Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Art of Feedback
I had a really nice surprise today. A fellow instructor observed my class this morning. I learned a lot from the feedback she gave me and it reminded me of an article John Friend wrote a couple of years ago that outlines the sometimes challenging act of both giving & receiving feedback: The Art of Feedback.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Spring Cleaning
I've tried a few different "cleansing" tactics over the years. My most recent attempt was last summer. It involved losing dairy, wheat, meat, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. The idea was to take a break from common food irritants and introduce them back one at a time to feel their effect on the body. My goal was to give my liver, and other organs, a break. I was curious if dairy was causing some skin irritations and I knew I was eating too much sugar.
The main result of this cleanse involved me overeating nuts. I managed to consume an entire jar of almond butter in a couple of days. My gut was bloated. I looked pregnant and I wasn't. This wasn't what I was aiming for.
Will I ever figure this cleansing thing out? I want clean organs. . .and - I love food. I especially love butter, wine, bread, and pasta. One led me to the other over the past week or so.
I ordered, The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters last week. This is a beautiful book that celebrates good food. Bread. Meat. Butter. Garlic. Pasta. Just thinking about it makes my soul happy. Alice offers the following philosophy to her readers:
A couple of days later I realized I was still thinking about the book, Crazy Sexy Diet. I had already devoured a large portion of, The Art of Simple Food. I thought, maybe there is a place for both in my life and my diet.
Today is Day 1 of the 21 Day Adventure Cleanse outlined in, Crazy Sexy Diet. I've already messed up (a little). The thing is she gives you some cool affirmations & space to make mistakes and I think it is why this cleanse just might work for me.
The main result of this cleanse involved me overeating nuts. I managed to consume an entire jar of almond butter in a couple of days. My gut was bloated. I looked pregnant and I wasn't. This wasn't what I was aiming for.
Will I ever figure this cleansing thing out? I want clean organs. . .and - I love food. I especially love butter, wine, bread, and pasta. One led me to the other over the past week or so.
I ordered, The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters last week. This is a beautiful book that celebrates good food. Bread. Meat. Butter. Garlic. Pasta. Just thinking about it makes my soul happy. Alice offers the following philosophy to her readers:
- Eat locally & sustainably
- Eat seasonally
- Shop at farmers' markets
- Plant a garden
- Conserve, compost & recycle
- Cook simply
- Cook together
- Eat together
- Remember food is precious
A couple of days later I realized I was still thinking about the book, Crazy Sexy Diet. I had already devoured a large portion of, The Art of Simple Food. I thought, maybe there is a place for both in my life and my diet.
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| http://www.crazysexylife.com/ |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Awkward Arms
My friend Louis said, "It is OK Angela, most women don't pay a lot of attention to their arms." This was to encourage me to keep going in a workout we were doing from Body Rock (http://www.bodyrock.tv/). I think we were doing 50 push-ups. . . or maybe it was walking push-ups. Ugh!
He may have been generalizing when it comes to women but he was right when it comes to me. With backbends being our focus for February I couldn't ignore the alignment of the arms any longer.
On Saturday I introduced the Inner and Outer Spirals of the arms. There was a full class with a variety of newer students and folks that have been practicing for years. I was bubbling inside with all the information from my studies and the instruction seemed to be boiling over and causing the burner to steam and the contents that spilled out to burn.
The best, or worst, was when I found myself confused with which direction the upper arms were actually supposed to be rotating in Urdhva Dhanurasana(Full Wheel). The good thing about making mistakes or questioning things is it often deepens the learning.
I had the students draw arrows on their arms so we wouldn't be confused once we were upside down. This visual arrow that was supposed to ease confusion ended up confusing me. Oops! Lara and Elizabeth assured me my arrow was pointing the right direction. I think some students left with more clarity and others with more confusion. I promised two things. I promised we would keep working on the spirals of the arms and that I would blog about it.
Today I attempted to simplify my instruction and keep the contents at a simmer so the instruction would be easier to digest. The action of inner and outer spiral starts in the hands and moves all the way up into the shoulders. Just to break it down a little though
First we are going to acknowledge that there are five different planes of the arms. We will dive more into that later. For now, we are staying simple. So we will say that in most poses you hug the forearms in first and then rotate the upper arms out. This isn't true in poses where the arms are in an overhead plane.
