May 8, 2012 |
I come from an advertising background, so I’m always in search of a good slogan – a few catchy words that sum up a product’s essence and also just so happen to look good on a t-shirt. Not that I was looking for a slogan or tagline for yoga, but sometimes a great one just smacks you up the side of the head.
I teach a lot of new students and meet a lot of people who are curious about yoga. In fact, this past weekend I was at an event to promote my summer beach yoga classes in Vermilion and Huron, and I got to meet a lot of awesome women who either have always wanted to try yoga, or have already stepped onto a yoga mat. One woman said to me, “I’ve done yoga, but I’m not very good at it.” Before I could chirp out a response, Marianne Greene, my lovely event buddy, did not miss a beat and responded, “You don’t have to be good at yoga. That’s the beauty of it!”
Bingo – Slogan Nirvana! Marianne had just nailed what should be (if yoga had a brand advertising agency) the marketing strategy for yoga. You don’t have to be good at it. You just have to show up on your mat, breathe, and do your best. I think I’ve found not only a new slogan, but a new mantra.
It doesn’t matter if you’re flexible; we come to our mats to become more flexible.
It doesn’t matter if you can’t touch your toes; each time you come to your mat and practice, you get the opportunity to get a little bit closer.
It doesn’t matter what is happening on the yoga mat next to yours; you get to make it your own practice.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a pretty Vinyasa flow; just get inside your body and your breath, and get down with the beauty inside you.
I always say yoga is not a competition, and I am so thankful for that; otherwise I would never participate.
Yoga – You Don’t Have to Be Good at It!
I love it! Short, sweet, concise, factual, and it delivers on the product’s key selling features. That’s my brand management blood still flowing through my veins and popping up from time to time.
Got a favorite yoga slogan, one that makes you smile, one that sums up how great your practice makes you feel? Leave a comment below and share your marketing genius!
May 1, 2012 |
Two trips, two yoga mats, two tales.
I recently got to combine my love of yoga and travel when I journeyed to the New York Yoga Journal Conference in New York City and the Tadasana Festival in Santa Monica, California. On recent trips to Florida and Arizona, I didn’t take my yoga mat along for the ride (I know, not very nice of me to not treat my mat to a little fun in the sun), because I figured I would just use a beach towel for beach yoga sessions and could borrow a mat at the studios I attended.
For these two trips, though, borrowing was not an option, and I would be attending several yoga classes each day, so I was gonna need to take a mat – and a kick-ass mat at that. I’ve got some really nice yoga mats, but they’re heavy and unwieldy to lug through an airport. Rather than whack unsuspecting plane passengers in the head as I boarded the plane, I went in search of a sleek, compact, but highly functional yoga mat.
Being the skier that I am, I was hoping one of the yoga mat companies might offer me a “demo” mat like ski companies do with skis. You know, try the yoga mat out for a few downward dogs, see how it treats your wrists, how comfy it feels during savasana, and then make the decision to buy. That way I would only have to carry the mat on one way of the trip.
New York Yoga Journal Conference – Tale #1
Enter the awesome folks at Manduka who had just the mat I was looking for. They set me up with an eKO Lite® Mat that I picked up at the show to demo, and they even let me keep it after I was done! I have to admit, I was a little worried that this 1/8” of a yoga mat was not going to support me enough as I chaturanga-ed with the likes of Seane Corn and Desiree Rumbaugh, but as I busted through the two days of yoga classes, I was one blissed out, happy yogini. This eco-friendly yoga mat is no lightweight! It holds its own with rock star functionality, comfort, and convenience for us yoginis on the go.
Confessions of a Manduka Yoga Mat Virgin. Yes, it’s true, up to this point on my yoga journey, I’d never done a downward dog on a Manduka mat before. When I first started practicing yoga, I always eyed the Manduka mat displays at the studios and figured they were for the pros and, who was I kidding, were way too pricey for my budget. Once I became addicted to yoga, I quickly learned that paying a little more for your yoga mat is a wise investment.
When I picked up the mat, I was warned (warned may be too strong, advised sounds a little better) that it might have a strong smell, but I have to tell you, I kind of liked the smell (yeah, I always liked the smell of Elmer glue as a kid too!). I might have even picked up a little natural rubber yoga high from it (that’s a product feature I’m sure the marketing team at Manduka will not soon employ).
Manduka was nice enough to let me pick the color of my mat, and I had a hard time picking between two of my favorite colors – Moss (green) and Santorini, which is a gorgeous aqua. With a name like Santorini, it’s hard to say no, but my Anahata (heart) chakra got the best of me, and moss green it was. My moss green eKO Lite mat will always serve as a reminder to let my heart chakra shine as I go through my yoga practice. In fact, when I got home it served a dual purpose as the base of an altar I built for my Chakra Yoga class series during the week we focused on the anahata chakra.
My Manduka eKO Lite Yoga Mat and I hanging out at the conference with Elephant Journal founder Waylon Lewis.
