The Joy of Yoga

Good shwag: Tea Sparrow

2012-01-27T14:06:00.000-05:00

Recently, I received a package of tea in the mail. It comes from a company called Tea Sparrow.

Their company has a brilliant and simple idea. Once a month, they send a sampling of their favorite teas to you. They are not affiliated with any tea companies, so this is actually stuff they like. For a tea aficionado such as myself, I think this is a great present to get someone. Like me.

I told the gentleman who sent me the tea that I would post about it as soon as the sun came back out in Ithaca, and I could take some decent pictures without turning on my flourescent lights in the middle of the daytime.

Fat chance. I haven't seen the sun in so long I have stopped counting. In fact, it's depressed me so much that I woke up this morning with an unbearable sore throat and had to cancel three classes. Which is a lot and brings me just thiiiiiiiis much closer to poverty. Thanks yoga-teaching-as-a-profession.

So I took pictures in the flourescent light. All bundled up and sicky-sick. But, hey, nothing better for a sore throat then tea, no?

I highly recommend their deliciousness and tea-ness. It's a little late for "that time of year," but I really do think this is a good present for the tea lovers in your life, because Tea Sparrow people love tea, too. But way more. Enough to start a company around it. That's dedication.

So, to tea! To my health! L'chaim!

Guest Blog Post: Yoga in Singapore!

2012-01-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Just like any other countries in the world, Singapore offers various yoga classes across the island. Majority of these classes are in fact in groups and there is usually no fixed number of participants in a class.

Who conducts these classes? Singapore is pretty strict when it comes to the rules and regulations of coaching. Hence, anyone who wishes to teach yoga has to meet the necessary requirements. This includes having a basic yoga certificate.

Where are classes conducted? In Singapore, almost all yoga classes are conducted in a properly built studio or community centre. As Singapore is pretty much a city on its own, we don’t really have much breathtaking landscapes or beaches to conduct classes at. This is the reason why these modern and cosy studios were built.

When are classes conducted? The bigger schools tend to have lessons every hour daily. This is to cater to different groups of Singaporeans. However, smaller schools or community centres have fixed schedules for students to follow.

How do these classes work in Singapore? Firstly, there are normally 2 sorts of passes for group classes. There is a pass based on months or years and a pass based on a given number of classes. For the monthly or yearly pass, you pay a certain rate accordingly to your preferred period. For example, if you choose a 3-month pass, you are required to pay a specific price. However, you will be allowed to attend unlimited classes for those 3 months. The other pass is based on a block of lessons. This means that if you choose a 10-class package, you will have to make an advance payment and complete these 10 classes of your choice within a specific duration. This is also the reason why there are no fixed sizes for group classes. Secondly, the yoga instructors from bigger schools are mostly freelance. Hence, there isn’t a fixed day and time weekly for a class with the same instructor. The schedule varies every 2 weeks and members would be required to check it out online. Thirdly, group classes follow the pace of the instructor. This is because there are many students in the class that the instructor has to cater to. Therefore, instructors have to ensure that they complete typically an hour’s worth of techniques during that given duration.

In conclusion, for anyone who wishes to practice yoga in a group setting in Singapore, it is recommended that you already have some basic foundation and knowledge in yoga. As for total beginners, we would advise you to attend a free trial session first, which is available in most schools. This will help you to decide if you’re comfortable with the class and if you can keep up. Alternatively, you can choose to start with private yoga classes first to learn the basics.

The author, Ryan Tan, is the founder of OMG Yoga, an exclusive yoga school that provides private yoga classes in Singapore. For more information with regards to yoga classes, please visit http://www.yogasingapore.net/

Back. Sort of.

2012-01-22T20:41:00.000-05:00

January 8, the last day of the Vipassana meditation (I wouldn't go anywhere near calling it a "retreat", it's really quite the opposite), was almost two weeks ago. I still feel shell-shocked from it. I had read about it before going and talked to friends about their experience. I now very much regret doing so as it definitively colored how I expected my own experience to go. Here, then, I'll say I survived (so far), I know how to sit still (even if my head feels like it's floating off of my shoulders), and if you have questions ask me in a private email (thejoyofyogabook at gmail dot com). Assuming that some readers are also considering going for the first time, I won't say anything more.

I am tardy with a few posts I would like to write. I started teaching again this week and it feels very different. It's much easier to talk less, to avoid filling quiet space with words, words, words. There is a time and a place for words in a yoga class and that time and place is not always. Still feeling not well, in poor health in many ways, but over-the-top, outrageously happy to be living. I read this poem and get weepy. Doing chores is amazing. Going to work is a deliriously blessing. And, on top of it all, I've gotten some shwag in the mail that I actually really dig, and need to do a little corporate and mom-and-pop business shout-out. I've also gotten some whack shwag, but I don't see the need to go blasting about my unfavorable opinion about said shwag. I will say this, though:

My guess, and I could be wrong, is that most yoga teachers don't want "nutritional" supplements or products that don't have a single ingredient I can pronounce or have ever heard of. I don't want my food and drink to taste like science.

Finally-- seems like many in my life are going through some serious "dark nights of the soul," as one friend calls it. Light attracts light, and I could use some light. What is going so beautifully well for you? How is everything just awesome? More poetically put then those lines, would be much obliged.

Love

Signing off

2011-12-26T12:24:00.000-05:00

Will be here from December 28-January 8. I will add: hopefully. I am very superstitious and have no assumptions I'll have the wherewithal to last, but I think I do.

Here is a little mantra to help me:

I am strong
I am patient
I am generous (with care for myself and others)

Here is the theme of the month:

ahimsa

And... happy new year, etc. Full moon on the 8th!

Power sequence with arm strength to stretch focus

2011-12-21T12:58:00.001-05:00

Taught this class twice on Monday. Yes, it's very challenging. Yes, the students in the class (who I blurted out my deep love for Monday night) totally rocked it. Breathe well and rock it yourself, but take a break if you get tired and the alignment suffers. Wake up, and you'll look like Madonna.

1. Child's pose
2. Table
3. Cat/cow in table
4. 5-10 cycles of breath, eyes closed, organic movement in table-- where do you want to go?
5. Downward Facing Dog
6. Plank
7. Slowly lower to belly
8. Salabhasana (Locust) with tops of feet grounded
9. Release Locust, press back to plank
10. Side plank on both side, long hold
11. Downward Facing Dog
12. Repeat steps 6-11 two more times
13. Uttanasana (Standing forward fold), wide legs, hands to opposite elbow
14. Tadasana (Mountain)
15. 6-8 Sun Salutation As
16. Child's pose
17. Set up for Dolphin
18. Dolphin, inhale lift one leg, bend at knee, open hip. Repeat with other leg.
19. Forearm plank, hold for 5 cycles of breath.
20. Child's
21. Downward Dog
22. Forward fold
23. Chair
24. Chair twist, to both sides
25. Chair with hands interlaced behind back
26. Keep hands interlaced to a forward fold.
27. Release hands, traditional forward fold.
28. Vinyasa to Downward Dog
29. Warrior 1
30. Warrior 1 with eagle arms, drawing circles one way and then the other
31. Warrior 1
32. Warrior 1 with hands interlaced behind back, bowing forward to humble warrior (or "Silver Surfer)
33. Warrior 1
34. Warrior 2
35. Warrior 2 with back hand to back leg ("Peaceful Warrior")
36. Vinyasa
37. Repeat 29-36 on other side
38. Downward Facing Dog
39. Put it all together! Repeat 6-11 then 23-37. Lots of arm strengtheners (heat!) and then stretching
40. Annnnddd again! The locust, the side planks, through the chairs, the warriors with variations. Give the option for the students (if you're teaching this sequence) to do the last side of warriors on their own-- they probably know it by now.
41. 1-3 minute child's pose
42. Repeat 17-20 (more dolphin)
43. Child's pose to transition onto back
44. 5-10 minutes of cool down, you pick. Maybe a wheel in there, though, because the shoulders are so heated up and loosened.
45. Supine spinal twist
46. Savasana

Being in love and a short balance sequence

2011-12-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

Being in love with life (again) (a link to foodiness and joy)

Balance:

1. Tadasana
2. Sun salutation to Downward Dog
3. Warrior 1
4. Turn onto ball of back foot, lift to Warrior III
5. Engage core, bend leg in the air to grab foot, come right to Dancers pose (working toward not allowing floating foot to the ground)
6. Engage core, release grip of hand on foot, bring leg up and forward (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, see links on side if you need to look anything up)
7. Take opposite hand to foot, twist
8. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
9. Tadasana
10. Rinse, and repeat!

10 Yoga Teacher Confessions

2011-11-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

10 Yoga Teacher Confessions

Please, please don't hold these against me.

1) If I read a quote from a book, I probably haven't actually read the book itself. More likely than not, someone else posted the quote on their blog or read it in their class, and I lifted it.

2) I think people don't look in the mirror to see if their pants are see-through. Yes, those black leggings are see-through. Yes, I can see your tushy.

3) Sometimes, I walk into class having only thought of a single pose I'd like to work up to. Sometimes, I walk in and have nothing planned. Often, the classes where I make everything up on the spot are the best classes, because they are about the student, and not about me and what I think they might want to do.

4) I could care less about your extra “chaturanga push-ups.” They are just push-ups. I'm not impressed. I'm not de-pressed. I just don't care.

5) I still want to write my yoga book, although I don't have the energy for it these days. I also worry that, after years of working on it, I just won't be able to get enough submissions to make it work.

6) I still hate asking for money for a yoga class.

7) I still really want my students to like me, which affects my teaching.

8) I no longer practice the style of yoga that I teach. While I still think it is exactly what a lot of people need, it isn't good for me right now.

9) I really love my students, but I'm not sure I want to be their friends. Sometimes it works, sometimes they end up asking me out for a coffee date and then getting down on the floor to have me “quickly” check out their alignment.

10) Sometimes, I would pay to not have to teach. That being said, once I start, I am so happy to be there.

Any other yoga teacher confessions out there? How about for yoga students?

Eating things and gratitude

2011-11-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

From my friend, also named Emma, and her blog.

This is me, again being out and about. I'm working on it.

In the meantime, the other Emma is a serious foodie, and all other serious yogini-foodies ought to take note.

More soon, and love, and this:

THANKSGIVING ZEN STORY

The story is told about a woman Zen master named Sono who taught one very simple method of enlightenment. She advised everyone who came to her to adopt an affirmation to be said many times a day, under all conditions. The affirmation was, "Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever."

Many people from all arenas of life came to Sono for healing. Some were in physical pain; others were emotionally distraught; others had financial troubles; some were seeking soul liberation. No matter what their distress or what question they asked her, her response was the same: "Thank you for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever." Some people went away disappointed; others grew angry; others tried to argue with her. Yet some people took her suggestion to heart and began to practice it. Tradition tells that everyone who practiced Sono's mantra found peace and healing.

(I am unsure of the original provenance, but I love this)

Power Yoga Sequence

2011-11-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

A sequence? But. But. But. A sequence hasn't graced these pages in months! Those of you who have been around for awhile might remember the good old days where I posted one of these guys *every single day*, which for the life of me I couldn't image doing now. I think I was unemployed then... Anyway, I haven't stopped teaching a new sequence every day, I just stopped posting them. So, for old times sake, here's a power yoga sequence:

Begin on the back
5-10 minutes of core work (eagle crunches, leg lifts coordinated with breath; anything but sit-ups, which I am not a fan of)
Gentle supine twist
Roll to seated
Set intention for class
Table top
Raise opposite arm and leg; repeat on other side
Raise same arm and leg, stacking hips, for knee-down Balancing Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana)
Lower leg for side plank variation
Take upper arm in big old circles in side plank
Plank
Vinyasa (using Cobra instead up up-dog, and with longer holds)
Table top position
Repeat steps 8-13
Downward Facing Dog
5 Sun As
5 Sun Bs
End last Sun B in Warrior I, open with an inhale to Warrior II, hold 5 cycles of breath
Peaceful Warrior (back hand to back straightened leg), hold 5 cycles of breath
Warrior II
Standing Balancing Half Moon, hold 5 cycles of breath
Revolved Balancing Half Moon, hold 5 cycles of breath
Warrior III
Standing Splits
Tadasana, or Mountain Pose
Sun B to Warrior I on other side
Repeat steps 18-25 on other side
Repeat 18-27, but as a flowing sequence, one breath per movement (should take between 30 seconds and a minute per side) on both sides
Option: if class seems exhausted, stop here, otherwise, have them repeat again, but see if they can do it without instruction, listening to their breath instead of forever-talking instructor
5 minutes of balancing poses, calming the breath
5-10 minutes of cool down poses
Savasana

The month of magical thinking

2011-11-01T15:45:00.000-04:00

I have always engaged in magical thinking. When I was a child, and couldn't sleep at night, my door had to be open at a very precise angle to appease the monsters in the closet. In my adulthood, my magical thinking has taken on different proportions. Before a recent surgery I thought, "If S. shows up in class today, I know the procedure will go well this afternoon." My logical mind would know this thinking to be ridiculous and impossible (S.'s showing up, or not, truly has no bearing on my surgery), but the thought shows up anyway.

According to Wikipedia (linked to above) what I practice is actually called quasi-magical thinking. True magical thinkers believe that the associations that they come up with, the connections of which are logical in only the most far-fetched scenarios, are more then tenuous. For example, if S. does not show up to class, the surgery will definitively go terrible. As a quasi-, I think this way, have some emotional response to the outcome, but know that it is illogical.

Being sick exacerbated this habit of mine (it could, too, be called a superstitious nature). If I attend to every email in my inbox, I will feel strong enough to get off of the couch. If there is a funny video posted on Facebook, then I will not be too nauseous to eat. I'm hoping that the act of knowing something is crazy exempts the person themselves, ie me, from being crazy.

In this place of increased magic (what a nice way to think about it...) I received an email asking if I were interested in a charm from a company called Energy Muse Jewelry. I got the "Health" one. It arrived, outrageously quickly considering it came from California, last Friday. I fingered it this morning, wondering if these kinds of things really can be talismans, if magical thinking, done the right way, can bring about the magic you need.

My mom saw it and asked what it was. When I told her she said, "What? To make your keys healthy?" Mommala... that's far too logical. Sometimes, maybe, it's not that the object itself, or the magical thought you have, can actually fix anything. But a belief in something can.

Radical changes

2011-10-31T18:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Chris was talking about someone in his life who he knew only in the "after" of a "before and after." Before, the man was in medical school and led a stable life. The after came after the Vietnam War, where the man was a medic and had suffered greatly physically and mentally. After the war, he became addicted to different substances and struggled with homelessness.

It reminded me of a different conversation I had, about a woman who was seriously obese and then woke up one morning and said "Not anymore." Now, she is physically unrecognizable from her "before," and I wonder if she is mentally unrecognizable, too.

All this makes me think about huge shifts which leave us, in different ways, unrecognizable to our former selves. It makes me wonder what it would look like if I experienced a radical shift. What would a radical shift, in me, look like toward the story of the man (negative)? What would a radical shift look like toward the story of the woman (positive)? It's easier to imagine what it would look like for me to have a backward slide, but, for whatever reason, it is very hard for me to conceptualize what an upward climb would look like.

After a very long day, sometimes I will think of the day as if it were multiple days. As in "in the morning, when I took a long hike, that was one day" and "in the afternoon, when I made large quantities of apple sauce, that was another day." I'm starting to think about my life in terms of a really, really long day; there is the possibility of doing one thing the whole day or having one part of the day be entirely encapsulated from another.

It wouldn't take a psychologist or someone who has known me forever to sense that I am feeling the need for a new part of my day. A radical change, where maybe I become unrecognizable to myself and others in some way. It will not be a giving up or a quick, dark destruction. I'm going the other way, but I don't know what that looks like.

It doesn't take a war for a radical change. What would a radical change look like in you?

Guest Blog Post: Group Yoga for Mommy Fitness

2011-10-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

Group Yoga for Mommy Fitness

While reading through Robin Merrill’s previous guest post about Yoga for Pregnancy, I found myself nodding emphatically. As a thirty-something mom who had a late pregnancy, I sincerely regret not discovering yoga before childbirth to help me with labor and an easier delivery. Still, the important thing is that this mommy has discovered yoga (Sivananda yoga, to be specific) and is proudly reaping the calming, soothing, relaxing benefits of it in an otherwise frazzled, day-to-day existence.
I came to learn about Sivananda yoga through another mommy friend who was bemoaning the fact that her post-partum body had more jiggle and wiggle than a Jell-O salad. Sivananda yoga aims to make practitioners healthy and resistant to a wide range of illnesses and disease, with the emphasis on full yogic breathing. This makes perfect sense to expectant mothers, as pointed out in Robin Merrill’s guest blog post, because Lamaze uses a lot of deep breathing to get a mom ready for labor and birthing. After a couple of levels of Sivananda yoga done thrice weekly, my friend had noticeably toned upper arms and a belly. For these reasons alone, several of our other girlfriends and I signed up for a beginner’s course with a private Sivananda yoga instructor, to be done three times a week.
One great benefit of group yoga for mommy fitness includes being able to give each other feedback when certain sessions prove to be difficult to accomplish. For instance, one of our friends had difficulty doing the Plow because of tight hamstrings, but with encouragement and support, we were able to help her achieve the right pose without too much discomfort on her part. Also, since Sivananda encourages healthy eating, we usually bond over brunch after our morning sessions and discovered that we now automatically gravitate towards more fiber-laden and less sugary and carb-heavy fare. One of us is now a vegetarian and we’re all inspired by her!
I confess to have attempted to do hatha yoga on my own by way of instructional videos and a book before, but lacked proper discipline to push through with it on a regular basis. I gave up on it eventually, tried to do aerobics and other halfhearted attempts at keeping fit, and failed miserably. Signing up with my girlfriends in a class meant a systematic approach to it. Also, even if I am hesitant to admit it, there’s a kind of healthy competition involving all of us. It’s not about having the best shoulder stand or the most perfect fish pose, but knowing that we are all aiming for the road to health and well-being and doing it together as a group. As mommies, that’s the best gift we can give to ourselves and our families.

This guest blog post was written by proud WAHM (work at home mom) and budding yogini Kristen Swope. She does freelance writing about everything from swimming pools to home lighting. She devotes most of her quality time to taking care of her five-year-old daughter Isabel and husband John, and keeps sane and centered through Sivananda yoga thrice a week.

To love your job

2011-10-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Raise your hand if you love your job. My parents seemed to enjoy their job, sometimes, and I know my grandfather loved his job because he still really enjoys talking about it (at the age of 97). I know some of my friends love their jobs, but most of them are grad students and seem to have a very conflicted relationship with that, if you can call it a profession.

Most people I know talk about their job like they are in a holding pattern. They think it's a step to something else, whether a better position or retirement. I've had a position like this and it made me ill. So, I'm in a heartbreaking position now, because I love my job. I love what I actually get money (income!) to do. I love it as a part of me. I drink my own corporate Kool Aid. And, now, I'm heartbroken because I think I cannot do my job.

I'm not in the same body I was in 2 months ago. It gets tired easily, it doesn't like jumping around too much, and it finds a lot of foods scary. I am still nauseous every day, but at least not every hour of every day. The wooziness that accompanied has more or less entirely subsided (knock on wood). With this transition came a tremendously sad realization. I have a profession that depends not just on my body, but on my health. You can teach from a wheel chair, yes, however not when you think you're going to pass out or vomit.

So, I think, now what? I'm stuck in a different kind of holding pattern. I don't want to let go of the one I love, but I am now seeing that this isn't something I can do forever. Or even right now (at least, not at the level I was before, with so many classes). I applied to four jobs this week, none of which excite me, none of the applications I spent more than 15 minutes on. I talk to my mom, I talk to my nearest and dearest, I say "now what"?

I need a job with sick days; with health care; and, because who knows, maybe one day, maternity leave. The worry over getting subs and taking off two weeks of work entirely unpaid shouldn't have stressed me out. Everyone was kind and understanding and the support of the students was more than I could ever have expected. But I still worried.

Someone I know just emailed me because she quit her job to be a yoga teacher and wants my advice. I don't think I'm a good person to talk to. Let's say being a yoga teacher is like looking for a life partner. It will seduce you with it's loveliness, its kindness, and sense of fun. But (remember we're talking about the profession, not the practice) it isn't there in sickness and in health. If I talked to this energetic, healthy, freshly-minted yoga teacher, I'd probably come off as a old, embittered yoga teacher/Bette Davis/Joan Crawford lusting after the partner who left her in the prime of her youth.

The amount of gratitude I have to every moment I feel better is here (although mixed in with trepidation that the worst of it will come back). Now... tell me what profession to take. It won't be a my whole life, but a joyful part of it. And maybe it's better that way.

(thanks to dara, who reminded me that I am feeling much better, at least enough to sit in front of a computer and knock out something)

Still sick

2011-09-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

Posted as a comment on the entry below, but reposted to all who would like to remain in the loop:

To all of the sweethearts--

I did, in fact head to the ER. And then promptly spent 8 hours there, until 2am. A terrific mess. I'm having an endoscopy this week and then am going from there. Still don't know what's the problem. Trying to take an active roll in my own health. Teaching a little, not a lot, and classes that are very small, so I don't feel as bad if I need to stop in the middle.

The outpouring of love and care has been out of this world. I've never been this sick before, never want to be again, but I cannot adequately express the gratitude I have to the kindness and patience I have been shown. Someday I'll write a long thank you note that doesn't even come close to what I really want to say.

With love,
Emma

Don't blame the peaches

2011-09-16T15:29:00.000-04:00

Still nauseous/nauseated, so I'm now fairly certain that it wasn't the peaches. Also, my friend (also named Emma) also did a lot of stuff with the same peaches, and ate quite a few, and she's fine. So is Chris.

I guess this is the anti-fun side of yoga. Sitting at home, nauseous, for over two weeks. It comes and goes, but when it comes it is out of this world painful. Breath work is different in this universe. Asana is a no-show. I taught a few classes this week, canceled about 10. I am not okay with being sick, being still, needing to be taken care of so much. I am not okay with the unknown, not knowing what is wrong with me and how to make it better. I want to eat whatever I want, go out, and move.

I am telling myself to breathe, to be still, to take time to try and figure out what's wrong, and know that one day I will be better, but after fifteen days of this I am freaking out. So, Universe, check this. I'm not ready for this big time yet. I don't have the tools to handle this well. I need you to let me just get better, go back to teaching and practicing my non-meditative-boot camp power yoga where the teachers (including me) talk so much you don't have to think (or breathe). Give me some more time to get some more tools under my belt, and then sock me with something new. Because then I'll be ready.

How I am not really all that needed (aka What a relief)

2011-09-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

Home sick with a tummy ache; given a rare opportunity to blog.

I'm teaching 15 classes this semester. This often elicits wide eyes and surprised noises, but I'm trying to not get riled up with the hype. If I'm okay one day at a time, I don't need to look at the full week. This one day is the only one that has to be okay.

That being said, this day wasn't so hot. Canning peaches last night, I adopted the attitude of one for the pot and one for my mouth. I can't really guess how many I ate. It was the worst kind of eating: totally unconscious. When I went to teach my noon class at Cornell, I had to stand behind all of the students, talking to their tushes, so I could position myself next to the exit door and trash can. Just in case I needed to make a run for it and revisit the peaches of anoche.

And you thought that you taught a really unfocused, not-so-present class. I let them know what was going on and was surprised that even without me (surely the very soul of their practice) they were beautiful. Breath, fluidity, grace. Next time, I'm recording myself, and hitting the play button. These guys are amazing.

Here was the sequence that I gave no guidance or instruction to. I just called out poses, trying to talk as little as possible so that what was inside the stomach stayed inside of the stomach.

1. Child's pose
2. Table top, move however you want, I'm too nauseous to give instruction
3. Downward Dog, see above for instructions
4. 6-8 Sun Salutation As
5. Chair
6. Warrior I
7. Humble warrior
8. Warrior I
9. Flow between steps 6 and 7
10. Warrior III with hands clasped (don't unwind from humble warrior)
11. Airplane
12. Tree pose
13. Airplane
14. High Lunge
15. Prayer twist in lunge
16. Vinyasa
17. Repeat on other side
18. Repeat whole thing, both sides, twice, flowing with breath
19. Tadasana
20. Tree pose to hold (how does it feel different in long hold, versus flow... what's the mind set here?)
21. Warrior III to hold (same deal)
22. 3 Sun Salutation As. Flow with combination of the stability for the long holds in the balancing postures and the fluidity of the flowing sequence that came before. How are both in our Sun Salutations?
23. I am now too nauseous to talk. Take the next 5 minutes to cool down any way you know how, I'll meet you in Savasana
24. Savasana
(I ended class 10 minute early, I really couldn't make it)

With special thanks to a certain Ithaca yogini, who heavily influenced part of that sequence. As in, I took a class with her, loved how it felt and lifted it. Thanks.

Guest Blog Post: Dynamic Yoga Sequence for Martial Artists

2011-08-24T09:57:00.000-04:00

Dynamic Yoga Sequence for Martial Artists

Many martial artists are surprised to learn that I do yoga as a part of my fitness and conditioning. This really should not come as a great surprise though. Many kung-fu styles incorporate “soft styles” and qigong exercises as a way to focus the and strengthen the spirit. Yoga compliments martial arts training very well. In fact, some parts of the Indian army use yoga as a part of their military fitness training and Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu incorporate many exercises which are similar to traditional yoga exercises.

The yoga that I use in my martial arts training is derived from Ashtanga yoga. My wife has studied Ashtanga for many years and after I injured myself while kickboxing training a few years ago I took a break from the club and started exercising with my wife. I soon found the Ashtanga sequences to be challenging physically and they really helped improve my balance. I also like to think that they aided my recovery. I could not perform all the exercises that my wife does so I developed my own little routine using the exercises that I felt were benefiting me the most. This is it.

Warrior I Yoga Pose – Virabhadrasana I

Step forwards into the warrior pose with your arms stretched up above your head and hands clasps. This long lunging posture is great for building strength in the legs and also improving balance. The back leg should be straight, your front leg at approximately 90 degrees and body vertical.

Extended Triangle Yoga Pose – Utthita Trikonasana

From the warrior straighten your front leg and then turn your body to the right to face to the side, then drop your left hand down, following with your torso and raise your right arm up. This sets the extended triangle.

Rishi’s Posture

From the triangle posture turn your left foot inwards so that both are now parallel. Then twist downwards leading with your right arm to touch your left ankle which raising your left arm up straight. This sets Rishi’s posture. Hold this position and then repeat on the opposite side.

The Chair Pose - Utkatasana

After Rishi stand up straight and bring the feet together and stretch up straight in a mountain pose then stretch your arms upwards so that your arms are parallel and at an angle of about 45 degrees. Then squat down, keeping your centre of gravity above your feet. This is unlike the type of squats martial artists usually to, to stretches more than a standard squat while also strengthening and improving balanced. The ankles have to work harder to maintain balance.

Paschimottanasana – Seated Forward Bend

The squat (chair pose) marks the end of the standing postures for me. I then move on to seated stretches, which again are much like common stretches in martial arts.

The first is the basic seated forward bend with legs straight in front. Lean forward to touch your toes and lower your chest to your knees. Lead with your chin and not your chest though as this helps you reduce over curving the spine. The stretch should be coming from the lower back and core.

Janu Sirsasana A – Forward Bending Head to Knee

After the seated forward bend sit up straight and then bring one food into the inside of the other knee. Lean forward again and hold, then repeat on the other leg. Again, this should be a very familiar stretch for any martial artist that train in kicking styles.

Paripurna Navasana – Boat Yoga Posture

This is a fun exercise the first few times! It is a great core exercise which requires you to balance on your backside. With your torso and thighs forming a V shape and your arms and lower legs pointing straight ahead and parallel to the floor, hold the position for as long as possible. This is similar to The Plank, in that at first glance it looks easy but you soon realise that it really works the core muscles.

Baddha Konasana – Butterfly or Bound Angle Pose

After the boat relax to sit down with feet in front again and then draw your feet towards your groin and and lower your knees to the floor. This is often called simply a groin stretch, and is another excellent stretch for kicking styles that will help you to kick higher and harder.

That ends my yoga workout. As you can see many of these postures are very similar to the dynamic stretching exercises that are performed in many martial arts classes. Ideally you should perform these yoga stretches every day, either in the evening or in the morning. I prefer to do them in the evening.

If you are training at home then these exercises are also a great way to stretch after your workout. We are all used to stretching in class but many martial artists neglect stretching when working out alone. By following this routine or developing your own routine you will be much more motivated to do your daily stretch and hopefully you will see improvements in your stability, flexibility and core strength too.

------------------

Bio: Sam Kingston has been practicing martial arts for about 15 years. He started training in Shaolin Kung-fu and has since practiced various styles including Jujitsu, various Tai Chi styles as well as Southern Mantis kung-fu. Sam is currently blogging for Martial Arts Store, Black- Eagle and now compliments his training with a yoga workout every day.

Sri.K. Pattabhi Jois on Power Yoga

2011-07-22T16:04:00.002-04:00

"I was disappointed to find that so many novice students have taken Ashtanga yoga and have turned it into a circus for their own fame and profit (Power Yoga, Jan/Feb 1995). The title "Power Yoga" itself degrades the depth, purpose and method of the yoga system that I received from my guru, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya. Power is the property of God. It is not something to be collected for one's ego. Partial yoga methods out of line with their internal purpose can build up the "six enemies" (desire, anger, greed, illusion, infatuation and envy) around the heart. The full ashtanga system practiced with devotion leads to freedom within one's heart. The Yoga Sutra II.28 confirms this "Yogaanganusthanat asuddiksaye jnanadiptih avivekakhyateh", which means "practicing all the aspects of yoga destroys the impurities so that the light of knowledge and discrimination shines". It is unfortunate that students who have not yet matured in their own practice have changed the method and have cut out the essence of an ancient lineage to accommodate their own limitations.

The Ashtanga yoga system should never be confused with "power yoga" or any whimsical creation which goes against the tradition of the many types of yoga shastras (scriptures). It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of libiration in the mud of ignorant body building.

K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore, South India

A link from here brought me here to this quote. Not sure if there's a way to fact check its accuracy (tons of spelling errors from the original website), but, as a power yoga teacher, its points are incredibly interesting. Makes me stop and check before plowing on ahead.

Some of my students might show up for the wrong reasons. I see my fair share of eating issues/disorders. Can yoga save them? I have no idea. Should I play therapist? Definitely not. But maybe it can help them, and I won't pretend I know enough to distinguish the difference. "Power" yoga (Bikram, to be precise) got me hooked. Eventually I deepened my practice way beyond the asana. I don't want to assume that just because I might have started (and sometimes still do practice) for EGO that it can't lead to brilliance.

Yoga Studio Decor: When life brings you a heat wave... sweat!

2011-07-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a guest post from a blog-friend who I actually got to meet in real life (she's just as great in person). This post originally appeared on her website Yoga Studio Decor.

Without further ado, the genuine and genuinely funny Kiesha Jean.

In Georgia for the summer I find myself coping with some unrelenting heat and humidity. I admit to complaining daily but there are those good moments when heat and dehydration leave me delirious enough to embrace the air. Then my thoughts shift to an internal dialogue that usually goes like this:

“This is fantastic weather for hot yoga, I’m gonna sweat it all out .

I pay good money for yoga in heated rooms and here’s my own free heated space.

… On a sweet front porch looking into the woods of north Georgia none the less.

This is fantastic!”

I rush on this wave of positive spirit. I change my clothes, throw my hair up, put bug spray on (it’s outside Georgia, I’m sure I can not yet find peace while being eaten alive by mosquitoes), get my mat on the porch, bring out my laptop get an online class pulled up ….
and then ….

REALITY SETS IN
By this time I’m already soaked with sweat just by the act of moving outside. Now the internal dialogue sounds more like,

“Are you nuts? What the hell are you doing? You are gonna pass right out on this front porch? Don’t you just wanna go take a cold shower and have some iced espresso? Really, really … do you seriously want to do this?”

Having a face off staring blankly at the play button on my computer screen this is when warrior face pose begins. I know because I can see it in the glassy reflection on the monitor caused when taking it into foreign territory (outside). I capture the moment ‘face’, I take deep breaths and I give myself one very motivational quick powerful feminine warrior pep talk.

“You just found your first gray hair today and you turn 30 next month, Get Your Ass On The MAT … of course you want to do this.”

I want more then anything to be healthy and fit so I can do all the fun active activities I love for a lifetime. There may have been some immediate vein personal threat with the word ‘bikini’ thrown in the pep talk as well :)
… So, 1 hour in the heat. I survived and loved a full thirty minutes of it. After ten years I’m still at a point in my practice where I just curse myself for the first half wondering why in the world I’m doing such a thing. However, the second thirty minutes are bliss and shavasana with meditation remind me why I do it every time.
note: Yes, that is me and my summer front porch above.

Interview: Michael Stone

2011-06-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

My last post was an except from Michael Stone's new book “Awake in the World: Teachings from Yoga & Buddhism for Living an Engaged Life." Today, as promised, a brief interview I conducted with him over email. It's cut and paste; there are a couple of things I am curious about (especially the answer to #1), but will follow up when I hear responses and comments from you all as well.

What did you think?

image from his website centreofgravity.org

Emma: You wrote, in an initial email to me, that you find your approach to suicide, as it relates to Yoga, controversial. Why do you think this is? Would your response also be considered controversial from the perspective of Eastern religious traditions?

Michael: I have never encountered the topic of suicide in conversation with spiritual teachings in a way that is exploratory and not condoning. Have you? I hope this is the start of a conversation - one among many - that integrates traditional teachings and modern vocabulary.

E: Western perspective often reports suicide as a selfish act. Your quote from Virginia Woolf, however, makes it seem selfless as well. In a letter to her husband she writes, "If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer." Can suicide ever be seva (service) to others as much as the self? Or can we never really know the needs of others?

M: I think sometimes suicide is imagined as the only way out and in some cases it's true. Some deaths are bittersweet. Someone dies and we are sad and relieved.

E: You briefly mention that a common prescription for suicidal behavior is medication. From someone with your background, I'm really curious about your perspective on this. You speak about the need for expression to resolve internal conflict. When is meditation and mediation not enough?

M: There are many times when meditation is not enough, even harmful. Psychosis for instance. So yes there are times for meditation. There are times also to be off meditation and on medication. And times for both. One should not be stuck in a rigid view. I used to be. Now I believe there are good places and phases to introduce medication to get a life settled enough to be quiet.

E: On a new subject, you have a new book coming out in June 2011. Was there a particular impetus towards writing this text?

M: Just that so many students were sending me transcribed dharma talks I thought it would be nice to see them in print.

Article: On Suicide by Michael Stone

2011-06-20T12:18:00.000-04:00

What follows is an excerpt from Michael Stone's new book “Awake in the World: Teachings from Yoga & Buddhism for Living an Engaged Life” (Shambhala Publications, June 2011). For today, read the article and give it some consideration. My next post is a brief interview with Michael asking questions about this article and "Awake in the World." For those interested in more information about Michael, you can find his bio at the end of the article.

On Suicide & the Dharma

Part One

By Psychotherapist, Buddhist teacher and Yoga teacher Michael Stone.

No one ever lacks a good reason for suicide.

—Cesare Pavese

Many of us who have suffered trauma, pain, or existential loneliness have struggled to find stories to make sense of our lives. We might think that we learn how the world works, because we take the time to observe and understand it. But every meditator with a busy mind knows that’s just not so. We just believe things, and then make our world fit our perceptions.

After many years of Yoga study, practice, and teaching, many of the assumptions I’ve held in my work as a psychotherapist have been brought to the surface—often in unsettling ways—through my struggle to integrate Yoga and Western psychology. While Yoga philosophy and Western psychology have much to learn from each other, what interests me is where they don’t quite fit together smoothly. It’s in these gaps between systems that we find fertile ground for exploration. Yogic teachings on the fear of death (abiniveśa) have been very instructive in understanding the way we hold on to narratives about ourselves that reinforce and entrench feelings of alienation and suffering. While this is often readily apparent in others, it is also apparent in my view of others. Psychological diagnoses and pathology, while serving to help me recognize who and what I am working with, also serve to create separation in a space where intimacy is of paramount importance. Trying to be a good therapist or a helpful teacher can actually get in the way of healing. One of my first psychotherapy patients was referred by a friend. He was a young man who was suffering from tremendous physical pain when symptoms from an old car accident reappeared after many years. Around the same time, one of his former boyfriends took his own life. “The two of these situations together,” my colleague wrote to me, “have completely overwhelmed him. He wants to die.” My colleague made an appointment for him to see me because herown psychotherapy practice was full. “I’m not sure exactly what he needs,” my friend told me. “Maybe a combination of listening and some practical tools like meditation so he can learn to accept what he is going through. Or maybe some medication or hospitalization.”

The following Monday, at the time of our scheduled appointment, I waited for him and he never showed up. I left him a message and did not hear back. One month later, I received a call from my friend who had referred him. She told me the man had taken his life. When I got the call I was stunned. I was in my first year of practice, and though I had never met this young man, I had imagined his walk, his face, his hair, his life. A feeling of relief came over me. I tried to distract myself from this strange response, but it surprised me. In the midst of this news, I was imagining that this man had found some relief.

When I was ten years old, our neighbor took her life. All I could do in response to her suicide was to visit “her” bridge every day for a year. After school, I’d ride my bicycle to where I imagined she had jumped, trying to envision what she thought about before she had leaped into the ravine below. I wondered if she noticed the bulrushes and the vast sky, the amazing view of the city or the beauty of the old trestle bridge.

When I was thirteen, I’d sit under the bridge for hours, smoking cigarettes, studying the deteriorating cement columns and rust leaking from the rebar through the cement railing. Three years after her death I continued visiting her last place on earth, her final view, her place of death. I couldn’t let her go. It wasn’t the loss of our distant friendship, my young crush on her, or my desire to see her pink bedroom again. I wanted to know what pushed her into such a singular view. How did she cross from an inner world of pain to the railing of the bridge? What in me held back that desire? What kept me from climbing that same railing?

The American photographer Diane Arbus ingested barbiturates and then cut her wrists with her razor; French painter Jeanne Hébuterne leaped from a third-story window two days after her partner, Modigliani, died of tuberculosis. She was pregnant with their second child. Mark Rothko took his life among his paintings; Spalding Gray, in the circling waters of the Hudson; John Berryman, jumping off a bridge in Minnesota; Anne Sexton, after visiting a hospital; and Virginia Woolf, weighing her pockets with stones and walking into the river near her home. I found this touching passage from Virginia Woolf in a letter to Leonard Woolf:

“I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times. And I shan’t recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can’t concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don’t think two people could have been happier ’til this terrible disease came. I can’t fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can’t even write this properly. I can’t read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that—everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can’t go on spoiling your life any longer. I don’t think two people could have been happier than we have been.”

No metaphor here, no sentimentality, no beating around the bush. She is desperately unhappy but, at the same time, straightforward in her desire to communicate. It’s ironic that the momentum present in our rush to die can also contain the urgency to communicate. It’s not that Woolf’s suicide can be reduced to a lack of interpersonal communication. Seen from the perspective of a whole body-mind matrix, we can instead suggest that the parts that make up the sum of the body-mind/self were not communicating, not intimate, not grounded, felt, and made into words. For someone pressed with visions and hearing voices, the key is using the frame of the body as an anchor to the present moment. Settling the mind not through using more narratives and thoughts but by turning to the body and breath is the key to the real feelings below the strategies of suicide. When we come right down to it, the core of what we feel is below the surface strategies of mind. In fact, the mind obsessed with death is not really that different from the compulsive mind most of us are working with every day. A mind spinning in its own solipsistic networks, cut off from the rhythm

and feeling of body and breath, is self-identified with its pain and scars and perhaps even unwilling to part with them. We are easily attached to our misery by virtue of its being familiar. It’s an easy way to define ourselves.

There is a parallel text to every story. Though someone is plagued with pain, the desire to end one’s life is actually a counterpull against the identification with suffering. Suicide is the imagining of an end to suffering—an end that is certainly needed. Seeing more metaphorically, the desire for death as an end to suffering is a desire to make life more possible. What are we really hearing when we listen to fantasies of death? This is the energy—indeed, the paradox—I’d like to explore.

• • • • •

Yoga and Buddhist Practices work in terms of complementary opposites. If you want tosettle your inhalation, for example, you spend time getting your exhalation very smooth; if you want to find extension in the hamstring muscles, you refine the contraction of the front of the thigh; if you want to find happiness, you serve others. Inside a forward bend is the seed of a backbend; in the midst of anxiety, we look for the calmness of the breath—it’s always there.

Likewise, when we pay attention to the movement toward taking one’s life, we also find the desire to live. This desire to live is expressed in the desire to communicate. The trick is dropping our preconceptions sufficiently to recognize this instinct, this movement toward intimacy. Even as the old tree withers and dies, we can find small emblems of growth. Illness, both mental and physical, often separates the afflicted from the world. Yoga reawakens one’s connection with the whole body and mind and in so doing restores pathways of communication at an inner level that then begin to spread out into the interpersonal world as well. When we are safe in our own bodies, we have a ground from which to step out into the world.

Talking is a way of reaching something not clearly seen, verbally navigating through the fog of uncertainty. The problem with our Western perspective on suicide is that it’s hard to listen when our very deliberate focus is on trying to stop someone from taking his own life, stop the urge toward death, protect ourselves from the legal repercussions of not calling the police. Since we all walk this same winding road toward death, someone else’s desire to die brings up our own core ideas about death, dying, and what it means to live life fully. Suicide in the Judeo-Christian perspective is rejected as sinful. In the early teachings of the Buddha, there are many stories of people like Channa, Vakkali, and Godhika, who took their own lives and were not condemned for it. If there is a cultural view that sees life as continuous in one way or another, especially if there is no god that determines whether someone is born again or not, we have permission to reframe our conceptualization of suicide as sinful. Who are we to judge?

Suicide is an internal drama that needs expression for it to be resolved. Suicide and self-harm must be understood as having meaning within interpersonal and intrapsychic relationships that the person is involved in. Wanting to die means something. What wants to die? The problem with the “I”-making mechanism of the mind (ahaṅkāra) is that it creates stories (asmitā) that objectify itself. The “I” maker is constantly representing itself to itself, splitting the personality into a subject and object. This splits the ahaṅkāra into a storyteller that is telling itself a story by representing itself to itself. The core teachings of Yoga revolve around this case of mistaken identity. Any self-image is an objectification of the ahaṅkāra that serves to split the personality. If we understand the ahaṅkāra in this way, we can see that when one tells a story about oneself to oneself, one creates several selves. The ego can objectify itself. The task for the yogi is to pay attention to life in ways that continually undercut our craving to have a fixed point of view. All sorts of things happen in our lives, tragedies and miracles together. We lose what we love and are continually separated from what we want. This is the way life goes. But this careful attention to the way our lives truly happen does not always go along with the therapeutic intention to “help life go on,” “contract for safety,” or “provide ego support.”

A focus on the absurd, the messy, the tragic, and the shameful parts of us is what’s truly needed to open to our lives. With the help of a therapist, we can open to what we feel without fear. The key is being able to open to what we really feel, not just what we are allowed to feel either by our own internal judge or the unexamined assumptions in the medical stance of the clinician. Focusing on the body without searching for a way out can sometimes open up astonishing meaning within very old habits. We may even learn that the voice from the part of us that wants to die is exactly the same as the part of us that wants to come out into the world. The one who wants to die may really want to live after all. The “cry for help” is really a gesture to go through life with deep meaning and resolve. Wanting to die

stands neither for life nor for death but for a deep experience of both of these opposites. To live is to allow for fixed views to die. To die is to be generous in our living.

Michael Stone is a respected Buddhist teacher who draws on his background as a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, author and activist to bring the practice of mindfulness into conversation with contemporary culture. He developed the acclaimed Leading Edge Mindfulness for Clinicians Course in Toronto and has educated over one thousand medical professionals about the intersection of mindfulness and clinical practice. Michael has the distinction of being the youngest Buddhist teacher in Canada and maintains a busy travel schedule, teaching workshops and retreats throughout North America and Europe. He is the founder of Centre of Gravity: a thriving community of yoga and Buddhist practitioners exploring the convergence of traditional contemplative practices and modern urban life. He makes his home in downtown Toronto.

www.centreofgravity.org

Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow or Side Crane)

2011-06-08T13:56:00.001-04:00


YogaJournal.com

Get into it, you look like you're break dancing, and hit the pause button. Feels better on my wrists than crow pose, and, personally, I think it's easier to get into. I am, however, left with some lingering questions.

