Sr. Immaculata Chimes In

Free Your Voice! Fill The World With Your Positive Energy

This has been a year of new and exciting exploration into other styles and practices of yoga. The consistent Ashtanga practice is still going strong, making me stronger. It’s real gifts are in the subtle domain. I feel more in control of maintaining focus off the mat. This is good because I am hyper distracted otherwise. What freedom!

As I contemplate the end of the calendar year and start thinking about 2013 I feel great transformation on the horizon. There is so much challenge and suffering in everyone’s life, yet beauty and goodness always seem to save the day. This life is so much more manageable ‘one day at a time’. And when each day includes a few moments of pause and inner connection life’s preciousness is even more readily evident.

After a weekend of singing in kirtan with my friends in Prema Hara, I am all the more pumped about bringing the harmonium and singing into my yoga classes. At Christ The King, Sr. Immaculata used to say to us “Singing is praying twice.” I could not agree with her more.

This Sunday I am psyched to explore vocalizing breath and practicing some singing and chanting exercises from other cultures in the Vocal Yoga class at Yoga Birds. It is a three part series but drop-ins are welcome to join.

Come out and sing in community. Lets make some magic in Fairhope.

Peace Y’all 

Sketchy Yoga : Beautiful Art

“Any action done with beauty and purity, and in complete harmony of body, mind, and soul is art. In this way art elevates the artist. As Yoga fulfills the essential need of art, it is an art.” B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga Sketch Artist

At the beginning of August I embarked on a 'new' yoga project. I committed to daily practice of the Primary Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Way back in the earliest days of discovering yoga, it was Ashtanga that I was drawn to. I stared in wonder at all of the beautiful people flowing and floating their beautiful bodies as if they were swimming above ground.

Frankly, no matter how hard I tried, it just NEVER worked for me. I felt like a body of cinder blocks flinging, crashing, sinking, straining, huffing and puffing to keep up with the class. I love to flow  with my breath. But the tempo of Ashtanga…one breath, one movement never made sense for me. It was hard and hard on my body. Yoga should not hurt or leave one feeling defeated. At least I knew that from early on.

I have spent almost 17 years in the yoga rooms where alignment is primary and the poses are treated  like sculptures that are chiseled and refined ad infinitum.  I know lots of poses pretty well now. I know them for their physical benefits, therapeutic purposes, and as well as for their ‘editorial’ qualities. I love alignment based yoga for a zillion reasons. I am familiar with it and fascinated by it. I will tinker with asana forever.

Last month I needed to clear some negative energy in my life and make some changes. As a yogi knows…I had to start with shifting inside.  Literally my head hurt from thinking too much and from my ‘monkey mind’ taking over.  In my yoga practice I REALLY needed to get out of my head and my tendency to hyper-focus on ‘details’ of alignment. So. Tired. Of. Details. Ugh. The alignment approach, for the first time ever made me feel stuck.

Knowing that some form of asana practice would guide me to a lighter place, I revisited my old acquaintance, Ashtanga.  The Ashtanga Primary Series is essentially a very simple practice that requires less ‘thinking’ and more flowing. It is  a set sequence of poses that trains the student to concentrate awareness on BREATH BANDHAS and DRISHTI.  That’s it. Period. It’s more about awakening and harnessing energy than creating pretty poses. With practice, the poses do become light and fluid. But the only way it happens authentically and internally is with practice. 

The biggest hurdle for me in this practice is letting go of the ‘asana as masterpiece’ mentality—which is purely an exercise of checking my asana-ego. There is no time for refining, and sculpting.  I have to let the pose be what it is and move on.  Luckily my body ‘knows’ the poses on a deeper level.  Most of the forms are familiar to my body/mind so, the consistent and relatively fast paced transitioning from pose to pose does not agitate my nervous system. As my friend and Ashtanga teacher Chuck Frenkel said "You really do need to know what you're doing if you're getting into Ashtanga".  The more I practice, the more I want to practice. Not because I want to get better at the poses, but because I want to become more fluid in my breath, more steady with my gaze, and lighter internally from activating bandha awareness. And not just on the mat...

After a month of consistent practice, the energy has shifted. The necessary changes in my life have happened without much fanfare. Ashtanga Yoga...I think I am starting to get it. In yoga I feel like a brand new beginner all over again. Everyday I can not wait to get to my mat. What an amazing gift! 

