L.L. Kirchner's Blog, page 6
October 26, 2022
October 17, 2022
September 26, 2022
September 13, 2022
What Is Self-Help Negging?
I used to fall for it all the time, but my life didn’t really change until I quit.
September 9, 2022
February 3, 2019
Heart openers for February
Camel pose.
Your experiences get stored in your body–mental, emotional, and physical. And the body takes the lead. Through practicing yoga, I’ve found I can offer wellness to my body that results in better emotional and mental health. Who knew? But it’s always been true–the body takes the lead.
Besides the fact that this month contains Valentine’s Day, that Hallmark holiday to which we’ve become so attuned it’s easy to lose perspective, I just parted ways with my agent. This is a huge momentum shift. Rather than shut down in a vain attempt to protect myself, I want to stay open and receptive to the next thing that’s coming as a result. The best prescription to face these storms?
HEART OPENERS!
If you close your heart down to anything in the universe… you are then at the mercy of suffering. To have finally deal with suffering, you have to consume it into yourself. Which means you have to live with eyes open be able to keep your heart open in hell .
Ram Dass
PREP WORK:
Whether you’re doing killer arm workouts or on a computer, your shoulders are likely to be tight, so begin gently.
Next up, twisting. Twists are important because to open the heart you’re going to have to do some forgiving. Twists help make that happen.
Hugging yourself in this way allows you to begin the process, and it’s a good alternative to “garudasana arms” (elbows stacked, forearms pressed together, the inside of palms facing each other in prayer).
Stack the elbows and hold opposite shoulders. Inhale, and to a slow count of five draw the belly in and gently lift the elbows. At the top, draw the shoulder blades together, lift the chin to look where the wall and ceiling meet.
On the exhale, draw the belly in, draw the elbows toward the ribs and let the head float down.
Place the opposite elbow on top.
Repeat five times.
Inhale, lift the chin and chest, draw the belly toward the spine.
Open across the chest by peeling the shoulder back. Move the chin in the same direction as the shoulder. On the open side, press the hand into the floor (if it doesn’t reach the floor use a block so you can get this additional pressure). Take the opposite hand to the knee.
Work with the breath, not the muscles.
Hold for five deep breath, repeat three times.
Roll the shoulder blades together and peel the shoulders back.
Bend at the elbows to gently interlace the fingers and and draw t he knuckles toward the floor.
You do not have to reach the floor, but if you do, press into it and lift the chest.
1. CAMEL POSE (Advanced version pictured above.)
Stand up on your shins, toes tucked
Press your hips forward, look to where the ceiling and wall meet
If you want to take Camel further:
Start against a wall
Keep your hips pressed into the wall while reaching for your heels (you’re ready for this when you can do it without flailing; you should be able to simply reach the heels)
Once you have the heels, lift the chest toward the ceiling
Only drop the head if you have no neck injuries, otherwise, the tilted chin works as well
Eventually, you’ll untuck the toes
Then crawl your hands toward your knees
2. RESTORATIVE BUTTERFLY
Place a bolster, or slim pillow, or folded blanket under your back at the base of your shoulder blades (the bra line)
Place blocks beside your thighs
Draw the soles of your feet together and toward your pubis, rest on the blocks.
If you cactus your arms you’ll get a deeper opening as your shoulder blades roll toward the floor. I like to do rolling belly breaths and place one hand on my belly and the other on my heart.
Rest for anywhere from one to ten minutes.
3. GENTLE BACK BENDING
*You can see the tightness in my shoulders in this pic, the crooked left arm, even after all that opening.
I love back bending with an exercise ball.
If you don’t have an exercise ball, you can drape yourself over your bed.
If you are open enough, interlace your hands. Hold for ten breaths. Release.
Roll up. Roll back down. Interlace your hands the “weird” way. Hold for ten breaths again. Release before you roll back up.
If this is too aggressive, just relax with your arms outstretched behind you.
Enjoy the energy boost!
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January 31, 2019
What is love?
It’s February.
You may have heard Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. I’m in a happy loving relationship, and all the buzz around this day makes ME anxious. Here’s what helps when the anxiety bubble blooms.
Years ago, I learned that falling in love was less about finding the right person than becoming the right person. Wait, if you’re like me, that thought causes anxiety–like, damn, so much to fix–hang on!
I got trapped in the loop for a very long time.
We don’t fall in love with another person nearly so much as we allow ourselves to see their best selves. This is a reflection of our own best selves.
I didn’t have to change at all for my best self to exist, but I had to learn to see past the things I didn’t like about myself. The revolution was that this enabled me to stop looking for things I didn’t like in others.
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
Rumi
The mudra pictured above, where my wrists touch at my heart and my hands are open wide, is good practice for practice for resting in love. You can feel the heart energy radiating back toward yourself when you do this.
Falling in love is less about finding the right person than becoming the right person.
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Love yourself first. It’s the most radical thing you can do.
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January 14, 2019
The “show me how you thrived challenge.”
2006/2019
I don’t know about you, but I did way more interesting things than continue to have birthdays over the past 13 years.
The pic on the left is my first profile picture for Facebook. It was taken in my office at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. I was freshly divorced and scrambling to find the proverbial, “what NOW?” I was working at least six days a week, smoked a lot, was in terrible physical shape, and felt tense and lonely. Now, many yoga mats and meditation cushions later, I work less for more money, am married to a deliriously wonderful man, and no matter what the fuck life throws at me, I know I will be OK. All because I learned how to tap into the still part of myself that is liquid unconditional loving, and stop taking everything so damn seriously.
January 8, 2019
Go where it’s warm.
Hartley always goes for the sunny spot on the floor.
This reminds me–always go where it’s warm. If the feeling is cold, something is wrong. It doesn’t mean a general indictment, just, not here, not now.
This was something I had to learn, and it was (and still can be) harder than seems logical. But I was used to feeling pretty shitty, so how was I to notice if people, places and things out there added to that feeling?
Now, if I become aware that something feels off, I move into the light. This doesn’t even mean a physical change, it can be as simple as adjusting my perspective.
The other day I was upset because I apologized to someone, and rather than even a simple acceptance, I got more feedback on what was wrong with me. But I have reason to be in contact with this person–ie, I can’t get away–so I tried to look at the situation differently. This is someone who needs to feel in charge. That costs me nothing. For the sake of less suffering, better to let them have their way. Then we’re both off the hook.
#gowhereitswarm #thejoyseeker #amlearning #hartleyrules
from Instagram: http://bit.ly/2LYyUqP
The post Go where it’s warm. appeared first on .
Go where it’s warm. Hartley reminds me of this the way he always goes for the sunny spot on the floor. It was something I had to learn, and it was (and still can be) harder than seems logical. But I was used to feeling pretty shitty, so how was I to notice
from Instagram: http://bit.ly/2LYyUqP
The post Go where it’s warm. Hartley reminds me of this the way he always goes for the sunny spot on the floor. It was something I had to learn, and it was (and still can be) harder than seems logical. But I was used to feeling pretty shitty, so how was I to notice if people, places and things out there added to that feeling? Now, should I become aware that’s happening, I move into the light. #gowhereitswarm #thejoyseeker #amlearning #hartleyrules appeared first on .
