Me + Avocados= Love
That's all I really KNOW right now. Many changes happening in my beautiful, complex life, but my love for the fruit also known as the "Butter Pear" remains a constant.
Vote For Me! YAY!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Avocado Love
I am not one hundred percent certain of much, but one thing I am certain of, one thing that never changes, is my love for avocados.
Me + Avocados= Love
That's all I really KNOW right now. Many changes happening in my beautiful, complex life, but my love for the fruit also known as the "Butter Pear" remains a constant.
Me + Avocados= Love
That's all I really KNOW right now. Many changes happening in my beautiful, complex life, but my love for the fruit also known as the "Butter Pear" remains a constant.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Smiles & Laughter Bring Insight
The past three months have been some of the most challenging months of my short 36 years. My challenges pale in comparison to many on this planet, but still, they are my own and I have the right and responsibility to sit with these challenges and learn from them the best way I know how.
Sometimes I just do this:
Okay, I admit it, I always ask for counsel from my closest friends who I know will tell me areas I need to explore and improve upon, this way I don’t become disillusioned about how everything is everyone else’s fault and responsibility. It also helps that they don't charge me anything and they also give out free hugs.
Which brings me to this:
Recently I had a conversation with someone that literally made me want to throw up, but given I was sitting in my newly cleaned car I opted to have a nervous breakdown instead. This option was less messy, especially since I was not wearing make-up that day or else I might have opted to get out of my car and just run screaming, sweaty, but make-up still intact.
As a yoga teacher I vow only to teach what I know and what I know changes from day to day. I had to plan my class theme for the week after this happened. I asked one trusted friend, ”What should I do? I can’t teach pulling the covers up over our heads for and hour and fifteen minutes. Another friend said, ”Just give yourself this day to grieve, nothing more.” I personally thought, in my mind, she was nuts, as I am the wallowing type (I know, yuck right?). Finally, another friend said,” I am teaching laughter this week.” I said, “I am so stealing that idea.” She said, ”Go ahead!” So, collectively my friends came to my rescue and in doing so gave me a wonderful idea for one of my favorite class themes ever.
What I learned was that I CAN make a choice. Instead of one full day of grieving, I gave myself around 8 hours. I started looking for things that made me laugh and in doing so changed my view. I also cleared the view for what had transpired and gained perseverance from it and in such a joyful way to boot. I never thought I could turn myself around like that. Laughter and Smiles became my theme and the asana of the week became Handstand because seriously, who can practice Donkey Kicking up into Handstand without a smile? My pranayama became the Smiling Breath. There is nothing like looking over a classroom where everyone is smiling, including yourself, when less than 24 hours before you wanted to ram your head into some drywall.
A Few Good Quotes:
Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. ~Author Unknown
When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~Kurt Vonnegut
A laugh is a smile that bursts. ~Mary H. Waldrip
A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.
-- Author Unknown
Benefits of Laughter:
It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.
-- Author Unknown
Laughter Decreases "Stress" Hormones
The results of the study also supported research indicating a general decrease in stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity. These were shown to decrease in the study group exposed to humor.
For example, levels of epinephrine were lower in the group both in anticipation of humor and after exposure to humor. Epinephrine levels remained down throughout the experiment.
In addition, dopamine levels (as measured by dopac) were also decreased. Dopamine is involved in the "fight or flight response" and is associated with elevated blood pressure.
Laughing is aerobic, providing a workout for the diaphragm and increasing the body's ability to use oxygen.
Laughter brings in positive emotions that can enhance – not replace -- conventional treatments. Hence it is another tool available to help fight the disease.
Experts believe that, when used as an adjunct to conventional care, laughter can reduce pain and aid the healing process. For one thing, laughter offers a powerful distraction from pain.
In a study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, patients were told one-liners after surgery and before painful medication was administered. Those exposed to humor perceived less pain when compared to patients who didn't get a dose of humor as part of their therapy.
Perhaps, the biggest benefit of laughter is that it is free and has no known negative side effects.
Muscle Relaxation - Belly laugh results in muscle relaxation. While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relaxes. After you finish laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.
Reduction of Stress Hormones - Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.
Immune System Enhancement - Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system.
Pain Reduction - Humor allows a person to "forget" about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc.
Cardiac Exercise - A belly laugh is equivalent to "an internal jogging." Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.
