Yogic Wisdown From Unexpected Sources: Part 1, Sawyer

"I heard once Winston Churchill said he read a book every night. Even during the Blitz. Said it made him think better."

That's a quote from Sawyer in an episode of LOST (clip below). Dude always got the best lines. But this one struck me and stuck with me because we all have that tendency to push through problems or projects when it might do us more good to step away, read a book... or do a little yoga.

It's not easy to take the Sawyer (Churchill) approach. Twice a week I encourage my Workplace Yoga students to step away from their desks to attend my classes. Yet, I still hit that same wall of internal resistance when faced with my own mounting pile of Stuff That Must Get Done.

So the goal for today? Be more like Sawyer (er, except his lyin', cheatin', and stealin' aspects, that is). Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to read a book.

Good Read: The Downside of Constant Connectivity

This New York Times article highlights one family and the effects that electronics addiction has on their lives. It's a great motivator to step away from your screen and rewire those blackberry-addicted brain circuits with a little yoga.

In my workplace classes we often focus on chest openers to counteract Office Chair Slouch. But just as importantly we focus on focus itself... cultivating the ability to be still without the urge to fidget or reach for your blackberry. It's quite a workout for the brain!

Here's an excerpt from the article (sadly, it's now archived, which means you must be a member to view it):

SAN FRANCISCO — When one of the most important e-mail messages of his life landed in his in-box a few years ago, Kord Campbell overlooked it.

Not just for a day or two, but 12 days. He finally saw it while sifting through old messages: a big company wanted to buy his Internet start-up.

“I stood up from my desk and said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,’ ” Mr. Campbell said. “It’s kind of hard to miss an e-mail like that, but I did.”

The message had slipped by him amid an electronic flood: two computer screens alive with e-mail, instant messages, online chats, a Web browser and the computer code he was writing.

While he managed to salvage the $1.3 million deal after apologizing to his suitor, Mr. Campbell continues to struggle with the effects of the deluge of data. Even after he unplugs, he craves the stimulation he gets from his electronic gadgets. He forgets things like dinner plans, and he has trouble focusing on his family...

Sunset Yoga Starts Tomorrow!

Ahhh... watching the sun settle gently over the West Hills. It's one of my favorite things about living in Portland. That's why I've decided to take Nature up on her generous offering and teach Sunset Yoga classes in Wallace Park every Wednesday evening throughout the sunny summer.

Please join me for the first class tomorrow at 7:45pm! And bring your friends. It'll be a lot of fun, and a beautiful way to wind down the day.

*NOTE: If you don't have a mat, I do have lots of extras!

Details:
Sunset Yoga
7:45pm - 8:45pm every Wednesday
Wallace Park, NW 26th and Raleigh
Map to Wallace Park  
Map of yoga location within Wallace Park.
$5 suggested

Here's the flier.... yep, that's an actual photo from the 7:45 sunset in Wallace Park.

Exploring Your Footprint with a Two-Minute DIY Practice

In this week's Sunset Yoga class we'll be exploring our footprint on the earth. (Our physical one, not our carbon one.) It's a theme inspired by this quote I stumbled upon while shopping for a greeting card last week (hey, inspiration can come from anywhere!)...

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
- Khalil Gibran 

Mmm... isn't that some lovely poetry?

If you want to get started on this week's theme, here's a little two-minute DIY practice you can do while walking through the grocery store, on a hike, or even through the hallways of your office building:

• Start just by noticing how your feet fall when you walk. Do they flop? Do they thud? Do they turn in our out? Which part of your foot lands first? Do you tend to put all your weight on the outside or inside of your sole? Just notice.
• Now begin to incorporate your breath and your brain power for some mindful movement. Inhaling, lift one foot. Exhaling, plant it in front of you mindfully, seeing if you can gently distribute your weight evenly across the sole as you step. Inhaling, lift the other foot. Exhaling, step it in front of you. And so on.

You can choose to use this mindful walking practice for three distinctly fantastic benefits:

• Simply to cultivate a healthy gait, which can support your spine and alleviate much lower back pain.
• As a stress-relief tool, focusing the mind and deepening each breath to calm the central nervous system. 
• As a meditation, exploring the attitude with which you step forward and the impression that you leave.

Take what serves you. Leave what doesn't. It's all good.

photo: creative commons license, ezioman

This Week's Theme: Listening

This weekend I found myself reading a bedtime story called "Quiet Bunny" to two very sweet little girls. Quiet Bunny, it turns out, is a pretty yogic little dude. No, he doesn't do warrior poses or floppy-eared headstands. What he does do is listen. In fact, he delights in listening to the whole symphony of forest sounds - especially the night song at sunset.

People are not Quiet Bunnies. People are loud. Even when we're not making noise, there's still a lot of it buzzing around in our heads. One of the most important tools we cultivate in yoga is the ability to quiet down our noisy brains and listen. We use the breath and the postures to get there. To tune back in. To listen not just with our ears but our heads, our hearts, and our whole bodies.

And then we can hear the whisper of an ache in our muscles, and address it before it becomes a screaming pain. Or we can be more present and less strung out. Or maybe...maybe... we can even become like Quiet Bunnies, so absorbed in the moment that we delight in all the sounds around us - whether they be the rustling of leaves in the night song at sunset, or the tapping of keys in our offices.

In this weeks' classes we'll focus on Listening. I hope you'll join us.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Listening

If you want to get started on this week's theme, here's a quick DIY practice that's great for stress relief. You can do this while at your desk, in the laundromat, or wherever. Preferably somewhere you can stand or sit still...

1. Begin by either closing your eyes or just fixing your gaze gently on an object.
2. Just start to notice all the sounds around you - beginning with the ones farthest away. Maybe it's outside of your building: a train whistle, a dog or the buzz of traffic. Notice these sounds in detail, but don't hold onto them for long. In one ear, out the other... mindfully.
3. Now gradually start to narrow the scope of your listening. Down the hall. In the other room. Right next to you. Eventually, seeing if you can bring your focus to just the sounds inside your own body - the rise and fall of your breath, the soft swish each time you swallow... and whatever else you find. Notice the sounds, acknowledge them with a smile, and then let them go on their merry way.
4. When you're done, open your eyes (if they were closed), take a deep breath, and just for a moment notice any changes in your mood or the way you perceive your surroundings. (Maybe there are changes. Maybe not. Either way is okay.)

