Roxtar Yoga

Yin Versus Yang March 4, 2010

At this point in my life I am a high energy, yang kind of gal. I’m a fan of vinyasa yoga, riding my bike, burning energy, and being challenged. I’ve even taken up circuit training lately just to try something new and challenge my body in a new way. Yet, some days, I have to honor the yin energy, the more subtle, restful nourishment or so I was reminded this week. Yin is usually characterized as slow, soft, insubstantial, diffuse, cold, wet, and tranquil. It is generally associated with Femininity, birth and generation, and with the Night. Yang, by contrast, is characterized as fast, hard, solid, dry, focused, hot, and aggressive. It is associated with Masculinity and with the Daytime.

After riding my bike with friends to Avila Beach last weekend, about 23 miles round trip, I noticed my legs were a little tired during my next vinyasa yoga class. Then I had a moment of tweaky pain that scared the crap out of me. I have had what I think is tendinitis in my right hip for the last few years and a regular yoga practice usually keeps it feeling pretty good. Before Monday, I hadn’t even noticed it lately. On Monday though, I don’t even remember what I did but I was practicing yoga and it was one of those moments of pain that makes you freeze and tear up and run to childs pose like it’s your mamma holding a bandaid after you’ve fallen out of a tree.

My hip was there to remind me that rest is just as important as activity. Aadil Palkhivala, owner of Yoga Centers of Bellvue, once said in a class, when you’re young, vinyasa yoga is appropriate, but as you get older your asana practice changes with your body and mind. It makes sense that our bodies need different types of nourishment and activities as we venture into different phases of life. One of my favorite aspects of yoga is that it reminds us how to listen to our bodies and not our minds. My mind thinks I should weigh what I did in high school, that I need to be the strongest person in the room, the strongest version of myself, that I need to sweat for my yoga practice to count (this week anyways). Sometimes it seems as if we “yang types” don’t feel it if it’s not a little painful and that kind of makes me a bit sad. Do I really need to beat my body up to feel something? What is my real goal? I want to take decent care of this vessel that I’ve been blessed with given the tools available to me. I want to become a more conscious, giving, and loving person. I don’t need to overly work it, nor should I use my aches and pains as an excuse to be lazy. Because, lets face it, the older I get, the more I realize my aches and pains are just part of life, little reminders that I’m human. May we find the balance between yin and yang this week.

dedication giving loving February 24, 2010

I have been slowly but surely reading The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda. I typically meditate and read a bit of the book every morning, although lately I’ve been slacking a little bit. The Yoga Sutras is the foremost scripture of yoga, a complete manual for the study and practice of yoga. There are almost 200 sutras, or bare threads of meaning in the book. It is not known when Sri Patanjali lived, or even if he was a single person rather than several persons using the same title. Estimates of the date of the Sutras range from 5000 BC to 300 AD.

I am currently reading the second section, the portion on practice. There are also sections on contemplation, accomplishments, and absoluteness. The very first sutra of the second section (or sutra 2.1) really hit home today and I wanted to share it.

“The last part of Kriya Yoga is simple but great. It is surrendering to the Supreme Being. I understand this to mean dedicating the fruits of your actions to God or to humanity – God in manifestation. Dedicate everything – your study, your japa, your practice – to the Lord. When you give such things to Him, He accepts them but then gives them back many times magnified. You never lose what you have given. Even virtuous, meritorious deeds will bind you in some form or other if you do them with an egotistic feeling. Every time you do something, feel, “May this be dedicated to the Lord.” If you constantly remember to do this, the mind will be free and tranquil. Try not to possess anything for yourself. Temporarily keep things but feel you are just a trustee, not an owner.”

“Be like the mother who receives a soul, nourishes it for nine months and then lets it come out into the world. If the mother were to always keep the baby in her womb, what would happen? There would be great pain. Once something has ripened, it should be passed on. So dedication is true Yoga. Say, “I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy will be done.” Mine binds. Thine liberates. If you drop “mines” all over, they will “undermine” your life – or blow up in your face. But if you change all the “mines” to Thine, you will always be safe.

