Feb 13, 2012 |
Quick, name that song!
If you were around for the awesome 80s, you should be able to – without missing a beat – rattle off the title “What a Feeling,” the artist who made the song famous, Irene Cara, and the kick-butt movie it came from, Flashdance. And before I get any flack for loving the movie Flashdance, please remember that I am a product of the 80s. Seeing this movie (more than once) and adopting the ripped, one-shoulder, cut-off-collar sweatshirt, leg warmers, and the sexy lobster eating technique became a universal rite of passage for me and my big-haired, dance-crazed sorority sisters.
Flash forward almost 30 years later, I’m driving to teach a yoga class, the song comes on the radio, and I immediately launch into singing accompanied by some enthusiastically zealous (which is a nicer way of saying over-the-top) car seat dancing. Well, if you were driving near me, I probably looked like a big geek. “What a Feeling” not only channels back fond memories of my college days; it also has that magical ability to immediately transcend me to a joyful state. Hence, I am deeming “What a Feeling” to be my new yoga theme song.
Wanna get to a happy place? Give yourself a little flashback and watch this video of “What a Feeling” with clips from the movie Flashdance. If you watch really close, you’ll even see Jennifer Beal’s dancing double bust out some classic yoga asanas during her audition dance. At 2:11 she’s in hanumanasana (monkey pose), at 2:37 a beautiful purvottanasana (upward plank pose), and at 2:46 she’s rockin’ a spinning version of ananda balasana (happy baby pose). Who knows, maybe all of those subliminal yoga poses back in the 80s had a profound effect, morphing me into the torn sweatshirt, yoga-lovin’ gal I am today!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILWSp0m9G2U[/youtube]
When I heard “What a Feeling” last week, the song lyrics really touched a chord in me, so I thought I would share a few of those golden nuggets with you. Please note that I added some color commentary and changed up a few of the lyrics to make them Daily Downward Dog style.
First when there’s nothing
But a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide
Deep inside your mind – Let go of the ego and the fear!
Well, I hear the yoga [music],
Close my eyes, feel the prana [rhythm]
Wrap around, take a hold
Of my heart
What a feeling
Bein’s believin’
I can have it all, now I’m yogaing [dancing] for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive,
You can yoga [and dance] right through your life
What a feeling
What a feeling (I am yoga/music now)
Bein’s believin’ (I am yoga/rhythm now)
Pictures come alive,
You can yoga [dance] right through your life.
What a feeling (you can really have it all)
What a feeling (pictures come alive when I call) – aka, if you can envision it, you can make it happen
I can have it all (I can really have it all) – go on, put those dreams out there into the universe
Have it all (pictures come alive when I call) – keep repeating those dreams because the more you put it out there, the better!
Yoga
What a feeling!
The key take-away is quite simple: Take your passion, and make it happen. It doesn’t matter what that passion is. It could be music, lobster, yoga, travel, dance, writing, or basket weaving. Whatever it is, believe in you, envision it happening, and go for it!
One last note: “What a Feeling” won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Song in a Motion Picture in 1983, won a Grammy for Irene Cara, and in 2008, was ranked at #26 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100. I think that makes it worthy to be my new yoga theme song, and it just might make it onto a yoga class playlist very soon.
P.S. Wanna help me out today? Please click on this link http://on.fb.me/A7tbEI that will take you over to Facebook to vote for my pic posted on the Wanderlust Festival wall. I’ve got some steep competition, but if I get enough likes I’ll win free passes to the Wanderlust festival in Colorado!!
Feb 8, 2012 |
“Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer. Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.” ―Kripalvanandji
I’m one of those people that have never cried during or after a yoga class. I’ve heard the stories from fellow yogis who attended a class that brought out a deep emotional or spiritual release that moved them to the point of tears, and I’ve wondered, “What the hell is wrong with me?” Yeah, I’ve gotten a few drops of condensation in the eyes after an especially moving asana practice, but I’ve never achieved a full-on gusher.
Well, I’m happy to report that it finally happened – I got my yoga cry – and it was GOOD!
Plus, I got the added bonus of experiencing my spiritual breakthrough while practicing my all-time favorite, numero uno form of yoga. It was a Thursday, the sun was rising out of the Atlantic Ocean and sending streams of light peeking through the clouds, the soothing sound of waves crashing onto the beach provided the consummate playlist, seagulls were soaring through the air, and the wind and warm air swept across my tired, achy, winter-worn body. I had not been on a beach to practice yoga since October. I had not been on a beach vacation in over two years. I had let myself forget how the combination of all those elements, how that complete communion with nature could lift me to a state of absolute bliss.
