Our Practice - Finding Joy in Yoga and Life
Instead of focusing on a specific pose this week I have been thinking about the whole idea of what yoga is and what it is not. Yoga should not make us feel badly about ourselves, yoga should not be something “we have to do”. What it could and should be is something that gives us peace, joy and promotes overall wellbeing with a side of exercise thrown in!
When I was away in NY last week and visited the site of the Woodstock festival, we spent time clowning around on the site of the actual stage, I was channeling Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) and we all were playing air guitar. I honestly cannot remember when I laughed as I hard as I did on that trip, and it made my heart feel good. Think about this, are we ever too old to be silly? Of course not. And the healing benefits of joy and laughter are well documented. For the record, I cannot carry a tune or proficiently play any instrument).
On that same Woodstock vein, looking at the exhibits and listening to the film clips was so intense, I felt chills down my spine most of the day. I actually felt disappointed that my 7 year old self had not been able to attend and acknowledged that even if I had been 20, I would likely have been too timid to go. My 59 year old self, filled with much more confidence and desire for adventure, would love to board a time machine (or a big psychedelics bus) and be among the 500,000 fans experiencing the concert of a lifetime.
Lesson learned? Embrace opportunities, experience life in all its crazy, messy (muddy) iterations, crank up the tunes and let your hair down....and dance!
This too is yoga!
I saw this little article from the Huffington Post about laughter, just the picture of the two older lady friends laughing made me smile.
Perhaps this week we can meditate on the power of laughter, I love the Dalai Lama who says “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. Laughter is good for thinking because when people laugh, it is easier for them to admit new ideas to their minds”
For more on what the Dalai Lama says about laughter check out this article in the Daily Beast, it really made me smile.
Nurturing Through Food – Grain Bowls (Nothing in the house to eat)
I am sure I have posted this recipe before, sorry for the redundancy, but I made another version this weekend and loved it so much I had to chat about it again.
The original recipe follows but this time I changed it up with some leftover brown rice which I heated up stir fry style with some scallions. On top I used some of the usual suspects (greens, radishes, tomatos) but I also had some leftover stir fry (hence the rice) so added that for the layer on top of the rice and before the greens and salad stuff. Many of you may not love it, but I also put a spoonful of kimchi on top!
Yum!
See you on the mat.
Namaste
Julia Anne
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