Will you grow this year? Last years bounty.



I gingerly placed 8 plants in my composted vegetable garden this morning. I wished them well and bid them adieu.  I am letting Mother Nature take over for awhile.  This is best for me and the plants.  I have learned from experiences good and bad, that when I try to control and overly manage something, it backfires on me.  I am cultivating trust in myself and the natural world.  This doesn’t mean that I don’t prepare the soil and visit the plants to water and weed.  I just take an attitude of whatever may be, it is.  


I encourage you to think about areas in your life where you may need to trust more.  It could be in situations, with certain people, with yourself, and in relationships.  Write these out in your journal and then try some of the Tools for Trust meditations and journal your discoveries. 


The Tools for Trust
Meditations



This video from You Tube has some really great questions to ask yourself.  Enjoy!


Meditation for Trust Podcast 
Check out their website meditationoasis.com  for other meditations. 


The Breath
2 to 1 Breath or Extended Exhale

A basic breath that you can take anywhere when you need to.  Lengthening the exhale kicks the parasympathetic nervous system up a notch, allows more space between thoughts, eliminates more waste and toxins from the body and allows the body to settle more.   Much like the Equal Breath, we use a count to inhale but then we exhale for double that count.  Find a comfortable seat or lay down on the floor, hands can be placed on the belly or wherever they are comfortable.  Begin with the inhale to a count of 2, then exhale for a count of 4.  Slightly constrict your back of throat as you exhale (similar to Ujjayi breath). As you practice and progress in deepening your breath, perhaps the counts will get longer.

Lengthening the exhalation and pausing after the exhalation invokes a feeling of profound quiet and stillness.



The Poses
The Decompression Pose (From the Meeks Method)
Props: block, blanket
Benefits: increases tolerance for lying on your back, helps align the curves of the back, relieves compression of the vertebral bodies, re-hydrates the discs between vertebrae, helps the back to relax.
Lie on your back, hips and knees bent, legs hip distance apart, feet flat on the floor (*Foot Triangle), with toes pointed straight ahead.  Arms at your sides (10-12″) away from the body, palms up. Lie in this position 5-15 minutes. May use a block between knees to keep legs apart.


Supported Childs

Props: bolster, two blocks, 2-3 blankets

Benefits: Gently stretches the lower back, relieves shoulder tension and quiets the mind.  Give a sense of security. Feeling support and release.
Extras:sandbag for sacrum

Place the two blocks at either the lowest or medium height, equidistant from each other bolster lengthwise on top of blocks. A s-fold or triple fold blanket on top of bolster.  It may be more comfortable without blocks.  Legs straddle the props at one end, and lengthen body over them. Head will rest on props.  Additional blanket(s) may be used behind knees. Ideally props should extend all the way to the pelvis area but this may not be the case with your body structure.   Stay here for 10 minutes to begin with, rotating head side to side. 



Supported Bridge

Props: 4 blankets, neck roll, eye pillow

Extras: blanket for warmth, strap for legs
Benefits: Expands the chest muscles, opens the lungs, balances the glands, quiets the nerves and releases tension in the nervous system, increases oxygen intake to the brain, can stimulate the immune system (thyroid)

Make two stacks of two double or triple fold blankets on top of each other.  Placed the two stacks end to end. Height and width of blankets can be adjusted for your body.  Sit down straddling one of the stacks and carefully lower yourself down onto forearms, swing your legs on to other stack and lie down. Neck roll is placed at top stack, lower shoulder and head to floor.  Neck is supported by neck roll and head is completely flat on floor with forehead and chin on the same plane.  Arms stretched out to the sides. The stacks of blankets should be long enough for the entire body to be resting on including the feet.  Option to put strap around calves if the legs are rolling outward.  Stay for up to 15 minutes. Roll off blankets slowly and bring knees to chest with some movement.