Sanctuary: April 2, 2012

Laughing: April Fool's Day

Laughter Yoga is popular these days. I'm not a follower of this practice, but I do know that laughter can act as a wonderful medicine.  It stimulates your immune system, helps to flush out impurities, exercises your lungs and diaphragm and has many other benefits.  Laughing in a group of people, without malice, leaves you feeling refreshed and more optimistic about yourself and the world. 

We saw Danny Bhoy here just recently.  I laughed so hard, I had to get the tissues out.  For your April Fool's enjoyment, here's one of his routines from past years. I picked this one because of the bat on his T-shirt.  Seemed like reason enough.

(There's some slightly rude language here, so don't click if that bothers you.)



Happy Birthday to my nephew, John! 

Take A Chance With Me: Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone

Although I was proud enough of my suspended shoulder stand to post a photograph of the event (and it's a rare day when I'm in any photograph), it wasn't long before I began to critique my pose.  As wonderful as it felt to go upside down, I'm no poster child for correct alignment:

You can see that I'm holding on here for dear life, after Robin helped me up.  I wasn't strong enough to get there on my own. One of the goals in this pose is to be in Tadasana (albeit upside down), with my feet level and my legs straight and strong.  I started out that way, but at this point, I'm using the wall for support, doing an unintentional back bend.  These are a few things I see; a yoga instructor would have much more to suggest about correct positioning.  Notice that I'm critiquing my pose, not criticizing it.  There's a big difference.

In some ways, the sloppiness of my pose doesn't matter.  I got up there, which is more than most people I know could or would do.  I managed to work through the rush of panic without freaking out and I stayed in the pose for a few minutes.  I had some idea of how the pose should feel and look and I did manage to take my feet away from the wall in an attempt at Tadasana.  If I never do this again, I still have a few bragging rights. 

(Incidentally, Robin was correct-when I went up, I had a very sore right shoulder, enough to wake me up at night.  "This will help," she assured me, although I couldn't see how balancing on a painful area would relieve the discomfort.  It's been two nights now, and I haven't been disturbed by shoulder pain one bit.  Go figure.)

It's not enough.  Now that I know I can do shoulder stand, I want to improve my pose. I've looked closely at the photo, asked questions about adjustments, annoyed yoga teachers about why this and that.  I'm looking to move out of my comfort zone because that's how I learn and grow.

Comfort zones are there for good reasons.  Sometimes, it's nice to play safe, to look for the soothing tones of the familiar.  Staying in the warm, fuzzy areas can keep us happy, away from risk.  Those aren't problems, unless and until we use comfort to numb our experiences and allow ourselves to shrink from challenges.  If you refuse all challenges, you'll end up as a warm puddle on your couch, afraid to interact with the world.  You literally won't know your own body or mind.

Many fibre people take up knitting or spinning or other fibre crafts for those comfort experiences.  We seek to escape the pressures of our jobs, our families, the stresses of life, our selves.  Spinning plain yarns, knitting garter stitch scarves by the truckload help us feel good.  Not only do our crafts calm us, we make something useful in the process.  Again, there is no judgment here.  I'm a big, big fan of garter stitch and plain 2 ply yarn. We are forced to deal with stress every day; we don't have to add more if we'd rather not. 

The thing is, if we're able to do something at all, why not explore our limits?  Once in a while, we need to step outside those boundaries, face our fears head on (or down, as the case may be) and go for it.  If you always knit garter stitch scarves, consider working a simple shawl, perhaps with an easy lace border.  Continue spinning those plain yarns, but throw some deliberate designer lumps and bumps into one or two skeins.

This little shawl is nothing but garter stitch and yarn overs.

Rather than adding to our stresses, challenges will actually alleviate the pressures we face.  When you are working on something new, you have to pay attention, which means you don't have the time or space to worry about the daily annoyances which build stress.  You pick your challenge, research it and do it safely, to the best of your abilities.  Then you push a little more.  (Safety is much more important with a physical challenge. Although I've seen some impressive spinning and knitting failures, apart from a rush of forceful language and some tears, fibre flaws are rarely fatal.)

It's that "pushing a little more" that will take you places and enrich your world. So, go on, take a baby step or two.  You may soon find yourself running.

As for me, I've been behaving like a little kid all week, begging people to help "Me go upside down!"  It feels good.

Namaste.



A bit of hand spun yarn, garter stitch, some holes and a sense of adventure can take you places.  It really is okay to colour outside the lines!

(Congratulations to DaigleD, whose name was chosen for the Blog Birthday draw.)

