The Master Maker appeared today. He’s the master of the forge upon which We craft Our #future. I have been warned since I was a young thing that #fire is dangerous, especially when flames #sing to Me, and sometimes I act too #young, I’m told. Nonetheless, The Master Maker reminds Us to #utilize Summer’s heat along with Our own #burning passions to bring about alchemical change for this is the dance of life; the spontaneity of Our organic movement (in words and actions) with that of the Universe brings Us into this #moment. We decide each #day in Our practices, what will I make of #today? And, knowing Our successes (as well as, being present to Our Own undoings), The Master Maker reminds Us that Day is, truly, a labor of #Love. We may get burned by The Queen of Hearth and Home, or Our bare bums roasted by The Queen of Laughter, but We are protected and given strength by His teachings. And if one thinks upon this for not-so-long, We feel oh-so-lucky that We received this #wisdom here as The Master Maker is a strict task-master, and only Our best will do. This means that We will enjoy Our Summer days, taking advantage of the sudden rainstorms and the splash of Sun for #wild thought soon to be transformed with The Master Maker’s experienced and skillful hands. He practices all the time, rarely taking a break. His work breathtaking, no? And, here, We are, inspired by the the Sunfish leaping! And, like the Earth, like the Sky, like a wave on the Sea, remember that Your very best work is most principled and most applicable to Us all, to Us all. So says, The Master Maker, and so say the Sunfish.
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Irresistible Circumstances and EMYoga are expanding. Please like, subscribe, share, comment, and enjoy Our content on the platfom(s) of Your choice, and thank You!
Please check out The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian and Wendy Froud and The Faeries’ Oracle by Brian Froud with text by Jessica Macbeth at https://www.ferniebrae.com/brian-froud. Thank You for reading and receiving a full moon in Sagittarius’s blessing (& You definitely have Mine, too!). May Our #practice together be a catalyst and the healing itself.
Did you know that Irresistible Circumstances and Earthmother Yoga offer regularly scheduled practices to integrate the ancient technology of yoga with today’s circumstances. Today’s practice is a 45-minute, all levels one, utilizing mudra, intent/affirmation/mantra, asana/movement, visualization, and pranayama to bring balance. Through our time together we will focus on bringing balance to an excessive earth element with the Prithivi Mudra, as well as alternate nostril breathing.
Summer Practice #2: Balance (Prithivi Mudra)
As always, we invite you to practice together in the spirit and intention within the processes and language of nonviolent communication (#nvc). As consciousness and intent can be expressed through silence and our quality of presence, may our cultivation of this awareness and connection to moment in community be both the catalyst for and the #healing itself.
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Visualization: As you inhale, visualize light emanating through the heart and throat centers/chakra. As we exhale, gently expel that which no longer serves us into the ground and into the air. Additionally, I invite you to become aware of the sound of the breath in visualizing the inhale (So) as a beautiful incoming wave and the exhale (Hung) as a returning wave.
Pranayama: We will utilize a smooth and consistent inhale and exhale of equal lengths with a short, natural pause between breaths, as necessary throughout the practice. We will use alternate nostril breathing in a position of rock pose (sitting on our heels). For today’s practice, we begin with using the right hand to plug the right nostril while the left hand is held in Prithivi Mudra. We repeat the sequence to the left side. To end this alternate nostril breathing variation, we release the mudra and the nostril, relaxing our hands to our thighs, taking 3 deep breaths in and out.
Mudra
Prithivi Mudra – Encircle the ring finger and thumb. Privithi Mudra, also known as the “Earth Mudra” works with the excessive energy of Earth, or root chakra (Hirsch, p. 84). An alternative for those, like me, who are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, is to place the ring finger in the center of the thumb pad/base and apply light pressure with the thumb. This mudra is said to stimulate body temperature, the liver, and stomach (Hirsch, p. 85).
Mantra
Utilize “So Hung” to connect with the divine. So Hung means: “I am that.” In addition, we end class by offering three long Sat Nams. Sat Nam mans: “I am truth.” Whether a whisper or voiced aloud, allow the mantra to stimulate and energize You, as in the use, these also take in and send out more energy to the subtle and physical bodies. In short, like yoga, the vibration of each mantra produced by chanting can alter our inner condition (Ashley-Farrad, p. 49).
