Living Better With Yoga Part 2

Whenever I travel, I like to take yoga classes. This past week, I was in Florida and took advantage of the offerings from a sweet space called The Zen Room. (If you're in the Cape Canaveral area, stop in, because the place is great and surrounding Cocoa Village is a treat.)

I arrived a few minutes prior to the posted class time, in order to introduce myself and do all the paperwork, etc. What I could tell from walking up to the door is that there was a class going on inside. As I got closer, I realized they were sitting in meditation. This sitting practice broke as more of us arrived and students began moving meditation cushions to make space for yoga mats. At the beginning of the class, the yoga instructor informed us that there was a meditation intensive (my word, not hers) going on, and that some of the meditation students would be joining us for yoga and that we were invited to stay for meditation after yoga. Well, I never pass up an opportunity to sit, so I was very interested in staying!

After Julie's lovely, just-what-I-needed practice to move my breath, joints and muscles around, I plopped myself down on a cushion and listened to Roshi Danny offer instructions and tips on how to sit. He is an approachable teacher, easily laughs and very inviting (as I've found most of the people I met in Cocoa Village to be). Once he explained the different ways to sit and remain comfortable and advised us not to suffer during our sit, he invited us to turn and face the wall. After resettling, I began focusing on my breath. I heard the AC unit shut off, and the wind around Cocoa took that opportunity to really pick up. As lightweight items began to blow around the room, I heard a few people rise and shut the doors. Rochi struck a few items to make clacking and chiming sounds that would indicate the start and end of our sit. 

And then I was alone with my breath, my body aches and my thoughts.

I usually have an easier time meditating in a group than alone. That morning, however, my thoughts were in control. I kept trying to yank my mind back to my breath, back to my spine, back to anything other than the stories, the plans the entertaining chatter of my mind. Roshi offered us a tool: count the breaths; he invited us to count to 10 breaths and then repeat, or count to our age, or to any number that we like. I was able to count to 3 before my mind veered away from my breath. I kept counting to 3. After a few minutes of this, Roshi said:

Invite everything in to your mind and everything out, like a swinging door. In... And out.

With that image, and that invitation, I was released from the grip of my thoughts. I used that image and slowed it down to match my breath. In... And out.

The wind.
Roshi's words.
The village.

It all came together in a theme: acceptance.

An old, beloved Zen master was asked, "What is the final koan?"
He replied, "I can't tell you the last koan, but I can tell you the answer. The answer is love."

Is Music Everywhere?

Image credit: Adrien Sifre

I was leaving the parking garage of one of the Kaiser buildings today, and I forgot to roll up my passenger side window. As a result, the gate arm's creak was noticeable for the first time. My immediate thought was, "who's got their radio turned on so loud?" because I associated the sound with music. I smiled as I passed through the gate and on to the next one, ready for its unique "song".

And then I wondered, did the gate arms always sing for me?
Have I been too distracted by my own silly dramas to notice the songs around me?

I thought back for a few days.

The neighbor's Pomeranian dog yapping as I practiced my sun salutes in my back yard; could that be heard as music, if I wasn't so annoyed with wanting my breath to be the only sound?

The Mockingbird who wakes up at 3:30 am and decides we all need to hear his beautiful song - no matter if we are sleeping or not.

The garbage disposal grinding something out during my meditation... might that be a form of music, too?

All of these situations have something in common: I had a goal I was trying to reach (yoga, sleep, meditation) and I viewed these sounds as obstacles for reaching the goal.

As I pulled out of the garage I thought to myself

I had totally missed the point, because the yapping, chirping and grinding were the music, and my goal to listen with more of my heart than my ears.

Photo credit: Jesus Solana

What if this was my first or last moment on earth, wouldn't I hear these sounds as music?

Since then, I've been hearing music all the time. My own body creaking, the neighbor's electric saw, the roar of an airplane... the music all around me. Not all of it is pleasant, just as I don't enjoy all forms of music, but now I'm listening.

Even to the leaf blowers!

Reflections on my Teacher

The first time I met Tias Little, I was confused. I had heard his name several times over the years, but had mixed him up with another teacher. I anticipated an intimidating disciplinarian. I was so mistaken!

First Impressions

In 2008, I registered for the Yoga Journal Conference's Teacher Track series, which enrolled me in several "master" teacher 3-hour classes, aimed at continuing and improving my teaching skills. We had several classes each day, and each teacher had a specific topic to address. We filed into the room, set our mats down under fluorescent lighting and pulled out our notebooks, anticipating some great tool or truth to be revealed to us. After 2 days of this, I was getting a bit cynical. Yes, there were some good moments, some interesting sequences that I would take back to my classes, but I wasn't learning anything new. I could have easily learned that same information from the videos that these same instructors sold in the conference marketplace. There was very little human interaction, and I felt no connection to any of these people. The teacher stayed on the stage and would occasionally answer questions, but most often asked us to hold the questions until all the material had been covered. I understood, because I have been in that same situation: the dreaded time crunch.

And then, at the end of the second day, when I was starting to feel like cattle being led from one place to the next, I met Tias Little.

The first thing he did when we entered the room was ask us to put our notebooks aside, rest on our backs and breathe as he turned the overhead lights off. The topic of the workshop was "kidney qi", and instead of beginning with lecture, he had us settling our kidney qi in a very real, practical way. Ah, this was something different, I realized.

When he did get around to showing us slides, they were all images, no words. I am someone who can easily get caught up on words, but when I'm given images, I tend to recall the concept rather than the words. This helps me to process it later in my own mind and then the words I use are authentic, not just a retelling of someone else's experience. I still remember some of the images from that first workshop. I also remember him making his way around the room to adjust us, talk to us or simply move the energy. This made him so much more real to me. This was not some canned lecture that I could simply purchase on a DVD. This was live.

The Non-Dogma Dogma

After that first workshop, I knew I wanted to study more with Tias. I enrolled in another workshop here in the Bay Area, and then saved up my pennies to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to study at his school, Prajna Yoga, the following year.

The students that arrive at Prajna Yoga's in-depth studies are from all over the planet. In that first week-long training, I met a woman who was originally from Ireland, but had been living in Saudi Arabia, as well as an American who was living in Ireland. Some of the students come from South America, Tasmania, Middle East, Europe, as well as all over the United States. Each person brings a unique perspective about yoga, which is added to the mix.

Some teacher trainings create a formula for teaching, and it's usually based on the teaching of one specific person. So, you pay money to be able to teach just like that person; some schools will reprimand you for teaching outside of that formula.

What I found at Prajna was a kind of loose formula, with lots of freedom to flesh out the outline with my own voice. It was so liberating!

Tias is a massage therapist, too, so his knowledge of anatomy and adjustments are legendary. When I take a class with him, I learn more about how my body works than if I had studied an anatomy book for hours.

The Breath Within the Breath

What keeps me enrolling in Tias' workshops year after year is not just the anatomy, or the hands-on assists, or the information. Tias and Surya deliver their teaching in a very skilled, very subtle way. They use their voices to move energy. Until I met them, I hadn't known very many teachers who deliberately did this. A teacher who knows how to do this will work with tone, inflection, volume, pitch, humor and imagery. Because sound is so closely tied to your nervous system, this type of cueing is priceless. It is as if each of your ears is an assistant in the practice - bolstering you when you are flagging and soothing you when your energy peaks.

I've had students express to me disappointment with subs over this exact thing. The teacher can say the same things I say, do the same practice, but if he or she doesn't understand these subtle elements, the students will notice the difference.

Another jewel for me is to watch Tias and Surya work together. Tias will often bring up family challenges in his dharma talks, to illustrate some concept of the teaching, and it's inspiring to see a family really living their yoga practice - warts and all! I mean, why else are we doing all of this, if not to be better human beings to our loved ones?

