Open Your Heart Without Getting Hurt

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope everyone finds a way to celebrate love today, whether with a special someone or your friends or just for yourself.

In fact, giving yourself some love–or as we say in yoga, Ahimsa–on this day might be the most important part. We cannot open our hearts to others if we don’t take care of ourselves first. I mean we can, but we are more likely to get hurt or burn out in the process.

It’s the whole oxygen mask on an airplane message, right? “Please secure your own mask before helping others.” It won’t do your child any good if you pass out while you’re trying to put their oxygen mask on because you didn’t put yours on first.

Same thing with opening our hearts and spreading love. We need to give ourselves some love first to make sure that when we open our hearts, we don’t get hurt.

“Heart opening” is a term you often hear in yoga class. “Heart opening” is yoga-code for backward bending. We call it heart opening because we want the bend to come into the upper back rather than the lower back taking the whole thing.

Our lower back is already in a bit of a natural backbend already called our lumbar curve. Our lumbar curve and the oppositely curved thoracic curve and the similarly curved cervical curve are important to the functionality of our spine. Curves help us to bear weight and absorb shock.

However, if we backbend without giving much consciousness to what we are doing, we have the potential to let the whole bend go into our lower back causing our lower back vertebrae to get crunchy and create the potential for pain, both acute and chronic, and injury. If instead we direct the backbend towards our upper back and try to get a nice even bend throughout our whole spine–as much as possible as the lower back will still do more just given its natural curve–then our whole spine stays more happy and we don’t get hurt.

There are four important things to remember on our mats so that we can open our hearts without getting hurt.

First, we need to be strong in our core. Having an engaged core as we move into heart opening poses ensures that our lower back is supported.

Second, we need to make the space for the heart opening to happen. Making length in our spine ensures that there is space between the vertebrae for the motion of the backbend. Movement doesn’t happen in the bones, it happens in the space between them. If our spine is all crunched together and we try to move into a backbend, bone rubs on bone and that is a recipe for injury and pain.

Third, we need to make sure that our hips and our shoulders, our two biggest, most complicated joints both of which are directly connected to our spine, are open. Stretching our hips and our shoulders, especially the fronts of both, before we move into any major backward bending, is really important to reduce unnecessary pressure on our lower or upper back.

Lastly, balance comes into play, and this one might not be as obvious, but it is important. Not just balance like standing on one foot or standing on your head, but balance in the back bend itself, letting the bend move towards the upper back as much as possible. And also balance after the backbend, making sure that we counterpose and take a few forward folds after a big heart opening class.

Now, all this applies off our mats too, which is one of the things I love most about yoga.

In order to spread love to others, to show Ahimsa, loving-kindness, to the world, to help other people, we first have to be strong in the core of who we are. When we are strong in ourselves and know ourselves well, deep down inside, when someone needs help, we can see how we can help them in a way that makes sure we don’t get hurt doing so.

If we want to spread love and help others, we have to make the space in our lives to do so.

We also have to be flexible because when we give of ourselves to help others, we often need to adjust our lives a bit and fit their needs or schedule, sometimes bending over backward for someone if you will.

And lastly, of course, there needs to be that balance, remembering that even as we help and spread love and really open our hearts, we still need to return inward to ourselves and give ourselves that same love too.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

So today, as you open your hearts and spread love, be strong in your core, make space, be flexible and find that balance and love yourself too.

If you want to give yourself some yoga or lomilomi love today, I’ve got Valentine’s Specials going on through the end of the month. I also still have my February #spreadlovewithgin referral bonuses going too, so check those out also.
On this day and every day, I love you all! Happy Valentine’s Day!

With love, aloha, and namaste,
Gin

Spread Love!

Wow! It’s February. Can you believe it? Where did January go?

I welcome February though, for February is the month of love. It’s also my birthday month. With both those things in mind, it’s time to chat about love and spread it around.

Did you know that love, or–as it is more often called in yoga–“loving kindness” is the very first part of the practice of yoga?
In that regard, did you know that yoga is about more than just making fancy shapes with your body?

If you’ve been around me enough, you probably do know that, but for those that don’t and to remind those who do, there are 8 limbs of yoga and the physical poses are the 3rd limb. The first limb is called the Yamas, and I like to think of them as “ways you should treat the world and every being in it.” If you want to learn more about all 8 limbs, let me know. (For now, if you want to learn about the last 3 limbs specifically, you can do so with my online workshop by clicking here.)

The first of the Yamas is Ahimsa which means “loving kindness.”

