YogaXoga Shares: Love146.org & Child Sex Trafficking

In the last several months, I’ve been researching an issue that is so disturbing and horrific – Human Trafficking. I’ve spent many hours looking at government reports, browsing international, national and local organizations’ website working to fight this horrible issue. When we think about slavery, we think about history books – at least I did – an awful chapter of our history as Americans. But, slavery exists today – and in overwhelmingly higher numbers than our history books tell us.

Take a look at these staggering statistics:

• It’s estimated that 27 million people are currently enslaved around the world — that’s more than double the Africans enslaved during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) now believes that the number of children trafficked annually is around 1.2 million. (2006)

• It is estimated that two children per minute are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

In my research, I’ve found many reputable organizations, coalitions, alliances doing good work in the areas of education/awareness, rescuing and restoring these victims and prevention. Hearing the stories of those young girls have so stirred my heart that now that I know this, I can’t ignore it, I know I must do something – even if it’s through seemingly small steps, we must do something to fight Human Trafficking. Today, I’m highlighting one organization that really stood out to me that I wanted to share with you.

Beginning September 1 thru the end of 2008, 10% of every YogaXoga Demystified Yoga DVD purchase (whether on www.yogaxoga.com/dvd, on amazon.com or in person) will go to this organization – Love146. Read on to learn more about them.

Love146 works toward the abolition of child sex trafficking and exploitation through prevention and aftercare. Love146 trains aftercare workers, multiplies safehomes, aids socioeconomic development programs in high risk communities and provides a voice for these victims of modern-day slavery.

Learn more about Love146:

http://www.youtube.com Search on ‘love146′ to view story…

Love146 Website

For those of you in the Kansas City area, the founder of Love146, Rob Morris is speaking at Church of the Resurrection, September 20th at the Justice Jam. We’re planning to attend and hope to see you there. Here are the details on the event: www.justicejam.com

You may be saying to yourself, “I thought this was a yoga blog…” and it is, but today I’m using my one small voice to tell you about something I don’t think we can ignore any longer… once we know, we have to do something.

Back to school, Back to busyness?

Santa Cruz Beach

With summer, it’s easy to get out of our weekly routines, even if they’re good for us, like exercising, cooking at home, etc.. We have vacations, summer activities with the kids, all those extra hours of sunshine for gardening, softball, walking the dog…

As our summer ends, and back-to-school activities begin, it’s easy, tempting to get back on the “busyness bus”, where our to-do lists get longer, our calendars booked, our minds frazzled. During the summer, we use the excuse that it’s summer, we don’t need to tackle that long list or fill our days because we’re enjoying the summer – and whatever that means – maybe the kids are home from school, we’re off work (or just working a lighter schedule, like myself) or we just have more important things to focus on.

Then September hits and we’re off to the races until Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2009! It doesn’t have to be this way. Who says that every minute of every day must be filled DOING things? What about STILLNESS, what about NOT DOING, instead?

As some of you know, I made a conscious effort beginning in May and pretty much all summer to do less. No, it wasn’t a ploy to be lazy, but an effort to make space for quieter activities – being still, meditating, praying, enjoying my present moments whatever they may be. It was also an effort to listen in that stillness, for inspiration, guidance, direction. At first, this “not doing” was very frustrating to me…I like to get things done, scratch them off my list. But by July/Aug, I was getting the hang of it. After our vacation to Santa Cruz, CA (see photo), breathing the ocean air, slowing down our pace, I’ve decided it doesn’t have to be a summer thing. Balance is good all year around. We just have to be intentional and mindful about it. Here are some ideas I’d like to share:

• Schedule time for you to be still, quiet or enjoy your favorite refective, rejuvenating activity. The key is to schedule it — just like you would a doctor’s appt, or meeting with your boss.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a few appts with yourself. Maybe you set your goal at 15 minutes a day just for you, and it only actually happened twice last week. That’s still an improvement from not at all.
• Challenge your old way of thinking that busy is better. Wouldn’t you love to answer the “How are you?” question with something other than “We’re sooo busy”? Maybe fewer activities or commitments would mean less stress for you and more time doing/being with what/who you genuinely care about.
• Encourage family and friends to follow suit. The idea that we don’t need to be SO BUSY, that we can deselect things and have downtime shouldn’t be a new idea, but sadly it seems to be. Share with those you care about…if more people catch on, busy, busy, busyness doesn’t have to be the norm.
• Hone in on the activities, people that really do fill you up – whether that’s a weekly yoga class, a good book, a walk with a friend – and make those a priority in your week.

Of course, sometimes we’re just busy. It’s a busy week or a busy season at work…that happens. But, it’s also ok to challenge the mindset that we need to always be so chronically, continuously busy. Step out of the busyness bus and breathe for awhile. You might not want to get back on board.

Yoga Breathing Before Bed: Left Nostril Breath

Periodically in class, I’ll guide my students through Alternate Nostril Breathing. This is a great breathing technique to create a sense of focus & balance, clear nasal passages & relieve sinus pressure. A close cousin to the Alternate Nostril Breath is the Left Nostril Breath. This is a calming breath to practice before you go to bed, as it relaxes and lulls you. Imagine a breath that says to your busy brain: “you are getting very sleepy…” – this is it.

