10 Practical Tips to a Successful Practice

1.  Know where you're going
I'll admit, I get a little nuts about this.  I like to take a look at mapquest first, because my GPS has been know to make mistakes.  I like to be sure I'm going to the correct place & know where to park, if that's an issue.

2.  Arrive early
Especially if you're new to a studio, leave yourself enough time (15-20 minutes) to get oriented to the studio.  To talk to the teacher or whoever is manning the desk & get your questions answered.  There's usually a waiver to fill out & that takes time too.  Be considerate.

3.  Invest in a good mat
There's nothing that will complicate your practice faster than a cheap, slippery mat.  I've had countless students buy bargain mats at big box stores, only to wind up investing in a good mat after a couple of slippery practices.  I'm a huge fan of the Jade travel mat - you stick to it & it's easy to clean.  And the Manduka ProLite is great too (it's more expensive, but come with a lifetime warranty)

4.  If you have a serious injury, let the teacher know.
Teachers like to assist students - they like to help students find stability in poses & get more out of the practice.  But if you have an injury, an assist can make your injury worse & make a teacher feel like they've hurt you, rather than helped you.

5. Be prepared - take a mat, towel & water.

6.  Hydrate
What more can I say...hydrate.

7.  Listen to your body.
I've heard stories of teachers banging on bathroom doors telling students they need to come out & rejoin the class.  I prefer a more compassionate practice - a teacher is just a guide.  Even as a brand new student, no one knows your body better than you.

8.  Get a friend to commit with you
Like anything, if you have someone to help you along & motivate you, you'll be more inclined to stick with it.

9.  Be consistent
Patanjali says yoga is meant to be practiced with love, enthusiasm & consistency.  If you want real results - mental, phsyical & emotional, you need to practice several times a week.

10.  Have fun
Yes, yoga can be intense - especially if it's a heated, power class (like we offer at Sanctuary Power Yoga).  But it's also meant to be enjoyed.  Have fun.  Lighten up.  Don't worry about mastering it.  It's a practice after all.

Do One Thing a Day That Scares You

"Do one thing a day that scares you" - Eleanor Roosevelt

The other day in class, we practiced some pretty challenging poses:  bakasana (crow pose, an arm balance), bird of paradise (a standing balancing pose) & headstand.  Challenging poses that can also be scarey.

As a teacher, I'm mindful of when & how I teach these challenging poses.  I teach not just the "culmination" of the pose, if you will.  But also many variations that can be practiced along the path to the culmination.  (for example, for crow pose, it may be enough to have your hands & feet on the ground, but have more weight in your hands - so you begin to feel what it could be like to balance on just your hands). I like to make each pose accessible to students of all levels.  I like everyone to feel successful.

As I taught, I talked about what these challenging poses can trigger in different people.  Some people hear the name, see the pose & immediately decide they can't do it.  Some people think they're not strong enough, not flexible enough.  Some people get scared.

The poses I taught were challenging, yes.  But truth is, the whole practice is challenging.  Each pose has it's own challenge.  Some people love crow, some hate it.  I was never afraid to try headstand - I didn't give it a second thought the first time it was taught in a class that I was in.  But for many years, wheel/backbend frightened me.  I was scared I was going to get hurt (how? I don't actually know).  It was more just a feeling of fear that came over me when I attempted the pose. 

Trying challenging poses & noticing what comes up & how you deal with it - that to me is the point of the challenge.  Do you get agitated off because you can't "do it"?  Do you feel defeated, unsuccessful?  Do you criticize yourself or the teacher who's teaching?  Do you avoid the challenge entirely?  Can you practice working through it?  Your response most likely carries over into your everyday life & how you deal with challenges there.

Years ago, I went on vacation with a friend & 2 other couples - I didn't know the other couples. One day, we rented mopeds to go touring.  Everyone but me had driven one before.  There were 6 of us, but we rented 3 mopeds & everyone took turns driving.  I was asked if I wanted to a turn to try, but I declined.  I was scared.  I think not so much of crashing or getting hurt.  But of looking silly in front of people I didn't really know.  I look back & see a missed opportunity.  It was a growing edge.  Not a huge one, but still.  A chance to try something new & different & not care about how I looked or what others thought.

Kind of like my wheel pose & the fear that went with it for years.

I missed the opportunity to drive the moped - I know I'll have another opportunity & when it comes along, I'll take it.  Now on my mat, after years of practice, I take wheel pose with gusto.  I have fun.  I love how it feels to open my heart & stretch my body & play my edge. 

Every challenging, scarey pose is a chance to practice.  Every challenge, every fear is a chance to practice.  That's yoga that you can take off your mat.

My Vinyasa

Downward facing dog.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.

"Mommy!  Mommy!  I need water!"

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Chair pose.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

"Mommy!  Mommy!  I don't like this show!"

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Triangle pose.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

"Mommy!  Mommy!  I need to blow my nose!"

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

Half pigeon

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

"Honey - could you please get off of me so I can get up?"

This is my yoga.  This is my vinyasa...my flow.  I've said it before - I practice at home alot.  Where I am in the life of my practice, 2 hours every day plus seated meditation would be wonderful.  Where I am in my life, 20 minutes of moving meditation is a gift.

My breathing, my practice has to come off the mat with me.  Otherwise, well...why bother?

All of it is yoga.  It's my flow, it's my life.  It's my yoga.  And I'm grateful for all of it.

It's too crowded!!

 


When I was teaching yoga in the Boston area, there were times when it was really busy at the yoga studio.  And when I say busy, I mean 30-40 people jammed into a small lobby & standing on the sidewalk waiting to sign in for a class that starts in 15 minutes.

I always loved the energy of this.  So many yogis!  New people, people returning to the practice, people committed to the practice & themselves.  For me, it was exciting to be a part of all that.  I loved teaching in classes that were so full I had to carefully navigate my way through the room so as not to step on someone.  I loved practicing in classes so full that sometimes I was in the hall!  I still love this.  A crowded yoga studio!  What could be better than to be a part of so many people coming together for something as great as yoga.

But of course, not everyone shared my sentiments.  I could see the agitation in the faces & bodies of some of the people waiting in line to get in to class.  Would they get in to class?  Would it sell out?  Where would they put their shoes & coats - the hangers were all taken.  Where would they put their mat?  What if "their spot" was taken.  There was a line for the bathroom!  There were too many people!  I watched (and listened) to these people & their concerns.

In this situation & others,  I like to remind everyone that yoga is not something that happens only behind the closed door of an uncrowded, calm & peaceful yoga studio.  Yoga isn't something you practice just when things are going your way.  Yoga is something that is meant to be practiced in the lobby, in the line for the bathroom, in the parking lot, in traffic....at home, at work....everywhere.
 
And, of course, I also like to remind everyone of how cool it is when lots of people show up for yoga.  More people practicing yoga - on & off the mat.  That always means a better world for all of us.

You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/

Tadasana

Tadasana - Standing Mountain Pose

Asana can be translated to mean "take your seat".  Obviously, you're not seated in this & many other poses in this practice.

"Take your seat".  It means get comfortable.  Settle in.  Not just into the pose, but into your body.  Get in sync with your breath & your energy.  In Tadasana, become the embodiment of a moutain.  Deeply rooted in the earth & in the moment.  Solid, grounded, steady & reaching for the sky.

Such a simple pose, when you look at it from the outside.  Yet there's so much going in when you bring your attention & energy fully into the moment & into just what you are doing.

Try it.  Try standing in Mountain Pose for 5 minutes.  It's unexpectedly challenging - again, if you are fully present & committed to bringing all of your energy & attention into the moment.  You start to notice the sensations in your legs & arms change.  You notice how much your mind wants to wander.  You notice your breath.  You notice the air on your body & how the ground feel beneath your feet.

Everything you do can be Mountain Pose.  Washing dishes, brushing your teeth, folding the laundry.  Simple actions, everyday actions.  But when you bring your energy & attention into your breath & into the moment, it changes everything.  You can really notice what you are doing & how it feels.  It's a shift - a different way of doing things.  It becomes a practice of meditation - it's yoga off the mat.

