A Guidebook On How to Live

How you choose to live your life is totally up to you. When we find ourselves in “sticky” situations it is nice to have a guidebook on how we should act. If you are religious you might follow the ten commandments or whatever religious doctrine within your religion gives you advice. Many traditions in yoga follow the Yamas and Niyamas.

These are 10 ethical guidelines that act, in a sense, like a how to manual for your life. The Yamas cover how you should act, towards yourself and to others. The Niyamas are more about you personally and how you should take care of yourself. They are quite simple, but their meaning, and their impact if followed, can have a significant outcome.

The Yamas are how we treat others, and to some extent ourselves. This can be through speech and our actions or inaction. This can apply to people, animals or our planet, basically anything living. Some people base their diets (vegetarianism is one) on the Yamas.

Ahimsa: non-violence, be kind.

Satya: truthfulness, don’t lie.

Asteya: non-stealing, don’t take what isn’t yours.

Brahmacharya: non-excess, only use what you need to survive, this one is hard for those who like to shop.

Aparigraha: non-possessiveness, share with people.

The Niyamas are how we treat ourselves. In order to be happy, we need to treat our body, mind and soul with respect. The Niyamas help us to do that.

Saucha: purity, take a shower and clean your home regularly.

Santosha: contentment, do things in your life to be happy, but not at the expense of others.

Tapas: self-discipline, don’t let yourself run wild.

Svadhyaya: self-study, introspection, find out what is going on in your head.

Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender, give up to a higher power those things that are out of your control.

Most of these are pretty self explanatory. I’m not going to go into great detail here, but in later blogs I will cover each of the Yamas and Niyamas. If you want to explore deeper before then, there are numerous books and online articles out there.

If you are religious, you will notice the Yamas and Niyamas are pretty similar to other religious doctrines. The basic goal is to be good to yourself, your community and the environment. If this is something that you are interested in, don't feel the need to make the change overnight. Start with one Yama or Niyama and work your way through. It may be hard at first, but eventually it will just be the way you live. People will notice and perhaps even follow suit.

When Did My Body Get Older?

I dusted off my rock climbing shoes this morning and took my five year old rock climbing. In my twenties I used to climb all the time. At the gym, outdoors top roping or bouldering. I loved it and could do it with ease.

As we packed up our gear and headed off to the rock climbing gym I was reminiscing about some of my favorite climbs and how great it would feel to get back on the wall...well lets just say I enjoyed myself, but it wasn't the same. Somewhere over the last 10 years my body got older. I don't recall rock climbing shoes ever being comfortable, but they seemed to hurt a lot more. My joints protested as I climbed up the wall and I noticed I didn't like heights as much as I used to.

It's not that I'm out of shape, yoga and cardio training has kept me in great shape. Rock climbing is it's own beast, those of you who are, or used to be climbers, will attest to this. My climbing today woke me up to the realization that even though I'm not old, my body is showing signs of aging. Specifically my joints. I assume this is due to all the abuse I put them through in my younger years and because I am hyper-flexible.

I was pretty disappointed when I realized I didn't love rock climbing anymore. I'm at the point in my life that if it hurts, I don't feel the need to do it. But then joy spread through me as I watched my daughter fall in love with it. She spent two and a half hours climbing. I literally had to peel her off the mat and take her home. She was exhausted and still wanted to climb. My passion will live on through her.

Letting go of parts of us doesn't have to be sad or painful. Take a moment to relish the thing that you had and then let it go. It will open you up for something else. I don't know what will replace my rock climbing, but I do know that something will. Till then I will belay my daughter with a wide grin on my face and find pure joy in her adventure.

Ahimsa: Incorporating Non-Harming Into Your Life

I remember my mother's voice quite clearly telling me as a kid to just be nice. Whether I was being rude to a friend or trying to annoy my brother, my mother was teaching me about ahimsa. Now that I'm a mom I find that I am teaching this to my daughter as well, but not just with how to treat her friends and family, it involves every aspect of her life.

