"Book" Review: Women's Health Ultimate Yoga Guide

While recently shopping at the grocery store (of all places!), I happened to walk down the aisle that sells books and magazines. I love a good trashy mag now and then - you know, the ones that love to scream "Kate's pregnant!  It's Twins!!"...and when you turn to the article on the inside, hoping to sneak a peek of her baby bump, they explain how an "inside source" heard the Duchess mumble something about the Olsen twins' latest clothing line after a pregnant pause in the conversation.  Anyway, while perusing the offerings, my eye spied this magazine!

Women's Health Ultimate Yoga Guide is actually a Special Issue - free of advertisements (hence the shocking cover price of $9.99) and full of helpful yoga tips.  BTW, I consider Women's Health to be only slightly above the "trashy magazine" designation.  "Boost your Sex Life with Yoga!"?!?  Uhm...

The Book-a-zine is divided into 5 Parts, a few chapters in each.  Part 1 discusses Yoga Basics - where to begin if you are new to yoga, what is the best style of yoga for you, and how to start a home practice.  One of the more helpful chapters, (Chapter 2:  Breakthrough Poses), features Seane Corn outlining proper alignment for 3 key yoga postures that will take your practice to the next level.  I found her descriptions helpful - especially since I need to know these postures inside and out as a fledgling yoga teacher.

Part 2 is "Bend for your Best Body", and features sequences designed to target your trouble areas.  Celebrity instructor Tara Stiles creates a sequence to sculpt a "leaner, hotter body", Lara Rosenbaum helps whittle your middle, and Kristen Dollard suggests practices to increase flexibility.  The chapter ends with some quick (15 minute) sequences you can do when pressed for time.  Something is better than nothing!

Part 3 is "Strength in a Pose", and the various chapters give guidance on postures to target specific goals.  If you are a weight lifter, certain yoga postures can increase your range of motion, as stiffness can result as your muscles tighten and strengthen.  Certain postures can help stretch you out after a run, and dare I say, improve your performance.  There is a chapter on demystifying and conquering uber-challenging postures (HANDstand, anyone?).

Part 4 is "Bliss Out", which taps into the benefits of the breathwork you'll be doing on your mat.  It addresses the stress-reducing aspects that a regular yoga practice brings.  Part 5 is the shortest section, entitled "Light Bites", and gives recipes for healthier fare.  Their term is "Slim, Calm, Sexy Food".  Uhm...

Pros:  I like the fact that Women's Health has consulted with actual yoga instructors to provide the "meat and potatoes" of the yoga postures and mini practices.  They talk about the need to start slowly and work your way up to more challenging postures - basically "build your practice" - and they walk you through it.  There are so few advertisements in the magazine that it does feel like a helpful manual.  I am a food magazine junkie, so the last section of the book is helpful, too.

Cons:  The publication seems to be geared heavily towards single women - but I can always pretend my children and husband don't exist as I work my way through the sequences.  Their insistence of "Frying Fat" on the mat is a bit far-fetched.  I do work up a sweat on occasion, but not on a regular basis.  Maybe I'm taking the wrong kinds of yoga classes (let me clarify for the record that the sweat you work up in Bikram or Hot Yoga comes from the heat in the room, not necessarily from your practice)!  I also take issue with the fact that they don't really offer up enough cautionary advice when it comes to the advanced postures.  King Dancer and Handstand are probably best practiced under the trained eye of a teacher who can support and comment on your alignment, rather than from a picture and one paragraph instruction in a magazine.  Finally, the appearance of the word "Sexy" is almost as frequent as the word "Yoga"...again, probably a testament to the fact that I am not their core audience.  I'm not saying that I don't want to be sexy or am repulsed by it, but it's not what my yoga is for me.  They seem to have forgotten that yoga is for EVERYbody - men, too!  I don't see a guy buying this magazine.

It looks like I have more Cons than Pros, but actually, I think this is a helpful little manual.  It's great for the person woman who doesn't have many books or magazines on yoga, who may be contemplating starting a practice and wants to learn some basics at home before trying out a studio class.  I don't necessarily think you are going to melt fat and sculpt muscle any time soon - those sort of results come with the integration of cardio into many, many years of yoga practice.  I've been practicing for 8 years, and I'd hardly venture to say I'm "sculpted".  I am flexible, and I feel more at ease with myself, and I'm super happy that yoga has offered that to me!

The Women's Health Ultimate Yoga Guide is published by Rodale and is available on newstands until December. ($9.99)

Can't stop thinking about this.

Get ready to be blown away.  I have been since I first saw this video, and can't stop thinking about it.
Okay, Yoga isn't about this.  But it is no less awe-inspiring to see a talented practitioner and wonder what it takes to get there.  I can't begin to imagine how many hours of practice Briohny has logged in to reach this stage of lithe...and she's probably not snacking on Pirates Booty as she sits at her laptop blogging away (that would be ME).  The thing is, it always brings me back to the realization that there is always somewhere for my yoga practice to go.
7 years in, I can do some pretty impressive things - things that I couldn't dream of doing when I started.  But, like LIFE, my practice is a journey.  A journey that can't possibly be complete after 7 years on the mat or 70 years on the mat.  Truth be told, as serious as she is, Briohny is likely having FUN, and I can't wait to have fun, too.
Please share your thoughts on the video.  Crazy?  Inspirational? Soft porn?  A lofty pipe-dream?  Plain and simple, I just love it.

