#lifehackyoga

The fourth limb of yoga is pranayama, or control of breath.

Why is breath control important to mind-body balance?

We all know the feeling – when we feel anxious or panicked, all we can think about is the stressful situation.  Our heart rate goes up, our muscles become tense, and in most cases, our breathing speeds up.  In essence, our stressful emotions have taken control of the steady, smooth control of our breath and other physiological functions.  Our thinking becomes more distorted and irrational, and we struggle to consider our situations from a more balanced perspective.

Enter breath control, or pranayama.  When we consciously control the breath, we bring a more steady flow of oxygen into the body’s cells and organs, which helps to energize the body.  Performed regularly, pranayama can help counteract the destabilizing effects of powerful emotions.

In fact, the word “pranayama” literally means restraint (ayama) of the breath, or life force (prana).  By controlling this life force, we cultivate a stronger connection between our breath, body, and emotions.  You can practice pranayama either by itself or during an asana practice.

One of the many pranayama exercises you can try is called nadi shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing, which helps the mind grow calm.  To perform nadi shodhana:                                                                                                               

*Photo credit: Gaia.com

-Sit in a comfortable seated position with a straight spine.  Close the eyes.  Place the thumb of your right hand on your right nostril, and place the ring finger of the same hand on your left nostril.  Place your index and middle fingers on your forehead, in between your eyebrows.

-When you’re ready to begin, plug your left nostril with your ring finger, and inhale through your right nostril.  When you’ve inhaled fully, unplug your left nostril and plug your right nostril with your thumb.  Proceed to exhale fully through your left nostril.  Keep your right nostril plugged as you inhale fully through your left nostril.  Then, plug your left nostril and open your right nostril, proceeding to exhale fully through your right nostril.  Then, inhale fully through the right nostril before again switching to breathing through the left nostril.

-Continue with this alternate nostril breathing pattern – exhaling and inhaling through the same nostril before switching to the other nostril – until you have performed this technique for a few minutes (perhaps starting with 30-60 seconds and working your way upwards as you get more comfortable with it).  Once you are finished, take one last exhale through your right nostril, and then bring your breath back to normal (through both nostrils!)

What are your thoughts on pranayama, the 4th limb of yoga?

Namaste-

The second of the eight limbs is the niyamas, or spiritual observances.  The niyamas are recommended practices for day-to-day living that contribute to balance within mind, body, and spirit.

There are 5 niyamas, which are as follows:

1. Saucha, or cleanliness/purification.  Based on saucha, we are encouraged to remove impurities from both our external and internal environments.  This means nourishing our bodies with pure, clean food and drink; maintaining the health of our bodies health through exercise and enough sleep; enlivening our spirits with healthy entertainment and relationships; and cleansing our minds and thoughts with a physical yoga practice (asana, the 3rd limb), breath control (pranayama, the 4th limb), and meditation (dhyana, the 7th limb).

2. Santosha, or contentment.  Santosha reminds us to be content with the innumerable blessings in our lives, rather than to covet what someone else has.  By focusing on our gifts rather than what we lack, we cultivate a strong inner contentment that keeps us buoyed through the emotional peaks and valleys of our daily experience. Practicing gratitude protects us from our own pettiness and smallness and keeps us centered in the joy and abundance of our own life. 

3. Tapas ,(no small plate appetizers here!)  or self-discipline to endure tasks or periods of life that are painful or undesirable.  Tapas allows you to persist through something that you absolutely want nothing to do with – but you stick with it anyway because you know it may make your life better down the road.  For example, you may want to leave in the middle of a challenging yoga class, but instead you remain on your mat and stick with it, knowing that the physical and mental endurance you are building will strengthen you for the rest of your life, little by little.  Tapas reminds us that enduring discomfort now will only refine our inner capacity for strength in the long term. Tapas is our determined effort to become someone of character and strength. 

