Attending Your First Yoga Class

You’ve decided to take your first yoga class and we all can admit that is a little scary, intimidating and uncomfortable.  Some questions that may be running through your head before, during, and after are probably:

“I’m not flexible enough. Am I going to look silly? I’m supposed to do what? This stretch hurts! How am I supposed to relax when I’m doing that?! Am I going to fart? What did she just say? Am I doing it right? Oh yeah, breathe, I’m supposed to breathe. Why did I come here?  “

Don’t worry, everyone experiences these reactions their first time. Time after time individuals are off-put by their experiences and take their first and last yoga class on the same day, but you don’t have to be one of them! Here are some tips to help you have a more enjoyable experience:

First off, you do NOT HAVE TO DO WHAT THE INSTRUCTOR INSTRUCTS as long as you are respecting yourself and everyone else. It is your class and experience, not theirs. Sit quietly, do a pose you love, or even lay down and know that all of those options are awesome and beautiful and respected by yoga practitioners.

Know that there are three stages to learning and your first, second, third and beyond classes fall into the first category.

Practitioner Level and Corresponding Learning Stage

1)       Beginner – Cognitive -- Fight or flight; feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, lots of
            thoughts
2)       Intermediate -- Associative – A little more comfort and confidence, still actively
            learning
3)       Advanced –Autonomous—Meditative practice with feelings of connection, full
            balance, and relaxation through strength

Again, you’re in the first category so be patient with yourself and try to relax as much as you can. GIVE IT A FEW TRIES AND TRY A FEW DIFFERENT TEACHERS. It’s like learning a new language – it will be really hard unless you have a decent teacher. Only after taking many classes and a lot of practice will a student move on to the second and eventually the third stages of learning for yoga.

WEAR CLOTHES YOU CAN MOVE AND FEEL COMFORTABLE IN. The more comfortable you feel, the more you will be able to focus on how to do the postures and what you are feeling. Also, think about a hand towel and a water bottle, they’ll come in handy. Many teachers or studios will have mats available, but if you want your own you can get them almost any general department or sporting goods store.

TALK TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR BEFORE CLASS if you have any significant health concerns (heck, even if you don’t!). This can help them tailor their instruction to your needs.  Your yoga instructors are there to help you and WANT to help you with your practice and they certainly want you to leave feeling great about class. The more we know about you and your experiences, the better teachers we can be.

YOGA IS MORE THAN STRETCHING. Be prepared to sweat, breathe and let go of more than just tight muscles. The more open and determined you are to feel great in class, the more likely it will be a wonderful experience taking you to intermediate and advanced stages which yield much greater health benefits including improved immune system functioning, increased cognition, balance of hormones, improved lung function and more. If you feel horribly trying to get to the “ideal” yoga posture, is that really going to help you with the desired effect? Just remind yourself to feel and go to places that feel good.

It is called a “practice” because you have to put in the work and “PERFECT" is something that DOES NOT EXIST. That’s right – there is no perfect. Yoga is a system of how to connect to your mind, body, soul and surroundings and so that is going to look different for everyone as we all have a unique perspective and energy.

There you have it, now that you are equipped with a little more information to make your experience authentic and much less stressful.  Take a few deep breaths before class and embrace the world of yoga and all the wonderful benefits that are waiting for you!

Intimacy: Finding, being and celebrating your highest self

Intimacy. What does that even mean?  Through my studies I have come to experience and be grateful for the following simple definition: in to me, I see (Thank you, Nan!) Diving a little deeper, intimacy is the deep relationship with our internal selves and all those who cross our paths on a daily basis.  It is the deep internal look and external realization that absolutely everyone, yes even that person that drives us crazy, has something to offer us in regards to growth and our existence because they reflect us.  Thus, everything is simply a projection of our perceptions and experiences. We create the pictures we see and experiences we endure.  

In my experience, healthy intimacy involves us seeing ourselves in our actions and building each other up so that we may all find our best selves via intellect, experience, emotion and sexuality. Intimacy is opening oneself to greater opportunity to be loved and cared for by both the internal and external worlds. When we open ourselves to true intimacy – without judgments, attachments and expectations — we truly free ourselves.

