Inside Love

The Anusara Drama - I'm Over It

Like many in the Anusara kula - I have felt a whole spectrum of emotions the last few weeks. At times I have been indifferent, defensive, angry, sad, just plain anxious, and more. It's been a little exhausting for everyone I'm sure. The drama has been flying. Even when you aren't directly involved in the story it's hard not to get defensive when people start accusing you of being in a cult. All this considered - I have been silent on the whole issue here at Hearts Expanding. I've been absorbing all the information I could and assessing what action, if any, was the right action for me.

In case you've managed to miss the whole John Friend controversy - you can go see 

a Timeline of Events at Bay Shakti to get caught up.

Some people's reaction to the news.

People that I know and love, teachers I respect - almost everyone is kind of scattering to the wind. Some declared their loyalty while others declared their resignation. At first it was like I wasn't 100% sure what to do with myself with all my teachers no longer under the same umbrella.

Since I never went all the way through with getting my Anusara-Inspired certification (I started but changed my mind some time last year) I have been looking at this entire debacle primarily from the eyes of a student. After a lot of inward contemplation I came to recognize that I have been following certain teachers more than Anusara itself. I never followed John Friend individually. He is not and never was my teacher.

As I recognize that my practice is so much more than that - I no longer list Anusara yoga as my primary yoga; but I will still practice it as long as some of my favorite teachers are involved in the method. I will continue to try new systems and be open to yoga as a whole. Some of my teachers are choosing to stay with Anusara, and some have chosen to leave. I fully respect and support both decisions. I will study both inside and outside of the Anusara community. As long as their teachings resonate with me - I will study with them wherever they are.

TL;DR
Here at Hearts Expanding, I'm not attached to John Friend or Anusara Yoga.
I just love Yoga and the teachers that made me.

How To Be Alone

This video - I saw it, and I immediately loved it. In authentically inhabiting the skin of exactly what it set out to be - it's inspiring, poetic, and beautiful. Yoga is all about becoming more comfortable with yourself - just you. If you become comfortable with yourself - you can learn to be alone with yourself - then you can learn to love yourself. There you just might find enlightenment - and if not that - maybe just some peace.

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Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Don't forget - Asana is just one of the EIGHT limbs. 

Start at the bottom and work your way up.

Source: http://pinterest.com/

Breathing Practices for Anxiety

I was asked a while back about pranayama (breathing exercises) for anxiety. Especially quick practices you can use during a mild panic attack or to calm jitters just before a performance.

I wanted to share my answer with you here today:
I'd suggest a few minutes of belly breathing through the nose with eyes closed and make sure that you take long slow complete breaths, but make your exhales twice as long as your inhales. For example... breathe in for 4 counts and exhale for 8 counts. Works wonders on the nervous system. Keep this going for anywhere from 2-5 minutes+ and it should relax your entire system quite effectively.
(This practice is also great for regular meditation practice.)

All About Belly Breathing:
Ultimately it's like filling and emptying a balloon over and over. Start by finding a comfortable seat of course - Eyes closed. Lengthen your spine from your seat through the top of your head.

Begin by exhaling completely. Then as you inhale focus on filling your torso with breath beginning all the way at the bottom - in the floor of your pelvis. Allow each piece of you to expand gradually as you slowly inhale... from that bottom piece up. As you fill upwards - expand in the lower belly, the navel region, the ribcage expanding outwards, the chest filling out and up... All this should happen on the one inhale, but don't force it. If you have trouble just breathe in and follow it best you can. The longer/more you do it - the easier it will get.

Then on your slow exhale - slowly empty your breath in reverse - empty the chest, the ribs, then the belly... all the way down to the pelvic floor which you can feel lift at the very end of the exhale. Just inhale and exhale this way. Watching your breath fill and empty over and over like waves on a beach rising and falling.

There should be no straining or trying too hard because you CAN injure yourself with breathing exercises. If you feel that you're struggling just return to normal breathing and observe it without controlling it.

If your concentration/focus wanders that's totally normal. You will generally find that it happens less the more you practice... but there will always be days when you're just not focused and that's okay too. When that happens just take a few normal breaths and begin again. Allow yourself to return to normal breathing for a bit before you completely stop. It's best for your nervous system.

Adventures in Picture-Taking

If you keep up with my Flickr page at all - then you might know I posted a handful of new photos this weekend. I try to do that about once a month. Sometimes you don't realize how much your poses have grown until you compare pictures that are a couple years apart. Anyway, today I wanted to show a few of the pics that didn't make the cut for one reason or another. Bloopers, out-takes, whatever you want to call them - here they are.

And one ridiculous bonus pic where I look scared of the hoop.

TheraPED Review

As a yogi I ask a lot of my feet, so when Health Enterprises, Inc offered me the chance to review their product the TheraPED, "Spa Therapy for your Feet", I agreed optimistically. I have had to ice/soak my feet many times being as active as I am, so I figured I'd give these a shot.

A little more about TheraPEDs:
MSRP $9.99
Included in CMA gift bags.
Given the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.
Available only in Zebra print.
One highly adjustable size fits all.
TheraPED's are basically cushy hot/cold gel packs that you can strap onto your feet (with very soft velcro)  for therapeutic purposes.

I tried these 3 separate times in order to give them a really good chance to impress me. The 1st time was upon returning home from the gym - Heat. The 2nd time was upon waking with sore feet the next day - Heat. A couple days later I tried them after a vigorous yoga session - Cold. I followed the enclosed instructions to the letter.

I was a little hesitant because they were so silly looking to me. Putting them on really solidified this. I laughed like a maniac at how much I looked like a zebra-duck. When I was done with them - Adam tried them too and had the same results I did.

My Findings:
Heat: Completely Ineffective.

Cold: While it was slightly more effective than when heated, it mostly just made my foot uncomfortable with the cold gel directly on my foot instead of having cloth between skin and cold like I always do for iced injuries.

Toe spacers: Mostly just held it in place - didn't affect my toes at all. Too soft and thin to be noticeable. I have really open flexible toes, so I'm not surpised that the spacers did nothing for me and it doesn't mean anything. However, Adam got no better results from them than I did.

These might be great for people that wear heels a lot, but I can't vouch for their usefulness to anyone else. For me they might be better if they addressed the heel of my foot or my ankles instead of just the ball and top of the foot.
Only one per box surprised me. Since feet come in a pair, socks come in pairs, shoes come in pairs...

TheraPEDs are clearly well made and I like the convenience of being able to strap the heat/cold directly onto your foot and not worry about it shifting as you watch TV or read a book. Unfortunately I can't say that they delivered anything therapeutic to me except a little laughter.

Finding a Path

Source: http://www.michellemyhre.com/

Still Hooping

It's been forever since I last wrote about hooping. Some of that is because I didn't really do it much for a while, but it never completely went away and I still love it. In fact, this winter I've finally gotten a decent hold on some things like shoulder hooping that I'd been struggling with for what felt like an eternity. This year for my birthday I ordered a new lighter hoop that hasn't quite arrived yet and a pair of mini hoops. Mini hoops work a lot like spinning poi which you may recall I tried and hated a couple years ago. However, spinning mini hoops is about a million times more fun for me than spinning poi. I'm having a blast. Occasionally hitting myself in the face with something has never been so fun.

I've been spinning pretty constantly lately. Since the mini hoops are new to me my hands get pretty bruised up from playing with them for too long, but it's not too bad. When I get too bruised up I just take a day or 2 to play with my big hoops more while I heal.

Hooping "blasts 400-600 calories per hour... and has been proven to shed as many calories as cardio kickboxing." - says the postcard I got with my minis.

These days hoop dance is my accidental cardio. I've decided that while I do enjoy running - My body doesn't recover from it as quickly as I'd like and I'm just not gonna do it anymore. It interferes with my yoga and yoga comes first. I found a hoop dance class at a nearby studio. I hope to attend one of these days and see what the hooping class is like.

This post is rambling and not all that coherent, but I just wanted to say - Hey, I'm still hooping.

Yoga Teacher - What I Do

This whole thing has really taken off. There's apparently a lot of crazy ideas running around about what it is yoga teachers do. I'm sure there's more of these I haven't seen yet. Send them my direction if you find more.

Source: http://fuckyeahyoga.tumblr.com/post/17625105696/yoga-instructors

In case you've forgotten what that mega-important lower center pic above is referring to: Watch the video again.

Source: http://i.imgur.com/G6zfK.jpg

Source: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/02/what-yoga-teachers-do----the-meme/

You Don't Have To Hate Chaturanga

Most people hate chaturanga because it is hard. Being hard it tends to frustrate people. Then they avoid it as much as possible. Never do it = Never get better at it = Always hate it.

More important than a little ego trouble is the fact that with all the vinyasa people do - a poorly aligned chaturanga dandasana will eventually lead to rotator cuff injuries. These are common among the yoga population and terribly unnecessary. Today I'm going to share with you some easy ways to work on improving your chaturanga so you too can have injury free, strong, defined shoulders and triceps.
(plus some leg and core strength to boot!)

Here's a decent chaturanga dandasana.  Shoulders back, triceps parallel to floor, wrists mostly below elbows, elbows close to side body, low belly lifted, tailbone tucked, reaching back through legs/heels.   

Start from the floor. You can perfect your alignment before you bear any weight so it's safer while you build up the strength to come at it from up high. Then look at your body as 3 separate pieces to break it down.

Lie down on your belly.

Upper Body:

Place your hands on the floor shoulder width apart - wrists below your elbows.
Use your fingers and knuckles. The whole hand should press into the floor.
Ideally elbows are close to your side, but it's more important to keep shoulders back.
If you have to choose - let your elbows splay a bit and keep shoulders back.
Lift your chest/shoulders up so your shoulders are as high as your elbows.

Now your upper body is in chaturanga.

Keep this going.

Lower Body:

Tuck your toes under.

Reach strong through your legs and back through your heels.

Do it harder so your thighs lift from the floor.

Keep it - you're almost there.

Middle Body:

Now activate your lower abdominals - Tuck the lower belly in and up away from the floor.

Lengthen your tailbone towards your heels.

You're in chaturanga!
Hold for a few breaths or do a couple chaturanga pushups to build strength and stamina.

It helps to see it in action, so here's my short silent video!

Chaturanga from the Floor Up from April Armistead on Vimeo.

Beginner's Tip: Use a Strap

Using a strap helps keep the arms aligned and the chest supported. 

If you choose to use the strap - make a loose loop and place both arms through the middle of it. Set up your chaturanga from plank pose. This may be difficult because of the loose strap, but mess with it and figure out how to make it work for you. A partner is helpful to tell you when you've got it.

This shirt and strap combo was a poor choice. The strap disappears in the pic, but I was too lazy to take another one. You'll just have to take my word for it - I made a loose loop and strung my arms through the middle of it. It's the excess length hanging down in the middle.  It should be slightly more loose than you think so there's room for it to hang a bit and cradle your chest. Otherwise it just forces your arms forward which defeats the purpose. 

The strap can be higher on your arms, but if you have breasts - you might want it just above your elbows so the strap supports your ribcage more than squashes things.



Questions? Comments? Please do.


In general, this exercise is for anyone, but please don't try any of it without speaking to your Dr. first if you have any medical/physical problems. Seek Peace At Your Own Risk!

I Heart You

I wanted to write something awesome and love-filled for Valentines Day. I don't really care for the holiday myself, but that doesn't mean I need to be a party pooper. However - my dog has been sick for a couple days - throwing up all over the place. Everyone knows that vomit knows nothing of schedules so I haven't really slept and I'm frankly just too damn tired to write anything amazing or original today. Sorry.

Source: http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/2012/01/big-love.html

I will instead offer up to you these fun things from around the internet. Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Indian Teatime Valentines

Heart Milk Cubes

Partner Yoga Poses

Source: http://asubtlerevelry.com/heart-milk-cubes

Anusara Invocation

Sianna Sherman - Ganesha Around the World

In today's video Sianna Sherman shares the story of how one of my favorite gods Ganesha attained immortality - followed by a short chant.

Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Get Out of Your Head

"Get out of head that your legs need to be straight or that it should look a certain way. If you’re breathing and you’re not compromising your body, then you’re doing yoga brilliantly, beautifully." - Seane Corn

Yoga Journal 2nd Annual Talent Search

So apparently this is an annual thing now. I have zero intentions of entering this year, but if you're interested in potentially being featured in the pages of Yoga Journal - go check it out! 

Then tell me you entered so I can vote for you. ♥

"The Top 5 finalists will win new stylish yoga gear from Athleta. The winner will be flown to San Francisco for a photo and video shoot to be featured in our October 2012 issue." - from YJ

 They are accepting photo entries from yogis and yoginis of all levels from now until March 30th.

http://talentsearch.yogajournal.com/
Photo via a random YJ Newsletter.

Aerial Yoga Review

So I mentioned it was my birthday Saturday, and I thought it was the perfect day to try something new. I recently found that Boise has Aerial Yoga classes, so I signed us right up for a one hour class at Ophidia Studio. Us = Me and Adam.

Ultimately it was not quite as much yoga as aerial, but I was fine with that. It was still super fun because there was enough flipping and monkeying around to keep me happy. I'll be going back for more and I'd suggest it for anyone to try. At first it's a little awkward, but overall it's easier than you'd think. A lot of it seemed to rely mostly on how much you were willing to just go for it. It was a nice workout for grip strength and confidence.

After class the instructor Katie Ponozzo graciously took a few pics for me. We also did a fun little backflip thing that I really liked, but I decided against asking for a video of it out of respect for her time.

Birthday Weekend

Tomorrow is my birthday so I'm taking a long weekend. I'll return on Tuesday the 7th.

I hope that I'll be eating, drinking, being merry, and doing yoga.

In the meantime, here's Natalie Portman with a very attractive mustache.

photo via Pinterest

Smells like a Hippie

Me - A couple years ago I would've said this smells like a hippie, but now I just think it smells really good.

My Mom - "Well you are a hippie."

Touché mom. Touché.

We were talking about soap by the way.
Today's photos via Pinterest

25 More Letters

A little note to keep in mind if you're falling off your new year's resolution wagons.

After that, there's an infinity of numbers.