Yoga Question: Posture

Q
Can you recommend some basic stretches and/or yoga poses to correct posture? My neck leans forward and my shoulders round forward (very badly) from 15 years of working in an office, staring at a computer screen. It has really caused my upper body to round forward badly.
A
It is very possible to significantly alter your posture by practicing yoga and you may find that improving your posture also leads to other beneficial side effects such as better sleep, more confidence, and more energy. This is a highly worthwhile undertaking, good for you for starting it.

It is going to take more than a few simple stretches to correct bad posture. In order to create significant changes in your body, you are going to have to make a commitment to this change. You will need to learn new ways to align your body and then do this alignment periodically all day as you remember. I know this seems like a lot of work, but it is so worth it. If you know there is something you can do to become a better version of yourself, you owe it to yourself to make this commitment.

I recommend taking an alignment-based yoga class (Iyengar or Anusara) at least twice a week.

OR even better, do a private yoga class with an alignment based teacher once a week, once a month, whatever you can afford. This could be in addition to classes or in addition to a video.

A video should not substitute for an in-person teacher as you need the individual feedback to make sure you are doing your exercises correctly. For a video, I recommend "Yoga to the Rescue" with Desiree Rumbaugh. Even if a class is not possible for you right now for whatever reason, order this video, it will be extremely helpful.

As far as a few stretches to get you started, do each of these for 1-3 minutes while breathing deeply and slowly through your nose.

1.
Stand with your back to the wall. Press your shoulders and the back of your head into the wall. Be sure that you are not pressing your neck into the wall, there should be a slight curve away from the wall with your neck. This should feel really good. If you have the room, you can also slide your arms up and down along the wall--reaching your arms up as you inhale and down as you exhale. Another variation, in this same position reach your arms overhead -- interlace your fingers and turn your palms face up.

2.
Turn to face the wall and reach your arms up the wall. With your arms straight press just your fingertips into the wall (the palms of your hands domed away from the wall). As you press your fingertips down, your arms will engage and the outsides of your shoulders will lift away from the wall. Keep this action and soften your chest and forehead towards the wall.

3.
Walk your hands down the wall and your feet away from the wall until your body is at 90 degrees. Hands press flat into the wall, shoulders and hips right inline with your hands, and feet right under your hips. As you press your hands into the wall, lift your outer shoulders up towards the ceiling and at the same time soften your heart towards the ground. Make sure to keep your head in line with your spine and not let it drop since your neck already slopes forward, you don't want to encourage that.

4.
Lay flat on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground, approximately under your knees. Hug your arms in by your sides as tightly as you can and then bend your elbows so that your fingertips point towards the ceiling. Press into your upper arms and the back of your head into the ground as you arch your upper back away from the ground. Your low back will come up too, but not your hips.

All four of these exercises will feel really good. Because they use the resistance of the wall and the ground for feedback and stability, they will be more effective for you than poses where you are not stabilized in this way.

Good luck!

Update on Yoga in the Garden and Twists

I am so excited to start the Yoga in the Garden series at the Arboretum. While this session is full, we may do another one later in the year and we will definitely do one next year, so stay tuned.

This weekend is an immersion weekend and tonight I had the pleasure of participating in one of the sweetest asana classes I can remember. Joe Taft taught a low key class focusing on the principles of twisting that was exactly what I needed after a stressful week and starting my period today.

The mellow pacing of the class as well as the repetition of the same poses several times allowed me to get deep into subtle alignment in a way that felt so right. After class I finally for the first time felt the refreshing and detoxifying effects of twists. I have not been enjoying twists very much for the last several years. Now I realize that I have not been practicing them with the subtlety that is necessary for someone with an open body.

When your body is tight, you can just twist any way and it feels good (for most people). But once your body starts to open, you need to start creating the appropriate restrictions for yourself. Joe also had us dive our awareness deep within our bodies to the base of our spine and guide the twist slowly up from the inside out. Working all the principles of twisting at once was divine, but moving from the inside was the icing on the cake.

Yoga in the Garden

Join me for a very special yoga series: Yoga in the Garden at the North Carolina Arboretum. Monday nights from 5:45-7pm for nine weeks beginning June 1st.

Let's celebrate the abundance of summer in the mountains of WNC as we strengthen, stretch, and connect with our source. For those of us who love being outdoors, this class offers a special experience of opening that is only possible by combining the beauty and energy of the natural world with the benefits of a balanced yoga practice.

All levels of yoga practitioners from beginners to advanced are invited to open to a new understanding of your body and a deeper connection with the natural world. Precise and therapeutic alignment are combined with an uplifting philosophy for a practice of stepping into the flow of nature in order to live our lives more fully.



The class will take place in the beautiful Bonsai Garden, a private and tranquil setting with a pavilion and fountain.

9 classes for $95 if you are a member of the Arboretum, $115 to the public.

Contact me through my webform to register.

Lakshmi and Kali: living fully with the here and now

During the last few years of drought, I had forgotten just how lush and opulent these mountains are. What an incredible revelation then, after the ample spring rains to experience the unfolding of a real WNC spring. This is the blessing of the drought. When things are easy and beautiful all the time, we begin to get jaded and are not able to fully feel the abundance of our lives.


I had the priveledge of studying with John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga, for the last two weekends. He reminded me that the goal of the yogi is to become comfortable in all situations -- both abundance and drought. He used the analogy of the Hindu Goddesses Lakshmi and Kali. Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty, abundance, and peak experience. Kali is the goddess of destruction and dissolution.

Nature moves in cycles of growth and dissolution. Lakshmi, the peak of the cycle is easy to appreciate. She is beautiful and sexy. Kali on the other hand is frightening and fierce. However, we cannot have one without the other. The destiny of the luscious flower is to turn back into compost in order to fuel the growth of the next plant and the opening of the next bud.

Within our yoga practice, Kali and Lakshmi represent raw power and refinement. We need both in our practice, but each in its proper place and time. The best quote of last weekend was when John said that "trying to rush refinement before its time is like sprinkling cilantro on the compost heap".

For many the current economic crisis is a time of Kali. As everything we once counted on crumbles around us, it is time to tap into the raw power of this destruction. If we can let go of our expectations that life should always be refined and beautiful, then we can take advantage of the possibilities that lie within the compost heap. At a time like this, anything is possible. Look at the incredible shifts that have already taken place over the last year. What else can we dream into reality?

Each of us have the choice to live in fear or to be the change. The time is now. The potential is yours. The shifts that you make in your life right now will reverberate throughout the rest of the world and the rest of your life. Set your intentions clearly, then feed them with down and dirty compost power of Kali.

Lakshmi

Kali

Creating Conscious Change

The best thing about this time of year for me is how many people are taking stock of their lives and making changes in order to live more healthily and happily. I'm talking about new years resolutions of course, and this process of evaluating your life against your ideals is a positive and important tradition. Unfortunately, when it is only done once a year, the changes that we attempt to make in our lives tend to get lost in the frenzy of life by March.

Wise teachers, both ancient and modern, tell us that we get what we focus on. By that wisdom, the more attention we give to the changes we would like to create in our lives, the more likely that change is to occur. As yogi's, we have a wonderful opportunity to set aside some time to focus on the growth we wish for. Every time that we step onto our yoga mats, we step into a sacred space where we can focus on real, lasting, conscious growth.

My teachers recommend setting an intention for your practice each and every time you do yoga. Setting an intention is a powerful tool for creating meaning in your practice and creating change in your life. Many people have set intentions for their practice in a yoga class when the teacher mentions it. Get into the habit of doing it every time, whether it is mentioned in the beginning or not. Imagine you are trying to become more compassionate with yourself, to ease the self-critical voice in your head. Imagine that you make the resolution to do this one time per year. Now imagine what might happen if you focus on this for an entire hour (or more) several times a week. You can see how powerful it can be to take your resolutions into your yoga practice.

An important piece of Yoga philosophy is that we are essentially good. So when we talk about change--we are only talking about external change. That is the only kind that is possible-- our true selves are both unchanging and perfect. When we desire change, what we really desire is for our external selves to more accurately reflect who we really are inside.

There are 5 steps to help us make this happen.

Awareness
In order to know what changes are going to truly take you closer to your innate goodness, awareness is essential. When we practice hatha (physical) yoga, we are cultivating an awareness of our body and mind. Eventually this practice of awareness leads us to have an experience of our inner selves. It feels so right that we wish to recreate it. This is the seed that, if nourished, can blossom into a flowering of our potential. Awareness is the first step in creating change, but it must remain throughout the entire process.

Desire
Even when we cultivate awareness and know full well which changes we could make in order to come closer to our true selves, there are times when we simply don't desire these changes. Without the desire to be your best self, change is unlikely to occur. Desire is a double edged-sword however; it is said to be the root of suffering. This is why we must remain aware. We must step back and observe ourselves from a distance, we must dive back in and look for that experience of ourselves.

Belief
The experience of the core of good within us will fade. In order to move towards this core, we must believe in our experience and we must belive that change is possible.

Effort
All the awareness, desire, and beleif will do us little good without effort. This effort must be disciplined and sustained over a long period of time. At times our desire will drive us to try to make changes too quickly. This is often unsustainable and will lead to failure. We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, take it to heart. A little at a time gets the job done.

Surrender
There is a time for effort and desire and there is a time to let go and let the bigger forces of the universe take over. Stay aware so that you know when it is time to let go. Maybe it isn't the right time for this particular change. Or maybe after all the effort you put in, the change will occur once you have let go of it. Either way, you have changed for the better, whether it was in the way you were planning to or not.

Happy, Holy, Holidays

I remember as a child getting really excited about how many cool things I was going to get for Christmas and how happy I was going to be when I got them. Then on after all the presents were opened, I felt disappointed because I didn’t get everything I wanted and what I did get failed to fill the void that I expected them to fill. There was something missing from the way that my family celebrated the Holidays, but it wasn’t until I was an adult myself that I figured out that it wasn’t better presents.

As adults the Holidays tend to be a frenzy of cooking, cleaning, buying, and wrapping all on top of our normal busy lives. We feel tired, stressed out, and confused and when it is all over we are left feeling empty and disappointed. Are we insane? Why do we keep doing this stuff if it makes us miserable? Isn’t this supposed to be fun?

The problem is that instead of making our Holidays special to us personally, most of us try to fit into a cookie cutter concept of what the Holidays are supposed to be. We allow advertising and media to tell us how to celebrate. And we keep doing the same things year after year whether we enjoy them or not.

Most of the holidays today seem to be focused on stuff. Getting it, giving it, wrapping it, buying it, and throwing it away. If I’m honest I’ll admit that as much as I like some of my stuff, it really doesn’t make my memories. And it seems to me that this focus on stuff is ruining my holidays.

I want to offer my daughter a more fulfilling experience of the holidays than I experienced as a child but I don’t want to exhaust myself doing it. This has led my family to do some serious considering and negotiating to create holidays that are meaningful to us on a personal level, yet fit the comfort level of all those involved.

