hey monkey, where you been?

yoga training #6

if you read my last post, you were probably left wondering, what's a monkey mind? well, allow myself to explain....myself. (austin powers anyone? no? ok.)

monkey mind is the state of mind in a yoga practice where you can't quiet your thoughts. it tends to pop up during the relaxation poses and all of us have been guilty of it at one time or another... whether it's at the beginning of class and you're crouched down in child's pose wondering if you've locked the doors and left the iron on, or at the end of class in savasana, when you're positive that everyone in the room can hear the weird noise emitting from your stomach and all you can focus on is the distance to the nearest chipotle.

there are a few things you can do when stuff like this happens, but the most important thing to remember is that quieting the mind is one of the most challenging parts of your practice, so don't get discouraged. everyone around you has mentally gone through their to-do lists, planned their sunday dinners and picked out their outfits for tomorrow. it's ok.

now, the next best thing to remember is to get comfortable. if you are laying down in savasana and the air conditioner has decided to go on auto-pilot, all you will be able to think of is how cold you are. if you are down in pigeon and you feel like your hips are on fire, your mind is going to start racing. so, get comfortable. keep a sweatshirt and socks close for cold classrooms. re-adjust your body if you feel your focus start to wane. it sounds simple, but it works. hopefully these little tips can help calm your monkey mind, but some days will always be a little less focused than others so just embrace it!



*UPDATE* my teacher has a new class on sunday mornings at 10:00 am [woot woot] which was specifically chosen to be our class when our training is over! although my teacher packs a class like brad pitt packs a movie theatre, im hoping some of those peeps will stick around when it comes time for this little yogini to step up...

paparazzi trying to make me pose

yoga training #5

for our fifth training session, i made a 'wish list' of poses that i would like to include in my future classes- and it goes a little somethin' like this....

• crow pose (coming up from sweet sweet malasana)
• eagle pose (ouch, but OooOo)
• chair pose, on ya toes!
• knee over knee, seated pose (just plain dig it)
• toppling tree pose (recently discovered this posture through my teacher and i {insert taylor swifts hands in the shape of a heart} it.
• bow pose! --> who doesn't love this pose?! it's completely gratifying with the whole push/pull vibe in all of your muscles
• pigeon pose, because i both love and hate this posture...
• buddhist tapping (stress-reducing exercises = happy yogi)
• nadi shonana, which is a hip way of breathing that clears your sinuses and your monkey mind. (wondering what a monkey mind is? i'll get to it, i promise.)
• runners lunge (because all the cool kids are doing it)

the last line on my notebook simply says: i want to learn scorpion and headstand! this is purely selfish and has nothing to do with my teaching, but my goal is to be able to do these two poses by the end of my training. first of all, im pretty sure i would be a huge hit at parties if i could just pop onto my head like it was nothin'. but mostly, i like the challenge a new pose brings, and for that reason alone, yoga will never ever get boring for me.

my real-life notes!

xoxo

she travels outside of karma

yoga training #4

Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained
by cultivating friendliness toward the happy,
compassion for the unhappy,
delight in the virtuous,
and indifference toward the wicked.

-Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

hi all- i'm trying to catch up on my yoga blogging, which, side note, i might start referring to as 'yogging', but actually, wait, no. that reminds me too much of ron burgundy ("Veronica and I are trying this new fad called uh, jogging. I believe it's jogging or yogging- it might be a soft j. I'm not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's supposed to be wild."). so yea, i wont be calling this yogging. too confusing for anchorman fans...anywho- bear with me as i recap with a few key points from training numero cuatro.

we learned about kriyas (pronounced kree-yuhz) which are automatic movements, vocalizations or actions that are part of the process of kundalini or clearing the karma held in the energy body....using a simple urge to put the body into yoga postures, or, as my teacher referred to it, heat building poses. If you've ever done one of these, you know how fun they can be- you get to 1. grunt really loudly, and 2. well, i just really like the grunting part...

my teacher also suggested we purchase these two books to help with our practice:
Bhagarad Gita
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga

bhagarad gita is about the history and creation of yoga and it is just lovely. the anatomy of hatha yoga is just confusing. but i know it will help with my teaching, especially if a student approaches me some day and is all "hey yoga lady, my neck hurts and i wish you could make it stop", and then i can be all "i totally can help you because i read this super confusing but amazing anatomy book and i know the perfect pose for this type of predicament...". see that? that's karma, baby.

my super cool, monsterific yoga notebook

i get lost in the beauty of everything

yoga training session #3
for our third session, i got to devour all of the sanskrit my little heart desires. sanskrit is the classical language of hinduism, full of beautiful words and symbols. my teacher explained that it wasnt necessary to learn sanskrit because most people recognize poses by the americanized names these days- for example, what you might think of as mountain pose or standing pose is actually tadasana- but doesnt that just sound lovelier? i like to think of it as a grand announcement for when i stand up tall and throw my arms in the air- TADA! sana.... why wouldnt i want to say things like uttanasana, and savasana and even natarajasana (i'm still working on pronouncing that last one). the word asana means pose, so the first half of the title explains what type of pose it is. we went over pages and pages of wonderful asanas and i believe i've developed an undiagnosed yoga-centric ADD. i went through every single pose on paper and asked "whats this?", "whats that?", "show me!", like a kid in a candy store, while my teacher gladly obliged... it was heaven.

then i learned two very important things- first, i discovered that my teacher and i share a penchants for tattoos. secondly, and perhaps more importantly, you should NEVER ever tattoo the word or symbol for "om" on or near your foot. its disrespectful to the gods. so dont do it. dont even think about it. if you've already done it, have it removed or put an "m" in front of it so it says mom, because i bet your mom is a pretty awesome lady and you probably dont tell her enough and a tattoo would show her how much you appreciate her. problem solved. your welcome.

lastly, my teacher taught me a word that i will carry with me in my practice and hopefully will eventually flow over into my daily activities. shri. it means finding the beauty in everyone and everything. i hope you all find the shri in two thousand and twelve...


xoxo yogis and yoginis