This short exercise can be useful in a couple of ways:

• On the mat: To feed your yoga practice, allowing you to better hear your body's needs as you move through the poses. Listening will not only help you avoid injury, but might also help you get into some cool poses you didn't even know you could do!
• Off the mat: To lessen the stress of distractions so that you can focus and be present in whatever you're doing. Or to calm your nerves when your brain has gone into its stressed-out, noisy state.

As always: take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

Creative Commons photo by ky_olsen

Relax the jaw...

Just a funny sidenote: I love it when yoga teachers cue the class to "relax the jaw." Not only is it a helpful reminder (we often overlook how much tension we hold in the face), but I also get a little giggle because it reminds me of this "relax the jaw" clip from Perfect Strangers...


"Hello! My name is Cousin Larry Appleton..."

This Week's Theme: The Three Amigos

Open mind, open heart, open body. They're inseparable - like the Three Amigos. And in Hatha Yoga (the physical form of yoga), Open Body is the ringleader. 

Well, not just in Hatha Yoga. A plethora (yes, that's a Three Amigos joke) of behavioral science studies have found that the posture of your body does, in fact, inform your mood and attitude. Way back in 1982, four separate studies revealed that subjects who had been temporarily placed in a slumped, depressed physical posture later appeared to develop helplessness more readily than subjects who had been placed in an expansive, upright posture.

Amazing, right? And those folks were temporarily placed in a slumped position. Nowadays we spend all day slumped over our keyboards. Let's counteract that will a little expansive yoga!

In this week's classes (both Workplace Wellness and Vinyasa) we'll be practicing some restorative, refreshing hip openers and chest openers. I hope you can join us.

In the meantime, enjoy this week's Two-Minute DIY Practice.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Opening the Chest and Heart

If you want to get started on this week's theme, here's a quick DIY practice that's great for opening the chest. If you're sitting at a desk (or even slumping on a couch) for an extended period of time, it's nice to get up and practice this every once in a while...

1. Begin standing with your arms at your sides (Tadasana, Mountain Pose). Tuck the tail bone and gently hug the belly button inward to support the lower back.
2. Bring your breath into the lower ribcage - keeping a firm, steady base in the lower body as you expand and lift the ribcage on each inhale. Press your feet down into the ground to lengthen the spine, and think about making your ribcage sit a little less heavily on your torso.
3. Now that you've got that expansive action going for you, let's incorporate some movement and stretching. On an inhale, sweep your arms up to the sky. Exhaling, sweep them down and behind you.
4. Clasp the hands together behind you and gently start to press the hands back away from the body (remembering to keep the tailbone tucked and belly button gently hugging inward to support your lower back). Lengthen your spine even more as you draw the shoulders down and lift the heart toward the sky.
5. Remember to breathe.
6. If you feel like an even deeper stretch in the upper chest, press the palms of the hands together in this pose.
7. Smile!

This pose will help counteract "office chair slump," and - if the yogis and researchers are right - it might just help brighten your mood as well.

If you want to use this pose as an opportunity for meditation:

1. Picture something that's challenging you right now - a situation, an idea, a project, a relationship, whatever. 
2. With each inhale let your heart slowly open. 
3. With each exhale send a little love toward that challenging thing you're picturing. (This part may not be easy. That's okay.)
4. Keep breathing until you start to feel the tension melt.

As always: take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

This Week's Theme: Patience

It's easy to rush. To eat fast. To drive fast. To hurry from place to place, or pose to pose, missing the richness of any given moment. (<-- That's a link to an incredibly beautiful short film. If it doesn't make your heart swell in awe, wanting to savor every moment... you might be a robot.)

In yoga, rushing is one of the fastest ways to find yourself falling to the floor. Patience, on the other hand, is one of the fastest ways to find yourself floating into a beautiful balancing pose. We'll be practicing a few balancing poses this week as we explore our ability to slow down and move mindfully.



Creative Commons photo via Lululemon

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Patience

If you want to get started on this week's theme, here's a two-minute DIY practice to cultivate patience. Pretty open-ended this time:

1. Pick a daily activity or a yoga pose that you normally rush through. (For me, that means either brushing my teeth or moving through chaturanga dandasana.)
2. Just for one day, each time you do that activity or pose sloooooooowwwwww down. I mean seriously hit the super slow-mo button. 
3. And just see what you notice. What changes when you slow down? Do you notice anything you didn't before? How does slowing down affect the quality of your practice?

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

This Week's Theme: Sustainablity

(photo via rivieramaya26)

Not in the environmental sense. This is about managing your own energy. Do you ever find yourself wearing out halfway through a yoga class? Or aching after forcing yourself into a pose? Have you ever pushed yourself to get something done and ended up burnt out before it was over?

This week we're focusing on creating sustainability - using the breath and mindfulness to find that beautiful balance between effort and ease.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Sustainability

(photo via muffet)

If you want to get started on this week's theme, try this simple seated twist:

1. Sitting in your chair, begin to deepen your breath.
2. Lengthen your spine - rooting down through the sit bones and reaching the crown of the head toward the sky. 
3. Inhaling, raise your left hand up to the sky.
4. Exhaling, twist your upper body to the right, and place the left hand on the outer edge of the right knee.
5. Hold this twist for one minute. If you've come into it too intensely, this might be a challenge. Try backing off a bit and coming back to your breath.
6. Release the twist.
7. Repeat the twist, this time to the left. Can you move into this second side more sustainably? Hold again for one minute, and see!

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

Head and Heart

Just came across this lovely video of incredible giant bubbles on a beach. Nothing like some simple beauty to draw you out of your head space and into your heart space.

*exhale*


Stinson Beach Bubbles (canon 550D) from markdaycomedy on Vimeo.

Thi Week's Theme: Hips Don't Lie

Shakira was right. Hips don't lie. One of the fastest ways for me to tell if I'm starting to get a cold is to drop down into a hip opener like one-legged Pidgeon Pose. When I'm feeling healthy and vibrant, I melt like butter into this deliciously juicy pose. But when my body has some hidden tension - be it emotional stress or the low level stress of my immune system kicking into fighting mode - my hips will tell me. 

