Opening Your Heart to Love

Opening Your Heart Through Yoga

“Opening your heart to love” is an amazing invitation, but if it were so easy, why aren’t we all doing it already? As we well know, most of the ideas that are the simplest to express and comprehend are the hardest to actually achieve. Just like following the Golden Rule or resolving to loose ten pounds, “opening your heart to love” is easier said than done. So what makes this so hard?

It is easy to get caught up in fear, or the perhaps the idea that I’ve been hurt so much in the past makes love difficult. I don’t want to risk loving again or I may be stuck by the thought that I am unlovable. It is hard to “lean into the sharp points,” as Pema Chodron, the Buddhist nun likes to say, but the benefits and rewards are so worthwhile. Sometimes it takes a broken heart to truly prepare us to open and the practice of yoga sustains and increases that opening.

Our yoga practice is another vehicle for learning the skills to open up to love and do the risk taking to be “love.” In urdhva danurasana I trust the ground under me and my arms to support me, even as I totally expose my heart to the world. My head recedes into the background as my heart reaches for the sky—everything is upended, kind of like what happens in love. While backbends are a great medium for being in the metaphor of heart- opening there are many poses that teach me to love myself and to be more present.

Whatever type of pose is most difficult for me can be the gateway to greater self-love. The difficult poses allow me to explore their challenges breath by breath; knowing that it unfolds one breath at a time allows me the space to be present with whatever comes up. Difficult poses can be a lot like a love affair. When do I want to give up, and can I stay with uncomfortable feelings until they shift? When do I need to “effort” more to move forward, and when do I need to surrender to achieve the same result? And while I am doing all of these things simultaneously, am I paying attention to my mind chatter: to what I am I saying to and about myself? When I can speak to myself with love, then I am on the road to having an open heart.

Yoga is a wonderful instrument for quieting the mind and transforming the thoughts to more positive ones. It’s the “yoga zone” we have all experienced after savasana. We are not sure how the alchemy happens, but things just get untangled, and you meet yourself in a place of well-being, love and open-heartedness. So how can we open the heart to love? There are many paths to this goal and a yoga practice is certainly one of them. Maybe the next time you are on your yoga mat, you will view your least favorite pose as your greatest teacher. It’s the place where you can learn patience, compassion, acceptance, equanimity and… love.

Jim G. – Yoga Del Mar Practitioner

Jim G.YDM: What brought you to Yoga Del Mar?

JG: I came to yoga for the exercise. I have been a long-time competitive cyclist. I often heard that yoga would be good to augment my cycling and increase general flexibility (which can facilitate increased strength). I had tried yoga a few times, but it never fit well – either the location, or the schedule, or something did not fit. Three years ago I looked for a local studio and saw Yoga Del Mar on the internet, and on a Friday afternoon, I mustered the courage to attend what I call my first real yoga class, with Josh Vincent. And the next day I went to Geri’s class, and thus started my yoga journey. I was struck by how accepting and even inviting yoga instructors are, from the first class I felt I was part of the group. Yoga was so different than the competitive world I was used to – it is not a competition, it is about what you are doing for yourself today, and how you are connecting with yourself. After miles and miles and hours and hours of cycling over the years, I thought I had the foundation for a connection to myself, but in just a short time, I found that connection to be much deeper through my yoga practice at Yoga Del Mar. That “connection” translates to self awareness, self confidence and contentment, and openness in relationships with others. Just few months later, I completed Anusara Immersion 1 with Geri, and that deepened my knowledge of Anusara yoga and my yoga practice far more than I expected.

YDM: How has practicing yoga changed your life?

JG: Shortly after completing the Anusara Immersion 1, I suffered a very serious cycling accident when on a ride in Palos Verdes; I rode off the road on a downhill stretch and into a tree with my face and chest. My helmet saved my life, and it was more than six months before I was able to get back to the mat and back on the bike. But most importantly, yoga never left me. In those months when almost every movement was painful and I was struggling to do simple things like walk, I could come home from work, sit, do some pranyama, some meditation, and allow the distractions of the day to fade away, and accept myself for what I was that day, pain and all. And, as corny as it might sound, I embraced the pain; it was part of me that day. Yoga gave me the tools to deal with a difficult challenge in a positive way. Yoga gave me a connection to myself, the self confidence and perseverance to endure and heal. Yoga taught me to open my heart, and allow people to help me along that path as I healed and got stronger. And the healing did come, albeit slowly. Now completely healed, the accident and recovery is just a memory. I am having fun with my yoga practice, with my cycling, and even with my work. I came to yoga for the exercise, a whole world unfolded and I became a better person.

