Savasana (corpse pose) is the standard final pose of most yoga classes. Each time and each setting can transform the same pose into a whole new experience. Sometimes it involves an active mind that does not want to settle, sometimes a dreamlike state and other times it may invoke a little light snoring (zzzzzzzzzz). I find it is vastly different in a class setting compared to home practice. Perhaps it is the energy of practicing with others, but it is usually a more intense experience for me.
Once recent in-class experience, I seeped into a zone of nothingness...and it was everything I needed in that moment. aaaahhhhhhhh.........
And, yes, yoga itself can bring on so many different experiences, including laughter. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, August 30, 2009
rabbits rabbits everywhere!
The other night at yoga class, I had my mat set up near an exit door that has glass panes top to bottom. While in a seated twist position I peered out to the lawn outside and there was a little rabbit munching away at the grass. He then sat himself down and watched the rest of yoga class.
Such things bring me joy.
Such things bring me joy.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
om wow, be here now
This month's Yoga Journal shared the enlightening levity of the Shamanic Cheerleaders out of San Francisco. I love this!
Never take life too seriously.
Have fun.
Be positive.
Express yourself.
Never take life too seriously.
Have fun.
Be positive.
Express yourself.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
...easy as 1-2-3
Yesterday marked the one hundred twenty-third consecutive days of yoga. Yes 123 days of a daily yoga practice. What I have learned thus far:
My body is much more capable of change than I could have ever imagined.
I am able to forward bend, straight legged and put my palms flat on the floor for the first time in my life. No, seriously, I was not even flexible as a kid. This, my friends, is a major achievement.
Yoga makes everything in my life easier. The openness and calm this practice creates for me helps me approach everything with a sense of groundedness, even in the face of chaos.
Despite what some say, in my experience, yoga is helping me drop pounds, directly and indirectly. Not only does it burn calories and increase muscle mass, it helps me approach health and weight loss differently than ever before. It is working for me.
Finding time to practice is the kindest thing I am doing for myself. I feel wonderful, physically and mentally when I practice. It is never a chore to practice, even if I do not get to it until 11:30pm. My days feel complete when I do yoga.
My mind is opening up to more possibilities. Be it the clarity and focus, or the decreased level of stress, my mind is increasingly flexible and able to see new potential in myself and in the world around me.
I am in awe when my body spontaneously enters into a pose that I had not been able to do before. I have even been heard uttering "holy shit!" at times, such as when I entered wheel pose without so much as a thought. I was aware of doing the "prep" poses as usual and when the instructor prompted full expression of the pose, I simply did. Up I went into a back bend with ease as if I was a kid playing gymnastics in the yard. Yes, that induced a "holy shit!" followed by pure bliss.
I am thrilled that I put myself up to the 30-Day Yoga Challenge. It was what I needed at an ideal time, and yoga has become a natural part of my life both on and off the mat. I am grateful to my mother for having introduced me to yoga when I was a child through her own practice. I am grateful that Groovy completely respects my dedication to my practice and even participates on occasion. I am grateful to myself for allowing this gift to flow into my life.
My body is much more capable of change than I could have ever imagined.
I am able to forward bend, straight legged and put my palms flat on the floor for the first time in my life. No, seriously, I was not even flexible as a kid. This, my friends, is a major achievement.
Yoga makes everything in my life easier. The openness and calm this practice creates for me helps me approach everything with a sense of groundedness, even in the face of chaos.
Despite what some say, in my experience, yoga is helping me drop pounds, directly and indirectly. Not only does it burn calories and increase muscle mass, it helps me approach health and weight loss differently than ever before. It is working for me.
Finding time to practice is the kindest thing I am doing for myself. I feel wonderful, physically and mentally when I practice. It is never a chore to practice, even if I do not get to it until 11:30pm. My days feel complete when I do yoga.
My mind is opening up to more possibilities. Be it the clarity and focus, or the decreased level of stress, my mind is increasingly flexible and able to see new potential in myself and in the world around me.
