Stretching in Style

The yoga industry is booming - from new studios popping up daily in the most remote locations to clothing lines geared specifically toward yogis and yoginis with prices that would make you gasp. I am guilty of purchasing a few of these exorbitantly overpriced tops and bottoms, each promising to bring your practice to new heights and allow you to move in ways you never knew possible.

Hmmmm. Let's put things in perspective: we're not fooling anyone - we really just want to look cute and feel good about ourselves as we step onto our mats, right?! Who are we kidding? I can say, from experience, that when I head out for a run or step into a yoga studio or even set off on a long hike, if I am properly dressed or donning a cute outfit it does change the way I approach the activity; I do carry myself differently and have more confidence. It can also inspire us and be incentive to get out the door. There is definitely some truth that in the right gear we are able to move more freely, sweat more without chaffing, and keep things in place that might otherwise wiggle and giggle in unwanted ways. So just as we spend unspeakable prices for the perfect pair of jeans or the sexiest pair of leather boots, so too do we shell out the big bucks for stylish exercise gear. This is NOT to say that you can't score awesome deals on super cute and super affordable gear (um, hellew Target and TJ Maxx) - it just takes a little more digging.

For those of you familiar with the Prada of the yoga clothing world, Lululemon, you probably know that they don't have online ordering. Well my friends, I am here this morning to tell you that has changed. Lululemon now offers online shopping, for an arm and a leg no doubt, but it's available. So if you need a cute outfit to get you inspired to start moving your bod - be it on in the gym, the yoga studio, the pavement - check out a few of my favorite sites to indulge in:

Zobha
Beyond Yoga
Be Present

Namas...what?

I'm often approached at the end of class by a student asking, "What exactly does namaste mean?" It's a great question since many of us just go through the yoga practice, or daily life, without stopping to understand why we do what we do and the meanings behind these actions, traditions, or in this case a simple but powerful word.

Namaste, derived from Sanskrit, translates roughly to "the light in me bows to the light in you." The Hindi version, jai bhagwan, expresses the same intention; both are common in the West as a final word we offer to one another at the close of a shared practice. In traditional Indian daily life, however, namaste is spoken as a greeting, an acknowledgment in passing, and a last parting word.

Most yoga classes use the term only at the end of class to part ways. The closing of class is usually a calm and serene time for most; many are still in a meditative state from savasana, the final resting pose - their bodies are tired, in a relaxed state of awareness - which is the ideal mindframe from which to offer namaste to others.

Below I describe how we end a class, but it can also be a guide to a short meditation on your mat at home. Take a few minutes to sit in a quiet place and slowly build awareness through a deep calm...

Come to a comfortable seated position - you can be crosslegged. Bring awareness to the sit-bones grounding you down into the Earth as the crown of your head lifts you up, lengthening the spine to support you. With palms touching in front of your heart, bring awareness to the pulsation within you as you feel your breath flowing in and out, connecting you to our prana, or energy force.

Bowing our heads in respect for the practice, the space, and one another, we share a quiet moment of acknowledgment.

This is often the most communal part of a class for me. Once our bodies and minds have been engaged fully, the students are finally able to rest and be in the stillness; letting go of all internal dialogue, bringing awareness to their bodies in the space and among others, generating a feeling of oneness -- this creates the Peace we each carry into our day.

From me to you all, on this beautiful Spring morning,
Namaste!

Moving with Music

Music in yoga class. It's a hot debate in the yoga community! Some love it and claim they can't practice without it; others cringe and claim they can't practice with it. I can go either way. I began taking yoga classes at a studio without music so I became accustomed to that, but I have always used music in my own classes. That said, seeking out suitable music and creating playlists that work can be challenging. Music can be incredibly motivating, uplifting, and energizing -- a wonderful aid to finding rhythm and movement in your own body. It can also be distracting and overwhelming if used incorrectly.

