From The Mat
My sense of grace has more of an experiential aspect to it. Knowing its meaning comes from a more sensory place that is hard to articulate.
I chose the name Yoga Grace for my business in 2017 as a way to reflect that yoga was a path to find more peace and ease for oneself. I still believe that is true but my awareness of what Grace truly means has deepened over time and practice.
Or rather, I understand now that Grace has more depth and complexity than I first perceived. Since then, as I've practiced and shared Yoga and Yoga Therapy, the less I experience Grace as a physical and energetic serenity and fluidity, and the more I feel the simultaneous vulnerability and resilience of it. Of Grace.
I made her jump out of line during the procession for her college graduation and everything. Sure, it was embarrassing because we both started crying and she ended up having to run to get back in line, but it was the best hug ever and I'll always be glad I reached out my arms to her.
The more I practice yoga and use the tools of breathwork, meditation, and chanting, the more connection I feel to something bigger than myself and the freer and more content I feel. I feel more my true self and am seeing more clearly and having more determination to make the choices that are best for me rather than yielding to my habits and my fears. It feels like an answer I’ve been craving.
When I stop and pause and bring consciousness to this rising friction within me and notice what it feels like physically, I feel a hot churn in my stomach and a physical impulse to gnash my teeth and snarl. So, I do! Not at anyone if I can help it, but privately and out loud. Feels good. Highly recommend!
Well, I was planning to write a blog post about gut feelings and trusting them, and then I got COVID and have been spending my days feeling crummy and not working. After 9 days of having to face a few of my own demons about REST, my very own inner wisdom is letting me know I have a different post to write.
We live in a universe of rhythms and like everything else within it, humans respond to the vibrations of the rhythms we feel around us. It's one of the reasons we love dancing. When we dance, we are connecting with something bigger than ourselves.All the conspiring life forces of the universe have energy with rhythms moving to support the cycles of life. When we connect with those rhythms, it is healing and soothing for us. I know so many people that say they listen to music to de-stress or to lift their spirits. Routines may not seem as creative as dancing but they can have the some effect as dancing in terms of creating a rhythm for us to live within. Just like when we listen and dance to music, there is a physiological balancing that happens when we create intentional consistent practices in our daily lives.
I saw a meme the other day on Instagram that shared a German saying about the week between Christmas and New Years that translates as “in between years”. I can connect to that idea in the sense of this week being a time that’s full of anticipation and remarking on the coming New Year. It’s also seen as a time of pause where we are invited to consider what we are ready to let go of and leave behind with the closing of one year and to set intention around what we hope to manifest in the new year. But what if we looked at it as a pause to just be in between?
If I told you that the best way to get rid of belly fat is to rest would you believe me? I doubt it. It might seem counterintuitive but I have science on my side. If you are someone that considers themselves a chronic worrier or if you have had a lot of stress and anxiety in your life, then you should hear me out because I’m talking about you. For many of us, we start to see and become concerned about increased weight around our waists when we hit middle age. I hear from a lot of clients that they are frustrated because they are working out even more than when they were younger and some are even dieting and eating less but they can’t make their soft middles get smaller. It may be because their nervous system is dysregulated.
