Restorative Yoga

This week we enjoyed 2 lovely, rejuvenating, restorative classes in an extremely cozy room!   We had more heat than we normally have in the ballroom thanks to space heaters and fireplace.   It was easy to melt into the poses without too many adjustments.
If you missed Restorative Yoga this time be sure to sign up for the winter session.
Looking forward to "Holiday De-stressor" classes coming up the week after Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Confronting Pain or Loss

June Singer, Jungian analyst and author tells us this having made the journey from suffering and pain to compassion and creativity:

"Whether it is physical, emotional, whatever kind of pain, don't storm against it.  Don't resist it with questions like, Why me?  Why this?  Instead say to yourself, This is what the situation is , This is where I am and this is what is happening right now, What can I make of this?  How can I deal with it?  How must I change?  How can I change the situation?  You really have to take it on without deluding yourself, without denying how hard it is, that's what I've learned about pain".

Resilience and Compassion

In the book, The Resilient Spirit, the author tells us that true compassion is a powerful antidote to our suffering and pain because it prevents us from feeling isolated and separate from others.  When our lives and understanding take on a bigger context, we don't feel so alone.   What we are going through begins to have meaning in the larger picture.  
The author says" sometimes, the direct experience of authentic pain can propel one completely beyond old neurotic habits,  as I've seen in a few people who have encountered serious illness, betrayal, or loss unexpectedly.  They were suddenly able to move beyond their neurotic quirks  to become compassionate."

The Story of the Emperor...

What does resilence have to do with being in the moment, and bringing all your care and attention to who you are with and what love and compassion require?
In the story about the emperor that we heard this past week, there were three questions: when is the most important time, who is the most important person and what is the most important thing to do?
The answers were:  the most important time is NOW, the most important person is the ONE YOU ARE WITH and the most important thing to do is TO CARE. 
Try living this for a day or half a day or a couple of hours.    See what changes occur.
If you are alone, then the most important person is you and the most important thing to do is to show compassion and kindness towards yourself.

The Resilient Spirit

This quarter I will be drawing some stories and wisdom from the book by Polly Young Eisendrath entitled, The Resilient Spirit.    I think most of us are attracted to that quality of resilience.   How do we cultivate that in ourselves when we are faced with the obstacles and challenges in our lives?
This author helps us discover that.

P.Y.Eisendrath, PhD., is a psychologist, Jungian psychoanalyst and Clinical Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Universtiy of Vermont College of Medecine.   She write and lectures widely about human development and does research on resilience.

Yoga Watercolor Calendar

As most of you know I do a yoga calendar every year.   Because of health issues, needless to say,  I am way behind on my paintings.   At some point I had decided just to forgo the calendar for this year.
However,  that decision didn't sit well with me as I began to feel better.  Since then,  I have decided to go ahead with the calendar and mix in some of my favorite (and your favorite) previous paintings to make the needed total of 13.   I am finding once again that when things shift and change, we can shift and change with them.     Yoga is and should be adaptive!!!   Life asks of us the same.    Of course, not doing the calendar this year and feeling okay about that would also be an adaption.   "We always have a choice".    My choice right now is making satisfiying decisions that don't come with too much stress and pressure.   We shall see how that unfolds.  :)

Fall Quarter Begins...

A beautiful sunny week welcomed us back to yoga classes, Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.   New faces and old faces showed up in both classes.
I am so happy to be back teaching again after a well needed break.    Thank you those of you who sent cards and emails wishing me healing and wellness.   I so appreciated them.  I am gaining some of the lost weight back slowly but surely and am being treated symptomatically for migraines and nausea. The meds have helped to diminish and control my symptoms somewhat but not alleviate them.  However I am able to function better these days and that is a blessing.
Yoga teaches us to be present, taking each moment as it comes.   Life is a gift with a great deal of mystery attached to it.