Category Archives: Yoga

Blog posts about yoga practice

Steps forward

08 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Breath, Forrest, Gratitude, Life Lessons

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My yogi summer is coming to an end and after completing the Forrest Yoga Foundation Training, I’ve taken some time for myself to explore the cities of London and Paris. I walked around both cities with no pre-planned agenda but to just be in the moment, honor the moment, and see what each city wanted to offer.

What I discovered was that I love both cities immensely and cannot wait until I come back again. But bigger than that, I came to the realization that I have changed for the better and these cities are proof. The “old me” would not have left at 9am each morning and not returned until 4-5pm, only to leave again for dinner. the old me would have been bitter to be traveling alone, paranoid because of the alone, and not looking forward to the next trip.

But that was the way old me. I’ve learned I’m more grounded than I thought I was. Yeah, I still get a bit freaked out in crowds but that didn’t stop me from experiencing; when the panic started to hit, I activated my feet and slowed down my breath. After which, I found another stop on the walking tour. I tried speaking French and failed; some may say I failed at English as well. But that was me, in my moment, loving every breath.

Look forward

04 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by in Life Lessons, Yoga

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Yoga teachers often speak to lessons students may learn on the mat and how they can then apply those lessons to life off the mat. In a class this past weekend, I hit on one of those lessons that resounded deeply with the class and with me. It’s a nugget of knowledge that I’ve already thought about applying in my own life.
The class was built around party poses (yes, I just said that) such as bakasana, koundinyasana, and eka pada bakasana with the foundation of each of these postures coming from “chaturanga arms are everything.” As the class was playing with bakasana (crow), I pointed out the difference between looking ahead and looking back. When we look back in crow, it increases the hunch in our back and the likelihood of a somersault out. When the head is looking forward, it reduces the opportunity to roll while making the pose less scary.
And that’s where the lesson sprouted. We all have a past that we carry with us. When we look back, that past holds us back and may even prevent us from finding or creating our own opportunity for something really awesome. By looking forward, the future is less scary and in focus.
I have some really big things coming up in the very near future – Forrest Yoga training being among them – and if I stayed still, focusing on the past that brought me this far, I would become stuck, stagnant, and blind to my future.
So I’m looking forward with a smile, a laugh, and open eyes as I leapfrog off my past and into my life. You should too.

How I’m spending my summer vacation

29 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Bad Yogi, Forrest, Yoga

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Some of you may not believe this but yes, yoga teachers do get a vacation. Because of the “I schedule myself” nature of our industry, many times, we get a summer, autumn, winter, and spring vacation. Pretty cool, huh? Bet you immediately thought – career change time. While often we do take the more standard vacation to see family, travel, etc, we also take many breaks to continue our yoga knowledge and/or interact with other yogis.
I’m doing the combination. When I started my first teacher training, I knew at some point I would do another training for a specific style – Forrest Yoga. Note the two R’s. Named for Ana Forrest and not for a collection of trees. In just over a week, I’ll be jumping into a near month long intensive training – daily meditation, daily practice, daily sessions learning more about this style.
I am beyond excited for it. Forrest principles, at their most simplistic because it’s me describing them, are that we find what is holding us back, figure it out, stalk it, and then use it to leapfrog ahead. We can apply that to our yoga practice or to our life. I currently don’t have headstand in my regular practice – some days I feel light, others I do not – but Forrest teaches to breathe into the moment I get into my own head. And continue to breathe as my nervous system gets flipped upside down. In life, we all have a history of good events, bad events, maybe even horrific events and we hold the emotions that are attached to those events closely. As in so close, it prevents us from moving forward.
I can say without hesitation that I’ve taken strides forward. But there is potential to step even more. Forrest teaches in life, when we start to feel the negative emotion – fear, anger, jealousy – to stop and to breathe. Yep, there’s that word again. It’s through our breath that we can identify the cause, snuggle in closely, and use that power to move forward. I can’t wait to see how my life and my practice are changed. And then to share that with family, friends, other teachers, and students.

As a new yogi…

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Yoga

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I think this is the post that many or most yoga teachers at some point write.  What pieces of advice would we give to a new yogi and their first time on the mat.  The awesome thing is that as long as you come to the mat with good intentions, there’s no wrong reason.  You may come to the mat for physical exertion, mental clarity, or emotional release.  Any and all of those are valid and true reasons to unroll your mat and take that first class.  But what expectations should you have as you come to class?  Hopefully I will be able to address some concerns and further encourage you to start your path.

  1. Keep an open mind: I don’t think anything can ruin a first class more than to not be open to something new.  Yes, with your first class, you may not know the name of a pose or understand the words the teacher is speaking, but if you are willing to try it, that alone is half the battle.
  2. Be comfortable: Yoga clothes don’t need to be the most expensive items picked meticulously from the specialty store.  Wear clothes that allow movement, don’t bind or shift easily, and if they do shift (i.e. revealing your stomach), don’t worry about it.  Make any adjustments and rejoin the class.
  3. Yoga is not the Olympics: Come to yoga out of a place of self improvement.  Yoga is not a competition.  Yes, someone next to you may be able to perform really cool transitions or are more flexible than you are.  Who cares?  Yoga is your own practice.  And realizing that it’s detrimental to place too much weight on that which you can’t do or that which you cannot do as well, does nothing to help your path.
  4. Come back: Yogi secret coming up.  There are teachers that we don’t enjoy to take from.  Next yogi secret is that is OK.  Just because your best friend connected with a teacher and their style does not mean that you will as well.  Or that you should feel bad if you don’t.  Much like flavors in food, we each have preferences for a teacher.  Find one that best meets your needs.

