Hanuman Philosophy ~ Bite 1

The more I dive into Hanuman the more there is.  It feels too difficult to summarize the philosophy of Hanuman in one blog post so I've decided to deliver tastes to make it easier to digest.

What I'm sharing today, and a lot of what I'll share, is based on my understanding of the stories shared by Douglas Brooks - http://www.rajanaka.com/.

Hanuman is the form of desire.  He is always willing to change but has a reputation for holding fast.  There is an image of Hanuman ripping open his heart - opening to courage.  It is a gentle heart that is filled with ferocity!

The best you can do is become yourself!  What is it that you want to make your own?  What is it that you value?  Receiving the gift of who you are is the beginning of yoga.  

You are the seed and what you plant in your field becomes the fruit that you will ultimately taste. 

Oh Hanuman!

This month we have been exploring Hanumanasana and the philosophy behind Hanuman, the Monkey God.  I resisted Hanumanasana when it showed up as the pose this month.  I confessed  to the class that I wasn't sure I could teach Hanuman for more than a week.  Now the month is almost over and I am more interested in and fascinated by Hanuman than ever before.

The only downside of spending a month exploring a particular asana is that class, or our practice, ends up feeling quite similar for the month.  The upside of this is that our familiarity and consistency can lead to new questions or a greater understanding.

Some of the poses we have used this month to prepare for Hanumanasana are:

Pyramid (Parsvottanasana)
Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana)
Pigeon Prep
Pigeon Prep with a Thigh Stretch
Extended Hand to Big Toe Stretch (Utthitahasta Padangusthasana)
Hero (Virasana)
Hero with 1 leg extended forward fold (Triangmukhaipada Paschimottanasana)
Reclined Hero (Supta Virasana)
Bow (Dhanurasana)


Open hips, hamstrings, and thighs make Hanumanasana more fun!!

Facials are Wonderful

Yesterday I had a facial at the new spa in Moab, Spa Moab.  It had been 4 years since my last facial and  I won't be waiting that long again.  My estetician, Aomi, was kind and had very calm energy. I felt well cared for and I thought ~~~ this is almost better than a full body massage.  Thankfully, the spa offers many varieties of massage in addition to facials. 



Faye Hutchins, owner of Spa Moab, has done a beautiful job creating an inviting space to get a massage or facial.  The feel is similar to an art gallery as the walls are covered with pastels by her grandmother, and bright acrylics by a local Moab artist.  Faye also sells, Be Present, yoga clothing, some delicious smelling candles and cute baby clothes. The spa carries Eminence, an organic skincare line that feels rich and decadent on your skin.  Faye has been working with Eminence for years and she can tell you, in detail, which Eminence product is right for your skin type. 

I recommend treating yourself to a facial as soon as possible.  YUM!

The walls are covered with brilliant art

Faye, on the left, during the Open House last Friday - two guests enjoying the art.

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.

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:

• 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

When I went to Arches Book Company to pick it up I found this book called, Crazy Sexy Diet.  I was a little hesitant to pick it up because of the word Diet in the title but the words Crazy and Sexy won and I found the book in my hands.  I liked the vibrance of the pages and the sassy, yet supportive, attitude of the author.  I decided not to buy it that day though, because a couple of messages stood out to me as I turned the pages:  no dairy, no alcohol, no caffeine, raw.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

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.

http://www.crazysexylife.com/

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. 

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

• 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!

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.

The Altar