A Yoga Reality Check

Truth be told, I do still watch TV.  Not near as much as I used to though.  If I did get rid of our TV the man I live with would probably get rid of me and send me packing and I would be living at the studio.  He and I are definitely on different journeys when it comes to that, but we did promise each other for better or worse.

But lets get back to the point here, every time I turn around I hear of another reality show on the boob tube (when was the last time you heard that?).  It never ceases to amaze me that people allow cameras to follow them around to record the good, the bad and the ugly of their life.  Then again they are getting paid for it.

What will they think 5 or ten years from now when they sit down to watch it again?  Will they have any regrets or embarrassment of how they acted? Will their past come back to haunt them.

But let's look at it this way; we have our own reality show going on every day of our lives.  The good, bad and ugly of our lives are being recorded by the video camera in our mind.  Everything we do, say or think is being documented to determine what kind of future that we will have.  What we have happening here, my dear friends, is Karma.

Cause and effect, you reap what you sow; do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  However you want to phrase it, what is recorded today will come back to us in the future.  Think of Karma as a boomerang, if you throw a red one out and red boomerang will come back; throw a white one out, a white one comes back.  OK, so you get the picture.

So what kind of future do you want?  Well that all depends on you.  For the next few days, imagine that you have a camera crew following you around all the time.  But not only can they record your actions, they can record your thoughts also.  Would that change how you acted, spoke or thought knowing that it was going to come back one day as reruns to determine your future.  Practice love, compassion, joy and equanimity tomorrow because there is a camera crew following your every move.  And course, don't forget to breathe.

Yoga & the Peacock

This pose is called "One-Armed Variation Peacock pose (Pungu Mayurasana) and no that is not me in the picture and truth be told that may never be me.  And I am OK with that.  So we have the moral of the story in this blog right out in the open at the beginning of the story. It's OK that you can't do a certain pose. It's just OK.

 

Instead try and focus on what you can do.  That's it, that's all I have to share.  No drama or lecturing, just short, sweet and to the point. And of course....don't forget to breathe.

Happy Anniversay Santosha Yoga!

This weekend we are joyfully celebrating Santosha Yoga's 3rd Anniversary. The saying "time flies when you are having fun" has never rang truer. It’s hard to believe that three years ago I was nervously signing a lease, hiring contractors and picking out paint colors.

People often comment to me that it was be wonderful that I have achieved my dreams.  Honestly teaching and owning a yoga studio was never in my line of vision.  The main reason I took the training was to deepen my knowledge and person practice.  I never intended to teach at all.

But apparently that isn't what the universe had in mind for me, and for that I am grateful.  Too often we allow ourselves to get pigeon holed into what we think society wants us to do, what is proper for our age, social status, etc. 

I had a new student come in the other day for her very first yoga class ever.  She said that she wasn't sure she should try it because her "friends" told her that she would never be able to do yoga.  I truly had to bite my tongue.  With friends like that who needs enemies.  I know, they thought they had her best interest in mind, but how many times in our lives does that happen to us, that we are afraid to spread out wings.  That's were the magic of yoga comes in. We are on a path that we think we should be on because that is what others told us instead of listening to our heart.

Yoga isn't all about the outer body or if we can touch our touch our toes, it is what we learn about ourselves on the way down.  It is about coming together and forming a community of like minded people.  I have seen friendships forms and even a romance blossom.

As I type this I am listening to Vishnu Blue warming up and doing a sound check for a Candle Light Yin class that they will be performing at 7:00 PM.  Dave & Abbey, who are the main energy of the group and own House of Yoga in Berkley, reached out to me when we first opened and have been friends every since. This practice of Yoga and owning Santosha has brought the most amazing people into my life.  I am truly blessed.

Thank you all for your continued support, energy and love.

Blessings and Namaste

T.

Happy Yoga Feet

I had my first real experience with Reflexology this past weekend. We had a four hour workshop at the studio learning the basics of Reflexology with Lori Jones from the Center for the Healing Arts in Sterling Heights. She was a wonderful teacher and her energy and passion was contagious.

The Reflexology Association of Canada defines reflexology as: "A natural healing art based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears and their referral areas within zone related areas, which correspond to every part, gland and organ of the body. Through application of pressure on these reflexes without the use of tools, crèmes or lotions, the feet being the primary area of application, reflexology relieves tension, improves circulation and helps promote the natural function of the related areas of the body."

We partnered up and with Lori's guidance introduced ourselves to the process and technique. It was WONDERFUL. I came into the class with sinus pressure and left opened up and much, much more relaxed. I kept on asking Lori "why isn't everyone beating down the doors to have this done". She said that it is happening as more find out about it.

We are hoping to have Lori available a few days a month at the studio for appointments. But the moral of this story is don't be afraid to try out different things to help you on your journey of inner and outer healing. And this technique isn't new, it has been around for thousand's of years.

Lori's teaching was positive and encouraging, reminding us that anytime we try something new it is going to take time. A good time was had by all.

But the one thing that really stays with me from the class wasn't anything really related to reflexology. It was words of encouragement that she said during class. She told us that if we break down the word "impossible" it becomes "I’m possible". Short, sweet and to the point. Great words to live by and of course remember to ....just breathe.

 

A Wise Yogini

I want to introduce you to Liz who practices at Santosha Yoga.  She has a great sense of humor, always has a smile on her face and is just fun to be around. The fact that she is 95 years old and does her practice sitting in a chair while the rest of the class moves about is a minor technicality. 

She comes every Thursday night with her caregiver, Karen, who has been a student of mine for quite a few years.  A few months back Karen asked if Liz could attend the class, even though it wasn't a chair yoga class, just to get her out of the house and keep her active.  She has been here every since.  She can't hear all that well but does her best to follow the rest of the class.  Every so often I ask if she is doing OK and with a twinkle in her eyes she gives me thumbs up.

