Yes, You Do Have a Third Eye. How to Use It.

I like to watch people. You're not supposed to do that in yoga class, so I make a real effort to watch myself. That's where the third eye comes in to play. It located just above the eyebrows (doesn't matter if you have one or two), right in the middle. This is supposed to be the place of wisdom. Since it is up there with the ears, noses, and eyes, it also relates to the sinuses.

So, here are some tips for those of us with sinus problems. 

1. If you're not sure whether you belong to this group, ask yourself if you sniffle like a puppy especially when you put your head on your pillow at night.

2. Okay, so you're in the sinus club. Here's the deal, you've got an imbalance. Might be hormonal which gets us women off the hook. We can be as nutty as you please and say it is sinus congestion. Or it may be connected to the nervous system which would explain the depression that could accompany the distress of puppy sniffling and the associated discomfort.

3. Now lets assume you get depressed from this malady. I do. It's so annoying. quite possibly you've lost touch with your creativity. Maybe you have problems focusing and concentrating, feel confused and negative. 

4. Does this sound like you? Have you lost track of direction and intellectual stimulation? In other words, do you hang out on the sofa, eat comfort food, and watch TV a lot? Do you hate your job and feel wiped out at night?

Here are some solutions.

1. Get in touch with your intuitive self.  Yoga is a good way to do this, but not the only way. Pay attention to what's going on around you. What part of it do you like, and hate. Admit to the truth, don't waste anymore time complaining.

2. Stay with this awareness and stand up straight. Hold your head up. Find your backbone and search out your heart's direction. Work at it with some kind of meaningfulness, even if it doesn't pay money, and talk about your high ideals out loud. 

3. Devote yourself to this endeavor and allow your intuition and imagination to flourish. You can still be straight-laced, even stodgy if you're more comfortable that way while you experience oneness with your higher self, gaining that sense of oneness that liberates the soul.

4. Now your integration, strength of self since you've let go of that outer depression and discouragement will allow you to release your anxiety. You don't need it anymore. You've found your self-realization and mastery. You could even do something out of your usual routine or comfort zone.

This may not be the answer to your lousy roommate problem or financial misfortunes, but by now a few weeks, maybe months have gone by, and you are probably healthier and happier.

So if the sniffles still bother you, then you may have a deviated septum or some allergy to grasses, or something else like that. I've heard that three tablets of beta carotene three times a day for three days helps cure allergies. I'm no doctor, I just heard that while watching and listening to people. 

At least this way, you might not support the pharmaceutical industry. I felt kind of dizzy after 90 minutes of third eye work, but it was a good dizzy and just for awhile.

I think I've gained wisdom, too, since I can pass this on to you.

Try it.  

Yes, You Do Have a Third Eye. How to Use It.

I like to watch people. You're not supposed to do that in yoga class, so I make a real effort to watch myself. That's where the third eye comes in to play. It located just above the eyebrows (doesn't matter if you have one or two), right in the middle. This is supposed to be the place of wisdom. Since it is up there with the ears, noses, and eyes, it also relates to the sinuses.

So, here are some tips for those of us with sinus problems. 

1. If you're not sure whether you belong to this group, ask yourself if you sniffle like a puppy especially when you put your head on your pillow at night.

2. Okay, so you're in the sinus club. Here's the deal, you've got an imbalance. Might be hormonal which gets us women off the hook. We can be as nutty as you please and say it is sinus congestion. Or it may be connected to the nervous system which would explain the depression that could accompany the distress of puppy sniffling and the associated discomfort.

3. Now lets assume you get depressed from this malady. I do. It's so annoying. quite possibly you've lost touch with your creativity. Maybe you have problems focusing and concentrating, feel confused and negative. 

4. Does this sound like you? Have you lost track of direction and intellectual stimulation? In other words, do you hang out on the sofa, eat comfort food, and watch TV a lot? Do you hate your job and feel wiped out at night?

Here are some solutions.

