Hi, I’m Lillarose Hardin… You may remember me from my last post here. April 28 was my 11th birthday. I asked my mom if I could celebrate at Refuge Coffee in Clarkston, GA by teaching yoga and running their fun run race.
Bondage and ignorance and limitation!These deep darkened roots,
known as Anava Mala,
cloak our awareness
like pollen all upon ‘ya.
This pollen of unworthiness
Helps us forget~
How miraculous we are~
We recoil ~we regret.
We regret and we doubt.
We feel separate and small.
Our pimples and frizzes
Keep us enthralled.
How, do we, how do we
How DO we re-remember?
Our goodness, our freedom
From here to September?
Good question, my dear!
So at your request~
I’ll teach you the tools
To elevate your quest!
Your breath is the broom
that sweeps away pollen,
Shines light on the ignorance
Which is hidden and smallen.
Sit tall, close your eyes,
Tune into your spine.
Inhale your breath
Down the left side line
Sweep your breath out~
On the same side,
From bottom to top~
Deep inside.
Sweep your breath in,
Down the right side this time.
Get real close and real low~
To release dust and grime.
Sweep your breath out~
From bottom to top.
Keep sweeping your spine~
No reason to stop!
No reason to stop~
Till you feel lighter and free!
Relieved of unworthy
Pollen and debris.
The pollen of ignorance~
And debris of limitation~
Can be swept to the surface
For expansive illumination.
Each time we remember,
We grow and expand~
We become more real!
And that is quite grand!.
In the business of life, we tend to get contracted, even with our yoga practice. We want to be aligned, with good form and practice these principles in sequential order. At times, all of those details can bog us down. Bring playfulness into your yoga practice and think of it like a game. See what part of you is winning in certain poses. Steadiness, Spacious Breath, Hugging the Midline? The directions for Warrior 1 Up are here, but don’t stop there. Think Rock, Papers with each pose and notice what becomes more clear.
how do you teach yoga to teens? you start by teaching Truth. speak to the highest in them. they will get it when you tell them that they are a spiritual being in a physical body and that they are immeasurably powerful. when they root their feet into their mat, into the earth in Mountain pose they will feel steady and strong; a steadiness they themselves create becomes a thing they can rely upon. when their feet are rooted into the earth, they will become rooted in their integrity. when they are faced with difficult situations they can breathe into steadiness, root into their integrity and make grounded choices.
Little Bo Breath has lost her depth,
And can’t tell where to find it:
She closes her eyes, tunes inside
And breathes from hips to armpits.
When you feel shallow and dull, deeply breath to get more full.
Settle your seat and settle your feet.
