1. Adjust Your Expectations
Teaching yoga is a soulful, satisfying job, but it’s not for the faint of heart. You’ll go through significant financial ups and downs. You’ll have your ego over-inflated one day and raked through the coals the next day. And, you’ll probably work more hours than you think. This isn’t to dissuade you from being a teacher. It’s to help you have clear expectations about the livelihood you’ve chosen. When your expectations are in-line with the reality of teaching yoga, you’re much more likely to be happy and satisfied as a teacher.
2. Consider Why You Want To Teach
Teaching yoga and practicing yoga are not the same thing. Most of us start teaching yoga because we love practicing yoga. But, eating food is not the same experience as cooking food — or running a restaurant. If you want to teach yoga — especially if you want to teach yoga full-time and support yourself or your family — you’ll need to love teaching yoga, not just practicing yoga. You’ll need to love the subject matter of yoga, the experience of running a small business, and the process of engaging with students and community.
3. Try to Work Efficiently
Inefficient teaching schedules are one of the biggest sources of burnout in our livelihood. Simply put, most teachers are spread too thin. Most teachers only teach a couple of classes per day, but they’re almost never back-to-back. You might teach a class in the morning followed by one several hours later in the afternoon or evening. This type of schedule makes it hard to get things done or fully relax. This leads to a feeling of always “being on.”
One way to counter this is to teach more back-to-back hours. This might mean scheduling a few private clients at the studio before or after your class. Another effective strategy is to start teaching a series or two per quarter — or occasional workshops — in order to earn enough that you can let go of a class or two in your schedule that is stretching you too thin.
4. Find a Mentor
Everyone needs to know that they’re not alone. And, in fact, you’re not alone. Every yoga teacher experiences the same range of emotions, challenges, and joys at some point in their career. Some teachers are further ahead of you on the path just as you might be further ahead on the path than others. One of the most important ways to stay inspired, focused, and grounded is to develop a professional relationship with a more seasoned teacher. Receiving a mentor’s guidance and support will help you stay connected to your practice and your teaching for many, many years.
5. Remember That Social Media Is Not Real Life
Social media is not real life. This isn’t to say that it’s fake, unreal or insincere. It’s simply to say that social media does not reflect the totality of people’s lives. It’s a curated slice of life that skews toward the more exciting and appealing events that people experience. Personally, I think this makes sense. That said, it’s important that we remember these dynamics so that we don’t feel like we’re being left behind or failing when we see other people’s big classes or beautiful postures. Every well-known teacher has small classes sometimes, and they have postures that don’t feel good or balanced in their body. Everyone. Even more, life is more than big classes and awesome poses. So, be sure that you take what you see in social media in stride. Accept it (and maybe even appreciate it for what it is) without letting it drive you crazy.
By Jason Crandell
Jason Crandell and Andrea Ferretti are a husband and wife team who have been teaching, writing about, and living their yoga for nearly two decades. Andrea is the former executive editor of Yoga Journal and is now creative director for Jason Crandell Yoga Method. Jason is an internationally recognized teacher known for his precise, empowering, down-to-earth approach to vinyasa yoga. They live together in San Francisco with their full-time boss, Sofia-Rose Crandell, age 3. To read their blog or to learn more about Jason's upcoming teacher trainings, please visit their web site www.jasonyoga.com
A careful alignment with Venus at this time suggests that taking care of ourselves and our most sensual needs is critical to engage with the elevated ambitions that call us. Though, we must not forget that Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, and the joviality of this sign mixed with Venus creates a recipe for a playful expression of intimacy. Use this full moon energy to shine light on how more joy and excitement can find their way into the bedroom. In the daylight hours of this time, however, a smooth relationship with Neptune suggests that this Sagittarian full moon is influenced not by the dogmatic side of religion or philosophy, but rather the spiritual and transcendent aspects of these disciplines. If there is old belief systems that surround your religious or philosophical upbringing, this is a perfect opportunity to shed them in favor of reexamining your personal mythology to create a personal, spiritual connection with your faith. The alchemical ritual below helps you to do this. Alchemical Ritual for the Sagittarius Full Moon As a fire sign, Sagittarius has a lot of energy, and vivacity. This energy is both bright and engaging, but is also overwhelming if not reigned in. Sagittarius, applauds higher thinking and philosophy, and religion often intrigues the archer. This full moon ritual for Sagittarius draws out the high side of Sag and illuminates the spiritual connection within the religious function of our psyche, so we feel less adrift and know we are not alone. Sagittarius' ruler is Jupiter, the great centaur who aims true for the target. Our work here is to shoot for the source—the heart—of connection. This is the ultimate target, and the ultimate goal of any philosophical, religious or spiritual pursuit. Gather a blue stone such as topaz, amethyst or turquoise. Clear quartz crystal is effective in this ritual, too. Simple flowers such as daisies or carnations are pleasing to Jupiter, and enhance ritual. If you have clove or anise spice, sprinkle it into a bowl and place it in your ritual space. Clove and anise essential oil may be used to anoint your third eye, and your hips (Sagittarius rules the hips) before and after the ceremony. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Light a few candles and dim the lights. Locate a religious item, or one that holds profound philosophical properties for you (an icon, a book, a statue, etc.). Place this item in the center of the ceremonial circle. Step inside, sit down, and close the eyes. Place your mental focus on the object and its meaning. Visualize it in your mind’s eye. Say the following invocation out loud: Sagittarius and Jupiter, allow me to feel the deep connection to source that comes from within, even as I seek the means to express that connection on the outside. Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation. Clear the mind of thoughts completely. See the object you’ve brought with you into the circle and silently ask it to give you a message. Religion is most powerful when we make it personal, commune with it, and allow it to speak to us. Wait patiently, and allow the message to arise. It may be a simple image, one word, or a feeling. Accept all things that come. Do not anticipate or second guess the message, simply allow it to arise on its own. Once it does, take three deep breaths and feel the message in your body, as you slowly open your eyes and see the external embodiment of the message in the item before you. When complete, chant Om three times, and snuff the candles. Place the sacred item in prominent view and allow it to be a touchstone of the message you received in this ritual. This is an outer representation of the inner connection you have to spirit. This ritual is the beginning of building a personal mythology—one where you find your own way through the outer trappings of religion and philosophy to connect with yourself. In doing so, rather than looking for meaning in your life, you bring meaning to it.
By Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna believes Yoga is for everyone and each student can develop the self-empowerment needed to embark on a personal journey to meaningful transformation. On this principle she founded The Kaivalya Yoga Method, a fresh take on yoga emphasizing the individual path while honoring tradition. Teaching students since 2001, teachers since 2003, Alanna has written and developed teacher trainings worldwide for top studios and independently. In January she debuted a comprehensive 200hr-online teacher training with YogaDownload. She holds a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, has authored numerous articles and two books: Myths of the Asanas, an accessible practitioner’s guide to stories behind beloved poses; Sacred Sound, a yoga “hymnal,” illustrating the role of chant and mantra in modern practice. Look for her third book, Yoga Beyond the Mat, in Autumn 2016.She lives in New York City with Roxy the Wonderdog.
Click Here to learn more about Alanna's 200hr Online Teacher Training with YogaDownload.com
There are a lot of lessons to be learned on our yoga mats and in our writing. In fact, both yoga and writing can be demystified as practices that embody a natural movement inward and beyond the mat.
Unrestricted writing is the pathway into your intuitive wisdom and deepest desires
Everyone can express themselves in some color and form. You don’t have to be an artist to be creative. You don't have to be a wordsmith to be able to write. But it can be a challenge to unlearn what you were once taught is writing and dropping the idea of what is considered good writing. You are always capable of writing and by doing so without limit, you tap into a pure state of mind. Consider a kid and the natural relationship he or she has with the rest of the world; creating, feeling, experiencing as it comes without thinking of what things should be. There is so much power in tuning into the creative foundation of your unique being through writing. It leads to clarity of what YOU want (to write) and how you can manifest it with prudence.
Writing, movement and yoga as means of expression
"What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when you bring what is within out in the world, miracles happen" -Henry David Thoreau
A yoga mat and notebook become inspirational tools for your practice. A yoga flow invites you to create a canvas on which you explore and release energy. This creates a space of expression that is consonant with writing. It all starts with one thought, simply setting an intention or idea. Each word you write manifests another in a seamless flow of ideas in the same way that one breath syncs up to one movement. When you feel stuck in a rut (or writer's block), uninhibited flowing is key. Showing up to the space of fruition is what makes the practice so magical. That is, the key to any practice is continuing to tune into yourself and flourish in your self-exploration. The journey of discovering and sharing this is one that you can take through the marriage of writing and yoga.
At the core of a practice in writing and yoga is this: to be free
The secret to a life unbounded is to simply flow through movement and words. Showing up and doing your practice is the first step. Each time you step onto this canvas, you open yourself up to subtle yet profound shifts in who you are and what you think. Relating to this internal voice and buildling tenacity from each elusive word or pose is the special lesson. From time to time, you find connection to your infinite and are able to attract its likeness. Yoga and writing keeps you reflective, grounded and free. Self-knowledge, clarity and confidence might come easier to you during a savasana or a deep twist. The rest is an organic procession that is meant to uncover and celebrate your authentic and best self.