4. Svadhyaya, or self-study/introspection.  Svadhyaya entails being aware of who we are on the deepest level – including our weaknesses and flaws.  We have to be willing to see the unpleasant truths about ourselves to be able to connect with who we really are.  Acknowledging these truths can help us become more aware of our triggers and habitual thought patterns, so that we can take steps to change those patterns over time.  (I’d like to emphasize the “over time” part – these changes certainly don’t happen overnight.  Most of these changes take years and perhaps lifetimes of work.  But, being aware of our weaknesses and their underlying causes is a huge step toward changing our behavior to healthier patterns.)

5. Ishwari pranidhana, or surrender, presupposes that there is a divine force at work in our lives.  Specifically, Ishwari pranidhana involves the surrender of our labor to something greater than ourselves.  This labor may include your job/career, child rearing, pursuit of a hobby or interest, care for a loved one, or your physical yoga practice (part of the reason why you are asked to set an intention for class, or to dedicate your practice to something higher- this is the practice of Ishwari pranidhana).  In this way, we do not tie ourselves to the results of our efforts – rather, we do the very best we can with whatever we set out to do, and we surrender the results of our labor to something greater.  This is also the practice of non-attachment, since we direct our efforts to the integrity of the work itself, rather than focus on results. Ultimately this guideline,invites us to surrender our egos, open our hearts and accept the higher purpose of our being.

What do you think about these niyamas?  Stay tuned for our exploration of the third limb of yoga – Asana, or the physical practice – which is what usually comes to mind when we hear the word “yoga”!

Namaste-

The first of the eight limbs of yoga is the yamas. The yamas are the physical restraints or ethical guidelines for embarking upon the yogic path. 

I want to make something clear. The yamas (really, all 8 limbs for that matter) are to be taken as guiding principles. The truth is, it is very difficult (if not downright impossible!) to uphold these yamas constantly. At best they serve as ideals to aspire toward and to guide our actions. We may have periods of our life in which we are better able to adhere to these principals than others. But as long as we sincerely try our best to live up to these ideals, we are on the yogic path. 

So, here we go! The 5 yamas are:

1. Ahimasa, (AH-him-saw) or non-violence/non harming. This applies to other humans and other living creatures, including animals. However, ahimsa goes beyond non-harming of other creatures and extends to the self as well. So, part of practicing ahimsa is to be kind and compassionate toward oneself and others. Practicing ahimsa helps us become more aware of the peaceful qualities of all beings, and it encourages us to honor that peace above anything else.

2.Satya, (sut-TEA-yah)  or truthfulness. According to satya, we view and describe the world based on how we want to see it, instead of how it actually is. This may mean that we have to admit when we’re distorting reality to avoid confronting a painful truth. In practice satya may involve speaking an uncomfortable truth with compassion rather than falsely telling others what they want to hear to avoid hurting their feelings. 

3.Asteya ( US-tay-yuh) or non-stealing. This includes not only objects, but also time, resources, information, and caring that others provide. In practice, asteya may look life being aware of when someone is generously giving their time, and being mindful not to take advantage of their generosity. It may also involve us “paying it forward” by donating our time and resources to others without expecting anything in return. 

4. Brahmacharya (bra-ma-char-E-uh) , or moderation of the senses or appropriate use of vital energy. Brahmacharya involves looking inward for balance, rather than depending on the outer world to satisfy our cravings. That way, we use our energy more wisely for the activities that sustain our inner peace. For example, maybe you have an unwinding ritual at the end of a particularly long hard day-long hot shower & a margarita (I have never done that! *wink...) While it may seem totally innocuous, you might become dependent on this activity for peace and normalcy, such that when you run out of hot water,you feel annoyed for the rest of the night. Consider finding another way to recharge that involves turning inward and withdrawing from the senses- perhaps by dedicating some of that time to a meditation practice. 

