Hello friends! It's been forever since my last post. Where has my favorite month of Feb gone? Anyway, life rolls on and so does yoga, of course.
I wanted to say congratulations to the lovely and dedicated yogi Teri G for getting into handstand during Monday's 10:30 class. After her graceful inversion, she proudly shared that handstand was on her bucket list. Very cool to cross that off.
Handstand, or adho mukha vrksasana in sanskrit, is a pose that I refer to as high guts, but low tech. This pose consistently stirs up feelings of fear in many yogis. We're upside down, so far yet so close to the ground and relying on our puny arms to keep us from crashing onto our heads! If, however, we have a consistent practice that includes sun salutations, therefore lots of down dogs and planks, then most likely we have the physical strength required for handstand. It's quite often our mind that keeps us from getting into the pose not our body. Yoga is a wonderful way to identify and possibly overcome our fears. How nice to acheive such an accomplishment in a safe environment as your mat. So, bravo Teri!
Do you have a bucket list? Whether your list includes yoga poses or not, a yoga practice can enbolden us to be brave in the world. Our practice on the mat is a metaphor for how we live our lives and how we approach everything. Trying new poses on the mat is a great way to be courageous in a relatively low-risk way, a great way to increase our risk-tolerance. With this increased risk-tolerance, maybe we can try that new career, go back to school or have that sensitive conversation we were dreading (see my dilemma a few posts back...). Be brave in your practice and take that into the world and maybe cross some stuff off your list. Namaste, be brave and see you in class!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sub for Saturday's Classes
Hello friends and yogis. I will be away tomorrow and have a substitute at the Center and at Yoga Madre. Sonya Perry will teach both classes for me. She is great and has a warm, gentle spirit. She also makes you hang out in goddess pose FOREVER! It will be worth it, I promise. Check it out. Namaste and see you next week in class.
The Yamas and Niyamas 2011: Ahimsa
The first limb of Patanjali's 8 limbed yoga is the Yamas which translate to mean a "restraint that we willfully and joyfully place on ourselves to focus our efforts...that allows us to head toward fulfillment of our dharma, or life purpose." The very first yama the ancient sage discusses is ahimsa which is commonly taken to mean practicing non violence. Ahimsa is the first step to becoming mindful of what we are feeling and therefore staying present--this being paramount in the practice of yoga. By feeling what we are feeling in the physical body, we can prevent hurting our bodies and practice non violence first and foremost on ourselves.
While this practice sounds logical and maybe makes you think "well, duh of course, I'm not going hurt myself," it's not that easy. When we hit the mat, whether at home or in a class, we encounter ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions and the dreaded EGO! This latter part of ourselves is often what can make us stop practicing ahimsa and start working too hard in that twist or triangle pose. We may think that we need to bring our belly to our thighs in a forward fold because the teacher said so and because that skinny girl next to us is doing it! Crazy but true. Our ego can talk us in to doing unhealthful things under the guise of seeking approval or trying to win, be first or be best. As a dreadfully competitive person myself, I admit that this is something I struggle with both on and off the mat. As mentioned in an earlier post, the ego has it place in our lives to help acheive goals and to help us support ourselves and our families. If not in check however, it can be detrimental by causing us to heedlessly follow it down dark and dangerous paths where our bodies may not be ready to go. Our yoga practice is a time when we can exercise being non-competitve and non-indulgent to our ego. This is when we need to stop, listen to the ujjayi breath and feel what is actuallty happening in the body.
Aadil Palkhivala, an Iyengar teacher, says that by feeling what we are feeling we are actually prevented from hurting ourselves. To push beyond our physical limits requires that we actively strive to do so thereby disassociating from what we feel. Pushing beyond our physical limits happens separately from feeling and being in touch with the body These are two different actions and we can't do them at the same time. Thus, if we actively associate with the sensations in our body, we have stopped pushing the body. So to practice non-violence to yourself, simply feel what you feel. No harm shall come your way on the mat as a result. This being said, we do want to exert ourself and challenge the body in order to receive the benefits of our practice. Remaining mindful and centered, however, should prevent pushing beyond our physical limits.
Ahimsa goes beyond our asana practice and into our lives in other ways, of course. It goes without saying that we should never be violent toward our fellow man. But what of other sentient beings on this planet? What about the planet itself? Vegetarianism a common way many yogis practice ahimsa. Some yogis are practicing vegans, pescetarians or flexitarans as my lovely friends Nancy calls herself. Whatever your choice regarding food, maybe choose to shop at your local farmers market, buy organic, fair trade products or free range meats, poultry, fish and/or eggs. Essentially, make conscious choices regarding your food for your body and the planet in an effort to practice ahimsa.
