When is the last time you dove into a really deep, juicy downward dog?
When you take a wall yoga class, you get to do just that—dive into downward dog—with the aid of a wall and straps securely fastened and hanging from said wall. If you don’t believe me, watch this expert (ha ha) demonstration of me diving into a downward dog from the great yoga wall that I happened upon at Blissful Yoga Studio on a recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.
On my quest to try all the different flavors of yoga, this recent vacation afforded me the opportunity to try out two newfangled types of yoga, FLYoga and wall yoga, and I don’t think I have to say this, but yes, they both fall into the category of awesomely cool yoga experiences. I’ll save the Circque du Soleil—I mean FLYYoga experience—for my next post and today will focus on hitting the yoga wall.
I arrived at Blissful Yoga early so I could meet my fellow Twitter yogini buddy Stephanie Spence, who introduced me to the owner of the studio, Rosa Rendon, and gave a little sneak preview of what was to come. Rosa gave me a quick demo of a hanging inversion pose and then helped me up into the strap for my first taste of wall yoga. I will admit it was a bit scary coming into my first pose, and mind you, there was a camera on me recording the whole experience, so I couldn’t help but think, “Holy crap, why did I agree to be videotaped doing this!” It wasn’t a bad scary; in fact, I was pretty confident I was going to love the way it would feel, but the first time you do something that involves hanging upside down, it’s pretty normal (I think) to have a bit of anxiety.
I tried to remember all the things I always tell my new students: let go of the fear, come to the practice with a beginner’s mind, breathe slow and steady. I realized I’d better practice what I preach as I let myself lean backwards, completely trusting the strap, brave smile on my face, ready to enjoy the ride.
From the moment I hung from the wall in reclined supta baddha konasana, it was an inverted love at first hang.
The beauty of doing yoga with the help of the wall is that you can come fully into an inversion to extend the spine and align every single vertebra. When I was hanging from the wall in supta baddha konasana, I felt like a rock-star yogini, because, in essence, I was doing a handstand, which is something I haven’t quite tackled off the wall in my yoga practice. A full handstand! And let me just tell you, I felt completely invigorated and exhilarated.
The other thing I felt while hanging from the wall was the gravity doing some amazing work on my neck and face. I couldn’t help but think that this kind of an inversion has to be good for reducing wrinkles, and it turns out that inversions have all along been labeled a fountain of youth. All those blood cells flowing down into the brain assist with energizing the mind, increasing memory retention, and uplifting the spirits. It’s kind of like a natural high for the brain, and who doesn’t like a good natural high!
If that is not incentive enough, wall yoga can be very therapeutic for people with scoliosis or disc disease. In fact, Rosa told me a success story of one of her students who, over a period of two years, had the angle of the curvature in his spine decrease due to weekly wall yoga sessions.
When you first walk into a wall studio, the first thing you notice are the straps hanging from the walls with metal devices. Although you see all the normal yoga studio accoutrements (blocks, straps, bolsters, and blankets), you can’t quite take your eyes off the wall and wonder what the heck is going to happen.
Before my class began, I went up to introduce myself to the instructor, Rasoul Sobhani, and let him know I was new. He was a little nonchalant about this announcement and whisked me away back to my spot on the wall, assuring me that he would take good care of all the first-timers. And that he did. With a calm, soothing voice, Rasoul took his time to show us how to do the asanas with the aid of the wall and strap, always demonstrating proper alignment, and then he went around ensuring we were set up properly in the poses. I think we all rested more assured when he clued us in to the fact that the straps can hold a weight up to 1,500 pounds!
The class flowed similar to a yoga class, starting with some breathing to get us grounded (and also to calm the nerves) and warm-ups, and then we moved to downward dog done four different ways! Downward dog with a strap to support you is really cool. You can lean forward, almost as if you are diving forward into your dog, and then the strap allows you to extend your body deeper into the pose. In fact, each of the standing poses we did – extended side angle, triangle, warrior 2, forward fold – all felt amazing with the aid of the wall and the strap to keep the body in proper alignment as we moved deeper into the stretches. The poses just felt yummier, and although there was no flowing vinyasa movement, I worked up a sweat and felt all the same benefits I do after attending a vinyasa flow class.
