Sometimes during yoga we feel the energy of the group. A teacher is guiding us, we almost don't have to think, allowing our ears to send signals to the brain which then sends magestic instructions down many nerves in our body. Does yoga at class and yoga at home or by oneself feel different? Of course. Because we must be the guide, making the decision to take the next step. It's really quite a different concept. If you would like to do a yoga class on your own, I recommend the following format as a really rough guide. Let your decisions and desires truly make the practice your own.
Warm up. Find something that is gentle, but brings energy to the back and limbs:
cow/cat
extended spinal balance (where your raise opposite arm and leg)
flowing bridge (on back, raising and lowering hips with knees bent)
sunflowers/moonflowers
Action time. Do some sun salutations, with high or low energy, always taking childs if you want it, not feeling any need to keep pace, or maybe blowing your old pace out of the water, YOU decide.
Strengthen. Try some powerful warriors, I, II, III, maybe throw in triangle, reverse warrior, pyramid. Try to listen to your body and see what it craves, maybe your arms need to power and you seek planks, downdog, or do you feel like inverting? Legs up the wall, handstand, and shoulderstand are all great options.
Balance. Seek tree, eagle, dancer, half moon, maybe try a few linked together on a side, if you feel like one at a time is no longer as challenging.
Release. Pursue some gentle stretching, wide angle, twists, pigeon, slowing down.
Relax. Do you usually relax 2 minutes? Try 10. Normally 15, maybe try 5 and see if it's different.
Bottom line: Yoga is unlimited in its expression, and you have the power to make it your own, and make it what you need right then and there.
Namaste,
Kat
7.21.2009
7.12.2009
Yoga and Robots
What do you think of when you hear the word robot? Roomba, R2D2, Hal? Something that can't think for itself comes to my mind, maybe no ethics. Something not alive, yet maybe it has some sort of intelligence. I recently attended a teacher training where we put together a robot, and programmed it as well. I was intrigued but not enraptured by the complex connection of small pieces over and over as a structure emerged that could carry out a variety of functions. It could roll around, sense distance through IR and ultrasound sensors, even avoid obstacles and certain surfaces. In fact, we could use a computer program to deliver a list of complex commands that it could carry out for while, til the battery ran down. Even with all this ability, I was struck by how much more complex the human mind and body are, and how we are very far from ever creating a machine that can closely mimic our dynamic organic state. Thank goodness.
Why do we create robots? To explore, work, carry out tasks impossible or distasteful to humans. Maybe wander around the moon, repetitive tasks in a factory, or other jobs that are relatively simple and dangerous. I'm not sure we as a society are asking all the important questions though, just because we can, should we? Replacing human jobs with machines might save some money, but it also puts someone out of work. Traveling to the moon and mars are fine and maybe an interesting challenge, but it costs millions of dollars and we have a huge number of problems to deal with on this planet before we start exporting humans and our civilization around the universe. Why does war drive so much research? That's a question for another day.
I noticed at the conference how people are sometimes nice to each other but often they can also be pretty confrontational, bossy, or just downright mean. Perhaps each of us has some inner work as well, before we strive to make further progress as a civilization forging out of the atmosphere. When people in Africa are being ripped out of their houses and raped, burned and tortured (as I discussed with one fellow attendee about his home country of Kenya), and other atrocities are being played out by the second, is it good for our focus to be outside this little blue planet and all our terrible problems of violence? I'm not sure. I know that yoga has helped me to be a better person and I know I still have far to go. I work hard each day to be kind, to share what I can with others, to give what I can to those that have less than I do, to teach students that weren't born with the security and love and support that I have had my whole life. I will continue to practice yoga, and give what I can, and work to be kind and considerate, without blowing small stuff out of proportion. Because honestly, most of us are so fortunate to have what we do, I believe it is our universal duty to give back.
Namaste,
Kat
Why do we create robots? To explore, work, carry out tasks impossible or distasteful to humans. Maybe wander around the moon, repetitive tasks in a factory, or other jobs that are relatively simple and dangerous. I'm not sure we as a society are asking all the important questions though, just because we can, should we? Replacing human jobs with machines might save some money, but it also puts someone out of work. Traveling to the moon and mars are fine and maybe an interesting challenge, but it costs millions of dollars and we have a huge number of problems to deal with on this planet before we start exporting humans and our civilization around the universe. Why does war drive so much research? That's a question for another day.
