Props and Tools

Today is day 7 of the Chopra meditation challange. I am very lucky to have gleaned some small shiny pebbles of insight into my practice during the past week. I found that just as yoga props are so helpful, so too are "meditation props". When I meditate, there are two props that help heighten my experience: earplugs, and a fan. The earplugs are not to drown out noise. I use them because I found that when I do, it makes my breath so much louder in my head, making it much easier to stay focused on my breath while reaching for stillness. I can easily hear each breath resonnate inside my entire head. Its really great, its like listening to silence. And the fan, its not for temperature control. I use the fan on the lowest speed, just a breeze gently grazing my skin. This creates a nice technique for bringing myself back to the moment when I catch myself daydreaming. I focus on the feeling of the breeze on my skin, and it brings me right back to the moment. These two props, or tools, take me into my practice rather than me just going through the motions. Its deeply touching to experience an opening in meditation, just as with yoga. For me, I glimpse stillness between the breaths, and I can feel my mind lift like it was filled with helium. It gives me that feeling I had as a kid when I first rode my bike with no hands, and I think, "wow, I'm doing it!"

21 Days of Bliss!

I am very happy to say that yesterday I started the Chopra Center 21 day summer meditation challange! I tried the same challange in the spring, but a glitch with my computer prevented me from completeling that round, so I am very happy to give it another go. This time I have my trusty Nook to get me through so I'm not anticipating any problems. The challenge consists of an email sent to you everyday for 21 days that has a link to a wonderful guided meditation session. Each session is progressive, ands builds off the insights from the previuos day. It is a wonderful retreat for the mind. The summer challeng is timed purfectly with my renewed investment in my yoga practice. My blog titlr, Yoga Me! is a play off the "super size me!" experiment. The ironic thing is that although my yoga practice will not transform me to a glowing with health yoga master in 30 days, it has become very clear to me that the benefits of yoga are clearly sseen and felt in less than 30 days. Let me assure you, at no point can I wedge my feet behind my ears, or anything extreme, but what I do notice are little things, like reaching top shelves with ease, and incredibly new flexibility I've never had. For a woman of 50, who has been obese and out of shape since childhood, thats just as miraculous !

Looking for openings

I'm still amazed everytime I feel a pose actually "open up". The key is the alignment. Such as, with downward dog, as soon as I used the tip that you should not be able to see your heels, I suddeny felt my entire back settle into the position. That feeling is just amazing! Tips like that that make a difference in the pose, make you appreciate a good teacher. I am very greatfull for everythimg I haave learned so far an will learn down the path.

If not me, who; if not now, when?

Words cant describe how deeply moving my experience has been so far. I have had the fortune of some significant "aha" moments that will be permanent milestones in my path. After several months of struggling with commitment and stamina, I have landed on a rather reliable practice for health and vitality. And, as my heart dared hope, I am getting toned and loosing weight as a perk. My first piece of truth from regular yoga practice is that positioning and alingment are key. That feature takes particular attention when you are a large size body. Childs pose, for example, requires that I spread my knees just enough to allow extra room for my mid section if I am to get my forehead near the floor. The actual pose is with knees together though, so I have to focus on my positioning to make sure the therapeutic effect is still in place. I have found whiffs of clarity ring through my mind with consistant meditation practice. I understand absolute stillness for the first time in 50 years. I am convinced this attempt at 'pursuing the path' is supported by an underlying calm clearly absent during previous forays down the path. Some of my "instant karma" tools include, "see you in the gap"- a phrase I gained during the Chopra 21 day meditation challange; and the satisfying experience of feeling actual streangth develop in some of my major muscle groups as the more challenging yoga poses prompt my shaking muscles to "request energy". I look forward to the path with excitement and gratitude for every new illumination. For now, I am amazed by some recent enlightenment into the part we all play in the universe, and the part the universe plays in us. I am the path, and the time is now.

One Step Forward, One Step Back

My "spring cleaning" is going well so far.  My day is filled with 12 grain bread, almonds, brown rice, fresh veggies and salads, garbanzo beans and yams.  I feel much better with the increase in fiber and natural foods.  I don't feel as heavy or weighed down.  I have been having trouble sleeping though, not because of diet changes, but more so because of schedule changes due to some issues in the family.  For some reason I am such a creature of habit.  My body truly needs a set and consistant sleep schedule or else I'm all off kilter.  Idealy, I should be in bed between 9:30 and 10:00 pm, and I wake with no alarm between 6:00 and 6:30, feeling refresehd.  But extra demands on my time with a family member in the hospital has put a kink in my schedule, and becasue I am so sensitive to changes like that, it causes a problem with my sleep schedule.  So, the end result, I wake feeling tired, and use that as an excuse to skip my morning yoga.  Well, they say recognizing the problem is half the solution.  We'll see.  I'm hoping to get things on track again this weekend.  And for now - I'm loving the high fiber diet!  But havn't had the nerve yet to figure out what my caloric intake has looked like.  But, judging from my 3 pound weight loss this week (even without exercise) it may not be as bad as it seems. 

