Down Down Down Dog

It has come to my attention lately that people get down. A lot of people. Smart people, kind people, thoughtful people. No, I don't mean dancing you party animals. I mean sad, low, melancholy, morose, brooding, and depressed. For a lot of us, I think this can occur as we grow up and make our way out to the big wide world, and life isn't exactly what we expected. A relationship ends. A job falls though. Life is rough. We grow up during childhood, and hopefully it's more roses than thorns, those around us try hard for that I believe. I mean to say that as we mature, maybe we feel helpless to determine our path eventually, a bit stuck. Daily stresses can wear us down. This could be anything from in-your-face coworkers, less time to exercise, or dealing with children or aging parents and their difficulties, because their difficulties become ours, because we care about them. Maybe it is also in the social messages we receive. Be thinner, be younger looking ladies, get more muscles and make more money (those are for you guys I know you feel the pressure too). I noticed lately so many fashion magazines offer cures for every BODY. Too curvy? To stick-like? We have a swim suit to fix it! It's sort of like, try for the perfect, but you will NEVER be, because it doesn't really exist (or we would sell less swim suits!). You will just sort of feel miserable I think if you always seek this societal whim of an ideal human. Then there are the big bombshells of life: birth, death, and everything in between. Things that hit us in the stomach and heart so hard that we're not sure we can stand back up, even though we must. And those tender moments hugging our little ones near, for we know with certain dread, they won't be little ones all that long, and life will hit them too. But despite the drear of this post, I do feel lucky to be alive. I treasure this crazy, exhilarating experience of life. I have traveled, tangoed, studied, planted, loved, hated, and grown. And through careful cultivation, I tend to stay on the sunny side of life most of the time. I hold tight to my ups and downs from the past, for in the future, they're what I launch away from, to some new points of wonderful. For those that are down I offer a few humble suggestions.

•  Do something every week to pursue a passion. Art, exercise, dream job? Try to work towards it in some small way. Don't berate yourself. Love yourself and find special moments.
• Try to focus on your insides. Mind, Heart, Will. That's what matters, so listen to what is really being said. Are you exhausted? Take a nap. Are you bored? Plan a trip. Are you sad? Tell someone and get a hug! We are right there with you most likely, or have been there too. Personally, I quit watching creepy, violent movies, or even super sad ones. I go for funny or happy instead. Made me happier!
• Peace, Love, Joy, & Gratitude. Lean towards this whenever you can. If life is pulling you away from these themes, try to focus on one area and build it back up. Volunteer, try a church that you might like (Unitarian if you are not religious), or write a letter to your politician.

And feel free to share what works for you, we are all ears!

Namaste,
Kat

Yo-GLOW!

Why is yoga the best exercise in the world? I am convinced it is one of the best. Why? Mainly because you listen to your body and get a full range of benefits. You want cardio, move faster and flow the whole time. You want strength, plank and push up more, find the deeper expression of lunges and twists. Do you need to just relax? Then go ahead and do that. Yoga gives you what you need, if only you are able to recognize that fact and make your practice what YOU want. In search of weight loss? Maybe the mental calm of yoga will help you make better choices after class (although I admit it might make you feel more hungry too!). Do you want to fight aging? Increased circulation will help skin and vital areas of the body receive better nutrient distribution. The peace you can absorb will combat fatigue and loss of energy. In essense, yoga allows you to use your own body weight as a strength builder, all the while leading to balance as you find your own limits and gently test them over and over. The limits will change over time, with a consistent practice of at least a class a week. Three short sessions a week would be better than just one long session. So throw that mat down somewhere obvious and hop on it when you have 5 minutes to spare. Your body, and mind will thank you with a glow like none other.

Namaste yogis!

