Real Men Do Yoga: Primal Yoga Flow

I love the wild flow in this Equinox video. This guy's dance-like movement reminds me of capoeira. My favorite parts are when he flips his downward dog effortlessly, and that insane vaulted leap off the log.

Talk about using your own body to tone in a way that's both manly and graceful!

PS For another kick-ass video by the same group, check out this one of Briohny Smyth.

The Yoga Sutras

I'm reading Alistair Shearer's translation of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text of yogic teaching.

The opening is both beautiful and sparse:

Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.

When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness.

How to Do a Headstand (And Learn to Overcome Your Aversion to Inversions)

Headstand is tricky. It's a pose that takes practice and patience. 

Not only are you working on overcoming gravity, but inversions can also bring up fear, a gripping in the mind. I find it helpful to remember that there are many stopping points along the way into headstand where you can pause. Listen to your body. 

Where are you today in the pose?

It doesn't make you any less of a yogi to stay in position 1, your head cradled in your hands. You aren't considered more successful by finding the full expression of the pose.

Remember this sense of patient awareness as you approach headstand.

Start seated on your feet. Cross the arms, pressing your palms into the shoulders. Lean your elbows forward onto the ground, and open the forearms shoulder-width. Cradle the head in your hands, scooting your head forward, your hands like a retaining wall.

Place the crown of your head on the floor (anywhere between the top of your head all the way forward to the hairline). Unshrug the shoulders, pushing them up toward the ceiling. Be sure to keep them away from the ears, strong and engaged throughout the pose.

Next, push your hips into the air, as if you were doing downward facing dog pose. Come onto the tiptoes, walking your feet forward. Continue tiptoeing your feet toward your face until your hips are above your head.

You may need to bend your knees if your hamstrings are tight. Generally the feet end up about 6 inches from your face, closer than what you see in the photo above.

If you're just beginning to work on headstand, feel free to stay here as you build strength in your neck and shoulders.

The next step is to lift the feet off the ground, using core strength to bring them together. Bend the knees and bring them in toward your chest. Tighten the legs, squeezing the knees together.

Again, unshrug the shoulders. As you find stability and balance, begin to bring the knees in line with the hips horizontally, then slowly and carefully bring the knees above the hips.

Keep your gaze focused on one spot as you bring the feet all the way up. Reach the balls of your feet toward the ceiling. One trick you can use for additional stability is to push your chin slightly toward the floor, which straightens the spine a bit.

Again, press down firmly into the shoulders and forearms.

To come out, reverse the steps, moving through each stopping point. After your headstand, be sure to rest on the floor in child's pose.

Enjoy the way the pose empowers you to see the world differently. Enjoy the calm, steady feeling afterward. Namaste!

Early Morning Yoga

Photo via Flickr.

Serious question, yogis: do you practice before or after your morning coffee? :)

Ad Space Available

Photos via Robert Sturman Photography.

Alive in the Fire is an award-winning blog all about yoga, but we also love fashion, green goods, spa and massage, and creative companies with a passionate approach.

Looking for a great deal on ad space for the pre-holiday season? Contact me at aliveinthefire at gmail dot com today! Prices are super affordable and you can get great above-the-fold coverage.

Alive in the Fire's audience is an organic fit for those hoping to reach an active, hip, green, fashionable and largely female audience. The blog is a great fit for companies who sell yoga and fitness gear or apparel, healthy food or drink, and green goods.

By becoming a sponsor with Alive in the Fire, you will reach a lively community of readers who love yoga and who care about taking good care of themselves, each other, and the world.

For more info about the types of companies I've worked with in the past, see the Sponsors and Ad Space page. And for details on ad spots in 2012, email me at aliveinthefire at gmail dot com. Namaste!

Bikram Yoga Book Giveaway

If you read my review, you know Hell-Bent is my favorite yoga book of 2012.

Interested in winning a copy?

Simply leave a comment below. Winners will be chosen on November 7th.

Get ready to be inspired to take your backbends to a whole new level! :)

Ten Thousand Hours

I've had this Macklemore song "Ten Thousand Hours" stuck in my head lately. 

It's a song about practicing your art, not giving up on it. It's a song about how success comes from working hard, from devotion. 

