Oct 29, 2012 |
It’s no secret: I love writing about yoga! That’s why I started The Daily Downward Dog. So imagine my curiosity and delight to read a book that is completely devoted to writing about yoga. In Writing Yoga, Bruce Black has penned a beautiful guidebook on how to keep a journal about your yoga practice.
The book is part memoir and part writing guide, and I love all of the personal stories Bruce tells about his early yoga practice. From the embarrassment of walking into his first yoga class with his shoes on, to the exhilaration of coming into headstand for the first time, I could easily relate to his yoga journey. It made me wish that I had kept a journal during the early days of my yoga journey, but then I realized that many of my yoga experiences (or what I like to call yoga victories) have actually been captured here on this blog. Here are a few links to some of my early “yoga journal entries” that I am so happy that I took the time to record; now I can revisit them to see how far my yoga journey has taken me.
Boat Pose Mind Games – An important lesson on how to make it through boat pose. I loved reading this one because it made me realize how strong my core has become and how far I’ve come in my practice.
Favorite Savasana Moments – This is the story of a memorable experience during savasana.
Amazing Yoga Moments – An early yoga victory with tripod pose was fun to read, especially since I can now do tripod headstand and many other headstand poses.
My official yoga journaling began when I started my yoga teacher training. If you have not started to journal about your yoga practice, I highly recommend it. Writing down your yoga experiences can help you deepen your practice and understanding of yoga, and it is fantastic way to record and celebrate all those little victories you experience on the mat. It can also be used to record and work through the challenges you encounter on your yoga mat. If writing about your yoga practice alone doesn’t appeal to you, try using your journal to record all the brilliant ways you take the teachings of yoga off the mat and into your life.
Don’t worry if you typically clam up when faced with a blank page of a journal; Writing Yoga will fill you with inspiration, and each chapter offers writing exercises to get you on your way. Bruce covers a lot of ground and central yoga themes like moving past fear, finding your balance, learning to breathe, and listening to your voice. I found myself underlining many passages in the book and gained inspiration for quite a few yoga class themes. In fact, last week I used portions of the chapter about trusting the process in my yoga classes.
“One of the most difficult things to learn in life is trust—trust in yourself and in others, trust in the process of moving frompose to pose, trust that you’ll find what you need in each moment. If the practice of yoga has taught me anything, it’s that learning to trust isn’t a possibility, it’s a necessity if you want to reach your full potential.” – Bruce Black
This chapter is all about listening to your body and trusting what it tells you. During practice, we must always listen to our bodies and trust to know when to back away from a pose that’s too intense or a position that’s too challenging. We also need to trust our bodies and have confidence, knowing when we can move our bodies deeper into a pose.
Here is a portion from this chapter that I highlighted and will be using when I teach beginners classes:
“When you walk into a yoga class for the first time, not knowing anyone, not knowing what to do, you have to trust in whatever inspired you to take that first step, and then you have to take the next step and the next, trusting in the process of discovery. This abiding confidence in the process of life unfolding demands a certain amount of faith in yourself. You need to be willing to take risks, to make mistakes, to fail. Trusting the process gives you the ability to overcome setbacks and obstacles and, rather than despair, take joy in discovering the next step and the next.” – Bruce Black
And this is certainly one of the lessons we get from yoga that can be applied to pretty much every other part of life.
I think one of the reasons this chapter resonated with me is the statement Bruce makes about how we sit at our desks for hours, most of the time with aching necks and shoulders, and just ignore this pain. We don’t listen to our bodies and trust that they’re trying to tell us something. Our bodies tell us to get up, move, stretch, and breathe and are probably kicking us in the ass for not finding a more ergonomically correct way to sit. I ignore these pleas from my body every day. What about you? Are you listening to your body both on and off the mat? Close your eyes, take a good listen—your body has something to tell you.
Do yourself a favor and go out and buy yourself a journal (or open up a blank document on your computer, or create your own blog) and start writing about your yoga practice. I highly recommend picking up Writing Yoga as a companion guide. It’s full of unforgettable yoga stories, quotes, and inspirational exercises to capture the memorable moments of your yoga journey. There’s even a little surprise at the end of the book. I’m sure I will be writing more about this fine book in the future.
Fellow yoga journalers, what inspires you, what have you explored in your writing, and what are your favorite entries? Please leave a comment below to share about your experience in keeping a yoga practice journal.
Oct 3, 2012 |
Earlier this year I sent out some intentions that I would combine my loves of travel and yoga together and get out on the road for some yoga festivals and workshops. I even went so far as to document my dream of teaching yoga on as many beaches around the world as I can. That’s the ultimate trifecta of doing what I love – traveling, teaching yoga, spending time on a beach.