I noticed at the conference how people are sometimes nice to each other but often they can also be pretty confrontational, bossy, or just downright mean. Perhaps each of us has some inner work as well, before we strive to make further progress as a civilization forging out of the atmosphere. When people in Africa are being ripped out of their houses and raped, burned and tortured (as I discussed with one fellow attendee about his home country of Kenya), and other atrocities are being played out by the second, is it good for our focus to be outside this little blue planet and all our terrible problems of violence? I'm not sure. I know that yoga has helped me to be a better person and I know I still have far to go. I work hard each day to be kind, to share what I can with others, to give what I can to those that have less than I do, to teach students that weren't born with the security and love and support that I have had my whole life. I will continue to practice yoga, and give what I can, and work to be kind and considerate, without blowing small stuff out of proportion. Because honestly, most of us are so fortunate to have what we do, I believe it is our universal duty to give back.
Namaste,
Kat
7.03.2009
A Poem of Remembrance
During yoga, our emotions often surface, sometimes they can even surprise us. This could occur during a very happy time, with feelings of great bliss washing over us. It might also bring feelings of sadness if we have experienced a loss of some sort and have it on our mind, maybe because of a specific date on the calendar, or because the loss was recent. The poem below was sent to me by my sister, who received it from a friend who lost his dad when he was only 19, he's now 47 and carries it with him always. May it bring you comfort to you for any sort of loss of a loved one that you have experienced.
DEATH is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to
each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name, speak
to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no
difference in your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we
enjoyed together. Let my name be ever the household word that it always
was, let it be spoken without effects, without the
trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the
same as it ever was; there is unbroken continuity. Why
should I be out of mind because I am out of sight ? I am waiting for
you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just
around the corner.
All is well
Henry Scott Holland
1847-1918
Canon of St. Paul Cathedral
Namaste,
Kat
DEATH is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to
each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name, speak
to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no
difference in your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we
enjoyed together. Let my name be ever the household word that it always
was, let it be spoken without effects, without the
trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the
same as it ever was; there is unbroken continuity. Why
should I be out of mind because I am out of sight ? I am waiting for
you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just
around the corner.
All is well
Henry Scott Holland
1847-1918
Canon of St. Paul Cathedral
Namaste,
Kat
6.29.2009
Gentle Yoga
How many times do we focus so intently on something that we absorb tension into the body? We might be typing, painting, knitting, carrying bags, or maybe just having a tough conversation. I think this happens all the time and often without us even realizing it.
What is gentle yoga? Well our usual weekly class is a practice of Hatha Yoga, with a vinyasa (and flowing) component as well. In gentle yoga, the pace of class can slow down, leading to a very thoughtful approach to the postures, and perhaps a chance to work on our alignment, both mentally and physically. We may flow less, and hold each asana for more breaths.
Especially during the hot summer season, you may wish to work on stilling your energy, and cooling ourselves down through more respect given to the yin aspect of yoga is possible. The calmness, steady breathing, and peace of holding still in space and time should not be underestimated. This practice can energize us without overheating, and sooth us into letting go of any tension as our warm muscles feel loose and relaxed. It might also be tough at first.
One concept to really embrace when stretching gently is total relaxation of the body. As we approach a point of gentle tension in the muscles, we can pause here and focus on the breath. For example, if folding forward in staff pose (seated, with both legs together straight out in front of us), we can begin to pause and imagine the feet letting go, the calves, knees and backs of the thighs all simply unengaging, and feeling heavy. We do not want to push further at this point, in fact we might even ease back slightly or adjust the hips and back as needed. If this is practiced, I have had the experience of feeling a release in my legs. At this point it may be possible to gently stretch just a little further, moving very slowly and always easing back if any sort of pain is encountered. This has given me a feeling of relaxation, and I look forward to continuing to explore this aspect of yoga and stretching.
Namaste,
Kat
What is gentle yoga? Well our usual weekly class is a practice of Hatha Yoga, with a vinyasa (and flowing) component as well. In gentle yoga, the pace of class can slow down, leading to a very thoughtful approach to the postures, and perhaps a chance to work on our alignment, both mentally and physically. We may flow less, and hold each asana for more breaths.
Especially during the hot summer season, you may wish to work on stilling your energy, and cooling ourselves down through more respect given to the yin aspect of yoga is possible. The calmness, steady breathing, and peace of holding still in space and time should not be underestimated. This practice can energize us without overheating, and sooth us into letting go of any tension as our warm muscles feel loose and relaxed. It might also be tough at first.
