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Offering Private Personal Training and Nutrition Coaching for Mature Adults 55+. Yoga, Meditation and Stress Management Teacher as well. Contact me for details

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Take a Chill Pill...

and pass the bottle on. People just need to slow down, stop overreacting, being judgmental and selfish. Wow, I think I just solved the world's problems in one sentence. Now why is something so seemingly simple so difficult to do? Mind-body practices rewire our brain to do just that! Hatha (physical) yoga teaches us to slow down, both within and without. Qigong and tai chi quiet the mind by focusing on the present moment. All brands of meditation not only train the brain and body to chill, but habituate us into "unplugging" our mind and disassociate the memories that trigger overreaction, judgement, anger and all negative thought patterns.
When we become aware of our thoughts, we can change them. Self-awareness eventually stamps out self-involvement.
We only need to convince all the politicians and leaders of this blue planet that the answer to a better world is meditation. I think the Dalai Lama's been at this for a while and will be (unless we give these people partial lobotomies). Now there's an idea!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Art of Effort and Surrender

I over effort. No surprise to those who know me or any of my yoga teachers. In yoga, we try to find that delicate balance between efforting in a pose and finding that point of relaxation. At times, it feels as if I'm balancing on the head of a pin, it's such a small window to discover. And yet, while furiously trying to balance in Pincha Mayurasana (my Achilles heel pose), if I take a deep breath and open my heart, I feel my body start to melt and release some muscular energy. Effortless effort, is what one of my teachers calls it. It enables us to enjoy and go deeper, allowing for that opening and release we yogis look for in each asana (pose).

What we learn on the mat, we take off the mat and into our everyday lives. This is a well-known mantra in yoga. Sometimes, we work too hard at something, afraid to soften the grip, fearing we will lose whatever it is we think we have a hold of. But the truth is, through surrender and stepping back is where we gain freedom and power. Difficult concept to process, but a good analogy would be skydiving. One has to trust the shoot will open to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. (Brian swears he's doing this on his 50th birthday. As long as his life insurance is paid up.)
Knowing when to surrender and not over effort is surely an art form that enfolds and unfolds infinitely throughout our lifetime. It's part of the yin yang, the constant flow of life.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

It's Dark, Damp, with Screaming Bats!

Well, there are bats in my tunnel. It adds to the drama. Although this is a serious subject, humor and laughter are great destressors!
We all have moments or events in our lives we don't want to experience. We have no control or choice but to plow through the crisis. A job loss, unexpected health issue, death in the family... These acute stress events usually blindside us and throw us off our axis. One way to relieve the anxiety is to process the life changing circumstance through visual imagery. It is one of the methods I use to help me accept a difficult situation. It is my true desire that it benefits you as well.
I visualize myself standing, facing a one-way tunnel on the side of a high mountain range, like the Alps. I can't turn around, it's impossible for me to bypass the tunnel and realize I have to go through it. I know there is an end to the tunnel and there is light on the other side. I just don't know what will happen in the tunnel (here is where my bats come in) or how long it is. I take a deep breath, muster all my courage, shed my fears (as I know bats smell fear), and step into the darkness. The only motivation that keeps me walking down the tunnel is knowing there is another side. I don't know what's there waiting for me, but I do know there will be light, in the form of revealment, resolution, acceptance and knowledge.
Now, if I could just find that bat repellent spray...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Nothing Restorative about Restorative Yoga

I teach power yoga, yoga for athletes, intermediate yoga, PiYo, all active, rigorous forms of yoga. Didn't see restorative yoga in there? No? And from my first class last week, you won't see it anytime soon either. OK, that may have been a bit harsh. I looked up the word restorative in the dictionary and it states "to bring back to health, strength, etc...". I walked out of this class thinking "that was it?". After holding 4 poses for an hour, I wondered why anybody would spend good money on this versus a meditation class. My legs fell asleep (according to the instructor that's normal), I was uncomfortable and therefore could not relax into the pose, and it was cold in there. I looked forward to savasana (corpse pose), a rare moment in the middle of my day where I could sneak some meditation time. But, alas, that was the ONE pose that was only 5 minutes long!
The spiritual side of me gently points out that maybe I need restorative yoga, as I disliked it so much. That my restlesness is exactly what restorative yoga will eventually dissolve. I wittingly respond that I meditate for long periods of time without a problem, so that's not it. By now, I realize I am arguing with myself and quickly end the discussion.
There is a solid foundation to needing exactly what we dislike. To live in harmony and balance is to live by the rule of Yin Yang. To be well-rounded, we need to nurture both sides. The Yang side, fast, revealing and expanding, needs its opposite. The slow pace of restorative yoga, its emphasis on concealment and contraction (going within) by the nature of its poses is the perfect antidote. So, just as a bitter pill may heal us, maybe I will give restorative yoga another try...someday.