Calm down a restless mind, be a child

The thing about restlessness is that its such a waste of energy! you think about a thousand things you want to do but unfortunately cant do anything since your energies are all scattered. The kindest thing to do is literaly surrender to the highest good! what that means is forget about everything and take a bow! ok ok, no more teasing, do the childs pose - just get down into varjasana and bend forward. If possible let your forehead touch the ground. Make it more comfortable by spreading your knees apart so you dont get too compressed on the tummy. Stay here for atleast a couple of minutes. Gently lift the head and breath easy.

The blood flows into your brains which are in need of it real bad. So this relaxes the mind and you can now think afresh without too much distraction.

Variations are yoga mudra, where you sit in padmasana or simple cross legged- sukhasana with your head down. If you can reach your head to touch down keep a cushion and rest on it. Paschimottasana also has same results. If at work, then just get your head to rest on your table for a couple of minutes. You will feel suprising refreshed and most certainly more centred, quieter.

Allowing yourself to relax - Meditation practise

Yoga asanas are designed so that we can see how far we can open ourself to the posture. This means how much we can open up or allow our bodies to relax in someway which isnt normal in our daily life. A simple twist can be done with a lot of effort and resistance from the body or it can be done with the breath flow, observing the body and moving when the body relaxes into the posture. The thing is that you have to give it time and patience. Allow the body to respond, listen quietly. You will be amazed how much you can stretch further if you only listen carefully.

For each day just select a few asanas and spend sometime in each one. You will observe that its easier to do other asanas with ease because the body is willing and enjoying rather than pushed to do something. also, this time spend in one pose brings great awareness of your inner silence and stillness. Its so close to the surface, a simple meditative practise.

Try this in the simple lying down spinal twist.

Technique:
1. Lie down on your back, arms stretched out to shoulder level.
2. Bend knees, feet on the floor, knees together.
3. Drop both the knees on to the right side keeping feet together, on each other.
4. Turn the face to left side, twisting the spine. 
5. Allow your self to relax the shoulders to the floor and try to bring the upper back as close to the floor as possible. stay for 2 minutes
6. Bring knees to start position.
7. repeat on left side.

Appreciation; life supports us

Six months since my last post! should i say that i had nothing worth sharing?? or that there has been such impactful events happening that im still sorting and understanding them?? However, as we all know life has both of these well balanced out. Thats whats keeping me so self absorbed :)

Ive been in pondicherry since february, making pots and developing sculptural work. This time i also started teaching there which had some delightful results. Most students were french and reminded me again how similar we humans are no matter where we come from. Also taking children yoga workshop was tremendous fun, the high energy and playfulness that kids bring :)

However the intensity at which i worked at the pottery caused a disconnect in me. i overworked my body, did not listen to it and landed up in a lot of pain. Infact, instead of relaxing and allowing the distress to ease of I kept complaining and adding more toxic thoughts!! Its a miracle that i continued all that physically intense labours with clay, a sure enough proof of the years of loving yoga practises. Thats what really kept me going. 

The fact was that i had completely stopped listening to what i really needed to do. So often we trick our self into believing something that doesnt really resonate with who we really are.  I lost myself trying to "fit in" please others and keep up my goody good image. All this trying is so pointless coz you can never be truly good and loving if your unkind and false with yourself. And at the root is that doubt, the fear that "i am alone" so i "need" people or some thing or event or circumstance to achieve what i want. All this drama does is further to eat into your faith, that basic knowledge that it is life that supports us.  Not people, circumstances or events. its our thoughts and feelings of love, appreciation and gratitude that really gets things going in the right direction.

and what is the right direction? the path, the activities that bring a sense of wholeness, a quiet joy in our heart. we know we are on the right way when we can stand up to a discomfort, question what is this fear and realise that its not so powerful. Let the worst happen, life always has supported me and will always continue to, as long as I appreciate and trust this wonderful life, God, higher being  or energy. by whichever name you call it, doesnt really matter. Its the feeling that does matter. 

and we can only start feeling all this when we are true to our self.  To see whats really going on we need to quieten down, stop the incessant thoughts- doubts- fears. Yoga is one way. Following the flow of breath, we align to the flow of life. Now, i truly appreciate the beauty of my breath, of my life. Life wants me to breathe, to love, to enjoy it. Thats what i now know.

also, we have to do what the real us says. No matter if nobody agrees with that decision. Else, we live someone else's life not our own. Thats our most important duty, dharma, our path.