tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33525576843853811492024-03-06T01:48:52.577-07:00Is Yoga Legal?Where two worlds collide, one lawyer-yogi considers whether those worlds can coexist.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-36133284169099829742014-10-24T06:54:00.000-07:002014-10-24T06:54:54.108-07:00Five Years . . . Where Has the Time Gone?<div class="MsoNormal">
I started writing this blog <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-beginning.html" target="_blank">five years ago</a>. It has been an
incredible journey. I started writing it while working as a law clerk at the
Arizona Court of Appeals and during my Yoga Teacher Training. I wanted this blog
to be a place to bridge the chasm between law and yoga. And what a roller
coaster we have had.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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First – why write a blog at all? I mean, why share our lives
with one another? Why put it all out there on the interwebs, potentially
forever, for the world to see? There is no question nearly everyone shares too
much in the digital age. But we hear so much about the downsides to that, what
are the upsides? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Writing this blog has introduced me to other lawyers doing
mindfulness work and yoga. As a result of this blog, I attended the Mindful
Lawyers Conference. It gave me hope about the legal profession at a time when I
was unsure what my future would be like. It has connected me to friends here in
Tucson and around the world. Sometimes, I learn a lot myself from writing.
Sometimes, I write for my own inspiration. And sometimes, I write because it
makes me feel good to share some information with the world, even if only one
other person sees it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The blog has had many themes. I have talked about <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Yamas" target="_blank">yoga philosophy</a> and <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Anatomy" target="_blank">anatomy</a>. I have written about <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Christchurch" target="_blank">earthquakes</a> and <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search?q=fight+or+flight+done+right" target="_blank">lessons from traveling</a>. I have gone from a relatively outside role in the legal world as a
law clerk and an LLM student to a practicing litigator in a juvenile court
representing abused and neglected children. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In other words – life has changed. In fact, the only
constant in my life these past five years has been this blog. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I started writing this blog I thought yoga could cure
any ill. I believed we could always find the breath no matter how far gone our
lives seemed to be. I saw the <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Community" target="_blank">community</a> building aspects of yoga that helped
take me out of my shell and probably made me a better lawyer. I thought
bringing yoga to the legal profession would change it. I believed that so much
I used to teach Stress Management workshops for lawyers and other
professionals. I remember those days and think how wonderful it would be to
continue to do that along with my work. It all comes back to being that bridge.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today I am in a very different place than I was back when
this blog began. My work life has taken over my yoga life. It used to be the other
way around. People have asked me how I studied for two bar exams, and my
response has always been, “I did a lot of yoga.” But today, that is not where I
am. I have drifted, and sometimes I feel like a fraud writing on this blog
because things have changed so much, and I wonder whether stopping writing is
the answer. But then I remember, this writing has been my constant. Even when I
am not sure what direction to go, I can turn back here and write. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Back when I started writing I thought these lessons were
easy. I know now they are far from easy. Simple? Maybe, but only maybe. But
definitely not easy. The world makes these lessons difficult to practice, and
there is far more suffering in the world than I could potentially fathom back
then. But my yoga background, and writing this blog, has brought me back time
and time again to the knowledge that healing on all levels is possible. The
universe wants healthy beings within it, and when we tune in to what our hearts
are telling us is right, the answers come for our healing. Stopping and
listening is the hardest part, but it is possible. And people need to hear that
message. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Writing has been my way of sharing that message. As I have
said many times before, the idea came to me during savasana (corpse pose)
during one of my teacher training classes. “Lawyers need this. I’m going to
write a blog and share it.” And writing is a form of yoga, of spirit, of
connection. Even when depleted by modern life, the yoga bucket is never
completely empty. It is like the little candle in the corner of a dark room
that eventually lights the entire room. Darkness is not actually real. It is
just an absence of light, so even the smallest amount of light makes for
brightness in the darkness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And perhaps that is the lesson of these past five years.
Deep down I know that my mission on this Earth is to continue to be the bridge
between the worlds represented by yoga and the law. That can mean “regular”
society and a more spiritual realm, or that can mean western forms of healing
and more holistic forms of healing, or that can literally mean bringing yoga to
lawyers and other professionals as I continue to do every year at my favorite
conference of the year – the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
conference. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There is one more piece to this puzzle. I represent
children. What I hoped to bring to my practice was not only an ability to give
legal advice and advocate for my clients in court, but also an ability to
really be with my clients, understand them, and help them better navigate the
difficult process of the legal world. At one level, I certainly do that – just
about any lawyer does that. But I wanted my yoga background to be a part of my
lawyer practice. Most days, this is what I feel is missing. I do not think a
week goes by where I do not have a child crying in front of me or asking me
when he or she is going to go home to parents I know the child will never live
with again. There is no easy way to answer those questions. But there is
presence. And yoga has taught me that. Some days I can do it. Some days less
so. It is not a legal skill. It is a human skill. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And that is my intention going into this next year. If this
blog has taught me (and hopefully the readers) anything, it is that even when
we are completely spent and it feels as though nothing is left, we always have
our breath and we always have that little light inside us to guide us to the
next day. We always have the ability to be present with those around us . . .
including ourselves. I have no idea where these next five years will take me,
but I do know that this blog, and what I have learned writing it and sharing
through it, will be my guide. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I vow to bring my breath into my legal practice more and my
heart to my clients more. I vow to take some of my own advice and actually take
a moment to really relax, not just pretend to relax while checking Facebook.
And I vow to always remember that the truth I hold inside is Truth – the body
and soul can truly heal from anything with the right tools and the right
support. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So thank you to everyone who reads this, whether this is the
only post, or you have read every single one. Thank you for the support and the
caring. This has been my path to sharing this information with the world, and I
hope to continue on this path going forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-years-where-has-time-gone.html" target="_blank">Five Years . . . Where Has the Time Gone?</a></i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-58223767730112251332014-10-21T19:00:00.001-07:002014-10-21T19:00:35.223-07:00Finding Nourishment<div class="MsoNormal">
There are certain words and ideas that show up in my life at
various times. Recently, the word has been nourishment. It is a word I had
barely heard prior to my yoga days. Of course, I knew certain things could be
nourishing, but I did not really understand what that meant. Sometimes, I am
still not sure I do. But I certainly have a better idea than I used to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nourishment is the deepest way of caring for ourselves. It
is how we refill our <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Yoga%20Bucket">yoga bucket</a>.
Nourishment is not about the craving of the day; instead it is about loving
ourselves and others in a way that supports healing and growth. It is the
feeling of comfort food that does not just fill our stomachs but also warms and
fills our souls. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The desert, in all its beauty, can be very depleting. It is
dry all the time, even when the monsoons come, there is a sense that the water
is wasted because it cannot be absorbed as it needs to be. With record rain recently,
Tucson and Phoenix simply flooded. Summer in the desert is very harsh. It is a
time when we need to nourish ourselves more. But even in the winter, when we
feel so good because it is cooler, the desert is still the desert, and the air
and land can be very depleting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On top of the Earth being depleting, our modern culture can
be very depleting. One of the most common ways we nourish ourselves is with
food, but we live in a world where food has lost its nourishing qualities.
Instead of sitting down to eat and savor what is in front of us, we stare at
screens, eat in our cars or desks, or eat food that would not be recognizable
as food to our ancestors. When was the last time you sat and savored what you
were eating?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This world in which we live calls us to find new ways to
nourish ourselves. It calls us to slow down enough to understand what we need
to find nourishment and how we can go about getting it. Discovering this takes
stillness. It means being quiet long enough to listen. Imagine a newborn baby
who is crying. We first try holding him, then rocking him, then feeding him,
then changing him until something eventually works to calm him down. But we all
know that if we get overwhelmed and nervous before the baby calms, then we halt
the chances the baby will stop crying. While we are looking for the answer, we
have to remain calm and collected. That is not easy when a baby is screaming,
you want to stop it, and you have no idea what to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At our most basic level, we are still those newborn babies.
We have to give ourselves the same calm and collected attention. We have to
genuinely want to help nourish ourselves in order to find exactly what will be
most nourishing. Interestingly, I first started writing this post a month ago,
but I could not find the words to finish it. My life has not been very full of
nourishing qualities recently. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last post on this blog was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-ahimsa-challenge.html">The
Ahimsa Challenge</a></i> in which I challenged myself and others to really look
at nonviolence in our lives and how to attain and obtain it. So, in this post,
I want to ask you what you do to nourish yourself. It is no secret that one of
my favorite forms of nourishment is hugging trees. But there are so many
others. More and more research is coming out about the importance of being with
friends and having loved ones in our lives. I have recently had a doctor twice
tell me that hug therapy would help my back pain. And we all can find a way to
eat food that fulfills our hunger needs more than our emotional needs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nourishment is about finding what it is we really need. It
requires listening and then doing what is not “normal” in societal terms.
Nourishment means listening to our bodies and our hearts in ways we did not
grow up learning was possible. Nourishment is really about finding safety. It
is when we feel the most nourished that we feel the most safe. We go back to
being that crying baby when we feel under nourished, but we become just like a
swaddled baby once we find our nourishment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What do you do for nourishment? What one item can you add to
your routine to help you feel more nourished?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/10/finding-nourishment.html" target="_blank">Finding Nourishment</a></i>, first appeared on <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is Yoga Legal</i>.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-19346781901929729152014-08-23T07:24:00.003-07:002014-08-23T07:32:04.952-07:00The Ahimsa Challenge<div class="MsoNormal">
Years ago on this blog, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/ladder-to-something-new.html">I
wrote</a> about the yamas and niyamas. They are the first and second limbs of
yoga, or the complete yoga path. <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/ahimsa.html">My first post on
ahimsa</a>, the yama of nonviolence, focused on how we can be nonviolent with
ourselves. <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2012/10/living-ahimsa-or-nonviolence-in.html">The
second post on ahimsa</a> focused on the overabundance of violence in our world
(and it has only gotten worse in the past two years). But I find myself coming back to this topic.
I find myself struggling with ahimsa on a daily basis, both internally and
externally.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Certainly, the legal profession does not put Ahimsa as its
pinnacle. Unlike doctors, whose oath states, “do no harm,” lawyers are asked to
litigate. Sometimes it feels as though the lawyer’s job is to make the other
party look bad. Certainly that is not the actual job, but unfortunately, some
lawyers take on their clients and stories so intensely, that this is what ends
up happening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I see the opposite of ahimsa, however, in other places in
life as well. There is little that bothers me more than speaking badly about people
behind their backs. I am not going to try to say I have never done it. I
probably do it on a daily basis. Somehow this has bothered me from long before
my yoga practice, but it has been yoga that has taught me why it is so
damaging to myself and the universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The energy we put into the world is the energy we receive.
When we put out negative energy statements about others, we are only harming
ourselves. We are harming the people who hear them. It creates a violent atmosphere. The violence is not with guns and rockets, but it is violence nonetheless. I look at so much of the larger violence happening in the world today (Ferguson, Gaza, Iraq), and I try to make sense of it. I try to
understand how humans can be so awful to other humans. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then I realize, war happens when we do not understand
one another. I have been incredibly blessed to have traveled in many parts of
the world. I have lived in two foreign countries, one of which I did not speak
the language fluently (France), and one of which arguably does not speak the
same language as me (New Zealand – I still sometimes don’t understand Kiwis).
But all my traveling has made me believe one simple truth:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>If everyone in the world lived in a country where they do
not speak the language natively for six months, war might disappear. There is
nothing more humbling than having to trust the people around you with them
knowing you are not from there. I have been welcomed into peoples’ homes,
provided directions, showed amazing places, and treated wonderfully everywhere
I have been. And yes, I was an American living in France when the United States
went to war against Irag in 2002. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are other ways to reach this without actually living
in a foreign country (though I highly recommend it). I think the first way is
to do our best not to belittle others. It sounds cliché, but clichés exist for
a reason – they are often correct. I will not say it is easy, but I do know it
is possible. I work in a field where it is easy to be judgmental. Children’s
lives are at stake every single day. People make decisions with which I do not
agree every single day. I make decisions with which other people do not agree
every single day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
None of that means, however, that we have to be cruel to one another. The idea that sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me is not actually accurate. Not only can words harm, they bring a lack of understanding for others, which can lead to physical violence in the future. In the world of domestic violence, we do not differentiate between emotional and physical abuse. I have actually heard victims say the emotional abuse was worse than the physical abuse. This is not something I understand personally, but the sentiment is not lost on me. Thus, our words are just as violent as our weapons even if they result in fewer immediate deaths. Words also have the
power to bring positive change. What if instead of belittling others we
attempted to understand them? What if we took the time to stop and think about
the words we speak? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be clear, venting is different than what I am talking
about. We can vent and be frustrated, even angry, about situations and what
happened, but we do not need to belittle people in the process. We do not need to, for
lack of a more mature way of saying it, call people names. When I was a camp
counselor, we were adamant that the children in our care were not bad even if
at times their actions were bad. When we disciplined, we were sure to make that
distinction. That distinction matters. It matters to the person making the
distinction, the person about whom the distinction is made, and to the energy
of the universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have come to realize there is little I can do in my
current circumstances to stop the Israeli-Hamas war or to stop the riots in
Ferguson short of offering prayer/light/healing/etc. But there is a lot I can
do to change my own way of bringing violence into the world in the form of
words. This takes a lot of strength, and sometimes, frankly, it is strength I
do not think I have. It is easier to follow the crowd and poke
fun at the target who is not there. But I started practicing yoga to find a new
way of living, and this is a very important step. It is taught that ahimsa is the very first step on the 8-limbed yoga path because it is
the foundation. How can we proceed along a path when we constantly bring
negative energy into our lives and the world?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a positive affirmation, nonviolence means compassion. It
means understanding, or at least attempting to understand. That means stopping
and thinking – an act that is often lost on us in the digital age. But I am
challenging myself, and those who wish to join me, to go one day without
speaking unkindly about someone. Our words matter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we use them to be compassionate
instead of violent? And after that one day, try one day more. Start small and see how the changes affect you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are so many ways to bring ahimsa into our lives, but
this is one small step that can make a huge difference. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you willing to take this ahimsa challenge? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-ahimsa-challenge.html" target="_blank"><i>The </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ahimsa Challenge</i></a>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-76139257321166371282014-08-11T19:55:00.000-07:002014-08-11T19:55:26.406-07:00“We Are All Damaged Goods”<div class="MsoNormal">
My uncle, who also has <a href="http://agnosticpatriot.org/">his
own blog</a>, made this statement once: “We’re all damaged goods.” It just sort
of came to him. And right he was.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I work with the people we traditionally think of as damaged
– abused and neglected children. And they are very often damaged. But
interestingly I wanted to be a lawyer because I saw harmed children in another
context. I grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood in northern
California, and I worked in a city even wealthier than the one in which I grew
up. I was a camp counselor and worked in an after school program as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were very few times I suspected “traditional” child
abuse was occurring in these families, and the times I did suspect it, those
suspicions tore me apart. I still wonder, more than ten years later, whether I
made the right calls in certain situations. But traditional physical abuse is
actually not as common as people think when people think of child abuse.
