Developing a Home Practice

Isn't going to yoga class great?

Having a space that is just for yoga, filled with people who all have similar intentions for the next 90 minutes, makes it pretty easy to come to your mat. 

Studying yoga with a qualified instructor is important and attending class with your favorite teacher is a great way to learn about the mechanics of the poses and develop a deeper awareness in your practice.  Plus, all of that shared energy creates an atmosphere that is meditative and it naturally fosters you own peaceful mind state.  

But one of the most essential components of yoga is going inward and studying the self.  And that means sometimes you need to practice on your own.........By yourself....  Probably at your home........

I know, I know, I know!  I just lost a lot of you!!! 

But, alas, it is the truth.  You should be practicing on your own sometimes.  And here are a few reasons why:  

1.You need to build a trust in yourself.  You need to tap into your intuition and let it guide you into and out of poses that your body and the moment choose.   Your body and mind are unique.  Take the foundation of information that your teacher has laid out for you and then apply and synthesize it with good old fashioned commitment.  Does something not quite "click"?  Do you need to zero in on a specific direction more than a general class because of the tilt of your pelvis or the instability in your shoulders?  Are you biased toward strength or flexibility?  You'll never know if you don't explore, research, and study yourself.  

2.You need to discipline your mind to be a powerful force for good and not THE JUDGE, always criticizing. Simple truth:  if you can control your mind and instead of letting it control you, your life will be transformed.   If you practice at home, your mind will need to guide your practice with "self-talk".  Observing your "self-talk" is educational.  Do you regard yourself with esteem or do you berate yourself when things don't instantly fall into place?  If your mind is giving up or criticizing, stop.  Ask yourself why.  Breathe.  And then think a new thought, the thought that will resolve your issue.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  

3. You need to be able to find the sanctuary inside of yourself and retreat to it whenever the need arises.  And, lets face it, the need arises quite frequently at home, or at the office, or on the road, or in the store -- a LOT more often than it does at yoga class....so, figuring out how to overcome distraction and "get your inner peace on" is an important and useful skill.  

4.It doesn't have to take long!  A home practice does not have to be 90 minutes, like a class.  It doesn't even need to be an hour.  Anywhere from 20-45 minutes is usually enough to accomplish what I feel my body needs on a day to day basis.  

And, really, if 20-45 minutes is too much, then consider doing a down dog in the morning and evening.  Think about.  Checking in with your body in down dog is a powerful tool for awareness.  Where are you tight (shoulders, hamstrings, hips)?  Is the spine cramped?  Is the mind cluttered?  Is the nervous system overloaded?  You can figure it out all within a minute or two in downward facing dog.  

And, if you can convince yourself to do one down dog, then you may even persuade yourself to go a little further when you remember how good it makes you feel....

5.You'll make real progress!  Practicing 3 times a week means you will multiply your benefits.  That means 3X more strength, flexibility, and balance.  3X more mindfulness!  You'll go back to class and the teacher's directions will suddenly mean more.  You'll be better informed about your practice.  You'll be able  to ask more specific questions that will elevate your personal practice.

  
The truth of the matter is:  You are stronger and wiser than you know.   

So don't shy away from a home practice.  
You can do it.
I believe in you.

Namaste~
Tammie

Will Yoga Make Me Lose Weight?

"Does yoga help you lose weight?"  


Boy, that's a loaded question if there ever was one.  


I have had more than a few students and/or potential students pose this question to me.  It is an interesting and complex one.  It stops me in my tracks for a moment or two as I ponder just how exactly I want to respond.   


Because, here's the first thing:  my initial reaction is confusion.  My own yoga practice has never been about that.  Why would people care about losing weight when they can gain so many other gifts from a yoga practice?  But, then here's the second thing.... thing #2........the thing I realize when I pause instead of react (important yoga lesson!):  Lots of people do care.  They struggle with their weight and they are willing to try almost anything to overcome it, even yoga. 


One of the most amazing things my hatha yoga teacher training taught me is this:  
Give people what they want.  


For example, if a student comes to class with the aspiration of creating the ultimate yoga butt, then give her the information and poses she needs to attain it and don't you dare let your own ego ask why they came only for the butt and not all the other good stuff.


See, whatever it is that brings some one to yoga is of little consequence in comparison to them actually DOING the yoga.  


