Roxtar Yoga

karmic action June 30, 2009

I have recently been re-reading A New Earth by Eckart Tolle and I stumbled across a passage that hit home. Last week I found myself in the throws of a “roxtar is stressed so can do what her evil side wants.” Oh, ok, so maybe it’s not an evil side, I guess a better term is a more unconscious side of me that I default to when life hands me what at first glance is a bunch of lemons. I spent a year living a life like this in fact, after working really hard from the age of 14 until 25 I was simply exhausted, on every level one can be exhausted on. I saved some money and quit my cushy insurance job and jumped in to the deep end. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I just knew I needed space. While the space was necessary, over the course of that year, and last week, I noticed how I used the space as a sort of get out of jail free card to have excessive amounts of fun, damage my body, heart, and others hearts in the wake. This passage reminded me what I learned in that year and had to remember last week: that karmic action is always in effect and I have to be careful when allowing myself these get out of jail moments. I have to be careful that the moments don’t add up to be too many, that I’m not harming myself more than helping, that I’m not harming others in some indirect way. This could be too much food or drink, spending time with people who aren’t good for me, spending more energy than I have to spend, neglecting my yoga or meditation practice, or distracting myself with incessant amounts of tv. At least this time it was just a week. Hopefully in time these moments will shrink and shrink and I will be able to sit with my lemons with nothing more than a tiny smirk from the tartness. Below is the passage:

Let’s say that you are a business person and after two years of intense stress and strain you finally manage to come out with a product or service that sells well and makes money. Success? In conventional terms, yes. In reality, you spent two years polluting your body as well as the earth with negative energy, made yourself and those around you miserable, and affected many others you never even met. The unconscious assumption behind all such action is that success is a future event, and that the end justifies the means. But the end and the means are one. And if the means did not contribute to human happiness, neither will the end. The outcome, which is inseparable from the actions that led to it, is already contaminated by those actions and so will create further unhappiness. This is karmic action, which is the unconscious perpetuation of unhappiness.

hello again big apple June 20, 2009

I’m writing from the Giraffe Hotel in midtown Manhattan after spending the week hosting another training & consulting event for clients of the MINDBODY software system. I really enjoy teaching large groups of people, it’s so fun, engaging, and challenging in just the right amount. Not that I don’t enjoy working with people in a one-on-one basis, it’s just a little more energy, the dance of teaching a group that I love. This group we worked with had a great dynamic and energy, everyone was really excited and positive about what they can do to grow their businesses during uncertain economic times.

I stopped in Detroit to visit family before heading to New York. It has been a tiring 9 days of travel, but I don’t feel as exhausted as I sometimes do. I feel like I’ve handled the stress pretty well this time, I practiced yoga and meditated a fair amount and it’s amazing how much better it makes me feel. I tried not to let the loneliness of travel get to me. I spent time with loved ones who’ve had rough times and experienced a lot of pain lately and I realized how blessed I am to have such great people who love me, even if I live so far from them and don’t show my love as often as I feel I should. I enjoyed greek food and saganaki, live music, old friends, driving around my old hood, hearing old stories, great food in nyc, everything nyc, visiting ellis island and brooklyn, and finally just chillaxing in my hotel room. Photos and more comments to follow. More chillaxing for now

conflict June 9, 2009

This weekend I had a conflict with someone close to me and it was a pretty challenging situation.  The conflict began late at night after I had some wine and I knew that I didn’t want to deal with it while in such a state of mind.  I knew I would get overly emotional and make it a bigger deal than it was.  I am glad that my someone understood.  Then the next day I had all these plans going on and we weren’t able to resolve it immediately and it slowly ate away at me all day.  My stomach was in knots.  I learned that day how important it is for me to immediately do what I can to resolve conflicts and mostly just talk it out.  Talk out all the insecurities, silliness, pain, love.

When we were finally able to talk it out it was great to be able to be honest and share.  I think being able to be honest with someone is one of the best feelings in the world.  Almost as good as being able to be honest with yourself.  To be understood and heard is one of those things that makes being human and having these things called relationships so scrumptious.  I also realized that dealing with the conflict immediately may also prevent my ego from running amuck which is what it did this weekend.  We laughed recalling the absurd thoughts that had popped into each of our heads while we were apart and unable to resolve our issues.  I thank yoga for helping me be able to sit in the pain of the conflict, face the rejection that conflict implies, and not freak out, run, cry hysterically, or turn to numb myself.  It feels the same, sitting in conflict or sitting in hanumanasana (monkey pose or splits)!  It hurts, it feels so uncomfortable it’s crazy how bad you want to get up and run out of the pose, or yell at your loved ones and push them away…but it too shall pass.  I learned that sitting with it together felt good, that we didn’t need to continually talk to fix it or fight or fill the space with more than what was there.

kick your own arse May 26, 2009

I do yoga so that I can stay flexible enough to kick my own arse if necessary.  ~Betsy Cañas Garmon

Ha!  I love it!  I found this website with some fun little inspirational yoga tidbits.

