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.