Fun Facts

Instead of trying to summarize my entire spiritual and physical (emotional / mental / energetic!) journey into YOGA, here are a few, quick FUN FACTS I learned this month during my intensive training:

1. The definition of YOGA: UNION / to YOKE

To yoke an animal means to harness it, control it, work with it.

The mind flutters about, all the time. Millions of thoughts churn in our exhausted brains on a daily basis. To study yoga is to stop the churning of the mind. 

2. The yogic journey is towards your Purusha (SOUL / HIGHER SELF). 

Take an empty jelly jar and place it upside down on the floor. You are the jelly jar. The space inside the jelly jar is your Purusha. The space outside the jar is the Divine (Brahma, God, the cosmos etc etc). The study of yoga allows us to purify and clarify our body/mind, so that we might see our Purusha / Higher Self more easily and clearly -- enlightenment happens when the jar lifts off the floor completely and our soul becomes one with it's source.

3. We all have Samskara (habitual patterns in mind/body/lifestyle). Our duty is to become aware of these habitual patterns and eventually detach ourselves from them, to let them fall away.

5. According to Ayurveda, we all have a dominant DOSHA (are you quick to anger? get jealous? or have trouble committing? This is not YOU, this is your DOSHA out of balance!) An imbalanced dosha is the cause of disease! Want to know your dosha? Take the quiz:

http://www.naturesformulary.com/CategoryContents/Dosha-Test.aspx

4. Most of us have very shallow breath.  We breathe into our chests and give short exhales. This breath pattern signals the body to signal to our brain that we are in a "Flight or Flight" situation. PANIC! So, if find yourself at 4am, unable to sleep and a slave to your restless mind: Reach your hands over your head. Then breathe normally. With your arms over head, your inhales go straight to your belly. This will enable your body to tell your brain that you are calm and there is no reason for panic (because really, there is no reason to panic at 4am in bed!). Before you realize you feel better you'll probably be asleep.

On that note, here's the skeleton who teaches me anatomy on Sunday afternoons. 

He's in Shivasana (Corpse Pose):

xok

I have thought so often in the past few weeks- "oh, I'll write about that in Daily Dance" and then all that inspiration gets bottle-necked and I end up not writing at all.  These are fantastic problems, I realize.
A few of my inspirations: 
My hour-long talk with Laurie on her birthday-- I FELT like I was on the beach with her -  after which she sent me pics of her aglow under the BLUE MOON. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURIE, you beautiful, magical woman - I love you.

Visiting my Muti in Ocean City and resting my head on her body and feeling safe, so safe and for the first time in my life, able to hold a conversation about having kids... with my mother... and my husband... in the same room.  I'm sorry if this seems normal to the rest of you, but it blows my mind. Here's a pic of me, mama (blonde super model in the middle), Jack and aunt and uncle on the stormy jersey shore:

The big news that I am actually reporting on? I started Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) this past weekend. And Oooooooooooh I'm diggin' it. I've never had the experience of being such an eager student. Really, I'm so happy to learn yoga--- to learn how to feel right now, all the time- - this is the master lesson, this is the goal.
And one of the homework assignments that I immediately had major resistance to (had? bah! HAVE) -- is developing a "home practice." This means, among the dust bunnies and distractions of my apartment, I'm supposed to sit myself down and lead myself through yoga, daily.
As a ceremonial preparation, I was asked by my teachers to create an alter that would inspire and remind me to return to the mat. Here it is (features mama, Maddie, Jack, Mount Joy, 2 inspirational books, the Dancing Shiva that I got from Nick and of course, my favorite flower).

Tomorrow morning I begin my practice. Why is something so simple, so difficult? I imagine because in a class, it's easier because a teacher is taking responsibility as well as the fact that I feel other people can SEE ME practicing. 
In the age of facebook and twitter, if no one sees me, is it real? 
I have a feeling, if I commit to the home practice, this question will seem like a joke to me in the not-too-distant future. Please God, Divine Mother, don't make it too distant!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox