D.U.I.Y. (Driving Under the Influence of Yoga)

My road of life metaphor thread continues.

The other night following my Yoga class, I was feeling especially good. There was an elevated sense of alertness, and at the same time a feeling of extreme peacefulness. I felt the effect so strongly, I put my window down so the wind would stimulate me, keeping me alert to the road. I laughed at my own thought that I was driving under the influence of Yoga and hoped I wouldn't be pulled over.

Driving the metaphorical road of life under the influence of Yoga seems like a good idea to me since I feel so good....peaceful and yet fully alive. What a joy it is to live within a state of mind that does not contemplate harm or judgment of oneself or another, but rather experiencing life fully. The absence of the need to compare is also a plus, since for many the typical road of life causes people to constantly look over their shoulder.

Other Yoga practice benefits come from an inner focus centered on breathing, movement and presence in any given moment, simultaneously. There is a very sacred honoring and integration of one's body, mind and spirit that takes place. Maybe if we all made this our practice for ourselves, we would honor each other more too.

I managed to drive home safely with no threat to anyone else on the road. Had I been pulled over for D.U.I.Y., I wonder if there would be a breath test to determine my level of inner peace. Even if there was, I'm sure it's legal.

Tuned Into the Shift

My son has always been tuned into mechanical things and how they work. When he was just a toddler, strapped into his car seat, he was giving me advice on how to drive.

One day I was driving the back roads of Tioga County in my standard shift 1981 Volvo. I was going uphill and the engine was straining a bit in fourth gear. Just before I put my hand on the gear shift, I heard a small voice come from the backseat, saying "Downshift, Mommy".

I was amazed that my three year old child was tuned in enough to hear the engine and know what the car needed in the moment. It was a memorable lesson for me that when we are tuned in to life, we also have a sense of what is needed in any moment.

Our signals to shift in life are often subtle, so we must pay close attention and not fall asleep at the wheel.

The Foggy Road

It was barely daylight as I found myself swallowed up by a dense fog driving to Yoga class early this morning. As I drove the 15 miles, I remembered how fog used to terrify me. Now I find it beautiful and kind of mysterious. Metaphorically speaking, what was even more frightening was when I couldn't see what was up ahead on the road of my life.

Both roads... the real one in the fog, and the one that exists in my head, are much easier to travel since my fear level has diminished significantly and I trust more.

When you drive in fog, even though you may not be able to see what's coming up ahead, you just use the lines on the side of the road as your guide. In life, you simply focus on where you are "now". Navigating through the fog of life, many of us feel more secure if we know what's ahead, so we can plan and prepare. We tend not to like surprises since they weren't in our plan and we fear we can't handle it. When we simply trust our intuition and God we are always directed in a way that will ultimately serve us.

I've found that in order to live peacefully, accepting what shows up on the path, steering around some things (when possible), stopping or turning around, are all options to consider. The truth is we can't predict what may show up or what the right course will be until we're actually there, so why try to predict or worry about the possibilities?

The beautiful thing about nature is that fog comes and goes, as does all elements. On my morning drive home, there were spots along the way that I drove out of the fog and into the sunshine where I could see clearly without confusion or any disorientation...also as it is in life.

My advice...drive happily and peacefully.....remember to slow down or pull over when you need to, keep your lights on and don't panic. All fog eventually lifts.

The Pulse of Bliss

I have sometimes wondered what happens to the functioning of my body when I am experiencing bliss while in meditation or prayer. What happens to my organs and my circulation? Does my heart rest as my mind ceases to chatter?

This morning I made a scientific discovery that indeed my pulse slows significantly when experiencing bliss. I happened to be wearing my sports watch having just completed a workout prior to sitting down to enjoy my quiet time. When complete, I pressed on the pulse button to check my heart rate. My first check showed my pulse to be at 50 (normal is 72-80.....at least it was when I was in nursing school a gazillion years ago) As I slowly returned to a more alert state, it gradually increased to 72.

I enjoyed this discovery since it made ne think about how often I am running around taking care of the obligations of life and over taxing my mind with varied thoughts. When in this state of busyness I can't even get a whiff of bliss. What's happening to my body then? I know some activity is healthy, and actually pushing my heart to beat faster with vigorous exercise is also important, yet the realization of how willing my heart's pulse is to slow down and rest, feels very comforting.