Here's the motto of the Month for Sagittariuses (courtesy of Harper's Bazaar): No amount of darkness can hide a spark of light.  For Leos: Be good or be good at it.  

You can take the girl outta Jersey...

...so goes the saying.
Many (more than is decent to admit) moons ago, I was born in the bustling metropolis of Pittsburgh, PA, fairly accounting for my loyalty to the Steelers.  I'm no bandwagoner!  Black and Gold are in my blood, y'ins.

Through a series of events, some fortunate, some unfortunate, my family moved to the decidedly bucolic land of South Jersey.  Not the fabled shore points (Cape May, Atlantic City, etc) of everyone's summer vacations, mind you.  No, the flat, rural farmland of Salem County.  Case in point:  I think two blocks west of my parents' home is the "center" of town - pretty much the only proper traffic light in town (all the others are blinking reds and yellows), and two blocks east of their home lie bonafide farm fields.  Some of our neighbors had horses as their family pets.  Fast forward many years, and I now live in an UNbucolic suburb of NYC.  In fact, if I wanted to drive to the nearest farm, it would be several towns away, not several blocks, and it would probably be to the Bedford "farms" that belong to Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren - hardly the moguls one brings to mind when you mention "farmer".

Anyway, waaay back in Februrary, taking advantage of a President's Day Monday-off, Husband decided it would be a fun and cultural thing to tour a farm (this, after watching Anthony Bourdain tour a farm in his homestate of New Jersey).  Being a Jersey girl myself, I was game.  We drove about two hours (accounting for George Washington Bridge traffic - you'd think for the guy's birthday they'd let up on the traffic a bit) west and south to the Bobolink dairy farm for a tour of the place by it's owner, a modern-day cheese maker.

It was strange how "at home" I felt.  Sure, I'm a city slicker now, and I'm not about to sell everything and become a cheese farmer, but it was fascinating to learn about the way this husband and wife run a biodynamic farm.  They keep bulls and cows, preferring to keep their farm populated the "natural" way - so much so that they rotate the bulls with other dairies to prevent too much inbreeding.  Everyone is grass-fed, and all of the milk is used to make cheese, save for a small amount that the farmers themselves drink.  They keep chickens, not for laying (although the small amount of eggs they yield are the freshest, most delicious you could get), but for assisting the process of fertilizing.

Snooki and GTL jokes aside, there are some pretty cool places in the Garden State - I mean places that helped ole' Jersey earn that license-plate nickname.  It's inspiring and somewhat comforting when you see people treating the Earth well and acting as good stewards of the Biosphere.  And getting in touch with nature isn't just for us farm-raised South Jersey girls...anyone could come to love it!  Sometimes I'm glad that you can't take the Jersey out of me.

*sometimes*

Bikram does it again

Bikram in Tiptoe pose (which
isn't even part of his 26 asana!)

If THIS doesn't raise the ire of many-a-Bikram-critic, I don't know what will!

Bikram Chowdhury is the founder of Bikram, or "hot", yoga, a form of asana that I've blogged about before, not favorably.  Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures that are put in a systematic sequence which supposedly re-oxygenates the blood.  The series is typically practiced in a heated room (mimicing temperatures in India - the motherland of yoga) and the practice claims that if practiced properly and regularly, you'll lose weight, develop muscle tone, and improve your health.

There are a lot of reasons I don't care for Bikram yoga.  I feel the temperature of the room brings a "false heat" (from the outside in) to your muscles so that you can get into some of the more acrobatic postures sooner than you might have otherwise with a true, purposeful practice that slowly builds genuine fire and heat from the inside out. There's also the sense of robust athleticism that Bikram style is going for - it's almost like Yoga for Sport (lose weight?  Build muscle tone?) rather than yoga for practicing patience and discipline.  Let's just say that I'm more Patanjali's speed rather than Bikram Chowdhury's.

Over the years, other yogis (some teachers, others just people who take yoga classes) have criticized Chowdhury for being "too commercial".  He created this intense, yet very specific method which requires intensive training - available only at one of his facilities - and licensed the name Bikram Yoga, so that if you want to open true Bikram studio, you must pay him franchise royalties.  He also is credited with putting his name to a variety of fitness drinks and meal supplements which people love to indulge in, based on his endorsement.  So basically, he's capitalizing on Yoga.  This is something that traditional yogic texts do NOT condone.

Chowdhury's latest venture, USA Yoga, is a foundation that seeks to promote asana as a bona-fide Olympic sport.  Read: competition - yet another thing that traditional yogic texts do NOT condone.  A National Yoga Competition?  One where the audience is at least respectfully quiet so as to not interrupt one's concentration...causing Chowdhury's wife to spout off something along the lines of: "Well, this still is nothing compared to what I had to go through growing up back home.  People would purposely make noises to try and throw off my concentration!"  WHAT?

