The Real "Rock Stars" of Yoga

This past Friday night I attended a workshop that was being taught by yoga teacher extraordinaire, Jason Crandell.  Jason was recently named “one of the next generation of teachers shaping yoga’s future” by Yoga Journal. Jason is well know in the world wide yoga community for his skillful, unique approach to vinyasa yoga.

 

It was a great workshop and I was impressed with his humility and logical approach to teaching.  I really enjoyed it and was disappointed that I was unable to make the rest of his classes while he was in town. The weekend was sponsored by Yoga Association of Great Detroit (YAGD) which is primarily based in Oakland County.  That group of volunteers do a great job in bringing teachers of this caliber to the area.

 

We arrived at the workshop quite early since we were coming from Chesterfield and unfamiliar with Farmington Hills and then of course I always have to factor in time for getting lost.  Good thing too because the GPS on my phone decided to take us through the scenic route and since I didn't know any better, I let it (we figured out a better route coming back).

 

The place was buzzing with excitement, everyone waiting to meet and greet "the star".  But truth be told, in my humble opinion, the true stars of the show were some of the fellow yoga teachers and students that were there.  When we came into the space we were greeted by Claudette who introduced herself and showed us around.  She was pumped.  You could literally feel the energy bouncing off of her.  She told us that after the class, which ended at 9:30 PM, she was going dancing! She then proceeded to tell us that she just turned 70....70!!!!  Wow, she had the energy of a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert.

 

As the room started to fill up I took note as to the ages of a good portion of the other participants, which was clearly 60 and up.  In the ladies room I over heard others talking about a certain teacher who is still teaching in her 80's.  This area is an older more established yoga community, yoga has been around there for quite a while which would account for this. Watching these ladies and gentlemen practice was inspiring.  Yes, yes I know I was suppose to be concentrating on my own practice, but I did have to leave and go to the rest room at one point and just happened to glance here and there.

 

Do I really need to explain to you all what the moral of this story is?  I again experienced the miracle of what this practice of yoga can do for us. I witnessed what I have been telling everyone and anyone that yoga is not just for the young and nubile. 

Yes of course their bodies have changed over time but they adapted their practice to accommodate that.  Jason kept on telling us all through the class to quit beating ourselves up, to accept and be proud of the bodies that we have today.  He reminded us that we are already "whole" when we come to the mat. Yoga just helps bring it out of us.  These beautiful, seasoned students of yoga were moving, breathing and going dancing.  

 

It's not too late.  Get off the couch, get away from the computer, stop texting so much and get on the mat....and just breathe.

My Yoga Off the Mat Day

This past Sunday I had the privilege of practicing yoga off the mat with a vengeance.  If your not sure what yoga off the mat means think of the last time you were stuck in traffic and late for work or an appointment.  How did you react, were you fuming, honking the horn somehow thinking that the the sound of your horn would create a miracle of sorts and make the five mile up back up in front of you move.  Or did  you use the time to breathe, count your blessings, listen to some mellow music, you get the idea.
 

This past Sunday was another great day in downtown New Baltimore for Yoga in the Park from noon to 1 PM at Burke Park (shameless plug).  It was hot but we were going to have fun as we always do.  My PA system that worked great the week before was not cooperating at all.  I moved it all over the place trying to find a balance, it wasn't going to happen so most of the class I ended up talking really loud and for those who know me that's not hard to do.  I am Italian after all.

  

Mid way through class I noticed a small group of people walking toward the water near where we were having class and then a wedding commenced! The event was being video recorded and I didn't want this sweet couple 50 years from now watching their ceremony and hear me in the background yelling "inhale and reach your arms up". I stopped the class as we waited for them to take their vows and of course we all applauded when it was done. 

  

Class started up again when one of the students motioned to me that a wonderful police officer of New Baltimore who was just doing his job was not real happy where I parked my car.  I again stopped class to discuss the situation with him.  OK, I admit it my car wasn't parked all that legal, but as I explained to him we collect so many canned goods donations for St. Mary's food pantry (thank you everyone) it  was just easier to have the car closer to put the food in at the end of class. Seeing that he wasn't impressed with my story, I promised not to park there again.
 

Practicing yoga off the mat in spite of the heat,  I kept my cool.  Although it was very tempting to toss the entire PA system into the lake, I resisted.