YDM: What new beginnings/openings have you found through the practice of yoga?

JG: Anusara is often defined as “flowing with grace” or “following your heart”, and it’s also about opening your heart. I have no doubt that because of Anusara yoga and following its principles, I was able to open my heart more than I ever had and allow people to help me when I needed help and be grateful for that help. I have had an opportunity to experience a long recovery in a positive way. I got a rare chance to start over again after that recovery – to begin my yoga asana practice again, to start my cycling again, and by looking at many things with a fresh view, I am appreciating them more. More than just opening my heart, through a better connection with myself, yoga gave me a better awareness and appreciation of people with whom I interact. And yoga gave me a more conscience contact with my ego, engaging my awareness of my true nature as a being.

YDM: What would you say to someone thinking of trying yoga for the first time?

JG: Do it. Do something positive for yourself – set your attitude and take action (go to that class). Because I work regularly in Los Angeles, I have been able to attend yoga classes at several studios. I am fortunate to practice regularly with a number of skilled, generous, and compassionate instructors. I have found that all of the yoga instructors I know are accepting and have something worthwhile to offer – they truly want to help students get the most out of their practice. But it is far more than the instructors. The kind, compassionate, and very real people who attend yoga practice are wonderful people to share a community with. Sometimes after a long day at work it is hard to go to class and get on the mat, but every time I do, I’m glad I did – every single time. So (as the athletic shoe add says), just do it!

Empowering Future Generations

Nikyta's Signature “The hand is not so well adorned by ornaments as by charitable offerings.” ~Chanakya

Dear Kula of Yoga Del Mar,

I first would like to express my deep gratitude for the work and involvement that all of you have done via the H&ands of Yoga Del Mar, and fundraisers for the Shuar tribe of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Thanks to your help, we arrived in the Tawasap Community, which is in the rainforest of Ecuador near Puyo, this summer in August. This is a short account of the magical adventure and exchange of knowledge we found there.


Shuar TribeIn the dark aliveness of the rainforest at night, were first greeted in the house of ritual, where after long conversations by candlelight we laid open our intentions and our hearts to Tzama, the community’s charismatic and powerful leader, who also did the same. After this we were welcomed into the family compound with burnt orange facepaint, made from the dye of furry seedpods, which signified we were now initiated and welcome as guests. Over the next four days, we began teaching and empowering the youth of the village through media arts: digital video, photography, recording, and mastering. We had a very simple objective: to inspire the youth to be record keepers of their own history, and in doing so teach them skills they could continue after our departure.

Shuar TribeAfter a very short show and tell about the camera, computers, and their uses, the majority of the learning occurred through a process of discovery and learning in a need-based intuitive model: the youth learned about the media based on what they were trying to accomplish. In this way, the process of learning continued to be in a youth empowered, fresh and alive, as they discovered what they wanted and could be inquisitive and we could guide and teach based on those needs. In this way, learning happens in the body (a lot like yoga) and through the process of discovery it is more apt to be remembered for cultures that are orally and action based.

Video RecordingWe spent the next three days blessed with traditional rituals, songs, dances, stories, and sports. The verdant rainforest, with spiders hanging large as fists in the canopied trees, butterflies like floating palms of the hand in every color imaginable, and the daily song of children, birds, and neighboring families calling through the dense forest trails to once another in loud Shuar shouts. By the end of our stay, we had taught the eldest son how to record, edit, and master his own original music and music of his tribe. The youth took hundreds of photos documenting their sustainable way of life, video interviewing their elders on topics of climate change, teaching stories, and the medicinal plants of the land. The community then asked us to help them continue this cultural preservation and to return with compact digital technologies that could empower them for this end.

HeadphonesIn this season of giving, we often forget how truly rich in resources we are amidst the hustle and bustle of shopping, gifting, feasting with family and friends. The Shuar of the Tawasap community are very clear that they too are rich in spiritual, natural, and sustainable knowledge and wisdoms. They are the custodians within the lungs of the earth: the Amazon rain forests that filter the earth’s atmosphere and bless all of us all over the planet. So I invite you to ask what resources we might provide for them, included in our holiday gift giving, that may empower them to preserve their cultural heritage. I will be returning the day after Christmas to Ecuador as an ambassador from our resource rich North America to their resource rich Southern lands. If it is in your heart to support this project, we are have all information regarding this continued project and a beautiful video of the people and land on the www.cognitiverise.com website.

