 |
 Home |
 Classes |
 Products |
 Least You Need To Know |
 Newsletter |
 Links |
 Contact |
Newsletter Archives - Click to view archives
Welcome to “My Better Day” June newsletter! Each month, “My Better Day” newsletter contains tips for your yoga practice, yoga quotes to bring yoga off the mat and into your life, affirmations to brighten your day and motivate, and more! It is my deep wish for your well-being that I send this newsletter to help make your day a Better Day! In This Issue: Yoga Quote, Practice Yoga Pose, Meditation on the Go, Chakrascope, Namasté, “What you do is vitally important to who you become. It is not the results (the products, businesses, money, success or failure) that matters, it is who you became while making them. That’s what we need from you!” — Column written by Wah! In LAYoga Magazine. WWW.LAYogaMagazine.com Have you all been watching Betty White’s comeback lately? It all started with her successful appearance in the Super Bowl commercial which was voted the most popular commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Sv_z9jm8A Then she hosted Saturday Night Live, and racked up the highest rating they’d seen in years for viewership. Now there’s talk of her hosting the Academy Awards. She’s 88, and she’s the “it” girl! “Grandma Moses was in her 70’s when she began painting scenes of her rural life in Upstate New York. Colonel Sanders of finger lickin’ good chicken fame, had a difficult start in life but early on realized he had a creative cooking talent. However it was not until he was in his 60s that he started KFC and became a millionaire. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her family's life in the 1870s and 1880s in the acclaimed The Little House on the Prairie series of books for children. She published her first book at the age of 65. Harry Bernstein was in his 90s when he decided to write his memoirs after his wife of 67 years died. His book was titled The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers and he continued writing with the 2008 publishing of his book The Dream.” There are endless others—some of which can be found in the link I found these on: I’m sure you’ve heard of Susan Boyle? I’d watched that YouTube performance several times and cried tears of joy each time. She was 47 when she was “discovered”. Go ahead, indulge another listen. Really “feel good” tears like this performance induces are so good for you. Just when I thought perhaps I wouldn’t cry this time, well…I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk Recently I heard the story of Nola Ochs, who held the title of world's oldest college graduate until last year following her graduation from Fort Hays State University at the age of 95. She received her master's in liberal studies with a history concentration from the Hays, Kansas school May 15, 2010 according to the Kansas City (Mo.) Star. She didn’t let age be a barrier to achieve her advanced education. She did it for the glory of doing it. She lives a goal-driven life. There’s one point to make here—we love these people not only for the gifts they’ve brought us through their talents, but perhaps more so because of whom they became as a result. Isn’t it the inspiration of Susan Boyle defying the odds that makes you well up with tears? Isn’t it the mutual pride of Nola Ochs achieving her degree at an advanced age despite societal norms dictating the “appropriate” time to go to college that makes you beam? Seeing Betty White’s current comeback and hearing that she stayed up partying with the Saturday Night Live cast the night she hosted the show—well doesn’t it just make you think, “I can do that too! There’s still time!”? Don’t you just want to yell out: “You go, girl!” They are a shining light to us that we, too, can do whatever it is we set out to do. THAT is the real gift these inspiring people have brought us. “Want to live longer? Then you better have a really good idea of what you're living for. In a study of older adults, those who lived a goal-driven life were 57 percent less likely to die during the 5-year study period—compared with those who didn't have much direction or purpose. Are you making plans for the future? Is there something that you're actively trying to achieve? Does your life have meaning? A resounding yes to these questions could mean you get more time on earth to accomplish things. Having a purpose in life was so helpful in a recent study that it even appeared to improve the longevity of people with depression, disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or financial difficulties. ” There’s a quote about “doing what you love means you’ll never have to work another day of your life.” What do you love? Are you going to let a few excuses stop you from it? “Because research shows that spending ample time doing what you love may keep you from developing a whole host of disease risk factors. And that's a great way to help extend your life. Having fun yet?” http://www.realage.com/tips/go-ahead-goof-off-today?click=p5link3 There are many lessons to be taken from Betty White’s continued success. Are you over “a certain age” and using it as an excuse to not try anymore? “I’m too old to do that.” Or, “Do you know how old I’d be when I finished that degree, or that project, or whatever THAT is?” The answer is you’ll be as old as you would have been if you didn’t finish THAT. Or maybe you feel like you’re done with achievement—that the chances of accomplishing any level of achievement, let alone overwhelming success, are so small, why bother? Maybe you’ve been plugging away and plugging away and wonder, is it all worth it? Should I just hang it all up? The message here is You never know what the Universe has in store for you! I’ve heard it said in regards to accepting the gifts of the Universe that you should ask “How good can you stand it? Because that’s how good it can get.” Just when you think your time in the sun has come and gone, you could have your own version of a comeback or being discovered. You could be the “it” person. Betty White has raised the bar on just when you can (again) come into your own, or when YOUR “it” time will be, so you may as well co-create it. “Life is what you make it. Always has been. Always will be.” Grandma Moses. Betty White’s popularity is not limited to her own age group. She is hitting age markets across the board. So you, too, can’t really say that your “target market” for what it is you want to achieve is necessarily only what is typical. She’s raised the bar for expectations, hasn’t she? All bets are off. The world really is your oyster! You can no longer use the “I’m too old”, or “I’m not skinny enough”, or “I’m too young”, or “I’m not talented enough” excuses. Where would we be if everyone thought that way? (I’m sure you’ve also seen the recent 6 th grader sensation on YouTube, Greyson Chance? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDlC7YV5is Or even the spunky four-year-old Jessica‘s daily affirmations? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg ) We can always find a reason not to try. Or as one movie star character said “It’s easier to believe the bad stuff”. Well, dream your own dream and create your own version of a happy ending! Most of us aren’t looking for world-fame. Most of us want inner happiness, although we may not really know that yet. There are stories abounding about those that searched for and got the riches and the fame, but weren’t happy. So, I don’t mean to imply that success = fame = big money. I mean to imply that whatever YOU want to accomplish or do or be is out there, and nothing should stop you from moving toward it. If you are young, don’t let lack of experience stop you. If you are old, don’t let age stop you. The point is don’t let anything stop you from continuing to go forward toward whatever you want to do, be, or have. So excuses, be gone! For every excuse you have for why you can’t accomplish what you want, I’ll bet you can find someone who has accomplished it with the same, if not more, so-called “handicaps”. I think that the “handicap” is actually a reason to do it anyway. Remember my last newsletter where I talked about your weaknesses pointing to your strengths? The same concept is in play here. Use whatever excuse you have right now to not do something as the impetus to go out and do it. Use it as your sign from the Universe that you were meant to do it. Just as I started to really hit my stride in the teacher training for my 200-hour certification through the Yoga Alliance, I found out that I have genetic hip dysplasia which, coupled with an old back injury, had predisposed my left hip to be arthritic before it’s time. For awhile I thought, …”Really?” Part of me started to wonder if I should quit teaching yoga. How could I be “as good as” all the others with this going on? Then I realized that I can teach from a level of compassion for those who come to yoga for its healing benefits. It was the very reason I had wanted to teach yoga. With a shift in attitude, I viewed what I started to consider a “handicap” an actual asset in my bag of teacher qualifications. I’ve told my students that “just when you think this is all there is. That ‘my body couldn’t possibly heal from this’, there is healing; and your body can improve.” I might go so far as to say my genetic hip dysplasia and my back injury combined were a blessing, as it has kept me in love with this thing called yoga—and, by the way, has helped both the back and hip tremendously! “Whether your purpose becomes a career in itself or just a way to turn up the volume on your talents (and I guarantee, your satisfaction) it’s an exploration worth doing. What’s your blessing/curse? It may not really have a curse to it, so just live it up in a bigger way and watch your life change.” So write down all the excuses you have for not doing what you want to do, and use that as your reason for doing it any way, for doing it because. Okay, so perhaps you’re thinking “lack of money” is a legitimate excuse that requires more than simply doing it because. You’re smart—yes, you’ll want to research how to finance your goal, but don’t let it stop you. There’s something to be said for visualizing the end goal and letting the Universe show you the way to getting there. “Never, never, never, never give up!” Winston Churchill. Remember my musings from a previous newsletter: You decide what you will accomplish and then you do it. There is no failure. There is only doing. If you don’t quit, there can never be failure. Your power develops as you take risks and live outside of your comfort level. As the opening quote says, it’s not the end results of what you do that the world needs, it’s the person you become while doing what you do that benefits and inspires us. We may not all have Betty White’s history of successes behind us, we may not have the voice of Greyson Chance or Susan Boyle, we may not have the artistic talents of Grandma Moses, or the literary talents of Laura Ingalls Wilder ; but what DO we have? Focus on IT. “Your feelings are clues about your destiny and potential, and they’re seeking the full expression of life through you.” Wayne Dyer. The talented people I just mentioned didn’t start out thinking they had “IT” either. They took their leap of faith and moved toward “IT”. A Jewish proverb says that “Every blade of grass has an Angel bending over it saying. ‘Grow, Grow!” Be your own Angel. Tree Pose (Sanskrit terms: Vrikshahsanna) Benefits:
