Blankets, Bolsters and Blocks

A fundamental yoga class that I once went to was classified as Level 0 and Alison, the teacher at the time, said that she was going to talk to the office folks because it shouldn't be zero -- it had to be something.

Thought about that today because I felt like I had zero energy.

In Gloria's class, I kept thinking about what a lazy yogi I am but that's not totally true either because I've done Lazy Man's Yoga a.k.a. Thai Massage and probably haven't done it again because it did make me feel royally lazy.

As I hit play on Kenpo X, didn't think that I would get through five minutes let alone the entire workout but maybe it's the energy of a rainy day.

During my walk yesterday, listened to Krista Tippett's interview with Imani Perry who made a lot of great points:

I think Americans are unhealthily obsessed with the idea of innocence. That's part of the impediment of talking about race.

Perry went on to talk about how that unhealthiness translates into some people always being the suspect. Towards the end of the podcast, Tippett asks Perry to talk about an image of a seedling with a splint holding it up that she used for, I believe, her book.

Perry talks about how we all need someone to hold us up. She also talks about the intense competition in our culture and how that causes anxiety. According to Perry:

The other side of anxiety is that it isolates us from our sense of responsibility to each other.

In addition to Gloria's class, I went to a restorative yoga class. As I looked around the room, it reminded me of a slumber party with all of the blankets, bolsters and blocks.

Although there's very little movement that goes on in a restorative class, I don't feel lazy and it's, mainly, because of something that another instructor, Madonna, said: Resting is not idleness.

Let It Go On Its Way

Looked at Gloria and we started laughing -- a hold over from yesterday's laughter yoga class.

It was my first time going to laughter yoga and, with anything new, I had my reservations but I went. 

Before I entered the studio, I was captivated by the staircase. I love passageways and corridors.

The Way to Flex Fitness

What to say about laughter yoga? So funny. It was both what I expected and what I did not. One of the most powerful parts of laughter yoga was the laughing meditation -- think savasana but with peals of laughter. 

We were all lying down with our heads in the same direction. Gloria was next to me and just about caused my demise. Her intense laughter, soon joined by the intense laughter of others, made me absolutely lose it. I slapped my leg, stomped my foot, took my glasses off and said Oh my God a few times...

Emma, our laughter yoga leader, is really good. She guided us, beautifully, at the end of practice: If a thought comes, acknowledge it and let it go on its way...

Gloria had me chuckling again right before practice. She read funny quotes about mothers. She also had me laughing when she said that she didn't like her mother until she was around 40 since they had their differences and she also "confessed" to not being a perfect mother but said that she did the best that she could which reminds me of one of Oprah's favorite Maya Angelou quotes: when you know better, you do better. 

We started off in downward facing dog. Gloria said that we should feel warmth and I instantly felt the heat which was kind of nice since it was such a chilly morning. 

Get hot happy Gloria said as we folded over then she encouraged us to make a healthy forward fold by bending at the hips instead of bending at the back. 

I don't fold too much but I often think of what Madonna said: the more you do yoga -- the more your body opens up.

The View Leaving Flex Fitness

Unfurl Your Brows or The Gospel According to Madonna

Madonna

The more you do yoga, the more your body opens up...

The body has trade-offs for everything...

Yoga is all about releasing energy...because it gets blocked.

I loathe hot yoga.

Madonna to me after I told her what I originally used my yoga towel for...

Loosen up that synovial fluid...

One of Madonna's favorite fluids...

I tell people that I can't wait until the next day because I'll be even more beautiful then. If I don't say it, who will?

We need to move our bodies...,

(As we moved a leg back and forth while it was suspended from a strap on the yoga wall)

You all look gorgeous... Madonna to the class as we were in Warrior I

We all have our reasons that we are drawn to yoga...

You can put your legs up on the wall at home...You can breathe, can't you? Re: the importance of having a home practice.

Don't get uneven on me...

Let go...unfurl your brows... At the start of savasana

The first time that I experienced restorative yoga was with Madonna and it was amazing. Haven't been able to go a Madonna led class in a while but I still remember the lessons and the laughter. Thanks Madonna...

Everybody Says Hello

The last time that I took Madonna's class she emphasized the importance of having a home yoga practice so instead of going to a studio yesterday, I opened the Simply Yoga ap on my iPod and practiced for twenty minutes. I'm sure the carpet was far from pristine but I'll live and I felt pretty good after twenty minutes of practice that included Child's Pose, Warrior I and Upward Facing Dog.

Next time that I travel I will put my yoga strap on my packing list since my IT Band is giving me feedback...

Tried Tai Chi for about five minutes during an energy workshop that I attended and decided to try an entire class today. OMG, everyone introduces themselves in Florida...

During the first part of class, my arms felt the burn as we repeated various exercises 21 times. Oh, Tai Chi looks gentle but don't let the smooth taste fool you.

