Yoga made me do it

I yelled and I apologized. I had the worst day and the best. I saw Grace bleed through a moment of connection with the universe in a Mysore hospital as a nervous doctor trembled with a needle making a hole too small for his eyes to see and his hands to handle. We came away laughing and smiling.

--Again the old me knew the new me needed to hope and plan and couldn't handle waiting one day more and I'm so glad I got the days wrong because now I get a happy heart and no goodbyes. --

We reclined side by side on cushions in the dark talking about feeling real human connection and the shadow of the trees outside danced on the wall to the music playing on the battery power. All we hear between our words is the pouring rain. I know it is a distraction. I know I'm running away from myself, but it is amazing and absolutely intoxicating and I'm going to fall into someone else anyway.

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Yoga and Prevention of Sacroiliac Joint Injury

Many yoga participants have had to endure the pain of sacroiliac disfunnyction and injury due to improper approaches to forward bending yoga poses. Dr. Robin Armstrong has posted a new article, Asana Anatomy-The Sacroiliac Joint, which discusses the anatomical processes in some forward bends that cause sacroiliac joint problems.
By bringing awareness to the cause [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Everything is God

This time I'm resting on my back and all I can think of is how amazing it is that I'm lying here. My friend told me that every day she wakes up and thanks God she is here doing this. I thought it was sweet but now I'm feeling it.

A while back before ashtanga I was in corpse pose at the end of a yoga class. I was lying there and feeling my bones touch the ground. I could feel my organs and my flesh and all I could think about was how this is decaying and before I know it I will be dead.

This time I'm thinking about life. How amazing it is to be lying here. My legs work my arms work. I am alive. And even the stupid crap that pisses me off is pretty amazing. Thinking about God or Goddess or universe or whatever makes you think about how much whatever is happening is so small so insignificant and at the same time, it is all that ever existed.

Sharath is amazing. Assisting someone in supta vajrasana is not easy. Usually you sit over their crossed legs and I always have a bit of a challenge applying the right amount of weight. Sharath walks over and places his toes on my shins and I drop back as he stands over me shouting and gesturing with his arms at people around the room. Something big, something small. Looking up he is a giant and I'm so small. It ended with "Bakasana".

In bakasana, you balance on your hands with your knees on the backs of your arms and your knees bent up toward your rear forming you into a little ball. In the second variation of the posture, you have to jump into this position.

So after I get bakasana I'm on my mat thinking about how amazing this is and thinking about God and all that feeling life is this incredible joyous experience. I walk outside. I sit on my bike. I forget how to stand. I fall over and the bike falls with me. The guy with the pushcart that sells oranges laughs. The woman cleaning the driveway of the salon gasps and takes her hands to her cheeks. I laugh and get up and wipe mud off my back. In the end I'm just this ridiculous clown and some falling is just what I needed.

Getting crazy with bakasana:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=abBwccUCFEU

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A good spot

The first class of the day starts around 4:30am. You get a practice time of maybe 4:45 or 5 but everyone knows that means 4:30 if you want to be able to get "your" spot. That's right, the space you like gets permanently assigned to you by Patanjali. Yeah, I'm definitely joking. People get really possessive with their practice spaces. Me? I like to move around. Even more, I like being in the later classes where you take what ever space opens up. I'd like to think that fate picked that spot for me today, thanks. It just has a nice sound to it.

Today I was assigned the space in the back corner next to the dressing room. I thought this would not be funny because I imagined the hoards of people that would be marching in and out of that door. Actually, it was nice. It made me focus even more. My last pose today was my new pose: supta vajrasana. In Supta Vajrasana (which means sleeping or supine thunderbolt pose), you sit on your mat with your legs in a lotus position. Then, you swing your arms behind your back and catch your toes. Someone holds your legs down and you lean back and put your head on the floor behind yourself a few times with some breathing. That's it.

Saraswati came and sat on my legs. It seems funnyny that someone could mess up sitting on your legs, but believe me, there is a proper method and Saraswati had it down. Here is a clip of Guruji assisting someone in Supta Vajrasana at the 2002 Ashtanga Yoga World Tour in New York.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=j2-ga9Zgv94

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Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training

Over the course of 5,000 years, yoga has been developed, studied and passed down from master to student. The yoga master is regarded as the embodiment of the Divine in some schools of yoga. The many branches of yoga have developed because of this manner of teaching. A master or guru, after years of practice receives inspiration and changes the emphasis of the type of yoga he follows and a new branch is born to be passed along to the followers of the guru. Most true devotees follow the teachings of the traditional branch of yoga as well as the individual teachings of his master.

In the 1960s, yoga became known in the West. Because of the modern communication technology, knowledge of yoga spread more quickly than the yoga masters could manage. In some cases, sincere students became followers of insincere teachers. In part to meet the new need, yoga masters began to use new methods for yoga teacher training.

