New Online Yoga Video with Shiva Rea

My Yoga Online has added a new video by Yoga expert Shiva Rea: Creative Core Abs. Shiva Rea shows you unique, graceful ways to build a strong core in this 37 minute yoga program. A strong core improves posture and makes you look and feel great! Enjoy yourself as you perform this funny, easy-to-follow [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Boosting Metabolism with Muscle

Gaining muscle (fat free mass) is a highly promoted concept for improving your metabolism and efficiency for losing body fat. Understanding this concept and some of the myths are important when working towards adding an exercise routine that builds fat free mass. First off, all tissues in the body require a constant flow [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Bloomington Power Yoga

I’ve decided to stop teaching yoga at Bloomington Power Yoga. My final class will actually be tomorrow, December 19th, and 4:00pm. Most of my students have probably already left town for the holidays, but if anyone is around, I’d love to see you in class. It’s supposed to be an Ashtanga class, but, most likely, [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

$4,000! FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!

Brian Runs for the Cure BRINGS IT!!!...and I could not be prouder or more honored....

YC

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Quinoa-The Mother of Grains

My Yoga Online has posted a new healthy nutrition article by guest author Carol DiPirro, Quinoa-The Mother of Grains. Learn about the health benefits of this nutritious grain including a great recipe. An ancient food that is not yet well known in North America, Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) has been cultivated in the South [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Oodles of Pasta at Goodles!

I am a pasta lover. No doubt about it. And I love every opportunity to try out a new pasta place.
So when blogger friend Fran posted a sign-up notice for this new pasta place, Goodles, in Robinsons Galleria that her friend had just put up, I quickly signed up. It helped, of course, that I [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

MOVE – a World AIDS Day Project by Headshot Clinic

Are we aware of how HIV/AIDS is rapidly spreading in the Philippines and in the world?
I got hold of some materials with some statistics from the National Epidemiology Center and was shocked to find out that:
- At the present rate, there will be 700 new cases of HIV/AIDS before 2009 ends
- In 2000, there was [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Tree Pose-More Than Just Balancing

My Yoga Online has added a new yoga anatomy article by Kreg Weiss, Tree Pose-More Than Just Balancing. Kreg offers anatomical tips often neglected in this seemingly simple yoga pose.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana) is one of the most recognizable classic yoga postures demonstrating the beauty of balance, focus, and serenity. Often considered an introductory asana [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga Beyond Bending by Kino MacGregor

Yoga at first glance seems only like a really cool way to bend and twist your body while washing and folding your joints. Sometimes the hot bodies of yoga teachers and longterm students entice many to practice in the hopes of getting that almost famous toned, slim yoga body. Yet even though some students find [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Today Marks the Start of Advent 2009

Today, November 29, 2009 is the 1st Sunday of Advent.
For years now, our family has tried to follow the Christian tradition of lighting the Advent candles at home, together with some prayers and songs. Here is an old post, Season of Hope and a Family Tradition, that describes what we have tried to do since [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Maguindanao Massacre: Life Gone Cheap

Last Monday, November 23, the entire Philippines then the entire world learned of the heinous massacre of some members of the Mangudadatu clan and accompanying media and friends who were simply on their way to the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Maguindanao.
To-date, the body count is 57 people. Horrific by all standards. We [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Music or No Music?

Almost a year ago, I stopped playing music entirely in my yoga classes. When I practice on my own at home, I also no longer play music. This move to “silent” yoga has been a long time coming for me, but lately I’ve actually been thinking about eventually reintroducing music into my classes and my [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Raising Healthy Kids Starts Early

As a mother of 4 kids, one of my major concerns is always how to keep my kids healthy and strong. There’s no underestimating the overused cliche “Health is Wealth“. It really is true!
It didn’t help that they all had frequent asthma episodes when they were very young. The nebulizer became a necessity and constant [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Kariton Klasrum’s Efren Penaflorida is CNN Hero for 2009!

CNN has just announced that Efren Penaflorida is CNN Hero of the Year (2009), besting 9 other finalists worldwide. From an original 9,000 nominations, CNN whittled the finalists down to 10 and today, the overall winner was chosen via online voting.
Here’s CNN’s video showing Efren accepting the award: When Efren became one of the 10 finalists, [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Taste Korean Food Festival (Nov. 19-23, 2009)

In the 80s I had the chance to live in South Korea for 5 months due to work. An assistant and I did computer audit work for an oil company and a multinational bank. I fell in love with Bibimpap, a complete meal in itself consisting of ground beef and various vegetables, together with a [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

New My Yoga Online video Belly Dance Express

My Yoga Online has posted a new video with Gillian Cofsky: Belly Dance Express. Take a brief glimpse into the world of belly dance, with this quick class that breaks down and teaches some basic bellydance moves, then strings them together into a funny combination. A quick taste of belly dance to spice up [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

BUT a Mammogram DIDN'T Save My Life..

Click Here to Read about it...

YC

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Free Thanksgiving Yoga Class!

The teachers at Bloomington Power Yoga would like to say “Thank You!” to our students with a free class on Thanksgiving Day. It’ll be an all-levels flow class, team-taught by all of the BPY vinyasa teachers.
The class will be from 11:00am – 12:30pm, with some snacks and drinks afterwards. You don’t need to pre-register, but [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

New My Yoga Online video Belly Dance Express

My Yoga Online has posted a new video with Gillian Cofsky: Belly Dance Express. Take a brief glimpse into the world of belly dance, with this quick class that breaks down and teaches some basic bellydance moves, then strings them together into a funny combination. A quick taste of belly dance to spice up [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Full Vinyasa

Click Here for the latest post (Full Vinyasa Primary plus...)

