Tag: yoga with leona

The power of finding contentment in uncomfortable places

Have you ever done the splits (aka hanumanasana) on a piece of driftwood? Yeah, so it wasn’t the best idea, nor the most comfortable place I’ve ever practiced this pose. But it was a pretty scene along my hike, so I went ahead. And it actually turns out to be nicely symbolic of the idea behind this awesome quote from Walt Whitman. “Happiness, not in another place, but this place…. not for another hour, but this hour”. To me, this quote echoes of santosha, one of my favorite of the niyamas from yoga philosophy, which help guide us in developing healthy attitudes and thought patterns to support us both on and off of our yoga mats. Santosha means contentment, and the idea is that we must strive to find some level of contentment in all circumstances, irrespective of how uncomfortable or difficult those circumstances might be. Yoga teaches us to practice finding ease and contentment in the most uncomfortable positions, like this one, hanumanasana, or some other crowd favorites like utkatasana (sometimes called chair pose) or navasana (boat pose).

As with most things in yoga asana practice, the practice of santosha on the mat is a little microcosm preparing us for santosha off the mat, in real life. Finding contentment in the midst of physical struggle (like screaming hamstrings or quivering quadriceps) trains us to more easily be able to find contentment when challenging situations arise off of the mat. And I think this is why santosha speaks to me so much. As cancer survivors, we have many uncomfortable or challenging moments, like the physical challenge of healing from surgery or radiation, coping with long term effects of those treatments, waiting patiently for chemo side effects to subside, the PTSD- like fear of going in for follow up testing, and even the tragic loss of one of our warrior brothers or sisters. While there is obviously no magic trick that will make all of these challenging moments go away, nor make navigating them easy peasy, a little practice in santosha can make them less painful and more manageable, thus opening up some space for more enjoyable emotions to arise.

Just as we learn to do on our mat while the teacher is counting breaths so slowly that it seems like we’ll just die here in boat pose, we relax our minds (maybe even smile a little at how damn slow her breathing is!), tune in to our own breath, and bear with it. And so often, we find out that we can stick with it longer than we thought! We discover that we have those same tools at our disposal when life throws us a really challenging situation. We can relax our minds, tune in to our breath, and hang in there, happily encountering that deep well of calm strength that we didn’t know was there. Obviously some life challenges are profound and completely overwhelming, making even the calmest, coolest spirits get flustered. That is life and it is ok. But perhaps those are the times that this practice is most important. So that, instead of falling completely and irreversibly to pieces, we eventually… no matter how long it takes…. come back to our breath, drop in to that calm peaceful mind, and again find our strength and determination to move forward. In this way, yoga empowers us, creating resilience, an inner confidence, and a knowing that, whatever arises, we can breathe through it. It’s really kindof a superpower. When we learn to tap in to this resilience and this ability to find contentment despite outer circumstances, our suffering shrinks and our joy and happiness grow.

So whatever challenge you might be going through today, instead of allowing yourself to stew in it and suffer, see if you can’t take a deep breath, smile to yourself and practice finding that little sliver of happiness…. in this place…. in this hour. You have the power. Keep practicing and see it grow even stronger.

Namaste

Root down strong like a banyan tree

This incredible banyan tree lies at the entrance to my street, and probably played at least some role in our choosing the home that we did. My husband and I both LOVE this tree, and are just in awe of its beauty, its power, its vastness, and its energy. Not to mention its resilience in continuing to thrive despite the streets that were built on either side of it. I wonder how old it is, and I’m so grateful that it wasn’t destroyed when this neighborhood was built.

Trevor Hall is a musician I was introduced to by a friend (thank you Chastity!) a year or two ago, and I love to practice yoga to his music. This lyric, “When the mind is spinning, what to believe? Root down strong like a banyan tree” has always struck me, but took on a whole new meaning as I was looking at this photo and admiring all of the aerial roots, and how these banyan trees send these roots down from their branches as a means of gaining more structural strength as well as improving access to more water and nutrients as the tree grows. So these trees have an unusual appearance, but that appearance is the result of true adaptability and versatility that give these trees their immense power.

You may have read this excerpt from Ram Dass about turning people into trees “When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying “You’re too this, or I’m too this.” That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees”.

