"Everything is based on our own uptightness. We could blame the organization; we could blame the government; we could blame the food; we could blame the highways; we could blame the motorcars; our own clothes; we could blame an infinite variety of things. But it is we who are not letting go, not developing enough warmth and sympathy - which makes us problematic. So we cannot blame anybody."    
                                                     - Chogyam Trungpa

You can feel it when you get all uptight. It feels constricting and unpleasant. You can feel it all over the body, in the mind, and in your energy. Sometimes you can even see it, especially in the posture. It's a great practice just to notice when you get uptight. It's an even better practice to learn how to loosen up and let go, finding some of that much needed "warmth and sympathy" for yourself and for others. For starters, find your breath and make it deeper.

Practicing yoga is kind of like cleaning the house, in a good way. You may start off with a few Sun Salutations just to get a little blood flowing. Then you notice your hamstrings are tight, so you start stretching the legs. Once the legs are open, you notice your hips feel like they are full of concrete, so you start in on the hips. Then you feel the need to do a heart opener, then the shoulders, then you want to go upside down, so you pop up into an inversion. It's just like cleaning the house. For example, I might start with simply cleaning off the kitchen counter top. Then, I notice the dishes. Then with such a clean counter top and sink, I notice the floor. Then, I see the living room. It's a silly little analogy, but it's true. When everything is tight and stiff, you don't really notice those individual areas. Just like when everything in the house is on the messy side. Once you start in on one zone and get that sense of opening and revitalization, the tightness in the other areas feels more pronounced. You want to open them all up and get them feeling as great as that first area. Pretty soon your whole body feels better, it feels lighter, like the junk was just taken away leaving it more spacious and open. Yoga is a cleansing practice. It just happens to be way more fun to do than cleaning will ever be...way, way more fun. Plus with yoga, there is a little thing called Savasana at the end.

          "When everything is Golden anything seems possible."
                                 
                              -Anna Jaap, The Color of Joy

One of the most beautiful times of day is those few golden hours in the evening right before the sun begins set. For the past couple of years, I have had the great fortune of being in a yoga studio during that time of day either as a student or as a teacher. Especially as Fall settles in, bringing golden leaves and longer rays of light, everything around us starts to be tinged with extra shades and specks of gold. This holds true for the yoga studio as well. The space is filled with a peaceful, radiant light that sets a perfect tone for yoga practice. It seems like a time when anything is possible.

I love Kurt Vonnegut. I have read tons of his books and enjoyed each one. Armageddon In Retrospect, a collection of his early short stories, contains a transcript of a speech he gave at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis in April of 2007. In this excerpt, he recounts a conversation he had with his son, Mark. 

    "I asked Mark a while back what life was all about, since I didn't have a clue. He said, 'Dad, we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.' Whatever it is. 

    'Whatever it is.' Not bad. That one could be a keeper."

                                                                - Kurt Vonnegut

We are all in this thing called life together. We are all connected. Yoga can make us more sensitive to this fact. It really is a beautiful message told in a truly Vonnegut way, I'm glad I came across it. Hope you enjoy it too.