So, over the years, I've actually put quite a lot of thought into my answer to the weight loss question because I want to help people attain their goals, but I also don't want to mislead them, or send them on a wild goose chase.  Can I give people weight loss?  That's a tall order.


Most scientific studies tell us that yoga does not help people lose weight.  In fact, if we were very literal, linear thinking scientific type people we would take the studies at face value and we would probably believe that yoga could only make us gain weight because it slows down body processes and metabolism.  Western science will tell us this is great for reducing stress and lowering blood pressure, but not for aerobic or weight-loss benefits.


But, here's what a free-thinking, intuitive yogi knows from her own experimental "studies".  People CAN and do lose weight through a yoga practice!  I've seen people transform their physical beings.  And I have a a couple of conclusions as to how it came about.


Firstly, weight is often times an emotional issue.  I mean, if there's one thing Oprah taught the world, it's that she ate to quell her insecurities and soothe her fragile emotional state.  Watch an episode of a weight loss makeover show and 9 times out of 10, the person will have an emotional revelation that allows them to move forward and lose weight.  If they don't have it, the pounds just don't seem to come off as the science would expect.  


Will yoga resolve your emotional issues?  No, but a solid yoga practices gives you the tools to release outdated emotional habits that aren't serving your highest self.  You become more mindful, more aware, and less emotional moment to moment.  As you begin to string moments together, you have the power to make new choices.  You become more mindful of the process of eating for health and less likely to engage in "mindless eating habits".   


Secondly, the poses done frequently with awareness CHANGE your body SHAPE.  I don't know if this translates to losing pounds, but it does to losing inches!  You will discover that your torso is slimming through lots of time spend in Warriors and spinal twists.  You'll watch as your muscles lengthen and elongate over your bones; measure yourself -- I bet you actually are taller!  But, even if you are not, you appear longer and thinner!


Third, and finally, yoga helps you breathe, relax, slow down and release stress.  When your stress level is reduced and stress is no longer building up in your being, all of your body processes work optimally and effectively.  Your immune system is more efficient.  Your digestive system is more effective.  Your excretory system is more cleansing.  This can only be beneficial to someone hoping to lose excess weight.


Do these three things translate to dramatic weight loss in an average individual who goes to yoga once a week?  No.  But do they start to add up when an individual is committed to practicing yoga 3 times a week and, in addition, is attempting to adopt a healthier diet and lifestyle?  Then, yeah.  I think they do. 


There is no simple answer.  But the truth that I know is this:  Yoga transforms people who want to transform and are committed to it.


Namaste~
Tammie

The Art of Yoga

My yoga practice has influenced every area of my life, including my other hobbies.  I think self-expression is an important meditative practice.  When you are writing in a journal, cooking, gardening, sketching, painting, decorating your home, sewing, knitting or doing any activity that makes you "lose time", then you are perfectly present in the moment.  And that's where you should be!  Here are a few of my art projects.  I just love making them and how I can immerse myself in the process.  What do you do that immerses you in the moment?  How do you express self?  How do you create?   

"Old Window":  my art is a mulitmedia journey that unfolds layer by layer -- I rarely know where it is going, but I just love the process.  Its therapeutic.  This started with acrylic paint and paper on canvas.  It ended with feathers, beads, rub on transfers, and ribbon.  

Practicing yoga made me brave enough to create art without the fear of judgement or the preoccupation of perfection.  As a child I set out thinking, I am going to draw a person and it will look exactly like a person.  Then I would be upset when it didn't and I would let judgement shut down my creative flow.  Now I start by choosing colors that call me to and inspire me to simply want to play with them.  I am also intrigued with textures and re-purposing  materials in my multimedia landscapes, which usually include a tree somehow.  This tree started on an old door.  The bird was originally a dragonfly.   It's still in process.  Who knows what else  will end up adorning this tree?  I am excited to see.

My husband has taught me that destruction is often times an important part of creation.  This is also a lesson in yoga.  In Hinduism, the trinity is the Creator, The Destroyer, and the Preserver.  The Destroyer seems a bit scary at first, but then you realize that he only wants to destroy illusions we have about ourselves and life that create suffering.  Hatha Yoga (the poses) is linked to The Destroyer for this reason.


My art journey has clearly illustrated to me how you must be able to let go of mistakes by embracing the Destroyer.  This allows the creative principle to flow through you unobstructed.  Of course, The Preserver is important in recognizing truth and knowing what to embrace and maintain throughout the process/journey.  


