Music for Balance (Video)

We're almost dead center in Winter and winter weather is such a downer I figure we could all use a little something upbeat. I've been searching high and low for "bippety" music lately to draw me out of my winter blues and into happy dappy dance around the house in your underwear land. I don't generally watch TV or listen to the radio so I'm not generally privy to what's new. So excuse if this song is old news, but either way - it's fun.

Eliza Doolittle
Tags:
Eliza Doolittle, MTV Music

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Morning Meditation with Elena Brower (Video)

Here's a lovely video of Anusara teacher Elena Brower leading a guided meditation on gratitude. Wonderful thing to do on a Friday morning.


TerraFlow Video 2: Elena Brower's Morning Meditation from YogaEarth on Vimeo.

It Tastes Like Pink!

The title of today's post is just one of my favorite quotes from the lastest episode of Glee. I almost apologize to anyone that found my blog looking for Glee quote stuff. Almost.

I was talking to someone today about yoga and why I suggest it for just about anyone. Some people do yoga for enlightenment, some people do it because they're good at it, some people do it to become more in tune with themselves, some people do it for nothing more than a great yoga butt. The reasons people do yoga are probably about as numerous as the people who practice it. I'm no yoga snob - if you show up to my class because you want a tighter hotter bod and have no interest in the spiritual side - that's great. Whatever. As long as you're here - you're my friend.

To get back to my point -
One of the ultimate reasons that we (Adam and I) think that yoga is one of the top fitness pursuits is simply how you feel when you're done. We run, we lift weights, but yoga is the one we really shout from the rooftops about. Standard cardio and lifting heavy things get you worked and leave you a little healthier, but they also often leave you feeling kind of exhausted. Runners high aside - exercise is hard and can leave you feeling a bit run down at least until you've downed your pick-me-up protein shake.

Yoga lifts you up though. Even if you just did a 3 hour class and sweated a lake onto your mat and your muscles were shaking so hard your shirt fell off - once it's all done and you've savasana'd your heart out - you usually feel better than you did when you first got to your mat. Whether you buy into the "moving energy blockages" thing, or believe in chakras - you understand what feels good... and feeling better probably wins over feeling a little bit worse.

People often say that we Anusara people are "drinking the kool-aid", and I hope this is a bottomless cup because It Tastes Like Pink!

Camera Woman Extraordinaire

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need to do is set our sails." - Ramakrishna

 
This weekend I came across the work of fantastic photographer Natsumi Hayashi who does mostly levitating self-portraits. Her work is refreshing and I will be frequenting her site. Please check it out if you like photos, cats, and/or unique visions.

Toe-ga: Yoga for Toes

A picture heavy post. If you hate looking at feet - look away. (But know that you'll be missing out.)

As creatures with feet - we demand a lot of our feet. They carry us and do ridiculous things like wear shoes. Yoga works muscles and fascia that we otherwise pay no mind to. Sometimes you need to do a little yoga for your toes - to show them a little love and generally bring your feet to the forefront of your mind. I've taught entire classes based on toes. Really tuning in to your toes can give you insight in all poses - whether your feet are supporting you (mountain pose) or your feet are reaching out into space a la Eka Pada Koundinyasana. These are exercises to help with toe dexterity and strength. I suggest you do this with a friend.

First take a seat on your mat, cushion, bed... whatever. Just sit down and look at your poor neglected feet.

Start with a basic foot massage. (If you're not going to follow this up with asana practice then oils or lotions would be nice.) Run your thumbs from the center of the heel up the center line - to the middle of the ball of the foot. From there run your thumbs toward the big toe mound and pinkie toe mound simultaneously. All that as one continuous motion. Do that 3 - 5 times. Now rub each of the 4 corners of your foot with small circles (big toe mound, inner heel mound, pinkie toe mound, outer heel mound). Give it one more solid rub top and bottom.