For one, should the arms be fully straight, or bent like in Chaturanga? Are both arms snuggled under the leg, or just one? Does it really matter (or are there benefits in each variation)? Either way, it's fun to try. Just don't get too sweaty, or your elbows will just slip off!

I taught the bent arms variation, with either one or two arms under the leg, this week. I started with about 10 minutes of deep core work, to fire up the core to prepare for lift-off later in the practice. From there:

1. 4-6 Sun Salutation As. Add in extra chaturangas to fire up the arm muscles for the balancing later.
2. Sun Salutations B. Long chair hold.
3. Sun Salutations B. Long chair with twists to either side.
4. Sun Salutations B. Chair twist towards right, step back with left foot to high lunge twist.
5. Open to Warrior II
6. Reverse warrior to extended side angle (long hold)
7. Warrior II
8. Vinyasa
9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 on other leg
10. Chair
11. Chair twist towards right, open arms to T position, using block for lower hand as needed
12. Hands come back to prayer position
13. Repeat steps 4 to 6, come into triangle pose
14. Warrior II
15. Vinyasa
16. Repeat steps 10-15 on other side
17. Chair pose with twist
18. Either repeat chair twist, chair twist with open arms, or try parsva bakasana!
19. Repeat on other side
20. Cool down of choice, 15-20 minutes, but I recommend including a bridge pose with a block in between the knees to help bring the pelvis back into alignment (in case it went out during all of those chair pose with twists)
21. Savasana

Humble Warrior

2011-05-31T17:32:00.000-04:00

Been totally into Silver Surfer aka Humble Warrior these days. What a magnificent pose! A combination of a shoulder opener, hip stretch, and leg strengthener. Che bella!

I've been throwing it into classes a lot of different ways, but here's what I did today:

Sun As
Vinyasa to Warrior I
Inhale interlace fingers and lift heart, exhale to bow into Humble Warrior
Inhale come back up into Warrior I
Exhale to vinyasa
Repeat on other side
Repeat steps 2-4, exhale open to Warrior II
Hold, then vinyasa
Repeat on other side
Repeat step 7, but from Warrior II, inhale to reverse the warrior, taking back hand to back leg, and exhale to straighten the front leg into Triangle
Hold Triangle
Inhale to come up, exhale to Warrior II
Vinyasa to repeat on other side

Obviously a lot of other stuff in the class, but this was the bit with Humble Warrior. A nice option is to throw 3-legged dog with hip opener in between each side of repeating the poses. "Flipping the dog" optional and cumulative. Later in the class we did supine pigeon pose (which fit in nicely) with an option to come up and bend the back leg (taking a strap or the arm/hands to the back foot) for a bind afterward.

I have been loving this so much lately, I want to keep throwing it in there! Anyone else have neat-o ways to sneak in some humble warrior-ing?

Kripalu Giveaway

2011-05-20T15:29:00.001-04:00

This showed up in my inbox today. Perhaps folks are both lucky and interested.

http://bit.ly/YogaRetreatSweepstakes

If you decide to enter, good luck!

Book update!

2011-05-18T21:23:00.001-04:00

And talking about being an English major, how's about a book update?

Of course, the second I make bold proclamations, the world does all sorts of things to say, "You really sure about this one, sweetheart?" I have a book I love called "How Yoga Works," by Geshe Michael Roach. In it, he writes, "When important things are about to happen, bigger problems come to try and stop them. This is a law of yoga, and a law of the powers that run our lives." I won't say what kept me from fully diving into the book was problems. Distractions is a better word.

I often talk about how I found the perfect job, it just doesn't pay a living wage. Well, right after I made my "I am making this book happen!" proclamation, I got more yoga jobs than I ever have in my life. Since this winter/early spring, I have been averaging about 12 classes a week. Sometimes as many as 14. Teaching this many classes takes energy, mental and physical.

So while the sequences have been coming in, I have been remiss in reviewing and practicing them. I also have been remiss in hounding my favorite bloggers to send me a sequence. So, that's where I am at now. In fact, you may have received an email from me recently. Or maybe one is coming soon.

I have set a deadline for receiving sequences for the fall of this year (fall in the U.S. not necessarily being the fall of the rest of the world...). My class load goes way down starting this Friday. I have no more excuses and I need to stop making them. Now, your turn.

What important thing is happening in your life? What is stopping you from turning the key and getting things done?

Inspiration is very polite. She knocks softly and then goes away if we don't answer the door. ~ Mary Pipher

English Major

2011-05-16T20:32:00.000-04:00

In university, I graduated with a degree in English literature. I read a lot of books and wrote a lot about books. After I graduated, my first job was developing preschool literacy programs in Madison, Wisconsin. That lasted a year (that was the length of the service contract). Since then, I have often joked that I am another English major not using her degree.

Really though, I don't believe that's true.

There are so many yoga teachers I know who are also writers, actors, and performers in general. That makes sense; in front of the class, you are performing your lines with little or no rehearsal. You are also in the spotlight. The actual languaging of the class, the words I say and chose not to say, definitely tie into my English degree. Although, truth be told, while I have a theme, I usually make up the exact things I say on the spot (there is no question that this is obvious to my students; I am trying to be less of a constant talker).

More importantly, there is something in the asana and the sequence of the class that also ties into my degree. So, here, today's sequence from the P.OV. of an English major who uses her degree multiple times every day.

My Yoga Class, An Essay

by Emma Gabrielle Silverman

1. Introduction, I: in a moment of stillness, begin the focus on breath (a theme that always ties through the rest of class). Introduce any other mental themes (dedicating the class, self-focus, etc.)
2. Introduction, II: Still in the intro paragraph, begin to introduce the asana theme for today's class. Hips? Maybe some gentle supine hip stretches synchronized to breath. A funky class sequence? Maybe a really gentle version of it on the back or the knees, which you can offer as a modification for a later, hyped up version. For example, knee to nose in table top as warm up to knee to nose from Downward Dog. Or Gate Pose with upper arms drawing circles as warm up to side plank with upper arms drawing circles.
3. Paragraph one/Sun salutations: The same exposition you would use for any paper. Let's the reader or class taker know the sources and where they can go to for more information.
4. Body (of the essay) I: Begin with a basic version of the class theme, three to five movements in a row, with vinyasas to remind theme of the intro
5. Body II: New poses, under the same theme, three to five poses, going deeper into topic, with vinyasas
6. Body III: You're warmed up now, you know what we're talking about. Bring the whole essay together in this last paragraph to really draw home the point. Put the two first body paragraphs together to a sequence of six to 10 postures (repeats), ending with a peak pose (proving your thesis statement that was brought up in the intro, could be physical or mental).
7. Conclusion: Give some time for the point to sink in. Everything clicks. Gently remind students of why they are here, what they learned.

Class dismissed.

Yoga For Gardening (2011 Edition)

2011-05-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a friend yesterday, during a walk, about my class plan for the week and I mentioned a yoga for gardeners class.

He mentioned that his favorite post-gardening pose was Eagle Pose (Garundasana). I had been expecting a gentle back-bend or less hyped-up shoulder opener. The reason? All of the shoveling, hoeing, digging, etc. felt like a lot of shock to his joints. Eagle pose, in all of its twisty wonder, provides a great massage to the major joints affected by gardening. In addition, it presses on major lymph node bundles to assist with detox. Huh. Hadn't thought of that. Hearing other P.O.V.s: Another reason why its important to get my nose out of yoga books and read more blogs and post more often (again) on my own.

This isn't a full sequence, but is a series of poses using Eagle or integrating Eagle into a flow. Try it post-gardening session. I'm curious as to whether it helped!

1. Begin lying on the back
2. With Eagle legs and arms in a "T" position, drop legs from side to side (only as far as you can go without the opposite shoulder blade coming off of the ground)
3. Pause in Eagle leg supine twist
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on other side

1. Flow to high lunge
2. Taking Eagle arms, begin to draw circles in the air with arms
3. Pause with elbows lifted high, shoulder blades grounding down onto back
4. Vinyasa to repeat 1-3 on other side
5. Flow to high lunge on first side
6. Take Eagle arms, and step the back leg forward into Eagle Posture
7. Hold Eagle, 5 cycles of breath
8. Unwind to Warrior III with eagle arms
9. Step back (carefully) to high lunge with Eagle Arms
10. Unwind arms to high lunge
11. Repeat steps 5-10 on other side

1. Eagle pose
2. If feeling balanced take elbows to knees, and then back up
3. Repeat on other side
4. Repeat both sides again!

Yin Sequence from Do Restorative Yoga

2011-05-03T15:55:00.002-04:00

Despite a respite, we're back to rainy rainy days. Cayuga Lake is ready to spill out over the banks and shoreline and the rivers are dangerously swollen. It seems like folks are a bit stir crazy and ready for the few days we've had of good weather to stay for good. I haven't been able to plant a thing in my garden for fear that the rains would flood the seeds.

It seemed wonderful timing, then, to receive a guest sequence from Sara over at Do Restorative Yoga. It's a Yin Sequence; when I practice yin yoga, it helps calm me down and feel more rooted. Less drawn away with the flood of all this water. She just posted this entry over at her blog and very generously offered the text and images to be re-posted over here. Remember-- guest sequences are like delicious treats to me. I always learn something new. So, with thanks again to Sara, a beautiful Yin Sequence below... with pictures, too!

***********************************************************

I subbed or "guest taught" at the YMCA last night and had a lovely time. It was great to see so many of my former students (and meet new students too). The Y is finally done with their renovations and the new Mind-Body room (yoga room) is very nice. Quiet, meditative, and nice paint colors.

I subbed for Thomas's Yin class but of course my style of Yin is more like Yin-Therapeutic-Restorative so I'm sure it seemed like a very different class for folks who are not used to my teaching style.

I started everyone off in Legs-up-the-Wall,

added in a #4 hip stretch

and then flowed into Hand-to-big-toe at the wall.

From there we scooted ourselves off the wall

so we could take in Supported Bridge Pose with a quad stretch.

Some folks did 1/2 Hero's Pose (reclining) instead of Supported Bridge with quad stretch (same effect - just using a block or not).

We rested in Child's Pose but added in Yoga Mudra (hands clasped behind the back, roll onto the crown of the head and let hands reach towards the floor over the head (sorry no image for that one yet).

Our final active pose was a true Yin lunge -

low, deep and long-held.

This image is from Camp Amnicon Winter Reflection Retreat 2010.

I let everyone do their own thing for a few minutes and then we finished with final relaxation.

Being the non-traditional teacher that I am, I encouraged everyone to find their own final pose, whether it was Savasana, Reclining Bound Angle, laying on their belly, or whatever.

It was lovely to see everyone at the Y. The class has really grown.

Lift up the corners of your mouth

2011-04-19T15:17:00.000-04:00

I feel like a slug.

A salted slug.

A cold, shriveled, salted slug.

It's like the sap started to rise on spring and then just got stuck. I think it got stuck because IT FROZE THERE. Just like energy started to rise in my body (and seemingly in the bodies of my students) and then that energy just got stuck. We're trying very hard to de-stuck.

One of the things I have been playing around with in class (trying to de-stuck) is a variation off of Warrior I. I tried to find an image of it, but all I could find was this:

This is not the "Warrior I Variation" (which was my keyword search) that I was looking for.

In this variation, get into the "traditional" Warrior I, with back foot grounded. Keep the torso as it is throughout the directions, unless otherwise noted. Straighten the front leg. Shift the weight onto the heel of the front foot. Now lift the toes on the front foot as high as you can, ideally pointing right up to the ceiling. Lift the sterum to the sky. Feel that core become heated up, because the outdoors refuses to!

To come out, bring the torso back to neutral (no mini backbends), replace the foot, bend the knee, and you're back into Warrior I. It might feel good to come into "Silver surfer" after this as a counter pose (not this Silver Surfer, must read comments underneath.. Google Images is amazing). Also know as "Humble warrior":

From blog.gaiam.com

To really heat it up, flow between the two (Warrior I variation and Humble warrior) and throw a vinyasa in between each repetition and each side. Let me know if you try it and, as a result, feel a little bit lighter on your feet!

Someone else's giveaway

2011-04-12T14:44:00.001-04:00

A flesh and blood friend of mine (as opposed to internet and bloglandia) is hosting her first giveaway. I'd love for it to be a runaway success... and for you to run away with the prize!

To win a cookbook, check out Kelly's blog.

Good luck!

Good article: 13 Things Your Yoga Teacher Won't Tell You

2011-04-08T22:08:00.000-04:00

Link is here. Funny, true, and from yahoo.com of all places.

Enjoy!

Is my brain a muscle?

2011-04-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

I don't know if the brain is really a muscle or not (or, at least, if it functions in the way that we usually think of muscles). In this third month of meditation, however, I have often felt like my brain is a muscle. Like, with continued attenuation, my focus becomes stronger. It becomes easier to find stillness and I want to sit longer.

It also feels like my brain, like the muscles in my body, sometimes just wants to shake around like an uncontrollable Jell-O mold.

Do you know how your legs get around the time that second minute holding Goddess pose comes around? Or any of the Warriors? That shaking is your muscles constantly reaching the point of fatigue, moving the responsibility and work from one fiber to the other. It's not controllable, really, and you shouldn't try. It's also release: shaking legs during deep hamstring stretches, hands shaking after a rush of nerves.

So, sometimes my brain feels that way, too. Not quite the monkey-like mind, jumping from subject to subject (nonlinear and how-did-that-lead-to-that?) More... vibratory. A mixture of strengthening (second minute in Goddess) and release (second breath in Camel).

This is a new part of my yoga practice and I am finding myself surprised and interested in what comes up. So, my answer to the question "Is the brain a muscle?" is that mine is sure acting like one. Just like figuring out that you can do chaturanga for the first time after slowly (and patiently!) building up arm strength, it's a nice surprise.

What's your brain? (Fried, ps, is also an okay answer. For me, you needn't go back father than March to find that answer)

March Meditation Madness Fail

2011-03-28T18:17:00.002-04:00

Maybe March wasn't the best month to set for my Meditation Challenge. Maybe it was the whole idea of challenge. Maybe it was being a little bit cocky from February success. Whatever the poor excuse, I did not meditate every day in March. I had set my goal at the measly amount of 5 minutes (at the least) every day. Five minutes, some days, was not possible.

Some days it genuinely wasn't possible. Either having a houseguest or being one (someone sleeping in my living room or sleeping in someone's living room), there were about four days when there literally wasn't a place I could be by myself (save the bathroom). What does a girl do then? Where does she go? What does she do? Here, I think the idea of yogic non-attachment comes in. I cannot have attachments, even to my meditation practice. Of course, these are often the days when you need meditation the most. Hence, the importance of sitting every other day it is physically possible.

Here the other tricky part comes in. The "physically possible" part. I got really sick this past week. Every part of my body wanted to be in bed, not sitting on a cushion on my floor, desperately trying to breathe in and out through my nose (double fail on that one). Do you meditate in bed? Do you sit when sick? What are the meditation breathing techniques for a nose more stuffed than an olive?

I'm just a newbie here in deep waters that I want to swim in. Looking for advice. Coping with "Fail." But... knowing there's always April?

How did you do on your March meditation?

Arm burning, core heating sequence

This isn't a whole practice. It's maybe 20-30 minutes that can be done after a warm up, and can be followed by more of a practice or just a cool down.

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
2. Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
3. Jump or step back to Plank
4. In Plank, shift the weight one inch forward and one inch back. Do this without lifting and lowering the hips and by keeping the body in a straight line from the crown of the head to the heels of the feet. Continue for 5 long cycles of breath.
5. Chaturanga
6. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
7. Lower back to floor
8. Push back up to Plank
9. Repeat step 4
10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
11. Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
12 Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Repeat this entire sequence, but in step 4 and 9, only hold, shifting weight one inch forward and back, for 4 cycles of breathe. Keep repeating, lowering the amount of time in steps 4 and 9 until you flow through entire sequence. Your choice: stop once you count down, or pyramid and count right back up to 5 cycles of breath!

Guest Post: Travel Yoga Tips by Alexis Bonari

2011-03-25T13:50:00.000-04:00

Travel Yoga Tips: How to Revamp Your Routine for the Road

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it’s easy to succumb to the stress of an unpredictable schedule and allow your yoga practice to be tossed out the airplane window. But these times of travel-induced disruption of balance and calm mean that you should be making your best effort to keep yoga in your routine. It’s difficult to keep your normal yoga practice in your schedule when you’re traveling, but there are plenty of ways to incorporate enough yoga to keep you going and ease you back into practice when you return from your trip. If you have travel plans for the near future, check out these tips to help you benefit from yoga on the go.

How to Pack Your Yoga

You probably don’t want to take your regular yoga mat along with you, but you can easily purchase a travel version that can be folded to fit into your luggage. These mats don’t take up much space and provide you with the tacky surface you need to prevent slipping. As for clothing, if you plan to do most of your yoga in your hotel room, you can just do it in your underwear. If not, pack quick-drying clothes that won’t stink up your whole suitcase if they get sweaty.

How to Stay Connected & Informed

Make use of apps, podcasts, and online videos for take-along yoga instruction. There are several free applications for Apple products, and free podcasts and videos can easily be found online. For example, try the Yoga Stretch app and Yoga Journal’s iPractice. These tools can help you stay on track and interested in yoga while you travel.

How to Stay Flexible on the Road

Try these poses and simple techniques while on an airplane or riding in a vehicle. By keeping yoga integrated in this relaxing and effective way, you’ll be better prepared to do a few more advanced poses when you’ve arrived at your destination.

Standing forward bend – try this in the bathroom if you’re flying, or anywhere that allows you enough space to reach down and touch your toes. Just make sure that the seatbelt sign is off and that there’s no turbulence, or you could end up bumping your head. Focus on letting the weight of your head lengthen your spine.
Twist stretches – sitting in your seat, put one hand on the outside of the opposite knee and twist toward that knee, looking over your shoulder and taking 5-10 deep breaths. Repeat on the other side, remembering to keep your chin parallel to the floor.
Alternate nostril breathing – this technique can be used anywhere to relax your entire body. Fold the index and middle fingers of one hand in toward the palm, then use the thumb of the same hand to press against one nostril. Inhale through the other nostril and then block it with your ring finger, holding your breath. Release your thumb, exhaling through the first nostril. Repeat until you feel calm.

How to Relax & Detoxify for Yoga Practice

Before diving into poses from your regular routine, try a few of these to help expel the toxins that build up during travel.

Cat stretch – on all fours, alternately arch your back with your head down as you exhale, then invert the pose by lifting your head and relaxing your spine into a concave posture as you inhale. Repeat until you feel the tension releasing from your muscles.
Cleansing breath – sit with your legs crossed and the backs of your hands resting on your knees, thumbs touching index fingers. Quickly contract your abdomen to expel all of the air in your lungs out through your nose. Now, relax the abdominal muscles and allow your lungs to fill with air of their own accord. Repeat this technique ten times.
Spine stretch – lie on your back with your legs resting against a wall at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees. Stay in this position and observe your breath.
Now you’re ready to do a few poses from your routine and finish as usual with the exceptionally relaxing Savasana pose.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is currently a resident blogger at College Scholarships, where recently she's been researching athletic scholarship programs as well as scholarships for mechanics. Whenever this WAHM gets some free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking with the freshest organic in-season fare, and practicing the art of coupon clipping.

Photo: Travel Yoga Mat, Amazon
URL: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YGBD37THL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Blah-blah-blah

2011-03-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

The amount of silence on this blog has been inversely proportional to the amount of talking going on in my classes these days. It seems like everybody knows everyone else in the room and they got something to say. Something that they are really excited about. Every class either starts with me shouting to room to order like a school teacher ("We are starting now!") or looking at the clock and realizing that I, too, have been blabbing way past the class start time ("I am apologizing now!").

Spring has sprung in the vocal cords. Everyone is just really excited... about everything.

It's been interesting to try and work with all of the energy in the room. To direct it and find centering on the mat. Keep the energy going, but in a focused, sustainable way. I find that pranayama (breath work) helps. Twists are nice because the detox/melt going on outside can mimic the inner detox/melt. I did a class today preparing the body for Revolved Triangle and then holding that pose. Strong, stable, and good for the kidneys. Here is what I can remember of it:

Beginning with 5 of core work to raise heat in body
Gentle twists
Roll up to table
Knee down lunge, straightening and bending front leg. Repeat other side.
Table top position
Downward Dog
6-12 Sun Salutations
High Lunge, straighten and bending front leg
Vinyasa, to repeat on other side
High lunge, right foot forward, taking left hand to block on inside of right foot for gentle twist
High lunge
Vinyasa, to repeat on other side
Warrior 2
Triangle
Vinyasa, to repeat on other side
Low lunge, hand in prayer position for deeper twist. Lift back knee if it feels ready.
Vinyasa, to repeat on other side
Warrior 1
Straighten front leg
Revolved triangle.... Peak pose!
Warrior 1
Vinyasa, to repeat on other side
Reclined Pigeon, repeat on other side
Restorative bridge (using block)
Gentle twists
Savasana

Meditation break through

2011-03-06T12:40:00.001-05:00

First and foremost, my most sincere gratitude to all who commented and signed on to meditate with me. It's been a few busy, late nights recently and I have been really, really tempted not to sit. But you all are out there too, being challenged with me. That helps. Also...seriously, I didn't even make the challenge last the full month, so I have no excuses to not meditate for 5 minutes.

Last night I had a lovely meditation break-through that I feel like I've been building up to all week. In my classes this week, I have led savasana differently than usual. I encourage students to pause before moving again. To spend a long time just thinking about moving their fingers or toes. To just think and not to move. And then to play around with that strange, invisible line between thought and movement. "I will move my finger" does not a finger move. What flips that switch? What allows that change between "I will move my finger" and the actual movement of the finger? During the classes this week, I've had the students spend a long time between each transition from savasana to seated position (sukhasana). Just thinking about what it means to think about movement versus actually moving.

In my meditation this week, I found myself "thinking" about breath a lot. Thinking: "Breathing out, I am breathing out; Breathing in, I am breathing in." This is a meditation technique talked about in Thich Nhat Hanh's "Breathe! You are Alive." Yesterday, however, I began to think about how my thoughts about breathing, and directing my breath much like I would lead a yoga class, could directly tie into the idea of thinking about moving something having very little relation to the actual movement of the body. I can think "I am breathing deeply" but still breathe a shallow breath; the thought is not a command followed by the body. The thinking mind that thinks about directing the body or breath is separate from the unthinking mind which directs the central nervous system to movement. For example, right now there is no part of my "thinking" mind that is directing my fingers where to go as I type. But they go there anyway.

