The fresh air of happiness

Each year, as we get close to Independence Day, there is a phrase that follows me in my thoughts. It comes in whispers, the earnest last words of men and women long dead, urging me to consider. If the words are true, then I have something in me that is inalienable, something I cannot give up, nor can it be taken from me.  The phrase turns into questions. How am I caring for my life and liberty? Where am I in my pursuit of happiness?  Honestly, for a very long time, I lost the path. At this time of year, when I could be reveling in summer and the long hours of light, the questions seemed heavy.  I felt like a failure, like the alienable American.  The pursuit of happiness did not seem like a viable venture to me, so I searched for things I could pursue other than happiness. I would catch my face resting in a frown and feel deeply unhappy. I may have wanted to be happy, but I didn’t know how I could do happy.  Then, quite by accident, I discovered that in my body, I have a passage that I can access through which happiness can come in. Does that sound strange?

Everyone knows that the eyes are the window to the soul, and, I hear Pete Townshend when he sings, “let my love open the door… to your heart.” Why not have a hatch we can open and let in the fresh air of happiness? I want to say:

A smile is that passage through which happiness can enter the soul.

For several years, Beth Galis has been telling those of us who attend her hot yoga studio that a smile will bring ease to the practice. After taking more than a year off of yoga to recover from a back injury, I decided to come back to the practice and to enjoy it. I am there because I choose to be there. I know it is good for me. There is no place else I want to be in those moments, those hours. I breathe, I smile, I listen, and I do.  Smiling is what I do to inform my face that I am there to enjoy my body and soak up all of the goodness I can from the practice. I started smiling because Beth said it would make the practice easier. Who doesn’t want easier?  It works. The more I smile, the more I enjoy the class and the easier it is to do it. Then I had a private healing session with Beth in which we were able to identify and release some negative emotional baggage. Soon afterwards, I found myself driving down the road and smiling for no reason and not willfully. It just welled up from inside, and I recognized it as actual happiness. What a gift.  I smile a lot these days. My happiness is independent of any other person or circumstance. No one and no thing made me happy. 

Happiness surrounds me, and when I smile it comes inside.

How to have a yoga body, part one

How to have a yoga body: take the body you have to the yoga studio and do yoga with it. 

After 14 months off, I am back. I gained a lot of weight in the year plus that I did not exercise, but I can't let that be an excuse to not get myself to the studio. My chosen practice is hot Hatha yoga. We have a great studio in Spokane, Yarrow Yoga and Wellness. I have always been athletic and never thought yoga was for me, but when I found this place and this style, I fell in love. I practised pretty hard for 2.5 years, about 900 hours. I was always stronger than I was flexible and that caught up with me when I gave myself a major back injury. Thus, the long hiatus.  Some thoughts on my practice:

One of the things I love about this style of yoga is that all I have to do is show up, listen, and do. When it comes to a posture like rabbit pose where my back injury prevents me from fully realizing the posture, I can still listen, and follow the cues until I reach my limit. After that, I listen and picture myself in the full expression of the posture. There is no disappointment or lack of benefit. In my mind, I am a perfect rabbit. 

Namaste

Yoga is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought it was all lolling about on a mat and stretching. Toward the end of a class the other night, holding a pose just beyond comfort and not in pain, soft music, dim light, in the company of other quiet people, I heard my body say "Thank you. I am so glad you brought me to this place."

Free Sewing Tutorial Yoga Mat Carrying Strap

The gym bag pattern should be ready by the end of this week. Meanwhile, warm up with this quick and easy yoga mat carrying strap project.

Materials list:

* 1.5 yards of 1” wide webbing
* 2 scraps of fabric 17” long by 5” wide
* 2 pieces of heavy weight iron-on interfacing 17” by 5” each
* 8” of 2” wide Heavy Duty Velcro

Step one- Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric following manufacturer’s instructions. (I used pre-washed cotton duck which is already a heavy fabric, so I skipped this step.)

Step two-

a. With right sides together, fold fabric in
half the long way, as shown right.

b. Mark 2 dots, each 1” from either side of

center of the fabric as indicated.

c. Using a 3/8” seam allowance,

stitch the raw edges together,
leaving a 2” opening between the dots.
d. Do this for both pieces.

Step three – Clip corners (as shown top right of photo,) turn the fabrics right sides out and press, pressing the seam allowance under in the open area.

Step four-With openings facing one another, pin the following items in place as shown below:
a. 4” of female (the softer side) Velcro at one end of each piece.
b. 3” of male Velcro on the opposite end and flip side of each piece.
c. Strap ends inserted in the openings (not twisted.)

Step five – Stitch everything in place and stitch openings closed. I used contrasting thread so you can see some different ways to do it.

To Use – Just wrap the fabric around the ends of the rolled up mat, secure with Velcro, and carry.

©2011 StudioCherie

Feel free to stitch and sell, just mention this StudioCherie tutorial