The Space In Between

I sit here on this gorgeous autumn day in my little house writing my monthly e-news, which I committed to handle myself as my discipline to share with you my wacky, colorful perspective of the connections of how yoga & art help me find freedom, peace, creativity and wellness on and off the mat!

Twisty’s Circus is almost packed up on my front lawn and out of town. One last fireman skeleton to take down . He’s stuck on the roof where the fake fire was and I hear the leaf blowers clearing away the bright orange, red and yellow leaves mixed with bight blue and red candy wrappers stuck on the village streets, steps and porches.

Before I know it - Boom!  It is over and I am in the space in between…ending this and planning for that… next year. You know the space like between your teeth that you feel after a teeth cleaning or when you rub your tongue over the Dracula teeth or the space of your own spine after your asana practice . Or how about the space in your head that is just smooth and soft after meditation where you finally surrendered into the thoughts passing…

Check it out how we used some creative space into designing a trick or treat experience where everyone was part of the story and had some sort of relationship to what they were seeing and feeling and doing on Halloween night.  A special thanks to Twisty who taps into that space !

Some kids were willing to Step right Up.

Are you willing to step right up to your practice even if it looks and feels a little different than what it was or you perceive it to be ? Are you willing to trusting your process of unfolding and making space to breathe?

My figure drawing teacher, Suzanne, always said, “ drawing is seeing and expressing yourself with your mark of what you see and feel  -it does NOT have to be technically perfect or I would have taken a photo myself“ . I think this has to come into the yoga practice to if we are to be in the space between Abhyasa (Effort ) and Vairagya (release).

Abhyasa is a Sanskrit word meaning "practice" and refers to a practice that aims at achieving a tranquil state of mind .Vairagya is a Sanskrit term meaning "detachment." It is a state of being free of attachment to materialistic life.

A mark or an experience can express ideas, tell a story and evoke emotions. Just look at the cave paintings of Lascaux…. We see and feel the story from a zillion years ago…. Words arent always needed to express the inner space of the human experience.

Sounds like a dancer makes a “mark” with movement with their body, a poet makes a “mark” with words and a yogi makes a “mark” with conscious right action towards themselves and others ….  And also works within their asana practice to make a mark with themselves.

Let’s take a closer look at the spine in honor of the skeleton season.

The spine is one of the most important parts of your body. Without it, you could not keep yourself upright or even stand up. It gives your body structure and support. It allows you to move about freely and to bend with flexibility.

The spine is also designed to protect your spinal cord. The spinal cord is a column of nerves that connects your brain with the rest of your body, allowing you to control your movements. Without a spinal cord, you could not move any part of your body, and your organs could not function. This is why keeping your spine healthy is vital if you want to live an active life.

Many of the postures in yoga gently strengthen the muscles in the back, as well as the abdominal muscles. Back and abdominal muscles are essential components of the muscular network of the spine, helping the body maintain proper upright posture and movement. This is the mark I want to make on myself as I age.

While relying on breath awareness and sometimes a specific breathing technique, referred to as Pranayama practice, we can move through the experience of the Asana through the layers of connection with ourselves – the physical body, the breath body, the energetic body, the emotional body and the intellectual body and navigate in the nooks and crannies of the space in between and our relationship to all of it.

Just note that the process of practicing Yoga is NOT a one time, once a year Halloween experience. It might feel like it when coming from Warrior 3 to standing split to hand to big toe pose . However, you are trying to cultivate your awareness of Self on the mat in feeling how you move, breathe, hold and rest to build flexibility, resilience, strength and release in the space of being present through the process of consistent practice and dedication and acceptance on where you are at in that moment.

Join me in any one of my 7 weekly yoga classes where you will be taught from a yoga therapeutic model to find your practice, your spine and the space in between.

Awareness of the body through yoga increases with practice. In theory, specific positioning and repositioning not only limbers the body, but also trains you to understand the limitations of your own body. An increased awareness acts as a preventative measure, in that  you, the individual will know what types of motions should and should not be avoided with discernment. (viveka)

“ And I see,

I just have to listen

And I hear,

I need only

The slightest desire

For anything

To find,

It has already been met,

Right

At the center

Of my body. “

—David Whyte