Self DirectedOur wish list includes:

  • Apple laptop computer,
  • Digital cameras,
  • HD video camera,
  • Eternal hard drives,
  • Writable CD’s and DVDs,
  • Flash drives and batteries.

We are open to used equipment that is still compatible and functioning as well! I am also raising funds for my own travel and expenses. If anyone has frequent flyer miles they would like to contribute to this end, fantastic! Of course, financial donations are accepted on the site via Pay Pal.

All contributions will be publicly acknowledged on the cognitive rise website (unless otherwise specified), as well as sent updates and newsletters during and following this winters trip. We are also partnering with the non-profit, Amazonvoice.org, which was born out of this trip, who will be providing local technical support, site visits, and a longer term investment to work with the Tawasap community. My end is simply attempting to answer the wishes of the community in a grassroots way from our village of San Diego to theirs in the rainforest.

GenerationsIt is my dearest hope that as our yoga practice opens us to our own deepening compassion on the planet that in turn reminds us of our inclusion in the larger kula of all beings on the earth.

In grateful and humble honor to be of service,
Nikyta

Nikyta Palmisani
Yoga Teacher at Yoga Del Mar

Joyce L. – Yoga Del Mar Practitioner

YDM: What brought you to Yoga Del Mar?

Joyce L. - Another inspiring yogini at Yoga Del Mar JL: Actually, It was late January or early February (can’t quite remember!) of 2009 when I came for my first class. I saw a coupon – I think in the Carmel Valley News – for a free class. I had been trying some yoga tapes at home for a month or so and quite a while ago tried a little ashtanga yoga for a few months. Also, my sister (she lives in Santa Fe, NM) had just started taking at an Anusara Yoga studio there was was telling me how great it was. I was definitely interested in yoga as a form of exercise, but I was also very interested in yoga as a spiritual path. I had read Stephen Cope’s book “Yoga and the Quest for the True Self” and was really at the beginning of trying to get away from just our “western” perception of yoga as exercise and discover yoga in its fullness. I went to the Anusara website, typed in my zip, and up came YDM! So, there I was, with a free class coupon, encouragement from my sister, a basic love of exercise, and a yearn for spiritual development. Everything just fell in to place. Bet you wished you hadn’t asked!!!

YDM: Not at all! I love how everything came together so perfectly for you.

How has practicing yoga changed your life?

JL: Wow, in so many ways!!! It has been and will continue to be a great journey!

From a physical standpoint, it has been great. Exercise has always been a great stress reducer for me. It took a long while, but I finally got my flexibility back (I used to take LOTS of ballet classes). I think the best thing is how improvement comes in little steps, sometimes in an imperceptible way, but all of a sudden I will realize that I am doing something that I couldn’t do before (even if it is just twisting a little farther). I’m definitely trying new things and being “very brave”….stepping out of my comfort zone. After a year and a half, I finally reached the wall for a hand stand! But it doesn’t stop there, get one thing and there’s lots more to work on! I LOVE arm balances!

Last year I took the level one immersion and plan on doing the level two course in 2011. There is so much to learn; I had to give myself time to absorb and work on all the material presented. The course was also a perfect way to blend the exercise with the spiritual. Being introduced to the yoga sutras, continuing reading other books on yoga, and learning more about yoga as a life path has allowed me to start to absorb at least a few steps of the eight-fold path in to my every-day life. It helps tremendously to not only enjoy life’s simple pleasures but also to take the bumps along the road a little less reactively.

YDM: What is the the greatest gift that you have found through the practice of yoga?

JL: Does it sound to silly to just say that the first two words that came to mind when I read this question were excitement and joy? I just had my 59th birthday last week and my “baby” just turned 20 in October, so no more teenagers! My husband and I have been married for 32 years. Retirement is a ways off, but I am so excited about what this next chapter of my life will bring. I am so grateful that I just kind of fell in to yoga when I did. It has provided a foundation for me to approach life in a positive, balanced, healthy way. It’s my rock!

YDM: What would you say to someone thinking of trying yoga for the first time?

JL: I think the best thing about yoga is that it can be beneficial to everyone. I have told some of my co-workers, it’s not about what everyone else is doing, it’s about what YOU can do. The most important thing it taking that first step and giving it a try.

