A Great Gift

I have discovered a beautiful meditation CD that is perfect for restorative poses and deep relaxation. "Nada Himalaya" by Deuter. It is $15. and can be ordered from Amazon.
If you need a sort of "container" of sound around you for restful practice, you will find this CD most helpful. I used it in our last Restorative Yoga class.

Why The Holidays Are Stressful....

This week we began our 3 weeks together to refine our skills in reducing stress. Dr Morton Orman, author of "Why The Holidays Are Stressful", gives us some good reminders as to why the holidays are stressful. He included such things as social and personal expectations, too many responsibilities, trying to change or control others, unpleasant memories, difficult emotions and physical symptoms, blaming yourself or others when things go wrong, not anticipating possible problems or delays, using food, alcohol or drugs to cope, assuming everything will go well, and expecting others to go along with your preferences. That is a pretty complete list I think. Certainly it raises our awareness of why the holidays can be challenging. It seems if we can shift our perspective, our "attachments" ,we might have a whole different experience. Aparigraha, the 5th yama, asks us to let go of outcome, of needing things to be "just so". There are some things that matter and some things that don't. It helps to focus on the things that really do matter and let the rest go.
When we begin to loosen our attachments we often experience our world differently and even enjoy life more.