The Hum Sah Chronicles with Allay Yoga's Heidi Sohng

The Hum Sah Chronicles

     I’ve decided to call my blog “The Hum Sah Chronicles” because I love the Sanskrit word “hum-sah”. It has several interesting meanings. “Hum” is the first letter in the Sanskrit alphabet and “sah” is the last letter.  So when you put them together, “hum-sah” is like the alpha and omega, the first and last.  

     “Hum-sah” also has a semantic meaning in Sanskrit which is “swan”, that graceful bird that glides along through life, weathering it’s storms and what not (speaking of storms,Hurricane Irene hit last night).  When I was at an ashram in upstate NY several years ago, a Sanskrit scholar was visiting from India who was known to give out Sanskrit names if you asked him. Out of curiosity I asked what mine would be. He asked, “What’s your name?” I said “Heidi”. “Heidi what?” “Heidi Sohng.” He thought for a split second, and answered plainly, “Hum-sah”, as if it was the most apparent thing in the world. I was a tad disappointed I wasn’t named after a Hindu goddess or whatever, but over the years this name seems to fit me.

     Another interesting interpretation, “hum-sah” can be transmuted into the “so-hum” breathing meditation.  This is how Dr. Vasant Lad explains it in his book, Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing.  “Through breathing, you will become aware of the vibration of cosmic sound. This cosmic sound, which is the soundless aum, has two manifestations, one male, the other female.  The male energy is hum and the female energy is so. During inhalation, you will feel the vibration of the cosmic sound so. During exhalation, you will feel the sound hum.  In so-hum meditation, there is a union of individual consciousness with Cosmic Consciousness. Listen to the so-hum, hum-so sound through the breath. These vibrations are sound-energy which is one with the life-energy of breath. Your breathing will become quiet and spontaneous and you will go beyond thought, beyond time and space, beyond cause and effect. Limitations will vanish; your consciousness will empty itself and in that emptying, consciousness will expand.”  

      Breathe in “so” and breathe out “hum”.  Yoga is a wonderful way to express and live in this life, spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally.  Simply through the breath, one can embody wholesome and life-sustaining values. As a mom, I need this and can definitely do this.  Whenever and wherever I am, just breathe. Like in yoga practice, every breath counts. So in life, not one moment is wasted. Watching my ten-month old daughter grow before my eyes, I know there is no where else to be.

     “So ham”, is also a mantra  found in the ancient yogic text, the Upanishads, and translates into “I am that”. I am what? Something way bigger and better than my little self, that’s what. It’s very humbling to remind myself of this every morning, as I try to sit in silence and meditate. Whatever “that” means to you, be it, live it. But define what “that” is. My day goes a  lot better when I define what “that” is.  This morning as my daughter Lucy is napping and my husband is working in the basement, I am grateful for my family.  I am love, I am grace, I am a swan gliding on the river of life (and through hurricanes).  What does “that” mean for you?

About Heidi:

Heidi discovered yoga as a way to center and ground herself and connect with others when she began teaching young children in NYC in the late 90’s. Her practice started at Jivamukti where she trainined with Sharon Gannon and David Life, her first and most honored teachers, and expanded to include Alan Finger, Shiva Rea, and Molly Kenny. She completed her Jivamukti training in 2009. As a school teacher Heidi loved bringing yoga into her classroom. Now that she’s a mom, she finds herself inspired by her daughter to delve deeper into child development and teaching fun, creative yoga classes for families. She loves the balance of teaching little ones and adults.  Her motto is to find the middle path. Heidi credits yoga for keeping her balanced and sane, and loves the journey! Heidi lives in Silver Spring with her daughter Lucy and husband Pasha.

Heidi teaches Gentle Jivamukti Thursdays at 8:00 PM and Lil Omm Movers Tues at 10:30 AM

Finding Inspiration

As I sit in my family room in the wake of Irene, grateful to have power again after several hours without, I am content. At least, for the moment.

