Practices

Yoga Poses to Avoid

September 28, 2017 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

Oftentimes I get asked by students if they have such and such condition, should they avoid certain poses. There is no cut and dry answer.

Numbness, tingling, and pain (sharp, dull, throbbing, etc.) are indicators to stop. Always. These are sensations that the nervous system is sending that something is not right in your body. Continuing to do whatever is causing the sensations over time can cause more damage.

Yoga is a phenomenal tool to help with pain and dysfunction. On the same hand, it can also worsen conditions if we push through and ignore what our body is telling us. We have a long history in our society to push through, do more, get things done, ignore our full bladder, work through lunch, etc. that we have literally learned to disconnect from our bodies innate wisdom.

My first and most important goal as a teacher is to help people (especially women) learn how to be kinder and gentler to themselves. Learn to hear your body speak to you and honor what it is saying. This is crucial to self awareness – and really, that is why we practice yoga.

As far as avoiding any poses or doing more of certain poses – the answer is it depends. For example: not all sciatica has the same cause or sypmtomology. It can be caused by bulging disc, piriformis syndrome, pelvic misalignment, congenital development, etc. If a pose causes sensations of numbness, tingling, or pain don’t do it. You can always modify. If down dog, for example, causes any of the aforementioned sensations, modify with a chair, at the wall, on forearms, in table top, etc.

You may have some days down dog feels great, you may have days your body says, “Hey you this isn’t happening.” Great. Your life isn’t going to be any better or worse if you are able to do down dog or not. The important thing to remember in all of this is to honor where you are.

We have all had different experiences in our lives. Different injuries, traumas, dramas, and sometimes just built different from each other. So while yoga can be for everyone, not all yoga is one size fits all. Create a practice that fits you rather than you trying to fit the practice.

Same goes for finding a teacher. Not all yoga teachers are the right fit for you. I encourage my students to try many teachers and many styles. Sometimes when dealing with injuries, a private yoga teacher may be helpful in helping you to know what is and isn’t right for you. (That’s me 😉 )

The key take away is learn to honor YOU.

Much love,
Amy

Help! I can’t sleep

March 17, 2017 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

We are within a week of the season change. While we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring here in Minnesota, not everyone is transitioning smoothly. I have had several clients over the past couple of weeks complain about not being able to sleep. The energetics of the season change are much to blame.

In Ayurveda, the elements of air and ether have been with us throughout the fall and winter. What this does is increase vata. When we are out of balance in vata, we wake after 2 am and find it difficult to fall back asleep. We may also find ourselves sleeping lightly and restless so when we wake, we feel as though we have hardly slept. When Vata is out of balance, we may experience restless, disjointed thoughts, become forgetful, and perhaps, experience fear and anxiety throughout the day.

So, what can you do to help sleep better? Applying vata reducing guidelines and following the laws of the Ayurvedic clock can help.

How to Combat a Vata Sleep Imbalance at Bedtime:

Avoid too much stimulation at night. This includes electronics. Try going “screen-free” for 90 minutes before night-night time.
Take a warm bath infused with fennel, orange, and tulsi oil.
Try hot almond milk with any or all of the following: chopped dates, coconut flakes, cardamom, ginger, or honey.
Before going to bed, rub your feet with warm sesame oil (sesame oil can stain – be sure to use old socks to protect your sheets.)
Try Alternate Nostril Breathing for five minutes. Breathe in through the left nostril and out through the right, closing the opposite one.

Follow this with 30 seconds of Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) by taking full, deep breaths like a bellows in and out through your nose, using your full lung capacity. Afterward, do a minute of meditation. Repeat this until your agitating thoughts subside.

If you wake in the middle of the night, get up and have chamomile tea. Don’t just lie there thinking.

How to Balance Vata Throughout the Day

Eat foods that balance Vata.
Schedule your day so you can eat three warm, cooked meals, with the biggest meal at noon. Eat dinner before 7:00 p.m., so it has time to digest before bed.
Go to bed well before 10 pm., if possible by 9:30. This allows you to use the sleepy, duller Kapha time of night to help you fall asleep.
Use practices like a grounding yoga sequence, meditation, and Yoga Nidra to reduce mental worries or mental stress in your life.

