BREITENBUSH MAGIC

First you get naked.  Well, not first maybe, but fairly soon after arriving at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon, you head for the hot spring-fed pools, strip down, and step in.  Ahhhh.....warmth radiates, muscles relax, waters trickle down a gentle rocky wall as you lie back, eyes closed. You can let yourself float in the shallow pool or nestle into the curved rocks.

Breitenbush is a mountain retreat center, 50 miles east of Salem, that feels a bit like an old hippie commune, but one that is well-organzied and actually works. http://www.breitenbush.com  (Click through the photos on the website to see the glories Breitenbush!)  The focus is on health, nutrition, personal growth, and community connections.  The ancient natural hot springs have been corralled into beautiful natural pools where "soaking" is mostly done nude.  You get used to it.  It feels good.  You can wear a swimsuit if you want and no one will judge you.  You'll be in the minority though.

My husband and I visited earlier this month.  We go every year, usually in April when snow is often still on the ground.  Mostly mud and rain are the norm, along with a welcome warm spring afternoon on occasion.  We go for Kirtan retreats, most often with Jai Uttal, but he didn't come this year, so we signed up to go in June to chant with Benji and Heather Wertheimer, local Kirtan legends who play under the name "Shantala", inviting other musicians to join them on their numerous CDs released to date.  I've written about Kirtan in this blog before. Click here: Make a Joyful Noise  It is a practice I find deeply moving and deeply joyful, most particularly in a group like at the retreat with 30 others singing and chanting together.

At the June retreat, Yoga was an added component with Seattle yoga instructor Elizabeth Rainey (known as "Rainey") leading us in asana and meditation.  She has offered workshops at Yoga Circle studio and is an experienced and inspiring teacher, seamlessly blending poses with meditation resulting in subtle mind and body changes that leave one feeling terrific.   Steve Gorn, another extraordinary musician who was part of the retreat and who plays Bansuri flute provided "live" music to accompany our practice.

Mountain air, deep forest, lush gardens, spring-fed pools, natural sauna, rock-formed labyrinth, delicious and creative vegetarian fare, comfy wood cabins, the rushing Breitenbush River, miles of hiking trails, opportunities for massage, on-site yoga, a star-studded sky, and a vibe of deep respect for nature, humanity, and the possibilities and potentials for the life-giving force within us all make Breitenbush a special place.

Rainey will be leading her own Yoga Retreat there November 18 - 20.   Consider going.  You may find yourself deeply grateful for the gift of this quiet, magical place to kick off the holiday season.  It's likely to be chilly then.  Bring your boots ... and a towel.

Namaste,
   donnajurene

TEARS OF THE HEART

Here we go again!  I seem to write a lot about crying in yoga class.  I think it's a good thing, really.  It means something is getting shaken loose on an emotional level.  One of the things I LOVE about yoga is that it is not just an exercise for the body.  As our teacher, Elizabeth, said in class last week, "Yoga is a reflection of life."  We strive, we back off, we ache, we heal, we work, we rest, we love, we feel anger, frustration, and disappointment.  All of it is welcome on the mat.  And we are reminded over and over -- again, taking to heart Elizabeth's wise words -- "We are not our thoughts."  We are so much bigger, so much more, than the Monkey Mind that rules our lives and sends our nervous system into orbit with strong emotions and a continuing cycle of thought, emotion, thought, emotion that sometimes accumulates to our detriment.

Take me last week, for instance.  I've already been a bit on the stressed side from a life that feels too busy and too chaotic due to a number of issues and situations that are all potentially good.  But... ya know how you have to break a lot of eggs to make an omelette?  Well, I'm swimming in raw egg lately.  Wet, sticky, gooey, and not particularly healthy until "cooked".  Add to that the usual bit of angst around the state of our world, which recently found focus in the Orlando shootings.  Once again, everybody had an opinion about guns.  I voiced mine on a friend's Facebook post and was immediately "shot down" by a woman who vehemently disagreed with my stance and invited me to shut the heck up since I was obviously no "expert" about the topic.  Sheesh!

Since I had this exchange just before class, I spent the whole drive to the studio perseverating about my angst, anger, hopelessness, anger, anger, anger....  did I say anger?  By the time I walked in the door and was greeted by Elizabeth, I had tears in my eyes.  It didn't take much for her to realize that when I said I was "OK" in reply to her "How are you today?", I really wasn't.  She immediately put her hands on my shoulders, looked me in the eyes and grounded me in the moment, reminding me that the exchange was in the past and all that was happening now was that my nervous system was in overdrive.  She promised yoga would help.

It did.  With deep breathing, focus, reminders about our true natures as beings beyond this experience, I felt by the end of class a huge relief and got a big "a-ha".  Fear.  We are all acting out of fear.  I fear gun violence, not just at the hands of the "bad guys", but through accidental shooting, suicide, and just plain easy availability as a problem solving tool for some.  My nemesis on Facebook is also afraid of gun violence, but her response is to arm herself and be ready to defend herself and her loved ones with her own weapon.  Fear is the common denominator.  I don't know if we can find common ground on how to address this difference in response, but I do know that on the mat I was able to put her outburst toward me in perspective.  We are both afraid.   When I realized the common emotion we share, tears sprang into my eyes again -- this time tears of compassion for her, for me, for all of us in the struggle to survive and thrive in this life.

I've read that tears vary in chemical composition depending upon the emotion which elicited them.  My anger tears had turned into compassion tears.  If I had a microscope, it would have been interesting to see if there were daggers in the former and hearts in the latter.  That's how I picture them in my head.  More often than not, yoga gets me to a place of compassion for myself and others, with me often giving in to tears of the heart.

