To learn to swim, one must jump into the water.

With all of the tweets, blogs and Facebook posts it can be difficult to discern what's legit, what's important or what matters to the person that wants to start a yoga practice. We have yoga-centric publications like Elephant Journal, Yoga Journal, Yoganonymous along with teachers writing endless articles on any number of yoga-related topics ( irony alert!!!).    It's similar to the dilemma of a person who wants to start a healthier diet and is blown away and confounded by all the choices and information and feels paralyzed. I say, just start eating 3 raw veggies a day and some fruit..increase your water intake and start from there.

The Chicago yoga scene is robust and dynamic and affords the new student a dizzying array of choices. Below is a little information that will help you wade through what seems like a brand new language and a confusing kaleidoscope of options.

Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the Ashtanga style of yoga put it simply, "Practice, practice, practice" as the answer to the perennial question, "What is the meaning of yoga?". I think he said that before yoga would become a full-fledged industry complete with drop-in classes and a smorgasbord of studios offering specific styles or brands: Power Yoga, Baptiste, Bikram or "Hot Yoga", Kripalu, Anusara, Jivamukti, Dahn and all of the other independent traditional studios that incorporate HATHA yoga (Hatha is the underlying system of stretches, bends and balances and breathing techniques from which all of the other styles of yoga derive their practice). Personally, 2 teachers whose style I tend to follow are BKS Iyengar and Dharma Mittra (DM created the "Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures". Yes 908! ).

BKS Iyengar, the enigmatic and somewhat strict teacher who focused on alignment in his classic book, LIGHT ON YOGA, once commented during an interview that yoga does and will evolve and should be open to new techniques and ways of looking at alignment based on more knowledge gained. It made me love and respect him even more. I never was lucky enough to practice with the man but his style and method of teaching and focus on alignment influenced me greatly as a teacher. So, from these two gentleman we were given what is really the foundation for the modern physical practice of yoga. There are others forms that center on meditation, exploring a spiritual connection, etc.

This is a very brief take on what is a vast discipline that is much more than a warrior pose or a handstand. But I think it's important to help new students to understand more clearly that no matter what label or branding is used, that anyone can start a practice. One of my goals as a teacher is to remove the obstacles of confusion and mystique and encourage those seekers to jump into a class. As Pattabhi Jois said, "Practice, practice, practice". Trying to understand yoga without going to a class and practicing is like trying to swim without jumping in the water. If you are interested in exploring yoga in a safe welcoming environment come to my a basic 1 hour HATHA YOGA class, Monday 5:30pm at Grace Place 637 S. Dearbornwww.loopyoga.com/scheule.  

From OMG! to Ohm...

Upon waking each day, it hits me: "Oh no, here I am again!",

followed by a wave of thoughts peppered with worry, anticipation...calculations of the next 24 hours...a sense of urgency. 

And so the day begins as a sort of mental wrestling match. Then I remember it's Coffee time....that gets me out of those first thoughts. Then the opening of a daily mediation book, or three.

If I can delay my addictive pull towards the laptop, I will then do a little routine of yoga while the coffee brews. Maybe 10 minutes or so. This starts to calm the mind.  It is this "cessation of the mind" moment that yoga facilitates so nicely.

This is the "spirituality" I find in yoga. Whatever yoga may bring to someone else,  in terms of spirituality, is indeed a private journey. It enables me to be present for new awakenings, understanding and insights to manifest. I am no longer limited by a set of rules, doctrines or someone else's perceptions. It is a living, breathing embodiment of "prayer & meditation" that each of us can tap into and perceive, allowing us to find that undisturbed, infinite, kind & loving place within our hearts that no circumstance, event or person can ever change.
It is there, waiting for us...

The physical benefits of yoga are clear and can help make us healthier beings.

But it also has this added benefit of bringing a sense of tranquility to the mind.

This can help to alleviate that "OMG!" moment that is sometimes present, at least for me, as 

the sun gently rises, and so I can greet the day, smell the coffee...and feel the peace.

This little routine helps to navigate my thoughts beyond the turbulence and 

towards infinite bliss and:

"The Universal, Creative Loving Intelligence That We Cannot 

Comprehend, Nor Figure Out But Must Turn Our Will And Life Over 

To" guy, or...gal. 

Namaste Friends,

Steve

Yoga Teacher Training: Barefoot Bliss

A lot has happened since the first post on the first day of my teacher training. I am still not sure where this will take me but there is sense of inner peace in following a calling and not really knowing what the outcome will be, or whether it will lead to success or not. Hmm, success. That dirty word!
"I have to be successful"
"He is very successful"
"The key to success is hard work"
"She's had a very successful career"
"Success is the key to happiness":
Well...
Or, is happiness the key to success?

The key, I think, for me right now is to redefine success. What I have gained so far is a deeper understanding of yoga. I am hopeful that this deeper understanding will translate into my life on a personal and relational level and bring me closer to my true nature and thusly, closer to the world around me. The true self...after all of the layers and defenses are stripped away. They say that when we are closer to our true nature we attract good things, good people and 
a sense of peace and joy.  I have had immense joy during this period. I have had
many supportive and wonderful people come along on this journey. 
Maybe it's working!!!
To be continued!


One thing I know for certain is that I have been barefoot during the last several months more so  than at any time in my adult life. There is something wonderful about going barefoot. It is a sense of freedom and honesty. I feel sense of play. The child within steps up and says, "Don't take yourself so seriously...I want to have some fun!". Yes, being barefoot lets me come out and play. It gets me a little closer to the truth of who I am. It gives me permission to speak out without fear. It reduces the ego a bit. That's the ticket. Yes!


So I encourage everyone to get barefoot, preferably in a yoga studio, or even in your office. Just take your shoes off for ten minutes and see if you don't feel a little more at ease, a little more yourself...


Get barefoot!


Namaste Friends,
steve

Yoga Teacher Training: A teacher called pain

"I choose to ignore that pop I just heard"
"Is my kidney supposed to hurt in downward dog?"
"I am going to get my knee in lotus position if I have to tear my ACL to do  it!"
"It's supposed to hurt, right?"

If you have silently said these things to yourself during your yoga practice you are not alone. As beneficial as yoga is to the entire system, some poses...pose a risk. Knees and shoulders are susceptible, as are lower back, elbows and wrists. This is where awareness and honesty must be part of a practice.

I can tell you that I have powered through warning signs. It's not worth it. In fact, it is not what yoga intends for us. However, we live in a world that says, "No pain, no gain," "Push through the pain", "Never quit", etc.

In yoga these beliefs can cause injury. Many positions put joints in a somewhat vulnerable position and if not respected and practiced with mindful awareness things can happen. The concept of backing off is terribly important. Subtle shifts can alleviate improper alignment. It is about awareness and knowledge of correct alignment.

As a student teacher I am very focused on learning as much as possible about proper alignment and ensuring that the student understands what that is for each pose. But ultimately, people will do what they want. Sometimes the best teacher is pain. Physical, emotional...it forces us into awareness and change...sometimes!

I have experienced this type of injury by going too deeply into a side stretch and overextending my hip. Geuss what? I am now very aware of what my body is telling me in side stretches.

Thank you pain!!!

Yoga Teacher Training: Poetry of the Flow

Vinaysa flow, the synchronization of breath and movement, brings as closer to that place of well-being and peace, serenity and acceptance. The brass rings of recovery. If done correctly this particular yoga style can transform one's thoughts and focus. It is a moving mediation, a poem written dynamically though the breath
and within the body.

As I continue my practice and my training, one of my goals is the undoing of some of the habits I dragged into class with me. Like an old, musty sea-bag stuffed full from years of meandering down backwaters of fear and self-delusion...full of broken tools, tools that simply never worked and perceptions of self that created shadows upon everything.