Because we are approaching the change from vata (air and ether) to kapha (earth and water), we are smack dab in the middle of what we call a “glitch” in Ayurveda. It’s like a big speed bump when the characteristics and imbalances in the doshas are most noticeable.

If you are either having trouble falling asleep or you are waking up before 2 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep for several hours, you may be experiencing a Pitta imbalance, read more about pitta here.

Want to learn more? My upcoming course: Ayurveda 101 will teach you how the elements affect us and how to live in balance and ease. Be the first to hear when registration is open by signing up for email updates.

Want customized recommendations? Email me to learn more about one-on-one Private Yoga Sessions to get personalized Ayurvedic recommendations and yoga sequences that help you live better. Email me to learn more!

Why Personal yoga training?

March 9, 2017 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

Private Yoga Training While it is true that yoga helps you become more flexible, helps your balance, your coordination, and helps you become stronger, the true transformation happens inside. Yoga is a practice of self-awareness. It helps you to peel away the layers and to meet the ‘real’ you. Not your thoughts, not your story, not everyone else’s version or expectations of you. There is a part of each of us that is so powerful and so full of wisdom but it is hidden underneath all of this ‘stuff’ that we have, over time, come to accept as ‘who we are.’

I help people find the truth of who they are. Working in a one on one environment allows me to tailor your private yoga sessions specifically to you, your needs, and your goals. There is no competition in a private yoga environment. No need to wonder if you are “doing it right” while feeling lost in a yoga class. You get my 100% undivided attention and years of yoga teaching experience to help you.

The reality is – change is scary. But staying stuck is even scarier. I talk to people all the time who tell me they aren’t flexible enough to do yoga or they have an old injury or they are too heavy. A good majority of my clients are women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s who are overweight and have physical limitations. You wouldn’t tell me you are too dirty to take a shower, so why would you say to yourself your aren’t flexible enough for yoga? Or your mind is too busy to meditate? Those are the reasons we do yoga and meditate! To quiet the mind and become more flexible in how we see things. This is where the transformation happens.

I want to help you find your true Self. I know you have a hundred reasons not to and a thousand questions. You are not your thoughts, you are not your story, and most importantly, you are not your fears. You are something far more, and it is time for you to shine!

Wondering how private yoga can help you? Drop me a note, let’s chat.

I look forward to hearing from you soon! ~ Amy Joy

You create your own reality

February 15, 2016 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

You are responsible for how your life responds to you. You create your own reality. And so do I. I used to live in a victim role. I used to think I deserved what did or didn’t happen to me. I used to focus on what was missing in my life rather than the gifts I had.

Life responds to what you focus on. So from here on out, together we are going to say goodbye to language we use in our words as well as our thoughts that reflect lack or self sabotage.

“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.”
― Ludwig Wittgenstein

Here’s a started list of words that keep you a victim:

Should (As in “I really should be doing x.”)
Try (You either do or you don’t. Trying is telling yourself you won’t succeed.)
Can’t (There is always a different way to reach an outcome.)
Just (I notice I use this one when I teach yoga. Telling someone to “just” do something implies it should be easy for them. Because we have all walked in different shoes, it is not fair for me to judge what should be easy for someone else.)

Those are my “Big 4” words that I have chosen to stop using.

I would love to hear any self limiting words you have chosen to stop using in the comments below.

Declaring Your Intentions

January 18, 2016 by Amy Joy 2 Comments

What if I told you that I have a secret tool that can change your life and give you anything that you desire?

Well, it isn’t exactly a magic wand, and there is some work involved in bringing your dreams to fruition, but today we are going to create an intention statement. In yoga, we call this sankalpa. Sankalpa is a vow you make to support your highest truth – your sankalpa becomes a statement you can call upon to remind you of your true nature and guide your choices. Sankalpa is measurable. You will have what you declare within 6-18 months IF you are willing to commit to it.

“A Sankalpa is not another “should” that we lay on ourselves and then feel guilty when we fail to fulfill it.” ~ Susan Fauman

Discovering your sankalpa is a process of listening. Your heart’s deepest desire is already present, waiting to be seen, heard, and felt. It’s not something you need to make up, and the mind doesn’t have to go searching for it. This involves being still and quiet for long enough to listen to your deepest desires. Sankalpa is the result of something you discover yourself; it has nothing to do with what anyone else thinks is important for you, or what your monkey mind has to say.

