October Newsletter: Certainty & the Unknown

All Humanity Newsletter | October 2022

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Greetings...

Certainty and the Unkown...

The ‘unknown’ is a place where the mind cannot travel. Certainty is a sensation. This is a paradox of the human condition. In fact, much of human intellectual history attempts to move the ‘unknown’ into the feigned certainty of knowledge. Unfortunately, the sensation of certainty cannot be achieved mentally.

An illustration: We can know that there are such things as pitch-black rooms. We can also know that there can be furniture in these black rooms. We can even know the layout of the furniture in those rooms. We cannot, however, be certain of that furniture placement until we bump into it. Our bodies must be involved.

At Mind Body Solutions, our adaptive yoga students are explorers of the unknown. We do not ask them to “overcome” their trauma, loss, and disability. But nor do we treat them as fragile either. We instruct them to do impossible things all the time – engage completely paralyzed body parts, extend out through limbs that are no longer present or feel where their bones are without moving.

And yet, somehow our students are certain of their endeavors. They are certain that they are blazing trails for themselves and others. They are certain of this even though very few people will ever understand what really happens in those classes. And yet, they know that something unknown is happening both within themselves and within each other…of this, they are certain.

How are they certain of such things? The simple answer: because they truly take their mind-body journeys together…in shared space, and in shared openness. From inside to out, they are each other’s witnesses.

There is a lot to learn in an adaptive yoga class at Mind Body Solutions. We do it together.

Come find us.

Matthew

Matthew Sanford

Founder, Mind Body Solutions

Pose of the month...

Camel / Ustrasana

If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Matthew has earnestly referred to people living with disabilities as “camels''. Both share the ability to withstand many things most humans and mammals could not tolerate, and both groups adapt to managing life in demanding and unpredictable environments. MBS yoga students are well-versed in living with limited resources and the unknown. Yet, one thing students can count on is a class atmosphere of safety, respect, and camaraderie. We welcome individuals of all conditions and abilities to explore their practice with initiative, curiosity, and joy.

Settle and ground into a stable base while securely seated in a chair, or, as Carol is pictured, in supported Virasana. Sit equally on each sit bone. Warm up the spine by slowly rounding forward then arching backward, followed by gently curving side to side. Come back to the center and extend up through the spine. Further establish a stable base by slightly pressing down on the thighs and internally rotating the femurs. Ground the hands on the chair armrests or back onto the heels. Gently arch back, keeping length in the low back, a lifted sternum, and a slightly tucked chin. Allow the sensation of aliveness as the breath spreads throughout the body. Carefully come out of the pose by bringing the chin toward the chest and the hands toward the sacrum/low back. Draw in the lower abdomen and come up slowly.

Options:

Have a partner gently but securely support the back of the head
Have a partner place a steady hand between shoulder blades to support the lift
Bend elbows backward (resembling a grasshopper), pressing elbows into the back of the chair or nearby wall to assist the extension
Seated against the back of a chair or lying on floor in supine position—place folded blanket/support under shoulder blades with head support as is comfortable.

Benefits:

Increases alertness, energy, and confidence
May reduce low back pain
Opens the chest and shoulders
Makes space in the abdominal area
Activates energy through the core channel

Mary Pat

Mary Pat FitzPatrick

MBS Teaching Faculty/Outreach Coordinator

Save the Date! Nov 29th

Our last Yoga, Disability, & Transformation gathering this year

STORIES FOR A BETTER LIFE

NOV 29TH 2PM CENTRAL TIME / ONLINE

The MBS community is ripe with experience and wisdom. It’s time to listen and share. Join this interactive, community conversation to hear stories (or share one) that express the wisdom gained along the road less traveled, that is, the road of living with a disability. This session includes an intentional yoga practice that aims to honor all the lessons learned, both spoken and unspoken, that people living with disabilities carry through every day of their lives.