Daily Yoga Tools

One of my corporate yoga clients recently invited me to their daily morning meeting to introduce the entire office to yoga.  I was given 2-4 minutes to do my yoga spiel.  My mind was cluttered with “what to do” given there is so much to yoga – philosophy, history, asana, meditation, ethical principles, pranayama, etc.  Keep in mind everyone is in business suits and dress shoes –neither being conducive to a true yoga experience.

Sticking with one of my personal mantras “simplicity is key” I thought what are two yoga tools everyone can practice daily without stepping on a yoga mat?  Breathing and standing tall (Tadasana).

By becoming more conscious of breath and aware of posture, you can slowly start to ease your body of unnecessary tension and create space in your mind so you’re more able to take on whatever your day throws your way.  Take a breath in and out before responding in a heated discussion.  Rather than getting impatient as you stand in line for your morning coffee, practice breathing techniques (those appropriate for the general public) and standing tall.  Stuck in traffic?  Practice sitting tall and again, tap into the energy of your breath to calm your mind and comfort your body.

The stresses of life are always going to exist, but you’re in control of how you react.  One of my favorite quotes says it all “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”.

Stay

Part of what yoga asana and meditation teaches us is to sit in the middle of challenge rather than run away.  More often than not, it’s hard to stay and face the ugliness and a lot easier just to turn our back and walk out.

More than once, I’ve taken a yoga class where I truly wanted to walk out simply because I didn’t like the style and/or teacher.  What I’ve realized by staying put on my mat and suffering through those practices, I can always learn something if I’m just willing to stay and be open to receiving.

This blog entry is based off of a recent yoga class experience I attended in D.C. and the original teacher (Seane Corn) wasn’t feeling well so she couldn’t teach the class.  A sub stepped in.  The student next to me (who is also a yoga teacher) picked up and left in the middle of class because the substitute teacher wasn’t her style.  When she left, she immediately went to take class at the studio where we normally practice.  So this thought crossed my mind…if we continue to run back to what’s comforting rather than suffer through something that isn’t quite what we signed up for, how do we ever learn anything new?  How would we grow?

Usually what we don’t like in someone or something is part of our own internal dark spots – something we don’t like or fear to face in ourselves.  The work is in staying in the midst of the situation and being willing to face our shadows so we can move through the dark and ultimately, see the light within.  As new age as this may sound, I believe it’s true.

Point being, there is a lesson to be learned in everything and if we’re not present we miss it.   More importantly, we miss an opportunity for internal growth.  Next time you want to walk out, challenge yourself to stay and simply see what happens.

Yoga Day USA

Yoga Day USA, created by the Yoga Alliance, is on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009.  Yogis of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to participate in this annual event.

Where?  In the spirit of karma yoga (service-based yoga), yoga teachers throughout the United States will offer free or discounted yoga classes in honor of Yoga Day USA.  Click here for a karma yoga class or workshop in your area.  Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any participating studios listed in Washington, D.C., Arlington or Alexandria, VA this year.

Why Yoga Day?  Bonding nationally under the Yoga Day USA banner name, participating studios and teachers throughout the country will reach out to those new to yoga and existing yogis with the intention of building a stronger sense of community.  Many also use the funds raised to support a local nonprofit(s).

Don’t miss out!  Plan to unroll your yoga mat on Jan 24 to show your support for this karma yoga event.

For more information about the Yoga Alliance, the international association for professional yoga teachers and schools please visit www.yogaalliance.org.

Change. Hope. Inspire.

Dream. Faith. Transform. These are all meaningful words that have been used repeatedly since Obama was elected in November 2008.  They are also words that require action in order to be realized.

Over the weekend I made a commitment to participate in a “40 Day to Personal Revolution” program. For those familiar with Baron Baptiste, you may know this is one of his programs geared towards self-acceptance, personal growth and transformation. I suspect it will challenge me to create a new way of living, prioritizing and ultimately, a new way of being.

As I think about the 40 day challenge, and much like yoga, I understand it’s a process – a process I will need to engage in fully in order to experience results. It’s not up to anyone else; it’s up to me. By participating and doing the hard work, I am bound to discover changes beyond my imagination.

