Who Are You?

“Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” - Jason Crandell

Jason Crandell is right. If you are on a path of self-exploration or introspection, yoga can help you in your quest. The first thing yoga can tell you is how patient or determined you are. As a new student, you will might feel stiff, infexible or weak, or you may instantly feel like you are home, right where you are supposed to be. However you feel is okay! Yoga is something to be learned, to be discovered, over time. You never stop learning. Long-time practictioners will tell you they are still students, even after 20, 30, or more years. You will find that just when you think you have learned to relax and surrender to a pose, you will find a different, subtler aspect you did not know existed. And that is just the asana limb of yoga!

While yoga asana, the yoga poses, is one of the most advertised and studied aspect of yoga in the United States, it is only a small part of the whole that is yoga. Yoga philosophy, of which part is the eight limbs, or Ashtanga (meaning eight limbs, and not referring to the type of asana practice prescribed by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois), allows you to learn even more about yourself than will just doing yoga asana (one of the eight limbs). For example, as you progress in your understanding of the concepts of asteya (non-stealing), you learn what stealing really is. Yes, it means to not take somethiing that is not freely given to you. One thing I learned about myself is that I interrupt people when they are speaking. That is a violation of asteya because I am stealing someone's opportunity to express him or herself, the opportunity for that person to shine. If you don't continue to practice yoga, or don't practice as often as you would like, you may feel you are stealing from yourself the opportunity for better health of mind and body. These philosophical principles are many-layered.

Meditation, the limb named dhyana, provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about yourself, beyond and including the physical discomfort of sitting for long periods of time. How do you deal with that discomfort? Do you stop or do you persevere? Do you find a way to be comfortable? Do you sit with the discomfort and see what comes up with it in your meditation? Do you get angry or give up, thinking meditation is not right for you or that you aren't doing it right? Do you ask a teacher or long-time student for advice? There are many ways to deal with discomfort during meditation! If you ask a teacher or long-time student for advice, you may learn ways to be comfortable, to relax and find ease in your practice. It may help you to know that I have been meditating since 1976. I still have days where it takes time to relax and concentrate on my meditation technique, and that is normal. No one is perfect. Some of us may sit there and look so still and relaxed, but it may be taking more time to rein in our brains. When that happens, we may ask ourselves what is going on. We can use that information, while letting our meditation be what it is that day. One key lesson about meditating is learning how to let your meditation be what it is at any point in time. That is one of many ways we learn about ourselves through meditation.

One of my favorite ways to learn about myself is to journal about my daily yoga and meditation practice. I keep my journal next to my mat as I practice. Sometimes I stop and write during my practice, recording how my practice feels in my body and/or mind, the thoughts and feelings that pop into my head, or a new way to describe a pose in class. I also write about my meditations and if I chanted how that felt or why I chose a particular chant. There are as many things to write as there are pieces of sand in the River Ganges!

You don't have to be a writer to journal your yoga and meditation practice. You can jot down a few words, list the poses you did, write as if talking to a friend, draw a picture. It doesn't matter if you don't write in complete sentences. You are the only person who will read your journal, unless you give it to someone else. You can keep one journal, with your practice notes and regular journal entries, or you can keep two journals. I started with seperate journals, but soon blended them into one.

One rainy day, when you are snuggling up with a cup of tea and a blanket, get our your practice journal and read it. You may be amazed at what you find out about yourself. You may be more patient or observant than you think you are. You may have used your experiences on the mat to resolve a deeper issue that you hadn't thought of for a while.

So, questions for the comment section. What leads you to self-discovery? Do you keep a yoga and/or meditation practice journal? I am interested, so please comment below. :)

Namaste,

Julie

Coming In Threes: A Tribute to B.K.S. Iyengar

B.K. S. Iyengar from his book Light On Life

Live happily, die majestically. - B.K.S. Iyengar

Through my life I have heard about all the things that "come in threes," celebrity deaths being one of them.  The last several weeks it has been Robin Williams, B.K.S. Iyengar, and just this past week, Joan Rivers.

Since this is a yoga studio blog, I will focus on B.K.S. Iyengar, who passed from this world on August 20.  It isn't that Robin Williams and Joan Rivers have no relation to yoga, because they do.  Laughter and watching a great performance are both wonderful ways to be in the moment, and they kept many of us in the moment over the years with their expressions of joy and wondrous art, even through their own pain and grief.  They will be missed by many around the world, and I wish for peace and joy to once again visit all their loved ones.

