Making Time for Your Yoga Practice

How do we make time for our yoga practice?

My Winter Home Yoga Space

It's different for each person.  Here are a few thoughts on the question:

1)  Join a class and put this time on your calendar as an "appointment with yourself" for your mental, physical and spiritual health.  If you can't go to a local class, do a free internet class with my favorite virtual teacher:  Melissa West.  She has over 400 free classes on her website and YouTube Channel.

2)  Set up an area in your home where you can either leave your mat out all the time, or rolled up nearby.  Take a look at your day-to-day schedule and find even just 15 to 30 minutes a day that you can dedicate this time as your "me" time.

3)  At work, periodically do some stretches both standing and sitting to loosen up the body.

4)  Standing in line at Walmart, or the grocery store, etc. practice balancing on one leg or the other.  Practice breath awareness.  Become aware of your posture and your core.

5)  While doing the dishes, laundry or other "chores", practice breath awareness and being fully in the present moment - completely aware of what you are doing.  Think about who will benefit from this activity - yourself, your significant other or children - and think about how this act of service is an act of love for those persons.

Just some thoughts.  How do you make time for your yoga practice?

Namaste,
Carrie

"Yoga takes you into the present moment - the only place that life exists."  Unknown Author

My Summertime Yoga Space

Opening Our Hearts to Gratitude

For the month of November 2015, during our yoga classes at The Jones Center, we will celebrate the Thanksgiving Season by Opening Our Hearts to Gratitude.  What is Gratitude?  According to the Dictionary, gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  Let’s dedicate our November yoga classes to the mindful cultivation of gratitude.  The historical origin of the word ‘gratitude’ is the Latin word gratus which means thankfulness. In India the word for gratitude is Pranam which literally means ‘to offer up all of one’s parts.’ 

Research has shown many benefits for practicing gratitude:

• Gratitude brings us happiness: Through research by Emmons, happiness expert Sonja Lyubomirsky, and many other scientists, practicing gratitude has proven to be one of the most reliable methods for increasing happiness and life satisfaction; it also boosts feelings of optimism, joy, pleasure, enthusiasm, and other positive emotions.
• On the flip side, gratitude also reduces anxiety and depression.
• Gratitude is good for our bodies: Studies by Emmons and his colleague Michael McCullough suggest gratitude strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces symptoms of illness, and makes us less bothered by aches and pains. It also encourages us to exercise more and take better care of our health.
• Grateful people sleep better: They get more hours of sleep each night, spend less time awake before falling asleep, and feel more refreshed upon awakening.
• Gratitude makes us more resilient: It has been found to help people recover from traumatic events, including Vietnam War veterans with PTSD.
• Gratitude strengthens relationships: It makes us feel closer and more committed to friends and romantic partners. When partners feel and express gratitude for each other, they each become more satisfied with their relationship. Gratitude may also encourage a more equitable division of labor between partners.
• Gratitude promotes forgiveness—even between ex-spouses after a divorce.
• Gratitude makes us “pay it forward”: Grateful people are more helpful, altruistic, and compassionate.
• Gratitude is good for kids: When 10-19 year olds practice gratitude, they report greater life satisfaction and more positive emotion, and they feel more connected to their community.

Gratitude is good for schools: Studies suggest it makes students feel better about their school; it also makes teachers feel more satisfied and accomplished, and less emotionally exhausted, possibly reducing teacher burnout.

So, let's focus on the things in our lives that we can be grateful for this month, and feel our explode with Thankfulness!

Om Shanti, Peace

Carrie

Gong Relaxation Anyone?

Last Saturday, I attended my second "Gong Relaxation" at It'z OK Yoga Studio.  If you want to experience a deeply relaxing, meditative state, attend one or more of these sessions with Pat Talbot.

So what is gong relaxation?  The gong (example below): 

is an ancient instrument.  The healing vibrations it produces have been used around the world. Listeners can benefit in many ways, including stilling the mind and strengthening the nervous system to effectively deal with daily, stressful situations.  All participants need to do is relax comfortably on their mats and breath deeply to experience sound healing.   Here's a link to a really informative website about gong therapy:  Gong Sound Healing.

