Dukha in Sanskrit can be translated as suffering, or less translatable, the unsatisfying quality of being. Sukha is its inverse, and can refer to the pleasurable quality of being, or even up to joy and bliss.
When we sit in sukhasana, perhaps it’s not an easy shape or pose that we’re putting ourselves into, but in taking this basic seat for meditation or seated practice, we are signifying that we are on the path to ending our experience of suffering – we are on the path towards sukha and away from dukha.
I keep hearing my teachers say ‘suffering can end now’ and ‘enlightenment can begin now.’ In every moment we have a choice on how to proceed. Simply coming into a seat to meditate or practice asana can be a signal that we are now in this moment, as best as we can, taking ourselves off the path of suffering and facing the addictions and attachments we use to avoid it.
With that framework in mind, easy pose being hard makes total sense for me. Meditation is hard. Facing myself is hard. But it is taking me into the path of bliss. So, I’m gonna try to be a little kinder to easy pose now, because I know the pose is only where we begin.
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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 adamhocke.com
Here’s a snapshot of what my life has looked like growing up and how much change my family has gone through in the past 25 years.
You get the gist. Basically, I’m the odd one out. Also, today we live in a very different world then previous generations.
Over the course of the past 5 years I’ve lived in 5 different states.
I ate dinner last night at 9:00pm (gasp!).
My schedule changes daily.
And within the past month I got married, traveled internationally on our honeymoon, bought a house, and moved.
I know a thing or two about change, but that doesn’t mean that I’m wonderful at it. I’d like to think I’ve at least become a little bit better at managing it.
Ride the wave of seasonal change
This time of year, change is in the air in a major way. It’s a change of seasons as kids head back to school and summer vacation winds down. Depending on where you live, the weather might start to change as well. Of all the seasonal changes, this one seems to warrant a particularly unpleasant amount of upheaval and resistance.
For some companies, it’s a new fiscal year. And for almost everyone, schedules start to change in some way, large or small.
I was speaking with a colleague of mine a few days back asking her about her new job. She recently left her corporate job to try out self-employment. When I asked her how things were going, she responded cautiously and mentioned that if someone would have told her how much anxiety she would feel, how much would be left uncertain, how slow things would go at first, she might not have left.
This conversation reminded me how change never really ends or stops. It keeps on coming and all we can do is get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Another big change is on the horizon for a couple places I work. One company is opening a slew of new studios, meaning lots of managements shifts and schedule changes for existing and new instructors. Another studio is going through a rebrand, which comes along with the challenge to educate existing clients about the changes and ensure everyone that everything is going to be okay.
Change is a good thing
As with any change, there is always backlash from someone. Someone will think the changes are good and someone will think the changes are not so good. Whether or not the changes are good or bad doesn’t really matter. What matters is how you react to the change and how it affects your life.
Can you go with the flow or will you resist? Will you refuse to eat dinner at any time other then 6:30pm simply because that is all you’ve every known or will you keep your mind open to new possibilities knowing that you can always choose to go back if the new way doesn’t work for you?
Becoming comfortable with discomfort may be the biggest thing yoga has taught me. A lot of yoga poses are uncomfortable. For me, Shoulder Stand, Plow, Chair, and hip openers like Runner’s Lunge are incredibly uncomfortable. I breathe through them anyway. I go deeper if I can and if I can’t I listen to my body and back out when the time is right.
In the past, if confronted with an uncomfortable situation, I might have walked away or avoided the situation until it went away. Today, I’m a little more savvy. Sometimes, when there is too much going on, I revert to my old ways but then I catch myself trying to run away from the discomfort. I have to remind myself to face it head on.
To grow we must move forward
There is a quote that I can’t seem to find that says something along the lines of if you’re comfortable, you’re no longer trying.
This isn’t to say you should never be comfortable, but it is to say that true personal growth comes from working through your discomfort.
Are you experiencing change in your life? Have you felt uncomfortable lately (I know, the stars and planets have been all weird and stuff)? Bring your awareness to how you’re dealing with that discomfort and be gentle with yourself. Try not to judge. Try not to analyze too much. See if you can let things be just as they are and move forward.
So how to deal with change you ask? Start by noticing how you react. Then consciously choose to keep an open mind and a level head. From there, keep flexing your discomfort muscle and practice being at peace with things as they are. I’m right there with you getting used to a new home!
A teacher trainee in the Teacher Training program I just led shared this quote with me:
“We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps” -Herman Hesse
Where is your path leading you?
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.
Zucchini bread, zucchini noodles, zucchini chips, zucchini on the grill, roasted zucchini…these are all ways I love zucchini.
But what else is there?
That was the question I asked myself this week as I pondered my meal plan.
Keep in mind that (maybe like you) I’m cleansing, the family is not, and the kids have after school activities galore, making family mealtime even more of an obstacle.
There are a lot of hurdles when it comes to eating well and feeding your family nutritiously, but with practice, planning and keeping things simple – it can be done.
And hopefully recipes like this one help take the guesswork out of it.
Check out the recipe for Coconut Curry Zucchini Soup below.
This recipe is fast and easy, family friendly (just go easy on the curry at first), and best of all, it helps use up some of the zucchini overflow that’s bursting from the garden right now.
I hope you and your family enjoy this warming seasonal soup!
With love and zukes,
Coconut Curry Zucchini Soup
Yield: 4 bowls
Ingredients:
2 TB. coconut oil 1 small white onion 1-2 TB. green curry paste, or to taste 1 can full-fat coconut milk 2 large zucchini, chopped (about 5 cups) 3 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup) 1 cup water, plus more if needed to thin Juice of one lime, plus one for garnish 1 tsp. salt 2 cups cooked quinoa Handful of fresh basil, chopped, for garnish
Instructions: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and fragrant. Add the green curry paste along with one tablespoon of cream from the top of the coconut milk. Stir well and sauté for another minute.
Add the zucchini and carrots and sauté, until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining coconut milk and water. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat.
Season with the juice of lime and sea salt to taste.
Serve over a scoop of quinoa and garnish with basil and more lime juice and sea salt to taste.
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
And I have an AMAZING life with EPIC changes coming up that I am so excited about! And in this moment, still, I am annoyed. Guess I’m still struggling with “embracing it all.
Not to mention that I left my heart on the Playa …. Literally. Left it, exposed as it’s ever been. Ever. I’ve never loved in a moment as I did that sunrise on the Playa. Shiva-Shakti in all it’s glorious balance. I am so grateful to be reminded about my manifesting skills. My heart is still raw and open to what was to be, or not to be. I don’t know, but I must trust. All the stars say I must trust, so I do; without worrying, planning, scheming, or unconsciously manifesting.
I want to write about exposure, the theme for the week, however, I must write about it all. Yes, all of it.
I must touch on the Divine timing of all of this. The New Moon in Virgo, asking for organization and Jupiter, wanting to create a bigger container than we may be comfortable with, because it’s not ALL pretty.
The Solar and Lunar Eclipses coming up that will give us all a portal for expansion, endings, and beginnings. The way we are all manifesting at such a rapid rate that it’s IMPERATIVE that we are awake to our truth. The fact that nothing is more important right now than your spiritual practice and plugging into what connects you to Source. And to the unwavering FAITH and TRUST that is necessary right now in this crazy, mystical shit storm that is re-aligning us with our truth and deepest desires.
Because the truth is the Universe is asking us ALL to expand beyond what we can intellectually believe we can achieve. We must all drop deeply into our intuition and be free from the constraints of what “makes sense”. And maybe that means pulling the plug for some, and maybe it means just changing the way you do things by 5 degrees each day.
I must remember that “Just as any creative project begins with a blank slate, your life as a creative project will unfold in it’s right timing with power and purpose as long as you practice unwavering Faith and Trust every step of the way” .. Thank you Virgo Magic for this lovely reminder.
I have a lot to say honestly, and I think that I want to preface it all by saying that every single person on that Playa, had a different experience. Because I think Burning Man is a vortex of individual experiences that are necessary for the evolution of each participant. If they’re open to it.
So while I write my own, personal, raw, vulnerable musings, please hold your tongue and your judgments, and just sit with one person’s experience. Because if we “Burners” sit long enough, we will all see what we are meant to learn individually and how that ripples into the collective. So that’s all I’m doing here
When I first was offered the opportunity to attend Burning Man, all I could think about was how great it would be to “get it off my bucket list”. And to be able to teach yoga at the base of The Woman is quite an honor for this Midwest Yogini. “I just need to go once”, were my words I think.
But you know what, Burning Man will never get crossed off my bucket list. Burning Man is now part of me, something I will never be able to give up, cross off, or forget. Burning Man is a love, a conquest, a reboot, a complete recalibration of my soul. A reminder of who I am at my deepest level and each experience is personal, unique, and potent. Now I see why so many people flock. It’s what we all crave whether we want to admit it or not.
We all want to expose ourselves from our most primal place. We all want to dance in the dust, wear little or no clothing, love each other, and do what we want, when we want. We all want to be able to honestly let go of our grip … on everything. We all want to embrace our insecurities and love them. None of us enjoys being on a timeline, a deadline, or ruled by time at all. But a sweet friend said to me while I was there….“Time is a just a grid on the Playa. It’s just a place where you live.”
Everyone wants to believe in magical encounters, in destined love, in a tribe, in their intuition, in their ability to be alone. Everyone wants to be transparent, authentic, and to feel intimate connection with another soul. Everyone wants to wander.
