Oh So Grateful!

For those of you in my Yoga Moodra classes, you already know that I often encourage students to take a moment during final relaxation to consider what they are grateful for. A gratitude practice helps us recognize all of our blessings, and helps us remember to appreciate both the big and little things in life.

Allow me now to count a few blessings of my own. I've had a couple of amazing gratitude moments in the past week. A few days ago, one of my yoga students took the liberty of adding Yoga Moodra as a business on the YELP  website and took the time to write a lovely review! Another cool moment: at the end of class yesterday, one of my students stated "You are becoming very important to us!" At first, I was befuddled, I didn't realize that she was talking to me and talking about her experience in yoga. Needless to say, I was touched by the compliment, as well as deeply aware that I need to step away from getting too "ego involved" in these kinds of statements. Yes, I think I am a darned good yoga teacher, and I am thrilled beyond measure when I receive a compliment or endorsement from one of my students. But I also know that it really goes way beyond me because yoga has power and the capacity to be a life changing practice !!

I've said it before...I consider being your yoga teacher one of my life's great delights and a true honor. My hope is to make yoga available in a non-threatening and non-competitive environment so that students can begin to get in touch with their own capacity in body, mind and spirit. Thanks for the kind words you all share with me...I am touched and I deeply appreciate it. I love it even more when I hear you quote my words from class, as I recognize that yoga is seeping into your thoughts and attitudes. I'm so glad that yoga has become important to so many of you. That's the goal my friends!!! 

Peace!

What's a Mudra?

Mudras are usually positions of the hands and fingers that are used in yoga to bring awareness and changes to energy in the body.The word mudra in Sanskrit translates to seal or to mark. In our yoga practice, we use various mudras as a way Anjali mudra is one that is most recognized; the simple palms together in a prayer position at heart center.

In Yoga Moodra classes, we have tried out various mudras from time to time in class. Do you have a personal favorite? Here's a list of some of the mudras we have learned in class:

Anjali Mudra (hands at heart, prayer, gratitude, open hearted)
Avahani Mudra (Seal of Invitation, being open, inviting in new awareness)
Garuda Mudra (eagle or bird, soaring, clarity,freedom)
Shankh Mudra (Conch, meant to address the throat Chakra, finding your voice)
Ganesha Mudra (for overcoming obstacles, courage, confidence)

I'd love to hear your feedback. Do you enjoy learning and practicing various mudras? Have you found one to be personally helpful and meaningful? Would you sign up for a 2 hour yoga workshop on mudras and practice? Let me know. As your yoga teacher, I want to facilitate a yoga practice that fits your needs.

Effort vs. Ease

What does it mean to "find your edge" or to balance effort and ease? These are concepts that we should be considering every time we step on our mats, yet I am guessing that for many of us, we simply follow along, moving from pose to pose and occasionally wondering if we are the only stiff or wobbly one in the group.

When I was in yoga teacher training, we learned about something called the golgi response. (Look up golgi tendon reflex to learn more) It is our bodies effort to protect muscles and ligaments from injury. You've felt this process at work if you have ever lost your balance or stumbled. You can feel your muscles tense and jerk in these moments. Our body goes to work in these instances by providing some tightness and drawing in as a way to protect us from injury. The problem is, that at times, our body will also seek to protect us in this way when we are stretching and moving our bodies in new and unexpected ways.

So, how do we send a message to our body that we are safe and do not need our body to tense and protect? We do this by approaching our asanas and stretches with awareness and gentleness. In our culture, we have deeply ingrained ideas that our bodies will respond better if we push to our limits. The old 'no pain, no gain' idea. Next time, instead of approaching a stretching posture by trying to press into your deepest stretch available, move to a very soft stretch. Take a couple of breaths. Then see if the body is open enough to allow a bit deeper expression of the pose. Then, here's the key point: be okay with whatever your body allows in that posture on that day. As a teacher, despite my words to let go of internal expectations or comparing yourself to others, I often see students looking around the room in class. These students are usually looking at the one student that is in the deepest form of the stretch, so I can only imagine the thought process. Maybe it goes something like this: "Look at her, she has her nose on her knee, I can't do that. I must look dumb. I could move like that if I wasn't so fat, maybe I should push and get a little closer." This is only a guess on my part, but I can admit to these types of thoughts myself, so I am betting they are not far off the mark!