This is dedication

A life lived for art is never a life wasted

Ten thousand

Ten thousand hours felt like ten thousand hands

Ten thousand hands, they carry me

When I listen to Macklemore rap about how he fought his way to the top — how he had to work his way from the basement to the studio — I can't help but feel mad respect for him. He kept going. He kept the faith, trusting that the process would work. He trusted himself.

The song makes me think about my yoga, too.

Yoga is an ongoing practice. The advanced postures require hours, even years, of training. I didn't just wake up one morning and say, "I want to put my foot behind my head," and then do it. I've fallen out of headstand more times than I've held it. To put it lightly, I've struggled.

 

But that struggle has been worth the pain and frustration. That struggle has allowed me to earn the rush and the joy that comes from realizing a new pose.

The journey of yoga, the struggle, holds an implicit value. The mat challenges us to explore what we're capable of. Yoga transforms us into stronger people.

And we get there by trying, over and over, practicing.

Macklemore says it this way:

The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint

The greats were great cause they paint a lot

Next time you fall out of a pose or have a moment in class where you think, "I can't do this," pause for a moment. Breathe.

Remember you are simply on your 10,000 hour-journey toward holding the pose.

Thank yourself for being true to where you are. Smile. Take the eyebrows up.

Recall: you're doing the best work of your life. You will be transformed.

You never know... you could find yourself at the mat on a quiet afternoon, kicking your feet over your head, hovering in a forearm balance. You're floating above the floor, wondering how it's possible, astonished that your feet aren't touching the wall.

Finding the pose. Letting it find you, hold you.

Put those hours in and look at what you get

Nothing that you can hold, but everything that it is

Yoga as a Family

Photo by Jeff Minton for the New York Times.

I'm inspired by families who practice yoga together. Have you guys read this New York Times piece about the Killick family? 

It's pretty awesome: mom, dad, and all four kids go to Bikram together.

Photo above via Elephant Journal. Photo below via Orange Sky Yoga.

Rockstar yogis Briohny Smyth and Dice Iida-Klein practice with their daughter, Taylor. I think it's beautiful that they set a great example for her, and are open about encouraging her to experience asana at such a young age.

Photo via Pinterest.

It's my goal to someday share class with my parents, brother and twin sister. (Or maybe after I'm certified, I can teach them all together!)Since yoga is such a big part of my life, I'm happy to share it with those I love.

Photo via Flickr.

Do you share yoga with your family?

PS More reading on this topic...

• Reasons to practice with your kids.
• 10 ways to trick your husband into doing yoga.
• How to build a family yoga practice.
• Advice on introducing yoga to children.
• How yoga builds teamwork in a family.
• An interesting look at how to support your spouse as a yogi.

Hell-Bent on Backbending

This time of year, I love curling up with a good book. I'll light a candle, find a cozy spot, and let myself dive head-first into the story.

This week I started Benjamin Lorr's Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga. I couldn't put it down. I sped through half the book in a single night, transfixed by his humorous, inspiring storytelling and the way the book immerses you in the weird and wild world of competitive Bikram yoga.

Lorr holds nothing back.

As he says in the opening:

"Those who frequent the mystical section of bookstores are familiar with a concept called karma yoga. It is the yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, the yoga of action. To practice your karma yoga is to practice what you were put on this planet to do. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Bikram Choudhury's karma yoga is teaching yoga. He has such joy when spreading it. My karma yoga is the practice of writing; just like Bikram, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up hurting people when I practice."

Photo via Benjamin Lorr.

In the memoir, Lorr writes about the heat, the pain, the way his body began to change once he walked in to a studio. He shares his experience training for the national yoga championship with a secretive, elite Backbending club (not altogether unlike Fight Club).

"Backbending is the antithesis of those glossy lavender-scented Yoga Journal retreats," Lorr writes. "We eat; we do yoga. There are no catered meals, no spacious rooms, no hammock time, no sandy beaches. No refined sugar, no alcohol, no processed foods. No coherent schedule, no personal space, no sarcasm, and no coffee..."

Photo via Amber's Bikram Yoga Diary.

I wasn't sure whether to be inspired or jealous reading about the way these yogis undertook such rigorous training. The way they'd hallucinate from doing so many backbends and wall walks. The way Esak Garcia, world yoga champion and leader of the group, would yell at them, push them. 

"Never come out of a backbend like that again," he tells Lorr at one point, correcting his form. "Make a commitment to yourself. Never do it again. From this moment forward."

I know this: reading the book has given me new insights into the wild world of yoga and the way it changes people. Yoga makes us stronger, and Ben's story is certainly a testament to that truth.

I highly recommend you check out this book, whether you're a Bikram yogi, or simply interested in learning more about the science of yoga and the controversies, greed and narcissism behind the man and brand called Bikram.

If there's one yoga book you read this year, it should be this one.

Stay tuned for a giveaway post where you can win a copy!

Namaste.

Floating

Photos via The Ballerina Project.

Visualize yourself living a beautiful life.

Imagine effortlessness.

You move gracefully. You treat others well. You find balance.

Feel into this now; experience it here. Become present to the reality you wish to create.

The future is now, with you floating in it.

Wildin' Out

When's the last time you really laughed?

I mean that head back, belly hurts, can't breathe kind of laughter?

Consider this: you can let go.

Maybe you need to let go in order to fully experience the moment.

What's holding you back?

You deserve happiness. What's keeping you from realizing it?

Are you willing to let go of your expectations about yourself? Try something new. Be wild. Be free. Fall head over heels in love with your true self.

In my case, hula hoop in the hallway. Grab the mic and belt out the tune. Dance around the kitchen. And then put the song on repeat. :)

Eagle Pose and Finding Your Drishti

Photo via Pinterest.

Eagle pose is one of my favorites these days. I love when it comes toward the end of an intense hot class. I'm in my flow, focused, muscles warm, joints ready to be stretched.

My mind is blank, and I can find my balance more easily.

I bend into chair pose, weight in the heels. I wrap one leg around the other, hook one elbow under the other.

Photo by T. Libertiny.

I focus my eyes on my drishti, a small scratch on the wall in front of me. I keep my gaze steady, lining up the major joints of the body: shoulders, elbows, knees, hips. 

I love the way I can see my tattoos as I raise the forearms. I trace the infinity symbol in my mind, finding the pose. I become aware of my body in space, stretched in opposite directions. I stay here, breathing carefully, until the teacher asks us to release the pose.

Photo via FYeahYoga.

In yoga, it matters where you look. Your gaze can have a big impact on your alignment in a posture and your ability to tune out distraction.

As the dialogue says in Bikram, "Where the eyes go, the body follows." Utilizing a drishti, or fixed point in the room, can help move you farther into a pose. This practice of fixing your sight on a single point is especially helpful with twists and balancing postures.

Finding a focal point also allows you to concentrate more deeply, to move inward. You are no longer preoccupied by other yogis around you who might fall or wobble in the pose. You become present to your breath, to the wisdom the pose has to offer. Infinitely present.

Peeled, a Juice Bar in Evanston

Hey Evanston yogis: are you looking for a healthy detox? I highly recommend Peeled, a juice bar that offers delicious smoothies, fresh juices, nut milks, and gelato. They also do custom juice cleanses.

Every time I go in, I'm stunned by the wide selection of choices, the friendly staffers, and how tasty the food is. My favorites so far are the beet/apple/ginger juice and the berry gelato. Delicious.

Check out their online store and use the promo code aliveinthefire to save 40% on your order! (Offer good until November 9th.)

You can also connect with Evanston Peeled on Facebook for more offers. For more info on the benefits of juicing, check out my posts here and here. (It will transform your body, inside and out!)

Stop Staring at Your Ass in Class

Photos via Pinterest.

Here's something I believe wholeheartedly: mirrors in yoga class are a distraction.

This may come as a surprise, considering I used to be hardcore into Bikram yoga, and spent every 90 minute class in the heat staring at myself in the mirror.

I'm almost four years into my yoga journey now, though, and my perspective has certainly changed. I've come to realize that yoga is as spiritual as it is physical. Yoga is an ancient practice focused on manifesting non-violence and inner awareness. Sure, it is rooted heavily in asana, but it reaches deeper than that. The physical poses are meant to prepare the mind for meditation, reflection, even self-transformation.

Yoga is a holistic practice of learning to accept yourself and love yourself. By doing so, you begin to love others in a more balanced way.

Yoga helps us gain compassion. This process doesn't happen by wasting time in class staring at others and comparing yourself to other bodies in the room, or by focusing all your energy on whether you look skinny (enough) in your yoga pants.

Instead of checking yourself out, I believe your time could be better spent relaxing into the pose, focusing on the teacher's words, or asking yourself the question, "What's happening now?" Observe how you feel, what muscles you've engaged, where your breath is moving.

