The sacrum, often overlooked, plays a vital role in both spinal health and overall movement. It's not just a single bone but a fusion of five vertebrae that occurs as we age, usually completing the process in our 20s. Despite this fusion, the sacrum is part of a dynamic system that requires awareness and movement to stay healthy.
Yoga and creativity share a special connection. Both require us to move beyond the confines of the familiar, to explore the unknown, and to embrace the perspective of a beginner—a fresh lens through which we see the world. This convergence of yoga and creativity is a catalyst for inspiration, opening doors to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of being.
Yoga therapy is fundamentally about empowering you to take an active approach to self-care through the tailored application of yoga. Unlike general group classes, which aim to benefit a wide range of participants, yoga therapy offers a personalized and evolving practice that addresses specific health challenges and promotes overall well-being.
iRest Yoga Nidra can be perceived as resting, especially since rest is in the name, and we all are not people who rest. Resting can even be a bit scary. It is easy to wonder: Will everything be OK if I slow down and rest? What if I told you that iRest Yoga Nidra is active resting? You are doing something. You are actively listening to a voice, following the prompts, re-wiring your brain, and improving your health.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras outline 8 stages for the practice of Yoga, the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The later stages describe how to cultivate a practice of meditation. Meditation offers an opportunity to integrate your experience and notice what is in your Awareness. It is a journey of training the mind to stay present and focused. Identifying where you are in the meditation continuum of practice (Dharna, Dhyana or Samadhi) allows you to find greater awareness.
The five hindrances are mental states that challenge our ability to be mindful and present. These hindrances include sensual desire, ill will, sloth, worry or restlessness, and doubt. Gil Fronsdal, author of Unhindered, encourages us to approach worry and restlessness with a sense of curiosity and mindfulness. Instead of trying to push these emotions away, we are encouraged to sit with them, observing the sensations and thoughts without judgment. By approaching these hindrances with awareness, curiosity, and equanimity, we find opportunities for growth and deeper understanding on the journey toward greater peace and presence.
One way to experience the completeness within is to embrace silence. Ainslee introduced us to the value of silence with this quote from Thought for Today.
"Behind all creation is silence. Silence is the essential condition, the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created. It is a power in its own right.
The artist starts with a blank canvas – silence. The composer places it between and behind the notes. The very ground of your being, out of which come all your thoughts is silence. The way to silence is through meditation. When you arrive in your own silence you will know true freedom and real power. Stop, take a minute, and listen to the silence within you today.”
Aviva had the pleasure of sitting down with her friend Melissa Russell for an interview about the upcoming iRest Lunchtime Learning on May 17th 11:45 am - 1:00 pm. iRest is a yoga nidra meditation that takes you on a journey through the koshas (the feeling, breath, mind, wisdom, and joy bodies) to facilitate deep rest and healing.
Meditation is an invitation to mindfully switch from thinking to observing. A regular meditation practice has the power to open your heart and mind to the present and keep you focused and grounded in the face of adversity. The best part is, it can be done anywhere, anytime!
Dogwood Studios is excited to be hosting many opportunities to commit or recommit to your meditation practice. Keep track you commitment to enter into drawing to win a prize. Sign up for a lunchtime learning, group yoga class with 15 minutes of meditation, Friday Evening or morning mediation using the calendar on our Class Sign Up Page.
This May, Dogwood Studios will be hosting many opportunities to develop a steadfast and determined commitment towards mediation. Natasha Rizopoulos explains in Yoga Journal Article, “If you can be resolute in your efforts and, in equal measure, not be fixated on the outcome of those efforts, your consciousness will become less hectic, and your vrittis (mental modifications or habitual thought patterns) will still or settle.”
People often tell me that they can’t meditate because they have a monkey mind. However, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. A monkey mind can’t stop you from meditating nor does meditating stop the monkey mind. For most people it is present. As Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche so eloquently says, “The monkey mind is neither good nor bad.” Monkey mind is neutral. It is your relationship with the monkey mind that determines its label. Meditation is the perfect time to explore our relationship with our monkey mind and how to befriend the monkey mind.
