New Look!

Ok - I mentioned early on that I like how many options I have to customize this blog. So I've tried another background and color scheme (for now).

Let me know if you like it!

i Know, Therefore i Am

Much of my reflecting has been done off-blog for the past couple of weeks, so I return with hopefully a fun one to contemplate.

First, a personal story: For the past several months, I have been experiencing increasingly bad lower back pain. I was able to lessen it with yoga; however, it would inevitably return after I pushed myself during a practice and every morning when I got up. (I felt so old groaning as I rolled out of bed each morning!) Finally, I lucked into a doctor's appointment where I brought the back pain up amidst several other issues. This led to medications and an x-ray, which led to the discovery of a possible cause: spondylolisthesis. (Go ahead. Try and pronounce it.) Basically, two of my vertebrae are "out-of-line" or displaced. (L5 and S1 for those so versed) I am now waiting for an appointment with a specialist to discuss possible options. I also have an upcoming appointment with a surgeon for another issue discussed during my doctor's visit: an abdominal hernia (muscles separated) that is getting increasingly worse with activity and probably started with birthing my son. (If you've wondered if these are related - front and back body - I'm right there with you. Wouldn't it be nice if there were one doctor I could visit who would address both??)

Also a note: I am generally not one for pain medication. I like Todd Norian's comment, "Pain is the messenger". I don't want to kill the messenger before I learn the message! I'm also aware that pain in my back (even if caused by spondyl...spondlogl....spond - things being messed up) may be causally related to something else. (For those familiar with it, think Ayurvedic terms.) I believe that all parts of the body (thoughts, chemical processes, physical structures, etc) are some form of "energy" (for lack of a better term). While my vertebrae out of line is certainly a cause for my discomfort, I am open to the possibility that it isn't the only cause. The process of healing, for me, is listening to all of the messages, figure out how they relate, and then choose the paths that will best address all of them....knowing that I and my body are forever changing thus the conversation can never end.

Along all of this - I wonder how much the knowing has made a difference. I've had this back pain for some time now. Being aware now that it is caused by vertebrae out of place makes me kinda squeamish. I'm definitely taking it easier than I was a couple of days ago. The funny thing is - if I hadn't heard the results of the x-ray, the pain would still be there but I'd probably be going about my business as usual (icing it down, just stopping activity if it was actively hurting).

An important point - I haven't stopped at knowing I have this physical issue. Now that I know this, I want to know more. I will be working with my yoga teacher when she returns on some yoga therapy. I will talk to the doctors to discuss all possible options (from physical therapy to surgery) for both my back and my front. I will keep having a conversation with my body, seeing what I feel as I play with the kids, sleep in bed, slouch or sit up straight. Knowing is bringing me power. (Yep - PBS message here.)

So if this issue, this situation is a message as well, what could it be trying to say? There certainly is bliss in ignorance. Not knowing I have these physical issues and just covering up the pain with Ibuprofen could certainly have gotten me through the rest of my days....and would have been a lot cheaper in the long run, I'd suppose. However, one little light of truth (via an x-ray) has flooded an entire field of possibilities. Now that I know one thing, I'm free to explore many other options (true healing? restorative yoga?).

I know many who stop at knowing because of a deep fear. (Well if I know what's causing my back pain, my fatigue, my depression, my loneliness, my boredom...I'll have no excuses for not dealing with it.) It's easier to medicate and kill the pain rather than know. (I'll just keep working at this job and stick with my routine and just hope things will get better. I'll just keep taking these meds for my health probs - after all, the problems aren't bothering me anymore!) What would happen if you knew? If you stopped for a minute and realized that you already do know?

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Watch your thoughts; They become words. Watch your words; They become deeds. Watch your deeds; They become habits. Watch your habits; They become character. Character is everything". While I'm not sure that "character is everything", I do firmly believe that thoughts determine our lives and our degree of being bound to or free from them. If we choose to mitigate our thoughts, to silence those "what ifs", aren't we in fact sucking away our life? On the other hand, if you spend every moment in those "what ifs" ignoring what really is, aren't you ignoring the life with which you have been blessed?

What I "know" determines who I am. What thoughts I choose to think and those I choose to release (as meditation seeps into life) determine how I act (consciously or otherwise). I know I have physical back issues and that is certainly determining how I behave. However, I also know this isn't the end of the story. Even more, I know this is just one small plot line in the whole story! I have many other dramas going on in which I'm reveling ... learning more every single moment of my being. Pain and pleasure - it's all part of the ride.

Perhaps we first need to know everything in order to eventually know nothing - which is the ultimate bliss.

Warmth Inside and Out

I just had to comment - it's so much easier to be in a happy mood when the weather is beautiful outside. We've reached our first 70 degree day of the year and although my daughter is still screaming, the house is still a mess, and the dog still can't determine where to do his business...I'm quite peaceful.

Teaching Myself Yoga

I know I've written some on this, but decided to expand as the idea is quite upfront in my life right now.

I am trying to Be my yoga teaching instead of just adding yoga teaching to my life. Immediately after graduating I rushed to do everything I could - start a website, locate studio space, research possible teaching positions...and although I do and will always love yoga, the process felt dry and forced. Though I know laundry and dishes can wait...they can only wait so long. And amidst this rush to start my "yoga teaching", the rest of my life fell by the wayside. Coming home to laundry piles that took me days to finish was a wake-up call.