Achey, creaky, stiff... the hip muscles tend to gather up and store our stresses. Unfortunately, sitting in office chairs all day often adds to the poor hips' burden. 

In this week's classes (what few there are due to the shortened Labor Day week) we'll be focusing on hip openers to help release tension.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Hip Openers

Even if you're stuck in an office chair you can still practice some great hip openers. I recommend trying this pose a couple of times throughout your workday. It's a great waker-upper and a good way to check in with the state of your body:

1. Start seated near the edge of your chair so that your pelvis can start to tilt just slightly forward.
2. Make sure both feet can press fully and evenly into the ground.
3. Place your right ankle on top of your left leg just above the knee.
4. Breathing in, lengthen your spine by rooting through the sit bones and reaching the crown of your head toward the sky.
5. Breathing out and keeping the spine long and straight, start to lead your belly button forward, folding the torso gently over the legs.
6. You may not fold very far. That's okay. It's important to be nice to your hips - not forceful. 
7. Keep both sit bones rooted with even weight into your chair, and use your breath to melt into this pose for a good minute or so if possible. 
8. With each exhale see if you can let go effort in the bent leg. Less is more here. But if you're feeling super flexy and need a little more intensity you can use your hand to gently press your bent knee downward.
9. Keep breathing. 
10. Rinse and repeat with the other leg.

If you want to use this as an opportunity for meditation, hip openers are great poses in which to close your eyes and let your mind gently focus on the concept of letting go. You may find this helps your muscles as well as your mind start to relax a little more deeply.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

Yoga FAQs: #1 What Does "Namaste" Mean?

photo via tanitta

"Namaste," says the teacher at the end of class, bowing with her hands pressed together at her heart.
"Namaste," the students echo back to her.

If you've been to few yoga classes, you've probably witnessed this phenomenon. Maybe you've wondered: What does that funky word mean? Should I say it too? What am I agreeing to if I do?

Don't worry. You're not alone. I had those same questions when I started practicing yoga. Likely everyone does. A few of my workplace yoga students have recently asked me, so I'm addressing it in this FAQ.

Here's the answer. "Namaste" is a Sanskrit word, commonly spoken as a greeting or salutation in India and Nepal.

The simplest translation: I bow to you.

For my fellow language geeks, here's the etymology: Take the Sanskrit namah, "to bow or give reverential salutation," plus te, "to you." In Sanskrit you have to add an "s" to link the two words so that they sound right together. (This word linking technique is called "sandhi.") Therefore you get namaste.

In yoga it's spoken at the end of a class as a show of respect - a way for the teacher to thank the students and the students to thank the teacher. You can even say "namaste" to yourself as a way to thank yourself for taking the time to practice yoga.

I hope this demystified a bit of yoga tradition for you. If there are other yoga questions you'd like me to address in future FAQs, let me know. Thanks for reading.

Namaste.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Depth

This week's theme is depth. At any given moment there are a zillion (scientific estimate) things vying for our attention - phones, email, texts, banner ads, the radio, real live people, etc. We're running mental sprints from one thing to another. And it's exhausting.

The good news is that taking even just a few minutes to deeply focus the mind on just one thing can be hugely rejuvenating. In my classed this week we're focusing on deepening our attention to the breath while working into some more deep hip stretches.


A good pose to experiment with depth is a simple lunge. You can practice high lunge or low lunge depending on the amount of depth or difficulty you're looking for. Play around with it. Your body will tell you what you're needing.

You can use a blanket to cushion your back knee in a low lunge. Another great, gentle modification is to use a staircase for your lunge, planting your front foot up a few steps from the ground and bending deeply through the front knee. I like to do this when I first get home from work to stretch out my hips.

Whichever variation you're taking, keep the following in mind:

1. Keep both hip bones level and parallel, facing forward.
2. Tuck the tailbone gently to protect the lower back.
3. Be mindful of your front knee staying in line with the ankle rather than falling out to either side.
4. Get expansive. It's great to sink into a delicious hip stretch, but balance that with a light, lengthened upper body.
5. Breathe. :)

If you want to use this as an opportunity for meditation, draw the attention to the breath and focus on deepening each inhale and exhale. Picture the breath as a waterfall, traveling up the back of your body on the inhale and cascading down the front of your body on the exhale.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

This Week's Theme: Just Notice

"The leaves are beginning to change. Have you noticed?" A friend posted that simple question on facebook last week, and it made me stop to look around and reflect.

We often let things go unnoticed until they're too big to ignore. Until the trees are exploding with color. (Yay!) Until a small misunderstanding has turned into an argument. (Not yay.) Until our shoulders have gathered so much tension that they're glued to our ears. (Ouch.)

This week our practice is simply to notice our state of being - before we decide to change our postures or even make a single movement on the mat. With that small action, we can start to shed stress, quiet the mind, and protect ourselves from injury as we move mindfully. Ahhh.

P.S. I just came across this peaceful, short video that perfectly illustrates this week's theme. Watch the leaves changing...

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Simply Sitting with the "Body Scan"

photo by jessebezz

 A quiet pose for a quiet practice this week. I recommend sitting either cross-legged with the sit bones on the edge of a folded blanket or on a chair with your sit bones scooted up toward the edge. The important thing is that the pelvis starts to tilt just slightly forward so your vertebrae can stack nicely on top of one another without a whole lot of muscular effort holding you up.

1. Once you've found your seat, just close your eyes and notice your breath. Don't try to change it yet. Just notice the pace, the depth, and the texture of your breath as it naturally occurs. (This isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. I dare you to try it.)
2. Start to deepen the breath. Root through your sit bones and lengthen the spine to create space in your torso for your breath.
3. Now for a quick mental body scan. Start with the feet. Notice how they feel, in as much detail as you can. Then work your way up the body noticing the calves, the knees, the thighs, the hips, etc. All the way up to the crown of the head.

If you're really doing this in two minutes, it's going to be a pretty quick scan. Maybe you just hit the major appendages and joints. That's okay. It's a nice little check-in.

This can also be a fantastic deep relaxation technique if you give it 15 minutes or more while lying down and reeeeeally noticing the detail of each body part. If you're ever having trouble sleeping, try giving this practice a shot.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

Two-Minute DIY Practice: Steady as a Tree

Photo by Maria Ly

The only thing constant in life is change.