Squeeze your fingers in between all your toes (like so). It'll be a lot like using toe separators, but more intense if you have thick fingers. If your toes are really strong/flexible and are used to spreading all the time - they will not be the least bit impressed by this, but do it anyway. Now rotate your hand/toes in little circles... clockwise and counter-clockwise.  Then bend your toes straight back. Only as far as is comfortable.

Remove your fingers from your toe spaces and stretch the top of your foot by pressing the toes and top of the foot down a bit. I have a pretty flexible foot - this pic is just a general guideline. All this is to relieve tension and bring a general awareness and liveliness to your toes. Some spring in your step maybe?

Now for some individual toe attention. Rub the mound of each toe in small circular motions. Then hold each toe firmly but kindly and give each toe a little twist in each direction. You don't wanna break it or injure yourself in any way so tread lightly here. Just a mild twist to wake it up to new tricks. Go through and repeat all of this on the other foot before moving on to the last couple steps.

Place one foot on the floor in front of you. Make sure there are no distractions as this part is actually hard. Lift and spread all your toes - now place them on the floor One at a Time until they are all on the floor. One right after the other. If you started with the pinkie toe - now do it starting at the big toe. Like a little domino-toe effect. Sounds simpler than it is.

Sometimes you might have to help it out a bit with your fingers. Now do the same thing but starting with all your toes on the floor. Lift one at a time from left to right until all 5 are up. Then right to left.

Now for the grand finale. Lift one toe at a time. Period. Just this one. Then just that one. Each toe gets its solo chance to shine at being able to stand up without any help from its cronies. You may have to discourage unnecessary assistance from neighboring toes. Then do the same thing with lowering each toe while the others hover (if you dare). Everything before these last couple exercises suddenly seem trivial.

Once you've done all these things - you might feel the urge for a final massage... or a foot soak with some epsom salts. It won't burn off your love handles or win you any medals, but practicing toe-ga will certainly test your focus and maybe set off a case of the giggles.

Love, Buddha

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Buddha

Let Them Eat Love

Almost a solid year ago I wrote about feeding your demons, or rather - I suggested that when your inner demons or grudges pop up and get in your face - to starve them. Read the post for more info on the full idea going on there. In re-reading that old post, I think to myself "That's still good advice. There's nothing wrong with it". However, there are many ways to skin a cat. (What an ugly term for an animal lover like myself - but it works.)

My ideas and coping methods have changed, but I'm in no way saying that one way is better than the other. Just different. Perhaps my feelings towards certain events have simply stopped being too heavy for me to look at them with Eagle Vision*. 

For months now I've been meaning to write a post here to discuss my newer viewpoint. When a wound isn't fresh it can work really well. When your inner demons demand attention... or just start sharpening their claws on your leg like a persistent cat...

♥ ♥ Feed Them Love. ♥ ♥

Now before you go thinking I'm some kind of nutter - read the rest of the post. Then feel free to comment on my insanity, ridiculosity, or crunchy granola outlook. When I suggest feeding them love - I don't mean wear an impenetrable smile on your face and turn the other cheek to unending abuses. Don't do that - that's an act of self-sabotage or denial.

When my inner demons rear their ugly heads - I pull a page from my favorite bears and I give a Care Bear Stare. You can even do it standing in line at the bank. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and bring to mind the name or situation that is causing you grief. If you're more visual - you can imagine them in front of you. Then consciously send them love. You can use words ("All my love to fill in the blank"), you can visualize a stream of swirling hearts flowing from your heart to theirs, or you can visualize hugging them. Maybe even do all three consecutively. If you're feeling adventurous, try to smile while you do it.

It sounds really floaty, but I swear it works. Eventually your heart space around these poisonous topics/people will have softened and you will have truly made peace with them.

*Eagle Vision: Backing off and allowing yourself to see the Good.

Pointless Picture Day

I love these two pics. The lighting is lovely... the wind is blowing my hair... and I always love my yellow pants. However - I want better alignment because I know I can do better. A little tip from me: If you're going to take yoga pics outside - warm up on site. If you don't - you may have cold muscles and barely be able to do your favorite pose by the time you get set up. Close - but no cigar. Ah crap, did I go and make a point anyway? Sorry.

