Tag Archives: yoga

Yoga on the Ball

The balls are strangely okay this time around. I can’t figure out what is making this session of Yoga on the Ball different from the last time I taught it, when I vowed never to teach it again.

Yoga on the Ball never felt like “yoga” to me; it felt gimmicky, more “yogic” than “yoga.”  Add to that the plastic-y smell of the balls, the rude noises they made as people rolled around on them–in short, the whole thing was disgusting.

Except of course for the back bending over them, which was sublime.

And the forward bending over them, which was so comforting.

And just the happy, buoyancy of the damn things, which makes yoga feel fun even when you are holding Bridge till every fibrous tissue in your legs are burning from the effort to keep your feet from rolling off.

It’s also kind of fun to hold the ball aloft in Warrior 1. And then even more fun to put the heavy, sand-filled thing DOWN.

I think maybe the first time I taught it I thought it was going to be “YOGA …on the ball,” rather than ” Yoga …on the BALL.”  Maybe the reason it is so much fun this time is that I’ve shifted my paradigm.

But more than that, I think it’s the people. The people in this class are what’s making this so much fun. None of them are new to yoga. All of them have practiced the hard, serious, “deep end of the pool” yoga.  These are people who do crazy amounts of kapalabhati, hold kumbaks forever, know how to listen inside, and tune me out most of the time.

So, to give this kind of student a big, loud, smelly physio ball and say, “Hey, you think you can sit on this and do Vira 2?” They are totally cool with it. It’s fun to see these “deep end swimmers,” splashing around in the kiddie pool.

I took my new Kodak Share camera to class tonight, but the light was too dim, so I just hacked the shit out of this photo in Snapseed.  This is a few of my deep end swimmers in Child’s pose on the Ball:

Yoga on the Ball

A Blind Date With Yoga

If you practice yoga, do you remember how you met? Was it love at first sight, or did you start off as “just friends.?”

If you have ever practiced yoga but don’t anymore, do you know why? Did you have a fight and break up? Or did you just grow apart?

If you still practice yoga,  has your relationship grown and evolved? Or are you still doing it the same way you were introduced to?

If you still practice, is your yoga still meeting your needs? Challenging you? Surprising you?

If you still practice, can you ever imagine not practicing? Can you ever imagine “falling out of love” with yoga? Leaving it for some other body/mind practice? (Tai chi? Akido? Karate? Kung Fu?)

The reason I am asking all these questions is that today I introduced a friend of mine to yoga for the first time.

He had never tried it, and wanted to, because he and his business partner are dedicated to Trying Everything.

They make a snack chip called Try Chips, but the “chip” part  is just a part of a larger, deeper business mission. Tim and Jerry (the owners) want to get people to live, to risk, to TRY new things. They want us all to live with gusto and enthusiasm and passion.

Jerry had never tried yoga, so as part of their business mission to “Try Everything” he and Tim and Tim’s wife, Jackie, came up to the studio and I gave Jerry a private lesson. (Tim and Jackie are seasoned yoga practitioners.)

I felt nervous because I know that whether or not Jerry ever does another yoga pose, this will be the day that will become “the story” of how he and yoga first met.

I introduced them, and it’s a big responsibility. I think he thought yoga was nice (but a bit of a challenge, certainly not “easy.”) I will be interested to see if anything comes of this.

I *crossing fingers here* hope so.

But even if Jerry leaves yoga for another practice I, for one,  had a great time on this first “blind date.”

(Thanks Jerry! I had a blast! You are truly, Numero Uno!)

 

Home Yoga Practice

When it comes to yoga, I’m a cranker, a churner, a go-hard-or-go-home-er. When I am led by my teacher, especially, I will hold onto my edges in a pose with my teeth and my toenails until I feel myself practically ripped apart.

When I practice alone, I can’t drive myself to quite that level of intensity, but my home practice is intense.  And it has always been this way for me with yoga.

I could never get into restorative yoga, and any classes labeled “gentle” are, for me, like the “pills that mother gives you, that don’t do anything at all.”  I want my yoga to take me down that rabbit hole; to change my experience, to put me in an altered state, to make me high. That’s why I do it.

But today I pre-heated the yoga room to the usual, cozy 75 degrees, put Yoganand’s Meditative Posture Flow on the IPod and chose to cruise rather than crank, to coast rather than churn, to be a homesteader rather than an edge-dweller, and for once, to take it easy rather than go full-on, full-out.

The wind blew hard and cold outside as I disregarded the instruction on the Ipod to go ”right to the edge” in a pose.

And the space heater ticked comfortingly as I settled into savasana with my eye bag and  blanket.

