NEW! Saturday Full Series Class!

I'm pleased to announce that, as you may have seen in the recent A2 email, there is going to be a Full Primary Series class on Saturdays, starting next week (the 26th). The class will run from 4-6pm, and can be approached from 2 basic angles: practicing the full first series with whatever modifications needed and ending at 6pm, OR practicing Mysore style, i.e. going until there is an asana that you cannot do and then going to finishing poses at your own time and pace. 

I invite you to join me on Saturday at 4pm! Ashtanga experience helpful but not necessary. See you then!

Full Series Class update: July 26th?

Hi :) It looks like we might be holding the (first) Full Series Ashtanga Class from 4-6pm on July 26th! Let me know via comments or email if this is a time/date you can make, or if the after noon of the 27th would be better instead. THANKS!

Sun A: It's all in the details

Whether you're new to Ashtanga or a seasoned practitioner, there is always new ground to be discovered in the simple things. Here is a wonderful video that goes through Suryanamaskara A in precise detail (copy & paste this link): http://youtube.com/watch?v=9P5PSqmnu88

Try doing three of these at home every day, especially if you only take classes once or twice a week. You'll really start gaining strength and fluidity. 

Moving meditation: You don't have to sit still

I had several reasons for getting involved in yoga, but one was my inability to meditate. Simply put, I could not sit still for longer than 10 seconds. I marveled at this inability of mine. The task seemed so simple: just sit. But it was unbearable for me, to the point that I would jump up and start to scratch my arms and sides as if there were ants all over me. My nervous system felt completely overwhelmed. And everything I read on meditation stressed that forcing things would lead nowhere, so I felt stuck. Until I realized that mediation could be practiced in motion.

I saw a video of monks practicing walking meditation in their monestary garden, and immediately started practicing in my own living room. I had always been a pacer, but now each step brought my mind with it into the present, keeping it anchored, the flitting thoughts of past & future less and less disruptive. Bringing the concept of moving meditation into my yoga practice transformed it completely. I had been gaining strength and flexibility, but I still struggled with my tumultuous, competitive, brewing thundercloud of a mind. Truly learning to link each movement to a deliberate Ujjayi breath allowed my mind to become peaceful at last, contentedly flowing with the breath.

I have told students that if I could give them the gift of a quiet mind, I would! But not only can it not be gifted, it cannot even really be adequately described, because words cease to be the connection to the world. Instead, you are directly connected to everything, without the veils of language, social convention, etc. Plugged in directly to the source. And we are all wired to do this. But again, "do" is the wrong word. It is more akin to not-doing, to dropping all patterns. A little like the moment you stop trying to see the optical illusion and then, there it is, as it was all along. You were just on a different wavelength! A contemporary monk remarks, "in meditation, the convention of personality starts to unfold into energetic patterns; patters that are ephemeral but karmically potent when they're held onto... You experience yourself more like an energetic sphere of sensitivity than as a 6-foot tall vertebrate who's a man or a woman. The mind itself becomes different; something that's part of what's going on, not something separate thing that makes judgments about it."

The yogic system of breath, bandhas, and asanas has been around as long as it has because it works. As Sutra 1.2 tells us, Yoga is the mastery and integration of the activities of mind. So even if your mind still feels loud and incessant, keep practicing. Do so especially if this is the case, since the difference you will experience will be profound. And eventually, you'll be able to sit, with a quiet mind. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Jalandhara bandha

Continuing our discussion of the Bandhas, which seems to be popular according to the little poll on the left, the Yoga Sutras tell us that "Jalandhara bandha catches the flow of nectar in the throat". On a fundamental health level, Jalandhara bandha can be used to reduce throat inflammation, tonsilitis, etc. It also opens up physical and energetic channels up the back of the neck, while compressing these channels in the front of the throat. Holding this position causes prana and nerve impulses to collect in the cervical plexus of the throat, and when the bandha is released, they flood into the skull, activating higher centers in the brain.

Jalandhara banda becomes especially important once the Kundalini energy really begins to make its way up the spine. Kundalini energy is its own creature, and it behaves like one: it has been asleep for a long time, and so it does not wake easily. It must be awoken, again and again like a sleepy child, until at last it comes out of its slumber and begins to journey upward. As you work with prana and Kundalini energy during your practice, you can use Mulabandha and Uddiyana bandha to lift the energy up through the body, and Jalandhara bandha to keep it flowing upward with each inhale, not letting any "slip back down" with the exhales. Visualize holding this precious pool of nectar at the base of the throat, using the energy lock.

Going back to Western medicine, the activation of Jalandhara bandha is a means to consciously control the body's metabolism. Activating this bandha applied pressure to the thyroid, which secretes the hormone thyroxine (T4). T4 is responsible for the rate of tissue metabolism - that is, nutrient consumption, cell turnover, and tissue aging. The influence of T4 goes right down to the microscopic level where it activates enzymes and oxidation in cells. "Massaging" the thyroid by using Jalandhara bandha helps regulate this organ & keep it in good health. We begin to connect with the body's processes on a very deep level, a cellular level. So whether we want to use the traditional yogic visualization of a pool of nectar in the throat, or to think about the T4 hormone being regulated, this third bandha offers us tremendous physical and energetic health benefits.

Uddiyana bandha

If you've been to my classes, you've heard me refer to Uddiyana bandha as the "flying-up energy lock". Physically, it involves pulling your navel in toward your spine, scooping those muscles upward to lift the energy further up through the body. Taking Uddiyana bandha also has the effect of shifting the breathing to the upper chest, creating a perfect platform for Ujjayi breath. If you're still having trouble visualizing what Uddiyana bandha looks and feels like, here is an example (warning: advanced yogi!! Yours does NOT have to look like this! This is to demonstrate the principal): http://www.flickr.com/photos/odie1049/516052737/

So, what are the benefits of holding Uddiyana bandha throughout our practice? Well, in yoga, engaging this bandha increases the power of the core. Thus, it becomes easier to hold many postures such as balancing postures. It also tones, cleanses and massages the internal digestive organs, leading to healthier digestion. And, very importantly, it serves to continue the upward movement of Kundalini energy through the body. Learning to engage both Mulabandha and Uddiyana bandha continuously throught practice leads to incredible strength, stamina, and stability in asanas. As you engage these bandhas, feel yourself literally grow taller and more open through the chest. Feel the breath grow deeper. Take this length and openness with you to work, to the bank, to the grocery store - wherever you go. Notice how managing your energy in this way, in this upward direction, leads to increasingly positive energy exchanges with both others and yourself. Be the peace you want to see in this world. There are many ways. This is one.

First Series: From start to finish!!

Hi everyone!
I've recently been discussing with Ana the possibility of holding "Full First Series" classes or workshops. Each session would be 2 hours long, to allow us time to practice the First Series all the way through. I'm not exactly sure how we'd run the classes; maybe once a month, or more/less depending on interest. Speaking of which - please LET ME KNOW if you'd be interested in these Full First Series sessions! Email me, leave a comment, or tell me in person at the studio. I've already gotten a 'yes' from 3 people, and if we get a few (or a lot!) more, then we can do this!