Check in, Let Go, and Get Off the Couch!

Yea! I found my yoga blog. I've wanted to come back here so many times but I always let something else get in the way.

It's spring. It's time to check in with ourselves. Yes, I know we should be constantly checking in with ourselves and getting rid of "stuff" in our lives that isn't keeping us on the right path. We should be opening ourselves up for new experiences, letting go of those old habits that hold us back.

So what gets in the way?

Everything and nothing is usually my response. Work, family commitments, and other hobbies are the normal excuses.

I've been teaching more classes at Keller Pointe. The members are great and it is a wonderful place to teach. The room is significantly smaller than the group exercise room at LA Fitness so it's easier to feel connected to the group during a class.

I'm teaching a Pilates class and a "Fit & Fabulous" class to a group of VERY fit seniors and not-so-seniors.

I am taking time to continue on my path of fitness by participating in more long distance races and I have started to compete in the sprint distance triathlons. The sprint distance is usually about 300 meters of swimming, an approximately 12-mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. I finish in about 1.5 hours. The duration is similar to a half marathon but it takes me a little longer to run the 13.1 miles.

This spring take a moment to sit quietly and ask yourself if there is something you are hanging onto that you can just let go of and enjoy the freedom and peace that can bring to you.

Finally, don't forget your yoga. There is no rule that says you have to sit down for a long practice. Taking a few minutes to warm-up and focus on a few basic postures with focused breathing can work its magic.

Namaste.

Yoga Off the Mat: Giving Yourself a Bye

I'm a runner. I have a race coming up on July 18th. It's a 15K. It's long enough but not quite as far as a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Last fall and winter, I did two half-marathons and then I backed off on distance training limiting my runs to six miles 3 times a week.

I'm starting to increase my distance again and I'm having a very hard time this spring and summer. It's getting hot and I'm feeling very tired lately. My energy moves up and down like a bell curve.

I don't just want to "finish" the race but I have a time goal in mind. I'm goal-oriented and a bit stubborn and apparently have a hard time practicing what I preach.

What is it that I'm preaching you might ask?

Ahimsa (Ah-him-sah) and Satya (sahtch-ya)

There are two of the Yamas or guidelines for living from *Patanjali's eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. Ahimsa tells us to do no harm and Satya tells us to be truthful. Doing no harm also means doing no harm to ourselves and Satya encourages us to listen to our body. I refer to these in every yoga class I teach but I have an incredibly hard time listening to my own body or properly interpreting what my body is telling me.

With six out of seven days of the week doing some type of cardio and my love of running outdoors, I tend to ignore the signals of fatigue and discomfort from hamstring tendonitis and sore knees. I'm not twenty. I can't get over-heated at noon one day and expect to run six miles the next morning. If you're in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you've probably noticed the increase in temperatures and the decrease in wind. This is not a good combination for outside training runs.

You might say that I could "push through the pain" or "just ignore it and keep going". Yes, those are the tendencies I have but as I've gotten older, pain stays around longer and it gets harder to "push through it". I don't enjoy being constantly fatigued. Maybe I'm getting soft.

Today, I'm letting my body talk and I'm listening. The six miles was only a pipe dream. A quick 40-minute run/walk "workout" was it for my cardio today. In yoga, we have learn to accept whatever our practice brings us. Yoga lessons come off the mat. I'm accepting my "practice" today, giving myself a bye today, and maybe for the rest of the week.

I still plan to meet my goal. I may have to adjust my cardio workout schedule but I can accept that.

Namaste.

*The eight limbs of yoga are described in the Yoga Sutras. They provide guidelines for living in the world while studying to bring the consciousness inward. The limbs consist of social behaviors (yamas), personal behaviors (niyamas), postures (asanas), breathing practice, internalization of senses, focus, meditation, and complete absorption (nirvana or samadhi).

References:
Bachman, Nicolai. The Language of Yoga, 2004 ed.
Satchidananda, Sri Swami. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 2007 ed.

Antioxidant Fix!

I love blueberries and just about anything made with blueberries. This recipe is based on the old reliable Betty Crocker recipe but with a few modifications to add a little more nutrition to go with the good taste.

I will warn you. These are not an overly sweet muffin. They would be great for breakfast or for a hearty mid-day snack.

