A New Home for Yoga Therapy

Hey all, my blog is moving to sageyogatherapy.com.

I'm still in the process of making my site, but my blog page is ready to go. I would love your feedback on the site. Especially let me know if it isn't working right or looks funny on your browser. Also feel free to let me know if there are any topics you would like me to write about.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at my new site!

The Best Time To Do Yoga

I was reading an article about yoga the other day and one of the phrases really jumped out at me. "The people who tell you how amaaaazing yoga is are usually the ones who don't turn up regularly. Serious about your practice? Turn up when you're irritable as hell, then have the balls to take three deep breaths without running away." I love it!

The reason, well because it's so true. Anger and frustration are strong emotions and when you go to yoga you have to face your emotions. A lot of times they come up unexpectedly. I've had many students cry in class or later once they got home. Strong emotions we're buried in their bodies and their practice allowed a release. These emotions can be released through crying, laughing, screaming or shaking. It can last for a few minutes and may continue on and off for some with deep trauma for days or months. It's like turning on a hose. Once those emotions see a way out, they keep flowing till the well is dry.

In yoga, you have to breathe through the pain which brings you out on the other side a bit stronger. It takes courage to face strong emotions. It's easier to have a glass of wine and talk with friends about something that is upsetting you. But to face the situation alone, to feel it fully, well, that's brave. It's facing these fears that allows you to heal. Only letting go of something will give you peace. Masking it will do nothing but bury it deeper in the body.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to class mad about something. I felt like I was going to explode. But I couldn't. I had to use my soothing yoga voice and create a relaxing environment for my students. Going into class I would have given anything to not be there, but when I leave I feel great. I've processed my emotions by letting them go. Both in my mind and body.

It's important as a teacher not to pass on your negative emotions to your class. This should be true for everyone. People have enough stuff to deal with without you dumping more on them. There are some situations where it's appropriate to talk with people about things. However, yoga is a great resource for dealing with the little stuff that plagues your life. Leaving the time you spend with friends and loved ones to be filled up with happiness instead of nitpicking about the jerk that cut you off in traffic.


Yoga allows us to work through things in a slow and rational way. We push the physical reaction out of our bodies with the poses, we calm our nervous system with the breath and we clear the mind of bad thoughts by focusing on our breath and movement. By the time class is over you're calm and can look at the problem with a fresh perspective. You may find it isn't worth dealing with and simply let it go. Or you may now be calm enough to come up with a better solution than when you were angry.

Yoga is like Xanax. But it's not as simple as swallowing a pill. You have to get yourself to the mat, the mat will never find you. Yoga is a discipline. You have to do one pose, then another, even when you don't want to move at all. You have to take that first deep breath and follow with many more. Through the course of the class, what was once being forced, will begin to flow and the negative emotions and tense sensations in the body will begin to release.

Yogi's get the rap of being kind, relaxed and happy. Truth, we're human. We get mad, frustrated and sad. The difference between us and those that don't do yoga? We choose bravery over fear every time we step onto the mat. We're willing to face what scares us. We chose to be active in solving our emotional problems rather than stuffing them down deep or masking them with a pill until we think we can deal with it. So next time you feel that tension and frustration rise up, grab your mat and start to flow. Picture yourself as the brave yogi you are. Know that even though it's hard at first, you will eventually finish your practice feeling better. Grateful that you faced your fear and emotions head on.

Are You a Yogi?

What defines a yogi? Is it if you practice yoga, even if it's only once in awhile? Is it if you live a yogic lifestyle or perhaps it's if you teach? I truly don't know the answer to that one as I think it differs for each person. 

I feel what defines me as a yogi is that I live yoga in my daily life. I certainly don't get to class or practice at home every day. The physical aspect of my practice is pretty limited due to my schedule. However, my style of living and how I treat people is always being practiced along yoga guidelines. You could say I live my yoga daily, therefor I'm a yogi.

Some people are very proud to define themselves as a yogi. They feel that it puts them in a special light and it makes them happy to know that others see them living this way. That's fine, but not yogic. You should live that way because it makes you happy and gives you a good life. It's unyogic to live a way simply to impress others or even yourself. You should live the way you want to live because it's who you truly are or hope to be.

I've talked to so many people who tell me that they haven't tried yoga yet because they don't think they'd fit in. They don't have the right body or don't know enough about the practice. The truth is, we all have to start some where and we're all beginners at some point. All those yoga stars took their first step onto the mat with some sense of fear about what was to come.

I've found it interesting that when people find out I teach, that they like to tell me all about how yogic they are. Oh, I take X amount of classes, or oh, I've been doing yoga for X amount of years. Instead I would love to hear more about how yoga has affected them and changed their lives for the better. After all that is the best part of yoga. Tell me how it has helped with any chronic pain or how you emotionally feel lighter and more in control of who you truly are. How yogic you are isn't measured by how long you've been doing it or how many classes you've taken, but by how it's changed your life for the better.

There are so many things in our lives that leads to competition, yoga shouldn't add to that. There's no sense comparing yourself in class to the other yogi's. Their level of ability, the way they're dressed or if they've been doing it for years and you've just started. It's ok if you only get to class once in awhile or if you don't know all the sanskrit words (I'm even a bit bad about that). How yogic you are isn't measured by any of those things.


You're yogic if you love yoga. If you live by the Yama's and Niyama's. If you share your love of yoga, simply because you want others to have the same positive benefits you did from adding it to your life. Whether you study yoga more in depth and practice every day or if you only get to class once a month, if you truly love yoga, your a yogi in my eyes.

How Yoga Is Good For Your Health

One of the biggest things I took from my yoga therapy training was that stress kills, ages and makes you sick. Sorry not to sugar coat that, but it's the truth. Yoga believes that stress is the root of all disease. How, well, when you're stressed it puts strain on your body. When the body is strained it doesn't function well and things start to break down. We become more susceptible to illness and disease.

One major system in the body that is affected by stress is our digestive system. When we're under constant stress, this system will slow down. It does this so energy can be sent to other systems in the body that need to be vamped up in order to deal with the stress on the body. This causes us to have poor digestion which can lead to a lot of health problems like heartburn, ulcers and IBS to name a few.

Besides our digestion, stress affects other parts of our body. The most common we see due to stress is high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic pain, weight gain, sleep loss and skin conditions like hives, eczema or increased allergies. Stress brings on these things and eventually it all starts to snowball. You'll come to the point when you realize that your health is in a very bad place. I bet if you sit down and think about it, all of your problems started to show up during a stressful period in your life. Remove the stress and you'll begin to gain back your health.