I have GREATLY appreciated all the teachers at YDM. Each of them have a special way of presenting the practice that I feel is very complimentary. I always feel so good when I leave every class. Beth’s has been great getting to know my strengths and weaknesses and she has really helped with my little – or should I say BIG – fears (like being upside down!!). With Julie’s class on Friday and Geri’s class on Sunday, I often feel like I have just had a moving meditation practice. Michele always seems to know the right time to come and help with adjustments! Don’t want to forget Jen – I actually did my first handstand in her class one Sunday morning!! I really appreciate each and every one of these fine teachers!

YDM: Thank you so much for sharing Joyce. You are an inspiration to the kula!

Robin Z. – Yoga Del Mar Practitioner

GratitudeYDM: How did you find yoga and Yoga Del Mar?

RZ: I began in Iyengar yoga in St. Louis 11 years ago, with a teacher who had recently moved to the city and was hoping to begin a practice. When I arrived in Del Mar, eight years ago, I was looking for a small studio with various styles of teaching.

YDM: How has practicing yoga changed your life?

RZ: I was struggling with scoliosis, and posture after doing pilates and step for many years. Reaching my 50′s I realized that yoga would better suit my spinal problems. As Geri and her staff continually say yoga has opened my heart to finding peace within my life. I have experienced greater energy and strength, and have been able to open my heart to everyone in my daily life.

(YDM: It’s so true! You brighten the room when you walk in and everyone feels your loving presence.)

YDM: What is the one thing about yoga or that you have gained through yoga that you are most grateful for?

RZ: As I have practiced at various studios I am most thankful for the many teachers I have encountered who have encouraged me to expand my individual practice, as well as the wonderful students I have met through the years.

YDM: What would you say to someone thinking of trying yoga for the first time?

RZ: Hopefully, yoga will lift your spirits as it has mine through daily practice. I am happier and more fulfilled for finding the practice.

Thoughts About Autumn

GratitudeBy Beth Corrick, M.S., MFT, E-RYT

A friend from the Midwest once asked me, “How can you stand living in San Diego, it’s perpetual summer? When do you get to hibernate?” It’s true, living in California we do not have pronounced seasons and the activities associated with them. So, it’s a bit of a dilemma when it comes to taking down time. Our ancestors knew the importance of fallow time; when the crops where rotated and the fields were allowed to rest. Autumn is the precursor to winter and is the perfect time to gather up our intentions for nourishing the soul.

Since our San Diego weather will not conspire to help us with reflective time we are invited to create our own rituals that will nourish and replenish us, perhaps, taking a morning to get up late, leisurely reading a book for pleasure, or starting a meditation practice. The most important aspect of creating a new ritual is that it be meaningful and resonant to you in a very personal way. It may take a few attempts to find the perfect soul-satisfying addition to your routine, but you will recognize it by how it makes you feel.

Just as we see in the cycles of nature, it is not possible to constantly run uphill. Respecting these cycles and allowing for contemplative time will paradoxically give you more energy in the long run. Mostly we are in prisons of our own construction, so finding the key to unlock the idea of permission to do nothing is a novel and shocking idea. This slow moving, contemplative time is an invitation to connect more fully with your heart’s inner most desires and that can be scary, but so worth while. Often our inner most voice can only be heard when we quiet the din of the outside world. As Mohandas K. Gandhi said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” When you take time to slow down your mind-body will be so grateful, the little things in life can be seen more clearly and there is space for more joy. The psyche understands the whispers of the seasons and we should shrive to honor them as well.

Anusara Yoga in New York Times

The founder of Anusara Yoga, my teacher, John Friend was featured in a multiple page article in the New York Times Magazine entitled “The Yoga Mogul.”  You can read the entire article here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25Yoga-t.html?_r=1&emc=eta1.  It is an informative article discussing the philosophy of Anusara Yoga, different styles of yoga taught in America today, his personal history (including his yoga performance and work with the Yoga Ashram described in the book Eat,Pray,Love), and his plans for opening a center for Arts and Yoga in Encinitas.

I found the article informative and  I found it to be slanted in a way that portrayed John much like a rock star of yoga.  Yes, he does have a large, passionate following but he is also incredibly dedicated to the empowerment of each person he teaches.  For me he has helped me to open to my own gifts, powers, and passion.  I find him to be a stable, intelligent, loving, artistic teacher who has a charisma to lead and inspire.  He has shown me the value of opening into the full spectrum of life both the light and the dark and holding it all in a grander field.  And he was the first person to invite me into the spiritual journey of awakening.

