Tortola Yoga Retreat

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Photo via Fort Recovery Tortola.

Wouldn't it be lovely to spend a week in sunny Tortola for a yoga retreat?

 The open sky, the bright water, the fresh air... gorgeous.
Photo via Pinterest.

Right around this time of year is when I wish I could afford to be somewhere tropical, laying out my mat at the end of a dock and getting ready to soak in the sun as I practice.

Extreme Yoga (And a Reminder to Vote)

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Photos via Sweaty Betty and Yoga Votes.

Just when I thought my yoga was extreme... I come across these photos of yogis practicing on top of mountains! (On Mont Blanc in the Alps, to be specific.)

Now that's some steadiness and balance. Eeeps!


In other news, here's a friendly reminder to hit up your polling place tomorrow and rock the vote! Your voice counts. Make sure it's heard.

Transformative

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Today I have been contemplating my life before yoga.

The things I used to long for: living out of love instead of fear, a body I could be proud of, a calm heart.


I practice new habits now. I regularly give thanks for the blessings in my life. I am used to the sound of my breath in the back of my throat, that careful wave of ujjayi a constant reminder to be present. I do not mind waiting in line at the post office or the grocery store for it provides me a few minutes to meditate.


Sometimes I awake from savasana feeling like a wholly new person. I walk out of class, refreshed, light, wondering where the old me is, fine with the fact that I am new.

The Yoga Sutras

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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)

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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!

Floating

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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

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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. :)

Spinning Fire

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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.

Yoga Flash Mobs

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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?


Happy Baby Pose

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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.

Yoga Inspiration

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Photos via Pinterest and YogaPeach.

In yoga, every pose is an offering.

You can move forward. You can overcome pain, injury, heartache.


Keep practicing. 

Yoga will change you, whether or not you're ready for it.

As my teacher said the other day in class, "There is no way to escape the transformative aspect of yoga."


The practice of asana is meant to bring you closer to divinity, closer to your true self.

Trust the process. You're on the path.

Grace

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Photos via The Ballerina Project.

The smallest, most insignificant moments can bring feelings of pure joy.

 I find myself grateful for the simple things lately: the chance to sleep in, the color of cream poured into coffee, sunlight coming in the window in the afternoon.

I believe you are most beautiful when you can appreciate the moment.

Relax.

See yourself letting go.

Be here.