Have you ever had moments of clarity and in depth understanding while doing yoga?
By Sunny Koh
Sunny has been teaching yoga since 2011. After spending a couple years abroad as an English teacher, she started sharing her passion for yoga as a media manager and writer. Currently, she teaches and writes about yoga in Costa Rica. She also enjoys photography, learning new languages, surfing and exploring. To get to know Sunny better, find her on Instagram or go to www.sunnykyoga.com
After many meetings and hours spent discussing and tasting the best combination of herbs that support detox, weight loss and keeping cravings at bay, our new co-branded line of Conscious Cleanse Teas was born!
INTRODUCING THE CONSCIOUS CLEANSE TEA COLLECTION
BUY CONSCIOUS CLEANSE TEAS HERE NOW
We’ve always been big proponents of supporting the body to cleanse and purify using the healing power of herbs. That’s why we dedicated an entire section to Herbal Infusions in our book. When used mindfully, tea can take your health to an entirely new level. Plus drinking tea regularly is an easy way to hydrate while loading up on minerals and vitamins that tone and nourish your entire body.
Below is a sneak peak of the Conscious Cleanse collection of teas. These have been specially formulated to support our 14-day Conscious Cleanse and 80:20 Lifestyle Plan.
Tea and herbs provide numerous health benefits, from stress management to detox and weight loss. Our Conscious Cleanse curated blends include a variety of natural teas, herbs, roots, aromatic flowers and fruit touted for their holistic properties. These teas support your cleanse as well as a balanced and vibrant lifestyle.
For more information and to purchase our tea, please visit THE TEA SPOT. We’ve also included a collection of our favorite Tea Spot products that every tea lover must have!
*Green Tea Citrus Slimmer is for the 80:20 Lifestyle Plan only, contains caffeine
Happy tea sipping! We cannot wait to hear what you think of these delicious blends.
Your tea lovers,
PS – Conscious Cleanse Teas make a great gift! Get them here.
Jo Schaalman and Julie Peláez are co-authors of the book The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body, and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life. Together they've lead thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They've been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show.
To learn more about “Jo and Jules” and to download a free e-cookbook for a sampling of the delicious food served up on the Conscious Cleanse, please visit their website.
Conscious Cleanse Detox Flow - Jo Schaalman
Heart Opening Forrest Yoga Flow - Jo Schaalman
Traditional Hot Yoga - Julie Peláez
A long time ago, I posted a travel yoga video. In it, I offer postures and stretches you can do seated — accessible for anyone traveling on a plane, in a train, in a car, etc.
I’ve been staying in a hotel the past couple days, the perfect spot to film this video for the weary traveler! As summer is (FINALLY!) here, this is a great take-with-you practice for vacation.
My hope is that this little sequence is fun, relaxing, restorative, and takes into account the areas of the body that might be feeling the most stiff after a long day of travel.
This past weekend I drove 14+ hours over the course of 4 days, so I’ve been feeling those low back aches too and this felt great!
Even if you’re not traveling but you’re looking to fit in a tad bit of yoga at the end of a really long, exhausting and stressful work day, hop in bed and do this before you get some much needed z’s.
All you need is a bed, a chair (or wall), and some pillows. Luckily hotels often offer an excess of fluffy pillows to choose from. If you get weird about germs, grab a towel too
Enjoy!
By Ashley Josephine
I started practicing yoga to stay in shape and release stress. What I learned was how to love my life. How to have faith. How to find your community of people who support you and love you unconditionally. How to get back control. Today, it is my mission to help busy Type-A overachiever women like me gain back control of their lives, live pain-free, and love the life they want to live through yoga lifestyle practices. Visit www.ashleyjosephine.com to get free yoga lifestyle tips to help live healthier, happier, and pain-free.
Back when the NY Times blew up the yoga world with WIlliam J. Broad’s article, “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” my major criticism was the conflation of asana with yoga, and a lack of distinction between different approaches. Practicing postures as an end unto themselves easily betrays the subtle nuance of their potential, which resides in the person not the pose. For those with a therapeutic orientation, the question of purpose is of utter significance. Not only does it amount to a level of safety, or not, but is largely determinative of results.
Conversely, many teachers with a more physical or athletic orientation, distinguish asana from yoga as a way to be clear about what they offer. They are mostly concerned with the technicalities and physiological benefits of the forms. They don't purport to have any insights into other aspects of yoga per se. They specialize in providing an experience of your body often geared towards challenge, measured by increased prowess more than functional health. Referring to yourself as an asana teacher, rather than a yoga teacher, has become a way to manage expectations and establish a more accurate scope of practice.
Making shapes with our bodies can be anything from a form of fitness to a way of working past perceived limitations and reaching new heights in ourselves, creating awareness, reducing stress and pain, or better appreciating the taste of wine and chocolate. This loose relationship between asana and yoga allows us to more easily avoid difficult questions about purpose that yoga alone raises.
Yoga challenges our perceptions, our sense of ourselves and our place in the universe. The inquiry requires great courage and resolve on a psycho-spiritual level, so as to overcome the many impediments that life inevitably presents. Divorced from a broader yogic purpose in practice, the challenge of asana becomes one of physicality. Progress is marked by our ability to withstand the resistances our bodies present, and to mentally surpass imposition on the system.
Whether drawn from an external source or derived through internal inquiry, purpose in yoga is relative to individual sensibilities and interpretations. Thus, the purpose of asana cannot be definitively stated. But the primary vehicle through which we arrive at a sense of purpose in practice is attending classes. If the classes available are limited to a consideration of asana, then our sense of purpose in practice also becomes limited.
Asana forms associated with yoga practice can be used in effective ways that are not necessarily rooted in yoga tradition. The poses can have physical benefits without being tied to any particular teachings, or profound personal inquiry into the nature of existence. Going to yoga class can just be about cardiovascular exercise and challenging ourselves to have greater stamina and fortitude. And maybe that is not a bad thing. But this notion of asana does not point people to a broader purpose in yoga. Only despite this notion of asana will someone who wants to experience the subtler benefits of yoga be able to do so.
The long prevailing trope that purely physical practice helps turn the masses on to the deeper aspects of yoga is grossly misleading. This half-truth rationalizes the financial benefit of perpetuating a disempowered body image that our culture capitalizes on. Only when this premise proves false do people then become interested in what is missing. At some point, a plateau in physical ability is reached where attempting to accomplish more in asana stops feeling like progress. Unintended consequences start to outweigh the benefits. Or worse, an injury occurs that forces us to question what we have been doing against our will.
I am a proponent of yoga evolving and meeting the individual needs of people. That means accepting that there are a whole bunch of people who do something they call yoga that bears no resemblance to what it means to me. But I'm interested in how asana is utilized to learn and receive the benefits of yoga. In that context, speaking about them as though they are separate no longer makes sense. Let's not take off the table what is possible. Let's allow for avenues to yoga, not just through a side door or in response to injury, but through direct invitation and the courage to take a stand.
By J. Brown
J. Brown is a yoga teacher, writer and founder of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn, NY. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. Visit his website at jbrownyoga.com
Is there really a reason for everything? The yoga tradition thinks so, and has much to say when it comes to the concept of karma. While we know that living in a material world can so often feel dangerous, chaotic and unpredictable, in many ways yoga philosophy assures us that the world is both innately intelligent and even predictable to a point. This is good for us as humans because we feel so often feel helpless when we have no means of interpreting the past in order to predict the future. We feel disempowered when we have no sense of control over our lives.
The ancient yogis believed that everything in nature has a cause, and that every consequence is the outcome of what can be both understood and even determined. This is not to say that karma, or action, isn’t without its complexities. It certainly is full of them because the variables involved in understanding what causes something to happen are often totally complex. In other words, there can be hundreds of reasons why something goes the way it does.
At the same time, karma is a way of establishing accountability. There’s an assumption, according to yoga, that everything does indeed happen for a reason and there is indeed accountability. Karma empowers us when all the possibilities lay before our eyes to consider. There’s a conundrum here however, because when where’s the freedom for infinite possibility that we yogis long for in order to expand and evolve? As yogis, we’re seeking freedom, right? We want to live in a world of freedom, rather than determination. Where does creativity come in to play?
On the one hand, all of us want to feel secure, grounded, and certain. While on the other hand, we want to know that endless possibilities are on the table. We don’t want to feel confined. Without uncertainty how do we evolve?
In addition to the term karma, there’s another word called “daivya.” Daivya means something like, “made of the Gods.” It translates as fate, or destiny – as if the Gods know why things happen. Daivya then represents the innate intelligence of the Universe. This begs to ask the question, “in what way are we creatures of our fate or destiny?” The Gods aren’t exactly in charge of our destiny, but they do know in advance what our karmas, or actions will be. They have the ability to see the path we are inevitably going to go down. They already know what choices we’re going to make.
The Gods know that everything that is, has become the outcome of what has been, and everything that will be, is predictable because of the choices that we are inevitably going to make. So do we really have freedom if we’re invariably going to make a sort of predetermined choice? How are we creatures of our own destiny, our own fate? It’s as if everyone ends up doing what they were always going to do – given their unique makeup in their incarnation for this lifetime. It’s as if everything was always going to happen because of all the karmas that have added up to this present moment.