I am in awe when my body spontaneously enters into a pose that I had not been able to do before. I have even been heard uttering "holy shit!" at times, such as when I entered wheel pose without so much as a thought. I was aware of doing the "prep" poses as usual and when the instructor prompted full expression of the pose, I simply did. Up I went into a back bend with ease as if I was a kid playing gymnastics in the yard. Yes, that induced a "holy shit!" followed by pure bliss.
I am thrilled that I put myself up to the 30-Day Yoga Challenge. It was what I needed at an ideal time, and yoga has become a natural part of my life both on and off the mat. I am grateful to my mother for having introduced me to yoga when I was a child through her own practice. I am grateful that Groovy completely respects my dedication to my practice and even participates on occasion. I am grateful to myself for allowing this gift to flow into my life.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
ah, go take a hike!
And indeed I plan to. This upcoming week is all about recharging, self-care and creativity. I took the week off from work because, well frankly, I am just plain exhausted! Tuckered out, if you will.
The plan is to take some yoga classes, lace up the inline skates and hit the pavement, tie up the hikers for some trails and tune up the bike for a spin. There is always ice skating or maybe even a few more jogs. Do you see a theme here? Physical activities that I love!
Creativity will come in by creating some art or new jewelry pieces. I picked up new colored pencils I need to break in and have some wire I want to play with.
I wonder if I have time to pick up a book and read?
Oooo! Prepping the ground and planning the garden...getting my hands dirty with earth sounds divine!
I feel eager and excited to dive in to some serious self-care. I am all about resting, creating and living. Anyone care to join me?
The plan is to take some yoga classes, lace up the inline skates and hit the pavement, tie up the hikers for some trails and tune up the bike for a spin. There is always ice skating or maybe even a few more jogs. Do you see a theme here? Physical activities that I love!
Creativity will come in by creating some art or new jewelry pieces. I picked up new colored pencils I need to break in and have some wire I want to play with.
I wonder if I have time to pick up a book and read?
Oooo! Prepping the ground and planning the garden...getting my hands dirty with earth sounds divine!
I feel eager and excited to dive in to some serious self-care. I am all about resting, creating and living. Anyone care to join me?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
changing "growls" to "om"
The feeling of disconnect is prevalent in my World lately. Mainly stemming from the misalignment of my neck and subsequent shoulder pain, I am incredibly "off." Feelings of exhaustion due to lack of quality sleep on top of the physical discomfort is taking it's toll. Every day is a challenge to get through as I simply do not function well on little sleep.
Tuesday involved a trip to the doctor but there was not much he could do for me because my insurance only covers chest x-rays. (Great insurance, huh? Good thing I did not go in with a broken bone or I would have been s.o.l. The doc actually advised me to go elsewhere if I ever break my leg.) I suggested he have the technician do a chest x-ray with bad aim but, dang it, he would not go for it. Since this is a recurrent problem he wants me to go see an orthopedist who, presumably, will be able to x-ray and see what is going on inside me. Now, I am just waiting for the referral. Patience, patient!
In the meantime, I am continuing my daily yoga practice with careful diligence. I continue to (try to) focus on staying grounded, but this is not always easy. Perhaps, taking some vacation days from work in order to recharge is in order. Perhaps a visit to my acupuncturist or massage therapist would be helpful. Yes, I think it is indeed time. Time to ratchet up the self care until I can get realigned.
Tuesday involved a trip to the doctor but there was not much he could do for me because my insurance only covers chest x-rays. (Great insurance, huh? Good thing I did not go in with a broken bone or I would have been s.o.l. The doc actually advised me to go elsewhere if I ever break my leg.) I suggested he have the technician do a chest x-ray with bad aim but, dang it, he would not go for it. Since this is a recurrent problem he wants me to go see an orthopedist who, presumably, will be able to x-ray and see what is going on inside me. Now, I am just waiting for the referral. Patience, patient!
