Monday, July 29, 2013

Swan Medicine

In Native American culture, an animal appears to you in a dream, vision or waking life in order to offer you some medicine, or help with your life. The swan is my latest medicine.

My First Swan Appears

Swan Lake ballet
Between the ages of 4-14, I was convinced that I would become the next Prima Ballerina. Before I could attend ballet classes, I watched PBS performances, read books, played records that offered lessons (these were like pre-podcasts, for those of you who don't know what records are), and danced around to the music of Chopin, Debussy and Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake was one of my favorite ballets, because the music was so haunting and to a child, the choreography felt authentic: moving your arms like wings while peddling your feet as if your were in the water.

As a dancer, I was privileged to perform a famous part in the ballet, the dance of the four swans. (I can still bust it out, by the way!) I practiced the bowing swan movement over and over, pulling the grace and fluidity of the swan into my body.

During my years of dancing ballet, I experienced many injuries to my feet, ankles and back. We tried physical therapy, along with changing ballet schools, thinking that a different stress on my body could help, but it didn't. At the ripe old age of 16, I retired my ballet career.

The Swan Pose

Swan pose
When I was 29, I tried a yoga pose that really felt good. The teacher called it Pigeon Pose, but I've also heard it referred to as Swan. The pose took away much of my chronic back pain - almost instantly! And, it felt really natural. I later realized that this was the pose I had been adopting since I was a child. Later, when I was taught this pose in dynamic yoga classes, I would roll my back, which really connected with the swan bows I had done so many years before. This pose is one that I practice daily, and not just because it keeps my back pain at bay. It is a link to my past, present and future.

The Meditative Swan

My meditation timer
When I began teaching yoga to people with cancer, I knew that I had to develop coping practices. On some days, the calm I experienced in my morning meditations evaporated in the face of pain and suffering, and I would come home exhausted and heart-weary. I started visited a park in Campbell that has a lake where flocks of geese, ducks and a few swans live. I sat on a bench near the water and let the breeze blow away any sticky thoughts, resting my attention on my breath and the sensations of nature around me. At first, I set a timer so that I wouldn't keep peeking at my watch. I soon discovered that the birds at this park are very used to people feeding them. At exactly 13 minutes into my meditation, I could expect to become the subject of rivalry. The ducks came first, and if they didn't have goslings to tend to, the geese would come to scare off the ducks. Or, a great big white swan would come to check out what all the commotion was about - either gliding across the lake, or marching awkwardly across the grass, riddled with goose droppings. The swan never speaks to me, but I can feel its presence when it is about 3 feet away. I'm aware of its curiosity and strength. It usually stays nearby me and then drifts off when I make to leave. I always thank this powerful creature for letting me share space.

The Equanimous Swan

Last week was particularly emotional for me. On Sunday I led a memorial service for a student whose cancer had finally claimed her. On Thursday, I wasn't sure if my voice would hold up during the service, because my grief was showing up in my throat - offering the most horrible sounds as my heart tried to squeeze out its pain. I went to a friend's yoga class and was speaking to her about it. She offered me the image of the swan as a meditative focal point. The white swan can swim through the dirtiest water, then stop, shake and be brilliantly white again. She asked me to embody this quality of the swan: dive into the pain and difficulty, because it is what I am called to do, and then shake it off, rinsing it away to once again feel the clear, bright peaceful quality of my own inner swan.

Nearly 40 years after I first discovered Swan Lake, I am still learning from the swans. Thank you.

Announcements


  • Please see my previous post about schedule changes coming in September.
  • I'll be leading a 1-day yoga teacher training at Breathe Los Gatos on August 3 this workshop will teach how to meet a cancer survivor's needs within the context of a general yoga class. If you are a yoga teacher, you will need these skills at some point, no matter what class you teach. More and more people are living with cancer these days. If you are a survivor and you'd like your yoga teacher to get this training, please let him or her know about it. Click HERE to find out more.
  • Please share my blog with others, and invite them to sign up. This is one of the best ways I have to get news out to you all!
  • Remember, if you can't make it to class, you can always pop in my DVD, Healing Yoga for Wellness, available at www.amazon.com, Breathe Los Gatos, Pacific Healing Arts, Cancer CAREpoint resource center and Kaiser Mind-Body-Wellness center.