For more information about their school, see the Prajna Yoga website.

Sunday with Tias and Lorien

I will be assisting Tias in his 2 workshops at Breathe Los Gatos this Sunday. I hope to see you there and share this great teacher with you! The details are below. Register at Breathe Los Gatos - spaces are filling up fast!


Open Hips, Quiet Mind
Sunday, January 19th | 3:30pm - 5:30pm

Like the metaphor of the Frog in the Zen tradition, it is important to have open hips in order to be still and stable in seated meditation. This class is an immersion to generate fluidity in the hips through both mobilization and stabilization techniques. These hip openers are beneficial for sciatic pain, sacro-iliac dysfunction and tight hamstrings.

Supporting the Immune System
Sunday, January 19th 6:00 - 8:00pm

Having a strong defense system and strong immunity is in many regards the ultimate aim of a yoga practice. This class reviews how yoga postures can create a healthy and radiant immune system. We will review the primary function of the lymphatic system in order to discover how yoga poses aid in the irrigation of lymph throughout the body. We will explore how yoga practice works as a preventative medicine, particularly for warding off flu and respiratory tract infections. Our study includes the skin and the way that yoga postures benefit the lymph vessels under the skin. We practice sequences that are designed as a tonic for the glands and membranes, especially around the throat, jaw and upper chest. We practice shoulder-stand, twists, half-lotus, and supported backbends. We also review the ways that meditation, metta practice, pranayama and chanting help build “psychic immunity”. In particular we investigate how negative emotion compromises immunity.

Acceptance

"Inhale... Exhale... Begin again."

These four simple words became a mantra during meditation this past week. They were spoken by yoga teacher Djuna Mascall during one of our first morning sits, and they continued to return to me throughout the week, reminding me how powerful the practice can be.

I spent 5 days at Esalen in Big Sur, soaking up the hot springs, sitting in the meditation hut that is located at the juncture of the river and the ocean, practicing yoga with students and teachers who never fail to make me smile, and eating delicious food from the Esalen gardens. Throughout the 5 days, my mind echoed Djuna's statement:

Each time I sat for meditation, I noticed my tendency to wander and then I brought myself back with these words.

Each time I struggled through the more challenging poses - holding revolved triangle for 20 breaths! - I noticed my strain and came back to the mantra.

Each time I sat down to eat, whether in company or alone, I took a moment to remember her phrase.

Simple. Powerful.

What's implied in these four little words is that we have an infinite number of chances to renew our commitment to whatever it is we've set our minds to. With every breath, we release our previous success and failure and accept the opportunity to start anew, like the ocean waves that serenaded our week, or the sunrise that erased the previous day's stories.

Another quote that was shared repeatedly by all the teachers there - Tias Little, Brenda Proudfoot and Djuna - is the following from Anne Lamott, a lovely description of the allowing that occurs when we follow this practice of inhaling, exhaling and beginning again:

“We begin to find and become ourselves when we notice how we are already found, already truly, entirely, wildly, messily, marvelously who we were born to be.”

Namaste.

Integrate to End Suffering; Welcome Change!

Photo credit: Amy Dotson

Happy New Year!  I hope this post finds all of you healthy, happy and whole.

As some of you have already experienced, yoga is a tool for integration. At the end of the last year, I took some time off to reflect on what was a very challenging and growing experience over the past 12 months. What I discovered is that my challenges, and my times of suffering occurred when I wasn’t integrating fully. There were periods when I was so much in my body, but didn’t allow my mind or heart to motivate me; there were times when I was in my head (okay, a lot of times!), and I felt my body and heart were neglected; and there were opportunities for me to be so much in my heart that I felt I might burst, but my head and my body were not there, too. Each of these times brought joy and necessary insight, and each of these times brought me a good deal of suffering. It was only during the rare moments that I experienced my body, heart and mind all working together as a team towards one goal, that I felt relief from suffering. And it was only during these times that I felt a balance in my energy.

