Yoga Journal DVD Reviews Coming Soon!

So many students and friends ask me about good yoga DVDs to use in their home practice. I am very lucky to have been given the opportunity to review a selection of Yoga Journal's DVDs. In the next several months I'll be publishing a series of reviews -- including home practice, therapeutic and live practice DVDs. If there's something particular you'd like me to check out just let me know and I'll ask for a copy and let you know what I think. I hope these reviews are helpful; I'm excited about using these at home and then sharing my thoughts with you about their usefulness and the practicalities of integrating what I learn into daily practice! Readmore »»

Lift up the corners of your mouth

I feel like a slug.

A salted slug.

A cold, shriveled, salted slug.

It's like the sap started to rise on spring and then just got stuck. I think it got stuck because IT FROZE THERE. Just like energy started to rise in my body (and seemingly in the bodies of my students) and then that energy just got stuck. We're trying very hard to de-stuck.

One of the things I have been playing around with in class (trying to de-stuck) is a variation off of Warrior I. I tried to find an image of it, but all I could find was this:

This is not the "Warrior I Variation" (which was my keyword search) that I was looking for.

In this variation, get into the "traditional" Warrior I, with back foot grounded. Keep the torso as it is throughout the directions, unless otherwise noted. Straighten the front leg. Shift the weight onto the heel of the front foot. Now lift the toes on the front foot as high as you can, ideally pointing right up to the ceiling. Lift the sterum to the sky. Feel that core become heated up, because the outdoors refuses to!

To come out, bring the torso back to neutral (no mini backbends), replace the foot, bend the knee, and you're back into Warrior I. It might feel good to come into "Silver surfer" after this as a counter pose (not this Silver Surfer, must read comments underneath.. Google Images is amazing).  Also know as "Humble warrior":

From blog.gaiam.com

To really heat it up, flow between the two (Warrior I variation and Humble warrior) and throw a vinyasa in between each repetition and each side. Let me know if you try it and, as a result, feel a little bit lighter on your feet! Readmore »»

It's Spring and it's a Good Time to Stretch Yourself!

As the days lengthen and the temps begin to rise (although we have snow in the forecast for WI tomorrow) it's a great time to consider stretching your practice. Do something you've never tried before. Try going to a slower class if your usual practice is more aggressive. Try a flow class if you're daily practice is yin style. Be a little adventurous and have fun. And bring that same sense of adventure to the rest of your life -- take a painting class, ride your bike more, have a dinner party and get out the good china. Adventures don't have to be over the top (not that there's anything wrong with a trip to Paris) to be life changing. Remember that it's the practice that counts and practicing being adventurous in little ways can have a big impact. Readmore »»

Someone else's giveaway

A flesh and blood friend of mine (as opposed to internet and bloglandia) is hosting her first giveaway. I'd love for it to be a runaway success... and for you to run away with the prize!

To win a cookbook, check out Kelly's blog.

Good luck! Readmore »»

Good article: 13 Things Your Yoga Teacher Won't Tell You

Link is here. Funny, true, and from yahoo.com of all places.

Enjoy! Readmore »»

Is my brain a muscle?

I don't know if the brain is really a muscle or not (or, at least, if it functions in the way that we usually think of muscles). In this third month of meditation, however, I have often felt like my brain is a muscle. Like, with continued attenuation, my focus becomes stronger. It becomes easier to find stillness and I want to sit longer.

It also feels like my brain, like the muscles in my body, sometimes just wants to shake around like an uncontrollable Jell-O mold.

Do you know how your legs get around the time that second minute holding Goddess pose comes around? Or any of the Warriors? That shaking is your muscles constantly reaching the point of fatigue, moving the responsibility and work from one fiber to the other. It's not controllable, really, and you shouldn't try. It's also release: shaking legs during deep hamstring stretches, hands shaking after a rush of nerves.

So, sometimes my brain feels that way, too. Not quite the monkey-like mind, jumping from subject to subject (nonlinear and how-did-that-lead-to-that?) More... vibratory. A mixture of strengthening (second minute in Goddess) and release (second breath in Camel).

This is a new part of my yoga practice and I am finding myself surprised and interested in what comes up. So, my answer to the question "Is the brain a muscle?" is that mine is sure acting like one. Just like figuring out that you can do chaturanga for the first time after slowly (and patiently!) building up arm strength, it's a nice surprise.

What's your brain? (Fried, ps, is also an okay answer. For me, you needn't go back father than March to find that answer) Readmore »»