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The Inner Voice
A weekly newsletter from Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RYT500
September 16, 2013 - Issue 49
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Quick Links
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This weeks reading can be seen here at The Daily OM
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To access past issues click here:
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As you probably noticed I have been redecorating my online presence and choosing a new logo to go along with my new business name and website (click on the spiral next to The Yoga Teacher above the picture to go to my website). I chose the spiral because I felt so connected with it. For me it is the never-ending circle that represents life.
There is no beginning to it and no end, just as in our existence; we come from our ancestors and our descendants will carry a part of us into the future. It resides within us in the smallest of our DNA, and can be as large as the massive Milky Way.
It's matrix swirls and twirls around just as we do. Life never goes in a straight line, yet somehow we end up just where we are meant to be.
In the body there are many spirals that bring us all to center. If we allow ourselves to release into the fluidity of the body we can feel the spirals of the arms, legs, and spine move and flow with the graceful circular motion of the breath. All we need to do is relax into it.
It can always be found, those spirals, everywhere we look. In the cycles of time, of nature, of consciousness, and of the cosmic force our planet Earth dances in, it is even in our yoga. It is an integral part of our life, just as I hope that yoga is a fundamental part of your life too.
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| 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 am part of the Universal design. I am important and I am loved by Life itself! |
| Joke of the Week - hee hee | |
Not a funny this week but, oh, what a fun idea!
Did it make you smile? Then it worked!
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Yoga Twists
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 Twists are one of the primary poses in yoga because they have so many benefits to them. They work with the Spiral Line of the body (see below in Ponderings to learn more about this) to bring it back into balance.
Twists open the body by creating more space through the spine, rejuvenating and improving the range of motion. They nourish the internal organs by squeezing them gently to get all of the toxins out and, when you untwist, all of the vital fluids rush in to give them a healthful boost.
They create waste by stimulating the digestive and intestinal systems (and you know that when the gut is healthy so is the whole body!). They create waist by stretching the obliques and other core abdominal muscles which give support to the spine and internal organs.
Twists are very calming and so are good to do near the end of your yoga practice, in fact, it is also good to do twists at the end of your day too to help with sleeping. Since the spine houses our central nervous system, when you are doing twists you bring soothing calmness to your whole body by stretching the muscles on either side of the spine. You are also plumping up the discs between the vertebrae and elongating the spine and that releases the tension in the nervous system and the stress we hold there.
You always want to move in (and out) of twists mindfully. The twisting action actually starts at the waist, so you want to think more of turning the ribcage than turning the pelvis. The pelvis is meant to be stationary and level to protect the SI Joint. If you over exert, or try to go further into the twist than your body is really ready for, you risk injuring this low back area and making it unstable. Less really is more in twists.
The breath is an important part of the twists as well. When you inhale you lengthen and extend the spine, and when you exhale you relax a little further into the twist. So it is not with the force of the arms pulling, but the simplicity of the exhale that we gain the advantage of deeper twists.
Since twists work the spine, stretch the abdominals, and primarily manipulate the body from neck to hips, they can quite often help us to release emotional issues too. Whenever you are working the physical body you are also working the energy body and this can sometimes lead us to accessing feelings that have been kept stuffed down for some time. It is then that we can turn within, allow ourselves to perceive what we are experiencing, and release that which is no longer serving us with a gentle exhale.
Twists serve us well when taken slowly and heedfully. They can be enlightening by revealing where we hold tension in our bodies, mind, and Spirits. By doing a twist every day, even when just sitting in a chair, you just may begin to bring a freedom, lightness, and expansiveness to all areas of your life.
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Nutrition Prescription - Rose
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 Even though spirals can be found throughout nature, I chose to focus on the rose today because (as you can see in the picture to the left) it displays it so beautifully and has so many health benefits to boot.
In the 10th century of Persia, it is believed that the rose was the very first flower to have been distilled to make an oil from it, and it is where most of the rose oils are still produced today. Three varieties are used commercially to make rose oil: Rosa Centifolia, Rosa Damascena and Rosa Gallica. It takes about 60,000 roses (180 lbs) to make one ounce of rose oil! Good quality, pure rose oil can be pricey (now you know why) but carries many therapeutic benefits with it, and a little goes a long way. Do be wary of synthetic oil that has no benefit what so ever.
