#365Yoga Day 31

WOW....where did January go?!  I blinked and missed it.  I can't believe I only have two months left in my training.  I'm so looking forward to these last two sessions because I know I will be challenged.  We have done little practice teaching and I'm afraid she's going to make these six days nothing but that.  And that's good!  I believe it's important to do something you fear every day.  It takes you out of your comfort zone and shows you that you are probably better than you give yourself credit.  And who doesn't need to feel a little bit better about themselves?  I could certainly do with some more positive reinforcement.

My goal for this week is less time at the gym and more time on the mat.  True to my word I have now practiced 8 days in a row.  Tomorrow I hope to do an hour practice and then on Wednesday visit the studio for an Iyengar 2 class.

Enjoy your last day of January.
Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 30 - Wisdom

We must make good use of this life for the time that we have left, This brief flash of light, like the sun appearing through the clouds.

Kalu Rinpoche

#365Yoga Day 29 - Holy Tadasana!

Yea me!  Yep I'm giving myself another pat on the back.  I attended an awesome Flow 2 class this morning and I rocked several Pincha Mayurasanas.  And a funny thing happened during class.  We partnered up to do some prep for the pose and I found myself (without really meaning to!) correcting everything I saw this person doing wrong.  Holy Tadasana!  Has the training finally sunk in?  Am I finally picking up what my teacher has been putting down for the past five months?  I think so!  And it felt good.  It felt natural.  Maybe I should start to consider teaching as an option and stop looking at this experience as nothing more than personal development.

I hope your Saturday is a good one!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 28

I ask myself why we do not practice,

just for those few moments of time in which death has lent us our bodies

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

#365Yoga Day 27 - Intent

Well I'm off to a good start towards my 21-day dedication to practicing daily.  Though it wasn't much (my body wasn't asking for much today) I did several nice flows and feel satisfied and centered.  When I sat down on the mat today my intention was to just be there.  Be there and not worry about the dirty dishes in the sink or the teaching script I have to write for Urdhva Dhanurasana.  Just be there on my mat and listen to what my body was telling me and move to that.  It worked.

What was your intention today?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 26 - The art of yoga

Happy day 26!

Though I never felt like I truly woke up today (yes, I was as tired at 4pm as I was at 5am) I did make it out in the snow to go to an Iyengar class tonight.  How's that for dedication?!  I love this teacher.  She makes you work for it.  And I can always trust that I'm doing it right because man if I'm not she's on me like white on rice!  And I dig that.  So why don't I go more?  Yea, that's a question I need to seriously address.  And Judith's entry today is pushing it home.  I should make that kind of commitment to my practice that I see Myra every Wednesday and then she won't have to keep telling me to take my tailbone to my heels because it will become my new habit!

I think it's been said that doing something for 21 days straight makes it a habit.  I assume that was part of Judith's point in today's entry.  By creating that kind of discipline it will become a habit and then you'll need yoga just like you need food.  The work is in doing it of course.  It sounds super easy when I type it here, but boy when I feel like I did this afternoon (hit by a truck) it's a real struggle to get on the mat.  I think I'm off to a good start though!

Have you decided to take Judith's challenge?  I'd love to know!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 25

Well I want to first congratulate myself for getting on the mat this morning before work.  It wasn’t much, just a few sun salutations, but I believe a little yoga can go a long way.   And instead of pushing myself into chaturanga at 6:15am I decided to try a new approach (for me!) and do some baby cobras.  My body thanked me.  It’s amazing when you finally quiet the mind and listen to the body.  It is obvious that I have not been doing a good job at this.  I guess I felt that I could push through discomfort and that I would certainly be better off for it.  Not true.  I have done more damage physically and mentally with that mind-set.  I think this morning was a testament that I can feel just as good with baby cobras as I can with full-on chaturangas.  

Does it count as meditation if you do it on the massage table?  I had the most amazing massage tonight.  My masseuse is so knowledgeable and so willing to share that knowledge my sessions are almost like anatomy lessons.  I learned that my new year's weight training intention is freaking out my shoulders and quads.  Hmmm....maybe this is another lesson in listening to my body when it asks me to please stop lifting that damn weight!!

