Svadhyaya

I thought I'd give a little update of where I am, since I haven't blogged recently. I am now almost 22 weeks pregnant and kind of stagnant in my yoga practice.

I'm planning on doing a post on Prenatal Yoga soon, so please keep an eye out for that. I went to a Prenatal Yoga class recently, but it was focused so much on stretching which is exactly the opposite of what I need to be doing. So, I haven't been back. I haven't really been even practicing at home because when I do, I get a little pain in the front of my leg and it hurts to walk. My yoga teacher, Karen Noonan, used to always say, it should feel good unless it doesn't. This didn't, so I have stopped. I guess my exercise at this point is chasing around a toddler and picking her up. I used to hate when celebrities said stuff like that because I was like, whatever, but it's true. I actually do get some exercise doing that. I'm not saying it's a crossfit workout or anything, I'm just saying it's not sitting at a desk 10 hours a day. 

I actually feel so much better this pregnancy, which is amazing considering my last pregnancy was so good. It's probably because I'm about 40 lbs lighter so I am not carrying as much weight. I've also been eating a lot healthier. The first pregnancy, I craved and could only eat McDonald's, which I realize is disgusting. This time, it's a lot more veggies, and lean meat. I will confess that yesterday was one of those days though, and I had a frosted lemonade from Chick Fil A and a hot fudge sundae from McD's. I've only been there twice though! I mainly eat at home and I have been craving healthier stuff. 

I have blogged about this before, but I am feeling stagnant in my yoga practice as well as in my teaching. I am inspired in my teaching from my practice, so when I don't have an active practice, it trickles into my teaching. I'm just having to learn how to adjust to the phases of my life, though. Growth isn't always a linear, diagonal path. And really, who's to say I'm not growing. In fact, I'm growing tremendously, but it's more focused in areas off of the mat. One challenge I was facing was a head full of thoughts that was bringing me down. I think a lot, and sometimes, I can create all kinds of drama in my head that just isn't real. I get bogged down in my thoughts and it affects my actions. I'm like a computer who has too many pages open. All of the information gets jumbled and I can't see situations clearly. I felt myself getting emotionally drained, so I made a decision to do something about it. I made a commitment to myself that I was going to read two meditation books in the morning and then journal. I have a little trouble with commitment, so I promised myself that I would focus on two meditation books and journal, every day. I've been doing this for a couple of months now, and it's been amazing the changes I've seen, mainly in my thoughts and actions. These are the two books I'm using now:

Amazon

Amazon

Both have been excellent to read in the morning, even if you're not Christian or in recovery! There are so many meditation books out there that are wonderful to help keep you grounded, I'll have to list my favorites one day. Back to my point, the journaling has been really great to get all of the blah out of my head and work through what's bothering me. A friend told me about a little process called R.A.I.N. by Tara Brach. It talks about identifying what is really bothering us, allowing ourselves to feel the emotions surrounding the situation, and coming up with a solution to help us come back to ourselves. Here is a link to Tara's website and more information about the technique. I've done this so many times since I've started this whole process and it's really helped me work through some stuff. The thing is, when a situation in our lives is bothering us, it's almost 100% of the time not related to the present moment. It's some kind of past transgression that's never been fully healed. Each day, we're presented with these little healing opportunities, but it's up to us to dig in and figure it out. It can be quite painful, because many times, it's something we've done to ourselves. That's the point of self study, though. That's how we become better. That's how we learn to love others, through loving ourselves and taking the time to be a better person. Yogis always seem to get so focused on Ahimsa and being vegan, I never hear them talking about self study, Svadhyaya. Svadhyaya is THE most important thing one can do because it's our way of helping the world. Through identifying our pains, our wounds, and fixing them, we can become better people. I can't control what's happening in the Middle East, but I can control whether I'm harming the people in my life. It's very normal and natural to act out sometimes, and we're going to do it because we're human. I have a choice, though, and that choice is to explore where that pain is coming from and do something about it. 

So, that's where I am today. The past two days, I haven't even really had anything to say in my journal, but I'm still writing because I want to stay in that habit!

I have been taking some photos lately, so I'll leave you with one of my most recent favs. Thanks!

