Thursday, September 4, 2008

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

A couple of years ago, someone close to me went through a series of life altering events: her oldest daughter had gotten married and was expecting a baby, her new son-in-law was getting ready to ship off to Iraq, her son was moving out of the house, her dog which she'd had for over 10 years was getting older and having many life-threatening health problems. She had a lot on her plate. Suddenly, she found herself unable to sleep, unable to sit still, unable to focus at work. In addition to a mild anti-anxiety prescription, her doctor recommeded that she try yoga to help her deal with all the new stress in her life. She and I worked together and found that what helped her the most was the deep, controlled mindful breathing.

This is the time of year when there are many changes in our lives. School is starting, some people send their children away to college for the first time, many parents enter the "empty nester" phase of their lives, vacation season is over, and work picks up. Weekends, spent at the pool or on vacation for the last several months, are now filled with sporting events and other "extracurricular" activities. The days start to grow shorter, the leaves change color, the evenings cool off. As a nation we're also on the verge of making decisions as to the leadership of our country.

Our yoga practice teaches us that all things have a begnning, a middle and an end. We enter a pose, we abide in the pose for a period of time, and then we exit the pose. In vinyasa yoga we link these moments together with our breath. We enter our asana practice with a full, energizing, pranic inhale. We may stay in this pose for a single breath, or for several breaths, but ultimately we know we must leave the pose. We do so with a slow, controlled, mindful exhale, allowing the shape of the pose to fall away, or morph into an entirely new shape. When we become adept at this practice, our bodies and our breath form a dance of our spirit. Our mind begins to focus and all of the chatter begins to quiet and silence. Through this practice of entering, abiding and leaving, we learn to deal with other transitions in our lives, staying connected and grounded through this process of mindful awareness to our breathing.

I recently made the choice to let go of a class that I had been teaching almost since I began teaching. A new opportunity presented itself which I found to be very exciting and will help me continue to grow as a teacher. It was a difficult decision to make. I have seen the regular students in the class blossom into beautiful practitioners. Attendance had recently jumped. My ego rebelled against the idea of moving on, but after some reflection and meditation I realized that it was time. I will benefit from the new challenge, and they will benefit from a fresh perspective. We all just need to stay connected to our breath throughout the process.

To my Saturday Morning Source Yoga students, you have inspired me, and taught me so much. I am a better teacher, and person, because of all of you. Namaste.