|
The Inner Voice
A weekly newsletter from Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RYT500
January 21, 2013 - Issue 21
|
|
|
New Item! Free!!
The Daily Yoga Poses Poster |  FREE!!! For all who receive this newsletter my first ever poster to download and print out! Thank you for joining The Inner Voice newsletter! (You need to open it in another window and print it from there.) |
|
Quick Links
| |
This weeks reading can be seen here at The Daily OM:
********************************************** To access past issues click here: **********************************************
*********************************************** 
|
|
|
| Greetings! | 
What does being courageous mean to you? If you understand that courage is essentially acting even in the face of fear then it makes sense that it's more than just acting like a super hero. It's about showing up for life, making the hard decisions, and taking risks. It's the everyday challenges that can require as much bravery as any heroic deed. We are all courageous heros in life by just living. Everyone one of us has faced obstacles that have dared us. It is in not allowing those obstacles or fears to shape us or defeat us, but instead to move through them and learn and grow, becoming the best that we can be and doing the best that we can. To me that is being courageous.
|
|
Using Our Heads in Backbends
|  When you think of backbends you might think of these large arcing poses with the spine in a beautiful bridge shape and muse "I could never do something like that". Think differently.
Now that you have practiced a bit this week on lifting the spine from the back of the throat let's refine this awareness for backbends. Become aware of the back-of-the-roof-of-the-mouth (botrotm) and lift up from that throat area letting the spine dangle down as you drop the sitz bones onto your chair sitting on them evenly.
Feeling the botrotm, shift your awareness forward about 1/8 of an inch as you lift your chin slightly upwards. Go back to the original spot, bringing the chin down. Nodding your head almost infinitesimally, moving the awareness forward and back from botrotm to slightly forward of that point, you may feel a 'stuckness' at the base of the skull and a pulling on the neck. Also can you feel, as you lift your chin, your low back (the lumbar spine) also lift as though preparing for a backbend? And as the chin lowers your upper back falls back and widens? See if you can find this action.
Now think of the back of the skull (the occipital), let it be heavy and falling backwards as you keep your chin level. You'll feel a pull in your upper back as your body tries to straighten upward and into a backbend. You'll feel the stuck-ness through the thoracic spine from all the rounding of the shoulders that we do each day.
You have just done a backbend, or the beginning of one. You might notice misalignment in the spine but as you continue this gentle nodding you can begin to strengthen the muscles on either side of it and start the action of bringing it back into alignment.
Backbends take courage, but with this small movement - awareness you can begin to make changes in the spine that will allow you to move towards better posture, stronger core, and one day doing a beautiful arcing backbend with ease.
|
|
|
|
| Rib-Tickler of the Week - hee hee | |
Why is 'abbreviation' such a long word?
|
| Mantra | |
A mantra is a sound or phrase that aids in the concentration of meditation. It is a Sanskrit term and literally means 'instrument of thought'. Here you will find a suggested mantra to use during the week (from Louise Hay's 'Heal Your Body'). Just repeat it whenever you need a lift.
I reach out safely.
|
Nutrition Prescription - Blackstrap Molasses
|
 When sugarcane is processed two products are the result. One is refined sugar, the other is molasses. In the time of early colonists blackstrap molasses was imported from the Caribbean and was the sugar of choice because it was inexpensive. Now-a-days refined sugar, which has no nutritional value, is sent to our market shelves while blackstrap molasses, which is the result of the third boiling of the sugar and considered a 'waste product', is given to farm animals. What irony since sugar is toxic and the cause of so many diseases and the molasses is chock full of the many minerals that are healthy for us. Most of us know blackstrap molasses as the sweetener that gives baked beans and gingerbread their unique bittersweet taste. What many don't realize is how nutritious and low in calories it is. It's real health potential is in the amount of minerals it provides our bodies. It is an excellent source for manganese and copper. It is a very good source for magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron. It also is a good source for B6 and selenium. Read here for all of the blessings these minerals bring. I was amazed at what these minerals can do for the heart, muscles, and nervous system, and how it helps the body defend cancer, arthritis, arrhythmias, constipation, fatigue, etc. To reap all of these benefits you only need 2 teaspoons of this delicious, thick syrupy sweetener. I use it in my coffee and have found that my nails are getting stronger, I have more energy, and I feel calmer throughout the day. They even say that it might bring your hair color back due to the copper's aid in the production of melanin for skin and hair pigmentation. I'm waiting for that to happen. ;-) I read that it is best to use blackstrap first thing in the morning to harvest it's best potential. Add it to your morning coffee, smoothie or even your oatmeal. You can also baste your chicken, roast, or salmon with it. Add a little to stews, soups, or bean dishes. Try these recipes or all of these, that even include one for your dog's biscuits! That's an idea! Why not add it to your pet's food to help keep them healthy too? Begin to incorporate this healthful sweetener into your daily life. Switching from toxic ones such as white sugar or corn syrup, or potentially harmful ones like saccharin or aspartame, to blackstrap is one simple way that eating healthy can sweeten your life. |
|
|
Ponderings - What is Courage?