So friends, be kind to your body, the earth and all sentient beings. All it takes is feeling what you're feeling and making conscious decisions in order to practice ahimsa. As you practice this first yama, know that you, like Gandhi said, will be the change you want to see in the world. Namaste and see you in class.
While this practice sounds logical and maybe makes you think "well, duh of course, I'm not going hurt myself," it's not that easy. When we hit the mat, whether at home or in a class, we encounter ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions and the dreaded EGO! This latter part of ourselves is often what can make us stop practicing ahimsa and start working too hard in that twist or triangle pose. We may think that we need to bring our belly to our thighs in a forward fold because the teacher said so and because that skinny girl next to us is doing it! Crazy but true. Our ego can talk us in to doing unhealthful things under the guise of seeking approval or trying to win, be first or be best. As a dreadfully competitive person myself, I admit that this is something I struggle with both on and off the mat. As mentioned in an earlier post, the ego has it place in our lives to help acheive goals and to help us support ourselves and our families. If not in check however, it can be detrimental by causing us to heedlessly follow it down dark and dangerous paths where our bodies may not be ready to go. Our yoga practice is a time when we can exercise being non-competitve and non-indulgent to our ego. This is when we need to stop, listen to the ujjayi breath and feel what is actuallty happening in the body.
Aadil Palkhivala, an Iyengar teacher, says that by feeling what we are feeling we are actually prevented from hurting ourselves. To push beyond our physical limits requires that we actively strive to do so thereby disassociating from what we feel. Pushing beyond our physical limits happens separately from feeling and being in touch with the body These are two different actions and we can't do them at the same time. Thus, if we actively associate with the sensations in our body, we have stopped pushing the body. So to practice non-violence to yourself, simply feel what you feel. No harm shall come your way on the mat as a result. This being said, we do want to exert ourself and challenge the body in order to receive the benefits of our practice. Remaining mindful and centered, however, should prevent pushing beyond our physical limits.
Ahimsa goes beyond our asana practice and into our lives in other ways, of course. It goes without saying that we should never be violent toward our fellow man. But what of other sentient beings on this planet? What about the planet itself? Vegetarianism a common way many yogis practice ahimsa. Some yogis are practicing vegans, pescetarians or flexitarans as my lovely friends Nancy calls herself. Whatever your choice regarding food, maybe choose to shop at your local farmers market, buy organic, fair trade products or free range meats, poultry, fish and/or eggs. Essentially, make conscious choices regarding your food for your body and the planet in an effort to practice ahimsa.
So friends, be kind to your body, the earth and all sentient beings. All it takes is feeling what you're feeling and making conscious decisions in order to practice ahimsa. As you practice this first yama, know that you, like Gandhi said, will be the change you want to see in the world. Namaste and see you in class.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Study of the Yamas and Niyamas for 2011: Satya
Hello yogis! It's been far too long since I blogged. Unsure why except to say I get sidelined by life and by my general fear of writing for a public forum. So here goes:
A major part of practicing yoga is the adherence to the Yamas and Niyamas. In Patanjali's 8 limbed yoga as described in his Yoga Sutras, these are first 2 limbs. The 5 Yamas are often translated to mean "restraints or attitudes that we ought to avoid," while the 5 Niyamas are described as "actions and attitudes that we should cultivate in order to overcome the illusion of separation and the suffering it causes," according to Judith Lasater in the Yoga Journal. Asana and pranayama are the 3rd and 4th limbs. So without even doing a bloody down-dog, you can still practice your yoga!
Today I want to address Satya, which translates as truth--truth in our feelings, thoughts, words and deeds. I bring this up first even though Ahimsa is the initial Yama to be mentioned by Patanjali because satya is challenging for me! I often ask students to live their satya while on the mat in class. That is, keep that leg straight even if your belly is miles away from it. Practice the poses honestly without succumbing to the little cheats that call and tempt us--yes, even me, every day, my friends. By living and practicing your truth on the mat, we will not hurt ourselves and therefore follow and live another Yama, ahimsa or non-violence. It is our ego, our competitive side that takes us off the truthful straight and narrow, causing us to push when our body is tired or at its limit. This submission to the ego can easily and often result in injures (this I know all too well, admittedly...). So, by being honest with ourselves on our mats, we can ensure a safe and productive practice.
