Oct 18, 2012 |
I spend a lot of time on the beaches of Lake Erie (yes, Lake Erie has beautiful beaches) going for walks. I’d like to say that these walks are all spiritual walking meditations, but I have to admit that most of the time my head is down, looking at the sand in search of sea glass. For those of you unfamiliar with sea glass, it is basically old bottles of beer or coke that get tossed out of fishing boats, which over the years the current of the lake lovingly frosts into beautiful gifts from the sea. Gifts that have taught me a few valuable life lessons.
I guess you could say that I’m a little obsessed with finding sea glass. For me it’s the thrill of the hunt, having a sharp enough eye to spy it amongst the rocks and other shells on the shore, and occasionally I get rewarded with a rare color or unique shape.
Just this past weekend I was taking a beach stroll and started to get impatient when I did not find any sea glass. As I looked up, discouraged, I gasped and caught my breath. With my head dropped, I had missed the absolute stunning beauty of that moment. I had missed all the gorgeous shades of blue in the water and the sky. I had missed the birds soaring through the air. I had missed the feel of the wind across my face. I had missed the sound and beauty of the waves coming up to shore and the sparkling white light of the sun reflecting down on the water. I spent the rest of the walk taking in the beauty of this majestic body of water – truly a gift that I had neglected in my pursuit of old beer bottles.
Lesson #1 – Be Present
Like most things in my life these days, I was able to relate this experience to the practice of yoga. How often do we come to the mat with our heads down? Focused on what is stressing us out, where we have to be after class, or the new pair of yoga pants we’re convinced we need. By focusing on all these things, we miss out on the beauty of our practice. We’re missing the sound of our breath, the way our bodies feel as we move from asana to asana, the utter joy of letting go of all that other crap for one hour so we can find a place of peace.
Ask yourself, are you too busy looking down at the shore? Are you missing the absolute divine beauty of your yoga practice? Close your eyes, notice your breath, and let go.
I took a few of the pieces of sea glass I found and placed them on my desk at home to remind me of the lesson I learned that day – to open my eyes and be fully present in every moment.
Lesson #2 – Don’t be Greedy
I have collected huge bags of sea glass. Someday I’m going to make some jewelry out of it, but I’ll admit, I have accumulated sea glass beyond my capacity to use it in the proper way. These beautiful gems should not be sitting in a bag in my closet. Yes, I am guilty of hoarding sea glass.
Aparigraha, one of the yamas (from the eight limbs of yoga) is all about not being greedy. In my obsession to find sea glass, I have not been living this yama. There really is no need for me to have as much sea glass as I do. I should share my collection with others so they can enjoy it as well. From now on I’ll leave the sea glass on the beach for others to find. And, this week in my yoga classes I’m making up for some of my lack of aparigraha by handing out sea glass to my students for them to take home. My hope is that they will place the sea glass in a place where it will remind them to stay present and to not be greedy.
Ask yourself: What are you hoarding? Greediness can come in many forms, such as holding onto your emotions, not sharing the gifts of your talents or your love with others. Perhaps giveaway some of those old clothes, coats, or household items you’ve been hoarding to a person in need.
Lesson #3 – Patience
This one comes from the incredible book, Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In the first chapter, Anne talks about the beach, particularly collecting seashells and how we shouldn’t be impatient and seek out or dig for these shells. That would defeat the purpose!
“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.”
Ask yourself: Are you being impatient in your yoga practice? Are you beating yourself up because you are not where you want to be in a pose? Practice patience with the body, patience with the breath. Be more open, and you will be rewarded as you blossom and grow into your yoga practice.
I love how life just teaches you lessons in unexpected moments, especially when those lessons are provided while walking down the shore of a beach! Get out there this week and take a walk. It doesn’t matter where you walk – just get outside, turn off the chatter, and see what lessons come to you.
Oct 16, 2012 |
’Tis the season for scary stories and trick-or-treat! My mom calls me with scary stories all the time, mostly from all the stuff she hears on those lovely daytime talk shows. Yesterday she couldn’t wait to call to tell me that I was going to get a horrible skin infection if I didn’t keep my yoga mat clean.
I hate to admit it, but my Mother is right: Yoga mats are potential breeding grounds for some nasty bacteria, and if you don’t keep your mat clean, it can get smelly and worn out a lot faster than you would like.
I was able to reassure my mother that I would not succumb to some horrible disease at the hand of yoga, because my yoga mats are sparkling clean due in large part to the NamaSTAY Yoga Towels I use to cover and protect my yoga mats. The towel absorbs my sweat and any dirt or germs on my hands and feet, and then after each practice, I just throw the towel in the wash.
