Balance

I’m not talking about Warrior 3, or am I?  Lately I feel like my life is a constant balancing act.  With a vibrant 3 year old and a not yet sleeping through the night, but wonderfully precious 4 month old, cloth diapers, laundry, laundry, laundry, meals, snacks, dishes, groceries, pre-school running, the garden and subsequent canning marathon, constant runs to the compost, 2 dogs, 9 chickens, a husband and oh yeah there’s me who seems to get left in the dust.  I feel like I’m caught in a bit of a whirlwind and a little off balance these days.  I think most could agree, this is to be expected.  I’ve heard from the generation who has been there done that, and they’ve all survived.  I have great confidence I will too, but how do I feel better in the meantime?  Breathe easier.  Find some PEACE and yes, BALANCE!  I keep coming back to my breath.  To help bring calm, I’ve been practicing ujjayi (oceanic) breathing while closing off my ears with my thumbs, and gently placing my index and middle fingers over my eyes for 30 – 60 seconds (or however long I can get).  This has had profound benefit.  To help fuel me when I need energy after an all-nighter with the baby and now I need to chase my 3 year old, I have been practicing bastrika (bellows) breath, again 30 - 60 seconds seems to be long enough.  Please note, go easy or don’t practice bastrika if you are having problems sleeping at night.

When I first found pranayama (breathing techniques), I got a video from one of my co-workers at the time originally from India.  I thought it was kind of a joke, how can all this sitting around breathing give any benefit?  I don’t have time for this silliness; I want to build buff arms and a strong core, that’s what I was looking for from my yoga practice at that time in my life.  Right now, I need some basic techniques to get through this precious, yet challenging period of my life.  I invite you take in what you need in your life at this moment.  If you can use any of my above suggestions to help bring more balance into your life, great!  If not, find what works for you.  As always, this is your body, mind, spirit integration; your yoga.  Enjoy! 

The Joy in me honors the Joy in you…Namaste,

~Julie

Inspiration

Inspiration...where does it come from?  And where can we find it?
Yesterday I was blessed to part of the 2011 Bemidji Women's Expo as an exhibitor for Yoga Bemidji. I met a woman who said she had been reading my blog, and also mentioned I haven't been keeping up with it since having my baby. This along with the hundreds of faces I saw, and many people I connected with, having a passion for yoga in our community was an inspiration to me and a rekindling of getting back to teaching and getting back to writing.

In perusing the paper this morning on the 10th anniversary of tragedies of September 11th, 2001, I was inspired by the stories of those who had the courage to deal with their grief and move on to do meaningful things.  One woman started a charity in her husband's honor to help disadvantaged kids through flight training.

I was blessed to meet a woman this morning that had 5 foster girls with her, all sisters.  The youngest was 5 weeks old.  She could tell by the puzzled look on my face I had questions.  I didn’t ask, but she offered up that there was a drug problem with the mother and the new baby tested positive for drugs at the hospital and was put into foster care at just 4 days old.  Despite watching this helpless little baby go through detox, she still has love and compassion in her heart for the mother and hopes the children will be able to go back with her one day.  Wow, I say!  Perhaps I’m too primal, too much of a protective mommy; but I found this foster mom so moving because the level of selflessness she shows is truly inspiring.

My kids, everyday inspire me.  Their innocence, their ability to forgive and forget almost immediately, their amazing honesty and their never ending love for me makes me strive to not only be a better parent, but a better human being.

If you are lacking inspiration lately, look around you.  Make a connection, start a conversation with a stranger.  Listen to the words of a meaningful song.  Read or watch something poignant, it just may put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.

Namaste (the joy in me, honors the joy in you),

~Julie

Practicing Patience is certainly not perfect

After having my second child recently, my patience has certainly been tested lately...dealing with the crying, the pains and trials of nursing, keeping up with my very spirited 2 year old, letting my body heal, and somehow trying to love this body.  All of these stressors are out of my control, learning how to deal with them without creating stress to my body, mind and spirit is my choice.  This is where I try to come back to my breath.  Learning to breathe fully and slow down my constantly spinning, hamster wheel of a mind is such a blessing!  I recently discovered closing off my ears while doing Ujjayi or oceanic breathing is such an amazing relaxer.