What nice things have you done for your body lately?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 24 - Perfect as is!

Today Judith wants us to write down the three most common thoughts we have about how we should fix ourselves.  Just three?!  Okay, here it goes:

1.  Lose weight
2.  Be more driven
3.  Relax

I honestly think that these thoughts cross my mind at least a dozen times a day.  Not a very good use of my time is it?  According to my recent health assessment I am exactly where I should be in terms of my weight; I recently completed some certification and got a new job as a result of this new-found knowledge; and I can see positive changes in how I deal with stress on a daily basis.  So what's the big deal!?  I guess my deal is that I can't be happy right here, right now.  But I'm constantly looking for the next thing; another job, one pant size smaller, samadhi.  There is so much to be grateful for!  I think to counterbalance Judith's list I am going to take time tonight to write three things that I'm grateful for.  How about you?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 23 - Sweet Sunday

After a crazy Saturday I was in great need of a quiet Sunday.  And I had one!  My day started with a nice self-guided practice that lead up to Ustrasana.  It was super yummy since my asana practice has been kind of light as of late (okay probably closer to non-existent).  Then I did some much needed loving kindness meditation to balance everything out  The day just flowed after that.  I am slowly learning that I can truly change the feel of my day by practicing first thing in the morning.  I need to spend some time pondering how I can squeeze in a practice when I need to be at work by 7:30am.

I have this wonderful book called Offerings:  Buddhist wisdom for every day.  Today's entry is by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:  "On the day that you were born, you began to die.  Do not waste a single moment more!

Namaste'

#365Yoga - Day 22 Calm in the midst of Chaos

Today was a whirlwind of activity.  I hit DC to visit the Smithsonian, went downtown to do some shopping and then headed to Fairfax for some yummy Korean food.  I'm exhausted!  Despite being physically tired my mind is actually calm after all of that activity.  Usually I am very susceptible to over-stimulation and get frazzled easily.  So being bombarded with a trillion people in the museums, on the streets and in the stores normally makes me want to crawl into the corner and hide.  Not today.  Maybe it's my meditation practice or my time on the mat, but I was as cool as a cucumber in the midst of the craziness.  What a nice change. 

I hope you had a calm day 22!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 21 - Letting in the Sun

TGIF - who else is thrilled that Friday has finally arrived?!  Whew- that was my first thought this morning when I woke up.

Today Judith asked us to be with what is. She suggested looking out the window while we breathed in the now.  Well I had the good fortune of training with someone this afternoon who has a cube next to a window.  So while she was rambling on (and I should have been listening) I tilted my head back, closed my eyes and soaked in the sun. But it wasn't that easy to stay in the now as Judith requested.  I was immediately transported away to some Greek Island where the water and the sky are the same color.  In the next nano second I had created this entire fantasy world for myself that could be mine if I ever actually bought a lottery ticket!  But alas, Lisa said something that penetrated my dream world and I opened my eyes to find cube kingdom again.  Cube kingdom certainly isn't a Greek Island, but I spent the rest of my afternoon reminding myself how lucky I was to be right there, right now and not looking for a job or worrying about having enough money to buy food.  It seems I took the long way around to get Judith's point, but I think I finally got it.

Namaste'  

#365Yoga Day 20 - Meditations

AMENDS

Make it a rule of life never to regret and never look back.  Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it is good only for wallowing in.


Katherine Mansfield
Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much

#365Yoga Day 19 - Thoughts

Happy Day 19!

Judith’s entry for today was to write down five recurring thoughts.  Wow…..just five?!  This week my brain is in overdrive and I’m having a terrible time getting focused, but here it goes.

