Book Review: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
When you read the words lush, rollicking, and imaginative to describe a new novel, it’s difficult to not read it. And when several people you admire as readers recommend it, then it turns into an impossibility, especially when the plot turns on the ability of women in the 1950s being able to turn themselves into dragons.
Read MoreThe yoga Vedic teaching to speak the sweet truth – Satyaṃ brūyāt priyaṃ brūyāt in Sanskrit – invites us to use exquisite subtlety in communicating the truth which virtually demands that we pause before speaking. The teaching goes on:
Read MoreI love galette as a vehicle for pears because their subtle flavor can get lost in a more complicated dessert. An added bonus — this pastry is so simple to make, especially if you use a premade crust….
Read MoreFloating when depleted proves to be a strong Rx, a natural one, too. You don’t need to be on an ocean- or river-bound ship to do it, either. Floating, I’ve come to realize, comes in many versions and leads to a more- restive state of mind…
Read MoreOur world is constantly evolving, and part of that evolution is that now, more humans are expressing their true nature. New words are coming into use to describe the beautiful varieties of humans and human relationships like cis, cisgender, trans, gender binary, poly, genderfluid, ENM (ethical non-monogamy), to name a few. For some, these new words are a source of discomfort, confusion, or even prejudice. All of these words, however, simply describe our fellow humans. And every human is worthy of ahimsa - acknowledgment, respect, compassion, and love.
Read MoreWe entered Leo season on July 22 and will remain there until August 22. Leo is the astrological sign that often leaves us scratching our heads and feeling unsure of others’ intentions. Traditionally known for drama and demanding behavior, this sign is far more than meets the eye.
Read MoreI’m depleted. Out of juice. Stopped dead in my tracks. I know I’m not alone. Just saying the words, “I’m depleted” somewhat eases the sense of depletion. I suspect you might know the feeling. The question is: Why does it take so long to admit it? And who do we think we’re fooling?
Like so many of you, I am finely attuned to my body and to my mind. The slightest change in calibration – be it physical, mental, emotional, spiritual - reverberates throughout my integrated system like shock waves. I trust my body and what it communicates, and I trust that I know my body best. I trust myself to make sound decisions that affect my body, mind, and spirit – I trust you to make yours.
What I mistrust? The ubiquitous “I’m fine”, “I’m well”, “I’m good” when someone asks me how I am and when I ask someone else. This mistrust bases itself on my direct experience. If I, your average human being albeit one who possessed huge amounts of energy, feels depleted from time to time, I assume with a high degree of confidence that most other humans do, too.
My depletion flows from a hidden underground spring of challenges, many of which we share. A primary culprit? Two years of coping and then recovering from the pandemic – in the case of MB and me fighting to save a business while facing the worry about loved ones. We’ve heard your pandemic sagas, too: saving your kids from the shock and challenge created from it, working from home (a blessing and a curse), feeling stuck.
Depletion results from so many triggers: grief, worry, overwork, no work, conflict with friends and family members, overeating and undereating, too much exercise and, for most of us, too little. Sometimes the cause slams into us like the fast-moving service vehicle that recently rear-ended my car on the freeway from following too close. When an accident happened in front of me, and I was able to avoid colliding into it because I’d left enough space, the driver behind me had not. Stopped dead in my tracks turned out not to just be a phrase. That impact depleted me in multiple ways and forced me into cutting back my schedule.
I wanted to keep going – this is both an instinct and a learned behavior (“just keep going” being a favorite idiom in many family structures). My head, my neck, my brain, my mind, my heart say otherwise. I’m listening to them. MB said recently and kindly, “My Energizer Bunny is missing in action.”
Stopping for a while, what a notion. It’s in the pause that we find ourselves and our well-being again. I’m working less because those are the doc’s orders as my eyes and brain require time to establish the proper communications patterns between them. In the pause, a secret revealed itself to me: When we finally admit to feeling depleted, healing and rebounding begin. Slowly, the body wants to move again. Carefully, the brain permits trying different approaches to counter the ever-present pounding headache. Mindful that we are energy, we attune to the ebb and flow of it and make different choices.
