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Understanding Movement

"There is a great difference between knowing and understanding; you can know a lot about something and not really understand it." - Charles Kettering

The Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germaine, was one of the first books I bought when I started taking yoga classes.  I'd study the meticulous drawings and slowly etch the actions that my body was designed to perform, in my mind.  

Some movements were easy and those that involved my hip joints were baffling. It has taken years of practice for parts of my body to comprehend what my eyes first read. I can't stop now, though. All parts of me are progressing; I think I read that somewhere.

 

 

 Image: buechi , iPhone 4S

 

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Sparks of Divinity

Mantra Markings

Order is a lovely thing; on disarray it lays its wing, teaching simplicity to sing.

 -Anna Branch

The downside of moving three times in one year is that I can't rely on the permanent-marker-pen-labels on my storage boxes. One, labeled "Bookshelf Misc.", now contains a mixture of kitchen and bathroom miscellany so random searches are the real order as I'm unpacking. I've gone from my folks' home to a three bedroom house with a gorgeous view of the Kona shoreline that Tall Guy and I are renting. Boxes from our storage unit are stacked in the garage now and I'm on a mission to get rid of all of my old stuff.

Important items are also showing up. Such as my entire stock of Mother Sequence books that were on their way from India when I closed the studio. As I flipped through a crisp, new edition, I had a distinct urge to write my own notes onto the pages and to chant the twelve mantras while doing the Sun Salutations.  For the last two mornings at sunrise, I've enjoyed slowing down the pace of the Suryanamaskaras to match my chanting, and allowing the original dimmer switch that the sun is, to light up the room. My random searches do bring real order.

 

In case you're interested...

The chants and postures go something like this.

Here's how to find what time the sun is supposed to rise where you live?

Update 2.2.13: I'm still doing this but a short meditation time has begun to follow. It has now become the motivating factor for my daily practice. 

 

Three Simple Things

Expert: a man who makes three correct guesses consecutively.

-Laurence J. Peter

 

In their book Style Statement, authors Carrie McCarthy and Danielle LaPorte suggest that you write and commit to 3 Simple Things a Week. Every weekend, write down three simple things you will do to energize your personal style:

1. EDIT. Let go of one thing- anything. A material item, a habit or a limiting belief.

2. ADD, or create one thing in your life. An object, activity, thought, whatever excites you.

3. APPRECIATE. Again, anything. A material object or a person, be extra kind.

Whenever I think about doing this, it's hard not to think about the material or physical items that I'd like to release or obtain. I can see them, bump into them (guess I didn't see them) or hear about them. But it should apply to any aspect of life, so what if I came up with 3 Simple Things for my yoga practice?

Here's what I've chosen for this week:

1. EDIT. I'm going to release a limiting belief: "I'll never be able to accomplish all of the poses in Light on Yoga." It was the first yoga book I bought when I began taking classes nearly 21 years ago and of course I couldn't do any of the 200 poses. These days, I can get into a number of poses, reasonably well enough to teach yoga, but unless I let go of the belief that's limiting me, there won't be much progression.
2. ADD. I think I'll add Light On Yoga back to my reading list (I go back and forth between 5-6 books at a time) and read it again. It's bound to have a different effect on me at this point in my yoga practice and it'll only improve my teaching.
3. APPRECIATE. I'd like to thank my Body, for keeping up with my heart's wishes. It steps on to my mat begrudgingly at times, but at the end of every practice it lets out a contented sigh. It continues to adjust and improve as my heart has learned to also be as generous and trusting. We've become a good team after twenty-one years.

How about you? Are there 3 Simple Things you could do this week to draw you forward in your own unique style? I'd love to hear from you.

Image: Free Webs

Sparks of Divinity

It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.

-B.K.S.Iyengar

This past weekend, I was once again fortunate to practice under the watchful eye of Iyengar yoga instructor, John Leebold. The bonus this year was offered through his focus on the anatomy of the human body and the genius of B.K.S. Iyengar.

I'm always ecstatic when modern science confirms the validity of age old yogic principles (e.g. nostril breathing and nitric oxide). In reality though, science is just discovering the tools to measure the effectiveness of nature and the brilliance of master yogis.

What I realized through John's teachings this weekend,  was that the mastery of yoga already exists within us. It lies in the miraculous construction of our physical bodies, the life force within our core, and the teachings that have already been set forth. All we are doing is discovering the tools: the poses and our practices, that will enable us to appreciate what we've been graciously given.

Anatomy and Asana

John Leebold will be at Kona Yoga October 15 through 17 for a series of yoga workshops focusing on the human anatomy and yoga postures (asanas). John began practicing Iyengar Yoga in 1973 and holds and Advanced Iyengar Teaching Certificate. 

He is one of the founding Iyengar Yoga teachers in Australia and has been a registered, practicing osteopath since 1983.

During the three day workshop, John will explore the structure and movement of the human body in various asanas. The position of the bones and actions of the muscles will be considered, using human models and audio visual aids.  All levels of yoga experience are welcome.

Schedule:

• Friday, October 15:  9am - 12noon
• Friday, October 15:  2pm - 5pm
• Saturday, October 16: 9am - 12noon
• Saturday, October 16: 2pm - 5pm
• Sunday, October 17: 9am - 12noon
• Sunday, October 17: 2pm - 5pm

Individual Class Fees are $45.00, take the Entire Workshop for $225.00.

