Reflections on Being Beautiful

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Photo via Frou Frouu.

What does it mean to be beautiful? It means you rise to the occasion. You move out into the world and wow others with your willingness to love, your grace, your gratitude.


Photo via BYCM. 

You go out even on the bad hair days. In fact, you embrace bad hair days. You consider them a chance to focus on others, giving them the attention they deserve. You also acknowledge that bad hair days are good for baking chocolate cake at home, listening to the rain out the window, and appreciating the beauty of nature and all that surrounds you.

Photo via BYCM. 

You do not strive to be perfect, and you share this with others. Satisfaction, rest, simplicity: you appreciate these. You understand that, 'You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge' (Eckhart Tolle). You stand tall on the legs that you have, knowing they are beautiful.
Photo via Sarah Rhoads.

Releasing Desire

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Photo via Lilie Zen Coach.

Do you ever experience strong emotions while in a yoga pose?


Pigeon pose is a deep hip stretch than can release feelings of comfort as you wring out your spine. Or, if you're like me, you might experience compassion for others who deal with chronic pain.


Camel pose has been known to invite a feeling of overwhelm, panic and excitement. 


Other heart openers such as full wheel can help a feeling of genuine compassion emerge in the body.


As we bow in child's pose, everything rushes in, sometimes erupting in sadness or even tears.


Photo via Pinterest.

Physical movement and stretching during yoga can release pent-up energy present in our bodies. As it surges to life, we experience new desires.


Which postures bring out your emotions?


PS: Have you noticed how many of the popular advanced poses, like Standing Bow, Scorpion, and Handstand don't necessarily evoke a big emotional reaction like these do? It makes me wonder about how our culture encourages us to focus on what's flashy and impressive rather than push through the difficulties of life. Just an interesting observation! What do you think?

Fall Care Packages

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Photo via PoppyTalk Handmade.

Lately I've been wanting to put together a fall care package for my sister, who just moved to North Carolina with her hubby and little one. I can just picture her opening it to find a fun wall print, relaxing candle, and adorable toddler wear. Aren't these woolen slippers beyond cute? And I can so picture my nephew running around in a little rollerskating monster shirt.

Sometimes you just want to send some love and you don't really need a special occasion to do it. I'll just have to work on letting my crafty side loose and see what I can create!

Photo via PoppyTalk Handmade.

First photo via PoppyTalk Handmade.  Second photo via Threadless.

Autumn's Arrival and the Breath in Yoga

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Photo via Miss Moss.

Fall is here! It's time to walk fearlessly toward cold weather... knowing, of course, that we've  also got cozy slippers, candle-lit fireplaces, crockpot meals, and a whole lot of cuddling together on the couch headed our way.

As the seasons change, we are refreshed by new, crisp air.

Last night at the end of Bikram class, I was enjoying our rounds of kapalbhati breathing. I love that this practice is built into the end of the series. It is our last chance to invigorate and cleanse the lungs, which in turn move energy throughout the body. Our whole yoga class has been leading up to this, essentially: the movement of the breath.

Photo by me.

Perhaps this is all there is to yoga: stillness and the breath. Stripped bare, this is all that remains. We need nothing else.

Photo via Closet Visit.

The breath: our beginning, our ending. The sounds of pranayama and of blowing in firm unite us, giving shape to our focus. The breath is made visible in a new way.


Photo via Pinterest.

With Open Arms

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Photo and quote via Lauren Ross on Tumblr.

"Learn to be quiet just as you learn to talk, because if talking guides you, being quiet protects you. By being quiet, you attain two characteristics: you are able to take knowledge from those more knowledgeable than you, and you are able to repel the ignorance of those more ignorant than you."
-Abu adh-Dhiya 

The Search for Self Improvement

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Photo via FYeahYoga.

There's a lot of literature out there these days about self-help and self-improvement. Do you engage in any practices that are purely meant to help you become a better person?

In many ways, this is the heart of yoga. To engage in the life-long quest for improving ourselves from the inside out.

I believe this involves two important steps:

Be open to new things. And know your resources. 

A reader of Alive in the Fire recently shared a lovely resource for those of you out there looking to be better, and to encourage others in their quest to do so. It's a site called Betterfly (aptly named, don't you think?) I suggest you check it out, especially if you're ready to search for new yoga classes.

Photos via Betterfly.

The only way to grow is to keep an open mind. This way you can accept others for who they are and accept unexpected situations as they arise. 

Photo via I Can Read.

Yoga Bums

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Photo via Love More Fear Less on Tumblr.

Pretty people, upside down. A little inspiration for your Friday afternoon -- may you witness the way you can keep your cool, even when the whole world seems to be standing on its head!

Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character on Tumblr.

I like to imagine the conversations the pair below had while experiencing the jarring reality of the body efforting against gravity. A discussion like that would be as surreal and playful as yelling underwater (did you do that with your siblings as a kid? I sure did.)

Headstands and handstands cultivate deep awareness, and allow us to observe the weight of the body, and yet there is an experience of floating upward. We can eliminate our own heaviness -- by strength, curiosity, courage.

How else is this sort of release possible?
Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character on Tumblr.
Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character on Tumblr.
Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character on Tumblr.
Photo via Yoga Journal of a Not Very Calm Character on Tumblr.
Photo via Love More Fear Less on Tumblr.

Fall is Happening

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Photo via Pinterest.

