Author: Elizabeth

  • Savasana

    ByElizabeth

    Savasana–pose of the corpse, the pose of final relaxation, the pose without which no practice is fully complete– is both a very simple pose and one that is rather advanced.

    Sometimes when I teach beginners I ask them what was the first Sanskrit word they learned. Usually they guess the word is “yoga.” The first Sanskrit pose name they get, though, and it doesn’t take more than a couple of classes is savasana. For most beginning the practice of yoga, the permission to stretch out on the back after an hour or more of new ways of engaging body, mind, and spirit is welcome indeed. This is particularly true for those who are overly busy and chronically sleep-deprived as are so many people I know.

    What teachers often miss about savasana is that it can be very hard for some students. Injuries (chronic or episodic), tightness, or habitual misalignment (or expectations of how lying down should feel) make it challenging to be in the pose. The default can be to put supports under the knees or head without taking the time to recognize that it may be necessary to focus on and adjust the alignment before relaxing to see if ease can be found without props.

    Other practitioners find it agitating to be asked to lie still for 5-10 minutes, because they are so used to being active all the time. Even if they can make their bodies still, their minds race around, and the idea of final relaxation seems anathema.

    At the beginning,
    savasana can be just stopping movement and enjoying letting go and relaxing.

    But the pose is something much deeper than relaxing after a good workout. The pose of the corpse is not about being unmoving like a dead body, but about ceasing consciously acting and surrendering to the elemental vibration of universal being so that the inner fullness becomes indistinguishable from that which infuses all of the matter of the universe. As one gets more advanced, the alignment in the pose evidently becomes one of inner fullness and luminousity supporting the draping of the physical body. We practice going to earth and light, dissolving the constant awareness of our individuality.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Found Exhortation?

    ByElizabeth

    Honor your ancestors–both of blood and of teaching lineage (parampara). Yes, it is a critical element of the yoga practice, regardless of whether one practices in the guru tradition (I do not–more on that in coming weeks, I think).

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Too Busy Gardening

    ByElizabeth

    To write about gardening. I spent most of the weekend in the garden and there is still more to be done to get ready for the fullest experience of summer. I did get to the Sunday contact improv jam for a while (these azaleas are in the church yard outside of where we dance). Now I am off to an evening meeting–yearning to get back into the garden, but intending to enjoy connecting with my community.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Unexpected Treat

    ByElizabeth

    As I was leaving my massage therapists house, his wife said, “it’s open,” walk up 15th Street and check it out.” I turned from my usual track and headed up 15th Street Between C and D Streets, SE, a young guy was standing in a freshly painted doorway calling out to see if anyone wanted free samples. Having already been given a thumbs up, I stopped and joined two others who were enjoying the offer.

    I was handed a freshly baked Philadelphia style pretzel and a squeeze container of mustard. The pretzel had been baked within the half hour, there was just the right amount of salt, and it was definitely a treat after a Saturday afternoon massage.

    “It’s a simple concept–just the pretzels, and I am still working out hours and prices. Have to work around having a two-year old at home.”

    The neighbors, who definitely were enjoying their pretzels and the neighborhood setting, said they would be happy to be in a picture for my blog.

    The pretzels will certainly appeal after the Little League games across the street, but it’s a treat for those in post massage bliss and people taking a casual walk around the neighborhood, too.

    I am happy to support this new venture. What changes and integrates our neighborhood includes the willingness to open a small business off the beaten track (340 15th St., SE) that will appeal to a broad section of the community.

    To find out information on prices (he does special orders for parties) and hours of operation, check out “The Pretzel Bakery”s Facebook page.

     

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    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Nectar of Immortality?

    ByElizabeth

    Whenever I notice this graffiti–ubiquitously sprayed along sections of the Metro’s red line–I wonder if it is meant to refer to the ancient Indian texts, to invoke longings for soma, the nectar of the gods. Even if the intent of the artist was something much more prosaic, I am led to think of the soma about which I have read, and use seeing the word as a spur to invoke the sweetness of practice on my mundane travels.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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    Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?

    ByElizabeth

    For me, an important part of living yoga off the mat is knowing how I fit into the flow of energies (and money is a big flow of energy and power) in community and what I do to try and shift things where and when I can.  One big step in being empowered is not to accept powerlessness, but to act even if yours is only one small voice.

    Click here to see the analysis prepared by the  Friends Committee on National Legislation to show where your tax dollars go, along with some suggestions for individual action.  Participating (at a minimum by being educated about the issues, registering to vote, and actually voting) is important for all of us.

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    Blue on Blue

    ByElizabeth

    A friend and neighbor when dividing her garden for better growth gave me these bulbs several years ago. They have bloomed every subsequent spring, bringing a shot of color and beauty to a spot that technically is not mine, but is on the edge of the woefully neglected yard of my next door neighbor.

    As I walk around the neighborhood admiring one bloom after another in this exuberant season I think about how much the front gardens are not just for ourselves, but an offering for each other–friends and passers-by alike. Sharing the beauty is such a wonderful way to connect.

    Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.