Finding Balance Amid Chaos

via Candid Musings

I am currently deep in the process of moving. My days are all over the place. Between packing and gathering paperwork and scheduling movers and all that mess I am always seeking some semblance of balance. 

I have to remember somewhere in my mind that if I don't make time for myself - for my yoga, my artwork, and my family - then I will burn out quickly.

Somewhere in the chaos I have to stop and turn inward. I must find the stillness to reconnect with my center and breathe. Even while the world around me seems to be going at warp speed. Just like in my yoga practice - the transition needs to be treated with as much skill patience and equanimity as any other time.

"Yoga doesn't take time it makes time." - Ganga White

via Candid Musings

Walking a New Path When the Old One is Comfortable

You are a creature of habit. I mean, we all are - so don't think you're an exception.

Sometimes we try to learn a new habit on purpose - like brushing and flossing twice a day, not eating animal products, or doing yoga every day. That's really hard to do and sometimes people talk about how long it takes to build a new habit. That isn't always the way it works, really. Some of us (like me) just don't seem to learn new habits. I can learn to do something the same new way for 3 years and then just stop doing it one day. No matter how much better I felt for it or loved doing it - it's suddenly like it never happened. Why? 

Michelle Dawson by Robert Sturman

Some of us, it turns out have worn such a distinct path with our original habit - that the new one just can't compete. So it's not so much that you don't form a habit - you just formed the last one soooo well that it's harder to UNDO it than anything. It can be done, but it's going to be a more difficult journey.

What's my point here? Do I have one? I thought I did when I started.

If you're having trouble picking up a new habit - like doing yoga regularly (or ever) - go easy on yourself, but keep trying. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your habit of not doing yoga.

Good Alignment is Good Therapeutics

It's an unfortunate fact of having a body - injury happens. I'm pretty accident prone, so I'm quite familiar with this fact by now. I always seem to hurt myself doing something mundane instead of something that obviously could hurt me. I hurt myself doing things like getting up off the floor, reading a book, or just plain existing. The last 2 weeks I've been healing up a mild knee sprain and it's coming along great, but I'm just now getting around to adding some really basic yoga back into the mix.

As I introduce sun salutations back into my days (and lots of lunges) I just have to remind myself that:

Good Alignment is Good Therapeutics

As long as I watch my alignment closely I can probably do almost anything and it will assist healing. By anything I don't mean playing soccer, but I do mean things like squats, lunges, inversions, backbends, etc. Mostly stationary and slow careful movements for a while. It's just another reminder to bring awareness to everything I do and practice mindfulness.

via http://fuckyeahyoga.tumblr.com/post/46435892141

Challenge Yourself to Create Balance

What have you been avoiding because it looks difficult or pulls up emotional funk? Is there something you've been ignoring that you could be working towards?

People tend to get all too cozy in their comfort zone. They don't focus on their weaknesses very often (if ever) - which allows them to get weaker and weaker. In the meantime your strengths get stronger and stronger. This creates an ever-expanding gap in your abilities. Sounds like a huge imbalance. The more advanced your yoga practice gets the more your imbalances can come back to haunt you. The smallest weak spot can completely throw off a pose and lead to injury. Easily avoidable if you just do the work - all the work, all the time.

via FuckYeahAshtangaYoga

Take a good look at your practice. Is there an entire direction you aren't moving? Is there a category of poses you avoid? Is there a tweaky chronic pain that needs to be addressed?

Don't think that being a beginner or an intermediate practitioner excuses you from this. That's exactly when you need to be creating good habits of introspection and filling in the gaps.

Challenge yourself by looking into those spaces before you have the Grand Canyon of imbalances staring you in the face.

via Yoga, Water, Sun, Light

Benefits of Meditation

Meditation doesn't have to be a huge ordeal. Most sane people don't just start with 30+ minutes a day of seated meditation. In fact, meditation can be done lying down, sitting in a chair, walking down the street - or wherever. Start with this One Moment Meditation to easily jump start a functional meditation practice.

Check Your Stress

Right now I'm totally obsessed with this handy little app. Stress Check by Azumio Inc. (free for Android users) It measures your heart rate and studies variations therein to determine how stressed you are. Then offers little tips on how to relax if your stress rates high (such as taking a walk or deep breathing). 