With yoga we cultivate the steadiness to ride those waves of change - pardon the cliche analogy - just like a surfer balanced on her board. (Or like an Acro Yogi balanced on... another Acro Yogi.)

This week's theme is steadiness. And in class we're focusing on the breath and some simple balancing poses to explore this concept of steadiness in action.

If you want to explore on your own, this week's two-minute DIY practice is tree pose. Because what's more steady than a tree rooted firmly into the ground - so steady in its base that it can let its branches flex and sway in the wind?

Begin by deepening your breath...

1. Choose a point of focus for your eyes. A spot on the floor or wall in front of you is good. If you really want a challenge you can move your gaze to the ceiling.
2. Start with both feet rooted firmly into the ground. Feel your full footprint pressed evenly into the floor.
3. Tailbone is tucked. Belly button is hugged inward. Spine is long and expanded. Hands are either on the hips or pressed together at heart center.
4. Transfer the weight to the left foot, floating the right toes up off the ground about an inch.
5. Check in with your hip bones. Are they level with each other? Good.
6. You can stay here and breathe. That's a great pose.
7. If you want to explore further, bend the knee and raise your femur up parallel to the ceiling.
8. You can stay here and breathe. Totally cool.
9. If your body is okay with exploring further, take the knee out wide to the side and place the sole of your foot on the inside of your calf or thigh.
10. Really root through that steady standing leg. Maybe make your arms into branches and let them sway.
11. Breathe.
12. On an exhale, gently come out the way you came in.
13. Rinse and repeat on the other foot.

If you want to use tree pose as an opportunity for meditation, soften your gaze and let your mind settle onto the steady rhythm of the breath. For a visual focus, try picturing a candle flame glowing at the spot you've chosen as your focal point (or maybe light an actual candle as your focal point). Both the breath and the candle flame are useful focal points for this practice since they continually morph and flow, yet remain steady in their nature. Maybe try repeating this mantra in your head: "Breathing in, I am fluid. Breathing out, I feel steady."

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

Right Here, Right Now

photo by Kramer

The sun was just beginning to rise during my morning meditation today when - out of nowhere - this song bubbled up from the depths of my memory and put itself on repeat in my brain.

I smiled.

If you discard the Cold War connotations and the cheesy 1990-ness, it's really a pretty appropriate theme song for meditation.

Right here, right now. There is no other place I want to be...

This Week's Theme: The Sleepyhead Remedy

photo via HilaryQuinn

Yaaaawwwwn. At this time of year the nights are long, and the days are dark and cold. A sort of sluggishness sets in, and it's tempting just to crawl back in bed.

If you find yourself drowsily dragging through the day, there's one simple antidote (besides getting more sleep)... oxygen.

Nothing enlivens every cell of your body like a good old dose of O2. That's why this week we're exercising our lung capacity with some super juicy deep breathing techniques.

TWO-MINUTE DIY PRACTICE: THREE PART BREATH
 
This week's DIY practice is not a pose but a breathing technique called Three Part Breath.

It's a great way to expand your lung capacity and draw in more O2 than you ever thought possible!

This techinique is easiest to practice laying down, but it's certainly not hard do while seated at your desk. Just make sure you're relaxed and comfy, but not slouching.

1. Just as the name implies, you're going to divide your breath into three parts. First, exhale fully, pressing out every last bit of air.
2. Inhale 1/3 of your breath capacity using just your low belly, and hold for a count of two.
3. Inhale the second third of your breath into your ribcage, and hold for two. (Try expanding through the sides and back of the ribcage as well as the front.)
4. Inhale the final third of your breath into your upper chest, and hold for a count of two. (Relax your shoulders, neck, and jaw. Be mindful not to create tension in with this exercise.)
5. Finally, exhale gently, with control. See if you can let your breath go out the opposite way it came in - exhaling first the upper chest, then the ribcage, then the lower belly.

Play with a few rounds of this to give yourself a nice oxygen energy boost.


If you want to use this as an opportunity for meditation, draw your full attention to each area (belly, ribcage, chest) as the breath expands into it. Explore every little sensation as the oxygen enlivens your cells. Smile. You're alive.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

This Week's Theme: Lighten Up

Feeling heavy after all that Thanksgiving feasting? I'm not talking about actual weight.

I'm talking about that slumpy, slouchy, draggy feeling. The one that works just fine for the post-turkey-nap, but makes you feel like Eeyore at the office.

Well, lighten up! This week we're going to cultivate a little lightness in the body by practicing some gentle spine lengthening and backbends.

TWO-MINUTE DIY PRACTICE: STANDING CAMEL
Full camel is a pretty intense pose that you usually want quite a bit of warm-up for. So in this DIY practice, we're just going to remain standing and do a mini version.

Practiced mindfully, this is a wonderful backbend that can help counteract spinal compression and make you feel tall and light.

Remember to move slowly and mindfully, expanding the back rather than crunching it.

This backbend can be as deep or shallow as you need. It could even be just a micro-bend and still be beneficial. Listen to what your body needs.

1. Start in standing (mountain pose). Tuck your tailbone and pull your belly button in-and-up to protect your lower back.
2. Inhaling, lengthen your spine by pressing your feet into the ground and reaching the crown of your head up toward the sky.
3. Exhaling, just drop your shoulders down and back.
4. Inhaling, reach your fingertips up to the sky.
5. Exhaling, place your palms on your lower back. Elbows squeeze gently toward each other.
6. Engage your quadriceps to steady your legs as a counterbalance because we're going to start the backbending...
7. Inhaling, keep that tailbone well tucked, your belly engaged and your gaze forward as you lengthen your spine once again - this time reaching your chest up toward the sky. This is mostly upward movement.
8. Exhaling, drop your shoulders down and back as you gently bend the upper back. Keep the spine expansive, reaching the chest up toward the sky. You can drop your head back if it feels good or just keep looking forward (in which case your chin will be very close to your chest). Choose the head position where your neck doesn't have to strain.
9. Breathe.
10. Remember to move as slowly and gently out of the pose as you did coming into it. Lead with the heart, not the head. No struggle, no strain. Maybe relax into a forward bend, child's pose or head between the knees as a counterpose for the spine.

