Downward Facing Dog Cartoon

I just had to share this with everyone!  Ileana sent it to me.

Solitude is GOOD!

It has been truly surprising and rewarding to me that this time of social distancing and mask wearing and staying home has become a source of comfort if not joy.  Here is what grabbed my attention this morning in my reading.  It comes from Anam Cara one of John O'Donohue's books that seems to always speak to me clearly - perhaps because my grandmother Stella was born in Ireland?

Solitude is one of the most precious things in the human spirit.  It is different from loneliness.   When you are lonely, you become acutely conscious of your own separation.  Solitude can be a homecoming to your own deepest belonging.  One of the lovely things about us as individuals is the incommensurable in us.  In each person, there is a point of absolute nonconnection with everything else and with everyone.  This is fascinating and frightening.  It means that we cannot continue to seek outside ourselves for the things we need from within.  The blessings for which we hunger are not to be found in other places or people.  These gifts can only be given to you by yourself.  They are at home at the hearth of your soul.

Namaste (The Spirit in me bows to the Spirit in you.)

Asanas and Questions for Journaling/Meditation

For a list of the poses we do in class click on March and it will come up.  (That's when I posted it.)

My meditation practice includes journaling.  During this time I am going to be using a set of questions for my journaling, writing of one each day - whichever appeals to me at the moment.

1.  Who do I want to be? (Usually just a little bit better than I am at the moment.)
2.  What results do I want to achieve in my life?  (Yes, even at 87 I'm still planning ahead.)
3.  What does it mean for me to be well - to thrive?  (At the moment, I'm thinking of self-care.)
4.  When do I feel most alive? (Doing yoga!)
5.  What naturally brings me fulfillment? (Seeing trees, the pond, turtles, etc.)
6.  What matters most to me? (I'm gonna think long and hard about about that.)
7.  What do I most want to devote my time and life energy to for the next 5, 10, 20, or 50 years?
       (I'm looking forward to 5, 10 (My mother was 97 when she died.), maybe even 15?)

These are all spur-of-the-moment responses.  I'm truly looking forward to exploring each of these questions in the next seven days.

Namaste
Jaquie

The Yogatorium is Closed

The following email has been sent to all students who have ever attended classes at The Yogatorium - since 2008 when we opened!

I am very sorry to announce the re-closing of The Yogatorium.  I have become increasingly concerned about spreading the virus through asymptomatic carriers who don’t even know they are infected and can spread the virus.  We will reopen when we feel safe, which may be months from now.  

Please keep practicing at home.  You can find a list of the poses we do in class at yogatorium.blogspot.com.  Be sure to check out former postings by clicking on items in the column on the right.  On this same blog, you will also find some yoga suggestions and other helpful writings  I run across in my readings.  Please share with me those that you find in your reading interesting and helpful particularly in this time of living with ourselves.  You can do this on the blog under comments, or by emailing or texting (864-506-4063

I wish for you all love, peace, and joy.

Namaste,

Jaquie

Drishti-gaze

The excerpt below is from a web site (wellandgood.com/drishti-gaze) you might want to check out.  But for now I want to share a portion of it with you.   I have suggested it to you when we do tree pose but it is applicable in all poses.  Thanks to Joanne who suggested it to me!

Throughout a yoga session, you’re bound to hear certain phrases each and every time you flow (the best of which is “come down into savasana“). One instruction yoga instructors commonly use involves taking your gaze to a specific point. As it happens, the position of your eyes in yoga is about as important as where you position your body parts in a pose. It’s called a drishti gaze, and it’s a tactic that improves your practice.

“In Sanskrit yoga terms, it’s called drishti, which is a focal point where you’re bringing your focus,” says Haley Steinhauser, a New York City-based yoga instructor. This focal point supports everything from your balance, alignment, focus, and concentration, according to Jordan Ashley, founder of Souljourn Yoga. “When you use your vision with intent, it indicates to the rest of the body how the shape should follow,” she says.

“When you use your vision with intent, it indicates to the rest of the body how the shape should follow.” —Jordan Ashley, Souljourn Yoga

The drishti gaze helps you in every pose that you hold, but you’ll really notice its effects when you’re balancing. Ashley points to tree pose as one example of this. “If you are balancing on one leg, like in tree pose, the gaze needs to be focused at something that isn’t moving,” she says. So by zeroing in your vision with one focal point, it boosts your concentration and “gives you something tangible to focus on while the body adjusts,” she explains.

The same happens during crow pose—with a gaze towards the floor, your head will follow, which can lead to a tumble. “But if your eyes are focused slightly forward, then the body is informed to keep shifting the weight into your fingers.” The gaze helps to ground and root these poses, leading to better overall balance.