One reason our society is so stressed out, is that we're constantly on the go and in the know. With smart phones, the Internet and a constant bombardment of news and information we never get the time to shut our brains off. We no longer have the time to focus on one thing. If we try, we're constantly interrupted by a beep from our phones notifying us of texts, emails and updates. This lack of focus and concentration ages us and can actually make us dumber.

Stress causes your body to slow down major systems that allow you to function in a healthy manor. It hypes up your brain and thoughts which leads to poor sleep and anxiety. Are you starting to see how stress leads to poor health? The way to fix this isn't just in a pill. It's all about giving your body and mind time to slow down. Shutting off your stress response and getting your body back to neutral. Yoga is the perfect tool for that.

Yoga gets your body moving. It squeezes, twists and pulls it which wakes it up and motivates it to start working better again. It teaches you to focus on one thing, your breath, for longer than a few seconds. This gives your brain a break and allows your body to come out of fight or flight mode and into relaxation. This allows you to reboot. Yoga sticks with you so when you have a stressful moment you can simply take a few deep breaths and trigger that sensation of relaxation that you've learned in class.

The science behind yoga and how it helps with stress and our overall health is being studied. Things that long practitioners of yoga already knew are now being proven by science. Institutes like Kripalu's Healthy Living is dedicated specifically to how yoga can lead to a healthier life.

Yoga is a great way to get yourself back to health. If you have a serious medical condition, it's important to work with your current health professional in incorporating yoga into your life. Many yoga therapist will work with your doctors to help find the perfect yoga practices to help you get back on track. Be mindful in choosing the right practice for you. You'll know when you find the right fit.

Like medicine, yoga must be done every day. Not necessarily a full practice, but the core beliefs. The Niyama's and Yama's are a great way to do this. By living the life of a yogi, meaning incorporating focused attention, relaxation and healthy living, your stress will begin to fade and become more manageable. You'll learn about balance and how you can choose happiness over anxiety. You'll figure out that you're ok just the way you are and that by accepting that you'll remove a lot of the stress that invades your life. You'll see how yoga can have a profound affect on your health.

What To Do When Meditation Is Annoying

I have an anxious mind and I'm a notorious multitasker. Sitting down and trying to shut off my brain is no easy task, for that very reason meditation has eluded me for years. A yoga practice has always worked for me as a way to relax. By the end of class my brain has shut off and the tension has left my body. I consider my yoga practice a moving meditation.

There are times in my day where I really need to let go and relax. A yoga practice just isn't practical (like when driving). But when I try to meditate, I can't get my mind to focus. I feel like I'm getting more anxious. Instead of meditation relaxing me, I find it annoying as it builds frustration because I can't let go.

I'm a physical person, which is why my brain and body responds so well to my yoga practice. I enjoy movement and find it calming. To sit still is so hard for me. Moving meditation is great, but not always an option. So what to do?

There's a lot of buzz out there about how great meditation is and how it can solve so many of our emotional and stress problems. There's almost this pressure to practice it. I often feel guilty that I don't practice meditation regularly, one would think as a yoga teacher I would practice it daily.

The first step to enjoying meditation, is not to feel that you have to do it. You can't make yourself relax. If you force it, you'll just end up causing more stress. You'll find meditation when you're ready. You can also ease into it. Don't feel that you have to start a daily practice. Perhaps just try it when you really need it in times of stress.

Add physical movements to your meditation. One thing I like to do is focus on my breath. On the inhale I'll ball my  hands into fists and picture my stress being squeezed in my hands. I then exhale through an open mouth (like a long sigh) and release and open my hands, imagining my stress floating away. The same technique could be applied to your shoulders. Inhale and raise your shoulders up towards your ears, on the exhale allow them to relax down.

Any kind of subtle movement will work with this technique. You're basically giving your mind and body something to focus on instead of all the chatter in your brain. Experiment a bit till you find the right little movement for you. Find a comfy position. If you're tired and trying to sit up in a perfect meditation position, you'll be annoyed. Sit against a wall or find a restorative yoga position. The key is to be comfortable, but not too much so that you don't fall asleep.

Mala beads are another great option. They're similar to prayer beads, where you run the beads through your fingers. With each bead you say a mantra (a positive saying). By the time you get to the end of your strand, hopefully your mind has cleared. Be specific when choosing your mala beads. They are generally hand made and the stones that you choose should have a specific meaning or energy that suits you.

The other nice thing about mala beads is that you begin to associate them with relaxation. On days when you know it's going to be hectic, you can wear your beads as a reminder to slow down and take a breath.

With the budding popularity of meditation, there's a lot of books and articles out there to reference and learn from. It's important to understand who you are and how you work. Meditation isn't a one size fits all. Just like you chose a yoga practice that works best for you, you'll want to choose a meditation that works best for your mind. Meditation shouldn't be one more irritant in your life, it's there to help you let go and cope with life's stresses.

Is Yoga All You Really Need?

I had a student ask me the other day if I thought yoga was the only exercise he needed (he's in his early 50's) or should he incorporate weight training into his exercise routine. Regardless of your age or fitness level, I feel that yoga is a well rounded form of exercise, but it can only do so much. In order to stay strong and build additional strength, you'll need more than your daily practice. Yoga does indeed build strength, but you'll eventually reach a plateau as you can only lift your own body weight.

There is a large variety of yoga classes out there, but not all of them focus on strength. If this is the case for your regular class, then you would definitely want to add weight lifting or a type of circuit class to your routine. One of the biggest dangers of yoga is hyper-flexibility. Once your muscles go past their stretch point (the point where they don't bounce back and protect your joints, think of a rubber band being over stretched) your major joints are left unprotected. This can lead to injuries and chronic pain.

If you're already at the point of hyper-flexibility, a good strength training routine will help prevent anymore damage and may help with chronic pain that you're already experiencing. Make sure to start slow though. When your muscles are over stretched it's easy to strain your tendons (where muscle connects to bone) which can cause tendinitis. The only way that heals is to not use the affected joint, which means no yoga or strength training for at least 4-6 weeks and in some cases even longer. 

Adding strength training will help keep your muscles in balance. It will also give you added strength and stamina that will take your yoga practice to a whole new level. It will improve your postures therefor protecting you from injuries because of weak muscles putting you into incorrect alignment.