Focus your energy inward, instead of on those around you or on your reflection in a mirror.

Trust that your teacher is keeping an eye on your alignment. Trust that you'll feel it in your body if you aren't doing the pose correctly. Trust that part of the process is perhaps doing the pose wrong for a little bit before you learn the right way. 

Forget what you think you know about your own body. These poses will change you. They'll even firm your ass if you come consistently to class.

Allow that to happen, instead of analyzing every step along the way. Allow yourself to be present, instead of distracted. You don't need the reflection in the mirror; you need the strength and integrity you have within.

Namaste.

PS What do you guys think? Mirrors or no mirrors in a yoga studio?

Spinning Fire

I am present to this moment. The sound of the flames, wind running through them. The smell of the oil as it burns. The way the heat is near: present danger, held close.

I know my place. Calm, listening to the sound of my own heart beating, feeling the energy moving through me.

I'm ready to move.

Finding the rhythm within: a glowing not wholly unlike this fire that surrounds me. Circling a dance of breath and flame, moving the hoop faster.

Every exhale a release. 

I feel as though a spark has been lit.

I could stay here forever, dancing in the middle of the night, being watched by friends, meditating in this moment. No fear or insecurity, no conscious responsibility to be a certain way, no distractions.

I am simple elemental movement. I am my own flame.

Halloween Yogis

Photo via Pinterest.

What are you planning to be for Halloween?

I'm dressing up as a Dia De Los Muertos gypsy and attending a drumming circle/hula hooping party. I'll be doing face paint and wearing a fancy dress that I've made into an art piece (think: paint hand prints and glitter!).

Photo via YogaDork.

Do you dress up? Do you dress your kids up?

Photo via A Cup of Jo.

Whatever you're up to this Halloween, whether it's trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, or practicing in costume, I hope you have a spook-tacular time :)

PS Hilarious ways to dress up like your favorite famous yoga teacher.

That Yoga Pose Turns Me On

Certain yoga poses get my heart racing. I find myself feeling sexy when I do backbends and hip openers. And when I find my flow, moving gracefully from one asana to the next.

Sometimes I dance in front of the mirror or hula hoop.

I move in the way I feel free, whatever my body is calling for today, in this moment.

  

What's your favorite yoga pose these days? What brings out your inner warrior?

I hope you find time for the mat today. Let go. Be the sexy yoga stud or yogini goddess you truly are.

Calm Saturday Afternoon

Happy Saturday, beautiful ones! Today has been so relaxing: I took a hot vinyasa flow class, walked around at the farmer's market with a new yoga friend, and picked out a pumpkin.

I also had coffee with one of my favorite yoga teachers. We sat together and discussed the way I'm transitioning into teacher training and the various challenges that come along with being a new teacher.

I walked around Northwestern's campus to do a little flyering to promote upcoming yoga events.

I stopped at a local cafe for a cup of coffee and wrote a new poem.

Now I'm off to do a photo shoot (new posture pictures coming soon!) and party it up with friends tonight.

What are you up to?

Yoga Flash Mobs

Photo by Something for Kate on Flickr.

Have you ever participated in a flash mob?

I keep reading about ones where people gather in mass to do yoga or meditation as a way of promoting peace. I'd love to get involved in one, or maybe even organize one.

Photo by emjc on Flickr.

I love the way yoga brings people together to change the world for the better.

Practicing in public generates so much positive energy, don't you think?

YOGA FLASH MOB in Whistler Village Square during Crankworx 2010 from Bob Labla on Vimeo.

Happy Baby Pose

Photo via FYeahYoga.

Happy Friday, yogis! 

Speaking of happy... is it just me, or is happy baby pose the funniest part of yoga class?

Photo via Flickr.

Yesterday I taught a little workshop at my old dorm from Northwestern, and I looked around the room and saw all the butts in the air, and I just couldn't help cracking up.

"Grab the outsides of your feet," I said, laughing to myself. "Pull your knees down, and just pretend you're like a baby about to stick one foot in your mouth."

I got a few chuckles out of this, and even more when I mentioned a line from a teacher I heard a long time ago: 

"We're doing happy baby pose. AKA having a baby pose."

Photo by Cara Brostrom.

Yoga is great for connecting with your inner child. Go ahead and laugh in the middle of class. It's good for your soul. 

And you never know: it may just help your hips open a little more, too.