YC

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Yoga Pose of the Month: Pigeon Pose/Kapotasana

My Yoga Online is happy to feature our Yoga Pose of the Month: Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose). This classic back-arching yoga posture offers tremendous benefits throughout the body. The positioning of the forward knee, however, requires special attention to avoid knee strain and injury. Learn special tips offered by Dr. Robin [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THY SELF: THE PROMISE OF PARTNERSHIP and THE PROMISE IN PARTNERSHIP: The purpose and practice of sexual intimacy in spiritual or a sincere life.

You are promised that the powers and states of well being idealized in the traditions will spontaneously be given to you. This is not an idol promise or some shtick in the marketing of some spiritual brand. It is a promise based on the logic and observation of religious scholarship. It is a technical matter. [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Difficulty

Click here to be redirected to "Difficulty Getting to the Mat-Difficulty Getting Off The Mat Once I Started".

YC

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25 Random Things About Yoga

Click HERE for 25 Random Things About Yoga on the Huffington Post....

YC

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Your Yoga Practice: Beyond the Game of Life

My Yoga Online has posted a new yoga article by guest author Kino MacGregor, Beyond the Game of Life. Kino brings wonderful insight to the concept of complete yoga practice and complete yoga lifestyle.
When we begin practicing yoga the deepest part of our consciousness asks for clarity, awakening and truth. What is sometimes the [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Natural Health: The Neti Pot

Enjoy My Yoga Online’s new healthy living article by guest author Shannon Sexton (selected by Yoga + Magazine): Natural Health: The Neti Pot. Do you have a neti pot yet? Droves of Americans are beginning to rely on this small container, which is used to clean out the nasal passages with saline, as a natural [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Kids: Teach Them Well Then Learn to Let Go

Our 4 kids are now either in their teens or in their early 20s. Our oldest boy is spending 6 weeks in Beijing with his schoolmates and teachers. Our oldest girl is on her last year in college and will soon be part of the workforce, either in the Philippines or abroad.
As I ponder on [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Get Fit and Designer-Fitted with Nestle Fitnesse

Over a year ago, I discovered Nestle Fitnesse cereal. It went well with my being a yoga practitioner as it was light enough for me to munch on even before a yoga class without that heaviness that goes with eating. Yet, it provided the energy and fiber that I needed. It was a healthy snack [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

If everyone gave ONE dollar...

Think of how much research money that would be for breast cancer.

Remember when we all donated so that Gregg could buy sunglasses?

Remember when Tiffany wanted to go to Mysore?

Those were, of course, worthy causes, but so is raising money to find a cure for cancer.

Please consider donating by clicking on the donation button at Brian Runs For The Cure.

Thank you so much....

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Advanced Yoga

What constitutes an “advanced” yoga practice? A lot of people think that an advanced yogi is someone who attends the hardest (i.e., the most physically demanding) yoga classes in town, and has mastered difficult backbends, inversions, and other Cirque du Soleil tricks. I certainly used to think like this, and am still sometimes prone to do so. Over the past year, though, several considerations [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

New Yoga Video by Clara Roberts-Oss

My Yoga Online has added a new vinyasa yoga video by Clara Roberts-Oss: In a Heartbeat Vinyasa. There are 3 rhythms in the body, that of the heart, the breath and the brainwaves. This short but sweet namaskar connects you to these inner rhythms. As you move through this sequence, you will be reminded [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga Anatomy-Low Back Pain and Breathing Patterns

My Yoga Online has added a new yoga anatomy article by Dr. Carla Cupido: Altered Breathing Patterns in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Dr. Cupido reviews the latest research that has revealed how breathing becomes negatively affected with low bain pain. A very interesting paper was published in European Spine Journal this month [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Forgive Me Father, For I Have Failed To Hit Send...

Forgive me father, for I have failed to hit send......the rest of this post is at my Wordpress Blog: Yoga Chickie: Chicken Soup for the Navel Gazing Soul.

YC

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Ultimate Satya and Yoga Philosophy

Yoga teachers trained in the West may receive an introduction to the yamas and the niyamas of yoga as part of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga. If you are a yoga teacher, you may know of their existence and importance. If you are a student of yoga, you may find yourself wanting to become [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Untitled

My Yoga Online has added a new Power Yoga video with Jesse Enright: Power Yoga for Beginners. This workshop style class serves as an introduction to the more dynamic “power” style of yoga. Jesse outlines vital alignment and important modifications that will enable a new power yoga student to practice intelligently and safely, preventing [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

People, I would like to introduce you to a self-professed "Intellect":

She calls herself "Owl". Here is a sampling of her literary jewels:

"The Empirical Self of each of us is all that he is tempted to call by the name of me. But it is clear that between what a man calls me and what he simply calls mine the line is difficult to draw. We feel and act about certain things that are ours very much as we feel and act about ourselves. Our fame, our children, the work of our hands, may be as dear to us as our bodies are, and arouse the same feelings and the same acts of reprisal if attacked. And our bodies themselves, are they simply ours, or are they us?"

