Have you stretched your armpits today?

Have you stretched your armpits today?

Just recently, another incredible class of yoginis and yogis (well, there was one man in this year’s class) finished the level 1 training. Typically, when I teach side stretch at the wall, I say that someday I want a t-shirt that says “have you stretched your armpits today?” This class took the quip seriously and had t-shirts made for the training staff that say just that on the front, with our ShivaShakti Synthesis logo on the back. What a gift.

This led to the present blog topic.

Why stretch your armpits?

The technical term for armpit is axilla (see, I just learned something new). It has a floor, a ceiling and four walls. The muscles involved are some we often hear about in yoga because they tend to be tight and imbalanced, i.e., the pectoralis (major and minor), subclavius, serratus anterior, subscapularis, teres major, latissimus dorsi and the long head of the biceps. These muscles create strength and balance in the shoulders and upper torso; some assist with respiration as well.

Due to poor posture and/or the stresses and strains of daily life (carrying the world on one’s shoulders) this area becomes imbalanced, affecting not just the physical body but the breath and emotions as well. The brachial plexus is a bundle of nerve fibers running from the upper spinal cord (at cervical vertebrae 5-7 and thoracic vertebra 1) via the axilla, or armpit, through the wrists.  When compressed, it can create shoulder, elbow and/or wrist pain. When the muscles of the axilla borders are chronically contracted, which we might call "tight armpits," it is a wake up call to deepen the breath and broaden the collarbones.  This allows us to find our strong center and then let the power, love and energy flow from that center.  So, have you stretched your armpits today?

Feed & Weed

Yes, it is time for blog #2. Thank you for the input and support. You are also encouraged to respond to the blog with your thoughts; our line of inquiry will only deepen with the exchange. Please let us know of any topics you would like to see explored.

Something that struck me when I was in Florida doing Panchakarma was the topic of detoxification and nourishment. Spring calls for us to detoxify. We clean out the flowerbeds of the sludge of winter. But why do we do this? We do this so the plants awakening beneath the surface can receive nourishment and grow.  We, too, need to clean out the sludge of winter. So the panchakarma program begins before you arrive at the center with a gentle detoxification that starts at home. Then when you get to Florida you receive a detoxification program that suits your issues and dosha. After the program you are given directions about diet, herbs, lifestyle, etc. to nourish and revitalize you tissues once you are home.

Some people are better at purging, which is the extreme of detoxification, and some are better at stuffing or hoarding, the extreme of nourishment. But detoxification and nourishment need to be a dance that balances letting go of what doesn’t serve us and taking in what does. Gardeners know that the plants in the flowerbed need the debris cleared away, but that they will also do well with a layer of good mulch. And gardeners know plants need food, but will get sick or even die if they receive too much or too little light and water. We are our own gardeners. How do we know what we need to take in or let go? By listening. Not with our ears, but with our intuition. When we listen to what our bodies need and are of service to the self, it allows us to be of service to the whole Self of the universe. But that is hard part – the listening. What helps you to listen to what you need so you will flourish where you are planted?

Paying Attention to Intention

In an attempt to stay better connecting to the ShivaShakti family we are starting a weekly blog. I, Janice, am starting it out with a thought that Lori Candon has been pondering – intention and attention. 

     

     What does it really mean to set an intention, how does attention fit into that?

The definition of attention, from the psychological point of view sounds as if it could have been written by the ancient yogic sages. It is:

• concentration of the mind on a single object or thought, especially one preferentially selected from a complex, with a view to limiting or clarifying receptivity by narrowing the range of stimuli,
• a state of consciousness characterized by such concentration,
• a capacity to maintain selective or sustained concentration.

Intention on the other hand is:

• what one intends to do or bring about,
• the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered.

It seems to me that setting an intention, while not easy as it requires decision making, is much easier than paying attention to it. Attention here would imply staying awake and aware to where the energy is going. It is said that attention follows intention and the more the attention follows, the more potent the intention becomes. Richard Miller Ph.D. says that the intention is the anchor that aids in creating focus. Often, however, we drift about on the surface, looking everywhere for an answer without stopping to figure out what we are seeking. We set the intention, we anchor ourselves and then the mind gets distracted by the surface waves — “is that what I seek over there or perhaps it is in the opposite direction? Perhaps I need to anchor somewhere else”. But when we stay anchored, like in meditation, something deeper may be revealed. When the attention stays focused we may find ourselves diving underneath the surface where there the waters are calmer and clearer. Then a deeper meaning of our intention may arise. Every intention is a desire to find our way back home to the true Self. By setting the anchor via the intention and then staying awake to it, we awaken to the Self.

We would love to hear your thoughts, insights, questions and experiences about this. And if you have any questions you would like to have explored please send them to us.

Shanti, Janice