I’m not one to say “Happy (Weekday)” but today I really want to say Happy Solar Eclipse Monday! Because we don’t actually get to say that very often.
As I mentioned last time, I want to do a bi/weekly (we’ll see how it goes) reflection of how I am intentionally (or not) living yoga with the Yamas and Niyamas in mind. The fact that I’m taking the time to do this reflection means I am practicing Svadhyaya, or self-study, so I’m off to a good start!
The main Yama that I practiced last week was Brahmacharya (energy management). For the last few months and since the start of my YTT I have been feeling like my brain is over saturated with information. Some of the information overload is positive because of everything new I’m learning about yoga. Some of the information overload is enraging, negative and heartbreaking because of the multiple ongoing genocides happening around the world and other social injustices. There is also the information overload that is just plain useless and draining, like doom scrolling.
Now that my main activity is sitting around and healing, I have no physical outlet to try and process the overstimulation and my screen time (work and leisure) was just getting to be too much. So last week I decided to go on a social media break (really it was just an IG break, I don’t have tiktok, that feels like way too much for me). It’s nothing revolutionary or new but it felt like a big decision. The first few days I found myself checking my email a lot and opening random apps as replacement IG behavior haha. Then that started to slowly go away and I was forced to think of other ways I could spend my time.
I honestly didn’t really do any other activities but my brain was feeling quieter and more spacious. I’ve been channeling my inner viejita because I’ve been spending a lot more time just sitting outside on the patio. Looking at the clouds, looking at my plants, breathing the air, and feeling the breeze and the sun. I get the whole sitting on the porch and doing nothing thing! It’s freeing, it’s calming, it’s nurturing, it’s anything you need it to be at that moment. It also made me think of my grandmas and my grandpa, who at some point were also stuck in their bed or chair and dependent on others. It also made me feel a little bit closer to them. Amazing what connections your mind will make if you create the space for it.
Choosing to spend more time with my head in the clouds and not on a screen was a lovely way to switch it up. I’m definitely carrying it over to this week as well.
The other protagonist of the week was Santosha (insert star-eyed emoji). Finding joy and contentment during these weeks of recovery has been tough! I can recognize glimpses of bliss while I’m sitting outside or when I have visitors but the overall feeling of UGH! takes over. However!! I had two very obvious-can’t-look-away- can’t-ignore experiences of great contentment this weekend. The first was attending a reiki attunement and shamanic baptism ceremony which I won’t get into here, but… wow, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
The second was the simple beauty of sitting outside and watching people fly their kites. There is a “Kite Man” who is always at Seaport Village (San Diego, CA) and he was putting on a show by making one of his kites spiral over and over. Beginner kite flyers would ask him for help. He gave kite flying suggestions and recommendations. He’d fly his kite so close to other kites (and people!) that you’d wonder how they didn’t crash or get tangled up together. I think my sister and I sat there for almost two hours just people and kite watching.
Now I obviously want a kite :P I overheard the kite man say that a Bora 7 was a good kite to get (in case you’re wondering). I also thought about the importance of PLAY. As adults we don’t play enough and we work too much or stay too much in our heads. So my santosha lesson from the weekend was to play more and connect more con Pachamama Mother Earth.
And of course I couldn’t help but think about Bisan and all the Palestinian children flying their kites. Showing play and joy as an act of resistance. So freaking powerful! You can watch some of their joy and kite flying as a symbol of peace here, here and here <3
Intention for the week:
May we use our time and energy to show up as better versions of ourselves each day. May we find joy in the life that we are so privileged to have and may we use yoga principles for Palestinian liberation and liberation for all.
Invitation for comments:
How did you use your energy last week?
Where did you find joy or how did you create joy for yourself?