One of the exercises that I really liked was "knee rubbing." You put both hands on a  knee in a particular stance then you rub your knee in one direction then the other. Next, you rub the knee with your fingertips then cup the kneecap and move almost in a lunge-like matter.

About halfway through the class, the teacher took us rookies to the back to show basic moves then rejoined the more experienced bunch. The experienced rookies showed us beginners the moves again so that we could familiarize ourselves.

I don't think that I'll do Tai Chi on a regular basis but I'm glad that I tried it. The room that we practiced Tai Chi in had a wonderful view.

The Room

So Fresh, So Calm

I told Patti that I had planned on going to Zumba followed by yoga but I had run out of steam. Instead, I took a really warm, salt bath then headed to yoga.

Your evening sounds wonderful Patti wrote.

It was wonderful I wrote back. I sometimes forget to ruminate on the roses.

Madonna was in a saucy mood -- asking us to do a wicked boat pose from the wall. She would, though, turn around and give us a luxurious counter stretch.

I absolutely adore downward facing dog from the wall. As Madonna said, the wall makes you feel DFD in a whole different way.

At the end of class, I was touched by Gail who made sure that another yogi was comfortable during savasana. Do you need a bolster. Do you need a blanket? Do you need...? 

As I sat at my desk today, I noticed my posture and there was marked improvement. There must have also been marked improvement in my mood because one of my coworkers told me that I am always so calm...

Wall-Play

A Few of My Favorite Things

Wall yoga or yoga at the wall is the perfect post-kettlebell Rx. I stretched my back, arms and sidewalls in unimaginable ways and, if the hips are the engine for kettlebell swings, I also did necessary, engine maintenance.

As we did pigeon, Madonna told me that I looked beautiful. I must have thrown her a look because she asked Don't you feel beautiful tonight? Then she directed my gaze toward my classmates and asked me if they looked beautiful. I told her that Yes, they looked gorgeous... You guys crack me up, she said...

I was stunned when Madonna prompted us to prepare for savasana. I could not believe that it was the end of class but almost 90 minutes had gone by.

After we rolled up our mats and put our shoes back on Gail, a classmate, said I could play on the wall for another hour.

See You Next Lifetime?

As I watched the snow blow by at 30 miles per hour, I wondered if yoga class would be canceled. I checked my email and the website before heading out and it was kind of funny when I saw a bicyclist go by. Surely, if he could bicycle in cold and windy conditions, practicing yoga in a studio was possible.

Three people found their way to class and Madonna brought out more accessories than ever before… With a belt attached to plate three and a keeper on the end of my belt, Madonna guided me into a backbend but when she asked me to raise my arms, I was like You want me to do what? which made Gail crack up…I got my knees to the wall and leaned back and I didn't crash to the floor…I hope that one day I’ll get over my fear of being upside down.

I’m pretty sure that the world is not going to end tomorrow and I’d be miffed if it did end on Friday but I’m glad that I got in one more om in case anything goes down. 

Beacon and The Swing

Beacon in the Night

After kettlebell class last night, my body’s report was immediate: tweaked quads, calves, glutes and shoulders. I took my ruined body to yoga and the class was everything that I needed plus more.

We had all kinds of goodies: bolsters, straps and blocks.

Who needs a pelvic swing? Madonna wanted to know as she pulled more accessories out of the closet.

I felt like a vertical snow angel as we had our arms in crossed straps while opening our shoulders.

While in the pelvic swing, Madonna told me to grab onto her ankle and she walked my left hand toward the right side of my body. Voilà, spinal twist. We even stretched our biceps while in the yoga straps.

And what was it about having a strap around my left hip and having my right leg upright and suspended from a strap on the yoga wall that made me sleepy and content?

I also did a back-bend from the swing with assistance from Madonna. 

After the most amazing savasana, we sang om once. The woman across from me, well, her om was like a world traveler. It went up and down, back and forth, around the room then came back home. Amazing class. My apologies to the people at Target who were subjected to my post-yoga singing...

Get There or Stuff Yoga Teachers Say; Month-End Review, September

I usually do a month-end review and note the activities that I’ve engaged in but since I’m in throes of a yoga love affair and September is National Yoga Month, I’ll do something different.  I did, for the record, practice yoga for 16.5 hours. So, for National Yoga Month, here are things that came out of my yoga teachers’ mouths and resonated with me for one reason or another.

A Lot of Yoga Teachers


Maybe your neighbor can hear you breathing or even I can hear you breathing up here.


Donna


Imagine that I'm going to put a container on your mat. Put all of your worries, fears and stresses in there. I'm going to come by and put a heavy lid on your container then I'm going to take the container out to the parking lot…


Your breath is your energy and your power.


