Walking a New Path When the Old One is Comfortable

You are a creature of habit. I mean, we all are - so don't think you're an exception.

Sometimes we try to learn a new habit on purpose - like brushing and flossing twice a day, not eating animal products, or doing yoga every day. That's really hard to do and sometimes people talk about how long it takes to build a new habit. That isn't always the way it works, really. Some of us (like me) just don't seem to learn new habits. I can learn to do something the same new way for 3 years and then just stop doing it one day. No matter how much better I felt for it or loved doing it - it's suddenly like it never happened. Why? 

Michelle Dawson by Robert Sturman

Some of us, it turns out have worn such a distinct path with our original habit - that the new one just can't compete. So it's not so much that you don't form a habit - you just formed the last one soooo well that it's harder to UNDO it than anything. It can be done, but it's going to be a more difficult journey.

What's my point here? Do I have one? I thought I did when I started.

If you're having trouble picking up a new habit - like doing yoga regularly (or ever) - go easy on yourself, but keep trying. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your habit of not doing yoga.

The Year so Far

It's been an interesting year so far. I've been working on a lot of things. Some yoga, some art, some reading, had a birthday, etc.

Last month I won the book Hell Bent from Just here. Just now. and it took me longer than I would've liked to finish reading it. This isn't a review post so I won't really go into it, but it's definitely a worthy read.

I do have a full book review coming up soon for B.K.S. Iyengar's new book Core of the Yoga Sutras which I'm reading now. I'm not a fast/committed reader so bear with me. I can be easily distracted, but I promise it's coming.

I started a deviantART page with some of my artwork on it. A lot of my stuff is also quite large in real life - like 4 feet tall 4 feet wide. I'm running out of room to keep them all piled up everywhere. Creating can be a good outlet and even meditative. If you're not involved in anything creative I suggest you give it a shot. It's good for your health.

Sometimes You Suck

Sometimes yoga is all about aiming for perfect alignment and holding a solid pose for ages. Other times you just want to get out of your head and into the flow. Sometimes you need to expand your horizons and try a new pose.

When you're in the flow - channel the breath and let go of expectations of perfection. If your practice has been slipping - your poses may not be as easy or pretty as they once were. When you're trying something new you have to get comfortable with the idea that you'll probably suck at it. You might fall on your face, your ass, and your ego. Even poses you've done a thousand times can surprise you on a bad day. Some days you will suck. And that's okay.

For teachers - sometimes your students will not be any good. Maybe they're doing their best but they're new; maybe your class is too fast-paced to get all the kinks worked out in each pose. These things can be fine. There's a place for the single beat pose class and the beginner's flail. Take care of your students, help them out, keep them safe but as one of my teacher trainers told us - Sometimes you just have to let them suck.

Healing Longterm Injury in Yoga with Kino

In this great video Ashtanga teacher Kino MacGregor discusses how to approach longterm injuries. If you get or have an injury that lasts for months or years - this video has some worthwhile advice for you.

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Forearm Stand Tips

When people first start doing forearm stands (pincha mayurasana) they tend to want to fight about how their arms should be placed. They're supposed to be parallel to each other, but the hands want to slide towards each other OR the elbows want to slide away from each other... OR the practitioner simply wants to set up with hands together elbows apart from the beginning. They claim it's more comfortable or easier this way. One person even told me that asking him to put his arms parallel to each other was ridiculous.

What does this mean and why is it important?
Hands or elbows sliding can mean you're not rooting down properly. Elbows sliding out specifically says you're not pulling them in towards the midline enough. Practice just holding your arms and clawing your fingers in dolphin (aka pincha prep) for a while before you start kicking up.

All of these things usually point to tight shoulders. It requires pretty open shoulders/chest to comfortably place your bent arms parallel to each other and raise them overhead. If you find this totally uncomfortable then focus more on shoulder openers before attempting your forearms stands. Maybe even set aside your plans for forearm stands for a while and regularly practice shoulder opening poses if it's really uncomfortable.

 Practice with a block as seen in this post to help learn proper set-up.

This all matters because - kicking up and having your foundation sliding into this triangle shape is just practice for a rotator cuff injury. These hurt a lot, may require surgery, and will ruin all your plans for a long while during the recovery process. They're also one of the most common injuries in yoga, so be patient and safe to avoid being injured from the beginning.

You May Also Enjoy:

Baby Steps to Forearm Stands

In the Art Studio

My posts have become slightly less reliable lately. For this I apologize, and I'd like to offer an explanation.

Little known fact - I used to be an artist. There's always this argument about whether yoga is art and I just transitioned into a different art style, but I consider the two to be too separate to be related. For me anyway. Nothing even remotely compares to drawing and painting. As long as this exists - there is no other art to me.

Once upon a time I did some art school and I was offered money for my work and people thought I had talent or something. However, it's hard to pay the bills as an art major so I went into biology instead (clearly I threw that idea out the window when I ultimately chose yoga). Anyway - with both art and yoga in my every day - I'm finding a ridiculous amount of happiness and fulfillment.

My latest project - and my first foray into soft pastels.

I recently cleared some space and started a home art studio. I got tired of sitting in the kitchen floor to draw and paint all hours of the day. So now I have this room all to myself and it's quiet and full of sunlight and I am spending all my time there. Sometimes I wash the colors off my hands and climb into bed in the wee hours of the night/morning - forgetting all about the blog-post I was supposed to write. So forgive me and be patient as I figure out how to arrange my schedule/life of activities - again. It's always something.

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.

Press to Handstand

So with the whole Briohny Smyth underwear video there's been a lot of buzz about pressing to handstand. No matter where you stand on the Too Sexy or Not debate - you probably agree that her handstand press abilities are solid.

Now everyone wants to know how to add this fun little number to their practice. Here are a few videos to help you out. Featuring Kino Macgregor, Briohny Smyth, and Ranil Kumara with a few different methods to get you floating tall.

Word of warning: Kino admits it took her 5 years to get this down - so expect to put forth some dedication and time into learning it.

The sliding thing Briohny does with the blanket I've done quite a bit. I picked it up from a Sianna Sherman workshop. It's work and I can definitely say it's helpful.

A similar method for the gym is with a stability ball. You'll either love it or hate it.

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Videos.

Awakening with Yoga

"To the disciples, Yogananda often said, “Be patient in your yoga practice. A plant won’t grow the moment you plant the seed. ‘Make haste slowly,’ as the saying goes. It may take time to achieve the results you long for, but the more you practice, the more you will see your life changing. “The day will dawn at last when you won’t even recognize yourself as the person you were." - “The Essence of Self-Realization: The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda”

Something to keep in mind as you practice, but especially if you are just starting.

Yes, this is my dog.

Beginner's Mind - Like a Fish

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking (and even teaching a little bit) about things I'm good at. I don't talk much about my weaknesses. One of my biggest weaknesses that I'm reminded of every summer is swimming. It's not like I can't swim, but I'm not even remotely a strong swimmer.

I can do challenging yoga for like 9 hours a day, and I can run for at least 5 miles without much work, but swimming in freshwater around 80 feet is HARD. I was at the lake yesterday and practicing maintaining my composure in water maybe 10 feet deep. I was swimming the length of the dock (80 feet or so) and then swimming back. I do this for cardio and for general practice. Ya never know when you're gonna need to swim. Every year I have to re-learn all these skills and work back up to being comfortable in deep water... then work on basic swimming skills... then on stamina and ability to hold my breath. It's crazy. It's humbling. I can outrun Adam by distance a thousand times, but he swims like a fish and I swim like a clumsy rock.

In Yoga we're supposed to at least attempt to always come at our practice from a space of being open and listening. Not cocky, not like we already know what we're doing. We're still supposed to take the time to quiet the mind, open to grace, feel what's going on and what can shine brighter. When you're just as open as a fresh newbie at her first class with no expectations and the willingness to try - This is beginner's mind.

What brings you back to beginner's mind? For me it's swimming. Definitely.

Practicing Awareness

Of all the times I've been injured or had to jump-start a neglected practice - this one has to be the most intelligent so far. I think so anyway. I mentioned Monday that I had a weird back thing going on that was bad enough for me to rest 100% for 2 days. This means I really did nothing. I spent most of those days lying in bed. I didn't even do laundry which is bugging me because I always do laundry on Mondays. I watched a lot of TV on the laptop and read magazines. I even spent some time just lying there staring at the ceiling and "feeling" what was going on in my body. I've been really good about paying attention to my body this week. I'm proud of myself.

I went on a walk yesterday figuring that wasn't too strenuous and I meditated when I got home. It's been a very educational little break. By this morning (Wednesday*) I was feeling less like my shoulder/back was trying to stab itself off of me. I only felt a little stiff and slightly sore, but a little hesitant to practice. I've mentioned before that my morning practice consists of a couple sun salutations, headstands, handstands, and forearm stands. I first had to talk myself into sun salutations. Slow quiet sun salutations. Every breath, every tiny movement and placement of bones, every pull or push - I listened.

Softening into my practice isn't my forte' but I made it through the whole thing without pain. That's all I did and I'm determined to take it slow. For all I know, this injury could have come about from a series of bad habits and careless moments. I'm practicing awareness and creating a safer practice.

I know of lots of yogis that have made a comeback from far more serious injuries than me... I just have to be patient and kind to myself.

* - these posts are almost always written at least a day early.
Also - There would be pics but my internet is acting stupid, so that didn't work out.

Resting 100 Percent

I woke up yesterday morning with an evil back pain of doom. What's up with that? I don't really know. I didn't even do anything on Saturday, so I've been kinda confused about it. I don't appear to have actively hurt myself, but the pain is definitely there for some reason. I spent most of Sunday just kinda feeling crappy, but otherwise going about my business. I did my morning weekend practice which is just a few sun salutations and meditation. Nothing strenuous. Then later I did some plyometrics (because I do that on weekends) with a 1 mile warm up walk and a 1 mile cool down walk. At that point I actually felt great. All the jumping and pushups and whatnot made me feel amazing. My back didn't even hurt! I can't imagine how plyos could've possibly made my back feel better, so I'm gonna call it a fluke. So I continued going about my day. Went to the park, watched squirrels, cuddled the dog. You know, the usual.

Hours later I sat down and had this outrageous pain start shooting through my back/shoulder. It comes and goes, but mostly it's there... and it sucks. Some research suggests that depending on what the hell is wrong I should either rest completely for up to 3 days, or I should go on as usual. I usually go by the rule that if it hurts when you're not doing anything - you should rest it completely for a while. Since this pain is definitely there all the time I've decided to give it total complete rest for 2 days and then pick back up with my yoga.

In the meantime, I'm realizing that I'm somewhere between dedicated and addicted to my yoga. I want to do yoga All The Time. Discomfort? Do yoga! Tired? Do yoga! Feel stiff? Do yoga! Now that I'm not allowing myself to do yoga - it's like I'm going stir crazy. I find myself plotting and trying to figure out ways I can sneak in some yoga anyway. I'm not giving in. I promise. I'm going to rest...but this is really hard.

John Friend says to give 100% all the time. When you're working - give 100% and when you're resting - rest 100%, so that's what I'm doing. I am committed to doing what's right for my body - even if the right thing is Nothing.

Doggy Photo Source: Apparently everywhere. That dog gets around.

A Pose is Worth 10

I'm not really into Power Yoga. I don't generally take the classes and while I sometimes teach them - I'm not sure I'm great at it. In my years of yoga practice I've tried many styles of practice. I think Power Yoga is a great way for fitness junkies to get into yoga. It's also great for the kind of newbies that are concerned yoga will be boring. In Power Yoga, you don't hold poses for a long time - it's constant movement. Sometimes that's great. That's what got me started in yoga and I use that method at least a little bit almost every day.

However, in the last 10 years or so, I've learned that one really long held pose is worth 10 fast ones. It releases energy blocks and stored emotions... gives you a chance to work on your anger, frustration, patience, etc. Long holds make you stronger and more aware. They're still worth just as many sweat points and can still get your heart rate up, kick your butt, and burn calories if that's what you're looking for.

Try introducing long holds into your home practice this week. You don't have to go all out and hold things for 5 minutes just to prove that I'm crazy. If you usually hold your poses for 1 breath, try 5 breaths. If you usually hold your poses for 5 breaths, try 10 - 15. I really like holding my poses for 10 - 20 breaths. It's not boring because I get to revel in the feeling of my muscles, bones, breath, and sweat. It's not boring (and I personally think it's more helpful) because I get to spend those 20 long slow breaths fine tuning my asana and gaining muscle memory of pose "ideals". I also ride my edge which avoids the "I'm too comfortable here to be impressed" boredom.

I don't hold all my poses for a long time. Arm balances are usually a little shorter and I do more repetitions of them. I even do power yoga type sun salutations on the weekends during my morning practice. Just artfully place a few long holds into your practice to introduce yourself to them. Don't go all out and run a marathon the first day. Just try it on for size and see if it fits.

Touch Your Toes - Eventually

As a yoga teacher I've gotten a lot of good juicy body-oriented questions. They come from students, from friends, even from random people that have seen my classes from another room. I figure that means I look like I know what I'm talking about. Yay me.

One question that comes up often, in many variations, is:

"How long will it be until I can touch my toes?"

Let me set some things straight about toe-touching. One guy I spoke to said he thought it was "pathetic" that he couldn't touch his toes. Most people that don't specifically work on it - can't touch their toes. You're not pathetic! Ask all your friends and family if they can stand with straight legs and bend over at the hips and touch their toes - you'll likely find that few can. Especially in our current society where people sit in chairs, sit in cars, sit at desks and generally do everything they can to tighten all the muscles that affect toe-touching.

I've heard a story about a student asking his Guru this popular question.  What did his Guru tell him?
Stack up a bunch of telephone books or bibles or something. Books with VERY thin pages. Stack them to a height you can bend over and reach today. Keep practicing your forward bends every day. Each day tear off the top page of the stack. How many pages away are you? That's how long will it take.

Luckily, I like to remind my students that it will probably not take anywhere near that long. If you're new to yoga and you listen to the tips and you do the work on a regular basis then you will see results. You will see results quickly.

• Tip 1: If you don't want to stack books - you can place a couple blocks down to lift the floor to a more appropriate level.


• Tip 2: Feet together is limiting, so if you're struggling with your forward bends (or even if you're not) then keeping your feet hip distance apart can be mucho mucho helpful.

Now you might ask: If it doesn't actually take that long - then what's with the story?
The point of the story is all about patience. One page a day - that's the kind of patience forward bends require. It's the kind of patience they teach. You may be able to remove a whole book from your stack today, but don't think less of yourself if that one page is all that happens right now. You'll get there in time, and all you can do is breathe and learn to enjoy the practice.

If you're reading this post there's a good chance you want to read these too:
Standing Forward Bends for Unflexible Bodies
Seated Forward Bends for People That Don't Bend That Way
So Your Forward Bends Suck

It's Always Worthwhile to Try - Christina Sell Video

I'm loving this video and what it has to say. It's only a minute long, so I'll leave it at that.

Readers via Email - Click Here for the video

That's What It's All About

Sometimes I get a little frustrated (as we all do) when my practice isn't really going anywhere. I'm practicing some of the same old stuff over and over, wearing the same yoga clothes, facing my mat in the same direction, practicing at the same time of day... when's the last time I really did anything new? Sometimes I feel like I need to shake things up, but usually it's just a matter of sticking out the doldrums.

Nothing to see here.

Last week I turned my mat. It usually faces my inspiration board, but I just got kinda sick of it, so I turned it and now I'm looking at a front window. Does this bring new intention to my practice? Not really, but it changes the perspective just a little. Maybe it helps me stay more in tune with my hamstrings instead of the bright colors on the wall. I don't know, I try not to overthink these things. It's entirely possible that none of this matters. What really matters is that I'm still practicing.

Yep, Still Nothing.

At the Noah Maze Workshop last month he said that in "Light on Life", Iyengar says he went through a 10 year period where he had absolutely no discernable progress whatsoever. 10 years! That's a long long time to see no effect at all, but he remained dedicated and he continued to practice every single day... and eventually something shifted. That's what yoga is all about.

You're Doing it Wrong

I often have students, friends, and family members ask me about meditation. They always claim to have tried it unsuccessfully. They say - I can't shut off my mind. No matter what I do I just keep thinking about all these things. In response I like to say - You're Doing it Wrong! In jest of course, because I don't think you can really meditate "wrong".

You can, however, have expectations that are too high, or be judging yourself too harshly - all "wrong".  The monkey mind that swings from branch to branch (or thought to thought) is totally normal. We all have it. So don't be so attached to the idea that you're going to make that monkey stop dead in it's tracks. If you're crafty you can eventually manage to persuade the monkey to play on a single tree, but mostly he's just going to do his thing with or without your consent.

I read an article on Elephant Journal recently that made me chuckle - and I think it puts this common meditation worry into perspective. A little quote from it: "I never force my mind to go anywhere in particular when I sit zazen. When thoughts come, I let them come. When they go, I let them go. Of course there are times when the chugpi is struck three times, signaling the end of practice and I realize that really, I was just pretending to meditate the entire time." His meditation practice sounds a lot like mine so I was amused to read the thoughts that run through his head during meditation.

Read the rest of the article here: Top 20 Thoughts to Think While Pretending to Meditate

Just remember that to sit in meditation is progress. You don't have to be transported to God's palm and have deep psychic discussions for meditation to be "working". It's not about being productive, so just let it go.