Mar 5, 2011 |
If you live in northeast Ohio and are a fan of hot yoga, pinch yourself, because a brand-new yoga studio, Yoga Bliss, has just recently opened in Akron, Ohio. I have been pinching myself for the past few weeks, because I am lucky to be one of the yoga instructors at this beautiful studio. I’ll probably never teach a power yoga class in the Hot Studio (this large room is heated to between 85 and 90 degrees using a state-of-the art system that heats and humidifies fresh air and is downright tropical) but am thrilled to be teaching Yoga Basics classes in the slightly cooler Basics Studio. I was so delighted when I walked into the Basics Studio and saw that Caroline, the owner of Yoga Bliss, had painted Ganesha on the wall. For those of you unfamiliar with Ganesha, he is the Hindu god of wisdom, learning, and the remover of obstacles. Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness, and pride. Pretty powerful stuff, eh?
It is felicitous that Caroline has painted Ganesha on the wall, because before any undertaking is begun, a prayer to Ganesha is said to ensure success. Be it the building of a new house, the writing of a book, the start of a new journey, or starting a new yoga-studio business, Ganesha should always be your go-to guy! I didn’t know this, but after doing a bit of research, I found out Ganesha images adorn the walls of countless businesses across India, and it is customary for people to seek his blessings each morning.
Ganesha is actually a potbellied man with the head of an elephant, four arms, and a broken tusk. He is most often depicted as sitting with one leg folded beneath him. In three of his hands, he typically is holding various objects that are symbolic tools for enlightenment. The rosary across his body suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. If you would like to learn more about the symbolism of Ganesha, I found Wikipedia to be a great resource (the part about how he got the elephant head should be made into a movie).
Since many of the students in the Basics Room are just starting their yoga journey, I love the fact that Ganesha is there to ensure their success, and for my first few classes, I used Ganesha to provide these pointers for the beginners:
- During the practice of yoga, you will encounter many obstacles. Maybe it’s being able to touch your toes in a forward fold or to keep your mind present during class or finding the courage to do a headstand. Ganesha is here to remove those obstacles, to give us the strength we need, and to help us lose the fear of trying something new or uncomfortable.
- Yoga is not meant to be perfect. It is a practice, a pursuit of knowledge that should be continuous. Don’t worry if you can’t do all of the poses today or if you can’t do them the same way a fellow student can; what is most important is to go where it feels right for your body. Listen to and honor your body in each and every yoga class, and know that each class is an opportunity to continue to learn and grow in your practice.
- Finally, let Ganesha destroy your vanity and pride. No comparing yourself to others in class; this is not a competition. And no beating yourself up if you can’t balance in tree pose or go fully into a pose. No judgment, just acceptance of where your body and mind is today. It’s all good.
Ganesha’s fourth hand is always free, with his palm extended in a blessing. So, I wish Caroline many blessings with her new business venture and many blessings to the teachers and students as we begin new yoga journeys together at Yoga Bliss.
Image: Asif Akbar
Dec 7, 2010 |
Last week I was a yoga-teacher virgin, still learning the ways of the yoga sutras, memorizing and practicing the various positions, double-checking my anatomy books, nervous about first-time performance, and hoping others would show up to take part in my passion for yoga.
Yeah, I had taught classes to friends and my fellow yoga-teacher-training classmates, but I had never put myself out there and taught at a real-live yoga studio.
I’m not quite sure how I did it, but I was somehow able to convince (maybe it was coerce) the owner of Indian Summer Yoga Studio to let me teach my very own yoga class. I got a prime Saturday-morning time slot and quickly put together my class description and bio and started handing out flyers for my class. I called some friends and family and offered a few bribes to make sure I would have a couple of supportive, familiar smiling faces looking up at me from their yoga mats.
I also looked to the super cool Twitter yoga community and got a ton of good vibes sent my way, along with a great list of advice—breathe, smile, and, my favorite from @Frenzy36, “Stay engaged with the group. We yoga students are an easy group.” He then followed up with this doozy: “Of course, at the end of class, we always expect the leader to take us to a new state of self-enlightenment but no pressure.” Good stuff!
As Saturday rolled around, I finished up my class playlist (which included a little Dave Matthews, Mary J. Blige, U2, Adele, Green Day, Sade, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell, and Ray LaMontagne) and put the finishing touches on my all-levels Hatha yoga class. I was ready to go, confident, and really excited. Then I started getting phone calls and texts, all with the same kind of message: “Sorry, Maria, can’t make it today because…” Bugger, bugger, bugger! I started to freak out and wondered if I would have anyone present to experience my yoga-teaching debut.
“Welcome to your first day at work,” David the studio owner greeted me as I walked in. Cool, I thought, this is my new work, and how freakin lucky am I that my work is teaching yoga?! I walked into the beautiful studio and went about preparing for class, silently sending out frantic karmic requests for just one student to show up.
The clock was just about to strike ten when two students walked through the door, and, to my delight, they were yoga virgins as well. We shared a delightful hour and fifteen minutes together; they got to do their first downward dogs, and I got to give two incredible women their very first taste of yoga. It was a balanced yogic exchange!
When the class was finished and we bowed and said namaste and you are awesome to each other, one of the women looked up at me and said, “I’m hooked.” She loved the yoga experience and wanted to know when she could come back for more! Her daughter loved my playlist. Ka-ching! I had achieved my goals for the class! We hugged when they left, and I have to admit, I was feeling pretty damn yogalicious!
It was the best virgin teaching experience I could have ever asked for and the best first day at work I’ve ever had! Hopefully, I will get more teaching gigs in the future!
Photo: Matthew Bowden
Oct 25, 2010 |
Playing off my recent yoga fortune card encounter, I got to thinking about making my dreams come true. Making dreams come true—or, rather, finding my dream job—has been a bit of a theme in my life this year, and I’ve written about it several times on my other blog, MariaMedia.
The first post came on May 25, when I got to practice yoga in Virginia Beach in a studio that overlooked the beach and then later right on the beach. It was such an amazing experience that I thought to myself, How cool would it be to teach yoga on the beach for a living? At this point in my life, I had never imagined or even thought about teaching. I mean come on, I’m not flexible or coordinated enough to teach. The farthest my dream could take me was a front-desk receptionist job for a yoga studio that happened to be near water (which, BTW, would be totally cool with me if the job came with unlimited, free classes on the beach).
I loved the beach yoga experience so much that when I came home from vacation, I taped a postcard from Oceanfront Yoga & Fitness studio to my wall so I could remember the bliss I felt during savasana while listening to the rolling surf.
It’s nearly five months later, and I still can’t believe it, but I am in yoga-teacher training. How did this happen? Is it possible that I am on my way to making my dream job come true? Well, at least part of it; the yoga-teaching part is coming true, but the beachfront home in Malibu will have to come later.
Actually, I can have beachfront yoga right here in Ohio on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie. Watch out, dreams, you may just come true! Who wants to take yoga classes on the beaches of Ohio with me?!
P.S. My other dream job I wrote about was being a backup singer for a rock band. I’m a little more realistic about my ability to pursue singing for a living, so I’ll just keep that dream more of a fantasy.
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!