Although I see it more now than even 2.5 years ago when I started my current
job, the real issue remains neglect. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When neglect gets really bad, children do not develop
properly. Children often have speech delays, and research tells us their brains
actually develop less fully. There are physical symptoms of physical neglect. I
do not want to minimize physical abuse or physical neglect. They are awful and
horrible. I wish there were more media coverage of just how bad these issues
affect the children in our communities. But here I want to talk about something
else. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I saw all too often where I worked was children dropped
off at 7am and picked up at 6pm. I expect children would have been dropped off
earlier and picked up later, but those were the hours we were open. I saw, and
had to administer, a growing amount of medication over the course of the 4
years I worked there as families decided it was too difficult to deal with
children who acted like children. As cars got bigger parents and children were
more and more separated. Sure, these children could read well, and their speech
was perfect, but something major was missing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started this post about a week ago, but I guess the
universe had other plans for me. Today Robin Williams took his own life. He
blessed this world with such humor, grace, and true talent, and yet he was
depressed. There is nothing wrong with being depressed, but society asks us to
hide it, to put on a happy face. Instead of getting help, Robin Williams became
Mork and Mrs. Doubtfire and my personal favorite – O Captain My Captain, the
great Mr. Keating. Interestingly, I watched that movie this past week, and it
touched me as much now as it did nearly 15 years ago when I first saw it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the truth is that all of us have experienced some sense
of loss in our lives. No one had a perfect childhood, and our pain is what
helps us grow. These are clichés, but they also miss part of the point. The
damage is real. The damage is scary. And we are all looking for how to heal
that damage. I have written often about community on this blog. For awhile it
became one of my favorite themes. Although I did not know it at the time,
research tells us that having people, even one person, helps us recover from
trauma.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I see is that we are unable to respond to trauma and
damage the way our bodies were intended to respond. Instead of allowing
ourselves to cry, we hide our tears for fear of looking weak. Instead of
allowing our muscles to shake, we hold ourselves stiff until our bodies give
out. Instead of reaching out for support, we put on a happy face and act our
ways through life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we are all damaged at some level. This is not a nihilistic approach. It is a heartfelt approach to life. And we all need each
other. Yet we do the very things that make it so much harder to recover. For
me, yoga was my way out. Some might say I have become too sensitive since
starting yoga. The truth, however, is just that now I know the importance of
touching base with others and reaching out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yoga has been that path for me. It has allowed me to notice
when something is not right and to feel the damage. That does not mean it needs
to linger. Sometimes that allows it to go away faster. But my uncle’s
realization is huge and important. When we finally realize we are all damaged
goods, we no longer have to hide our own damage. What kind of amazing world
would it be if we showed our true selves and helped each other out instead of
hiding behind our different masks all the time?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is this recognition that we are all damaged that helps us learn compassion. And compassion helps us actually feel more loved. It is, therefore, our damage that allows us to heal, but first we have to recognize there is damage. And that comes in so many forms. This is not to say we are all horribly damaged, only to recognize that when we notice we are damaged, it is actually incredibly freeing, and we can then learn to reach out to one another, and ourselves, with love in our hearts rather than expecting everyone to be strong all the time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you able to share your heart with others? Are you able to see their damage, and yours, without judgment? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights resered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We Are All Damaged Goods</i>, first appeared
on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is Yoga Legal</i>.</span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-14823264783314556602014-07-20T18:46:00.001-07:002014-07-20T18:46:16.048-07:00Finding the Heart<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not usually like to point out on the blog when it has
been so long since I have posted, but right now feels like the right time to do
just that. The reason is because it has felt fake to write about health and
healing when my body so often feels like it is giving out. It feels
disingenuous to write about breathing when I fear taking a deep breath because
I do not know if it will send shooting pain down one, or both, legs. And ever
since a dear friend took her own life because of chronic pain, this blog just
seemed a little ridiculous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently I began doing work that focuses almost exclusively
on being in the heart. Yoga has always helped me turn inward, but this specific
practice focuses exclusively on the heart. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Physically I see people close off their hearts all the time.
We sit at computers with stooped shoulders, tightening our chests and making it
impossible to breathe into the heart space. I used to think, therefore, that
the easiest way into the heart was to open that space. I used to think that
meant backbends and lifting the heart toward the ceiling. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then I found a quiet practice of turning inward. By no
means have I mastered the art of living from the heart space. In fact, I have
not even mastered the art of understanding what it is telling me. But I have
learned two valuable lessons. First, we can only live from the heart by getting
quiet. And second, the heart holds the answers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a society we spend so much time rationalizing what we do.
We think through problems and ideas and hope that we get the answers through logic.
We trust medicine and science as though they hold the answers to everything
when in reality they are art forms And when these systems fail, we are told
there is nothing to be done. Issues become chronic. They become chronic until they are not . . . and the research on this is in the book <i>Mind Over Medicine</i>, discussed on this blog <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-power-to-heal.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Closing off the heart is not only physical. It is something we do because we do not live in a society that promotes opening it up. We are told to ignore what it tells us and to listen to logic; we are told to be logical. Yoga is okay as long as we talk about anatomy, but are we really able to go deeper? Maybe for brief moments, but are we able to take the plunge and live there? When we close off the heart, we close off our connection
and our chance to move forward. And it takes more than stretching it out and
lifting it up. It takes slowing down enough to listen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have failed on this blog to speak from the heart at times.
There were moments where I tried, but most of them involved living through a <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-stability-is-lost.html">natural
disaster</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on the day of the
Christchurch earthquake, I saw community. I saw people coming together because
they wanted stability. But nowhere did I mention heart on that post. Looking
back, that is what I saw that day, but I was not ready to share those words here yet. Almost 3.5 years later, and I finally understand that what happens when we are shaken to our core by disaster is that we become vulnerable. And when we become vulnerable and scared, and before our rational minds kick back into gear, we listen to our hearts. And that is when we connect. There are studies that people do better in natural disasters and even war zones than they do when being neglected. The reason is because people support each other through war zones and natural disasters whereas the very definition of neglect is a lack of support. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This has always intrigued me intellectually, but it also pains me. I see this neglect every single day. And I remember the trauma from the earthquake, but much more than that, I remember being in my heart that day. There are so many people doing amazing heart work in the world, but it is isolated, and often done in secret, because these are not issues we can discuss in public. The heart is the antithesis of rational, so therefore the heart, we are told, cannot be rational. I think we are wrong. I think the only thing we can trust is the heart. Not our whims, our heart. And that takes true listening. That takes understanding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From now on, this blog will be written more from the heart.
It will be about learning to come inward, learning to find true compassion, and
learning to listen to that which can help lead us to a better world. I started
this blog because I instinctively knew lawyers needed yoga. I write it as
academically and as formal as I can in order to make it sound smart and have
lawyers and other professionals take it seriously. Also, that is how I talk
(yeah, I’m a nerd). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I always thought it would be too much to write from the
heart, to tell stories, and to connect for real. I was scared people would not take heart-centered discussion seriously. But that is all yoga is. In Chinese medicine the center of the body is around the belly because when doing Chinese practices, we stand. But in yoga, the center of the body is in the heart because when we meditate, which is the truest form of yoga, we sit. And when we sit, the heart is our center. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The question, I guess, is whether people will jump off this
bridge with me? It is not going to be easy for me. I can talk about anatomy and
stability and even community. But the heart, in all its glory, has always been
a little off limits. But if there is anything that makes yoga real and
powerful, it is that it helps us drop down and into a place of listening. And
when we truly listen, we find our heart. And when we find our heart it guides
us somewhere great.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is anyone
willing to join me?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Finding the Heart</i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is Yoga Legal</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-17350341873882916942014-06-21T18:53:00.001-07:002014-06-21T18:53:43.825-07:00Summer Rejuvenation<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever been exhausted? I do not mean the
after-the-workout exhaustion. I mean the kind that makes it so you wonder how
you remain upright each day. We live in a culture that not only expects people
to be exhausted, but glorifies it. Some days I feel like it is a race to prove
you are more exhausted than the next person. Do you ever feel that way?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I see it around me all the time. People are expected to
do everything. We are expected to be on-call 24/7. Did you hear that France
recently prohibited checking work email after 6pm? <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2014/04/frances-6pm-e-mail-ban">It
was not actually true</a> – there was no legislation banning work. Nope,
everywhere in the Western world, we are expected to work, work, work. And even
being at work is not enough. We have to volunteer, coach our children’s teams,
and still post to Pinterest. Basically, we are expected to work until we
collapse. And collapse we do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dis-ease is running rampant in society. And even the very
things that are supposed to be healing, such as yoga, have become a way to get
a yoga butt and not to relax and rejuvenate. And then there is the even more
interesting phenomenon where we only realize how tired and stressed we are when
we give ourselves a break. Have you ever gotten sick your second day of
vacation? Do you always get sick your second day of vacation? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today is the summer solstice. Summer is a time when people
tend to break out of their shells and get out into the world. Interestingly,
this is less true in Tucson where it is over 100 degrees nearly every day. But
the energy of the Earth shifts in summer. Whether it is in June in the Northern
Hemisphere or December in the Southern Hemisphere, those around us have a different
take on life. Everyone seems to talk about what they are doing over the summer,
even those of us who have not had a summer break since we left school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Summer is, therefore, a chance to rejuvenate. It is when the
Earth itself is blossoming, warm, and inviting. It is when we all want to get
into water to cool down, but what we do not realize is that water has healing
properties all its own. Even the pop culture of summer is one of relaxation and
rest – we see people laying on the beach, we talk about summer movies and books
(those that do not require much brain power to watch and read), and in the
United States, although summer really begins today, the mentality of summer
goes from the bar-b-ques of Memorial Day to the bar-b-ques of Labor Day (neither
holiday, of course, having anything to do with partying, but we have made them
that way). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even if you do not honor the Solstice as such, how can you
honor summer? How can you give yourself time to rest and relax? Here in Tucson,
a lot of people complain about summer (with good reason), but the reason is
because summer can be unbearable at times. That just means we need to rest and
relax even more. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Summer is a strange dichotomy. It is full of light and
warmth and yang energy, but that can be unbearable. The summer solstice is the
day of the year with the most light. It is the day that reminds us that no
matter what is happening in our lives, or in the world, the sun will always
rise, and it will shine its strength and power on us. And so, the solstice is the reminder that too much of a good thing can become troublesome. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So when that light becomes too much, when the yang energy
feels like there is no balance of yin, we have to find that balance within ourselves because air conditioning is not the answer. Instead of actually helping us handle the dichotomy of summer, it exhausts us more by confusing our system. It makes us feel cool when we know we should be warm. I am definitely not opposed to air conditioning all the time, but it is not the answer to the summer yang heat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, summer is the time to read books on the beach just as pop culture makes us believe. It is the time to go on
vacation to “get away.” Really, summer is the time when the Earth finally exhausts us so
much we have to take notice of the fact and move out into something more
bearable. Out own exhaustion from the stressors of our daily lives, coupled with the exhaustion summer provides, creates the perfect storm for forcing us to find a way to rest and rejuvenate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are so many
ways to do this. For me, I am finding that I simply want to lie still and
breathe. I find that when the heat becomes intense, it is important just to
breathe with it and allow the body to do what it does best – regulate temperature.
