Headstand: a lesson in patience

Headstand is like the grandpappy of inversions.  Unlike the 5-year old exuberance of handstand, or the slightly more moderated enthusiasm of forearm stand, headstand evokes a deep seated patience and – dare I say – necessary dignity in the practitioner.

Kicking up into headstand is a big ol’ no-no, primarily because the head is rooted into the floor and any instability in the body can translate into torquing of the delicate cervical spine.  Unlike other inversions (where we can willy-nilly get ourselves up there without too much of a problem), handstand requires us to move slowly from a deep connection to our core.   Without momentum, how do we safely get up into the darn thing?

Well, the point is, maybe we won’t.  Maybe not today.  But by calling upon our reserves of patience and a deeply felt commitment to process, we can eventually find our way into a headstand that is light, stable, and sustainable.

Step 1: Set the foundation

If this pose is new to you, practice at the wall until you find your inverted center.  Interlace your hands up to the webbing and tuck your bottom pinky in so that the foundation is flat.  Keep a small space in the center of your hands so that the bones of your arms creates a straight line through your to your knuckles.  Place your elbows directly beneath your shoulders.  Look at your wrists.  See how you can roll them in and out?  Instead, position the wrist so that the inner wrist is stacked directly onto the outer wrist.

Place the top of your head on the floor between your hands and pause to make sure that you are really on the plumb line top of your head.  Your chin should be level with the floor and the natural curve of your cervical spine should be maintained.

Step 2: Cultivate stability

Lift your shoulderblades away from your ears and hug the scapulae onto your back.  Press down firmly into your forearms as you curl your toes under and lift your hips. Press into your forearms to de-weight your head, and make sure that you can lighten the burden on your neck by using the strength of your shoulder girdle.

From here, walk your feet towards your arms, continuing to lift your shoulder blades into the back of your body.  Press down through your forearms and lift your hips high into the air.

Step 3: Taking flight

Pressing into your forearms, draw one knee into your chest.  Hug your knee in towards your face until your hips move past your shoulders and you can de-weight your other toes.  This is not time for jumping.  Practice finding the subtle lifting and gathering of your core that you need to stabilize your center and give your legs freedom.  Often this step is the one requiring the most patience, so take your time so that you can organically find the opening and stability that you need to unearth your feet.

Once you have found lightness in both legs, bring both feet to the wall above you and slide your feet up.  Press down firmly into your forearms so that your neck can continue to be spacious.  Breathe smoothly and calmly.  When you are ready, come out the way that you came in.  Slide your feet down the wall, then very slowly bring one foot at a time back to the floor.

Component Parts:

  • Hamstrings
  • Upper arms: flexion and external rotation
  • Scapular stabilization
  • Core
  • Midline/Neutral legs

When preparing the body for headstand, consider the benefits of some of the following poses:

  • Standing twists (Scapular stabilization; midline/neutral legs)
  • Small backbends (Scapular stabilization; midline/neutral legs)
  • Prasarita Padottanasana (Hamstrings; midline/ neutral legs) with or without a twist
  • Crescent with a backbend (Midline/neutral legs; scapular stabilization; arms)
  • Gomukhasana arms (Flexion and external rotation of upper arm)
  • Dolphin: an excellent preparation and modification of headstand.  Practitioners should practice dolphin until they have enough scapular stability and upper body strength to hold the pose for a minute.

Happy Inverting!

 

Why everyone should do a yoga teacher training


By Rachel Scott
From YYoga’s blog

You catch sight of it out of the corner of your eye. There’s a perky little splash of red on one of the YYoga Events Boards. You look closer. It’s the announcement for an information session for the upcoming 200-hour teacher training.

Something inside of you starts buzzing. Teacher training, hmmmm… It sounds kind of intriguing. Imagine spending 200-hours really exploring your yoga practice, finding out more about yoga and figuring out how to really do those darn poses. And you know, it would be great to learn how people get that floaty thing happening when they jump forward….

But no, you squelch the feeling. Teacher training is not for you! What were you thinking? You scoff. Teacher training is for people who absolutely want to be teachers. Teacher training is for students who can put their foot behind their head or do a one-handed handstand. Or at very least, surely teacher training is for people who don’t have tight hamstrings. Right?

Wrong.

Teacher training is just about the only place where you can take a solid chunk of time and completely invest in your own personal yoga practice. Ever wondered how to take your Warrior II to the next stage? The answers are in Teacher Training. Are you curious about how exactly it is that people get up into handstand anyway? Take a teacher training. Want to know more about pranayama? Teacher training. Have you ever wondered just how the heck yoga came about? You got it: Teacher Training.

There is simply no other forum for taking such a deep dive into yoga. Asana, philosophy, anatomy, history, subtle body…all this and more is covered in teacher training while teachers go over your personal practice with a fine-toothed comb (and perhaps kick your butt a little). And while you’re at it, how about some personal transformation to boot? Not bad for just 200 hours.

Top Ten Reasons to Take a Teacher Training:

1. Get a supercharged yoga practice. You think your alignment is good now? Wait until we get our hands on you.

2. Learn the “why” behind the “what” in asana by learning anatomy. Why do yoga teachers say the things they say? How can you make your own practice safer, more effective, and more functional? The answers lie in applying anatomy to yoga. What you learn in your anatomy sessions will serve you in all physical areas of your life.

3. Make friends. The YYoga community is an amazingly welcoming place as it is, but just imagine being in an intensive with a crew of cool, like-minded travelers. Deepen your connection with YYoga, the students, and our teachers.

4. You want to learn more about the “juicy” stuff. Take the time to explore pranayama, meditation, and the subtle body in a way that’s not possible in a regular class.

5. Ask your questions. Have an itch to know something? Wondering how we do that thing? Trying to figure out that pose? Here’s your opportunity to get your questions answered.

6. Explore philosophy. Where does yoga really come from and why did it start? How can I be happier? If you like mulling on the deeper questions of life, you’ll love taking forays into yoga philosophy. You’ll be surprised by how little we’ve changed in 2000 years.

7. Speak in Public. We know you may hate it. Here’s your chance to get over it.

8. Take time for you. Take a breather from daily life. Give yourself the time to get reacquainted with who you really are, while investing in your health and growth.

9. You love yoga. Has yoga made you happier? Healthier? Learn more about your passion.

10. Learn to teach. Sure, we’ve even got stuff in here on how to teach yoga to students, should you choose that path. Learn to share your passion effectively, safely, and dynamically with your students.

When I took my first 200-hour training, I actually had no intention of becoming a teacher; I was simply hungry to know more about something I loved. So what are you waiting for? Dive in. Invest in yourself.

But be warned: yoga insight can become addictive.

Sutra II.i chants by Rachel

This chant is inspired by my intrepid teacher trainees up here in Whistler, who asked me to figure out a chant to the first sutra of the second pada of Patanjali’s yoga sutras. (For those unfamiliar, the Yoga Sutras are a 2,000 year old text with tons of good tidbit on how to make your mind less crazy. It’s good stuff.)

This sutra has a special place in my heart. Roughly translated, it means that yoga in action has three parts: 1. willingness to endure intensity for the sake of transformation (tapas), 2. self-study (svadyaya), and 3. surrendering it all back to the big ol’ Cosmic Spirit (Isvara Pranidhanani). It reminds me of the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the strength to change the things I must, and the wisdom to know the difference. Sutra II-i Another a capella version: Sutra II-i a capella

Feel more. Do less.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking a therapeutics training with Susi Hately Aldous.  On the basis of that training, I want to propose a crazy idea.

Work less.

Rather than working our way into poses that “look right,” how about we invite your bodies into pure movement…and leave it at that? For example, in Warrior 2, we tend to set our hips up, line up our knee over our front ankle, then take a twist in order to face our body to the side.  Essentially, we’re compensating in upper body because our hips (for 95% of us) won’t square safely to the side and allow us to also protect the knee.  While this is fine, it illuminates our automatic tendency to make the pose look like something we see on the cover of Yoga Journal rather than actually considering the movement.  This tendency must give us pause.

Our intentions are coming from the right place.  We see that the pose is supposed to look a certain way, we hear cue that indicate it should be done that way, and so we mimic the form of the pose rather than having the opportunity to really feel what our body can do.  If we leap to the look, rather than the feel, then we’re missing part of the process.

