Football, Yoga & Beginner's Mind

I have been trying to jump back from crow pose for years. I have built up my arm strength. My core is ready. I can successfully do the pose itself but still have not been able to jump back to plank from crow. I watch other yogis do it with such ease and “I think I am strong. I can do that.” Over and over I have tried through the years and have never been able to do it.

Until today.

Today I watched a video that gave me some simple tips I hadn’t learned before. The three tips were to press my finger tips into the mat, so much so that they become white in color. The second tip was to look forward and not down or back as I had been doing. And the third tip was to expel an audible exhale as I sent my legs backwards to plank.  Boom! That was all I needed. I got it on the first try. It was thrilling, but then these kinds of things make me happy. :)

Sometimes pure brute strength is not enough to achieve a goal. Sometimes we need a fresh new way of thinking to get there. It takes beginner’s mind. 

Beginner’s mind is a concept that comes from the Zen tradition. It means having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and freedom from preconceptions when approaching anything. Beginner’s mind is actually the space where the mind does not know what to do. It is that delicious state when we are sure of nothing, yet completely fearless, totally available to the moment.

This morning my husband asked a question that touched me to my core. He asked, “What can I do about this football thing?” Now, I could give two tiddly winks about football but it means a lot to him. He’s a guy’s guy. He has season tickets to our local team, the Baltimore Ravens. He is also a vet. His father served in Viet Nam and Korea. His sisters were also in the military. When it comes to racism, he is the most intolerant person I know. He will firmly stand up to anyone who makes a racist comment. It's a core principle that he lives by and it’s one of the first things I loved about him when we started dating back in college.

Several years back I interviewed Hawah Ever on the Happy Healthy You! podcast and I asked the same question of him. I honestly wanted to know what a regular white suburban mom could do to help put an end the insanity of racism. 

Listen to the podcast. There are no easy answers. But asking questions can be a place to start. Also, taking action by supporting the efforts of people like Hawah or Becca Stevens, founder of Magdalene House, and so many others.

Perhaps adopting a beginner’s mind is the answer. Let’s get back to that space of openness. Clearly, we don’t know what to do. Which can be a good thing. 

What I do know is that love is always the highest and best choice. And that it's up to each of us to examine the way we live our lives to make sure we're doing all we can to lift one another. And that to achieve anything great it does require courage and strength.

A rising tide lifts all boats. ~~John F. Kennedy

Yet, what I learned this morning as I jumped back to chaturanga from crow for the very first time was that I wasn’t sure what I was doing when I started.  So I had to let go of old ideas of how to jump back. When I did, that’s when the magic happened.

We’re not going to magically love one another and treat each other with the respect and dignity we all deserve overnight. (Although it would be nice if we could). But with practice and beginners mind, we can let go of tired old ways of relating to one another that don’t serve the highest good for any of us.

And then maybe we can just enjoy the game. Or yoga.

Peace Love and Namaste,

Connie

Join me for a yoga class:
http://conniebowman.com/yoga.php

Breath and Happiness

“Remember to breathe. It is after all, the  secret of life.” 

~~ Gregory Maguire, A Lion Among Men

A lot of us walk around with neck, shoulder and back pain. It’s almost epidemic in this culture that spends much of its time slumped over a computer or steering wheel. Aside from the problem of inactivity there is a subtler influence this is having on us that can affect our minds, our bodies and our spirits. 

In a July, 2009 edition of the Journal Cephalalgia, a pilot study on dysfunction of breathing in chronic neck pain patients resulted in findings that chronic neck patients have decreased breathing capacity as well as poor breathing muscle strength. They also found a significant association between forward head posture and low breathing muscle strength in neck pain patients. They consider the relationship between breathing and neck pain to be an important factor in the assessment of neck pain patients, as well as in rehabilitation and medication use. In a June, 2013 edition of the Manual Therapy Journal, a study was performed to assess breathing weakness in association with chronic neck pain. The authors noted that individuals suffering chronic neck pain have weak respiratory muscles. They advise professionals treating chronic neck pain patients to consider breathing assessment and also treatment when necessary. 

Interesting findings, but we yogis knew that!

Correct breathing from the diaphragm is essential to our health and even our happiness I would venture to say.

Take a moment and just notice how you breathe. Is it shallow? Do you use your neck muscles when you inhale? How long does it take you to finish a full breath? Notice any movement in the belly, ribs and lungs. There should be some.

The way we breathe is crucial to our health. Breath brings us oxygen for our cells and restores us to balance. Each inhale is an opportunity to reboot our systems. Each exhale releases waste products from our body. It’s something we all must do but most take for granted.

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” 

~~Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

A series of good long deep breaths calm the nervous system. We send a signal to the brain that it’s time to relax. We are better able to think more clearly, to rest and digest. 

All the Yogi, Sufi and Taoist masters as well as the early Christian monks and mystics focused on the breath and used the it in their prayers and rituals. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find any genuine spiritual teacher or path that does not teach the vital importance of breath.

“And Lord God took the dust of the earth, and formed the body  of man; and breathed into the nostrils of man the Breath of Life; and man became a living soul.” 

~~Genesis 2:7

Please join me for yoga where we practice breath and movement to become more aware of patterns that can hold us back and keep us from living full, happy healthy lives. To find a class visit my website: http://conniebowman.com/yoga.php.

Happy healthy breathing my friends and Namaste,

Connie