Swami Vishnu-devananda

Among the first masters to develop yoga teacher training methods in the West was Swami Vishnu-devananda. While his course takes only four weeks, it involves total immersion in the yogic way of life. The devotee travels to an Ashram for a structured life of training in postures, breathing, study of the ancient texts, meditation and chanting. A vegetarian diet is included and the student is expected to perform whatever tasks are necessary to keep the ashram going. By the end of the four weeks of yoga teacher training, the successful student receives the title of "Yogi Siromani" - jewel of the crown of yoga. Advanced students may achieve the title of "Yoga Acharya" - master of Yoga.

The study of yoga emphasizes the part played by the teacher. For those students who study yoga as part of a spiritual journey, the teacher is the voice of the Divine. For those students who study yoga as a means to better physical health and stress management, the teacher is the protection against injury and the person who decides when the student is ready for more advanced training.

The importance of good yoga teacher training cannot be underestimated. Today, yoga is a popular discipline again in the West. Beginning students can easily be taken in by poorly trained teachers seeking a profitable business. Having a certified method of yoga teacher training can help new students to find safe, reliable training to further the achievement of whatever goal he seeks.
There are several places that offer yoga certification, and all of them should cover the same material on a basic level. The things covered by most certification classes include:

Asanas

It'd be pretty hard to get a yoga certification without knowledge of asanas, or positions. Also know as yogasanas, yoga poses are used for balance as well as to smooth energy flow throughout the body or in specific areas of the body and mind.

Mudras

Mudra literally means "gesture" and no yoga certification course would be complete without learning at least a few of the hand gestures used in poses to express and direct the life energy within you throughout your body.

Yoga Philosophy

If you are taking a yoga certification course in order to become an instructor, be sure that you learn the philosophy behind yoga because you're sure to hear questions about it more than once. Simply put, one of basic concepts in yoga is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Broken down, and in their Sanskrit versions, these cover nonviolence (Ahimsa), truthfulness (Satya), not stealing (Asteya), continence (Brahmacharya), and non-covetousness (Aparigraha). Definitely make sure your yoga certification course covers the philosophy though, because there is more to it than just those basic pieces.

Chakras

Chakra literally means circle, or wheel, and in yoga refers to the energy centers lying along your spine and ending at the crown of your head. Whether you understand, or believe, in chakras be sure your yoga certification course covers this knowledge so you can pass the information on those seven energy 'hot spots' along to your students.

Meditation

A central part to certain yoga practices is meditation, so it would be a good idea to make sure that subject is covered as well before you receive your yoga certification. Meditation is usually a time spent quietly sitting, or laying, in a pose while directing your thoughts inward or removing thought from your mind altogether.

Pranayama

Pranayama is a method of controlling your prana, or life energy, through regulated breathing and should be a subject covered by any yoga certification course. Designed to gain mastery over the respiratory system and help on recognize the connection between breath, mind and emotion, yogis believe that practicing pranayama not only rejuvenates the body but can extend life itself. Most yoga certification courses should teach this as an isolated technique as well as ways to integrate it into yoga routines.

There are several other things that are usually covered in yoga certification classes in addition to what's listed here, and some will vary from course to course so make sure to find a yoga certification class that fits your outlook on yoga.

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parampara

"Don't break my back," Sharath laughs. Funny, but not. Everyone knows he has had some back pain problems the last year and I just jumped back and gave him a big kick as he sat helping the person behind me. I'm looking over my shoulder in upward facing dog feeling guilty but also laughing because Sharath is laughing too.

Yesterday in conference--Sharath holds a "conference" every Sunday where he either discusses a topic or he answers students' questions--Sharath spoke about the tradition of parampara in Indian culture in general and ashtanga yoga in particular. Beginning with a story of a teacher/student relationship, he went on to discuss the importance of the transmission of direct knowledge from student to teacher in ashtanga yoga. He spoke about the authorization and certification process and that, really, people who come to Mysore and really are here to do the work, are here to learn the nature of yoga--which is the realization of the self. So, when we aren't practicing, he said to read read read. And if you still have time, volunteer...

He emphasized that we are all here to learn and to practice and that whether you are weak in body or mind or both, with time the practice will help to heal you. In that spirit, he joked about the shala's own "application process", how it's like "oh, nice picture you come". He said that so many people come and really they don't send anyone away no matter what level or state they are in and that he doesn't regret it one bit. His saying this really affected all of us because we all kind of looked inside for a moment and thought about how none of us are perfect and we are all trying our best, but so are the people who we might not think of. Everyone "deserves" to be here, everyone gets a chance. It's funnyny how he always seems to address in conference whatever people are talking about in the community.