It is amazing at what a single glance, smile, touch or laugh can do to the soul. It can literally be the Agni, or fire, to change the tone of not just the moment but also an entire day, week, year or even a lifetime.  Why is this? What does such a little act actually do?  Those acts extend far beyond the surface. The actions and thoughts we put out and surround ourselves with affect our etheric, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies and literally alter and influence our energetic patterns ranging from the chemical processes in our bodies to our mental thought patterns and emotional experiences. 

Literally every action and thought has a physical and tangible chemical cascade throughout our bodies. The more we receive a stimulus, the more our cells are conditioned to the appropriate response and reception of different neurotransmitters and proteins.  Energetically, we create patterns within our bodies and can start to warp our chakras, or energy centers, and sometimes we even bind them to other individuals.

This is what makes change so hard – we actually have to teach and condition our bodies on how to disconnect from current patterns and be receptive to other chemistry and energy, which is no easy task.

Our intentions, thoughts and actions are literally some of the most powerful powers we possess. You may not even realize it, but sometimes our personal intentions are absolutely horrific.  Then we ask why oh why do things keep falling apart around me? Why can’t I have a break? Why is the whole world out to get me? 

Svadhyaya, or self-study, is the Sanskrit term to help promote the realization of our best selves and maintain homeostasis in our bodies. We can use this same tool to help redirect our samskaras (think of these as old habits and patterns) and bring about a favorable homeostasis when we are out of balance.

I’ve been learning this in the past years after a series of events in my life left me closing myself off to most nurturing and fair relationships and interactions. I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve had the best time figuring out that my initial beliefs were bogus and how free I feel now that I have unyoked myself from them.

After a nasty car accident shook things up in my life 8 months after moving to Colorado, completely throwing off my homeostasis, I deepened my studies of the body, mind and spirit and the practice of svadhyaya. I started working with a Reiki (bless you, Michael) and realized that I had locked emotions from the past traumas and that I was finding present day energetic ways to relive the pain and suffering.

Empowered with this knowledge, I began down a path of affirmation, meditation, mantra and practice to help relieve the locked traumas, physiological imbalances and energetic disturbances. I have been able to free myself from a destructive cycle and affirm my current goals, paths and contentment.

So go ahead and step back from yourself for a moment. Become the witness to your own existence. Yes, the witness.  Be truthful with yourself and others and ask yourself:

• Do I know what I am projecting?
• Do I know what my intentions are with each action I take?
• Am I creating harm? If so, am I doing a good job at minimizing it for all parties?
• Am I uplifting and supporting others as I wish to be?
• What are my personal intentions?
• Am I happy with my situation?
• Do I love myself?
• And here’s the kicker: if every little bit of my life other than myself changed, would I be happy with myself? Would I still feel content and joyful?

If the answer is “no,” don’t worry. You can get there. Remember, the outside world is a reflection of your interior world, so the more chaos there is within, the more life is going to kick you in the rear and make it that much harder for you to get to where you want to be. Once the internal world starts to change, that’s when the external world agrees to support the change and the real magic starts to happen.

I leave you with the following affirmations that have been extremely helpful to me as I continue my own studies and build my own arsenal of nurturing experiences:

“I free myself of my past, operate in the now and strive to build a beautiful future for the community and myself. I open myself to all healing intimate relationships and interactions. I open myself to touching my heart and synchronizing with another’s. I relish sharing a touch, a glance, a smile, and/or a laugh in the mutual recognition of our innate greatness. I am delighted in the partnerships and friendships that come as I fully embrace my inner goddess/god and the ability to bring out the best in my friends, family and community.”

Place all or portions of the above affirmations on a sticky note and put them on your mirror, your dash, or your office desk. Say it to yourself as many times a day as you are able and start looking for kind moments to share a glance, smile, laugh or touch.  Start to be the creator of your interior world and the shaper of your exterior.  Most importantly, have fun while you do. Laugh at the times that you find yourself getting stressed or frustrated. Smile. Enjoy. Live.