I’d like to invite you to a process of feeling.  As you explore your asana, rather than jump to the end, explore how your body actually moves into the pose. Notice if a lot of static is happening (wiggles, maneuvers, compensations…) or if you’re able to move smoothly from the largest joints (the Major girdles – the hips and shoulders).

When we start to move from a place of feeling rather than doing, our ability to explore the inner landscape of our body increases.  As our sensitivity to ourselves to ourselves increases, we may be surprised by the textures and feelings that arise.  We may uncover tension and pain we did not formerly recognize, or we may find unexpected strength arising from a deeper place.

Be kind.  Feel more.  Do less.

And see what happens.

Vinyasa Krama – bring the present into practice

“Vi” = in a special way

“nyasa” = to place

“krama” = step by step

Change is challenging.

When confronted with change, it’s easy to get swept up in anxiety, discomfort, depression, or panic.  We distract ourselves, or seethe as we create a million contingency plans.  We cling to our “creature comforts” – those small habits we’ve created that anchor us in an easy ride of familiarity, that soothe us when we get ragged around the edges.

So how can we cope?

While she was going through a particular challenging time, my Mum said to me, “It’s not one day at at time, honey.  It’s one hour at a time, one minute.”  We can cope with change by getting out of our head – which is wired to try to analyze and “fix” our problem – and move into the spaciousness of the present moment.  In the present moment, we are generally “okay.”  However, we are so used to living in the past and the future (in analyzing past actions, in projecting future results), that we have forgotten how to arrive in our own skin.

Our yoga practice can help.

In the “vinyasa krama” practice, which literally means “to place step-by-step in a special way,” we cultivate our capacity to return to each unfolding moment.  When we bring our attention to how we place our feet, our hands, or move in and out of our asani – we are continually brought back to each arising moment.

The first yoga sutra is “Now the exposition of yoga is being made.”  The very first word in the sutras is “atha” or NOW.  This is a clarion call to return to the Now, the only moment that truly exists, the only moment in which we can actually accommodate change.

As you practice your vinyasa krama, open to step by step progression of your asana.  Use this practice as a reminder that our deepest creature comfort is our fundamental and eternal connection to ourselves.

Pema Chodron writes, “Only to the extent that we expose ourselves again and again to annihilation, can that which is indestructible in use be found.”  As we ride the currents of change, the dauntless center within us becomes polished and revealed.

The Hard Work of Letting Go – call out to Kali!

Why is it so hard to let go?

Of habits, relationships (healthy or toxic), of expectations, of dreams? Even when we know we’re hurting ourselves by hanging on, what drives the compulsion to keep gripping?

What do we do when old behavioral patterns no longer serve our life?

First of all, don’t beat yourself up.

In the transition stage between awareness and change lies a really sucky phase of awareness without change.  It’s torturous.  “Why do I do this?”  “Why can’t I change this?”  We lament.  We tear out our hair.  And we still don’t change.  But now we’ve spiced up our situation by hating ourselves.  Stop adding fuel to the fire.  Rest assured, you created your habits for excellent reasons.  To cope, to deal with stress, to survive.  They have served you well.  But now the time has come to change.  So let go of the blaming and put that fabulous energy into changing your situation.

Cultivate tolerance for discomfort.

You can either be uncomfortable in your old habits, or uncomfortable in your new habits, so why not choose with awareness?  Once you start, it becomes easier every time. Remind yourself that following your old habits may bring short-term relief, but longer term suffering.  Find ways to take care of yourself during this time, whether it’s yoga, massage, tea, time with friends, or a trip somewhere that grounds you.  Cultivate your capacity to take pleasure in the little things, moment to moment.

Reach out to your community.

You are not alone.  You are wired like a human being, and we’re all programmed to create habits in order to become more efficient.  As your awareness increases, you may realize that some of your autopilot tendencies aren’t ideal for you.  Reach out to others who may be experiencing similar growing pains.  There is comfort in community.

In the spirit of radical change and letting go, I’m including some inspiration below from different sources, even Dr. Phil 🙂  The first is about the Hindu goddess Kali.  Put this girl in back pocket when you need to up your potency for radical transformation!

Here’s a blurb from Anita Revel’s Goddess Site:

Kali
Kali’s esoteric attributes are PASSION and physical and sexual energy. Be alert to those who undermine your self-confidence – Kali is here to hurl your life onto a new path that will ultimately prove to be more fulfilling than your current path.
SUGGESTED MANTRA:  AWAKENING

SUGGESTED AFFIRMATIONS:

  • My new life path reveals itself to me
  • I say goodbye to destructive influences
  • There are rainbows in every rainfall
  • I am awake to my life’s calling
  • I welcome Kali’s strength & recuperative powers
  • I trust the Universe to provide
  • It’s OK to release my juicy anger
  • I can say “no” to negative influences

ESSENCE: Goddessence KALI 100% pure essential oil blend

GEMSTONES: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, tourmaline, smoky quartz (red stones)

 kali210.jpg (12971 bytes)

Kali 100% pure essential oil blend for the
Base Chakra
– Reclaim your independent spirit

If you are feeling “stuck in a rut”, use this Base Chakra blend to energise your intention. The blend of five 100% pure essential oils represents strength, unwavering willpower and insight. It helps you purge elements of destruction in your life and reclaim your independent spirit by directing your life onto a new path – your true path. Walk with confidence and know your place in the world.

MORE ABOUT KALI

According to ancient Hindu tradition, Kali is the mother of us all. Kali is often depicted as a bloodthirsty harbinger of destruction, but this is so that through death we can experience the wonder of rebirth. Hence, when our lives seem as though they are out of control, this is Kali telling us that we have not chosen the right path. Through Kali’s strength, we are forced out of complacency and fear to find the right path for ourselves.

HER MODERN ENERGY

Kali has unwavering judgement, strong willpower and penetrative insight. She also characterises how we feel about our attachments to people and possessions, and how we react when we are threatened with losing them. Don’t be afraid to shed – Kali offers you the strength to rid your life of excess baggage, to confront the forces that threaten you, to destroy the elements of destruction in your life. Once this is done, you can celebrate new life!

DO THIS

Kali is related to our root chakra, home of the kundalini energy. When our root chakra is in balance, we feel secure, alert, stable – our lives are full of active and positive energy. If you are not feeling like this, it is no wonder Kali is speaking to you today. Sit on the floor, close your eyes, and while nurturing a related gemstone, feel your spine grow and take root in the earth. Feel the strength of the earth energise your spine and your body. You are indestructable! You are strong! You can shake the weight from your shoulders and conquer the demon shadowing your life.

Go Warrior Woman!!


From the Buddha Dharma Education Association:

If we contemplate desires and listen to them, we are actually no longer attaching to them; we are just allowing them to be the way they are. Then we come to the realisation that the origin of suffering, desire, can be laid aside and let go of.

How do you let go of things? This means you leave them as they are; it does not mean you annihilate them or throw them away. It is more like setting down and letting them be. Through the practice of letting go we realise that there is the origin of suffering, which is the attachment to desire, and we realise that we should let go of these three kinds of desire. Then we realise that we have let go of these desires; there is no longer any attachment to them.

When you find yourself attached, remember that ‘letting go’ is not ‘getting rid of’ or ‘throwing away’. If I’m holding onto this clock and you say, ‘Let go of it!’, that doesn’t mean ‘throw it out’. I might think that I have to throw it away because I’m attached to it, but that would just be the desire to get rid of it. We tend to think that getting rid of the object is a way of getting rid of attachment. But if I can contemplate attachment, this grasping of the clock, I realise that there is no point in getting rid of it – it’s a good clock; it keeps good time and is not heavy to carry around. The clock is not the problem. The problem is grasping the clock. So what do I do? Let it go, lay it aside – put it down gently without any kind of aversion. Then I can pick it up again, see what time it is and lay it aside when necessary.

You can apply this insight into ‘letting go’ to the desire for sense pleasures. Maybe you want to have a lot of fun. How would you lay aside that desire without any aversion? Simply recognise the desire without judging it. You can contemplate wanting to get rid of it – because you feel guilty about having such a foolish desire – but just lay it aside. Then, when you see it as it is, recognising that it’s just desire, you are no longer attached to it.

So the way is always working with the moments of daily life. When you are feeling depressed and negative, just the moment that you refuse to indulge in that feeling is an enlightenment experience. When you see that, you need not sink into the sea of depression and despair and wallow in it. You can actually stop by learning not to give things a second thought.

