Mar 8, 2012 |
The yoga poetry love fest continues today with a little ditty from Bob Weisenberg about how freakin’ amazing life can be!
If you are not familiar with Bob, he is the Associate Publisher of Elephant Journal, creator of an incredible series called Gita in a Nutshell and Gita Talk: Self-paced Online Seminar, and also happens to be a kick-ass flamenco guitar player. Bob and I share a common goal: to help demystify yoga for our readers. If you have ever struggled through a reading of the Bhagavad Gita, Bob breaks it down by major theme instead of the order it’s written. He mashes up the big ideas and the best quotations, opening it up for community discussion, and it’s a beautiful thing. Please check it out on Elephant Journal or Facebook, and if you’re curious about his flamenco guitar, you can download a few free cuts on his Yoga Demystified site. You should know that a little flamenco guitar can bring a touch of flair to just about any yoga class playlist.
Bob was lucky to have three of his poems chosen to appear in Volume I of The Poetry of Yoga, a superb new anthology of contemporary poetry that was edited and pulled together lovingly by community organizer, peace educator, author, spoken word poet, yoga instructor, and artist HawaH. I’ve been featuring some of my favorite poems from the anthology over the past week in hopes that many of you will head on over to The Poetry of Yoga website to pick up your very own copy.
The Meaning of Life–Who Cares?
By Bob Weisenberg, The Poetry of Yoga Volume I, page 85
According to the ancient Yoga sages
Questioning the meaning of life
While living
Is like questioning the meaning of a roller coaster
In the middle of a roller coaster ride.
Or, like questioning the meaning of love
In the middle of lovemaking.
Who cares when something is so amazing?
The amazement IS the meaning.
The amazement IS the ultimate reality.
The amazement IS the life-force of the universe
All around us and within us
Far beyond our ability
To absorb or comprehend.
The amazement IS what some call God
And the ancient sages called Brahman.
In the midst of the ups and downs
Of life and love
Just relax, breathe deeply
And experience the infinite thrill
of the amazing ride.
Win a FREE copy of The Poetry of Yoga
The Daily Downward Dog has already given away one book, but you still have another chance to pick up your very own copy of The Poetry of Yoga. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below to let me know how much you love the mash-up of poetry and yoga. I will randomly select one winner on Monday, March 12 at noon EST from all of the comments left on the posts that include excerpts from the anthology.
If you are loving this poetry as much as I am, please consider purchasing a copy of the book, which is available at thepoetryofyoga.com, and help spread the word about this book to the yoga lovers in your life. For every book that is purchased, a donation is made to One Common Unity, so you get the gift of poetry and the gift of helping others.
Interested in submitting a poem for the second anthology? Check out The Poetry of Yoga Facebook page for details.
Feb 27, 2012 |
A few weeks ago I received a book in the mail, and as I started to scan through the pages, I felt like I had won the lottery! Like a beautiful asana, each page contained words perfectly aligned to lift my soul. I had been given the gift of a book of yoga poems that I know will provide inspiration for my life and my yoga classes for many years to come.
The Poetry of Yoga is a new anthology of contemporary poetry that was edited and pulled together lovingly by community organizer, peace educator, author, spoken word poet, yoga instructor, and artist HawaH, who wanted to create a body of current yoga verse written by modern, living poetic voices that would reflect on how yoga continues to shift the landscape of human consciousness and civilization.
Back in October 2010, HawaH launched a call for submissions for this book (which, through the power of social media, became a worldwide poetic movement) and received more than 1,500 submissions. He called upon master teachers and writers from around the globe to offer submissions as well.
So, how cool of a job would that be to read all of those submissions and then get to pick which ones made it to the anthology? HawaH joyfully did this task without seeing the names of the authors so that he would have an unbiased view. He was able to narrow down the submissions to 450 pages, too much for one book, so the decision was made to offer two anthologies. The first was published on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11).
“Poetry and Yoga…as inseparable as ocean and sand. Together they create a mirror glass reflecting the enlightenment inside of us. Yoga turns us inward as we discover the graceful flow of our bodies interacting with breath and spirit; poetry channels expression outwards, pouring in the shape of words onto paper. Letters bend as a yoga asana, creating paragraphs with our lives. Feelings unravel in the form of sentences buried deep inside.” – Hawah, from the Prologue of The Poetry of Yoga
As you go through the poems, you will find diverse voices from all around the globe, and if I have not piqued your interest yet, you can also check out the poetic stylings of yogis like Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffmnn, Sharon Gannon, Judith Hanson Lasater, Swami Ramananda, and Krishna Das.
