Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hello! Hello! And welcome!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Welcome, welcome!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And to Scott guiding a challenge. Some of you, I think, were there.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and so it's nice to see you again in this space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Got to go. Lay down on the sofa for a minute and cuddle my puppies in between. It's lovely.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so I'm just welcoming us here and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll take a moment to do a little practice first. Turn off this light.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah. You're more than welcome. So for anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about. Is, I'm leading a Yoga visibility challenge. It's kind of all about like lifting up our voices and sharing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): more fully our voices fearlessly with the world and some leading all this week.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the videos will be up till Saturday. For you to watch for free, and then they'll become part of bonus in another course, because
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a lot of folks have asked me to teach about like the visibility side, like how I do what I do
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on Instagram, and just like sharing my voice. And so I thought, the best way to do that is, not to put it in something like, Go to class Curator. We're really here to practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And some folks are not interested in in that but to create another another space where we can explore that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So just letting you know if you're interested, the challenge is up and will be available for free. It's on my Youtube. And you might be getting emails about it. I'm not sure with replays and stuff through this week.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I'm reflecting on how different the energy feels right like, just because I just transitioned from like doing a big challenge. And now we're in this space. And what I love about our Ycc space and folks who are in this
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like deep practice is.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I feel like we really are community where we're supporting one another. We're
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): going through our explorations.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): What we're grappling with. We're really here to be supported by the practice together. So I'm appreciating you right now, and just receiving the gift of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of the energy of this space which allows me to be like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I feel
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): recharged and like present, and and also grounded and kind of calm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so which is different than what I felt like a few minutes ago. I felt rather fired up.
so yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our theme for today.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the one that felt alive and and just to note that folks are on all different kind of themes, right? Like people have entered at different times. So we're not all on the same. The same
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yama or Niyama.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but we're a reminder that we can cycle back around in into them, and no matter where you are.
was feeling called to Salcha
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the practice of Satja, as like practice, of clearing away that which is inessential.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and focusing on that which is most the most essential and and most
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): called, and sometimes such as really kind of watered down. It's just like clearing your space or clearing out your plate kind of like, Murray condoing your your which is great, you know, and and or your life, or your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but it also goes so much deeper to like. Are there things in your life that have been taking up space
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that don't need to be right, or like things that you've been worried about. We're kind of dwelling on, or situations that have just been
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): almost like taking, taking too much energy
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then allowing there to be an alignment with insight, with understanding.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and part of why this theme. So it's it's like the New Year celebration in a lot of Vedic. There are different ones. There's Pongo, there's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): there's be who celebrations. And Assam, there's different, you know, different kind of New Year celebrations at this time. And then in the pagan understanding, there's like different celebrations of the light. We've got the solstice that passed a little while ago, like almost about a month ago.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And Christmas right? There's Hanukkah. There's different celebrations in many different cultures around this time, at least, in the northern hemisphere
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connecting to the light. And so the light, or Syria, or the sun.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is now getting longer. The days got to the shortest day, and now the days are getting longer, but it's like that light is outside of us. It's also inside
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): ill in the Celtic wheelworm approaching in bulk. Yeah, thank you. Moricando. Pre, children, right?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That's right.