Blood Pressure - Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension.
Respiration - Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing. Especially beneficial for patent's who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.
So..laugh on ya'll!
Sometimes I just do this:
Okay, I admit it, I always ask for counsel from my closest friends who I know will tell me areas I need to explore and improve upon, this way I don’t become disillusioned about how everything is everyone else’s fault and responsibility. It also helps that they don't charge me anything and they also give out free hugs.
Which brings me to this:
Recently I had a conversation with someone that literally made me want to throw up, but given I was sitting in my newly cleaned car I opted to have a nervous breakdown instead. This option was less messy, especially since I was not wearing make-up that day or else I might have opted to get out of my car and just run screaming, sweaty, but make-up still intact.
As a yoga teacher I vow only to teach what I know and what I know changes from day to day. I had to plan my class theme for the week after this happened. I asked one trusted friend, ”What should I do? I can’t teach pulling the covers up over our heads for and hour and fifteen minutes. Another friend said, ”Just give yourself this day to grieve, nothing more.” I personally thought, in my mind, she was nuts, as I am the wallowing type (I know, yuck right?). Finally, another friend said,” I am teaching laughter this week.” I said, “I am so stealing that idea.” She said, ”Go ahead!” So, collectively my friends came to my rescue and in doing so gave me a wonderful idea for one of my favorite class themes ever.
What I learned was that I CAN make a choice. Instead of one full day of grieving, I gave myself around 8 hours. I started looking for things that made me laugh and in doing so changed my view. I also cleared the view for what had transpired and gained perseverance from it and in such a joyful way to boot. I never thought I could turn myself around like that. Laughter and Smiles became my theme and the asana of the week became Handstand because seriously, who can practice Donkey Kicking up into Handstand without a smile? My pranayama became the Smiling Breath. There is nothing like looking over a classroom where everyone is smiling, including yourself, when less than 24 hours before you wanted to ram your head into some drywall.
A Few Good Quotes:
Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. ~Author Unknown
When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~Kurt Vonnegut
A laugh is a smile that bursts. ~Mary H. Waldrip
A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.
-- Author Unknown
Benefits of Laughter:
It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.
-- Author Unknown
Laughter Decreases "Stress" Hormones
The results of the study also supported research indicating a general decrease in stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity. These were shown to decrease in the study group exposed to humor.
For example, levels of epinephrine were lower in the group both in anticipation of humor and after exposure to humor. Epinephrine levels remained down throughout the experiment.
In addition, dopamine levels (as measured by dopac) were also decreased. Dopamine is involved in the "fight or flight response" and is associated with elevated blood pressure.
Laughing is aerobic, providing a workout for the diaphragm and increasing the body's ability to use oxygen.
Laughter brings in positive emotions that can enhance – not replace -- conventional treatments. Hence it is another tool available to help fight the disease.
Experts believe that, when used as an adjunct to conventional care, laughter can reduce pain and aid the healing process. For one thing, laughter offers a powerful distraction from pain.
In a study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, patients were told one-liners after surgery and before painful medication was administered. Those exposed to humor perceived less pain when compared to patients who didn't get a dose of humor as part of their therapy.
Perhaps, the biggest benefit of laughter is that it is free and has no known negative side effects.
Muscle Relaxation - Belly laugh results in muscle relaxation. While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relaxes. After you finish laughing those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.
Reduction of Stress Hormones - Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone.
Immune System Enhancement - Clinical studies have shown that humor strengthens the immune system.
Pain Reduction - Humor allows a person to "forget" about pains such as aches, arthritis, etc.
Cardiac Exercise - A belly laugh is equivalent to "an internal jogging." Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.
Blood Pressure - Women seem to benefit more than men in preventing hypertension.
Respiration - Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing. Especially beneficial for patent's who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.
So..laugh on ya'll!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Summah-Time Yoga
I really should be on my way to the studio right now, but my kids are like this:
I am not one for "fighting" to get to a yoga class and will consider my children's vacation from school as a sign I need to get a little more serious about my personal practice. Oh, but how I love to socialize with my favorite people at Blue Anjou, the best yoga studio in the history of ever (as my good friend Leila likes to say).
Here we are: (Kent Pilkington Photography)
With all of my boot camping, running, and biking I've been doing this summer, my quads are feeling pretty rock solid and my hip flexors feel shorter.
