Ask and You Shall Receive

    Often we wonder if anything we are doing is any use.  All this reiki, all these herbs and other remedies, exercise, prayer, meditation and I keep getting older and stiffer (or whatever lament runs through your mind).  I had an experience recently that lays all of those thoughts to rest.
    My client arrived, and as usual, we talked for a while, defining where she was and what she would like to get out of the session.  One of the things we talked about was her worries that anything she was doing was any good.  (If this sounds familiar, read on...)  It is a common frustration, see my post last Wednesday.  So I added a little twist to my ending prayer of the session, this time I asked for a visible sign, so that she could see progress.
     In my mind I was thinking, maybe someone will be nice in an unexpected way or some such thing.  What I got was a sign for the two of us.  When we were talking in the beginning of the session, I noticed one eye was drooping.  There are lots of causes, ranging from neurological disorders to medical issues to aging.  If you start looking at the actors on television (and with the size of our t.v.s today it is getting easier), you'll notice that it is quite common.
     The amazing thing was, when she got off my table, her eyes were perfectly symetrical.  Both wide open and clear.  It was remarkable.  She also looked 10 years younger.
     To be honest, I don't really think about prayers being answered very often.  I have a very good life, but am also used to disappointment.  It has never stopped me from praying.  Communing with God is one of the greatest pleasures in life.  Getting an answer like this puts a day as one for the record books.  My prayer for you is that you have the opportunity to see how your efforts affect your life as well.  Blessings.

Gut Instinct

Go on your gut feeling when setting goals - because more often than not it'll be right, researchers have revealed.- Mail Online, 30 August 2011

     From our first days in school we are taught to think and reason.  It seems the older I am, the less in touch with my gut instincts I become and I don't like it.  Over-analyzing leads to inaction and long term frustration.  But how to change this?  I've decided my yoga practice is a good place to begin.

       Over the past several weeks, I've been playing around with the idea of center of
gravity in yoga poses.  I've begun visualizing my center of gravity like a lightning bug, just a spark of light in the body ( please forgive the drawing, but just try finding a lovely picture of a body with a lightning bug in it on the internet.... more strange pictures to follow, no doubt. I'm sitting in a coffee shop* and only have my computer and the back of an envelope).  What has been interesting is that, as my awareness develops, that darn little lightning bug is often not where I wish it were.  Even as I sit here writing, I find myself leaning forward, hunching over the computer.  The center of gravity is forward, out of my body and has slowly migrated up to my head.  So I move back, sit upright, relax the shoulders and arms, and feel much better.  The lightning bug of my center of gravity moves back into my body and down into my gut.
        Our yoga class today played around with these ideas.  How to move from the center, rather than the extremities.  How to both be heavy and buoyant at the same time.  How to use gravity and centeredness to expand the heart.  Here is a short practice to begin to play with moving from the gut.

Begin with a few moments of seated meditation.

•  As you take a comfortable seat, give your legs a bit of an inner spiral by grabbing the right thigh with both hands.  Rotate the leg by pressing down with the left hand and lifting with the right.  Do the same with the left thigh.  Rotate by pressing down with the right hand and lifting with the left.  Notice how both sitting bones are more firmly connected to the floor and it feels like more area of the back of the thigh touches the floor.
• Let your awareness come to rest on your breath.  Allow the flow of the breath to bring you into the present time and place.
• Notice if you are leaning forward (into your future) or back (into your past).  Try to bring the body to upright (ish).
• Now, imagine that your center of gravity is in the low belly.  The hips move down into the earth and the body floats upward from it.

This seated practice can be done in the car, while you watch t.v. (in an upright, not reclined position), or while you work on the computer.  If you'd like to continue with the yoga practice...
Come to standing at the front part of your mat (or stand in the middle of your space.  Look down at your feet.

• Most of our feet are initially positioned like this.  Notice how the center line is straight, but the feet fan out away.  This is usually due to overly tight hip rotators.  Notice which one is out further from center.

