Notes from Nina
Each weekend I send out the schedule for the following week along with a quick update on all things Yoga with Nina G
Surreal Yoga
Hello my friends!
I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful, extended weekend! It’s so nice to finally experience summer here!
I visited the Art Institute over the weekend. I was able to see the Salvador Dalí: The Image Disappears exhibit. Kind of trippy. Dalí was a surrealist. He kept pushing the boundaries of logic and reality. It looks like he had fun doing it too! Is it a dog? A fruit dish? Both? Neither?
Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach
The cool thing about Dalí is that he was very comfortable in his own skin. He knew that what he was doing was strange and very new, but he kept pushing it even further. He and his fellow surrealists were interested in art that explored the subconscious. They painted the stuff that they dreamed.
Super trippy.
So…what’s the connection to our yoga?
I step on my mat to become comfortable in my own skin. I can explore what’s happening in my body, my breath, my nervous system. It’s a very conscious exploration. I become more aware of my own self through my movements and my breath. I find connection to the community around me and I find connection to something greater as well. As I rest in my savasana, what I learn about myself eventually seeps into my subconscious. It becomes a part of me.
How does that connection that I find on my mat translate into the real world? Dalí would take that information and create a canvas. I, however, am not an artist with brushes and paint. Instead, this information informs my interactions with people and issues around me. It’s an ongoing process of exploration and learning.
Each time that I step on my mat I can learn something new about myself. It might be as simple as noticing that my arms are sore. Or it might be something deeper than that. It’s conscious and it’s subconscious. It’s real and it’s surreal. It can be super trippy.
It’s yoga.
Please join me on your mat.
Love,
Nina G
News & Notes - May, 2023
Hello my friends!
Here's the news you can use:
NEW CHAIR YOGA VIDEO - There's a new chair yoga video out - Reconnect. It's less than 30 minutes and it's all seated. You could probably even do this practice lying in your bed! Hopefully, it will help you reconnect with your body after illness or trauma. Give it a try.
SCHEDULE CHANGES - There are some schedule changes in the next few weeks. I'll keep reminding you in our upcoming newsletters...
NO CLASSES on Monday, May 22nd. My Monday friends might want to join me on Wednesday night instead. It's the same class except that we end with a few extremely calm poses to get us ready to end our Wednesday. I will send the Zoom link to all of my students on Wednesday, May 24. Join us if you can.
MEMORIAL DAY - I will offer the morning class only on Monday, May 29. If you live in Park Ridge, you can attend the class on Zoom and still make it to the parade on time! There will be no afternoon class on Memorial Day - go have a picnic with your friends!
NO CLASSES the week of June 5. All classes will resume the week of June 12.
BE A YOGA BUNNY - Yoga Bunny is an adorable children's book by Brian Russo. The bunny loves yoga but can't find anyone to practice with him. The bunny finally realizes that yoga by yourself is better than no yoga at all and (spoiler alert!) all of the other woodland creatures decide to join him by the end of the story.
Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo
Be a yoga bunny and let's gently encourage our friends to practice as well.
I believe it will make the world a better place.
Love & Yoga,
Nina G
A Hero’s Journey
Hello friends!
Last week we celebrated May 4th as Star Wars Day – May the Force be With You! There were lots of clever Yoda puns in the media. The Star Wars epic story has had quite an impact on our culture.
It reminded me of the Joseph Campbell definition of the hero’s journey. Campbell was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College. He said that a hero’s journey is an archetypal story pattern, common in ancient myths as well as modern day literature. The basic story is that someone feels called to go on a quest.
We see this storyline present in many novels and movies – Star Wars, The Odyssey, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Harry Potter series, The Lion King, the list goes on and on.
Campbell plumbed the depths of this topic. There are many books out there about it and here I am, summarizing it for you in 3 easy steps:
Step 1 - The departure. The hero leaves the familiar world behind.
Step 2 - The initiation. The hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world.
Step 3 - The return. The hero returns to the familiar world – hopefully changed for the better by the adventure.
Again, that’s a super simple summary. Campbell breaks down each of those 3 steps into many other pieces. His theory is that heroes are on a quest – they journey and learn. They return - often better than when they started.
The process can repeat itself over and over again.
We can be the Luke Skywalker, the Odysseus, the Harry Potter of our own story. Taking those steps to go on the journey and then returning to the familiar. We are the same, but we are changed – hopefully better than when we started.
