Reflection: The Butterfly Effect

On Sunday I taught another community class with another one of my peers. This time, it was my turn to open class. We each taught half, which is about 35 minutes each. Also, the longest I've ever had to teach to anyone other than aloud to myself. I felt more confident this time. And felt like it showed. Even though I missed a few cues, it was all pretty seamless. Was pretty proud of myself and my partner.

“’It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.’

This is the basis of the butterfly effect. Simply put it means that a small cause can have large effects on its surroundings. What does that mean for you? It means that every action can alter the world around you. Sometimes you may feel like you aren't making a difference. Or that you don't have a purpose. That couldn't be further away from the truth. Each and every one of us has great significance. We have the power to do great things. Something as small as a smile to someone having a bad day can turn their day around. In turn, they can positively affect someone else's and so on and so on. Every action, every word, every breath, has an effect. As you set your intention for your practice today, I ask you, what kind of effect do you want to make on this earth?

In yoga, every movement and breath you take, when done with intention, create a fulfilling practice. This simple concept of having intention can create a fulfilling life. Like a pebble thrown into a pool of water, the ripples it creates can reach further than ever imagined. You can also.”

I actually went into class that afternoon not feeling like myself. I had a little bit of a frustrating morning, having had a disagreement with someone I loved. Once I began teaching, the irritation, the frustration, began to fade away. When I spoke the words, I felt like I was hearing them for the first time, even though I had practiced them to myself over and over. After class, I took some time to just be alone. To sit and think about how some of the things I said and how I said them affected the way the conversation went. I kind of felt shitty, to be honest. And wondered if it could have gone differently. There are times I get so caught up in my own shit or what I’m feeling in that moment, that I react rather than respond. Not just in this particular situation, but in everyday life. I need to take note of every action and the words that come out of my mouth a little more carefully. They effect everything. 

Second half of #LoveYourChakras

A little late in posting this! Tess and I finally finished our Love Your Chakras Yoga Challenge. It was definitely a lot of fun! It was awesome to see the photos of those that joined (although it was only a handful, it was SO appreciated). It was fun to take the photos, learn about the chakras and explain some of our favorite postures and what they meant to us. Her and I have a bit on our plate right now, so it might be a little bit before we host another. But I look forward to it. If you aren't following us in Instagram yet, please do!

@bbrownskinlady
@sidekickdoula

Reflection: Perspective

Our extension program for teacher training was originally scheduled for 4 weeks. It has been extended another two weeks (I'll touch on that in another post). Last Sunday, three of us taught a community class and themed it around shifting your perspective and creating a better outlook on life. This was my first time ending class, which usually involves a little bliss bomb during savasana.

Teaching a sequence, which are sets of postures put together to form the class, is hard enough. You have to memorize the order, their breaths, and being able to cue people into them and refine them, You also have to be able to time how long they are held there just right and tell them about the benefits and what they should be feeling. All of this done while walking around the room, adjusting, demonstrating and smiling! It's exhausting! Haha! On top of that, there's what a lot of people come to yoga for: inspiration. And besides the physical practice, many instructors provide words of wisdom and encouragement that really make a class special.

I was actually really nervous about ending class. Mostly because I didn't know if I could just talk off the dome and have something worthwhile to say. I also didn't want to sound like a complete idiot or be too dogmatic. So I wrote down a few ideas to help me when it was my turn to end class:

"In yoga, we go through many sensations and even emotions. We build heat, we test strength, we play with balance. We find the capacity of our flexibility, and finally we surrender. These things happen off of the mat, as well. Sometimes we cannot control when those qualities will be needed or tested. Sometimes we cannot control how things unfold around us. But we can use the tools our practice gives us to get through any situation. You are in control of your thinking. You are in control of your own happiness. With a tiny shift in your thoughts, you can accomplish great things, on and off of your mat. "

This made me reflect on my own life. There are many times when I feel out of control. I feel overwhelmed. I get angry when things don’t happen the way I needed them to. Or frustrated when something changes the way something should have turned out. I forget that there will always be a wrench that will get thrown into my plans. It is how I respond and behave in those moments of being tested that truly mean something. Sometimes I need to take a step back, process, and come back to it in a positive manner. It isn’t always as easy as it sounds, I know this firsthand.  Always something new to learn.

To the dog owners who refuse to clean up their dog's shit.

Disclaimer: This post isn't about yoga. But as someone who loves dogs and sitting (and practicing yoga) on the grass on a pretty day, I figured I'm allowed the rant. 

 A dog is supposed to be like a family member. You love them, you cuddle with them, they love you back, they entertain you, and they are extremely loyal. Some people even refer to their dogs as their fur babies, and love them as their own children. So I ask you this: would you be okay with picking up the shit of someone else's child? 

