Thoughts on Yoga, Suffering and Relationships
Do you ever find yourself telling someone off in your head?
Or that you’re imagining a conversation you are going to have with someone who has hurt you where you finally get to put them in their place? Okay, maybe it’s just me. But why is letting go, especially when it comes to relationships, so difficult sometimes?
I think it is because these moments of challenge have something to teach us.
Right now my inner spiritual warrior/punk rebel yogini is fighting my urge to be passive-aggressive (oh, how I want to formulate the perfect cutting text message) and reminding me of how grateful I am for my mindfulness practices, my commitment to something bigger than me and the ancient wisdom of yogis.
So, I will not commit violence towards another with my words (yep, this includes text messages). I will not assume to know another’s truth. I will act with awareness of a higher purpose and I will give thanks to the other person for being my teacher in this moment.
Can you relate? I wish I could say that I am this mindful in all of my relationships and in every moment, but that is just not the case. I can say however that with practice, I am becoming less reactive and more intentional in my relationships.
Becoming more aware of our interpersonal dynamics can be especially challenging and deep work but it provides a great opportunity for learning and a “real life” example of finding freedom from suffering. Yoga practice, meditation, studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (specifically Sadhana Pada and the 8 Limb Path) and the Bhagavad Gita are so helpful in this regard.
To sum it up: Life is a really great teacher. You just have to pay attention.
Feel free to share you’re thoughts below! Oh, and speaking of punk rebel yoginis … what do you think of my Ganesh tattoo design in progess?
Lots of Love,
My Yoga Hot Spot: 2010′s Greatest Hits
Today is January 2nd, 2011 and I am saying my goodbyes to 2010
Yes, I am fully aware that I am a little behind in my New Year’s themed posts. I did consider not posting this and simply going ahead with my 2011. But I decided that it was worth it to honor 2010 with a simple blog post so that I can move forward with a sense of completion and that fresh-all-over feeling that the new year can bring. So much has happened in the past 12 months. I will spare you the play-by-play but basically, to sum it up, it was all I could ever ask for. I have grown. I have had fun. I have opened myself up in new and exciting ways. I am doing what I love. And I have the support of friends and family and you, my readers all over the world. So, thanks … really, thanks!
So here it is, Some of My Yoga Hot Spot’s most memorable posts from 2010.
1. 10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Hot Yoga
2. 26 Hot Yoga Quotes and Some Smokin’ HOT Photos, Too!
3. Foot Yoga – Foga? How yoga and stretching your feet can help with pain, stress and more! [VIDEO]
4. You Know You’re a Hot Yogi If …
5. Bringing Your Yoga Practice Off of Your Mat
More Goodies From 2010
- 6. How I Came to Understand Children’s Yoga ~ My elephantjournal.com debut!
- 7. My Aha Moment Experience: Mom Was Right, Sharing is Good.
- 8. Cool It, Man! Try Some Minty Water [RECIPE] – Hot Yoga Hydration Tips
- 9. Meditation For New Yoga Teachers
- 10. The Yoga of Relationships – Moving from Anger to Forgiveness [VIDEO]
I have some truly fabulous stuff planned for 2011. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. In a word … Wheeeeeeee!!!!!
Love,
My Nomination for Best Line in A Christmas Song … Ever.
Happy Holy Days!
Mysteriously missing from George Orwell’s portrayal of the era, this 1984 video with Dolly and Kenny has me longing for a sparkly, fur-trimmed vest and nostalgically smiling from the inside out. And in the words of Buddy the Elf, “I love smiling. Smiling’s my favorite.“
So, what is the best line? Unfortunately, when I tell you, it is going to reveal me as the immature, giggling freak that I am.
Are you ready? Okay, here it is:
“I have fantasized about a Christmas in this way
Curled up by a fireplace in a Tahoe ski chalet
With a fast talking lover and some slow burning wood.”
Get it? Ugh. I can hear your eyes rolling from here. Seriously.
So, I know I haven’t been posting very often lately, but come January 2011, I will be back at it with Mindful Mondays, Strike a Yoga Pose Saturdays and more …. oh, and plenty of yoga goodies and giveaways, too! I can hardly wait.
Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays and a Brilliant 2011.
Love,
Friday Favorites: Cats Playing Patty-Cake
It is amazing what goes viral on YouTube.
And I am pretty sure that funny cat videos are at the top of list of the most viewed viral videos … ever.
That said, I watched a lot of non-cat videos this week including one I found in a wonderful post by Young Yoga Masters that explained how human beings are wired to experience empathy and posed questions as to the evolutionary implications of this phenomenon.
Also, I viewed the follow up TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson in which he continues the discussion about the nature of our educational system. If you haven’t seen the original video, watch it. It’s brilliant and funny and despite the title, Do Schools Kill Creativity? it is actually quite a positive perspective.
