Yoga 360 Studio and Spa

The ancient practice of meditation is getting a great deal of attention these days. Its benefits are being touted throughout the media and range from stress relief, lowering blood pressure, sustaining weight loss, even promoting healthier relationships with family and friends.  So what is meditation, anyway?  And what is it about this seemingly simple practice that leads to such profound results?

 

Meditation ('dhyana' in Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga) is one of Yoga's 8 limbs or pathways.  The Yoga Sutras state "a steady continuous flow of attention directed towards the same point or region is meditation". Yoga's original purpose was the prepare a person to sit and meditate to acheive enlightenment, though one does not need to practice yoga or be part of a particular religion in order to meditate. Through meditation, one learns how to observe phenomena such as the breath, the body, and the mind, without getting caught up in the actions themselves. When one is able to observe the self like this, they are able to eventually quiet their mind. This leads to a person  becoming more relaxed and less emotionally reactive, resulting in the aforementioned physical, mental and social benefits.

 

An increasingly popular concept associated with meditation is mindfulness, literally meaning to let your mind become full of whatever is happening at the present moment. The idea is that by letting your mind be present in the here and now, it won't linger on the past or fruitlessly worry about the future. This seems to be a more accessible approach for many would-be meditators than the traditional view of emptying the mind, which can seem overwhelming in today's multi-tasking world. Mindfulness can be applied to any daily activity, whether it is driving to work in the morning, taking a walk around the neighborhood, or preparing dinner for the family. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is the founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a combination meditaton and yoga course that has had clinically proven effects on the brain, emotional processing and the immune system. He made the following observation about mindfulness in his book Coming To Our Senses: "One scholar described mindfulness as 'the unfailing master key for knowing the mind, and thus the starting point; the perfect tool for shaping the ind, and thus the focal point, and the lofty manifestation of the achieved freedom of the mind, and thus the culminating point'. Not bad for something that basically boils down to paying attention". Not bad, indeed. 

 

For all of its benefits, however, starting a meditation practice can seem daunting in today's world. We are encouraged, even expected to constantly be doing several things at once throughout our day, so the idea of sitting and focusing on one thing can seem extremely difficult. Our brain naturally wants to rebel against this new way of thinking. In addition, finding time for one more thing to do can feel overwhelming.  This can be discouraging for novice meditators, so it is strongly suggested to consult resources such as books, CDs or local yoga studios with trained instructors to guide one through the process of cultivating a personal meditation practice. In the meantime, as you finish reading this article, take a mindful meditation minute for yourself now:

 

1. Make sure you are comfortably seated.

2. Start to breathe in and out for a count of 5, keeping your breath as even as you can.

3. Let your thoughts be about the count of your breath as much as possible, ignoring other thoughts that pop into your head without trying to force them to go away. 

4. Take 10 of these breaths. 

Congratulations.... you just started a meditation practice.

Want to learn more about how to meditate?  Check out Yoga-360 Studio and Spa's upcoming meditation workshops at www.yoga-360.com

Jennifer Millette is a Yoga and Pilates Teacher at Yoga-360 Studio and Spa in Frankfort.

When my grandfather, Grandpa Ray, died her was 84 years old; old to some, young to others. He had had a stroke when I was a senior in college, more than 20 years ago.  He was never, ever the same. To me that was really the day I had lost him. 

Not attending many funerals or wakes in my life, it was then I realized death at any age is very hard.  We cried and we held each other up and we hugged. And we hugged. And we hugged. I looked around the room and there were more hugs.  I went to hug my dad (it was his father who passed on).  I went to give him a great big, as I like to call it a Yogi Bear Hug. I was sad, he was sad. I reached my arms around him in a huge embrace…AND THAT IS WHEN IT CAME TO ME.  From that point on I knew it was time for a revolution.

You see my dad did not Yogi Bear Hug me back. He patted me.  You know, the three little pats you get on the back when you hug someone to say “hello,” “good bye,” or “it will be ok?”  Three little pats. Three little pats. That is not a hug.  A hug, defined in the dictionary is: hug  ( (h g) v to clasp or hold closely, especially in the arms, as in affection; embrace.  I add to that, my version of a Yogi Bear Hug with “squeeze until the recipient lets go.”  Now I am aware that not everybody likes to hug. Physically, hugging is easy. You wrap your arms around a person and give a nice squeeze (not too tight or you might crack some ribs!). The hard part about giving hugs is giving them freely and out of love. Giving them unconditionally and without judgment.

