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What is Golden Repair Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi

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What is Golden Repair Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi      

These Japanese Words mean Golden Repair

Kintsugi (金継ぎ) or Kintsukuroi (金繕い) 

“Kin” is translated as Golden

“tsugi” means Repair

Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi prizes imperfection. It is the art of restoring broken pottery with gold so the fractures are literally illuminated, capturing a kind of physical expression of its spirit.

“As a philosophy, kintsukuroi, celebrates imperfections as an integral part of the story, not something to be disguised.  The true life of an object (or a person) begins the moment it breaks and reveals.that it is vulnerable,” says Georgia Pelligrini.

This technique suggests many things. Maybe we should think twice before throwing away broken objects.  Perhaps, we should try to repair things rather than assume it is no longer useful. It may sometimes become a more valuable object.

This is the essence of resilience. Each of us can look for a way to cope with traumatic events in a positive way, learn from negative experiences to take the best from them and convince ourselves that every experience makes each person unique and even more precious.

Pictured are a few golden repairs that I have done.  Doing kintsugi gave me welcome relief when a few things that held sentimental value to me were better than before.

Inspired by Georgia Pelligrini, Steffano Carnazzi, Leggi L’Articolo, and Beth Owens

Here’s a little more background on Kintsugi with
instructions on how to make your own ceramic golden repairs  

 

Many thanks to Imaginative Crafts, Do-It-Yourself Projects and Video Tutorials by Robert Mahar, robert-mahar.com

Materials:
Broken pottery
Clear two-part epoxy
Mica Powder

Directions:
1. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, dispense a small amount of the clear two-part epoxy into a disposable tray.

2. Scoop a small amount of the mica powder onto the epoxy and stir thoroughly to combine.

3. Using a toothpick or sandwich pick, generously spread the epoxy along one edge of the broken pottery seam.

4. Align the two pieces of pottery and press together. Hold in place until the epoxy sets. Allow epoxy to fully cure before using.

Ethical Matters for Yoga Nidra Professional Training Course

Ethical Matters for Yoga Nidra Professional Training Course taught by Julie Lusk

 

  • On successful completion, identify yourself as a Yoga Nidra Certified Teacher, Level 1 (or 2) not as a therapist unless licensed to do so. Level 1 certification qualifies you to provide yoga nidra for overall health and stress relief in group/private settings. Level 2 certified teachers can provide yoga nidra in synch with the objectives of the training.
  • Yoga nidra is not a replacement or treatment for proper medical care. It can be used to reduce symptoms, side effects, and help with one’s ability to cope with stress and other issues. Do not guarantee results. Do not diagnose or describe yoga nidra as therapeutic. Only those specifically trained and licensed to provide therapeutics can do so. Board approval may be required in accordance with one’s profession. Make appropriate referrals to professionals as needed.
  • Stay within your scope of practice. Do not work in areas you are not equipped, trained, or licensed to handle. For example, for physical, mental, or emotional conditions, specific suggestions for immune system, past life, inner child, trauma (PTS), etc. You are not permitted to train others to provide yoga nidra.
  • Do not copy, sell, or distribute the scripts (with or without payment) without the publisher’s written permission. This includes electronically (audio/download/video, etc.) or in written form on paper or otherwise. If individuals wish to utilize scripts, refer them to relevant books, etc. Many scripts are professionally available on audio.
  • You may copy and distribute handouts from the training with proper credit given.
  • Scripts can be used in classes and with clients. You may record the scripts for your personal, noncommercial use. Always credit your sources fully and accurately with appropriate names and references.
  • Maintain confidentiality. Provide accessibility, inclusion, and fairness. Be accountable and accurate. Practice quality business practices. Observe all applicable state or other local jurisdiction laws related to providing services.
  • Always put the healing and growth of others first. Provide a safe environment. Do not, overtly or covertly, force people to participate in anything that may be uncomfortable for them. Emphasize that participants are in full control. Advise they can change or stop the Yoga Nidra process, open their eyes, and stretch anytime to return to their alert rational conscious mind at any time. Give permission to change anything that seems threatening to something that feels right or make use of an inner resource or personal sanctuary. In another vein, clients may want to explore what feels uncomfortable to them in the safety of the experience.
  • Be certain that participants are fully awake and alert after a Yoga Nidra session and before going about their activities. Have them do some stretches and engage their senses afterwards, otherwise, it could lead to danger. For example, there are stories of people having trouble driving afterwards. One person went right through a stop sign after class. Others have gotten lost on their way home. Another was pulled over for driving too slowly.
  • Advise participants that it is not safe to practice meditation or visualization while driving or operating machinery.
  • Maintain professional boundaries. Avoid any relationships that could exploit the trust of clients/students. Obtain prior consent to use ethical touch, as appropriate. Avoid dual relationships and favoritism. Avoid romantic, intimate, or sexual relationships with teachers, students, clients, and trainees.
  • Remember and utilize the Yamas and Niyamas, the social and personal tenets of Yoga. The Yamas are Ahimsa – reverence for all life; Satya – truthfulness; Asteya – integrity; Brahmacarya – moderation; and Aparigraha – nonattachment, lack of self-indulgence. The Niyamas are Shauca – purity and cleanliness; Santosha – contentment; Tapas – -discipline; Svadhyaya – Self-understanding; and Ishvara-Pranidhana – devotion to the divine. “Your will, not mine.” Refer to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for clarification.

