Now that I have stepped away from teaching and practicing yoga, I see how yoga kept me and my fellow yoga students mentally occupied with all the instructions we were constantly following (keep the inner heel anchored, deepen the hip crease, draw your shoulders back and down…) We were changing our musculature mostly by pulling on our muscle attachments (a frequent site of injury for yogis). We were getting ego boosts from achieving more advanced asanas and attaining extreme ranges in the poses. (Do we really need to take our ankles behind our necks?) The adrenaline/cortisol release from the breathing practices created an addictive high that kept us coming back for more.

The more I learned about the nervous system in my CranioSacral Therapy studies, the more my meditation practice became essential to promote what I thought was Parasympathetic tone, give me insights into my actions, reactions and relationships, as well as to prepare my instrument for optimal performances on stage. Even though having my son and becoming separated created a challenge to have a consistent sitting practice, I still managed to meditate most days, even if my only time to practice was when nursing.