Updates!

I FINALLY got my most recent mix updated on imeem to include *all* the songs. It had been missing the Gomez song, which I kind of love, so I wanted to make sure it was all there. The mix has gone over really well in my classes.

I’m really really excited about Halloween, mostly because of my costume. I’m looking forward to dressing up and going out and have volunteered to be the designated driver for a few of my friends. Being sober also means I’ll get the best pictures. Heh.

Wedding stuff will keep me busy for most of the weekend but I’ll be attempting to steal internet time whenever I can. I’ve also got an eye appointment at 8:15 in the morning and may need to sneak a yoga class during the morning. We’ll have to see how forgiving the schedule is.

Fear of flying

Tonight’s class was awesome.

Warrior III (Virbadrasana III) is a challenging position because it involves balancing on one leg, bending so that the length of the body is parallel to the floor (hamstrings! glutes!), and extending the arms forward to lengthen the spine and open the chest. Keeping the hips parallel to the floor (as though you were going to balance a tray on the buttocks) makes it even more work. The toes, feet, and ankles have to compensate for fluctuations in your balance. Squeezing the thighs together activates the gluteus minimus and draws strength into the core – as does engaging the shoulders and hands.

With a lot of asanas, the internal voice takes over. “I’m not flexible enough. My balance isn’t good. I don’t look like s/he does. I’m not doing this right. I’m going to hurt myself. I look ridiculous.” It’s a classic fear of not fitting in or not being ‘good’ enough. It’s the biggest challenge in any exercise class but (it seems) especially in yoga because people are trying to tune into their bodies.

For that reason, I like to balance a challenging position with a *more* challenging position. I use blocks and any additional props to help facilitate the work, but in my experience it’s most effective to face the fear than to modify away from it.

In tonight’s case, We started with the normal breathing and hamstring stretching. Then we walked through sun salutations. Cat and cow stretch, flying angels, dolphin, seated spinal twists, and standing side stretches. Once everyone was sufficiently warm, I introduced Warrior III. Everyone got two blocks – one for the front of the mat and one to hold. We placed the block on the mat by doing a forward fold and lining the block up with the shoulder for the best support.

To start, we came into the position without the arms. Hinge forward, extend the back leg.

The second time, we came into it and engaged the arms by squeezing the block – either under the chest or with the arms extended forward.

The third time, we did the modified version – hands on the blocks (use the block you’re holding to balance on the floor block if necessary – and focused on extending the back leg while keeping the hips parallel to the floor.

Then we switched to Half Moon. There are any number of ways to come into the position, but we started by folding forward, placing a hand (or two) on the block and extending the back leg. Then we opened the front of the body toward the long end of the mat (as though your back is pressed against a wall). It’s balance work, core work, hip stretch, and arm work. It’s tough for a lot of people and the most common reason is fear.

It feels unnatural. It feels wobbly and sometimes unsafe. And the internal voice takes over.

This is why I emphasize props. Everyone has structural differences and structural limitations. No one’s stretch looks exactly like someone else’s. Props help you feel more comfortable trying to get where you’re going and help you do it safely.

One of my students said, “I can’t do this.” While I never want someone to feel that limited in a class, I love that she felt comfortable saying so. And then I got to help her fly.

By providing support at her hip, I kept her from feeling like she was going to topple over (for the same effect at home, do this with your hips pressed against the wall). The first time, she was tentative – not wanting to release and open up her chest. Once she realized that she had support and could feel safe, she let go. And when we switched to the other side, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation before she opened right up. It was completely awesome.

But that’s not the best part.

After Half Moon I talked about how one of the best things about yoga is that it keeps you humble. If your concentration is off, balance is more difficult. You have to recognize the limitations of your body in each asana. Yoga is process oriented rather than goal oriented – and your process changes each time you try something.