I’ll never forget the first yoga class I was in when the teacher cued a balance pose. I thought for sure she was just showing off. I could think of no other reason to practice balance. I had not yet fallen in love with yoga, so didn’t know that balance is an important part of the health of the whole body. When you are younger you tend to take things like balance for granted. Balance will always be there, right? Uh, no. My mother-in-law knows this first hand after having fallen in the bathroom trying to get into the bath tub. Tree pose is one of the first balance poses I teach. A useful tip for all balance poses: Find a spot in the room that doesn’t move to focus on. It really helps! The Sanskrit word for this focus point is “dristhi”. Regularly practicing balance poses will help you focus both on and off the mat cultivating concentration skills. Preferably, balance poses are best done on a firm, hard surface. If your yoga floor is carpeted or cushioned, it will make your balance poses that much harder. Sometimes even the thickness of your mat can be too unstable. So proceed with caution. So we start from Mountain Pose with feet hip distance apart. I like to keep my hands at heart center in prayer or “Namasté” position. Next you’ll want to have contact with the floor with all four corners of the feet (big toe mound, little toe mound, and both sides of the heel) with the weight on the feet evenly distributed between the inner and outer foot and the heel and ball of the foot. You’ll want a wide base, as in all yoga poses. So lift the toes, spread them wide, and plop them down. This really activates those arches, which is also important. As you focus on your spot in the room and start to lift your foot notice the toes of the grounded foot and concentrate on keeping them relaxed vs. gripping the floor. Just as you don’t want gripping, in a balance pose, you also don’t want the toes lifted. You want even, relaxed weight distribution across the whole foot. Likewise, you want to keep your pelvis balanced—not tipping forward or backward or twisting in any one direction. I also like to tell my students as they’re balancing that each day is different. Each side is different. Depending on how flustered your life has been, or if you have a cold—any disturbance mentally, emotionally, or physically—all elements can affect balance. Next we place the sole of the lifted foot on the inside of the opposite leg, avoiding the knee, toes pointing down and keeping the external rotation of the hip:
Notice how balance is an act of your body making constant adjustments firing up first this muscle then that muscle. The micro-movements you are feeling are a part of the process. Popping in and out of the pose by simply touching down with the toe of the lifted foot is fine. It, too, is part of the process on ANY given day. Quoting someone cleverer than I: “That’s why they call it a yoga practice and not a yoga perfect.” Once the foot is placed, continue engaging your lower abdominals as you elongate the spine through the crown of the head and draw the tailbone down toward the floor. Don’t let your ego dictate how high you place your foot on the opposite leg. If you have to arch your back in, you probably have tight groins and/or inner thighs. So place the foot where the front hip bones will stay even left to right. Keep a hyper-bend in the standing leg’s knee. Imagine rooting down through the standing foot just like the roots of a tree as you lift up through the center of the torso. Advanced options:
Beginner’s tip: Still unsure on your form or new to yoga? You can try a practice pose.
Other modifications:
Inhale, extending arms up, fingertips toward the ceiling, palms facing each other. Then exhale, and on the inhale, bend torso to the same side as the bent, raised knee. Straighten on an inhale.
Remember to practice changing from side to side— mental note to self: this is something I need to remember to add into my classes—as this really helps to develop your concentration and focus abilities. Contraindicated for:
Notice the Light Within Each Person “Inside of you is a light that can never be extinguished or soiled—it’s pure and clear, and its embers are stoked by love. The warm feelings that you enjoy are fueled by this internal spark. Take a moment right now to see the flame within you, noticing details such as its color, intensity, and size. Perceive how your body feels as you focus on this inner glow. Ask the light any questions that come to mind, and receive its answer clearly as a thought, feeling, word, or visual image. This radiance is your connection to the Divine, and you’re its caretaker; you can increase its size and intensity with your thoughts, emotions, and breathing. Pay attention to how you feel as it grows brighter and larger. It can burn away the remnants of old pain or upsets like an incinerator, so toss anything that’s unwanted onto the flame, and witness its transformation into fuel for love. Notice the illumination within you and others throughout the day. The more you focus on it, the more lighthearted you’ll feel. Thought for Today: I focus on the light within me, feeling its steady warmth inside my belly, heart, and mind. If I’m cold and lonely, I simply need to ask this glow to grow brighter and stronger. I can see it within myself and all others, and my life is touched by it.” Source: Daily Guidance from Your Angels by Doreen Virtue, PhD. I love all of Doreen’s books, cards, newsletters, etc. I’ve used the above as a Final Relaxation meditation at the end of a yoga class. To me it resonates with the meaning behind the Sanskrit word, Namasté, said at the beginning and end of each yoga class—the divine light in me recognizes the divine light in you. If you found the above interesting, please consider taking my meditation “how to” classes. Visit my Web-site, www.betterdayyoga.com, for details. If you are familiar with chakras, then you can tell from my logo that I love chakras. The rainbow-colored spheres within my logo are representative of the chakra system within the body. If you are unfamiliar, here’s a quick lesson: There are seven energy centers called chakras (literally “wheels”) that store energy/life force/prana. They are along the spinal column and correlate to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. Each has a different relationship to a gland in the body’s endocrine system. Each stimulates different organs and systems in the body. Hatha Yoga activates these energy centers releasing the energy that flows through the spine. Yoga helps these energy centers/nerve bundles to function correctly clearing blocks that may be there. Each chakra also is associated with a mental/emotional focus. In each newsletter I’ll highlight how you can work with a particular chakra to correspond with the season.
This is the month of the Summer Solstice. “The Sun is at its apex which has myriad meanings for the world's cultures. The light of the sun and the long days symbolize clarity, a time when people can make an honest assessment of themselves. A hotter environment connotes purification, a time to make positive changes, allowing old notions of the self to evaporate. Finally, the sun in this context represents triumph, its return to the heights of the heavens after winter implying that you, too, can overcome adversity.” Source: Yogamint.com My opening musings talked about using excuses to stop you from moving toward your goals and visions. Just as the Solstice signifies clarity, the sixth chakra—the third eye chakra—is all about “seeing the way”, and is considered your seat of wisdom. It resonates to the color indigo. One of the characteristics you might be experiencing if this chakra needs some tweaking is skepticism—using excuses to stop you from moving toward your best self. Maybe you have difficulty even visualizing what your best self would be. That’s also sixth chakra work. Having a guiding, clear vision is what a healthy sixth chakra is all about. You’ll begin to see YOUR big picture. So let’s have at it! As I’d asked in the opening, are you making plans for the future? Do you have a vision? That’s sixth chakra work! This is where we envision the future. Sixth chakra energy involves the courage of acting based upon your own gut instincts and standing firm in your resolve to continue working toward your goals. This is where we figure out our true motivations, and we do that by going in a direction and seeing how that feels, then self-adjusting as we listen to our heart. No one can do that for you. Only you can. Society will constantly tell you what to do if you aren’t figuring it out for yourself. Then you’ll just be doing what everyone else wants you to do vs. what YOU want to do. The current economy has thrown a lot of us for a loop. I’ve known more people than I care to mention who’ve been derailed for various reasons—many of them monetary. Yet, I’ve also seen just as many find their way, step by step; and most have ended up liking their new path better than their previous path. One friend I know found themselves without a job after their corporation had layoffs. He even found an interim job and they had layoffs too. He decided to dwell on what he loved to work on as a young boy—tinkering with bicycles. He turned that knowledge, skill, and past passion into an excellent source of interim income both at a local bike shop as well as out of his own garage. In the meantime, he kept looking, and recently landed, another full-time job. He never once doubted all would be well, and the bicycle repairs he did became good therapy for him in ways that were not just monetary. A healthy third eye chakra hones the ability to see yourself with honesty and insight while being detached from the good opinion of the outer world. Without this skill, you’re unable to see alternatives. The inability to see alternatives is a sign of a deficient sixth chakra. You really can be your own best therapy. Your inner knowing is your sixth chakra. It is your touchstone. Your strong intuition and your ability to visualize your future—your guiding vision for life—is your touchstone. So whether or not we are looking for a new career, or simply looking for something to fill a void in our life, it’s the inner knowing that all will be well that makes for a strong sixth chakra. Have you ever spun your wheels trying to solve something that just couldn’t be solved at the time? Sometimes all it takes is to stop the “trying” and just “doing” something different. This ends the struggle and inner conflict, and lets you surrender to the moment. It helps you detach from your personal or material concerns and opens the mind to new options. It releases the “death grip”, if you will. Have you heard about the child who couldn’t get the cookie out of the cookie jar because their clenched fist was too big to make it out of the hole at the top? Sometimes all you need to do is let go to release the hand from the jar. Sixth chakra in Sanskrit is “Ajna”. One of its translations is “command wheel”. So the next time you’re spinning your wheels, remember who’s in command. It’s not society’s idea of what you should be doing. It’s your own ideas about what you should be doing. We’re all really connected anyway, so doing what brings you peace will bring peace to the whole—Another continuing sentiment of the opening quote by “Wah!”. I’d mentioned that the sixth chakra vibrates to the color, indigo blue. So what’s making your horizon this dark, indigo blue? I like to think that indigo blue can be both peaceful as well as stormy. It can be the indigo blue of the sky just as the stars are starting to come out at night and your world is at peace, ready for rest. Or it can be the whipped up threat of a thunder storm’s blue sky signaling it’s time to find cover and lay low. How have you been feeling about your horizon? Therein is the answer to clearing the sixth chakra. Peaceful results come from rest and meditation time, be it a more formal meditation complete with a timer and a meditation cushion; or simply allowing time to shift gears away from any stressors to relax with a good book on the deck in the sunshine. I list a “meditation to go” in each newsletter that I’ve gathered from some of my favorite sources. You’ll see that they are not as complicated as someone new to meditation might think. You can use my newsletter, or find some ways of your own—trust your instincts. My favorite book on the subject is by Jon Kabat-Zinn—Wherever you go, There you are. You can also get it in CD form and listen to it in the car. Your body knows what it needs. Listen to your inner wisdom. The more you listen, the more that inner wisdom will grow. The more you trust your gut, the clearer the