Sep 2, 2010 |
If you’re one of those yoga aficionados that can do all the crazy poses, like headstands and bird of paradise, this blog post will either bore you or amuse you, but if you are a yoga nerd like me and still working on the basics, hopefully this blog will encourage you to keep plugging away at your yoga practice.
I have a couple of yoga instructors who always ask at the beginning of class if there is a pose we would like to work on. I really appreciate this gesture, but, inevitably, the pose that always comes up is the headstand. I’m afraid to try a headstand because I don’t think my core and upper body are strong enough yet and, to be quite honest, I have a really hard head and resting all of my body weight on it really is not appealing to me. That and hearing the thud when class members fall out of a headstand is a little unsettling.
So, I always dread the part of class when we work on the designated pose because it forces me to go out of my comfort zone. I’ll try a few basic steps of the pose but always go to something more safe, like childs pose or goddess pose, to hang out and look busy until the rest of the class is done experimenting. I always figured one day I would get up the nerve to really try it out.
Well, that day came yesterday.
My yoga instructor must have known I needed a nudge, and she gave it to me. We were practicing tripod pose, and I got myself into the basic position just to see what it would feel like when she came over and pointed out the proper way for me to place my head. I had been doing it wrong all this time, and once she got my hands and head in the right position, it felt totally natural to pick my legs up and rest them on my arms.
I got into tripod pose (pre-headstand) with the help of my yoga instructor, Deirdre Sargent, and it felt amazing! I let out a little Woohoo! because this was a big deal for me. I was one step closer to a headstand. Hell, I think I probably could have raised up my legs with a little assistance, but I wasn’t going to push it; one yoga victory for the day was enough to put a smile on my face. I even got a few high fives from other class members. I’ll keep practicing the base tripod pose; my goal is to get those legs up in the air before the month is out for tripod headstand!
Thanks, Deirdre, for giving me the push I needed and doing it in such an encouraging way! I really appreciate everything you have taught me about yoga and myself.
Aug 27, 2010 |
Fresh from my recent fortune cookie epiphany, I ventured off to yoga class. The instructor started off the class with a message about boredom and how boredom really doesn’t generate from other people; it is manifested from within and is brought on by our lack of activity. Practicing yoga is a form of overcoming boredom by actively engaging our body and minds in a physical practice. She encouraged us to light a fire under the boredom in our lives, to push it aside and share our light and enthusiasm with others.
I couldn’t help but think how relevant this message was in light of the fortune cookie message I received the previous night. It read as follows: “Catch on fire with enthusiasm, and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
It was uncanny how similar the messages were, and I started to think that someone is trying to send me a message.
I will continue to share my light about the amazing health benefits of yoga. Not only has it eliminated my back pain, it has helped me to grow spiritually and to reduce my stress level when I’m off the mat.
Try getting off the couch tonight and instead of flipping channels, slip in a few downward dogs. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel. There’s nothing better than a yoga high!
Photo: Agata Urbaniak
Aug 24, 2010 |
Last week I was in yoga class and we were doing my favorite pose (not!)—boat pose (paripurna navasana). As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I really dislike any exercise or yoga pose that extensively calls on the abdominal muscles. My stomach is my Achilles heel. I know I need to strengthen it, but I hate doing it.
As the class was struggling (well, not everyone was struggling, but some of us were) through the various gyrations the yoga instructor was taking us through in boat pose, he said something to the effect of, “Let your chi carry you through this pose.”
That was immediately followed by a comment from a male who was a few mats over from me. “Does chi mean pain?”
For those of us who could still catch our breath, a wave of laughter trickled throughout the room, and the instructor got a big laugh out of the comment as well. I could just imagine thinking, Come on, Maria, let the pain you are carrying in your gut carry you through this excruciating pose.
I was happy to know that I wasn’t the only one in severe pain.
I was also glad to know that I wasn’t the only one in class who didn’t know what the meaning of chi was.
So, really, what is chi?
For all of you yoga fans out there who don’t know the meaning of chi, it is basically the same thing as prana, which means energy or life force. Chi is what gives power to the oxygen in the air we breathe and the vitamins and minerals in the foods we eat. It is what we live off in air, food, sunlight, water, and even in our thoughts. Every human possesses a soul, and the energy that our souls transmit to our hearts, minds, and bodies is our chi.