I never studied directly with B.K.S. Iyengar, nor did I meet him in person, but I have learned so much from him I can't even express it.  I am very sad he has passed.  His many books have been my teachers, with me reading them late into the night and early morning, sitting beside my mat while I practice, quotes and passages being underlined and meditated upon.  I have watched videos over and over, gleaning every bit I could, watching them again and gleaning even more.  If there is a book that has been my master textbook for poses, it is his Light on Yoga. I know many yoga teachers and students who keep his books on their shelves for quick reference.  Iyengar merged yoga and life the way it is meant to be merged.  He had a gift for teaching and love for his students.  Yoga is life and life is yoga.  In 2004, Time Magazine listed Iyengar as one of the "100 People Who Shape Our World."  Iyengar, who was 95, was such a light and still had much to give.  Guriji, thank you!  I am grateful for all you gave.

I started for health, then it became a dedicated service to humanity. - Iyengar

Many online sites and publications have paid tribute to Iyengar and his contribution to yoga and the world.  If you would like to see a slideshow containing the tributes of some well-known yogis, see that here.  Here is a video of an Iyengar interview giving a short history of his life, complete with early photos and video. To see a video of Iyengar talking about life and yoga, go here, and an interview at his school here, about education, and the importance of physical health and a harmonious mind.  These are just some of many opportunities to learn more about this great man.  I encourage you to look further and discover more.  Your life, your yoga, will be enriched.

Never forget that the pupil also teaches the master - Iyengar

If you would like to pay your own tribute, please feel free to make a comment below. 

Many blessings!

Namaste,

Julie

Quick Announcement About Wednesday Night Class Time

Hello yogis and yoginis! Wednesday night classes will stay at 5:45 p.m., and will not change per my previous blog post. What my students want, my students get. Awareness Village is here to serve you. :) Namaste and have a wonderful day!

Resolving to Evolve With Sankalpa

It is a good bet that if you made a New Year's resolution, it has already been put to the side, until next January 1. That is unfortunate, but there is a way to turn that around by using yogic techniques to start an inner evolution, rather than an outward resolution.

A resolution is usually defined by attaining a certain result by changing something about yourself. But what if you could attain that result by being even more yourself, not by resolving to change something about yourself? That is what sankalpa does for you.

Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word for a statement of resolution or intention. But the format for a sankalpa is a bit different than the format for a New Year's resolution. The purpose of a sankalpa is to bring you to your authentic self, who you really are right now. As your authentic self, you don't need a New Year's resolution. For example, a resolution might be, "I will lose 20 pounds by June 1." A resolution speaks to something you will be in the future and you might outline some steps to eat right or get more exercise. A sankalpa might be, "I now treat myself with love and respect." When you keep your attention on treating yourself with love and respect, you take the necessary steps and fulfill your resolution to lose weight, and even more, like getting enough sleep, balancing your work and personal lives, whatever you can to do to fulfill your sankalpa. You may have more than one resolution, but with some self-inquiry you create one sankalpa to meet all your resolutions.

Starting in March, I will be teaching a new type of hatha yoga class where we will use sankalpa and other yogic techniques to achieve the goals you have for yourself. Intentional Yoga classes will be held at Awareness Village on Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., starting March 5. The classes will be suitable for anybody, including beginners. I look forward to helping you be all you can be!

It's All About the Journey

"It is by the co-ordinated and concentrated efforts of his body, senses, mind, reason and Self that a man obtains the prize of inner peace and fulfills the quest of his soul to meet his Maker.  The supreme adventure in a man's life is his journey back to his Creator." - B.K.S. Iyengar, "Light on Yoga," Page 30.

I am on week 5 of Iyengar's asana course (detailed in his book, "Light On Yoga").  I've been doing the yoga practice most days of the week, though the weekends have been, well, weak.

I was drawn to the idea of offering a quote from Iyengar's book for two reasons:  (1) I am working from his book almost daily in my personal practice, and (2) because I wanted to write a blog post and I didn't have a topic.  ;)

The quote suggests an ultimate reason to do yoga, meeting your Creator, and that the soul's journey is the greatest adventure we can have in our lives on this earth.

The soul's journey is an adventure.  Um.  Yeah, it sure is!  Sometimes that adventure is a tumultuous and painful journey over the highest mountains imaginable.  Sometimes, the adventrure is exciting and fun, maybe with a little risk thrown in, like an all-expense-paid week-long trip to Las Vegas or Africa.  Sometimes the adventure is smooth sailing; everything goes your way and you have nothing to worry about.  You are "in the zone."  At times, the adventure isn't an adventure at all.  At those times we may feel bored, lazy, depressed, angry, uncertain or apathetic.  We are either crying out for a big shot of inspiration, or we really don't give a damn.