Circuit training classes also help to boost your cardio. Yoga does have some cardio benefits, but not necessarily to the point that one should count on it as your only source.

Finding balance between building strength and a yoga routine will be different for everyone. You'll want to make sure that you've recovered from class before you go to another one, be it yoga or strength training. For example, I have a circuit class that I love and it's offered 5 times a week. I used to go Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do yoga on Tuesday and Thursday. My body told me pretty quick that I was over doing it. The fact that I was still sore by the time I went to my next class should have been a red flag for me to slow down.

Over use injuries are common in strength and circuit training. A lot of times injuries from this type of exercise is what brings people to yoga in the first place. As with anything, the type of exercise is all about balance. I now only do one or two circuit training classes a week. It all depends on how active I've been and how my body is feeling. The point of all this exercise is to make your body stronger, not weaker and more vulnerable to injury. If you feel sore or over tired, don't go to class. Consider a restorative practice instead. Exercise should give you energy. If it's only making you tired, you're doing too much.

Another great thing about adding strength to your routine is you can work out muscle imbalances in the body faster. Yoga is great at pointing out your imbalances, but slow at fixing them. Adding weights into the picture will speed up your body's ability to balance out, therefor allowing it to function better and less pain will be the result.

Yoga isn't a magic pill that can fix everything. It's important to keep other forms of exercise in your life. Just be mindful that the exercises you're doing are kind to your body and giving you some type of benefit. Keep the same mindfulness with your yoga practice. Injuries can and do happen, some slowly over time. The most important thing is to listen to your body.

Knowing When You're Too Tired

It's a beautiful Spring day here in Vermont so I decided to go and do a walking meditation in the woods to chill out. About five minutes into the walk I realized I was too tired to go on. I'm recovering from walking pneumonia, packing to move and painting our new house. I only teach once a week but have subbed for four classes in the last week. I'm tired.

In the past with this much on my plate, I would have pushed through and finished my to do list. Choosing my list over my health. I'm over that. Perhaps it's because I'm older and I know that the world won't fall apart if I don't get things done. Or maybe it's because I'm tired of being sick and worn out. You can't enjoy life if you're sleepy.

Knowing when to say when is important. For some of us it isn't easy. Perhaps you're a Pitta and you're driven by success. To you, if that to do list isn't done or you don't keep up with your social calendar, you've somehow failed. Perhaps you're shy and don't feel comfortable saying no to people.

Whatever the reason is for you being overbooked, you have to find a way to cut back. Make more time for yourself. In my case, I won't do anymore packing after dinner. That's my time to reboot. If friends ask me to hang out, I'll ask that they come to me so that I don't have to make more time in my schedule that I just don't have. Or, I just say no thanks and find another time to hang out.

One thing that people understand well is being busy. We've all had times in our lives when it's ruled by chaos. Chaos makes us plan, it makes us learn to control our stress and it teaches us that sometimes things don't work out well, but that we can come out on the other side of the situation stronger. In order to cope with life's adversities, we need to be rested. When we're tired we aren't on top of our game and life is harder.

What to do when you do decide to take time to relax and someone in your life gives you grief? Tell them that you think they should take the time they would have otherwise spent with you and use it to relax some themselves. Some think it's scary to have downtime, it's foreign to them and they often aren't sure what to do. If this is you, don't worry, once you get a taste of letting go, you'll crave it. It's like a long savasana, one of the most popular yoga poses. At first it's hard to be still, but eventually you'll wish the teacher gave you more time in the pose.

Yoga teaches us to honor our bodies. We do this by being mindful in our practice, feeding it healthy food and exposing ourselves to loving relationships. By allowing ourselves to get worn down, we aren't honoring our bodies. Like anything, if you overuse it, it will eventually wear out and not work right.

Everyone has their own thing they like to do to relax. Find yours and make time for it. Find something on your list that you can cut out. There's always something that can go. Don't feel you have to do your regular yoga practice. You can do a whole yoga practice laying on the floor. Restorative yoga is wonderful when you're feeling out of steam. Here is a link to a simple restorative practice. There's tons of info out there on the web and many studio's provide restorative classes.

When doing a restorative practice, only do poses that you want to do. If a pose is offered in class or in a video and you don't feel up to it, don't do it. The whole purpose of this is to do what feels good.

Never feel guilty about taking time for yourself, everyone needs to reboot. Making relaxation a daily practice in your life will have a profound affect. You'll be better able to handle the little things that come up daily. You'll know that when life gets busy that you still have your quiet bit of time carved out to let go. That alone will help you get through any tiring schedule.

Handling a Bad Yoga Teacher

We've all had one in our lives. It seems impossible to get through the world of education without having to deal with a bad teacher. Whether its a lack of knowledge on the subject or a lack of passion and personality, it can make the experience of learning a challenge.

I recently spoke with a friend who is going through a yoga teacher training. When she first started she was so excited about this new chapter in her life. However, due to her teacher, the experience has taken a turn for the worst. Her teacher has a different opinion about a certain topic and instead of talking openly and being neutral, the teacher embarrassed her in front of the other students. Doesn't sound very yogic to me.

Yoga is famous for some of its bad teachers. Power can go to your head easily when you are adored by hundreds. Narcissistic behavior is alive and well in yoga. My tradition is the only way and it must be done like this, no tweaking. How wrong is that? I believe in tradition and I think it's great. But I also believe in change and the amazing possibilities that it can produce. Many of the popular types of yoga out there were created by people who thought outside of the box. They took the knowledge they learned from their teachers and made it their own.

I get that tradition is important to some people, but to press that on your students and squash their creativity and exploration as a student is wrong. It's yoga people, not the army. You can't order your students to do things, nor should you embarrass them because of their free thoughts. One of the beautiful things about yoga, is breaking out of the shell that you've put yourself into and find your true self. If we all do the same practice, how are we being true to ourselves.

So how to deal with that yoga teacher? First off, take the time to ponder if it's even worth dealing with. You could choose to let the situation go and move on. When we confront people it saps our energy, an energy that could be better spent looking for another class. If you're stuck with your current teacher, create a mantra. A positive phrase that you can repeat when you're feeling the pressure. Know that when your schooling is done that you are free and you won't have to deal with this person ever again. Take what valuable lessons you can from the situation. Make sure that you never make a student or other person feel like your teacher made you feel.

