Nov 10, 2011 |
One of the goals of yoga is to let go of the chatter in your mind and focus on being fully present. When this happens, we achieve the true meaning of yoga, the union of the body and the mind. If you practice yoga, hell if you are human, you know that this “letting go” is an extremely difficult thing to do!
I had to laugh the other day when I first heard “Lost in My Mind” by The Head and the Heart on the radio. I know some people will think that getting lost in your mind is a bad thing on the yoga mat, that maybe being lost in your mind means that you are drowning in your thoughts and not focusing on clearing the mind. I choose to believe that getting lost in the mind means to truly let go, to move forward into a higher place, a place where you can truly get into the yoga zone.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoA4nYBD5U[/youtube]
“Lost in My Mind” has a trippy mellow vibe that I thought would be perfect for class, so I quickly downloaded the song from Amazon, and it’s on my yoga class playlist this week. I’m hoping it serves as a gentle reminder to my students to just let go of the thoughts, the stress, and the to-do list, getting lost for a while in their bodies and in their minds.
I’m digging the hoo hooos in this song. Reminds me a little of my favorite life affirming cheer – woo hooo!
The Head and the Heart is a Seattle-based indie folk band, and this song is from their self-titled debut album, “The Head and the Heart.” I hear this band is phenomenal when they play live, so please leave a comment below to let me know if you’ve been lucky enough to see them up close and personal.
Brain Image: Graphics Fairy
Oct 29, 2011 |
The theme of my yoga classes this week is satya or truthfulness, one of the yamas that are part of the 8-limbed yogic path authored by Patanjali. The yamas to me are a set of moral codes for living, and I can’t think of a more straight-up way to live than with the truth. I’m not just talking about watching those little white lies; I’m talking about being truthful in all of your thoughts, actions, and speech. When you can walk the talk of truth, the truth will set you free.
But living in truth can be a bit tricky at times, especially when we let the influences of the outside world and the constant chatter in our minds keep us from standing tall and rocking out in our own true way.
If you feel your truth has been slacking, here are a few ways to bring the practice of honesty back into your daily routine (both on and off the mat):
- Own and honor your feelings. Is there something (maybe a job or someone in your life) that just does not feel right? Are you being true to yourself by staying with that something or someone?
- Offer constructive feedback. Disclaimer: Offer your feedback, but be sensitive to the feelings of others, and most importantly, speak in the spirit of love.
- Forgive yourself and show compassion for others.
- Take responsibility for your actions. Wow, this is a tough one for me to swallow at times, but being truthful and owning up to a situation instead of making excuses (or blaming others) can be a very powerful way to live in your truth.
- Be truly authentic. Do you act differently around groups of people; are you being fake, putting on false pretenses? Check yourself as you go through your day, and let go of the masks that hide you from being the unique and beautiful person you are.
You may not realize this, but the simple act of showing up to your yoga mat is one of the best ways to practice being who you really are. Yoga allows you to breathe, let go of your facade, and rest into your true being. Next time you are on the mat, focus on standing firm in your truth (warrior poses are great for this) and connecting to your true self (mountain pose is a nice choice here). Close your eyes for a moment and remember the practice of satya. Make a promise to yourself to stay truthful, taking the peace and truth you find on your yoga mat out into the world.
Beach Yoga Paradise in Panama | April 15-21, 2018 | Click the photo above for more details
Oct 19, 2011 |
One of the very first yoga videos I ever purchased was Back Care Yoga by Rodney Yee, and ever since then, my back and I have been big fans of Rodney Yee’s teaching. You can imagine how excited I was when I got the opportunity to study with Rodney at a teacher training workshop hosted by Yoga on High.
For the first hour or so of the workshop, I was a bit yoga-star struck as I listened to Rodney. I have to admit that it was both a bit surreal and cool to watch Rodney and his ponytail walk right by my yoga mat giving out instructions. But I wasn’t there to stargaze, and I quickly got my head back to the mat to really soak up a lot of fresh learning. I have so much that I want to write about the experience*. But, one thing in particular that Rodney said really hit home with me, and I have to share it with you.
Rodney told a story about how he was talking to a yoga teacher that described their classes as gentle yoga. Rodney asked the teacher why they needed to use the adjective “gentle” to describe their yoga. Shouldn’t all yoga be gentle? Amen, Rodney!
That statement really struck a chord with me because I love to teach gentle (oops, now I’m using the adjective) yoga classes, but sometimes I wonder if I should be teaching more vigorous flows.
