Throwback Thursday: Meditation

April 27, 2022 Latosha Hicks

Longer days, warm weather, and endless possibilities blooming all around. Spring brings with it the freshness of new ideas. And if you have a creative mindset, those ideas are probably colliding in your brain. I want to throw it back to one of my favorite posts on meditation with Chandra Fowler, owner of Sanskrit Moon Yoga. Read on about meditation and get re-centered to tackle all your Spring projects.

With Chandra Fowler, Owner of Sanskrit Moon Yoga (originally posted on Nov. 15, 2021)

Chandra Fowler is the owner of Sanskrit Moon Yoga. Join her and the other wonderful instructors for guided meditation and yoga classes. Options are available for virtual and on-site courses.

https://sanskritmoon.com/

For those of us with anxiety, a negative thought can take hold of us. Thankfully meditation exists to help us reclaim our minds and to set positive intentions. During the holiday season, anxiety can increase. To help we’ve talked with Chandra Fowler, owner of Sanskrit Moon Yoga Studio, about the benefits of meditation. At the end of the article, you will find some amazing resources to help you through. We’ll share these resources as the week progresses.

Tosha: Thank you so much for doing the interview! As most people experience Holiday Blues or Seasonal Depression, we want to help readers get through the holidays. We are connecting with other experts in the fields of wellness, communication, and skincare. With COVID, it has made things harder. One of the things I want to concentrate on is meditation, as it clears the mind and helps to focus.

Chandra: Love it!

Tosha: What is meditation for someone new to the concept?

Chandra: Meditation, for me, is the ability to cleanse your mind. When I teach little kids, there are two things I like to do: one thing I do is take a clear crystal and drop it in a container of water; that's your mind. Your mind is beautiful and pure! Then I take yellow food dye and drop it in. So when you are born, people start talking to you, then you're in school, and you get all this good information, so that goes in [your mind]. Then we drop in blue; I'll ask how do babies communicate? What do they do when they are wet or sad, they'll reply, "oh, they will cry!" So, the blue represents the blues, when you are sad or frustrated or trying to get out when you need to get out. Then we'll do green. Green is when you feel like you're not enough or you don't have enough. It's that envious feeling or feeling like you are not enough, but we know you are. And then the red can represent anger and those feelings that can pull us down. And I'll put like dirt from my yard in there (laughs), and so that is everything else! That's the news and things that are happening across the globe that you feel helpless about. That you really care about, but it affects your emotions. All that is in your mind and that happens on a day-to-day basis. And so, if you can find a way to clear that, take a moment out of your day to cleanse your mind; you can come back to that crystal. Then I take a spoon and dip the crystal out, and it is still there. Your beautiful mind is still there. It's just all this input!

Typically, I say for people that are just starting, do like one to five minutes. Don't think you have to be (laughs) sitting there stiff as a board for hours on end! And I usually tell people to start off sitting because if you lie, you're probably going to go to sleep. But you can be comfortable; support your back. You can have cushions; I put blankets on me. Feel cozy and just sit. And give yourself grace because each day is different. One of my teachers says there's no wrong way to do it. So even when your mind is racing, and you feel like you should start levitating at some point, right? Like "I'm waiting for the levitation"! I'm a list maker, so when I first started, I could see myself writing lists in my head; sometimes it's purification, and that's you need to get through that stuff so that you can have that moment of quiet.

Chandra Fowler, owner of Sanskrit Moon Yoga Sanskrit Moon Yoga

Tosha: What is its history?

Chandra: It's really funny because you know there are eight limbs of yoga. Usually, when people think about yoga, they think about Asana, think about the movement, and think about the breath, but meditation is one of those limbs. So, part of what we do in movement is getting yourself ready for the stillness. It's one of the most important parts of the eight limbs. And so, I'll say that, again, I'm going back to my kids' days, yoga is about 5000 years old, and meditation is much longer than that. So, with that whole idea, we are not really sure, but we know it's been around for a long time. Yoga itself derived from people sitting and meditating for hours and hours a day, so you had these holy people or monks around the world because it was evolving. Yoga was evolving around the same time in multiple areas. My lineage is coming out of India and Hinduism, and so it's one of those things where you sit for a long time and then your body aches, so that's where the movement came. So what came first, the chicken or the egg? Meditation came first, and so everything else is to prepare you for that ability to just be with yourself.

Tosha: What are some of the benefits of meditation?

Chandra: I think stress relief. Especially in society…in American culture, we're told to go, go, go and give 110%, and so this gives yourself the ability to slow down to check in with yourself. To give yourself a bit of a reboot. I love that you're doing meditation because it is one of those things, where I don't need an expensive machine. I don't have to have a membership, you can if you want to do that, and do it with somebody, but it is definitely something that you can get started with at your home for no cost. Just the willingness to sit still and to breathe and to just be.

Tosha: When you mentioned the "go, go, go," I think as I'm a millennial, we're starting to think like, "yeah, I'm not going to do this." I have friends that will openly talk about their therapy sessions. I'm registering for therapy; I think its getting to a changing point, that we're not going to be on the go and have overstimulated minds and stress.