We are warm-blooded, after all. Our bodies are designed for this. And when we
turn inward in this way, we find ourselves better able to handle the stressors
of our lives. We notice when our exhaustion becomes too much. And awareness is the first step. We can notice before we become sick. We can notice just by taking a breath and allowing it to cool us down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the Earth pushing us to our limits, we are forced to face
the fact that we push ourselves that way as well. Hopefully the summer is a
time to learn new tricks and tools so we learn to be a little kinder to
ourselves as the Earth moves into a more yin space.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you find summer rejuvenating? Do you find summer
unbearable? What do you do to rejuvenate? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/06/summer-rejuvenation.html" target="_blank">Summer Rejuvenation</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-10811606016123247532014-06-15T16:19:00.000-07:002014-06-15T16:19:10.807-07:00Why Yoga Matters<div class="MsoNormal">
My life has been a bit of a roller coaster these past
several weeks. I went to another AFCC conference and taught yoga there. It was
my first time teaching a “regular” asana class in over 1.5 years. It was so
fitting to be back there teaching again. As <b>very</b> long-time readers may remember, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2010/06/large-community-of-energy.html" target="_blank">the AFCC conference in 2010</a> was
the first class I taught after teacher training. It is such a special place for
me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it reminded me, yet again, what I love about yoga, and
why it is so important for professionals. It also reminded me some of the
problems with the modern yoga culture. For example, there were several people
in the class who thought they had to look a certain way to be in the “right”
asana. Although I tried to say over and over again how important it is to do
each pose with integrity for your own body, so many people just looked
uncomfortable in what they were doing. And often, the adjustments fell on deaf
ears. That was partly because I was out of practice, but I think it sadly said
far more about our culture than my out of practiceness (though there is no
doubt that was part of it).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I see so often both in and outside of yoga classes are
people who are completely disconnected from their bodies. I see this in how
people sit, stand, and move. I see it in how people talk about breathing. I see
it even in how people talk about pain. They push and push and push, take
something to intercept the pain, and then they push some more. Then finally the
pain or dis-ease is so intense they cannot take anything more. We are asked to
ignore the pain and push through it, or there will be no gain. And if there is
any sort of pain, for a long time before doing anything serious about it, we
are told to just take a pill. We are told to just numb the pain, not heal it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But yoga can bring us out of that place of numbing before
the pain, whatever it is, hits us so hard. Yoga brings us into our bodies. It
brings us into our emotions. It brings us into our souls. I was at a yoga class
this morning, and at least three lawyers were there. I remember when I started
this blog I had no idea how many lawyers actually do practice yoga. But what
amazed me even more is that it was a Mindfulness Yoga class. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I have noticed is that most of the lawyers I know who
practice yoga practice styles like Bikram, Ashtanga, and the more intense
varieties of asana-focused practice. Some are moving into a more meditative
practice, but the truth is that is what so many of us need. We need to slow
down. We need to learn to listen to our bodies and what they are telling us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This need to constantly push ourselves and feel that we need
to look a certain way is destroying so many people. We are asked to push and
not listen and then to numb away whatever ails us. This is certainly not the
only thing happening in the world, but I see it so often I wonder what the antidote
can possibly be. I worry that yoga has become as much of the problem as the
solution. Today in class, the teacher said he recently read a study where 70%
of yoga injuries come from forward folds. This number would have shocked me
before, but now that I know more about the body, more about the way people
push, and more about the stress the modern world puts on the low back, this
number actually now seems low to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, as I look to other ways to find solace and peace, I
always come back to yoga. I love yoga. It saved me once, and deep down I know
it is the answer to my own and so many other peoples’ pain. But that means that
we actually have to do yoga as it was intended to be done. The modern asana
practice is nothing more than gymnastics. But yoga is an ancient system that
heals on every level – physical, emotional, and spiritual. And for that reason,
yoga matters. It matters that we learn from its teachings. As I look around and
see how depleted society is, how tired everyone I know is, how pained they are
(physically or otherwise), I know that yoga may be a path out of their misery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These thoughts have been percolating for quite some time. As
my own practice has ebbed and flowed, I feel this need right now to come back
to it with full energy. But the irony, of course, is that full energy means
less energy. It means slowing down and tuning in. It means finding the yoga
that brought me here originally. And I want to offer that to others. I am
finally going to have a regular class – two Sundays per month I will be
teaching a Calming and Connecting yoga class. It will not be any specific type
of class, but it will focus on breathing, meditation, restorative yoga, and
mindful asana practice. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is no doubt that yoga can heal us from so much. It
still matters even when sometimes it feels it has been stolen by the fitness
community. That can never diminish that yoga is something far older and
something far more powerful. I am curious to know – how has yoga changed you?
What has it brought to your life? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all
rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-yoga-matters.html" target="_blank">Why Yoga Matters</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-81440805793465871562014-05-04T19:45:00.003-07:002014-05-04T19:45:57.411-07:00The Subtlest Movements<div class="MsoNormal">
I finally attended my first Feldenkrais class last week. For
those who do not know, Feldenkrais is a body movement / awareness technique.
Really, it is more of an awareness technique. In many ways, the Feldenkrais
method is the antithesis to modern culture, and that is its beauty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a world where bigger is better. Exercise fanatics
say, “no pain, no gain.” Feldenkrais is the opposite – how small can the
movement get where you still feel a change? Can you simply imagine a movement
and notice? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The answer is yes. And therein lies the power.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The human body is incredible. It holds answers to so many of
our ailments and protects us from ourselves. We hold our emotions, fears, and
excitements in our body. From it, we derive pleasure and pain and everything in
between. Our bodies are our greatest tool for understanding. It is through our
senses that we understand the outside world, but we have an additional way of
understanding called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception">proprioception</a>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proprioception is our
understanding of how our body fits together and moves relative to itself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Proprioception is about understanding ourselves so well we
can relate better to others. It is the minutest form of understanding, but when
we can understand on that deep of a level, the macro understandings become
easier. It is similar to how meditation works – if we can slow down the mind
enough, we can understand it better, and then the mind becomes an ally instead
of an enemy. But as I explore more and more, I am beginning to understand how
important the body is to that process. It is, I think, why yoga became such an
important part of my life. It became the way I could meditate most easily. But
now, with my body not cooperating, I have had to find ways other than through
an asana practice . . . and my understanding has grown exponentially.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More and more, doctors of western medicine are realizing how
connected the body and mind are. They tell us that stress can cause ailments like
ulcers. I believe it will be a long time before the run-of-the-mill MD writes
the word disease as dis-ease, but the tide is turning. My
yoga/proprioception exploration has shown me a deeper level. The body and mind
are not connected – they are the same thing. There is no separateness between
them that needs to be connected.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have known this for years, but I have never been able to
articulate it or to fully understand it. I have read countless books about it,
but somehow the Knowing did not come until recently. It was not until I opened
my mouth and said it one day that I realized how deeply this went. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it was then that I also realized how deeply this affects
our lives. My experience of body therapies has always been my access point to
experience the mind and spirit. The concept of proprioception was, in some
ways, another way of accessing qi or prana, the life forces of Traditional
Chinese Medicine and Yoga. I have come to understand how important it is for us
to move slower in life and as we make change to make it in simple and quiet
ways. As we notice the body, we notice the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a world where Cross Fit and Bikram Yoga dominate
our mentality. There is nothing inherently wrong with either, but the more I
come to understand, the more I see how important it is to come at change from a
different angle, a simpler angle. This is, perhaps, especially important when
dealing with the spirit and emotions. Society tells us it is inappropriate to
share our emotions with one another, to express true anger and sadness. Even
true happiness is considered out of place in expression. So instead of
expressing our emotions, we suppress them. We hide them deep within ourselves,
and they try to appear, but we hide them more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This can lead to a variety of types of dis-ease, and
sometimes accessing our true emotional and spiritual state helps bring us back
to a place of ease. But it is like taking the cork out of a champagne bottle.
We can do it quickly and explode the cork across the room, potentially taking
out someone’s eye with it. Or we can be calm and slow about it and open the
cork in such a way that we can access the goodness inside calmly and safely.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first step here is just to notice. Notice how moving
your head from side to side moves other parts of your body. Notice how you can
feel simply by imagining movements. Notice, notice, and then notice some more. The
irony, of course, is that the smaller the movement, the greater the shift. It
takes incredible conscious awareness to notice the smallest movements, and that
consciousness is what shifts. When we get away from momentum and move toward
true awareness, the world comes into focus. That does, of course, require
slowing down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you willing to give it a try?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-subtlest-movements.html" target="_blank">The Subtlest Movements</a></i>, first
appeared on <a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is Yoga Legal</i>. </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-28085471085576607232014-04-15T08:27:00.003-07:002014-04-15T08:27:22.722-07:00What it Means to Relax Part 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-it-means-to-relax-part-1.html">Yesterday</a>,
we discussed why to relax and the healing power that comes with relaxation, but
sometimes I think few of us know how to actually relax, so this post is
dedicated to that specifically.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of techniques for
relaxation. There are even <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229403">apps</a>
for it. Some of the most popular are: meditation, walking in nature,
restorative yoga, yoga nidra, yin yoga, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/03/coming-back.html">somatic
awareness</a>, knitting, exercising, cooking, and vacations. There are even
programs designed to change our brain waves to help us relax, including <a href="http://holothink.com/">Holothink</a> and <a href="https://www.centerpointe.com/">Holosync</a>. I could probably go on, but
you get the idea. There are ways we have come up with to help us relax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But how many of us are actually able to relax in these
settings? How do you know if you have fully relaxed? Is that even possible in
this modern world?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, there are several reasons it is so incredibly difficult
to actually relax. One of the main reasons is the one we all know – the world
is moving incredibly fast, and we are inundated with information. We are
expected to keep up with everyone all the time. That is a huge problem, but it
is only a piece of the problem. The other might be genetic. I’m no scientist,
and definitely no geneticist, but there is some new information coming out
about epigenetics that helps explain our inability to calm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yogis and other mystics (and yes, the New Age folks) have always
known that our ancestral lines play a huge part in our lives today. Shamanism
has ways to clear and work with our ancestral lineage. Science is finally
catching up and explaining how this happens through epigenetics. If you are
really interested, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics">here is a
link</a> to the Wikipedia article about epigenetics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, the idea is that our genes activate in different
ways based upon what worked for our ancestors. It makes sense. If your
ancestors lived in a place where there were lions everywhere, we had to become
acutely aware of threats early in life, or we would die. Of course, what this
means today is that we have generations upon generations of suffering,
depression, fear, anxiety, etc. expressing itself in our genes, and on top of
everything else we live in the most overwhelming cultural environment I can
imagine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you relaxed yet?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, in some ways our bodies have become hard wired to not
relaxing. This is a perfect week to point this out with Passover and Easter.
Passover is about celebrating overcoming hardship . . . but the hardship came
first. Easter is about rebirth . . . but the horrific death came first. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that death and hardship live on in
our cells and our gene expression. So, while yoga nidra is lovely, and yes it’s
one of my favorite relaxation techniques, it has to overcome a lot of
conditioning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/03/coming-back.html"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I mentioned before</a>, I have been
working a lot on somatic awareness. The goal is to begin to pay attention to
the signals our bodies send to us. I have been doing this on some level for
over a decade. It really has been my entire time practicing yoga. But these
days, I am looking at it differently and really trying to understand it
differently. I am also finally starting to notice where I hold tension.
Everywhere would be an understatement, but it is useful to know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I have found over the past few months is just how
intensely difficult it is to really, truly, let go and relax. I may be able to
relax one part of my body, but then the rest of it tenses up. I have begun to
notice what parts of my body tense when I go to move, and they are not the
parts of my body needed to move in that moment. One of the relaxation
techniques I left off above is biofeedback. The entire goal is to notice where
you are tense, so you know to relax there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noticing is the first step. We simply cannot relax until we
know where we are tense. Meditation helps us do the exact same thing with the
mind. It helps us notice where our mind is tense or racing or confused or
whatever, and then just let it go. While the body and mind are simply one
entity, for some people it is easier to learn to relax the mind first, and for
others it is easier to learn to relax the body.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But at the end of the day, relaxation is more difficult for
us than it was 1,000 years ago. The techniques have not changed, but we have to
learn to use them more effectively. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
True relaxation begins with noticing where our tension
patterns lie. As you read this, take a moment and stop. Scan your body. Where
is there tension? Where is there no tension? For some of us, the only place
without tension is the ear lobe. That is okay. I am starting to believe that is
more normal than we would like to admit. Then begin to tell the body it is safe
to let go. It is safe to relax the shoulders. It is safe to relax the thigh
muscles when you are sitting and lying down. It is safe to relax the core
muscles. We have ways to hold ourselves up without tension. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we begin to allow ourselves to relax, relaxation can
come. It may not come immediately, but it can begin to sneak in. It can begin
to enter our being and our cells. Relaxation can happen when we notice what is
stopping it and consciously let that go. But for that we have to stop. We have
to notice. We have to take the time and turn inward. It is, at times, very
difficult, but the rewards are endless. Eventually, we will begin to notice the
tension and let it go even when we are stressed out at the grocery store or in
traffic. When we learn to relax, we can live in this world with more ease and
comfort. We can begin to heal, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Relaxation is key to everything. It is so, so simple and yet incredibly
difficult.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do you notice if relaxation is working? What techniques
work better for you? Do you notice places you find it impossible to relax? What
could you do to relax in those spots?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-it-means-to-relax-part-2.html" target="_blank">What it Means to Relax Part 2</a></i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-34304194017214232372014-04-14T06:55:00.001-07:002014-04-14T06:55:30.495-07:00What it Means to Relax Part 1<div class="MsoNormal">
The internet and blogs and books are full of information
about the fight, flight, or freeze response and the sympathetic nervous system.
My favorite <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2011/11/fight-or-flight-response-done-right.html">personal
writing</a> about it was in response to getting chased by a sea lion in New
Zealand. It was a perfect example of the fight, flight, or freeze response done
right . . . and for the reason we have the response in the first place. I was
being chased by a wild animal, and I had to get away. I got away. What happens,
though, when that threat is gone? Can our body go back to its resting state?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the nervous
system that activates when we are in fight, flight, or freeze. The
parasympathetic nervous system is what allows us to relax and heal. It is the
“rest and digest” part of the nervous system. It is what allows our body to go
into its healing place. <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-power-to-heal.html">As I have
mentioned before</a>, the body is capable of healing itself, but in order to do
that, it must be in a state of rest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chronic stress (of all varieties) has a tendency to keep our
bodies in a constant state of the fight, flight, or freeze response without an
opportunity to get into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” and heal mode.