John’s response to the article in the New York Times can be found at http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/ele-exclusive-yoga-mogul-john-friends-response-to-sunday-ny-times-magazine-feature-article/.  To find out more about Anusara Yoga visit their web site at www.Anusara.com or come to an Anusara class at Yoga Del Mar.

Home Practice

An Interview with John Friend

by Kathy Carroll

For 15 years, I was a once-a-week yoga practitioner. Week after week my teacher would extol the value of home practice, but week after week I was too busy — too preoccupied — to heed her advice. About four years ago something inside me began to shift and I started to make the time to do yoga at home. At first I felt resistance; it took a lot of effort to get myself to the mat. Over time though, my home practice has become what is often the sweetest time of my day. Doing yoga at home is paying off on many levels. I am enjoying a greater sense of peace, more connection with that silent observer within. My yoga postures are becoming stronger and deeper. Just the other day my sister complimented me. “It’s not just the blue dress,” she said. “You are carrying yourself differently.” The world looks different when you carry yourself differently.

I am honored and grateful to John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga for sharing ways to help my own practice evolve and to help other students with their practice. This interview took place after an Anusara Teacher Training as we were driving through Washington, DC on our way to a party John hosted for students and assistants at Jane Fryer’s home.

Kathy Carroll: So John, how important is a home practice? What are its benefits?

John Friend: Home Practice is really the foundation of how we grow and improve in our yoga. You can take classes and workshops and they can give a lot of benefit. They provide the details and techniques. They can give a great experience of being in a group with others, which can really inspire us to grow to deeper levels. However, when we are by ourselves we are able to get in synch with our own rhythms and apply the types of actions and the poses that we need for our own individual benefit. So home practice is really what will help us grow the most. It’s the foundation of our practice that we want to keep coming back to time and time again. And, for teachers, through our own practice we get the deeper understanding of the principles that we are working with. Then we can teach and express these ideas from our own experience.

KC: Since home practice is the foundation of our yoga as you expressed so well, when would you suggest that new students begin their home practice?

JF: Well you can guide a new student right off the bat by giving them a few things to do—some of the poses you are working on in class. And give them a little routine, anything from 20 minutes to 45 minutes or even an hour. They can start practicing as often as three or four times a week at home. So getting them into some sort of commitment to try a few poses at home, can make a big difference.

KC: Sometimes it’s hard to get started. How do you suggest that we get out of our own stagnation and start?

JF: Again it’s going to come down to what you feel is really important. What kind of meaning can you put into the practice? If you have something that you are really shooting for, if you have deeper goals that are meaningful, that’s what’s going to infuse your practice and really help to jump start it. If you don’t have a lot of meaning for your practice, it’s going to drop off. So, let’s say you have a deep meaning, just find a period of time, maybe only thirty minutes, something that is really doable. Set reasonable goals that are really achievable. When your goals are reasonable and you can do them, then you infuse your practice with deep meaning. That’s what’s going to help charge your practice and get you out of the tamasic, dull state of mind.

KC: Yes! And it sounds like you are talking about bringing a spiritual dimension in.

JF: You have to bring a spiritual basis to it. Actually you don’t have to. Some people say, “I have this cellulite on my legs and it’s really the bane of my existence.” If that is really important for some people, they’re the ones who will get up every day and do a practice.

So, for them the physicality is giving them a home practice. However, I think that for me the practice is a spiritual art. And so my goals are much more than to bring certain muscular tone to my body.

KC: To get a student started, what kind of space should they have? What stuff do they need? I’m thinking of the physical practicalities of getting started with a practice.

JF: All you need is a sticky-mat sized space in your house. You can literally do a practice just about anywhere. Of course, if you have a space that is without so many distractions (which could be both noise and clutter, visual clutter) and you have more space where you can extend your energy out a bit – of course that is optimal.

KC: What about bringing poetry into our practice?

JF: You could find scripture or inspirational readings or quotes by people you admire and you might read them before you do the practice and remind yourself of the quote as you are doing the practice. You could infuse that kind of poetry into it.

KC: During the teacher training you were talking about dedicating our practice to a person. Tell us about that.

JF: Many times I dedicate my practice to someone that I really love and/or to somebody who might be in need of some extra energy. They might be suffering. So, I make every part of my practice, my breath, the actions in the poses, all of it, totally dedicated to offering back love to this person that I hold in my heart.