Rosa demonstrating an inverted version of Tadasana
I looked around the room several times and noticed the smiles on students’ faces. We were all going places we had never been on our mats. I think that teaching yoga on the wall not only aids immensely in teaching proper alignment, but also helps to boost confidence. If you get the opportunity to attend a wall yoga class at Blissful Yoga Studio, I can highly recommend Rasoul. Any man who can gracefully get 19 women to hang from a wall with smiles on their faces is a rock star in my book.
I’m feeling a little musical inspiration coming on. To quote (well, I guess I should say song parody) Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall”…
Better do it now before you get too old
‘Cause we’re the yoga people, night and day
Livin’ crazy, that’s the only way
So today
Gotta leave those blocks and bolsters on the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C’mon and hang
Let the madness in the wall straps get to you
Yoga ain’t so bad at all
If you do it on the wall!
And, if you live it off the wall!!
I’m back in Ohio now, desperately searching for a studio with wall yoga so I can keep working on that awesome anti-gravity, wrinkle reducing, yoga high!
Check out my fifteen minutes of fame in this video demonstration of wall yoga at Blissful Yoga, and leave a comment below if you’ve tried wall yoga and want to share your experience.
Thanks Stephanie for helping me navigate the yoga studios of Scottsdale! Please take a trip over to Stephanie’s One With Life website to be inspired and there’s also a bunch of cool videos of her demonstrating yoga poses. Big shout outs and thanks to Rasoul and Rosa as well for an awesome virgin wall yoga experience. I hope to make it back to Blissful Yoga someday soon (maybe for some wall yoga teacher training) and I would love to take another class with Rasoul.
P.S. If you like my rock star yoga capris and tank top, I picked them up from the awesome folks at MPG – Mondetta Performance Gear.
Spectacular design, outstanding light-weight engineering, and phenomenal handling precision are combined with unparalleled comfort. No, I’m not talking about the newest Porsche 911, but the brand new compact Vernice Vita Studio Yoga Mat. Racheal Ennis, the founder of Vernice Vita Yoga Mats has done it again, introducing a sleeker, modern interpretation of Vernice Vita’s popular, successful, and original three-layer memory foam yoga mat.
If you’ve been to a yoga class with me recently, you may have noticed my extra-large, cushy yoga mat. I get a lot of stares at the yoga studio when I roll out the original 28 x 72 inch Cadillac version of the Vernice Vita yoga mat, but once my curious fellow yogis check out how cushy it is, they know why I love the riding style and comfort of my Vernice Vita. You can’t beat the luxury or the performance of this engineering marvel.
I got my first test ride of the Cadillac version back in September of 2011 and have been singing its praises ever since. The beauty of the mat is that the bottom layer is skid-proof to stabilize it, the middle layer is ½” memory foam to provide yogalicious comfort for your body, and the top layer is textured and water resistant to stabilize your yoga practice. I have not had any pain in my wrists since I began using my Vernice Vita, and my savasana and meditation times are pure bliss.
My only real issues with the original Cadillac version are that it is a bit unwieldy to carry around to the studio and my NamaSTAY yoga towel wouldn’t fit it. Poof…issues gone! The new studio version is ¼” thick and 4 inches smaller in both width and height. At 24 x 68 inches, my NamaSTAY yoga towel will fit snugly on top when I decide to sweat it all out with my Bikram or hot yoga friends. The studio version is made with the same high quality and patented three-layer construction, so it more than exceeds the exacting standards of my yoga practice.