And the video I chose to share with you today?
Cats. Duh.
Cats Playing Patty-Cake (or is it pat-a-cake?) at that. This video is delightfully absurd and surprise, surprise has over 1 million views in less than 1 month. The Sir Ken Robinson video is over 4 years old and has just a few hundred thousand more. Hmmm …
Cats sell.
So, while I may have roped you in with these irresistible cats. I do hope you check out the other videos I mentioned as well (links are in the red text above). They are worth your time for sure – at least as much as funny cat videos.
Love,
P.S. Stay tuned … this month’s yoga giveaway will be posted soon!
You Know You’re a Hot Yogi If …
So, you go to Hot Yoga class regularly. You know all the teachers. You have a group of yoga class friends. You even have your own “spot” in the room. Despite all of this and the fact that you grab every opportunity to rave about hot yoga to your non-yogi friends, and you’re pretty sure that yoga can cure anything (really, anything), you are still not convinced that you have earned the title of Hot Yogi/ni.
Well, here are some more indications, some clues if you will, that might help shed some light:
You Know You’re a Hot Yogi If …
You practice standing head-to-knee pose while putting your shoes and socks on.
You turn up the heat to do housework.
You’re laundry routine (which is a daily occurrence) includes baking soda and vinegar.
You freak out when you run out of electrolyte supplements.
You spend an uncommon amount of time thinking, perhaps even discussing, your digestion/elimination habits.
When people complain about the heat outside, you find yourself giving them a dirty look.
You do not use body lotion because if you do your Standing Bow Pose will suffer.
When you drink a glass of wine, you think, “Ooh, I’m gonna pay for THAT in yoga class.”
You 80/20 breathe through childbirth.
You tremble (with excitement and/or dread) when you hear the word Camel.
And …
You are already familiar with the 10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Hot Yoga.
Thanks for reading and feel free to add to this list.
Keep it Sweaty,
My Favorite Bill Hicks Video – It’s Just a Ride
Human. Hilarious. Honest. Hicks.
He smoked. He swore. He challenged mainstream society and consumerism and inspired people to think for themselves. He was criticized and censored when he was alive. Now, thanks to the miracle of YouTube, his message lives on.
This is my favorite Bill Hicks YouTube moment. It is titled, “It’s Just a Ride” and I can’t help but get all “yoga dorky” when I watch it.
The yoga teachings of William Melvin Hicks.
I especially love this part:
“It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear wants you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead see all of us as one.” -Bill Hicks
What do you think? Did you notice the yoga?
I choose LOVE,
How I Came to Understand Children’s Yoga ~ My elephantjournal.com debut!
My elephantjournal.com debut!
I am so excited about this. The community of bloggers and thoughtful people over at elephantjournal.com are a huge inspiration to me. It is one of my favorite places to hang out online and if you head on over there and look around a bit, you will see why.
I would be truly honored if you would read my very first post for elephantjournal.com and leave a comment there and even share with your friends and social networks (that would be awesome!).
My Children, My Gurus
As a mother of two, I know parenting to be one the most challenging and rewarding endeavors one can experience in life.
I am grateful to have found myself seeing the world through my children’s eyes as they explore with reckless abandon and plenty of giggles. There’s nothing quite like a big squishy hug and an “I love you, Mommy” after a long day of enforcing boundaries and worrying about their safety.
As a yoga teacher, I find sharing yoga with others to be incredibly rewarding as well. You can learn a lot by having to explain something to someone and by seeing people become empowered to participate in life mindfully and compassionately. Why it never occurred to me that combining the two (children and yoga) could be such a profound experience is beyond me.
So, it happened by chance that I stumbled upon the amazing gift of teaching yoga to children and I have my beautiful 6 year old daughter, Tobin, to thank for it. Continue reading on elephantjournal …
Thanks for your support!!
Previously published here on my blog in December 2009.
Have you ever lost yourself only to realize that you’ve actually FOUND yourself?
An experiment.
You know yourself pretty well, right? What does it mean to not feel like yourself? I have a theory that these moments of discombobulation are a sort of crossroads and that insecurity can be a useful tool for growth and expansion. These are moments of choice and of power. For in these precious and vulnerable instances, you can choose to remain as you know yourself to be or you can choose something different. The key is letting go and, believe it or not, losing yourself.
So, next time it happens, next time you’re not feeling like you, try this:
Let go. Really. Let go. Forget what you think you know about yourself. What would your life be like if you dropped your labels, your personality and your limits?
Think about it. Go there. Feel it.
Think about something that you are absolutely CERTAIN that you can not do or be. Maybe it’s a yoga pose or winning the lottery, for example. Perhaps it is simply telling the truth about something, learning a new skill or overcoming an illness. It could be a dream you had a long time ago of being a movie star or a MEGA ROCK STAR standing on that stadium stage, with lights and smoke machines and hundreds of thousands of adoring fans screaming for more of (oh, that’s just not possible) you.