There are more ideas I could recommend but those will come along.  Most importantly, have fun.  Enjoy the class for what it is and continue to work on finding time to get back on the mat.

Spread the Love

21 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by in Intention setting, Intentions, Yoga

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As a yogi on the mat, we can have any number of reasons why we’re there.  From time to time, as a teacher, I like to be a bit more specific on the intention setting for my class.  Here is one of those intentions…

I have friends that have dedicated their lives to the concept “1 of 7,” meaning that for every week, one day is set aside to give back.  Giving back can be anything from volunteering for a charity, mowing the lawn of a neighbor, or even picking up garbage on a beach in the Philippines.  Through living this mantra, they show that giving back can be fun and easy.  As well as a regular event.  Go check them out here: http://1of7.org/home

As a practicing yogi, what can I give back to the world via my mat?  What is one thing the world needs more?  Time and positive energy, simply stated.  As far as intention setting goes, the challenge is simply presented to the class – think of a family member, a friend, a co-worker, someone that is in a rough patch of their life right now.  The rough patch may be relationship or job issues, financial, or just down.  I challenge the class to think of that one person during the time we spend together, especially when we get to heart opening back bends.  If we envision love being sent to the universe with a back bend, why not put a name on that love?  The class becomes a sort of moving meditation, dedicated to one person.

At the end of class, as students return from savasana, I encourage students to check in with themselves – mind, body, emotions.  How are they feeling overall after the class?  What has shifted?  Before sealing the class with a final namaste, I give the class their yoga homework – tell the person.  It’s within that moment of sharing the power of the mat is most evident.

What’s your journey?

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by in Bad Yogi, Intention setting, Intentions, Yoga

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I’m currently going through a period of change in my life and while I do not yet know what lies ahead, I know it all starts with a step.  It  can be scary.  It can be big or little.  But it needs to be.  We will never make it to tomorrow if we sit here today.

Yoga teaches us through all of our practices, we’ll never have another moment that is right now again.  Even in the few seconds it took to type that sentence, my moment has changed.  I have changed.  Our futures are based on our pasts and our now.  But we cannot let that define us.  I struggle with that last portion regularly.  We all bring with us our memories and while they may make us stronger, we should not be only those memories.  Infinite possibilities await if we take that first step.

We can practice this setting aside of our prior experiences and building upon them when we come to our mats.  A yoga practice allows us to breathe in the moment, to feel in the moment, and to use that moment to take us forward.  If we remember what chaturanga felt like yesterday, we can begin to make it a habit from which strength comes.  And as our chaturanga arms grow stronger, they become more able and better equipped to push us towards bakasana, flight.  Set both a yoga and a life intention daily – to build upon what we’ve done and to never let our ego get in the way of what we do.

Why breathe…

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Breath, Postures, Yoga

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I get it.  That crazy stupid phrase that “breath is life.”  We all quite possibly heard it but what does it mean.

It means from breath, comes life!  Honest.  I’ve been really focused on my breath in my own practice lately and what I’ve found is that if I can slow down my breathing, the posture becomes easy.  If I remember to breathe period, the posture becomes easy.  But why is that?

Because yoga is the uniting, it’s yoking of one aspect of living to another.  More specifically, it’s linking breath to movement.  If you are able to move without breath, zombie.  Ok, not literally but along those lines.  Try running a mile while holding your breath.  While I’ve never attempted it, I’m going to say, it’s tough to do.  But if you’re able to find a slow, steady breath, how much easier does the run go?

Yoga is exactly the same.  If you’re able to breathe from one posture, or one movement into the next, and allow that breath to be your focus, where can you take your practice?  Or better yet, where can your practice take you?  Faster breathing encourages your body to panic.  And there’s no panic in yoga.  But there is in running from zombies.

What yoga is to me…

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by in Yoga

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Here’s the thing…

Yoga is something different to each of us.  And often, it’s different each time we step on a mat.  Yoga is the uniting of mind, body, and soul.  Every time we step on the mat, one of those takes priority.  The mat can be a great workout, stress relief, or the selfish “me time,” but whatever it is, we have to honor it in that moment.  We have to approach our practice with no judgement – sometimes what we did yesterday is not accessible to us today.  And that’s ok.

I believe that whatever your reason, the time you spend on your mat is sacred.  It should be honored.  I say often to give to the mat that which you don’t need and take back that which you do.  Whether or not you believe in the spiritual connection to the mat, acknowledge that in your life, there are stressors, emotions, and thoughts you don’t need.  What would you replace them with if you could?

Finally, I think yoga should contain fun and fear.  Fun – if you don’t enjoy something, why keep doing it?  And fear – because that is when we learn the most about ourselves; how we can breathe through challenges; and for a moment, find the playful in the moment.