11.11.11

What an amazing day last Friday was. I felt the energies creeping up towards something special the night before. So many wonderful events taking place all at the one time, it is no surprise this was indeed a special day which included: 

• World Peace Day; 
• Remembrance Day for our war veterans; 
• 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year. Numerologists everywhere will agree that this is very significant. On it's own, 11 is considered a master number but three of them together is very magical; 
• a full moon; and 
• as believed by some, the dawning of the new Age of Aquarius. 

 I felt a very calm and peaceful energy around me all day. I started my day with my usual morning yoga and we welcomed the full moon at 7.17am as it set high in the sky, but not luminously visible. That night, I was lucky enough to attend a yoga meditation, chant, gong and healing circle. The energy around my fellow yogi's was that of true love and healing. At 11.11pm, we mustered some more energy with our chanting to welcome the new age, the Age of Aquarius.

There are many philosophies and ideas as to when the Age of Aquarius actually starts. My theory is that the energies are strong regardless if it is was on 11.11.11, or will be on 20,12.2012 or even a few years after that. It doesn't really matter because the unification and harmonisation of Mother Earth is strong and increasing all the time as more people become consciously aware.

Choices

Every day we are each faced with choices. What to eat? What to wear? Who to call? And when?

Even on my yoga mat I find I have choices every time I step onto it. What is my intention for this practice? How do I feel today? Will I push forward with energy to rejuvenate and explore new aspects of the asana? Or will I modify my practice, maintaining strength and alignment, to nurture and nourish my body and mind?

I find the biggest choice I have to make is ‘how will today be for me?’

Instead of pondering the question, I think only of the answer. I choose to have a great day. I choose to feel amazing and share love.

If I repeat this as a mantra each day, once, twice, three times or even fifteen times – as many times it takes to believe it.

Believe it and it will be so.

Meditation with Michael

Archangel Michael appeared before me and I immediately felt peaceful in his presence. As he stood facing me, he gently placed his left hand on my right cheek and his right hand carefully on my left shoulder, cupping my neck. It felt comfortable, warm and loving.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the golden light emanating from him. With tenderness, he said I was a beautiful being and I should never doubt myself. If I ever needed support I was only to ask and it would be provided. He told me to keep on my path and keep moving forward. Then I felt his left hand softly on my heart, Anahata – my heart chakra. It was warm and a bright light filled my chest and exploded through my body. It felt amazing and I breathed in every molecule.

Peace was with me again and the busy chatter in my mind had faded. As I opened my eyes, I was alone yet restored of energy and motivation.

This meditation came to me during Savasana, the final resting pose during a yoga class. We spent a lot of time focussing on opening the heart. I felt blessed to receive this message.

Yoga mat

After weeks away from my yoga mat I was unsure how my first time back would feel.

Surprisingly, I had not forgotten the poses and I was not breathless. Instead I felt a renewed sense of being. My body felt lighter and my mind connected. It was more powerful than I had felt in my practice before.

My body seemed to move with grace and ease. My breath flowed as prana ignited my energy sectors.

I had worried unnecessarily.

Perhaps this new state of being is a result of feeling relaxed. My mind is quieter and I feel much calmer, taking things as they come. I believe this is a signal to slow down in life, to stress less and allow the physical and mental to just be rather than waiting for illness to come as a warning. Easier said than done sometimes but I will strive to maintain this lightness and quieter mind from now on.

Half Moon Pose

Half Moon pose has never been easy for me. Rotating the hips while balancing on one leg and the fingertips of one hand proved near impossible. I was always wobbling and the pose was just out of reach. But I persisted, slowly building strength and confidence.

One day a teacher assisted me into the pose enabling me to feel it completely - where I was supposed to go and how it should feel. I worked with this in future classes and I listened carefully to different teachers instructions. I began to play with the placement of my supporting hand and this was key to achieving balance. I found perfect placement of the fingertips a few inches to the side and quite a bit forward – about a foot in front of the balancing leg. The arm is pretty much in line with the shoulder although this positioning can be hard to ascertain from this angle.

The right arm extends down with supporting fingers pushing into the earth, creating a flat back while the right leg roots through the ground for stability.