Live a Life Less Ordinary

 
"live a life less ordinary, live a life extraordinary...."

I love this line.  It's the opening song in a Curious George movie my son loves - I love the movie too.

I sang this line (off key) to my husband the other day & he laughed at me.

I don't actually know why he laughed.  Maybe because I can't sing.  Maybe because from the outside our life looks anything but extraordinary.

My husband works in Boston & we live in CT, which means we're often apart for the better part of the week.

We're in our 40s & we live with my mother.

We drive two beat up, old cars.

Not exactly what a lot of people would call extraordinary.

But it is to me.  Our life is extraordinary.

We love each other - a lot.  We love to spend time together - working in the garden, grocery shopping, doing not so extraordinary things. We love my mom.  We love our son & our grumpy dog.  We love that my Mom watches our son when we are "working".  We love living very close to our extended family.  We love not needing a lots of stuff or money to be happy.  And we love that we let our dreams drive the choices we make, rather than public opinion or even practicality.

To me, this is extraordinary.

 I've seen a lot of unhappy, unloved & unloving people in my life.  People who care too much about what others think.  People who worry too much about the past or the future & miss out on the joy of the present.

Sure, there are things that we wish we're different.  But we do our best to enjoy the things that are.

It's extraordinary that out of all the people in world, we found each other.  Extraordinary that my mother is so generous.  Extraordinary that our son is so amazing.

Live a life less ordinary. 

Love & Light

The type of yoga that I teach is a very physical practice - that's what makes it so attractive, I think, to so many people in our culture.  You can skip the gym, you don't need weights or cardio - you get it all in heated power class.  It's a flow - it just keeps coming at you - kind of like life. 

It's also a practice of moving energy.  Even if you don't buy into the talk of moving & shifting energy, you can't help but feel it.  You can get on your mat feeling crappy & worried & stressed & fearful & like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.  And at some point in your practice you'll start to feel better.  Most of the time, that is.

The tragedy of last Friday is different.  I see people coming into class worried & fearful & filled with sadness.  I see people crying quietly in class.   I hear teachers, healers, saying they're not sure what do or what to say.  I'm not sure what to do or what to say.  What can you say?

The Winter Solstice is this Friday.  12-21-12.  It's also the end of a cycle of the Mayan calender.  People talk about the end of the world, especially in light of what happened Friday.  

I find myself talking about energy & intention.  You do awaken a tremendous energy within yourself when you practice yoga.  And you feel tapped in to a bigger energy around you.  Intention, to me, is the simple act of dedicating that energy.  Dedicate it to the people touch by Friday's tragedy.  To anyone out there in pain.  To world peace.

I imagine that same energy as light.  We are all energy & are filled with light.  When you practice, you awaken your energy & your light.  If this is starting to sound like a bunch of new age, mumbo jumbo, just remember the last time you met with a really dynamic person or,  for that matter, a really peaceful person.  Didn't they seem to give off light?  Couldn't you feel their energy?

I don't really know what to do or say about last Friday.  So I set an intention everytime I get on my mat.  I ask my students to set an intention.  I remind myself that I am filled with love & light & that the world needs more love & light.  And I send my love & light out into the world.  I remind my students that they are filled with love & light & that the world needs more love & light.  And I ask them to send their love & light out into the world.

I am inspired by my teachers & my friends who are healers who are also reminding people of this.  It can be easy, in a dark time, to turn to anger & give in to fear & close people off.  Sometimes it's more challenging to keep an open heart & to send out love & light, but it's needed.

The Solstice is a reminder that in the darkest of days, light will return - strong & bright & vibrant.  And this Solstice, it seems especially appropriate.  We all have the opportunity, every day, to share love & light.  Yes, I think it's especially powerful when you get on your mat & tap in & offer this up.  But you can do it anywhere - anytime.  Sitting at a stop light, cooking dinner, waiting in line - you can take a deep breath, feel your heart open & send love & light out into the world. 


You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/