Inhale…Exhale. Please do that again.
While our state and nation begin to transition from over two years of life very much inside a long suffering pandemic to what normal will be, and the time it will take us collectively to get there, we are now at more uncertainty with more worldly unrest. We may feel helpless, worried and fearful of the unknown once again; familiar. Even as I type these thoughts, I notice my body's deep breath auto response. We don't breathe very deeply when we are fear-filled and pitched for survival, but when we bring awareness to our moment... Our brain's reasoning center kicks in and we take in a much needed breath. Since man first walked on the planet, the instinct center of our brains kept us alive. We responded to the eminent threat and either got eaten or got away. Once we were safe, our nervous system balanced again. But, what happens when we are in constant fight and flight and freeze, because we don't ever feel safe? These two years and counting are pretty constant. Our whole health, mind and body suffer leaving our bodies way past over-taxed and susceptible to disease. The human body is masterful, designed to function optimally for survival and well-being. When circumstances beyond your control whirl around you, can you still find your center, know you are fine even in the midst of chaos? There are tools to help you get there. Your body does so many wondrous things completely automatically. From digestion to blood circulation, heart beat and cell generation, you are truly amazing organisms. Your breathe is a very powerful tool for hacking the over stimulated Fight, Flight, Freeze nervous system response and it's the one part of your autonomic nervous system you can actually control, and it powerfully impacts your entire body toward health! Yoga was originally a breathe meditation in a seated postion. The physical poses or postures were eventually added as a way to help yoke body and mind and bring more mindfulness into your patterns of living which then allows you greater peace and less suffering. What a time as this for your yoga practice.
Thank you February for your sunshine, your blue skies and our series of heart opening practices. With hearts open, we welcome in March. My mother always says if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a Lamb or visa-versa. Clearly, this rain torrential classifies lion entry, so the end of March should be lovely.
We Hold Hope for our world when we Hold Hope for ourselves,
Jill 💟