Between Joy and Pain in the &*@&#^$%^!!

Things can get kind of ugly when something you love - that helps you relax and do something good for your body and mind - becomes a chore and you feel as though your strength is half what it should be and with your teeth gritting you count down the seconds till you end your practice... Well, learning is supposed to be cyclical. That is learning is like a circle slowly moving up - the idea being you take 2 steps up a staircase, but also 1 step back before you move on.

This week I think in many respects I'm taking that one step back. Last night my arms seemed weak and I was not connecting properly with my abdominals. I could not do a headstand even though I was making progress and was beginning to be able to do it each evening after 2 or 3 tries. While my upward bow is getting good enough, it was a chore getting up there and my lower back was sore. It took me almost to the end of my practice last night to get to my best downward dog - as least as close to properly as I could.

What made me feel better about this practice was that I have practiced very consistently for the last 5 months. I also had studied with an interesting DVD with teacher Erich Schiffman last Friday. In the DVD, he spends 1 1/2 hours to teach you how to do the FULL lotus position through a variety of stretches and hip opening exercises. His voice through the practice is very soothing and gentle. He says kind words such as "Don't push yourself - wait for it to let you in..." or "Do it so that it feels good, do it so that you enjoy the stretch." As I was reflecting on my practice last night, I thought about the kinds of things that Erich Schiffman said, and maybe part of the problem is that I am overthinking my practice and not enjoying it. I always find that I can do my headstand best when I feel the most relaxed. The fact that a very inflexible me was able to get my legs into a lotus (at least lying down) says something about what the power of enjoyment can do to your practice.

Enjoying your practice rather than doing it as a pain in the *&^*$^&%R&!!! may be the difference between making those important gains in your yoga practice or not... Anyways just some hazy self-reflection here... but possibly a grain of truth hidden behind all of this....

Flexibility Gains through "Gravity Yoga" - Part 1

This week I started working out with a flexibility DVD. The teacher, Lucas Rockwood , claims to have a stretching program of 15 minutes a day that can dramatically increase your flexibility over a short amount of time. By targetting key muscles and using what he calls "gravity yoga stretches" and changing by your diet to one rich in greens and with his special mail-order only dietary supplements, he goes so far as to claim that he can double your flexbility. I first came across Lucas Rockwell in a web search for some kind of DVD or book that could help me improve my own flexibility. After several years of dance and now yoga, I remember peaking at a certain point in flexiblity and then not making discernable gains. Certain positions in yoga are likley harder for me than a more flexible person because I am working harder at finding the positions. I always feel I am working to go beyond my maximum, while more flexible students can work more within a comfort zone and thus work less hard. This has always disconcerted me. I am not inflexible, but I would say certain things such as tight hamstrings have always limited the range of motion I would ideally like to have. I'm sure you know many people who feel the same way. Perhaps even yourself. On Youtube, I found many video clips by Lucas Rockwood about how to do various yoga poses successfully. What struck me about him was his clear matter of fact instructional style that made it sounds like anyone could learn to do any pose. Also, he was incredibly flexible and could do an upward bow or wheel like none other! I thought maybe this guy could help me if he had a DVD or something. What was his secret? I looked around the Internet and sure enough he has his own website (www.yogabodynaturals.com/ ) and --- a yoga stretch DVD! This week I started using the DVD considering I have nothing to lose except the $26 or so dollars I paid to order it... Please note I will be skipping on all of his powder or dietary supplements. It is possible that there is something to good diet and improving your stretches - but it is important to maintain a successful workout that is an affordable one and forgo pricey designer brand neutraceuticals if possible. I will update on my progess and see whether there is anything to his gravity yoga stretches or whether it is just a clever gimmick or marketing ploy. Stay tuned, and see whether (or not) I can get "bendier"!

