My family and I are back from our Northern Cal excursion. I am subbing the 10:30 AM class December 31st at Yoga Madre. Come see me! It's beginning level, but we can always crank it up if need be. No yoga at the Center or Yoga Madre on Saturday, New Year's day, of course.
I wish you all a wonderful and happy New Year. Resolutions and the like to be the next post--stay tuned. Namaste and see you in class.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Not Subbing Tomorrow!
Turns out that my daughter Sofia is running a temperature so I will not be teaching the 10:30 class at Yoga Madre tomorrow. Sonya will sub for the sub! Go see her and enjoy the class. Namaste and hopefully see you Saturday in class.
Yoga and the Ego
Hmmm the ego is an interesting concept to ponder. Typically in yoga, we ask that students leave their egos at the door when they enter the asana room. This exercise in functioning without ones ego may indeed be the most challenging aspects of yoga. Since we literally cannot remove our ego from our body and deposit it at the threshold of said asana room, how then are we supposed to NOT heed its sometimes deafening call in our ears? Exactly the challenge, my friends.
So why leave it at the proverbial door to begin with, you might ask? Well it's our ego that drives us in life and may drive us to compete, covet, attach and thus eventually set unproductive goals for ourselves. These goals can be falsely driven by the external world to which the ego is easily drawn. In yoga class, this may mean forcing ones body into poses beyond its own ability in an effort to compete with your fellow students. Or it may mean trying that 5th handstand even though you've done 45 minutes of demanding asana already and child's pose beckons. An injury can easily occur in both the aforementioned situations. Admittedly, I speak from experience as I have willingly listened to my ego on more than a million occasions, competing either with others in class or just my own darned self. Let me tell you, a hamstring takes a good year to heal okay!
So yeah leave it at the door. Easier said than done especially in our American culture of doing everything first, faster, bigger and better. We may indeed run our professional and personal lives on these red, white and blue tenants of Americana. As result, bringing a little Eastern philosophy into our Western style of living can be difficult.
Okay, BUT what of tapas? You may have heard teachers encourage you to practice with tapas. Tapas is the philosophical concept from the Yoga Sutras commonly thought of as discipline. So a student striving to get into scorpion pose may be practicing with tapas or she/he may be listening to the ego. We often equate difficult and challenging things with being disciplined and therefore as tapas. This is where the confusion between the ego and tapas surface. As Judith Lasater says, "the ego is drawn to battle with difficulty: Mastering a certain pose can bring pride and an egoistic attachment to being an advanced yoga student." She says a better way to think of tapas is to equate it with consistency.
To bring tapas into your practice without mistaking it for the ego, set your intention to maybe practice or meditate daily, attend a class 3 times a week or read about yoga philosophy at bed time. Consistency in your practice of yoga is what tapas means. The fancy poses on the cover of Yoga Journal are beautiful but may not be what you need to experience yoga and connect with you true self. A subtle distinction, all of this. So give it a try, leave the ego at the door and hit the mat more often without judging your practice or overdoing it. Namaste and see you in class.
So why leave it at the proverbial door to begin with, you might ask? Well it's our ego that drives us in life and may drive us to compete, covet, attach and thus eventually set unproductive goals for ourselves. These goals can be falsely driven by the external world to which the ego is easily drawn. In yoga class, this may mean forcing ones body into poses beyond its own ability in an effort to compete with your fellow students. Or it may mean trying that 5th handstand even though you've done 45 minutes of demanding asana already and child's pose beckons. An injury can easily occur in both the aforementioned situations. Admittedly, I speak from experience as I have willingly listened to my ego on more than a million occasions, competing either with others in class or just my own darned self. Let me tell you, a hamstring takes a good year to heal okay!
So yeah leave it at the door. Easier said than done especially in our American culture of doing everything first, faster, bigger and better. We may indeed run our professional and personal lives on these red, white and blue tenants of Americana. As result, bringing a little Eastern philosophy into our Western style of living can be difficult.
Okay, BUT what of tapas? You may have heard teachers encourage you to practice with tapas. Tapas is the philosophical concept from the Yoga Sutras commonly thought of as discipline. So a student striving to get into scorpion pose may be practicing with tapas or she/he may be listening to the ego. We often equate difficult and challenging things with being disciplined and therefore as tapas. This is where the confusion between the ego and tapas surface. As Judith Lasater says, "the ego is drawn to battle with difficulty: Mastering a certain pose can bring pride and an egoistic attachment to being an advanced yoga student." She says a better way to think of tapas is to equate it with consistency.
To bring tapas into your practice without mistaking it for the ego, set your intention to maybe practice or meditate daily, attend a class 3 times a week or read about yoga philosophy at bed time. Consistency in your practice of yoga is what tapas means. The fancy poses on the cover of Yoga Journal are beautiful but may not be what you need to experience yoga and connect with you true self. A subtle distinction, all of this. So give it a try, leave the ego at the door and hit the mat more often without judging your practice or overdoing it. Namaste and see you in class.
