Yoga Blog with Amy Nobles Dolan

An Extra Yoga Practice for a Sneezy Season

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Self-Care

If you, like my family, are experiencing a sneezy spring, the broader practice of yoga can help. Yoga and its sister-science, Ayurveda, offer many practices beyond the moving and breathing we do on a yoga mat. In fact, the postures we do on our yoga mats are only one of many components that make up a complete practice. There are practices that are recommended to be done before we unroll our mats. Neti (which is translates as nasal cleansing) is one these purificatory practices and is particularly helpful this time of year.

Yoga is a Philosophy for Real Life

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Admit it. As funny as the line is, you too have said or wanted to say, “Oh. I wish I could, but I don’t want to.” We humans just don’t always want to do the right thing. This is one of the real-life stumbling blocks that yoga philosophy can help us navigate.

Feeling Anxious? You’re Not Alone.

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We have been shouldering a weight of worry and stress for more than a year now and it has taken a toll on each of us. As the world begins to re-open, we are faced with even more change. In addition to understanding why we are feeling anxious, we can also commit to practices for self-care to help us downshift from the long-term anxiety and stress of the pandemic.

How to be Less Afraid

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Did you know that “Be not afraid.” is in the Bible 365 times? There are enough “Be not afraids” that we could read a different one every day of the year. That is how important this message is to anyone seeking a full, spiritually deepened life experience. Interestingly, while yoga philosophy doesn’t phrase it quite the same way, “Be not afraid” is a central message to yoga seekers on and off the mat.

Don’t Get Stuck “Fixin’ to” Start

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Many of us get stuck “fixin’ to” do something. “Fixin’ to” does not create results. Results come from practicing and doing. Preparing is a good thing unless you get stuck there. A yoga practice is a powerful way to train yourself to slide gracefully and courageously from the “fixin’ to” stage into rich, illuminating, growth-filled action.

Your Practice Will Get You Where You’re Going

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Your chosen spiritual practice(s) are like a GPS for life. Whatever your practice, you have chosen a tool that helps you get where you’re going. But you do have to allow it to lead the way. When you stick to the “route” suggested by your practice, you will get where you’re going with fewer wrong turns and detours.

Free Yourself From What You Know

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The giants of science teach us that the most mind-bending breakthroughs often come from a simple, but radical change in perspective. Poking at what we know, seeing where our certainties pinch or confine us, having the courage to close our eyes and set these certainties aside for something completely new – this is the kind of thinking that changes lives. No matter what you do, you can practice setting aside what you already know to free yourself for to grasp new possibilities.

Enlightenment for Regular People

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Too often enlightenment is deemed something for barefoot sages on mountaintops. This isn’t true. Enlightenment is possible for YOU. All you need is practice so that the next time you snuggle a puppy, or walk in the falling snow, or watch your dad help your mom into the car, you will be so overwhelmed with noticing that noticing is all you are doing. These moments are enlightenment. And each one you notice is enough to inspire a lifetime of practice.

Turn I Can’t Into I Can’t Yet

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When we tack “yet” to any statement beginning with “I can’t,” we are embracing our potential. When we say “yet,” what we are saying is that we believe that we are always, from the moment of our birth to the moment we take our last breath, becoming the person we were created to be. It makes me smile that such a tiny word indicates our immeasurable power to change and grow. This is a state of mind or perspective that makes us almost unstoppable.

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