Jul 14, 2011 |
“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day—unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”
–Old Zen adage
I’ve had a crazy couple of weeks. I’m not complaining, because they have been filled with lots of wonderful summer activities, family visits, and good, fulfilling work. Summer is a busy time for many people, and the problem is that when we get busy, our regular yoga and meditation practices get pushed to the side, and that is precisely when we need it most.
We need to step away from the notion that we don’t have enough time and just carve out at least 10 to 30 minutes for a little breath meditation and yoga. You may not think this is enough to get the benefits, but your body and your mind will thank you for giving it a little respite from the incessant chatter and stress of your day. Just spending a few minutes sitting still, closing your eyes, and breathing deeply can be highly therapeutic. I can testify that the time I spend each morning meditating helps me stay focused, alert, and ready to take on the day with a joyful spirit.
One of the best places I know to get the instruction you need when you don’t have time to make it to the yoga studio is the web site My Yoga Online. The cool thing about My Yoga Online is that you just dial in the amount of time you have (under 15 minutes, 15–30 minutes, 31–60 minutes, or over 60) and shazam! a whole list of online yoga video classes come up in the search results.
My Yoga Online co-founder Michelle Trantina, courtesy MyYogaOnline.com
I just did a search for yoga videos that are under 15 minutes in length and found an 8-minute guided meditation focused on contentment, a quick 10-minute yoga class video that focuses on stretching and releasing your lower back and limbs, an 11-minute session great for people who sit at school or work all day, and an 8-minute routine to open the heart and the shoulders, just to name a few.
My Yoga Online has hundreds of videos covering different yoga styles from beginner to advanced, Pilates and dance, meditation, workplace wellness, and workshops that cover topics like anatomy, breathing, and the chakras. If you would like to learn more, read “My Top 10 Reasons To Try (and Love) My Yoga Online.”
One of my favorite videos on My Yoga Online (and I have a long list) is “Morning Yoga Flow,” with Neil Mark. Neil starts out the class in savasana and progresses to sun salutations, with a special emphasis on the lower back and sacral spine. The class takes just 36 minutes, but when it is done, my body is tingling, and that yogalicious feeling stays with me throughout the entire day.
There is nothing better than attending a live yoga class at a studio (or a beach!), but when you are short on time, don’t rob yourself of the benefits of a daily yoga practice. Just turn on your computer and spend a few minutes nourishing your body and your soul.
WIN A FREE YEAR OF MY YOGA ONLINE!
My Yoga Online co-founder Kreg Weiss, courtesy MyYogaOnline.com
Aren’t you glad you kept reading this post?! Yes, it’s true; because the yogis at My Yoga Online are so cool, one lucky Daily Downward Dog reader will win a free year of online membership to My Yoga Online. Here’s what you need to do to win: Visit My Yoga Online and take the site tour of all they have to offer. Maybe like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter if you’re feeling a little love in your heart, and leave a comment below just letting me know what you would be most excited about trying if you had your very own membership to My Yoga Online. You will get an extra entry if you tweet or share this giveaway on Facebook (just be sure to let me know in the comments below). The contest is open until July 25, 2011, at noon, when I will pick one person from the comments below in a random drawing and they are going to feel like it is Christmas in July! Woot Woot!
If you already subscribe to My Yoga Online you can still enter. Just leave a comment below and let me know your favorite videos, so I can check them out too!
All images courtesy of My Yoga Online.
Jun 21, 2011 |
I’d like to start a little discussion here and get some feedback from my fellow yoga teachers and students on the use of Sanskrit versus English for the names of yoga poses during class.
I will go on the record to say that I primarily use English names for the poses when I teach. I lead a lot of basic and beginner classes, and I just feel it makes the class more accessible to all students. There is already a lot to digest during a yoga class. Why throw another component in there? My goal is to demystify yoga and allow the students to go inward as they relax into their poses. I don’t want them to worry about memorizing words from an ancient foreign language.
However, I do tend to weave in a few Sanskrit words here and there. For example, it just wouldn’t seem right to call the final relaxation at the end of class anything else but savasana. And I love putting students into reclining bound angle pose, otherwise affectionately known as supta baddha konasana. I just love saying supta baddha konasana; it sounds so fun rolling off my lips. Come on, say it with me: soup-ta bah-dah ko-nass-a-na. It sounds like it should be some bad-ass tropical drink instead of a super relaxing (and always a crowd favorite) yoga pose.