“Let us all dedicate our lives for the sake of the entire humanity. With every minute, every breath, every atom of our bodies we should repeat this mantram: “dedication, dedication, giving, giving, loving, loving.” That is the best japa, the best Yoga which will bring us all permanent peace and joy and keep the mind from the disturbances of chitta vrittis (mind stuff).”

Somehow the yogic scriptures can say “God”, “Him”, and “Supreme Being” and it doesn’t make me feel closed or uneasy like I would feel when studying the bible in Sunday school as a kid. I just thought this was a beautiful thought to keep in mind as I go about my daily business.

spirit of vegas February 15, 2010

I’m stationed at the San Francisco Airport eating stuffed mushrooms and pondering my most recent travels and health tribulations.

While in Las Vegas last week I noticed how much the city had been effected by the current “economy” when I went for a walk one morning. There were a lot of vacancies and empty buildings and it was kind of odd, yet normal within such an excessive landscape. As much as evidence of the economic climate depresses me, I also feel some of it’s effects are fair and not so bad. I feel like expansion and contraction are normal parts of life’s cycles and I wonder where we will be after the current contraction. My gut tells me it’s far from over and I wonder where it will take us, how many people will have to suffer, will we ever make real changes, and how many corporate crapholes will get much needed reality checks, if any. There is always a positive side to every negative and I’ve appreciated the reminder to simplify my life, stop spending money on crap I don’t need, and focus on the parts of my life that inspire me and build up those parts more. It’s all about living my passion and sharing it in whatever ways I can. I have not enjoyed worrying about myself or my loved ones and watching them suffer unnecessarily. There are no guarantees in life, that’s for sure.

My three-day adventure in Vegas was actually quite enjoyable despite my original misgivings. It’s always so excessive, smoke everywhere, too much partying, too much everything. It is possible to be healthy when life gets busy and challenging I am finding. The hotel had a gym at which I was able to move my legs a bit after getting my arse kicked at a personal training session with friends before I traveled. My legs were quite sore and out of desperation I attempted to do some strength training on a squat machine to ease the pain. It helped despite my yogic aversion to gyms these days. I prefer to get my movement on my yoga mat, bicycle, and two legs while enjoying the great outdoors if possible. I have to say though, it did feel good to challenge my body in a different way. The hotel even had a good food. My travel routine sustained me. I enjoyed KÀ (a Cirque du Soleil show), a heroic journey of love and conflict, set within a dynamic theatrical landscape, on an enormous stage with a captivating display of acrobatics which left the audience in awe. I admit I’m not a huge fan of live theatre, but the synchronized fights, water rescue, and acrobatics were amazing and I really enjoyed the show.

I decided to look up the definition of Ka to see where the show got it’s name from. The Ka (k3) was the Egyptian concept of spiritual essence, that which distinguishes the difference between a living and a dead person, with death occurring when the ka left the body. This resembles the concept of spirit in other religions. Hmmm the concept of spirit is one shrouded in history and opinion and I’m not up for that discussion today.

viva las vegas February 10, 2010

I came onto this dreaded computer after an exhausted day on it already to laugh and share a bit of the joy of teaching software and working in Las Vegas, of all places. This morning I emerged from the elevator to very loud rock music. The volume of the rock music doesn’t change throughout the Hard Rock Hotel, no matter the time of day. It was a bit jarring at 8am. You would think they would switch to sappy hard rock ballads at that hour. It was funny walking through the hotel and casino in business clothes with my laptop while others where still partying from the night before. There are always drunk people here. There area also rugby players everywhere as there are 14 teams staying here for some sort of playoff game.

I’m really enjoying teaching to this size group, 30 people. Last year teaching 90 was a bit chaotic. I think this must be the golden mean size of a class for classroom teaching.

I don’t really think Avril Lavigne has earned as much play as she gets in this hotel.

Did I bring my yoga on this trip to Sin City? Why, yes, how dare you question my dedication I exercised a bit last night, meditated and practiced this morning, and exercised a bit tonight. I feel pretty good considering the lack of fresh air I’ve been inhaling. We’ve been eating good food. Life feels good today.

