Yoga Pose Of The Week: Navasana

Basic Instruction:
From lying on the back, roll the body weight onto the front part of the hips bones pointing the tail bone into the ground. Lift both legs and upper body off the ground and balance the weight of the body on the sit bones. Lift arms straight forward parallel to the ground.

Tips:
- Pull in the navel towards the spine to help support the lower back.
- Lift the chest up to broaden the shoulders.
- If applying weight on the sit bones is too painful, place a blanket or two underneath the sit bones.
- If straightening the legs is too strenuous on the lower back, bend the knees so that the shins are parallel to the floor.

Questions To Notice In This Pose:
- Is my face and neck straining to keep my upper body off the ground? Can I relax the muscles in my face and neck?
- Is my belly shaking as I hold the pose? Is it possible to notice the shaking and let it go?
- Is there sensation in my sit bones as I try to balance the weight while keeping my upper body and legs off the ground?
- Are the front sides of my hips gripping as I try to maintain the pose? Can I relax my hip flexors?
- Are my shoulders slumping forward? Is it possible to release them and allow my chest and heart to be broad?

This Pose In My Practice:
This pose is my arch nemesis. In my yoga school application, there was a question about which pose was the most difficult, and I mentioned Navasana.

This pose brings a lot of thoughts and emotions to the surface when I practice it.

Some thoughts:
- I hate this pose.
- This pose is painful.
- I’m not good at this pose.
- Everyone is better at this pose than me.

Some emotions:
- Frustration
- Jealously

While it would be easy to just say that this pose causes too much negativity, and I should stop doing it, it is for the above thought and emotions the reason why this pose is important for me to keep practicing.

The conflict I experience in this pose provides me an excellent opportunity to notice the struggle and learn to let it go. Some days I experience more struggle, and some days I experience less struggle. Either way it reinforces the lessons of patience, persistence, and practice which are all good things in the end.

But this is the practice, and things change day-by-day. So I keep coming back to my mat to see what unfolds.

Loving Thoughts. Loving Words. Loving Heart.

Svadhisthana Chakra Round-Up

The beautiful rendition of Svadhisthana Chakra is from here.

This week's theme was Svadhisthana Chakra. The wikipedia definition is here.

Below is the round-up of all of the things I did related to energizing the Svadhisthana Chakra.

My Svadhisthana Chakra recipes:
Baking

Easy Vegan Almond Cookies With Cinnamon

Cooking

Easy Cashew, Kale, and Mushroom Risotto

Peanut Butter Chili Tofu

My Look At A Svadhisthana Chakra Yoga Pose: Namaskarasana

Yoga Pose Of The Week: Namaskarasana

My Svadhisthana Chakra recipe for my dog:

Quick And Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Dog Treats

My Svadhisthana Chakra Crochet Project:

Super Easy Cute and Tiny Amigurumi Badger

The Yoga of TPS Reports

Roughly twice a year at work there is a flood of new hires, all young people fresh out of college and excited to have a “real” job. Their goals are always the same: change the world.

Always within the first couple of weeks, one of them will say, “I don’t understand why we have to do this paperwork this way. Wouldn't it be better if we…” And later on, a similar comment would be made about something else, “Why do we have to do it this way? Wouldn’t it be more efficient if…” The response is always the same, “For now, we need to do it like this. But if you can find a better way, then we can change it.”

Inevitably, the new hire will realize how much effort is needed to make a small change for very little return. After this realization, their comments change from tenacious optimism to relentless complaining. “Well, this is boring. Why can’t I do more of the interesting stuff?” “I don’t need my degree to be doing this.”

In some respects, that is true. Usually entry level work is tedious and monotonous. But what makes the difference between the new hire that will make it to the next level, and the new hire that will eventually decide to leave? Presence.

The successful new hires are able to take a mundane task and execute it well. Are they changing the course of business with these tasks? No. Are they really making a huge difference or keeping the company afloat? Probably not. But are they contributing to a greater whole, albeit only in a very small way? Yes. These people do their work knowing that their contribution is small and that is ok.

I have been working for a while and I have recently been struggling with grandiose ideas of how things should and could be. Instead of just being with what is and knowing at the end of the day what is important to me (the people I care about and my health), I have been fighting with everyone and myself.

I am a trained yoga teacher but I am also a cog in the big wheel of business. Off my mat and in the office, it can be easy sometimes to forget that I am here, now. In the office it can be easy to think about the next title up or the office in the corner (ok, even having a door that is mine that I could close would be nice at this point).

Instead, I could take a lesson from my younger office mates who are clearly going to make it to the next level. I have forgotten that I should take every day a moment at a time and every task with a clear vision of what it is and what it is not. Once in a while everyone needs to take a step back and smell the TPS reports.

Yoga Pose Of The Week: Namaskarasana

Basic Instruction:
From standing with feet hip distance apart with toes pointing slightly outwards, begin to lower seat such that the seat is barely hovering over the ground. Place palms together in front of heart, and use elbows to help push knees apart.

Tips:
- The knees are to be in line with the second toe.
- If squatting so low is too uncomfortable, place a block (or several) underneath the seat to assist in the posture.
- Forearms form a parallel line to the floor.
- Chest is lifted so that the heart is reaching towards the clasped palms.
- Shoulders are pulled away and down from the ears.

Questions To Notice In This Pose:
- If my eyes are open, am I finding myself distracted by what I see around me? Is it possible to try to close my eyes and try to listen to myself?
- If my eyes are closed, am I finding myself being distracted by holding onto my thoughts? Is it possible to try to notice my thoughts and let them pass by?
- Is my jaw tight? Or my eyebrows furrowed? Is it possible to relax them?
- Are my ankles straining or my hips straining to maintain the posture? Can I find a way to release some of the strain with the assistance of blocks?
- Am I feeling strain as my hips open? Or am I feeling sensation as my hips open?
- Are my shoulders slumping forward? Is it possible to release them and allow my chest and heart to be broad?

This Pose In My Practice:
I love this pose. Squatting has never been a problem for me (knock on wood), so I don’t mind having my knees bend that deep.

What I enjoy most about the pose is the openness I feel in my hips as my elbows push my thighs apart. I also enjoy the feeling of my spine lengthening when I focus on lifting my chest in the pose.

Even though most of time the pose is relatively easy for me, there are times when the pose can also be difficult. I find that when I sit for long periods of time my inner thighs tighten and I feel resistance to the pose. It is in those moments I am reminded that humility is important. What I perceive as easy one day can easily be not so easy the next.

But this is the practice, and things change day-by-day. So I keep coming back to my mat to see what unfolds.

Loving Thoughts. Loving Words. Loving Heart.

Muladhara Chakra Round-Up

The beautiful rendition of Muladhara Chakra is from here.

So the last few days I've been focusing on Muladhara Chakra. A Wikipedia definition is here.

Since I like baking, cooking, and basically nourishing my mind, body, and spirit so much, I thought to combine all the things I enjoy doing together.

My Muladhara Chakra recipes:
Baking

Easy Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie

Cooking

Easy Beet Risotto

Horseradish Tempeh and Horseradish Green Beans

My Look At A Muladhara Chakra Yoga Pose: Sukhasana

Yoga Pose Of The Week: Sukhasana

My Muladhara Chakra recipe for my dog:

Quick And Easy Vegan Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Dog Treats

My Muladhara Chakra Crochet Project:

Super Easy Cute and Tiny Mole Amigurumi