For a printable flier and registration form, download here. Space is limited and confirmed through a "first paid basis".

Let's Get Seriously Playful

Whenever you trace the origin of a skill or practices which played a crucial role in the ascent of man, we usually reach the realm of play.

-Eric Hoffer

I offered something different to my Friday and Saturday classes this week. A sequence of twelve standing poses from  Brad Piddy's website caused a lot of uncertainty and gyrating in the beginning. The poses weren't new, but the way we moved into them often from the floor up, required our nervous systems to respond creatively.

On Saturday, after running through the sequence a few times and "deconstructing" the moves a bit, practice appeared as the only solution for muscle memory and a graceful sequence. However, when we moved into some of the old and familiar postures, the improvements I saw were amazing, as if bodies were responding to the earlier challenges.

If we're going to modify our boundaries and creep our toes over the edge, I vote that we get seriously playful about it. If our muscles remember what is repeated over time, we may also want to associate joy with those movements.

Photo: Design Swan

Of Hooks and Things

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

-Mae West

In her article titled "Don't Bite the Hook", Pema Chodron defines the Tibetan word shenpa as the root cause of aggression and craving. Someone says or does something and you immediately react with anger or distaste.  You feel a sensation in your body and without thinking, you scratch the itch or feed the craving. The hook appears and you bite without thinking. Some things are just charged with energy that forces you to respond (almost like a reflex) and you say and do things that you ordinarily wouldn't.

"It's a quality of experience that's not easy to describe but that everyone knows well", writes Chodron. I think Flip Wilson's character Geraldine, tried to explain it best by saying, "The devil made me do it!"

Chodron offers meditation as a way to learn to open and relax with all of the hooks that may appear, without picking and choosing. We can learn to diffuse the charge if we catch shenpa at an early stage, she says. I think we can also do it while physically active and moving through life.

Jehangir Palkhivala has suggested that we allow ourselves to experience santosa, or contentment, before trying to move deeper into a yoga pose: count three breaths, enjoy where you are in the present and then move and make any adjustments on the fourth breath. It takes away the urge to go directly to the edge only to hang out with the discomfort of your efforts or anxiously await the next pose. Instead, you have a chance to appreciate each step along the way.

With enough practice, it will translate as well to life off the mat. The hooks will become more visible, even when disguised by bait, and there would be no need to avoid temptation. Until then, we practice.


~~~~~~~~~
~Read "Don't Bite the Hook" by Pema Chodron in Tricycle Magazine.
~Watch Flip Wilson tell a short story about Geraldine and her preacher husband. You Tube, 2:45.

 
Image: Shumata on Flickr

Savasana, Voted Most Favorite Yoga Pose

By the end of today's Gentle/Stretch class, every available prop had been taken down from the rack. Bolsters, blankets, blocks and straps are what's needed in a restorative yoga  class.

Those who have discovered ways to quiet their bodies and minds, find restoratives very peaceful and enjoyable. Every once in a while, I throw in a pose that is a bit of a challenge with the intent of increasing the benefits to these gentle practitioners.

The one pose that they have nearly mastered is Savasana,the Corpse Pose pictured above. No matter how full the class might be, everyone finds their own piece of heaven just inches away from another.

When I scan the room and observe the stillness, with no one fidgeting or glaring open-eyed at the ceiling, I feel that I have done my job. I give thanks to all of my teachers, thanks to Savasana as "proof of the pudding", and thanks to all who offer their trust and faith in me by attending class. Namaste.

Not Full Grown...yet.

We do not yet possess ourselves, and we know at the same time that we are much more.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not long ago, we were waiting for him to appear. Then we reveled and cheered when he finally (on time by his standards) showed up on the fourth of June. Now he's coming to yoga class every Friday (Yoga for Moms and Babes) and this past week decided that he was ready for a pose of his own, Upward in Downward Dog.

While I was cropping this photo of James Dylan Graves, I wondered what it would take for me to step onto my mat with the same wide-eyed, open body and fresh mind attributes of this baby. He hasn't learned to crawl, but he will. He hasn't learned to stand, but he will. He hasn't learned to walk, but he will.

What if he came to class and said, "I heard yoga was good for me but I gotta tell you, I don't crawl, I don't stand and I don't walk"? He might then never progress beyond that one pose, sweet as it is.

The magic word is YET. It holds so many possibilities and promises. Luckily, it was one of the first concepts I learned in yoga and it continues to draw me forward nearly twenty years later, on and off the mat. The inclusion of the word yet, does not allow my statements to become my sentences.

We would speak well for ourselves, and others, just by adding that simple three letter word. As for James, he's not talking, yet.

A similar topic:
Argue for Your Limitations and They're Yours by Richard Carlson.

Full of Me?

A wonderful little reminder from Tricycle Magazine about holding an open mind:

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the cup overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. "it is overfull. No more will go in."

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?" - Paul Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones From Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith

When I was a realtor, I had a client who bought and sold investment properties. She had the amazing ability to patiently ask the same questions of everyone who had anything remotely pertinent to offer. "They all have different viewpoints," she explained. "When you buy an apartment building, the janitor, rentor, owner and neighbor all see it in a different light. I want to know what they all think."

Showing up full of our own opinions and speculations may save time, but it might make for a poor investment.