A few poses where the arms are in an overhead plane are: downward facing dog, handstand, forearm balance, and full wheel. In this case, the upper arms spin out first in order to make space for the forearms to spin in.
If this is too much or you are still confused - fear not. We will continue to work with the arms and as questions come up don't be afraid to ask. It will facilitate learning for everyone involved!
He may have been generalizing when it comes to women but he was right when it comes to me. With backbends being our focus for February I couldn't ignore the alignment of the arms any longer.
On Saturday I introduced the Inner and Outer Spirals of the arms. There was a full class with a variety of newer students and folks that have been practicing for years. I was bubbling inside with all the information from my studies and the instruction seemed to be boiling over and causing the burner to steam and the contents that spilled out to burn.
The best, or worst, was when I found myself confused with which direction the upper arms were actually supposed to be rotating in Urdhva Dhanurasana(Full Wheel). The good thing about making mistakes or questioning things is it often deepens the learning.
I had the students draw arrows on their arms so we wouldn't be confused once we were upside down. This visual arrow that was supposed to ease confusion ended up confusing me. Oops! Lara and Elizabeth assured me my arrow was pointing the right direction. I think some students left with more clarity and others with more confusion. I promised two things. I promised we would keep working on the spirals of the arms and that I would blog about it.
Today I attempted to simplify my instruction and keep the contents at a simmer so the instruction would be easier to digest. The action of inner and outer spiral starts in the hands and moves all the way up into the shoulders. Just to break it down a little though
- FOREARMS (Hug Into the Midline - emphasize inner rotation)
- UPPER ARMS (Focus on the outer rotation)
First we are going to acknowledge that there are five different planes of the arms. We will dive more into that later. For now, we are staying simple. So we will say that in most poses you hug the forearms in first and then rotate the upper arms out. This isn't true in poses where the arms are in an overhead plane.
A few poses where the arms are in an overhead plane are: downward facing dog, handstand, forearm balance, and full wheel. In this case, the upper arms spin out first in order to make space for the forearms to spin in.
If this is too much or you are still confused - fear not. We will continue to work with the arms and as questions come up don't be afraid to ask. It will facilitate learning for everyone involved!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sol Kula
I thought it would be nice to honor the space where we practice with a couple of photos. If anyone knows who did the awesome artwork on the walls I would love to know. If you are ever curious what the current schedule is at Sol Kula you can find it on-line at http://www.solkula.com/ or on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=377037621519
Just before I took the photos Mel lovingly organized the altar. The reason this is so beautiful to me is that she had no idea I was about to take photos. The first time I taught at Sol Kula was on August 16th, 2010. I wrote in my yoga notebook, "Wow! It feels so good in this studio - the energy is filling me up." As I've continued to practice and teach in the space I've noticed the impact of the student's energy on the space. I can only imagine it is each of us - each student, each teacher, breathing love into the space and into each other that makes this space so special. To take it to another level ~ you can do the same thing at your house and in your body.
Just before I took the photos Mel lovingly organized the altar. The reason this is so beautiful to me is that she had no idea I was about to take photos. The first time I taught at Sol Kula was on August 16th, 2010. I wrote in my yoga notebook, "Wow! It feels so good in this studio - the energy is filling me up." As I've continued to practice and teach in the space I've noticed the impact of the student's energy on the space. I can only imagine it is each of us - each student, each teacher, breathing love into the space and into each other that makes this space so special. To take it to another level ~ you can do the same thing at your house and in your body.
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| The Altar |
Monday, February 7, 2011
Backbends ~ Going back to go forward
This week we emphasized the alignment of the pelvis which is fresh in our minds after working on Visvamitrasana. In backbends, the outer spiral occurs more naturally and we know that we want to create the inner spiral first to create space for the outer spiral. So - for most of us this means that we need to revisit the inner spiral in our backbend.
A few key things to think about in the lower body as we initiate backbends:
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| Bridge Pose - Setu Bandha Sarvangasana |
A few key things to think about in the lower body as we initiate backbends:
- press thru both feet (mound of the big toe, inner edge of the heel, mound of the pinky toe, and outer edge of the heel - in that order)
- engage the shins (shins in) - you can also think about holding something between your knees - a block or a juicy melon that you don't want to drop
- release the groins (soften the groins to create more inner spiral) - then engage your tailbone towards your knees
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Inner & Outer Spirals in Visvamitrasana
We learned a lot this past month in Visvamitrasana. Open hips, hamstrings, and side body can make it easier to come into the full expression of this challenging asana. One of my biggest 'aha' moments was in regards to the Inner & Outer Spirals of the legs. For those of you that would like to incorporate Visvamitrasana into your home practice - read on.