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Mastering Stress Through Witnessing

Enjoy our new yoga article by Kreg Weiss addressing stress management and meditation techniques of witnessing that will enhance your ability to reduce the negative effects of stress stimuli.
“In a culture that nourishes the Ego and materialism, the bulk of society relates value to the physical and has become disconnected to the spiritual energy within [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Picnic at Hanging Rock

I recorded this 1975 Peter Weir-directed film on DVR. Not sure why. And not sure why I felt drawn to watching it late last night. But I did...and...wow. Has anyone else seen it? It was mind-blowing. It is shoving Donnie Darko aside for my most favorite movie ever. I love these mysterious, open-ended stories. I guess I love torturing myself...

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Please Write On Our Comments Page

Just a reminder that we have created a comments page for you to speak your mind. Please feel free to share, challenge, inquire, praise- you name it. All comments welcome! yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Monsoon

When it rains in Mysore we just don't go anywhere and it's nice because I don't have to worry about being late for anything. Sometimes I pinch myself to see if it is true--if there really isn't anywhere I have to be or anything I have to do. It's interesting how easily I've accepted this new scenario and how I still find myself feeling somewhat surprised just once in a while.

I suppose one could say that a good amount of rain should be expected during monsoon season. However, based on last year, I didn't expect much this time around. I was slightly mistaken. It has been drizzling on and off about every other day. The sky looks more like the skies of Scotland than the technicolor blues in the "Jungle Book" (the Disney version of course). The guide book says that this means clothes that never really dry and emit that moldy strawberry smell, intestinal bugs, mosquito bites, malaria. The make believe "ashtanga almanac" says this means achy joints, sore muscles, slowed digestion, and sleeping all day. I say it means raw chocolate pudding and movies but I'm no expert.

Rooms bathed in melancholic weather, cups of chai, and clouds of incense are good places for contemplation and with all the recent events in the ashtanga community, there seems to be a good bit to think about. Some though bubbles I've seen floating contained:

-Are you here just for the practice or do you expect to get authorized?
-If you're authorized, can you sustain a healthy income just by teaching Mysore?
-Is the authorization/certification process fair?
-Is "the practice" only the asanas and if not, how far does it extend into our everyday dramas?
-When studying in Mysore, where does one's native culture end and India's begin?
-How do we honor a tradition while maintaining our every day lives?

I'm not sure that there are any right or wrong answers to any of these questions but I do think it is a good opportunity to evaluate or own motives, thoughts, and intentions. It is always good to ask "why".

The truth is that this tradition as we know it is still very young in the large scheme of things and we're all still trying to work out what it means.

Sharath hasn't really talked to us students yet about the "changes" to the studying process (6 month minimum between trips), the auth/cert process, or the transfer of content to the ayri website. However, in conference this week, he touched upon the cultural implications of studying in Mysore by emphasizing the importance of the yamas and niyamas.

(From wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Yoga

Yama

Main article: Yamas

Yama consists of five parts: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness). Ahimsa is perfect harmlessness and positive love also. This removes the brutal nature in man and strengthens the will.

The scientific basis of the Yama instructions may be explained in this way.

The five directives of Yama lay down behavioral norms as prerequisites for elimination of fear and angst and contribute to a tranquil mind. Nonviolence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satyavachana), non-stealing (astheya), child-like behavior (brahmacharya), and moderation in setting goals (aparigraha), prevent situations that evoke fear in human interactions and contribute to peace of mind.

Ahimsa (non-violence) helps to avoid conflicts with fellow human beings that normally occur because of competition for eating and mating. Hurting a person physically or mentally leads to fear of retaliation which disturbs peace of mind.

Satyavachan (truthfulness) helps peace of mind by eliminating fear of discovery of lies. Untruth implies maintaining two versions of an event, possibly in the same set of neurons, thus causing confusion and mental disturbance.

Astheya (non-stealing) eliminates the anxiety of discovery of theft, potential reprisal by the owner and/or punishment by state. Brahmacharya (celibacy or stage of life devoted to seeking knowledge) averts conflict associated with search for mates, eliminates fear of strife, enhances scholarship and upgrades equanimity.

Aparigraha (moderation in setting goals) prevents angst of potential failure, promotes self-control and poise.

Niyama

Main article: Niyama

Niyama is observance of five canons: Shaucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetitions of Mantras), and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender to God, and His worship).

He who practises meditation without ethical perfection, without the practice of Yama-Niyama cannot obtain the fruits of meditation. Purify your mind first through the practice of Yama-Niyama. Then practice regular meditation. Then you will attain illumination.

Science underslying Niyama can be presented as follows.

Niyama unlike Yama prescribes mental exercises to train the mind to control emotions: (Saucha), (Santosha), (Tapaha), (Svadhyaya) and (Ishwara pranidhanani).

Saucha (Purity of thought) requires active monitoring of the mind from being obsessed with material or corporeal desires.

Santosha (Contentment) prevents desire to obtain, experience and /or accumulate objects of pleasure.

