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After a few years of sporadic yoga practice, I found myself reflecting more and more on some of its core values: Mindfully move with purpose; Find your edge; Remember to breathe. Committing to my yoga practice in 2008 marked the start of my exploration of these goals off the mat.
Time seems to slow down when I enter the yoga studio, and yet my practice somehow adds more hours to my day. Designating time to focus on myself has made me more conscious of using time wisely throughout the rest of my day. As in practice, I focus on the tasks at hand, be it making my lists of Things to Do or actually doing them.
Living in Washington, DC, does not easily lend itself to a stress-free lifestyle. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of stimuli surrounding us on a daily basis: family and colleagues, sirens and car horns, cell phones and ipods. Yoga keeps me in check by pushing me to my edge but no further. My To Do Lists may grow and evolve, but they never disappear. So, I focus on what I can and have accomplished and reward myself with a break as needed.
Taking a break is hard to do in this busy city. Many people I’ve encountered delay or skip them all together. When I feel overwhelmed or worn out, though, focusing on just a few deep breaths provides that calm renewal and energy I need to continue. Tuning out outside pressures to focus on an inhale and exhale alleviates the stress and reconnects me to the moment.
As this first month of 2009 comes to a close, we face several global and domestic challenges. Calling for a new era of responsibility, our new president assures us that we will meet them. Following these yogic principles — live actively; work hard; and take time for yourself — I’m hopeful that we will do just that.
How do you incorporate your yoga practice into your daily life?
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Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
Fresh off a whirlwind week that included watching President Obama’s swearing in and speech on a stuttering internet feed, a walk by Lafayette Park prior to the inaugural parade, and the golden opportunity of an inaugural ball, I find myself reflecting on President Obama’s first week and how the role of the President dovetails into one of Tranquil Space Foundation’s triad – leadership.
America has a new leader in the White House. You don’t necessarily need to subscribe to President Obama’s politics or philosophy to recognize key elements of leadership in his inaugural address. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of leadership is being the person to bring bad news during trying times… but that is only half of it. A leader must also offer inspiration and even the tools to find the way out, and it’s always best to be honest about the challenges that way out poses.
Many of our TranquilTeens participants identify family members, presidents, organizers and mayors as examples of leaders… it will be interesting to see how they view leadership as we continue through these trying economic times in 2009 and beyond.
Photo reproduced via Creative Commons License – https://www.flickr.com/photos/bethcanphoto/2287026149/in/photostream/
I’m writing this post right before my first evening of yoga teacher training begins at Tranquil Space. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks, but now, when it’s actually upon me — I’m ever-so-slightly terrified. Actually doing something, after all, is entirely different from talking about doing it.
Which has me thinking about the yogic concept of finding your “edge” – the point at which you are challenging yourself to move out of your comfort zone. We can find our edge in yoga poses, or asanas – deepening a stretch, holding a backbend for a few more breaths – and also in our daily lives: finally picking up the phone to make a dreaded call, volunteering to lead a project we’re tempted to let someone else take on, etc.
So, how do we know when it’s right to push ourselves? It’s not easy. It means being able to listen to your gut, and in our crowded, busy lives, that’s no simple proposition. Our “gut,” or core self, is competing for airtime with dozens of other voices at any given moment – a boss’, a friend’s, a parent’s – telling us what we should do. When you multiply these competing voices by the number of decisions we’re faced with every day, it’s easy to see how most of us lose touch with the voice we need to hear most clearly: our own.
Here are a few ways I’ve found to stay in touch with my core self – to be able to hear my “gut”:
- Practicing yoga – no surprise to see this on the list, right? Yoga gets me out of my head and into my body, grounding me in the present moment, helping all the influences of the world melt away as I listen to my own movements and breath. And while you may wish to build towards a deeper practice, remember that every great endeavor starts with a small step: try carving out 5 minutes a day for a home practice, and take it from there.
- Journaling – You don’t need to consider yourself a “writer” for journaling to be a useful tool. Just put pen to paper, and see what comes out. Maybe it’s a grocery list, or a rant about something at work, or, who knows, a poem. There’s no right or wrong, you’re just emptying yourself onto the page as a way of purging the noise in your head that can overwhelm that deeper voice you’re trying to tune into.
- Changing my environment – We tend to have more automatic responses, I think, in environments in which we spend a lot of time. Sometimes I get the biggest jolt to my consciousness simply by spending some time in a location – a cafe, a park, even a market – that isn’t part of my daily or weekly routine. Something in me wakes up and pays attention in a new way, and that something is often an authentic part of me that exists outside automatic response. The more I bring her out to play, the more willing she is to show me the secret passageway to that core part of myself I’m looking for.
What activities or practices help you cultivate a deeper relationship with yourself? Share your suggestions using the comments feature below. And wish me luck with teacher training – it starts in 15 minutes!
Amanda Hirsch is a Tranquil Space Foundation volunteer, and writes about creative living at Creative DC.
I’ve been reflecting lately on the myth that fulfillment is an end point, or destination.
Open your heart both on and off the mat.
Book Review of Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts
2009 promises a lot of excitement at Tranquil Space Foundation.
Tranquil Space Foundation (TSF) celebrated a year of growth at its second annual gala on October 16, 2008 at the Josephine Butler House in Washington, DC. Nearly 100 attendees joined the TSF board in support of TSF’s core program, TranquilTeens, and its first generosity program grantees.
When I wrote my first muse for the newsletter on leadership in February, I was in the midst of a four-month course focused on authentic leadership at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Having completed the program in May, I wanted to share a few lessons that I learned on what it means to be an authentic leader. Everyone can be an authentic leader, whether you’re running an organization, a team, or a household; working for change in your community; or simply aspiring to live by example.
Authentic leaders are people who take fundamental responsibility for themselves and their lives, are completely present in every situation, and are willing to share their aspirations and dreams with others.
The authentic leadership model consists of three components:
Authentic presence means making sure your authentic self is fully present. Try contemplative practices such as yoga, meditation, and journal writing to develop self-knowledge and to practice being present and authentic. (Thank goodness these practices are already part of my routine, and are part of the TranquilTeens program, as I already had so many new things to try coming out of this program!)
Skillful communication begins with the assumption that we are fully responsible for all interactions. Awareness of our emotions creates an environment of care and empathy akin to emotional intelligence. My teachers emphasized two important ways to communicate: inquiry and advocacy. Inquiry is a powerful way to invite others to be collaborators. Advocacy is a way to use “I” statements to convey how one perceives a situation and shares facts.
Effective action is motivated by service and focuses on using compassionate and strategic approaches to change. This final premise of the authentic leadership model is based on servant leadership where the leader seeks to serve first and lead second.
Overall, an authentic leader is motivated to serve, invites feedback and learns from it, promotes open communication, envisions new possibilities, fosters a culture of appreciation, and is committed to self-knowledge. I loved this four-month program—especially its contemplative slant—and hope that we are able to continue affecting authentic leadership through our efforts with Tranquil Space Foundation. We hope that we are helping to shape a new generation of do-gooding, creative, authentic leaders! Namaste.
Summer. The word alone conjures images of fresh lemonade, turquoise swimming pools and bare feet in green grass. Yet thanks to DC’s legendary heat and humidity, how many of us groan and grumble our way through the season, sealing ourselves off in air-conditioned spaces? This year, I decided to treat summer the way I had as a teenager: a chance to slow down, and enjoy a host of sensory experiences, from the shockingly sweet taste of popsicles to watching fireflies emerge at nightfall. And I noticed something funny: I didn’t mind the heat as much as I usually do. In fact, I enjoyed the sensation of the sun on my skin. By embracing the season’s rhythms and offerings, I was able to deepen my enjoyment of it.
Each season offers its own sensual gifts, but it’s up to us to accept and savor them. With fall right around the corner, now’s your chance to reflect on how you’d like to experience the months ahead. Here are some ideas to get you started:
– Host a harvest party. Choose recipes featuring seasonal produce, such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes and, of course, apples. Plan a fall-inspired activity, such as making your own holiday wrapping paper using apples you’ve carved into stamps (turn to trusty Google for a how-to).
– Celebrate coziness! On a chilly evening or weekend afternoon, make hot apple cider on the stove, and savor the aroma that fills the house. Pour yourself a mug, and curl up under a blanket to read or watch a favorite movie.
– Make a living collage. Choose a space to showcase seasonal items that you gather as fall settles in: particularly striking leaves, a snapshot of late afternoon in your neighborhood park, a scented candle, acorns, and whatever else you encounter. Look at your collection to remind yourself to savor the season’s unique characteristics. (A variation of this: create a journal/scrapbook for each season.)
Have fun, and notice how creatively and mindfully engaging with the season affects your mind, body and spirit.
Got favorite ways to savor winter? Email them to us at creativity@tranquilspace.com, and we’ll feature them in the next issue!
Open your heart both on and off the mat. Invigorate your giving spirit with this heart opening asana – Setu bandhasana (bridge pose).
What are the benefits?
This pose opens the heart and stretches the chest, shoulders, and upper back. It also strengthens and energizes leg muscles, like the quadriceps and hamstrings. Setu bandhasana increases spine flexibility and stimulates the thyroid.
How do I get into the pose?
– Lie flat on your mat with your arms straight down by your sides, palms facing down.
– Bend your knees and plant your feet on the mat. Bring your heels as close to the bum as possible. Check the distance by seeing if you can reach your heels with your middle finger.
– Inhale and press your feet, arms, and palms actively into the floor and lift the bum off the floor slowly, moving your pelvis up toward the sky. The goal is for the thighs to be parallel with the floor.
– Exhale and shimmy your shoulders under your back, clasp the hands below your bum, and lengthen through the arms to help you stay on the top of your shoulders. This should open the heart more as well.
– Keep your thighs and feet parallel and the legs active.
– Lift your chin away from the chest, toward the sky, but keep the back of the neck long.
– Inhale and exhale here for about 1-2 minutes.
– To come out of the pose, exhale and roll the spine slowly down onto the mat.