If you do choose to confront the teacher, know what you're going to say. Have an example of a situation that upset you. Don't blame them or tell them how they could fix it, but find neutral words to talk to them and explain how their actions made you feel. Perhaps the teacher is unaware of what they've done or maybe you talking to them will shed some light for them on how their teaching style is perceived by other people.

Don't go into this situation expecting things to change. Keep an open mind that it could go either way. Stay present. A hostile situation is never easy so you'll need to pull yourself away from the negative. Focus on the good parts of the class or training. Draw your senses inward and focus on what you're feeling and thinking. If you feel tension rising in the body, do some breath work to try and calm down. Don't let the situation consume you, it defeats the purpose of you going to yoga in the first place. Take all the positive and leave the negative.

Every situation in our life is a teaching moment. Dealing with a difficult person who is helping to shape your life is challenging. Remember that people are the way they are because something made them that way. Your teachers issues are theirs, not yours. Don't let them fall on your shoulders. Once you leave that class, leave the problems with it at the door and go out into the world and make your unique mark.

Getting Your Groove Back

I read a great quote this morning. It's a philosophy called the Pura Vida. "Everything is good, life is beautiful, go with the flow, surrender to what is, let things go, enjoy your life." Perhaps it hit me as my life's in turmoil right now because we're moving. I'm a Vata so change and an uncertain future is difficult for me. But this quote simply states that I'm making my own chaos and stress. I'm choosing to be unhappy and scattered.

I tell students in class all the time how most of the pain and tension in their body is coming from their mind. Our thoughts and emotions physically affect our bodies. We can go through a yoga practice and feel relaxed, only to have the tension creep back in because we never let go of the emotions that led to the tension in the first place. We've created these negative grooves or samskara's in our way of thinking. In order to be happy, we need to get our positive groove back.

Committing to a regular yoga practice is a great way to make this quote a part of your life. When I say yoga practice I don't mean just waking up and doing the poses. A yoga practice should include not only poses but breath work, meditation and at least a 10-15 minute relaxation at the end. Like anything in life, if you just go through the motions, you won't get results.

Everything is good: focusing on the bad is easy. Especially in your practice and life. My knee hurts so I can't do a certain pose. I'm weak so I can't do an inversion. My marriage is bad because I never spend quality time with my spouse. You've got to change those negative thoughts into positive ones. Yes, your knee hurts and you're too weak to do an inversion, but that doesn't mean that's that. You can modify your brain like you modify your poses. Instead of thinking about how bad your relationship is with your spouse, think about ways that you could make it better. Be proactive. Like building strength to get into that inversion, changing our negative thoughts to positive takes time, but change can happen. It's all how you look at it.

Life is beautiful: you just have to slow down to look at it. When I step out of a yoga class my senses are on fire. I feel the breeze, notice the warmth of the sun and just walk around with a smile. I've cleared the tension out of my body and mind allowing me to enjoy the beautiful things in life more because I'm not focused on the bad.

Go with the flow: I love a flow yoga classes. I like linking my breath with my movement, it's almost like a dance. I find when I'm not in a flow class it feels awkward and clunky. The same is true in life. When we don't transition easy, things get mucked up. We fight things that aren't worth our energy. Life is easier if we just go with the flow on things that would take more energy than we have to give.

Surrender to what is: I'm hyper-flexible so there are some yoga poses that I just can't do anymore without causing more damage to my joints. I was pretty upset about this when I first figured it out. A practice I've done for years and love was suddenly going to have to change. I could fight this and be upset about it, but that would only take more away from my yoga practice. I've now adapted my practice to fit my physical needs, I've surrendered to where my body is at this time. I chose to let go of the turmoil instead of fight it and I've now got a new practice I love.

Let things go: what's the point of dwelling? All it does is maintain the negative emotion you felt in the first place. We tend to hold onto these negative emotions because we want an explanation or resolution to the thing that set us off in the first place. Most likely you'll never get that. Do yourself a favor and let go of what irks you. Your body and overall health will thank you. You can't live a happy life if you're holding onto other peoples crap.

Enjoy your life: you should do one selfish thing every day. We tend to do more for others than we do for ourselves, especially if you're a parent. Make sure to do one thing every day that is just for you. Go for a walk, take a class or simply find time alone to read for awhile. The world won't end.

A good yoga class or practice will give you the sensation of how great it feels to completely let go. In class don't just focus on the physical practice but on the breath and releasing the mind. The yoga breath you do and the focusing of the mind are what truly relieves your tension. If you can't let go of the mind stuff and take a deep breath, all that stretching will be for nothing. Let go of all that weighs you down. You have to choose a good life, it won't just happen to you.

Drishti: Bring Your Life Into Focus

The last couple of weeks have been a whopper. I went from spending an amazing time in the Caribbean with friends to sick for a week with walking pneumonia. In the midst of that, my husband and I had a long hard talk about our future and what we want as far as work and where we're living. A lot of change is coming our way and with being sick I've had a heck of a time focusing. My mind flutters from what the future will hold to how far behind I am with everything because of my illness.

In yoga we use the term drishti, which means to focus. It's used a lot when going into a balance pose. Students are told to fix their gaze, or drishti. Focusing allows them to stay balanced and not fall out of the pose because of the distractions that are all around them.

This same principal can be applied to your life. I can drive myself crazy with all I have to do in the coming months. Worry myself sick on how it will all work out. But what good would that do me? All worry will do is wear me down and make me sick again and cause a strain on my relationship with my husband.

When we're unfocused it drains our prana or energy. Prana is our life force and when it's depleted we're left exhausted and our mental clarity suffers. This can lead us to make bad decisions and leave our emotions in turmoil. Not a great way to live.

Improving our ability to focus just takes practice. It's like when you first started doing yoga and had to learn to breathe properly. At first you had to think about it, but eventually it became natural. You just have to give yourself a gentle reminder to bring the mind back to the task at hand. Don't beat yourself up every time this happens, as it will happen a lot.

If you find your mind drifting to a specific topic, like in my case where we're going to live, make a plan. For example I will write down a timeline of when I hope for things to happen. Communities we want to live in, websites where I can find rentals and keep an open discussion with my husband about how things are going. When you have something that is distracting your attention, it's nice to be able to discuss it with someone you trust. They can help reel your imagination back down to reality.

