"Life Interrupted"

Plans have been made. You've used indelible ink in your calendar of events, and you've said, "It's in concrete!" Then the phone rings and your plans are suddenly changed forever!
That phone call could be announcing that you've won the lottery, so now you can quit that job you never really enjoyed anyway and pursue your real dreams! Or someday the dreaded call that every child fears may come, "Your mother had a stroke and cannot speak or swallow." Your life as you had wished, hoped and intended it to be has been interrupted. You then lay aside your "concrete" plans and rush to her side, even if it means driving the entire length of the state of California or flying across the country to get there. Or maybe the hiccup is a sudden spring storm that floods the streets making roadways impassable, or the bridge washes out. Possibly you were among the thousands of airline passengers whose plans changed suddenly because all flights were recently canceled over Europe due to volcanic ash that clouded the skies.
I had intended to post my weekly blog last Tuesday morning (May 18th), but my dear mother had a stroke, and then I caught a flu bug and was totally out of commission. Unexpected events remind us how tenuous the flimsy threads of our plans truly are in the face of a sovereign God. Even our intended daily yoga practice can be interrupted, no matter how early or late we plan to practice privately. When these hiccups occur in the midst of whatever, I have found that coming back to the mat in the humble, seated forward fold called "Star Pose" or Tarasana is an effective segue back to trusting the yoke that is easy, with a burden that is light.
This open hip pose (asana) is not only safe for prenatal, but also extremely beneficial. However, those who have hip problems or herniated discs should always proceed with extra caution when moving into seated forward folds.

• Physically---After praying and/or meditating, you may transition into "Star Pose" easily from any other open hip, seated posture (such as "Easy Pose" from May 4th or "Adept's Pose" from October 26, 2009). If you're aware that you have tight hips, begin by sitting on a firm pillow or stacked blankets to raise your hips above the knees. While slowly raising both arms upward, take in a long and thorough inhalation to extend through the crown of the head and ground down into the sit bones at the base of the hips. By the time you've drawn all the air (prana) into your lungs at the top of that inhalation, begin to lift the pelvic floor muscles and the abdominals during the long and slow exhalation while bringing the soles of the feet together and sliding them gradually away from the hips. Firmly lift the "Root Locks" at the top of each inhalation before exhaling to bend forward, hinging at the hips only, not the waist.
  
• Eventually, some of you will be able to clasp the toes with your fingers and rest your bended elbows on the inside of the calves to form a star shape with your body. (The feet and tail bone form two points, the knees form two more points, and the elbows form the final two points, achieved in that order.) Never force your body forward by rounding excessively in the lower back and thereby compromising the natural concave curve in this vulnerable region. If after 8-10 breaths your "edge" (Remember, it's the place before pain!) prevents the hands from comfortably clasping the toes and the bended arms won't rest comfortably on the legs, please honor your body's limitations by using a large pillow or bolster as a prop on which you can rest the weight of your head and torso.
• Mentally---The mind is kept very focused by coordinating the lifting of the bandhas (locks) at the top of each inhalation and throughout the exhalations, and then the releasing of these core muscles at the end of each exhalation as the knees lower and the hip joints soften. As always, if the mind wanders away from the body sensations of tightening and releasing, just bring the thoughts back to each breath without annoyance or frustration. Be patient with your practice and it will come....
• Spiritually---While folding forward in the submission of "Star Pose" I choose to practice the acceptance what I cannot change. I practice simply letting go to trust the sovereign God of the universe. When plans change because of circumstances that are completely and fully beyond my control, it helps me to remember who is in control---of the winds, the rains, the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the heavens and the earth, of every breath I take and every beat of my heart. He put the stars in place; He knew me before I was in my mother's womb; He knows the number of hairs on my head; my time is in His hands; He loves me enough to die for me. I will trust in Him! Practice relinquishing to the maker of stars....plf
  

"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou are mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou has made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."
(Psalm 8: 3-5, KJV)