1. Get in touch with your intuitive self.  Yoga is a good way to do this, but not the only way. Pay attention to what's going on around you. What part of it do you like, and hate. Admit to the truth, don't waste anymore time complaining.

2. Stay with this awareness and stand up straight. Hold your head up. Find your backbone and search out your heart's direction. Work at it with some kind of meaningfulness, even if it doesn't pay money, and talk about your high ideals out loud. 

3. Devote yourself to this endeavor and allow your intuition and imagination to flourish. You can still be straight-laced, even stodgy if you're more comfortable that way while you experience oneness with your higher self, gaining that sense of oneness that liberates the soul.

4. Now your integration, strength of self since you've let go of that outer depression and discouragement will allow you to release your anxiety. You don't need it anymore. You've found your self-realization and mastery. You could even do something out of your usual routine or comfort zone.

This may not be the answer to your lousy roommate problem or financial misfortunes, but by now a few weeks, maybe months have gone by, and you are probably healthier and happier.

So if the sniffles still bother you, then you may have a deviated septum or some allergy to grasses, or something else like that. I've heard that three tablets of beta carotene three times a day for three days helps cure allergies. I'm no doctor, I just heard that while watching and listening to people. 

At least this way, you might not support the pharmaceutical industry. I felt kind of dizzy after 90 minutes of third eye work, but it was a good dizzy and just for awhile.

I think I've gained wisdom, too, since I can pass this on to you.

Try it.  

Putting Pain in Prospective: Squats and Butt-Cheeks

I am not feeling so peaceful today, although I'm definitely in the moment. There were so many squats in yoga class on Saturday that it has translated to butt-check pain today. My mantra of looking better in jeans through yoga leaps to mind with a sharpness as I sit here. 

I will do squats again, but for now I've a real pain in the rear problem to solve.

Two pillows luxuriously wrapped my backside in feathers, but did nothing for the pain.

I've tried sitting on the front edge of the chair with only the smallest part of my rear-end touching anything but then my back hurt, and somehow at that angle my elbows stuck out at 45 degree angles that caused my arms to ache when I held them over the computer and typed. There's no room to scoot my laptop back for better leverage.

Shifting about halfway back on the chair and tilting my knees toward the floor raised my backside off the chair enough that it didn't hurt. The upper thighs took all the pressure. This caused them to splay out fatter than they have ever been. The wall mirror made it look worse than it probably was, but what a sight to see, or preferably, not to see. If that wasn't bad enough my boobs pooched forward, my back arched, and my shoulders hiked up to my ears. 

I'd have not looked toward the mirror and kept going but circulation stopped south of the mid-thigh area. Straddling the chair solved nothing, sitting cross-legged crushed the bottom ankle bone, one leg up and one leg down was just plain lop-sided and useless.

There is, however,  a solution to every problem, right? So, I asked myself... 

What would my elderly aunt do? She sleeps about four hours a night, works around her farm all day, cooks, shops and sits down only to do genealogy stuff on the computer for a hour or so at a time. She'd stand up.

What would my mother do? She'd find a position on the sofa and read all day.

My husband? He'd go to work and tough it out, then grumble his way into bed probably putting his pajama bottoms on wrong side out.

My son would eat pizza and brownies and sparkling cranberry juice, take Advil, then complain about his stomach hurting and ask me what to do. Meantime, he'd figure some way to play video games to distract himself.

My daughter would load up on Advil and go shopping for new bras. (she wouldn't have to sit down once she was out of the car)

My best friend would heave out one of her deepest sighs, laugh in my face, remind me about the similar pain of horseback riding, take a drag from her cigarette (we all wish she would quit), click her pink-painted fingernails, look right over my head all high and mighty, blow out that stupid smoke and say, "Get a freaking cushion, take the Advil (I'm very anti-medicine), unplug the laptop and work somewhere else." She's always been very earthy and grounded, so to speak.

I've decided I'm getting some iced tea and watching television from some position on the sofa. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Maybe I'll call my mom and we can chat, too. Hope she's home. 

