 Amanda Raja Nora's Yoga Tips
Insight #1, 8/2011:
As summer breezes along, I have not been as carefree as usual. Recently I noticed myself worrying about problems and obstacles, many of which that do not even exist yet, but could someday. I found myself thinking, “Oh no, what if that’s a problem in the future?” and “What if that happens again? Maybe I should cut it off now!” I was then trying in my busy brain to use this as a basis to make some current life decisions. As one would imagine, this is not a true base from which to make decisions, because it is all purely hypothetical, and every “what if” has a binary component at its side. Still, I tried.
Then it hit me. Problems WILL arise! No matter what I choose, there will always be another problem, obstacle, barrier, or challenge.
In the past I have been betwixt with yoga because in its practice I dissolved many walls around my heart, my body, and my relationships. I literally eliminated many “problems” and conflicts in my life, some of which had been there for years. So after they had been dissolved, yoga for me was then about nurturing a practice of keeping all problems and conflict blocked out and muted. If everything was even keel, I was doing well, and my practice was working in my life.
But alas, that only lasted so long and I started stressing about imperfections in everything. My judgment had become clouded by fear as I would try to judge a relationship, a job, a place to live, my body, etc. on 1 or 2 “what ifs”. And it hit me like a huge wave of cold salt water in the face: yoga isn’t about eliminating problems and then building a wall to keep the peace forevermore, like the elven forest in the Lord of the Rings. It’s about building the skills, courage, and insight to face problems, see them clearly for what they are, to awaken or create pathways of resolution and ultimately to learn from it all and get stronger and more facile in this skillset.
This has been my latest epiphany, even though I knew it all along and I’ve read it a thousand times in a thousand yoga books. And forgive me if you already knew this;) I cannot judge whether or not to stay in a relationship based on whether or not there are, or will be problems we will have to face. Rather, I can focus on nurturing our collective ability to respond to conflict effectively when it arises. The question of going deeper into a relationship becomes more like, “Do we have the ability to work through conflict well together and come out stronger on the other side?” instead of “Will we face conflict and problems in the future?” And the coolest part is this, these obstacles, problems, and conflicts are blessings! They are wonderful opportunities to practice yoga! The less we are afraid and the more comfortable and confident we are to face life as it is, the ebb and the flow, the more we can grow and become more powerful and impactful in each realm of our lives.
Tip #2, 3/2011:
It's Spring . . . time for new beginnings, fresh starts, and getting back onto that proverbial horse and riding into the sunset. As the sun’s radiant energy shines down on us longer each day, infuse that radiance with a powerful, rich, deep, colorful, wide, expansive vinyasa practice. Once infused, express this radiance . . . share it and spread it throughout your life: your relationships, your workplace, your everyday interactions and communications. Let the light shine literally from and through you and into others and take more time to see and acknowledge the light in others too.
We spend much of our yoga teaching and practicing to focus on the Self. “I want to lose weight and get ripped.” “I want to calm my mind.” “I want to reduce stress in my life.” “I want to be healthier, stronger.” “I want to get over my loss.” These are all very noble reasons to practice yoga and amazingly, the focus on the Self and addressing these and like-minded intentions are a foundation and the tip of the iceberg of possibilities for change you can inspire in your life and the world around you through yoga!
During Springtime, notice the flowers and plants beginning to bloom, fearlessly in the uncertainty of Spring weather, and new fauna and life being born all around you, with great sacrifice and unconditional LOVE by new parents everywhere. We can emulate this natural seasonal pattern by actively seeking out more unconditional LOVE for others. Yes, this means expressing your love for your best friends and being clean and green for the earth, etc., but it even means manifesting your love for that cab driver that cut you off and flicked you off, your sister who only cares about herself, and your ex-spouse who doesn’t love you anymore. Not easy to do! But we can practice. PRACTICING is DOING in yoga. So how does one practice opening their hearts and minds to feel/express more love to the situations in our lives where we have closed off the love completely?
Just as in Springtime where there are sometimes clouds covering the sunshine, there’s a lot of “stuff” in the way of us feeling and giving love. Much of this “stuff” that has convinced us to close off completely, or ration out only small, untraceable fractions of love to avoid getting hurt, or being taken advantage of. Regardless of who said what and what both sides of the story are, this “stuff” boils down to two things, anger and fear: 1) anger about something that someone did to you in your past or something that didn’t work out the way you had envisioned, or anger right in the moment such as for the rude cabby, and 2) fear of getting hurt (again) or not being loved in return.
Yoga helps us practice letting go of fear and anger; we practice it through each class! Each time you practice a pose and it does not go as smoothly or as cool as you had expected, and you get mad about it and start beating yourself up about it . . . THIS is THE PERFECT TIME to practice letting go of anger!! Just as soon as you feel it happening, recognize it as an awesome opportunity to practice yoga and let it go. Just breathe it out, leave that pose behind, and breathe into the new pose with an open heart. Likewise, each time you are faced with a decision in your practice to courageously try to take the pose a step further, or stay “safe” where you are, and you feel that self-doubt creep in . . . “I might fall”, “I can’t do that”, “I could never do that”, “I’ll look stupid even trying it”, “what if I fail?”, “I’m better off just staying right here”, “I fell last time, clearly I cannot do it” . . . THIS is THE PERFECT TIME to practice letting go of your fear!!! Fear is all the same whether it’s for one thing or another . . . so letting go of an inch of fear will impact your life with a ripple effect.
