Finally, we make our way back around to part five of our series on The Five Senses and the five sense organs. Scroll down the posts to find the first four on the eyes, nose, tongue and ears. Which leads to us to the body’s largest organ—our skin.

What’s cool about yoga and the skin is that there are so many ways that our yoga practice makes us aware of our skin. We feel the bottoms of our bare feet standing on the mat. We feel pressure on our skin as we kneel, lie on our side, press into our hands, stand on our head, touch our nose during a breathing exercise, or give ourselves a big hug.

You can take this awareness into your day too:

Pause during the day to feel skin sensations. How does your foot really feel inside of a shoe? Do you like the feel of different types of clothing against your skin? You can notice the way different foods feel on your hands when you cook or the touch of paper, yarn or wood when you enjoy your favorite hobby.

Oil massage to calm the nervous system. If you’re feeling anxious or over-stimulated, massage oil into your skin to create a healthy barrier between you and the outside world. Once I learned about oil massage, I completely gave up all the chemical-laced lotions I used to use. Did you know that those chemicals are absorbed into your bloodstream through your skin?! Now I use all-natural sesame oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil on my skin when I get out of the shower or bath. The oils also feed your skin microbiome to support a healthy mix of good and bad bacteria.

Eat a healthy diet and drink enough water. There’s a reason why you can tell a person is sick by looking at their skin. Is the complexion just right or is it too yellow, too red or too brown? All of these are signs of disruption inside the body. The best way to be well inside and out is to eat a healthy diet (for your dosha if possible) and to drink plenty of fresh, pure water. According to Ayurveda, eat two hands full of food at each meal and drink one-half of your body weight in ounces of water each day.

If you follow this path, then when we meet you in town we will know you by your healthy skin glow.

We brought home an abandoned kitten. She was about 9 months old and very sweet. We thought we would find a home for her very quickly. But it soon became evident that she was expecting babies, so we knew we were in for an interesting journey. She had four beautiful kittens—two yellow boys and two gray girls. Now I think I’m going to give up teaching yoga and offer “kitten therapy.”

They are at the age now where they are engaging more with us humans and not so tied to their mama. Their favorite game is climb in your lap, into your arms, up your leg. You can’t be sad when you have a fluffy, squeaky kitten nearby (unless, of course, you are terrified of kittens, in which case it would be best to stay clear of our house for a while).

Here are few things I have learned this past couple of months:

I can trust the Universe to deliver things right on time. I didn’t know that I needed kittens in my life, but Life did! I have been learning how to take a deep breath, relax, and step into the future with more confidence and trust. These things are unfolding for reasons we cannot know or understand.

I must follow through on my responsibilities and let go of the results. Mama kitty knew exactly what to do when her time came and she has continued to be attentive to her kittens during these early weeks. And, when the time is right, she will let them go without a worry of where they are going. This is another lesson in trust, namely, trusting myself and those who are on this journey with me.

I need joy in my life every single day. I have a resident smile factory right now and I plan to take full advantage of it. But these kittens will not always be here, so I’m already considering ways to keep the joy flowing without turning my home into a cat colony.

Maybe you can take some time to consider the life lessons that are unfolding for you today. Where have you been, where are you going, and where do you find yourself today?

My partner was in the grocery store recently when a man stopped him and said, “I wish I could move as quickly as you.” The man was holding onto a cart for stability, slightly stooped, and when he walked, he shuffled his feet. They compared ages and the shuffling man was 5 years younger than my partner! When asked why he thought he was having difficulty moving more quickly, the man responded, “When I was in my 50’s I started to have pain, but I didn’t do anything about it. Look it me now: I can barely move and it takes a long time to pick out my groceries.”

This cautionary tale has an important lesson for us all: Whatever you do now to care for yourself (or what you choose not to do), your future self receives the results. Just think of yourself 10 years in the future. What do you want your physical health to be? This includes flexibility and strength as well as injury and illness. The choices you make today can tell you a lot about whether or not you’re on target to manifest that reality.

The beauty of yoga is that it addresses all the aspects that affect us most as we age:
Yoga brings flexibility, strength and balance to the body
Yoga helps us manage the effects of illness and injury
Yoga gives us a path for working with our thoughts in mindfulness and expressing our emotions in a healthy manner
Yoga even provides a spiritual path for those who want it through affirmations, meditation, chanting mantra and service to others

May you strive to live today so that your future self says, “Thank you!”