The first step to making changes to your holiday routine is to sit down with yourself and try to figure out what kind of meaning you are trying to bring to your holidays. Get a pen and a piece of paper and do a short free-write on what the holidays mean to you. Set the timer for five or ten minutes and for the duration write whatever comes to mind. Don’t censor or think too much, just keep it moving. When you’re done go through and pick out the things you like about your holidays and want to keep and the things you dislike and want to change. Decide on some changes that you want to make and some new rituals that you want to start, using this article as a guide if you want or coming up with your own ideas.

Next, you may want to call a family meeting. This might include just your immediate family or it could include your extended network including your community of friends. Talk about past holidays and ask what people remember about them, both the positives and the negatives. Explain your feelings and ideas and ask for feedback and for ideas. Chances are, your family will have their own strong feelings about the holidays and how to make them more special. You may be surprised at what you find out.

As you plan your holidays, try to remain open to making mistakes and improvising. Don’t get tied down to one concept regardless of whether or not it works for you. Chances are you will want to keep refining things every year as your needs and priorities change. Some families might be more resistant to change than others so you may need to start slowly changing just one tradition per year.

Presents
Ah, the holiday shopping. For many people this is the most stressful aspect of the holidays. Of course you may be that rare person who LOVES figuring out what to get for each and every person on your list and if that’s the case, can I get on it? But if you hate it or feel like you are spending more than you can afford or giving lame things just because you have to, this might be an ideal place to start reforming your holiday habits.

• Set a budget or guidelines for gifts.
  This could range from a specific monetary number, to giving only used items, to making your gifts or providing each other with services. Don’t think of your guidelines as limitations, think of it as an exercise in creativity.
  
  
• Pare down your list.
  You don’t have to buy presents for everyone you know. Even among families, there are creative ways of minimizing the sheer volume of presents required. Everyone in the family can go in on one really nice gift for each person (so for example Mom, siblings, grand-ma and friends all pitch in to buy that cordless drill that Dad really wants, but nobody could afford on their own). Or have a Secret Santa where you draw a name out of a hat and that is the only person to whom you will give gifts.
  
  
• Simplify.
  Find one cool all-around present to give to everyone (gift cards, magazine subscriptions, homemade cookies, movie passes etc).
  

• Recycle.
  Recycle your wrapping paper and boxes. One crafty mother I know bought plain canvas bags to wrap presents in and decorated them with her kids. Now every year she has hassle-free wrapping, quick clean-up, and no waste!
  
  

Christmas Tree
For some people the Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition that cannot imagine the holidays without. Ideally though, do we really need to kill a tree to celebrate?

• Substitute.
  For several years, we used a potted palm tree as our Christmas tree. We hung decorations on the fronds and surrounded it with presents. You could hardly tell the difference.
  
  
• Borrow from other traditions.
  Just because you’re not Jewish doesn’t mean you can’t have a menorah. The Yule Log is another sustainable tradition that can be used instead of a tree. Find a nice looking log, decorate it with pine, ribbons, and candles and arrange your gifts artfully around it. Research what the tradition means to its original people and substitute your own meanings if necessary.
  
  
• Plant
  Some people buy a potted tree and plant it after Christmas. If you decide to go this route, make sure to buy a healthy tree from a nursery rather than one with burlap wrapped roots from a roadside stand since these don’t have much chance for survival. If you plan to plant a tree, you cannot keep it inside for very long and must acclimate it to the outside slowly. If all this sounds like too much work to you (it does to me!), then consider one of the other options.
  
  
• Go Organic.
  Conventionally grown Christmas trees use a lot of pesticides. If your tree tradition means that much to you, show it respect by purchasing an organic Christmas tree.
  
  

Company
Sometimes being with family is the most stressful part of the Holidays. Some families get along great, but for others the stress of the Holidays makes tempers flare. If you know that you will have at least one fight occur in every holiday situation, you may want to consider limiting company during the Holidays. Obviously all of these options must be carefully considered and tactfully explained to avoid hurting feelings, but sometimes you just have to take that risk in order to take care of yourself.

• Stay Home.
  If you usually travel during the Holidays and have come to dread it, stay home. Explain that you will come and visit at a time that is not so hectic when you can have more one-on-one time with your hosts.
  
  
• Set Limits
  Limit the number of Guests you invite into your home. If the celebration is always at your house, ask someone else to host.
  
  
• Go away.
  Escape the Holidays altogether by dropping the kids off with the grandparents and having a couple of days as a couple at a romantic Inn somewhere eschewing the family chaos for a year.
  
  

Food
For our family, food is probably the most important aspect of our Holiday celebrations. We really enjoy the preparation and serving of gourmet meals. But we also like to take it easy sometimes and just relax. Here are a few suggestions for simplifying Holiday meals.

• Potluck.
  Next time the celebration is at your place announce that it’s a potluck and you will provide drinks. Organize who brings what or leave it to chance—either way you’ll finally have time to get your house cleaned before company comes
  
  
• Keep it small.
  For Christmas Eve at my Mom’s house we all cook one appetizer and make a meal out of it. It’s fun and not too much work for any one person.
  
  
• Leftovers.
  Cook plenty of food the day before a Holiday and then just reheat and serve. More time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.
  
