Jul 12, 2011 |
Yoga practice is like life.
Each circumstance in which we find ourselves is like a pose.
Some poses are hard to hold; others are pleasant.
It is how we hold the pose that determines whether or not we will suffer or grow
And whether or not we will listen to the drama of the ego or the wisdom of the spirit.
I found this lovely little quote on a Squidoo page that is full of yoga themes and quotes and liked it so much, I used it in my yoga classes last week.
The only thing we have any control over is how we will react to the situations in our lives. This same control can flow into your yoga practice, and you can take this concept off the mat as well.
We can either take things on with a negative attitude, letting our egos get in the way, or we can open our hearts and minds to situations with a positive attitude.
We can encounter a difficult pose with a frown and a desire for it to be over as quickly as possible, or we can open ourselves to the challenge, breathing into the pose and having the wisdom to know that, with time, our bodies will become stronger and more flexible.
I complimented a student this week who has really progressed in her practice. When she first started she hated downward dog pose, and now she is flowing beautifully into it. When I told her this, she smiled but was quick to note that she still couldn’t get her heels to the floor. I assured her that some people (me included) may never get their heels to the floor. You don’t get a special yogi prize when the heels finally reach the floor; instead, each time you practice with an open heart, you get a little closer, a little stronger, and that is the best prize of all.
May 27, 2011 |
I love the fact that there are 101 flavors of yoga, and this past weekend I got to try out a new flavor I’ve never tried before: Baptiste. I was lucky to attend a series of master classes and workshops given by national Baptiste-certified instructor and former Akron, Ohio, native Zeek Vincent, who came back to his hood to teach a series of classes at Yoga Bliss Akron.
So, what is Baptiste yoga? I would describe it as a hot power vinyasa class mashed up with a powerful motivational message. The 53 foundational poses that make up Baptiste yoga all seemed familiar to me, but when they were delivered by a charismatic instructor with a great sense of humor, it became a magical and empowering experience. I don’t think I have ever laughed or sweat as much in a yoga class as I did this past weekend.
When I walked into the 91-degree room on Friday night for my first master class with Zeek, I have to admit, I was feeling a bit drained after a long week and wondering how I was going to make it through the 90-minute class. Before class started I met a fellow student named Shane who was about to have her first experience on the mat. She was really inquisitive and as I helped her get the props she needed, I really hoped that the class that was touted as all levels would accommodate the needs of a first-time yoga student. She told me that she had been friends with Zeek for over 30 years and was so excited to finally attend a yoga class with him.
My worry was for not, because Zeek did an excellent job of making the class accessible to everyone. He made sure Shane had the modifications she needed and knew the students to push further into their asanas. He urged us all to “let go,” and I don’t know about everyone else, but I definitely let it rip, and the 90 minutes just flew by (time flies when you’re having fun!).
At times during class I felt like Zeek’s words and the delivery in his voice were a bit like a sermon. Not a preachy sermon, but just the type of message I needed and wanted to hear on my mat. The primary message was that we all have the power within us to achieve great things. We need to harness that power and put it to work. We shouldn’t expect instant results, because nothing truly grand happens overnight, but, rather, we need to take our time in our practice and allow our bodies to get where they need to go.
A little assist in bow pose!
One of my least favorite yoga poses is bow pose or dhanurasana. You lie on your belly, bend your legs, and grab onto your feet, as you are supposed to lift your head, torso, and thighs off the ground. I can lift my head and torso, but damn if I can lift my thighs. Those suckers just have never been able to lift off my mat, but there was something in the way that Zeek described how to get into the pose and his cue to kick our feet into our hands that supercharged my thighs up off the ground and into the air. What a rush! Another yoga victory for me, feeling full of strength and a major sense of accomplishment that I had finally conquered this pose.
One of my favorite parts of class came during some intense abdominal work, when Zeek said, “Don’t just think about breathing; you must breathe.” He told us that our bodies are full of things that should not be there, like stress and fear. He urged us to use our breath and, with each exhale, to let go of the things that don’t serve us on our mats and in our lives.
With a beautiful sparkle in his eyes, Zeek has a gift for making you laugh at yourself while, at the same time, providing a powerful, motivational message.
“Spend more time believing in yourself, less time doubting yourself.”
Thank you, Zeek, for coming home to share your knowledge and gifts with us at Yoga Bliss. I know Shane was not the only one who left the studio this weekend with a smile on her face.
