AWAKENING SELF NEWSLETTER — November 2005

1) Announcements
2) Yoga of the Seasons: Healthy Elimination
3) Class, Workshop, and Retreat Schedule
4) This month's article - "Candy on the Car Seat" by Connie Habash
5) Spiritual Quotes

1) Announcements

THANKSGIVING MORNING CLASS: The annual Thanksgiving morning class, "Yoga for Good Digestion and Gratitude", will be from 9:30-11:30am at YIY in Mountain View on Thursday, November 24th. Regular class fee ($14) or part of your series. Whether you're fasting or having a big meal,
you'll feel cleansed and your inner fires stoked!

108 SURYA NAMASKARS (Sun Salutes) returns for the Winter Solstice on Wednesday, December 21st, 7-9am. Come early or late, do 1 or 108, sit, chant, or meditate!
Arrive anytime in the 1st hour - by donation, with refreshments.

LEVEL 1 SANSKRIT INTENSIVE: Whether a yoga teacher or a serious student, if you have been captivated by Sanskrit and long to learn more, I am teaching another Level 1 course in JANUARY. Learn to correctly pronounce, read, and write in Devanagari, the Sanskrit script. This course focuses on building yoga-related vocabulary and also includes chanting and singing in the Divine language of Sanskrit! Save $20 if registered by 12/28. Details are HERE

WOMEN OF SPIRIT Psychotherapy Group! At long last, I have decided to return to doing group therapy in my counseling office in Menlo Park. The Women of Spirit Group is a supportive, nurturing environment for women to work through issues where your spiritual path is honored. Small and intimate, the group will be bi-weekly on Wednesdays in the early evening (and possibly another group in the mornings). Initial consultation appointments begin in November for those who are interested. For more information, call me at (650) 996-2649, or look for details on my website HERE.

FOUNDATIONS: A series of workshops on the essentials of yoga practice at YiY in Mountain View!
"Standing Poses", the first in this series, will be SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2-4pm. We'll explore in detail the aspects of standing with steadiness and ease in the main standing poses: Tadasana/Samasthitih, Virabhadrasana (Warrior) I and II, Parsvakonasana, Parsvottanasana, and Trikonasana. These workshops will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of any style of yoga practice. More information and registration coming to my website soon!

2) Yoga of the Seasons: Healthy Elimination

     With Thanksgiving approaching here in the United States, some of us are gearing up for one of our favorite meals of the year. But regardless of whether you celebrate American Thanksgiving and no matter what time of year, good digestion and healthy elimination are a vital part of well-being.

      The big turkey (or tofurkey!) dinner the last Thursday of November is notorious for wreaking havoc with our digestive system, and we may pay the toll the next morning. Here are some tips and practices to help the "going out" process to be as easy and comfortable as the "going in".

Eat Moderately
     One of the main reasons many of us suffer after Thanksgiving dinner is that we eat a much greater quantity of food at one meal than we do probably most of the rest of the year. Good digestion and ease of elimination are dependent on not overloading the
digestive system. Ayurveda, the science of well-being, recommends filling the stomach 1/3 with food, 1/3 with water, and leaving 1/3 empty for optimal absorption of nourishment
and excretion of wastes. Sure, on occasion we can eat more and this occasion may inspire that, but try to keep it in moderation and your bowels will thank you the next morning.

Eat Consciously
     You may remember your parents telling you when you were little, "chew, chew, chew!" It still holds true - sometimes we are enjoying the taste and texture of the food so much we shovel it in too quickly and don't chew sufficiently. Mindful eating is helpful with this. Take the time to savor the flavors and enjoy the textures. Have gratitude for each bite and each dish. Enjoy looking at and smelling eat dish. It's a special meal, and shouldn't
be rushed! Slowing down, appreciating, and filling your meal with positive thoughts all aid the digestive process, which makes for easier elimination.

Choose Wisely
     Some foods are harder to move through the digestive track than others. For example, for most people potatoes make stools harder. Hot spices tend to make things looser. Cabbage makes people more gassy. If you know you have a certain tendency towards constipation, diarrhea, or gas, look at the choices offered for the meal and leave out the ones you know will cause you trouble, or just sample them with one small bite.

Drink Hot Water
The next morning, one of the best ways to help the waste products move through the colon, and also to cleanse the whole digestive tract, is to drink a glass of hot water. Not scalding, but as hot as you can comfortably swallow without having to sip. In addition to aiding the elimination process and cleansing ama, or built up toxins, hot water will help calm those with Vata dosha (the light and dry body/mind type) and invigorate those
with Kapha dominance (the heavier, relaxed but sometimes lethargic type), according to Ayurveda. Pittas will also benefit from drinking warmer water, too, during the cool months, to keep things in balance.