  
• Simple Luxury.
  At our house, Christmas and New Year’s morning consist of bagels, lox, cream cheese, capers, coffee and oj. Hardly any work to set up or clean up, yet it feels luxurious and leaves plenty of room for a hearty dinner. Make sure to buy your bagels early on Christmas eve, bagel places tend to run out early and then close (as I learned the hard way!). Hmmm…we must not be the only family with this tradition.
  
  

Religion/Ritual
Some people have strong religious convictions that dictate exactly what they do on the holidays. Many of us however do what we grew up doing, whether or not we still believe in the philosophy behind the traditions. If this nourishes you, by all means keep going. But if your traditions leave you feeling empty or incomplete, you may want to examine your beliefs and tailor your rituals to follow.

• Ancient Traditions.
  Explore your roots and give traditional rituals a try. Call your grandparents and ask them what they did for holidays when they were young. Attend church or synagogue or any other religious gathering.
  
  
• Melting Pot.
  If you are unsure and searching for answers try asking people of different religions what they do to celebrate and cobble together your traditions by what interests you. Attend a different religious service each year. Ask each member of your family to come up with one simple ritual to try out.
  
  
• Strictly Secular.
  If the religious aspects of the holidays just don’t appeal to you, don’t force yourself to do them. Focus on the aspects of the holidays that you actually enjoy such as feasting and gift giving. A hike in the woods on Christmas day is a tradition that many would consider secular, but to my family it is not only spiritual, but also healthy and fun.
  
  
• Service.
  Teach your children the value of giving by spending your holidays in service to others. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Help your children go through their toys to pick out some to give away. Many people find giving much more rewarding than receiving at this time of year.

Above all, remember that any change you make to the way your family celebrates this season of the return of the light is supposed to make is less stressful. So listen to your intuition. If any of these sound good in theory, but thinking about them makes you feel slightly anxious, this may not be the year to try that particular idea.

I am interested in hearing about how you celebrate. What traditions nourish and fulfill you? How do you keep things simple? Let me know by posting a comment below.

Yoga on a Budget

Everyone I know seems to be affected in one way or another by the current recession. People are getting laid off, business is slow, and people are stressed. It is easy to become overwhelmed by fear and distracted from your path.

Remember that you get more of what you focus on, so instead of staying in the fear, get moving and come to yoga.

Don't make the mistake of cutting yoga out of your life because you are afraid you cannot afford it! Yoga has the reputation of being expensive and only accessible to the rich, but there are many low cost ways to learn.

During trying times, the practice of tapas (discipline) is more important than ever. Here are some low-cost ways to get you back on your mat, day after day.

Work-Trade

All the local yoga studios offer some sort of work trade. You help check people into class, clean the studio, or hang fliers around town and in exchange you get free yoga classes. This is a great option for those who are self-employed and are dealing with a slow down in business. Use your extra time constructively! Contact individual studios for openings and details.

Community classes/sliding scale

Many of the studios in town offer specially priced classes or sliding scale classes where you pay according to your ability.

Asheville Yoga Center offers $6 and $7 classes as an offering to the community, including two of my classes there: Gentle Yoga Basics at 9:45am on Tuesdays and Level 2 at 4:15pm on Sundays.

West Asheville Yoga and Namaste offer all of their classes on a sliding scale basis. WAY classes range from $6-11 for one hour classes and $9-14 for 1.5 hour classes. Namaste classes range from $7-12 for one hour classes and $10-15 for 1.5 hour classes. Pay what you can within that range, you decide where you fall on the scale.

If you aren't local, check to see if any of your local studios offer sliding scale or community priced classes.

Love offering classes

There are a few classes around town offered on a donation basis. There is one at Namaste on Saturday afternoons and one at Firestorm cafe on Sunday mornings. Contact those places for more details and ask around, I'm sure there are more that I don't know about.

YMCA

The YMCA offers financial aid to help pay for their memberships. You do not need to make less than a specific amount of money, just fill out an application and tell them what your circumstances are and why you think you need assistance. I know of several people who get unlimited yoga classes at the Y for less than the cost of two drop-in studio classes per month.

Community College

Anyone can take classes at AB Tech (the local community college here in Asheville), you do not have to be enrolled in a program. The yoga classes meet twice a week for four months and only cost $42 for the whole semester. That means you are paying only slightly more than $1 per class! This is possible because the classes are subsidized by the state. Thank you taxpayers of North Carolina! If you live elsewhere, check with your local community college to see if they offer yoga.

Home Practice

Use this seeming hardship and turn it into a blessing by finally starting that home practice like you've been meaning to for years. Start small and work your way up. Yes, it's ok to use dvds. Whatever gets you on your mat is perfect. Yogatoday.com offers a variety of different level classes to stream from your computer for free. They rotate daily and have three different instructors, so there is something for almost everyone.

Practice with friends

If you have a hard time practicing on your own, make a yoga date with a friend. You can get together and do a video, take turns leading, or just do your own thing together. Beware of the tendency to chat and forget about your practice. If you find yourself falling into this habit, try to make the first half hour be silent and then see what happens.

Do you have any ideas for practicing yoga on a budget that I missed? Comment on this post below.

Transformation

This this time of year when summer turns to fall, the whole world seems turned on its head by the beginning of school. This is especially true if you have children, but it seems that few people escape the winds of change at this time of year. I notice a marked decline in the attendance at my beginner classes, while my more advanced classes tend to remain steady. I think that this is because beginners are more easily thrown off course, while those who have been practicing for a longer time are more able weather the changes in their lives without letting it affect their practice.

