Smile, It's Contagious

{Via}

It really is, though. 

Every now and then I find myself caught up in the emotional side of things I don't normally care about when I'm with a certain group of people. Case in point- Superbowl Sunday. I don't understand football and I never watch or follow any teams. Regardless, nearly every Superbowl Sunday, I will inevitably wind up watching it with friends, and catch their excitement. I'll even find myself feelind disappointed if "my" team (the team the others I'm with care about) doesn't win. Isn't that weird?! 

Apparently, it isn't all that weird. It's emotional contagion- the tendency to catch feelings or emotions that are similar to the feelings or emotions of others close to you. 

We even have certain phrases in our language that indicate we recognize emotional contagion and the fact that we can be influenced by how others feel: "toxic people", "class clown", and "debbie downer" to name a few off the top of my head (click here to watch the hilarious SNL Debbie Downer skit.)

With emotional contagion we adopt emotions from other people. To take it a step further, it appears we can "catch" emotions from ourselves. Take smiling for example. When you're in a bad mood, simply smiling an inauthentic smile can help to turn your mood around. Essentially, you can "catch" a good mood from yourself if you display the physical signs of being happy- smiling, laughter, etc. Incidentally, that's why laughter yoga has become so popular- the health benefits of laughing (and smiling) are huge and your body can't tell the difference between a fake laugh or an authentic laugh. (And eventually, in a laughter yoga class, the hilarity of fake laughter will induce authentic laughter.)

So, work on your health by simply smiling more and being around positive people. You'll reap the benefits and the people around you will "catch" your smile. And that's something worth spreading.

On Sleeping In

{Via}

In opening my yoga classes I usually talk about observing the body and acknowledging how it feels. Then I encourage my students to perhaps make an intention to honor how they feel. If they're feeling run down, maybe they don't push themselves too hard and just take it easy this class. If they have a ton of energy, maybe they push to their edge. 

Off the mat, I try to do the same. If I'm feeling a little restless, I'll go for a run, or do a thorough cleaning through the house. And if I'm exhausted, I'll sleep in.

Sleeping in is a weird thing. Some people gawk at the "wasted time" and "all you could accomplish in that time". Others find it essential on ocassion. In my opinion, there's no right or wrong way to do your mornings. Sometimes my alarm goes off at 6:20am and I'm psyched to get up and get down to the beach to start my morning practice as the sun rises. Those days are wonderful. 

And on other mornings, I'm filled with complete exhaustion when my alarm goes off. On those days, I sleep in. Those days are just as wonderful.

My point is to honor how you feel and be mindful about labeling. Maybe look at those extra hours of sleep as a time for your body to recouperate rather than a wasted morning. Always listen to your body and let it do what it needs to in order to feel its best both on and off the mat.

Those Annoying Stickers on Fruit

{Via}

Well here's something. You know those annoying stickers they put on fruit? Apparently they contain important info. If you care about where your fruit comes from- get a pen and paper.

If the code on the sticker...

has 4 numbers - it is a conventionally grown fruit (pesticides used)

has 5 numbers beginning with the number 8 - organic or not, it was genetically modified

has 5 numbers beginning with the number 9 - you've got yourself an organically grown fruit that was not genetically modified.  

Yoga Philosophy: Satya

There are two parts to yoga. One, the physical aspect that we all know consists of your practice on the mat. Second, and equally important, the practice of a yogic lifestyle off the mat as outlined  2500 years ago by Patanjali, the Godfather of yoga. Patanjali speaks of Satya, a moral attitude of truthfulness. 

With Satya in mind in the physical practice, we should strive to do what is available to us instead of holding onto predetermined expectations and lying to ourselves about what we can and cannot do. As we become more aligned in our truth on the mat, we naturally will become stronger, and develop a more authentic practice.

Off the mat, we can do the same. We can let go of the unknown, of jealousy, of fear. Through remaining honest our lives become richer. It is freeing to feel released from the stress of lying to ourselves and others. In the presence of Satya, stress can melt away from our relationships and situations.

An example: I went to a dinner last week at a friend's house. Her boyfriend, whom I've never met, is a chef and he made us the most fantastic gourmet meal I've honestly ever had. It was no big deal to him to whip up a side of beets and quail eggs (I wouldn't know what to do with a quail egg if you gave one to me!) and it could have been really easy to bottle up and pretend I had a clue about what he was serving, his cooking techniques, etc. Instead, I practiced Satya, remained honest with myself and my friend's boyfriend, and ended up picking his brain and learning a lot from him. It was freeing and much easier than giving into feeling insecure about my own shortcomings in the kitchen.

One of the things we were taught was to use fresh herbs, so we got home, picked up some seeds, pots and dirt, and hopefully we'll have some fresh herbs sprouting up soon! 

So tell me, where might you make a change in your life to be a little more honest with yourself?

The Release: Feeling Ill After Yoga

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Have you ever experienced a headache or a sense of drowsiness after a particularly emotionally/physically intense yoga class? You may have attributed your sensations to the result of a tiring day, or dehydration, but there may be something more going on. 

Yoga is a theraputic experience. When practiced mindfully, your whole body will experience increased circulation and internal massage. This leads to a clean out of toxins in the body. The toxins will be released into the blood stream and may cause headaches, drowsiness and fatigue. No need to worry- this is generally temporary and the sensations will subside soon. 

On a psychological level, you can also experience releases through yoga. You may find yourself laughing or crying for no apparent reason during or after an emotionally/physically intense yoga class. You may find yourself getting agitated, anxious, sad or angry during class. These feelings could be a result of a psychological block being released. Or, sometimes melancholoy, anxiety and resentment result from a half-hearted practice. Anger, frustration and impatience can result from an aggressive approach to practice. Be mindful of where you are emotionally and make a conscious effort to change your approach to the practice if you find that you're not staying true and authentic to yourself. If you are approaching your practice with integrity and the emotions are still coming, don't judge yourself. Let emotions come freely, and let the release happen.

Finding Your Edge

In yoga, we talk about 'the edge' a lot. But what exactly is this edge we speak of? The edge, at least to me, is that sweet spot just before pain and just after your pose really starts to make you work. Going inward is a huge part of yoga, and one of the benefits of turning inward is to be able to identify your own personal edge in your practice. The edge has a very definite feeling to it. It's that line right between the known and the unknown. 

When you reach that point, it's best to stay right there until it is no longer your edge and you can go further to find your new edge. So, say you're in downward dog and your hamstrings are really tight. Maybe you bend your knees slightly for the duration of your downward dog because that is your edge. Stay there, and work with it. Breathe into it. Explore that edge. Then, perhaps a week later with regular practice you start to notice that the slight bend in the knees is no longer where you feel your edge. Maybe you take it further. 

The goal is to just settle into your edge, wherever that may be, for the time being. Be mindful not to push yourself too far- that's a recipe for pain and injury. But finding that edge, working with it, and moving past it when you're ready is the key to growth.