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

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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

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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;

SOO depressing

WHY?!!!! WHY WHY WHY???

Why would anyone do such a thing?

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

frazzled. broken. optimistic.

Broke my hand today doing titti c. so dont expect good grammar or spelling. it's called a boxer's fracture. funnyny because i have been watching Burn Notice on tv and recently heard the main character talking about all the little bones in your hand that you could break while punchin someone in the face. when i lost my balance, and broke my fall with my thumb, i heard a little snap.

like a chicken bone.

oh, snap.

of course i kept going, even did the seven headstands. even did backbends on one hand. and such good backbends too. oh well. they will still be there in 6-8 weeks. maybe even moreso, since i wont be muscling-up with vinyasas. the plan is to run and hike for exercise and streeeeeeetch...work the legs behind the head, backbends that don't involve balancing on hands...for example, dwi viparita dandadasana, which is yummy anyway...and non-binding twists, like ardha matsyandrasana.

i like challenges.

but why frazzled? because i have so much householder and other stuff to deal with. a small leak on the third floor causing mold on the second floor, a bunch of anthills i want obliterated, brian's pc needing geek-squad attention stat, a broken dishwasher (husband is doing all dishes until it is fixed, hopefully thurs, because he is steadfastly refusing to buy a new dishwasher until he can convince himself that fisher & paykel isn't really going to replace this lemon) as well as a sudden urge to redo my fucking-awful re-reconstruction and the urge is deep and distressing, a haircut appointment tomorrow morning, a new housekeeper coming tuesday morning (praise science), and now to find an orthopedic surgeon/sports medicine doctor to deal with my ongoing hand care (emergency room is only the diagnosis and quick cast).

and also: class parties, masters program orientation, playoff games (brian's team made the semi-finals...go brian!!), packing for camp (trunks leave on the 20th!!).

but as i said, i love a challenge. love when i have to make due. it may be the drama queen in me. so, i am psyched for a different kind of fitness experience this summer. whatever it is, however it turns out, i have no choice.

might as well roll with it.

yc

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Learn about Organic Consumers Association

My Yoga Online is proud to be supporting the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and encourages all of our members and readers to visit the OCA. Learn more about their tremendous efforts in generating awareness and change with the production and consumption of organic and sustainable goods.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

111 Years of Philippine Independence + the First Ever Filipino Google Doodle

Today, June 12, 2009 marks the 111th year of Philippine independence. And what a way to begin the day! At the first stroke of the day, shortly after midnight, Google Philippines posted its first ever Filipino Google Doodle on its page, www.google.com.ph. My heads-up came from Aileen (Google’s country consultant for the Philippines) who sent out [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Yoga Pose of the Month: Triangle Pose

Enjoy our latest post by Dr. Robin Armstrong reviewing the applications, techniques, and cautions when doing Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). This classical Hatha Yoga posture offers many benefits:
* Expands chest and shoulders
* Increases mobility of hip joints
* Increases neck mobility
* Stretches spinal muscles
* Strengthens and tones muscles of the thighs
* Stretches calf muscles, hamstrings, [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

An A(H1N1) Flu Booklet from the UN

The Philippines is now counted as one of the countries affected by the A(H1N1) virus. As of last count by the Department of Health, there are already57 people who contracted it. Thankfully, we have had no deaths yet.
What is worrisome to parents like me is its timing with the opening of classes.
When De La Salle [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Kenny Rankin (1940-2009)

Sad, sad news for me today.
I have my iTunes open now listening to all the songs in my music collection sang by Kenny Rankin, singer-songwriter, who passed away from lung cancer complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His voice carried a certain timbre that was so suited to love songs and ballads. He will surely be [...] yoga therapy; Self Improvement;

Last year, this year

Last Year:



This Year:



Last Year:



This Year:



Last Year:



This Year:



Last Year:



Last Year:



Last Year:




This Year:




These were taken at the same time of year - late May/early June. What a difference a year makes. There is one weird thing...in a way, I feel nostalgic for the bare, empty gardens. They had so much potential, they filled the mind with so many ideas, so much inspiration. It's like seeing my kids go from babies to teens. It's a tiny bit bittersweet...

There's more, but I need to locate the before photos...and also take some 2009 photos when some other flowers come into bloom...

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Top Yoga Poses for Lower Body Strength

Practicing Yoga offers a great deal of benefits including the strengthening and toning of muscles. This strengthening and toning supports joint structures, promotes injury prevention, improves physical performance, and enhances body weight management. This strengthening is more appropriately classified as endurance, the degree and length of time in which a muscle can sustain [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Yoga Practice for Remembering

Enjoy this latest yoga article by guest author Alexandra Goldwell. Alexandra brings attention to how the yoga practice can act as a gateway towards deeper inner reflection especially in terms of remembering and appreciating-lifestyle elements that often become diluted or overshadowed in today’s all-consuming challenges. I noticed today how my practice helps me remember. [...] yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

I can't belive I JUST found this...