How to create your sankalpa:

Start by getting into a quiet meditative state.
Set your specific intention or goal. What is it that you need to help support you on your journey in the upcoming 6-18 months?
Some goals my clients have shared with me: “I am a college student,” “I easily earn $100,000 a year,” or “My savings account is growing by $100 a week,” or “I take ample time for my personal practices and self-study.”
Go within and ask your heart what it’s deepest desire is, a statement that reflects your true nature.
Examples of this could be: “I am already whole, and already healed,” “I am peace itself,” or “I am thriving.”
State your sankalpa in the present tense – use the words “I am.” Stating your sankalpa in present tense acknowledges the tremendous will, energy, and truth that lie in the discovery of your heartfelt desire. It also reminds you that whatever is required of you is already within you.
For example, rather than saying, “I want to be more compassionate,” your sankalpa might be, “Compassion is my true nature” or “I am compassion itself.” Rather than setting the intention, “I will not eat meat,” your specific sankalpa might be, “With compassion for my body and for other beings, I eat a vegetarian diet.”
Use your own ‘language’ to craft your sankalpa. Words you ould actually use. You are aligning with you desires and the vibrations need to match up. Believe you can achieve your sankalpa. It’s okay to have some doubt, but at least 51% of you needs to believe you can reach your goals.

The core practice of sankalpa is remembering. By bringing the statement to mind, you strengthen your resolve and honor your heartfelt desire. But simply reciting the sankalpa is not enough. When the unconscious mind operates from a place of lack or perceived inadequacy, the energy that supports your resolve is weakened. For this reason, we create sankalpa in the present tense.

“As soon as you say you want something, a part of you recognizes that you don’t have it. By repeating what you want, you reinforce the belief that you don’t have it.” ~ Rod Stryker

Once you have defined your sankalpa, I encourage you to post it in many places where you will see it frequently. My personal favorite spots are the bathroom mirror, my nightstand, on my dashboard, in my wallet, and on the front of the fridge. Places I go to frequently and especially the first and last places I see in my day.

Remember, sankalpa isn’t a prayer or a petition – is a powerful declaration.

I would love to hear your sankalpa in the comments below – magic happens when we declare our desires!

Self Care – More than a “To-Do” List

March 30, 2015 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

During my advanced Yoga Teacher Training, I was also in the process of getting my Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist training. Ayurveda is a system of self healing by learning to live in balance with the elements.

Part of our homework for this program was to begin to follow a daily self care ritual (called a dinacharya). I had good intentions with this list of 5 or 6 items I was to incorporate into my morning routine, but who has time for that. I need to get up and moving in the morning. Things to do!

It took me several months of looking at the list and ‘shoulding’ myself over it. I did eventually start the daily rituals. I was scraping my tongue, using the neti pot followed by nasya (nasal) oil, dry brushing my skin, and some days doing the warm oil massage (abhyanga). I was going through the motions of doing the tasks. Just another chore to check off my list.

I began to notice slight changes in my overall feelings toward life and the curve balls it throws. My overall demeanor was a little more laid back and a little bit more go with the flow. But I still had LOTS to do on a daily basis and that oil massage and meditating in the mornings? Come on, that is when I get stuff done. I just didn’t have time except for the occasional weekend. So I continued to go through the motions.

Then one morning, my life as I knew it changed. I was just preparing for a client to arrive when I got a call from Lifeline. Lifeline is a service that monitors the well being of people who are elderly, or in less than optimal health. The client wears a panic button, if you will, on a necklace.

When I answered the phone, the Lifeline representative told me that my mother had used her Lifeline to call for help. Paramedics had come and transported her to the hospital. She had no more details for me than that.

A little later, (I was not so with the flow or calm at this point at all!) the ER nurse called and let me talk to my mom. She said, “Something about my heart and maybe needing a catheter.”

I got in my car and drove to the hospital. The front desk couldn’t find my mom anywhere.