1.       I don’t want to……

2.       I wish that…..

3.       Crap!

4.       I’m not living the life I dream of…..

5.       Why?!

Numbers 1, 2 and 5 make me feel like a whiney 3 year-old.   Number 4 makes me a little depressed and 3 speaks for itself.  So what can I take from this?  Obviously I am having a tough time working in a cube and most days I find it difficult to take a deep breath because I’m a bit grumpy about my situation.  I have a card on my cube wall that is a quote from the Buddha  - Be happiness itself.   I'm trying Big Guy!  Doing this practice today made me realize just how often I do allow myself to be pulled away, and by negative thoughts nonetheless.  So tomorrow is a new day and I vow to be more positive and grateful!  I'm ending today with a yummy hip opening sequence and some time on the cushion.

I hope you had an enjoyable day 19!

Peace-

#365Yoga Day 18 - Right Now!

Right here - Right now.  Trying to follow those four simple words proved to be the hardest thing I did all day.  My mind was crazy out of control.  I had a tough time brushing my teeth without losing track of what the heck I was doing.  And don't get me started on my meditation practice because that was just painful!

I finished a great article in the recent Yoga Journal this morning that said that thoughts during meditation were okay as long as you didn't get swept away with every passing story line.  Remembering that I tried not to get down on myself when I slipped away to re-live some past conversation or imagined some future event today.  I would just recognize that I lost track and come back to sitting at the stop light or waiting for my lunch to heat up.  Being present is tough business!!

How did you do with being right here, right now?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 17

A quiet day that actually didn't offer me an opportunity to practice Judith's advice to address problems by being present.  I didn't have any problems today!  The day simply flowed.  Maybe because I'm still buzzing from my yoga high I emitted such positive energy that all negativity dropped away.  At any rate I'm thankful for such a pleasant and easy day.

I hope you had a problem-free Monday too!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 16 - Sweet Savasana

I've come to the conclusion that the sweetest savasana is on the Sunday of a teacher training weekend.  I literally melt through the mat and onto the floor!!  Today was no exception.  Our instructor took us through a beginner's class this morning and it was surprisingly difficult.  It taught me that Beginner does not translate into Easy!

I really enjoyed this weekend's training.  This is by far the best I've felt after the three day practice.  I am not sore nor am I overly tired.  I think it helped that I didn't push myself and that I went to bed super early every night!

Judith's entry for today states that yoga doesn't solve our problems.  Though I agree with that statement I do feel that yoga goes a long way to helping us address our problems from a place of peace and equanimity.  By incorporating the tools of yoga into our daily lives I believe only good can result.  With a calm body and mind we are better able to "respond" rather than "react" when problems arise.

How has yoga helped you deal with your problems?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 15 - Holy Urdhva Dhanurasana!

WOW - an intense practice today with our peak pose being Urdhva Dhanurasana.  All in all I think I did pretty well.  My left shoulder continues to be a problem, but I listened to my body and stopped when I'd gone far enough.  And again I'm feeling great this evening and don't need any Aleve!  The afternoon focused on sequencing and that was very interesting and showed that there's so much to consider when putting together a class.  I really enjoyed that!

Judith's entry today was to feel what you're feeling.  I kept that in the forefront of my mind when I was going through the practice and it helped keep me present.  It was interesting to just recognize and be with my aversion to Parivrtta Parsvakonasana!

Tomorrow we're going to work on teaching beginners.  I'm thinking it's time she gets us in front of the whole class to teach.  UGH!!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 14 - Ustrasana

January Teacher Training Day 1 - Ustrasana

A great day.  After 5 months I'm finally getting the hang of this and not pushing myself to the point of exhaustion and pain when we have these 10 hour days with a 3-4 hour practice to start.  I think reading and taking Judith's entry to heart this morning really helped.  I truly focused on her words:  I will move at the speed of my body, not my brain.  That was HUGE for me today since I don't have a regular practice in Ustrasana.  When I started to push myself too far and felt my muscles protest I eased off and I'm reaping the rewards now - no Aleve needed!  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  We're learning/practicing Urdhva Dhanurasana.

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy day 14.

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 13 - The Infinite and Cube World

Today Judith's entry is Honor yourself as part of the Infinite.  Her suggestion is to close your eyes and imagine that you are part of all that is around you.  Well I did that while I was sitting in my cube and realized that life in my work space is lacking positive and creative energy.  What I came away feeling was confined and dull.  I tried again later in the afternoon and took my attention beyond the walls of my office and out into the rest of the world.  That helped tremendously!!

