...but we forget to tell each other the words."

We are all seduced by the latest and greatest thing. We are interested in what is new because it is just that... NEW!!! In yoga, all of us are on some kind of pursuit. Sometimes the journey involves perfecting a physical pose. Sometimes this pursuit is more about what's going on in the mind or emotional body.

For me, the pursuit of all kinds of inversions has rocked my asana world for the last year or so. This has been my idea of the latest and greatest thing. (That's my excuse for why I've not written a thought here in over 9 months. I've been inverting!!!) Those of you who have come to my classes recently know that I'm also really interested in lightweight transitions and energized inversions. When you use the whole body strength and structure as one well-oiled machine, you don't injure your wrists and shoulders. Transitions grow easy as you practice them. The core gets stronger. Poses that seemed impossible show up.

I've always thought it is important to have a personal practice. The process of cultivating the discipline required for me to sit down on my mat and practice for 1 -2 hours five to six times a week has been invaluable to me. As a twenty-something who found it impossible to sit with myself for any length of time, the greatest gift I've received from my practice is an ability to hold steady in the moment. I am so grateful that, for a period of time in the context of my personal practice, I can exist free from self-judgement and critique about the past, planning and plotting the future, or daydreaming in the present. If you don't see me in classes at the studio, trust that I am at home on my own personal yoga pursuit.

I've spent quite a bit of time honing the skills to support these light handstand variations, arm balance to inversion transitions, and gravity surfing sequences. I discovered a number of strengthening techniques, some I borrowed and some I invented, that really helped me to achieve new heights in this arena. I also discovered a number of alignment cues that seem to make a world of difference when approaching these beautifully confusing and daunting poses. Funny enough, even as a Forrest Yogi, I have developed a better relationship to my belly muscles in this pursuit. I taught a successful workshop this past week on just that and I will teach another one sometime soon!

I sat down to practice this past Friday with no real plan of attack. After many weeks of building in opportunities for inversions and arm balance craziness, I realized that on that day I was really... frustrated and kind of bored by the whole thing! This process of editing and building and critiquing and stripping away and falling on my face one too many times had taken the compassion and quality out of the experience in my personal practice. Sometimes we don't know when to say when. Sometimes what we need can completely pull the planning and strategizing right out from underneath us.

The other thing that my personal practice has given me is the courage to stop, feel for what I need, and refocus my pursuits if need be. That day I practiced a long grounding standing series. I stayed off my hands for the duration.

I think it's ABSOLUTELY important to take time out to pursue the new, seductive, and seemingly impossible yoga pose. It keeps us interested, strong, and physically open. I was playing around with inversion variations and some deep backbending just yesterday. However, when we step back and truly feel, can this unwavering pursuit take control of us? Can the physical yoga pursuits easily outweigh the emotional? Do we then lose the ability to hold steady? Do we lose an enjoyment of our practice as it is? Can Warrior II sometimes be just what we need?

PS. When might Cobra be "better" than Upward Facing Dog?

I just got a nice message from a BBY student called Suzy. She recently posted about Freedom Joy Yoga on a cool blog called YOGANONYMOUS.org. Check the link here: http://yoganonymous.org/?p=846
If you have Monday, January 18 off in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I'm doing a 2-hour Freedom Joy Yoga Workshop from 12:30-2:30. Hope to see you and your smiles on Monday... Thanks, Suzy!
P

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are all gearing up for some celebration over the next couple of days.

I am excited to announce my upcoming January class additions! I will be offering Freedom Joy Yoga at 7pm on Friday evenings at Back Bay Yoga beginning January 8th. Additionally, I am thrilled to be joining the Group Fitness team at Equinox Back Bay and will be teaching a 10am Vinyasa Flow. If you are an Equinox member, I hope to see you in the club!

I've mentioned my affection for Electronic and Dance music before. As you may know, I play all kinds of music during my own personal practice. The energy and message found in House/Dance music is truly a liberating and joyful accompaniment to my yoga practice. It's a privilege for me to share this with all of you! Come move and unwind on Friday evenings in this Vinyasa/Forrest/Core Yoga class. All set to a kickin' Electronic/Dance playlist, Freedom Joy Yoga is a super way to welcome your weekend! 