A few minutes later, a patient representative escorted me to the heart center. A nurse informed me that my mom had been rushed into the Operating Room for emergency open heart surgery. Her aorta, which is the main artery that feeds the body blood from the heart, had essentially ruptured. The technical name for her condition is Dissected Aorta.

The surgery was over eight and a half hours. When the surgeon finally came out to talk to me, he said they were going to keep my mom in a medically induced coma because they had sewn a graft, or patch, onto the diseased part of her aorta. The tissue that was left wasn’t very healthy, and his exact words were, “I do not want her to move a muscle.” He said that night was going to be critical.

My mom was 59 years old. This happened right before Christmas.

Those daily practices from my yoga and ayurveda training homework that I had been doing half-heartedly as tasks, I embraced them in a new way. I not only started doing them, but I clung to them because they were the only ‘known’ I had in my life during that time. I knew I could get up in the morning and support myself with these acts of self compassion and love. I sat on my cushion and meditated because my breath in that moment was the only thing that was a given. They became my center and my way to ground.

My mom’s one night coma turned into two, then three. She wasn’t breathing on her own, and they had to keep her on life support. A social worker talked to me and my sister to see if my mom had a living will and asked if we knew what mom’s wishes were. None of the doctors or nurses were giving us any indication at all if she may recover or not.

Over the next couple of days, mom did start to move restlessly, frantically wiggling her foot, she would start to try to open her eyes.

Watching my mom start to wake up from the coma with lost and wild eyes was the most heartbreaking thing I have gone through. She still had to have the breathing tube in her throat. She had no clue who she was and when the nurses told her to stop pulling at the tube her eyes just got big and there was no connection there. No one home. Sometimes she would nod or shake her head, but again her eyes were missing their soul. Her eyes were hauntingly glossy, distant, and lost.

They were going to do a tracheotomy and make an opening in the front of mom’s neck to put a long term breathing tube in. All of this was going on around me, and the only reason I was able to react calmly and with a clear head and continue to be the point person for the family was because of my practices.

The only reason I had strength to continue to get up in the morning was because of my practices. They nurtured and supported me and most importantly built ojas, vital essence, that I needed.

Surgery was scheduled for the tracheotomy the next morning. I got up early and drove for what felt like the millionth time to the hospital. I walked into her room and there she was without her breathing tube and looking mostly at me. The tears I managed to hold back while around her all came out at that moment. I hugged her around all the tubes and wires, and I didn’t want to let go.

This past December marked two years since her surgery. She calls it her re-birthday. The road to recovery has been rocky. Mom stayed another couple weeks in the hospital cardiac care unit and then at Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Center for another week. She lost a lot of cognitive and physical skills in the three weeks she was in a coma.

She still has a lot of memory issues, but she is my mom. – and she is alive! Because of her ordeal, I learned how to love myself for maybe the first time ever in my life.

Yoga is a powerful tool.

Butterfly

November 23, 2014 by Amy Joy 2 Comments

I am sitting at a breakfast cafe in Mexico enjoying my last day of warm weather before heading back to a 6 degree snow covered landscape in Minnesota. I have been divinely inspired this morning to create the outline for my New Year program.

Last night, I had an amazing experience with a Mayan Shaman. It is a rebirthing ceremony called Temazcal. The ceremony is held in a sweat lodge with Shaman leading us through the four doors of the East, West, North, and South. This ceremony is not new to me, but the complete willingness to surrender all that I know and all that I am capable of being was new. We were asked to state our intention at the beginning of the ceremony. This is always such a vulnerable moment to share something so personal with not only the others in the group, but with the healer as well. My intention for the sacred ceremony was to drop the armor and stop keeping the world at arms length. I simply stated “I am opening my heart and releasing fear.”

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. ~ Brian Tracy

After two and a half hours of being guided, singing, drumming, and moving my body to a visceral rhythm that only my soul understood, the Shaman asked each of us in the group to share what we are grateful for. I was so in gratitude for the Shaman’s insight, my own ability to surrender, and to the fact that that there was a reason that the participants were all together that very time in that very place. The Shaman left me with the words that “Joy is fierce warrior passion, and that the essence of Woman is nurturing, gentle, and creative. To use my intuition and creativity to help others find and express their own joy. Continue to be peace and to guide others with gentle steadiness.”