messages become. Are you tired and out of sorts? Do something positive for yourself. Clarity and inner wisdom are both traits of a strong sixth chakra. Speaking of taking care of yourself, I recently participated in a wonderful two-day introduction training through YogaFit on Ayurveda taught by uber-qualified Felicia M. Tomasko, R.N., http://www.ayurveda-caam.org/about/board.html#tomasko. I swear she’s three people—editor, ayurvedic practitioner, yoga teacher, President of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, Board member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, R.N., etc—yes, etc. Ayurveda is the “sister science” to yoga and is a natural system of medicine that has been practiced for more than 5000 years. Suffices to say, I wanted to soak up every morsel of information I could gain on the subject. One of the many bits of knowledge I picked up was which dominant dosha I might be (your Ayurvedic mind and body type). Being dominantly a Vata, (there are three doshas and we all have all three doshas in us to varying degrees), that makes me prone to worry and stress. My dosha is aggravated by change (movement), and dryness, among other things. No newsflash here! She pointed out that the world we live in is Vata-oriented. So a Vata in a Vata environment, well that’s a recipe for becoming out of balance. We are constantly in motion, using electronics filled with movement, in cars and airplanes in dry environments, etc., etc. I think we’re all in agreement here. Vata is the one dosha that easily gets out of balance in today’s world. One of the easy treatments she recommended we can do every day to de-stress was treating yourself to a foot rub with a natural oil at the end of the day. Try it. Tell me you don’t feel loved and cared about after giving yourself a foot massage. I’ve been making it a point to do it daily since that class. It helps me sleep better too. I have two wonderful oils I’ve used. One is a natural Vitamin E oil from my old stomping ground in Madison, WI, the Soap Opera. They’ll scent it with your favorite oil. I use Jasmine. http://www.thesoapopera.com/cgi-bin/scart.cgi/TSO-A-1083c.php3?scartid=6222798 I’ve also tried and love Trillium’s Organics Lavender Geranium Organic Body oil—which I see is labeled for Pitta dosha (my secondary dosha) http://www.trilliumorganics.com/oil.html I hope to share more tidbits in future newsletters. In the meantime, sign up for Felicia’s newsletter. Among other many positions, she is the editor of LAYoga Magazine Ayurveda and Health: http://www.layogamagazine.com/enews_subscriber.html Here are a few fun quizzes to help you zero in on what your dominant dosha might be or which dosha might be out of balance. Caution! Ayurveda is like eating potato chips…you can’t stop with just one piece! You’ll want to consume all you can! Remember, you have all three doshas in you so you’ll find attributes of each: The Sixth chakra is also where we store past memories. Sometimes those past memories can lie buried and unhealed in our subconscious. This, too, can block our sixth chakra energy. Talking to a good therapist might be in order. Only you can decide if this route is for you. Negative past memories can come back to us in negative self-talk. Any time you say negative things about yourself to yourself, you are diminishing your sixth chakra. Your inner wisdom becomes clouded and you don’t listen to your instincts. So nip that in the bud right now! That also goes for anything or anyone who negates your self-worth. Question any messages that are coming to you that leave you feeling less than great. Sometimes you have no choice but to stay in negative environments for the time-being. Find ways to insulate yourself until you can move on. Your personal meditation practices and affirmations will help in that effort. At the beginning of yoga class, one of the deep breathing movements that I use includes dropping the arms to the side and inhaling up—gathering all your scattered energies back to center like a magnet claiming its own. The other is exhaling the arms down from the top, widening the hands on either side of you like you are surrounding yourself in a protective energy bubble. Try the protective bubble visualization before you leave the house in the morning and again any time you feel the need to shield yourself from the outer world. It may seem hokey to you at first, but some deep breathing and self-guided visualization can go a long way toward centering you in environments that are less than ideal. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist promotes the simple practice of ten focused deep breaths a day. Start a healthy habit! I talked about having a “negative Nellie” comeback statement for each of your supposed weaknesses in last month’s newsletter. My standard comeback affirmation for negative self-talk is first to say (sometimes out loud) “Erase!” Then I either restate what I just said in the reverse, making it a positive statement, and/or I say “I define everything I do with success.” I list positive affirmations in each newsletter (please see below). I love affirmations. Positive affirmations are like fertilizer for developing a strong sixth chakra. Start building your own reservoir of positive affirmations that you love. One of the first ones that resonated with me, literally, was “there is room in my life for joy, peace, and ease”. When I first read that one I could feel my whole body relax and soak it in. It was as though my body was telling me, “Ahhh! Finally! Yes, that’s what I need!” Find the affirmations that talk to your body that way. Which ones make you want to say “Ahhhh!”