I participated in yet another awesome yoga workshop at Smiling Dog Yoga with Kira Ryder who has a studio in Ojai, California called Lulu Bhanda’s.  I had just returned from traveling and was super sleepy and lethargic and it was THE MOST PERFECT solution to my travel woes.  My favorite tidbits…

• She said that people who are cronic teeth clenchers should do lots of lunges.  A great one is known as “thigh torture.”  My students definitely know and love it, it’s great for runners and cyclists, but she did a new variation I really liked.  I will try to come back and document with photos, but it’s when you take your shin up a wall, with your knee on the floor or a blanket and your shin going up so your foot is near your hip.  She had us sink into a deep lunge while in this position which hurt oh so good.  Usually I do this trying to get my hips to the wall, then my shoulders.
• Kira has a lovely soul.  You can tell she has spent a lot of time just being on her yoga mat and learning about herself.  She is one of those teachers who teaches from her heart and experience.  The more yoga I do the more I realize that these are the best teachers.
• She spotted me into a drop back backbend (where you go from standing back into the backbend with no wall or laying on the floor)!  She made it so I felt it in my body for the first time which was so exciting.  I have been playing with walking down the wall for a while and it was fun to try something a little scary.  There is just a point where you have to let go of your legs and just fall onto your hands.
• I also loved doing big toe hold after intense backbending.
• She challenged me, yet didn’t kick my ass.  It was nice to be reminded that yoga (and probably all things in life) can be challenging in a slower, loving way.  I wonder where the concept of challenge became intermingled with painful, ass kicking, dramatic in my brain.  I think it is my practice in life to learn learn that less is more and that I am still taking good care of myself even if I don’t hurt myself in yoga class and can walk the next day.  I don’t have to do 50 poses to have a solid yoga class, nor do I have to make my classes so ass kicking power yoga like, flinging our bodies through so many sun salutations but never really feeling the energy the way I did in her class.  I don’t have to cry or hurt to have breakthroughs.  I have been reminded that there is a reason the tortoise beat the hare.

slo yogafest May 16, 2009

Today I’m teaching a hip opener class at the SLO Yogafest.  I thought I would document what I do here in case someone needs a reminder later.  Yummy hip openers indeed.  Hip openers are some of the most challenging stretches you can do because the hips aren’t stretched in any of our day to day activities.  Yet, they are the most rewarding by releasing low back pain, knee discomfort, sciatica, and improving blood flow to the lumbar spine, intestines, and reproductive organs.  The hips are also the emotional storehouse of the body.  They house a good portion of your tension and stress and as you start releasing the pelvis and softening that tissue the rest of your body effortlessly shifts into natural alignment.  It’s amazing how opening the hips will help resolve old aches and pains everywhere else in your body, from your neck, back, to your knees and ankles.  If you need details on any of these poses check out this Tight Hip Anonymous sequence.  It links to detailed photos and descriptions of each pose.

Childs pose with knees wide
Downward facing dog
Rag doll
Chair to 1 legged chair with hands to floor
Other side
Take it to the floor
1/2 pigeon
1/2 pigeon with back leg pulsation
Double pigeon
One legged forward stretch
One legged forward stretch with side opener
Wide legged forward fold
Other side
If time and mojo is right, do wide legged forward fold second time with friend
Paschimotanasana forward fold
Frog?

Oh, I almost forgot to include notes from Amy Swanson’s class on Funamentals of Vinyasa Yoga.  I loved it.

• Vinyasa actually means breath, although we refer to the middle sequence in Sun Salutations the “high push up, low push up, upward facing dog, downward facing dog” as a connecting Vinyasa.  The Connecting Vinyasa is like wiping the slate clean, giving your body a fresh start for moving forward to the next postures.
• Halfway lift should be onto fingertips if in uttasana you can align your fingertips with your toes.  Otherwise your hands should be on your shins.  You should also have  a bit of a back bend in your halfway lift to help the shoulder blades get into place and set up your chaturanga correctly.
• Balls of feet.  You should be on the balls of your feet when you step back into high pushup not just on your toes.
• Quads. They should be engaged, lifted, and strong in high push up, with the inner thighs spinning inward and up.
• Shoulder Blades.  Should be moving down your back toward your buttocks as they were in halfway lift.
• Tops of Shoulders should not drop as you lower.  You should only go so low that your biceps are parallel with the ground and your elbows at right angles and pause.  You have to make a conscious effort not to let the top of the shoulders drop even if you can keep the rest of your arms in alignment.
• Your hands should be gripping the mat and pulling you forward.