And so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we can.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We can connect to the sun for that light of wisdom within ourselves.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and Yoga practice can remind us that we have that light of wisdom or our understanding within us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It can get blocked right like. If you've been feeling confused or unsure, kind of like, do I do this, or do I that little bit like? Hmm. Wavery to me? That's a sure sign that this area, like the area of insight. It's often very much in our minds.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is clouded.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and so practices to bring in wisdom to bring in insight. And to just even set an intention for opening to insight can be really helpful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So that's where we are today. And I'm gonna light some. and sense
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to each of our inner wisdom.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and an invitation to you to if you're have other things open to let those
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we closed, or to put them down, and then we'll practice together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But it's now on on a rock
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): alright.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So releasing whatever might be there.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): grasping at your attention and coming
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to either a seat or a standing, or lying down. and then letting your awareness
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of pull you forward, or your body might tip forward a little bit noticing what you're moving towards. leaning back. lean back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): left. and write.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe starting to make little circles in one direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): then the other direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhaling, stretching your arms up any amount away from the earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): towards the sky.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and bringing your hands down behind the back of your head. So, feeling for that bony kind of ridge at the base of your skull, and giving yourself a little bit of a massage there
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then, maybe up around your head or jaw your neck
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when you feel satisfied.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): holding your hands together so your fingers intertwine, and letting them rest on the back of your neck, and gently kind of offering yourself some traction, or, if that doesn't feel good, just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): finding a forward fold that feels supportive in releasing your energy, your awareness towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): deep breath in full breath out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): releasing anything you need to release full breath in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Exhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one more time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): slowly letting your head come back up arms and clasp and fingertips from one hand can just gently rotate on your forehead.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then you can rub your hands together, generating some heat, some light.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll place our hands over our eyes. If that feels comfortable for you. send your eyes and your forehead some energy, you can let your eyes be closed, or gaze into the darkness
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like, what am I?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Favorite teachers from the sick tradition? Valuor shares.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): letting it be the darkness of the womb, the darkness of what's being born.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): what's emerging
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and taking your hands and offering yourself some care anywhere that might need it, maybe back down or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): neck, or your jaw. and stretching arms out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll stretch to each side of our neck, so, letting one ear drop down towards shoulder, shoulder, drop down towards earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): opposite arm, construct away
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): face, can gaze down towards the earth or up towards the sky.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gently switching sides.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): knowing that we're not symmetrical beings. We don't live symmetrical lives. So each side of your neck might be a little different.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then rotating your neck around either from left to right, or, if you like to do full circles moving in one direction
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): 3 or 4 times
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then moving the other direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): When you feel ready coming to center to stillness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll continue with just a few eye exercises. So for this you can let your both eyes and my eyes mostly blind in one eye, so I'm not entirely sure to my point. I will do exactly what I say, but so you can just follow for yourself or follow my good eye, which is my my right.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't know. It says that for you, but we'll gaze up to the top right corner
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with both our eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then the top, left corner
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and opposite bottom, right
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then bottom left.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and if you'd like, you can circle your eyes around, moving in one direction just like we did with our neck
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then the other.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then let your eyes gently close, or just softly focus.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll practice a little bit of movement with your drishty, so you can inhale. Bring right arm up, gaze at your right pointer finger, and you can have all your fingers out. But just look at the pointer finger, and then follow your pointer finger as it lifts up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and back behind you. So you're doing a gentle twist
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): blood gazing at your fingertip.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale and exhale. and then inhale. Lift that finger up and bring it back in front of you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): See if you can keep your eye on your finger and lift up your other hand. So for me, that's my left hand. Release your right hand. Now you're gazing at your left fingertip and inhale. See if you can follow your left fingertip? Is your arm
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): rolls back behind you some gentle twist with your body and with your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): case.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Inhale, fully, exhale fully.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then inhale, following your finger as it comes back to center. And we'll do that once more on each side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So these types of practices really help focus our clarity.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Inhale, lifting up and back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): following with your eyes
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): coming forward.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): allowing your mind, your body, your gaze, to be in one
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): intention.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Check sides if you haven't.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and how back and forward, and bring both fingers together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then you can bring your fingers right in front of you, hands up to Anjali Mudra, keeping your gaze on your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): pointer fingers
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): deep, breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath. Out, we'll chant Ohm! 3 times!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Rubbing your hands together one more time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): bringing your hands over your eyes, letting them rest and relax, maybe massaging around the eye sockets.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): eyebrows
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gazing around your room. Your space when you're ready.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll come back
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just wanna open it up to see if there's any reflections on the theme of insight or clarity. Anything you're feeling kind of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clearer about or blocked about that you want to reflect on together as a community. So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): thank you for that practice
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and opening it up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to our shared space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Either everyone's very relaxed, or everyone's very clear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Carly, are you gonna share something?