Just another useful bit of technology to assist with your practice and leading a healthy happy life.


Also available on iTunes.

Smells like a Hippie

Me - A couple years ago I would've said this smells like a hippie, but now I just think it smells really good.

My Mom - "Well you are a hippie."

Touché mom. Touché.

We were talking about soap by the way.
Today's photos via Pinterest

Shit Yogis Say

This vid is basically a lululemon commercial, but it's funny. Do you recognize yourself in any of these? 

I know I saw myself in there somewhere. Right around 37 seconds for sure. I'm fully aware of it.

 

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Fit Girls Let Your Hair Down

The ponytail is synonymous with fitness. Fit girls pull their hair back constantly. Especially those athletes that dedicate their entire day to active pursuits. Maybe one of your new year's resolutions should be to wear your hair down more often.

Source: http://kristineforpresident.com/2010/02/15/tight-ponytails/

Have you ever heard of Traction Alopecia? 
"Traction alopecia is a form of hair loss caused by the sustained tension of hair. In general, this affects the hair follicles, and eventually damages them to a point where they can no longer grow hair. The result is gradual hair loss, and if serious enough, can eventually proceed to rapid hair loss, or losing clumps of hair at a time."

If you wear a tight ponytail or braids of any kind this could happen to you. If caught early it is reversible, so pay attention to your scalp and your hair. They may be trying to tell you something. Are you at risk? Do you need to give your hair a break?

Know the Warning Signs:

• Sore scalp from ponytail, braiding, dreadlocks, etc.
• Bumps and redness along the hairline
• Thinning or hair breakage around the hairline
• Itchy scalp or dandruff
• Scalp is scaly or oozing pus

If not caught in time - the hair follicles can be damaged to the point that it becomes permanent.

How to Avoid It:

• Wear your hair down often
• Wear loose braids, ponytails, etc.
• Don't subject your hair to chemical treatments which weaken it
• Massage your scalp to increase circulation
• In short - be nice to your hair.

Sources:

Hairloss.com

eHow Style

RapidHairloss.net

The 3R's for Christmas Cards

This year I ordered some adorable new christmas cards, but when I opened up my christmas box I noticed I have all these cards that people sent me last year (and some from further back than that). I don't want to just throw them out, so one morning I sat down with my cards and some scissors. Long story short - my new cards will have to wait until next year and I'll never need to buy another gift tag.

Before I go into the details let me add that I'm not a cheapo. I just try to make sure I spend my money on what's most important... and with a few exceptions - the christmas card is not it. Plus, I like to be as "green" as possible because I hug trees. Cards are nice to receive, but I'm sure the trees don't appreciate having died for something that some people open over the trash can, read, and immediately throw away.

Little bags full of gift tags I made last week.

The 3Rs for christmas cards:

Reduce who you send cards to. 

Let's face it, some people you only exchange cards with because neither of you has stopped reciprocating out of obligation. This year my policy is that I'm only sending cards to people that I'm not sending a gift to. That ended up being like five people.

To further reduce waste you could send christmas postcards (they exist) which use maybe 1/4 of the paper of traditional cards in envelopes. Bonus: standard sized postcards are cheaper to mail.

If you want to go all out on this plan - you can just send E-Cards and spend no money and create no waste.

Reuse old cards.

Even if you make the switch to E-Cards, you're bound to have other people send a card for you to deal with. Luckily there are tons of ideas for reusing cards. You can make them into decor, gift tags, bookmarks, coasters, and more.

The front of your card can even be cut off and made into a new card or postcard. It's what I did this year that saved my new cards for another year.

Recycle the leftovers.

You may even be able to compost your cards - depending on what they're made of.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you're all for it, but don't want to do the work yourself - send your cards to a card recycling program or a crafty friend.

Where Are You Going?

"You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

-Yogi Berra

I spent a large chunk of this weekend in stores with incredible piles of people. Tons of people dutifully consuming... unless they're just milling about like zombies. I saw a lot of that too. I get the feeling that few of these people are practicing presence. I don't think many of them are on any particular path or maybe even aware of their life. Many of them are just going through the motions and existing. I hope I'm not doing that.