Anatomy Lesson? Ok.
While a nice, slow, Vinyasa Flow class is sounding quite loverly right now, it is a gentle, Yin Yoga class my body needs. The beauty of a personal practice is that I can do exactly what my body needs and then afterward I will be forced to socialize with myself and that's not such a bad thing is it?
My Plan:
Because Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the body, we must hold these asanas for several minutes. Originally there were only 14 Yin poses, but naturally, we (meaning the masses who teach yoga and think they know better)have created more, so I have plenty of options to choose from. A Yin practice is perfect for athletes and teaches us about the softer side of ourselves. Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the hips & also aids in regulating the flow of Qi through the Meridian system. There is so much more I could scribe here, but so little time and I still need to go practice!
My Theme is inspired by Rumi. "So let the body speak for you now without you saying a word, like the student walking behind the teacher says this one knows better than I the way."
I'm listening to my body and I am feeling I need this:
*The following links are from YinYoga.com. I love this site because it offers contraindications and I am a safety girl!
A couple of rounds of gentle Suryanamaskar to warm the muscles (though it's 1,000 degrees in Texas right now, so I could just step outside for 30 seconds)
Anahatasana
Sphinx
Some Dragons
Camel
Saddle
Half Butterfly
Reclining Twists
Savasana
Then I will meditate on how great it is to be all by myself with the kids banging on my door.
I am not one for "fighting" to get to a yoga class and will consider my children's vacation from school as a sign I need to get a little more serious about my personal practice. Oh, but how I love to socialize with my favorite people at Blue Anjou, the best yoga studio in the history of ever (as my good friend Leila likes to say).
Here we are: (Kent Pilkington Photography)
With all of my boot camping, running, and biking I've been doing this summer, my quads are feeling pretty rock solid and my hip flexors feel shorter.
Anatomy Lesson? Ok.
While a nice, slow, Vinyasa Flow class is sounding quite loverly right now, it is a gentle, Yin Yoga class my body needs. The beauty of a personal practice is that I can do exactly what my body needs and then afterward I will be forced to socialize with myself and that's not such a bad thing is it?
My Plan:
Because Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the body, we must hold these asanas for several minutes. Originally there were only 14 Yin poses, but naturally, we (meaning the masses who teach yoga and think they know better)have created more, so I have plenty of options to choose from. A Yin practice is perfect for athletes and teaches us about the softer side of ourselves. Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the hips & also aids in regulating the flow of Qi through the Meridian system. There is so much more I could scribe here, but so little time and I still need to go practice!
My Theme is inspired by Rumi. "So let the body speak for you now without you saying a word, like the student walking behind the teacher says this one knows better than I the way."
I'm listening to my body and I am feeling I need this:
*The following links are from YinYoga.com. I love this site because it offers contraindications and I am a safety girl!
A couple of rounds of gentle Suryanamaskar to warm the muscles (though it's 1,000 degrees in Texas right now, so I could just step outside for 30 seconds)
Anahatasana
Sphinx
Some Dragons
Camel
Saddle
Half Butterfly
Reclining Twists
Savasana
Then I will meditate on how great it is to be all by myself with the kids banging on my door.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunshine and Daisies Today, Cloudiness and Weeds Tomorrow
If you knew yourself for even one moment,
If you could just glimpse your most beautiful face,
Maybe you wouldn’t slumber so deeply in that house of clay.
Why not move into your house of joy
and shine into every crevice!
For you are the secret Treasure-bearer, always have been.
Didn’t you know?
~ Rumi
As a yoga teacher, I believe my job is to offer an experience such that a poem like the one mentioned above becomes an inner knowing, that this is Truth, and yes, Bliss is our birthright. We are perfect as we are. All is as it should be. This feeling, this inner knowing is easy to teach when one is on top of their game and feeling an abundance of joy to share, but what of circumstances when a yoga teacher or any spiritual teacher is going through difficult experiences I prefer to term “growing pains”. As much as we are viewed as “having it all together” in our field, we still must fall if we are to continue our spiritual growth. With any growth, there must be discomfort of some sort or we become unaware or stagnant. If we become unaware, we lose sight of the bigger picture and our knowing that the universe/God resides within us and so, we are all connected. If we become stagnant we become stale, leaving our students wanting more from us, yet we have nothing to give. We spend thousands of dollars training ourselves on the physical forms of yoga, ignoring the needs of the spirit.
