Yoga with Melissa

Body Awareness “TWO COUNTRIES” by Naomi Shihab Nye Skin remembers how long the years grow when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel of singleness, feather lost from the tail of a bird, swirling onto a step, swept away by someone who never saw it was a feather. Skin ate, walked, slept by itself, knew […]

Body Awareness

“TWO COUNTRIES”

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Skin remembers how long the years grow

when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel

of singleness, feather lost from the tail

of a bird, swirling onto a step,

swept away by someone who never saw

it was a feather. Skin ate, walked,

slept by itself, knew how to raise a

see-you-later hand. But skin felt

it was never seen, never known as

a land on the map, nose like a city,

hip like a city, gleaming dome of the mosque

and the hundred corridors of cinnamon and rope.

Skin had hope, that’s what skin does.

Heals over the scarred place, makes a road.

Love means you breathe in two countries.

And skin remembers–silk, spiny grass,

deep in the pocket that is skin’s secret own.

Even now, when skin is not alone,

it remembers being alone and thanks something larger

that there are travelers, that people go places

larger than themselves.

From: Naomi Shihab Nye’s collection of poetry, Words Under Words: Selected Poems.

This poem reminds me of everything I learned during my training as a Phoenix Rising Yoga therapist, teacher and group facilitator – that our bodies are an incredible source of wisdom. Since our bodies have been present with us every moment of our lives, they hold all of the memories of our lived experience: good, bad and indifferent.

Just like the poem says, your body experiences your reality, feels what may never be seen, knows the unknown and untold parts of your story. Your body is intelligent and aware of every experience that has happened in your life. Your body holds the memory of everything that has happened in your life.

Through the practice of yoga, you come to experience your body in a deep and profound way. You no longer separate your mind from your body. You become curious about the felt sensations of your physical experience and how they connect to your emotions, thoughts and energy. Instead of looking to external resources for answers, you begin to rely more and more on your own lived experience as lived by your own truth. As my teacher Elissa Cobb says, ‘Awareness happens through your body.”

Resource: The Forgotten Body by Elissa Cobb

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Did you like today’s show?

* Share it with a friend, family member or email it to a coworker.

* Like

* Subscribe to our channel. Subscribe to my Living Your Yoga Channel

* Please leave us a 5-star review on Itunes

* Leave your comment below.

Thank you for your donations: Donna, Sean, Viola, Rickianne, Sakari, Lakita,

Thank you for your continued kindness and generous support. It helps us to produce this show and offer a free one hour yoga class every Friday.

Today’s question to answer in the comments is: What is your body telling you this week?

If you would like an infographic of my top 3 benefits of engaging with poetry then scroll down to the opt in box and type in your email address. We will send you a beautiful infographic of my 3 benefits of engaging with poetry.

If you would like more support in bringing awareness to your body, I highly recommend our introduction to meditation series in our membership community. This 5 day series introduces you to meditation by preparing you for sitting, how to sit and be in your body, being with your breath and a candle gazing meditation.

Paradox by Jeff Dickson The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less […]

Paradox

by Jeff Dickson

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less.

We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We’ve added years to life not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

This poem speaks clearly about how our yoga practice allows us to stay connected in a high speed, low connection culture. It reminds me of the slow movement, which seeks to connect us more meaningfully with others, the place we live and ourselves. The issue of time poverty can be solved by making a connection, with ourselves. The slow movement evolved out of an effort to counteract our fast-paced, commodity-focused, unbalanced and impersonal modern culture.

Through our yoga practice we can slow down and get to know how our body feels, not just how it looks. It may be tempting to shape your body like the latest cover of a yoga magazine or that photo you saw on instagram, but even more important is to slow down, find space within you and ask yourself, how does this feel in my body? Our yoga practice gives us space away from the busy-ness of daily life where we can develop a relationship with our breath, our body, our mind, our emotions and energy that is truly our own, far away from the showroom window. Through our yoga practice we connect to the ground of ourselves and create the inner space to truly know our soul.

The practice itself is quite minimalist, even without a yoga mat, with only your breath and your body you can develop an intimate connection with your true home, discover what really matters to you and begin to shape a life that is meaningful to you. We develop patience over years to allow our body to unfold as it will. Through twists we allow our bodies to digest at a pace that makes sense to each one of us as individuals,

For a New Beginning by John O’Donohue In out-of-the-way places of the heart, Where your thoughts never think to wander, This beginning has been quietly forming, Waiting until you were ready to emerge. For a long time it has watched your desire, Feeling the emptiness growing inside you, Noticing how you willed yourself on, Still unable […]

For a New Beginning by John O’Donohue

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,

Where your thoughts never think to wander,

This beginning has been quietly forming,

Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire,

Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,

Noticing how you willed yourself on,

Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety

And the gray promises that sameness whispered,

Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,

Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled,

And out you stepped onto new ground,

Your eyes young again with energy and dream,

A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear

You can trust the promise of this opening;

Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning

That is at one with your life’s desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;

Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

~ John O’Donohue

From: To Bless the Space Between Us

We can always begin again. Each breath we take is an opportunity to start over. Each day we wake up to a fresh new start.

Inherent in John O’Donohue’s poem is that each beginning involves a willingness to let go of a part of ourselves that is not longer working for us. It takes courage to let go of the known. As the saying goes, better the devil you know than you don’t. No matter how painful it can be safer to deal with the familiar and known rather than risk unknown territory.