Subbing Friday
I am subbing at Yoga Madre this Friday, December 17th 10:30 class, beginning level. Come see me and namaste.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Eat, Drink, Do Yoga!
We are knee deep in the holiday season. Once Thanksgiving has hit, time seems to accelerate and before you know it, Christmas and the new year are upon us. Whether you celebrate any of the Judeo-Christian holidays or not, they and their accompanying activities are nearly unavoidable during this time of year. We can get caught up and bogged down in the preparations, gift buying and partying going of it all.
For some, it's a wonderful and magical time. My dear friend Phil starts playing Christmas music really early, October maybe. His partner, Mike had to lobby for pushing that out at least until Thanksgiving for his own sanity. For others though, maybe you and me, the holidays can be overwhelming, tiresome and bring up unpleasant memories of holidays gone by. To help us all enjoy this crazy busy time of the year, don't forget to practice your yoga! Yoga can help keep us present and centered, reminding always who we are and connecting us to our authentic selves. The disconnect from our true selves is probably the most common culprit for our holiday malaise. We can feel pressured to spend too much, over schedule ourselves and end up resenting everyone and everything about December. Okay maybe I'm sharing more about myself than you, but you get the idea.
By slowing down, practicing yoga at home or in class, you can take the time to center yourself. For those 90 minutes (or even 5, 10 or 15 minutes!), connect with your breath, your body and shut out all the external noise of the holiday season. Shut out the societal prescriptions of what you should be doing in December and how your holidays should be celebrated. By doing this, you can remain true to yourself and therefore celebrate in a way that works for you and reflects who you are.
If this time of year does not align with your spiritual beliefs, use your yoga to help you to make your own rituals. Through pranayama (breath work) and asana (poses), explore how your own spirituality can factor into the holiday season whether through being grateful for the abundance in your life, by practicing seva or karma yoga by giving back to others or by spending time with family and loved ones. Or go old school and create a winter solstice fest. Basically, make the holidays your own! Namaste and see you in class.
For some, it's a wonderful and magical time. My dear friend Phil starts playing Christmas music really early, October maybe. His partner, Mike had to lobby for pushing that out at least until Thanksgiving for his own sanity. For others though, maybe you and me, the holidays can be overwhelming, tiresome and bring up unpleasant memories of holidays gone by. To help us all enjoy this crazy busy time of the year, don't forget to practice your yoga! Yoga can help keep us present and centered, reminding always who we are and connecting us to our authentic selves. The disconnect from our true selves is probably the most common culprit for our holiday malaise. We can feel pressured to spend too much, over schedule ourselves and end up resenting everyone and everything about December. Okay maybe I'm sharing more about myself than you, but you get the idea.
By slowing down, practicing yoga at home or in class, you can take the time to center yourself. For those 90 minutes (or even 5, 10 or 15 minutes!), connect with your breath, your body and shut out all the external noise of the holiday season. Shut out the societal prescriptions of what you should be doing in December and how your holidays should be celebrated. By doing this, you can remain true to yourself and therefore celebrate in a way that works for you and reflects who you are.
If this time of year does not align with your spiritual beliefs, use your yoga to help you to make your own rituals. Through pranayama (breath work) and asana (poses), explore how your own spirituality can factor into the holiday season whether through being grateful for the abundance in your life, by practicing seva or karma yoga by giving back to others or by spending time with family and loved ones. Or go old school and create a winter solstice fest. Basically, make the holidays your own! Namaste and see you in class.
Friday, November 26, 2010
When are 5 breaths really just 5 breaths?
I admit it. Often when I say take 5 breaths in down dog, it really stretches out into 8, 9. Who knows?
As I look around the room during the poses, some students need to be adjusted, and others need encouragement, and sometimes 5 breaths turn into 8 or 9. This confession came to the fore yesterday on Thanksgiving. After teaching at Yoga Madre, while saying goodbyes in the lobby, Ken, a dedicated yogi, mentioned how gentle and kind I sound in class and then keep them in excruciating poses FOREVER! Okay, that is not be his exact quote, but you get the picture.
I cop to all of this. In fact, I shared with my lovely, dedicated Thanksgiving students that Martin, my husband, has rightly accused me of the very same transgression. Once, while in my class at Yoga Madre, he noted that my 5 breaths in dog stretched out interminably. He battled with his desire to yell out "this is madness...I am going for the door, who's with me?" and stage a mutiny. Thankfully he didn't do it, but I got the point.