 The artistry in the Iyengar and Anusara methods treat poses as a work of art forever in progress.  In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga the poses are like a series of quick charcoal sketches threaded together to weave a story of vinyasa.  Sculpt, weave, paint, sing, or sketch your yoga. It all makes this world a more beautiful place.

OM is where the art is.

Free To Be

Vegan Iced Chai Latte. YUM OM

It has been an excellent Firecracker Day. We had a completely full house this morning for the July 4^th special flow class. The opening 34-voice OMx3 was super rich and resonant. Total chills just thinking about it. The studio is CHARGED with great energy! 

The chai tea party after class could not have been more pleasant. We hung out for almost an hour in the newly spruced up ‘bamboo’ picnic area behind the studio. The blooming hibiscus and shade of the giant live oak tree are a perfect ‘apres yoga’ gathering place.

So, you might notice on the online class schedule that the name of my classes has been updated to ‘Flow & Form’. Lately I have been teaching a lot more flow in my classes. We still definitely keep good form and alignment in sharp focus. But weaving vinyasa through it has become more fun and interesting than ever.  Hence the new name.

Since I have the honor of teaching four mornings this week (which is a lot of teaching), I am offering basically the same class sequence every day, with a different theme and music playlist. Yesterday was ‘The Mountain’. Today was ‘Free Your Breath’ and tomorrow is ‘Ocean of the Heart’.  Saturday morning will be …well I haven’t gotten that far yet ;). The class is based liberally on the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga Vinyasa which is designed essentially to be an everyday (with a few exceptions) practice. Now, when I say liberal, I mean it! I’m having great fun mining my 30 year old record collection for gems and also indulging in some birthday iTunes gift cards for new music to rock out the vinyasas to.  

I am totally loving everybody’s singing along with the support of the harmonium to open and close the classes.  The vibration is wonderful and it really 'marks' the class as something special.

Things are changing, shifting, taking new form and shape. It’s beautifully and appropriately Flowing with Form. ‘In yoga as in life’, as my friend Augusta Kantra says.

We Are Blessed To Be Free

I wore my FREE TIBET shirt today. Our class was dedicated to all who are not free. We are incredibly fortunate to live and breathe in Fairhope Alabama USA, aka Eden.

I am grateful to my yoga practice for helping me stay present to the blessing of every breath here and now. I am grateful for challenge, for I will never be without a teacher. 

Here’s a challenge for you….come to as many yoga classes as possible this Summer. And watch it shift and change your body, your breath, and your life towards vibrant awareness, skill in action, and deep contentment. Keep on rockin’ yoga in the Free World.

OM SHANTI

Well, Obviously A Blog Post…

Yoga Birds Meditation Workshop 'Group Photo'

The meditation workshop was a great success. We explored and practiced traditional basic seated meditation which is always a joy to share in a group setting. It’s so much more challenging than it seems, the group dynamic is very supportive. Second, we indulged in coloring mandalas in a 30-minute meditation.  Check out the ‘group photo'.  Colorful expressions of the hearts of seriously beautiful souls!  Third we explored the basics of the Zen practice of walking meditation. We started walking very slowly around the perimeter of the studio for a five-minute guided walking meditation that gave directions as to where and how to use our feet and our steps as the object of our attention. Thich Nhat Hanh’s classic book and most famous quote “Peace Is Every Step” is at the essence of this meditation. After the intro we took our peaceful strides out on the street where they REALLY matter. Everyone slowed down and connected with their surroundings, and most everyone reported that it was challenging. Yes, slowing down, becoming mindful, and staying connected to peace is a practice. We ended the day with a guided yoga nidra practice. I led a meditation through the body during a 20 minute savasana. Most everyone felt like the time went faster.  The general consensus is that the day literally flew by.  As happens when Birds have fun!

Cherished Possession. Thich Nhat Hanh Original Caligraphy. 'Peace is Every Step'

In a nutshell, meditation connects us to our essence of Being which is peaceful, and wise. Regular practices like asana (yoga poses), pranayama (breathing exercises), seated meditation, or any moving meditation where you come into a zone of single pointed focus helps to sustain that connection to our higher state of consciousness. Moving and living from this clear state, our actions (the mundane to the grandiose)  become more graceful, we rise up with dignity to meet challenge and unfair situations, our steps become more peaceful upon the fragile Earth, and best of all we are fully present when the ‘good stuff’ is happening.  Today was especially good at the studio.

