Dara's Centering

I got to take a class on Monday with my friend, a fellow yoga teacher, and a generally great lady on Monday. Dara seemed comfortable with silence in a way that I am still working towards in my classes. Sometimes I feel like I am always inserting some instruction, hint, modification, alteration, mental instruction, physical instruction, etc. and etc. in fear of the room just being silent. In her class, I was able to see how good it can feel as a student to have that space created by the teacher, and sustained.

This centering is completely lifted from her class. I loved it so much I used it in all of my classes that week. If it works for you as well, may the thread continue!

Dara's Centering

1. Begin in a seated position, eyes closed.  (Note: this is a long-ish centering, so it might be best to start on a cushion or blanket)

2. Come into a dirgha (three part) breath

3. Add ujayyi (ocean sounding breath) if it suits you

4. Become aware of your skin. Of the clothes on your body, of the part of your skin touching the floor. The hair follicles on every part of your skin. Feel the skin breathing, as it does, just like you feel the breath coming into and out of your lungs.

5. Pause (and be silent!!!)

6. Notice any noises in the room. Heating vents, air conditioner, street noises. Now take your awareness into the quietest noise in the room, which is often your breath. Have the quietest noise in the room be your focus.

7. Pause

8. After hearing and listening to your breath, feel the breath moving into and out of the nose. What part of the nose does it touch on inhale? On exhale? What do you smell on the inhale? On the exhale?

9. Pause

10. The eyes being closed this whole time, it may seem like you are seeing nothing. But take your awareness into the back of your eyelids. See the back of your eyelids like you would a movie projection screen. What colors, shapes, light or dark splotches do you see? Not referring to visions or images in your mind, but literally. What do your eyes see when they are closed?

11. Pause

12. Take your awareness into your mouth. Relax the jaw, let the tongue be heavy in the mouth. Let there be a parting in between the lips. See if there is a taste in the mouth. Whether your last meal was 10 hour or 10 minutes ago, there is a taste always there. Become attuned to whatever subtle taste there is in the mouth.

13. Pause

14. Now bring your awareness into all of the senses. Feel the energy of all of the senses constantly at work in your body, even when you do not notice them. Feel energized and enlivened by the complete awareness of your senses. And... breathe.

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Yoga to put you to sleep

This is what I've been doing the past few nights to help put myself to sleep. Whether it just works very, very well or I am just very, very tired... I can't say. Probably a combination of both. Either way, this is a good tool to help students (and yourself) focus on your breath during final relaxation or Savasana.

1. Begin by closing your eyes and bringing the breath into and out of the nose. Start by focusing on the breath and the sensation of the breath entering and exiting the nose. What part of the nostrils does the air touch on inhales and exhales? Do you smell anything while you breathe? Is there a different smell on exhales? Be fully present in your breath.

2. Now take the awareness into what you see while your eyes are closed. Do you see splotches of light? Colors? Dots? What do you still when you eyes are closed?

3. Against the back of your eyelids, see the numbers 1-10 lining up against the back of your eyes. The number one appears to be in the right corner of your right eye, the number 10 on the other side, appearing to be in the left corner of the left eye. The rest evenly line up in between.

4. Beginning with an exhale (that part is important! Have to begin on the exhale) count the number one and "see" the number one with your eyes closed. Inhale, keeping the "gaze" on the number one. Exhale, and shift the gaze to the number two that you are envisioning. Inhale on two. Exhale move to three, and continue until you inhale with your eyes seeing the 10 that you visualized in the left corner of the left eye.

5. If your mind wanders during the count, begin again at the number 1.

6. If you can make it to the number 10 without passing out, start again at one. If you can go through it twice without the mind wandering or with lots of restarts, are you really tired? Are you trying to go to sleep just because you think it's a good time to? Sleep can't be forced, but we can bring our bodies and minds into a state more open to it.

7. If you start to have those weird, loopy half-sleep thoughts as you count, don't push the counting. Isn't sleep the point?

I hope this works for you! I have a really lovely class intro meditation that pairs well with this... coming soon!

Sleep tight, my sweet yogis and yoginis! Readmore »»

Guest Post: Meditation Tip-- Unclutch

Meditation Tip | Unclutch

By Swami Nithyananda

The mind is nothing but a collection of thoughts. These thoughts rise up in succession like the bubbles in a fish tank. All these thoughts that rise in the mind also appear to be connected. But just like the bubbles in the fish tank the thoughts in the mind are also independent and unconnected.

You can do a small exercise. For ten minutes sit silently and observe the thoughts that arise in your mind. Don’t try to control or stop thinking. Just be silent and witness the thoughts coming. The moment a thought comes quickly, write it down on paper. Then, at the end of ten minutes read out whatever is written. You will see that it’s a mad man’s diary. There is utter chaos. There’s no connection between the previous thought, and the next one. Only when you write down your thoughts you come to know that the thoughts have no real connection. You may be thinking about having a cup of tea and the next moment you think about some pending office work. There is no real connection between having a cup of tea and the office work. Both are independent events. Even if there are two consecutive thoughts about the same event, the thoughts are unconnected as there is no continuity. There exists a silent gap between these thoughts of which one is not aware.

These thoughts by their very nature are unclutched. The problem begins when we start connecting these thoughts. When these independent and unconnected thoughts are linked together, we create illusions of pleasure or pain based on the nature of thoughts that we choose to combine. This is a play of the mind that is constantly happening within us.

When we perceive every incident as a new incident we will see life in a more beautiful way. Everything seems joyful and blissful. You stop taking things for granted. Once you start accepting life from moment to moment, bliss happens to you naturally.

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Known as the “life bliss swami,” Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a young enlightened master of Yoga and meditation who has inspired more than 4 million followers worldwide. He has dedicated his life to helping people overcome mental, physical and spiritual barriers to achieve enlightenment and live lives of bliss, success and peace. Find out more about the art of levitation at Nithyananda's next Inner Awakening event which will be held on Dec. 1-21 near Bangalore, India. Visit http://www.innerawakening.org and www.dhyanapeetam.org.

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Guest Post from Lindsey of Joy for Life blog

This guest blog post was provided through TeachStreet’s new Guest Blog Exchange Program.  The program helps excellent teachers of various subjects (including Yoga!) connect with great bloggers who share the same interests as they do.   If you’re interested in writing a post or hosting a post on your blog, feel free to contact Kenji Crosland at kenji [at] teachstreet dot com.

Holiday Helper

"I don't know exactly how it happens," my friend, a yoga teacher, said, "But when I go home for the holidays, I lose it. I lose the person I usually am when I'm not there. I get cranky, stressed, argumentative....what's the deal with that?" All I could do was nod. It happens to me too.

Yup, I do write a blog that features a lot of stay-calm tips, but in all honesty I'm not really sure what the deal is. A bunch of things might do it: We're in closer quarters than we're used to, with more people than we're used to; we're not getting the usual food that keeps us balanced; or we're not getting the same exercise that releases adrenaline. Or, we've eaten way too many of our dad's homemade almond cookies even though we know sugar makes us cranky, and reverted to the selves we know we can be around people who love us no matter what, even if we do sometimes resort to teenage-like bickering with our big sister. Not that I've ever done that, of course.

Home For The Holidays: 5 Yoga Tips For Keeping Your Cool

Aside from the usual admonitions: getting the R & R we need, eating well, lowering our expectations of getting our dream Thanksgiving...

1 Tap In

We can take five minutes in the morning to tap into that person we know we can be, through anything that works for us. Some suggestions:

   
• asana (vinyasas work really well when short on time)
   
• meditation with long, deep breathing
   
• journaling

2 Pause and Check

Got a snarky reply on the tip of our tongues? A one-second pause to recognize that the source of our bad mood is likely coming from us and whatever leftovers we're hanging onto from the fight we had when we were 12--not them--is often enough to help us let that response go.

3 Reprogram

On the yoga mat we learn to meet physical stressors and challenges with peace and equanimity. Just remembering that we've done that can help us consciously tap into that when we meet stressors in the living room. "Oh, hiiiiiii, (smarmy and irritating goon) Uncle Ted!"

4 Release

And when it all just gets to be a bit too much? Head to the basement, shut the door, turn down the lights, and take Lions' Breath at least 10 times, while standing. Adding big, sweeping arm movements, reaching high then out and down, on each exhale, adds oooomph.

5 Escape

Do what an acquaintance of mine is doing this year: head to Mexico!

Lindsey Lewis is a lover of yoga, writing, and life. She’s a yoga teacher, plus a bunch of other fun things. Connect with her at her blog, Joy for Life

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Sequence for digestion

It's the harvest season here... and you know what harvest means. Harvest means food.  Halfway between Canadian and American (US) Thanksgiving, there are all sorts of beautiful things clamoring for space in my refrigerator. Beautiful orange squashes, dark greens, and the completely sexy color of beets make my plate an exquisite thing. Not to mention sweet potatoes, which are my favoritest, are literally popping up out of the ground. Most delicious treat ever?: Baked sweet potato with salted, crunchy peanut butter, cinnamon, honey, and extra salt. Decadent and filling.

In addition, of course, to the amount of apples Chris is bringing home. Don't even get me started. 

From Chris' blog

It's a very happy thing and these days the eating is so good. What's better than fall harvest? Accordingly, here's a sequence for massaging internal organs and aiding in digestion. Eat up, and enjoy!

