Wednesday, June 27, 2018

GETTIN' YOUR SAUCHA ON

At the end of class last week, Karen thanked us all for coming and noted, "You got here...and sometimes that's the hardest part -- just getting here."  Yep. Totally relate to that!

"The second hardest part", she laughed,  "is cleaning up after class...this is a chance to practice saucha."

Practice what?!?

You may know, or have heard of, the Eight Limbs of Yoga.  In the West we are most familiar with only one -- the Asanas, or poses.  But before asana come the Yamas and Niyamas.  It might be a good idea to delve into these in future blog posts.  For now, let's just take a look at one of they Niyamas (observances) -- saucha.

Saucha is often translated as "purity", but commonly also referred to "the one about cleanliness."  In yoga philosophy, to practice saucha means to clear away the clutter of our surroundings and behaviors.

In class, Karen's reference to practicing saucha had to do with putting away our props in an orderly manner, so others don't have to come around behind us and organize and straighten things up. The blocks aren't thrown willy-nilly into their cubby space.  They are stacked in neat rows.  We don't toss hastily folded blankets onto the shelves; we take care to fold them evenly and stack them neatly with edges aligned.  This orderliness shows respect for our surroundings and our practice.

You may also know that it is "bad manners" to step on another's yoga mat. We take care to walk around the mats, not encroaching or "dirty-ing" the mats by unconsciously trodding across the mats on the floor that belong to someone else.

In our home habits, practicing saucha might mean eating clean, organic, healthful food, keeping a tidy home and car, being mindful of entertainment choices, and even who we choose as friends.

Saucha is a way of mindfulness, a way to move into a state of pureness mind, body, and spirit.

Come to think of it, I'm going to work on this concept with my granddaughters, 3 and 8 years old, when they come to visit.  They are active, curious, and creative and that means messy.  "Saucha, girls!  Saucha!" ©

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo Credit:  www.pixabay.com
References: yogabasics.com; yogajournal.com

Saturday, June 23, 2018

RESIST AND YIELD


Well, without going into detail (but you might be able to relate), I've been a bit riled about some national level political machinations and policy implementation lately.  I have a variety of "message" T-shirts I've accumulated over the past year.  One of them says "RESIST" across the front.  I wore it to class on Tuesday.

A sister Yogi asked what I was resisting.  I said, "All bad things."  We both laughed and agreed on that being a good idea. And Karen, our Tuesday teacher, also commented, "Resist! We resist in yoga too.  And then we yield."

WOW.  For the rest of the class my mantra was "yield and resist, resist and yield".  It felt like a profound way to move through the more challenging asanas, allowing full yielding rests between times of passive resistance as muscle hugs to bone or the active resistance of holding a plank pose.  Reminding myself to resist helped me move more fully into the pose.  Reminding myself to yield allowed me to fully relax and renew in resting poses.

Then on Thursday, I went to my "strength" class at the Y.  I'm trying to fight the muscle atrophy that comes with growing older and have begun taking a free-weights class.  The instructor is a bit of drill sergeant whose voice booms through her headset mic over a pounding soundtrack of music with a heavy beat.  She's no nonsense.  We are there to work!  But she is also great at offering modifications for beginners and those of lesser muscle mass, so I find I am (surprisingly) enjoying it (mostly). I hang out in the back of the class, watching in awe as the younger women in front of me heft their 20 pound dumbbells while I give my 8-pounders a workout.

Again, in that class, I thought of the concept of "yield and resist, resist and yield".  We do three sets of various lifts, with a short rest between each set.  When I am doing my biceps curls,  flyes,  overhead presses, rows, dead lifts...whatever...I am fully engaged and determined.  I am also really looking forward to that rest period and I fully appreciate it when it comes.

Which brings me back to politics.  I have been operating under the definition of resistance as stated in Webster's:  "Resistance -- the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument".  It has been exhausting me and making me weaker as I allow the constant act of resisting to sap me of energy.  I mistakenly felt I couldn't for one minute take a break.

But I'm learning yielding is healing, both on the mat, in the gym, and in life.  Resistance makes our muscles stronger, helps us stay upright, and balanced in many ways.  But yielding; yielding allows us to recover, to find peace, to melt into gratitude.   Equal measures of resistance and rest are a recipe for success in mind, body, spirit....and politics. ©

Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit:  www.pixabay.com