The sessions at It'z OK Yoga studio usually last for an hour and a half.  The first few minutes are spent in focusing on our breathing and some gentle stretching that helps the nervous system to prepare for the sound vibration.  Then participants relax stretched out on our mats in Shivasana (final relaxation pose) with eye pillows (often scented with lavendar) and absorb the sound of the gong for the next 45 minutes.  I had no idea what the gong would sound like - actually I thought it would be very quiet.  In reality, it can be quiet and then build to a fairly loud sound.  Each sound vibration merges into the next.  It's a really cool sound!  At first, there is the tendency to fidget on your mat, and for the mind to flit from one thought to the next, but then things settle down and that's when the relaxation starts.   At the end, we spend a few minutes enjoying our feelings of relaxation and well-being while sipping on some delicious Yogi Tea, homemade by Pat, while talking amongst ourselves.

Each time you experience a gonging session, you may have a different experience.  The first time I went, I had no trouble at all letting go of the thoughts jumping here and there, and truly relaxing.  Towards the end, I had a sensation of a warm blanket gently covering my body - but there was no blanket there.  This last time, I felt a lot of involuntary muscle twitching and jerking going on.  Some say this is a sign of your body letting go of some concern or worry.  I have to agree, that this was exactly what was happening as I had gone through two medical tests in the two weeks before, which had turned out to be fine.  My intention that I had set at the beginning of the gong session was gratitude for health, so, now I feel like I've totally let go of the worry and LIFE IS GOOD!!  

If you are interested in going with me to a gong relaxation, let me know.  The next one is Saturday, October 19th at 3 pm.  (I probably won't make it to this one as it is Craft Fair Weekend).  Then another on Sunday, October 27th at 3 pm.

September is National Yoga Month

The month of September is National Yoga Month!  Yah!!!  If you've never tried yoga, maybe this is the month for you.

Yoga has become very popular in Northwest Arkansas, and I'm happy to be a part of this movement.  It has now been about a year since I first tried yoga, and was hooked immediately.  So much so, that I started taking classes towards my Yoga Alliance 200-Hr RYT designation.  After becoming "certified" in Yoga and Indoor Cycling through Fitour, I chose YogaFit as my training source for continued yoga study.  YogaFit allows me to spread my training out over time, which allows me to practice what I learn at each training, building proficiency, and not forcing my body to do things that, at age 53, may be more challenging than to a 20-something body.  Another benefit of taking longer to achieve the 200-Hr designation is I can spread out the cost of training.  Since starting with YogaFit in January 2013, I have now completed four of the eleven classes required for the 200-Hr RYT designation.

If you are looking to try yoga, the Bella Vista POA offers classes at Branchwood, Riordan Hall, and Metfield (beginning Sept 10!).  You can go to the Bella Vista POA website under "Recreation", then click on the clubhouse you are interested in to find classes and times.   There are also a number of studios and gyms in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville where you can practice yoga.

One can always practice at home too!  The beauty of home practice is you choose the time.  There a tons of free yoga classes on the Internet and on YouTube in particular.  One of my favorites on YouTube is  Dr. Melissa West.  She has beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes and all kinds in between.  A neat iPhone app I found is Yogify.  This app has several free classes, and you can choose to buy more at a reasonable cost.

Bottom line, the key to maintaining a regular practice is finding a time, a location, a price, and a style that you enjoy.

Peace and Namaste'
Carrie

Be Here Now

Recently I finished reading Be Here Now by Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert), written in 1971.  The edition I purchased is the Nook e-reader enhanced version, complete with the reproductions of the author's handwritten text and illustrations.  Thankfully, there is a transcription of the handwritten writings, as I cannot tell which direction to turn my Nook to read some of the drawings/writings!  The author was obviously under the influence of LSD or some such mind-altering drug when he did the original writing.  I didn't let that scare me off though!   Notwithstanding the books idiosyncrasies in style, it does have a lot of good ideas.   In fact, I actually quite liked the book.

I often struggle with trying to do too many things at once, with the result that none of the things I'm working on get my full attention.  Sometimes, my husband has made me realize that I wasn't REALLY listening to what he was saying, since I could not respond to his question or statement - my mind was somewhere else.  If anything, this book has awakened more awareness that I need to BE HERE NOW more often than not.  Give my full attention to the person I am talking with.  Give my full attention to the recipe I am preparing.  Yoga helps us to return to the NOW by focusing on our breath and noticing how we feel in different asanas.  