So this gorgeous and resilient banyan at the base of my street reminds me of how we, as cancer survivors and thrivers, sometimes have to adapt to less than ideal situations, but when we allow ourselves to do so, we can become even stronger than before. It is so common to have a mind that is spinning, and feel overwhelmed or disoriented. But we can root down and find our footing, our balance, and our strength. This may happen in unconventional ways that look weird or different to people who don’t understand, and even to ourselves. But instead of judging ourselves or doubting ourselves, let’s practice turning ourselves into trees. And appreciating whatever jigs and jags we have had to make, whatever funny looking roots we have needed to develop to keep ourselves going. Let’s allow and love ourselves, and truly SEE ourselves with all of our beauty, our power, our vastness, and our energy. Just like my beloved banyan.

Namaste  

Being a light unto ourselves in cancer recovery

Yesterday was a really beautiful day, with a deep blue sky and warm sun shining down. The kind of sunshine that just warms your soul. And maybe I was feeling extra good because we had just gotten some good news on my nephew, who is going through a health situation. But as I was driving to the grocery and enjoying the beauty of the day, this George Harrison song came on, and it was like a scene out of a movie, when the soundtrack is just so perfectly on point. Here comes the sun, do do do, here comes the sun and I say, it’s all right…. It also happens to be one of my favorite songs to start out a yoga playlist!

Anyway, it got me thinking about just how much some simple warm sunlight can change my mood. Especially during the winter, when cold dark days can be a little bit of a downer. I’m fortunate now, to live in a place that is really pretty warm and sunny all year. But I grew up in Indiana, where the winters are dreary and cold, and I definitely had a case of seasonal affective disorder as a kid. And boy, during some of those stretches of darkness, the warmth of the sun could do so much to lift my spirits. Even still, in Puerto Vallarta, sometimes we have weather patterns that bring days of cloudiness and more chilly air, and we had a bit of one of these recently, which is maybe another reason the sun felt so good yesterday.

But one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t control the weather. Duh, right? Sometimes we are just going to have stretches of cold or darkness, and periods of difficulty or challenge, that make us long for the light to come back in. The same is true in life, of course. We are all going to have periods of relative darkness, no matter how much we resist them….and no matter how much we go on vacation 😉 So when those periods of darkness and difficulty come, we need to be able to light our own path. And the Buddha (or Krishnamurti depending on where u look) encouraged us to do so, saying “Be a light unto yourself”. This is one of the places where yoga and yoga philosophy can really help us, as we traverse these cold and dark periods in cancer treatment and recovery. We can learn to find our own light to warm and guide us through difficult times.

Yoga teaches us to turn inward, to connect with our bodies and our inner light. Yoga teaches us to find contentment and joy, despite external circumstances, to be less attached to whatever might be going on around us. Yoga trains us to remain peaceful and at ease, even in the midst of challenge (be it a long hold in boat pose or a life challenge off the mat). Yoga helps us find and strengthen that inner light, empowering us to find our own way out of the darkness. Of course it is awesome when a little sunshine joins in and gives us a boost. But just in case the sun in the sky is obscured today where you are, do what you can to find and fan that light of your own. Trust me. It is there and it is brilliant.

Namaste

A flexible mind = a peaceful presence

Happy New Year yogis and friends! Are you a New Year’s Resolution type of person? I never really have been. But I do think the turn of the calendar year is a good time to take a little stock of where we are, how we are doing, and where we might like to see some change in the coming year. My preference is more for setting intentions for the new year. Not resolutions, like I want to accomplish X,Y,Z specific thing. This seems too rigid, and too much like attaching ideas of success to some specific outcome. I prefer rather setting an intention for more of a general way of being. How do I want to be in 2022? What qualities do I want to cultivate? What habits do I want to work more on, and which ones do I instead want to down-regulate? This could be so many things, like being more gentle with ourselves, being more compassionate with ourselves or others, showing a little more appreciation for and even celebration of our bodies and what they can do vs bemoaning our limitations, slowing down some, really paying attention to how different habits make us feel (ie How do I feel when I take time for self care, hold strong to my boundaries, or make sure to get my exercise in? vs How do I feel when I rush in the morning, work too much, or over-commit?).