Drishti Yoga Techniques

• Meditation: when you're having a hard time focusing, close your eyes and count your breath. Or try a walking meditation.
• Sun Salutation A or B: move through this sequence 5 to 10 times and focus on the breath. Move slow and deliberately.
• Try a balance pose: nothing helps me focus more than a balance pose. You're so busy trying to not fall over that you can't think of anything else. Soften your eyes and find a spot to focus on either on the wall or the floor. Great poses are tree, dancers, eagle or crow. Any balance pose will work though.
• Take a yoga class:  If you're really out of sorts you may need a whole class to calm down and come back into focus. You'll also surround yourself with a supportive community that you can possibly talk to about your issues.

No matter the chaos in your life or the unknown future, you can bring your life into focus. You just have to settle your mind. Our minds are funny like that, they will get out of control if we let them. We can harness our prana and direct it so that it benefits us, rather than deplete it, leaving us feeling out of control and unproductive. We just have to focus.

Can Yoga Make You Authentic?

The definition of authentic is interesting. Au-then-tic: of undisputed origin; genuine; not false or copied; real...are you authentic? I wonder about that sometimes. I'm a people watcher and I often question if someone is truly expressing themselves? Is what they show on the outside a true representation of who they are on the inside? A good way to tell is by their body language.

I read a short article about how to see if you're authentic and it asked you four questions.

1. What's your voice doing? When you're acting natural and in your comfort zone your voice will reflect that. If you aren't, you tend to use a high voice. A sign that you're nervous because you aren't being true to yourself.
2. What's your body doing? Are you holding tension? If so why? What are you doing, saying, wearing or thinking? Your body knows you're up to something and it's giving you a warning that you need to change because you aren't comfortable with what you're doing or being.
3. Are you breathing? We hold our breath when we're stressed or uncomfortable.
4. Are you present or hyper-vigilant? When we're in the present moment we're being true to ourselves. We're looking at the situation for what it is, not trying to change it. When we're in an environment or situation that we aren't comfortable with, we have to be hyper-vigilant in order to protect ourselves. We're unsure of being accepted so we have to stay on top of our charade. 

Authenticity doesn't come easy. We're in a world of fades, something that is cool this week may change the next. Money is a big part of this. It's starts when we're children with kids picking on us because we're different. I often wonder when my daughter, who is now in kindergarten, will have to start dealing with this. We grow into adulthood with this thought that in order to fit in we have to be like everyone else. The kids who did stay authentic were often considered weird or outcasts. It's so sad that our society celebrates this lack of authenticity.

Yoga gives you the courage to be authentic. It does this by giving you the tools to pull back all the layers of false identities that you've gained over the years. You eventually find yourself at your core, your true self and you can see who you really are under all the muck. It teaches you not to be afraid of who you are and that your true friends and family will love the real you. It shows you how important it is to surround yourself with people that accept you and know that it's ok to let go of the ones that don't. Let go of things that don't serve you, that includes people. Check out the Yamas and Niyamas. A good start to living an authentic life.

A lot of emotions flow in a yoga class. People cry, get frustrated and laugh. People are very honest in this setting. You learn over time that it's refreshing to show your real emotions in front of people. Yogi's are well known for the support they give fellow students. We're realistic in the fact that we know everyone suffers and everyone needs help at some point. We won't judge you for your choices, but encourage you to be who you are and give you a helping hand along your journey.

Yoga teaches you about self doubt. A lot of times we're unauthentic because we doubt we'll be accepted for who we really are. Yoga brings you out of your shell and slowly exposes the real you. It's done in a safe environment, without judgment so you realize it's ok to expose the real you. When you're judged, you learn not to take it personally, it's not about you, but that someone is fighting their own internal battle. Make sure you give that courtesy to others. If you don't like being judged, I bet others don't either.

Nurturing environments are important in gaining the courage to be authentic. Don't set yourself up for failure by bringing your true self out to a bunch of people who you know aren't accepting. Have the courage to let those people fade from your life. If they have a hard time accepting you when you're fake, how will they judge you when the real and best part of you comes out? Find people who are like you, who share your interests and ideas. As hard as it is to let go of a toxic relationship, it's even harder to stay in it.

Not sure who the real you is because it's been so long since you've seen him or her? Meditate on it a bit. Try a walking or a seated meditation. Another way to get deeper into your thoughts is to do a cluster chart. Write one thing down about you that you like and circle it. Then any other traits or ideas that pop into your head write down and circle that. A sample of a cluster chart is to the right.

 If you can't think of anything to write at first, just start writing words down that pop into your head, or just come up with something to start, your hair color, what your wearing, how you feel people see you. The creative juices will start flowing. If you find you've written more negative than good things, it's really time to change and find the real you. Being unauthentic makes us unhappy.

Once you have your chart, take a highlighter and mark the traits you find the most desirable. That's the authentic you. Come up with a mantra, a positive saying that you can repeat to yourself when you're feeling unsure about presenting the real you. Like, "I'm living a fuller life as the real me." or something positive to reinforce your authentic self. There will be haters, people who aren't understanding. Remember to let those people go. They're probably just upset that you had the courage to do what they couldn't.

Find a support group, my choice, a local yoga class. Make a friend there that you can talk with. Odds are that they're on their own personal journey. Yoga takes us places we never thought we could go and it's always nice to have a friend along on the journey. Someone you can talk things over with and not feel judged. 

Have you ever come across an old person who is authentic? It's the one that has ice cream smeared on her chin but doesn't care. She laughs as she wipes it off and continues to eat the rest of her cone with a smile. Maybe her hair is a mess or her outfit is outdated, but you know what, she's happy to be alive and healthy. She's grateful for the family she has in her life. She's learned throughout her years that life is too short to worry about the little things. That what's important is enjoying your ice cream and being happy with who you are in life. Please don't wait until you're old to realize this. Find your authentic self today and start living how you want to live now.

The Legal Future of Music in Yoga

The owner of the studio I work for sent me an interesting email this morning. It was regarding the future of playing music in yoga classes and how it may eventually cost us money. I was shocked at first, but then thinking of all the other legal issues that have been invading the sanctity of yoga, why be surprised at one more.

Music has always moved me. I still remember the music from the first yoga class I took. The songs were perfectly timed with the pace of the class. When I was working hard the music was fast paced and helped me power through. When it was time to relax it was slow and invited me to go deeper into my Savasana. Music allows students to go deeper into their practice. I love using it in my own class and I'm saddened by the thought of not being able to use it because I can't afford to pay for a license.