While the universe changes around us, and we attempt to remain anchored in the part of ourselves that does not change, there is also the possibility for consciously changing the habits and patterns that unconsciously govern our lives. Whenever we behave in an unconscious manner, we are creating and deepening neural pathways in our brain, literally conditioning ourselves to continue this behavior.

In yoga philosophy, these pathways are called samskaras. Samskaras are described as grooves, or patterns on your soul and they are thought to travel with us from one life to the next. Often they are thought of as negative, because almost any habit can lead to imbalance. I believe however, that we can have positive samskaras as well, pathways that lead to our greatest joys and passions.

In order to alter negative samskaras, we must first become aware of them. What are the habits that drag you down? Smoking? Complaining? Criticizing? Self-doubt?

Once we are aware of our habits, we often keep doing them, berating ourselves all the while. In order to create the transformation we desire, we must forgive ourselves for the past. Then we need to ask ourselves how deeply we desire this transformation. Without a deep desire for change, we will continue down the same pathways over and over until a crisis propels us forward. Then it is time to ask for help. Most addicts who overcome their deep samskaras to numb their pain with drugs do not do it alone. They come together as a group to hold each other accountable, remind each other where they have been, and support each other through the fire of transformation.

While in the process of shedding our destructive habits, it is essential to consciously create positive habits to replace them. Otherwise, one destructive habit may be replaced by another destructive habit. A meditation practice is probably the most positive habit you can aquire since mediation is considered to be the most effective tool available for smoothing away samskaras.

The more deeply ingrained a samskara is, the longer it will take to create transformation. There may be times when you feel that despite your best effort, nothing is happening, or you may even feel like you are going backwayds. Relapses are an inevitable part of the process of change. At these times, it is doubly important to renew your commitment to change. Make a point of doing something that nourishes you, such as spending time in nature or playing with children. If you step back and look on your journey from a neutral perspective, you will see how far you have come. Do not rush this journey, take it one step at a time. There may be some samskaras that require a lifetime (or more!) of effort to erase.

Challenge: Set aside 5-10 minutes per day for meditation. Choose a time when you are most likely to follow through. For example, if you are not a morning person, do not commit to the morning. If you are not able to meditate at your designated time, do it at a different time -- you could even go into the bathroom for 5 minutes at work and meditate in the toilet stall if all else fails. Take a sacred vow to meditate every day for the month of September. Tell someone else about your promise and ask them to hold you accountable.

Begin by setting an intention. It helps to remind yourself each time you meditate why you are meditating. Begin with just one habit or samskara that you would like to change.

Asana and pranayama are both excellent preparations for meditation. Most of you reading this already practice asana, any many do pranayama as well. If you have time for some asana before meditation, it will serve you well.

Whether or not you do asana first, take 10 gentle ujaii breaths before you meditate (this should take about 2 minutes). Then set a timer for 3-8 (or more) minutes. When the timer goes off, you can choose to stop, or of course continue your meditation. The timer keeps you from wondering how long it has been and helps you keep your mind on your meditation.

If you are new to meditation, choose a meditation with a focus (saguna) rather than a formless meditation (nirguna). Your focus can be an image, sound, or word.

A variation of Natarajasana (the dancer)
symbolizing transformation

Pictures!

Here are some photos taken of Ciel and I for the Asheville Yoga Center Teacher of the Month feature.

You can read the write-up in this month's AYC newsletter.

Bendy Girl

Hanumanasana

Backbend Kisses

Flying

Handstands!

Holding Hands

Om

When it rains...

How fitting that the very week of my theme of abundance, it finally rained. And boy did it rain. For about 3 days straight. On the second day of rain, I walked my daughter to school under a sprinkling sky. The full blown rain held off until my daughter was safely inside the building, and then it opened up on me.

As I felt my clothes soak through, I realized that had it been a year ago, I probably would have been resentful for being rained on. But after so many months of watching the land around me shrivel up with lack of moisture, I felt nothing but gratitude.

Walking home in the rain, glasses fogging up, clothes wet, shoes squishing with every step, and feeling more alive than I can remember, I couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry. So I did both.

Abundance indeed.

Abundance

The teachings of yoga tell us that at our core, we are good. Actually, we are better than good. At our core, our true nature is divine. So why do we so often feel like we are lacking some essential ingredient for happiness? One more raise, or home, or yoga pose, and then we'll be happy.

Let us begin by acknowledging that probably all who read this blog are blessed to have free time that is not spent simply on survival. Spiritual seeking is a privilege for those of us who take food, clothing, and shelter for granted. Certainly there are rare souls who find enlightenment amidst the direst of circumstances, but I am well aware that my audience is mostly one of privilege.

Even among the riches of our culture, where obesity is a greater danger to our lives than starvation, we still often feel like we are lacking. This fear of not having enough comes from looking to the outside world for our abundance, rather than the inside.

Don't get me wrong. I am not vilifying material comforts. I like my ipod, nice yoga clothes, and good food to name a few. It is the focus on these exterior things as a gateway to happiness that I believe is the root of much unhappiness and suffering.

It is my experience that most of the time that we spend a lot of time and energy wanting something, when we finally get it our satisfaction is fleeting, soon replaced by wanting something else. Exterior abundance is transitory in nature. None of it will last, all of it can be taken away in a moment.

The irony is that while our wanting of material things can never be satiated, our desire for internal connection needs only the recognition that we already have what we want. When we acknowledge our innate abundance, then things begin to fall into place. It is my experience that when we focus on all our gifts (rather than what we lack) more and more of these blessings fall into our laps. So to create more abundance in our lives, we need only to recognize all that we already have.

