Back from Thanksgiving and, Idon’t know about you, but I’m finding the need for balance, in diet- navigating my way from abundant meat and cheese (until Christmas, creamy fondue and Calabrese salami!) and back to hot rice cereal, greens and lean protien… and practice! Whew! Moving on in the series we find ourselves moving from grasping our toe as though for dear life long, extended and upright, into Dekasana, or Airplane Pose… I’m guessing (cuz I don’t really know) a modern, 20th century evolution of Virabhadrasana III, or Warrior III. Regardless, a welcome relief from the intensity of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, or Extended Hand-to-Toe! From the extended leg, hand-to- toe, the leg is brought forward briefly yet again where the toe is released, controlled of course, not dropped… the hands grasp the hips and that extended leg is lightly, strongly extended forward from the hip. Alternatively, that leg can be supported by the hands, fingers intertwined below the hamstring- my preference, in fact. more »
Archive for » November, 2009 «
I mean, some people swear they function best when they have to rifle through piles to find what they’re looking for… they even maintain that unless they are rifling through piles, they couldn’t possibly actually find what they’re looking for.
Really?! I’m always struck a tad incredulous with those claims… but hey, who am I to judge?
What I know for myself is that when my home, particularly those spaces in which I need to be productive… ie. kitchen, office, bedroom- ahem!… is tidy, clean and efficiently functional, I’m all the better for it. I’m more comfortable in these spaces and therefore enjoy spending more time in them. This is especially wonderful for me in my office… for my kids in the kitchen, and in the bedroom… well, I suppose hubby is the lucky beneficiary there!
Surely you’ve heard Oprah and her lovely Nate Berkus frequently wax poetic about your home “rising up to meet you…”; or her Australian guru of all things tidy and organized, Peter Walsh, making some mighty strong statements about the reflection the condition the home makes of one’s true state of mind and mental health. Then again, the people he’s dealing with are dealing with some pretty big issues beyond just some unruly piles of mail and magazines and general untidiness.
As I’m tidying and cleaning to prepare for this fast approaching holiday weekend and seeing piles disappear to whence they came- where they actually belong or the trash!- there’s a sense of calm and peace come over me that I usually only know after a cycle of sun salutations. There’s a feeling of all being right in that moment and I revel in each and every clutter-free space. Even the hallway downstairs where I’d been piling clothes to go to my sister’s kids, clothes to donate, seasonal items to be put away (yes, I have those infernal to-be-put-away piles that grow and grow until you have company coming to stay and finally PUT the stuff AWAY!!), ski suits to be tried on, car and boat batteries, the new light fixture for the dining room… I could go on….
Anyways, the feeling of satisfaction at having finally dealt with the various piles, the various messes, the general disorganization, is so worth the effort once the day is done. So, in honour of Thanksgiving… despite the stress that always accompanies these holidays, I wish everyone gratitude and peace of mind, whether it be from digging through your organized piles, or getting rid of them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just when you thought all was well with the world… you’ve successfully unwound yourself out of Eagle and with a long, delightful exhale are ready to take it down a notch.
Well, nope.
The series continues, long and extended, as we head into a remarkably high energy posture, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, or Extended Hand-to-Toe, requiring strength along with steadiness and focus. The good news is that for beginners, or if the day- and the joints- say, “let’s just not” there is a lovely modification that still fosters knowledge and understanding on one leg, but offers a little break in the intensity.
To modify, rather than grasping the big toe and extending the leg, merely keep the knee bent. Keep the hands on the hips and hold the knee forward for five breaths, foot flexed and supporting foot grounded into the floor to maintain the stable foundation.
After five breaths, keeping the knee bent, move the knee to the side of the body and hold. If you’d like to intensify this a little, challenging the balance, turn the head to settle the gaze on the opposite wall to the bent leg. After five breaths bring the bent leg back to the front, with hands still on hips, hips square, extend the leg forward and hold at whichever height your leg and hip allow for a breath or two before releasing to the floor to switch sides.
If you’d like a little more challenge, actually working towards extending the leg and maintaining that extension, consider using a chair on which to support that leg for the five breaths. Props are always strongly encouraged!
As with all of the balancing postures, this provides wonderful strengthening and lengthening in the supporting leg, and certainly that which is extended should you take it in that direction. As always, here’s a little more info…
Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.
I’ve raved written in the past about this wonderful book of stories before.