5. Aparigraha, (a-par-E-graw-haw), non-greed/non-possessiveness. Aprigraha  means coveting that which isn’t ours. This coveting nature is rooted in jealousy. Jealousy is fatal to our minds. In today’s social media society, we are consistently seeing everyone’s “highlights reel” not the real and everyday things. We see the make up on, angled, perfected, & filtered photos. We see this constantly, from social media to magazines, to tv commercials to billboards, and it’s so easy to compare ourselves. (Even in yoga class!). Aparigraha, therefore, encourages us to remain non-attached to the external world and remain in the present moment within our sacred mind space. 

See if you can integrate all 5 of the yamas this week into your daily life and thoughts!

Namaste-

Ok, I think we can all admit that it’s crazy right now. The overload of information, the social media posts, the news updates, the county, state & national guidelines/recommendations. The opposing instructions...”just wash your hands, it will be fine.” to “stay home, shelter in place.” It’s enough to overwhelm even the strongest among us. It’s enough to make some bury heads in sand. It’s enough to make others cry. It’s difficult to feel safe on any level. 

It’s hard to comprehend.

It’s hard to believe.

It’s hard to stay home.

It’s hard to be away from friends and family.

It’s hard that the current “normal” is video calls and voice chats rather than in person interactions.

Just know that I get you. I hear you. I understand you. 

When this all started and the studio and schools closed a week ago, I was thinking a little break would be “nice”. Some time to just be with my family, spend with the kids, without any agenda. No places to go, no meetings, no sports, no running, no commitments, no time constraints...just chill, right? 

I got the house cleaned up and disinfected. The laundry was completely caught up, folded, AND put away. There were no dishes in the sink. My kids and I played board games that we forgot we owned. We went through closets, dug out clothing and toys to be donated that we no longer needed or didn’t fit. We watched Disney+.  I put some touch up paint on cupboards that have been on ongoing project for over a month.I inventoried our pantry, fridge, & freezer, to plan meals for the week. 

And then it was Tuesday.

So we found new things to do. We cleaned the book shelves and found things we had forgotten about. We read ungodly amounts of stories. We reminisced over the “when you were a baby” favorites. I had a glass of wine in the middle of the day. We did workbook pages that had bold expectations...last summer. We cooked family favorites. We ‘attempted’ a family yoga class. (it lasted about 10 minutes). We colored pictures, we drew comics, and we created stories. We watched more Disney+......so much Disney+. 

And then it was Thursday.

This is about the point that there was a mental shift. We were trying desperately to keep busy. Do all the stuff and things, right?!? Wait a minute....isn’t this what we were trying to avoid to some degree. The busyness of it all? So we chilled. I let the kids just play inside & outside. I let video games happen. I let more Disney+ happen. I let relaxed meals happen. I let the structure go (to a point, I am still a mom & this is not the circus)...except showers...those were mandatory!

And then it was Saturday.

Saturday felt different. Maybe it’s because life was beginning to feel a little like the movie Groundhog’s Day. I cleaned, again. We read, again. I did laundry, again. We watched Disney +, again.  It felt ominous. I called my sister, who is currently living in Barcelona, Spain. At the time of our conversation she had been under a government 15 day shelter in place order since Monday. It’s now been extended an additional 15 days. We talked about the mood in Spain, we talked about the kids, we talked about how nuts this all is. Her advice...stay home, go nowhere.

And now it’s Monday ...again.

For starters, I didn’t even realize it was Monday until an email reminder popped up for a meeting I had planned with Kristie. The days are blurring and we are just getting started with this. So, hang in there. 

Find something to ‘create’ everyday.

Find a way to move your body everyday.

Find a way to reach out to someone, everyday.

Find something to be grateful for, everyday. (I didn’t put on a bra for 6 days, and it was glorious! And for that I’m truly grateful!)

Some of you are still going to work, some of you are working from home, some of you are “essential employees”, some of you have chosen to stay “home-ish” and others have opted for total shelter in place. 

Remember to love one another, check in with others, & be supportive!

Namaste