No yogi lessons for me today. Except to breathe when busy. Just breathe. Ahhhhhh.

toilet magic February 7, 2010

“Woody. I just wrote a top 40 song on your toilet.” said Michael Franti to his friend Woody Harrelson, whose house he was staying at.
“Michael, was it #1 or #2?” said Woody in return.

Last Friday I attended a yoga class with Sean Corn and Michael Franti with 400 yogis at the Yoga Journal SF Conference. The energy was incredible and the message they shared was profound. They reminded us to take action in whatever ways we can, right here, right now. No one else is going to be the change we want to see. We have to be that change. It reminded me how truly blessed I am. She started a challenge last year for anyone who could raise $20,000 in their communities (not just giving their own money) and if you met the goal you were able to join her in a 3rd world country to help build and create infrastructure to help those in need. She raised half a million dollars last year for Cambodia and is going to South Africa next year. Wow. They built a school, a birthing center, and more. It actually brought me to tears. They encouraged us to sit down and make a plan. I have a sort of plan, but I wonder what else I can do to to be the change I want to see. What really bothers you in this world, what do you want to change? Part of my plan is to take better care of myself so I can bring my best self to the world. One of Michael’s goals is to write a top 40 song this year and he told us a pretty funny story about it coming to him in the shower and the toilet. Isn’t that how it works, the best ideas come out of random places, and random times, as if magic, pixie, dust just appeared out of nowhere. Voila!

I returned from Yoga Journal SF a week ago and have been pedaling my hardest to keep up with this epic climb known as life. How did I maintain my yogi ways while away from home, you ask? I cooked kitcheree for breakfast the first day and it was awesome and I had leftovers the next morning. Even though it’s not considered “breakfast food”, it was really nice to have the mornings to myself, cook a nourishing breakfast, meditate, and do yoga, if only for a little bit. Sleep is imperative when traveling. I never sleep as well when I travel, so getting 8 hours is the only way to feel remotely normal. I usually am not a walker, but I really enjoyed walking every morning before my long days began. It was very meditative, relaxing, and the fresh air was like medicine for the body. I ended up sharing my hotel room with a friend unexpectedly. Although it disrupted my routine a bit, it was fun and good to help share yoga, even if it wasn’t directly through teaching. I didn’t eat all my snacks and food, but it was better to be over prepared. Kitcheree, trail mix, apples, tea, and vitamin c are the travel companions of champions.

I am on my way to Las Vegas and Seattle this week so I hope to bring my yoga and life practices with me for another week away from my nurturing routines. This is when it gets challenging, when the intensity and busy feeling stay for more than a week. I feel like this is it. If I can’t take care of myself under the stress of travel, how is a single mom going to do it, or a lonely grandma, or an executive, or student? We have to bring our yoga with us everywhere. And your yoga may be something very different than mine. I am thankful for and enjoy how much my yoga practice brings to me in day to day life, but I really want to find a way to bring it with me everywhere.

yogis in the city January 28, 2010

I’ve arrived in San Francisco yesterday for the 7th Annual Yoga Journal Conference. The drive from San Luis Obispo was so beautiful, the hills of California were dotted with happy cows and luscious green grass. It was so lovely that even my phone camera was able to capture a tiny bit of the bliss. I highly recommend a road trip to enjoy the beauty that the winter weather has brought your way. It reminds me of how winter forces us all to slow down and how it’s definitely nourishing, even if our productive lives don’t allow us to slow down and renew as much as the earth does during winter. I am reminded to give myself the rest I need. We arrived last night and immediately went to dinner at Greens, quite possibly my favorite restaurant ever. We enjoyed fresh spring rolls, artisan cheeses, butternut squash crepes, mushroom pot pie, dessert, wine, and catching up with friends. We are all on “Bev Time” which is when our co-worker Bev is on East Coast Time and wants to go to bed at 9pm West Coast Time so we were all in our rooms by 9pm. It was wonderful to me as I had to work a long day today and woke up to yoga, meditation, and kitcheree for breakfast. That is the way to start a long day if you ask me.

