Śraddhā: Taking a Leap of Faith

This blog discusses the concept of faith in the teachings of yoga as a fundamental principle to develop in living an inspired life.

In last week’s blog, I discussed the Art of Slow Living as relayed to me through the turtles. One of the key ingredients in creating a life that serves you is the development of Śraddhā (Shruh-duh) translated as faith/confidence. As a veteran yoga teacher and now, therapist, many years ago, I developed an understanding of my body in postures and how to align so I received the benefit of the postures. I developed an intimate relationship with my breath and increased my ability to pay attention. But to let go of control and develop confidence that things will unfold in a way that they are meant to happen…now that’s a practice! You could say, “Take a leap of faith.”

Questioning your journey in this life, is a good thing. This shows your ability to reflect and navigate based on what you think will give you the greatest outcome. But sometimes, this may mean navigating in the dark or doing what’s unpopular and goes against “group think”. Do we choose the path that supports us or the one that is popular? The beautiful teachings of yoga involve learning to listen. How do we listen? By learning to practice stillness.

Traditionally, the postures were used to focus the breath, the breath techniques (pranayama) were in service to preparing the mind, and meditation was at the heart of the yoga practice. Here is where the depth of yoga takes place according to the ancients. This is where seeds of faith and confidence can take root. This is the place of true integration.

As a “recovering perfectionist” (lol), I use my yoga practice to cultivate the idea of Śraddhā. Sanskrit speaks to me, so I use this word, but you could say faith or confidence. I use the word mentally within breath-centric movement as well as meditation. Powerful stuff! My teacher, Gary Kraftsow of American Viniyoga Institute teaches that his teacher, T.K.V. Desikachar said, “If you have faith, you have no problems. If you have problems, you have no faith.” Words to ponder for sure!

The road of mindfulness is the path less taken, but in my opinion, one that is worthy of your time and energy. Let’s live our lives, my friends, as fully as possible!

I am reminded of the poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” and the last few lines:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

The Art of Slow Living: Messages from the turtles

We are now in the beginning of our 3rd month of shelter in place. This blog talks about my perspective shifts in accepting “what is” during this time of redefining ourselves and way to move about in the world.

“Shelter-in-place” is a new term that has been created during this time of COVID-19. I am making a point of not staying indoors now and have been getting up and walking at Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake) every morning for the past couple of weeks as a way to start my day with movement in nature. This week, a group of turtles sunning themselves came into my field of attention. Often, I look to nature for answers and perspective shifts. The turtles did not disappoint.

Yoga is a philosophy, what is known as darshana. Darshana refers to that which holds up the mirror, so you can see clearly. Yoga practice over time helps develop a greater awareness of living with ease , compassion, and vitality as well as having a body that moves with more fluidity and strength. And yet, how many of us still try to use force as a key ingredient in navigating our day to day activities? I can say that yes, I still need lessons from the turtles. Here’s their messages:

1. SLOW DOWN: Slow down more. We can’t control what is happening right now in our universe. Why is life a “check off” list? Why isn’t life more about creating joy, connection, and self-care? The turtles seem to know how to cluster together and sun themselves. It’s their self-care ritual to survive.

2. They are the ultimate “Shelter-in-place” experts. Turtles carry their home with them wherever they go. Wow! That’s powerful! A great reminder that “Home” is wherever you are at ease and loved. True HOME is our “internal” environment, not just a place you clean externally.

3. Remember: the Tortoise crossed the finish line ahead of the Hare in the old fable by Aesop. While that rabbit had a clear advantage in winning, it was the steadiness and stability of the turtle that went the distance. Right!

I am thankful for the perspective shifts and I hope they are helpful for you. Daily yoga practice helps me to listen deeply, so that when something like a turtle comes along into my field of attention, I can hear the messages.

The Journey of 1,000 hours Begins with 1 Breath

This blog looks at my process of becoming a certified Yoga Therapist through the American ViniYoga Institute.

