Issue: #15: January 2011

Namaste friends,

Walk the Walk
You'd think that by now I would have mastered the art of putting one foot in front of the other. Wrong. I often felt heavy on my feet and my knees and lower back felt out of joint. I needed to retrain my gait to keep my body from working against itself and absorbing unnecessary shocks and jolts. Retraining started with my gaze. Was I mostly looking down as I walked or were my eyes on the horizon line? Where was I landing on my foot? I even went back to crawling, wondering if the missing link could be decoded from all fours. Suddenly, something clicked and my body began working as a unit. All it took was curiosity and learning how to pay attention to the small things we tend to overlook.

Easy Strivin'
I'm afraid this is still a work in progress, but I've become a believer that less can be more. I've let go of the notion that to succeed you need to try harder, ratchet up effort, grit your teeth and push through it. On the mat, I'm no longer interested in mastering some challenging arm balance. Rather, now I'm looking for ways to make each pose easier. Off the mat, it's also about learning to relax in even mundane situations like brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth in front of a mirror, for example, and notice if your neck muscles tense up. Observe if you are also holding your toothbrush much tighter than necessary.

Whole Body Connection
In the past I focused on strengthening and stretching individual muscles. Last year I discovered the importance of integrating the entire body into movement. Understanding that muscles don't work in isolation, but in coordinated action, helps change the quality of the movement. If a link in the muscle chain is broken so that certain muscles are over-used and others asleep, you'll end up struggling. Take Warrior I, for example. The whole back line of the body needs to fire up to create a seamless lengthening. If certain muscles, like the buttocks, fail to activate, the pose becomes strained and joyless.

Managing Pain
For four months I dealt with nerve pain so severe that it was difficult to sleep or walk. I became forgetful, depressed and nervous. I could only focus on the negative instead of treasuring the things that were still possible--like teaching, reading, breathing. It took a while for me to understand how my bleak outlook colored my day-to-day life. Where was that silver lining? The trick was simply learning how to shift my perspective from being negative to being grateful for all I could do. I could not stop the pain, but I could change the way I reacted to the pain and treat it with curiosity rather than as a foe that had to be overcome at all costs.

Assymetry Is Okay
In yoga, we all strive desperately for balance, to square those hips, and level the shoulders. But it was fascinating to learn that our internal organs are in fact not symmetrical. The liver, situated on the right side, is heavy. The heart sits more in the left side of the chest, making the left lung smaller. So why should we assume that the rest of us needs to be symmetrical? In fact, there may be an evolutionary advantage in not being symmetrical. Don't obsess about perfect symmetry--it doesn't exist in nature and isn't necessary.

The Eyes Have It
I learned that what I did with my eyes deeply influenced what happened in the rest of my body. Once I understood how the eyes led the spine, I could deepen my twists and turn my head with more ease. It's amazing how simple eye exercises can dramatically relieve neck and shoulder tension.

Booking It
Because my physical activity was curtailed this year, I had a lot of time to read. Instead of wasting the time in front of the computer, I immersed myself in some wonderful worlds on the written page. Here are my favorites:

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson: A powerful novel that deals with the challenge of coming to grips with loss as a boy and a man.

Mindful Spontaneity by Ruthy Alon: One of the best explanations of the power and impact of the Feldenkrais method that also provides user-friendly guidance on the practice.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: A rich historic novel that accurately portrays Thomas Cromwell's rise to power during the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII.

Opt for Alternatives
Doctors don't have all the answers and conventional medicine doesn't always work. I've learned not to give up when MDs and prescriptions don't help. I went through many doctors and alternative health practitioners when I developed nerve pain until I found the ones that could help me. I learned that it's worth seeking out someone who is not limited to one particular practice or skill. My physical therapist, for example, was also adept at cranio-sacral therapy, massage and PPRT.

Pooch Power
My rescue dog Moushki, a two-and-a-half-year old golden doodle, is a fur-ball of energy and affection. When I see that funny face, she makes me feel good even if I'm down. Unlike disgruntled husbands or moody teenaged daughters, nothing interferes with the warmth of her greeting. When I come home, she always jumps into my lap and snuggles. She's taught me that it doesn't take much to be content.

May 2011 bring you contentment!

WORKSHOP

Winter Detox Yoga
Recover from the winter blues, renew your weakened immune system, and release toxins from your body without a 21-day cleanse or spa vacation. Your body knows how to detoxify; all it needs is a little help.

This workshop will highlight the organs responsible for detoxification: the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin and lymphatic and immune systems. We'll start with the skin and work our way deeper, exploring complex breathing techniques such as uddiyana bandha, nauli (stomach churning) and agni sara. We'll build up to deep twists, which churn the abdomen, flushing organs with new blood and stimulating circulation. Twists also stretch the deepest layers of back muscles, keeping the joints of the spine mobile and the soft tissues around the belly, ribcage and hips supple. On a deeper level, they get to the root of our physical tension, releasing deeply held fear, anxiety and depression.

WHERE: 537 Park Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 
WHEN: Wed, Feb 2, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
or Tue, Feb 8, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
FEE: $70 by Jan 24, $85 after
     
Space is limited: Participants must sign up before the workshop. Contact me at suzanneausnit@optonline.net, Tel. 973-204-0929