This is a photo of Val (CT Shala Val), performing in the 1984 Olympics!

Way cool.

Still sick today. Don't see much chance of any yoga. But not ruling it out if I feel better later.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

The excuse

I have a cold. A bad cold. Probably the most uncomfortable cold symptoms I have had in a year or more. I did not practice yesterday because I didn't want to, and I had practiced every day of the preceding five days. But last night, as I lay in bed with my scratchy throat and post nasal drip, I realized that my muscle soreness and joint stiffness was due to the cold, not due to the yoga.

Today, I rested again, although it wasn't a restful rest with a morning pediatrician appointment, a noontime trip to The Home Depot to pick out doorknobs and shower trim for the construction project downstairs, and an afternoon shivah call (that's pronounced SHIH-vuh, not SHEE-vah, and it's a Jewish condolence call).

I feel like hell.

Onward.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

There are no words.

OH MY GOD. How is she even alive, let alone practicing yoga???



And yes, I saw this on another person's blog. So what.

YC

yoga; Yoga Poses; Health and Wellness;

Second Series Today

Not because it's Sunday. To "certain days being associated with certain Series", I say, "Meh". I practiced Second Series today because my body was kind of achey from a night of dancing last night, and maybe a little too much Pinot Noir over too many hours, and Second Series has less Vinyasas overall - and more to the point, less chaturangas. I also practiced Second Series today because give a choice, I will always focus more on forward bending than backbending, to the detriment of the backbending. And Second Series does not give me that ability, if I do it in order. It starts with backbends, after the first two poses, that is.

It went rather nicely, I have to say. There were moments when I was like, jeez, is this ever going to end? That was when I was doing Kapotasana, which sucked as badly as it ever has, maybe moreso and then a rather painful, crampy, cranky Supta Vajrasana. The Eka Padas were pretty rough too since I had zero opportunity to warm up for leg-behind-head. But Dwi Pada through Tittibhasana was fine, and then it all progressed so quickly once I was past my two Pincha Mayurasanas (since I have zero desire to even approximate any aspect of Karandavasana, other than the Pincha part),

I found it interesting that Tittibhasana C was not problematic, given that Eka Pada was so stiff and unyielding. I also found it interesting that Mayurasana was so easy, given its placement in the Series. Most pleasant suprise: I did every one of the Seven Headstands coming up in a pike. I have never been able to do that before. Perhaps this is a funnyction of doing them after just Second, instead of after Primary and THEN Second. Perhaps the same goes for Mayurasana. Less is definitely more, I am finding. Over and over and over again in my life, as well as in yoga.

Also pleased that Pasasana was fine without the Maryichyasanas. I don't know if I have ever even attempted that before. Or if I have, I doubt I have ever been able to do that before. Then again, I am rolling my mat under my heels now. MUCH better. And why shouldn't I? I am a Westerner. A short Westerner who wears heels every single day. How can I be expected to squat like an Indian?

Final comment about it, reinforcing the bit of wisdom imparted to me at some point during my Om teacher training, that there is no yoga adjustment or alignment advice that does not have an expiration date: I decided to try stepping up to Virabhadrasana in the Surya Namaskar B's straight from Down Dog, rather than putting my heel down first, as the Good Doc had demanded of me. At the time that the Good Doc gave me this instruction, it made sense. It helped me, I remember. Not sure I remember exactly what it helped me with, but I know I remember thinking that it was helpful. But lately, I have been noticing that it kind of messes up my rhythm. So, today, I exhaled into downdog and boom, just stepped forward...and it was nice. Nice and smooth.

Maybe someday I will go back to the heel down/step forward method. But right now, my teacher is telling me to do it the other way. And by my teacher, I mean, ME.

All in all, backbends sucked today, as bad as ever. Yet, here is the oddness: my dropbacks and standups were quite nice.

Go figure.

Haven't walked Lewis today. I did rake all of the goddamned Oriental Bittersweet out of my shade garden paths. That stuff is horribly invasive, and I don't even know where it came from. Last year, I don't rememer there being any Bittersweet at all. This year, it is threatening to take over. It's a pretty chartreuse color, but don't let that fool you. It vines and climbs and tangles and gets woody, and ultimately, it will kill everything it can overpower. So, I did what I had to do. But Lewis still needs a walk. He is already losing weight on his new fitness program. I guess, after supper.

As for tomorrow...who knows? Primary? No practice at all? I love the flexibility of my new program...

YC

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