Miracle Cure for Foot Cramps?

Periodically I suffer from cramping toes and calves.  A strenuous in-door cycling class or long bike ride will bring on the curling toes even though I drink gatorade during these activities.  Many times in the middle of the night, I'll be jolted out of sleep by a foot cramp that sends me springing out of bed like a jack-in-the-box to relieve the cramping.  Sometimes even in Yoga class the cramps will come, especially in sitting poses with the feet straight under you as during Child's Pose.   After a recent Yoga class with Barbara Steiper at NOFO Wellness, I asked her if she knew of anything I could do to relieve this problem.  Her immediate answer was "four ounces of tonic water before bed"!  Wonder of wonders, it works!  Little did I know that tonic water contains a small amount of quinine.  My uncle Loy, "Taterhead", used to pop quinine tablets for his leg cramps.  Apparently, quinine is not available without prescription these days, and the FDA apparently hasn't figured out how to regulate tonic water - a lot of gin and tonic drinkers would get mad!  

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Yoga classes taught by Barbara Steiper at NOFO Wellness Center in Cutchogue, NY.  She has enlightened my understanding and positioning for several asanas (poses). One example is the wide-leg straddle forward fold.  In this position, the feet should be in a wide stance straddled position with the toes pointed inward in a definite pigeon-toed fashion.   Then, the key to lowering the body closer and closer toward the floor is in the legs - actually engaging and twisting the inner thigh inward, allowing the lower back to release down closer to the floor.  With Barbara's coaching, I felt a definite difference in how this feels using this technique.

Another fun posture is used to prepare one for handstand (someday).  We place our palms on a wall at shoulder height, then move them down one palm length.  Then walk our legs back until we can drop our head, shoulders opening toward one another, pressing into our palms.  Actively pressing our weight into our palms, all the while visualizing and mentally feeling how a handstand will feel.  Wonderful!

Monday will be my last class at NOFO Wellness as the student, then it's back to reality in Arkansas.  I'm hoping my Yoga class at Highlands at the Crossing will have enough students signed up to actually have the class.   I'm looking forward to teaching again!!

Give Love

"Give Love" - my new favorite yogi music is by MC Yogi and is just so HAPPY!   The artists' music style is a little hip-hop/reggae/Bollywood/dub style.   I downloaded several of his songs from FreeGal Music via the Bentonville Public Library website (free and legal!!).   I do still love music by Snatam Kaur for listening to during my practice, but it's always nice to have a variety of music on hand for whatever mood hits ya.

Monday's yoga class in Cutchoque, NY was my last session with Wendy.  She will not be back until May and by then I'll be back in Arkansas.  During her class, as part of our initial relaxation and focusing, she had us roll our blankets into a tootsie roll shape and then we lay on top of the rolled mat, vertically, placing one end of the mat at the base of our spine and the other at our head.  Then we simply let our arms hang at our sides allowing gravity to open up our chest, allowing our shoulder blades to come towards each other.  This was a wonderful feeling!  After a few moments in this pose, we drew our knees to our chest and rocked gently back and forth while trying to stay on top of the rolled mat. Very nice stretch!

Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather finally warmed up enough to take our Grandson hiking at several nature preserve areas on Long Island and Block Island.  It's a challenge these days to get kids away from their "electronics", and so important to do so, I feel.  He enjoyed the hikes, and we enjoyed watching him being an almost 10-year old boy throwing rocks and using sticks as swords, etc. as boys will do.

Finally, my review of "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller.  When I started the book, I thought "Oh, this is going to be dark and depressing like "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy".  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it much more hopeful and contemplative all-in-all.  Some reviewers don't like the writers style in this book - it is choppy, often lacking punctuation.  I found the style to be fitting given  what the narrator, Hig, has been through.  It is scary to consider some of the events in the story that led to the apocalyptic end - to think about the damage humankind is even now causing the earth.  Could we actually come to this?  What's also amazing to me is that the vast majority of people just don't care...they continue to over consume and pollute.  The best parts of this book are the relationships - how they develop and change, and the love and compassion that is still there in the end.  I definitely recommend this book.