 

I understand and agree to provide yoga nidra honestly, ethically and with integrity. ____Yes _____ No

 

Name
Date                                                                                                                                           

 

JulieLusk.com

Updated: Feb 27, 2022

 

Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

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How’s Your Sleep?

Are you getting enough sleep?  Are you tired of being tired?  Could you be suffering from sleep deprivation?  Well, you’re not alone.  Most of us don’t get enough sleep.  I don’t know about you, but it’s just irresistible to stay up late, even when I must get up early the next day.

Our busy lives make it so tempting to skimp on sleep.  Lots of us have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.  Have you ever felt half-awake and half-asleep all night, here’s an explanation of why that happens with suggestions to help.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 7 hours of sleep in every 24 hours for adults. It’s nine to 12 hours for children 6 to 12 years old and teens need eight to 10 hours daily on a regular basis.  Establishing good sleep hygiene habits are important to getting a full night’s sleep.

Benefits of Sleep

Getting enough sleep helps normalize mood, improves concentration, memory consolidation, and helps pain management.  It improves performance and lowers the risk of having an accident. Sleep is good for your skin and your sex drive.  It lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, resulting in better appetite control and weight loss.  Getting enough sleep helps regulate glucose levels, supports heart-health and contributes to a healthy immunity.  Recent NIH research reveals that sleep is needed to remove the daily buildup of waste and neurotoxins from the brain. Researchers are very interested in this since these neurotoxins are elevated in Alzheimer’s patients.  It is thought that the glymphatic system rinses and flushes these neurotoxic molecules from the brain nightly during deep sleep. This clearing process seems to be more effective when sleeping on one’s side, according to a study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Here’s more information on side-sleeping.

Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

The art and science of yoga has plenty to offer including postures, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and lifestyle recommendations for sleep improvement.  To further ease one’s mind, yoga’s wisdom teachings are helpful for gaining a healthy perspective on everything from handling life’s ups and downs to living with more meaning and purpose.  Furthermore, it addresses age-old questions like “Who am I?” and “What is my true nature?”

Students often say that they get their best sleep on the nights they attend yoga class.  Having a regular personal home practice is ideal.  Here are some of the many ways that yoga supports healthy sleep.

  • Yoga Postures: A vigorous practice is fine early in the day.  However, start winding down the evening with a practice that focuses on slow, mindful movements.  Focus your attention on postures that reduce physical tension.  Doing so has the added benefit of calming the mind and emotions.  Good ones to try include the child pose, gentle spinal twists, legs up the wall, and shavasana.  Restorative yoga works wonders as well.
  • Yoga Breathing: The Triangle Breath is a favorite for balancing oneself and is described in my book, Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (NHP, pg. 175).  It is effective for increasing your energy when feeling tired, calming your nerves when feeling anxious, and promotes sound sleep.  There are three parts to triangle breathing.  The important thing is for the exhalation, inhalation, and the retention to be equal in duration. Therefore, adjust the rate of counting to four more quickly or more slowly depending on your lung capacity and comfort.  Breathe through your nose; only use your mouth for breathing to the extent necessary.

Part 1 – Breathe out through your nose to the count of four.

Part 2 – Breathe in through your nose to the count of four.

Part 3 – Hold your breath to the count of four.

Repeat the whole process for a few minutes or until the desired effect happens.

  • Yoga Nidra: Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep” and has many documented benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. It happens when your bodymind is in deep sleep but with one big difference – you remain consciously aware.  How?  A series of techniques are used systematically to relax physically, energetically, mentally, and emotionally.  Yoga nidra awakens intuition, unconditional joy, and a timeless, spacious sense of being.  Get more on the stages of yoga nidra and how to practice it here.

Yoga nidra can also be used as a natural sleep aid at bedtime.  It eliminates layer after layer of tension and stress, allowing you to drift comfortably off to sleep and stay asleep. It’s like drinking a cup of comfort.  More on this here.

