And so we come to this point in the year. Just beyond the
turning point, the autumnal equinox. This is one of two annual junctures at
which the day and the night hold equal sway. And, it is also a threshold time.
After this point, we begin an inward spiral which has the potential to bring us
on a deep, quite descent into sacred space: a place in which we prepare
ourselves to gestate. This quarter of the year from the autumnal equinox
through the winter solstice signifies a reaping on the one hand, a dying on the
other.
Enter the harried mother.
There is often talk of spring cleaning and the impulse to
clear away what is stored and messy in preparation for freshness and new birth
of all sorts. But, the autumnal sweep is spring cleaning’s shadow. Now, we take
time to cleanse internally. We do this to release the heat of summer (in
Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, we call this “Pitta.” Pitta is
characterized not only by physical heat, but also by symptoms such as
inflammation, excess acid, heart burn, or mental states such as anger or being
hypercritical.) as well as to step into a deep, contemplative silence. The
release can happen through a nutritional fall detox http://www.yogajournal.com/detox/?utm_source=MyYogaMentor&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=MyYogaMentor,
time spent preserving the harvest http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/yoga-international-magazine/lifestyle-articles/saving-summer/,
or through individual or communal celebrations of gratitude. For the harried
mother, the work of cleaning is energetic.
Now is a time when we can begin to ponder bringing solitude
into our lives. I know, I know. I can hear you all out there crying out that
“There IS no time for solitude! I don’t even go to the bathroom alone!” The
beginning of finding the time is 1. deciding if you truly need it and 2.
allowing a deep feeling of worthiness to support that need. For this, we need
breath.
Settle into a comfortable seated position in which the spine
is straight and supported. Closing the eyes lightly, loosen the shoulders down
away from the ears and begin to focus on the breath.
Deepen your interaction with the breath by drawing the
inhale fully into the whole torso – to the front, the sides, the back and all
the way down to the tailbone. Let the exhale release its way up the spine. Feel
the crown of the head draw up and the spine lengthen. Continuing this way as
each breath lengthens the spine, creating space between the vertebra. It’s as
if you are growing taller with each breath.
Keeping the breath nice and smooth, let it become natural
and turn your awareness even deeper by centering on the feeling at your heart
center (anahata chakra). It is good to imagine this space as fully 360 degrees,
a disc of energy around the center of the chest, including but not limited to
the actual physical heart.
Now, allow your mind to savor the words of Sri Nasargadatta:
As you exhale: “I realize I am nothing”
As you inhale: “I realize I am everything”
As you exhale: “I realize I am nothing, and that is wisdom”
As you inhale: “I realize I am everything, and that is
compassion”
As you exhale: “I realize I am nothing, and that is wisdom”
Feel spacious and open….
As you inhale: “I realize I am everything, and that is
compassion”
Feel filled and vibrant…
Release the breath work and move back into the steady inhale
and smooth exhale. Notice the change in the quality of your breath and your
energy (prana). Return gently to your body, your environment, your life.
xoxoxom,
Amy
