One of the things that yoga has taught me is to be nonreactive.  I’ve learned, and am still practicing, that if my body is in an uncomfortable or stressful position that I should take a deep breath and relax into the sensation rather than freak out!  I practice developing a calm, nonreactive mind, and in doing so I feel confident, strong & peaceful.  In this confident, strong & peaceful state I realize that I can handle anything.  I realize that I have more power in letting go, than in fighting.  I realize that my yoga practice is just as much mental as it is physical.  I can do this.

Nope...not me!

I’m sure we’ve all had thoughts like this:  “Yea, you better get out of that pose, you’re going to hurt yourself”.  “How much longer are we going to hold this, I’m about to die!”.  Or, “I can’t do this any longer.  Why is this crazy ass teacher making us hold so long?  She’s not doing this pose, so she has no idea what we’re going through.  I can’t do this”.

I’ve noticed that when thoughts like this go through my head it just makes the pose so much worse.  Taking a deep breath and just allowing the sensations to be there, without judgment, opens me up to a more peaceful world.  It takes me deeper within myself and I begin to feel a sense of calmness.  When I get to this calm state, then I find this intelligence and it guides me.  That’s what tells me if I really need to come out of the pose because I may injure myself, not my mind.  My mind will make up all kinds of things!

So I’ve learned this and continually practice it on my mat, but what’s really cool is that I can take what I’ve learned on my mat and use the same principals in my normal everyday life.  When life throws me an unexpected curve ball, how am I going to react?  What am I thinking?  Am I dwelling in how awful things are (or could get)?  Do I want to bail out or hide and ignore the situation?

When that curve ball first appears my immediate reaction might be to cuss, pout, be bitter, mad, or sad, but soon (if not immediately) I remember my yoga practice.  I remember that I have more power in my peace, than in my rage.  I remember that no matter what is going on around me, my strong, positive mind will make it all better.  I remember that if I can just connect to my inner intelligence, I’ll know what to do.  I shift my perspective and look for the bright side in the situation, or if I don’t see a bright side at that particular moment, I realize that regardless everything will be okay.   Just like on my mat, my hip isn’t going to fall off…Everything will be okay.

**Hell no, that’s not me in the photo!**

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I have a lot of favorite yoga poses, but if I just had to pick one it would be Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II).  It appears fairly simple, but so much can be achieved in this pose (so much can be felt in this pose if you hold it long enough!!).

At first, it’s all about just trying to stay in the pose while your thigh and shoulders are screaming at you, but once you find proper alignment and connect with your breath, Warrior II is so peaceful.  It’s like a peaceful warrior; strong, focused, and courageous!

With practice, you begin to feel how strong the thigh is and come to appreciate it, and the shoulders are there, but you’re relaxed.  This feels good.  You keep holding.  Then maybe it’s not so good, but wait I’m thinking about my thigh.  Breathe!  Okay, feels better.

As thoughts like this go on in your head, you must remember to breathe.  It’s with the breath that this pose becomes meditative.  And, it’s the breath that allows you to relax when you’re in an uncomfortable position.  It’s the breath that allows you to just be in the pose, rather than doing the pose.

Here’s some alignment points (based on the picture above):

• The left leg is bent to a 90 degree angle.
• Weight is on the center of the left heel, and the toes relaxed (knee is stacked over the heel).
• Open the hip by taking the left knee towards the left “baby” toe.
• Lift the left hip crease off the left thigh (this will help get the spine vertical).
• Outside edge of the right foot is grounded down.
• The spine is extended upward in a vertical line.
• Arms are open out extending in both directions, feeling the arms strong and long (so to gain space in the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints).
• Shoulders are relaxed down, away from the ears.
• Gaze is out over your left hand.
• Hold & BREATHE.
• Then hit the other side!

Physically, Warrior II will increase your stamina, and strengthen your legs, ankles, and arms.  It’s great for stretching and opening your chest, shoulders, hips, and groin.  It relieves backaches, great for flat feet, and get this…infertility!  It even helps with carpal tunnel and sciatica.

Practice Warrior II often…it’s a great spiritual teacher!

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Awareness – I love this word.  For me it’s what has changed my life.  Well, not that my life has changed so much necessarily, but how I look at my life has changed.  Well okay, maybe it has changed my life!

Awareness has made me see things more clearly.  It’s the awareness I have of my breath and the awareness of what’s going on in my head that has given me the freedom to live easy.  It’s awareness that has given me the freedom to live stress free.  Yes, I said it…stress free!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect.  I do have moments of stress, but it’s just for a moment.  When I become aware that I’m stressing, I stop.  I realize what’s going on in my head (I’m making up crazy scenarios of what I think is going to happen but never does), and then I decide what to do.  I can either keep freaking out, or I can change my thoughts to more positive ones.  I can choose to shift my thoughts so I relax.  For example, I think about the love I have for my kids or all the things I have to be grateful for.   However, if the situation that is stressing me out has a really strong pull on me (I’m sure there’s lots of that going on in this “bad” economy…that’s another blog topic!), and I can only think of my loving kids for so long (haha) then what I do is I keep coming back – coming back to my breath, coming back to my happy thoughts, coming back to my awareness.  Eventually, you realize that the stressful situation is either out of your control or something that you can act on (when the time is right).  BUT, either way you must become aware of how that stress has a hold of you (how are you reacting to it?).

If it’s something that is out of your control, then that’s just it.  You become aware of that fact and then you let it go.  If it’s something that you can act on, then staying aware will keep you in your positive thoughts (if that’s what you choose).  Those positive thoughts are crucial because that’s what will give you the inspiration for your actions.

There’s also an awareness of how you feel.  Physically, you become aware of how your body feels (this is where I plug my yoga classes).  My body holds a lot less tension because I’m aware when I have my shoulders scrunched up to my ears, or when I’ve got worry wrinkles on my forehead.  But then there’s also this awareness of how you feel emotionally.  When you get down to it, there’s really only two emotions, good or bad.  So if you can always get back to feeling good (positive thoughts feel good), your life becomes easier.  Believe it or not, life really is simple!  It really is easy!  It really can be stress free!

It just takes practice.  Awareness takes practice!  It’s a continual remembering to be aware.  So the more you practice being aware, the more you remember to do it.  The more you remember to do it, the more it becomes a part of your life.  The more it becomes a part of your life, the better your life becomes.

If you want to live a stress free life like I do, awareness is one of your best friends!

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