In the meantime, I am continuing my daily yoga practice with careful diligence. I continue to (try to) focus on staying grounded, but this is not always easy. Perhaps, taking some vacation days from work in order to recharge is in order. Perhaps a visit to my acupuncturist or massage therapist would be helpful. Yes, I think it is indeed time. Time to ratchet up the self care until I can get realigned.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
yes yes
The daily yoga practice continues and I am on day 13 of diet. Though I am staying exactly at my daily points, I am unhappy with the amount of processed foods I am consuming. As this 30 Day Points Challenge continues, I am also working on decreasing the processed foods. More specifically, I want to rely less on frozen meals for my weekday work lunches each week. Yes, they help me track and keep within my points, but I know I feel better when I am not consuming such foods. And, yes, I know that only means a maximum of five such meals a week. And, YES, I know I consume a lot of fresh veggies and fruits daily. I just want to eat as healthfully as possible and this convenience food is not cutting it. Plus, my favorite local (to work) health food store has not been carrying my favorite vegan sandwiches anymore and the ones they have now do not have nutritional labels. I am thinking of reincorporating some of the raw meal lunches I have made before to get away from the "frozens". Of course that means I need to hijack the full size food processor from my mom again. (Oooo! Something to put on my birthday wish list!!)
Regardless of this personal dilemma, I am feeling wonderful and have already lost some weight I weigh on Sundays so I do not know how much I have gone down this week, but I am already down 5.2 as of last week.
Woo Hoo!
Regardless of this personal dilemma, I am feeling wonderful and have already lost some weight I weigh on Sundays so I do not know how much I have gone down this week, but I am already down 5.2 as of last week.
Woo Hoo!
Monday, January 5, 2009
thirty part two
As I indulge in day twenty-six of my 30 Day Yoga Challenge, I take stock of the past few weeks. The yoga challenge has to be one of the best decisions I have made for myself. My confidence is up, my body is grateful, and my mind is focused. Yoga has now an established itself as a goal for integrating into the rest of my life. It's that good!
Having pondered the next challenge for a few days, yoga has guided me into the decision: weight loss. As my body has improved, I have become acutely aware how the excess body weight hinders some of the asanas. To do this, I am following the tried and true portion controlling power of Weight Watchers. For me, this program offers what I need: tangible guidelines (point tracking/journaling) and an accurate scale, since our home one is no more than an approximation of gravitational pull.
I am actually quite excited about this challenge. Like an eager child waiting for his ice cream cone to be handed over the counter (good choice of simile, eh?) I cannot wait to see how my yoga improves as the scale goes down.
Of course, this is more than a thirty day task, so the specific challenge is actually following the program to the letter for the first thirty days. Getting started is the hardest part, so the this gives me more incentive.
I know this is not quite a resolution, per se, but I would love to hear what your goals are for 2009, or this month, or the next thirty days, or today.
Having pondered the next challenge for a few days, yoga has guided me into the decision: weight loss. As my body has improved, I have become acutely aware how the excess body weight hinders some of the asanas. To do this, I am following the tried and true portion controlling power of Weight Watchers. For me, this program offers what I need: tangible guidelines (point tracking/journaling) and an accurate scale, since our home one is no more than an approximation of gravitational pull.
I am actually quite excited about this challenge. Like an eager child waiting for his ice cream cone to be handed over the counter (good choice of simile, eh?) I cannot wait to see how my yoga improves as the scale goes down.
Of course, this is more than a thirty day task, so the specific challenge is actually following the program to the letter for the first thirty days. Getting started is the hardest part, so the this gives me more incentive.
I know this is not quite a resolution, per se, but I would love to hear what your goals are for 2009, or this month, or the next thirty days, or today.
Monday, December 29, 2008
the next thirty
As my 30 Day Yoga Challenge is still going strong, I ponder what to reach for next. Here are some of the ideas thus far:
30 Day completely vegan diet (I am already a lacto-ovo-pesca vegetarian; I'd take it to the next level with inspiration from my new vegan cookbook)
30 Day sugar purge (no added sugar/sweets/juices, except whole fruit/whole fruit smoothies)
30 Day apartment cleaning/purging project
30 Day stay within points diet
30 Day raw foods (Though I have done this one before and, even though I felt great it is a bit pricey with the amount of nuts, raw cheeses, etc.)