No one wants to be tethered to their damn phones, no one wants to listen to notification after notification beep on their iPad or computer. And no one wants to compete with another … we have just been conditioned, or “defaulted” to believe that as truth.
I found Burning Man to be one of the most epic adventures of my life thus far. And I’ve had a lot of adventures to be sure. This one exposed my heart, my truth, my fears, my distractions, my primal Goddess in all her forms. My Shakti power at work creating, destroying, and manifesting a life that is so incredible. Burning Man ignited a spark that will burn for quite awhile, amidst the to-do’s of my life with my two kids, this environment of San Fran and the North Bay, the yoga school, my non profit and the gathering of conscious people … I am re-sparked.
I mean really … pretty lovely.
But here’s the deal … if I had to pick one word, just one word to share for this week, it would be exposure. I exposed myself way beyond my comfort zone. I hate camping! Despise it! Can’t stand getting in a tent let alone with an inch of playa dust in it. I can’t stand the cold, hate it. My ideal vacation is lying on the beach, coconut in my hand, getting up in between naps and love-making to jump in the ocean and maybe eat some food.
I exposed myself to not knowing, to harsh elements out of my control, to my fears, to my most uncomfortable places and you know what? I noticed everything about myself and I loved it. I loved the exposure. I loved the innocence, the vulnerability, the noticing. I loved seeing all sides of me and knowing that I am not perfect, nor do I want to be.
But I do want to expose more of myself. I want that feeling on a daily basis. I want to feel primal and in alignment with all that is real. I don’t want to fall into the default world. I want this truth of Burning Man to be a bigger part of the default world. Where people hug, and love, and don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. Where people see the bigger picture of life and our deepest connection.
Expose yourself just a little bit and you can be a contributor to that reality. A reality where we all love, and appreciate, and dance and sing and truly see what is real.
Who’s with me?
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. Visit DanaDamara.com for more inspiration from Dana.
Click here to download or stream one of Dana's YogaDownload classes!
While Taylor Swift, with a net worth larger than many small countries, can easily boycott Apple and other distributors that offer free or deeply discounted tunes, not all artists can afford to do that. By standing up for her fellow musicians, Swift swiftly brought Apple around.
If only it were true for the yoga industry.
The fact remains that many yoga studios offer deep, deep discounts on classes and do not pay their teachers for the trial students. I just recently checked into a class in my neighborhood and inquired about the 30 days for $30 deal I saw advertised.
“You can have that deal,” the teacher said. “But I do not get paid for you.” I paid full price.
Now at this point I know a lot of readers are going to write in and say they cannot afford to pay for a full price yoga class, which runs between $12 and $25 in urban areas. And I feel you, downward dogs. Really I do.
But realize that nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it say that you are entitled to free yoga. You can get free education and have free speech, and perhaps some free medical assistance, but as of yet yoga has not been subsidized by the government.
In fact, your yoga teacher paid between $3,000 and $15,000 for an education to keep you safe, and she most likely does not have good health insurance to take care of herself. So why do students feel entitled to free yoga while the teacher starves?
Furthermore, if you cannot find a free yoga class in the city where you live, honestly, there is something wrong with you. This weekend alone there were more than 25 classes in my town that were $10 or free to celebrate the solstice.
All of which brings me to the yoga studio. With cheap classes and abundant yoga opportunities, not all studios make a million dollars. Some are struggling to pay the rent. This is a very competitive business. Some say this has forced the industry into offering discounted classes.
But the dirty little secret is that they often do not pay their teachers for those students.
Here are some discounts that teachers may not get paid for:
You get the idea. There is actually a studio in my town that does not pay a teacher the per head rate for the first eight students in the room, even if they pay full price! And you know I can’t make this stuff up.
People, it is time for a change. Studios and teachers need to find a way to stimulate business and support each other fairly. But nothing will happen until yoga teachers stand up and say, no more.
Taylor Swift was able to do it on behalf of her fellow musicians. But one yoga teacher cannot do this alone (Believe me, I’ve tried). There are too many teachers willing to work for next to nothing, or for nothing. Teachers need to recognize the worth of their offering.
“We don’t ask you for free I-phones,” Swift wrote to Apple. “Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” The same should be true for our teaching.
Can I get an Amen, or at least an Om?
By Michelle Marchildon
Michelle Berman Marchildon is a yogi, mother and writer trying to maintain a sense of humor in a hectic world. She’s a longtime, professional, award-winning journalist, author of The Yogi Muse Blog and the memoir, Finding More on the Mat: How I Grew Better, Wiser and Stronger through Yoga. Her book for yoga teachers, Theme Weaver: Connect the Power of Inspiration to Teaching Yoga, has become one of the fastest growing and widely accepted texts for yoga teachers throughout the world.
She’s a Featured Columnist for Elephant Journal and Origin Magazine, a Contributing Editor for Mantra Yoga and Health Magazine, and a contributor under contract to Sports Illustrated. She has also written for Yoga Journal, Teachasana, My Yoga Online and 90 Monkeys. Her wit and dry humor has earned her the title, ‘The Erma Bombeck of the Mat.’ She teaches yoga and raises her family in Denver, Colorado. Her classes are available on www.yogadownload.com and www.yogasteya.com.
The power of community is vibrant and growing, and witnessed in the wealth and a dearth of offerings.
(Yeah, I said dearth.)
From homegrown LIVE music events like YogiNation to a growing and thriving online community like YogaDownload.com, the power of community to create connection is real – I‘ve met some of you online yogis in real life in classes after meeting in cyberspace through yoga videos.
Whether from Facebook or another corner of cyberspace, every time I meet someone in person that I met online first, I am amazed and inspired.
“I can’t believe this is happening!” I exclaim as we embrace like long lost friends who never thought they’d see each other again.
See a community can exist online, or in a magazine, or across a collection of, largely, disassociated pockets across a city (as in a city like Denver with a studio for every dispensary), but connection has to happen in person.
Whether with yourself or others.
(Insert dirty joke here.)
Ok, I’ll do it myself…Community without connection is like having sex in cyberspace – possible, but not nearly as fulfilling…
That’s why I like to support communities that go a step further in creating conscious connection. This summer YogaDownload.com, YogiNation, and OUTLAW Yoga came together to do just that.
To walk the walk while we talked the talk…
What we learned was that as a community we have real creative power.
We don’t need a studio between us and our practice and we don’t need an industry between us and our favorite artists. The power of community is bolstered by entities like Yogadownload.com and Indiegogo who give us platforms to not just blindly consume what mainstream music companies, publishing houses, and corporate yoga companies tell us we must.
Want to start an event? Do. The community will support you…or it won’t. But you’ll know right away if an idea has viability if it receives the tangible vote of the community.
Want to write a book? Do. You don’t need publishing houses to thrive as an artist on Amazon – you just need talent…and discipline. (I say it like either are easy to produce consistently for me – they’re not).
Passion. If you’ve got it, the community will support you. Let them see you being you…fully…unreservedly…and know that in a community victory for one means victory for all.
When one of us wins, we all win…
That’s why I don’t just write and create, I help produce. As conscious consumers of art and yoga we have the power to be an integral part of projects and people that we believe in.
I couldn’t have produced my book The OUTLAW Protocol – How to Live as an Outlaw Without Becoming a Criminal without the support of the community. And we couldn’t have come together – ALL of us, you and me – to help produce my father KenK’s new CD, Everything So Beautiful. And we can’t make a Marco DiFerreira and Friends CD without your contribution (Check out his community campaign here).
As a community we have a chance to be part of something bigger than you and me separately by connecting…by coming together.
When we all sing, we all sound better.
I can’t play the ukulele so sweet that it brings tears to the eyes of even the toughest guys. But we ALL know a guy named Marco who can. And I know a Grammy caliber producer named Dave Preston who can mix and engineer him…I know an artist named Xiren that can make the CD cover art and yet another who can help us get the campaign started.
But none of us can do this alone.
We need you, you there at home or on your phone to read this and to reach into your heart and create…We need you to care about this project and this man named Marco who has played music for so many classes on the OUTLAW Yoga channel because like geese flying in formation cutting through the sky – in a community we can fly…further and faster…but only if we connect and do it together…
By Justin Kaliszewski
Justin Kaliszewski is a reformed meat-head and former amateur cage fighter. He brings a lifetime of travel and world's worth of experience in battling the ego to the mat. An avid student, artist, and treasure hunter, he infuses a creativity and perseverance into his teachings, along with a distinct blend of humor and wisdom that redefines what it means to be an Outlaw and a yogi...He teaches Outlaw Yoga across the country and is happy to call Denver home for now. Author of Outlaw Protocol: how to live as an outlaw without becoming a criminal, you can find him at www.outlawyoga.com.
Salmon burgers are deeeeelicious and a great way to load up on omega-3 fatty acids that will help strengthen your immune system, eyesight and brain power – all the while decreasing inflammation in the body!
Sounds like the perfect recipe for vibrant health!
Jo and I are both pretty notorious for going to our favorite local health food store for their pre-made salmon burgers. The ingredient list is squeaky clean and it is uber-convenient in a pinch, but we always prefer to make our own from scratch.
In this simple wild salmon burger recipe, we’re ditching the bun and serving the burger with a lettuce leaf and our favorite, avocado!
Be sure to always, always, always choose wild salmon over farmed salmon. Farmed Atlantic salmon is not good for the environment, nor is it good for your health. Look for wild salmon from the Pacific. Some readily available types of wild Pacific salmon are chinook, coho, pink, and sockeye.
