My Competitive Spirit Meets Yoga

Fran Harris

I just finished yoga and I’m pumped. I know that sounds contradictory, but work with me. Yoga energizes me because it challenges me to let all those silly distractions fall away. I forget about who’s emailed or texted me in the last 30 seconds. I don’t wonder if my tweets are going out as scheduled. I’m just able to be. For those 45, okay, 35 minutes, I’m just being. I’m just me.

I was introduced to Yoga over a decade ago but I didn’t start “practicing” until 5 years ago. And almost instantly my life, relationships and outlook changed. I had an amazing instructor who assured me that just because I couldn’t touch my toes that I was not going to be cast into the Yoga Hall of Shame.

Yoga was such a departure in philosophy for me. You see, I’m a competitive athlete. I’ve played basketball at the highest levels — WNBA Champion, NCAA Champion, USA National Team, Olympic Alternate and professional stints in Italy & Switzerland. We’re conditioned to be these elite machines that never show any vulnerability, lest the “enemy” swoop in and crush us. How funny that I’ve never really bought into that. Maybe if I had I would have been a better basketball player.

And perhaps that’s why Yoga was like a water fountain in the desert for me. Something inside me — ever since I was 5 or 6 year old — has always longed for something deeper. Something way beyond the outer. I believe Yoga nurtures that place inside all of us that craves stillness and acceptance. And for some reason, when I finish practicing Yoga, I actually feel like I could run a marathon.

I don’t, of course, I’ll never do that again (a story, I’ll share later) but for now, suffice it to say that finding my inner Yogi has been the most amazing part of my journey to date. I don’t know exactly why, but I do know that Yoga has facilitated an opening in me that’s made a difference in every area of my life.

And miraculously I’ve discovered that my outer achievement comes effortlessly when I go inward to my true, highest self. It’s incredible what happens when you don’t care who’s right, who gets the credit or who gets recognized. A philosophy not nurtured in competitive sports, believe me.

So, I moved from sports to another competitive arena: TV. And I have to say that nothing is funnier than the television business. The shouting matches between producers. The ego-centric rants of managers and agents. The morbid insecurity of on-air talent.

I used to wish that I’d done things differently in my TV career. That I’d started earlier or moved to New York or fired my first agent sooner. But I have to say that as I assess where I am and who I am today, that I’m glad I did exactly as I did.

Now, I can’t say that about everything in my life. But with regard to my TV career, I’m sure of it. I don’t get bothered by the same things. I don’t see the business the same. And that feels right for me. I now know that TV is my vehicle for service. All I have to do is “be who I am”, with the blessed assurance that as long as I sing MY song and stay in MY lane, the adventure, the excursion will be one helluva ride.

It already has been.

Fran Harris, America’s No Excuses Coach has been inspiring individuals, teams and companies to lead bigger lives since she was 12 years old. A life and business coach who’s appeared on CNBC, CNN, FOX Business & Oprah & friends, she’s also the host of a new lifestyle show on HGTV that premiers in 2010.

Unwinding Through Yoga and Meditation

Photo Credit: Guzman

CSL: If someone only has 10 minutes each morning for a yoga routine, what poses would you suggest and can ten to fifteen minutes a day really make a difference?

SHARON: YES, most definitely. Practicing asana for ten to fifteen minutes a day can make a huge difference! Five minutes a day can make a huge difference…doing anything on purpose for even one minute a day can make a huge difference.

Here is a simple yoga asana routine which I do every morning (it takes a little more than five minutes):

“The Magic Ten”:

1. Downward dog—10 breaths
2. Standing forward bend—10 breaths
3. Squat—10 breaths
4. Teepee twist—5 breaths each side
5. Half seated spinal twist—5 breaths each side
6. Table top—10 breaths
7. Handstand—25 breaths
8. Standing Posture alignment—5 breaths
9. Standing side bends—1 breath each side 4X
10. Standing spinal roll—16 breaths

CSL: What advice do you give work-a-holics for integrating mindfulness and spirituality into their day?

SHARON: Every morning before you get out of bed ask God (or if the god word is not to your liking, ask your own “higher power”—what you feel is your best guide—be it intuition, love, higher intelligence, nature, what is good and beautiful, etc.) to make you an instrument. Personally, what I say is: “Make me an instrument for Thy will –not mine but Thine be done, free me from anger, jealousy and fear—fill my heart with joy and compassion.” I try to remember to say that, silently, often during the day, especially when I feel overwhelmed, under pressure or in a time crunch.

CSL: How is spinal flexibility directly linked to our youth and vitality? How can we make sure that we care for this integral part of our anatomy?