May 3, 2011 |
As a yoga teacher, I’m always looking for new, creative resources for class themes, new asana flows, and inspiration. Thankfully, I have a wellspring of information at my fingertips through the World Wide Web. Yes, the Internet is more than just for porn (shout-out to one of my favorite Broadway musical songs from Avenue Q), and for me, cyberspace is a smorgasbord of yogalicious treats.
Perfect example: When I’m putting together a new class and need some assistance with teaching a new asana or breathing technique, one of my favorite go-to Web sites is Do Yoga With Me (DYWM). Here are just a few of the things I love about DYWM.
1) Three Words: free yoga classes! Say it with me…FREE online yoga classes. Do Yoga With Me has videos for yoga classes, explanations of poses, breathing techniques, and anatomy. The videos are all taught by experienced instructors, and new videos are added all the time.
2) Adult continuing education. Watching the videos on this site give me an instant refresher course on how to break down an asana for a beginner class. The majority of the videos are taught by David Procyshyn, who presents the content in a knowledgeable, unrushed, and calm reassuring voice.
3) Having trouble calming your monkey mind for meditation? Check out the guided audio meditations that will help turn off the chitta and get you relaxed.
4) Convenience. Before you watch a video, you can see what class level it is (e.g. beginner, intermediate, advanced), the length of the video, any equipment requirements, and a link to the teacher bio. I really like the “Play Preview” button that allows you to get a quick sneak-peek of the video content before jumping into a class. Another added convenience is that you can download most of the free videos to your IPod!
5) Content that speaks to me (and my aching neck and shoulders)! David has written about and created a video to help office workers relieve shoulder and neck pain. Although I don’t work in an office anymore, my biggest weakness is still shoulder and neck pain from sitting at my computer most of the day. If you only watch one video on DYWM, I highly recommend Office Yoga for the Neck and Shoulders. There is also a related blog post that provides several videos on specific routines that can be done to strengthen the shoulders, back, and neck.
6) Creating a community. The goal at DYWM is to build a community of people who love yoga and would like to share what they know with others who are equally excited about yoga. If you have a yoga video you want to share with the world or, better yet, sell to the world, contact Do Yoga With Me, and they may just feature your video on the site.
I will provide one warning before you visit DYWM: Make sure you set aside some time, because you will want to hang out for a while to check out all the awesome content.
Thanks, David, for putting together such a great online resource for yoga!
Do you have a favorite go-to yoga site? Please leave a comment with the details, and help promote the online yogi community.
Apr 14, 2011 |
For the past few months, I’ve been on the magical mystery tour of yoga. Not that I was sheltered or anything, but at the yoga studios I had been practicing at, we only were offered a few different flavors—vinyasa and hatha. Kind of like vanilla and chocolate—classics but I always want to know if there is something else out there like mint chocolate chip?
My foray into yoga-teacher training and the yoga community on Twitter (@downwarddog) has turned me on to many new forms of yoga, and now I’m like a kid at Baskin-Robbins; I want to try out all the flavors before I decide.
Not that I have to pick just one, but I would like to figure out my “major” or specialty of yoga, so to speak, and then pursue my 500-hour-level certification in it. I decided that I am going to take some time before I jump into the 500-hour and really do some extensive taste-testing to find the flavor that really turns me on. Here are a few yoga flavors I got to savor recently.
Kundalini. When someone tells me that a form of yoga used to be held secret, that you had to be worthy to practice it, and that it can give you an incredible high, you are going to pique my interest. I got a small taste of kundalini yoga as part of my YTT, and I knew I would need to have the full scoop. It used to be hard to find kundalini yoga in northeast Ohio but not anymore. Alecia Bernardo has formed a kundalini study group to meet, talk, and practice kundalini yoga. I went to the inaugural session, and we got our sat nams on well into the evening at Westside Yoga Studio. I also got to meet Colleen O’Rourke, who just recently returned to Cleveland and is a certified kundalini teacher, and am hoping to get to one of her classes soon (she is teaching locally at Acenda Yoga, Studio 11 in Tremont, The Studio Cleveland, and Agni Yoga Studio). There is so much to learn about this practice, and I definitely want to explore it more (and, yes, the breathing techniques and spiritual aspects of the practice will leave you feeling pretty damn good). If you would like more details about the study group, please contact me.