Yogi Oki Doki

If you've ever lived in the US, and these days even if you haven't, you are probably familiar with Fox News. To discerning viewers in the states, Fox is well-known for editing audio and video clips to the point of distorting stories. The same could be said of a very unfortunate video clip which continues to haunt Youtube even though many postings have since been removed. The controversy surrounds a dedicated and I might add veteran yoga teacher by the name of Max Thomas, who is based in California. This teacher created a TV program intended for pre-school children called EiEi Yoga. Whoever got their hands on this video edited down to a roughly 2-minute Youtube clip to try and show what a "creepy" and "scary" man this yoga teacher is. Taking clips out of context, repeating them, or emphasizing them could turn any children's program into something awkwardly campy and creepy. Take the late popular television series Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. I'm sure if anyone took the Fox News style editing approach to even a single episode by picking out certain clips, changing the order, and putting manipulative subtitles on the screen, we could end up with the same conclusion that the late Fred Roger's was a "creepy" and "scary" man who should never be near our children. At first, I was drawn into the myth that EiEi Yoga was hosted by a "creepy" and "scary" man until I saw a post from the wife of Max Thomas (whose character is Yogi Oki Doki in the program) that said that the video was given very positive reviews in Yoga Journal and in the New York Times. She goes on to write that along with being a long-term respected teacher of yoga, he has down community outreach with yoga to help patients with HIV and teens with schizophrenia. She concludes that children like the program. On looking around the Internet for these reviews, I was able to dig up the New York Times review which sure enough gives EiEi Yoga. Randy Hutter Epstein writes after showing his kids the video for "...two classes and weeks..., I am starting to become convinced that yoga can aid children physically and emotionally." Amazon.com which still has the video available has it currently rated 3 stars out of 5. I looked through the reviews to see if anyone called the video "creepy" or "scary," and found that either the parents gave the video rave reviews or complained that it energized the kids too much without a calm down section at the end of the tape. All of these reviews are a far cry from evil troll behind the Youtube clip.

Controversial Youtube clip (PLEASE WATCH SKEPTICALLY - if is highly edited!!!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld4rPpYLYq0

Blogger who at first promotes Max Thomas negatively (Note the comments and how easily the public gets swayed by misinformation):
http://www.yogadork.com/news/who-is-the-eiei-yoga-farmer-meet-max-thomas-aka-yogi-oki-doki/

Listing for EiEiYoga on Youtube with real reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/i-i-Yoga-Kids-VHS/product-reviews/1561764019/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

A website with information about Max Thomas and his current work in Yoga:
http://www.highdeserteden.com/yoga.html

A New York Times review for EiEiYoga (Notice how postive it is):
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/15/health/the-novice-hardly-out-of-diapers-and-now-into-yoga.html?pagewanted=all

Notice how the blogger listed above changes their tone towards Max Thomas when his wife posts the following:
http://www.yogadork.com/news/ok-everybody-make-fun-of-the-hippie-dippy-e-i-e-i-yoga-farmer-video/

Robin Maxwell August 4, 2009 at 8:47 pm

As co-creator and producer of EiEi Yoga, and proud wife of Yogi Oki Doki (you may call me Mrs. Oki Doki) I would like to ask that someobody re-print Richard Rosen’s stellar Yoga Journal review of this video (1997) in which he unequivocally gave it “4 hooves up!”. Yogi and Rasta the Rooster appeared on several national TV magazines, and the science and medical writer for the New York Times said “Yogi Oki Doki is a hero in my house.”

Max Thomas (a/k/a Yogi Oki Doki) is one of California’s most beloved and respected yoga teachers. He was the director of the Center for Yoga in L.A. for four years in the early `80s before yoga became hip and ubiquitous. He has taught teacher training courses at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, and in his own studios in L.A., Topanga and currently in Yucca Valley, CA. He has worked gratis for HIV patients in West L.A., and for schizophrenic teenagers at UCLA Medical Center. He was one of the first yoga teachers to acknowledge that if children were taught yoga we would be living in a much saner world.

Now, on a badly edited YouTube clip that has received close to a quarter of a million hits and 1,100 comments in 6 days (“Weird Hippie Yoga Farmers”) Max has been derided in every way imaginable, called “creepy” and “a pedophile.” One viewer referred to one of the beautiful children he was teaching as “that little nigger.” I know that the mental capacity of most of these people makes Fox News viewers seems like Rhodes Scholars, but it would be nice to see a little support from the yoga community for a fellow teacher, one who has dedicated the last 35 years of his life to bringing yoga to the world.