Tapaha (Austere or ascetic life style), by practicing self-denying and austere life style controls fondness for desire-generated emotions.

Svadhyaya (Study about self) enlightens the true nature of human nature and facilitates healthy thoughts.

Ishwara pranidhanani (Surrender of ego to God) makes it easier to be not self-centered by aiming at higher goals.

Thus Niyama instructions prepare the mind to control animal (reptilian brain- generated) and human (cerebral) emotions.

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Just when I thought I was on my way to becoming an authorized teacher...

Well, not really.

I never really gave a crap about that. And I still don't.

So, apparently, the AYRI wants its authoried teachers to refrain from teaching anything but Primary and to refrain from giving Workshops.

Feh.

What I look for in a teacher is not whether they are authorized. What I look for in a teacher as a threshhold question, is whether they have been taught by SKPJ. The reason is that while SKPJ is still alive, he is THE SOURCE. And if I cannot go to the source, I want to be taught by someone who has been to the source. Plain and simple.

In time, this will change. People will have been taught by Sharath. And perhaps someday, I will look for a teacher who has been taught by SKPJ or his grandson. Or perhaps in time, I will simply look for a teacher who has been taught by someone who has been taught by SKPJ or his grandson.

What I seek is as close to a "primary source" as possible. The further you get from the primary source, the more distilled is the teaching. I want the purest possible teaching.

After that, I care about a personal connection, trust, safety, a lack of greediness about teaching poses, a joy in teaching, a certain something.

My feeling is that these new restrictions on authorized teachers are going to simply make authorization irrelevant altogether. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot...

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It's always a good sign when I want to do a photo shoot..

So, here is the result of a summer of warm weather, a lot of Kapotasanas and sheer persistence. Maybe you can't see progress, but it FEELS better to me. I always say that...because it's always true.










Uh oh...this one was taken in June...is there really much of a difference at all...maybe a teeny bit of arm angle was reduced since June. But, crap. This DOES take a long time. For me at least.
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A week in review: Poop, Poses, Sharath, Gommateshwara, Wild beasts, and Ayurvedic Massages

Daily posts are better. A lot happens in a day and now I have to mush them all together. I am scrambling to catch up. But I'll try. This sounds like a long post but actually I get distracted and it starts to taper off at the end.

Poop:

There is that scary moment when you are about to crap your pants for real. You feel this curling cold sensation up the back of your neck. It's panic because you know that you could easily loose control of your bodily funnyctions and be stuck cleaning shit out of your pant leg in about an hour's time. Your mind realizes that actually many of your bodily funnyctions happen on their own and if you begin to doubt your ability to control them at this point, you're going to be in serious trouble.

I was farting these real stinky ones at a friend's house. He gave me a very large dose of wormwood extract and grapefruit seed extract because the farts smelled a lot like eggs which could mean giardia and the extracts will kill anything. I drank it down and started the walk home. What I didn't know was that this concoction was like the five point palm-exploding heart technique, five steps out the door and two farts later, I had a fart that was not going to be a fart at all. Gross but true. What's an India story without some dilemma of the bowels?

Okay so I knew I really had to go right away. So I walked faster and then the mind started going and questioning and I started running. I contemplated squatting in the bushes but the possibility of an unexpected meeting with a cobra kept me running. My bowels knew I was close to my house before anything else and a good punch in the belly had me sweating and running faster but running is tricky when you're about to crap your pants so it was more of a quick waddle...Let's end it there. I didn't crap my pants. The end.

Poses:
Yesterday I got parsva dhanurasana, ustrasana, and laghu vajrasana. Today I got a stamp of approval and also got kapotasana.

Sharath:
More on this later. But--apparently we're supposed to read. Imagine! Also we're supposed to be thinking more about the yamas and niyamas. But what are those? Hmm.

Gommateshwara:
Is this big ole statue that we drove a long way to see. We had to walk up the stairs--barefoot--to see it. Fun.

Wild beasts:
The zoo is cool. People are crazy.

Ayurvedic Massage:
Is nice.

So I think it is obvious that I need to be in a quiet space to write. Thanks for helping to shape this post John.

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Preview/Letters home from the frontline

Okay fine I'm back.

Here is a preview of what will come later today when I'm not under a 5 minute deadline commandeered by a pot of boiling beans...

-On how I almost shit myself--for real!
-New poses
-Sharath talks about the importance of the Yamas and Niyamas and *gasp* reading
-The world's largest penis? A barefoot walk up a big hill to see a big guy
-The Mysore Zoo and the other wild beasts of Mysore
-Another Ayurvedic rubdown

This and more coming soon :) yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Tim Miller is coming here!

Tim Miller will be in the New York area, at the CT Shala, actually (The Yoga Shala in Georgetown, Connecticut) in September!

Check it out!