yogis heart bikes May 11, 2009

This month is bike month and I have been making an extra special effort to ride my bike and to encourage those around me to do the same.  Last year I had just moved back to California when my friends asked me to join them in the commute challenge.  It was then that I realized just how great commuting by bike is. If you’ve never tried it, I urge you to give it a try, if only once this month.  I am blessed to live in a place where the mornings are a mild 50 degrees, where I get to ride my bike along beauteous hillsides dotted with cows, where bike lanes and trails run amuck.   I live and work in a community that doesn’t require I sit in my car for 45 minutes to drive 5 miles every morning (this isn’t LA!).  I consider my bike commute a mini morning meditation and enjoy the fact that I get at least 30 minutes of fresh air and sunshine a day, no matter how busy, stressful, or long the rest of my day may be.  When I’m in the mood, jamming to Journey on my way to the office isn’t a bad way to start the day. Check out the photos of my fellow cyclists and I enjoying a lovely lunchtime ride in honor of spring and bike month.

Anywho, the bike challenge this month is to get as many people to do at least one commute by bike. Ditch your cars just once, and if you like it maybe even more! Maybe take your bike (and backpack) to the nearest store to get a few groceries. Maybe you ride your bike to run errands this weekend. To the beach. Wine tasting. To lunch. To work. I’m not asking you ditch your motor bike or car forever; I love my little hatchback Integra and the freedom it provides as much as you do. I’m only asking that you try something a little different, move your legs a little bit more, enjoy some brisk morning air and sunshine, notice the fresh cut grass that you normally wouldn’t notice, and be reminded of how much you might have loved your bike as a kid.

If you ride your bike even once this month when you would have or could have driven your car or another motorized vehicle, you will help make yourself and the earth a little bit healthier and happier.  AND I might think you were a bit cooler.   If you are interested in joining the San Luis Obispo Commute Challenge go here: http://www.triplink.org/chain-reaction/.   The bike month calendar which lists some of these events and more is stored in a Google calendar (yes, those bike guys are after my heart). If you want to view it this is the calendar address/id:  eb43slurf2l5d2hbklf0lrroco@group.calendar.google.com.  I am organizing weekly lunchtime rides around Edna Valley and my Lunchtime Yoga Class will have lots of hip openers to make sure our hips don’t tighten up on us.  Let me know if you’re interested in participating in any of the events here in SLO, CA or check your local area for listings and happenings.

slo times April 30, 2009

Lately I’ve been noticing how much I really enjoy my life, and how much faster it goes by the more you enjoy it. I have been living and loving, but apparently haven’t had much to say about it. I just finished another MINDBODY University (MBU) at Sycamore Mineral Springs here in San Luis Obispo, CA. I organize these events for clients of MINDBODY, this is my full time job. I also teach about MINDBODY software and business growth strategies at the events, consult with clients, soak in the mineral spring hot tubs, and have a splendid time indeed. I really enjoy the niche I have found with MINDBODY and having the opportunity to work with wellness business owners. They are making the world a better place and their energy, tenacity, and fearlessness is inspiring. A few clients shared their stories with me, the story of how they ended up where they are, and I really enjoyed hearing it. I think they all had a willingness to truly embrace the situations that they found themselves in. I didn’t hear many “I just knew this was my calling” types of stories, although I admit that I still have this tiny preconception that that’s how it works. Like they were all struck by a lightning bolt that gave them with overwhelming passion, or like David Bowie showed up in their dreams and told them what their calling is.

It’s refreshing to spend 3 days with people who are trying to be proactive about their businesses and making things happen, and who are just plain ole good fun. It reminds me of that serenity prayer…Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

On the yoga front, I have been teaching yoga 3 days a week, one day at MINDBODY to the cubicle dwellers and two days Smiling Dog, and have been able to bring some of the Shiva creativity from my most recent training experience into my typical Power Yoga sequence (that I learned from Baron Baptiste a year ago) that I just can’t seem to step away from. I have been wavering with my own practice though, trying to practice and meditate as much as I can, but some weeks work and life just makes me tired and I don’t stick to my personal practices as much as I should. My immune system is down again to add to the difficulties. I am thankful to be teaching as it keeps bringing me back to the mat, reminding me how much I really love it there on my little yoga magic carpet rides. I feel ok though that I’m not doing too much yoga, the last year has been a little exhausting teaching and working so much, I am finding that my body and mind need a lot more down time than I have ever noticed I needed.

PS. I am teaching Yoga for Tight Hips at the SLO Yogafest & Wellness Fair Saturday May 16th at 3:15-3:45pm outside at Mitchell Park. This is a free charity fundraiser for Manzanita School Foundation. There are a ton of free yoga workshops going on all day. Hope to see you there!

a girl from south detroit part ii April 3, 2009

Yes!  Someone responded to my letter to the editor regarding the article Motor City Breakdown which was printed in Rolling Stone magazine recently.  I was a little frustrated by the author’s lack of connection to Detroit and decided to let the world know.  Check out the original letter to the editor here on Rolling Stone’s website in the comments section or I posted about it in my post, A Girl From South Detroit.  The most recent responses are below.  I think it’s great that I got someone interested enough to respond.

