Monday Mettā
A new + beautiful way to experience Mondays.
My thoughts are my medicine. Let them heal with love.
If negative thoughts can harm, thoughts of love can heal.
These pithy sayings might ring false to you, each week in your inbox. Perhaps you roll your eyes a bit at statements like “I am at ease,” or “May I be happy.” Perhaps you think this forced positivity is of no help at all.
We’re all adults here, so at this point, we know the old playground rhyme doesn’t add up: “Sticks and stones…” but words will never hurt me. My broken bones have healed (mostly, there’s still something wrong with my little toe I broke at that ice cream place in Allston) but I will never forget how someone’s hurtful words made me feel. Those hurts dig deep, burrow in determinedly, and stay for a long time.
And the opposite is also true.
If words can bite and harm, they also have the power to move love through the body, healing us.
If we wrote down every single thought we had during the day, many of them would be noisy, berating, self-abusive comments. Just walking by a mirror manages to fully destroy me.
Why not balance this out by saying, just a few times, that you love yourself. “I love you.” Say it, even if you don’t mean it. Because you also don’t mean it when you tell yourself how embarrassing/ugly/stupid you are, and yet you believe it. Eventually, saying these mettā meditations, you will believe your own wonder, love, + worth.
My thoughts are my medicine. Let them heal with love.
So glad you’re here.
Fun Tarot Card Reading!
Use your intuition to guide you to a specific card below. Choose the card with the crystal on it that calls to you.
At the end of this newsletter, you’ll see the cards flipped over, with a reading for each one. The card that you choose here will have your reading for the week.
Wait to scroll down to the bottom until you’ve chosen your card!
Card 1: Red Jasper Choose this card if you need a little help detoxing (emotionally or physically).
Card 2: Pyrite Choose this card if you’d like some work and career advice.
Card 3: Amethyst Choose this card if you are feeling dreamy, and would like some guidance.
Class Schedule This Week:
In Person:
Friday from 6-7pm. Yin yoga at Sruti Yoga Center.
Online:
Tuesday: noon // 1 hour
Tuesday: 5:45pm // 45 minutes Yin Yoga
Thursday: noon // 45 minutes gentle yoga
Zoom link to all classes at themobiyogi.com and DM/email Rachel for the password. All times in Eastern.
Blog: 6 Ways to Deal with Discomfort in a Yoga Class
I heard a story (and I don’t remember where, so I can’t attribute this- apologies) about a woman who went to her first hot yoga class. She was with a friend, and was unexpectedly taken aback by the heat and density of the class. The instructor kept telling them to push through the pain and discomfort of the heat and the advanced poses. The woman had a panic attack, totally breaking down on the mat, but was quiet about it. She didn’t leave or make a scene, not wanting to be rude. Later she marveled that she, a confident, go-getter in her “real” life, didn’t just walk out the door.
We’ve all been there, I’m sure. There’s a little bit of panic and guilt that creeps in when you’re in a yoga studio and you simply don’t want to be there. Online classes can feel easier to find comfort in, but the etiquette remains. It is mind over matter, after all, and yoga is as much mind-training as it is body strengthening. Do you stay and “push through” the pain/discomfort/panic because that’s what you’re supposed to do? There are schools of yoga that would say unequivocally YES. Stay and suffer it out. You will end up better for it.
I’m here to say… nah. You are paying for the class, after all. You get to decide what you can handle, when, and how. You get to leave or modify or adjust anytime you want. Being compassionate and mindful about your body and what you are experiencing is part of yoga. Part of life!
Here are six options for you if you’re in a yoga class that you just aren’t feeling. Any more tips? Add them in the comments below!
Option 1: Prop yourself up.
Sometimes, discomfort in a yoga class comes from our bodies not being able to do the poses correctly, or even half-correctly. The cause of this can be varied: some bone structures are just not made for wild backbends and hip openers. To get really specific, some people have femur heads that sit shallowly in the pelvis, making hip opening poses pretttttty difficult. Or the opposite, that femur rotates and moves like spaghetti and the person belonging to that skeleton can just fold forward like a piece of flat paper bending in half.
So, use props. Get your blocks, your straps, your blankets, your bolsters. Bring the floor to you. Wedge that shit under your bum, knees, hips, ankles. Pad yourself correctly so you can try the poses out! And never, ever, think you should look like your yoga teacher or the other students in the class. Your body is YOURS, and can’t yet/will not/shouldn’t ever/will later do what the pose is asking.
Option 2: Do another pose.
Many yoga teachers offer options for difficult poses. If they don’t, here are some common ones.
Instead of pigeon, do figure 4 on your back.
Instead of downward dog, do puppy pose or table top.
Instead of upward dog or cobra, do sphinx or seal.
Instead of half lord of the fishes (the best name for any yoga pose ever) keep your bottom leg outstretched.
And any lunge can be done with the back knee down.
There are so many more. Don’t be afraid to wiggle your little finger during class to ask for another pose option.
Option 3: Do less.
