inspiration

I hope that someday we will be able to put away our fears and prejudices and just laugh at people. -Jack Handy

Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are. -Jason Crandell

Wisdom tells me I am nothing.  Love tells me I am everything.  And between the two my life flows. -Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Yoga is a generic name for any discipline by which one attempts to pass out of the limits of one's ordinary mental consciousness into a greater spiritual consciousness. -Sri Aurobindo

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. -Goethe

...human merely being... -ee cummings

 

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Tuesday
09Mar2010

urdhva dhanurasana

When I was a kid I was in gymnastics.  I don't say that to illustrate how flexible I am.  I was kid flexible.  I could do all the stuff that kids can do.  Then I hit puberty and grew boobs and hips and that was the end of my gymnastics and my bendiness.

One of the tricks we did in gymnastics was what we yogis call wheel or urdhva dhanurasana.  Back then we called it bridge.  Bridge was just one of those things that I could do as a kid.  I could drop back into it from standing.  I could easily bring myself back to standing.  I could do a handstand and walk over into it.

I haven't done that pose for two years now.  Because it was something that I had always done as a kid, I thought it could be part of my yoga practice.  And it was for awhile.  Maybe teachers didn't want to discourage me, but I wasn't actually doing the pose.

At my teacher training I worked on the pose a bit with my teachers.  It was after we had done an entire day on backbending.  I could no longer drop back, although I had been doing that in my practice.  And, once I was "in" the pose, it just felt wrong.  Maybe it was my new knowledge of anatomy and backbending.  But my back was not the beautiful arch.  It was severe and cranked.  Other students commented on it.  

I was devastated.  I felt so defeated.  Teacher trainings are intense anyway.  This was not the first pose that I found out I was doing "wrong" (hmm...by wrong I mean not really getting it).  And I was just emotional at that point after doing backbends all day.  My heart felt exposed and raw and all that giddy energy from being so open just flooded out of me.  It was like coming down after a caffeine high.  Just a wall.

After my teacher training I just thought, well we are all built differently and this might be a pose that I just cannot do.  Then I started breaking it down.  My shoulders are extremely tight.   My hips are unbelievably tight.  So, I changed my practice.  It was no longer about getting into the impossible pose.  I made it about actually feeling and noticing the changes in my body.

I added all the things from my yoga salt post into my daily practice:  baby cobras to strengthen the back, lunges and crescents to open the hips, chest openers to open the heart, and lots of shoulder work to loosen up.

I have been working on these things for two years.  One thing every day.  Or all things about four days a week.  I actually forgot what it was I was working toward.  Turns out that I WAS ENJOYING THE JOURNEY.  Instead of discovering how to work toward that impossible pose, I discovered the heart of my practice.  

Yesterday I woke up and out of the blue, before I even got out of bed, I thought about urdhva dhanurasana for the first time in two years.  I didn't wonder if I could do it.  I didn't wonder about if all my hard work had paid off.  I thought about some of the ashtanga yoga blogs I read.  How they talk about drop backs and doing so many wheels in a practice...I can't tell you exactly what I thought about my practice and my wheel, but it was akin to a sigh.  A surrender.

I went to my favorite class last night.  My once a week class with my amazing teacher Kelly.  She said we would be working on backbends.  I didn't even think about it.  But, when she had us put blocks against the wall and straps on our elbows and then demonstrated a modified wheel...I honestly felt the very first surge of fear that I have ever felt in my practice.  I'm usually willing to try anything.  To work toward anything.  

I sat there and watched my fellow students with this ugly thing knotting in my belly.  I wanted to run out of the room.  I wanted to not try.  

But, I did try.

I got down on my back.  Put my hands on the blocks.  Breathed deeply into my belly.  Used my exhale to calm myself.  And then I pushed up.  But it didn't feel like pushing up.  It literally felt like I was pulled up from the heart center.  There was no crank in my low back.  My shoulders weren't screaming.  I kept lifting higher and higher.

And the tears started streaming down my face.  Literally dripping onto my mat.  

Holy shit.Photo by Gosia Janick. Click for link.

Friday
05Mar2010

savor the sweetness

Albert Camus said that all men have a sweetness in their life.  I think lately with the almost spring like weather, with the sunshine, my life is especially sweet.  I am completely full of sweetness, of gratitude for this wonderful beautiful life.

I love the sweetness of my practice, the sweetness of surrender.  This winter I discovered the overwhelming joy of a restorative and calming practice.  And I'm feeling the sweetness of that practice being energized by the spring and the light.