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Wendi

It's Over!

I'm glad to know that the election is over because no matter who you like, the commercials had to be driving you crazy! It certainly was not my favorite and I hope that we can now move on. One of the things that I felt very disappointed in was the way that we seemed to treat each other. I think one of my biggest challenges to myself in life is learning how to discuss a topic with people who have different opinions. Can I respect that they may have had a different life or a different perspective and while I may not agree with him/her, do I need to resort to name calling and degrading comments to make myself feel better? I certainly don't want to live my life that way.

But rather than sit back and judge people for the way they acted during such a heated election, I thought it might be nice to give some different solutions for dealing with such a stressful time. I don't think I'm alone in being able to feel the stress of yesterday in my body. I feel frazzled and I keep having to take deep breaths to shake off the tension I feel everywhere I go. If you are happy with the results, be happy, excited and continue to focus on the positive ways you can be an influence in people's lives. If you are not happy with the results, this may be a good time to accept it for what it is and continue to focus on positive ways you can be an influence in people's lives. How can I be positive, though, if I'm all frazzled? Here are some things to do to relax and get yourself centered:

1) Take a deep breath

Here are several articles on breath and how it affects stress:

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4

There are so many methods to practice breath work but the simplest thing to do is this:

a. Sit in a quiet place, lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to, and sit with your back flat against the wall.
b. Close your eyes
c. Take a deep breath in, filling your belly with air first, then allow it to rise into your chest. It's like your chest and stomach are a bottle of water and the water fills the bottom first as it rises to the top.
d. exhale pushing the air out with your belly like your squeezing the bottom of the water bottle
e. repeat that for 3-5 minutes.

2) Take a bubble bath

I think this is pretty self explanatory. How relaxing is it to take a hot bath? I love it. Maybe add some candles that are scented with lavender or vanilla. Turn the lights off and close your eyes. Imaging letting go of all of your muscles, starting with your feet up to your head.

3) Loving-Kindness Metta

This is a wonderful meditation that helps us let go of anger and resentment in our heart.
Instructions

4) Prayer

At the end of the day, there are going to be things that happen that I have no control over. I have to practice this on many levels, on a daily basis and in times when I feel fearful about the future. Let's face it, the reason we get so hateful during election time is because we are fearful. We're afraid of not having control. We think our ideas our best and if they are not followed, then the world is going to end. Much of the rhetoric that I heard yesterday and today was fear based. So what can I do to counteract that? I can pray. I can ask for guidance in my actions and I can ask for God's will. My only function in life is to align myself with God's will in every action. Do I really feel God's will is to degrade others? Do I feel God's will is to be a source of negativity for my family and friends? I do not. So I just sit quietly and ask God to guide me through my day and show me where I can be of service. As long as the intention in my heart is good, then there is no doubt that God can make miracles happen.


You will never see me express a political opinion on this forum because that's not my place. What I will say is that my goal in my daily life is to be of service and of love. When I do that, I am happy and have no fear.

New Yoga Studio!!

I am so excited about our new yoga studio in Greenville called Zanti Power Yoga. Today is opening day and I was part of the first class!!! The class was at 6 am and here is a description -

"Intermediate Power Yoga – Zanti Power Yoga (Z2)
This class includes an intelligent sequence of more challenging postures which link breath and movement. Taught in a heated, climate controlled environment, the class both exhilarates and calms the body, mind and spirit."

Greenville is growing and we actually have a lot of natural health studios/yoga/body, mind soul type places. I'd really love to foster a supportive community where we all benefit from each other and so I feel it's very important to go to classes at other studios to support each other. As a new teacher, I also get a lot out of learning other styles because it helps me grow as a yogini and a teacher. 

I was first exposed to Julie, the owner, at Southern Om when I took her Power Hour classes at lunch. It was an awesome break in the day and because it was power yoga, I was able to get out some stress and aggression from work :). I've always liked her classes and when I saw she was opening a new studio, I jumped on the change to go to a class. 