The Cadillac version caters to taller yogis, injured yogis, athletes who need extra cushion because of joint pain, and pre-natal yoginis, and it’s awesome for Pilates classes. The new studio mat provides the same comfort and is the perfect mat for more advanced yogis. Really, anyone who’s seeking extra support and cushion in their yoga mat will benefit from either of these premium yoga mats. If you don’t believe me, check out some of the testimonials about the Vernice Vita products. Here is what a fellow DDD reader had to say about her purchase.
“This is the best mat EVER.
No more sore wrists — AND I feel more stable. I could totally nap on this thing.”
– Dominique
Give your body the comfort and support it deserves and purchase your very own Vernice Vita mat from The Daily Downward Dog. Order now for special savings.
Add a Vernice Vita strap to any order for only $10 more, a $5 savings!
Just click the Buy Now button below to order and pay securely through PayPal or your credit card. Or you can order direct from the Vernice Vita website and use offer code MARIA10 to get the savings!
The Kind Mat
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.
“Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer. Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.” ―Kripalvanandji
I’m one of those people that have never cried during or after a yoga class. I’ve heard the stories from fellow yogis who attended a class that brought out a deep emotional or spiritual release that moved them to the point of tears, and I’ve wondered, “What the hell is wrong with me?” Yeah, I’ve gotten a few drops of condensation in the eyes after an especially moving asana practice, but I’ve never achieved a full-on gusher.
Well, I’m happy to report that it finally happened – I got my yoga cry – and it was GOOD!
Plus, I got the added bonus of experiencing my spiritual breakthrough while practicing my all-time favorite, numero uno form of yoga. It was a Thursday, the sun was rising out of the Atlantic Ocean and sending streams of light peeking through the clouds, the soothing sound of waves crashing onto the beach provided the consummate playlist, seagulls were soaring through the air, and the wind and warm air swept across my tired, achy, winter-worn body. I had not been on a beach to practice yoga since October. I had not been on a beach vacation in over two years. I had let myself forget how the combination of all those elements, how that complete communion with nature could lift me to a state of absolute bliss.
Sunrise Yoga Rocks!
As I went through my opening sun salutations and stood with my hands resting against my heart in anjali mudra (prayer position), I was overcome with emotion and began to cry tears of joy. I stood there with a heart bursting with gratitude for the majesty of the ocean before me, for the healing power of the sun and warm winds, and for this awe-inspiring practice of yoga that has brought so much goodness to my life. Instead of rushing to the next sun salutation, I stood there in tadasana taking the time to savor the sobbing, letting the sun shine down on me, fully present in my prayer.
“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.” -John Vance Cheney
I have to say – this might have been one of my coolest yoga experiences to date!
The funny thing about this trip is that, before I went, I spent a lot of time looking into the yoga studios in the area of Florida that I visited, and I had a full list and maps for a few that I was excited to visit. The first day of vacation, I was ready to head out the door to visit one of these studios when my husband (who, I don’t admit enough, is very wise) asked me why I wasn’t heading down to the beach for my practice. Great question, and I’m so glad he was there to remind me! I picked up my beach towel, headed to the beach, and you know the rest of the story. I never picked up that list again, and instead, I had my daily cup of beach yoga nirvana each and every day of my vacation.
Daily Downward Dogs Beach Style
I did make it to one yoga studio, the 3rd Street Beach Yoga class in South Beach Miami, and I’ll be writing about that yogalicious experience very soon!
I’m home from vacation now, back to practicing yoga inside a studio, but I’m not letting myself get bummed out about that. Instead, I’m listening to the wisdom of Dr. Seuss:
“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”
And I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, only a little over a hundred days until I get to practice outdoor yoga again on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie again.
This past year, I’ve done my best to try out lots of different flavors of yoga. If you read my post yesterday, you know that a week ago I got to have my very first Bikram yoga experience at Bikram Yoga Cleveland, and trying Bikram was more than just trying out a new flavor; it felt like I had traveled to a whole new country to try out the local cuisine.