Carly Joelle: I just got really excited when I saw my friend Hannah here. I'm sorry.
Carly Joelle: That's so cool. So cool.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I love that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's really special to be able to be in community. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): any anything that you're reflecting on anything that's like insights around things that you've had clarity on or questions
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, open it up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): bonnie.
Bonnie Walker: hey, can you hear me yeah great so we've had like 3 weeks of ice and snow, and our
Bonnie Walker: our rain gutters overfilled with snow and ice, and it was when that happens it can back up into the attic and flood the house from the attic down. And so I've been
Bonnie Walker: really stressed about that. I've been losing sleep. And I just realized that the storm is clearing and our gutters are clearing. And II need to let go of that stress. And just it's
Bonnie Walker: we're on top of it, and we're doing, we can to protect our home and our family, and it's just all in progress now. So
Bonnie Walker: thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you for sharing Bonnie. Wow! That sounds unsettling.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So I can imagine that it's like it's a challenge to feel useful even when or as the challenges passing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Just lots of like care for your nervous system, and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm. thank you for sharing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Caroline. Hi!
Caroline: I always seem to find it hard to find the right buttons.
Caroline: I wanted to say thank you for that practice.
Caroline: I was really aware of how hard I would find it to do that practice without
Caroline: the group or without you guiding it
Caroline: and and the effort of the concentration, but also this really lovely feeling that came with it. And
Caroline: and I
Caroline: have an epiphany from doing that. But
Caroline: I'm really today. And tomorrow.
Caroline: just feel like I'm on this seesaw where I'm going to be letting go of one way that I've been working. I've drafted my resignation.
Caroline: and really trying to allow myself to dream and open up to who I meant to be working with, and how I'm meant to be working.
Caroline: So when you were talking about being confused, and it being like.
Caroline: and of just like, it's like murky over. That was really kind of resonating with me. And so yeah, and I'm actually hoping that
Caroline: But maybe the processes of doing some of that, the visibility invitations that I mean I haven't. I haven't had. It hasn't worked for me to look at any of them yet, but
that process.
Caroline: I'm sure, will also be helpful in me just getting a bit clearer on
Caroline: on who I meant to be listening to cause I'm pretty sure my role is meant to be a listener, but I'm not quite sure. Quite.
Caroline: Thank you. Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): thank you for sharing your transition to, you know, it's like, sometimes I feel like in transitions
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for me. I don't always know where it's heading, but I just have to like, take that next step in that next step in that next step, and then the the like. Aha! Sometimes comes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't know. For me. It's like months later, it's it's not always quick
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in those transition moments.
Caroline: No, no, exactly. I've just really got a sense I have to like. Go to our space for things to come in. Just let it unfold.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm. yeah. thank you you very much.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Rachel, coming to you.
rachel@yogasong.net: I'm really grateful for that exercise, and distraction is one of my biggest weaknesses, and but the first time before my head even made the whole turn around. My mind already went somewhere else, like, Oh, my gosh, this is so hard and and so that it was like just the realization of that was like, yeah, this is my, my nervous system and my body are used to
rachel@yogasong.net: to be that are used to be distracted so easily. So that's something I'm trying to work with this year. One of the things that I generally do that I haven't done is is
rachel@yogasong.net: put a ton of projects on my in my queue at the beginning of the year, and then I'm like
rachel@yogasong.net: completely
rachel@yogasong.net: distracted and overwhelmed by the end of January, and I haven't done that this year. And so one of the things I've been trying to do to help focus is write myself a letter of encouragement every morning, and that's been helpful, but I loved the the practice with the the focus, with the Drishti, and I think I wanna try to
rachel@yogasong.net: bring that into my
rachel@yogasong.net: every day, and I'm also I did sign up for the the
rachel@yogasong.net: visibility challenge. I haven't had a chance to look at anything yet, but
rachel@yogasong.net: I'm excited that you're doing that. So thank you. Thank you for this. That revelation was like astounding first 3 s of the practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you, Rachel. I love
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so much of what you shared. It's so true, right? Like as we're focusing. And it's like we
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh, gone. So it's it's a really wonderful way. And for those who are teachers you can bring that to see into. I don't. I did it, do we do it twice? I don't do it much longer than that because it can be really frustrating for folks to stay focused on their arms as they're as they're moving, but it also can be really powerful and can lead us to those insights.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I love that. What did you say you're doing in the morning? You're writing a letter of like an affirmation. I do morning pages from Julie Cameron's The artist way, and that sort of got stale for me.
