“Have a good nothing” Debbie wished Gil, and I wished him the same. “Have a good nothing” he replied.
“Now that my diet is so much better and that I exercise more, sleep is my next issue. I tend to wake up at night and just go into thoughts, planning or thinking of clients and their needs.” Gil was telling me.
Meditation was the first option I offered. Meditation is simply training the mind. Sitting still, doing nothing, allowing the awareness to drop to the belly as we follow the breath, in and out, in and out…
Like our legs; when we go to sleep we want them to be still and rest, no need for them to move. The same goes for our eyes or ears, but what about the mind? Why is it so hard to just switch off the mind? A good night sleep is a night of rest, a night where all functions of the body except for the autonomous (like the heart or breath) are resting. That includes our digestion system and our mind.
Gil seemed to be ok with the idea of meditating and was willing to give it a try. “It will be hard to fit it in my schedule” was his first reply. Since his mind is a very strong one, and since he has the capability of taking decisions and following them through, he decided to convince his mind that there is no need for it to do anything during the night. It can all wait for the next day. Simply do nothing. Indeed, doing nothing is the hardest thing for most people in the west. Yet doing nothing is really the ultimate rest.
“ This is your vacation time”, Gil told his mind before he went to bed, “ A time to have a good nothing”.
Another option I offered a friend was to breath slowly and deeply, fully bringing the awareness to the breath. If needed, counting the breath, the slow rhythm and the calming effect of the breath work to allow surrender.
Last night, as Debbie woke up at 3:00am and was about to use the restroom as she normally does, she was more aware of her pattern, and realized she did not really need to go, and staying in bed was already better, as she did not fully awake from getting up and using the toilet. She lay in bed and as thoughts were coming in, she told her mind sharply “Don’t think!” She had the habit of planning her day at that time, but by the time morning rolled in she was too tired to start the day.
This time she managed to go back to sleep and wake up much happier. Sleeping, like Savasana in Yoga is a place to have a good nothing. A place to surrender and just allow deep relaxation.
So from now on, I wish you all “ have a good nothing!
Showing posts with label savasana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label savasana. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Blessings to Boulder and Welcome to the Bay area
The Harmonium filled the air with tunes accompanying Richards beautiful chant in Sanskrit.
We were brought back to life with the sound s of a singing bowl, deep, smooth and vibrating. Slowly coming out Savasana (the corpse pose, or final relaxation) we sat up, and stayed still for a moment, then, bowing with gratitude, to the teacher, fellow practitioners, to us for showing up, and to all beings.
The class seems to float out of the room. I look into friend’s eyes and realize, this is one of those moments where the whole class experienced something beyond words. A glow, a softness, seems like everyone was on drugs, a kind of joy that makes one want to smile for no reason, to do nothing and just appreciate the moment.
The following day, we met in the park to celebrate the end of the teacher’s intensive.
40 beautiful people from around the world, a moment ago strangers, now feeling a sweet connection, a knowing, a shared experience. Richard and Mary, our teachers for the month are now standing together, with two sweet smiles they have set a beautiful example.
Richard Freeman is a long time student of Yoga, a long time teacher, a dedicated practitioner, an amazing chanter, a source of inspiration and beautiful example of a true teacher.
Mary the compassionate bodhisattva, the one that ran the show behind the scene, the mother of us all, the care taker and the teacher, humble and shining, was there as the complimentary piece to Richard.
Beyond them as teachers it is an inspiration to see them as a couple. Like Fi said (more or less) “makes me want to grow old with someone”.
Apart from the Yoga, meditation and philosophy this past month was more than anything a month of gratitude towards people. Sharing the house with Fiona, Tony, Ross, and Marcus, with whom I’ve shared the same room, was such a unique experience. Each person filled with an amazing life story, many in transition (lots of ex high tech in the air), generous beings that are truly open to see what else is out there.
The evening walks to get food, the endless exploration of a pose and its alignment, philosophical discussions, traditionalism, food, nutrition, music, Californication (the TV series) nights, Fi’s famous south walnut Banana bread…
Boulder itself, the beautiful town that shared with me it’s running waters everywhere, its green, the nice little homes and the quaint city center has become a real home for this time.