Tomorrow starts my 5th teacher training weekend.  Am I ready?  I will be tomorrow after a good nine hours of sleep.  I feel pretty pumped since my instructor returned my homework on Wednesday saying I'd done a "fantastic job!"  Maybe I'm not so bad at this.

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 12 - Loving-Kindness

I got a book in the mail yesterday that I'm hoping will help take my meditation practice a bit deeper.  It's called The Gift of Loving-Kindness. I read the first fifty pages last night and today I started with the first section which is focused on being your own friend.  The practice is to repeat the following phrases while you sit:

May I be kind to myself
May I rest in this moment
May I be at ease
May I be happy

20 minutes of this and I feel amazing.  I love the idea of loving myself.  I honestly don't do that enough and think that my life would be better if I did.

How did you love yourself today?

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 11 - Respect Yourself

Respecting yourself sounds like an easy job, right?  Wrong.  At least for me.  There are many days, like today, that I don't give my body decent food to eat or treat it kindly on the yoga mat.  According to Judy I need to treat my body as I would treat hers.  Well I certainly have some work to do in that area!  And I also believe this doesn't just include how we physically treat the body, but also how we think about the body.  I am often critical of what I consider my shortcomings.  That doesn't serve me.  I am in the healthcare industry and I am confronted daily with other people's illnesses and disease.  I am fortunate to be very healthy and need to remember that when I'm criticizing my left hamstring for being tight and not allowing me to do a full foward bend!  Alas....more to practice!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 10 - Work as Meditation

I feel like a new person today!  I stopped pushing myself last night and went to bed early.  It worked!

Today was a practice in patience for me.  Have you ever been in a meeting or on a conference call that has less than 1% to do with you?  Well I had that experience this morning for about an hour and a half.  I was stuck in a conference room with both of my bosses and a dozen co-workers.  Once I realized I was in for the long haul I decided to make the most of it and meditate.  I started to practice my mantra "So Hum" and was doing great until the lady next to me started to ask me questions.  Not exactly questions, but more like comments that said I know more than they do.  Right there my patience was tweaked.  I'm all about trying to be positive and upbeat, but I can only stroke your ego for so long.  I caught myself getting mifted because she was seriously messing with my Zen (or was she?) and then I stopped and took a step back.  This was the practice.  Yes repeating the mantra was my practice as well, but so was letting go of my aversion to her.  So each time she turned to say something to me I flashed a smile and sent her loving-kindness.  It seriously worked!!

I believe variety is the key to life and a consistent yoga practice. I signed up for Yoga Journal's 21-Day Yoga Challenge and did their Fun Flow Practice with Elise Lorimer today.  The practice was good, but be warned...they say it's 45 minutes but it's really just 38.  

I hope your 10th day of the new year was a good one and you were able to practice patience and loving-kindness.  I truly believe it makes the world a better place.

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 9 - Sunday Slump

A not so hot day 9 of the new year.  Feeling a little icky with a sore throat and a headache.  I'm hoping this is a one day deal and not something that is going to get worse.  With teacher training just 5 short days away I really don't have time (is there ever really a good time to be sick?!) to feel funky.  With that said I will not dwell on it but take that energy to meditate and take care of myself.

I was de-cluttering last night and came across this great quote:  If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry.  If it's not fixable,, then there is no help in worrying.  There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.  I love that because I can easily get caught up in a vicious worrying cycle that just drains me.  I should have this tattooed somewhere on my body!

Here's to a week of no worries and feeling good!

Namaste'

#365Yoga Day 8 - Happy Hips Day 2

What an amazing practice this morning!  It was just myself and another teacher-in-training for the 9:30 Flow class which worked out wonderfully because the class was geared just for us.  And can you guess what I wanted to work on.....if you said hip openers you get the prize!!  So it was 90 minutes of sweet hip opening topped off with a nice round of Adho Mukha Vrksasana.  Great fun!

