Letting Go: On & Off the Mat

Recently, my husband and I saw the hit movie Up in the Air.  Without giving away the entire plot, George Clooney’s character gives motivational speeches where he talks about what’s in your “backpack”.  Essentially, what are the things, people, concepts that you are carrying around with you?  What are the burdens that weigh you down? What are you holding onto that you can release? While I don’t entirely agree with where the character takes this analogy, there is some truth here.  When we carry around burdens, expectations, failures, unresolved emotions, fears — they weigh us down.  When we release them, we feel lighter; we have a renewed sense of clarity to face what we see before us — not the pains of the past or the unknown elements of the future — but the present — that’s really all we have.

Often in class, I’ll encourage students to let go.  Let go of the day, let go of tension and tightness, let go of expectation.  Yoga breathing that’s slow, steady and mindful can help us let go.

The Letting Go Breath: Find an even breath (inhale and exhale are the same length) and bring to mind something that you’re carrying around – maybe a fear, an emotional wound, an unhealthy attachment, a regret. As you exhale, imagine releasing that…letting it go. You may need to actually visualize releasing it with whatever visual image works for you (releasing a balloon, throwing something away, taking it off your shoulders, giving it over to God, etc.) You might find you need to repeat this – sometimes it takes away to allow ourselves to fully let go.

Yoga can be a great tool for helping us stay in the present and for “unloading” our backpacks – letting go of those things that we do not need to carry with us.  The same is true with yoga poses and stretches. It’s when we breathe and relax into a pose that we find a new comfort there. When we’re striving and forcing a pose, we often only experience frustration, discomfort and pain.  But, when we let go and relax — it’s a whole new world.

Pigeon can be a great pose to experience the physical benefits of letting go.  If you are taking care of your knees, try the modification instead. Make sure your body is warm before doing either Pigeon – either by doing other standing and flowing poses or taking a walk or run.

Pigeon: From all 4’s, slide the right knee to the outside of the right wrist, making sure that the right leg is angled toward the center of your mat.  Extend the left leg straight behind you, resting on the floor.  Either continue to support yourself with the hands on the mat, right under the shoulders or place the forearms on the floor.  Make sure your knees and inner thighs feel ok here (if not, try the modification).  With each exhale, allow your body to release and let go into the pose. Release tension and tightness in the hips, relax your neck and shoulders. With each breath, sink a little deeper into your comfortable stretch.  Breathe and hold the pose for 6-8 breaths. Reverse with the left leg forward.

Pigeon (Modified): From a seated position, extend both legs in front of you.  Draw the right leg towards you and place the right foot on the outside of the left leg with the foot on the floor.  With both arms draw the right leg towards your chest. Sit tall and lengthen the spine.  Make sure both sit bones are grounded to the floor.  Breathe and hold for 6-8 breathes and switch sides.

Seniors Doing Yoga: YogaXoga in the News

Our Tuesday morning class in Fairway, KS was profiled this week in the Overland Park Sun newspaper.  If you think that your aches and pains, lack of flexibility or overall stiffness disqualifies you from beginning a regular yoga practice, prepare to be inspired by these senior students.

It’s a joy to share yoga with them (& all my students) every week.

To read the article: CLICK HERE

Start 2010 with Yoga: Tips for Getting Started

So, yoga made it on your resolution list this year? Or maybe just exercising more or trying to manage stress? Yoga can be very beneficial and complimentary to many new year’s goals – weight loss, more exercise, less stress, more relaxation and more. Here are some tips and useful links to help get you started.

Yoga Classes – If you are starting from scratch (not used to exercising regularly or have a physical condition), going to a live class is the best option (vs. yoga on TV or DVD).

• Research what kind of yoga you think you’d like to try. There are gentle, therapeutic styles of yoga and more rigorous, cardio-intensive styles. YogaJournal has a great website with information on the various styles offered.
• Find a qualified instructor.  Yoga Alliance has a directory of teachers who have completed either 200 hour or 500 hour programs.
• Ask your friends (facebook & linkedin might be great resources to find good yoga teachers), or check in with your gym on which classes/instructors are good for your fitness level.
• Try to arrive 10-15 minutes early so that you can talk to the instructor beforehand.  If you do have an injury or special condition, be sure and tell the instructor BEFORE class.  Remember you are the expert on your body – not the instructor.
• Take a yoga mat, bottle of water and small towel with you. Be sure and tell your mobile phone to mute.
• During the class, try to let go of competition (either with others or striving within).  Listen to your body and ease into stretches. There is no perfect in yoga – we’re all always practicing, working to improve…so relax.
• Commit to going 3-4 times to yoga before forming an opinion about it. Try a variety of classes and instructors to find the right fit for you.

