Transform Unhealthy Desires

Yoga Journal, August, 2015

Every once in a while we all are faced with nagging temptations that take over our thoughts and plague us with an uncontrollable urge to do something we know isn’t healthy for us. When those times come—whether it’s an impulse to eat an entire bag of potato chips or a desire to say something nasty to a coworker—yogic philosophy tells us to acknowledge our desires, focusing on the emotions that fuel them.

Once you’ve identified your emotions and how they make you feel, ask yourself what it means in the context of your life. Examine how following the desire will affect you and those around you. Ask yourself: Is the desire beneficial to other people as well as to myself? Could it be hurtful? What will I have to give up to follow this desire? Does it take me closer to my higher Self, or will it create more barriers between my soul and myself? What will I have to give up if I don’t follow it? What do I really want by getting what I want? When you’ve discovered what you really want, voice it, make it an intention, and strive for it in your everyday.

The Importance of Feeling Sad

by Colleen Saidman Yee

Roshi Joan Halifax, who has spent the last 45 years working with death and dying, says one of the biggest problems in our society today is unexpressed grief. We are so afraid to feel sad that we cover it up. Soon, we start to believe the masks that we put on, and who we really are gets buried deeper and deeper. The body knows what’s real and what isn’t. If we continue to live this façade, human-to-human connection gets confusing, and we end up feeling isolated and misunderstood, rather than content and peaceful.

Mr. Iyengar said that if you don’t want your world to change, don’t step on your mat. It becomes so much more difficult to BS yourself and others once the practice is in your bones. You know when you’re lying, and it feels horrible. Again, the body knows more than the brain, and a yoga practice fosters that intimacy and ability to listen to the body. It becomes more and more difficult to ignore or cover up emotions. How many times have you rested in Savasana and cried for seemingly no reason? Maybe it’s relief from a lifetime of feeling the need to shut down.

Ramanand Patel (my husband, Rodney Yee’s teacher), talked about the importance of release, and said that the two main ways to let out festering emotions are laughing and crying. When we conceal our emotions, we get stuck in protection mode.

12 Poses to Release Sadness

by Colleen Saidman Yee

The following sequence begins with Sun Salutations to shake up the body in all directions, in order to clear out the hardness. I recommend doing these postures without being rigid, even if that means not going all the way into each pose. Match your breath to the movements.

 

 

Control Freak or In Control?

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we all are engaged in a dance between our desire to keep things under control and our longing to ride with the unpredictable. On one hand, control is essential. Without it, we would never mature, never accomplish our goals, and never transform bad habits. Our safety and productivity—indeed, the social contract itself—depends on our collective ability to control our impulses, check our tempers, make plans, and keep our commitments. When we say that someone is out of control, we usually mean that the person is dangerous to herself and others.

At the heart of any control issue is the desire for personal power. Essentially, we measure our empowerment by how well we control our inner and outer environment. Externally, we express our power by how well we’re able to control and manage our time, work, reputation, finances, and—admit it!—the other people in our lives. Internally, we take power by controlling our bodies—think of how good it feels when you hold a Headstand a minute longer than usual or resist eating the extra cookie—as well as our thoughts and emotions. We try to think positively or take deep breaths, instead of lashing out at a family member. We get down to work when we secretly feel like watching a movie. In so many ways, control is good, necessary, and admirable.

Leafy Vegetables Help Make your Brain Younger

Research published recently uncovered that older people who ate at least one serving of leafy greens a day, had a slower rate of decline on tests of memory and thinking skills then did people who rarely or never ate these vegetables. The study was published in the journal Neurology.

After almost five years, those who consumed things like kale, spinach, collard greens and lettuce enjoyed a metal edge that was the equivalent of 11 years in age. The results showed immediate benefits that are long term. That tells you this single food group has so many nutrients it could be brain protective. This study shows that diet matters. The following nutrients  appear to offer anti-aging benefits. The greens that are generally rich in vitamin, folic acid, vitamin K1, lutein and beta-carotene. This is considered part of a Mediterranean diet that supports health in aging.

This newsletter is dedicated to my ex-husband, Steve Coleman who told me to get a hobby and helped me find my calling in Yoga. You were loved more than you would believe. There is now a hole in may hearts. Rest in peace.

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.

Mark Twain