seva journal » michele

So Hum

seva — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:27:00 +0000

The life breath of every living being – So Hum. So Hum, I am that. A song every sentient being sings, proclaiming their own divine existence. When I pause, when I pay attention to my own life sound, a natural calm come over me. It is the rushing, the drive to Be, to be More, that calls my attention away from this sound and makes the mind like so many puzzle pieces. I wait to be put together again.

So Hum, happening without me trying, without effort, this pranic vinyasa. I can pause and take note whenever I chose, I can listen again. To listen to the sound of all life inside of me. The sound is there to remind me. I am that.

-michele

seva on woodtv’s eightWest : yoga for sleep

seva — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:56:41 +0000

michele on WoodTV’s eightWest to talk about how yoga can improve your sleep

seva on woodtv’s eightWest : balance

seva — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:21:02 +0000

michele had the chance to go on woodtv’s eightWest to talk about how balance asanas can help you find a happy medium in other areas of your life

seva on woodtv’s eightWest : inversions

seva — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:11:27 +0000

michele shows woodtv’s eightWest some inversions and discusses the benefits — how they assist with rejuvination and overall wellness.

dream wisdom

seva — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:51:53 +0000

I woke from a dream the other morning that I was on some sort of a trip or journey. It was all pleasant enough but there came a time in the dream that I had to make my way up a very steep and narrow set of stairs. There were no railings on either side of the stairs and looking down it was very frightening, so I found myself crawling up these stairs rather than walking upright. I remember thinking how ashamed I was that everyone could see me and how scared I was.
When I reached the top of the stairs there was a space so that I would have to let go of the stair that I was clutching in order to reach the plateau I was climbing to. I stretched one arm out towards the platform, maybe I could pull myself up but I was racked with fear and shame.

Upon waking, I recalled enough of the dream to relay it to a close friend. “You just need to let go” she said. Have faith and trust. Maybe I will fall but I need to let go to take the step.

-michele

Drishti

seva — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:57:24 +0000

It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. Perhaps this is why the practice of drishti, the Sanskrit word for gaze, is so important to the asana practice of Yoga. When we are on our mat, yet our attention is off the mat, our practice suffers. Watching another student, comparing ourselves to others, these distractions take us out of the union between mind and body that takes place in Yoga. Resting the eye softly upon a fixed point during the practice — the tip of nose, third eye point, second toe, or knees — allows one to find balance in the union of breath and movement. We go inside to see with inner eyes the alignment of body and find the still point of the mind.

Our attention is a valuable tool whether in asana practice, meditation, or interactions with others. Once we are able to keep and practice life with our full attention, the possibilities are limitless.

-Michele

hiking outside, looking inside

seva — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:23:19 +0000

Spring has been slowly revealing itself to us. This weekend my husband and I made our way to one of our favorite hiking spots in West Michigan to enjoy the weather and woods. Hitting this trail for the first time this year, even though we have walked this way more times than I can count, all seemed new and different somehow. The water levels were higher in the lake areas, and lower in the marshy areas. New trees had fallen and above me bare branches were showing off new buds. And more ubiquitous than the visible signs of Spring’s imminent arrival were the audible signs. We could hear bugs, frogs, and birds everywhere loudly heralding the new season.

We walked together, without talking much. There was no need. We were here to escape the sounds of our urban lives. I even attempted to walk with the softest of steps, hoping for a glimpse of some forest resident enjoying this day with me.

We missed our trail turn on the way back and ended up a little lost. We back tracked to the missed turn and laughed at ourselves for missing the markings. We got back into town late, too late to make it to our planned Yoga practice at Seva.

Riding home I was feeling a little pouty about missing my Sunday practice, but I think that the hike was my Yoga today. It was my union with something much larger than myself, and just like an asana practice or meditation, the quieter you are and the greater the stillness of the mind, the more that is revealed to you.

-michele

kurmasana

seva — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:44:07 +0000

michele in tortoise pose (kurmasana)

I know that I am very much like the hare and not much at all like the tortoise. Perhaps that is why I feel such an aversion to Kurmasana, or tortoise pose. In this asana you bend both knees and slide the arms under the knees. Rocking back and forth you slide the arms further under the legs bringing the arms behind your back with the palms facing down. Face to the floor, listening to your breath, the intensity of the stretch, I find myself in a panic. The first time I attended an Ashtanga class and experienced this posture, I went into it and then almost ripped my arms off trying to get out once my mind realized where I was.

I had a similar experience scuba diving when I realized I was breathing under water and how far away the surface was.

Why am I so racked with fear as I face the unknown and become close with my breath? Perhaps my fear is simply the fear of the self. Forced to turn my mind inward and surrender to the unknowable, what if I am disappointed with what I see?

The practice of Yoga is exactly the space where questions like these can be asked of oneself and maybe someday answered as well. I know that my time on my mat is a time for reflection, for feeling what my heart has to offer. So rather than enjoying the asanas that my ego can be drawn to, basically doing what gives me an outer feeling of success, I need to turn inward and practice the asanas that challenge me to – be still, to be present, to experience where I am tight or where I am weak. To make me more like the tortoise and balance my hare.

-Michele