But we needn’t travel to Ithaca. Or Hogwarts. The journey starts within. It can start on our mat.
Please join me.
Love you I do!
Nina G
The Lego Universe
Hello friends!
Another fun fact about me…I love building Lego sets. I like the order, the precision, and the beauty of the process. It's fun! My husband and I are currently building a jazz club of about 3,000 pieces.
The important thing to know is that all of the Lego construction sets are incredible feats of engineering. Each brick is built to a meticulous standard – everything interlocks as it is supposed to. The instructions are always accurate. If the box says that there are 2,899 pieces in your set, you’ll get those 2,899 pieces and a few extra small ones in case you drop a tiny one and it bounces into the vent (it happens!).
So many pieces!
Each one of those 2,899 pieces has a role to play in the overall design. Some are big, construction-critical blocks that keep the entire structure standing. Others are part of the story – the tiny cymbal in the drum set, for instance. Each piece could fit with any other piece – no problem. We could build something else with the bricks if we wanted to - it’s all Lego - but when we assemble them in this one, special way, it’s magic!
All the cool details
I feel that way about my yoga too. There are lots of pieces to the puzzle. There are poses and breathwork and self-awareness (construction-critical pieces). There’s focus and intention and mudra and mantra (additional parts of the story). Each one has a role to play. And they can all fit together – it’s all yoga. But when we assemble them in an effective yoga practice, it can feel like magic is happening.
The good news is that there isn’t only one special way to assemble the parts of our yoga practice. The instruction manual would be infinite! There are many permutations that can serve us. Take what you need for you. In some weeks we focus on core work and balancing and in other weeks we focus on the idea of light. The fun is in showing up for your practice and exploring.
Join me on your mat and let’s build something together!
Love & Lego,
Nina G
I Speak for the Trees!
Hello friends!
You may recognize the subject line from the children’s book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. We celebrated Earth Day yesterday and that quote came to my mind.
Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It helped to bring awareness to environmental issues facing our country. In 1990 Earth Day expanded and became a global campaign. To this day, Earth Day celebrations remind all of us that we have a responsibility to our shared home.
What does Earth Day have to do with our yoga practice? Each time that we step onto our yoga mats we work to foster connections. We connect the mind, the body, and the breath. We connect to the earth beneath us. We strive to connect with the higher self. Perhaps we are able to view ourselves as a part of a larger community: connected to each other, working together, supporting one another.
In our current world, there seems to be a lot of separation – the politics of the environment can be divisive. As yogis, we know that we’re connected and interconnected. We rely on the earth for food to eat and air to breathe. In return, we must be good stewards of our environment.
Our current problems can’t be fixed overnight. We need to figure out ways to heal our planet so that it can support us and future generations as well. We can make small movements forward. Just like everything else that we do in our practice, we can take the right action that is appropriate for each one of us and send those small, positive ripples of change out into our community.
We are intricately interwoven into the fabric of our universe. When we speak for the trees, we speak for all of us.
Please join me on your mat.
Love & love,
Nina G
News & Notes - April 2023
Hello my friends!
Here's the news for the April...
New Chair Yoga video - I just published a new chair yoga video called Twist & Turn. It's exactly that! We twist the body safely and explore the space there.
Zoomiversary - We are celebrating three years of practicing together virtually. Thank you all for your patience and kindness as I continue to learn how to teach yoga virtually!
Fun note...I was feeling confident about my abilities and then we had a brief power outage while I was teaching this past Wednesday night and it completely threw me off! Thanks to my friends who were practicing on-line with me - you were incredibly supportive, AS ALWAYS!
Upcoming Schedule Changes - There won't be any classes on Monday, May 22. I'll remind you again when we get closer.
Love, love, love,
Nina G
Fly Me to the Moon
“Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars”
Dear Friends,
In space news this week, NASA has selected the new group of astronauts for the Artemis II mission. The new crew is making the rounds of news and talk shows and they have lots of interesting information to share.
According to NASA’s website, “These explorers represent the best of humanity, daring to forge new frontiers in space on behalf of humanity.”
Wow! Quite the job description. I like that humanity is exploring space again. I like that we’re working together, across national borders, to do something significant – something that can have an impact on what we know and how we think. This is monumental.
But when you listen to these four explorers talk, you get a different perspective. While they’re doing something big, they still seem so grounded.