The other key factor was finding strength in both legs, especially the one up in the air. Pointing the ball of the foot on the left leg and shooting power back creating the strength, and therefore the pose. Leaving the lifted leg hanging without any effort or energy meant that I would more than likely topple over.

I found that placing my left hand on my left hip and slowly rotating while maintaining power from the right side allowed me to find the pose. Once I feel stable, I can extend my left arm skyward, fingers reaching out and the shoulder slightly twisting for a gentle heart opening. Finally, I gaze upwards and it feels wonderful. I like to visualise the energy alive and soaring through my body in a glorious light.

It is a beautiful Asana but one that needs patience and persistence.

Let go

Last week during one of my regular 6am yoga classes, the room felt hotter than I thought comfortable. The weather has been so unpredictable lately and the morning air seemed cooler than was usual for this time of year. I let it pass, thinking I would not notice once I had warmed up and begun to flow.

As we began to move, I felt enthusiastic and energetic. I could feel my strength beginning to return after months of injury. Through this, I have learnt to listen to my body. This meant modifying most of my practice for the past six months and leaving out more complicated or advanced poses that I would normally relish in.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt less restricted and more mobile. My experimentation gave me a renewed sense of certainty.

However, the heat seemed to really bother me. I was reminded of Bikram days when it was all I could do to breathe through the intensity to make it to the end of class. But this was not Bikram. Power shouldn’t be this hot. No, it was too hot. Or at least it felt that way to me.

I tried to breathe. As we moved upright from Crowe pose to standing I could feel my head become light and fuzzy - the effects of standing up too quickly. The room seemed to close in around me. Nonetheless, I took hold of my breath and thought of nothing else for fear of passing out. This wasn’t likeIy to happen but it was a possibility and I might need to rest in Child’s pose.

There is no shame in Child’s pose or resting - but I was having such a great class, I didn’t want to stop.

Ego. It was my ego that would not let me rest. Instead, I chose to reduce my practice from there on in.

Interestingly, my standing poses were held with grace and ease. Perhaps consciously letting go of pushing myself to a place where I wanted to be and allowing my body to just be exactly where it needed created this grace and ease. And in doing so I achieved my perfect pose at that very moment.

Let go. Take a deep breath, focus, and just be.

Strength

One legged Chaturanga

When I first began practicing Power Yoga, I realised just how little upper body strength I actually had. For months my arms and shoulders ached from holding Down Dog and trying to master Chaturanga, both key elements of the Sun Salutation Vinyasa. As my practice became more familiar, I also grew stronger.

Gradually I have been able to attempt some poses that I once thought would be impossible for me to achieve. My body has slowly begun to open up, allowing me to move deeper into my practice. I like the term 'practice' because I think I will always be a novice and every class is exactly that - practice.

But I can now look back and feel grateful for all the aches and repetition of poses that have brought me to where I am in my yoga today. My body continues to change and life insists on providing new challenges. Every day is amazingly different and my strength continues to improve. Herein is yet another of the many available and astounding benefits of yoga.

Fear

I have been meditating on my Chakra’s for the past few weeks, using the symbolic lotus that represents each Chakra and chanting the corresponding sound. The results have been amazing, leaving me uplifted and energized.

During a more recent meditation, I felt particularly connected to the second Chakra, Swadhisthana, or Sacral. It’s located low in the abdomen and is often related to the sexual organs. The Sanskrit of Swadhisthana translates to mean 'self dwelling place'. It’s also the place where we hold onto emotions.

I visualised the crimson lotus with white crescent moon, then I saw the waves of the ocean under the moonlit sky gently lapping back and forth. Suddenly I was swimming in the ocean and there was a shark. It immediately sparked a feeling of fear. I quickly dismissed this thinking my mind had wondered off and I was a little annoyed that I had let this happen to spoil such a beautiful meditation. I continued on with the rest of the meditation raising the Kundalini up through all the Chakra’s. After the seventh and final Chakra, the Kundalini travels back down through the body stoping for just a moment at each Chakra, to finally rest at the base Chakra. During this process, again I saw the ocean under the moonlight sky at the second Chakra, then again I could see myself swimming and a shark attacked me. I knew then this had come up for a reason. I could feel the fear, I recognised it. So I acknowledged the fear and finished the meditation.

