What do I mean by that, well here is how I think of my cup. If my cup is full I can give to others, teach my classes, do all the things I need to do in each and every day. A few weeks ago it was mentioned to me by my friend Diane that I needed to make sure that I didn't empty my cup all the way and then have to work so hard to fill it back up. A better balance. So filling that cup up are the things I need to do to care for myself to keep my cup full, my energy balanced and gives me the go power to keep doing all that I want to do.
In my classes I see mostly women, mid-life and many are working, caring for families and maybe even caring for parents as well. They ask a lot of themselves on a daily basis and don't always make the time to care for themselves and keep their cup filled up. My yoga classes can do that for many of them and nothing makes me feel more joy around teaching than seeing those faces walk out the door at the end of one of my classes with a big smile and a spring in their step that wasn't there when they walked through the door. I start every class the same way so that they know just what to expect and it becomes the trigger for them to let go of their day and draw their focus inside, surrendering everything else but what is there in that moment.
Keeping that cup full can take time and thought around just what it is that will do that for you and more than likely it will be a mixture of things. Asking yourself on a daily basis, what could I do that would bring me some joy, peace and relaxation is the start of learning just what it is in each moment that can fill up your cup. Start small, those small things add up to the bigger whole. This should be about what brings a smile to your face and releases your shoulders down your spine and gives you the room to sigh in a good way. It can be as simple as enjoying your breakfast in the quiet before everyone else gets up, reading a good book or magazine, taking a walk outside, getting a massage, spending the day in your jammie's reading or sleeping. The point is that you take the time to move outside the "shoulds" or the "responsibilities" of your day and listen to your deep heart. Listening to that deepest part of your heart will tell you everything you need to know and allow that light that resides down in the deepest part of your heart to slowly move outward. This is the true essence of who you are.
Have you taken the time to really sit with yourself and ask, "What do I need in this moment to fill my cup/bring a smile to my face/lighten my heart?". Does that question bring panic or unease? Are you not able to come up with more than one thing? When was the last time you truly spent time listening to your heart and acting without any guilt? I know how hard these simple questions can be but the answers can be so wonderful and staying in touch with those things that fill your cup can change your life in small ways every single day. I am giving you permission to throw out the word "SHOULD" and listen to your heart for the "GOOD". Fill up YOUR cup and if a little sloshes over the side, just remember to smile and that could help fill up someone else's cup.
Namaste,
Sherry
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tilted off your axis...
I read the other day that the earthquake in Chile tilted the Earth off it's axis. My first thought was, will this mean that the rotation will now be wonky? I also realized that the earthquake happened right around a full moon. What I notice in my yoga classes around a full moon is that it tends to throw people's balance off for a few days before and a few days after. So I wondered will this axis tilting affect people's balance and make it wonky as well? More wonky or less?
What I noticed is that it did affect people's balance, not sure if it was any more than the usual full moon reason or a combo of both. The thing with balance through out your life is that it changes on a daily basis and it is something that as we age we lose but with practice, patience and consistent work it can come back. Yes there are a lot of things we see change as we age but one that we actually practice to retain and improve, now that I like. I have students that are living proof that with consistent work you can improve your balance. Some struggle with it but they keep at it and little by little I see the balance improve and the confidence comes with it.
Many things can affect your balance, colds, inner ear issues, vision problems, body aches and pains and your mental outlook most definitely. Your inner emotional balance can affect your outer physical balance. Of course the outer physical balance is much easier to see and gauge most times than that inner emotional balance. The physical practice of yoga is only one part of yoga. Traditionally the physical practice of yoga was done to quiet the body and the mind so that a meditation practice could follow. For many people in our society there is more focus on the physical aspect of yoga, but a good teacher can slip in those inner pieces without scaring people off and the transformation is amazing when it happens.
Yoga is a humbling practice, it forces you to be very honest with where your body is at. If you force it shows all over your body. Ease, surrender, relaxing into the poses and flowing with the breath is harder than it looks for many people. I can see those that struggle with that ease as they try to force themselves into a pose and then they hear from me "relax into the pose, use your breath, where could you make a small adjustment to make it easier for you to be where you are?". Or something so simple as, "now drop your shoulders down". It is like magic, everyone lets go of that tension in their shoulders trying to hold their arms out and suddenly their shoulders are no longer up by the ears!
The practice of yoga is also all about subtlety. Things in your body and your inner space shift in small increments, many times without people realizing what has happened. It isn't about big results but the building of small but intense shifts of the body and the consciousness. In our world these days it all about fast and big and how quick can I get there, get this done etc. There is a change happening, more and more people are drawn to yoga and what it has to offer to their daily lives. People are becoming more aware of their breath, their body and how it moves and for many a way to reduce stress in their lives and find some quiet in their day.