|
The stories of past courage...can offer hope, they can provide inspiration.
But they cannot provide courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul. -John F. Kennedy
What is courage? There are just as many forms of courage as there are people. It is a personal journey that cannot always be seen by others. The physical courage required for fire fighters, police officers, and soldiers everyday are obvious even to small children, at times it is asked of regular people. When a student stands up to a bully, when a man stands between a gang and their bloodied victim, or when a plane full of passengers stand up to the terrorists on board. Moral courage is often shown by those who show bravery in standing for what they believe to be right in the face of social disapproval or financial consequences. When an employee refuses to do his manager's unethically instructions, a person standing up to their peer group over a racist joke, or just picking up litter. A psychological courage is when the central fear that is stood up to is within our own psyche. To overcome our irrational fears and anxieties (such as habits, phobias, compulsions, and being in psychological servitude with intimate others) is the goal. This is where we stand up for ourselves to our internal fears to become a mature and stable self so that we can share our gifts with the world and enjoy a life well lived. Here our own fears are the 'outsider' that we must face down and trick to think that we aren't afraid. This type of courage is truly an inside job! Spiritual courage comes from listening to the quiet voice that comes from the heart. It is the type of courage that you draw upon when you are given a dream, a goal, or vision to follow despite your fears. It is when we ask ourselves "Why am I here?" or "What is my purpose? This can be particularly frightening for many times the answer is not one that we wish to hear; the mind may have a different vision for our lives than our hearts. Wishing to be wealthy, when a life of financial struggle may be our journey; wishing to be in a relationship, when being single is our destiny, or wishing to be popular when solitariness is our situation. In spiritual courage there is acceptance in every circumstance; not the same thing as resignation but the ability to accept things in your life as they are at the moment. Staying present and connected to that voice from within, listening to yourself, doing what is right for you, and following your own path is all part of spiritual courage. In all types of courage living courageously is not so much what you are doing as who you are being.Do you take your fears head on or do you stay stuck in your fears? The only thing we should really fear is not moving through them. We all have them. It's a miserable place to be when we are stuck in our fears. So be courageous! Remember when you were courageous in the past? Remember how good you felt? How victorious? When you were facing your fears your heart may have been pounding, your hands clammy, your body sweating, your breathing erratic, but when you conquered that fear you felt great! So focus on that. Focus on how you felt when you came through triumphantly, a champion. Fear can be overcome when it is not the focus anymore, instead focus on the outcome of your courage. There is never an end to facing our fears. It's a part of life. Though each time we face them we become stronger, more confident, more self-respecting, and joyful. So when you look around you at the people that share this planet with know that they too are facing fears and begin to see everyone as the courageous souls that they are. Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".
|
 |
|
A full, enjoyable, positive life is one where you push the limits of your personal, physical, and inner potential. You gain strength, courage, and confidence whenever you stop to look fear in the face. This will always include opportunities for risks that ask you to be courageous and true to yourself. Follow your heart. Do what you instinctively know is right and congratulate yourself each time you succeed! You will never regret it.
Namaste,
|
|
|
The next TWO workshops are:
Healthy Joints Workshop: KNEES
Saturday, February 9th
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
~~~
Yoga Nidra
Sunday, February 3rd
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
You can register at 410-720-4340 or online at www.columbiayoga.com
|
|
|
|
