There is magic everywhere

On June 5, 2020June 8, 2020 By theyogagoat4 Comments

I was once again inspired by an entry on my page-a-day calendar from Buddha Doodles entitled “There is magic everywhere.” The challenge for all of us, especially in these strange and sad days, is to be open to a little magic. On by bike rides I get to see the magic of spring each day. Arizona springs are brand new to me. There are so many blooming bushes and cactus. I have been surprised by their beauty. I have also seen the magic of rebirth that comes with spring. So far I have seen a mother quail with her twelve little chicks attempting to fly, multiple mother ducks swimming with their ducklings and mother chipmunks attempting to corral their offsprings into their burrows. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my eyes on the path with all of the activity that surrounds me. I remind myself each ride to be open to the magic around me.

I recently had a magic moment at our complex’s pool. I noticed a woman who was completely absorbed in her book. She wore a large brimmed sunhat and was lying on her stomach. She seemed oblivious to what was going on around her, as she was engrossed in her book. As I looked at her, a beautiful black and gold butterfly flying around her. It hovered over her for several minutes, and only seemed to be interested in her. A few minutes later we were asked to vacate the pool for routine cleaning. I found myself standing beside this woman as we waited to be let back in. I shared with her what I had seen…That this butterfly seemed to have singled her out for a visit. She looked amazed and told me that her son had died just one month ago. We both teared up. I described the butterfly to her and said it was truly one of the most beautiful ones I had ever seen and the only reason I mentioned it to her was that it only seemed interested in her. She shared with me the book she had been so engrossed in. ‘Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child.’ It was truly a magical moment. I felt honored that even though she had missed the magical moment herself, I could be a conduit to it. We now smile warmly each time we see each other. A magical moment that we now share.

Can we continue to look for signs, and the magic in the moment despite these times we are experiencing? Police officers kneeling with demonstrators gives me hope. A thousand phones lit up for 8 minutes and 46 seconds gives me hope. Change must truly happen. We cannot forget this moment. We must keep looking for the magic despite the darkness and find our way to peace, change, understanding and healing.

Private Yoga Online

On June 2, 2020 By theyogagoat2 Comments

After much consideration, I have decided to offer private yoga classes online to those that are interested. I have been enjoying the yoga classes I have been taking online during the pandemic. I feel it is now the way of the future. I also am concerned about keeping students safe. I feel private, one- on-one, or a household of family members and friends, is the way to go for me. I specialize in gentle/restorative yoga and yoga for cancer survivors, however I also teach Hatha alignment based yoga. We can practice with vigor, ease or both.

Of course, I will tailor the practice to you! We will have a brief conversation at the beginning of our time together and I will choose the poses to practice based on what’s going on with you that day. I am excited to share my love of Yoga! I will be giving discounts for joining my email list (subscribing) The-Yoga-Goat.com and for buying a block of four classes. Privates will be $40 for the hour, $35 with a subscription. A block of 4 privates will be $150, and $130 with a subscription. Please reach out via email to amyluwho2@att.com. Or you can comment to this blog or DM me!

Resting Face

On May 27, 2020 By theyogagoat1 Comment

The buddha’s face is often referred to as a visual reminder of a face at peace. An example of contentment. I have noticed lately that many people carry tense, stern faces as they move through the day. Many refer to this as resting ***** face. These are hard days with a lot of added stress. And it doesn’t help that many of us spend a lot of time on our phones, and that adds even more opportunities for stress. So here is a de-stressing practice to try.

When looking at details on a phone, we tend to narrow the brow. The space between the eyes becomes smaller. Our heads spend a lot of time in a downward gaze, and our shoulders tend to creep up toward the ears. Have you heard of the syndrome called Tech Neck? It’s also called Anterior Head Syndrome. It describes how the head pitches forward relative to the shoulders. And the more we use our phones and computers, the worse it can get.