Yesterday, in meditation, I tried to tap into the part of the mind that does tell the central nervous system to move the body. No words going through my head, no directives. Tell my body "Breathing out, I am breathing out; Breathing in, I am breathing in" but without words. Getting all of the words out of my head during my practice, even the ones that are related to breath. Even touching the edge of that vast part of my consciousness felt like my experience of the world could expand right there with it.

Oh, boy, I ain't there today. But there's tomorrow. And the next day. And... you're there with me, right?

March Meditation Madness

2011-03-03T13:59:00.001-05:00

In February, I wrote about my goals to meditate every night for the remainder of that month.Overall, I exclaim-- success! I so feared the placement of the unhappy face on the calendar, that only one night did I sort of fudge it. I didn't put an unhappy face after meditating for maybe a total of 3-5 minutes... I put a straight line for the mouth. Sort of like Kermit the Frog.

I made a routine out of it: before I went to bed every night, I lit a candle, plopped on my meditation cushion, and sat. I tried different techniques I had heard about over the years and will continue to experiment. There are some lessons already. For one, sitting too close to bedtime doesn't really work. I find my thoughts, when they creep in, tending towards the wacky dream-state variety. Incoherent. Sleepy. Another is that my bedroom sits underneath my neighbors living room, and her television comes through the floor. Hard to meditate when she tends towards an enjoyment of comedy shows, and enjoys them vocally (no hard knocks on her, I love me some 30 Rock). This had led to me to think that while routine is very, very important for someone like me and a discipline like this, maybe I should program it in at the beginning of the day (not sleepy, no tv). It wouldn't work for every single day of the week, but would for most.

But... I know what would help the most. Having a support network to do it with me! Yogis and yoginis who go to yoga studios are probably familiar with yoga "challenges" in which many sign up for a practice challenge together, in hopes that community support will help them stick to it. As with February, I didn't get my act together in time to send this out earlier, but I would love a lil' meditation love for the remainder of March. So, here, on the Joy of Yoga, I'm laying down a March Meditation Madness Challenge!

Always been meaning to deepen or start your meditation practice? Need a swift kick in the ass from the internet community that loves you? Leave me a note here! I'll keep updating about how my practice is going, and you, comment-section style, do the same. I'm going to stand by my meditation calendar (if it works, don't fix it) and step it up a notch. Who stands with me? Who will meditation at least 5 minutes, every day, for the rest of March?

It will change your life!

Good luck sitters!

Who puts the Om in the Om Shanti shanti shanti

2011-02-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

Today, for the first time, a student came up to me after class and told me they loved my voice. Found it soothing. Never knowing how to take a compliment (I'm working on it), I told her she should tell my boyfriend that.

This isn't just the first time teaching a class someone has told me they like my voice. This is ever. If I were to classify my voice, I would say it's a combination of second-generation Brooklyn mixed with East Coast Jew. Chris is of the opinion that I'm slightly tone deaf. In other words, I'm no Enya.

Partly for this reason, I'm not a big om-er. I started off teaching without it because I taught at gyms/fitness centers/YWCAs and I wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Now, out of habit and not wanting my voice to crack, I haven't ended a class with an om since September (yes, I remember the date).

I also find that when I am in a class, I'm really conscious of how I am singing it. You, too, maybe? Making sure that all three syllables are of equal length, that I don't end last, that I don't end first, that I'm enjoying it... I know, that last one. Oy. I'm grasping at trying to be in the moment and be one with the universe. I might not recommend approaching it from that angle. Must. Be. One. With. Universe!!!! (Hint: Will never, ever work).

Anyway, the comment came from a class at Cornell in the Healthy Living department. It's really healthy living/healthy aging. The average age is probably 60s-70s. All sorts of unique, beautiful aches in that room. This sequence is for this group, although they are smart cookies and modify the heck out of everything as needed.

Begin on back, knees bent, feet on floor (Some choose to begin seated in a chair)
Bridge, lowering and lifting (not holding) for 1-2 minutes
Core work on back (5-6 minutes). Alternate leg lifting and lowering; crunches and pelvic tilts with legs bent, knees over hips and shins parallel to floor; toe taps with legs in same position; upward facing boat (using arms for a lot of support)
2nd set of bridge lifts
Table top position, cat/cow (some less "cow" than others)
Table balancing, lifting opposite arm and leg
Tadasana/Mountain Pose
Warrior II (Pulsing knee, better for joints), repeat on other side
Triangle Variation (feet remain parallel)
Balancing poses (5-6 minutes). Come by wall. Tree (vrkasana) , knee into chest, crane (balikikasana).
Back onto mat for any final gentle stretches
Savasana (or any variation where they feel supported). Give head rubs!

Chew This!: A contest

2011-02-19T11:39:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the first contest on this blog in this blogista's memory. It's not that the opportunity hasn't been there (actually, considering how many people I feel like read my blog-- my mom and a couple of friends-- there's been a lot). But this is the first shwag I've gotten that I actually liked enough to want my friends to have some.

We returned in January from Mexico, where Chris bade farewell to the county with a serious case of Montezuma's Revenge (no, not the Atari game). We walked in the house dropped our luggage, intending to go right back out to buy his poor tummy some probiotics (his natural source having been donated to various airport facilities and my parent's house). On our kitchen table, though, what should we behold but a package, like a late holiday present. Inside, no joke, probiotics. Serendipity!

Things like that just make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

The bottle is from Vidazorb Chewable Probiotics. The product we received is a mixture of probiotics and vitamin C and doesn't need to be refrigerated (this is key for me: when things go in my fridge, sometimes they stay there, forever forgotten). I have been taking them religiously. Ithaca has been hit with some nasty things recently. A huge stomach virus made the rounds and one of my co-yoga-instructors had to miss a teacher training she had already bought plane tickets to in North Carolina. Then strep throat started up and everyone is feeling a little scratchy.

Knock on wood, but Chris and I have remained in good health. My bottle, however, is getting precipitously empty. Now, to keep myself in good health, I need all of my friends to stay healthy. Hence, this giveaway (what? you thought it was selfless? pssssh).

Interested in being a part of the Joy of Yoga's first giveaway? I'm picky for a reason, kids, and I legit like this stuff. The only requirement for entry is to go to Vidazorb's Facebook page and sign on for their newsletter, and then leave me a note here letting me know that you did. On February 26th, I will then write everyone's names on a sheet of paper, and pick the name out of a hat (I am also old school).

And, um, Nick (oh lovely Vidazorb rep)... maybe I can get another bottle, too?

The Joy of Yoga... the book?

2011-02-16T20:33:00.003-05:00

For over two years now, I've been thinking of putting a compilation of yoga sequences together. Not ones that I myself have created, but from people I admire, who can put together a mean sequence. For almost a year and a half now, this blog has fed that desire. Some amazing guest sequences have graced these pages. In my research for posts, I have come across other amazing sequences on the pages of other blogs. Recently, however, that creeping desire to put it on paper has been coming back. You can always print the sequences out, but you should see what my drawers look like because of that. I'm craving bound copies of what this blog has been online.

So, I'm taking that jump. The big jump. I am creating a book of yoga sequences. As of now, I am putting out a call for your yoga sequences, be it restorative or power. I already have made contact with an independent book packager/distributor. Now, I need you. During your days of teacher training or when you began to develop your home practice, did you ever wish you had a resource of pre-tested (mother approved) sequences to take ideas from? I remember back in my teacher training, people would spend half the time doing the postures, half the time on their mats scribbling the sequence down. The idea is that a book like this would make teacher's and advanced student's lives a bit easier.

As sequences come in, I'll evaluate them (aka practice them) and let you know if there are any follow up questions, additions that need to be made, and if your sequence will be included. Eventually, 108 sequences will be published in the text.

Finally, I'm doing this as karma yoga and expect the same of contributors. This isn't a money making venture. I used to volunteer-teach yoga at schools; now I find my energy draws towards this creation.

If you're still interested or would like more information check out the new "Submissions Guidelines" tab. If you have more questions, email me at thejoyofyogabook at gmail dot com. And, if someone immediately pops into your mind as a rock-star yogi who would be interested as well, please forward this along.

Thank you for reading my blog, being out there in the world, and for your support. Now, get practicing and get published!

Don't just do something, sit there!

2011-02-09T19:16:00.000-05:00

Almost since I began doing this blog, I've been talking about how I don't need to get off my ass, I need to sit down on it. Namely, I need to meditate. Lately, I've been feeling like my yoga practice accords me about as much peace and equanimity as any workout with a good focus on the breath would. This isn't a denigration; it's no small feat to coordinate breath with movement. It's, however, beginning to plateau. Where I'm at right now, I feel like my yoga practice cannot develop unless I make a dedicated commitment to meditate.

And so I did.

This calendar is taped up beside my bed, next to photos of family. It's that important. It might not be super-visible with my cheap-o camera, but days where I meditated I am putting a smiley face. The first days of the month were before my dedication to myself began... they got the slash line. If I didn't meditate, I will be reminded right before I go to sleep. The idea being that I will not get into bed, but sit myself on the floor and meditate. Meditate, meditate, meditate.

The yoga asana practice will continue. My body needs that, too. But my mind isn't being elevated by that alone, and I'm working on that.

Quick sequence for the kids at home (Thanks to Jenny for basic recipe, to which I added sprinkles):

1. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), arms above head if that's okay for your lower back

2. Come to standing, arms still above head

3. Rise up onto balls of feet (while standing)

4. Sit back into Chair pose on toes

5. Uttanasana (Forward Fold)

6. Ardha Uttanasana (Pike Position)

7. Forward fold

8. Chair pose

9. Repeat steps 1-8, taking it into a flow

Guest post: Sick Building, Unsafe Practice: Toxic Threats to Avoid

2011-02-04T17:36:00.000-05:00

This is not a post for hypochondriacs. Being a bit of one myself, I can echo concerns about the use of wack toxic cleaners in facilities (especially when working in conventional gyms). I'm less scared of asbestos, but just in case you were looking for something else to be worried about, in this guest post Eric Stevenson provides information, and some good links, about asbestos risks. Eric is a health and safety advocate who resides in the South Eastern US, and neither his name nor this article reminds me of delicious cherries (see last guest post). Hopefully, that does not diminish your view of his guest post.

Remember: I am an equal opportunity guest post publisher. Is it related to health, wellness, or yoga? Pretty amazing chance you can find your way onto the pages. So, send me an email (address listed above right) and keep them coming!

Sick Building, Unsafe Practice: Toxic Threats to Avoid

Yoga instructors may experience any number of practical instruction challenges, including negative feedback or financial difficulty. While these sobering realities largely cannot be avoided, simply representing another business challenge, other aspects of instruction can and should be controlled whenever possible. Besides ensuring one’s facility has the required equipment, environmental safety remains crucial. One of the greatest dangers, especially for a discipline with such a strong emphasis on breathing, is the air quality. Proper ventilation becomes vital, especially as more students enter a studio. Furthermore, chemical dangers often lie unseen, silently impacting those who frequent unsafe buildings.

With the modern rise in physical and mental disorders, including respiratory, heart and developmental damage, indoor air pollutants deserve a major focus. Although many of these dangers are well-documented, like lead, some hidden pollutants threaten to harm yoga practitioners over an extended period of time because symptoms of their harm frequently manifest slowly, sometimes taking years to develop. One most dangerous chemical that does not cause immediate symptoms of disease is asbestos, which leads the development of a lethal cancer known as mesothelioma. Unfortunately, mesothelioma symptoms can lie dormant for decades, usually only appearing in an advanced stage. After inhaling asbestos, a mineral once popular for its ability to insulate, the tiny particles embed in the tissue surrounding the lung, eventually causing the growth of tumors.

Although relatively safe when undamaged, when asbestos becomes fragmented, it presents a serious risk to anyone who comes into contact with it. If a studio is located in an older building, built before asbestos regulation officially began, instructors need to be mindful of the facilities they choose. Especially in buildings that must endure the strain of physical instruction, like yoga, choosing a facility free of toxins remains essential because of the increased chance of exposure. Furthermore, individuals risk secondhand exposure to this carcinogen because it can travel on the clothing, hair and mats of those initially exposed. Therefore, entire families get put at risk when one member enters these sick buildings. Historically, wives of industrial workers saw a high rate of mesothelioma development because they typically washed and handled the clothing their husbands wore on jobs working with asbestos. Individuals exercising in these unsafe buildings risk committing the same dangerous pattern with their own families.

Mesothelioma symptoms frequently appear mild at first, imitating other illnesses like pneumonia and making early treatment difficult. While a healthy lifestyle can help prevent the onset of this disease, after initial symptoms appear patients typically only have an eight to 14 month life expectancy. Besides a responsibility to ensure students learn yoga’s proper practice and purpose, instructors also must ensure students are free of the indoor toxins that can permanently threaten their health. Proper practice of yoga requires a complete sense of relaxation and comfort, which is impossible to achieve in poor conditions. If a facility appears to be in disrepair, especially if it is an older building, students and instructors should ensure their safety and avoid these toxic environments. Because no cure for mesothelioma currently exists, avoiding contact with this toxic material represents the best chance to contribute to the health benefits of yoga and ensure a long life free of disease.

Guest post: Yoga poses to Prevent Knee Pain

2011-02-01T18:49:00.001-05:00

Today's blog post comes our way from Maria Rainier. Maria is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, playing with the newly revealed degree value calculator and researching which engineering degrees pay best. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop. Her last name is also a delicious variety of cherry. I hope you enjoy her article like I enjoy cherries.

Yoga Poses to Prevent Knee Pain

Many people who do yoga are athletes in some other respect—most often runners. With runner’s high often comes runner’s knee, but this is something yoga can ease.

Many athletes know the agony that accompanies Ilitotibial band syndrome (ITBS), a condition that involves the tough tissue that runs down from your hip along the knee bone and shin. Although previous theories involved rubbing of this band against the knee causing pain, recent research suggests that the pain is caused by pressure from the IT band on a fatty tissue by the knee joint. This explains why most runners experience pain just above the knee joint and some (a minority, research of which is sorely lacking) at the hip.

Although runners may experience “yogic high” through strenuous styles like Ashtanga or Vinyasa, slower and more therapeutic styles like Iyengar and Anusara may be more beneficial for runners, cyclists, and other athletes experiencing pain. Strenuous styles may promote moving in the same patterns that caused the pain in the first place.

Those currently practicing yoga can do the poses below to prevent pain caused by ITBS. These poses strengthen the legs and gluteus maximus, where much of the pain-related tension is connected. Remember, though, that pain is a message to take it easy. Consult your doctor or a physical therapist if you suspect that you have ITBS before considering yoga your medicine. Overdoing these poses may inflict more harm than good, but moderation may spell a release from ITBS-related pain.

· Outer hamstring twist
· Outer thigh twist
· Cow face forward fold
· Square
· Pigeon
· Half lord of the fishes twist
· Cross-legged reclining twist
· Frog legged pose
· Tree
· Warrior III

Try to focus on poses that emphasize standing balance that will strengthen ligaments and tissues around your knee so it remains stabilized and in place. Props can also provide extra stretching in seated cross-legged poses without causing strain in the knees.

Hip flexors

2011-01-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

I have been on the receiving end, recently, of an email chain about moving from Downward Facing Dog into a low lunge. Specifically, how hard it is for a good number of folks to get their foot to their hands in one fluid step. There was talk of dropping onto the knees first to step the foot forward, grabbing the foot with one hand and using arm strength, and first extending the leg to the sky to get some momentum going. There seemed to be a generally agreement that the number one reason it is so difficult to get the foot in between the hands is weakness in the hip flexors (specifically in the iliopsoas).

Every part of the "modern" Western lifestyle seems to weaken this muscle group. Instead of walking to the store, we have to drive there. Instead of working on our feet, we sit. So many things send messages to our body that the iliopsoas has no evolutionary reason to extend and lengthen, and so it shortens. Pretty quickly, too. Even after only two weeks of lots of bus rides in the name of travel, lunges make me see stars (No, I didn't practice any hatha yoga. Zip).

Lots of my students use the "pick up your foot and move it" method in my classes. Of course, the more they practice, that can change. Here, I'm soliciting ways to help strengthen the hip flexors and iliopsoas. Postures, positions, warm-ups (known in Kripalu as pratapana). I'll bring it to the good people of Cornell University, and together we shall move seamlessly into lunge.

While I wait patiently for any hints, tips, suggestions, here's a sequence that uses some of the strenghteners I could dream up.

Begin with 15-20 minutes of warm up
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Take legs into a wide legged Downward Dog
Shift weight forward into plank
Wide legged side plank
Wide legged plank
Wide legged side plank on other side
Push back to Downward Dog
Lift right leg
Bring right leg into chest at top of push-up ("jack knife")
Exhale 3-legged Downward Dog
Moved between steps 10-11 for 6 cycles of breath
Hold jack-knife for one breath
Low lunge
High lunge
Straighten and bend front leg (hands either in air or on either side of front foot). Repeat 6x
Vinyasa
Jump through to seated
Urdhva Navasana (Upward Facing Boat Boat). Hold for 5 cycles of breath.
Jump or step back to Downward Dog
Repeat steps 2-20 on other side
Cool down, or continue practice

Long time, no see

2011-01-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

This blogging vacation marks the longest in my Joy tenure. And, just like the pure happiness I felt upon arriving back home and unlocking the doors to my apartment, it's nice to be back home in bloglandia. It's nice to sit here and pretend no one is watching, but being pleasantly surprised when they are.

In my absence, Chris and I traveled to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. We missed a few snow storms and caught one on our way back in. The brief respite made me glad for the snow again, although not for driving/biking in it. I know it's not the case for everyone, but put me in the boat of: "the best part of vacation is coming back home. "

While away, I caught up on my New Yorker magazines, and read an article about the Dalai Lama. Here's something I didn't know, and would definitely have lost a bet on: the DL is a carnivore! As described in the article, the DL eats meat for health reasons. When he tried to be a vegetarian, he suffered. As we all know, the DL and suffering... well, they are even more contradictory than the DL and meat. Also, when he was a young DL, he used to get nervous before long events he was required at because he was worried he would have to use the bathroom. Hey! That's just like me on long Guatemalan bus rides!

A message I know, but forget like it's my job, it's to put no one on a pedestal. Even the DL. So it's nice to come along articles like this every once and awhile which remind me that even the DL gets scared that he's going to pee his pants. And about the meat... I'm a veggie and going to stay one. The message for me there is to stay clear of definitive and dogma. Your path will change even while you think you're walking on it. Our bodies are between 50-60% water (according to Wikipedia) and I ought to start acting more like it. Accept the constant shifts and movements, fluid like the water that we are, and (as all good yogis know) go with the flow.

Thanks, DL.

Guest Post: Yoga for Pregnancy

2011-01-08T08:46:00.000-05:00

Awhile back, Robin Merrill graced our pages with a poem, Hymn to Full. She´s back again today with a post on Yoga for Pregnancy. Robin is currently blogging at uBaby.com, a new site that is trying to build a community for pregnant women and new moms, especially those who blog (her description). Without further ado, some sweet baby-talk.

Yoga during Pregnancy

I had dabbled in yoga before I ever got pregnant, and though I enjoyed it, I didn’t really create space in my life for it.

Then, when I got pregnant, my body craved yoga. I would get restless and just feel like I needed the warrior pose, or I would die! In my experiences, yoga and pregnancy just seemed to go together, you know, like honey and asparagus – what, that didn’t happen to you during pregnancy?

In fact, the popular “Lamaze breathing” is based on yoga. Rumor has it that the good Dr. Lamaze learned this famous laboring strategy from his wife!

Maybe this spiritual and physical fit between yoga and pregnancy explains why prenatal yoga classes have become so fashionable. Nowadays, when I ask one of my pregnant girlfriends to hang out, she nearly always says, “Can’t, I’ve got yoga class.” (Occasionally, she says, “Can’t, I have to go to bed now.”)

In today’s culture, it can be difficult to have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Many women are not active enough when they first get pregnant, and pregnancy adds just enough exhaustion to their lives to prevent them from adding more physical activity. Yoga can help correct this deficit, because it helps with relaxation and inner peace. Yoga also helps us learn how to, and remember to breathe, something that is not always easy when a woman is trying to balance two or more jobs with a baby balanced on her bladder.

Yoga also improves strength and flexibility, and as such, will make labor and delivery easier. (Not easy, but easier.) Yoga during pregnancy helps keep a woman’s blood pressure healthy, and helps prevent excess weight gain. It is even believed to help with morning sickness.

If you are new to yoga, or haven’t tried it yet, try to find a class with an experienced instructor who makes you feel comfortable. A prenatal class is best because a prenatal instructor won’t recommend poses for you that are uncomfortable for a pregnant woman. If you can’t find a prenatal class in your area or if you can’t fit those that you do find into your schedule, be sure to tell your instructor that you are pregnant, even if you are only a few months along. If you can’t get to a class, there are several prenatal yoga videos available.

Here are some basic safety tips:

After the first trimester, limit or avoid doing poses on your back because it might reduce your blood flow to baby.
Slow and steady! Don’t force anything. Remember that the hormone relaxin is coursing through your body right now, so your body might be more vulnerable to strains and sprains.
When you get close to the end of your pregnancy, keep a chair or wall nearby for standing poses. This might not apply to everybody, but my center of balance completely disappeared when I was about 8 months along, and I needed a chair to steady myself. (I’ve never been terribly graceful!)
As when practicing yoga during any phase of life, listen closely to your body, and don’t do anything that doesn’t “feel” right.
Remember to breathe.
Always consult with your physician before beginning (or continuing with) any physical regimen.

This post was brought to you by uBaby, a new website created to help every new mom enjoy an active and healthy pregnancy. uBaby is a community of mothers and moms-to-be, and bloggers and writers are invited to register on the site and share their own expertise and experiences.

Yoga like Budget Airlines

2011-01-05T10:32:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, I remember when yoga mats were provided to all students and no one charged. Actually, at the first studio I went to (way back in the 90s), I received a tank top with my first class pass purchase. I still have that tank top, but see more and more the pushing of "extras" at yoga studios. Last night, I went to a class with a friend I was visiting outside of Boston. As I paid for the class ($17, ouch), the receptionist asked, "Will you be needing water, towel, or a mat?"It reminded me of McDonald's: "Would you like to Supersize that?"

