Walking Meditation

One thing that is probably true for most people is that we are very busy in our lives. We are busy with work, family, school, and home practically from sun up to sun down. We devote much of our time "getting the job done." Unfortunately, we forget to devote some of that time to ourselves.

You may have heard your yoga instructor (if you even have time to get to a yoga class) state that we need to slow down, breathe, meditate. But you think to yourself, "I don't have time. I barely made it to this yoga class!" Here's the adendum to those yogic suggestions: make it simple and enjoyable. Slowing down, breathing, and even meditating don't really need to take that much time. A typical yoga class is likely an hour. Speaking as a yoga instructor, I don't expect most people to add an additional hour to a breathing or meditation practice. Each of these can take only a few minutes.

Here's something very easy for you to try. If you're at work, for example, take a moment to stop what you're doing, sit down, close your eyes, and take 5-10 deep breaths. Try it. See how long it takes and notice how you feel afterward. You may experience an immediate clarity and rejuvenation after taking that short moment for yourself.

Do you have a little more time? Try this. You're at home. Stop what you're doing, step outside, take a few deep breaths. Better yet, take a walk to the end of your walkway. Or, weather and time permitting, take a short stroll down your block and back. This doesn't have to take more than 3-5 minutes. While walking, just take deep breaths. To stay focused, create a rhythm of breath that matches the pace of your steps. This can be very meditative. And it didn't take that long. And it was probably enjoyable, too. You can incorporate simple practices like this on a daily basis. Even do it several times a day. It can help to clear the mind and calm the body so that you can return effectively to your work at hand.

I am offering a weeklong retreat in Costa Rica in May. Now, I know that not everyone can take a trip like that, but one of the yogic exercises we will be doing is meditative walks on the beach. Simple practicies like this can help you feel more centered, focused, in tuned, alive, and the list goes on. So, even if you can't get away to an international yoga retreat, create a retreat-moment right where you are, right now. It's as simple as taking a breath or going for a walk. Try it.

Namaste

Preparation

As we move toward another holiday season, some things are probably already coming to mind: travel, family dinners, shopping, gift giving, celebrations, etc. It can often feel overwhelming and challenging as we approach the end of another year. Stress levels tend to rise during this time of year. How are you preparing for this busy holiday season and stress management?

You can start now with a very simple yoga practice that you can do throughout this holiday season. It's easy!

Find a quiet moment for yourself. This might be at home, at school, at work, on the bus, etc. This only needs to take a few minutes. Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing. If it is difficult to notice your breathing, breathe a little louder with more effort. As you begin to notice the sound and feel of your breath, begin to control the pace of your breath. Take a nice long inhale followed by a slow controlled exhale. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute (see....that's not that long, right?)

This simple yoga breathing exercise does several things: 1) Focusing on your own breath makes you more aware of yourself. It helps you to tune out the things that are going on around you because you have to concentrate on your own breathing. 2) As you breathe slowly and deeply, you are bringing your central nervous system under control. In other words, your heart rate and pulse will gradually decrease. This ultimately makes you feel more calm and LESS STRESSED. 3) Also, this type of breathing helps you to bring balance to your mind and body. 4) And another thing, if you ever feel a bit drowsy, this can be a great pick-me-up. Sometimes, we don't get enough oxygen to the brain due to shallow breathing. Taking a few deep breaths can be better (cheaper and healthier) than chugging down one of those energy drinks.

As you can see, there are some great benefits to....well....just breathing. In and of itself, it IS a yoga practice. You can do it ANYWHERE at ANYTIME.

So, as you approach the holiday season, give YOURSELF a gift. The gift of a STRESS-FREE-HOLIDAY!

Namaste.

Slow Down....Again

Our bodies and minds are constantly on the move and the result can be exhaustion, disorientation, confusion, etc. So, take a moment to slow down. We all deserve those few moments of stillness and quiet. It only takes a few minutes to re-group, re-connect, and re-charge.