At some point in our lives we have all been sitting with friends, at the gym, in a yoga class, in academic classes or work, etc and our minds are somewhere else entirely. We spend that time in the past or future but seem to forget the present moment.This is what yoga and fitness are all about. They are about learning to truly love the moment and become in sync with yourself and environment at that very moment. 

There is a huge amount of empowerment and freedom that comes with letting go of past baggage. Not only does our physical body stop reacting to past emotions and starts tapping into the present and is able to adapt more for the future, but also our ability to see opportunities and different perspectives becomes great. You stop missing things because your mind was somewhere else.

The subject of presence makes me think of the Gorilla Study where radiologists were asked to look for tumors on a brain scan and then were asked if anything was wrong with the scan.  A whopping 83% missed a hidden gorilla (yes, a picture of a gorilla superimposed on the brain scan films) because it was not what they were looking for.  How much of life do you think you miss?

Try saying the following once a day for 7 days and see how your life changes:

The past is the past and will always be there to reflect and learn from.
The future holds only what you cultivate based off of your actions today, right now.
The present is a gift at this very moment and is meant to be lived and experienced with every breath .

EMBRACING STRENGTH, POWER AND OPPORTUNITY

Embrace yourself today. Take a moment to set the intention to truly embrace all that you are - not all that society wants you to be.  Open yourself up to loving and befriending your shadow self, or the parts of you that you may have deemed unlovable, unacceptable, not ideal, etc.  Once we accept where we are in life, we can free ourselves of any cages or limits and continue to grow and expand with the support of our community and the amazing connections our "weaknesses" guide us towards.  

We all have our own talents. We all have our own drive.  Allow yours to compliment others and give each person you connect with today the opportunity to realize how awesome they are and how needed they are in this world as their truest being.

Enjoy the flow - feel the connection and embrace your strength. You're capable of amazing things!

~Kate

Embrace the Power and Healing via AcroYoga - see the highlighted TEDxUNC presentation from March 20, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiGnKdVEHso&feature=youtu.be

AcroYoga Base Test

AcroYoga Base Test

Authored by: Jessica Schultz

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Poses 3a and 3b teach the base to stay steady when the flyer lifts off.

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3a   

BASE Stay on your back, stacking your feet over your hips.

FLYER Cross your forearms and stack them onto the base’s feet. You can make eye contact with your base to establish trust.

ALIGNMENT TIP

BASE: If your legs are too long compared with your flyer’s height, bend knees as necessary.

3b

FLYER Press your folded arms into your base’s feet and lift your legs off the ground.

BASE Straighten your legs into a 90-degree or L shape, stacking your feet over your hips for stability.

ALIGNMENT TIP

BASE: If your legs are tight and you can’t straighten them, try placing a folded blanket under your pelvis. Keep your knees slightly bent, with your heels directly over your hips.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is the connection of the self to the self, to put it simply.  It refers to being in sync with all aspects of yourself.

The word yoga means "to yoke" and refers to the yoking of mind, body, spirit, and emotion through practice and through life.  While some may view the "bendy" postures and development of physical flexibility as yoga, they often time overlook the understanding of the self that these postures are designed to reveal and the flexibility that is gained through developing continuity of the self via practice.  

Yoga traditionally has 8 limbs consisting of becoming aware and mastering how we interact with others, ourselves, our physical movement, our breath, internal awareness, focus, meditative capacity, and ability to be connected to peace and ease.  Mastery of the self can only happen once we finally accept who and what we are, what we're driven to, what we find pleasure in, and all of our "shadows" from our past or present.  

Live Beyond Limit and more traditional studios aim to teach you all aspects of yoga so you can enjoy more ease, abundance, and joy in life via the practice of working with yourself on all levels. 

Yoga helps us learn to live fully, freely, and peacefully within ourselves and the world.

20 Minute Spinal Ease Flow

Whether you're just waking up or getting ready to unwind for the day, take a moment to give your body a little TLC and give this 20 minute flow an opportunity to open you up, release any held tension, and provide a little more mobility and freedom to your spine itself.

