the studio with common gardener's aches and pains: low back, knees, ankles, wrists, shoulders .... lots of body parts getting a different kind of work out than they are accustomed to.

My advise: take a short walk before you get down in the dirt. Limber up your muscles. Then watch the clock, get up out of the dirt and stretch every 30 to 45 minutes. Take another short walk around your garden. Smell the flowers, enjoy the fruit of your labors. Then settle back into the gardening at hand.

Here are a couple short yoga break sequences for gardeners. Improvise around these stretches the next time your out in the garden. The exact sequence is not so important, let your body move through and around these ranges of motion.

A yoga break for gardeners:

Triangle, Side Angle, Half Moon, Unbound and Bound

This video will take you through trikonasana (triangle pose), parsvokonasana (side angle pose) and ardha chandrasana (half moon). A challenging sequence with binding is demonstrated. Enjoy!

Aiming for Paradise

“By aiming for paradise, we lose sight of the earth.” (Onfray) Aim for the earth and you will find paradise. (Wells)

Michel Onfray in his critic of monotheism argues that the fixation with a paradisiacal afterlife obstructs us from living fully in this life. He points to all the deliciousness that we miss in the moment by pursuing rewards in the hereafter. The focus on cultivating a place in heaven has been concomitant with neglect and abuse of our home on earth.

If we turn it around and we embrace the earth, we find paradise right here: in the scent of the air, in the relationships at hand, in the flowers blooming in our gardens, in the touch of a lover’s hand or the sound of a child’s voice. Each delicious drop of life on earth is paradise. Savor it.

At our Monday Women’s Authentic Movement group we spent time ‘exploring’ a place that we know. We closed our eyes and conjured that place in our minds. Then we moved in that place, exploring textures and smells and it’s presence. Sally told us about her journey. She explored her driveway and found richness she had forgotten existed: from the plants to the ground to the structure. When we stop and take in the details of a small known place, we can find richness greater than the most romantic getaway.

I invite you step into the place where you are right now. Appreciate the details of your life in this instant. Notice the miracles you have come to take for granted. This is paradise.

This moment is the only one that is guaranteed. You’ve got it now. Embrace it. Stop living for another paradise. Stop living for the time when …. Live now. That is also yoga, the moment of living in the moment. Ram Das said it clearly: Be Here Now.

Dancing Wild Oregon: Road 6021

This video is part of an ongoing project dancing in wild spaces of Oregon. This particular cut scene was done just off Road 6021 in the McDonald Forest outside of Corvallis. The sound overlay in the second half is a bit of Japanese Fireworks posted by Capuchin on freesound.org.

Why you need to stretch.

My friend Kirstin Schumacher (structural integrationist extraordinaire) sent me this video. It is a lovely short clip explaining why we all need to stretch every single day. The video includes a bit of dissection, so if your squeamish be forewarned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug

A video poem: Mulkey Creek