Let’s go back to 1997 for a moment. This is the moment that I was introduced to yoga in a gym in Montana as I was living in the wild Northwest while my soon to be husband was working in collaboration with a small semiconductor company in Kalispell. I was interested in “yoga” and started taking classes as a way to get in shape at a local gym. I had a teacher that inspired me to come back and remain curious to explore postures and my breath. We then moved back to Austin in October of 1997 and eventually I found my way into a small yoga studio where I started taking classes once a week. That was 23 years ago! A love affair had begun…

In 2003, I graduated from my first 200 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program. But, that only nicked the surface as I observed this yoga process is deep and I wanted to go into the depths of the teachings. I was introduced to a particular lineage of T.K.V. Desikachar through a teacher that was trained in the tradition. She was charismatic and cool, but more importantly possessed knowledge. I wanted that! She told me about her teacher, Gary Kraftsow whose program was coming to Austin. I took a leap of faith and enrolled in 2006 in the first 500 hours of his teacher training program through the American Viniyoga Institute.

This training gave me what I was looking for…a profound depth of knowledge around all of the tools of yoga from the asanas (postures) to pranayama (breath techniques) to using sound and meditation. I graduated with my 500 hours certification through this Institute at the end of 2007, but I wasn’t finished by a long shot.

I taught and practiced for many years and honed my craft while meeting wonderful students who fueled the fire within to develop further. Thus, 11 years after my 500 hour graduation, I went back to finish the next 500 hours to become a ViniYoga Therapist. As a prerequisite to the Yoga Therapy training, I took a 7 month course by Leslie Kaminoff on Yoga Anatomy Principles. Over the last two years, I have learned the clinical perspectives of many diseases and injuries involving structural, physiological, and psychological and the Yoga Therapy perspective in working with these conditions. It’s a lot, ya’ll!!

The Journey of 1,000 hours begins with one breath!

I am happy to say that the 1,000 hours is complete, but my journey will continue. Every day that I get on the mat, I learn something about myself. My mentor, Chase Bossart says, “Yoga is really about getting to know yourself.” He is referring to your authentic self.

What is the journey that calls you? What inspires you? Listen to that.

Restoring Prana: My Rx to Maintaining Vitality

Today, a friend texted me to ask, “Are you busy right now?” My answer was, “Yes. I am restoring my prana.” As my friend is also a beloved colleague, she knew that meant I was on my yoga mat in my practice. This is one of the main reasons, I get on my mat every day…to provide my system with the energy it needs to maintain vitality and be of service to others.

Your breath is key to your well being and plays a major role in helping your nervous system stay regulated. When you find yourself in moments of stress, notice what is happening to your breath. Chances are you have a shorter breath which then influences your “inner workings” or physiology. Prana is your Vital Life Force and enters the body through breath according to the ancients. Prana animates your structure from inside to outside. Yoga works with this mysterious life force.

When my energy is low, I understand to adjust my breath and postures in practice to create more nourishment in my system. Whereas, if my mind is anxious, I calibrate my breath and movement to work with reducing and calming my system. This understanding comes from my training as a Yoga Therapist. I have been expertly trained to evaluate a student on multiple levels such as structural, physiological, and mental health and then set up practices to address conditions and help students manage, reduce and even in some cases eliminate symptoms over time. An obvious example of a condition that presents with low prana or fatigue/sluggishness is depression, but so can a physiological condition like fibromyalgia as the pain depletes energy.

Ideally, yoga is practiced on a daily basis to give the body/mind the nutrients it needs. When there is a condition present or even obstacles of the mind, a yoga therapist would call those “pranic obstructions”. We practice to remove the pranic debris on multiple levels. Ultimately, the breath needs to flow freely through the system so this life force can move through the body like a “river of vitality”.

And so…I look forward to my daily practice as a way to maintain my health on multiple levels. In the next blog, I will talk about the ancient model of health known as the Pancamaya.

Learning to Dance in the Rain

We are now in our 5th week of “shelter-in-place” lifestyle and this week has been challenging for me.  That’s the way grief goes...you never know when it will hit you and cause the feeling of heaviness in your system.  Here are some of my observations and application of yoga practice from this week: 

I am getting out of alignment.  A couple of days ago, I stubbed my left toe on my bedframe and noticed (because my chiropractor has taught me how easy it is to get out of alignment) that my sacrum was hurting.  The next day, I stepped backwards with my right foot and whacked my heel into a metal bar while putting clothes into the wash.  Ouch!  Now, my right leg feels out of alignment in the hip socket!  