We went back to Warrior III. And everyone came up immediately, very little wobble and great extension. And they HELD it. Not indefinitely, obviously, but long enough to not just balance, not just lift, but also lengthen their bodies. I told them not to think about lifting themselves up – think about it like flying. And when we got done with both sides, everyone had HUGE smiles on their faces. What seemed really challenging five minutes ago wasn’t NEARLY as hard as they’d thought it was. They had huge confidence because they’d just faced a bigger challenge. Confidence makes all the difference.

Pushing your boundaries can be good. Trying new things makes your brains work in new ways, but it also gives you a different view of yourself when you’re done. And even though Half Moon seemed really difficult today, there’s something you can do tomorrow that will make you think differently about it. 

It’s an amazing feeling to be able to convey the ‘journey’ part of yoga in a class and see that everyone left the room lighter.

The woman I assisted came up to me after class and we had a conversation about the fear of flying. She left feeling better about how she practices and about her own abilities.

That’s what I’m here for. 

I also used the mix I posted yesterday in class and it was really well received. A pretty great blend of upbeat and mellow tunes that led to JUST enough dancing and smiling.

New Yoga mix

I made this mix a week or so ago and have been listening to it kind of nonstop on my Zune. Fair warning – I just pulled it up on the lab computer on campus (killing time before Micro lab) so I haven’t actually heard it. I’m hoping all those songs are the originals. It’s also missing Woman! Man! by Gomez, so when I get home maybe I’ll upload it.

Related to that, it was awesome to see Adele on SNL last week. I really love her album and I would not have picked it up if it weren’t on eMusic.com

I’ve got to say that as far as websites/apps that I’ve used the most in the last year, imeem and eMusic are right up there. Imeem lets you find out if you like something before you buy it. Emusic lets you pick up loads of music for way cheap and has a metric asston of awesome indie artists. If you like Hem, eMusic is Hem heaven.

Micro midterm was meh. I’m not thrilled with my performance, but I guess I’ll wait to get the final results before getting overly worked up about it.

I am still way tired – ostensibly left over from the weekend. I’ve got to pick up my costume today (alterations done) and my bra for the wedding (ditto). My major plan after that is paying bills and sorting/boxing books. I live a life of wild excitement, I’m telling you.

Last night was the Bandwagon Book Club. I always enjoy the discussion there, though I sometimes feel conspicuous with my English degree. Last night it meant an explanation of Gothic literature. It’s weird because I’m in a group of mostly retired teachers and I’m also the youngest person by at least 10 years. This month’s book was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I really enjoyed it and thought she did a great job of incorporating the Gothic style and themes, but making it a more modern and interesting story. I’d recommend it (gave it 4 out of 5 stars).

If you’re looking for something fantastic, read Infidel by Ayan Hirsi Ali or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini.

TV Notes:

Heroes- WTF? I mean, really? WTF.

Sarah Connor Chronicles (Terminator) – Getting wicked awesome. Also, Brian Austin Green has NEVER been this hot. Not ever. I dig that the kid playing John is able to convey a lot of emotion with a minimum of dialogue. I also like that Sarah is starting to see things unravel. Love.

Chuck – I started watching this season after having caught a couple of episodes last season. This show is great. Funny and slapstick spy show with heart. I cracked up at several points.

Yoga notes:

If you don’t normally read The Yoga Journal, I’d recommend picking up this month’s issue. They’ve got a great article on Warrior I as described by people from various yoga disciplines (Kripalu, Anusara, Ashtanga, Viniyoga, et cetera). I love it because it highlights that everyone teaches things in slightly different ways to accomplish different things (I tend to go with the Viniyoga approach to Warrior I). It also shows that just because someone is describing one variation, it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Most importantly – EVERY VERSION talks about safe knee position. I’m a stickler for knees.

My class schedule is changing slightly and I’m excited about it. Life is about to get wicked hectic, though.

Surviving the weekend

Friday was a trip to Detroit and dueling Pianos in Pontiac. Saturday we headed to Windsor early and had several appointments at Estetica Day Spa. Everyone loved their services and we spent the split time (appointments at 9 and then at 3) at the Devonshire Mall. Best food court EVAR.