For me, this year, I had been thinking about my biggest intention, and then I saw this quote from Kino MacGregor, one of my favorite modern day yoga teachers, and it just clicked. This is it for me. This year, I am going to be more open, more flexible (in mind), and more equanimous. Less rigid, less attached to my beliefs about how I think things should be. More unfuckwithable, if you will ;). So that I can be less tense, upset, or disappointed if things don’t unfold in the exact way I would like. This way, I’m open and accepting to whatever comes, taking each day as it is, able to maintain clarity, presence, and even joy, despite whatever my mind deems less-than-ideal circumstances. Because obviously things don’t always go the way we want them to in life. Life is unpredictable, and full of challenges, big and small (especially on a cancer journey). And no amount of being mad or sad or resisting things that happen is going to make them bend to our will. This doesn’t mean we have to like everything that happens in our lives, or be happy about it. I don’t like that a child very near to my heart is going through cancer treatment right now. I don’t like it one bit. But I realize that no amount of negativity in my mind is going to help the situation or make it go away. And in fact, it will instead create more suffering and anxiety for me and those around me, and also make me less capable of being a support to the kid and his family. So instead, I am trying to accept it, to recognize that this is the situation we are in, and then finding some clarity on what I can do to help.

And this flexibility of mind, or openness to the flow of things doesn’t just have to be in relation to big challenges. It is perhaps even more important in the context of the many small challenges, detours, and inconveniences that happen day in and day out throughout our lives. As a real time example, as I was initially writing this blog yesterday, the internet went down in all of central Mexico for several hours. At first, I was frustrated, thinking “dang it, I really wanted to get this blog done today, and now my whole plan is blown out of the water”, but then I took a breath, and realized it didn’t really matter if I got it done yesterday, or just got back to it when the internet came back on line. Sometimes I can get so caught up in my idea about what I wanted to accomplish at some certain time that I lose sight of whether it really matters or not. Does it really matter if I go to the grocery in the morning or the afternoon, or if I eat lunch at noon vs 1? Does it really matter if there is a traffic detour causing me to arrive at my destination 5, or even 30 minutes later than I would have? (OK, not the 24 hour snowstorm traffic disaster that happened recently in Virginia, that is different, geez). In most circumstances, learning to be more flexible, and just roll with the changes, adapting on the fly, helps me feel so much more peaceful, more equanimous, less disturbed by every little change. Paradoxically, learning to be more flexible and release my need to control every detail of my life allows me to feel so much more in control of my state of consciousness, rather than allowing external circumstances to dictate my mood and my happiness. So instead of freaking out yesterday, I took the downed internet as an opportunity to water my plants and enjoy the fresh air a little instead. Maybe that was what I really needed yesterday anyway?! As the Dalai Lama said, “Sometimes not getting what you want is a brilliant stroke of luck”. I’ll be practicing seeing this stroke of luck when things don’t go the way I planned this year.

All of this is svadhyaya, or self-study, from yoga philosophy, right? And it is so important that we put in a little effort to understand ourselves and how our choices impact how we feel and the quality of our consciousness. If we aren’t aware of ourselves, how will we know how we could improve our experience? So my advice as we embark on 2022 is to spend a little time thinking about how 2021 felt for you, whether you can notice any habits, behaviors, or thought patterns that aren’t in line with how you would like to be, or that don’t support you feeling your best. And then in the light of that awareness, you will begin to find yourself adjusting and adapting, growing into healthier habits and patterns for the coming year.

Of course, along with improving the flexibility in my mind, I’ll still be working on the flexibility in my spine as well. I hope you’ll come along with me. May 2022 bring us all growth, health, and happiness!