Are you there? Are you certain about this thing whatever it is?
Now, what would your life be like if you did not have that thought or belief?
and please do share …
Love,
Lindsay
Bonus and somewhat related MEGA ROCK STAR video: OK Go “This Too Shall Pass”
Image: Now & Zen Photography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My Aha Moment Experience: Mom Was Right, Sharing is Good.
The Mutual of Omaha airstream came to Asheville, NC this past June and I hopped right on to share my story.
If you are not familiar with Mutual of Omaha’s aha moment campaign and commercials, you can visit them online to see what I’m talking about. Basically, they travel the country and interview everyday people, some well known, others not so much, and provide them with a chance to share their story. In these commercials, people talk about a moment in their life that has had some impact or brought about clarity, you know, an “aha” moment. The cool thing is that everyone has a story and most everyone wants to share that story with others. I find this is true with the people I meet teaching yoga classes.
So, I shared my aha moment and you can view it here. To sum it up:
The best things in life are made even better when you share them, when you give them away.
I have the best job in the world – empowering people to transform their lives and to take responsibility for their health and well-being. Yoga practice is so very personal and brings about life-changing transformation through moment after moment of these “aha moments,” these moments of clarity and connection.
For me realizing that I wanted to teach and to share what I’ve learned came about through noticing what benefits I have received (for asthma, allergies, depression, injuries, self-esteem, purpose). I thought about the things in my life that I have suffered with and that I have seen transformed … by me. I realized that this is pretty incredible and very empowering. I immediately wanted to shout it out to the world: You can do and be anything you want to. We are FREE to create and invent ourselves in every moment! REALLY!
Perhaps you’ve had a moment like this. A moment when you realize the depth of your untapped potential. And what do you do with this kind of powerful information? Do you hoard it? Do you keep it to yourself? Nope. you want to share it, right? You want everyone to feel this way and to know this potential.
I have realized that the best things in my life have been made a kagillion times better by sharing them with others and that this is because it provides me with access to ultimate connection. By simply sharing and interacting with other people, I become part of what’s happening in the world. I am contributing. I am affecting change. And it is exciting.
I have also noticed that this is a very human characteristic. We all instinctively want to connect with each other. We want to be heard and understood. We want to contribute. In this realization, I found even more yummy connection. Aha! Aha! Aha!
So, whether or not I convey all of this in the short “aha moment” moment video with the Mutual of Omaha gang (I don’t think it is clear), I am glad to have this blog as an outlet for sharing. Now, of course I could pick apart the video until I drive myself bonkers (for example the way I say yogaaaaa in the beginning of the video makes me twitchy), but I am glad I did it. I’m glad I shared. I was really nervous, which surprised me, so that explains the lack of a coherent and clear message.
Anyway, let me know what you think and share your thoughts and aha’s below. And thanks for being a witness to my journey!
Lots of Love,
Lindsay
Mindful Monday Recap: A Whirlwind Week of John Friend & Anusara Yoga (a.k.a. Whew!)
Wow, it’s been a heavy-hitting, conversation-sparking, yoga-in-the-media kind of week (actually, it’s been a couple of weeks), maybe the biggest coverage of yoga ever and it all started with the lengthy NY Times Magazine article which profiled John Friend, creator of Anusara Yoga. The article was titled The Yoga Mogul.
I shared it last week’s Mindful Monday Recap but I had noooo idea of the events that were to follow (cue dramatic music here).
So, here’s the run down:
July 19, 2010 NY Times Magazine publishes an extensive article about John Friend and Anusara Yoga and the yoga community immediately responds with mostly positive things to say and only a few hey-wait-just-a-gosh-darn-minute’s.
July 25, 2010 One of my favorite yoga bloggers, it’s all yoga baby, responds.
July 27, 2010 YogaDork (another rockin’, scoopin’ yoga blogger) posts and attracts a beautiful, eloquent comment from none other than Elena Brower.
July 28, 2010 John Friend’s response on Anusara.com spreads like wildfire through Facebook and Twitter networks. I watched it happen. It was an awesome sight to behold.
July 30, 2010 elephantjournal.com columnist, Jimmy Gleacher, responds to John Friend’s response.
July 30, 2010 Huffington Post blogger, Ethan Nichtern, writes about the whole event in his post The Commodification of Yoga: The Perfect, the Good and the Spiritual.
July 31, 2010 Waylon Lewis interviews John Friend for elephantjournal.com. A must read. Some really cool pictures included.
Whew!
And for some non-John-Friend-related reading (there was quite a bit as well last week!) I will recommend the following:
Yoga Adjustments or Yoga Assists on (where else?) elephantjournal.com.
On The Everything Yoga Blog, I loved this post The Most Powerful Weapon in Our Yoga Arsenal. Can you guess what it is?
