As I was getting into savasana today, the instructor said something about letting our practice bake in, and, for some reason, it conjured up a really funny image in my mind of putting a cake in the oven. I immediately thought about the Easy-Bake Oven I had as a kid and how fun it was to mix up the cake batter with water and then put it into the oven to watch it bake. Believe me when I say this image was mild in comparison to some of the thoughts that dance around in my head during yoga class. Luckily, I didn’t dwell on the thought for long and was able to sink into a beautiful, relaxing savasana.
On my drive home from class, I really got to thinking about my early culinary adventures with the Easy-Bake and how savasana really is just like an Easy-Bake Oven. During a yoga class, we go through our practice mixing together different-flavored asanas with breath to prepare a delicious treat for our bodies. When we lie in savasana, that is the time we put our yogic batter into the oven or, shall I say, the fire our body creates, and let it bubble up and bake right in. Savasana is not a nap; it’s the necessary simmering time we all need to let the benefits of our asanas and breath melt into our internal organs and seal in the effects of our practice.
When I was a kid, it seemed like it took forever for those cakes to bake. I was one of the early Easy-Bake pioneers, so my oven didn’t have the benefit of a heating element. No, my cookies and cakes came courtesy of a 20-watt lightbulb! I’m sure I ate my share of half-baked treats, as patience was not my forte as a five-year-old (and regrettably it has not got much better with age).
The cool feature about my easy-bake yoga oven is that I have the power of more than a 20-watt lightbulb to do the cooking. I’ve got my mind to calm me and keep me present, my breath to soothe me as it moves through and cleanses every part of my body, and I’ve got the help of my teachers and the music to guide me into a blissful state.
Next time you lie in savasana, give yourself the time to fully bake. We all want that sweet treat at the end, but rushing through the process may not bring the results you desire. Instead, relax and let your mind release of all thoughts of the day, breathe deeply, and notice how delicious it feels when you let your easy-bake yoga oven do its work!
“It’s the most beautiful oven I’ve ever seen!”
Note the “Light Bulb Not Included” disclaimer – LOL.
Very early this morning (5:30 a.m. PT) a handful of talented (and lucky) people will get an extremely cool call from their publicist, letting them know they have been nominated for an Oscar. I’m sure for most of them, it will be a dream come true. As vapid and socially insignificant as award shows are, I can’t deny my guilty pleasure and love of the Oscars. Every year I go see all the nominated movies and throw an Oscar-night party for my friends and family, with food and drink themed around the nominated movies.
This is what they call Red Carpet Season in Hollywood, and I thought I would bring a little of that red yoga-mat glamour to the Daily Downward Dog and put out my very own nominations for Best Asana, Best Supporting Asana, Best Director, and Best Seva Artist for the coveted YOGARS!
After a great deal of self-reflection and careful review of my past year of cool yoga experiences, the Daily Downward Dog is pleased to announce the 2010 YOGAR nominees.
Best Asana
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose): Pigeon proved itself again and again in 2010, with awesome hip-opening performances.
Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand): Always a risky asana to take on, this ego-pose could just pull off an upset in the best asana category.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): Last year the downward dog ran away with the votes and took home the YOGAR. This year the heels touched the ground, making the dog a huge contender and the critics’ choice to take home a repeat win.
Best Supporting Asana
Vrksasana (Tree Pose): It takes a lot of tree poses to gain your balance. If it weren’t for tree pose, we may never have achieved garudasana (eagle) or utthita hasta padangusthasana (extended hand-to-big-toe pose).
Balasana (Child’s Pose): Who hasn’t gone to child’s pose for support during a difficult class? You know this asana always has your back, providing a safe haven to relax and catch your breath.
Savasana: Giving tree and child’s poses a run for their money, the always formidable savasana gave a year of truly awe-inspiring and restorative performances.
Best Director
The Best Director YOGAR goes to the yoga instructor who pulled it all together to lead an incredible yoga class experience.
Deirdre Sargent: Yoga instructor extraordinaire (Yoga Lounge and LifeSource Yoga), great music, innovative classes, responsible for providing my first yoga meditation instruction in 2010 and challenging me in a supportive way to get into my first tripod headstand.
Kreg Weiss: The cofounder of MyYogaOnline, who also happens to lead some kick-ass classes like Deep Energy Flow and Cycling Energy.
Clara Roberts-Oss: My go-to video gal on MyYogaOnline. Clara has incredible flows and verbal cues all wrapped up with a great message and voice. I’m especially fond of the Moving Meditation Vinyasa Flow and Swimming in the Stream classes.
BTW, all the nominees are winners in my book. I think the best award any yoga instructor can get is a kind word expressing how much you enjoyed their class or letting them know they have helped you on your yoga journey.
