An actual yoga post- sort of!

I frequently get asked if there are DVDs and/or books that I’d recommend for new students (or even experienced students). I just got an email from Yoga Journal offering a discount on the DVDs I like best.

The Step By Step series is a great introduction to yoga or even as a way to fine-tune your asana and breath practice. The coupon is 20% an individual DVD or something like 45% off for all three.  Enter coupon code SBS2 at checkout and click “Redeem Coupon” to receive your discount or call 1-800-I-DO-YOGA (436-9642).

I don’t plug a lot of yoga ‘stuff’ here, just the things I use and love myself. I highly recommend getting all three discs.

In related news, my recommendating for practicing with a DVD (whether you’ve practiced yoga previously or not) is to watch the DVD at LEAST once to make sure you’re familiar with the positions. If there’s anything that sounds confusing, make notes on a sheet of paper that you can keep next to your mat during practice. You should NOT be looking up at the DVD while you’re practicing – it’s bad for your body and negates all the good work you’re trying to do!

Unpacking the House: Scorecard part deux

This morning I have unpacked another box of clothes (mine) and sorted three boxes of clothes (Spouse’s) for donation.  This cleared a big chunk of space in the office, where my clothes will be housed. I’ve also straightened the basement. I’m feeling quite accomplished. I also got my security code for the new job, so one more checkmark off the list!

Today’s list of things to do:

Obtain Colorado plates for both cars.

Drop off donation clothes.

Practice open at work.

Straighten guest bath.

Sweep.

On the bad news front, the teacher who had been considering taking over my classes at the gym in Michigan has apparently declined. I’m disappointed for my students and hope they’ll find a suitable alternative.

Post-Christmas lack of ambition

Today we accomplished important task #1: putting me on  Spouse’s local bank account. That is pretty much all we did. We rented some movies, but have only watched one. Burn After Reading is an interesting and slightly bizarre film and totally worth watching just for Brad Pitt. I never thought I’d say that, but he’s just hilarious.

Up next: Hancock and Baby Mama.

Tomorrow: drive to Frisco and get my new driver’s license, as well as change over registration on vehicles and obtain Colorado plates.

When Mom and A left, they took the cold weather with them. Today was sunny and warm – 35 degrees. The snow on the roads has all melted, though it wasn’t enough to thaw all the rest of it. If you’ve looked at any of the photos, you’ll understand. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as sunny, though less warm. I’m very glad that I invested in good sunglasses.

I sent Mom home with an eclectic mix of music for her iPod. I’m interested to see how she’ll like it. Highlights included John Legend, Fergie, Adele, Rare Earth, The Eagles, The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, Gnarls Barkley, Sarah Harmer, and the Indigo Girls. There was a lot more, but I don’t recall everything.

My dad’s been on my mind a lot lately and it’s entirely possible that I’ll write about it tomorrow, but no promises.

I am looking forward to the house finally reaching ORDER and life returning to some semblance of a routine. As predicted, I’m a bit at a loss without my teaching schedule. Not only that, I’ve slacked on my own yoga practice for the last couple of weeks because of the acclimation. Someone sent me a yoga kick in the ass for Christmas, though, so I’m about to get back on the horse.

Nearing the end

I taught my last class at the gym yesterday and my last class in Michigan tonight. It’s a little sad and totally strange. My life has kind of been dicatated by my teaching schedule for the last three years and I’m going to be a little lost without it. I also had really, really great students here and I’m going to miss them. On days when I didn’t feel motivated to teach (yes, it happens) they motivated me. Watching them grow and get stronger was awesome.

I’m getting ready to close up the house – little last minute things to get it in order. Paint the bathroom, empty the cupboards and fridge, take out the trash, get the canoe down and load it up, get the chimes off the effing tree (I keep forgetting). Possibly the most challenging will be packing the car.

Given my list, I won’t be doing much blogging today and then tomorrow I’m on the road. I’ll be giving road updates on twitter because I love the text to tweet function.

All of my belongings are arriving at my house in Leadville RIGHT THIS SECOND.