Enjoy these cleanse-friendly wild salmon burgers tonight and leave me a comment below? Are you wild for these salmon burgers too?
With wild love,
Wild Salmon Burger
Yield: 4 servings
1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp sea salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1 LB boneless, skinless wild salmon filets, cut into 2-inch pieces ¼ red onion, diced 1⁄8 cup cilantro, chopped 1⁄8 cup parsley, chopped ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced ½ tsp turmeric ½ tsp cumin ½ tsp coriander 1 TB olive oil 4 large lettuce leaves (romaine, bibb, red leaf) 1 avocado, sliced for garnish
Directions: In a small food processor fitted with the S-blade, pulse the salmon pieces about 8-10 times. Make sure to not puree the fish.
Transfer the fish to a bowl and gently mix in the onion, cilantro and parsley.
Add in lemon, sea salt, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper.
Wash your hands and make the salmon into 4 patties.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Place salmon burger in the pan and cook until brown on the outside and cooked through the center, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Place each patty on a leaf of lettuce and garnish with a few slices of avocado.
We can’t talk about going back to school without taking time to appreciate the important role that teachers play in our lives. Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s your elementary school teacher, your college professor, a camp counselor or a yoga teacher…many of us can think of a teacher who has impacted the direction of our lives.
Most of us would agree, that without our teachers and mentors, we probably wouldn’t be where we are today.
Can you remember a time when you had a teacher change the course of your life?
I can.
As some of you know, 10 years ago I broke my back on a cross-country bicycle trip. As a result of the accident I gained 40 pounds, had severe chronic pain, and was told I would be physically disabled for the rest of my life. Aside from losing my life’s purpose (as if that wasn’t enough!), I lost hope and belief in myself. All that changed when Ana Forrest, a yoga teacher, came into my life.
Ana believed in me when no doctors did. She looked into my eyes and said, “Jo, you can heal.”
To this day I still get full body chills when I hear those words, because they’re the spark that lit me to be on this Conscious Cleanse path today. This is just a snapshot of what I experienced on my healing journey as a result of being open and willing to accept help from another human being. To read the entire story be sure to check out our book.
Ana believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Sometimes that’s all it takes – belief and the support to follow through on that newfound wisdom.
If you’re stuck in a rut (like I was) and not feeling your best, it’s time to reach out, to find a new mentor and to get support! We’re here to cheer you on and be by your side every step of the way.
Many teachers have informed what has become the Conscious Cleanse today. But what’s underneath the shopping lists and the meal plans is the fact that we believe in every single person’s ability to heal and have the best health imaginable.
You’ve heard my story. Now I want to hear yours.
In the comments below tell us in 50 words or less about a teacher who has impacted your life for the better! We will be selecting five star teachers to win a free Fall cleanse, a book and a t-shirt! Deadline is August 27. Winners will be announced August 31.
Busting at the seams with teacher love,
Visit the Conscious Cleanse Blog and submit 50 words or less about a teacher who has impacted your life for the better! We will be selecting five star teachers to win a free Fall cleanse, a book and a t-shirt! Deadline is August 27. Winners will be announced August 31.
"When I started practicing yoga, my skill was terrible and so was my golf swing," said Joe Hafera of the Titleist Performance Institute. "As my dedication to yoga increased, it became easier to swing the way I wanted to on the golf course. My lower back pain decreased and my balance increased, as my poses improved. I also felt the mental calmness from my yoga practice transfer to my temperament on the course. The breathing and focus of yoga had a place in my golf game."
Like Hafera, many golfers complain of lower back pain from repeated spinal rotation from swinging the golf club during a game. Increasing flexibility in the spinal rotators is key to preventing injuries. One of yoga's major benefits is improving core strength. Stronger trunk muscles result in more spinal support and less strain on the lower back.
Because golfers swing with one side of the body, their muscles can develop unevenly. During the less than four seconds that it takes to swing, the body draws from lateral, vertical and rotational power sources. Developing strength and length evenly will help counterbalance what happens on the course. The golf swing requires stability and flexibility of the hips and thoracic spine. A regular yoga practice can help address these issues.
Golf involves a great deal of physical skill and practice, but unless the mind is calm and focused, one won't be at the top of his game. The emphasis on yogic breathing and mind-body connection in yoga is essential in helping athletes develop mental acuity, patience and concentration. Learning to be present in each moment on the course will result in a more fluid, enjoyable game.
Try these three poses before you hit the golf course to warm up your body and cool down your competitive mind.
This pose is a rotation of the spine combined with an intense hip flexor stretch on the straight leg and a deep stretch of the outer hip of the bent leg.
Stand in Mountain pose with your feet together. Lunge your right foot forward and make sure that your right knee is directly over your right ankle so that your right shin is perpendicular to the ground. Balancing on the ball of the left foot, press the left leg straight. Draw your hands together at your heart, twist from the waist, and hook the left triceps on the outside of your right thigh, rotating to gaze up over your right shoulder. Make sure to keep your spine long and chest lifted off of our thigh. Keep pressing the palms together. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on other side.
This twisting pose is excellent for creating balance between the left and the right sides of the body, for opening up the chest and torso, and for opening up tight hips.
Sit tall with both legs extended in front of you. Make sure you are sitting evenly on your sitting bones. If your hips are very tight, sit on a block or folded blanket until you can sit with a straight spine. Bend your left knee in and place your foot on the ground on the outside of your right thigh. Place your left hand on the ground behind your sitting bones, as close to the back as possible. Inhale and reach your right arm straight up. Exhale and twist to the left, rotating from the waist. Place your elbow on the outside of the left quadriceps and gaze out over your left shoulder. Hold for one minute and switch sides.
This pose is excellent for improving your core strength, balance and coordination.
Start on your hands and knees. Your hands should be directly beneath your shoulders. Spread the fingers, pressing into the thumb and index finger to avoid sinking into your wrists. Your knees should be positioned directly beneath your hips. Draw the navel into the spine and keep your back flat. Extend your left arm straight out in front of you as you simultaneously extend your right leg behind you. Hold for two full breaths and return to center. Repeat on the opposite side. Do ten repetitions on each side.
Claire Petretti-Marti has been practicing, studying, and teaching yoga since 1999. Like many fitness enthusiasts, she was initially drawn to yoga for its physical benefits of strength, balance, and flexibility. Once Claire realized that serenity, peace of mind, and a general sense of happiness were predominant results of the practice, she was hooked. A RYT-500 Yoga Alliance instructor, Claire teaches a dynamic vinyasa flow with the intention of creating a moving meditation. She encourages students to find the lightness and the joy in their own practice, both on and off the mat. She is a certified Pilates instructor, a Reiki Level 2 Practitioner and also holds a NASM-certification for personal training. She has significant experience with spinal injuries and frequently works with students recuperating from injuries. She leads international yoga retreats every year. Mind-body fitness is her passion.
Check out Claire's YogaDownload classes, as well as our Yoga for Golfers class and other Yoga for Athletes classes!
"Over the years, I have experienced injuries while training but since I began yoga, I have noticed that I am more flexible and less injury-prone," McCorkle said. "The core strength, focus and balance from practicing yoga have brought my cycling to a higher level. Also, the visualization aspect has really allowed me to focus on the task at hand and block out any negative thoughts while I'm climbing during a difficult ride."
In cycling, the quadriceps, hamstrings, and hips never rest. As a result, riders often have overdeveloped quadriceps and tight hamstrings, which can pull the hips out of alignment. Also, a cyclist's spine is constantly flexed forward. If proper form isn't maintained, it can result in muscle pain and strain in the back and shoulders. Yoga helps ease the tightness, creating core strength, and aligning the spine.
Cycling requires not only physical strength, but also intense focus and concentration to succeed on the road. The attention to breath and mind-body connection in yoga can be employed by the cyclist while riding to maintain mental clarity and calmness.
Try these three poses before or after your next ride.
This pose is excellent for promoting balance and opening up tight hamstrings and the illiotibial bands.
Stand in Mountain pose with your feet together. Step your left foot back about three feet and angle the back foot out slightly. Keep both hips facing front and square your hips. Draw your hands behind your back, bend your arms and clasp your elbows. Inhale as you look up. Open your chest and exhale. Hinging from the hips, keep your spine long as you fold forward over your straight right leg. To modify, slightly bend the front leg, working toward straightening it eventually. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on second side.
This pose is excellent for opening up the chest, shoulders and the hamstrings. It also mirrors the proper upper body alignment for cyclists.
Start on your hands and knees, with your knees directly beneath the hips and hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Exhale and tuck your toes under, pressing your tailbone toward the sky. Keep your knees slightly bent to start. Press your heels toward the ground. It is okay if they don't reach it. Lower down onto your forearms, with your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Broaden your shoulder blades away from each other. Breathe deeply and hold for one to two minutes.
This pose is a great counter-pose for your upper body positioning while on your bike. It will open up the front of your body and strengthen your spine.
Start on your back with your knees bent. Position your feet about six inches away from your hips. Make sure that your feet are pointing straight ahead. Inhale and press your feet into the floor and lift your pelvis up as high as you can comfortably. Slide your shoulders underneath you, clasping the hands. Breathe evenly. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Slowly lower down, one vertebra at a time.
Check out Claire's YogaDownload classes as well as our Yoga for Athletes classes with several options for cyclists!
"I didn't get the 'yoga craze,'" said local Ironman competitor, Caroline Gregory. "Now, yoga is an essential element to my Ironman training. The stability poses help work those small tendons and muscles that are essential for running. The flexibility poses help open the hips, back, and shoulders, which helps with recovery and injury prevention. And savasana is hands-down the best moment for race visualization."