I'll admit, I'm well impressed when I can see someone achieve a challenging posture.  Getting yourself into crow or wheel is pretty darn awesome.  It took me many, many years to be able to do some of those things (like about 7!), and when I see someone who can do those postures, I give them a lot of credit for having the patience to practice and the diligence to stick with something long enough to progress in practice.  Asana & postures are not Girl Scout Badges.  It should not be "Oh, look, I've done that now, look how awesome I am."

It comes back to WHY you do yoga.  Are you doing it to show how awesome you are?  You're going to become bored once you can do all the postures and move on to something else, that I can assure you.  If you're doing yoga to impress people in a competition I guess that provides some sort of motivation, but the Yogic texts explain that your motivation should come from within.  They teach that asana are a form of moving mediation, preparing your mind for enlightenment.  When you focus on your postures, you can quiet the "chatter", the outside distractions that are keeping you from nirvana.  So very few people have reached this state, and that's what keeps their practice going.  Those who have reached it, are so inspired that they continue their practice to reach it again and again.

So, forget about USA Yoga, forget about competition, forget about the notches on your yoga posture belt.  Get on the mat and enjoy the path to enlightenment.  Yoga is all about the path.  You probably won't get to the end today, but I can guarantee you won't ever regret trying!

Yoga while on Vacay? Sign me up!

I had my first session with a "Celebrity Yogi" while on vacation in California last week.  It was up to me to plan the itinerary this time, and I was so excited to take advantage of the extremely agreeable weather in Southern California.  Of course, we did the obligatory LegoLand visit for the kids (quick review:  Go while you can.  It's expensive, but it's worth it.  Lots for the 3 and up set to do, but it's not nearly as nicely maintained as Disney properties are.  "Miniland", which was incredible, already seemed to be showing signs of sun-fading and weather beating.  It might look like a dump in 5 years if they don't get a handle on that.), but I also wanted to explore some of the lesser-known areas (LaJolla and DelMar) and get in some physical fitness.  We did some light hiking at the Torrey Pines state park, which provided amazing views. 
It was great, but the highlight of the trip for me was the quick jaunt we took up to LA, staying in Santa Monica.  I did a little research on what to do in LA (besides eating at In and Out or Pinks - both on Husband's agenda), and found not only was there a YogaWorks studio there, but there was a class instructed by Sara Ivanhoe while we would be in Santa Monica.    Yoga while on vacation?  With a "celeb"? Sign me up!
My experience with Sara Ivanhoe is through her Crunch DVD, "Fat Burning Yoga", which I purchased shortly after the birth of my second son, when I was really getting into yoga.  I didn't buy it because of Sara.  I bought it because it said Fat Burning.  But I liked Sara's style of instruction.  She has a little sidekick in the DVD, who demonstrates the modified postures.  The "sidekick" is Natasha Rizopoulos, who I think is a little more well-known, which I always found funny.  Anyway, the Fat Burning DVD is good, and every so often I return to it when I'm at a loss for home practice.  I have never purchased any of Sara's other DVDs; in fact, I wasn't even aware that she had other DVDs.  After practicing with her "LIVE", perhaps I should look into them for more variety.
So, my experience with Sara in person was interesting.  It was a level 2/3 class, and I was anxious about the class all week.  I was looking forward to it, but unsure of my ability to "hang" with the level 2/3-ers.  I was nervous that the class would be so packed that I wouldn't feel comfortable.  Neither was the case.  The class had maybe 30 people in it.  Some of Josh's and Heidy's classes have that many folks in them, so I was totally at ease there.  The sequence of postures in Sara's class was also totally manageable - in a normal setting.  The class was quite a bit longer than I'm used to.  It went from 4:15 to 5:45 - so I definitely got my money's worth as far as time was concerned. 
I certainly got my money's worth as far as "kick-yo-ass" is concerned as well.  As I mentioned before, the sequence of postures was not unfamiliar to me at all...but the fact that there was no (ZERO) air conditioning was unfamiliar to me.  It felt like I was in a Bikram studio.  Except I wasn't taking a Bikram class.  I sweat more than I've ever sweat in a regular yoga class.  There were some postures that I didn't attempt - not because I couldn't do them, but because I was frightened that I would slip right off of my sweat-drenched mat!  The room had massive ceiling fans, and I'm not sure why they weren't utilized, although I have my theories.
Frequently throughout the practice, Sara kept asking us to close our eyes and focus inward.  I am sure that there was more to this than just focusing inward.  She did not practice along with us, instead walking the room and adjusting here and there (she even adjusted me in my triangle!).  It became clear to me that many people probably come to the class to see her, and that might prohibit them from getting the most of the practice.  If you're busy watching the celeb the whole time, you can't focus and practice properly.  I got that totally, and obliged whenever she asked us to close our eyes.  I wasn't focused on "Oh, it's Sara" the whole time.  I was focused on my posture - and also focused on how dang hot it was ("why the heck aren't those huge ceiling fans on?!?").  The Tom Brady look-a-like (obviously it wasn't him because the Patriots were on the field far, far away from Santa Monica) and Jared Leto look-a-like (still not sure if it was him, but he had a weird knotted hairdo, so it might have been him) next to me were sweating buckets.  My ponytail was drenched - you could honestly wring it out like I just stepped out of the shower!  My clothes were sopping, and my mat was slick.  My muscles were nice and loose, and I think if you asked me right then and there, I could have folded right into a double lotus followed by a Marichiasana bind! 
So, practicing with Sara was a lot of fun.  She was attentive to our postures, could have used a little more imagery, but overall I felt fantastic after the practice.  I'm glad and so grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity!  I only wish I had the courage to talk to her and let her know I enjoyed the session, had a yoga blog and would be writing about it so she could check us out!  In another lifetime...

