stiff white guys sequence: the princess and the pea

sunday, december 2 at lulu bandha’s. 11 peeps: 3 gals and 8 guys – made for some very deep OMs

today’s class was centered around the idea of becoming more and more fascinated with yourself, how you are feeling, finding that quiet place within yourself and therefore less and less drawn and distracted by what’s happening around you. becoming so tuned in to yourself that you are like the princess and the pea – aware of the slightest discomfort, or lack of authenticity, and loving yourself enough to wiggle a little, adjust, self sooth.

impressing the heart – one brick under the heart, one under the head

windshield

shimmy

eye of the needle

supta padangusthasana – hamstring stretch with strap

cat/cow

plank

down dog

forward fold

tadasana – grounding

om

shoulder rolls

1/4 sun sal

tadasana

om

warrior 2 dance

wide leg fold

malasana

other side

lunge

balasana

twist

savasana

teen yoga: the Fall

I had never taught a teen yoga class before. I had worked with teens, coached high school sports, and it wasn’t that long ago when I was still in high school. I had taught kids yoga and regular ol’ yoga for grown ups, but never teen yoga.

My coaching experience was limited to high school girls. So of course, my yoga class consisted of four young men. All four were athletes taking a season off, relatively equal in strength and flexibility – give or take an open hip or two.

Within the first week I’d second guessed myself a few times over. When a student asked for my email, I told him not to abuse it. When I explained namaste and a young man said “cool”, I was sure he was mocking me and gave him a look. I think it took each side a bit of time to trust each other.

When it came to the types of yoga we would study, the group decided on a mixture of strength building, stretching, and relaxation. Our daily classes would follow this structure: two day of Ashtanga, two days of a deep stretch class, and one day of Yoga Nidra (guided relaxation).

It was clear after the first few sun salutations, these guys were hooked on yoga. Although they’d come into class joking and talking, once they fell into the rhythm of sun A, they were focused and in the moment. The group was practicing with eyes closed, following the pace of their breath.

We explored sitting with our stressful, negative thoughts with a lesson from my teacher Kira: choose a negative thought. repeat to yourself a few times over. notice how your breath changes. notice if a part of your body tightens or grips when you focus on this thought. then deliberately deepen your breath. try to repeat the thought and deepen the breath. notice what happens. One student shared that he was thinking about choosing where to go to college.

On the second day we played with headstand. Using three blocks and the wall, the guys hopped in and out of supported headstand. We played with headstand twice in the first week.

At the end of the week we had our first Yoga Nidra class. They laid on the floor with bolsters supporting their kneed and blankets supporting their heads. Yoga Nidra consists of a few sections: stating a positive affirmation, rapid body scanning, a guided visualization/journey, and back to the positive affirmation. They passed out before we’d made it through one scan of the body.

At the end of practice we headed to the pool to wake up. To my shock, one student climbed up the high dive, knelt at the end of the board, and proceeded to make his way into headstand. It was incredible. These guys had only practiced headstand a few times, and it was with the help of props and a wall. To see them out on the high dive was astounding. They really took the whole “off the mat, into the world” yoga slogan to heart.

Caught up in the moment, I decided to give it a try. It didn’t go well…at all. But seeing my students’ concerned faces as I resurfaced was worth it. After the deep relaxation of Yoga Nidra and my ridiculous high “dive”, I knew I’d earned some respect. That’s the thing about working with teens, it may take a while to gain their trust. But when you do, you can be sure it’s genuine.

Vinyasa Sequence: Arrow Arms

this sequence was partially inspired by Casey’s latest blog http://www.lulubandhas.com/yoga/blog/caseymurphy-people-are-more-important-poses

and from an action taught in classes with Kira Ryder at http://www.lulubandhas.com

and from the fact that people come over to my house to make bows and arrows.

and no, i haven’t read/seen/reenacted the hunger games. . . yet

definition of archer arms: arms straight in front, shoulder height, press the palms together. draw the right elbow back keeping it shoulder height. once the elbow is directly behind shoulder, open the arm up, coming into a twist. maybe take the gaze over the right hand. repeat on left.

today’s sequence:

impressing the heart: lying supine on the floor with a block supporting the shoulders and another supporting the base of the skull. breath awareness: breathing from the belly up, then trying out breathing from the chest down. finding your breath.

leg lifts: finding the core and aligning the spine.

supine pigeon aka eye of the needle.

rock up to seat. seated forward bend and side stretches. co hum (who am i?)

cat and cow. awareness on distributing weight in the palms. wrist stretches.

a few cycles of plank on knees, modified pushup, and back to child’s pose.

wide down dog. walk forward to fold. roll up to tadasana.

archer arms in tadasana.

flow to chair. archer arms in chair. vinyasa flow.

flow to high lunge. archer arms in high lunge. vinyasa flow.

flow to warrior one. archer arms open up warrior two. warrior two dance.

lunge. child’s pose.

camel play at wall with brick.

play with the wall: legs up the wall, legs wide, butterfly, reverse pigeon.

twist at the wall. so hum (i am)

savasana

xoxo

love letter to an aspiring yoga teacher (myself included)

dearest sweet one,

you’re teaching a yoga class tomorrow, which means the rest of the night will be spent writing sequences on bits of scrap paper. and reviewing your plans in your head, trying to memorize or get a feel for it, which means you’re useless to any more conversations tonight. since writing and visualization aren’t enough, you’ll try out a few moves on your yoga mat, the one you keep at home. but you’re opinion isn’t enough, so you’ll show the sequence to your boyfriend, and even if he’s a yogi, he’ll give you a blank look and ask what’s for dinner. (will my students notice/mind/support/rebel if I eat meat tonight?) tell him whatever he cooks is fine, at least you don’t have to decide.

back to yoga. maybe you’re scanning through books, looking for an inspirational quote to center the class around. or something to read during savasana to create that “aha” moment before everyone slips off into bliss. maybe you’re reviewing the notes you took at the yoga workshop last weekend, trying to recreate that “aha” moment the teacher ignited for you. maybe you’re searching online classes, yoga journal, or blogs on yoga to see what’s new out there (but let’s be honest, you haven’t taught enough classes for you students to be craving anything “new” yet….). quite honestly you’re still a student, although these days when you take a class, most of your attention is focused on remembering what your teacher said seconds after she says it, hoping you can make it your own, and then lamenting the fact that you can’t ever be that clear and insightful and profound. and then you catch yourself caught up in your thoughts and try to get back to the breath. focus on the breath. maybe that’s why you aren’t taking classes as much these days.

so you enjoy your pasta dinner (with meat) and pour a glass of wine, which makes you chatty and capable of holding your own in a conversation again. you’ll probably have dreams about teaching, hopefully not the one where you forget to wear pants. and in class tomorrow, when it’s almost over and your students are happily settled into savasana, you may find a moment of contentment that makes all this stress and planning worthwhile. If not, you have plenty more chances when you teach again.

xoxo

Restorative Sequence

Sunday, April 8th

playing with bringing our attention to each of the chakras with a short description of the location, element, sense and motor organs. also playing with a few marma points, or vulnerable points.

legs over a chair aka “instant maui” – attention to mooladhara, the root chakra, element is earth

lie on back with bolster under the heart – swadhisthana, one’s own abode, element is water

side opener over bolster – manipura, seat of the will, element is fire,  motor organ is the feet, so we play with bringing the attention to marma points along the bottom of the foot, mentally pressing into these points

supported child’s pose – anahata, heart chakra, element is air, motor organ is the hands, play with mentally pressing into marma points on the palms

supported bound angle pose – vishuddhi, throat chakra, element is ether

savasana – ajna chakra, third eye, element is the mind

vinyasa basics sequence: making room for yourself

thursday

6 sweet peeps

i had plans to geek out and dive into some remedial yoga. when the group arrived, i decided to concentrate on opening the side waists and ribs to create some more breathing room for our gentle flow. emphasis on noticing the breath and making more room — even for discomfort.

supine. 1 block supporting shoulders. 1 block supporting base of skull

windshield. mapping back

eye of the needle aka supine pigeon

seated fold and side stretch

standing side stretch at wall. shoulder opener

shoulder rolls

tadasana

Qi Gong play – thanks John Hickey!

forward fold

lunge

warrior two flow

wide leg fold

malasana squat pose

other side

tadasana

high lunge

warrior two

down dog

other side

childs

cobra to locust

reclining buddha to shoulder opener – both sides

side stretch over bolster

savasana

sustainable yoga

I recently changed the name of my blog to sustainable yoga. My thought process went a little something like this:

I’m writing about yoga, obviously.

As I become more aware of my body, I am choosing to practice in a way that I know is sustainable for my body. And while I tend to take this to a restorative extreme, I am finding that there must be a balance of strengthening and stretching practices as well, ensuring my ability to get out of bed in the coming years.

Finally, I’m constantly inspired by my dearest friend, Marika, who graduated with a Master’s degree in sustainable development. Marika is now cycling across Scotland and England, touring schools and communities to raise awareness on the importance of sustainability and environmental education.

I read Marika’s blog this morning and wished I had the freedom to donate to her awesome cause. Instead, I decided to support the spirit behind her mission, busted out my bicycle, and cycled the 20 minutes to work. I’m lucky enough to teach kids yoga, in a yurt, next to a garden growing produce to supply local restaurants, grocery stores and farmer’s markets. I thought Marika would like that : )

If you’re jumping on the sustainable living bandwagon and want to support Marika on her generous and inspiring journey, follow her here:

http://cycling4seed.wordpress.com/

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, well I’m from the US and this cause is happening in Europe. True. And while sharing the love may be enough for ya, take heart in knowing that Marika calls California home and will surely be bringing her enthusiasm for similar projects back to us.

xoxo

Am I Safe?

Maybe it’s because I date the Strong Vinyasa teacher. Maybe it’s because people are noticing I have a bolster with me in any yoga class. Or maybe I’m trying to justify my own laziness. Whatever the reason, I feel compelled to explain my enthusiasm for Restorative Yoga.

Pause for a sec. Soften your shoulders away from your ears. Uncross your legs and release any grip in the thighs or calves. Let your belly get heavy. Notice if your jaw is creeping forward towards the screen and gently bring your ears in line with your shoulders. Soften your throat, your jaw, your lips, your eyes. Take a deep breath.

If any of those cues were useful to you, then you’d probably benefit from a restorative pose.

What I currently find fascinating about restorative yoga is the process of encouraging the parasympathetic nervous system to take over. I’ve been learning about the nervous system with Kira Ryder through her Yoga Teacher Training http://www.lulubandhas.com/yoga/page/lulu-bandhas-yoga-school. We’ve got the sympathetic and the parasympathetic constantly communicating with each other and asking “Am I Safe?”. If the answer is no (a wild boar is chasing me, the house is on fire, there’s a gun in my face) then the sympathetic nervous system kicks in, shutting down any long term projects like digestion and reproduction, speeds up the heart rate and raises blood pressure. This “fight or flight” response can be essential to our survival in dire situations. However, our body doesn’t distinguish between life or death vs other situations that make us feel unsafe (the gas gage is low, I’m running late in traffic, there’s no almond milk in this coffee shop, my brother is dating my ex boyfriend’s sister) and the sympathetic nervous system kicks in with the same response as if we were swimming in shark infested waters. Thinking of it that way, for me, the sympathetic nervous system is engaged probably close to 75% of the time. And that’s where restorative yoga comes into play in my life.

Last Summer, I studied with Judith Lasater, the goddess of Restorative Yoga. After propping someone in a restorative pose, it was incredible to see the body shift. There would always be a deep inhale followed by a sigh and a visible surrender in the body, letting go of any grip. By placing our body in restorative positions we allow for some of our tension to release and unwind, often giving the body more rest than when we’re asleep. In these relaxing postures, the nervous system knows “I Am Safe” and the parasympathetic nervous system gets to run the show. When the parasympathetic is in charge, the heart rate slows, energy is conserved, the body can digest and reproduce. Warmth, quiet, and stillness let the body know that everything is ok.

Different than sleep, being awake and aware of our rest also creates a memory of ease that we can return to. I often find myself feeling tired throughout the day, probably because I am stressed and know that sleep is a release. So by learning to relax the body, I am hoping to see an increase in my energy level (I’ll keep you posted). The more often I take time to let my body relax, the easier it is to remember that feeling in less than comfortable situations. I’m gradually working towards creating a habit of ease, rather than a habit of stress. If you’re interested in exploring rest, join me at Lulu Bandha’s Sunday evenings at 5:15. http://www.lulubandhas.com/yoga/page/daily-lulu-bandhas-yoga-studio-classes

Or connect in here as I continue to learn and share my findings.

taking you with me

As I pack up the last of my books, dishes, and clothes, contemplating what to do with my FOUR bookshelves, I am constantly reminding myself – I am my own home. When I forget this, I begin to drift into tougher thoughts: I don’t want to leave my friends, what if this adventure isn’t all that I’m imagining, and I’m going to miss my home here.

Then I breathe deep and say it again, I.AM.MY.OWN.HOME.

Still, this won’t be easy to say goodbye.

I have always answered the question “Why did you move to Sacramento?” with a sheepish grin and, “….for a guy……”

And while this is true, I have come to recognize that I came to Sacramento to find a sense of independence, for an incredible job, to dive into yoga and teaching, to make the most amazing friends

and be a part of a truly loving, supportive community of people. I will forever be grateful to Cori, for providing me the space to learn and make mistakes, for opening up her home to me, and for teaching me her gift of yoga.

Before Asha, I’d never had much of a stable job (oops, did I forget that in my interview….?) and although my intent was to work four hours a week in exchange for yoga, I soon became the manager and found myself  learning – the hard way – about payroll, taxes, scheduling, buying, and organization. Blessedly, Sarah showed up out of the blue and taught me what true poise, clarity, responsibility, loyalty and friendship look like.

Throughout my time here, I have lived in a five-bedroom house in suburbia, a trailer in West Sacramento, in Cori’s spare room, and finally my own apartment. I have known many “houses” but found my true sense of home through the support of my fellow teacher trainee’s, yoga students and teachers. There is something spectacular about this place, and I know I have been shaped by all of it. I am who I am because of my time here, the lessons, talks over coffee, playing in kids yoga classes, laughter on my mat, and tears in savasana (along with some hand holding). Since it is a part of me, I am not leaving this behind, I am taking all if it – every memory, every person – with me. I am so grateful for all of you.

And just when I needed it most, Joan shared her quote of the day:

“All that you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within you and you will surely find it.” Eileen Caddy

grha – sanskrit for home

HOME

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” Maya Angelou

I often feel vulnerable in restorative yoga classes. Vulnerable because it is such a soothing, comforting practice that reminds me of how badly I need to be soothed and comforted. It is a practice where my body will finally relax, my mind will stop whirring, and I am at peace. Somehow, this feeling of comfort and safety leaves me vulnerable. Perhaps because I know the feeling is fleeting. Which begins to explain why, in the midst of a deeply restorative class with Joan, I found myself overwhelmed with grief. The surge of emotion came as Joan read this quote from Maya Angelou: “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” I wanted that. I ached for home. My thoughts were bitter, that I would never feel fully at home in my current living situation, that I wanted to return to the home my parents had created, that I was feeling home in this restorative class -but it would soon be over. I thought about the people in my life who make me feel questioned, the people I do not feel at home with. I started to notice how other people were influencing my sense of home.

Then a second wave struck me:

I am my home.

Physically speaking, the earth is my floor, the sky my ceiling, and my body are the walls of the home I live in. As a traveller, I have always known that my home is not a tangible place, it is within myself, and I have to bring it with me wherever I go. Metaphysically, I am my own home – I am the one who can provide myself with comfort, security, warmth, and acceptance.

And I am the only one who can make myself feel at home. Instead of pointing fingers at the people who seem to question me, I had to look at the fact that I continue to question myself. For, if I do not have my own established, firm foundation on which I can stand and defend myself, then I basically have a welcome mat – allowing anyone to walk in and make me feel questioned, unwelcome, and insecure. Constantly looking outside of myself for comfort and stability is, essentially, insane if I cannot first give that to myself.

This is an empowering realization, not an overwhelming one. I am my home.