All About Yoga Retreats

In this Vlog I spend some time talking about what makes a yoga retreat so much more than “Just a vacation” and why choosing to go on a yoga retreat can be important not only for self-care in the moment but long term stress management skills.

Yoga Thoughts for Difficult Times

Following the 2016 elections in the USA  I wrote a blog post about the results from a yoga and mindfulness perspective. You can view my thoughts here. While I tend to keep this blog a-political, if you know me in person (or on my personal Facebook Page) you would know I am a fairly political person, and you can tell from that aforementioned blog post that the election results were tough on me.

Here we are, more than a year and a half later (is that all?) and I am writing a similar blog post. If you read the news you know it has been an even more difficult past few weeks of news coming out of the United States, most specifically hearing reports and recordings of children being separated from their parents on the US/Mexico border. 

If you are anything like me and many of the clients I work with, this has taken a toll on you in many ways. You may have found yourself depressed, or frustrated and feeling helpless or angry. Or all of the above. There may even be a temptation to shut off all the news and move to an ashram in the mountains somewhere. Or maybe just do enough sun salutations and head stands till you no longer feel the feelings you feel.

The temptation to just tune out entirely can be a strong one, and I think, and most experts agree, it is important to honor it from time to time. Otherwise there is no question you will burnout. Even Rachel Maddow takes a night off now and then! If you are going to tune out, tune out! I say this as someone who often is guilty of the opposite. Thinking “I will tune out I just need to read that one article” and next thing I know I am screaming at my computer screen again.  If you are taking a new break let it be a conscious time of healing, finish a project you’ve been distracted from, practice intense self care.

This is where a mindfulness practice is extremely important. My practice helps me check in with myself, to notice when I am feeling overwhelmed and grant myself a pause. Such pauses are extremely essential, for my own well-being, my ability to take care of my family and for my ability to care for others in the world.  I’ve made a rule for myself that I don’t listen to anything political if I am on my way to teach a yoga class or yoga therapy session. This helps me hold space for myself and my clients.  

Another way to check in a more positive feeling way is to do something positive. For some this may be donating to a political campaign or a cause that it is important to you that is currently under threat. But maybe you can do something even bigger. If you live in a country where you can directly affect upcoming elections (ahem US readers) go campaigning, it sounds tiring but odds are you will feel great when you are done. Or volunteer for that cause that is important for you, whether it is helping at an animal shelter or local clinic or stuffing envelopes or donating blood. Or hold a fundraiser. With the news of children being taken away from their parents at the US border becoming worse day after day I felt paralyzed. I was crying and felt guilty every time I held my son. I thought about just checking out, but as a U.S. citizen these actions were happening in my name I knew doing so didn’t sit right with me. I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and hold a fundraiser to raise money for a group supporting the families at the border by holding a class to help people deal with uncomfortable emotions. And we raised close to 500 USD! It almost felt selfish to do this, because it made me feel so much better. Am I still depressed reading the continuing flow of news? Of course! But being active helped me recharge, and feel less helpless, and the class I provided helped others recharge too. Look around your community, what service can you provide that can make the world a bit of a better place today?

Remember regular acts of self care are ESSENTIAL It can feel selfish, after all those facing brutality don’t get to “tune out”. But the truth of the matter is if you want to keep fighting for what is right and pursuing a just world you need to take care of yourself. So take some time to check out from the news and check in with yourself. Turn off Facebook and do a longer yoga practice. Listen to music instead of Pod Save America. You may discover in just 30 minutes or so you feel better ready to take on the challenges of the world. And there are many challenges and the world needs the specific things your energy and skills can bring to help make it a little bit better.

Finally, to end this post on a slightly more positive note, I will recount this story for you. 