I love the sweetness of teaching.  There is such great joy in sharing my love of yoga with others.  And it is super sweet when they return that joy.  I did a practice with my cousin (my prenatal student) and my mom last night.  It was such a wonderful thing to share that with my family.

The wonderful husband and I are off on a road trip this weekend for work reasons.  I'm looking forward to those unexpected moments of laughter, to the time I get to spend with him, and the sweetness of our life together.

Here's to a very sweet weekend!  What sweetness do you savor?

Photo by Rebecca Lily from her Happiness Is series. Click photo for the link.

Wednesday
03Mar2010

real life pranayama: complete yogic breath

I taught a community education class at the hospital today on pranayama.  It was an introduction to their month long series on office yoga and stress reduction.  Usually I feel when I teach something like this that people think I'm nuts.  They are new to all of this and I don't want to sound totally new agey.

Today was a lot of fun.  I had eight ladies and they all paid attention and asked really good questions.  I always find it interesting when doing a presentation (as opposed to teaching a yoga class) on how much I have to say about the subject.  Cause, honestly, I feel like I have just breached the surface of my yoga education.  And, I felt like I had so much to share today!  It does help when the audience is receptive.

I don't do much in depth pranayama in my yoga classes.  We always start in sukasana or a chest opener and work to get a full even breath, the same breath used for the asana practice.  I strive to bring the attention to the breath during the asana practice.  

Tonight we are going to work on the complete yogic breath or 3 part breath.  Try this at home when you crawl in bed to quiet your mind and welcome a good night's sleep.

 

  • begin resting on your back
  • place a hand on your abdomen and draw about a third of your breath down into the belly, feeling it lift like a balloon.  your hand should lift up.
  • move both hands to your mid torso so that the finger tips are together and the palms conform to the body as they rest on the lower ribs.
  • continue inhaling as you gently draw your belly back slightly to bring the breath into the middle ribs, feeling them widen and separate.  Feel your finger tips lift and separate.
  • shift your hands so the thumb and index fingers are spread apart resting on your two collarbones.  
  • at the top of the inhalation draw the breath to the uppermost lungs.  clavicle movement is the most limited and only comes into play when oxygen needs are great.
  • feel fully expanded as you pause for a moment and absorb without tension
  • exhale slowly and steadily, gently pulling your abdomen back and feel the middle ribs release, relax completely with the exhale
  • take a normal deep breath between cycles if you like

 

You can do this breath from the bottom up or the top down.  Experiment.  It does take some physical effort but with practice it becomes more fluid and gentle.

What are your favorite pranayamas?

photo from Yoga Journal

Tuesday
02Mar2010

yoga gear review:  zobha

I know that it doesn't really matter what you wear to practice.  But, to me, performance is important.  And, it makes it a little easier to be up in front of a roomful of people doing awkward poses!

I have seen ads for Zobha for awhile and finally decided to give 'em a try.

First up is the Sophia top.  I am a busty gal and I'm constantly searching for a good top.  I want it to have enough coverage to keep me in for uttanasana and down dog.  And, I want it to stay down for other poses.  Nothing is more awkward than pulling at your clothes during practice or watching your teacher struggle with hers.

I have found a couple of tops that are tolerable.  One of the better ones is the Prana Organic Shakti top.  I can't find these any more, but they have a nice high cut in front so I don't feel obscene.  However, the sides don't offer a lot of coverage so I still wear a sports bra.  And, the little straps cut into my shoulders and my bra band cuts into my ribs.  Very comfy.

Another tolerable top is the Prana Quinn Top.  It doesn't look great though.  It does the job and it comes in some fun patterns.  I wear a sports bra with this one too and the same uncomfortableness applies.

This is a constant search for me.  Yoga pants are easy enough to find.  But, all of the tops are so low cut and it just makes me flat out uncomfortable to be in front of a class like that.

Back to the Sophia top.  I debated for a long time.  First, I don't get to try it on.  Second, it is EXPENSIVE.  It isn't like teaching yoga can support the cute yoga clothes habit!  But, I decided to go for it.  It looked like it had a lot of coverage and the back detail is so neat.  I, of course, will be wearing my body cutting in half sports bra so the back detail doesn't really matter.

Um, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this top!  I am over the moon in love with this top.  The material is soft and not bulky.  It is a little longer in length.  And the coverage.  Oh the coverage.  I don't feel like a porn star in this top!  And, I thought I would try something different because of the good coverage:  no god awful sports bra.  Ohmigosh.  I feel like I can move more.  It is so comfortable.