Colon Massage
A simple massage of the colon area can help get things moving. Start on your lower right side of the abdomen and make a stroke up under the rib cage and down to the lower left side of the abdomen. This "U" shape follows the trail of the colon as it takes waste from the small intestine all the way over to exiting out the anus. You can do this laying on your bed or in the shower for a few rounds to encourage things to move. It can also relieve
gas pain.

Squat, Twist, and Fold
     Three of the best kinds of yoga poses for aiding the movement of the bowels are squats, twists, and forward bends.
     If you've ever been to a "third world country", chances are you learned how to go to the bathroom in a squat. There's good reason - the squat is an ideal pose to help release the bowels. Practice it daily for a few minutes each day and you'll find things move out more easily. If you have difficulty squatting, practice with a block or a stack of books under the buttocks with the back against a wall, or squat facing a sink, holding onto the
edge with your hands.
     Twists are revered for their benefits not just to the back but also to the whole abdomen. They're known to wring out toxins and waste from the belly by squeezing it like a sponge. Include twists in your morning routine after the big meal, whether sitting on a chair, sitting, or lying down. You can even do them in bed if you're feeling like staying under the covers for a bit longer!
     Like squats and twists, forward bends have a compressing effect on the belly which stimulate and moves things. From Balasana (child's pose) to Uttanasana (standing forward bend), any forward bend will help move what's leftover in the belly on out.
     If you are having an elimination problem of a different sort - ie, diarrhea - better to focus on bringing gentle opening to the belly rather than create compression. Gentle, supported, face-up backbends, such as Supported Bridge pose, are a good choice.

Give Thanks
     Before, during, and after, whether you're having a big meal or fasting, give thanks for what you receive, and feel gratitude for the miracle of your body. Your body breaks down, processes, absorbs, distributes, and eliminates without any recognition on our part. Giving thanks for all of these blessings will set the right stage for optimal enjoyment and functioning of our digestion and elimination.

Copyright © 2005 by Constance L. Habash

RETREATS:

There are no scheduled retreats for 2006

WORKSHOPS and EVENTS:

Thanksgiving Morning class: "Yoga for Good Digestion and Gratitude" on Thursday, November 24th 9:30-11:30am at YiY in Mountain View.
$14 drop-in or part of regular series

108 Surya Namaskars (sun salutes) Wednesday, December 21st, 7-9am
YiY in Mountain View

EARLY 2006:

WOMEN OF SPIRIT PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP
Early evenings, every other Wednesday (and possibly a morning group as well) 1 1/2 hours, limited to 7 committed members
$45/session

LEVEL 1 SANSKRIT INTENSIVE
Five Saturdays: 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25
12:30-3:30pm in Menlo Park
$255, including materials ($20 discount if you register by 12/28!)

FOUNDATIONS: A series of workshops on the essential elements of yoga at YIY in Mountain View
"Standing Poses" Saturday, February 4th, 2-4pm
"Twists" Saturday, April 1st, 2-4pm
"Relaxation" Saturday, June 3rd, 2-4pm
$30 pre-registered, or $35 at the door

TUESDAYS
9:30-11AM Iyengar & Vinyasa, Beginning
YIY, Mountain View

FRIDAYS
9:30-11AM Iyengar & Vinyasa, All Levels
YIY, Mountain View

Look for new classes coming in early 2006

4) This month's article: "Candy on the Car Seat"
by Connie Habash

    Halloween now past, many of us are dealing with the sometimes dreaded aftermath: leftover candy. How many of us have taken a bag to work and set it out in a dish, hoping
that others will eat it up, so we won't be as tempted? Months ago I had written most of this piece on a different way to deal with that leftover candy - using it as a spiritual practice.

    A couple days ago, I was driving to teach a yoga class and realized that the onions in the salsa I had in my burrito for lunch were still lingering on my breath, so I decided to stop at a drug store to get something to freshen my breath. I didn't want mints, and I didn't want chocolate, so as I considered the other available options I decided on a pack of Starbursts and ran out the door to get to the studio on time.

     Two days later, I got in my car and noticed the remaining Starbursts sitting on the passenger seat next to me. I had just remarked to myself as I was walking in the car how great I felt that morning - alive, light, clean inside, reflecting the energy of the springtime around me. As I looked at the candy on the carseat, my mouth started to water. I really liked the sweet-sour taste of those childhood favorites. But I was confronting a dilemma - do I want to ruin this feeling of being cleansed, healthy, and light within by inhaling a few candies?