On the eve of the biggest Presidential Inauguration in history, I think about the similarities in a 40 day program and the promise of transformation the new President offers. President-elect Obama in particular, offers hope, positive change and inspiration for living much like a personal revolution program does. But he can’t do it alone. In order for change to happen, individuals (a.k.a. American citizens) must step up and participate in the process.

I’m sure many feel that by attending the DC events tomorrow they are doing their part to celebrate. Beyond Tuesday 1/20, will people continue to be involved? Will people continue to seek unity vs. living in separation? Will people want to do the work required for real change to happen? And I wonder, what actions will I take to help move America forward?

As Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

What is Yoga?

My very simplified, yet realistic, view of this deep and ancient philosophy is yoga is an experience that each individual has to find for him/herself. Yoga is about learning about oneself, on and off the mat. In order to learn and experience, one must be open to exploring even if it means being a little uncomfortable.

To experience the beauty that yoga offers one must be receptive and committed to the learning process. Yoga is a lifelong learning process. Even once you think you’ve found your spirit and you’re living from your heart, you’ll realize there’s more within to be discovered. You’ll crave more.  You’ll crave the process.

I’ve been told that unless you’ve been practicing yoga for 15-20 years you’re still a beginner. Though I believe the beginner mindset for a true yogi continues to exist even if one has been practicing yoga 50 years. There is always something new to learn on and off your yoga mat. Usually the new piece of information you learn (whether it’s an asana, sutra or a news event) changes how you viewed the prior information or pose you once knew. When you start to experiment and play with the new and the old, existing feelings, sensations and thoughts are impacted and new ones are created. There’s always a cause and effect. This is the appeal of yoga. This is life.

Like life, yoga is an evolutionary process. It’s a process full of choices. I encourage all my students to explore a multitude of options: try different yoga styles, teachers, environments (home, studio, outside, office, etc.), poses, amplifications and modifications.  Try a private yoga class in your home and/or attend a group yoga class at a new yoga studio. These are all options in which a choice much be made.  The choices one selects create the experience. Through experimenting and patience, one will experience the beauty of yoga and find that there is no end.  Wishinng you all eternal bliss in your yoga journey.

Experiences Shape You

Don’t resist the bad days of your life.  Invite both the bad and the good with open arms, eyes and more importantly, an open mind.  By doing so, you start to flow with life rather than struggle against it.  Trust your experiences are just that “yours”.  By learning to accept your experiences as they are, humility and compassion are born.

Life is full of ups and downs.  In the middle of it all, there is always a reason for what is happening – it just might not be obvious at the time.  Don’t wait for an answer to the question “why?”.  Continue to live and embrace the changes as they are happening.  Know the ups and downs are simply part of the tapestry of your life.  And the answer will appear when the time is right.

A patchwork quilt has beautiful sections and not so pretty areas.  A forest consist of strong, big trees as well as branchless trees.   It’s the individual trees and quilt sections that shape and give character to the forest and quilt, respectively.

Embrace the good and the bad.  Both are part of your life experiences that ultimately make you healthy, strong and human.

Power of BEING

Being you equals being perfect.  Often I hear and read, “no one is perfect”.  According to who’s/what standards, I wonder.

Instead of believing you are not perfect, or worse trying to be something you are not (i.e. your idea of perfection), can you just be you?  Can you accept yourself and live from there?  It sounds simple, but for many it’s hard to do and accept.

We each have unique talents, abilities, smiles, bodies, minds, etc. that define us as individuals.  Can you enjoy being yourself and live from your individuality?  I’m not suggesting remain stagnant.  The idea is to work with what you have –pursue and develop your talents, explore yourself, find ways to enhance yourself – so you can shine; so you can grow.  When you shine, others shine.

Drop the ideals of perfection and start living your life with conviction, just as you are.  There’s a lot of peace, joy and power in simply being (you) vs. trying to live up to someone else’s expectations.  Ignore the naysayers –those who tell you “you can’t”, “you won’t do this because”,  and “you shouldn’t”.  Don’t let their unhappiness and/or ignorance of what makes you shine, hold you back.  Be yourself and learn how to grow from there.

Start by simply believing you are perfect just as you are.  Be open to possibilities of becoming something greater than you are today.  Be open to learning, growing and changing as you start being you.  As the Army says “Be All That You Can Be”.

Being you is truly living and shining from the heart.  Think how bright the world would be if everyone shined.