In Jon M. Muth’s Zen Shorts, Stillwater, the serene and friendly Giant Panda of a neighbour to three children, siblings Karl, Michael and Addy, offers his own brand of Zen guidance and advice.
Through ancient stories infused with traditional Buddhist teachings, Stillwater provides solutions to the childen’s various individual conflicts.
These stories provide such tangible messages through simple yet engaging narrative along with wonderful artwork, moving between the full colour drawings of Stillwater and the children, and black & white sketches of the various ancient tales.
And while, yes, this is another plug gentle encouragement to give this book to your child, or your neighbour’s child, or your sister’s husband’s mother’s child… or yourself for that matter, it’s really one of the stories I’d like to specifically address here.
It’s the tale of an old farmer and his son. In short, and without infringing on copyright(!), the story has the farmer’s son buying a horse (good luck?), horse running away (bad luck?), horse returning with two other wild horses (good luck?), boy attempts to ride one of them and is thrown, breaking his leg (bad luck?), shortly thereafter visited by military recruiters who won’t accept him due to his injury (good luck?)….
And so it is. With each new circumstance the ever-sympathetic neighbours qualify it with either judgement, “such good luck” or conversely, “such bad luck”, to which the wise old farmer consistently and simply replies, “maybe’.
The message, as summed up by young Michael to the gentle Stillwater, “Maybe good luck and bad luck are all mixed up. You never know what will happen next.”
Hmmmmmm. Wonderful messages and a certain must read for any child… or adult….
We have been trying to implement a regular routine of meditation for the kids…
It’s short and sweet, don’t get me wrong.
While eleven year old sits and is definitely interested in ‘getting it’, the others are typical kids and do what they have to to endure the seemingling endless minutes. There’s a bit of fidgeting by seven-year-old. And five-year-old lone girl child feels the need to act out the scenes I describe to facilitate relaxation: eyes scrunched shut, turning her face upwards with an exaggerated smile towards a fictional sun or scratching and digging her toes into the floor as though it’s actually warm Caribbean sand.
Regardless the fidgeting and dramatic performance, it’s a practice. It’s a practice that will provide them with a personally valuable life skill. The ability of being able to still the mind, get quiet, calm down, gather. It’s a practice that will serve them well as they grow and mature and the anxieties and stresses of life intensify. They don’t understand that now, certainly. But I take heart in this being a gift I can give them that will provide them infinite rewards as they evolve into teens and adults.
However, as we- parents- make our way through our own transition right now, implementing new strategies to manage our stress and keep thinking positively, and as we enjoy the benefits of these strategies, it becomes clear that these few minutes early in the day are only part of the picture.
The practice extends beyond just a few minutes of focusing on good feelings for a few moments. It’s an exercise in looking for, recognizing, and even getting excited anticipating, good things throughout the day. Little things, sometimes really seemingly insignificant- inconsequential- things, but together add up to a wonderful day.
As homeschoolers we’re together most of the day. This lends itself to great quality time, but also to more opportunities for conflict and irritation.
So, we’ve begun making lists throughout the day… making a brief stop here and there to quickly consider and jot down those good things that happen, no matter how small. Say, really simply, ‘I had leftover pizza for lunch…” or “I got my language arts done in only one hour…” or “Sister helped me build my fort…”
These little things end up being pretty easy to identify (particularly for kids!) and what’s remarkable about this exercise -an introduction to appreciation and gratitude- is how fast the lists are compiled and how much fun it becomes!
There is no right or wrong in the lists, as long as they’re positive and that they please us to look back upon.
It brings colour to the day.
Of course, this practice doesn’t eliminate the bumps and challenges that can be part of our days, but it gives us a little precious perspective, balancing the conflicts, trials and frustrations with appreciation, fun and wonder.
If I had this… this handy, mcdandy Skort from gaiaconceptions over at Etsy, well, I too would prance around in my Wellingtons.
Gaiaconceptions offers a whole line of remarkably cute and functional items, all utilizing organic fabrics such as hemp and cotton.
As I peruse her shop, I’m really left conflicted as to which of her lovely items I plan to put on the old Christmas list!
But more likely, with the soft fabric and comfy, snug fitting boy short beneath, I’ll enjoy it for my summer practice out on my NEW DECK!
In this skort I will be sporty, in its function… stylish, in its short, skort-y sexiness and the colours, hand-dyed, a wonderful selection of bold and bright.. and comfortable, in it’s fabric, soft organic cotton and hemp.