As we have all experienced at one time or another in our own personal journeys, we may have acknowledged the sea-bag of self doubt and delusion. We may have said, "Look, this old way of living isn't working for me. Holy crap, I need to change things up and pronto!"  "Whoa easy Tonto!", I say to myself. Awareness does not necessarily bring about desired change, as we all know. I say 'not necessarily' because I do believe that there are times when a person's awareness can bring about a dramatic and radical shift. But usually, as in my case, it comes along by coming out of the cave, plodding down the path and showing up on the mat. Oh, and then we take what we discovered about ourselves off the mat and into the world at large.

Change occurs at a glacial pace. Water wears down rock, but imperceptibly.

With my awareness focused on breath, movement and intention I can experience a sense of relief and sometimes bliss.The relief comes from cessation of thought. Bliss comes from the physical change happening inside the body: Oxygenation and flow of blood to lungs, limbs and vital organs. This creates a sense of peace and joy.

A surrender to the poetry of body, breath and intention...


Namaste, Friends 

Publish Post

Yoga Shout Out: Some Like It Hot!

Sweat pouring like a little cloudburst around my mat. The result of exertion. The bodies response to overheating. A warning to slow down. But there we are in our sweat proof shorts panting and dripping, refusing to stop. We see a gathering pool in front of our mats. We think, "I need one of those yogi toe mats to sop this stuff up. Crap! Now I can't do a downward dog because I am slipping. My mat is now a Slip n' Slide (If you are to young to remember what that is too bad for you!). Why is the teacher pushing us. It's too much. Oh thank god, she just called for a Child's Pose. How about a paramedic while your at it because I really think I could have a heart attack here. But I am not going to stop! Then the teacher says,, "Jump to a forward bend, come to standing pose, arms overhead, and hands resting at your side...and breathe" Oh thanks teacher. As if I am going to forget to breathe! Oh, I guess I did stop breathing there for awhile while I was thinking. Never mind.

You have just witnessed an excerpt from inside my head. Paradoxically, the purpose of yoga...well the ultimate outcome, should be the cessation in the fluctuations of the mind. Impossible you say? I say impossible too! But it's okay becuase sometimes you just get into a loop of thought. So I try not to fight it too much and just let it pass.

Back to heat and sweat. The nice thing about doing some rapid sun salutations is that it generates internal heat. That in turn heats up the muscles and tendons and consequently we can be a bit more limber, which of course helps the poses.

This heat building is typical of Ashtanga yoga, where in the beginning of class a rapid succession of up and down "sun salutations" generates the heat for the remaining poses. In Bikram yoga, the heat is produced for us. This may be helpful for those that are not at all flexible. This style can help those with extreme inflexibility start to open up more quickly.

I think it's fun to mix it up and try them all. Why not? Life is about adventure.
So take yourself on one.
Some like it hot, some don't.
But eventually you are going to sweat in class.
So enjoy it because that means that you are putting forth the effort
and the systems in your body will be happier for it.



Namaste, Friends

Yoga Teacher Training day 9: The Pearl Is Inside

When I find myself in any state of non-acceptance, this is when I start to exert myself more intensely. I start to self-will it. Why I do this is curious because historical evidence weighs in against a positive outcome. Rather, the outcome is not what I thought 
I wanted to happen and usually it is for the better. I marinate in the pain of non-acceptance for awhile until the reality crystallizes and I am faced with a choice.

So let's peer into the essence of that moment when we are getting ready to bulldog it. In particular, a yoga pose is a prime example of a situation where we can exert ourselves in order to "win". Win the pose? We all know that is a somewhat silly statement when speaking of yoga. Yet, I myself have descended into the depths of self-competition only to come up empty-handed, like a pearl diver who keeps plunging into the North Branch of the Chicago River expecting to haul up a luminescent treasure that simply does not exist.

I am sure the ego is one of the culprits. Ego and perhaps fear.  Does one cause the other? I am not really sure but I know they can nicely coexist and when they do things get a little murky, just like the North Branch of the Chicago River.

But when I relax and take it easy, and focus on the breath I start to feel peace...maybe even joy. Things start to turn green again. I can be grateful for exaclty where I am able to take my physical body into the pose.
No judgment or wishing for what is not there. I can find joy in that moment and gratitude for where I am
and not for where I wish to be. And that is where the pearl waits: right within ourselves.


Namaste, Friends