My mom brought the book "Emma's Poem" for my son on her last visit here. It is all about Emma Lazarus, the woman who wrote the poem on the Statue of Liberty. But really it is all about immigration in the United States, and about a society that welcomed in poor hungry refugees fleeing their homes so they can provide safe homes for their children. About how these refugees weren't welcomed by all, but the country still opened up their arms to them. I was reading it to my son early this morning and all of a sudden I just lost it. I started thinking about how if what was going on now was going on 100 years ago (when the book takes place) it would have been MY grandparents and great-grandparents being ripped from their parents arms. About how stupid and unfair all of this is. About how some of the decedents of those ancestors now think current policies are just, because the laws are different than 100 years ago. 

All of a sudden I had tears streaming down my face. He's only a year and a half so I figured he wouldn't really notice or care, but all of a sudden he jumped off my lap. "Now I've done it" I thought, "I can't believe I am already messing him up so badly". But he toddled back to be with a little wooden toy and proceeded to try to put it in my mouth like a pacifier (which we don't keep around the house) and then pressed a tiny toy fish to my mouth to kiss instead.

So maybe the world sucks right now and I bet I am not the only one randomly bursting into tears but I feel a bit better  knowing I am raising one really intuitive, empathetic little man who is already bringing more positivity into the world.  This moment was a great reminder that even when the world seems at its worst there is always room to create more positive change.  

Cultivating Change within Your Yoga Practice

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

March is usually a time of change.  The days get longer.  Spring seems to be in the foreseeable future.  As we near the end of winter (at least I hope here in Brussels) I know I am not alone in feeling a bit stir crazy, eager to move, yet at the same time, frustrated by the horrible weather, lacking motivation to get off my couch and onto my yoga mat. This is, in my opinion, a great time to try something new in your yoga practice.   This can me different things for different people, here are few of my Moody March suggestions.

Try a different style of yoga.  This is one of the most straightforward ways to inject change into your yoga practices, it is something I've been doing myself.  My typical practice tends to be Hatha based but I've recently started trying out some Kundalini practices. The chanting, rapid movements and focus on energy movement has kept me eager to return my mat.   Adding Kundalini practice highlighted how tentative I had been to step away from my postnatal practice, since I’ve begun I’ve become more confident in safely expanding my physical practice.  You may discover something similar, or perhaps the reverse, that you’ve been pushing yourself too hard physically, and what you actually need is space to breath and relax. 

Expand your Yoga Practice- Asana the physical yoga poses, is only one of what is known as the  8-limbs of Yoga.  There are many amazing non-physical ways to expand your yoga practice, as they gain popularity they have become more popular here in Brussels.   Some things you can try include:

• Seated meditation.  Many yoga studios offer a weekly seated meditation practice.  These offerings are often low-cost or donation based.  You can also look into a local meditation center, in Brussels we are lucky to have a Shambala Center which offers  weekly “learn to meditate” sessions. As they are part of an international Shambalha Community such centers exist throughout the world.
•  Gong Meditation/Bath This is a recent discovery for me, and a really great one.  Gong Meditation, or sound bath, is a process of using gong sound waves as a therapeutic way to massage and heal the body and mind. Those that know me know I tend to view such Whoo-whoo offerings with a grain of salt, but after my first 2 hours of truly profound experience I am convinced of the power of the gong.   Sessions can be done individually or in a group.  In Brussels you can find an amazing experience with The Jewel Within Yoga. 
• Commit to your practice  It is often easier to get out of the house and onto your mat if you’ve made a commitment to do so.  There are many ways to do this.   You can purchase an “unlimited” class pass to your local studio, giving you access to as many classes as you like for a certain amount of time. Or make plans to attend with a friend, even if your motivation declines you can’t let them down.   You can also look into committing to a series of classes that help deepen your practice.  My 8-Week Yoga Therapy Course for Stress, Anxiety and Depression provides a way to commit to your practice while learning ways to find balance in body and mind.  

I hope you find some inspiration to evolve your practice today.  If you are interested in the 8-week course or any of the other practices mentioned here please get in touch today.