All this talk of balance and tilting on the axis got me talking with my students about not only physical balance but inner balance as well. It got me thinking about how using my physical balance can help me gauge what is going on with my emotional balance. It is at times easier to work on the physical piece and get to that space of balance outwardly than inwardly. When things come blowing through our lives that tilt us off our emotional axis it can create quite an upheaval just like the earthquake did in Chile. Sometimes being honest physically with yourself is easier than emotional honesty but I do know that the physical balancing act can help you with the inner if you pay attention.
Things can come into and out of our lives as quickly and unexpectedly as an earthquake and the shake up can take quite a toll. Those are the times to spend being kind to yourself as you shift and move through all the spaces both physically and emotionally. Remember that just like the physical practice of yoga, the shifting can be small and incremental and it takes practice and consistency and appreciation for all of the small things that add up to the whole. Think of it like this, when you do tree pose think of all of the small shifts and movements your foot, ankle and leg have to do to keep your balance. Just like a tree with roots to hold it steady so that the top part can move with the wind, your body does the same thing both inside and out.
So when you feel like you are tilted on your emotional axis spend a little time finding those roots, being grounded in what is important and what feels good it will help you with the blowing winds that will inevitably come into your life.
Namaste,
Sherry
What I noticed is that it did affect people's balance, not sure if it was any more than the usual full moon reason or a combo of both. The thing with balance through out your life is that it changes on a daily basis and it is something that as we age we lose but with practice, patience and consistent work it can come back. Yes there are a lot of things we see change as we age but one that we actually practice to retain and improve, now that I like. I have students that are living proof that with consistent work you can improve your balance. Some struggle with it but they keep at it and little by little I see the balance improve and the confidence comes with it.
Many things can affect your balance, colds, inner ear issues, vision problems, body aches and pains and your mental outlook most definitely. Your inner emotional balance can affect your outer physical balance. Of course the outer physical balance is much easier to see and gauge most times than that inner emotional balance. The physical practice of yoga is only one part of yoga. Traditionally the physical practice of yoga was done to quiet the body and the mind so that a meditation practice could follow. For many people in our society there is more focus on the physical aspect of yoga, but a good teacher can slip in those inner pieces without scaring people off and the transformation is amazing when it happens.
Yoga is a humbling practice, it forces you to be very honest with where your body is at. If you force it shows all over your body. Ease, surrender, relaxing into the poses and flowing with the breath is harder than it looks for many people. I can see those that struggle with that ease as they try to force themselves into a pose and then they hear from me "relax into the pose, use your breath, where could you make a small adjustment to make it easier for you to be where you are?". Or something so simple as, "now drop your shoulders down". It is like magic, everyone lets go of that tension in their shoulders trying to hold their arms out and suddenly their shoulders are no longer up by the ears!
The practice of yoga is also all about subtlety. Things in your body and your inner space shift in small increments, many times without people realizing what has happened. It isn't about big results but the building of small but intense shifts of the body and the consciousness. In our world these days it all about fast and big and how quick can I get there, get this done etc. There is a change happening, more and more people are drawn to yoga and what it has to offer to their daily lives. People are becoming more aware of their breath, their body and how it moves and for many a way to reduce stress in their lives and find some quiet in their day.
All this talk of balance and tilting on the axis got me talking with my students about not only physical balance but inner balance as well. It got me thinking about how using my physical balance can help me gauge what is going on with my emotional balance. It is at times easier to work on the physical piece and get to that space of balance outwardly than inwardly. When things come blowing through our lives that tilt us off our emotional axis it can create quite an upheaval just like the earthquake did in Chile. Sometimes being honest physically with yourself is easier than emotional honesty but I do know that the physical balancing act can help you with the inner if you pay attention.
Things can come into and out of our lives as quickly and unexpectedly as an earthquake and the shake up can take quite a toll. Those are the times to spend being kind to yourself as you shift and move through all the spaces both physically and emotionally. Remember that just like the physical practice of yoga, the shifting can be small and incremental and it takes practice and consistency and appreciation for all of the small things that add up to the whole. Think of it like this, when you do tree pose think of all of the small shifts and movements your foot, ankle and leg have to do to keep your balance. Just like a tree with roots to hold it steady so that the top part can move with the wind, your body does the same thing both inside and out.
So when you feel like you are tilted on your emotional axis spend a little time finding those roots, being grounded in what is important and what feels good it will help you with the blowing winds that will inevitably come into your life.
Namaste,
Sherry
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