I don't run a studio. It's not for me. So maybe I don't understand the need to charge for everything. The truth is, though, is that studios never used to charge for what I consider a basic need of yoga classes: mats and, sometimes, towels. To me, it seems like paying for a gym pass and then needing to pay extra for each type of equipment that you use. When did yoga studio owners shift to not providing everything needed to do yoga? And why?

It reminds me of Spirit Airlines, who I will be flying with on Friday (to Mexico for two weeks). Spirit is a super-budget airlines. This means that they charge $3 for beverages on the plane, make you pay for a new ticket if you miss your flight (or are just checking in late), and-- the kicker-- pay for carry on luggage. In fact, carry on luggage is more expensive then checked luggage.

There's a parallel between the airlines the studios. No one is forcing me to go to studios that, as I see it, charge for things that should be included. No one is forcing me to fly with an airline that has been fined mondo bucks by the Better Business Bureau for horrific customer service. But I wanted to go with my friend to her home studio and Spirit had the schedule that worked to go to Mexico. So why couldn't they just charge more, and therefore be more upfront about the costs that you end up paying anyway?

After a semi-whine session, a sequence is most certainly in order:

Begin in Balasana (Child's Pose)
Roll your body through to Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Roll back to Child's, arching your back through Cat Pose on the way
Flow between to poses, rolling forward and back
Table pose
Thread the needle, repeat on other side
Table
Downward Facing Dog Pose
Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation A), repeat 4x
Surya Namaskar B (Sun Salutation B), repeat 4x
Vinyasa to Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle)
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Parivrtta Virabhadrasana (Revolved Warrior Pose)
Vinyasa to repeat steps 11-15 on other side
Vinyasa to Samasthiti
Prasarita Padottanasana I (Standing Forward Fold)
Prasarita Padottanasana II
Prasarita Padottanasana III Note: See Dharma Mittra link for different between poses
Vinyasa to seated
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Purvottanasana (Reverse Plank Pose)
Vinyasa to seated
Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Pose). Repeat other side
Jump back and vinyasa to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Inhale and come forward to Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff)
Slowly lower to stomach
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Slowly raise to Plank
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Jump through to seated
Marichyasana (Marichi's Twist). Repeat other side
Repeat steps 26-29
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Repeat steps 31-34
Ardha Virasana (Half Hero Pose). Fold forward over outstretched leg, bent knee out at 90 degree angle. Repeat other side
Repeat steps 26-34
Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose). Repeat other side
Bhekasana (Frog Pose)
Garbasana (Child's Pose)
Cat/cow spine in table
Thread the needle in table for twist and back stretch. Repeat other side.
Utthita Shisonasana (Puppy Pose)
Come onto back, rolling along spine
Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist). Repeat other side
Savasana

Ecstasy in age

2010-12-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Bear with me for this one.

Shakespeare wasn't the first to make the connection between old age and being an infant, but his seven ages of man monologue is a good intro for those who aren't familiar with the concept:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. (As You Like It)

I have often thought about what goes on in the minds of those without a developed form of communication (i.e. infants and very young children). Is it a meditative state? Is it Ishvara Pranidhana? Is it Samadhi? Is thought just a random succession of images? What is going on in there?

I don't pretend to know and I'm not sure of folks who do. But, to go back to Shakespeare, I wonder if that same state of total reception is again present in very old age. For those who again lose the abilities of language, of word formation (I see this happening in me sometimes, on a much more minor level), do they again enter a mindset similar to infants? In the most advanced stages of aging, the return to the "second childishness," is there a chance to once again be totally present in the moment? There isn't the same sense of acquisition as the first childhood; instead, it is a revisitation and a letting go.

I've thought that in a stage of infancy, we are closer to the "universal consciousness." Maybe, again in old age, we again close in on it.

I like to think so, at least.

Yoga in Your Parent's Living Room

2010-12-24T10:28:00.001-05:00

My guess is that I'm not the only one currently experiencing extra people. Extra people in your home, or you are the extra people in the home of someone else. The extra people experience, so emblematic of the holidays.

It can be a stressful time. Having more people in your space can result in a feeling of claustrophobia and being in someone's space can create less agency. It's like being in a romantic relationship; suddenly, you're not just making decisions for yourself anymore. You might wake up, be totally ravenous for a strawberry-banana smoothie... only to find that Pops, in his infinite love for you, has made a gigantic batch of french toast. Just for you.

Or, like me, you're a bit addicted to the asana side of your yoga practice. You. Need. To. Move! But your parents have a teeny little living room, and it is filled with presents. Yesterday, I practiced to Live.Love.Yoga's podcasts (go to iTunes and enter "Power Yoga with Nikki Wong" for FREE downloadable podcasts of sheer yoga brilliance) while I worried about knocking over things and staring at Christmas wrapping. Did I mention that I'm Jewish? And am really anti-consumer?

I think I need to accept the fact that this week, this one week out of the year, my yoga practice needs to move off of the mat. I need to eat the french toast and detach myself from smoothie cravings. I can take a looooooooong walk in the Shawangunk Mountains to get some air and do Mountain Pose on the real thing. Mostly, I can make space for the needs of other people while being aware of my own. Especially whether my needs are just attachments and routines that, while they may be "healthy," are still attachments.

However, just in case your parent's living room, or your living room crowded with guests, is a little less packed than my own, here is a yin practice that requires a bit less space to move around in.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
Dirgha and Ujjayi Pranayama (Three Part Breath and Ocean Sounding Breath). Come back to this breath often throughout this practice.
Baddha Konasana (Cobbler's Pose). Hold for 2-3 minutes.
Bhujangasana on forearms, forearms shoulder width apart (Cobra). Hold for 1 minute.
Gomukhasana (Face of Light Pose) with arms resting in a comfortable place. Hold for 2 minutes on each side.
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose). Hold for 2-3 minutes. (Note: avoid or be careful is you have sciatica or chronic lower back issues)
Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist Pose). Hold for 2-3 minutes each side.
Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose). Hold for 2 minutes.
Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall Pose). Hold for 5-10 minutes.
Savasana (Corpse Pose). Hold for twice your usual length.

Clutter

2010-12-14T22:09:00.001-05:00

Close your eyes. In your mind's eye, take a moment and envision five pairs of shoes you own. See the colors, shapes, where they are currently. Think about where you got them from. Think about how much they cost and the story behind acquiring them.

You may be thinking... shoes? But here's the point: if you can close your eyes and imagine five pairs of shoes (mighty, I can see a whole lot more than five, even in my mind) that means that in addition to taking up space in your closet, the shoes are also taking up space in your consciousness. (To link this up with a Niyama, check out Katherine's post on Saucha, or purity)

Chris cleaned the heck out of the house today. He removed every single piece of furniture from the living room and spent hours cleaning it. Things I couldn't have imagined were dirty... well, that's not even for polite company. It was scary where all those dust bunnies and caked on griminess hid. I sweep/vacuum usually on a weekly basis. There's no stuff strewn about the floors. Dirt, however, gets in there. It just does.

Same with our minds. The more stuff we acquire on a physical basis, the more space it takes up in our mind. The shoe experiment can be repeated on coats, bags, silverware, coffee mugs. All of this stuff is just lying in our minds, gathering dust. What can be more productive in your mental space than physical objects?

Of course, this is a holiday post. I'm trying to give presents that are either needed or useful with the hope that I will receive the same. Stocking stuffers have been known to make me angry at the giver (I'm working on it). Give a gift to yourself, too, by cleaning out what you can. By making space. In the end, there will be more space in your mind and breath. And, this time of year, couldn't we all breathe a little easier?

Sequence

Warm up for 10-15 minutes
Samasthiti (Equal standing)
Take your right leg and bend it, bringing the right calf to cross above the left knee (while balancing on left foot)
Hands to heart center, "sit" hips lower and back, opening the right hip
Open out and back to Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)
Exhale to step back to high lunge
Take right hand to inside of left foot, left hand to hair for low lunge twist
Spin open to Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Reverse warrior, taking hand to back leg
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Bending front knee slightly to take left hand to floor, step back into Vasisthasana (Side Plank)
Plank
Vinyasa
Repeat steps 2-13 on other leg
Cool down
Savasana

Let it be.

2010-12-07T07:23:00.000-05:00

I am a worrier. As much as I try not to be - I am. So is my mom. And seemingly my grandmother. To some extent, I honor that at least I can recognize where it comes from. At the same time, I constantly need this reminder of the last niyama: Isvara Pranidhana. Most often translated as "surrender to God," I like to think of it as surrendering to the flow that is my life. To simply do and be the best I can without unneeded concern over the outcome. To trust that the decisions I make and the actions I take are genuine to the person I am and the outcome will simply be a result of self expression. And no matter whether it will be seen from the outside as "good" or "bad," in my book all will be good because I have let it go and am choosing actions that resonate with my true self at that given moment. Releasing concern about what may or may not happen in the future allows us to live more presently in this moment. It's not easy.

As far as teaching this niyama, I have had many students come to me looking for specific results. It is ever so challenging to instill that it is truly the journey - the effort and the experience - that need the focus and attention rather than the end results. Surrendering to the flow of the journey rather than over thinking the outcome is Isvara Pranidhana. Also creating a link between all students that pass through the doorway to your class can help shift the attention from the individual to this unique universal life/journey which we are all a part. Inviting an awareness of what we all share rather than focusing on our differences can bring a sense of surrender of that universal self.

What ways do you see or bring "surrendering to the flow" to your life or in your yoga classes?

**I've spent the past several months writing weekly about the yamas and niyamas here on the Joy of Yoga! I hope you all enjoyed! Your feedback has been greatly appreciated. Any suggestions on what you'd like to chat more about in the future?

Honoring the Class

2010-12-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

It's coming to the end of the semester here at Cornell. I pretty much have the same schedule next semester, which means it's likely I'll be seeing a lot of similar faces, but the schedules of other students will surely shift, and I'll have to say bye to others.

I'd like to do something at the end of this semester to honor those who came with such amazing dedication and shared their practice. This isn't exactly a woo-woo friendly place and I don't want to make any assumptions or turn anyone off (when they are ready, the woo-woo will come). I tend to not talk about "spirit" and the "light within" all that much. Right now, I'm trying to think of a good way to end the class showing how grateful I am in movement and asana. Tricky, tricky, tricky.

If one pose, to you, was a symbol of gratitude, what pose would that be?

Sequence from this morning's class:

Begin on back, centering, breathing
Extend legs up to sky
Using core, bring extending legs out to right, and, moving like a pendulum, through center to the left. Keep the shoulders grounded on the mat
Repeat for about 1 minute, breathe smoothly
Extend legs to sky
Crisscrossing the legs move them to hover over the floor, and back up the sky. Continuing to crisscross lower and lift
Repeat for about 1 minute, breathe smoothly
Extend legs to sky
Eagle crunch (arms and legs bound in eagle while on back, bringing elbows towards knees and away). 12x each side
Release and roll to table
Cat/cow in table
"Thread the needle" in table, both sides
Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Hand)
5 Sun As
3 Sun Bs. In the Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I), interlace fingers behind lower back. Inhale, open heart to sky, exhale take shoulder to inside of knee (hip stretch). In each Sun B, repeat this Warrior stretch.
Uttana Pristhasana (Lizard Pose). Hold, using props as needed, for 1 minute
Ardha Supta Kapotanasana (Half Reclined Pigeon). Moving foot across and knee down, come into reclined pigeon. Hold 1 minute.
Three Legged Downward Facing Dog, open hip by bending knee
Downward Dog
Repeat steps 17-20 on other side
Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
Halasna (Plow Pose)
Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
Supta Matysendrasana (Reclined Twist). Repeat other side
Savasana

Quickie Sequence

2010-12-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

Saw this shout-out on Suburban Yogini and thought... crap!, when's the last time I posted a sequence?

So here's a quickie that I used in a recent class. Enjoy!

12 Sun Salutations to warm up (or warm up of choice)
Natarajasana (Dancer's Pose), opening to
Virabhadrasana III (Warrrior III), revolving to
Ardha Chandrasana (Balancing Half Moon)
Taking leg back to Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Taking arm to back leg, for revolved or opened Warrior II
Straighten front leg for revolved triangle (Trikonasana)
Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose)
Step front leg back and into the air for 3-legged Downward Facing Dog
Vinyasa and repeat steps 1-9 on other side

30 Day Yoga Challenge// Part Two!

2010-12-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

Back here I posted about one of the great loves of my life's 30 Day Yoga Challenge. Curious how it turned out? Me too! So, from sweet Kelly, the wrap up:

Take That 30 Day Challenge!

My 30 days are up and quite honestly, I am not sure what all my fuss was about.

Week 1: I was all pumped and ready to go! Time flew by and I was feeling good.
Week 2: Started to get tired, dragged a little bit, but pushed through.
Week 3: Back in the saddle and loving it!
Week 4: In the home stretch, started to feel a bit stiff and sore for a few days but knew that was normal.

The secret was to take it day by day and not think "Oh, 23 days to go, 22 days to go..." Not that I didn't do little mental checks now and again but for the most part thinking of it one day at a time worked well. The studio owner asked me how I felt about the time commitment, and I was forced to be honest with myself. For me, the time commitment wasn't an issue. I don't have children taking up my life so I chose to attend 4pm classes on weekdays and the 8am classes on the weekends. This truly wasn't the challenging part. What was more difficult was dragging myself when I just didn't feel like going! But I sucked it up because I knew it was best for me, and I really reaped some significant benefits.

What benefits, you ask? Well, I've really broadened my horizons regarding different yoga styles. Before the challenge I was primarily taking Bikram and Hot yoga classes. I tend to need variety in my life so I began to ease into Power and Vinyasa, which was really such an awesome thing for my practice. I felt like a whole new world was opening up to me and I began to work on my upper body strength, or lack thereof. I am actually starting to prefer these new classes to my original choices! I think this demonstrates the need for balance, variety and new challenges in one's practice. Another benefit of making yoga class part of my daily routine was seeing progress. At first I thought my body would be transformed, but once reality set in I knew it was going to take a lot more then a month to get to my ideal. Instead, I see a slower, more gradual progression in balance, strength and flexibility, which really makes a lot more sense. I also started making some connections with other people at the studio. I know my teachers better and I went from not speaking to anyone in the classes to having some friendly faces to talk to. Yoga is such an individual practice that I didn't see how I could make friends doing it, but now I realized that the more involved I get, the more opportunities I have to possibly get to know some new people with similar interests.

I think I am at the tip of the iceberg as far as yoga practice and meditation but this challenge has demonstrated to me that it's something I really want to keep as an important part of my life. In fact, I am starting to think it's something I really want to focus on, possibly even becoming a teacher of some sort. (Although the thought is terrifying!) And guess what? The next 30 Day Challenge begins in January and the owner already wanted to know if I'd sign up! I decided not to, however, because I am confident enough in myself now that I don't need to be held accountable in that way anymore. I'm going to keep this up on my own terms and in my own way. Hooray!

Svadhyaya

2010-11-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Svadyaya is cultivating self awareness and taking the time to reflect inward. Within that self study includes constantly moving forward, learning, growing and sharing our true self with those around us. I feel like that self study truly is my yoga practice. Not only does asana and meditation bring the sensitivity to connect with my true nature, but it also presents questions that encourage me to seek and learn....it keeps me coming back for more.

I love asking my students to let go of where they came from and let go of where they are going when they leave class in order to become present on their mat during class. I then ask them to set an intention to listen to the messages their body/mind sends them as they move through asana - without judgement. Simply to listen and be aware. I think this helps set the tone of yoga as a personal practice. This invitation of inner awareness can help us all see the benefits of yoga in their lives.

In a workshop I took last spring with Aadil Palkhivala, he asked at the beginning of class as we settled in "Why are you here?" and "What is your dharma?". I find myself reflecting on those questions often as I practice asana and move through life. He suggested that being open to asking these questions of ourself is the journey - it's about always being open to what arises rather than seeking the answer. Opening myself to this reflection has given me great perspective on my own life and encouraged me to explore what it is I truly believe. It has allowed me to find honesty with myself and truly that is the power of yoga.

Hymn to Full, by Robin Merrill

2010-11-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

I didn't write about the U.S. Thanksgiving this year. Too busy doing the things I am so thankful for, thank goodness. Robin, however, contacted me about doing a guest post/poem. Sometimes poems, in beauteous brevity, can speak to a feeling better than any long winded post or litany I could write. For a bio and more poetry (and who doesn't need more poetry-- "I believe the world is beautiful/ and that poetry, like bread, is for everyone.") her website is www.robinmerrill.com

Hymn to Full

Here is my hymn

to the washing machine

full of diapers full of

fluorescent mustard

baby poop. Here is a hymn

for clogged milk ducts,

bras stuffed with cabbage leaves,

breasts bursting with nourishment.

Here is my hymn for hampers:

seventy-five thousand

shades of pink

soaked in soured milk

and baby pee. Here is my hymn

to a full house, my hymn to clutter,

my hymn to nothing ever gets

done, not dishes, not floors,

not groceries, not even poems.

Here is my hymn to calendars,

full of doctor’s appointments:

pediatric, obstetric, chiropractic.

Here is my hymn for my daughter,

full of vigor and vitality,

her belly round, her brain busy

absorbing the world,

one primary color, one consonant,

one note, one face, one scent

at a time. And finally,

here is a hymn,

the first hymn ever

to my heart,

who now knows how to

overflow.

Robin Merrill is a poetess who splits her time between Maine and Michigan. You can usually find her writing about Marquette MI hotels.

Is Yoga Hindu?

2010-11-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

Deepak says no. The Hindu American Association says yes.

So, it is?

Arms/Hands in Sun Salutations

2010-11-26T17:53:00.000-05:00

A query:

Anyone know why there are the different hand and arm variations in the Sun Salutations A and B? For example, I sometimes see people swan dive arms out to the side as they come into a forward fold. Sometimes I see hands coming down through heart center in a forward fold. Some folks, upon rising, bring the arms above head, and immediately go into a forward fold from there. Others bring arms overhead, back through heart center, and then back again over head before coming in a forward fold. There are also different hand variations in Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Hand Posture). Steeple fingers, palms together, etc. I'm guessing it's mudra related, but I just don't know.

Any ideas about the variations of the arms and hands? Lineage? Or just preference?

Thanks!

Spinal Breath (a poem)

2010-11-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

A poem by Carly Sachs, a Renaissance-lady who I completed my yoga teacher training with. For more information on Carly and her work, please check out her website The Why and Later.

Spinal Breath

for Dinabandu and Ila

This morning

the red trees

in the cemetery,

now watching three women skip

stones across the lake,

as if we are water,

imagine the ripples

from these tiny acts,

lifting an arm or a leg

and placing it somewhere

new.

What could you let skim

the surface, and what

would you allow

to travel

your entire length

down,

as you invite the breath

to necklace

the spine, what treasures

waiting

in the jewel box

of body,

what ecstatic message

tucked in the bottle

of mind,

now still,

simply

arriving.

Guest Post from Cindy Cullen

2010-11-20T08:54:00.001-05:00

Yoga to Cure Depression and Chase Away the Blues

There’s no doubting the fact that exercise helps boost both mental and physical health, and if there’s one form of exercise that doesn’t take too much time and doesn’t tax your body and drain you physically even as it gives you all the benefits of working out, it’s yoga. For long, yoga had been associated with the mystic East and spirituality more than signifying a way of exercise. Today however, many people have taken to yoga as one of the best ways to improve body and soul; when practiced just a few days a week, for as little as 20 minutes a day, yoga provides a host of benefits that improve the quality of your life and your overall wellbeing.

If you’re prone to moods that are blue and feel sad or depressed most of the time, you could turn to yoga as an effective form of therapy. It helps elevate your mood by:

Altering your brain chemistry to enable it to produce more serotonin and dopamine (feel-good hormones)
Stimulating your pituitary gland to release endorphins (the feel-good hormone that is released when you exercise) and reduce the level of cortisol (the stress hormone that causes immense damage to mental and physical health)
Regulating your thyroid and reducing mood swings and preventing your weight from see-sawing
Making you look better and younger by directing more blood to your face so your skin glows and wrinkles are slow to form

The yoga positions (or asanas) that help cope with depression are the head stand (sirshasana), the plow (halaasana), the shoulder stand (sarvangasana), and the fish (matsyasana). While the head and shoulder stands are for advanced practitioners of yoga, the plow and the fish positions can be learned in a few weeks with regular practice. All these positions direct more blood to your head and brain and help stimulate your neurons to generate feel-good hormones that boost your mood. In fact, the shoulder stand is so effective an exercise that doing just this everyday for a few days a week is enough to boost your physical and mental health.

Besides these asanas, practicing how to breathe correctly and meditating for a while in a silent and calm environment can bring about a host of mental and physical health benefits, including boosting your mood and reducing depressive thoughts and feelings.

A significant advantage of yoga is that it is convenient for people of all ages – even if you have health conditions that prevent you from exercising or playing a sport, you could still stay fit and slim by practicing simple yoga exercises and breathing techniques. However, before you begin any yoga routine, discuss it with your doctor and seek out a professional yoga instructor to help you out initially.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Cindy Cullen, she writes on the topic of culinary arts colleges . She welcomes your comments at her email id: cindycullen84 <@>gmail<.>com.

Be Present Now!

2010-11-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

I'm quoting liberally from this New York Times article tomorrow in class...

Sequence// Shoulder Openers

2010-11-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's been awhile. My apologies. But here we go. A very, very good shoulder opener from a class I took on Monday night. You should make a 180 turn by the end of this sequence

Start off with a bunch of Sun As and Bs to warm up (or your choice)
Low lunge
High Lunge (Crescent Lunge)
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Revolved Triangle (Hand to back leg, heart opener, not the twist-y variety)
Five Pointed Star
Take your arms into Gomukhasana (Face of Light or Cow Face Pose) arms
Exhale, keeping arms like that, come into wide-legged forward fold
Inhaling to come up, keeping arms like that, turn to back of room
Exhale, lower into Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose) with Face of Light Arms
Inhale, come up half-way and release arms
Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle, the twist-y variety)
Inhale, come up halfway
Virabhadrasana III
Back to Crescent Lunge
Vinyasa
Repeat from 1, making your way back to the front of the room
Complete with any cool-down
Savasana!