Today at the Business of Yoga Conference we shared some great advice for people in the “yoga business”, but in reality a lot of the advice is relevant for many. As much as many people would like to just do yoga and meditate all day, sharing yoga is still a business in many respects, albeit one that should come from the heart. We enjoyed a video of Snoop Dog doing yoga. Take care of yourself as you would your own children, you don’t let them get too hungry or too sleepy, right? We were reminded to set goals rather than make more vague resolutions. To cover our bases regarding the more difficult parts of owning a business (and possibly our lives?), rather than burying our heads in the sand. Finally, we were reminded to just say no to free yoga classes, don’t do it, just don’t.

Right now I was supposed to be setting up the MINDBODY booth in the Yoga Marketplace but somehow our freight did not arrive on time and we’ll have to wake up early to set everything up. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my yoga in first. That’s one of the lessons of traveling, you just have to roll with it some of the time. Setting up the booth is quite the job though, setting up heavy kiosks with huge computers and this crazy backdrop that requires super strength zipper skills. I teach Online Marketing Strategies tomorrow, but tonight, I am off to enjoy some of the bounty San Francisco has to offer, Osha Thai it is! I hope you find some winter beauty to enjoy as soon as possible and don’t forget to roll with it when life demands it.

have mac, will travel January 26, 2010

I’m getting ready to head to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon for the 7th Annual SF  Yoga Journal Conference. I will be presenting Online Marketing at the Business of Yoga part of the conference on behalf of MINDBODY, taking a few yoga classes, and manning the MINDBODY tradeshow booth.  I updated my presentation with the lots of options for creating an online presence these days, from Facebook to Twitter to E-Mail Marketing to Online Advertising, the options are getting endless.  There are lots of options for the yogis of the world to get themselves out there, create community, and share the wonderful practice of yoga.  I crossed my t’s, dotted my i’s, and even figured out how to get my powerpoint presentation to work on my new, sexy macbook pro.  I’m so proud of my technical prowess.

I spent a fair amount of the last few days plotting my travels. How much of our yoga practice can we bring with us while traveling, especially when it’s for work or not for leisure exactly. This trip is not a long nor far one, but I’ll be working long days and I have learned lately that a little planning helps make me a little healthier and more sane when outside of my routine. There are many things I love about traveling for work: exploring new cities, great food, reading, bonding with travel friends, a break from the routine, new yoga teachers. Yet, I am becoming more and more of a home body these days and stepping outside of my home base often leaves me exhausted and sick. Things that suck about traveling for work: too little sleep, not enough down time, less than ideal food and not-so-regular meal times, exhausting amounts of work, travel lonliness. I have made an effort to be prepared for this trip and have packed quite the epic bag of snacks and supplies. I know for a fact that I won’t eat it all, but I’d rather be over prepared rather than under prepared. The last time I was in New York City I remember multiple moments of “oh my god if I don’t eat right now I might kill someone” so here I am. It is my goal to practice yoga and meditate daily, if only for 5-10 minutes each, and eat one meal on my own each day. It would also be nice if I could get 7 hours of sleep per night and limit alcohol intake, it’s oh so difficult when having fun with friends in a new place. You’d think yoga conferences would be pretty chill, but it’s not always the case. I got some of my plotting and planning ideas from Good to Go, an article from Yoga Journal on eating well when on the road. I now bring a hot plate so I can even cook some kitcheree for at least one meal. I’ve also packed trail mix, larabars, fruit, kitcheree ingredients, tea, and vitamin c. I have a lot of travel supplies I travel with in fact, I suggest bringing any and all of the following: pain killers, ear plugs, eye mask, ipod player, laptop, camera, technology plugs/cords, business cards, good book, plenty of good food supplies, a good toiletry bag, netty pot, journal.

I will report on the conference and my healthy travel mission here.  I am looking forward to taking classes and getting a little yoga infusion from my favorite teachers. I am still battling my man friend for weight loss as a percentage of body weight in the new year.  I’m still not sure how much weight loss will be practical or achievable for me, I haven’t checked my body weight in a few weeks, but I’m making an effort still and feeling pretty good, so we shall see. Last weekend I rebelled quite a bit and it felt freaking good! Sometimes a little down time is just what the doctor ordered. When it comes to health, I sure as hell don’t believe in absolutes and I’ve been giving myself one free day a week while trying to moderate every other day. Easy enough so far. Lets see how things go in SF.