You have to find this out through practice so that you will know for yourself how to let go of the origin of suffering. Can you let go of desire by wanting to let go of it? What is it that is really letting go in a given moment? You have to contemplate the experience of letting go and really examine and investigate until the insight comes. Keep with it until that insight comes: ‘Ah, letting go, yes, now I understand. Desire is being let go of.’ This does not mean that you are going to let go of desire forever but, at that one moment, you actually have let go and you have done it in full conscious awareness. There is an insight then. This is what we call insight knowledge. In Pali, we call it nanadassana or profound understanding.

I had my first insight into letting go in my first year of meditation. I figured out intellectually that you had to let go of everything and then I thought: ‘How do you let go?’ It seemed impossible to let go of anything. I kept on contemplating: ‘How do you let go?’ Then I would say, ‘You let go by letting go.’ ‘Well then, let go!’ Then I would say:

‘But have I let go yet?’ and, ‘How do you let go?’ ‘Well just let go!’ I went on like that, getting more frustrated. But eventually it became obvious what was happening. If you try to analyse letting go in detail, you get caught up in making it very complicated. It was not something that you could figure out in words any more, but something you actually did. So I just let go for a moment, just like that.

Now with personal problems and obsessions, to let go of them is just that much. It is not a matter of analysing and endlessly making more of a problem about them, but of practising that state of leaving things alone, letting go of them. At first, you let go but then you pick them up again because the habit of grasping is so strong. But at least you have the idea. Even when I had that insight into letting go, I let go for a moment but then I started grasping by thinking: ‘I can’t do it, I have so many bad habits!’ But don’t trust that kind of nagging, disparaging thing in yourself. It is totally untrustworthy. It is just a matter of practising letting go. The more you begin to see how to do it, then the more you are able to sustain the state of non-attachment.

About letting go of love, from Dr. Phil:

Have you been dumped, betrayed or left so heartbroken that you didn’t ever want to love again? Are you still stuck on an ex and don’t know how to move on? And how do you know when it’s time to let go and look for love somewhere else?

  • If you’re “the other woman” who’s waiting for a man to leave his lover, don’t waste your time. “If he’ll do it with you, he’ll do it to you,” Dr. Phil says. The man you want lacks integrity and can’t make a commitment.
  • Are your standards too low? Dr. Phil asks a guest who’s waiting around for a man that’s let her down time and again: “What is it about you that causes you to settle for somebody that you know will cheat on you, know will lie to you, know will make a commitment and then break it? What is it about you that you believe about yourself that you’re willing to settle for that?” Recognize that you’re settling and that you deserve more. Set a higher standard for yourself.
  • Does he really even make you happy? Be honest with yourself about the extent to which he’s really meeting your needs. Chances are you’re longing for the relationship that you wish it could be, and that you want to be in love with the person you wish he was. Dr. Phil reminds a guest: “There are times when you break up with somebody and you start missing them and you start thinking about all the good things. And then you’re back with them for about 10 minutes and you go ‘Oh yeah! Now I remember why I hate you!'” Don’t kid yourself about what it was really like or glorify the past.
  • Don’t wait around because you think he’s going to change. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, so the chance that he’s going to ride in on his white horse and do the right thing is pretty slim. Dr. Phil explains, “To the extent that there’s some history, you don’t have to speculate, you just have to measure.”
  • Don’t put your life on hold. Every minute you spend focusing on your ex is a minute that’s holding you back from a better future. Dr. Phil tells his guest, “As long you are obsessed on this guy, you will never put your heart, soul and mind into getting your life in order and starting another relationship if you want one.” Set some goals and start putting your life back together.
  • Ask yourself: Are you hiding in the relationship so you don’t have to face the reality of being on your own? Don’t stay with someone because it’s comfortable and safe. It may seem more secure, but it’s not healthy for you and it certainly won’t help you get to a better place. Why would you want to settle and waste your life away just to avoid getting back in the game?
  • Be clear with him. “You’ve got to say not just ‘no,’ but ‘hell no,'” Dr. Phil tells his guest. “‘Get out of my life. Stay away from me. Don’t call me.'” If you live together, it’s time to move out, or you may need to change your phone number. Dr. Phil reiterates: “Do what you have to do.” If the circumstances are more complicated or severe, you may need to get a lawyer in order to get child support or to hold him accountable for any other outstanding issues.
  • Don’t hold all men responsible for the mistake your ex made. Why should he pay for the sins of someone else who may have wronged you?
  • Learn to trust again — by trusting yourself. Dr. Phil tells a man who’s having a hard time letting women back into his life: “Trust is not about how much you trust one person or another to do right or wrong. How much you trust another person is a function of how much you trust yourself to be strong enough to deal with their imperfections.” Have enough faith in yourself to be able to put yourself on the line with someone, without any guarantee of what will happen next. If you’re playing the game with sweaty palms, it’s because you’re afraid of what you can or can’t do, or dealing with your own imperfections — it’s not about the other person.
  • Know that you will get hurt if you’re in a relationship. There is no perfect person without flaws. Even a well-intended guy is going to hurt his partner. He’s going to hurt your feelings. He’s going to say things that you don’t want him to say. He’s going to do things you wish he wouldn’t do and not do things you wish he would do. A relationship is an imperfect union between two willing spirits who say, ”I’d rather be in a relationship and share my life, share my joys, share my fun, share my activities, share my life than do it alone.” If you want to be in a relationship, know that getting hurt comes with the territory. You just have to decide that you are durable enough, that you have enough confidence in yourself that you can handle it.
  • Don’t invest more than you can afford to lose. While it’s important to move forward, you need to take things one step at a time. Don’t put so much out there that you’ll be emotionally bankrupt if things go south.
  • Don’t beat yourself up. You got through your last experience, you’ve learned from it, and now it’s time to move forward. Dr. Phil tells his guest, “You’ll move on and be a champion in your next endeavor as you did in your past … Life is not a success-only journey. You are going to get beat up along the way.”
  • Focus on yourself. All of us come into relationships with baggage, but you need to have closure on past experiences before you can start a new relationship with the odds in your favor. Dr. Phil tells a guest who’s had trouble with her father, her brother and two previous husbands: “Unless and until you’ve figured out everything you’ve got to figure out about that and you get closure, you will never come into a relationship with a fresh and clean heart and mind and expectancy and attitude.” You’re probably not ready to get into another relationship until you heal the wounds of your past.
  • Listen to what he’s saying. If he’s telling you that you want different things out of life and there’s no way you can work as a couple, don’t turn his words around into what you want to hear. He’s being quite clear.
  • Know the statistics. Dr. Phil tells a guest who’s waiting for her ex to come around: “There’s a 50/50 chance a marriage is going to work if both people are head over heels in love, passionate and willing to climb the mountain, swim the river and slay the dragon to get to each other. That’s with everybody crazy in love and running toward each other in that field that we see in the commercials. The problem you’ve got here is he’s running the other way in the field! So if it’s 50/50 when you’re running toward each other, what do you think it is when the other person is running out of the field and hiding in the woods?”

    • Why Bell Mobility is good for my Yoga

    I got disconnected three times.

    Three times.

    In a row.

    “Just hold one moment while we transfer you to confirm,” they’d say sweetly, just before I heard a strange sound.   The sound of silence.  The vacuum of a disconnected phone line.  The sound of my impotent, mediocre frustration growing to a boiling point of irrational, helpless rage.

    Nothing can be quite so delightful as customer service, eh?

    Or how about when the woman in customer service would ask me for all my details, “I’ll just need that information before transferring you,” and the guy in cancellations would say, “I’ll just need all that information again, you’re in a new department.”  Then, moments later, the guy says, “You seem irritated at me already!”  I say through gritted teeth, “I’m not irritated at you, it’s not personal, I’m irritated because I’ve been disconnected twice already and -” CLICK.  I think he’d decided he didn’t want to deal with one more stress case on the phone.

    Ah, the rage of powerlessness.  A tiny fist shaking at an faceless, stonewalling bureaucracy.

    And finally, when I do finally get to someone who can help me, wouldn’t you know that I then had to sigh, “I have to go.  I’ve run out of time.  Just make a note on my file,” knowing that I’d just have to call back and start everything All. Over. Again.