For the coming year, I will be posting about ways to balance the body, heart and mind as a method to improve the flow of life force and free ourselves from suffering. Beginning next month, the posts will be more frequent and I’ve invited guests to write entries relating to the month’s theme. My website will be going through a upgrade, and I hope to be able to offer more resources as the year progresses. I also hope to move to a system that allows followers to connect with my blog more easily. So, do peek in, follow my blog if you can, and enjoy the holistic advice on living with ease.

Namaste

Announcements

• Lorien's public class schedule has changed for 2013, so check Lorien's schedule page.
• New Year's Day special classes: noon-1:15pm Wellness Yoga, followed by 1:15-2:00pm Breath and Meditation at Breathe Los Gatos. Join us and start your year off with ease, mindfulness and intention!
• Jan 19 1:30-2:30pm: FREE Check Your Boobies party! Join us at Breathe Los Gatos for this educational and fun event, and bring someone who needs to learn about breast health.
• Feb 2 1:30-4:00pm: Yoga for Cancer Survivorship at Breathe Los Gatos.
• Coming soon: Yin Yoga Immersion weekend, Yin Yoga Teacher Training... more details to come.

Yoga Defense Against Illness

The change of the seasons always brings a drop in my immune system, and this year was no exception. I caught a cold that lasted longer than a few days and dragged my energy down, though not to a point where I had to stop altogether. I credit my yogic practices for helping keep me healthy against illness, and for helping me bounce back when I do get sick. Some of my practices include: asana practice, pranayama, massage, mantra (no, it's not, "de-fense") and meditation, in combination with certain foods, oils and gargles. I'd like to share some of those yogic practices to help you all manage your health during the upcoming fall and winter months.

Asana, Pranayama and Massage

Our immune system is made up of several systems in the body, but the the lymphatic system, which drains fluid through the lymph nodes and sorts out harmful items to be learned for future defense, is one that we can directly affect through movement, massage and relaxation. Some postures that are accessible to all and support the circulation of lymph can be found in the Pawanmuktasana Series I. When I feel under the weather, I use this series to move my joints to promote lymph drainage.

Instant Maui pose

Legs Up the Wall Pose

Along with the above movement, finding comfortable positions to gently expand the breath is key. I really love the Instant Maui and the Legs Up the Wall poses, depicted right. In these poses, my body is passive and I can expand my breath without strain. Reducing tension in my body and breath eases my nervous system out of the stress response and supports better immune response. In addition, I imagine my breath is nourishing each cell as I inhale, and "cleaning house" from each cell as I exhale. Taking just a handful of these conscious, healthy breaths can make me feel so much better!

Another way I promote lymph flow is through warm oil massage. This is an Ayurvedic practice called Abhyanga and is described on Banyan Botanical's website. Massaging the skin is similar to moving the body when it comes to moving lymph.

Mantra and Meditation

When working with mantras, keep them simple. For example, as you breathe in say to yourself, "health in", and as you breathe out say to yourself, "waste out". You could also use colors or attributes to focus on as you tune in. For meditation, I like to work with the Tonglen meditation when I feel unwell. This is because I can easily slip into feeling sorry for myself. So, if I focus on others, I tend to let go of self-pity. As I breathe in, I notice what sensations I'm feeling (achy, stuffy, scratchy throat, etc.), and I imagine breathing it in for everyone who feels unwell at that moment. As I breathe out, I send out my wish for us all to feel better - to feel supple muscles, clear nasal passages and a serene throat, for example. Over and over again, I focus on my suffering as it relates to others in order to let it go for all of us. In truth, when I am healthy, I no longer participate in spreading unhealthy germs, which means that you all are healthier, too. Tonglen works really well when viewed from this perspective.

