As a yoga teacher, I don’t think of myself as a healer. I think of myself as a guide or facilitator; one to help people tap into the healing abilities already inside them. These abilities are covered by stress, inflexibility in both body and mind, insecurity, fear and a focus on the external instead of the internal. Even people with little to no yoga experience, after one class, often proclaim, “I feel wonderful!” If this can be the result after just one class, is there something there that can be translated across many, as in, let’s say, a city?

One week ago today was the running of the 117^th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. The tragic bombing of innocent people at the Marathon’s finish that led to death for 3 people, including one child, and injuries to countless others will go down in Boston’s history as the most tragic day this city has ever survived. The ensuing manhunt, ending in the death of an MIT police officer and a city on lockdown Friday, April 19, 2013 will also go down as one of the most intense law enforcement efforts ever.

As we wake up today, on the one-week anniversary of the tragedy, we will be faced with the challenge we have faced every day since 4/15/13 and will continue to face: how do we go on? There are the victims, the families of the victims, the first responders, the marathon runners, the officials, law enforcement, spectators at the event and then all of us, as residents of this great city, that need to learn how to move forward despite the heaviness in our hearts. What tools do we have? What collective wisdom IS there in a city known both for it’s toughness and big heart that can be a reservoir for healing? And as for yoga, what tools exist in the practice of yoga that can help us?

Use your breath to calm your stress. I was speaking to a retired firefighter recently. He spoke of the tragedies he’s faced in the line of duty, of lives lost of his friends and fellow firefighters. He spoke of the trauma classes he was required to attend and how they taught him the importance of deep breathing to reduce stress. Having never taken a yoga class in his life, he was sharing the power of breathing with me, someone who knows this first hand.

The evidence is clear: taking deep breaths triggers your relaxation response. It’s the foundation of yoga because of its proven effectiveness at reducing stress. Try it now. Close your eyes. Take 5 deep breaths. Open your eyes. Check your stress. Less?

Acknowledge your fears. Yoga teaches us to look at our fears and see how they affect us in the context of the postures. Fear can express itself in many ways: insecurity, anger and anxiety, among others. For many who have been directly affected by this tragedy as well as all of us as residents of Boston, we may have new fears around things like being in public spaces, being alone or passing by reminders of the event. Don’t stuff these feelings deep inside. Look for ways to get them out. Talking, exercising and seeing a professional for help all become important tools to helping us work through this fear.

Be outside. Yoga practice is a moving meditation, while the practice of meditation itself is done in stillness. But you can find moments of stillness and peace anywhere. Many people who have a hard time sitting in stillness or can’t even imagine going to a yoga class can remember moments of peace while on the beach or on a run. Take a few moments each day to be outside. Walk, run or just take a break to go get lunch. Appreciate the sun, wind and fresh air. Chances are, you’ll feel clearer when are done.

Move your body. The impact of painful experiences can be felt in the body and exhibited as tight muscles, fluttering heartbeat, anxiety and stomach upset. The best way to release some of these tensions is to move your body. Yoga, running, walking or going to the gym can all be great ideas for moving and releasing some of these symptoms.

Be around others. In the days after the bombing, people went in droves to local sporting events. The Bruins, Red Sox and Celtics games were well attended and people sang, cried and cheered on the home teams. Boston has demonstrated its true colors throughout this tragedy and the neighborly spirit that was shown by spectators to help others is testament to the power of the community. The word “yoga” means “union” and through this, we have seen this theme reinforced. Being with others, even when you feel sad, is one way to start to shift your feelings to a new place.

Look for the good; learn from the bad.  The 24-hour news cycle makes it hard to stay positive, although some of the coverage has been about stories of amazing selfless service.  If you’re already feeling vulnerable, you may feel overwhelmed by all the negative information and it can feed fears about your safety. As you watch the news, take what can be gleaned from it that may help in moving forward differently. Look for the stories of positivity and grace amidst unspeakable horrors and use these stories to give you faith in the inherent goodness of people.

Turn off the television and step away from the computer. It’s hard during this time of 24 hours news to stay steady. We know from yoga that setting our eyes at one point is a great way to focus our energy and it helps to reduce stress because we’re not multi-tasking. We also know that the things we put our focus on will draw all our energy to that one thing. So, instead of focusing all your energy on the negative news, turn it off, go for a walk or do any of the above things that will get you moving.

Connect to faith. Connect to whatever faith you practice. Even if you’ve stepped away from it for a while, go back. Faith is the belief in something that your mind may not be able to completely accept or understand. In times like these, we may be struggling to believe and have faith in many things: the goodness of people, that times will get better, that we will be able to live with less fear. All these things require a belief in something our minds can’t accept but we move forward regardless.

Living in Boston for over 20 years, I have grown to love this city deeply. The wounds inflicted upon us collectively on April 15, 2013 will not heal in the near term, but they will heal. Healing a city starts with each one of us, doing what we can to heal individually. Take the time you need, feel what you feel, without judgment, and together we will move forward. The bonds that have developed as a result of this event will continue to grow and our city will emerge triumphantly as a stronger and more vibrant community.