One of the missions of this work is to help raise awareness and money for a non-profit organization called One Common Unity, which supports a movement for peace education and the building of a non-violent culture through music and art. In other words, they bring arts-based health and wellness, conflict resolution, and nonviolence education for inner-city youth. Fifty percent of the proceeds of each book sold is donated to One Common Unity.
If you are looking for uplifting poems to share with your yoga classes or are simply seeking a spiritual lift, you will find it in the pages of The Poetry of Yoga. Visit thepoetryofyoga.com to watch videos of the authors reading their poetry, get details on how to submit your work for the second anthology (which will be published on 12/12/12), and to purchase your very own copy.
I’d like to share with you one of the poems from the book. I got a huge smile on my face when I found it because it is the poem that I read when I taught my very first yoga class. I was leaving behind my stressful days working in corporate America and choosing instead to teach yoga. The words in Aaron’s poem speak to how I lived my life for so many years, and they celebrate the decision I made to live a more peaceful, fulfilling, and healthy life.
Too Busy to Relax by Aaron Hoopes
From The Poetry of Yoga Volume I, page 95-96
Too busy to relax they say
Complaints, excuses everyday
They sound so weak, so stressed, so tired
A mundane world in which they’re mired
No time to sit and just be quiet
Their mind’s a rush of thoughts, a riot
No chance they have to hear the sound
Of nature’s wonder all around
Of birds and trees and clouds and air
Too much work, it’s just not fair
This really seems quite sad to me
So much to do, no time to be
Breathe I say and move a bit
Then after that we can just sit
And watch the world at its own pace
There is no rush, it’s not a race
And if it were, what is the goal?
Where are you going mind, body, soul?
Too busy to relax I hear
These words seem like they’re based in fear
Tired, weak and too much stress
How did our lives turn such a mess?
We don’t need to look above
To find a place that’s based in love
Turn instead and look within
Find your self, it is no sin
Forgive, let go, open your heart
It is the only place to start
Think on that and you might find
Throughout your life you have been blind
Breathe I say and move some more
Run, walk, jump, stretch on the floor
Move your body, get up and go
Feel the energy, let it flow
Don’t get caught in negative
Habits that won’t let you live
Too busy to relax? Not true!
This hoax must end, it starts with you
If all you do is just the same
You never will escape this game
Do something new, do something Zen
Begin right now, not ‘if’ or ‘when’
Do one thing different, or two, or five
Change how you live, become alive
Do or do not, there is no try
Step off the cliff and start to fly
Begin with this, you won’t go wrong
Remember to breathe, deep and long.
I think I need to read this poem each and every day as a reminder to slow down and RELAX! Thank you, Aaron, for the insight and wisdom this poem provided.
Win Your Very Own Copy of The Poetry of Yoga!
To celebrate and share this lovely gift I received, The Daily Downward Dog is giving away two copies of The Poetry of Yoga. Leave a comment below to let me know how the poetry of yoga speaks to you. I will randomly select one winner on Monday, March 5 and another on Monday, March 12, 2012 at noon EST. In between now and then, I may just share a few more of my favorite poems from this awesome anthology.
Please spread the word about this book. And, you can follow the creation of the second anthology on the website and also through the Poetry of Yoga Facebook page.
Thank you, HawaH, for making these two copies of the book available to my readers and for your hard work and dedication to create such a marvelous and awe-inspiring collection of poetry about yoga. I may just have to get busy and create some poems to submit for the second anthology!
Feb 16, 2012 |
If you ever find yourself in South Beach (SOBE), forget about celebrity sightings and nightclubs, and head on over to the 3rd Street Beach to catch a beach yoga class! You don’t have to worry about what day of the year it is; these awesome beach yoga classes happen 365 days a year, and you have your pick of either a sunrise yoga class at 7 am or a sunset class at 5 pm.
These community yoga classes got their start back in 1998, when SOBE local and newly certified yoga instructor, October Rose, started practicing daily on the 3rd Street Beach. People started to join her, and before she knew it, she was teaching two classes daily. The word spread, and other teachers joined in the fun. In 2008, October moved to India, but her legacy lived on: Those two daily classes continue with the help of a talented group of local teachers.
As if practicing yoga on the beach is not cool enough in itself, 3rd Street Beach Yoga makes it even cooler by making the classes accessible and free to everyone. The teachers all offer yoga from their heart, but they do accept donations.
I was extremely lucky to attend two 3rd Street Beach Yoga classes when I was on vacation recently in SOBE. Yeah, it was a little tough crawling out of my comfy bed in the dark to make it to the 7 am class each morning, but it was well worth it!