Here's to all our health! Namaste, Lorien

Announcements

• Lorien will be on vacation the first week in October, returning to teaching on 10/7/12.
• Check out the FREE breath and meditation class at Breathe Los Gatos on Sundays 6:15-7:00 pm (this class follows the 5:00 pm Yin yoga class. Why not take both?)
• Coming in November: Winter Wellness Workshop on 11/10/12 at Willow Glen Yoga... more details to come!

Ticking Clocks and Other Blocks (to Meditation)

I once experienced a student walk out of a restorative class that I was teaching because the clock ticking in the room was irritating her and she couldn't relax through it. I felt empathy, since I am also easily distracted by repetitive sounds. I went to a meditation teacher, Sharon Allen (who I am so fortunate to share space with at GGBC), and asked her what she recommends for this type of distraction. She offered a practice that I have found priceless, once that I have expanded on and that often helps me during meditation. Here is what she shared with me, along with my development.

First, identify the sensation (in this case, it is the sound of a ticking clock). Really focus on it, as if you were going to describe it later on to someone. Be interested in its qualities. As you rest your awareness on the sensation, notice if there is any change in its qualities. Next, notice that while there is a space for this sensation, there is also a space where this sensation doesn't exist. In the case of the ticking clock, there is a space in the room where there is an absence of the sound. Allow your awareness to rest there fully. Notice any judgements or opinions about the sensation or non-sensation and let those pass. Rest in this awareness of sensation for as long as you are able to stay with it without attaching to the sensation. You may begin to notice other sensations, but do so with this balance in mind, taking in the sensation and non-sensation and meeting both with equanimity. I work this way with sound, bodily sensation (breath, physical discomfort), thought and emotion. Try it - even for just 5 minutes a day - and see how it makes you feel.

Schedule updates

• Please see Lorien's schedule page for ongoing classes appropriate for all levels of health and abilities.
• Coming soon: therapeutic and cancer support classes in Los Gatos beginning Jan, 2011.
• Retreat with Barbra Brady coming next spring in Sonoma; more details coming!

The Music of Yoga & Meditation

I am often asked about the music I play in class. The soundtrack to the yoga experience is quite important to me, so I am very careful in my selections. I find that music can really help to calm an active mind or uplift a sluggish body, deepening the yoga or meditation experience. In general, I prefer music that does not have vocals, especially in a meditative practice. Sometimes, if the practice is more introspective, I will practice simply to the music of my breath, or the sound of ocean waves. The practices that are intended to uplift and move energy will have heavier beats and some singing - sometimes it will even be popular music (gasp!). Here are some favorite CDs that I recommend... just in time to put them on your holiday wish lists:

• Shamanic Dream by Anugama: good "chill" instrumental for slow flow, yin/restorative or meditation
• Anjali by Benjy Wertheimer & Michael Mandrell: good instrumental for slow flow, yin/restorative or meditation
• House Made of Dawn by Coyote Oldman: beautiful wind instrumental good for yin/restorative or meditation
• Shaman's Vision by David Gordon, Steve Gordon: mellow chanting and rhythmic beats good for slow flow, yin
• Dakshina, The Essence, Moola Mantra all by Deva Premal: incredibly beautiful vocals good for uplifting flow, yin/restorative (this is the artist I am most asked about)
• Drala by Drala: good instrumental for uplifting flow, yin/restorative
• Bali Dua by Jalan Jalan: Eastern "chill" with a few dreamy vocals good for yin/restorative or meditation
• Yoga Rhythm by Soulfood: mild vocals and rhythmic beats good for uplifting flow
• Deja-Blues by Steven Halpern: hypnotic beats good for slow flow, yin/restorative

Meditation tool

So Hum is a mantra, a tool to help with meditation. It is an easy way to settle your mind to one thing, listening for the sounds that already exist in the breath. Begin by taking a meditation seat (see last month's blog) and start to breathe slowly and easily. On the inhale, gently hear the breath creating the sound "sooooo"; on the exhale, gently hear the breath creating the sound "hummmm". This tool anchors an active mind, giving it discipline and direction as a you would when training a puppy to heel. Detach your internal critic and have patience with your puppy mind. For more information about this mantra and others, please click here.