Why not try this very simple exercise and see how you feel afterward. Try it TODAY, and if you walk away with positive results, try it again tomorrow.

Find a quiet place in your home or office. I know, sometimes this can be a challenge. Maybe just find a room, close the door, and take this moment to simply relax. It will only take a few minutes. Sit comfortably on your yoga mat or on the floor. Perhaps sit on a folded blanket or towel to feel more comfortable. If it feels ok, fold your legs in a crossed-legged position. Rest your wrists on your knees. Allow your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands to completely relax. Ideally, the room should be quiet. But if there is outside noise, do your best to not allow it to distract you. This is YOUR time. To help drown out the sound, maybe turn on some light meditative music. Close your eyes.

Once you are seated comfortably and relaxed, hold still for a few moments and focus on your breathing. After 5-10 breaths, begin a very simple movement. Inhale and extend your arms over head. Move at the pace of your in-breath. As you exhale, bring your arms slowly back down. Again, move at the pace of your out-breath. Do this simple motion 5-10 times.

This exercise keeps you totally in your body. You only need to focus on your breathing and simple arm movement.

See! This only took a few minutes! When you're done, sit still for a moment longer. Then make a slow transition back into your day. Try this same exercise again tomorrow....and the next day, too! I'd love to hear how this made you feel. Make a comment on this blog.

Namaste

Celebrate Your Victories

In my yoga classes this week, I have been teaching a pose that I've been calling "Victorious Warrior." It's not a real yoga pose, but it's a posture that helps generate strength and stability in your core. I combined the posture with the concept of Ujjayi Breathing. Ujjayi means "victorious" in Sanskrit. The idea of the yoga sessions was to find and experience the victories in your life.

That can be the intention for your home yoga practice this week: to take a moment and call to mind your personal successes and victories that you've experienced this week. Be proud of the moments when you made great achievements. Give yourself a pat on the back for accomplishing something you've been working on. Celebrate!

Ujjayi Breathing
Start in Mountain Pose. Be sure your feet are firmly planted on the floor with your toes pointing directly forward with your feet about hip-distant apart. This will establish a strong foundation. Stand tall with strong legs and extended spine. Feel the energy rising up through your body through the crown of your head. Just standing here can give you a sense of feeling victorious. Mountain Pose can help you feel majestic, proud, and confident.

Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply. Use the muscles of the throat to engage the Ujjayi Breath. With each inhale, experience how the breath rises high into the chest, expanding the lungs, chest, and opening the heart. Maintain this vibrant, intentional breath by engaging the abdominal lock (i.e. draw the belly button in toward your spine.) This will allow the breath to remain high in the chest space rather than "falling down" into the belly. This way of breathing creates that uplifting, victorious sensation in your body. Take 10-15 breaths here. Celebrate the stillness, celebrate your victories, celebrate the moment.

Victorious Warrior
As mentioned, their really is no such thing as Victorious Warrior, but a variation of Warrior II and Side Angle Pose combined that generates strength and stability in the core body.

Come to Warrior II. Start with you right foot forward. Bend that leg so it is just about 90 degrees. The back leg is straight with the foot firmly connected to the mat. Be sure your right knee is stacked directly over (or slightly behind) the right ankle. The arms are extended out to the side (with hands reaching toward the front and back of the room.) Engage your core by scooping the pelvis under so that your tailbone is pointing toward the floor. By tilting the pelvis in this manner, you create more opening and alignment in the hips, a release in the low back, and an engaged low abdominal region. Hold this posture for a few breaths with some emphasis on the exhale so you are able to hold the posture. Experience the energy and strength generated in this pose so far.