According to this Hindu worldview, the Gods know what karmas you will make in advance, but they don’t make the choices for you. This is generally how the Hindu tradition relates to the Gods. Sure, you can call in the gods and goddesses to help you, and you can invoke their presence in your karmas, but they don’t generally make decisions for you.
The idea of karma is that there are predictable outcomes, but not necessarily with meaning or purpose – that’s where we get to interpret things for ourselves. This is where the real freedom comes in. We have the freedom to make meaning from our karmas. The meaning behind everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and everything that will happen, is ultimately open to each individual heart and mind’s interpretation. The conversation surrounding the yoga view of karma is complex and incredibly compelling, and a rather unique way of looking at the cosmos and our place in it.
By Aimee Hughes N.D.
Aimee Hughes, ND, is a holistic health writer who has been traveling and exploring the world of natural health and wellness, yoga, dance, and travel for the past two decades. She is the author of a self-published vegan cookbook, “The Sexy Vegan Kitchen: Culinary Adventures in Love & Sex,” available on Amazon. Aimee is the lead writer and health consultant for the Yandara Yoga Institute in Todos Santos, Mexico. [www.yandara.com]
Arm balances aren’t just a physical act of strength, but a great workout to flex our muscle of trust in the face of fear. They teach us how to be vulnerable, even when gravity is working against us. They also connect us to our core, both physical, and our core belief in our selves. So today, choose ‘I can’ over ‘I could never.’ If you fall (rather when you fall), don’t worry, that’s just exercise in grace, humility and resilience.
It may get uncomfortable, it won’t be perfect, but with a little courage and willingness to take a chance, your limits will begin to fall away.
Interesting Asanas with Celest Pereira Charter into the unknown with the expert guidance of Celest Pereira through this yoga flow featuring less common postures featured in online yoga -- the perfect session for yogis looking to change it up with a little challenge and fun. Arm Balancing Flow: Funky Transitions with Jill Pedroza Jill will guide you through a fun and flowing Vinyasa class including sun salutations, hamstring & hip openers, arm balancing, and core. Bringing them all together with fun and challenging practice through transitions. Fly with Ease with Cheryl Deer / Kindness Yoga Grab a strap and block and explore your core power as you move into challenging postures without straining or struggling. Learn to root through your hands and rise up out of your shoulders, experimenting with arm balances and inversions without engaging in fight or flight mode. Post Workout Yoga: Chest and Shoulders with Kylie Larson Stretch out after your arm-balancing workout with this chest and shoulder opening class. Great for all levels to reduce the tension and tightness that can develop after a challenging upper body workout.
(If this speaks to you, make sure you check out Part 2 of this series, 5 Poses that Will Make Your Chaturanga Strong and Steady.)
You might also need a temporary reprieve from Chaturanga if you’re nursing a shoulder, elbow, or wrist injury. And, if you’re a vinyasa yoga teacher, you definitely want to have a few modifications and alternatives to Chaturanga up your sleeve.
BEST WAY TO GET THE FEEL FOR CHATURANGA WITH ALMOST NONE OF THE WORK
1. Chaturanga with a bolster Although this is a little cumbersome because it requires a bolster—which may prove unwieldy in a flow class—the is modification supports your body weight and allows you to get a whole body feel for Chaturanga without physical rigors of the pose. This will help you build muscle memory.
How to: Simple. Just lay on a bolster like the picture demonstrates. It doesn’t get more straightforward than this.
BEST WAY TO GET THE FEEL FOR CHATURANGA WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORK
2. Chaturanga with a block This is nearly identical to the previous version. It’s less lux, but it’s easier to accommodate since people more often have blocks at home than bolsters. Plus, it’s possible to integrate a block in a flow class more easily than a bolster. The block supports enough of your weight to be helpful, but still requires you to work your legs and core.
How to: Again, pretty simple. Come onto all fours and place a block under your chest. You’ll have to experiment with using the side and end of the block to determine what works best with your proportions. Bend your elbows 90 degrees, rest your sternum on the block, and straighten your legs.
BEST WAY TO LEARN HOW LOW TO G0 IN CHATURANGA
3. Chaturanga with a strap around your elbows This has a steeper learning curve than the previous versions, but it’s my favorite overall Chaturanga modification. Wrapping a strap around your elbows will stop your torso from lowering too close to the floor and prevent your shoulders from moving into extension. The strap also supports some of your weight while still requiring you to work your shoulders, core, and legs.
How to: Make a loop with your strap. Wrap it around your arms just above your elbows. You want the loop to be large enough that when you bend your elbows for Chaturanga, your upper arms will touch the sides of your ribs. Once you figure out the correct diameter for the strap, give Chaturanga a shot. You’ll like it.
BEST MODIFICATION IN A FLOW CLASS IF YOU’RE NOT QUITE STRONG ENOUGH TO NAIL THE POSE
4. Chaturanga with a knee or two on the floor Bringing your knees to floor supports your weight and helps you work more skillfully with your upper-body. You can choose to bring one or two knees down depending on how much support you need. This is the perfect option to take in a flow class if you just need a little support. And, hey, we all need help with things from time-to-time, so don’t hesitate to take this option if it helps you keep integrity in your shoulders.
How to: Just bring a knee or two to the floor. Tada! It’s that simple.
BEST ALTERNATIVE TO CHATURANGA IF YOU’RE NURSING A SHOULDER OR WRIST ISSUE
5. Locust with your palms facing the floor If you have a shoulder and wrist challenge, getting to the floor isn’t possible. If it’s not possible to get to the floor or do Plank without pain, it’s to give yourself a break. But, if you’re comfortable with Plank and the transition to the floor, practicing Locust with your palms facing the ground is an excellent option. In very broad strokes, turning the palms toward the floor externally rotates the arms and strengthens part of the shoulder joint that is highly beneficial to many different shoulder maladies.
How to: From Plank Pose, bring your knees to the floor and slowly lower to the floor. Hug your elbows toward the sides of your body as you lower down. Once you’re on the floor, reach your arms alongside your torso and place your palms on the floor next to your hips. Lift into Locust Pose. Raise your arms and your hands. Keep your palms facing the floor even as your raise your arms and hands. Take a breath or two.
WORST CHATURANGA ALTERNATIVE
6. Knees, Chest, Chin Lord have mercy, I know that I’m going to catch flack for this, but I don’t think “Knees, Chest, and Chin,” is a good Chaturanga alternative. Here’s the deal: I don’t have any problem with “Knees, Chest, Chin,” except for when it’s used as a preparation or alternative for Chaturanga. Here’s why: The most common and dangerous mistake made in Chaturanga is lowering the shoulders too far and lifting the bottom too high. This is exactly what happens in “Knees, Chest, Chin.” When the knees are on the floor, this isn’t a problem. Which, again, is why I don’t have any problem with “Knees, Chest, Chin.” But, when “Knees, Chest, Chin” is associated too closely with Chaturanga, it teaches the exact opposite neuro-muscular pattern that one should develop for a healthy Chaturanga. Think about it — and, don’t hate me.
How to: Don’t. ☺ At least not as an alternative or modification for Chaturanga.
Basically, this moon encourages you to do some “real talk.” Get super clear around what you wish to convey in life. Don’t let words run away with you, or writers block get in the way. Venus’ loving energy allows the message to flow, but you have to keep the message pure. Misused, the energy of Gemini becomes nervous, anxious, and at its worst, misunderstood. Let your words flow from your heart at this time, and you plant positive seeds that grow into enlightened manifestation. New moon time is about cultivating fertile ground for what you would like to harvest in about six months during the Gemini full moon. Though Gemini is not known for its patience, reigning it in and making sure you have real, open-hearted conversations right now could not be more important as you will reap those results in the coming months. Interestingly, this new moon also features a complicated relationship with both Jupiter and Saturn, which gives it a “push me, pull you” effect. There are conflicting energies around whether to expand your communication and speak out, versus pulling in and refining your message. Take a look at what is most important to you right now and lean toward either pulling in or moving outward. The darkness of the full moon does lend itself very well to the introspective cultivation that may be required to ensure you always speak your truth clearly to power. Alchemical Ritual for the Gemini New Moon As an air sign, Gemini enjoys all the things that allow us to communicate and share with the world, including teaching, technology, media, journalism and conversation. On the low side, this mercurial sign tends toward nervousness, idle chatter, anxiety and trickiness. This new moon ritual for Gemini helps to accentuate the high side of this energy and clears up our mental chatter so that when communication flows (in all its various forms), it flows clearly. Gemini's ruler is Mercury, the messenger god who is able to travel into the underworld as easily as the real world. It is a slippery slope: to communicate in an elevated way, or slip down into the shadow, harming ourself or others with our words. To keep our energy on the high side in this ritual, gather blue stones such as lace agate or chalcedony and place them in the center of your ritual space. Bring in the air element in some way, perhaps by diffusing essential oils (eucalyptus, lavender and vetiver work well with Gemini), or by sitting in front of an open window or gentle fan for a cool breeze. Lavender, frankincense or myrrh essential oil can be used to anoint your throat chakra before and after your ceremony. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Light a few candles and dim the lights. Sit in the center of your space and bring the hands together at the heart center. Connect to the throat center, the location of communication and the planet Mercury in our bodies. Feel the energy moving into the throat by engaging in a gentle ujayi style breathing, constricting the back of the throat ever so slightly to produce an oceanic sound of the breath. When you establish a consistent attention on the throat area, consider the question: What is my truth? Your answer will likely come quietly and simply, not as a diatribe, and perhaps only as a feeling. Listen closely to the answer from the heart. Once you receive your answer, choose one stone, hold it firmly in your right hand and say the following invocation out loud: Mercury, please give me the strength to speak the truth about what is most important to me. Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation. Clear the mind of thoughts completely. Feel the sensation within the throat, and allow for the invocation to sink in and begin to show you your path. Allow any symbols, sensations, emotions or energy to arise and continue to quietly witness all that happens without judgement or thought. When complete, place a hand on the throat and chant Ham (the mantra for the throat) three times before bringing both hands together at the heart to chant Om three times. Hold the stone talisman that you have now charged with the energy of your heart’s desire. Snuff the candles and place the talisman somewhere prominently enough that you are reminded daily of the path to your heart’s fullest expression. This ritual creates a clear pathway of communication for your highest truth, so that whenever you speak, you speak your truth clearly to power.