Remarkably, I felt calm. I took some time to contemplate this feeling of fear and realised it was a associated with the uncertainty of the future. The fear of not having control of current situations in my life. And the fear of not being able to receive and give the love I know I desire and deserve.

Working with the Chakra’s can produce incredible results. The body and mind will cleanse and balance leaving a positive awareness enabling the next phase of growth and development to continue the journey of life.

Breath II

Gustav Klimt, Love (1895)

It's the elixir of life. Without it we cannot exist.

At a recent yoga class, the teacher commented on how so many people come into the yoga space and focus on the breath. We leave our shoes at the door, we wear minimal clothing and forget about the outside world. For 90 minutes we leave behind our day-to-day titles and duties of parent, sibling, employee, entrepreneur or boss. For just a while, none of this matters. It's just about the breath and this one thing unites us all.

It's the one time we can be true to ourselves, be truly ourselves and not worry about other factors. It is amazing and beautiful.

This is so powerful. Something so simple, yet vital, can bring harmony. The transition and journey that yoga can take you on is simply breathtaking.

Vitality

I love 6am Friday morning yoga class. However, I noticed my energy is often lagging. The end of the work week and another early start begins to show on my vitality. It became obvious to me that I rarely do or even want to do full Chaturanga. I steer clear of Vasisthasana (side plank) in its full pose and opt for the safer modification. And Wheel is a last minute challenge I can't bear the thought of.

But how much of this mind set, this attitude, is merely a thought pattern that I can change?

Last week the thought occurred to me that maybe I feel this way because I always think this is how I feel. My mind anticipates it so my body expects and reacts in exactly this way. Yet another example of the power of the mind!

Next week I will try to reverse this thought process and be completely in the moment. If I can do this, I will be able to perform the poses the way my body feels and not my mind. If I don't try I won't further my practice and if I fall out of the pose it really doesn't matter because this is yoga.

Euphoria

Ever notice how the energy of a crowd can be so electric that it is contagious? This is most often felt at sporting events. The crowd roars with excitement and you find yourself caught up in the momentum, standing out of your seat, cheering and clapping. It is amazing. It is euphoric.

Yoga can have a similar feeling of ecstasy. The energy of the group is powerful and can change your sentiment from when you first walked into the class. This can swing either way. Some classes I have attended contained a general feeling of heaviness, lacking in energy and enthusiasm. You can almost hear everyone scream with relief as we move into final resting pose of savasana. This seems to be more typical around the festive season when late nights, parties, high carbohydrates and sugar laden food along with too much alcohol are all too prevalent.

In contrast, I have also experienced many amazing and breathtaking classes that are strong and consistently flow with unison. These are by far my favourite, of course, and one of the main reasons why I continue to practice. But it stands to reason that the group energy can be all of these things. We don't outwardly think about what the group or anyone else is doing. The purpose of yoga is to go within and focus on your own individual practice. If everyone in the room does exactly that, concentrates on their breathing and moving with flow, the results are euphoric.

Awareness

Being truly aware of who we are and how we feel can be one of the most difficult things we will ever try do. Having the patience to slow down the incessant mind chatter, to allow our bodies to feel – and nothing else, can be incredibly confronting.

We live in a society where we constantly blur our minds and fill our bodies with chemicals that hinder the ability to allow us to be aware of what we are feeling. Too much coffee, alcohol and processed foods with their additives all contribute to changing our perception or altering how we feel. This may be done consciously or unconsciously, but the fact remains that we continue to alter our natural state of being.

Yoga teachers often talk about being in the moment, to breathe and feel the posture rather than try to force the body into position. I know from my own personal practice that if I take a few moments before class to sit quietly and breathe my practice will be so much stronger. I may not always do advanced poses, but it isn’t necessary if the posture and flow are done correctly, an immense workout can still be achieved.

By taking that awareness and listening to how the body feels we are honouring it. The mind, body, emotional and spiritual elements unite to flow.