I test ran it in a class.  Not a class I was teaching, but one I took.  I didn't want any embarrassing mishaps.  It was great!  I actually felt like I could work deeper in poses and I wasn't constantly tugging at straps and making sure my girls were where they were supposed to be.

It was FREEDOM!  

So, next test was to wear it, sans bra, to teach a class.  No wardrobe malfunctions for me.  I wanted to come back to my computer and order a dozen more in case they quit making them!  

And, for the totally frivolous part...the back detail...kinda makes me feel sexy.  Not really something you need or want from yoga clothes, but not a bad perk.  

This post may make me look shallow and girly, but I honestly felt a new freedom in movement and practice when I wasn't worried about decency and wasn't in pain.

I'm wearing the top again today.  Thanks Zobha!

Come on, what is your essential yoga gear?

Monday
01Mar2010

yoga salt: hatha sun salutes

In every class I teach and in every practice, I have what I call my yoga salt.  Those poses or sequences that I always do no matter what the focus is or the theme is.

My biggest yoga salt are hatha sun salutations.  This is the version of sun salutations that I learned during my teacher training and I love it!  It is so gentle and low impact.  It is perfect for every level.  It gets to the spots I always want to get to during a practice.  It is a great warm up.  It is a great cool down.  It can be an entire practice.  You can add endless variety.  And, I really feel that the slow, languid nature of these sun salutes teach you awareness in movement and a lot about your body.

Hatha Sun Salutes.  Enjoy!

 

  • tadasana
  • inhale arms up
  • exhale swan dive 
  • uttanasana
  • inhale half way up, extend spine
  • exhale uttanasana
  • inhale right foot back to high lunge (usually five breaths)
  • step to plank (hold, tighten core)
  • drop the knees
  • exhale bhaktasana (devotional pose or child's pose)
  • inhale nose, chin & chest
  • baby bhujangasana (I always start by using just the strength of the back before I bring in the arms.  I do baby cobra for a few rounds.)
  • exhale release
  • inhale table
  • exhale down dog  (three to five breaths)
  • inhale extend the right foot up and back (three legged dog)
  • exhale right foot between the hands to high lunge
  • step forward uttanasana
  • inhale, pull belly button to spine and roll up
  • exhale hands to heart center

 

What do your sun salutations look like?

Wednesday
24Feb2010

real life yoga: getting out of bed

I usually wake up before my alarm clock goes off.  I have a pretty good internal clock and I hate hearing the alarm in the morning.  What an awful way to wake up.

I have a small yoga practice I do every morning to get myself out of bed:

 

  • full body stretch, really reaching through the fingers and toes
  • happy baby
  • hug the knees to the chest, exhale nose to the knees
  • extend both soles of the feet to the ceiling with arms at T
  • widen the legs
  • hug knees to chest
  • drop knees to the left
  • drop knees to the right
  • literally roll out of bed that way!
  • when my feet hit the ground, I do a quick chest opener 

 

Ah!  Feels so good.

Here are a couple of wake up yoga videos:

Yoga Today Morning Wake Up Sequence

Do you have a wake up yoga practice?

Monday
22Feb2010

teaching savasana

I've written a lot about savasana and how difficult it can be for beginners.  For me personally, the most difficult part is what to do as a teacher.  I have the standard head to toe relaxation that I walk students through.  But, after that...

I always feel awkward as a teacher with my eyes open while my students are in savasana.  I think it is creepy to watch people when they are so vulnerable.  And, I'm trying desperately to create a safe space for them to relax.  So, now I walk them through the relaxation with my eyes closed and keep them closed.  Then what?

I have no idea where I read it.  Maybe Pema Chodron.  Maybe a meditation book.  But, there was a meditation that had you imagine all of a person's hurt and heartache on the inhale and send them love on the exhale.  While my students are enjoying the frosting on their practice, I now sit and meditate.  I try to imagine their physical pain, their heartache, their day to day trials and cleanse them with my breath.  I go through student by student.  On the exhale I repeat: peace, love, happiness (to myself of course).  

I don't know if it works at all for my students but it certainly works for me.  I feel like I am transferring all of my positive energy to them, that I really am giving them all that I have.  For me, it is an amazingly peaceful exercise.  

I found the following video via yogadork and it made me laugh:

How do you teach savasana?  As a student what do you like a teacher to do?  Oh, and, any tips for savasana adjustments?  I'd love to do something simple and nice for my students but I have no idea what.