"What time is it?", "Where did the time go?", "I wish I could turn back time", "I don't have enough time", "What a waste of time", "There's not enough hours in the day", "It's a race against the clock", "What was your time?", "This is taking too much time".

How do you relate to time?  Does time move you closer to your deepest self or does it disconnect you into anxiety or regret?  As Dr. Christiane Northrup describes in her mind-body medicine lectures and books, Western culture has an unbalanced relationship with time which adversely affects our mental and physical health.  Dr. Deepak Chopra calls the consequences of this unbalanced relationship "a time sickness epidemic."

Here's what Eckhart Tolle says about time sickness:

"All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present.  Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence.  Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."  - Eckhart Tolle

Wisdom traditions tell us that the starting point in changing our relationship with time is to change the way we pay attention:

"Using your time well comes down to how well you are in the present moment.  When we feel content & centred inside, everything we do is more effective, efficient and satisfying." - Deepak Chopra

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.  Make the now the primary focus of your life." - Eckhart Tolle

"Since death is certain, and the hour is uncertain, what matters right now?" - Martha Beck, PhD.

In class, we will continue to practice mindfulness & meditation as gateways into present moment awareness and an elevated relationship with time.  

Here are a few self-compassion supporting quotes and mantras that were mindfully planted through-out the classes this week.  Thank-you to yoga student Lesley Arnould for sharing the first mantra prayer.

"May I be grateful for what I have,
May I bravely acknowledge what I need, 
May I wisely know that the path to enlightenment requires both" Canadian Living Magazine, Oct 2017

"My beloved child, break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart." - Swami Kripalu

"Be still beloved heart, and know that you are safely held" - Amy Weintraub

"To give ourselves compassion, we first have to recognize that we are suffering.  We can't heal what we can't feel." - Dr. Kirstin Neff, self-compassion researcher

We could strain for hours today for the meaning of something that may come in an instant next year.

​Let it go.  We can let go of our need to figure things out, to feel in control.

Now is the time to be.  To feel.  To go through it.  To allow things to happen.  To learn.  To let whatever is being worked out in us take its course.

In hindsight, we will know.  It will become clear.  For today, being is enough.   We have been told that all things shall work out for good in our life.  We can trust that to happen, even if we cannot see the place today's events will hold in the larger picture.

Today, I will let things happen without trying to figure everything out.  If clarity is not available to me today, I will trust it to come later, in retrospect.  I will put simple trust in the truth that all is well, events are unfolding as the should, and all will work out for good in my life - better than I can imagine.

​- from The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

Thank-you Marie Fenwick for sharing this passage!

I love Dr. Rankin's scientifically validated wellness model The Whole Health Cairn! 

Dr. Rankin posits that "the health of your relationships, your professional life, your spiritual life, your creative life, your sex life, your environment, your finances - in essence, the health of your mind - impacts your health far more than your diet, exercise, smoking, drinking, sleep habits, or how many vitamins you take" - www.LissaRankin.com

To learn more about The Whole Health Cairn, read her book "Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself" (Hay House, 2013).  

Radical Remission: The Nine Key Factors That Can Make A Real Difference (Surviving Cancer Against All Odds) by Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.

The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From The People Who've Lived The Longest by Dan Buettner
https://bluezones.com/live-longer-better/

I find it so empowering to know that the 9 psycho-social-lifestyle factors that have been identified as being central to the radical remission cases of "terminal" cancer patients are the same factors that are lived by the "blue zone" centenarians.

In this week's classes, we focussed on one of the 9 shared factors....social support.
Here is a quote right out of Dr. Turner's book Radical Remission regarding social support as a determinant of health and healing from cancer.

"I hope this chapter has convinced you that receiving love and support from others is as essential for your health as eating a vegetable-rich diet or taking antioxidant supplements.  That's because what we feel emotionally is instantly translated into chemicals and hormones that either strengthen or weaken our immune systems.  And when we feel loved and cared for by others, the rush of healing hormones released by the master glands in our brains affects our bodies in such a way that our immune systems suddenly have renewed energy to repair cells, clear out toxins, and most important, remove cancer cells.  So, in addition to remembering to take your vitamins each day, don't forget to ask yourself these two questions:  To whom have I given love today?  And, from whom did I receive love?" - pg 216

As taught by Peter A. Levine, PhD and Maggie Phillips, PhD in their book "Freedom from Pain", circle breathing is a wonderful practice that you can do on your own to enhance your state of relaxation, increase comfort, and open pathways of flow in your body.

At class, we created a circle with the breath by imagining that you could breathe in, through and up the right side of the body, starting with the right foot, right lower leg, right thigh, progressing up to the belly.  The circle continued by sensing the breath crossing through the belly and over to the left side of the body.  As you exhale, imagine the breath moving down, out, and through the left thigh, left lower leg, left foot, and out into the earth.  Repeating a few times and noting what is different in your body each time your complete the circle.  We then reversed the circle direction with inhalation going up the left, breath crossing over the belly, and exhaling down the right leg.  Pausing again to notice what is different in your body experience.  Do you feel lighter? More energized?  More calm?  Less tense?  Or do you experience some other change - what is it?