As everyone was going around the room introducing themselves with the customary name, job, etc. a few of the women explained they were “in transition.” The energy dynamic around this term was fascinating.
Every time someone said they were “in transition,” everyone else around the room would offer their congratulations and get all excited.
Questions like “what’s next?” and “how are you doing?” would follow. To be “in transition” was far more exciting then to be the executive vice president of another defense contractor.
And yet, I got the feeling that beneath all that excitement for being “in transition,” there still lingered the fear and uncertainty of the future. Inherently, to be “in transition” is to not know. The excitement exuding from the fellow, safely-employed individuals was part awe, part jealousy, part “good for you, it’s not for me.”
To not know is an incredibly vulnerable place to be. It’s a scary place. And it’s full of growth and learning if you remain open to all the possibilities.
The movement of transitions
This experience had me thinking more about “transition.” Way back when I started this whole blog, one of the things I really wanted to write about was how to live calmly in the midst of moving, because moving was(is) so much a part of my life. I recognized that moving always causes me a fair bit of anxiety and it’s a time when I need to be super diligent with my self-care strategies so I can stay sane.
In times of uncertainty, when I’ve been in transition between homes, my sense of center could no longer be defined by a building. Instead of looking outside of me, I had to rely on strength from within, even if I didn’t know I had it.
To let go of your trust in what you’ve built around you and be willing to give it up to a greater divine plan (call it whatever you want) out of your control is the ultimate act of releasing attachment and dissolving ego. It requires a great deal of faith and trust that the transition is your teacher.
To step willingly into transition is courageous. It’s walking straight into the fire (like Daenerys, for all my GoT fans :)).
Transitions in Asana
In yoga, we like to work from the outside in. All this transition talk is nice and all, but it’s heavy and hard. To take a few practice rides through transition, we look to the body, asana, and movement as our training wheels.
In your asana practice there are LOTS of transitions. The beauty of a vinyasa practice is the transitions themselves, most famous of them Chatarunga Dandasana. Fittingly, Chatarunga is HARD. It requires intense focus, strength, breath, and listening.
Unfortunately, many of us blow straight through the transitions without taking the time to savor the teachings. We get the alignment down (or we think we get the alignment down) and it’s easy enough to just go through the motions. We stop listening to what our body is actually telling us (this hurts my shoulders), we stop consciously engaging all the little, subtle muscular actions that support our alignment, and our mind is focused on the end result — Downdog — rather than the journey.
The best is when students automatically start their Chatarunga transition before I’ve even cued it and are unaware that Chatarunga wasn’t the intended transition at all. Switching up the transitions is not only an exercise in engaging new muscles, but also in priming the mind to get comfortable with ALL the uncertainty.
To be in transition is to be learning and growing — building strength physically, mentally, emotionally.
Getting good at transitions
How do you become more graceful at navigating the transitions in your practice and in your life?
Savor the transitions
The beauty of transition is that we’re truly in it all the time. And if you think about it, we’ve already mastered the art of moving gracefully from one thing to the next. This is how we get through our day! Granted, some of us are more graceful then others, but regardless, each day is a transition of the sun and the moon. Each breath is a transition of the inhale and exhale.
To be in transition is to be alive. Once you wake up, the secret to maintaining that vitality is balance.
Happy transitions!
Namaste.
Are you joining us for the next Conscious Cleanse? Registration closes on Monday, June 6 so secure your spot today.
Meanwhile, start incorporating our Green Tea Citrus Slimmer Smoothie into your daily routine.
It’s full of fiber, antioxidants, and will help balance your blood sugar – perfect for transitioning onto the cleanse.
With love and green smoothies,
Green Tea Citrus Slimmer Smoothie
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients:
1 cup Conscious Cleanse Green Tea Citrus Slimmer tea, brewed and cooled *(see brewing instructions below) 1 cup frozen blueberries 1 cup spinach ¼ cup almonds or walnuts, soaked overnight then drained 1 TB. flaxseed 1 TB. coconut oil ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ cup ice
Instructions: In a high speed blender combine tea, blueberries, spinach, almonds, flaxseed, coconut oil, cinnamon, and ice, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
*To brew the tea steep 1 tsp. of tea in 8 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes.
Well I ain’t no Superwomen that is for sure, but what I do make sure I am on top of planning and being productive…I learned this lesson a long time ago and it is one that has served me so well over the years and continues to do so.
So now I want to share with you these amazing tips that when you use them in your life, will make you feel like a new person…and an incredibly productive one.
So here goes:
Don’t check your emails first – Isn’t it crazy that so many of us check our emails first thing when we wake up or logon to our computers? Why do we do that? Whatever the reason, it is a bad habit and here’s why. By checking our email first, we are then handing over our day and next activities to our inbox. Before we know it we’ll be caught up doing other peoples “stuff” before we’ve worked on our own “stuff”. Unless you are in Customer Service there is no need to do that.
Have an action planner – When we have a plan for our day and week, we then have focus. When we have focus we become more productive and are less inclined to just meander our way through tasks. If you don’t have yourself an action planner, then I encourage you to get one and start using it. It will change your life…seriously.
Start with the hardest and most important things first – try to take on the hardest and biggest tasks first, when you have the most energy and your day hasn’t started to overwhelm you. I love taking on the things that I don’t really feel like doing first. That way I am sort of taking on the biggest and baddest task first and then I know my day will become easier afterwards and when complete it I will feel so much better too.
Get up earlier – You know waking up 15 – 30 mins before anyone else in the morning is amazing as it can be so peaceful. The house is quiet and you can start off your day getting organized, planning out your day and starting on your tasks before anyone has even started their day. It is an amazing feeling.
Set meeting timelines – This one is HUGE! Whenever setting a business or personal meeting and yes that includes you going to gym and yoga class…be strict with your time. Stick to the times otherwise an extra 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there and before we know it we have lost an hour and we’re trying to catch up.
Eliminate all distractions – Nowadays with our phones and social media we’re constantly getting interrupted by Facebook messages, Snapchats, texts, emails, Social media, whatsapp and everything else. These constant distractions keep pulling us away from staying focused and productive. Turn them all off and focus on one task at a time for a specific time period… that is the key to productivity.
Try some of these and notice how they make you feel and change your day.
You’ll find that when you complete these productivity tasks they actually motivate you and you’ll feel more productive.
The more productive you feel the more you want to keep doing this…it feeds itself. Before you know it you’ll be achieving way more than you ever thought possible and you will also have more free time.
Let me know how it goes for you.
XO
Hayley
About the Author:
Hayley Hobson is an author, speaker, Kick-A$$ Business Guru and 7-Figure MOM-treprenuer. She's passionate about empowering others to live the life of their dreams and is based in Boulder, CO. Hayley creates lifestyle transformations by coaching her clients to become the best WHOLE version of themselves possible.
She can be increasingly found speaking at many global Business events and is also a doTERRA Certified Oil Double Presidential Diamond. Her insights and articles can also be found on her personal blog, on Mindbodygreen, Positively Positive and Elephant Journal.
She has also been featured in Pilates Style magazine, Natural Health magazine, Bridal Magazine,Triathlete Magazine, doTERRA’s Leadership Magazine, the Four Year Career by Richard Bliss Brooks and the Network Marketing Times.
She is also creator on the online business mentorship training programs called Your Whole Biz, Social Downline and Whole MOM-trepreneur.
She has fun living, working and playing in the mountains with her husband, former world-ranked triathlete, Wes Hobson, and their two beautiful daughters, Makenna and Madeline.
To learn more about her programs and courses and events she's hosting, go to hayleyhobson.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest. Hayley's book, Hayley Hobson's Hip Guide To Creating A Sexy And Abundant Life is available at Amazon.
In the room were about 50 people, men and women, with jobs in the sales department,which means high stress and lots of travel. Not exactly the most conducive environment for healthy living.
What I loved most about this experience was how each person had a different idea of what yoga was and I’m pretty sure almost every single person walked out of that workshop with a new perspective.
It’s easy to fall into the label trap. Based on our own experiences we decide that yoga is one set thing. But yoga is not one thing and it’s hard to give it one definition. Yoga is about getting to know yourself and being in relationship with yourself but that looks different for every person just as every person has a unique personality and unique relationships.