So next time you catch yourself staring at your screen, look away and blink. See that the space between your eyes is wide and spacious. Release your lower jaw away from your upper jaw. Soften your tongue and release it to your lower palate. Lengthen up through the back of your skull and draw the chin slightly back and down. Take some nice deep breaths and see where any tension is lingering. This could be at the temples, forehead or even the scalp. Keep breathing deeply to let it all release.

Check in with yourself throughout the day. What does my resting face feel like? Create a peaceful resting face by turning up the outer edges of the lips and soften the gaze of the eyes allowing them to radiate peace and joy. A resting face of contentment.

Future Thinking?

On May 22, 2020 By theyogagoat2 Comments

It’s an interesting exercise to consider how much time you spend with thoughts about the future. Most of us like to do a little planning, and even wishful thinking, about what’s coming up next. But at a time like this it’s hard to say what will be going on next year, next month, or even next week.

For us, future thoughts are mostly about our daughter’s wedding in October. Planning that kind of event truly requires future thinking. Other than that we have no plans. We have things we would like to do, like trips to see friends and family. But it feels premature to make concrete plans that aren’t absolutely necessary.

The future has never been a guarantee, yet we have taken it as if it is. This pandemic has really brought home the idea of uncertainty. But what if it has also provided us a gift? What if we all took this opportunity to focus on the present, instead of the uncertainty of the future? A reboot of the brain to stay closer to the now. Concentrating on the day we are in, and trying not to stray too far from the moment The present is the gift. The gift is the present.

Today

Today I’m flying low and I’m not saying a word.

I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.

The world goes on as it must,

the bees in the garden rumbling a little,

the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten

and so forth.

But I’m taking the day off.

Quiet as a feather.

I hardly move though really I’m traveling a terrific distance.

Stillness – one of the doors into the temple.

–Mary Oliver

Washing Hands

On May 19, 2020 By theyogagoat1 Comment

There is a lot of frequent hand washing these days. I think it is a practice that will be done more often even after the threat of the pandemic eases. The idea of time spent washing hands has made me think of Thich Nhat Hanh. In his book “Present Moment, Wonderful Moment” he talks about making even the most benign tasks a meditative moment and a moment to be in gratitude. His suggestion for washing hands is:

Water flows over these hands,

May I use them skillfully

To preserve our precious planet

He also suggests that each time we turn on the facet to have a moment of gratitude for fresh water flowing out of the facet. It is a gift that is often taken for granted and it is life sustaining.

Another idea that he presents in his book “Peace is Every Step” is to really look at your hands and see your ancestors. He tells the story of a friend who was parting from his mother. She held his hand and told him: “Whenever you miss me, look into your hand, and you will see me immediately.” Washing hands could be that moment of contemplation. Do you have hands like your mother or more like your father? Think of all of your ancestors who have come before you to create the hands you have in front of you.

It could also be a moment of gratitude for all that we can do because we have these hands. The hands are truly one of the most amazing tools in the universe. I hope these ideas give you something new to think about the next (more frequent) time you wash your hands.

To discover more about Thich Nhat Hanh go to http://www.plumvillage.org

Metta Meditation

On May 15, 2020 By theyogagoat5 Comments

One of the most beautiful ways to meditate is by doing a metta meditation. Metta actually means ‘loving kindness’. It can be done as a way to nourish yourself or a loved one. It can also be done for someone you don’t know well like your favorite barista or grocery clerk. It is also done for the world at large. At a time like this it really resonates with me and I am not alone in feeling this way. I have been generously included in a daily metta with a group of yogis from Prairie Yoga in Lisle, IL. My dear friend, Jen Botka, has been leading her senior yoga class via text in a daily moment of metta which also includes 3 OMs and 3 deep breaths since the quarantine began. It’s a 5 minute pause in the day to send love and wellbeing out to the universe. If you would like to join us, set an alarm for yourself for 3:00 pm central, 4:00 pm eastern, 2:00 pm mountain and 1:00 pacific. Find a quiet place and place hands at the heart. Connect to your breath and allow the mind to quiet. Repeat these phrases to yourself and add 3 OMs and deep breaths if you like.

