Showing posts with label word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label word. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2015
January Word of the Month Practice
I feel this is a great word to focus on for January because it is generally a time where we set new goals or intentions for ourselves. I personally try to set a goal or two to create greater health, happiness or well being for myself. Rather than setting a goal that I can complete and not think about again, these are goals that create good and positive habits and release the bad or negative ones.
Creating this type of change can take years of practice, but not just any practice; it must be disciplined and deliberate. Disciplined practice is a way to make something a HABIT or a life practice - something you stick with no matter what, as a way of supporting yourself always. Practicing discipline is a way of supporting self-love & self-care.
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One of my goals right now is to smile at my kids first thing every morning. This takes thought and practice but it’s a great way to remind them of my love for them every day and to begin on a connected positive note. Yes, sometimes I want to frown or yell because it’s 5:30AM and I don’t want to get up yet or they won’t get out of bed and are going to be late for school - two different kids obviously :). Regardless of the situation if I smile at them first, they smile back and we’re off to a better start.
Another one of my goals is to sit quietly every day. I know without a doubt that I am healthier and happier when I create this mindful time for myself… but it’s so hard to do! There’s always a million other things that feel like a priority and I have learned that the only way I will truly be able to make this a habit is through practice. I am compassionate with myself when I don’t do it- but disciplined and committed enough that I make myself do it the next day.
So this month, as you focus on practice, remember it is not just in the typical sense, but rather with the intention that it will become a habit and create change over time. Sometimes your old habits might want to take you another direction and you certainly won’t be perfect the whole time but that is why this is a practice… be patient and be compassionate.
Another one of my goals is to sit quietly every day. I know without a doubt that I am healthier and happier when I create this mindful time for myself… but it’s so hard to do! There’s always a million other things that feel like a priority and I have learned that the only way I will truly be able to make this a habit is through practice. I am compassionate with myself when I don’t do it- but disciplined and committed enough that I make myself do it the next day.
So this month, as you focus on practice, remember it is not just in the typical sense, but rather with the intention that it will become a habit and create change over time. Sometimes your old habits might want to take you another direction and you certainly won’t be perfect the whole time but that is why this is a practice… be patient and be compassionate.
Here is to a happy healthy new year!
-- Jill
November Word of the Month Support
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The word for November is SUPPORT, continuing the exploration of The Dailey Method Secondary Alignment Principles: Stability, Space, Support and Smile!
SUPPORT comes from within. Just like The Dailey Method practice, support is an inside-out practice. There is a tendency to think of support as something I give or as something I receive. While giving and receiving support is a beautiful thing, we’re not really capable of doing either fully until we learn the art of supporting ourselves. When we talk about support, we’re talking about STRENGTH. And self-support is where our power begins!
In the physical sense, support relates to the engagement of our muscles around our skeletal structure. Ideally first we stabilizethrough foundation and then create space on the inhalation so that we can exhale to support our ideal alignment by hugging muscle to bone and to the midline through muscle contraction. Our focus on engagement at TDM is to start with the deepest layers of support- pelvic floor, transverse abdominis- and then layer the muscular support outward from there. This is the truly physical inside-out support you can achieve from your Dailey Method practice.
Self-support translates not just to our bodies and the physical, but also to our lives! Oftentimes we find ourselves so focused on supporting others (children, partners, friends, co-workers, clients, etc.) that we have very little left for us. Oftentimes our best energy goes to others until we find ourselves feeling drained and depleted. Do you take care of everyone else’s needs, and put your own last?
Try to visualize how great it would feel to start each day feeling centered and calm, stable and spacious - knowing you are fully supported all the time, and that in every moment you have abundant energy and strength to tap. It’s so easy to be pulled and eventually drained by strong external energies (the people we love, the things we love, and the obligations we feel) so it is a life practice to keep coming back to our internal compass, creating and feeling support from within, from ourselves.
Here are some ways to practice real SUPPORT and create real STRENGTH in your life:
KEEP NOTICING – Hopefully you’ve been doing this for the last couple months. Keep doing it. Every time you arrive in your practice, take a few seconds to notice your body (sensations), your mind (thoughts), and your heart (emotions.) This month, take it another step and notice how you are also SUPPORTING YOURSELF.
CHECK STABILITY – It’s impossible to feel strong if we don’t feel stable. Make stability priority #1 for your deeper self-support practice. Practice in class beginning with foot and hand foundation and then add in your powerful breath, for space. Focus on using your deepest muscles first to hug inward, narrow and support your alignment prior to layering on your movements. Come back to this concept throughout your day. If you find yourself feeling anxious or freaking out about something, notice(!) what’s happening and give yourself a minute. Take a deep breath. Focus on the ground underneath you and try to center yourself from there. Make some space for yourself. You’re ok. You’re more than ok! Create more stability in your body and life, and you’ve established the foundation for great things. Give yourself ROOTS to RISE.
BREATHE – Breathe better by breathing mindfully. Use your inhale breath to expand your heart and lungs, and to create space and length from your heels through the crown of your head. Use your exhalebreath to hug muscles to bone and muscles to midline, providing muscular strength, support and added stability. Inhale... Exhale... feel your breath support you.