One might say that this is incomprehensible drivel. One might go so far as to say that she doesn't know how to write, if writing is about coherently communicating thought. But then, one might say that the Emporer's clothes were his birthday suit. And one wouldn't want to be revealed as "not getting it".

I once knew a guy who stole just under $ 1,000,000 from from some trusting investors. Curious as to how this might have gone down, I did a quick google search and found the answers in the publicly filed litigation papers. He had solicited his marks by faxing them a proposal that communicated no coherent thought at all. My knee-jerk reaction was, "Wow, he was intelligent, way beyond my comprehension," but then it occurred to me: it wasn't that he was intelligent at all; rather, it was that he concocted something that made no sense and sent it to people hoping that they would feel insecure about not being able to understand what he was saying.

He COUNTED on these people believing that "If I can't understand what I am reading, then I must be stupid. And the guy who wrote it must be really really smart."

And the wallets flew open.

People are smarter than they realize they are, except for the few posers out there who pass as "Intellects" by peppering their paragraphs with five-syllable words that don't generally see the light of day outside of the SATs. Those people are far less smart than they seem and a little less smart than they think they are.

Pompously mangling sentence construction does not an "Intellect" make.

YC

UPDATED: yes, I now know that Owl lifted the quoted text from William James, and I note that my failure to comprehend that ALL of her text was attributed to James speaks volumes about (a) Owl's communication skills and (b) her propensity to plagiarize. Indeed, Owl plagiarized me yesterday, specifically the comment made above about "pompous mangling of sentence construction". I described her writing as such, and she proceeded to use my exact words on her own blog, without attribution. Anyway, here is a sample of what I believe to be Owl's own words, although you never know. They could be someone else's:

"In that context, light waves that move exactly like water across tree leaves is sense pleasure. Undulation, beautiful shapes, colors. The senses mix with emotions and thoughts: delight in body and company, plus a knowledge that all this is special in time and place: the experience is historically unique, so I mark it as precious. An aesthetically perfect moment, a collector’s item."

Owl takes herself seriously, of this much I am certain.

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

The COOLEST thing about having a blog...

is that you can say whatever you want on it.

I'm just saying.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Pet Peeves of the Day

People who try to appear "intellectual" by writing in a way that fails to communicate coherent thought. You're not fooling anyone.

People who use Britishisms incessantly. You're not British. If you were, you would know that using "shag" to mean "have sex with" is the British equivalent of an American using "groovy" to mean "cool". You know who you are.

People who are ashamed to be angry. Anger is totally acceptable. Even for a yogi. When you figure that out, you will feel less angry. Ironic.

People who tell you how smart they are. If you're really smart, we'll figure it out. If you were smarter, you would know that.

That's all for now.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Realities of Aging

I do not have the same body I had when I was 15. Or 25 or 35 or 40. Or even 42. In some ways, it's a much better body now. In some ways, worse. Mainly, it's just different. My weight has shifted upwards, away from my hips and legs. My arms have gotten stronger. Sometimes I am amazingly flexible. Sometimes, I am amazingly stiff. Some days, my wrists hold me up effortlessly in backbends. Some days, they can't tolerate the slightest pressure. Some days, I bound around. Some days, I drag ass. It's unpredictable mostly, attributable to phantom factors like diet, sleep and the weather.

If my body is different every day and changing with each passing year (month, week, day), then how can one yoga practice sustain me each and every day of each and every year? Trying to fit my yoga practice into a box, or even my exercise program as a whole, is just a form of denial. Denying my age. Denying my health history. Denying my needs. And that has to lead to suffering: unmet expectations, daily disappointments, physical pain.

Yesterday, it was terribly humid out. When I got on the mat out on my back porch, I felt leaden. My broken hand felt worse than it has been feeling. I couldn't bear to put any pressure on my hand at all. And I couldn't bear to do yoga without vinyasa. I was feeling sorry for myself. But I pulled myself up off the mat, got some hiking clothes on and went off to a 90 minute hike in the cool, tree-canopied woods. It was delightful, no surprise, and when I came home, I came back to the mat and did most of standing, effortlessly just because I wanted to. Then I threw in a couple of Second Series backbends and called it a day.

I look back on the days when I wouldn't have thought of picking and choosing poses, when I wouldn't have thought of running or hiking or otherwise using my legs in a way that might tighten them up for the next day's yoga practice. And it strikes me as a form of masochism. But then I realize, there was a time when it worked for me. Of course, that was then followed by the time when it wasn't working as well, but I tried to pretend otherwise. And then there is now.

The other day, I was talking to an Ashtanga-practicing friend of mine about the possibility of meeting for a practice at Yoga Sutra. She was like, "I thought you were done with Ashtanga." I was like, "Well, I still practice YOGA." Sometimes I do it at home, sometimes I do it at Bikram, sometimes at Jivamukti, and sometimes I go to a Mysore-style practice space.

Why try to define myself? Why try to confine myself with a definition of what I do and what I am? And why base that identity on a workout anyway?

I don't know why.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Top Food Combinations to Optimize Nutrient Absorption

My Yoga Online has posted a new nutrition article by guest author and nutritionist Karla Heintz, Top Food Nutrient Combinations. Learn about the important food combinations for optimum nutrient absorption.
Getting the most nutrition out of your kitchen fridge or backyard garden can be as easy as applying a few main principles. While some nutrients [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga Pose of the Month: Upavistha Konasana

Enjoy My Yoga Online’s feature yoga pose of the month, Upavista Konasana (Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend) presented by Dr. Robin Armstong.
This classic wide forward bend offers great benefits:
*Stretches Adductor muscles of the groin
*Stretches Hamstring muscles
*Strengthens the supportive musculature of the spine
*Encourages activation of the core
*Traditionally thought to increase blood flow to the pelvis, keeping [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga-Speak Translated

It's been a long time, but I finally got inspired to write another column for the Huffington Post. Here it is, but beware....you may hear your own words coming back at you, and if so...well...sorry?

