I was told today that the Turks have a saying: “don’t believe in fortune telling, but don’t live without it.” That is something like my relationship with the yoga sadhana: don’t believe it’s promises, but don’t live without it. The cup, overturned after the coffee is drunk, to allow the grounds to reveal my fortune.
Last night in group practice, we were working on the mini-arm balances. As I demonstrated a pose, my spine shifted. From the middle thoracic vertebra right behind the heart all the way up to C7, each vertebra popped sequentially, releasing energy not only from each vertebra, but upward. I felt an incredible lightness moving from the heart space all the way through the crown of my head. We talked about it a little in practice, because the fact that some kind of opening had occurred was fully evident to everyone in the group.
As a purely physical matter, opening my thoracic spine is good. I have degeneration in my cervical and lumbar spine. Those parts of my spine are very mobile, almost unusually so, whereas my thoracic spine is quite tight. This imbalance can cause pain and muscle tension, though through therapeutic practice of the Anusara principles, I progressively find a healthy balance of stability and freedom. Go to any decent physical therapist for neck or lumbar pain, and the therapist will work to open the thoracic spine, which although it should be stiffer (being attached to the ribs and protecting the heart), likely needs to be more mobile to be in better balance with the rest of the spine.
This morning, I woke up still feeling more open around the heart space and noticing a shift in the energy in my upper back, neck, and head, and the sensation of the opening I experienced carried itself through my morning meditation.
We never know when we are going to get an opening in our practice. I keep coming to the mat and the meditation cushion because I want to be more open, more grounded, more free, more full of energy, more compassionate, more at peace, more in tune with others. It is fairly rare, though, that I experience a noticeable opening all at once (and the reason to practice should not to be to have wild moments, sensations, visions, etc).
When one comes, though, it leaves open the question: what will I do with it? Will I get absorbed in talking about it and reliving it? Will I think that I can slack in my practice because I have had a big opening? Will I return to how things were before? It is easy enough to do. Just witness the collective energy and momentary hopefulness of this country when it elected President Obama. Upon not getting instant change and relief, the country has returned to blaming, divisiveness, ineffectiveness, finger-pointing, greediness, warlikeness, and catering to the corporate war machine instead of moving towards universal health care, peace, and “green” energy consumption. It would likewise be easy for me to have enjoyed experiencing something wild and special on my mat and then go outside to walk to work and be tense and grumbly about the ice on the sidewalks, the snow in the forecast, and the limits I experience in my daily life. I know there will be some going backwards, but I will strive to take this experience to shift to a more optimal place in my practice on and off the mat.
I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you Betsey for speaking and reaching out (from Florida) on the importance of voting as part of our yoga practice.
Dear Friends,
Recent newsletters I have received from well-known yoga teachers, in addition to sharing their wonderful offerings and teachings about yoga, have included references to the Gulf Oil Spill, the on-going economic crisis, and the humanitarian tragedies in Chili and Haiti and elsewhere. The information is presented as showing what yoga can do to help us better serve those in need, seek change in ourselves and the world around us, and find our own light in the face of things we cannot change, but these teachers are no longer keeping quiet about the presence of serious turmoil and tragedy.
As one who has been outspoken (perhaps too much so) about such issues in the context of yoga, as those of you who follow my blog know, it seems that it is no longer possible to be silent. We are all familiar with adages, “silence is golden” and “silence speaks louder than words.” We are also invited, as yogis, to observe the four gates of speech to the best of our ability, on and off the mat: (1) is it truthful? (2) is it necessary? (3) is it the right time? and (4) is it said in a kind manner? These gates are important for evaluating individual utterances.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking about turning the “four gates” on their head, turning them upside-down in the tantric tradition, and asking how they apply to silence. When we are silent on an issue, on something that moves us, on something in a relationship that is important to us, are we being true to ourselves to be silent? Are we being honest by saying nothing (for saying nothing is, indeed, saying something)? Is staying silent timely or is it truly timely to speak up (using the four gates as guidance on how to speak up?); is being silent kind–we’ve all done it ourselves or experienced cold or hostile silences?
For me, more than ever, it is no longer the time to be silent. We must speak for the light, for action, for aligning better with nature, for deepening community, for enhancing the subtle energies that will help us heal and grow and shift society. As long as we are not practicing true “renunciate” yoga–giving up family, friends, shelter, and creature comforts, but instead are practicing the yoga of those still engaged in “regular” life, then we need to become more and more sensitive to how we can joyously affirm life, but passionately engage in seeking change that makes the light more available to all, while still going about our daily business. This is a razor’s edge balance. It can be so difficult to live consistently with our ideals, to speak and act in truth and kindness for ourselves and others the ideal all of the time. Our yoga invites us to cultivate and celebrate our strengths, to affirm ourselves and then to expand. Expansion can be intensely challenging and sometimes as much painful as exhilerating, but I think it is worth it.
This summer, in classes, I will be inviting all to join me in the questions I am exploring for myself: what is my intention? How can manifesting my intention make life sweeter for myself and those around me?
Join me for both class offerings and a special workshop up at Willow Street. William Penn House classes continue with special pricing for public interest workers, students, seniors, and those with other challenges. A portion of the proceeds from every student goes to support William Penn House’s work.
At Willow Street, the Saturday morning class has changed: it is now a “Fusion Flow” from 8:45-10. What’s the difference between the flow class and Level 2? We’ve already been doing a slow flow, but there will be fewer breaks, and more time for silence (a timely, nurturing silence), for students to get into their own groove to work towards manifesting their intention. We will have music most times to bring in a stronger sense of the dance, but I will continue, as always, to emphasize healthy alignment for the class as a whole and be responsive to questions. Gentle/Therapeutics is at noon as usual. There’s a free class weekend up at Willow Street where I will be teaching both types of classes on July 17th in the Takoma Park studio and Gentle/Therapeutics in the Silver Spring Studio on Sunday July 18th. The summer session starts on July 24th. Those who sign up for a class and a workshop simultaneously, get a $20 discount. For more information or to register on-line, please visit www.willowstreetyoga.com.
Want a siesta-like retreat from the heat? Ready for some relaxation and self-nurture? Treat yourself to two blissful hours of restorative yoga poses for a sweet afternoon retreat without all the travel! All levels welcome at the: Summertime Restorative Extravaganza, Saturday, July 31, 2010, 2:30pm-4:30pm, Willow Street Yoga Center, Takoma Park. $35.
As always, feel free to email me with questions or comments or join me on the blog: www.rosegardenyoga.com. Just FYI, we’ve fixed the issues with subscribing to the blog. If you haven’t already, just hit subscribe on the home page, follow the instructions, and then get an email in your inbox the day after I’ve posted a new blog entry.
Hope you are all having a great start to your summer and look forward to seeing you soon.
Peace and light,
Elizabeth