Why so tough, satya? Well for this conflict averse yogi, I can say that it is the interpersonal stuff where my satya becomes weak. I am great on the mat, lousy with friends. Satya was brought to the fore recently because of a relationship conflict that am I trying to navigate. This is actually a situation between my daughter and a friend of hers. Now, these are 6 year olds, my friends and well things can get sticky at times and call for mitgation by mommies and daddies. This particular school chum of my daughter's doesn't seem to care for her anymore and frankly treats her poorly--we are unsure why, but it is persistent and is basically bullying at this point. Other means of improving the relationship have not proven fruitful so, as parents must sometimes do, I need to step in and talk to the friend's mother--my friend!--about why we are taking a relationship hiatus. Are you kidding, me talk out this delicate, sticky issue out with my friend who I really like? Oh the horrors!! I am a dreadful wimp in this way. I'd much rather take a level 1000 yoga class, leave a complete sweat ball and then come home to clean mine and every other house on the block than talk to my friend about her ill-behaved child. You get the picture.
Sooooo I devised a wimpy and vague strategy to explain why we will not be hanging out together in the future and ran it by my forthright, therapist friend. "Wow," she said, "This all sounds like a lot of work!" And she proceeded to tell me how she would just say it in a straightforward manner. My stratgey involved basically not that, therefore it was me not being honest and not practicing satya. As a result my relationship with the kid's mom would not really be authentic now would it, whether it was strained or not? But really, do I have to tell the real truth here? Ah yes...My therapist friend is right. It's hard to do. Satya is hard to live. But certainly the results will be authentic, whatever they may be.
I haven't tackled this conversation yet, but am inspired to do so. THIS is much harder for me than sirsasana, hanumanasana and kurmasana combined! I will report back on this matter. Practice your satya whatever that is. Namaste and see you in class.
A major part of practicing yoga is the adherence to the Yamas and Niyamas. In Patanjali's 8 limbed yoga as described in his Yoga Sutras, these are first 2 limbs. The 5 Yamas are often translated to mean "restraints or attitudes that we ought to avoid," while the 5 Niyamas are described as "actions and attitudes that we should cultivate in order to overcome the illusion of separation and the suffering it causes," according to Judith Lasater in the Yoga Journal. Asana and pranayama are the 3rd and 4th limbs. So without even doing a bloody down-dog, you can still practice your yoga!
Today I want to address Satya, which translates as truth--truth in our feelings, thoughts, words and deeds. I bring this up first even though Ahimsa is the initial Yama to be mentioned by Patanjali because satya is challenging for me! I often ask students to live their satya while on the mat in class. That is, keep that leg straight even if your belly is miles away from it. Practice the poses honestly without succumbing to the little cheats that call and tempt us--yes, even me, every day, my friends. By living and practicing your truth on the mat, we will not hurt ourselves and therefore follow and live another Yama, ahimsa or non-violence. It is our ego, our competitive side that takes us off the truthful straight and narrow, causing us to push when our body is tired or at its limit. This submission to the ego can easily and often result in injures (this I know all too well, admittedly...). So, by being honest with ourselves on our mats, we can ensure a safe and productive practice.
Why so tough, satya? Well for this conflict averse yogi, I can say that it is the interpersonal stuff where my satya becomes weak. I am great on the mat, lousy with friends. Satya was brought to the fore recently because of a relationship conflict that am I trying to navigate. This is actually a situation between my daughter and a friend of hers. Now, these are 6 year olds, my friends and well things can get sticky at times and call for mitgation by mommies and daddies. This particular school chum of my daughter's doesn't seem to care for her anymore and frankly treats her poorly--we are unsure why, but it is persistent and is basically bullying at this point. Other means of improving the relationship have not proven fruitful so, as parents must sometimes do, I need to step in and talk to the friend's mother--my friend!--about why we are taking a relationship hiatus. Are you kidding, me talk out this delicate, sticky issue out with my friend who I really like? Oh the horrors!! I am a dreadful wimp in this way. I'd much rather take a level 1000 yoga class, leave a complete sweat ball and then come home to clean mine and every other house on the block than talk to my friend about her ill-behaved child. You get the picture.
Sooooo I devised a wimpy and vague strategy to explain why we will not be hanging out together in the future and ran it by my forthright, therapist friend. "Wow," she said, "This all sounds like a lot of work!" And she proceeded to tell me how she would just say it in a straightforward manner. My stratgey involved basically not that, therefore it was me not being honest and not practicing satya. As a result my relationship with the kid's mom would not really be authentic now would it, whether it was strained or not? But really, do I have to tell the real truth here? Ah yes...My therapist friend is right. It's hard to do. Satya is hard to live. But certainly the results will be authentic, whatever they may be.
