Meditating from your Core October 26, 2011

In this post I will attempt to link the themes of my two classes I teach this week.  I love when I naturally wake up early in the morning, what I consider a divine intervention because I am the worst morning person ever!  It is said that these early waking hours are the best times for meditation so I take to my big red couch and settle in for a nice session.  It is on these days that I especially find my energy throughout the day consistent and my mind more focused.  Tonight we will practice meditating for 15 minutes which is the time I shoot for during my daily practice.  I remember when I started to meditate and it really did take myself “getting through” a meditation class with Marci Tousey at YogaLoft a few years ago (thank you Marci, still indebted to you for my meditation practice which has been a lifesaver) because I had always been an overactive type of person and often the thing you need the most is the thing you resist the most.  I think the class was an hour or 2 and we sat for 30 minute increments.  I remember it being extremely challenging as I had not trained my brainwaves to be able to relax yet.  But I just kept on.  Just kept coming back to my breath or my mantra.  No matter how many times my mind strayed.  I just kept returning.  And eventually it took.  Now I have no problem meditating and almost enjoy it now more than my asana practice.  I definitely notice a difference in my body as well for my hips are more open which makes it much easier to sit and my back is strong and in a supportive alignment that makes sitting for lengths of time effortless.  Sometimes, if I am in really good alignment, I even feel a strange yet comforting feeling of being held up by something other than myself in my posture, totally supported.  It feels amazing!  Those are the best days.

Saturday at the YogaLoft in Sheboygan, we’ll practice a strong core class where we extend the limbs outward in all directions practicing muscular and organic energy – drawing energy in and extending back out.  A strong core as we know is so great for so many things.  Keeps back pain and stress at bay, makes you feel more balanced and confident in your daily activities, and protects your spine and it’s very precious cargo – your nervous system that connects your brain to your limbs and organs that run and maintain your body.  In meditation, a strong core allows you to relax as your posture is held with more ease making it easier to focus and get the true deep benefits of a meditation practice.  Being able to relax, focus and settle into the moment is truly a gateway into greater productivity in your work often leading to greater financial gain, improved relationships with loved ones as you become truly there for someone and really get to them beyond your ego’s version of them, as well as improved athletic performance or any other type of activity performance not only from a physical standpoint but from a mental standpoint as well.

Building core strength gives you more energy and strength in your athletic performance.  Take volleyball and let’s relate it to other sports where you are throwing, kicking or using one side of your body.  If the hit or spike comes first from your midsection through your arm into your hand or wrist, you have just given yourself a huge boost in strength as opposed to just moving or hitting from your shoulder/arm/wrist.  You will also save on wear and tear on your shoulder joints down the line so you can play for longer without significant injury.  You can relate that into kicking a soccer ball or throwing a baseball.  I do believe it does take training both physically and mentally however to learn how to make these actions begin from your core because of the short time period you have to think and act with precision in these actions during a game which is where yoga with it’s precise focus on core to periphery movements and mental strategy comes in to play.

I will end with explaining what I mean with the title of the blog: meditating from your core.  In our 8 week session we have explored the 8 limbs of classical yoga.  I believe the first few limbs build our core in many ways and not just our physical core.  We spend some time focusing and establishing ethics and heart qualities with the first two limbs which help us to know who we are as a loving, contributing and deeply spiritually connected people.  A balanced asana practice creates a body that is strong, flexible and more efficient leading to greater immunity more able to ward off sickness and disease.  The practice of breath work gives us a simple tool to increase our energy and relax the body and mind.  Withdrawal of the senses gives us an opportunity to dive deeper into our consciousness and rest from the constant barrage of external stimuli scattering our energy in inefficient ways.  Dharana invites us to focus on what’s important and prepares our mind and body for a deeper experience in meditation.  Meditating from your core means you have done the work to find what’s really important and uncover the deeper questions in your life.  Meditating on them reveals answers that you potentially wouldn’t have uncovered without connecting to the source and slowing down and quieting enough to really listen.  Lastly, why is this really that important?  Because it leads to greater satisfaction, understanding and experience of your life.  You’re less likely to waste your time and energy on things, thoughts and people that don’t serve your health or that stress you out.  And that’s empowerment, that’s enlightenment I think.  The last limb arrives:  peace and bliss.

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