YC

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Getting Tagged + the Kreativ Blogger Award

This Kreative Blogger Award was given to me by my dear friend from my Philadelphia past, Kathleen. Thanks so much, Kathleen! I am thrilled to have been chosen one of Kathleen’s 7 best-loved blogs and as it is with awards like this, it is now my turn to pay it forward and choose 7 of my [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

European Summer Tour, in Progress

I am in Poland at the beautiful Ananda Marga center near Jelenia Gora. It is a 46 hectare organic farm. We are enjoying a yoga conference.
My next stop in Denmark for another conference and then to Stockholm for a concert. Here is a poster for the concert. yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Guru of the day

Since I seem to have dispensed with all of my gurus - religion, ashtanga, shrink - it's comforting to once in a while discover another source of knowledge, a provider of light in darkness. Today, I found a guru. I am no longer naive enough to believe that this guru will remain "MY GURU" for any length of time. But for today, I was riveted. I learned. Light was shed.

Would you like to know where I found my guru (of the day)?

Wife Swap. The television show.

I'm not a big television watcher, and ever since my kids were born, I have shunned daytime television because the commercials are too depressing - diet pills, disability lawyers, those little carts that fat people drive around the mall because they are too lazy to walk and too fat to stop being lazy. But today, a super-bad hangover kept me couch-bound. And there was a Wife Swap mini-marathon. And I was riveted.

What did I learn? That every family could use a little overhaul. That extremes don't work (extreme authority, extreme laxness, extreme order, extreme manners, extreme funny, etc.). That everyone is passionate about the way they run their households, but everyone could use a little perspective. That with a little perspective, even those who insist there is zero reason to change will find something they want to change about their lives.

Rereading what I just wrote, I can see that it's all applicable not just to families either. Good stuff, that Wife Swap.

YC

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Choosing Peace Through Yoga

My Yoga Online is happy to present a new yoga article by guest yoga author, Kino MacGregor. Enjoy this latest yoga writing offering inspiration in creating a strong sense of wellness through the action of mindful thought.
You create your reality in every moment with the thoughts that you think. Your attention is itself responsible [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Apple’s App Store Turns 1

Today, July 14, Apple’s App Store celebrates its 1st anniversary.
I am the happy owner of an iPod Touch and before I had this gadget, life was pretty fragmented. I kept some contacts on my phone, calendars & music on a PDA, notes stuck here and there on post-it notes and paper notebooks as well.
But my [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Now, and Then

I wish the "Then" pic wasn't twice as large as the "Now"...so, to make up for it, I took another (small) image of the pretty perennials, closer up:




YC

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Not my anemia!

I went to a class yesterday with a teacher who I have disliked in the past. She looked completely different, acted completely different. I finally asked her: what is different? She told me she had been ill - severely anemic and Vitamin B deficient. She is literally glowing now. And kind. And not "in your face". I had a delightful practice, and I started to kind of desire being in a group setting again. Not enough to go today. No. Today was either a total rest day, or at the very most, a walk-run in the woods. I did the latter. I feel great now and ready for a more strenuous day tomorrow.

Meanwhile, something unfortunate went down with my shrink yesterday. So, like God and the Torah and Ashtanga as a Cult, she too is now on the "86 List".

Oy. Such a summer.

But pondering what happened all day was not good for me, and when I finally realized that we had reached a wall, I was free. That's when I took my exercise in the woods.

Now, I'm just chillin'.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Someone's got a whole new vibe

And I like it.

Could it all be explained by a simple case of anemia?

Am I being deliberately vague?

Yes.

More to come, inevitably.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga on the side

The first summer my kids were away at sleepaway camp, I moved from the city to my house the day after they left. I went to the city for yoga most mornings and unpacked and worked in the garden most afternoons. I knew no one here and had almost no social life.

The second summer, last summer, I went to see Christopher every morning. Despite having no responsibilities all day long, I awoke at the crack of dawn and took a train in to begin practicing by 8 a.m. Sometimes I had a meal with yoga friends after. Most days, I was shattered by late afternoon, dozing on the back porch, sometimes getting a second wind later on, sometimes not. Yoga was center stage and it ate up almost all my energy.

This summer, with my broken hand, my plans for a yoga-heavy bootcamp-like experience have been sidelined. Instead, I have been seeing friends, going out for meals, going to the theater, taking long walks in the city, going for long runs out here in the country.

I ALSO do yoga.

Today it was Jivamukti. Yesterday Bikram. The day before, I ran six miles. The day before that, I did Ashtanga at home. The day before that, Jivamukti. Also saw Hair on Broadway that same night. I love the variety. I love the balance. I haven't lost any flexibility or strength, but I don't feel overtrained, and I don't feel burnt out. Plus, I don't feel constrained...like I used to .... to not take long walks, to not make evening plans, to not put yoga first.

I think that it was scary for me before, to have a life not bound by rules. But it turns out to not be so scary at all...