I never thought I’d be a fan

I have mentioned previously that I am not cute when I work out. I don’t ‘glow’ or ‘shine’. I sweat like an NFL linebacker – or, more accurately, like any member of the Detroit Lions offensive line. As a result, I’ve never been a huge fan of hot yoga.

I took a great class in Boston (Hip Hop Yoga) that was in a heated room – 80 degrees, not the Bikram 100-110 range (which I still think is crazy). I liked the class but when I was in my triangle position, I had to mop off my face with the leg of my pants. All of the other dancers in the room (what you get when you take a class near a conservatory) looked lily white and perfectly cool, while I appeared to have inhaled Chinese Five Spice and chased it with jalepenos.

This is apropos of the classes I’ve been taking lately, which are also heated at about 75-80 degrees. As the weather has turned colder, I’ve got a better appreciation for the warm room. You still have to warm up your muscles, but the base temp makes that much easier. It also helps to loosen the muscles sooner, so that you can get deeper into asana earlier in the practice. I’ve been enjoying the classes but I’m still not loving that sweat drips off of my face and onto my mat. Not because I’m sweat-phobic but because it’s a distraction when there’s sweat running up my nose or down into my eyes. Having to mop down with a towel is a distraction, too.

I’m not sure what a good compromise woud be. 70 degrees, maybe? Warm but not hot? I’m going to keep on with the classes because it’s so refreshing to follow someone else’s directions. I also really do like the classes, I’m just not entirely convinced to the hot side. I *can* say that I don’t hate it and that it won’t keep me from trying other hot classes, I just probably won’t make it a regular part of my own practice.

Go at your own pace

It’s unusual for me to get into yoga diatribes very often. Most people I know do not practice yoga regularly and I don’t generally talk about my teaching philosophy unless I’m talking about classes. When most of the people you know don’t practice, it doesn’t come up in conversation that frequently.  This weekend, though, my mom and I were talking about the move and whether or not I’d teach yoga in Colorado.

I’d love to keep teaching. I enjoy it SO much and it would be great if I could keep on doing it. At the same time, I’m going to be in a new place setting up a new life and starting out is hard. As evidence, it’s taken me two years to get a serious following of students.

I teach to all levels and there are a few reasons for that. Most importantly, it’s because you never REALLY know what kind of limitations people are working with. Sometimes they’ll tell you if they’ve got an injury, more often than not they don’t. Second, people need to feel like they can choose their own workout. Providing modifications lets them do that. Third, when I’m doing my own asana practice I run through a checklist of things – foot placement, which muscles are active and how, how I can change the position. If it’s valuable to me after my years of practice, I’ve got to believe it’s valuable to others.

When I teach, I typically use the modified asana. It’s simple – given an option a) or harder option b), most people feel pressure to go with the harder option. By taking the modified version a) myself, I’m eliminating a competitive element in the class. It’s not about MY workout, it’s about the students. And the fact is that most students feel more comfortable using a modification if the instructor does.

This is all apropos, by the way, of my classes this week. In every single class this week, my students made their own modifications. Students who were relatively new and students who have been in my class for a while, relative beginners and folks with prior experience. In every. Single. Class. someone (or more than one someone) modified down to where they needed to be.

I don’t get all new-age catchphrase about yoga. I’m pretty pragmatic about practicing and its benefits. I don’t utilize chanting in my classes. But I’m going to tell you that it actually gladdened my heart to see my students do their own thing. It was like it filled me up with light each time. I thought, “I’ve done my job.” Because with yoga, you’re SUPPOSED to go at your own pace. You’re supposed to listen to your body and adjust your concentration. And by listening to your body you IMPROVE your concentration. You improve the connection between your body and your brain.

I’m incredibly sad to be leaving my students. I feel guilty about leaving them with limited options to find instruction. But this week, I thought “They can do this. I’ve done a good enough job. They can adjust in any classes they take.” My shoulders felt lighter. I felt accomplished.

