The Daily Downward Dog Blog
Inspiring Stories, Cool Yoga Playlists, and Yoga Tips!
Yoga Rocks…Literally!
One of the things I love about going to yoga class is looking forward to what kind of music the yoga instructor will play during class. I’m not a big fan of the organic, mystical Eastern yoga music genre. I prefer it when the instructor plays modern music, the kind of...
A Tree Grows in Yoga
Tree pose is definitely one of my top ten favorite yoga poses. I love it when I feel totally balanced and can lift my hands up over my head and spread them out in a V. I push my lifted leg out farther, stand a little taller, and reach my arms up as far as I can. I...
Yoga Self-Discipline
I was away from my yoga studio last week and without a good yoga DVD, so I decided to lead my own class. I’ve never self-directed myself through yoga, and I wondered if I would have the self-discipline to keep it up for an entire hour. Typically, when I exercise at...
Zumba®, I Missed You!
I have been pretty hard core with my yoga practice lately, going to class three to four times a week. On the days I don’t do yoga, I try to get outside for a walk or a bike ride to take advantage of the great summer weather. This new summer routine has caused me to...
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
“Too many people let others stand in their way and don’t go back for one more try.” —Rosabeth Moss Kanter, American writer and educator I love this quote! We can make it so easy to accept defeat just by saying or thinking, Hey it wasn’t my fault. It's easy to blame...
The Four Tricks to Undisturbed Calmness of the Mind
“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” —From the yoga sutras of Patañjali Wow, that’s a lot of stuff to do! I wouldn’t mind just...
Taking My Learning Off the Mat
In a recent blog I wrote about an important lesson I learned from the teachings of Gurudev Shri Amritji (Yogi Amrit Desai)—we create our own world by how we create our perceptions. This lesson came into play last week when I was trying to get to my yoga class. There...
100 Reasons to Try Meditation
I stumbled upon this article yesterday and had to share it. The article was written a few years ago by Frederic Premji and is a list of 100 Benefits of Meditation (I love a good list!). If you've thought about trying meditation but have never done it, I guarantee this...
We’re Stronger Than We Think
The other night in yoga class, during an especially challenging flow of poses, our instructor encouraged the entire class with these words: You can do it, we are all stronger than we think. How true those words are. Sometimes we just have to push ourselves a little...
I’m a Warrior Goddess
Warrior goddess. Just the name itself is cool! I had never heard of this pose, but we did it in my yoga class this week. I think I may have heard my yoga instructor wrong though, because when I looked up the pose, I found that it is called goddess squat or utkata...
Only 7 Years To Go!
The other night in yoga class, we were in wide-legged forward bend (Prasarita Padottanasana), where the goal is to get your head to touch the floor. If you can imagine, my head is nowhere near the floor. The yoga instructor told us not to worry about getting our heads...
Be Present
Remove the old garment which no longer suites you and step bravely into the new one - weaved from an awareness gained after years of struggle and pain. Do not lose site of who you are in that quiet space - where only reality exists. You've paid a high price to get...
Yoga Laughter
Question: How many Iyengar yogis does it take to replace a light bulb? Answer: Only one—but he will need a sticky mat, a backless chair, five blankets, a bolster, six ropes, two belts, six assorted benches, three weights, and a certificate. I needed a little humor...
My Back Has Never Felt Better—Yoga for Scoliosis
I found out I had scoliosis when I was in junior high and it was devastating. After many doctors’ visits and enough radiation from X-rays to make me lethal, I was finally fitted for a back brace. If you think going through junior high was a nightmare, try hiding a...
Mix it Up
The other day my yoga instructor had us start out class in Savasana pose. The first thing that popped into my head was; I hope this means we still get to do it at the end of class. She wanted to mix things up, and get the class out of our normal routine. If you do the...
Recycle Your Yoga Mat — Part 2
Here’s another great way to recycle your yoga mat: Recycleyourmat.com also collects used yoga mats and provides a 20% discount for use on Manduka yoga products. This company takes the collected mats, sorts them by material type, and then ships them to manufacturers...
A Purpose-Driven Yoga Life
“Without intention, all these postures, these breathing practices, meditations, and the like can become little more than ineffectual gestures. When animated by intention, however, the simplest movement, the briefest meditation, and the contents of one breath cycle are...
Good Karma – Recycle Your Yoga Mat
Do you have an old yoga mat that needs to be replaced? Don’t throw your old one away; donate it and get a great discount on a new one. When you donate your gently used yoga mat to The Bolder Mat Company, they will clean and refurbish it and then donate it to yoga...
I’m a Slacker
Well, despite all my great intentions after my yoga Nidra sessions with Gurudev Shri Amritj, I have not been meditating or practicing yoga Nidra nearly enough. Last week, in my haste to get caught up from my vacation (and the glorious beach yoga and meditation I was...
Beach Therapy
“It’s hard for me to put into words why I like the beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy...Beach Therapy” --Amy Dykens Amy I feel the same way. I don't know what it is, or how to explain it, but I absolutely love the beach. I'm...
My Favorite Mottos
We all have catchphrases we use to help us through difficult situations. In the past I had quite a few favorites: No worries Don't worry, be happy Hakuna matata Life is good Last night I picked up a new one from my yoga instructor..."Bliss out." According to the Free...
Yoga Smiles
Remember, it is more important for a smile to spread over your chin than it is to get your chin closer to your shin. - Stuart Rice Great advice from Stuart. It is amazing how much a smile can help in your yoga practice. If you are in a difficult pose - smile. If you...
Happy Dance
When I did my beach yoga class this week, I used a beach towel to stand on. As I moved through the practice, I noticed that the sand formed under my feet, making it a little tricky to find balance in some poses. When I went into Downward Dog, the sand that had...
Beach Yoga Rocks!
It finally was nice enough yesterday for the great team at Oceanfront Fitness & Yoga in Virginia Beach to take the morning yoga class to the beach. I've done yoga on the beach once before on vacation, but I forgot how amazing it is! The sound of the waves, the...
Beach Meditation
I tried a little beach meditation today. That white noise called the sound of the surf really helped me block out distractions and clear my mind, so I could focus on restorative breathing. It was an amazing experience, but I have to admit, beach meditation has one...
What Do You Absolutely Love About Life?
As I mentioned yesterday, I recently finished reading God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours, by Regina Brett. It’s full of inspirational messages about living life to the fullest. One of her suggestions is to make a list of 50 words that describe what...
Figure Out What Makes You Feel Young, and Do It!
I am reading God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours, by Regina Brett. It’s full of inspirational messages about living life to the fullest. In one of the lessons, Regina talks about growing older and provides a list of things to do to stay young at...
This “No Fear” Thing is Working For Me!
I had another small victory in yoga class yesterday. I pulled off side angle plank with no knee to the ground. Normally, when I go into side angle plank, I can hold it for just a few seconds, and then I wimp out and put my knee down. Yesterday, as I moved into the...
Another Small Victory
On my quest to become more flexible in yoga, I had another small victory yesterday. In extended side angle pose I could never get my hand all the way down to the floor. Instead, I rested my arm on my leg like you see in this illustration. The full pose should look...
Ellen DeGeneres on Yoga
"I was in yoga the other day. I was in full lotus position. My chakras were all aligned. My mind is cleared of all clatter and I'm looking out of my third eye and everything that I'm supposed to be doing. It's amazing what comes up, when you sit in that silence. "Mama...