Tapas

2010-11-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

I've seen several "definitions" of tapas - my favorites being heat, perseverance and austerity. We have to put effort into the world for our visions, goals, and dreams to come to fruition while simultaneously balancing with samtosha - discovering effort with contentment. It is important to recognize the difference between fantasizing about our future and truly setting ourselves on the path to creating our ideal reality. Kimberly Wilson discusses tapas in Hip Tranquil Chick as the heat that can bring change and allow for room to grow; she suggests it's connecting with tapas that allows us to stay mindful of our choices (and sacrifices) that help to move us along the spiritual path. Self observation and awareness is key as we define tapas in our own life. Dedicating our practice of asana, meditation, and study helps to keep consistency on the path to who we desire to be. I feel as if I reset myself on the path of who I want to be every single day. As crazy as it sounds, life sometimes gets in the way and I have to bring mindfulness to the choices I make and get back on the mat, sit for 10 minutes or journal first thing in the morning to reconnect and get back on my path. Instead of feeling out stagnant in any situation make the choices to put effort behind moving forward and discovering change.

The balance of contentment and effort is important in asana practice. If we force (in life and in asana) we often do more harm than good. As teachers, it's important to stay mindful of how we move our students into asana. Instead of demonstrating or cueing students to the "ideal" or most advanced level of any given pose and then giving modifications, start gently and give advancements. Rather than overwhelm, I invite you to underwhelm and then progress. Allow your students to want more of each asana and that will generate the heat of change in their body, mind and spirit.

What is your understanding of tapas or ways in which you've brought tapas into your life?

I'm a Yoga Teacher, but also...

2010-11-16T11:10:00.000-05:00

Two recent comments on posts got me a-thinkin'. Natalia's comment in particular (not quoted in entirety, but mostly):

"...especially about walk-outs- I think that walk-outs are very tied to how teaching yoga involves a money exchange, which is interpreted by many students that they are paying for a product, not supporting a community- and that product is the perfect balance of your personality making them feel motivated, enlightened, challenged, supported, satisfied, etc. And if you don't GIVE them those feelings, sometimes they walk out. As the 'meditator' above mentions about being a facilitator, not an enlightenator, I spend a lot of time telling my students that I am not there to GIVE them those things, just facilitate a space during which they can pay more attention to themselves, practice compassion, curiosity, choose their level of challenge or relaxation, etc, with me there as the 'suggester,' emphasis on 'jester.' This is one of the many reasons I call my class "Empowerflow" because I am trying to Empower my students, not glue them to me. In fact, sometimes I feel guilty wanting students to come back, because I really want them to realize that they can give themselves the gifts of yoga without me.

But back to the whole financial system of yoga. It's fascinating how students can have all the 'product' expectations that I mentioned above, but are willing to pay relatively little.

This is my current rant:

Students: You want me to have a sculpted, flab-free body that I wrap in spandex so you can see its every curve. Then I stand in front of you and writhe and spread my legs and smile and tell you how special you are and maybe I rub your head afterward, and you want to pay me less than you pay for a six-pack of microbrew? And you're not sure if it's worthwhile or if you should come back? F- that. Strippers make more money than that, doing almost the same thing, and they get tips. That's why I'm starting a yoga burlesque group and writing yoga raps that let me blow off some steam. Here's one on the topic:

You would tip her

If she were a stripper

(and, damn, she'd be good,

maybe she should)

Or if he were a server

Sure to deliver.

But what about the one

Who makes loving yourself fun?

Yoga is a service industry.

This is real.

Tip your yogistas like your baristas.

Tip your yoga instructors!"

And Rachel's too:

"Nobody teaches you about tax returns and managing a business either.... "

Reading these, I realized... how many different "jobs" are encompassed under the one title of "Yoga Instructor"? Just in one sit down I came up with this list:

Doctor
Counselor/Therapist
Philosopher
Religious Scholar
Motivational Speaker
Organizational Expert
Librarian (anyone ever spend hours looking for that perfect quote for class?)
Comedian
Accountant
Exercise instructor

Any more to add to the list? This is just an initial thought burst... I have a feeling I'm missing a lot more. Also... yoga burlesque group? Anyone out there joining?

Peace and love to my hard working and hard appreciating yogis and yoginis!

Thank you for everything

2010-11-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

Thank you for everything.

I have no complaints whatsoever.

-Gratitude mantra by Sono (Zen Master)

I win things! I get packages!

2010-11-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening, the divine Miz Nadine Falwell informed me that I won a Sharon Gannon cd from a giveaway on her website. I've been entering these types off of blogs for over a year now, and this is the second thing I have won (the first? A lulu headband from Nikki... another huge score). I am as giddy as a kiddo. Truth? Not sure if I'm more excited about the cd or about getting a piece of mail from around the world!

Growing up, I had a pen-pal in Australia. In her last letter to me, she asked me what I planned on doing for Christmas that year. I remember being really nervous to tell her that I didn't celebrate Christmas because I wasn't sure if there were Jewish people in Australia. I wrote her back, but never got a response. As young as I was, I decided telling her about Hanukkah probably scared her off. Other options include her being a 7 or 8 year old girl and not the most reliable pen-pal.

This really lovely "win" reminded me of how good it felt to get letters from around the world and inspired me. Sometimes I feel isolated in what is still a new place for me (just moved in April after 5 years living in Wisconsin) and seek folks to share with. In a way, with pen pals there is more honesty than with people you see regularly face to face, with the worst that can happen is that they stop writing (I've been there, it's not so bad). So... I want a pen pal! I want pen pals (plural)!

Do you live far, far away? Are you looking to bring back the dying art of the hand written letter? Are you looking to bring the patience of writing by hand (as opposed to the speediness of typing) and the patience of waiting for the letter to arrive into your life? Would you like to share and be shared with? A peer mentoring of sorts?

I promise I would never ever in a million years share the information in the letters anywhere or with anyone and would expect the same. There are more thoughts here, but I wanted to see if there's any interest out there. If so, my email address is in the top right hand corner of the blog. Send any questions, comments, or interest.

Pen pals! It's retro, but just what the world needs.

Things not often mentioned during Yoga Teacher Training

2010-11-10T07:07:00.004-05:00

During YTT I learned about the yamas and the niyamas (if you didn't, check out Katherine's wonderful series here), anatomy, alignment, basic Sanskirt, history, and a whole bunch more. Some things, however, just never came up. Here is a brief, indispensable and contestable list of some things I wish I knew when I completed by 200 hours. If you have anything to add, or strongly agree or disagree, I'd love to know as more and more of my friends become yoga teachers.

Things not often mentioned during Yoga Teacher Training

1. Someone, someday will walk out of your class before it is over. Sometimes right in the beginning, sometimes in the middle, sometimes during savasana. They may walk into the room, see that you are subbing for their beloved teacher, and walk right back out. It's not about you. I wrote a post about this earlier this year and a recent comment brought me back to it and the wonderful, encouraging comments I received after a couple walk outs left me feeling badly. I'll repeat again: It's not about you. All of you out there helped teach me that. Thank you.

2. Someone will experience unpleasant sensations during your class. Nausea and dizziness are both common. It's also likely, however, that no matter how gentle the class, no matter how perfect your instructions and languaging, someone will injure themselves in another way. Allow yourself some introspection regarding how you teach the pose and see if there is a safer way to language it or bring people into the pose. The student may have not been with the breath or allowed their mind to wander, making injury more likely. Let it be a learning experience but not a freak-out.

3. You will have students who have very unpleasant thoughts about you, even wishing you ill. I've had these thoughts about teachers. It happened to me a lot earlier in my practice. Usually, in the end, the teachers I think very angry thoughts about end up teaching me the most and are the most influential. In a way, then, I guess one can aspire to be a teaching that students have a lot of "feelings" about. When there's nothing left to burn up, we must light ourselves on fire.

4. You will have a class where no one shows up or (sometimes worse) one or two people show up. One or two person classes can require much more of your own energy and grace. They are very challenging. Classes where no one shows up can be heartbreaking, depressing, and an opportunity to have more time to make the class that you would have taught even more rock star. If no one continually shows up... maybe tweak the class time. Poll the community and your friends. Advertise. Energy put out should come back to you.

5. If you teach yoga for income, you may have to deal with uncomfortable money situations. It's what happens when you mix an essentially spiritual practice with financial compensation. Many yoga teachers are also women, who also are less likely to ask for raises, more compensation, etc. Be realistic about what you need, what you deserve, and what is likely in the situation you are signing onto. It may be uncomfortable, but bring money up very early in a business relationship.

6. Students may put you up onto a pedestal. Absolute and perfect respect can be respected, and that's mutual. Step off of the pedestal in a graceful leap, tuck, and roll. Then, take a sledgehammer to the pedestal, distributing all parts evenly.

How do these sit with you? Indigestion or like a cup cake [insert favorite sweetness here]?

Ahhh....contentment.

2010-11-09T18:02:00.001-05:00

The second niyama I'd like to chat about is samtosha or contentment. I am always reminding myself of this one. Since moving across the country this summer, I have been a struggling to adjust to a new pace of life and figure out what in the world I am meant to be doing. I’ve felt a bit lost at times. I’ve been unsure what my reality really is and obsessed with figuring it out. I’ve been anything other than content with where I am. I needed to discover how to find my feet – how to ground back down and be okay with where I am instead of constantly searching for where I “should” be. There is nowhere else to be that where we are now. Through all the meditation, mindfulness, and awareness I seek to find one piece of the puzzle that alluded me involved my emotions and I think this is where samtosha comes in to my life. It used to be if I was worried about something it took over my day or if I needed to make a decision I agonized and over-weighed all of my options. I literally had an afternoon two weeks ago where I couldn’t let these swirling thoughts and emotions define me. And so I shifted. I truly felt as if I walked through an invisible wall to the other side and embraced contentment. I embraced the mantra that accompanies my life: I am at peace. And I metaphorically walked to the other side. And it feels good. And I am in a different place now. I found my feet and I feel more grounded that ever. I don’t know what happened, but I know samtosha had a lot to do with it. It’s finding that amazing feeling you have at the end of an asana practice throughout your day – long after the time on the mat is done. I know that the heart of me is contentment and peace; truly believing (not simply saying it) has given me to freedom to chill out and savor all aspects of my life. How amazing is that? Letting go and knowing that peace is my true nature has set me free and made me feel a whole lot better. So, in discovering samtosha, I am finding my reality and that reality is peace. And it is good…really good.

As teachers, I think the best way of sharing samtosha is encouraging our students to be where they are. I often invite students to set the intention of honoring their body during their practice. I ask them to truly listen to the messages their body is sending them and allow those messages to guide and support their choices during their asana practice. My heart always warms when I see someone choose not to advance a pose because I know they are listening…not only to me, but to themselves. We can teach samtosha in those moments when we see someone struggling to take their pose a bit further...we can encourage them to find the positions where they can embrace contentment and peace. And that is what yoga is about: connecting to who you are, where your body is and loving it. Finding contentment and savoring you – exactly where you are!

Balls! The good kind!

2010-11-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

A bit ago, I talked about how I love to use a pink bouncy ball along pressure points. In a smaller class I taught, I gave out old tennis balls for students to use under their bodies.

Now, I'm going big time.

After sending out two emails to the Cornell University tennis teams, I have received two responses, and promises of more tennis balls than a girl could ever dream of. I plan on becoming a good fairy of "dead" tennis ball distribution, bringing them to all of the places I work. While I know a fair bit about yummy places to roll tennis balls (or Pinky's) along the torso, glutes, feet, etc. I am planning on doing a bit of research and starting to incorporate this into classes more often. Very excited!

If you happen to have a university in your town, I might recommend hitting them up for "dead" tennis balls. Even if you don't see an immediate use for them, an hour with you, some candlelight, a tennis ball, and NPR will probably change your mind.

Back with the Niyamas

2010-11-02T12:05:00.004-04:00

After a 2 week hiatus, I am looking forward to discussing the niyamas over the next few weeks. The yogic do's! I feel like the niyamas are a huge piece of the intention I set forth to living my yoga on a day to day basis; they are actions or observances to honor as we walk along the yogic path.

The first niyama is saucha or purity. We've all heard the old adage "cleanliness is next to godliness," but creating purity in our life is more that being sure we've showered. Maintain an orderly space around us can bring clarity of thought and respect for our belongings. Bringing mindfulness to our consumption habits: making choices to avoid toxic foods or purchase environmentally friendly products are also forms of bringing purity into our lives. Nourishing our body and soul by surrounding ourselves with order and eating & drinking mindfully helps to heighten the good in our lives and connect us to our source.

I've recently made some choices (for many reasons) that have connected me to saucha. I loved my morning cup of joe & my evening class of wine (I do live in Sonoma County after all!), but made the choice two months ago that those were habits that weren't serving me anymore. And honestly, I do sense more purity in my life and I don't miss them at all. I am experiencing clarity of my intention and connecting more with my true goals. Maybe it's giving up those "toxic" habits....maybe not, but it is something to think about.

Aadil Palkhivala has said that saucha is about separating our energies and allowing each energy to be distinct; therefore, honoring our personal energy as being unique. One way I like to bring that idea into my yoga classes is to honor that the space outside our yoga practice is different from the space on the mat. I ask my students to let go of where they came from and where they will be going when they leave class and find awareness in this space of the inner practice of yoga. Aadil also suggests that the way we treat our yoga mat is a represents the way we treat the world. Asking that your students respect each other's mats by not stepping on them creates order and honors each individuals energy & space (it also keeps things more sanitary!). Also bringing awareness to the way the mats are arranged for class can create a sense of order. Nice, neat rows opens the energy of the space for a more pure experience. Encouraging students to put their props away in a neat fashion also brings a heightened awareness to saucha.

Any thoughts on sharing saucha when you teach? Or in your daily life?

Tibetan Yoga

2010-11-02T03:36:00.004-04:00

Ready for your mind to be blown? I know I sometimes talk about wanting to jump right away from my computer to go try something... this is not one of those times.

Guest Post from Kelly: 30 Day Challenge

2010-11-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

This post comes from one of my oldest friends (Kelly, not sure if you knew that!) She is a yogini goddess, and is starting a 30 day yoga challenge today. Go, Kelly go! She also has a blog, which, if you're as into reading as you are into yoga, I would subscribe to. I have no idea how these Novel Ladies read so much. If you want to take a cue from Kelly, get inspired, and commit to your own 30 day practice... whatever it is!

The 30 Day Challenge

A few weeks ago my studio announced that for the month of November they were going to be having a 30 Day Yoga Challenge. The premise is simple: go to one yoga class every day for thirty days. If you need to skip a day, that's okay! You just have to double up another day. A tracking calendar is provided for you and there is no extra fee to participate. At first the sign made me pause and think if I wanted to do it. Within a minute I thought, "Nahhhhh... too hard. How will I go out with my friends after work on Fridays? Forget it!" About a week later I was taking a hot yoga class with the studio owner and during a short rest she encouraged us to sign up. "Your yoga practice will be changed forever," she said. "And there are some prizes."

This intrigued me. My practice will be changed forever? There are prizes?!?! Hmmm... For the rest of the class I was distracted by the thought of how I could accomplish this. How could I make it a priority and work it into my daily schedule for an entire month? I realized quickly that it was feasible if I really wanted to do it. It would involve me pushing myself to take some classes I usually do not, like Power Vinyasa and Hot Fusion, however ultimately that would be a good thing. The catch is that I happen to be a habitual quitter. I start things with enthusiasm and then for whatever reason abandon my activities or tasks. Generally I blame this on my Gemini fickleness but I find it to be a character flaw of mine that needs improvement. I spoke with the owner afterward and of course she was very excited about my participation. She had me sign up for the Thanksgiving Flow Before the Feast charity class and asked if I would be willing to a write a testimonial about the holiday practice. "Oh no," I thought. "I'm committed!"

With some encouragement from my husband and mother I started to believe in myself a little more. Then I thought about who else could keep me accountable. How about my 103 6th graders? I introduced the idea of joining me and starting their own personal 30 Day Challenge. I told them my story, handed out tracking calendars and said that the students who finished the Challenge would be recognized publicly at our December assembly with a certificate. I'd even make a wall of recognition for them! Being such a great group of kids, the response was outstanding and almost all of them decided they would try it out. "I really have to do this now," I said to the English teacher on my team. She laughed and replied, "Yes, you do!"

What am I so afraid of? A yoga class for thirty days straight isn't exactly a solo trip around the world in a tiny sailboat. Or is it? Yoga is a discipline and a commitment. It's going to take me out of my comfort zone. I'm scared that I will get sick of my classes and possibly yoga altogether. It frightens me to think that I might fail because of my track record with quitting things. But the possible benefits outweigh those other outcomes. Because maybe, just maybe, I will demonstrate determination and success with the added sweetness of bettering not only my practice but also strengthening my inner peace.

Dara's Centering

2010-10-28T21:36:00.001-04:00

I got to take a class on Monday with my friend, a fellow yoga teacher, and a generally great lady on Monday. Dara seemed comfortable with silence in a way that I am still working towards in my classes. Sometimes I feel like I am always inserting some instruction, hint, modification, alteration, mental instruction, physical instruction, etc. and etc. in fear of the room just being silent. In her class, I was able to see how good it can feel as a student to have that space created by the teacher, and sustained.

This centering is completely lifted from her class. I loved it so much I used it in all of my classes that week. If it works for you as well, may the thread continue!

Dara's Centering

1. Begin in a seated position, eyes closed. (Note: this is a long-ish centering, so it might be best to start on a cushion or blanket)

2. Come into a dirgha (three part) breath

3. Add ujayyi (ocean sounding breath) if it suits you

4. Become aware of your skin. Of the clothes on your body, of the part of your skin touching the floor. The hair follicles on every part of your skin. Feel the skin breathing, as it does, just like you feel the breath coming into and out of your lungs.

5. Pause (and be silent!!!)

6. Notice any noises in the room. Heating vents, air conditioner, street noises. Now take your awareness into the quietest noise in the room, which is often your breath. Have the quietest noise in the room be your focus.

7. Pause

8. After hearing and listening to your breath, feel the breath moving into and out of the nose. What part of the nose does it touch on inhale? On exhale? What do you smell on the inhale? On the exhale?

9. Pause

10. The eyes being closed this whole time, it may seem like you are seeing nothing. But take your awareness into the back of your eyelids. See the back of your eyelids like you would a movie projection screen. What colors, shapes, light or dark splotches do you see? Not referring to visions or images in your mind, but literally. What do your eyes see when they are closed?

11. Pause

12. Take your awareness into your mouth. Relax the jaw, let the tongue be heavy in the mouth. Let there be a parting in between the lips. See if there is a taste in the mouth. Whether your last meal was 10 hour or 10 minutes ago, there is a taste always there. Become attuned to whatever subtle taste there is in the mouth.

13. Pause

14. Now bring your awareness into all of the senses. Feel the energy of all of the senses constantly at work in your body, even when you do not notice them. Feel energized and enlivened by the complete awareness of your senses. And... breathe.

Yoga to put you to sleep

2010-10-26T20:07:00.000-04:00

This is what I've been doing the past few nights to help put myself to sleep. Whether it just works very, very well or I am just very, very tired... I can't say. Probably a combination of both. Either way, this is a good tool to help students (and yourself) focus on your breath during final relaxation or Savasana.

1. Begin by closing your eyes and bringing the breath into and out of the nose. Start by focusing on the breath and the sensation of the breath entering and exiting the nose. What part of the nostrils does the air touch on inhales and exhales? Do you smell anything while you breathe? Is there a different smell on exhales? Be fully present in your breath.

2. Now take the awareness into what you see while your eyes are closed. Do you see splotches of light? Colors? Dots? What do you still when you eyes are closed?

3. Against the back of your eyelids, see the numbers 1-10 lining up against the back of your eyes. The number one appears to be in the right corner of your right eye, the number 10 on the other side, appearing to be in the left corner of the left eye. The rest evenly line up in between.

4. Beginning with an exhale (that part is important! Have to begin on the exhale) count the number one and "see" the number one with your eyes closed. Inhale, keeping the "gaze" on the number one. Exhale, and shift the gaze to the number two that you are envisioning. Inhale on two. Exhale move to three, and continue until you inhale with your eyes seeing the 10 that you visualized in the left corner of the left eye.

5. If your mind wanders during the count, begin again at the number 1.

6. If you can make it to the number 10 without passing out, start again at one. If you can go through it twice without the mind wandering or with lots of restarts, are you really tired? Are you trying to go to sleep just because you think it's a good time to? Sleep can't be forced, but we can bring our bodies and minds into a state more open to it.

7. If you start to have those weird, loopy half-sleep thoughts as you count, don't push the counting. Isn't sleep the point?

I hope this works for you! I have a really lovely class intro meditation that pairs well with this... coming soon!

Sleep tight, my sweet yogis and yoginis!

Guest Post: Meditation Tip-- Unclutch

2010-10-23T12:18:00.001-04:00

Meditation Tip | Unclutch

By Swami Nithyananda

The mind is nothing but a collection of thoughts. These thoughts rise up in succession like the bubbles in a fish tank. All these thoughts that rise in the mind also appear to be connected. But just like the bubbles in the fish tank the thoughts in the mind are also independent and unconnected.

You can do a small exercise. For ten minutes sit silently and observe the thoughts that arise in your mind. Don’t try to control or stop thinking. Just be silent and witness the thoughts coming. The moment a thought comes quickly, write it down on paper. Then, at the end of ten minutes read out whatever is written. You will see that it’s a mad man’s diary. There is utter chaos. There’s no connection between the previous thought, and the next one. Only when you write down your thoughts you come to know that the thoughts have no real connection. You may be thinking about having a cup of tea and the next moment you think about some pending office work. There is no real connection between having a cup of tea and the office work. Both are independent events. Even if there are two consecutive thoughts about the same event, the thoughts are unconnected as there is no continuity. There exists a silent gap between these thoughts of which one is not aware.

These thoughts by their very nature are unclutched. The problem begins when we start connecting these thoughts. When these independent and unconnected thoughts are linked together, we create illusions of pleasure or pain based on the nature of thoughts that we choose to combine. This is a play of the mind that is constantly happening within us.

When we perceive every incident as a new incident we will see life in a more beautiful way. Everything seems joyful and blissful. You stop taking things for granted. Once you start accepting life from moment to moment, bliss happens to you naturally.

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Known as the “life bliss swami,” Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a young enlightened master of Yoga and meditation who has inspired more than 4 million followers worldwide. He has dedicated his life to helping people overcome mental, physical and spiritual barriers to achieve enlightenment and live lives of bliss, success and peace. Find out more about the art of levitation at Nithyananda's next Inner Awakening event which will be held on Dec. 1-21 near Bangalore, India. Visit http://www.innerawakening.org and www.dhyanapeetam.org.