Best Seva
Okay, help me out here; I’d like to get some nominations for the person or organization that is truly practicing seva. If you are not familiar with seva, it is the spiritual practice of selfless service and the desire to uplift and assist people, giving help and compassion to others with no thought of what is to gain or what is to be lost by doing so. The practice of seva becomes a path to self-realization, which is the essence of yoga.
Cast Your Vote TODAY!
The red yoga mats have been unrolled, and I’m opening up the YOGARS for additional nominations and votes, so please leave a comment below and nominate or vote for your favorite asana, supporting asana, director, and seva artist. The results will be announced on Monday, February 28.
All this YOGAR talk has got my creative head spinning, and now I’m thinking I really could take this a yoga mat farther and nominate in the categories of Best Playlist (musical score), Best Costumes (yoga gear), Best Picture (style of yoga), Lighting, Choreography, and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Hmmm, stay posted…
I’m a lover, not a fighter, and I especially love to share my yoga-class playlists. Here is a playlist I used a few times in December and for a class I taught on January 8. I got a few requests to share it, so here goes.
I started out my class by reading this awesome quote courtesy of Mario Duguay. It was the perfect statement to explain the importance of being present during yoga practice and to help get the class grounded.
Attain Serenity
I no longer let myself be swept into the turmoil of my mind and emotions.
From now on I let go of all stress, tension, and worry so I may attain harmony and serenity.
I will do one thing at a time and savor each moment.
I took the class through some breathing exercises, and when I felt everyone was relaxed and in the right frame of mind, I fired up the music.
I have to admit, there was not a specific theme to the music selected other than just wanting to share some of my favorites songs from a mix of new and classic artists.
Annie Lennox kicks off the class with “A Thousand Beautiful Things” and has such a great pool of music to select from that she may just be my next Yoga Playlist Featured Artist.
You have to check out the version of “Empire State of Mind” I selected. It’s not the rap mash-up version of Alicia with Jay-Z, but rather a slow-moving, beautiful ballad sang solo by Alicia.
I included a little shout-out for my love of Broadway musicals and Green Day by including a song from the American Idiot soundtrack.
For savasana I selected “Aqueous Transmission” by Incubus. If you are ready to commit to a longer savasana in your class, “Transmission” provides a full seven minutes and forty-nine seconds of blissful relaxation. The last portion of the song includes up to a minute of real frogs croaking outside the studio where the song was recorded. It is sublime and, trust me, the perfect background to peacefully bring your class out of savasana.
If you are wondering about the Cliff Habian Trio, I always try to include a local Ohio artist in my playlist, and Cliff and his boys (Bill Ransom and Glen Holmes) are a classical jazz group and mainstay of the Cleveland lounge scene.
Warm-Up
“A Thousand Beautiful Things” · Annie Lennox
“Like a Star” · Corinne Bailey Rae
“Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” · Alicia Keyes
Looking for a cool tune for your yoga-class playlist that will get your students in the holiday mood without being cheesy? I have to give a shout out for fellow Akron gal Chrissie Hynde. Take a minute to listen to her holiday anthem “2000 Miles” with the Pretenders, and you’ll see why this is a perfect song to accompany a few holiday asanas.
If you’re not about the holiday music, her song “VegiTerranean, a hip vegan Italian-Mediterranean fusion restaurant in Akron (which happens to be a very risky venture in meat-and-potatoes Ohio) that I’m a huge fan of. I love a restaurant where I can order and eat anything from the menu (there are not many of those in Ohio)!
She is currently rocking out with a very talented and hot young Welsh singer-songwriter—J.P. Jones. Check out their band (J.P., Chrissie and the Fairground Boys) and new album, back story in addition to putting out some great new tunes like “If You Let Me.”
Chrissie, please tell me your secret of looking so amazing (yes, I am delusional enough to think that she will read my blog!)? I’m hoping yoga is a part of the routine to keep you looking and feeling so great. If so, you are welcome at any of my Akron-area yoga classes!
Got a favorite Chrissie song you have used on your yoga playlist? Let me know if you use any holiday music in your playlists. Also, would it be cheesy to do my Christmas Eve class with all Christmas music (I’m thinking yeah but wanted some feedback)?
I’m liking this “Featured Yoga Playlist Artist” thing, it may just become a regular feature here at the DDD!
Now, through my practice of yoga, I’ve picked up a new one from one of my instructors…Bliss Out. Every time I hear him say it I get a huge smile on my face. The phrase is multi-purpose and is offered as support when we are in a difficult pose or to encourage our total relaxation in savasana.
According to the Free Dictionary, “bliss out” is a slang term that means to go into a state of ecstasy.
The folks over at Urban Dictionary must have been doing savasana when they came up with the following definition of “bliss out”: to relax, daydream, or temporarily lose consciousness merely from contentment and not moving.
To me it means extreme happiness and spiritual joy and perfectly describes how I feel when I get a yoga high.
What are some of your favorite mottos or phrases to help you get through difficult poses or to describe the happiness you feel?