Saturday night was all about club hopping. I’ve got to say that it’s been a number of years since I’ve done that and we had a lot of fun.

Today I am still exhausted and not really enthusiastic about attending poli-sci. It doesn’t help that it’s rainy, overcast, and just chilly enough to be inconvenient.

SNL has returned to its tried-and-true format of fantastic and scathing political commentary and then deadly unfunny everything else. Adele’s performance was great and Cold Shoulder is already on my new yoga mix.

Life is still awesome and I’m loving Donal Logue.

True Blood ramped it up again this week and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I am hearting Tara more and more with each episode, but Lafayette is still my favorite.

If I’m going to class, I’ve got to get into the shower.

Supernatural

I love that this show is introducing a new generation to classic rock. “Agents Angus and Young.”

At least, I *think* it’s introducing a new generation. I mean, if I was in high school or college, I’d totally be watching this show. Two hot guys and monster hunting? What’s not to love? Also, it’s funny. (“Rehymenated.” OMGHILARIOUS)

My goal for this move is to reduce my clothing by like HALF. I’d like to have enough clothes for 2 weeks, with the exception of special occasions and sweaters. After all, I’m moving to Colorado. I’m not getting rid of ANY sweaters that fit. I have more t-shirts than I could possibly need, so how come I feel like I should keep them all? Possibly because I hate doing laundry.

Spouse is having a positive experience with the folks who live out there. I dig that and I’m jealous that I’m missing out.

Tonight I taught a yoga class where we never left the floor. I like those classes because people are always surprised at how much work you can do without standing up. Everyone also used props (straps, blocks, and blankets) so that always makes me really happy. Trying things in new ways stretches your brain, too.

I’ve got a Micro midterm on Tuesday and a girl’s Bachelorette weekend beginning tomorrow at 5. I’ve also got to make a brief out-of-town detour to check the location where I’ll be doing a yoga series. I also have to decide if I’m going to use music or not.

I’m going to finish Supernatural and go to bed without folding my clothes. Because I can.

Yoga mixes

I’ve got another 70s yoga mix working in class. Tonight there was singing *and* dancing -which I love.  I haven’t decided whether or not to upload it to imeem, but maybe I’ll just list the songs in a post.

I’m having the terrible urge to do an all-metal yoga class, but I think I’d have to advertise it separately. I’ve had enough people comment about it that I’m reasonably confident I wouldn’t be the only one there but it’s not like you can just spring that on a whole class without warning.

What day is it?

Oh right – Wednesday. I taught two yoga classes today and attended Spouse’s farewell gathering at work.

Both yoga classes were pretty great. The morning class had 7 students, evening had 14. For tonight’s class we used the hip hop mix (a personal fave). I think my classes are amused because whenever a song comes on, I’m all “I LOVE this song!” It shouldn’t be surprising since, yanno, I MADE the mixes. What happens is that I rotate through my music and I’ve got several different things I use. So by the time I play a mix again, I’ve kind of forgotten what was on it, or what order the songs are in, and it’s a pleasant surprise every time because I love the songs.

A woman attended my class this evening (Power Yoga) for the first time. She was new to yoga and 8.5 MONTHS PREGNANT. What? I was able to structure the class in such a way that she could participate (though I would have probably had a stroke if I’d known how far along she was BEFORE the class started) but I’m still kind of in shock.

Speaking of shock, I MISSED the Wipeout finale last night! Totally disappointed. I did catch The Closer finale which was crazy and kind of bizarrely ended like a regular cliffhanger episode and didn’t really have a finale feel to it. Weird.

I’m going to admit to liking this interior design on Bravo. Tonight was all about designers from Project Runway and it is completely awesome. I love Big Daddy, not the least of which is because people call him Big Daddy.

My life is utterly lacking in excitement right now so I’m going to get some Peanut Butter Captain Crunch.

My break is already almost over.