Yoga DVDs – If you’re too busy to get to a live class regularly and you are comfortable and committed exercising at home, DVDs might be a great option for you.

• Poll your friends on what exercise and yoga DVDs they like.  Be clear about what you are looking for (a great workout, vs. 20 minutes of peace and stress relief)
• Start with the library – many libraries have fitness DVDs. This is a great way to try before you buy.  Look for DVDs that have several short segments – these will be more feasible than hour long classes.
• Check out fitness DVD review sites like: VideoFitness – this is a great resource to see the reviews.
• Start a DVD exchange with like-minded friends.  Let’s face it – only a few DVDs make it to the “I can never part with this and I never get tired of this” status. We all need to change it up from time to time. Get with friends and work out a rotation…so that every few weeks you’re trying a different one.  When you do find a favorite, pick up a copy just for you.
• If you’re struggling with the “committed or consistent” part of the equation, enlist a friend to join you. Working out with a friend adds a level of accountability that may be all you need to get the new year off to a great start.
• To learn more about YogaXoga’s DVDs

Most of all — have fun and be proud of yourself for trying something new that’s so wonderful for your health!  If you have stories regarding your first experiences with yoga, add your comments here…we’d love to include them.

YogaXoga’s Top Ten: Memories from the Mat 2009

1. Teaching yoga to middle school & high school kids struggling with alcohol/drug dependency and later hearing about one kid who really felt great after class and was nicer and more helpful to his mom that night and the next day.

2. 2 days of yoga, learning about human trafficking, raising $$ and connecting with others wanting to do the same.

3. 2 ladies so blissful after a YogaXoga class that they swapped shoes (they later re-connected and swapped back)

4. While at yoga training…my shoe story did not end so well – black merrells are still MIA. But my new earth shoes will console me…

5. Needing two mats to protect our knees from the uneven, hard floor while filming Demystified Yoga, Vol. 2…despite the hard floor and loud trains it was a great day of filming.

6. Teaching the occasional class sans music with only the rhythm of everyone’s breath…that’s a beautiful sound.

7. A full house in June – celebrating our DVD release with friends, massages and healthy food.

8. Having the regular occurrence of someone coming up to me after a Christian Yoga class and remarking that the scripture I read was meant just for them.  That’s not me, folks…

9. Seeing the lightbulb of stress relief, pain relief, peace and sometimes just plain joy on the face of someone just discovering the many benefits of yoga.

10. Getting to do what I absolutely love…that’s a memory I get to make each and every day. I am truly blessed.

YogaXoga’s Top Ten: Healthy Habits

Everyone’s doing Top Ten lists these days as we finish up 2009.  Top albums of the year, top news stories, etc…I’m even starting to hear top ten lists for the decade….Here’s my take – the first of a few posts on my Top Tens…

YogaXoga’s Top Ten Healthy Habits of 2009

1. Yoga (no surprises here, folks…it does the body good)

2. Whole Foods (not necessarily the retail chain…but real food that you have to pick, hunt, fish or dig out of the ground – avoid food in a box or drive-thru)

3. Nasal Rinse – whether you’re a neti pot person or use the NeilMed Sinus rinse, your nose will thank you…and those sinus infections, allergies just may go away for good. See my other post on this.

4. Meditation – this word can seem scary – but we all need down time, quiet time…time for our minds to rest and be still…time to hear that still, small voice…

5. Move, move, move: CARDIO – As a yoga teacher, I do a lot of yoga but I can’t forget about getting regular (at least every other day) cardio exercise (an hour is great, 30 minutes minimum). It lifts my mood, gives me more energy, reduces my stress level and keeps my heart healthy.

6. Journaling – If you are someone who tends to overanalyze, re-think things and not be able to get your mind to cooperate for things like meditation or sleep, might I suggest a journal? Write it down, get it out…take a look at it in the black & white of the words and see what you think. Often, when we see our worries and irrational fears on paper, they’re not as scary or unmanageable.

7. Cut the sugar – This is making my 2010 resolution list.  Although I’ve made progress in this area, I still have a way to go.  Sugar causes inflammation in the body and depresses our immune system as well as our mood. Certainly small (tiny) doses are ok, but they should be a treat, not an everyday occurrence. Re-train your taste buds to appreciate the sweetness of berries or other fruits over the cookies, candies & soda.

8. Think Green – kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard…dark leafy green vegetables are so good for us. Drop them in soups, stir fry or if you can’t stand them – juice them with other tasty fruits or vegetables you do like.