BALANCE SPACE AND SUPPORT – If you feel “tight” in your body, you probably need to focus on more space. If you are more naturally flexible (or looking to challenge your body) focus on support. In an ideal balanced practice, space and support work in the body harmoniously together. Your practice should balance ease and effort, just as in life.
FOCUS YOUR SUPPORT - Your TDM practice gives you a great opportunity to learn how to focus where and how you use energy. When we’re not thinking about it, we tend to spread our energy all over. Be intentional and specific about where and how you create support in your body. Make brain/body connections to focus on the areas of the body targeted in each section of class. In Arm Work, really focus on the muscles of the arms, shoulders and upper back. In Thigh Work focus on the quadriceps, working them in their most lengthened shape. In Seat Work focus on feeling how the muscles of the pelvic floor, abdominals and seat work together in opposition (or balanced action) to build strong gluteals, which in turn support a healthy spine! Listen to your teacher for support, ideas, and refined cues. And notice what your body needs each time you practice.
TAP YOUR SUPPORTS – Support is an inside-out practice, but know that you are also always surrounded by supports! Your breath, your foundation, your bones and your thoughts are all supports. When we are centered, connected and “in the flow” of our lives, the whole universe supports our path and well-being, and “supports” start to appear everywhere. Even sadness and setbacks (like a broken ankle!) can be supports disguised as challenges. In class: props, teachers and the students around you are supports and sources of shared energy and shared intention. Every time you inhale, visualize yourself breathing in your best energy. Feed that energy, nurture that energy, and know that energy is always there for you to tap when you need it.
SHARE YOUR SUPPORT – Once you’ve developed your inside-out practice of tapping and nurturing your own best energy, you may find you have a lot more of it to share. When you are able to come to situations and interact with people from a grounded, centered, positive place you create a shared space that IS supportive. And when you are mindful and intentional about how you are sharing your energy, you won’t feel so easily drained or depleted. And when you do get run down, you’ll know how to start at the beginning and practice self-support. Because it should always start within.
This month practice self-support. And notice the power of the supports within you – and around you – every day. We believe in you to the core!
With love and tons of support,
-- Jill & Lorna
July Word of the Month Engage
When we introduce a theme (or as we call it our “Dailey Dedication”) into our physical practice it can allow us to go deeper on so many levels. A dedication insinuates itself physically (into deeper muscle layers, tissue layers, even the cells of our body) and mentally (into our minds, hearts, thoughts and feelings) until it becomes a part of who we are. With practice the themes we choose can become our way of being.
In June, we focused on the word of the month #1) ALIGN. In July, well continue our inside-out practice by focusing on how we #2) ENGAGE. In August, well pull our Primary Alignment Principles together and #3) MOVE!
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With our June theme ALIGN - we worked physically by setting our optimal skeletal framework and mentally by beginning with intention, and being mindful. It’s important to keep that base ALIGNMENT of our bones and intentions as we build on it and ENGAGE for the month of July. Another way to think of engagement is to think of support.
It’s a fact that we dont always support ourselves or our bodies optimally; but through practice we can learn how to do to this better! Once weve established the framework of alignment (our intentionally positioned bones) we support and keep that alignment with our muscles. Muscle energy is what hugs our bodies evenly on all sides working to create feelings of balance, connection and self-support. Muscular energy pulls our arms, legs and neck into the midline of our body (helping us feel integrated, connected, centered) and muscular energy draws our extremities to a chosen focal point (empowering us to be focused and conscious about how we use our energy - we truly can choose how we engage).
At first, it might feel hard or uncomfortable to engage muscle energy. And lets be honest, we WANT our TDM practice to challenge us, because thats what changes us! But remember, to engage is to support ourselves not punish, not hurt, and not to feel bad. If engagement ever feels bad or wrong it probably is. I often joke in class that if it’s “easy” you’re doing it wrong. But on the opposite side of the spectrum if it doesn’t feel right, if it is truly uncomfortable or hurts in a way that isn’t just muscles talking to you it’s also wrong. It is an advanced practice to feel when you need to start again and prioritize #1) ALIGN, and re-set yourself. You re-set by going back to Arriving - be present/aware; Noticing - feel your body, notice your thoughts; and Beginning with intention - be mindful, soften and breathe.
When you are ready to ENGAGE, do it with self-compassion and love. Think of the muscles of your body energizing in one giant self-hug! Remember the intention of strengthening in order to support yourself better. Keep prioritizing alignment, keep breathing, and use your muscle energy to create support and get deeper into position. Practice being strong on the inside, while keeping your outer-body relaxed and at ease - try to soften your face, jaw, skin.
Will it still feel challenging to ENGAGE? YES! Should it still feel good? YES! With time and practice, self-support becomes more ingrained and much more natural. It becomes what we do, body and mind. To ENGAGE is to practice and develop true inner-strength. As we practice supporting ourselves through challenges in class, we are practicing for the larger arena of life. Yes, its true - thigh work and seat work will make you a better parent, partner and person! Because you are practicing self-awareness, self-support and self-care. : )
I hope as you all ENGAGE in your challenging (and loving!) practice this month and that you feel me giving you a big Dailey Method hug!!!
Support yourself and each other. Happy engaging!
With love and gratitude,
-- Jill and Lorna
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