You can learn, and further your way along your journey, in any of these phases, some more than others.  Even the slowest path can be quicker than the shortest, all depending on what you learn along the way.  Even the smoothest journey has lessons.  Chances are that you are experiencing more than one type of adventure at any given time.

Luckily, my soul's journey isn't taking me on a trek over any treacherous, barely passable mountains, at the moment anyway.  I am experiencing some hills, some taller than others, along with a good portion of smooth sailing and a tiny bit of apathy (since I've been overwhelmed a bit lately).  While progression on the journey can bring about your best, it can also bring out the worst in us.

Inner peace is a pretty easy concept to understand; everyone has his or her own idea of what inner peace might be like.  The Maker/Creator idea is, for some, an uncertain idea.  I think what we are really talking about here is the full and complete union of our self and our soul, allowing for the full and complete expression of ourselves as spiritual beings.  It is my belief that my soul, my spirit, is made of exactly the same stuff as my Maker/Creator.  My soul/spirit IS my Maker/Creator.  My soul/spirit is the perfect, beautiful and eternal part of me, and of every other being on this planet.  We are all a part of each other.  We are one.

When we get to the part of the journey where we meet our Creator, our egoistic self falls away and we express our REAL self.  We live our life expressing our soul, and thus, our Creator.  We experience that desired inner peace.  But beware.  Inner peace can be fleeting.  You may have it one day, and not the next.  Our UNreal self is imperfect and enjoys keeping us on our toes with new learning opportunities.  After all, this is our human, ego self having a spiritual experience.

Next Up? A New Year

For many years I have tossed around the idea of doing B.K.S. Iyengar's asana courses, Appendix 1 of "Light on Yoga."  The courses detail 300+ weeks of personal practice, as if one were studying asana for the first time all the way to an advanced practitioner.

Michael Jordan was asked what he was thinking about as he was dribbling and shooting a basketball.  He said he was thinking of the fundamentals, the skills he learned first.  Being a teacher, and a long-time yoga student, the fundamentals are still important.  I decided to do Iyengar's course, starting from the beginning.  I started it on Monday, December 26.  I felt inspired; why wait 'til the new year?

Our lives can be seen as an onion whereby we continually move from this level to a deeper one, learning the next lesson, the next peel of the onion.  When we are consciously students, we learn more.  To consciously be a student, we need guidance.  Sometimes we guide ourselves, at other times someone else does the guiding.  This time, Iyengar will provide the guidance.  In doing his asana course, I will be learning another level, another peel of the onion, of the postures.  In turn, I will be learning about myself in the postures.

I have the audiobook by Stephen Levine, "A Year to Live."  It is an awesome audiobook!  I have been very busy and have lost a bit of myself, the last year or so.  This year, 2012, I am taking my life back! Committing to such a long program is a bit daunting, to say the least!  LOL  But I will learn more about myself, as well as the postures.  My goal is to commit to the first year of the course.  I'll see what happens at the end of the year.

The first two weeks of the course contain postures, all of which I have, obviously, done before.  They are: tadasana (mountain pose), vrksasana (tree pose), utthita trikonasana (triangle pose), utthita parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose), virabhadrasana I and II (warrior 1 and 2 poses), parsvottanasana (pyramid pose), salamba sarvangasana (supported shoulderstand), halasana (plow pose), and savasana (corpse pose).

I can't wait to see what I will learn!  And if anyone wants to join me in this endeavor, I'd love the company!

Yoga Challenge - Day 21 - The End???

Hello Faithful Challengers,

Today was a fine day.  I did 1 1/2 hours of asana, 20 minutes of meditation, and 40 minutes of yoga nidra.

Some of you have told me about the difference this Challenge has made in your life.  I am thrilled for you!!!  And, I am very proud of you for sticking with it.  You inspire me.  I've had a great deal of fun hearing from you and experiencing the Challenge along with you.  Although I said the Challenge was 21 days long, I actually planned for 22 days.  I did this to say that just because the Challenge is 21 days long, that doesn't mean your practice has to end.  So, I challenge you to take this a step further.  Take your practice from 21 days to 22 days and beyond.  You have had a chance to feel the difference a consistent practice can make in your lives in just 21 days.  How much more can you do for yourself?  How big a difference can a long-term, consistent practice make for you?  Now that you know what it can do for you and for your life, how can you not continue?

