Turn Your World Upside Down with Sirsasana

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Sirsasana (which you might know as headstand).

Here's what Caroline has to say about this challenging but rewarding pose:

"Headstand has long been considered the king of all poses. This is a challenging pose that warrants respect and an intellectual approach. This month we will explore the foundations of this pose and from there take progressive steps. Our practice will emphasize a solid foundation which encourages stability and most importantly protection of the cervical spine (neck).

Beginning students will explore Sirsasana with the feet firmly on the ground. Alternative postures will be given when this pose is counter indicated.

Once mastered, this asana calms the nervous system. Other benefits are increased fresh blood flow to the brain and rejuvenation of the brain.

The practice of this pose may offer the opportunity explore fear and our ego. This is a classic example of how our yoga practice is SO much more than a physical work out."

Come practice flipping your perspective with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Live, Love, Breathe!

Yoga is not only the postures we do on the mat, classically, yoga is a way of life. Yoga means to yoke or to find the union. Union is becoming whole again, realizing our self worth and living in a clear state of reality. Becoming whole is recognizing that every living being is ultimately equal to any other being. When we are united in reality we know that even though we may look and act differently to other people, ultimately when we get down to the bare bones of reality we are all the same. What unites us and makes us equal is the energy that we come from, that sustains our life and the same energy that we go back to when this body dies.  This energy is prana and the most abundant way to receive prana (fullness of life) is to breathe deeply. Our breath is clear and therefore deep breathing promotes clarity and an open spacious mind.

Yoga teaches us that happiness is not out there in the external world to be obtained. It does not depend on our job, looks or relationship, but instead happiness comes from a peaceful power within. We often go through trauma in our life because we continue to grasp at material things and relationships in our desperation for happiness and when we lose this false sense of security we lose our feeling of self worth and identity.

Before we know unity and sameness we long to feel loved and liked by everyone and want to be respected by everyone also. In our yearning we forget that all other beings are going through the same process. In our desperation we forget to treat other people with the same love and respect that we expect from them. And so it becomes a vicious circle.

Yoga is an act of kindness, not only to our self but to the world we live in.  It takes reputation to turn practice into a natural response. With consistent practice we can replace negative responses to life with positive habits.

In Sanskrit habits are called Samskaras they are like modes of operation' we have some modes that work well for us and others that are more disruptive. Often our modes of operation present themselves on the mat. When we come to the mat with anger we realize that we feel uncomfortable and rigid in our body; our practice on those days is not as light and graceful as the days when we are joyful. The Buddha who appreciated the path of Yoga taught that holding onto anger is like grasping at a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else, but instead we are the one who gets burnt. Traditionally the yoga practice was intended to physically prepare and purify the body and mind for meditation. The full spectrum of yoga is a system created to bring us back to a clear vision of reality where we live our life full of breath and abundance!

                                                                   by Caroline Kelley

Practicing with Gratitude by Sara Levine

In my public classes, I always end by finding gratitude for two things – for the choice and for the ability to practice yoga.

Each time that we chose to walk through the studio doors, and to step onto our mats, we are making the choice towards spiritual growth. We are choosing not to watch TV, to go on a hike, to go grocery shopping, or to spend time with our families. Instead, we chose to spend that time quietly listening in. We chose to reconnect with our bodies, our breath and our hearts, through this always-liberating and sometimes-frustrating practice.  It is a hard choice to make, but for most of us, it is essential because within it we begin to appreciate all of those other parts of our lives a little bit more.

To me this choice is important but it is not the only part of my gratitude for this practice. I find my greatest gratitude in my ability to practice. Every time that I step into a beautiful yoga studio, and I lay out my mat I am reminded of the millions of people who have had to learn to find their grace in other ways. People who live in the slums of the world, people quelled by strict governing laws, people who use cardboard as their bed, people bound to wheelchairs or to their beds.

These people are not without yoga, they simply practice in a different way. They practice yoga by surviving, by moving forward and by finding joy in their daily lives. They practice yoga in their hearts. When I step onto my mat, I practice for these people, so that I might see myself in them. Because in the end, I know that we are all striving for the same things:

love, health, & peace.

www.shantibeanyoga.com

Benefits of a regular yoga practice by Caroline Kelley

  
Benefits of a regular yoga practice

            Even if you occasionally practice yoga I'm sure you will appreciate some of the benefits. When we find the right teacher, we leave our practice feeling nourished, revitalized and whole.

            Fitting a regular practice into our schedule can sometimes be challenging, however for all the reasons that we don't make it on the mat, there are many more benefits. In fact the very reasons why we might not practice regularly are often the very reasons why a yoga practice would do us good. Many people find that they have more energy when they practice more than once a week, sleep better and have a much more positive outlook on life.

          Yoga is widely recognized as a practice which improves flexibility, strength and posture. These can be both esthetically pleasing as well as pain relieving.

Another point of view to consider is that an upright posture gives the impression that we are confident and alert, while a slouching positive can portray lack of confidence and motivation. These simple expressions can make or break us professionally and personally. Body consciousness and the subtle energies that we radiate out become more apparent to a seasoned Yogi.