Chair yoga/Yoga therapy at Westlake Village Senior Center. I have to admit, yoga therapy is the front-runner right now for my 500-hour training. I never got into yoga teaching to do the power, flashy classes. Instead, I really wanted to help people who I know can benefit from yoga the way that I have. I attended a Saturday-afternoon yoga class taught to a group of women and men well over 70 years old. These students were rocking their chair and standing yoga poses, and the smiles were contagious. I got to practice Reiki at the end of the class on one of the students, and it was such a moving experience (even got me a little verklempt). Judi Bar, who led the class, told us how she has seen the students’ balance and movement improve over the past year she has taught the class, and the activity director affirmed what a positive impact the classes have had on the students’ well-being. It was a yogalicious experience for me!
Don't You Just Love Trying New Flavors of Gelato?
IAM-Meditation. Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique is a simple combination of yoga, pranayama, and meditation. You start with five minutes of yoga asanas to relax you, followed by a 15-minute self-guided meditation session that culminates in savasana. The whole practice takes only 20 minutes and is supposed to be done every day to reduce stress and bring peace of mind and mental clarity. IAM was created by world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, affectionately known to millions as “Amma,” the hugging guru. Amma has taught meditation to millions of people throughout the world and I’ve heard gives a kick-ass hug. I always thought it would be kind of cool to have a guru, and if my guru was a woman, even better, so I’m going to be doing a little more research on her (just picked up the documentary about her, called Darshan: The Embrace). Since I attended the seminar a week ago, I have managed to do it every morning. I want to continue the practice for a full month before I pass out any endorsements, but I will tell you that I have felt mentally clearer and focused as I go through my day. Thanks to my friend Pam for turning me onto this free workshop held at Core Essentials Yoga & Pilates in Canton, Ohio.
So, what else is on my list?
–Bikram. I’ve just heard so much about this hot yoga, I have to try it. Watch out, Cathy, I’m coming to Chicago this summer, and you are going to accompany me to my first bikram class.
– Laughter yoga. I have been to two laughter yoga classes and I love it! What a great workout for the abdominals, and, really, the whole body benefits from all those endorphins released when you laugh. I definitely want to get certified to teach laughter yoga in the coming year.
–Ayurveda. This one is a bit overwhelming to me because there is so much to it, but I really want to learn more and start practicing an Ayurvedic diet.
So, what is your favorite flavor? Which flavors do you want to try?
I guess the good thing about yoga is that there are so many flavors. I’ll never get bored and there will always be something new to try (which makes me incredibly happy).
Apr 12, 2011 |
Have you ever spent a night trying to fall asleep but, instead, tossed and turned, lying awake, regurgitating the events of the day or, my specialty, stressing out about everything you need to do in the next 24-hours?
Being the major stress queen that I was (Okay, I’m still a bit of a stress queen, but yoga has really helped put it in check), I have spent more nights than I care to admit in a hellacious fit of exhaustion, unable to let go of the angst, the rampant monkey in my mind going wild, prohibiting me from getting a few precious hours of sorely needed rest.
Well, I am happy to report that I have some groundbreaking advice to share on how to relax and get a peaceful night of sleep. I wish I could take credit for this wisdom, but I have to give props to Professor Azaad S. Khaira (The Laugh Doc), a certified laughter yoga teacher who shared this sage advice at a recent laughter yoga class I attended.
If you have trouble falling asleep at night it is likely due to the fact that you just can’t shrug off the pressures of the day and all of the items on your to-do list for the following day. Before going to bed, Azaad suggested spending a few minutes focused on removing all the thoughts and stresses of the day from your mind. Next, spend a few more minutes bringing in positive thoughts and affirmations.
Azzad cautioned that this might not help with sleeplessness right away, but he challenged us to try it for a month and guaranteed we would sleep better. At first, I wasn’t sure about this method, but I have given it a try, and I’m here to tell you it works. I just spend a few minutes each night erasing the story of my day and then writing and reading a lovely story to myself about what I want the next day to bring. It’s the coolest and most relaxing bedtime story I can imagine.
If I can embellish on Azzad’s recommendation, I’d like to suggest some focused breath work along with this exercise. Get comfortable in your bed and sit upright as you start to take some deep inhalations and exhalations through the nose. Breathe in love, breathe out fear. Breathe in joy, breathe out stress. You can be as self -indulgent as you like with your affirmations; just try to mix in a little gratitude and send out a little peace and love to the world. Focus on your breath as you let go of the day, and then start to bring in positive affirmations or things you would like to manifest in your life. Just put it out there in the universe and you never know; it may just find its way back to you.
