Reminders From the Mat

 Reflecting on this past year, I am grateful for the earnest wisdom of my teachers. In the spirit of sharing the gifts that I have received, here are a few concepts from the mat:

 Mountain pose is comprised of the Back body, the Front body and the Center line (the spine).  The Back body represents the past, which always informs us, but does not define us. The Front body represents the future; puffing the chest forward, is forcing too hard into future, but sunken chests are hiding from it.  The Center line, an upright spine, represents the present; it holds the balance of the past and the future, joining both. It’s in the balance, the center, that we can be fully present in the current moment. For if we lean too far into the back body or too far forward, we lose balance. Over time, if too far forward or too far back, we learn compensating patterns that might feel “normal”, but are in fact, distractions from the centeredness, the uprightness, the clarity of the present moment.

Holding a posture. The power of AND. Two things can be equally held to bring forth fuller expression. Effort AND non-attachment to outcome.  Strength AND softness. Stillness AND breath. Empathy and open heartedness live in the AND. Rigidity and judgment live in the OR. “Somewhere between right and wrong, there’s a field. I’ll meet you there.” Rumi

Breath - A single tool, consciously adapted, can yield numerous outcomes. An even length of inhale and exhale brings concentration. Longer exhalation than inhalation brings softening and ease. Breathing from the belly cultivates expansion and openness.

 Restorative Inversions – Turning the world upside down, being in a different relationship with gravity, literally gives us a new perspective. Posture set up -back of body resting on the ground, folded towel placed under the sacrum and hips, legs swung over onto a chair seat. This posture calms nervous system and enables sacrum to descend into towel – resetting the first chakra. First chakra is our place of safety and stability.

 Body, Mind, Soul – 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 – my friend and honorable yoga student Brian coined this the Yoga Quotient. The “YQ”

Soul, essence, or consciousness is the divine energy that makes you, you. No one else has your particular way of being. Your soul is here for a reason; all of us benefit and learn from you bringing your full, authentically perfect and flawed being into each relationship and interaction. The soul, while infinitely powerful, speaks quietly.  When we pause, pray, hug, immerse in nature, connect, laugh fully, meditate, are in our creative zone – our souls shine brightly. Souls relish nurturing and are our biggest fans. Often overshadowed by the Mind, it’s the soul that gently sooths us when we are suffering.

Mind is super important. The mind can be greedy though. It would prefer that your YQ be 3/5 mind and 1/5 body and 1/5 soul.

Your mind ensures your safety, gets you to work on time, enjoys a good book, makes jokes, desires to control everything and everyone, learns new things, loves being rewarded with material items.

Mind is infused with emotions – joy, anger, unworthiness, desire. Emotions are valuable messages about our state of being. But the mind takes uncomfortable emotions, those that we desperately don’t want to feel, and goes into avoidance, pushing down, over- positivity, and denial. In suppressing our uncomfortable emotions, we suppress opportunities for personal growth and we betray our soul; we divide ourselves from ourselves.

 Here’s a secret – the mind is TIRED of controlling it all! It fights against the body and soul because it thinks without the mind, you will be unprotected and do crazy things like taking a rest or tell someone that you just don’t have the capacity to take on more work at this time. But that just isn’t true. Everything that’s You, will not dissolve away, if you open more to moving your body and connecting with your soul.

I find the quickest way to get my mind from 3/5 to 1/3 is to get back into the physical body – stand up and get into 5 pointed star pose or wash your hands for 10 seconds in hot or cold water, or anything that will create a sensory embodied shift.

Body is the home and the physical manifestation of our soul and mind. We literally share ourselves, our Being, with the world through our body. And WE experience the world through our bodies.

 The body is a beautiful complicated network of systems; exhilarating to move and be active in. It creates art, and amazing ideas and inventions, it gives the best hugs. The body joins with another and reproduces itself, which is truly a miraculous process. The body is also very needy, is susceptible to disease, and seemingly betrays us in a myriad of ways –  getting saggy, breaking down, accidentally fracturing itself and then not returning to its original state. The Mind pokes at it, shames it, controls it, denies it, over indulges it, scrutinizes it.  Everyone has feelings about their body. You might think that’s ridiculous, but it’s true.

 Alicia Keys has practiced yoga and meditation for years. She does a body meditation. She puts on music, lights a candle. Standing naked before a full -length mirror, for 5 minutes, she looks deeply at herself, from toe to head and says to herself, “You are beautiful. Every part of you is beautiful. Your feet, your legs, your hips, your belly, your bottom, your back, your breasts, your shoulders, your arms, your hands, your face, your hair, your whole body.”  She said, at first, it was difficult for her to get through 30 seconds. Alicia Keys was challenged in telling her naked body that it was beautiful for more than 30 seconds. This story highlights that even one of the most beautiful women has difficulty loving her own body.

 And that’s the point. One’s actual body shape is irrelevant– it’s how you FEEL about your body that translates into how you LIVE in your body. It’s the quality of living that is the Body 1/3 of YQ. It’s not whether or not you can do a perfect Warrior II pose or you are at your goal body weight, it’s the quality of what is your physical and energetic experience of the pose, of your body.

Alicia says this practice guided her through 3 pregnancies and expanded her sense of self love and empowerment. I tried this. It was one of the hardest meditations to do. Working on this mediation made me feel much more embodied, more sensuous, and more alive. Sharing that personal information opens me up to you reflecting on my body. Again, it’s not the actual body that’s relevant. It’s how you FEEL about your body. I encourage you all, men and women, to do this. The first time feels silly and uncomfortable. Don’t give up. You’re worth it.

I’ve worked with a lot of bodies over the past 23 years. The one truth I see over and over again, is that the body is trying really, really hard to support you. It may not be doing it the way your Mind wants it to, but it is genuinely trying its best. Again, getting into the body, walk, dance, hug - are all ways to show gratitude and return to the body.

 Sustaining a balanced YQ feels good. To return to a YQ of 1/3,1/3,1/3 means we are grounded and appreciative of our body, we are in a balanced relationship with our mind, and we are in loving relationship with our soul.  

Reminders From the Mat

More from my mentors: The above wisdom is for inner experiential growth, both on and off the mat and for deepening relationships, both on and off the mat. On the mat, we are in relationship with ourselves, the teacher, fellow students, the temperature of the room... Off the mat, there are many more relationships; family, work, community, environment...the entire purpose of being embodied are relationships, and our relationship with those relationships.

Wishing you and your families health, love, joy, prosperity, meaningful relationships, and laughter in 2024.

May all your YQ’s be balanced!

Warmly, Kim

Gratitude to my yoga teachers:

Wendy Gross Pinto, Theresa Rowland, Lisa Rotell, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Healing, Loryn Riggiola, Sharon Catugno, Lucienne Vidah, Michelle LaRue