What is chi? It is what lets us do everyday tasks like practice yoga, tell a joke, or eat an ice cream cone, but it is also responsible for critical tasks like healing our bodies from sickness.
The important thing to remember is to respect your chi; it is the gift of life and energy and can be used for positive or negative actions. So, next time I’m in boat pose, I will remember to use my life force in a positive manner, to enjoy the challenge and benefits of the pose instead of having malice and ill thoughts about it.
Is there a yoga phrase or word that you don’t know the meaning of? Let the Daily Downward Dog help you demystify yoga. Leave a comment or a question about what you would like to know about, and we’ll write about it here on the Daily Downward Dog.
Aug 23, 2010 |
I remember when I first started going to yoga class. At the end of class, the teacher would say some funky things in a language I didn’t know and then bow to us while saying, “Namaste.” The entire class would say it back to her, except for me. I wasn’t going to say something if I didn’t know what it meant. I was hesitant to ask the instructor what the meaning was, and, to be honest, I was a little freaked out that it was part of a weird religion that I just really didn’t want to know about. Instead I closed my eyes and waited until I heard people getting up off their mats to avoid the namaste bow routine with the instructor. One day when I opened my eyes, I caught the instructor looking at me kind of funny, and I figured I’d better figure out what all this stuff meant.
To be honest, I’m still not 100 percent clear on all the teachings of yoga, but that’s what makes it fun—having so much more to learn!
Oftentimes I wonder what yoga beginners think when they walk into yoga class for the first time. Are they confused by the Sanskrit names and the teachings of yoga? Are they just a little bit freaked out like I was? I needed the yoga demystified guide and wasn’t quite sure where to find it.
You can imagine how I felt the first time I went into a class and the instructor asked us to participate in chanting om. There was no explanation given of what this meant or why we were doing it. Everyone just took a big breath and began chanting their hearts out. That was another experience that caught me by surprise, and, like namaste, it took me a while to get on the om bandwagon.
Now I love to chant om, and the louder and longer I can do it, the better!
So, what’s om got to do with it?
Well, it’s not so easy to explain. It’s a very simple sound to chant, but explaining it is a bit more complex.
The sound is the oldest, most sacred and powerful sound in the practice of yoga, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Om can also be spelled aum, and, when chanted properly, it is done in three syllables: a, u, and m or aaaaauuuuummmmm.
Typically chanted three times at the beginning and end of a yoga class, the mantra of om represents the union of mind, body, and spirit and the whole universe compressed together into one single sound.
What?
I still don’t get it, and, to be honest, I’m having a hard time describing it, so in order to give om its due, I finally found (after an exhaustive search) this really amazing definition from Cyndi Lee over at Yoga Journal:
“Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is said to be the sound of the universe. What does that mean?
Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us—that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of om. We may not always be aware of this sound in our daily lives, but we can hear it in the rustling of the autumn leaves, the waves on the shore, the inside of a seashell.
Chanting om allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves—the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the beating of our hearts. As we chant om, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.”
Thanks, Cyndi, for putting it into words that yoga beginners can like me can understand. Chanting om will no longer mystify me.
Is there a part of yoga that is mystifying to you? Let me know and I will write about it on the Daily Downward Dog.
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Aug 16, 2010 |
“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you.” —Missy Dizick and Mary Bly, Dogs Are Better Than Cats (1985)
My yoga instructor made a really interesting point in yoga class last week. Why are so many yoga poses named after animals? Think about it—cat, cow, elephant trunk, pigeon, dolphin, fish, and, my favorite, the beloved downward dog yoga pose.
Could it could be that the poses mimic actual animal behavior? I do feel like a cat when I’m in cat pose but don’t feel too much like a dog when I’m in downward dog, though.
Her theory is that animals bring joy to our lives with the companionship they provide, their unconditional love, and the wag of their tails. Animals can also help reduce stress (well, most of the time, if they aren’t making a mess of your house). And she’s right; yoga does all those same things. It brings joy to my life, loves me even though I’m totally unflexible, and is the best way I know to bring down my stress to a manageable level.
Hmmm…what’s your theory on why these poses were renamed from their original Sanskrit names to English animal names?
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences, Yoga for Back Pain Relief, and Affordable Yoga Products. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