A practice even you can do
So what did we teach to a group of people who spends their days behind keyboards and on airplanes? We taught them yoga stretches they can do at their desk or on the plane. Nothing fancy, just practical.
The most common takeaway based on feedback? Something along the lines of “I didn’t know I could do yoga for 5 minutes at my desk and feel better.”
Because so many of us have this idea that yoga must be practiced in a studio with a teacher on a mat, we decide that yoga is not for us because we don’t have time for a class, money for a mat or teacher, and we’re not flexible either, so the whole thing must not be a good idea.
Yet all it takes is 5 minutes or less, 10 breaths, 1 stretch to feel a big difference. And if you can start to string together some small “big difference” moments throughout your day on a consistent basis, you might just find yourself a transformed person, all because of a 5 minute yoga break.
Spread the office yoga love
As I was telling my parents about my experience teaching this great group of managers and executives, my dad chimed in that he thought it was cool that I was teaching people to do yoga at their desk. In fact, he said “I didn’t know that I could do yoga at my desk!”
And then the light dawned on me. If my own dad didn’t know that you can do yoga at your desk, then I’m not talking about it enough or offering the options for what to do when you’re at work overwhelmed, feeling stressed, with tight shoulders and a sore low back.
This whole experience inspired me to film a little series you can do at your desk or on the airplane. The best part is you’ve probably been doing yoga all along and you didn’t even know that was what you were doing!
I’ll have more short practices to add in soon, but this is a good place to start.
Namaste!
P.S. – If you want an extra excuse to practice yoga and stress relief strategies in the middle of your work day, schedule me to come teach a yoga class at your company!
Click here to download or stream one of our Office YogaDownload classes!
There’s been several reports released recently about the olive oil industry and the questionable practices being used by some companies. One specific study, “Report Evaluation of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Sold in California” found many oils labeled “Extra Virgin” actually are anything but pure, with some even containing canola oil in them.
When we heard these reports, we went on a search to find the highest quality, freshest olive oil we could find and that’s where Kasandrinos International comes in.
Offering only the finest Greek organic extra virgin olive oil, we love this olive oil – and it’s founders – so much, that we created a green smoothie in their honor.
We talk a lot about adding nutrient dense “boosts” to your green smoothies – things like flaxseeds, coconut oil, and spirulina.
If you’ve yet to try olive oil in your green smoothie then be sure to check out The Green Ollie recipe below. Refreshing, energizing, and anti-inflammatory, this green smoothie is sure to be a keeper.
P.S. – Are you a green smoothie lover through and through? Then don’t miss out on grabbing one of our new “I Green Smoothie” T-Shirts available for just one more week through our Indiegogo Campaign.
The Green Ollie
Yield: 1 Quart
1 ½ cups water ½ lemon, peeled 1 ½ inch knob ginger, peeled 3 romaine leaves ½ cucumber 1 cup spinach 1 small pear, cored 1 TB. olive oil Handful of ice, optional
Instructions: In a high speed blender combine water, ginger, romaine, cucumber, spinach, pear, olive oil, and ice (if using) until creamy. Enjoy!
Take a moment of pause right now to think about what comes easy for you. And after you do that, take a moment to think about what feels especially challenging.
Now ask yourself: Am I making the choices and taking the actions to grow beyond those challenges?
When I first heard this wise question, I resisted. Which is to say, I had to practice this idea so I could soften that resistance enough to start making some hard changes. Doing what I had always done was not going to open any new doors.
Which means if it’s hard, it’s a place for you to grow. Here are some ways to practice what does not come easy in your life:
On Your Mat
Does your spine take backbends easily? Then switch it up and focus on core work. And if core work comes easy, practice backbends. If you usually take child’s pose when challenging poses are called, take that moment to challenge yourself and give it a go. Believe me, falling is part of the process.
Do you push so hard you end up snoring in savasana? Back off a little and take a rest throughout in order to avoid the awkward moment when everyone is putting their blocks away as you wake up out of your yoga-induced coma (and maybe wipe a little drool from your cheek).
With Yourself
Do you beat yourself up inside each conflict? By honing that awareness, you can form a new habit – try taking an internal stand for your choices. Self-love is a work in progress, and it’s these little conversations that we have with ourselves that will help form healthier internal dialogues and outcomes. When you catch yourself in the mirror, do your eyes always find a new wrinkle? Wrinkles, stretch marks, scars– these are all signs of a live being lived, and there’s beauty in that. Next time you get to the mirror, meet your own eyes and see that spark of beauty instead.
With Others
If you always talk, listen. If you always listen, speak up. Do you always make the meals, but never do the dishes? Try on a new role in your home routine.
Do you invest too much time in counting and quantifying every act of love? Sometimes we can all be guilty of that. I promise you will feel happier if you take those moments to self-check and work on experiencing love and giving love without measure.
There is research that says that focusing on what we are good at will lead us to greater success and happiness in life. This pearl of wisdom does not ask you to change your core values, just to bring yourself to a new approach.
In my eyes, samadhi- liberation, immersion, bliss- is a constant mid-point that we pass through as we waver between apathy and ambition, isolation and codependency, a backbend and a forward fold. When we understand, respect, and even practice both sides of those spectrums, we have a greater sense of our own center. When we look for the middle path, we can reduce our suffering and increase moments of joy. And don’t we all want a little more joy?
By Christen Bakken
Christen Bakken is uncertain if she found yoga, or if yoga found her, but since 1998 the yoga mat has been Christen’s refuge. Her first visits to the mat had nothing to do with tight hamstrings or shoulders and instead, had more to do with reducing anxiety. Through movement and breath, she began to see the mat as a place to let go, and, only then, strengthen and soften in all areas of her life.In 2006, Christen took her first power yoga teacher training. She has done many trainings since then; her most recent is 500 hours with Rusty Wells in San Francisco.
Click here to download or stream one of Christen's YogaDownload classes!
Make sure to check out the garbanzo egg! It’s such a great egg replacement if you can’t eat eggs or seeds. Our usual go-to egg is a flax egg- 1 TB ground flax seeds to 3 TB water. So I’m thrilled to have another option.
Have you come up with a special treat that’s healthy, low sugar, grain free and nut free? Please share with us!
And by the way, our cupcakes were a hit! You can see from Elijah’s face he thoroughly enjoyed them.
To celebrating in a healthy way!
Sugar Free Banana Cupcakes
Yield: 24 medium sized cupcakes // 48 mini cupcakes
½ cup garbanzo bean liquid from canned garbanzo beans, whipped *see below 6 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork 10 TB. Lakanto sweetener 1 TB. vanilla extract 4 cups Tiger Nut flour 2 TB. baking powder 1 TB. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. sea salt
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl place the mashed bananas, lakanto, and vanilla and combine until smooth. Add the garbanzo bean liquid mixture and mix again until smooth. In a larger separate bowl whisk together the tiger nut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir until combined and no dry streaks remain. Line a muffin or mini muffin pan with liners of your choice. Scoop batter in each liner filling them ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes for medium cupcakes and 15 minutes for the minis, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool. Ice with your choice of icing below!
*To whip the garbanzo bean liquid drain canned garbanzo beans in a medium sized bowl. Reserve the beans for another use. With a whisk whip until slightly foamy approximately 3-4 minutes.
Carob Avocado Icing
Yield: 12 medium sized cupcakes // 48 mini cupcakes
1 ½ large ripe avocados, pitted 5 TB. roasted carob powder 1 ½ ripe bananas ¼ tsp sea salt 1 TB. vanilla extract Water, to thin the icing
Instructions: Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add water as necessary but be sure to not thin the icing too much! It spreads best when still creamy. Spread on cupcakes swirling the tops.
Coconut Cream Icing
3 5.4 oz cans coconut cream, chilled overnight 1 TB. vanilla extract
Instructions: Open the cans of coconut cream separating the liquid from the solid. Reserve the liquid for another use like your morning green smoothie! Add the solids to a mixer with the vanilla and whip until thick and creamy. Spread on cupcakes and top with unsweetened shredded coconut.
80:20allergen free bakingcupcakeshealthy bakinghealthy desserthealthy kid friendly recipessugar free banana cupcakessugar free cupcakes
A close relationship with Venus during this full moon also suggests this is a good time to check in on your intimate relationship. Does it need some verve or spark? Can you reinvigorate the love between you? And, for those of you that are not in relationship right now, how can you enhance your sensuality on your own? The energy of this lunation gives you the drive to create beauty, sensuality and love so harness this power in every way possible. Remember, the greatest gift we give our beloved is self-knowledge and self-love. This is a perfect time to revel in those things whether it benefits just you or your intimate partnership!
This full moon cycle is filled with opportunities to deepen our knowledge of self in order to fully know who we are, what drives us, what makes us fall in love, and follow our soul’s purpose. Use this to catalyze your life into its most authentic and open-hearted expression so you can say, “Yes!” to all of your adventures.