KC: Yes, and you mentioned before that sometimes we might want to dedicate the practice to a person we are personally having a hard time with, too – maybe to bring healing to a relationship. On another note, how would you see people progressing with their practice over time?

JF: You want to expand your range of poses — the different classes of poses, like standing poses, backbends, forward bends, twists, inversions, hand balancings, restoratives and so on. You want to keep increasing the variety of those types of poses through a period of a week or two. And then within each of those classes of poses you want to expand your repertoire so that you do more and more variations within those classes. In that way you are going to experience a greater depth of the practice, where you will cultivate deeper opening, deeper strength, and resiliency.

KC: Do you see people doing an overall practice with some standing poses, some inversions, some twists, etc.? Or is it better to have a different practice each day, where one day is my hip opener practice and another day might focus on shoulders?

JF: Well, it’s going to depend on a lot of things. It depends on how much time you have, how many days a week you’re practicing. So, doing an overall practice is a good idea if you are only practicing a couple times a week. Then it might serve you better just to do a general practice, where you include a little bit of everything. It’s what I call a potpourri class. Now if you are practicing more regularly, say, six days a week, you might want to have one day with a focus on backbends and stronger poses and one day with a focus on forward bends and twists. There are some standard types of poses that you might want to incorporate every day that include sun salutations (Surya Namaskar), standing poses and inversions. So you have these standard things within the template of your home practice. And then you add within that; you could still do a forward bend practice on one day and on another day a backbend practice. Then, maybe one day a week, you could do a restorative practice.

KC: Would you see a teacher’s practice as their way of working out their class plan?

JF: Yeah, sometimes the practice can be the same sequence that you would teach and in so doing you could learn a lot. You would learn the actions and the attitudes that you want to cultivate for the students. And you would also get a direct experience about the type of pacing that would be effective and how many poses and the sequence that would fit into your time limit. You would learn a whole lot. So you definitely have to be practicing to what you are teaching. On the other hand, as long as you are able to practice the poses separately, you can then combine and compile a variety of sequences. So you don’t always have to practice a particular sequence.

KC: That’s helpful. Now, back to a yoga space. If a person were to set up an ideal space for their yoga practice, what would it be like?

JF: The practice space that I have is a room that is really dedicated to yoga. It has a hardwood floor and high ceilings and lots of wall space. It is an uncluttered space and it has a big impact, a positive influence on my mind. It is beautiful and it has windows that open to the trees. I have inspirational things displayed like devotional pictures, pictures of teachers, saints, deities, and sacred symbols like Om.

KC: How do you do your own yoga practice?

JF: What I do is have a general template that includes Surya Namaskar, standing poses, some inversions. So as many days as I can within the week (many times I practice almost every day) I’ll dedicate a minimum of an hour and a half to two hours. Many times a three-hour practice is really best for me. And then I’ll do this wide variety of poses with those basic postures as a template. I’ll mix it up so that on one day I’ll do backbends, maybe hand balancings for a stronger practice and then the next day do forward bends, twists and hip openers.

KC: You have a pretty intense schedule. A lot of times you’re on the road. What do you do then?

JF: I still try to make the time. So then you look at what the schedule entails. Many times I just do it during my lunch break. The students get a two-hour break and that’s my practice time.

KC: What about Yoga off the mat? How can we bring our yoga practice into our daily lives?

JF: By putting feeling and meaning into it – make it more of a spiritual art on the mat. All the different challenges that we are faced with on the mat, the limitations of our body and mind on the mat, they’re a perfect metaphor for how we deal with things out in life, how we deal with others. So how you are expressing and treating yourself on the mat completely reflects how you will be off the mat.

KC: Tell us more about that.

JF: I take certain qualities of heart that I want to cultivate and then I focus on that during an intense two-hour practice and I physicalize or embody that quality of heart. By doing that, it puts that energy into the cells of my body.

KC: On a physical level, what about standing in Tadasana when you are waiting in the grocery line?

JF: Absolutely. Presenting yourself off the mat is just a continuation of what you’ve done on the mat. You wouldn’t do the alignment on the mat and then just forget about alignment later. You don’t have to use so much muscle to hold yourself, but you’re aware about your alignment.

KC: How can we make sure that people don’t hurt themselves? How can we strike a balance between appropriate challenge and not getting hurt?