One concept to really embrace when stretching gently is total relaxation of the body. As we approach a point of gentle tension in the muscles, we can pause here and focus on the breath. For example, if folding forward in staff pose (seated, with both legs together straight out in front of us), we can begin to pause and imagine the feet letting go, the calves, knees and backs of the thighs all simply unengaging, and feeling heavy. We do not want to push further at this point, in fact we might even ease back slightly or adjust the hips and back as needed. If this is practiced, I have had the experience of feeling a release in my legs. At this point it may be possible to gently stretch just a little further, moving very slowly and always easing back if any sort of pain is encountered. This has given me a feeling of relaxation, and I look forward to continuing to explore this aspect of yoga and stretching.
Namaste,
Kat
6.21.2009
Ahimsa and DAD
In yoga, most of us start with exposure to the asanas, the actual physical poses and postures that we move through during class. Interestingly, if you continue to explore yoga, you arrive at a place where you discover some of the philosophy behind it, and this can be so fascinating as we move through life and try to understand the complex and at times difficult experiences we are having.
Some of the yamas have particularly been bubbling to the surface of my mind in the last few days, as I go through the extremely difficult experience of losing my dad. One of these is ahimsa and thinking of all the yamas, I think my dad reminds me of this concept most. This word means the absense of cruelty and the strong force of compassion. It can mean "pure love" and selfless service. He was very compassionate, and I always felt that while he was very strong, his spirit had such a gentle component. He could barely bear to hear any of us talk about a scratch or scrape without wincing, our pain was his. Funny though, if you asked him about a cut on his hand, he'd just mutter, "it's nothing", "don't know how I got that".
He had such a friendliness, and would make friends wherever he went, with jokes and stories, and honesty. He loved life very much, and often found a gem of humour to share. In addition, he was so polite to others, being considerate and trying his best to do what was right. In his career, he was improving water quality through science, protecting people from the dangers of water-bourne diseases, seeking to prevent harm.
This concept also relates to duty, and he was very committed to his various jobs in life, with unwaivering focus and without complaint. He loved to run, doing 3 miles daily for most of his life, practicing non-violence towards his body by caring for it. He was there for many many events for each of us five children and his wife, from soccer games, weddings, graduations, car trouble, working in the yard, and taking trips together. He was such a rock for our family, uniting us, so humbly. I will always think of him and his spirit, when I think of ahimsa.
Namaste,
Katherine
Some of the yamas have particularly been bubbling to the surface of my mind in the last few days, as I go through the extremely difficult experience of losing my dad. One of these is ahimsa and thinking of all the yamas, I think my dad reminds me of this concept most. This word means the absense of cruelty and the strong force of compassion. It can mean "pure love" and selfless service. He was very compassionate, and I always felt that while he was very strong, his spirit had such a gentle component. He could barely bear to hear any of us talk about a scratch or scrape without wincing, our pain was his. Funny though, if you asked him about a cut on his hand, he'd just mutter, "it's nothing", "don't know how I got that".
He had such a friendliness, and would make friends wherever he went, with jokes and stories, and honesty. He loved life very much, and often found a gem of humour to share. In addition, he was so polite to others, being considerate and trying his best to do what was right. In his career, he was improving water quality through science, protecting people from the dangers of water-bourne diseases, seeking to prevent harm.
This concept also relates to duty, and he was very committed to his various jobs in life, with unwaivering focus and without complaint. He loved to run, doing 3 miles daily for most of his life, practicing non-violence towards his body by caring for it. He was there for many many events for each of us five children and his wife, from soccer games, weddings, graduations, car trouble, working in the yard, and taking trips together. He was such a rock for our family, uniting us, so humbly. I will always think of him and his spirit, when I think of ahimsa.