When we are able to make a connection to the beauty and light that resides inside each of us, it is our duty and our joy to share it with others. This richness that we have inside cannot be depleted. The more we share it with others, the more we are able to feel it within ourselves.

So next time you are feeling as if you do not have all that you need in order to be happy, give to someone else. Remember that yoga happens on the inside. Even the joys of asana are external and fleeting. Yoga is not about advanced poses (though they can be fun) It is about connecting with our true nature, and our true nature is divine. Offer a smile, or a helping hand, or a hug. Connect with another by giving of yourself. That is yoga.

Obstacles and Limitations

What do you do when, not only are the plants you planted in your garden not growing, but the weeds are growing fast and furious instead? What about those times when not only do you have to work for what you want, but it seems like life is throwing one obstacle after another in your path?

Some people deal with more obstacles and limitations in their lives than others. The amount of obstacles and limitations in one’s life does not necessarily correspond to happiness. We become happy not by having fewer obstacles, but by our attitude towards them. If we never had obstacles in our lives, chances are good that very little growth would happen at all. However, there are many people who have tons of obstacles and still grow very little. So how can we take the obstacles in our lives and use them as a springboard for growth rather than allowing them to weigh us down?

In order to use our obstacles for growth, we must shift our perspective about the obstacles. We do this by first stepping back, and viewing the obstacles from a neutral place rather than a place of drama. This space around the obstacle allows us to see it in perspective. To see that we are separate from our limitations and that they do not define us. Then we can begin looking for the other good in our lives. We notice that although there are many large weeds in our garden, there are also some flowers. Then we begin to notice the beauty in the weeds themselves.

It is much easier to see the benefits that obstacles in our past have given us. It is much more difficult to see the beauty and the gifts in our current obstacles. However, the practice of opening to the good in what we perceive as obstacles in one of the most powerful tools available for melting the obstacles away. When we let go of resentment towards our limitations, we make space for gratitude. This gratitude is fertile ground for our obstacles to inspire growth and positive transformation.

In our lives there are many choices. In yoga, we try to make the choices that are shri or life-enhancing. The choice to use obstacles as a springboard for growth rather than as an excuse to be miserable is one of those choices. Be sure to remind me of that next time I complain...

Try this meditation to dissolve obstacles:
Sit comfortably on a chair or on the ground. It is helpful to have a wall or chair back to support your spine as being uncomfortable doesn't actually assist your meditation at all. You may also lay on your back, perhaps with a bolster under your spine or under your knees.

Begin by choosing a perceived obstacle or limitation in your life to focus on. It can be something you have been struggling with for a while, or something that is current to the moment. As you think of this obstacle in your life, notice what feelings and thoughts come up around it without judging. Take a few deep slow breaths and allow yourself to feel these feelings without trying to change or judge them.

Now, take a step back from this situation in your mind. Try to view it from a distance, as an observer rather than a participant. Notice that you are separate from this situation, notice that it does not define who you are. Anytime that you feel yourself getting emotionally involved, take a breath and imagine yourself stepping farther away from the situation, removing yourself for the time being. Allow the feelings of resentment, want, deprivation, betrayal, etc to fall away.

When you are able to feel neutral towards the situation and observe it with interest rather than resentment, open yourself up to the idea of gratitude for the situation. If the moment you do that, the negative emotions rush back in, go back to the previous step and try again. At first you may be able to feel only the faintest twinge of gratitude. As you practice, you may be able to feel it more and more strongly. If you are having a hard time connecting to the feeling of gratitude, you may repeat silently to yourself something like "thank you [god, universe, higher power, whatever] for [insert situation]. Thank you for this challenge. Thank you for this opportunity to grow."

Continue with this practice of gratitude as long as you want to or have time for. You can do this every day or even several times a day during challenging times. When you are practicing frequently, you will be able to go through all these steps almost instantly anywhere anytime. Leave a comment and let me know what your experience is with this meditation.

More on water

I just found a quote that puts my last post in a concise and beautiful form. This is from Julie Rappaport in her book 365 yoga daily meditations:

Practicing yoga without clear attention to the breath is like trying to grow a plant without giving it water.

water your garden

The earth is bone dry. It's rained less than a handful of times all summer. I usually can count on the rain to cool off the worst of the mid-summer heat, but this year there is no relief. The second summer in a row of severe drought. I am almost used to it. But whenever I look at a photograph of how my property used to look, I am shocked at the difference. Although the drought does make yard maintenance easier, I miss extravagant growth of the vegetation around here.

The other day I happened to be on my back porch, and caught a glimpse of my garden. The front of my garden was much taller and healthier looking than the back. This is because I always begin my watering up front and then work my way back, and sometimes I run out of time.

There is a ring of healthy green grass around the front of my garden, a by-product of the more assiduous watering there. It is a little sad to see how pathetic the rest of my lawn is, but there is this bright green semi-circle glowing like a beacon of hope.

Sometimes our lives are full of rain. Things grow in abundance without much effort on our part. Other times, we need to be disciplined about watering in order to make anything happen. Our yoga practice is the same. Some days the practice is easy and abundant. Other times it feels dry and devoid of life. Handstand comes easily one day, and is unattainable the next.

The breath is to our yoga practice as water is to a garden. It is the essential ingredient we need to practice. If we do nothing else but sit and breathe deeply for an hour, we finish feeling vital, refreshed, and energized. The poses are wonderful, I love them, but really, they are just the icing on the cake. Without the breath there can be no other practice. No meditation, no asana, no philosophy.