One other thing... My Tuesday/Thursday 6:15am Forrest Yoga class is now available as a $10 Drop-in. Hope to see you bright and early. It's cold outside, but we are getting it pretty toasty inside.

All the best and play safe as we surf into 2010!
Peter

PS. I'm attaching something new and fun!

For watching winter sunsets and planes flying overhead.
For waking up the body or easing into Savasana.
For traversing busy city streets and drifting off to sleep.
This is an incredible mood enhancer...

In class last night, I was talking about how parts of the body like to "help" do your yoga poses. Particularly in Bridge (Setu Bandhasana), I have become aware of all the "help" I'm getting from my mid back, my neck, my jaw and the muscles around my eyes! Perhaps you notice this yourself... Try using just your legs!

Anyway, I found myself saying, "some kind of help is the kind of help we all can do without." I don't know that anyone got it, but I let everyone know it's a popular poem and song featured on a favorite childhood record Free to Be, You and Me. Brilliant to this day, here is Agatha Frye, Christopher John, Zachary Zug and Jennifer Joy.

With active feet...
Peter

Here's to happy childhood memories! Olivia Newton John from Xanadu... does it get any better? It's that kind of week... Hope you all are well!

Words like "thanks" and "wish" and "holiday" and "cheer" are everywhere you look these days. So many of us can feel overwhelmed or assaulted by these messages of commercialized good will. What is truly genuine anymore?

If you have the time this week, in the midst of all the holiday festivities, spend a minute alone in your favorite seated or reclined position. Focus on gratitude and breathe... Feel your breath as it moves through you and focus on all that you have... not because you should be happy if you aren't, or because you should feel guilty for not recognizing it more, or because you should give it all away. Focus on all that you have so that you might tap into the great wonderment of all that is around you, with you, for you. Spread some cheer!

Thank you for being a part of my community. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

It's pretty amazing the way one's state of mind will influence the experience and memory of a yoga pose.

Back when I first started practicing Forrest Yoga, I had a very negative association with waking up my abdominals during elbow to knee, abs with a mat, etc... I used to get really attached to the sensation and experience of the abdominals while doing them. My mind would start up to this internal monologue; "this is an incredible amount of 'pain,' why would you want to do this?, how many more of these will we do?, i can't breathe," and on and on and on... With time, my mind actually reinforced this thinking. I was thinking about the experience of abdominals both before and after doing them. I don't think I paid attention to bridge pose for a year as I was still so caught up with my low belly!

At some point, I was given advice to observe what I was doing instead of trying to interpret, predict, or qualify it. With the abdominal exercises, the practitioner is doing no less than waking up their essential core power, turning on the body's central powerhouse, promoting a deep and firey energy that comes from within. This makes you not only physically strong, but taps you right into the very depth of your being. When one is able to simply observe this taking place, it is truly empowering.

I have written about the physical benefits of doing the abdominal exercises before (they help with digestion, posture, immunity, etc.). What about the psychological benefits of observing, without judgement, all of the physical sensation and mental stimulation these exercises provide?

All yoga poses have physical benefits. It is my opinion that the psychological benefits are equally valid. Especially when a practitioner has developed a not so productive relationship with a pose, when their mind and judgement take over and they are no longer in their body, it is an incredible win to overcome and change the associations that have developed. Pick your favorite pose to loathe (Head to Ankle Prep, Lunges on the Wall, Twisting Warrior, etc.). Start small, observe and respect the edges your body presents when entering a pose, and use your breath in the target areas. Pay attention to what comes up. At the first bit of physical sensation or mind resistance, just stop for a minute and breathe. Your body and mind will soften, your association to the pose will change.

What's more amazing is that one can take this skill out into the busy yoga pose of life. Observing the internal process of staying present and not freaking out on a crowded stationary subway car, in traffic on a busy street, etc. can truly change your quality of life.

It is a fascinating and fun process to remove the habitual mind chatter and to tap into the true power of your yoga practice. Rather than suffering through a vigorous practice, one can truly tap into the deepest hidden source of vitality and power just by being present and breathing. Change your relationship with your most infamous pose today!