Before I let my mind drift into nothingness, I thought of my students, especially the ones who are much wiser than I am, who know better than I do, that there is such a tender sweetness in a stable home, far away from the edge.

 

Feeling My Mettle

The other night I led Bakasana (Crow) prep poses, but when we got to the actual POSE, I really couldn’t hold it for very long. Two of my younger, more bendy students were rocking it though,  and even trying advanced variations.

I was trying to help them achieve some of these variations, but I couldn’t demo what I was trying to explain, and so as I walked home from class I found myself a little grouchy, a little sad, and  a little on edge.

I get very frustrated whenever I am not able to demo, or do, advanced asana in class. It makes me question my helpfulness as a teacher. I understand, in my mind, that some poses are simply not going to take shape in my particular body at this time, either because I am not strong enough, or because I lack sufficient openness in my hips, or simply because my bones won’t allow it.

But I also know that if I work towards these poses,  and if that work is performed patiently, with reverence, and for a long time, my body can probably express any shape I wish.

That’s because if there is one thing I do know how to do exceedingly well, it is practice. I know how to sit down on my mat and begin. I know how to dial-in quickly, and, without a lot of fanfare, stay dialed-in –on everything, including that endless running head-chatter about how impossible it all is.

When I enter my practice room these days, time slows waaay down, then it seems to stop completely.  An hour or so later I emerge and can hardly speak, or even remember what transpired.

As I am nearing the 5-month mark in my daily yoga streak, I am feeling really different, really  strong–not in my body, though there is some of that, but in what I am made of; I feel my “mettle,” so to speak.  I am feeling the results of 150 days of good, sustained practice, and it feels really, really good.

17 Things I Need To Be Happy

I’ve been obsessed with Pinterest lately.  It’s making me aware of things I like, things that make me happy,  and places I would love to visit.

But mostly, Pinterest has been making me think of things.

Except that it’s not things that make me happy.  Mostly what makes me happy are when “conditions” are right. Like weather, only on a psycho-spiritual level.

As I’ve been creating Pinterest boards and pinning things onto them, I’ve been thinking about what might be my “recipe” for  personal happiness on a day-to-day basis.  What floats my boat?  What would be the “minimum daily requirement” for my personal contentment, satisfaction, and happiness.

So I sat down this morning and rapped out these 17 things off the top of my head. There are probably a hundred things I’ve left out, but these are definitely key.

So, what are your things? What do you need to be happy?

17 Things I Need to Be Happy

Enough sleep. (9 hours, preferably.)

High quality food, and a good grocery store nearby to buy it.

To sweat and detox daily.

Yoga. (Every. Single. Day)

20 minutes of Meditation. (Every. Single. Day)

Regular fun and play.

Order in my surroundings.

A clean kitchen.

Sun.

Warmth.

A hot bath. (with bubbles, and a wind-up duck)

Wine (in moderation)

Inspiring people in my immediate neighborhood. (Real people. Not online “friends.”)

Beautiful, natural surroundings to live in.

One large cup of extraordinary, extra bold coffee, every morning.

A big, warm, soft bed to sleep in. Alone.

Somebody to speak my soul to, to share my neuroses with, and to tell me (even if it’s not true) that I’m not nuts. Every. Single. Day.

The First Post of the New Year

It’s been a slow day. Kind of introspective. Spent a lot of time going back through archives just to see what I was resolving to do this time last year.

This is the day of resolutions and I like resolutions, but I always wind up not doing them. I don’t feel bad about that mostly, because I end up doing other wonderful things instead.

Who can know in January, how things will be in June? So I am getting more relaxed about resolutions and goals, thanks in large part to reading Zen Habits and really resonating with Leo.

But to briefly recap: The two things I am happiest about this year are my ongoing and unbroken streaks: 400 days without a miss in 750 words, and nearing 100 consecutive days of personal yoga practice, not teaching yoga.

I just got back from a 5 Day training at Kripalu with Yoganand, and the training and the timing could not have been more perfect. I left the day after Christmas and returned the day before New Year’s Eve.

I now feel de-toxed from all the butter cookies and other holiday indulgences, and am happily back to my usual diet of kale, brown rice and lemon water.

I have decided not to make resolutions this year, but instead, try to envision the psycho-spiritual place I would like to be in next year and figure out the steps and behaviors it would take for me to get there.

Here’s what I have come up with thusfar:

  • I want to continue to deepen my yoga practice and add a consistent meditation practice to it.
  • I want to continue with 750 words and also with the writing in my Scrivener Project
  • I want to read at least 12 books and write about them here.
  • I want to finally learn my camera and take more, and hopefully better, pictures.
  • I want to gradually change the focus of this blog so that it reflects more accurately, and vividly, my real life. In line with this, I also want to post more regularly, but keep the posts to 200 words or less, (but include more pictures, and maybe even video.)