Peace,
Carrie

"Love One Another as Christ Loves Us" - John 13:34-35

"Only love can cure hatred, hatred never cured hatred."  - Buddha

A New Respect for Tadasana Pose

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a yoga class from the third different teacher here in the Greenport, NY area.  This particular teacher has practiced yoga for over 20 years and teaches in Manhattan and SoHo as well as Cutchogue, NY.  Wow!  This was a great class!  The teacher began by  dimming the lights in the room and having the class start in "Legs Against the Wall" pose.  She told us that this is in the Iyengar style of yoga.  We were to quiet our minds and focus on our breath, keeping our legs straight.  Then we flexed our toes towards our face - and that's when the toe cramps hit me.  I tried to concentrate on my foot muscles, telling them to relax.  Eventually, it did get better.  

Throughout the class the teacher spoke of the philosophy of yoga - the eight limbs of yoga and especially the yamas and niyamas.  All of the asanas (poses) were attained in a very mindful, controlled manner.   The teacher demonstrated a little, circulated the room most of the time, making gentle adjustments in students postures as needed.  

We spent a good bit of time focusing on our Tadasana (Mountain Pose).  Focusing on grounding our feet, lifting our hearts, pulling our shoulder blades (wings) towards each other, and using our hands and fingers to form the gyan mudra (mudra of knowledge).  Mudras are sacred gestures somewhat comparable to Catholic and Christian gestures like the crossing of your heart and praying hands (anjali mudra).  To form the gyan mudra, touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger, with the other three fingers stretched out.  The outstretched fingers that point toward the ground channel the flow of prana (energy or life force) into our bodies upwards from the earth.  The tip of the thumb correlates to the pituitary and endocrine glands.  When you press the centers of the thumb with the index finger the two glands work actively.  When practiced regularly, the gyan mudra increases memory power and sharpens the brain, enhances concentration and prevents insomnia, and relieves psychological disorders like hysteria, anger and depression.  All I can say, is I definitely have a greater respect and understanding of the seemingly simple Tadasana pose.

The one thing I didn't care for in this class was some of her music - "Edelweiss" was one of her selections - it made it harder for me to focus on my breathing and posture because I kept thinking about the movie "The Sound of Music"!

Next posting I should have a review of the book I'm currently reading - "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller.  

Since this blog is about books as well as Yoga, I must share what I am reading right now.  Growing up, I don't know how I ever missed reading the "Anne of Green Gables" series by L.M. Montgomery.  A dear friend of mine, Lynette, told me how she had recently enjoyed reading the series and then watching the movie versions as well.  Soooo, I started by downloading the audio book from Library2Go through my local library.  This book is so cute!  It's quite wholesome, old-fashioned, and just sunny in how it reads.  It reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Little Orphan Annie" combined.  It is very easy reading, and I love Anne's saying "there's so much scope for imagination" in certain situations and locations she finds herself in.

The other book that I am currently reading is "Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi" by Brian Leaf.  Subtitled "My Humble Quest to Heal My Colitis, Calm My ADD and Find the Key to Happiness".  I am loving this book!  The author is quite humorous as he guides the reader through his journey to do exactly what he describes in his subtitle.  As someone who has an auto-immune arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and occasional IBS (I know - too much information!), I too, am hoping that Yoga will "cure" my afflictions.  This much I can say - Yoga does help - a lot!

My husband and I just arrived Monday on Long Island for a visit with our son, future daughter-in-law, and grandson.  We are staying on the North Fork of the Island where they are blessed with a multitude of wineries (so far we've visited 5 in 2 days).  The scenery is beautiful - vineyards, old homes, waterfronts, ocean,  - all good stuff!  Nothing at all like New York City - more like home - only different.  The very first day we arrived, even before getting the keys to our lodging - we signed up for unlimited classes and use of a local fitness center.  So far, we have attended two indoor cycling classes.  We got some new music ideas to take back to my husbands' spinning class.  Tomorrow, I am going to try out a Yoga Studio that teaches in the Ashtanga style.  I am mostly familiar with Hatha Yoga, so I'm looking forward to this adventure.

Everyone in this area of Long Island has been so nice and friendly.  We are hoping for a little warmer weather soon,  although I'm thankful that it has been sunny!   I am missing our cat, Lynxie, and I'm so thankful to our next door neighbor and my Dad who will be checking on her frequently.  Well, that's all for now.

Namaste',
Carrie