Chandra: If anything has shown me, is with your generation and my kids' generations, it is that we are raising people to do check ins. I was raised in a generation where maybe we were the first to graduate college in our families.

Tosha: I'm in a weird spot because I am that person.

Chandra: You know, even with us (my generation), it was achieve, get a house, make sure you got benefits and the job and all the things. What happens is, if you don't do periodic check-ins, your body will do them for you. What will ultimately happen is that your body will go into a crisis some kind of way, and so if we can live life to where we're doing that for ourselves, maybe daily, then your overall quality of life will be better. We know that many diseases come from dis-ease within our bodies, so taking that time out to check in, I think, is super important. Even if you do have a life event to where you're up against a disease, you will be in a better place to fight it because I think mentally, you will have the tools you need to get through it. I believe that! I absolutely do.

It's funny because my mom started meditation, and they've taken her blood pressure medication down. She's like, "my blood pressure has not been high". She went into the doctor, and he was like, "what are you doing" she's like, "I've been meditating!"

Tosha: That's awesome!

Chandra: There's that relief! I have migraines that have gotten better through my practice, and I don't suffer as often. Because most of the time, those triggers were caused by stress.

Tosha: And I think that's what caused my high blood pressure, was the stress.

Chandra: Life can be hard!

What is meditation?

Tosha: For someone that is starting meditation, what are essential things they need to know?

Chandra: I think creating a space for you to do it. So, you might not want to be in the loudest room in your house, or you might want to find a quiet space. Maybe even soft lighting if that works for you, not something too stimulating. And a comfortable seat. What I noticed in my meditation practice is that I had been sitting in seats and chairs, so when I actually got on the floor, my back was like, "No", it didn't know what to do. If you have back pain, you may want to start in a chair but try to sit up nice and straight, don't slouch. If that means that you put a cushion or pillow behind your back to support you, that would be great too and all the things you need.

As yogis, we might do it in the morning after you've gone to the bathroom and taken care of all the things. You're not on a full tummy. Temperature-wise, I always get a blanket because if I'm chilly, then I'm focusing "oh, I don't feel as comfortable as I could be." Anything can take you out of it but make it as comfortable as you possibly can for yourself. Sit up nice and straight and float your eyes close and just be with yourself. There are several types of meditation, and Krista (Meditation Instructor-see below for resource), does moving meditations for people. Sometimes we can take ourselves into meditation through our breath, we can take ourselves into meditation through a mantra or chant, and we can do it through movement. So it doesn't have to look one way.

With Krista, sometimes the movement is just going from side to side or looking over the shoulders and moving with your breath. And then, over time, you're not thinking about what's right or left, or if you're doing it right, you know? That's what we want to; we want to get out of our programming and our need to control what is happening. Even if you use a mantra, we usually start with our breaths, but what you want to do ultimately is to be able to release it. You don't want to hold on too tight, again thinking that "I just got to do this right!" that's just to tether you, if your mind wanders, you can always come back to counting the breath or come back to that mantra, and that helps you to center yourself back that place.

Tosha: With the different elements of meditation, how would one start?

Chandra: My daily practice is with a mantra. I teach my children mantras. So that seems to be a good one. We oftentimes use mudras: we walk along our fingertips. And so, for the kids its "Peace Begins with Me" and for adults, it is, "Sa Ta Na Ma" and those are great ones. Whatever the mantra you choose, do those three times loudly, three times quietly whispering, and then three times in your mind. Then see if you can let go and just sit in that place. Not trying to control anything or not trying to control our breath. If you're not controlling or doing anything, then you're doing it right. That's a good start.

Tosha: How long to meditate? You mentioned one to five minutes…

Chandra: For my little people (kids), or if you have ADHD, a minute would be great! We teach people to meditate the same length of time it takes you to brush your teeth. So maybe in the morning and at night; if you brush your teeth twice, then if you don't, then we'll take once a day (laughs). If you're older then try for five minutes. Ultimately, we try to work ourselves up to 15 to 20 minutes.

Tosha: Is there a best time of day to meditate, or it depends on the person?

Chandra: I think it probably depends on the person. Typically for me, it's in the morning. It's before everything gets started. Once I get started, it's hard to rope myself back in. If you meditate at night, right before you go to bed, once again, not lying down, to get yourself prepared. But I will say that if you if you're having a stressful day, if something is coming up, or if you have anxiety around meeting or something that's happening, you can sit in your car, you can sit at your desk, take that moment and it might help you to ground and center.

The kids, for me, are our natural selves before the world taints us. I had four- and five-year-olds, so I never knew if they were actually listening. But a mom told me her son had a dental procedure, and he sat there and started his meditation!

Tosha: Really?

Chandra: He knew to do that and I was like, "I'm done!"

Tosha: "I did my job!"

Chandra: I did my job, but that's it! It's a tool that you can pull out of your toolbox whenever you need it. But if you are practiced in it, the morning and evenings will help you say, I will be consistent! I can build a consistent practice around it.

Your mind is beautiful

Tosha: How many times per week?

