Jun 21, 2012 |
I can’t take credit for this, but I’d like to share these simple, straightforward steps to happiness from Jason Wachob over at MindBodyGreen.com, who originally found them on happinessinyourlife.com. Hey, when you find a little happiness, you gotta keep paying it forward.
Think Less, Feel More
Frown Less, Smile More
Talk Less, Listen More
Judge Less, Accept More
Watch Less, Do More
Complain Less, Appreciate More
Fear Less, Love More
After I read these seven simple steps, I couldn’t help but think that these same seven steps can easily be applied to the practice of yoga, providing guidelines to a deeper, fulfilling, and definitely more joyful yoga practice.
Think Less, Feel More = Let go of the thoughts and chatter in the mind and start feeling more of what is happening inside your body.
Frown Less, Smile More = This is the perfect mantra for those difficult yoga asanas like utkatasana (crowd pleasing chair pose) or paripurna navasana (boat pose). Just wipe the frown off your face and plant a big ol’ smile on your face and see what happens.
Shining Happy Smiling Fruit
Talk Less, Listen More = Turn off that internal dialogue about how inflexible you are, and listen instead to your heart and the sound of your breath.
Judge Less, Accept More = So what if you can’t touch your toes in uttanasana? Take a deep breath, let go of the judgment, and accept exactly where you are today.
Watch Less, Do More = Keep your eyes off the mats of those around you and focus your attention on your practice. This is your practice, not theirs, so let go of the comparison and do more, blossoming into your very own yoga practice.
Complain Less, Appreciate More = Don’t complain or curse your yoga instructor when they take you into asanas that work the abdominals. Instead appreciate the opportunity to strengthen your core, knowing that the difficult poses bring so much benefit and strength to your body. And, if all else fails, you can always fall back on frowning less, smiling more.
Fear Less, Love More = Whether you are new to yoga and attending a class for the first time or are a seasoned yogi faced with a challenging pose, try letting go of the fear and coming to the practice or the pose from a place of love. Kathryn Budig originally turned me on to this concept, and it has become a mantra I embrace in everything I do.
Seven simple steps to happiness. Short, sweet, and no messing around, these steps get right to the point. Use them excessively both on and off the yoga mat. Take a few baby steps today and come along with me – we’re gonna get HAPPY!
Jun 18, 2012 |
Two Trips, Two Yoga Mats, Two Tales.
I bet you all were anxiously waiting for the second tale and thought I forgot! Ha ha, not to worry—my problem is that I have too many tales to tell about my awesome experiences at the NY Yoga Journal Conference and Tadasana Festival and not enough time to get them all written down (which is a good problem to have).
For my trek out for my first taste of West Coast yoga, I didn’t want to lug a yoga mat through the airport. This time there were no worries about that because I had made arrangements to pick up a new lightweight Studio Vernice Vita (VV) yoga mat from my good yogini friend Racheal Ennis.
Vernice Vita translates to "Paint Life" and at Tadasana Festival there were incredible artists painting life through the inspiration of the yoga community.
Racheal is the genius behind the ultra-comfortable Vernice Vita yoga mats that have a patented layer of memory foam to give your wrists, ankles, and all the joints in your body the support and cushion they need. I have been a long-time fan of the Cadillac version of her mats, which is wider and longer than a conventional yoga mat. This mat has done so much to help relieve pressure points during yoga postures and to assist me in improving my balance postures. I really wanted to take this extra comfort along for the marathon three days of classes that is Tadasana Festival, but rolled up, this mat is not going to make me a lot of friends as I try to carry it onto a crowded plane across the country.
I knew the new studio version of the VV yoga mat would be ¼” thinner (the size of a conventional yoga mat), lightweight, and easy to pop into my yoga bag for the stroll down the Venice Beach walkway to my yoga-filled days of adventure at Tadasana Festival.
I think the rule of thumb when you buy a new car is to take it easy on excessive use and speeds for at least the first 500 miles. It’s a good thing there are no guidelines like that for yoga mats, because I put that Studio VV mat through one hell of a test drive over the course of my Tadasana Festival three-day weekend.
I have to admit that when I signed up for the festival, I was wondering how my body was going to handle three 2+ hour classes for three straight days. Plus, being the yoga festival geek that I am, I dropped in to one or two extra classes per day. That’s a lot of chattarangas, downward dogs, and standing asanas for any yoga body. Could my wrists handle it, could my thighs power through it, would my knees be screaming at me, and could I let go of all that mental chatter to fully embrace the experience?
I've got happy wrists and knees in Sara Ivanhoe's class at Tadasana Festival!