Hugging is both an art and a science. A hug triggers the brain to feel happy and safe and reassured and comforted. Hugs can say things that words cannot. Moving through my grandfather’s wake, both giving and receiving condolences, usually with hug, I used that opportunity to start my Hug Revolution. When I was hugged with those three little pats, I stopped the hug, looked into the person’s eyes and explained, “Sorry that is not a hug. This is a hug. No pats. I’m starting a Hug Revolution, pass it on.” Ok so maybe it was a strange time to start a revolution but when is a good time? People looked at me a bit strange but I didn’t care. At least I know they got one good hug that day. You see the wonderful thing about hugs is that they cost nothing, and can be given practically anywhere, and anytime.

I don’t know where the Hug Revolution went that day. Hugging as many people as I did; some I had not seen for years and others I may never see again, but it was a start.

Now every time I hug someone, I pass on the Hug Revolution. At the same time, I remember my grandpa.

The Hug Revolution. Pass it On.

 

Our first snowfall has arrived and Christmas is near. With all the festive decorations and holiday music our spirit is in tune and ready for winter. Our bodies on the other hand may need a little help during this cold and dry season. It is very important to have an effective winter body care routine in order to prevent dry skin and premature aging.

During the winter season I recommend my clients incorporate warm shea butter, hot stones, sinus treatments, and our holiday hand and foot treatments to their massage. Applying warm shea butter to their skin not only feels wonderful, but it helps with eczema, rashes, burns and stretch marks. It is a perfect product to use for aging skin. Hot stones transfer deep heat into tense muscles which every client needs after being in the frigid air. It helps calm the nervous system and serves as a healing and detoxifying tool. Our sinus treatment is a wonderful treatment that adds moisture to dry nasal passages and targets sinus pressure points. I highly recommend this treatment for those clients that enjoy extra facial and scalp massage. Our holiday hand and foot treatment nourishes dry and aging skin and helps relieve the body from stress. This treatment also targets specific issues such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and the overuse of hands and feet.

Massage alone will help rebalance the skin because of the sufficient amount of oil that the therapist uses. Adding these treatments to your massage will target each specific concern and allow more oxygen and nutrients to speed the healing process. As we're busy with holiday shopping and party planning we seem to forget to take time out for ourselves. Your body deserves the extra love and care during these cold months. You will happily see the benefits as you age slowly and gracefully.

It is Autumn, also known as Fall; leaves fall from trees and summer is left behind.  This time of year is a wonderful time to reevaluate and decide if there are things in your life that should fall away and be left behind as well.

Once upon a Yogi time there were two Monks. Two Monks whom took a vow of celibacy and silence. One day on a long walk through the countryside, they came upon a woman. The woman, wearing a long white beautiful gown, stood crying at the edge of the river. As the Monks approached, her crying became more hysterical.

The first Monk asked with compassion “Why are you crying young woman?” The woman replied, “I am on my way to my wedding.  The crowd has gathered and my family and fiancé are waiting but the bridge has collapsed and I cannot cross the river.”  Without hesitation, the first Monk scooped the woman in his arms and carried her across the river to the other side. She thanked him with a gracious hug and continued onto her wedding.

The Monks continued their journey; they walked over hillsides and prairies. The second Monk continuously shook his head and snickered. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Finally the first Monk asked, “Is there something wrong?” When second Monk finally spoke, he said, “Yes! We are Monks! We take a vow of silence and celibacy! Not only did you speak to that woman, you touched her! You physically picked her up and carried her across a river!”

“My dear friend,” replied the first Monk. “I may have carried her across the river, but I let her go.  Why, many miles and many hours later, are you still carrying her?”

Sometimes in the midst of stressful situations our thoughts can turn into storms inside of us. We can hang on so tight to a thought of betrayal, disloyalty or disappointment that it becomes almost obsessive and sometimes abusive.  Disappointments have little to do with circumstance, and everything to do with perspective. Why can one Monk let the situation go and the other cannot?  Why can one friend easily forgive while another can never forget? When circumstances are the same, it comes down to perspective; your mental view or outlook. It is the way you view the situation and then the way you react to it.  Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.

How can we stop this storm brewing inside us? One way is a technique known as “thought stopping.” This technique can help you to halt these negative and sometimes obsessive thoughts. The first step is to literally say “Stop!” In yoga we use the words “Neti” which means; I am not this thought. This halt gives us a distraction.  It gives us time to stop the negative thought and bring ourselves into the present and change the thought. Once we stop the thought, we can leave it; move on to something else. The next step is simple. Swap the negative thought for a positive one. It is as easy as letting go of the negative and moving towards the positive.

This Autumn, let go. Leave it. Let it Fall and then more on to the positive.