Happy baby

When I first tried the yogic pose Happy Baby, I felt awkward and didn’t understand the posture. Now, it still feels uncomfortable in my hip area as I pull my feet down, but I enjoy getting into the pose as my spine stretches out any kinks and flattens down to my sacrum.

The other day I was reminded that this pose is aptly named as it resembles a baby happily playing. Additionally, I was reminded the reason why babies are full of playful joy is because they have no ego. When we go back to basics and eliminate the fear and ego we have automatically created in our busy lives, we can then embrace ourselves and be happy.

Lately I have been listening to spiritual podcasts that talk about embracing the inner child, to have fun and not take ourselves so seriously. This doesn’t mean to stop being responsible as adults but rather to allow ourselves to have fun, to dance, to laugh and let go.

I think that in allowing this to happen we define a calmer, more prosperous environment in which we can only evolve.

Reach for the sky

Whilst watching the grace and elegance of tennis players like Roger Federer at the Australian Open, I noticed the extension of the players opposing racquet hand as they served or danced into place to return the ball. I first observed this whilst watching Dinara Safina practice. As she threw the ball into the sky and released it, the arm and hand extended back and upwards, flexing, guiding her body and ultimately the ball.

This interested me as an avid yoga practitioner since many of the yogic poses suggest flexing the hands with fingers outstretched, reaching for the sky and creating energy. The theory behind this is that the flexion creates a lighter feeling, and light is tight. So the arms feel much lighter when flexed and taught, rather than limp and hanging with heaviness, enabling the practitioner to hold the pose for a longer period of time. The extension of the hands and arms generate an openness, willing to receive light and energy with love.

Immediately I think of poses such as Extended Right Angle, Goddess/Exalted/Reverse Warrior or the full open Tree pose. But there are other poses that require the full extension of the arms and hands that are not pointed to the sky but forward, such as Warrior or Dancers pose.

Perhaps my observation came about by chance because I had recently attuned my focus to my hands during my practice. Regardless, this only reinforces to me the strength the hands and arms can carry merely by their intended direction. The power these amazing athletes enforce is mind blowing. The power of the mind and the body is even more incredible.

Look up

During yogic balancing poses, I have recently changed my line of sight, my drishti, from the floor or midway to the ceiling. Sometimes I focus just at that point where the wall and ceiling meet. Certainly as a novice it is natural to look down to maintain balance and stability, but in time strength and confidence allow the eyes to move upwards.

I found in my own practice that by changing my drishti focal point in this way the pose becomes easier. Looking up creates a sense of lightness, a feeling of exultation.

It can be hard to remember to switch everything on in class: arms and thighs tight, stomach in, tilt the pelvis (moola bandha) and don’t forget to breathe – all in a heated room! My focus has been drawn to my feet, to consciously spread the toes and balance the weight evenly. Tightness and cramping meant that I had lost form, so this has been important for me.

For example, take Dancer’s pose. First I stand tall, spread my toes to ensure the weight is evenly distributed and I do not roll into my arches. Then I make sure my thighs and knees are strong but not locked out. I grab my right ankle with my right hand, left hand raises to the sky. I square my hips and look up to that special focal point on the ceiling. Inhale, as I exhale I gently, slowly kick back with my right leg to create a wonderful backbend. My left arm shoots out in a similar direction to my gaze. Gradually, the heart moves forward and down but the focus remains.

There is a lot to remember in every pose, in every practice, but the breath creates focus and eventually it falls into place. As I am often reminded, the eyes lead the way and the body will follow.

Limitations

Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People (1830)

We each of us create our own limitations in life. Limitations are usually established from fear and can prevent us from moving forward on our life journey. The fear to step outside of the box or beyond what we consider normal, the fear to try something new or to be different can be overwhelming. Fear is a very real thought process of our daily life. It is so much easier to stick to what we know, to choose the path that we usually take – the comfortable, safe route.

The notion of breaking free from limitations was raised at one of my yoga classes with reference to finding the courage to try a new pose. I stopped, took a few breaths and focussed on the pose. I realised that what the teacher was saying was true. Once I tried the posture, it became obvious that it really was not as difficult as I thought. With a little more practice and determination I would only improve and eventually I would be able to maintain the pose with confidence. I have already seen this come to fruition with my practice in many other poses.

But then it dawned on me that this thought process could easily be applied to every aspect of life. To keep going forward, we need to embrace change, open our eyes to new opportunities and learn from others. There is no reason to limit ourselves, only to believe.

A message

Leonardo da Vinci, Vatruvian Man (1487)

Last nights yoga class was amazing. The summer heat and humidity meant that the heaters were not required. It wasn't long before I had created enough internal heat to begin sweating. As I tried to reconnect to my fading practice, I felt strong. It felt good to return to a class I once considered a regular and a favourite.

I never anticipate the message I pick up on during class but I always seem to receive one. And tonight's message was to remember that the ninety minutes I spend in class is for me. Even though there is a class full of other yogi's with similar intentions, the teacher reminded us to close our eyes and imagine there was no-one else around. This draws the attention within to what we feel, rather than relying on the mirrors or what we think the posture should look like. Sometimes, this is counter productive and we lose our balance. But I find it does help. Closing the eyes assists in creating a better focus and as our strength improves, so does our balance.

And I did make this class about me, for me. I concentrated on my breath to flow with every move. I shut my mind to the chatter and distraction. I focused on my practice only. It was exhilarating.

It's a journey

Last week was tough. Long hours at work, no time for a yoga practice, not much time for study and on top of all that I didn’t feel well. It was an emotional week.

My Sunday ritual of attending yoga pulled me through to new levels of experience. I was unsure of my energy levels walking in so allowed myself to settle in with an enjoyable pre-class meditation. We ease into the rhythm with lots of breathing exercises, a nice way to start. My focus and breathing is pretty good. I feel ok without pushing too hard. As we move into standing poses, Dancers, I hold the asana with ease. I feel great, this one is always a challenge and I can hold the pose for the duration, slowly going deeper and deeper.

Suddenly I am overcome. I recognise the feeling, any hot room practitioner knows it. Waves of nausea rushing the blood down from the top of your head, leaving a sick feeling. Oh no. Oh yes this was happening! Ok, I decide I need to let it happen. I take Childs pose and accept what I am feeling. My body was detoxifying and shedding unnecessary toxins. The emotions from the previous week had built up and needed to be released. And this was the perfect way for it to happen. I felt so relieved, like a burden had lifted.

I am so grateful for my yoga practice and the amazing journey it takes me on.

Chakra's

A few days ago I had a sudden urge to learn more about Chakra's. It's something I have been interested in for a long time but sometimes we are just not ready to embrace a new idea. I can only think this was true for me as I have this little pocket book about Chakra's, a simpleton's guide, and I have never been able to digest any of its content. Until now. I read it, I devoured it. Finally, it made sense!

Instinctively, I knew which of my Chakra's was open and which ones needed work. A friend suggested I do some meditation on them all, cleansing each sphere to allow growth and development. I had never tried meditating on my Chakra's before so I was surprised at how easily I slipped into a visualisation of each colour spinning in its relative position. I used the sun and the moon for ying and yang, masculine and feminine energy to revitalise all my spheres.

It felt amazing. It felt right. There is still more work to do, but I feel that I can now approach this with more confidence and hopefully more regularly.

Gratitude

Symbol of Gratitude

When I stop to think about the things I am grateful for I feel humbled. I no longer worry. I no longer feel the need to fill my life with materialistic possessions, or as I like to refer to it as ‘stuff’.

Gratitude is powerful. It creates a sense of calm. Being thankful for the goodness in our lives takes the focus away from the negative. It is much easier to deliberate over destructive events and behaviours. We all experience them and at times they can be overwhelming. It is especially during these difficult times that gratitude carries its deepest meaning.

A few weeks back I began writing a worry diary. Every day I write ‘Today I worried about…’ Some days I worry lots. Some days I worry about silly things. Nevertheless, worry is negative energy that manifests itself into greater disappointments. At the same time I began a grateful diary. Every day I write ‘Today I am grateful for…’ And again, some days I have lots to be grateful about and others not so much.

I now seriously think about things that I worry about and realise they don’t deserve so much attention. Instead, I am grateful for my health, yoga, the rain, the full moon. My awareness is more centred and I am now truly grateful for the simple things in my life.