The beauty of experiencing the pulse of bliss is available to all of us. Resting in stillness, even if for just a few minutes every day will give our hearts a lovely rest from it's usual hard working routine.

My heart looks forward to it's next opportunity to rest in bliss. How about yours?

The Simple Sigh

A few days ago I noticed myself sigh. I'm sure in the past I sighed a lot and was totally unaware. This time, I felt a release that came with it. It felt like I let go of something stale, old and unneeded. I liked how that felt.

I imagine my new sigh awareness comes from Yoga. Sometimes the class is instructed to take a deep breath and then to let it out with a sigh. Doing that letting go thing with a roomful of people feels especially good.

My old understanding of sighing went along with being bored, impatient, wistful, melancholy and as an expression of relief . I'm sure sighs with those experiences do help in some way, yet I find myself wanting to widen and better appreciate sighing.

When I actually imagine that as I let out my breath in a sigh I am actually being cleansed or prepared for a new breath, I get kind of excited. A sigh is not a throw-away breath, but one that is being let go of with appreciation. Whatever the cause of the sigh, I'd like to believe that it is serving me in some way.

If it was boredom, then I can wake up to create something filled with aliveness. If it is impatience with someone else, it reminds me to make room for understanding. If it is a wistfulness or melancholy thought, I can gently let go of the old with full appreciation, as I fill myself with new possibilities.

Yeah, I like this new awareness of the simple sigh. It doesn't take any special skill....it's just breathing with intention. Sigh.

The Stories We Tell

We all tell ourselves stories and we can be very creative in our story telling. Keep in mind that these stories do not necessarily have to be true...in fact, they usually aren't. We make them up in our heads. We often do it and we aren't even aware we're doing it.

The stories we tell are often filled with things that scare us. You know, the "what ifs".....what if I'm hurt, what if I fail.....what if they don't accept me.....what if etc., etc. In listening to many people's stories, there is a pattern I see. The pattern is one that puts them in a position of discomfort, lack of love, acceptance and lack of success, otherwise known as failure.

As a coach and as a creative story teller myself, I know it is equally possible to switch out the stories based on fear of lack, loss and failure to stories based on love, success, joy and acceptance.

First of all, when you notice your joy tank being low, check in with yourself to see what story was playing in your mind. If it was one that created fear, re-tell the story to yourself so that it is one that feels good. It is all made up anyway, so you may as well create something that keeps you in better humor and a state of lightness.

For those of you reading this that may accuse me of not taking things of the world seriously, I respond with a question of what state of mind will best serve you in making decisions....a mind filled with joyful thoughts and positive, creative ideas, or a mind filled with fear, dread and limits?

Of course, we all have the choice in how we live our lives. I know for me that the more positive my thoughts, the more positive I feel....the more positive I feel, the better things go in my life. I will continue to practice telling my self stories that create joy. How about you?

Life's Crescendos

The day had barely begun and I was ready to lie down and die. I was completing a fast paced, hour long workout and was working to conquer a long, slow, steep hill. I was way out of breath and my quads were burning. It was hot, humid and I was badly in need of water.

As I was focusing on my discomforts, I noticed the music playing in my ears. My I pod, which was set on shuttle, brought up a random selection of music which happened to be a full orchestra piece with a focus on brass, drums and violins. As I purposefully tuned into the music I noticed it was building to a crescendo and then decided to allow it to carry me. I noticed myself feel more confident and determined to stay strong and not quit. The next thing I knew, the music reached its crescendo at the same moment that I reached the top of my climb.

For the rest of my walk I thought about the metaphorical hills we sometimes climb in our lives. I thought about how we sometimes tell ourselves we can't take another step, even though we know we will. I thought about how exhilarating it is when we stay in the game and reach our crescendos and celebrate all that brought us to that point. I thought about the easy down hill times that are mixed with the harder uphill challenges, and how we don't always appreciate the things that are easy.

Recovery from my uphill challenge was particularly sweet. I not only physically felt strong, I was reminded that the crescendos of life are well worth the struggles we sometimes go through to get to the top.