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Your Time Management Tips Could Win a Watch from Kids Watch Central!

What’s it with today’s generation? I find so many of my kids’ friends into the cramming mode. And I must confess, my own brood get into this mode every so often as well! I must admit, there are just too many distractions these days.
A whole lot more is out there than during my time when [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Hair After Jivamukti

Not my hair. HAIR. The musical. Went with a friend to Jivamukti, then to dinner at Nios at the Muse Hotel, then to Hair, my favorite favoritest musical of all time, except for, possibly Rent. (But Hair is a part of my childhood. I memorized the soundtrack as a child. Rent, is the musical my kids memorized during THEIR childhood. I prefer the ending of Rent, but I prefer the music and emotional power of Hair. Maybe I should just let it be a toss-up.)

The Jivamukti class was pretty damn good. The teacher was clearly a newbie. Her chanting was hard to follow despite that it was "Om Asatoma Sat Gamaya", which I happen to know by rote due to Sir's drilling it into our heads during Pranayama and Philosophy class a few years ago. She also went through the Guru chant (Guru Bramha, Guru Vishnu, Guru etc...), but again, it was so difficult to follow her - she used the exact same chanting tune as she did for Om Asatoma, which I was JUST getting used to as being tied to the Om Asatoma words - that I ended up just shutting up. But no big deal. I don't care much about the chanting, and for the most part, would go out of my way to MISS that part when I used to be a Jiva regular. I would walk in and settle in right about the time the songbooks were being put away.

The Jiva teacher's dharma talk was just a reading of something Sharon Gannon had written a about spiritual paths. It was kind of awkward, as if she was reading it for the first time. Again, who cares? I'm there for the asana. And the asana ROCKED.

I found the sequencing to be nearly perfect for me. I wasn't sure if everyone would like it - we plopped down for Ardha Matsyandrasana right after we did Parsvakonasana not long after we started doing standing poses. But I am happy to do seated poses at this point because of the cast on my hand. Seated poses present fewer challenges for me modifcation-wise. Turns out my friend agreed, albeit for different reasons: she found the sequence so vigorous that she really was "ready" to take a few breaths from a seated pose at that point. Nice! Perhaps this particular possibly newbie teacher has a particular special talent for sequencing.

Indeed. When we got to the floor, for real, she did a hip opening sequence that allowed me to Dwi Pada Sirsasana with seemingly zero effort. My friend commented afterward that she was shocked when she caught me out of the corner of her eye making myself into "a human pretzel".

Ha. If she ever came to a shala...she would be rather unimpressed, I would imagine.

And there's the rub. At Jivamukti, in other yoga studios, there is no agenda. No linear progress. Sure, I could feel stiff on any given Jivamukti practice day, or I could have a shitty practice for one reason or another. But there is never any fear that anyone is going to accuse me of being a...wait for it...CRIMINAL!!! HAHAHAHA. Sounds so ludicrous, but yes, it would be (first two fingers making quotation marks around my face) "CRIMINAL" to modify Compass Pose (if it existed) into Eka Pada Sirsasana in an Ashtanga Class, or to do Eka Pada Sirsasana if I was not first invited to do so by my teacher.

And speaking of teacher again...this teacher saw my broken hand and wanted to give me a full-on-body assist in the Sun Salutations, which I was very carefully modifying on forearms. I dropped down to forearm plank, and the teacher appeared straddled over me. I turned around and waved my cast and shook my head. Instead of backing off, she was like, "I saw that...I was going to help you do it with your cast." I very politely declined. Seriously? What was she THINKING? She was going to hold me up while I pretended to put my hand on the floor? What would be the point. At any rate, I have had that assist many a time in my years at Jiva, and it is quite brutish. No precision at all, which is fine if you don't have...a BROKEN HAND. This was another reason that I imagined that she was a new teacher. A more seasoned teacher would leave a broken limb alone. Dontcha think?

Again though...not that it was bad. It was a delightful class. EXCEPT for one other thing. VERY poor choices in music. Kind of headbanging rock to open the flow portion of class. The first tunes to open a flow class should be of the same ilk as "Alone" (classic Jivamukti class opener), "Jai Hanuman" by Krishna Das, Coldplay's "God Put a Smile on Your face", Enigma's "Principles of Lust" or Zero Seven's "In the Waiting Line", If you MUST have the head banging rock - I like Rush's "Red Barchetta", for example, add it when things are already flowing.

None of this is to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy class. And I thanked the teacher and told her what a lovely hip opening sequence she devised.

What I did not love, what repulsed me, was the changing room. Oh my god. Hot and sticky, dirty shower- with hair on the floor that stuck to my foot at one point, water all over the floor due to an a absense of floor mats, even, for gosh sake, teak floor mats, if we want to be environmentally friendly. I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there, so I had to get dressed while still totally soaking wet, which is so unpleasant with or without a broken hand and a cast that prevents the use of the opposable thumb.

Next, dinner at Nios, which used to be, I think, District. The food was delicious but the service was downright awkward. I don't feel like explaining it, but suffice it to say that it involved a prixe fixe menu where the waiter demanded to know if you were going to want dessert BEFORE you even had your first drink in front of you. How can you know? Explaining the awkward, he told us that the computer system charges you a la carte if you don't order all the prixe fixe courses.

