Let It Flow

Frozen Water: Seen under a microscope while Yesterday by the Beatles was playing.

Let It Flow

One Snowflake at a Time

Perhaps you’ve heard of a movie by the name of “Frozen.”  It’s just another small cartoon Disney produced last year.  My little llama quickly became fond of the movie, and its story of the love between two sisters.  For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, beware of a spoiler alert – Elsa casts a freezing spell on her sister, Anna, but the magic is broken when Anna gives her life to save her sister’s.

This “Frozen” story reminded me of a research project I heard about many years ago.  Dr. MasaruEmoto was a doctor of alternative medicine that became interested in make-up of water.  Water.  For you and me, it’s simply something we don’t even think much about.  We drink it.  We use it for cooking.  We bathe in it.  But how much thought do you give to water?

Emoto studied the differences between bodies of water and found that the frozen crystal form of water showed its true nature.  He then added other elements like music and words to the water as he froze them.  He then took microscopic pictures of the frozen water drops.  It is amazing to think a Beatles song can change the composition of a drop of water.  But it does! 

So, now back to us.  Our bodies are made up of 60% water.  In any given day, we are exposed to different conversations, thoughts and emotions.  We even listen to various music and television shows.  Emoto found that calming, loving sounds created some of the most beautiful snowflakes while loud sounds left a distorted water drop.

If you were to look under a microscope of your own water make-up, what would you see?  Surround yourself with positive influences and feel the beauty within.

Surrender to the Season

Surrender to the Season

Mindful Sleeping

“This is the season of dropping the old and surrendering to what is.  From the trees, we learn how to let go during the season, how to surrender.  Trees are not attached to any leaf.  …they give their luxurious leaves to Mother Earth and go within deep meditation. “ ~ Vasant Lad

As we say good-bye to the end of autumn and welcome the chilly breezes of winter, we, too, must prepare ourselves for the upcoming holiday season.

RELEASE: Ask yourself, “What am I still holding onto this year?”  Are you still wondering why you didn’t get a raise, or why your friend hasn’t apologized?  It doesn’t matter.  It was in the past, and we have to learn to let it go.  Holding onto emotions such as guilt, anger and fear will manifest in our system as future disease and conflict.

REFLECT: Just as Mother Nature takes a long nap during winter, it’s also a great time for us to go deep within our self.  Dedicate 5 minutes (or more if you have time) to a meditation practice such as SoHum.  After a week of practice, allow the silence to speak to you.  What makes you happy? What are you grateful to have in your life?  How can you channel these people and experiences to affect your overall perspective of life?

Surrendering to fall and our life as it is brings about new opportunities we might have missed.  Take a deep breath, and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with your neurotic, yet loving family.  Indulge in the happiness of spending time together.

Asking for Help

Asking for Help

Taking a Hand

A friend asks if you can watch her kids for an hour while she attends an appointment.  Another asks if you can spare a few minutes to listen to his latest dilemma.  And when family calls, you immediately drop everything to assist.  We love to help.  We feel great when we become someone’s hero.  So, why do we resist letting them help us?

Perhaps it’s my Southern upbringing, but I have a hard time asking for help.  I would gladly give the shirt off my back to help someone else, but asking her to pick up dinner because I’m sick is out of the question.  I brought this topic up to another Southern friend of mine (who’s sweet as pie and guilty of not asking for help too.)  Ultimately, our hesitation to ask for help boiled down to thinking it’s an inconvenience to bother anyone else with our needs. 

Now that I have two young children, I’ve had to relearn how to ask for help.  Asking for assistance isn’t a burden to someone else.  She likely loves the fact that you even thought of her to help.  This is a new way of thinking for me, and I have to remember how happy I feel to help and now someone can do that for me.

This month I’ve asked Laura Martin to substitute my classes while I spend some time bonding with the newest llama.  She willingly jumped to the opportunity to lend a helping hand.  Along with Laura, I’ve armed myself with a team of friends and family that can assist me during this change in my life.

I urge you to do the same.  Pick up the phone.  Call and ask for help next time.

What's Your Sign?

What’s Your Sign?

Being Observant

All around us the universe is sending us messages.  Perhaps the slow car in the fast lane is a reminder to take a few deep breaths or the teens laughing on the sidewalk cue us to take life lightly.

But far too often, we are too busy to even notice these signs.  We get up.  We dress and feed our family.  And after we get ourselves together, we remember to feed the dog, and now we’re likely late getting out the door.  So, with all of this chaos going on in the first few hours of our day, how on earth are we supposed to “smell the roses?”

Practicing yoga and meditation teaches us to bring our mind, breath and body in unity.  When all three are working together, we can begin to sift through all the noise and see those signs Mother Nature is practically throwing at us.

Until my own yoga practice became more regular, I never spotted these signs either.  The universe could have been sending me the latest lottery numbers, and I wouldn’t have noticed.

How can you become more observant?  Download a copy of any yoga sequence found on Limber Llama Yoga.  Move through the sequence slowly allowing your breath to be even and slow.  Notice if any poses cause your breath to be shallow and tense. 

Once you have your breath and movement in synch, turn to your mind.  What are you thinking about?  The weather, dinner, tomorrow’s schedule?  Accept that these thoughts will come up, and turn your thoughts to your muscles, bones and breath.  How do your hips feel in Warrior 2?  Describe it to yourself. 

Soon, all three – the body, breath and mind – will synch.  And with practice, it becomes easier to unite these off the mat and in the real world.

Cool Breezes

Cool Breezes

Chilling with your Breath

Have you noticed that maybe you are a little more irritable during the summer? July’s heat can fuel frustration and aggravation.  When the body temperature rises, our tempers sometimes follow.

A committed yoga practice can help bring awareness when these internal temperatures start to rise, as well as providing much needed cool breezes to our souls.  Surprisingly for many novice yogis, this practice begins with controlling our breath or pranayama.  “If the breath is chaotic the mind, emotions and thoughts are chaotic.  When the breath is controlled, still and steady, so is the mind” (Rolf Gates)

Two cooling pranayama techniques to try are sitali and sitkari.  Sitali translate to soothing or cool in Sanskrit.  Think of these styles as your own air conditioning unit!  Practicing sitali (or sitkari) calms the fight or flight response.  It cools the mind, body and spirit as well as blood pressure.  It has a calming effect to the entire nervous system.

Check out Yoga International’s detailed instructions on how to practice both sitali and sitkari.  Simply practicing these breathing techniques for 2-5 minutes a day can make a difference.  Take a breath today for a calmer, gentler you.