"One sees clearly only with the heart.  Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Rantsy Pants

  I know this blog is supposed to be all about Yoga and living a balanced life and whatnot, but today I just got a little bee in my bonnet.  I have a little rant going on, and my 120 characters on Twitter and 2-liner status updates just don't provide enough room for me to explain myself properly.  I decided to take advantage of my blog to vent.  I suppose I could rationalize that since I usually try to be calm, quiet, and advocate some peace, if I rant on here now and again, it technically is "balancing" things out. Plus, the subject of my rant does Yoga, so technically, she's relevant.  By the way, if I'm not ranting enough for you (and you may want to reserve judgement on that until you finish reading this post), you can always head over to my husband's blog, where he certainly rants enough for 3 blogs:  This Annoys Me

So, this morning, Husband wakes up and cracks open the iPad (which I received as an awesomely unexpected, absolutely delightful Mother's Day gift way back in May...however, the boys in my life seem to take advantage of its magic far more often than I do...don't get me started, or this blog may need to be re-titled "This Annoys Me in the Suburbs" - although I'm fairly certain that blog already exists.)  I digress....

So, my husband starts browsing IMDB for upcoming theatrical releases and points out a bunch of flicks he thinks I'll be keen on seeing.  Number one on the list:  Sherlock Holmes, part2 (Uhm, helloooo?  Jude Law?  Robert Downey Jr.?  As you can see, Husband should have been a brain surgeon with his overwhelming amounts of genius).  Number two:  Hugo (again with Jude Law).  Then, he mentions "Contagion", which has Marion Cotillard.  I'll see anything with Marion Cotillard in it.  She's like my biggest girl-crush ever...not because I want to get with her.  It's because I want to BE her.  Jude Law is also in this one.  Gosh this guy has been busy since that whole Nanny scandal.  I guess he has loads of free time these days.  Then husband says "Oh, but it has Gwyneth Paltrow in it."  The Marion factor far outweighs any negative impact that the Gwyneth factor brings, but it set me off.  I'm sooooooo annoyed by Gwyneth Paltrow.  And it takes a lot to get me that annoyed.

So what, you ask, could this amazing, tow-headed, Jill-of-all-Trades have done to send me into a rant?  She acts (Oscar winner, there, folks!).  She does Yoga (just look at those long limbs!).  She has no crow's feet (a recent tabloid article claims she's had botox to eliminate them, however, I'm calling false on that one, because she's my age, and I don't have crow's feet either, and I certainly don't have $300 at my disposal to inject Botulism TOXIN into my face.  She must be lucky enough to have fabulous outer-ocular skin, just like me.)  She blogs (hey, maybe I should be looking up to her instead of dissing her!).  She sings (ahem).  She's written a fucking cookbook. 

I'm sure several hundred people have already seen the irony in this (and blogged about it).  Gwyneth Paltrow, she of the "raw foods", "macro-biotic", "I cleanse for 2 weeks before every movie shoot" diet has written a cookbook. 
W.
T.
F.

The first recipe is for some secret family recipe for these amazing buttermilk pancakes her dad made every Sunday morning.  I know this not because I bought the damn thing, but because there was a magazine article highlighting Gwyneth's latest triumph in publishing this damn cookbook.  Yes, I just used "damn" twice in one sentence.  The whole concept of her writing a cookbook is about as preposterous as that food tour she took around Spain with Mario Batali a year or two back.  Laughable.  He of the robust waistline and love of olive oil, travelling with she of the "how long do I have to run on the treadmill if I eat one of your marinated olives?"

Should I waste even one more sentence on this chick?  Probably not.

Yoga on Netflix!

I like to think that I'm a better mother than most of the mothers I watch on TV...but Nancy Botwin sets the bar really low.  My husband was away for much of this week, so after the kids were snuggled nicely in their beds each night, I settled down for some Netflix...but there's only so much dysfunction one can take.  So, I decided to browse the offerings, and see if there were yoga selections I could check out...thankfully, there were!  On the streaming Netflix (playable through our Wii and PS3) there were workout selections that were actual yoga and some that were related to yoga, and there were lots of titles that needed to be ordered through the traditional Netflix.  I kept browsing, and somehow stumbled upon a movie about yoga.  THIS was intriguing.