Tough acts to follow

It’s hard to teach other yoga teachers.

Everyone comes to yoga with their own baggage (flexibility, health, stress, et cetera). Teachers have a little extra something, in that they’ve got a way of doing things that they’re used to and may think is the only ‘right’ way. In my experience, most teachers are pretty good about being able to pick and choose what they’re going to use and adapt themselves. It’s challenging though because you’re never quite sure how they feel about the class.

In the class I attended today, there was a beginning student and two teachers (me and another). It was a really good class, in terms of pacing and difficulty. I only had a couple of quibbles – and those come from my own experiences attending and teaching classes.

First, teach the modifications first. It’s difficult (especially for beginning students) to ‘drop down’. Everyone has a certain level of competiton in their nature and if you start with Hard and go to Easy, people almost never take the Easy option. If you start with Easy, more students are likely to stay there when they should. For this reason I also teach that even if your teacher doesn’t offer a modification, if there’s a mod that you like or use – use it anyhow. A good teacher won’t make you feel bad about that.

Second, make sure you’re balancing out the right and left side equally. We worked the right side a little longer in most positions. It happens pretty easily because you start describing what you’re doing and the students are holding the asana while that happens. Then you switch to the other side and don’t stay there as long because you don’t have to explain anything. This is why I wear a digital watch. I can time – to the second – how long we are where we are and make sure it equals out. Not sexy, but effective.

I really did enjoy the class and will probably be going back for more. I’m going to try all the classes to see if they’d be applicable for all or most of my students. The teacher was very nice and approachable and I got a nice solid workout.

I love teaching yoga

I know I get gushy about this probably more than people want to hear it, but I really really love my job. There has never been a single class where I’ve left and thought “Wow, that was crappy” or “Man, I totally just wasted my time.” In every single class, someone has an ‘a-ha!’ moment or at the end of class, there are big sleepy smiles. I get to put a little awesome in someone’s day and it is the best feeling ever.

It makes me sad that I’m leaving this area, just as I’m starting to REALLY have a following, but it’s nights like tonight that convince me I’ll keep teaching wherever I’m at. 

First classes are hard. I used to get really nervous that I’d trip over my words or give fumbling descriptions, or that someone would injure themselves. Now I don’t really get nervous. I worry that someone will leave and not have enjoyed the class, but that’s a subset to making sure that everyone in the room feels comfortable. I think I’m pretty successful at that. First classes are tough because there is SO MUCH STUFF going on in every stretch that you can’t talk about all of it. So trying to get enough in that people can choose the work they want to do, without overloading them or chattering nonstop, is a fine balance to strike.

Based on the feedback I get from students, my style seems to be very approachable and laid back. I show that I don’t take it too seriously and the students get comfortable pretty quickly. I also talk about how I’m lazy and cheap, so I think that helps.

So yeah. Tonight was a nice class in a new place. Makes your brain work differently!

Sneak attacks

I don’t really make a secret of how to tackle difficult asanas in yoga. One of the easiest ways to do it is attempt something harder. Then when you go back to the first thing, it’s not nearly as intimidating. You have to be careful, of course, not to pressure students too far and let them know it’s okay to dial it back or not go ‘all out’.

Today I had a request for Virbadrasana (Warrior) III! I love that because it’s challenging and we just did some work with it last week. Today we prefaced it with  a standing half-entry into Half Moon. We did a partial entry – standing on one leg, chest and hips open to the long side of the mat, and then leaning forward (block in hand) to find a balance point. After repeating it a couple of times, we came all the way in. Then we switched to Warrior III, which after Half Moon seems a lot less work.

There were big smiles and straight backs, and everyone made it into THEIR Warrior. Loved it.

P.S., that Glade commercial where they’re going the yoga? FAIL. Bad, bad, bad for your backs!

TV Notes:

NCIS: SHUT UP! They had the Numa Numa guy! I love that guy! Also, nicely done with the creepy serial killer.