Meditation Notes

Spoiled Yogi has been having "Mindful Mondays" about her journey of building a meditation practice and in responding to one of her posts I was inspired to write a bit on the topic here. I've been meditating for a few years now. Not always regularly (wish me luck that I can get better about that) but when I meditate I do the hell out of meditation.

Here's some notes on what my meditation practice is like:

• I find that if I don't do my meditation first thing in the morning I probably won't do it at all... so I suggest first thing if possible.
• I like to prep with some asana... I have a series of things I do. I do 1-2 sun salutations, at least 1 headstand, at least 1 handstand, and at least 1 forearm stand. Then I immediately sit and do some neck stretches if needed and meditate right then and there.
• Then - once I'm in it... I try to focus on my breath - I try not to think anything of "thoughts" that wander through. I let them complete their course and I take a deep breath to kind of cleanse and re-start.
• I do remember when I would continuously feel the urge to peek at the clock or wiggle or scratch my nose or check to make sure the door was locked (or unlocked if the hubby was about to be home from work). I eventually started doing with my meditation exactly what I do in my asana practice: When I feel that resistance come up - I try to sit through just one more long steady breath - if that one was okay then one more, then one more... Sometimes I play music and I make myself sit through one more song.
• Generally speaking, I just sit for however long it takes. On really "off" days I call it good after 5 minutes. 5 is kind of my bare minimum... on average I sit for around 20 minutes... and on fabulous days I go 30+ minutes. I usually look at a clock after the fact out of curiosity of how long I sat. But I definitely think that 5 minutes is the perfect amount of time for beginners.
• I like to sit facing my altar - like I can kinda "feel" Ganesha sitting there staring back at me... like he's gonna disapprove if I peek.
• I sit on a "cushion" which is a folded up blanket on top of a big flat blanket that functions like a rug. I own a meditation cushion and it looks good but I don't use it. Throw pillows or folded up blankets work wonderfully.

Things I don't do:

• Use Malas or Mantras - they both are like a thousand times harder than any other form of meditation for me. They distract and frustrate me.
• Walking meditations - I did that once in teacher training and while it was a fun experience in a group I feel stupid doing it alone.
• Meditate just before bed. I figure it's not a good idea to start associating meditation with sleep.
• Take it too seriously. If your brow is furrowed - you're missing out.

Let's Sizzle, Valentine ♥

I don't generally care about Valentine's Day - and that is really strange to a lot of people. Adam really lucked out that way. If we insist on doing something for this day of the year - it's usually more philanthropic in nature. I'll avoid sounding preachy or long-winded and jump right to my ideas for how to make the most out of this Valentine's Day without spending a bunch of money or even being in a couple.

• Do Backbends! My favorite category of pose increases your capacity to love (others and yourself) and to accept love in return. Is there anything backbends can't do?
• Partner Yoga - it's super-cliched so I didn't dedicate today's post to it, but in a touch-starved sociey like most of us have today - it's a good idea. It's good for your hormones, your daily outlook, and your sense of humor. You don't have to be part of a couple to do it - just grab a friend and watch the hijinks that ensue.
• Take yourself out and have a jolly good time alone (or with friends) because you don't need the approval of another to love appreciate and honor yourself. Go to a dinner, a botanical garden, a spa, a yoga class, or give yourself a pedicure at home.
• Show your love - every day of the year. Then Valentine's Day won't need to be as big of a deal. (Though if you still want to go above and beyond on that day - that's great too.)

Today's Photo: I received this cute bacon valentine from fellow blogger, Biscuit. ♥

Don't Disturb the Eels

This week I touched my toes for the first time ever in this pose. Yay!

Funny story about that. Well, I thought it was funny. I find that people don't find my "funny" stories funny very often, but dammit this is MY blog and I'll tell an almost funny story if I want to.