Three and a half years ago on the day I left corporate America to live on purpose, a butterfly landed on my foot. A promise of the change that was to come. I had a lot of shadows to face and many blocks to release. Today at my sidewalk seat, I saw the most brilliant blue butterfly float by on the breeze, shimmering and free. Interestingly, it is the first butterfly I have seen since arriving 7 days ago. A true message.

What messages do you receive that tell you when you are on the right path?

Synchronicities

November 22, 2014 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

Just to forewarn you, this post is considerably longer than my normal m.o. However, I had a life course changing experience and felt it was necessary to not leave anything out. So, grab a cuppa, settle in and enjoy!

Five and a half years ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a Temazcal rebirthing ceremony with a Mayan Shaman. Knowing I would be soon returning to the Riveria Maya in Mexico, I set an intention that I wanted to have another Temazcal ceremony. When I arrived at my first destination, I was told there was not a ceremony the week I was to be in Mexico, but that a resort down the beach offered the ritual. After a beautiful walk down the beach, the time that the resort had the ceremony available conflicted with the time I would be leading a yoga class. I certainly couldn’t miss my debut as an International Yoga Teacher!

I left the beach with the intention that I would find a ceremony in downtown where I would be staying for a few days. I stopped in a shop that sold beautiful Milagros, Copal ceremonial incense, and ritual herbs. The shop owner was busy talking with a customer in Spanish, however, I felt the inexplicable need to ask her about Temazcal. I patiently waited in front of the shop until she was finished with her customer and proceeded in very poor English to inquire. She referred me to a resort back on the beach called Papaya Playa Proyect. I looked them up online when I was back at my hotel and sent an email to the resort.

I was very excited to hear back bright and early the next morning that they were holding the ceremony that very night and made my reservation. I had wanted to take the local bus – ‘Colectivo,’ but was not able to got that direction. So I grabbed a taxi and was on my way.

Interesting that the weather that day was down pouring and the sea was churning. Not so much in an angry way, but a very determined way. I spent some time on the beach enjoying the fresh smell of rain in the air and the salt water at my feet prior to checking in.

When I did check in, the woman at the desk said, “You must be Amy! Welcome, darling!” She had amazing energy. It turns out she was the wife of the Shaman. She told me that there would be 7 others in the group and a delightful young lady and her mother from the Dominican Republic. She certainly caught my attention because I will be teaching in the Dominican in February! In the reception area, were all introducing ourselves and woman from the Dominican said she has been currently living in Belize.

Belize — I couldn’t believe my ears! Last winter during one of our many snowstorms I got a clear vision that I would only have two more winters in MN. Up until then I had never considered that living anywhere but MN could actually be a reality. Over the next few months, I kept seeing all things Belize. I have never been to Belize, but there it was everywhere I looked, pictures, articles, mentioned by others.

At this point, the Universe had my full undivided attention.She asked me what style of yoga I taught. Turns out she also teaches yoga, does Reiki and Thai Massage. We began talking more and she has a friend in Belize who she wants to connect me with who has a studio and is looking for guest teachers. INCREDIBLE! But wait, there is more!!!!!

She was told by an intuitive that she is to become a life coach to help others. Very interesting that I was in Mexico because I was at a retreat with MY Yoga Life Coach Teacher!!!! My teacher happens to be holding a training in March in Bali that I think my new friend will enjoy!

I told my beautiful new friend about the vision I had while riding bike in Tulum about opening a retreat center somewhere near the Caribbean water somewhere in the Mayan Riveria or Belize. Would you believe, she has the same dream to open a center. I told here I wanted to live here 6 months in season and back home 6 months. Her response, “We need to talk.”

She offered me a ride back to my hotel which at 9pm, I graciously accepted. During the ride, I told her how several months ago I began to get messages in regards to studying with a shaman. Not just any shaman but a Mayan Shaman. She told me that she had been speaking with the Shaman who led our ceremony about studying with him. He would be in contact with her and would welcome her back in December for studies. She told me we should do it together. May as well leave my bags packed. Looks like I am coming back in a few weeks!