SHARON: Suppleness of our bodies is associated with youth and vitality. As children we naturally explore all kinds of ways to move our bodies, but when we become adults, we tend to limit our movements to what is culturally accepted. The definition, after all, of an adult means one who has stopped growing. Clothes can affect our physical movement. Fashion can influence the actual shape of our body as we fall victim to high-heeled shoes or tight jeans, skirts or dresses or even baggy clothes. Over time the clothes we wear can actually altar the physical shape of our bodies. As young children we aren’t so much interested in the status quo or judging ourselves and others by our clothes. But as we get older our outer appearance becomes more and more important and we can get stuck in the syndrome of “never having a thing to wear.” Often we try to remedy this dilemma through shopping (if we have the money for shopping). And those who don’t have the money for shopping often wish they did or envy those who do.

When we practice asana, however, we have the opportunity to uninhibitedly explore our bodies much like we did as children—we get back to exploring the many varieties of shapes and movements that our spines, and in fact, our whole bodies, are capable of. In a typical yoga session one might: curl up like a ball, roll around on the floor, touch their toes to their ears or nose, bend backward, bend forward, and/or stick out their tongue. This physical playfulness can be very freeing psychologically as it provides us with a direct experience of the mind/body connection.

The best way to care for our spines, or any part of our anatomy for that matter, is to use it for higher purposes: for service. Flexibility—physical, as well as mental, emotional and spiritual—enables you to be of more benefit to others and the world around you, and that ultimately brings profound happiness. An inflexible spine reflects an inflexible mind—a mind that is stuck, stubborn, set in its ways.

CSL: Can you help us understand more about the importance of inversions?

SHARON: Of all yoga asanas, inversions are the most potent, because they bring about the most transformational results for us physically, energetically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. A regular inversion practice can yield youthfulness and increase mental capacity, performance, endurance, energy, beauty, and overall well-being, confidence and calmness.

Turning upside down stimulates the master glands—the pineal, pituitary, thyroid and parathyroid. Ordinarily these glands operate sort of like on a thermostat set on a feast or famine trigger. So when the hormonal level gets low, a signal is sent and the gland is flooded with a new chemical dose. The problem with that is that at times when the levels are very low or very high, there can be all kinds of behavioral changes, including mood swings, PMS and even compulsive behaviors like binging on chocolate or junk food. When you do inversions regularly, you provide the glands with regular stimulation, so the hormonal levels are kept more at a balanced state of equilibrium. This helps prevent mood swings and other undesirable effects.

Inversions reverse the effects of gravity on all the systems of the body. They give the internal organs, the skin and the muscles a lift (as we all know, with age everything starts to drop down toward the earth). Inversions can provide a natural face-lift! They invigorate our circulation, helping revive our legs and feet where blood can pool, so the tendency toward varicose veins is diminished.

Inversions also have a mind-expanding effect. When we turn upside down, we can access our own pharmaceutical laboratory, stimulating the release of certain chemicals in the brain that generate feelings of calm, creativity, well-being and expansiveness which allow you to let go of the “small stuff.”

The length of time you spend upside down is important. Spending at least 5 minutes a day in a position in which your heart is above your head is necessary in order to get the benefits of inversions, but the longer the better. The most effective inversions are headstand and shoulderstand (because they involve direct contact between the ground and the head), but other alternatives are good as well, like handstand, bending over from a standing position, downward dog or any other passive inversion.

CSL: For those struggling with insomnia, are there certain lifestyle practices that would be especially helpful?

SHARON:

1. Sleep in a dark room

In order for your brain to be able to make adequate amounts of melatonin, your body has to be in the dark—light must not be present. Sleep in a completely dark room. Do whatever it takes to block out all of the light that might come in during the morning. Use heavy drapes or black-out shades over the windows. Never sleep with a night light on in the room. Make sure that there isn’t a light emanating from an alarm clock, computer, television etc. If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to block out the light, then wear an eye mask as the next best thing, because when light enters into your body via your eyes (left, right and third) it is the most direct route into the pineal gland. But also keep in mind that light can be absorbed into your body via your skin.

2. Don’t drink coffee (or any caffeinated beverage), or at least try to cut down your intake to only one cup per day and drink it only in the morning.

3. Prepare yourself for bed as if you were embarking on a peaceful journey:

*Take a bath

*Put on a comfortable nightgown or pajamas

4. Quiet your mind

*Accept that you will never be able to complete all of the projects you have going on or think through all the thoughts or resolve all the issues you are dealing with in your life and the best thing to do is to take a break once a day and go to sleep for several hours.