If you want to use this as an opportunity for meditation, focus on cultivating that quality of lightness. Can you use your breath and mindfulness to lighten whatever is weighing heavy on your body, mind or heart?

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

This Week's Theme: Breathe and Release Stress

I've noticed a certain look on a lot of people's faces lately - that anxious, overwhelmed, "Eek! How am I ever going to get everything done before Christmas?!" kind of look.

So this week we're practicing using the breath to transition out of that stressed-out state and into something a little more peaceful and merry. 'Tis the season of peace, after all.

(By the way, did you catch yesterday's NPR story on your breath as a built-in tool for stress relief and overall health? Check it out.)

TWO-MINUTE DIY PRACTICE: ELONGATED BREATH

photo via Brandon Baunach
Creative Commons

This practice is super simple, yet very powerful. We're just working on lengthening out the breath. A few people have told me that this practice has helped lower their blood pressure (while at the doctor's office measuring it) within a matter of minutes. Wow.

1. Start seated at the edge of your chair (or on the floor, a meditation cushion, or wherever you feel comfy). Sit on the front edge of your sit bones so that your pelvis starts to tilt forward a little and your spine stacks up easily to hold you upright with minimal muscular effort.
2. Root down through the sit bones and lengthen the crown of your head toward the sky - creating a long, spacious torso so you've got plenty of room to breathe.
3. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your lower ribcage.
4. Inhaling, expand the front, back, and sides of your lower ribcage.
5. Exhaling, let your ribs fall gently back to their original state.
6. Consciously start to lengthen your breath to a six-count inhale, and a six-count exhale.

If you want to use this as an opportunity for meditation, you might try mentally repeating the phrase, "I am here," on each exhale. It's a nice way to ground yourself in the moment and release stress.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

12 Days of Mindfulness

What a wonderful Monday!

I'm stoked because today is the first day of my 12 Days of Mindfulness Challenge. Dozens of people are taking the Challenge, and you still have time to join the Facebook group too if you want. I've already posted the first mini-challenge.

About the 12 Days of Mindfulness:

The goal is to shed the stress, and find a little bit of peace this holiday season.

Here's the challenge: for each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas (Dec. 13 - 24), you commit to practicing mindfulness in some way. Whether it's yoga, a few minutes of meditation, just taking a moment to breathe, or walking outside and appreciating nature... or whatever you like.

Join the Facebook group to discuss your daily progress, ideas, and challenges with the rest of us who are taking the challenge. Just like gym buddies we'll keep each other motivated.

I'll post daily optional mini challenges to keep us flexing those mindfulness muscles. Sign up!

This Week's Theme: Finding Stillness Before the Busy New Year

Ahh, the last week of the year. A lovely little break between the pre-Christmas rush and the busy new year ahead.

This week in class we're taking the opportunity to settle into a more still and quiet rhythm of life -- even if just for a few moments -- so that we can recharge our batteries and have the energy to act on all those ambitious New Year's resolutions.

TWO-MINUTE DIY PRACTICE: CHILD'S POSE

photo via Yoga Journal

Child's pose is a great place to rest and shore up your energy. Try it at home on the floor, or even in bed first thing in the morning before you get up.

1. Start seated on your knees with your sit bones settling down toward your heels. Toes touching. Knees spread to hip width. (If this hurts your knees or if your sit bones won't reach your heels, fold up a blanket and place it between your bum and your heels so you have something to sit on.)
2. Inhale to lengthen your spine.
3. Exhaling, fold forward -- laying your torso in between your knees and letting the forehead come to the floor. Arms along your sides. (If the forehead doesn't reach the floor, stack your two fists on top of one another and set your forehead there -- or use a block or folded blanket to lay your forehead on).
4. Stay there for several breath cycles.
5. Each inhale gently brings space into the spine (you may even find yourself re-adjusting your forehead's position as you discover more length in your back and neck). Breathe into the back of your body, letting the back side of your ribcage really expand on each inhale.
6. Each exhale settles you into the pose. Let your spine release its grip. Let your shoulders and heart melt toward the earth. Let your hips get heavy as your sit bones sink even further toward your heels.
7. When you're ready to come out of the pose, move slowly and gently - using your hands to walk yourself upright.

If you want to use this pose as an opportunity for meditation: Let your mind settle into stillness as your body settles into the pose. With each exhale, let go of anything from the past year that no longer serves you as you prepare to start anew in the coming year.

As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

New Year, New Classes

Speaking of preparing for a busy new year ahead, I'm teaching a bunch of new studio classes starting in January. I've posted the whole schedule on the "Class Schedule" tab, but I'm also posting it here for your convenience.

If  you're interested in taking your yoga practice further, I invite you to explore one of these classes with me:

YESyoga - 8730 SW Terwilliger, Suite 102, Portland, OR

• Sundays  |  YinYasa  |  4:30pm - 5:45pm

Yoga Pilates Northeast - NE Alberta and MLK Blvd. (first floor of Me Fitness)

• Mondays  |  Relax and Release  |  5:30pm - 6:30pm
• Wednesdays  |  Relax and Release  |  5:30pm - 6:30pm
• Fridays  |  Yin Flow  |  5:30pm - 6:30pm

Santosha Yoga For Every Body - 4876 NW Bethany Blvd, Suite L4, Portland, Oregon 97229

• Saturdays  |  Gentle Yoga Flow  |  11:00am - 12:00pm
• Saturdays  |  FREE Community Class for Beginners  |  12:30pm - 1:00pm 

 

On Focus

"Focus is a kind of mental muscle. When you strengthen it by learning to hold your attention in one place for a while, you automatically strengthen you ability to hold subtle states in meditation and to find the inner pathways that lead you deeper. Eventually, this basic practice of catching yourself in distraction and bringing your mind back begins to affect your whole life. Not only does the mind become more stable in meditation - so that you can sit for a long time in the space of the heart, or remain in stillness for more than a minute or two - but the mind also acquires and ability to focus on things like driving your car, writing a report, or perfecting your golf swing. Learning to resist distraction makes you more resistant to boredom, worry, and depression."

-- Condensed [by me] excerpt from Meditation For The Love Of It by Sally Kempton

I'm putting this book on my Must Read list :)

Out Of Your Head, Into Your Heart

photo by La FruU

I've had this song stuck in my head for the past few days - except in my brain the lyrics have changed to "get out of my head, get into my heart." (More yogic, less creepy than the original version.)

