........happiness

Yogis,

‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’

This is a popular mantra used often in yoga classes, meditation or spiritual gatherings.  Written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, it translates to – May all beings be happy and free. 

‘Lokah’ means the Universe, or all places. ‘Samastah’ refers to all beings. Humans, of course, but the animals, insects and all that have consciousness. ‘Sukhino’ is a state of being. Coming from the word Sukha, it refers to freedom from suffering, living with joy. ‘Bhav’ points us to the complete interconnectedness of everything and everyone. All that I do, say or even think sends out a ripple which touches the world, and therefore affects the happiness and freedom of all.

Together the mantra creates an invitation for harmony among all beings. For global wellbeing…….

My students and I have been chanting this mantra the past 3 weeks and it has me thinking about happiness.  What exactly is happiness and how do I find it? Where does it come from? I certainly know it when I feel it. The inner glow. A lightness. Spaciousness around the heart. The smile on my lips.

As human creatures we want. Grasping. Things, the bigger house, to travel, learn a new skill. If we slow down and get quiet though, looking beneath all of these wants it boils down to one simple longing. Happiness. We all want to be happy.

We play the ‘as soon as’ game.  I will be happy as soon as……I find the perfect mate…..switch jobs……..get beyond this illness…….retire.  Spending our lives on this continuous hunt for that elusive happiness. Each time feeling the joy, only to have it fade once more.  Looking to the external world to feed the insatiable hunger to feel content. 

There is an irony though. That which we seek resides within us. Like a perfect diamond buried deep in the packed dirt, happiness, contentedness and joy sit waiting to be unearthed.  But we seem to look everywhere else and inside everyone else for this jewel. What it takes is moving within.

This is the path of yoga. The asana practice, meditation, mantra and breath work are all tools used to chip away at the ground.  Step by step, day by day. To peel back the layers that conceal the brilliance that waits patiently. Once uncovered and shined, happiness is a state of being. A connectedness. Still enjoying the relationships, experiences and beautiful gifts the Universe offers, but no longer attached to them as our source of joy. Knowing that everything I need is inside. That ‘I’ am complete.

I am realizing that in order for me to contribute to the happiness and freedom of all beings, I must first find it within myself. Just as you cannot ‘make’ me happy, I too don’t have that power over you…..as much as I wish I did. Yet if I can shine my own diamond, then my thoughts, words and actions can indeed help others to shine theirs.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.

I am choosing happy,
SARAH

......the tongue

Yogis,

Notice your tongue. Where is it in your mouth right now?  Is it stuck to the roof of the mouth? If so, release it.

Over the years I can’t say I have given much attention to my tongue. It’s surprising though since I have always known that my mouth and throat were my weak spots.  Everyone has them. That part of the body that is the most prone to injury and where your illnesses always seem to zero in on. Lungs, stomach, ears, heart….where is it for you?

For me growing up included many strep throat episodes, lingering coughs and more cavities than I can count.  And how can I forget the cold sores. As an adult there was a slight shift to post nasal drip from sinus infections and trips to the dentist for bridges and crowns.  Always the mouth……..

Then two years ago I ended up with an unexplained neck injury. There was no accident only a sudden severe pain that took me months to work through. All along my inner voice kept whispering that the tension in my jaw was somehow related.  But it took me another year to begin to watch my tongue, and when I did I discovered its favorite resting place to be clamped tightly to the roof of my mouth. 

The tongue is an extremely strong and flexible muscle. However, like all muscles, it too can become tense. Constricted. Rigid. And mine certainly had…….

Our tongue is related to the energy of water.  The cool calm receptive energy of the moon. It is a sensual organ and when relaxed, allows us to taste life.  Our fluidity, creativity and juiciness. When contracted, tension arrives, creeping into the jaw as well which feels anything but fluid. 

The natural position of our tongue should have the tip lightly resting on the back of the upper front teeth, with the edges softly resting on the roof of the mouth, and the remainder of the tongue dropped and relaxed.  I have a habit to unlearn, and it isn’t easy.

