Australian_Yoga_Journal_2016_08_09_downmagaz.com

struggled with this myself. I broke my
elbow in handstand. I’ve had lots of
messages from the universe telling me to sit
and stop striving.”
To begin a mindfulness practice, we’re
encouraged to build our muscle of
awareness, or as Marike describes, “It’s
building the bicep muscle in the brain.”
Begin with breath awareness. Then, your
brain might notice something, like a tree.
Experience the breath. Your mind might
“Shakti says the practice also involves noticing
when judgement arises which provides objectivity
and allows us to step back. “We feel lighter and
happier and our nervous system calms.”
wander back to the tree, and when you
notice your mind has wandered, that’s
mindfulness! You have cultivated
awareness. Marike calls this the completion
of one bicep curl. Next, return to your
breath, your mind wanders again, you
notice, and you bring your attention back
to your breath. Two bicep curls.
To transfer this “mind practice”
into daily life, think about when you
are talking with someone, and you become
distracted. “You notice when your mind
wanders or when you judge. A regular
mindfulness practice helps you develop a
greater strength of muscle in the brain to
go, ‘Oh, come back and listen … listen to
them, hear them.”
A few days after we speak, Marike sends
me Kent Nerburn’s poignant poem about a
mindful New York taxi driver. I thank her,
saying it has left me in tears and I am
stopping to have a cup of tea. She writes
august/september 2016 yogajournal.com.au
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