Up Side Down: How to Celebrate a Blog's First Anniversary

Here we go.  No comments on my alignment, please!:

Thanks for taking the photograph, Robin!

The Real Thing: On Being "Genuine"

On Friday, Colin asked us to ponder what constitutes "genuine yoga."  Now, I love to "ponder." In fact, some would call me "ponderous," so I've been thinking about this question for some time.  I've discussed what I look for in a yoga teacher (here) as well as what I think "real" yoga should be (here).

It's always easy to discover what you expect from others.  What I haven't thought about much is what I expect from myself as a student-if yoga and its teachers have duties to their pupils, do I have any responsibilities to ensure sincerity in my practice?

The answer is, as always, "It depends."  If I'm following something for simple enjoyment and interest, then I may not feel the need for in depth study, or even to take that topic very seriously.  Long ago, I may have been content to go to a yoga class and simply practice asanas.  Moving my body, stretching and making the effort to stay healthy are fine things just on their own. As I've continued to practice, I've discovered that I'm hoping to accomplish something more with my yoga/meditation and fibre arts.  If I want to incorporate something as a life practice, or spiritual pursuit, then it's reasonable to expect that my efforts will go a little deeper. 

With that in mind, I'd like to offer some ideas on what a student should bring to her studies.  (Note to my students: Do not be afraid.  I do not have these expectations for anyone else.  I'm grateful just to have you attend classes!)

• A serious student owes it to herself and her teacher to take responsibility for the choices she makes.  Before I jump into something, I might do some preliminary research on my subject and its instructors.  Do these courses and their teachers seem to fit my interests and learning style?  Will they do me more harm than good?  This is a very practical consideration: I can get physically, or less commonly, mentally or emotionally hurt in a yoga class if the teacher doesn't consider individual capabilities, pushes too hard or doesn't listen, but the same thing can happen if I don't listen to my body, know my strengths and weaknesses and pay attention.  Teachers are not mind readers. I need to tell them what they need to know. Physical limits are not as serious in a fibre class, but they are there.  If a particular spinning technique hurts, then I need to let that be known.  A good teacher will find a modification, but I need to tell her that modifications are necessary. I also need to remember that one teacher does not fit all.  Sometimes, I'm the wrong student for a particular instructor; sometimes, I will have to move on.
• Conversely, I don't need to cover all bases before taking a chance.  Once in a while,it's good just to grab that lifeline and jump.  If something crosses my path, I tend to take that as a sign to go for it.  As a student, I need to have some sense of adventure.
• As a serious student, I should be open to the possibility that I have much to learn.  This is a particular problem if I've been studying something for any length of time: I may not recognize just how little I know.  Sometimes, I do know more than my teacher, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have something to teach me.  I thought I knew something about yoga; taking this university class taught me how little I do know, which is the most valuable lesson I've taken from the class (and there are many lessons I took from the class).  If I thought I knew everything there is to know about spinning or knitting, I'd never be able to take another fibre class.  Where's the fun in that?
• Along with admitting my lack of knowledge, I need to listen.  I have a problem with listening well-I tend to anticipate answers; I want to let people know what I know about a topic and I fail to hear what others say.  If I don't practice listening attention, I miss out on what others have to offer.
• Most importantly, if I want to develop a genuine practice, I need to do the work. No excuses.  Yes, life gets in the way of my goals sometimes. When it does, I have to find a way around or through the obstacles.  If I want to go below the surface of a subject, I must do what is asked of me, as best I can.  I need to work to my capacity or safely beyond it. So, I do that reading, those papers, that particular knitting technique or drafting style.  Then, I do more.  Being a serious student doesn't just mean doing the work asked.  It means I must do that work and then whatever else I need to do to satisfy my curiosity.  If I'm lucky, I'll never solve all the mysteries or find all the answers to my questions.

If I want to find "genuine" yoga/meditation/fibre arts, I have no further to look than within myself.  I'm a true believer in the old idea that, "When you are ready, the teacher will appear."  It wasn't until I decided that my attitude towards a subject, any subject, was the key to discovering what I needed to learn that possibilities began to appear everywhere. 

Openheartedness is the sprouting seed.  Once we open our hearts, we allow roots to grow, nourishing our interests and providing multiple branches to support those interests. If we do that, our practice will be strong, sincere and genuine.

Namaste.

Birthday!

March 27, 2012 will mark the first anniversary of this blog.  Writing posts on a regular basis has helped me to sharpen my thoughts on my meditation, yoga and fibre practices.