rachel@yogasong.net: and and and I was recognizing how distracted II have the tendency to be distracted a lot. That's one of my weaknesses. And so I've been writing myself a letter of encouragement, and, like Wu, you know, with my bullet, journal in hand, looking at like, what are the 3 things I need to focus on today, and doing it with le language of compassion and encouragement rather than like boom, boom! Boom!
rachel@yogasong.net: Hmm! Oh, yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love that. Thank you for sharing. I saw you posted about the letters of encouragement. And so I actually was really curious about it. Because I'm like, Oh, what does that look like? What does that sound like? You know? What is it? I speak myself in like like I call myself you. You like I am. I'm not saying I'm seeing you so it's like I'm speaking to myself, which, even just using the different tents to me makes a difference. I don't know why, but it does
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of like your your pepping yourself up or like like cheerleading yourself.
rachel@yogasong.net: Yeah, yeah.
rachel@yogasong.net: yeah. You can do this. You got it. Just take one step at a time. Start here.
rachel@yogasong.net: Yeah. thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): That's so lovely, Rachel. Thank you for sharing with us and with me, I'm like, Oh, yeah, I'm gonna try writing because I've been doing more journaling lately as well
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and focusing on what a what a intentions I want to bring to the day, and what, how I want to show up, you know, and writing a little bit first.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): but I haven't tried reflecting as you. So I'm gonna try that. Yeah, thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Jessica.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): Hi! Oh, my heart is like all the way up here. I'm noticing you friendly strangers.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): Yeah, I can get a little bit nervous talking in front of people so it can be helpful for me to look out of my window, so I think I might be kind of shifting my gaze a little bit.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): yeah, even now I'm like noticing there's like a grounding, or like the blood flow, is going a little bit more to to other areas of my body
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): comedy.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): I'm finding this really serendipitous, because what I was really thinking about with this practice is
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): like our how much our eyes do.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): One of our first orienting responses as a baby is looking around at the world. So I found it to be like such a rich connection. Susanna, when you were saying like
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): what's emerging from the darkness, or like what's being born. It really kind of felt like that early stage.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): Then my own kind of trauma work. I'm doing a little bit of
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): like pre-verbal early
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): work. I do somatic experiencing. And so it.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): I was doing something like this before we were or before I sign that. And so just kind of noticing that like upward motion of my eyes, too.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): And so I found it interesting when you're like, oh, like press the back of your head. I was like, no, I'm doing this instead, like, this is my practice. Yeah, just welcome welcoming anybody to join us at, as in seeing other people have.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): They kind of noticing what it's like to look up and back, felt so healing like, I got this message from myself, like, Oh, yeah, I've got you.