Classes resume next week, so this week I’m trying to cram as much fiction into my life as possible. I’m looking forward to being back at the Bandwagon Book Club meetings and to get caught up for September I’ve got to read A Thousand Splendid Suns. I’m hoping there’s a copy at the U.

1990 mix night seemed to go pretty well. I’m not sure if everyone enjoyed the music as much as I did but no one told me they hated it. That’s a double-plus bonus.

I got some sad news yesterday. The studio where I did my teacher training, Rising Sun Yoga, is closing. It’s really too bad as Jim and Roger were great teachers and were obviously instrumental in my becoming the teacher I am today. Whenever someone gives me a compliment about a class or my teaching, I give a silent thanks to those guys.

One of the things I liked best about the studio, the reason I chose them, is because they used a Hatha approach. By Hatha, I mean the traditional ‘forceful path’ – asana and breath practice but not married to any One True Way – in addition to the other limbs of yoga (see above). Jim asked that when we came to training, we let go of our previous teaching (even if there was a particular style we liked more than others) and try to come to the training open to everything. As a result, I developed a strong base in the anatomy and physiology of yoga, correct anatomical form in asana, grounding in philosophy, and experience elocuting a class (which is harder than it sounds). He encouraged us to work from that base of knowledge and then embrace and integrate the aspects of other styles that we liked and enjoyed. That openness is what drew me to the school and it made me a better instructor. I’m sorry that they won’t be developing more teachers.

In unrelated news, I got a comment on yesterday’s post about the Detroit Institute of Arts from someone at the DIA. Apparently my experience was what they were trying to achieve, so kudos to the DIA! Mission accomplished.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Nostalgia yoga mix

My class has been pretty excited about my threats to create a yoga mix with MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice, so today I got motivated and put it together. It’s pretty much all music from 1990 and I LOVE it. I can’t wait to use it next week!

Spouse is home from his trip and it’s very nice to have him back. We got Chinese food for lunch and he’s napping while I troll the internets.

P.S. Have you SEEN this video?
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1478774&w=425&h=350&fv=m%3D40694972%26type%3Dvideo%26a%3D0]

Having done the big Anatomy and Physiology course this semester, trust me when I say you do NOT want to know how much that would jack up your arm. *shudder*

: : : : : : : : : : :

TV and yoga

This week’s highlights (for me, at any rate):

The Closer
This show just keeps getting better. The writers do a phenomenal job of scripting the interplay between the characters and continuing to DEVELOP the characters. Nobody is three-dimensional, not even the bad guys. I love it.

Psych
“Purple camel lawnmower man.”

Burn Notice
Fiona tazering herself. I LOVE what they do with that character. It doesn’t hurt that Gabrielle Anwar is hot and I have hearted her since Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken.

Flipping Out
Anything Jeff does. Anything. Seriously. When he told that lady to take back the playhouse and that her excuses wouldn’t work with him, I CRACKED UP.

Shear Genius
Charlie and Daniel continue to be my high points.

The Cleaner
I’m not sure about this show yet. I mean, I LOVE Grace Park and it’s an interesting premise but I’m not sure it’s enough to keep me watching.

Project Runway
“Holler at your boy?”

In Plain Sight
I’m kind of annoyed that Mary keeps figuring out what’s broken about her (read: smacks her in the face) but NEVER makes an attempt to CHANGE.

Mad Men
This is a Spouse show, but it’s just so damn pretty that I have to watch it. I love Peggy and Betty, and even Don (a little bit).

Generation Kill
I’m not sure if anyone else is watching this, but it is an amazing show.

Wipeout
This whole show. Seriously.

Today’s yoga class was FULL. Three new people. One of the best things about this class is that several of my students live on the same street. And they like my class well enough to keep bringing more neighbors with them every week. I think they made up fully half the room today. Three new folks, all told, and the room looked fantastic. The focus was Pyramid (parsva uttanasana) and Warrior III (virbadrasana III) with a side of Crescent Lunges (chandrasana). Everyone had really good form and didn’t push too hard. Plus there was laughing, and laughing is my favorite thing in class.