I've been trying to make christmas lists for people, buy gifts, practice yoga, figure out when/how I'm going to visit my mom one of these days... and yet I'm trying to give Thanksgiving it's time. Right now that's where I should be going. Yet my path has kind of skipped it, so I need to circle back around and make sure I get to Thanksgiving. I don't want to miss it. It's not often that gratitude is in season.

Shifting with the Seasons

I can barely believe it's almost halfway through November. The deciduous trees are shedding leaves and letting the evergreens have the limelight for a while. The wind is faster and colder. Occasionally we're even getting snow here in the northern hemisphere.

I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of the cold. Now it's time for me to hibernate like a small bear and I'll gladly do so. Wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea all I can think about is turning on the fireplace one of these days. I've never lived somewhere with a fireplace before and the whole idea is charming.

I've been sick so I haven't really had an asana practice recently. I read somewhere that someone "heard" that every single day that you don't practice you lose a weeks worth of progress. I really hope that's not true because if it is I'm doomed.

In the spirit of the season slow down your practice today and quietly turn inside. Shed your leaves and let your bones rest for a bit. Take great care and nurture yourself maybe for the entire weekend. Moisturize and warm your skin, make your muscles supple, get sufficient sleep, and slow your monkey mind so you are better prepared for the cool weather and stressful holiday season that is coming.

Here at Hearts Expanding I've got some great stuff coming up. Giveaways, gift guides, book reviews and more! Stay tuned and take care of yourselves.

Keeping Anxiety in Check

Many of us living people deal with anxiety.  I definitely deal with anxiety all the time (a certain degree of it is normal and healthy after all). I wouldn't say I suffer from it or anything, but it's around. I find that my yoga and meditation practice helps me to keep it from getting out of hand. If you don't have a regular yoga practice you might wonder how that idea is supposed to work.

Well, meditation trains the mind to be more still, more quiet, and in general to focus not on what-ifs but on the moment as it truly is. Even if there's a lot going on outside of myself, I can take respite internally where there's always some peace keeping a level head.

What your parents think when you don't answer your phone.

The asana practice helps too, but it's not quite as obvious how it works. Even if I explain it... if you've never done it - it's all just hearsay. I'll do my best. When I'm in a pose I don't just find a boring middle point and hang out... and I don't power through into the next thing. No, I find a spot where there's a mild discomfort and I sit with it for a bit. It's not serious pain or anything I can't handle. It's comfortable enough that if I focus on my breath then I might not even notice. This is the edge where I sit. Right on the line between "this sucks" and "I love this pose". Now what does this have to do with anxiety and stress? Well if I'm practicing finding this subtle place where it's almost uncomfortable then I learn to see that this spot is not a big deal. I learn my personal boundaries where I can weather the storm and where it's a serious problem.

Later when I'm not on my mat I can start to see when I'm worrying about nothing (because how many of my worries actually happen?) and when it truly is a problem. If I can recognize the non-issues sooner than I waste a lot less time and energy being anxious and I can spend a lot more time enjoying life.

Tender Thoughts

Today is the last day to enter to win pants and a tank from the Champion Shape line.

Winner announced tomorrow morning.

Awakening with Yoga

"To the disciples, Yogananda often said, “Be patient in your yoga practice. A plant won’t grow the moment you plant the seed. ‘Make haste slowly,’ as the saying goes. It may take time to achieve the results you long for, but the more you practice, the more you will see your life changing. “The day will dawn at last when you won’t even recognize yourself as the person you were." - “The Essence of Self-Realization: The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda”

Something to keep in mind as you practice, but especially if you are just starting.

Yes, this is my dog.

I Love Nature (Video)

Holy cow guys, this treehugging video made me tear up a little bit.
Fabulous poetic nature love... and tiny lizard foots.

Watch it! Watch it! Watch it!

Growing is Forever from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

PS... I know it's feet, so don't go all grammar nazi on me.

Flip Flops Do What?!?

Fun Fact:
The primary reason for yogis to wear flip flops was originally because they stimulate a point in the foot that diminishes the libido.