I often cue my yoga students to lead with their hearts when moving into certain poses. It's a good way to find physical alignment, but it also reminds us to stop over-thinking things and just feel our own motions (and emotions).

Have you been living in your head too much lately? I know I have. Thanks for the reminder, Billy Ocean. ;)

With That Moon Language

With That Moon Language

Admit something:

Everyone you see, you say to them, "Love me."

Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise someone would call the cops.

Still, though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect.

Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye

that is always saying,

with that sweet moon language,

what every other eye in this world is dying to hear?
~ Hafiz (1325 - 1389)

Oh, Hafiz... you have such a way of melting my heart with your poetry. Such a great embodiment of Bhakti Yoga. (P.S. Is it possible to have a crush on someone from the 14th century? 'Cause I think I do. Oh, Hafiz... )

To Give When There Is No Crowd Applauding

I'm not a big follower of tennis, but Andre Agassi's Hall of Fame induction speech is really moving. At the 22:30 mark he begins to talk about when he personally hit rock bottom and had to rebuild his life by asking deep questions and cultivating gratitude. These quotes really stood out for me:

"I committed to taking care of myself and taking care of my tennis. Going from #141 in the world back to #1 was not an accomplishment. It was the reflection of an accomplishment. It was the symptom of good choices."

"We are here to do good quietly... to give when there is no crowd applauding."

Right on, Andre.

Let Your Own Light Shine

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." -Nelson Mandela

One of my favorite quotes, and appropriate to post this week given that Nelson Mandela's birthday was just a few days ago. If you're lost for ideas about how to let your own light shine, MandelaDay.com has a few (67 to be exact) good suggestions.

Yoga Among the Gum Trees

This blog is called YogaCafe.lk, the .lk being a suffix for Sri Lanka.  When I was at university I used to love to go to my favourite cafe and sit and write and contemplate.  Now that I live in Sri Lanka I haven't found 'my cafe' so I thought I would make this space something close to it.  Here I will post news about yoga (and maybe a few other things) as I experience it here in Sri Lanka. 

Yoga Classes In Colombo

The photo above is of Tilak who used to sit at the door and let people in at the old yoga venue.  I can't bear to take it down so I have left it posted but please not this is not where we do yoga from anymore!!

Yoga Class Timetable for May 2014.  Please check calendar on the blogpost for most up-to-date timetable and for any changes.

All classes @ 49 Skelton Road, Colombo 5 unless otherwise

Hips Don't Die

I started the year thinking I needed to do something new.   So I came up with the idea to jazz up my Thursday night class a bit.  It is now called YogaSequence and we will be practicing a specific sequence for 8 weeks and then rotating.  The current sequence is called Hips Don't Die--thanks to Ruwanthie for coming up with the name.  I am going to post a few blogs as thoughts emerge from that

But My Hips Didn't Die...

But My Hips Didn’t Die…Hmmm, I wonder if his hips hurt?  Wait a minute, he doesn’t have any hips!  Which is exactly how you should start to feel after the Hips Don’t Die sequence finishes in a few weeks time—as though your hips have become empty and light (or at least emptier and lighter).  We’ve had some interesting comments coming from the Hips Don’t Die class.  One I have heard a few times is:

Five Reasons To Catch The Bus To Yoga (if my 75 year old aunt can do it...)

OK, here are five EXCELLENT reasons to catch the bus—not only to my yoga class, but in general:1)      The bus is CHEAP!  No doubt about it, for those of us on a budget, the bus is definitely the cheapest mode of transport.  For example, if I wanted to enjoy a nice walk on Galle Face it would cost me Rs 400 to get there in a taxi, Rs 180 to get there in a metered trishaw (don’t get me started on

Happy Birthday Tilak (the doorman in the sarong)

Today is Tilak’s birthday.  Tilak is my husband and is also commonly known as the doorman to yoga students.  Behind the man in the sarong is a genius, an amazingly generous person, and one of the most honest people I know.  Thank you sweetheart for so many things.  My yoga classes would be so much more difficult without you.  We all know Tilak does doorman’s duties, but he also cleans the roof so

Practing Yoga For Yourself, Not For Anybody Else

Practicing Yoga For Yourself, Not For Anybody ElseTeaching is one of those professions where you can receive as much as you give and often learn just as much as you teach.  This week we said goodbye to one of our long-term yoga students—Jagath.  As with all students who I spend time with each week in class, I learned a lot from him.As Jagath would be the first to tell you, he came to class with

Dragonfly Does Handstand!

Even Yoga Teachers Are Still Learning...She’s got no hands but she does a great handstand!  I wish I could feel so steady in this tricky posture (otherwise known as Adho Mukha Vrksasana—hard to say and hard to do).  Sometimes people might think that just because I teach yoga I must find all yoga postures easy.  But handstand is one of those postures that I have actually been working on for a good

Remembering Yogic Roots: Happy Australia Day!

Remembering Yogic Roots: Happy Australia Day!January 26 is Australia Day.  I wondered what message I could post on such a day.  More importantly, what picture do I have that can send that message?  So I looked through my (limited) pictures folder and found the perfect one; a picture of my dad in front of a Queensland pub taken by my sister.  My dad, ever thinking of us, dressed down deliberately

A Bit About Breathing

Breathing RoomIf you don’t breathe, you die.  It is very simple.  “Hasta la vista, baby,” as Arnie might say.  Fortunately we don’t have to think about breathing 24 hours a day or we would not be able to sleep and that would be very annoying and inconvenient indeed.  Unfortunately, because we don’t have to think about breathing, many of us don’t.  And that’s a shame because aside from being

We Don't Like Cricket...We Love It

We don't like cricket, we love it!
For those of you who have come to yoga on my roof top you could not help but notice the giant billboard of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team peeking through the trees and buildings from Havelock Road.  It seems their gigantic illuminated faces are watching over us the whole time. 

