Jim G. – Yoga Del Mar Practitioner

January 7, 2011 (Edit)

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.

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Perfection from the Inside Out

November 29, 2010 (Edit)

In our culture, we are continuously being fed images of “perfection” especially through the media. What does it look like to have a perfect body? What does the perfect life look like? What does the perfect holiday celebration look like?

The words of songwriter Leonard Cohen suggest a deeper perfection that is inherent within the apparent imperfection. In his song “Anthem” Cohen sings, “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in.”

In Sankrit (the ancient language of India) the word for perfection is Purnatva. It is also the word for wholeness. When we practice yoga, the intention is not to try to look like a picture in a book — an ideal image of what a yoga pose should be — but rather to do the pose from the inside out. When we bring the totality of our Being into the expression of a yoga pose — we ring the bells that still can ring — and in that way, in that moment, we express our full unique self, we come to know ourselves more fully, we experience our own innate perfection.

There is an innate perfection in the beauty of the trees, a newborn baby, the glory of sunrise, and there is an innate perfection in each of us. May our yoga practice help to unveil the perfection inherent within each of us, and from that wellspring of wholeness may we recognize the perfection of the body we are inhabiting, the life we are living, and the celebrations we are experiencing.

Geri Portnoy: Theme for yoga class on Saturday, November 27, 2010

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Yoga by Margaret Vanasse

November 9, 2010 (Edit)

Y O G A
churns inner freedom
energy from base
channels through
core heart mind
extends grace
urn of swirling
movement
sensations fill space
thankful from my toes
to my face
PEACE

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Robin Z. – Yoga Del Mar Practitioner

November 8, 2010 (Edit)

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.

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Thoughts About Autumn

(Edit)

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.

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What Does Namaste Mean?

February 18, 2010 (Edit)

Namaste is the greeting we use at the end of yoga class.  What does it mean?  And how can the use of this word improve our lives, our relationships, and the state of our world?

This month Yoga Journal Magazine (March 2010 ) featured an article on Pastor Eddie D. Smith Sr. who introduced the word ‘Namaste’ to his congregation in Georgia.  He saw how so many of the young black men in his community were killing each other.  He instructed them to begin to greet each other with the word ‘Namaste’ which means: “The Divinity within me salutes the Divinity within you.” He suggested that by seeing the spark of Divine in one’s self and in the other, a natural respect arises.

Our yoga practice invites us into a direct experience of connecting to a deeper part of ourselves where we feel our own Divinity, worthiness, and fundamental essence.  From this connection to The Source of Life within us it becomes easier to connect to that same place within the other.  To paraphrase Pastor Smith:  If Namaste were really understood, the world would be a better, more peaceful and safer place.

Click on the video below to watch the (2 min.) video clip of Pastor Eddie D. Smith teaching his congregation the word Namaste.

If this video doesn’t show up for you, click on this link to view it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzNFCtFyyY

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Has my Heart Gone to Sleep?

December 5, 2009 (Edit)

Has my heart gone to sleep?  . . . No, my heart is not asleep.  It is awake, wide awake.     – Antonio Machado (19th century Spanish Poet) Complete Poem Here

I just returned from teaching in Mexico City.  I was surprised to see people there grappling with the same issues that confront us here in the USA:  financial instability, environmental degradation, the fast pace of life, and a deep longing for a better way of life that invites forth more of our humanity and dignity.  Yogis all over the world are choosing a practice that invites change, that calls us into the arena to be more open, to feel more deeply and live with greater passion and aliveness — so we are not just a “stranger on this dark earth.” (Rilke)

We are called to open our hearts to feel more fully, this is an ever deepening journey of intimacy with ourselves and the world.  As yogis we want the flexibility to be able to open our hearts when appropriate and close our hearts when necessary.  This pulsation of opening and closing is called spanda in Sanskrit

May our yoga practice today, awaken us to the spanda of our own hearts that we may be aware of the times when we are closing and the times when we are opening, that we may live more skillfully, more consciously, with a greater ability to give and receive Love.

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Yoga as a creative artistic expression of Being

September 7, 2009 (Edit)

In your light I learn how to love.  In your beauty how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest where no one sees you.  But sometimes I do

and that sight becomes this art.

–Rumi

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Yoga – You’re Never Too Old To Start

January 15, 2009 (Edit)

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.

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