The documentary was called Enlighten Up! and is definitely for someone who is pretty serious about yoga.  Suffice it to say, it's a good thing Husband was away, because he would never agree to watch this flick.  He's more into the Exit Through the Gift Shop brand of documentaries.  Anyway, even I, she who loves yoga, had to split this documentary up over two sessions.  It's not that it was tedious...it's more because of the fact that I wasn't starting to watch until 9pm, and I'm a 10:30 bedtime kinda girl.  I need at least a half-hour to brush teeth, wash face, and slather on the eye creme du jour (crow's feet be damned!)

Enlighen Up! was a project set up by documentarian Kate Churchill, who is big time into yoga.  She feels that yoga has the power to physically, emotionally, and spiritually transform anyone, and this movie was her project to prove that this is possible.  As her test subject, she chooses Nick, a single, 30-something (nowadays...I think he was 29 when the film was made) NYC journalist, who is skeptical.  Watching the film, you learn that his parents divorced when he was very young, and his father is a lawyer.  Nick mentions this without hesitation.  He also mentions without hesitation that his mother is a "shamanic healer"..but he doesn't elaborate at all.  He just answers the question point blank:  "What does your mother do?"  "She's a shamanic healer", and he stares at the camera for quite some time saying nothing further.  It's almost as if he's uncomfortable with his mother's path/lifestyle/outlook for some reason.  Nick seems to be a guy who hasn't quite found himself yet - he probably grew up a privileged kid, who was conflicted about a lot of things (marriage/relationships/religion/career). He iterated many times that, as a journalist, he felt the need to seek truth and be convinced of things.  I also detected that he'd been given a lot, and when he needed to find things for himself, he wasn't quite sure where to begin.  He didn't quite strike me as "driven" by any means, so it didn't seem to be a hardship to give up several weeks to participate in this project.  I agree wth Kate - this guy was an excellent candidate.  If she can convince him that yoga is transformative, she can convince anyone.

The duo travelled all over the globe:  New York to Hawaii to India and back again.  The "Celebrity Yogis" whom they interviewed were hilarious. They all said virtually the same thing and commented on the commercialism of Yoga ("well, my DVDs are doing well", "I've expanded product offerings to include bedsheets", etc!). DVDs and bedsheets? Wow...so not what yoga is about for me!

By the end of this journey, Nick got to meet some pretty amazing people who freely shared their "enlightened philosophies".  My favorite, the one who made the most sense to me, was Guru Saran Ananda in Gokul, India.  Listening to his advice, I thought for sure Nick would be transformed.  But Nick struggled time and time again with the issue of Spirituality.  Towards the end of the movie, we find out that Nick has moved to Colorado and has given up Yoga in favor of Rock Climbing.  So I suppose Spirituality was his hang up afterall.
 
Is spirituality a hangup for all of us, when it comes to yoga?  Maybe.  I'm not quite ready to give up my Christianity, but I am absolutely open to listening to all that yogic philosophy has to offer.  My search is a way to meld the two.  I know yoga is an 8-limbed path; asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing) are but two parts designed to ready your body for meditation.  Seeing as I rarely have time to get myself on the mat, I don't necessarily think I'll be getting myself to the point of real, honest to goodness mediation any time soon.  However, many of the principles of yoga: Ahimsa (non-harming) and Satya (living according to your own truth), coupled with the 8th limb of Samadhi (acknowledgement of the devine), really make sense to me.  They speak to me in such a basic way:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated.  These "golden rules" make sense to me, and seeing as they don't really harm anyone or get in the way of anyone else's beliefs or ways of being, it helps me to feel "enlightened"!
 
It doesn't matter what you do.  It's why you do it that's important" - Guru Saran Ananda

DVD Review: Shiva Rea Fluid Power

Our bodies are 90% water, making sense for Shiva Rea to capitalize on our "Fluid Power" in this DVD.  Shiva says this fluid power "is often an untapped reservoir of energy and joy", so she sets out to help you grow stronger and flexible with grace.  This DVD is another wonderful addition to my arsenal of home practice materials.  Just like my other Shiva Rea DVD from Acacia (Yoga Surf Soul), it has a customizable matrix format, so you have the option of creating a custom practice according to the segments you wish to do.  There are 20 segments for you to mix-and-match and the 24-page program guide, included with the DVD case, gives a description for each segment.   On the other hand, so many choices can be overwhelming when you're just starting out, so you can select from one of the 6 pre-set programs (which range from a 26 minute meditation sequence to a full-on 108 minute active practice). 

Today, I elected to do one of the pre-set practices, the "Lunar Flow for Flexibility".  I had less than an hour to devote today, so this 41 minute practice fit the bill.  I also like the fact that the Moon (sanskrit: tha) is the feminine side, and with tomorrow being Chinese New Year, it just felt like the right practice to do. 

