Winter Ritucharya

Winter is officially here.  Ahhhhh winter.  When we are in balance it can be a cozy season of rest, introspection, quiet practice, warm teas, warm baths and warm blankets to balance the external cold.  When we are out of balance, it can be a season of internal darkness, sluggishness, lethargy, loneliness and harshness, seemingly increased by the lack of light and color.

Don't get me wrong, I despise the cold.  I have a chronic case of where's my extra layer???  My side of the bed always has an extra blanket and you may find me curled up with socks and a sweater while I sleep.  My body lacks a strong internal fire, the kind that finds some people throwing blankets to the other side of the bed in the middle of the night and searching for cold drinks regardless of the single digit on the thermometer outside.

Despite my aversion to all things cold, I understand, respect and enjoy Winter's purpose.  Winter provides the perfect space for rest.  If you look outside, nature is resting.  She is hibernating, saving her energy for a more appropriate time of year.

If I have learned one thing from studying Ayurveda intensively this year, you do not get into a battle of wits with Mother Nature.  She will smack you down.  There is no way to get around nature, you cannot talk a hurricane into shifting it's course or pretend that you will get on your flight to Chicago when they have actually cancelled it due to a foot of snow (yes, this did just happened to me yesterday).  Nature will run it's course, regardless of how you feel about it.

So my advice?  Work with it.  Seek the beauty of winter, it's stillness, it's silence and even it's darkness.  It is easier to see the stars that way, both in the sky and inside of ourselves.  What glows inside of you regardless of the season?

Oh, and eat warm food and drink warm beverages.  Do your asana practice with determination and effort.  Focus on commitment and strength.  Think long holds in standing or inverted postures.  Take pranayama practices that uplift energy and create internal heat.  Winter can also be a fantastic time to take back some time for quiet meditation.  Winter is already doing it.  Follow it's lead.

The Autumnal Equinox: Reflections on Balance

It’s been coming for some time now.  Cooler nights.  Longer nights.  While we have enjoyed one of the driest periods of time on record in the PNW we all know what is coming next.  Clouds and mist.

Before we go rushing into the future, anticipating the need for rain boots, a waterproof coat and a change of clothing; or pining for our single layer summer days; let’s pause and observe what has been creeping up on us, the autumnal equinox.  For a single day in the autumn and a single day in spring, the balance between light and dark on the planet is even.  The opposing qualities of light flitter into brief harmony.

Interestingly enough, the concept of duality or opposing qualities has been following me around like an annoying little sibling (much love to my three younger siblings!)  When something presents itself over and over in my life, I have learned to pause and reflect on what I might need to learn from this concept. 

Our minds have a need to create order and categorize.  When we were running around with little less than sticks, rocks and trees to protect ourselves, this served us rather well.  It helped us survive. Buddhist thought asks us to step out of the duality of good and bad, right and wrong and accept all aspects of life as experience.  I often speak about this as radical acceptance or big love. 

Being a human being means, we have an amazing capacity for emotion.  It runs the gauntlet from high to low.  I am learning more and more to value the lows.  To stop running away from frustration, irritation and embarrassment and to sit with it.  To say to myself, oh, this is what anger feels like in my body, in my mind, and in my energy. 

The question then becomes could I hold with as much love the parts of my life and myself that I dislike as much as those parts that I do like?  Could I practice radical acceptance, not only a narrow like for the ease in my life but a love without borders for every part of my life?  The effort for this kind of living must be fierce.  But with practice, as with all things, it gets easier every day. 

On this day after the equinox, I choose to appreciate the highs and lows in my day.  I am reminded of the dual necessity of summer and winter, light and dark, a season of growth and a season of rest.  Balance, by design, is all inclusive….  big love!

Nature rules!

Something magical happens to us when we get outside and into the elements.  No matter how many waterproof layers I have to drape over my body in winter, nor how much I sweat pours out of my skin during summer, I always feel better after I have been outside. 

Ayurvedic wisdom teaches us that we are made of a unique composition of earth, water, fire, air and ether.  Earth, the bones in our bodies; water, the blood running through our veins; fire, the digestive acids; air, the force that feeds our metabolic processes; ether, the space in our inner organs and bones.  As Carl Sagan so fondly says,"We are made of star stuff." 

We have an undeniable connection to the natural world.  When we are in it, it can be the most profound meditation to be experienced.  It's no coincidence that spiritual seekers tuck themselves away in high mountains or travel to deserted beaches.  When the only thing that remains is you and the elements, you must hold up a mirror and face yourself.  You see clearly your doubts, fears and insecurities.  The patterns of your thoughts.  The things you must change in order to be healthy and happy.

Beyond all that heavy stuff, using your body to move through incredible scenery feeds your soul.  You see a beauty that is beyond anything you could pay for.  You experience the great gift that is your life.  This has the power to stir a fierce commitment to make every day the best that it can be and to never take for granted each moment that you have.

So what are you waiting for?  Get out there!

Yoga for Sleep

Yoga for Sleep

The fine folks at Soaring Heart have allowed me to create a yoga class to educate their community on ways to sleep well.  If you have not made it to a class yet, donation based classes are held every Friday through May 25th from 6:30-8pm.  Hope to see you there!

