Prayer for those Affected by Hurricane Sandy

        The best part of prayer in tough times is it moves you from inactive worry into active care.  I share with you two prayers from vastly different sources.  The first I love for it's picture and the sure knowledge of the depths of God's love, the second for how it mentions each aspect of the recovery from a massive natural event.

from the Godspace blog

This invocation is from another blog, Indian in the Machine.


Repeat for at least 15 minutes as many times per day as is possible for you to do. Visualize as you do this, the Violet Flame permeating the Hurricane Sandy and areas affected. Please continue this each and every day as guided through your heart flame.

Beloved I AM Presence of all humankind,Infinite Mighty I AM Presence from the Great Central Sun,All Great Cosmic Beings and Legions of Light, All Ascended Masters, and All Angelic Host, Lady Althea and your Legions of Angels, the Universal Energy Medical Teams, the Acturian Healers, and all the Galactic Healers.

We invoke your Divine Intervention NOW and call upon the Violet Flame to transmute all pain, suffering, fear, and other negatives into HOPE, LOVE, MIRACLES and BLESSINGS for all the people and animals affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Manifest now! Manifest now! Manifest now!

WE ask that Violet Flame to purify ALL who crossed-over so that they may receive their Ascension.

Great Ascended Host, we thank and bless you for your immediate assistance and divine intervention on behalf of the people of Hurricane Sandy in their great need.

We give thanks! We give thanks! We give thanks!

So be it and so it is done!

Ta-Da! -sana: Opening to Grace

     Does it ever feel like God is trying to get you to understand something?  The longer you don't get it, the higher the volume goes?  I have been having that month. It all began with a song....

      For my next song in voice lessons, I was assigned My Soul is Thirsting (Psalm 63) by Steve Angrisano.  This is a video of the author teaching a group the refrain.  Now I just love the psalms.  They express every emotion from love to rage to hate to envy to longing.  There is a psalm for every situation.  It makes me feel a little less alone in the dark nights, others have been here long before me and found a way out.
     I played around with the song.  First just learning the tune, then practicing different aspects. But, I didn't really think about it much. So, God ups the ante....
    Two weeks later I took a great weekend of yoga from Sianna Sherman (posts about her video and some of the lessons learned).  One of the things she mentioned several times is that with each inhale the body is healing (in reiki we would say 'releasing blocks').  It stuck in my mind.  I just could not make sense of it.  If I get better with each inhale (and I have quite a few inhales under my belt), why am I ageing? It feels more like I am creating blocks rather than releasing most of the time.

Window at Peaceful Meadow Retreat.

    I ruminated on the thoughts about thirsting for God and healing with each inhale, turning the puzzle pieces over and rearranging them in my mind.   On Saturday they suddenly came together.  It reminded me of this picture.  We had taken several pictures in a row of this window.  Most were fairly dark and did not capture the feelings we were looking for.  This one was the third of five exposures.  The interesting thing is it was the middle picture.  In this one photo, you can see the grace that is always there.

source

     Our souls thirst until we open the doors to let God in. He is always there waiting. Each inhale heals the body if it is made with an open heart.  Each inhale in anger, hurt and shame creates ill health or dis-ease.
     I spent an hour on Saturday going through my computer, trying to find a picture of someone with an open heart.  I couldn't find a single one.  We all see the camera and shy away.  People cross arms in front of their bellies or round their shoulders to hide.  When I mentioned this at the Reiki Share on Sunday, Lorna Barrett,  a fellow yoga teacher told me how she teaches this to her students.  In your mind imagine that you are a gymnast who has just completed a major routine.  Spread the fingers and toes and open your heart up to the grace all around you.  Stand tall and Ta-Da! in tadasana.


P.S. If you want to experience this great teaching style first hand, Lorna's classes are at the R.C. Durr YMCA in Burlington, KY Monday and Wednesday at 11.