From dwswear on 3/25/09

Re: roxstar’s comment: Since when does a lack of connection or apathy about your hometown make you a ’spoiled little brat’? If you don’t feel it, you don’t feel it, you can’t force it. What’s more odd is why you (and all these elders who talk about the Golden Age of Detroit) aren’t actively doing something to ‘revive’ the city centre then? If you’re so concerned about apathy, why don’t you all move back within the boundaries of 8-mile road and be pioneers in a Detroit Renaissance?

From roxtar on 4/3/09

Re: dwswear’s comment: I agree that if the author didn’t feel it for Detroit that it can’t be forced. I just get a little frustrated at how many people I know who just don’t feel it for Detroit, or for anything real for that matter. I know a lot of young people in the area who grew up there, who are loyal and doing what they can, living on nothing. I don’t fault the author for stating his feelings, at least we are here conversing about it. I just want to have more passionate, action based, conversations and I would like to see them happening in a magazine like Rolling Stone.

sweatin’ with wade March 28, 2009

I am writing this from the MINDBODY booth at Yoga Journal Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  After a successful Business of Yoga part of the conference where I taught about Online Marketing I am now holding down the MINDBODY fort in the Yoga Marketplace with other yoga related vendors (soy chai latte in hand).  I have been blessed to attend quite a few of these conferences and although the travel aspect gets me down sometimes, I am always thankful once I’m here. I have included some photos of my Yoga Journal friends, Be Present & Autumn Tenyl Designs.

This morning I took a class with Wade Imre Morissette called Dynamic Sweat Vinyasa.  The class was described as “a vigorous flow based on intelligent sequencing principles.”  It was a small class, only 20 people, and I definitely sweated and enjoyed myself.  He based his class on the Arch Progression Model as taught by Desikachar, Krishnamacharya, and Mount Madonna Yoga Center.

My intention for the class was to stay connected to my breath, to remember the goal of vinyasa yoga is connecting each breath with movement and not just moving and challenging the body. One of the biggest challenges for me is to keep breathing during a challenging class.  I get out of breath like I’m jogging and power through like I’m at the gym with a personal trainer.  At the end of a class where I lose my breath I feel exhausted rather than energized.  The goal is to feel grounded and alert, not to need a nap!  I really enjoyed his class and the Arch Progression Model of teaching a vinyasa class and it was very similar to the Wave Shiva teaches.  Both models go through warming up the body, connecting to the breath, practicing warm up poses to get you ready for the apex pose, doing the apex pose, and gradually taking the class down to the floor for Savasana.

There was a yogi next to me who was breathing like they were in labor!  It was distracting at some moments, but it actually made me better focus on my own practice and breath.  As I said, I have been there before: huffing and puffing and not even noticing what I’m doing to my body or breath.  I hope that I shared the space well for my fellow yogi.  Many of us come to the yoga mat for different reasons, often it’s the physical benefits we seek.  And we usually feel better physically after a class, no matter how we breathe or how deep we can stretch, and we feel even better the more yoga we do.  Eventually we start to feel mental benefits though and maybe even later this leads us to be interested in the spiritual aspect.  I can’t forget the small beginnings because that’s what makes the end so sweet.  It almost made me appreciate my practice and yoga more to be reminded what it’s like at the beginning and to feel the rewards I’ve been able to reap.

Funny Story!  The first day of the conference we were finishing setting up the booth, doing the final touches, putting containers away, and chatting with our neighbors. While chatting with my neighbor I noticed her eyes get big as she was looking at something behind me.  She couldn’t speak exactly, but her and two others who were facing us were making this “ahhhhh” face.  All of the sudden the booth crashed on my back and I look to my left to see our enormous, expensive MAC falling face first to the floor!  It was very slow motion as my colleague happened to be right there and barely caught the beast before it very scarily smacked into the floor. Apparently this crash was caused by our neighbors from behind, Lululemon.  A rogue box escaped their grasp and must have hit our booth from behind in the perfect spot to cause an avalanche.  I can’t believe they fit the amount of retail in their tiny booth, it’s no wonder the box jumped for it’s life.

what would shiva do? March 24, 2009

As I sit in LAX sick with yet another cold I am feeling a little less patient than usual. I wondered to myself, what would shiva do? What would she do if she was sick, stuck in an airport? I imagine her with her puffy white coat and her son starting a dance party. I imagine many options, but writing this on my blackberry has made my thumb hurt and exhausted me. More later.