Should Trump Meditate?

I’m very concerned about the lack of peace in our country and in our world, and I’m surely not alone. So I started to write an article about how our country’s political climate might change if Hillary, Bernie, Donald and Ted would begin to meditate. But then I had a change of heart.

I realized that was the wrong approach for several reasons. First, for all I know, these candidates may have a more solid meditation practice than I do. (Okay, that's unlikely - but possible!) And second, I could spend far more time in meditation than I already do, so perhaps I ought to focus on "trumping up" (no pun intended) my own practice. How might that add more peace into our world?

Telling our presidential candidates to meditate more and campaign less would be throwing the blame on other people and taking it off myself. Expressing my anger at a particular candidate and getting into lengthy rants with others to trash them is only contributing to the chaos.

The more time I spend watching debates and town halls, the angrier I get and that creates more internal chaos. This not only takes time away from meditation, it makes it harder to connect to stillness when my system is still reeling from rage. Sometimes I’ve even skipped meditation to watch another debate.

When it comes right down to it, it’s none of my business whether presidential candidates meditate or not. It’s not within my control. What is within my control is cultivating my own sense of inner peace, which I find most readily on the yoga mat or meditation cushion.

Since I don’t have plans to run for office, organize a rally or even attend one, what can I do beyond complain and create more war within myself and around me? I can hold my own rallies for peace every week in my yoga classes. I can help one body at a time experience more peace on the mat.

I see many people helping others to experience more peace in their own unique ways, ways that our culture may not honor or consider to be a political movement, but they really are.

Like the grandparents that provide a calm port in the sea of activities that their grandkids’ lives are made of, there are many, many ways to help our world experience more peace. The responsibility is on every one of us, not just those running for president.

Debunking the Myths About Falling as You Age

Before beginning yoga, I should have been a stockholder in ankle sprain product companies. I had several pairs of crutches, a variety of braces, homeopathic creams, and a ton of ice packs. My ankle turned all sorts of amazing colors on a regular basis. I began to EXPECT to fall, and this was before even reaching 40.

When I started yoga and tried my first few balance poses, I lacked confidence, feeling like the worst in the class. I felt terrified and extremely vulnerable when balancing on one foot.

Through the consistent practice that strengthened my ankles, feet, and hips, while increasing my core strength, a new sense of confidence returned. I also learned how to be mindful when walking, and aware of my body in relationship to the space around me.

After six months of attending yoga class regularly, I was pumping gas into my car. While the tank was filling, I went inside to grab a tea. On the way back, my foot somehow got caught on the gas hose. I was able to re-right myself, almost gracefully, and untangle without any injury. This may not seem significant, but it was the first time I had ever avoided a fall. That is the power of yoga.

I have seen just as miraculous results in my yoga students, achieved within a few short months or less. Two things in particular seem to surprise and delight them – being able to stand on one foot without tipping over, and getting closer and closer to the mat or the toes in forward folds.

Yoga cultivates balance and can prevent falls. I’ve experienced this in my own life and studies confirm it. In my classes, I reinforce the mindset that we can decrease the correlation between aging and falls.

Yes, it’s a fact that everyone ages, and that falls increase with age. Research cited in a ler (lower Extremity Review) article states:

“Falls are the leading cause of injurious death for those over the age of 65 in the United States. At least 30% of those over 65 and residing in the community fall annually; 10% to 20% fall two or more times. After age 80, annual fall rates increase to 50%.”

The good news is that many studies, such as this one summarized at Yoga U, have shown that yoga reduces falling, improves balance, and reduces the fear of falling. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed their own balance improve on the yoga mat.

There are three major reasons yoga helps us be more stable:

1. Attention is focused. During yoga class, the mind is directed to focus on what is happening in the body. Off the mat, our minds lead the way, and that’s when accidents happen. Yoga teaches us to be aware of where our body is in space, a state called proprioception, and helps us truly be in our bodies.

2. Fear is diffused. Many have lost faith in their body’s ability to stand on one foot. Once poses like Tree or Dancer are mastered, a sense of physical confidence is achieved and taken out into the world.

3.  The body is strengthened. Ankles, hips, toes and the core are strengthened in yoga – all of which are needed to navigate an uneven pavement or an unexpected step.

Yoga cultivates balance, on and off the mat, and helps us to move gracefully as we age.  It's one of the best fall prevention methods available.