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Update

I didn't die of rabies and neither did the dog (in case you were wondering). No. My absence is a result of something else. Call it writer's block if you like. I have nothing to write. Yes I'm here doing all my silly little India things, absorbing a lot, but a little bit unable to process at the moment. I'm still learning how to balance on two feet. Maybe I should just keep it simple.

Southern Star Hotel Breakfast Buffet is tasty.
Sandhya's looked tasty but I was stuffed with the breakfast buffet.
Sandalwood factory sounds funny.
Lunar eclipse on Sunday so no practice until Monday.
Sunday's afternoon conference is canceled on account of the moonday.
I'm reading "First there is a mountain" but can't get into it.

There--that's a start.

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Why Choose a Rubber Yoga Mat?

Being somewhat versed in the various branches of yoga, I was intrigued by the word combination of Nassau yoga, so I went to find out more about it. Imagine my surprise to find that Nassau yoga is not a type of yoga at all, but rather seems to refer to a place that offers yoga training, or a series of places, if you wish to look at only domestic locations in the United States.

Schools of Yoga in Nassau

One particular place of note is a school of yoga in Nassau, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. This school, known as Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, seems to be centered mainly around the training of teachers so they might earn their certification and go on to leave Nassau and teach yoga wherever they like. Courses seem to be available throughout the first half of the year and it appears that anyone who can afford the tuition fee is welcome to the school to take the course and earn their certification.

The curriculum sounds expansive, covering a wide variety of topics under the proverbial yoga umbrella, and looks to be absolutely fascinating for anyone wishing to learn more about both the physical and the spiritual inner workings of yoga. This school of yoga near Nassau in the Bahamas not only evokes images of exotic and gorgeous scenery, but verily screams of a vigorous and enthralling usage of time that could be time very well spent.

Yoga in Nassau County, New York seems a little sparse; there is a scattering of studios and clubs available for the yoga enthusiast to join in classes or possibly seek out a personal trainer if they don't have the time or inclination to join a regular class.

In Florida's Nassau County yoga is sure to be found as well, what with the booming popularity of yoga amongst all age groups recently. Considering at least part of Nassau County's border is along the northern coastline of Florida there's a very good chance you'll find at least one or two yoga locations where you can meditate to the sound of the ocean waves lapping at the sand and be able to smell the salty sea air as opposed to simply settling for a recording of the sound being played.

All in all, depending on how far you wish to travel, checking out a Nassau location for yoga could provide an interesting adventure, or at least a decent vacation.
If you are you looking for different types of yoga mats, check out the internet before you go from store to store. There is a better variety online and it's a much faster way to search for the perfect yoga mat any day. Research the options available online and decide what you like - then you can go out and buy it if you still so choose.

What's the Big Deal about Rubber Yoga Mats?

Yoga actually requires some specific body stretching to improve the chemical imbalance in the body. Once these are found out by the veidh (or doctor), it helps in identification of the imbalance in the body. Many people are stunned by the diversity of yoga; there is something for everyone, even weight loss as it has been proven that yoga is one type of exercise that will reduce appetite if you want it too.

Rubber yoga mats are doing great business because they provide utmost convenience and comfort. People love yoga but hate to sit on the floor and when the exercises are conducted. The rubber yoga mats offer a way out, since they are clean, soft and the most important of all they are easily available. There is only one more type of mats which are more popular than the rubber yoga mats, and these are the sticky yoga mats with a rubberized bottom. Sticky mats help yogis stay in once place when practicing positons.

The good news is that the rubber yoga mats are not expensive. Since they are washable, they need no maintenance and are so light that even children can carry it and use it in their own play rooms. The mat has become a great hit, following the explosion of yoga classes all over the globe and the information dissemination of yoga through the internet.

Along with people's increasing awareness, the mat is becoming an excellent prop for yoga classes besides the clothes and the yoga bag. The rubber yoga mats are unmatched because these are light and washable. You need not rush and buy a rubber yoga mat just because that's the only one you read about; this is not the ideal way to take a decision. However, if at the end of your internet search, you still think a rubberized yoga mat is the way to go, then click your mouse and get it.

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Thank you, yes and ummmmm, I have an excuse for that, Carl.

First, to Claudia, thank you! Yes, it is exciting to finally feel something open when you've been waiting for soooooooooooo long. Today was much better, although not quite as deep. Still, I got my toes and felt my back actually BEND rather than feeling like my arms were being ripped off to compensate for lack of a back bend.

To Linda, yes, I was there, and you were missed.

To Carl, oh, yes, you are totally right. I laughed when I read your comment - I actually contacted Habitats for Humanity, and they never responded. So there. In the fall, I am definitely, as far as I know now, going to be volunteering at a school for troubled girls here in Westchester. It's a once-a-month thing, where we spend lunch with the girls and get to know them and chat and act girly with the, I guess. Should be some good karma for me there...