I had my advice from fellow yogi friends and the Twitter and Facebook yoga communities (see Confessions of a Bikram Virgin Part 1) and I was ready to take on this hot new world of Bikram. For those of you not familiar with Bikram yoga, it is a 90-minute class that consists of 26 yoga postures conducted in a room heated to 105 degrees! So without further delay, here are my major takeaways from my virgin Bikram trip:
Free Your Mind and The Rest of the Clothes Will Follow. The tips about wearing as little clothing as possible were right on the mark. I wore a pair of clingy shorts and a yoga tank top, which I thought was plenty good. About twenty minutes into class, I wished I was wearing a bikini. When you look around the room, people have on short-shorts, the ladies’ midriffs are exposed, and the men are pretty much shirtless (or will be before the class is over). I believe Bikram yoga goes miles in bringing out a person’s ability to lose their inhibitions. I did a review on K.Deere Haute Yoga Wear (see pic below) a while back and went on the record to say there was no way in hell I would wear those short-shorts and expose my pasty white cottage cheese thighs to the yoga world. Now, I’ll eat my words and say that I would proudly sport my thighs in those pants in any Bikram class. Bye bye, inhibitions. Hello, love of the body!
Bum Bums from K. Deer Haute Yoga Wear
Kristine, the designer of K. Deer Haute Yoga Wear got a good laugh when I told her I was finally ready for her Bum Bums. She is offering a special discount on her yoga wear to Daily Downward Dog readers. Just enter the discount code DDD15 when you place you order and you’ll receive a 15% discount.
The Man in the Mirror. If Bikram yoga had a theme song – hell, if Bikram yoga even had music playing – I’m thinking it should be “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Unlike most yoga studios I attend, in Bikram yoga there are mirrors on the wall, and you are asked to gaze at yourself and look inside. I was in the second row in class and was partially blocked by the person in front of me, so I wasn’t always able to see myself in the mirror. I’m not sure if I’m really digging the whole mirror thing. I like the message of looking into your eyes and smiling, but I’d rather close my eyes and look inside my mind and my body.
We’re going hot, hot, hot! (On second thought, maybe the David Johansen cover version of this song would be a better yoga theme song for Bikram.) I like hot yoga and try to go to a few classes a week at Yoga Bliss Akron in a studio that is set to 85-90 degrees. Each time I walk into the hot room at Yoga Bliss, it feels downright tropical, almost like going to Florida after being in the frigid Ohio winter weather. Ninety degrees is plenty hot; 105 degrees just seems a bit gratuitous. It wasn’t a pleasant hot vacation experience; instead it felt almost oppressing as my lungs started to tighten toward the beginning of class.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sight of the sweat I saw pouring off the man in front of me. It was literally flowing off of him like a river forming a huge puddle on his mat, even with a towel. I have to admit, my dream did come a little true in that I didn’t sweat as much as I thought I would. I’m just not a big sweater, probably because I don’t drink enough water, but it was so damn hot in there that the humidity may have been evaporating my sweat before I even started to drip. If I were to take up Bikram, the whole hydrating thing would be one major benefit as it would force me to drink more H20.
Beginners Welcome. Bikram yogis are extremely nice and very welcoming to newbies. When I first walked into the studio, the room was dark, and I went to place my mat in the first open spot I saw. There were two rows of mats forming and mirrors on both walls, and I didn’t know how the class was set up. The woman on the mat next to me asked if I was new, and when she found out I was, I thought it was very cool that she suggested that I move to the back row so I could watch the other students. Then someone else moved so I could put my mat next to Cherie. I got settled in and looked next to me where there was a very serious looking young girl (sans mother) who could not have been more than 10. Wow, I thought, Bikram is really recruiting them young.