9. Exercise your Brain – do a crossword, learn a new language or take up a different hobby….use your brain in a different way from your everyday routines.

10. Invert – getting upside down with an inversion table or just getting your legs up in a chair has tremendous benefit to your nervous system, low back and stress level.

Yoga for all those holiday to-do’s

We all have our traditions – activities that we do only this time of year.  Whether that’s hours of baking in the kitchen, signing hundreds of cards or staying up to “help” Santa assemble the perfect toy, our body can get worn out.  Here are a few stretches to help bring our bodies back into balance. Enjoy!

For the baker:

• Flowing Chair – From Mountain pose, inhale and lift your arms overhead. Exhale as you sink into chair. Make sure your knees stay stacked over your ankles and sit back into your hips & heels.  Continue 6-8 times, with the option to hold Chair for a few breaths.
• Modified Downward Dog – Place your hands on your countertop or kitchen island and walk back until you’ve made an “L” shape with your body. Make sure your feet are hip width apart and your ears are next to your biceps.  Gaze at the floor and breathe, trying to lengthen the spine. Hold for 4-6 breaths.

For the card writer:

• Thumb Slides – Open your hands with your palms facing you.  Place your thumbs at the base of your pinkie finger and slide the thumb up to the tip of that finger and back down.  Continue this moving to the ring, middle and index finger.  Then go back the other way beginning with the index finger.  Repeat.
• Fists & Jazz Hands – Make fists with both hands and then spread the fingers wide in “jazz hands”.  Repeat 6-8 times.
• Chest Expansion – Seated, place your hands on your chair near your hips and gently lift your sternum and chest.  Hold for 4 breaths, continuing to draw the shoulders down and the shoulder blades toward each other.

For the gift assembler & wrapper:

• Cat & Cow – You can do this stretch on all 4’s, standing or seated. As you inhale, draw your shoulders down from the ears and reach the sternum forward, gently arching the back. As you exhale reverse the motion, drawing your navel toward the spine, chin toward the chest, rounding the back. Repeat 6-8 times, keeping a steady pace.
• Flows – From all 4’s, try one of these pose flows (4-6 times):
  • Childs Pose – Modified Plank (on your knees) – Yoga Pushup (elbows tucked in, lowering just to where shoulders are even with elbows) – Childs Pose
  • Downward Dog – Plank – Downward Dog
  • Downward Dog – lift R leg behind and swing through to Low Lunge (keeping hands on the floor & making sure the front knee is over the ankle) – exhale back to Downward Dog.  Reverse with left leg. Repeat 3 more times on each side.

Top 10 Reasons to Keep Up the Yoga (& other healthy habits) during the Holidays

1.  The holidays can be very stressful. Taking just an hour for you can rejuvenate and refresh you so that you are able to enjoy the season amid the crazy.

2.  Calming stretches and relaxation exercises can help us sleep better.

3. When we exercise, our body releases endorphins which make us feel great — a perfect cure for those holiday blues.

4.  Heart-lifting poses in yoga help to keep our immune system strong.

5.  After 1 minute of Dolphin Plank (& other core strengtheners), there’s no guilt with that pumpkin pie.

6. Those deep breathing relaxation exercises might come in handy preparing for the big family get-together’s.

7.  Cat & Cow and Spinal Balance will stretch & strengthen your low back as you’re lifting those holiday decorations from the basement.

8.  With yoga, our awareness of our body increases, which can help us with mindful eating at those holiday parties.

9.  During our yoga class, we work on being right here – in the moment. What a great thing to apply this holiday season…to be present in the moments of the season.

10.  No need for lengthy New Year’s Resolution lists this year….you’re already taking care of you!

Withdrawing from the noise

Last week and this past weekend, I was in a 4-day yoga training exploring more advanced poses and the history/philosophies of yoga.  Overall, it was just what I needed — time to be a student again and connect with other yoga folks from around the country.

On Day 3, as we broke for lunch, I was surprised to find that my shoes were missing (as in traditional yoga studios, students leave their shoes outside of the yoga room).  There was a pair that looked like my shoes, but did not feel like my shoes and were in a different place than where I left them.  Trying to apply these philosophies of  “letting go” and not having unhealthy attachments (I was attached to these shoes – they were so comfortable),  I calmly slipped my feet into someone else’s shoes for the day…

That afternoon the instructor led us on a sense withdrawal walk around the neighborhood of the studio.  Some of you may be wondering about sense withdrawal or pratyhara as it’s known in sanskrit.  Essentially, it involves separating ourselves from all of the things that overstimulate and distract our minds.  Going for a week without TV would be one way to withdraw.  Or driving to work without the radio.  For a more intense example, maybe going on a silent retreat.  For us, on a cold Saturday afternoon, it involved a completely silent walk around a neighborhood in the midwest.  When we limit one sense, our other senses step up and become more acute.  So, normally we walk along and talk with a friend or have our iPod going with our favorite music and we tend to miss what’s around us.