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Tao of Scheduling

The cyprus tree surrenders to the flow of
the coastal wind, growing with the Tao
The Tao (pronounced "dow") is a Chinese philosophy that encourages us to live in harmony with nature, each other and with our situation. If we resist what is happening, who we are and ignore the life surrounding us, then we may feel like we are trying to wade upstream against a strong current. "Going with the flow" is another way to describe this. Change happens. Digging in our heels and saying no doesn't stop the river from flowing.

With that thought in mind, I want to tell you about changes that are coming to my schedule. Some of them are more temporary than others (really, it's all temporary, if you take a big enough perspective, right?). I advise you to breathe deeply, go with the flow and stay open to "the way", the Tao. If the following list is at all confusing, send me an email at yogabylorien@gmail.com, and I'll explain it all. My schedule page will reflect these changes as soon as September rolls around.

Mondays in July and August

Between now and the middle of August, I will be subbing the Restorative Yoga class for the Stanford Cancer Supportive Care Program. This class meets 1:15-2:30pm at Avalon Art and Yoga in Palo Alto, and it is offered free of charge thanks to generous donations to the program.

Wednesdays in September

I will be moving my class for the Stanford Cancer Supportive Care Program to its new location starting in September. My Gentle Yoga for Cancer Recovery moves to Samyama Yoga Center, located at 2995 Middlefield Road, will meet each Wednesday 1:30-2:45pm, and is offered free of charge thanks to generous donations to the program. This class is designed for students who are ready for gentle movement, stretching and short strengthening sequences. It is open to people with cancer and their caregivers.

I will be offering a new class, specifically for cancer survivors. The Yoga for Cancer Survivors class meets on Wednesdays 6:00-7:00pm at the Cancer CAREpoint Resource Center, located at 2505 Samaritan Dr., Suite 402 (near Good Samaritan hospital). This class is designed for students who are through the intense phase of their treatments and wish to practice balance and strengthening poses. Check with www.cancercarepoint.org for more information.

I will no longer be teaching the evening Yin Yoga class at Breathe Los Gatos on Wednesdays, starting September 4. As much as I have loved building this class and sharing it with everyone, it is too late in the day for me to be teaching, and I find I am no longer a night owl.

Thursdays in September

I will be offering a new class for the Stanford Cancer Supportive Care Program at its new location, starting in September. The Yoga Basics for Cancer Survivors will meet each Thursday at 1:30-2:45pm at Samyama Yoga Center, located at 2995 Middlefield Road, and is offered free of charge thanks to generous donations to the program. This class is designed to move those post-treatment back on their wellness path, preparing them to step into any yoga class with confidence.

Announcements


  • In addition to the above shake-up of my schedule, I'll be leading a 1-day yoga teacher training at Breathe Los Gatos on August 3 this workshop will teach how to meet a cancer survivor's needs within the context of a general yoga class. If you are a yoga teacher, you will need these skills at some point, no matter what class you teach. More and more people are living with cancer these days. If you are a survivor and you'd like your yoga teacher to get this training, please let him or her know about it. Click HERE to find out more.
  • Please share my blog with others, and invite them to sign up. This is one of the best ways I have to get news out to you all!
  • Remember, if you can't make it to class, you can always pop in my DVD, Healing Yoga for Wellness, available at www.amazon.com, Breathe Los Gatos, Pacific Healing Arts, Cancer CAREpoint resource center and Kaiser Mind-Body-Wellness center.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Patanjali's Recipe for Peace

