 One class.
In just one class so much work, thought and preparation goes into it. Pu-er tea is constantly brewed. Notebook always out. This one is almost filled up with yoga and pilates notes. For a 90 minute class, I spend around 3 hours added to that 90 minutes in prepping. Most our students are an integral part of our community and are well known. I think about who is joining us in one class and adjust according to them, in their moment. I say moment because we are all constantly changing. Music sometimes helps set the mood for the class prep. If I need a push for pilates, I play German Industrial Techno. Today's mood is Nils Frahm - a lovely modern pianist.
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 To make the best out of life, we need balance.
Fear can be used as a good motivator if one is aware and conscious of their fears. If we allow the mind to get carried away with fear, then there is no balance. A lot of the times fear is coming from someone else's cycle; a pattern placed onto your head that you can not even own. Stand strong. Stand steady. Stand like a mountain. Think for yourself! Create beauty! In preparation for the studio opening soon, I wanted to make something to cover the wires, electrical plugs and other electronics. It's not nice for me to look at these things when I'm teaching so I don't think it's nice for my students to practice with this eye sore. With Heiko's help, I made a cabinet to hide everything. Creating from the heart all day was nothing less than fun!!! There are many fad diet ideas out there and I have heard about apple cider vinegar as a cure all. I chose to dig a bit and to see if I could find any scientific studies on the effects the fermented apples had on the body. I found the video above from Dr. Eric Berg DC. He goes into details of how ACV effects you.
Straight to the point: I have been drinking the vinegar every day for over a week now and I CAN feel a difference! The acid reflux is completely gone. I am not as bloated - can see the tightening all over my body and that nasty cold virus that has been passing around to everyone barely graced me with it's presence. This is just in one week!!! As a fellow yogini, I care about my 'vehicle's' strength and vitality! This is how I have drank it: *In the morning on a completely empty stomach (the first day the taste didn't agree with me) *I use 1 tsp in a large glass of water. I want to start slow. Dr. Berg recommends 1 Tablespoon. *A few days ago I discovered squeezing fresh lemon into sparkling water makes the vinegar actually taste good! Like a yummy Kombucha drink! Maybe I'm dreaming, but it did help with the taste tremendously. I'd like to thank Dr. Berg for the free and straight forward information he shares to the public. He has many videos on health topics. Please check his channel out on You tube. If you try ACV, please leave a comment and let me know the results.  Knowing the asana's Sanskrit name is critical for the student to further their practice. Languages change over years. It's a natural progression. If we were to chat with an English speaker who lived 300 years ago, both of us would not understand each other though we are speaking the same language. Sanskrit however has not changed. The importance in Sanskrit not changing is in the meaning of the sounds a word makes. The form it creates. One asana can take a lifetime of study to possibly fully understand it. Take pascimottanasana for example. It's an 'eastern stretch' and in my own study of the pose and study of the injuries the pose has given; it's a back stretch, not the hamstrings. The meaning is in the Sanskrit. Tradition has us practice yoga facing the morning sun. The back in a forward bend is facing East. Think about it for yourself and leave your comments below.
Thank you 'Yoga Notes' for this really cute meme. Their link: https://evalotta.shop/collections/yoga  Mycro: Malaysian (MY) Canine Rescue Opportunity
Ahimsa is one of the ethical codes a yoga practitioner studies and tries to incorporate into every aspect of their life. It's the absence of violence in thought, word and action to loosely translate the meaning. It's a practice that unfolds and reveals the meaning to the practitioner. Ahimsa does NOT mean to foster weakness and to NOT fight when necessary because there are times when we as humans must make a choice to harm in order to protect. Almost 9 years ago I found a wet, screaming, unidentifiable, pink thing being eaten alive by a few different species of jungle ants. The stinging black ones were easy to get off but the cutter species had latched on and required pliers to pull off. The pink think was as small as my palm, maybe 3 inches long. The umbilical cord was still wet like it had been chewed just 15 minutes before I came upon the scene. All cleaned up, a new born puppy emerged. As I walked out of the jungle, I had a choice to make: do I put the being back into the bushes, walk away allowing nature to take over or do I go straight to the grocery to find a itty bitty baby bottle and some goats milk. I'm a nomad. I have not been in one place longer than 5 years and live in apartments. How am I to raise a dog? They are like children. They need proper education and a lot of time/guidance from parents. The former choice was a selfish one. Who am I to choose what being can live or die. I thought long about Ahimsa and my actions. Almost 9 years later I am still the steward of my furry companion. He is always there on my yoga matte growling or whining. The act of Ahimsa years ago gave me a companion for life. Someone who is always there for me even in the darkest of times. Mycro is one of the most influential yoga teachers I have had in this lifetime. He has changed my life for the better-made me a better human. How do you make selfless sacrifices? Or how do you adjust yourself on a daily basis to think, speak and act from a compassionate heart? Bunny hops are great!
A student asked me the other day why do we do bunny hops? I prefer them over using one leg to swing up. I found in my own body that swinging up on one leg (though I change sides) for many years has caused an imbalance on the left side of my back. The hips are not as stable. They move to a crooked position. I prefer the challenge of the balanced jump from 2 legs. It takes lower back and ab strength to nail it. I also find jumping into handstands turns my mood around. They can be up lifting. Use your yoga matte! It can be your best friend. Get on your yoga matte and at least do one asana per day in between classes to make you feel good. Over the decades I have seen beginners of yoga to advanced practitioners impact their lower backs and hang off the deltoids without any structural integrity while on their yoga mattes while performing chaturanga dandasana and urdhva mukha svanasana while practicing Vinyasa. Just like the repetitive motion of swinging the racket in tennis can cause tennis elbow, any repetitive movement in yoga can cause pain, suffering and injury.
Putting the hands up on blocks seem to give the practitioner more space to move within. I also like the way movement on the blocks develops observation and awareness of the self. Yoga props are wonderful for vinyasa, astanga or any form of yoga for that matter! What do you think? Please leave your questions and comments below. We train on blocks a lot in class. If you are interested in learning this method, send a pm. |
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July 2020
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