Perhaps you can go to the “everything is terrible site” and throw in a positive comment.

And yes, kids LOVE this video.

Punk Rock Yoga

In my search for the new, interesting, or controversial in yoga, I recently came across Punk Rock Yoga classes offered in Canada, the US, Australia, and Germany. At first I thought these classes were anarchical yoga classes set to alternative or punk music. But, as I read more, I became more intrigued. At punkrockyoga.com, the site describes the classes:

Punk Rock Yoga is Hatha yoga with a twist. We practice yoga in unconventional spaces and often feature live musicians. We offer an open-minded and straight-forward approach to yoga philosophy while embracing the ancient yoga tradition of Do-It-Yourself. We believe yoga is for everyone.

Founder Kimberlee Jensen Stedl says she started Punk Rock Yoga in 2003 to "...scrub the elitism and rigidity out of modern yoga." She said she wanted to teach in a nightclub setting and attract teenagers to yoga class. She writes that yoga from its inception 6000-years ago was passed on to be interpreted and developed by the students. Yet, today she said it is often treated as something codified into rules. She says the personal exploration aspect of yoga has been lost, and students follow teachers too much. She writes that: "the teacher should provide different interpretations on the subject and allow the students to discover their own answers." Punk Rock Yoga tries to take away the recent modern yoga obsession with attaining the perfect body through yoga by making all students feel comfortable in their bodies. It tries to break down the socio-demographic elitism of yoga by having students take class in a circle rather in rows. While a good summary of these basic tenants of punk rock yoga can be found on the Punk Rock Yoga website, Kimberlee wrote elaborates more in her book the Punk Rock Yoga Manifesto in 2010.

Though I haven't had the opportunity to take a Punk Rock Yoga class or look at her book, her ideas have got me intrigued about ways I could or perhaps even should improve my practice. An interesting starting point for myself down the road is "freeing" myself from relying on my exercise DVDs and really self-explore and evolve my own practice. Can I set up my home practice without DVDs? Second, am I open-minded enough to break away from using new age or classical Indian music to accompany my practice? Can I find relaxation and meditation through other forms of music? Thirdly, can I practice yoga outside of the confines of my apartment in other settings? 

So Much To Learn In So Little Time...!

These days I am not near a big city, and I only have access to 1 good yoga class a week. I've heard that many people are in the same situation, and hope they could study more. I, myself, want to study 6 days a week. But, the proliferation of instructional yoga DVDs and Internet sites with yoga resources and classes is tremendous. So, I can - with a certain amount of self-discipline - study yoga 6 days a week. So far, I've been very impressed with the quality of instructional yoga DVDs I use, and I have been able to learn a lot on my own. In fact, I've heard that it is strongly recommended that all students of yoga set up some kind of home practice in addition to their live classes to make discoveries on their own! Of course, I have to save my questions during the week for my teacher, or rewatch a certain section of a DVD over and over. But, I now have enough DVDs to have a varied and interesting practice. For the past few months, I have been rather spontaneous about what I would do for an evening of yoga. While it is good to always listen to your body, I felt I needed something a little more structured for a weekly schedule. This past weekend, I went over my DVDs and designed a schedule that would focus on different things that my body needs throughout the week. I tried to pay attention to my weaknesses, but also allow time for myself to enjoy things that are easier for me to do. Of course, picking and choosing can be difficult if you start collecting a large number of yoga DVDs, and I certainly wish I had a few more days to add other exciting workouts to my practice. Feel free to use or rearrange or delete or add to this suggested workout practice. I probably will as time goes on! Happy practicing!

