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All Humanity Newsletter | January 2022 |
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Greetings...
Beginnings and Endings
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Most all can agree that beginnings and endings are related. Intuitively, it somehow makes sense – birth, death, rebirth, rewind, redo, and on and on. To describe this, humans have even coined a term that dates back to antiquity – the doctrine of eternal return. It states roughly that existence and its energy recurs in a self-similar form, infinitely over time.
Hey, wait! I thought this was a newsletter, not a treatise. At Mind Body Solutions, we believe that the body often teaches better than the mind. Pause at the top of your next inhalation. Notice the ‘quiet’ revealed during the ceasing. Now exhale completely and again notice the underlying ‘quiet’ revealed before the next inhalation. Now ask yourself: After the in-breath, was it the end of the inhalation that revealed the ‘quiet’ or was it the ‘quiet’ that began the exhalation. Similarly, was it the end of your exhalation that revealed the ‘quiet’ or was that the beginning in your inhalation? Does it matter? Dang, that is why they call it a breath cycle, not a breath line.
At Mind Body Solutions, we take this insight a step further. We teach our adaptive students that all yoga poses begin and end with relief. In other words, we teach that the ‘quiet’ is essential to the movement of a pose, not the pose’s precise beginning or end. Moreover, we teach that this ‘quiet’ is best realized as nourishing relief, not as loss. Hmm, sounds like an insight to live by.
So as we enter 2022, perhaps the wisdom of our yoga practice can remind us that something is ending, something is beginning, and something is also staying the same. And, when taken all together, this creates hope.
Matthew
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Matthew Sanford
Founder, Mind Body Solutions
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Pose of the month...
Feet to Feet
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“When you reach the end of what you should know, you will be at the beginning of what you should sense.” ~ Kahlil Gibran
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When we drop the monkey mind and let go of judgement, we open ourselves to all manner of possibilities. Free from distraction, we have room for the sensations of presence and insight. For the yoga student, a subtle reference beckons the mind to pause and settle into the body. The student has the presence of mind to access the active and quiet places of the asana.
With a partner, lie face up connected at the soles of the feet with heads distal from one another. Both bodies are in one straight line, as in a (mirrored) supine tadasana. With socks off and some maneuvering, gently press your feet into the other student’s feet. You might giggle, but the only talking necessary is done by the feet. Let go of expectations, listen, and explore. Notice the effects when there is minimal pressure between the feet and when the pressure is firmer. To your ability, broaden the feet and lengthen the toes. Notice any changes spontaneously occurring in the fingers. Point and flex the feet in a rhythm with one another. Have one person lead, guiding the other’s feet to slightly internally rotate the femurs, then switch.
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Benefits:
- Draws one out of the head and into the body
- Reference reveals the quiet parts of the asana within the active parts of the asana
- Explores energy/sensations in the body while simultaneously interacting with another’s body
- Shifts the base and perspective
- Connection is cultivated
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Options:
- Practice the same sequence while seated/supported
- Notice if the feet are taking energetic or passive positions
- Play around with foot positioning, recognize the effects
- As is possible, first bring fingers together then apart and observe the sensations; bring toes together then apart and observe the sensations
- In lieu of feet to feet ~ press hands into partner’s feet, or connect feet into a wall or firm surface
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Mudra of the Month: Pushan Mudra - (Dedicated to the sun god, Pushan, also the god of nourishment)
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Pushan Mudra represents accepting and receiving with the gesture of one hand, while the other represents letting things flow, giving. This mudra works with the energy current responsible for absorbing and utilizing food, as well as helping with elimination. It works with intensifying breathing and therefore the absorption of oxygen and thus the release of carbon dioxide. It has a relaxing effect on the area of the solar plexus and regulates energies in the autonomic nervous system.
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Upcoming Offerings...
Workshops for people living with disability, caregivers, and yoga teachers
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Back by popular demand, we bring you another year of Yoga, Disability, and Transformation workshops! These experiential sessions are designed specifically for people living with trauma, loss, and disability - and their caregivers. Join us Feb 1, May 10, Sept 6, and Nov 29 (2 PM CT) as we dive into topics of Disability, Sexuality, Sexuality, & Touch / Disability & Time / Finding the Midline / and Stories for a Better Life. Participants will be guided by MBS Founder Matthew Sanford in conversation, story, and naturally, a yoga practice. Check it all out on our website and please share with anyone you think might be interested. We'd love to welcome them into the fold. All sessions are free and will be recorded and available to view on our YouTube Channel.
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We're getting ready to welcome a fantastic group of seekers to our upcoming Intro to Adaptive Yoga I session on January 25-27th. Join this cohort of yoga teachers, caregivers, and practitioners who are seeking a new way to practice and teach yoga. We'll share MBS insights on how the principles of yoga are shared with everyBODY, regardless of mobility or experience level.
There's still room to join us Jan 25-27, 9am - 3pm Central Time. All sessions are recorded, so if you can't make it the whole time, you'll still have access to learn, watch, practice, and feel.
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