My vision and intention for Yoga Birds has always been to raise the bar on hatha yoga offerings in this community.  Every class, workshop, and teacher training I have offered has been in service of the vision. Modeling this studio after others like Yoga Works in Los Angeles and Swan River in New Orleans (which were my ‘home’ studios when I lived there), teachers must maintain a practice (1x/week) at the studio and maintain continuing education (I do not require the continuing-ed to be a Yoga Birds training). As much as I teach, I am twice that in unwavering studentship—both at the studio and in trainings with other teachers. One of the many reasons I hold myself to high standards in the realm of teaching yoga, is so that I may ask the same of all of the teachers at Yoga Birds.  It’s REALLY hard being the owner of a small business. I will leave it at that. So that I may continue to revel in the last few minutes of this gloriously enlightening day.

Just got home from the picture show where we saw the most fantastic 3-D movie….’Brave’. The gist of it is that everybody has dharma, and we must be courageous enough to follow our Path. Oh it could not have been more perfect.  

 

Please check online for changes to the July Class Schedule and  read about the upcoming beginners series, and advanced studies series on The Bhagavad Gita I am teaching. I hope you will come and practice yoga and sing to the harmonium with us some this Summer.

Thank you all for supporting Yoga Birds. 

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI

Experience Your Peace of Mind

"In order to have peace and joy, you must succeed in having peace within each of your steps.  Your steps are the most important thing.  They decide everything.  I am lighting a stick of incense and joining my palms together as a lotus bud to pray for your success." - Thich Nhat Hanh

This Saturday at Yoga Birds, I am teaching a workshop on Meditation, Pranayama, & Yoga Nidra. We will explore and practice  Thich Nhat Hanh's walking meditation, various methods of seated meditation, coloring mandalas, pranayama techniques, and experience a full, led yoga nidra practice. 


The workshop is Saturday, June 30th from 12 - 5:30pm at Yoga Birds in Fairhope. 
Register online at www.yogabirds.com. Or register day-of at the studio. Contact info and directions can be found at the website. Workshop investment is $65.

I hope you can make it! 

"Peace Is Every Step" - Thich Nhat Hanh

Nervous Wreck? Triathlete? Wanna Go Deeper In Asana?

Does This Scenario Look Familiar?

Often I hear ..."When I get more flexible, I will come to see you in yoga".  If you have ever had an inkling of this thought, please read on...

Last week's Advanced Studies lesson hinged on the idea that flexibility is a function of the nervous system. Meaning, that when you are stretching, and  your body tells you (sometimes loudly) that you have reached the edge of the stretch, you have not really come to the end of the muscle's ability to lengthen, you have come the point where your nervous system can no longer handle the work. You have come to the current end point of comfort-ability, familiarity, and sustainability. Think about a pose like pigeon pose, or a seated forward fold (or some pose where you experience resistance). When you come to the place in the pose where sensation  overpowers breath and all of your senses, you (hopefully) back off to where you can breathe with ease and mindfulness. This discernment and mindful breath work at the 'edge of our ability' is actually the part of practice that is addressing and soothing the nervous system while simultaneously applying intense stimulus to 'go further'. It is in this moment that the body, breath, and subtle-body are sitting in 'round-table negotiations', communicating beyond the realm of intellect and language. The consistent practice of symbiosis of body, mind, breath, Spirit, and intention often allow us to move (possibly microscopically and incrementally) a little deeper into the pose, thereby cultivating more flexibility and a deep sense of calm where we once thought we were at 'the end of the rope'.  This lesson is applicable not only in asana, but in situations where we may need to cultivate a little bit more flexibility, but are facing resistance (whether our own or some other force's). Breathe in the face of challenge. Same lessons over and over, right?  It always comes back to the breath, doesn't it?
Meditation, pranayama, restorative yoga, yoga nidra, yin yoga...these are all practices that activate the parasympathetic nervous system which supports and is supported by quiet, calm, introspection, and the harmonizing of our energies. Interestingly, skillful resting practices are the key element to getting 'deeper' into our active adventures. Whether we are working 9-5 (or more), pursuing a triathlon season, engaging in an active asana yoga practice, raising kids in the beautifully hectic world, or simply feel frazzled, over-heated  and 'had it  up to here (insert hand gesture at forehead level)'...it's time to address taking care of your nervous system. Take time for breath practice, meditation, and the inner work of yoga to enhance and enrich the outer work in which we must or choose to endeavor. 