Alchemical Ritual for the Sagittarius Full Moon
As a fire sign, Sagittarius is known for its vivacity, tenacity and exuberance. On the low side, this easily becomes egotistical, dogmatic and aloof. This full moon ritual for Sagittarius highlights the high side of Sag which allows us to explore our inherent belief systems and expand fully into an authentic expression of joy.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, who is known for his joviality, and zest for life. Jupiter encourages expansion in all areas of life, so it is important to ensure what we expand is the highest expression of this full moon energy. Otherwise, we can get caught in a vicious cycle of negativity or callousness toward others. Gather blue stones such as topaz, amethyst or turquoise, and place them in the center of your ritual space. If you have essential oil of myrrh, or myrrh resin, use it to scent the air as you prepare for your ritual. Use essential oils of myrrh, clove or anise to anoint your hips and thighs (ruled by Sagittarius) before and after your ceremony. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Light a few candles and dim the lights. Bring into your ritual space a symbol or talisman of your inherent or childhood belief system. Place it just in front of you as you sit down and close the eyes, coming into a quiet, meditative state of mind. Say the following invocation out loud:
Sagittarius and Jupiter, help me expand the wisdom of my spirit, and let my soul’s deepest truths be focused outward in an authentic expression of my life.
Feel the presence of the symbol or talisman and allow it to appear in your mind’s eye. Focus on the breath and tune in to its image. Allow for any messages or feelings from the image to arise. Rather than engage in dialogue with it, simply let the image speak to you. Spend a few moments quietly listening to the image. Sit with the message given to you by the symbol or talisman. Absorb it, and reap the fruits of the message in your body. When complete, take a few breaths, then chant Om three times, and snuff the candles. Place your talisman in prominent view and whenever you see it, let it remind you to stay connected with your soul’s fullest expression of authenticity. This image (and others) serve to be outward expressions of our deepest truths. It is a reminder of how we use symbols to make sense of our world and bring to life that which is within us. Let it help you bring forth the light that is within you.
You may have heard of the Crow Pose – it’s taught as an arm balance that is “beginner-friendly” if there is such a thing. It’s an intro pose to the pose category of arm balances and it’s often the first arm-balance you’ll ever try.
There’s also a pose you may (or may not) have heard of that is quite similar – Crane. Crane is an inversion, and similarly to Crow, could be considered an “intro” to the category of inversions.
The problem is, a vast majority of teachers (myself included up until a couple weeks ago) cue you into Crane Pose and call it Crow Pose.
If you’ve got an established “Crow” practice and you’ve really been doing Crane this whole time…congratulations on mastering an inversion without even knowing it!
The anatomical difference
Besides the fact that one pose is an arm balance and one pose is an inversion, these poses also have different attitudes and require different muscular engagement. They also have different Sanskrit names. Kakasana = Crow Pose. Bakasana = Crane Pose. Kak means crow in Sanskrit and even sounds like a crow cawing. Bak means Crane in Sanskrit.
An arm balance is a posture in which you are balancing on your hands. But there are many inversions where you are balancing on your hands as well. The difference between an inversion and an arm balance is the positioning of your hips. In inversions, your hips are always above your heart. That is why Downdog is considered a “gentle” inversion.
In Crane (Bakasana) Pose (formerly known as Crow, if we want to be all Prince about it), the knees rest on the back of the triceps near the armpits, the hips are lifted above the heart, and the practitioner works towards straightening the arms. This position kind-of, sort-of imitates the crane – long legs on the ground and body up above. The practitioner needs a keen sense of awareness of the serratus anterior muscle to stabilize the shoulders and straighten the arms, plus crazy triceps strength to get the arms to straighten. There needs to be someflexibility in the hips to get the knees all the way to the back of the triceps, near the armpits. It’s a given that the core is doing it’s fair share of centering and stabilizing the body
In Crow (Kakasana) Pose on the other hand (almost never cued), the knees move to the outside of the triceps and the inner thighs squeeze the outer arms. The hips stay level with the ground and the rest of the torso and body is much closer to the ground. Think of Chatarunga arms in this one. The bent knees on the outside of the arms make the legs look like the wings of a crow. This posture relies much more on a relationship between the triceps and biceps and the inner thighs. These muscles resist one another, providing the strength to balance on the hands. Again, the core is holding its own to establish a center of gravity. It’s tempting to lift the hips higher (because that is mostly what we’ve been taught to do), but sometimes even more challenging to keep the hips lower.
The story
Why does everyone teach Crane (Bakasana) Pose as Crow (Kakasana) Pose? It’s common to hear that they are the same pose (they are not), or that they are interchangeable (they are most definitely different).
I’m not sure exactly why this has become a “thing” in the yoga world, except that Crane (Bakasana) may actually be easier for some people then Crow (Kakasana) Pose (it’s debatable) and there is a large lack of awareness and education in the yoga community around where the poses come from and why they are what they are. It’s like a general misunderstanding of where our food comes from. Many of us just assume that whatever we’re told is true.
The story of the crow and the crane goes all the way back to ancient texts. The story of the crow and the crane can be found in the Mahabarata, an epic tale that is central to yoga philosophy and wisdom.
The crane
In this story, Lord Yama (the Lord of Death) decides to reincarnate as a crane. This is an unusual choice, as we would associate death much more readily with a crow then a crane. But Lord Yama makes this choice purposefully, to fool those who are might be looking out for him. Lord Yama wanted to remain hidden and in disguise. When you think about the qualities of a crane, you might think of a regal, graceful, and majestic bird. The crane is patient and doesn’t move much. It stands and waits for his prey to come to him. His head is down as he waits.
In the Crane (Bakasana) Pose, when our knees are placed so high up against the armpits, we start to stimulate the lymphatic system, a system of the body that helps boost the immune system and move us away from death. We look down, rather then ahead, as we practice patience with the body. Looking down also takes the faculties of the eyes away from us so that we must balance using the muscular strength of our core and rely on an inner sense rather then an external sense to find our true balance.
The crow
When you think about a crow, crows spend most of their life flying and surveying for their prey. They are always looking out at the horizon for the next meal. This is why in Crow (Kakasana) Pose, we keep our hips low and our eyes out. This requires a great deal of strength in the arms and perseverance. You can even add on a bending of the arms to mimic the impression of flying — this will challenge your body intensely.
Now you can see that both poses are different anatomically, have a different mental attitude that we cultivate while practicing them, have different names and different animals they are associated with, and have their roots in ancient yoga philosophy.
Practice tip
Whoever decided Crow (Kakasana) Pose was Crow Pose and Crane (Bakasana) Pose is Crane Pose is rolling in his/her grave every time a yoga teacher calls out Crow (Kakasana) Pose but cues Crane (Bakasana) and vice versa. I hope this understanding makes the difference clear to you and helps you find a new perspective in your arm balance and inversion practice.
When/if you decide to first try either of these postures, it can be helpful to use blocks in front of your forehead to assuage your fears of falling and/or under your feet to help you get your knees higher up on your arms.
Happy practicing!
And I was honored and beyond grateful.
It got me thinking about all the hours in a day we spend on … whatever we spend it on. And I wondered how much of that is service? How much of that can we redefine and look at as service? How much of what we do are we actually awake for and how much have we desensitized ourselves too?
And then of course I had to then define service for myself, so I could make sense of the rumbling in my head … not my heart, my head. That’s where the rumbling always takes place.
Here’s my thoughts …
Service, in the end, is truly service to the Divine. And as far as I know, the Divine doesn’t care if what you are offering up is grandiose, or mundane, or messy, or anything else that you as a human doing has labeled your work to be.
Because I like to think that service is happening in many, many moments during my day. I’d like to think that for every moment that I’m “doing” something – it’s in service somewhere to someone. I’d like to believe that when I wake up and say thank you, that in and of itself is service. And when I decide to make breakfast for my kids, that’s in service. And when I decide not to in order to serve myself, that’s in service too. And that when I teach, say hello to the cashier, talk nice to the plumber, try and do math homework, respond to my daughter’s father, or take a moment to breathe before I go to sleep, I’d like to think that all of that is in service to the Divine.
You see, here’s what I think … and of course, I could be wrong. But I think that we are all here to live our best lives. And that doesn’t mean anything else besides …
Be kind.
Yeah, that’s really it. Be kind.
And be kind in everything you do … and the best in everything you do … and the most awake in all you do. And when you’re not … and life becomes a bit of a “chore” … decide if it’s time to change course.
If your life does not feel like a blessed offering of service to the Divine. … start small and believe that it is. I would bet money you would see that every moment is in service, even the ones that feel mundane or boring.
Breathe into your heart and ask ….
How can I be of service today … in this moment … in this relationship … in this job …
Just ask, because we do have the opportunity in every moment to be of service. It makes life more like an offering than something we just hurry through. And that is why we are here … I swear.
By Dana Damara
“My passion on the mat is proper alignment, powerful breath and effortless flow so you feel that off your mat. Your practice becomes sacred space where you arrive to find more meaning, depth, authenticity and integrity in your life." - Dana Damara: mother, author, yoga instructor, speaker and yogini.
Click here to download or stream one of Dana's YogaDownload classes!
It may be helpful to have a visual. Imagine that cranky part of you you find so annoying, or the part of you you think is weak and filled with bad habits, or the part of you that can’t get over some heartache – imagine that that person was someone else. Let’s say a small child. Your child. Or your little brother or sister. Maybe even a five-year old version of you. Someone small, cute, and helpless. What type of love and kindness would you be giving them when they were going through a difficult time? Can you give that to yourself?