Sunrise Yoga Rocks!
As I went through my opening sun salutations and stood with my hands resting against my heart in anjali mudra (prayer position), I was overcome with emotion and began to cry tears of joy. I stood there with a heart bursting with gratitude for the majesty of the ocean before me, for the healing power of the sun and warm winds, and for this awe-inspiring practice of yoga that has brought so much goodness to my life. Instead of rushing to the next sun salutation, I stood there in tadasana taking the time to savor the sobbing, letting the sun shine down on me, fully present in my prayer.
“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.” -John Vance Cheney
I have to say – this might have been one of my coolest yoga experiences to date!
The funny thing about this trip is that, before I went, I spent a lot of time looking into the yoga studios in the area of Florida that I visited, and I had a full list and maps for a few that I was excited to visit. The first day of vacation, I was ready to head out the door to visit one of these studios when my husband (who, I don’t admit enough, is very wise) asked me why I wasn’t heading down to the beach for my practice. Great question, and I’m so glad he was there to remind me! I picked up my beach towel, headed to the beach, and you know the rest of the story. I never picked up that list again, and instead, I had my daily cup of beach yoga nirvana each and every day of my vacation.
Daily Downward Dogs Beach Style
I did make it to one yoga studio, the 3rd Street Beach Yoga class in South Beach Miami, and I’ll be writing about that yogalicious experience very soon!
I’m home from vacation now, back to practicing yoga inside a studio, but I’m not letting myself get bummed out about that. Instead, I’m listening to the wisdom of Dr. Seuss:
“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”
And I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, only a little over a hundred days until I get to practice outdoor yoga again on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie again.
Feb 2, 2012 |
“A Yogi should always keep this in mind: Teaching yoga is not like teaching history or geometry. The teacher must impart a life force—a little current—into others.” –Sri Swami Satchidananda from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Hip openers have always been one of my favorite poses, primarily because I have been taught that we hold a lot of tension and stress in our hips, and when I do hip opener poses like eka pada rajakapotasana (one-legged pigeon pose), it allows me to let go of some of that stress I’ve been hoarding in my hips over the last few decades. I’ve got an active imagination, so I picture years of pent up stress just oozing out of my hips, and the release always feels pretty damn good. When I teach a class, I always prompt my students to breathe deeply and, with each exhale, to let go of whatever it is that they are holding in their hips.
During a recent yoga class I attended, while in the throes of pigeon pose, the yoga teacher, Ron White, explained that we hold a great deal of energy in our hips, and when we stretch and open them in poses like pigeon, we are releasing energy or chi. Humm, I thought, this is a little different than what I’ve been taught, but I kept listening with a beginner’s mind. Ron tipped us off to not let this invaluable energy just escape into thin air, but rather to redirect it to another part of our body or mind. He offered a few suggestions: to either send our chi to a part of the body that was sore or tight or to an area that needed some extra loving care.
This yoga class fell the night before I left for vacation, and because I had been trying to cram in as much work as I could before I left, my neck and shoulders were paying the price. They were tight and crabby, so I picked up what Ron imparted and sent my hip chi directly to my neck and shoulders. After a few deep breaths, I felt a flutter of energy tickle down the vertebrae in my neck and through my shoulders. Holy crap, Ron was not kidding; I had transported my chi, and it felt terrific! We held pigeon pose for a while, so I kept my focus on redirecting the chi flow to heal my neck and shoulders and even sent some up to my brain to help with focus. And, the coolest thing about redirecting the energy during a hip opener is that you get to do it all over again when you switch to the other hip.
I made sure I told Ron about my cool yoga experience after class and thanked him for educating me on the fine art of chi. He was responsible for sending a little current of life force into everyone in the studio that night, and he gave me back an enthusiastic smile and thanked me for letting him know.
I love learning new things when I practice yoga. Sometimes it’s something as subtle as getting in better touch with my body and my mind, and sometimes it is a major revelation, like how to channel and transform the precious chi that is leaving my body. This is recycling and green yoga at its finest.
Got a story about how a teacher has left you with a little extra current? Leave a comment below and share your chi!