This, of course, can wreck havoc on our health. And look around at the world
and notice how many people deal with chronic dis-ease. Many of us are not
living in our parasympathetic state most of the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what does it mean to truly rest? How many of us are able
to get into that space? How many of us know what it really feels like to allow
the body to release its tension patterns?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of us get so used to our tension patterns we do not
even realize when we are holding them. Yoga is one of the ways we learn how to
go into our bodies and learn to listen to them and find our patterns. The
patterns in our body are similar to our mental patterns, called <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/09/cleansing-samskaras.html">samskaras</a>.
Undoing a samskara is not an easy task. It requires knowing it and wanting it
to change. But then it also requires unwinding the pattern itself, a task that
can seem daunting when we have lived with the samskara longer than we have not.
Imagine taking a hike and ask yourself which is easier – the pre-made path or
the path never before taken? Imagine cutting down a path to hike, and that is
what it takes to release a long-held samskara.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Releasing a tension pattern in the body is no different. We
have to first feel the tension patterns and then be willing to release them.
But then we have to understand what it takes to relax. We have to trust that
when we release the tension, something else will continue to hold our body up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tension patterns exist for a reason. Some are there because
of how we sit at a desk or in a car. Some are there, however, as a response to
the traumas we have faced in our lives. Trauma can come in many forms –
childhood abuse, relationship abuse, earthquakes, floods, and even vicarious
trauma. When we experience trauma, we tense up to protect ourselves and never
let go for fear of not having the strength to stay upright. But those patterns
then begin to cause their own problems. Long after they have stopped protecting
us from a trauma, they wreck havoc on our bodies and make it difficult to allow
the body to relax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then we have a three-fold problem. The mental samskaras are
the thoughts we hold as a result of our childhood and events in our lives, and
they hold the body in tension. Together, they inhibit our parasympathetic
nervous system from activating, and we end up with a downward spiral of tension
and mental patterns that becomes more and more difficult to overcome, and at
the end of the day it is our health (mental, physical, and spiritual) that
suffers. Our ability to heal is diminished until we learn to bypass these
tension patterns.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want to be clear. We never lose the ability to heal. We
inhibit our body’s access to its healing capabilities. And it is because we are
literally stuck in a rut and trying to pull ourselves out. But this can be
overcome, and deep within us we never lose the ability to heal ourselves. The
parasympathetic nervous system is always there, and it is always able to
function if we give it the time and quiet to do it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But instead we hold our tension patterns. We live in a world
with nearly constant overwhelm. There are more forms of pollution today than
ever before. We have chemical pollutions, of course, but we also have noise,
news, and phone pollution. We have stress of constantly being connected, and we
have the stress of trying to keep up as the world moves faster and faster and
faster. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But amidst it all, relaxation is still possible. We can find
a way to release the tension in the body and allow our body to enter its
natural healing state. But we have to be willing to surrender. We have to be
willing to trust that when we let go, the body, and therefore ourselves, will
be safe. We hear so often how the body and the mind are connected. I do not
actually subscribe to that mentality. In my worldview, they are simply the same
thing. The more I read in scientific, not new age, literature, the more true
that statement is. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So tension is tension, whether mental or physical. They are
one and the same. Our brains run our bodies, and together they create health or
dis-ease. So, today I ask you to notice your mental patterns. Notice your
physical tension patterns. Where are they? What do they mean? And then ask
yourself the all-important question. In this world of constant overwhelm, are
you willing to release these patterns to find calm and health? Part 2 will have
some ideas for learning these techniques.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©Rebecca
Stahl 2014, all rights reserved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-it-means-to-relax-part-1.html" target="_blank">What it Means to Relax Part 1</a></i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-57617165204492229662014-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:002014-04-05T16:51:14.918-07:00Compassion in the Law<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been reading a lot of Lissa Rankin’s writing
recently. You may remember me discussing her before. She is the one who wrote <i>Mind Over Medicine</i>, the book I <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-power-to-heal.html">wrote
about</a> back in June (has it really been that long?).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her most recent writing to inspire me is a blog post called,
“<a href="http://lissarankin.com/a-call-for-greater-compassion">A Call for
Greater Compassion</a>.” Read it. You will thank me. Her main point is that we
all have our faults, we all have our sins, and that is what makes us able to
share our compassion with each other. She even asks, “Who are we to judge?” And
she ends with a challenge: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Think of one person you’re judging
today, one person who isn’t living up to your standards, one person who is
disappointing you or doing something you don’t like. Would it be possible for
you to tune into the part of that person that is hurting? Can you see that part
as a little child who just needs love? Can you open your heart to that little
child and reach out to that person with that kind of love?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is not an easy challenge, for sure. We live in a world
where we are taught to judge, even if we are not lawyers. At some level it is
biological – we need to be able to tell safety from danger if we are going to
survive as a species. But the judgment she discusses, and I think is the bigger
issue, is the judgment we place on our fellow human beings for being human, for
struggling with life, for making mistakes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I notice this most in myself when I’m driving. When people
do things I am not expecting on the road, I get really riled up. If they slow
down to turn without a signal, cut me off, or anything really that does not fit
with my ideal of how they should be driving in that moment, I freak out. Guess
what? I do all of those things as well. Probably more than I would like to
admit, in fact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This sort of judgment does not serve us at all. But even
that judgment can leave us quickly. It is judgment almost more at a situation
than at an individual person. After all, we rarely know who cuts us off in
traffic, and short of breaking into serious road rage, none of us then go
discover their identity. But what about when we judge our friends for their choice
in partner, or we judge our parents for how they eat, or we judge our neighbors
for struggling with drug addiction, or we judge our soldiers for their mental
health issues? What happens to these people when we judge instead of offer
compassion? The best-case scenario is we lose someone close to us. The
worst-case scenario is that we end up with something similar to the shooting
this week at Ft. Hood. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, lawyers are asked to judge all day, every day. It
is, literally, in the job description (whether or not you are actually a
judge). And think of the people the law judges – rapists, murderers, child
molesters and abusers, and thieves. But as odd as it sounds in modern America,
these are the people who need our compassion the most. And so do their victims.
In parts of the world, the rape victim is the one put to death while the rapist
walks free. I think I can say this pretty freely – that does not fit within
this picture of compassion either. But I think I have more people on my side
for that one. What about the perpetrators of these horrific crimes? Can we find
compassion for them while still finding a way to keep other members of society
safe from their actions?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was a camp counselor, we were taught two things that
have stayed with me for the past 17 years: 1) we do not punish, only
discipline, and 2) the child is not bad, only their actions are a problem. While
my camp did not use the word compassion, we did talk about respect and caring.
I have carried these ideas with me, and I try every day to separate the person
from the person’s actions. After all, I work with the children who usually love
their parents regardless of what they did to them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there are days when it is really difficult. There are
days the lies become too much, the pain the children face becomes too much, and
it is just easier to judge. After all, that is our learned response from a
young age. But my yogi heart knows differently. My yogi heart says to ask the
questions Dr. Rankin suggests. One day in particular I vividly remember
offering compassion to someone who was screaming at me. It was not the first
time he did it. The next day he wrote me an email apologizing for his actions.
My compassion toward him was silent, but it worked. Never before had he written
such an email. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is no question the legal system is leaps and bounds ahead
in terms of compassion than where we were even 20 years ago. We talk about
rehabilitative courts, and we utilize alternative dispute resolution where
available. We offer people services to help them on their way. But we still
have so far to go. The big step, the really difficult step, is changing the
attitudes of those of us who work there. The big step is changing the attitudes
of society from judgment to compassion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, my fellow lawyers, can we find compassion in the law?
Can we bring a lens of compassion to our work and still protect society from
actions that harm? I had a conversation today with someone whose initial
response to my discussion of being a lawyer was saying that the law teaches us
not to be compassionate. I disagree. I believe we can do both, and I know so
many people who do so on a daily basis. But can we do it all the time? Can we
take judgment out of the picture? Can we come to the law with compassion for
the people who sit across from us? Are you willing to take Dr. Rankin's challenge?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/04/compassion-in-law.html" target="_blank">Compassion in the Law</a></i>, first
appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-33968930102139007112014-03-30T12:13:00.000-07:002014-03-30T12:13:53.664-07:00Coming Back<div class="MsoNormal">
This has been the longest break I have ever taken from this
blog. There are several reasons for it, but most importantly, I have not been
motivated to write, so I decided not to try to write for no reason. I also felt
I was getting away from what this blog was originally designed to be – a way to
integrate yoga and a professional life, in my case, a lawyer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But these past few months have also taken me deeper into my
practice than ever before. None of it has been “yoga” in the western definition
of asana. It has not even really been a traditional yoga practice as I have
described on this blog so many times. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But yoga means “to yoke.” It means union. And that is
exactly the path I have been on these past couple of months.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not know if you have noticed, but this year has been
even quicker than 2013, and it is not looking like it is going to calm down
anytime in the near future. Somehow, in the midst of this craziness, we have to
find a way to not just hang on for dear life but also to ride the waves doing
what we want to do with our lives in a way that does not destroy us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been reading several books about how we can learn
from the body’s sensations and the way we move. This work comes in many forms: <a href="http://www.feldenkrais.com/">Feldenkrais</a>, <a href="http://hannasomatics.com/">Hanna Somatics</a>, <a href="http://www.traumahealing.com/somatic-experiencing/">Somatic Experiencing</a>,
<a href="http://traumaprevention.com/">Trauma Releasing Exercises</a>, <a href="http://neurogenic-yoga.squarespace.com/">Neurogenic Yoga</a>, <a href="http://www.coreawareness.com/">Core Awareness</a>, and <a href="http://www.somaticlearning.com/">Somatic Intelligence</a>. And these are
just the ones I have found. But they all have one thing in common – they are
designed to help our bodies release trauma so we can heal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am finally seeing information about Vicarious Trauma (or
Compassion Fatigue) take root in the legal profession. Other professions have
known about this phenomenon a long time. I have a label about it for a reason –
it’s important. But so much of what is being taught do not involve
understanding the body’s piece of our trauma and stress. These past two months
have been the deepest exploration of this phenomenon I have ever done, and I
have not even begun to scratch the surface. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, I knew I had to write about it. I knew I had to
share it. Because I think this is the piece that is missing from so much of our
discussions. Pain is rampant in society, particularly among professionals.
There are too many reasons for its existence among professionals for me to go
into right now, but we rarely talk about how trauma is stored in the body and
what we can do to release it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most important step is just noticing. So many of us have
trained ourselves not to feel, either our emotions or our bodies. But both of
them eventually get to a point where they take over and force us to pay
attention. Better to nip it in the bud ahead of time and begin to notice what
our bodies are telling us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, as you sit here and read this, notice your body.
Just notice. Does it feel tense in one place? Does it feel fluid in another?
Does it feel like it wants to move in ways you have not allowed because you’re
staring at your computer or your phone? What happens when you take a moment to
notice the sensations of your body? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ask yourself what the sensations feel like. Do they feel hot
or cold or neutral? Do they move, or are they static? If they move, do they
move in circles or linearly? Is it stabbing? Is it shooting? Is it painful? Is
it throbbing? Does it feel open? The body is constantly sending us signals, and
we have done a wonderful job learning to tune them out. But tuning out the
signals of our bodies rarely serves us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, in this coming back to writing blog, I hope you can
just take the time to notice the body. If emotions or thoughts come up with it,
just go with them. Our bodies are messengers, and we just have to learn how to
interpret. The most important step, however, is the first – awareness. Becoming
aware of our bodies opens us up to possibilities we never knew existed. And then,
being in our bodies, we can begin to find some grounding and calming as the
world continues to move faster and faster. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would love to hear what you feel and notice. Please share
it in the comments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/03/coming-back.html" target="_blank">Coming Back</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-22369302493975476582014-01-19T09:16:00.001-07:002014-01-19T09:16:09.003-07:00The Heart and the Head<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend of mine posted a great article on Facebook called,
“<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/08/the-downside-to-down-dog-by-kelly-grey/">The
Downside to Down Dog</a>” asking the question, “what is Yoga?” Her answer is
that it is the path of the heart. Then I was reading a blog post by Lissa
Rankin entitled, “<a href="http://lissarankin.com/can-you-hear-the-voice-of-your-soul">Can You Hear
the Voice of Your Soul</a>?” And next weekend, I am going to see a teacher who
starts his teachings by bringing people into their heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think the universe is trying to tell me something.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The very first “alternative” medicine person I saw
(actually, he was not the first, but the first who made any sort of impression
and really started me on whatever path I am currently on) told me I am 97% in
my head and 3% in my body, and that it should be the opposite. Yoga has helped
draw me down from my head, but at the end of the day, I spend a lot more time
being a lawyer than I do practicing yoga. Thus, I spend a lot more time in my
head than my heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what would the legal profession look like if more
lawyers lived from their hearts? I am not even talking about doing more
heart-centered work. I mean connecting to the heart in any capacity. Lissa
Rankin, the blogger above, is a doctor. I mentioned her book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mind Over Medicine, </i>in the post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-power-to-heal.html">The Power
to Heal</a></i> (I find it hard to believe that post was from July). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In law school, lawyers are taught to “think like a lawyer.”