Dude. We don't want to know about your computer system. We're just trying to have dinner. Not surprisingly, when the bill came, there was more awkward, because the bill did not reflect three prix fixe meals and one a la cart, as it should have. This was because my friend ordered her dessert AFTER her meal. The computer system, which we really should NOT have known about in the first place, could not handle that information in a logical manner and charged her for, I don't know...another dinner? Something odd like that.

Again...don't want to KNOW about your computer system. Just want to be served and pampered a bit and then pay. Smoothly.

Without having it all deconstructed.

Hair was phenomenal. I always fall in love with it, whenever I see it, and I have seen it countless times over the years. I always also fall in love with Claude every time I see it. And then I dissolve into tears when he comes out in his last scene.......(spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






his emblematic hair shorn, an army uniform on his peacefeul, teenage, clueless body that should never ever ever be allowed anywhere near a gun....if this were an army movie, Claude would be the one who would die during boot camp, and if not then, then he would step on a land mine on the first hike in enemy territory, here one minute, waxing about the beasts in the forest, gone the next second. Having seen Hair numerous times and listened to the soundtrack since the day it came out - thanks Mom and Dad - obsessively memorizing every lyric, I know where this is going. Unlike as in Rent, there is no resurrection when the inevitable happens.

So there I am weeping, bent over my legs crying into my knees, and Claude jumps up for the curtain calls. "Let The Sun Shine" changes to a bit more upbeat version, and everyone around me is getting ready to run up on stage and dance.

Look, I just have a SERIOUS problem with teenagers getting sent off to war, to die for their country. I have an even MORE serious problem with teenagers who neither understand nor believe in the war getting sent off to die for their country. And an even MORE more serious problem with the parents of these same teens, when those parents withhold their love and support, making no effort to understand their own children...the implication seemed to be that had Claude had any parental support, any other possibilities besides living on the streets moment to moment, he might not have had to go at all. Perhaps he would have stayed in school. Perhaps, like my dad he would have gotten married and had a baby.

I think...I am not positive about this...that I am a Vietnam Baby. A shield against the draft. Born in 1965, I seem to have heard murmerings of this sort of thing.

Anyway, Gavin Creel's Claude is MAGIC. That's the only word for him. Will Swenson was so adept at playing Berger as an irritating, obnoxious, cocky and of the moment-ly arrogant late-teenage boy, that it made me consider for the first time in all the times I've seen Hair, how young and unformed these kids were, yet facing such terrible, life-altering choices.

This was also the first Hair production I've seen in which the Jesus/Religion imagery came through so, hmmmm, for lack of a better word, passionately. Claude as Christ. Claude as spiritual leader, compassionate, kind and decent even when treated poorly. Claude as sacrificial. Claude as resurrected in acid trips. It's not a strong connection, but even to a non-Catholic, it somehow adds power to the message. Not sure why. Purely a visceral thing.

It is also the first Hair production I've seen as a mother. And I really felt my age. These kids up there: they are not my peers. Even if I hadn't been busy wiping my tears during the curtain call, I don't think I would have put myself up there to dance on stage. I felt it was for the younger crowd, those who still might hope to dance on a Broadway stage for real someday. Not for me, a middle-aged woman in a sundress and cardigan, living an upper middle class life which would have provided all the exemptions my children ever needed to dodge the draft bullet in the 1960's.

That made me feel my age more than anything else has in my life. I need to work on
feeling okay with that. With my age. With the passage of time.

Meanwhile, I have to go read some online guides to "parents protecting teens on internet social networks", since I discovered yesterday that my 12-year old has a YouTube account, is a sometimes-contributer to discussions on YouTube regarding the band, Green Day, and its lead singer, elfish Billie Joe Armstrong, and has YouTube "friends" with names like "Green Day Girl" who said in a recent message, "Itunes always fucks up the album year". I mean, who the HELL is Green Day Girl?

Oy. I feel uneasy. But I have six more weeks before he is home again, so I have plenty of time to read up on how to keep him safe during these interactions. But I do feel uneasy.

Woooo!!! Is my head spinning or what?

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Delightful quiet

I miss my kids. But I love my quiet, quiet house. And I love the fact that I no longer follow Ze Rules, whereby I spent my seven weeks of quiet last summer waking at dawn and railroading it into the city where I had my arms yanked halfway out of their sockets and my triceps stretched to the point of feeling that same burning, ripping feeling that I felt when I was giving birth to my first child, unmedicated.

Nay!

This summer, I awaken at Whatever The Fuck Time I Awaken. It's a lovely time to wake up, let me tell you. And I exercise in Whatever The Fuck Way I Wish To, which means running as many as six miles at a time without worrying about the tightness it might bring to my hammies and quads, or taking to the trails at the nearby nature preserve, or taking a Bikram class, or doing whatever portion of the Ashtanga series' that I am able with a broken hand. And at the end of the day, I experience this wonderful thing called "Not Being Ridiculously Tired at a Ridiculously Early Hour", which means that I can do wonderful things like...see friends (for lunch in Bedford, for dinner in the meat packing district)! go to the theater (Hair)! watch a stupidly long movie (Benjamin Button)! stay out til 2 a.m. (after dinner in the meat packing district)! sleep in my friend's townhouse in Manhattan (after staying out til 2 a.m.)! sleep late and meander over to a diner for some scrambled eggs, toast and coffee and the walk five or six miles around the city without worrying about the tightness of my hips or whether the food will make my twists nauseating!

I do admit that abandoning Ze Rules leaves me feeling, at times, a bit adrift. But it's a good kind of adrift. I see friends I hadn't seen in years. I do things I never would have dared to do.