Namaste

Learning to just BE with our cancer experience

Robert Frost said “The only way out is through”, and I feel that one in my bones. Some moments in our cancer journey are so painful that it seems like we just want to curl up and hope it is all a bad dream, just bury our heads in the proverbial sand, or distract ourselves in any way possible just to avoid facing it all. We might try to stuff our emotions and fears deep down inside of us, in attempt to avoid the pain of really feeling them. But it turns out that we can’t truly heal in this way. In order to truly heal, in body, mind, and spirit, we have to confront our experience and all of its parts, be they good, bad, or ugly. And I used the word confront, but I don’t mean in a confrontational kind of way. I mean openly accepting the situation, including our inner experience and our reactions to the experience, with curiosity, with courage, with a calm heart and and a big dose of loving kindness toward ourselves. It is only when we allow ourselves to really feel our experience, without judging it, just allowing it to be what it is, that a sense of peaceful acceptance can begin to wash over us, and some of those more difficult emotions just dissolve away on their own. I’m not suggesting that this is easy, or that we just take 3 deep breaths and then everything is peachy. This is hard work and it often takes a little time. And that time, while we just sit with our discomfort, with our suffering, our pain, or our fears, can be really difficult. It isn’t something we often do, even in normal life outside the realm of cancer. We humans tend to move away from suffering in any way that we can, often at great cost to ourselves and our healing. Interestingly, in this way, cancer is a great teacher. Because really, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get away from it. So it forces us to learn how to just BE with it. To just experience it all. And once we relax into accepting this, it is a truly powerful feeling, this inner strength imbued with a sense of peace, no longer struggling or resisting against ourselves. We recognize that we are so much stronger and more resilient than we thought. That we don’t have to run away any time something feels hard. That it is ok to just stop running, breathe, and face whatever challenge is happening. A tremendous shift can then occur, and whatever suffering was there transforms itself into strength.

Yoga practice trains us in this same way, as we breathe calmly and stay in sometimes painful or difficult positions for a few breaths longer than we would like, rather than falling out or running out of the room. As BKS Iyengar put it, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured, and to endure what cannot be cured”. This practice strengthens not only our bodies, but more importantly our minds, our will, and our resolve. We learn to really tune in to ourselves, just BEing with whatever our situation requires us to do. This is some of the magic of yoga.

So next time you are in utkatasana (chair pose), navasana (boat pose), or whatever your most challenging pose is, remember you are training yourself to breathe and stay with the challenge, to overcome the reflex to just run away, freeing yourself to be the peaceful and powerful warrior you truly are. Rock on warriors, and make your way through!

Namaste

Feeling Strong AF?

How are you feeling today? Hopefully strong AF, but it is certainly understandable if we don’t quite feel that vigorous every day. And it is really important that we are honest with ourselves about how we are doing. Cancer treatment can knock the stuffing out of us, both physically and emotionally. You know all of the ways that surgery, radiation, chemo, and hormonal therapy can zap that energy, so I don’t need to list them here. What I do want to talk about is how to start building that strength, energy, and confidence back. This is a common theme for me, as it was really important to me to feel that I would be able to get back to feeling strong, capable, independent, and healthy. Don’t get me wrong, learning to admit that I needed help and how to gracefully accept that help was a really great lesson for me and I’m so grateful that I learned it. But I didn’t want to stay there if I didn’t have to. Physical fitness was always important to me, and I wanted to continue to have that in my life. But I recall really not knowing what my future would hold, what recovery would look like, and just how much of my strength I would be able to recover. I didn’t know, at first, how much I could trust my body, and I was afraid of injuring myself and my newly healing scars. So if you are in that space, I feel you. And I hope to encourage you, to help you safely and carefully navigate this time of uncertainty, to help you find your own way to rediscovering your strength and empowering yourself in whatever way you choose. Because it is there, deep within you, that you will find your way through.

Obviously yoga doesn’t have to be vigorous to bring huge benefits to its students. Much of the meditative aspect of the practice, the self-study, the connecting of breath to body and body to mind, and so much more; can be done in a slow, gentle practice. And these truly are some of the most important benefits of the practice of yoga. But for some of us (myself included), building the physical vigor of the practice carries additional benefits that can be so helpful and transformative. For example, we learn to really connect with ourselves so we can accurately identify the point of balance between effort and ease, knowing when we can push harder and when we need to back off. Getting comfortable navigating this space helps us rebuild the confidence and trust in our bodies, and increases our insight. As we challenge ourselves physically and mentally on the mat, while practicing maintaining calm breath and mind, we also train our nervous systems to build resilience and balance deep within the body. The more vigorous practice also gives us more of an aerobic aspect to the exercise, which is helpful for cardiovascular health as well as weight maintenance. The patience required to progress slowly and mindfully makes us more able to be patient in other areas of our lives. And finally, seeing ourselves get stronger (in body and mind) is so truly empowering, reminding us of the immense well of strength and resilience that is there within us, even at those times when we might lose sight of it.