Triathletes are unique because they compete at peak levels in three physically demanding sports. Over time, this extreme training can cause imbalances in the body, which can result in injury if not addressed. Yoga can help by going beyond simple stretching to work the muscles and joints through all ranges of motion. By working the body through all planes of motion, yoga creates balance, stability, core strength and flexibility.
Common injuries from running and cycling include those involving the illiotibial band (ITB), knees, hamstrings, hip flexors, and shoulders. Running tightens and shortens the muscles and joints without a corresponding lengthening and flexibility. Cycling can result in overdeveloped quadriceps and tight hamstrings, which can pull the hips out of alignment. Swimming is less stressful on the joints and muscles, but can result in a tight back and shoulders. A well-rounded yoga program can remedy these issues.
In addition, the mind-body connection in yoga is a vital element in building focus and concentration necessary for succeeding on race day. Proper breathing is one of the foundations of yoga. Athletes who learn to stay focused and centered through uncomfortable poses by concentrating on deep inhales and full exhales can utilize yogic breathing techniques to achieve peak stamina and endurance during a race or challenging workout.
You don't have to spend hours to obtain tangible results. Attend one or two classes per week and/or add a few short sessions pre- or post-workout. Try these three poses to strengthen, open up and lengthen both sides of the body.
This pose is probably the best hip opener in yoga. It helps open the deep muscles of the hip and the hip flexors. Start in Downward Dog. Lift your right leg up and sweep it through to your mat, folding it and placing it on the mat. Keep your right foot flexed to protect the knee. Your left leg is straight behind you with the toes pointed. Keep your hips square and level, with the left hipbone pressing toward your right foot. Inhale and press your hands into the mat, getting as much length in the spine as possible. Exhale as you walk your hands forward on the mat, coming out to your edge. This might be on the elbows, with the arms extended all the way out or right where you started. Hold this pose for one minute. Remember to breathe! Switch sides.
This twisting pose is excellent for creating balance between the left and the right sides of the body, for opening up the chest and torso, and for opening up tight hips. Sit tall with both legs extended in front of you. Make sure you are sitting evenly on your sitting bones. If your hips are very tight, sit on a block, or folded blanket until you can sit with a straight spine. Bend your left knee in and place your foot on the ground on the outside of your right thigh. Place your left hand on the ground behind your sitting bones, as close to the back as possible. Inhale and reach your right arm straight up. Exhale and twist to the left, rotating from the waist. Place your elbow on the outside of the left quadriceps and gaze out over your left shoulder. Hold for one minute and switch sides.
This pose is excellent for opening up the chest, shoulders and the hamstrings. It also mirrors the proper upper body alignment for cyclists. Start on your hands and knees, with your knees directly beneath the hips and hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Exhale and tuck your toes under, pressing your tailbone toward the sky. Keep your knees slightly bent to start. Press your heels toward the ground, it is okay if they don't reach it. Lower down onto your forearms, with your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Broaden your shoulder blades away from each other. Breathe deeply and hold for one to two minutes.
Claire Petretti-Marti has been practicing, studying, and teaching yoga since 1999. Like many fitness enthusiasts, she was initially drawn to yoga for its physical benefits of strength, balance, and flexibility. Once Claire realized that serenity, peace of mind, and a general sense of happiness were predominant results of the practice, she was hooked. A RYT-500 Yoga Alliance instructor, Claire teaches a dynamic vinyasa flow with the intention of creating a moving meditation. She encourages students to find the lightness and the joy in their own practice, both on and off the mat. She is a certified Pilates instructor, a Reiki Level 2 Practitioner and also holds a NASM-certification for personal training. She has significant experience with spinal injuries and frequently works with students recuperating from injuries. She leads international yoga retreats every year. Mind-body fitness is her passion. Check out Claire's YogaDownload classes as well as our Yoga for Athletes classes!
"I tried your yoga class because my left hip was so incredibly stiff that I was taking six Advil before I ran each day," said yoga student, Helene Cohen. "I'd tried the chiropractor with zero results. After years of high-impact activity, primarily running on a daily basis, I found that I was doing more damage than good. I am by nature extremely driven, focused, and time-conscious. Yoga has allowed me to continue running (Advil-free), take a deep breath and truly enjoy my workouts. The first time I did pigeon in your class I cried. I counted the breaths and couldn't wait to be done. I've come a long way!"
Cohen's experience is not uncommon. Runners often suffer from overuse injuries because of the repetitive nature of the movement in one plane of motion. Over time, this process causes imbalances in the muscles and joints. For instance, tight hamstrings and hip flexors will cause the body to recruit from other joints, joints not intended for bearing extra loads. Running tightens and shortens the muscles and joints without corresponding lengthening and flexibility. Common running injuries include those involving the illiotibial band (ITB), knees, hamstrings, hip flexors, and shoulders. Often, these injuries are directly linked to lack of flexibility, poor core strength, and misalignment. Yoga is the perfect remedy. A well-rounded yoga practice includes dynamic flexibility training, core stabilization and strengthening, and balance work. Yoga not only helps you relax tight muscles, but also calm anxious and overstressed minds. By focusing on these vital elements, yoga can help you recover faster after workouts, open up the tight areas that hinder performance, improve range of motion, and develop mental focus and concentration. A simple way to integrate yoga is to perform your short sessions pre- or post-run. These are three of my favorite poses to open up your hips, hamstrings, and torso. Try them!
Start in Downward Dog. Lift your right leg up and sweep it through to your mat, folding it and placing it on the mat. Keep your right foot flexed to protect the knee. Your left leg is straight behind you with the toes pointed. Keep your hips square and level, with the left hipbone pressing toward your right foot. Inhale and press your hands into the mat, getting as much length in the spine as possible.
Exhale as you walk your hands forward on the mat, coming out to your edge. This might be on the elbows, with the arms extended all the way out or right where you started. Hold this pose for one minute. Remember to breath! Switch sides.
Stand in Mountain pose with your feet together. Lunge your right foot forward and make sure that your right knee is directly over your right ankle so that your right shin is perpendicular to the ground. Balancing on the ball of the left foot, press the left leg straight. Draw your hands together at your heart, twist from the waist and hook the left triceps on the outside of your right thigh, rotating to gaze up over your right shoulder. Make sure to keep your spine long and chest lifted off of our thigh. Keep pressing the palms together. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on other side.
This pose is excellent for opening up tight hamstrings, the illiotibial bands and promotes balance. Stand in Mountain pose with your feet together. Step your left foot back about three feet and angle the back foot out slightly. Keep both hips facing front, squaring the hips. Draw your hands behind your back, bending the arms and clasping the elbows. Inhale as you look up, opening the chest, exhale, hinging from the hips, keeping your spine long as you fold forward over your straight right leg. To modify, slightly bend the front leg, working toward straight. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on second side.
Claire Petretti-Marti has been practicing, studying, and teaching yoga since 1999. Like many fitness enthusiasts, she was initially drawn to yoga for its physical benefits of strength, balance, and flexibility. Once Claire realized that serenity, peace of mind, and a general sense of happiness were predominant results of the practice, she was hooked. A RYT-500 Yoga Alliance instructor, Claire teaches a dynamic vinyasa flow with the intention of creating a moving meditation. She encourages students to find the lightness and the joy in their own practice, both on and off the mat. She is a certified Pilates instructor, a Reiki Level 2 Practitioner and also holds a NASM-certification for personal training. She has significant experience with spinal injuries and frequently works with students recuperating from injuries. She leads international yoga retreats every year. Mind-body fitness is her passion. Check out Claire's YogaDownload classes as well as our Yoga for Runners classes and packages!
Why not enhance your performance and prevent injury by adding yoga to your training plan now? A well-rounded yoga practice includes dynamic flexibility training, core stabilization, strengthening and balance work. By focusing on these vital elements, yoga can help you recover faster after workouts, open up the tight areas that hinder performance, improve range of motion, and develop mental focus and concentration. "I've definitely noticed benefits in my triathlon training from yoga," said Heidi Resiert, a triathlete from San Diego. "My recovery time is much quicker, my shoulders feel stronger in the pool, and my muscles don't feel as tight after long runs or bike rides. I'm glad I found yoga and added it to my weekly workout routine. Not only do I feel stronger, but I also feel more confident that I will continue to be injury free."
Many sports, such as cycling and running, have very repetitive movements usually in one direction and in one plane of motion. These sports can develop certain muscle groups while ignoring others. Over time, this process causes imbalances in the muscles and joints leading to overuse injuries. For instance, tight hamstrings and hip flexors will cause the body to recruit from other joints, joints not intended for bearing extra loads. Common overuse injuries among athletes include those involving the illiotibial band (ITB), knee, hamstrings, hip flexors and shoulders. Often, these injuries are directly linked to lack of flexibility, poor core strength and misalignment. Yoga helps alleviate this tightness, builds a stronger center, and aligns the spine. In order to minimize and/or prevent injury, athletes should concentrate their efforts on these areas used most in endurance sports. Even if athletes stretch pre- or post-workout, they are usually just stretching the muscles in the same direction and plane of motion in which they will be exercising. Yoga goes beyond simple stretching by working the muscles and joints through all ranges of motion--activating the little-used muscles that support the primary movers. The body must be worked through all three planes of motion in order to remain balanced and healthy. Yoga works not just in the sagittal plane but, in the frontal and transverse planes as well, ensuring well-rounded development. Many yoga poses, such as Revolved Crescent, feature twisting motions in the transverse plane, essential to opening up tight obliques and lower backs. Balancing postures like Tree or Eagle are some of the most effective ways to correct muscle imbalances and poor body mechanics.
