Tag Archives: asana

Dog days yoga?

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Butterfly bush flower (barefoot photos)

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the dog days of summer have settled in with a big ole lazy heat wave. Who wants to move when the air is so heavy? Yoga class today? No, thanks, set me in front of my fan with an icy latte and a spicy novel. It’s good to slow down in the heat, even if that means giving ourselves permission to laze around.

At some point though, the novel ends, and the body calls for movement, despite the sweltering weather. Recent research shows SITTING to be a major culprit in health decline. So I’m heading to the studio, no matter how strong the sun is today. No matter how lazy my mind tells me that I am.

I’ve been working on supta padanghusthasana (reclining leg lift) which is a foundation pose. It’s a forward bend that is practiced lying on the floor with the back of the body completely supported. Even if my back is achy or slightly injured, I find I enjoy the stretch and release of this particular pose.

With both knees bent, I reach for the big toe of my left foot with the second and third fingers of my left hand. Those are the “peace sign” fingers for all you lovers of hamstring release. Stretching the left leg, reaching the toe pads toward the ceiling, lengthening the inner ankle bone up and away, I soften my shoulders, my hips, my belly, my face and gaze gently up at my big toe. Maybe I curl my mouth into a half-smile. Just for the heck of it and because I need to remind myself that I am inviting my hamstrings to release with non-forceful effort.

Sometimes I practice with the foundation foot pressed into a wall. It’s amazing how that can ground the femur. Then I can invite the groins to release deep within. Sending my awareness into the places I tend to hold and then slowly breathing into that area. The lifted leg slides a bit closer toward my shoulder. Perhaps I’m able to grasp that ankle today. The lower back responds to the stretch by softening and dropping. I imagine my brain dropping onto the back of my skull as my thinking slows.

And then, for fun, sometimes I practice while in legs-up-the-wall pose.

There are the variations, beginning with supta padangusthasana two: Turning the leg out from the hip so that the knee begins to look toward the floor, I draw the raised leg away from the body and up towards the shoulder.

Supta Padangusthasana #2 (barefoot photos)

Or Supta padangusthasana three which is not an official pose but delivers a strong stretch all the way around the hip. I swing the lifted leg back to the center; switch the hand  grasping my foot, and invite my body to roll onto the side as the foot drops onto the floor and I release the opposite arm away from me in a “T: position. With a strong exhale into the shoulder blades, I tuck the other shoulder under my body and release the upper hip away from the leg

MMMMMM, It’s all delicious.


July Fourth Sacred Pause

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Happy Fourth of July to American yogins everywhere.

Beyond the flashy fireworks and barbecue festivities, this is a day to reflect upon the meaning of freedom and to celebrate the birthday of our country. Revolutionary War soldiers certainly felt as if Colonial powers were impeding their lives and their freedom. For many of us however, the celebration is checkered by a history that was often cruel and pocked by the nether aspects of  humanity.  For instance,  the culture and political community that existed on the continent was nearly obliterated.

How can we reconcile the shame with the pride?

Have you taken time today – even ten minutes – to ask WHO AM I while sitting in silence and listening to whatever burbles into consciousness? I feel truly free when connecting with my SELF, the Source of energy and life itself. Does the past impede your present life or can you free yourself to live truly open to this present moment? Have you ever felt truly free?

Some thoughts to pepper your practice:

Do you feel constricted in your life?

Can freedom be achieved in every single asana? What is the key?

Is there a place or a practice that helps you move and act beyond shame and pride? Do you even think that this is possible? How does this relate to freedom? Is freedom a worthwhile endeavor? What do you consider more important?

What are the chains keeping you from living the life that is YOURS?

Is personal or spiritual freedom possible without political freedom? What price are you willing to pay for each of these liberations?

How can a sense of lightness, humor, and joy infuse the challenge of becoming more free?

When I watch the fireworks tonight in Swansboro, North Carolina, I’ll think of the struggle for personal/spiritual freedom that this community is dedicated to and I’ll clap for y’all at the first appricot squiggle bursting overhead.

YOGA Ethics 2, Satya, Honesty

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dandelion

Yoga Sutra 2:36: For one established in truth, the result fits the action.

Yoga Sutra 2:37: All the jewels appear for one who is firmly set in honesty.


Asteya includes intention behind all actions, speech and thought—not just truthfulness.

Most of the time I exist, unaware of my intentions. Yoga, however reinforces just how powerful intentions can be. Practice on the mat becomes a strong lesson in mindfulness that has begun to weave into my life off the mat. To become aware, truthfully aware of intentions is one of the most difficult lessons of my life. This means I have to deal with my blasted ego identity—yuk! who wants to deconstruct? Who wants to really admit that even when I think I’m being altruistic, I am simply feeding my ego!

cormorants

Cormorants in Galveston Harbor 2008 (NateGrady photo)

TRUTHFULNESS: It’s a matter of communication — to myself and to others. It’s a way of looking at life from the perspective of “the real me” unadulterated by a lifetime accumulation of others’ voices, pressures, and agendas.