As I say all the time, yoga isn’t about mastering certain postures, looking fancy or acrobatic, or standing on your head, but rather about all that we learn and how we grow along the way as we practice. So it doesn’t matter how vigorous your practice is, as long as you feel like it is helping you along your journey. But if building strength and vigor in your practice is something that sounds good to you, know that you can do it. You may need to do it very slowly, but you CAN do it. And if you’d like some guidance, I’d love to help! I have just loaded a bunch of new medium strength and vigorous practices to the members only video library for those of you who feel ready to start turning up the intensity. Remember to really listen to your body, to start low, go slow, and use your body as your guide. If you really tune in, it will tell you what it needs.

Namaste

Getting comfortable with impermanence

What if?? What if we could do that? Just sit down and enjoy the ride, even when things are tough, even when big changes come, and even when those changes bring things that are not in line with our preferences. Rather than being disheartened, rather than being filled with sadness or anger, or feeling like our whole world has fallen apart. Because truly, this IS the way life is. This is what it means to be human (Pema Chodron is brilliant!). Right? As they say, the only constant in life is change. Things are constantly changing. Our skin wrinkles, we change jobs, friends come and go in our lives, we move to far away places, we get divorced, and the world around us changes just as much (think technology, fads, politics, everything!). Our preferences even change and something that we find really pleasing today might not be enjoyable at all 5 years from now. The way we think about things changes with ongoing experience and perspective. Our bodies change, be it through childbirth, cancer surgery, other disease, injury, or just natural aging. Sadly, we also all lose friends and family members at some point along the way, a change that can be the most devastating because of its permanence.

This brings me to the point. That truly, most things are impermanent. And it is our resistance to this idea that makes us suffer the most. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not”. Why do we think that things should stay the same forever? And why would we want that, even if we could flip some magical switch and make it so? Without change, we would never grow and learn. Sure, maybe things would be easier and more comfortable. But that just isn’t reality. Change is just the way life is. It is part of being human. So why shouldn’t we learn to just lean into that change, to let go of our reflex to resist it or strain against it, and to embrace it and all that it may bring us. Ahhhhh the freedom that comes when we release all of that tension and resistance, and just open ourselves to the natural flow of things.

Having cancer sure gives us a lesson in impermanence and change. Our bodies change, our hair changes (although some of that can be a welcome change 😉 ), even our eyebrows change! Our priorities change, they way we value our relationships changes (some in one direction and others, another), the way we plan for our future changes, and the way we enjoy even life’s little moments changes. Some of the changes suck big time, but others are really a breath of fresh air. The good news is, even when those really sucky changes come rolling in, we can remember impermanence and know that they won’t stay forever.

Yoga practice actually provides a nice place to practice impermanence, as our practice definitely changes all the time. Some days we feel stronger, some days less so, sometimes we must adapt the practice for an injury or an illness. There may be some years when power yoga is what feels really good to us, and others where we need the slow quiet introspection of yin yoga. But this is a beautiful thing about yoga, that it can change and morph with us, supporting us in whatever phase or stage of life we are in, helping us to roll with those changes, accepting them as a part of our human experience.

At first glance, this idea of impermanence might seem depressing (what do you mean my beloved pet won’t be by my side forever?!), but with a little practice in adjusting our perspective, it can actually help us enjoy life even more, by encouraging us to really be present and appreciate the good times, rather than being distracted and taking them for granted. AND, understanding impermanence makes dealing with the trying times so much easier, by helping us remember that, no matter how hard this moment seems, it won’t be like this forever. So in truth, recognizing impermanence can be a really healthy practice and a helpful coping mechanism.

I hope that today you are finding it easy to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Namaste

Listening to ourselves so we can heal and grow

Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program, said “Nobody can listen to your body for you. To grow and heal, you have to take responsibility for listening to it yourself”, and this couldn’t be more true, or more important, for us as cancer survivors.

In one way, this is a little scary. We have to do this part of the healing ourselves. The medicine, the doctors, the nurses, and our friends cannot do this part for us. But the flip side of that is that we CAN do this part of the healing ourselves! How empowering! Something that is within our own reach and our own control. All we have to do is listen. Tune in. With an open heart and an open mind, without judgement for whatever may be going on inside of us. In whatever ways this may change day to day. We just listen. With love and compassion for ourselves and a recognition of everything that we have been through. With gratitude that we are here today, breathing, and growing. Each day stronger, more resilient, and more connected. We listen.

