Harvest

Crunchy and colorful leaves. Bright orange pumpkins. Crisp apples in every shade of red and green.

Do you lament the passing warmth of summer? Do you dread the bracing chill of winter on its way? Or can you find contentment in this season of harvest and decay?

Today I invite you enjoy the essence of autumn right outside your window. Without looking back or ahead, just observe this brief moment.




 1. Begin by sitting on only the front half of your chair seat, but with enough of your rear end and thighs supported so you don't slip off!

2. Inhale as you roll your shoulders up, then release them down on an exhale. Repeat 4 times.

3. Inhale arms out to your sides, parallel to the floor with palms facing down. Exhale as you bring them back to the side of the chair. Repeat 4 times.

4. Inhale arms back to that same outstretched position with palms facing down and as you exhale, turn the palms facing up. Continue to turn the arms(palms up, then down) with your breath 4 times then let hands rest in your lap.

5. Take 4 deep, calming breaths, noticing your heart beat.

6. Sitting up tall, still sitting back only halfway onto the chair seat so there is space between your back and the backrest, inhale as you lift your chest, resisting at the lower abdomen. On the exhale, reach the hands behind you and rest the hands on your lower back, palms facing out. With hands behind you, continue to inhale and lift your chest, exhaling as your hands move closer together, opening the shoulders. After a few breaths you may be able to reach your hands to grasp the opposite elbow. Stay here for at least 4 breaths.

7. Rest hands back on your thighs, still sitting only halfway on the chair seat, turn both knees pointing the left side, shifting so that most of your weight is on your left butt cheek. The right knee may be pointing at the floor as you turn your body to the left. The left knee is at a 90 degree angle with left foot flat on the floor. Sit up tall using your belly muscles, hands resting on the left thigh. Take 4 slow breaths.

8. Shift your body back to center, then repeat #7 facing to the right.

9. Return to center and slide yourself back onto the seat, resting your back against the chair back now. Soften your gaze, noticing the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe for 8 full breaths.

Longevity

Do you ever have one of those days when you just feel old?  Maybe you were carrying a full laundry basket up the stairs and you got winded before you reached the landing. Or maybe you leaned your face too close to that bathroom mirror when you were washing your hands. When did those new wrinkles appear?! 

We all need to face the fact that aging is inevitable, no matter how strongly we resist it. A good aesthetician can help you with your skin issues, but what about those other physical changes? Should our yoga practice change as we celebrate more birthdays? Not necessarily.

Let's keep in mind the foundation for our practice: the union of body, mind and breath. From that starting point, we recognize that adapting asana to our current physical, mental, and emotional state will carry us through any challenge posed by Father Time.

I propose we embrace the honor and gift of growing older. After all, it sure beats the alternative.





1. After you've reviewed instructions for all sessions, begin with your hands resting in your lap. Bring your attention to your breath, not changing it, just notice if the breaths are coming quickly or slowly, deeply or more shallow. Continue this way for at least 5 breaths.
 
2. Notice if all edges of your feet are evenly rooted to the floor. Wiggle the toes, then lift them as you rock back onto your heels, rolling both feet onto their left edges, then press into the balls, rocking over to the right edges, finally placing both feet solidly on the ground with equal pressure. Repeat that circle to the left this time. Did focusing on your feet take you away from your breath? Bring your calm attention back to the breath once again.
 
3.  On your next inhale, reach your arms wide, feeling a stretch through the front of your torso. As you exhale, bring hands to the center of your chest, palms pressed together with thumbs touching sternum. ("heart center") Repeat 3 times.
 
4. Lift one foot foot and circle the ankles 3 or 4 times in each direction. Repeat with other foot. Finish with both feet resting back on the floor.
 
5. As you inhale, lift hands overhead, reaching for the ceiling, again exhaling the hands back to heart center. Repeat 3 times.
 
6. On the next inhale, just lift one arm straight up. As you exhale bend the elbow so that your hand drifts behind your neck toward the space between your should blades. Your elbow stays next to your ear, pointing up at the ceiling as you try to stretch your fingers further down your back. Keep reaching for another 3 breaths, then inhale the arm straight up again and exhale it back down to your lap. Repeat with opposite arm.
 
7. You just gave yourself a pat on the back! Now you deserve a some more quiet breathing before heading back to your busy day. Reread #1, commit to those 5 breaths, then enjoy your day!

Discovery

Observing Columbus Day on the second Monday in October can be a controversial undertaking. But many communities have embraced the spirit of discovery in order to downplay the injustice of conquest. Read more here: http://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

What does discovery mean in your yoga practice? When we settle into asana (poses) or meditation, if we're paying attention, we can always learn something new about our body and state of mind.

Do you tend to criticize yourself when your muscles don't move the way you expect? Do you feel antsy or agitated when you first begin meditation? Do you get bored or distracted easily, ignoring your breath and just plowing through to the next pose? I have discovered all of those issues in myself and so many more!

The way to put these discoveries to work in a positive way is just to observe them with curiosity. No need to berate yourself for not achieving that elusive, and ultimately unattainable, "Yoga Journal" pose. Open your body and mind to discovering what this moment holds for you in reality, not what you *think* it should contain.