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Classical Yang Family Tai Chi Long Form 15-20 min. Gravity Yoga Work on Headstand DVD (Lucas Rockwood) Day 1 15 min. 15 min. Power Yoga Total Body DVD (Rodney Yee 2005) 80 min.	Classical Yang Family Tai Chi Long Form 20-25 min. Work on Headstand 15 min. Gravity Yoga DVD (Lucas Rockwood) Day 2 15 min.   Strength Building Yoga DVD (Rodney Yee 2004) Do Workout  1 42 min. (DVD is   65 min.)	Classical Yang Family Tai Chi Long Form 20-25 min. Work on Headstand 15 min. Gravity Yoga DVD (Lucas Rockwood) Day 3 15 min. Ultimate Power Yoga DVD (Rodney Yee  2010) Do Workout 1,2,and 4 or 5 Do 1,2,4, and 5 only if you feel really energetic 1. Power Foundation (15 min) 2. Sun Salutations (20 min) 3. Standing Poses (20 min) 4. Back Bends (20 min) 5. Restoration (10 min)	Gravity Yoga DVD (Lucas Rockwood) Day 4 15 min. Yorie’s class at Kokubu’s community center 70-80 min.	Classical Yang Family Tai Chi Long Form 20-25 min. Work on Headstand 15 min. Gravity Yoga DVD (Lucas Rockwood) Day 5 15 min Yoga Burn DVD (Rodney Yee 2005) 60 min.	Yoga Abs DVD (Rodney Yee 2004) 30 minutes AND Backyard Yoga: Lotus Pose DVD (Erich Schiffmann) 81 min. OR Repeat 1 or 2 sections from classes during the week i.e. parts from Strength Building Yoga or Ultimate Power Yoga OR Try a new yoga DVD workout Optional: Roller Take 30 minutes to roll through back and hang at various points	BREAK Go for a walk or ride your bike.
125-130 min.	92-100 min.	95-100 min.	85-95 min.	110-115 min.	60 + min.	Any amount

Competitive Yoga is Not Yoga

If you have a look at yoga videos on Youtube (of which there are many!), you will probably at some point come across yoga competitions! I was a little surprised to learn about these because I always thought yoga was a personal journey into mental, physical, and spiritual self-improvement - and not a journey into seeing who can lift their leg higher or bend their back more... One of the things I have always loved about setting foot in a yoga class was that it was not showy and competitive like a dance class. In fact, ideally the lights are dimmed, so that you can focus internally on - the self - your self - and not on others... and gradually develop your practice over time. What nags me is that the competitive yogis are missing all of the "spiritual" or mental parts of yoga practice. So, quite frankly the idea of yoga competition turns personal yoga practice from an intimate moment of retreat and therapeutic relaxation into stressful sport. It is hard enough for aspiring yogi like myself not to be seduced by pictures - let alone videos - or people doing mind boggling poses or asanas. Yoga is about turning down the noise created by multi-media, the stress of often itinerant work realities, and the high pace of living in the modern world. We turn down the noise to listen to ourselves, and do what we need to do for ourselves - so that we can be happier and lead more peaceful lives. Sadly, competitive yoga does not help turn down the noise. Competitive yoga is not yoga.

"Half-baked" Asanas

Through the practice of yoga we try to fine tune our connection to our bodies, our mind, the collective consciousness, and world around us. But, Liz McDonald and a few other LA Yoga instructors are now offering so-called "baked" yoga classes where students are encouraged to indulge before practice! Speaking from my experience training in dance, tai chi, and more recently yoga - this kind of stimulant would do more harm than good for your practice. Good balance, for example, requires full attention to your body alignment and muscular connections. During an asana sequence, it is important to work on breath and keep pace with the class. How well can you breath when you have just abused your lungs? If your senses are numbed, how well can you truly listen to your body's messages on how to align and connect your body during your practice? Yoga makes students more positive and relaxed without stimulants. When you take the precious time to do something good for your body, why give your body mixed messages by trying to do something bad for it? To me, yoga and proper meditation requires you to really concentrate and give your full attention to the practice. If you are out of touch with your senses, you cannot truly give your practice your full attention. To me yoga is a way to help know and develop yourself - relying on what you can get from the practice itself, and not through toxic stimulants. Yoga already gives you a natural high from doing something good for your body... I will now take a chance and be more personal here - I originally became a dancer in part because I knew it would break my bad habit of binge drinking and frequent marijuana use. Yoga is the same in that the high you can get from good exercise, and the positive feeling you get from doing something good for your body can help you overcome addiction. Someone who does this kind of class may be an experience seeker rather than a student who really wants to work on their yoga. But, for me, "baked asanas" are without question "half-baked" and contradict healthy exercise practice and living.