Ahimsa means non-violence or non-harming. This is a broad definition as there are  numerous ways in which we find to hurt ourselves, the people around us and the planet. From the physical activities we do, the diet we eat, how we talk and act towards people, the products we buy and the amount of trash we produce, it all has an effect.

Ahimsa is a Yama which is part of the Niyama's all of which are 10 ethical guidelines that you can choose to live your life by. They are the first two limbs of the eight fold path found in many yoga traditions. They are like a how to list on how to live your life and take care of your body.

Some of the ways we harm are pretty obvious, but what about the subtle ones. The bad thoughts that play over and over in your head telling you that you aren't good enough. Doing something at work that saves you time but will make more work for another person. Not recycling. Eating meat from farms that are cruel to the animals. These are all things that hurt someone or thing.

Fully practicing ahimsa takes awareness and patience. You need to take the time with each action or conversation you have to see if it is going to hurt someone or thing, even if it is inadvertently. Some choices, like the food or clothing we buy, are affected by the amount of money we have. Buying organic and locally sustained products isn't cheap. You can't beat yourself up if you can't be pure ahimsa, but you can feel proud if you at least try. You can only do what you can do.

My mother taught me ahimsa, even though she didn't realize it at the time that she was. I will pass this on to my daughter. The lessons I am teaching her are also a daily reminder to me as to what choices I chose to make and why. Nothing is more pure than a five year old asking you why you do something. The yama's and niyama's give me a pretty straightforward guide book to follow. It's the best parenting advice I've received so far.

Living Up to the Yogi Persona

I’m having one of those days where I feel like my brain is in a fog. Answers come slowly to me and my multi-tasking skills are at a bare minimum. If you didn’t know me and tried to have a conversation with me you would think I was rather special.  It's days like this where coffee is my best friend. Oh how I love my coffee!

As a yoga teacher, especially at parties where food is involved, if the topic of diet comes up I’m always labeled as a vegetarian. As I go to take a bite of my steak I get this puzzled look followed by the comment that they thought I was a vegetarian.  Many traditions of yoga have you follow a vegetarian based diet, this is due to ahimsa, do no harm. This not only applies to eating meat but to digesting anything in your body that would do it harm (such as the lovely caffeine in my coffee). Of course ahimsa’s meaning is much broader than just applying to food, and I will cover that in a later blog.

The point I’m trying to get to, and it may take me a bit longer today than usual so bear with me, is that as a yoga teacher sometimes people picture you living a specific lifestyle. The longer you do yoga the more affect it tends to have on you. Your diet or lifestyle may begin to change. These tend to be for the positive. But we are all different and we need to respect that. Not all yogis are the same. We're about as varied as the various styles available. For example, did you know there is "swearing yoga".

When I first started teaching I was doing a lot of reading into the philosophy of yoga, specifically the Yoga Sutra’s. This text explained about the life you should be living as a yogi. This led me to try vegetarianism. It wasn’t for me. No matter how much vegetable protein I put into the diet I was constantly hungry, my body needed meat.  I felt a bit defeated at first, but then realized that by judging myself I wasn’t following the Ahimsa rule. I was hurting myself. So to follow the rule I got creative. I only ate meat that was sustainably raised. As for the coffee, well we all have our vices and I’m ok with that.

My advice to you, if you are trying to live up to the yoga lifestyle and finding that it's not a perfect fit, teak it. You must do what feels right for you and make sure that if someone is watching you that you are proud of the example you will set. I talk with teachers all the time about wanting to teach online classes and some will give me this look like I’m breaking the sacred code of yoga. Instead of getting offended I explain my reasoning (spreading yoga to places it otherwise may not ever make it to) and hopefully broaden their view a bit. I don’t personally care if they agree or not as I’m happy in my views (as are they) and the way I live my life. We agree to disagree.