I am sure this means something different for everyone, but the Dean of my law
school at that time said it meant to her that we should be the last people in a
room to make up our mind about something. But she did not tell us whether that
should come from the head or the heart. Law school, for me, was amazing. I
loved it. But one piece of it always bothered me. We read cases in a textbook,
and we discussed the legal issues involved. That was great. But there was
always something missing, and I noticed it most often in my Torts class. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These were real people. These were real cases. Whether they
happened in 2003 or 1893, these people were harmed. We once read a case about a
man who was turned into, “a human cannonball” because of an explosion at a
construction site. But we discussed the negligence, not the person what was
seriously injured as a result. I know doctors have to go through similar
training. Instead of discussing the person, they discuss the symptoms. A person
becomes a diagnosis. In the psychological realm, people talk about someone
being depressed, not having depression, but otherwise someone has a mental
illness, such as schizophrenia. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not want this to sound like I prefer people to BE their
diagnoses. I am just pointing out how we talk about issues and people in
professions. So, in physical medicine, psychological medicine, and the legal
profession, we talk about criteria and elements. There are elements to a crime
just like there are criteria for diagnosis. But we never look past those
definitions to the person. We live in our heads and ask whether someone meets
that definition for, and then we act accordingly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a pull between the legal world and the yoga world I
have never discussed. In some ways, it is the most difficult one to address. On
one hand, I live in the world of lawyers where everything needs to be relevant,
and nothing is true unless you can prove it. On the other hand, I live in the
world of yogis, in the heart, where we know something is true because we feel
it. At some level, this represents the ongoing battles between political and
religious foes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But when I say “feel it,” I mean the deepest sense of
knowing. I cannot think of anyone I have met who would deny that intuition
exists. We all get “ick” feelings from certain people and situations. It is
those ick factors that sometimes save our lives. We sidestep situations that
just feel wrong. Although the 1990s were called “the decade of the brain,” we
still know next to nothing about how it works. Science has not yet helped us
understand this head we live in and the intuition that we cannot deny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. What I
do know is that this push and pull between head and heart is really a
non-dichotomy. They are really one and the same. The separation we pretend
exists simply does not. Reading those cases in law school, although we never
discussed the fact that people were hurt and maimed and harmed, our hearts saw
it and knew it, and it affected all of us. There is no way to separate. We can
listen more strongly to one or the other, but at the end of the day, they are
the same Being.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, I continue to wonder – how can we be more explicit
about the heart in more professional settings? There are so many ways, but I
have heard before that the first step is admitting there is a problem. If we
could recognize there is a lack of heart speak and understanding, perhaps we
could begin to see a way to acknowledge what is already there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What about you? Do you listen more to your head or your
heart? Do you believe there is a difference?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-heart-and-head.html" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Heart and the Head</i>,</a> first
appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-9657372990384070172014-01-05T10:15:00.002-07:002014-01-05T10:15:32.888-07:00The Flowing Breath<div class="MsoNormal">
It was my senior year in college when I really started doing
yoga on my own. It was not until my first year in law school when I started
going to classes, and it sort of became my life, but my senior year in college
was the beginning of that path. I would practice in my living room with little
more than a book to guide me (looking back, perhaps not the safest choice, but
here we are).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Breathe is the most common label on this blog. And I have <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2012/08/learning-to-breathe-again.html">previously</a>
told the story of how I remember learning to breathe my senior year in college
and how I then found my breath again in the mountains of Yellowstone. Nature
has a way of bringing us back to our internal awareness and breath. Trees
provide us with oxygen, and the Earth grounds us and heals us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we have the breath wherever we are, wherever we go, and
in whatever we are doing. The breath can, therefore, heal from anywhere as long
as we know how to find it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just knowing the breath is there does not mean we all know
how to use it properly. In fact, I would think most of us do not. There is more
to the breath than just trying to get as much air in as possible. I think I
have finally realized this. When we try to take a deep breath with effort, we
are actually fighting the breath rather than receiving the breath. And that is
how so many of us try to breath, even when we think we are relaxing into the
breath. We do not flow with the breath. We fight it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The modern world does not make relaxing into the flow of the
breath easy to do. Doctors and anyone else who studies anatomy (yoga teachers
often included) know how the breath enters through the nose or mouth, travels
down the windpipe, and goes into the lungs. The muscles of the diaphragm expand
and contract the lungs for the breath. But that does not tell us how we can
receive the breath. It tells us what muscles are used and where the breath
goes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many people are stuck in fight or flight mode. Lawyers are particularly
adept at this. We live in an adversarial world. When we spend our working hours
thinking in an adversarial manner, it is difficult not to be adversarial with
ourselves, even with our breath. We tense up our driving and computer muscles,
furrow our brows, and forget what it means to be soft. And so we fight with the
breath.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you are reading this, notice if you are simply allowing
the breath or if you think the breath needs to come differently. Even as I
write it, I can feel the tension building at times. And when the breath becomes
stilted and tense it stops being an avenue for healing and becomes an avenue to
strengthen our patterns. We often talk about samskaras as mental patterns, and
ways of being. But they work on our body similarly. We all have our own ways of
walking and moving. Think about how you can tell someone walked in the room
long before you see their face simply by how they move. When we hold our
tension through our breath, we ingrain those patterns even more rather than
relaxing into the healing power the breath can bring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The breath can heal nearly anything. The stories of miracles
I have read this year are long, and while there is a logical part of me that
doubts it can happen to anyone, the yogi in me knows otherwise. I know the
breath is capable of producing miracles. But we have to let the breath guide us
instead of trying to guide the breath.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just started reading a new book called, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Awakening Somatic Intelligence: The Art and
Practice of Embodied Mindfulness</i>, by Risa Kaparo. I have read a lot about
movement, somatics, and breathing, but this book puts it all together in a way
I have never seen before. But the most important aspect it teaches is that we
have to get our beliefs out of the way. We cannot understand the breath through
our eyes or even our anatomical understanding. The only way we can understand
the breath is by letting it teach us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I sit in a courtroom, I can feel all my tension
patterns and can see everyone around me fall into theirs as well. Everyone’s
breath tightens as we await whatever is going to happen. We rob ourselves of
our own health in those moments. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would happen if while sitting in incredibly stressful
situations, we just listened to our breath? What would happen if we just
allowed the breath to come? No force. No pain. No tension. Just allow it to
come. That is how the breath flows. That is where healing can happen. But we
have to get out of our own way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is amazing to think that almost 10 years after learning
to breathe my senior year in college I still feel like just a beginner. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How about you? Where do you notice your breath?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
© Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-flowing-breath.html" target="_blank">The FlowingBreath</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is YogaLegal</a></i>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-89807956751834179272014-01-01T10:31:00.000-07:002014-01-01T10:31:17.761-07:00The Words We Use<div class="MsoNormal">
It is January 1. This means half the people we all know are
full of New Year’s resolutions. There has always been a joke that most people
do not last through January on their resolutions, and I never really understood
why when I was growing up. I have come to realize it is because we have to be
truly committed to the resolution. We have to recognize how it will actually
help us and the world. We have to be invested in wanting something to be
different.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have written before about using <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2010/12/intention-for-new-year.html">intentions
rather than resolutions</a>. That still holds true for me. Intentions are about
how we interact with the world less than they are about the outcome of that
interaction. The same outside shape of the body can be used in gymnastics,
acrobatics, and yoga, but the intention is different between the three. Our
intentions are what define how we engage with ourselves and the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About a week ago, I was frustrated with a situation, and I
mentioned that a person with whom I was interacting was useless. A friend
caught me in that moment, and asked me to think about what I had said and how
putting that energy into the world changes the actual structure of the world.
What if I had not said that? Might the person have been more useful? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hate gossip. I have not touched on this subject in over a
year, but I did <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-gossip-effect.html">back in
October 2012</a>. At its root, gossip is about using our words to bring energy
into the world that harms people. That may not be the intention of the gossip,
but that is essentially what it does. It brings the energy of the words into
existence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But at another level, we need to vent. We need to talk about
what is bothering us, or it can become even stronger and make us even crazier.
Yoga has helped me see and understand how it is not the situation that causes
problems so much as it is our response to the situation. But there is another level
where we live in a very difficult, fast-paced world, and venting is sometimes
necessary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other day I was frustrated by a situation, frustrated by
a person involved in the situation, and I had been venting about it all day.
But did I have to use the word, “worthless”? Is there another way to vent
without bringing the negative energy into my being and the world? The
underlying issue was that people were not getting what they needed, and I saw
one person as the obstacle to them getting it. But the truth is that this one
person is not the only problem. The issue is much larger, and my words did not
reflect that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other place I see this play out is with sarcasm and jabs
at people we all love. How is it that we have learned to interact with each
other by poking fun at them? Although we may be joking (and I would argue there
is always an underlying truth to what we say), the universe does not recognize
tone. The energy of our words are the same regardless of the smirk or chuckle
that accompanies them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure, it can be easier to poke fun than to have a serious
conversation. I am one of the first people to go there. But why? What purpose
does it serve? Frankly, it keeps us at a distance from people. It is a way to
interact without really having to interact. It is a disconnected connection,
similar to facebook, but in-person. In fact, I see people being more honest on
facebook sometimes than they are in person. It creates its own barrier, so we can be more honest. In-person, the only barrier we have is sarcasm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A new year is just a reminder to stop and assess. Where are
we on our paths? Are we open to new possibilities? Are we expressing ourselves
as we want to be seen in the world? And if not, how can we change our
expression? I think one of the best ways is to change the words we speak. Is
that person useless? No. Is the situation frustrating? Yes. But I can ask
myself what I can do to change it instead of just throwing up my arms and
screaming. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, I can never stop the water cooler gossip (does anyone actually talk to people around the water cooler at their
office? I don’t!), but I can change how I speak. I can choose to use words that
bring positive energy into the universe instead of negative energy. Will I be
perfect? I am pretty sure the answer is no. But I do intend to change how I
speak. In some ways it is a scary prospect. Our society is built on sarcasm,
and the current non-stop political environment only fuels the flames, but we
each can take a stand. A stand to be mindful of the words we use. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you in? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2014, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-words-we-use.html" target="_blank">The Words We Use</a></i>, first
appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-80824179414429528942013-12-21T07:19:00.004-07:002013-12-21T07:19:31.998-07:00The Shortest Day<div class="MsoNormal">
Today in the northern hemisphere, it is the Winter Solstice,
the shortest day of the year. That also translates to the darkest night of the
year. There is so much written about the solstice that it is almost fruitless
to add to it. But this year in particular I want to reach into the depths of
what the winter solstice means.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The changing seasons are always a time to reflect on the
circle of life, the ebb and flow of change, and the reminder that nothing stays
the same – nothing. The only real guarantee we have in life is change. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is a
particularly interesting solstice every year. At a time when our bodies and
minds want to curl up in front of a fire, eat some warming foods, and relax
into stillness, we choose instead to participate in the most capitalistic of
traditions. Even if you spend this time donating and sharing, you are still out
in the world pushing hard. There is nothing inherently wrong with that; it is
simply a recognition that our focus this time of year is radically different
than what the season would ask of us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is no surprise, then, that this is also flu season. If we
ask our bodies to use more energy than normal at a time when they have fewer
reserves than normal, the outcome is going to be dis-ease. And I have thought
about this a lot over the years, and I have asked myself how to do things
differently. But this year I think I have realized there might be an underlying
reason for this dichotomy this time of year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are running away. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The winter solstice is a time to remember what it means to
live in the dark night of the soul. It brings us inward and wants us to let go
of our attachment to this world. It reminds us of the struggles we face on our
path to richness (not riches). And that can be a scary place to go. So instead
we go to the mall. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the winter solstice, with its darkness and cold, is
simply a reminder to leave behind that which no longer serves us. It is a time
to be introspective and quiet and leave everything in the darkness. The pagan
tradition of Yule (upon which so many Christmas traditions are based) is a
holiday celebrating the rebirth of the sun. Traditionally, a log is burned for
12 days. I do not know much about Yule, but that tradition seems like a great
reminder to burn away the deadness within ourselves and to wake up to the
rebirth of the sun and honor it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world is moving faster and faster. So few of us take the
time to truly slow down. And I do not mean in one yoga class per week amidst a
crazy schedule. I mean honestly stop and listen long enough to really hear what
is happening. Instead we run from any opportunity to see ourselves as something
other than productive. Lawyers love to talk about face time at work. Even if
you work 30 hours per week at home, it does not count unless you are in the
office. It means something to be there before the boss and to still be there
when the boss leaves. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But at this time of year, are we really doing anyone,
including our clients, any favors when we do that? How does it help anyone to
ignore the pull of the season so strongly? Electricity was an amazing
invention, and one for which I am personally grateful. But sometimes I wonder
what we have lost as a result. It can be daytime anytime. It can be warm or
cold any day of the year. The earth still ebbs and flows, but we are trying to
reach a point of homeostasis where the ebb and flow of the seasons is more of
an inconvenience than a reflection of how we should live our lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as I watch the sun slowly come up this beautiful
solstice morning, I wonder what would happen if we used today to simply be.
