Learning to Live: Stephanie Snyder

From wonderful yoga teacher Stephanie Snyder comes this inspiring TEDx Talk about darkness, passion, yoga, and self-study.

From the video description:
"What you hide from the world owns everything you do. Your most successful existence will come from making friends with your broken places and being of service. Know yourself and you will know what your life's work is meant to be."

 

Readers Via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Closed for Renovations

Taking the week off for oral surgery. 

No amount of pranayama could prepare me for the anxiety I feel about having teeth cut out of my jaw, but this is a fairly accurate representation of my wisdom teeth. Unfortunately for me - they've gotta go.

Picture not mine.

Consider this next photo a summation of what I would've said this week:

This pic, also not mine.

Check Your Stress

Right now I'm totally obsessed with this handy little app. Stress Check by Azumio Inc. (free for Android users) It measures your heart rate and studies variations therein to determine how stressed you are. Then offers little tips on how to relax if your stress rates high (such as taking a walk or deep breathing). 


Just another useful bit of technology to assist with your practice and leading a healthy happy life.


Also available on iTunes.

I Heart You

I wanted to write something awesome and love-filled for Valentines Day. I don't really care for the holiday myself, but that doesn't mean I need to be a party pooper. However - my dog has been sick for a couple days - throwing up all over the place. Everyone knows that vomit knows nothing of schedules so I haven't really slept and I'm frankly just too damn tired to write anything amazing or original today. Sorry.

Source: http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/2012/01/big-love.html

I will instead offer up to you these fun things from around the internet. Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Indian Teatime Valentines

Heart Milk Cubes

Partner Yoga Poses

Source: http://asubtlerevelry.com/heart-milk-cubes

Keeping Anxiety in Check

Many of us living people deal with anxiety.  I definitely deal with anxiety all the time (a certain degree of it is normal and healthy after all). I wouldn't say I suffer from it or anything, but it's around. I find that my yoga and meditation practice helps me to keep it from getting out of hand. If you don't have a regular yoga practice you might wonder how that idea is supposed to work.

Well, meditation trains the mind to be more still, more quiet, and in general to focus not on what-ifs but on the moment as it truly is. Even if there's a lot going on outside of myself, I can take respite internally where there's always some peace keeping a level head.

What your parents think when you don't answer your phone.

The asana practice helps too, but it's not quite as obvious how it works. Even if I explain it... if you've never done it - it's all just hearsay. I'll do my best. When I'm in a pose I don't just find a boring middle point and hang out... and I don't power through into the next thing. No, I find a spot where there's a mild discomfort and I sit with it for a bit. It's not serious pain or anything I can't handle. It's comfortable enough that if I focus on my breath then I might not even notice. This is the edge where I sit. Right on the line between "this sucks" and "I love this pose". Now what does this have to do with anxiety and stress? Well if I'm practicing finding this subtle place where it's almost uncomfortable then I learn to see that this spot is not a big deal. I learn my personal boundaries where I can weather the storm and where it's a serious problem.

Later when I'm not on my mat I can start to see when I'm worrying about nothing (because how many of my worries actually happen?) and when it truly is a problem. If I can recognize the non-issues sooner than I waste a lot less time and energy being anxious and I can spend a lot more time enjoying life.

Take a Breath and Call me in the Morning

Today I want you to take a big breath. Really. Like consciously stop and take a big long deep breath. (Eyes closed is nice but optional.) Inhale all the blessings present in your life right now; then Exhale all the bullshit you're hanging onto for no good reason.

Doesn't that feel better? Repeat as necessary.

Photo Source: This glorious pic is from a Sianna Sherman Newsletter not too long ago.

Tender Thoughts

Today is the last day to enter to win pants and a tank from the Champion Shape line.

Winner announced tomorrow morning.

Burn Outs

The levels of stress running around my house right now are insane. Yoga and meditation are helpful and lovely and I will cling to them until my dying day, but they're not magic. The stressful situations are still there - we can simply handle them a little better because of the whole yoga thing.

Between the unemployment and the emergency room visits and the hospital paperwork I keep messing up and the snow... oh the snow... I'm so sick of the cold. Between all that - yoga is my connection to sanity. It's our little bit of absolute reliability every day. Every morning, without fail, we get up and do sun salutations then some inversions - followed by a long cozy meditation. Then we cuddle - but that's just our weird little sappy married people thing. Our full practice may or may not come later, but that morning practice is always there.

This country is all about pushing people to their limits... pushing them until they burn out and then laughing at them for burning out and pushing them some more. We've been thinking and talking about that a lot. Some people just handle being pushed better than others. Some people are worriers. To those people when you say "stop stressing", they can only ask "HOW?!?". Yoga is one good answer, but many don't see how yoga is supposed to help. They may even stop because they don't see the change right away.

John Friend (founder of Anusara yoga) has often said that the 1 or 2 hours a day of asana practice is literally practice for how you deal with the other 22 - 23 hours a day. Practice isn't like stamping yourself new and improved - it doesn't just happen immediately. Just like practicing anything else - handling things with more equanimity comes in tiny bits. Eventually those bits add up into a fully transformed life, but at first it's a slow build-up.

Other tips for lowering stress:
Eat the healthiest food you can afford (fruits and veggies mostly)
Exercise
Spend time in nature
Specifically, try the beach where the air ionization is perfect for lifting moods.
Spend time with people you love and laugh as much as possible.