JF: First, starting with a right attitude, being sensitive and tuning to a greater energy from the beginning allows us to line up in a way that injury is going to happen less. Second, you have to know the principles of alignment. Even with the best intention and the best attitude if you don’t know the alignment, you have a higher chance of injury. So knowing the alignment principles, including the proper actions and the proper forms, will enhance your experience and will reduce any kind of injury. An alignment of heart, body and mind is the way you prevent injury.

KC: So, along with knowing alignment, intention is really important.

JF: Your intention fuels the energy behind all of your actions. So you can have good alignment and yet if you have an attitude that is really aggressive and full of self effort and you push yourself, then you’re not being sensitive to yourself.

KC: Of course sometimes we get so gentle with ourselves that we don’t really take ourselves to the edge.

JF: It is a balance — a balance of effort and surrender. If you are too releasing, you can get injured that way too.

KC: Finally, what else do you think people should know about home practice, John?

JF: Even though you might set certain goals, make it a time for self-nurturing and enjoyment – self enjoyment. Play! Get on the mat and play without getting stuck in trying to make the form so perfect. Have fun with it!

KC: Thanks, John. You are an inspiration!

Reprinted from anusara.com

Yoga – You’re Never Too Old To Start

by Adrienne Fortey

What does the word ‘yoga’ mean to you? Perhaps you associate
it with an Indian mystic sitting in a trance high in the Himalayas, or
with seemingly impossible contortions of the body. But, in fact, throughout
the world millions of ordinary men and women have transformed their lives
with the practice of this ancient science. Yoga is a system of postures,
special breathing techniques and relaxation which act together to harmonize
all aspects of the individual. It originated in India some 5,000 years
ago and in our century a few forward thinking yoga masters have revised
these teachings into the form we know today, making the benefits available
to all humanity regardless of race, religion, nationality, occupation
or age.

Twenty minutes of yoga is worth hours of ordinary exercise. It is the
way to good health and longevity, and will lead you to feeling youthful
in body, mind and spirit. Yoga is the natural way to free yourself from
the pains and nervous tension which sap away the strength and vigour of
body and mind. Everyone is capable of doing enough yoga to experience
great benefits almost at once. This is true for those aged eighty and
beyond as well as for people of all ages who have allowed their physical
condition to deteriorate. Many yoga practices can be done in a comfortable
sitting position, standing up or lying down. Yoga is not ‘exercise’
in the ordinary sense. With the slow, gentle movements of yoga you are
able to stimulate and relax every part of the body from the toes to the
scalp and from the muscles and tendons inwards to the deepest internal
organs and glands. Yoga awakens the vital force within and, in addition,
it is very enjoyable.

Definition of age

If we think we are too old to do something, what do we really mean by
‘too old’? Is age really anything to do with the number of years
that have passed since our birth into the world? What do we really see
when we look at a person and decide whether they are young or old? Some
of the characteristics normally associated with youth, on the one hand,
and old age, on the other, are listed below:

Characteristics of youth Characteristics of age
   
suppleness stiffness
agility immobility
calmness tension
sound sleep insomnia
vitality fatigue
endurance weariness
proper blood circulation inadequate blood circulation
firm muscles flabby muscles
good skin tone poor skin tone
normal weight obesity
alert mind senility, poor memory
optimism depression
courage fearfulness

So really it is having many of the characteristics of youth which makes
us ‘young’ or having many of the characteristics of age that
makes us ‘old’, not chronological age. A properly planned yoga
program, if followed with sincere and regular application, will reverse
the characteristics of age and give you a new lease of life.

How yoga can turn back the clock

Yoga is a scientific method which deals with every aspect of an individual,
that is, it is a holistic approach. The regular and dedicated application
of yoga techniques removes the underlying cause of many ailments and diseases
because it has the following effects:

• balances energy

• removes toxins from the body

• improves blood flow

• increases oxygen flow in the body

• stretches and tones muscles

• increases flexibility of the body

• reduces physical, mental and emotional stress

• improves sleep and mental outlook

In other words, yoga creates harmony between our physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual aspects. So we can say that the above effects would start
to reverse the characteristics of age and gradually lead us back to having
more of the characteristics of youth. If you meet an older person who
seems to be aglow with health and vitality, there is every chance that
a daily yoga session is their secret recipe.