From an alignment standpoint, where your eyes are looking signifies how the rest of your body settles into a pose, as well. “If you’re doing a backbend like cobra pose, dropping your vision down forces your entire head, neck, and spine to slump,” says Ashley. “So by looking forward and slightly up, it will encourage a chest and heart opener to occur.” So where you focus your eyesight turns your head, and your body will unfurl and twist more properly—and often more deeply—into the pose that you’re holding.

And it’s important to remember that your drishti is key on a mental level just as much as a physical one. “With yoga, you think about movement and breath, but when you begin to bring in focus with your eyes, it allows you to connect those two components even more,” says Steinhauser. “During all of the movement in a yoga class, your mind can easily start drifting and your eyes tend to shift around the room. If you’re able to focus your eyesight, that’s the gateway of bringing your attention inward.”

Renew Our Edges

This morning's reading comes from Mark Twain:

What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be, if we would only lay ourselves on the shelf occasionally and renew our edges.

Namaste

Fallen Condition

I found a particularly relevant reading in my daily readings from Jesus Calling I want to share with you.

 Because the world is in a fallen condition, things always seem to be unraveling around the edges.  Expect to find trouble in this day  At the same time, trust that My way is perfect, even in the midst of such messy imperfection.
Stay conscious of Me as you go through this day, remembering that I never leave your side.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you step by step, protecting you from unnecessary trials and equipping you to get through whatever must be endured.  As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind in heavenly places with me.  Thus the light of My Presence shines on you, giving you Peace and Joy that circumstances cannot touch.

Namaste

Connecting - A Prayer Technique

Thought I'd just pass along a bit of wisdom I've recently run across in Anam Cara.  A book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue, one of my favorite Irish writers.

Your body is, in essence, a crowd of different members who work in harmony to make your belonging in the world possible.  We should avoid the false dualism that separates the soul from the body.  The soul is not simply within the body, hidden somewhere within its recesses.  The truth is rather the converse.  Your body is in the soul and the soul suffuses you completely.  Therefore, all around you there is a secret and beautiful soul-light.  This recognition suggests a new art of prayer.  Close your eyes and relax into your body.  Imagine a light all around you, the light of your soul.  Then with your breath, draw that light into your body and bring it with your breath through every area of your body.

My best to you readers.  Stay safe.

Chakra Eight - May 28, 2020 - Divine Light

Chakra Eight is not often discussed in connection with the standard seven. I discovered this one some years ago in my study and use it in my classes at The Yogatorium.  We each place our hands back to back at the eighth chakra above our head and draw the light around our body moving our hands all the way down to the earth, symbolically opening sacred space.  Then, at the end of the class, following savasana and meditation, we close sacred space bringing the light back up to the eighth chakra.

Below is a diagram showing the location of the seven chakras.  Peter Sterios.   Gravity and Grace: How to Awaken Your Subtle Body and the Healing Power of Yoga.  P. 119.

Chakra Seven - May 27, 2020 - "I connect with Spirit."

Chakra Seven.  The "crown" chakra symbolizes your spiritual side.  I connect with Spirit.  I invite sacred transformation.  I embrace the unity of all beings.
When I reach my crown chakra, I have increased my "breath of fire" count to seventy (seven times ten).  This took many weeks of practice but has become comfortable.  Over the years, I have taken breaks from the practice of ten breaths with chakra one, twenty with chakra two, etc.  At such times, I begin again with ten for each one gradually adding ten to each and progressing to the seventy with chakra seven.
At other times, I meditate with only one of the chakras as my focal point.

Chakra Six - May 25, 2020 - I am healing body, mind, and spirit.

Chakra Six - I honor my intuition.  I accept my path.  I am healing body, mind, and spirit.

The sixth chakra is located at the third eye, that spot on the brow between the eyebrows and slightly above.  The Third Eye represents intelligence, intuition, and the ability to see the big picture, and it governs the brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, and nose.  (Prevention Magazine, Oct. 2013.)

For me, the major line is: I am healing body, mind, and spirit.  I find the other two sentences very powerful also:  I honor my intuition.  I accept my path.  

All of the messages from the Tibetan prayer flags I find meaningful, but this one is most inspiring to me.  It seems to bring me closer to my Self than any of the other flag messages.

Have you a favorite?

Chakra Five - May 21, 2020 - I create my reality.

Chakra Five is associated with the throat, neck, and head region.  The color blue is associated with this chakra.
Words on the 5th Tibetan prayer flag are:
I play in my imagination.  I create my reality.  I know and share my truth.
All of these sentences inspire me but perhaps the most frequent standout is "I create my reality."  This puts the responsibility squarely on me and while it is a big load, I look at it as a great opportunity for growth.  Since blue is my favorite color, perhaps that, too, makes for a strong connection.