Chandra: So, if you can do it every day, that would be great! Once you get your day started, you do all the things for other people. We begin working these jobs and doing all the things. It's about putting yourself on your schedule, so creating that space to say "I deserve five minutes of the day just for me to clear my mind" to do a check-in. Give that as a gift to yourself daily. Cause you deserve that and more.

Tosha: You mentioned the mantras "Peace begins with me" and "Sa, Ta, Na, Ma"-I have that one on my computer. Are there any others?

Chandra: There are some. You can get a mantra that is for you. It can be whatever you want. If there's something that resonates with you, feel free to use it.

Tosha: Earlier, we discussed the different types of meditation like mantras..

Chandra: Yeah! So there's walking mediation. You can walk in nature and be quiet and silent, and sit there for hours if you would like. Coloring is a form of meditation.

Tosha: My mom colors! She has a coloring app on her iPad, and she does it just about every night. She says it helps her.

Chandra: My daughter does that a lot. I would bring that in for the kids in my classes. Any type of crafting or coloring that soothes you. Now, if you're stressed out about staying in the lines…

Tosha: It might not be for you!

Chandra: Yes, if it brings more stress to you, that might not be your form of meditation! Mantra meditation, movement, or whether it's dance. Sometimes you're doing one movement for 15-20 minutes, and you're doing that to get you out of your mind. That becomes a moving mediation. You have guided meditation. There's plenty of apps out there if people want to try them and have someone guide you into it. And they will probably use like a breath, you know, counting your breaths, and you can do that as well.

Tosha: I didn't realize coloring was a form. I guess as you're coloring, you're only thinking about that task. How do you determine what the best form of meditation is for you?

Chandra: I would say try them and see what resonates with you. Again, if you're getting stressed out about coloring, don't do it. I'll have anxiety about being out [walking meditation], and no one knows where I am for long periods; it might not be for me. I've done it with groups of people, just not silently but knowing your personality and what kind works for you. The mantra works for me. If I'm traveling, I don't need supplies, it works well for me so that I can be consistent. Try it! Give it a chance! Sitting for a long time is not something we naturally do, so if you find yourself sitting and fidgeting and thinking…if you have an itch go ahead and scratch it! Again, go into it with grace; each day is different. There might be a day where you lose time, and then you're like, that was awesome! I didn't even know I was sitting here for that long. So your list of things to do that's part of the process as well.

Tosha: How can we learn more? What are some resources?

Chandra: There are plenty of books on meditation. I'll send you some links. There was a really cool story in a new book I'm reading, and I will share it with you. Dr. Stephanie T. Evans works at Georgia State, and she specifically studies black women in yoga and meditation. The book is Black Women's Yoga History. Something that resonated with me was that her overall goal was to look at women who go through trauma and black women go through lots of trauma, so she looked at longevity. She looked at many women, including Tina Turner, Eartha Kit, the Delaney sisters, and Rosa Parks. If you've seen the picture of Rosa Parks doing yoga, she found that picture in her research, and she's [Rosa Parks] in the basement of her Baptist Church teaching yoga.

One person that resonated with me was Harriet Jacobson; and she was a slave and was going through what a lot of women went through with their masters; advances. She did not want to be with him; she even had children with a neighbor, thinking that that would keep him off her. He threatened to sell her children, and knowing that they were commodities, she ran away. She didn't go far, and she went to someone's attic, which was really a crawl space. She could read and write, but she talked about this meditation practice, so I often share that with people because people think it has to be taught and outlined. It's something that once you start to do, you innately will know how to do it and how to do it for yourself, and so she figured that out. She would get out once a day and do stretches, which we think like yoga, you know, so she talks about what sustained her over the seven years while she waited for her freedom and her children's freedom. It is in us! It's one of those things that's just in us to do when we need to heal ourselves and when we need to call upon a resource; it's a tool that all of us can use.

Tosha: Can you walk us through a basic Meditation Routine?

Chandra: We're going to go into Mudra, which is pointer finger to thumb, and the other three fingers are just rested on your knees while you're sitting. We'll do the Sa Ta Na Ma; as you say the word, you're going to touch the finger next to it. So, the thumb to pointer finger is your "Sa," your thumb to middle finger is "Ta," thumb to ring finger is "Na," and thumb to pinky is "Ma." We're going to do that three times loudly, three times quietly, and then three times in our minds. Then we'll sit for a while. Take a deep inhale, exhale out. And begin…three times loudly, three times quietly, and three times in our minds. And sit…release the mantra. See if you can gently allow it to flow away from you. Whatever comes up, just acknowledge it and send it on its way. And whenever you're ready, take a deep inhale and sigh it out. Bring your hands to your heart's center…and bow to the inner light that is within us.

The Afterparty:

Hopefully, Chandra will not mind me sharing this part: but I had the most delightful time with her riding around in her golf cart, talking about life, travel, houses, and about our favorite anime, Demon Slayer! Having others to share life experiences and similar interests is a form of meditation within itself!

After the interview, Chandra sent a ton of resources to help guide you through your meditation practices. Please copy and share with others!

Namaste!