Hearty Blueberry Muffins

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 stick salted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen organic blueberries
1/2 cup chopped or ground almonds

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tins (2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches) with cooking spray or shortening. In medium-sized bowl, beat egg. Stir in milk and melted butter. Stir in dry ingredients and then add blueberries and almonds. Do not over mix. Bake about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and gently loosen muffins from tin to expose browned sides and bottoms for cooling. Serve warm.


Enjoy!

Is it Spring or Summer?

I hope your spring is going well. I see that we have had a normal spring here in Texas with all kinds of weather. It's been nice to see some rain but that heat can wait awhile. Just last week, I was cold!

I finished out winter and welcomed spring by working a part-time job at the TCC (Tarrant County College) fitness center in downtown Fort Worth. This is at the campus that TCC purchased from RadioShack and is the fitness center where I taught yoga classes when I worked for RadioShack (and for awhile afterwards). I was a basic gym grunt, managing the facility while the Director was on maternity leave. It was nice to get out and interact with people on a regular basis and getting paid to work out and teach a little yoga was icing on the cake.

I'm still teaching yoga classes locally. Please check the sidebar for my schedule and if you're a member at LA Fitness or Keller-Pointe, I hope to see you in a class sometime. It's great to see folks embracing yoga and showing improvements in their fitness and their lives because of it.

For the first time in a long time, I participated in several races this season. I started with the Half-Marathon at White Rock Lake last fall, followed by the Cowtown Half-Marathon in February, and then a 10K, and finished with the Komen Run for the Cure 5K in April. After a short break, I'm back to running and thinking about my first triathlon once I figure out how to swim properly!

I also gave in to the social networking craze and joined Facebook. Click the sidebar link and see my profile or send me a friend request if you would like.

Shanti ("Peace")

Yoga On the Mat - Seated Twist

ARDHA MASTYENDRASANA
(Seated Twist)

I love twists. They feel wonderful when the body is warm and ready to move. They give us a release from a tense spine, provide openings in our upper body, massage our bellies, and by using core strength, allow us to be feel grounded and stable.





After a quick warm-up, sit in staff position (sitting tall, legs extended, hands next to hips) and bringing the right foot in towards the middle of the body. Straighten thru the back and press into the floor with the extended leg, flexing the foot. Engage core strength by tucking in thru the abdominal muscles. Take the left arm and hug the leg while moving the belly button to the right easing into the spinal twist, ending with the head and neck. Take the right arm to the back for a little support. Maintain strength the core. Avoid using the right arm as a crutch.

Hold for 4-6 deep breaths and release slowly back to the center, re-stabilizing in staff position. Switch legs.

Do We Really Have Bad Yoga Practices?

L.A. Wilson is a writer, editor, and marketer living in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a dedicated yoga student, practicing Hatha Yoga as often as she can.

Recently when I was practicing yoga I was fighting it. That’s the only word I can come up with: fighting. Something in me was fighting hard. My mind refused to stay in the postures and even my body didn’t want to bend or make effort. Then, moving into headstand, not even IN headstand but going up into headstand, I fell flat on my back, hard, even managing to come off the rug I was practicing on and land everything from the shoulders down on cold, unyielding tile.

The words “I’ve landed flat on my back” popped into my head. That was, ironically, exactly what I needed to happen. It’s what I needed to become aware of: I feel like I’ve landed flat on my back. In fact, I’ve never believed that I can land on my feet. With the problems I’ve been having in headstand lately, I’m afraid to go up into the unknown, don’t trust that I can go there, that I can “achieve” this pose. The fear of falling flat keeps me from excelling.

After that I decided I had definitely earned some time in child's pose. Going into that pose the voice said, “I’ve been fighting since I was a child.” I suddenly felt very tired, and knew that I no longer wanted to keep fighting. Then my mind finally surrendered and relaxed. Like a petulant child, once I had paid attention, the mind stopped misbehaving. I received the gift of realization that the constant fighting is a manifestation of my fear: not being in control.

Do we really have bad yoga practices? The daily practice is what it is and no more. Maybe we need a bad yoga practice to bring us to an awareness that we’re not getting on our “good” days when we can be smug about what a great Warrior II we accomplished.

