Somatic meditation: resources, experiences and reflections on my big toe

As I drive around town I've been listening to an audiobook by Reginald Ray called Awakening the Heart: a somatic training in Bodhichitta.  While it might sound really esoteric, it's really incredibly tangible and real.  Our bodies are the most tangible thing we've got going; way more than our thoughts. 

There's so much to unpack that I think it will take way longer than a blog post to do it justice.  The bummer is that I had to return the audio book to the library because 18 people have holds!  Clearly a popular topic.

Luckily Reggie Ray has a great web site, so I will have to satisfy my learning needs that way for now.  Go in and explore.  It's pretty rich from my initial look.  I am so grateful that the site offers guided meditations.  The ten point meditation practice is one of the foundational practices in the audio book, and one that I found quite challenging.  I love that he pokes fun at it, i.e. joking that we might find it challenging to make time to breath into our big toe. Really that is part of the 10 point practice. No joke.  I found it challenging to even notice any feeling in my big toe.  One of my observations is how numb or disconnected I seem to be from many parts of my body, and that according to him, this is not unusual for people in the modern West.  It's even worse if you are a survivor of trauma.  I guess I hit the jackpot.  Must be why I am so passionate about yoga and movement at this stage of my life and journey. 

Our guests

One of the gifts of my yoga practice has been cracking open my heart to being aware of feelings and states of being, and trying not to judge/shift or ignore them.  To sit with them, notice them, as meditation teachers have intoned, "like clouds in your sky."

Sit with fear.  Sit with grief.  Sit with sadness.  Strive not numb out with food or TV, or whatever addictive substance or activity or thought pattern is your thing. 

There is a poem that I discovered in the course of my meditation process (Insight Timer app is amazing with all these cool guided meditations) that broke open my heart when I meditated to it.  In the aftermath of the election, filled with so many painful emotions, I meditated and wept, as the poem was read aloud.  It broke through the shock, the numbness. 

I share this poem with you, so perhaps you might find a glimpse of sitting with your guests too.  I would love to hear what you think or if you have another way to sit with kindness with your "cloud of sorrows."

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

— Jellaludin Rumi,

Sanctuary

Last month I took on a new challenge as a  yoga teacher.  I organized and co-taught a yoga benefit for an immigrants rights group that I volunteer with as a board member.  It was challenging on so many levels, and in equal measure rewarding.  I'm grateful to my amazing yoga teacher Kate Busby who generously co-taught with me, as well as Lisa, the studio owner who so generously supported this benefit.  I got to experience the big heart of yoga through this experience.  

The theme of the benefit was sanctuary, because it is at the core of what the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice does in our community. It's also what I think that yoga can offer each of us on our self-care journey.  It was the goal of Kate and I to create a space of sanctuary and healing.  Through yoga, sound healing and reiki. 

The dictionary defines a sanctuary as a place of refuge and protection.  Our world, our country, our city, our bodies need sanctuary.  It is something we create together.  It's an intention.  It's a political action.  

Accessible and inclusive yoga

One of my yoga teacher inspirations is Dianne Bondy, who regularly shares tutorials and amazing information on how to make yoga more inclusive to humans of all abilities.  Here is a cool video tutorial on how to do chaturanga. 

Savasana intensive with Judith Lasater - rest!

I've just started an online class with the esteemed yoga teacher Judith Lasater on savasana, and I'm stoked!  As Judith states in the first session, "we are all exhausted...and overwrought.  We don't take rest during the day like animals do, or civilized cultures."  Personally this intensive came at the perfect time for me.  I need this!  I get a chance to focus on rest and restorative yoga practices, learning from one of the best yoga teachers alive. 

It's only day two of a 21 day intensive, where you get bites of content and practice each day.  That really works for busy people.  I'll be posting periodically on the blog to share the highlights of what I'm learning with you.

They ask that we make a 20 minute commitment to practice savasana and make it our priority for our yoga practice.  That is a big ask for me personally, since I tend to make savasana the lowest priority in my home practice, but I am committed to doing this.  I've decided to practice in the evening, to help me wind down and prepare for sleep.

Last night the course focused on how to support the head and neck.  She taught us how to use a folded blanket to cradle the head and neck in a new way, and it felt great.  I set my timer for 20 minutes and rested.  Eventually I fell asleep, and that 20 minute practice extended for almost 2 hours on my mat!  Eventually I woke up and got myself into bed, and I haven't felt so relaxed and ready for sleep in a long time.

If you want to explore this class yourself, here is the website.  It's worth every penny.   

Breathing lessons

Learning how to use your breath for better health is one of the core gifts of a yoga practice.  When I was a tween and suffering from panic attacks (I didn't know that then), I figured out that slowing my rapid breathing down helped me manage the attacks.  My innate body wisdom at work.  Only years later did I learn about the mechanics of breathing through my yoga practice. 

I love using diaphragmatic breathing to induce relaxation and teaching others to do the same.  For today's Living Yoga class, I will be using crocodile pose (lying on the belly) to teach my students an awareness of belly breathing.  Check out this great article for more tips and theory.  

Yogis walk the talk workshops

Last weekend I got to immerse myself in yoga with Desiree Rumbaugh and Andrew Rivin.   I pushed myself as a yoga practioner by practicing for many hours among some seasoned yogis, which I enjoyed (mostly).  The biggest lessons I got from the hours of practice were tips for practicing as someone who is over 50, and the big one was not to tuck your pelvis, but rather to visualize having a tail, something that I also heard during an Amy Matthews class at People's Yoga a few years back.

They pointed to the work of Esther Gokhale around posture and the natural healthy curves of our spine.