    During this little adventure, I was not at my yoga best.  As I left the phone and the house behind me to bike downtown for class, I was still fuming with the tape of “angry and wronged customer” running through my head.  How dare they have such lousy service!  How dare they be so inconsiderate of my time and my needs!  How dare they WRONG ME SO!

    But what could I do, I realized.  It was done.  Over.  The moment was past.  Now, I couldn’t change a thing.  If I wanted to enjoy my commute and my class, I was going to have to find a way to let it go.  To leave my anger behind me.

    It’s a challenge to leave anger behind, especially when it feels sooooo righteous.  My brain would much rather stew in a morass of “why I’m right and they’re wrong” than think about how nice the weather is or even (*gasp*) contemplate how difficult it must be to have to talk to angry customers all day.

    But what good does being “right” do me?  Sure, I get to shore up my ego, but at the same time I get this strange hardening sensation happening somewhere in my chest.  The brick laying of an impenetrable walls of certitude.  It certainly doesn’t get me any closer to actually getting a resolution on my phone issue.  Customer service is completely unaware that I am sending psychological daggers at them during my bike ride.  Absolutely no one was benefiting – least of all me – from rehashing the situation.  All I was doing was wasting time that I could have spent enjoying the ride, feeling the wind, breathing.

    As I rode, I had to laugh to myself.  Or really, at myself.  I don’t want to live a life hashing out imaginary conversations in my head just to prove that I can come out of a situation looking better.  Looking “right.”  I tried to let go.  Which is really hard to do, because it’s really a matter of undoing something.  But the intention was there.  And my anger started to fade.   I started to enjoy the ride.  And sure, I caught myself circling back into my defensive brain loops more than once.  But I’d just laugh at myself, tell myself it was okay, and try to focus on riding my bike again.

    There is a Zen koan.  Something to the effect that there is a monk hanging out on the side of a cliff by his fingernails.  He will soon fall off.  He can’t pull himself up, and below him there is a Tiger circling, ready to pounce.  Just then, he spies some strawberries and is able to take a bite of one.  How sweet the juice is!

    “Eka pada Koundin-What?”

    Eka Pada Koundinyasana.  It’s one of those poses that you see on the cover of yoga journal, performed by someone smiling peacefully (and seemingly in no state of stress or panic) that makes you go, “Huh?  Riiiiiiiiiight.”  As my boyfriend said with alarm upon seeing this picture to the left, “Jesus!  That is not good!”  (Photo courtesy of Yoga Journal.)  But despite it’s daunting appearance, there are accessible roads into this seemingly impossible position.

    Eka Pada Koundinyasana #1 (there are two versions of this pose) is not only an arm balance, it’s also a deep twist.  To warm up the body effectively, we must first imprint our body (especially our upper body) with the alignment necessary to support the pose.

    Common misalignments

    In a word: hunching.  Coming into this arm balance from a deep twist, we tend to slouch our shoulders forward and collapse in our chests.  In fact, we tend to do this even in more accessible twists.  For example, bring to mind parivrtta parvakonasana (revolved side angle).  (See right, thanks again, yoga journal!)  Usually in order to get our arm to the outside of our leg, we make a big ‘ol C curve in the spine – anything to get that (in this case, left) elbow over there.  Our head and pelvis are no longer lined up, and we shorten the upper side of our torso.  This causes the left shoulder to droop forward, which means that we can’t get that left shoulder blade down and INTO our back to facilitate the twist. We get stuck.

    To protect the shoulder joints and create maximum length in the body, we instead need set up for this pose by maintaining even alignment in both sides of the spine.  As we lengthen the spine, the keep the shoulder blades ON the back, so that they act like little shovels  and lift our thoracic spine up and INTO our body.  We maintain a virtual backbend in our upper back.  Our chests lift and our collarbones stay wide.

    Then we need to keep this openness through the upper body AS we move into a twist and balance on our hands.  No biggie, right?

    Component parts

    Upper back/Thoracic: As discussed, this is essential for the pose and for the happiness of the shoulder joint.

    Shoulderblade Position: On your back. This goes with upper back.  Upper arms gather in.

    Core: Yep, you gotta find a some core stability here  – even while you keep the chest open.  That means we need to engage the deep core muscles like the transverse abdominis rather than the rectus abdominis (those six-pack, or “crunching” muscles).

    Legs: Work those legs.  If you want to get airborne, stretch through the legs and feet with great enthusiasm.

    And actually, that’s kind of it.  No hamstrings, no great flexibility needed here. Just a brave, open heart and some core engagement.

    Sequencing:

    This week, I’m sequencing this pose with an intent to work on maintaining the lift and openness of the spine during the twist.

    To get everyone imprinted with the right body in the action, I start everyone at the wall with a block.  Standing in tadasana a little aways from the wall, place the block on your shoulderblades so that the block is giving encouragement for the thoracic to draw in and up.  You may have to play with your distance. You want to be far enough away that you don’t have to lean forward, but close enough in that you are upright and getting the feeling of the block lifting your spine up and in.

    Then do the same thing, this time with the block in the middle of your buttocks (so the tailbone is lengthening down to your heels).  Imagine the block moving up and into your chest.

    Tadasana into Urdhva Hastasana with a block between your hands.  Imagine the other two blocks now: one into your upper back, the other pressing your tailbone down to the floor.  Straighten your arms, stretch your legs, and reach, baby, reach!

    Then, use the recall of the two block positions all through class to encourage chest open, long lower back.  Here are some highlighted poses I’ll hit:

    Dandasana (seated on block – length and evenness of spine)

    Maricyasana III, both sides.  No bind – remember, we want to avoid the rounding of the spine and sliding off of the shoulder blades.  Focus on keeping skull atop pelvis, even length through both sides of waist, and lift in the thoracic.

    Sun salutations – again, weaving the focus of the upper back lift throughout.

    Low lunge (back knee up)

    Low lunge with twist)

    Trikonasana (triangle) to focus on even length of both sides of waist

    Twisting chair (no C-curve)

    Parivrtta Parsvakonsasna – less is more.  Have them keep length in both sides of waist rather than end gaining and getting elbow across at all costs.

    Getting into it:

    To actually get into the pose, I like YJ’s description below, with a couple of modification possiblities.

    As a modification of the pose, Ardha Mastyendrasa with the bottom leg extended.  Work on keeping the lift and openness in spine – all the same actions we’ve been doing all class.

    As a variation, put the sitbone of the crossed over leg on top of a block (not everyone can sit on their heels).  Work the twist from there, but don’t bring your hands to the floor.  Instead stay upright.  Explore the constraint of the legs as you lift, open, and twist.

    Here’s the YJ exerpt with my notes in blue:

    Step by Step

    Come into it from a standing position. First bend your knees as if to squat, then take your left knee to the floor. Turn your left foot so it points to the right and sit on the heel. Cross your right foot over your left thigh and place it, sole down, beside your left knee. Your right knee should point toward the ceiling.  (Okay, here’s where I say, place a block underneath your right butt if you can’t sit back on your left heel.  Work the lift and twist from there and be happy.)

    To twist, bring your left waist, side ribs, and shoulder around to the right. Place your left upper arm across your right thigh and slide your left outer armpit down the outside of the thigh. Use movements similar to those you used in Parsva Bakasana to maximize your twist and make good contact between your left upper arm and right outer thigh.  (Okay, you may need to do a little rounding here, but as soon as you find the connect, work the same actions you have been.  Get your shoulderblades back on your back, lengthen your chest forward.) Maintaining this contact high on the arm and far to the outside of the thigh is the secret to the pose.

    To place your hands on the floor, first straighten your left elbow and put your left palm down (you may need to lean to the right to bring your hand all the way down). To place your right hand, carefully lift both hips without losing the left-arm-to-right-thigh placement, lean even more to the right, and put your right hand on the floor. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, with your middle fingers parallel to each other. Most of your weight will still be on your knees and feet.

    Without losing contact between your left arm and your right outer thigh, lift your hips so you can flip your left foot and stand on the ball of the foot, heel up. Next, lift your left knee off the floor so most of your weight is on your feet. Lift your hips a little higher and start shifting your weight to bring your whole torso above and between your hands with its midline parallel to your middle fingers. Leaning your weight slightly forward, bend your left elbow a little, then tilt your head and shoulders a bit toward the floor. This should leverage your right foot up in the air. When your right foot is up, lean your weight farther forward until your left foot becomes light, then lifts up with an exhale. (Keep your shoulderblades ON your back, reach your sternum forward.  No droopy shoulders!)