The Mentalist: Love, love, love this show. Truly. Clever, engaging, and not afraid of doing the unexpected.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta: I adore Ed and Lisa. They are my favorite reality couple, evar. That said, I’ve never seen a show that better illustrates that money and class are not related. Also, What exactly has Sheree been successful at? She keeps talking about being a success but the only thing she seems to have done was get married and divorced. Weird.

In unrelated news, I discovered the Gwyneth Paltrow GOOP site via Jezebel. I’m not sure how I feel about sites that purport to tell you how to make your life better or happier by following their directions. I’m also suspicious of any site that endorses buying particular products (that includes Oprah) because it encourages people to not be happy with what they have. I’ll reserve full judgement until it’s all the way up, but I’m skeptical.

Tonight I am making a run to the bridal shop with Carly for her final dress try-on. There is more packing to be done, but I’m postponing it until after the wedding.

Mondays!

First, I cannot believe this blog has gotten over 4,000 hits. I’m just shocked. I believe that it happened on the backs of Ariel Tweto, Naked Family, and True Blood. Whatever. I have no idea how many people actually read this regularly and I suspect that most people trip over it on accident.

I should be packing a computer tower, a stereo receiver, and loading computer monitors into the back of my car. Obviously I am doing none of those things. My couch is feeling very comfy and I was even considering a nap.

My yoga class this morning was small but nice. My schedule changes this week and I’m picking up a set of out of town sessions on Wednesday nights. I am continuing my search to locate a replacement teacher for my classes in this area.

True Blood was awesome again this week. I’m loving the sort-of reformed Jason, his new crazy girlfriend, and the super-chipper Sookie. Tara also makes my head hurt because I like her so much and she’s so incredibly broken. Lafayette continues to be my favorite. There is something about Bill (possibly his bad accent) that really prevents me from liking him as a character. I don’t know if they’re telling him to play it stoic, but I have a hard time buying him invested in any of the drama that’s currently ongoing. I WILL say that I’m STOKED about Alexander Skaarsgard. Love him!

I’m trying to avoid political talk here because, well, I don’t generally talk politics with complete strangers unless they bring it up. Same goes with religion. Maybe I’ll change that policy once the election is over. I’m not sure (feel free to weigh in, if you care).

Today we didn’t do a single sun salutation in class. I had a request for ‘gentle’. It was more like ‘mellow’, though I gave my usual admonitions about how you can work harder but don’t have to. The class was pretty well-received. I think after Thursday evening’s class, my students are going to take my ‘make requests’ policy seriously. If they ask for something, I do my best to deliver. Most of them don’t ask. Since Thursday was almost all plank, all the time, I think I’ll get more suggestions this week.

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.

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.

Choose your own Yoga

In my classes lately, I’ve been doing a lot more sun salutations + variations (warrior I, warrior II, triangle, extended side angle, et cetera). It works really well to warm the students up but, more importantly, reinforces that while Sun Sals are a very basic series, you can use them to build your own yoga practice. The most common complaint from new students is that they’re unsure how to establish a home practice. Sun Salutations is the key to success. It is a basic series of motions with infinite potential for variety.

I tend to start with the modified version (knee to floor in lunge, modified plank, modified plank push-up rather than up dog) and then gradually increase the level of work (knee away from floor, holding plank longer, more difficult variations on updog/locust, extended down dog positions). It builds heat in the muscles steadily and more importantly reinforces the series of motions. If you forget what comes next, do the next thing you remember. My hope is that because we keep going through them in class, you can do them on your own in the morning/evening/whenever you get a few minutes and that’s what builds home practice.

I HOPE that’s what it’s doing anyhow. Sun Salutations are also comforting for me. Limited amount of concentration, maximum amount of muscle effort. It’s like reading a book you love for the 137th time, you know where it’s going and you still like getting there.

Speaking of books, I’ve been on an intensive reading kick lately and have cranked through about 5 books in the last three days. Some have been better than others and I’m definitely discovering some writers I’ll keep looking for.

Microbiology continues to be intensive. Lab exam next week.

Yes, I watched the debate.

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.