As I sat down to write this blog post, my new friend just drove by and pulled to the curb to say hi on her way out of town without knowing I would be here at this cafe. Sometimes the way the Universe has to align so many things brings tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. I am just awestruck and unbelievably grateful.

When you are living in line with your purpose and serving others in the way your gifts are meant to, life magically unfolds. What expectations or rigid mindsets have you released that opened up magical experiences for you? I can’t wait to hear your life changing moments!
Peace and Love!

Life Changes and Evolves

October 9, 2014 by Amy Joy Leave a Comment

When we show up fully we are able to help those we serve in a way that honors that person. Part of honoring others is honoring ourselves as well. We can not continue to water the plants if our own vessel is empty.

I have been spending the past several months getting clear on where it is that my dharma or purpose in life is taking me. I need my business to support me so that my vessel is full. I have been working with a coach to help me get crystal clear about what it is that allows me to serve from a full vessel.

For me that looks like time and energy to re-establish my own personal practices, which admittedly, have taken a backseat to the other duties I have committed to. A full vessel for me means regular self care, and regular travel and adventure, as well as time in solitude. Those things truly light me up and allow me space to continue developing a close and personal relationship with myself including the scary and damaged places that are easy for me to avoid when I run full steam ahead.

My focus moving forward is in working with women who are searching for their dharma, or purpose, in life. I want to help women who feel like they have lost their passion and are just going through the motions day to day and help them move them from surviving to thriving. In order to do that, I need to take these final steps in my own life so I can fully show up in the same way. I have decided, with much deep soul searching and, admittedly, lots of tears, to stop teaching weekly group classes. This will allow me to work with you in a much deeper more efficient way and offer me the resources I need to keep my vessel full.

After much deliberation and consideration, group classes at the studio will continue through January 2015. Pass sales will end October 30, 2014, and I will be offering the final 3 months of classes as monthly sign ups (or on a pass if you currently have one). Pricing will be tiered with discounts given for the second and third months if you choose to commit to multiple months. The Thursday class has not been as well attended as I had hoped, so I will be merging the two classes back together to continue on Tuesday nights starting in November 2014. The last Thursday night class will be October 23, 2014. please see the most current version of the schedule online. The new student special will also expire October 30th as well.

I will continue to work with clients one on one using my many tools and customized programs to support your transformation. I have been busy at work behind the scenes creating support for you in the digital world in the shape of recordings and will be adding video practices that will be available for download and some powerful life changing programs to follow shortly (December 31st is my first launch!). I am really looking forward to taking my teaching to a deeper more spiritual level, and I truly hope to continue to be a part of your transformation in this new way!

Thank you for your support over the past 4 years! Please know that this has not been a decision that I undertook lightly – each and every one of you are a teacher to me and an important part of my journey.

xoxo

How do I Start a Meditation Practice?

July 7, 2014 by Amy Joy 2 Comments

How to meditate One of the most frequent questions I get is “How do I start meditating at home?” The reasons people wish to start mediating are almost always because they have stress in their life. This stress may show up in chronic pain, illness, insomnia, and more but the underlying issue is stress.

There are many ways to meditate as there are things that cause us stress in our life. Our chatter minds (chitta we call it in yoga) cause us undue worry and anxiety by replaying scenarios over in our head. Most of these scenarios are in the future or occasionally they are playing out how we may have been able to respond differently to something that happened in the past. Either way, our goal in mediation is to bring ourselves back to the present moment. In the present moment there is no such thing as the future it isn’t here yet. Also, there is no such thing as the past. It too, does not exist. Yet our minds the crafty machines they are use these places to distract us from the Now.

So how do we in this world of always being plugged in and playing many roles in our life reduce our stress without quitting our jobs and living as hermits the woods somewhere?

The answer is by connecting to the present moment, by learning to calm the chitta and realizing that all we can truly control in our life is how we react to that which is occurring around us at this very moment. There are many books, CDs and guided meditations on YouTube you are welcome to access, however to begin a meditation practice I recommend keeping it simple, short, and consistent.