Another admission is that I once exclaimed something similar to Martin's call for mutiny. While taking a class from the wonderful Erik Rieder, my colleague and friend, he had us in warrior 1 for what felt like forever. I finally blurted out something like, "Come on man!" I regretted it immediately and felt embarrassed. It just came out! We all had a laught about it, though.
Seriously speaking folks, if any pose feels too long or inapproriate for your body, seek rest in child's pose or modify the pose that you're in. Always remember to stay safe, connected to how you feel in the pose as so to never hurt yourself. Playing your edge and exerting the body is different than causing an injury. Your yoga practice is always an individual experience and you are, no matter what I or any other teacher say, your best teacher.
In closing, I have been accused of liking "bed of nails" style yoga, but I realize that this stuff is not for everyone. When I do lose track of time and breaths, I do apologize to those who suffer. To all students, past and future, I apologize for those times when 5 breaths are not 5 breaths...Namaste and see you in class.
As I look around the room during the poses, some students need to be adjusted, and others need encouragement, and sometimes 5 breaths turn into 8 or 9. This confession came to the fore yesterday on Thanksgiving. After teaching at Yoga Madre, while saying goodbyes in the lobby, Ken, a dedicated yogi, mentioned how gentle and kind I sound in class and then keep them in excruciating poses FOREVER! Okay, that is not be his exact quote, but you get the picture.
I cop to all of this. In fact, I shared with my lovely, dedicated Thanksgiving students that Martin, my husband, has rightly accused me of the very same transgression. Once, while in my class at Yoga Madre, he noted that my 5 breaths in dog stretched out interminably. He battled with his desire to yell out "this is madness...I am going for the door, who's with me?" and stage a mutiny. Thankfully he didn't do it, but I got the point.
Another admission is that I once exclaimed something similar to Martin's call for mutiny. While taking a class from the wonderful Erik Rieder, my colleague and friend, he had us in warrior 1 for what felt like forever. I finally blurted out something like, "Come on man!" I regretted it immediately and felt embarrassed. It just came out! We all had a laught about it, though.
Seriously speaking folks, if any pose feels too long or inapproriate for your body, seek rest in child's pose or modify the pose that you're in. Always remember to stay safe, connected to how you feel in the pose as so to never hurt yourself. Playing your edge and exerting the body is different than causing an injury. Your yoga practice is always an individual experience and you are, no matter what I or any other teacher say, your best teacher.
In closing, I have been accused of liking "bed of nails" style yoga, but I realize that this stuff is not for everyone. When I do lose track of time and breaths, I do apologize to those who suffer. To all students, past and future, I apologize for those times when 5 breaths are not 5 breaths...Namaste and see you in class.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
My Personal Yoga History
My personal yoga history goes like this: My lovely friend Karon took me to my first yoga class in 1996. We went to Yoga Works on Montana, Sarah Bell's class; I liked it from the get-go. Karon quickly taught me ujjayi breath before we started the class and I enjoyed the asanas. I had been a runner for years and my fitness level was good but I certainly could have benefitted from more flexibility.
I didn't take my next class until September of 1998. This one was through the city of Long Beach, my home at the time, with the incredible Gabriel Hall. Gabriel had studied at the Iyengar Institute in LA and with many well known teachers on the West side. He was great at teaching a safe yet interesting and challenging class. His class met at a local dance studio.
After this experience I sought out more classes to add to my weekly one with Gabriel and found Omadawn studio in Seal Beach. There I experienced yoga with Barbara Bannerman. It was so nurturing and loving that I felt I was getting an amazing deal for my measley $12.00. Barbara had a vast yoga background, having studied with Ganga White, Erich Schiffmann and John Friend. She was generous with her knowledge and not long after that first class, I was attending classes at her home studio and tagging along with her to workshops around LA with these well-known yogis.
A few years later, Gabriel opened his own studio and hired Barbara. Yoga World became my yoga home. As my yoga practice grew, my running stopped. My knees no longer enjoyed pounding the pavement like they once did. I found that yoga fulfilled my athletic yearnings along with my interest in dance. Parallel to the physical benefits of asana came the mental benefits. My life began to change in many ways due to my growing practice of yoga.
Eventually, I decided that I wanted to teach and asked both my teachers their advice on teacher training programs. I settled on Yoga Works in Santa Monica with Maty Ezraty and Lisa Walford--Ashtanga and Iyengar influences. The training was rigorous, tough and wonderful. Maty and Lisa focused on the detail in asanas, something that I love.
After training ended Gabriel gave me my first break by letting me sub a class. He was generous to do so and I will forever be indebted to him for this. Eventually, he hired me to teach a weekly class, then more and more. This was in 2001.
Since then I have moved to the lovely town of Sierra Madre. I landed a teaching job at Yoga Madre in 2003 shortly after it opened and have been there ever since.
