I hope that you will enjoy reading “lessons from Monday Night Yoga“. I have learned so much over the past 7-8 years at The Shanti Yoga Center, and it doesn’t matter how many times I hear the same thing over and over, the lesson continues to grow and broaden.

This week we discussed about our personal growth and how when we are on the verge of big growth in our lives, it can feel really uncomfortable and confining. This confinement is the threshold for our own personal growth.

It is said that according to The Polynesians, the world began when their creator Taaora woke up to find himself growing inside a shell. He stretched and broke the shell and the earth was created. He continued to grow until he found himself inside another shell that he had to break through and the moon was created. He kept growing until he had to break through another shell and the stars were created.

We each grow in this life by breaking through successive shells. We come to a point in our growth where we find ourselves confined, we feel like we have no room and that we must break through our own shell in order to be born anew.

Life becomes a living of who we are until that form of self can no longer hold us. Each form serves its purpose for a time until we grow and they no longer serve us.

Quote: “From the beginning,

the key to renewal has been shedding,

the casting off of old skin.”

This sense of confinement can be really uncomfortable and a little disconcerting.  It was a fellow yogini from our studio who’s pastor said to her, “you’re in a state of divine discontent”. I think that describes it perfectly. We really need to try to recognize this confinement as our threshold for growth and know that on the other side is a newer you. A you with fresh new eyes to continue your growth journey.

This is a great meditation practice that we did in class on Monday to help assimilate this idea. It is also found in the book called The Book of Awakening by Mark Nep.

Meditation:

• Breathe slowly with your eyes closed, and feel one aspect of your current world that seems confining.
• Rather than focusing on the people or circumstance involved, try to feel this confinement as the threshold of your next growth.
• Meditate on how the piece of God/Spirit within you might stretch and stand more fully, so that being who you are more completely will break the shell of this confinement.
• Try to understand that none of this bad, but simply necessary for the growth of your soul.

I found this mediation to be very powerful and enlightening as I contemplated my own sense of confinement in my life.

Try it and please leave a comment to let me know what you think about this idea, if you can relate and if you’ve tried the meditation.

Until then, Be well and be happy,

Dianne

Breathe

This morning I was inspired on the way to work when I heard a slightly older song on the radio called ‘Breathe 2 a.m.’ by an artist named Anna Nalick. When she wrote and recorded this song, she was a fairly young kid. I believe when she was promoting it and releasing it she was only 21 years old.

When I listened to the lyrics of the song at that time, I was pretty impressed that someone so young could get the significance of conscious breathing and the impact it can have on our lives. I actually met her once, and asked her if she realized how significant some of the lyrics in her song were. Although I am not quite sure she did, this is what she said: “When my mom saw me upset or stressed out, she told me to just breathe”.

Although I think some of the lyrics go even deeper into how we can move through our world, there is a lot to be said for just pausing a moment to “just breathe”. This small step can really help to alter our state of mind and improve our overall health.

Andrew Weil, M.D. stated, “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply… to learn how to breathe correctly.”

Regarding breathing, in his book, Breathe Smart, Aaron Hoopes says, “…encouraging the body to do what is natural is most often the best one. Ironically, the simple, natural and most beneficial method is often the most neglected as we continue the quest for a healthier more fulfilling life.”

In future posts, I look forward to sharing more of the benefits of conscious breathing, and how it can help us reduce stress, improve health and possibly even lose weight. For now, enjoy the song and let me know what you think of some of the lyrics, even beyond the “just breathe” parts. It’s not about if you like the song, just what you hear in it.

Let me know, I look forward to your comments.