Take a Yoga Vacation

The title of this entry does not imply going on a yoga retreat to do yoga all week as a vacation.  What I am suggesting is you take a break from your yoga practice for a few days, maybe even a week.  Dare I say this!  Why would I suggest it?

The best thing for your practice can sometimes be not practicing.  I discovered this a couple weeks ago while spending a week of vacation in the Caribbean.  The first few mornings my natural inclination was to immediately think I needed to jump out of bed, unroll my yoga mat and practice with the sunrise.  Something told me, hold back.  After all, I was on vacation to take a break from my daily routine.

Sure I practiced a little asana and meditation almost every day (anywhere from 15-45 minutes) but I did it without a plan.  Even in these short practices, I felt my body in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. –stiff!  Yes, I felt stiffer than usual because I wasn’t practicing as much.   But this unfamiliar stiffness brought greater awareness to areas of my body I hadn’t quite paid attention to in some time.  I felt more connected from the inside out.  I moved slower but I felt more in sync with my natural surroundings —the swaying palm trees and calm morning ocean.

Now as I settle back into the reality of my everyday life, I have returned to my mat with a greater appreciation that I have yoga in my life.  I am appreciative for the longer practices I am able to do most days.  I am even more appreciative of a couple poses I previously wasn’t a huge fan of, such as upward facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana).

P.S.  If you were reading this blog entry in hopes of finding a yoga retreat for a yoga vacation, grab a copy of the November issue of Yoga Journal and read “Great Escapes”.

Simple Meditation

I try my best to sit daily for meditation in my little Arlington, VA home.  I aim for quiet time – free from dog & husband.  I aim to  keep it simple – no Zafu cushion, no fancy mantra or expensive meditation timer.  It’s already challenging enough to simply carve out the time, even if it’s just 5-10 minutes.  So I don’t beat myself up if I can’t gather the luxury meditation tools or sit for 20+ minutes without the dog licking my face.

When I do sit in my quiet space, it’s just my breath and Timex sports watch.  Usually my intention is to simply feel my inhalations (feeling expansion & growth) and exhalations (exploring lightness and freedom).  When that seems repetitive, I move to listening to and equalizing my breath –the rhythm of each inhale, the pace of each exhale.

As simple as I try to keep my mediation practice, it’s often very hard.  Sometimes I drift into unfamiliar thoughts –almost like I’m watching a movie because often I don’t recognize the scene or people.  Frequently like most novice meditators, I drift to my “to do” list.  The best is when I have inspirational moments.  These experiences are usually coupled with the sudden urge to write down my creative ideas, but I resist in an effort not to further distract myself from the moment at hand.  The point is I “drift” almost every time I sit.  I really don’t know how many seconds or minutes go by until I catch myself “drifting”.  Does it matter?  As soon as I catch myself, I do my best to return to the simplicity of hearing and feeling my breath.

One thing I’ve learned over the years that has put me at ease is drifting is human and there are many ways to meditate –walking, sitting, eyes open, eyes closed, chanting mantras, etc.  There isn’t a right or wrong way.  The right way is what works for you.  Just do it and “be” in the moment just as you are.  The wrong way is to skip it all together.

To conclude, keep it simple.  Yes, sometimes the simplicity leaves me feeling nothing which in many ways is the point of meditation.  Other times, I leave my seat with an amazing sense of internal clearing (again feeling “empty”) and a keen awareness that carries me through my day.  The truth is feeling “nothing” is an addictive and healthy feeling.  And the more I sit, the more I want to make the time for it.  I want to continue to keep it simple.  I want to continue to feel “empty”, and I’m okay if my dog wants to lick my face and join me in the process.  Maybe that’s his simple meditation

Tapas

Real change happens when your heart is committed and you’ve dropped the mind’s negative chatter such as I can’t…, I will never be able to…, I should have…, or It’s too late…

If you want it, you can have it –whatever it is.  The key is Tapas. And in many situations, Tapas often relies upon its close friends, patience and optimism.  Tapas is a lot of work but with patience, commitment and a shift in attitude, anything is possible.

Tapas is Sanskrit for discipline.  As the 3^rd Niyama listed in Patanjali’s eight-limbs of yoga, I often think Tapas should be the first.  To fully experience Saucha (cleanliness) and Santosha (contentment), which are the first two Niyamas, mindfulness and full-attention are required.  True discipline (tapas) commands that we are attentive in the moment.

Many times discipline takes months, or even years, of baby steps until we actually reach the top of the mountain.  Discipline asks that we commit to what we are doing in the present time even if it’s uncomfortable or feels risky (i.e., holding Natarajasana 15 breaths or Headstand for five minutes).   As David Swenson said during a Yoga Journal Workshop I took a few years ago “There are fears that keep us alive, and there are fears that keep us from living”.

Getting through the event or achieving the goal that required a committed, disciplined effort, often gives us an energetic rush of confidence and enthusiasm.  The result is we start to realize we really can climb the tallest mountain and do it all!