Click hear blogger Tosca Braun take on "baked" asanas!

Don't believe me? Click here to check out Liz McDonald's class at Brazilian Yoga Pilates!

The Pose that Does It All!

Yoga teacher Jill Miller, on the Gaiam site, calls this the "All-in-one-pose." If you have very little time to do yoga, this pose gives you a stretch in your legs, arms, and back, and also allows you to work on your abdominals and your breath. It is certainly no replacement for doing a yoga asana, but this is definitely a great exercise to do as part of your full length yoga practice or by itself if you were short on time. Click on this image and learn more about the benefits and proper execution of this this pose. Check it out!




Moving Posture and the Wonder of Life

Rodney Yee said there is no perfect posture and that the only perfect posture is moving posture. He says the body wants to move and is meant to move, and that is what keeps us healthy. Without doubt, this kind of outlook is reassuring. If perfection is moving posture, our journey will always continue. If we are always moving, there is never a final destination. Yoga richly rewards us with mental, spiritual, and physical insights as we move through our practice. It is through movement that we know we are alive and keep living. Yoga affirms life in every nerve of our body and mind. We do not want to feel like a non-living rock in the forest! The perfect posture for a rock is a stationary posture. That is the nature of a rock. But, we are not rocks and that is why sitting at a desk in an office for several hours not moving makes us tired, lethargic, and irritable. It just doesn't feel good - or natural! We need to move our arms and get up and stretch. So, break up your work day with frequent stretches, and even try standing sometimes while you work! Take a quick walk around at lunchtime if you can! Affirm this with a daily yoga practice - a time in which you can celebrate your movement to its fullest - and the wonder of life's energy flowing within you - Namaste!

Click here to see this clip on Youtube!

Reflecting on Steve Jobs, Karma Yogi, and Philanthropy

The loss of Steve Jobs today marks the end of the first (and perhaps second and third generations) of the development of personal computers and portable multi-media devices. But, did you know that this university drop-out turned computer visionary had roots in yoga? In a popular blog called the Path to Yoga, the anonymous blogger writes that there are many Karma Yoga lessons we can learn from Jobs. Karma yoga, the blogger writes, is "...reaching a state of union with the Self through right action." The blogger said this could be interpreted as both selfless service, or doing something that has to be done. Did Jobs act in selfless service, or perform some kind of right action or some kind of duty? According to an article online in the Huffington Post on October 9, 2011, Apple indirectly raised a tremendous amount of money through product sales for AIDS in Africa, but Jobs never donated any of his own money - at least not publicly - to charity. At this point there is not much evidence that he himself was a philanthropist even if Apple itself engaged in philanthropy (albeit paid by the consumers!). When we think of the concept of selflessly serving, you think about doing something that puts others' interests ahead of your own. Without philanthropy, I don't see Steve Jobs as having ever engaged in "personal sacrifice" beyond efforts to create "revolutionarty" multimedia devices for the consumer. So, back to the article in the Path to Yoga blog, the blogger concludes from quotes in the press and his speeches that Jobs did what he did because he loved what he did, wanted people to like his products, and the money was not really important or why he did what he did. In other words, we might go as far as to say that he did what he did without expecting (much) in return. But, I tend to look at small business owners who barely scrape by as acting more out of personal self-sacrifice for their family or at the very least working hard because what they do is a labor of love to keep their businesses from going under. Please remember how rich Mr. Jobs was, and correctly position him in history. He may have engaged in some level of self-sacrifice in committing himself 24/7 to providing jobs for many people and moving and shaking the wired world's techno-culture, but I believe philanthropy is about something far more generous and for the greater public good. Apart from neat cutting edge multi-media products, I will remember Jobs best for his life lesson that if you dedicate yourself fully to a personal dream, you will receive good karma in return. To this end, he connected well with people by helping people connect better with other people technogically, and making a very successful company. Namaste!