And yet: the world has not cratered.

My jeans still fit, are maybe even a bit looser, perhaps due to more intense cardio and less anaerobic yoga. My heartrate is still in the low 50's. My skin is soft and smooth and clear. My demeanor is calm. I do not feel this intense desire to spend my days strategizing how I will get my toes in Kapotasana and talking about it incessantly.

Sure, I feel a bit like a leper in the Ashtanga world. My former Ashtanga friends no longer call or write. And sometimes I am haunted by then notion of having given so much power to my teachers over my body and my happiness...and by the realization that those who I perceived to have had all of the answers, whose minds I would have paid beaucoup bucks to unlock and understand, were as clueless as I was and as arbitrary and at times capricious as anyone.

But this is what happens when you extricate yourself from a cult.

And it seems worth it to me to be my own master right now.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Rock Climbing Again

After a long hiatus, I’m trying to get back into rock climbing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stick with it and can start posting climbing-oriented yoga sequences on this blog again. I went to the climbing gym for the first time in a very long while, and was reminded very quickly just how funny climbing [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Xavier School Turns Virtual

Just five days after I blogged about how technology could be used by schools in the wake of the A(H1N1) virus, Xavier School suspended classes for 10 days after one student tested positive for the virus.
Was this a setback for the school? If you’re thinking in traditional mode, yes. Teachers & students could not come [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Michael Jackson (1958-2009): Never Can Say Goodbye to the Man in the Mirror

An icon from my generation is gone. Michael Jackson died of apparent cardiac arrest at 2:26pm today (Los Angeles time). He was only 50.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s with Michael Jackson, I remember him as a tiny boy with a fantastic angelic voice that could hit all those high notes effortlessly. We used [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Top 10 Yoga Poses For Relieving Tension Headaches

My Yoga Online has posted a new Yoga article by Kreg Weiss, Top Yoga Poses for Headaches. Explore 10 classical yoga exercises that will help alleviate the cause and symptoms of tension headaches.
Yoga can be a beneficial therapeutic tool for relieving headaches brought on by muscle tension and stress. The majority of headaches originate [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

April 22 Talk Available

Hi everyOne. My friend Emmanuel has been recording talks from place to place. Here is a sample. more about “My Livescribe“, posted with vodpod yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Back in Btown

Despite my intention to practice yoga a few times while traveling through Ireland and the UK, that never happened. I went three weeks without doing any yoga–the longest stretch I’ve gone without yoga in years–and my body feels all out of whack. It makes me wonder what my body would feel like if I never did yoga! In the [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Getting clean

I find it interesting that "clean", so long (and still) associated with being free from drugs and alcohol, is now a word that describes a way of eating that does not give rise to guilt. More specifically, "clean eating" is another way of saying "virtuous eating" or "not making a pig of myself". Sure, for some people, it means more avocado, olive oil and tofu, while for others it means more lean meat, red wine and iceberg lettuce. But ultimately, it is used to refer to partaking in foods that are not "bad foods", whatever they are.

I try never to use the word to refer to food. I do use it to refer to what I have been doing to my house these days, both inside and outside. I prefer clean, uncluttered lines. I prefer closets that could double as rooms, or nooks, as it were. I prefer gardens that are fairly symmetrical and orderly, although definitely NOT formal gardens (although I reserve the right to some day create one).

Today, I cleaned the back porch, which, due to the endless (16 of 18 days, or 17 of 19, can't remember which) rain in June, has begun to grow its own ecosystem on the floor between the flagstones. Can you say "ew"? I may have gone camping once, and I may enjoy hiking in the woods; I even enjoy digging in the dirt. But unidentified mosses and the like growing on grout just disgusts me to no end. And this, theoretically is my summer yoga studio. The downstairs yoga room is supposed to be my winter studio. It's just gotten a LOT of use these days, unfortunately.

It was yucky. Bleach galore. And then water galore to dilute the bleach so it doesn't kill the plants growing along the sides of the porch.

Another horrid side effect of the endless rain? BUGS. Not in my house, but on my plants. Plants that never saw any insect damage before are lacy with holes, the handiwork of hungry bugs brought out by the excessive moisture in the air. I don't understand the connection. But I have been told that bugs are out in force this spring/summer due to the rain.

I realize this is boring as hell.

I also had my MRI today, to check whether my left implant has ruptured. Yeah, funny. I fell asleep. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. I guess I can never claim to be claustrophobic. I am very very very low grade anxious about the results...like what if they see something they weren't even looking for, if you know what I mean...? But that's what I thought when I had my head CT to diagnose my deviated septum. So nothing new there.

Anyway, still boring.

So, yeah, speaking of clean, I've decided to go cold turkey on some of the meds on which I have been dependant since seven years ago, when I was diagnosed with cancer. Tapering doesn't work for me. Maybe cold turkey won't either. But tapering gave me too much to ponder. Too complicated. Cold turkey is much better for me. I think. We shall see. It's been two days, and so far so good.

