I felt incredibly happy this week when some of my yogis asked me if I did a blog last week, I did not. It made me happy that they noticed, and I am so grateful for the feedback and the support. I was away visiting my son Sam last weekend in DC and came home to celebrate my son Luke’s birthday. I had to just tell myself it was ok to skip the blog; truthfully, skipping it and my weekly communication can give me some angst. While I know that cutting oneself some slack and prioritizing family commitments is important, I also feel strongly about communicating regularly with you all. It helps me feel connected to the community; whether we practice regularly together or have met in passing, we are connected, and I appreciate the ability to keep that thread intact.
Over the past months I have been talking a lot about leaning into our practice for support both physically and mentally and to enhance our quality of life. I was thinking about that this past week as I contemplated my post-retirement schedule and productivity. As a person who has always over committed myself but had a well-planned schedule, I am struggling a bit with finding balance and structure in my current life. I find that while I have a lengthy list of things I would like to do, some days pass without me being able to pinpoint anything that I have done from the list! My precision scheduling skills are now by the wayside with appointments (doctors, yoga teaching, volunteerism, social events) appearing in my calendar willy nilly; no blocks of time to do gardening, home projects or work on my yoga business! Or so it has seemed. I have found that my mantra has turned to, “oh I guess I will get to that next week”. While for some that may indicate a sense of relaxed laissez faire, I am feeling out of sorts. I am not a person who operates well with no structure, I feel unmoored or like a rudderless ship. I realize I must build some structure back into my schedule so that I CAN enjoy retirement. I want that time to putter with my gardens and projects, things that bring me joy. I am not looking to load up my schedule with commitments, it is about some amount of ordered chaos.
I was thinking about the yogic philosophic terms that allude to both the polarized nature of our practice and of life, sthira and sukha. Sthira refers to strength and stability while sukha refers to ease and comfort. These two concepts are found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In sutra 2.46 the approximate translation of “sthira-sukham asanam” tells us that “postures should be stable and comfortable” or when performing them we search for the balance of strength and ease. As goes yoga, so goes our life! I think by nature some of us embody more of one of these traits than the other, however, seeking a balance on and off the mat is a healthy goal.
To achieve this time balance, I plan to adopt some of the strategies I used in my banking life. I will “schedule” time for my personal practice and for my personal activities. Not necessarily specific hours like Tuesday, weed from 10-12 (that would be a full swing of the pendulum), but will begin to schedule appointments and other outside commitments in a more organized fashion. I have advised others to think of exercise or yoga like brushing their teeth, nonnegotiable. It is time for me to take my own advice, utilizing the positive aspects of my prior habits and adopting them to my new best life.
I suggest that over the next week we look at our schedules, find room for self-care whether it be yoga or other healthy habits. If there is an activity that brings you joy or will help you feel good, schedule it in as a non-optional commitment. If there are things you have overcommitted to that are not necessary or bring you joy, consider exiting. When we take control of our time, even scheduling in free time, we can improve our life/work/commitment balance. By building some flexible structure into our days, I suggest we will begin to balance our sthira and sukha and will practice, and live, better!
Our Practice – Virabhadrasana - Warrior 3
As we strive to find balance, let’s practice some balancing this week with this sometimes-challenging pose (let’s face it, all balances are challenges for some of us!). Patience in balancing poses helps us find patience off the mat!
Warrior 3 challenges us to find balance and levity both on and off the mat. The Hasta (hand) mudra can be representative of giving or generosity. We reach our arms out in front with open palms toward the sky.
From crescent lunge, shift your weight into your front leg and launch into Warrior 3. Root down into your standing leg and allow your extended back leg to reach back.
Outstretch your arms in Hasta Mudra.Feel the stability and strength in your lower body; press back through the heel of the lifted, extended leg and extend through the crown of your head, sending energy out in both directions.
Hasta (hand) mudra reaches our arms out in front of us and shining our palms open toward the sky. Create a bowl with palms.
Meditating On Balance
I love that we can find inspiration from sages from the beginning of time (Patanjali), literary greats of the 19th century (Emerson) and the forefathers of modern yoga (Iyengar).
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day and you shall begin it well and serenely.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of the present – the here and now. If you balance in the present, you are living in Eternity.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
Nurturing with Food – Hummus
We were out with friends for a delicious dinner recently. As we were eating a lovely plate of hummus and pita as an appetizer, I thought of the recipe that we use, adopted from the Silver Palate cookbook. The extra lemon juice (fresh) and good quality olive oil are the two key ingredients that will result in a hummus that is light and more delicious than any I have had anywhere! And, bonus, so easy to make!
See you on the mat!
Namaste,
Julia Anne
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