Feel free to use the Facebook discussion page and wall to tell me and each other about your practice, or you can email me.  Feel free to ask questions!  I'll still tell you about my practice here and there during blog posts and newsletters.  (If you haven't signed up for the newsletter, there is a link on the website and the blog site, or you can ask me to add you to the list.)  Whatever you do, don't stop your practice!  You've got a jump on it; keep it going!  This won't be the last challenge, even for this year, but don't stop and wait for another challenge to get back into your practice.  You are worth it!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 20 - Today's Practice

Hi Yogis,

WOW!  Day 20 has come so quickly!  I hope you have been having a good time with the challenge.  Today, my practice consisted of 1 hour 10 minutes of asana and 20 minutes of meditation.

"See" you tomorrow!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 19 - Today's Practice

Hello Challengers,

Today's practice was 20 minutes of asana, 20 minutes of yoga nidra, and 15 minutes of meditation.

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 18 - Yoga and Aristotle

Hello Fellow Challengers,

Today was a fairly busy day with class this morning and busy work around the house.  I moved some things and cleared out some clutter.  You have to get the old out to get the new in.  Or, as Aristotle once proposed, "nature abhors a vacuum."

That idea can apply to your yoga practice as well.  It is easy to get stuck in a yoga practice rut, doing the same thing every day, not challenging yourself.  When you don't challenge yourself, you don't grow.  When you do the same practice every day, you might become bored and drop your personal practice altogether.  If you challenge yourself to practice a pose you find difficult, for example, you might find yourself becoming more at ease in that pose.  You might even come to like a pose you didn't think you ever would!  Try some new music, or no music at all.  You get the idea.  Let go of your standard daily practice and add something new every now and then; change things up and see what it brings into your life.

Today I challenged myself with a bunch of forearm and "regular" plank poses, and other arm-strengthening poses.  My arms might be a bit sore tomorrow, but I will have achieved something in the process, and not just stronger arms and back.  I will have achieved just a little more self-confidence because I challenged myself.  My practice today was 45 minutes of asana and 25 minutes of meditation.

Keep challenging yourself!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 17 - Short and Sweet

Today's blog post will be short and sweet as I am ready to go to bed!  I did 25 minutes of asana and 10 minutes of meditation.

I hope you all had great Saturdays!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 16 - I Can't Believe It!

Hi Fellow Yogis,

What I can't believe is that it is the 16th day of our challenge.  The 16th day!  It is insane how quickly time passes. What I want to remind all of you of is that time does pass quickly.  Procrastination or apathy isn't an option if you are going to look at the last month, the last year, or your entire life wishing you would have done things differently.  So start doing those things that are truly important now, not later, not tomorrow, and especially not the tomorrow that never comes.  We are born with the understanding that we will not be alive in our human bodies forever, and we won't know until it is too late when our time will run out.  So live like you don't have the time, because you really don't.  LIVE a FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC life!  Make certain you enjoy your days on this earth.

Today I enjoyed 30 minutes of asana and 15 minutes of meditation.  What did you enjoy?

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 15 - Keepin' On

Hello Challengers,

Today was a day to keep on keepin' on.  It was a busy day in Reno, helping my partner at the hospital (he had an outpatient procedure) and we were not able to get back to Incline Village due to the snow and the closing of Mt. Rose Highway and I-80.  Due to my inability to get back up the hill, tomorrow's 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. classes are canceled. Hopefully, I will be able to get back up the hill tomorrow morning and won't have to cancel the 12:15 meditation or the 6:00 p.m. Rock 'n Roll Yoga.

Today, I did 35 minutes of asana and 15 minutes of meditation.  I was able to do my practice in spite of the events of the day only because I was determined to do what is best for me.  There are few times when we are truly not able to do what is in our best interests.  We only have to pay attention and treat ourselves with the love and care we deserve.  You are important and you deserve your best!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 14

Hello Fellow Yogis,

Today was a fun day!  I did 1 hour of asana, 20 minutes of yoga nidra, and 20 minutes of meditation.  I also went to a new knitting group and met some really nice ladies.  It's always nice to meet people who like the same things you do.  I can't wait to knit with them again!

I hope you all had great days, as well, and are enjoying your practices.

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 13 - A Lucky Day!

Hello Challengers!  Today was a busy day, but a good day.  I had a nice conversation with my Feng Shui Consultant, Gail Hill of Feng Shui Element in Incline Village, where I live and have Awareness Village.  We made some changes to the studio, that feel really good.  There will be some more changes in the studio space soon, as I am able to get what I need to get.

I also did 25 minutes of asana and 20 minutes of meditation.

Rock on!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Days 11 and 12 - Back on Track

Hello Challengers!  Yesterday I wasn't feeling well and actually didn't do my practice.  In the morning I felt like I could do a gentle, restorative practice, but kept putting it off and I didn't get it done.  I think I'm like most people who intend to do something first thing in the morning, then put it off and it never happens.  Obviously it is best to get things done as soon as possible.  Of course, what's even better, especially with a daily practice, is to do it at the same time every day.  That way, after it becomes a habit, your mind and body get clued in to what is going on and you get the most benefit.  At a time like this, though, you can only let the past go, concentrate on this very moment and do the best you can do, right here, right now.

Today I was feeling much better!  This morning I cranked out 65 minutes of asana and 35 minutes of meditation.  I am back on track!

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Days 9 and 10 - Two for the Price of One

Hello All.  I realized this morning that i didn't blog last night. Oops, sorry about that!  I did NOT however, forget to practice.  Yesterday, I did 1 1/2 hours asana, 40 minutes of yoga nidra, and 20 minutes of meditation.  Today, due to a lack of time, my practice consisted of 20 minutes asana and 10 minutes meditation.  Hope you all have had a great day.  See you tomorrow!

Yoga Challenge - Day 8 - It Was a Great Day!

Today was a great day!  I am having an equally great, and busy, evening, so today's blog post will be short.  My practice consisted of 5 minutes of pranayama, 90 minutes of asana, and 15 minutes of meditation.  It was a really nice practice.  I felt refreshed, relaxed and serene afterward.

I hope all of you had a great day, and, if you didn't, you can find at least one thing that was great.

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 7 - Constancy

Good evening!  I hope all is well with all of you and yours and that you are having fun with this Yoga Challenge. Today, I did 40 minutes of yoga nidra, 10 minutes of pranayama, 45 minutes of asana, and 20 minutes of meditation.

I was thinking this afternoon what I might want to write about today.  The idea of constancy popped into my head. To be constant is to be steadfast, stable and to act with a sense of resolve.  Only when you apply constancy to your personal yoga practice can you really reap the benefits of yoga and meditation in your body, mind, spirit, and, ultimately, in your life.  There is no other way!  Sure you may feel great after a weekly class, but that quality of "great" you feel is fleeting.  What if it were possible to absorb the benefits of yoga and feel those benefits more consistently over a greater period of time?  It is possible, if you have constancy in your personal yoga practice. Without constancy, there is no way to acquire the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual benefits of yoga over the long term.

The best way to be constant is to practice, no surprise there.  This takes a continued commitment to you practice; it's not just a one-time event.    Before establishing your practice, it is helpful to think about the "why" of your practice.  What are you hoping to gain from your practice?  Your purpose, your "why," will help you craft or design your practice.  Reviewing your purpose, seeing that end goal, and contemplating your "why," will help you develop the constancy needed to reap the full benefits of your personal yoga practice.  Reviewing your purpose will help you challenge yourself when you get stuck in a rut or any time you become distracted away from your goals. When you apply constancy to your practice, you will be on your way to a new body, a new mind and a renewed spirit.

Namaste,

Julie

Yoga Challenge - Day 6 - Requesting a Do-Over

Good evening, fellow yogis!  I did 35 minutes of asana and 10 minutes of meditation today.  How is it going with your practice?  If you feel distracted from your goals, which you might experience right around now, just do what the ancient yogis and meditators did, begin again.  That's right, just put your expectations aside, forget about the past, and any failures you feel your might have perpetrated against yourself, and begin again.  Whatever has happened, it was in the past, it's done.  All you have is this moment right now.  This moment is all that matters, so just begin again.

One time about six or seven years ago, when I had been feeling particularly crappy about my life, I was meditating.  The words "begin again" popped into my head as if someone was yelling them at me.  That has been the most profound lesson of my life to date.  "Begin again" doesn't give you free license to be mediocre at everything you try, that would require a different lesson.  What it does give you is permission to be compassionate with yourself and the peace of mind that sometimes, even with our best intentions, we don't quite meet the marks we set for ourselves.  We can request, and take, a do-over any time we need to.

Tomorrow marks the seventh day of the Challenge, and the completion of the first of three weeks.  Take a look at your practice and see how you have been doing with the challenge and make any adjustments you need to make.  If you need to begin anything again, then begin again.