Gloria


Stretch your arms and legs out. Make an X with your body and lift up. It’s like a magic carpet ride.


Try to get your hips to settle down (in swan pose).


You’re not struggling. It’s like Goldilocks. Not trying to hard or too little but just right…

Notice the texture of your breathing.

And if your head comes down, let it (during resting swan pose).

You should feel all the joints in your hands – especially the pinky and thumb (during downward facing dog).

Hug 'em (knees) in…

Don’t live in the future. Keep your head over your hips…

Use the strength of your arm…

Look through the hands; get there (top of the mat)...

Love your body. Love yourself. You are lovable…

Birthday Gift

Rebecca

This is a group class so let’s create energy…

Check in with your face...

Traditionally, the palms are open during savasana to get flashes of intuition.

We put our two thumbs on the third eye and say Namaste.


Madonna

Balance -- use it or lose it.

The Power of Om

Went to restorative yoga the other day and almost turned around because there were so many women on the floor. I don't ever remember this particular restorative class being so full.

The woman next to me asked Sharon, who was helping but not the official teacher, if the class is always full and she said no -- the capacity is 15; there were 19 people but it seemed like more. Guess lots of people were in need of restoration.

It took me a while to settle down but before I knew it, 75 minutes had gone by. Got up on Thursday and felt really rested. Prior to that, my eyelids have felt like a ton of bricks in the a.m.

The takeaway from restorative class via Madonna who was at the helm:

Resting is not idleness.

Speaking of Madonna, love to hear her chant Om. She takes a deep breath and just takes it away...

Getting in Touch with the Conqueror Breath

Went to a restorative class with Emsada who wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

As I gathered items, Emsada was like Are you sure that we need all of this...?

Maybe not but it makes restoration so much easier. In Madonna's class, make sure to grab:

A Blanket -- maybe two...

Two Blocks

A Bolster -- maybe two..

An Eye Bag

Two Eggs

A Mat

One Strap

As Madonna instructed us on what to do with the belt: make a loop, put it over our heads, around the waist and loop the belt around your bound feet, a classmate gave us a tip on securing the belt.

I am the belt master, she said. Namaste...

All of us roared with laughter...

As Madonna talked about Ujayyi breathing, she said something that stuck with me:

You want to breathe like you're trying to fog up a window but with your mouth closed....

Score. Fogging up a window makes so much sense...

Explore your emotions -- if you're feeling tense, take a look at the other side of that -- ease...

As I got into a spinal twist with the help of a bolster, I noticed that my classmates to the right were prone and almost swallowed by blankets. The classmate immediately next to me had her hand peeking from underneath the blanket. On her finger, a wedding band. It looked as if she was taking a nap on a yoga mat and I thought about why someone would need to leave their house for restoration.

Of course, it depends on the individual but a few good reasons include: the people who live in your house. What happens in your house. The teacher holding down the space. The teacher's training. The music. The relaxation fountain. The energy created...

After savasana, Madonna commented:

There was a torrential rainstorm during class that washed the earth clean. I hope that this class washed some of the dust from your soul.

It did...

You Haven't Done Child's Pose Until

As I was driving away from the rock climbing gym, I second-guessed my decision to head to yoga. It was dark, raining, yaddayaddayadda.

I have two visits left on a group coupon and since Yoga Wall is on hiatus, I decided to try Candlelight Restorative Yoga.

I walk in and about seven women were already on the floor. Some of them looked as if they were about to give birth.

I rolled out my mat and it looked completely jadan. The teacher, Madonna, quickly came over since I have a tendency to stick out. She gathered props for me: a strap, eggs, blocks, a blanket, a bolster and eye bag.

Madonna assembled some props and asked me to put my back to the bolster. I put the soles of my feet together and put the strap at my back then over my head and, finally, around my feet. The eggs supported my knees and I reclined with an eye bag. It was like reverse Savasana and Madonna did ring a bell to bring us out of each pose. She told me ahead of time that they usually hold one pose for about 10 minutes.

Next, we did Crocodile. Most of the props were moved to the side except for the bolster which we placed our ribs on while placing our foreheads on an egg.

After Crocodile, we put our legs up on the wall and put our eye bags back in place. The bags, by the way, smelled divine.

At some point, we did Child's Pose by placing the bolster at our knees then laying on it. Amazing. I felt like it was the first time that I've gotten the full benefit of the pose. As I was in Child's Pose, I thought Yoga, where have you been for most of life?

During class, Madonna came around to massage feet, legs and shoulders -- the shoulders with some mentholy situation. I know that the massage and yoga communities are intertwined but I'm not sure where the whole massage during yoga comes from. Never mind. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

We did Savasana and Madonna preambled by saying that it was the most important pose. After we came out of Savasana, we ended the class with three "Om's." Madonna's got some pipes on her. After "Om," you know what came next:

Namaste