Anyway, the World Cup Cricket is about to start.  I remember the last World Cup

What Lies Beneath (Our Bums): Observing the Hip Joint to Protect the Knees

“The Day My Bum Went Psycho” is a book written by Australian children’s author Andy Griffiths.  It’s a story about detachable bums that jump off their owners.  Zach, the main character, wakes up one night bumless and has to get help from some bum-hunters to recover his rogue bum, which has become the leader of a group of bum scoundrels that have set out to rule the world.  If you actually removed

Hips Fly High

Moments of pure joy should be savoured so I wanted to share the joy I felt at seeing students in the hips don't die class last night amaze themselves with their acts of flight! 


Tittibhasana B
(Ok, so we may not look quite like this!)

For 6 weeks now we have been working on some deep hip openers.  We have been doing a lot of forward bending type postures that involve nuzzling the shoulders

Pelvis Vs Knee: Trikonasana

Pelvis Vs Knee: TrikonasanaI am often asked whether the pelvis should be opened fully to the side in trikonasana (triangle pose).  Now, if you asked five different yoga teachers they would probably give you five different answers about how to do trikonasana, but they would all no doubt tell you that to answer the question you need to look at the relationship between the pelvis and the knee.   

Effortless Backbending: Catching the wind in your sail

Effortless backbendsNow that I have ventured into the world of movie-making with myself as writer, producer, sound guy, actress, stunt-woman, special effects coordinator, body double etc, etc, I have noticed something I had not quite noticed before.  I have tiny little twig arms that look like they might snap in two!  Yet, even with said twig arms, I am able to come up from the floor into poses

Yoga Gems #1: Lie Over Things

Lie over something.  Anything.There are lots of little gems you can use to enhance your yoga practice.  These gems can be anything from words of wisdom, particular ways of practicing, or ‘tricks of the trade’ that experienced yogis do almost without thinking and maybe you have not heard about—or have not heard enough.  I am going to start leaving a trail of them for you to collect and put in

Give Me A (Coffee) Break

Can you drink coffee and still be a yogi?The other day I was in the kitchen at work.  We have a very nice kitchen in my office and it is a great place to exchange witty banter.  While making my morning brew one of my colleagues asked aloud whether he should have a cup of coffee now or later.  To which I replied, well, you could have one now and later if you wanted.  “But coffee’s bad for you,” he

Hips might cry but sure won’t die: 20 minute practice sequence

Here's a little sequence to get your hips to shed tears of joy...If you didn’t get the chance to make it to the hips don’t die class, don’t worry.   Here I share with you the crux of the sequence.  We started with some interesting hip-opening vinyasas to warm up before slowing down the pace and it is these ‘slow-down’ postures that I have reproduced here.  Some of the usual suspects are there (

Yoga Gems #2: Winged-Feet

Find the wings in your feet to generate lift and lightness in your poses…


In high school a girlfriend once called me a macropod.  This is a very large word to come from the mouth of a 13 year old.  I am sure I had to go and look it up in the dictionary later that day, but her father was a journalist and she was pretty good with words so I would not be surprised if was just part of her

Just Do It: Five Ways To Start a Home Practice

We were all born yogis, sometimes we just forget.   If you are struggling to get a home practice into your life here are a few tips to help get you started.  
Nike is not paying me for this blog.  Just to make that clear from the very beginning.  But they do have a point; “Just Do It” is a pretty good way to think about a lot of things in life, including yoga.  It goes without saying that there

If she can do the can can...

I am still trying to make myself laugh, although I got my funny spots burned off with liquid nitrogen this morning.  In any case, I came across this picture and was reminded of our Thursday night can-can crew because our legs are starting to look a bit like this. 

For those who have not made it to Thursday's class yet, don't worry.  We will still be lengthening those legs for the next 6 weeks!

Ten Minute Yoga Practice: Basic Suriya Namaskar

If you've only got ten minutes to do yoga...Reaction to last week’s blog came mainly in the form of “can you make a video?”  Actually, I was really tired last week and didn’t have the energy to make a video but I must agree, videos are often more helpful when you are trying to learn about yoga.  Watching someone else do yoga often makes your own body itch to get out there on the mat.  I know

Yoga Gems #3: You don’t do yoga to be a hunchback

The toughest thing about straightening your legs when you are bending forward is not actually getting your legs straight.  It is dealing with the little voice inside of you that says you have to touch your toes or reach the floor while your legs are straight.  That little voice is a bit like the archetypal devil sitting on your shoulder who encourages you to do something that most of us probably

Ten Minute Yoga Practice: Can-Can Flow

If you have only got ten minutes a day to practice, why not try the Can-Can-Flow?  This is our warm up sequence in the Yes-You-Can-Can class.  I designed it specifically to bring our focus to two things.  First, lengthening the legs.  Second, to keep the spine long while doing so.  The second is actually more important than the first and please read the blog “Yoga Gems #3: You don’t do yoga to

Challenge Pose: Bakasana

Challenge Pose: BakasanaFor those of you in Colombo you will no doubt know that it is pretty hard to go anywhere without a bunch (murder) of crows somewhere nearby.  Many people think of crows as just scavengers and look at them a bit like rats.  But here are a few crow stories that have changed my impression about crows:·         Once (upon a time) a crow came onto our rooftop terrace with a

New Class On Thursdays!

We've really lengthened our legs and spines with Yes-You-Can-Can Legs (and even did the splits!).  We've opened up our hips and they didn't die in the Hips Don't Die class.  Now it is time to move up to our waists with Twistin Round The World (first made famous by Chubby Checker of course).

I have choreographed a sequence of twists and turns, and side bends and stretches, along with a bit of

Yoga Retreat in July

Every now and then George from Kahanda Kanda hosts a weekend yoga retreat at his beautiful hotel.  Amidst the gentle greenery, surrounded by the rolling hills of the tea estate and the calls of a diverse array of wild-life, and beneath beautiful open skies we practice yoga morning and evening.  In between we swim, eat, read, relax, cycle, and basically chill-out. 

If this sounds like the type

Fun With Trikonasana

Trikonasana is one of those poses that you learn early on in yoga.  I really like how it stretches out my sides even after all these years. 

Like any pose, Trikonasana can start to feel dull if you keep practicing it in the same way.  It's important to continually break down habits so your body keeps learning and keeps challenged. 

In this video, I leap into trikonasana like Paddy has shown

Paddy's Here!