Some yoga purist think that music shouldn't even be a part of yoga. That it's distracting. You can't fully connect to the breath and the body if your mind is distracted by a song. When I first started yoga I couldn't keep my mind focused on my breath and body to save my life. But I could focus on the music. Over time my attention was calmed by the music and I could move on to watching my breath and listening to my body. Music was my meditation training wheels. Without it, I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with yoga, because to my anxious mind, quiet was scary.

A group called ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is targeting yoga studios as a source of licensing revenues. Letters have been sent out requiring these studios, who are playing music from artist connected to ASCAP, to purchase a license for the music they're playing. ASCAP"s mission is as follows: "We protect the rights of ASCAP members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. Our licenses encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly." According this this, a yoga class is a "non-dramitic public performance".

I support the right to be protected. Music has changed a lot over the years and artists are losing money. However, the music I play in my class I bought. I paid for it on iTunes. I paid the artist. This is true for most yoga studios. Teachers for the most part put together their own playlists on their smart phone and bring it to class to attach to the sound system. It isn't even part of the yoga studio. It seems to me like they're wanting me to pay them many times over as you have to pay for a new license each year.

There is also the issue of class size. I've had classes as small as three people and as big as twenty. Some of the larger studios can have up to 70 plus people in them. Where is the cut off for this license? Should I have to pay the same as the bigger studios even though I'm not playing the music to as many people? 

The music I play in my class is, for the most part, background noise. People aren't coming to specifically listen to it. It isn't some radio station or Pandora (which is covered by a blanketed license, as is Spotify, so is probably ok to use), but songs I paid for. I'm not promoting music, I'm practicing and teaching yoga. The point of this license is to have studios pay who will be playing an artist's music for a large crowd. A yoga class isn't a large crowd nor is it a performance. According to ASCAP's definition of non-dramtic performance, yoga doesn't even seem to fit the bill. But with all law, it is open to interpretation and that is what's scary for the future of music in yoga.

This makes me think of royalty rights that a radio station has to pay or a commercial gym that has the music playing over their speakers non stop. Seems like they're over reaching trying to get into the pockets of yoga studios (most of whom don't have the extra money to spare). Sure there are some big yoga studios out there that probably don't have the teacher streaming the music off of their playlist and should pay the license, but to categorize them all into one group and make them pay, seems harsh.

This is still in the early stages, but who knows what will come. Yoga is becoming more of a business than a practice. Whoever thought that you could patent the floor plan for a live yoga class via video. Yup, it's been done. Or Bikram trying to copyright a sequence of yoga postures. This is all getting so complicated. Whatever happened to just doing yoga? The more popular yoga gets the more we lose touch with its core principals.

Gary Kissiah wrote an informative article on this topic here. Check it out. If you're a teacher you should give it a read. Who knows what the future of music in our classes will look like. For now I will enjoy playing the music I paid for to my students. I'll savor yoga for its purity, and try to let go of the disgust I feel at the people who are turning this tradition into a business deal.

Letting Go of Imperfections

I'm not perfect, shocking I know, but I bet you aren't either. Truth be told, none of us are but for some reason we all strive for it. How we look, what we do and the money we make are typically out there on display to be judged by the whole world...or is it? How much of who we are and what we do is done simply for an impression to be made on others? How many of the great ideas in the world would have gone undiscovered if we were all alike?

I've never been that person who did something because it was the thing to do. I always found it a bit annoying mostly because I didn't understand why the thing was being done in the first place. I also don't like to feel uncomfortable (never did the skinny jeans thing for that reason). I'm not saying that I've never felt like I needed to improve on something because I was afraid of being judged, I am human after all, but I've learned over the years that what matters more than impressing others, is impressing myself.

Many people will find themselves in an unhappy spot because they've been so busy making themselves look good to others, that they've lost touch with what they really want. It's like that click in high school, where we all wore our hair in a ridiculous style because some random cool kid was bored one day and came up with a style that borderlined insane (the 90's). How much thought do you really put into what you wear, the work you do or the things you buy? If you practice yoga are you in a class that's right for you or are you doing what's popular despite what it might be doing to your body?

The pressure to fit in is present in yoga. Yoga's popularity over the years has soared, especially styles like power and vinyasa yoga. I love both of these practices, but they aren't suitable for everyone. I've seen so many students try and stick with this practice and trash their bodies in the process all to fit in with what's cool. Just because that crazy bendy girl in class can do an arm balance with her legs in lotus doesn't mean you should. Let's be practical people.

Yoga teaches us to let go of our egos. To let go of the things that we hate the most about ourselves and be ok with them. Why are we so worried about others judging us but have no trouble judging ourselves? We're our own worst critic. We'll change in an instant for someone else but won't do that for ourselves. Why is that?

The moral of the story? Be comfortable in your own skin. Be happy with all the choices that you make in your daily life. When you're choosing to do or buy something, make sure you're choosing it for you and not to impress someone else. The happiness of the life you live is dependent on choices you make daily. Check the tone and criticism of the voice in your head. Is it you that's speaking or someone else? Perhaps it's a parent or friend. There are lots of people in our lives who think they know what's best for us, have told us we aren't good enough or don't look perfect. The only person who can be a good judge of that is you.

Learning to let go of our imperfections and embracing them isn't easy and it takes time. Most often people don't even notice these things, but we blow them up in our mind and we think they're out there for the whole world to see (like that grey hair that just keeps popping up). Take some time to meditate on what you consider an imperfection. Investigate if other people see this as well or if it's just you. Picture what your life would be like without this imperfection. Perhaps come up with ways to turn it into something great or fix it so it isn't an issue for you anymore. Wishing something isn't there isn't the same as facing it and fixing it. Look your imperfections in the eye and deal with and accept them. It's similar to talking about the elephant in the room. Maybe that elephant will never be gone from your life, but you at least can learn to get comfortable with it.

Yoga teaches us that we can work with imperfection. Some poses for us will never be attainable and we have to learn to be ok with that. Perhaps you have an injury that your body won't ever heal from. You have to accept that and adapt your practice. The same is true in life. Accept and adapt. Don't judge and wallow. Life is too short for that. Do you really think when we're 80 we're going to care about something that seems so important in our 20's and 30's? Think about the things in your life that really do matter and focus on those. Life is just too short to worry about anything else.

Conquering Handstand

Sometimes life is better upside down. When things get too serious it's nice to get a fresh perspective. Inversions teach us about strength, persistence and patience. The actual act of going upside down revitalizes the body, it's better than a cup of coffee. Inversions also add a cardiovascular workout to your practice. They're a beautiful thing, but for some a bit daunting.