I enjoy writing and appreciate the opportunity to reach anyone interested in these subjects.  As a "thank you" to my readers and in celebration of the past year, I'd like to offer a small gift to a reader:

"Heart Like a Wheel" is my guide to beginning a spinning meditation practice.  It's a 40 page manual (plastic cover, spiral bound, black and white photos) of spinning and meditation exercises and resources, including three simple knitting patterns to help you along your way.  (One of the patterns is not included in my blog patterns.)  If you take my "Heart Like a Wheel" workshop at Olds Fibre Week 2012, you'll be given a copy of the manual; otherwise, I'll be selling copies privately.  Click on the links for more information about Fibre Week 2012 and my workshop.

If you would like to win a copy of the guide, send me a message here telling me which of my posts most caught your attention and why-good or bad, either way is fine.  I would also like to know your favourite colour. Just because.

If the winner is in North America, she'll receive a hardbound copy of the manual.  An international winner will get a PDF copy of the guide, because Canadian postage rates are, well, brutally high. 

The winner will be chosen randomly, by me.  You have until March 27th to enter.  I'll announce the winner on the blog and ask you to send me a land address or email addy privately. 

Thanks, everyone, and Namaste!

 

Happy Feet: How to Put Our Best Foot Forward

When Sarah talks about the "intelligence of our feet," she always gets a few puzzled looks.  How are feet intelligent?  For most of us, feet are just "there."  We pay little or no attention to them until they hurt.  If your feet hurt, everything hurts.  Hobbling around on sore feet makes daily life a chore.

For most of us, our feet keep us stable and mobile.  Feet are the furthest point from the brain and yet they manage to receive and transmit signals which balance the body and move it when necessary.  If you lose the use of your hands, especially when you're young, your feet can become marvellously dexterous, with your toes doing the sensitive work of fingers.

Do we thank our feet for the work they do?  Not likely-instead, we cram them into pointy-toed shoes, neglecting their care until we develop problems.  Then we curse our feet as if "we" had nothing to do with their condition. 

Wheel spinners sit for long hours treadling, so it's wise to pay some attention to those hard-working feet and toes.  Start with a bit of pampering-a basic soak and scrub pedicure if your feet are in good condition, a visit to a foot care specialist if you have problems.  Make a point of doing a few simple foot exercises every day.  The exercises listed here will help balance and strengthen your toes and feet, which may prevent the sore ankles and feet common to spinners. 

The first set of exercises can be done any time you are lying down, on the floor, on the couch, in a chair with your feet up or even in bed.  Move slowly and mindfully, stretching to your capacity.  Think of these poses as "meditation for the sole." (Ouch.)

None of these exercises should cause harm, but as always, it's wise to check with your health practitioner:

• Stretch your legs out, bringing some energy into your legs and feet.  Spread your toes as widely as you can, so that you can see some space between each toe.  (Do the best you can.  If you can't get space between your toes, think about doing so.)  Hold for a moment, then think of curling each toe individually towards the foot, starting with the big toe.  If you can't work each toe on its own, curl the toes all at once, but work at moving each toe separately.  Hold those scrunched up toes with some tension for a few moments.  Do not hold the pose so tightly that you give yourself cramps.
• Relax your legs.  Bend and flex your feet.  Point your toes away from your body as fully as you can, then flex them as much as you can towards your body.  Repeat this movement a few times-10 is a good place to start.
• Raise your heels a bit and rotate your ankles in both directions.  All the movement comes from the ankles, not the feet or the legs.  If you can't do both ankles at once, do each one on its own.  Start with 5 rotations in each direction and work up to 10.
• Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose), lie back and balance yourself with your forearms or lie flat on your back with your legs outstretched.  Bring your right leg over your left leg and place your right heel into the base of the toes of your left foot.  The toes on your right foot are flexed, and the feet are now stacked.  Hold this pose as long as you can before switching foot positions.  This is an excellent pose for stretching the toes, the arches and the soles of your feet, as well as the muscles and tendons up the back of the legs.  You may experience some discomfort when first doing the pose.  Remember: stretching is good.  Pain is not.

This is the "stacked toes" position.  Remember to bring some energy into the feet. My feet are away from the wall here, but if you need support, you can place your bottom foot on the wall. 

Doing these simple poses 10 minutes daily will help relieve and strengthen sore feet. When you develop awareness of your feet, you'll learn to appreciate them and they'll return the favour by keeping you strong, balanced and mobile.

I'm spinning this wool top worsted for a sock yarn.  Your feet deserve pampering!