Now, keep your right hand right where it is while reaching the left hand up over your head. The upper body will shift a bit toward the front knee creating a 45 degree angle with the floor. Be careful NOT to shift the lower body too much. It's just an upper body movement. If you shift too much energy into the front knee, you might experience a release of the core engagement. For this particular pose, you want to remain strong and connected to the core system. Keep the arms extended and even form a "V-shape" with the arms (turn your hands so your palms are facing each other.) This is what I call Victorious Warrior. The longer you hold this position, the more intense it may feel. Here, be reminded of your inner strength that it took to meet your goals, to be successful, to be victorious. If you can, hold for 5-10 breaths. Return to Warrior II, then do the other side.

By practicing these two yoga poses, we can be reminded that it can take great effort to achieve our goals. And once the goals have been met, you have every reason to celebrate.

Namaste

Practice Having A Good Day on the Mat

I had a pretty full schedule this week. Many classes, meetings, and other obligations seemed to occupy my time most days, But, you know what? I have no complaints because everything ran smoothly. I never felt overwhelmed or exhausted. Things just seemed to get done with an evenness and a sense of calm. It made for a very productive week. Definitely a positive in my book. So, how did I do it?

I thought of my busy week like a full and challenging yoga class sequence. The body is in constant motion, but every pose was achieved with the support and flow of the breath. Breath is the key to make the yoga poses strong, stable, and endured throughout the entire practice, no matter how difficult the sequencing may be. I then can take that achievement off the yoga mat and apply to my real life. Weekly schedules can be demanding and overwhelming at times, but if you pace yourself - perhaps with the support of the breath - things just seem to move more fluidly. Try it.

Take the Sun Salutation to practice fluid movement. With it, you can find your steady, even flow. Below is the complete A Series of the Sun Salutation. But try going through it like you would a busy day: appointment after appointment; more things tagged onto the tail-end of an already busy day.

Do one pose. Hold it for 5-10 breaths. Repeat the entire sequence from the beginning, flowing from pose to pose, until you come to the new pose that you would hold for 5-10 breaths. Then start over again from the beginning and just keep adding on the new posture. Allow the breath to be your support as you fluidly flow through your practice.

Mountain Pose
Extended Mountain Pose
Swan Dive to Forward Fold
Spinal Extension or Monkey Pose
Jump or step back to Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff Pose)
Upward Facing Dog
Downward Facing Dog
Jump or step back up to Forward Fold
Chair Pose or Powerful Pose
Extended Mountain Pose
Mountain Pose

The yoga practice is just that....a practice. It allows us to practice what we do in our everyday lives. If you need to "practice" having a smooth, productive day, do yoga. If you need to "practice" moving more slowly and being more patient, do yoga.

Give us your feedback after you've tried this and the other yoga practices from this blog.

Namaste.

Reunion

I am currently in California to attend my high school reunion. It has been 25 years since my graduation. Wow! Where has the time gone?! Needless to say, I will be surrounded by some of my good friends from the 1980's to share stories, families, food, and laughter. Also, while I am visiting the Bay Area, I will get a chance to visit my immediate family and friends from my neighborhood. It will be a grand reunion.

I write this because it reminds of the definition of yoga. The Sanskrit word, yoga, literally means "yoke." I have also heard the ancient word interpreted as "joining" or "union." As we practice the asanas (postures) we move and breathe with the intention of joining Mind, Body, and Spirit. The yoga postures are the vehicles that help us to begin that journey.

As a celebration of the yoga practice, as well as the re-union of friends and family, I offer to you a home practice that reminds us of the unions we have established in our lives.

Bring to Mind those that are important to you: good friends, family members, classmates, yoga friends, work colleagues, etc. Bring to Mind those that have been great influences in your life. Create vivid pictures of these people in your Mind's eye as you set your intention for your practice. Perhaps you want to thank them or send good intentions their way.

Practice 3-5 Sun Salutations to bring movement to your Body. The complete Sun Salutation offers stretches, backbends, forward folds, strength, stamina, and cleansing to the Body. This physical discipline allows for greater connection to ourselves as well as greater opening, awareness, and deeper connections to others.

