Category Archives: Breathing

“What Do You Practice?”

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“What Do You Practice?”
Cheri Harvey, January 29, 2018
Last week, I came across a video on Facebook and I want to share the video and the message with you today.
In this video, this young boy asks a profound question: “What do you practice?”
Note: OK, I found out today that this little boy is repeating the teachings of Prem Rawat, and from watching a video of Prem Rawat speaking about this, I learned that he based and created this teaching from a story he heard while in China. So, I’ll post links to all three videos below. :-)
I’ll summarize what he says here, but check out the videos via the links below.
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[What do you practice? Because whatever you practice, you’ll become very good at it!
 
Do you practice joy in your life? 
Do you practice peace in your life? 
Do you practice happiness in your life? 
If you do, you’ll get very good at it!
 
Or do you practice complaining? If you practice complaining, you’ll get very good at it. So good at it, that you’ll find fault with everything, like you are the expert on things you know nothing about!
 
Or do you practice anger? Because if you practice anger, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that the most trivial things will make you angry. 
 
Or do you practice worry? Because if you practice worry, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that everything will worry you.
 
So, if it is a matter of practice, let us practice peace, joy, happiness…. Imagine the rewards!]
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So, may I (Cheri) suggest that we practice happiness, kindness, love, mercy, grace, peace, enthusiasm, etc. because if we practice any of those things, we will get really good at them!
This is also how our yoga practice works. It is a practice! And whatever we practice, we will become good at it.
We practice balance.
We practice flexibility.
We practice strength.
We practice alignment.
We practice breathing and meditation to calm us.
And by practicing these things, we will become good at them.
So good at them, that we will experience balance, flexibility, strength, alignment, stress-reduction, etc. in our daily lives.
Yoga is not only about what you do in class on your yoga mat. It is about what that practice produces in your daily life that you live out!
—
Here are the links to the videos:
Prem Rawat (background to story): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmOFWiwfP1s
** Prem Rawat (same segment as what the little boy repeated): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbvSl2r-3E
I hope this question “What do you practice?” will really cause each of us to notice and inspect what we practice every day and that we will make the necessary adjustments to practice the things that will have the greatest rewards for ourselves and those in our lives.

Pay Attention To Your Daily Transitions

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Think about all the transitions you go through in a typical day…. Transitioning from sleep to getting ready for your day… transitioning from home to work, school or other activities… transitioning back to your home and family life… transitioning from all the various roles you take on in one day… transitioning between projects, phone calls, meetings, classes, clients, patients, etc….
Sometimes do you transition from one activity or role to another without even slowing down? Do you just rush from one activity to the next without ever stopping to take a break? Do you “take your work home with you”? Do you drag your home life frustrations into your work life or vice versa? Do you feel like all your daily activities just kinda slide into one another?
Instead, how about if you create some ritual or activity that helps you be more present in each current activity/role throughout your day? Here are a few suggestions – and feel free to make up your own and share them with me! 
 
1) Between activities, take a Five Breath “Breathing Break” to get yourself centered, leaving the activity you just completed and moving fully into the next activity.
2) Stretch and move your body for a One-Minute “Stretch Break” (Hint: You can do this simultaneously with your “Breathing Break”!)
3) Give yourself a double thumbs-up and say (out loud if possible <grin>), “I’m done with that. I did my best. I’m moving on.”
4) Say a short prayer, offering up what you just completed and seeking guidance and direction for your next activity.
 
What other ones do you come up with? 
 
Try these for today and notice the difference they make in your day, OK? 
 
Let me know how this worked for you!
 

Autumn Says It’s Time To Let Go

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Well, it’s Fall (or Autumn if you prefer) and what a beautiful season!! Fall is a time for vibrant colors and also a time to let go. 
 

Below are excerpts from two previous newsletters regarding lessons we can learn from Fall.

I hope you enjoy the short articles!

Tip Of The Month: Learn From Autumn
(from October 2008 Newsletter)

This time of year is a time of change in nature. Learn from nature and let this be a time of change for you too. There is a cleanness and crispness to the air. The leaves change colors and show their vibrancy and beauty. The leaves eventually fall off and provide a beautiful carpet for the earth. The trees stand tall and prepare for a period of stillness even though there is a lot unseen going on to prepare for the new life in the Spring.