My written homework is complete for next week so now it's time to buckle down and learn the asana points for several backbends.  I'm a bit of an overachiever so I can't wait till the last minute to study.

I hope everyone's 8th day of the new year is going well.  How have you spent it?

Namaste'

#365yoga Day 7 - Happy Hips

Happy Friday!

A very good day for many reasons.  One of the best things was a great hip opening practice.  I carry all of my stress and tension in my hips so my practices can either be very stiff and somewhat painful or opening.  Today was an opening day.  And after a week of sitting hunched over my computer in cubeland it was much needed!

Tomorrow will start with a wonderful Flow 2 class and hopefully end with reviewing twists and simple backbends in preparation for next week's quiz.

I hope everyone had a great first week of 2011!

Namaste'

Day 6 of Living My Yoga

Today has been a bit busy and I've been trying to ignore a sore throat on top of it all.  I think my smile has been upside down all day.  Not good!  On more than one occasion I've had to stop myself and realize that most of what was bothering me (except for the sore throat) was just mind stuff.  Mind stuff that wasn't serving me and actually getting in the way.  My solution was an extra long sit on the cushion.  That did wonders to bring me back to the present and to see that sore throat or not, I have so much to be grateful for!

The more I practice yoga the easier it becomes for me to find my way out of a nasty funk!  I love that!

Namaste'

That Darn Dhanurasana – Day 5

Countdown to next teacher training weekend – 9 days.

Between now and Saturday, however, I need to crank out a rocking sequence peaking with that Darn Dhanurasana.  Sounds simple, but I’ve hit the wall.  I’m stuck on the first pose – Virasana.  *SIGH*  It’s obvious, after some consideration, that my problem is rooted in my aversion (can you say Sutra 2.8) to the pose!  I know the component parts and the preparatory poses so what’s the big deal?  It seems my “deal” is that I just don’t like this pose and I’m allowing my dislike to overshadow my ability to do my assignment.  Boo hiss!  Obviously part of my practice for today is taming my ego and finding the sweet spot that is Dhanurasana!

I do plan to end my day doing something that I love (thank you Judith!).  I am going to soak in a nice hot tub and read my novel and let the day's troubles wash away.

Namaste’

365 Days of Yoga

Just what the doctor ordered!

I've just signed on to join a group of yogis/yoginis on their journey to practice yoga 365 days straight. Several folks will be using the wonderful book by Judith Lasater, A Year of Living Your Yoga, as a source of inspiration as they travel the path.  A perfect excuse for me to run out and buy the book!

I can't wait to see what unfolds.  I'm excited to be a part of a community of like-minded people.

Let the fun begin!
Namaste'

A True Yogi

It has taken me some time to understand that my Western definition of a yogi is not entirely accurate.  The more I read yoga philosophy the more I realize that there's so much more to yoga than just doing Sirsasana.  As Westerners we are bombarded with images of perfect people doing perfect poses.  Obviously these are true yogis, right?  Maybe not.  Certainly not according to The Bhagavad Gita.  I just started Chapter 6, Practice of Meditation, and I wanted to share what Eknath Easwaran had to say in his introduction to this Chapter.

For yogi literally means "one who is accomplished in yoga," and yoga means "integration of the spirit." In this sense, yoga means wholeness or the process of becoming whole at the deepest spiritual level.  The word yoga is also often used as a synonym for raja yoga, the practice of meditation as taught by Patanjali; for meditation is the direct means of becoming integrated, united with one's truest, deepest Self.  Thus a yogi, among other things, is a person who is an adept at meditation.

So doing the perfect pose in the perfect yoga clothes from Lululemon isn't exactly necessary for me to call myself a yogi.  What a relief because I'm far from perfecting any pose and I can't afford Lululemon's clothes!    

Selfless service with detachment to the outcome and total surrender to God is the ticket!  And getting your butt on the meditation cushion.  

I just listed some intentions for 2011.  I certainly think working on the above will keep me busy for the next 12 months.

Namaste'