That seems like plenty, given the hours in the day.

Care to share what you have up your sleeve for this year?

A Template For Telling Someone You Want a Yoga Gift Certificate for Xmas

Dear (insert name of friend here),
In case you are considering getting me a gift for Christmas, I wanted to give you a few ideas of what I would really love this year, just to make it easier on you.

First, I would love a shiny red Ferrari (you can insert the name of your favorite vehicle here.) That would be so totally awesome and I would love you forever if a tiny box with keys to this vehicle showed up under my tree.
My yoga teacher always says that material things don’t really make us happy, though. She says happiness comes from “within.” When I go to yoga, she takes me “within” and you know what? She’s right. I always come away from class feeling grateful for all the blessings in my life, and especially for you. I always feel and calm and centered and stress-free, too.

My yoga teacher says that my yoga practice is an act of generosity because when I attend to my own needs, then I have more to give to others. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? Maybe you’ve even noticed how I’ve gotten a little calmer since I’ve started practicing yoga. (Or maybe not.)
Anyway, I was thinking. If you can’t swing the (Ferrari) for me this year, that maybe you’d like to support my yoga practice. My teacher is selling Gift Certificates for yoga classes this year. If you contact her at mainstreetyoga@gmail.com she would be happy to arrange for you to send me one so I can keep practicing and become even more calm and centered and happy.

I would love that.

Maybe even more than the Ferrari.

Just thought I’d give you some hints for Christmas, in case you wanted to give me something I’d really love. And even if you weren’t planning on getting me anything, know that at the end of my yoga class, I always feel grateful for you in my life.

Love,

(you)

Just a Little End-of-the-Week Rant

The day itself was cold, but sunny, which was a real treat after yesterday’s dreariness.

So as I was washing up and contemplating going into my room and doing my practice, it occurred to me that, “Shit! Today is Friday. Friday is Yoga Workout Day at the studio!

And even though I was close to positive that no one else was going to show up to practice, I told them that I would be there every Friday at 10 AM to do the Workout. So I got dressed and went.

And no one came. I could have done this same practice in my cozy little yoga room here at home, but here I was, in this vast room, just me and Yoganand (on the Ipod).

Which was fine. It really was.

I am waiting for the day when this practice doesn’t kill me. Today was NOT that day. It killed me. I was particularly aware of how weak my legs are. The standing one-legged balances? “Flying Airplane” posture? Are you kidding me?  My standing leg quakes. I want to come down so very much. It is so very, very hard.  He says , “Now, you can extend into Warrior 3” and in my mind I want to, but my body is so very, very WEAK.  And my arms are weak. And my hips are tight and weak. All I become aware of in that practice is how weak and restricted I am in every place in my body.

At the end of the practice I am exhausted. I thought for one nano-second of going to the gym and running on the treadmill afterwards, but no.  Done.  Needed to go home. Needed food. And that’s what I did. I also considered doing some cleaning, but no. This weekend I will clean. Now, I needed food.

When I walked in the house, the dog was all frisky, so I ate a handful of nuts, changed into jeans and walked her. Last night I went down to the basement and found a winter coat. My light winter coat, but my winter coat nonetheless.

Sucks.

And today I wore it again, but no hat. I kind of needed a hat, but the weather was on the bubble between “hat” and “no hat”, and there wasn’t much wind so I decided “no hat.”

Dog walked, then home to lunch: Brown rice and broccoli and a little leftover tuna. And a small bag of Pirate Booty and later, a Chobani greek yogurt (blueberry).

The stupid paper came and I read that as I ate.  This was the last paper in my year’s subscription and I talked to G last night about renewing.  I hate everything about this paper. I hate the editorial policy, I hate the letters to the editor, I hate its pro-gas drilling bias, I hate the right wing Christians who write the most insane letters to the editor.

I hate the church reports and how the only thing that people seem to get all enthused about are veterans.  Support our troops! Send cookies! Make banners and display the pictures of all the service men on Main St.

Really? There will be nothing to get enthused about if Obama sends all the troops home. Booor-ing!

I call this paper “The Aggravator” or “The Agitator.”  Because that’s all it does to me when I read it: aggravates and agitates.  So why in hell do I subscribe to it?  That’s the question I asked G.

Because I need to know where I live? Because I need to know what the enemy is hatching and scheming and thinking and doing, so I don’t walk into an ambush?

Probably.  So I just caved and renewed for another year.