Guest Post from Lindsey of Joy for Life blog

2010-10-22T15:46:00.002-04:00

This guest blog post was provided through TeachStreet’s new Guest Blog Exchange Program. The program helps excellent teachers of various subjects (including Yoga!) connect with great bloggers who share the same interests as they do. If you’re interested in writing a post or hosting a post on your blog, feel free to contact Kenji Crosland at kenji [at] teachstreet dot com.

Holiday Helper

"I don't know exactly how it happens," my friend, a yoga teacher, said, "But when I go home for the holidays, I lose it. I lose the person I usually am when I'm not there. I get cranky, stressed, argumentative....what's the deal with that?" All I could do was nod. It happens to me too.

Yup, I do write a blog that features a lot of stay-calm tips, but in all honesty I'm not really sure what the deal is. A bunch of things might do it: We're in closer quarters than we're used to, with more people than we're used to; we're not getting the usual food that keeps us balanced; or we're not getting the same exercise that releases adrenaline. Or, we've eaten way too many of our dad's homemade almond cookies even though we know sugar makes us cranky, and reverted to the selves we know we can be around people who love us no matter what, even if we do sometimes resort to teenage-like bickering with our big sister. Not that I've ever done that, of course.

Home For The Holidays: 5 Yoga Tips For Keeping Your Cool

Aside from the usual admonitions: getting the R & R we need, eating well, lowering our expectations of getting our dream Thanksgiving...

1 Tap In

We can take five minutes in the morning to tap into that person we know we can be, through anything that works for us. Some suggestions:

asana (vinyasas work really well when short on time)

meditation with long, deep breathing

journaling

2 Pause and Check

Got a snarky reply on the tip of our tongues? A one-second pause to recognize that the source of our bad mood is likely coming from us and whatever leftovers we're hanging onto from the fight we had when we were 12--not them--is often enough to help us let that response go.

3 Reprogram

On the yoga mat we learn to meet physical stressors and challenges with peace and equanimity. Just remembering that we've done that can help us consciously tap into that when we meet stressors in the living room. "Oh, hiiiiiii, (smarmy and irritating goon) Uncle Ted!"

4 Release

And when it all just gets to be a bit too much? Head to the basement, shut the door, turn down the lights, and take Lions' Breath at least 10 times, while standing. Adding big, sweeping arm movements, reaching high then out and down, on each exhale, adds oooomph.

5 Escape

Do what an acquaintance of mine is doing this year: head to Mexico!

Lindsey Lewis is a lover of yoga, writing, and life. She’s a yoga teacher, plus a bunch of other fun things. Connect with her at her blog, Joy for Life

Sequence for digestion

2010-10-21T14:03:00.000-04:00

It's the harvest season here... and you know what harvest means. Harvest means food. Halfway between Canadian and American (US) Thanksgiving, there are all sorts of beautiful things clamoring for space in my refrigerator. Beautiful orange squashes, dark greens, and the completely sexy color of beets make my plate an exquisite thing. Not to mention sweet potatoes, which are my favoritest, are literally popping up out of the ground. Most delicious treat ever?: Baked sweet potato with salted, crunchy peanut butter, cinnamon, honey, and extra salt. Decadent and filling.

In addition, of course, to the amount of apples Chris is bringing home. Don't even get me started.

From Chris' blog

It's a very happy thing and these days the eating is so good. What's better than fall harvest? Accordingly, here's a sequence for massaging internal organs and aiding in digestion. Eat up, and enjoy!

Begin in Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle). Take hands to the lower ribs, thumbs to the back (towards the floor) and the rest on the front of the ribcage.
Breathe deeply, feeling the expansion in the ribs with the breath. Feel the movement underneath the hands.
Remain here for 1-3 minutes
Draw the knees together with the hands and drop them to the side for a supine twist.
Repeat other side
Supta Pavana Muktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose). Repeat other side
Draw both knees tightly into chest
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Straight Leg lowering and lifting). Repeat 12x.
Jathara Parivartanasana (Straight legs side to side). Repeat 12x.
Place hands on belly and gently massage and breathe
Come onto belly
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose). Using the breath, rise higher and inhale and lower on exhale. Continue to raise and lower for 6 cycles of breath
Bhujangasana (hold for 5 cycles of breath)
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose). Repeat 3x. On third time, use breath to "rock" body in Bow.
Release to floor, allowing legs to "windshield wiper" side to side, releasing lower back
Garbasana (Child's Pose)
Walk hands in front of you to one side. Side stretch. Repeat other side.
Savasana

A clean slate

2010-10-18T19:37:00.001-04:00

“There's always a clean slate, a fresh sheet of paper, a waiting space, a chance to have another shot at it tomorrow.”
—Herb Block

Coming back out of what turned out to be a longer period away than I had originally intended. What never went away, though, is the mindset I had developed over a year's worth of blogging. Whenever I think of anything that might be of interest to more than just myself, I ask, "Could that be developed into a post?" The difference here is that when I had these thoughts, I continued to develop them and see where they went... and then they just went. I don't remember any. It doesn't mean that they weren't worthwhile, but it speaks to a degree of non-attachment that feels healthier than some patterns I took on over this year.

During this time off, I missed writing. There's no doubt that a lot of this practice is for my self (in addition to seeing it as seva). Blogging every day makes me a better writer. Not blogging every day has me thinking about how I should write more than actually writing. Boo hiss on that one. The goal becomes working on writing aside from here in addition to continuing to write here.

Here's why I am really back and what I want to share:

1. I am much better at not apologizing for everything and saying "I'm sorry" like other people say um. And it's changed the way I interact with people, the way I carry myself, and allowed me to notice other phrases I overuse.
2. Nikki said, "Laughing engages your core muscles." It's your sequence of the day, too. While the sequence is something I'll take to a strong, "power" class of experienced students, that quote I'll take for me.
3. I kissed a student today. On the arm. After class, during a discussion. They said a very nice compliment, which, apparently, I couldn't accept very gracefully. I promptly called my mother afterward and told her I felt very foolish. I'll put that one on the list, too: Learn how to accept compliments and hold the space when I receive them gracefully as opposed to doing something silly to change the mood.
4. Someone wanted me to promo their Etsy site, which is called EatPrayShop. That's what the world needs: the exchange of "love" for "shop." The stuff may be lovely, I didn't really look, but the name... I couldn't get over that.
5. And we're going woo-woo hippie landia in 5,4,3,2,......: When you frown, you create tension in your third eye, which is also an important pressure point in the body. Smiling relaxes the face which in turn relaxes important pressure points, which in turn relaxes the body. So smile. See #2 for further instruction.

And, finally. The comments I received after my last post. You can see #3 again for this one. I am not good at accepting such lovely, beautiful things as were written under that post, but that is no excuse for taking so long to respond. What everyone wrote very deeply moved me (and, as a side note, also brought great joy to my mother). I cannot thank you all enough. You are family.

Atha Yoga Nushasanam. Many different spellings and translations exist, but the one I go with:

And now the study of yoga begins (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:1).

Yoga + Non-Greed

2010-10-11T21:43:00.002-04:00

Aparigraha is the fifth yama and is defined as "greedlessness." How do we embrace and teach greedlessness is our culture of "stuff" and "more more more"? I think this yama comes last in the list for good reason. As we bring non-harming, truth, non-stealing, and moderation into our lives greed begins to melt away. A sense of abundance and trust envelopes our every day and our perspective shifts. We need not fill our lives with all that "stuff" because all that we need we already have.

From the perspective of yoga teacher Aadil Palkhivala, aparigraha is also defined by not coveting what is not ours. Wanting something that does not belong to us or desiring to be someone we are not is rooted in jealousy and this yama is encouraging us to be exactly who we are - nothing more. Aparigraha is about seeking to discover our true selves so that we do not need to covet what someone else has or who someone else is.

When practicing non-greed, we discover contentment with what we have and who we are. We accept what has been given and we cultivate gratitude for all the abundance surrounding us. We begin to see what we have rather than what we do not have.

When teaching aparigraha as a yoga teacher, I like to encourage my students to practice with themselves - without looking around and coveting other people's asana practice. I ask them to find gratitude for making it to class and honoring the body that is with them in this life. In doing so, I hope it enables all of us to find thanksgiving for all that we have, all that we achieve, and all that defines who we really are.

I recently started a gratitude journal. Every night before bed, I write five things I am grateful for. Often there are repeats and sometimes what I write surprises me, but it sure does give me a sense of hope at the end of the day because there is always something to appreciate and doing so gives me gratitude for all that is my life.

Thanks for reading my past five posts on the yamas. I am going to take next week off (hope that's ok Emma!) and get started again October 26 with the Niyamas! Cheers + Namaste!

Reconsider Columbus Day

2010-10-09T19:40:00.002-04:00

One Year Later

2010-10-07T14:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of me and my blog. Like any relationship, its had it's ups and its downs. Recently, though, we had to have a long talk, and see where the future of this relationship was going.

The essential question here is: Why do I write this blog? Not in the past, because as neat as it would be, I'm not living there and don't plan on visiting in the near future. Now, why do I write now. I write because I enjoy doing it and think that a daily blog forces me to take the time to sit in front of my computer and work on writing skills. In doing this every day, I think I have better developed my "voice" and some speedy (if sometimes not perfect) editing skills.

I really enjoy the people and blogs I have found because I started this project. These relationships seem a lot like the relationships I have offline, if perhaps even more honest. Here, I have the time to really think my responses out as opposed to giving reflexive dialogue. And, as per one of my original intentions in beginning this blog, I have learned a lot about yoga. More times than I can count, entire class plans have been sparked by something online. Whether it be a pose or an idea or an intention, the blogosphere has become my main source for educating myself so I can be a better yoga teacher.

Sometimes, in class, I'll amaze myself at the amount of Sanskrit I know. In the beginning, sequences would take me so much longer because I would have to translate. I can't think of the last time I had to look up a word in the Dharma (see right panel link) dictionary. My vocabulary is awesome and it has helped in classes in unexpected ways. For example, I can discuss the root of the word in relation to how the body is moving and feeling. Today, in Fire Log pose, I talked about how the pose's name could come from the way the shins are stacked... or from the fire that some might be feeling in their hips.

But it hasn't been all roses. In fact, my blog has never given me roses, although I have received a small bit of swag. There have been nights when I come home late, having been gone and busy all day, and I hammer out a post with no love. Just because I said I'd do it every single day. Days when I felt like I didn't have much to say, but I burdened you all anyway. Because I said I'd do it every day. Moments where Chris would ask, "Are you listening to me?" And the answer would be no, because I was more invested in my computer screen. Because every day means every day.

Days when instead of practicing yoga I write about it (no, in this case, this doesn't count as doing yoga).

I am pitta (fire-y, pushy, bullheaded) and when I say I'll do something I'll do it, dammit. The dammit often comes afterwards. I've done my year and I am proud that I have, but now I need to find something that works. So in this beautiful, earthly swirl of love, self-care, and the seeking of balance, I'm making a change. Henceforth, I write when it doesn't affect my practice and my relationships. When I am not exhausted. I write when I have something to say and when I have nothing to say (because if we only wrote when we had something to say, we might never write, right?).

In the end, I'll write when I write. Sometimes I'll include the sequences I've been working on in my personal practice and with classes I teach and sometimes there'll be nothing at the end of the entry. In yogawords, I'm following my prana, darlings.

I'm still always looking for guest posts and guest articles, sequences or no sequences. I'm still equal opportunity, so as long as you write about yoga/health/wellness you'll probably get posted (even the blatant self-promo bits, because that's what equal opportunity means to me, and who am I to judge?). After I post this, I'm going to go update my motto; no more one yoga sequence every day. Thinking about changing the look, too.

Now, with this very-big-deal-for-me-and-my-entire-life I would love to hear from the ones I love, which is everyone who reads this. What do you think? Honest opinions. One year check in. How am I doing?

Thank you for reading. I mean it.

Love,
Emma

I'm sorry

2010-10-06T11:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sick of saying I'm sorry. I apologize when someone else bumps into me, even if I wasn't even moving. I apologize for things that I am not really sorry for. Every time that I apologize, I take away some of the power and truth from the times I am really and truly sorry for a mistake I have made or feel empathy for a situation someone is in. Essentially, per Katherine's post on Satya last week (side note: you should also check out her excellent post on Bramacharya from yesterday) every time I apologize in this way, I am telling a lie. I am also diminishing my personal power.

When it comes down to it, I think this is a gender thing. I know I hear women apologizing a heck of a lot more than men. It's meek, it's subjugating, and, really, it's not me. If I knock into someone, I should say pardon me. If someone knocks into me, I can still say pardon. But not sorry. I tend not to say like or um. My place holder is, "I'm sorry."

My goal this month (heck, let's bring it to the end of the year) is to stop saying I'm sorry. Just entirely. I can work it back into my speech when I really mean it, but, in the meantime, use other words. For example, when I really did make a mistake or do something in anger I can say, "That was my mistake. I'll try to be more aware in the future." Or "How I responded was innappropriate. I'll check myself before responding so quickly."

I will be bold, sure of myself, and clear in my language. But I will not be sorry.

I'm sorry

A completely unapologetic practice.

Vajrasana (Diamond Pose)
Kapalabhati Pranayama (Breath of Fire)
Practice breath retention with Kumbhaka if it is a part of your practice
Repeat steps 2 and 3 2x
Cat/cow in table
Vyaghrasana (Tiger Pose). Curl leg into chest and extend with "Ha!" exhale. Repeat 10-12x
Repeat other side
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose). Pedal heels, bend and straighten knees. Warm up
Lift one leg, bend at knee and draw circles with knee for hip opener
Repeat other side
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog) or Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Move between steps 11 and 12, making sure not to bend elbows out to side, and keeping them close to the torso. Repeat until very warm
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I Pose)
Bend back knee towards ground, letting it hover right over floor, and return to straighten. Move between the two locations.
Yajnasana (Cross Pose)
Chaturanga Dandasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Repeat steps 14-18, other side
Virabhadrasana I
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Parivrtta Virabhadrasana (Revolved Warrior)
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Utthita Tadasana (Five Pointed Star Pose)
Virabhadrasana II
Vinyasa to repeat steps 20-25 on other side
Vinyasa to seated
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extended Feet Pose), lift and lower legs
Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)
Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One Leg Upward Bow Pose)
Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose)
Halasana (Plow Pose)
Karnapidasana (Ear Pressure Pose)
Spinal Rock
Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Suburban Yogini on the D.L.

2010-10-05T18:14:00.000-04:00

And by D.L. I mean download. What were you thinking?

Per today's post on her site she is starting to create download-able classes to enjoy in the comfort of your home. Because we are a whole bunch of busy, on the go people.

Her first sequence is a freebie, so go out there and hear her sweet, beauteous voice singing out the yoga!

Moderation is Key.

2010-10-05T13:46:00.002-04:00

Brahmacarya is perhaps one of the most misunderstood yamas. This fourth yama was completely perplexing to me during my 200 hour teacher training - the definition taught to us was "celibacy." Much to the dismay of my partner, I seriously thought that refraining from sex would help me attain a higher understanding of yoga. Well, that didn't last for too long and thankfully that then-boyfriend is now my husband! Brahmacarya is truthfully my favorite yama because the way I have grown to understand its meaning is "moderation." In our culture of "go go go" and "more more more" it sometimes is challenging to connect with the idea that less really is more!

It's all about seeking balance - something I've had many challenges with. I lived for many years filling my days with as much activity as I could squeeze into my planner pad. Brahmacarya for me is about discovering and following the desires of your heart. Opening yourself up to that takes courage. It is difficult, but energizing to discover the power of non-doing and simply being. It is about sitting with yourself, finding your truth and implementing moderation in order to discover our own dreams. This yama is a reminder that if we use our energies wisely we will lead a productive life.

When sharing Brahmacarya in a class setting I like ask my students in asana to become aware of the muscles they are using to be in this pose that may not be needed. I encourage them to find places they are holding on to and let them go; to bring a sense of moderation into the pose; to put just the right effort you need to be comfortable and reserve the rest of that energy for the rest of your day. I also think it's important to find moderation in the ways we practice. I love a good challenging class or heavy personal Ashtanga practice, but seek to recognize when it's my ego pushing me to do it and whether it's what my body is really needing at that time. Listening to the body and allowing moderation is hard when we are inundated with images encouraging us to push & do more, but we may actually experience more when we push less.

Take a moment and write down everything that you did today. Then assess whether those things give you energy or are energy vampires - sucking it all away. Step back and observe where you can find moderation? It can be in so many different places: finances, work, time management, hobbies, exercise, food - you name it. Pick one and give it a try. Set your intention in the morning to find reserve throughout your day. Observe how moderation can bring calm clarity in your life.

Any thoughts on how less is more in your life? Or struggles to find that ever tottering balance point in your life or asana practice?

Less is More Sequence

Arhda Surya Namaskar (4-6 Half Sun Salutations)

holding the following poses for 5-10 breathes

Uttanasana (Standing forward bend)
Adho Mukha Savasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Balasana (Child's Pose)
Setu Bhandasana (Bridge Pose)
Savasana (Rest)

Yoga for Busy People

2010-10-04T17:30:00.002-04:00

I am a busy person today and only have a few minutes to scribble down a post. I'm sure that's how many feel about the time that they have for a yoga practice. But you must get it in there! Here is a post from a busy lady, for the busy yogis out there. Hopefully, it will create more space in your life, which can feel like more time.

Uttanasana (Forward Fold). Hold for 2-3 minutes. Come into it gently, don't pull yourself deeper.
Hands to sacrum/low back. Raise your chest towards the ceiling for slight back bend (chin slightly tucked)
Lateral stretch, with single arm going towards opposite side above head
Taking feet 2-3 feet apart, swing arms like empty coat-sleeves, allowing torso to twist as comfortable. Gently hit yourself. On the twist exhale a strong "HA!" sound, inhaling through the nose in between. Speed up or slow down as you feel is right for your morning body. 2-3 minutes. Note: If you do allow your hands to gently hit the back body, the usual location is right over the kidneys. If you're not hitting too hard, this can massage the adrenal glands, and work like a cup of coffee by encouraging the flow of adrenaline in the body.
Marichyasana (Marichi's Twist). Or any good twist. This helps untangle the nerves along the spinal cord. Hold each side for a minute, and gently twist in the opposite direction before switching sides.

Yoga and Sinus Pressure

2010-10-03T20:05:00.001-04:00

When I have a cold, for example now, there are some things my body just does not want to do. For me, though, sinus issues do not necessary mean that I feel sick in the rest of my body. I still want to get my move on. Is yoga off the table? Never!

Here's some yoga that might take some of the pressure off.

Yoga and Sinus Pressure

As always, I ain't a doctor, nurse, and all of my anatomy has been taught to me by people that may never have taken a science course in their life, for all I know. I just know what feels good for me. If your brain feels like it may explode with pressure, please stop. Otherwise, enjoy!

Tadasana
Deep breaths in and out. If you cannot breathe through the nose, make a tight "O" shape with the mouth to inhale, and deep full relaxed exhales
Sun breaths
Ardha Chandrasana (Standing Half Moon, side stretch). Repeat other side
Take hands to lower back for slight back bend
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)
Repeat on other leg
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). Take the head into a comfortable position.
Utthita Tadasana (Five pointed Star)
Repeat steps 8-10 on other side
Tadasana
Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand). Hold for 3-5 minutes. Use bolsters and make into supported shoulder stand if desired
Halasana (Plow pose). Hold for 1-2 minutes. Again, use props as desired.
Supine spinal twists
Savasana

How the Swami Levitates: a guest post

2010-10-02T12:04:00.000-04:00

Expanding Your Mind to Defy Gravity

The Art and Science of Levitation

By Paramahamsa Nithyananda

What you call ‘mind’ is nothing but a constant flow of thoughts, where each thought is being swiftly replaced by the next. You hardly have any control over what thought is going to enter your mind next because thoughts themselves flow in an illogical, chaotic manner. We often give too much respect to this chaos, basing our whole life on the dictates of the mind. As a consequence, we connect a few thoughts that run through our mind and give profound meanings to them.

For example, if you believe that your whole life has been suffering, you unconsciously collect — and connect — only the painful incidents of your life. This strengthens your belief that life is suffering. You’ve created a ‘pain shaft’ — making an imaginary connection between disconnected painful incidents that gives the impression that life, itself, is painful. The same thing can even occur with joy. You connect all the joyful incidents and start believing that life is nothing but joy. But here’s the thing: Whether you create a pain shaft or a joy shaft, you have to understand that both are not true; these shafts do not exist outside of your imagination.

Thus, there are only two kinds of lives to live — one of thoughts or one of enlightenment. When you learn to disconnect or ‘unclutch’ from thoughts, you will become free of the play of the mind to actually live enlightenment, in the moment and without any preconceived ideas. You will suddenly see that your whole life becomes effortless, attracting new and different situations, people and incidents. Only when you begin to live enlightenment and expand psychologically to unclutch from your thoughts, will you be able to experience levitation.

An unbounded benefit of enlightenment, levitation is a powerful yoga technique for balancing samana — one of the five major energies circulating in our bodies — and happens as a result of the energy alchemy between master and disciple. As an enlightened master, I’m able to teach the simple process of healing and balancing my students’ samana to allow extraordinary yogic powers (ashta maha siddhis) to express themselves in their bodies.

Students may experience anima, a feeling of lightness of the body; or laghima, a very heavy feeling. Some students may experience a feeling of great expansion, mahima; or they may experience a feeling of shrunkeness referred to as garima in the ashta maha siddhis. No matter which yogic power the student is experiencing, in every instance, each has allowed himself or herself to unclutch from their thoughts to live enlightenment. Just like you should be doing now.

Reading this you may be thinking levitation is not possible. But this is your thought — your mind at work — and not necessarily truth. What you think may hold you back from what’s possible, though the truth will never restrict.

But we can never know the truth until we experience it. This is especially true when it comes to levitation. See, when you levitate you are essentially defying the massive gravitational force of the Earth. You are allowing yourself to expand psychologically. This can tremendously affect your health, wealth, relationships and consciousness. You are no longer firmly rooted to the ground, but now one with the universe. You are now positioned to live an emotionally balanced life, free of conflict and past traumas, with all the energy and creativity you need to fulfill your desires.

Most importantly, living a life of enlightenment will fuse the connection between you and the ‘Whole’ because the truth is, there is nothing such as a separate, individual identity. Our emotions also affect others without our having to say a word.