The first day I attended a class led by Benjamin Smielowitz. It was dark and windy when class first started, but I was thrilled to see that another 25 or so beach yoga lovers had gotten their butts up early to get their yoga fix. We were rewarded when the sun started to creep out of the Atlantic, and by the end of class, we were doing our yoga accompanied by a gorgeous sunrise and sunny, blue skies.
Benjamin started class by asking if anyone was a yoga teacher. I raised my hand, and he was quick to ask me if I would like to teach the class. He was kidding (thank god), but I assured him that, as much as I enjoy teaching yoga on the beach, I was on vacation and was looking forward to experiencing his brand of beach yoga. I was not disappointed. Benjamin took us through a vigorous class (perfect for a brisk morning on the beach) and a few challenging poses like hanumanasana, which he skillfully demonstrated and then offered up the requisite modifications for those of us who aren’t quite as flexible.
My favorite part of class was savasana. It was cold that morning, and after only a few minutes in this resting pose, Benjamin, who thought that many of us looked uncomfortable lying in the cool windy morning air, invited us to come to a seated position in a circle. He then led us through a seated meditation with the mantra, lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu, which as he explained to the group translates to:
May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.
It was a meaningful and moving way to end the class, and I felt a sense of community along with all of the other participants that morning.
I got to talk to Benjamin for a few moments after class and learned that he attended his very first yoga class right there on the beach in 2002 (how cool is that!). In less than a year from that fated first beach yoga class, he had gone on to become a certified yoga teacher. I love how the beach and the yoga had such a profound effect on his life!
Benjamin is also a gifted musician, and you can hear a track from his latest CD below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6X52ikelNY[/youtube]
Tuesday morning I got up early again and joyously walked to the beach in anticipation of a second blissful sunrise yoga session. It was another chilly, overcast morning, and as I started to approach the lifeguard stand at 3rd Beach, my heart began to sink. There was no one assembled like there had been the day before, and I worried that the class might be cancelled (that happens if the temperatures fall below 55 degrees). But, not to worry, I looked a little further down the beach, and instructor Heather Morgan was walking towards me. We met up at the lifeguard booth and walked around to find a spot protected from the wind – no sooner than that did other beach yoga aficionados begin crawling out of the woodwork.
I learned a lot from Heather that morning. For example, Heather turned me on to a very high-tech way to keep beach towels (makeshift yoga mats) from blowing away on windy days. She simply comes prepared with some plastic bags that she fills with sand to weigh down the towels. Genius! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that when I was scouring the shores of Lake Erie last summer looking for rocks and driftwood to weigh down the beach towels on windy days.
Heather also had excellent modifications to help the class deal with the wind and instability that can come at times when practicing on the sand. She is a gifted teacher who brings her extensive knowledge of proper alignment to her asana cues along with a delightful English accent and sense of humor.
One of the most memorable parts of Heather’s class is when we chanted Om at the beginning and end. I have never heard anyone who can hold their Om better than Heather. I would be out of breath and closing off my Om, and I swear Heather would keep hers going for what seemed like a full minute longer.
If you’re in Miami, Heather teaches extensively throughout the area, and her favorite yoga style, which I’m bummed I did not get to try, is Skanda. I guess this will be my incentive to get down to Miami again so I can check out yet another flavor of yoga.
Heather and I both share a love for beach yoga. After class, I got to spend some time talking with her, and as we chatted, a passerby stopped to ask her about the classes. Heather was so enthusiastic in explaining the classes and the fact that you get to be outside with nature, watching the sunrise while doing yoga, and how in essence, this is what life is all about.
“Yoga challenges us, awakening our inner warrior to help us be the best we can be – add that to the beach,
and you have perfection.” – Heather Morgan
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you, Heather and Benjamin, for giving me such a lovely gift on my vacation and for the awesome inspiration that you provided for my summer beach yoga classes.
Dec 28, 2011 |
It’s that time of year again, when the dreaded “R” word threads its way into our vernacular. A new year is about to commence, bringing with it a rapidly spreading fever and overwhelming desire to declare our resolutions. And, yes, I’ve caught the fever too, as I’ve already posted my dream poses for 2012.
For the record, I don’t like to set resolutions, and worse yet, I really don’t like posting them up on The Daily Downward Dog (just a little public accountability issue I have). Last year, I set a goal for myself to embrace my meditation practice. I was on fire with my love of meditation and still am. I can’t say that I meditated each and every day, but I did deepen my practice, and that will continue to be a goal I set for myself each and every year.