Pranam: Sianna Sherman DVD Review

      I have been teaching yoga for nearly 9 years now and one of the most common questions I am asked before and after class is "Do you recommend any yoga videos?"  Until now the answer has always been not really. I enjoyed the Rodney Yee yoga for back care that was on VCR (of all things!) but am not as fond of the new one.  So many videos just name and demonstrate the asana (poses) but don't give adequate instruction to prevent injury at home.
     Now I have found a DVD that I can recommend without reservations, Pranam with Sianna Sherman. I have had the video for a few months and I just love it.  The flow is very carefully crafted to open each part of the body before it is extended into more advanced poses. It also cleverly acknowledges the flow of life and our need to both surrender to it and move actively with the flow. The practice is divided into four sections;

1. East/ air/ inspiration
2. South/ fire/ courage
3. West/ water/ flow
4. North/ earth/ grounding and gratitude

       Most poses are visited several times throughout the practice with progressively more difficult options. Though she does not offer easier variations using straps and blocks, I found it very easy to modify the more advanced poses to my level .  What I really love is the vocal instructions for the advanced poses.  I will continue to perform a variation that is at my level, but her instructions allow me to move more deeply within my body as I perform the same pose.  For example, Urdhva Dhanurasana (full backbend) is out of my practice for a few weeks while I heal an injury.  As I listen to the DVD, I lay on my back with hands and feet where they would be for the pose and perform all of the inner motions without moving up to full wheel. So, I connect the hands strongly, root the tail bone, press the shoulder blades into the heart, and so on.  This allows me to do the internal work without aggravating an injury.

     The nice part about having these more difficult variations is that it reminds us to keep adding to our practice.   For example, bakasana (crow) jumping back into chaturanga dandasana (low plank) has just entered my world.  Now I'm going to apologize first,  I couldn't find some free professional pictures, so this is me in jeans and a tshirt after judging a Speech and Drama meet most of the day.  But wow! What a gift Sianna gave me!

chaturanga dandasana

bakasana

Just jump
from here...
             ... to here!


    The best praise I can give this video is that I could listen to her talk and not do the yoga, just to have her remind me of the inspiration all around, the courage that is already with in us to use the inspiration, the fluidity to allow change and the peace to remain grounded.  I highly recommend this DVD!

Confused? That's a Good Thing

            I have had a very frustrating afternoon!  I'd bet many of you have been here as well.  So far, two clients have cancelled, I'm having problems with some office stuff I paid a lot of money for, etc, etc, etc.  I could go on, but you probably would click on to the next website.
             When I just sat down to think about it, I couldn't get a handle on what is wrong.  Is it just me?  So I ran myself on the Nu|vision.  This is a program that scans your energy field to assess your overall well being (for more information contact me using this link).  The item that really resonated with me was this phrase...

Healing Process Sign - Confusion, breaking down of old emotional patterns. This can be experienced as chaos because of the unfamiliarity of true emotional reality

     It was like looking at the fall foliage.  The photo on the left is a picture of one of our maple trees.  When I look at the top leaf (representing my afternoon, of course), it is pretty ugly.  There are spots of yellow, green, red and orange.  It is all pretty chaotic.  The background leaves are a little nicer, but in this photo it is hard to ignore the "in your face" leaf.
      When you step back a bit, like the photo on the right, the leaves tell a different story.  The different colors look more like the change of seasons and less like leprosy.  The tree is in the process of change, becoming even more beautiful than it was in the summer.  As I stood in the sun on a beautiful fall day, rather than being inside with my clients, parts of the afternoon started to feel nicer.  I love the sun, being barefoot in October, taking pictures, writing blog posts.  So there are some good things going on in my chaos.
             I know 10 years from now, I'll be able to really step back and see the big picture. All the change that 2012 has brought into my life will have a bit of perspective.  It's like looking at my old journals.  Each time I get the old ones out, I think "I believed that?" and "That was my response?"  I'm always grateful to be where I am now, never wanting to go back to the past.
              Until then I need to be patient, continually remembering this year's affirmation, "I am willing to change."  One day I'll see this afternoon like this, a beautiful blaze of glory....