Honestly, I know how hard that is. My plan for today was to take some work to
the coffee shop. But today is the shortest day. It is a chance to say thank you
to this darkening season and move into the lighter days. And not only do we
know that our days our going to get lighter, but we can remember that our
friends in the southern hemisphere are experiencing their longest day. No
matter how dark it is, there is always light somewhere. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What do you do to reflect on the solstice?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-shortest-day.html" target="_blank"><i>The Shortest Day</i></a>, first appeared on <i><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a>.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-78762294892591159222013-12-15T07:48:00.002-07:002013-12-15T07:48:23.705-07:00Lawyers as Healers?<div class="MsoNormal">
More than once on this blog I have talked about people in
healing professions, particularly in the series on “<a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Overcoming%20Crisis%20Mode">Overcoming
Crisis Mode</a>.” But every time I write it, I sort of cringe. I wonder, do
people believe lawyers can be in a healing profession? When I think of healing
professions, I think of psychologists, massage therapists, social workers,
acupuncturists, chiropractors, and sometimes, allopathic doctors. I might think
of mediators, and some lawyers are mediators, but I do not usually think of
lawyers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, I often consider myself in a healing profession. At
least I wanted to be in one. But that begs the question, Can lawyers be in a
healing profession? Can lawyers be healers?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, what do lawyers do? In the broadest sense, lawyers
help people solve problems. I could say the same thing about all the people
mentioned above. But there is something else underlying the issue. Lawyers are
often seen as the problem. You may have heard that lawyers have a bit of a
reputation. Even though the reason lawyers exist is to solve problems, there
are people who think we do it in a less-than-ideal fashion. We are in an
adversarial system.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The adversarial system is just that, adversarial. It is not
designed to be a healing process. There are certain paths of law, particularly restorative
justice and Collaborative Law, that attempt to be more healing, but overall,
the legal system is not one designed to bring people toward health. But by
definition, anyone who is involved is dealing with some sort of crisis. And
when people are in crisis, they need help overcoming those crises. The question
is whether lawyers are properly trained to do that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My intuition and yoga training tell me they are not. Lawyers
are trained to “think like a lawyer.” What does that mean, you ask? It only
sort of means learning to think like Perry Mason. What it means is that we are
taught to look at everything with a rational and logical mindset. We are asked
to see the world as though it can be reduced to elements and factors. What that
means is that emotion should have no place in what we do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that, of course, means we cannot be healers, right? But
go back and read that previous paragraph without the word lawyer in it. Put in
the word doctor. Even put in the word psychiatrist. They have the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual (now in its fifth edition) that reduces behaviors to a
formula to then diagnose and treat, often with medication. I just started
reading a book called, “The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog,” by Dr. Bruce Perry.
In it, he tells a story of having to decide to drive a family home one night
from therapy instead of allowing the family to wait in the frigid Chicago
winter. He struggled not because he did not know the “right” thing to do, but
because his training had taught him to be dispassionate and emotionally
dissociated from his patients. His training taught him that driving them home
was overstepping his boundaries.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so it is with lawyers. And so it is with so many healing
professionals. We are asked to do a little dance – take on just enough to
understand and be empathic but not so much that we become so involved we lose
sight of an objective view. And that leads me back to where I began – can
lawyers, within an adversarial system, help people lead to healing? And perhaps
the better question is, does it even matter? There are other professionals and
people whose sole purpose is to bring healing to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does it matter if lawyers are among
them?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I expect there are few lawyers that are the source of why
people heal. I expect there are many lawyers who are part of the reason. But I
see one way lawyers can be a part of healing from the crisis, whatever that
crisis is. And it goes directly to representing child clients. There are
ongoing debates about lawyers who represent children. Should we represent their
best interest? Should we represent their wishes? The arguments for and against
each are long and involved, but one argument for client-directed representation
has stuck with me over the years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allowing children to direct their lawyers gives them a voice
in a process where they are often silenced. Some argue it puts them in the
middle, and that can be true, but at the end of the day, the argument is that
giving them the voice outweighs the negative effects it might create. And that,
I believe, can be healing in and of itself. Research on adults involved in the
justice system often shows that people just want to feel heard. They want to
know they had “their day in court.” They just want to know the process was
fair. Even if they end up “losing” their case, they always feel better if they
feel their voice was heard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And lawyers can offer that voice to our clients. In yoga, we
often create a sacred space to help people find their voice. We create a place
where people can go within and hear themselves, sometimes for the first time. And
there is power in that space. There is healing that comes just from being able
to speak and have someone listen. Lawyers are not, by any means, the only
people who offer this space. But it is a powerful gift to offer and one that
makes more sense knowing the strength of a yoga practice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">© Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/12/lawyers-as-healers.html" target="_blank">Lawyers asHealers</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-17021472336584836642013-11-24T08:39:00.001-07:002013-11-24T13:14:59.196-07:00Thick Skin<div dir="ltr">
We hear it a lot. It is supposed to be a sign of strength. Someone has a thick skin. But what does that really mean? We think it means they can handle whatever is thrown at them. We think it means words do not harm them. We think it means people do not take things personally.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
But what does it really mean? What does it mean not to have thick skin? </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Lawyers are simply expected to have a thick skin. Although all professionals have to learn some level of objectivity in their work, somehow lawyers are expected to be more stoic about it. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of types of law, but lawyers are often lumped into one category in terms of personality. We're supposed to be Type A, ruthless fighters who, by the way, have a thick skin. Lawyer ads exemplify this when lawyers are compared to eagles and sharks and tigers. We are tough and often ruthless and definitely fight for our clients.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
But that sort of mentality also comes with a price.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I know a lot of lawyers, and very few of them actually meet that description. But somehow deep down, I see a lot of lawyers think they have to meet that description. They feel they have to pretend to be strong even when the work is incredibly hard. They feel they have to push through pain, stress, fear, etc., just to show they are good enough to practice. They have to ignore the pain their clients feel because the law is reason devoid of emotion. That charade causes some people to disconnect from their true nature and forget that it is okay to be vulnerable. A thick skin is supposed to protect our inside from the harsh realities of the outside. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
And how do we show thick skin? Does it mean that we never sleep? Never take care of ourselves? Never show that we are upset? Never show that we need help? If we believe as a society that thick skin equals strength, does that mean those who do not have a thick skin are weak? </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
At times, it seems as though that is exactly what the legal profession suggests. More than once, I have overheard lawyers telling stories - and laughing - about the person who cried on the witness stand. But when they tell those stories, I realize they are talking about the people I find the strongest in what they do. They are the ones I admire. I do not necessarily admire them because of their tears, but I know who they are discussing, and inevitably, it is the people I trust. Of course I trust people who do not cry, but tears are rarely a reason not to trust someone, particularly in certain types of work.<br />
<br />
There is another aspect to a thick skin that involves not taking care of ourselves as we should. I have seen several articles floating around facebook about the vacation time Americans leave unused while the rest of the world uses every last day of it. And I have heard Americans call those people lazy. Interestingly, more and more people around the world are starting to follow the American model, which I do not understand, but it is happening nonetheless. Why do we feel this need to push ourselves and show everyone else how pushed we are? Why do we feel the need to never look "weak" in public? What part of taking a break, showing emotions, or even being vulnerable makes us so afraid?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I actually do not believe the biggest reason has to do with showing others how strong we are. It is that in some ways we actually feel less when we put on the thick skin charade, and in this world, that can have its advantages . . . in the short term. The world can be difficult to see. As news comes at us from all sides, we see the atrocities of the world from which we were able to hide only a generation ago. Being vulnerable to it is scary because it is scary to see the pain that others experience. When the Buddha first left his palace, he could not believe the horrors he saw. But then he decided to do something about it. He decided to show his followers a way through.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Similarly, yoga teaches us another way than believing we always need to have a thick skin. Yoga teaches us to be softer and more open to the possibility of feeling. And sometimes that can be scary. But arguably, in the long run, it also makes us stronger. Instead of hiding from the world in which we live, we learn to live within it and connect to people on deep levels.<br />
<br />
And yoga shows us what strength is from a different point of view. We can be strong when we are vulnerable and scared and unsure. In fact, that is where our true strength lies. Our thick skin is no match to a yoga mat. On the mat, we cannot hide from ourselves, but it is the fact that we see everything about ourselves that makes us stronger. It often does not feel that way, but as we go deeper into our practice, we find a sense of strength we didn't know we had.<br />
<br />
All too often, however, we think the true sign of strength is a thick skin. But that can cut us off from feeling anything at all. It can cut us off from the world around us. It can be important not to take what happens in our lives too personally, but the concept of a thick skin has moved us out of ourselves and into a world where the only way to be strong is to hide from what we are truly feeling. And that only leads to more dis-ease and distress later.<br />
<br />
How often do you find yourself saying you have a thick skin? Has it served you? Are you willing to break it down and see something different?<br />
<br />
Namaste!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
© Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
The Post, <i><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/11/thick-skin.html" target="_blank">Thick Skin</a></i>, first appeared on <i><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" style="color: #7c80a1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-79397380665600008742013-11-03T07:08:00.000-07:002013-11-03T07:08:05.236-07:00Yoga, Pain, and Something Bigger<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the past year, a lot of people have asked me,
“shouldn’t yoga help your pain?” I have learned to try to just smile and nod.
But a few times I have responded, “there is a chance yoga caused my pain.” Let
me be clear before I go further. I still think yoga is amazing. I am not giving
up being a yogi – in fact, I am teaching a restorative class next month. But
yoga, as it is taught in the United States, is not the answer to life, the
universe, and everything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a shock to some people. William Broad took on the
yoga establishment in 2012 with his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards</i>. The yoga blogosphere would not stop
talking about it for months. And he is back with another article in the New
York Times titled, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/sunday-review/womens-flexibility-is-a-liability-in-yoga.html">Women’s
Flexibility is a Liability (In Yoga)</a></i>. And we can fight and argue until
we are blue in the face (very yogic of us, I’m sure), but there is no question
we have to be careful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let us examine for a minute what yoga is. First, on this
blog, I hope I have been clear that yoga is not about asana. It is about a way
of life. Yoga is about <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Yamas" target="_blank">yamas</a> and <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/niyamas" target="_blank">niyamas</a> and breathing and meditation. Asana is
a piece, but it is nothing more than a piece. And in my life recently, it has
become even less of a piece of the yoga bundle. Yoga to many in the West,
however, is exercise. When I used to tell people I was not in the best shape (I
have never been a runner, for example), people would respond, “But you do
yoga.” Sometimes I would get into the discussion about yoga not being exercise,
but more often than not, I would simply nod and smile and move along.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yoga in America and the rest of the Western world has taken
on a feeling of gymnastics. It has permeated the gym culture and become a
source of sweaty movement. That is fine for what it is, but it is not yoga.
Even, or perhaps particularly, in asana, we must be aware and mindful of how we
are moving, feeling, and changing. Vinyasa practices, for anyone except the
super aware, take us out of that place. And please do not misunderstand. I LOVE
vinyasa practices. I just realize now they may not love me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And why do we love the sweaty movement of yoga? I personally
think it has a lot to do with our culture. We like to feel like we are doing
something good for ourselves while still “doing” something. I used to fall into
that mindset as well – is it really beneficial if I do not move? I knew the
answer was yes, but I still gravitated toward classes with vinyasa flows. I
also did a lot of yin and restorative, now my only source of asana, but those
classes were my dessert, not my daily practice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People who know me outside of a blogger persona know I need
to take a deep breath and calm down. I would expect that many of you reading
this are in the same boat. This blog is, after all, for people in high stress
places in life. So many of us have spent our lives looking for external gain –
the good grades in school, the good university, the good graduate school, the
good job, that we forget to stop and breathe, and before we know it we wake up,
and we are stressed and sick and in our late 20s. Sound like anyone you know?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And big-money yoga took on this mentality. There is nothing
inherently wrong with the yoga dominance. But there is a problem when it is
causing harm, and we as yoga teachers ignore it. The yoga teachers I know do
not ignore it. The yoga teachers I know tell me to come to class if the only
thing I can do is lie in savasana and imagine myself in the various asanas. But
I know there is a different culture out there. I see it in the discussions I
have with people. I see it in the yoga ads. It is why I stopped my subscription
to Yoga Journal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So before everyone gets all up in arms about William Broad
again, I think it is important to see how he ends the article. He does not tell
people not to do yoga. In fact, he makes a very yogic statement, “Better to do
yoga in moderation and listen carefully to your body. That temple, after all,
is your best teacher.” Each and every body is different. We can look at every
single skeleton and chart about muscles, ligaments, fascia, etc. we can find.