Another cool thing that's happening in Greenville is that we got a Lululemon Showroom. It's not the clothing that is exciting (although I finally bought some pants and LOVE them), it's the fact that they are trying to bring together the yoga community and make it supportive and interactive. Again, I think this is VERY important for the growth and acceptance of yoga in the Greenville community and definitely want to be a part of that. 

If you live in Greenville, check out Julie's new studio downtown. You can take a hot class, a non heated class, a Yin class, etc etc. Her studio is very cool! 

 Peggy (who is awesome), me, and Julie, the owner

Katie (you might know her blog), me and Julie

Have a great weekend!!

Consistency

As I gotten completely over committed recently, (yes, again), I have realized that I am starting to let go of things that I value dearly. I run out of time, so I start booking activities during times that I hold important OR I just simply don't do them for the sake of resting. I think resting is very important but I also feel there are a couple of other sacred times that must happen no matter what.

1) Date night: My husband and I are busy (he works 10-12 hours a day & I just commit myself to so many things that I'm never home). I've realized that it puts a strain on our relationship when we don't make time for each other because we have to remember why we fell in love. Wednesday night is our designated date night. We go out to eat so that no one has to cook and we talk, just like we did when we were dating. We don't have his girls to care for, we don't have business to take care of and in fact, I typically leave my cell phone in the car or at home. I found myself almost scheduling something and realizing, no, I need that time. In the past, I would've just scheduled it and paid the consequences later which is usually my husband telling me that I need to be home more.

2) My morning yoga/meditation time. I was doing so well with this for a while. I would spend 10-30 minutes in the morning in some type of movement or meditation. Then I got really busy and I would oversleep or I would schedule something else like exercise or some excuse as to why I can't do it. That was probably a year ago and I've had a hard time recovering. I NEED that time in the morning to get quiet and get centered before a busy day at work. My job is very stressful and it's dealing with a LOT of personalities, both co workers and clients. I HAVE to have that time to get quiet, center myself, get focused so that I can be a better person throughout the day. If not, I can become grouchy and then I'll do something that I'll regret later.

My friend Lynne, who is also a yoga teacher at Greenville Yoga, told me that she gets up in the morning and sometimes, all she does is sit on her mat. She feels like at least she is sitting there, on her mat, with a focus there vs watching tv or sleeping. Then she may decide she wants to do some poses and once she gets it going, there's no need for arguing. I've tried to use that motivation for myself and so far, it's worked.

Benefits of morning yoga/meditation:

a) it gets the kinks out - I'm a little rusty in the morning, I need to get moving. Actually, I read an article about our muscles and how these little fibers build up between our muscles. If we don't move them or stretch them, those fibers can become knots and we lose flexibility over time. Next thing we know, we have issues with our hips, our backs, our necks, etc. Movement in the morning breaks those little fibers loose and helps us maintain our flexibility

an article on benefits of morning stretching

b) Preparing for the day - I can go on and on about why meditation is good for you and that may be another post but I've noticed that even when I only spend 5 minutes in quiet meditation in the morning, I am more able to be grateful for the life I have. I can take that time to pray for someone, send loving thoughts, and realize that things are more important than me, and the issues I think that I have. In 2007, I was struggling because of the stress of my job and I started a morning meditation practice. My life has changed so much since then, mainly in the way I handle situations and people. It doesn't take much effort and the benefits are much greater.

"Daily meditation and prayer allow God into our lives. They put us in contact with the true power of the universe. Meditation and prayer not only benefit our individual lives, but benefit our world. As we change our thinking, as individuals and as a species, our external world will shift to fit our new collective vision of the world."
~Marianne Williamson

So, now how do I get consistent? I don't know. I think its one of those things where I'll never be perfect, so I just have to start each day anew. So far this week, I've been pretty good. It hasn't been an hour long class like I'd like, but it's been something and that's a start. 

How do you find consistency? 

Ayurveda & learning to eat right

One thing that we covered briefly in yoga in Ayurveda. Based on the wiki definition I just gave you, Ayuveda

"...is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine..."

image source

I have so much to learn about it and basically have been reviewing it for about 2 days, but what's interesting about it is the information in regards to how we eat. Basically, what it says, is that each of us have a Dosha that has certain characteristics. Based on the characteristics of your dosha, certain things can put your dosha "out of balance", like certain foods and things like that. 

