YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR A HAPPY HOLIDAY

Hoo-Boy.  The holiday season has wrecked havoc with my studio yoga practice.   Watching my granddaughter three days/week already cuts into the possible times I can come to class, then add in to-do lists, holiday get-togethers, coffee with old friends, a new commitment to bit of volunteer work, a trip out of town, a birthday weekend extravaganza...

So here's what I've been doing -- Yoga on the Move.  I'm on the floor a lot with my 10 month old granddaughter, so I will frequently do Happy Baby Pose (a natural, given my company!), Plank, Downward Facing Dog, Boat, Bridge -- you get the idea.  And believe me, there are plenty of unplanned opportunities for Chair Pose, uncountable numbers of Forward Bends, Half Forward Bends, and a million muscle building lifts!

Standing in line at the post office, grocery store, department store -- I'm doing invisible ab crunches, Mula Bandha, and Pranayama (my advice: watch it with the Ujjaya Breath -- people will think you are reenacting all the Darth Vadar scenes in Star Wars.)  I stand in a conscious Mountain Pose and rise up onto the balls of my feet for a good stretch.

At home waiting for the pot to boil?  I do standing counter top supported push ups.  Doing the dishes, Tree Pose works nicely and I can always grab the faucet for support if needed.

I'm not usually a fan of the holiday season.  I love the lights, the poinsettias, the good cheer, but it all gets to be a bit stressful at times -- shopping, cooking, socializing, creating the "magic".  This year, though, I've had (so far -- and we are almost there!) a very mellow December.

I credit my mindfulness meditation practice.  I've been successfully in each moment, not fretting about what yet has to get done.  I've decided it's not up to me to be the Christmas Fairy waving my magic wand to ensure a jolly good time for all.  Each one of us, as we meet and greet, spend time together, sing a carol or give a gift, are co-creating the holiday experience.

I'll be back to the studio on my regular schedule soon.  But for now, I sneak in an asana when I can, send out a lovingkindness meditation to those I both love and loathe, and feel the gratitude for a blessed life filled with love and laughter.   I hope your holiday season is equally Merry and Bright!

Namaste,  donnajurene

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: KIRTAN

Bhakti Yoga.  Ever heard of it?  I've said before in this blog that Yoga is not just exercise.  Yes, asana (the poses) are the form of yoga best known in the west, but yoga is a way of life with many aspects and practices.  Bhakti Yoga is the practice of honoring the divine by chanting the names of the Hindu gods and goddesses in a practice of chant called "Kirtan".

Don't be put off by the whole Hindu thing...you don't have to convert or "believe" a certain way or give up your own religious practices to enjoy a Kirtan.  The practice is also one of meditation -- the repeated chants of the names of the Hindu deities are just a place to rest your mind as you breathe, vocalize, and resonate with the music (especially in a group).  I liken it to singing "alleluia" over and over on Easter morning, as we did in the Methodist church I attended as a kid.  It was joyful, uplifting, and meditative.  The gods and goddesses, so many of them, I think of as representing the various aspects of our human experience.

My first exposure to Kirtan was listening to a CD compilation a friend brought to my house.  Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Deva Primal -- world-renowned Kirtan artists all and I was immediately completely awed and filled with joy at the music and voices, even if I couldn't understand a word of the Sanskrit they were chanting/singing.  The next day I got on-line to see if there were any local Kirtans....yes.  In Seattle a woman named Gina Sala led Kirtan once a month at a Yoga Studio on Capitol Hill.  My friends and I went a week later.

Gina is a phenom, a true delight, and just being in her presence at a Kirtan makes people happy.  Then she starts to sing and you know you are in the presence of a true talent.  She has studied with vocal masters in India and continues to spend time with her teachers there, even after devoting her adult life to Kirtan.   Same is true of many Kirtan musicians.   I've grown to know Gina well, having regularly attended her Kirtans over the years, taken workshops with her, and even signed up for a 9 month-long Sound School with her.  I do not play an instrument and cannot for the life of me remember all the details of all the many Hindu dieties, but I did grow in confidence in my ability to sing -- I haven't developed a better voice, I've just decided to let go of judgment and let it fly!

I've attended a number of residential workshops with Jai Uttal, another amazingly talented and classically trained Kirtan artist who often travels with a tabla (drum) player named Daniel Paul.  The two of them together at a retreat are a hoot!  And so amazingly devoted to their craft and teaching others.