Another essential element in yoga is breath work or pranayama. The attention to breath during yoga can be considered one of the most important benefits to athletes. Learning to stay focused and centered through uncomfortable poses by concentrating on even inhalations and exhalations sets up the athlete to stay focused during a race or challenging workout. The mind-body connection in yoga is essential to helping athletes develop mental acuity and concentration. In addition, yoga helps you to relax not just tight muscles, but also anxious and overstressed minds. Being more relaxed will also aid in athletic performance.
Yoga has been practiced for around 5,000 years and several schools of yoga have emerged over time. It can be overwhelming at first to find a style of yoga that resonates with you. If you are a competitive athlete, it is best to tailor your yoga practice to your training schedule. On a day where you are completing a long run for example, you'll want relaxing, mellow yoga. If you have an off-day, a vigorous, dynamic class will help you build strength and endurance. You can choose from dynamic styles like Ashtanga yoga and Power yoga that consist of a rigorous flowing series of poses synchronized with breath to produce internal heat and purifying sweat. Alternatively, Bikram yoga is a set series of 26 static poses performed in 105-degree room. Iyengar focuses primarily on anatomical precision and alignment in poses, with an emphasis on healing the body and mind using postures. Anusara is a tantric-based system that combines alignment with awareness of energy flow in the body. Finally, there are restorative styles such as gentle Hatha and Yin yoga which feature longer holds. Yoga helps the muscles, tendons, and ligaments move through a full range of motion, thus cultivating balance and core strength which is a huge benefit to athletes in their chosen sports. If you attend a few classes per week and/or a few 10-15 minute sessions at home, you will obtain fast results. A simple way to add in yoga is to perform your short sessions pre- or post-workout. Try it and see for yourself.
Check out Claire's YogaDownload classes as well as our Yoga for Athletes classes!
That is because I own a mirror. My doctor tells me that the mirror is the devil’s handiwork after age 50. Personally, I am more alarmed by my lack of strength and stamina on certain days than what I look like from behind.
However, as a yoga teacher, I am becoming concerned that now that I’m nearing the delicate age of none-of-your-business, I may not have a successful career for much longer. What can older yogis do when they realize everyone on their mat is now in their twenties?
First of all, I suggest we throw out our mirrors and pray we don’t break a hip or something in handstand!
Okay, seriously, this is a real issue and sooner or later it will happen to all of us. It has affected me, and I’m a sprightly 52. Even though I had been asked to teach many times at the local Lululemon Athletica store, I was never made an ambassador. It turned out that I was too old in the store manager’s opinion.
What’s more, my book, “Finding More on the Mat,” was originally titled “Aging Gracefully on the Mat,” but an editor in New York asked me who was I kidding? She said that aging, gracefully or not, kind of sucked (but as Mark Twain noted, it’s better than the alternative).
While the concept of “aging gracefully” may sell magazines and moisturizers, in the yoga room it’s hard to preach how great it is when everything creaks and new knees and hips are not working like the old ones. Among my older students I do not even let them consider arthritis as a unique problem because almost everyone has it. Arthritis is a fact of life.
On an optimistic note, my teaching has never been better, and my yogi heart has never been stronger. In the words of Christina Sell, “Yoga is marketed to the young, but the real beauty of the practice belongs to the older yogi.”
That’s because the older yogi is so utterly grateful every morning we are still here and can touch our toes! Who cares about one-armed handstand? I am thrilled to be able to take Downward Facing Dog for one more day on this earth.
The only thing I miss from my twenties is my stamina and my younger butt (but I do feel a sense of entitlement to an afternoon nap). Everything else – intellect, resilience, desire and loving heart – is better, wiser and stronger.
At least for now I believe there is a market for what we have to offer. And surprisingly my rooms are filled with younger people who are hoping to get a hit of what we have: wisdom and experience. I also teach a Wisdom Warriors ™ class created by Desiree Rumbaugh for older yogis, which has been extremely popular. In fact, I’ve had to card students who don’t meet the age requirements! So I know the older yogi is out there and looking for community.
Believe in yourself. Believe in what you have to offer and believe in the hard-earned lessons you’ve learned, and your rooms will be full of eager yogis who want to follow in your barefoot path. And if it doesn’t work, please let me know because I am right there with you, in age and spirit.
The best feedback I receive at the end of my classes is when students tell me it feels like they got a massage but they’re awake and ready to tackle the rest of their day.
By breathing deeply from your belly in yoga poses, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps calm you down.
This is why you can be working really hard but still feel calm after you rise from your Savasana at the end of class. If you learn how to breathe correctly and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, you’ll be able to better control your emotions.
This is also why practicing standing poses is so great to help pick you up from an afternoon slump or wake you up when you’re feeling really tired in the middle of a busy day.
Craft your practice
A couple weeks ago I shared a short yoga practice that is great as a mid-day break. This week, I’m adding on to that mid-day break with three standing poses.
Warrior 2, Extended Side Angle and Revere Warrior are all standard yoga poses that you’ll find in most Vinyasa and Power Yoga classes. You can think of these as core poses that make up a standard yoga class.
These poses require you to have strong legs, a strong core, and open hips and upper body. These poses stretch the side of the body and help you take deeper, longer breaths. These poses are all-around power poses to help you wake up, feel your body, and breathe better.
So, if you only have 10 minutes or less and you need a quick pick-me-up of energy without the negative side effects of caffeine or energy drinks, try these 3 poses
If you have about 20 minutes, try combining the more mellow Yoga Practice 2 I shared a couple weeks ago with the Yoga Practice 3 today for an extra shot of feel-goodness.
Keep this Energizing Yoga Poses video in your favorites and come back to it anytime you need that energy boost to get you through the rest of the day with a clear, calm, and confident mind and body.
If athletes at the highest level of competition are killing it with yoga, so could athletes at every level. Whether you’re competing in sports, or if you’re a recreational runner, rock climber, cyclist, weightlifter or CrossFitter, perform at your best with yoga. Here’s how to do it:
[Read: 9 Qualities of Great Yoga Teachers.]
Injury Prevention Through Yoga
I will never forget the moments in my wrestling career when I was unable to compete because I was injured. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to sit out because you’re hurt. Athletes are especially prone to injury because they tend to be more strong than flexible, and so create more torque and strain on their joints. Some injuries are unavoidable. However, many can be prevented with a steady yoga routine. Yoga students develop flexibility and an acute attention to alignment, breath and pain sensation. The basic poses are powerful and therapeutic. If done intelligently, they strengthen and stretch the body in a way that promotes a keen awareness of pain and dangerous misalignment.
[Read: 10 Tips for Practicing Yoga at Home.]
Be Fierce Without Losing Your Composure
A strong yoga practice demands that you challenge yourself and work harder than you ever thought you possibly could without running for the door screaming. Much like working out or athletics, you have to contain that raw emotion and ferocity and use it as a tool to up your game. Yoga is a powerful technique of bumping against your physical and mental edges repeatedly and in that moment, be at your best. Zac MacMath, the goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union, told me yoga helps him remain relaxed and centered when the game is on the line.
Yoga Complements Cardio
Yoga is great for cardiovascular workouts and sports. It trains you to breathe more efficiently, and you’re asked to be aware of your breath at all times. Breathing technique demands that you consciously deepen your breath, especially when you are struggling. So even when you feel like you are winded and ready to break down, you’re able to finish your run or bike race strongly. Most cardio is running intensive. For sports like soccer, where players are running for 90 minutes straight with bursts of explosive sprints, a yoga routine that stretches the hamstrings, quads, IT bands (the ilotibial band ligaments along the thigh) and hips is a great way to facilitate mobility in the lower body.
Yoga for Anaerobic, Technical Sports
For the technicians like weightlifters, baseball players and golfers, alignment and biomechanics are crucial. The day David Buchanan, pitcher for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, came to my class, we talked for two hours about the mechanical skills he needs to deliver a killer fastball pitch. In his routine, we worked the hamstrings and hips in a way that helped him get more leverage in his delivery and explode off his planted foot. The poses are engineered to promote healthy alignment and target the areas that need to be opened and strengthened to perform optimally. In golf, it’s finding a deeper rotation in the torso without swaying the hips. Twists and lateral stretching in yoga are extremely helpful for this key action. Form in weight-training is paramount. No matter which muscle groups you're targeting, yoga can help with your precision and breathing technique. Yoga uses clear physical landmarks and safety cues while moving mindfully with your breath.
Yoga for Combative Competitions
Yes, yoga even helps those whose sports who are meant to inflict pain on their opponents. Mental toughness, physical leverage and balance are key in hand-to-hand combat sports, such as wrestling, football, mixed martial arts and boxing. Yoga technique allows you to move your body fluidly and powerfully position yourself and strike an opponent with deadly force. There are many balancing poses like tree, warrior III and dancer’s pose, where you’re asked to balance on one foot while stretching. This awareness helps you stay on your feet, and defend and recover from offensive attacks more skillfully. These sports can be brutal to your body. The yoga poses stretch your body therapeutically and help you recover from grueling bouts.