*Do not sit in front of a computer before bed and definitely don’t work on emails before bed

*Reserve your bed for horizontal activities like sleeping–Don’t read in bed and don’t watch television in bed.

*Do not watch television before bed. Definitely do not subject your mind to violent movies or television shows and expect to be able to sleep well at night.

*Don’t leave a radio or television on

* Be a vegan—do not eat any food that has been obtained through violent means, because you will absorb the intense fear and degradation that was experienced by the animal whose flesh or milk or eggs you are eating, and over time, that will cause deep unsettledness inside of you.

*Meditate for at least 5 minutes everyday—in the morning or at night or whenever you can find the time. The practice of meditation will help you to begin to come to terms with your thinking mind so that it doesn’t keep coming at you when you want to go to sleep.

Two Magic Words: Start Again

I am happy to report that I have now gotten over my recent attack of the blahs. The blahs are different than the blues. The blues are sad, weepy, ready to question every life decision you’ve ever made and craving baked goods. The blahs are less dramatic. They’re what happens when the only thing you can get excited about doing is nothing. I find they often follow an insanely busy period – once you’ve finished up all those pressing deadlines, there’s no oomph left. And you’ve forgotten how to motivate yourself without some dramatic timeframe. And suddenly the couch and the remote control start looking really good.

At first I decided to indulge my lethargy and spent a lot of time lying around, watching TV, flipping through magazines, and catching up on phone calls. The problem is, my little indulgence turned into a way of life. I was barely doing yoga and only rarely getting outside for walks (it was cold and gray, which I’m sure had something to do with my apathetic state in the first place). I took me about two weeks before I realized I was miserable. My blahs were starting to morph into the blues. And that’s not the direction we want the needle to move.

So I turned to a tactic I learned from meditation. When you’re meditating and focusing your attention on something other than your thoughts—whether by counting your breaths or repeating a meaningful phrase or just listening to your breath as it flows in and out– you will inevitably start daydreaming or thinking about the itch that’s developing on your inner ankle or any number of mental dramas. It’s a natural and expected part of the meditation process. And what you’re supposed to do when you realize you’ve veered off course isn’t to berate yourself. Or wonder why you can’t pay attention. Or give up. No. Your most powerful tactic is to let go of all the lamenting and the blaming and the analyzing and just go back to following your breath. That’s it. Just. Start. Again. No drama. No regrets.

So that’s what I did. I started getting out for a morning walk. I started prioritizing yoga class again. I stopped zoning out in front of the tube. And it worked like a freaking charm. After a few days I was back in my groove, where life isn’t necessarily glorious every minute of every day, but it’s perfect just as it is.

So here’s my message to you: When you find yourself veered off on some course that’s got you feeling blah-y, or blues-y, or whatever your particular funk may be, just start your self-care routine again. All the work you’ve put in to whatever your particular practice may be is waiting for you—even though you may feel like you’re starting from scratch, the cumulative benefits of your previous self-care will rise up to meet you as soon as you take you first step. If you’ve gotten sucked up in to a summer doldrums, consider this your invitation to get back on track. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be feel more like yourself.

Breath and Life

I was finishing up with a client at her apartment when her dog came into the room. He considered me for a moment, perhaps wondering if in my bag of oils and herbs I also had something that tasted like bacon for him to eat. I didn’t. When he was done considering me, he wandered over to the nearest wall and slumped down onto the floor to rest. As I watched him pant, I remembered something I read in Paramahansa Yogananda’s book Autobiography of a Yogi.

In his book, Yogananda speaks of how certain species that breathe fewer times a minute tend to live longer than species that breathe a comparably greater number of times per minute. My client’s dog was taking about forty to fifty breaths per minute, and yet Yogananda observed that a giant tortoise only takes about four breaths per minute. An elephant only takes four to five breaths per minute, and when resting, an alligator may only take one breath per minute. Though elephants and alligators don’t live quite as long as a giant tortoise, they’re certainly on the high-end of life spans in the animal kingdom. Dogs, as well as other animals like cats and mice, take many more breaths per minute and live a decidedly shorter period of time.

Human beings, however, exist somewhere in between the dogs and the giant tortoises in both life span and breaths per minute. Humans tend to take between twelve and twenty breaths per minute, and they tend to live between sixty and 100 years. It is interesting to note that the range of breaths per minute is proportionally similar to that of the range of expected life spans.

There are many different programs, tonics, and marketable systems that promise greater longevity for the practitioner (customer). The truth, though, is that there is a system in yoga that will increase your longevity—and it won’t cost you a penny. This system is, quite simply, that of the full yogic breath.

