Live Your Yoga

It has been almost 1 month since my body has practiced physical yoga. My last day of teaching was on the 13th of May. It has been a long and emotional ride adjusting to the change, and even more so, trying to incorporate the studio’s belongings into my teeny tiny house. That is a work in progress. I finally semi-cleared my desk yesterday, probably only to find more that needs a resting place until the next time. Sigh.

I’ve noticed, especially in the last week, how my body is reacting to the yoga withdrawal. The added weight of increasing belly adds to a forward motion of the chest and shoulders. I’ve been slouching a lot. I catch myself mind you, but whereas good posture came as second nature to this yogini before, I’m having to work at it now. And, ooh, the charlie horses. I wake up at night because I’ve stretched my legs in my sleep and that simple action leads to that ouchy tightness in my calves.

I’d hoped to be able to enroll in a prenatal class a lot sooner, but our budget right now is just not allowing it. So my hubby and daughter recorded some prenatal yoga videos for me that I could do at home. They’ve been sitting patiently on the shelf waiting until I just couldn’t take the decline of the body anymore… almost a month now. This morning I woke up and decided that today was definitely the day. I started with a little garden weeding (impossible! ugh!) and then came in, washed my feet, and went right into it on the living room carpet. I didn’t lay my mat down because I was dirty and didn’t want my mat to get dirty too. Well, yoga is quite the adventure isn’t it. 14 years of practice all down the drain (big exaggeration) due to a single month off. Pretty much like when I came down with pneumonia and had to take time off. Silly yogini. Really though, yoga is akin to the whole ‘riding a bike’ thing. You just have to get back on when you fall off. The practice felt good, and I need more. I have two videos, one with Shiva and one with Eva Barash. I did the Eva one today and am going to attempt to alternate between the two and get a practice in everyday. This is so extremely important for my body, and will make delivery so much more smooth. I just know it.

So that’s what going on lately, friends. Actually, there’s TONS going on right now, but that is what I have time and energy to share at this point. Eventually I’ll fill in the blanks.

Namaste.

Working in a women’s boutique has opened my eyes and my heart to the ridiculous amount of self-critical, depressed, body-conscious women out there. And I’ve made it my personal/professional duty when I am in the store to brighten those women’s day, make them smile and give them a little bounce in their step. Even if just for a moment.

Maybe it’s because I have an amazing husband (though once a husband of one of these ladies almost brought me to tears~ even if she didn’t think much of herself, he certainly did), maybe it’s because I have good friends, a great family, or perhaps it has something to do with my yoga practice and seeing the strength and grace in my body. Maybe it’s because of my daughter, and being proud of my body for its capabilities in childbirth and rearing. Maybe it’s because of my spirituality and the fact that I am a visionary of the goddess within. Maybe it’s all these things.

Some may sneer at this wisdom and say, “well of course you feel that way, look at you.” Yeah, so what. Look at me. The only thing that makes us different is how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about other people’s reactions to us. That is all.

Let’s clear something. I am not supporting obesity or the fat, lazy American syndrome (yes, I said it. Sat nam.) I am however supporting a healthy and active lifestyle, self care, and most of all a healthy sense of self worth. And if that self worth comes with 50 extra pounds, then that’s 50 extra pounds of perfection, baby.

So do yourself a favor today, tell yourself your beautiful. And the next woman you see~ remind her that she’s beautiful too!

What a glorious afternoon in Colorado. After record heats the last few days, I awoke to overcast skies and now enjoy mild sunshine with gentle breezes. Oh yes. Glorious indeed.

I wanted to share my morning class with you, as it has sent me smiling into the world and I’m sure will carry with me throughout my day. First off, to “invoke” via dictionary.com:

Wow. That’s a lot to take in. Yet, that is exactly what I asked of my students this morning. That they call to heart the word, and ask what it meant for them. I then read them the short definition as presented by good 0l’ webster: to address or call upon in prayer. With that in mind, I expressed my desire as a teacher to share with them that our bodies are our prayers. Whether we hold religion, spirituality, or just a simple faith that we are alive on this Earth, we can all benefit from a moment of prayer, a moment of communion.

So as we sat through our pranayama practice, as we experienced those first movements into our vinyasas, we prayed. We prayed with our bodies. And though some may not have gotten it, I think that as they continue with their practice, they will. Your yoga may start out as something physical. It may start out as something that you do because you have tight hamstrings, or tension in your shoulders. It is my belief, though not imposed, that through a regular asana practice you begin to discover the spirit of yoga. You begin to peel into the layers of your own divine nature.

Let me tell you a secret:

We all need to be reminded sometime. I think coming to your mat is an excellent way to remember.

There is a new class that I have fallen in love with, led by an exquisite yoga teacher that I am so grateful for. It’s themed and called ‘Women’s Wellness’. I went to the first one on a whim, loving the name (interesting titles tend to catch my eye.) I discovered that it was a class that originated off of a workshop on stages of menopause, but this didn’t discourage me, it only further fed my spark. I have a deep love of learning new ways of healing and the idea that this class was formulated for women especially intrigued me. It was my first class with Keri, and I have since discovered that she is an inspiring teacher, something that I personally look for.

The classes are informative and nurturing not only for those nearing menopause or experiencing the full effects of this often challenging time, but also for me (soon to be 30 years old and most likely years away from this phase of womanhood). The sequence is designed to specifically support a woman’s body and the class is filled with tidbits of yummy information on ways to nourish your body and spirit.

I love yoga. It is a deep part of my existence and I know that I would not be who I am without it. I also love women. I feel a strong connection with my sisters in this life, and sometimes feel that we need the support that only our sisters can give ~in more ways than we may let on. This is not to exclude men from our lives, or the balance and love that they provide. This is to acknowledge the bonds that we as women share, and to learn to honor ourselves as the Divine feminine that we are.

~Afraid to move forward
hesitating in indecisiveness
back and forth
back and forth
back and forth

until one morning
She wrapped herself
in purple silk
put roses in her hair
and shouted, “YES!”
to the sky.~

“Release” by Tara Maher 2007 (from Wemoon 09)

My Lahiri girls

I am so grateful for being born a woman. I, like many women before me, and I’m sure many women after me, have spent time growing towards that gratitude, and of learning how to experience it comfortably. But I can now and I DO. I am grateful for my curvy thighs, those that I used to resent, but now embrace as being my support and connection to my heritage; I love my curves. I am grateful for my emotions; happy or sad, content or confused, as they guide me and help me understand lessons that I may not have access to otherwise. I am grateful for my moon cycle, that which comes to regulate me and remind me of my feminine nature and strength. I am grateful for my breasts, and accept gravity and its purpose, and that I was able to nourish my daughter and possibly other babies in the future.

I am grateful for my sisters. Those women of blood and beyond that inspire me to be the woman that I am, that encourage me to go beyond my perceived limitations of what I believe I am capable of. Those women that see the spark in me even when I no longer can, and remind me constantly of my Divine nature.

I am grateful for my mother, and her mother before her. And the grandmothers of time that have brought us to where we are today. I am grateful for their experiences, their victories, and their struggles. I am grateful for their courage and their sacrifice. I am grateful for their wisdom.

I am grateful for my daughter. I am grateful for OUR daughters. For they are the women of tomorrow, and the wisdom gained from our past will guide them to their future.

I am grateful to be alive and to be alive as a WOMAN. We still have so much to learn. But together, we will. With the wisdom to come from a place of love, we as women can continue to change the world.

EMBRACE YOUR DIVINITY.