As I write this column, it’s been a week since the world, as we know it, tilted. We all feel off center, disoriented, like we’re in an alternate reality/a horror show. But, no, it’s real! And now we have to deal with it.
Personally, my emotions are raw. I have an underlying feeling of depression and despair. So much is out of my control and I’m anxious about what comes next. Waiting for the next shoe to drop. I imagine most of y’all can relate.
And I’m a yogi. My practice is full of strategies for coping with reality, for being in the present moment. I’ll try to share a few with y’all.
One definition of yoga is: “Making different shapes in which to explore the breath.” It is a breath-based practice. So, what does that breath look like? Think of your body as a balloon. You know, when you blow up a balloon, you get the air all the way to the bottom, and then you inflate it up to the top from there.
In the body, we begin the breath by inflating the belly.(below the navel.) and letting the torso expand as the breath builds. Much like blowing up a balloon. Finally, at the top of the breath, it’s all the way up under the collarbones. The exhalation is the reverse process, from the top down, all the way to the pubic bones. And then the next breath begins, and so on.
One benefit of working with the breath, is that it keeps you out of your head and out of that “Monkey Mind” that we talked about. (The monkey mind being when your mind is jumping around from one thing to another, like a monkey running up and down the tree chattering to itself. Our goal, with the breath, is to get the monkey to sit quietly at the bottom of the tree and mumble to itself.) The mind is not going to stop thinking, but it may be a bit quieter and more relaxed.
Work and practice to make your inhalations and exhalations the same length. Ideally, all the breathing is done through the nose. So, our first strategy to get out of the monkey mind is to focus on the breath.
Being present with the breath brings me to my next point, Be Here Now (BHN). I have it tattooed on the top of my foot so that when I’m practicing, I can see it and it reminds me to stay present. By watching the breath and feeling the heart we are practicing presence. You can’t breathe in the past or the future, and your heart only beats in this moment… and this moment… and this moment… you get the picture. This moment is all that is real. The past is gone, the future hasn’t happened yet. Just this moment. And a great way to. BHN is to feel your heart. Just feel your heart beating in your chest. It’s subtle. You have to be really still and quiet inside to feel it. It is a ”Drishti,” a focal point for meditation and stillness. And it is always there.
My third strategy for y’all is to develop an ”Attitude of Gratitude” about your life. Count and celebrate your blessings: your health, your family, and friends, your community and your neighborhood. Don’t take anything for granted. Appreciate all that you have, all that you are and all that you can be. Celebrate you! And reach out to and draw in close all of those who are important to you in your life. Hug more! Love more!
We’re all in this together. We have each other and we will, of course survive another term of DT. We’ve been here before. We’ll use our tools to not only survive but to thrive. And finally, see if you can find a way to share in your community, the skills that you have learned with others.
Love yourself.
Namaste