Hand-disabled yoga later today.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Is Neck Tension The Origin of Your Headache

Many types of headache exist: tension headaches, migraines headaches with and without aura, cluster headaches, temporal arteritis and cervicogenic headaches, just to name a few. Each of these headaches develop for a different reason. Once the cause of a headache has been determined, it can often be successfully treated. This is especially [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

I Love You, Dad! I Miss You…

My dad passed away in 2001.
It was totally unexpected. He had just returned from a 10-day trip to our province, Iloilo, to take care of some family matters. He made a special trip to Bacolod where some of his brothers resided. They noticed he was breathless and seemed tired but he dismissed this as just [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

How to Do Ashtanga

I thought THIS was LOL-hilarious on so many levels, including the notion of TELLING your teacher how to put you into the pose. I want to find more Ashtanga how-to's so I can giggle...and be elitist for just another moment because I kind of miss that now that I have kicked myself out of the cult.

I am in WAY better spirits today, in spite of the rain, which I had better be getting used to seeing as it has shown no signs of stopping any time soon. And here is a goofy, overly maudlin analogy to go with that notion: Today as I was walking around my property, like I do most mornings, I was taking note of the insane growth of many of my shade-loving perennials and shrubs and of how my sun-lovers are kind of stunted for the most part. I was feeling a bit cross about that, when Adam, my 10-year old, brought my attention to the brook that runs along one side of the front yard. He wanted to show me how the water level was the highest he's ever seen it. What I noticed was that next to the brook was a rogue Hosta - a highly-prized shade-loving perennial that costs good money to purchase in a nursery, and is often a waste of time around here because the deer consider it to be their version of a gourmet mesculun salad. Yet there it was. In the wild. I certainly hadn't planted it. And it wasn't there last year. Would it be gilding the lily to note that next to the Hosta was a patch of Lamium? Another perennial that I have never seen available in the wild?

I haven't decided whether to leave these endlessly-rainy-season prizes where they are or to transplant them to beds where I already have already cultivated some of their kind. But I kind of found myself cheered by the fact that I have that choice now.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Enough with the whining and bitching

Some days I just want to do yoga. Especially on days when it is torentially downpouring and being outdoors is impossible. Today was one of those days. And I spent my entire morning, mourning. Bitching, moaning. Negativity. Was so depressed that I went out of the house without noticing that my shirt was on backwards.

Came home, complained some more. Tried to envision a summer with no vinyasa, just asana, and not even any inversions.

And then I just said ENOUGH.

I got on my mat and did 10 modified sun salutations (Inhale arms up, exhale fold forward, inhale look up, exhale fold forward, inhale arms up, exhale samasthiti - second five with utkatasana). Felt great. Then all of Standing - but grabbing opposite elbows in Parsvotanasana, and stabilizing myself against a wall for the two standing balancing poses, and when it came time to do the vinyasa leading to Utkatasana and the Virabadrasanas, I did the following: INhale arms up, EX fold, IN look up, EX step back into a lunge...and then a series of lunges on the one side, leading to Hanumanasana, then the other side, finished with Utkatasana and then sat down for Primary.

In between each pose (not in between sides, at least not today), I did Navasana, then crossed ankles and skootched forward for forearm plank, lowered into sphinx, then pushed back to Virasana. Then got into the next pose. When it came time for Navasana, I did Ardha Navasana in between instead of pressing up. When it came time for Bujapidasana, I got up and did a bound Parsvakonasana, then Tarasana instead of Kurmasana. Didn't thread through for Garba, but rolled back and forth in Lotus pose, and the rest of Primary was totally doable.

Did an unbound Pasasana (prayer hands), Krounchasana, Salabhasana, then Ustrasana. Then instead of Urdvha Dhanurasana, I pressed up on my forearms. Then I turned around to the wall and did Pincha against the wall (for stability...can't play with weight bearing on different parts of the hand when wearing a cast!). Then Plow, to Karna Pidasana to the Lotus version of Karna Pidasana to headstand to the Three Seated Finishing poses, minus Uth Pluthi.

And I feel good!!!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just don't want to get all sullen about my modifications. I know that this is only temporary, and I just have to remember that...

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Technology: A Tool for Schools in the Wake of A(H1N1)

Many mothers like me here in the Philippines are growing more and more worried by the day as the number of people becoming sick with the A(H1N1) virus increases. Classes have just began in our part of the world and in the first week, some students were found positive resulting in classes being suspended and [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

5 Quick Eating Tips for Weight Loss

Part of an overall health and wellness program is managing body weight and maintaining a healthy percentage of total lean body mass. To optimize your healthy body weight composition, we have some simple, yet effective eating tips that will enhance your wellness strategies.
1) A calorie is a calorie! Even though some foods are [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

so pretty...so natural...so bye bye

Apparently, while I was off somewhere paying attention to really important things like how to get my head up my own ass while backbending and twisting at the same time, I missed the men's magazine that voted Sarah Jessica Parker the Unsexiest Woman of the Year (or of all time, not sure which).

That sucks. That truly sucks not just for her but for the rest of us when the woman being dissed looked like the photo above.

Is it any wonder that she went ahead and removed her mole and surgically stapped on some skin-colored melons to try to fit into mass media's idealized version of a hard-bodied stick figure with giant mammaries and feet that were made for walking in red-soled stiletto platforms?

Sigh. It's not her fault really, exactly. It's more like she is just trying to get by in this highly demented and mysogynistic world we live in. Sure, we could wish that she could have bucked the trend. But why should we expect that?

Oh, and speaking of boobs...looking into a whole nother procedure. The breaking of the hand has liberated me somewhat...if I can't do yoga for two months, might as well be recovering from major surgery too....Fingers crossed...this one seems like a good one if I should be so lucky to qualify...

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;