I was working toward this pose and I'm on my knees head resting on the floor... walking my fingers toward my toes. In that general direction because I didn't expect to actually reach them. Then I felt something. I don't even know what part of my body noticed it, but I touched *something* which startled me. Like the feeling you might get when something brushes your leg in water you can't see into.  For a second I scared the shit out of myself. Then I pressed down again and realized - OMG - that's my fingers touching my foot! I laughed and laughed. Minutes later Adam came home and I made him take my picture.

Headaches Hurt - Relief in 6 Poses

Headaches are no fun, but we all get them at some point. I had a headache last week that lasted for two days. It was awful and eventually I realized that yoga might help. Duh. Today I take the guess work out of it for you with a short sequence to relieve your throbbing skull.

The main key is to relax and take care of yourself. Give each pose plenty of time to work. I'd suggest a minimum of 10 breaths per pose. Obviously if you're less comfortable spending long holds in Downward Facing Dog or any other pose - then do shorter bits of those poses. Maybe do multiple short bits - it's your practice, manipulate it to suit you.

For more info on any of these poses please visit Yoga Journal's headache page.

Don't overthink this - allow your neck to be long and your head to be heavy.

Rest your forehead on the floor here if comfortable.

If your top hand doesn't reach the foot - Who Cares? Then make it a simple side stretch.

Take a really long luxurious Savasana. 10 minutes bare minimum. 20 is better. Eye pillows relieve nerve tension in the eyes. Prop yourself up on a million blankets if you want.

In general, this sequence is for anyone, but please don't try this sequence without speaking to your Dr. first if you have any medical/physical problems. Seek Peace At Your Own Risk!

Star Stuff

"The cosmos is also within us, we're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."

- Carl Sagan

Evolution of A Practice

On occasion I get a question/comment that I feel I should just answer to everyone at once. This last weekend Flo commented:

"I love this and I am just curious. Is most of your practice at home on your mat and at workshops or do you have a steady practice with a teacher? You seem to have mastered some pretty advanced postures; and of course I am intrigued :)"

First of all - Thank You ♥... I'm sorry my answer is unreasonably long. (TL;DR at the bottom)

My practice has evolved through many stages. I have practiced for 11 years now - the first 6 years being On Again, Off Again. During those years I had literally just heard of yoga and I took a college class that met once a week. My very first class I had the epiphany that "This was for me." I had found my purpose. Then I sat around wishing I knew how to do something on my own. I lived in a small town and had no idea what to do or where to start. Eventually I found out that Rodney Yee came on at like 4am on TV, so I occasionally got up for a freakishly early practice. I remember the first time he got me to meditate. I was sitting on a blue foam block on a cold white floor in the dark... and something lit up inside me. I bought a power yoga DVD that I rarely used, but throughly enjoyed.

I was still in college and my husband had recently finished his degree - so we moved to Denver where he was offered a job. I signed up for more classes to hopefully finish my degree soon and grabbed another college class. I took the class which I thought was too easy, and I also practiced CorePower Yoga which came on at like 4pm on TV which was much better than O-Dark Thirty in the morning. My practice kinda came naturally to me, but I wanted more. I wanted to teach. My teacher that taught the too easy class had assigned us to write what we had learned about yoga and where our practice would go from here. I wrote that I desperately wanted to teach, but was shy. She told me that when we are passionate about things - we can overcome anything. She suggested I go to teacher training. So I Did.

During training in 2007 (4 months or so) I was at the yoga studio every single day. Sometimes I went to 3 classes in a day. I started to learn some fun little tricks. The last day of training - I got in a car accident. My yoga practice died. Eventually, with a lot of determination and willingness and education - I started over. Completely. I had to start from scratch... couldn't touch my toes, couldn't do downward dog, couldn't do a backbend.

