Spring Cleansing for that Summer Shine

We've only got one more week until Summer Solstice, and that means only one more week of spring cleaning to go. If you feel bogged down in anyway or feel like life is just too full, this practice will support you in clearing more space in your mind, body and spirit. All Yoga practice is a purification process so we can connect with that Truth and Bliss within, so do your best to give yourself that time as regularly as you can. 


This meditation will support your connection with where you're at now, the twists will wring out your liver for that inner cleanse, and the backbend will be your energetic master cleanser, helping you make the space for an open heart and a vibrant summer. Enjoy! 


Check in with yourself. Breath, body, thoughts, emotions, and life. Take your time with each of these parts of yourself.
What do you notice? 
Set an intention for your practice. What would serve you best right now to let go of? What are you creating space for in your life?


Sit on a block or cushion in a cross legged position. Ground down into your foundation, down through your sitting bones. Place your left hand on your right knee, place your right hand on the floor behind you. Inhale to lengthen your spine. Exhale to spiral into your twist towards the right. Breath deeply here, focusing on the exhales as you let go of tension. When you're done on this side, take a breath in the middle and then explore the twist to the left. 


Stand with your feet hip width apart. Bring your palms together in front of your heart center. Take a deep breath here. On an inhale, reach your arms up and over head. As you exhale, fold forward, hinging from your hips. Bring your hands to the floor, bending your knees if you need to. Step your right foot back behind you so you're in a lunge. Square your hips. Bring your left hand to the floor on the inner edge of your left foot. Ground your left arm and leg towards each other. Inhale to lift your right arm up towards the ceiling. Breath deeply here. When you're ready, bring your right hand to the floor and inhale your left arm up. Open your chest to the side wall and slide your shoulders down away from your ears. Explore this position with your breath. Switch sides when you're ready. 


Invite your hands to touch in Anjali mudra again in front of your heart. Draw your navel in towards your spine. Inhale reach your arms up. Exhale and slide your shoulders down your back and let your chest open upwards as you lift your gaze. Keep rooting down through your feet as you breath deeply here. Inhale to lift back to upright, exhale your hands back to your heart. Do 2 more, see how each one is unique. 


Lay down, bend your knees and roll onto your right side. Reach your left arm back behind you and turn your gaze to follow. Let both shoulders surrender towards the floor. What is it like to breath here? 


Take some time for your final resting pose, Savasana. Let yourself soften and simmer in the benefits of your practice. 


May all beings everywhere be truly happy and peaceful.
May our thoughts, words, and actions support the harmony of life. 


Check out this deliciously dance-able version of the Lokaha Mantra, a mantra for world happiness and prosperity. 
Namaste
Jessica

Unfolding Awareness

    I was recently reminded of the re-connecting power of story while at a full moon celebration. We gathered under a sky brushed with pink. The smell of sage blended with the lilacs during the opening ceremonies. These were followed by a sharing circle. As people spoke so openly about themselves I felt the potency of being heard by a welcoming, non-judgmental group. The intimacy of the circle grew as each person had their space to speak. Even though some didn't otherwise know one another, the sacred tone created a sense of safety that allowed people to share in a beautifully honest way. 

I believe that bodies, like people, have stories to tell. My body has a story that teaches me through tingling. Sizzling sensations will slither through one of my legs. I've been learning to listen to this language. Sometimes I'm resistant to hearing what my body has to say. Like most relationships, there can be fighting. With regular practice and support, I'm learning how to be with what's happening now; witnessing the unfolding of this relationship with this embodied teacher. Self-care and slowing down are the main melodies of the songs it sings. 

Deep in the Amazon a story is waiting to be told. Amazon Voice is a project that aims to ensure the survival of indigenous cultures and the environment through empowering communities to tell their stories with modern technology. When I see how healing it can be for a single person to be welcomed to share their piece, I can only image how powerful it must be for a whole community to communicate their ways with the world. Watch the intro for their goal project and help them out with achieving it if you can. 

Body-mind psychologist Carl Rogers says, “People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.” 

See what it's like to watch with awe as you unfold, starting Now.

Try the attached meditation as a way to be guided through an exploration of your sunset palate. 

Namaste

Jessica

Jessica facilitates unfoldings in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Partner Yoga and Yoga classes. The next PRYT Partner Yoga class is on June 16th from 10:30-12 at Hollow Reed Holistic's Community Space next door to the apothecary. 

Our Brains in the process of Transformation

If you've ever wondered about the neurological happenings of your personal evolution, this is a TedTalk for you. Joe Dispenza teaches how we can support ourselves as we shift from who we are to who we want to be. 


Metacognition is defined as knowing about knowing, our cognition about our cognition. In Yoga, this would be what called the Witness Self. When we observe our behaviors and beliefs we have more power to create changes in our brain and the ways we live. As we regularly reinforce thoughts we know will serve us, others that are a part of different neural networks will fade away. Joe illustrates how this leads to our nature becoming more, for example, compassionate. 


Check in with yourself right now. Take a few deep breaths. Sense your body. 


Witness what's happening now.


How does your authentic self want to be living? 


Create an intention to do one thing later today to take a step in that direct. (go to 12:15 in the video to hear about the brain and intention)


"The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision - He allows things to come and go - His heart is open as the sky." 

~ Lao Tzu

Mantra for Compassion, Metta

I'm feeling on Deva Premal's Tara mantra right now. Notice what it's like to listen to it with your whole being. 

Here's the words so you can chant along:

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha

This is a mantra of compassion and liberation. It came up in my awareness yesterday as I was having one of those being-a-paradoxical-human kind of times. I saw that while at times I feel at home in my body and connected to my truth and power, there are others when I'm restricted by negative self images. 

The beauty in allowing myself to be with pain is that it can be a river flowing towards an ocean of connection. I know I'm not alone in what I feel. How many other people share these ranges of being in relationship to themselves and the world around them? How can I embrace this opportunity to cultivate compassion for myself and all beings? I do my best to be with what's happening now as fully as I can in a welcoming way. I lean into my edges. I notice how the caring touch of a friend helps me soften into it with a sense support. I notice the actions that naturally want to arise. Of them is a practice of Metta, also known as loving-kindness or friendship.

Try this now, or the next time the waves of emotion have softened your armor. Use whatever words or phrases work for you right now. 

May I be truly happy, free and peaceful.

May all of us who feel inhibited by our body image be truly happy, free and peaceful. 

May all of us who notice restrictions in the ways we live because of harmful inner narratives be truly happy, free and peaceful.

May we all be truly happy.

May we all be free.

May we all be peaceful.

In Metta,

Namaste

Jessica

Everybody gets to play!...even the gross ones?

I'm doing my best to let everybody play today. Sounds fun right? If you're into being whole and sharing rich moments, then yes, I guess it was a fun day.

 Sharon Salzberg shared the phrase "everybody gets to play" while I was on retreat at Kripalu. I appreciate the all inclusive implication. Today emotions started arising that didn't align with my idea of how my day was going to go. I intended to be with them, inviting even these uncomfortable waves to play and maybe even teach me a something about myself.

There were heavy sensations calling attention to my chest. I made my way to my yoga room and put myself into a supported fish pose. The backbend allowed me to more fully explore what was arising in my heart space and in my emotional body. I stayed with the tears that were streaming, until a part of me felt like that was enough and decided to move on with my day.