But, that’s not only the way I have been getting out of alignment.  I have been staying up WAY too late and sleeping in.  Sounds fun, but this is causing my structure in my day to be out of whack.  I haven’t eaten regularly.  I don’t feel as cheery as usual and impatience is rearing its ugly head!  My breath is shorter than normal.  Symptoms of misalignment!  

Then, today...I forgave myself for being misaligned or imbalanced and came to my practice on the mat.  I knew to assess and acknowledge how I was feeling and used grief strategies, nourishment, and strong holds within postures to begin to address my condition.  The first movement integrated with breath was profound!  Where I felt tightness was now being made expansive through vital life force of breath.  Throughout practice, I begin to see that I need to slow down and accept that this is our new way of living for now.  I don’t need to push so hard to get things done, but remember who I am at my essence...a playful compassionate soul.  

I set out on a walk in my neighborhood and passed by a neighbor’s house.  This neighbor’s house is full of metal sculpture art of animals including a big purple dragon.  In the dragon’s hands was a sign, “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”  Ah...yess!  I took a picture and laughed!   

This is what the first line of Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras teach us.  “Atha yoganusasanam”

I will translate the Sanskrit for you, “Now, is when yoga begins.”  In that moment of laughter, I was able to accept exactly where I am.  Yes, I too am “Learning to dance in the rain.” 

Samyoga vs. Viyoga: Moving Toward what Serves You

How can we create a life that serves us? Yoga philosophy teaches the idea of Samyoga = moving toward that which serves you and moving away from those things that ultimately don’t serve you = Viyoga. This takes self-reflection (svadhyaya) and inquiry over a period of time. A personal yoga practice helps to develop clarity about where we want to place our time and attention. Because ultimately, where, what and who we place our energy or attention on…will blossom.

A good question to ask yourself in any activity: “How do I feel while doing this?” Look for the qualities of spaciousness versus contracted. Look for the qualities that feed your spirit and create a post digestive effect of vitality.

We all have to do things that drain our energy, but can the things we love be how we spend the majority of our time? Do we have the courage to develop an “inner listening” to know what we need to be happy in this lifetime. Do we have the courage to move in that direction?

Over this past weekend, I had the honor of working with 3 amazing clients doing private therapeutic work AND got to dance with my Dad for our annual Parkinson's Dance performance with our dance troupe 50's style.  It feels good to work and be of service from a place of joy.  (Samyoga = move towards that which serves you)

An example of Viyoga could be any dysfunctional habit that creates a feeling of imbalance. This could be something like taking on too much work, staying up too late, or not getting adequate nutrition. Notice the post digestive effect and ask, “How do I feel?”

A yoga therapist will help you identify how you feel and then ask, “How do you want to feel?” “Let’s work together to move in a forward direction.”

Self-reflection exercise:

What habits or patterns create a feeling of contraction or dis-ease?  (Viyoga = move away from)

What habits or patterns create a feeling of spaciousness or ease?

(Samyoga = move toward)

Niyamas: Individual Disciplines that Support Us

Yoga is a philosophy or a way of mindfully being. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s lay out a sort of road map as to living in a way that benefits your well-being. The Niyamas (individual disciplines) are one of the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. The teachings of Niyamas consists of:

• Tapas = effort (it takes to change a dysfunctional pattern)

• Santosha = gratitude (great for our immune system and overall health)

• Saucha = cleanliness (external and internal = maintenance of our environment inside/outside)

• Svadhyaya = self-study (could be the understanding of what brings us joy or what our dysfunctional patterns are ==WE ALL HAVE THEM!)

• Isvarapranidhanani = faith (could be in God or depending on what speaks to you... something bigger than ourselves like Grand Canyon, ocean) Think of the AWE and Wonder you feel when you look at the stars or the ocean. The potential for sweet surrender exists in that moment of recognition.

The teachings tell us that when we practice these individual disciplines, it serves us right here and now. This system is not set up as a reward (if you do these things, you will be rewarded later). It is a beautiful blueprint, an architectural masterpiece towards living mindfully and joyfully.

Here's to living fully and moving our bodies with breath! May we move/breathe like the jellyfish moving effortlessly through the ocean.