One thing that I thought was interesting that I found online is the concept of tastes and what each taste does. From the link above, it describes the tastes like this - 

Taste		Primary Actions		Common Sources
Sweet		Builds tissues, calms nerves		Fruit, grains, natural sugars, milk
Sour		Cleanses tissues, increases absorption of minerals		Sour fruits, yogurt, fermented foods
Salty		Improves taste to food, lubricates tissues, stimulates digestion		Natural salts, sea vegetables
Bitter		Detoxifies and lightens tissues		Dark leafy greens, herbs and spices
Pungent		Stimulates digestion and metabolism		Chili peppers, garlic, herbs and spices
Astringent		Absorbs water, tightens tissues, dries fats		Legumes, raw fruits and vegetables, herbs

I thought this was interesting because for me, i crave sweets A LOT. And I always feel bad about it. But my dosha type is one of excitement and sometimes worry/anxiousness so it makes sense that I crave sweets that calm nerves. Also, I have lots of issues with digestion and upset tummy - so that makes sense that I crave salty foods and I straight up love garlic. 

I guess what I take away from this is that, my body actually really does know what it wants. I just don't know how to interpret it. So instead of feeling guilty about always wanting something sweet, I can think to myself, oh hey, I'm obviously wanting something calming - maybe I can eat some dark chocolate or drink a calming tea instead of downing a snickers bar and feeling guilty about it. 

I ordered a book online, 

Amazon

I'm very excited about reading it!!! 

Namaste y'all :)

Yoga Teacher Training - Final Weekend

This was our final weekend for Yoga Teacher Training. It was bittersweet because

1 - I am tired and sometimes, a whole weekend is a lot
2 - I'll finally be able to teach yoga!

BUT

I'm so sad that I won't get to speed a weekend at a time with these ladies. 

These are honestly some of the nicest, most supportive, loving ladies I have ever met. Everyone has such an open mind and was so thoughtful of each other. Each person holds a special place in my heart and I'm so happy to have met them!

What's next on the agenda is 

1 - the exam

2 - 9 more hours of assistant teaching

3 - 12 hours of observed teaching

and then I can apply for my certification from Yoga Alliance

The fun past is that there are going to many workshops for us to continue learning and to at some point - way way way way way way way way way in the future - reach our 500 hour teacher training. 

that's me in the purple-ish gray shirt middle right :)

This training has given me so much more than I ever even imagined and it is totally not the same as just getting a personal training certification. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity and I hope I can some day be even a teeny bit as loving as Karen, our Yoga Guru!

Namaste!

Yoga Study Guide - Yamas

source

The Yamas - A yama (Sanskrit) यम, literally "death", is a rule or code of conduct for living which will help bring a compassionate death to the ego or "the lower self". The yamas comprise the "shall-not" in our dealings with the external world as the Niyamas comprise the "shall-do" in our dealings with the inner world.

source

1) Ahimsa - Non-violence - cause no harm to any living creature

This is why a lot of yogi's are vegetarians, but this also means not gossiping about people, not being rude to people, every action is supposed to come from a place of not injuring another either through actions, words, thoughts. 

2) Satya - right communication, truthfulness, refrain from telling lies, refrain from deception

No lies at all, even to ourselves, our intention in every situation is to be truthful 

3) Asteya - non-covetous - non-stealing, resisting desire from that which does not belong to us - do not take that which is not freely given

This means no stealing, even stealing one's thoughts, no burning discs from others, nada

4) Bramacharya - celibacy, moderation in our actions, moderation in our thoughts

While many focus on the celibacy piece of this, one does not have to be celibate but moderate in thoughts in actions which means, thoughtful, not extravagant, no gluttony

5) Aparigraha - non-greediness, determine what is a true need vs a desire

This can stretch even to not coveting another's yoga pose!

Yoga Study Guide - 8 Limbs of Yoga

This weekend is a sad time because it's the last normal weekend of Yoga Teacher Training. When we meet in April - it will be for our final exam :(

that's me :)

So I really need to be more diligent in studying. There is a LOT of information to remember, and writing down is a good way for me to study. So why not use my blog (I stole this idea from one of our other teacher trainee) to study. 

