Won't you come out to play?

With highs in the 40's expected today, the brilliant sunshine is quite deceiving.  You look at the calendar, see that it's the end of March, relish the fact that the sky is cloudless, and gleefully look forward to wearing some relaxed spring clothing - only to check the forecast and see that you'll be once again bundled under 2 layers or three.  Even still, the clear bright day is inspiring enough to get a yogi on her mat!

And who better the play with on my mat than my favorite 4 year old?  I unrolled the old yellow mat and he unfolded his older brother's kindergarten sleep mat.  He picked the red side - the root chakra, or Muladhara. It is related to instinct, security, survival and also to basic human potentiality, appropriate for a maturing Id-filled toddler!

I started in mountain pose and asked him what I looked like.  He copied the posture and said a tall tower.  We folded into standing forward bed, and I asked what we looked like.  He said, "a short tower".  We walked forward into down-dog, and he said we were like dogs (it's catching-on!).  We got into planks, and while I moved into chaturanga and told him I was a crocodile, he did a three legged plank (what a little show-off!).  I finished an upward facing dog, then told him to hop to the top of his mat, which he gleefully did.  We looked out into the world from our fold, and I asked him what he saw when he looked out into the world, and he said "The Sun!"  Immediately, the Beatles' song "Dear Prudence" came to mind:

Won't you come out to play?
Greet the brand new day.
The sun is up, the sky is blue;

It's beautiful and so are you

Won't you come out to play...

I can't tell you how much fun we were havng.  We didn't play much longer, but I was so happy to have him enjoying something that I enjoy.  Nothing was forced, nothing was really rote or routine - quite natural in fact.  This is all the motivation I need to get back on my mat a little later (perhaps when I DO want to get through a little sequence).  And next time, if my little guy wants to get involved, I'll happily let him come out to play - it's beautiful and so is he! 

What will get you on your mat today?

The joy of a spirit is the measure of its power - Ninon deLenclos

First day of Spring

Ahhhh!  It's finally here!  A change of season.  The vernal equinox.  The first day of Spring!  Where are you going to let your life wander during these next 90 days?  It's amazing to think that some of us are going to experience things that will irreversibly change our lives.  Some of us know that these changes are on the horizon, but as life is unpredictable, many of these changes will be unexpected.  How you respond to these changes is about the only thing that is controllable.  Of course, flexibility - physical and emotional -  is an advantage in these instances.  Yoga postures certainly  help achieve physical flexibility, but how do you work on emotional flexibility? 

Yama  is known as the first of 8 limbs of a yoga practice, and it recommends following 5 ethical "practices" in your daily existence.  You can follow these guidelines in your self-awareness, in your relations with others, even in your diet (which might be a challenge for some of you meat-lovers out there!).  Trying to keep these practices in mind will certainly give you some emotional flexibility, and influence how you perceive changes that happen to you as well as how you respond to them!
Ahimsa is the first ethical practice (it's also the subject of my most viewed blog entry ever! 82 pageviews and counting...)click here.  It stands for applying non-violence to every part of your life - this means not harming others OR yourself - ie, not pushing yourself too hard during a workout, not really eating meat (sorry, Husband), that sort of thing. 
Satya means truth; specifically, living according to your own truth.  Okay, got it: to thine own self be true. 
Asteya is fairly straight-forward:  non-stealing.  Hmmm.  Ironically, I steal many of the images used in this blog.  Note to self: perhaps I should devote a little more time and attention to this particular ethical practice of asteya...
And then there's Brahmacharya.  Uh-oh, I can already tell that this next "suggestion" is not going to go over so well.  This is the "ethical" practice of abstinance.  Yeah.  Containing your sexual energy is restraint, alright!  How this is going to help you with your Yama and emotional flexibility, I'm not quite sure...  Okay, dear readers, why don't we just keep moving along to the last ethical practice:
Aparigraha, which means non-grasping and non-covetousness (is that a word?).  This is one practice that can help you best deal with change.  Relax your grip on things, and just observe the world.  Keep your mind open to the change - reality is that change is going to happen whether you compel it to or not. 
While practicing Yama can present it's own challenges, it certainly puts forth a few guidelines worth considering.  If all else fails, or you feel as though yama just isn't cutting if for you, the best thing of all is to just breathe.  When changes come too fast or seem like more than you can handle, open your mind to all possibilities,  including the possibility that a negative change can be turned into a positive one, and B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love" - Marcus Aurelius