yoga

Practicing Yoga with a Jackhammer. There’s a Lesson in This.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Practicing Yoga with a Jackhammer. There's a Lesson in This.

For the past three weeks I’ve been taking part in a yoga class every Wednesday morning. While I’ve practiced yoga at home for quite a few years now, I wanted to brush up on the poses to make sure I’m doing them correctly and learn some new breathing techniques.

The class is small which is nice and the teacher is someone I’ve gotten to know over the past year. I enjoy her calming presence and energy. The class is held on the first floor of a building that has been vacant for quite a few years. I’m not sure what is upstairs, but next door is a bar. Interesting balance, huh?

Last week while we were getting ourselves into tree pose, some using the wall to steady themselves, me right into the pose without help as it’s my favorite one, it was then we heard what sounded like a jackhammer coming from upstairs. Talk about distraction! Alex, the instructor who had her back to us turned to look at us, with her mouth formed in a big O, while at the same time a small smile behind her surprised expression.

The noise and Alex’s funny expression knocked me right out of tree pose. At first the thought ran through my mind that didn’t they know we were having a yoga session downstairs? Couldn’t they wait to start up the jackhammer until the class ended?

But I was reminded of what yoga teaches us and that it is about being present and calm while on the mat, but also taking that same philosophy off the mat… and even when a jackhammer is drowning out the instructions from the yoga instructor.

I immediately dismissed my frustrated thoughts and followed along with Alex who was doing the same. There was another burst of jackhammer as we moved into another pose and I realized this may last the duration of the class. It would be a practice of learning to stay present despite the commotion above us.

But how interesting in accepting this may be the case, that we were gifted with no more jackhammer intrusions after the second outburst. And how this is a practice to bring into our daily lives when the day isn’t going as planned or you encounter anger – to practice staying in the present, keep calm, and know it will pass soon enough.

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A New Morning Ritual.

Posted by Barbara Techel


Whether we consciously realize it or not, we all have some sort of ritual in the mornings. But perhaps some don’t think of them in this way as we can tend to be on automatic pilot.

For me, I try to move through my morning in a more conscious way now. Though yes, I still have my days where I’m more on automatic pilot. I don’t often have Good Morning America on anymore, which used to be an everyday thing for me. Now I prefer the peace and quiet – or soft music playing.

I find that the quiet or soft music, plus the rituals I have in place, which can vary each day, set a foundation for my day.  My newest ritual, thanks to this lovely gift  from my mom, is a crystal singing bowl.

It’s on a table in my Zen writing cottage and while I just got it, I can already see this will be something I’ll want to do each day. On mornings I do Yoga I will light my candle and then play the singing bowl before going to my mat. Just thinking about this makes me feel grounded and calm. It is, in itself a meditation.

And to me that is what ritual is all about – it’s being in more conscious awareness of how we start and then move through our days – and for me, ritual helps set this in place and also serves as a reminder when my days are hectic or might be stressful.

Hope you enjoy this short video of the sound of my singing bowl — of course it sounds even better in person, and the full view out my writing cottage only adds to the good vibes!

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Orlando. What Can I Do?

Posted by Barbara Techel

Namaste

I told myself I wasn’t going to watch the news this morning. I knew of the Orlando tragedy yesterday, but not many details. Watching the news, I didn’t feel was going to help or change anything.

But I felt compelled to turn on Good Morning America this morning wanting to know more. As I sat at my vanity getting ready, I heard many voices sharing their accounts of what my mind can’t even begin to wrap itself around. I also heard what they were sharing about what each politician said, or didn’t say, or shouldn’t have said.

I started to cry. What can I do, I thought? I’m one small human sitting here in my home so tired of all the hate in the world. And tired is a light word really, because this feeling reaches deep into my bones and my heart as a deep ache of sadness. And it is brought to the surface when a tragedy such as this happens yet again. It’s as if I hold my breath, praying with all my heart that these painful events won’t happen again. Because when they do, I feel helpless.

I don’t know the answer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I have to say how I feel. I have to do what I think is the right thing. I have to share my voice. Because I believe, that when we put positive energy out into the world it does make a difference. We need more to do the same.

And I turned to my Daily Word this morning after I turned off the news after a half hour because I could no longer listen. It was then that I had my answer of what I could do. I had to turn inward and do what I think will add a light to the world.

What really stuck out for me from reading Daily Word today was this:  “I am the voice of love, compassion, and respect.”

It became my prayer as I moved through my Yoga practice. As I held each pose I silently repeated, “Love. Compassion. Respect.” At the end of my practice I opened my hands like a lotus flower and deposited the words “Love, Compassion, and Respect” into them, then folding my hands inward to close the lotus flower capturing the words and actions we need to do which can heal the world. I then stretched my arms out in front of me until they were fully extended, I opened the flower once again and “let go.” Out into the world is my wish for Love, Compassion, and Respect to take a strong hold on each and everyone’s hearts.

Ending my practice, my hands folded in prayer I said out loud, “Namaste.” And I was moved to tears again. This…this is what we can each do…. we must do.

namaste-we-are-one-life-daily-quotes-sayings-pictures

Nothing else has worked. We have to start at home, inside our own inner worlds. We have to find peace and light within ourselves. We have to begin with loving ourselves. Anyone who commits acts such as this recent tragedy cannot have love for himself to have done this.

I believe this with every fiber in my being that we must love ourselves to love another, have compassion and empathy for ourselves to have it for another, and to respect ourselves in order to respect those around us. And this means we have to all look inwardly and begin to work on our own stuff to begin to put these positive vibrations out into the world to help us all heal and find peace.

While I’m incredibly sad we are facing such a tragedy again, I’m grateful for the reminder of what is of utmost importance, and the work I need to yet do on myself so that I can vibrate more peace.

And this means I won’t be turning to the news for anymore updates, but instead turning to those that uplift and encourage me that love, compassion, and respect is the way. The only way. Because when I do, it’s when hope returns again, and peace resides within me.

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