JUST ONE COMMENT . . .

Just one - that’s all it takes to help me feel that what I am teaching is making an impact. Mind you, this isn’t a plea for comments, just an observation over the past few days. It’s also an acknowledgment that what’s happening for some in my classes is ‘svadhyaya’ - a Sanskrit word meaning self-awareness and self-reflection. Here are examples:

1. My teaching lately has included a LOT of breath work. I’ve been doing extensive reading (books and articles) about the power of our breath — especially if one breathes through the nose (inhale and exhale), and is able to slow the breath. The breath has an amazing impact on our nervous system; for example, if I mouth breathe, I place myself in a low state of hyperventilation and activate a state of ‘fight or flight’ in my nervous system. What comment did I hear about this?

   “I sit at my desk watching 4 screens each day. As I press my tongue flat against the roof of my mouth, it is not possible for me to mouth breathe; I breathe through my nose. I notice that I’m calmer.” *

2. I ask students to continue to get up and down from the floor twice a day - even if they are using something to support themselves. This practice maintains our brain-to-body skillset of that action (getting up and down from the floor). A person who doesn’t (or refuses) to get up and down (unless there is a valid reason), loses the skill to do it and may very well panic if they take a fall. The nervous system will kick in, creating all kinds of havoc and disbursing hormones (think adrenaline) into their system. Things go from bad to worse as that person waits to be helped up from the floor. What comment did I hear about this?

   “I have a friend who is terrified of falling because she doesn’t think she can get back up. I am glad you encourage us to practice getting up and down each day.” *

   When teaching this lesson, I add the instruction “if you fall, take stock of your body (as in, ‘is anything broken or injured’). If all is well, take a moment to calm yourself. Now begin to help yourself up with whatever resource is available. Check again for injuries once up.”

3. Back to the breath: From a book I’ve been reading, I now encourage students to inhale expanding low ribs first, and allowing belly to expand. Exhale begins in low belly, tightening core muscles, and the low ribs move in. This is diaphragmatic breathing; different from many of the breath exercises I’ve done over my years as a Yoga Teacher/Practitioner. The upper chest is quiet. (The upper chest and accessory muscles of breathing will come into play during exertion.) And, what did I hear?

   “I sing and the instruction is always ‘use your diaphragm’. Until you had us place our hands on our low ribs and expand into our hands and belly, then exhale using belly first, I struggled to understand. Now I get it.” *

I get it, also — I have to listen for these little gems. They tell me people are listening, even when I think I have talked about the way we breathe and the way we move ‘ad nauseam’.

This morning, in that time between awakening and actually getting out of bed, all this came to me. An observation that makes me happy and may be worth reading about.

Until next time . . .

* Quotes are paraphrased, since I am relying on memory.