Instead of skyscrapers as a backdrop, the mountains surrounding it let huge rock formations reach up in a beautiful carving. The parks, the outdoorsy feel, the bronze sculptures around town, the small rock gardens for children to play, fountains and live music on the promenade, lively bars next door to family restaurant, healthy café’s next to the Prana shop or Billabong, make the unique setting for this pretty homogenous town.
A mostly white town surrounded by cowboy country out side.
Denise the performer, the contortionist, the heart Yoga teacher, a dear friend (which one are you Denise?) drove me to the nice Denver airport, where after a coffee (for nostalgic NY reasons), I departed on my return flight to San Jose where Kelly picked me up. There is nothing like a loving familiar face when coming out of the airport. We drove to downtown Palo Alto and entered the fabulous Stanford theatre (showing movies since 1925), watched The Animal Crackers with the Marx Brothers from 1930, ate old-fashioned popcorn, and laughed out loud.
I shall be staying at Gil and Debbie’s place for a few days till the calming news about the Big Sur fire arrives. Seems like it's getting closer to closure.
So sweet to have family around, makes all the difference in the world.
We were brought back to life with the sound s of a singing bowl, deep, smooth and vibrating. Slowly coming out Savasana (the corpse pose, or final relaxation) we sat up, and stayed still for a moment, then, bowing with gratitude, to the teacher, fellow practitioners, to us for showing up, and to all beings.
The class seems to float out of the room. I look into friend’s eyes and realize, this is one of those moments where the whole class experienced something beyond words. A glow, a softness, seems like everyone was on drugs, a kind of joy that makes one want to smile for no reason, to do nothing and just appreciate the moment.
The following day, we met in the park to celebrate the end of the teacher’s intensive.
40 beautiful people from around the world, a moment ago strangers, now feeling a sweet connection, a knowing, a shared experience. Richard and Mary, our teachers for the month are now standing together, with two sweet smiles they have set a beautiful example.
Richard Freeman is a long time student of Yoga, a long time teacher, a dedicated practitioner, an amazing chanter, a source of inspiration and beautiful example of a true teacher.
Mary the compassionate bodhisattva, the one that ran the show behind the scene, the mother of us all, the care taker and the teacher, humble and shining, was there as the complimentary piece to Richard.
Beyond them as teachers it is an inspiration to see them as a couple. Like Fi said (more or less) “makes me want to grow old with someone”.
Apart from the Yoga, meditation and philosophy this past month was more than anything a month of gratitude towards people. Sharing the house with Fiona, Tony, Ross, and Marcus, with whom I’ve shared the same room, was such a unique experience. Each person filled with an amazing life story, many in transition (lots of ex high tech in the air), generous beings that are truly open to see what else is out there.
The evening walks to get food, the endless exploration of a pose and its alignment, philosophical discussions, traditionalism, food, nutrition, music, Californication (the TV series) nights, Fi’s famous south walnut Banana bread…
Boulder itself, the beautiful town that shared with me it’s running waters everywhere, its green, the nice little homes and the quaint city center has become a real home for this time.
Instead of skyscrapers as a backdrop, the mountains surrounding it let huge rock formations reach up in a beautiful carving. The parks, the outdoorsy feel, the bronze sculptures around town, the small rock gardens for children to play, fountains and live music on the promenade, lively bars next door to family restaurant, healthy café’s next to the Prana shop or Billabong, make the unique setting for this pretty homogenous town.
A mostly white town surrounded by cowboy country out side.
Denise the performer, the contortionist, the heart Yoga teacher, a dear friend (which one are you Denise?) drove me to the nice Denver airport, where after a coffee (for nostalgic NY reasons), I departed on my return flight to San Jose where Kelly picked me up. There is nothing like a loving familiar face when coming out of the airport. We drove to downtown Palo Alto and entered the fabulous Stanford theatre (showing movies since 1925), watched The Animal Crackers with the Marx Brothers from 1930, ate old-fashioned popcorn, and laughed out loud.
I shall be staying at Gil and Debbie’s place for a few days till the calming news about the Big Sur fire arrives. Seems like it's getting closer to closure.
So sweet to have family around, makes all the difference in the world.
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