Today, we're talking about the 8 limbs of Yoga. Hatha yoga consists of 8 limbs of yoga - 

1 - Yamas: the first limb of Yoga - "Be good" - the yamas guide us in how we relate to each other, our thoughts, our words, our actions 

2 - Niyamas: the second limb of Yoga - "Do good" - development of the ground rules for self discipline and inner awareness - this limb deals with attitudes towards ourselves

3 - Asanas - "Feel good" - the body serves as the temple for our soul - keep the body strong and flexible, keep mind calm and clear so the spirit can flourish, enhance physical, spiritual, mental well being

4 - Pranayama - focuses on the link between breath, mind and body. the mindful and conscious practice of breath control allows for a more vital and longer life

5 - Pratyahara - Withdrawal of sense - inner focus - the process of becoming aware of and learning to control the thought patterns

6 - Dharana - concentration - one pointedness - Tratak is an type of this (focusing on, concentrating on the flame of a candle) 

7 - Dhyana - meditation without focus on an object or subject - this focus is rooted on a deep, inner focus of awareness

8 - Samadhi - oneness - becomes one with the object of meditation

source

My Own Yoga class

As part of our Yoga Teacher Training, we have to take 8 classes in between each Yoga training. Because of my grandfather's 80th birthday and a baby shower the week before, I have missed some of my weekend yoga classes. So I honestly have about 3 classes to make up in 2 days. Whoops! But our home practice does count, so I thought this morning might be a great time to give it a shot. No yoga download, no sheets, just a wing and a prayer.

I started out with Sun Salutation A - which is like, the most difficult sun sal to start with - silly on my part. Half way through, I was like - eh - why in the world did I choose this one, but I got in a good work out.

                                           image source - yoga is for everyone

It's a lot of Vinyasas - 

I added a few things - 

                                                              image source - yoga journal

with a twist

                                          image source - active

Side angle pose

                                                   image source - yoga journal

Trikonasana

                                                                   image source - yoga journal

Then I did a few balance poses

Dancer's pose

                                                                                image source - yoga journal

Tree pose

                                                                    image source - yoga journal

Some ab work - and then of course, 

Svasana

                                                                    image source - yoga journal

I've got a lot to learn about sequencing. The thing I love about Yoganize is that the classes there do not follow your typical sun sal flow blah blah class, which is what I did today. Sometimes, Karen incorporate Chi Gong, Pilates, etc. It takes time, so this is at least a start. It was good!! 

Tomorrow morning, I do think I'm going to do a yoga download class because the more guidance I can get, the more exposure I'll have to different sequencing. 

What do you think?? 

Yoga what?

I have been loving all of the yoga pics I've been find on Pinterest. Here are some of my favs -

downdog

this looks fun

so pretty

But every once in a while, I'll see something like this -

um...

This is a no no. You do NOT turn your head in plow pose. Ever. no matter how advanced you think you are. DON'T. TURN. YOUR. HEAD. You can get seriously injured doing this. 

whoops

Your knee is the one place you avoid in Tree Pose. Foot on knee - no. NO foot on knee. Anywhere but the knee please. 

another example

yeah - no

This isn't really incorrect form but doesn't really remind me of Yoga even though that's what it was entitled. Yeah, there's a little thing called Brahmacharya that seems to be a little counter intuitive to this pose. 

Just some observations from a new teacher point of view. I may learn something different in a year that changes my mind about any of these so who knows. That's what's kind of neat about life and yoga, my perspective always seems to be changing. 