Yes, Yes, and Yes – thanks in big part to my super supportive Studio Vernice Vita yoga mat. I was amazed at how great I felt all three days of the festival. Yeah, a lot of it was the abundance of energy, love, and community that was present everywhere, coupled with the fact that I was practicing yoga with some of the best instructors on the planet. But, a big part of it was due to the added comfort and support that my mat provided me.
If you ever get the chance to go to a yoga festival – go for it! The energy of practicing yoga with a few hundred people is one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. If you can’t imagine what it feels like, here is the view off my VV mat for a class with Tadasana Festival co-founder Tommy Rosen and his lovely wife Kia Miller.
The last chapter of my tale is that, quite simply, you must try savasana on a Vernice Vita yoga mat. The phrase “let yourself just melt into the mat” takes on a whole new meaning, transforming savasana into savasanaaaaahhhhh!
The name “Vernice Vita” (which is “Paint Life” in Italian) is a positive approach to how much more you can add to the world and the people around you when you’re at one with your own mind, body, and spirit. Your mat is your canvas, so how will you paint your practice and your life?
Vernice Vita yoga mats are perfect for beginners as well as advanced yoga students and are suitable for all types of yoga including Vinyasa Flow, Power, Bikram, Hot Yoga, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Gentle, Kundalini, Yin, and Pre/Post-Natal Yoga. Whatever type of yoga you practice, Racheal has generously offered a special deal for Daily Downward Dog readers – $10 off the purchase of any Vernice Vita yoga mat! You can order by selecting which size Vernice Vita mat you want to purchase and clicking on the Buy Now button below, or visit VerniceVita.com and use offer code MARIE10 when you purchase to pick up the savings.
The pricing for shipping and handling that is applied in the PayPal transaction is only for standard shipping within the United States. If you live outside the United States or need expedited shipping and would like to order a Vernice Vita Mat, please contact me, and I’ll provide a quote to handle your order.
Need more info…please read my reviews of the Cadillac and Studio Vernice Vita Yoga Mats!
Jun 12, 2012 |
As a girl growing up, I loved doing things with my dad. He was a busy guy running his own business and raising five kids, but when he had the time, it was always extra special to do things with him. I used to love to go on hikes with him, go skiing together, and help him dig up the soil when he went treasure hunting with his metal detector. And when I got older, I loved hanging out and having a beer with him.
A couple nights a week, my dad would stop off at a local gym for a workout. I’m not quite sure what it was that Dad did at Vic Tanny’s gym, but he always felt great after he did it, and I imagine he got the same kind of high that I get when I finish a yoga practice.
My Awesome Dad!
If my dad were still alive today, I would invite him to do yoga with me. It might have taken some coaxing, but I know he would have loved the stretching, and it would have done wonders for his back. It would be a special time for us to spend together, a way for us to grow together both spiritually and in good health.
I see a lot of mothers and daughters come to yoga class together, and it always makes me smile. But, in the whole time that I’ve been teaching yoga, I’ve only twice seen a daughter and father practice together and have never seen a father and son together in a class (except for this awesome pic of Elephant Journal Associate Publisher Bob Weisenberg and his dad practicing yoga together on Bob’s Facebook page).
The lovely Thais @InnerLightTG really hit the jackpot – practicing yoga with her mom and dad! That’s Dana Flynn of Laughing Lotus Yoga NY with them after an awesome yoga class at the NY Yoga Journal Conference!
So, why not consider asking your father to practice yoga with you?
I’m here to tell you: he’s sick of getting boring old ties or tools for Father’s Day. Give him a yoga mat, or a five-class pass to a local studio, and then set up a yoga date with your Dad. If you suspect you may get a few objections, here are a few articles to read up on so you’re ready to fire off all the answers to those excuses of “I’m not flexible enough” or “I don’t want to be the only man in class”:
“Yoga for Men – What Could be Stopping You” from the VancouveYoga.com website
“First-Timer’s Guide to Yoga” from Men’s Health
“Let’s Get More Men on the Mat” from The Daily Downward Dog
And, remember my motto – Yoga, You Don’t Have to be Good At It!
This year, ditch the golf balls (BTW, yoga can help improve your Dad’s golf game), show your Dad you really care about his physical and spiritual health, and go for these great Father’s Day yoga gift ideas:
Real Men Do Yoga: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance by John Capouya – Satisfy your Dad’s fascination with sports with interviews from more than twenty pros, all of whom are enthusiastic yoga practitioners: football’s Eddie George, Shannon Sharpe and Amani Toomer; baseball pitchers Barry Zito (2002 Cy Young Award winner) and Al Leiter, star hockey goalie Sean Burke, and NBA superstar Kevin Garnett, to name a few.
Beginner’s Yoga with Rodney Yee or Back Care Yoga with Rodney Yee – Any yoga DVD from Rodney is going to be a great gift, but these are two of my faves (read my review of Back Care Yoga with Rodney Yee)!
