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Illuminartyoga E-News
Issue # 12: January 5, 2004
Painting by Sue-Anne
Why was Yoga Created?
Yoga was created thousands of years ago to prepare the body and mind for
meditation. Anyone who has tried to sit cross-legged in a meditative
posture quickly understands why: tension accumulates in the shoulders;
the lower-back aches and sharp pains start up in the knees.
Yoga helps strengthen the whole body and develops the flexibility we
need to sit for periods of time with more ease.
Meditation provides numerous ways to work with the mind. Often, one chooses
an object or a phrase to focus on. We can also focus on our own breath.
As we meditate, we continuously let go of thoughts as they arise.
With the thoughts pushed aside for a while, meditation affords us a wonderful
opportunity to get in touch with feelings that perhaps have been kept on the
back burner.
Feelings have Value
Jonathan Davis, a prominent Montreal psychologist, has some
suggestions in his short essay entitled "Feelings: What to do with them?"
"A popular but erroneous view is that feelings can
be disciplined with a strong will, clear thinking, and a positive attitude.
This is common in self-help literature where it is often assumed that unruly
miserable feelings, which so often torment us, can be brushed off or converted
to positive ones with the right know-how.
The following are but a few of those power maxims that are meant to
counsel us on how to stay positive and productive:
Don't dwell.
Don't wallow.
Move forward.
Turn the page.
You can't change the past.
Get over it….
Feelings pertaining to the past can and should be worked through.
While it may be worthwhile to dodge unhappy feelings related to on-going
circumstances that we feel helpless to change, it may still be valuable
to tune into them in from time to time. Circumstances may have changed.
Or, perhaps our fear is getting the better of us. Perhaps we can correct
an injustice, the source of anger, without going to war. Perpetually
disconnecting from the unhappy parts of our story removes us from realities
that we need to face for any hope of improvement."
How Do We Tune In?
With regard to how we find feelings, Davis gives us an answer that may be surprising:
"Stop running away from them. Usually, we do not realize we are doing this. Our feelings
await us in the present moment when we are able to feel them without distraction.
Frequently, we distract ourselves with our own thoughts or enjoyable sensations that
we create by eating, drinking or by stimulating our body or psyche in some other
manner. We may unconsciously dodge negative feelings with a quest for the
pleasurable or agreeable. And ironically we can even flaunt that escape by
saying we are 'being positive.'"
Feelings and Transformation
Why should we face unpleasant feelings rather than simply making a resolution to
'be more positive?'
Davis writes that to experience a negative feeling to its fullest and most awful
extent may in itself change it.
"It will wax and wane as we surf it, sometimes to
be replaced by another feeling that we can also ride, sometimes to end in our
making a resolution to take an action. In the latter cases, only successful
completion of the action will eliminate the bad feeling."
You may want to experiment a little by taking some quiet time for yourself to
meditate and connect with some of your own feelings. Perhaps you'll get in touch
with suppressed anger that has been spilling over into your closest relationships,
and perhaps some cleansing tears will fall leaving you feeling very calm and relaxed.
You may practice many times before experiencing anything at all. Be persistent and
know that this may well be one of the most transformational exercises you undertake.
Winter Yoga Sessions
January classes are starting on January 13th, feel free to call me to reserve a place, 577-1963.
If you know someone interested in trying out a yoga class, please forward
my Web site address to them (www.illuminartyoga.com) or ask them to call me.
I look forward to seeing you!
Sue-Anne
Vegetarian Recipe
As promised in the last e-newsletter here's
another favorite vegetarian recipe, this one from John Robbins' May All Be Fed
Cream of Broccoli Soup
A delicious soup using vegetables and nuts to achieve a creamy texture without
the cholesterol and saturated fat associated with dairy products. Double the
recipe as it freezes well. Blender required.
You can vary this basic recipe by substituting asparagus, cauliflower, or peas for
the broccoli.
1 cup raw cashews
5 cups vegetable stock or vegetable bouillon (or water in a pinch)
2 medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Put the cashews and 1 cup of the vegetable stock into
a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Put the remaining 4 cups vegetable stock, the potatoes,
and onion in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook
for 5 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and basil and return to simmer.
Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the reserved cashew mixture, the salt, and pepper and bring
just to a simmer. Remove from the heat, purée in a blender either half
or all of the soup. Return to the pot and stir well. Serve immediately.
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