The trick is listening. Falling flat on my back forced me to listen. Next time you’re having trouble with a pose, instead of trying harder or just resigning yourself that this is one of “those” days, breathe and listen. You will be amazed at what you suddenly come to know.

L.A. Wilson can be reached at lawilson0525@yahoo.com.

Mexican Stew

This recipe is from Mark's family. It's a great way to have "Mexican" food that isn't loaded with fat. Enjoy a whole grain benefit by serving with whole-wheat tortillas. Yummy!

Mexican Stew

1 lb. lean stew meat (beef), chopped into small chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 heaping tbsp cumin
1 can Rotel (chopped tomatoes and green chiles)

Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in *pressure cooker on medium high to high heat. Brown meat and onion. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water to cover meat. Cook under pressure (10 psi) for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then run cold water over lid before releasing pressure.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes.

Serve with warm flour tortillas.

*If not using a pressure cooker, cook the meat and onion until the meat is starting to get tender and then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes.

Yoga Off the Mat - Awareness

Many of us may have shared the experience of going into a retail boutique and having the feeling that the sales people don't think we are worth their effort. These places usually have name-brand items at full retail. In a recent shopping experience I expected to find a couple of college-age kids working in the store. What I got was a couple of older women. They reminded of when I was in college, working at a large retailer, and being mentored by "sometimes crabby" ladies this age.

I don't know if I wasn't wearing the right clothes or maybe my mascara scared them off but it took me a few minutes to warm up to these ladies.

I walked in and was greeted. When asked if I needed help, I said I was "just looking". I started to look around. I found some pants I was interested in and pulled a folded pair off the shelf. Another sales lady comes over to me and was very assertive about helping me with my size. My initial impression was that she didn't want me to take the pants off the shelf as there was no way I could fold them correctly. She would immediately begin straightening everything I touched. It was obvious she wanted to touch them. Maybe my paws were grimy.

Fortunately, that style of pants wasn't what I was looking for so she suggested some others. She didn't seem very warm and friendly. She finally left me alone for awhile and I picked out some things and she took them back to a dressing room, warming up a bit. Maybe she realized I really did want to buy something.

Once I told her I was a yoga instructor, she told me about a special program they have for instructors. That was good. It saved me 30% off full price items.

In the meantime, another lady walks into the store. She was wearing a business suit and lots of make-up. Both ladies were very chatty with her. She left after about 30 seconds.

It's easy to place blame on them but maybe I can look at how I present myself. Each of us has an opportunity to make each encounter pleasant or not-so pleasant so shouldn't we choose the former taking control of the situation as much as possible?

I probably wasn't approachable. When I'm shopping, I prefer to be left alone until I have a question. I realize that I wasn't getting what I wanted and I was reacting to it.

I seemed hard to please. None of the pants she was trying to show me were right. Maybe that was frustrating to her and she was reacting to that.

Maybe she was just having a bad day or a bad moment. I don't have to react to other people's bad moments.

Yes, I was kind of "mad" that she seemed rude but rather than letting myself be managed by this emotion, I distracted myself and stayed focus on what I wanted to accomplish. In this case, find comfortable clothes that I liked and that fit me in this store (I had a gift card). I tried to make myself more approachable, cracked a few jokes, smiled more, and engaged the sales person in conversations about the clothes. It seemed to work. I got what I wanted. She got sales.

Yes, the encounter could have been more pleasant but I'm glad that I made myself aware of my reactions and steered myself in a different direction. There is no blame to assign, just perceptions and reactions to each moment.

Namaste.

Yoga off the Mat - Renewal

Springtime Renewal

Spring has finally made an appearance. Although April is turning out to be a bit chilly, I'm enjoying the longer days and the fortitude of my rose bushes to burst out in beautiful blooms!

Spring is a time for rebirth and renewal. It's time to check in with your goals. Are they still meaningful? Do they need a little tweaking? Align your goals with your strengths as much as possible. You will be happier and more successful. You may also find that a weakness has also improved or that the weakness has become irrelevant in your life. Reduce or eliminate areas of your life that bring out your weaknesses.