Christina Koch, Mission Specialist, described the Overview Effect. She said that when she’s looking back down towards Earth from space, “You see the Earth as it exists with the whole universe…and when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see a very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is. And what you realize is: every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line and everything outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders; you don’t see religious lines or political boundaries. All you see is Earth and you see that we are way more alike that we are different.”
She’s right. We’re all here together on this one small planet in the middle of a vast universe and galaxies that surround us. We need each other and we need to support each other.
So while those intrepid astronauts are circling the moon and learning about the secrets of the universe, those of us that are earthbound can represent the best of humanity as well. We can take smaller steps to make our world a better place. A smile, a kind word, a thoughtful act.
It doesn't have to be big to have a monumental impact.
Please join me on your mat.
Love among the stars,
Nina G
The Art of Being Still
“There is an art to being still and I am practicing.”
Hello friends,
There’s too much going on in the news right now for me to make any significant comment. Anything that I say would sound trite and hackneyed…that is never my intention in this newsletter. I put these words together to share what’s in my mind and heart and to offer you the chance to reflect as well.
Sometimes it’s easy. This week, it’s hard.
Here’s what I know. My heart is heavy but I don’t want to move into a place of fear. It is easy to get paralyzed by fear. It’s a feet stuck-in-concrete, unable to think or act, default mode when the world becomes too much. Lots of anger can be there as well.
Instead, I will intentionally go to my mat and find stillness. Stillness is different from paralysis. Stillness is a choice that I can make. I can move my body and revel in those movements, and then carefully and mindfully make my way to stillness. Maybe my mind can follow me there as well - finding a welcome moment of calm in this crazy, busy world.
In that brief moment of mind/body stillness, my wish is to glimpse a course of right action. I want to find a way to move forward with grace - despite the fear, despite the anger.
I want hope.
It's definitely a practice.
I happened upon some crocuses this week. I took this photo to add them to all of my media headers. They offer me hope. They’re just now starting to poke their heads up. I’m pretty sure that the tulips and daffodils can’t be far behind.
If I were stuck in fear, I doubt that I would have seen them. I'm so glad that I noticed them.
I am practicing the art of being still. Please join me.
Love & stillness,
Nina G
Despite the Forecast
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s Spring.”
Dear friends,
It’s been quite the weekend weather-wise, hence the quote above.
I found these ranunculus (ranunculi? ranunculuses?) at the store on Friday. Despite the miserable weather, they are delivering some sunshine into my day. Each time I look at them, I feel a little bit warmer, a little bit closer to springtime.
Let me share my sunshine with you!
Please join me on your mat.
Love and ranunculus,
Nina G
Spring Cleaning
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
Hi friends!
The photo above is that of a Wolf-Rayet star. It’s an amazing photo taken by the James Webb Telescope and it shows a star just as it is about to go supernova.
As I understand it, the star casts off outer layers of gas which cool and become the cosmic stardust that the Webb telescope can detect. Scientists study the stardust and the remaining core that is left behind. They can learn about the universe and its beginnings from the information they garner there.
I really love this picture. It's a fantastic photo of transformation.
Down here on Earth, we’re back at the spring equinox tomorrow. It, too, is a time of transformation. In the northern hemisphere, we will see more light, more green, and more growth as we move into Spring. New life rests just beneath the surface. The earth has been dormant and preparing.
So have we.
As the light changes, we might do some spring cleaning. (I certainly see a lot more dust in this light!) We could prepare the garden for planting, removing layers of old leaves and grass. I find it hopeful to put away the things I no longer need and get ready for longer days and more time spent outside.
And we're also continuing our yoga practice. We can do some spring cleaning there as well. We can release those feelings that don't serve us (anger, fear, etc.) and connect to the love, hope, and optimism that reside within. That love is transformative and ever so powerful.
Let’s shake off the dust and begin.
Love,
Nina G
News & Notes - March, 2023
Hello my friends!
Here's what you need to know this month...
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME - Yep, it's back and that one hour loss can be brutal! Our practice this week will help us to feel grounded, fluid, and (hopefully) rejuvenated. Feel free to join me BRIGHT AND EARLY on Monday morning at 8:30. Too early? Join us at 4:15 instead!
NEW CHAIR YOGA VIDEO - There's a new chair yoga video available today - Return to Center. We explore those ideas of symmetry and asymmetry in the body. Give it a try!
