That’s a question I ask daily in my classes at Inner Harmony. It’s also a question I ask myself, and one I hope you are asking of yourselves as well. How do we feel? The answer to that question can vary widely throughout the day, but it is our barometer; if we pay attention to the answer, it can help us to navigate our humanity. If we bumble through without considering the answer to that question, we miss opportunities to put our practice of yoga into action. Not only is the question, “How do we feel” important to ask, it is vital. It helps us to see that the answer is very different at the end of our yoga practice than it was before we rolled out our mat. It helps us to see that breath can alter that feeling. That slowing down can ground us, just as speeding up brings heat into the body when we need energy and warmth. When we sit down to eat, we can ask ourselves how we feel, and maybe that helps us to consider what it is our body is craving beyond what our mind tells us it wants to eat. Yes, I know that chocolate cake is delicious; and there are times when maybe that is exactly what you need when you ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe. There may be other times, though, when how you feel will not likely be improved by a rush of white sugar and pastry flour, no matter how many eggs are folded into the batter.

How do we feel?

Is there something the body wants? Needs? Will getting on your mat help? Have you tried to find out today what will feel good? What will nourish you, today?

I talk about muscle groups in our classes. Sometimes, I mention that there are muscles that are always engaged. Our postural muscles hold us up; they give us shape and form: the psoas, the bicep, the erector spine group. Then there are muscles that are working overtime. They don’t need to be engaged constantly. We can release them, letting other muscles work. These overworked muscles are like the story of “The Little Red Hen”, who does all the work. In a way, though the little red hen is the hero of the story, she’s also in error. Who is she really helping in allowing her companions to disregard the ways in which they can, and should be helping her. When we find a muscle group that is doing work they do not need to do, it’s okay to tell them to stop. It’s okay to say, “Hey back! I’m going to stop using my glutes to hold this cobra. I want you to engage. It’s your turn.” And then, even though those glutes are so good at what they do, it’s okay to turn on the back and allow the posture to soften for a more subtle expression of the pose.

When we get better at asking ourselves how we feel, we will also get better at asking ourselves what it is we really need to feel the way we would like best to feel. We’ll find ourselves getting up 15 minutes earlier so that we can gift ourselves a breakfast that doesn’t consist of a coffee stand double latte’ and a muffin. We’ll step onto our mat without hesitation, because we know we will feel better. We’ll accept the invitation to become better humans; more assertive, more flexible, more patient, more tolerant. It will also give us strength, endurance, and stability as we streamline into lives that have become easier to navigate, simply through the attention to how we feel in the moment, every moment.

As we settle into 2018, we can embrace the practice of paying attention to how we are feeling. If you forget to ask yourself, don’t worry. It’s not a perfect. It’s a practice. When you realize you have forgotten to ask yourself, “How do I feel, right now?” Just...do it as soon as you remember to. There are no grades. No special awards. The only benefit is personal, and interpersonal. As you become more grounded, centered, aware, the people who you surround yourselves with will notice that there is something more about you. Something they can see. Something they can feel. And you will feel it to, just like you do at the end of your yoga...only it will not stay limited to the mat. It will follow you, and envelope your heart. It will carry your breath, and remind your mind to stay where it is, right in the now. So, don’t be afraid to ask yourself how you are, right now. If the answer isn’t what you would want it to be, pull out your mat and practice, or eat something that will nourish your body, or fill your cells with cool water. Take a walk. Notice the stars. Pull yourself out of the funk and into the breath. Come to class. Paint a picture. Be.

How do you feel?
Namaste

(Sara’s note: This works. Working steadily with the guidance I have found in Brian’s studio on my mat, I’ve ventured into finding out what it would be like to lose 85 lbs of tears and stress and worries stored in my body. Asking myself how I feel has been paramount in that journey, and I honestly could not have done any of it without the wonderful guidance and encouragement of Brian as I worked to remind myself of the possibility that my inner little red hen was no longer serving me as well as she could. I remember the very first time I heard Brian’s voice asking us all, “How do you feel?” and the tears that threatened to burst forth were the evidence that there was something more to do; something else to try. So, ask yourself how you feel today. Listen to the answer, and...work to be the change you wish to see in yourself. I hope to see you in class, soon. Peace!)