Spring Cleaning - From the Inside Out !

Spring cleaning around the house always gives me such a good feeling - a calm takes over -a feeling like everthing is in control.  With my lifetime of poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and frantic mental energy that I often whirl around in, I am sure my cellular structure and internal organs are a storehouse of toxic sludge.  This spring with my homes spring cleaning out of the way, I want to focus on giving my body and internal organs a good cleanse as well.  There are some very good, and non-invasive ways to flush out some of the cellular sludge that is murking up my system.  I'm not talking about something as dramatic as a "high colonic", or anything that requires a medical ok before proceding.  Just some good old common sense, and putting an emphasis on good food and herbs that have natural cleansing properties.  Many cleansing and detoxifying diets include fasting.  I'm not a fan of fasting, and for people with weight issues, especially those with blood sugar issues - fasting should be done with skilled supervision.  I'm not loking for anything that intense.  I just want to introduce some natural cleansing foods that can help flush and remove old residues and toxins. 

 

• Old mucus and phlem are breding grounds for germs and bacteria.  Large doses of vitamin C helps to thin mucus, and promote respiratory cleansing.  While trying to clean out respiratory build up, cut out dairy products that increase mucus - like milk, yogurt, cheese, etc.
• Fresh, raw foods, like nuts and raw vegitables actually help to naturally cleanse the colon.  I love nuts, and raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and radishes.  These products have the needed fiber to help clean out the colon, and the nutritional enzymes for cellular cleansing.   Just a caution to watch for gas associated with a sudden increase in foods so high in fiber.   
• Tea - tea is such a natural cleanser and antioxidant.  For something a little more exotic - ginger tea helps to clean out gummy residue in the digestive track. 
• Good old fashioned sweat!  Lots of high arobic exercise - combined with drinking lots of water will naturally flush your adreanal and galndular system.  The easiest way to do this is with walking, bike ridding or other activity your enjoy - the key is to do it to the point of breaking a sweat - for the naturally flushing system to work - literally pushing all the old junk out of your pores. 
• Once you have fiber flushed the colon (which will free up space to move out all the junk higher up), flush with C, lots of water, and some solid sweat sessions, then if your really into the "total glow" round it all off with a ginger bath to give a final external cleansing for the skin and pores.  

It's all easier said then done - but a good cleansing effort is my hope and desire for the upcoming season!  Wish me luck!

Yoga, Health, and Weight Management

Combining yoga with a weight loss plan certainly has the obvious benefits of stretching, toning, strengthening, balance, and burning calories, but the greatest benefit yoga provides to weight loss goes far beyond these obvious physical elements.  One of the focuses of yoga practice is to integrate the mind, or conscious thought, with the body or physical being.  This mind-body integration is reached by focusing on breathing technique during yoga poses, and by recognizing physical changes as body parts “open up” during twists and stretches.  These elements of yoga create a communication path between the mind and the body.  Building this mind-body communication is key to successful weight loss.  

For some with chronic weight issues it’s common to find a gap, or disconnect, between the mind and body; gaps or loss of awareness and insight betweenour thoughts, choices, reactions, and actions.  Even for those who are self-conscious or overly sensitive about their weight, there's still a lack of awareness into their bodies and feelings.  This limited awareness is seen in some people as a distorted mental image of their bodies, and they are surprised when they catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror to find they look larger than they imagined.  The same limited awareness between our physical self, and our thoughts and actions is seen in the hectic or frantic style that often accompanies “emotional eating” and binge eating.  With a mind-body disconnect such as this, we are vulnerable to eat poorly, neglect exercise, ignore pain and discomfort, and slip into a general state of disrespect for our body. 

We are all equipped with efficient body signals that tell us when we are full, satisfied, cold, or tired, etc.  With a mind-body disconnect those body signals are missed, and an imbalance occurs.  Yoga helps to right that imbalance, by opening our awareness up to body signals, leading to weight loss and general improved health.  The mind-body disconnect problem is not limited to those who are overweight.  Traditional medicine has long neglected the relationship between the mind and the body, and patients are often treated as “a body without a head.”  Medical science has a long way to go before it fully understands the influence of the mind over physical well being.  This fact in part explains the lack of success by traditional medicine in treating and preventing overweight and obesity. 

The beauty of yoga practice is that it forms a relationship between the physical body and the conscious or subconscious self.  Developing or strengthening this relationship is a big advantage for those trying to loose weight.  By being in tune with our body we become more aware of not only what we eat, but also why we eat, and how we eat. 

The thoughtful breathing and planed movements of yoga teaches our mind how to gain a calm control over our choices, actions and reactions, and is a powerful tool for someone on any weight loss plan.  By building a relationship between our mind and body through yoga practice, we gain the skill of listening to our body, and allowing our body’s natural inclination toward balance and health to bloom.