Seriously, did you know that March was Frozen Food Month? I didn’t know this until I received an e-mail from Giant Eagle supermarkets here in Pittsburgh indicating that there was just one week left to appreciate frozen foods. From Lean Pockets to Ego waffles to Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (my personal favorite of the frozen edibles), we had a whole month to appreciate frozen foods and I squandered it not realizing my loss. But, it’s not too late, there’s still a whole week to take advantage of this special time to explore the delights of our freezers.
Did you know what else March is? Women’s History Month. Yes, women share the glory of this month with frozen foods. So far, President Obama has not yet made an official Women’s History Month 2011 Proclamation. When he does, it will be posted here. Now, while we mere citizens have an entire week to honor frozen foods and the ladies we love at the same time by buying them some ice cream, the President only has one more week to come up with an official proclamation on the topic of Women’s History Month 2011. Might I suggest that he enjoy the convenience of a frozen food while writing? The thing is that I didn’t know that all of the Presidential Proclamations were available like this. I have to admit, it’s a rather curious collection. This month*, President Obama has offered Proclamations on topics ranging from from “Save Your Vision Week” to honoring the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire to the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. It seems that when you are President of the United States, remembering your own wedding anniversary is the least of your problems. So far, nothing yet on either frozen foods or the important contributions of women in the history of the United States.
What does any of this have to do with yoga or meditation? It has everything to do with yoga! Yoga and meditation are practices that encourage us to become aware in this moment. By proclaiming a day, week or month a certain theme, we are suggesting that there are things we appreciate or that we should recognize that we may generally ignore. This is what we do in our practice as well. All day long we breathe, but when we practice, we watch the breath. We see all the qualities of the breath—fast, slow, shallow, deep. We experience the sensation of each in-breath as an in-breath and each out-breath as an out-breath and we feel our body’s response. Setting aside some time each day for your yoga and meditation practice is like proclaiming that the next hour is “Sensation of Breath Hour.” We come to appreciate what we generally take for granted.
Posted by Sharon Rudyk, an independent yoga and meditation instructor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can find out information about classes and teacher training programs with Sharon at https://www.yogamatrika.com/ and prenatal/postnatal programs and support services at http://www.matrikaprenatal.com.
*Wondering what President Obama proclaimed about this special month in March 2010? Check out the proclamation archives here.