May all sentient beings be mentally happy

May all sentient beings be physically happy

May all sentient beings be safe

May all sentient beings have ease of well being

On any given day you could change the wording to accomodate what you need. If you need some lovingkindness for yourself, change the wording to: May I be mentally happy…

If you know a loved one that is in need change it to: May John Smith be mentally happy…Etc.

Let me know if you are joining in and spread the word! It’s what the world needs right now

Listening with Love

On May 12, 2020 By theyogagoatLeave a comment

I have a delightful page-a-day calendar called Buddha Doodles. On some days, it’s that very quick zen reminder on a busy day. A little pearl of wisdom to carry with me. They are often a simple sentence or two, or a quote accompanied by a cute buddist cartoon. On a recent day it was: Listen with Love. At first, I brushed over the idea. Of course, “Listen with Love” I thought. Got it. Except do I? How often do I actually listen with true love in my heart. As someone speaks, do I drop all other thoughts and truly look the speaker in the face and open my heart and listen? As I gaze at that person, do I actually remind myself what caused me to love that person? Do I listen with not only my ears, but with all of my senses? Truly listening is a skill that we don’t actually practice very often. We live in a world of distraction. We may be raising a generation of distracted people. I owe it to my loved ones and those I come in contact with to truly listen. I invite you to join me in raising our listening skills.

Open the Heart

On May 8, 2020 By theyogagoatLeave a comment

During the Quarantine there seems to be lots of time spent on our devices, seated on soft furniture and of course watching tv. This tends to create a ‘folding forward’ action in the body. It’s a real challenge to move and be like we were prior to this time. Yogis often speak of a counterpose to any given pose. So, in this case, back bending would be called for to counter the forward folding we have consciously or more likely unconsciously been doing. Now, I am not talking about some giant 4 limbed wheel pose. I am suggesting several back bending ideas to bring more space and lightness to the center of the chest which yogis refer to as the ‘heart center.’ Yes, back bends open up the heart. When we open up the heart we allow more room for joy to come in! Most of us feel heavy hearted right now so this can be a mood lifter as well.

My first suggestion is the classic pose is called Setu Bandha Sarvangasana in Sanskrit. Setu means bridge, Bandha means to construct, and Sarvangasana means to use all the limbs. We are constructing a bridge using all of our limbs. For our version we will use a block under the sacral plate. If you don’t have a yoga block at home with you, feel free to use a stack of books, a firm folded blanket or pillow. Anything that will provide solid support that you can trust to really rest on.

Come to the floor or your mat and recline
Bend both knees and keep them hip distance apart as you lift pelvis onto your support
Adjust so that it feels comfortable on your low back, sacral area. (Please do not attempt if you have any low back issues!)
Visualize that your heels are under your knees.
Roll your arms so that your palms face upward, see if you can tuck your shoulders in towards each other and downward, then rest arms beside you
Soften face and throat and allow chin to move slightly downward to chest
Now that you are set up, feel the movement of your breath.
Breathe into the soft expanded belly, breathe into the wide open heart/lung center
Allow yourself time to rest and breathe fully into the front body
Stay awhile, breathing and resting into this shape
When you feel ready to come out, remove your support and slowly lower the spine to the floor. This is one of my favorite moments in yoga, when my spine meets the mat it feels as if I have created more space between my vertebrae.
Keep a bend to the knees and allow them to drop side to side a few times as if they were windshield wipers
As you come up from the mat notice how you feel.

My second suggestion is, when you step away from the computer, interlace fingers behind your back and reach your hands down, palms facing up and away from you. Feel the width of your collarbones across the front body. Take some deep breaths and lift, widen and open the heart center.

And lastly, anytime during the day, close the eyes and connect to the breath. With each inhale feel as if you are lifting up the heart center. On the exhale, keep the lift of the chest as the breath sofly leaves the body. Allow yourself several rounds visualizing a bright light shining right from your heart.

The Yoga Goat

Tag: meditation