{"id":15776,"date":"2023-06-27T14:21:08","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T14:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=112082"},"modified":"2023-06-27T14:21:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T14:21:08","slug":"when-the-world-is-falling-apart-this-is-what-i-do-to-cope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/27\/when-the-world-is-falling-apart-this-is-what-i-do-to-cope\/","title":{"rendered":"When the World Is Falling Apart, This Is What I Do to Cope"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! <a href="https:\/\/outsideapp.onelink.me\/wOhi\/6wh1kbvw" class="o-content-cta-link" data-analytics-event="click" data-analytics-data="{"name":"Element Clicked","props":{"destination_url":"https:\/\/outsideapp.onelink.me\/wOhi\/6wh1kbvw","domain":"<>","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}”>Download the app<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

On the days leading up to the summer solstice<\/a>\u2014the longest day of the year\u2014we had nothing but torrential rain in my part of the country. On solstice morning, when the Sun was as far from the Earth as it will be this year, well frankly, it felt that way. It  seemed to be deliberately hiding under a thick, silver cloud cover.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that just the way? You hope for bright skies, but the weather is gray. You look forward to smooth sailing, but you get choppy waters instead. For me, life\u2019s ups and downs would be easier to cope with if it weren\u2019t for the unexpectedness of it all. You\u2019re rolling right along when\u2013bam!\u2014you encounter an obstacle or a setback that seems to come out of nowhere.<\/p>\n

Of course, as an adult and a long-time yoga practitioner, I\u2019ve had plenty of lessons in making peace with \u201cWhat Is.\u201d When all hell breaks loose, as it does, I know better than to ask \u201cWhy me?\u201d and instead ask myself \u201cNow what?\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Worst That Could Happen? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some years ago, I read about a \u201cworst case scenario\u201d<\/a> exercise that helps me think things through, especially when my anxiety flares up and worry kicks in. The technique works like this: Think of the worst thing that could happen in a situation. Then consider what you could do if the worst happened. It\u2019s probably a dangerous game for someone who has a hard time emerging from the depths of doom. But I\u2019ve found that the exercise helps me consider all my options, identify my strengths, locate my resources, and determine where I can turn for hope and help. It\u2019s more empowering than blindly affirming that everything is going to be alright. It helps me figure out what I might do to make it so.<\/p>\n

Yoga and other contemplative practices teach us that nothing lasts forever. There\u2019s hope in that. For every down, there\u2019s an up. If you\u2019re like most people, you\u2019ve had seasons when nothing seemed to be going your way. But you can also look back and identify when the clouds broke and the light emerged again.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Not Just Our \u201cDogs\u201d That Go Up and Down<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m writing this on International Day of Yoga, the annual event that coincides with the summer solstice and has come to be associated with Sun Salutations. All over the world, yoga practitioners reach up and fold forward, practice Down Dog and Up Dog, step forward and step back in a cycle that mimics the ups and downs of life. Sometimes we feel like we\u2019re touching the sky. Some days our knuckles are dragging on the ground.<\/p>\n

In honor of the occasion, my colleague Renee gathered all the best stories Yoga Journal<\/em> has ever done about different ways to practice Surya Namaskar. (And there are plenty<\/a>.) But this series of poses certainly isn\u2019t reserved for Yoga Day. As the stories in this collection demonstrate, the Sun Salutation practice can be adapted to any age or any stage of life. You can practice from a chair, in a bed, or against a wall. Sun Salutes can be a way to build up tapas (heat) or to quiet your soul as a moving meditation. It\u2019s a practice that can serve you in whatever way you need.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in our member newsletter. To receive these emails and access unlimited articles on Yoga Journal, Outside<\/a>, Women\u2019s Running<\/a>, and more, sign up for an Outside+ membership, here.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"When<\/figure>\n

The anxiety-relieving technique helps me manage life when highs become lows.<\/p>\n

The post When the World Is Falling Apart, This Is What I Do to Cope<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-15776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}