The simplicity of breath & return to the senses.

9/9/2024

"I am slowly finding peace in knowing I don't have to figure it out all at once." Morgan Harper Nichols 

Hello dear friends,

Emerging to the page today from the gift of receiving guidance, support and space for insights from yoga with a fellow teacher, so necessary to meet this morning. Even as one that practices tuning inward and engaging in my yoga throughout the day, the anxieties, the doubt, the unresolved residue of daily living, responsibilities, nagging or lethargy, feeling stuck can persist. Here- the gunas are at play, cue the nervous system. I'd like to offer in todays read the organic mix of steady breath, learning into methodologies and my own lenses to emerge on this week's intentions. It's a season of both transition and responsibility, in which many of you I'm sure can relate. For some- its new beginnings, others perhaps honing routines or meeting the day. If overwhelm or unsteadiness are within you, come back to self-compassion. To the simplicity of breath and return to the senses. For others in spaces of joy, vitality and the like- here lets practice preventative medicine. Lets nourish within.

Take a deep breath in through your nose. And a surrendering breath out your mouth. A few more times. A few, simple cleansing breaths. Draw on the resource all around you- that is prana or life force. Welcome fresh oxygen. Slower, deeper, and kinder breaths. The possibility of more ease. Gently close the lips and breath in and out through your nose if available. With respect to your nervous system's responses and drawing from inner light- imagine the vibrancy of the color orange for vitality, the sun, that emulates the agency that is within you. Take as long as you'd like, perhaps even close the eyes.

Transitions and responsibilities, nourishing within to bring your service outward. To the simplicity of breath & return to the senses.

One frame work to understand the layers of the human experience is through the koshas. While I wont take a large deep dive here, suffice to say the physical- our body, is the outermost (annamaya), then the energy or prana body (pranamaya), then into the mind and the senses (manomaya). We spend much of our time and experience in these three. Deeper then touches our wise body, the wisdom body, (vijnanamaya) and then to our inner most benevolent, loving, bliss body that is the Anandamaya kosha.

Yoga tools and practices bring us into greater awareness in accessing these layers, moving through the residue that builds, so we are able to better access and connect to our wisdom and bliss body, the remembering or return of our true nature. The self within, or the seer that is all loving and compassionate, and with an evenness of heart, that brings perspective, trust and nonjudgement toward all that arises.

The embodiment of the yoga practices are integral in bringing more right brain and somatic experiences to rely less on the thinking mind. That being said, having methodology that is more left-brain, conceptualized as a container to hold the forms that can feel illusive and not well understood for many of our western oriented learning styles is helpful. Part of this learning helps me to disarm my ego, and learned attachment and security that orients tangible evidence and sciences as truth. When oscillating between restlessness and fatigue, the unknown and the muddled. When pursing a fulfilling life uncharted, a path of risk and uncertainty. When gratitude, appreciation, and compassion don't quite seem to be available and the truth of troubles becomes too much- I find refuge in the marrying of science and spirit to draw me closer to the wholeness within.

Ultimately on our healing path and journey of self uncovery, this season of earth calls us back to steady ground, routine, practices a bit more tangible to revitalize the knowing of our belonging that rest within. Just enough of the left and right brain to return to balance, to build capacity to meet the waves. This is the practice.

My efforts this week are to bring you practices to cultivate both discernment and self compassion, as you meet your responsibilities. Leading with love and releasing shame, blame, judgement. Our lower level chakras at play. As my teacher extends- can we take radical responsibility, with discernment and self-compassion? Resting in the 1st chakra- Mulahdara- for stability, grounding & belonging to support the emotional and energetic waters that arise in the 2nd chakra- Svadhisthana. Honing the vitality of prana, with discernment to put wisdom into action- the 3rd chakra- Manipura.

When life gets overwhelming or too much. When fatigue, lack of motivation or a taxed heart feel dulled- May we tune back into the simplicity of the breath and return to the senses.

"You don't have to figure it out all at once. No matter the unknows that lie before you, there is still room to grow how you were meant to. " Morgan Harper Nichols

Breath by breath. Moment by moment. From Grace Selene:

"I release the worries of my mind as I ground into the truth of this moment. I am loved. I am protected. I am successful beyond measure."

Here with you in practice and in love & light.

Join me in studio Monday or online Tues & Thurs! Offerings here. Share, connect or follow and take in the week wholeheartedly.

-Maya

Inspirations from: Shauna Shapiro, Morgan Harper Nichols, Grace Selene and my yoga teachers.