After your Sun Salutes, simply sit in a cross-legged posture (Easy Pose) and become more mindful of your breath (Pranayama). Here, sit in stillness having set your intention and moved your body. In stillness, you heighten the work of the Spirit within you. With this raised energy, you truly see your authentic Self and how you share that Self with your outer world. The Spirit within that is allowed to come to the surface through intention yoga practice is what your friends and family see: it's your Truth.

So, in celebration of your Yoga, Your Internal Union, and your Union with others, move through this simple practice and be thankful for those people closest to you who see you for who you really are.

Namaste.

Be The Change

I had the opportunity and privilege to assist my Yoga Guru, D'ana Baptiste, at her bi-annual yoga retreat at Hidden Springs Ranch in Altamont, Utah. A secluded lodge in the midst of natural surroundings.

The theme for this retreat was "Be The Change You Want To See." There are so many things happening in the world today: countries recovering from natural disasters, teen suicide, workers trapped in mines, land invasions, and more. These events can be so overwhelming sometimes when we see them in the news. It's hard to believe that there are solutions to these problems or we can do anything about them to reverse the adverse affects. Maybe the answer is more simple than we think. The change can happen with you today. If we seek change in our family, community, state, nation, planet, or universe, we have to start with ourselves.

I woke up on the first morning at the lodge to a beautiful sunrise. This was a rare witnessing due to my regular busy work schedule. I took the opportunity to sit and watch the sun rise over the hillside accompanied by a few clouds. Basking in the rays and warmth, I thought of how I can be Present and Aware as I assist in this yoga retreat. Here is the simple yoga practice I did that you can do, also, to start your day AND be the change in the universe you want to see.

Sit in a comfortable seated posture on your yoga mat (or on the floor or on the grass outside). Sit in your stillness and become more aware of your breath. Set your intention. HOW do you want to BE in your doings today: Thoughtful? Caring? Loving? Giving?

Inhale to raise your arms overhead. Exhale to bring your arms down by your side. Do this as many times as you'd like. Let this simple movement express how you want to project your personal intention into the world: smoothly, gently, lovingly.

Finish by sitting in your stillness for a few more breaths and then proceed with the rest of your day.

Namaste

Awareness

The intention of this yoga practice is to bring yourself to greater awareness of self. Sometimes this can be a challenge, especially when we’re faced with so many responsibilities and activities in our daily lives. We find that we are continually distracted by life’s events that it gives us little time to take care of ourselves. Again, this practice is for YOU so that you can put aside those obligations for a moment and pay attention to your inner needs.

This will be a relatively simple yoga practice. It will focus primarily on your breath. It can also be considered a type of meditation. Breath is the foundation of the yoga practice. It provides a base and structure that allows one to be at peace with self.

Start by sitting comfortably cross-legged on your yoga mat or on the floor. You will be here awhile, so be sure you are very comfortable. Sit on a cushion or blanket to help support your sitting posture. If sitting up on your own is uncomfortable, sit up against a wall. Sit up nice and tall, with your hands and arms fully relaxed. Close your eyes. Take a moment just to settle into your space. Make any adjustments in your body so that you feel as comfortable as possible.

Breath: As you sit in stillness and silence, begin to pay attention to your breathing. You don’t have to do anything special or different with your breath at this point. Simply be aware that you are breathing. Inhale and exhale through your nose.

As we focus on the breath, the foundation of the yoga practice, we begin to tune OUT the things going on outside of us and begin to tune IN to the things going on inside of us. Just sit here with breath. Feel your breath. Listen to the sound of your breath. Breathe as if there is nothing else to do. If you cannot hear your breath, begin to breathe a little slower and deeper. Truly begin to experience the flow and feel of your breath.

Let’s begin to add more energy to this breathing sensation so that you can be even more aware of the breath inside of you. What follows is a breathing technique that will help you engage the breath and bring more energy to the breath. Right now, you are probably feeling air move through your nostrils. We are going to shift this way of breathing to another that will allow for more intentional breathing. We will engage what is called Ujjayi breath. (Pronounced oo-jah-yee.) This involves using your throat muscles to help move the breath with more effort.

