If I Got a Tattoo...

Located at the beach, the gym where I've taught for over 15 years has phenomenal diversity.  And we all rub off on one another.  It's cool to witness not only how the generations influence one another, but also how folks from all walks of life make connections.

Last week, when I popped into a mat Pilates class taught by a good friend & teaching colleague, I was beside a long time fellow "gym rat"- a woman who's taken good care over the decades and continues to move with amazing grace combined with internal strength. As I unfurled my mat beside her, I noticed peeking out from beneath the hem of her paints - a vine - tattooed - and wrapping around her ankle.  I asked her how far the vine traveled up her leg because I envisioned how awesome it would be if it followed one of the Spirals of Anusara Yoga.

Living and working in the beaches area has allowed me to see some amazing body art - especially at the gas station where folks are often filling their tank in not much more than their underwear or a bikini that covers even less!

So, after teaching this morning, I'm wondering if I ever get a tattoo - where and what would it be?  This morning, one of the ideas we worked on is that the arms both draw into center and expand out. And in Anusara Yoga, we specifically draw into the heart space - the essence of who we are.  This energy body idea also connects fully with anatomy and how we are structurally designed. You will totally get this if you study the arm lines via Tom Myers' Anatomy Trains.

From my studies, I know that the work of my hands is a reflection of my heart.  As we joke in class, the more you connect with this idea of "the hands being the 'doers' of the heart" - the less apt you are to hit someone - the less likely you are to give them the finger.  Because, really, truly - that is not your heart's work - that is not who you are.

So, here's where my tattoo would be placed.  A pink heart - for the color of transformation.  A green one for the color of the heart space in the energy body.  And a blue heart - so my words also reflect the essence of my heart more fully.

Also from my studies, I know that the palm of our hands has incredible sensory perception.  We feel a lot through our hands.  We easily discern weight, texture, and temperature.  I've heard that if you placed a quarter on your hand, there are more sensory nerve endings in that space than there are in your entire back.  Our hands are meant to feel.

So, really, could I tolerate the sensation as the tattoo was designed on the palm of my hand?  Am I really willing to feel that much?  If I tattooed this place, would the sensory overload then lessen my ability to feel in my hand and eventually my heart? On the advice of respected tattoo artists, I think I'll pass.

May we lovingly hold our hearts in the palm of our hands.  May the work we do in this world reflect our heart-felt desire. As we breathe, may our hearts feel the ever-present connection to the Great Heart.

Awesome Article about our Fascial System

This is a well-written article on the importance of mapping and recognizing the Fascial System in our bodies.  Please read Part One and Part Two (a clickable link from the article).

Click here to go to Part One:   The Magazine of Yoga

I believe we are on a radical ride and witnessing a shift in how we view our bodies.   The two-part series is a "must read!"

On My Knees

I don't think too many of us get through life without some sort of challenge - body, mind, or spirit.   We all have something.  Our Yoga practice provides many tools to face these obstacles.  

I had a recent wake up call on many levels this past week.    I am currently on crutches.   My rare joint disease has re-announced its presence in my right knee.   For over a year, thanks to a team of professionals (bodyworkers, chiropractor, acupuncture/homeopathy) as well as a focused therapeutic approach to both my Yoga & Pilates practices, I have been relatively pain free.   And when I hear stories of others who have this disease, I am awed by our bodies ability to bring us to our knees.

Most of all, I am grateful for my support system.   Family & friends, students & colleagues, wellness providers & my senior teachers have all taught me something.   They have shared with me insights & ideas.   They have listened & pontificated.    Each, in some way, has shown me the way.

Last night, I was able to begin some active Yoga therapy on my body.   I can not even begin to express how grateful I am for John Friend's ability to distill complex ideas into a comprehensible system called Anusara Yoga that allows you to work pain free.   His Universal Principles of Alignment are the foundation of the solution for me.   Combining Anusara's methodology with some of the amazing therapeutic techniques I've learned from Jenny Otto & my Pilates training, I was able to integrate as well as create space & length.    With my Anatomy Trains knowledge (thank you Tom Meyers), I have been able to unlock some of the myofascia as well.

Like many others, managing pain will most likely be a life long process for me.   Pain will knock on my door throughout my life - affecting my body, mind, and spirit.   Being able to be present and breathe with the pain is something I have learned, too, from my practice.   Using my breath to expand the places that need space as well as connecting with my breath as a means to connect with my life force - has also been a powerful practice.

While I may be humbled and literally on bended knee, I am not down.   My gaze is inward and my heart lifts upward.   Thanks to the practice.   Ishvara Pranidhana.

Fascia

Remember 10 years ago, when "the core" was the buzz word? Well, let me tell you the next "hot" word . You're going to be hearing it every where over the next decade or two. Fascia. (Fa - shuh). I am continuing to learn about this amazing web of connection in our bodies. It holds everything together. Not only is it a stocking that encases our body & organs -- it is all the stuff that holds the cells together to form & organize our muscles & organs - and really all of us. Studying with Jenny Otto, I had the opportunity to partake in a 3-day training with lead teachers for Tom Myer's Kinesis (Anatomy Trains - Structural Integration). Since then, Jenny has shared her revelations from fresh tissue dissections & videos on the fascial web in living tissue. Fascia is continuous in our bodies. There are no seams. View your insides in a new way - one continuous folding origami. Here are a few nuggets from studying fascia with Jenny & the collection of World Class Teachers she assembles...

- moving into yoga poses too fast can cause fascial tears;

- what you don't work on will be an anchor for change;

- where it hurts is often not where the issue is - it's just the weakest link in the chain;

- fascial system responds slowly;

- nervous & muscle system respond more quickly.

Join us in 2010, you will see the body in a whole new way - and discover a deeper connection! www.RYT500.com