I truly believe that the secret to happiness is living a life you choose. One that makes you proud to face the world each day. If you aren’t to that point perhaps you should figure out why. Write down things in your life that you love and feel make you a better person. Then write down the things you think you need to change or work on. Start with small changes and eventually you will get to where you want to be.

You can't expect to change someone, they believe what they want to believe and it is good to respect that. People have their reasons. We can share our views about life, but how they choose to live is up to them. Stand up for who you are and what you belive in, just make sure you know what and why that is. Also make sure to finish chewing your steak before you start explaining...

Hyperlordosis: Could Be The Cause of Your Lower Back Pain

When we think of correcting our posture we often focus on our upper body. Pull the shoulders down and back, expand the chest, so on and so forth. Our spine is our base, it affects our entire body. So if we are only focusing on the upper body we are only getting half the picture. There are many postural issues that can originate from the lower half of the spine, one of which is hyperlordosis.

Hyperlordosis is the inward curvature of the lower portion of the spine. It causes a major curve in the low back. This can cause some consistent back pain and if left untreated can cause damage to your discs. It is very common in people who are hyper-flexible such as dancers or yogi’s.

To see if you have hyperlordosis check out the picture below then stand sideways in front of a mirror to compare your image to the photo. Another way is to lay on your back and see if you can slide your hand under your low back. If you have hyperlordosis then the hand will easily slide under, you may even have some clearance. Also check your knees to see if they are hyper-flexible. To do this sit with your legs extended out and press your knees into the floor. If you heels come up off the floor more than a half inch your knees are hyper-flexible. This leaves an unstable pedestal for your pelvis and can cause hyperlordosis.

To correct your hyperlordosis you will need to do some strength and stretching. You will need to stretch the low back, hip flexors, quads and psoas  and strengthen the abdominal muscles. Below are a few poses to get you started.

Standing lunge is great for stretching all of the above mentioned muscles. To add to the stretch, arch to the side. So if your right knee is bent, place your right hand on your knee with the left arm straight over your head, start to arch the left side of our body over to the right. This stretch can also be done with the back knee down for more support.

Another good stretch for the hip flexors is reclined pigeon pose, which is pictured below. Relax and lengthen your spine as much as you can. Try not to kink your neck. After doing this pose extend the legs out straight, engage your lower abdominals and press your lower back into the floor. Hold it as long as you can, release and repeat a few times.

To stretch your psoas, lay on your back and place a block under your SI joint, the flat bone at the base of your spine. Make sure the block isn't on your spine. Extend one leg out with the heel resting on the floor, flexing the foot like you are pressing into a wall. The chic in this picture isn't flexing her foot...by doing so you will intensify the stretch. Bend the other leg, bringing the knee into your chest. If you don't feel a stretch, adjust the block on a higher setting. 

To strengthen your abs I love plank and side plank. Make sure that your shoulder is stacked over your wrist and that you aren't bunching up your shoulders. This pose is good because it targets all of your abs, especially the inner abdominals that are essential for supporting the spine. 

To correct hyperlordosis takes time and you will need to do these poses daily. Do this throughout the day if you are sitting for a long time. You will know it is time to stretch if you feel your lower back start to ache. Your goal isn't to get a flat lower back, that causes issues of its own, but to have a slight curve and no back pain.

Does Your Yoga Teacher Talk Too Much?

Instruction in a class is essential and important, especially if you are new to yoga. A good teacher will give you guidance on how to safely get into a pose and how to make any necessary adjustments. They remind you to breathe and to relax. However, if they are constantly chatting it is hard to get to the relaxing part.

Teaching is a balance. Giving just the right amount of instruction while allowing your students the space to relax. We try to create an atmosphere of relaxation and safety. A place where students can come to let go and hit their reset button. This is hard to do when your teacher is constantly talking.