Am I truthful in my self-talk?

How can I change what I say to myself?

Do I honestly believe that what I say to myself will effect change in my perspective or actions?

What would help me speak more honestly in group situations?

What would give me courage to speak up about perceived injustice?

How often have I been silently dishonest?

Whose truth am I reflecting when I speak to myself or when I chat with my friends and coworkers?

How much does pride or previous damage inflicted shape my present speech?

Are there habits I’ve acquired which keep me in a state of dishonesty with myself or with others?

Have I noticed a deepening of a self-inquiry regarding the embodiment of satya?

Where and how do I support this practice?

Other than nonviolence to myself or others, is there anything more important for me to devote my life to at this very moment? How does dishonesty affect the eightfold path? What ties Satya to Astheya (generosity), Brahmacharya (energy moderation), or Aparigraha (abundance)?

Ringing, Chanting om

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It’s ironic that at a workshop titled Inner and Outer Strength, chanting made the strongest impression. Well, maybe not; maybe the hard asana work prepared the channels and enabled an opening as never heretofore experienced? Chanting does require inner strength of the vocal chords and deep release of the diaphragm.

In the white studio, thirty voices intoned OM in thirty different intonations. I, too, opened my mouth and a sound welled from deep in my torso. Gradually it grew louder and pitched higher as I traveled with it:

A – O – U – M.

Up from the belly, into the solar plexus, through the heart center, rising in the throat, finally vibrating between my eyebrows. Then a deep inbreath, opening my mouth – and as I find the deep inner place from which om begins – the sound is released, flying into the flock of oms in the room. Some large and deep, some resonant and harmonic, some high and sweet. All one energy.

Over and over the oms played louder, softer, faster, deeper. Over and over I let them go; I let sound happen through me as if releasing a long pent-up voice.

chautauqua secret garden bridge

The primordial voice that existed before “I” was, before the universe existed rang outward and inward. Becoming transparent to sound, I tried to hold it, though it never stayed. Without my thinking or expecting, the energy carried me across another bridge.

Eventually there were no more students, or teachers, or moms, professors, midwives, writers, bloggers, musicians, Techies, yogis, gardeners, poets, grammas. The sound erased personas as each voice moved on its own, emanating from ever-deepening channels within.

The vibration filled the room. I was aware of it and not aware of it. Eventually there were no individuals at all. Just sound. A flight of harmonics and energy. There was nothing to do, just keep sounding OOOOooooommmmm.

Like a lover after the fact, the chant eventually would wind down – the vibration still there, though softer. I opened my mouth to receive the sensation which became a fine humming – a string vibrating inside me and in the room. Then the sound was no longer present; sound gave way to silence and I became aware of a vibrant ringing, maybe my body was rocking, but I am not sure. Waves of energy throbbed and passed through me. All was vibration and nothing else. My body had become a bell and in all directions there was ringing.

Panterra garden buddha

Existence made sense. There was no denying that I was alive and that being alive equaled this bliss.

Practicing Gratitude, Head Balance

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HURRICANE IKE hit and the gang in Houston remains without power. Dinners have become very interesting. And the nights are long. A great time for meditation! By the way, Laughing Yogini’s server is wrapped in plastic in a bathroom until power returns. If you have left a comment, it won’t be approved until nutopia is back on line. Try re-submitting to the yogini at laughingyogini dot com and I’ll see what I can do from here. Lots of lovingkindness meditations going out to those whose lives have been shattered by the storm.

We all have an opportunity to practice gratitude – name 5 aspects of your life that you are grateful for. Can be anything …here are a couple of mine: the smell of my shampoo, the delicious cup of coffee I enjoyed this morning, the sweetness of the breeze upon the skin of my face, being able to tie my shoes, a very cool student who smiled at me this morning. Do this every day, either in meditation or in your journal, and the practice will go far towards alleviating sadness and depression – those “I feel so sorry for myself” moments that come upon us even in the best of times.

chair head balance


My own many years-long struggle with head balance surfaced in a dream. Yogis need to constantly work against the inevitable frustration that comes from self-imposed goals and standards. I work at letting the frustration become the guru! Sitting in my heart, the frustration offers a lesson of acceptance, very tangibly. Surrendering into self-acceptance, my asana begins to take off. And if it doesn’t soar in a way that LOOKS better, it most certainly FEELS better, enabling access to the particular energy flow of the asana.

********************************************

Dream of a Perfect Head Balance

In the screened sunroom of this dream,

your long white hair and fierce sapphire eyes

shone like far-away stars. I was teaching you

how to stand on your head—

separation from your wife had left you

a quagmire of guilt, a swamp of suffering.