And last but not least, from the YogaEarth Blog, Stress, that Sneaky Scoundrel.
That’s a wrap folks! Please share any thoughts or reactions you may have below. I would love to continue the John Friend conversation with you (I just didn’t want to color this post too much with my opinion … yet).
Lots of Love,
Lindsay
Because I Live in Asheville: Yoga and Craft Beer, Together at Last
I sometimes joke about being a yoga teacher in Asheville, NC. I like to say there is a yoga teacher per every 1 person. While not entirely accurate (okay, not even close), there is quite a population of us here in Beer City, USA. It’s great. We support each other and in the spirit of yoga and healthy competition we challenge, motivate and inspire each other.
In addition to the rockin’ yoga scene, Ashevillians are also passionate about their … you guessed it, beer.
And yes it’s true. After an intense online poll with some pretty heated blog posts and reader comments, the beautiful mountain city I call home, was named Beer City USA for 2010.
I have found the craft beer scene, that is the local breweries, the larger beer makin’ community and all of the beer bloggers out there, to be much the same as I described Asheville’s yoga community – supportive, encouraging and family-like.
Here is what led me to this comparison …
Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales has a brew named Namaste. Namaste (the beer) is a “Belgian-style White made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander.” Sounds yummy.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. This is just another example of a trendy business capitalizing on the uber-hip yoga/yuppie/hipster market. But, just hold on … at least read the story behind the creation of this beer before you make any rash judgements.
When their friends and fellow brewers suffered a devastating loss to their production in 2009 (about 1/3 of their annual revenue – yikes!), did Dogfish feign sympathy, all the while scoffing to themselves and thinking Ha! That means more moolah for me!? Nope, they sure didn’t. Rather, they collaborated with another brewer friend the result of which was this Belgian-style brew that paid tribute (and a portion of the profits!) to the unfortunate brewery.
And I thought this was pretty darn cool. A little bit of good news and an example of how business doesn’t have to be an “Us vs. Them” thing. It is not required for someone to fail in order for you (and everyone) to succeed. Sweet.
Serious kudos to Dogfish Head Brewery.
Here is how Sam on the Dogfish blog described the choice of Namaste as the name of this beer:
“The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. In other words it is a show of mutual respect and admiration – a great single word summary of the inspiration behind this brew.”
Love it. Now, if I could just get my hands on some of that beer. 
Thanks for reading!
Lindsay
Many thanks to Bruisin’ Ales of Asheville for the tip on Dogfish Head Brewery’s Namaste beer and for inspiring this post with their beerlanthropic ways.
Plan an Asheville Beer & Yoga Tour
Western North Carolina Breweries:
- Appalachian Craft Brewery
- Asheville Brewing
- Asheville Pizza and Brewing
- Catawba Valley Brewing
- Craggie Brewing Company
- French Broad River Brewing
- Green Man Brewing
- Heinzelmännchen Brewery
- Highland Brewing
- Lexington Avenue Brewery
- Nantahala Brewing Company
- Oyster House Brewing Company
- Pisgah Brewing
- Wedge Brewing Company
Asheville Yoga Studios:
- Asheville Community Yoga Center
- Asheville Yoga Center
- Bikram Yoga Asheville
- Black Mountain Yoga
- Lighten Up Yoga
- One Center Yoga
- Sacred Embodiment Center
- Ushas Yoga Therapetics
- Weaverville Yoga
- West Asheville Yoga
To the Dad in my life who is, um, keepin’ it real.
I have to admit, all of this reading and writing about fathers today is getting me a tad worked up and while I may have some “daddy issues” (ugh, really just a tired old story I’d rather not tell anymore) there is one father who, okay well, let’s just say …
He rocks my world.
That man is the father of my children and, incidentally, the love of my life.
So, I thought dating and living with someone was a challenge. Try cooperatively guiding two little humans through their new life … without messing them up too badly, that is … and still stumbling along the middle way through yours. Holy Handfuls.
He (my partner in crime) keeps me on my toes, that’s for darn sure. He gets me to question what it means to be a parent … and a human being for that matter. For example, when he utters some less-than-desirable superlatives to my babies, I am immediately confronted with my “issues.” You know, that little voice in my head, with all of it’s conditions and labels, says (very self-righteously I might add), “Oh, now that is just not right” and I counter with, “Well, why the heck not?” In addition to the expletives, this dad does share plenty of insight and tenderness. He does not skimp on the “I love you’s” and in no way would fall into the category of emotionally unavailable. Most impressive, he admits when he is wrong.
Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better companion and father for my children and I am grateful every day to have him in my life.
Now, on the lighter side …
I just love his careless-free way of keeping it real and always saying what comes to mind. No hiding behind an authoritarian-style, “Because I Said So.” Nope, not my guy. It’s more like “because you’re annoying the f*ck out of me.”