One of my favourite ways to deal with the fear of stepping into unknown territory, to gather courage and to step into new beginnings is through the Hindu God Ganesh. The reason I love the myth and symbolism of Ganesh, is that really it teaches us what we all have inside ourselves and the archetypal stories are a way to help us understand ourselves better. Ganesh is known as the remover of obstacles and Lord of new beginnings. As the remover of obstacles Ganesh can clear the way for us to move forward. Ironically, Ganesh is also known to place obstacles on our path that will teach us how to move forward as well.

Gaensh has 180 degree vision, both into the past and the future. He encourages us to stop and look at where we have come from and where we want to go. Ganesh has small eyes and big ears, encouraging us to turn our attention inwards and listen. When we listen deeply to our hearts longing, we will know the way forward to our new beginning.

Ganesh has a huge belly, this is not only for filling with sweets, it is said that Ganesh holds the whole universe in his belly and that is why it is so big and round

Mary Oliver Wild Geese You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. […]

Mary Oliver Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

In our culture, especially in the context of social media, there is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform, please and be perfect. Social media puts the pressure on us to show that we can create the perfect meals, the perfect homes, have the perfect hairstyles, makeup, clothes and go on the perfect vacations. We crave the praise and approval of our followers, looking for likes and comments, believing that when we gain the approval and likes of others we ourselves will feel happy and light up from inside.

In this poem, Mary Oliver reminds us,

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

You do not have to be good, you do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles, you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves, the world will go on.

As we remember from the Inner Critic series when it comes to perfectionism, there are no priorities, our inner perfectionist will require us to be perfect in all areas of our life. This poem reminds us that our self worth is not dependent on our productivity, accomplishments or outward appearances. We can become aware of negative internal dialogue and practice appreciation for ourselves as the wild geese do. This poem reminds us that the wild geese announce our place in the family of things. We all have our place in the natural world, our place of being, not doing, and our interdependent world is dependent on our being.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Props Needed: yoga blocks, yoga strap, meditation cushion or chair,

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Supported Fish Pose or Salamba Matsyasana, Knee Sways, Keyhole Stretch, Shoulder Release, Cat Pose or Marjaryasana, Crawling, Kneeling Sun Salutations, Tadasana or Mountain Pose, Tree Pose or Vrksasana, Sun Salutation with Cloud Salutation, Goddess Victory Squat or Utkata Konasana, Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Gomukhasana or Cow’s Face Pose, Savasana or Corpse Pose

Did you like today’s show?

Gratitude So Many Gifts by Hafiz There are so many gifts Still unopened from your birthday there are so many hand-crafted presents that have been sent to you by God. The Beloved does not mind repeating, “Everything I have is also yours.” Please forgive Hafiz and the Friend if we break into a sweet laughter […]

Gratitude

So Many Gifts by Hafiz

There are so many gifts

Still unopened from your birthday

there are so many hand-crafted presents

that have been sent to you by God.

The Beloved does not mind repeating,

“Everything I have is also yours.”

Please forgive Hafiz and the Friend

if we break into a sweet laughter

when your heart complains of being thirsty

when ages ago

every cell in your soul

capsized forever

into this infinite golden sea.

Indeed,

a lover’s pain is like holding one’s breath

too long

in the middle of a vital performance,

in the middle of one of Creation’s favorite songs.

Indeed, a lover’s pain is this sleeping,

this sleeping,

when God just rolled over and gave you

such a big good-morning kiss!

There are so many gifts, my dear,

still unopened from your birthday.

O, there are so many hand-crafted presents

that have been sent to your life

from God.

By Hafiz

This week we are inspired by Hafiz to open the doors of awareness to all the gifts that we have available to us in our lives. As we practice yoga we can bring awareness to all of its manifestations. Each breath we take is a gift. Bring your attention to your physical body. The very fact that you can get on a yoga mat and move your physical body is a miracle. Reflect on all the tasks that your body does for you automatically, your heart circulates blood through your body, your digestive system is working for you, your immune system, your hair is growing, your fingernails are growing, your eyebrows are keeping sweat out of your eyes and your eyelashes are keeping dust out of your eyes. Your body is a miracle.

Your mind is a miracle. You can bring awareness to all that you have been granted without any cost to you. You can set your intention. You can visualize. You have access to this video and the information in it. You can take the teachings from this class with you and off your mat and into your life.

You have energy that you can cultivate through your breath, your food and yoga. You have your emotions that can act as a barometer for your experience, that you can ride like a wave. You have your innate spirit which you can connect with awaken through your spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation.

So many gifts as Hafiz says. What gifts do you want to take a moment to reflect on right now. What are you grateful for in this moment?

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Did you like today’s show?

* Share it with a friend, family member or email it to a coworker.

* Like

* Subscribe to our channel. Subscribe to my Living Your Yoga Channel

* Please leave us a 5-star review on Itunes

* Leave your comment below.

Thank you for your donations: Peige, Linda, Hannah

Thank you for your continued kindness and generous support. It helps us to produce this show and offer a free one hour yoga class every Friday.

Today’s question to answer in the comments is: What gifts are you recognizing as a result of your yoga practice today?

If you would like an infographic of my top 3 benefits of engaging with poetry then scroll down to the opt in box and type in your email address. We will send you a beautiful infographic of my 3 benefits of engaging with poetry.

Promotion: If you would like another class like this one to support you in easing anxiety. Then I would highly recommend our brand new,