Something to think about now that it's summer and we're probably all wearing them all the time. I learned this in teacher training years ago. Just thought it was funny.

Small Steps to Big Balance

Do you ever just feel "off"? Or maybe you have some small irritating pain in your wrist, knees, or shoulder? These things are generally created by a lack of balance. I don't mean the kind of balance that lets you stand on the head of a pin with one toe on top of a high rise. I mean the kind of symmetry we all Don't Have in our habits. A real obvious silly one is driver's tan. If you drive in the same places all the time then you'll get a tan (or sunburn) on one arm. Switch it up! Drive at different times, take a different route, be a passenger, or GASP - walk.

Small things can create bigger problems or at least big imbalances in your day to day and your asana practice. Luckily you can find balance in small simple acts.

• Carry your purse/bag on the opposite arm sometimes.
• Carry your child on the other hip
• Hold hands on the other side (with others or in clasped hand stretches)
• Step off the curb with a different foot forward - You probably tend to always use the same one.
• Check how you stand - Is most of my weight on one side? Shift into the middle; weight evenly distributed through all 4 corners of both feet.
• On a subtle level - If you always practice yoga in the same spot or do handstands at the same piece of wall you may end up imbalanced because of small angles of the floor.

Everything you do can have big effects - most of these listed can cause one tight hip flexor or a pinched nerve in one shoulder. Think about your small actions.

Do You Teach Hot Yoga?

In moving, my husband and I keep meeting people that are so excited to hear that I teach yoga. What is the first question they all ask? Do you teach HOT YOGA!? Um... no.

I don't have anything against hot yoga - I've done it... it's fine. I was supposed to teach it once, but that didn't happen. It's still such a weird question to me. Is that the most popular yoga in Boise? Is it just the only style they have heard of? I don't know, but whenever we mention that my favorite style is Anusara we get blank glazed stares. There are Anusara-Inspired teachers in the area - I'm a little weirded out to keep meeting people that have never heard of it.

I'm so used to my little world where its All Anusara - All the Time... it's like I've forgotten that it's not as widespread and well known as I feel like it is. Hrmph. Guess I'll just have to get out there and tell them about it.

Resting 100 Percent

I woke up yesterday morning with an evil back pain of doom. What's up with that? I don't really know. I didn't even do anything on Saturday, so I've been kinda confused about it. I don't appear to have actively hurt myself, but the pain is definitely there for some reason. I spent most of Sunday just kinda feeling crappy, but otherwise going about my business. I did my morning weekend practice which is just a few sun salutations and meditation. Nothing strenuous. Then later I did some plyometrics (because I do that on weekends) with a 1 mile warm up walk and a 1 mile cool down walk. At that point I actually felt great. All the jumping and pushups and whatnot made me feel amazing. My back didn't even hurt! I can't imagine how plyos could've possibly made my back feel better, so I'm gonna call it a fluke. So I continued going about my day. Went to the park, watched squirrels, cuddled the dog. You know, the usual.

Hours later I sat down and had this outrageous pain start shooting through my back/shoulder. It comes and goes, but mostly it's there... and it sucks. Some research suggests that depending on what the hell is wrong I should either rest completely for up to 3 days, or I should go on as usual. I usually go by the rule that if it hurts when you're not doing anything - you should rest it completely for a while. Since this pain is definitely there all the time I've decided to give it total complete rest for 2 days and then pick back up with my yoga.

In the meantime, I'm realizing that I'm somewhere between dedicated and addicted to my yoga. I want to do yoga All The Time. Discomfort? Do yoga! Tired? Do yoga! Feel stiff? Do yoga! Now that I'm not allowing myself to do yoga - it's like I'm going stir crazy. I find myself plotting and trying to figure out ways I can sneak in some yoga anyway. I'm not giving in. I promise. I'm going to rest...but this is really hard.

John Friend says to give 100% all the time. When you're working - give 100% and when you're resting - rest 100%, so that's what I'm doing. I am committed to doing what's right for my body - even if the right thing is Nothing.

Doggy Photo Source: Apparently everywhere. That dog gets around.