Think: ShitMyDadSays … but with preschoolers.
So, for some giggles, here is a Mini Highlights Reel:
Offspring: I’m hungy.
Dad: Yeah, and you’re ugly too! (Then, noticing the horrified expression on the poor child’s face) Oh, come on. If I really thought you were ugly, do you think I’d tell you?
Offspring: Daddy, do you believe in God?
Dad: I don’t need God … I have plenty of people praying for me. I’m good.
By the way, I share his moments via Twitter @hetalksalot
And now for some serious laughs (or gasps of disapproval), below is video of Louis C.K. sharing his thoughts about being a dad. By the way, questionable language and offensive content is pretty much guaranteed. Consider yourself “disclaimer-ed.”
Thanks to my wonderful husband, Adam, for inspiring this post and to you all for reading.
Happy Father’s Day!
Love,
Lindsay
The Blog and The Beautiful
I am gearing up for some changes here on my blog. I am adding some fun new features and I will be posting waaaay more frequently.
I created this site as a way for me to extend my reach and share the benefits of yoga. For me, writing is an extension of my yoga practice and my teaching. Still, the whole blog thing was terribly ambiguous at the start. I knew of a few things I definitely wanted to incorporate (and still do), yoga pose tips and benefits for example, but between my slight (ahem – okay slightly large) learning curve and fuzzy, vague ideas of what I wanted to create, my baby blog and I lacked some serious focus. Sure, I had visions of YouTube tutorials and the “valuable” content yoga niche readers like myself enjoy. The overall clarity of “Hi. I’m Lindsay Fields and this is what I’m all about,” well, I suppose I just hadn’t found my way there quite yet.
So, what am I all about?
I’ll admit, it is a wee bit scary putting myself out there like this. I am not historically the conversation-starting type. But here I am and you know what? I’m doing it. I’m starting conversations and I’m having fun. It’s really not that scary after all (silly, silly Lindsay). The plain & simple of it: I LOVE YOGA. I feel most connected, most like myself, when I am either practicing, reading or talking about yoga. And I am driven to share with others my message: that this connection I am talking about, that manifests as joy and abundance, is possible for everyone – whether through yoga practice, snowboarding, writing, parenting or cooking.
It’s all yoga.
A further expression of this blog, or another world that I’ve opened myself up to with my blog’ inception … my love affair with Facebook and Twitter. One thing I love to do while social networking it up is noticing how these microcosms reflect the characteristics of the whole (and oh, does this make me all buzzy with dorky delight). Tonight on both networks people were posting pictures of the rainbows they were seeing here in Asheville, NC. It was great. People stopped what they were doing to admire one of nature’s little miracles (and by miracle, I simply mean something that inspires wonder and awe) and to soak up some joy and beauty. What I find interesting and, dare I say, of some importance to notice is how these people were driven by the desire to share with their “friends” – not unlike my desire to share my experience with yoga. Hmmm.
This realization brought about an epiphany for me today. One of the most beautiful characteristics of this human experience is that the best things in life are made even greater when you share them with someone else. And that we humans are driven to do just that when we are feeling connected, for example when a rainbow inspires awareness of the joy and amazement inherent in all of us.
And it is so freakin’ beautiful I want to cry.
So, after 9 months gestation, my little blog here is beginning to mature. I am a proud mama indeed to see how far we’ve both come. The really super-duper-cool part is knowing that tons more exciting stuff is yet to come. I can feel it.
And it’s made even better because I’m sharing it with you.
Things to look forward to:
- Free stuff! I will compile a monthly lists of yoga web contests and giveaways
- My favs – a weekly Top 10 of yoga blog posts
- Strike a Pose Saturday – yoga posing on location with tips and benefits
- More videos
- And whatever else I can think of!
With lots of love from me to you,
Lindsay
26 HOT Yoga Quotes … and Some Smokin’ HOT Photos, Too!
Do you find quotes as comforting as I do? Something about ‘em, right? Like, hearing your own thoughts and feelings phrased in such a succinct and beautiful way. They’re not necessarily profound, or even unique, insights but they’ve got that certain something that triggers within you a resounding “YES!”
So, hand-picked by yours truly … Here are 26 of my favorite quotables – some related to Hot Yoga, some about yoga in general and some just because, well, they’re AWESOME! Yours to read whenever you need a lift. Enjoy!
These GLOWING photos are courtesy of Pyro Fusion Entertainment!!
And let the quoting commence! 
