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Breathe Deep and Do Not Gather Gloom

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.-Thich Nhat Hanh

As I mentioned on Friday, slow, deep exhalations have been the focus during all of my classes this week. The instructions were quite simple but not everyone found them easy to do. When I said, "Take a deep breath", some people inspired deep and filled their lungs to capacity within two or three seconds. Others took a deep, short inhaling breath followed by a forceful, quick exhaling breath.

In an effort to illustrate what I consider to be a deep breath, I put my hands together (left hand-palm down, right hand-palm up) and held them out in front of me with my elbows out to the side. When I inhaled, I let my hands separate in sync with my breath and brought them together as I exhaled, slowly. My breaths were not as long as those demonstrated by B.K.S. Iyengar (You Tube, 02:41), not even close, yet many felt them to be much longer than their full breaths.

During the course of a restorative class, folks were able to experience deep breathing with their chests expanded, as well as while bending forward with their foreheads resting on a solid surface. Postures were modified for each of my classes. In Tuesday's Mother Sequence class, we practically doubled the length of the sequence by paying such close attention to lengthening our breaths. In all other classes, I asked them to hold the restorative poses for 24 breaths. As the not-so-innocent-bystander, the results to me were well, breath-taking!

I am blessed with the most receptive, trusting and honest group of yoga students. Each person was responsible for the length of time they spent in each pose and they of course knew, that the winner was not the first one to finish. Also, the last one up was often the one who fell asleep!

What we did receive was greater insight into our abilities to focus, breathe deep and relax. We could all use more practice. The "three soft oms" at the end of class were definitely much longer and we spent 90 minutes doing something positive about our air quality. No one ranted about the vog, they were just focused on 24 slow breaths with exhalations that reminded them....to relax.

Photo:zoethustra

The Eyes Have Had It!

Scratchy eyes and compromised lungs are some of the health issues people have been dealing with due to the increase in volcanic activity of the Big Island. The County of Hawaii has issued some suggestions for dealing with the excessive sulfur dioxide and ash in the air at their news site.

In my restorative yoga classes this week, we've been focusing on long, deep exhalations with the intent of fully expelling any toxic, metabolic wastes from the lungs. We have yet to scientifically document the effects, but folks report feeling much more rested and focused. So, exhale long and deep and spend more time in restorative poses and/or activities. This too, shall pass.

Photo:BadBoy69

Looking Past Illusions

I learned what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered.
-Nicholas Sparks

In the spirit of Easter, we introduced ourselves in Saturday's class with our first names and a description of something that we would like to revive, re-experience or renew. Mentioned, were things like reviving cancelled movie sitcoms, re-experiencing home-cooked dinners on the beach, eating healthy and getting back to creative pursuits. Simple actions and processes, nothing big or fancy.

Doesn't it seem as though we look at the future and dream big and wide, yet look back for the small, bright spots? I think it's because we just want to feel good, and that projected or recalled emotion can only take place in the present. Children seem to do it best, reveling in the simple joys of the present. Their attention spans are short for all things mundane and waiting is not a game they enjoy.

In order to experience the joys of our past and the hopeful happiness of the future, we have to hold those intentions in the present. All of our power is in the present . So in class, we moved through yoga postures while counting our breaths. We chose the movements we felt were necessary, before enacting them. While it may sound serious and somber, there was actually a lot of giggling and gaiety. There are so many illusions to look past when you're trying to focus.

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Just for fun, try this Awareness Test (You Tube, 01:08).

How to Raise a Happy Child, by the Baby Center.

Happy Childhood Memories Breath Spray, $4.99.

Photo of Adario and Hayden at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory: Geno Ortiz.

...and Baby Makes Three

Danielle won't be in class today, now we're certain. She gave birth to Ayden Danger Deshotel this past Tuesday, March 18, at 4:24pm. Ayden weighed 8.2 pounds and stretched out to a full 21 inches!

Congratulations, Dani and Ben. This will put a smile on the faces of those still doing their wall squats! :D

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Make a List of Your Best Friends.

We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.-- Samuel Johnson

In the wee small hours of the morning, make a list of your best friends. As I have come to learn, this is a list that does not have to be limited to just a select few. I have friends of all ages and interests, they are male and female. They are omnivores, vegetarians, vegans and fast foodies. They surf, do yoga and play poker. They are financially independent and economically challenged. They love rap, jazz, country, heavy metal, or not. I have known some for over f-f-f-f-f-f-f-forty years, some for less than a year. They vary in opinions political, but all treat me with love and respect. Why else would I want to be with them?

After spending the weekend with old friends and new, I realize that my circle of friends has grown, consistent with the growth of my own self-love and acceptance.

If I rented a ballroom at a hotel and asked all of my loved ones to show up, I think they would eventually coagulate into circles of familiarity. A few would infect other circles, most would not.

What this weekend, filled with long standing friendships has shown me, is that I am the common denominator of my friends. When, and if, the circles intersect, they share commonality. If the circles do not intersect, they still remain individually whole and unique. We choose our friends, irrespective of our friends' choices of friends.

"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", Sting and Chris Botti (You Tube, 04:47)

A User's Guide to Fabulous Friendships

Take an Inventory of Your Friends

Photo: Earl O'Neill

The Greatest Act of Optimism.

Teaching is the greatest act of optimism. - Colleen Wilcox

This, is Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, demonstrated by Jehangir Palkhivala as it graces the brochures for his up-coming April 25-27 workshop at Kona Yoga.

The folks in today's Gentle/Stretch class got a quick-peek-preview of this photo when they held this pose after Bhujangasana. They could truly appreciate the strength that's required in their wrists, arms and legs, as well as the need to cultivate a flexible spine, after seeing this.