Recycle Image: Ivan Prole
Jan 24, 2012 |
It’s red carpet season out in Hollywood with award shows like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, and in true red carpet spirit, The Daily Downward Dog studio is rolling out its red yoga mats and finest yoga wear in support of the second annual YOGAR awards.
What are the YOGARS, you ask? Just a fun little way to recognize the best of the 2011 cool yoga experiences and to send out some loving kindness to the yoga asanas and people that have brought so much goodness to our lives.
Each year on the eve of the Oscar nominations, I try to imagine what it must feel like to get that call at 5:30 AM PT from your publicist letting you know that you’ve been nominated for an Oscar. It has to be a major rush, and I’m sure each of the 2011 YOGAR nominees has got to be thrilled!
This year we’ve added some new categories, and everyone is welcome to join in the YOGAR fun by voting and adding their very own nominations. I won’t delay the suspense any longer; here, my yogi friends, are the 2011 YOGAR nominees…
Drum roll!
Best Asana
Ustrasana (Camel Pose): In need of a little heart opener mashed-up with an awesome back bend? Camel pose had the ability to make us laugh and cry and at times made us downright dizzy, but this asana dug deep and pulled off an amazing heart-opening performance. It’s one of those asanas that yogis either love or hate, so with a great deal of controversy, Ustrasana is bringing some much needed drama to the 2011 Best Asana race.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2): Forget about the acting performance of Sigourney Weaver in Alien, or Ryan Reynolds in the Green Lantern. Yeah, those were some kick-ass performances, but if you want to channel your inner fierce yogini goddess or kick-ass yogi warrior, just find your way into Virabhadrasana II, and it’s gonna deliver a star-worthy performance.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog or AMS): Last year, Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) pulled off a major upset and won Best Asana hands and head down over the highly decorated downward facing dog. I guess you could say adho mukha svanasana is a bit like Meryl Streep; it just always seems to win. I mean, face it: Have you ever been to a class where you didn’t do a few downward dogs? AMS is multi-faceted in its roles, moving with ease from the place we go to get the body stretched and prepared for practice to a delightful place of rest. This year, AMS really stepped up the game and is once again a huge contender to walk off the yoga mat clutching yet another more-than-well-deserved YOGAR.
Best Yoga Victory
I was fortunate to have many yoga victories this year. I got the head a little closer to the knees in paschimottanasana (seated forward bend) and the head a lot closer to the floor in prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward bend). One of the things I love about yoga is that, in essence, each time I come to the mat, there is always the opportunity for a victory, and this past year, there were two that really stand out. I would love to hear about yours, so nominate one or several!
SirsasanaII (Tri-pod headstand): This past summer, in a major coup, I pulled off my very first (unassisted) inversion and was more than just a little giddy about it. It felt so empowering to know that my core was strong enough to pull up those legs.
Fully present savasana: I got really good at turning off the monkey mind this past year and had many repeat performances of fully present savasanas. All I can say is aaaaaahhhhhh…
Savasanaaaaahhhhh!
Best Supporting Asana
Plank Pose: They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in yoga, it takes a lot of plank poses to build up the necessary arm and core strength to get to some of those more challenging asanas. Plank pose never gets the recognition it deserves, and this year it’s getting a major shout out with a nod in the Best Supporting Asana field.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Despite its rock solid performance each and every year, tadasana has been snubbed many times in this category. We are so proud to pay homage to the master and forerunner of so many asanas. Ain’t no mountain high enough…
Balasana (Child’s Pose): Just like AMS, balasana is a Best Supporting Asana spoiler and usually walks away with the YOGAR hardware each and every year. We’ll see if tadasana or plank can give this kid a run for the money this year.
Best Musical Score
Take a listen and then cast your vote – or let me know about a yoga class playlist that you created that really rocked!
A Lovely Yoga Day – Join me in a sing-a-long with The Daily Downward Dog’s yoga song parody of the classic Bill Withers’ “A Lovely Day.” This song is a sure-fire yoga class playlist pleaser.
Navigating New Musical Horizons – The YOGAR voting committee likes it when someone goes outside of the normal genre, and this playlist definitely fits the bill. As I waivered on what kind of music to use in my yoga classes this year, I took a real departure, and this playlist features music with no lyrics and is a little bit heavier on the spiritual side. The YOGAR committee responded with a enthusiastic thumbs up.