I used the 70s mix, which might be a little too distracting for the folks in the back row when the room is full. When everyone is near the center, the speakers are nicely balanced but with a chock-full room I may need to dial it back to Yoga Groove.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Why am I posting instead of studying?

Because I am a WORLD CLASS PROCRASTINATOR. If I got extra credit points for the amount of time spent procrastinating, I’d ace every class. Alas, that is not how the education system works (thankfully).

Hello to anyone stopping by via dooce! There were a LOT of you yesterday but maybe not so many today.

I think the WordPress comment system is weird. It’s probably because I’m used to Livejournal, where everything threads together and you can tell when someone has commented on something in particular, but it took me a SILLY amount of time to figure out that in WordPress I have to go to the dashboard and look at “my comments.” It’s not an incredibly practical way to foster blog communication but I suppose it is what it is. Doesn’t seem to stop people from posting (or commenting) on WordPress blogs (thankfully).

My 80s mix went BRILLIANTLY last night. As predicted, just about everyone in the room cracked a huge smile when Final Countdown came on. LOVE IT.

In another fit of procrastination yesterday, I broke out the Wii and Wii Fit. I have to tell you, they are AWESOME. Wii golf is so much better than regular golf! Plus there’s bowling and tennis. My favorite Wii Sport is clearly the boxing. I totally worked up a sweat in no time. Of course I can break a sweat BREATHING, so I’m not sure that says much.

Wii Yoga is a little weird. First of all, when you start you only get access to like 4 exercises. That doesn’t make a LOT of sense to me, especially because not all of the yoga asanas are what I’d call ‘advanced.’ The difference between being on a yoga mat and the balance board is most obvious (for me) in tree pose. On your mat, there’s no one charting your center of gravity – you’re just worried about standing up (let ALONE standing still). I discovered that as soon as my gravity center was where I wanted to be, I started to wobble. Not really WOBBLE so much as the weight distribution on my foot went all wonky.

My BEEF with Wii Yoga at this point is Warrior II (Virbadrasana II). The Wii trainer has you put your knee in PRECISELY the position it SHOULD NOT BE IN. I can’t really come up with a good reason they’ve done this but it really puts extra stress on the knee joint that you shouldn’t have. They also emphasize the ‘heels should line up’ alignment idea of which I’m not a huge fan. Everyone’s hip girdle is slightly different. Some have a deeper acetabulum, the ligaments have limited flexibility (and not everyone’s ligaments are the same length), not to mention that everyone’s muscle and tendon structure is slightly different and the particular position they espouse can put pressure on the lower back as a result.

Um. Yeah. Otherwise it’s great.

*coughs* *removes yoga rantypants*

I really love it. It’s going to be fantastic for Spouse, who doesn’t really want me to ‘train’ him and doesn’t like going to classes. It is clear that we are all going to have a blast with it, especially once the beer gets involved.

Now I REALLY have to study before I teach at 9.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Holy Monday, Batman!

So this weekend was kind of a drag in some ways (dad’s deathaversary) and good in some ways (Saturday’s class, Marsha’s wedding celebration) but it was a general downer in that my sleep hasn’t gotten better (bad dreams/nightmares for the last week).

This morning I decided to wake up, make a smoothie and do some studying for my exam tomorrow. But before I could do those things, there was a ring at the doorbell. A few weeks ago, through a complete fluke, I won a Wii and Wii Fit from dooce.com. Today they arrived! Clearly the gods do not want me to study for my exam. Fie on them! Instead of preparing for the Drunken Wii Fit Invitational, I WILL study anatomy and physiology. Really.

I also made my smoothie. Today’s blend: handful of almonds, handful of dried cranberries (blend those first), 8oz OJ, 1/8 of a block of tofu, frozen smoothie fruit mix (pineapple, strawberry, mango), one plaintain (because it was black), handful of blueberries, 10 baby carrots, large spoonful of plain yogurt, splash of skim milk. I totally forgot the flaxseed/bran but it’s pretty delicious anyhow and the almonds give it some texture.