Namaste,
Katherine
6.15.2009
Super Superfoods
Steven G. Pratt, MD and Kathy Matthews have coauthored a wonderful book, Superfoods, Rx. Click on the title to visit their wonderful web page, which lists 25 different Superfoods, the list is growing! The unique and unifying factor to these foods is that they can help to prevent or reverse aging and related diseases (according to research), and are simultaneously nutrient rich and mostly low calorie. Each has its own special properties and niche in our health. We probably can't eat them all every day and that's okay! Just pick your favorites and add them in as a healthy snack or meal as often as you can. Your body and mind will thank you! (Especially for that dark chocolate ;) )
The superfoods include:
The superfoods include:
6.11.2009
Recent Reflections
Just a few random thoughts from me recently about life and yoga. Honestly life is so unexpected. A good person I know from college is very sick. One friend of mine is getting married, moving across the country and starting grad school - so many lovely things all at once! Another friend recently took the time off work to lunch with her dear grandmother who is now going through some really serious health issues. A woman I work with helped her mom through surgery, though it was fine, and now some complications are arising. It really just underlines something I really have learned well in my life, but forget from time to time. If there's something you really wanna do, plan it now. Buy and wear that swimsuit, make that call, whatever it is, don't wait too long. Tomorrow is farther away that we expect sometimes, in fact, things change and then it's out of our grasp for good.
Today I listened to a lecture by an engineer. Yoga has really increased my awareness of not only my own breath, but that of others. I noticed his spine is somewhat rolling forward, and each time he spoke, he could barely catch his breath. It was almost painful to me to hear it. I wanted to teach him yoga breathing and help him. But I know people have to be open to things first, and maybe this will never happen for him. I will simply wish him breath and maybe that will help. The day was really cool too. It was a science lab and we hooked up an electrode that measures muscle activity. It was on my bicep and tricep of my right arm. I did a few pushups and also the half series ---> down dog, plank, chatarunga, up dog, down dog with the electrode on my arm. Turns out I mostly used my triceps the whole time. This sort of makes sense anatomically, but got me thinking I will look for some poses that work the biceps too! Many inversions might, I'll have to keep thinkin' on it.
Tonight I was practicing yoga outside with my delightful Thursday night class taught by Emily. She's a yoga poet! The weather was lush from recent rains, the sun peeked out for salutations, a breeze blew cheerily to dry our sweat. I noticed bumblebees zooming busily over the clover, felt slight fear of sting but they were ignoring us oh so well! I saw a nest in a tree, and how my toes look during chatarunga, the two sets of toes bend a little different, interesting, I never saw that before. I feel cozy doing yoga outside, like I'm bathed in the essense of yoga and they are soaking into me all at once. Drenching me in childhood feelings of safeness, peace, the yoga family moving and resting together.
Recently I was getting my eyebrows waxed. I do this every once in a while. It's slightly painful, not too bad but I focused on breathing calmly and imagined ocean waves rolling in. I was somewhat uncontrolled with this mental focusing, but it took hold lightly here and there and I could actually find myself swaying to this other place hazily. I want to work on this and develop it. It would be very useful if I ever have a child and go through that whole birth process thingy. ;)
Namaste,
Kat
Today I listened to a lecture by an engineer. Yoga has really increased my awareness of not only my own breath, but that of others. I noticed his spine is somewhat rolling forward, and each time he spoke, he could barely catch his breath. It was almost painful to me to hear it. I wanted to teach him yoga breathing and help him. But I know people have to be open to things first, and maybe this will never happen for him. I will simply wish him breath and maybe that will help. The day was really cool too. It was a science lab and we hooked up an electrode that measures muscle activity. It was on my bicep and tricep of my right arm. I did a few pushups and also the half series ---> down dog, plank, chatarunga, up dog, down dog with the electrode on my arm. Turns out I mostly used my triceps the whole time. This sort of makes sense anatomically, but got me thinking I will look for some poses that work the biceps too! Many inversions might, I'll have to keep thinkin' on it.
Tonight I was practicing yoga outside with my delightful Thursday night class taught by Emily. She's a yoga poet! The weather was lush from recent rains, the sun peeked out for salutations, a breeze blew cheerily to dry our sweat. I noticed bumblebees zooming busily over the clover, felt slight fear of sting but they were ignoring us oh so well! I saw a nest in a tree, and how my toes look during chatarunga, the two sets of toes bend a little different, interesting, I never saw that before. I feel cozy doing yoga outside, like I'm bathed in the essense of yoga and they are soaking into me all at once. Drenching me in childhood feelings of safeness, peace, the yoga family moving and resting together.
Recently I was getting my eyebrows waxed. I do this every once in a while. It's slightly painful, not too bad but I focused on breathing calmly and imagined ocean waves rolling in. I was somewhat uncontrolled with this mental focusing, but it took hold lightly here and there and I could actually find myself swaying to this other place hazily. I want to work on this and develop it. It would be very useful if I ever have a child and go through that whole birth process thingy. ;)
Namaste,
Kat
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