    To finish the pose, straighten both knees simultaneously with an inhale. Lift the left leg until it’s parallel to the floor. Bending your left elbow more, lift your right foot higher, and reach out through the balls of both feet. Adjust the height of your right shoulder so it’s the same as the left. Lift your chest to bring your torso parallel to the floor. Breathing smoothly, hold the pose for 20 seconds or longer (Um, whatever?  Be happy with whatever you do, even if you just get an inkling of taking the weight off your feet), then release both feet to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.

    Have fun, see you in class!

    Getting Quiet in Practice: Halasana

    During the holidays, it’s more important than ever to have some quiet time. With all of the distractions – parties, relatives, drama, presents, planning, joy, baggage – it’s easy to get swept away on a holiday rollercoaster!

    This week’s pose is halasana (plow). By turning ourselves upside down and folding over, we are literally looking into ourselves. The pose helps us to pull our energy in and become more contained and centered. As in inversion, halasana encourages us to challenge our point of view and get out of sticky patterns. Its (literally!) navel-gazing properties can help us become less reactive and more grounded. How do we want to greet the new year?

    Halasana is rather like dandasana – on its head. While many of us do a “soft” halasana that resembles a forward fold, the full expression of the pose more closely resembles a backbend, with the shoulder blades drawing strongly into the back, the hips reaching up into the sky, and the spine perpendicular to the floor rather than rounded.

    Component parts:

    Arms: extension, external rotation.

    Thoracic: drawing in strongly.

    Hamstrings: must be warmed up to approach the pose

    Neck: cervical spine in flexion

    Hips: reaching into the air

    Poses for preparation:

    Downward Dog: teach the reaching of the hips up toward the ceiling, lifting away from the floor.  Also, this pose will start to warm up the hamstrings, warm up the shoulders (albeit in flexion), and actually looks like halasana – in a different orientation

    Backbends with the shoulders in extension: salabhasana, bridge, baby cobra, dhanurasana.  These will start to teach both the essential drawing in of the thoracic spine as well as warm up the extension of the arm at the shoulder.

    Forward folds to open the hamstrings: Uttansanasa, Parsvottanasana (with arms in reverse namaste you will also treat extension of the arm), Prasarita Padottanasana B and C (wide-legged forward fold with the hands at the waist or fingers interlaced behind you).

    Jalandhara Bandha (chin to chest): practice this in dandasana.  With jalandhara bandha,  you must continue to strongly lift the chest up.  Do not compromise the pose by drooping in the thoracic spine.

    Teaching the pose:

    I like to teach this pose with the shoulders stacked on foam blocks or on 2-3 neatly folded, thick (Mexican style) blankets.  Just as in shoulderstand, lifting the shoulders onto a support will enable you to lift more strongly through the thoracic spine, as well as protect the cervical spine from flattening. Use more support rather than less when you’re starting.

    Try placing the blankets about a leg’s distance away from the wall, with the folded edges toward the center of the room.  Come onto the blankets with your head TOWARD the wall and your shoulders on the blankets/supports.  First press your upper arms down firmly into the support and tuck your shoulder blades underneath you.  Press the outer arms and palms down as you swing your legs over your head and bring them onto the wall at the same height as your hips.  (You may have to play with the distance you are from the wall until you find the right position.)  You will make an L-shape with your body.  Roll your upper arms more deeply underneath your body to facilitate the lifting of the thoracic spine.  Bring your hands to your back, as close to the floor as possible to lift the thoracic spine up and in. Press your arms down to lift the chest up.  Reach your hips straight up to the ceiling.  Press your feet into the wall and your quads to the ceiling in order to lift the hips up higher.  To the extent that is accessible, you may walk your feet down the wall towards the baseboard as far as you can without compromising the vertical lift of the hips.

    Smooth out your breath.  Keep pressing your arms down in order to lift your chest and hips up.  Press the back of your head down gently to maintain the gentle curve of the cervical spine.  Breath, and turn your attention inwards.  Embrace the quiet.

    To come out, keep pressing your arms down firmly as you bring your hands back to the floor and slowly begin to roll out.  Let your knees bend when your hips hit the floor.

    Counterpose:

    Move yourself toward the wall until your shoulders are on the floor, giving you a slight backbend.  Take a gentle spinal twist to each side.  Downdog to release the back of the neck.

    Variations:

    In case of neck injury or high/low blood pressure issues, you can do a modified version by doing viparita karani (legs up the wall) with a block underneath the hips.  Tuck the shoulderblades under you and lift the thoracic spine up and reach through the heels (legs together).  Another alternative is dandasana, or a restorative backbend with a bolster underneath the back and the legs extended out straight.

    Chakras – the practical side for the dubious

    The chakras can seem a little…well, out there.  Whirling wheels of energy?  Rainbow light?  Huh?

    But if we think about the body and its functions, the chakras do seem to match up pretty well to how we work.

    The root chakra – muladhara – is at our pelvic floor and deals with earth, downward energy, and groundedness.  If we think of our hips and legs as what connects us to the earth and literally roots us, well, it makes sense.  If people are “ungrounded,” they tend to be light, frenetic, “in their heads,” and not connected to their lower body.

    The second chakra below the navel – svadisthana – is a water center and deals with sexuality and creativity.  Sure, the kidneys and the sexual organs.  Makes sense, right?

    The third chakra at the solar plexus – manipura – is a fire center and deals with our will power, transformation, and heat.  Sure, the stomach, digestion, core power, the adrenals.  Hmmm, things are still matching up….

    The fourth chakra, anahata, is our heart center and deals with our relationship to ourselve and other and our capacity for compassion.  Anyone who’s had a broken heart has probably had that terrible “heavy-heartedness” or collapsed feeling in the chest.  Similary, “open-hearted” people often meet the world with a physically expanded chest.  Sensibly, the element of this chakra is air, which relates to the lungs and heart.

    The fifth chakra in the throat, vishuddha, deals with space and communication.  Literally the home of our vocal cords, this chakra’s energy reflects our capacity for self-expression.

    The sixth chakra at our forehead, ajna, relates to our ability to visualize.  We are entering into the land of imagination and are leaving the world of physical sensation.  Not surprisingly these final two chakras have to do with the higher functions of our mind.

    The seventh chakra at the crown of our head, sahasrara, is the least physical – the furthest away from our feet – and involves self-realization and our connection to a higher power.    Whether we think of this connection as relating to a higher spirit or Heaven, we usually relate spiritual expression to something “above” or “beyond”.  Not unusual then, to find the home of this chakra at the highest point in the body.

    Though at first the chakras can seem esoteric, some of these practical connections between the individual chakras and our physical body may give us pause.  Here are things that make you go “hmmmmm….”  If some of these parallels pique your interest, check out one of my favorite books: “Eastern Body, Western Mind” by Anodea Judith.  She offers fascinating correlations between developmental psychology, jungian archetypse, and the chakra system.

    Bakasana – stoking the inner fire

    Bakasana, photo by KSHBakasana is one of those asani that looks impossible until you actually do it.

    “You want me to put my knees where and balance on my what?” we think with dismay.

    But with just a few steps, you two can begin to find the effortless flight that characterizes this arm balance. And the key lies in finding your core. The gateway to the core? Your inner thighs. Very simply, by using your adductors (the muscles that allow you to squeeze your legs together), you begin to activate your core – namely your transverse abdominis. Once this engagement starts, you are on your way to flight.

    Finding the Adductors

    To find the adductors, try “scissoring” your legs together in poses such as lunge, virabhadrasana I, parsvottanasana, and other neutral-legged postures. This scissoring action will help “square” your hips, create a sense of buoyancy through the pelvic floor, and add stability to your posture. Another great way to find the adductors is to bring a block between your feet or your inner thighs and squeeze – presto! Instant adductor action.

    Here’s a good sequence to help you find your core:

    -Place a block on medium width between your thighs and stand in tadasana (it’s okay, your feet will be under your hips)

    -Inhale arms up into urdhva hastasana (squeeze the block)

    -Exhale uttanasana (squeeze the block)

    -Inhale halfway (squeeze the block)

    -Exhale uttanasana (squeeze the block)

    -Inhale urdhva hastasana/ arms up (squeeze the block)

    -Exhale tadasasna (squeeze the block)

    You get the idea? You can do a whole sun salutation with the block by jumping (with your knees bent) into down dog and moving through the vinyasa from there. Holding plank or forearm plank with the block between the upper thighs can change the dynamic of the posture by encouraging the activation of the legs and the core. When the legs start working for you, the pose becomes easier on the arms and the wrists.

    It’s All in the Shape

    The shape of the back in bakasana is similar to that in an arching cat. When many of us start to come into bakasana, we flatten out the spine, which actually makes is more difficult to engage the abdominals. Also, instead of trying to balance the knees in the armpit, instead, clamp the knees onto the outer upper arms. This clamping action allows you to find the inner thighs, which has a trickle up effect to the pelvic floor and abdominals, giving you lift.

    Poses to find the rounding of the back aren’t common in yoga, as we tend to work toward a straight spine. However, here are a few that can help:

    -The cat part of cat/cow

    -Garudasana (Eagle), if you hinge from hips and round the back

    -Arching cat in downward dog. To do this, come into downward dog. Extend one leg back. Shift your shoulders over your wrists (a la plank). Draw your knee to your nose, press into your hands, and round your spine toward the ceiling. Stretch the leg back into three-legged dog and repeat a few times.

    Doing the Pose

    My favorite way of doing bakasana is to start with the feet together on a block.

    -Place your feet on the block and widen your knees.

    -Place your hands on the floor shoulder distance apart and spread your fingers wide. Claw the fingers into the floor so that you are distributing your weight through the whole hand and not just bearing down through the wrist

    -Hunker down and clamp your knees onto your arms as high up as you can. Squeeze. Feel your adductors fire up.

    -Look forward

    -Begin to shift your weight forward off the block and into your hands

    -As you shift, keep your tailbone reaching down so that you your spine is round and not flat, scooping your abdominals up

    -Bring one foot off the block, maybe both. If you have both, then squeeze the sides of your feet together, lift your addominals up, and straighten your arms

    -Come down by bringing one foot to the block and then the other.

    If you felt your adductors firing and your back rounding, then you are on the right path!

    Possible Sequence

    Bakasana is a great pose for the wintery months, when we feel as if our inner furnace is a bit dimmed.

    Cat/Cow (focus on rounding of spine)

    Cat/Cow – add leg extension and knee to nose

    Extended child’s pose

    Downward Dog

    Cat/Cow in Downward Dog (students have option to return to easier version on their knees if necessary)

    Low lunge (scissor legs and fire adductors)

    Forearm plank (do forearm plank rather than plank to preserve the wrists for later)

    Repeat on other side

    Sun Salutation with block between inner thighs or feet 3-5 times

    Utkatasana

    Eagle with forward fold to round spine

    Surya B (focus on adductors) 1-3 times

    Surya B to downward dog, step into lunge, parivrtta parsvakonasana (revolved side angle) – Both sides

    Parsvottanasna (Pyramid pose)

    Malasana (squat) – squeeze inner thighs in

    Navasana (Boat)

    Bakasana (as described above)

    Table or purvottanasana to release front of body

    Upavista Konasana (wide-legged forward fold) to release inner thighs

    Baddha Konasana (cobbler’s pose)

    Maricyasana C (seated twist)

    Pascimottanasna (seated forward fold)

    onto back: Reclined Ankle to Knee

    Savasana

    The King of the Asanas – Headstand

    Headstand in MexicoMoving with our fear.

    Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy with this fear. When we move slowly and with awareness, we can breathe through our fear reflex and assess where we really are. Rather than getting caught up in a fear narrative, we practice slowing down and observing our response. Whether we actually go upside down or not is actually irrelevant! More interesting is developing our capacity for self-observation and spaciousness.

    Iyengar writes, “Regular and precise practice of Sirsasana develops the body, disciplines the mind and widens the horizons of the spirit. One becomes balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, shame and fame, and defeat and victory.” -Light on Yoga

    Risk factors:
    The neck. When we practice sirsasana, it is important that we work gradually to put weight on the head. When we are starting, place very little weight on the head and instead work to support the body through the work and stability of the shoulder girdle. This will prevent the delicate cervical spine from being overloaded.

    The lower back: It is easy to “banana” in the lower back and crunch the lumbar spine. We must work to open the shoulders and engage to core to prevent collapse in the low back.

    High/low blood pressure: Since we are increasing cranial pressure, it is prudent for students with blood pressure issues to proceed with caution or ask their doctor. Also, students with similar pressure issues such as glaucoma or hiatal hernia should seek advice from their physician before working on headstand.

    Component Parts:

    The upper arm and lower arm are both in flexion.  The upper arm will be working towards external rotation.  Investigate poses such as Utthita Hastasana (arms raised in tadasana), Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog), Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), Vrksasana (Tree with arms raised), and Gomukhasana Arms (cow-faced pose, the top arm).  Dolphin and Forearm Stand Prep are great preps.

    Thoracic Spine.  Even though we’re not backbending in sirsasana, the action of the upper back feels like backbending as we draw the shoulderblades deeper into the body.  Backbends and twists are great way to access this action in the upper back.

    Core.  To support our body weight and keep the lower back long.  Poses such as plank, forearm plank, Vasisthasana (side plank) are all great educators for the core.

    Neutral legs.  Find the connection of the adductors and the neutral position of the legs in lunges, Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), Utkatasana (fierce/chair pose), and parsovttanasana (pyramid pose)

    Warmed-up hamstrings.  To get into headstand requires walking the legs in to the body, which is facilitated by long hamstrings.  Warm up the hamstrings in uttanasana (forward fold), prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold), parsvottanasana (pyramid pose)

    Variations:

    Do at wall or in corner.  I highly recommend practicing this pose at the wall until confidence in one’s balance is developed.

    Dolphin – prep only (head off floor, legs in Adho Mukha Svanasana).  Raise one leg at a time

    Prep (head on or off floor, but feet stay on floor), with block at wall, pressing into shoulderblades to encourage thoracic action (need a friend to help with this one!)

    Possible Sequence:

    Virasana on a block (neutral legs)

    Add utthita hastasana, fingers interlaced (flexion in upper arms) x 2, right and left interlace

    Extended child’s pose (arms in flexion).  Work action of thoracic spine

    Plank, forearm plank variations (core)

    Adho Mukha Svanasana (flexion, hamstrings, neutral)

    Lunges (neutral legs)

    Lunge with open twist (thoracic)

    Surya A (hamstrings, neutral legs, arms in flexion, core) x 5

    – last time add parivrtta parsvakonasana (thoracic)

    Uttanasana – held (hamstrings)

    Trikonasana (hamstrings, possible flexion arm variation)

    Vrksasana (balance and arms in flexion)

    Utkatasana, holding block (arms flexion)

    Parvsottanasana (R/L), with straight back (hamstrings, work thoracic)

    Parivrtta Trikonasana (thoracic, hamstrings)

    Tadasana with Gomukhasana Arms

    –To Wall–

    Virabhadrasana III with hands at wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

    Virabhadrasana III with back foot on wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

    Dolphin (Sirsasana prep)

    Sirsasana

    Child’s pose

    Adho Mukha Svanasana (to release neck)

    Variation of Salamba Sarvanghasana (shoulderstand) with block under pelvis and legs in air

    Twist

    Reclined Ankle to Knee

    Savasana

    Clearing the Windshield

    Our ego is like a sheet of glass that exists between the world and our mind.  As information from the world filters through our senses, it passes through our ego on its way to our conscious thought.  We screen though everything we perceive: “I like this because I did something like it before and that was good,” “This has made me look bad in the past,” or “This reminds me of the time…”.  Whether we’re aware of it or not, our mind is continually making lightning quick assessments based on previous experiences in order to organize ourselves in the world.

    Through the years, the sheet of glass begins to get a little, well, dirty.  Our experiences, both positive and negative, begin to form a film over the glass that distorts the way that we perceive our environment.  As these mis-perceptions get confirmed over the months and years, we soon have a good ol’ crusty cake of samsara baked over our plate of glass.  Like a windshield that has endured a lengthy road trip, our glass has become overlaid with the splatters of past experiences.  Soon we aren’t able to see through the glass anymore at all!   Instead, we’re just acting out based on previous experiences.  We’re sleepwalking.

    Now, our mind is designed to draw the line between cause and effect; it’s one of those nice things it does that keeps us safe.  (Who wouldn’t want to remember that the stove is hot after burning themselves once?)  But our mind sometimes is indiscriminate or can get too good at its job, and begins to draw lines of cause and effect that aren’t really useful to us.  Instead of keeping us safe and aware, our mind traps us in narrow lines of expectation.

    Part of our work in our yoga practice is to PRACTICE freeing ourselves from expectation.  I’m emphasizing the word practice here because it’s really okay if we’re not good at it.  By actively letting go of expectation, we can start to clean off our nasty, cluttered windshield.  We can begin to perceive the world as it is – not as how we expect.

    In your yoga practice this week, can you dare to not know what will happen?  Dare to surprise yourself?  By undoing expectation, we can discover that there is a wealth of feeling, sensation, and intuition that we may been neglecting.  The world will literally look and feel different.

    Be patient with yourself and keep clearing off your windshield.  Soon, who knows?  You may even get that new car smell.

    Aum Shanti Meditation – from Alan Finger

    Shanti, of course, is the Sanksrit word for peace. (The tradition of reciting “shanti, shanti, shanti” 3 times reflects the trinary nature of existence – – the relationship of peace within yourself, peace between you and others, and peace throughout the universe. Buddhists also refer to the Threefold peace of the body, mind and speech). Aum, or Om, is perhaps the most commonly-known Sanskrit mantra, but it has so many significances an entire newsletter might not address them all! However, a few insights follow…

    The simplicity of Aum is married to its complexity and its fundamental importance. It is considered the primary sound of the universe, the essential sound of consciousness or creation. Thus in vibrating our bodies and consciousness to Aum, we are aligning ourselves with the divine essence of the universe!

    Written and chanted as A-U-M, the mantra again represents a trinity: that of the energies of creation, sustenance and destruction that together bind the universe together. These are sometimes represented by the Hindu deities Brahma (A = Creation), Vishnu (U = Sustenance) and Shiva (M = Destruction or Transcendance). (See below for a wonderful illustration of this representation!) Other trinities for the A-U-M include body-mind-spirit, or self-personal world-universe… there are many possible concordances.

    To deeply experience the power of this simple mantra, sit comfortably in your usual meditation seat. Begin by simply working with A-U-M. As you chant aloud, resonate each sound for several seconds before moving to the next sound: Ah…. Oh…. Mm. Notice where you feel the vibrations of each sound in your body. Sense the “Ahh” emanating from the base of your body, vibrating and cleansing the root and belly. Sense the “Ohh” purifying your heart center and throat. Feel the “Mmm” resonating throughout your face and skull to the crown of your head. Repeat aloud at least six times.

    Now, repeat the path of A-U-M, but repeat the mantra sounds silently, and feel the same internal vibrations. As you move to this more subtle layer of sensing the mantra, its purifying abilities move more deeply from the physical into the subtle body, releasing the emotions and burdens of the lower self. As this release occurs, the central channel of consciousness is opened and the jiva, your individual spirit, is freed to reunite with paramatman, the source of divine love and inspiration.

    Now allow the A-U-M to combine into Aum, and feel you are receiving the divine light of Paramatman, the universe, through that central channel, from the crown of your head, flowing down into your heart, the seat of your jiva, your unique spirit, and into your body.

    As you tune in to your breath, let the inhale carry this light down into the center of your body. Begin to let the exhale release from your heart center. Feel on this release the sound of Shanti, peace. As this cycle of inhale and exhale continues, you draw in the inspiration and unconditional love of the universe, filtering it through your unique essence and sending it back out into the world.

    You might direct this powerful vibration of peace anywhere you’re inspired to: from your loved ones, to those in need, to places of conflict anywhere in the world. This simple, powerful practice reconnects you to the love, peace and divine oneness within your own heart and throughout the universe.

    Alan Finger

    Hum-Sa Kriya – Alan Finger

    This meditation was one of the first that I learned from my teacher Alan Finger. It is a beautiful way to calm and still the mind and connect to the energy of your body.

    The Hum-Sa Kriya is part of the “Ishta Diksha.”

    Diksha, meaning “initiation,” is the physical transference of divine energy directly into the brain, which allows for enlightenment. You become free from the limitations and the conditioning of the mind and are released from unnecessary suffering.
    Practiced daily, these techniques will tune your mind into a Higher source of personal power that will educate, inspire, and enliven every moment of your living.

    The Hum-Sa Kriya directs consciousness to the spinal column, the central cord of intelligence and awareness, and the central channel of energy in the body. The result of this focus is the creation of an alpha rhythm in the brain. Alpha is the scientific term for the brain state of relaxed alertness and accelerated learning- the mind is peaceful but aware and perceptive of its surroundings. It is known to be incredibly healing and revitalizing to the mind and body.

    1. Set a small timer for 18 minutes, but don’t press start just yet. Do at least six rounds of Nadi Shodana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).

    2. If you can, keep your eyes closed, but press the start button on your timer. Bring your focus back to the breath. Whenever you breathe in, silently visualize and hear the sound “Hum” going up the spine from the base of your tail bone to the space between your eyebrows. And whenever you breathe out, use the sound “Sa” down the spine and try to feel the energy move from the mid-brain down to the base of the spine.
    Very important: Do not force the breathing.
    On your inhalation, visualize a white ball of light lifting up your spine and into the middle of your brain, and on your exhalation, visualize the ball of light slowly floating down your spine back to the base.

    3. Repeat this movement. On the inhalation “Hum” up the spine and on the exhalation. “Sa” down to the base.
    This focus and repetition brings you deeper and deeper into the center of consciousness, revealing the true nature who you really are.
    You’ll notice that in time, your breath slowly becomes smoother. Eventually pauses will appear, moments in between breaths where there’s just a pause and no need to breathe. This is the point at which a sense of just floating in pure bliss occurs.

    4. Stay in this place until the timer sounds. When that happens, gently silence the alarm, and come back to sitting. Let yourself take about six or so full deep breaths. Gently open your eyes. Smile. You’ve taken one more step on the journey to Self.

    Namaste.
    Alan Finger

    Natarajasana

    Natarajasana, Pose of the Lord of the Dance, is a complex pose that is deep backbend with the added fun of balance.  As with any backbend, is it essential to fully warm up the thoracic spine and hip flexors as well as integrate core stability for the safety of the lower back.  A myriad of arm variations possible in this pose also allow for shoulder and chest opening.

    Risk factors: Falling, low back.

    What to warm up:

    The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  Hanumanasana with a bolster and a focus on a sagittally neutral pelvis in order to access the BACK leg.  Instead of treating Hanumanasana as a stretch, instead use it to access and tone the adductors, make the legs neutral, and then open the hip flexors of the back leg.  Ardha Bhekasana can also be used to stretch the quads, particularly when we focus on anchoring the pubic bone as we draw the shin in.

    The thoracic (upper back).  Work to open the front of the heart by broadening the collarbones, lifting the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  It’s a little bit of a conundrum, but this is exactly the paradoxical work that backbends require.  Poses such as sphinx, bhujangasana (baby cobra), dhanuarsana (bow), and salabhasana (locust) can refine this work.

    The core. To maintain a long lower back, we must use strength through the front of the body to contain the area between the front hip points (the ASIS) and the lower ribcage. Poses such as plank, forearm plank, and navasana (as well as other non-yoga varieties that might be in your repertoire) can bring awareness to this area.

    The inner thighs/neutral legs.  The adductors link to the core and help keep our legs neutral when they would otherwise flare into external rotation.  Prepare the legs to remain neutral through engaging the adductors in lunges, Virabhadrasana I and Virabhadrasana III.   By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to squeegie the buttocks flesh down the thighs.

    The shoulders. Classical Natarajasana has the standing leg arm reaching forward, while the bent leg arm reaches over the head in external rotation and flexion to grasp the foot or big toes.  (Like the upper arm in Gomukhasana.)  While this is quite a feat for most of us dealing with tight shoulders and hip flexors, we can approximate the actions of this pose by using a strap around our bent knee ankle.  Make a Grecian sandal with your strap by wrapping it around your ankle and threading the two ends between the big toes.  Presto, you’ve made your leg longer!  Work the actions of the pose here: draw the inner things to each other, tailbone to the floor, lower back long, upper chest opening.  Breathe and then climb your hand down the strap as the opportunity avails. To prepare for the classical variation, use poses such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog), Utthita Hastasana (hands up in tadasana), Gomukhasana (cow-face pose, arms only), and inversions to open the shoulders.