SCHEDULE CHANGE - There will be no classes on Monday, March 20. I'm headed to Asheville, NC, for a yoga retreat. The title of the retreat is The Neuroscience of Yoga and Love. It's right up my alley! I'm excited to learn more yoga that I can share with you.
Yoga & love,
Nina G
This is TRUE
Dear friends,
Fun fact about me: I used to be a Schwinn bicycle mechanic during the summers while I was in college. I was trained by Schwinn, received my mechanic certification, and worked at a local bike shop. I loved to assemble the new bicycles at the start of summer. I enjoyed the mechanical side of the work. I also enjoy assembling IKEA flat pack furniture, so what does that say about me!
Anyway, back in the late 70s and early 80s, people were riding touring 10-speed bikes with super light aluminum wheels. When wheels are perfectly round and spinning straight and warp-free, they said to be TRUE. Because those wheels were so lightweight, the aluminum rims were often misaligned after the rider hit a pothole or some sort of obstacle. Once the wheel was out of alignment, people would bring their bikes in for repair and I spent a lot of time truing wheels. I got pretty good at it. It wasn’t something that required extra strength, or putting tab A into slot B, but it was a delicate balance of tightening and loosening the spokes on first one side of the hub and then the other.
Eventually, the wheel would come back to true. The rider could saddle up and go again.
If you practiced with me last week, you may recall that we worked with the idea of bringing symmetry into the body. We found the midline and we moved about it both symmetrically and asymmetrically. It was an interesting practice. We checked in with our nervous system as we were in asymmetrical poses and then again when we brought everything back to the midline. I liked the feeling as I returned to that sense of symmetry.
As I was putting those sequences together, I was reminded of the idea of keeping the bicycle wheels TRUE.
There’s lots going on in the world today. Lots of potholes and obstacles in the road ahead. It’s very easy to become uneven, unstable, and out of alignment.
Yoga helps us to realign and I don't mean just physically. Yoga brings us back to our sense of self.
Often when I feel out of sorts, I head to my mat. It doesn’t take long to find myself there. It might be a few asanas or poses. It might be some even, slow breathing. Sometimes it’s a combination of both.
Eventually, I’m back to that sense of TRUE. My true self shines through again. I'm back on the road and ready to ride.
That's the power of our practice.
Please join me on your mat.
Love,
Nina G
PLEASE NOTE – For my friends that use my chair yoga videos, there's a new video coming out next week that explores this idea.
ALSO NOTE - I can't fix your bike. I am out of practice and don't have the proper tools. I can help you with yoga though!!
There is Work to be Done
“There is work to be done.
There is art to be made.
There is beauty to be cherished.
There are people to care for.
There is justice to fight for.
There is rest needed sometimes, too.
All of these things.
Pick a couple you can manage, today.”
Hello dear friends,
I love the poetry at the top of this newsletter. There is so much work to be done. There are so many things that we can do to make this world a better place. This is the work of being human. It is endless and it is hopeful and it is important.
We don't have to do it all at once. And we certainly can't do it on an empty tank.
That's where the rest comes in - the rest and rejuvenation that we can find on our yoga mat.
Our mindful movement and breathing practices help to refuel our beings with a sense of ease and grace. They help us to build our resilience. We have an opportunity to put aside our to-do lists and step away from the busyness of daily life. We can get to know ourselves better and we can better prioritize the work ahead of us.
There will always be work that needs to be done, art that needs to be made, beauty cherished, people cared for, and justice fought for. We don't need to be overwhelmed by it because we have remembered to replenish the body with the rest it needs.
Please join me on your mat. We can do this work together.
Love,
Nina G
News & Notes - February 2023
Hello Dear Friends!
I wanted to give you an update on some projects that I'm working on.
Chair Yoga - There's a new chair yoga video available now - Joy Surrounds Us. It's about 35 minutes long and offers us the opportunity to embody joy. Never a bad thing!
Cancer Support Yoga - When I'm not teaching yoga via Zoom at home, I'm at two cancer support centers in the area. I teach two days each week at the Survivorship Center at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. I teach both mat and chair yoga classes there and one of the chair classes is a Zoom hybrid. For more information - click here.
I just started teaching a mat yoga class at Lemons of Love. This class is only in person.
If you know anyone dealing with cancer, both of these places offer all kinds of classes and services (free of charge) to cancer patients and their support people.