But at the end of the day, those are guides. Incredibly useful guides, without
which I would not want to be a yoga teacher, but nothing more than guides. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people have livers on the left side of their body. Some
people have naturally fused vertebrae. Some people have hip sockets that
misalign. Some people walk pigeon-toed. Some people . . . </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So can yoga cause pain? Of course it can! Anyone who tells
you otherwise is, frankly, dangerous. Can some people have a vinyasa practice
for 20 years and feel great? I guess so. I’m skeptical of that, but I know
people who have sworn by it for years. But they are also incredibly strong,
incredibly attuned to their bodies, and most likely, incredibly lucky. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My yoga practice has taken a strange about-face turn. This
year has turned my life upside down. But I’m slowly finding myself again, and
moving again. And these days I understand my body better than ever and still do
not understand the first thing about it. But that is the point. We have to be
slow, understand what we are feeling, and move from there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Making your first yoga class ever a vinyasa power class is
not the way to do that. They may have their place for some people, but at the
end of the day, they are simply not the answer for most people. And yes, that
can cause pain. And yes, that is something the billion-dollar yoga industry
does not want you to know. But guess what? Yoga is so much more. Through yoga,
we can calm our nervous systems and begin to respond to life calmly. Through
yoga, we can begin to understand ourselves better. Through yoga, we can begin
to understand our relationships better. And as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/river.fairy.yoga">a dear friend keeps reminding
me</a>, through yoga, we can heal the world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
© Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The Post, <i><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/11/yoga-pain-and-something-bigger.html" target="_blank">Yoga, Pain, and Something Bigger</a></i>, first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-19994989066598070232013-10-27T08:26:00.000-07:002013-10-27T08:26:17.604-07:00The Nervous System Gone Awry<div class="MsoNormal">
Almost ten years ago, I taught English in a small town in
France about 40 minutes from Paris. It was an interesting and difficult
experience on so many levels, and it would have been a great time to have had
my yoga tools, but alas, that is a story for another day. But right now I’m
remembering a scene in the teacher lunch room. I eat fast, but one day, I
watched one of the teachers literally inhale his yogurt. Looking back, it sort
of reminds me of how my dogs eat – they sort of forget to chew.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My grandfather was the polar opposite of that French
teacher. When we were children (and I will admit, even a bit when I was in
college and would visit my grandfather), my brother and I would make a joke of
my grandfather’s eating habits and count the number of times he would chew his
food. One time he got up to 27 chews . . . for a piece of lettuce!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back on these situations, I see two very different
nervous systems. The French teacher was jittery in general. His manner of eating
was simply one manifestation of his underlying hyper quality. My grandfather,
on the other hand, was an accountant. Now, I adore accountants, but they are
definitely not known for their high-strung jittery qualities. Instead, they are
methodical and calm and precise. And my grandfather’s ability to chew was just
a manifestation of those qualities. (And in case anyone is keeping score, I’m
writing this while scarfing down my breakfast faster than I should.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this post is not about eating, though I do think about
that a lot. This post is about our nervous systems. I had some fillings done on
two of my molars yesterday, and I was in pretty excruciating pain for several
hours after it was done. And I just kept thinking that my nervous system is so
strung out. Being in pain for over a year does that. But as someone said to me
earlier this week, that pattern has been in me for years. One could even argue
it was there as a child while I was getting annoyed with my grandfather for
eating so darn slowly. Sometimes he would even have to microwave his food in
the middle of the meal because it got cold. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, our
nervous systems manifest in various ways. I have <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/bouncing-foot-syndrome.html">written
before about people who bounce their feet constantly</a>. But there are
hundreds of manifestations of our internal energies. Have you ever met someone
you knew was just totally wound up? Have you ever met someone who just seemed
relax regardless of the external circumstances? That is the nervous system at
work. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And most people I know are living with their nervous systems
in high gear. It is why dis-ease is rampant, pain is everywhere, and somehow it
is October when it feels as though the year started last week. Most of us are
all running on nervous system fumes. This is, in many ways, a different way of
looking at the fight or flight response. We are living on high alert. But the
nervous system is what then starts to fire differently, and it changes how we
see the world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The nervous system is our connection to the rest of the
world and to ourselves. It is how we feel. If we had no sciatic nerve, for
example, we would be unable to walk. It is not just our muscles and bones that
hold us up, but our ability to feel our feet that allow us to stand. Serious
trauma to the nervous system can paralyze us. And our nervous system allows us
to connect to others as well. Neurons are the transmitters that help our brain
understand what is happening in the world around us. We need our nervous system
to function at its peak, or else we stop being able to function at all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we are <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2011/11/fight-or-flight-response-done-right.html">being
chased by a wild animal</a>, we need our nervous system to be on high alert. We
need to have a single-track mind to protect ourselves from the imminent danger.
But we do not need that singular focus the rest of our lives. In fact, it can
get in the way of our relationships and our ability to live a full life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we are in a calmer state, we notice the world around
us. We notice the people around us. We are able to give more of ourselves to
our work and our lives. It is the biggest paradox of our culture that we think
by working more we can get more done. But deep within our core, most of us know
that it is really when we take regular breaks to recharge that our ability to
work strengthens. Modern science is finally making these connections as well.
I’m still trying to implement naptime at work, but I’m having difficulty. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately, without regular breaks, without taking time
to breathe, or sometimes as a result of dis-ease, the nervous system goes awry.
It takes over and goes into overdrive, and getting it out of that state feels
impossible. Doctors give us medication that is supposed to stop that overdrive,
but instead of actually calming the nervous system, those medications simply
block our response to it. Sometimes that is the boost we need to calm down
ourselves, but sometimes it just makes it more difficult. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The good news is that the body/mind/soul do not want to rest
in hyperactivity, so getting back to calmness is actually their natural state.
We just have to get out of our own ways enough to make that happen. And that
can take years of training. Or it can take a few minutes of breathing every
day. There are so many tools to calm ourselves: Walking in nature, deep
breathing (most accessible and easiest but somehow one of the more difficult to
do), being with good friends, going to a calming yoga class (this means no
Bikram when the goal is to calm the nervous system), meditating, massage,
energy work, acupuncture, etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But those are all “just” tools. They are absolutely amazing
tools, and all of them will help us get on the path to calming the nervous
system. They are not, however, panaceas. In order to fully calm our nervous
systems, we have to want them to be calm. We have to step out of the mindset of
the modern world and recognize that we need not be nervous wrecks in order to function.
We do not have to go 100% all the time. We are allowed to stop and take a walk
in nature. Until we allow that one thought, nothing is going to change long
term. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you noticed your nervous system has gone awry? Are you
willing to allow yourself to calm? What are your tools? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Nervous System Gone Awry</i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is Yoga Legal</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-47675931194459664792013-10-23T06:06:00.003-07:002013-10-23T06:06:39.444-07:00Finding Your Voice<div dir="ltr">
I have had an interesting few weeks. I have delved into physical posture issues that had me questioning whether yoga led to my current physical pain. I have delved into emotional processes I have had my entire life wondering if they could be the root of the pain. And I have ignored the pain as much as possible and attempted to change my story around it only to have it come back and bite me in the rear, literally. There is so much to say. I have wanted to write about all of these issues and experiences, to share them as part of the yoga / modern world story.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
And yet, I cannot find the words. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Where have they gone? Everyone who writes has moments like these. They come in waves and make us believe we have lost our voice for good. Is it a fear of a response to our genuine voice? Is it a fear that we have nothing to say? Is it a fear of showing too much of ourselves? </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
When I was living in New Zealand, writing came so easy. If nothing else, I could always fall back on the beauty surrounding me. The <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Christchurch?m=0">earthquakes</a> provided nice, though disturbing, fodder as well. But since being back these for nearly two years, life has taken on a strange sense of normalcy even though I am finally a practicing attorney, the sole purpose for this blog. There is so much going on, but why would that matter to anyone? How do I put it into words? I do not think it is the practice of law itself that has taken my voice, but instead the implications on my practice of putting too much on a public blog.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
But it's not as though my life is not interesting. I see human tragedy several times per day and opportunities to use a practice all the time. But as each day ends there are moments of regret, realizations that moments of practice were missed, and a deep sense of recognition that more often than not <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Reaction?m=0">reaction</a> wins when response was so necessary. It's not just my voice that is missing, it's the practice itself. And how does a yoga teacher share being caught up in the mind so much as to miss the opportunity to tune in and meet people where they are with a sense of yogic connection?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
These issues go beyond the practice of law as well. A friend asked me if I wanted to teach a yoga class for her. Of course I do. But how? What if that morning I wake up unable to walk? What if I have lost my yoga teaching voice? What if I have lost my practice? When I started teaching yoga, people told me they loved my classes. Certainly they are different than the average American yoga class, but they seemed to work. But I have not taught in over a year. I have only taken a handful of classes. The fear has taken over. I don't know if my voice will come back or if my practice will either. There is a piece of the fight or flight response people often forget - the freeze response. As I have learned more about it, I see it more and more in the people around me. But more of that for a different day. Today, suffice it to say, my practice and my voice feel as though that is where they are.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
And that is when yoga is needed the most. It is always there to guide us back to presence and ourselves. Yoga is not about finding something external. It is about finding the strength within us that guides us through life. I realized something this past weekend. Sometimes we have to get out of our own way in order for the magic to happen. Yoga is just a tool for making that happen. It is the path (perhaps better to say, one path) for getting out of our own heads and into our true Being.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Deep within ourselves we cannot lose our voice. We cannot lose the practice. Both are always there. We just find incredible ways to hide them from ourselves and then fear they have disappeared forever. The truth, however, is that we can never lose our essence. By definition, it is always within us. And our voice is nothing more than our essence manifested in this reality. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
And so, yoga is the practice of letting our essence shine again. Sometimes it even takes writing about it before we can trust ourselves enough to access it. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Do you tune into your essential voice? Do you let your true voice manifest in this world? If not, what is holding you back? And what do you need to break out of that rut and shine? The modern world tries to quiet us and deprive us of our deepest voice, but yoga beings us back to it simply by silencing all the noise blocking it out. And sometimes remembering it is there is the first step on the journey toward finding it again. How are you finding your voice? </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Namaste.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">© Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The post, <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/10/finding-your-voice.html" target="_blank">Finding Your Voice</a>, first appeared on <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/">Is Yoga Legal</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-6890779542616538332013-10-06T07:03:00.000-07:002013-10-06T07:03:31.679-07:00Exhausted<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m exhausted.” It is a phrase that permeates the
courthouse and society on a daily basis. And you can see it in peoples’ faces. Earlier
this week, I was in court wondering whether the lawyer sitting next to me was
going to fall out of his chair he looked so tired. The best place to see it is while driving (am I the only person who people watches while driving?). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(medical)" target="_blank">According to Wikipedia</a>, the
clinical definition is fatigue. But exhausted is the word most of us choose to
use on a daily basis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I am sure you see it all around you. People putting on
make-up to cover up the tired bags under their eyes, drinking coffee all day
long “just to keep going,” people forgetting to do work, etc. Exhaustion is
deeper than just a lack of sleep. We create exhaustion in our lives through
non-stop stress, lack of sleep, poor eating (really poor digestion), and
frantic overuse of technology. Not only do we spend all our time on our phones,
computers, tablets, televisions, etc., but we are being bombarded with
information, some of it useful and some of it not, but most importantly, it is
simply too much. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The old adage is true – there definitely can be too much of
a good thing!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And when we are exhausted, our bodies do not function
properly. Our brains need time to rest and rejuvenate. Our bodies need time to
heal during the night. It is not called beauty sleep for nothing. Our skin even
looks better when we sleep enough. I have had healing practitioners tell me
that they can cure ailments like pain simply by improving peoples’ sleep
quality and quantity. Exhaustion is not, therefore, something just to push through. It underlies so many other dis-ease states.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And beyond just our individual selves, in our modern world, the Earth itself feels exhausted.
There are physical wars happening, political wars happening (I’m writing this
while the US government is shut down), and interpersonal wars. We deplete our
soil, overuse our goods, and pollute our air. No wonder we all walk around
looking like zombies. Our phone addictions help protect us from having to feel
the exhaustion. As long as we have a distraction, we can pretend we do not feel the full effects of the exhaustion. But then sometimes we do. Have you ever had a day where you could not face getting out of bed, where your body just did not seem to move? Have you ever gone to a yoga class and slept through savasana? That is when exhaustion overtakes us. And in the long run, it will win. It is just a matter of time . . . unless we counteract it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what do we do about it? How do we take back some of our
exhaustion and begin to feel we have some energy again? There are a myriad of
ways, and at some level I am reticent to give too many. After all, I do not
want to exhaust you with things to do. But here is the most important thing to
remember – do what feels like a really good idea to you. If it does not feel
right (not because you do not want it to feel right but really does not feel
right) do not do it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, at least one meal per day actually pay attention to
your food. Stop reading, texting, or watching television, and eat your food
consciously. Yes, it takes longer. And yes, it can seem boring. But try it. I
have been trying to do this again, and I cannot express how hard it has been. I
find my mind wandering everywhere but my food, but that is just a sign I have
gotten away from this good habit. I used to do this really well - interestingly that was back when I was just out of college. And once you can do it for one meal per day,
start doing it for two or even all three.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Second, take some time every day to breathe. Just breathe.
This should really be the tagline of this blog in general – just breathe. But
it is true. And if you want to really help calm the nervous system and relax
before bed, try doing some <a href="http://www.artofliving.org/yoga-breathing-techniques/alternate-nostril-breathing-nadi-shodhan">alternate
nostril breathing</a>. When you feel something bothering you, take a deep breath. It is amazing how simple this is, and it is amazing how many of us forget to do it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Third, get more sleep. Even just going to bed 30 minutes
earlier will help. And while you are at it, turn off the television, cell
phone, and tablet while in bed. And this is where I need to practice. My phone
sits next to my bed, and although I have turned it silent overnight, it is
still there when I cannot sleep, and I turn to facebook at 3am. That is not the
best way to get back to sleep. In fact, it is one of the worst. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fourth, stop watching and reading the news. It is designed
to be dramatic and rile you up. It is not designed to be informative and
uplifting. Sadness and violence sell, and that just increases our exhaustion.
We hear about these stories, and we then internalize them. And we are bombarded
with them all day, every day. So turn it off in moments when you feel totally
exhausted. This is not to say never watch the news again – just choose wisely
when you do and ensure you are ready for the onslaught and are prepared to
breathe through it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exhaustion is simply rampant in our culture. We are expected
to be exhausted. And that is unfortunate. We are creating, or have created, a
culture where destruction of ourselves somehow shows we are stronger than
others. It is a difficult belief system to overcome, but exhaustion is not the
way we have to live, and deep down we all know it is not going to make us do
our jobs better. In fact, it means we are going to end up not only exhausted
but with chronic dis-ease patterns that make it impossible for us to function.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, ask yourself if you are exhausted. And if you are, what one
step are you going to take today to help overcome that exhaustion? For me, I am
going to keep my phone off no matter how awake I am at 3am. Facebook can wait.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
© Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/10/exhausted.html" target="_blank">Exhausted</a></i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-34508251823772075582013-09-28T10:55:00.002-07:002013-09-28T10:55:27.235-07:00Cleansing Samskaras<div class="MsoNormal">
I am currently doing an ayurvedic cleanse. It consists of
two weeks of eating simply, participating in ayurvedic rituals to cleanse and
heal, and steering clear of some of the most difficult foods for us to handle –
coffee, alcohol, and dairy. Ayurveda is often called Yoga’s sister science because it is the ancient healing modality from India. There is so much to Ayurveda, and perhaps my next post will
cover those issues, but today I want to focus on what it means to cleanse and
let go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere.