I came across this video about Sacred Economics on Tad Hargrave's website. There I was trying to be "productive" learning more about marketing and economics and ended up being so moved by what I saw that I was back in a sea of tears. My dear friend arrived at the door as the video ended. It was such a blessing to get a hug right when I needed it! After I invited him in I noticed my face tensing-an indicator for me that I was masking up. I suggested some acroyoga. I knew it'd be a way I could get more into my body. I flew first. As much as I didn't want to be with the edgy emotions that were arising, I couldn't help it as my body was held in the air. I was reminded of the profound effect of touch. Breathing deeply as my body was stretched I was supported in my process of being present to myself. As much as I like to be an independent DIY kind of person, I'm always learning to embrace the richness of human exchange. Some things are just different, and at times more powerful, when someone else can hold down the fort and I can just let go.

 I'm grateful that I was willing to let myself be with the emotions that came up today. It was definitely edgy for me, but provided an opportunity to see more of who I am. On this journey towards wholeness I need welcome all the parts that make me both human and Divine.

Here's a Rumi poem for you. A friend of mine says that poetry comes alive when read aloud. Try it out, even (especially!) if it's edgy for you. You might get to know a guest of yours in a new and intimate way.

Free from Expectation or Attached to Outcome:How do you Give?

I believe everyone has a unique gift to offer. I feel it's our responsibility to uncover what it is so that we can share it with our communities. Living in such a stimulating culture and being bombarded with so many messages can make it difficult to be in tune with how we can contribute in a way that feels authentic. 

If you're like me, when you find something that really works for you, you want to share it with loved ones. Have you ever been really excited to give something special, only to be disappointed by the response?  I remember growing wheatgrass for my Dad. I had hoped it would help him get through his battle with prostate cancer. My gardening had a desired outcome-my Dad being cancer free. When he kindly declined my offer of this green healing juice, I felt helplessly deflated. 

One of the keys of a transformational Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session is letting go of expectations and desired outcomes to create the space for the possibilities unfolding moment by moment. Doing things with the process as the focus helps me to soften my grip on what I want to make happen. With an end point in mind, I can be blinded to the opportunities for discovery along the way. The desired outcome of my Dad's health improving restricted me from truly being present to him in the process of his illness. I feel there were opportunities for being in a spacious connection with him during that time. Often my attachments to doing something for him, and my disappointments at failing, blinded me from seeing them. 

What would it be like to give in a way that was free of expectations, to offer yourSelf for the sake of shining, trusting that the rays will ripple out in ways that are beyond our knowing?

Even this blog post: I sat down with the intention to write from an authentic place, without any end product in mind. The spaciousness I gave myself invited another wave in the grieving process to arise and be seen. 

Try this experiment: find something special do you. Offer it openly. Let go of expectations. What happens? 

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Spaciousness to Start Again

   I was at a meditation and kirtan retreat with Sharon Salzberg and Krishna Das a few weeks ago. They both encouraged exercising our abilities to let go of all that stuff that inevitably comes up when we sit. When we've noticed that we've lost focus of our breath, body, the mantra, it's an opportunity to begin the practice again. And again. And again, and again, and again... 

   There was a person who I had made up a challenging story about. It sounded something like this: that they had been giving me the cold shoulder and things were generally awkward since things changed from a friendly neighbor vibe. This was a story that didn't sit harmoniously with me and I had intended to transform it. I didn't know how it would happen, but was in for the ride to see how things might unfold. This person is someone who I regularly see through mutual friends and events. I was at a party this weekend and saw my practice in action. When he entered the scene I noticed my story about our relationship arise. I could feel my front body almost thicken in an expression of armoring. Then, I let the story drop. I allowed my armoring to soften and began our friendship again with an open curiosity. Delightful conversations followed, along with a deepened appreciation for the freedom to practice.

 What are the stories you're holding onto right now?

 Take a few breaths to check in with that. Do you notice any stories about your relationships? Your life situations? 

  Notice what happens in your body as you observe the narratives.

  Find a yoga pose that enhances your ability to be present to the sensations in your body. 

  What's Happening Now?

  Explore for as long as serves you, respect your edges. 

  Allow your process to guide you into other postures and places for observing what's happening in each successive now. 

"Never underestimate the power of compassionately recognizing what's going on."-Pema Chodron