I was moved to spend some time on the two poses after reading a New York Times article about the simple push-up being a measure of fitness. A Dr. Miller is quoted as saying, “What so many people really need to do is develop enough strength so they can break a fall safely without hitting their head on the ground. If you can’t do a single push-up, it’s going to be difficult to resist that kind of loading on your wrists in a fall.”

I'll leave the boot camp "drop and give me 30" orders to someone else though. Wrist issues aside, I'm confident that most of these Gentle Stretchers are strong enough to break their falls. We'll keep working on the whole body so we'll have enough balance and not fall to the ground in the first place! :)

If you'd like to print out your own copy of the workshop brochure, download it here.

What the Teacher is...

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.  ~Karl Menninger
 

I'm putting the final touches on the flyers for Jehangir Palkhivala's workshop next month. Through the courtesy of his brother Aadil, I have two beautiful photos to incorporate. I cropped a square section to preview only Jehangir's hands on the front cover of the brochure. When you open the tri-fold paper, he is shown in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

In hopes of offering a bit of insight into Jehangir's teaching style, I came across an article and have decided to use excerpts for the brochure:

A traditional bonesetter named Madhivala had predicted to Jehangir Palkhivala’s mother, when she was carrying him, that her child would grow up to be a doctor. His words were prophetic. Though Jehangir never studied medicine, today he heals not just physical ailments, but effects transformations through yoga. He calls it “lifestyle modification without much effort”.

“Right from a young age I had a feeling that I’d like to help people. Even today I can’t resist that urge,” says Jehangir who learnt yoga from B.K.S. Iyengar since the age of seven.

“My teaching became such that I started relating it to practical life. At class we would address specific problems, anger, for instance, with the idea of practising on it at home. Thus when you leave class, it is not the end but the beginning of yoga.” (1)

This is the schedule that our workshop will follow:

• Friday, April 25: A Talk from 6-8pm
• Saturday, April 26: 10am - 4pm
• Sunday, April 27: 9am - 1pm

The cost of the full workshop is $225 if you register by April 5. Thereafter the cost will be $250.00.

Tomorrow: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, the full pose.

(1) Read the article in its entirety. Spiritual Lifestyles: Jehangir and Rashmi Palkhivala. LifePositive.com

An Infinite Expectation of the Dawn

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn. -Henry David Thoreau

Danielle Ramsey's baby is due and as I was adding a photo of her to my blog, I thought about the power of expectation. Aside from a burgeoning belly, every woman in my Prenatal Yoga classes keeps a constant focus on her due date and the birth of her child. It even serves as a name tag and conversation starter: "I'm due in October", "When are you due?", "I'm not due until August", etc.

They may have some physical complaints, it's true, but they don't identify with them. Low back pain, nausea and sleep deprivation are just part of the trip. These women come to class expecting a happy ending within a matter of months and that's what they get.

What are the implications here for us non-gestating human beings? What if we chose to create something within the next nine months, could we hold on to our excitement and anticipation during all that time? What would we have to do in order for our creation/project to rapidly grow and evolve on a daily basis? We would have to expect it to happen, and therein lies the challenge.

The reproduction of another human being is something so miraculous yet we don't doubt that it will happen. But move an adult human being from point A to point B? Learn to speak another language? Change jobs? Lose 20 pounds? Clean out the garage? Do a headstand? Oh, that might not ever happen.

I feel so privileged to witness this march of strong women with joyous expectations file past me, month in and month out. There's something from that magical parade that needs to be extracted, bottled and injected into the rest of the human race. Expect it.

Photo: Waimanu Sunrise by konaboy

Another Birth is Due

Danielle Ramsey is next in line to give birth. Yesterday she did a gentle Purvottanasana to stretch out her shoulders and chest and bring some relief to her low back.

I'm going to miss her bright and optimistic energy in class. She sat by Kater's side when Kater was due and along with Dana, welcomed Amy to class yesterday. There's a constant progression of women in the Prenatal classes and I have learned to embrace and release with a little more grace.

In Dani's words:

Well my baby boy is due tomorrow! Yesterday was my last day of prenatal yoga..hopefully. Not because I don't love it, but because I want to have given birth by next Friday at the latest!

Sometimes I think that pregnancy gets miserable at the end so that we actually WISH for the pain of labor, just because it means we get to finally meet our little creation face to face! Yoga has been very beneficial to me during pregnancy. I was about 6 months along when I started going to class. I believe it has helped my body place the weight gain more evenly on my body. I feel the benefit of stretching and making more room for my baby.

I love learning new poses that stretch out new areas I never think to stretch. I love the "women's circle" we create in class, just being around other pregnant women and Barbara who is so open to learn from us, about the new things that have come about since she had a baby. I will miss this class! Good thing there is baby yoga to look forward to!

Happy Birth Day, Dani!

"Cooking" for Me, Myself and I

When I am organized and have a refrigerator stocked with local fruits and veggies (70% of the time and getting better), this is how I assemble my breakfast/lunch. I take some local, organic lettuce greens, 2 oranges, 2 frozen bananas and a quarter-sized piece of ginger. I add some acai concentrate, Hawaiian Spirulina and Agave syrup or local honey.

 

I turn my Vita-Mix to the "variable" speed and slowly increase it to high and within less than a minute, I've taken the colorful blend to a single shade of "furple".

  You won't taste the lettuce or spirulina because of the sweetness of the fruits. This whole concoction sustains me through the day, it varies slightly with the fruits that I'm given or find at the local supermarket.  All of the fiber and goodness remains in the smoothie. It's no wonder that I'm in love with my Vita-Mix, a blender with 4 wheel drive!