NamaSTAY Yoga Towels are genius in that they are the only ones on the market with sleeves that securely wrap around both ends of the mat – so you don’t have to worry about the towel slipping off during your downward dogs. If you do hot yoga or Bikram yoga, you owe it to yourself to use a yoga mat towel to keep sweat and bacteria off your yoga mat.
The microfiber material used in NamaSTAY towels act as a protective barrier between you and your yoga mat, trapping 98%-99% of all dirt, dust, bacteria, and germs and 96% of all viruses.
Now, here’s another yoga mat horror story….check out this miserable specimen.
Obviously this yoga mat has seen better days. Just think: How much longer could this yoga mat have lived if it was protected with a NamaSTAY Yoga Towel?
Is your yoga mat looking scary? Do you want to stay away from the bacteria and germs that are hanging out on your yoga mat? Would you like to win a brand spanking new yoga mat and NamaSTAY Yoga Towel?
Enter the Scary Yoga Mat Picture Contest!
Go to the NamaSTAY Towel Facebook page, click on the “Like” button, and upload a picture of your worn out, tattered, torn-up, dirty, scary, you-name-it yoga mat. A panel of distinguished judges will select which yoga mat is scariest, and the owner of the mat will win an incredible prize package:
1 Manduka® Black Mat ProYoga Mat
1 NamaSTAY®Yoga Towel
Deadline to enter is October 30 at midnight PST (which is technically Halloween), and the winner will be announced on October 31. No matter where you live, you are welcome to enter.
Special Offers for Daily Downward Dog Fans
Save 20% on NamaSTAY yoga towels with offer code
DOWNWARDDOG
at check-out or order direct from the Daily Downward Dog to get the savings.
Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA10
And the winner is….Stephie Mark! Check out her super scary yoga mat. Thanks to everyone who entered over on the NamaSTAY Towel Facebook page.
Oct 3, 2012 |
Earlier this year I sent out some intentions that I would combine my loves of travel and yoga together and get out on the road for some yoga festivals and workshops. I even went so far as to document my dream of teaching yoga on as many beaches around the world as I can. That’s the ultimate trifecta of doing what I love – traveling, teaching yoga, spending time on a beach.
I’m here to tell you that setting intentions can be very powerful when you set your mind and your heart in the same direction and believe! I’m living proof. This year I’ve had the opportunity to pack up my yoga mat and go to New York City for the Yoga Journal Conference,
Learning from Desiree Rumbaugh at the NY Yoga Journal Conference
to Santa Monica for 3 incredible days of yoga and music at the Tadasana Festival,
Practicing Yoga with hundreds of people is cool!
and to Yellow Springs, Ohio for a weekend workshop with Erich Schiffmann.
The journey to Yellow Springs included a road trip with my packed up new Road Tripper, a yoga friendly weekend bag from Manduka. If you want to take your yoga practice on the road, check out Manduka’s Journey On Collection, which includes a number of bags that will tote your yoga mat in style to the studio, a day trip, or a longer journey.
The canvas and cotton webbing material used in my bag are both natural, renewable materials that are unbleached and use non-AZO dyes, which reduces the amount of chemicals and toxins released into the environment (and reminds me to be eco-conscious when I travel).
I love the zipper along the bottom that you can use to easily insert and remove your yoga mat. It’s also super roomy to pack everything you need for a weekend of yoga bliss,
and the bottom of the bag has a reminder to keep me grounded!
When I’m not off on a yoga travel adventure, I’ve been using my Road Tripper bag to carry yoga mats, a bolster, blocks, straps, and everything I need when I go on the road to teach private yoga sessions.
What travel dreams do you have? Right now I’m working on my next dream—teaching yoga on a tropical beach somewhere—so stay tuned for future announcements.
Want to get your own Journey On bag from Manduka? Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA.
Win a FREE Manduka Day Tripper Yoga Mat bag
Where will you be journeying with your yoga practice in the coming year? Leave a comment below to let me know, and you will be entered to win a FREE Day Tripper yoga mat bag from Manduka. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and the deadline to enter is Monday, October 8, at noon EST, when one lucky winner will be randomly selected and notified. By sharing your email address, you agree to be part of the Manduka email family and receive special discounts and promotions.
You will get an extra entry into this giveaway if you tweet the following message: Where is your yoga journey taking you? Journey On with @downwarddog & @MandukaYoga to win a Day Tripper #yoga mat bag http://bit.ly/T0FU7g
I received the Road Tripper bag mentioned in this post from Manduka. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA 
Aug 24, 2012 |
If you’ve come to one of my yoga classes, you know that I continually make reminders to be present, let the mind go so you can focus on the union of the body and the breath, coming into the essence of what yoga is all about.
