Blog
June 11, 2019
Why I Don't Skip Savasana...Anymore
Happy June you guys!
Soooo, I have a big confession. I used to skip savasana in my yoga practice. Now, don’t get me wrong, I never walked out of a class early. If I was in a yoga class I would stay, I would settle down and attempt to quiet my mind and my body. Sometimes I would just wait it out until the end of class.
As someone with a daily practice, I did (and still do) the majority of my practice at home. When I practiced at home, I would skip savasana. I would leave myself enough time to get my practice in, but when it came to savasana at the end, I would rationalize that I had too many things to do, I needed to get on with my day, and lets face it, it was too hard to relax at home when all of my chores were staring down at me as I laid on my yoga mat.
I skipped savasana and if I’m being honest, in the back of my mind I thought it was a waste of time. I wasn’t going to be able to relax anyway, so what was the point?
Well, a few years ago I was in a class and the teacher said something that I will never forget. He said, “Savasana is not easy. We are relearning how to let go. In savasana we are teaching ourselves how to relax, how to slow down, and how to calm down after all of the movement of the class.”
This really stuck with me because it was this moment that I realized that I had been skipping savasana, not because it was a waste of time, but because I wasn’t “good” at it. I was saying to myself, “I am not good at relaxing so why try.”
This would be like saying, “I have tight shoulders so I’m not going to do down dog.” Or “My hamstrings are tight so I’m just going to skip the forward folds.” As students, we come to yoga to help what ails us, not to avoid it.
There is a famous yoga quote that states, “The pose you avoid the most is the pose that you need the most.”
I realized that I had been avoiding savasana, not because it was a waste of time, but because it was hard for me, especially when I was at home with all my distractions. I have a hard time relaxing and a hard time handling stress. I had this wonderful tool at my disposal to help me with relaxation and stress management, and I had not been taking advantage of it.
Savasana is a hard pose, and for some of us, the hardest pose of the class, but there are so many benefits of learning to relax, learning to let go, and learning to quiet the mind. I’m not going to get into every single benefit today (Google it if you are wondering. There are about a million articles on the benefits of relaxation), but I do believe that most of us have forgotten how to relax.
I still struggle with savasana some days, but I don’t skip it anymore. No matter how busy I am, I remember what I need from my yoga practice and I stick with it.
Take some time to relax today!
Happy Summer!
~Meghan
April 2, 2019
Positive Vibes…
I was walking out of yoga class on Saturday talking to a fellow yoga teacher and we stopped to look at a picture that another of our fellow teachers had drawn on our chalkboard in front of our studio. We both commented how beautiful the picture is. When we walked away, I said, “I could never do anything like that. I’m not good at drawing.”
My fellow teacher looked at me for a moment and then said, “Did you ever hear about that study where they asked kindergarteners who amongst them was good at drawing and they all raised their hand. Then they asked Third Graders the same question and very few of them raised their hands.”
Her response to my off handed comment really startled me. I realized, that without thinking about it or even meaning it, I had put myself down. And in talking about myself that way, I was giving others permission to talk about themselves that way too.
I was very grateful to my friend in that moment for reminding me to be mindful of my thoughts and words.
I know that it may seem like no big deal to say something like I can’t draw, I look bad today, I’m not strong, I’m not flexible, etc.
But remember, we internalize these things. If we say or think them enough (even if they are not necessarily true) we make them true. We become our thoughts, we become our words. Even if we think we are just being funny, and we put ourselves down, part of us starts to believe it, and eventually we forget that we are strong, flexible, beautiful, artistic, etc.
Furthermore, when we say negative things about ourselves, we give permission to those listening, (our friends, our children, strangers, family) to believe those things about themselves as well.
Notice how often you say positive things about yourself and notice how often the comments you make about yourself are negative. Let’s try to increase those positive thoughts and comments. This is a practice (trust me, I’m working on it too) but try to be positive, send yourself some love, and let that positivity spread to those around you.
Shine on beautiful souls!
Sending you lots of love,
Meghan
P.S. I drew a picture today
March 5, 2019
Snow Days and Meditation
Hi Yoga Friends!
Is anyone else feeling done with winter? I know I live in Michigan, and I don’t like to complain, but I am very ready for spring!
I have two small children and we have been inside A LOT this winter. I love my children more than anything, but when we are all together in a small space for so long, we all start to lose our minds.
This has been a challenge, to say the least. But there has been one good thing that has come of these endless days stuck in the house: I have rediscovered a consistent meditation practice for myself.
I will admit that my yoga practice is mainly physical. I really love the asanas. Moving helps me to release all of my stuck energy and helps me to get out of my head.
But a meditation practice has always been a challenge for me and has become more of a challenge since having kids.
I don’t have quiet time. I can’t sit on the floor without being tackled. Maybe its just me, but when I look slightly at ease my children conspire to blow up the house.