    A great variationof Natarajasana is to reach back with both hands and clasp the foot (like your clasping your hands around the top of the foot).  In this variation, the shoulders are in extension, which creates a delicious opportunity for opening the chest.  Use Prasarita Padottanasana C (wide-legged forward bend with hands clasped behind), Purvottanasana,  Setu Bandha (bridge), and Dhanurasana (bow) to prepare the shoulders for this variation.

    Props:  Use a strap as a Grecian sandal to assist in the classical variation (see above).  Use the wall to assist in balancing.

    Variation: At Wall.  Start in Virabhadrasana III at the wall, hands at the wall, with one foot under the hip and the other reaching back into the center of the room.  Keeping the lower back long, begin to move into a backbending variation by walking the hands up the wall.  Alternatively, strap the arms above the elbows and bring the forearms on the wall parallel, fingers pointing up.  Option to bend the lifted knee , keeping the thigh open and neutral.  Natarajasana at the wall!

    Energetics: Natarajasana is a pose about opening into fear.  We are asked to open our hearts on uncertain ground (on one leg).  Before you begin, relax.  Smooth out the breath.  Grounding the energy and stabilizing the standing leg are crucial pillars.  Once the base has been established, then slowly open the upper back into a backbend.  Less is more at first.  From a stable base, let the breath open the pose from the inside.

    Giving Gratitude Legs – Ustrasana

    Frequently when we leave yoga class, we’re feeling pretty good. We’re stretched, we’re stronger, our minds are a bit more settled. After all, feeling good in our own bodies is a crucial first step on our hatha yoga path. And if that’s what gets us to the mat, so much the better. But at some point in our practice, we begin to have the terrible inkling that our yoga practice is actually happening all the time. It’s just a little more obvious when we’re in our lulu’s and on our mats.

    Our practice is just that: practice for our lives. The point of our practice isn’t to have the perfect downward facing dog – although greater physical health is certainly a side effect of yoga. The real juice of our practice is revealed in very practical and everyday situations. Our practice means having a little extra space to respond when someone pushes our buttons or cuts us off in traffic. It’s having the space to feel upset without lashing back. Or it’s using that feel good energy from our class to give back to our families and friends a bit more fully. While improving urdhva dhanurasana is fun, the real potency of our yoga practice is actually experienced off the mat and in our lives.

    In honor of Gratitude Week, I’m inviting everyone to “Give their Gratitude Legs”. Take that gorgeous, expansive generosity that begins to flow in class and deliberately manifest it as something tangible in your life. Bring the energy from your heart chakra and manifest it into your legs and your hands — and take action.

    Devote just one hour this week to manifest your gratitude. Spend the extra hour with your kids, research a charity to donate to, or listen to a friend that needs some healing.

    After all, if we don’t pay it forward, then who will?

    Pose of the Week: Ustrasana

    In honor of giving gratitude legs, this week’s pose is Ustrasana. Camel pose requires a deep connection to our core, to our legs, to the earth. Out of this deep strength and connection into our roots, we can open our hearts into gravity and radiate.  The interplay between opening up and grounding down makes ustrasana the perfect pose for manifesting gratitude.

    Risk factors:

    Because ustrasana is a backbend with gravity (as opposed to backbends where we lift up INTO gravity), it is vitally important to maintain the strength and connection of the front of the body to avoid over compressing the lower back.  What makes ustrasana so invigorating and challenging is the play between opening and strengthening the front body. Another risk factor is the neck, as we’re often tempted to drop the head back and cut of the long line of energy up the spine.  Dropping the head back should only be done when the chest is fully opened, and even then should only be done if it comfortable to the student.  I keep my chin tucked into my chest as long as possible and often do not drop my head back at all.

    What to warm up:

    The thoracic (upper back).  Coil open the upper back back by broadening the collarbones, reaching forward with the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  Imagine drawing the sides of the waistline to the back body as you lengthen the sides and lift the chest.

    The core: The stability of our core is essential in controlling the opening our spine in ustrasana.  While the core is important in all backbends, its role is crucial in ustrasana because we are resisting gravity.  Engaging the inner thigh line (the adductors) will help to engage the core and support the backbend.  As we move into backbends, we can grip the buttocks, which can cause external rotation in the thighs and squash the sacrum.  By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to reach the sitbones away from the back.  Practicing plank and forearm plank can also teach the front body to engage without shortening.

    The hip flexors (front of the thighs).    Prepare the hip flexors for ustrasana through lunges and Virabhadrasana I.  To particularly access the quads, use a runner’s stretch or King Arthur’s Pose (low lunge with the lower leg vertical up the wall).

    The shoulders in extension (arms reaching back). Warm up the shoulders in extension through garudasana arms (lower arm), salabhasana or  bridge.  I also like using a strap during uttanasana or prasarita padottanasana to encourage arm extension.  Choose your leg variation, then hold the strap behind you with the palms forward, just wider than your hips.  Draw the heads of the upper arms back (no slouching).  Keep lifting the strap to the ceiling (rather than over the head) as you fold.  Lift the shoulderheads up.

    Props:  The wall.  I almost always do ustrasana with my hip points glued to the wall.  I can clearly draw my inner thighs back into the room and lengthen my sitting bones to the floor.  Keeping your hip points at the wall will ensure that you keep your hips and knees lined up and that you continue to use your legs and abdominals to support your weight.   Use a bolster across the back of the shins to bring the floor up to you.  Blocks on either side of the ankles do the same thing.  You can place a block between the thighs to engage the adductors.  An important note in ustrasana is to continually lift up as you go back.  As if you’re lifting your upper back over a limbo bar.  When  your hands find purchase (on the bolster, blocks, or feet), lift up out of the arms and radiate your chest up to the sky.  Finding and nurturing a sense of strength and containment as you drop back in ustrasana will help prepare the body for more rigorous drop backs from standing.

    Mark Whitwell – What is yoga?

    What is yoga? In this ten-minute segment, Mark – with his typical directness and humor – clarifies the purpose of yoga and exhorts us to participate with authenticity and intimacy in our own lives. I have studied with Mark on several occasions in New York and in Vancouver and always find his clarity and inclusiveness inspiring.

    “Yoga is your direct participation
    absorption in the given wonder
    the extreme intelligence of life
    that is of course in every person
    every creature
    you can do this
    it’s not a search
    it’s not to use the mind
    it’s not to use the body to try to get somewhere
    as if you are not “Somewhere”
    as if you are not the full blown wonder of life
    dependent on a vast process
    for your own existence
    so there is a right yoga for you
    you learn to do that yoga
    and then you too can enjoy this direct absorption
    participation in the nurturing force that is life already given to you
    you are completely loved
    completely loved
    you are completely cared for
    everybody is completely loved
    completely cared for
    even if the social conditions are suggesting otherwise
    even if your mind doesn’t recognize it
    by doing your yoga practice on a daily basis
    actually and naturally
    not obsessively
    you too can enjoy this direct absorption
    in the wonder that is this life
    in all conditions of life including the unseen source
    which is responsible for all this appearance here
    please enjoy your yoga
    YOU ARE HERE NOW

    This is a simple argument.
    It is easier than easy.
    So simple, we seldom speak of it and do not grasp it.
    But once seen, it is obvious
    and we feel the stark reality of our life,
    unmediated by the mind of doubt.

    The idea of human imperfection
    that is deeply ingrained in the social mind,
    in old scientific and religious thinking
    blinds us to the perfection that is already in us,
    as us, as Life itself, as Nature “her”self.

    We are not separate;
    we cannot be separate from Nature,
    which sustains us in a vast interdependence with everything.

    The universe comes perfectly
    and is awesome in its integration and infinite existence.
    It is our natural state.

    Our mission and passion
    is to provide the spiritual
    and healing powers of yoga
    to all who recognize the ancient wisdom
    and the wisdom of your own body and mind.”

    ~Mark’s Hridaya Yoga Sutra describes the spirit of Yoga of Heart: the Healing Power of Intimate Connection
    More Heart of Yoga.