I’m sure that many people have gone to a class and been turned off by an aggressive pace or a class geared towards building up to poses like crow or headstands (the poses I affectionately call ego poses). One of the things I learned in my yoga teacher training is that only five percent of the U.S. population can do mainstream yoga. So, if I want to introduce yoga to students in a positive way, I need to break down the poses, demystify yoga, and teach it in a gentle way.
Yoga is so much more than being able to reach your toes in a forward fold or getting vertical in a headstand. In fact, anything you do can be yoga if it is done with mindfulness and breath. I always tell my students that it doesn’t matter where they are in a pose because as long as they are breathing, they are doing the yoga.
What I loved so much about Rodney’s statement is that he was conveying that teachers should never apologize for a class being gentle; yoga should be gentle, and this was just the affirmation I needed to hear.
*Stay tuned for more about my experience with Rodney and how I, of course, made a complete yoga dork out of myself.
Oct 5, 2011 |
You know those ads for missing people that you see on the side of milk cartons? Well, I was about to put out one of those, or better yet, an APB (no, that’s not some trendy new texting lingo, just a good old-fashioned police term for an “all points bulletin”) for my missing yoga mat.
The crisis occurred over the summer when I needed a yoga mat to take to the beach for my summer beach yoga classes. My newer, thicker professional grade yoga mat could not be exposed to the elements and the sand, so I pulled out my very first yoga mat and decided it was perfect. Even though I only paid $5 for this mat and it is ridiculously thin, there is just something about that first yoga mat that makes it special, and I decided that I would always hold onto mine. I like using it from time to time to remind me of just how far I have come in my yoga journey both physically and spiritually.
I always bring extra mats to class in case a student shows up without one, but one day when I did not have enough extra mats, I ended up offering my very first mat up to a student. It wasn’t until a few days later when I went to pull it out for a beach class when I realized that my beloved yoga mat had gone missing.
I immediately went to retrace my steps of the day to figure out where my missing mat could be. I didn’t think the student took it. Instead I thought that they had handed it back in, but I had never picked it up. I couldn’t believe that I was so negligent as to leave my prized yoga mat out on the beach. I could only imagine what would happen to it. Someone would use it for a beach toy or throw it away; the seagulls might perch on it or try to eat it; or it would get swept away with the waves. I went back to the scene of the crime, scouring the area to find the mat, but to no avail, my yoga mat was MIA.
I could have gotten hung up and upset about the loss, but my yoga training reminded me of two very cool Sanskrit words that encompass the concept of having non-attachment to material possessions.
1. Aparigraha – is one of the yamas (part of the eight limbs of yoga) and is all about not having greed over material goods, possessions, and relationships. Or, in other words, it means not hoarding and instead being happy with what you have.
2. Vairagya – is all about releasing attachment to other people, substances, and material possessions (like a cherished yoga mat). I really love how the meaning of this word can relate to personal desires. For instance, if you do things in life without the hope of personal gain, the work you produce will not only be better but more meaningful, and you will experience joy while doing it. I don’t know about you, but that is how I want to describe the work that I do.
How silly was it for me to get so worked up about losing this yoga mat? I gave myself a much-needed kick in the ass and released my attachment to my yoga mat. By doing so, my mind would be free of the distraction of my desire for the mat and would be open for more important matters.
Two months later, I was packing up my gear after class when one of the owners of the Firefly Beach Resort where I taught came running up to me and said, “Hey, we found this propped up against the front door last night. Is it yours?” She was clutching my long lost yoga mat, a little worn from wherever it had been, but nonetheless it was back!
I still don’t know where my mat had been hiding out for all those months, but I didn’t care; my yoga mat had safely returned to me. I had let go of my attachment to it, and it came back to me.
So, sure, my story has a happy ending, but the takeaway that I’d like you to have is not so much that you should let go of possessions or people in your life in order for them to come back to you; rather, you should let go of your attachment to personal possessions and relationships to focus on what you have versus what you lack. When we get all caught up in our possessions – you know all the time we spend worrying about whether we are going to lose them, or how we can get them back, or why we can’t have them – we lose sight of what is really important in life. To quote Sri Swami Satchidananda from his translation and commentary of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:
‘There is joy in losing everything, in giving everything. You cannot be eternally happy by possessing things. That’s why we say, ‘Have vairagya, have dispassion, have non-attachment.’ By renouncing worldly things, you possess the most important sacred property: your peace.”
He went on to say that the practice of vairagya alone is enough to change your entire life into a joyful one. When I see a statement like that, it definitely piques my interest, and I have seen firsthand what peace of mind and joy vairagya can bring.