Just all ’round cute and functional- from yoga practice to a bike ride to lunch out with the gals.
I will so be sending the link to this, the Pokara Shirt of organic hemp and cotton, to hubby… I can see this for beginning practice, skating at the lake… or just sitting with a big bowl of popcorn with a movie in front of the fireplace.
I love, love, love the versatility of the cowl neck, especially living here in the frozen North as we do. It’s lined with FLEECE, people!
I’m also a total sucker for extra-long sleeves with thumb holes!!
The hand-dyed fabrics, as with the skort above, come in a beautiful selection of bold and vibrant colours, making this a fall-winter must have for just about anyone! A fantastic gift for that lover of the comfy-cozy… ahem.
Before I end this post… keeping myself from posting gaiaconceptions entire line… I had to include this unique and lovely skirt. I love this:
The Ruffle Butt Long Skirt. In a blend of organic cotton and hemp, it’s perfect for casual wear or to dress up for a night out. The wonderful hand-dyed fabric colours are available as with the other items from gaiaconceptions.
The unique ruffle in the back is a wonderful “nod to the bustle Gaia Conceptions style“. With a stretchy waist band it looks to be a comfortable and flattering choice for any woman’s body.
I’ll keep this in mind for next spring, as its “a fun skirt for all seasons.”
The Ruffle Butt Long Skirt is paired with the Drawstring Tank.
I will no doubt be featuring more of gaiaconceptions amazing clothing here at MommyOm.
Peruse her shop and without a doubt you’ll be sure to find something… it’s all just so beautiful!
Maybe it’s autumn, maybe it’s my current serene state of mind, fair & balanced, but I’m all about incorporating the Balancing Series into my practice these days.
So, if you’re looking to cultivate strength, balance and open-ness… look no further! The Balancing Series provides you with a well-rounded and challenging set of postures to help you achieve all three!
It’s a personal favourite of mine, and one that I look forward to as I’m sweating through the warrior series in anticipation of the sweet serenity and focused stillness of standing on one foot.
I know it may not be everybody’s cup of tea. Balancing postures, while providing a beautiful payoff, require a heck of a lot in return. Passive it ain’t. You will work… your. butt. off! Heh heh.
But, truly, the balancing postures embody the foundations of yoga and are so worth getting to know better despite the degree of physical endurance. The rewards extend, literally, from head to toe and I encourage you to incorporate it, in part or in full, regularly into any practice.
In a recent post I addressed, through the words of Deepak Choprah, the importance and power of meditation in enhancing the lives of our children.
Through meditation- sitting in stillness, engaging and developing the frontal portion of the brain, we encourage the best in who we can be: compassion, empathy, love, and ultimately, happiness.
And isn’t that really what we want for our kids… particularly knowing that all the stuff (TV, video games, mp3′s and all the rest!) isn’t really doing it. Ironically, at least for my own kids, indulging in these pursuits as fun as they may think they are, tends to make them just plain unpleasant rather than happier!
For those of us who make a practice of sitting in meditation know what hard work it can seem. And if it’s this hard for an adult how possibly can my high energy seven-year-old son manage? Well, not on his own, that’s for sure…
“Thump… thump, thump!”
“What’s going on in there?”
“I’m meditating!”
Now, unless my child is gifted at telekinesis, somehow the school chairs came to be overturned with a cat cowering beneath for cover!
Most of us, when we think of meditation, envision someone in quiet repose, silent tranquility, cross-legged on a flat, hard surface surrounded by shoji sceens or perhaps somewhere serene such as a dock or beach… or mountain top.
And wouldn’t that be lovely? To find such focus and quiet as to take comfort on a rock?!
Unfortunately, for many of us who attempt to establish a routine of regular meditation, outside of managing the raging, persistent monkey-mind, is the difficulty in finding a position, whether in a chair or on the floor, that allows for adequate comfort so as to better allow for a quieting of the mind.
Cramping knees, a growing nag from the lower back or aching ankle bones, compressed into the floor with their own weight, can easily derail our noble attempts at mental stillness, let alone actually seeing through that ellusive third eye.
From the annals of Etsy yet again… these images by tlcpix are meant to evoke feelings of peace and serenity. There are a number to choose from… from landscapes to flowers to old barns and the like, black & white and colour… and tlcpix keeps her selection growing.
If you’re looking for beautiful, tranquil images for your home, office or yoga/meditation space these are for you. Check out more at the Etsy shop of tlcpix.
