December 2018

Happy Holidays from Heart Tree Yoga!

• Our 2 Selves: who's the other gal/guy inside?
• Upcoming events: Yoga Nidra and Amy Weintraub (mark your calendars. . .)
• Where are you going in 2019?

 
,Our 2 Selves:

Yes, there is another one of you in there . .

Don't be afraid.  The other person means you well.  Just who is it?
 
As many of you know, I enjoy running.  It is freeing and produces that inner natural high that feels so satisfying. I’m not fast and I don’t run far. None of that has ever been really important to me (although I appreciate how it is part of the joy for other people.)  I just want to be able to run however long I want, whenever I want to go.  Pretty simple. 
 
I’m not a quiet-minded runner.  Instead for me, running often uncovers a solution to a problem I’m grappling with, some insight into myself, or an exciting idea to pursue. Moreover, since I’m a planner by nature, my runs usually include sorting out various scheduling challenges.  So, no. Not a quiet-minded runner. 
 
Here’s how it unfolded earlier this week: I was running along, grappling with how to plan out some things I want to do in 2019.  Nothing unusual here.  And in the midst of it, the other person inside me said:

"You don't need to worry about that right now.  

Just F*&king take care of your health and the rest of it will unfold." 
 
To which I responded, "Ok, then."  
 
Just who was the other person inside me?  And why is it being so flipping emphatic about taking care of myself?
 
I’ll address these 2 points separately.

First up: Who's the other gal (or guy depending upon how you want to look at this?)

In Canada at the Reembody Method training I attended there was a lot of discussion about “the other person” we have inside of us. What might their purpose be?  Based on those discussions and other trainings I've had here are 3 possibilities: 
 
*  the other person sometimes is your body answering for youwhen you think you want to do something and the body thinks otherwise.  This is a huge and complicated topic in and of itself.  In Canada we spent a lot of time exploring the brain's propensity for keeping you safe and how in doing so it can limit your movement choices because it doesn't believe certain movement options are safe for you to do.  Sometimes you simply need to teach the body/mind that you are safer then it thinks you are.  As you do so, the brain can ease up on the fear response to potential actions and agree to let you do new things.  It simply begins to understand you won’t necessarily hurt yourself.  

* other times the other person is your body putting up stoppers because you haven’t been listening to subtle messages it’s been sending.  So it needs to send something larger to get your attention.  An injury, for example.  Think of times when you have pushed through pain or exhaustion and ended up pulling a muscle or running yourself down until you caught a cold.  

* and sometimes that other person is the wise counsel, or the observer, talking some flipping sense into you. 
 
Yesterday my other person was trying to talk sense into me (and truthfully well on its way to becoming the person who puts up stoppers when the next day I woke up in complete exhaustion.)  In the last month I’ve been on the West Coast twice and have been jet lagging myself back and forth, not to mention delightfully taxing my brain to learn and integrate fantastic new information about both pelvic floor health and how side dominance and brain hemispheric patterns impact movement and emotional regulation.   

Moreover, during my most recent trip I had some, well, let's call them challenges. Involving travel logistics. (Side note:  I’ll always be grateful to the kindly Air Canada person who navigated my tired and disoriented self on the phone in a Jason Bourne-style way through the Toronto airport to solve my ticketing and baggage rerouting needs and help me arrive at my training on time. It actually was a very funny experience, truth be told.)
 
And finally, in addition to being physically exhausted and mentally spent, I feel sluggish as well because I pretty much ate my way across Canada (during those 27 hours it took to get to from one coast to the other, not to mention those trips to the pub with my compatriots at the end of each day's training . . .)
 
Um. well then. Yes. Thank you wise counsel. Time for a sleep, down-time, and a digestion reset.  

The point here is that our 2nd selves are in us 100 percent of the time.  As we grow our inner awareness, we can begin to ask what the 2nd self is telling us about our state of being.  Sometimes it will mean listening to wise counsel and subtle messages so that you don't get sick or injured. And sometimes you may need to dialog with yourself in the form of teaching your body/mind that it is actually safer than it thinks you really are.  As with everything in life, what action you need to take depends . . .on where you really are.  It requires paying attention.

Listening. Being.   

In the coming months I'll come back to sharing more about outcomes of these recent trainings, which also touched on how the brain maps where you are in space, physiological responses in the body, and how this and hemispheric patterns influence emotional regulation.  

A endless opportunity for learning stands before me. I hope you will journey along with me too.

 
UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your Calendars! 


SUNDAY JANUARY 13 - NOTE DIFFERENT START TIME FOR THIS MONTH
Yoga Nidra and the Art of Conscious Relaxation
4:00-5:00 pm at Body Grace studio in Vienna (NOTE new time for this month)
Fee: $20 pre-registered: $25 drop-in

Yoga Nidra is an ancient practice that takes people into a state of deep relaxation through a guided meditative process and conscious visualization. Also known as yogic sleep, the practice gives rest to the mind, body and senses by drawing the practitioner into a state of conscious awareness—a brain state between full wakefulness and full sleep. This practice has been linked with reducing stress, tension and pain; improving circulation and immune functioning; lowering blood pressure and inflammation; and stabilizing mood. Yoga Nidra is generally practiced while lying down or in a seated position. For your comfort, please bring a pillow and wear comfortable clothing and arrive 15 minutes before class start. Mats and blankets are available at the studio or feel free to bring your own. Please RSVP to reserve a spot with Jan at [email protected] 


SUNDAY, MARCH 24 
Amy Weintraub: Heartbreak as a Path to Wholeness with Amy Weintraub
1:30-4:30pm at Beloved Studio in Reston
Fee: early bird before March 23rd - $55. 

Amy Weintraub, author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists, is coming to town to share ways to nourish our spiritual practice, leading to more peace and healing within.  Amy will be leading participants through LifeForce Yoga® practices including mudras, mantras, breath, guided imagery, meditation and postures. I'm excited to be assisting Amy again!  For more information visit http://www.belovedyoga.com



Where are you going in 2019?
​
I hope that as this year draws to a close you will ask yourself about your deep heartfelt desires for 2019.  

How do you want to feel in the year ahead?

Where do you want to go in your life?

What support do you need to pursue these goals?


I'll be working on my answers to these questions myself.  

For now I know these things:  

I want to further embrace vitality.  I want to live abundantly in love, laughter, grace, and compassion.  I want a good dose of self-discipline to help me pursue my dreams.  I want to be open to new experiences so that I can more fully participate in the richness of being a human.  Essentially, I want to willing to fall sometimes, make mistakes and teach myself that I'm safer than I think I am so that fear won't be my master. I want to meet new people and connect with old friends.  I want to grow my inner awareness more fully.  I want to LIVE this beautiful, sometimes crazy life in more connection with the NOW.  

In 2019, look for these things from Heart Tree Yoga:  

*Classes and workshops to support pelvic floor health
*Special programs for people with Parkinson's
*A one-year program for women looking to transform their lives (and finally take care of themselves)
*More offerings related to traumatic brain injury 

and likely much more . . .

Until then.  

Care for yourself and be well.

Carolyn