"Fall from Grace": More abs required

And, then last night in yoga class as I tried a headstand at the end of class - my teacher caught me - literally - because it was going all wrong - and I was about to have a "fall from grace." More abs she said. More abs? So, yoga is not about relaxing! Abs are the devil of all movement exercise forms like dance and pilates! I even discovered the calm and serenity of my tai chi long form benefits from strong abs gripping away as you go so you can free up your extremities to more in their ethereal way... And now yoga too!?

Click here for the modern day guru Rodney Yee's take on strong abs and yoga!!

Yogic Flying

Next, I will attempt yogic flying LOL!





Perhaps some of you once remember that the Natural Law Party would make Canada's debt disappear magically and they would install yogic fliers into Canada's parliament. Don't worry American fans! American is or at least was rife with state level Natural Law Parties in several places! Congress may also be met happily and peacefully with yogic fliers in the future who will make Bush Jr's debt disappear magically!

Click here NOW for a classic Youtube clip:

Perhaps you remember this startling announcement by magician then representative of the Natural Law Party of Canada, Doug Henning, in the 1992 national election on public television numerous times a day (Where did they get the money from?! Where are they now when we need them sooooooo BADLY!?)

The King of All Poses

Last night I did a headstand for the first time. I took about 10 seconds to carefully bring my legs up. Even though I was only able to hold it for about 3 counts... I finally did it! I read so many naysayers on the Internet who said it was dangerous and you could only do it with a teacher... but the times I did fall I just rolled out like a front roll or the wall caught me if I was up against a wall.

Click here for a Youtube clip of a good headstand (sorry it's not me... YET!!!)

On Leg Flexibility

I don't know... but this seems harder than anything really... It's definitely harder than working on back flexibility for me. I read that there are progressive stretches where you pass through stretches with a range of movement or only holding them a short time - like most vinyassa flow Rodney Yee type videos, and there are static stretches - stretches held for a while. I looked around the Internet and Youtube, and came up with the following (and by no means exhaustive!) bank of stretches to improve flexibility in the legs (the ultimate - HA HA HA HA - goal being doing front and side splits... only in my dreams HA HA HA):

• Cobbler's pose - forward bend
• Lunge (left/right) with knee off ground
• Lunge (left/right) with knee on ground
• Lunges (both variations left/right) bending forward inside of forward leg
• Lunges (left/right) while holding back leg
• Front leg extended and back leg bend at support under you - bending over extended leg (left/right) foot flexed and then pointed
• Forward bend
• Humble warrior (left/right)
• Wide angle seated forward bend (left/right) feet flexed and then pointed
• Wide angle side reach (left/right) feet flexed and then pointed
• Wide angle bend over leg (left/right) feet flexed and then pointed
• Plank pose stretch foward (left/right) feet flexed and then pointed
• One-legged stretch forward bend (left/right) feet flexed and then pointed
• One-legged stretch forward bend with other leg tugged under (left//right) feet flexed and then pointed
• Pigeon upright (left/right)
• Pigeon bend over (left/right)
• Pigeon - grab ahold of back leg (left/right)
• Seated half lotus forward bend (left/right)

A page of "good" leg stretches I was working on...

On Upward Bows

I learned this pose incrementally. It demands both arm and leg strength, and shoulder and back flexibility. A few excellent preparatory poses that help me are camel pose, bow pose, and the bridge pose. Keep at it, and it will gradually get better! A good abdominal connection helps me.

Watched a clip by Lucas Rockwood who shows you where you can take the upward bow. His voice makes you feel like anyone can do it, but his extreme flexibility puts me to shame:

Click here to watch a super flexible upper bow!

On Headstands

Sure physically I still need work! I won't fool myself, but fear also remains a barrier to doing a headstand. I still need a wall even though I read and tried just rolling out of a failed headstand safely. Anyways, I can get as far as supporting my headstand with my legs fully tucked in and maybe on a good day being able to raise them a little. It will take me time to raise them fully... I don't feel familiar with where things should be placed. Still working through the head tail connection... Still feel like I need a wall behind me even though I know I could just roll out if I fell down... Somewhere down the road I'll try the headstand like my teacher - she raises her legs with them fully extended easily over her head...

This video on Youtube by Sardi Nardini shows the easier headstand I'm working on:

Click here to watch a good mini lesson on doing a headstand!