As you go deeper, you will find that you are increasingly connected to the collective consciousness. At the deepest level of being, you are just part of the one Whole. All the suffering you experience, whether it is physical pain or mental suffering or spiritual bondage, is born only out of the idea of being a separate being. Once you become aware that you are part of the collective consciousness and there is no one standing against you, you will experience a deep relaxation and liberation.

Remember, there is an ocean of bliss within each of us. Connecting to this reservoir of overflowing joy can help bring out immense creativity, energy, and intelligence within each of us. The degree to which we are able to draw from this inner space of life determines how we grow in health, happiness, and success in our outer life.

Levitation is just a fun byproduct of the path to enlightenment. Enjoy it, but don’t miss the big picture, which is to reach enlightenment soon in this lifetime.

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About the Author: Known as the “life bliss swami,” Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda is a young enlightened master of Yoga and meditation who has inspired more than 2 million followers worldwide. He has dedicated his life to helping people overcome mental, physical and spiritual barriers to achieve enlightenment and live lives of bliss, success and peace. Find out more about the art of levitation at Nithyananda's next Inner Awakening event which will be held on Dec. 1-21 near Bangalore, India. Visit http://www.innerawakening.org and www.dhyanapeetam.org.

Victoria's Secret Gets it's Yoga On

2010-10-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

I don't go to the mall very often. Maybe a few times a year. It makes me nervous. So, maybe I'm a bit late hopping on this train, but in the mall yesterday I walked past a Victoria's Secret store to see a big ad for Yoga Underwear. I don't even know what this means. I went to their website and found that they now carry a whole line of yoga clothes. It's a smart business move, no? Cotton, not difficult to manufacture, and people are willing to spend money consistently for inner peace. And a cute booty.

Sexy Tree Pose

I know Old Navy has a whole section of clothing called GoGa (or something along those lines) because I've bought pants there. Looking around, I found this blogger who writes about all sorts of things you can buy that somehow are supposed to relate to your yoga practice.

I believe that I need to look professional, clean, together when I am teaching a yoga class. Sometimes I feel weird about looking in the mirror before I leave the house to teach, but, ultimately, that makes sense to me. What I am worried about, is the continued process (often discussed on yoga blogs all around) of making yoga into a consumer culture. I'm waiting for the day what someone asks me, "What style of yoga do you do?" And I'll have to answer "Victoria's Secret."

Victoria's Secret Gets it's Yoga On

Here's a sequence to do in your underwear, in the privacy of your own home.

Vajrasana (Diamond Pose)
Take your arms parallel to the floor directly in front of you. Flex at the wrist and rotate arms. Pause. Circle wrist. Flex wrist forward and back.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Begin a "swimming" warmup. Allow whole body to naturally follow movements of arms. Taking a wide stance, begin breaststoke arms.
Forward crawl arms
Backstroke arms
Doggy paddle (kidding)
Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) Side Stretch. *In Kripalu and Bikram yoga, Ardha Chandrasana is the pose where from Tadasana you bring both arms overhead and to one side.
Repeat other side
Tadasana
Taking a wide stance, allow your arms to swing side to side like empty coatsleeves. Twist your torso as you swing.
Begin Hara breath, saying "Ha!" as you twist
Come to stillness
Standing Yoga Mudra (Seal of Yoga), clasping arms behind back as you fold forward
Slight backbend with Yoga Mudra arms
Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Pose)
Natarajasana (Dancer's Pose)
Repeat 16-18 with other leg
Vinyasa to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Lift and lower fingers
Vinyasa to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Bend one arm and then the other. Bend one knee and then the other. Hold for ten breaths, moving
Vinyasa to Adho Mukha Svanasana to hold
Jump to Bakasana (Crow Pose)
Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose)
Ardha Salabasana (Half Locust Pose). Repeat other side
Salabasana (Locust Pose)
Navasana (Boat Pose) on stomach, hands interlocked behind lower back, using arms to help lift chest
Garbasana (Child's Pose)
Pasasana (Noose Pose). Repeat
Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide Angle Pose)
Kurmunasana (Tortoise Pose)
Baddha Konasana (Cobbler's Pose)
Gomukhasana (Face of Light Pose). Repeat other side
While seated, roll, bend and flex wrists
Marichyasana III (Marichi's Twist)
Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Yoga for Detoxification

2010-09-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

One of the things I like about hot yoga classes is that, after the class, I feel wrung out like wet towel. It's not a feeling I'm looking for every day, but on the days I need it, it feels so so good. It's as though before the class I was filled up with junky-mess and then afterwards I sweat it all free.

Detox classes, or classes that focus on detoxifying the body, can have a similar effect. Focusing on gentle or more vigorous abdominal twists combined with deep breathing, detox classes can feel like a renewal. I took a class that focused on detoxing yesterday. Near the end of class, the instructor led us into Ananda Balasana. Mixing up the two common English translations for the pose, she said, "Now, come into Happy Bug or Dead Baby." It took me a second to understand what just happened, but the more I thought about it, the funnier it became. A detox class ending with an unintended joke? Even better.

Yoga for Detoxification

Drink lots of water afterwards, more so than you usually would. Also, remember that before coming into twists, it is best to lengthen the spine. Inhale length, exhale twist.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
Nadi Shodna Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breath), 5-10 minutes
Face stretches. Make lots of funny faces and deep Simhasana (Lion's Breath)
Matsyendrasana (Seated Twist). Be really gentle here!
Repeat other direction
Taking one arm to floor by seat, other arm up and over for side stretch. Repeat other side.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Pavana Muktasana (Standing Wind Relieving Pose)
Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana (Half Bound Lotus), or any variations of your choice
Repeat steps 7-9 on the other side
Take hand to opposite hip and other hand to lower back for gentle standing twist. Repeat other side
Utthita Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Parvritta Trikonasana (reverse triangle pose)
Repeat steps 13 and 14 on other side
Uthitta Parsvakonasana (extended angle pose)
Parvritta Parsvakonasana (reverse angle pose)
Repeat steps 16 and 17 on other side
Prasarita Padottonasana (wide legged fwd bend) with twist, bringing torso towards one leg and then the other
Parsvottonasana focusing on pulling the lower belly in to make space for the forward bend. Repeat on other side.
Tadasana
Garbasana (Child's Pose). Hold for 2-3 minutes, propping head up on pillow if it feels the need to be higher than heart level
Walk hands to one side and then other for gentle side stretch
Supta Pavana Muktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose). Repeat other side
Supta Balasana (Reclined Child's Pose, bringing both knees into chest)
Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twists). Repeat other side
Savasana

Another Yama Day - Asteya

2010-09-28T11:08:00.002-04:00

Of course, none of us would ever consider directly stealing from another person or a retail store or anything like that! The third yama is asteya or "non-stealing." How do we apply this in our practice and when we teach? One thought that came to mind was avoiding stealing other's ideas as our own. This is interesting to me because I think knowledge is out there to share and learn - when I use a new cue or teach a new asana technique in class that I gleaned from another teacher I don't think of it as stealing as much as I know it is sharing. But, I certainly wouldn't steal an idea for a product or title of a book and call it my own. Asteya can challenge us to create our own individuality and sense of self while honoring all of the many teachers we have along the way.

Aadil Palhivala writes that the "stealing" refers to the "stealing that grows from believing we cannot create what we need." He shares that misperceiving there is not enough abundance for everyone is a form of stealing and that perception can lead to beliefs in scarcity that create greed, hoarding, etc. When a lack of abundance is perceived in our asana practice, it is possible that we fear we won't have enough energy when we transition to the next pose so we hold back a bit rather than shining in our best representation of the asana. I have been in tough classes and done exactly this; as a student. not knowing what comes next can be intimidating. Inviting your students to release that fear and place their whole selves into each pose knowing that each pose gives you the full energy you need to practice it.

Most importantly, I think not stealing from yourself by misusing your time or participating in things that don't serve you can be a lesson from this yama. I struggle all the time these days with not over committing my time in order to stay true to my goals and visions of the future. There was a time when I couldn't say no and what resulted was my energy and time being given to everything other than what I wanted it to be given to. You can read more about this personal journey of mine here if you'd like. Asking your students to be mindful of their personal goals and sense of self when making choices can be another way of teaching asteya.

Any thoughts on non-stealing? Ways to find it in your asana practice or when you teach?

Name that Yoga Pose!

2010-09-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

Really fun class this morning. I started getting pose requests before I even asked for them (I had announced last week that I was in the mood, these days, to base classes around what people asked for). In the middle of class, someone called me over to request Reclined Pigeon, and I took a poll while people were in Downward Dog to see if people wanted that to be their next pose. Hands went up, while holding the pose. I was looking for a verbal response, but that was good enough, if a bit dangerous for one's balance!

The body part requests were: neck, core, and hamstrings. A very interesting mix, and one I'm not sure I've had before. The lady who requested core work had come with her friend, who was born with a separated abdomen (much like is experienced by some women post-pregnancy) and said, "Are you trying to kill me?!" I gave her tons of modifications to make sure that during the core exercises she wasn't straining her lower back instead of developing connective muscles.

I'm always looking for new core exercises as my Power classes seem to be big fans, too. What's your favorite pose to strengthen the core?

Name that Yoga Pose!

Any and all recommendations about core poses will be used during my next Power class, and you will receive all the compliments and complaints from sore-bellied students.

Start class on back, legs bent towards ceiling
Taking hands behind neck, beginning crunches. Exhale as you come up, inhale to release towards floor, 12x
Take both knees to one side in twist. Repeat crunches on both sides 12x each
Take hands under legs, rolling along spine
Roll up to seated
Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel), taking hand to opposite ankle, alternating between sides until warm
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Cat/cow in table pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose). Hold for 5-10 breaths, moving hips and shifting with breath
Garbasana (Child's Pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Plank Pose. Hold for 1-3 minutes, or longer if possible
Lower to stomach
Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose, version of boat on stomach). Alternate between sides until very warm
Garbasana
Navasana (Boat Pose)
Garbasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Garundasana (Eagle Pose). Repeat other side
Natarajasana (Dancer's Pose). Repeat other side
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)
Step back into Warrior I
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Virabhadrasana II
Vinyasa to low lunge
Step up into Virabhadrasana III
Repeat steps 23-27
Vinyasa to ground
Eagle Crunches: Lying on back, take arms and legs into Eagle pose. Inhale, extend arms and legs away from each other; exhale, squeeze them towards each other. Repeat 12x on both sides
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)
Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist Pose). Repeat other side
Savasana

Sunday Morning Yoga

2010-09-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

A weekend off, staying at my folks' house for a wedding, lazy Sunday morning. 45 minutes of yoga before the house woke up, French Toast, and Farmer's Market (trying to keep all things beginning with the letter "F"). Lazing around the house, heading back to Ithaca after an early dinner. Nothing like a Sunday.

Sunday Morning Yoga

Sunday morning is a state of mind.

Child's Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
Long hold in low lunges, pulsing back knee towards floor. Repeating on both sides
Downward Facing Dog
High lunge, playing around with hip placement, working on squaring hips
Repeat steps 4 and 5 on other side
Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Hand Pose)
Forward Fold
Downward Dog
Warrior I. Still playing around with hips. Keeping back leg strong and straight.
Repeat 11 and 12 on other side
DD
Repeat steps 7-14, seeing how things can develop in the Warrior
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Chair
Garundasana (Eagle Pose)
Repeat steps 17 and 18 on other side
Forward Fold
Chair, slowly lowering to seat/floor
Urdhva Navasana (Upward Boat)
Roll back to Wheel (Urdhva Danurasana)
Repeat steps 22 and 23 two more times
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle)
Reclined spinal twist. Repeat other side.
Savasana

10 Things I Learned at Yoga Teacher Training

2010-09-25T10:07:00.000-04:00

Check out this great article on the Huffington Post about the writers experience at Kripalu doing Yoga Teacher Training. It reminded me about a lot of things from my own YTT that I had forgotten. I had the most of the same teachers; I sure do miss them. Kripalu is the most wonderful-ist.

Another great article is a sequence from Rachel at Suburban Yogini. I'm off to a wedding today, so enjoy the sequence for me!

I am a Liar

2010-09-24T08:43:00.000-04:00

Reading Katherine's post from yesterday, I think that if I were to get a tattoo of anything, it would be a reminder: the word Satya (Truthfulness).

I am a chronic exaggerator. Not simple exaggerations, but huge. "I slept like two minutes last night." "I have fifteen bazillion things to do today." I think that a lot of people say things like this, but my guess is it's not quite as often as I do. In fact, I have a bit of a reputation as a chronic exaggerator. Once, while talking with my friend Lisa, I said:

"I do exaggerate a lot, but I correct myself like 95% percent of the time. Well, maybe more like 75."

It took me a second to realize that I was correcting myself in the comment about correcting myself. Upon note, we both starting laughing, but I have never forgot what I doofus I was. Am.

I catch myself lying all the time, usually a second or two after I said them. Here's what I notice: while I am telling the lie, I convince myself that it is true. That is, while telling the lie, I do not think I am telling one. Only right afterward, do I think, wait... that's not entirely accurate. It's as if I hear myself saying it in a detached way, and then nonchalantly correct a different person. It comes down to not being in the moment. To not asking myself, "Is this true?" before I say as opposed to afterwards. My new year's resolutions may be to be more generous, but my life resolution is to be more honest with myself and with others.

I am a Liar

Consequentially, my most common physically ailment is a sore throat. I get them all of the time. Connected? Honestly (ha!), I don't know. Might be.

Begin in any comfortable seated position
Om three times
Keeping the eyes closed, draw small figure 8's with the tip of your nose. Repeat drawing them in the other direction
Ear to one shoulder, opposite hand to floor (neck stretch)
Repeat other side
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose). Don't come into the forward fold; grab the legs or feet and open the chest
Gentle twist in Baddha Konasana
Parigasana (Gate Pose). Revolve top arm in circles to warm up shoulder. Hold pose.
Cat/cow spine
Repeat Gate other side
Camel prep: Come onto knees, take one hand to opposite ankle or heel. Flow between sides.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Cat/cow spine in table
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose)
Flow, gently and slowly, between steps 14 and 15
Child's Pose
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)
Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand Pose)
Halasana (Plow Pose)
Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Spinal Twist). Repeat other side
Savasana

Discovering Truth

2010-09-23T14:13:00.002-04:00

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." ~Oscar Wilde

From Tuesday to Thursday for this week. My plan is to write about the yamas the next few weeks followed by the niyamas. Last week I was contemplating living & teaching ahimsa. This week I am thinking a lot about truth. Patanjali mentions non-violence before truth. Acknowledge that truth and non-violence are best practiced together. Judith Lasater suggests we ask ourselves before speaking "is it true? is it necessary? is it non-harming?". If the answer is yes to all only then do we proceed. I have been discovering what my personal truths lately; connecting with values, setting boundaries and finding honesty about them has been important since I moved cross country. I also am sitting with the knowledge that my truths are multi-faceted and able to change through different experiences. Honoring personal boundaries, yet staying flexible in defining personal truth is challenging.

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." ~Andre Gide

There are many levels of truth when it comes to asana practice. There is the truth of your personal experience of the pose. The truth of many different alignment cues. The truth of discovering ease within the pose. It is important to share with ourselves and our students (those of us who teach) that the truth of our pose in this moment may not be the truth we discover the next time we roll out our mats. Being patient with this ever-evolving truth allows a freedom in our practice and cultivates being in the now. We can ask ourselves the truth about our own or practice or the classes we teach: "am I holding this pose longer than is best for my body right now?", "do I practice poses that are not the most beneficial for my body?", "am I encouraging my students to do a practice that is right for them at this moment?", etc.

I think it's so important to take other teacher's classes - it helps me remember that there are oh-so many different ways of teaching a pose and they all lead to the same benefits. There are so may different ways to cue our intended results in a class. Finding honesty within ourselves and being present to our students needs enables teacher's to give the instruction the student needs at that moment. For example, I am an anatomy junkie - I love it and often want to spout out minute details I've discovered while refining different poses, but often I have students that would be overwhelmed with that detail. I strive to find the truth in the words they need at that moment. The result is that same. Knowing that truth has many levels and allowing students to grow at their own pace is honoring our truths as teachers. I often mention to my students to please let me know when a pose does not feel comfortable for them. I jokingly say that I have lots of tricks up my sleeve to make the pose right for everyone. I want to lighten up the room and encourage people to talk if they need attention to a specific pose - to honor the truth of their experience. Honoring that "truth is one, paths are many" (Mahatma Gandhi) can encourage all of us to be present to our experience today and know that it is different for all of us.

"Living satya is learning to make conscious choices about truthfulness is daily living." ~Judith Lasater

What is your truth today?

Guest Post from Svasti

2010-09-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

Today's guest post is from one of the very first blogs I started reading when I realized there was a whole blog universe out there. Svasti, just by reading her blog, has taught me a lot about writing a blog and about writing in general. She is fierce and fiercely honest. One of the qualities I admire most in people is the ability to be what they are, no apologies and no excuses. So, from one of the best, here's a sequence for you today. Enjoy!

Guest Post from Svasti

Svasti writes, "[This sequence] was for a Tuesday evening after-work 1 hour class, hence I started with standing because most people have been sitting all day anyway!" [editor's note: brilliant]

1.Standing meditation, palms over the lower belly. Relax the buttocks, thighs etc... let the weight of the body rest in the earth.

2. Warm ups - ankle, wrist, shoulder, neck and waist rotations

3. Swaying palm tree side bends

4. Slight arch in the back, look to the sky

5. Sweep forward into uttanasana (forward bend)

6. Utkatasana - hands reaching for the sky, then after a few breaths, into anjali mudra

Repeat 5 & 6 a couple of times

7. Downward facing dog (Adho Muka Svanasana)

8. Lunge one leg forward

9. Stand up into Virabhadranasana I (Warrior I)

10. Virabhadranasana II (Warrior II)

11. Utthita Parsvakonasana

12. Both hands to the floor, either side of forward leg

Repeat 7-12 on the other leg, and then a few more times as an alternative to surya namaskar

13. Uttanasana

14. Paschimottanasana (wide leg forward bend) - with variations - spinal twist with upper body (one hand on the ground), then folding more deeply into the forward bend.

15. Turn the heels in, bend the knees to stand. Raise the arms up over your head and then into anjali mudra. Bring the feet together.

16. Vkrasana

17. Navasana

18. Knees to chest

19. Bridge

20. Knees to chest

21. Reclining spinal twist (repeat a few times each side)

22. Rock & roll up to sitting

23. Janu sirsasana

24. Cross the legs, come up to hands & knees

25. Downward facing dog (Adho Muka Svanasana)

26. Pigeon

27. Parighasana (fold both towards and away from the leg for fun!)

Repeat 25-27 for the other leg

28. Balasana

29. Cat-cow

30. Pranayama: nadi shodhana

31. Savasana

32. Om!!

King Arthur's Pose

2010-09-21T10:34:00.001-04:00

When I woke up this morning, I was planning on writing one post. Then I heard about King Arthur's Pose and plans changed. Can't even remember what that first post was going to be about.

Maria Cristina posted a sequence today that included what she calls Dying Warrior, AKA King Arthur's Pose. I had never heard of it before and looked it up. Turns out, it's one of those poses that looks so good that I immediately jump away from the computer and try it out. It's de-freaking-licious. I was the opposite of warmed up, so I imagine it feels much better after practicing for a bit, and it was still *so good.* These hip flexors love a deeper lunge and stretch and this is all that and a bowl of ice cream.

So for today, two sequences with this most lovely of poses. There's Maria Cristina's and also this Yoga Journal video sequence. If you don't like it, well, at least you tried something new. And there's only good in that!

late edit: The pose comes in at about 6:30 on the YJ video, for those who just want to see an image of the pose, and move on.

Yoga in Jeans

2010-09-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

Taught yoga class in my blue jeans today. Was wearing a pair of shorts underneath, but I never warmed up enough in the room to disrobe. Frankly, it didn't make much of a difference in terms of how I taught or even how deeply I went into poses (when I teach, I don't go too deep into poses as it is). It felt off at first, but then the roof didn't cave in, the yogi powers that be didn't kick my tushy and make me lead a bad class. It was an enjoyable class. Same as usual, except in blue jeans.

A student came up to me afterward and thanked me for my outfit. He is from Israel and said his teacher there once told the class that yoga teachers should not dress in yoga clothes because the class is not about them. They are there to teach and not to take. I still think I'll largely stick to traditional yoga clothes while teaching, mostly because they are comfy, but also because I think it's important for the clothes to be able to show alignment and muscles working and reacting.

Yoga Jeans by Second Denim. Surprisingly even more expensive than Lululemon.

Yoga in Jeans

What do you think? Ever put on some serious street attire before leading a class? Or taking one? Here's a sequence that can be done in any outfit... but maybe no skirts. Or at least wear some undergarments, or something, I guess.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
Tadasana
Vrksasana on other leg
Uttanasana (Forward Fold Pose)
Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Hand Pose)
Kripalu Ardha Chandrasana (Kripalu-style Half Moon), arms above head to bend to the side for a deep side stretch
Inhale through center to repeat on other side
Tadasana
Step forward to Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)
Inhale to raise the arms and straighten the back leg, exhale to lower arms and gentle bend back leg. Repeat 10-12x
Hold Virabhadrasana I
Virabhadrasana II
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Utthita Tadasana (Five Pointed Star Pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
Repeat steps 10-16 on other side
Utthita Tadasana
Tadasana
Take hand to opposite hip, other hand to sacrum for gentle twist. Repeat other side.
Sun Breaths (12x)
Nadi Shodna Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breath). Repeat for 5-10 minutes
Savasana

Martha Stewart and Yoga

2010-09-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

Check out Martha's article on Mood Boosting Yoga and Breathing Postures. I like how the sequence is mostly heart openers and poses to help oxygenate the brain. But really, um, which pose is a mood depressing pose? Even "relaxing" and "introspective" poses make me feel better and create more energy in my life, in the long run.

That being said, I could use a bit of a mood boost right now. My fasting yesterday went better than expected (I made it!). However-- being hungry causes a lot of tension for me. A lot. Probably as a result, I came down with a nasty sore throat last night (which is my de facto illness... if I get sick, it's a sore throat). So, while I think Martha's sequence is very nice (I especially like the breathing exercises in the beginning), I'll probably do some rolling around on the floor with a bouncy ball to use on pressure points. Glad to see Martha getting into the yoga market, though. You go, lady!