The first time my husband suggested "starting over" on a certain aspect of a painting; I was angry with him.  Even though I wasn't pleased with what was being expressed in the picture, I was attached to the outcome of my time.  I wanted a "product" to show for my investment.  Now I realize that suffocates the creative energy flow in me.  I think some of my art is just a chance to work out "stuff" and let go of it; not necessarily a work of art to behold and I am okay with that.  That acceptance is an important step in allowing yourself to fully engage in self-expression in a creative manner.    

I

"The Turquoise Forest" ; completed Spring 2011

Open Shoulders + Open Hips = Long, Flexible Spine

Last week I presented the essential spinal movements for a well-balanced yoga practice.  Keeping the spine supple, fluid, and flexible maintains a wellness throughout the body because it is able to nourish all body parts with the energy that they need.  Unfortunately, some of us experience difficulty accessing the spine.  Even though we are in a pose that should lengthen the spine, it is not happening as fully as it could and should because either are hips, shoulders, or both are not opening to facilitate the spine's movement.  This is a common problem among adults.  Opening hips and shoulders can transform your yoga practice.

When you think of the spine as the vertical axis of your body, then you can easily observe that there on only four access points to it.  They are the right and left shoulder joints and the right and left hip joints.  If you are experiencing tightness in any of these joints, you will be unable to lengthen and move your spine optimally.

When we do hatha yoga, we can rotate the shoulder and hip joints in two ways, internally and externally.  During a class, you should do poses that require both rotations to bring you into balance.  Internal Rotation refers to rotating toward the centerline of the body (belly button).  External Rotation refers to rotating away from the centerline of the body.

External Rotation of the shoulders leads to a broad and open chest. 

Tadasana (Mountain)

Cow

Cobra

Internal Rotation of the shoulders leads to a broad and rounded upper back. 

Cat

External Rotation of the hips leads an open groin, front of pelvis and inner thigh. 

Bound Angle Pose (both legs)

Tree Pose (lifted leg)

Warrior 2 (bent knee leg)

Internal Rotation of the hips leads to open sit bones for a broad back of pelvis.

Downward facing dog

Warrior I

When you begin to understand the habits and biases that you have in your body, you can focus on poses that present the opportunity to counteract and balance them.  Most adults in our society are very tight from sitting in chairs and leaning over desks for too many hours a day.  They are biased toward internal rotation and flexion.  They need a greater dose of external rotation and extension in their practice to balance the body's predisposition. However, that does not mean that they avoid all internal rotation and flexion in their practice.  Those still need to be done with awareness and proper alignment for a healthy balance.  It does mean though, that these people may be avoiding external rotation and extension because it is more challenging to them.  Be aware of this and don’t let it happen to you!  

My beloved mat

I am having an issue with attachment.  This is generally not a problem for me.  I easily clean out and donate items that are no longer of use to me around my house.  But this is different.  This is my yoga mat.  The first one I ever bought.  The one that witnessed all of those first struggling, slipping downward dogs (and many years later witnessed my success and growth).  This is the one that I then blamed for all of those slippery hands and feet in down dog and warriors.  I want to take this opportunity to apologize publicly:

I'm sorry, mat.  I know now it wasn't you at all.  It was me.  Thanks for being my scapegoat for a period until my mind could accept the truth.  

And, although I have bought several other mats over the years, wooed by pretty colors, mysore rugs, newfangled technology and more eco-friendly materials, this is the mat to which I have always returned.  It has been my tried and true companion  for 15 years on my yoga journey.  15 years is a very long time to have something nowadays...  

I don't want a new mat.  I mean, sure, mine is stinky and discolored from my dirty gardening toes and sort of a weird green color that I would no longer choose.... But I love it all the same.  Maybe that is why I feel so attached:  I love it because of its peculiarities, not in spite of.  I love it because it knows my yoga practice inside and out from the beginning.  I love it because it has been a place of acceptance for so many years and so, I accept it.  Will I get that kind of acceptance from a new mat?  I wonder.  

But it is literally disintegrating.  I leave little green rubber bubbles in my wake after practicing and I can play peek a boo through the holes on either end. It is past time to replace it, but, truth be told, I'll probably hang on a while longer -- you know, until its incapable of doing its job at all.  When it does retire, it deserves a rite of passage, proper recognition, and a rightful resting and I haven't figured out what those are yet.  But this blog was a good start.