On the mat
When you’re sweating, you’re breathing is getting laboured, and you start feeling frustrated that there is a pose you cannot do, where does your mind go? What is your internal monologue? Is it filled with angry reproofs involving your perceived inability or is it being kind to where your body is today? Can you accept limitations, temporary or permanent, and simply be with what is? Can you be so kind as to do something different? Can you be so daring to ask for help from a teacher if you need it?
If and when those dark thoughts arise, be kind to them and see what they need. Maybe it translates to working less physical intensity. Maybe it is giving yourself permission to be fiery. Maybe it means more time in the pose or more patience in general. Develop a fundamental attitude of friendliness to your body and its needs as you practice.
Off the mat
Every human being faces challenges, griefs, stresses, frustrations, and failures. Sounds a bit of a bummer, but we know that is one part of human experience. Of course our ability to navigate the tough times impacts on how well we can enjoy the good times. Meaning we can get stuck in the muck.
I’m sure I’m not alone in my sometimes feelings of disappointment with myself. Sometimes it’s annoyance and anger with how I behaved, performed, or responded in a challenging or stressful situation. To be frank, my mind doesn’t immediately go to soothing kindness to a part of my personality in turmoil. But again, if I could visualise that part of myself as a small version of me I would probably respond a bit differently. I’d ask that part of me what I needed to feel better. I’d give him kindness and reassurance. There might be a temporary feel-good solution and a long-term bit of tough love to get on the right or more productive and happiness-filled track. I’d let go of arbitrary punishment or wishing things would just be better while averting the shadow parts of my personality in distress.
The ‘good’ parts of ourselves are not the only parts that deserve love. There are parts that we struggle with. There are parts that hurt. There are parts of us that are right asses – and they need some love and friendship too. We have to sit with, accept, and bring all the parts of ourselves into the fold. If we never befriend the darker bits they will continue to be our adversaries and keep us embroiled in a lifelong fight.
Instead, a practice of kindness can be transformative. When you develop kindness and compassion towards yourself, your heart begins to grow and deepen its compassion towards your loved ones and those in ever widening communities around you. It is the entry point into an experience of human life that allows us to love, be loved, and be enriched by the joy of that love.
By Adam Hocke
Adam has been practicing vinyasa flow yoga since 1999 and has trained extensively with Jason Crandell. He offers precise, strong, and accessible classes to physically awaken the body and develop mindfulness both on and off the mat. His teaching is down-to-earth and direct, exploring traditional practices from a modern perspective. A native of South Florida, Adam spent ten years in New York City before becoming a Londoner. He teaches studio classes, workshops and courses throughout London, and retreats across the globe. As a writer, Adam contributes regularly to magazines and web publications on yoga. Visit Adam at www.adamhocke.com
Stomach pains Gas Cramping PMS Acne Puffy face Weight gain
I had an intolerance to dairy, not realizing that the exact food I was eating to be healthy, was actually causing some of my most nagging health challenges.
If you can relate, be sure to check out Jo’s blog post on How to Identify If You’ve Got a Dairy Sensitivity.
The commercials tell us that yogurt is a healthy, fat free, high protein choice – the “perfect snack” to be exact. However, if you look a little closer you’ll find that one serving of flavored yogurt accounts for more than the recommended amount of daily sugar.
Take a look:
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt = 26 grams of sugar Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Blueberry = 24 grams of sugar Organic Stonyfield French Vanilla = 29 grams of sugar
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
Men: 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons of sugar per day Women: 25 grams or 6 teaspoons of sugar per day
And by the way, fat is what gives food flavor, so don’t be fooled by the fat free fad of the 90s. In the case of yogurt, the food manufacturers add in more sugar and additives in place of the fat, and it’s actually these additions that are making us fat, not the fat.
Today we’ve whipped up a healthy alternative to dairy and all store-bought yogurts. Be sure to grab the recipe below and don’t miss the homemade Berry Vanilla Chia Jam and Coconut Hemp Seed Crumble topper. This is cleanse-friendly and sure to be all-star family favorite.
With love and better choices,
Dairy Free Coconut “Yogurt”
Yield: 2 servings
Note: We recommend making the jam first to allow time for it cool while making the yogurt and crumble.
8 oz. (2 packets) frozen fresh young coconut puree, thawed ½ cup coconut water, to thin as necessary ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions: In a high speed blender place coconut puree and ¼ cup coconut water. Blend on high adding more coconut water as necessary to get the mixture to a Greek yogurt type consistency. Add to a bowl and top with Berry Vanilla Chia Jam and Coconut Hemp Seed Crumble.
Berry Vanilla Chia Jam
Yield: 1 pint
1 LB. fresh berries such as raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries 3 TB. organic honey, or to taste depending on how sweet the berries are ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped 2 TB. chia seeds Juice of ¼ lemon
Instructions: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat place berries, vanilla bean, and honey. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the juice from the berries has thickened slightly. Add the chia seeds and lemon juice and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture has a jam like consistency. It will continue to thicken slightly after cooling so keep that in mind when deciding on a final texture.
Coconut Hemp Seed Crumble
1 tsp. coconut oil 1 tsp. honey 3 TB. large flake coconut 2 TB. hemp seeds Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
Instructions: In a small skillet over medium heat melt coconut oil. Add honey and stir to combine. Add coconut flakes and hemp seeds and toast until golden stirring constantly. Remove from heat and toss with Himalayan sea salt. Let cool and use as a topping for your “yogurt” and chia bowl.
It’s a great question, and one I’ve thought about for awhile now. Today, I want to share with you my thoughts on the yogic perspective to this question, as I’m sure you may have wondered the same thing at some point.
My upfront disclaimer is that I’m not a doctor, I have no right to diagnose anything for anyone, and my intention in writing this post today is simply to help you think about your own practices and body with a heightened, and perhaps more intelligent, awareness.
Using yoga to heal
First, let’s talk about using yoga as a practice to heal.
There are many benefits of yoga, so many of which have become verified by scientific research in the last decade or so. There is also still a lot of folklore and unsubstantiated claims made as well.
As I like to remind my blog readers, there are many different styles of yoga. That idea you have in your head of what yoga is may be limited because yoga is not just one thing.
Some people I know don’t want to practice yoga because they don’t think it will give them a good enough workout, while other people I know are afraid yoga is too hard and they won’t be able to do it! Both statements have the potential to be true, it just depends on what yoga class you find yourself in.
Just because there are many types of yoga, doesn’t mean one type is better at healing then the other.
A practice doesn’t heal people. People heal themselves utilizing the appropriate practice for their condition.
This is partly why yoga is so awesome. Someone can have an amazing healing story through yoga after practicing Ashtanga (a very intense practice) for a year and someone else can have an incredible healing yoga journey after practicing restorative (a very gentle practice) for a year. The healing happened because the practice chosen matched the person who wanted healing.
A student was talking to me lately about her Crossfit practice. She mentioned offhand that she does Crossfit to focus on cardio instead of focusing on strength. This conversation reminded me that any practice can be adapted to meet your needs, but you have to be clear about what your needs are in the first place!
Yoga and strength
I know there may be some of you out there who don’t believe yoga can help you gain strength.
Let me tell you that if you (or someone you know) believes this, they have not been to the right yoga class.
Yoga posture (asana) is actually very, very challenging when the muscles are engaged in a specific, exacting way. Anyone can stand up straight with their arms overhead, but when you start to engage every major muscle from the bottom of your feet to the tip of your fingers as you stand up straight with your arms overhead, your Mountain Pose becomes a different story.
Using a combination of body weight, planes of movement, gravity, and specific muscle activation, yoga can indeed help you build strength in your body. Understanding the relationship between agonists (muscles doing most of the work in any movement) and antagonists (the muscles releasing to help the agonists do their thing) helps you not only better understand your body but build incredibly efficient strength.
I’ve seen it myself with my private clients who before working with me were unable to hold a Plank Pose, but after working on the core, surprised themselves when they could hold Plank for more then a few seconds, hold good posture, and breathe after just a couple months.
Will you become bodybuilder strong in yoga? No, but you can absolutely tone muscle through yoga practice and maintain strength.
A few words on “tight” muscles
A common pitfall when it comes to the vocabulary of strength and yoga is the word tight.
People come to yoga and tell me they are tight in their hamstrings or hips or shoulders. Most people automatically assume that when they are tight they need to stretch. This is not always the case!
Our muscles have mechanoreceptors that send information back to the brain so that the brain can determine whether or not the muscle needs to contract or not. If the mechanoreceptors are sending information back to the brain that the muscles is at its maximum length before it will tear, then the brain is going to go into protective mode and start telling that muscle to contract, making you feel “tight.”
Unless you are putting constant stress on your muscles from poor posture and daily movement patterns or from following a specific workout plan, you may need to build strength rather then stretch to work through that “tight” feeling.
Strength loves flexibility and flexibility loves strength
I’ve said it so many times before and I’ll say it again. I can’t tell you how many times I hear people say “I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible.”
To that I respond, “Do you want to be flexible?” You will absolutely gain flexibility practicing yoga. I don’t think anyone has every disputed that. Yoga is most widely accepted as a stretching practice!