• Begin to find balance by moving the toes in.  Ideally the feet  are parallel through the second toe.   This begins the inner spiral, just like we did in our seated breath awareness.

• To complete the alignment, move the heels out ever so slightly. As the heels move out, the muscles of the bottom are free to relax, the tailbone moves toward the floor and the lower back assumes it's natural curve.  Notice how the balls of both feet are now touching the floor. (amazing what a small thing can do!)

• Find the center of gravity in the low belly, just like we did while seated.  Allow the hips to be heavy and connected to the legs, feet and the earth.  Really pay attention to your heels, making them heavy, bearing more weight that the toes.  You may feel about to fall down.  This is work in the right direction.  Usually we carry our weight well in front of the body, taking it out of alignment.

Inhale, stretching the arms overhead. Exhale, release the arms back to your sides. Repeat, this time noticing where your center of gravity is.  Does it rise along with your arms? Do you go back to leaning forward?

This time, as you inhale and raise your arms, keep the mind focused on the low belly, keeping the center of gravity down as the arms rise.  Play around with this idea for several repetitions.

Now continue with your regular practice, several sun salutations, standing poses and twists, (whatever you are working at the moment) but just keep bringing your awareness back to your gut. Finish with a few minutes of savasana.  Set your intentions to make decisions from the gut and rest.


*If you are ever in need of coffee in Florence, KY, check out Velocity Bike and Bean on Burlington Pike.  It is right next to Healthy Alternatives and Rettay Chiropractic.

More and More Aware

    Sorry about the long hiatus, life has been moving at a very quick pace and I couldn't seem to settle down to write.  I have 8 draft posts that just wouldn't come together because I was too busy thinking about other things.  Had a lot of those things resolve last night and I'm ba-ack.  Can't tell you how nice it is to be in my right mind. So, on to business, boy do I have a strange yoga thought for you today.

The Thinker

     This Saturday my younger son and I were out on college visits.  The University of Louisville held an open house called Accolade and we would visit Bellarmine later in the day.  Our thoughts were, "We should go. It is the right thing to do. (sigh)"  We got up early, early, early Saturday morning and made our way southwest.  From the tentative schedule, it looked like a day full of lectures (heavy sigh). Well, it was full of lectures, but it was so worth it!
     I can hear you thinking, where is the yoga in this? In an alignment based yoga class like mine, the teacher is always saying things like, "what change does this make in your body?" and "Notice the flow of energy in your body."  I have found that after 8 years of teaching and many more of practice, I notice things all the time  (in fact, when I go to the doctors, they all say I'm difficult to work with because I notice so much.)

with halo

    Back to noticing, when we drove on the U of L campus, we both got a good feeling, but did not mention it (it seemed like a fluke and I really did not want to influence Daniel's college decision).  As the day progressed, there were many things to love; from the down to earth speakers to the size of the campus to the art museum I have enjoyed for years.  The picture at right is a copy of Rodin's The Thinker.  I'm not sure if I like the version with the sun peaking through or when I gave the thinker a halo (the picture on the left).
     It was that kind of day.  Everything went well.  Like finding the correct light when we happened to be by the statue.  We also saw one of the albino squirrels.  We had not even heard of them before, but after we got home friends told us that some years they give away t-shirts to anyone who gets a picture.  I'm guessing that was too unpredictable, because this year you got a prize if you found one of the (not too) hidden Cardinals.

the albino squirrel

     With all of these charming things happening, it seemed like the energy was just right.  We were in all the right places at the right times.  One of the things that impressed us the most was the philosophy at the Speed School of Engineering at U of L.  At my elder son's UK orientation, we were told that "most students need 5 years to complete the program."  At the Speed School, all students co-op, there is a class that teaches them how to interview.  Students are expected to finish in 4 years and, if they choose, the 5th year is for your masters.  It is the only school in the country with this accredited program.  This attitude is such a good fit for my younger son.
     Who would have thought how clearly our inner awareness would be reflected in our experience? We got the feeling while driving into a parking garage.Who knew?