While this yoga journey took place, I continued to work in the computer hardware industry. I got married to a wonderful guy and then eventually quit computers to be a mom. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach yoga while I experience my darling daughter, Sofia, growing up. Teaching yoga is by far the most rewarding work experience I have had. I enjoy sharing my love of yoga with others and experiencing their joy when they do their first handstand, headstand, etc.
Yoga helps me be a better mother, wife and person.
I didn't take my next class until September of 1998. This one was through the city of Long Beach, my home at the time, with the incredible Gabriel Hall. Gabriel had studied at the Iyengar Institute in LA and with many well known teachers on the West side. He was great at teaching a safe yet interesting and challenging class. His class met at a local dance studio.
After this experience I sought out more classes to add to my weekly one with Gabriel and found Omadawn studio in Seal Beach. There I experienced yoga with Barbara Bannerman. It was so nurturing and loving that I felt I was getting an amazing deal for my measley $12.00. Barbara had a vast yoga background, having studied with Ganga White, Erich Schiffmann and John Friend. She was generous with her knowledge and not long after that first class, I was attending classes at her home studio and tagging along with her to workshops around LA with these well-known yogis.
A few years later, Gabriel opened his own studio and hired Barbara. Yoga World became my yoga home. As my yoga practice grew, my running stopped. My knees no longer enjoyed pounding the pavement like they once did. I found that yoga fulfilled my athletic yearnings along with my interest in dance. Parallel to the physical benefits of asana came the mental benefits. My life began to change in many ways due to my growing practice of yoga.
Eventually, I decided that I wanted to teach and asked both my teachers their advice on teacher training programs. I settled on Yoga Works in Santa Monica with Maty Ezraty and Lisa Walford--Ashtanga and Iyengar influences. The training was rigorous, tough and wonderful. Maty and Lisa focused on the detail in asanas, something that I love.
After training ended Gabriel gave me my first break by letting me sub a class. He was generous to do so and I will forever be indebted to him for this. Eventually, he hired me to teach a weekly class, then more and more. This was in 2001.
Since then I have moved to the lovely town of Sierra Madre. I landed a teaching job at Yoga Madre in 2003 shortly after it opened and have been there ever since.
While this yoga journey took place, I continued to work in the computer hardware industry. I got married to a wonderful guy and then eventually quit computers to be a mom. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach yoga while I experience my darling daughter, Sofia, growing up. Teaching yoga is by far the most rewarding work experience I have had. I enjoy sharing my love of yoga with others and experiencing their joy when they do their first handstand, headstand, etc.
Yoga helps me be a better mother, wife and person.
Welcome!
Dear friends and yogis:
This is my inaugural post to my yoga blog. Why a yoga blog? Indeed, a fine question. A yoga blog because I adore yoga--teaching it, practicing it and talking about it. I have wanted to share my thoughts on yoga and the practice for sometime and think that this is the best format for me to do so. As many of the people in my life may know, I am not a Facebook fan and while that format is useful for many, I didn't want to deluge folks with my yoga musings. Instead, if interested, visit my blog.
To that end, if you are reading this, it's Wednesday and tonight's class is at Yoga Madre in Arcadia--7:30pm. It's an all levels class so we will explore more ambitious poses, although all are always welcome. Safety in class is always a priority so that no one gets hurt.
On the heels of Thanksgiving, we shall focus on gratitude and taking the time to reflect on the abundance present in our lives. We will remind ourselves that most likely we have all or even more than we need. Through asana, both relaxing and vigorous, we will quiet the external influences in our lives and seek to access the peace within us and open out hearts to gratitude.
Just for fun, we'll focus on bird poses as an homage to the noble turkey who gives of himself so personally on Thanksgiving. Namaste and hope to see you in class.
This is my inaugural post to my yoga blog. Why a yoga blog? Indeed, a fine question. A yoga blog because I adore yoga--teaching it, practicing it and talking about it. I have wanted to share my thoughts on yoga and the practice for sometime and think that this is the best format for me to do so. As many of the people in my life may know, I am not a Facebook fan and while that format is useful for many, I didn't want to deluge folks with my yoga musings. Instead, if interested, visit my blog.
To that end, if you are reading this, it's Wednesday and tonight's class is at Yoga Madre in Arcadia--7:30pm. It's an all levels class so we will explore more ambitious poses, although all are always welcome. Safety in class is always a priority so that no one gets hurt.
On the heels of Thanksgiving, we shall focus on gratitude and taking the time to reflect on the abundance present in our lives. We will remind ourselves that most likely we have all or even more than we need. Through asana, both relaxing and vigorous, we will quiet the external influences in our lives and seek to access the peace within us and open out hearts to gratitude.
Just for fun, we'll focus on bird poses as an homage to the noble turkey who gives of himself so personally on Thanksgiving. Namaste and hope to see you in class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)