But I have found, this is why I NEED a meditation practice. I NEED a minute (or 10) to let go of all the thoughts swimming around in my head, to get away from the noise, and to let go of the tension in my body. Because, I have noticed, that the thoughts in my head are WAY louder than my children, and my tension is much harder on my body and my mind than getting tackled while sitting on the floor.
When I do take this time, I’m nicer, I am able to process things as they come at me, and I have more patience with my children.
I will admit, my yoga and meditation time is usually at 10:00 at night, but that’s the time that works for me. Everyone is in bed, and its quiet. Taking this time helps me. This is my self-care time.
What do you do to take care of yourself? Are you making yourself a priority?
I know this can be an annoying question (trust me I roll my eyes at this question all the time). I know life is busy and most of us feel like we are running from the time we wake up until the time we fall into bed at night. I also know that you need to make yourself a priority. Take that time (whatever that time is for you) and don’t feel guilty about it. Taking the time to fill your cup, reignite your spark, and restore your soul will help you in all the other areas of your life.
Take care of yourself!
Sending warm sunny thoughts!
Love,
Meghan
What is a yoga practice?
What is a yoga body?
I’m pretty sure you have seen pictures on the internet (or elsewhere) of people doing yoga poses on the beach, or in the middle of the street, or someplace else edgy and beautiful. I think these pictures are pretty, but to me they don’t have anything to do with a yoga practice.
I think many of us see these pictures on the internet and become intimidated by yoga class. Are all the other people in class going to be on the beach putting their feet behind their heads? No, no they are not. From my own experience, people who come to yoga classes are just people. Just like you and me, yogis want to slow down, breathe, and feel better. Yogis come in all ages, colors, shapes, sizes, genders ect.
There is a quote traveling around the internet that says, “If you have a body you can do yoga,” and while this may seem cliché, and many of us roll our eyes and keep scrolling, this is actually true. There is no such thing as a “yoga body.” Every body is a yoga body.
What are yoga clothes?
What about those expensive yoga clothes? Do I need those? No! No matter what you have been told, believe me, you don’t have to go out and spent $100 on leggings to do yoga. You don’t even have to wear leggings. When ever I am asked, I tell students to wear something comfortable that allows them to move without restriction. That’s all. Just make sure to be comfortable!
If you have beautiful yoga clothes and want to wear them, go for it. I am not saying its wrong or bad to wear pretty clothes. Just don’t let the clothes define your practice. Your practice is not about what you are wearing. It is about how you feel.
What does a yoga practice look like?
Well, I can only speak from my own experience, but my yoga practice does not look like someone standing on a beach doing a magnificent yoga pose. It looks like me, on my mat, usually in old sweat pants, surrounded by props, breathing, moving, and taking time to be in my body. This probably is not pretty on the outside, but it feels damn good to me, and that is what it is really about.
To me, a yoga practice has nothing to do with a picture you can take, or a pose you can or cannot do. Practicing yoga is about being in your body, quieting your mind, and feeling better.
So, if you have been contemplating starting a yoga practice, my challenge to you is just to start. See where the journey takes you and remember that your practice is about you. Its not about the person standing next to you, the picture on the internet, or anything else. It is about you, right now, just as you are.
Send some love to that beautiful self of yours!
Namaste
~Meghan
January 4, 2019
Trust The Process...
Happy New Year! As I reflect on last year and think about all the wonderful
things coming up this year, I am reminded of something my teacher, Paula Tursi, said repeatedly during my Teacher Training. She would say, “Trust the process.”
I have a lot to look forward to this year. I am going to continue to watch my beautiful children grow and amaze me every day, I have lots of family time planned this year, I have new classes and workshops coming up in the next few months, and I am starting the next level of my Yoga Training in July.
I am so excited for all the places that life will take me this year, but with my excitement I need to remember to enjoy what I have right at this moment and trust the process of my life this year. As I embark on my next level of training, I must continue to remind myself to slow down and embrace every step of the journey (good and the not so good). My training is going to take me a few years to complete, and while I would like to soak it all up at once, I know I need to be patient and trust the process.
Many of you are going through processes of your own. I know sometimes its nice to think about skipping the middle of the process and jumping to the end result, but in this practice of life, we learn the most from the middle parts.
For example, in our yoga practice we often cannot jump into big challenging poses until our bodies and our minds are ready for the pose. The journey through the middle of our practice prepares us for the pose. That is where we learn the most.
My teacher, Paula, also says, “It’s not about the final pose, its about all the little steps that lead up to the pose.” That is where the good stuff is. If we try to jump into these poses before we are ready, we run the risk of getting injured, and we miss all the good stuff in the middle.
So, weather you are beginning a new journey, in the middle of your journey, or about to hit your peak pose, love and trust the process.
To this new year,
Some new beginnings,
But mostly to the continuation of this miraculous process we call life!
Cheers!
~Meghan
