I just finished a 5 minute phone call with the most compassionate robot I’ve ever met. Continue reading Health Cares
Category Archives: Yoga
Conditioned Air
The biggest luxury of my new apartment is the air conditioning. Not the fancy compressor kind. Seattle itself is a swamp cooler, especially on the underground side. All I brought is the fan. The whole apartment is a breezy 62° at all times. Having an entire separate room to sleep in – lap of luxury that I’m in – allows me to keep a permanently warm 75° den for just my bed, my clothes and my cats. It’s an interesting environmental duality. Gives me endless choices when it comes to yoga. Continue reading Conditioned Air
Parighasana
There’s an asana nicknamed Gate Pose. It’s one of those random poses that gets forgotten because it’s pretty awkward to get into. You start kneeling and then extend a bunch of body parts to one side and then the other. It’s easier to show than describe and I assure you it’s difficult for anyone to actually pull off. Not only is there a fierce lateral extension involved but balancing on one knee is just plain unnatural. When I attempt parighasana it takes every muscle in my body to stay steady. So today, I did it 3 times.
I’m starting to understand how this gangly half-brother to long, graceful poses like trikonasana fits into my practice. In nearly all standing poses, my torso extends out of my hips to create length in my sides. This is easiest when I’m straight up and down or doing a simple bend in one direction, like uttansasana. Trikonasana involves two directions because I’m extending out of my hips while also turning my chest. It gets even more complicated with twists. Parighasana technically only has one bend, but at the strangest angle. Pulling my leg into the hip while extending my torso all the way toward my thigh. I’m dizzy just thinking about it.
Lila
In yoga class my teacher brought up lila, a sanskrit word that expresses the inherent joy and playfulness necessary for creation. Something about the way she phrased it struck a chord in me. Willingness to play around with something leads to new creation. There’s a joy that comes with the act of creation. That’s why we do it. Most brilliance is perceived as as odd at first. Artists embrace the odd, seeking the joy of creation that only appears when you’re on the right track.
I’m essentially creating a new life across the country this month. Only taking what I can fit into my subcompact, I’m trying something completely different from what I was taught to do. It’s a massively serious undertaking that I’m approaching with capricious enthusiasm. I choose to believe that things will work out based on the fact that my true needs are simple. I don’t have a map but I know where I’m going – serenity from minimalism. Lila explains how I find the energy to do it. I don’t mind messing up. Even making mistakes is fulfilling when you’re on the right path.
Questions dealing with the soul are onerous but what would you do otherwise? The light of meaning calls to us. Even if you can’t see, it you know it’s there.
Today’s Practice
Tadasana to
Uttanasana to
Adho Mukha Svanasana.
Lunge right leg forward and take
Parsvottanasana to
Utthita Trikonasana to
Virabhadrasana II to
Parsvakonasana to
Ardha Chandrasana to
Trikonasana to
Utthita Hasta Padasana to
Parsvottansana to
Virabhadrasana I to
Virabhadrasana III to
Virabhadrasana I to
Adho Mukha Svanasana.
Lunge left leg forward and repeat.
Vrksasana.
Salamba Sirsasana for 3 minutes.
Halasana to
Salamba Sarvangasana for 5 minutes.
Eka Pada Sarvangasana.
Savasana for 10 minutes.
Why I Don’t Teach Iyengar Yoga
In about 3 hours I’m going to teach a small group of friends some yoga. It’s part of a resolution I made around this time last year. I never expected it to take this long. Continue reading Why I Don’t Teach Iyengar Yoga
Yogcrastination
I need to clean the floor. That’s when I notice how much floor I have. Finally unloaded some ancient cardboard boxes full of books, tapes and crinkled memories. Each Disney animated movie released in the 90s holds a gift basket of connotations and aspirations in my heart. At this point, I have them committed to memory. Clam cases are destined for kitschier art than mine.
The floor is dry. It turns out the best way to start a home practice is try and plan a yoga lesson. Every day of that week you will do at least one of the poses you look at. Or maybe it’s another one of my nervous tics – like singing along to country music. That said, I will teach a group of people what I do to keep myself feeling good. Standing in front of people and asking for their attention is scarier than skydiving. This might be the only time I ever do it.
Honestly, it’s hard being alone with myself. I won’t keep my hands off me. Last month, I started to worry about other people’s opinions. I’m not really sure why, but a few swift kicks to the metaphorical groin fixed that. Freedom is a little too fresh to start playing with social pressures. All my gauges are level. A rare moment of stillness before the challenges of 2016 crash down. Enjoying the view in both directions.
Home Practice
I just want everyone to know. I’ve done yoga for myself nearly every day this month. It’s how I keep making such good decisions for my future.
-Ro
Having Class
Soon, I’m going to stand in front of a group and demonstrate yoga poses. I will then ask the group to repeat what they’ve seen. Then we will all do the same poses a third time to complete the cycle. As the group leader, I will plan a series of poses that follow logical sequences and encourage the basic principles of hatha yoga that beginners need for a strong practice. I intend to share the benefits I’ve gained from my yoga practice.
I’m not teaching until I can get all the way through one of these sessions without apologizing for myself.