I am always seeking out new tunes (suggestions encouraged!) and recently discovered a real gem: meet MC YOGI. He's a passionate yoga practitioner with a beautiful practice, and he's also a great musician with a purpose. He uses his yoga practice and this love of hip hop to reach out to a broader audience and work for change in the world. He has a lot of great projects in the works - I highly encourage you to check out his website and/or his new CD, Elephant Power, available in full on itunes.

Check out this video he put together pre-election - it's pretty rockin'!

A few more thoughts...

What I find most exciting about blogs - and my primary goal for this one - is the space it provides for shared ideas, thoughts, questions, a dialogue between friends and strangers alike. So I was thrilled when a comment on Be Here Now challenged the ideas presented while asking some questions. The commenter asked, "What about being able to laugh at yourself, relax, stop taking everything so seriously and just let go. Does that have any place in yoga? I some how doubt it ...."

That right there - having a sense of humor and being able to maintain it in the most challenging moments - IS, in so many ways, the goal of yoga. It's through yoga (which is much much more than the physical practice but penetrates our beings on many deeper levels) that people are able to deal with their issues, fears, concerns - things holding them back and blocking them from being able to simply relax and play! Yoga is learning the tools to relax (meditation) and the tools to play (in most yoga poses, the body is exploring self-expression, freedom of movement, dancing...all in a safe and light-hearted manner).


















When I'm happiest, I am able to laugh at myself, relax, be silly, and when I'm not as happy I find it harder, but that's why it's a daily practice - one we arrive at each day with a fresh slate. I think Iyengar captures it perfectly in the title of his book Light on Life. I'm still slowly peeling back the layers to keep discovering new concepts and ways of seeing things, but the ability to accept these new ideas and approaches to finding peace is the greatest gift that yoga has given me.
Please share with us your experiences or thoughts!

Be Here Now

The concept of presence resonates strongly in me these days, on and off my mat. In my yoga practice, bringing awareness to presence can often be my yoga for the day - asanas (yoga poses) and pranayama (yoga breathing) are simply the tools that help me move into the meditation which eventually allows my mind to quiet and be still. The dialogue that inevitably fires up in my mind as I move through my sequences can often take a force of nature to quiet but when accomplished brings a peace and submission that I embrace. It's the same practice in daily routines, only there are more stimuli to resist.

To be fully aware and engaged in the moment is a struggle for many of us in this over-stimulating and highly driven society. Not living in the past or looking only ahead to the future takes a conscious practice of our will and our mind working together. Instead, accepting and embracing our current situations, whatever they may be - sans doubt, criticism, or judgment - is the ultimate goal and freedom. Loving who we are (not only who we were or who we should be), enjoying where we live, who we live with or near, what we do, the way we interact with each other. It's being settled and at ease with ourselves and our lives, not wishing we were elsewhere or "doing" something else. Being satisfied with what IS as opposed to what should or could be.

This idea is not one that we often take time to stop and contemplate because we don't allow ourselves to, but what would happen if we did? It's a simple practice but is anything but simple to achieve. As with most things, it's a daily practice. There are many barriers preventing us from achieving - let alone maintaining - this frame of mind. We are constantly bombarded with ideas and notions of lifestyles, jobs, physical traits - all said to be the ideal and carrying promises of happiness - and so we strive to attain these. We believe that if we can just get that new dress, have that vacation, get that more respected job, then we'll be happier and life will be perfect. Usually, and I'm sure once you stop to think about your own experiences, this isn't the case. Like the saying goes, the grass is always greener...

It's a frame-of-mind, a way of being. All the external distractions are just that - they're distracting us from being at peace with ourselves because we're too busy thinking about what could be. I suggest we all take a little more time each day to be grateful for what we have, who we are, what we have accomplished. Try it!

Living fully in the present and being where we are with all our good intentions can only manifest compassion and happiness. These, I believe, are the true accomplishments of life.

Live and love life, ALL ways and always!

"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson