~ Gravity : Power : Yoga ~

Posts Tagged ‘practice’

Saying I haven’t had time to practice has been a smidge of an understatement, but I can’t let having a baby ruin a lifetime goal for a daily practice of yoga. This weekend was probably just what I needed, after being out of commission for 2 weeks with a brand new munchkin, I had 3 full days of teacher training with my favorite (a href=”http://www.yogacrew09.com”>Yoga Crew/a>) and feel such a renewed drive I wanted to share.

It’s easy to let the daily duties of life get in our way, it’s easy to be too tired, too hungry, or too busy, to get a proper practice in. But there are no shortage of reasons and benefits to get my ass back on the mat! So last night, after a light dinner, I got back on the mat and did a small post-natal session with my lovely wife. While it wasn’t the power yoga I love, it was great to get the bones moving and get me back on the mat.

So while I work thru these sleepless days and sleepless nights, I’d like to ask all of you to put in a little extra oomph into your practice and send those vibes my way… That aught to be just about as good as me doing it myself… Right?

Well, Monday morning my wife gave birth to the most beautiful child that has ever graced the walls of any hospital.. OK, maybe I a smidge biased, we’ll all just have to agree that I’m right!

I will say that when somebody told me “it will be the most tired you have ever been in your entire life” I should have listened better.   WOW, I think I can add up the sleep for the last five days and it comes in well below the 16 (or 40!) hours required to function in that time frame.  Today I was standing in line at the target and closed my eyes, just for a second I thought maybe I could take a quick nap while I waited to check out… Then the pictures of me falling over backwards, the paramedics rushing to figure out what happened, and me having to explain that I just wanted a little nappy, kept me from doing it!

So no practice, no yoga, no meditation in a loong time, but I will say that the inner peace I’ve found in my practice has done amazing things for me in this amazing, life changing process…

That’s all for now, but I’ll be back when I’ve had a smidge of sleep, and a moment of practice!

~ Namaste

As I travel down the road of yoga teacher training I’ve learned an important lesson about myself. The lesson: I’m lazy!

Now don’t get me wrong, I take great pride in putting together a challenging yoga class when I’m going to teach.  Now fast forward to my practice, I find that no matter what intention I set, when I practice I loose focus and end up checking my email or answering the phone before I hit the full length of my planned class.

At first I rationalize it and say that my practice is my practice and that it is, and should be, what I make it.  But then I realize what a load of crap this is.  Its just me finding a way to rationalize not giving it my full attention. 

My question: If I lack the focus to focus, how do I overcome my little problem!?

What could be a more perfect time to contemplate the concept of aparigraha than a birthday!?

As some I you know I recently moved and went thru a massive purging of the crap I tend to horde and carry with me with each move. Amazed at how much stuff I had acquired, I started the process of trying to figure out exactly what I need and to start clearing out.

Fast forward to my birthday today, with the one question Ive heard more than anything else what do I want for my bday. At first I get that giddy feeling thinking about all the possabilities, then it hits me, I just spent the last 3 weeks trying to clear out the clutter.

I started to wonder, could people give me things like training, yoga classes, or other consumables without it being a mental form of hording?

Is the tradition of birthday giving in direct conflict with the practice of aparigraha?

There is no more that I can do, than to say a prayer for Guruji and to pass on my feelings of gratitude for a great yoga teacher that will be missed by so many.  For those who practice ashtanga and those that practice a flow practice with no knowledge of what exactly ashtanga is or why they do the things they do, we all lost an icon in the yoga world today.  So wherever you are, take a moment of silence and send your well wishes to the family he leaves behind, and be thankful for the practice and health you have today, for it will be gone tomorrow.

Thank You for making a difference while you where here.

~ Namaste

OK, that may be a little over dramatic, but I’ve been having this problem lately. I’m about 30-40 minutes into my practice and I realize I haven’t ONCE stopped to focus on my breath, in fact, I couldn’t tell you if I’m breathing at all. For a week or so now I’ve wondered where my breath has gone, lost, stolen, forgotten?

As I put on my “Super Cool YogaMix1″ (think cassette labeled as such) play list this morning and started to practice it finally dawned on me. I was singing along with the tunes, and then AH HA, that’s where my breath has gone! I have long heard the debate over music or not, and if so what type, etc… I have always been one to argue FOR, because it gives me energy and brings me into the class. But if I’m singing along I’m not breathing, so now what.

My next attempt (Super Cool YogaMix2) will be less vocal tracks and more along the lines of music I like but don’t want to sing along with. I’ll keep you posted as I see how it goes.

~ Namaste, And Remember to Breathe!
SB

So it’s 5am, I ‘m waking up to get ready for an emergency trip to Austin TX (don’t worry, not my emergency and I’m trying to figure out how a daily practice fits into a schedule like this.  Up at 5am to catch a flight, straight to the customer site, work till 7pm, pass out in bed…  That pretty much sums up what I’m expecting.

I think I just skip it today, and do it tomorrow morning before I go in to work, but who knows.  I’m more interested to hear from other yogis what they do, do you take a mat with you everywhere you go, or just take a yogi toes with you and throw it down on the hotel floor.  Or maybe just a hotel towel or two on the floor.   Let me know, I’m looking for ideas this week!

Today is day 2 of getting back to an hour long practice (and 4 weeks post-op).   To give a little back story, after the surgery I had a row of stitches in my stomach that connected skin as well as muscle together.   For the last month I’ve experienced the expected pains of trying to engage my stomach muscles to do everything from sitting up out of bed, to just trying to sit up straight (in fact, it’s amazing how many things you cannot do without engaging your stomach muscles at some level!).   Anyways, I say all of this only to bring to light my moment of clarity and inspiration this morning.   

I’ve spent the last month protecting my stomach muscles from any real movement both out of fear that I would tear the stitches and the fear that that it would hurt.   This morning as I started to practice I found myself protecting that area, trying not to use it or engage the muscles.   As I practiced today, I wondered if it would indeed still hurt or if I was just being over protective out of fear.  As I opened up I decided to test the waters, what I found was that it was not nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, and indeed felt pretty good.   Good enough that I stopped my “gentle flow” practice to practice a handstand or two…. I know, I know!  I couldn’t help it (they felt good, not great).

What I found myself thinking about was not how much I had protected my stomach muscles, but how an injury be it physical or mental, can profoundly effect how we live our lives.  I realized that what I was doing to protect an injury that truly needed to be set free, was the same thing I do with emotional issues that I carry with me.  It couldn’t have been more clear to me at that moment, that emotional issues, just like physical ones, will indeed heal, and that we must give them the time to heal, but then demand that they start to move on and progress.

As you do your practice today, I want you to think about the emotional issues you have been guarding, have they had enough time to heal?  Is it time to start working that part of your heart again?

~Namaste

I cannot say how much it helped my mood today to be able to practice, even if it was a tiny little, no upward dog, no stretching my tummy, practice.  

I have to say that being laid up has caused me to stop and think about my practice, and I have learned a LOT this last month.   My normal practice is a very strong power type class, but with a very un-energetic heart, that is to say that I love my practice and the way it makes me feel physically and mentally, but I almost always go into my practice thinking I’d rather be napping!  Now I spend 90% of my day wishing I was in a sweat educing, butt kicking power class, I’d even settle for being able to do a simple back bend and wring my body/spine out!  

All of this to say, that as of today I’m back to practice, even if it’s a softer more gentler me, for now!  And I’m learning a lot about myself, and learning to really appreciate physical health and wellness.  

So I say to all of you, as you take to your mats tomorrow, take a moment to appreciate the fact that you have the time and ability to practice, and savor the opportunity to be in the moment.

~Namaste

Today I did a Yin practice from the Paul Grilley DVD series.  While this was my first “real” class after the surgery, I have to say, I pine for my Yang practice.   During meditation I set my intent to be content with the fact I’m not back in the hospital for a 3rd time and am actually feeling well enough that I can do anything.  I have decided to live my meditation for these next few days and weeks until I am healthy enough for my normal power practice, and I have to say, it makes a major difference in my attitude.  

Today I will be happy that I feel well enough to want the Yang but do the Yin!