Several times a day I stop, notice my tongue and ask it to relax. Try it. Drop the lower jaw from the upper jaw. Release the tongue from the roof of the mouth. Notice how the root of the tongue (where it meets the throat) also drops, creating a feeling of spaciousness in the mouth.  And finally, if you bring your mind to back of the upper jaw you can visualize it melting.  Aaaahhhhhh……… Freedom.

It’s now been several months and I am actually having times when I check and find my tongue at ease!

This new space I am creating in the body is quite freeing.  Having a relaxed tongue, beside releasing jaw, neck and upper shoulder tension, also supposedly improves your singing voice.  Watch out Adele 😊

Lalalalalalala,
SARAH

.......take one spoonful 2X day

Yogis,

A friend sent me a link to a National Geographic article that she thought I would find interesting. The article discusses the current scientific research being done on the effects of nature on the mind. The hypothesis being that walking in the woods, sitting near creeks and rivers, watching the sunset and spending time surrounded by greenery decreases the stress levels in the body.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/01/call-to-wild/

Multiple studies are being conducted which measure brain waves before and after various nature experiences.  What they are finding is that cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate all drop when we venture out of the confines of the house or office into a park, peel our eyes away from the phone screen and instead land them on a butterfly, or leave the hustle bustle of the city and head into the hush of the forest. 

With our current epidemic of stress and inflammation based illnesses we need a new approach. Thank goodness they are doing these studies! We live in a world where once something is ‘proven’ scientifically people begin to listen, so it is important to have the scientists and doctors on board. More articles and more discussion mean more people will hear the results and perhaps make changes in their habits. If this new data increases the average time spent outdoors each day from below 5% (less than time in the car) to even 10%, that would be amazing.

But I will admit that I am chuckling on the inside. Spending grant money and investing time in studying if nature is a calming influence seems to me like having our newest brightest researchers running studies to prove that the sun comes up every morning.  To nature lovers this is self-evident and always has been. Even fifteen minutes outside being still and quiet changes everything in my day. What happens out there is often the most real thing I touch.

It's easy to put the outdoors on the back burner. Traffic, emails, Facebook and television all have us seemingly chained to our chairs and before we know it, its time for bed. Air-conditioning holds us back from even opening the windows to bring nature in. And as the article points out, nature can’t be put into a pill. The prescriptions must change.

I realize now that many of my recent blog posts have been just that – prescriptions! Going barefoot, listening to the bees, spending time with trees and beachcombing. Over the past year I have been naming much of what I teach as ‘Earth Medicine’, so perhaps I am ahead of the game. 

If you knew that nature would heal what ails you, would you re-prioritize your day?

Next time you head toward your medicine chest to grab a pill, consider instead stepping out the door and taking a spoonful of earth medicine.  Still plenty of side effects……but all good.  And did I mention it’s free?

Heading outside,
SARAH

......plant medicine

Yogis,

It’s time! Many of the plants are still full and green, but not for too much longer as the days become noticeably shorter and the cool air weaves its way in. Before we know it, the plants will begin to yellow and wither sending their energy back into the roots if they are perennials or releasing their final seeds to the wind if annuals. 

It’s time to make medicine!  Plant medicine……..

All summer long the flowers bloomed to make us smile. The herbs seasoned our meals, plantain healed our bug bites, dandelion kept our digestive system in check and the trees provided much welcome shade on the hottest days.  Yet they are happy to give even more. By harvesting now and making simple preparations, their healing powers can continue serving you through the coldest winter days.

There are so many ways to use the plants as your medicine. Tinctures are fresh plants chopped up and soaked in vodka which draws out their healing properties.  Infused oils are prepared the same way but use olive oil instead of alcohol.  The infused oils can be used for cooking or heated with beeswax to make balms and salves. Infused vinegars can be used for yummy salads all year. This week I made goldenrod tincture for respiratory and sinus congestion, plantain salve for skin issues, and lemon balm tincture for the winter blues.  I love to teach others how to make these and do sell them. Let me know if you are ever interested.