Enjoy the flow.

The Bliss of Living in the Now

Research and practice show time and time again that mindfulness and living in the moment helps an individual to live with physiological and emotional stress.

According to studies and recommendations from Harvard, Oxford and UC Santa Barbara mindfulness and present living helps to reduce symptoms of stress, depression and addictions and enhances working memory and recall.  Pretty cool huh?  So why don't more of us partake in this wonderful practice? What does it even mean to "live in the now" or to practice being "mindful"? I get these questions a lot from clients and friends trying to minimize the chaos and unwanted events in their lives.

It's hard to live in the now because of the chemical and energetic imprints made as reactions to the stressors in your life. We are an overstressed and under-restored population as a whole.  Chemically we should bounce back to resting states quickly, but with our culture and social structure/interactions we have a hard time getting away from the stressors.

It's hard work to stay positive and stay in the moment of each and every experience.  It take practice....a lot of practice.  Happy, realistic and optimistic people choose to be that way.  They choose to focus on what they have and the things that are going well and use problem solving and stress management tools to cope and or change the things that are less than ideal.

In the moment individuals put the cup down and empty it after each interaction they have. Think of stress like this:

How much does a glass of water feel like it weighs?  How much does it weigh an hour later? A week? A year?  It progressively gets heavier and heavier and after enough time, your arm will give out from fatigue.  That's just like you're body! (Thanks to whomever originated this parallel).  

Therefore, if you have been in a stressful situation and you've left and moved on to the next event of your day, or the next day itself, forget about the stress source and focus on your new space and the tasks at hand.  Cycling through the situation, replaying or planning the next conversation and or allowing yourself to feel awful will only distract you from your present task, rob your happiness and leave you less productive and less pleasant to be around. 

Feel in the moment.  Notice what you're feeling and when you're feeling it so you can start molding your situations to help you feel great. This is the practice of self-study or svadhyaya.  Notice and change your perspective or walk away from the things that make you feel awful. Engage more frequently in the situations that make you feel free, joyful and celebrated.

Be aware.  If things turn sour in a situation ask yourself "What happened? Am I being defensive? If so, why am I being defensive?  Did the mood shift because of something I said or did? Do people move away from me or towards me?"  Look to yourself in a situation first and foremost, and only if you realize that it wasn't you evaluate what you'll do about the company you're in to ensure that you are able to stay present, mindful and engaged in healthy relationships and actions.

Lastly, but certainly not least, focus on the good stuff that is happening in the moment.  Every situation has two sides, so instead of stressing about the less than ideal conditions, enjoy the great ones. Enjoy your senses, nature, company and the things that surround you each moment.

The Yamas - Ahimsa

The Yamas are the first "limb" of yoga as concluded by Pantanjali, a famous sage who brought together the teachings behind yoga in his compilation The Yoga Sutras.  

These social observances are boiled down principles to govern your actions, motives, and behaviors as you interact not only with yourself, but with your community. We will look closely at ahimsa today, or non-harming. 

Ahimsa:  Non-Harming/ Non-Violence

Ahimsa is simply practicing to reduce physical, mental, emotional, environmental, and spiritual harm and violence.  This yama requests that you take a look at your actions and see how you can live more symbiotically with your community in order to foster health and vitality around you instead of harm and destruction.  

Practicing ahimsa in your words means using intentional communication.  Intentional communication considers all factors going into the exchange to ensure that the intention of the words spoken are able to be received and understood fully. 

Examples:

•   Communicate intentionally by asking: Is it true? Is it necessary? Can it be spoken to minimize harm?

•   Try to go organic – your money gives energy to the industry standards you accept

•   Buy local produce and products to minimize the use of petrochemicals in transport while boosting local economy.

•   Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is when your body recovers and rehydrates from the day prior

•   Use compassion with those who are unhappy or suffering

•   Release judgments of yourself and others

•   Create strong boundaries for yourself and others to respectfully operate within