September, September, already half gone. Fall is sliding through town and the days are growing shorter. Last night I cuddled on the couch under not one but two blankets! Which for me, is quite lovely.


I love cozying up.


And drinking apple cider and enjoying anything pumpkin (seriously).


I'm thinking about trying to make this syrup for my own homemade pumpkin spice lattes.


What fall adventures have you been enjoying lately, yogis?


Photo via Carl Zoch.
Photo via Pinterest.

What Have You Found?

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Today has been one of those days when I have trouble letting go. I am trying to remind myself of a new mantra:


It is just you and your breath, and all the emptiness.


Presence, balance, strength, courage: what yoga builds in us. It takes years -- a lifetime -- to earn our own trust, to piece ourselves together. Sometimes, though, I just want to be somewhere.


Satisfaction in arrival -- we give this up in hope for something greater. And without a destination, we are allowed to wander, to experience all that is around us.


I would say I will get there someday, but that would defeat the purpose, now wouldn't it?

Balancing Stick and Celery Sticks

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Photo via Flickr.

I strolled back into the hot room last night, excited to take class with one of my favorite teachers. She greeted me happily at the front desk when I walked in. "Hey, how have you been?!" As the answer, "Great!" came out my mouth, the thought that crossed my mind was: "And about to get better!"


I know it's been a while since I've Bikramed when I set up my mat and can't help but look around the room. I found it funny last night, observing all of the little pre-class rituals people have. I watched an older guy hold a headstand, his legs swaying off to the left like the undercurrent of a stream. I was surprised how well he could balance there, slightly off-center.


A lady in front of me who always parks in the front row performed her little dance/stretch routine, bending in deep squats, pushing her joints around to align the muscle groups, rolling into a quick plough pose. I wonder how she would survive class without her little warm up routine; I don't think I've ever seen her come in and meditate in stillness before class.


I watched ladies in the back push into down dog, relieved that I'm not the only one to bring non-Bikram poses into the room.


Photo via Flickr.


I was pleased that I could do every posture in the series, and even happier to find that I actually enjoyed every pose! Standing Forehead to Knee proved an enjoyable challenge. I loved that our teacher demonstrated step one -- leaning forward to grab the foot -- since this seemed to motivate all of us to move more quickly into the posture. She also did this with Balancing Stick, joining in with the movement of the arms overhead and the bending forward at the waist to take the shape of a capital letter "T."


We floated in and out of the postures, growing stronger with every series.


Complete side note: celery sticks make an awesome post-Bikram snack! I was happily surprised to find how much I enjoyed them. They're watery, with a pleasant crunch, and they satisfy that side of you that's longing for pure, natural hydration after class. Normally I'm not so fond of celery, but now I know when to eat it. I also highly recommend salt and vinegar chips and YogaEarth Purity coconut water. Refreshing!

Burnout

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We have an edge off the mat, too. How long can we hold there?

And a better question: why do we force ourselves to?

Consider what you can let go of in your life -- what pain you could confront. Only by facing the mirror can we begin to change ourselves.

Forward Fold

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Photo via Satya Is Truth.

Having a rough day?

A forward fold can be the perfect dose of calm.

Personally, I like to integrate Uttanasana into my breaks at the office. It's one of my all-time favorite poses, really: so calming, and a lovely stretch for the backs of the legs (especially when my calves are tight from bike riding).

Photo via Best Soy Latte.

Then there's always child's pose, for when you have a little more time and you're home from a long day. Settle in, let the hips drop into the earth, and allow a falling-out breath to tumble out.

If you're in class and you're lucky, your instructor might add a little press to your lower back for even more spinal stretching and stress relief! (You could always make a request of your loving spouse or friend to help with this, too.)

A Solid Base

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All photos by yours truly.

For a long time, inversions had me nervous. I didn't like the disorienting feeling of being upside down; I felt so heavy, like one wrong move could leave me in a pile on the floor.

Step by step, I've been building a stronger foundation.

Now, I enjoy the set up: building a strong base with clasped hands and flexed forearms, toes tiptoeing in until there's nowhere else to go except up the wall. And the best is that moment where I'm hovering, completely in my own body, nothing but sturdy.

And the freedom in tightening the shoulder blades, drawing them down, creating space for the cervical spine to breathe. That's when I know I'm most free: my whole body on top of me, and yet, no pressure on the neck. 

I was so inspired, smiling as I launched myself upside down, over and over again. I even managed a few headstands in the middle of the living room, too, no wall to fall back on. 

This is the only way we can change ourselves, too: slowly tracing the steps over and over until one day, they are comfortable, easy, normal. Eventually speaking my mind will be as effortless as hanging out upside down. For now, I'm happy knowing I have a foundation to work from.




No Storm Here

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Photo via Everyday Musings.

Yesterday I woke up first. I made myself a cup of joe (I've been enjoying them again lately). And I sat in the bowl chair by the window, the sun coming in, the breeze whispering through, and I was perfectly content.

Literally, the thought 

I have no desires

passed through my mind.


Photos via Pinterest. 

Lately, too, I have been in love with the breeze that blows through our apartment.

It's just the right temperature. A reminder of heaven.

I also adore the sound of the night once the sun has set. Like a murmuring outside: frogs peeping, crinkling of window unit air conditioners, the occasional far-off dog bark, and a thick, dark quiet.

I am calmed by our little place, our home.