 

Any ideas? I'm open for suggestions. 

Putting Pain in Prospective: Squats and Butt-Cheeks

I am not feeling so peaceful today, although I'm definitely in the moment. There were so many squats in yoga class on Saturday that it has translated to butt-check pain today. My mantra of looking better in jeans through yoga leaps to mind with a sharpness as I sit here. 

I will do squats again, but for now I've a real pain in the rear problem to solve.

Two pillows luxuriously wrapped my backside in feathers, but did nothing for the pain.

I've tried sitting on the front edge of the chair with only the smallest part of my rear-end touching anything but then my back hurt, and somehow at that angle my elbows stuck out at 45 degree angles that caused my arms to ache when I held them over the computer and typed. There's no room to scoot my laptop back for better leverage.

Shifting about halfway back on the chair and tilting my knees toward the floor raised my backside off the chair enough that it didn't hurt. The upper thighs took all the pressure. This caused them to splay out fatter than they have ever been. The wall mirror made it look worse than it probably was, but what a sight to see, or preferably, not to see. If that wasn't bad enough my boobs pooched forward, my back arched, and my shoulders hiked up to my ears. 

I'd have not looked toward the mirror and kept going but circulation stopped south of the mid-thigh area. Straddling the chair solved nothing, sitting cross-legged crushed the bottom ankle bone, one leg up and one leg down was just plain lop-sided and useless.

There is, however,  a solution to every problem, right? So, I asked myself... 

What would my elderly aunt do? She sleeps about four hours a night, works around her farm all day, cooks, shops and sits down only to do genealogy stuff on the computer for a hour or so at a time. She'd stand up.

What would my mother do? She'd find a position on the sofa and read all day.

My husband? He'd go to work and tough it out, then grumble his way into bed probably putting his pajama bottoms on wrong side out.

My son would eat pizza and brownies and sparkling cranberry juice, take Advil, then complain about his stomach hurting and ask me what to do. Meantime, he'd figure some way to play video games to distract himself.

My daughter would load up on Advil and go shopping for new bras. (she wouldn't have to sit down once she was out of the car)

My best friend would heave out one of her deepest sighs, laugh in my face, remind me about the similar pain of horseback riding, take a drag from her cigarette (we all wish she would quit), click her pink-painted fingernails, look right over my head all high and mighty, blow out that stupid smoke and say, "Get a freaking cushion, take the Advil (I'm very anti-medicine), unplug the laptop and work somewhere else." She's always been very earthy and grounded, so to speak.

I've decided I'm getting some iced tea and watching television from some position on the sofa. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Maybe I'll call my mom and we can chat, too. Hope she's home. 

 

Any ideas? I'm open for suggestions. 

Widowed or Divorced: Starting Over With Grace and Grit

I went to a 30th wedding anniversary party today for two really good friends. I sat with the wife's mother who has been a widow for about 20 years.  I sat across the room from the husband's mother whose been a widow for about 5 years. What a difference between the two.

Really got me thinking, especially after a divorced friend started telling me all about what she's been up to. I remember when this woman packed up her life, hoped in her convertible with her three kids and after no small amount of anguish started again.

Doesn't seem to matter how old or young you are. 

It seems that once your spouse is gone, there's a period of time that you expect to see him, or dread seeing him, coming down the steps from upstairs, or up the stairs from the garage. It isn't going to happen. You have to accept that. Sooner the better.

Yes, the big green leather chair with its matching footstool that you nagged him to get rid of still sits in the den. Sometimes you even sit there crying for him, or, when you need to reassure yourself that the divorce was the right thing to do, you scream at him. That's okay. We all think what if...

From what I've observed, taking the following steps will help you move forward and find some peace so you can get on with your life. Every little tiny bit of clear space you find makes a difference whether you are aware of it or not.

1. Allow yourself time to grieve. That's what crying, wailing, at funerals is all about. That's why some women take cruises or long walks. It frees the body and mind in order to begin again. Take as much time as you need and can afford.