Mobility & Explosive Core Strength
With any workout, the more seamlessly you are able to move, the more you will get out of your session. Workouts like rock-climbing and cross-fit demand good alignment and mobility. Rock climbers can strengthen the lower body to help hoist and hold themselves up, while opening and stretching the legs, hips and shoulders with yoga. In CrossFit, to advance you need to learn alignment to get into handstand pushups and other technical positions. Both require a strong core – which yoga delivers. In athletics, there is a crucial moment where you’re invoking a fiery burst of movement. Whether you’re throwing shot-put, sprinting or tackling another player, this split-second movement is often the difference between winning or losing the battle. Yoga helps develop strength by engaging your muscles in every pose, and flexibility where you need it most, so your body works like a fine-tuned machine.
Balance and Symmetry
Workouts often require a repetitive motion, whether you're throwing a ball with one hand or planting with the same foot numerous times to jump or sprint. This makes your muscles develop asymmetrically. You can shift this imbalance with yoga. Yoga stretches the body evenly on either side. If you become so lopsided that it is problematic, you can structure your yoga routine to counter that asymmetry. When I teach Union soccer players, I take into account their specific position and have them hold some poses longer to balance their bodies. That way, both the right-side defender who is mostly healthy and the left-footed forward with the bad back each get exactly what they need from their practice.
[Read: 5 Yoga Poses You Can Do on an Airplane.]
Recovery Time
If you’re in pain before you start your workout, you won't fully go for it and get as much out of it. During the Union yoga sessions, the players are usually between games or fresh off of a workout. We normally focus on restoring their bodies and practice in a way that resolves their injuries, pain and soreness. However you choose to compete in your own life, let yoga help you perform at peak level.
[Read: Save Money on Yoga by Making Your Own Props.]
By Jake Panasevich
ERYT-200
Drawing from over seven intensive trainings, Jake Panasevich threads the most beneficial practices from different modalities into a unique yoga experience for inflexible, stressed, over-worked regular Americans. Jake is a yoga and wellness mentor and teacher to a large, committed group of beginners and advanced students alike. With a strong wrestling, coaching and writing background, Jake inspires students to get committed, get stronger and learn to love life and flourish in it.
Jake works with:
Guys who want to live healthy and pain-free Former athletes who are tight and injured Those who want to avoid surgery and expensive alternatives to yoga Those who love to be challenged in a way that supports them
Visit www.yogawithjake.com to get motivated, feel great and get committed!
Don’t like complicated dessert recipes or baking? I can relate. But I have a sweet tooth (always have). It might have to do with growing up eating a lot of Hostess products.
Now I eat healthy…like 80%-90% of the time because it’s all about balance. But one of my biggest struggles has been how to satisfy my sugar cravings because they are tied to comfort, not lack of eating right.
I don’t even keep table sugar in my house because I’ve been known to dip butter in sugar, so I mean it when I say I love sweets. ;)
Because I don’t like baking, it’s a problem because there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of healthy dessert recipes out there, but I just don’t want to do it. I’m so happy that I’ve found a few that really hit the spot for me and are practically effortless.
My criteria: Simple. Easy. Healthy. Nutritious.
Some great health benefits of this recipe:
Strawberry Chia Greek Yogurt
Ingredients: 1/4-1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup strawberries (I used frozen) 1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon raw honey
Directions: Mix everything together and enjoy. You don’t even have to thaw the frozen strawberries if you use the small ones in the bag. If you are dairy free, check out this Coconut Greek Style yogurt. You can even download coupons on the website.
By Jessica Wyman
Jessica Wyman is a Certified Nutrition Coach and Yoga Teacher at Jessica-Wyman.com. She has authored two books available on Amazon, Finding Your Foxy and Girlfriends Organic Kitchen.
She believes that women are created by everything they eat, drink, breathe and believe and that concept is the cornerstone of the Wildly Nourished programs she co-created. As a clean eating foodie and wellness maven, she teaches healthy living without the complicated rituals by focusing on simple ingredients to create your ideal life (and meals).
Join Jessica’s FREE 5-day lifestyle program at Jessica-Wyman.com
Connect with Jessica at: Instagram: Instagram.com/wymanjessica Twitter: twitter.com/wymanjessica Pinterest: pinterest.com/jessicafwyman
It begins with the breath
Yoga breath flows lightly in and out through the nose. Avoid manic huffing and sniffing and simply softly constrict the breath in your throat, like you would do if you were whispering to someone. When you breathe deeply you should feel and even see movement all the way down to your belly. If you find yourself exhaling when the teacher is asking you to inhale, don’t worry about it. It takes practice to breathe in steady rhythm and match that breath to movement in a group setting.
Bend those knees
Most people don’t walk into a yoga class with deliciously long hamstrings. When forward-folding or going into downward-facing dog, give yourself and your legs and your lower back a break and bend your knees to relieve tension. Once you find yourself in the pose, you can slowly re-straighten the legs and find the stretch. As a general rule, prioritise the actions of the spine over the legs. Meaning, let your spine release in a forward fold before you try to challenge it with straight legs. Let your spine lengthen in down-dog, before you challenge it with straight legs. For now, give your spine more love and as your practice deepens you can work more on the legs.
Hands Up!
When you raise your arms over your head, make sure your palms face towards each other and your arms are straightening as much as they can. If you find that your shoulders are crowding up towards your ears, widen your hands further away from each other and feel that your shoulder blades are spreading out rather than purely lifting up. It’s important to get stretch and reach across the back of the shoulders and side body – so go for it!
Walk the Line
As you learn standing poses, like Warrior II, side angle or Triangle, align your front heel with your back heel as a default setting. As you develop your practice you may explore front heel to back arch alignment for a deeper opening, or if you find yourself restricted, in pain, or unstable you may explore a tiny gap between the heels. But as a general rule, stick with this alignment for now.
Keep your balance
Being able to balance in tree pose, or high lunges, or whatever else finds you wobbly is not just about strength. Find one un-moving spot in front of you and fix your gaze on it. Breathe slowly and deeply through the nose as you keep your eyes fixed on this spot. This should help you stay upright and increase your ability to concentrate!
Sitting ain’t easy
As Westerners, we’re not used to sitting on the ground. Due to tightness in the legs and hips we may get all sorts of downward pull that makes us slump and ache when we try to sit cross-legged or kneel. The best way to help yourself is to sit on a blanket or a block or two. Give your bum and spine a bit of a lift to balance out the muscular forces pulling it down. It may still be difficult and take some time to overcome, but try this simple adjustment for now.
It’s a practice
Remember that yoga is a practice that accrues cumulative results. Everyone will be on a different schedule and all you can do is pace yourself and get on your mat. It takes awhile to figure out how to make the shapes and flow, just as it takes a bit of time to move from piano scales to sonatas. As you get confused, ask your teacher for advice rather than getting frustrated. Most teachers have had all sorts of struggles with practice and found a way to work through it. Be kind to yourself, stick with it, and see what happens
You have to do the work and build the discipline on a daily basis. Sure, practice can sometimes feel really really good and worth it. Sometimes it only feels good afterwards. But the good news is that with time and consistency your body changes, your brain changes, your mind and your experience of life changes.
It started off like this:
God I love this word. I love it because it really does mean a lot to me. When I started looking at all the relationships I have in my life, the one thing that kept coming up for me was integrity. Integrity is so important. So I had to ask myself, why? Why is it so important? Why am I holding this word so dear to my heart?
When I looked it up online, it said: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
And this one said: the state of being whole and undivided.
Alright, well maybe I can get behind the state of being whole and undivided. But from what? From whom? And what does honest or strong moral principles mean anyway? Isn’t that a judgment call? Who says who has strong moral principles anyway? Who’s in charge?
I personally like my definition better: The state of being when your thoughts, words and deeds are in alignment with your soul’s highest purpose and potential.
That’s a huge statement I know, however I do believe it to be true. And it got me thinking… okay, if that’s true, how often are we really in integrity? I mean, really? How many times do we fall out of integrity with our deeds, our words or even our thoughts? Because you have to look at your thoughts too … it’s starts there.
I’ve been witness to many people just in this yoga community, out of integrity. So much it makes me laugh! I’ve been witness to some of my own thoughts and I’ve had to say, “Wow… really? How can I think that? So not in my realm of being!” It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
And in that moment, when I fall our of integrity, instead of judging myself and saying, “Oh shit, I must not be a yogi, I just had a impure thought!”, I breathe and say, “Hm, where did that thought come from?”
Because that is the work. Noticing when you fall out of integrity and then finding your way back in, and quickly. We all fall out of integrity and let me tell you, if you think you don’t, think again. That one act, that one word, that one thought; that’s all it takes.
And then I had a moment where my own integrity was in question. And it wasn’t about anything I was outwardly doing that was in question. No, in fact, it was how I was compromising my own integrity and standards for my own self, for my soul. It was an issue with how I was allowing myself to be treated which was less than I felt I was worth.
You see, I have always had an issue with wanting to make everyone happy. Always wanting peace and connection to prevail. Wanting a community that sings together, plays together, and hangs out together. And I always found that in the yoga community regardless of any city I live in or travel to. The yoga community is hands down, the place to land no matter what; it’s my tribe for sure.
This move to California has proven time and again to be the right decision. However, I must admit finally, that I personally have been tested on my commitment to integrity to my own soul. I allowed things to happen in my own life, compromised my ideals, and neglected my personal boundaries for the sake of making it happen in my life. For the promise of feeding my kids, finding a suitable home, and getting ourselves in a place that was safe, secure and lovely to come “home” to.
Yes I did that and I know I am not the only one that has.