? If you find one I haven’t used, I invite you to share them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Better-Day-Yoga-LLC/495055625435?ref=ts Another characteristic of a strong sixth chakra is good dream recall. My past newsletters have talked about some of my dreams and ways to listen to your dream messages. Try keeping a dream journal by your bed and start writing down what you can remember just upon waking. I’ve read the more you write down your dream’s details, the stronger the details become. You are giving yourself the message that you are worth listening to, which strengthens your sixth chakra. Remember that your dream messages are personal to you. A dream about a barn will mean different things to different people, for example. If you were raised on a farm, it could be your childhood barn. If you weren’t, it could have any number of meanings. Only your psyche will know. Sometimes I’ve dreamed about a place but knew in the dream that although the place didn’t look like my childhood home at all, it represented my childhood home. So work with your own instincts as you write down your dreams and what they mean to you. Sometimes it’s straightforward, and sometimes it takes coaxing out the meaning. Physically, the sixth chakra is located in the head. Both the pituitary gland and the pineal gland are influenced by the sixth chakra. (Remember from the introduction to this section, each chakra works with a gland in the body’s endocrine system.) The pituitary gland is traditionally called the “third eye” as the sixth chakra is often referred to. It’s also called the “master gland”. It influences the thyroid and adrenal functions as well as blood pressure, among other things. The thyroid influences your metabolism, and the adrenals trigger stress reactions such as the “fight or flight” instinct. (See the breathwork section that follows for more on adrenals.) When our sixth chakra is strong and balanced, this gland is working well. Negative beliefs, as mentioned earlier, impedes the functioning of this gland. Our inner thoughts affect our physical well-being as well as our hormones and our glands. The pineal gland is a light-sensitive gland which translates variations in light to hormonal messages relayed to our body through the autonomic nervous system. In addition to producing serotonin, one of the primary neurotransmitters, it produces melatonin which influences sleeping and dreaming. Over 100 bodily functions have daily rhythms that are influenced by light exposure! Drastic temperature changes, high altitudes, magnetic fields, radiation, and daily stress all adversely affect the pineal gland (as well as imbalances Vata dosha!). Anything that alters our natural rhythms of light, such as working late in artificial light, can affect the health of this gland resulting in depression. Whether you're getting light during the day or the night, your pineal gland never stops checking your light exposure levels . Melatonin levels control your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone amounts, which in turn can affect the start of menopause. Your aging process and immune system may also be affected by melatonin, due to changing sleep patterns and the antioxidant effects of this hormone . One of the hallmarks for getting a good night’s sleep is dimming the lights before you go to bed, and sleeping in as dark a room as possible. Another way to work with healthy light is to have frequent exposure to the full spectrum of natural light. Winter depression is often associated with sunlight deprivation, or Seasonal Affective Disorder—SAD. Not only does your pineal gland use the eye’s retinas to monitor light exposure, but anything that stimulates or is pleasing to the eye stimulates the sixth chakra. So dress vibrantly to stimulate your eyes. Go sight-seeing to beautiful areas. Let nature inspire you to create your vision. Color can inspire your creativity and your imagination, both hallmarks of a healthy sixth chakra. For more on color therapy or how of natural environments improve your physical and mental health, you can revisit my March and February newsletters, respectively: http://betterdayyoga.com/archives.htm So use the gift within you. Find ways to develop your intuition by trusting your intuition. You can use my suggestions, or trust your own instincts—that’s the point, isn’t it? “When we allow the ego and personality to hear, receive and trust the intelligence of our intuition, we no longer separate ourselves from this intelligence - we become it. In this connected place, we can recognize God within us and experience true consciousness. When we experience true consciousness, we are filled with faith, hope and belief in a higher power and recognize our own purpose.” Goddess to the Core, Sierra Bender Breathwork: In today’s society, adrenal fatigue is common. Many people experience adrenal fatigue and are not aware of it. The adrenals are two small organs located on top of the kidneys. They secrete hormones that trigger stress reactions such as the “fight or flight” instinct, and are involved in a complex hormone interaction between the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue include chronic fatigue, dizziness, and fainting. Memory loss and forgetfulness can also be caused by low adrenal function. “Recent studies suggest that, taken together, minor hassles and annoyances from everyday life maybe the biggest stressor of all. These mini stressors mount as they become part of a daily routine, and because days tend to mirror days, whatever little hassle tugged at you one day is likely to repeat on another day. Eventually, all those overdue phone calls and all those annoying little accidents and all those unfinished household tasks can add up to major, chronic stress.” Try taking this Daily Equilibrium Quiz: http://www.realage.com/soothe-stress/mind-and-mood/are-daily-hassles-making-you-sick” The following breathe and hold* technique allows the adrenals to discharge some of the subliminal exhaustion and re-boot themselves. Massaging the points below several times a day will begin to diminish the back load of adrenal fatigue and the adrenal gland can begin to replenish. *For those with high or low blood pressure or other breathing related disorders, when the breath hold is cued, you can simply continue breathing deeply. Adrenal Infusion:
Source: The Natural Face-Lift, Linda Burnham, N.D. Visualizations & Affirmations : I chose these two visualizations to help you work towards whatever you want to do, be, or have. Visualizing helps develop your sixth chakra. Enjoy! “Begin your day by imagining what your life would look and feel like if you were living it at your highest potential. Take a moment right now to see and sense all the rich details along your true self's path. Such visualizations are an important starting point, much like mapping out your destination before beginning a journey.” DAILY GUIDANCE FROM YOUR ANGELS, Doreen Virtue, PhD “Close your eyes and imagine the possibility of some kind of breakthrough in your life. It may be a personal breakthrough or it may be something related to the larger world. Imagine the effect your possibility would have on each of your chakras—feeling it in your throat and your heart, your belly, your sensations, and grounding it into the very cells of your body. Do this on a daily basis—running it from the top down—and see what actions you can engage in that will help this vision come into manifestation. To find your personal vision you must shift your attention from what is to what could be. Your vision of what is possible becomes the source of inspiration for your creativity and the guiding purpose for your will.” Chakra Balancing by Anodea Judith. Affirmations of our innate goodness and confirmation of our worth are especially valuable in maintaining strong six chakra energy. I hope you find some below that resonate with you:
Sources:
Diet and the sixth Chakra: Foods that nourish the sixth chakra include: Spices such as caraway, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and many others. Dark blue/purple foods containing antioxidants which destroy free radicals in the body include eggplant, purple kale, blueberries, figs, plums, purple grapes, raisins, among others. Black currants (in addition to blueberries already mentioned) are known to benefit the eyes. Caffeine, chocolate and alcohol can overly stimulate the sixth chakra when consumed to excess. I know, I know. I love dark chocolate covered almonds, but there’s something to be said for stopping after a few. (See the healthy news section in this newsletter about how Yoga helps to reduce binge eating.) Aromatherapy and the sixth Chakra: Scents that stimulate the sixth chakra include: Hyacinth, Rose Geranium, Lemon, Vetiver, Basil (surprisingly relaxing), patchouli, rosemary, mint, and juniper, among others. If aromatherapy interests you, I use Young Living Essential Oils™ which are therapeutic, food-grade oils. Please inquire if you are interested in purchasing a favorite scent and I can add your request to my personal monthly order. Gem therapy and the third eye Chakra: Gemstones amplify the energy when placed in contact with your chakras. For those of you unsure on this subject, consider that it’s scientifically proven that everything is energy. Nothing is really solid. Why wouldn’t the energy of a stone work effectively with the energy in our bodies just as some research speculates that the energy of computers, cell phones, and microwaves may affect our bodies? At the very least, I find that holding a favorite stone is like a talisman for me, or a “worry stone”. As my favorite author, Wayne Dyer, likes to say, “If it’s a placebo effect, I’ll take two”. Some gems to consider to work with the sixth chakra include: Amethyst, Sodalite, Lapis Lazuli, Cat’s Eye or Tiger’s Eye, and Azurite among others. If gem therapy interests you, you can find a great selection at www.crystallinelight.com or you can also link to her Web site from my links page at www.betterdayyoga.com. I’ve known Jennifer, the owner, for many years and love her products! Yoga poses for stimulating the sixth chakra: As mentioned earlier, all yoga poses work each of the seven major chakras with specific ones addressing specific chakras. Yoga poses that stimulate the sixth chakra include, headstand prep/dolphin pose; and if headstand is in your practice, headstand pose. Cobra stimulates the brain and nervous system which is governed by the sixth chakra. Child’s pose stimulates the pineal gland (and therefore the third eye chakra) as you rest your forehead on the mat (see last month’s newsletter.) Balancing poses such as the one highlighted in this newsletter, tree pose, also stimulate the third eye chakra. Eagle pose leads you to focus directly toward the third eye chakra making it another excellent pose for this chakra. I’ve also read that doing your yoga with a blindfold helps to bring your awareness more inside of yourself which would stimulate the sixth chakra. Since the sixth chakra resides in between the physical eyes, the eyes, as mentioned earlier, are affected by the sixth chakra and vice versa. Here’s a great exercise for relaxing and soothing the eyes: Palming the eyes is one my father-in-law had used to relax his eyes. He didn’t need glasses for distance viewing throughout his almost 96 years of life. Perhaps this exercise helped. You never know: Rub your palms together quickly several times (upwards of 30) until you feel warmth in the palms. This energizes the palm chakras. Cup your hands over your closed eyes—palms centered over the eyes, not touching the eyes, and blocking out the light to the eyes. Bask in the warmth and energy of the palms. Visualize sending loving energy going into your eyes, face, and brain. Do this several times a day whenever your eyes need a break to relax them. Yoga postures and breath practices are intended to prepare the body for meditation —one of the best ways to access the sixth chakra. They make the body and mind calm enough to sit still.