I recently attended a workshop given by Max Strom (author of A Life Worth Breathing), and he advised yoga teachers to pick one language and stick with it. Either conduct your class in all English or all Sanskrit, but don’t mix and match the origin of language for your yoga-pose names. I guess I never really thought about it, but if I was learning something new, I wouldn’t want someone jockeying around, teaching it to me in two different languages. Good point, Max!
I know there are yogi purists out there who live and breathe by the Sanskrit terms, and, don’t get me wrong, I totally respect that. In fact, I’m a bit jealous that I am not the Sanskrit-language aficionado that I should be.
I guess, for me, it’s really all about the students and helping them grow in their yoga practice. So, please weigh in, students and teachers alike. Do you like to hear/give the yoga-pose cues in Sanskrit or English? And why? What makes you most at ease and helps you get out of your mind and into your body during yoga class?
Let the battle (this is a love battle, not a vicious battle) begin! Hmmm, maybe next time I’ll do a battle of the yoga poses—Warrior 1 versus Warrior 2.
May 12, 2011 |
I’ve got some pretty cool playlists planned for May, but before I can share the tuneage with my yoga classes, I need to figure out how to use my new IPhone (I just switched from a BlackBerry), so wish me luck and a lot of patience.
Thought I would share my class playlist from this past week. I threw in some rock, reggae, rap, a song that probably was not the most appropriate for a yoga class, a personal mantra for living, and a few inspirational messages that all mashed up together quite nicely.
Opening Breath Meditation and Warm-ups
“After The Harvest” · The Angels of Venice
From Summer Solstice 2: A Windham Hill Collection – this CD has a nice mix of beautiful, mellow cuts that are perfect for grounding exercises at the beginning or end of class.
“All Woman” · Lisa Stansfield
I know the men in my class were getting in touch with their feminine side while listening to this one.
“Don’t Know Why” · Norah Jones
Standing — Sun Salutations and Flowing Sequences (e.g., yoga-mat dancing)
“All You Need is Love” · The Beatles
“Back on the Chain Gang” · The Pretenders
Shout-out to Akron, Ohio, native Chrissy! The acoustic version from the Isle of View album.
“Back to Black” · Amy Winehouse
I really love Amy’s music, but it was tough finding one appropriate to play, because songs like “Rehab” were not going to make the cut. I’ll admit, the lyrics of this song are about a bad breakup, but I just love the retro sound and beat of this song. I took the class through an empowering flow from a reverse warrior facing the front wall to one facing the back wall (I coined it the double reverse warrior), so we were all focused more on the flow and not so much on the words during this one, and it just all flowed together.
“Crazy” · Seal
“But we’re never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy
No, we’re never gonna survive unless we are a little crazy.”
Great advice from Seal and a little bit of a personal mantra for me.
“Ganesh is Fresh” · MC Yogi
How can you not smile when you hear a rap song about Ganesh during yoga class?
“Got to Get You into My Life” · Earth, Wind & Fire
This song does two things for me: it makes me incredibly happy, and it makes me want to dance on my yoga mat.
Floor — Back Bends, Heart Openers, Hip Openers, Abdominals, and Twists
“Could You Be Loved” · Bob Marley & The Wailers
The prerequisite reggae song (every yoga class needs at least one).
“Blessed” · Elton John
I’ve always loved Elton and let’s just say this prolific man has an incredible song list to pick from, so you will see him pop up often in my playlists. This love ballad has a special place in my heart, and I wanted to share its lovely message with my students…
“You, you’ll be blessed
You’ll have the best, I promise you that
I’ll pick a star from the sky, pull your name from my hat
I promise you that, promise you that
Promise you that, you’ll be blessed.” —Lyrics from “Blessed” by Elton John
“Angel” · Sarah McLachlan
Last week I included “Sweet Surrender” in my playlist, so Sarah has made the list two weeks in a row! Sarah just rocks and she is an avid yoga practitioner (she’s been practicing for 13 years). In a recent article in Yoga Journal, she had this to say about yoga: “I love the discipline. I love the focus. I tend to be a little airy fairy, and I just love that hour and a half where I can be completely and utterly in the moment. It grounds me. It just solidifies everything for me and allows me to be completely in the moment for myself, with myself. I need that.”