Today, I invite you to discover the silence between and within each pose and each breath. This session will take you about 8 minutes.

1. Once you're comfortable in your chair, breathing only through your nose, see if you can actually hear your own breath as it enters and then slowly leaves your body.

2. You may notice that as you concentrate on your breath, it begins to slow, each inhale and each exhale getting longer, deeper. Continue 5 more breaths this way.

3. Move your hands to grasp the outside edge of your chair seat, near your thighs. If the chair armrests are in the way, you can grab those instead. Sitting up tall, fingers holding the seat edge, inhale as you lift your chest forward, exaggerating the curve of your spine and drawing your shoulders back. ("cow pose")

 4. Still holding the seat edge, on an exhale, reverse the curve, rounding the spine as you pull your belly in and shift your shoulders forward. ("cat pose")

 5. Repeat numbers 3 and 4 each 3 more times, always slowly moving with the breath. Let your hands settle in your lap when you're done.

 6. Rest back against the back of your chair, but keep a long spine, good posture. Inhale as you straighten both knees, lifting both feet off the floor, ankles flexed so the toes point upward. Exhale them back down. Repeat 3 more times, pulling the toes toward you as the calves begin to warm up.

 7. Push about 2 feet away from your desk to give yourself some extra room. Slide the legs apart so that the back of your knees rest near the very outer (side) edges of your seat. Sitting up tall again, using the belly muscles so you don't need to lean back against the chair. Inhale as you raise both hands high into the air, reaching for the ceiling. As you exhale, sweep both arms forward and down to land on the chair seat between your knees or on your thighs. As you sweep your arms down, lean your torso forward, hinging from the hips. Repeat 3 more times.

 8. Close the knees together, let your hands settle in your lap, and lean against the backrest. Return to the quiet breaths that we started with today. Keep listening for 10 more breaths, then return to your day continuing to pay attention to all the sounds around you.

Mindfulness

When I use the word "mindful," I get strange looks. Then the questions start. What do you mean by mindful? Like using your mind: plain old thinking? Or is it simply referring to the act of paying attention? Well, sort of.

Here is the definition offered by the Greater Good Science Center: "Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment."

Why is this awareness important? It is truly the foundation of yoga: Patanjali's Yoga sutra 1.2, yogas citta vrtti nirodhah.  This can be translated as "cessation of the fluctuations of the mind."

So are your thoughts normally bouncing all over inside your mind like a sugar-crazed toddler? Yeah, mine too. If you can imagine calming that toddler down with a hug or their favorite blanket, finding some peace and quiet, that's where mindfulness begins.

Check out this site for an article and a short video with Jon Kabat-Zinn, author and designer of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, giving a quick version of what we mean by living mindfully.

Ten more reasons to practice mindfulness, as if you needed more!

Is mindfulness real science or psycho-babble? You be the judge: research.



1. Be sure you read through "prepare for each session" instructions before you begin. Today's practice should take only about 8 minutes. Also if you are reading this via email, click through to the blog website to access the audio.

2. Get comfy in your chair, legs uncrossed, hands resting in lap, take a deep breath as you soften your eyes, meaning: take in your peripheral vision vs. a hard stare, eyelids relaxed.

3. As you inhale lift arms over head, reaching for ceiling, palms may touch, return hands to center of chest (heart center) with palms pressed together. Repeat 3 times

4. With palms still touching, inhale, then with an exhale gently push hands more firmly together, releasing the pressure on an inhale. Repeat 3 times

5. Interlace your fingers so palms face down, elbows pointing away from your body. Gently move elbows away, creating resistance in interlaced fingers. Take a breath and release slowly.

6. Keeping fingers interlaced, straighten arms sending knuckles away from body. Arms should be at shoulder height, parallel to the floor. Breathe and notice the muscles in the your arms and shoulders. If you have flexibility in your wrists, you may want to try turning your palms out, interlaced knuckles facing your body, arms stretching long. Continue to take slow breaths.

7. Release your fingers and bring both hands to your right thigh, fingers pointing to the right, inhale as you sit up tall, shoulders back and spine long. As you exhale, begin to turn your head to look over your right shoulder, continuing the twist through your torso, seat staying planted to chair. Inhale again, using the exhale to twist just a bit deeper. One more breath as you twist, then return to center. Repeat twist to left then return to center once again, hands resting on lap.

8. Push your chair back from the desk about 2 feet. Use an inhale to reach your hands over head once again, exhaling as you slowly lower hands onto knees, hinging at the hips leading with chest toward your knees for a forward fold. Inhale as you slowly lift torso back to sitting upright. Repeat 2 more times.

9. Slide your fingers of both hands under your right thigh, lifting it a few inches from seat. Keeping knee bent and spine straight, use the hands to move the thigh in circles to open the hip joint. Switch direction after 4 or 5 rotations. Rest the right thigh and move hands under left leg, repeating same movement on this side, 4-5 rotations in both directions.

10. Let hands rest in your lap, relaxing your eyes once again, focusing on slow deep breathing, silently repeating: "in" with each inhale, and  "out" with each extended exhale, for at least 10 complete breath cycles. Enjoy your day!