I’m here to tell you that setting intentions can be very powerful when you set your mind and your heart in the same direction and believe! I’m living proof. This year I’ve had the opportunity to pack up my yoga mat and go to New York City for the Yoga Journal Conference,
Learning from Desiree Rumbaugh at the NY Yoga Journal Conference
to Santa Monica for 3 incredible days of yoga and music at the Tadasana Festival,
Practicing Yoga with hundreds of people is cool!
and to Yellow Springs, Ohio for a weekend workshop with Erich Schiffmann.
The journey to Yellow Springs included a road trip with my packed up new Road Tripper, a yoga friendly weekend bag from Manduka. If you want to take your yoga practice on the road, check out Manduka’s Journey On Collection, which includes a number of bags that will tote your yoga mat in style to the studio, a day trip, or a longer journey.
The canvas and cotton webbing material used in my bag are both natural, renewable materials that are unbleached and use non-AZO dyes, which reduces the amount of chemicals and toxins released into the environment (and reminds me to be eco-conscious when I travel).
I love the zipper along the bottom that you can use to easily insert and remove your yoga mat. It’s also super roomy to pack everything you need for a weekend of yoga bliss,
and the bottom of the bag has a reminder to keep me grounded!
When I’m not off on a yoga travel adventure, I’ve been using my Road Tripper bag to carry yoga mats, a bolster, blocks, straps, and everything I need when I go on the road to teach private yoga sessions.
What travel dreams do you have? Right now I’m working on my next dream—teaching yoga on a tropical beach somewhere—so stay tuned for future announcements.
Want to get your own Journey On bag from Manduka? Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA.
Win a FREE Manduka Day Tripper Yoga Mat bag
Where will you be journeying with your yoga practice in the coming year? Leave a comment below to let me know, and you will be entered to win a FREE Day Tripper yoga mat bag from Manduka. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and the deadline to enter is Monday, October 8, at noon EST, when one lucky winner will be randomly selected and notified. By sharing your email address, you agree to be part of the Manduka email family and receive special discounts and promotions.
You will get an extra entry into this giveaway if you tweet the following message: Where is your yoga journey taking you? Journey On with @downwarddog & @MandukaYoga to win a Day Tripper #yoga mat bag http://bit.ly/T0FU7g
I received the Road Tripper bag mentioned in this post from Manduka. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA 
Jul 3, 2012 |
I’m too old for yoga.
I’m too inflexible for yoga.
I’m too overweight for yoga.
I’m too [fill in the blank] for yoga.
Need a little inspiration to get you off your ass?
Watch the video below. It will only take 4:55 minutes of your time, and I guarantee you will be moved. Even if this video doesn’t inspire you to give yoga a try, it can give you hope that just about anything you think might be unattainable in your life is possible if you just believe in yourself.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448 [/youtube]
You might have already seen this video. It’s got over five million hits and is the personal yoga journey of Arthur Boorman, who for 15 years of his life was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War. He received his injuries as a paratrooper and was told by doctors that he would never walk on his own again without assistance.
For a while, Arthur gave up and turned to food to console him, bringing his weight up to 297 pounds.
Arthur happened to catch a video of former pro-wrestler Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) and decided to give DDP’s brand of yoga a try. He reached out to DDP as well and received personal encouragement from him while he went on his yoga journey.
Don’t give up, keep going, and know that anything is possible.
How many times do we all face personal challenges like this? They might not be as extreme as Arthur’s situation, but we all have projects that at first seem daunting. But if taken in small steps, with patience and a lot of self-love, eventually we can accomplish what initially seemed impossible.
Arthur fell many times, but he got back up. He continued to tell himself that “just because I can’t do it today doesn’t mean I can’t do it someday.” And you will see in the video that Arthur experiences many yoga victories, including losing weight, rocking a headstand, and then coming down from the headstand into crow and jumping back into plank. I can’t even do that – so WOOHOO, Arthur!
I wanted to share this video for anyone out there that might be afraid to try yoga or has given up after just one class. I know yoga is not for everyone. But it’s not something that is going to be easy at first, especially if you have not been exercising regularly. It takes time, determination, and courage. You won’t be able to do everything at first, and the results will not come overnight. But gradually you will start to experience a transformation. Each time you come to your mat, there is an opportunity to make new discoveries, each one taking the body and the mind a little further.
You have to come into yoga with an open mind. When you first start, you might think you’ll never be able to move and stretch the way some of the other students do. The fact is that we are all so much stronger and capable than we allow ourselves credit. And yes, I’m guilty of this too. When I first started, I thought there was no way I’d ever be able to do a headstand or crow pose, and today I can do both of these poses. I can only imagine how much further I’ll take my yoga practice – if Bette Calman can do peacock pose at 93, so can I!
Over the course of one year, Arthur Boorman lost a total of 140 pounds, and more importantly, he was able to prove the doctors wrong. He is walking, practicing yoga, running, and sprinting without any assistance.
Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself.
Never Give Up.
That’s Arthur Boorman’s yoga story. Watch the video, decide what you want to get out there and accomplish in your life, and then set your sights on never giving up!
If you have a personal victory that you would like to share, please leave a comment below. I’d also love to hear from anyone who has tried DDP yoga.
Apr 24, 2012 |
prac·tice/ˈpraktəs/ Verb: Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain (or dare I say perfect) one’s proficiency.
Throughout my life, the word “practice” has taken on many meanings and evoked many different emotions. In high school, the practice of track was fun and exhilarating, but not always a picnic. It was a great way to let off steam after school while flexing my competitive spirit. The practice of piano was another story altogether; I not only loathed it, but I lied to my mother and teachers about how long I had done it. Of course, now I’m kicking myself that I did not apply myself to practicing piano, because my repertoire of piano playing consists solely of a crappy version of Chopsticks.
They say practice makes perfect, and to most people I think the word conjures up duty, commitment, hard-work, struggle, and time spent doing something they wish they could master a hell of a lot quicker than all this damn practice is taking. Like me, are you a little guilty of wanting the perfection and wanting it now?
Well, in comes this thing into my life – this yoga thing – and guess what? It’s affectionately referred to as…
Yoga Practice
I showed up to my first practice with a flimsy mat, crooked back, and curious beginner’s mind and knew immediately that there was no way I was going to perfect this practice. I may have been, oh hell, I’ll admit it, I was definitely the most inflexible student in the class, afraid to try more advanced poses, and was definitely not pushing myself to my edge. But something totally foreign was happening to me on my yoga mat; this yoga stuff never felt like “practicing” to me. I wanted to show up on my mat. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t get my heels to the floor in downward dog; I looked for ways to carve more time in my schedule for it and for more ways to bring its teachings into my life.
Funny how this word “practice,” when mashed up with yoga, takes on a whole new wonderful meaning.
Sirsasana II (tripod headstand) – one of my 2011 Yoga Victories
Every time I come to the mat, I get the gift of practicing yoga. If I had perfected it, how fun would that be? Never having anything new to learn, never that thrill of making it into a pose for the first time, never that satisfaction of holding an extra challenging pose for longer than I thought I could, never reaching that blissed out state I can get to when I really allow myself to let go and be present. I’m addicted to all those small yoga victories and can’t imagine what my yoga journey would be like without them.
I think one of the most important things to remember as students of yoga is this simple fact – Yoga is a practice. You have the rest of your life to practice and grow in it. No need to beat yourself up if you can’t touch your toes or do a handstand. Instead, repeat this mantra: How cool is it that there’s still so much to learn about yoga? I have the rest of my life to go on this amazing yoga journey.
Take your time, learn to breathe, turn off your internal critic, turn up the corners of your mouth, smile, be curious, explore, and embrace your yoga practice.
Piano Photo: Ben Goerz
Sep 3, 2010 |
Wednesday, September 1 was the kickoff of National Yoga Month, and you’ve got 28 days left to get into the festivities. The purpose of National Yoga Month is to create awareness about the many benefits of yoga and hopefully encourage Americans to get out there and give yoga a try!
If you’ve always wanted to try it but don’t know where to start, here are two great programs going on this month to get you onto a yoga mat.
1) You absolutely must visit the Yoga Month Web site. They have links to hundreds of free classes and events and a list of over 1200 yoga studios nationwide offering one free week of yoga.
2) If you would rather try yoga out in the comfort of your home, My Yoga Online is offering free online training sessions. My Yoga Online is a premium on-demand subscription service for yoga and wellness videos. They offer one of the largest and most diverse mind-body video and article libraries in the world. The cool thing is that their classes fit your schedule—you can log on at anytime, from anywhere, and have access to the perfect class for you. If you have always wanted to try My Yoga Online, now’s your chance to check it out for free before you sign up.
I’m personally celebrating National Yoga Month by setting some new intentions for my yoga practice and have a personal goal to do a headstand by the end of the month. I’ll also keep you posted on additional Yoga Month activities and helpful tips to get you started on your very own yoga journey.
With all these festivities and FREE classes, there really is no excuse to give it a try!
Stop by every weekday for the Daily Downward Dog, my journal of cool yoga experiences. Thank you for checking out the ads and products when you visit to help fund this site!
“When you walk into a yoga class for the first time, not knowing anyone, not knowing what to do, you have to trust in whatever inspired you to take that first step, and then you have to take the next step and the next, trusting in the process of discovery. This abiding confidence in the process of life unfolding demands a certain amount of faith in yourself. You need to be willing to take risks, to make mistakes, to fail. Trusting the process gives you the ability to overcome setbacks and obstacles and, rather than despair, take joy in discovering the next step and the next.” – Bruce Black