2. Family and friends want to help. Eat the food they bring. Relish it and renew your strength and taste for the good things life has to offer. Do your best to be receptive to their empathy and attention even when they are shallow. They don't understand what you are going through, but they still care. If someone is overwhelming or insensitive, excuse yourself, take a breather, and find someone else who will quietly be at your side for as long as you need. When you've had enough, say so and take yourself to a place of comfort, alone.

3. Allow yourself the opportunity to be open to others who have loss and sadness. Give them every ounce of reinforcement you can muster. Offer prayers, make a charitable contribution in their name. Do this regularly, just for them, not for yourself. Do this expecting nothing in return. There will be a return, your job is to wait for it.

4. As soon as you can , in good conscious, offer his things to family and friends realizing they are going to good homes. If no one wants them, then donate to charity or have a service or friend do it for you. Separate keepsakes from give-aways as realistically as you can by putting the keepsakes in one bag and the give-aways in another bag. Do not shift the contents from the give-away bag back to the keepsake bag when your helper is out of sight. If you sell your home, wish the new owners well and mean it, even if it hurts. It is supposed to hurt. Pain means you are alive.

5. Pursue opportunities that present themselves even if they seem outside your realm of comfort and desire. It doesn't have to last forever, it is meant as a means to meet people and see the world through fresh ideas and situations. Go to church or temple, go out to dinner, go to a party, go back to school, go to a yoga or tai chi class. Talk to the person on your left, your right, in front of you, and behind you. Find something, anything to say. Tell your story, not all at once, and more importantly, listen to their story.

6. When a nice man wants to spend time with you, especially in a group, take the chance. Put on a pretty dress, nice shoes, earrings or a necklace, and perfume. Take a handbag large enough to carry only your driver's license, lipstick, and mad money. No matter how nervous and unsure you feel, answer the doorbell and walk out the door.

7. When you get home or the next day, sit in that green leather chair with your feet up on the footstool and tell him all about the evening and your new friend. Say to him, "honey, I love you. I will always miss you. I will, in time, have to get rid of this chair."

Talk to your best friend(s) about your adventure as soon as you can. Telling them all about your new adventure, you will relive the best parts, maybe even laugh. If you do this you will be on your way to finding peace, moment by moment, perhaps even without noticing.

I'd love to hear how this works for you. 

Widowed or Divorced: Starting Over With Grace and Grit

I went to a 30th wedding anniversary party today for two really good friends. I sat with the wife's mother who has been a widow for about 20 years.  I sat across the room from the husband's mother whose been a widow for about 5 years. What a difference between the two.

Really got me thinking, especially after a divorced friend started telling me all about what she's been up to. I remember when this woman packed up her life, hoped in her convertible with her three kids and after no small amount of anguish started again.

Doesn't seem to matter how old or young you are. 

It seems that once your spouse is gone, there's a period of time that you expect to see him, or dread seeing him, coming down the steps from upstairs, or up the stairs from the garage. It isn't going to happen. You have to accept that. Sooner the better.

Yes, the big green leather chair with its matching footstool that you nagged him to get rid of still sits in the den. Sometimes you even sit there crying for him, or, when you need to reassure yourself that the divorce was the right thing to do, you scream at him. That's okay. We all think what if...

From what I've observed, taking the following steps will help you move forward and find some peace so you can get on with your life. Every little tiny bit of clear space you find makes a difference whether you are aware of it or not.

1. Allow yourself time to grieve. That's what crying, wailing, at funerals is all about. That's why some women take cruises or long walks. It frees the body and mind in order to begin again. Take as much time as you need and can afford.

2. Family and friends want to help. Eat the food they bring. Relish it and renew your strength and taste for the good things life has to offer. Do your best to be receptive to their empathy and attention even when they are shallow. They don't understand what you are going through, but they still care. If someone is overwhelming or insensitive, excuse yourself, take a breather, and find someone else who will quietly be at your side for as long as you need. When you've had enough, say so and take yourself to a place of comfort, alone.