The anxiety has been building as I prepare for the opening of my new studio, Allay Yoga. On a difficult night, just as I am about to fall asleep, a new flood of fearful thoughts rush into my head: did I remember to do this? Will that work? What am I doing? On a good night just as I am about to fall asleep, a new flood of excited thoughts rush into my head: I can't believe my dreams are coming true! I am so lucky to work with such wonderful and supportive people! I can't wait to go to work in the morning! And, of course every night, as the realization that my hampster (as my husband lovingly calls it) is running around my head in circles, comes the personal berating to pull it together, you're opening a yoga studio for goodness sake, if you can't stop your monkey mind, how are you going to help others? 

I have found myself in this cycle, controlled by the "what if's" and the other creations of my overactive mind for several weeks. Knowing and recognizing that it is reasonable given the external circumstances of my life helps, but doesn't make it go away. Deep in the back of my mind, I have known that I needed to make a change, to get back to my core, back to what brought me to yoga in the first place, what made me want to teach and to open a studio where people could come and feel the magic of the practice. I just haven't been able to get there. Until this morning. This morning, I found my inspiration, from the unlikeliest of places (isn't that always the case?)

My grandmother has never done yoga. But, she knows that I am opening a studio and so when she saw this article in her local paper, she took the time to take a closer look. After reading it, she sent me an email explaining that she found it very "interesting and informative" and that she was cutting it out and sending it to me in the mail. So, this morning, on my way back from a long walk with Lola, I stopped by the mailbox, and there it was.

In this article, from a local Princeton, NJ paper,  the author and the teachers she speaks with all convey the same message: The goal is not to focus on where you're going, but instead on where you are. Life (and yoga) is about accepting where you are and what you can do. At one point, the author jokes that, despite her 6 years of practice, she is still afraid to go upside down and consequently, has yet to do headstand. But she expresses her acceptance of being "an imperfect yogi" and conveys the very wise sentiments of her teacher that "you can actually go through your whole life and never do a headstand--and still have a good life."

I know that I'm not alone in that, when life gets hectic, when I embark on new journeys or go through periods of great change, my focus seems to always come back to the future. It can be hard to accept the present for what it is, an impermanent moment in time and yet all that we have. And, even though I can understand, mentally, what is happening and how I am contributing to my own cycle of anxiety it can be very difficult to translate that mental understanding into an emotional one. 

What I learned this morning is that, if I remain open to it, inspiration will come along and reboot my system, clearing the way for action. My yoga practice gives me the tools to know how to act, when I'm ready. It gives me the tools to look at the process and to allow room for self-exploration. But, it doesn't make me immune to anxiety. And it doesn't mean that when anxiety strikes, I'm going to be able to apply an instant antidote. Just as the author of this wonderful article may never do headstand, but now, as a consequence of her practice, accepts this as part of her process and part of her experience, I may always face cycles of anxiety, especially as I am prone to load my plate until it's spilling off the edges, but I can accept that this is just who I am, this is my experience. I can't control what tomorrow will feel like, I can simply know that this moment, whether filled with happiness, anxiety, sadness, or frustration is all that I can deal with in this moment, and that it will not last forever. When I'm ready, inspiration will always come along.

 

We're Making Progress!

Our new home is slowly coming together! Thanks to my very handy, patient husband and the extremely generous Gloria Capron, who loaned us that beautiful desk, our front room has become a beautiful, welcoming, relaxing space for yogis and dogis! We can't wait for Labor Day!

We're Back!

Happy August!

This month we are focusing on our move to the fabulous town of Kensington! Everything is going well (knock on wood) and we are on schedule for our Labor Day opening!

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your support and enthusiasm. Change is often both exciting and scary, and while this experience has certainly been both, your continued encouragement has made it such a wonderful, fulfilling journey. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

As we move into the second half of the month, our schedule is slowly becoming more concrete. Please check our website often for the most up-to-date offerings! In addition, please peruse our newly updated About Us page to learn more about our terrific new teachers!

Finally, don't forget to find us on facebook and join our email list so you don't miss any of our exciting announcements and events!

Namaste!