From Longing to Living

What are you doing? I mean it. What are you doing and why?

Are you just doing what you think will get you ahead in life? Out of your current stuck rut? Everybody breathe...again, and deeper. Now one more time...

I used to hate it when therapists, coaches, yoga teachers etc. would do all these breathing exercises during my time with them. "What a waste" I used to think...can't we just "Get on with things, I have a lot to do/discuss/process etc."

So here we are, breathing together and deeper. Slowing the swirling pace of life down. Being present in our bodies, in tune with our hearts, and anchored in our bellies. Yes, women, in the exact same place that babies are birthed, is where you too must birth your dreams, your desires, your dance with life.

I know that at numerous stages in my life, I've applied for so many things I didn't even want...but I sure thought I did at the time! This absurd pattern started with colleges. I kept applying to one university in particular, not because I liked the school or the city it was in, but because my friends were going there and it "sounded" good. Next, I'd go after guys that I wasn't truly interested in. (This is an article in and of itself!) After that I'd apply for jobs that I didn't really want. Those, of course, were easy to justify, "I needed to work" "It pays the bills" "It includes health insurance" "I should take this job" "It's a good opportunity" "It'll look good on my resume". Recently I found myself doing the SAME thing...

Going after things I thought I should do, sounded practical, could probably work out etc. Yesterday I decided to breathe...deeply. Today I decided to ONLY go after what I REALLY want. The people, projects and experiences that absolutely light me up! I have not taken a vow to be a martyr, and if you look close it could appear that way. (At least until yesterday!)

This whole "going for what I want idea" is interesting. It certainly is opposite to the way I was taught to live life. But many of the ways I've been taught don't work for me. So, today, it's me and God.

Closer than ever, going slower than ever. I'm breathing and asking, "what's next?"; versus being the CEO of rushing nowhere fast.

Today, I'm trusting that if I go for what I truly desire, it will feel good in my body and thrill my soul; and that is where God and I dance. I'm not taking a practical route! I'm jumping on the love train...loving myself, loving my God, and loving and trusting that I'm being directed to where I will be used for His purpose. It is in this divine joy that I switch from longing to living. Here are the 7 steps to go after what you really want:

1. Stop, breathe deeply and be present. 2. Let your desire surface. 3. Trust that extraordinary experiences and provision are meant for you. 4. Give yourself permission to go for what you REALLY want. 5. Start having FUN with your life. 6. Call 3 people and share with them the great news of what you're doing. 7. Get to work...your life is waiting for you to arrive!

2007 Gina Ratliffe

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Kram Yoga Video

Warm Sesame-Oil Massage: A Yummy Yoga Treat! (And Great Way of Calming Vata)

The art & science of Ayurveda (a close cousin to Yoga) perceives, maps & speaks of the human body in terms of the three Doshas ~ Vata, Pitta and Kapha ~ each of which governs a different aspect of our lived experience. Though all three Doshas operate within every (living) person, each of us manifests a unique (and ever-changing) combination of their attributes. The predominant pattern of this combination within us gives rise to what is known as our Tri-Dosha type, or constitution.

The Vata Dosha, which will be the focus of this article, corresponds to the elements space and air. As such, it governs all movement in our human physiology, from the subtle, fleeting movement of thoughts across the screen of our mind, to the coursing of blood through our arteries and veins, to the movements of our limbs and pranic body in a yoga asana practice. The Vata Dosha can be, within this system, divided further into five sub-doshas, each of which represents the functioning of Vata in a specific part of the body. These sub-categories (which correspond to Yogic divisions of Prana) are: prana, udana, vyana, samana & apana.

When Vata is in balance, we are alert and spontaneous in our mental, emotional & physical movements. Our intelligence is active in a relaxed and fluid way. We are spacious without being spaced out.

When Vata is out of balance, we manifest symptoms such as: worry, stress, anxiety, fatigue, an over-active mind, restlessness, agitation, difficulty sleeping and mood swings. There are also physical symptoms of out-of-balance Vata, such as dry skin or constipation though my focus here is more on the emotional/mental aspects. [Just an aside: these are symptoms which are often given, within western medicine, the diagnosis of ADD or adhd hmmm ]

So how do we bring an out-of-balance Vata back into balance? Ayurvedic suggestions for doing this include:

(1)Maintaining a regular daily routine with respect to meal-times, exercise & relaxation, and sleeping times. Early to bed & early to rise tends to be best for Vata and if youre having trouble sleeping, try drinking a cup of warm milk with a pinch of ground nutmeg, right before bed.
(2)Eating warm cooked meals (as opposed to cold or raw foods) which include oils (e.g. ghee or sesame or sunflower oil) and/or oily foods (e.g. nuts, seeds, olives, avocados).
(3)Living in a warm moist climate with lots of fresh air and sunshine (e.g. Hawaii or at the least, buy a humidifier!).
(4)Wearing clothing that is either warm (e.g. red, orange, yellow) or calming (e.g. green) in color.
(5)Choosing for leisure calming activities such as walks in nature or parks (see my previous post on Walking Meditation!)
(6)Treating yourself to a warm oil massage the really yummy thing which will now be described in a bit more detail

A delightful way of calming an out-of-balance Vata is to give yourself a warm-oil massage. The oil that is best to use for Vata imbalance is sesame oil (organic un-roasted cold-pressed is the very best). So buy yourself some oil; warm up about 1/3rd cup or so (in a small pan on your stove, medium heat); turn up the heat in your house; spread a large towel or a sheet on the floor; and then ~ from head to foot (including your hair and scalp!) ~ work the warm oil into your skin, using circular massage-strokes. When youve finished, cover up so that you stay really warm, and let the oil soak into your skin for a half-hour at least. After youve relaxed like this for a half-hour or hour, then take a warm shower, washing off any excess oil (which hasnt by this time been absorbed into your skin). Apply a light moisturizing lotion after the shower (to seal the oil thats already there) and notice how you feel!

If you do this weekly or even daily, when youre experiencing Vata-imbalance symptoms, youll very likely notice a shift notice the balanced-Vata qualities of relaxed alertness and joyful spontaneity emerging once again.

Enjoy!

And to end (this article, and begin the rest of your day), what feels to me to be a very Vata poem (you can decide if its balanced or imbalanced!) by the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore (from his Gitanjali):

I am like a remnant of a cloud of autumn uselessly roaming in the sky, O my sun ever-glorious! Thy touch has not yet melted my vapour, making me one with thy light, and thus I count months and years separated from thee.

If this be thy wish and if this be thy play, than take this fleeting emptiness of mine, paint it with colours, gild it with gold, float it on the wanton wind and spread it in varied wonders.

And again when it shall be thy wish to end this play at night, I shall melt and vanish away in the dark, or it may be in a smile of the white morning, in a coolness of purity transparent.

Elizabeth Reninger holds a Masters degree in Chinese medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. She is a student of Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For more essays on yoga-related topics, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

Yoga Positions Arnand