Any day that I get on my yoga mat and feel a yoga less than inspired, I begin with pranayama. The focus on the breath usually spills over into my asana practice too. Often, these practices wind up being the most rewarding of all.

The best kind of breath to get my juices flowing is called Ujaii. It is one of the most commonly taught breath exercises in yoga. Some yoga styles recommend breathing in this way throughout the entirety of each and every yoga practice. I personally like to switch it up a bit more than that, but I do often use it through most of my practice.

Ujaii breathing consists of a slight constriction at the back of your throat so that each breath creates a hissing sound. This constriction slows the airflow and facilitates a longer, deeper breath. Because the breath takes more time, your body is able to utilize more of the oxygen it takes in. This increases your endurance and makes you feel energized. It's like a free oxygen hit! This makes a challenging practice feel easier, and a gentle practice feel positively nourishing. The sound of the breath is also a great tool to focus the mind, something we can use in any kind of practice, and in many situations throughout our day.

To practice ujaii breath:
Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale through your mouth make a long Haaaaah sound. Feel how the muscles in the back of the throat constrict to make this sound. Now try to make the same sound as you breathe in. Try breathing in and out several times through your mouth as you make this sound.

Close your mouth, and make the closest approximation you can to that sound while breathing through your nose. This is ujaii. Some say it sounds like Darth Vader breathing, or like the sound of the ocean. Notice how constricting the throat causes your exhalation to lengthen. Notice how the next inhalation lengthens in turn. Your breath should be smooth and even. Breathe this way for several minutes, then return to a normal, unforced breath. The normal breath will be deeper without effort.

There is never any need to force or strain the breath. Always keep it smooth and steady. You can intersperse normal breaths anytime you feel like you want or need one. Sometimes when students are first learning this breath, their throats become scratchy or slightly sore after a while. Do not be discouraged. There is no need to keep going past discomfort. Practice often and for short periods of time, and your throat will soon get used to breathing in this manner.

Once you are comfortable with the ujaii breath, you will find many situations where it comes in handy. For example, when I am excited and trying to sleep, the sound soothes me, calms my mind, and allows me to surrender enough to sleep. However, it has the opposite effect when I am tired and need to stay awake. Then the extra oxygen energizes me and keeps me alert. I also use the ujaii breath when I walk up many flights of stairs. There seems to be no limit to uses for this breath. How do you use your ujaii breath? Comment on this post and let me know.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana: Handstand

Handstand is one of the most frequently requested poses in my classes, and also one of the most hated. Many times when I announce handstand as the next pose, people groan and sigh. Sometimes people even leave. Handstand is hard. It requires you to take a risk. And quite often it takes you out of the flow of your practice. Most people either love it or hate it.

I believe that the benefits of handstand make it more than worthwhile, even if you are in the hater camp. Handstand strengthens the core and upper body. It develops self-esteem and inner strength. Best of all, it turns your world upside down so that you can see life from a fresh perspective.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (downward facing tree, in case you are interested in the translation) is the first inversion taught in Anusara yoga. It is considered to be the safest non-restorative inversion because the neck is not involved. Headstand and shoulderstand are considered by many to be easier inversions than handstand. However, because of the risk of compromising the cervical spine (the neck), I recommend becoming comfortable with handstand first. By building awareness, comfort inverting, and strength in the upper body, handstands prepare us to safely perform other inversions.

Handstand brings up a lot of fear for some people. If this is the case for you, I recommend going slowly and working with a trusted partner.

The first version of handstand that I usually teach is called "L" handstand. This version actually requires more upper body strength than the full version, however since it is climbed into rather than kicked into, there is less "fear factor".



Come onto hands and knees with your feet at the wall and wrists directly under your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide apart and soften your chest between your arms. Curl your toes under and come into downward facing dog. This version of downward facing dog should feel quite a bit shorter than the downward dog you usually do. Have a friend place their hands right on your shoulderblades and press your shoulder blades firmly towards the wall.


Now, step one foot up to hip-height and then the other foot. In order to straighten your legs, you will need to press your hips towards your friend and your chest towards the wall. Ask your friend to confirm that your feet are as high as your hips and no higher. You will feel like you are too close to the wall, but that means you are just right. Lift your hips as high into the air as you can. Most people need to focus mostly on pressing their chest towards the wall with the help of their partner, however if you have extremely flexible shoulders and you find your chest going far behind your wrists, you may need to back off in order to make your torso vertical. In this case, focus on pressing into the hands to lift the hips. You can remain in L handstand as long as is comfortable for you. To come out, bend the knees and take one foot down and then the other. Rest in childs pose and enjoy the effects of the inversion.

Practice L often and build the amount of time you are able to stay in it. When you feel ready to move on, begin in downward facing dog with your hands about 6-8 inches from the wall. Lift one leg into down dog splits and practice kicking. Keep your hips square to the ground when kicking, rather than allowing the top leg to swing wildly to the side. This will increase the efficiency and control of your kick. Just the practice of kicking is beneficial, whether or not you are able to get all the way into the pose. If you are unable to kick up on your own ask a teacher or experienced practicioner to help you get up. Once you are up, squeeze your legs together and extend upwards from your hands to your feet.

Remember that you get most of the same benefits from practicing the handstand prep (L), so there is no need to rush to the final pose. Inverting is not recommended during pregnancy, menstruation, and with certain physical conditions, so please consult your physician as well as a qualified teacher if you have any questions about your ability to perform either variation of handstand. If you have fear about kicking up, consider whether or not it is a challenge that calls to you. If so, work with a teacher for the first few times so that you can gain confidence in your ability to perform this pose. Taking risks and facing your fears are beneficial practices, but they should not be undertaken lightly. Once you do however, you stand to gain strength, confidence, and a new perspective.