1. Begin in Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle). Take hands to the lower ribs, thumbs to the back (towards the floor) and the rest on the front of the ribcage. 
2. Breathe deeply, feeling the expansion in the ribs with the breath. Feel the movement underneath the hands. 
3. Remain here for 1-3 minutes
4. Draw the knees together with the hands and drop them to the side for a supine twist. 
5. Repeat other side
6. Supta Pavana Muktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose). Repeat other side
7. Draw both knees tightly into chest
8. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Straight Leg lowering and lifting). Repeat 12x.
9. Jathara Parivartanasana (Straight legs side to side). Repeat 12x.
10. Place hands on belly and gently massage and breathe
11. Come onto belly
12.  Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose). Using the breath, rise higher and inhale and lower on exhale. Continue to raise and lower for 6 cycles of breath
13.  Bhujangasana (hold for 5 cycles of breath)
14. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose). Repeat 3x. On third time, use breath to "rock" body in Bow.
15. Release to floor, allowing legs to "windshield wiper" side to side, releasing lower back
16. Garbasana (Child's Pose)
17. Walk hands in front of you to one side. Side stretch. Repeat other side.
18. Savasana

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A clean slate

“There's always a clean slate, a fresh sheet of paper, a waiting space, a chance to have another shot at it tomorrow.”
 —Herb Block

Coming back out of what turned out to be a longer period away than I had originally intended. What never went away, though, is the mindset I had developed over a year's worth of blogging. Whenever I think of anything that might be of interest to more than just myself, I ask, "Could that be developed into a post?" The difference here is that when I had these thoughts, I continued to develop them and see where they went... and then they just went. I don't remember any. It doesn't mean that they weren't worthwhile, but it speaks to a degree of non-attachment that feels healthier than some patterns I took on over this year. 


During this time off, I missed writing. There's no doubt that a lot of this practice is for my self (in addition to seeing it as seva). Blogging every day makes me a better writer. Not blogging every day has me thinking about how I should write more than actually writing. Boo hiss on that one. The goal becomes working on writing aside from here in addition to continuing to write here. 


Here's why I am really back and what I want to share:


1. I am much better at not apologizing for everything and saying "I'm sorry" like other people say um. And it's changed the way I interact with people, the way I carry myself, and allowed me to notice other phrases I overuse. 
2. Nikki said, "Laughing engages your core muscles." It's your sequence of the day, too. While the sequence is something I'll take to a strong, "power" class of experienced students, that quote I'll take for me. 
3. I kissed a student today. On the arm. After class, during a discussion. They said a very nice compliment, which, apparently, I couldn't accept very gracefully. I promptly called my mother afterward and told her I felt very foolish. I'll put that one on the list, too: Learn how to accept compliments and hold the space when I receive them gracefully as opposed to doing something silly to change the mood. 
4. Someone wanted me to promo their Etsy site, which is called EatPrayShop. That's what the world needs: the exchange of "love" for "shop." The stuff may be lovely, I didn't really look, but the name... I couldn't get over that. 
5. And we're going woo-woo hippie landia in 5,4,3,2,......: When you frown, you create tension in your third eye, which is also an important pressure point in the body. Smiling relaxes the face which in turn relaxes important pressure points, which in turn relaxes the body. So smile. See #2 for further instruction. 


And, finally. The comments I received after my last post. You can see #3 again for this one. I am not good at accepting such lovely, beautiful things as were written under that post, but that is no excuse for taking so long to respond. What everyone wrote very deeply moved me (and, as a side note, also brought great joy to my mother). I cannot thank you all enough. You are family.


Atha Yoga Nushasanam. Many different spellings and translations exist, but the one I go with:


And now the study of yoga begins (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:1). Readmore »»

Yoga + Non-Greed

Aparigraha is the fifth yama and is defined as "greedlessness." How do we embrace and teach greedlessness is our culture of "stuff" and "more more more"? I think this yama comes last in the list for good reason. As we bring non-harming, truth, non-stealing, and moderation into our lives greed begins to melt away. A sense of abundance and trust envelopes our every day and our perspective shifts. We need not fill our lives with all that "stuff" because all that we need we already have.

From the perspective of yoga teacher Aadil Palkhivala, aparigraha is also defined by not coveting what is not ours. Wanting something that does not belong to us or desiring to be someone we are not is rooted in jealousy and this yama is encouraging us to be exactly who we are - nothing more. Aparigraha is about seeking to discover our true selves so that we do not need to covet what someone else has or who someone else is.

When practicing non-greed, we discover contentment with what we have and who we are. We accept what has been given and we cultivate gratitude for all the abundance surrounding us. We begin to see what we have rather than what we do not have.

When teaching aparigraha as a yoga teacher, I like to encourage my students to practice with themselves - without looking around and coveting other people's asana practice. I ask them to find gratitude for making it to class and honoring the body that is with them in this life. In doing so, I hope it enables all of us to find thanksgiving for all that we have, all that we achieve, and all that defines who we really are.

I recently started a gratitude journal. Every night before bed, I write five things I am grateful for. Often there are repeats and sometimes what I write surprises me, but it sure does give me a sense of hope at the end of the day because there is always something to appreciate and doing so gives me gratitude for all that is my life.

Thanks for reading my past five posts on the yamas. I am going to take next week off (hope that's ok Emma!) and get started again October 26 with the Niyamas! Cheers + Namaste!

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