A full yogic breath is experienced through deep, full inhalations and long, slow exhalations. When the mind is focused on the breath and the nervous system is calm, there is less stress on the body and it experiences better digestion and elimination. Fewer, fuller breaths help to reduce one’s appetite and keep the emotions and senses under control. Rather than trap yourself in a frenetic, high-energy breathing pattern, emulate the slower, deeper habits of the giant tortoise and work to take five to seven breaths per minute. When practiced over time, this habit will lead to a much longer, disease-free life. Breathe less, live longer. Try it.

Yogi Cameron

Spirituality, Yoga, and Vegetarianism

Sharon Gannon is the author of Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Path to Greater Health and Happiness. Today, Sharon shares some of the frequently asked questions she encounters on vegetarianism and how it relates to yoga and spirituality.

Q: What does it mean to be a spiritual person?

A: All living beings are spiritual beings because all of life breathes. Breath is an indication that spirit is present. The words for spirit in the ancient languages of Aramaic (ruha) and Hebrew (ruach) also mean “breath.” Even in English, breath is defined as “the vital spirit, which animates living beings.” Our breath is connected to the air that every being breathes. By breathing consciously, we acknowledge our communion with all of life. There are atoms of air in your lungs that were once in the lungs of everyone who has ever lived. In essence, we are breathing (inspiring) one another. To be alive is to be breathing. To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one’s small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism. The enemy of the spirit is the selfish ego, which thinks that happiness can be gained through causing unhappiness and disharmony to others. In many ancient languages, the word for enemy means “one who falls out of rhythm; one who is not working in harmony with the larger group.”

Freedom from this disharmony can begin by letting go of the breath as “my” breath. As we let go, we enter into the shared life force, into a sense of harmony that connects us all: the breath, the Holy Spirit. If you want to know if someone is a “spiritual being” ask yourself, “Is he or she breathing?” If the answer is yes, then you know that you are in the presence of a spiritual being.

Q: If yoga teaches us that all of life is sacred, then what is the difference if I eat a carrot or a hamburger?

A: Yes, all of life is sacred, and there is scientific evidence supporting the idea that plants have feelings. However, in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives ahimsa, or nonharming, as a “practice,” which implies that it can never be perfected. You practice doing your best to cause the least amount of harm. He also recommends aparigraha, which is the practice of not being greedy, or taking too much. The animals whom we eat consume large quantities of vegetables, so when you eat those animals you are consuming not only the animals but also all the vegetables that those animals have been eating.

Additionally, animals raised for human consumption require a lot of food and land. It takes eight or nine cows a year to feed one average meat eater. Each cow eats one acre of green plants, soybeans, and corn. So it takes nine acres of plants a year to feed one meat eater, compared with half an acre to feed one vegetarian. Most of the plants grown to be fed to farm animals are heavily saturated with pesticides and herbicides and have been genetically modified, all of which contributes to the pollution and death of our environment. In terms of causing the least amount of harm, a vegetarian diet is superior, because a vegetarian eats the plants directly instead of eating the animals who were fed plants.

Q: Aren’t cows sacred to yogis? Aren’t milk and ghee considered perfect sattvic foods for a yogi?

A: Yoga may have originated in India, where the cow has been revered as sacred for thousands of years, but times have changed since Lord Krishna played his flute for the cows of Vrindavan. There are factory farms in India now. European cows have been inbred with the native cows of India, resulting in a short-legged breed that is no longer useful in the heavy work of pulling carts or plowing fields. This doesn’t limit the ability of the cows to produce milk, but approximately half the calves born are male. What happens to all the male calves being born in dairies? Their bodies wind up in the large black market focusing on beef and the sale of other products derived from cows. India is the leading exporter of leather to America and Europe. The tanning process involved in the leather is highly toxic and maims or kills thousands of people every year. Since it is illegal in many Indian states to kill a cow, there is much denial and secrecy surrounding the exploitation of cows in India.

Q: Shouldn’t we as spiritual practitioners try to live a more simple life and just eat normal food and not be picky? Vegetarianism seems so complicated!

A: It is a testament to the effectiveness of advertising campaigns funded by the animal-user industries that a diet that is bad for us and harmful to the planet is thought of as “normal” and a diet that promotes health, happiness, and well-being is thought of as alternative, abnormal, or faddish. In fact, these days it is relatively easy to find vegetarian options in many restaurants and supermarkets, though you may have to ask. Moreover, the fact is that it is much more complicated to confine, raise, feed, slaughter, process, package, and market an animal for food than it is to grow plants.

Q: Can you eat meat and still be a spiritual person?

A: All breathing beings are spiritual; this includes everyone who breathes, whether they are animals or humans, carnivores or vegetarians.