How do we continue as yoga teachers to teach peace, love, bliss when we feel disharmony, distrust, and/or sorrow? I believe this is an opportunity to relate to our students, making us that much more approachable and believable when offering our teachings. Perhaps it may be a jolt when the usual Happy-Go-Lucky, Sunshine, and Gerber Daisy’s teacher takes his/her space on the mat, offering a lesson from a place where feelings of grief, cloudiness, and weeds reside. We can utilize our current state of being in our teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, which guide us through the roller coaster life within the human condition. We may be spiritual beings, but we are humans on planet Earth and sometimes life is uncomfortable, even for the most spiritual of human beings. Just as a physical manifestation of pain denotes our body’s need to be tended to, so does the pain of the spirit suggest we have some spiritual healing to do.
Finally, because we teach like aspects of Rumi’s poem, our students, if they have taken our previous teachings sincerely and to heart, they will notice the struggle and the truth behind the “always peaceful and optimistic” persona we try to create for the sake of our students. My experience has been that the students intuitively know when it is their time to teach us and they do so with a pat on the back, an inspirational email, a smile after class that is filled with 1,000 words of encouragement, or even a mention of a lesson you taught them that hits home and is appropriate for your current state of being.
So, while we teach all experiences are designed for our growth and everything is as it should be, we still must allow ourselves to falter, fall, and finally grow more beautifully than we could ever imagine. We must continue to encourage and love ourselves as much as we encourage and love our students. This seems logical, but while the path is difficult, we must remember the quote, “It’s the journey, not the destination”.
If you could just glimpse your most beautiful face,
Maybe you wouldn’t slumber so deeply in that house of clay.
Why not move into your house of joy
and shine into every crevice!
For you are the secret Treasure-bearer, always have been.
Didn’t you know?
~ Rumi
As a yoga teacher, I believe my job is to offer an experience such that a poem like the one mentioned above becomes an inner knowing, that this is Truth, and yes, Bliss is our birthright. We are perfect as we are. All is as it should be. This feeling, this inner knowing is easy to teach when one is on top of their game and feeling an abundance of joy to share, but what of circumstances when a yoga teacher or any spiritual teacher is going through difficult experiences I prefer to term “growing pains”. As much as we are viewed as “having it all together” in our field, we still must fall if we are to continue our spiritual growth. With any growth, there must be discomfort of some sort or we become unaware or stagnant. If we become unaware, we lose sight of the bigger picture and our knowing that the universe/God resides within us and so, we are all connected. If we become stagnant we become stale, leaving our students wanting more from us, yet we have nothing to give. We spend thousands of dollars training ourselves on the physical forms of yoga, ignoring the needs of the spirit.
How do we continue as yoga teachers to teach peace, love, bliss when we feel disharmony, distrust, and/or sorrow? I believe this is an opportunity to relate to our students, making us that much more approachable and believable when offering our teachings. Perhaps it may be a jolt when the usual Happy-Go-Lucky, Sunshine, and Gerber Daisy’s teacher takes his/her space on the mat, offering a lesson from a place where feelings of grief, cloudiness, and weeds reside. We can utilize our current state of being in our teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, which guide us through the roller coaster life within the human condition. We may be spiritual beings, but we are humans on planet Earth and sometimes life is uncomfortable, even for the most spiritual of human beings. Just as a physical manifestation of pain denotes our body’s need to be tended to, so does the pain of the spirit suggest we have some spiritual healing to do.
Finally, because we teach like aspects of Rumi’s poem, our students, if they have taken our previous teachings sincerely and to heart, they will notice the struggle and the truth behind the “always peaceful and optimistic” persona we try to create for the sake of our students. My experience has been that the students intuitively know when it is their time to teach us and they do so with a pat on the back, an inspirational email, a smile after class that is filled with 1,000 words of encouragement, or even a mention of a lesson you taught them that hits home and is appropriate for your current state of being.
So, while we teach all experiences are designed for our growth and everything is as it should be, we still must allow ourselves to falter, fall, and finally grow more beautifully than we could ever imagine. We must continue to encourage and love ourselves as much as we encourage and love our students. This seems logical, but while the path is difficult, we must remember the quote, “It’s the journey, not the destination”.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Politics: Spine Bending Left, Right, or Center?
