Motivation - starting home practice - acknowledge your successes!

So, you've watched the couch potato video, and you've been to yoga classes. you know you'd like to have a home practice....now..... you're looking at your yoga mat, it's way over in the corner, calling your name.... Day 1 You don't unroll it, but you lie supine, supported on vertical roll, focus on your breath, let your shoulders relax with gravity and your chest open. Wow. Acknowledge your success! High five! You did a little home practice! Day 2 Your mat is now away from the corner, where it's easy to reach. You unroll it! You do 3 standing poses, and 3 shoulder openers! big success! Day 3 You get reinspired by going to class. Phew! All you have to do is show up! yay! Day 4 You practice some of what you learned in class. You end with the Savanasa (corpse pose) track 9 "Extended Body Relaxation" on joniwellness CD Volume I. Day 5 You make a date with a yoga buddy to practice together. It sure is easier to practice together! bravo! Day 6 You are still so inspired from your first 5 days, you may as well keep going so you start a 7-day record. Practice your favorite poses. pat on the back! Day 7 You can't break your record now, but you're a little tired. You take our your rolled mat and start with the supported chest openers. You feel so good you keep going with easy, soft, restorative poses. You thought you would do just a few minutes, but the poses feel so good, you spend over an hour just being present with yourself in simple asanas, tuning into your thoughts, your feelings, your True Self.
It feels so good, no applause needed....

NH Workshop with Patricia Walden and Edwin Bryant Sept 6-9, 2007

This getaway in New Hampshire was rich with the teaching of Patricia Walden and the third pada (chapater) yoga sutra study with Edwin Bryant. Especially after coming home from Enlightened Warrior Camp! (see facebook for our group in Ellenville Aug 20-26). The accomodations were in the largest structure ever built by the Shakers (not the Quakers - I took the museum tour to refresh my memory, and got to ring the bell in the cupola!), with a peaceful and beautiful energy - from the wood structure, the loving care of our NH organizer Janice Vien, the fresh New Enlgand air, and to make it complete for me, a dip in the lake and view of full sky of stars, with shooting stars to boot! If you have a regular practice (level 2-4) , I would highly recommend you consider this workshop next summer (sometime next August - dates not firm yet). Drive is 4.5 hrs from NYC, 5 hours from NJ side of the Hudson.

Yoga Teacher Training in Cambridge

I'm in Cambridge, Mass this week with Patricia Walden and Joan White at their "Joy of Teaching" workshop for Certified Teachers. What a dedicated bunch! This is our ongoing education, part of our commitment to refine and improve our craft so we can help you even more effectively. Watch out in my classes after I return!

Get your ass to yoga class

I am earnestly trying to help you have a home practice, besides going to class, but this funny 1-minute video is for the couch potatoes among you..... if you're not ready for your own practice yet, at least get your ass to yoga class....you'll feel better and you'll be glad you did. :)
joni

first youtube yoga upload: chair sirsasana

My very first youtube upload -(click on link - it's not just the picture you see to the right!) an instructional 2 minute clip about how to do "chair sirsasana" as taught in class. hold for 1-2 minutes maximum. benefits: releases trapezius tension, neck release, allows inversion even with (and especially if you have a) neck issue. If you stay in the pose longer than 2 minutes, you should use head support (blankets, etc.) as we do in class. If you have still have trouble going up by yourself, ask me next class to show an easy way to come up by yourself. If you use padding, as shown in this picure, make sure it is symmetrical, and lined up with the edge of the chair!

This is meant for my Iyengar Yoga students as a supplement to their class attendance, to aid them in their own practice. My advice is not to attempt this without a teacher, as there are a few details, without which, discomfort and even injury are possible. And of course, no inversions during menstruation, with high blood pressure nor eye pressure issues such as gluacoma.

Namaste,
joni
http://www.joniwellness.com/

assisting Joan White at Omega, June 2007

...another extraordinary yoga experience! I am filled with gratitude for the privilege of serving as program assistant along with another very experienced Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Suzie Muchnick, to a wonderful Senior teacher, Joan White, from Philadelphia, during her Iyengar Yoga 5-day Intensive Workshop.

Omega is a mere 2 hour drive for me, and I love being in the green, going barefoot, swimming in the lake, walking through the garden, the library, and the food is great, too. Pictures: Top, Joan leading the group in Utthita Padangusthasana. Below, Joan is demonstrating Parivrtta Trikonasana (YIA PC p. 39), with Suzie (standing, left) looking on. Seated in front among the other participants were Certified Iyengar Yoga teachers Joann Warren (long braid), Nancy Kardon (glasses), and Cathy Eising (wearing all white). click on either for larger size views.

Joan focused much on Pranayama this time -- with beautiful imagery -- hoping to inspire us to a daily practice.

If you were an attendee, please add a post, with an insight or something you gained...

I recommend you join us all there for the last week in June 2008 to re-launch your summer practice. I would wager that Joan will lead you to new, previously unexperienced territory and guide you to the next level(s) in your yoga practice. Between the three of us, you will surely be thoroughly spoiled with astute observations and corrections, and of course, effective hands on adjustments. Included with the course is a comprehensive manual Joan has revised over the years, a great study tool. I am using the sequences in its pages this week in my own practice.

THE JOURNEY: with Geeta Iyengar in Las Vegas, May 2007

What a Journey! From the layer, or sheath (kosha), of Body (annamayakosa) to Sheath of Bliss (anandamayakosa). This was the theme (logo below) for the Iyengar Yoga Convention, held in Las Vegas, Nevada , wow, so amazing! (and I love the heat...) Our conventions are held every 3 years. Last one in Estes Park with Mr. Iyengar during his Light on Life book tour, previous one was in St. Paul, Minn.; before that, in 2001, since I was living in the Seattle area, I just drove up to Vancouver and attended the Canadian conference.

I had the prerogative of attending the Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher's Conference (about 400 attendees), followed by the General Conference (about 800 attendees), open to all Iyengar Yoga students (start planning for 2010). Then there was the specially unique opportunity to be on stage performing the asanas under Geeta's instruction, watchful eye, and magic touch (click on Getta and me for larger size view). A special thank you to Carrie Owerko for suggesting and urging me to volunteer on the stage as demonstrator of the poses.

The picture (right -click for larger size view) is me at Convention in supta padangustasana I (I still have some flexibility, it just takes a little more to maintain it these days).

It was wonderful to come back to my yoga students sharing some of the inspiring highlights from Geeta's teaching, especially from this pose baddha hastasana shown in the picture (which is in your Yoga in Action Preliminary Course books, p. 46!). As a cumulative result of the previous days exquisite instructions during other poses including Urdhva Hastasana and Pranayama, during this pose, I felt from deep behind the chest wall, that old bands of imbedded holding (and samskaras) were being (gently) shredded open.

I’m sure the hands-on from Geeta in Las Vegas had more impact than I can even describe, but all timely for my new life at 50.