  

I let go of everything that happened and went on with my day.  I didn't let it determine my mood for the rest of the day. Remember the phase "just laugh it off"?  Exactly.  I told you that we have fun at Yoga in the Park. I cant' guarantee that much fun every Sunday but I will do my best. 
 

Remember.....to just breathe on and off your mat.

Yoga and the Ones You Love

Ok, one more quiet rant.

 

You just discovered yoga and it was love at first down dog. You want everyone to experience the buzz that you do.  Or that hot yoga class that kicked your asana, sweat was flying everywhere and all of your toxins along with it and you want to share it all with the world.  So what do you do, your next hot yoga class you bring your mom (sister, dad, friend.....fill in the blank) with you.  They have never done yoga before and haven't been off the couch in a while. You love them so much that you bring them to a hot yoga class? What happens next is the well meaning gesture usually backfires and the newbie is never to be seen again. Your journey into yoga is not the same for someone else.

 

I have seen it first hand countless times. Students coming out of the middle of class near tears, one gal admitted that her "friends" forced her to come, she was not happy when she left. Siblings who wanted their mom to be healthier brought her to a vinyasa flow class.  When I suggested to them that it might be better to bring mom to another style class they assured me she would be fine, mom is still MIA.

 

I have been silent long enough! I applaud all of you for wanting the people you love to be healthier and happier and  yoga will help them get there but find the style that best suites where they are today.  Do you love them so much that you can put your ego aside and accompany them to a basic or gentle yoga class. Boring you say?  Take that opportunity not only to bond with whom you brought but also to really tune into your alignment and breath with the slower pace. They may never progress to a more vigorous style as you may have but at least they are off the couch and you should be ecstatic for the progress they have made.

 

 

I had a student tell me this happened to her years ago and she never tried yoga again until recently because she thought that all yoga classes were alike.  She now knows different. And so do you. I have seen anger, frustration,  and embarrassment on the students faces. The practice of yoga is suppose to bring you peace, not make you feel as if you failed.

 

 

 

Share your love of yoga with everyone, but take into consideration what their needs are when you invite them to come and be honest with yourself as to what your intention is.  Help them on this journey and remind them that the most important part of yoga and life is to .......just breathe.

 

Blowing Off a Little Steam

What is a blog? "A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world." (source Bloggers.com.)

 

Ok, with that being said on to the topic of this blog which will be a combination of my own private thoughts and soapbox (but not really political).

 

Yoga is becoming more popular and main streamed everyday which should and does make me very happy. It means more people are exploring and experiencing it's life changing benefits.  But is also means that there are yoga teachers out there who really may not be as qualified as you think.  Have they taken some type of formal training to do what there are doing? If they took a training, did they actually finish it. Or did they just kind of fall into it because a yoga teacher was needed where they currently teach some other type of physical exercise.  You really need to look into these things first, after all it is your body and health that we are talking about. Do you really want someone to cut your hair that wasn't formally trained but yet you don't think twice about it when some one might ask you to stand on your head.

 

In Michigan to offer a yoga teacher training course you must/should be registered as a proprietary school, pass an inspection of your school and reapply every year with the Sate of Michigan. Is the school they trained with accredited with Yoga Alliance, a national registry that sets guidelines for responsible and competent teachers. The school doesn't have to be local, there are a lot of  great national known and recognized schools and teachers out there. The point is, did they formally train with someone, somewhere?

 

If I am coming off as sounding a little bit pompous and arrogant so be it.  I am the first to admit that I am not the end all and the guru of all yoga, but I do know that I expect my teachers and myself to create a safe and knowledgeable environment for the students at our studio.  As part of our registration with Yoga Alliance we are required to continue our education.  I will always be a student of yoga, I will continue to learn and expand so I may become a better student and therefore better teacher.

 

Is this quiet rant a plug for you to come to our studio, not at all.  This quiet rant is for you to research where you do choose to go to make sure that it is a safe environment for you to learn yoga .....and just breathe.

Santosha, Contentment, Gratitude....

We lost our power due to the storms this past Monday, but this time it was at our home and not at the studio. 

I am at a place in my spiritual journey that I believe when I am in need of a teaching. situations arise to help me learn.  What did I need to learn from this recent power outage?  Let me back up just a bit first, just so that we are all on the same page, Santosha is the Sanskrit word for contentment, peace, gratitude. OK, moving forward again.