Got a personal non-attachment story to tell? Please feel free to share by leaving a comment below.
Sep 29, 2011 |
The very first yoga mat I ever purchased cost five dollars, came in a lovely shade of lavender, and was ultrathin. If you’ve never bought a yoga mat, I’d just like to say that ultrathin is not a product feature you want in a mat. I still have and love this mat. (Hey, you never forget your first one!) Despite its lack of cushion, I quickly learned that I could compensate with a trusty blanket under my knees during the kneeling poses.
The studio I was frequenting at the time had “professional” yoga mats for sale that had the thickness and support my body craved and came in a palette of gorgeous colors, but they cost over a hundred dollars. Yikes, there was no way I was going to shell out that much money. Even though my knees coveted those mats, my motto was that yoga should be affordable. I didn’t need hundred-dollar yoga pants or a hundred-dollar yoga mat to deepen my practice.
So, what the heck am I doing on a new mat that costs over a hundred dollars?
Well, I have learned an important lesson. Just as it is wise to invest money on the mattress for your bed (we spend one-third of our time there), it is wise to invest money on the best yoga mat you can find for added comfort and support of your body.
My downward dogs are now done on a Vernice Vita (VV) three-layered yoga mat and my wrists have never been happier. If you are familiar with memory foam, this mat is made with that material. And before you get all hung up thinking that there is no way you can be stable on a cushy mat, I’m here to tell you that I’ve never felt more stable and grounded on a yoga mat.
The bottom layer of the mat is a skid-proof EVA material that stabilizes your mat and prevents it from slipping and sliding on studio floors.
The middle layer has one-half inch of cushy memory foam that not only supports you, but provides a super-comfortable practice. This yummy layer relieves pressure points and pain in your knees, elbows, ankles, and hip bones in yoga postures and even your head during inversions.
The top layer is textured neoprene that is water-resistant, so it helps to stabilize your hands and feet when you are in poses like downward dog.
Rachel Ennis, a yogini from Manhattan Beach, California, came up with the idea for this mat when she found that her yoga practice was not progressing due to pain she experienced during some yoga postures. She bought a piece of memory foam and laid it on top of her traditional yoga mat and immediately noticed a huge difference. The relief this brought amazed her, and she eventually knew she had to share the benefits with others. She got a patent and has worked hard to develop an ethically manufactured product (PVC-free, 25 percent natural rubber, recycled packaging).
Thanks to Rachel, I’ve been test-driving my very own VV yoga mat for the past few weeks in both gentle Hatha and hot power classes and love the way it feels under my feet and my hands. No issues with slip-sliding away (although I still recommend using a NamaSTAY Yoga Towel on top for those really hot sweaty classes), and I feel as if I can hold poses longer.
If you are a fan of savasana, then I can tell you that doing savasana will never be the same now that I have experienced it on my ultra-comfy Vernice Vita mat. It is truly the definition of yogalicious!
I recently went to a three-day yoga workshop, where we spent a lot of the day sitting on the floor. While everyone was grabbing blankets and bolsters to sit on, I was totally comfy on my cushy VV. If you are in yoga-teacher training or spend a lot of time sitting on your yoga mat, I highly recommend a VV.
The VV yoga mat is also highly recommended for pregnant yoga students and is perfect for meditation and restorative yoga.
The mat is thicker when you roll it up, so you may want to pick up one of their over the shoulder mat straps so it is easier to carry, but I’m sure other yoga-mat straps would work as well. Be aware that when you take a VV mat into a class, it will attract attention. People get very curious when they see me unroll my mat, and I always let them touch it so they can feel the comfort.
My only complaint is that the mat does have a strong scent when you first remove it from the packaging. I’ve already noticed that this scent has diminished, and you can air out the mat by laying it outside just as long as you avoid direct heat or sunlight.
So, what is up with the name of this mat? Well, Vernice Vita (pronounced ver nee chey veeta) means to “paint life” in Italian and 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. My Italian soul loves that, and my knees do too!
Give your body the comfort and support it deserves and purchase your very own Vernice Vita yoga mat from The Daily Downward Dog and save $10 on each mat. Just click the Buy Now button below, and you can order and pay securely through PayPal or your credit card. Or you can order direct from vernicevita.com and use offer code MARIA10 and you’ll still get the $10 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 would like to order a Vernice Vita Mat and you live outside the United States or need expedited shipping, please contact me and I’ll provide a quote to handle your order.