Step One: Create a Sacred Space:

Find a place you can be free from interruptions. Whether they be pets, children, significant others, cell phones, work that may call your name, etc.
This space may be a room or a small corner in a room all you really need is space to sit (more details on the sitting part in the next section)
You may wish to decorate your space with things that are sacred to you. This may include items such as a stature or photo of a deity you resonate with, a picture of a loved one, or favorite travel place. You may wish to include stones, candles, incense, or other items of ritual. None of these items are a ‘requirement’,but they can help to set the energy of your space.

Step Two: Get Comfy

Meditation is done seated with a long spine. I am going to repeat this. Meditation is done seated. If you are lying down, the practice becomes deep relaxation. Relaxation also has many benefits – but according the ancient Yogic texts, meditation awakens kundalini energy that lives at the base of the spine sending it upwards with the goal being enlightenment once it reaches the crown chakra. That can’t happen if you are lying down.
Some people choose to sit on the floor in “Easy” cross legged pose. This isn’t always easy for everyone. If your body is holding tension from your posture, the mind will not quiet. If you need to, use a folded blanket, a cushion, or pillow for a seat.This can be as simple as a throw pillow from your couch or as specialized as a Zafu Cushion.
If the above tips don’t help, you may also use a yoga block to help alleviate pressure you may have due to tight hips by placing your sit bones at the leading edge of the block when you sit down.
And finally – use a chair if your hips or low back are unhappy. Place a block or other item under your feet so that your knees are in line with your hips and slide forward to the front of the chair to avoid “dumping” into your low back.

Step Three: Start Small

Grab a timer and set it for 2 minutes. Yes two minutes.
Get comfy in your seat and set the timer.
Watch your breath as you inhale and exhale.
When your chitta mind starts thinking let that thought dance out much like it danced in and come back to your breath. Do this as many times as you need to in the two minutes.
When the timer sounds thank yourself for practicing and slowly open your eyes.
Repeat for one week and start adding an extra minute each week.

Tips:

Really commit to a month of this practice. Oftentimes people give up too quickly and too easily when they bring something new into their routines. You will start to see powerful shifts in how you respond to life events.
Do some yoga prior to meditating. Movement of the body helps to quiet the mind. In fact, the purpose of yoga is to prepare for seated meditation.
I suggest this as a morning practice. Your day unfolds much like it starts. If you are running around in chaos in the morning or start by running late, your day will unfold with the same energy. If you start the day peaceful, present, and focused that is the gift you have given yourself for the day. Of course any meditation is better than no meditation!
The goal in the beginning is not to be free from thought completely. That is not our nature. What we want to avoid is jumping on a “thought train” where you think: “I need to get milk.” “While I am at the store, I need to pick up a birthday gift for the little neighbor girl.” “I can’t believe she is eight already.” “where does the time go?” “She likes horses. I should get her something with horses.” “The state fair is coming up. I always enjoyed the horse barn.” “Oh cheese curds. . . . . ” “Why can’t I shut this down?” We have all been there. Simply state to yourself “thinking” and come back to the breath. Don’t beat yourself up over it, redirect and refocus. Repeat as needed.
Remember, just like your yoga and life, it is a practice, not a perfect!
Now get your tush to the cush and change your life!

Just like we strive to take our yoga asana practice off the mat and into our lives, we want to also take our meditation practice off the cushion. My favorite way to be meditative in my daily life is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is a state we are in during all of life’s activities. Where we begin to use our senses to experience life rather than our minds to push through it. Of course meditating helps bring us to a place of peace and allows to meet our higher self “atman” where we can start to have these experiences with everything we do. A couple of examples to get you started: while washing dishes notice the way the warm water feels on your hands. notice the motion you create as you wipe down the plates, the feeling of the soap bubbles. During your morning walk notice the gentle yellow light the rising sun is casting on the landscape, the long length of the shadows, smell the dew from the grass. Sit on the patio and just watch a tree. Notice the subtle shades of the bark, it’s texture, the sound of the rustling leaves and the songbirds that call it home. notice the feeling that all of this awareness causes in you.

If you are wanting help to create a home practice, whether it be meditation, yoga asana, or just need some advice, I am available for one on one sessions and would love to help you give stress the boot. Please contact me to schedule your personalized session.

Until next time, wishing you as always health, harmony, and healing.