Equanimity : Week 3

Weekly Theme:  Equanimity -- "The art of meeting life as it meets you" Baron Baptiste.  See Tips below 40 Days to Personal Revolution  Week 3 Starts Saturday  Missed the Intro to 40 Days Workshop and the Yoga Type (Dosha) workshop?  Go to our Blog to get the notes.  Link Below.  Our focus this upcoming week is Equanimity  You can enhance your sense of calmness even in difficult situations (definition of equanimity)  in all 4 parts of your challenge practices: Asana Practice, Meditation, Eating, and Life in general.   Quotes: “Equanimity is the hallmark of spirituality. It is neither chasing nor avoiding but just being in the middle.”Amit Ray "Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy and equanimity." Anne Lamott  "The greatest challenge to your equanimity is resistance."  Baron Baptise 1. Asana (Pose) Practice --This week's intention is to move from 30 minutes to 45 Minutes physical practice. What 45 minute practice will you commit to doing this week?    There are specific poses in the book (40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baptiste)  This week poses are Sun Salutations, Side Plank, Crescent Lunge with Twist, Extended Side Angle, Prayer Twist, Forward Fold Hand to Foot Pose, Eagle, Dancer, Tree, Locust, Camel, Bridge, Wheel, Supine Leg Raises, Supine Bound Angle, Rock the Baby (Seated Pigeon), Seated Twist, Shoulder Stand, Fish, Supine Hand to Foot, Happy Baby, Supine Twist, Savasana.  What will your poses be?  This week pick your classes at the studio and register to commit and then schedule in your calendar your home practice days and times.  Grab your Log on our Blog.  2. Meditation Practice-- Awareness Style Meditation. 15 minutes each morning and night.   This week's awareness is to notice resistance.  "The greatest challenge to your equanimity is resistance." (Baron Baptise).  Notice reactivity in daily life too.  Practice staying present and calm.  3. Diet --   Notice Cravings. Continue to eat whole fruits, vegis, lean meats, fish and whole grains.   Notice what you crave.  Salty?  Sweet?  Notice when you have cravings.  Practice stillness and breathing.  Ask what caused it.  4. Questions  -- Write the answers down, get them out of your head.  Some from the book:   In what areas of my life can I have less reaction? How would situations be if I practiced nonreactivity? what things are most likely to trigger reactivity in me? What can i do in those moments of reactivity to respond better?  Namaste (With Respect), Kim

Three Doshas

Ayurveda (yoga’s sister science).  Prana, the life forces, manifests in different energies.  The energies are the interaction between the elements, air, fire, water, earth, ether.  These show up in three different  doshas (deviations) or types.  Ayurvedic Practitioners or Doctors give advice and treatments to help bring the doshas into balance.  Asana and Pranayama also help to balance the doshas. When all three are in balance one is “tridoshic.”  This is considered rare.  Most people have one dominant type and a subtype.

Vata  (That Which Moves Things)

Air and Ether.  

Tend toward feeling dry and cold.  Flexible when young then stiff.

Balance= Coordinated in Body and Mind.  Creativity, enthusiasm, and flexibility.  

Out of Balance = fear, worry, and insomnia.  

Balancing Asana Yoga Practice -- Gradual and steady movement. Slow Flow Sun Salutations.  Focus on Grounding and Balancing Poses. Holding poses.   Ether and Air needs grounding.

Balancing Pranayama (Breath) Practice - Nadi Sodhana/ Alternate nostril Breath.  Right nostril for morning. Left and night.  Three Part and Belly.  Mantras.

Balancing Foods  are, in general, sweet, sour, and salty in taste.

Kapha (That Which Binds Things)

Earth and Water.  

Tend toward heavy movement and low energy.

Balance = loving, compassionate, calm, content.  

Out of Balance = lethargic, attachment, and envy.

Balancing Asana Yoga Practice  -- Warming and flowing. Standing, heart opening, sustained back bending

Balancing Pranayama (Breath) Practice --  Kapalabhati (Skull Shining) Forceful exhale, passive inhale.  Also, Three Part, Ujjay, Bellows.

Balancing Foods  in general are pungent, bitter, and astringent in taste

Pitta (That which Digests Things)

Fire and Air.  

Tend to push too hard.  

Balance = intelligence, understanding, discrimination in ethics.  

Out of Balance = anger and hatred.

Balancing Asana Practice - Let go of competitive nature, cooling asanas, nurturing, relaxing practice.  Longer pauses between poses. Move slowly. Relax deeply.  Avoid hot and fast practices.   

Balancing Pranayama (Breathing) -- Sitali or Sitkari Pranayama, curled tongue inhale or over teeth. Three Part, Even Breath

Balancing Foods  are in general, sweet, bitter, and astringent in taste.

Yoga Tips for Winter

Yoga Winter   

Did you know there are three seasons in Yoga?  

These expressions or Doshas are in Nature and in our Self

Spring: March to June.   (Kapha)  

Summer: July to October (Pitta)

Winter:  November to February (Vatta) 

Here are some 2 tips to ring in the season yoga style

1. Winter Eating Tips.  One of you caught me at the grocery store with my Spring Yoga/ Kapha Grocery List.  Here is a link to the list I use.

2. We will focus on a Vata Balancing Sequence this Winter.   This will include a mindful Sun Salutations, grounding, and holding poses. Making a routine is also part of this time of year. The 40 Days to Personal Revolution themes by Baron Baptiste we are exploring this Winter are a perfect for establishing a routine. Here are some tips from " How to Change Up Your Yoga Practice for the Season Ahead" DoYouYoga This is a list from Winter To Spring so just pay attention to what Winter Yoga is. We will revisit Spring Yoga in March

40 Days to Personal Revolution Introduction

40 Days to Personal Revolution Introduction

Book:  40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste.  

Outline, sanskrit terms  and additional questions by Kim Preveza

Week 1 Presence   Nov 11-17  Week 2 Vitality    Nov 18-24  Week 3 Equanimity  Nov 25- Dec 1  Week 4 Restoration  Dec 2-8  Week 5 Centering   Dec 9-15 (TBA)Week 6 Triumph    Dec 16-22 (TBA)Week 7 After the Revolution   Dec 23- Jan 1 (TBA)

Why 40 Days?

Significance in Transformation.

Jesus 40 Days

Moses 40 Years

Noah 40 Days and 40 Nights

Every Day is a new day --   Practice everyday, in class, at home, meditation.

Make a Schedule, Home and Studio.  Days and times

Recommit -- seek the truth

Format

Each week will cover:

- Specific Poses,  -- Try to do first thing in morning, Ujjayi Breath (Ocean Sounding), Uddiyana Bandha (Belly Lock),

- Meditations, --  Awareness based, morning and night

- Balancing Diet. -- Each Week Insights into eating for balance that fit with the theme: patterns, fresh food, cravings, fruit-fast, essential minerals, review

- Excavation Questions -- just becoming aware of your answers, recommend to write answers down.

- Pick a day to rest

12 Laws/Foundations  All Interconnected

1. Seek the Truth,  Satya  

1. Accept “acknowledge lack of right direction, repent, rebuild, remap

What Truth will set you free?

2. Be Willing to Come Apart,   Aparigraha -- Non-grasping

1. Non-controlling,
2. Giving up control,
3. Surrender
4. Fighting=getting
5. Allowing things to happen

Where can you allow things to happen rather than trying to control them?

3. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone,  Samskaras -- Past Conditioning

1. Drop patterns and stories of the past
2. Take off Masks
3. Embrace Fears of unknown

When are you living in the stories of the past?

What fears of the unknown can you embrace?

4. Commit to Growth,   Tapas -- Discipline

1. No exit door
2. “Stay with ourselves no matter what”

When you want to run what happens if you stay, with the stretch, the difficult pose, the fight or flight response?

5. Shift Your Vision,  Awaken the Third- Eye

1. Attention -- mental focus, brings energy to whatever you are focusing upon
2. Right Intention -- “awareness of what you need to do in the back of your mind.”
3. Faith -- Leap of faith.

What has your attention right now?

What intentions are calling you?

Where can you take a leap of faith?

6. Drop What You Know,  Svadhyaya - Self Study

1. “Shift from living from your head into trusting what’s in your heart
2. Intuition
3. Inner Teacher
4. Let go
5. Stop thinking about right and wrong and become fully present in your body, feel what is right.

What would happen if you listened to your inner voice?

7. Relax with what is,   Santosha -- Contentment

1. See how much more effective relaxing is than struggling
2. Choices in poses (and life):
1. Run Away (come out of the pose)
2. Stay and struggle
3. Stay, relax, and discover what is really there

    C. Recognize difference between good and bad pain

What poses would benefit from relaxing with what is?

What parts of life would it be helpful to relax with what is?

8. Remove the Rocks,   Kleshas/ Obstacles

1. Unlearn  Pride, Fear, Conditioning, Resistance
2. Say one thing you want to let go of -- or write it down
3. Meditation and Excavation Questions -- remove clutter of the mind

“What rocks are you holding on to?” BB

9. Don't Rush the Process,  Aparigraha

1. Swept up in doing, achieving, accomplishing
2. Practice Patience
3. The Principle of Process
4. Love the Journey

What processes do you rush?

10. Be True to Yourself ,  Yamas and Niyamas-- Ethics and Morals

1. True to your values and morals
2. Inner Compass
3. Speak your Truth

When do you hold back being true to yourself and why?

11. Be Still and Know, Praythara -- Sense Withdrawl

1. Meditation and/or prayer
2. Also a way of life--cease business, stressing, etc

How does it feel to be still? quiet?

12. Understand that the Whole is the Goal,  Yoga, Yuj, to Connect

1. “We don’t transform in parts”

Where do you compartmentalize your life?  Where would it be helpful to see it as a whole?

Yoga Practice Log