Awesome Shoulder Stretch

Awesome Shoulder Stretch 

You can do this stretch against a wall or in a door frame.  Stand with the side of your body facing the wall or door frame.  Reach your arm back, parallel to the floor, palm facing wall.  Feel the stretch in the front of your shoulder(pectoralis muscle).  If you want more intensity, carefully turn your torso away from the wall.  After a few breaths, move your arm up the wall or door frame a bit for a different angle.  Do it now. Experiment.  This is an awesome stretch! This stretch counteracts the chronic forward shoulder roll.

Inner Oasis

Equanimity
Equanimity- Evenness of mind especially under stress(Webster's dictionary).

Root words are: aequus=balanced and animus=spirit.

In Hinduism, equanimity is described as balance and centeredness through all possible changes and circumstances.

In my 20's and 30's the concept of equanimity seemed boring, dispassionate, too neutral.  Lately, I have come to really appreciate the practice of equanimity because it helps to anchor me in the midst of stress or chaos.  I feel a sense of liberation from the turbulence of my thoughts/feelings when I experience equanimity.

My meditation teacher, Shinzen Young, explains that equanimity is the balance between suppressing  thoughts/feelings or fixating on them.  Equanimity is not escaping, reacting or identifying but greeting with loving acceptance whatever is happening in the moment. 

I am not saying the practice of equanimity is easy, especially when a storm is raging within us or in our environment.  Like any other skill, equanimity takes practice.  The idea is to try to maintain a relaxed state in your mind and body as all sensations, pleasant or unpleasant naturally arise and flow through.  There are infinite opportunities for practice in any given day.  It's a little easier to allow pleasant sensations to flow, however, there is also a tendency to want to cling to a positive experience.  Negative thoughts/feelings can be difficult to let pass, but, the good news is, they will, if you don't attach attention to them. 

Once again, I am humbled by life's challenge to live from a place of loving acceptance toward myself and others.  I will say, the more I practice equanimity, the more I feel as if I am carving out an internal oasis.  At first, it seemed like my thoughts/feelings could run rampant and out of control and I didn't know where to turn.  Now, when I feel the inner agitation mounting, I find my little oasis.  I think it's somewhere in my inner Caribbean.

* For more info. about equanimity and basic mindfulness meditation practice click here.  November yoga classes will include mindfulness meditation to prepare us for the craziness of December.  I know you will want to retreat to your inner oasis at some point!
Love,
Indy

Anatomy and Yoga

Tiny Tim Dancing

I have been doing an independent study on anatomy.  The more I delve into the layers and intricacies of the human body I am blown away! We are incredible and incredibly lucky to have such a medium from which to live and express ourselves.
This Sunday I am teaching a 2 hour workshop exploring how we breathe- aka, what the heck is the diaphragm anyway?   And the mobility and stability secrets of the hips and shoulders- aka, exactly what is the rotator cuff or the piriformis?
We will dabble in a little mindfulness meditation to start; practice yoga for awhile to warm up and get our juices flowing; then, check out Tiny Tim, a little skeleton guy I borrowed from Faith, along with pictures and more practice to understand the inner workings of the hips and shoulders.  It'll be fun and interesting.  Come join me!
Sunday 10/31 10am-Noon
One Studio Dance and Yoga
2 Elm St. Waterbury, VT
$25/person- email me to register
PS: You don't have to wear a costume

Chair Down dog

Stretch your shoulders and back in Chair-Desk Downward Dog

Push your chair back so that you can brace your hands and wrists on your desk with your arms straight.  Relax your head between your arms, release your chest toward the floor, pull your belly toward your spine and lengthen your spine away from your hands.  Breathe deeply and relax.

Wake Up! Mini Stress Break

Wake Up!

Waking up to the moment here and now is akin to hitting the refresh button on your computer.

Feeling tired, overwhelmed by too much on your mind, can't focus?  

Relax. Take a few conscious deep breaths and relax your mind and body on the exhale.

Look.  Really notice each object or person in your environment for a few seconds.

Listen. Pay close attention to every sound in your environment for a few seconds.

Anatomy and Yoga Workshop

Understand your body better -Understand your yoga better
Join me for a 2 hour workshop to explore through practice, discussion and pictures:

Shoulders and hips and how they are connected to the core &

The anatomy and mechanism of breathing.

Sunday Oct.31st 10am-Noon

$25/person- pre-register with Indy via email

indystewald@comcast.net

 One Studio Dance and Yoga 2 Elm St. Waterbury, VT

Keep Calm and Carry On

Repeat this to yourself calmly and confidently. 
Breathe deeply and relax. 
Breathe deeply and relax.
Breathe deeply and relax.   
I have found this really helpful when I catch 
myself worrying or feeling overwhelmed.

Minding My Words

Since my mother in law’s funeral, I have had a heightened awareness of the words and messages coming out of my mouth.  I have been vigilant on not letting negativity, complaints, worry, gossip or unconstructive criticism(which I am beginning to think most criticism is unconstructive) cross my lips.  The few times a questionable comment slipped by my internal censors I immediately noticed and felt the subtle and unpleasant reverberations in myself. 
Although I have only strayed 2-3 times on my commitment to not speak negatively, it doesn’t mean my thoughts have suddenly changed over all the way to positive and productive.  In fact, ceasing to speak my negative thoughts has forced me to face them.  Since they can’t escape through my mouth, I notice they fester in my brain unless I make an effort to change the thought pattern.  This puts the responsibility for my thoughts squarely on me.
I feel like I am working out a new set of mental muscles each time I practice changing what I am thinking about or changing how I am thinking about it.  Humility, creativity, and my ability to forgive and concentrate are getting a workout with this exercise of minding my words. 
My motivation? A desire not to add to the negativity in the world.

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day.
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your worries.
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently though the world and know
it's beauty all the days of your life.

Computer Twist

Twist Don’t Shout
Relieve back tension
Sit near the edge of your chair with your feet firmly planted on the floor.  Stretch up from the base of your spine to the top of your head as if a string is pulling you up and relax your shoulders.  Place one hand on the edge of your desk or the opposite knee and the other on the back of your chair.  As you lengthen the spine twist toward the hand on your chair.  Use your arms to leverage the rotation gently through your back.  Hold and breathe deeply, focusing on releasing tension in your back.  Repeat on the other side. Do this whenever you feel your back tighten or need a quick pick me up. 
The other benefits of twisting the trunk are it tones the liver, spleen, intestines, etc. facilitating their work of releasing toxins and processing nutrients.

Born from the Ashes

This past week I was with my husband’s family mourning the loss of their mother, wife, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend.  Wanda’s death broke our hearts wide open revealing emotions that are all too often buried under past grievances, or just the busy-ness of life. Love, tears, compassion, support, laughter, stories, old pictures, plans and promises for the future were shared in heartfelt conversations and embraces.  The sadness and loss stripped us of our guard and grudges long enough to remember that we are all connected, that we all belong somewhere in the web of this family and the web of humanity.  Like a phoenix, familial bonds were reborn from the ashes of her remains. 
This is the place where I want to live.  This place where love, compassion, unity, truth, acceptance, and laughter are the norm and judgment, suspicion, or disinterest are rare.
I don’t want to have to be reminded by a tragic event to live from this place of love and appreciation more of the time than not.  I know how tenuous my dwelling here is already with the constant barrage of insidious negativity in the forms of media, gossip, judgment, etc. Right now, I am clinging to the practice of listening carefully to my thoughts and words to purge them of unconstructive, negative critical thinking or expression.  So far this practice is keeping me busy, honest, and humble.  I am hoping, with practice, it will just become the norm.

Office Abs

Strengthen Abs At Your Desk- It's Easy

Straighten up.  Engage your core and lift one foot off the floor.  Make sure you are pulling your abs in.  That's all.

If this is easy enough, extend the leg out.  You can either hold, or bend and extend 5-10 times.  If you want more core work, lift both feet off the floor. 

The key is to keep your belly pulled in toward the spine.  When you are done, notice the feeling of being connected to your physical core.  

FYI: Sitting on one of those exercise balls at your desk really does work your core.  You don't have to use it all day, switch it up with your office chair.

Moment of Silence

Start with one minute at a time- then 5 minutes, then 15....

Do it right now.  Close your eyes, tune in to your breath and find silence.

In this moment of silence, you can return to yourself, find a space to regain positivity and revitalize your energy.

Inspired by Judith Orloff, M.D. from her book Positive Energy.

Balancing Act

This month in my yoga classes we are focusing on balance.  Balance in the body and balance in life.  Balance is not a static experience.  We don't just arrive at balance and hope to stay here.  Balance is an ever changing, fluctuating, fluid experience.  Being in balance can seem as precarious as being on the head of a pin ever teetering or more stable as having two feet firmly on the ground.  Maintaining balance in a yoga posture and in life requires being conscious of the constant feedback received through direct experience.  It requires concentration, paying attention to details and especially being connected to the core of our beings, physically and spiritually.

Physical balance originates and is maintained by utilizing the core muscles of the body.  A strong physical core and a strong connection to it allows our movements to have stability and integrity.  A reliable mental/emotional balance is sustained by a strong connection to our spiritual core.  Having a strong connection to our spiritual core allows our being in the world to have purpose and integrity.  

Experiment with the two exercises above- Strengthen Abs at Your Desk and the Moment of Silence- to help restore balance to your mind and body.

Let me know how it works. :)

Celebrating Wanda Lou

My mother in law, Wanda Lou Ewald, passed away yesterday unexpectedly. She was a friend to everyone, loved to laugh, was a wonderful cook, a "crafty old lady" and loved her husband dearly for 50 years. Here she is with our daughter Mimi who carries on her fun loving spirit, creativity, and sense of humor. 
Wanda will be deeply missed.

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." Kahlil Gibran