Let’s breathe into this season and use it to be bold and bright and vibrant in our daily lives. Let’s let go of some things (what do you need to let go of?) in order to create a stillness and a space within us for something new and beautiful to arrive in our lives soon!! Release. Rejuvenate. Renew!!

Cheri’s RealTip: Learn From Autumn – It’s Time To Let Go!
(from October 2011 Newsletter)
Who is with me and loves this season?! Ready to enjoy the cooler temperatures… the bright blue skies… the crisp air…  then a bit later, the colorful leaves – beau-ti-ful!… then when it’s the right time, the trees release those leaves. 
That’s the lesson I want us to think about… releasing things from our lives at the right time. What would happen if the trees that are supposed to release their leaves never let go? I’m thinking that would not be a healthy tree for long. 
Take a look at your schedule. What are you continuing to hold on to in your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly schedule that you no longer enjoy or that is just too much? Is it the right time to let go? We don’t want to just start releasing stuff willy-nilly, but if it no longer serves your highest good and it’s the right time, release it!
In yoga class, we do breathing exercises. We focus on the inhale and we focus on the exhale. Both are needed… bringing the breath in during the inhale and also releasing the breath during the exhale. If we decided we liked drawing breath in so much that we just tried to hold onto the inhale way past the time that it had served it’s purpose or way longer than it was healthy for us, we’d be in trouble! We need the exhale… the release. 
 
So what things in your schedule, or in your house, or in your project list, or in your relationships is it the right time to release? 
Just like the trees, when we let go, it creates the opportunity for new life to come again. What is ready to bless your life, just waiting for you to let go and make space for it?
 

Yoga For Emotional and Mental Stability

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In Class This Week, we’ll focus on three things:
  1. Lunges – We’ll practice variations of the lunge pose, including Warrior 1 modifications, low lunge and high lunge. These poses stretch the groin and legs, strengthen your legs and arms and increase your balance.
  2. Emotional and Mental Stability – We’ll do an 8-minute, 4-pose soothing Kundalini Yoga set (kriya) that does wonders for your nervous system in a very short amount of time and will leave you feeling mentally and emotionally calm, relaxed and stable. It’s my favorite – works every time! Oh yeah!!
  3. Pranic Meditation – In this 5-minute meditation, you’ll focus on your breath and the prana (life force) that is carried by your breath. According to Yogi Bhajan, this meditation “fertilizes the brain” to help eliminate depression and fatigue, provides a constant flow of energy, and boosts your health and intuition.
I hope you will join me this week for this very beneficial practice for your physical, mental and emotional health!

3 Easy Steps To Improve Your Health and Well-Being

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The other day, I was thinking how important two things are: breathing and posture. I thought “If I could get everyone to breathe better and to have better posture, what a difference that would make!” Well, I happen not to know everyone, but I do know you, so we’ll start there! :-)

Then a bit later, I thought “Oh. And move! Gotta add that one!”

So, let me encourage you (and me) on these three things and allow yourself feel the difference in your health and well-being!

First, stop throughout your day for “breathing breaks” and just focus on your breath. Notice if you’ve been holding your breath or breathing shallow. Deepen your breath and take time to draw the life in on the inhales and relax as you exhale. Do this for 15 seconds to a minute several times throughout your day.

Second, take mind of your posture! Stand and sit up nice and tall! Draw your lowest shoulder blade tips down your back as you lengthen the base of your skull up. Lengthen your sternum (breast bone) up as you draw your lower front ribs down. Notice how much easier it is to breathe! See how this goes hand-in-hand with the first thing?!

Third, move your body!! We were designed to move. Moving helps every system in your body. Be grateful you can move and do it! Move in a way that’s fun to you whether it’s yoga, running, swimming, taking a walk, dancing in your living room… just move! Start with five minutes, then build up to 30 minutes a day if you can – any amount of movement is better than none!! By moving your body, you are increasing your health and well-being and you are honoring the One who designed you to move.

Be blessed in your breath, your posture and your movement.

Written By: Cheri Harvey, Owner/Founder Yoga For Real