You do that when you’re a parent I think. You give up a part of yourself for the sake of what you think is important. And I did just that. I allowed myself to be treated in a way that was less than my soul deserved and I did it for a long time because the fulfillment I received from the yoga community more than made up for anything I was “giving away”. I always felt loved and connected to every single person who walked through the Yoga Tree Corte Madera and made connection with me.
But giving even a smidgen away of your self, your ideals, what you think you deserve will always come back to haunt you. And it has and I can no longer allow it or hold space for it.
Yoga Tree Corte Madera closing has made me so very sad. It’s what brought me here. It was my out, my wings, my chance and what I did with that honestly, is nothing short of f***ing amazing. Because I believe I did as much as I could on integrity.
Never once did I shoot someone in the foot, lie, cheat or steal to get what I wanted. Quite the contrary … I didn’t stand up for myself enough. And now I am.
As much as I would like to stay at Yoga Tree Corte Madera until August 30 when they close the doors, I must leave now, after this Sunday’s class. There are stories behind closed doors that do not need re-telling, only a blessing and goodbye. And an “I hope to see you on the mat somewhere else where I teach.”
I have loved every minute of my time in Marin and now I must move on. Here’s a bit more on integrity …
So then I started thinking about the fact that we are all doing this. All of us! And we’re not trying to be mean or vindictive, we are just being human. So if we are all doing it, wouldn’t it be nice if we all just kinda, held some space for each other to be human?
I mean, I enjoy living the perfectly imperfect life. It keeps me off the hook and I get to tend to my own “side of the street” instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing.
For whatever reason, we all fall out of integrity. We all think a nasty thought, say something that’s not so nice, and perhaps act in a way that is not in alignment with our soul. All of us!
So … and … now what? Take a breath, smirk or smile, try not to judge yourself but do explore the why behind that momentary shift in consciousness. Because it’s a trigger for you to go deeper, to discover the root of why you would fall out of integrity. There’s a deeper meaning so explore that. And then notice it the next time it happens, because it will, and just do your best to do it different next time. And then remember, everyone else is trying to play this game of Life, so hold some space would ya’?
My reason for falling out of integrity was fear. Of not being enough. Of not being able to make it on my own. Of not being accepted as I was … weird isn’t it? The games our minds play.
So I say this … I hold no judgment, no remorse, no regret, no guilt and no resentment…. Only deep, deep gratitude for:
The opportunity The community The connection The courage The energy Tim and Tara Dale My life The lessons My tribe
But mostly, I am grateful for the exploration into the why. Because what I learned is that I am enough, I am doing it on my own and I am acceptable to myself just as I am, in this moment. Just as I am.
“My gratitude to him is as boundless as the Pacific Ocean.” - Yann Martel, Life of Pi2.
Write a gratitude letter to someone you love
Is there someone out there for whom you feel a boundless sense of gratitude? Write a letter to this person. Perhaps it’s your mother, a friend, or lover. Pour your heart out on paper until you feel all has been said. If you feel a strong need to re-connect with someone you love, take this letter and read it to them while meeting this person face-to-face. If you’re separated by the Pacific, drop it in the post. This practice has been shown to dramatically improve one’s happiness. Feeling down in the dumps? Take an hour and a cup of tea and craft a beautiful letter of gratitude. Watch your mood change with each brush of your pen. If this feels like too much, send a simple text message to your person, letting them know why you are grateful to have them in your life.
Keep a gratitude journal
This journal is dedicated solely to the art of gratitude. Make lists, draw pictures, write poetry - anything having to do with appreciation is fair game. Every morning after you meditate, you may wish to write in your journal 3-5 things you are grateful for. It’s fun to look back and see how they evolve, although, you may find the general theme stays the same.
“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
Take a gratitude walk
Perhaps you are traveling to work, driving to the gym, or taking your dog for a morning walk. Throughout the journey, focus only on things you are grateful for. Whether you’re driving, taking a train, a bus, or walking, you’ll see so many things to be grateful for. When you reach your destination, you’ll feel much happier to move into the next part of your day.
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” - Meister Eckhart
When in doubt, practice this simple gratitude mantra at any given moment. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
And thank YOU for taking the time out of your day to read about the art of gratitude.
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]
Gazpacho isn’t just any soup, it’s a soup that is traditionally made of raw vegetables and served cold, making it absolutely perfect for summertime.
Gazpacho has roots in the southern Spain region of Andalusia and is usually made with a tomato base like my favorite 80:20 Spicy Gazpacho.
In the spirit of keeping this cleanse-friendly, we’ve swapped out the tomato base for something equally as summery – watermelon!
Combine juicy, sweet watermelon with some cooling cucumber and mint, zesty ginger and spicy jalapeño and you’ve got one serious summertime celebration in your mouth.
Is your mouth watering yet?!
Not only is this soup delicious, it’s also super easy to make. We love keeping it simple in the kitchen because eating clean need not require hours in the kitchen. This recipe is a testament to that.
Are you ready to get blending?
Get your gazpacho on and for more delicious, mouth-watering recipes, be sure to look out for a big surprise coming soon!
Now it’s your turn! Leave me a comment below? What simple, healthy recipes have you been enjoying this summer?
With love and zest,
Zesty Watermelon Gazpacho
Yields: 6 bowls
5 cups seedless watermelon, cubed 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced 3 celery stalks, chopped 1/2 small red onion, diced 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1 small jalapeño 1 clove garlic 3 TB. freshly squeezed lime juice 1 (1- or 2-in.) piece fresh ginger, peeled 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions: Set aside a handful of watermelon, cucumber, celery, red onion, mint leaves, and jalapeño, and dice finely to use as garnish.
In a high-speed blender, blend remaining watermelon, cucumber, celery, red onion, garlic, mint leaves, lime juice, ginger, jalapeño, and sea salt until creamy. If soup is too foamy, run through a sieve first.
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with a few tablespoons garnish in each bowl. Season with more fresh mint leaves and sea salt to taste.
For some people yoga poses are boring or not easily adaptable to injuries and illness. In those cases, meditation may be better suited to a particular lifestyle or circumstance.
In the West, we mistakenly assume that yoga=pretzel poses. This, however, is far from the truth. There are, in actuality, 4 kinds of yoga that encompass a broad spectrum of activities.
The Eight Components of Yoga
Classical Yoga, as outlined by the sage Patanjali some thousands of years ago is comprised of a path consisting of 8 steps.
Those steps are:
The chronology of the path is somewhat fluid, with the exception of the eighth step, which seems to be highly elusive to only the most devout practitioner, and sometimes, depending on your personal beliefs, it even takes lifetimes to achieve this feat of enlightenment.
Regardless, the highlight of this list is the fact that asana (poses) is third on the list, hardly the most important. Yet, asana is also one of the most highly accessible entry points onto the path, and thus, most of us start our yoga journey there.
The suitcases these yogic compartments fit within
With enlightenment being the ultimate goal, there are different overarching ways to attain this state, and, surprisingly or not surprisingly, poses don’t really come into play much.
In fact, the only reason the physical postures are a part of yoga at all is because ancient sages used exercises to open up their hips and warm up their body in preparation to sit for long hours at a time in meditation. The poses were a means to an end, the end being meditation rather then any sort of physical fitness. Over time, the modern, Western, business-minded man combined some of these stretching exercises with gymnastics to give you what we now know today as yoga.
The four different paths of yoga are known as:
Yoga poses technically fall underneath the path of Raja yoga, so we’ll start there.
Meditation: It’s kinda a big deal
Really, it’s almost like working backwards. As I mentioned above, the poses were originally intended to prepare the body for long periods of meditation (Raja Yoga). Thus, today’s physical practice performed in studios is a stepping stone in the general direction of enlightenment, but hardly the end-all-be-all.
If you’re familiar with Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self-Realization Fellowship or Transcendental Meditation, these all fall under the path of Raja Yoga. These yogis, in truth, rarely practice poses, as they are much more concerned with their sitting practice (although they would be happier with their sitting if they practiced the poses, thus the catch-22).
There’s a path for you too, seeker
Jnana Yoga is a path filled with knowledge. This can be both self-knowledge and worldly knowledge to help you better understand yourself and your place in the world amongst everyone and everything else (which is all one and the same anyway). This path is much more concerned with learning, self-study, reading, writing/journaling, contemplation, and education. I personally feel very drawn to this particular path as I am a student first and foremost always and my love for learning is overzealous.
Love is all there is
Bhakti Yoga is a path of devotion. You see this particular way of living in many other religions as well, such as the orthodox versions of Catholicism and Judaism. Devotion to a higher being in all actions is the Bhakti way of living. In the “yoga world” in particular, bhakti practices include call-and-response chanting, mala beads, bliss practices and a level of mindfulness in action that is geared toward love of all beings.
Even though I completely disagree that yoga is a religion (it really depends on how you define religion and how you define yoga at the end of the day), Bhakti yoga may be the closest yoga gets to a “religion” (but it’s not – just closer-ish).
The Karma Sutra (not the ice cream)
Finally, you’ve probably heard the word Karma before. What goes around, comes around right? Karma Yoga is the path of service. Karma yogis believe that all good deeds are worth doing, not because they’ll be repaid in kind, but because doing good is the way to be. This path of yoga is the ultimate in learning the skill of detachment to the outcome.
Which path is the right path?
All of them. While there is no one path better then the other, there are some paths more suited to others based on our own life situations and tendencies. Most likely, many of us will relate to two or more of the paths at the same time.
