Getting out of a rut

As with any exercise routine, your yoga practice can sometimes get to be, well routine. How do you shake off the doldrums and rekindle the passion of why you started practicing yoga in the first place? One way to do that is to try a different class or try a different teacher. Getting a new perspective on your practice and hearing it presented in a different way, is sometimes all you need to jumpstart your practice to the next level.

As a teacher, I face the same challenges. I'll practice on my own at home, but I get caught up in the teaching so much that I lose focus for a bit. It's at that point that I need to take a class and be a student again. It's amazing the new things I learn that fuels not only my personal practice, but my teaching as well. It's all a big circle, and I'm fortunate to pass on the teachings of the great masters that have come before me.

So, if you are feeling in a rut with your yoga practice, check out some local yoga studios and try a different style or try another teacher. It just may be what you've been needing to shake things up a bit.

I'm going to take my own advice and practice with a master yoga teacher this weekend, Rod Stryker. If you are interested, please check out the Yogahome website and see if there are spots still available. It's worth it to study with one of the great Western yoga masters, especially in our own hometown. This doesn't happen often, folks.
http://www.yogahome.net/

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on the mat.

Blessings,

Susan

Compassion towards Mother Earth

This week marked the annual observance of Earth Day. With all of the marketing around this event, it simply reinforces a wonderful principle or guideline to follow and that is Ahimsa or non-harming. We hear it so much in relation to being kind to ourselves and our fellow man and showing kindness towards animals. But we can't forget about showing loving kindness to our home.

There are so many simple ways that you can help reduce our collective planetary carbon footprint, like recycling, composting, changing to energy efficient lightbulbs, etc. If you are feeling really resourceful, check out your local library or bookseller for books and activities on how you can go "green."

As a yogi, you can practice Ahimsa during your yoga session with a few of the following suggestions, along with helpful links:

1) Give up bottled water. How many of those plastic bottles end up in landfills? According to the Sierra Club, 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make plastic water bottles. Switch to a PVC free stainless steel water bottle and fill it with tap water. http://www.kleankanteen.com/

2) Change out your PVC yoga mat for an eco mat. I, for one, have used the traditional yoga mats you find at Target, etc and have stopped using it in favor of my rubber yoga mat from Jade. I love it! It gives me more stability and cushioning, plus, I'm helping the environment. No need to throw out the old yoga mat though. Repurpose is as a lining in your car trunk, under a litter box or potted plant, etc. http://www.jadeyoga.com/store/home.php

3) Practice in organic cotton, hemp or bamboo clothing. http://acaciacatalog.com/default.asp, http://acaciacatalog.com/default.asp, http://www.gaiam.com/

4) Use a recycled bag to carry your yoga mat or clothes. These can also be used for grocery shopping too to replace plastic or paper bags. I used these and love them!!! http://www.envirosax.com/

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. It's definitely a step in the right direction as we take care of ourselves and our momma...earth.

Namaste,

Susan

Spotlight on the Spine

Lately I've been getting many "messages" about the spine, mainly the lumbar spine or the lower back. Whether it's feeling tight in my own body or hearing about other people's major back issues, I thought I would focus this week's blog on the all important back.

"You are only as young as your spine." One yoga teacher and maybe more have said this over time. And isn't it true. When you are in devasting back pain don't you feel like you are 106? But when your back is feeling strong and healthy, it's like we're kids again and we can do anything. The health of the spine is so important to the overall health of your body. And this includes the strength of the abdominals as well.

On the positive side, our bodies are all interconnected. On the negative side, our bodies are all interconnected. Meaning if you are misaligned in your back somewhere, you will feel it elsewhere in your body. Like skipping a stone on a pond, the ripple effects extend out. For example, let's say you have a problem in your lower back. If not addressed, you could begin to have pain and misalignment that could travel up your spine causing pain in your shoulders, neck, jaw and head. In addition, it can travel down your body causing pain in your hips, knees and feet. All because one thing is out of whack.

Do you see how important it is to address the problem right from the beginning? Do you see how important it is to stay physically fit and exercise on a regular basis? I'll say it again. You are only as young as your spine. So start today. You don't have to have a major yoga practice to benefit from yoga. You can incorporate simple poses like twists or back strengtheners like cobra or sphinx pose into your daily stretches. There are lots of gentle stretches you can do to keep your spine healthy and supple as you age. And by keeping your spine healthy, you create a stronger abdominal core. Keeping these bones and muscles strong and flexible allows you to grow older gracefully. And you'll still feel like a kid, even if you don't look like one.

Namaste,

Susan

Surrender

“I’ve learned to trust what I call the Braille method of living – relinquishing grand plans and schemes in favor of an intuitive approach, feeling my way from tree to tree, relinquishing my attempts to control the world and learning, instead, to trust a discerning surrender.”
Stephen Cope

I've been using this beautiful quote in my yoga classes this week. It really resonated with me at this time of year as I contemplate this faith-filled time of Easter and Passover. What does it mean to surrender? For some, it depicts weakness, resignation or giving up, but for me, surrendering marks that pivotal point when deep down you know that you need to call on something higher to get you through. To surrender means you allow something to be sacrficed so it can be transformed into something "better."

Is there something in your life that you need to surrender? Do you need to let go of mental or emotional habits that are keeping you stuck? Do you need to let go of physical habits that are keeping your body from feeling it's blissfully best? Do you need to surrender a relationship that is no longer feeding you? What do you need to lay on the perverbial "alter"so you can be free from what is holding you down?

From this standpoint, surrendering is not such a bad or scary thing. If you are willing to let go to get something more beautiful, wouldn't you do it?

Have a wonderful and safe Easter or Passover holiday. Enjoy the spring. Enjoy your family.

Love and Light,
Susan

Asana Spotlight: Tree Pose

As a yogi, I may not be the most flexible person in the universe, but I do love the balancing poses, whether they be hand balances or balancing on one leg. And so one of my favorite poses of all time is Tree Pose or Vrksasana (vrik-SHASH-anna) It's deceptively challenging but a beautiful pose if you can hold it even for a few seconds.

This pose aides in focus and balance (literally and figuratively). It's a nice grounding pose, so if you are having a stressful or chaotic day and need to take the time to get grounded, to harness leaking energy and bring it back into your heart center, Tree pose is an excellent way to do this. As with many yoga poses, it's a balance of opposites. You ground down through your feet into the earth as you stretch up towards the sky. (This is me in Vrksasana)

Benefits of Vrksasana:

• Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles and spine



• Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders



• Improves sense of balance



• Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet

Contraindications or Cautions:

• Headache



• Insomnia



• Low blood pressure



• High blood pressure (Don't raise arms overhead)
  

With all the beautiful blooming trees around, I hope that you will incorporate this pose into your practice. When you focus on your breath and still your mind in this pose, it's bound to bring more stability and groundedness in an otherwise fast-paced world.

The attached link will help you get into the pose.

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/496

Blessings,

Susan