Once you have begun  meditating with the chakras, your thought choices may surprise you.  Listen carefully.

Chakra Four - May 20, 2019 - The Heart

Chakra Four - The Heart.  I am loved; I let love in.  I am kind to myself.  I live in peace and gratitude.

All of these words resonate with me, some more than others on different days.  They are related, I believe, to my mental and emotional state.  I am often drawn to "I am kind to myself."

I have not discussed the colors related to each chakra, but you may be interested in them.  They are the same as we see in rainbows:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.  This places the green with the heart.  Chakra One, red; Chakra Two, orange; Chakra Three, yellow; etc.

If you are trying meditating on the chakras, associating the appropriate color may be of help.
I do find it a help placing my hand on the heart when using Chakra Four.

Chakra Three - May 16, 2020 - I am whole.

Chakra Three:  I am courageous.  I am whole.  I stand in my power.
The third chakra is located at the navel.  When meditating I often place one hand at my navel.
The most powerful words from this prayer flag for me are I am whole.

Today I want to share a Mary Oliver poem with you.  My connection to Spirit is most directly felt by connecting to nature and her poems are a good source for me.

Is the soul solid, like iron?

Or is it tender and breakable, like

the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?

Who has it, and who doesn't?

I keep looking around me.

The face of the moose is sad

as the face of Jesus.

The swan opes her white wings slowly.

In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.

One question leads to another.

Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?

Why should I have it, and not the anteater

who loves her children?

Why should I have it, and not the camel?

Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?

What about the blue iris?

What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?

What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?

What about the grass?

Mary Oliver, "Some Questions You Might Ask"

P. 53 "The Lost Language of Plants" by Stephen Harrod Buhner.

Chakra - May 15, 2020 - I surrender to this moment.

Chakra Two - I feel my emotions and my pain.  I reawaken my passion.  I surrender to this moment.
Much has been written about living "in the moment."  My favorite reminder is from "The Peaceful Warrior."
Where are you?  Here.
What time is it?  Now
What are you doing?  The moment.

Surrendering to the moment is a reminder for me to be still and listen.  It is in these moments that I attempt to connect with my inner Self during meditation.  It is not essential to be sitting or lying down to meditate.  It is something that can occur no matter where you are or what you are doing.  Try it sometime - you might like it.

Next, Chakra Three.

Chakras - May13,2020 - I am safe

Introduction
This morning I'm beginning a series of posts to introduce you to the chakras.  Please know that you can find a world of information on line by simply going to "chakras."  My intention here is to give you my personal practice in hopes of inspiring you to think about these energy centers within your own body.  After all,  there is much more to yoga  than  practicing the asanas (physical poses).

The Subtle Body
....it is widely held in and outside India that the physical body has a subtle counterpart made not of gross matter but of a finer substance, or energy.  George Feuerstein, PhD. "Yoga Tradition.  Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice.

What are chakras?  Seven Energy Centers located within the body originating along the spine.
When they are functioning properly, we feel better.  Just as we feel better when our physical body is functioning properly.
"Illumination" is the name of the process I perform for others.  It is basically a cleansing of the chakras.
 I can also teach you how to cleanse your own chakras.

During my meditation practice, I use words from my Tibetan prayer flags (a gift from Joanne).
Chakra One is the root chakra, located at the base of the spine:
I am safe.  I trust more; I fear less.  I am centered and grounded.

More next time.

Connecting - May 9, 2020 - A Good Day - Distractions

What made yesterday a good one?  (It's very early Saturday morning now.)  Distractions.
First, we shopped at Food Lion at 7:30 am.  It was Frank's first visit inside a store since April 7 when his intestinal bacteria attacked and then a week later a broken kneecap.  He thoroughly enjoyed driving the vehicle around in the store and finally actually saw empty shelves and a few people social distancing and wearing masks.  (He's still wearing a brace and using a walker for another 10 days.)  This early-in-the-morning shopping is a great benefit for those of us who are truly attempting to avoid human contact.
And so we do.
The rest of the day I never sat at my laptop and only checked my iPhone a couple of times.  I didn't watch the news until about 5 pm for about a half hour and then again at 9:00 (Rachel Madow is our favorite.)
So what did I do?  I napped a couple times, did laundry, met with Robert who will repair our bathroom floor so the toilet doesn't fall through, listened to two therapists visiting Frank, (social distancing not total for us because of these necessary visitors).  I fixed hot dogs for lunch ( a request by Frank - we'd never done that before!) and a pork tenderloin for supper.
Instead of watching news, we watched a Perry Mason show!  Truly fun!  We'll do more of that - finding old favorites on TV.  Although, we actually spend less than 2 hours a day at the tube.
My go-to when I just want to escape and not think?  A booklet of pictures I draw by connecting numbers - even better than crossword puzzles which require thinking.
Enough for this morning.  My coffee mug is empty.

