Category Archives: My Thoughts

Bear & Rabbit Say "Thank You"

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During 2011, Peaceful Hands Yoga students were incredibly generous to the Wildlife Center of Virginia … donating time, supplies, and food that helped save the lives of many wild animals.  I’ve said “thank you” before, but I wanted to take a moment to thank you all yet again for your kindness.  Your generosity embodies the pure spirit of yoga!

This spring many of you helped with an online voting campaign to name the Wildlife Center’s new Red-Tailed Hawk RUBY — in honor of the young civil rights hero, Ruby Bridges.

Also this spring, many of you became part of “TEAM BUNNY” collecting fresh young dandelions, lettuce, and other fresh greens to help provide tasty and nutritious food to the overflowing number of young rabbit patients at the Center.  Rabbit patients are fussy eaters.  The time you spent collecting and picking bags of fresh greens ensured that these fussy eaters had something they liked!

This fall, you changed your focus to “TEAM BEAR”, working together to gather food to feed a young, underfed bear cub.  You provided so much good, nutritious food!  My car was filled to overflowing several times.  Many of you tapped your friends, local grocers, and your schools to collect donations.  The bear grew big and strong and was released back to the wild in early December.

And, then, you joined in a WILDLIFE CENTER BENEFIT yoga class in December to support the Wildlife Center — bringing monetary donations, supplies, and other equipment that will support the Center’s work in the days, weeks, and year ahead!

I thank you for your kindness to all creatures — big and small — and for the inspiration you are to me.  I’m uplifted by you whenever you unroll your yoga mat with me.  And, I’m uplifted by the kindness of your heart!

But, really … I think two Friends of the Center, BEAR & RABBIT, say “thank you” much better than I ever could.

Here’s the link to this special little presentation: Bear & Rabbit Review 2011 at the Wildlife Center.

A Flow Chart To Live By

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The best flow chart.  Ever. 

I wish I knew who to thank for this chart … it came to me from a friend (and it came to her from a friend … and so on and so on and on and on and on). 

So, thank you “Anonymous” for reminding us all that worry is depleting and serves no real purpose.  I suppose I’ll still worry but perhaps this chart can remind me to worry … less.

Enjoy your sunshine … whether it’s outside in your day or glowing deep in your heart.

Namaste.

Groucho, The Buddha Kitty

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I don’t usually post personal messages on this blog. That was never the point.

And, quite honestly, who wants to read about me? I’d much rather encourage your yoga practice and your good health journey.

But, today, I’m breaking my rules …

This weekend, I lost Groucho, my Buddha Kitty, who has inspired my yoga practice and made my heart joyful for 13 years.

For 13 years, Groucho rarely missed when I unrolled my yoga mat at home. Sometimes she just came in and sat for a few mintues, sometimes she laid down against my shoulders when I was in Shoulderstand … or walked in and out under me while I was in Upward Bow or Bridge pose. And, more than once she licked my nose as I was upside down in a Headstand.

Her favorite part was always Savasana and Meditation, when she would curl up under the blanket, or lay down by my head, or rest near my feet as I sat in quiet, just breathing, just being.

I will miss all the joy — and warmth — she brought to me. And, all the wisdom she shared.

In 2007, I posted some of her words of wisdom. And, here they are again. She may be gone from the earth, but her essence will always be with me. And, her words will continue to inspire me:

“As I was doing my yoga yesterday, I was joined by Groucho, one of my cats. She often sits in on my practices, patiently waiting for savasana and meditation, when she can crawl under my prayer blanket for a cozy snooze.

“Yesterday, I asked her in my heart to communicate with me, to share a secret with me. And, she told me this:

“I live. I love. I rest.”

I will miss her. She was one cool kitty and unrolling my yoga mat will never be quite as joyful without her there watching and hanging out.

I live. I love. I rest.

And, may you Live, Love, and Rest, too.

Namasté,
Jackie

Joy. Play. Peace.

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I always …

Wait, let me start again.

I almost always … (there, that’s better)

I almost always begin yoga class by asking those practicing with me to set a small intention in their heart. An intention to guide their practice … a small gift that their yoga can give to them. We come back to that intention at the end of practice, to allow it to unfold and blossom into a very real gift to guide us on our way.

And, then I offer my intention to all those who unrolled their mats with me … and, since a couple of you asked me to post that little blessing here, here it is:

May you carry your yoga with you when you roll up your mat.

May it bring you,

Joy, when you need it …
Playfulness, when you least expect it … and …

Peace, always.
Namasté
Jackie

Health Is Your Birthright ~ A New Year’s Inspiration & Blessing

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No, not a resolution for the New Year. You know I would never impose that on you! New Year’s resolutions are almost always broken … through no real fault of your own. The chill of winter inspires hibernation, not a diet, not a new workout regimen. We demand so much of ourselves and can be so unforgiving when yet another resolution falls away when the many demands of daily life takes over.