Not Tonight, I Have a Headache: Yoga for the Head

    Until this last week I would have said I don't get headaches very often, but I was wrong. It is one of the curious things about long term pain.  So often we forget it is there, just like the static on a stereo system or the twinge in your knee.  If you can't fix it, ignore it.  Over the past week, I have been using the poses described below and the relief is amazing.
    Recently, I attended the closing classes of Shine Yoga Studio (here's a post on what a gift the studio has been to me for many years).   Not only are classes with the traveling teachers like Sianna Sherman  fun and interesting, but they tend to use poses that we may have let drop from our daily practice.  She used several facial expressions in various ways throughout the classes.  What I have discovered in my home practice is they are wonderful in releasing facial tension, relaxing the head and shoulders, and, best of all, relieving stress headaches!

source

        The class was about opening to change in our lives, becoming a bit like this guy here on the left.  He is Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god.  Hanumanasana (the asana or pose of Hanuman) is the splits, one very open position that I love watching other people do.  One thing you will immediately notice is his very puffy cheeks (here is the story of how it came to pass). Sianna mentioned making his face is a great way to open up the muscles in your face, but we didn't do it in class. So here is what I came up with at home....
            - sit quietly, becoming more aware of your cheeks and jaw
            -  inhale, filling your cheeks up with air
            - swish the air around in your cheeks, pressing the ball of air into anyplace that feels tight
                                                        - remember to go into the lower jaw, the hinge of the jaw and the area between your nose and mouth
                                                         - exhale, noticing how the cheeks and jaw feels

source

      Our other facial expression was from the god, Kali.  She is often pictured with her tongue sticking out.  Unfortunately, the only pictures I could find had her mouth closed and that is not the posture we are looking for.  This lovely cat, on the other hand, has the mouth just right. Kali face (as I call the expression in my mind) is much more active than Hanuman's.  To find the Kali face....
            - inhale with the face relaxed
            - exhale - open eyes wide
                         - open mouth wide
                         - stick your tongue way out
                         - make an audible Hah! with the breath
            - repeat
     I noticed that this expression really digs in and releases the tongue and jaw muscles.  Hanuman's face releases the cheeks and lips.  Once I let go of the tension in the lower half of my face, my head begins to feel better.  The more I relax it, the feeling begins to spread to the base of the skull and down the neck and throat.
      The funny thing is how making these faces also makes you laugh.  You feel ridiculous and that can be lots of fun.  I'm sure the laughter helps in stress relief as well.  Play around with them and let me know what you think.  Blessings and laughter. Pam

Power vs. Force

    Last night, much as I hate to admit it, I was on YouTube watching cat videos.  If my day has not had quite enough laughter, this is the sure cure.  My first cat, Farley, was the wedding gift that kept on giving.  She's the orange one on the right.  The gray and black kitten is Charlie. (Yes, the names are almost to precious for words, I was young).  Back to the cat videos. Among the cute kittens and the explanations of Schrodinger's cat (a physics mind experiment that I liked until I realized they kill the cat), there was a perfect demonstration of the difference between being powerful and being forceful.
      I was given the book Power vs Force, by a friend in 2005 and been fascinated ever since.  The book describes the different levels of emotion and thought moving from completely powerless (shame) through forceful (fear, desire, anger and pride) to the power that does not need to force it's views on others (love, joy, peace and enlightenment).  I use this awareness in daily life to change the things I'm going to do anyway (the dishes and making dinner) into acts of love and happiness.  If you are walking fast to do errands, why not do it with a smile on your face?

    What is so interesting about this movie is the calm cat.  The deer is stomping and doing other threat displays.  The cat just watches, only moving when necessary to stand it's ground.  The perfect demonstration of how to stand up to bullies.
     The cat is intrinsically powerful mentally, though clearly outclassed physically.  It is such a great thing to remember in daily life.  The person who is well off is not the one with the most money, she is the one with the most peace. One of my favorite quotes from the book...