What if, when you feel depleted, you stopped yourself dead in your tracks? What if, instead of blustering through with the “I’m fine” and “I’m well”, you told the truth – “Right now, I’m pausing for a bit”? Would you, like me, begin to turn a corner into respecting your body, mind, spirt? And if you’re already practiced at this, share your stories.
What I’ve learned from this experience is to honor only that which I am feeling – whatever the feeling is – and pause in it. In the pause a solution reveals itself, whether it’s for rest, action, reflection.
The philosophy of yoga encourages us to “stay in the body”; to find the middle path; to non-harming ourselves and others (ahimsa); to telling the truth to ourselves and others (satya), and to cleanliness toward ourselves and others (saucha), which means to take care with ourselves and others.
Don’t wait for a debilitating shock to your system, for doctor’s orders, for collapse. Admitting to depletion (satya) completes it so we can move forward with the confidence that we know ourselves best. Admitting to depletion is the first step in defeating depletion. Join me.
The ancient art and practice of the 8-limbed path of yoga, of which pranayama is an integral branch, focuses on this three-part connection of body, mind, and breath (or spirit) - three integral components or ingredients that lead to a solid, growing, and focused yoga practice. These three facets of our practice are undeniably connected, interwoven, and entangled even if we are not consciously aware of their triangulation with each other.
Read MoreWhen I feel a tightening or an uncomfortable burn in my Solar Plexus, I stop. I feel. I “listen” with my whole being. Is this anger? Is this a desire to be “right”? Is this a play of a sheer force of will? Is this over-excitement? Is this nervousness or shyness?
Read MoreSimple Steps (Really) for a Healthier, Balanced Life
Earth – Air – Fire – Water – Space
These are the five elements that, according to the science of Ayurveda, combine to form all of creation. Everything we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell as well as every living being is formed from some combination of these five elements….
Read MoreIn her cheerful, quiet room, I sit as close to her hospital bed as possible, my hand on her bony shoulder, and turn my full attention to her. Even as she sleeps, I resist the phone….
Read MoreIn yoga and meditation classes, we’re often asked to have the intention of grounding or are cued to ground ourselves. Most of us, correctly, hear those as an invitation to connect more deeply to the earth. What exactly does that mean?
Read MoreSomatics uses gentle movement patterns to shift the central nervous system and create new muscular habits. These movements are performed with conscious awareness and focus on the internal experience of the movement. Somatics can help reset natural movement patterns.
Read MoreAll day long, I’d roamed the combative realm of divided attention: sneaking in an answer to a text or two while in Zoom meetings; answering phone calls from colleagues and friends while writing emails or editing articles, and cramming some non-descript food into my hungry body while reading business documents. I felt depleted and alienated. Split attention takes a toll on us as we now well know, giving lie to decades of training people how to multi-task.
Read MoreThere comes the time when we take deep stock of our lives. If we’re living a life grounded in the present and in the body, we will have taken stock frequently throughout the entire arc of our lives. What does it mean to take deep stock? When do we know it’s time to do so? How do we do it?
Read MoreThere are many parts to breathing. However, on a day-to-day, moment- to-moment basis, we connect most simply and understandably with our inhalation and exhalation. It happens naturally. We breathe in and out, all day and all night long. Yet, have you ever wondered what you might find if you were to pause….
Read MoreSweating often communicates the state of our emotional well-being. How many times has a friend, partner, child, spouse said to you, “I broke out into a cold sweat”? How many times have you experienced the cold sweats yourself?
Read MoreEating with the seasons is a simple way to eat healthier and nurture Mother Nature. Strawberry season is in full swing and blueberries aren't far behind. These refreshing fruit soup recipes are easy to make and can easily be modified to use whatever fruits are fresh and available.
Read MoreThe feeling of happiness moved throughout my body like liquid gold, starting at my heart center. I understood what happiness feels like for me. Because I stayed present the thought was no longer just a thought – it morphed into a physical sensation….
Read Morehttps://www.greenlotusyogactr.com/training-yoga-school/kids-yoga-teacher-training
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