I ask this because as I walk to my car every morning (I live in an apartment complex), I walk past beautiful landscaping filled with colorful shrubbery and trees and flowers and dog poop. Why is there dog poop? Because you walked your dog, let them shit and did not clean up after them. This makes me unnecessarily angry. Why would you think this is okay? It isn't fair to those of us who have to walk around and sometimes inadvertently walk into it! It also isn't fair to all of us who have to look at piles of poop that all over the place. If it is too difficult for you to clean up after your pet, or if you are simply refusing to do so, why on earth are you taking care of another life?  It doesn't magically disappear or dissolve into the earth when you walk away. You obviously care enough about your pet to take it out for a walk (or simply don't want it shitting in your house). Why not enough to clean up after it as your dog cannot do this for himself? 

I don't think it is asking for too much... just clean up after your pet. So simple. Don't we deal with enough caca in our everyday lives? Your neighbors thank you. Our shoes thank you. You dog thanks you. My dog thanks you. I thank you. 

#LoveYourChakras Halfway Point

As we just passed the middle point of the month, Tess and I have had a lot of fun so far with our little yoga challenge! Not to mention I've learned quite a bit about the chakras from research for the poses.  Even though we only have a few people who have joined us, it's awesome to see their posts and I've gotten some really nice words of encouragement from my friends. It's never too late to join! If you aren't following us, please do! @sidekickdoula @bbrownskinlady Just a few of our postures so far:

Reflection: Bad Days

Last night was my second night adjusting and assisting in a yoga class at the studio. Was a little nervous at first, touching a bunch of people I don't know in a candlelit room is a little intimidating! But I learned quite a bit. Got some great feedback from some of the girls I knew that took the class. I went into class last night feeling really off. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately, with work, money, friends, family... I felt my energy was off. And was worried that I would transfer that to the people around me. After a few deep breaths, I focused on the fellow yogis and it all went okay. Takes a lot out of you, to teach and assist in a yoga class. Not only are you giving a lot of yourself physically, bending over, massaging, adjusting, walking around, etc. But emotionally and mentally. You have to be completely present. There for them. And they give a lot to you. You can actually feel what they're feeling. Sometimes you can feel how happy they are, and other times you feel the heaviness in the energy they give you. After class I asked the teacher how she deals with having a bad day and going into class to teach. She always seems so calm and collected and her energy is always so positive and strong. I told her I was feeling shitty before class started. She simply said "I was having one of those, too. You find that connection to them." I think that is what happened. Once I was in the studio, watching all these beautiful souls in one room moving and breathing and being present, nothing else mattered.

 

Then I woke up this morning feeling totally under the weather. I am not sure if it was simply fatigue. I didn't even make it to work. Slept a good part of the morning. Mentally and physically I felt like I had been hit by a truck. So just about an hour ago, I thought I would try a little yoga. Always makes you feel better, right? Started with the usual Sun Salutations, warmed up my spine. Felt confident hopping up into a couple of handstands. And then, the frustration began. I couldn't hold a single inversion after that. Tried to get a chin stand (something that totally scares me and I am not strong enough for) and I felt totally weak. Anything I tried I felt totally off. The ground and the wall seemed too real. I had psyched myself out. Tried breathing and focusing but it wasn't there. Finally, I just broke down and cried.

 

I had set up my camera to catch a few inversions, but instead caught a different moment. Through my practice, I have been able to feel a joy and gratitude I hadn't felt before. But opening your heart also comes with the price of feeling vulnerable. This isn't something I'm particularly comfortable with. Being more sensitive to negative energy and having to confront feelings you may have been suppressing. I was really good at holding things in before. That wasn't a good thing. It's a learning process, to take the bad with the good. Some days I just want to cry. Some days I just want to be left alone. I share this with you, not for sympathy. I share this because I want you to know that no matter what, it is okay to be a little vulnerable. It is okay if you feel like shit. Some days are just going to suck. But it's only temporary.

#LoveYourChakras

Social media can be a real drag sometimes. Besides consuming a lot of your time and attention (guilty as charged), you're constantly bombarded by depressing news, overly photoshopped ideals, annoying spam, etc., etc. But something good about it is that you can connect with people you would have otherwise never encountered. You're able to find a common ground with people who share the same passions as you. Who encourage you. Most of my newsfeed is now full of other yogis and their beautiful photos. It's truly inspiring to see what some of these yogis can do. It's also great to see other yogis trying out new things and seeing their progress. A real popular thing on Instagram right now are yoga challenges. For those who don't know, it's one or two yogis hosting the challenge and they post a photo of a pose each day for others to join in. Most of the time, these challenges are sponsored, and a winner is chosen at the end of it for a prize. The great thing about it is that it's free, you get to see other's photos and you get to do yoga!

 Now that 31 Days of Handstands is over, I thought that instead of joining a challenge, I would start my own! So I asked my comadre, Tess, if she would like to help me and she was just as excited as I was! So we declared February to be #LoveYourChakras. A month dedicated to postures meant to balance and get in touch with the 7 points of energy, as well as to find love for body, mind and soul. Tess also volunteered to custom make a mala necklace for a randomly chosen winner! I'm really excited about this challenge and hoping that we have some yogis join us. We're both pretty new to this so we hope for a good month!

If you'd like to join, please follow @sidekickdoula and myself, @bbrownskinlady and find our flyer for the challenge details and rules. Yogis of all levels welcome!