Cure a Broken Heart January 19, 2010

If you ever feel a little broken-hearted or down in the dumps, yoga is your cure just waiting to be unleashed. I am sharing this from Yoga Rants and Raves, a nifty little yoga blog, but I am adding my own input as well. Have you ever read or heard something someone said and thought, “yes. exactly.” That’s what this blog made me think, so I felt the need to share it.

1. When you wake up in the morning (or anytime throughout your days or nights) and the nagging sense of loss and directionless despair appear, get ye to the yoga studio. Welcome a sense of direction.
2. When dressing for yoga, be sure to wear your diamond earrings (for me it’s pigtails). Now you feel desirable again. (Bonus: you’ve found a healthy distraction.) But do not wear makeup (or cologne). That would be ridiculous.
3. When asked to state your intention at the beginning of yoga class, do NOT state this: “I wish to gain the ability through yoga to crush my ex (work/boss/mother…) with the psychic powers of my mind alone.” Instead chose this intention: “I wish to love and respect myself.”
4. When doing the chair pose (or the splits, oh they hurt so good), bend as deep as your legs will hold you. Let the lactic acid build up in your thighs until you want to scream. Realize there is a pain worse than a broken heart.
5. Breath. Don’t forget to breathe. Don’t worry about breathing through your nose or mouth specifically. Those restrictions are for the whole-hearted. Just respirate. If you can continue long enough, you won’t die. If you’re alive, then you are forced to accept that your heart isn’t actually broken. It’s functioning as normal and the other stuff is just a figure of speech.
6. When given the choice between vinyasa and child’s pose, take child’s pose. You deserve a rest. Rest. But do not stay there for long. You are better than that.
7. When in warrior’s pose, realize that you are a warrior. Applaud your inner strength. You are awesome. Repeat your intention. The loving yourself one, not the other one.
8. (When doing a backbend, try to breathe and feel your heart open. Feel love for all the other relationships and situations in your life that you are blessed with that nurture you.)
9. When the exercises are over, listen to the wise words of the yoga instructor. Realize that everything she says about letting go and about having nothing to do or UNdo and about not having anything missing in your life, all that is true. With or without a romantic interest, (job, friend, lover).
10. When in shibasana (corpse pose), imagine your consciousness as a tranquil sea (perhaps resembling the set of Cirque de Soleil’s O). When the sadness and regrets and anxieties rise up and distract you from the sea, imagine those thoughts as little flash-paper boats. Set them sail, and just before they dip over the horizon, set them on fire and watch them flash and disappear. Enjoy the tranquil sea. Repeat.
11. At the closing, when you say “Namaste,” remember what that means: That the divine in me salutes the divine in you. Remember that you possess the divine, too.
12. Go forth in peace. And do not check your cell phone until you’ve gone forth at least 30 yards from the yoga studio.

two weeks = healthy on the inside January 17, 2010

Two weeks into 2010, my life has settled down a bit and it’s feeling quite good. Work is back to normal, well as normal as things get working at MINDBODY. Which is kind of like the controlled skidding, er driving that happens immediately following a snow storm in Michigan, woohooooooo! I have to say, I feel freaking amazing after dedicating a little energy and focus to taking better care of myself. I have made a point of (1) not overindulging in my decadent food/beverage choices throughout the week, (2) exercising daily, be that riding my bike, a long vinyasa practice, hiking, or whatever, (3) and tracking how well I’m nourishing myself. I have come to the understanding that I may not lose weight on this challenge I am having with my man-friend (which is: who can lose the largest percentage of body weight, my goal 5 lbs). Weight is one way to measure overall health, but I’m not so sure it’s the best. I realized over the last two weeks that I am more fit than I have ever been, eat pretty well, and maybe my body just isn’t going to weigh what I think it should. I will continue to make an effort for the next few weeks and see how it plays out. If I feel as good as I feel now and don’t lose weight, then so be it. Overall health is so much more than weight. It is how I feel, my energy levels, my relationships, and my mental health, amongst other things. I think it’s good to remember that once in a while, when we’re overwhelmed by media images of women who look starved and men who look tan and shiney.