Rather than getting hung up on setting long-range resolutions, I thought this might be a good time to focus on setting intentions. Intentions to me are bite-sized resolutions, and one of the reasons I dig them is that I can set a new one each and every time I come to the yoga mat.
I always love it when a yoga instructor asks the class to set an intention for their practice. The good yogini in me knows that these intentions should be focused on things like staying present while on the yoga mat or stopping myself from being so judgmental about how far my heels are from the floor in downward facing dog. But, the aggressive Type-A yogini in me occasionally likes to throw in a few intentions about the things that I want to manifest in my life.
Now that I’m a yoga teacher, I get to share that practice by including a few quiet moments at the beginning of class where I ask my students to close their eyes and focus on their intentions. I explain the importance of setting an intention, and I caution them to be careful and to aim high because, according to yogi and author Max Strom, our minds really do want to do their best to give us what we ask for.
To provide a little guidance on the practice of setting intentions, I offer my students a few examples to gently nudge them in the right direction. I shared this list back in October on Intent.com, and now I want to share my top ten yoga intentions with you here.
Intentions should always be stated in a positive way, so here goes…
Top 10 Yoga Intentions
- Let go of baggage and move on. (You know, those grudges you hold, the people you need to forgive, relationships that need to end, etc.)
- Make a transition in my life. (Are you thinking about a move or a transition in your life in 2012? Set an intention to get you on the right track or to ask for guidance to get you where you want to go.)
- Unleash my fears. (This is especially good for new yoga students who may have some trepidation on their yoga mats.)
- Be more patient. (You can apply this to just about any area of your life. ‘Nuf said!)
- Open my heart (and mind) and send this love out into the world.
- Practice being non-judgmental of myself and others.
- Find my purpose in life. (Personal intentions are fine; just don’t put out intentions to win the lottery. Instead, ask for ways to make a difference and to help others.)
- Choose to be happy. (We have so many choices we can make in life. Choosing to be happy is pretty damn simple and always provides an excellent return on investment.)
- Let go of stress – not only for the next 60 minutes on my yoga mat, but also as I go through my week off the yoga mat.
- Free my monkey mind and let go of the incessant chatter – to let my mind be free and immersed in the union of the body and the breath.
In reality, this list can never be limited to just ten, and really, the most important thing is to listen to your heart and to use your yoga mat to begin your very own spiritual journey.
Whatever your intention is, repeat it to yourself three times, and as you breathe in a deep inhale, imagine it sealing into your heart. Just remember to practice caution because when you direct your mind and heart in a new direction, it can be very powerful!
So, if you’re beating yourself up over unrealized 2011 resolutions or are having trouble settling into the new year, forget about those lofty resolutions and set some economy-sized intentions on a daily basis – both on and off the yoga mat. Live in the present and stay mindful, attaining peace and serenity one day at a time!
Would love to hear about your intentions for the coming year, so please share your thoughts below.
If you’re hankering for more New Year’s inspiration check out my 2010 New Year’s Eve monologue and yoga class playlist!
Oct 21, 2011 |
On Wednesday I started to dish out some of the stories from the Rodney Yee yoga teacher training workshop I attended. I promised to share a funny (I can laugh at it now) encounter I had with Rodney Yee. It seems that every time I meet a well known – or dare I say “celebrity” – yoga instructor, I find a way to embarrass myself in front of them. You can read about my yoga dork encounter with Max Strom this past June, and of course, I had a similar mishap with Rodney.
There were no men in attendance at the workshop, so you can imagine what the line for the women’s bathroom was like during the breaks. I was standing in line when one of the owners of Yoga on High tapped me on the shoulder and told me and a few other women at the end of the line that we could go ahead and use the men’s room. I’m a long-time veteran of sneaking into the men’s room when the women’s line is unbearably long, so I didn’t hesitate when given the invitation.
Rodney Yee
I was the only brave yogini in line that snuck into the men’s room and quickly went about my business. As I was washing my hands, the door to the men’s room opened. I turned to look, and yeah, you guessed it, Rodney walked in. I’m sure my jaw dropped, but Rodney was totally at ease and just let out one of his infectious laughs as he teased me about invading the men’s room. I diverted my eyes to the sink, flustered and red-faced and told Rodney, “Well, I wanted to meet you in person, but this is not the way I pictured it.”
I’ve been chased out of the men’s room before but this time it left an indelible mark, and as I sneaked out the door, I promised myself to never again adventure into a men’s loo!
Oh well, at least I’m consistent in my yoga dorkiness. I can hardly wait to see what happens the next time I meet a yoga celebrity.