How it feels to have a stroke

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke.

The way Dr Taylor describes her stroke is as a profound spiritual experience. The interesting thing is that Ram Dass describes his stroke in similar terms. He called it "being stroked by God". You can get more on his perspective in the documentary Fierce Grace.

Free Rice

Increase your vocabulary and help feed hungry people. Check out this addictive vocabulary game: http://freerice.com/index.php

So far, I've gotten to level 47.

Do schools today kill creativity? (Ken Robinson, TEDTalks)

A brilliant and funny commentary on education and creativity. The main thesis is that we must each find our unique talents and follow them to fruition rather than follow a proscribed curriculum. In yogic terms, this is about Dharma. Our duty as creative, embodied, spiritual beings is to discover and develop our innate talents.

Free online yoga classes

“Yoga Today’s mission is to bring free yoga to the world,” said Kim Whitman, President and Executive Producer of Yoga Today. “It is really yoga for everyone, anywhere they are, providing the perfect balance of hands-on instruction with fresh, new courses in an inspiring setting directly to consumers via their laptops, PCs or televisions. Yoga-on-the-go is a convenience we are offering people with busy schedules, and with the I’M delivery platform, we’re able to make on-demand fitness available to our customers.”

According to a study commissioned by Yoga Journal, 16.5 million Americans stay fit through yoga – up 43 percent from 2002. With yoga courses averaging $15/session and yoga DVDs averaging $15 each*, Americans can save hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars by accessing the courses from Yoga Today. Yoga Today’s free content will be supported by four 30-second ads at the beginning of each episode.

This is a great way to energize your yoga practice on days that you are not motivated to practice on your own. But please remember that videos should not replace in-person instruction with qualified instructors.

http://www.yogatoday.com

Vayus: the wind through the instrument

What is prana? More than just a line of clothing! Prana is the energy that runs through our bodies, our very life force. Prana is sometimes translated as breath, though this is not quite accurate. We can access the energy in our body through our breath, but the breath itself is not prana. The practice of pranayama (extension of energy) consists of breathing exercises and this is where the confusion about the definition of prana came from. Though they are not one and the same, prana and breath are intimately related and both are necessary for human life.

To further the confusion between prana and breath, Prana can be subdivided into 5 categories called Vayus or winds. Each Vayu controls the movement of energy in a certain direction in a specific part of the body. The first two (Prana and Apana) are generally considered to be the most important and most accessible.

Prana Vayu - Upward moving and expansive, prana vayu governs the chest and head, nourishing the brain and the eyes.

Apana Vayu - Downward moving, controls digestions and elimination and aids in the feelings of equanimity and groundedness.

Vyana Vayu - Expands from the core to the periphery, sending life to the edges of the body.

Udana Vayu - Moves circularly around the head and neck.

Samana Vayu - Moves circularly around the waist, from the outside in.

To feel Prana and Apana Vayu with the breath:

Close your eyes, and take a deep breath in. As you inhale, notice how your body expands upwards and your whole body is energized. This is Prana Vayu.

Notice the release and subtle downward motion as you exhale.

See if you can notice small variations in the intensity and duration of your inhales versus your exhales.

To feel Prana and Apana Vayu in Asana:

Take Warrior 1 position: from standing, step the right foot approximately 4 feet behind you and swivel the right heel down so that your toes are pointing at about 45 degrees. Bend the left knee as deeply as you can, making sure to keep it directly above the left ankle (it will want to bend inward towards the right).

The optimal environment for prana to flow in the body is a state of relaxed engagement, so pause here for a moment and try to feel the prana and apana vayus just like you did while seated. This will cultivate sensitivity and awareness and keep you from over-effortingin the pose. Now from the center of your pelvis, extend energy down your right leg and if possible bend deeper into your left knee. This extension downward is Apana Vayu. To feel Prana Vayu, extend the arms upward. From the same place in the pelvis that you are reaching down your leg, inhale and reach your arms straight up. If you can do both at once, you are circulating prana and apana energy evenly in your body. This creates a balanced yoga pose (and is a LOT of work!). Whew, you can come out now!To balance and strengthen your Vayus, try this simple pranayama practice:

Full Yogic Breath

In order to balance the Vayus and strengthen the flow of prana in your body, practice this simple pranayama exercise. Set yourself up for pranayama practice in a way that you will be comfortable yet alert the entire time. Reclining with your upper body on a bolster or several pillows is ideal, but if you are feeling sleepy, you might want to sit. Take several normal breaths, paying attention to the length and feeling of the inhalation versus the exhalation. Begin evening and smoothing out the breath, creating a seamless transition between inhalation and exhalation.

Keeping the breath smooth and effortless, focus the movement of your breath entirely in your abdomen. Take 10 deep but easy breaths, keeping your chest completely still. Now keep your belly still and take 10 breaths into your chest. Continue to breathe without effort or strain. Your last 10 breaths will include expanding both the abdomen and the chest. This is the full yogic breath. When you are finished with these 10 breaths, breath normally for about a minute and feel the energy moving through your body before moving or getting up.

Practicing the full yogic breath lowers cortisol (stress hormone) and increases DHEA, the hormone the fights fat and makes you feel more alert and energetic. It can also help to regulate blood pressure. Amazing what a little extension of your life force can do!