What Yoga is...

I have practiced yoga for 14 years. Early on, I was introduced to shalabhasana, or the locust pose, as a means to help my back. In every attempt to practice this pose, my legs were heavily earthbound, no matter how much flexibility I gained in my back or strength in my legs. After a while, I began to tell myself stories about this pose:

My arms are too short.
I'm not strong enough.
This pose is not for me.

I began to modify the pose whenever a teacher would offer it in class. I avoided teaching the full pose. I identified with what my mind told me, and embraced the justifications for rejecting the pose.

Last week, I stepped into a yoga class that changed so much for me. The teacher was visiting from India, and he and his wife taught several classes at the studio where I teach. I had heard great things, but had little expectations as I began this journey with him. He asked us to use our breath in a very different way, and then to explain why it was challenging to us. We all had stories about why we couldn't do what he was asking us to do; he neatly and succinctly exposed these stories as false - like removing training wheels, then pushed us to try more.

And then came shalabhasana.

He asked me why I wasn't lifting my legs. I gave him my stories, and he - kindly - refused to believe them. He then explained how I needed an experience to prove it to myself, and that I would then be able to practice the pose forever after that. By adding a small prop, I was able to lift my legs skyward with minimal effort. And so I tried it again. And again, but without the prop. My legs joyfully rose. I tried it the next day, and had the same experience, as well as the days after. So, what happened?


Did he magically transform my arm length, my strength or change the pose so that it was "for me" now?


No. He reminded me what yoga is. From Yoga Sutra 1.2 (Gary Kissiah's The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali),

"Yoga citta vrtti nirodhah: Yoga is the cessation of the misidentification with the modifications of the mind."

My mind had modified reality to fit a concept of my ego: this pose is not for me. I misidentified with this story; I believed it... for a long time, too. By pushing us with our breath, and then giving me an experience that I was convinced I couldn't have, I realized how much I was believing that wasn't necessarily true.

This all happened just 2 days before my Kickstarter campaign was scheduled to end, when I wasn't sure that I could raise the $18K to make the video project a reality. After the class, though, 

I started to doubt my doubts. 

Maybe they, like my thoughts about locust pose, were wrong.

It turns out I was right about being wrong. We reached our Kickstarter goal, raising over $18K, thanks to all of you!!! Since then I've now been wondering, 

What else have I been modifying and misidentifying? 

What have you?

Announcements:

• Hear Lorien's interview on the Transformational Power of Yoga Telesummit.
• Next Kaiser Restorative Yoga for Cancer Survivorship 6-week series begins June 12 (ends July 24, no class July 3). Call 408-366-4284 to register.
• Tuesday, June 4th: Lorien will be offering gentle yoga demonstrations as part of Stanford's Cancer Survivor Celebration week. See Events page for info.
• Sunday, June 23rd: Lorien will be offering restorative yoga demonstrations as part of Kaiser's Seeds of Hope Cancer Survivor Day. See Events page for info.
• Stay tuned: Lorien's Healing Yoga for Wellness DVD will be out in June...

The Year of Living Consciously Part 1

Happy New Year! As you can see by the title of this blog, I've decided to change things up a little in 2012. Each month, I'll invite you to join me in ways to be a little more present, more aware, more forgiving and more joyful.

This month, take some time to notice your mind. The mind can be sharp, reflective and clever, or it can be dull, clinging and repetitive. See if you can step back from your thoughts every now and then and really look at what's arising in your mind. Each thought sends ripples through your being as your mind assigns a condition to it (that's a "good" thought, for example), and we'll explore those ripples next month. For now, just look at the thoughts and see if you can notice the conditions that arise just following each thought. Think of this as training the mind - like swimming laps or doing sit ups. You must repeat this exercise over and over to really receive the benefit: less identification with your thoughts. Meditation is a good place to practice this, but you can do this at any time, any place. Practice being the witness of your thoughts, a simple but challenging skill.

Namaste

Schedule updates and special events; please see Special Events age for more details...

• NEW series: Beginning Jan 12, Lorien will be teaching a daytime 6-week series based on Hanna Somatics work. These are gentle sliding, rocking movements done on the floor to help regain awareness and flexibility while relieving pain. Class meets Thursdays, noon-1:00pm at Willow Glen Yoga. 6 weeks for $80. Pre-register at www.willowglenyoga.com.
• NEW ongoing class: Yoga Basics is an exploration into the fundamentals of the yoga practice: breath, posture, energy. Each week is a different theme to help beginners to advanced students alike fine tune their practice. Class meets Wednesdays, 7:30-8:45pm at Breathe Los Gatos. Check fees and new students specials at www.breathelosgatos.com.
• April 27-29, 2012 Weekend Retreat with Lorien and Marti Foster at Mayacamas Ranch in Calistoga. See Special Events for more info.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

Change is often received poorly by us humans. I've recently stepped onto a path that has already begun to change me. Each time I notice a difference, I'm tempted to pass judgement on it, label it and distance myself from it. I've done a lot of work to stay present in my breath so that I can notice these things coming up, but I wasn't able to see my distancing habits until I re-discovered an old story. Now my mantra is "maybe yes, maybe no", which helps me to not attach a label to anything arising, and helps me accept the changes with more grace. Here is that story:

There was once a farmer whose only horse ran away. On that evening the neighbors gathered to sympathize with him, for surely this was such bad luck. Now your farm will suffer and you will not be able to plow, the neighbors warned the farmer. Such a terrible thing to have happened to you, they said.