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): We're your help here, and so
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): think more or less just noticing the different connections with what
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): like spiritual teachings of Yoga are, and how our bodies, like set up
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): and designed to like, move from threat to to safety, and just kind of thinking about what happens in our eyes, and
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): like the disorienting moments, and then how important it can be just to let that be a process of looking around there. And we're following that fixed attention as we attune. So
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): I probably could continue on, but more or less, just what's happening for me, and
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): just a really nice
Jessica Jacovitch (she/her): experience to be here with you. But practice the other.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you, Jessica, and thank you for naming your experiences as they're arising. I always find that so grounding and so helpful.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Karen. Aye.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: Hi, I just wanted to say Thank you. You know I've spent most of the day with you. I love it.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: I just. And I made the comment earlier in the visibility. Just simplicity. You know, we're just moving. We're just breathing. So it's like, Wow, Yoga is just being intentional and connecting with your breath.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: I mean. we know there's more. We're all learning but volunte and purpose. It's like whatever we're doing.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: If we are mindful of our breath or intention of our breath in aligning them.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: It's like we're practicing.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: and it's like dishes dinner, whatever. And
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: I find. And I tell this to clients that when we're intentional, I just remember this, if you don't mind me sharing
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: that specially. I have clients that work in offices, and they get totally annoyed. One was an attorney, and she's like I, Kate it people. She was doing a nonprofit. She's like everybody just keeps coming in during the day and interrupting me. I said, Well, why don't you try quieting? So, in other words, when somebody comes to your door instead of you get annoyed, you know you just go down your work, and you're like what? Almost even if you don't say it, you feel that they said, why don't we change it up a little
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: when somebody comes to your door. Take a breath.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: be intentional about. I'm going to take a break. Let them know how many minutes you have breathe while they're talking, and then, before you go back to your work. Breathe and be intentional as you start again, like it's just, I call it, slow down to speed up your success. So just the simplicity and beauty of it. Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing that, Karen. That practice as well, because so helpful. I have one of my favorite books
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that has come out in the last, like decade, is called Deep work by Cal Newport. Some of you might know it. Some of you might not. And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): what's helpful about it for me is, you know, he's talking about like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our attention and the attenuation of our our attention, and that what's really valuable in this information economy is knowledge work.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But to actually produce deep knowledge work takes a kind of focus. It's very hard to create and sustain, because there's so many things distracting goes into like offices, and you know, like your co-worker like, it's so easy to be distracted
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): if we've even gotten that to the office without like checking our 100 emails and text messages, and maybe social media right?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And what was sort of a wake up call in that book is, there's evidence through, you know, research that's been done about what's called attention residue. And so for everything that we, you know, we're say, we're focusing on some kind of deep work like a project or a book, or, you know, a writing or research, and then we get distracted. Some part of our attention goes with that distraction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that is like, Oh, kind of a a wake up. And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so he talks about essentially like batching your deep work mean, and you can do that in various ways.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): including, say, like schedule out, say, 2 h in the morning or in the afternoon or evening, whenever right obviously morning is better cause your attention hasn't been as attenuated, or it can be like what he calls grand gestures like going away, and when he got to that point I was like, Oh, this is retreat, you know. He's talking about retreat like this is a practice that yoga practitioners, mindfulness meditators have done forever.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when we go into a sustained time of focus we can sort of grow or progress or release attachments, or you know.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): What do they call the the things that like the not grantees, the not that bind us, or the things that kind of keep us home
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): held back. And when I love about what you shared, Karen, that he doesn't talk about so just want to kind of underscore that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is that we actually, even though our attention gets attenuated, we can reset it through a meditation practice, through a focus practice
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): every moment that we choose to. And so. Yes, that residue is happening.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And yet we can come. We can come back
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: so. Oh, you use insight timers, my pomodoro timer. Yes, work, work, work, work as meditation. And by that, Karen, do you wanna explain that? I'm sure. So people may know like the power hour. And they, you know, people have used regular kitchen timers, and there's when it looked like a tomato, and somebody wrote a book about Commodore. You know the whole idea is, you set the timer, and you work for that. Well, what I love about insight timer, is one you can choose no sound