Nonviolent Communication (also called Compassionate Communication) carries the assumption that we have a shared desire to give and receive from the heart. Thus, even yoga practice can cultivate compassionate communication which fosters listening, respect and deep empathy and engenders this mutual desire to give from the heart (Rosenberg, 12) both to ourselves and the greater world (when we are ready).
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Nonviolent Communication looks to integrate four things: consciousness, language (both verbal and nonverbal), communication, and means of influence, whereby we share our “power” with others rather than using our power over others. In this practice, we explore methods to inwardly topple our self-made barriers of communication. These barriers may include making moral judgements toward ourselves and others; denying responsibility for our thoughts, words, and actions; a language of comparison; use of imperatives to demand rather than request, and other hierarchical forms, which are so deeply rooted within our psyche–all of which can obscure our awareness that we are each responsible for what we think, feel, say, and do (Rosenberg, 24).
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References for this practice:
Ashley-Farrad, MD., T. (1999). Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing. Ballantine Wellspring.
Hirschi, G., Grimm, C. M., & Ito, J. (2016). Mudras: Yoga in your hands. Weiser Books.
Saraswati, Satyananda (2013). A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Yoga Publications Trust.
Rosenberg, Marshall B. (2015). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. PuddleDancer Press.
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As You are reading this, You might wonder where Irresistible Circumstances disappeared into. Or perhaps, You wonder when the irresistible shall return to circumstances. Well, I’m here to share the beginnings of a little story, and perhaps some of Your questions will be answered, and perhaps, You will have many more. And there will be time, I suppose, for those questions, or not. The last three years flew by, so We might as well count on that the next three years will do the same, hopefully with less trauma, uncertainty, and unknowing, but just as many moments of discovery and wonder in gratitude of the Love that surrounds us, even in the darkest hour. However, that, my Friends, is for another time. For the moment, let Us begin with Iris.
This is summer for a veteran teacher–the first in over a decade and some change. It’s rained twice today, as it will in Florida, and there is no stopping the return of relentless heat, and bugs, and costly electric bills. Yet, today also offers the possibility of much more. And what could that be in addition to summer #abundance, You ask?
The word, petrichor, comes to mind. But heart and mind speak different languages, as water and air. And we may wonder if these never talk then at all? Yet Iris, great goddess (at least in my eyes) offers Her help. See what a little Sun shine can do for Us here on Earth in shimmering (or snaking) Their way into Our darknesses? She keeps us going forward, but remembering moment. And, if We can suspend Our rational mind for just a minute, We let a little dreamy romanticism into Our weary, water-logged hearts. So, She gathers with rain drops and wind gusts, cheering Us on. That roof? Your lawnchairs? Your picnic plans? Iris is both the guardian and the guide, letting potentiality show Us world’s true colors, even those We never stopped to see before.
After rain, She invites us to slip into Our gardens, banter with the inhabitants, maybe sipping rainwater from leaf and limb, but (at the very least), touching the wetness, the soothing coolness. We may linger here before returning to where we were before, a bit damper, but grateful. Or perhaps, We drink this all in, never to return, never to return, never to return. For a moment is just that–a moment. We blink and Iris is gone. We forget the work She does to turn rain and wind into a rainbow. How She perfectly manifests Her business deal between regal Sun and storm gods. She is service oriented, and that’s why She can speak the language of air and water, as well as those of the Earth and Sea. She is a mediator, and teaches Us #balance; when We tiptoe between words and actions, She gifts us balance with her commands: Stop thinking, but don’t stop feeling! Presence! Breathe. The future is full of possibilities, and Iris invites us to consider petrichor. Whether it be through movement, through song, or through a growing awareness, let potentiality show Us world’s true colors of Summer, which is really all a part of the great cycle of the Year. However, that, my Friends, is for another time.
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Irresistible Circumstances and EMYoga are expanding. Please like, subscribe, share, comment, and enjoy Our content.
Please check out The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian and Wendy Froud and The Faeries’ Oracle by Brian Froud with text by Jessica Macbeth at https://www.ferniebrae.com/brian-froud. Thank You for reading and receiving Iris’s blessing (You definitely have Mine, too!). May Our #practice together be a catalyst and the healing itself.