While standing in Mountain Pose, mentally repeat the Invocation:

I am created by Divine Light.
I am sustained by Divine Light.
I am protected by Divine Light.
I am surrounded by Divine Light.
I am ever growing into Divine Light.

- The Inner Life of Asanas by Swami Lalitananda

​"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the universe deserve your love & affection."
- The Buddha

"Remember, you've been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked.  
Try approving of yourself and see what happens."
- Louise Hay
​

I shared with my students this week a love story inspired by my son when he was 3 years of age.  The story goes like this.  My little guy was afraid of the water, he did not like the feeling of water on his face (be it bath water or raindrops), and wouldn't dunk his head in Tiny Tots One swimming lessons.  This was a problem, so I thought, because in order to learn how to swim and pass Tiny Tots One, the child has to demonstrate the ability to fully submerge one's head!  So on the eve of the final swim class (and last opportunity to slam dunk the dunk) while my boy was sitting in his birdie bath (water waist high only please), I decided to apply a little bit of reverse psychology and take the pressure of this whole dunking thing.  I said to him "you know I love you even if you don't do the dunk."  He took in the words with a nod and an "okay" and then proceeded with his birdie bath.  The big day arrived and while we were walking into the pool facility, my son asked me "mommy, can you tell my swim teacher that you love me even if I don't do the dunk?"  Enter heart melting and paradigm shifting.  So while standing at the edge of the pool with my son's hand in mine, I proclaimed out loud to the dear swim teacher that I love my son even if he doesn't do the dunk!

And what of the result?  Did he do the dunk?  With all his little might, he plunged and plunged trying to do the dunk, but those deep brown eyes stayed locked with mine and did not go under the water.  After this epic experience, we took a 4 year hiatus from scheduled swimming lessons and in the process discovered the pleasure of swimming in Grandpa's pool and splashing around in lakes during summer vacations.  My son is now 8 years old (at the time of posting), loves the water, and has re-registered in swim lessons where he dunks delightfully.

Crossing this story over to our own inner life, how often do we hear the voice in our head coaching ourselves from unconditional love or critiquing from fear of inadequacy?  Can we love ourselves fully even if we haven't "done the dunk?"  Can we be enough in this moment while holding intentions & goals for the future?  Is it possible to befriend ourselves now even when we've made mistakes in the past?  Just noticing what kind of inner coach has taken centre stage is a white hot strategy for well-being.  From that awareness, we then have the choice to hire or fire the coach!  As Louise Hay & Robert Holden, PhD., would recommend, try saying these words to yourself and see what happens...

                                                     "I love you, I really really love you!"

Even though the name we gave to our species on this planet was Human-Being, I sometimes wonder if we should update the name to Human-Doing.  In our current, commerce compelled digital age of "uber-doing", its easy to feel like we are not doing enough, don't measure up, and are in need of constant improvement.  To combat this unhealthy mentality, I have decided to call the spring 2017 teaching theme White Hot Well-Being.  At each class, I will present a well-being concept that is "hot" enough to burn through the fallacy of the human-doing state and "white" enough to bring light and awareness to the state of well-being.

YOUR NAME IS WHITE HOT 
I opened the season with the suggestion that we all review our personal / work calendars and scan for our own names' appearance within the schedules.  For example, you may discover that the names of your children, or partner, or clients etc. have been inputted / written into your calendar, but curiously, your own name never marks the pages!  For many of us, honouring our well-being may very well begin with choosing to value our own identity.  For example, putting into the calendar that Monday night is "yoga night" is a wonderful step in a positive direction..  And yet there is something lukewarm about leaving this well-being activity unpersonalized.  Try adding your own name as the title and the well-being activity as the subtitle such as "Jane: Yoga Class".  Seeing your own name on the calendar may just be the white hot well-being visual that not only increases your commitment & appearance at class, but also signals to yourself and everyone else in your family / work system that you too are a human being whose self-care matters.​

International Women's Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, & political achievements of women.  The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.  In honour of this year's campaign theme "Be Bold For Change", I taught workshop style classes which focussed on how to utilize and align one's body within exercises / poses to feel empowered and achieve sustainable well-being.  The hands, shoulders, core, legs, and feet received lots of empowerment coaching!

I also encouraged increasing one's awareness of how social political justice is a determinant of personal mental & physical health.  In support of this perspective, I recommended reading the recently published books by Vancouver based former lawyer, law professor and gender expert Maureen Fitzgerald, PhD.    I highly recommend the following books:

Motherhood Is Madness: How To Break The Chains that Prevent Mothers From Being Truly Happy by Maureen Fitzgerald, PhD

Occupy Women: A Manifesto for Positive Change In A World Run By Men
by Maureen Fitzgerald, PhD


I would also recommend watching the following movies:

What Happened, Miss Simone? A 2015 documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, civil rights activist labeled as the "High Priestess of Soul."

Mustang A 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Turkish-French film director Deniz Gamze Erguven.  The film is set in a remote Turkish village and depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and the challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society.

Thank-you to Marianne Lehnart for recommending that I watch these movies!