Improved Sleep Through Yoga - (March 15, 22, 29) I created this 3-part series and am offering it through The Well in LaGrange Park. Each hour-long class is part lecture, part practice. It offers tips and techniques to help us develop a sleep lifestyle. Click here for more information. If you can't make it to The Well, it is also available via Zoom.
So that's what I'm working on. I really want as many people as possible to practice yoga. If you know anyone that would benefit from the type of yoga that I teach, I hope that you would encourage them to join me.
Thank you for joining me on your mat!
Love,
Nina G
Only Love
Dear Friends,
I took this photo while traveling in Mendoza, Argentina. This beautiful mosaic, all colorful and happy, was right in the street. Everyone who walked by or drove down the street could see those balloons and those smiling faces and read the message.
It translates to “Only Love Will Change the World”.
This week, I’ve been watching the news out of Turkey and Syria. The earthquakes have been devastating. The death toll keeps rising. It’s very sad news.
The news also talks about those volunteers who are helping to dig through the rubble. There are doctors, nurses, and service workers streaming into the area to help. People here in the states and in other countries throughout the world are marshalling resources to send into the ravaged area.
These are acts of love. My guess is that they are born of a sense of helplessness. People want to help, but can’t undo the damage, so they reach deep into their hearts and act from love. This love can’t erase the devastation, but we see that it can make a difference. Their actions bring moments of joy into a place of deep sadness and overwhelming grief.
The pictures out of Syria and Turkey are not heart-shaped balloons and smiling faces, but they are showing us a different aspect of love. We see a love of right action and sacrifice and hard choices.
Maybe this Tuesday (Valentine’s Day), love will look like heart-shaped balloons and flowers and chocolate. That’s wonderful! I love the artwork in the photo above, but I think that love is much more than that. Love is bigger than that, love is tougher than that, and it’s definitely much more powerful.
Only love will change the world.
Please join me on your mat.
Only love,
Nina G
Coming Home
“Travel does not exist without home...
If we never return to the place we started, we would just be wandering, lost.
Home is a reflecting surface, a place to measure our growth and enrich us after being infused with the outside world.”
Dear friends,
I'm back!! I had a wonderful trip and I saw so many amazing places. I loved it.
The morning that I left on vacation, I went up to my treehouse room and practiced yoga. It's what I do! I moved and stretched and breathed and focused so that I could deal with the rigors of air travel with calm and grace. Did it help? Certainly! Was I a model of calm and grace? Probably not, but it was a lot better than if I hadn't practiced!
Each day, in a variety of hotel rooms, I practiced yoga. It wasn't a big practice - some days it was just a little cat and cow - but it got me moving and ready to explore.
I saw places and sites that I never expected to visit; I ate food from many different cuisines; I drank a lot of wine! I woke up early, I stayed up late. I saw beautiful art, incredible dance, and unusual nature. And every day, I was able to find a sense of home again in my handful of yoga poses, my breath, my focus.
That's me, doing mountain pose (tadasana) in the Andes mountains in Chile! (photo by A Sigmund)
And now, I'm really back home. I'm up in the treehouse, right back where I started. I get the opportunity to consider all that I learned.
I witnessed so much about the interconnectedness of our economies, our resources, and our people. We heard a lot about the political, environmental, and social issues in South America. These are very similar to the ones that we deal with here in the US. Everything just kept reminding me that we're so much more alike than we are different.
Yep, I was away travelling, and now I'm back home. It's time to reflect.
Please join me on your mat. We'll find home in our practice.
Con amor y paz,
Nina G
Rivers of Joy
“True inner joy is self – created.
It does not depend on outer circumstances.
A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy.
This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.”
Hello friends!
Well, the response to last week’s newsletter was amazing. I got a lot of positive feedback on the idea of a joy-filled January. I think we may be onto something great!
Let’s continue our exploration of joy. I love Sri Chinmoy's idea of a flowing river carrying the message of joy. I'd like to think that those joyful messages would be abundant and ever changing. I imagine surging currents full of joy - endless joy - flowing inside me.
Flowing inside each of us.
What a wonderful, powerful, world-changing idea!
Our practice last week allowed us to release some of the intrinsic tension so that we could have room for joy. This week we can explore the idea of finding joy within the flow.
I’m looking forward to it!
Upcoming schedule changes:
There will be no classes the weeks of January 22nd and January 29th. I’ll send out another reminder next week.
In the meantime, let's float on our rivers of joy this week.