With the practice of Tapas, our mindset shifts to positive and we feel energetically charged and inspired for what’s to come in life.  This attitude gives us the mantra “anything is possible”.  The key is Tapas.

Things I Want to Share

This posting is simply three great, yet very unrelated, things I’ve stumbled upon over the last week.  I hope you get the same joy out of the randomness of this as I do.  Shanti (Peace).

As I wait for a dear friend (new Mom with baby!) to show up at Busboys & Poets in Arlington, VA, I read… “I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments.  Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”  Dwight D. Eisenhower

MannMadeDesigns.com —I just bought two necklaces from this hip, full-time artist at Art on the Avenue in Del Ray (a hub spot in Alexandria, VA).  I love supporting local artists who are true to their word.  He has a strong vibe and so do his pieces.  Feel it for yourself!

Want to deepen your yoga experience?  Feel overwhelmed every time you pick up a translation of the Yoga Sutras?  I know I usually do!  Sign-up to receive a yoga sutra weekly, delivered to your email.  What better way to learn how to live your yoga daily, one sutra at a time.  Visit AbundantWellBeing.com

Savasana – Live It!

Final rest is what some students can’t wait for in a yoga class – as indicated by the many welcome sighs I often hear.  At least once a week, one of my Washington D.C. or Arlington, VA corporate yoga students will jokingly ask at the beginning of class “can we spend the entire hour in savasana?”

The truth is the blissful feelings generated in corpse pose – peace, joy, ease, lightness – are a result of what we put into our practice.  Really every pose in the asana practice should be about finding bliss and joy.  Ultimately whether we are on the yoga mat, in the office or at the dog park, every moment in our lives is an opportunity to explore ways to have more happiness, tranquility and freedom (or whatever adjective you want to use) as often as possible.

Aparigraha (Sanskrit for “letting go” and one of the primary ethical precepts of yoga) is one of the keys to finding savasana in your yoga practice.  Aparigraha is not just about letting go in your asana flow, but in your life flow.  Egotistic thoughts/actions, tension, worries, judging, anxiety and other stresses of this nature are often the result of thinking things should be a certain way.  Many times we impose a lot of restrictions on ourselves.

In life and asana practice if we just step back and pause (savasana), particularly in the face of conflict/tension, we might just discover that “letting go” is the answer.  The universe flows in mysterious ways – and many times it’s out of our control.  How you respond is always your choice:  flow with it (let go/savasana/forgive) or flow against it (resist/fight/grumble).

In savasana, corpse pose, we are invited to just “be”.  We are not asked to change anything.  We aren’t asked to do anything.  We are simply invited to let go and receive what the moment has to offer.  Being in the moment provides clarity particularly in challenging situations — fight or just be.  Savasana offers a glimpse of being in the flow of life.  And as brief as savasana may be, it is true bliss.  Seize it, enjoy it and learn to find savasana in your daily life!

Sweet Moments

Sweet moments in yoga are often those glimpses of silence within that invite joy, peace and/or lightness.  For me, they are the moments that bring a smile to my heart. This is what often brings us (at least me) back to the mat.

Though usually brief, sweet moments also happen repeatedly throughout our days even when we can’t make it to our yoga mat.  The first sip of morning coffee or hot tea.  Seeing a dear friend you haven’t seen in months.  Catching some time in the afternoon sun even though it might just be enough to get vitamin D. These moments create unexplainable sensations of being connected to our essence and purely being at ease with one’s self.

What brings a smile to your heart?  What lights up your face?  Whatever it is, find ways to bring more sweetness (sukha) into your life.  Then do more of it, even if it’s just a few minutes a day!  We only live once so why not make your life sweet vs. sour (dukha).

“Life is just a series of moments.  If you miss you the moments, you miss your life”  (Robin Sharma).

Teaching Yoga Off the Mat

Often new students in my corporate yoga classes will ask, “Why don’t you do the poses with us?”  They initially grumble stating it would be easier for them to learn if I was on my mat practicing with them as I teach.

The reality is a teacher practicing in front of the class is a visual and mental distraction for students, completely taking them out of their practice and into the teacher’s.  It’s not about watching the teacher.  Asana practice is about getting to know one’s self through self-exploration, self-awareness and self-acceptance.

To start, practicing yoga asana is not about how the poses look; it’s what they feel like.  Teaching by cuing only is a very empowering way for students to discover and feel the poses for themselves.  Learning to experiment with a teacher’s words regardless of what it might look like (i.e. playing with variations in each pose) is a fun way to find what works best for one’s individual body.  Self-exploration is key to a fulfilling asana practice.

Second, yoga is physical, mental and spiritual training for the entire body including the senses; hence by not demonstrating while teaching, students are forced to use their ears.  In turn, this can help students improve their listening skills in all areas of life improving their sense of self-awareness.