Mudra for Self-Confidence In keeping with my earlier musings on not letting excuses get in your way of continually moving toward what you want, this mudra prevents self-defeating thoughts and actions. Since a positive mind, body, and spirit are necessary for fulfilling your dreams, I thought this mudra was the perfect one to inspire you! Sitting comfortably with a straight spine, lift your hands up to the level between your stomach and heart. Extend your elbows away from the body to the sides. Touch the middle knuckles of the last three fingers together. Point your index fingers out and away from your body, pads together. Point your thumbs back toward your chest as far as possible, touching each other from the last knuckle to the tip. Your thumbs are touching your body at the point of the solar plexus. Breath: Long, deep, and slow. Hold for a few minutes and relax. Source: Healing Mudras. Yoga for your hands, Sabrina Mesko I love affirmations and use “oracle” decks to provide a positive boost in the morning or whenever I need a lift. It’s my way of telling the Universe I’m open to listening to their message: “Have at it!” “I’m listening!” “Tell me more!” I hope you enjoy as I introduce some of my favorite cards and quotes in my newsletters! These make great gifts for any occasion as well as can be used as inspirational hand-outs in class if you are a yoga instructor. This month’s deck is by yet another author I’ve loved for many years, Carolyn Myss. I’ve listed her Web-site below where you can see all of her wonderful books, CDs, decks of cards, etc. The card I’ve chosen is one I’ve had up in my office for daily inspiration and it ties in well with this month’s sixth chakra/meditative focus. Enjoy! This 50-card deck and accompanying booklet by Caroline Myss, the bestselling author of Anatomy of the Spirit, and Peter Occhiogrosso, popular expert on world religions and author of The Joy of Sects, will help you create a daily practice that not only heals existing ailments, but also maintains spiritual balance in your life. Each card presents healing wisdom drawn from the world’s great spiritual traditions, and then offers an application of that knowledge for everyday living. Healing Cards offer both inspiration and a course of action, and . . . a card a day keeps the doctor away! You can buy your very own at:
Back in November, I highlighted one of my favorite decks—a wonderfully whimsical, inspiring, thought-provoking Enrichuals© deck, created by local author, artist and creativity coach, Suzanne Vadnais Monson. Refer to the November newsletter archive for a sample card. Suzanne has graciously agreed to let me make them available on Better Day Yoga’s product page online! http://betterdayyoga.com/products.htm Stressed out? Just finished off that whole bag of potato chips? Been there before? Yoga can help starting with day one! It’s widely known that Yoga reduces stress. Do you think you have to practice for a long time to start reaping the benefits? Think again! Research shows benefits start as early as day one! Now there are also studies showing that yoga may help lessen emotional eating. A study by Bruce W. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, “found that yoga diminished binge eating by 51%, with participants losing an average of 6 pounds in 8 weeks. It may also help on a biochemical level. Researchers at Jefferson Medical College drew blood samples from 16 yoga novices and found that cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress, dropped by about 15 to 20% as early as day one.” Do more yoga! To read more about the University of New Mexico study: To read more about the Jefferson Medical College study, go to: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=159736
You can hear the CD during one of my yoga classes, or listen to some clips and purchase it for your own listening pleasure at http://www.spiritvoyage.com/yoga/Eternal-Om/Robert-Slap/CDS-001082.aspx Length: 59:31 At Vita Bella we offer a holistic approach to revitalize your whole being by addressing the mind, body, emotional and spiritual self. Services include: aromatherapy; brain gym; emotional release; healing touch; massage; yoga; meditation classes; facial exercise classes; skin care; individual, family, couples and group therapy; and poetry therapy. Spirit River Gallery & Exchange is a place of education, classes & lectures; books, gifts & art; and a place where one can come for spiritual counseling from a variety of established and up-and-coming intuitives, and rejuvenation from healers. My second location at Spirit River Gallery & Exchange in Anoka is relocating It's my understanding that this may be a couple of months away. In the meantime, there are alternative temporary locations being considered for continuing the ongoing classes that were held there such as my yoga classes! One location is at the Blaine airport and the other is in the Ham Lake area. I'll keep you posted, but please email me with any questions as well as continued interest at Sandyk@BetterDayYoga.com. Yoga Party / Yoga to go? Yes, a yoga party! Yoga birthday parties, yoga cocktail parties, yoga bridal parties, yoga book-club parties—you fill in the blank! If you have space in your home or group meeting place, all you need to do is show up in comfortable clothes, and I bring everything else — the music, candles, incense (if you like that sort of thing), and mats. Now that it’s warm outside, we can even do class outside enjoying nature in all its glory! After a yoga party, people have so much energy, and they communicate with each other at a totally different level. Please call to discuss your perfect stress-relief package! Other possible services to add to your yoga party—pending availability and provided by my favorite colleagues—include:
"Bring into play the almighty power within you, so that on the stage of life you can fulfill your high destined role." — Paramahansa Yogananda , Indian yogi and teacher
Better Day Yoga LLC is located at:
Phone: (612) 708 6900
Better Day Yoga logo is a registered trademark |
|||||||||
Copyright 2009 Better Day Yoga. All Rights Reserved.