Night surrounded the room as it usually does

in my dreams, but we worked in a circle of light.

Kneeling in the middle of the reed rug

I explained how to press your ulnar points,

how to lift through the shoulders, how to reach

through the balls of the toes.

Though I have yet to do this in my life,

I demonstrated a perfect sirsasana

without any wall for support.

You nodded, attentive to every detail.

I assured you regular practice of head balance

would discipline your mind, broaden your spirit,

and warned heart trouble was a contraindication.

*********************************************

Then there are those poses that, well, you really can barely make an attempt. For me, those are the arm balances. I set up my props, and psyche myself by visualizing myself in the pose, and blam…the lift-off does not happen. At that point, it’s either a flop into frustration OR I can choose to enjoy the ride. In this case, the ride doesn’t go very far, but hey, it was fun falling on my face a few times. Afterwards, as I curl into Child Pose, the seeds of gratitude for even being able to attempt such the inversion, germinate, filling me with light. Laughing at how silly I must have looked trying fuels the spirit of exploration that’s so important for a healthy yoga practice. It breaks the chains of competition in class too because every student is trying to challenge individual, personal edges.

How do you deal with frustration in your daily practice or in group classes? Do your frustrations surface in your dreams? Have you written about them?

Have you found any satisfaction from practicing gratitude?

How does this relate to contentment …to peace…to compassion…in your life?

Endurance

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Thinking about little yogini’s comment regarding tips for young practitioners, I realized that probably the biggest challenge for younger ones is their ability to stay in a pose, mostly because of shorter attention spans. And as every parent and teacher knows, building attention spans is easier said than done. Fortunately, yoga is an excellent way to develop endurance on many levels: physical, emotional, mental. This holds true whether you are 5 or 85!

Typically in a yoga class, the teacher demonstrates the pose, then the class follows along. As soon as discomfort is felt, the practitioner pops out–at least beginning students often work this way. Pretty much the same thing happens in our home practice as far as jumping out of the pose goes and at home we don’t even have the “vibe” of the class holding us longer in the pose, so we may hold for even shorter periods.

However, in order to build focus and concentration, it is important to work on endurance. Please note, I am NOT talking about crossing your edge and working in unsafe and harmful ways. I mean pushing your edge a bit to see where your safe limits are. Please see my page: Tips for Home Practice . Also see Chapter 8 of Schiffmann’s Yoga, The Spirit of Moving Into Stillness.

When we think of endurance, we usually think of mental endurance, which would be developing our attention span. It’s tough to be mindful if we can’t keep our mind on a given task long enough. The wild elephant, or herd of elephants, needs to stand still so it can figure out what is happening. We need to “grow” our attention and this can happen in hatha yoga practice, sitting meditation, breathwork, as well as everyday tasks.

When my mind enters wanderlust mode, I think of B.K.S.Iyengar’s questions about body intelligence. I ask myself, “What is the intelligence of my toes now, in this pose? Can I feel them? How are they contributing to the pose or are they hindering the pose? Are they working at their full potential?” These questions can be posed about any body part. While I go through arms, legs, chest, etc. I can, at some point, begin to observe what I am holding in my consciousness and ask myself if I can simultaneously hold all of the aspects of my self at the same time. Teachers can repeat this process for the class, asking the students where their intelligence is, what body part is holding their attention, calling them to focus on a specific area, and then challenging them to hold several areas in their minds at once. This could become a game for a class of young ones or any students who are getting bored. I have found it a great way to keep myself interested in practicing. The pose stays fresh this way.

A second challenge for building endurance is the emotional self. We need to kindly invite longer stays without adding negativities, such as guilt, or berating ourselves. We need to honor ourselves when the inevitable days come when we are tired or depressed or jittery and simply need restorative work, not building our endurance. But when we are feeling as if we could hold ourselves longer, the breath is a wonderful tool to use in asana practice as well as it is for developing emotional equanimity in other areas. When you have reached the point when you feel you should begin coming out of the pose, try extending for two more soft breaths. Doesn’t sound like much, I know, but trust me, it sure is! You’ll be amazed, I think, at how you can slowly build your endurance this way.

The final area I’ll discuss is the most obvious. Muscles. They grow fatigued and weak. They shake and shimmy. But just as we need to welcome the difficult parts of our lives as our most precious teachers, we need to welcome our weak muscles as a part of ourselves. We shouldn’t run away from them. We need to be with them, letting them move us into discomfort. This also aids the stretch muscles receive. Bigger muscles particularly need longer “stays” in a stretch. We can again use the breath and send it to the tightest area, or whatever area of the body is barring a deeper pose. Invite softness in the hard, constricted areas. Invite opening in your mind as well as in your body.

Readers, I’d love to hear your experiences and challenges with practicing or teaching endurance.