For reals. Do less!! Look around you and do half of what everyone else is doing. People are doing tree pose with their foot tucked into their inner thigh? Put that foot on your ankle. People are folded over backwards in snail/plow pose? Hang out in happy baby. The teacher tells you to do side angle pose with the top arm stretched overhead? Leave that arm by your side.
I’m not telling you to feel zero stretch and strain. That’s what’s good about yoga, this feeling of doing some work. But when I look out over a yoga class and I see a yogi making a deliberate choice to do their thing by doing less, I see confidence. I see someone who knows what’s up with their body.
Option 4: Ask.
You don’t need to interrupt the teacher at every turn, but if you are confused about something in the class, ask. It is FAR better for you to stay safe physically than for you to hurt yourself by staying quiet. Even if the teacher seems surprised by your question (they probably are-- we don’t get asked enough questions in class!), go forth and inquire.
Option 5: Talk to the teacher ahead of time.
I like to know what’s going on with my students’ bodies, even if I can’t do much about whatever is bothering folks.
If it makes you feel more comfortable to say to the teacher: “I have been having digestive issues lately,” or, “I am working through the tail end of a knee injury,” or, “I’m cleared to move after having back surgery,” or, “I’m super anxious today and not sure I’ll be able to do the whole class,” do it. Say it. In a full-on public class, the teacher might not be able to take every student’s mind and body curiosities into account in every pose, but they’ll at least be aware of them. And you’ll feel like you were heard.
(And if they don’t respond well, then… that’s pretty telling. You can decide if you want to stay or if you want to…⬇️)
Option 6: Leave.
If you are halfway through class and you just don’t like the teacher, leave. If you feel sick or panicky, leave. If you feel like you “pushed through” everything else that day (at work, at home, your commute) and just don’t want to do it again, leave! If you feel unsafe, leave.
The good teachers do their best to make the yoga studio a safer place. They do their best to make sure every body is healthy and moving correctly. They do their best to keep the vibe loving and well. But sometimes they can’t catch everyone. If you’re not feeling it, you don’t need to do it.
Are there times when you drag yourself to class, not wanting to be there, and end up feeling SO MUCH BETTER after? Yes! Probably most of the time! The key here is to understand when that is happening, and when you actually shouldn’t be in class. When to stay still and breathe… and when to not.
It’s the learning of your body and mind. Quite a journey.
🌗 Moon Info This Week! 🌗
Full moon on the 19th! It’s in Taurus, which is all earthy and stuff. The full moon also corresponds with an almost-total lunar eclipse. Look for it around 4am Eastern (the moon will look full the night of Thursday, Nov. 18th, too).
It’s often called the Beaver Moon, traditionally a time when beavers take shelter for the winter. Reminding me of my new favorite book, Wintering, it’s a time when we, too, can bundle up by the fire and let our lives center around our homes. We have about 6 weeks until the darkest darkness starts to get light again, and instead of fearing the dark, make it your friend. Light candles in the evenings, eat warm, earthy, root-y soups, and store energy. Refurbish your own vocabulary around how you talk about these dark days and nights (this is the hardest for me) and look at them with awe.
And FYI: a lunar eclipse can often mean a life twist or a revelation. With the full moon in Taurus, you have plenty of grounding and stability to handle whatever life is tossing at you this week.
We Support Each Other
There are two beautiful ways you can support my work writing and teaching yoga!
Forward this newsletter on to anyone who might want a little love! Ask them to subscribe! Tell them you love them!
Come to one of my online yoga classes or schedule a private class, tarot reading, or reiki energy session!
Thank you thank you!
Much love,
Rachel
xo
Your Tarot Reading, Revealed!
Card 1: Red Jasper // Three of Pentacles. Here’s what it comes down to— doing the work. Seek guidance from people who know, folks you trust, mentors you believe in. From there, you can begin to chisel away at that inner project you’re working on. Need to cut sugar from your diet? Take it one gram at a time. Maybe you are working on a friendship or relationship— get advice from an unattached person. In this case, the three represents a triangle with you at the pointy top. Who, or what, is your base?
Card 2: Pyrite // Three of Swords. Ooof. You are gearing up for a mild heartbreak in the career department. It’s possible you’ll get an email or some verbal feedback that you weren’t expecting, and you’ll take it hard. It’s OK, though, ‘cause this is a chance for you to reflect on how you absorb feedback. What critical information do you need in order to shift, and what can you let go of? Use your reaction to gain perspective on the bigger picture. PS- I’m not supposed to play Tarot favorites but I do, and this card is one of them. It’s signals a release and a “move on.”
Card 3: Amethyst // The Queen of Wands. Your guide has shown up. Check out that sunflower she’s holding. She is awake, conscious, a healer and a truth-teller. So, first, believe in the messages your dreams are telling you! If you are experiencing vivid dreams, or you have a strong inner/fantasy life right now, it’s all for good reason. Bring those images to your consciousness, instead of letting them slip away into dream world. Write down what is floating around just below the surface. Keep a record, reflect, synthesize. And then act accordingly.
*intuitive tarot inspired by Sarah Greenman, who was in turn inspired by Chris Corsini
I'm loving these mettas, Rachel! X