Recently, a friend wrote as her Facebook status, "In my heart I know I want to be a better person. Sometimes I succeed, more often I need to try harder." I was moved by her words, by the honest and universal longing that we all have - that we have always had, to be a better person. After a challenging month of feeling the same way, I reflected on the tools that I have to help me. I turn to the Yoga Sutras.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are dated back to 200-300 CE, and provide guidance for practicing yoga, though most of that guidance is related to the mental challenges, not the physical ones. In Sutra 1.33, Patanjali gives us a wonderful recipe for finding peace of mind:

Maitri karuna mudita upeksanam sukha duhkha punya apunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam
"The mind becomes tranquil through the practices of friendliness toward the happy, compassion toward the miserable, joy toward the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non-virtuous." (translation from Gary Kissiah's book, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali)

When I read this, I feel that sutra 1.33 is describing someone who already has peace of mind. What about the rest of us? How do we scale the ladder from where we are now to these lofty mental heights?

First of all, we dismantle the ladder. We are all capable of this kind of peace of mind, just as we are all capable of thinking and acting unskillfully. Accepting our power to change is important. The Buddhists call the first four concepts in this sutra The Four Immeasurables, and teach many techniques for meditating on and cultivating them. These are the practical tools that we can apply daily to bring about change.

Maitri


Maitri is the concept of friendliness, and Patajali tells us that our first step towards a peaceful mind is to be friendly. Maitri is also the root of the word, metta. During the Victorian age, when much of the Indian philosophies were interpreted and a love for New Age began, someone translated metta as being "loving kindness". That's a softer concept than most of us can grasp. Friendliness, however, is more accessible. You know when you are being a good friend, or not; you know when you are being treated as a good friend, or not. We are often better friends to others than to ourselves!

All this month, I will be leading guided metta meditations on Sunday nights at Breathe Los Gatos. These are free classes. If you would like to come sit with us and focus on bringing more metta into your daily life, please join us.

Karuna

Karuna is the second word in Patanjali's Sutra on finding a tranquil mind, the second of the Buddha's Four Immeasurables, and the name of my dorm when I stayed at Spirit Rock for a 5 day silent retreat. (I spent considerable time contemplating that non-coincidence!)

Karuna means compassion, and in this context, compassion towards those who might not normally elicit your compassion. From the little things to the big things, we are given the opportunity to explore karuna daily.

When I experience some injustice, it's easy to objectify the person who caused the injustice, and to view him or her as an object which either gets me what I want, impedes me from getting what I want, or just doesn't exist at all. Think about how often you do this. How do you respond to someone begging for money, or picking up trash along the side of the highway in an orange jump suit, the street musicians who greet you outside the HP Pavilion, or the zealot who yells at you on the corner about God?

If I employ the concept of karuna I may see, instead of an object, a person with hopes, dreams, fears, skills (or lack of)… in short, another human being. This practice is much easier to do with strangers than with people close to us. The coworker who's making your workdays unbearable? Try finding someone who knows him or her quite well and ask about them. You may surprise yourself the next time you connect.

Earlier this year, I received a link to this short video. It was meant to educate those who work in hospitals, to remind them of this concept, but you can easily apply to situations close to you. It's about 4 minutes long and a great example of karuna.


Mudita 

Photo from:
http://advaharma.wordpress.com
Mudita is the Sanksrit word that doesn't have a direct translation. Shared joy is one way to describe it, but it's more than that; it implies that we support our fellow man who has integrity in the face of adversity, and finally been recognized. For example, in 1990, I was very moved when I heard that Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years of political imprisonment. I was happy for him, his family, his country and the entire human race. It brought on such a swell of positive emotions in me!

Mudita means shared joy, but there is an implication that we all rejoice when someone is released from suffering... and we all benefit.

Upeksanam

Upeksanam is, in my opinion, the most challenging of the mind states to practice. In Kissiah's translation, it means "equanimity towards the non-virtuous". Equanimity is a state of mind that is calm, especially in the face of challenge. If I have been practicing the previous three states of mind, then I have a better chance of meeting someone I discern as non-vituous with a calm mind. If I haven't, then my inner fighter may step forward to do battle, contributing to the violence in the world. When I decline the opportunity to react, it may seem as though I am giving someone a pass for their behavior; actually, I am giving myself a chance to do less harm to my own self.