Raising our Level of Awareness

How many times do we catch our selves in judgment of others and of ourselves? Probably more often than we realize. Does this give us peace? In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra 1:33 is very meaningful to me as it provides very simple guidance to find peace in our lives. In summary, this sutra tells us:

Be happy when others are happy. Disregard evil. Rejoice when others succeed. Feel compassion for those that are suffering.

Sounds easy?

Well.......For me, this is a challenge.

Don't we sometimes feel jealous when someone else succeeds at something? Or maybe we resent that someone also seems happy when we struggle on a daily basis? Isn't it easier to sympathize rather than empathize and truly feel compassionate when someone is suffering? As for disregarding evil, that's very tough. It's easier to think or say that the person should not have done something. It was wrong. Shame on them. See how easy that was?

Take a moment to rejoice when someone succeeds. Notice how you feel when you do that. Put yourself in the presence of happy people. Find something in each moment that makes you happy. When you encounter something that you feel is wrong or you start to be critical of someone's actions, try to detach yourself from the situation. Think positive thoughts towards the person or situation or, if that is too difficult, replace your thoughts with something completely different. When someone is suffering, be supportive. If they need a friend, be a friend.

I can't tell you that by practicing yoga that you will all of a sudden be able to change your feelings or reactions. During an asana practice, you will learn to be more in tune with yourself. You may be able to find an openness that has been missing or you may experience an emotional or physical release.

Being in-tune with yourself will allow you to notice that you have feelings contrary to the sutra. You have the opportunity to detach and step away. Resist the urge to analyze yourself for having these feelings. Just notice and re-direct the feelings to something more positive.

References:
Larkin, Dr. William K. Growing The Positive Mind. 1st. ed. 2008.
Satchidananda, Sri Swami. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 2007 ed.

Once is Probably Enough For Me

There is a group of people at the gym where I'm currently working that are very interested in the P90X DVD workout series. This is a series of intense exercise routines designed to provide results in 90 days*. Part of this grouping is something called Yoga X. I set aside the 1 1/2 hours to do this workout recently.

My perspective is that of a Certified Yoga Instructor and I will try my best to follow the non-judgment yogic philosophy as I continue writing this post.

What I Enjoyed:

• It was an intense and challenging workout.
• Most of the poses you would see in a Power Yoga class were part of this workout.
• There was a 10 - 15 minute section of abdominal work that was very well-queued, balanced, and effective.
• The Ashtanga flows were as expected and were sequenced with increasing intensity and complexity.
• The balancing poses were also effective and included one of the rare moments when a bit of yogic philosophy was present in the class ("It's OK to be wobbly...".)
• The stretches in the final section were held for a long time and this felt very good after the intense practice.
  

Opportunities for Improvement:

• In general, this instructor does not use the mirroring style of teaching even though he is facing you. When he says "Step out with your right foot", he steps out with his right foot which causes you to be going the opposite direction than him and his class. This is confusing to many people and this is normally a characteristic of an inexperienced instructor.

• I would have preferred to have a warm-up flow that builds on dynamic movements as part of the class. What was presented at the beginning of class was a few stretches and three quick Sun Salutation flows that were ineffective for me as my muscles were not ready for Sun Salutation. I think the workout expects that you have already warmed-up with some type of cardio activity.

• I would not recommend this yoga session for someone that is new to yoga and new to exercise. There isn't much explanation about how to do the poses and would require someone to continually look at the television during the poses which could cause neck strain. Since the workout is difficult, it might be frustrating for someone new to exercise.
  

• I grew tired of the instructor pointing out the "great bodies" of his students and how "good" they were at doing the poses. This should not be part of a yoga practice. Poses are never-ending and expectations of a great body from doing yoga poses should not be encouraged. There was an occasional comment about how everyone has a different level of flexibility, though.
  

• Once we were on the mat in the final 20 minutes of class, the transition between poses was ineffective and almost non-existent. For example, while on our back, we moved to child's pose and then from child's pose back to lying on our back. This was awkward.
  

• After an hour and a half of stressing the physical practice of yoga with very little philosophy and very little focus on breathing, we sat up after Relaxation Pose and did 3 sets of "Oms". This seemed out of place.

This workout is definitely for an experienced practitioner in good physical condition who is not expecting much beyond a physical challenge.

*This a claim published on their website.