(Good god.)

Yet Another Post About Streaking

I am currently nursing along a little baby yoga streak.  As of today, it’s 18 days old. (It could have been 23 days old except that on Day 5, I skipped a day and had to start over, according to The (My) Rules.)

I am going up to my home yoga room every day and practicing on my own.  On Mondays  I use Yoganand’s Meditative Posture Flow CD and on Fridays I go to the studio and do Yoganand’s Yoga Workout CD.  Last week Fred and Timbo joined me for that sweat-fest.

On all the other days, I am alone with my own body, my own needs, my own thoughts. I spend a lot of time doing pranayam, and the postures I do are determined by what my body is calling for, or needs, on that particular day.

This is precisely how yoga started for me many years ago.  No teacher. No class. Just a book and a beach towel.  And I learned so much.  I am remembering all those old lessons: how to be alone; how to listen inside; how to watch my mind; how to push beyond (perceived) limits within myself with no teacher making or urging me to make a bigger effort.  I am learning to pull this effort out of myself. Again.

I think in the best of all worlds, it would be ideal to have a class to go to once a week (or more) but a class should only bolster a strong private home practice.

The home practice is the holy one, the inviolate one, the sacred one. The teacher-led class should feed the home practice, boost it, inspire it, give it fresh insight, new ways of working, but not substitute for it.

The student should use the teacher as a resource, as someone to ask questions about issues that come up in the home practice, or to get advice, or insights, or tips.

The teacher should know which of her students are working daily, at home, and what is going on for those students at home.

I have a wonderful and inspiring teacher, but I do not see him regularly. I wish I had a teacher close by to discuss my home practice with sometimes.  I would talk to that teacher about how I am trying to open up my low back and get loose and relieve that pain that’s been plaguing me.

I would talk to that teacher about my hips and the best ways  to open them, and how I am trying to deepen my back bends and stretch out my quads with little luck.  I would talk to that teacher about how I am using the stretchy band to open up the front of my chest so I can revolve properly in upavista when I stretch out over one leg.  It would be good to get some insights and tips about this stuff.

Instead, I will have to trust the wisdom of the body.

My current streak is only a measly 18 days old, but already I am starting to wonder: Who I will be when this streak reaches 180 days, or even 1800 days?

Yeah. Imagine that: Eighteen hundred days.  That’s almost 5 years.  Think I can keep this streak going that long?

We shall see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musing About Yoga And Belly Fat

I am currently teaching a class called: Yoga for Core Stability and Strength.  This is not the first time I have taught a series with the word “Core” in the title, but every time I do, the issue of belly fat rears its ugly head.

Here’s what I see in almost all my classes: As soon as I start to lead a forward fold–especially a seated forward fold, I see abject misery. I see people with limber spines who could easily fold deeper into this posture if it were not for their belly fat.

And especially when we are in an introspective pose like a seated forward fold, there is no escape. There is nothing for this person to focus on but the girth that is getting in the way of their going deeper into the posture.

The longer we hold, the more miserable they become. Not because the posture is difficult, but because they have to confront their belly fat.  They feel (pick one): embarrassed, ashamed, disgusted, angry, defeated.

Sometimes after class they will even try to talk to me about this; they will tell me what I already know, and that is: if only they could get rid of THIS (it’s here they point to their abdomens) they could really DO the posture.

Yoga puts people in touch with who they really are: how they live, what they think about obsessively, and what they do. This isn’t really what they came to yoga for, though. They came for a hour of breathing and stretching and un-kinking tight muscles.  But what they get is a reality check. They have to confront things like belly fat. And this is hard.

Most people who practice with me do so once a week. They don’t do yoga at home, they haven’t adopted a yogic lifestyle, they are not on a PATH.  They just “go to yoga” once a week to stretch out.

But if they would practice at home a little, eat brown rice and vegetables, not eat to satiety but leave a little bit of emptiness in the stomach at each meal, over time, the belly fat would disappear, and they could go deeper into their forward folds, deeper into themselves, deeper into their experience, deeper into their lives and the lives of the people around them.

The thing that is getting in their way isn’t really their belly fat, but what the belly fat represents, and that is a desire to insulate themselves from seeing things in their lives that are hard and uncomfortable.

As soon as they begin to realize that, and to decide what they REALLY WANT, (i.e. freedom from pain and suffering and remorse and embarrassment and disgust.) And to decide that they want this more than they want the Cheetos, or the wine, or the candy, etc.), then the idea of a diet of brown rice and vegetables, a little emptiness, and a daily practice becomes a joy, and pretty simple, actually.

It all comes down to deciding what we really want, doesn’t it?