Yoga and common diseases

More and more these days, health care is changing as the medical profession
realizes that to cure illness and disease, just treating the symptoms
is not enough; the underlying cause needs to be treated and remedied.
What is disease? Dis-ease, the absence of ease, indicates we are unbalanced
and must make some changes to become healthy and more joyful. Illness
can be a springboard for change and evolution; nature is telling us we
are transgressing her lanes.

To regain health and vitality you do not even need to know or understand
the cause. Regular practice of yoga postures, breathing and relaxation
techniques will effect the cure automatically. Let’s look at some
of the common ailments that trouble many people: headaches, obesity, poor
eyesight, haemorrhoids, bronchitis, traumatic menopause, period pain.
It may seem miraculous but all of these conditions can be improved or
cured with yoga, and all those pills, ointments, lotions, potions, drops
and drugs can be thrown away.

What about the more serious illnesses that cause severe distress, disability
and even premature death; the modern lifestyle diseases such as hypertension,
heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, arteriosclerosis, asthma etc.?
Yes, even these can be greatly improved and even cured with yoga. Of course
yoga is much more effective when applied to a newly occurring condition
rather than as a last resort when all other treatment methods have failed.
Psychological disorders such as depression, phobias, anorexia nervosa,
anxiety etc. can also be successfully treated with yoga. What about the
‘inevitable’ ageing process – loss of memory, failing eyesight
and hearing, progressive stiffness, incontinence, general feebleness of
the body? As already stated, these effects of advancing years are not
inevitable and can be prevented or reversed with yoga practices. Yoga
is the way out of the cycle of pain and illness.

The importance of relaxation

Many of the problems which people experience are caused by stress, anxiety
and tension which eventually manifests as mental or physical illness.
So by relaxing the body and the mind, the vital energy is brought back
into balance, vitality is restored and a completely fresh and optimistic
outlook on life is experienced.

What do we mean by relaxation? When you watch very young children at
play, you will notice that they are totally absorbed in their games, oblivious
to other events around them, and when they become tired, they simply lie
down and sleep, flopping like rag dolls. However, when most adults say
they are relaxing, they are usually just engaging in another activity
which uses energy, either physical or mental. Think about how long ago
it was that you last experienced true, deep relaxation. Was it a few hours
ago, last week, last month or so long ago that you can’t even remember?

The relaxation techniques used in yoga are extremely simple and yet the
benefit is felt immediately. You do not have to ‘try’ to relax
or ‘believe’ that the practices will work; you simply follow
the procedures as instructed and all your tensions disappear as you learn
to ‘let go’. That childlike ability to completely relax will
be yours again and the benefits will be with you twenty-four hours a day.
When tension and anxiety melt away, the willpower becomes stronger, so
you have the strength of mind to tackle other aspects which may be effecting
your health, such as overeating, smoking, overindulgence in alcohol etc.
Usually the yoga practitioner finds that the addiction to these habits
just disappears by itself without any real effort.

How to get started

You should learn yoga in the beginning from a qualified, properly trained
yoga teacher. While many books are available, these should only be used
for reference and additional information, not to teach yourself yoga from.
This is particularly important if you have any health problems. Yoga courses
for beginners are often available at community health centres and adult
education centres. Classes many be advertised in your local newspaper
and some yoga teachers and yoga schools are listed in the yellow pages
telephone directory.

Classes are normally conducted for small groups of mixed age and gender,
but special classes for particular groups, i.e. women, retired people,
or antenatal are often available also. If you are unable to get to a class
or would prefer private tuition at home, this could probably be arranged
with a teacher, but would naturally be a little more costly.

If you are being treated for a specific ailment or are on strong medication
you should discuss your wish to commence yoga with your doctor, who will
most likely be delighted at your decision and may even know a yoga teacher
that he/she can recommend. If you are confined to a nursing home (or have
a relative who is) and would like to learn yoga, discuss the possibility
of a teacher visiting the home once or twice a week. They may even be
able to organize a group class if enough residents are interested.

Once you start classes, make sure you keep that time slot free very week
so you don’t miss a class. Particularly at the beginning when everything
is new, regular practice and attendance at class are essential. This is
your special time for looking after yourself. Your teacher will advise
you to do some of the practices that are being taught at home between
classes, to get the full benefit, so you may need to alter your daily
routine to fit this in. Usually just missing one hour of TV viewing each
day gives the necessary time. When you start to feel the benefits, you
will be very keen to do the practices at home anyway!

So whether you are twenty five, forty five, sixty five or eighty five,
you are never too old to discover what yoga can do for you.

Reprinted from YOGA MAGAZINE