After I came home from practice, I spent HOURS fixing up my garden. I have made many many mistakes, and I am learning. Light matters, for example. Too little light, and hydrangeas don't bloom. So, why have rhodedendrons in the light and hydrangeas in the shade? Lots of transplanting today. Also moved my blueberries into the side yard near some holly - both like acid. Yeah man. Acid.

Boring, boring, boring, I am

Today.

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Afraid of an ASANA?? You bet your spinal cord, I am.

I had the deepest Kapotasana today that I have ever had. S was pulling my thighs forward. The Good Doc was taking my hands to my feet. Instead of feeling a pull in my triceps or in my hip flexors, I felt my back...BEND.

I know...it's supposed to.

But I never thought it would.

It really bent where it has never bent before, and I had the sensation of closing up like a clamshell.

I know...this is desirable. This is what I have wanted. This is what everyone else is doing when they grab their heels, when they take their ankles. In fact, I am sure that what I experienced is quite a bit less than all that.

Yet it freaked me out.

I was terrified that I would break. Or something. I was terrified to breathe. I don't know why.

Tomorrow, I want to try it again...with breathing.

Also - learning to jump into Bujapidasana is finally happening for real. I can jump into a very low, wide Tittibhasana. At least I can land, right? Now, I just need to get higher on my legs. There is time. It's not going anywhere, but since I have been working at this for a while, I thought it was time to share.

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Scooty's are for girls

So I have a Kinetic.

"You have licence?"
"Oh yes, international."
"But you are riding?"
"First time."
Head wobble/smile.
Head wobble/smile.
"Helmet?"
"Okay okay--tomorrow."
Head wobble/smile.
Head wobble/smile.
Done and done.

It is a little bulky, a little old, a little toy-like, but I'm having funny. So far, me and the Kinetic have had an oil infusion, a visit to the mechanic, new spark plugs, a couple of kick starts, an unreliable gas gauge, and a finicky start button. I feel like I'll be an expert soon enough. Plus I think I have an extra advantage considering I got my crash course in Indian scooter driving from an Indian. "So when do I honk again?" I ask over and over. "Whenever anything is moving?"

It isn't so easy learning how to ride with a passenger. It makes it much more challenging for the beginner to balance the weight. "Do not get a motorcycle," my teacher tells me. "I can tell you that 100% you will fall." One has to appreciate the honesty. And here I am almost a week later wondering how I managed to ever do without. The funny part? It is easier to balance the faster you go...

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Key to Better Relationships: Know Your Loved Ones’ Primary Love Languages

A few years back, I bought the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This came on the heels of a workshop that we attended on this topic where we learned that all of us have one primary love language which is not always the same as that of our loved ones and could [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

In the "wee wee" hours of the morning, you'll find....

This actually is an infomercial, which I THINK, based on the hookers and strippers that they must have bribed to appear in it, is for an alleged penis-enlargement product, although it stays on the legal side of things by never actually using the word "penis".

Thus, technically, it could be a fingernail enlargement product, or a nose enlargement product, or maybe it grows hair.

Watch and be stunned by the sheer stupidity and horrifyingly schlocky production values.

YC yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Coffee Invigoration

And there I was, covered in muck, inhaling coffee and thinking about childhood.

I was two years old again with a big cup of milky sweet coffee in which I dipped my gigantic breakfast cookies (champararas). We had journeyed to visit family in some overgrown bougainvillea Latin country and I never wanted to leave. Not that I knew that then. But now that I am inhaling the aroma of my roots, I know that I want to go back. And I want a cup of coffee real bad.

A friend had this incredible idea that we should spend our day of rest (Saturdays there is no yoga class) at the Windflower Hotel spa called Emerge. A car would pick us up at the coconut stand and the rest would be pure bliss. We drove about 25 minutes across the city and into a remote area with lots of vegetation and a view of the mountains. The hotel was beautiful with lots of open space and manicured gardens, etc. It took a while to pick my poison, but I settled on the "Coffee invigoration massage" which consisted of 90 minutes of pure relaxation and invigoration and anti cellulite super powers (or so the menu said).

I was escorted into a lovely treatment room, got kind of naked and sat in a wooden chair. I had two therapists. One placed my feet in a rosewater soak while the other gave me a head oil massage followed by back, neck, and shoulders. After I was sufficiently incapacitated, they led me to a wood table where I was given the ayurvedic oil rubdown followed by a coffee scrub and mask. I was covered in goo. It was fabulous!

yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Guest Blogger: Jordana

Yoga newbie, Jordana, shares a glimpse of her practice today with Ajay (one of the "other" ashtanga yoga teachers).

Although my life is moving slowly, my days are still filled with adventures, mishaps and a lot of bendy body positions.