Ujjayi is a diaphragmatic breath, which first fills the lower belly (activating the first and second chakras), rises to the lower rib cage (the third and fourth chakras), and finally moves into the upper chest and throat.  Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The "ocean sound" is created by closing off the back of the throat with the mouth closed as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound. The length and speed of the breath is controlled by the diaphragm, the strengthening of which is, in part, the purpose of ujjayi. The inhalations and exhalations are equal in duration, and are controlled in a manner that causes no distress to the practitioner.  Don't try this if you're having cold or sinus symptoms as it may aggitate the situation.

I hope this helps you slow down for a moment and Breathe! 

May you be Happy, may you be Healthy, may you know Peace!

Namaste,
Julie

Transformation

With all this talk of New Years resolutions, from diets & exercise to learning a new language or going back to school, whatever the goal may be, opening a new chapter to self improvement can be very powerful.  Unfortunately most of these well intended resolutions usually fall short, whether the goal is unclear or perhaps it is unattainable within our busy lives.  We long for our old, safe habits. There's comfort in the familiar, even if the familiar is a painful, limiting idea of who we really are. How can we move forward, though, when every step toward change is rooted in a toxic relationship with the Self?

The hardest part about creating change for me is the concept of Self-acceptance: loving myself despite my flaws. It is only from a place of Self-acceptance that we can hope to rewrite our own story. To accept oneself lies in the ability to see oneself clearly–without judgement–which requires stillness, willingness and courage.

Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, offers us five tools to help us on our path. The first is faith: faith in the process, faith in oneself and maybe (if this resonates with you) faith in grace or something infinite that is beyond our perception. It takes faith to get through those moments when it feels like all is lost. It also takes tremendous strength, which is the second sutra. The third is memory, which is crucial because without memory we cannot consider the lessons we've learned (but tricky, of course, because memory is seductive, holding the power to trap us in the past). Contemplation is the fourth sutra. Contemplation implies a commitment to really sit with yourself and listen for the answers. Discernment–the final sutra–is probably my favorite because there's immense value in the ability to know when to act and when to be still.

Embarking on the new year, I'm inspired to love, respect and trust myself. My New Year's resolutions are only as good as the soil in which they're planted and I believe my real work lies in the tilling, watering and weeding of that earth. It takes so much courage to be honest with ourselves, but perhaps even more to be okay with what we see. A healthy and respectful relationship with the Self fosters the skills we need to take the appropriate action–the one that's best for us.

May you move forward in the New Year with peace in your heart and a renewed commitment to loving yourself.

The Power of Silence

Sunday morning we experienced a lengthy power outage.  When the power went out, I can remember the exact moment because my anxiety level dropped significantly.  There weren't even any TVs or radio on, it may just be our house that has a lot of fans running with the furnace, etc. but at that exact moment I found the sound of silence so peaceful and rejuvenating.  This realization is in many ways how yoga can transform your life, the beauty of observation in our everyday lives or on our mats, and what we choose to do with this information.  What I took from this brief solitude was to implement a daily "power outage" and shut off the "noise" for at least 30 minutes a day and really pay attention and get down on the floor and play with my son. 

Have you had a light bulb moment from an everyday obseration?  If not, you may not be looking close enough.  Do with this what you will, perhaps paying a little more attention to what life is telling you today.

Om Shanti (Peace),
~Julie

With Gratitude

I awoke this morning to a winter wonderland.  The wetland and all of the trees surrounding my house were covered in a soft blanket of white.  A welcome color palette change to the brown we've been seeing for the past month or so.  While I found the scenery breathtaking, I am reminded there are those without power who are cold and would welcome some warmth.  I am reminded frequently during this time leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday to be grateful for the little things I tend to take for granted everyday such as warmth.  What are you thankful for? 

A gratitude journal can be a great way to improve your outlook on life.  It is easy to find what is wrong in your life, but taking the time each day to write down even one thing you are thankful can be life changing. 

With warmth & gratitude to you and your family,
~Julie

Fall is in the air

With fall definitely upon us and the chance of snow in the area this week, I find myself becoming less active with less daylight hours available.  This leads to the body becoming less flexible, particularly in the hips as more sitting involves tightening in the hip area of the body.  To combat this, yoga can be an excellent form of exercise that focuses on all aspects of physical fitness: cardio-vascular, strengthening and of course flexibility.  This week, Yoga By Julie is offering a class specifically designed for hip opening; Thursday October 28th at 5:30 PM at the United Methodist Church,  (902 Beltrami Ave NW, Bemidji, MN) 3rd floor.

See http://www.yogabyjulie.com for further details.