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. -Isak Dinesen
To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, pearls of liquid that release your past. Sweat is an ancient and universal form of self healing, whether done in the gym, the sauna, or the sweat lodge … The more you sweat, the more you pray. The more you pray, the closer you come to ecstasy. -Gabrielle Roth
The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war. -Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Yoga maintains youth long. It keeps the body full of vitality, immune to diseases, even at old, old age. The Yogi never becomes old. -Bishnu Ghosh
Sweat, sweat, sweat! Work and sweat, cry and sweat, pray and sweat! -Zora Neale Hurston
It takes courage and intelligence, you know, to do the stages of Yoga right, and to start with this Hatha Yoga… It’s just you and nothing but you, standing in one spot frozen like a statue with no place to go for help or excuse or scapegoat except inward. -Bikram Choudhury
It’s all in the hips. - Chubbs (from Happy Gilmore)
In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. -Albert Camus
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. -Anais Nin
Postures strengthen and develop will and body – physical and mental development are intertwined. -Bishnu Ghosh
Suffering is Optional -Unknown
The discipline is to get you to the place where you trust your intuition & the yoga pose is an easy place to practice it. -Erich Schiffmann
I don’t like an alarm clock but it’s useful to me. I don’t like tension but it tells me something needs attending. -Hugh Prather
You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. -Mr. Yoga
Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are. -Jason Crandell
Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked. -Desikashar
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.
-Upanishads
Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings. -Rumi
Yoga is almost like music in a way; there’s no end to it.
-Sting
You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state. -Sharon Gannon
Basketball is an endurance sport, and you have to learn to control your breath; that’s the essence of yoga, too. So, I consciously began using yoga techniques in my practice and playing. I think yoga helped reduce the number and severity of injuries I suffered. As preventative medicine, it’s unequaled. -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Nothing can steal happiness, peace away from you: if anyone does make you angry, you are the loser; if someone can allow you to lose peace, you are the loser. -Bikram Choudhury
On an airplane, you are always told to put on your oxygen mask first. The same way in life, you need to take care of your health first. If you are not happy and healthy, you cannot make anyone else happy and healthy. -Rajashree Choudhury
Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent. -Rumi
Breathe and all will be revealed, love and all will be healed. This is yoga. -Seane Corn
I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am. -Sylvia Plath
Please share your favorites in the comments below.
Thanks!
Lindsay
10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Hot Yoga [Funny]
Time for Some Smile Therapy.
I like to think of it as my contribution to the popular Laughter Yoga movement. Here’s a list of 10 things they leave out of the oh-so-enticing, hot-yoga-will-change-your-life brochures.
1. The stink. Your clothes and towels will find it. After a few hot yoga classes you will notice it. And it won’t go away on its own. Fortunately, there is help. Here is what has worked for me: White vinegar in the rinse cycle does wonders. You just have to run an extra rinse cycle at the end. Baking soda added at the beginning of the wash cycle also helps.
2. Drama Queens If you have been to a yoga class before you may have noticed that some people like to vocalize their yogic experience in the moment, usually with moans of pleasure or sighs of release. However, in hot yoga the vocalizations manifest a little differently. The pleasure moans are not unheard of, mind you, but you are more likely to hear load grunts, groans, scoffs, and even some swears as the so-called drama queen curses the sadistic teacher, the unbearable heat, the invasive smells, their own limitations, etc.
3. Emotional Outbursts Sometimes you might be the one making all the noise a la “#2 Drama Queens.” Giggle-fits a.k.a. “the giggles” are fairly common. On the other end of the spectrum, you have tears. Yes, right in the middle of class, you’ll begin sobbing for no apparent reason. In hot yoga class you are bumped right out of your comfort zone and confronted with yourself, your limitations or perhaps where you are holding on so strongly that when you are unable to control something (the heat, your body, etc.) you are forced to just LET GO. It can be pretty intense. Along with the physical release, you also let go of some serious emotional sh*t (as I affectionately refer to my “breakthroughs”). Fortunately, the yoga room is a safe place to be vulnerable and you are sweaty enough to hide the tears. So, cry (or laugh) it up. It’s good for you.
4. Creatures of Habit Whatever you do, don’t, seriously, don’t EVER mess with the regulars. You can tell these people by their rituals and routine. They arrive extra early to ensure their “spot” in the room and get pretty darned protective of it. If you do have a run in, best way to avoid a all-out brawl in the yoga studio: quietly pick up your mat and move. That’s it.
5. Bodily Function Overload. You are likely to fart or even throw up in class. Yoga postures twist and compress the abdomen and stimulate the digestive organs. It’s kind of the point. So, yes, farts in yoga class happen. They’ve “happened” to us all. So, it is safe to say that no one will judge you because of a little tootage. However, if you have the “death farts,” maybe you should consider skipping a class, you know, out of consideration for others. Also, backbends stretch the lining of the stomach and leave you feeling a little queezy (Holy Camel!). Often the heat and excessive sweating is enough to make you feel nauseous. It is for this reason most yoga studios and teachers recommend that you don’t eat for two hours or so before class. Either that or they don’t want to clean up your “leftovers.” Ew.
