Peace in the Present Moment: Yoga Tips with Cha Wilde

Cha Wilde is an singer-songwriter/yoga teacher/artist currently residing in Seattle, Washington. She holds a Masters in Theology from The University of St. Andrews.

Musically, she’s inspired by many artists from Florene & The Machine to ODESZA.

Personally, I have found yoga to be a life changing practice. I’m definitely a beginner, but I’ve already experienced relief from chronic pain and more overall energy.

Cha Wilde was kind enough to give us a bit of her insight as to why yoga is important and how we can allow it to help heal us.

The following was written by Cha Wilde:

When you do yoga, everything else in your life will get better. Far beyond stretching, your yoga practice may become an oasis in a chaotic world, an invisible place of contentment you carry with you everywhere.

You first step onto your yoga mat because you had some body discomfort. As you stretch through your limbs, you feel into parts of your body you may not have engaged with for years, if ever. You have been out of touch with your own body. Apart from the occasional heartaches, headaches, butterflies in your stomach or knee pain you haven’t thought much about your body at all. It’s just a vehicle you’re inside of going from one activity to the next. It’s been a servant to your cerebral interests, unkindly treated or entirely ignored. Or perhaps you are very aware of your body and you’ve done your best to listen inside and be mindful but you sense there is more to explore. Have you hit a false bottom? You know there is something hidden down there beneath the layers of your insides but you can’t seem to see it, feel through it or break it out. It’s like reaching around in a dark box trying to feel something solid.

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Yoga is a form of science, studying human life and the way we function systematically. Our body is made up of systems inside of systems and we are part of greater systems of families and society. We are part of a fractal universe. The rhythm of your breath resembles the rhythm of the ocean tides which resemble the cycle of human life which resembles the sequential flow of yoga poses that we memorize and flow through repeatedly. As we move our bodies in rhythm with our breath pattern, we are attuning ourselves to the greater rhythms of this world. We are moving into harmony with our environment and our inner world, physical world and surrounding world line up gracefully as one. 

Put your body into any yoga posture and your attention turns inward to feel the most subtle sensations. Can you feel the breath leaving your nostrils and crossing over your upper lip? Can you feel the saliva in your mouth? Do you feel the clenching in your jaw after someone asked you a question and you did not answer with truth? If you feel trapped at work today, do you notice how your legs feel heavy as if they’re stuck in mud? Your body is an intricate piece of artwork, a machine, a sensitive system with many parts that each try to help you. With gratitude, use your yoga practice as a celebration. Celebrate each body part, the fact you can feel at all, the miracle that your body is functioning and you are free to move it around. Who cares if it is a little uncomfortable? It’s a freaking miracle! The great news is that the more you do it, the easier it becomes and therefore it just gets more enjoyable, more pleasurable by the day. Momentum builds and it’s quite addictive. 

Many of us are driven to the yoga mat by great discomfort. We’ll try anything to feel better. Yoga asanas (the physical postures) are such a gentle and effective method for restoring mobility and vitality. The time we spend in these postures is a patient process of healing tissues and clearing space for deep emotions to rise to the surface in a safe container where they can be processed and released from the body. We’re training ourselves to communicate internally and connect to something greater than ourselves. Like most life experiments, we start simple with a seed of curiosity egging us to ‘give it a try’. Our fascination grows as our adventure brings us gems of light. Has a minute on your yoga mat ever been wasted? I believe every minute spent in meditation, movement or rest is working deeply within us, subconsciously without our knowing. As we choose to be still and wait for a wave of ease to arrive in the cells of the body, we are choosing health. We are building trust and self respect. We are choosing to show up for our mind-body. Yoga is not forced, it is felt. We show up and wait and feel what we feel…whatever we feel. This is an act of acceptance and holding sacred space for ourselves. Healing takes place when we hold our attention on something. We are holding ourselves in yoga poses, holding our attention on what this yoga poses is making us feel and in doing so, we are healing ourselves, our relationships, the community and all the systems below and above. 

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Listen to the birds outside as you reach for your toes. Listen to the stomach rumbling as you try to touch the ceiling. Listen to the little voice that whispers to you as you close your eyes and swallow. You are right here and now. You will never be anywhere else at any other time. When you begin practicing yoga, you only have one thing to do, be right here and now. If anything else comes up like to-do lists, memories, wishes, stories, worries, pain or tension etc… acknowledge them, thank these sensations or thoughts for trying to help you and ask them to sit back for a moment so you can have a little breathing room.

Everything can be taken away from you in a snap. All that is left is you and your breath. We are learning how to breathe in different body positions. Slow down and savor the breath that is flowing through you at this moment. This is yoga. You and me, right here and now. 

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What does it feel like to just be like this, wholeheartedly present for a split second. It won’t last long. You’ll quickly return to business, distractions and thrills. You’re a beautiful human being and this variety of chaos and peace is the blessing of a dynamic life. Everything you’re experiencing is your curriculum for a life of learning and expanding. You’ll be changing forever and yoga, your focused attention on your present state of being, is a simple thread that connects all your days and movements together. Yoga in all its forms (postures, meditations, breath, ethical commitments, philosophies, devotional chanting etc…) is an anchor to keep you steady on your journey, a comforting bead in your pocket to roll in your palm and soothe your soul through the darkness and light. Overtime, your practice naturally deepens and your energy rises inward and upward. Don’t force it, just feel. 

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