I Just Want to Light You Up – You can’t go wrong with a playlist that mashes up Pink, Shawn Mullins, the New Radicals, and Ray LaMontagne. Lots of cool messages were weaved into these songs, my favorite being “You Get What You Give.”
Best Set Location aka Destination Yoga Event
No, I didn’t travel to any of the cool yoga festivals or destination retreats in 2011, but that doesn’t mean that a girl can’t dream. I am going to make it to one of the festivals or Yoga Journal conferences this year, so help me out and tell me which ones you went to, or which ones you think are best. If you had to recommend only one event/yoga destination for me to attend, what would it be?
Wanderlust Festivals (Vermont/Squaw Valley/Colorado)
Yoga Journal Conferences (New York/San Diego/Colorado)
India/Bali/Costa Rica/Jamaica, etc. There are just too many yoga destinations and retreats to list here, so I want to hear from you. Fuel my wanderlust for travel and yoga by telling me who you would nominate and vote for.
Best Cool Yoga Experience
The year of 2011 is going to be hard to top, as I attended workshops with the likes of Rodney Yee, Max Strom, Kathryn Budig, and Cora Wen. I find it incredibly cool that I live in an area that brings so many yogalicious yoga teachers in for workshops, and quite frankly, there are so many that I can’t even make them all. Here’s my list of my favorite cool yoga experiences:
My Close Encounter with Rodney Yee at Yoga High in Columbus, Ohio.
My Close Encounter with Max Strom at Yoga Bliss in Rocky River, Ohio
Learning how to Aim True with Kathryn Budig
Living my dream and teaching beach yoga on the shores of Lake Erie all summer long!
Sharing some hot yoga and yoga philosophy with Delicious Dylan of the Weinermobile
Best Director
I have attended so many amazing yoga classes this year that I can’t even begin to whittle down the list to just a handful. Again, I feel truly blessed that I live in an area with such a strong yoga community and so many awesome yoga studios and teachers.
I think the best award that any yoga instructor can get is a kind word expressing how much you enjoyed their class or letting them know how they have helped you on your yoga journey. In this coming year, please take the time and show your “Best Directors” some love and gratitude.
Best Seva
For the last YOGARs, I asked readers to help me out by nominating their favorite seva artist. 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.
Last year, I was introduced to Sean Corn and her organization, Off the Mat and Into the World. I also had the honor of working with Girls With Sole and am super excited to attend teacher training with Street Yoga this coming March. Help me out again this year; share the love and spread the word about an organization or person that is a shining example of seva.
Help Me Live My Dream
I have to admit: ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed about winning an Oscar. In actuality, it’s a pretty crazy dream being that I never pursued acting professionally. I guess it’s more of a fantasy.
Well now, I have a chance to win an award, and I’m asking for your help. If you live in Ohio and have attended one of my beach yoga classes (and liked it), please nominate The Daily Downward Dog Beach Yoga at Firefly Beach in the Funcost.com Reader’s Choice Awards. Deadline for nominations is January 27. Even if you don’t nominate DDD Beach Yoga, please nominate a local yoga studio so that we can spread the word about the great places to practice yoga in and around Sandusky and Huron County.
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 any of the categories above. Heck, if you have a cool category that I’ve missed, go ahead and bring it – I’m open to sharing the YOGAR love.
The YOGARS will be presented on Monday, February 27.
2010 YOGAR Winners
Purple Music Note Image: Billy Frank Alexander
Jan 19, 2012 |
“Forget your selfishness, make others happy, and you will be the happiest person. By seeing others happy, you can’t be unhappy. But by making everyone unhappy, you can never be happy yourself. So, at least for your happiness, bring happiness to others.” – Sri Swami Satchidananda, from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
I had just started to read The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (a guidebook for the study and practice of yoga), when on page 11 this lovely quote popped up and really struck a chord with me. I pulled out my yellow highlighter so I’d remember the message, and I even put a few stars next to it. To this day, it is still one of my favorite passages in the book and is one that I bring to mind often.
What a concept…make other people happy, and you’ll be happy too!
Case in point, thankfully one of my jobs is being a yoga teacher. My job allows me to bring peace and happiness to others, and guess what? It just so happens to bring me a great deal of joy too!
There are many ways to bring happiness to others, and I’d like to introduce you to two organizations that are helping to bring smiles and nurture the minds, bodies, and souls of at-risk youth.
