Don't Be A Barnacle

Before I tell you WHY you shouldn't be a barnacle, know that you're getting a double post this week, as I finish this cycle of talking about chakras, and how they can help guide your practice.

First a cheater - this was last weeks:

Chakra #6 of 7

I'm leaving you with simple words on this Saturday - the first of the new year.

Health is not hype. 
Its not something you can read in a magazine, or buy in the right pair of exercise pants, or get on an app. Health is a practice, its the way we see ourselves, the choices we make every day (or week... some days you just gotta get the Ben and Jerry's pint and eat the whole damn thing). Its the pits we fall into and then how we choose to either be thrown by them, or find a way - maybe a new way - to get out of them.

Your health is only yours to own and to practice. And with the freshness of the new year, this can be a great time to make an effort in that direction, whatever that means for you. This is what yoga has given me time and time again. Yoga is the the thing I can count on no matter what to treat me well, give me space, and help me find the light.

Change in unavoidable, but choosing to evolve with the change is easy to avoid. And that's why we have community, trial and error, and ultimately, ourselves.

Tomorrow we welcome the new year with a brief description of Ajna - the 6th Chakra which helps us observe the inner and the outer as a witness, an observer. It is a great place to start the new year and attempt something new without beating ourselves up for what we have done, or not done, before.

And now  Chakra #7 of 7

We're at the top, folks! The crown of the head, the point in the body where we no longer exist only physically, but where we start to understand a sense of greater connection - that we really are all a part of something larger than ourselves. I don't mean to get all Avatar on you guys (though I will completely admit to being a cheeseball about how much I LOVE this movie), but truly the challenge in accepting that we are a part of a larger unit is attachment. 

And enter the CROWN CHAKRA - SAHASRARA. This is the place where thought ceases, and is taken over by the sensations of peace, bliss, serenity, joy, and a feeling of the deeper meaning of life. The challenge of realizing these sensations is that they are just that - sensations. You can think about it, you can't muscle your way into it with logic - it is a letting go of our logical need to put it in a box, to control. You have to allow the thoughts to go, and the feelings to take over, and this is not an easy task. 

Do you see why I say don't be a barnacle? Not to sound like such a stereotype, but you gotta just let go...man.  Tee hee. This is why we breathe. It's why we practice being in our bodies and get out of our minds. There is value in unplugging, allowing the brain time to rest and not be in a state of work, and damnit if this isn't a huge tool towards greater happiness, and health. Which is kiiiiiiiiind of the point. We're all working on this together, one big happy (amongst other emotions) humanity. 

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)