There are also simple things that anyone can do! Take cuttings of plants such as mint, lemon balm, oregano or thyme.  Wrap a rubber band around the bunch of stems and slide one end of a paper clip that has been opened into an S shape through the rubber band and use the other end to hang the herbs upside down from a ledge or hook.  Once completely dried, pull off the leaves and crumble them into a mason or empty spice jar.  Use in cooking, or to make tea.  Also great for soaking in a bath with salts!

One of my other favorite plant medicines is herbed salts which are made with fresh herbs and then once dried, will last a year.

You can use single herbs such as oregano, sage, rosemary or thyme, or experiment with different combinations.  My favorite so far has been rosemary/sage/garlic salt.  To make the salts you use ¼ cup of good organic sea salt or kosher salt.  I use the larger grain. First chop 2 or 3 cloves of garlic into three tablespoons of the salt. Then add the rest of the salt and 1 cup of loosely packed herbs. Keep chopping it all together until it is consistency you like. Spread onto a cookie sheet and let dry for a few days, stirring it around once a day.  Sprinkling these onto your winter roasted vegetables or stews will make your taste buds dance. 

The earth has provided us with her own medicine chest right outside the door.  The safest, least expensive and easiest way to vibrant health. Use her gifts!

Thank you plants,
SARAH

......I am a camper

Yogis,

I am a camper. Well……not really. I think maybe I am pretending to be a camper. If anyone got close and watched I am certain they would uncover that I am not a camper. Sigh.

Sure, from the outside I appear to know what I am doing, make the right moves and act confident. I have the tent, sleeping bag, lanterns and twinkly lights for the shade cover. “Do you have an air mattress?” I am asked.  No. I sleep in my sleeping bag on a thin pad on the ground. “Do you go out to eat?”. Again, no. The small grill and the cooler work together to feed me. I look like a camper.

Yet at times I feel like an imposter. Playing the role of ‘nature woman’. Cringing at sudden night noises. The inner voice questioning every time if I will remember how to put up the tent while the other real campers are watching. Wondering what awaits me in the dark brush as I can no longer ignore that the fluids I took in, must eventually come out. And at my stage of life….that’s several times a night.

I am a camper.

Growing up I never slept in a tent, or even outside for that matter.  While raising the boys there was one occasion at a farm party, which of course was in pouring rain, but where all the details and food were organized by others. Camping seemed to be for those brave self-sufficient folks, of which I was not one.

It wasn’t until 2012 that I was nudged forward by the Universe. I decided to study with Susun Weed for a week and chose the option of living in a tent. I prepared first by sleeping on a mattress out on my deck (waiting all night for the bats to swoop on me) and then took the leap of getting my own tent.

I practiced setting it up and taking it down inside before gathering my nerve to sleep out back (convinced that every sound I heard was the fox coming). By the time I arrived at Woodstock I was ready (Oh my god what have I gotten myself into….my inner voice screamed…..You aren’t a camper!)

I am a camper.

There is something about sleeping out under the stars that calls to me on some deep soul level. The ability to be at ease in nature at night, which scares the hell out of me, yet keeps whispering for me to come closer. Perhaps it was one of my former lives. Or a longing I was born with that wasn’t kindled until now. I ‘want’ it. So I have set my intention.  I am a camper.  And I will keep saying it, visualizing it and pretending until it seeps into my cells. 

  

I am what I believe.  I am a camper.

What is it for you? What do you want to do, feel, be that you believe you aren’t? A good dancer……. writer…….world traveler. Public speaker….strong swimmer…. relaxed. Living in CA….or moving past a fear that holds you back. See it. Be it. Pretend, if you must.

This week I slept illuminated by the full moon and opened my eyes to a pink sunrise on the dune. Seagulls and wild horses my morning visitors. For two days my vibration synching with the rhythm of the crashing waves. And as my hand brushed my leg in the middle of the night I realized I was sandy. And that was ok with me.

I heard a quote yesterday. ‘If you believe you’re right, you’re right. If you believe you’re wrong, you’re right.’

I am a camper,
SARAH

Good Morning!