Letting go of anger and fear is not looking into the past and trying to sort it all out, it’s starting brand new. Again and again. Blank slate. You get a new start. Your practice gets a new start. And so do the people in your life and your past.
So, in order to shine brighter, see light and good in others, manifest love or care for others, we must be fearless like the flowers, breaking new, unknown ground, and witness the miracle of new life and new possibilities being born all around you. As the sunshine imbeds his warm grin upon your skin this Spring, be an example of unconditional love for yourself and others.
"No matter how long and how far you walk down the wrong path, turn back." -Baron Baptiste and Scottish Proverb.
Tip #3, 10/2010:
It's Fall . . . the perfect time for reflection, meditation, and introspection as you gear up to finish the year with zeal! As the temperature drops outside, crank up the energy and heat internally through heated vinyasa classes and a daily, personal meditation practice. All it takes is 5 minutes in the morning and night. Just subtract 10 minutes from web surfing, FB, or TV, and you've got the time to do it!
3-Step Practice: 5 Minutes
1) After your shower, sit in a quiet place in a comfortable position to stay for 5 minutes. Set a quiet and soothing "alarm" on your phone for 5 minutes.
2) Close your eyes and focus on your natural breathing. Listen internally to the sound of the inhalation and exhalation, in and out through the nose, paying attention to its length, its volume, its natural flow.
3) Imagine the breath like big, smooth, full ocean waves at high tide. The water clean, refreshing, and purifying; it is the perfect crisp temperature. On the inhalation, listen to the wave recede back from the shoreline, gathering power in the ocean center. On the exhalation, listen to the wave edge in and then crash all of the way into shore. In your mind's eye, see the beach and the tide and animate the cleansing, fresh tide with your full breathing in and out, until the alarm sounds.
Tip #4, 1/2010:
It is 2010, time to make achievable and lasting goals for development, enlightenment, and growth! Quiet time in yoga class or a personal meditation practice can help you set these goals and intentions deep in the grooves of your life in 2010.
4-Step Practice:
1) Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. At first, just pay attention to how you are breathing, observe the length, volume, and sound of your natural breathing without actively changing anything.
2) Focus on one specific goal for your Mental, Professional/Social, Spiritual, and Physical life.
a. My 2010 goals for example are:
i. Mental- to learn and excel in the completion of 4 courses in Math Fundamentals for Business at Northwestern (Finance class starts Jan. 7!)
ii. Professional/Social- to grow attendance to my yoga classes and yoga community connections 3-fold and to remember that I have mentors all around me if I keep my eyes, ears, and heart open
iii. Spiritual- to put my beliefs into action daily by loving my neighbor as myself and practicing forgiveness toward myself and others
iv. Physical: to achieve no handed head stand once again, to achieve the ever-intimidating kapotasana, and to increase my power 2-fold
3) Deepen your breath, in and out through your nose for about 10-15 breaths.
4) Open your eyes and write your goals down on paper. Place them somewhere visible (in your planner, or by your calendar), and review them frequently. In your subsequent meditations and yoga classes, focus on ways you will work toward these goals.
* Do this 4-step practice once a year and review progress weekly, after waking, before a long, traffic-thick drive, or before bed. Review your success and growth at year end.
Tip #5, 6/2009:
Just 5 minutes of conscious breathing and practicing different breathing techniques (or pranayama) designed to increase your capacity to breathe deeply with more integrity and volume can decrease the negative effects of stress on your body and mind, give you heightened awareness, energy and focus, decrease your appetite and intensity of unhealthful cravings, and improve your quality of sleep.
3-Step Practice:
1) Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. At first, just pay attention to how you are breathing, observe the length, volume, and sound of your natural breathing without actively changing anything.
2) Then, after about 10 breaths in and out, start to actively deepen your inhalation and exhalation to 5 long seconds in and 5 long seconds out (or whatever feels longer than normal, but still comfortable for you) and breathe in and out through your nose. Try to balance the oxygen you inhale and the carbon dioxide you exhale. Doing this, you may naturally begin to sit up straighter and stronger in your seat because it allows more oxygen flow. Continue this for about 10 breathes and enjoy how the transition between your inhalations and exhalations, or waves of breath, become more smooth and soft.
3) Continue to lengthen and balance your inhalations and exhalations and add more attention/control to where the air is going. Send your inhalation in a sequential journey through your lungs along your spine. Send it into your upper chest and collar bone area, then into your ribcage (front to back, and side to side), and finally into your lower abdomen. Exhale in the same sequence (1. upper chest, 2. ribs, and 3. lower abdomen) as if you are pouring the air out of you from top to bottom. Practice this for about 10 more breaths in and out. After you are done, just come back to step #1 and breathe naturally without active alteration for a final 10 breaths or so. Open your eyes, take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale freely through your mouth, and move forward in your day with all of the benefits of your practice.
* Do this 3-step practice after waking, before a long, traffic-thick drive, before digging into your project-work for the day, before a meal, after exercise, before delivering a big presentation, or before bed.
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