Who is bending their hearts towards whom in this crazy election?
It’s Dirty Ya'll!
One has to admit it is a bit exciting, but some people are taking differences of opinions all too personally, causing energy-rifts in the yoga studio which totally funks up the one-ness vibe. My intuition tells me there are many yogis out there with unbalanced Crown Chakras, as they defend their chosen candidate with the force equal to an elephant falling out of Sirsasana onto a mouse in Balasana. Are we not aware our voices set the vibrational tone of our room and ultimately our entire planet? This must be why politics is considered one of the “forbidden subjects” if we want to refrain from squashing our friendships like the helpless mouse.
My opinion (because I know you’re dying to hear it): I believe in the freedom of Being and in Being. That we find acceptance for ourselves and others so that the one-ness vibe I alluded to above permeates our surroundings and ultimately the planet.
If yoga teaches us that our birthright is Bliss, then why do we disregard or worse yet, judge others for their opinions? Our Opinions are created through our life experience. It is estimated that there are 6.7 Billion people on our planet; this means there are 6.7 billion different life experiences, so any two year old can do the math and see that well, we will be havin us some debates here and there. The key is to come from love and knowledge (e.g. knowledge that we are all ONE and what I do or say affects EVERYONE), rather than coming from hate and fear. While we can not control what happens on November 4th, we CAN control our thoughts and reactions. Love and knowledge cultivates more love and knowledge, while hate and fear breeds even more hate and fear.
It seems, more often than not, yogis bend their hearts more towards the left for Obama. I even found this bumper sticker!
I did not find any Yoga Instructors for Mccain bumper stickers. This seems unfair. I live in Texas, I know there are at least SOME conservative yoga teachers out there bending toward the right.
I will share my choice in this election, as I am going with the candidate who most resonates with my life experience. It is nether Mccain or Obama. It is Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate. I'm bending towards the middle.
For the next week the theme in my yoga class will be compassion. Our backbends will come from the heart and love; acceptance will fill our studio. I fully intend to do my part to keep the peace and teach that we can not control that which we fear. What will be, will be and we take it from there.
Can we not see the Divine Light in each candidate?
I will leave you with two happy pictures of both top candidates and more importantly, as quote from my seven year old son who has decided who he will vote for all on his own.
“I think Obama will win because he says things nice.”
This is HIS experience and his experience is no more or no less important than yours or mine. I will not judge him for it and neither should anyone else.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
When You Don't Have It , You Just Don't Have It
or do you?
As a yoga teacher it is my job (I feel) to give from the heart and to come to class prepared and ready for whatever awaits me. With past jobs I could show up and fake my enthusiasm, with this job my students see through me. I often feel like a big naked statue and they can see all of my chips and cracks. I have heard, more than once that my emotional state is not good at playing hide and go seek. I suppose I should find solace in the fact that I teach the practice of Satya and that we all are who we are, as we are, in every moment and all is well in the truth of things. My students stepping up to offer a bit of support like, *"Uh, hey, you seem a little stressed...are yoga teachers supposed to be stressed? You should try 20 rounds of Nadhi Shodhana" proves they have been listening to my teachings. At times the student truly is the teacher and that is why I needed to be in class that day. *Yes this really happened.
There have been a couple of times that I simply knew I would cheat my students should I show up on a particular day, for example if I am doubled over with my monthly blessing or my head is on fire with the latest migraine (the two, incidentally, usually go hand in hand), then I think it is safe to say I need to sit this one out. Also, family situations arise and this too may call for a break from the teacher yoga mat, after all doesn't world peace begin at home?
Mother Theresa said,"Peace begins with a smile". Unless I have just come from the dentist numbed up or have spinach in my teeth I believe I can give my best smile, no matter the state of my personal life (apart from the above mentioned occurrences). I know this much I can give. Knowing this has given me just enough to get through a class with the presence and love of someone in complete merriment. Sometimes, just showing up makes everything that seems "wrong" seem so perfect as it is.
Finally, of The Four Agreements, Do Your Best rings true here. Our best is always changing and sometimes I know I will be spot on teaching a class and some days I will slip all over my words, forget a side, or tell an inappropriate joke that will haunt me for weeks. However, I can always give my best smile for that day and provide the best class I can.