AND, because it’s a super double spectacular Monday, I ALSO have a a new music mix! This is an 80s mix (66 minutes) that I’m going to use in class tonight. My plan is to have Madonna play *before* class so that it works right into the hourlong class time.

Things to do this week (in blogging) review the podcasts and Wii Fit Yoga!

: : : : : : : : : : :

More yoga music

Wow. Imeem seems to work better on Saturday night – probably because everyone else is out having a life – but Firefox just crashed and now I get to write this post over again. It’s times like this when I wish I’d save a draft sometime.

Here’s the 70s mix I’m currently using in class.

One of the things I like about using music in class, and popular music especially, is that it tells students more about the class than I can convey with words. When you come into a class where a song you loved in high school is playing, it works on a couple of levels. 1. You’ve got a history with the song. 2. The class isn’t going to be as serious as you were afraid it might be.

The corollary to 1 is that a student may have a negative relationship with any of the songs I pick but in my experience number 2 outweighs that. I like quiet classes. I like classes with chanting invocations. But those aren’t the kind of classes I’m teaching and there’s still a high level of anxiety in my area about people ‘forcing’ some belief system on students. Marvin Gaye lets them know I’m not going to do that.

Contrary to popular belief, music (even popular music) doesn’t make yoga a less meditative experience – at least not if that’s what you came for. It provides a distraction which is helpful for some students, though most people let me know that they can’t hear the music once they start to practice. But the beats also provide a breath rhythm that students will work with, whether they realize it or not. And it reminds them to smile, which helps them to breathe.

I’m going to have to work up a mix that has Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Hip Hop Yoga Mix on imeem

This is my most recent class mix. As titled, it’s 65 minutes of music including about 5 minutes for savasana.

Probably when I’m willing to wrestle with imeem again, I’ll upload my personal hip hop playlist. Which includes objectionable lyrics.

: : : : : : : : : : :

“I’m not wearing hockey pants.”

Non-spoilery things you need to know about The Dark Knight:

1. You should definitely see it.
2. Do not drink any beverages before OR during the movie. It’s 2.5 hours long. Which is about 45 minutes longer than my bladder was prepared for.
3. I hope they’re not planning to recast The Joker for a future movie because Heath Ledger played it like WHOA.
4. It lives up to the hype.

The second most important thing (the previews):

1. Watchmen. Are you freaking KIDDING me right now? This movie looks BAD. ASS.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1406585&w=425&h=350&fv=]

more about “Watchmen Trailer – Trailer Addict“, posted with vodpod
2. New Terminator movie?! With Christian Bale?! Hells YEAH!

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1406592&w=425&h=350&fv=]

more about "Terminator Salvation Teaser Trailer -…", posted with vodpod
3. Body of Lies. I may have seen everything Ridley Scott has made. This will be no exception.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1406589&w=425&h=350&fv=]

more about "Body of Lies International Trailer – …", posted with vodpod
4. The Women. I’ve seen a couple of previews for this but the theater trailer was the first one that made me want to see it. The birthing clip was freaking HILARIOUS. Spouse was even cracking up and said he thought it might be good.  < /shock>

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1406591&w=425&h=350&fv=]

more about "The Women Trailer – Trailer Addict", posted with vodpod

My class this morning was pretty great. Occasionally when I’m teaching, you can see students ‘get’ something and that totally happened today. As a room, they were total rockstars. Probably this will require an entire post about hips and hamstrings. Not sure anyone is interested in it but me.

In related news, I’m trying to upload an updated Hip Hop Mix from my class as well as my 70s blend but imeem is being a total pain in the balls. As soon as I get it squared up, I’ll post (or embed) links.

In the meantime, I’m also fielding suggestions for my 80s Hair Band mix. So far I’ve decided that Europe’s Final Countdown will be the last song before savasana.

: : : : : : : : : : :