Elementality
My teaching style is based on the elements. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit. We always start with Earth the element that represents our physical selves. Becoming aware of our body’s current natural state. Feeling our bones and muscles, textures, and temperatures is a simple but effective grounding exercise. We don’t force a posture or a breathing pattern, in the beginning, we simply arrive in the present moment and check in with the body to see what it might be asking for today. We allow ourselves to take up space and to be fully supported by the Earth.
Next comes Air, we find our breath and start to tune our mind to its rhythm. The element of Air symbolizes our mental or intellectual selves. We use our breath as a tool to oxygenate the body and keep the mind focused on what is here, now. The relaxation response (that blissed-out feeling) happens when we spend a little time mindfully linking the movements of our body with the rhythm of our breath. It doesn’t matter how far you move, how fast or slow you move, just that we synchronize those movements with a mindful inhale or exhale. Most of the time in our practice we are either contracting our muscles and restricting movement, making ourselves smaller, this syncs well with a deep exhale. When we extend our muscles to open up the body, reaching our limbs away from our core is the perfect time to expand the lungs and ribcage with a big inhale.
The Fire element comes into play when we get our muscles firing. Fire represents our energy, our passion, and our determination. We conjure our inner fire when we rise to stand and challenge ourselves with balance postures or a warrior sequence. Sometimes the fire is a long hold or core engagement, sometimes its sun salutations or deep lunges. It is important to know that YOU are in charge of your Fire. You can make your practice as challenging or relaxing as you like by working just a little bit harder or backing off and letting go. Each of us is working with different energies and motivations every day, there will be days when you need to fuel your fire and get things spiced up. There will be days when you need to let your fire simmer down to a few glowing embers to feel balanced.
And then there is Water, the element of emotion and heart. This is where we slow down and care for ourselves. We let the floor hold us up we allow our literal and metaphorical hearts to rest. We let our eyes close and turn our attention inward. When we let our emotions settle into a place of stillness it gives our intuition a chance to speak up in its way.
The element of Spirit comes in when all of the above can happen in a safe place surrounded by like-minded spirits. It is the sense of community, knowing that we are all struggling and doing our best to live good lives in a world that can feel pretty bad sometimes. Being able to celebrate each other’s wins and at times commiserate with each other is just as nourishing for the spirit as being able to share a comfortable meaningful silence.
“ Together we reach our hands up overhead taking a big inhale and as we let our hands touch in prayer we lower them and stop at our 3rd eye center remembering to always trust our intuition, we stop at our lips, remembering to always speak our truth, and we stop at our hearts remembering to do all things with kindness, not just towards each other, but towards ourselves and our planet.”
Test Drive
Our first class was a great start for good things to come at Greenlock. It’s quiet and cozy and quirky, like us! The natural lighting and nature views are a nice addition to our Sunday morning practice. I want to thank Kathy for the guided tour and animal introductions. The walking paths are full of treasures to discover and interact with. We truly are blessed with this opportunity to not only utilize the amazing property but to help support the work they do there. Thank you to the beautiful women who came out for the final fitting of this new and improved positive space, I really appreciate the feedback and look forward to creating some beautiful memories together.
Can you hear me now?
Good Intentions
Setting Intentions
The phrase “set your intentions” is commonplace in a yoga class but what the hell does that even mean?!?
I have a phrase that I use in my mind when it’s time to set my intentions on the mat.
“Try honestly, breathe consciously”
That is it! For me it is a simple reminder that I am not here to achieve any lofty goals, it’s not about how long I can hold a posture or how far I can bend. It’s about being as honest as possible, working with the energy and abilities that I actually have, not what I think I should have or might aspire to someday. It’s about trying to stay in the present moment with each and every breath even though my mind desperately wants to dwell on the past or imagine the future.
Take a minute or two to meditate on what it is that brings you to the mat each time and what area of your practice might need some attention. here are a few examples of simple yet powerful intentions to get you started
be gentle with myself
listen to the needs of my body
revitalize my personal energy
give myself permission to slow down
be brave enough to try something new
bring balance to my left and right sides
find the balance between holding on and letting go
learning to let go
Sacred Space
Sacred Space
One thing that makes me immediately suspicious of the intentions of a yoga studio is a large retail section. There is no dream catcher or bumper sticker or healing crystal that is going to improve or even affect your yoga practice. All you need is a mat, a little bit of time and the willpower to show up for yourself. A yoga mat is about 2’x6’, 12 square feet of sacred personal space. It doesn’t matter if you got it at the Job Lot or if it was handwoven by an indigenous woman from upcycled ocean trash, it’s your sacred space and it represents a commitment to caring for your physical, mental, and emotional health. When you unroll your mat imagine that it casts a little spell on the floor claiming not just this space but this time as sacred and personal.
In this place, we are mindful of our thoughts and actions. We don’t beat ourselves up or compare ourselves to others. In this place, we allow our body to reconnect not just with the mind and breath but with the Earth, the seasons, the moon phases, and ultimately each other. If you don’t have a mat of your own reach out and I can get you on from PSY, also we will be keeping a few at Greenlock to borrow.