The instructor of the class, Danielle Hoffman, had the names of all the new students and called them out so she (and the rest of the class) knew where we were located. I was impressed by the way she remembered our names, kept an eye on us, and gave just the right amount of direction and encouragement to each of us. There are little to no hands on adjustments in Bikram (which I liked), and Danielle was able to provide spot on verbal instructions to get each student in the right alignment.
I have always thought it was kind of weird and a bit showy that Bikram teachers stand on a platform at the front of the class. Now I know that it is absolutely essential that they do so because they have to keep an eye out for anyone that might be ready to pass out!
Danielle was there to greet me upon my arrival!
Danielle did a great job of explaining how to get into the poses and the benefits of each, and we were told to sit down at any time if we got hot or tired. In fact, we were encouraged to stay in the hot room the entire class and just sit if we needed to (not forced to stay, like a few stories I had heard).
The young girl next to me was one of the main reasons I stuck it out through class. I figured that if she could do it, then I better well be able to keep going. Her name was Alex, and it turns out that she was 11 and this was only her third Bikram class. I’m probably going to burn in Bikram hell, but when we talked after class, I made sure to let her know that there were other types of yoga and that she might want to give a few of them a try before she puts all her eggs in the Bikram basket (she assured me she would).
You need to bring a towel, but not just any towel; I’d recommend a NamaSTAY yoga towel. I’m a big fan of having a towel on my yoga mat during hot yoga classes, but I never truly appreciated the importance of it until I practiced in 105 degree heat! NamaSTAY yoga towels have a flap at each end that wraps around the mat to keep it from slipping, and it absorbs the sweat to keep you grounded and stable throughout class. Cherie Greenwald is the inventor of the NamaSTAY yoga towel, and I predict that she will someday become famous in the Bikram/hot yoga community for developing the best hot yoga towel ever! [If you would like more info about NamaSTAY towels and would love a special discount offer, please check out my review.]
You can do this! If you have been practicing Hatha yoga, in my opinion, you can handle the 26 postures that comprise a Bikram class. I had this notion in my mind that it was going to be extremely challenging and that I would collapse in a big sweaty ball on my mat, unable to do half of the postures. Granted, I didn’t get fully into all of the poses, but I was able to do them. Bikram created this practice from Hatha yoga, but there are no inversions, no really intense arm balances, and in my opinion not too much core work. The real genius in this practice is that Bikram put together the 26 poses to work every part of the body and to give all of the internal organs, veins, ligaments, and muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function (yeah, I picked that up pretty much verbatim from the brochure). The extreme heat and the twisting and stretching flushes away the toxins, or waste products, of all the glands and organs of the body.
Of course, it takes a great instructor to guide and motivate people through the heat, and Danielle had just the right mix of encouragement and perky enthusiasm to keep the class of over twenty happily sweating and twisting away. My only regret is that I wish I didn’t hold back at the beginning of class. Not knowing what to expect, I did not push myself as hard as I could have because I was concerned about conserving energy. But being a virgin, the class was exploratory for me, and next time I’ll know how far I can take myself.
Savasanaaaaahhhhh!
I’m Only Here for the Savasana!Savasana rocks, and Bikram yogis get that! Towards the second half of class, there is a break for savasana in between almost every pose. It is not only awesome but is a real life-saver towards the end of class when you need that break to catch your breath, let your heart rate slow down, and of course, let the benefits of the previous posture literally bake in!
Every Breath You Take. Breathing is the one thing that I don’t think I was doing properly. I’m a fan of ujjayi breathing where you inhale and exhale out through the nose. This form of breathing keeps the heat inside the body. However, when I put that logic to use, I figured the last thing I wanted to do in a Bikram class was stoke the fires even more. Hell, I was afraid I might combust. So, I was breathing in and out through my mouth, and I have to admit at times it was forced. I must have missed the breathing instruction portion of the class, and like a dork I didn’t ask. It’s pretty quiet in the Bikram room, and I wasn’t sure if questions were welcome. In any case, before I go to another class, I’ll be sure to get the breathing correct. Please leave a comment if you have any tips for me!