I would like to be able to say that I’m completely yogi about my health and weight, but it’s just not always the case. I would say 80% of the time I listen to my body and very roughly follow a vegetable, wholesome, Ayurvedic based diet. Yet, 20% of the time I enjoy a little freedom, enjoying some of the bountiful, yumminess available to me in SLO, CA. When I’m stressed and super busy, the scales tip further in the wrong direction and I like to reset once in a while, hence, my current focus on health.

On another note, last year I made a resolution to get to the ground in the splits (or hanumanasana) by the end of the year. I achieved the goal, but then unachieved it by not practicing it towards the end of the year! So, I have been teaching it this week and it’s feeling good again. I have been doing a lot of yin poses to open my groin lately too and it’s made a great difference in my hips, and in my right hip where I’ve been experiencing some type of tendonitis for a long time indeed. Love yoga, much love.

It started raining today and it’s supposed to continue all week so I won’t be able to get my daily breath of fresh air on my bike. So sad. It’s kind of nice to be forced into hibernation a bit though. I made some delicious minestrone today. Yesterday my friends and I rode our bikes from San Luis Obispo to Avila Beach to enjoy some fun outside before the week of rain. It was such a great day!

PS. I’m using www.livestrong.com, specifically the daily plate part of the website, to track my nutrition and exercise which also has a nifty iphone app. It’s a nice app for those anal, mathy types like myself who dig databases and software and tracking infinite amounts of data.  It’s really helped me to check on how I’m nourishing myself.

pride and not-so-prejudice January 13, 2010

Prideful. When I looked up the definition of the word I got the following definition: Having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; “some economists are disdainful of their colleagues in other social disciplines”; “haughty aristocrats”; “his lordly manners were offensive”; “walked with a prideful swagger”; “very sniffy about breaches of etiquette”; “his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air”; “a more swaggering mood than usual.”

We at MINDBODY have been coming up with our Company’s Core Values and one aspect that we included in version 1.1 was that we aim to be a humble and helpful company. Rick, the CEO says, “Proud of MINDBODY’s culture and success, but not prideful, as pride alone prevents future growth”. I am going through some changes at work, namely my title is changing from “Director” to “Manager”. I have to admit when I first discussed the change with my supervisor I felt mildly attacked, hurt, and most of all like it was a reflection that I hadn’t done a good job over the last year or so. At the time, I had some residual stress brewing around in my body and heart leftover from other difficult situations at work over the last few weeks and looking back I see how easily our reactions are colored by so much more than the situation at hand. It’s amazing how sometimes you know how you want to react to situations, but sometimes the emotional side of yourself just goes where it wants. I often waiver during these situations between doing a pretty good job being present and honest with my feelings and yet burying them a little bit in an effort to be more cool and yogi than I really am able to be. I am happy to report that my emotional reaction was pretty short and mild considering what it might have been like for me in the past. I was very quickly able to think. “I love MINDBODY. I’m thankful for MINDBODY. I love myself. I want what’s best for us both. Sometimes changes need to happen that are no fault of mine.” I am reminded today to not get too prideful of my work, roles, or life situations and not to take it all so personally.

Overall, I am really enjoying my present moments being part of a company that provides technology solutions to the yoga community. I am able to combine my great passions: technology, teaching, and yoga.

In the February 2010 edition of Yoga Journal they have a great article (Aim High by Hillari Dowdle) on studying the purusharthas, or four aims of life, to create balance and happiness this year. Ah the word balance immediately brings peace to my mind. The aims are dharma (duty, ethics), artha (prosperity, wealth), kama (pleasure, sensual gratification), and moksha (the pursuit of liberation). I enjoyed this quote on kama: “Focusing on the right kinds of pleasure can lead you toward your dharma (your life’s purpose) – and help you fulfill it with passion. Passion is never the problem. It’s the solution.” There is more in the on them from Rod Stryker.  If that beautiful photo of a little artha in action made you hungry, it’s from the cafe at the Smiling Dog cafe recently. PS. I am going to ride my bike out of my way right now to try to get a leg up on the 2010 healthy roxtar challenge at 8:20pm. Man-friend is going down!