Cut Your Distractions
How do you define the word "yoga"? Two ancient texts have vastly different definitions. I've always been drawn to "skill in action" from The Bhagavad Gita. The Yoga Sutras define yoga as "stilling the fluctuations of the mind chatter." While that feels unrealistic for most of us embodied beings, who among us could not use to reduce the constant distractions that throw our lives off course?
Here we are in February, a month after many of us began the new year with resolutions. If we were able to focus on our goals singlehandedly, we would find them so much easier to achieve than when we are juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. Why is it taking me so long to finish writing my memoir? Well, I'm also raising two kids, taking care of a dog, getting my family settled in a 100-year-old house, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. One writer I admire blocks the Internet all day long. My son and I recently did a "Screen Free Sunday," and I loved the feeling of clarity it brought. By the end of the day I had a long handwritten list of messages I needed to write or respond to, orders to place, forms to submit and so on. I enjoy posting on social media, but doing it in moderation is far harder than not doing it at all. It's not realistic or even desirable for me to be offline all day every day, yet skill in action involves setting clear boundaries.
My mom recorded multiple versions of a meditation about reducing distractions, using the metaphor of stilling the lake of the mind. One has already been available in the Right Side Up library, but I've just added a second version I especially love, called "MEDITATION Lake and Moon." (Free access here.) In this 13-minute practice, we are asked to imagine the moon shining on the ripples of the mind lake. I've also posted a 3-minute version of my mom teaching nine rounds of khapalabhati, or skull-shining breath (BREATHING 9x Khapalabhati), designed as a mind-quieting practice. My mom intended it to be done before the Lake and Moon meditation, but if you only have three minutes, it can also stand on its own.
The meditation's imagery is special to me personally because my family and I have been talking to my mother in the moon since her death in 2018. It is significant for all of us because the moon represents a witness to our experience. When we take a step back and look at our lives from a bit of distance, sometimes the answers we've been seeking become clear. We can detach a bit from the outcomes that keep us scrambling. But establishing that distance takes skill and practice.
Below I share some of the strategies I'm using for nervous system regulation, which in turn makes it easier to calm a turbulent mind. I'd love to know of any others working for you, and how you're doing with your 2024 intentions so far.
Love,
Sara
Habits and strategies for a more regulated nervous system
In January I shared a series of videos about times when I felt like a fraud in yoga. For my health I reintroduced animal protein after 25 years as a vegetarian. I had two C-sections and had to give up much of my physical yoga practice while healing from a severe case of diastasis recti, or abdominal separation. And I struggled with anxiety, digestive issues and insomnia after two difficult deliveries and my mother's death.
Here is the truth: You can only act in accordance with the state of your nervous system. If your nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight because of a trauma, grief, hormones or any other reason, staying focused on your goals and behaving in a way you feel proud of will be virtually impossible. Sometimes medical attention is necessary. For nearly all of us, stress accumulates all day long. It's wonderful to wake up and sit in meditation, but it's equally important to have strategies for nervous system regulation to turn to throughout the day.
Here are some of the tools I am using:
--The 5-10-15 principle of mindful eating: Five breaths before eating, 10 seconds to chew and another 10 between each bite, 15 minutes to finish the meal. (This is so hard for me!)
-- Dunking my face in a bowl of ice water each morning... so much easier than a cold shower.
-- Drinking tart cherry juice with warm water before bed. (Hot herbal tea might be just as effective.)
-- Humming and finger tapping.
-- Keeping and frequently updating a to do list helps prevent me from waking at 3 a.m. with the realization that I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning or return a school form. I am working on tackling the list in batches to use my time more efficiently.
-- Practicing somersaults to embody more playfulness and teach my nervous system that I can fall and be OK. (While this is not for everyone, think about how you can infuse a lighter and more childlike quality to your days.)
Also: 4 easy habits to improve your well being and 3 ways to calm down quickly. (Note that all links are to my Instagram page. They are also available on my professional Facebook page and on TikTok.)
Some strategies, like mindful eating, ideally become part of a daily routine, while others (i.e. humming, finger tapping, various breath and grounding exercises) should be drawn on as needed.