The Lunar Flow started with a crazy Prana Flow meditation.  It began simply enough with breathing exercises, but it took a bit of a turn after a bit, with some loose direction to just go with the flow of your joints (getting that Fluid Power moving, I guess...).  Forward Bends and Hip Openers ensued, which included my fave: Pigeon Pose. (Yoga Journal recently advertisted a promotion on Facebook to send in a picture of yourself in your favorite pose.  If your form is good enough, they'll enter you in a contest to appear in an upcoming photo spread!  I contemplated photographing myself in Pigeon...for all of 30 seconds)  After this was a Prana Yoga Slow Wave, again some loose direction on stretching while on your back, followed by Shavasana.  It was a great practice, and before the Shavasana, I paused the DVD and did a warrior/vinyasa sequence that I devised to round it out.  Don't get excited readers; it was nothing special...but perhaps worthy of it's own post when I get around to it. 

So, I'm looking forward to playing more with this DVD...with over 3 hours of yoga, I have my work cut out for me as far as mixing and matching sequences to try them all.

I purchased Shiva Rea's Fluid Power DVD directly from Acacia for $19.99 (because I was purchasing other items, and it just made sense to order everything together and pay shipping once), but savvy shoppers can order from Amazon for $14.49 or from Overstock (!) for just 13.91.

Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water.  Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it.  The flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful - LaoTzu

Gong Xi Fa Choi - Happy Chinese New Year

Who owns Yoga?

You do, Bi-otch! (*at least that's what I say, but it turns out not so many people would be pleased with that...)

After a very satisfying Sunday practice (a new studio opened down the road, locals!) I rescued the paper from the lethal barbs in our hedge out front. On the front page (bottom fold, though) of the Times this morning is an article about the Debate over Yoga's "Soul". With great interest, I fixed myself a cuppa Chai and settled down with my newsprint. It seems that there's an Indian-American group that is looking to "Take Back Yoga" and it's ruffling some tail feathers. The misunderstanding, though, is that the group is not looking to convert people to Hinduism. Granted, the campaign does seem to hint at a sense of ownership over yoga, but I think awareness is more their intent. It is not demanding that those who practice yoga become Hindu. Instead, it's intent seems to increase awareness of yoga's connection in the religion's ancient traditions - the same connections yoga has with many religions. There are a lot of assumptions people make when Hinduism is referenced, and this group is looking to clarify that their religion is rooted in some of the same traditions (non-violence, do unto others, respect all beings, etc) as other world religions. As the Times article references, "it's not just some faith of castes, cows, and curry".

Now, here's where I get lost, because I was not a religion major, nor do I claim to know a great deal about many religions. I am a Christian who practices yoga. Do I feel a connection with "the universe" when I practice? Yes. Does this take me away from my Christianity? Not in the least. For me, yoga is a time to reflect inward, to feel gratitude that I have given myself the time to practice and to feel gratitude that my body has given me the flexibility to practice. Sometimes, focusing on this gratitude is all I have to get me through a difficult posture! With this in mind, my time on the mat each week (or day, depending on the time of year!) has a great calming effect on me.

Now, taking this feeling off the mat and into my life is up to me. I try very, very hard to bring the feeling with me. I know a great many people who compete to be the best in the class (yoga isn't even about that for me...but to each his/her own!). I know a great many people who leave a great class, and rush out the door to rush into their cars to rush home and honk at anyone who gets in their way as they barrel on out of there. Kinda missing the point. But I've also learned that I'm not there to judge OR to be judged. I'm there to do my own thing. Whatever it is. Yoga has taught me that acceptance of myself, and hopefully a smidge more tolerance for others. These are very similar principles to my own religion, however, I see my yoga practice as a calming fitness routine rather than a religious routine. It has a lot in common with my religion, but it's separate from my religion. It's just another mode to help me to keep these tenets in mind in my daily life.

Well, there are a bunch of influential people who aren't even happy with that. Deepak Chopra, guru to the stars, has spoken up to say the campaign is misguided and focused on Hindu Nationalism. Really? Perhaps you should take a moment to get off your pedestal and see that the campaign is more about enlightening people to Hinduism...so that westerners don't think it's all about curry and folding yourself into a pretzel. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president says that Christians who practice yoga have their souls imperiled. Really? God would have a problem with me feeling thankful that I'm looking after my physical fitness in a gentle way that's mindful of accepting others who are sharing the planet with me? Well, thanks for that enlightenment.

So, Who owns Yoga? When you're on the mat, and you've nailed that shoulder stand (look out, Pose of the Week!), you own it, baby! When you're on the road, and you calmly and generously give way to another car who is incorrectly trying to merge, you still own it, baby! And when you're at work, and once again your boss has forgotten to tell you how much gratitude he/she has for the fact that you are a reliable part of the team, you most definitely own it!

When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful.

Macy Gray is underrated...

Hope you enjoyed this gorgeous East Coast Saturday! Beauty was everywhere...

..."Shake your booty, boys & girls, for the Beauty in the World!"