Another essential sensory organ (though they all are important) to the asana practice is the eyes.  Every pose has a focal point known as drishti.  Drishti in the asana practice helps keep the student physically in the pose as well as mentally on the mat.  As the external drishti is set (and not on the teacher), the student can then shift their gaze internally, tapping into the sensations of the pose and experimenting deeper.  Setting the eyes to a fixed point will help relax the nervous system, which will relax the student in the pose. Using one’s senses on the yoga mat to remain calm and focused will ultimately benefit them off the mat.

Third, asana practice isn’t about forcing one’s body to look a certain way in a pose.  Related to the first point above, yoga asana is about “feeling” your body and learning to accept yourself just as you are.  I want my students to find and feel their own Crow Pose  (Bakasana) rather than trying to look like me, or a picture in a beautiful yoga book.  Everybody’s body is different, so Bakasana is going to look different for each student.  Self-acceptance is the lesson to be discovered here.

To conclude, it’s empowering for students when they realize they don’t need a visual to do yoga.  Everything they need is already inside of them.  I’m just guiding them on how to access their own personal power through self-exploration, self-awareness and self-acceptance.  And all of this takes self-discipline.

Live from the Heart

Speak from the heart.

Act from the heart.

Communicate from the heart.

Touch from the heart.

Shine from the heart.

Give from the heart.

Receive from the heart.

Live from the heart!

When I use to hear words like love, joy and heart, I immediately thought of someone who was soft, touchy-feely, etc.  Admittedly at one time, I was very “me” centered often putting myself before others.  However on the fiip-side, I had also been living with compassion for others but not necessarily for myself.

There has been a huge shift in me in the last couple of years.  I now have more compassion for myself, which has opened my heart to being completely “other” centered in everything I do.  It’s as if my heart has been cracked open.  And now when I hear the words love, joy and heart, I think of a person who lives with confidence, integrity and laughter.

Why do you keep doing Yoga Teacher Trainings?

If you’re already certified to teach yoga, why do you keep doing more teacher trainings?  Do you learn more advanced poses at these trainings?  Are the other attendees more or less advanced than you?  These are the types of questions I am often confronted with upon returning from a yoga teacher training.

My most recent answer took me even by surprise, let alone inspired my friend to question her career path.  Sure a few new postures are learned but yoga teacher trainings are really about learning more about one’s self, connecting with other teachers and gaining inspiration.  All of this happens by being challenged to answer hard questions, hold postures longer than I ever would want to and take a good look at my life and what’s holding me back from being bigger and better.  As I told my friend, if I’m not challenged, how can I challenge my students?  If I live in fear, I teach in fear.  If I don’t live from an authentic space –truly being who I am and capable of being –how can I expect my students to discover themselves?

Yoga is so much more than the physical postures.  My new definition of yoga:  Yoga is an adventurous process of self-discovery in which faith and curiosity rule vs. fear and status quo.  Whether it is riding my mountain bike down rock-covered hills and up tree-rooted dirt, skiing downhill, speaking in front of a large group or falling flat on my face in the middle of yoga class as I attempt a challenging arm balance, “keep the faith” and “I can do it” are now my new way of being.  With faith, grace inevitably shows up and soon enough fear is no longer a concern.  With faith and passion bursting from within, the “fear” ghost from my past is now fearful of the new me.

So how was Level II?  Why do I keep doing these trainings?  If you need more, let me know.  The simple answer is, Baron Baptiste’s Journey Into Power Level 2 Teacher Training in Montana ROCKED!  I can’t wait to go back for more.  In the meantime, I will live life and teach yoga like a ROCKSTAR!

How was Montana?

I have now been back for over a month from my 8-day yoga teacher training in Montana and continued to be ask “How was Montana?”  While others ask “Why do you keep doing more teacher trainings?”  Though it feels like so long ago, it was such an amazing experience that I still light up like a bright star when speaking about it.

As some of you may know from a previous blog post, I went to Montana the beginning of July for a Baron Baptiste Level II yoga teacher training.  One word wraps up the mountain-view & ranch (Feathered Pipe Ranch), training, my fellow attendees, Baron and his staff — AWESOME!  It was an experience I will never forget, from start to finish.  And the best part is I left D.C. (my home) with a bag full of fear and anxiety, and returned home with courage, passion and a new curiosity for life.

The thing I feared the most going into it was getting up in front of the group, teaching (in front of 50+ teachers) and receiving feedback.  It turned out to be nothing to fear.  In fact, my teaching stint lasted less than 1-2 minutes – for the entire week!  The fear I had was a tsunami was going to swallow me up (in the words of Naimi) and the reality is it simply felt like an 8-foot wave knocked me a round a tad.  Coming from a Delaware girl who has always had a huge fear of ocean waves, it really wasn’t much.  In fact, I need to plunge into those DE waves – minus the jelly-fish.  Hmmm…sounds like another fear is creeping in : )

The fear and story I created in my head around “doing it” was so much more nerve-racking than actually being in the moment and living it.  That’s how fear works; it’s like an ugly shadow that never leaves you until you have the confidence to turn around and face it.  In fact one of my new mantras from Level II is “have more faith than fear”.

To see the answer to the question about “why do you continue to do yoga teacher trainings”, you’ll have to read my next blog post.