Connecting - May 7, 2020 - Change

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.  Charles Darwin, 1809

I am very fortunate since I generally like change.  Although, the changes occurring now are certainly not making for added happiness except for the challenge to find ways to be at least content in spite of the sickness and death that are happening throughout our country.  How does change affect you?  How does the current change affect you?  How are you adapting?
Certainly at this time of our lives, all of us are subjected to change - whether we like it or not.
What I am seeing now, is an opportunity to be more than do.
My life is pretty well dominated now by taking care of Frank with his healing kneecap, and continuing exercises for myself for my healing wrist and shoulder.  Other than that, I have much time for choices.
The biggest change has been the loss of Frank's help with the grocery buying, cooking suppers, and doing little maintenance chores around the place.  For now, I am the one who is doing all of that, plus laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, and once in a great while vacuuming the house.  Since we don't leave the house often, we are not tracking in dirt - or so I excuse myself.
Anyway, the most pleasant things I have found myself doing are observing the natural world from our glassed-in back porch looking right over the pond.  I'll write more about that tomorrow.
In the meantime, are you finding time to BE?
Here is a short section from another poem Donna sent to me:

I want to know 

what sustains you

from the inside

when all else falls away.

I want to know

if you can be alone 

with yourself

and if you truly like

the company you keep

in the empty moments.

By Oriah © Mountain Dreaming,

Connecting May 6, 2020 - And people stayed home

I'd like to share with you a particularly timely poem I received from Donna Toland.  Still no classes at The Yogatorium, but I do want you to know that you are all in my thoughts.  From time to time I'll share thoughts with you. Please share yours with me. Text or call 864-506-4063.  Or, add a comment to the posted item.

A poem by Kitty O’Meara – updated.

And people stayed home

and read books and listened

and rested and exercised

and made art and played

and learned new ways of being

and stopped

and listened deeper

someone meditated

someone prayed

someone danced

someone met their shadow

and people began to think differently

and people healed

and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,

dangerous, meaningless and heartless,

even the earth began to heal

and when the danger ended

and people found each other

grieved for the dead people

and they made new choices

and dreamed of new visions

and created new ways of life

and healed the earth completely

just as they were healed themselves.

Kitty O’Meara

Coronavirus - Temporary Closing The Yogatorium - March 17, 2020

The Yogatorium is closed until further notice.  You will see below a post (Asanas/Postures) listing the postures usually practiced in our classes.  Feel free to email, call or text if you have questions.
Jaquie Haymond yogatorium@gmail.com, 864-506-4063

Asanas/Postures - March 17, 2020

Asanas/Postures

In my yoga classes and workshops I include movement of as many body parts as possible from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet, including eyes, mouth, and even the skin of the face.  To enjoy good health each part of our bodies and minds must be used or its ability is lessened.  Yoga can remind us of needs overlooked in other disciplines.  

This list includes a few asanas beginners will not be ready to attempt.  It is a reference list of postures practiced or demonstrated during classes.   All students are encouraged to try modified versions of each asana introduced by the instructor to gain as much benefit as the body is ready to absorb.  Students are most knowledgeable of their own limitations and should always adapt when needed to be safe.  If you begin to feel unusual strain or tension, stop where you are and slowly back off to a comfortable stage.  DO NOT MOVE QUICKLY.  Injuries most often occur from rapid, jerking, or bouncing movements in an attempt to force the body into a position for which it is not ready.  Each of us has a unique body that will respond over time to gentle encouragement.  You are not in competition with any other student.  You are learning to love and care for your own individual body without regard to what other students might be able to do.   Rejoice in your own improved breathing, flexibility and peacefulness.

Seated in a Chair or on mat

Laughing Lion

Eye Circles

Head Turns

Shoulder Rolls – Deep Breathing

Standing

Mountain Pose (Centering)

Side Bends

Twists (torso)

Forward Bend

Sun Salutation

Tree Pose (balance)

Warrior I

Pyramid

Warrior II

Extended Side Angle

Triangle

Wide-leg Standing Forward Bend

On the Mat  – On the Back

Full Body Stretch 

Knee Twists

Leg Twists (with strap) 

Bridge

Knees to chest

Knee twists

Leg extensions

Side Plank

On the Mat – Face Down 

Modified Cobra (on forearms)

Cobra

Locust (leg lifts)

On the Mat – Kneeling

Table

Cat-Cow

Cat – Balance

Child’s Pose

Downward Facing Dog

On the Mat – Seated

Boat Pose

Staff Pose

Forward Bend (center)

Split Leg Bends

Smiling Twisted Sage 

On the Mat – On Back

Total Relaxation Period - Savasana