Of course, being present isn’t always the easiest thing to do. So, if you need an extra little reminder to take you to that place of calm, you might want to check out the line of simple and super comfortable yoga clothing by a company aptly named – Be Present.
Their cute lotus-themed logo can be found on most of the pieces, and when I wear mine and get a peek of that logo as I fold forward into uttanasana, it always give me a subtle reminder to stay present in my practice.
The cool folks at Be Present recently sent me two pieces of clothing from their line, and I wore them this summer when I taught yoga and also attended classes.
I have to say that I absolutely love the Modal Racerback Tank they sent. I’d never heard of modal, but this fabric feels silky and soft on the skin, and it fits tightly around the waist. I like the unique detail of the gathered racerback, and the ruching in the front provides a very flattering fit (especially if you want to hide your belly).
When I first tried on the Mobility Pant, I felt more like I should be taking off for an African safari than going to teach a yoga class. But, these pants are so comfortable, and that long side slit provided a nice breeze up my legs as I taught on the beach on hot summer days. I can see myself lounging around in these on a lazy Saturday afternoon as well.
Here are a couple of cool things you need to know about Be Present:
- All their clothes are made in the USA.
- They are a small, family-owned business that follows environmentally friendly practices.
- The colors for their line are inspired by the colors of the chakras. (Humm, they sent me my Mobility pants in purple, the color of the crown chakra, associated with wisdom and the spiritual world. I like that and feel very wise when I wear them!)
- Their clothing is perfect both off and on the yoga mat, and they have great styles for men too.
ENTER TO WIN A FREE PAIR OF MOBILITY PANTS
To help celebrate my blogiversary/birthday week here at The Daily Downward Dog, Be Present is offering a pair of FREE Mobility pants to one lucky DDD reader. To enter, please do one of the following:
Like Be Present on Facebook
Follow Be Present on Twitter
Check out their clothes at www.bepresent.com – especially their new VOTE shirts!
Then leave a comment below and let me know a technique you use to help yourself to be present either on or off the yoga mat. I’m hoping to pick up a few tips from all of you, and if you struggle with presence of mind be sure to browse through the comments!
The deadline to leave a comment and officially enter this giveaway is Friday, August 28th at noon, when one winner will be randomly pulled from a hat. The winners will be announced here and also on The Daily Downward Dog’s Facebook page. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
If you’re feeling a little love in your heart, please tweet or share this giveaway on Facebook or with a friend.
I’m going to purchase this shirt below to serve as an extra reminder to my students to BE PRESENT!
Wear Be Present to be in the moment, to live!
Aug 16, 2012 |
I’m really lucky in that I’m blessed with an awesome group of girlfriends. I recently had a bunch of them come to visit me for a girls’ weekend and invited them to bring along their yoga mats if they wanted to catch one of my beach yoga classes.
Here is how one of my friends replied to the invite. “Hi gang, sorry for the delay in responding. I was busy getting a note from my doctor stating it’s in the best interest of all that I not participate in yoga due to I may scare everyone and look like a jackass trying.”
Her response made us all chuckle, and to be honest, I’m sure that is what a lot of people want to say to me when I encourage them to give yoga a try. There just seems to be this notion out there that you have to be young, skinny, and super bendy to practice yoga. The truth could not be further away.
Yoga is for everyone!
When my friend arrived, she told me that she really was curious about yoga and wanted to give it a try. I assured her that everyone in class is there to support her, not laugh at her, and as long as she promised to not crack jokes throughout that she should just come to class with an open beginner’s mind and give it a try.
I love teaching a class when I have friends or family members attending, and the class she attended was so much fun to make eye contact with my gal pals during class and see them smiling right back at me.
After class, my friend told me how relaxed she felt and how yoga could be a great stress-reliever for her. She also admitted that the class was harder physically than she thought it would be and that she “cheated” in class. I was quick to set her straight, because in my mind, there is no such thing as cheating in yoga class. If you can’t do a pose and make a modification to allow your body some ease and comfort, you are doing the wisest thing a yogini can do – you are honoring your body.
If you’ve been straightening a leg in Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2) because your thigh is quivering, or coming down on your knees in plank pose, that is not cheating. That is the most beautiful thing you can do for your body. The strength will come, and the flexibility will come, all in due time. In the meantime, stop beating yourself up, keep breathing, and make the modifications you need to flow through your yoga practice safely.
Don’t cheat yourself – give yoga a try!