DVD review: Yoga for Weight Loss

Yoga for Weight Loss is produced and distributed by Gaiam, that yoga/pilates/fitness emporium, and it is one of the first yoga DVDs I ever purchased. It was my main exposure to yoga for a long time. Since I started taking yoga classes with live teachers at yoga studios and my gym, I don't have much time to practice with DVDs, and found that I prefer a "live" person over a recorded practice, where you can predict exactly what's coming next.

However, I have a friend who has recently expressed an interest in learning more about Yoga, and asked if I wouldn't mind "showing her around" a mat a bit. I happily obliged (I do, afterall, have a deep seated fantasy that I someday will be an awesome yoga teacher who leads packed practices like Diann or Josh), and I recommended that we start with this oldie but goodie.

My thought was that she could practice with the DVD, and I could monitor and make subtle adjustments to her posture. But once the DVD got started, I remembered what I liked about it, and I ended up jumping right in! Of course, not without a few laughs - my friend promptly pointed out that Suzanne Deason (the instructor) strongly resembles Samantha from Sex and the City (she's right! Watch and see!) and then we laughed that the youngest and seemingly fittest of the 3 models demonstrating modifications needed the most modification. I judiciously explained that appearance can be deceiving, and that someone who looks "fit" may not necessarily be as flexible as someone who is a seasoned yogi, but we laughed anyway.

This is a great DVD for home practice beginners. The scenery is breathtaking, Suzanne's voice and instruction are smooth; postures are gentle enough without modification, but if you actually *can* follow Suzanne, you'll certainly get a nice stretch. She's not "show-offy" at all! And believe me, I have a DVD where the instructor flares nostrils and loves to show that she can easily do more than you can and is dumbing-it-down for the DVD (I'm talking about you, Natasha Rizopoulous!). In Yoga for Weight Loss, there are 3 levels of modifications for you to follow; you can choose to watch only the modification level you are following, or you can watch the full practice and see what all 4 women are doing. I love this feature, because you may be able to follow Suzanne for some of the standing poses, but need modification on the floor, in which case you can follow one of the other women.

The DVD also has bonus features, where Suzanne herself models some of the more important modifications on the main postures. There's the standard "disclaimer" about consulting a physician before starting a new pnysical regime, and a bio of Suzanne, but that's not what you bought the DVD for. You bought it to practice yoga at home, and this DVD is a fine starting point. I remember liking it so much (and Suzanne's instruction) that I returned to the website to purchase more of her DVDs (I have at least 2 others with Suzanne as the instructor, and she's leagues better than the other instructors on Gaiam media).

Yes, I FAR prefer a live practice in a studio or at the gym, and while this DVD is more for beginners, it's still a great practice to revisit when I'm feeling low on energy and want an gentler practice or just would like to brush up on my basics. Thumbs up!

Letting go doesn't mean "losing your grip"...it means relaxing enough to make some space.

Why do you do Yoga?

Queridos cincos pesos, we first met, reluctantly, in Mexico. Since then, you've grown on me. Now it's time for us to say "Adios". I'm headed back to work in a week and I have some pencil skirts I'd like to squeeze into (and not look like Joan from MadMen!)...

Weight loss? Toning? Improve flexibility? Calm? 5 dang minutes to yourself? An instructor (Diann) once asked rhetorically during class, "Why do we do yoga?" Cheekily, I replied, "So we can shave in the shower..." But really, why do YOU do yoga?

When you enter a yoga class for the first time, you go with some sort of purpose: Hey, you're going to check out this "Om" stuff; a physician recommended it as part of your physical therapy; your friend who does yoga looks amazing; you've been spying on the class through the window while you run on the treadmill, and everyone looks happier leaving an hour of yoga than you do leaving a 40 minute run...

The reasons are countless, and it doesn't matter why you "try" it the first time. What matters is your reason for coming back. What keeps you returning to the mat, again, and again, and for me this summer, again? (obviously, since those 5 pounds from my vacation are still hanging around, I'm not doing it for weight loss benefits! And since I still don't look like Gwyneth Paltrow, I'm not doing it for toning, either! Then again, I do have a healthy appetite which she doesn't seem to have...)

I attended a class last Tuesday morning - it was an 8:30 class, and while countless people wake far earlier than 8:30 to begin a practice, my joints weren't quite lubricated enough yet, and I was hoping for a little gentle flexing and stretching, building up to some movement, but nothing as intense as one of Diann's or Josh's classes. The instructor, whom I remember from last year, opened the practice with an almost diatribe on how she expected people to participate in her class. "Sitting one out" if you didn't like the pose wasn't going to cut it in her practice that morning. She expected everyone to try and take it as far as he/she could because that's the intent and spirit of yoga (she's right, but was this the time?) It was borderline lecture on yogic theory, and while she may have been trying to educate us on a subject she obviously loves and knows a great deal about, 8:30 in the morning at a gym is not the time or the place. This went on for the first 10 minutes of the class, and she ended by impressing upon us on the need to clean up after ourselves, should we have to leave class early to head out to work or pick up children from childcare. Really? We only get 1 hour, and you've spent the first 10 minutes lecturing us, so I don't think we'll be ducking out early. Then, almost as if to make up for lost time, she launched into a rapid fire practice that didn't have many poses, but some were quite challenging for the beginners who she felt were present in enough numbers that needed "enlightening" at the beginning of class.