     I almost rationalized going ahead and doing it, because they were there. They were there, you see, and if something is there, I often just go for it. I knew this was a problem, and therefore I rarely bought this kind of thing or had sweets like this around the house because if they're there, I eat them. Sometimes all at once. Now, the Starbursts were smiling at me very innocently, just begging me to eat them simply because they were there.

     I considered throwing them out the window, or just leaving them on the sidewalk, hoping someone might pick them up and enjoy them. Fat chance - I'd never do it. And besides, that would be littering. I didn't feel right about throwing them away, because
I hate the idea of wasting them. Should I hide them? Put them up at the top shelf in the kitchen, where I'd have a hard time getting to them, or lock them up?

     While I contemplated this dilemma, I decided to start the car, began driving, and turned on the tape I had popped into the stereo. Perhaps I could do something long enough to distract myself so that I'd forget they were there. Yeah. If I could forget about them, I could go another day without eating candy and messing up this great feeling inside.

    As fate would have it, the speaker on the tape I was listening to just happened to say the word "candy", and immediately I remembered the Starbursts and looked over. Yep, there they were. Yeesh. Still smiling in their bright yellow and red pack, ready for me to indulge. I wondered if finding a trash can and throwing them away might be the better solution. Out of sight, out of mind - or at least out of mouth.

    But then I stopped. At the railroad crossing, as I was waiting for the train to pass by, I got sort of curious. What is it about the candy that makes me want to eat it so much? Why did this have such intensity, even power? It became very interesting to me. The possibility of the candy sitting passively on the seat to awaken some deeper awareness came up into my thoughts. Hmmm... I could be onto something here. What if I just left the candy there,
and saw what it brought up? Maybe over a few days, a few weeks? Here's a great opportunity to again watch my mind, like a meditation, and perhaps find something out about the obsessions and compulsions I have, and how to deal with them. It was intriguing. So, at the risk of being tempted to shove the whole pack into my salivating mouth, I decided to let them sit there and see what happened.

     The first thing I noticed was the struggle. The more I thought about the flavors and how good they tasted, the more I became interested in having one. So I didn't want to go that route. My body became tense in resisting the thoughts. It seemed silly to be giving such power to a pack of candy. Trying to distract myself worked for a while, until I noticed them there again, so that was helpful, but temporary and a sort of avoidance in itself. I wanted to face the sweets head on and find some way of detaching from the drama of the temptation.

     Guilt also arose. If I eat those, I'm filling my body with sugar, not to mention whatever artificial crap they put in those chews to make them that consistency. Although the guilt was a decent motivator not to eat them, it also made my body tense, anxious, and sort of heavy, like it weighed on my conscience, whether or not I chose to eat them. So I decided that guilt also wasn't very helpful in transcending the reaction.

    Then I had a very simple thought. I really don't need to eat them. I'm not sure why, but when I listened to that thought, I relaxed inside. It was a simple choice. It was true that I didn't need them. And it was true that I had a choice about the matter. I didn't have to choose because I wanted a taste experience, and I didn't have to choose because I wanted to avoid feeling bad. I simply didn't need them and could decide not to have them. They weren't that important, after all. For some reason, my whole body relaxed. I felt light and open again. I noticed the blue sky and the pavement in front of me. The present moment arose again and I was there, for a few moments without thoughts about the candy. It was a taste of freedom.

      A couple days passed by. I had piled some trash and mail from my P.O. box over the candy inadvertently, and didn't notice the bright yellow and red wrapper. Cleaning up the car, the nasty little temptation was revelead again. What would I choose now?

    I decided to eat one. It was a combination of, "what the heck, why not?" and "I really want to taste that!". But I figured after all the fuss I had made a couple days ago to be mindful of what they brought up, that I should at least do it without distraction. If I'm going to eat one, let it have my full attention. I'd further investigate what it was that made this candy so loaded with intensity.

     Once I had parked at my destination, I turned off the engine, reached over, and picked up the pack. Three left. I wonder what flavors? I can see the bright orange of the first wrapper - which I liked just fine. But is there a Strawberry behind that one, or a Lemon? Or the dreaded Cherry, which I tolerate in an attempt to make sure I don't waste anything. I seemed to spend a lot of time thinking about this candy, this temporary and artificial entertainment for my tongue. Might as well do it. The waxy paper crinkled as I unfolded it's tight wrap around the square confection. I popped it into my mouth.