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo Credit:  clipart-library.com

YOGA NIDRA or "SLEEPING" IN CLASS

Yoga Nidra means "Yoga Sleep".  It is gaining in popularity as a deep meditation practice, a way to emotional healing, a remedy for insomnia, a relief from PTSD symptoms.  Sounds like something we should all do!

I walked into the 4th Wednesday at 10:00 am class knowing I would experience Yoga Nidra -- again.  I've tried it on two previous occasions with different instructors and didn't find it satisfying.  But I trust Elizabeth, the Wednesday morning teacher, and her enthusiasm for this practice made me come back to give it another shot.

I told her I hadn't liked it before because I was uncomfortable and impatient.  She said she'd help with the the comfort issue and that would likely help address the impatience.  So, off I went to unroll my mat, skeptical, but willing.

We started with a regular asana practice before taking time to gather all the props we'd need to make our personal Nidra Nests.  Of prime importance is to be comfortable.  Elizabeth made a beeline to my mat, ready to fulfill her promise to help me be as comfortable as possible.  She is aware of my scoliosis and explained that lying flat isn't really flat for most people and especially those with some physical issues, like mine.  All the spots that are unsupported in that classic savasana (corpse) pose need to be filled in.  She used three blankets, two blocks, two bolsters, and a whole basket-full of soft eye pillows to pad my mat so that my body was cradled in a soft supportive cocoon.  Ahhh....better already.  (I'm sorry to the rest of the class for using all the available props -- I hope you were able to muddle through.)

Then Elizabeth began to lead us in a guided meditation that had us focus on our bodies, breath, mind, emotions, connecting with the greater universe.  I wish I could tell you exactly what she said.  She talked us through every aspect with specific focus, mental images, feeling states, emotional access, divine connection.  I have no idea how long this lasted -- maybe 40 minutes?  I was "out"...  In a good way, I think.

Even though this is Yoga "Sleep" the idea is to hover in that space between awareness and sleeping -- the twilight zone where the magic happens.  We have access to our minds, but also transcend everyday thoughts.  I know it sounds confusing.  I think I might have crossed into real sleep a couple of times, since I'd rouse and realize she'd moved on to a different focus.  It was a bit of a struggle to stay awake and not just start snoring.  (I may have...sorry.)  But I was also aware of being deeply relaxed and time seemed to shift, stop, start again.  I lost track of what Elizabeth was saying several times and felt some pressure to pay attention.  But when she began to "rouse" us it seemed like the time had flown by.

Putting away all my props, I made myself move more slowly than usual.  I recall my meditation teacher years ago recommended taking one-quarter the amount of time to "return to the real world" as we had spent in meditation, so I did that.  Otherwise, I think I'd have been a little spacey to drive and would have a hard time explaining to the police officer my driving deficiency was due to a Yoga Nidra hangover!

Did I like Yoga Nidra this time?  Yes, at least more than my previous experiences.  I think I still struggled a bit with impatience as the guided verbal instructions went on, but I also was very relaxed. I think as with anything, this will take practice.  I'll be back for another session next month!©

Namaste,  donnajurene

MAKING THE FAMILIAR NEW AGAIN

I'm doing a lot of reading about how we can create our own more peaceful and accepting reality by changing our thoughts and that our brains can continue to adapt, adjust, grow, and improve if we challenge them with new thoughts, new experiences, new ideas.

So, when I walked into class today expecting the familiar, I immediately silenced the itty bitty groan of protest I felt when I discovered we'd have a different teacher  -- one who I didn't know at all.  Plus...he was a man!  I've only taken one other yoga class from a male teacher.  There are relatively few of them in the Yoga World -- at least in my yoga world.

He came up and introduced himself to me right away with a friendly smile and made sure we all had the props we would need.  He passed out little wooden disks that said the word "Assist" on one side. If a student is open to the teacher assisting with a pose (laying hands on for adjustment) we were to put the "Assist" side up.  If not, the other side up.  No ambiguity about what is "OK" for the teacher to do.  Good idea, I thought.

I loved how he started out with having us hum an opening "om".  I've said it before -- I love chanting.  I don't even consider the "om" a chant really -- more like a centering sound, and it was just that for me today.  I felt myself come fully present just with that simple resonance.

Steven then led us through asana practice that was both very familiar and totally new.  Every teacher has their own style and we find those who challenge and those with whom we settle into a routine that feels nurturing and familiar.  Whenever I have a class with a new teacher, I'm challenged, even if the poses are familiar, just because the instruction can feel so different.  Steven led us into familiar poses with very precise instructions that made the pose sound like some new pretzel style, but ended up being Side Angle, or Warrior II, or Mountain Pose or whatever, as he described the alignment in detail.  I found myself at first feeling confused, then "getting it", and focusing on more precise alignment that both challenged and enhanced my practice.

While setting up for Savasana, Steven gave us the instruction to put our right hand on the stomach if we'd like him to bring us a blanket; bend the right knee after lying down if we wanted a bolster; cry a little bit if we'd like a back rub; stick out our tongue if we'd like a hot fudge sundae....  OK, I might have made those last two up, but I loved the idea of the non-verbal cues being so clear and easy and something new.  We ended the class with a closing "om" which felt like a fitting tribute to the ancient practice.

It's fun to experience a new teacher sometimes and I am grateful that our studio has some of the very best to learn from!©

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo Credit: pixabay.com