6. Over-Sharing You will get up close and personal with complete strangers. Like, in ways that, if it happened outside the sacred space of the yoga room, would induce bodily function overload. Here are some examples: The Sharing of The Sweat No it doesn’t stay neatly within the confines of your own mat and towel. It’s messy, it splashes, and sometimes on the most inconvenient of places (like in your eyes or in your mouth!); The Roaming Strands of Hair When you finally make it down to your mat after a standing series you notice not one, but two hairs stuck to your arm and neither one of them are from your own body; Your Smells Are Telling Whether it is the garlic in the italian food you had for dinner or perhaps you had tee-many-martoonis last night, the sweat, gives you away every time.
7. T.M.I.! Along the same lines as #6 … You might get an eyeful, i.e. wardrobe malfunction. In other words you’ll gain MUCH more information about somebody than you want to in this particular, sweaty, bendy context. To avoid wardrobe malfunction: ladies, wear clothes that fit and cover all the right places and guys, please wear fitted shorts, or at the very least, wear skivvies under those swim trunks. Which leads me to …
8. Modesty, Schmodesty You really won’t care that you are practically naked in a room full of strangers/mixed company/acquaintances, also mostly naked. Sheesh, I mean isn’t it enough that you are there – and willingly so?
9. It’s Not The Most Ideal Singles Hang Out Seriously. You will look like crap immediately after – sweaty, flushed, splotchy. And don’t forget about the aforementioned bodily function overload and over-sharing. It can be a bit much for even the most desperately seeking individual.
10. You will become adept at strategizing as you will find yourself plotting your escape at certain points in class. Okay, after this pose I will roll up my mat, navigate through a weave of sweaty people to the back of the room and tiptoeing quietly, I will scale the back wall until I make it to the door, at which point I will stealthfully open the door and make my way out to cool fresh air FREEDOM!!!
Mostly, I want to tell you that you won’t always like hot yoga and it will probably push your boundaries a little (okay – a LOT). I personally enjoy being bumped out of my comfy zone. I find that is when I really learn something about myself.
Having a sense of humor is important when diving head-on into personal transformation like we do in hot yoga. It is also helpful to know that you are not alone. So, please share your stories and comments below!
By the way, I highly recommend smiling in class, as much as possible.
Love,
Lindsay
For some added smiles, here is Nina Paley’s comic “Why I Quit My Yoga Class”
My Top 5 Yoga-Related YouTube Moments
So, with no cable television or satellite to speak of, I am a frequenter of the internet phenomenon that is YouTube. Sometimes educational, often entertaining, I just LOVE how much YOGA is out there! After much deliberation, I have narrowed it down to my Fav 5 Yoga Moments on YouTube (cue drum roll). For your consideration, we have:
#5 Esak Garcia 2007 Bikram Yoga Championships All thoughts about yoga asana competition aside (another day, another post perhaps), this is a truly beautiful demonstration and offering to the yoga community.
#4 I Need A Yogi Feels so wright it can’t be chatuWRONGa! A little bit crude? Maybe. A whole lot of funny? Definitely!
#3 Solid Potato Salad Where’s the yoga you ask? Just wait. It gets pretty bendy after about 45 seconds. Complete with 3-Person Cartwheel Mandala at the end. Yeowza!
#2 Acro-Yoga Performance Another exquisite offering of yoga. Also adding to the beauty: music by DJ ChebISabbah. All kinds of yoga yummy. Siiiiiiggghhhhhhh …
#1 Bodhisattva in metro This is my all time favorite. Hands down. Please watch and experience the magic for yourself.
Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who seeks enlightenment for the benefit of ALL beings.
Thanks for tuning in! Please vote for your favorite below or feel free to add to the list!
Keep it Hot & Bendy,
Lindsay
Meditation For New Yoga Teachers
FINDING YOUR CONFIDENCE
In the matter of dealing with yoga teacher jitters, confidence doesn’t always reveal itself as expected.
Certainties: You love yoga. You know this from a deep place inside your being. Everything about yoga practice screams a loud, ethereal “YES!” You’ve dished out the big bucks and completed a rigorous and intensive yoga teacher training that involved some pretty deep, soul-searching work on your part. You’ve emerged as not only a committed, lifetime student of yoga, but now a certified teacher with a vast world of possibilities before you.
But, darn it, what’s with all the nerves and anxiety? Surely, your training and passion is sufficient for the role of teacher. Your heart is in the right place. You truly want to share and help others because, let’s face it, we yoga teachers don’t do it for the money. We are driven like the prototypical “starving artist”, by what seems to be a force much larger than our physical bodies, something older, wiser — the voice, the calling. Who cares if we have to eat pinto beans and rice for a year? You’re happy doing it because it feels right and it is groovy, man.