There are various reasons why some teachers talk so much. It may have been the way they were trained. They were taught to give specific instructions on how to get into poses. My initial 200 hour training taught me that I needed to give 2-4 cues on how to get into each pose. In a vinyasa class that can be a lot of talking. Another reason may be that some teachers, especially new ones, are nervous and they feel more comfortable filling up the silence. When I first started teaching I felt like I was talking the whole time. Now that I'm comfortable with being in front of people, I enjoy the quite parts, I don't feel the need to fill it up with words.

If you love your teacher's class but wish that they talked a little less you need to speak up. Don't come out and just say they talk to much, but perhaps mention that you love their class and wonder if they would consider a little more quite time throughout the class. Give them reasons why you would like this. Time to focus on your breath or process the information that they are giving you.

As teachers we are always learning, mostly from the students that we teach. They teach us our own limitations but also show us how much we can grow. We are always open to hearing how we are doing and how we can make the class a better experience for you. We won't necessarily change for every request, as how we teach is an extension of who we are, but a good teacher should be open to listening.

A yoga class is a sacred space. If you aren't getting all that you need from a class, it may be time for you to search out another one. If you don't have other options, then try to make the best of the class you have. Learn to tune out the excess noise, learn to find peace in your chaos and judgments. This will come in handy in your daily life. Check your perspective, is the teacher really talking too much or are you just not open to the instruction. If so, why?

Whatever your outcome with your teacher, make sure that it doesn't let you lose your love of yoga. Every challenge you meet in your life will make you better and potentially lead you to greater things.

What's the Point of Yoga

Why do you do yoga? This can be a simple or in depth question for you. You may just have a physical practice or it may be a deeper experience for you. If you are new to yoga you may be wondering what the heck I'm talking about.

Yoga is a vast practice. There's a lot to it, much more than just the asana's or poses that you practice in class. Generally people are drawn to yoga through the physical practice, but what they find if they keep their practice up over the years is so valuable.

In order to have an all encompassing yoga practice it must reach all of your kosha's, for review on specific kosha's see my earlier blogs. Our bodies are made up of physical, emotional, energetic, philosophical and spiritual bodies. In order to have a balanced body, we need to have a balanced yoga practice.

A balanced yoga practice should include the following. If you are new to yoga, don't feel stressed about making sure your practice has all these aspects. Start with one and add in the next as you are ready. It is best to do one well before adding another.

The physical: Learn your poses and learn them well. Proper alignment is essential to an injury free practice. Know your physical limits. Don't do a pose if you aren't ready for it or if you have a health issue or injury that would make practicing the pose unsafe.

The energetic: This is your breath. Make sure not to hold your breath in an intense pose. Keep a regular breath, even inhale and exhale even when your heart rate goes up and you are working hard. This type of breathing takes practice to master so be patient. Your breath gives you life and energy. If you don't have a good yoga breath your practice can leave you feeling fatigued rather than energized at the end of class.

The emotional: What are you thinking about during your practice? Are you leaving your day behind and giving yourself the gift of being present? If your mind is anywhere but on our practice you may as well not even be on the mat. One of the beautiful things of yoga is the fact that it pulls you out of the past or future and puts you in the present moment. You can't worry about things if you are being present and this gives your mind a much needed break.

The philosophical: Yoga is old, it's been around for thousands of years and has a deep philosophical background. If you are interested in learning more about it check out the Yoga Sutra's by Patanjali. There are many versions out there, ones that go deep into the Sutra's and others that just give you the basics. Reading about these will give you a deeper understanding of yoga and maybe adjust your views on why you practice.

The spirituality: If you are religious you can bring that into your practice. If you aren't you can bring in a sense of a higher being. Life is easier to manage when you aren't carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. By believing in a higher power you allow that weight to be carried by someone or thing else. It allows you to let go and just hope for the best.

Wherever you are in your practice is perfect. Where you choose to go with it is up to you. Your practice should leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed both physically and emotionally. Over the years your practice will change and you will find yourself incorporating new aspects of it. Wherever you are on your yoga journey enjoy the beauty that it brings.