     At first, it just felt like a piece of square plastic sitting on my tongue. I knew that the chewing, the kneading of that strange consistency with my teeth is what gets the flavor going, so I did, and my mouth becomes filled with salivation, the intense burst of sweet and sour orange creating a slight pucker in my cheeks. It's fun and makes me feel like smiling. And then more quickly than I realize, the more tender, plasticy sweet begins to shrink, dissolve, and disappear, leaving the flavor as an aftertaste for a minute or two. Nice. But it also left an indescribable coating on the tongue, and a strange unpleasant lingering of something - a feeling of having upset some peaceful balance within.

     Disappointment set in. That's all? I look over at the two remaining in the pack. Another orange wrapper revealed behind the one I just consumed. Humpf. It's obvious why most
of us don't eat just one candy, potato chip, one cookie. The pleasure they bring is all too temporary. We long for the fulfilling flavor of sweetness, and so we grab another, and
another, trying to avoid the inevitable disappointment they leave us with. I became disappointed not really because it's artificial (I knew that going in) or unhealthy, but because the sweetness didn't last. Yoga and the various spiritual traditions of the world caution us against this attempt to find satisfaction through the material world. None of it lasts and the more we seek it "out there", the more the disappointment and disillusionment mounts.

     At that moment, however, I didn't care. I just wanted another! I grabbed what was left of the pack, ripped open the next orange one and popped it in. I ate a little faster this time. It wasn't as enjoyable. As the last bit was chewed away, I became annoyed. This time, I was disappointed in myself. What am I doing? What good do these stupid candies
do? I tossed the last remaining candy, in it's outerwrapper, which was now one long spiral of torn yellow and red paper, onto the passenger seat again. I will not eat the last one. Today, at least.

     I spent the next three days giving it some good thought. The candy is such a beautiful example of the futility of seeking happiness outside the self. I do my yoga practice, meditation, chanting, and various other practices to find that something within that isn't fleeting. I've had tastes of that before. The freedom that I felt the first day when I decided not to eat the candy. The peace I felt just sitting in the presence of a truly loving being. The joy that arose during a long session of singing to the Divine. The quiet in my mind, lying in Savasana. Even though they didn't last, either, I could sense that they were always there, and somehow I just hadn't yet tapped the direct and constant line to them. And they certainly didn't leave guilt or a bad after taste behind.

     On the third day, I looked at the last fruit chew - Cherry flavored, of course - intently. I wanted to finish this experiment, but on terms that felt right to me. I didn't just want to wolf it down. I didn't derive any insight or benefit from that. What I wanted to experience with this last candy was the enjoyment of the moment, and letting it go afterwards. The teachings of yoga suggest that when you are experiencing the stuff of the world - pleasant or unpleasant, comfortable or uncomfortable - be with it as it is, and then let it go. The eating of this final chew of the pack would be my practice in mindfulness and non-attachment.

     Once again, I sat parked in a large lot behind the post office and reached over to the confection, peeling the last of the outer wrapper off and carefully unfolding the waxy paper
stuck to the sides of the candy. I looked at it's dark pink color, the striations on the top and bottom from some machine that cut it from a long, large piece of sugary goo. I felt the hardened sides, and smelled the somewhat artificial scent of the cherry flavor. Well, it's better than cough syrup, I thought. I actually didn't dislike the flavor so much as it was the least favorite of the 4 that came in the pack. Nevertheless, it was here and I was practicing mindful candy consumption.

     I placed it on my tongue, deciding to wait a bit until the wetness in my mouth slowly began to reveal the flavor. It was OK. Sweet and sugary, fruity, enjoyable. Chew, chew,
chew - more flavor released, and the taffy-like texture was fun to play with in my mouth. I could smell the cherry scent through my nose as I continued to enjoy the experience of eating it. As it slowly became smaller, I let the last small portion dissolve a little more on my tongue before I chewed it up and finished it off. Same aftertaste, a little less pleasant
than the other flavors, but it was what it was. I didn't expect it to be anything other than cherry.

     The process of being more present with the sugary treat left me feeling more satisfied afterward. I enjoyed it, fully, in the moment. I didn't feel that I needed more. I was done, and there was no more candy sitting on the passenger seat. Now, I wanted to let it go. Freedom once again. Putting the key in the ignition, I started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot. The rest of the day was ahead of me, a moment at a time.

Copyright ©2005 by Constance L. Habash

5) Spiritual Quotes

"All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop."
~ Kabir

"Men cannot see their reflection in running water, but only in still water."
~ Chuang Tzu

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now."
~ Joan Baez

Blessings,
Connie

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