Here in the United States, we often call this season fall. It gets that name
because it is when all the leaves fall off the trees. Of course, that barely
happens here in the Tucson desert, but it is my favorite time of year and one
thing I miss from living in places that actually have four seasons. (Of course,
come January, when I’m not wearing a parka, I stop my whining.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the point is that autumn is a time to let go of that
which no longer serves us. It is a time to slow down as the heat of the summer
begins to dissipate. We begin to crave warming and grounding foods. And this is
the reason to cleanse in autumn. It is a time to reset after the summer and
move forward into simpler times. It is also one of the two times of year where
we are closest to equal parts light and dark in our days because it is right
after the equinox. This major shift in the Earth allows us to make major shift
within ourselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Certainly the cleanse is about releasing internal, physical
toxins and calming the digestive tract to help it better digest our food. And
as Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be they food.”
Food has the power to harm and to heal and be a beacon for our overall health.
But there is something more to this cleanse than simply cleansing physically.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cleansing is an opportunity to release old patterns that no
longer serve us. I have written before about <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2011/01/looking-right.html">samskaras</a>.
A samskara, while it sometimes has a negative connotation as a “bad” pattern we
hold, is nothing more than a pattern. The word itself is neutral. If we act in
a certain way often enough, it simply becomes a pattern, and we no longer have
to think about what we are doing. It simply comes naturally. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be clear, this is required in life. We have to be able to
turn off our brains at times and run on autopilot. If we had to think about
everything every time we tried to do something, we would get very little done.
And we know physiologically, this is how the brain is set up. Babies are born
with many more neurons than adults have. As time goes on, they go through a
process called “pruning,” whereby they create synapses, or pathways in the
brain, that lead to modes of being. This is why it is so much easier for babies
to learn than adults. Their brains are more malleable because they have very few synapses but a lot of neurons to create them (though new research
suggests adult brains are more malleable than previously thought). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therefore, patterns we develop in childhood lead to the
patterns many of us carry into adulthood. These can include anything from good
study habits to driving on the left side of the road to craving unhealthy foods
to negative self-talk. While the neurosciences call these synapses, yoga
philosophy calls them samskaras, and Buddhism calls them samsaras. So, some samskaras are uplifting and help us
get through our days, while others of them bog us down and can eventually
create dis-ease.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as fall begins and we think about letting go and slowing
down for winter, it is important to notice the patterns we hold that no longer
serve us or might be causing us some disease. Louise Hay, who wrote, “You Can
Heal Your Life,” talks about the power of affirmations to overcome all disease.
And as I <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-power-to-heal.html">mentioned
a few months ago</a>, the medical literature is beginning to agree. What we
think matters to our health, and what we think can shape our health perhaps more than some of us would like to admit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, what are some negative samskaras some of us hold? Simply
read these statements and ask yourself if any of them resonate with you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m not good enough.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m not loveable.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I deserve to suffer.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I will not succeed, so I will not even try.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I do not deserve happiness.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There is no joy in my life.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am scared.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can you think of others you bring into your life? There are
so many ways we inhibit our greatest good from coming forward. But we can begin to overcome these negative patterns. There are several emerging psychological techniques specifically designed to reframe these negative patterns, including
Somatic Experiencing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Tapping/Emotional
Freedom Technique.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the first step is simply noticing what we do to create
this self harm. I see it so often in the work I do. It comes up everywhere to
people in healing professions. It is so much easier to see when other people do
it than when we do it ourselves. But I know very few people who do not do this, and therefore noticing is the first step. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next step is to reframe the pattern. As Robert Frost
said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.” When we leave our old patterns behind, we
can begin to create new patterns. We have to make the choice to do that. And we
begin to create new patterns by reframing our self-talk. When we notice a
negative statement coming, state a positive one. There are literally thousands
of affirmations we could say, but I want to leave you with one in particular. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No single blog post is going to help you overcome all your
negative samskaras. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a friend
of mine gave me one of my favorites, “I love myself. I forgive myself.” And I
add to that, “I am safe.” I figure this covers the vast majority of negative
self-talk so many of us use. So I hope you are able to look in a mirror every day and say to yourself, "I love myself. I forgive myself. I am safe." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do you notice your self-talk? Is it causing you dis- ease? What helps you reframe the talk?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">© Rebecca
Stahl 2013, all rights reserved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/09/cleansing-samskaras.html" target="_blank">Cleansing Samskaras</a></i>, first
appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a>.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-79381920344311056632013-09-13T19:36:00.001-07:002013-09-13T19:36:32.567-07:00Starting Fresh and Forgiving the Trauma <div class="MsoNormal">
I think we have all heard the word trauma. It probably means
something different to each of us. This week, we marked the 12<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and I have been reading an interesting
discussion about how people in the United States were traumatized differently
if they were actually in New York, D.C., or Pennsylvania vs. the rest of us who
“just” watched it on television. This year, we had a similar event, though
smaller in numbers, with the Boston Marathon bombing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But even without these major events on our own soil, if
you’re an American reading this, most of us hear the news about what is
happening in Syria and the rest of the Middle East. I have not seen the photos
(I refuse to watch them because I do not think at this point I can handle
them), but I know they are out there. I did watch the video of the woman dying
in Egypt during their revolution in 2009. As if we do not have our own
individual trauma, we now have a world of shared trauma. In an instant, we can
be across the world watching someone die . . . over and over again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On an individual level, we all have experienced our own
personal trauma. Today, I was talking to a yoga therapist, and she asked me if
I had trauma as a child. My response was, “don’t we all?” I mean, I looked back
at some of the very intense physical issues I had to deal with as a very young
child, and I see now how incredibly intertwined they are with my current
physical situation. There are many people who believe, and I think rightly so,
that birth itself is a trauma. And then, of course, there are the children and
adults, who deal with ongoing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I rarely discuss the work I do on this blog. Part of that is
because so much of it is confidential, but also because it is really not the
specific point of this blog, and because I frankly think it would be
unprofessional to get into anything beyond the most general. Trauma is a really
big word in the juvenile court world. These days, the goal is to be a
trauma-informed or trauma-responsive system. It is a noble goal, and one I do
not think anyone takes lightly. The legal world is, therefore, focusing on this
one word a lot. The military, and even the NFL, are talking about responding to
traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The word trauma seems to be everywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I sometimes feel like we get lost in the word because we
use it so much. Do we get desensitized to it because we talk about it so much? Do
we forget sometimes real peoples’ lives are at stake below this word TRAUMA
that seems to pepper every discussion we have?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have these
discussions, to help people accept that their trauma is real, and it is okay to
experience the repercussions. It is important to have these discussions to find
the best ways to work with trauma, and perhaps most importantly, to realize we
can heal from trauma. I have written about this <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/search/label/Overcoming%20Crisis%20Mode">before</a>
in the context of healing professionals and vicarious trauma. But <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/09/forgiving-ourselves.html">during
this time to focus on forgiveness</a>, I think it is important to look at
trauma as something to forgive. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is very easy to dwell on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> things happen to us. It is very easy to dwell on how terrible
it is that they happened. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>It is very easy to be upset about
decisions adults made in our lives when we were children when we think we would
have made different ones. But the truth is that life happens. We all make the
best decisions we can along the way. And as long as we hold onto the victim
stance, our bodies will respond with dis-ease. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is an entire aspect of yoga focused on trauma and how
best to bring very traumatized people into yoga safely, so they can begin the
healing journey. But regardless of who we are, yoga is going to force us to see
our own trauma, whether we watched the Twin Towers fall, were beaten by a
parent, or fell down one too many times as a child. We are going to face
whatever good and bad experiences we have had in our lives, whether we want to
face them or not. Yoga brings us to the brink of our humanness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At times it can be very difficult to accept that we are
still feeling the effects of what happened to us 5, 10, or even 50 years ago,
but the truth is that we are. Some of us get really upset at ourselves for not
healing, not getting better fast enough. But as someone said to me once, “what
would you say to the child or the person in the moment they experience the
trauma and the fear?” That is how we need to treat ourselves regardless of when
the reaction to the trauma arises. We must learn to forgive the event, the
people who we have told ourselves caused the event, and the fact that we are
re-experiencing the event however many years after it occurred.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have often wondered why the Jewish New Year is before the
Day of Atonement. Would it not make more sense to let go of the past, ask for
forgiveness, and then celebrate with the New Year? But as I look at it from
this lens, I realize it does make sense. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it makes a lot of sense. The fact that the new year
happens first reminds us that the world has already moved on. Now we just have
to follow suit. We absolutely can move on and heal. We just have to do the
actual work to allowing the healing to happen. And that is forgiveness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have to let ourselves forgive ourselves, each other, and
the Universe for whatever we believe has caused us dis-ease during the year.
And we can do this because we have already opened our hearts and attitudes to
the idea that we have moved past it, that we are on a new path. And through
forgiveness on so many levels we can begin to heal the trauma each and every
one of us experiences, whether it be trauma or Trauma. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How are you forgiving the past? Yourself?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Namaste!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
post, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/09/starting-fresh-and-forgiving-trauma.html" target="_blank">Starting Fresh and Forgiving Trauma</a></i>,
first appeared on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352557684385381149.post-65569201468403274732013-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:002013-09-07T09:28:20.951-07:00Forgiving Ourselves<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b><span style="text-align: center;">“<i>We can never obtain
peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.</i>” – Dalai Lama</span></div>
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I have posted several times before about this time of year.
I was raised Jewish, and while now most of my practice comes from Yoga, the roots
of Judaism are still there. And this time of year, the High Holy Days, is when
I think about it the most. The period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur is a time to reflect on how we have acted the past year, ask for
forgiveness, and forgive those that have hurt us. I can think of no spiritual
tradition that does not place forgiveness at the forefront of living a good
life.</div>
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The legal world is not generally a place that forgives
easily. In fact, we can be accountable for long periods of time for actions
that occurred years ago. Interestingly, though, I work in one area of the law
that starts by saying, we know what happened in the past, but it is time to
move forward. The goal is to move on from the past and make the future a
brighter place for children and families. That is a pretty amazing concept. I
cannot say it always happens, but that is generally the goal at the outset. It
is inspiring to see the times when it actually works out well, and families can
move forward into a greater future. </div>
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But it takes a lot of work. Forgiveness and moving on are
not traits that come easily to many of us. Yoga, however, can give us some
tools for finding forgiveness and, sometimes more importantly, asking for
forgiveness.</div>
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But there is no way we can offer our forgiveness to others
until we find it within ourselves. The Dalai Lama, in the quote above, says it
perfectly – we need to find our own peace, our own forgiveness, before there
can be external peace and forgiveness. But how does that even look? Self-forgiveness
is a difficult process, but it is fundamentally necessary to surviving in the
world.</div>
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When we practice yoga, we are forced to look at ourselves
head-on. We cannot hide who we are from ourselves. Instead, we slow down, and
we turn inward. Yoga is not about getting fit. It is not about exercise. It is
not about having a cute butt. Yoga is about coming face-to-face with who we
are. A friend of mine posted a question on facebook. She asked, “Why am I
brought to the depths of sorrow and tears near the end of each Yoga class?” I
have posted before about how yoga is not always about making us feel awesome
every single time we go to class. It is about understanding ourselves and
discovering who we are. It is about seeing our true selves, not the mask, or
masks, we share with the world.</div>
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And so, in many ways, yoga is about forgiving ourselves for
pretending to be something we are not. We all have our masks. And everyone else
shows us his or her masks as well. We live in a world where we hide who we
truly are for fear of making someone angry or hurting someone’s feelings or
even of just feeling different. But then our soul begins to react and get upset
about our hiding it from the world. It begins to create dis-ease in our life.
So, one of the answer’s to my friend’s question is that yoga brings us to this
reality. It shows us what we have been hiding from the world, and the relief
can come across as laughter, tears, and powerful emotions. </div>
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But after those emotions start to clear, we see our true
selves. We can be with who we really are. And from there, we can begin to find
the peace and forgiveness the Dalai Lama mentions. And once we are finally able
to forgive ourselves, and see ourselves for who we really are – perfect beings
on this turbulent ride called life – we can begin to forgive others and connect
with them on a deeper and fuller level. No one is going to claim this is easy,
but that is what makes this year so amazing. Just like <a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2010/12/why-this-jew-loves-christmas.html">Christmas
is a day where you can smile at anyone</a>, this time of year between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur has something in the air, even if you have never heard
about these holidays before, so you have some support to start now.</div>
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How has yoga brought you to see yourself differently? </div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">©
Rebecca Stahl 2013, all rights reserved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The post, <i><a href="http://isyogalegal.blogspot.com/2013/09/forgiving-ourselves.html" target="_blank">Forgiving Ourselves</a></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, first appeared on </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.isyogalegal.blogspot.com/" style="color: #7c80a1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Is Yoga Legal</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05321991410940383270noreply@blogger.com0