After I had been slowly painfully therapeutically practicing alone for many months - I started teaching. I taught constantly and was lucky if I got to attend a public class once a month. Otherwise I almost had no practice at all. I'd never liked practicing at home, so I just didn't do it. Eventually, my husband got another new job in Oregon - so we moved here. No jobs, no prospects, the yoga community had died before I got here... so I was just alone. I hated practicing at home, but it was all I had... so I started writing class plans. I started practing at home by myself occasionally. Over time it grew into a full on all day everyday type of thing. I grew to love it. Sometimes I fall away from that, but I do practice at home by myself all the time.

I have taught myself tons of things. I get my inspiration from my Yoga Journal subscription and from reading  and videos online. I've recently started trying to go to workshops, but it's not reliable because we often get snowed in.

Back in the day - yogis would leave the world and go practice in a cave. This house has become my cave. I have been forced to go it alone... and I have taken this time to Dig Deep. My practice has grown by leaps and bounds... I have come far and I don't think I ever would've achieved what I have - if I'd stayed in the city and taught.

So I ultimately just have a home practice, but I sometimes take a class or a workshop to assess how I'm doing and get some new info. I think this is ultimately what everyone should do. Home practice should be your lifeline while public study should be supplemental - not the other way around.

TL;DR: I've had teachers occasionally in the past, but for years I have simply practiced at home by myself every day.

Cupcakes and Shopping

As I mentioned, Friday was my 29th Birthday and Adam took the day off to celebrate with me. I did yoga, got an amazingly huge yoga book, ate free food and had pizza for dinner. I finished off the day with going to see Black Swan which I loved. I also sent off the check to keep my spot reserved for a Noah Maze Workshop in Boise, ID next month. Yay! Can't wait. A simple, fabulous day.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock then you know Black Swan is about a dancer... and I love dancer movies. Watching this one reminded me how much I ♥ love ♥ dancer clothes. The costume designer for that movie (Amy Westcott) - should totally come outfit my closet. I loved it so much that today I ordered myself a fabulous long sleeve shrug from Buddhaful.

I'm eating cupcakes and planning on buckling down on eating better as soon as they're gone. Seriously. I eat way too much junk like cake. I'm going to cut WAY back on that. I eat pretty well, but cake and cookies are my vice. Well, that and shopping. We all have our bad habits and I'm going to try and wrangle this food thing into submission.

Happy Birthday to Me! (Video)

No post today because I'm off celebrating 29 years of being awesome.

Try to remain calm about today's lack of quality content.  Here's a video of what it might look like if you haven't been doing your yoga and consequently Freak Out.

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On Difficult Relationships (Video)

I love this video. It brings to mind some very specific people from my life... and it's quite thought provoking so I highly suggest you watch it. If “The Job of the Spiritual Friend is to Insult You”, then I have had many spiritual friends in my time. To my readers who have trouble with videos, here's a couple of main quotes from it:

“In order to become a completely loving person, a flexible person, you have to see where you’re hookable...If you really want liberation, if you really want freedom, you need people around to be provoking you to show you where it is you still have work to do.”

Originally posted Here at Elephant Journal with more discussion. I encourage you to give that post some love.

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A Series of Choices

It's Already Out There

My meditation area has been calling to me lately. Maybe even more like whimpering quietly in the most lonely neglected way. I don't even know when I last meditated. Not Good. Remember I mentioned ages ago that one of my major goals before I turn 30 (next year) is that I want to have a solid daily meditation practice. Which, I almost arbitrarily defined as a daily practice I've kept for at least 6 months. So far I've made it just shy of 5 months at a time. Something always happens. Whether in an asana practice, a meditation practice, or any other good habit like spending more time with your spouse - it's super easy to build inertia once you stop doing something.

Today I am going to meditate - if I have to punch old ladies in the face - I'm going to get it done.

Join me in this effort - if there's anything you need to get back into... something you need to prove is important or good... list it in the comments. Once you tell the world you're going to do something - it's a little bit harder to brush it off. Get it out there. Make Good Things Happen.