She has had her share of hardship. She married her husband after he was blinded in WWI, lost a son and has had her own battles with cancer.  But yet when ever you talk to her she has the most amazing positive attitude, I could listen to her stories for hours.  She also does a mean boat pose, she has core strength that youngsters’ in their 40's don't have.

Last Thursday we were talking about her marriage and how she managed to stay married to the same man for over 70 years.  She said that one reason that they were together so long was they didn't kill each other and then she laughed as she winked at me.  But then she became a little more serious and said because they never took each other for granted and always respected each other. 

I remind my students that our teachers and teaching come to us in many different ways and forms and we have to be open to that. Liz is a wise woman and I can't wait for Thursdays for her teachings as she has become my teacher as her wisdom reminds me to.... just breathe.

Yoga Upside Down

When my grandson was younger he used to love being upside down.  I would grab Ethan by the ankles and help him as he would walk on his hands, laughing and giggling. Or he would lie on the couch and hang his head off the edge of it and just chill.  I have often said that since his mom did yoga when she was pregnant with him, he got used to being upside down and tumbled about as his mom went through the different yoga poses. To quote Eeyore, friend of Winnie the Pooh "Sometimes the world looks better upside down.”

When was the last time that you saw the world from Ethan's point of view?  For most us it may have been a while. Usually when I teach an inversion in my class, I tell the students that I would need hours to fully explain the benefits of being upside down. Now I am not just taking about the more advanced poses such as handstand or headstand. Even the gentlest pose of lying on your back with your legs up against the wall has powerful benefits. Modern yogis agree that Viparita Karani may have the power to cure whatever ails you. In fact downward facing dog and a standing forward fold are inversions.

Think of it this way, we stand, walk or sit most of our waking hours.  Or we are lying on the couch watching TV. I think it was Sir Isaac Newton that said "what comes up must come down". Gravity is a powerful force. This nonstop pull of gravity can have some undesired effects in our bodies over the years. Over time, it causes our bodies to literally shrink. Our spinal columns compress, our organs grow sluggish, our skin droops.

Although we cannot fight gravity, in yoga we can use its pull to our advantage. When we turn the body upside down, we reverse the pull of gravity and create long-lasting benefits for our entire system. Some claim that for every minute spent in headstand, the aging process is suspended. Inversions allow a fresh flow of blood to the brain, they enable you to see the world from Ethan's point of view and, when you can get your legs above your heart, they provide a much-welcomed rest for the circulatory system. If you are agitated an inversion will calm you down, if you are lethargic, it will help perk you up.

Not sure what kind of inversion works best for you? Ask your trusted yoga teacher.  If you are new at inversions start with your legs up against the wall.  You can even put a bolster or folded blanket under your hips to make it more of an inversion.  As with any yoga pose honor your body and don't go past your edge. Stay there for a few minutes when you first start out, but as you get more experienced you can stay in the pose for up to 15 minutes. To come out of the pose, bring your knees into your chest, roll to one side and slowly push yourself up to seated. 

Ahhhh, better now?  And of course don't forget to breath.
 

Yoga Story Time

For the past three summers, our four year grandson's parents have allowed us to bring him up north with my husband and myself for a weeklong vacation with my family. He is a great little guy and he even went SUPing like grandma did!

One of the best parts of the week was reading him a book or two at bedtime. I had forgotten how much fun that was.

We all like to hear stories and kid’s stories always have a positive message or "the moral of the story". Why is it that we seem to remember a topic if it is in story form as opposed if it is presented to us in lecture form? In Buddhism they are known for stories that have a positive message.

I recently came across this story that I thought was worth sharing;

The 84th Problem

One afternoon a farmer who had heard that the Buddha was a wonderful teacher came to the Buddha seeking relief from his suffering. “I’m a farmer,” he said to the Buddha, “And I love farming. But last summer we had a drought and nearly starved, while this summer, we had too much rain and some of my crops did not do as well as I would have liked.”

The Buddha sat and listened to the farmer. “I have a wife, too. She’s a great woman, a wonderful wife. But sometimes she can really nag me. And to tell you the truth, sometimes I get a little tired of her.” The Buddha continued to listen and smile, as the farmer continued. “I’ve got three kids. They’re all really great. I’m really proud of them. But sometimes they don’t listen to me and don’t pay me the respect I deserve”

It went on like this for awhile, and then when finished with his litany, the farmer waited for the Buddha to solve his problems.” I can’t help you,” said the Buddha.

“What!” responded the farmer, “I’ve heard that you are a great master? How can you not help me?”

“Well,” the Buddha replied, “First of all, everyone has problems. In fact, everyone’s got about 83 problems. Of course, you may fix one now and then, but another one will pop up in its place. If you think about it, everyone you know and all that you care for is subject to change — it’s all impermanent. And you yourself are going to die someday. Now there’s a problem.”

The farmer was red in the face. “What kind of teacher are you!? How is this supposed to help me?!” he retorted.

“Well….perhaps I can help you with the 84th problem,” answered the Buddha.

“What 84th problem?” asked the farmer?

“You don’t want to have any problems.”

That Buddha, he sure knows how to turn a tale. The moral of the story? Our problems are never really going to go away.  We may have 83 one day and only six the next, but in our perception they are still problems. So if we can't make them go away how do we get rid of them? By changing how we handle them, think of it as a shift in our way of thinking.  What we thought was a problem 6 days or 6 months ago amazingly no longer is, partly because another problem took its place (see how that works) but maybe because we realized "this too shall pass".

How do you start? By just closing your eyes.....and just breath.