Not-So-Certainties: Can I be successful as a yoga teacher or will I meet that dreaded f-word (yes, I am referring to failure)? Can I run a business? Will studios hire me? What if I mess up or offend someone or, lordy-heavens-almighty-in-the highest, hurt somebody? What if students hate my class? Hate me? What if studio finally hires me and then (the other dreaded f-word) fires me? What kind of teacher am I?
Exhausting, isn’t it?
To this, I will simply say: Teaching is another form of yoga, really a practice in itself. Not all of these questions will be answered right away just as you weren’t able to do every yoga posture in your first class (perhaps a bit presumptuous, but in regards to people that do not struggle with asanas, well, I will restrict my comments to my own mind space). In other words, you will never “get it done.” It’s the journey, not the destination and other such whimsical metaphors … you get it.
So, yep — been there, done that. Here is something that helped me when I first began teaching and feeling, at times, as though I might not be successful. A meditation of sorts, to be read before you teach a class:
Meditation for New Yoga Teachers
It is not about me.
It is not about whether they like me
or whether they are going to come back to my class.
It is not about my performance.
It is about helping people to have the best experience possible,
helping them explore their bodies safely.
It is about empowering others to seek their potential.
It is about sharing, giving, and offering myself completely.
And by opening up in this way,
giving others permission to do the same —
fearlessly, joyfully.
It is not about me.
So, you see, your confidence comes not from validating yourself and your credentials, or even from trying really hard to be the best teacher ever, both of which the outcomes are an intense focus on yourself (you selfish son-of-a …). It comes from letting go and allowing your focus to be in the present moment, which when you are teaching a yoga class, is on instructing others in their postures. When you are present and fully engaged in the moment, you are genuine. You are not focused selfishly on your performance. Confidence comes from that deep, intrinsic place, that voice that speaks so loudly to you, “YES!” Let go of the chatter, the questions and insecurity. Be honest, be genuine. Here you will find success that really means something.
Fortunately, from experience in yoga classes, you already have the tools to make this all possible. You have practiced letting go and being present and without judgement. Time to practice what you teach. Incidentally, we teach what we most need to learn.
So go on, you know you’ve got this.
Lindsay
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Photo courtesy of Anna Ferguson.
Unlocking Gratitude: Money Is Love
Just thought I would share this wonderful affirmation and also some information about tapping into the power of gratitude. This has helped me personally to shift my attitude about money and allowed me to recognize the abundance that already exists in my life, leading me to a happier, more fulfilling life.
There seems to be a collective focus on money these days, more specifically on how not having money is causing problems and unhappiness. What if we could think about money in a new way. What if there was a way to find happiness other than money? What if money is a physical expression of the love inherent in every one of us. Try this: Read and repeat out loud the affirmation below daily, or as often as you need to.
Money Is Love
I take this time to open myself and my life to abundance.
The abundance that flows freely through this honorable universe.
The abundance that is for the many, not just the few.
Money is part of everything, as I am part of everything.
Money is unlimited flowing to me, in every possible way.
I can easily, joyously shift my attitudes toward money.
I can experience money as energy that can be transformed into love,
so that each dollar I send out into the world flows from me on a current of love and light.
Each dollar I send out into the world can touch another person with love.
My heart and my mind have been opened to the truth that Money is Love.
For this and all the abundance in my life each and every day, I am deeply appreciative.
Okay, maybe affirmations and talking about “money as energy” just doesn’t work for you. How about a keeping a gratitude journal? This is another incredibly powerful tool for shifting your attention and awareness to that of abundance.
Here’s how to do it: When you first wake up in the morning, make a list of those things in your life that you appreciate. Write down evidence of abundance in your life. You will notice, when you begin the exercise, your list may only be 5 items long. Before you know it, you will be making gratitude lists of 20-50 things or more every day as your awareness shifts to that which you appreciate. It’s a great way to begin your day and I can honestly say that it has helped me tremendously, as someone who has suffered from depression, to shift my mood naturally. The better the mood, the more the inspiration and motivation flows.
It is easy to get caught up in what you don’t have and thinking about what you want based on what you don’t have. What about those things that you do have — those things you have worked hard for and have already accomplished. Do you not want those things? When you are able to notice what you have as being something that you want, it becomes a easier to find ways to improve your situation, for example your financial situation. This is in part because you are now open to the possibilities of things being different than they are and you recognize that you have been able to make things happen positively in the past, so why not now? In other words, you stop focusing on the problem and start looking towards a solution.
Here is some more help …
Share and get inspired with Gratitude Log
A great site for tapping in to your abundance, GratitueLog.com is kind of like Facebook …. but even happier! By the way, gratitude is free, and so is this awesome site!
There are many other resources for online gratitude journals. However, some people find it easier to type their journal using a word processing program on their computer. I recommend keeping it simple and do-able. The process can be as basic as a pencil and a scrap piece of paper.
I will leave you with one last little bit of inspiration. One of my favorite quotes of all time:
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-Melodie Beattie
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