Instead, I share with you a New Year’s inspiration … a yogic blessing that you might want to incorporate into your mediation practice or as an intention when you unroll your mat.

“Health is your birthright, not disease. Strength is your heritage, not weakness. Courage, not fear. Bliss, not sorrow. Peace, not restlessness. Knowledge, not ignorance. The person who aims for good health and strength of both body and mind is a gem among all humanity. Such a person possesses the true treasure.” ~ Swami Satchidanada

May your day be peaceful!

Uplifting Others. Uplifting Ourselves.

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During this holiday season, when stress can get in the way of joy and when the body can be depleted by the little cold and flu bugs that scurry about, I came upon this quote which I wanted to share with you:

“The greatest way to ensure your own happiness, is to do all that you can to uplift the lives of others.” ~ Sharon Gannon

But, remember … to have the energy to uplift others, you must nurture and nourish your own energy first. Support your immune system with good diet and habits. Unroll your yoga mat and stretch out. Sit in quiet for a few minutes and let your mind unwind. Treat yourself to a good book or a sweet chocolate. Do something nice for yourself and let your body absorb and enjoy that kindness. Then share that sweetness with those you meet along your day.

The Mystery of Namasté & Yoga Blessings

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UPDATED: AUGUST 2016

For many years, I attended a yoga class where the teacher would close our practice by joining her hands together and saying, “Namasté”. We all sat quietly and then class was done. I eventually discovered that I was not alone; I don’t think any of us in that class knew what Namasté meant, no one knew to return the greeting, and the instructor never told us.

She was a very good instructor, don’t get me wrong; she just assumed that many of us were smarter than we actually were.

(Sure, could we have asked her? Of course! Did we? Umm, no. Why not? I don’t know. Maybe we were all just embarrassed that we might be the only one who didn’t know what it meant.)

Today, in the Wikipedia world, one can find the meaning of most anything quite quickly. But those were slower times and so we wondered.

By the way, I define “Namasté” as “The divine within me bows to the divine within you.”

It’s sort of like a sacred “Aloha” greeting to me — it can mean hello or goodbye.

Deepak Singh said on National Public Radio in 2015 that Namasté is simply a formal greeting in India and that we Yoga students here in the West define it much differently than he knows it.

Maybe. I’m not so sure. I think we are on the same page.

We use it as a greeting, too.  Hello.  Goodbye. But, I think it has a much deeper intention and offers great respect to the person being addressed.

When we say Namasté, we look beyond the physical, we bow to the purest essence of the person before us. That’s the light that resides at one’s heart.  I sometimes like to say that Namasté means, “I can see past your bad hair day today and all the stresses and strains you endure, to see and honor the true, beautiful and vibrant you that is the really, truly you.”

By the way, Singh also says that Western Yoga students pronounce Namasté incorrectly: “I say, ‘num-us-teh’ vs. the Americanized ‘nahm-ahs-tay.'”

Yup. He’s right about that. But, Yoga is about bringing the pose to the body, not the body to the pose, right? So maybe our uniquely American pronunciation is simply our way to bring the Namasté to the mat in the way that fits our practice best. (Or, maybe we’re just saying it wrong.)

So, here’s the question: What should you do when your Yoga instructor greets you at class with “Namasté”? That’s easy. What do you say when someone says “Hello” to you? You say “Hello” back, right? So it’s lovely to respond with “Namasté.”

I really like when my students say “Namasté” to me. I like to think it’s their way of seeing past my bad hair day and the mistakes that I might make as the class unfolds (mixing up my right and left as I mirror, forgetting an asana as I guide them through a flow, falling out of a pose as I demonstrate). It’s their way of saying, “It’s ok, we know you’re trying your best.”

And a suggestion for Yoga instructors: Don’t assume that students know what you’re talking about. Sanskrit is a beautiful poetic language. But, a bit of translation can help those words blossom more fully in a student’s heart.

And, now … to practice what I preach. I’ve been closing recent classes with a loving yoga blessing. I offer the translation in class as well. But, in the off-chance that someone actually wanders through this blog (aside from my journeys through it looking for typos), I offer it here. It’s a beautiful blessing and it inspires my practice.

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

There are many translations from the very simple “May all be happy” to very long and detailed translations. But, here’s the one that I like best:

“May the universe be filled with peace and joy, love and light.”

I like to share other blessings in my Yoga classes from time to time, and when I think about it, I add them to this website. To find them all in one place, just click on the Meditations & Blessings link at the bottom of this post.