Facts are accumulated by effort, but the truth reveals itself effortlessly...This book will have been successful if by the end of it you exclaim, "I always knew that!"

Some Like It Hot

    For years I have successfully avoided hot yoga.  It is "in," which always seems vaguely suspicious to me. (Yes, I am working on my prosperity issues.)  A friend wanted to introduce me to the new yoga studio in the area, Full Body Yoga.  This was the only class we were both free for (yes, 8:30 at night for hot yoga seems a bit crazy, but there it is.)  After attending class last night, now I must admit I have been missing something.
   In order to do this new experience justice, I've really had to examine the experience with a more scientific approach.  It didn't feel good or bad, it was completely different.  Here are a few of my observations:

• It is hot!  Yes, no surprise given the name, but walking in from the cool autumn air was a welcome shock.  I think the studio was about 95 degrees.  I found the heat to be wonderful in unlimbering my very tight shoulders and hips.  (In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I have always had a penchant for heat.  I never knew why, but I always seem to be out working in the yard on some of the hottest days in the summer.)
• It is different.- And thats not such a bad thing.  Not only was the flow very different, along with the asana (poses) so was the approach to yoga overall. I tend to practice alignment based yoga (like anusara and Iyengar) and have recently been experimenting in my home practice with vinyasa (flow) that activates different muscles to culminate in more open poses.  This was from a completely different thought process, the heat warms you up to enable poses with less preparation.  For example:
• Each of the poses had long holds even at the beginning of class.  Usually in any class I have this feeling of "I'm not going to make it," particularly as my shoulders and arms warm up.  Those first downward dogs can be torturous.  With all of the heat my muscles were ready to go straight to work. 
• The poses were different from what I usually work.  It was great.  We did crow, standing splits, horse, and this very funny, fun pose I have no name for (think of moving forward to lunge, but rather than putting your foot on the floor, place your knee on the outside of your elbow and upper arm like an arm balance- eka pada something or another).
• There is not the loads of description that I am used to.  The teacher was great, but it was a much more internal practice with holds long enough to make adjustments, rather than "spiral energy from the wings of your kidneys up your pinkey finger."
• Energy really runs strong.-  In a class this warm with this many difficult poses, the energy is really moving in your body.  Given my twin passions of reiki and yoga, I am very aware of my body and the energy inside it.  After this class, I felt a little like I had stuck my finger in an electric socket (in a good way).  Unfortunately, it meant that I didn't sleep well for a few days.  So I played around with a few solutions.  The most successful were a few poses that supported the forehead.

http://heartofthebearyoga.com/2011/08/26/the-ubiquitous-iyengar-yoga-block/

   This picture shows a full downward dog with a block.  At home, I have found that I ground more deeply by doing the pose onto my kitchen counter with my head supported by the counter.  Last summer we put in granite counters and I love them for more than just cooking.  I did a little research and here is a bit of an explanation...

Properties: The elemental powers of water and earth, ocean tumbled granite is a unique stone combining the elements of the sea with the deep rooted foundations of the earth! These stones are often full of shiny, light reflecting druses. This stone is a great balancer of water and earth (emotions and practicality). Earth helps water to keep its deep emotions in check. This incredible stone works on both the Base/Root and Sacral/Spleen Chakra as it grounds unstable or unsure emotions. Therefore, granite is wonderful for allowing for increased protection and abundance. This stone works well on skepticism. It allows for diplomacy, discretion, cooperativeness and negativity. Granite is a wonderful relationship balancer. Ocean tumbled granite in particular helps us to see and understand the big picture. So it shows us to look past the little puddles in our lives and focus on an ocean of opportunity and advancement!-
http://www.spiritjourneys.com/mineral-properties3.php#15

      Well, I don't know about all of that, but it sure is a great way to cool down crazy energy (and while we are at it I can use some more abundance!)
        So, I can highly recommend our local hot yoga class with a few reservations.  I truly loved it, but hydrate before you go and take care of your body after.  Bring warm clothes to wear out of the studio to cool down slowly and do a few grounding asanas before you try to sleep.