I haven't tackled this conversation yet, but am inspired to do so. THIS is much harder for me than sirsasana, hanumanasana and kurmasana combined! I will report back on this matter. Practice your satya whatever that is. Namaste and see you in class.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The January Bump
What a great day in class! I can always tell that it's January by the great attendance in class--21 new and old friends in Yoga Madre's 11:00 Saturday class. I call it the January bump. So great to see everyone. Whether you're committing to a new health regimen or just renewing your commitment to yoga, thanks for coming to class.
With the new year may come New Year's resolutions. Do you make them? I do. Well, I'm a periennial list maker whatever the day is, but yes, for the new year, I make resolutions. I have my own little private list, a list I have shared with my husband plus yet another small list that we put together as a family. The latter for me is a commitment to drink less coffee and for those of you who know me, that's a biggie. I love coffee, okay! It's my addiction, I admit it. My daughter's resolution is to complain less at dinner (regarding the food). She came up with that one on her own, umprompted. Pretty good for a 6 year old picky eater. My husband's is a commitment to eat less in general. These are all straightforward resolutions on which we can help each other when we witness any transgressions.
It is said that it takes 21 days of continual practice for any action to become a habit. Yoga Journal talks about this in their latest issue. I read once, too that it takes the first 11 days for this action to become easy. Then after ten more days, the 21 day mark, this said action is supposed to become a habit for us. Well, this has not ever been the case for me no matter what the proposed new habit or goal. I just don't work that way. I can find many reasons NOT to repeat an action. So if I based my success of my new year's resolutions on this sort of axiom, I would end up feeling bad about myself quite quickly.
This is what I think: Dramatic change in humans is completely possible, but it may take longer than 21 days or it may happen much faster than that! Transformation on any level is deep, right? Don't worry about time frames. Just keep at it and observe the transformation. This is how we need to approach our yoga: Just keep at it and observe.
Namaste and see you in class.
With the new year may come New Year's resolutions. Do you make them? I do. Well, I'm a periennial list maker whatever the day is, but yes, for the new year, I make resolutions. I have my own little private list, a list I have shared with my husband plus yet another small list that we put together as a family. The latter for me is a commitment to drink less coffee and for those of you who know me, that's a biggie. I love coffee, okay! It's my addiction, I admit it. My daughter's resolution is to complain less at dinner (regarding the food). She came up with that one on her own, umprompted. Pretty good for a 6 year old picky eater. My husband's is a commitment to eat less in general. These are all straightforward resolutions on which we can help each other when we witness any transgressions.
It is said that it takes 21 days of continual practice for any action to become a habit. Yoga Journal talks about this in their latest issue. I read once, too that it takes the first 11 days for this action to become easy. Then after ten more days, the 21 day mark, this said action is supposed to become a habit for us. Well, this has not ever been the case for me no matter what the proposed new habit or goal. I just don't work that way. I can find many reasons NOT to repeat an action. So if I based my success of my new year's resolutions on this sort of axiom, I would end up feeling bad about myself quite quickly.
This is what I think: Dramatic change in humans is completely possible, but it may take longer than 21 days or it may happen much faster than that! Transformation on any level is deep, right? Don't worry about time frames. Just keep at it and observe the transformation. This is how we need to approach our yoga: Just keep at it and observe.
Namaste and see you in class.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Starting at the Beginning: Why Practice Yoga?
A good question, indeed. One of the best and simple responses to this question came from yoga teacher Erich Schiffmann. He explained, during one of his workshops a few years back, that we should practice yoga to EXPERIENCE yoga. Plain and simple. So what the heck IS yoga, you ask? Yoga is the connection between the self and the divine. Again, plain and simple. This self is you and this divine is what you deem it to be: Your personified god, your inner light, the universal truth, nature and its wonders, whatever your idea of the divine is. Thus, yoga can be practiced by all of us regardless of religion or lack there of.
So, the next nagging question: Just how do we make this connection? We connect with the divine through the practice of asana, pranayama (breathe work), meditation and self-study. Through these practices, we quiet our noisy mind. We shut out the world with all of its rules, regulations, and mandates of how we should live and who we should be. Through this work, we connect with ourselves, our deep true selves. This self is pure and untouched by societal or familial pressures. This is the self that knows best our path in life, our dharma. Through this practice of getting quiet and connecting, we come to that union with the divine and hopefully reach a place where we understand that the divine resides in us always. We also come to a place where realize the interconnectedness of all earth's beings and the universality of our experiences. As Erich Schiffmann described, each of us are like the white caps in the life's vast ocean. We are individuals, yet truly and always connected to each other. To access all of this, we simply practice our yoga and get quiet.