So isn’t that exactly where you need to be if you’re not flexible but flexibility is a goal?
Finding the balance between strength and flexibility is really important to overall good health.
Just like it’s important that I’m strong enough to lift heavy things in the case of an emergency, it’s equally important to be flexible to get yourself out of tight, squirrelly situations quickly. If you need to bend over and wind your way through tight spaces, you better be able to move your spine easily in all seven directions.
The opposite is true as well. It’s no good being all flexible with no strength. We have to find the middle ground.
This is even more important to embrace if you are hypermobile. Flowy, stretchy yoga classes are probably the last place a hypermobile yogi needs to be. Of course, the hypermobile yogi will be drawn to such classes because he or she will feel good in those classes. Rather, his or her ego will feel good. The body? Not so much.
The best cure for hypermobility? Strength.
In yoga, there are many opportunities where this balance between strength and flexibility are highlighted. To be grounded and strong in your legs in a standing posture will give you freedom and more mobility in your upper body. Having a strong core will give you more opportunity to move your appendages in a healthy, productive way.
There really is no good reason to keep all your eggs in one basket.
So if you ask me do I need flexibility or strength?, I’m first going to say “it depends,” and then I’m going to say, “you need both.”
The Ayurvedic perspective
This leads me to my next teaching point.
In Ayurveda there is a saying that goes like this:
Like attracts like and opposites heal
Remember my hypermobile yogi from above? She loves yoga because she’s already flexible. She’s naturally attracted to things she’s good at. However, that’s not what she needs. She needs strength to balance out all her excess mobility.
Consider your typical Type Aer. Your typical Type Aer is most likely to be found in a Bikram, Vinyasa Flow, Power, or Ashtanga class. This person needs to move and move fast with intensity. They need to sweat it all out because this person likes to push. This person likes to feel like something is happening yesterday because now is too late. This person feels exhausted at the end of practice and yet somehow that is oddly rejuvenating. This is the life of Type A. Everything in Type A’s life is structured this way. This is how Type A lives.
And that’s great. Until Type A has a nervous breakdown. I won’t get into the reasons why Type A just had a nervous breakdown, but I can tell you from personal experience that if Type A wants to use yoga to heal, she best be getting herself into a restorative class or start somemeditation. And yes, this will be excruciating because it’s so boring, and you feel like you’re not accomplishing anything, and that’s exactly the point.
Now, don’t think Type B gets off the hook. The very opposite is true for Type B. Type Bers will be found in the restorative, gentle flow classes where the rules aren’t so strict, you don’t have to work that hard, and you get to lounge around all class with a mixed bag of nice stretches. Which is all great and dandy until Type B feels stuck and stagnant and depressed. Type B needs some motivation. Type B needs to move! Type B doesn’t want to move, but that’s exactly what she needs to snap out of the funk.
Like attracts like and opposites heal.
How do you identify with your personal tendencies and what yoga classes do you frequent most often? Are you in the right place if you’re looking to heal?
I know it’s hard. Believe me, I know.
The importance of rest
Back in my P90X days I remember Tony Horton “scolding” me not to do AbRipperX every day. He knew we all wanted to, and he also understood the importance of letting our body rest.
In yoga, we use our whole body. Yes, we can tailor a practice to focus on the shoulders orhips, but at the end of the practice you will have worked every part of your body.
Savasana for three minutes at the end of class is not enough rest.
When I say rest I mean real, meaningful rest.
Like, take a restorative class kind of rest.
Do nothing. Be still. Just breathe. That kind.
I am the worst rule-breaker in this category. I don’t get enough meaningful rest.
Sleep is a whole different blog post. Get enough sleep, but prioritize time for constructive rest as well.
Rest your body and your mind with play. Do something creative. Something you don’t or wouldn’t normally do.
Spend time with people you love. Turn off the technology.
Give your body and your mind a break for a bit.
And make this a non-negotiable practice in your life.
I’ll keep blogging about it because I struggle with it too and I’m still experimenting with ways to make sure I’m resting in my own life. I’m right there on the journey with you.
So, should you strengthen, stretch, or rest? It depends. AND, you should do all of it.
Namaste
I’ve been leading teacher training programs for more than a decade, and it never ceases to amaze me how much people transform during the process. In the beginning, everyone is excited to get to know each other and learn all about the yoga that they love so much. And, they do! You learn anatomy for yoga, how the poses work, the best way to help students in adjustments, and all about the philosophical underpinnings of yoga. It is an incredible learning experience, and people absorb so much because they are so passionate about the practice.
Go Beyond the Postures and Let the Yoga Do its Job
At some point along the way, though, the yoga starts to do its job, which is to create transformation. Yoga is meant to change us from the inside out; to shift the way we look at and participate in the world. It’s much more than just a practice designed to align our physical body, it has the potential to align our heart and mind as well. When students learn that yoga is a state of mind, and that the practice of yoga gives us access to this mind state, they often dive deeply into the inner workings of the yoga practice. They move beyond the postures (asanas) to try looking at life through a new lens. For example, when students learn to meditate in their teacher training, they often realize that the effects of the practice are further reaching than their meditation cushion. Their colleagues and friends notice how much less stressed out they are and how much easier it is for them to overcome challenges.
Be Ready to Find Your True Path
However, sometimes people also do major “course-corrections” in their life through their yoga teacher training, too. As a sailing term, we course-correct when the wind has blown us a bit off track and we need to turn the sails to get going in the right direction. The deeper practices of yoga show us where we have gotten off track, and how we might redirect ourselves in order to follow our true path. I’ve seen students gather the strength to quit their jobs, move house, or change relationships through the power of yoga. It suddenly becomes crystal clear that the things they had been suffering with for years prevent them from aligning themselves with their life purpose. Yoga practice and the support of the teacher training shows them that suffering is optional, and indeed, they are powerful enough to choose for themselves their path to healthy living.
Become a Master...of Your Own Life
Ultimately, those who successfully complete a yoga teacher training are able to guide people through a sun salutation, but a training experience is so much more than that. It is an opportunity to re-examine what is most important to you and develop the courage to live in accord with that. Yoga is an amazing thing; it stretches your hamstrings, but it also bends your mind. In addition to mastering the poses and breathing through a vinyasa, you learn how to master your life.
This moon shines upon any plans you would like to make to journey to distant lands, particularly for a spiritual retreat or shamanic journey. This is a great time to venture to foreign cultures—both literally and figuratively. It is often easier to explore the deeper aspects of ourself if we are out of our comfort zone and in a new location. Try both during this new moon, and allow the new experiences on the outside and on the inside show you more about yourself than you could have dreamed. Whether on a long journey, or a journey within, use this energy to connect deeply with the earth, explore all the pleasures of the senses and indulge in some serious self care. Attention and connection to your body and its needs are deeply rewarded at this time.
One important aspect here that is not to be overlooked is that the shadow side may creep up during this new moon. Any old baggage or beliefs that appear need to be cleared and processed now. Do your healing practices (yoga, meditation, affirmations and the new moon ritual below) to help clear out this energy and tap into your gifts of healing and spirituality.
Alchemical Ritual for the Taurus New Moon
As an earth sign, Taurus loves to feel the sensual beauty all around and manifest earthly abundance and pleasures whenever possible. On the low side, however, this grounded energy makes us stuck and stagnant, disallowing growth and flow states. This new moon ritual for Taurus helps to accentuate the high side of this energy which uses the power of the earth to create beauty and abundance inside and out.
Taurus’ ruler is Venus, the great goddess of love and beauty. In her we see the energy of attraction, sensuality and connectedness. To enhance this energy in your ritual, gather green stones such as jade, tourmaline or peridot and place them in the center of your ritual space. Bring in the earth element in some way, either with a small bowl of dirt, a plant, or do the ritual outside. Rose and Sandalwood essential oil can be used to anoint your heart chakra before and after your ceremony. Use sage, sweet grass or palo santo to cleanse yourself and the space by casting the smoke over yourself and encircling your own body three times. Light a few candles and dim the lights. Sit in the center of your space and place the hands on the ground. Connect deeply to earth energy and call forth the sensual wisdom it offers. Feel the energy moving into your seat, your legs, your hands and up through your body into your heart. Coordinate the breath with the flow of energy. When you establish a consistent current, meditate on the question: What does my heart want? Your answer is not trivial, and it will likely come quietly and simply. Any running dialogue is not from the heart, but from the ego, so listen closely to the answer from the heart. Once you receive your answer, choose one stone, hold it firmly in your right hand and say the following invocation out loud:
Venus, please show me the path to manifesting my heart’s greatest desire.
Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation. Clear the mind of thoughts completely. Feel the sensation within the heart, and allow for the invocation to sink in and begin to show you your path. Allow any symbols, sensations, emotions or energy to arise and continue to quietly witness all that happens without judgement or thought.
When complete, place your hand on your heart and chant Om three times. Place your hands in prayer at the heart with the stone inside and recognize this talisman that you have now charged with the energy of your heart’s desire. Snuff the candles and place the talisman somewhere prominently enough that you are reminded daily of the path to your heart’s fullest expression. This ritual creates a connection between you and your heart, and allows you to walk forward on a clear path of manifesting abundance for yourself and all around you.