Left Nostril Breath

Start in a comfortable seated position. [Place a pillow under your hips if your low back and hips feel strained seated.] Close your eyes and breathe normally – in and out through the nose with lips sealed. Using your right hand, close off your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril. Switch and close off your left nostril with your first finger and exhale out the right. Switch and close the right nostril and breathe in through the left nostril. Switch, exhale through the right. Repeat 6-8 times, keeping a steady comfortable breath length, then breathe normally.

So in contrast to Alternate Nostril Breath, where you continue to switch sides for your inhaling and exhaling, with Left Nostril, it’s always the same: Inhale on the Left, Exhale on the Right. Because it is so effective in relaxing, calming, getting you ready for sleep, I’d encourage you to practice this breath after your nightly yoga stretches before bed, or if you wake up in the night and need a technique to find those Zzzz’s again.

Healthy Habit #5: Keeping a Journal

I’m a writer. Not a professional writer, but I like to write. I make lists. I keep a paper planner (no blackberry or pda for me). I get some therapeutic satisfaction from actually writing things down (lists, thoughts, whims, etc.), reviewing them, re-tooling them, crossing things off the list – you get my point.

So…on the note of writing, I’ve been keeping journals for a long time – off and on. At some points in my life, I was writing everyday, at other points, the entries are very sporadic with months at a time with no entry. There is something very cathartic about getting whatever is in your head & heart out and on paper. When I’m planning or dreaming, it can be helpful to see those musings on paper and help them get a little closer to reality. When I’m frustrated or worried or burden, those problems or fears just seem smaller, less intimidating in black and white.

So here are a few ideas…take them, leave them, modify them to fit you.

Keep a journal by your bed – At night, a lot of us can have “mental chatter” before we go to sleep. Random thoughts, fears, plans all creep into your mind when you really want to just sleep. Getting those thoughts out of your head and down on paper can be helpful. Even if it’s just jotting down those “I gotta remember to”’s, that’s a start.

Journal after your yoga practice – Yoga tends to bring up emotions, thoughts that we might overlook or avoid during our regular day. (As I once had a yoga teacher tell me in class: “our issues are in our tissues”) . Don’t ignore those – but explore them…take a journal with you to yoga and pop into a coffeehouse or park afterwards and jot those thoughts down. Maybe you had an inspiration on how to handle a challenge or felt a certain peace about something that’s been bothering you. Capture those inspirations.

Take a journal on vacation - Just getting out of your daily routine and scenery is great – that’s why we take vacations…but it can also help our perspective, our stress levels and our creativity. Maybe you’re inspired by a beautiful view or by experiencing a new culture or meeting interesting people. Capture your reactions to what you’re seeing, the highlights of your trip, and any new perspectives on the life you’re coming back to. Getting away can give us new eyes into our world.

Finally, since I have been journaling for awhile, it can be amusing and telling to look back over previous year’s journals and see what was important to me then, what seeds were planted then that have now come to be real parts of my life…

happy writing…

Yoga Before Bed: Mild Inversions aid sleep, relieve stress

One of the best things to do at night before going to sleep is to get your legs up. Nope, it doesn’t have to be a headstand or handstand (it works better, actually, if it’s not). Inverting has many benefits to our minds and bodies. It improves our circulation, calms our nervous system, supports the back and a whole lot more. Sometimes most practical for us, is that getting our legs up and inverting helps get rid of that mental chatter that rears its head at night when we really need sleep. If you find yourself replaying the events of your day or planning/strategizing about tomorrow, these poses may be for you. Check out this website for more information on the benefits, history and cited medical studies for inversion:

www.teeterhangups.com

If you’re not thinking an inversion table is in your future shopping plans, here are a few ways to get some of the benefits of inverting without the table. I do own the table and love it, but these stretches give you some other options…

Who shouldn’t invert: if you’re pregnant, suffering from glaucoma, have low or high blood pressure, you should avoid inversion and check with your doctor about other sleep-aiding techniques/tools.

Basic Inversion: The idea is to get your legs up in a way that’s comfortable for you to stay there for 3-5 minutes, possibly working up to 10 minutes. You’ll want to get ready for bed first – change your clothes, brush your teeth, etc., so that you can sleepily crawl into bed after this pose. Here are some options:

a. Legs in a Chair – Lying on the floor, with your hips very close to the front edge of the chair. Let your legs rest in the seat of the chair (or on an ottoman). Draw your shoulders down from your ears and let your arms fall open at your sides. Start by noticing your breath, and allowing your exhale to linger. Making sure to breathe in and out through the nose with your lips sealed. Stay here for 5-10 minutes. When you’re ready gently roll to one side and rest for 3 more breaths. Gently press back up and crawl into bed without a lot of movement or fuss.

b. Legs up the Headboard – This one’s inspired by one of my clients who mentioned that some nights when she can’t fall asleep or get back to sleep, she stays in bed, turns around and rests her legs on her headboard. If your low back needs extra support, consider placing your pillow under your hips. Continue with the same breathing as (a.). As you begin to feel more sleepy, you’re already in bed – ease over to one side and back to sleep.

c. Legs up the Wall – Lying on the floor near a wall and letting your legs rest up the wall. You may want a pillow underneath your hips/low back for support. You want to be close enough to the wall that your legs are resting there, and you’re not feeling strain in the low back…usually about 6-8 inches from the wall is good. Follow same instructions as (a) for breathing and coming out of the pose.

ZZzzzzz….

For more on yoga before bed, take a look at our latest DVD: Demystified Yoga, Vol. 2 with a class devoted to yoga before bed.