Or, LIKE Peaceful Hands on Facebook, where I regularly post Yoga blessings and other information on the healing benefits of Yoga.  Here’s the link: Peaceful Hands on Facebook

Namasté

Springtime Renewal

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As the springtime begins, we have a special opportunity to reconnect with nature. Typically, we connect as observers – enjoying the warming sunlight and the lengthening daylight, spending more time outside, playing in the garden, inhaling the fresh spring air and the fragrance of new flowers. But, our connection is truly much deeper than that. We are part of nature and the cycle of nature, just as the birds, the squirrels, the new daffodils, and all of the outside world that renews with the springtime.

Our internal energy grows, we respond to the lengthening days, we shed our winter layers (and perhaps even a few of our winter pounds). We blossom.

Take time to remember and honor your connection to the world and to nature, not merely as a passive observer, but as an active, living part of the springtime nature that is now unfolding. Notice the renewal of springtime within you.

This is the Navajo chant that was used as part of our meditation in yoga classes last week.

The mountains, I become part of them.
The herbs, the fir tree, I become part of them.
The morning mists, the clouds, the gathering waters, I become part of them.
The wilderness, the dew drops, the pollen, I become part of them.

Enjoy your springtime. Enjoy your day. And, breathe.

Namasté

A Valentine’s Day Blessing

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It’s Valentine’s Day … and an unexpected day off, due to icy weather. It feels a bit like a Valentine’s Day gift.

When I was very young, I was ambivalent about Valentine’s Day. Then I moved to stridently anti-Valentine’s, due to the lack of romance in my life at the time. Valentine’s seemed to be less a time of celebrating love, then rubbing it in the face of those of us who were feeling noticeably – embarrassingly – unloved.

I later came around to feel that Valentine’s was not so much a time for celebrating romance, but rather love and friendship. That felt much better, much truer to me.

And, today, I think that Valentine’s Day is also for honoring, celebrating, and loving oneself. For if we can’t love ourselves – who we are, what we do, and how we spend our moments – then how can we truly love others?

In massage therapy, we learn that it is vitally important to care for ourselves first. An unhealthy massage therapist is not a very good massage therapist for anyone else. In the same spirit, if we can’t take pleasure in who we are, how can we expect others to?

So I hope you will take a moment today to first be your own Valentine. Take a moment not to judge, or self-critique, or criticize. (I think many of us spend too much time already in those unhealthy pursuits.) Instead, take a moment to find something within that makes you special and so worthy of love. Something that makes you smile. Have a bit of chocolate. Or buy yourself some flowers. Do something special for yourself.

And, then, do something special for someone in your life.

As I was doing my yoga yesterday, I was joined by Groucho, one of my cats. She often sits in on my practices, patiently waiting for savasana and meditation, when she can crawl under my prayer blanket for a cozy snooze.

Yesterday, I asked her in my heart to communicate with me, to share a secret with me. And, she told me this:

I live. I love. I rest.

It sounds like a plenty good philosophy to me. And, it also sounds like a good blessing for this peaceful holiday.

On this day, may you …

Live. Love. Rest.

Namasté
Jackie

A Tardy Look At New Year’s Resolutions

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It seems fitting – if you know me well – that I’m writing about New Year’s Resolutions on January 24. In fact, I’m still deciding what my resolution will be. Some would say my tardiness is because I’m a Libra and can’t make a decision (which, astrology aside, happens to be true). Some would say it’s because I’m always a little bit slow and a little bit late (which is also true). And, some would say it’s in keeping with my annual promise to give up eggplant during Lent (which, since I dislike eggplant and don’t eat it anyway, is an easy one to keep).

But, mostly I don’t like New Year’s Resolutions, because I don’t want to make another resolution that I won’t keep.

New Year’s Resolutions are a nice idea, but why do we insist on torturing ourselves with hard-to-achieve goals that will only make us miserable? Or, if we have good-hearted goals – why do we have to launch them all on the same day? What’s wrong with starting a new habit on March 7 or June 12?

I went by the local Gold’s Gym on January 2 and it was overflowing with people. Every machine was in use and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find two or three people crammed together on a single treadmill. Nearly every single person looked sweaty, pale, tired, and miserable. There was a cloud of desperation over the entire place. Okay, it was a cloud of steam and sweat, but it sure felt desperate to me. Those folks weren’t out to create a vibrant new body; they were out to destroy their old one.

I happened to be back there yesterday. It was less than half full. I hope those other people are happier now. Unhappy exercise is destined to fail.

My husband, Randy, was stopped for one of those “Man In The Street” interviews by a local camera crew in late December. The question – “What’s your New Year’s Resolution”? He said, without missing a beat, “Have more fun.” Now, that’s a kind-hearted and good resolution.

Do you even remember what your New Year’s Resolution was? If you haven’t made one yet, maybe you should wait until Losar – Tibetan New Year – on February 18.

By February 18, I will have decided on mine. I’m leaning toward “Have more fun.”

Namasté