An unknown author said,"Don't worry, don't hurry, do your best and let it rest."
So be it!
As a yoga teacher it is my job (I feel) to give from the heart and to come to class prepared and ready for whatever awaits me. With past jobs I could show up and fake my enthusiasm, with this job my students see through me. I often feel like a big naked statue and they can see all of my chips and cracks. I have heard, more than once that my emotional state is not good at playing hide and go seek. I suppose I should find solace in the fact that I teach the practice of Satya and that we all are who we are, as we are, in every moment and all is well in the truth of things. My students stepping up to offer a bit of support like, *"Uh, hey, you seem a little stressed...are yoga teachers supposed to be stressed? You should try 20 rounds of Nadhi Shodhana" proves they have been listening to my teachings. At times the student truly is the teacher and that is why I needed to be in class that day. *Yes this really happened.
There have been a couple of times that I simply knew I would cheat my students should I show up on a particular day, for example if I am doubled over with my monthly blessing or my head is on fire with the latest migraine (the two, incidentally, usually go hand in hand), then I think it is safe to say I need to sit this one out. Also, family situations arise and this too may call for a break from the teacher yoga mat, after all doesn't world peace begin at home?
Mother Theresa said,"Peace begins with a smile". Unless I have just come from the dentist numbed up or have spinach in my teeth I believe I can give my best smile, no matter the state of my personal life (apart from the above mentioned occurrences). I know this much I can give. Knowing this has given me just enough to get through a class with the presence and love of someone in complete merriment. Sometimes, just showing up makes everything that seems "wrong" seem so perfect as it is.
Finally, of The Four Agreements, Do Your Best rings true here. Our best is always changing and sometimes I know I will be spot on teaching a class and some days I will slip all over my words, forget a side, or tell an inappropriate joke that will haunt me for weeks. However, I can always give my best smile for that day and provide the best class I can.
An unknown author said,"Don't worry, don't hurry, do your best and let it rest."
So be it!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Yoga East, Yoga West?
It has been my experience that the question "What is Yoga?" is answered in various ways, depending on the individuals experience and needs. While I tend to lean towards the Eastern philosophy of lifestyle and self-realization, many of my peers bend towards the Western experience of yoga as physical fitness. Is one a better approach than the other? This depends on what the person is looking for. Is one more complete than the other? My opinion is yes, but again, this is my experience, not every ones. We are all on our own path and each path is special and unique.
So what is this yoga thang? Yoga is the union of the mind, body and spirit. While asana (or the physical postures) is one of the eight limbs of yoga in the Sutras of Pantanjali, Yoga is not asana as is commonly thought in the West. In the West "yoga" and "asana" are used interchangeably. I also wonder if most yoga studios should be called "Asana Studios" rather than "Yoga Studios". As it seems very few offer lessons from ancient texts, history, chanting etc.., but rather focus more on a physical workout.
I am not writing this post to prove my belief system, but rather to encourage people to question what they know as Yoga. The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali is the foundation of Yoga. The soul (pun intended) purpose of yoga is Yoga, not physical fitness.
In the West are we practicing yoga or are we mainly practicing asana? Asana aids us on the path to yoga, so it is important, but it is not the point.
The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali begins with threads 1.1-1.4, when combined is something along the lines of:
1.1 Atha Yoganusasanam
1.2 Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah.
1.3 Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam.
1.4 Vrtti Sarupyam Itaratra
1.1 "Now the practice of yoga begins".
To me, yoga is not something I do, it is something I practice daily. Do not ask your self, "Do I do yoga?" Ask yourself, "Do I practice yoga?"
1.2 "Yoga is the mastery of the activities of the mind-field". Ask yourself if you are aware of your thoughts and do you explore harnessing those thoughts if they do not serve the purposes of uniting mind, body, and spirit? Do you do this while practising asana only or is the something you strive for off the mat also?
1.3 "Then the seer rests in His true nature". We are all Knowers or Seers, not body nor mind. The truest YOU is always the same,but is confused or mixed up due to funky mind-stuff.
1.4 "At times the true Self assumes the form of the mind-field". If you detach yourself from all of your labels and possessions that you identify yourself with, you have the purest and truest you or "I". Yoga , when practiced in it's complete form aids us in self-control and constant self-adjustment in order to keep you from prescribing to false identifications of the self.