I love that Ahimsa comes first above all else. And I think it is really important to note and to emphasize. By putting it first, yoga says that no matter what you do, act with loving kindness in the world. It even comes before honesty. I, of course, believe you absolutely should practice both, but I think putting Ahimsa first says a lot.

Be kind, first and foremost above all else.
It really is that simple.

And why not? Why not be kind? It really goes a long way, which may be cliche to say, but it is true.

I used to work at a marine station where you had to take a boat every day to and from work. One of the security guys was always driving the boat. The maintenance guys were always around. I loved talking to them. They had interesting stories to tell about their past careers, their grandchildren, their passions. I know it meant a lot to them that I listened, as they often thanked me and even introduced me to their families when they would come to the island to visit. Whenever I could I took the time to chat and I genuinely loved talking with them. Whenever I was in a hurry, I kindly explained why and they understood.

Some other scientists out at the marine station, however, were not so nice. I watched a few of them seem to look down upon the guys, never chatting with them, always being curt and sometimes a little rude.

Now, I talked with the guys because I really enjoyed it and it is my nature to smile and be nice and show loving kindness without thinking too much about it. Sometimes though, it’s really apparent what a big difference it makes.

Whenever I was in a pinch and needed to get on or off the island at a weird time–something you really weren’t supposed to do as the boats ran on a schedule at night and on weekends–the security guys would gladly accommodate. Whenever something broke in my lab, the maintenance guys fixed it right away. However, I often heard those other folks who were not so kind complaining about having to wait for the boat and missing something important with their experiment or putting in a work order and the work not getting done for 6 months.

Being loving and kind not only is good for the people who you share that kindness with, but it attracts loving kindness to you as well.
Since February is the month of love, bring a little extra consciousness to spreading love this month.

If my story above isn’t reason enough, then at least do so because it is my birthday wish this year–SPREAD LOVE!

Even if all you do is just remember to smile at people who pass you by, you have no idea how much of a difference that can make.

If you want to spread even more love though, for the whole month of February when you spread yoga or lomilomi love to a friend by referring them to me, if they book a session I’ll spread the love back to you by offering you your choice of a 30 minute lomilomi oil work session (if you’ve never experience oil work before, you’re in for a treat!), or a 30 minute restorative yoga session either as an add-on at the end of a regular yoga session or online (restorative yoga is very relaxing!) or a 30 minute guided meditation as an add-on or online. More info here!

Spread love, always in all the ways you can!

Photo by Mara Ket on Unsplash

With love, aloha, and namaste,
Gin

Gin is Now in Virginia

Aloha everyone!

After traveling across the country for 3 months, I am now officially back in Virginia where I grew up. I thought I would never move back here, but you know what they say about saying never, so here I am.

Exalted Warrior on our dock at Smith Mountain Lake.
Exalted Warrior on our dock at Smith Mountain Lake.

My road trip was great. I had hoped to be online more, but I was enjoying the places and especially the people along the way and did not post as much as I had hoped. I got to see so many of my dear friends and family. It was amazing. If you get a chance to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a long time, please do so. I highly recommend it.

I taught yoga workshops in 9 different cities during my trip. Each stop was its own unique experience. I enjoyed meeting all the studio owners and teachers, but especially the students. Every time I teach, I learn something new, and it was wonderful to travel the country and meet so many new students from so many places.

If I didn’t make it to you and you want me to visit to teach a workshop, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m still available to teach anywhere and happy to do so!

Right now, I am taking bookings for private yoga. I am available in both the Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia (including Moneta, Bedford, Rocky Mount and Roanoke) and the Richmond area, including surrounding counties. I am also taking bookings for lomilomi (Hawaiian bodywork and healing arts). Please email me at gin@yogawithgin.com to schedule.

I will be back and forth between the farm I grew up on at Smith Mountain Lake and Richmond for the next few months, eventually hoping to set up in Richmond. I will still be back and forth a bit to see my parents and horses, as well as my clients here even after the move to Richmond.

In addition to teaching here, I have more online content planned. Yesterday I started #tadasanathursdayswithgin on Instagram. Every Thursday I will focus on alignment in a particular pose, recognizing that tadasana or mountain pose is the foundation for all our alignments in other poses. Other weekly social media posts will follow, including #meditationmondayswithgin among other things.

Join me for #tadasanathursdayswithgin on Instagram.
Join me for #tadasanathursdayswithgin on Instagram.

More to come soon!

I hope to see you all online or practice with you in person sometime soon. I cannot believe it is November already!

Namaste,
Gin