Yoga Playlist

We had to create a playlist for a yoga class and turn it in as an assignment. Here is what I came up with - 

1. Speak to Me/Breathe, Pink Floyd

2. Om Namo Bhagavate, Deva Premal

3. Heal Over, KT Tunstall

4. Maavan Te Tiyaa, Rajeshwari Sachdev

5. Bonito, Jarabe De Palo

6. Vo Kuch, Kiran Ahluwalia

7. Bailar, Jarabe de Palo

8. Azara Alhai, Rasha

9. Te Busque , Nelly Furtado & Juanes

10. Society, Eddie Vedder

11. Shiva Panchakshara Stotram / Shiva Shadakshara Stotram , Uma Mohan

12. Luna, Smashing Pumpkins

13. Ghir Enta, Souad Massi

14. Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder Into

15. Como Peces en el Agua, Jarabe de Palo

16. nNno Sey, Sanjay Divecha Feat. Kailash Kher

17. Change, Blind Melon

18. Easy Silence, Dixie Chicks

19. Gravity, Sara Bareilles

20. Homeward Journey, Satish Vyas

No Pain, No what?

I'm sure many of you have seen the recent article on the dangers of yoga. My boss made it a point to come tell me how yoga can hurt me because he knows how much I go to yoga class. We had a chance to discuss this over the weekend in Yoga Teacher Training and it got me thinking about a couple of things.

it's interesting to me that they're trying to demonstrate how yoga is dangerous by doing this pose COMPLETELY wrong. You're never supposed to turn your head in this position and any good yoga teacher will tell you that. 

But I digress - 

Back to my point. In fact, I probably need to back up fairly significantly to cover all of my thoughts. 

The Western World

image source

image source

Have you ever heard the phrase, "no pain, no gain"? I'm sure that you have. We watch shows like the Biggest Loser and you can see how quickly the group is ready to turn on the one person who isn't working hard enough. Runners always talk about pushing through injuries and ignoring the pain because if we recognize that pain, then we are weak. And weak means we have no value and we should be ashamed. 

No Fear

No Pain

Push Through

These are things that we have been told time and time again are the right ways to feel. 

When I first started working out, that's what I was told. Push through the pain, push through the fear, ignore yourself because you are weak and your weakness will bring you down. 

IT HAS TAKEN ME YEARS OF THERAPY to realize how unhealthy this thought process is. 

image source

A woman ran a marathon while 9 months pregnant. That. is. absurd. 

I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NEVER PUSH OURSELVES 

I'm saying that we deserve to treat ourselves and our bodies with respect. When I put my hand on a stove and it starts to burn, I shouldn't go, Hey, no pain no gain, push through this pain. It's the same with my knee, my hip, my back, etc. When your knee is tweaked and you're limping around, you should not push through the pain. 

The best gift I can give myself is learning the difference between being uncomfortable while pushing myself, and my body telling me to stop because I am hurting it. What is my ultimate goal, to live a long, healthy life and how do I achieve that? My not damaging my body in a way that will affect me in my later years. Why tear up my knee so bad now that when I get old, I have to use a cane? 

The first person that ever introduced a healthy body viewpoint in my life (well, at least, that was a trainer) was Holly Di Giovine. She is very big on challenging ourselves but listening to our bodies and taking care of them. She emphasizes the importance of healthy nutrition, stretching, rolling, hydrating - doing the things that one needs to do in order to maintain a healthy mind and body. She showed me that you do not have to be a hero, ignoring yourself. 

So how does this all relate to the article? My point is this - in any physical activity, when my ego is involved, I will get hurt. In yoga, in running, in weight lifting, in swimming, in anything. When I decide that pushing myself is more important than learning correct form, I am going to get injured. 

Crossfit - 

full range of motion and form is more important than the weight you lift. If the person beside you benches 225, and you want that 225 even though you've never done more than 150, you're probably going to get hurt. If you don't, you're lucky. 

Running - 

if your knee hurts, but you know that you should be running a sub 24 5k, and you just push yourself as hard as possibly in spite of that knee pain, you're probably going to hurt yourself even more. 

Yoga - 

If you desire to get into a pose before you know how to properly do it, ahem cobra/plow/shoulder stand, you're going to get injured. 

Yoga is not about the body, but in the west, we think it is. It's about your health and doing what's best for your body, mind and spirit. Yoga means "yolk" to signify that union. 

So ultimately, the responsibility lies within yourself. If you have a teacher that tries to push you into a pose that you don't know - 

1) I would tell her/him

2) I would probably not go back to that class

The pose is never as important as the intention. You can always modify and still get the same benefit. 

I hope that we can unlearn what "healthy" means and retrain ourselves.