At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced what it is like to have trouble falling asleep, have lied awake in the middle of the night or have woken up endlessly before it is time to get up in the morning.  When sleep is disturbed, it seems like everything in life becomes harder.  Our energy is low, we feel irritable, fatigued, stressed and cannot seem to get anything accomplished.  Sound sleep is essential to our overall well-being, both physically and mentally.

Sound sleeping is a gift, which some people seem to possess more than others.  There are many factors that can hinder restful sleep: insomnia, sleep apnea, back and neck pain, jet lag, anxiety, depression, stress or a combination of these common issues.  Regardless of whether you have chronic sleeping issues or have intermittent challenges to restful sleep, there are natural solutions that can help you sleep with greater ease.  It is important to note that some sleeping conditions and some folks will need medical assistance for their individual situations, however, we can all benefit from tips on how to sleep well.  One fun way to learn natural sleeping techniques is through yoga class geared towards gentle stretching, breath work and meditation.

Yoga is an ancient practice of well-being that fully integrates the body with the mind and spirit.  In our Emerald City myriad yoga studios and styles can be found in practically every neighborhood from Greenwood to Georgetown.  When asked, yogis and yoginis will avow their increased flexibility, strength and body awareness.  Beyond a renewed feeling of physical ease, yoga practitioners profess a reduction of stress, increased mental clarity and tranquility in their daily lives.  It seems almost to good to be true!

On a physical level, yoga can address physical aliments that prevent sound sleeping through a combination of stretching and strengthening.  Back and neck discomfort are the two most common aliments that contribute to poor sleep.  By directly stretching these areas as well as the surrounding tissues, our bodies can learn to relax.  When the body is at ease, sleep is simply better. 

While the actual yoga postures are like one chapter in the practice of yoga, breath work and meditation are additional chapters unto themselves.  Anyone that has taken a yoga class can identify and hopefully create the sounded breath (Ujjayi) that accompanies the yoga practice.  There are also other breath practices that are specifically meant to relax the body and mind.  Once mastered, these practices can be taken on ones own to help ease the busy mind.  An anxious mind can be a major hindrance to falling asleep and staying asleep.  Breath practice teaches practitioner to still the mind and enter into the deep relaxation that comes with meditation.  Many body based meditations exist that can make meditation accessible to all!

Yoga would not be yoga without mindfulness.  The first principle in the philosophy of yoga is Ahimsa or non-harm.  This means not harming yourself or any other sentient being in thought, word or deed.  Life is valued, be it of a stranger on the street, your neighbors barking dog or the very Earth that surrounds us.  When we embrace Ahimsa as a value in our lives, we live and breathe acceptance.  We accept ourselves, exactly as we are, here in the present.  We accept all of our thoughts, be they helpful or not.   We accept how, perhaps, we have ended up in a pattern of restless nights.  By accepting and knowing ourselves, we have the power to hold on to things that are working in our lives and let go of anything that is not.  We have the power to learn, change and grow. 

 

Yoga for Sleep includes gentle stretching to open the body and alleviate tight places that have accumulated over the workweek.  Breath and mindfulness practices are integrated to keep the busy mind focused and receive maximum benefits from the movement.  Props such as supportive pillows are provided for the movement practice to create ease for the body in restorative, long held comfortable positions.  The last part of class features guided meditation to release layers of tension in the physical body and relax the mind.  Please bring your yoga mat, blanket, comfy clothes and an open mind!

Natalie's website

Check out my beautiful website www.nataliegyoga.com, designed by the talented Joseph Ginapp.  It contains my full schedule, weekly classes, workshops, retreats as well as photos and more information about my background.  Namaste!

Atha yoganusasanam: Be here now!

The Yoga Sutras, yogas main philosophical text, stems from an oral tradition that was codified in 500 C.E.  This text is the foundation for every style of yoga that exists.  It outlines the yoga practice in 195 lines and signifies that yoga is mainly a practice of meditation.  Beyond meditation, the Yoga Sutras explain what it is like to be a human being, showing our common struggles and how to navigate through them.

As in most Eastern texts, the Yoga Sutras begin with the most important pieces of information related to the text and then spend the rest of the time explaining the core concepts.  It is said that if you deeply understand the first word of the first line (sutra) of the Yoga Sutras, you understand the entire text and therefore, the practice of yoga.

So what is the first line of the Yoga Sutras?  As perhaps you have guessed, indeed, it is 'atha yoganusasanam'.  Atha means now.  Yoganusasanam means yoga instruction or advice.  So 'atha yoganusasanam' means 'now, the instruction of yoga'.  This indicates that the Yoga Sutras are not merely a philosophy but direct instruction on how to practice yoga.  The first word we are given in the text is the word now.  This indicates that the practice of yoga is being here now, present, alive and awake for whatever now brings you.


What would your life be like if you were constantly present?  What if you could let go of any distress, sadness or rage you feel because of memories and choices in your past?  What if you let go of your anxiety, fear or doubts about the future?  How much room would you have in your life for joy?  Pretty deep stuff.

When I was living in Santiago during college, I remember a beautiful period of time in my life that I was really living this Sutra.  Although I had heavy situations and choices looming in my personal life, I was wide awake.  I don't know if it there was something in the water, but despite the stress of school, family medical problems and relationship turmoil, I was clear, confident and enjoying my life.