Girls With Sole
I was very lucky to be introduced to a fantastic organization here in Cleveland called Girls With Sole. Liz Ferro started this non-profit organization to foster hope and healing for girls who have experienced abuse and who need someone to believe in them so they can believe in themselves. Liz, along with adult volunteers, brings fitness activities (from traditional team sports and dance to yoga and nutritional advice) as well as free running shoes, sports bras, and fitness journals to participants.
I recently got to be one of those volunteers and taught a group of twenty teenage girls their first yoga class. Yeah, there was a lot of giggling during class, and I didn’t quite get the message across about lying in stillness during savasana, but I have to say, I have never seen such a beautiful group of fierce yogini goddesses standing tall in their virabhadrasana (warrior) poses. I’m quite certain I was the one who learned the most that day, and as Patanjali promised, doing good for others made me pretty darn happy too. I had a major yoga high the rest of the day and for quite a few days following the class.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okT8KgpV8ME[/youtube]
Liz is one of those people that can light up a room. She’s full of energy and is a real joy to be around. She was recently featured in Cleveland Business Connects and was quoted as saying, “There is no shinier badge of honor than making a difference in the life of a child.”
Girls With Sole is always looking for financial support and volunteers, so please visit www.girlswithsole.org or e-mail Liz at girlswithsole.org for more information. You can also follow Girls with Sole on Facebook.
Street Yoga
I’m a big believer in the universe sending messages, and the Street Yoga organization has been gently poking at me quite a bit lately. I first heard about Street Yoga in a tweet-up a few months ago and have since learned more about this non-profit organization that teaches yoga, mindful breathing, and compassionate communication to youth, families, and their caregivers who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, abuse, addiction, trauma, and behavioral challenges. This awesome practice of yoga encourages them to grow stronger, heal from past traumas, and create for themselves a life that is inspired, safe, and joyful (aka filled with HAPPINESS!).
Mark Lilly founded Street Yoga in 2002 by organizing a handful of yoga teachers to teach yoga at a day shelter and school that serves homeless youth. Because Lilly’s life was deeply bettered by yoga, he wanted to share his love of yoga with others. Over the last ten years, the organization he started has helped reach thousands of kids in cities like Portland, Seattle, New York City, and San Diego.
And now, I’m super excited to announce that Cleveland is going to launch its very own Street Yoga program! Woot woot! Imagine my surprise when I found out that Street Yoga – along with local sponsors Urban Lotus Youth Yoga and The Studio Cleveland – will be putting on a teacher-training workshop this coming March 30-April 1.
Street Yoga coming to Cleveland…surely this is more than a gentle love tap; this is one huge, honking sign from the universe!
Street Yoga teacher training focuses on teaching the skills needed to serve youth with yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness practices. The course, which is a 14-hour CEU workshop (NASW approved for continuing education contact hours for social workers and for continuing education credits for yoga teachers through Yoga Alliance), will provide real world knowledge and techniques to assist volunteers in teaching at-risk youth. Trainees will also be encouraged to dig into their personal experiences to draw out their own courage and compassion as a teacher.
I had been thinking about attending the Street Yoga teacher training in Chicago this year, but when I found out about the Cleveland training, I figured it was just the nudge I needed from the universe to get me to sign up. I would love to see some of my fellow Cleveland/Akron area yoga buddies join up with me! If you are interested in participating but need some financial support to do so, Street Yoga has generously offered a partial scholarship to a Daily Downward Dog reader.
Win A Scholarship to the Cleveland Street Yoga Teacher Training
Yes, you can pick up a partial scholarship to attend the March 30-April 1, Street Yoga teacher training. The partial scholarship is for $145, which will cover one half of the workshop fee. If you would like to win the scholarship you must have an open heart and desire to work with these populations. You also need to be available to attend the training workshop which will be held at The Studio in Cleveland. The workshop times are not yet set, but will likely include a session on Friday evening and all-day sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
To enter, please leave a comment below about what draws you to serve others with yoga. If you want to get verbose you can even add a little about what your intentions for service might be after the training. Entries will be received until February 29, 2012 and the winner will be randomly selected and announced here by March 1, 2012.
Like Girls with Sole, Street Yoga is always looking for financial support and volunteers. Check out their website at streetyoga.org, and if you are interested in starting up Street Yoga in your ‘hood, get in touch with Mark and his team.
I’ll leave you with one last thought about happiness, this time from the vocal stylings of Frank Sinatra:
“Make someone happy,
make just one someone happy.
And you will be happy too.”