On this walk, I began still feeling the discomfort of the yoga shoe bandit’s shoes (yes, I’m sure she didn’t intentionally take my shoes – but I like the sound of yoga shoe bandit).   Then, I tried to practice what I always preach about acknowledging and letting go….  I started to really see, hear and feel what was before me – modest, quaint homes, the hum of traffic as we approached a busy street, the rustle of leaves.  I felt the cold, crisp air and the change to a more persistent wind as we turned the corner.  The smell of comfort food from the nearby pub wandered into my brain and made me re-think my lunch choice (mine was too healthy).  I noticed details that I usually don’t see.  And some of those details brought back memories and inspired new thoughts.

I’d encourage you this time of year to find some time to turn inward.  It doesn’t have to be a silent walk, but some way for us to tune out the noise and distraction of our hectic lives.  When we allow our minds to be quiet and still, you might be amazed by what you experience.

As far as the shoes go, still no word from the bandit.  I guess I have some shoe shopping in my future….

Gratitude All Year Long

We just returned from celebrating Thanksgiving and the 90th birthday of my husband’s grandfather.  It was a nice time just being with family that we don’t get to see very often (and some I had never met before).  We had a good mix of activities, dinners and normal everyday tasks.  Even did a little living room yoga with my nieces…(it’s amazing how flexible 5 and 8 year olds are!)

Thanksgiving and milestone birthdays evoke feelings of nostalgia and gratitude.  Reflecting on past holidays & events, remembering those no longer with us and cherishing the moments and people right before us.  But how do we keep the spirit of gratitude alive all year long and from day to day?   I have a childhood friend who often updates her facebook status with “I am thankful for…” throughout the year.   I love that. It’s a simple thing, but something that keeps gratitude in the forefront…

I looked up “grateful” in the dictionary and found this:

warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received

Many express thanks or gratitude in prayer, in journals or directly to the special people in our life.  But do we live that way everyday? Even in the tough times…when it’s challenging to find something to be grateful for?

I know at times I can be a “glass half empty” person…not seeing the good, and only seeing that which could be better or needs improvement.  There are so many lessons of gratitude that can be learned from a yoga practice.  For me, one important lesson is acceptance.  Accepting what is.  In class, that might mean accepting my physical abilities and limitations or accepting thoughts and concerns as they enter the mind.  In life, it might mean accepting challenges and circumstances before me, or accepting that there are some things that cannot be undone, changed or controlled.   It also means accepting life’s simple, endearing moments and finding gratitude in the good. Not just in November, but all year long.

Yoga and Deer Hunting

The following post is from one of my favorite clients Pat Perry, CEO, trail runner, vegan, yogi and deer hunter…thanks, Pat for sharing with us!

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Yoga & Deer Hunting….Most unlikely combination?  Maybe.  Add to that, I am a vegan with the only exception being wild game.  Hence the deer hunting.

I took last Thursday and Friday off work.  My goal was to spend each day alone, sun up to sun down, in my tree stand.  I chose these days because this time of year is peak for deer activity and also because the forecast called for a beautiful fall weekend.  When I say I am in the tree stand all day, what I mean is  I only allow myself an hour or so to come down, stretch, take care of other business in the woods and then climb back up until dark.  Think of an all day drive in your car, only you must sit very, very still and turn off the radio.  At times this can become what I would describe as a sort of meditation.

This last Thursday I climbed down at roughly noon, started stretching a little, and before you knew it, my yoga teacher Heidi – was right there with me, guiding me through an entire routine.  I set my bow and release down, took off my outer layers and my pack and did a solid 50 minutes of yoga.  Then the best part, of course, Savasana.  I laid down in the middle of the forest and closed my eyes.  I heard Heidi’s voice “thoughts will come into your head, let them go.  Relax your jaw”.  I just laid there in the sun, on the leaf covered bare earth, with the breeze blowing through me, I felt like I was moving with the earth and clouds.  Not your stereotypical image of a deer hunter I know.

Then I took a nap.  What an awesome, peaceful, experience.  After waking, I lay there a few more minutes, maybe 15, and then climbed back up the tree where I sat in total bliss until evening.  I guess I’m an enlightened deer hunter.  If I belonged to a hunting club, I would likely be kicked out for life.

Thank you, Heidi.

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Check out Pat’s Blog: www.energycreatesenergy.blogspot.com