Right now, I am trying to live the messages I preach - that yoga can be integrated into the smallest moments. I want to radiate that message. If I don't live it, my teachings in a studio or workshop will be empty. So I am trying to back off on adding yoga teaching to my life (workshops, classes, etc) and instead letting it unfold organically. I plan to teach friends, family, and others who contact me on a private basis and let the rest of my time be dedicated to coming to know and share yoga through dialogue and my own day-to-day life. I owe it to myself and my family to honor the blessings I have been given.

I still struggle, though. I constantly fight the messages running through my head that I'm giving up on my "dreams", that I'm sacrificing my career, that I can do this home stuff, watch the kids, and make money at yoga if I really wanted it, that ...that I'm wimping out.

But I know deep down that these things are ego talking - that it is other peoples' voices I'm hearing, not my own.

Others may argue I'm wimping out of a career and putting myself in jeopardy if I ever need to earn income. I say I'm actually choosing the harder path by trying to be present in my own life and not fill up my calendar to escape those issues that come up in the quiet moments of sitting with the kids. I say that I'm well aware of financial jeopardy, that we live paycheck to paycheck, that no job is safe in today's enconomy....but I would rather move into a one-bedroom apartment if we had to and give up most of our possessions than sacrifice time with my kids, my husband, and myself to work solely for a second income. I am well aware I am blessed to be able to make this choice and meditate on my gratitude everyday.

I could go on with the arguments in my head ("others may say..."), but honestly, it is draining. I'm tired of justifying (mainly to myself!!) the decisions I choose, the life path I follow. This is where I am and I am happy being here. Allow me to continue to teach myself yoga so that when we meet, I may possibly teach you and may be open to what you will teach me. Namaste.

The Benefits of Being a Pirate

My husband got home a few minutes ago and my son (4 years old) excitedly ran to meet him at the top of the stairs. My son said, "Daddy, would you like to join my pirate ship?" My husband, always the joker, said, "But I already have a job - I'm a pharmacist!" My son persisted stating that daddy was already done being a pharmacist for the day...now it was time to be a pirate. When my husband questionned how much being a pirate pays, my son just grabbed his hand and started pulling my husband towards the pirate ship in his room, exclaiming,

"Daddy, you get to spend time with me!".

May we all recognize such wisdom in our own days.

Share the Love

Another observation while in the car:

I was waiting at a red light today and noticed two cars pulled off the side of the cross road ahead. Apparently they had just had a fender bender. Both car owners were out of their cars, inspecting the bumpers in what appeared to be a relatively minor incident. As I watched, I could have sworn that while dusting the dirt and grime off of their cars to check for dings, the drivers were sharing a few laughs.

Immediately, I felt a little more light-hearted. How wonderful if indeed both drivers were present enough to not be thinking about the past (I can't believe he wasn't paying attention; if only I'd left a few seconds earlier) or the future (now I'm going to be late; how is this going to effect my insurance?). And even better, to be in the present in a light manner - to realize that what is, is...and to see some possible humor in the situation.

As the light turned green and I drove past, I noticed no smile on the woman's face as she was handing over information to the other driver. Perhaps she'd returned to worry, perhaps the joke was over, perhaps I'd just imagined the previous moment. Regardless, for me the lightness lingers on. Amazing how a smile - imagined or not - can spread.

An Ogre is Like an Onion...

While driving today I reflected on how easy it is to judge someone by the car they are driving. Seriously, how many times have you done this? What type of driver/person comes to mind when I mention the following: A huge SUV with tinted windows and fancy rims speeds past you, a run-down, paint-peeling 2-door moves along at 5 mph below the speed limit, a semi-truck with those sillohuetted naked women on the flaps barrels down on traffic in front of you, a minivan - ok, just a minivan.

If I'm not living in my yoga, I am totally guilty of making a split second judgement on the driver. As I pass by and catch a glimpse of the person behind the wheel, all too often I'll think "...figures" and then feel guilty for doing so. I think so many of us make assumptions about what a driver of a car is going to do - or not do - just based off the type of car they are driving. Add to that a momentary behavior that fits the stereotype of the driver we are expecting (teenager speeding, older person driving slowly) and suddenly we are the omniscient god of the road - able to predict and judge whatever everyone else is doing.

You may have heard the joke: "Anyone driving slower than you is an idiot. Anyone driving faster than you is a maniac."

But really, the type of car nor the momentary behaviors of the driver tell me anything about the person behind the wheel. The car could be rented, the driver on the way to the hospital to visit a dying relative, the owner not financially in a position to fix the noisy muffler. Even if you drive past and see a teenager behind the wheel of the speeding SUV with radio blaring, can you really judge what kind of person s/he is? Try to keep this in mind (as I will as well) next time you border on the edge of road rage or get ready to honk at the driver annoying you.

And, if you are so ready, consider this: just as the car is a layer by which we can't judge someone, so are the clothes that person is wearing. (Do baggy sagging pants really make someone irresponsible? Does any type of dressing on the head make someone questionnable? Does a suit make them trustworthy or sweatpants make them lazy?) Go further. Does a hairstyle tell you what type of person someone is? What about their actions? How many of us have had a bad day and interacted with loved ones or strangers in a way that totally does not reflect who we are?

Is there ever really a layer where we feel we can truly know someone? Is there ever a time when we can judge another - to understand that person and their actions and motivations so deeply that we are ready to assert whether they are good or bad, right or wrong? Do we even know ourselves this well??

I've watched Shrek enough times to know that the outside doesn't reflect the inside. Often times, the inside doesn't even reflect the true self...the ultimate Brahman, God, Goddess, true nature, ...the one of which we are all part.

So next time you or I are ready to make a judgement, let's try to peel away another layer and just see what we find.

And FYI....I drive a minivan.