Give him the Cadillac of yoga mats – A Vernice Vita comfort foam yoga mat always make a great gift.
NamaSTAY Yoga Towel in Chaturanga Charcoal
Guys sweat a lot and you want you dad to be safe and skid free on his yoga mat, so give him a NamaSTAY yoga towel, available in the man-friendly chaturanga charcoal.
Dad Beach Photo: Denise Clark
Jun 5, 2012 |
I’m here to tell you that one of the many reasons why I love yoga is the incredible blissed out (yoga high) feeling I get when I finish up a practice. The muscles in my body are tingling, the oxygen-rich blood from all that pranayama breathing is pumping through my body, endorphins are pinging around in my brain, and best of all, my mind is clear and focused so I’m ready to take on the day.
I used to be a runner, so I also know how euphoric a runner’s high can make a person feel. If you’re not familiar with this sublime experience, let me share my new friend Liz Ferro’s take on the runner’s high:
“For most of my life, lacing up for a run has been as much a part of my day as taking a shower…The sweat seems to wash away all the heaviness in my heart and on my mind and replaces it with a joyful and light-hearted feeling, which I can’t wait to feel again after it fades. Maybe this is why people get hooked on heroin? I will never know because the empowerment that I receive from running and crossing the finish line is the best high in the world to me. It keeps me coming back for more so I can feel it again and again…No matter what you need from your run, it will grant it.”
In essence, Liz has just nailed how I feel about my own addiction to yoga. I crave that blissful feeling and can’t wait to get back to my yoga mat time and time again. Somehow, my yoga mat always knows what I need, and if I truly listen to my body and breath and allow my mind to clear, I get exactly what I came for – peace of mind, peace in my heart, and that joyful blissed out state. Yoga: it’s the natural, healthy, legal, inexpensive, and oh so highly beneficial high.
Liz has skillfully used the power of this high to carry her throughout her life, and let me tell you, she has had a pretty tough life. Passed around in foster care and finally adopted at age 2, she was the victim of childhood sexual abuse from a neighbor, suffered from bulimia and low self-esteem issues, and endured abusive romantic relationships. She chronicles her life in the book Finish Line Feeling, where she tells the compelling story of how she overcame these obstacles to found the nationally recognized running organization Girls With Sole.
I just recently finished reading Finish Line Feeling, and I have to admit, some of the story was tough to read. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be the victim of sexual abuse, and at one point, I didn’t know if I could finish reading. But Liz’s brutal honesty and sense of humor throughout the book drew me in, and I ended up reading almost the entire book in one day. It is filled with inspirational quotes and stories about how Liz overcame obstacles to ultimately build a beautiful life and family for herself.
“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” – Lou Holtz
Liz could have stayed negative and bitter about what had happened to her, but instead she let go of her past, got on with her life by participating in sixteen marathons and a few Iron-distance triathlons, and used all of her life experiences to bring goodness into the world with the development of her non-profit organization.
The mission of Girls With Sole is to use free fitness and wellness programs to empower the minds, bodies, and souls of girls ages 9 to 18 who are at-risk or have experienced abuse of any kind. The programs include traditional team sports, running programs, YOGA, dance, and self-esteem building exercises. The programs encourage girls to make healthy choices in every part of their lives and to build a positive self-image. Right now, the organization is based in Cleveland, Ohio, but Liz has received requests to set up Girls With Sole in other parts of the country. Her dream is to keep working with the girls here in Cleveland while also working across the country to set up new Girls With Sole chapters in order to change the lives of girls in need nationwide.
I was incredibly lucky this year to be introduced to Liz and Girls With Sole and have become one of their volunteer coaches who teach yoga to the girls. I can’t even begin to tell you how much joy this has brought to my life, so instead, I’ll let Liz tell you how it feels, as she captured my feelings completely.
“I don’t judge people when they don’t ‘get’ what it is that Girls With Sole actually does for the kids. The only thing that matters to me is the happiness I see in the girls as a result of the programs and the way they embrace and respond to the programs in such a positive manner…The girls bring me so much joy and fulfillment, and I often think they give more to me than I could ever give to them.”
Liz was able to find that mind/body/soul connection at an early age through running and swimming. But, for the most part, at-risk communities and kids in the foster or juvenile justice systems have very little to no access to any types of recreational fitness. Girls With Sole gives them that much-needed connection. It shows them that there is a way out of the darkness and that they can find this light without drugs, alcohol, or self-harm. These girls need someone to introduce them to the mind/body/soul connection, and I can’t think of a better way to help them than through the practice of running and yoga. To quote Liz, “Once they ‘get it’ they won’t ever let it go. But someone needs to show them the way to get there.”
“The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.”
– Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dali Lama
The primary message of Finish Line Feeling is that we all have the inner strength and tenacity to persevere. One of the teachings of yoga is finding acceptance and peace in your life and loving yourself exactly as you are, and Liz’s story could be used as a perfect illustration for this and so many of the yamas and niyamas: practicing ahimsa (non-violence and compassion for ourselves and all beings), santosha (letting go of the past and finding contentment in your life), and ishvar pranidhana (believing in yourself, asking for guidance, relaxing into your life, and surrendering to the needs of your body).
Plus, Liz provides the perfect example of seva, the act 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.
One of the most inspirational things about the book (which most people who read it will never know) is that Liz wrote it in four months. She then went out on the quest to get it published, would not take no for an answer, and within another few short months found a publisher and got the book out on the market. For someone who has thought a long time about writing a book, this has to be one of the biggest, most motivational kicks in the ass I could have ever received! Thanks, Liz – if you can do it, so can I, and every time you see me, I want you to please remind and maybe even egg me on a bit! (Yep, I’m putting that intention out there in the universe.)
Liz ends the book with this thought, “There is a confidence and a positive light that radiates from an athletic person. It is easily recognized by others and attracts them to you like a moth to a porch light on a summer’s night.”
If you are lucky enough to meet Liz, you will experience this light; it radiates from her smile and her enthusiasm, and I guarantee it will fill you up with joy.
Want to support Liz and Girls with Sole? Here are just a few of the ways you can get involved:
- Get inspired and read Finish Line Feeling, available to purchase on Amazon
- Celebrate the fact that Liz is now a published author by coming to The Rock & Sole book launch being held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, June 15th. The price of $50 per couple gets you into this private party at the Rock Hall, appetizers, drinks, dancing with a live band, and a copy of Finish Line Feeling.
- Contact Girls with Sole through the website for volunteer and donation opportunities.
May 15, 2012 |
I just want to go on the record to say that I have the best summer job ever. Not only do I get to teach yoga, but I get to do it on a beach! I am thrilled to announce that I will be back on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie in Vermilion and Huron, Ohio this summer to serve up some pranayama breathing, asana practice, and meditation, all with the best outdoor studio accoutrements – the sun, a yoga playlist courtesy of the rolling surf, gentle cooling breezes, and the sounds and sights of nature in hi-def. Well sometimes those breezes aren’t exactly gentle, but the elements typically all come together for a little slice of nirvana.
My beach yoga schedule is as follows:
Firefly Beach Resort in Huron, Ohio
Friday & Saturday mornings 8:30 – 9:30 AM
Sunset Yoga on Thursday evenings from 7:30 – 8:30 PM
The Firefly Beach Resort is located directly behind the Erie Kai Tavern at 4903 Cleveland Road East (Route 6) in Huron, Ohio.
Main Street Beach in Vermilion, Ohio
Monday & Wednesday mornings 8:30 – 9:30 AM
(please note this is a change from Thursday to Wednesday)
Main Street Beach is located in downtown Vermilion. Just take Main Street until it dead ends into Lake Erie!
Click here for more information on these beach classes.
I’m also excited to let you know about some special classes I have coming up.
Yoga & Meditation
Monday, January 21, 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Join me for a blissful hour of pranayama breathing exercise and gentle asana yoga practice, followed by meditation. Great for yoga students looking to deepen their understanding of meditation, or those who want to get started with a daily meditation routine.
Beginner’s Workshop – Saturday, May 19 – 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Have you always wanted to practice yoga but didn’t know where to start? If you are seeking an experience that will demystify yoga and teach the basics in a supportive and fun environment, then I’ve got a workshop or series of classes that’s right for you!
This workshop will begin with a brief introduction to yoga. Next we’ll move to warm-ups and pranayama (breathing) exercises, proceed to step-by-step asana (pose) instruction of the basic yoga postures to demonstrate proper alignment, providing you with an active yet gentle practice that focuses on breath work, strengthening the core and back, stretching, toning, and guided relaxation. Suggestions for modifications to poses will be presented throughout the class, along with proper use of props and the Sanskrit and English names of the postures. What to bring: A yoga mat (mats are available to borrow at the studio), water, and an open beginner’s mind. Questions will be encouraged and welcome throughout the class. Wear comfortable clothing. Class is held at Yoga Bliss Akron right behind Summit Mall at 3045 Smith Road. Class size is limited to 20 students, so register early by calling (330) 571-7861.
Beginner’s Class Series – Wednesday’s May 16 through June 12 – 7:30 to 8:30 PM
This five-week series of classes covers the same principles taught in the workshop with each class building on the next, leaving you with a core foundation to start your yoga practice. This class is also held at Yoga Bliss Akron.
Please contact me at (330) 289-7026 if you have any questions or need additional details about the classes.
Hope to see you on a yoga mat soon!
Got a favorite summer job? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!