I was in a training recently where there topic of "yoga" as a workout and yoga as a way of life were equal. Is a teacher who prescribes more to the physical asana practice less than a teacher who studies to teach a more complete and Eastern influenced yoga class? I would say no, but I would ask if some teachers should call themselves asana teachers rather than yoga teachers. This is not a black or white issue, but it is true that asana alone is not yoga, but only one part of it. Asana does not offer the complete yoga experience. In the West if you can practice handstand you are considered an advanced yogi. I would say you are most likely advanced in your asana practice and I might even ask if you if you have a background in gymnastics because most likely the answer is yes. I introduce the notion that an advanced yogi is one who harnesses the mind and tries to maintain contact with the pure "I". I consider myself, after 15 years to be advanced in asana, but still a beginner in the "true" practice of yoga, but my goal is to at least reach intermediate status in my own spirit by the time I pass from this planet.
So, bluntly, I will argue that in the West we are mainly practicing asana, not yoga. This is simply my opinion and while I do believe this is not a complete practice, I respect that this is part of the path to yoga. I only hope that we do not confuse ourselves too much with the notion that we have "made it" in yoga because we are only starting in asana.
Namaste' and may you find your Sat Nam!
So what is this yoga thang? Yoga is the union of the mind, body and spirit. While asana (or the physical postures) is one of the eight limbs of yoga in the Sutras of Pantanjali, Yoga is not asana as is commonly thought in the West. In the West "yoga" and "asana" are used interchangeably. I also wonder if most yoga studios should be called "Asana Studios" rather than "Yoga Studios". As it seems very few offer lessons from ancient texts, history, chanting etc.., but rather focus more on a physical workout.
I am not writing this post to prove my belief system, but rather to encourage people to question what they know as Yoga. The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali is the foundation of Yoga. The soul (pun intended) purpose of yoga is Yoga, not physical fitness.
In the West are we practicing yoga or are we mainly practicing asana? Asana aids us on the path to yoga, so it is important, but it is not the point.
The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali begins with threads 1.1-1.4, when combined is something along the lines of:
1.1 Atha Yoganusasanam
1.2 Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah.
1.3 Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam.
1.4 Vrtti Sarupyam Itaratra
1.1 "Now the practice of yoga begins".
To me, yoga is not something I do, it is something I practice daily. Do not ask your self, "Do I do yoga?" Ask yourself, "Do I practice yoga?"
1.2 "Yoga is the mastery of the activities of the mind-field". Ask yourself if you are aware of your thoughts and do you explore harnessing those thoughts if they do not serve the purposes of uniting mind, body, and spirit? Do you do this while practising asana only or is the something you strive for off the mat also?
1.3 "Then the seer rests in His true nature". We are all Knowers or Seers, not body nor mind. The truest YOU is always the same,but is confused or mixed up due to funky mind-stuff.
1.4 "At times the true Self assumes the form of the mind-field". If you detach yourself from all of your labels and possessions that you identify yourself with, you have the purest and truest you or "I". Yoga , when practiced in it's complete form aids us in self-control and constant self-adjustment in order to keep you from prescribing to false identifications of the self.
I was in a training recently where there topic of "yoga" as a workout and yoga as a way of life were equal. Is a teacher who prescribes more to the physical asana practice less than a teacher who studies to teach a more complete and Eastern influenced yoga class? I would say no, but I would ask if some teachers should call themselves asana teachers rather than yoga teachers. This is not a black or white issue, but it is true that asana alone is not yoga, but only one part of it. Asana does not offer the complete yoga experience. In the West if you can practice handstand you are considered an advanced yogi. I would say you are most likely advanced in your asana practice and I might even ask if you if you have a background in gymnastics because most likely the answer is yes. I introduce the notion that an advanced yogi is one who harnesses the mind and tries to maintain contact with the pure "I". I consider myself, after 15 years to be advanced in asana, but still a beginner in the "true" practice of yoga, but my goal is to at least reach intermediate status in my own spirit by the time I pass from this planet.
So, bluntly, I will argue that in the West we are mainly practicing asana, not yoga. This is simply my opinion and while I do believe this is not a complete practice, I respect that this is part of the path to yoga. I only hope that we do not confuse ourselves too much with the notion that we have "made it" in yoga because we are only starting in asana.
Namaste' and may you find your Sat Nam!
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