the happy guy with "hidden" cardinal

Rest in Safety

   The longer I live as a Christian, the more convinced that I am that Jesus came to show us how to live.  Strong statement for 1 in the morning, I know, but I couldn't sleep until I wrote this.
    As a young woman, I was convinced that the fruit of our life was how we coped with the suffering that life produced.  So, of course, I welcomed suffering and shortfalls into my life.  I only had clothing in my closet that others had given me.  Wasn't this the poverty that the books talked about?  Well, not really.  As I grew and learned, I found that life is about confronting gracefully and actively what was presented.
    In the past few months I have had many opportunities to practice grace and ease (and sometimes I even took advantage of them).  It has been like God (or the universe or whatever you would like to term the Higher Power) has been lobbing softball after softball at me to see how I would stand up to constant, but light, pressure.  Of course, there has been mixed results.
     Today I was thrown a hardball.  I have spent most of my life working on my body and mind.  Exercising, meditating, praying and reading book after book.  One would think that I was the picture of health, inside and out.  Not so much.  I have been visiting a new chiropractor, who really believes in holistic care, body, mind and soul.  When we looked at my latest x-rays, they revealed more imbalance and bits of degeneration that were new additions.  Aak!  I have been under chiropractic care for at leas 14 years and have practiced yoga for 11 (one class that I teach has run for almost 9 years).  How could this be?
     As we talked it over, of course she told me the things I knew: your body is the culmination of all that you have eaten, drunk, breathed and felt  for the whole time you have been alive; just think what it would be like if you did not do all those things; there is a possibility for some improvement.  But, the bottom line was, my neck will never match the ideal blueprint I have learned about in so many ways.  It is time to let that dream go.  Bummer.
      My eye doctor said the same thing earlier this year.  I have worn glasses since I was two years old, done eye training of many different kinds, etc etc etc.  When I asked if my eyes would ever improve, he said "that is a mountain too high."  Broke my heart.
      With all this background, where does Jesus come in?  As I was praying before bed, the only thing that came to mind was Matthew 26:39:  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."  Each time I am faced with some "infirmity," it turns into the blessing of a class or something I can use for my clients.  It is not that God wills me to have these problems, but how can I turn the problems into gifts.  What a great gift I have been given.  Now it is time to rest in the safety of the Lord.

Turn The Other Cheek

    So often we think of turning the other cheek as being a doormat for Jesus.  Isn't that  what He said?  Well, last Friday I was given a completely different perspective.  Rather than being submissive, turning the other cheek is standing your ground and by your refusal to retreat, mirroring your attacker's actions to them.  Now that sentence doesn't make sense to me (and I wrote it) but I have some great examples, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa.  Talk about two strong, non-violent people who changed the world!

   One day, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was walking on a raised walkway beside a muddy street. Approaching from the opposite direction came a white man.  The white man told him "I don't make way for gorillas."  The archbishop stepped aside, into the mud, made a deep sweeping gesture, and said, "Ah, yes, but I do."  What a great way to clarify the situation.

    The next story is from the life of Mother Teresa.  I had the privilege to work with the Missionaries of Charity (the order she founded) while stationed in the Philippines.  I have seen first hand the power of her convictions.  If I had to chose one word to describe their common life other than service, it would be pereseverance.  This fits in well with being struck on one cheek and offering the other.  The story that I was told is that one day Mother Teresa was begging for food for a young child.  They had gone to the baker.  He flatly refused and even spit on her.  Mother Teresa said, "Thank you for the gift for me, now could you please give this child some bread."
     I hope this gives you a bit of food for thought, now how to put it into practice....

Who Am I Now?

    So often we look at a challenge and say, "I can't (or won't) do that!"  Insert whatever you would like for "that."   Unfortunately I say this all the time in the back of my head.  The front, active part of my mind embraces challenges, signs up for new classes, tries the new things.  The back of my mind digs its heels in.  I found the perfect image on Flickr from Velo abzug.

   This little guy's face describes how I feel sometimes.  I want to hike instead of run.  I want to let go of my childhood books.  I want to learn how to really use my voice.  The list is endless, but interesting.  What I love about energy healing is that I learn to use different techniques to overcome my inner square wheel.

