Hello my friends my name is Sadie and I'm a yogi in recovery.
The beautiful thing about the 12-step process is its emphasis on service.
In the yogic tradition this is called karma.
Karma yoga is about purifying your heart by learning to act selflessly in service of others.
But yoga also tells us that in order to be in right relationship with others we need to be in right relationship with ourselves.
The answers will come if your own house is in order as they say.
While good intentioned us 12-steppers have the tendency to over give and become depleted.
We can focus so intently on being others centered which is not a bad thing but when out of balance we fall away from our own self-care.
This under resourced state leads us to a life out of balance and as a result our service work can start to feel like just another thing to check off the list.
Our hearts may even begin to harden and we can grow resentful.
To be of maximum service to our fellows we must nourish our own vitality and sense of well-being.
This meditation focuses on being of service to yourself by practicing the Niyamas the second of the eight limbs of yoga.
So start by establishing a comfortable seat.
One where you can be upright and alert without being too rigid.
In a chair or on the floor is great.
Rest your hands in your lap or on your legs and close your eyes.
Now relax your belly like really relax it.
We hold so much tension in the belly our solar plexus chakra.
Things like anxiety,
Being judgmental or critical,
A lack of faith in our abilities,
And the inability to practice healthy self-will.
Yes there is such a thing as healthy self-will and also the societal standard to have a nice flat toned belly especially for us women.
So relax your belly like nobody's looking and start to breathe into it by inhaling through the nose and also exhale through your nose.
Rest your awareness on your belly as you breathe and if your mind gets pulled towards thought gently usher it back to the rise and fall of your belly.
Keep coming back to your belly.
By this point chances are that your mind has drifted away in some form or another.
Please remember there is nothing wrong with this.
Keep coming back to your belly.
We'll now transition into the first Niyama,
Svadhyaya.
Svadhyaya is the action of self-study,
A concept that we're pretty familiar with.
So continuing to belly breathe,
Take a few moments to consider what aspects of your vitality have been getting ignored or postponed.
For example,
Have you been getting restful sleep,
Hydration,
Sleep connection to your higher power and your fellows?
How about your digestion?
Immune system,
Have you been chronically sick?
How is your connection to nature,
To stillness?
What rings the most true for you?
What rings the most true for you?
What rings the most true for you?
We now want to encourage that aspect of your vitality to grow.
Tapas,
The next Niyama,
Means heat or purification.
We'll use a breathing technique called breath of fire to bring heat into the belly and build energy around this vital need so it can grow.
Remember,
Energy flows where the attention goes.
Breath of fire is a quick exhale like when you're blowing out a candle.
So imagine that there's a candle in front of you and blow out through your lips as vigorously as you can.
Now do that a few times in a row.
Continue and notice the engagement in your belly.
Also notice how your inhale happens automatically.
Now pause.
We'll do several more rounds but this time I'd like you to close your lips and breathe through your nose.
Continue just like that and imagine that this aspect of your vitality that you would like to encourage to grow,
Whether it be sleep,
Connection,
A healthier diet,
More meditation,
Whatever it is,
Breathe into it through the nose.
Watch it getting warmer and stronger like the heat of the Sun on a summer's day.
If you can,
Pick up the pace.
If not,
That's okay.
Now release breath of fire.
Place your palms face up on your lap and just notice what's occurring in your belly.
You might have a sense of warmth.
Maybe the belly feels more relaxed.
Perhaps it's tingling.
You could be having a completely different experience and that's okay too.
Again,
There's no right or wrong.
Just notice.
Now notice the sensations in your hands.
Sauca or purity,
The next Niyama,
Helps us remember who we are at our core when we burn away obstacles or distractions.
Having set fire to your belly and given loving attention to that which has been dormant in your life,
Now consider what action you might take today to nurture this vital aspect of your well-being that you've deemed worthy enough to give attention to.
If you're struggling to come up with something,
Here are some suggestions.
You might decide to set an alarm,
Excuse me,
For bedtime.
You could be more mindful about what food you put in your body today and view it as fuel rather than a sensual pleasure.
Perhaps you could take your break at work outside in the fresh air rather than sitting at the computer for some Facebook time.
So let's rest for a few more moments in quiet curiosity of how you might nurture this courageous effort towards self-care that you've taken.
Let the answer emerge organically from your heart and not your head.
Santoshah,
The next Niyama,
Means contentment.
We now rest in the stillness of our practice.
We relax and take it easy.
We don't struggle.
With your palms still face up in your lap,
Place the tip of each index finger under the tip of its corresponding thumb.
The chant is om shanti shanti shanti.
This means peace peace peace.
So we'll sing several rounds of the chant.
You can sing along with me aloud or in your head and then we'll rest in the vibration of the song.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
To complete our practice,
We turn to the final Niyama,
Ishvara Pranidhana or surrender to a higher power.
The practices of yoga teach us that there's a fine balance between commitment and surrender.
So consider this practice up to this point,
Your courageous commitment towards better self-care.
And now place your hands in Anjali Mudra,
Palms pressed together in front of your heart,
And press your sternum gently into your thumbs.
With our commitment made,
We now offer surrender to the higher power,
The higher power of our understanding.
We give thanks to the teachings of yoga,
To our teachers,
And our teachers' teachers.
Please bow your head towards your heart in gratitude.
May you continue your commitment to self-care one day at a time,
So that you're resourced enough to give to others in your pursuit of service.
May you continue your commitment to self-care one day at a time,
So that you're resourced enough to give to others in your pursuit of service.
May we trudge this road of happy destiny together.
Namaste.