Schedule updates and events...

Saturday, December 5th 1:00-3:30pm Soothe Your Soul, a Therapeutic Workshop for ALL! Part restorative yoga, part gentle yoga, part meditation, this workshop is all about dissolving stress. Open to all levels and abilities and no previous yoga experience necessary. $40 pre-reg, $50 day of; register at Willow Glen Yoga. Consider this workshop a gift to yourself or a loved one. Register now, only a few spots left.

Why Meditation?

I have been practicing and teaching yoga for over 10 years, but my meditation practice is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, I curl my legs under me, lengthen my spine and close my eyes each week to explore the meditation process. (I hesitate to use the verb, because "to meditate" doesn't seem like an action to me - I set the stage for meditation to occur and then sit back and watch... sometimes it occurs, sometimes not.) Why is meditation so important? It's an elusive practice, so why strive after something so challenging? Some people practice to achieve enlightenment, some to connect with their higher power. These are very noble reasons to practice, but they are not mine... at least, not at this stage in my meditation practice. My intentions are much more self-involved.

For me, meditation is therapy. It's work, it's confrontational, and it introduces you to yourself on whole new levels. The mind is reflective, and we are often so clouded by our surroundings that we do not "see" what is real, only the distorted reflection. Through meditation, we can recognize those illusions as well as the truth. Meditation improves focus, memory and creativity. A regular practice lowers stress levels, blood pressure, cholesterol and decreases substance abuse. It also improves relations, productivity, and self-concept. The challenge is that you need to keep at it, and you need to want to improve. If you are interested, one of my favorite teachers, Erich Schiffmann, gives meditation a whole section on his website: movingintostillness.com. Try it... and then try it again.

Meditation Seats

There are many different meditation positions, but the most important thing to remember is to be comfortable and alert. If you are too uncomfortable, you'll be distracted by it; if you are too relaxed, you'll fall asleep. Here are some different seated positions for meditation:

Chair: sit forward on the seat of a chair so that your back does not rest against anything, knees over your ankles, feet flat to the floor.

Seiza: come to all fours, place a block or cushion between your heels, then sit back on it. elevate your hips as high as you need to be comfortable.

Sidhasana: a cross-legged position where the heels are aligned in front of the groins; click here for a picture and instructions; elevating the hips on a folded blanket or cushion can help tight hips.

Half Lotus/Lotus: the classical meditation position, this pose requires some openness of the hips and a deep bend in the knees; click here for a picture and instructions (half lotus instructions are under Modifications); again, elevating the hips on a folded blanket or cushion can help tight hips.

Once you have your preferred seat, rest your weight into your seat, making your feet, shins, thighs, hips and buttocks heavy. Place your hands in your lap, lengthen your torso and melt your shoulders down your back. Lengthen the back of your neck so that your face tips down subtly and close your eyes. Let your chosen meditation process guide you from here, but come back to these steps anytime you find yourself slumping or drifting off.

Schedule updates and events... (see Lorien's schedule for all ongoing classes)

• Saturday, December 5th 1:00-3:30pm Soothe Your Soul, a Therapeutic Workshop for ALL! Part restorative yoga, part gentle yoga, part meditation, this workshop is all about dissolving stress. Open to all levels and abilities and no previous yoga experience necessary. $40 pre-reg, $50 day of; register at Willow Glen Yoga. Consider this workshop a gift to yourself or a loved one.
• Private therapeutic yoga sessions: this is a one-on-one 60-75-minute session with Lorien that includes some restorative yoga, guided imagery and breath work that is tailored to your needs. The first session is FREE, and subsequent sessions are $60-$80, depending on location and frequency. Please see Lorien's private yoga schedule to sign up for an introductory slot today!