Variety is the spice of life. Well, for Bikram, consistency is the way of life. Twenty-six poses, each one repeated twice. Every class, every time. Twenty-six poses, rinse, pause, and repeat. I get the concept, but this yogini needs a little variety to spice up my yoga practice.
The Hills are [not] Alive With the Sound of Music. In case you didn’t pick this up already, there is no music in a Bikram class. No music! I have to admit, I needed the silence so I could concentrate on the instructions, but I would definitely miss the music if I did this practice on a regular basis.
Afterglow. Well, I don’t think I really had one. I will tell you that it took 45 minutes for my face to go from full-on lobster to my normal pasty white freckled glow. I didn’t feel the extreme yoga high, which really bummed me out. Instead, I felt very lethargic and experienced some pain in my lower left back. The brochure for the studio states that this is absolutely normal and is a good sign that your body is cleansing. Being that I attended this class two days after Christmas and had been gorging on big holiday meals, cookies, and wine (which explain the lethargy) – my body needed some well deserved rest after purging the enormous amounts of sugar and toxins I took in over the holidays. The next day I did feel awesome and had a little high, so maybe the Bikram afterglow just took a day to settle in.
I’m not going to go into any of the crazy stuff that Bikram has done recently, primarily because I don’t want to get sued for writing about him! B.C., please take mercy on The Daily Downward Dog – I am just here speaking my truth.
I totally understand why people love Bikram so much. It does feel good to sweat out those toxins, and the practice seems more like an “experience” or better yet, a mash-up of a mental and physical challenge. You go in with a fighting spirit, ready to beat the heat and to let go of the negative chatter in your mind so that you can do some amazing things for your body and your health. When you make it through an entire class, it is a major feeling of accomplishment. Cue: Rocky theme song!
So the big burning question that the Twitter community had for me the next day is whether or not I would attend another Bikram class, and the answer to that is yes.
But, will I fully embrace Bikram and attend regularly? The answer to that question is no. I need the variety, I need the music, and I need to drink a hell of a lot more water! I’ve put another notch on my yoga belt, and I’ve got lots more flavors to try. And, isn’t it cool that we have so many flavors of yoga to try?
Like I mentioned in my previous post, if you have always wanted to try Bikram, I would highly recommend that you give it a try, and if you live in northern Ohio, please make a visit and support Bikram Yoga Cleveland.
Hot Bikram Yoga and Cleveland Snow – the perfect combo! Woo Hoo Cleveland finally has their first Bikram yoga studio!
Thanks again to Danielle and Bikram Yoga Cleveland for such a great virgin experience and to Cherie and Alex, whose presence helped encourage and lift me through the entire class. The newbies didn’t get any applause at the end of class, but I know we all felt a major sense of accomplishment.
So, how was your first Bikram experience? I would love to hear from you, so please join in the conversation.
I am going to make a confession; I’m a Nutcracker-aholic. With the exception of my infant years, I have seen a production of the Nutcracker every year of my life. I own three different CDs of the Tchaikovsky score, and I pop them into the CD player in my car the day after Thanksgiving and listen to them religiously until December 25th. (I may even throw a few cuts into my yoga class playlists this December.)
My husband can’t believe that myself, my mother, and the other female members of my family have made it a tradition to go see the Nutcracker every holiday season. He asks me how I can keep going to see the same show, especially since I know how it’s going to end. I try to explain to him that the production is different every year, and that it’s no different than him watching a bunch of football games every weekend; there are always new players, new uniforms, and new plays.
My favorite part of the ballet is at the end of the first act, when Clara is swept away with the Nutcracker Prince to a magical winter wonderland. As the blizzard of ballerinas begin their beautiful dance, there is something about the music that brings out my inner ballerina geek. My heart swells up in my chest, and I get all verklempt as the first snowflakes start to fall from the sky. Without fail, I am moved to tears each and every performance.