            What may be less obvious is that yoga has the potential to maintain healthy and efficient internal organs.  Yoga promotes a stronger slower pulse rate which comes with good health, Yoga also decreases our respiratory rate. The combined benefits are numerous two of which are reduced stress and a stronger healthier immune system.

            Yoga postures massage the internal organs, thus improving organ functions and their ability to prevent disease. Twisting postures for example have the potential to relieve constipation, and postures that open the lower abdomen help relieve menstrual cramps.

            Practicing yoga helps to regulate and control hormone secretion. An improved endocrine system keeps hormones in balance and promotes better overall physical and emotional health for both men and women.

            Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois was renowned for saying 'practice and all is coming'.

Yoga is not another fitness routine, it is an investment in whole health and wellbeing. As the benefits of yoga become better recognized more and more people are approaching yoga as a health plan.

RESOLUTIONS- BY CALEY YAVORSKY

Most of us set them, but how many of us actually accomplish them? We've all been there. We set a goal to lose weight, do more yoga or quit your job and do something that inspires you. Our new year begins with clear intentions, but slowly fades away as our "to do" lists grow longer and our "want to do" lists become more unattainable. Why is it so hard to stick to those New Year's resolutions?

Here are some easy ways to set clear intentions and to make them a reality:

1. Write your intentions down and keep them somewhere you can see them, like on your office wall, taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car.

2. Try and acknowledge things and/or people that are holding you back from accomplishing your goals. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to practice yoga after work?  If you don't get to the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal.

3. Visualize what your life will be like once you accomplish your goals. If you resolve to go to the gym more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of your action, and you will be more likely to stick with your plan.

4. Discuss your resolutions with loved ones, friends and your Health Coach! Hold each other accountable for achieving your goals. If you want to go to yoga more, have a friend call you two or three times a week to check on you or invite them to join you. Or, call your health coach! If you could benefit from having a motivating and compassionate influence in your daily life, this yogi/health coach is in your corner and am just waiting to help you accomplish your goals!

5. Don't forgot to reward yourself with each accomplishment, no matter how small. If your intention is to lose weight and you lose 1 pound a week, pamper yourself with a massage...get a facial...you deserve it.

Could you use some support in accomplishing your goals for the new year?
Contact Caley for your Holistic Health Breakthrough Session today!

www.CaleyAlyssa.com

The Invitation of Yoga by Megan Windeler

In my practice and teaching Hatha Yoga – the physical asanas (poses) and pranayama (breathing) – are an invitation to explore your phyiscal body in space and time. And from this experience to be invited to be present to all that is outside ourselves. The more aware and at home we become in our own bodies the more compassionate we can be towards ourselves and that just grows outwards towards all beings. The work of Yoga on the mat is a profound practice of presence.

One of the teachers who has inspired both my practice and my teaching is Don Stapleton. He has a practice called Self-Awakening Yoga. His approach is an organic and somatic invitation into YOUR body and spirit. It is beautiful.

Many wisdom traditions throughout history consider the body to be a temple for the spirit. In order to create a conscious and functional relationship with the body, I prefer to begin with an image that is less grandiose than a temple. A temple is an awesome destination. Going to a temple requires that I leave my home and my everyday life to seek contact with the divine. There are times and places for this journey, moments in life when pilgrimage to a place beyond home is desirable and appropriate exactly for the separation from everyday life that it affords. But, I choose not to approach the body in this manner.

Rather than a temple of magnificent marble columns and lofty spires, I am inviting you into an image of your body that is more personal, more like a cozy seat in front of a hearth shared with your most trusted friend. This trusted friend beside you is yourself – not the icon of a supreme being, not an authority on mystical transcendence, but your own inner advisor. – Don Stapleton, Ph.D

Yoga is a profound and practical practice of becoming more present in this physical life we have been gifted. And, the more present we are the more responsible we are for a our actions in this life. And, the hope is then – that the more apt we are to choose love as our response.

yoga: why? because!

Yoga for me is not just a physical or spiritual practice limited to a certain square of time in my schedule. It may have begun that way, but now yoga infiltrates every aspect of my life. I have been practicing yoga for 8 years and teaching for almost 3, but I still consider myself a beginner. It is much more interesting to approach the practice with beginners eyes, and ask "what can I learn today?" rather than exercise my already "mastered" poses. When we feel we know it all, we become jaded, and tend to go on auto-pilot. Yoga is not meant to be another thing on our to do list, it is a practice that we carry off our mats with us into our days. Yoga reminds me to be more aware of my breath, and my overall being, as I go about talking, walking, eating, working, etc.  When i approach my practice in an open way, I find that yoga continuously surprises me with its lessons and gifts. Just when I think I have it figured out, I realize I know nothing, and I begin again. Its beautiful!

This continuous sense of wonder, discovery, and destruction & rebirth is what keeps life wonderful and fulfilling for me. Yoga has given me this gift. When I do not do my practice I start feeling stuck and disengaged from my own life and the actions I take in it. Being fully present and open for all of life's moments (the good, the bad, and the ugly!) this is what gives me incentive to return to my mat, again and again. As a yoga teacher I strive to share this gift with others. I hope that everyone may realize how amazing their lives already are! We just need to stop and remember to breathe and feel.