The Essential Spinal Movements

            I'd like to outline the basic spinal movements that should occur for a well-rounded and balanced yoga session.  My hope is that you will understand the main focus of poses and then be able to translate that information into a home practice, or give you a reference point for evaluating any yoga class you attend.  

The yoga pose's main anatomical focus is on the spine and how it should be moved to keep it supple, healthy and flexible.  When your spine is optimally aligned; your nervous system runs smoothly and efficiently.  In turn, so will the all other systems connected to it.  (This is also the basic premise of chiropractic medicine.)  There are 4 ways to move the spine out of "neutral" in yoga poses.  They are:  flexion, extension, lateral extension, and spinal rotation.  These movements assist the spine to release tension and make it more at ease in neutral by taking the spine into a specific bias and then releasing it.  Neutral spine is where you should be throughout your day.  And in a yoga class, you should find yourself returning to neutral spine repeatedly in between other spinal movements. 

  

In addition to the spinal movements, there should also be a focus on opening shoulder and hip joints to increase our mobility and, consequently, our access to the spine.  Here are  descriptions of each of the spinal movements and examples of poses that fit under that category.

Flexion:  lengthening the posterior (or back) of the spine

cat pose

forward bend

child's pose

Extension:  lengthening the anterior (or front) of the spine

cow pose

lifting heart while reaching back in sun salutation

cobra 

bridge pose

Lateral Extension: lengthening the spine to the left/right sides

extended side reach from easy pose

triangle pose

willow

Spinal Rotation:  lengthening the spine while rotating the thoracic area

seated spinal twist 

reclined spinal twist (with one bent knee brought across body)

** Please note that Tadasana and Downward Facing dog are not included in any of those categories; as they are considered "neutral spine" when done properly.  The term neutral refers to the fact the front and back of the spine are equal in length. The neutrality of these poses is exactly why they are performed so many times within a class. 

I hope this information helps guide your own practice and understanding of yoga.  If you ever have questions or need more detail, please don't hesitate to ask!

Namaste~   

Tammie

Your Yoga Rx

Every time I watch any sort of live television lately, especially on the rare occasion that I tune into the nightly news, I am bombarded by advertisements for prescription drugs.  What do these drugs do?  I'm not always quite sure....except for the erectile dysfunction which are pretty easy to spot for obvious reasons.  But I am certain of one thing after seeing a gazillion of them.  It seems like our cultural message has become:  got an issue?  we've got a magical pill to make it all better!  This message frustrates me.  As my teacher has said on more than occasion, "If you're in pain, by all means, take the pill.  But know why you're taking it and what you need to change so you're not dependent on it."  


Unfortunately, people seem reluctant to take responsibility for their minds and bodies.  People seem unable or unwilling to commit to health.  Instead, most have chosen to become consumers of pills.  Why are we so inclined to allow medical doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and eventually the almighty dollar tell us what's wrong with us and how they can solve it?  Why are so many people relinquishing their power?


On the other hand, learning about my body through my yoga practice (my yoga Rx) is the opposite of a 30 second commercial summing up what's wrong with me and how I can "fix" it (mask symptoms).  Because, let's face it.  Its not that easy.  My yoga Rx is a completely different idea.  Its a life long journey to discover what holds me back from optimal health and wellness and find ways to release it.  It's letting go of habits in my mind and body that have become roadblocks to comfort and ease.  It is a constant tending to my whole self:  my breathing, my posture, my diet, my thoughts, my body's limitations and strengths. 

I don't mean to say that there aren't valid and important prescription drugs.  Of course, there are drugs that save lives and increase the quality of life for many people who truly have a need.  If you need it, take the pill.  By all means, get to the other side of something painful.  Western medicine is a wonderful tool when used to target specific problems as they reveal themselves.  But its primary focus is and always has been diagnosing "problems" and treating symptoms and this is where it fails in my opinion.  


A yoga Rx is a commitment to yourself and your health in every single moment of every single day.  It is completely unique to you.  Its designed by you, through experiments and trial and error over years of living in your body.  It reveals the root causes of pain by illustrating where you are resisting your truly divine nature.  It is attention and attunement to life.  Its a big time commitment, but that's because true health and happiness can't be wrapped up in a glossy 30 second package or packed in a pill.


Namaste~
Tammie