This year as I watched the Ballet Theatre of Ohio‘s production (which rocked), I couldn’t help but notice how many ballet moves are similar to yoga asanas. Take a few standing splits, a dancers pose, and toss in flowing warrior arms and a leap, and you’ve got yourself a mat-worthy ballet performance. Next time you’re in tree pose or any challenging balance pose, just think about adding the complexity of wearing ballet pointe shoes to it, and I bet all of a sudden it will feel a whole lot easier.
No matter what frame of mind I’m in, seeing the Nutcracker always puts me in the Christmas spirit, and this year it even cast a little spell on me. Yeah, just like Clara, the night I saw the Nutcracker, I had my own special dream and I’d like to share the dream story with you. I’m calling it…
The “Yogacracker”
Many moons ago, a young-at-heart, redheaded woman named Maria received the gift of yoga. She started taking classes at her local studio and immediately fell in love with the practice. To her it was an extension of the ballet training she received as a child, and she felt discipline and grace return to her each time she came to her yoga mat. As she went through her vinyasa flows, it felt as if she were creating a beautiful dance.
Of course, a villainous force had to come into her life to take away her love of yoga, but the villain was not the Mouse King. It was the equally evil daily grind of work, stress, and obligation that caused her to roll up her yoga mat and fall into a deep sleep.
While she laid in sleep, a dream came to Maria. She awoke to a fantastical world of flexibility, armed with an unlimited yoga class pass good at any yoga studio in the world. Even when she had a busy schedule, there always was time in her day to attend a yoga class.
The dream took her and her yoga mat on a first-class journey across the globe to practice the many different styles of yoga. From Iyengar in India, Ashtanga in Australia, Hatha in Hawaii, and a little hot Bikram in Boston to Vinyasa in Vancouver, she followed it all up with a little yoga holiday in Bali. Each land she visited granted her the opportunity to study with great yoga teachers like Indra Devi, Geeta Iyengar, Judith Laseter, and Donna Farhi.
Dreaming of Some Tropical Beach Yoga in 2012
And the costumes! Forget about tutus, she traded those in for skeggings and was decked out in the finest black stretchy pants, vibrant colorful tank tops, and crowned with funky headbands.
A variety of sugarplum treats were available to her wherever she ventured, and she could eat whatever she wanted, because that’s made possible in a Yogacracker world.
Like any good trip, there always comes a time when you have to return home and back to reality. Before I knew it, the sound of my husband’s snoring awoke me from my blissful downward dog dreams.
I don’t usually remember my dreams, but this one will always stay with me, and it’s made me realize that I already live in a Yogacracker world. I can always make the time to fit yoga in my schedule, I can practice all kinds of different yoga styles right here in my hometown of Cleveland, and I can study with amazing yoga teachers that come to Northeast Ohio (thank you Max Strom, Rodney Yee, Kathryn Budig, and Cora Wen). And, if I save my money and dream big, I can even fly off to exotic locales some day and study yoga in the places I dreamed about.
As for the sweets, well, I don’t think I’ll be able to gorge on chocolate and marzipans like I did in the dream, but I have to admit that the weekly yoga regime does wonders for keeping the middle-age spread under control.
I’m going to strive to take the magic and wonder of the Yoga-Nutcracker into my life. Maybe the reason why I get misty eyed during the dance of the snowflakes is that it makes me realize how beautiful winter can be. Instead of focusing on how cold I always am and worrying about what the road conditions are going to be like, I need to fill myself up with the beauty of this season, to have a child-like sense of wonder and to never give up the ability to dream.
Just as a ballet performance can transport you into another world, let your practice of yoga transport you to a beautiful blissful state each and every time you come to the mat. Don’t forget to embrace that tiny dancer inside your soul and dream big.
Who wants to go to Bali with me in 2012? Please leave a comment and let me know where your Yogacracker dreams are taking you!
