At Ease

I recently had the wonderful experience of spending two days in a Judith Lasater workshop. She is one of my favorite yoga teachers (www.judithlasater.com) and I love the way she combines a physical yoga practice with her insights on yoga and life. One of the days, we thought about the Yoga Sutra 11.46, "Steady in your intention, you'll be steady in your posture. Asana can come naturally." (from the book, Yoga, Power, and Spirit by Alberto Villoldo. She had us think about that sutra as we did our practice and she talked with us about how we can take the meaning of this sutra off of our mats. She encouraged us to think about those things that make us uneasy throughout our day and try to understand why we are feeling uneasy. I have been trying this over the past few days and it is amazing how often I start to feel that sensation that starts in my belly and moves up to my brain--anxiety, anger, frustration, defensiveness. It may be while driving, waiting in line at the grocery store, during a conversation with my husband, or during a meeting at work. Just bringing my awareness to the feeling is the first step in letting it go and will often cause the feeling to dissipate. When it doesn't, I try to shift my thoughts, feeling compassion for the root of my uneasiness (the other driver, the clerk in the store, the person in the meeting, my husband)--but....that's another blog! Namaste

SEE The View

I find looking at mountains, like those in this picture of the Flatiron mountains in Boulder, Colorado, a way to find energy and inspiration. To actually be there in person is ideal, but I also find it is possible to get some of those same feelings by looking at a picture of the Flatirons. I think the key to this is taking the time to really look at the picture, not a brief glance, but stopping whatever else I am doing, taking a deep breath in with a long slow exhalation and bringing myself to the present moment. I look at the picture and allow myself to let those feelings of peace and calmness wash over me. To do this, I need to let go of the other things in my mind, including my mental definition of a mountain--looking at the beautiful details of the things in the picture.

My mountain picture is my "reminder" but it can be anything that works for you. Think of something that evokes a feeling of inspiration and calm. A feeling that "everything is right with the world." It may be a picture of your children, a lake or maybe it is a fresh flower on your desk. Look at it with fresh eyes--as if you are seeing it for the first time. Namaste

Needlepoint for the Mind

I think one of the best things I can do to help me maintain my energy and enthusiasm at work is to do things outside of work that help me calm my mind and all of those "work thoughts" that creep into my head at all hours of the day and night. Doing something that is creative and artistic helps me and needlepoint is something that is almost meditative for me. Many of my friends and colleagues knit for the same reasons. It isn't about the finished product but about the benefits of the process. Here are some of my needlepoint pillows. Namaste

Deskasana: Pushup

Join me in doing pushups at your desk to increase your energy and strengthen your arms!

Deskasana: Pushups

Deskasana: Shoulders and Neck I

Join me to learn how you can release the tension in your neck and shoulders after sitting too long at your computer.

Deskasana: Shoulders and Neck I

Yoga at Work

Join me for my new series of Yoga at Work. Learn to do a brief yoga practice as you sit in meetings or at your desk. I developed these podcasts to share my own Yoga at Work practice with you.

For the first podcast, I will lead you through a hip stretching "meetingasana" that you can do anytime and others will not even know you are practicing yoga during your meeting!

Meetingasana: Hip Stretch

Yoga All The Time

I discovered yoga only 7 years ago, in my quest for something that would help me relieve my stress. I was already exercising (running) regularly but it wasn't helping my mental stress from my work life. Initially I thought that yoga was all about taking a class once a week and I loved it but after a couple of years I discovered two things: I could do yoga poses just about anywhere and that yoga was much more than the physicial poses. That's when I realized how it could change my life. In my blog, I want to share more about both of these aspects of yoga. Namaste.