Watch this short video on how yoga nidra helped her insomnia.

One hour of yoga nidra practice approximates four hours of sleep. This is due to the series of brain wave states experienced during yoga nidra (Saraswati 1998, Kumar 2008).   Therefore, yoga nidra can help address sleep deprivation and renew your energy.  The conscious experience of deep sleep is what makes it so restorative and unique.  Due to the fertile brainwave states experienced, it’s also entirely possible to make positive behavior and personality changes. See the yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions and sankalpas here.  Remember, yoga nidra is not intended to be a substitute for sleep.

How to Experience Yoga Nidra:  

Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results.  It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
  2. Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
  3. Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
  4. Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
  5. Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
  6. Get yoga nidra downloads here.
  7. Get a book or audio below.

Sweet Dreams!

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD
Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD
Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.
Quantity:  
Price: $9.99Price: $16.99 

Julie Lusk

 

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has more than 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her audio downoads and CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com

Give Yourself Some Space

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Out for a walk the other night, I was stunned to see how groups of people were all looking at their phones instead of talking with each other, let alone noticing the brilliant sunset.  Even the bikers were glued to their devices while riding their bikes.  I was surprised that people weren’t crashing into one another. More folks were glued to their screens at the restaurant too.  We all know that too many people text while driving – another recipe for disaster.

Living in a fast-paced 24/7 world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.  We’re pushed to work harder, take care of our family, and keep up with current events along with a constant social media stream. clockExpectations are high all the way around.

Pico Iyer, a lifelong travel writer says ““In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.”

His Ted Talk video is well worth watching.  It will inspire you with ways to take back your time in ways that will replenish your body, mind and soul.

https://www.ted.com/talks/pico_iyer_the_art_of_stillness?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread

Why not take a few moments out right now?  Here’s how …

  1.  Turn your phone, TV, radio and other electronic devices off for a while.
  2.  Focus your attention on the moment by breathing fully and mindfully.  It is calming and refreshing for your nerves and it will light up your energy.  Try out yoga’s ocean-sounding breath (ujjaya breath).
  3. Blink your eyes a bunch of times till they water.  The moisture will help your vision.
  4. Yawn.  It cools the brain, gives you a burst of oxygen, and refreshes your eyesight and hearing.  If you’re lucky, you’ll catch some flies.
  5. Take a “2-hour nap in less than 1o minutes.“
  6. Give “The Inner Eye of Awareness Meditation” a shot.
  7. Add your own ___________________________.
  8. Bone up on mindfulness.  It’s easy with this “Stop ~~ Look ~~ Listen”  meditation.
  9. You guessed it, practice yoga nidra – yogic sleep. It’s totally replenishing. Experience yoga nidra at a virtual class with Julie Lusk, author of Yoga Nidra Meditations and 5 more books and dozens of recordings.

Shocking News about Sitting Quietly

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Does it sound appealing to you to have a little time all to yourself?  Is some peace and quiet something you yearn for?

What if you were asked to sit still in a room by yourself for 6 to 15 minutes?  Could you make it without your smartphone, tablet, a book, something to doodle on or listen to?  As it turns out, this is really hard for most people.

In a study published in Science on hundreds of participants in a series of 11 experiments, over half the volunteers reported it as not enjoyable on a 9-point scale.  It was hard to concentrate and their minds wandered.  It was not fun at all.  In fact, one experiment showed that 67% of men and 25% of women chose to give themselves a mild electrical shock instead of being quiet doing nothing.  This was even after testing out the shock beforehand with most saying they would pay $5 instead of feeling the shock again.  Click on the image for more info.

Really?  A lot of folks would rather be shocked than have quiet time?  No wonder it’s so hard for people when waiting in line, stuck in traffic, or lying awake at night.  Is that why so many people avoid meditation even when knowing how beneficial it is?  Does it mean that people don’t value ‘think time’ or daydreaming?  Perhaps, so many people don’t like time for aimless thinking because they don’t know how to tame their mind or have forgotten how to be quiet or don’t value it.  What are your thoughts on this?

Unstructured ‘think time’ happens throughout the day, doesn’t it.  Is that why so many people grab their smartphone as soon as a free minute appears?  This even happens while driving.  Have you had the urge to check your texts, email or the weather at a stop light rather than look out the window or even listen to the music playing?  You’re not ‘alone.’  According to this study, half of us don’t like having quiet “thinking time.”

So now what?  I think it’s a good idea to learn how to get used to having free time again by learning some healthy mental habits.  This would take the stinging frustration out of waiting, for example.  It will even build up your brain power.

Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.  I’m curious about what you have to say.

Here are some great ideas for when free time comes about accidentally or on purpose.

[Read more…]

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