There are a lot of things that have to come together for you to get into a handstand. Strength is not the only thing you need. Flexibility in the shoulders, awareness of where your hips and legs are, the ability to contract and relax as needed and an emotional willingness to let go and try something that may scare you.

Many students when first trying a handstand will throw themselves up against a wall and, in vain, attempt to pull their feet off the wall, only to crash to the ground or back to the wall. You can't force yourself into this pose. It's a balance of body and mind. Sheer will won't do it.

There are a few things you need to check before you go into your handstand. Shoulder flexibility, core strength and mental control. If you have tight shoulders you won't be able to rotate enough to get smoothly up into the handstand position and hold it. Without the core strength and control you won't be able to maintain the pose.

To test your shoulders to see if they're open enough for this inversion, come into Dolphin pose. If you're feeling a pretty intense stretch here, be aware that your shoulders may hinder your ability to get into headstand. But don't worry, you now have something to work towards. A routine of good shoulder stretches listed below will help to open up the rotation in your shoulder joints and allow you to invert with ease. Don't force yourself into handstand before your shoulders are ready, you'll only hurt them.

Dolphin
Eagle Arms
Reverse Plank
Sphinx: you can do this with your palms down or together. Lift up and expand through the chest.
Strap stretch: Fold a strap in half and hold one end in each hand. Stand in chair pose holding the strap in front of you. Space your arms wide enough so that you can rotate it above your head, and if flexibility allows, behind you. You'll basically be making an arch from in front of you to behind you, like making an upside down U over your head. If you have any popping or clicking span your arms wider. Don't push through, only rotate as much as the joint comfortably allows. Go slow and move with the breath, inhale up, exhale down. Over time you should be able to expand your range of motion.

Once your shoulders are open, the next thing to work on is your core strength. Come into plank and hold it until you feel your abs. The area in your abs that you're feeling is the same muscles you'll need to engage when lifting up into handstand. The biggest mistake students make with this pose is to use momentum to get up rather than core strength. If you're flinging yourself up, you'll never get off the wall and into the middle of the room. Without the wall you'll just keep going and crash to the floor.

The best way to learn to use your core is to come into dolphin pose and kick up. The reason you want to start in dolphin instead of on your hands is that the distance is less to kick up. It's like putting on training wheels. Start with small kicks and notice the point in which your abs kick in. About half way up your abs should take over and pull you the rest of the way up. Once you can get up with control, leave dolphin behind and try kicking up on your hands.

Now that you're up on the wall, you need to get control of your hips and abs. When we're leaning on the wall we have a pretty good bend in our low back. Engage your abs and tuck your hips, this will pull your legs off of the wall. Make sure when you do this that you don't tense your shoulders. Allow for movement and flexibility in your body, a stiff body can't hold handstand. It's like any balance pose, allow for fluidity and you will stay balanced. Lift and expand your chest, don't allow it to collapse. Also make sure not to sink into the shoulder joints. Extend throughout the entire body, from the wrists to the toes.

Good poses to help strengthen your abs are:
 
Plank: You can do this pose either on your hands, or if your shoulders are tight on your forearms.
Boat
Triangle: Don't place your hand on your leg, use your core to hold yourself up.
Locust: to add more challenge, extend the arms out to the side or out in front of you.

When our bodies go upside down, any postural imbalance that you had corrected while upright will come back to haunt you. Our brains are funny like that. Simply correct the issue like you did before. You just have to let your upside down brain catch up with your upright one.

If your neck and upper back hurt after practicing handstand, notice if you're holding tension in that area when you're doing the pose. Also, relax your hands, don't grip the floor. As for your neck, when you go up in the pose, don't crank your neck to look at the floor, but just let the head drop and hang. If you have any serious medical conditions, talk with your doctor before doing this pose. If you have glaucoma, inversions should be avoided.

If you can hold a long plank then you can do handstand. If you can hold a long plank and you feel weak and wobbly in handstand, your body isn't the problem, it's your mind. Inversions can be scary. If you like a lot of order and predictability in your life, headstand is going to challenge you. You have to learn to let go and trust that things will be ok, even when they're turned upside down. Leaving the stability of the ground to take flight teaches us that sometimes in life you just have to let go and jump into the unknown. Yes, you will fall, yes you may get hurt, but eventually you will find that you're strong and stable and the confidence that you gain from taking that jump was worth it.

Is Tension Your Security Blanket?

Anger and fear are powerful. When you're feeling weak and vulnerable the surge of power you feel when you get angry can be addicting. That is why anger can be so dangerous. Drugs aren't the only thing that we get addicted to, emotions can be easily abused as well. There have been situations when I can feel the anger rising in me. My conscious brain knows that I need to calm down but the surge of adrenaline that is running through my body feels so good that I don't want to stop. Letting go of my anger is a wonderful release. I feel powerful and in control of the situation, but the results I get from it leave me feeling awful. Like the druggie that comes down from a high, the lows are the lowest.

The tension that we hold in our bodies is a constant reminder of our stress, anger and fear. But is also reminds us of how strong we were when we fought back and gives us a sense of protection. I was doing hypnosis the other day and the woman was doing a great job at getting me to relax. I noticed however that I had to keep letting go of tension in my body, it kept creeping back up. As I'm trying to relax I kept thinking, why can't I let go of this tension? How is it serving me? It must be giving me something, otherwise I could easily let it go.

Tension is the bodies way of telling you that something is wrong. It's our alarm system. Typically a lot of the alarms we set off are all in our head and unnecessary. We feel safer if we're always on guard and ready for anything, but that is a painful way to live, literally.

My daughter has a blanket named "Fuzzy" that's she's had since she was a toddler. Whenever she's hurt or sad she loves to snuggle with it. It calms her and helps her feel and safe. I find that my tension is the same way, only not as comforting. When I was trying to let go of the tension in my body I found that I was afraid to do so. I felt that it would leave me unprotected. It was like the first day of school when I told my daughter she couldn't take her Fuzzy with her. She felt vulnerable. What if she needed it? I felt the same way about my tension. If I learned to let go of it, how would I know when something was wrong? How would my body warn me? Without my tension I feel vulnerable and open to attack.

Truth is, my body would still tell me. I'm hard wired for that natural response of fight or flight. The difference is, that I would let it go once it served me. Not hold onto it like a shield. My body could relax after the confrontation rather than stay tense and worry about the next thing coming.