Savasana
“Bathe In These Waters” · Donna De Lory
Donna’s voice is just so sweet and calming and perfect for savasana. I got this track off the Yoga Revolution CD and really need to check out more of Donna’s music. BTW, I highly recommend Yoga Revolution, a compilation of yogalicious artists (Guru Singh, Sarah McLachlan, Wah!, Sheryl Crow, and Peter Gabriel are just a few) with songs perfect for yoga playlists.
Apr 1, 2011 |
I was keeping a list of every faux pas I have as a yoga teacher. I figured I would compile them later this year and share them here at The Daily Downward Dog. By then, I rationalized, I wouldn’t be as embarrassed to share all the mistakes (or perhaps I should say “important life lessons”) I made. I thought it would be a karmic public service to pass along my learning to fellow newbie yoga teachers; you know, kind of like taking one for the team. But I just couldn’t wait until the end of the year. I’m ready to pitch them out there right now (in the spirit of Home Opener Day for the Tribe!).
Incident Lesson #1 — Proper Tingsha Usage
Tingshas are those groovy mini-chimes that are attached together by a piece of leather. They are struck together lightly (lightly being the definitive word) to produce a soft ringing sound that is the perfect way to be woken up from savasana or meditation.
I actually have used tingshas in the past. You hold the strap with both hands far enough apart so that the two chimes do not touch and then, oh so gingerly, allow the two chimes to tap each other.
During a class, as my students comfortably relaxed and enjoyed savasana, I accidently lifted up the tingshas from the middle of the leather strap with one hand. As they were lifting off the table, the chimes struck against each other with what seemed like a ferocious force. The jarring high-pitched vibrations were enough, I’m sure, to jerk my students out of what to that point had been a blissful savasana experience. I quickly grabbed both of the chimes and stopped the noise but felt terrible that I had brought the students out of savasana with such a harsh, unsettling sound. Can you say embarrassing? Luckily, yoga students are patient and forgiving and we all had a good laugh about the incident after class.
So, my words of wisdom: If you are going to use tingshas, make sure you practice using them before attempting to deliver your students through a peaceful departure from savasana.
I know this will be the first of many posts about my mishaps on the yoga mat, but hey, we all need to laugh at ourselves and learn as we grow!
It’s time to fess up. What is one of the most embarrassing things you did as a yoga teacher or an important lesson you learned the hard way?
Mar 26, 2011 |
This past week kicked ass! Here are just a few highlights in no particular order.
1) DoYogaWithMe.com founder David Procyshyn wrote a pretty cool review of The Daily Downward Dog. DoYogaWithMe.com has a wealth of information about yoga poses, breathing, meditation, and they just so happen to have FREE online yoga classes!
2) I taught yoga to awesome students this week, several of which were new to yoga. What an honor to get to teach someone yoga for the very first time. I hope the first time was as good for them as it was for me and that they continue to have a fulfilling yoga journey.
3) I led my very first yoga nidra during my Back Care Yoga Class at Nirvana Yoga and loved seeing the blissful faces afterward. Do you think it would be weird for me to record my own voice so I can practice yoga nidra, listening to myself?
4) I remembered to take the time to also be a yoga student and attended a kick-butt Power Yoga class led by Jeremy Weiss at Yoga Bliss Akron. The hot room is downright tropical, and I almost felt like I went on a vacation. It felt good to sweat and push myself.
5) YogaMint is featuring one of my all-time favorite stories about savasana on their home page.
6) I got an unexpected surprise when I got to meet Cherie, a fellow Twitter yogini buddy, who was sweet enough to attend one of my yoga classes. Cherie has a new line of NamaSTAY towels coming out in bright, new spring colors, so be sure to check them out.
7) I really enjoyed the mash-up of work, yoga teaching, writing, and family this week. I’m starting to feel more balanced and am so appreciative that I get to do work I’m passionate about.
8) The neti-pot confession booth was a big hit (thanks for all the comments), and I’m thinking my fellow yogis and yoginis may just need some more confession-booth time in the future.
9) I’m on the way to breaking a few traffic records this week at The Daily Downward Dog, so THANKS to everyone who stopped by.
10) I got to wake up this morning to the sound of the waves from Lake Erie and a beautiful sunny day in northeast Ohio. Despite the cold temperatures, the crocuses were blooming today and spring is here! Tomorrow I am heading to the Cleveland International Film Fest with my hubby. I feel blessed. Life is good.
Can’t wait to see what this coming week will bring!
Photo: Bert van ‘t Hul