Love & joy,
Nina G
Joy-Filled January
“…Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all.”
Hello dear friends,
We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming in the new year. The holidays are behind us and (perhaps!) we’ve re-packed the decorations and are settling into the routines of January.
According to my news and media feeds, we’re also supposed to pack up the alcohol (Dry January) and start on a diet and join a gym. In addition to all of that, the skies where I live have shifted into permafrost gray for the past week or so. I think that the sun went on vacation.
January seems pretty miserable on all counts.
Let’s change the story. Instead of dry January, instead of ‘new year/new you’ diet and exercise programs, let’s call it Joy-Filled January.
When we put that spin on it, it sounds a lot more fun!
A joy-filled January has so much more to offer us. January is the time to look for those moments of wonder and hope in the gray cold days. Let’s keep our eyes open and find the joy that’s hiding in plain sight. Find a cardinal in the bare branches. Enjoy the flakes of snow as they float around you. Dance and sing indoors as the temperatures plummet.
January can be the time to find the joy, and to share the joy, even though there isn’t anyone banging us over the head with that message.
How can it translate to our yoga practice? We’ll come to the mat to release the tension that is intrinsic in the body and then we make room for the joy that’s around us.
Think about it. When you feel joyful, doesn’t it just take over your body? Don’t you feel like dancing, smiling, skipping? We’ll take the joy that we feel and let it move us. Joy is in our minds, our hearts, our whole body! Let’s notice that sensation of joy filling us up and then take that joy-filled feeling and reach out to others.
Let’s embody joy.
Joy-filled January might become a thing - then we’ll move it into February!
Please join me on your mat.
Love & joy,
Nina G
The Stillness of the Solstice
Dear Friends,
The world keeps turning and we’re back at the solstice. We will come to the shortest day of the year on Wednesday, December 21. The solstice itself is but a moment (3:47 pm Central Time). It’s that point at which the Northern Hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as possible. From there, we’re headed back to the light. The solstice is that transition point between our tipping away from the sun and our re-orientation towards it. It’s like the planet has exhaled completely and is about to inhale again.
Soon enough, the days will start to get longer and we’ll see more sun.
Good news, indeed!
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the term “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). To those early astronomers, the angle of the sun and the earth appeared to stand still during those deep, dark days of December.
So much else is in stillness in the Northern Hemisphere as well. We have a dusting of snow where I live. It’s already very cold. There is no green anywhere. Seeds and roots and bulbs rest underground, gathering the nourishment that they will need for those days of increased sunshine. The natural world is resting in the stillness of the solstice.
Our man-made world isn’t still or silent now. It regales us with messages of action and activity. We can follow the noise. Or, we can take a break from the busyness of our days and look for sustenance in the silence.
Nature invites us to turn inward, to find rest. Our yoga practice can help us find this stillness within - the stillness that mirrors the one found in nature. It is in this place that we can find deep rest and deep nourishment. We can take a moment to exhale completely before we take that next inhale.
The world keeps turning. We're back at the solstice.
Let's take a breath together.
Love,
Nina G
Hit the Pause Button
Hello Dear Friends,
Remember years ago, when we used to watch VHS videos from Blockbuster? Video technology offered us such a different way to watch a movie. We could pause it whenever we wanted. Turn the movie on when you’re ready. Watch as much as you want. Need to get a snack? Hit the PAUSE button. When you’re back in your seat, hit PLAY again. Bathroom break? PAUSE. Press PLAY when you’re ready. AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE! Without a doubt, it was life-changing. Watch a movie on your time, at your convenience. Amazing!
The good news is, that opportunity to pause stayed with the changing technology – Laser Discs, DVDs, TiVo, and now streaming services all offer that same button. We can take a break when we need it, and then move forward when ready.
This month, I’m focusing on the idea of deep rest in our yoga classes. December is notorious for being full of frenzy and urgency. We need to give ourselves a chance to rest.
As I’ve been working my way through the sequences and trying out what I want to teach, I feel like I’m hitting the PAUSE button. This practice allows me to take that break, to take that breath. In that space on my mat, I can do whatever I want without feeling the pressure of the world around me.
The nice thing is, when my practice is over, I don’t need to hit that PLAY button right away. I can take my time to ease back into the chaos of daily life. That is the power of yoga. It offers me a pause and a little bit more.
Please join me on your mat. Let's hit that PAUSE button together.
Love and love,
Nina G