What is the result of this practice of yoga? We get to experience that union of the self and the divine. Through this connection, we can move through life in a more authentic way, aiming to live our dharma instead of bending to the pressures of the outside world.
Simple enough right? Well, hitting the mat daily or conquering our fear of handstand reveal that even simple things are not easy. That's why it's called a practice, friends, instead of a mastery. It's really darned difficult. So we try daily to make that connection and to live our true and authentic life while navigating the world with compassion for our fellow beings. This makes doing that handstand seem actually quite easy, relatively speaking...Namaste and see you in class.
So, the next nagging question: Just how do we make this connection? We connect with the divine through the practice of asana, pranayama (breathe work), meditation and self-study. Through these practices, we quiet our noisy mind. We shut out the world with all of its rules, regulations, and mandates of how we should live and who we should be. Through this work, we connect with ourselves, our deep true selves. This self is pure and untouched by societal or familial pressures. This is the self that knows best our path in life, our dharma. Through this practice of getting quiet and connecting, we come to that union with the divine and hopefully reach a place where we understand that the divine resides in us always. We also come to a place where realize the interconnectedness of all earth's beings and the universality of our experiences. As Erich Schiffmann described, each of us are like the white caps in the life's vast ocean. We are individuals, yet truly and always connected to each other. To access all of this, we simply practice our yoga and get quiet.
What is the result of this practice of yoga? We get to experience that union of the self and the divine. Through this connection, we can move through life in a more authentic way, aiming to live our dharma instead of bending to the pressures of the outside world.
Simple enough right? Well, hitting the mat daily or conquering our fear of handstand reveal that even simple things are not easy. That's why it's called a practice, friends, instead of a mastery. It's really darned difficult. So we try daily to make that connection and to live our true and authentic life while navigating the world with compassion for our fellow beings. This makes doing that handstand seem actually quite easy, relatively speaking...Namaste and see you in class.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A New Year, a New Schedule
Dear friends:
A belated and resounding happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2011? When you're my age, thinking about the year 2011 in my youth conjured up images of either the Jetsons, replete with hover craft-type vehicles and robotic housekeepers OR, while in a dark mood, Bladerunner and it's dark, dank and dangerous Los Angeles. Well neither images have materialized into reality and here we sit in the San Gabriel Valley enjoying this glorious January weather. Isn't it amazing how the weather gets its act together each January 1st here in the Pasadena area for the Rose Parade? Whether or not you're a fan of big parades and or bowl games, you've got to admit that our weather is quite perfect around this time of year.
Okay, so to address the second part of this posting's title, I do indeed have a new teaching schedule. I have returned to my Tuesday/ Thursday 7:30pm beginning level class at Yoga Madre. My beginning level classes are always quite strong and, in the past, these Tues/Thurs ones at YM were a good example of that. So, if you are one my beloved All Levels students, feel free to join me Tues and Thurs. I promise to keep it challenging for you. For those of you who stay on the All Levels Mon/Wed, thanks for inspiring me with your great attititudes and hard work on the mat. The rest of my teaching schedule remains the same.
I wish your all the happiest and healthiest new new year ever. Namaste and see you in class.
A belated and resounding happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2011? When you're my age, thinking about the year 2011 in my youth conjured up images of either the Jetsons, replete with hover craft-type vehicles and robotic housekeepers OR, while in a dark mood, Bladerunner and it's dark, dank and dangerous Los Angeles. Well neither images have materialized into reality and here we sit in the San Gabriel Valley enjoying this glorious January weather. Isn't it amazing how the weather gets its act together each January 1st here in the Pasadena area for the Rose Parade? Whether or not you're a fan of big parades and or bowl games, you've got to admit that our weather is quite perfect around this time of year.
Okay, so to address the second part of this posting's title, I do indeed have a new teaching schedule. I have returned to my Tuesday/ Thursday 7:30pm beginning level class at Yoga Madre. My beginning level classes are always quite strong and, in the past, these Tues/Thurs ones at YM were a good example of that. So, if you are one my beloved All Levels students, feel free to join me Tues and Thurs. I promise to keep it challenging for you. For those of you who stay on the All Levels Mon/Wed, thanks for inspiring me with your great attititudes and hard work on the mat. The rest of my teaching schedule remains the same.
I wish your all the happiest and healthiest new new year ever. Namaste and see you in class.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Yoga Friday December 31st!
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.
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 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.
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