When you hear me offer up myriad ways of practicing yoga, I want you to know that you have many, many options. I’m not just making things up and being nice :)
Consider what yoga path speaks most to you.
Acknowledge the things you already do in your life that may be yogic acts and you didn’t even know it!
Decide how you want to practice your yoga, what ways you are able to practice, and then be open to the possibility of practicing without the poses some days.
If life gets busy and you do a good deed for your neighbor, without expectation for your neighbor to return the favor, that’s Karma Yoga.
If you smile and appreciate the beauty of a brilliant sunset over water, that’s Bhakti Yoga.
If you spend some time journaling, you’re practicing Jnana Yoga.
And if you take some time to meditate, you’re practicing Raja Yoga.
Choose what works for you on any given day, and go with it.
It’s that simple (and hard…).
Namaste!
The best advice we receive is you be you, and people will follow. As if. I am a somewhat cranky, older woman who speaks bluntly, and believe me, that hasn’t always been a popular path in yoga.
However, I will tell you what is popular, and that is the “advanced” poses.
In these days of abundant classes and a bit of a circus atmosphere on Instagram, a workshop that promises a handstand will fill the room. The same goes for having an “advanced” practice. If you post it, they will come.
I was recently offered to do a series called “Advanced Yoga” at a local studio. I turned it down. In my experience, the fastest way to get a room full of beginners is to call it “advanced.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with beginners! I LOVE beginners. I specialize in beginners. I just want a student to know that they are not too good to focus on certain poses.
My new thing is the “Plateau Buster.” And surprise, I take students back to the basics to learn where they are stuck. If you can’t achieve a Level Three pose, I guarantee you the problem will be present in the Level One poses.
I enjoy teaching (the shit) out of a posture. When I create my weekly class, I rarely announce in advance what we are doing. In my experience, saying that we will explore touching our toes is a buzz killer. Hey everyone, today I’m going to teach you how to bend over! On the other hand, I cannot tell you how many students suffer hamstring tears and really, truly, need to learn how to bend over.
The saying goes that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach. But that’s not entirely true. Doing is a different skill from teaching. I take pride when my students achieve their goals or practice without pain. I think of them as ducklings who learn to fly.
The gold in them ‘thar hills is not hiding in the Series Three, Four or Five poses. The gold is hiding in the veins of the beginner poses. It’s not just “practice and all is coming.” It is practice touching your toes, or practice being impeccable, practice with skill and integrity and all is coming. Mine your beginnings, and you will find what you are looking for.
Truly, there is no “easy” pose. Yoga is not easy, especially with skillful breath. The person who cannot put his foot behind his head probably cannot do Half Pigeon. The person who has trouble balancing in Handstand may need to build strength in the wrists and forearms. Boring!
Believe me, what you can do will fade over time. But what you know can grow. Helping students progress on their path brings me pleasure, and I am too old and set in my ways to do anything that does not bring joy. See, I am cranky and blunt.
There’s a lot of pressure in yoga these days. Selling teacher trainings and posting on Instagram can drive a yogi mad. But let’s ease the pressure to do advanced poses. Let’s post more photos of the beautiful “simple” poses and direct our students inward. Having the patience to explore our beginnings is another beautiful — but not altogether glorious — path to “more.”
The digital yoga world has been all a flutter of late. I haven’t seen this kind of activity since the heyday of the yoga blogosphere some years ago. Of course, even though the original articles still live on someone’s blog, the comment threads are all happening on Facebook. Which is definitely a problem. Commenting on Facebook is kind of like driving in a car by yourself. People will say the most horrible things to other drivers, things that would never be OK to say in person (see Louise CK.)
Subtlety is often lost in a Facebook comment and becomes paralyzed in the face of unadulterated vitriol.
There are some legitimate and important discussions happening on a range of relevant topics. Is the marketing of yoga just another insidious suggestion that makes people feel ashamed of their bodies? Do yoga teachers require more trauma sensitivity training in order to be effective? Is corporate America bastardizing mindfulness practices? Does Hinduism have a rightful claim to yoga as it’s origin? And are people really being honest about what is happening in yoga practice as regards injuries? All of these are important questions. And that they are being played out in a public sphere is a positive.
However, while these questions may be on point, the comment threads that follow often fail to do them justice. I sometimes marvel at the knee-jerk stone throwing and wonder what folks are hoping to accomplish. Every once in a while, there will be an earnest exchange. Where points are conceded on both sides and it feels like a real conversation and some learning has happened. But other times, it all just feels icky and hurtful.
I have a strict policy when it comes to Facebook comments: always write a draft in a separate text window first before you copy/paste and hit “post.” Especially with that shift-return to end a paragraph thing on FB. It behooves us to consider carefully before we click off our rants into the ether for all to read. Even when you delete it shortly thereafter, someone already got the notification and will still call you out on it.
Whatever yoga means to you, rest assure someone else feels differently. That yoga encompasses opposing views is what makes it so confounding.
Recently, some perturbed Indians have been leveling fair criticism of what they see as the co-opting and appropriation of their heritage. Even to the extent of taking issue with yoga terminology. For instance, “Modern Yoga” vs “Yoga in the Modern World.” The former implies that yoga was somehow incomplete and modernity has made it relevant. The latter is a more accurate description. Whether or not you feel this is a valid criticism, it cannot be denied that anything westerners know about yoga has come to them by way of an Indian man. And western culture also has a terrible tendency to claim things as its own without due respect for the sources drawn upon.
If you think of Hinduism as a matter of faith or religion then it’s easy to separate it from yoga. But if you consider Hinduism to be part of a larger set of Dharma teachings and heritage then they are inextricably linked. Either way, it can’t hurt for us to be more sensitive towards the culture that is responsible for yoga teachings. As many yoga teachers are beginning to question the language they use when they are instructing people about yoga poses, we ought to also examine the words we use when we market our yoga-based services to the world.
When we are talking about yoga, accuracy begets the nuance that advertising scoffs.
Last month, I taught at a yoga festival. My program, “Gentle is the New Advanced”, was billed alongside several other conventional vinyasa styles. The majority of people who came to my workshop reported that the reason they did so was because the word “gentle” appeared in the title. When we got into practice, something became clear: folks had very little sense of there being any middle ground. Either you’re lying around on bolsters with no “work” involved or doing high impact aerobic asana and sweating yourself into a frenzy. The suggestion that any pose can be done in a slower and simpler way seemed foreign to the familiar models. I couldn’t help but feel that these extremes in practice sensibility, as well as the comments on Facebook, are reflecting a need for lost nuance.
I can appreciate people having strong opinions and expressing them to provoke conversation and inquiry. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I can be quite assertive myself. And I believe that most people who are passionate about yoga and active on social media are well intentioned. That both easterners and westerners have the ability to interact on Facebook is pretty cool actually. But perhaps we can all benefit from easing up on the sharp elbows. Where one extreme ends the other begins. Somewhere in the middle is where we are not at odds, even when we disagree.
p.s. In the spirit of this post and an effort to create more in-depth content, I am excited to announce the launch of J. Brown Yoga Talks Podcast. I will continue to post my blog as usual. But I will also now be putting out an hour long audio conversation each month as well. The first one is dropping in two weeks. Stay tuned.
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
Unless you’re part of our 80:20 Lifestyle Plan, it’s easy to feel the effects of too much summer fun catching up. You know what I mean – too much wine, less than stellar quick dinners, one too many ice cream treats. Eventually it starts to weigh you down, your energy plummets and the ol’ jean shorts start to feel a bit too tight.
Can you relate?
The Conscious Cleanse team has been enjoying our 80:20 to its fullest. We’ve very much been in vacation mode. And even though we love vacations, it’s easy to come back from a week or two away needing to hit the reset button.
Are you ready to bounce back from your summer vacation? Be sure to check out my Top 5 Tips for Rebounding from Vacation below.
Now is the perfect time to slough off those french fries (insert your favorite vacation indulgence here) and get back to your healthy habits.
And of course, our next live cleanse starts September 9 and there is no better way to start fresh than with a total 14-day Fall reboot. Get all the details here.
In the meantime, try these tips and let me know how you’re feeling in the comment section below.
Are you ready for a reboot?
How do you bounce back after vacation?
Be sure to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you.
With love and happy rebounds,
Top 5 Tips for Rebounding from Vacation
Hydrate: Ditch those sugary drinks and enjoy some plain ol’ h2o. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces every day (ex: If you weigh 140 lbs drink at least 70 oz per day) and your body will thank you. Want extra credit? Jump start your day with a quart of warm lemon water!
Load Up on Veggies: Hit up your local farmer’s market for the abundance of in-season veggies that are bursting out of the ground right now. It’s harvest season, and eating those fresh veggies is a great way to help kick out the toxins that may have built up after a few weeks of fried popcorn shrimp and all you can eat buffets.
Guzzle Green Smoothies: Hop back on the green smoothie love boat today if that healthy habit has fallen by the wayside this summer. Use some of the fresh farmer’s market greens and get blending! Green smoothies give your digestive system a much needed break AND will help you tame your cravings fast!
Get Some Extra Zzzs: A busy social summer calendar can often rob us of enough good quality sleep. A couple times a week, go to bed one hour earlier than normal. The extra rest will add up over time and help you feel rested and energized for the rest of summer.
Let it Go: This is important – don’t beat yourself up for enjoying indulgences over your summer vacation. That is what vacation and the 80:20 are for! Let is go and move on! Pick yourself up with love and remember that your body hears everything your mind thinks, so be kind!