The person who cuts me off, runs a red light and nearly causes an accident? Instead of yelling, honking or otherwise adding to the chaos of the moment, I take a deep breath and wish them the same peace that I need. My balance doesn't come from tipping the scale with more fear or anger. Mandela wrote:

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” 

So, if you relate to my friend's post and wish to be a better person, then consider these four practices. Be friendly whenever you can; treat others with compassion, as you recall they too have hopes, dreams and fears; share joy with your fellow humans, struggling to make the world better; and let go of any negative thoughts towards those who act unskillfully. 

I'll meet you on that path. Namaste.

Monday, July 1, 2013

The Power of Music

I weep every time I hear "The Star Spangled Banner". Every. Single. Time. It's the break between the lines "o'er the land of the free" and "and the home of the brave" that gets me. Actually, it's the cheering and emotion of the crowd I'm in that usually takes me for the emotional ride. Music has that power.

You know how the painful memories are the ones that are most easily recalled? I can recall the happy times, and each and every happy memory comes with a soundtrack. Music evokes those joyful, free, limitless potential times in my memory, which makes it often funny for my family when I turn up a song by AC/DC and belt it out at the top of my lungs. "Mom, you like AC/DC?" They ask in surprise.

I can't help it. It takes me back to a summer day when I was in my early twenties, driving down the road with the windows down and the music turned up, feeling free. I remember turning left onto Blossom Hill Road, and a driver at the red light had his window down, listening to the same song as me. We were both singing, and our smiles and our volume picked up as I passed.

Drum circle with Heather Holland

Music uplifts and connects us.
Singing has always helped me process strong emotions.



For my fortieth birthday celebration, we hired both an extremely gifted drum circle facilitator named Heather Holland as well as the fun, talented Road Dogs classic rock band. People still tell me how much they enjoyed the drumming, singing and dancing!
Singing along with the Road Dogs

Why is music so moving? 

In my yoga studies, I've found answers: The Vedas are a collection of Indian Philosophy, text of which was originally chanted. Some verses still are. In the Vedas, we are taught that the human being has different koshas, or layers. The layer that relates to the mind and emotions, the manomayakosha, is influenced directly by sound. The words we listen to, the background noises and the music of our lives all feed this layer of emotion and thought.

In my western studies, I've also found answers: There is a part of the brain that turns on when we hear something, another part that turns on when we understand what we hear, and still another that is stimulated when we vocalize it.

We use more of our brain when we chant or sing.


Over a decade ago, I attended a yoga and chanting workshop, co-led by Samantha Brown and Suzanne Sterling. I hadn't yet decided to teach yoga; it was still the activity I did in order to maintain my life, but the thoughts were definitely there. During Suzanne's portion of the workshop, she taught us the importance of overcoming fear, of expressing our true thoughts and feelings, and how to notice what effects singing and chanting had on us. I was forever changed by that workshop. It cultivated my breath, my honesty, my self-empathy, my determination and, ultimately, contributed to me becoming a yoga teacher.

Suzanne is still offering her magic to the world, in big ways. On July 13, she will be at Breathe Los Gatos for a workshop called, "Rise Up". I highly recommend you check it out. For more info, go to the Breathe website, HERE.


Announcements:

  • Special class: Lorien will be teaching a Yin yoga class on Friday, July 5 at 11am at Breathe Los Gatos; this is a drop-in class, but it will fill up fast, so pre-registration is advised. Sign up HERE.
Lorien's Healing Yoga for Wellness DVD is out! How to get your very own copy:
  • Order from Amazon for $27.95, plus tax and shipping 
  • Stop in to Breathe Los Gatos and get it today for $30, plus tax
  • Buy it directly from Lorien for $27.19 (tax included, no shipping, you must pick it up in class)
  • Coming soon to eBay, Kaiser Santa Clara, local yoga studios and many more...