A Deep Breath

Yeesh. I've been spending too much time staring at this screen lately. It's a good thing I have a yoga chair to keep me away from the slump factor. Thanks Carl! (www.sukhasana.com)
Do the holidays ever add a little stress? Exploit any financial weaknesses? Overload your senses? Remind you that we not only live in abundance but sometimes (dare I say it) gluttony?
Although I am really melting from the cheer that is brightening the faces of all the people in this corridor, sometimes during December I need to lay down and take a few deep breaths. (I tend to do this during Jan, Feb, March, April... and so on as well, BUT maybe more in Dec... wink) Even just one breath can help me feel embodied and aware of what is REALLY arising in myself. Somewhere in there there is a place that is more than the extreme of holiday intoxication or it's opposite of Western consumerism resentment.
Anyways, on our new website www.theyogastudiosquamish.com I just posted a couple of Breathing Podcasts for those of you with like minds.
I especially like the belly breathing before the New Year.
When I lay down and belly breathe for a little while it actually feels like my belly is doing the breathing. Like my belly is breathing in and out.
I always thought that our skin actually did breathe but I dissolved this myth after a little bit of study. (A renowned yoga teacher published a very good book that led me to believe this was true, and that this is why the gold painted woman in the old James Bond movie Goldfinger died - but apparently she went on to make a few more films before retiring and skin-asphyxiation is not really possible).
There is only one animal known to man that breathes through it's skin. It's an Australian Mouse that is born as one of the tiniest mammals on earth after just 9 days of gestation.
Okay, WAY too much time on this computer. What I am trying to get at is that I love the idea of the skin breathing and it seems to be a wonderful visualization for me during practice. I'm kind of disappointed our epidermis doesn't have it's own set of lungs because I like to think that my whole body is pulling in oxygen from the outside medium into the inside.

On another note, I teach a group of First Nations kids yoga two times a week. Today I taught the last class for them before the holidays and they were genuinely sad to hear that yoga was postponed until the New Year. (!!) It has been a long and seemingly impossible journey and I have had many confrontations with myself and my ego teaching these packages of reality, but we are now on a hugging basis and they got together and did a continuous 2 minute Om with me tonight. I don't even want to think about when I no longer have them as part of my week, because I am starting to fall in love with the little rascals. They are so candid that it is refreshing- it's kind of like being in India! They don't really know it, but I am really THEIR student.

A picture of me and Sonnie- all soggy and squishy in the coastal wetness wonderland.
He even bought me a pair of water proof running shoes (shown in picture)... best boyfriend in the world.

Lydia