30 Day creative arts (not counting my 365 on flickr)
30 Day cardio
30 Day spend no extraneous spending
I am not sure which feels right but I am likely to start before the end of the yoga challenge so I need to get deciding! As for the yoga challenge, I am already up to day 19. I am truly feeling the health improvements more each day. The increase in muscle strength is most evident to me now. I deeply want to, and will, continue this as a daily practice. It is never a chore to fit it into my daily endeavors. This is more than I hoped for when I put myself to the challenge. I wonder if I can make this one a 365 challenge...hmm......
30 Day completely vegan diet (I am already a lacto-ovo-pesca vegetarian; I'd take it to the next level with inspiration from my new vegan cookbook)
30 Day sugar purge (no added sugar/sweets/juices, except whole fruit/whole fruit smoothies)
30 Day apartment cleaning/purging project
30 Day stay within points diet
30 Day raw foods (Though I have done this one before and, even though I felt great it is a bit pricey with the amount of nuts, raw cheeses, etc.)
30 Day creative arts (not counting my 365 on flickr)
30 Day cardio
30 Day spend no extraneous spending
I am not sure which feels right but I am likely to start before the end of the yoga challenge so I need to get deciding! As for the yoga challenge, I am already up to day 19. I am truly feeling the health improvements more each day. The increase in muscle strength is most evident to me now. I deeply want to, and will, continue this as a daily practice. It is never a chore to fit it into my daily endeavors. This is more than I hoped for when I put myself to the challenge. I wonder if I can make this one a 365 challenge...hmm......
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
(sun) salutations!
I am a week into my "yoga for 30 days straight" challenge and, let me tell you, I am feeling the positive changes already. My neck, which has a vertebrae that likes to rebel against the rest of the spinal column, has rejoined alignment with the rest of my back. My muscles are already feeling more "bendy" and daily I experience the post-workout "good" soreness. Perhaps I am starting to re-solidify my wimpy muscles already!?!?!
I start feeling better as the orange Y's continue filling up the calendar boxes. Coincidence? I think not! And Groovy joins in with me, too!
Why the "30 day" challenge motivates me, I am not too sure. It could be my competitive nature of team sports as a child/teen that I used to strive on. It could be my goal-setting nature. Or it could be something I have not yet tapped. Whatever the core reason, I do not need to have a deep understanding to reap the benefits.
At this point, I'm thinking that my next 30 challenge will be an addition to my life rather than a replacement of the yoga challenge. This regular yoga practice is a good mind/body-focusing tool that will support any subsequent challenge.
The next question is: What will my next 30-challenge be????? Any ideas?
Stay tuned for late breaking news!
I start feeling better as the orange Y's continue filling up the calendar boxes. Coincidence? I think not! And Groovy joins in with me, too!
Why the "30 day" challenge motivates me, I am not too sure. It could be my competitive nature of team sports as a child/teen that I used to strive on. It could be my goal-setting nature. Or it could be something I have not yet tapped. Whatever the core reason, I do not need to have a deep understanding to reap the benefits.
At this point, I'm thinking that my next 30 challenge will be an addition to my life rather than a replacement of the yoga challenge. This regular yoga practice is a good mind/body-focusing tool that will support any subsequent challenge.
The next question is: What will my next 30-challenge be????? Any ideas?
Stay tuned for late breaking news!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
beautiful mess
Two days ago, I decided to motivate myself back into a regular yoga practice.
To do this, I challenged myself to
30 days straight of daily yoga practice.
Classes,
On Demand,
or DVD,
it doesn't matter
as long as I am practicing.
This is me post yoga workout day 3. (yoga glow?)
I did a class that was difficult...no...currently challenging to me. (I did it with modifications but stuck all the way through the full 55 minutes.)
I'm going to do this class again towards the end of the 30 days.
Let's see what a breeze this class will be at that point.
To do this, I challenged myself to
30 days straight of daily yoga practice.
Classes,
On Demand,
or DVD,
it doesn't matter
as long as I am practicing.
This is me post yoga workout day 3. (yoga glow?)
I did a class that was difficult...no...currently challenging to me. (I did it with modifications but stuck all the way through the full 55 minutes.)
I'm going to do this class again towards the end of the 30 days.
Let's see what a breeze this class will be at that point.
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