I've gone to concerts featuring Krishna Das and Deva Premal.  Both are probably the most widely known Kirtan artists, packing huge venues wherever they go.  It's always a deep and joyful experience.

So, what to expect?  There is generally a "lead singer" who plays an instrument -- often a harmonium which is sort of a keyboard/squeeze box thing with a beautiful sound.  The leader sings a line of Sanskrit "lyric".   Then one or more others in the group sings the same line and the audience sings along with them.  It's call and response, over and over.  The band can be small -- maybe only two people, or huge -- many musicians on various instruments and numerous vocalists.  Typically there will be drums, a guitar, a harmonium, a flute, maybe a cello, a keyboard...any combination depending on the group and the venue.  At the end of each "song" (which can go on for a long, long time) is a period of silence.  NO APPLAUSE.  It is a time to sit in silence in respect for the practice and to feel the lingering resonance of the sound within.

Kirtan can be slow and deeply meditative, or loud and rockin', enticing some to get up and dance.  There is clapping and arm waving or sitting quietly in deep contemplation.  However the music moves you, is the "right" way to experience Kirtan.  Some of the Sanskrit is very easy and other times it is foreign to our western tongue and seems very complicated.  Just do your best.  Generally a lyric sheet is passed out and most of it is pretty phonetic.  Try to sing...it enhances the experience for both the Kirtan artist and the participants.  But if you get totally lost, put the lyric sheet down and just silently groove to the music, letting it soothe your soul.©

Namaste,  donnajurene

JUST BREATHE

Usually at the beginning of each class the instructor asks students if there is anything they'd like to work on that day.  I'm usually silent; I can go with the flow.  But it does pay to speak up, because those who do sort of set the tone for the rest of the class as the instructor creates the experience based on what people want and need that day.  I'm amazed at how teachers can do that on the spot, but I guess that's why they are the teachers and I'm the student.

One recent Saturday the class started with just this request, "Anyone have anything they want to work on today?"  There were the usual "hips" and "shoulders" requests.  I was tucked in the back and thought to myself, "I just want to get through this class without falling apart or puking."  I'd had a rough, emotionally challenging morning and felt very sad, a little sick, and overall rather disoriented.  OK, I admit it...I might have a teeny, tiny anxiety disorder that rears up every now and again.   Then the guy off to the side of me said, "Breathing."  There were a few giggles.  Breathing?  You just breathe, don't you? What's to work on?

Oh, I saw Elizabeth's (the teacher) eyes light up!  I know this about her -- she LOVES pranayama (yogic breathing).  If you take her classes you know she ties every movement to the breath very intentionally.  So, yeah, breathing was going to be a focus.

We lay down on our mats and began to take slow, deep breaths.  As she guided us, Elizabeth began to explain how the breath not only reflects our physical and emotional state of being, but that it can also create a desired state of being by using the breath to regulate our autonomic nervous system.  I'd heard this before, but on that day I clung to her words like a lifeline.

She told us that breathing from the abdomen, using our diaphragm instead of shallow chest breathing, allows more air to flow more efficiently.  She told us that a longer inhale than exhale will create a condition of energy -- signaling us to "get going" if we are feeling lethargic.  On the other hand, a longer exhale than inhale will calm us down and allow anxiety to dissipate.  This is generally the state most of us seek, since our lives are already usually going fast enough and we walk around with "fight or flight" stress hormones coursing through our bodies.

As she guided us through these deep, slow breaths with long exhales, she began to add messages that were reassuring:  "You are in this moment, in this room, hearing only the normal sounds around you.  You are safe.  No one can hurt you here.  You can create a sense of calm and content with your breath.  You have the power to change how you feel...."

Oh what beautiful music to my ears!  I lay on that mat with tears steaming from my eyes and rolling back on my cheeks.  I had to reach up and wipe my face a few times.  I was so grateful for the reminder that coming to class is not about exercise.  It's about learning to move, to breathe, to live in a calm, centered, grounded state of mind even when the world around us seems to be spinning out of control.  Yoga reminds me of who I really am and touches my Divine Essence, with something as simple as a breath.

I know I write about crying in class quite a bit.  Maybe sometimes tears come easily because of the prayer I say before I step on the mat -- asking Ganesha to remove all obstacles to my practice; to take away competition, judgement, and Ego and to allow me to be open to the experience of the moment.  That Ganesha!  Job well done, I guess!  Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. ©

Namaste,  donnajurene