My point in telling this story, other than to get a minor gripe off my chest, is that I have been practicing yoga for a long time, and this instructor is hardly going to scare me off with her style. Someone walking in off his/her treadmill, however, might not have the patience for the "mumbo jumbo". I will be back, again, and again, and again (in fact, I'll be on my mat later this morning...), because I have my own purpose in doing yoga. The truth is, it is therapeutic to me (my mind, my joints, my spirit), I am proud of and love the growth in my practice I have accomplished this summer, and now that I'm headed back to teaching in just a week, I have no idea how I'm going to keep attending classes so ardently!

Yes, in the back of my mind, I'm constantly reminding myself that with patience, I'll get that long, lean yoga body - but the fact that it has yet to materialize is proof that I'm on my bright yellow mat for a different reason entirely. Is it those fleeting moments to myself? Is it the chance for the world to stop and move more slowly by? Is it a chance for me to feel the edges of my skin? It doesn't matter, because it's all of these and more. With every new practice, another reason arises, and that's why I'll be back...

Namaste.

POW! (Pose of the Week)

POW! This week's Pose: Ardha Padmasana - because we're half way there!

August is half way over, can you believe it? The second half of summer always flies by much faster than the first half for us schoolteachers...

I think that Ardha must Sanskrit for "Half" (Half moon is Ardha Chandrasana, Half lotus is Ardha Padmasana - seems logical, right?). This week, I've chosen to build upon last week's pose, making a progression in the last few weeks of summer (Ardha August, anyone?). Last week, I shared Sage Pose with you, and you'll notice the biggest difference between Sage and Half-Lotus is the width of the knees. Half-Lotus positions the knees ever so slightly closer together, but in doing so, you'll open the hips quite a bit more. See the picture, above left, featuring Siddhartha, the ultimate Yoga Celebrity! Transition from one pose to the other, and you'll notice the difference I'm talking about.

Half Lotus is a super posture to take for meditation or to use for breath work, but it also has intrinsic benefits of its own: It will open hips, lubricate knee joints, tone the abdomen (when you sit up tall!), and magically, it actually is regarded to prevent arthritis and osteoporosis! So keep popping those Viactiv all the while taking this posture ;)

Begin with your legs out in front of you (from the side you'll look like a capital letter "L". Draw your right foot to your navel, rotating the leg outward, then gently place the top of your foot in the hip crease of your left leg. Sitting up tall, gently tuck your left leg under the right, and relax into the pose. Enjoy the benefits!

Until next week:

Be the change you wish to see in the world!

Updates...

Just a quick post today...

First, I felt I should give an update on my "Do Yoga Everyday for a Week" goal. I am a teacher, and during the school year, I don't have the time (a more dedicated yogi would say, "oh, you just don't make the time...") to practice as often as I like. I do squeeze in a class whenever I can, but once school is in session, classes at 9am during the week just aren't going to work, nor are evening classes at 7pm, which is precisely bedtime for my two littlest boys. Weekends are relegated to grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry, plus kids' sports and other committments. It's hard to practice.

SOOOOO, I take full advantage of the summer and the more flexible schedule I have as a "sSAHM" (seasonal Stay At Home Mom), and practice as much as I can. At the start of the summer, I made a pledge to myself that I would take at least one week and try doing yoga every day, and I was finally able to accomplish this goal. So, why the insistence on every day? Well, I do read a lot of celebrity rag-mags, and everyone with a fab body always chalks it up to Yoga. Madonna, Gwyneth, Jennifer, you name the celeb, they name yoga.

My results? No, I don't look like a celebrity. It's going to take a lot more dedication than one week (and a LOT less M&Ms). But I feel happy, which is probably more than I can say for the aforementioned celebs! The accomplishment of meeting a goal, of course, gives you a bit of a "glow", but I do feel more limber, and I feel like it's almost part of a routine now...I just knew each day that I was going to find myself on a mat at some point during the day. After my dedicated week, I did take a 2 day break (Thursday and Friday) from yoga...but I still did some cardio at the gym. Today, I think I'll hop back on the mat and look forward to some more opportunities this week. Maybe by September I'll have that celeb bod...

Speaking of celebrity rag mags - in the latest issue of "Life and Style", who is pictured paddling down some river on an SUP (stand up paddleboard - see last week's post)? And speaking of SUPs, what was featured, front and center, in the New York Times Style Section this past Thursday? And where were the paddleboarders headed? To do Yoga on the beach. Sometimes the connections we can make are a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

As I mentioned last week, our SUP has been ordered, and as my final update today, it is due to arrive on Monday. Will I hop on and paddle on over to my SUP yoga class? You'll just have to check back and see ;)

Connect with your spirit on the mat. Soon. I promise it will feel good...