Every Thursday "Ah Jay" holds a special class called "Vinyasa class". [This is not one of those flow-happy ashtanga variations popular in the west. Instead, it is a class which focuses largely on the "vinyasa" part of the ashtanga practice.] It is hard to explain what a vinyasa is but basically he wants me to sit cross legged, then using my arm and ab strength to lift my entire body off of the ground, move my legs through my arms and end in a push up position. I tried to tell him that my legs just don't fit through my arms. His response..."madame Jordana...you are much silly." Strangely enough, after an hour of squeezing, contorting, and sweating through every piece of clothing I had on, I made about an inch of progress. Better luck next Thursday.

The class then continued to include shoulder and hip opening. Being new to yoga I obviously have very closed shoulders so Ah Jay paired me with an advanced student...Nilesh. Nilesh is from Delhi and is doing his teacher training. He has a long pony tail, is quite hairy and does yoga in a small pair of bicycle shorts. To open my shoulders, I sat cross legged and crossed my arms behind my back, Nilesh sat across from me in a straddle position with his thighs resting on my thighs for extra pressure and then held my hands (which are still crossed behind my back). I don't know if you can completely get the pose, very hard to describe, but the point is....it was very close and very sweaty! At first I was a little bit uncomfortable when the sweat dripped from his forehead onto my chest, but within time....NAMASTE! Woah India. yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

May Christina Applegate's Breasts Be In Good Hands...

Christina Applegate, the girl from "Married With Children", has been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36. And according to her publicist, it's a very very special kind of breast cancer (my words, not hers): it's the kind that is "non-life-threatening" (her words, not mine).

So...hey, wow! Non-life-threatening breast cancer! How friggin' cool can you get?! I mean, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2002 at the age of 36, how awesome would it have been if my doctor had sat me down and said, "Don't worry, Lauren! You have "non-life-threatening" breast cancer, not the scary kind of breast cancer that everyone else in the entire world gets."

I mean, until I heard about Christina Applegate's breast cancer, my understanding of breast cancer was (and remains) that no matter how early you catch it, it could still come back. And when it comes back, it will eventually kill you, unless of course, something else kills you first. Like congestive heart failure caused by the chemo, or leukemia caused by the radiation. Or getting hit by a bus, I suppose.

My own breast cancer was caught as early as it could have been. I had had a normal mammogram at 35 and felt myself up on a fairly regular basis. Nevertheless, one day while I was, lalala, merrily exfoliating in the shower, I felt a lump in my right breast. A big one, rock hard too, and when I tried to push it out of the way, I found that it held the surrounding skin and breast tissue firmly in place. Without relaying all the sordid details, let's just say that I had a bad feeling about it. And so, I did not delay. Within a week, I had been seen by my OB/GYN, who sent me to a radiologist, who ultrasounded my breasts and found not one lump, but two, and took samples from them with a needle as I lay on the table. He looked at the samples under the microscope while I waited, tears rolling out of my eyes and into my ears.

"Suspicious", he announced grimly.

"Does that mean cancer?" I quivered.

"Uh. Yes. It does."

Within six weeks of first finding the lump, it had been removed from my body, along with 18 lymph nodes and two other lumps, one of which was neither palpable nor visible; it was discovered only because I had had both of my breasts removed and dissected.

My surgeon called me a week later with the news that, yay, my cancer was early stage! And by the way, three of the 18 lymph nodes contained cancerous cells.

Excuse me? Early stage but IN the lymph nodes? How could that be?

Well, it be.

You see, "early stage" breast cancer includes everything up to Stage 2B. One guess as to my cancer's stage. Right. Stage 2B, which means that the tumor is bigger than an inch but smaller than a lime, and up to three lymph nodes contain cancerous cells. One more lymph node, and I would have been Stage 3, which is not a death sentence, although it is not considered "early stage". Stage 4 is what they call a cancer that has "come back", even if it was Stage 1 when it was first diagnosed. (Stage 4 can also be the initial diagnosis - when the cancer is found in organs and/or lymph nodes outside the breast and armpit.)

Now, I don't doubt that some cancers can be said to be truly non-life-threatening, such as a basal cell skin cancer or even a melanoma, provided that it has not invaded the deeper layers of skin or beyond. But beyond those, I cannot think of any form of cancer that comes with a "non-life-threatening" guarantee. Even the seemingly "curable" cancers (early stage prostate cancer, for example, and certain types of testicular cancers) are life-threatening because they can come back. That's what follow-up visits with the surgical or medical oncologist are for. And for many cancer survivors, the follow-up visits continue on a once or twice per year basis for as many as five years.

In the case of a breast cancer survivor, they continue far longer. Why? Because beast cancer is uniquely sinister in (at least) two notable ways:

1. Breast cancer has been known to "come back" (bringing the patient to Stage 4, with no stops in between) even in those whose disease was caught in the "early stage", including Stages 0 (no invasive disease) and 1 (small tumor; no lymph node involvement).

