Tricky times demand wisdom

If you’re feeling personally unhinged by the current climate in America, there’s lots you can do to reestablish your balance. For example, you can walk backward to walk forward. What? Fresh from a workshop with world-famous yoga teacher Angela Farmer, I’m reminded sprinklings of wisdom can come in quite handy when feeling tipsy by political angst, anger, even euphoria. You don’t need a yoga mat to follow along here, but if you have one, feel free to place it in front of that same TV that brought you the inauguration and the women’s marches. It can help cleanse the space. If you attended one of these events, cleanse longer. Farmer, who lives in Greece — jealous! — wasn’t talking specifically about our turmoil when she spun her philosophy at a U.S. teaching. So below are extrapolations of some of her guidings to help us stand on our wobbly feet.

Receive, don’t imprint:

Do you always feel it’s your job to take a stand? Farmer says it’s not necessary to constantly imprint our thoughts, passions, egos on folks we encounter. Instead we can openly receive friends and those other nuts, ah people, who share our world, working to recharge and keep ourselves intact. Try to receive and take in instead of giving out and grappling. See what new ideas for dismantling the opposition, um, getting along with each other, may develop.

Invoke the “what can I do?” rule:

To save energy for the things you can impact, Farmer says it’s a good idea to keep bad news at bay. If you can’t do something about a painful situation, why absorb every stressful detail, every opinion, or imagine every far-out scenario. Instead, consider taking news breaks when you find yourself foaming at the mouth or aching with helplessness. When the answer to “what can I do?” is absolutely nothing, maybe it’s time to feed the dog, who loves you no matter how worked up you get.

Don’t do, undo:

To heal and find joy, Farmer’s core philosophy emphasizes undoing rather than doing. It’s a tall order. Lie on that yoga mat, or sprawl on the carpet or even stand, and look for those parts of yourself that are tight and tormented. Let yourself stretch and unwind, not doing official yoga poses, just undoing stress and tension. Undoing helps recover mental and physical space so we can think more clearly. Twist and turn and roll and reach and hear what your body is telling you: Loosen up, chill out, let go.

Learn how to walk backward:

OK, here goes. First, stand up. Now walk forward and observe how you push into your front body and your back body feels “empty.” It’s subtle. Now walk backward and feel how you push more into your back and it feels broad. Try it a few times. Now walk backward and forward at the same time, keeping your back alert while you move ahead. This is Farmer’s trick for staying gracefully centered. It’s sort of like walking with a book on your head. When you meet someone difficult, instead of plunging forward, stay in the wisdom of the back body, remaining perched over your own two feet, not tripping over theirs.

Remember to breathe:

All yogis, like Farmer, know conscious breathing is the smartest trick in tricky times. It’s often said the breath controls the mind. Instead of the in-breath and out-breath bashing into each other like members of Congress, find the natural pause between the inhale and exhale and stay there another beat or two. Watch as the mind calms down. Continue to rest in the pauses as the breath brings the mind back to some sense that we will go on. By hook or by crook.

And after you’ve paused, call your congressperson and tell him or her to do the exact same thing. Right this minute. Let’s all take a moment to B-R-E-A-T-H-E. Donna Debs is a longtime freelance writer, a former radio news reporter, and a certified Iyengar yoga teacher. She lives in Tredyffrin. Email her at debbs@comcast.net.