3. Allow yourself the opportunity to be open to others who have loss and sadness. Give them every ounce of reinforcement you can muster. Offer prayers, make a charitable contribution in their name. Do this regularly, just for them, not for yourself. Do this expecting nothing in return. There will be a return, your job is to wait for it.

4. As soon as you can , in good conscious, offer his things to family and friends realizing they are going to good homes. If no one wants them, then donate to charity or have a service or friend do it for you. Separate keepsakes from give-aways as realistically as you can by putting the keepsakes in one bag and the give-aways in another bag. Do not shift the contents from the give-away bag back to the keepsake bag when your helper is out of sight. If you sell your home, wish the new owners well and mean it, even if it hurts. It is supposed to hurt. Pain means you are alive.

5. Pursue opportunities that present themselves even if they seem outside your realm of comfort and desire. It doesn't have to last forever, it is meant as a means to meet people and see the world through fresh ideas and situations. Go to church or temple, go out to dinner, go to a party, go back to school, go to a yoga or tai chi class. Talk to the person on your left, your right, in front of you, and behind you. Find something, anything to say. Tell your story, not all at once, and more importantly, listen to their story.

6. When a nice man wants to spend time with you, especially in a group, take the chance. Put on a pretty dress, nice shoes, earrings or a necklace, and perfume. Take a handbag large enough to carry only your driver's license, lipstick, and mad money. No matter how nervous and unsure you feel, answer the doorbell and walk out the door.

7. When you get home or the next day, sit in that green leather chair with your feet up on the footstool and tell him all about the evening and your new friend. Say to him, "honey, I love you. I will always miss you. I will, in time, have to get rid of this chair."

Talk to your best friend(s) about your adventure as soon as you can. Telling them all about your new adventure, you will relive the best parts, maybe even laugh. If you do this you will be on your way to finding peace, moment by moment, perhaps even without noticing.

I'd love to hear how this works for you. 

GETTING RID OF CHRONIC PAIN: Yoga for the Young at Heart

My lower back is tight, the hamstrings are tighter, and my hard drive is on overwhelm, so it's time to head out for my 90 minutes at Black Dog Yoga in Sherman Oaks, California. 

Yoga studios are everywhere around Los Angeles but I like Black Dog. It's really clean with shining hardwood floors, a serene atmosphere and super friendly people. Finding the right yoga instructor seems to be all about chemistry, and I have found my few.  

A cross-section of the community comes here, from the young--I mean really young, like 7 years old--to matrons (does that include me, I hope not) to senior citizens. Black Dog is located at a major business intersection in Sherman Oaks so the parking is easy especially in the weekend day mornings. For better or worse, this make it more appealing. 

There's always a hushed atmosphere in the studio even though lots of us talk before class. Sigrid Matthews is my favorite instructor. She always starts off  with a short meditation and then a reminder about intention and awareness and some short relevant reading. 

I've decided my awareness point is about two inches below my navel. There's a heart-beat there that aims me in the direction of peace and tranquility. I'm getting an audio tape from a therapist, sort of a hypnotherapy kind of thing, that is supposed to focus attention and blot out the other stuff. We'll see. She has an on-going practice at Black Dog, too, but with a different instructor in a much more demanding class.

So, 90 minutes later I head home in a better frame of mind and soul than I arrived. Give yoga a chance whether you have chronic physical pain or mental pain or just a case of ennui. At first it can be intimidating, but keep at it, the pay-off might be in the next moment or ease of breath. 

Back at my home, lots of that peacefulness flies out the window. The swimming pool next door is heated up and the kids are out there screaming Marco Polo in a happy boy-boisterous sort of way. If the gardeners, news helicopters, and cars all went away I could probably hear the humming bird just outside the window. It's amazing how he keeps those wings going. I wonder if he feels at peace with that constant motion or if he is hyper-tense. 

So far, no one seems to know the answer. So you suppose humming birds are at peace as long as their wings are fluttering at that amazing speed that never seems to stop?

I'm open for answers here.