     Recently (okay, yesterday), I went through most of the books in our house to find a large group to get rid of.  The recent influx of furniture has moved a large bookshelf into my son's room and made a need in the basement to store some family heirlooms.  The books had to go.  In my searches, I found one of my favorite  childhood books. Crispan Magicker by Mark M Lowenthal, published in 1979.

    Of course, I reread the book and looked the author up on Wikipedia.  This was the author's only fantasy novel.  His other works were about U.S. Intelligence and, of all things, the t.v. show Jeopardy.   Talk about change and finding a new path.  What if our reluctance to find a new path leaves us stuck in fantasy land?

   Today's yoga class was challenging.  I asked students to look at the world in a new way.  We did a variety of twists and hip openers that were not easy.  I hate to admit the number of times where I said "Do this, I'll watch."  Let's just say that I love to keep all my problems in my hips and I love to have students who can do the things I describe!  In my home practice (and in my home life), I use techniques like relaxation and Jin Shin Jyutsu to help me change.  Here's a link to the two techniques.  Nothing is complete alone, we all need help.  Let me know if these work for you.

I Am Willing to Change! Part Two

  (So yesterday I left you hanging, I was having a bit of a time getting the photos off my phone.  Fortunately, the photos are beginning to trickle in.)
     The longer I practice reiki and other forms of healing, the more I have realized that the body resembles the earth.  In the mid 1800's as Pasteur developed his germ centered disease theory, Prof Louis-Claude Vincent took very similar data and came to slightly different conclusions.  Yes, streptococcus bacteria causes strep throat, but Vincent says if the body is out of balance, it creates a home to nurture disease.  The longer I work with healing, the more I agree with Vincent.  As a college student, any time I was tested, I had a positive strep test without ever getting the symptoms like my friends.
     In creating our new "park" in the back yard, we followed the same steps that I recommend to clients who have long term health issues.  Begin by identifying what you would like to change.  In my yard, it was a work intensive garden that had no comfortable place to sit and enjoy.  In my life it is a laundry list of little symptoms that add up to hormonal imbalance (yes, I know, shocking for a 45 year old....).

    In yesterday's work, I showed pictures of the ground work being laid, but couldn't show you what we decided to save.  Here you see two of the three trees that we saved while putting in the patio.  It is like looking at my own body.  There is a lot of living in this body to create the hormonal imbalance that I am experiencing.  Do I want to give up my past and become a high school student again? Absolutely not. I keep my past, put it in perspective, then create something wonderful out of it.

       Notice how carefully the ground is being prepared.  The forms have loads of reinforcement and gravel is only in the low spots (on the right of the picture).  This is like the preparation work we do in healing.  Keep a temperature log (to see if your body runs cold), check your pH first thing in the morning (to see if your body is acidic).  Take Chem X or Metal X to get rid of the metals and chemicals that prevent healing.  Then it is time to create the life you want.

  Start with the remedies you need (for our garden it was a lot of concrete).  Remember your long term goal, because the remedy may cause a bit of havoc.  This truck broke off many limbs of by fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), but look at what started to grow....

         Another part of the healing process is detox.  The body gets rid of things that no longer serve.  This can be through excretory processes or through emotional release.  Though I have done this many times with my body, I was absolutely horrified when the concrete truck cleaned it's chute into my back yard.

     I went into my house so that I didn't have to watch.  It was all cleaned up by my excellent contractors, but the process was awful.  It was like watching pus being drawn out of an infected wound, necessary in the long run, but difficult in the present.
    Of course, the patio is still in process.  The concrete has set enough to walk on, but there is still clean up and beautification to do.  For our park we need benches and flower pots and a fire pit (and anything else I can dream up).  Again, just like healing.  I've finished the first round of remedies to remove some underlying causes, now it is time for the next.  I leave you with a picture of the brand new patio with a 20 year old bench.... It's not beautiful, but it is great to sit on in the morning and drink hot lemon water.