Holy cow. August is almost over. Where did it go?? What happened to Summer? Will life continue to fly by like this?
Ok, I’ll get you up to speed on the important stuff.
- I went to the Yoga Tune Up® Breath & Bliss in L.A. It was a 3 day intensive all about down regulating the nervous system, primarily by stimulating the vagus nerve. The class BLEW MY MIND and opened my eyes to the variety of ways we can manipulate our structure and mind into calming the #$% down! This information is so direly needed by EVERYONE. I’ve been incorporating the savasana techniques into all my classes, and I ordered a box of Corgeous balls, so that I’m ready to launch a weekly class devoted solely to down regulation. It’s going to be soooooo lovely. When I get approval for the class, I’ll add it to my schedule here on the blog, so you know where to find me. Here is a quick tip to try out tonight: Lay on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Wedge a yoga block or pillow under your sacrum (when the head is lower than the heart, the vagus nerve slows down the heart rate). On your inhale, feel your belly swell, on the exhale, let the belly fall to the spine and hum as your breath leaves the body. The humming also stimulates the vagus nerve, further transporting you to the Rest & Digest mode.
- My dad had a heart attack. That was two weeks of lots of good and lots of bad. Dad recovered amazingly well, and we had a tremendously supportive network of nurses, doctors, family and friends that helped carry us through. We needed every bit of love, as we traveled back and forth to the hospital and tried to manage work and stress and uncertainty and heartache.
- While visiting a book store close to the hospital, I discovered the beautiful book, “Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living” by Krista Tippett. I picked the book up because it was on display, and I was drawn by the simple yellow and white cover and the direct title. I had never heard of Krista Tippett before. I am so glad I randomly picked up the book. It is beautifully written. I have a hard time putting it down.
- But I did put it down – to read another amazing, life-changing book, “The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling” by Stephen Cope. I recently started to see a therapist to help identify my true purpose is life. Why did the Universe or God or The Source or my Witness self, put me in this body in this family, in this life? My therapist informed me that this “purpose” is called dharma, and she recommended this book. I blazed through it in about 2 weeks. The book is riddled with highlights and notes, and I really feel as if I need to read it several more times. Stop reading this blog post and go read it right now!! Tell me what you think.
- Dharma. Wow. That’s a big topic that’s been consuming a lot of time and mental energy. I have some ideas, some inklings, some wishes, some hopes, LOTS of fears, and lots of thinking to do. More to come on that.
And that’s about it. I’ve been altering my yoga teaching to be more Yoga Tune Up® focused, and I’ve had a couple of new students come to my 5:30AM class as a result. I love teaching it and seeing people all chilled out and more embodied by the time they leave. I just really love it! I’m hoping to add more classes and/or workshops in the next few months.
I think that about brings you up to speed. Each one of the points above really deserves its own blog post, but it’s 6:20, and I need to finish prepping for my class tomorrow, take a walk and then practice my new obsession, somatic meditation!
I hope you are doing well, and I will talk to you soon!