The power was out......contentment and gratitude?  Sure, we have a small generator (our power goes out enough to have invested in one) so the fridge and freezer were connected.  In fact we ran a power line to the neighbors fridge and they expressed gratitude.   The TV wasn't on, yeah happy dance! The house had a nice calm about it. The temperature had dropped considerably, so sleeping was comfortable. Yes, my husband did have to get up every few hours to put more gas in the generator and it was my job to wake him up when I didn't hear it humming anymore. My maternal instinct of sleeping with one ear opened kicked in again. Small price to pay.

The next morning it was a beautiful day so I opened up all the blinds to let the sun just flood in.  Did my normal morning routine and left for the day.  By the time I got back home later in the afternoon, the power was back on.  Gratitude for having a generator, no TV, that it wasn't hot & sticky, that I have a wonderful husband, that the storms could have been a lot worse and it wasn't pitch black when we woke up. Santosha is about putting a more positive spin and situations in your life.  We may not like what is happening, but it's not the end of the world is it.

Weathering a power outage for less than 24 hours is not that intense, so let's take this a step further. What if someone in our life is ill and needs serious medical care? Do they have health insurance, gratitude.  Do they have a support system to help them, gratitude. Family and friends who are by their side, gratitude. 

Practicing Santosha doesn't mean that we have to like what is happening at the present moment, To quote Deborah from her book The Yama's & Niyama's  "Santosha invited us into contentment by taking refuge in a calm center, opening our hearts in gratitude for what we do have, and practicing the paradox of "not seeking".  

Nothing I did, say or think could change the fact the power was out, in the grand scheme of things it was a very minor adjustment to a very blessed life that I have.  If this way of thinking is new to you I highly suggest to read Deborah's  book, take it slowly and.....just breathe.

Lighten Your Load....

The other day a student came in to the studio that I hadn't seen in a while and she looked different. She had a big smile on her face and for the first time I noticed that she had two adorable dimples. Then she explained to me why the dimples had resurfaced.

She had recently quit a high paying, very demanding job to take a less stressful lower paying job at a different company.  She said that it is somewhat of an adjustment but she felt better and lighter that she has in years. She lightened her load.

A few day's after this I stumbled across a move on cable called "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World".  Without giving too much away of this comedy (yep, a comedy), the world was going to end in 3 weeks due to an asteroid that was plummeting toward earth that was going to make a direct hit.  The movie focused on two neighbors who hardly knew each other, fleeing the apartment building that they lived in that was being vandalized. As they left I noticed they didn't take a thing with them, what do you really need when the world is coming to an end. They fell in love (well it is a Hollywood movie after all) and realized by the movies end that all that mattered was the love they had for each other.

The movie reminded me of a quote from the book "The Yamas & Niyamas" by Deborah Adele regarding the Yama's (5 restraints from the Yogic teaching's of Master Patanjali), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness) which reads "Aparigraha invites us to let go and to pack lightly for our journey through life, all the while caring deeply and enjoying fully".  

What's been weighing you down, what do you need to unpack so you can better enjoy your journey through life.  A dead end job or relationship, a closet or basement full of "stuff" that no longer serves the life you now lead?  Lighten your load and the first step to take of course is to......just breathe.

P.S. I highly recommend watching the movie, a little quirky, but with a really nice message that will keep you thinking for a while.

Namaste Miss Liz

The word Namaste is a greeting or salutation that is most often said at the end of a yoga class, one of the translations is "I bow to you".  

That is why the title of this post is "Namaste Miss Liz" who passed away yesterday.  Liz started coming to the studio just a little over a year ago with her care giver/friend/support team, Karen.  Liz was 94 at the time and wanted to join the class even though it wasn't a chair yoga class and of course I said yes, after all yoga is for everyone.  After that she was a Thursday night regular.

In the beginning I would try and somewhat modify the class for her then I decided that wasn't going to work.  She and I talked and she said that she would keep up the best she could  and for me just to go with the flow for the rest of the class and that she was just happy to be here. She interpreted the poses as what was best for her.

She had the most amazing positive attitude and we all quickly fell in love with her.  As I taught I would check on her often and she would give me a wink and a thumbs up to let me know that all was good. And truth be told she did a kick ass boat pose, her core was stronger than students in their 20's.  

She had a stroke and just couldn't come back from it.  Karen told me that even though one side of her body was paralyzed initially after the stroke she would still watch her exercise program on TV and do her best.  Karen also said that Liz had a breath retention practice and often wondered if that was one reason she had such a long live.

Thursday nights will not be the same. Namaste Miss Liz, Namaste.