Tomorrow, thousands of runners here in Boston will embark upon the run of their life by running the Boston Marathon. While I’ve never run Boston, I have run the Baystate Marathon twice and three half marathons so I have an idea of what’s involved in the many months of training capped off by the elation of crossing the finish line.

Even if you’ve never run a marathon, you can’t help but be inspired by the stories of runners, knowing the commitment they’ve made to training through good weather and bad, running with injuries and illnesses, all in the quest to get to the starting line. There the real work begins, as they battle nerves, fear and self-doubt. They’ll push through these feelings, work to stay present and approach and cross the finish line overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment. As I was on my (very) short run this morning, I started thinking about how much yoga practice and training for- and running- a marathon have in common.

Run your own race; yoga at your own pace

Both in running and yoga, you’re much better off following your own sense of what feels right to you in terms of pace and postures. Watching the person next to you on the mat might help a bit but you’re better off listening to the teacher and working with the pose in your own body. Just as in running, when we get passed by another runner, the tendency might be to pick up the pace but if you’re really being true to yourself, you’ll stick with a pace that feels best to you.

See more with your 3^rd eye than your 2 eyes

When you run, connect more to your internal messaging rather than looking around and getting caught up in comparing yourself to other runners. The same holds true for your practice; be true to yourself and modify as you need to, go further if you want but do it as you want to and as your inner voice is telling you to; not because of a sense of competition.

Hydrate and moderate

In both running and yoga, hydrate well.  Along with hydrating, moderate, even in the face of pure joy and exhiliration and excitement for yoga or running. We know that one of the surest ways to get injured is to increase mileage too much, too soon. One of the quickest ways to injury is to do lots of yoga without a solid sense of alignment. Take your time and have faith that you’re on a path to wellness.

The Devil is in the details

I trained for my first marathon in 2008 with military precision. I kept a journal, had a training plan and stuck to it with an unwavering commitment. My second marathon in 2011 was different. I depended on my overall good running condition to pull me over the finish, and it did, but it was a great deal harder. Never underestimate the need to pay attention to detail, both in training and in practice. Set your yoga mat up with the same care you’d use when cooking a meal and setting a table for a loved one. Take time to plan your yoga schedule each week. Be mindful about where you practice and what you do versus following the pack. When we pay attention to the details, amazing results can happen.

Be inspired, don’t despise

Just as you don’t want to watch others to get into the comparison game, there’s nothing wrong with looking at others to get inspired. When you’re passed on the pavement by a runner blazing along effortlessly, see how you can be inspired by that person’s effortless smooth stride and let that inspire your pace. When you’re on the mat, if the person next to you easily glides from high to low push up, resist the urge to be jealous and see what you can learn from observing and connecting to your own strength.

Put the power where you need it; relax the rest. Yoga practice should be inspired by a sense of ease as well as strength; in the Yoga Sutras, it’s referred to as  “sthira” and  “sukham.” The translation of these Sanskrit words from this classical text basically means to practice yoga with both strength and surrender so you can find peace in the body. When we run, we want to keep the upper body relaxed, work the legs and keep some awareness around the core. Once we can learn to balance both ends of the spectrum, we can work more efficiently and tap into relaxation.

Set an intention for where you want to go and then let go of the attachment to getting there. This is easy to say, but hard to do. When you’re training for a marathon, it’s natural to set goals for mile pace as well as overall finish time. But the key is to stay in the moment, running each mile individually, versus focusing just on the finish. Rushing is a sure way to bonk. When you practice, you may have a particular pose in mind; something you’d like to achieve with the body but the steps along the way to that pose are what contain the fruitful seeds of our practice.

To see change over time, you’ve got to step up to the line. Time and time again.

People say you can’t “phone in” a marathon. By this they mean you have to put in the training time in order to realize the goal of running a marathon, let alone finishing one. Running has a cumulative effect in terms of increased cardiovascular and mental endurance; people that never think they could run a marathon are eventually able to, but only after months of training. These building blocks of daily running build the endurance and strength you need to step to the starting line. When people come to yoga looking for a quick fix, what they’ll usually get are results that are short-lived, both physically and mentally. In order to see sustainable change, you must step up to the line or the mat regularly.

Your full expression is more than you can imagine. When it comes up in conversation, people who haven’t run a marathon say to me, “I can’t believe you ran  a marathon!” To someone that hasn’t, they may see the end result as an insurmountable mountain. But your true abilities don’t reside completely in your mind; they reside in your heart and your soul. These parts of the spirit are accessed from being present and in the moment and having faith that what you “think” you can’t do, is possible. As you train for a marathon and practice yoga, stay connected this concept and let it push you through the challenging times.

After your run, you’re not done!

When you’re done with your run, take time to have a little carbs and protein. Fruit and cheese, turkey and cheese, bagel and peanut butter… find something you like. Stretch out a little. Shower and take it easy for the rest of the day. After yoga class, take time to clean up and eat something healthy. Enjoy that post-yoga glow for the rest of the day!