Paddy's here!  Just what our spines ordered 
If you have not gathered already, Paddy is my teacher (not in the possessive sense--she is everyone's teacher!). She is in Colombo from the 20th May to 5th June and is conducting classes around town. 

Please log onto Paddy's website for her contact details  http://www.paddy.yogaholidays.net/
It is also where you will find details of her classes

Yoga Gems: Yoga for Your Lower Back

Previously I posted a video that showed how lying over a block placed strategically in your upper back can help 'billow' out your chest and give your upper spine a new found feeling of freedom.  Well, we can do the same thing with our lower backs too!

Lots of us want to or need to free our lower backs.  The video link shows a wonderful way to help create length in your lower back to give it the

Support For Your Dog

Our doggy friends instinctively know this stretch is good for them but most of us struggle with adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog) at first.  It's usually the wrists that feel like they are bearing too much weight, and perhaps the shoulders.  Once you learn how to use your hands, forearms, and shoulders correctly this will become less of an issue but, until then--to use that wonderful Sri

Monkey Grip: Improve Your Yoga With Orangutan Arms

I have a good friend who has arms like an orangutan, by which I mean his arm span is greater than his height not that he has hairy shoulders.  Orangutans have amazing arms and shoulders, which comes in handy when you live mostly in the trees.

But for those of us yogis who (for the most part) don't live in trees, having arms like an orangutan, or at least imagining that you do, is a great asset

Mega Yoga Stretch

There are a few yoga poses that provide a stretch that is just, well, mega.  These mega stretches may push your intensity threshold, but they are usually worth it.

Thursday classes at the moment offer one of these mega stretches.  On Thursdays we are going from the two ends of the torso to open parts of our body that will help us fly up into backbends.  They are not the only keys to the flying

Yoga Quiz!

TAKE THE YOGA QUIZ CHALLENGE!
I found this photo on the internet when I typed "tight hips" as a keyword into Google.  I am not quite sure what the picture is trying to show (is it tight hips? tight hamstrings? tight lower back?) but I thought it was a good way for me to introduce a new interactive feature into this blog.  Whether or not you come to my yoga classes or not, I hope that you can

Free Your Spine in Uttanasana

Safer Standing Forward Bends

Last week I posted a photo of a lady in uttanasana.  She seemed a bit too hunched and rounded for my liking.  That prompted me to write the yoga quiz, to see whether it was to your liking or not as well, and to see if you could think of some ways to improve your own forward bending.  And that then prompted me to make a little movie about keeping your spine long in

No Sweat Yoga, Part I

No need to break a sweat doing yoga!

When I first started yoga, I was attracted to much more physical styles.  Some of the first serious yoga classes I took were from a particularly vigorous style of yoga that that involves some great and challenging postures, invigorating breathing, and a whole lot of sweat.    At the time I was also doing a lot of running (about 60km a week) a lot of cycling

Yoga Retreat In November in Negombo

Time for another yoga retreat!  This time it is at Goldi Sands Hotel in Negombo.
This will be a great opportunity to deepen your yoga practice and is suitable for anyone, except total beginners (although please give me a call if you are interested so we can discuss).  We will do four 2 hour yoga classes over the weekend, focusing on asana with some time for breathing and meditation and deep

Holiday At the Yoga Cafe

I am on holiday (hopefully creating some great blogs though) from 17 December to 1 January 2012.  Last yoga class is Thursday 16 December and first class is Monday 2 January.  Wishing you all a merry christmas and happy new year!

How not to injure yourself practicing yoga

My family.  We've injured ourselves more times than we care to remember. This photo was taken after another of our little adventures.

I am really pleased some of my students thought to send me an article about yoga published in the New York Times recently (thanks Christina!).  I've copied the link here so you can read the article for yourself (always a good idea to go to the source).   If you

Kiss The Hunch Goodbye

In the spirit of trying to keep the Thursday sequence class relevant to your needs I am always open to suggestions.  I have had several requests for the new Thursday sequence that will start this week.  Well, to be honest I had two.  One was for core strengthening and the other was a request to help with posture, especially the upper back and shoulders.  So I have blended the two requests in

Don't have a cow: Reduce pain in your wrists in yoga poses




Cow pose (not shown here but I couldn't resist these pics of cows doing yoga) is one of the most common beginner's
postures and is also one where yogis might first encounter wrist pain





It has become very clear to me that when new students come to yoga class the portion of my brain dedicated to recall of names drifts off and starts doing complicated inversions.  I had been calling a

Yoga Retreat in June at Talalla 1-4 June 2012

RETREAT NEWS





I am really happy to say that I am organising a yoga retreat weekend in Talalla over the first weekend in June, which happens to have a Monday as poya day.  This is going to be an extra special retreat over three days with 5 yoga classes.  Anyone who is interested in getting away for a weekend of yoga is free to come. I know there are some families out there who enjoy yoga and

Class Lowdown

I thought I'd give a quick rundown of classes at the moment.

We started our new Wednesday morning class.  It is beautiful to be up on the roof so early.  One week a monkey even dropped by to see what we were doing.  He took off light a rocket when we noticed him and disappeared into the jungles of Colombo 5 with a raucous group of crows in hot pursuit (I know it is a murder of crows but,

15 Minute Sequence To Build Arm Strength

I always admired Linda Hamilton's chin ups in Terminator 2.  When I was ten I could do chin ups myself thanks to my father who took me running and then to some monkey bars and got me to practice.  When I was about thirty I tried again and couldn't manage one.  But then again I used to do handstands without fear when I was ten too.  (I am not trying to create a link between your chin up

Savasana: Just Relax

At the beginning of nearly all yoga classes I get people to lie down so they can relax.   We do the same at the end of class.  Most of us are very good at lying down but many of us are not good at relaxing--be this physically or mentally.  Sometimes people think they are relaxing when they are not.  I see this often at the end of the class when I go around to make adjustments as people lie in

New Day Time Classes!

Good news for those who cannot make it to my evening classes!  I am now teaching two morning classes.  Thanks to Tashiya at Body Bar for inviting me back to teach at her gym on Jawatta Avenue.



The new classes will be:



Monday @ 10.30-12pm

Wednesday @ 8.30-10am



These will be YogaFlow classes suitable for all but complete beginners.  I strongly recommend that beginners come to my

Safe Practice

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