My daughter eventually learned that she could handle the hard things in life without her Fuzzy and I have to learn that I can let go of tension and deal with things as they come rather than walking around guarded all the time. It's ok to let things go and not worry about them all the time. It's ok to deal with anger in a healthy way rather than let it build up till it explodes. Not only will my life be calmer and relationships be smoother, but my body will feel better. I won't be walking around with tension, but free and relaxed. By starting off relaxed in tense situations, rather then already wound up, I'll be better able to handle them. Thinking before I act rather than letting the adrenaline rush of anger dictate my actions.

Try the following relaxation technique and see how well you let go of tension. If you can't seem to release it, meaning you get a body part relaxed only to find a few minutes later that it's tense again, keep trying to relax that body part till it lets go. After you're done, journal your thoughts. Why do you think you can't let go? What are you protecting? What would happen if you let go? If you don't get any answers, try the exercise again the next day. Keep at it, eventually you'll get a response.

Lying in a comfortable position work your way through the body relaxing each part. Inhale a sense of relaxation and on the exhale completely let go. If it helps, you can imagine a relaxing color and on the exhale flood the body part you're trying to relax with that color. It also helps to imagine that you're in a relaxing and safe place. Work from your toes up to your head.

Relax through the following body parts: Feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, butt, low back, upper back, stomach, chest, fingers, hands, lower arms, upper arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, eyes, forehead and entire head. Don't worry if you forget a body part, remember the goal is to just let go.

 There are a lot of CD's on conscious relaxation. If you're not up to doing your own, try one of those. iTunes is full of them.

We all hold on to things for a reason. Finding out why you hold on to tension will give you the answer to letting it go. My daughter still uses her Fuzzy now and then, but she's learning to cope without it more and more the older she gets. As adults we will always have that scared child in us and it's nice to have a security blanket. Instead of that blanket being your tension, why not let it be your belief that you are strong enough to handle the hard things that life throws at you. Let your faith in yourself be your security.

The Mentality of a Yogi

Yoga changes your brain. Studies are beginning to show this as fact, something that long time practitioners of yoga already knew. Even after practicing for a short time, people will begin to notice results. This is due in part to the meditative effect of yoga, which allows you to focus your mind by connecting it to your breath. I often tell my students, most of the benefits of yoga are found in the breath. We learn it’s ok to slow down and our mind and body enjoy the break. 

Most of the stress and anxiety in our bodies is created from the thoughts in our minds. Our actions and reactions are often initiated without any thought at all. Yoga teaches us it’s ok to slow down and take a second to think, rather than acting impulsively. Whether you’re choosing what to eat, how to respond to someone or how to plan your day, yoga can help change the way you think so that you have a more positive experience.

When you start doing yoga you expect certain physical changes. As with the physical, the mental takes some time to develop. A true yogi isn’t measured by how far and perfect they can get into a pose, but by how they present themselves to the world and how they treat themselves. Sadly there are some people who do yoga and have a beautiful physical practice, but are lacking the true nature of a yogi. They haven’t found the real spirit of the practice and yoga holds many of them, more than I could ever list.

We thrive on patience. It’s a fast paced world out there and our culture has gotten into the mode of got to have it now. Cultivating patience is hard, but the rewards are worth it. If you simply slow down and wait, you’ll still get the same results. The only thing missing will be the frustration of trying to be first. Patience is learned through our practice by working towards a certain pose or building the strength to make it through class. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Take the time you have to wait and use it to check in. Notice while you’re calm, how frantic the chaos tends to be around you. How miserable people look when they’re rushing and not caring about their affect on people. Create a moment of bliss for yourself by being patient.

We listen fully, without interrupting. People love it when you listen to them, especially when you make eye contact and don’t interrupt them. It makes them feel important and shows you care about what they have to say. Don’t look at your phone, don’t let your eyes wander but really listen. You’ll be amazed at what you can find out and the interesting conversations you can get yourself into. Yoga teaches us to treat others how we would like to be treated, to be kind and considerate. Listening to someone embodies both of these traits. Yoga has taught us to turn off all the random thoughts in our head so we have more space to listen fully to others.

We rationalize before we panic. Taking a second to take a breath and calm down will help you make better decisions. When we don’t stop to think, we make rash decisions that aren’t always the best. Even pausing for a few seconds can make a difference. Yoga teaches us that we have time and that it’s ok to slow down. The world won’t leave us behind. The difference of a few seconds can have a major impact on a situation.

We find the positive in an impossible situation, because we know nothing is permanent. Even if you’re in a situation that totally sucks, it will pass. It’s how you endure that situation that makes the difference. If you suffer through it and complain the whole time it will only make it all the worse. If you can’t find anything positive about what you’re going through, just remember to breathe and know that it can’t last forever. It’s like when you’re in plank for the longest time. It feels like it will never end and it doesn’t feel good, but like all things you eventually come out of it. You even end up being a bit stronger than when you went in.

We live in the moment. This moment is all you’ve got. If you’re thinking about the past or focusing on the future, you’ll miss a lot of stuff. Being in the moment is better for us emotionally. We aren’t caught up in something that isn’t really happening, but focusing on what’s in front of us. Less stress for the mind makes for a happier body.

We love to share our positive experiences. Whether it’s trying to get someone to try yoga for the first time or getting someone to take a deep breath and calm down, yogi’s like to share our happiness. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always pure bliss when you’re a yogi, but we aim to not dwell on the bad stuff. Yoga is good at opening your eyes so that you can truly see the world and the people in it. It’s not always a pretty picture. Wanting to share yoga so that others can find bliss like you is natural. We don’t like to see others suffer when we know there is a way out.

We know when to say no. Yoga teaches you that it’s ok to take care of yourself. It teaches you that you don’t have to please everyone, especially if it only makes you suffer. Learn the art of communication. Tell people thank you for the offer, but you can’t do it. Don’t make up excuses, but be honest. You aren’t being selfish when it comes to taking care of your body and your mind. In class you know when to back off of a pose so you don’t get hurt or overdo it. The same applies to your schedule. 

Yoga isn’t a magical pill. It takes work to get your mind to change for the better. Not being harsh on yourself when you fail is priority. Mistakes will be made and bad days will happen, but what’s important is that you try again. Eventually all the good mental habits you pick up from this practice will become the norm. That is why yoga is a good daily practice. You’re reminded every day how great your brain can feel and function when you give it a break.