The eKO Lite mat measures in at 68” x 24” and weighs in at 3.5 pounds: perfect to roll-up and go when you are traveling. Plus, I really dig the fact that the mat is made with a closed-cell surface that keeps out moisture (aka sweat) from seeping into the mat, which can breed bacteria. Yeah, bacteria is something I definitely don’t want to take along when I travel! The bottom of the mat has a thicker open-cell that provides a lighter cushion, but it can also be reversed and used on top for more traction in those moisture heavy (aka sweaty) hot yoga classes, so you’ll always be prepared no matter what kind of yoga you find on your travels. The mat also works perfectly when you pair it with a NamaSTAY yoga towel for those really sweaty yoga classes.
If you are not familiar with Manduka, they make eco-friendly yoga mats from non-Amazon harvested natural tree rubber without any PVC or toxic plasticizers, and they are biodegradable. This makes my green heart happy!
Every time I use my eKO Lite mat, I will have fond memories of the NY Yoga Journal Conference, especially when I see the sparkling glitter pieces that still remain from when Dana Flynn of Laughing Lotus Yoga sprinkled her yogini fairy dust on me and my Manduka mat during one of the best yoga classes I’ve ever taken.
Make your own sparkly travel yoga memories, and pick up a Manduka mat of your very own. Daily Downward Dog readers can Save 10% on any purchase from Manduka with offer code MARIAMEDIA.
That’s enough mat talk for one day. Tale #2 (yes, this is a tease) is coming soon!
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
Apr 10, 2012 |
I’m always searching for new ways to demystify yoga and find definitions to some of the key Sanskrit terms to help new students understand and feel at ease with the practice. One of my favorite posts I’ve ever written is Namaste 101, which provided an awesome definition for Namaste.
Now, I’m pleased to report that I have another simplified definition for Namaste, courtesy of my Street Yoga teacher-trainer Katie Arrants. As Katie was finishing a class she taught, she ended in the customary way, but replaced the word Namaste with the word Respect. In lieu of honoring the light that shines within every soul, the same concept was made crystal clear through the simplicity of one word — respect.
Katie explained that respect was a two-way street. Not only should the students honor and respect the teacher and everyone in the class, but they should also respect themselves.
Short, sweet, succinct, and brilliant all in one!
When teaching a class of at-risk youth, the concept of respect can really come into play. The phrase is emphasized to ensure that students make their best effort in class, to respect each other by not talking, by keeping on their yoga mats, and by not making fun of each other.
But I love the fact that the concept of respect can be emphasized in any yoga class. We should all come to the mat with our best effort, full of respect for our yoga community, full of respect for our bodies, which ultimately leads to the ability to quiet the mind and go within. To be fully present in our body and our breath is truly the essence of yoga, the union of the body and the breath. I don’t think you can get to that place in your yoga practice if you don’t first practice a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t!
Jennifer, Katie, and Sarah a.k.a. Yogini Godesses
I’ll write more about my Street Yoga training experience when time permits, but I wanted to send out a few shout outs and much more than a little respect to Katie for such a fantastic workshop, to Sarah Cheiky and The Studio Cleveland for providing their beautiful studio and the Saturday evening Thai Vinyasa Flow class with Lyz Bly and Kevin Lynch (it’s a Yoga ‘n Thai Massage all in one), and to Jennifer Atzberger and Urban Lotus Youth Yoga for sponsoring the Street Yoga training.
Take me out Aretha….
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0XAI-PFQcA[/youtube]
Mar 15, 2012 |
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve wrote about yoga for back pain and even longer since I’ve mentioned how much yoga has helped with my scoliosis. I’m a veteran of many rounds of physical therapy to help me heal and strengthen my back. The funny thing about physical therapy is that it was never as much fun as I found the stretching and strengthening I get on my yoga mat. I’m happy to report that I’ve been able to replace those obligatory print-outs the docs gave me of my daily exercise prescription with a yoga practice that I look forward to doing! I’ve just got to say that yoga is a helluva lot more fun way to deal with the curve in my spine and the resulting back pain that it can bring.
If you live in northeast Ohio, I want to make you aware of an upcoming yoga therapy workshop being led by Amy Jeske at Yoga Bliss Akron. The workshop will bring a special approach to practicing yoga with scoliosis.
When you have scoliosis present in your spine, there are special considerations you need to be aware of when you practice yoga. Without this awareness, a regular or vigorous practice may actually make the problem worse. According to Amy, yoga has been used for years to help correct the misaligned curvature of the spine and to help rebalance the musculature of students with scoliosis.
If you have scoliosis or know someone who does, this workshop will consist of postural evaluations to determine your specific needs, followed by a basic class that will teach you how to practice with the awareness you need to move through your practice safely, with balance, and to help correct and prevent further degeneration.
The workshop will be held Saturday, March 24 from12:30 to 2:30 PM, and the cost is $20. You can register for the workshop on the Yoga Bliss website, or call the studio at (330) 576-6687. I’ve been lucky to co-teach beginners’ workshops with Amy, and I can tell you that she is very knowledgeable about yoga therapy and brings a fun, supportive environment to her classes.
If you don’t live in my ‘hood and would like to learn more about how to adapt your yoga practice to the curvature in your spine, I highly recommend the Yoga for Scoliosis DVD workout with Elise Browning Miller (read my review of this DVD here).