The idea of balancing effort and ease requires constant attention and being in the moment. Sure, we want to improve our strength and flexibility, but we need to remember that the body responds best to deliberate and thoughtful movement. Some of us are highly competitive and find letting go of pushing and forcing things very difficult. Others of us may simply quit or opt out before we've really made an attempt. If you can work on each asana with deep awareness and let go of the comparisons, your body WILL respond. Over time, you will be amazed at the strength, balance and flexibility that you gain. There's a reason it's called a yoga 'practice'. We can't get on the mat and expect instant results. Time, patience, dedication, and some allowance for the natural ebb and flow of things usually bring the best results.

Don't beat yourself up the next time you notice yourself pushing or comparing. Just get aware of the thoughts and set them aside. Despite what you think, no one is looking at you and finding you ridiculous (they are all too busy with their own self conscious ideas and beliefs!!). Have fun with your yoga practice and balance all of that effort with some ease and lightness. You'll get better results and feel good in the process.

8 Ways Yoga Can Improve Your Life!

Beautiful yoga poses are now seen regularly in print and social media and yoga props and attire are now big business. As yoga becomes more popular in America, maybe you are wondering what all the hype is about and whether or not yoga might be something you should try.

Here are 8 ways that yoga can improve your life  just in case you need some inspiration to get started, or a reminder to get back into a yoga practice if you've been away from the mat for awhile.....

1) Yoga can promote better sleep! So many of my students have told me that they sleep better when they've taken time for a yoga practice. Through movement and breath work, yoga can help us calm and activate our relaxation response, promoting better sleep at the end of the day.

2) Yoga promotes flexibility. Yup, this one is a no-brainer, but so often we minimize how important flexibility can be. When we can move freely, we can get after our tasks of daily living with more ease and we reduce our injury risk. Personally, I want to be able to put on my own shoes and cut my own toenails as I age! Whether it's more ease in your garden or better range of motion for other activities and sports, flexibility is key to good health!

3) Yoga is good for pain relief! I hear this often from my students too. Whether it is back pain, arthritis, or simply a stiff neck, yoga has the capacity to reduce pain. If you've ever ended up going to Physical Therapy, it is amazing how many of the exercises and movements are yoga-based or similar to the asanas done in yoga class!

4) Yoga improves your balance. Being able to stay upright and avoid falls becomes very important as we age. If you live in MN, being able to navigate snow and ice and avoid injury from falls can also mean the difference between good health and the potential of orthopedic surgery or a cast!

5) Yoga builds strength. While not seen as a weightlifting form of exercise, if you've practiced yoga then you know first hand that holding or moving your body against gravity builds strength. You really don't need additional weights to build strength in your body. This is why so many experienced yogis have well defined arms and abs!

6) Yoga can help you reduce stress. Studies have shown that yoga practice can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. And lets face it, we live busy stressful lives and anything that can bring a pause and break from our hectic pace will provide enormous benefits both physically and psychologically.

7) Yoga promotes good mental health. As mentioned above, yoga can help bring down cortisol (stress) levels and allows us to access our parasympathetic nervous system or relaxation response. Yoga, breath work, and mindfulness techniques are now being used more frequently for concerns like depression, anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

8) Yoga is kinda radical and can change your outlook. Yoga is so different from other forms of exercise. I would argue it is not exercise at all, but rather a practice for healthy living. Putting our bodies in strange positions and asanas allows us to work on strength and flexibility. Yoga also becomes a subtle teacher as you begin to practice "finding your edge" and understanding not just your weaknesses but also your enormous capacity in body, mind, and spirit.

Maybe you have your own personal benefits and reasons why you practice. I'd love to hear about what brings you to the mat and how your practice benefits you personally!!

Peace!