I thought it was interesting that the roses have to be picked before 8 a.m. in the morning to ensure that they are fresh and not dried out from the heat of the day. They are then steam distilled in a carefully monitored way because if the heat is too intense it will break down the oil and there is no aroma left. 
Rose oil and rose water are good for the skin, especially dry, sensitive, or aging skin. It seems to stimulate and soothe skin at the same time. It has a tonic effect on the capillaries just below the skin surface, reducing redness, as well as having an antiseptic action. It is also beneficial to use on eczema or herpes for relief of pain and inflammation and to moisturize and hydrate skin. (Never put an essential oil itself on your skin, always mix it with a carrier oil such as: almond, jojoba, or grapeseed oil for example.) Rosewater can be used with abandon and can be put in the eye to relieve conjunctivitis.
Rose oil smells wonderful(!) and due to its uplifting aroma it is a benefice to alleviate depression, anger, or grief. If you are feeling glum drop some rose oil in some boiling water, a vaporizer, or rub some under your nose, you will feel better almost instantly!
It can even be made into a tea from the rose hips, which are full of Vitamin C to help with colds and flu and is useful for soothing infections, especially bladder infections. It can be good for treating rheumatoid arthritis too due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects.
The Rose not only brings us serenity when we look at it, it is also so calming in it's true essence, giving a sense of well-being, the Rose truly is balm for any symptom that is stressing out the body or mind.
It effectively helps us from spiraling out of control in this demanding world in which we all share. If you look closely into a rose you will see the beautiful spiral that the petals make as they unfold, drawing us in so that we can get close and receive the intoxicating scent they release as a gift to ease the cares of all the world.
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Ponderings - Spirals
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It is curious that all of the ancient societies gave a positive connotation to the spiral. You can find the spiral symbol carved into hieroglyphics of old caves all over the world, with various meanings attributed to it:
- that it represents the cosmic force
- it's associated with the feminine as the doorway to life
- the cycles of life, nature, time, seasons
- the spiritual journey of coming into being
- progressive development along the journey of life
- symbol of the universe and our place within it
You can find the spiral throughout nature, which is given to the more natural circular shape rather than the hard angles of the square or triangle. Nature, like life, is fluid, ever-changing, evolutionary; the old dies away so that the new can come forth. Water is often associated with the spiral, but it can also be found when looking at plants, animals, shells, clouds, tornados or hurricanes, and throughout our world...you just have to look and you will find it right in front of your eyes, in fact if you look closely into someone's eyes you will see spirals.
 Two significant sacred geometry designs, the Fibonacci spiral and the golden mean (phi) are combined to create the Golden Spiral pattern. There is a whole mathematical world (of which I have no understanding) that studies the relation of the infinite number of phi to the spiral. Phi is considered the blueprint of life; the Fibonacci series of numbers is found throughout nature as proportions of growth.
The ancient yogis also used the Golden Spiral mathematics in their philosophies. You can find an interesting explanation of the hindu vedas and how they used this math to instigate the building of the pyramids throughout the world in this article titled:
Evidence of Vedic Cosmology and Harmonic Science in the pyramid of Civilization of Ancient Bosnia.
Even the human body contains within it the spirals we see throughout nature as explained on this website, The Human Body and Phi. Tom Myers author of the book,
 Anatomy Trains, explains very well the Spiral Line of the body as seen in the image to the right. When one part of the spiral is pulled out of place you can see how it would pull corresponding areas out of place to compensate. Can you imagine what surgery, injury, or habitual bad habits can do to our bodies to create misalignment and, therefore, pain. This is where yoga can help and why alignment is so important in yoga when stretching muscles to bring our bodies back into balance. It is also why it is not so much about the poses as how do we get to where can have all of the muscles moving together gracefully once again. The components needed are time, patience, mindful movements, working with good alignment, and the breath. It takes loving our bodies back into health. When we put all of these together we can then begin to move into the direction to be comfortable in our bodies again.
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You can see why I chose the spiral as my emblem to represent my business. I hope I have conveyed even just a little of how essential the spiral is to our world, its magnificence, and its depth. It is in everything. It brings balance, order, alignment, and creates the design of life. It truly holds an infinite meaning that all the Universe can apply and follow into balance. Nature all ready does that, now we humans must learn from its majesty.
Thank you!
Hugs and Namaste,
Debbie
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Please join me in my next TWO workshops...
 Yoga Nidra
October 6, 2013
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. |
Yoga for the Upper Torso
 October 26, 2013 |
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