Falling Upward (Confessions from a Rib Thruster) with Kimberlee at Yoga Loka: Reno, Nevada: August 31, 2018

One of the definitions of yoga, and there are many, is to connect.

The psoas is of particular interest to yogis because it crisscrosses the lower three chakras. It is of particular interest to pain specialists because it elongates the lower back. It is of particular interest to me because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system and since I run to the north of anxious, I am delighted to find relief.

Buddha said, "There is one thing that when cultivated and regularly practiced, leads to deep spiritual intention, to peace, to mindfulness and clear comprehension, to vision and knowledge, to a happy life here and now and to the culmination of wisdom and awakening. And what is that one thing? It is mindfulness centered on the body.” There is such temptation to think its anything  "out there" that is the true cause of stress. Its also true that the only source of healing comes from the inside. We must be willing to relax, trust, and follow guidance from beyond.

This, of course, takes massive practice. And that's why you'll find me on the mat most days. Well also partly so that I stay toned and my 57 year old arms, legs, and belly won't jiggle so much. I mean, let's be real here, shall we?

Ever since my teacher Ravi Ravindra shared the 11th chapter in the Bhagavad Gita, I've been haunted and intrigued about the passage whereby the warrior Arjuna, upon seeing the true identity of Krishna, upon the realization that Love Is, says, "my heart is happy but my mind is afraid". Embracing the magnificence of life, including you and me, takes a lot of courage. "Our deepest fear isn't our darkness, its our light" says somebody (Marianne Williamson is most often cited but its unclear for sure). Part of me wonders if I'm going to be anxious all my life, and part of me is relieved in knowing I'm not all alone in my quest to shine, to dare to follow my dreams, to live from complete and utter authenticity.

Here's my dream board. I've been holding my dreams in my heart for a decade and finally I'm ready for real to bring them to life. My friend Sally was the catalyst to give rise to new heights. THANK YOU SALLY.

I'm so tired of chasing love and approval. Exhausted by the sideways looks when I mention I'm writing a New York Times bestseller. That I am going to live where I can see the ocean every single day. That I'm going on a parallel rock n roll tour sharing yoga. I've been saying this for at least a decade, with bursts of energy followed by shrinking so down that I've spent more time under the covers than in the daylight.

Breaking the habit of rib thrusting is  helpful not only for anxiety but has an added bonus of aiding digestion and toning the belly

I'm a habitual rib thruster, which cuts the breath short and squashes my adrenals. Through the practice of yoga this week, I've found a deep stretch in my psoas. Fresh insight and awareness and relief from my own tight spots breaking free in the simple awareness of my upper psoas, the part that runs from the inside of the ilium and connects upward to the 12th rib. Rolling my upper thigh bones away from my pelvis and lifting my stomach up toward my heart opened up a lifetime of crunching bones together. Ah and it also feels like a natural tummy tuck, which is extra nice since I'm going to Maui for the winter.

Here I am in an awesome yoga class. In an amazing studio where I've been teaching and invited into her lovely community. I'm getting married in 5 days, I"m going out on tour next week, headed to a beach all winter, and that's just the tippy top surface of delightful alignments in my life. So when the Buddha claims mindfulness centered in the body as the way to happiness, I'm inclined to believe him because finding my upper psoas helped me see all this magnificence in a nanosecond.

Yes, I did say I'm getting married in 5 days. Most people think we are already married because except for the paper, we are. But we are making it legal. Like Arjuna, my heart is happy, but my mind is afraid. Stepping into a sacred contract of commitment is a big ass deal, no matter what I've been telling myself. But its high time I break my habitual grip that I don't deserve so much love. When I do that I can feel my psoas release, my whole lower body relax, and my heart not only open but shine brighter than a thousand suns.

Health, Love, and Rock N Roll