My Big Fat Pet Peeve

I have a lot of little things that bother me when people come over to my house. It doesn't happen often, so I get used to things being my way. Usually it's just little things I don't bother bringing up because they're unimportant, but you know what REALLY bugs me - my mega-huge "in my house" pet peeve? People stepping on my yoga mat with their shoes. Let me elaborate...

My mat is kind of a permanent fixture in my living room floor. There are currently two giant mats in the floor with a big gap in between them that leaves a nice walking path through the room. Since it's generally just me, the husband, and the dog - we can leave our mats out and not really care. Everyone knows not to walk on the $100 mats with shoes. Bare feet? Fine. Socked feet? Fine. Shoes? No. Mud? No. Mud and grass and unidentifiable ickem?? NO!!

My mat got walked on yesterday by a visitor who stopped by unexpectedly (otherwise I would've moved the mats). He's been here before; and he knows better. He walked all over it, like it was made exactly for walking muddy shoes on. I actually yelled at him - and called him names. *sigh* Not my finest moment.

I wish I had handled it better, but to be totally honest - I just wish people would keep their shoes off my mat.

Photo Source: The Internet?? dunno. Well - That 70's Show, really.

This is Piss, Isn't it?

Everytime I think I don't like something - the Universe brings in a massive change that makes me think that perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps it wasn't so bad... what if everything really changes? What if nothing is ever the same? Not just the bad, but the good too. What if the bad stuff gets worse and the good stuff just goes away? "What if" is a really ugly game to play. Don't let yourself wander down that road... and if you find that you're already on it... feel free to just head off into the weeds. Certainly there will be something better in there. Like a lion.

My husband was laid off from his job this week. It's been a couple days and we're trying to "deal" and really wrap our heads around it. If anyone knows of a great job opportunity for a mid-level Software Engineer... don't keep that tasty nugget to yourself. In response to all this - I'm actually looking for a job. A regular day job kind of thing. I haven't had one of those in like 6 years. I don't know if you know this about me, but outside of yoga I'm not actually qualified to do anything. Eeep! Yoga is a splendid tool - not only for joy but for pain, worry, frustration, and downright terror. I learned that ages ago, and now I just need to remain calm long enough to dip into my little yoga toolbox and use what's in there.

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.

I'm Having an Affair

If you've been around a while or you've looked through my Flickr photos - you likely know that I am in a love affair with backbends. They're just super liberating and blow my world wide open. For the last year or so I've been flirting with dropbacks. Coming from a standing position in tadasana and dropping backwards into a full wheel or urdhva dhanurasana pose. I've wanted to do that for a very long time, but in the beginning my arms weren't strong enough - then my shoulders weren't open enough.

For a long time I practiced at the wall. I did dropbacks with a partner at Wanderlust and I've been psyched about the fact that I can totally do that. However, I am fully aware that I tend to be all about expansion - so I don't always ground and root my feet into the earth. So what's the most likely thing to happen in that case? If I drop back without rooting down - my feet aren't going to stay connected with the ground and I'm going to fall - and ugly.

I know how to root down. I've been practicing. I can bend backwards and keep my feet firmly planted. Now I just need to muster up the courage to actually Drop Back. It's 100% a fear thing now. Fear has it's place. Fear can be a useful tool - it's what led me to work on rooting down. I can't allow it to live in the forefront of my mind though - or I'll never show my full potential of dropping back.

Is fear (unfounded or not) holding you back? What are some steps you can take to overcome that fear and embody your fullest potential? Something to think about.

Gardening of the Heart

"If you think you're enlightened, go visit your family."
- Ram Dass

There's a lovely article in the November issue of Yoga Journal based off of this quote. It doesn't appear to be currently available on the website, or I'd give you a link to it. Go buy the November issue - read "Branching Out" by Sally Kempton. By now the December issue of YJ might be the one on Newsstands... but if the November issue is still available - you'll notice it. It's Orange with the lovely KK Ledford on the cover wearing fuchsia clothes and long blonde hair. Actually, I don't care if you buy the magazine - stand in the aisle and read it if you must - just read it.

"On this powerful New Moon plant your prayerful seeds of reconciling with anyone with whom you are in conflict."

- John Friend via Twitter as @anusarafriend

These two quotes go together really well I think. If you have some tension building about visiting family for the holiday - just remember it's never too late to plant your prayerful seeds of reconciling.

You Are Not Immune

What do you do when you get irritated, angry, and flat out pissed off? Do you fume silently? Do you yell? Throw things or maybe threaten people? 

Everyone has this happen. Everyone. You are not immune to emotional upset. Your guru is not immune. The difference is learned coping mechanisms. Most people just react emotionally and often make things worse. Don't allow someone else to be the catalyst for You to ruin your own day.

You can't control what others say or do - you can only control your reaction to them. Actually exercising that control takes practice. Step back, take a breath. No, make that like 10 breaths. Do some push-ups if you're just dying to hit someone. Do something steady and grounding to level yourself off. Just to bring things back to a "medium" space. A place where you can observe and assess rather than just React.

It's never too late to be level-headed. Even if you've already gone and screamed obscenities at the object of your anti-affection - you can stop right now.  Bring awareness to your actions so you can practice what you preach and walk your talk.