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: or have a sound in the background, depending on what you're doing. But you can also set up intervals. So if you were working for an hour you could set up different. And they're singing bells. They're singing bowls or chimes as the sound, and you could say.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: Start the hour with a chime.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: and then, 30 min later, have another time which remind you to get back into your work, and then 5 min before, and you can set it up for 10 min an hour, whatever you wish. But the idea is, I love having the little reminders, because each time reminds me, all right. Am I still focused? Am I still doing what I'm doing? And I call it work as a meditation. I discovered this years ago, and I just call it work as a meditation versus a buzzer or an alarm.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: and it doesn't change your energy when you get reminded it brings you back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): No, I love that. Yes, Carly, that's great idea. I frequently send an alarm to go off every 15 min. But I like your idea of using insight, Demo, instead of my alarm. Yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): at Deer Park Monastery in Plum Village, the tiknatan tradition that some of you might know they have a clocks that time every 15 min, and when the clock times, you know, it can be like 200 people in the Meditation hall or in the dining hall, and everyone stops.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the idea is, the bell goes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and you come back to yourself, and you take 3 mindful breaths. It's really funny when you know
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the one they have in the dining hall. It also times the number of hours like. So if it's 7 am. At times 7 times. So it was like about to talk again after the 3 breaths. But then it's like ding ding. So, anyway, it's kind of fun and finding ways to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to bring that kind of mindful focus and that moment of mindfulness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I actually think it. I don't know what the opposite of like attenuation is. Maybe someone knows the word that would be the opposite of that. But I think it like restores our focus and attention to do these practices.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so I had a tiny book by Tiknata Han using practical everyday activities for mindful moments doing dishes. Yes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah. And that's yoga right like that's what it is to practice. All of life is your bow of life is meditation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): continuing to open it up. And what I thought we could end with today. Just so, you know, it's like a practice. So a very like gentle kind of restorative, meditative practice. Because, again, if we're focusing on socha, on tuning into that inner wisdom. The best way to do that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is to allow our mind and our body to kind of stop being so much in, like the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the alpha, or whatever the the active state, but more in the receptive, calm state. So
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): anyone else. We have plenty of time for other reflections, and then I'll guide us as a practice on the way out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Karen might.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: It's mine, not mob. This was my time meditation teacher. He used to tell us when we'd sit, you know, because we practiced everything. Look at it. Incense burning, you know the whole deal. And so it was like an 8 week course or something, and he would say, as soon as you sit down, of course you know that empty mind is gonna fill with your goes through lists and everything else. So he said she did either like a person or a cloud. Let it float by. You don't have to label it, name it.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: converse with it even in your mind. You just have to
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: let it float by. And I just for me, that's always a tip. It's like.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: Oh, it came in right. Just let it go, cause I don't know how to clear my mind. I don't know how to quiet my mind.
Karen McMillan | YINpreneur: So the thing is to not talk with the thoughts
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love that. Yes, I think most of us don't know how to clear or quiet our mind actually what it practices is just like you said, like gently letting it
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like a cloud in the sky.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yes, Tom. Hi, there!
Tom Glaser he/him/his: Hi, Suzannah, good to be with you and everyone. This is so great I really appreciate it.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: okay. So what I've been thinking about is this little example of what what I think I heard we started with like.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: like when we're undecided. The third eye is cloudy. It's just a tiny example in my own life this week, like I have some Fomo fear of missing out like a lot of people. And I really wanted to do 2 competing things. There's a pro, a production of Avenue Q, one of my favorite musical. So I really wanted to see. And there's people we had agreed to get together and share a meal with, we really can't do both.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: I was not easily, I mean we. There's a way I could have figured it out, and I did figure it out. But what's interesting is it just took me a couple of days, though. This is again the simple thing.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: It didn't occur to me to do practice. It's like I do my practice in the morning, my personal practice in the morning, and I do a later practice. If I'm teaching like it didn't occur to me until you you took us through. Oh, that I could do
Tom Glaser he/him/his: a practice later in the day as I need to.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: so I thank you for that. That might have helped me.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Thank you so much, Tom. Yeah, I can so relate to that like, I really want to do this thing, and I really want to do this other thing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I don't always remember to practice in those moments. Sometimes I do like there's key, you know, especially when the tension is really high. I feel really conflicted. It's like I can't do anything except practice. But sometimes, when it's a little more like kind of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): neutral, bit milder. I don't always remember. And another thing that I
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): did recently is I reached out to people like to other colleagues in my life. I had a I really want to do the same. And then I really wanted to do this other thing with my kiddo's first basketball game, and then, like bip, dance movement, circle, and both felt really important, and they were at the same time across town. So there's no way to do both.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the friends that I reached out to were really helpful. They they asked really insightful questions, and then I sat and I talked with my kiddo about, you know, hey, I really wanna do this thing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and and I really wanna support you. How? What do you think? You know? And and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): he was like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): this thing's really important. But I'd also really like you to be at
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my game, and through being able to just like talk it through.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): he was able to name how important it was, and like he, how he wanted me to actually go. And I said, You know, I was able to check in with myself, and I feel like the relation. Our relationship is more important than this experience. So if it's really important to you, but if you don't care that much, and it's like whatever. Then I'll go do something. But if it actually matters to you then, and you know it's meaningful to you, then I, of course, will come.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And he got a little like teary-eyed. And you know, it's like, Yeah, I'd really like to be in my game.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so it was so sweet and so helpful to, and actually deepened our relationship. I feel like to be able to tune in and hear what was important
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): also to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the other person, you and there were people who wanted to see me at the event. But I let them know. Here's the process, and here's why I'm choosing what I'm choosing, you know. So it was. It felt like, in a way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): even better, actually, because I was able to to share my why and and the process it was. It was really helpful. But it's so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): human, I think, to have that that Fomo, and and then to like sometimes not know how to move or what to do.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you, Tom.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: Thank you. I love hearing that story. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, it was. It was quite something. And then what's so funny? Sometimes it works out as someone who went to the event was like, Yeah, wasn't as good as the last one. Yeah. So it's like, Oh, God, II did the thing that ultimately answered it for me as I was like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If I was at the basketball game, how would I feel about missing that thing. But if I was at the thing, how would I feel about Miss? And I was like, Oh, yeah, I would be feeling really bad about missing the basketball game, so I need to go. I need to go there.
Tom Glaser he/him/his: Well, I'm hoping Avenue queue is not very good cause we're not going to see it
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Okay, so let's practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I want you to check in with yourself, because maybe your practice needs or wants to be like literally turning off your camera, laying down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, like almost letting yourself nap I'll guide us. II will probably not invite us to come off mute and say goodbye. Just so. If someone does fall asleep, we can just gently slide out quietly of the space.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then you can find an useful way to be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so sitting, standing, lying down. any walking? However, you would like to be. Yeah, if you would like to head out. Please do.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): then focus first
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): bringing awareness to inhale and awareness to your exhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): noticing your thoughts. and just allowing them to be like clouds passing by.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): not getting attached.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): needing to plan or be in the future, the past.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): any point, if you would like where you find your mind getting distracted. You can come back to your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): noticing your inhale and your exhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): giving in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): visualizing calm body of water.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): breathing out, relaxing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You observe this calm body of water
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): might be an ocean or a lake. The stream.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clear lake, or body of water, reflects
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): that which is around it, clearly
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): allowing that clarity on your in-breath
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to come into you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and on your exhale, trusting that clarity
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale clear body of water. exhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I reflect clearly
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhaling
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clear
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhaling.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Reflect
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just like this body of water.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Have them. Power, and the energy of clarity and reflection
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, clear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale, reflect.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): can continue
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): practicing like this, or focusing on your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'll guide us back when it's time. Practice in silence together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Now the air
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale. Reflect.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If you notice your mind wondering.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Don't worry. It's very normal, just gently bringing it back with love and with care, to the focus of your meditation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhaling. clearly. exhaling. reflecting what is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and deep breath out
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in and like calmly
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): breathing out, reflecting clearly.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just like this lake, you have quality
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of clarity and of insight
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on the surface and below your depths.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Allowing for
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): recognizing this quality of clarity
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): within you and all around you. harmonizing with it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and gently, as you're ready. If you'd like to finish practice together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): bring your hands together and bowing to yourself, to this practice of Deanna
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): meditation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to your own clarity.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then you can gently massage your legs or your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): body
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): moving, stretching in any way that you would like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And today, because I want to invite. If anyone fell asleep or is in a more restful place.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll just acknowledge each other with our energy and with the bow. Let's log off, and I'll see you in our next
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my next
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm office hours.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So much gratitude. Thank you. To each of you many blessings be well.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm!