Take Another Look: See

Sometimes you just need to get away. I apologize for my blogging break, but trust that at least some of the time was much needed re-coop time. Re-cooperation from what, you may ask? I am not sure I can pin point it exactly. But lets call it busy-season-changing, months-that-feel-week-long-only, wedding-planning-writing-scrambling... stress. Yes, lets call it stress.

I don't know about you, but when I am stressed I let myself push, push, push to get the to-do list done. I aim to accomplish more than any one person could possibly hope to do in 24 hours - yet never give myself credit for doing enough. And most days I add more to the list than I check off because it feels like the tasks are never-ending. Sounds familiar? Then after all the work I discredit, when I may finally have a moment to rest and restore, instead, I crash. I turn the TV on and zombie-out or, as I like to call it, have turn-my-brain-off time.

The thing is, even though this is down time (and I do think that occasionally it is what a person may need for their down time) it is not what my body and mind needs most. I find, that stress causes me to do do do and really what I need is to just be. To take a moment and enjoy a really deep breath and sigh, to take in how smart and funny my friends are, to hug my fiance, to take my time cooking a meal, or to get away and leave the busy city behind for a bit.

Last weekend I got the chance to escape the bustling city life and head to one of my favorite places, Ithaca, NY. If you have never been I highly recommend it. I went to college there and try to get back at least once a year - usually for the Apple Harvest Festival. This year, I did yoga at Lucifer Falls, ate and drank aplenty, spent some time with dear friends, and some remembering how it feels to make time to sit still and just be.

I also learned a very good lesson in a funny situation. While sitting in the Commons (a beautiful little pedestrian downtown area full of shops and apple goodness) I noticed a guy wandering and trying to hand out fliers. He appeared to be a local - what Ithaca or Cornell students would call a "towny" - in hippy garb, perhaps purchased at the local hemp store, and dreadlocks. We made eye contact as he worked his way through the crowd, I smiled, he looked me up and down and sort of made a face. Eventually he made his way to me and gave me a postcard and a wink.

I said thanks, turned the postcard to the back, and immediately began to laugh as I declared, "Dude, I can totally chant this with you!" before noticing he had already slipped back into the crowd. The card read:

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare


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All I could think was that I must not look like a yoga teacher today and how nice that he wanted to share the great mantra with me - without asking for a donation even. Then I wondered if he was judging me, trying to save me, and what or who he had summed me up to be. The self judging thought was followed by a much more beautiful one.  It is not about what we see or how we appear to someone else. You cannot look and know all that a person is.

During these few days following that moment I have come to realize that as stressed out, do do do, as I ever become I am always a yogi and a being that ultimately knows what my body and mind needs. I do not need to be a super woman who gets everything on the list done. I do not need to impress, stress or express exactly who or what I am or prove myself to another person. I need to breathe, practice, enjoy, be.

Shock me, Shakti

Today my morning practice consisted of, well, not practicing. My back was sore and I just got up on the wrong side of the bed. Solution: Shakti Mat! A Shakti Mat is a new take on the old bed of nails tradition. You will see the mat in pictures below to get a better idea if you have never seen one. Resting on a Shakti Mat is sort of like getting acupressure and acupuncture at the same time - it increases circulation and helps alleviate pain. I love mine. It is interesting to note that Shakti means 'to be able' and refers to our life force. Shakti is also the goddess of creation and the agent of all change in Hinduism.

So, this morning after my Sun Salutes I went right to the Shakti Mat. I thought I would still be a productive yogi and read "Light on Yoga," by B.K.S. Iyengar, while I rested. I got through a little bit but then decided to go a different route. I realized that judging myself for needing to rest was not yogic at all - that it was okay to give my body a chance to restore without also giving myself busy work.

This weekend at training we learned about Restorative Yoga - about active rest and providing support for the whole body. Ultimately this is about allowing the body to be in a state that helps you melt into the supported pose and out of your routine.  By doing so, you eventually strip away the layers of attachment
to come closer to your true nature. If that is too mighty a thought - it can also be stripping away the layers of stress until you can fully breathe and relax again.

Doesn't that seem like enough on its own? I didn't need to occupy myself with studying - I was already doing and receiving enough. So in honor of Restorative Yoga I rolled up a towel to support the backs of my knees and donned an eye pillow that has not been appreciated in far too long. Feeling stressed? Find time for yourself - rest, restore, find Shakti.

Look out - Tiger!

One very interesting topic that I have learned a little about recently (from the ever amazing Kristin Leal) is the autonomic nervous system - which can be divided into the enteric, sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The enteric system is fabulous in its own right because it is responsible for our 'gut feelings' - these are the nerves that line our GI tract and send messages back to the brain. (Did you know that 95% of the body's serotonin is found in the lining of the gut?) Crazy.

But the system that really stood out is the sympathetic nervous system - you've heard of it, this is our fight or flight system. I knew this before, but was surprised at the amazing feats the body actually goes through in order to help you, say, escape from a tiger. I was more surprised to learn that this system can be in a state where it is always turned on in the body - even when we are not in situation where we need to fight or flee. These responses are crucial in an event where a tiger may really be coming at you... but they can be dangerous to our everyday lives.

Mukha's best tiger face... grrr.

OK, so say, that tiger is coming at you - the body's first call to action is to produce stress hormones to give you your get-up-and-go. Great! Now we can run away or punch the tiger in the nose and hope for the best... however, if our bodies are always producing a little bit of this stress hormone (even without a true life threatening stressor) then we can suffer from insomnia, anxiety, hypersensitivity, PTSD etc.

Do you see the problem? If we live our lives in fight or flight mode we go around everyday creating tigers (insert: fear, danger, robber, pressure) in our minds that are not there.

GOOD...
Our body also: releases glucose from some areas of the body to feed the get away car; increases the breathing rate to provide more oxygen; increases the blood pressure and heart rate to fuel faster; the metabolic rate increases; our inflammation response increases and body releases cortisol; senses are heightened - pupils dilate, mind works more quickly, muscles contract. Again, these are great when presented with an actual tiger... not great in everyday life. When we allow them to be on slow drip, all day everyday, that becomes a problem.

BAD...
Because this can cause (in order): fatigue and nutrients being stolen from certain tissues of the body; reverse breathing or breathing against the natural flow of your diaphragm; high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, circulatory disorders; body will hold certain fats that encourage weight gain; autoimmune issues (body attacking itself), cortisol can eat at the hippocampus of the brain - causing memory loss, weight gain; strained eyes, mega tension, always prepared to fight/flee, insomnia, chronic pain.

The solution? We need to live by being in the moment - do not let your mind create tigers where none exist. For this, we rely on the third part of our nervous system - parasympathetic - our rest and digest system. The good news is that by just trying to relax the body and mind we will achieve a result. The body craves this state and will help you calm itself to maintain homeostasis (balance).

Ways to trigger your parasympathetic system and caaaaalm down/stop seeing tigers are to: exercise - muscle tension and release, recline - head below the heart line slows the breathing and blood pressure, emphasis on your exhale - to slow breathing, silence or repetitive soothing sounds, perceived physical safety - otherwise always on guard, lack of emotional or mental strain - this is a toughy but even an attempt in the direction will help trigger the response.

The act of being in the world always present and calm is not instantaneous, but it is good to know that even little steps help us live healthier, happier lives.