Re-Train Your Nervous System. Find Your Inner Peace

Check out these upcoming events I am offering at Yoga Birds.

Pranayama Yoga & Meditation
Saturday, June 30 , 1-5:30pm

 Meditations on Bhagavad Gita
Wednesdays,  July 11, 18, 25, 6-10pm
(asana practice followed by meditations and discussions)

Yoga Series For Brand New Beginners 
(go to week of July 10 at online schedule to sign up)
Tuesdays 5-6pm,  July 10, 17, 24, 31
(due to the progressive learning nature of the series, drop-ins are not permitted)

You CAN retrain your nervous system and reach new depths of peace in whatever you are doing... on and off the mat.

In PEACE LOVE PRACTICE & YOGA,

Melanie 

Change Re-Form Re-Pattern...Yoga For Life

Yoga does different things for different people. It can turn lethargy into action. It can turn a frazzled overworked person into a tranquil, peaceful being. Yoga brings us into balance. Yoga helps us to re-pattern negative and unhealthy behaviors. Since we are bodies of organic materials and over 60% water, we are in a constant state of flux from birth 'til death. Hence, we are forever re-patterning the ways in which we approach life in all realms- physical, mental, and spiritual.

In my 20's I lost 80 lbs. It happened after I started yoga. In natural succession I began to eat more consciously and then I started jogging regularly (which was a dreadful, awful, painful feat in my pre-weight loss years). All of a sudden, running was exhilarating and a mighty calorie burner too. Jackpot! Right? The combination of new healthy behaviors (combined with long-term sticking with them) resulted in the significant weight loss and the 'keeping it off' factor that is even harder to maintain.

A few years went by and the jogging started to take a toll on my body...achy joints, sore back, tight muscles. As well, the aggressive yoga practices that made me sweat and groan and push and push beyond my limits, and then pass out in savasana, had depleted me and injured me. After a defiant few years of not accepting that I needed to shift my behaviors (again, really?? So not fair!!...I whined and protested).

I knew I had to alter my patterns to accommodate for my changing and now imbalanced state. Fatigued and constantly achey does not a nice tag teacher make. These were hard lessons. Part of my resistance to 'change' was purely fear based as I was absolutely not going back to being 'the fat girl'- THAT was painful enough. But I also didn't know any other way to keep my weight and compulsive over-eating tendencies at bay. 'Cardio and hard-core yoga everyday or else!' worked so well for me for so long. But waking up nearly crippled from it one sad night in 2007 I knew the gig was up. I had to make changes.

In this quandary, I am not alone. All of the time I see people who have made great life changes and had success in becoming more healthy and balanced physically, mentally, and spiritually. But if we do not continue to keep a close eye on the delicate state of balance within and outside of ourselves, and adjust our behaviors and practices accordingly we will become imbalanced again.

I have mellowed out. I still practice yoga everyday, but I listen deeply to my body and abide (most of the time) by the inner teacher. My home practice is mostly pelvic-abdominal strengtheners, inversions, backbends, and any 'special' poses I want to explore working on to teach in classes. I sit for meditation six days a week. I LOVE going to a few classes a week at Yoga Birds when it fits into my schedule. I do not consider teaching times as my practice. Practice is a receiving, teaching is a giving. I like to keep those in equal balance. 12 hours of teaching = 12 hours of practice. I owe that to my students. I still jog once in a blue moon. I take long walks with the dogs in Fairhope (that's my FAVE). I do cardio twice a week on an elliptical or bike at the gym. Some days I have to force myself to kick up my heartbeat. Some days I have to make myself do restorative poses to bring my energy down. It seems that what I am most resistant to on a certain day is the missing link that will bring me more into balance. Most days I sit at a desk for many hours. Movement is vital for me to have any energy to work with.

Because of my beloved longtime practice of yoga and turning inward, I take pauses regularly throughout the day for self-inquiry. I often ask myself 'Is this bringing me into balance?' and then I proceed with a little more clarity. These are the gifts yoga. Everyday is different. Everyday our bodies are different. Our behaviors and actions, must honor the constant changing state of nature, otherwise we hurt ourselves.

I look forward to inevitable change and opportunities to really put this practice to use. I am so happy and grateful to be on this path with all of you yogis and friends.

Enjoy this Time. Enjoy this Life. Enjoy this Breath. Enjoy Yoga. Enjoy yourSelf Everyday.

Peace Love and Yoga Y'all.