Yoga practice is so great for encouraging this process. As you move and breathe in your practice, you automatically listen and feel what is going on inside. And you connect to that place where relaxation, peace, transformation, and healing can occur. This is some of the magic of yoga. See you on the mat.

Namaste

Strong is the new sexy!

I’m feeling strong today, and hoping you are too! This was one of my biggest fears as I traversed all of my cancer treatment; that I would never be able to get back to full strength. I grew up with two older brothers, and always looked up to them and wanted to be like them, so I was pretty tough from a young age. I never wanted to hear that there was anything that I couldn’t do, or that I was too weak because I was a girl or because I was small. Fast forward to age 40, when I got my first big dose of learning that there are some things you really can’t just muscle through. Cancer treatment is insanely humbling, as the changes to our bodies and the effects of the treatment are profound, and no amount of stubbornness or toughness can change that. It’s just a fact. And we must learn to accept that these changes are a part of the treatment that was necessary to try to save our lives. Not that we have to like them. But acceptance is important to our peace of mind. Instead of staying angry or sad at the new condition of our bodies, we can accept that this is what was required, and throw a little love to our bodies for doing the best they can to heal and carry us through.

But wait! It gets better from here. Acceptance doesn’t have to mean we resign ourselves to staying there forever. Acceptance means recognizing that this is a necessary step on the path, and resisting it or hating it just makes it that much more unpleasant. So a deep breath and quiet acceptance of each step is important. But what comes next is up to us! Mahatma Gandhi said “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will”, and I feel this so deeply. I believe that it is this indomitable will, this gentle persistence, this fire deep in the pit of our bellies, that can help us pull ourselves back up after the effects of cancer treatment do what they must.

Of course there is some physical aspect to strength. Yoga asana practice has been so essential in helping me rebuild the physical strength that I lost during cancer treatment. Sadly, these treatments do sometimes have direct effects on our muscles, nerves, and other tissues, leaving legitimate damage and weakness. But with proper approach and patience, most of us truly can recover much, if not all, of our physical strength. And even if we have permanent damage to certain nerves or muscles, we can learn to strengthen surrounding muscles that can compensate for the others.

Yoga also teaches us softness, and to gracefully navigate the balance between our strength and this softness. Yoga does this by really making us tune in to our bodies and feel when we have the strength to push forward and when we need to back off or rest. As we become more and more in touch with ourselves, we re-develop a deep trust in ourselves and our bodies. Cancer and cancer treatment can really destroy that trust, leaving us feeling betrayed by our bodies and disconnected. Yoga helps to restore that connection and that trust. And this, I believe is where our indomitable will comes back into play. Much of strength lies in believing in ourselves, in trusting that we can do something, that we can handle whatever comes our way. Even in times when we feel weak or are struggling with some of these side effects, if we can dig down and find that indomitable will, we will muster the ability to keep going and try again. Yoga helped me to rebuild trust in myself, to re-establish that connection, where I could believe in myself again and know that I would get there. And that I would get there safely by continuing to tune in and proceed with my practice while maintaining that balance so I didn’t have to fear injuring myself or my various scarred body parts. Fear of injury can be a real roadblock in rebuilding strength or resuming activity after cancer treatment. So this reconnection and rebuilding of trust in ourselves and our bodies is imperative in coming back.

This is one of the main reasons I developed this website. To help others who are going through their own breast cancer experience to safely and cautiously begin a yoga practice and find a way to reconnect to their strength in body and in mind. To start slow and easy and foster this connection with themselves and their own bodies, to regain trust, and to overcome those fears that they simply can’t or that they will injure themselves if they try. And then once each individual starts to feel comfortable, my hope is that they then have the tools and the belief in themselves that they can continue their journey of yoga or other activities in whatever way they want. They can continue to practice here with us, OR they’ll also feel comfortable doing yoga anywhere, without feeling limited or fearful, trusting their own bodies and knowing how to modify the practice if needed to care for themselves in any yoga class. Obviously we’d love to have you continue to practice and grow with us here, but we also recognize that it is important to participate in your own communities, in live classes with your friends and loved ones. So once you feel comfortable, go see what all is available. And if you have any doubts or concerns, let me know and I’ll see how I can help.

