Love in the time of Chaos

Lizzie & Judith 

     Our days are filled with questions about what the future looks like. When will we, can we, should we???? Life is chaotic. Life is filled with frustration. Life has created anxiety & fear. But, we need to remember that, "what we tell ourselves is what will determine our reaction." This most poignant quote is from a woman whose teaching I value in the world of  yoga, Judith Hanson Lasater. Ms. Lasater has been teaching yoga since the 1970's; her focus is Restorative Yoga. My dream it to be able to attend one of her workshops. Lizzie, her daughter, is her teaching companion. 
     Love in the Time of the Virus  is the first of two video sessions that she and her daughter have created to aid us as we live during the COVID-19 virus. I would like to share with you what I took into my heart and mind from their video chat. I do agree with her opening statement about how we react during times of chaos. If we tell ourselves that the world will end tomorrow then we will react with fear and anxiety. If we tell ourselves that we have always lived with impermanence, we may look to our toolbox to find ways to live in this time of change. Lasater says, "there is good news; we have the tool to aid us -our constant habit of self-reflection; to take a step back from your thoughts and reflect." Humans are strong, we have weathered, through times of war, famine, natural disasters, and other challenges. When these happen we pull together as a community to pull ourselves through. What is so different about today, according to Lasater is that we are all isolated from each other and so coming together is very difficult; and often against the law. So then, how do we come together? Empathy.
     I remember when I was a college student in a Film class being asked to look around us and discover when we feel empathy. It is not a feeling that one readily thinks about and I believe it may be because it has been lost or we struggle with understanding how someone else might feel and not judge. Putting aside our views and imagine what that person (s) may be going through, might be feeling, or might be needing is looking through empathetic eyes. "I can only begin to imagine how much fear & anxiety you might be feeling right now." Judith Lasater defines this as 'formal empathy.'  To show compassion, to recognize and connect on a personal level. 
     Not only should we show empathy to one another, we also need to recognize our own feelings. Lasater would say, " don't turn away from your feelings. The feelings that we bring to any specific moment is special to me/to us."  I love her mantra; "Right now I am feeling...... How human of me." So simple and yet so powerful; "how human of me." When we feel overwhelmed by what we see on the news, what we read in the paper, or what we find on social media challenge yourself to notice with out judgement; to become as I often use in class, "the observer." In our Gentle class today (on Zoom), as we lay on our mats in constructive rest breathing and calming I asked my people to take themselves inward; to find their center. To let all else go and take themselves to the, "center of your brain" (Lasater). Reconnect to your self.  Show love to yourself in a time of impermanence. 

PROPS: Mat, Blanket, Strap, Blocks

OPENING/BACK

Rolled blanket/lengthwise/bum & head on blanket

Arms in T

Full Yogic breath

SEATED

Breath/Mantra

Shoulder Rolls

Side Stretch/hold ear

TABLETOP

Hip Circles/Body Circles

Puppy Pose

Cobra

Lateral Extension/Hold Forearm 

SUN SALUTATIONS

Puppy to 90/90 kneeling lunge w/heart opener

Switch (2)

Lateral Extension (3)

Crescent w/Heart Opener

STANDING

Tadasana

Crescent Lunge/Heart opener

Warrior II/Pull the bow string

Peaceful

SWITCH

BALANCING

Warrior II/Peaceful

Side Angle/Extended

Warrior II/Hand to heart/sky

Needle w/Blocks

SWITCH

Half Lord of the Fishes

SEATED/BLOCKS

Half Lord of Fishes

Seated Side Body

BACK
Legs up Wall

Reclined Pigeon w/Twist

Windshield Wipers

Cobbler

SAVASANA

MEDITATION

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Resources:
You Tube: Love in the Time of the Virus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnMIVWOvzcQ
Photo of Ms. Lasater & her daughter Lizzie: https://yogauonline.com/yogau-product/6366
Full Yogic Breath: http://www.rainbowlifeyoga.com/the-abdominal-and-full-yogic-breath/Standing Side Stretch: https://www.gympik.com/articles/need-more-flexibility-these-exercises-will-help-you/standing-side-stretch/
Crescent Lunge/Heart Opener: https://www.doyou.com/a-heart-opening-yoga-sequence-for-yogis-of-all-practice-levels/
Half Lord of the Fishes: https://flexiladies.blogspot.com/2016/04/beginners-peak-pose-yoga-practice-half.html