Today while teaching a private class, tI kicked a glass of water over during savasana. This may not sound like a big deal; however, it is part of a pattern, and it got me thinking. When I was a child, we ate dinner as a family every night. During those dinners, odds were that I would tip over my milk cup. This became a family legend and likely a self-fulfilling event. My father said I was a klutz, and my grandmother said that my father made me nervous. I think my dad was likely correct but Thanks Nana for looking out for me! During yoga teacher training I would invariably kick my water bottle over during savasana, it became somewhat of a joke. As I did as a kid, I would feel embarrassed and feel stressed when it happened. Not very yogic.
My retelling these stories to myself got me thinking about habitual behavior and breaking away from negative habits. While I am not sure that my glass spilling is a conditioned response (likely more caused by being a klutz), we all experience triggers that cause repetitive behaviors. The manifestation of the behaviors then often results in a conditioned response of self-flagellation. This response is human, yet so pointless. We are so hard on ourselves as humans, and often over such inconsequential things. When we laugh at ourselves, take things in stride, we find our stress reducing. Perhaps then we also see our habitual negative responses to triggers decline as well. Learning to let things go, to break that cycle of self-deprecation, is so restorative. Let’s use our practice to be kind and nurturing to ourselves, to breathe deep, laugh loudly and let that X*&^ go!
I love this simple article about practicing kindness to oneself.
Our Practice – Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Practicing cobra pose can help relieve stiffness and tension in our back, improve circulation, elevate our mood and reduce fatigue helping us to “let that X*&^ go”! 😊
How to tips:
Start in down dog and shift forward into plank, lowering down with chaturanga coming flat on the floor.
You are lying flat with your pubic bone, thighs and tops of your feet are pressing into the ground.
Slowly start to press down with your hands, straightening your arms as much as is comfortable, lifting your chest and opening your heart, lifting sternum upward.
Shoulders roll down your back.
(From here, I like to move into sphinx pose with forearms on the mat and hold that pose for couple of minutes.)
For more on poses that help us to let go, enjoy this article from Yoga Journal
Our Practice - Meditation on Letting Go
As we move through the week, let’s take the opportunity to find restorative laughter throughout our day, not sweat the small stuff and go with the (yoga) flow!
“Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings.” - Maya Angelou
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it” – Eckhart Tolle
Nurturing with Food – Farro Salad Redux
I have made many variations of farro salad, almost always with what I have on hand. I love the nutty chewy texture of farro, I find it so much more satisfying than quinoa. Like quinoa, it is a great source of plant based protein, very helpful to vegans or “almost vegans” trying to add more to their diet. I have updated the attached recipe to include a variation of the salad I made for a fourth of July party. I siphoned off some before I went and was glad I did, there did not appear to be much left – always a good sign. This one includes some roasted vegetables as well as raw and relies on basil and rosemary rather than mint as the herb. Enjoy!
See you on the mat!
Namaste,
Julia Anne
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