For a moment, open and breathe through your mouth. Breathe out as if you are fogging a mirror. You may feel a sensation in the back of your throat as you exhale. You may even hear a sound, something like the waves of the ocean rushing onto the beach. Inhale the same way; feel the throat muscles engage as you draw in breath into your body. Now, continue to breathe this way, but with your mouth closed. This is one form of Ujjayi breathing. You may find that you are able to inhale and exhale more slowly with a greater capacity of air. Continue to feel the breath and listen to the sound of the ocean as you exhale.

Breathing this way keeps your attention and focus on yourself. You are breathing with intention. You may discover that you are no longer thinking about your other life obligations. You have simply set them aside for a moment to pay more attention to yourself: awareness. If you are new to this way of breathing, practice this dynamic breath work for 30 seconds to 1 minute. That doesn’t sound like a very long time at first, but it’s enough time to grow more aware of yourself. It grounds you and you’ll feel more connected to yourself. As you continue this breath practice, you may find, over time, that you can do it for a longer period of time.

This is a relatively simple yoga practice and can be done ANYTIME and ANYWHERE. Here’s a perfect example. Imagine yourself at work faced with deadlines, to-do lists, and other responsibilities that take up a lot of physical and mental energy. As the work piles up, do you find that “you just can’t take it anymore” and need a break? Once you are aware of this thought, stop what you’re doing and come back to this practice. Sit in your office chair or better yet, close your office door, shut off the lights, sit on the floor, and take 1-2 minutes to practice your Ujjayi breathing. You may be amazed at the results. Do you feel more relaxed, clear headed, present? Perhaps this little breathing exercise is all you needed to get through the rest of your day. It’s sometimes better than grabbing that candy bar or a cup of coffee to get that boost of energy.

Try this exercise if you are having trouble sleeping. Usually, we are distracted by running thoughts in our heads. We may be worrying about tomorrow’s assignments or recounting the events of today. With an active mind, it can be difficult to fall asleep. Lie comfortably in your bed. Bring your attention to your breathing. Feel your breath. Listen to the sound of your breath. You’ll begin to be more in tuned with your own being which allows those other thoughts to dissipate. Whenever a straying thought emerges, however, simply be aware of the thought, acknowledge it, then return to the breath. Continue this exercise and you may find that the mind and body begin to relax allowing you to go to sleep.

Namaste.

Welcome

This blog was inspired by a yoga class that I taught at Centered City Yoga in Salt Lake City, Utah called “Happy Hour.” This was an hour-long yoga practice that involved introspective work during the progression of yoga poses. Each class had a theme that was related to everyday-life experiences. One learns to take the message from the yoga mat and apply it to real-life scenarios that are common to all of us.

The intention of this blog is to create a home yoga practice. You can even use some of the yoga techniques “on-the-go.” Use the lessons of this blog to guide you through challenging obstacles in your life and move toward freedom, alignment, and balance. The messages written in this blog will guide you toward a greater connection to self and stimulate change in your life.

The first yoga lesson will not involve any yoga postures. It will simply be a breath practice that helps you to discover relaxation, mindfulness, release, and awareness. Breath is considered the foundation of any yoga practice, so this is a good place to start. What is wonderful about this particular yoga practice is that you can do it anytime and anywhere. Think of it as a quick remedy to ailments that can strike us at anytime during our daily lives.

Read the practice then try it on your own. I welcome your feedback and self-observations as you engage in these lessons. Share with us how and when you used the practice and what were the immediate or long-term results. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. There is usually no one right answer. My comments will be based on personal experience with my own yoga practice and as a yoga instructor. Feel free to connect to your yoga community through this blog to receive a wide range of answers to your questions.

Before you begin this journey, let me thank you for taking the time to read this blog, try a home practice, and share your personal experiences. The yoga practice is one that can be done alone, but worth sharing with everyone.

Namaste.