A friend of mine was talking today about how she was beating herself up for not working out as regularly as she had intended. But then she said that it had been pointed out to her that humans for most of the life of humankind have never really worked out deliberately. We're hunter-gatherers, fundamentally, so… Continue reading Workout resolutions
Category: mulling things over
Getting established
It's the nub of the whole project. We love yoga, love it, love it, love it. And yet we can't get a practice going. A friend of mine works at a trauma center where (among other things) they are doing research on yoga and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The value of yoga to people with… Continue reading Getting established
Brain yoga
Yesterday only Dana came over for our Friday practice. We had done practice for study last week, where we were both trying to figure out why we can't get our sitting bones to our heels in Adho Mukha Virasana (downward facing hero). We still weren't able to do so after the practice, but it was… Continue reading Brain yoga
Step away from the mirror
The only time I see my reflection when I'm doing yoga is if I happen to be doing standing poses near the TV and see, oh, maybe part of my hips, but my face is not generally pointed to it on purpose. I'm traveling at the moment, and the only place in the hotel room… Continue reading Step away from the mirror
Miscellany
YoMo is chugging along nicely. I've had some days where my practice has been pretty darn lame, and some where it's been pretty strong. That's normal. And I'm keeping up reasonably well on the twice-weekly emails. The big thing I'm learning right now, both from YoMo and from my developing pranayama practice, is patience and… Continue reading Miscellany
Ritual
I am well indoctrinated by my Yoga Center teachers. Once in a while I skip the beginning and ending bits of my practice. This never happens in class, so I hate skipping them at home. I start off with my hands in Namaskarasana (prayer position), eyes closed. Sometimes I chant the invocation to Patanjali. Sometimes… Continue reading Ritual
Savasana
Savasana (corpse) is a pose that seems so simple that it could hardly be having any effect. Beginning yoga students joke about it being naptime, and yes, sometimes it is. I always feel great after yoga practice. I can't remember ever coming out of a class feeling dissatisfied, even when the class has been really… Continue reading Savasana
Effortless effort
Trisha sent me an article from Yoga Samachar, the IYNAUS newsletter, by John Schumacher, titled "Effortless Effort." It's an idea that comes from the Yoga Sutras that translates as Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached. --(11.47) I only read the… Continue reading Effortless effort
Early morning group practice
The Yoga Center has started a 6:00 am guided practice. It's led by Katie, who is a new teacher. Today was the first day. It was a wonderful way to start the day. Some yoga experience is required, which means that Katie doesn't need to demonstrate much or make corrections. She told us what we… Continue reading Early morning group practice
Focus poses and why some stick better than others
I just figured out why, in January, when I did Upavistha Konasana (seated wide angle) and Supta Virasana (reclining hero) almost every day, Upavistha Konasana didn't improve nearly as much as Supta Virasana did. I'm adding Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle) as a focus pose this month. It's such a difficult pose for me that I… Continue reading Focus poses and why some stick better than others
Practice Notes 