2. A recurrence of breast cancer can happen any time, even, say, 20 years after the initial diagnosis, especially , my oncologist told me, 20 years after the initial diagnosis (why "20" is the magic number here is something I cannot even begin to understand). This, notwithstanding an initial diagnosis of "early stage".

So, yeah, I am totally jealous of Christina Applegate because, apparently, her publicist has diagnosed her with the awesome kind of breast cancer that is NOT life threatening, when I had to go and get the other kind of breast cancer. You know...the kind that has a really good prognosis when caught early and treated aggressively, albeit with no guarantees. The kind that forces you to realize that being bald from chemo is not embarrassing but totally cool (even if, like me, you would never appear in public without your wig) since most people will be awe-filled and tell you that they don't think they could have done what you've done, even though you secretly know that they could have and would have if faced with a ...LIFE-THREATENING illness. The kind that makes you realize that although the scars on your chest may not be "sexy", exactly, they do mark you as lucky and blessed to have survived a...all together now ... a LIFE-THREATENING illness.

Now, in all seriousness, I am sending my best wishes and heartfelt prayers to Christina Applegate. Be well, Christina, and be brave.

And be happy that your publicist is not your doctor.

YC yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Just a warning

Reading this or any blog could be constituted as a distraction.

Just thought you ought to be made aware of this.

I thought I might as well ask and please feel free to give your honest opinion...

Is this blog a bad thing? Should I take it down? Or make it private? Is it the antithesis of what I'm trying to do? Is it worth it?

I met a couple of people today who kindly told me that it was definitely a detriment to society. Is that how you feel too?

I'm not writing for anyone but myself. I hope that my family and friends can use it as a window into what I'm up to because sometimes it's hard for me to say what I mean in person and to keep up emails. And for those of you who have stumbled across, I hope you get something out if it too.

I await your responses. yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Shipwrecked part 2

[I'm the rag doll and India is the person.]

"I love you wake up!" Huh huh what? I heard that. My eyes open.

[How it actually happened.]

John and I are standing in front of across-the-park-house-number-one negotiating a room price with the owner. That's when the landlady's not so nice German Shepard jumped o to the fence, wiggled part way through, and bit me on my arm. "Your dog just bit me!" She smiles and wags her head "you wash".

The other time was when on my way to practice I heard some leaves on the side of the road rustle. I looked expecting a bird and instead saw the cutest tiniest stumbliest puppy in the whole world. (Really, it was that cute.) I mentally calculated my estimated time in India, what I projected for the next 5-10 years and had enough self knowledge to turn around and continue down the road to the shala. Five hours later I'm sitting at the coconut stand when I notice that same puppy in the arms of a small boy walking along side his plastic bag collecting family and I smile.

Okay okay I'm here. yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Want to Lose Weight? It’s All in Your Mind

by Dada Vedaprajinananda
Many people try for years to lose weight or to make other positive changes in their lives, but never succeed. There is plenty of information on the subject of weight loss in particular and self-improvement in general, but it is the implementation of the good advice that is the stumbling block to most [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Reports of my having left the cult are greatly exaggerated.

I still practice Ashtanga, even if I seem to barely ever write about it these days. Lately, I don't have much to say on the topic. I practice, most of the time. And when I do, it is usually good. Occasionally it is very very good. Occasionally, it is bad.

Progress on Primary is limited "primarily" to being able to jump into Tittibhasana for Bujupidasana and Kurmasana now. I finally figured out that I need to imagine sending energy into my toes in order to commit to it. Next step will be landing high enough on my arms that I can wrap my shins in instantly for Bujapidasana and sit right down and go right into Kurmasana. I expect that will take a long time. We shall see. No rush, as no one has ever asked me to do this. I just decided that since there is little else to work on as far as the asanas of Primary go, I might as well hone in on this transitional work.

Progress in backbending is being made in fits and starts, two steps forward, two steps back, two steps forward, one step back, two steps forward, three steps back and two steps forward once again. Mainly, I attribute any progress to the fact that I am walking on my hands in my backbends, forward and backward, and occasionally in circles.

Progress in Leg Behind Head (for me, Eka Pada Sirsasana only at this point) is being made a bit more reliably than in backbending. I am now able to keep my left foot behind my head without my hands, but it is kind of ugly. Still, progress is being made, and I attribute this to two factors: First, I am holding Shoulderstand and Halasana for 108 breaths (also Padmasana, Sirsasana and Savasana, okay not so much Savasana, but in theory...). This is really really stretching out my spine. Second, I am holding Dwi Pada with Hands in Prayer in the transition out of Supta Kurmasana, as well as Dwi Pada with the Lift, as WELL as Tittibhasana A before finding my way into bakasana and catvari.

So there you have it.

Still practicing.

YC yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;