Back to Basics

It has come to my attention lately that yoga is growing in KC and the midwest, and a lot of other places for that matter. Just the other night we had to turn people away from my class, there was no more room! I felt really bad about that. So we are adding more times. I believe that this is in part due to the many ways that yoga can serve as a supplemental treatment for many different health concerns. While some are just working to maintain wellness, others have a specific goal for starting a practice. Just in the last few weeks I have talked with several people wanting to try yoga on the advice of their physician that yoga may help with back pain, post-surgery, or in other ways. This becomes a tall order, because all pain is not created equal. Some back discomfort may exist with a desk job or any occupation with extended sitting. Other disorders such as a slipped disc or degenerative disc disorder may involve higher levels of pain. And if you have a loss of range of motion, what can you do to get it back? How can we tailor the practice to each specific case?

Very carefully. Our goal in yoga is to do no harm (we even call it ahimsa), well at least that is my goal as an instructor. I just met a yoga teacher the other day that told me, "I do so much yoga that I have to go to a chiropractor". I was sorry to hear that! While I find myself sore from yoga at times, I do think it overall has helped strengthen and lengthen my muscles, improve my ability to breath through duress, and helped me gain greater body awareness in terms of diet, posture, and alignment. Someone brand new to yoga should take it slow and err on the side of not pushing the practice, in order to see how the experience sits with the back, so to speak. I highly recommend one or two sessions per week for 8 weeks in order to determine if yoga will indeed offer some relief. You may see and feel results more quickly, but if you don't, please don't give up! If a regular class seems or feels to intense, it might be a good idea to try a restorative yoga class. This involves the use of props and very few poses, maybe just a handful that are very comfy and held for a lot longer period of time each. In addition as we address flexibility and strength, other measures such as weight loss, better nutrition, and awareness of posture might be pieces of the puzzles when it comes to your back or joints. Yoga is not a magic bullet. However, I do believe it can work wonders for those that are patient, open-minded, and willing to stick with it for a serious period of exposure in order to learn what is working and what is not. Of course as always, listen to your body, it's pretty good at letting you know what it needs. If that job sitting all day is causing pain, this may be a life changing time to pursue something more active. Be open to what you really need in life, and I strongly believe that life generally will be good to you. Notice, I did not say it will always be easy. There is growth in a struggle. I think most of us have experienced that.

Namaste,

Kat

Trust

To do yoga, you must give yourself a little trust. How else can you let go? Think of other times in life you had to left go. Here are a few that pop into my mind. That moment when I took off down the road with just two wheels on my bike. The day I sat in my dorm room at college, kinda all alone in a new way. You had to trust something. Yourself. This feeling is not always easy to cultivate, and it's possibly stronger in those that have had a lot of support from others, and sometimes maybe also strong in those who have had to be self-reliant as well. It comes from patience and kindness towards yourself, maybe one of the original forms of self-esteem. How have you truly treated yourself with esteem lately? If you haven't, consider how you might. And when you find this feeling, try to bring it to yoga. It's not about perfection, or the best form, or the most bend. It's about letting go.

Namaste,
Kat

New teaching information!

Interested in trying out yoga but not sure where to start? Starting TOMORROW - Tuesday, Jan.15th you can! Anytime Fitness (old church plaza - 105 S. Jefferson St.) in Kearney, 6:30-7:30pm, cost is 5 dollars per person. Wear loose comfortable clothes, bring water, and a mat if you have one.  Hope you see you there! This class will be every Tuesday and I also teach a morning class there the first Saturday of the month 10-11am. (Sat. classes - Feb.2, March 2, April 6, May 4). I also offer personal yoga training, please email for details. Thank you!

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Today

Today. This word holds a great deal of promise, without weighing us down. Limitless things one might accomplish: float, available. Over a string of todays, we arrive at something else, the future. That can be a heavy place, unwieldy, rather hard to grasp. In contrast, today is light and airy, while manageable and succinct. So, go for the spirit of yoga that embraces today, this present. Each morning, cast your mind's eye over today, and bask in the closeness of these series of 24 hours, 1440 minutes, so many moments. A day can really be quite eternal in its own way. Why seek the before or after, when you have the here and now? Here's to embracing this present opportunity. My today involves: a visit to our new home, lunch with family, two happily lounging felines, a sweetly sleeping baby boy tucked amidst his lion and oli dreaming soundly, crickets chirping, and now peace falling over the apartment before my slumber. Namaste, Kat