Detailed instructions on creating Visvamitrasana with your body:
Bring your feet to Side Angle Pose, Parsvakonasana, (heel of the front foot intersects the arch on the back foot - front knee bent). Pause. Hug both shins into the midline and draw energy from the earth up thru your legs and into your pelvis and back down again.
Exhale & bring your front arm underneath your front thigh (as if you were going for the bind) and place your hand on the outside of your front foot - pinky toe side. Press into your finger pads & the mounds of your fingers. Breathe into your back body. Fill the space between your shoulders and your back waistline. Lift your front foot a couple of inches off of your mat and place it in your front hand.
Now - Inner & Outer Spiral! Push your inner thighs towards the wall behind you - open your groins and extend the foot that your front hand is holding. Go big!! Open your pelvic floor to the space behind you - this will enable you to extend your front leg (the foot that is in your hand). Next - create a boundry by strongly outer spiraling your front sitbone. This will bring the front of your body forward and allow your chest to open and your heart to shine forward. Beautiful!!!
If you didn't reach the full expression today - keep practicing & exploring the inner & outer spirals in your legs. Most importantly - Have Fun and remember that this is a challenging asana.
Detailed instructions on creating Visvamitrasana with your body:
Bring your feet to Side Angle Pose, Parsvakonasana, (heel of the front foot intersects the arch on the back foot - front knee bent). Pause. Hug both shins into the midline and draw energy from the earth up thru your legs and into your pelvis and back down again.
Exhale & bring your front arm underneath your front thigh (as if you were going for the bind) and place your hand on the outside of your front foot - pinky toe side. Press into your finger pads & the mounds of your fingers. Breathe into your back body. Fill the space between your shoulders and your back waistline. Lift your front foot a couple of inches off of your mat and place it in your front hand.
Now - Inner & Outer Spiral! Push your inner thighs towards the wall behind you - open your groins and extend the foot that your front hand is holding. Go big!! Open your pelvic floor to the space behind you - this will enable you to extend your front leg (the foot that is in your hand). Next - create a boundry by strongly outer spiraling your front sitbone. This will bring the front of your body forward and allow your chest to open and your heart to shine forward. Beautiful!!!
If you didn't reach the full expression today - keep practicing & exploring the inner & outer spirals in your legs. Most importantly - Have Fun and remember that this is a challenging asana.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Story of Visvamitrasana
This asana, or pose, is dedicated to the Sage - Visvamitra. Visvamitra is said to have been a friend of everyone. He spent his life achieving Brahmarsi: a Brahmanical Sage after losing a battle over a female to Vasistha.
Visvamitra is one of the Seven Wise Ones, sons born-of-the-mind of Brahma. He is part of the seven stars of the Great Bear and a major contributor to the Vedic hymns. The hymns as they were passed down became stories later. When they were being communicated to the Seven Wise Ones it is unclear whether they gave birth to the gods or were born of the gods - or both. What was clear is that they were hidden in the non-existent before existence existed. "And what was there in the nonexistent? Before the object there was an image. A breath before there was flesh to animate. Desire before there was a body."
"The secret of existence was implicit in just a few actions common to all: waking, breathing, sleeping, coitus. They saw the metaphyscial in the physiological."
Taken from Ka by Roberto Calasso & Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar.
Visvamitra is one of the Seven Wise Ones, sons born-of-the-mind of Brahma. He is part of the seven stars of the Great Bear and a major contributor to the Vedic hymns. The hymns as they were passed down became stories later. When they were being communicated to the Seven Wise Ones it is unclear whether they gave birth to the gods or were born of the gods - or both. What was clear is that they were hidden in the non-existent before existence existed. "And what was there in the nonexistent? Before the object there was an image. A breath before there was flesh to animate. Desire before there was a body."
"The secret of existence was implicit in just a few actions common to all: waking, breathing, sleeping, coitus. They saw the metaphyscial in the physiological."
Taken from Ka by Roberto Calasso & Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar.
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