The Legs Have It....
by Kelly Miller

Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall Pose)

After a long day, no pose is better at calming the mind and relieving tired legs and feet than Viparita Karani (vip-par-ee-tah car-AHN-ee), or Legs up the Wall.

This wonderfully restorative pose gently stretches the back of your legs, the front of your torso, and the back of your neck. It can also help relieve mild backache. Begin by sitting sideways next to a wall – close enough so that your right hip is touching the wall.
 
Swing your legs up so that your heels are on the wall as your bring your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor. Bend the knees slightly so that you are not locking out the kneecaps. If you have any low back or neck pain, place thickly folded blankets or round yoga bolsters under the low back and under the neck.

Then just breathe, surrender, and melt. You can stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.

You can also experiment with different variations, like sliding your legs apart into the letter “V” or bending your knees and bringing the soles of your feet together, like in Baddha Konasana. When you are ready to come out of Legs up the Wall, bend your knees and lower your heels as you roll onto your right side. Take a few moments and observe the effect of the pose on your body, your mind, and your heart.

Namaste.

Enjoy the Breath. Breathe in the Moment
by Jamila K. Wilson

If you are anything like me, being satisfied with where you are at this moment is not the top priority of your’ things to do’ list. 

-         Send this proposal
-         plan this workshop
-         make an appointment for this waxing
-        don’t forget to pay those parking tickets

Nothing on this high priority list suggest just breathing, enjoying the moment that you exist in right now.  Why is that?  What is it about being present that can be so challenging or even, if I’m bold enough to admit, so scary?  Where do we learn not to be satisfied, content, with what is before us?

I can speculate to so many things, and one in particular (and I won’t get on my soapbox) is television, media.  We are constantly bombarded with the next best “it” thing that we must have to find content or satisfaction with ourselves.  That if you do not have it, you can barely consider yourself human let alone worthy to be in the mist of those who do possess the latest trinket or toy.

We are forever inundated with the thought that we are not enough or the potential is there, just keep striving.   Well I am going to be audacious enough to say “Fiddle Sticks!!!”

In this present moment, in the span of time it takes for you to inhale fully and exhale completely, is a gift from God!  A love offering that says because you are so worthy, so divine, so beautiful, so ordained that this blessing of breathe is yours.

Because we are made in the likeness of the Most High God, we are ordained with its divine energy of love, peace, contentment, and joy.  There is no need to chastise yourself for past experiences that were had to make you the person you have come to be, or become anxious of what is to come in the future.

All things work for the good of those who love God, and in order to love God authentically, you must be able to love yourself and others around you. This love is full of power and confidence, and sanctifies your ordained worth.  This is a love to be acknowledged and celebrated in every breath.

Be present in this breath and affirm that this is God’s breath, not given out of pity or angst, but bestowed with love.

Ase. Namaste