So wherever you are in your cancer and yoga journey, be patient and understanding with yourself. Really try to tune in and feel what is going on in your body so you can develop that connection, balance, and trust again. Find your indomitable will. And believe you can do it! You are strong beyond measure.

BTW the pose in the pic is tittibhasana, or firefly pose. Funnily enough I have the strength for this one, but not quite the flexibility. It is a work in progress, just like I am!

Namaste

Are you caught in the epidemic of busyness and stress?

Are you busy all the time? Are you stressed out? What does stress feel like to you? What effects does stress have on your body, your mind, and your health? I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot, as I am preparing a talk on the topic for the Tucson Cancer Conquerors’ Soul, Strength, and Spirit day, which is coming up soon! I’m very excited to be a part of this program, btw.

Sadly, stress seems to have become an integral part of our lives and our culture. Some years ago, the WHO (World Health Organization) declared stress the health epidemic of the 21st century (of course that was before Covid). But this just underscores the seriousness of this problem. Stress isn’t just some minor annoyance. It is a serious problem, with real consequences for the health of our bodies and minds (tons more on that in the talk). And while stress affects everyone in our culture, having cancer and dealing with treatment, follow up, fear of recurrence, and treatment side effects can just raise the stress game to a whole new level. I’m not going to get into all the details here today, but I do want to address one aspect of this epidemic of stress, also sometimes referred to as the epidemic of busyness. And that is that we DO have some control over how stressed we allow ourselves to become. And by default, then, the power is ours to change that if we want to.

You know how much I love Eckhart Tolle, who said “It is possible to be busy without stress. If you find it is not possible for you, it is better to be not busy at all”. There are a few important points wrapped up in this quote. First, it may seem hard to believe that we could possibly be as busy as we are without being stressed. They just go hand in hand, right? Maybe not. We all know people who seem to do 1,000,000 things, do them all effectively and effortlessly, and never seem flustered or overwhelmed. So some people can do it. What do those people have, because I want some?!

Second, Tolle points out that there are many of us who may not be able to continue to be that busy without tipping our delicate balance over into the “stressed” zone. No shame in that. There are probable many more of us in this category than in the first one. But we must learn to see it, to feel it, to be honest with ourselves, and admit it. It is only then that we can begin to do anything about it. If we just keep running mindlessly through our lives, busy and overwhelmed, stressed to our breaking points, and refusing to admit that there is anything wrong, we cannot get better. So as always, self-awareness is so key.

And his final point is that we can choose not to be so busy. Just because everybody else is doing it, and it has become almost a badge of honor in our society to say “Oh, I’m sooooo busy” whenever someone asks how you are doing, doesn’t mean that you should strive for that. Maybe we don’t need to take that second job (if we cut our expenses, could we do without it?), or all that overtime, or to be on so many committees, or take on that volunteer work, or so many social engagements, or spend so much time scrolling facebook. Maybe we need more quiet time, sipping coffee or reading a book. Just looking out the window, strolling around our gardens, and just BE-ing. There is a funny meme that says something like “she was just sitting there, doing nothing, just breathing and relaxing, like a total psycho”. But I believe that our bodies and our minds really need that kind of time to decompress, to heal, to balance. When was the last time you just sat around, enjoying yourself, and didn’t let yourself feel bad that you weren’t “accomplishing” anything?

So busyness and stress are big problems. What can we do about it? First, we have to really tune into ourselves and understand how we, individually, are doing. This is svadhyaya, or self-study, in yoga philosophy. Are we truly handling our level of busyness with ease, and thriving? Or are we secretly suffering, stressed, depressed, anxious, or even with physical problems like irritable bowel syndrome, that might be exacerbated by our stress? Be honest. I used to be super tough, and truly believed I was doing just fine, in spite of my busy lifestyle. I wasn’t. And it isn’t easy to admit, but we have to face it if we want to make any positive change. Pretending to be fine, while the dangerous effects of stress are smoldering in your body is no good place to be.

I’ll talk more about the next steps in a future post and in lots more detail in our session at TCC October 2! For those of you who are TCC members, see you soon!

Namaste