The farmer said, “maybe yes, maybe no.”

The next day the horse returned and brought him six wild horses, and the neighbours came to congratulate him and celebrate his good fortune. Now you are richer than before, they said. Surely now this has turned out to be such a very good thing, for you, after all.

The farmer said, “maybe yes, maybe no.”

The following day, the son saddled and rode one of the wild horses. He was thrown off the horse and broke his leg. Now the son could not work on the farm. Again the neighbours came to offer their sympathy for such an inconvenient truth. They noted that there was more work than the farmer could handle and surely now he would become poor. Such bad luck, indeed.

The farmer said, “maybe yes, maybe no.”

The day after that, conscription officers came to the village to take all the young men for the army, but because of his broken leg, the farmer’s son was disallowed. When the neigbours arrived again, they said how very fortunate the farmer was, as things had worked out after all. Knowing well that most young men never return from the war alive, this was the best fortune yet.

And the old farmer said, “maybe yes, maybe no.”

I hope this story helps you with any of your changes. Because if there is one guarantee in life, it's that it will change. Happy holidays and Namaste.

Schedule updates and special events; please see Special Events page for more details...

• THIS WEEKEND: Saturday, December 4th 1:00-3:30om, Lorien will teach her Sweet Surrender Restorative Workshop at Willow Glen Yoga Studio. This is a perfect opportunity to gain tools to reduce stress effects and regain serenity during this hectic season!
• Special classes: For the month of December, Lorien will be teaching a Foundations of Flow class on Tuesdays at 10:30am at Breathe Los Gatos. This class explores the concepts of flow - breath, balance, energy, strength, ease - in an ongoing 75-minute class format. Join us!
• Beginning next Monday (Dec 5th), you can register for the Gentle Yoga Kaiser classes that begin in January. These classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday (register for each separately), 9:30am-10:30am at one of the Kaiser buildings off Homestead. Both Kaiser members and non-members can join these classes. Call (408) 851-3800 to register after Dec 5. Classes run 10 weeks and are $80 for members, $120 for non-members.
• SAVE THE DATE: April 27-29, 2012 Weekend Retreat with Lorien and Marti Foster at Mayacamas Ranch in Calistoga... more info coming soon!

Foundational Questions for Spring

Welcome, Spring! I know it's rainy, cold and dark outside as I write this, but spring is officially here: time to surrender the past, rebirth, grow and change. It's always a busy time for me and this spring is no exception. Between teaching classes and planning future workshops, retreats, chanting sessions and other fun projects, my mind has been drawn to the foundational question of what is yoga? I've recently read several articles about what yoga is not; like shadows defining the form, we often use the negative to describe our subject. But it's important to remember that the shadow is not the form. So, what is yoga?

In promoting my work with cancer patients, I travelled to several doctor's offices to pass out flyers. When I let them know that I teach yoga to cancer patients, I often got a quizzical look. I then offered to give a demonstration to the staff to show that I would not be asking their patients to wrap their legs around their heads. Most people have one or two views of yoga: it's an excuse to take a nap, or it's a contortionist practice. After twelve years of practice, I can safely say it is both and neither of those.

To me, yoga is about relationship. It is a physical practice that helps us relate to our own bodies, an energetic practice that relates us to our own breath, a mental practice that relates us to our own mind and a spiritual practice that relates us to everything else. It can be as simple as a good stretch or as complex as a total quality of life overhaul. The magic ingredient is us; we plant the seed, we cultivate the practice and we reap the harvest. People need guidance to begin with and possibly along the way, but the guru is really inside. The articles that I've read all point to the subject leaving themselves out of the equation; often quite painfully, they learned that yoga is not that.

This spring, let go of what no longer serves you, stretch past your limits safely and watch yourself blossom, but always remember your inner guidance. Namaste.

Schedule updates and special events; please click description for more details...

• Lorien will be away for a training March 27-April 1. Classes will continue with subs.
• NEW! Starting Tuesday, April 5, Lorien will teach a Yin Yoga class noon-1:00pm at Breathe in Los Gatos.
• Class change: Tuesdays 1:00pm class at Breathe is now a Wellness Yoga class, which means that anyone dealing with chronic pain, compromised immune systems or chronic stress from illness or injury can find ways to improve their total quality of life through gentle yoga practices. Class is offered by donation ($12 suggested, but no one turned away). Please help spread the word!
• Saturday, April 23: Yoga as Cancer Support workshop 1:00-4:00pm at Breathe in Los Gatos; this workshop is donation-based and is for patients, caregivers and professionals working with cancer.
• Sunday, April 24 (Easter) OM for Peace Annual Chant: 3:00-4:00pm at Breathe in Los Gatos; this free hour of chanting OM is our annual Easter ritual to connect with others in an effort to send a vibration of peace out into the world. No need to register, no previous chanting experience needed, just come with an open heart.
• Friday, April 29 - Sunday, May 1: Yoga Retreat to the Beach Immerse yourself in this relaxing weekend retreat at the beach in Watsonville; only 2 beds lefts - register NOW!
• Coming soon: Wellness Yoga DVD... stay tuned for more details!