Here are some YouTube videos from a recent teacher class, as we played around with inversions, backbends, and arm balances. Hopefully our joy comes through, even as we struggle and fall! Enjoy!
Looking for lightness in inversions and arm balances:
Working on backbends:
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thanksgiving All-Levels Class
Join us on Thanksgiving Day for our traditional Thanksgiving Morning All-Levels Yoga Class at 9:00AM.
We are offering our regular schedule on Friday so you have lots of options to work off your Thanksgiving feast, and if you're not too busy getting things ready join us Wednesday night for our regular schedule as well.
Enjoy the holiday!
We are offering our regular schedule on Friday so you have lots of options to work off your Thanksgiving feast, and if you're not too busy getting things ready join us Wednesday night for our regular schedule as well.
Enjoy the holiday!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Peeling Away the Layers
Hi All,
I read this in a few classes and some of you requested a copy of it...Here it is.
Keep shining!
Tricia
Peeling Away The Layers
Trees Shedding Their Bark
Trees grow up through their branches and down through their roots into the earth. They also grow wider with each passing year. As they do, they shed the bark that served to protect them but now is no longer big enough to contain them. In the same way, we create boundaries and develop defenses to protect ourselves and then, at a certain point, we outgrow them. If we don’t allow ourselves to shed our protective layer, we can’t expand to our full potential.
Trees need their protective bark to enable the delicate process of growth and renewal to unfold without threat. Likewise, we need our boundaries and defenses so that the more vulnerable parts of ourselves can safely heal and unfold. But our growth also depends upon our ability to soften, loosen, and shed boundaries and defenses we no longer need. It is often the case in life that structures we put in place to help us grow eventually become constricting.
Unlike a tree, we must consciously decide when it’s time to shed our bark and expand our boundaries, so we can move into our next ring of growth. Many spiritual teachers have suggested that our egos don’t disappear so much as they become large enough to hold more than just our small sense of self—the boundary of self widens to contain people and beings other than just "me." Each time we shed a layer of defensiveness or ease up on a boundary that we no longer need, we metaphorically become bigger people. With this in mind, it is important that we take time to question our boundaries and defenses. While it is essential to set and honor the protective barriers we have put in place, it is equally important that we soften and release them when the time comes. In doing so, we create the space for our next phase of growth.
I read this in a few classes and some of you requested a copy of it...Here it is.
Keep shining!
Tricia
Peeling Away The Layers
Trees Shedding Their Bark
Trees grow up through their branches and down through their roots into the earth. They also grow wider with each passing year. As they do, they shed the bark that served to protect them but now is no longer big enough to contain them. In the same way, we create boundaries and develop defenses to protect ourselves and then, at a certain point, we outgrow them. If we don’t allow ourselves to shed our protective layer, we can’t expand to our full potential.
Trees need their protective bark to enable the delicate process of growth and renewal to unfold without threat. Likewise, we need our boundaries and defenses so that the more vulnerable parts of ourselves can safely heal and unfold. But our growth also depends upon our ability to soften, loosen, and shed boundaries and defenses we no longer need. It is often the case in life that structures we put in place to help us grow eventually become constricting.
Unlike a tree, we must consciously decide when it’s time to shed our bark and expand our boundaries, so we can move into our next ring of growth. Many spiritual teachers have suggested that our egos don’t disappear so much as they become large enough to hold more than just our small sense of self—the boundary of self widens to contain people and beings other than just "me." Each time we shed a layer of defensiveness or ease up on a boundary that we no longer need, we metaphorically become bigger people. With this in mind, it is important that we take time to question our boundaries and defenses. While it is essential to set and honor the protective barriers we have put in place, it is equally important that we soften and release them when the time comes. In doing so, we create the space for our next phase of growth.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Yoga with Injuries
There are a few things that can happen to your yoga practice when you become injured. Sometimes people assume that if they can't do their regular practice they should not practice at all, or wouldn't know how to practice. Others may decide that they'll just "push through" their injury without changing their approach to their practice. Some people become frustrated and give up on yoga until their body is "back to normal." But there is a better way.
The practice of yoga can have great healing properties when it is approached with care and thought. Many injuries can be worked around more easily than you might think. When I broke my foot last year I continued to practice even though I couldn't do any standing poses. I continued doing some sort of sun salutation even though it might be unrecognizable to someone as a sun salutation (see the video below). I gained new insight into my breath and the subtelties of many of the postures I had been practicing for years.
So if you have an injury now or have had one in the past, or are just curious about how you would deal with one if it came up, come to my "Yoga with Injuries" Workshop on Friday 11/14 at 7:00PM. This will be a discussion of how to approach yoga with an injury, both in setting up your own home practice and also in modifying your studio practice. Everyone welcome!
The practice of yoga can have great healing properties when it is approached with care and thought. Many injuries can be worked around more easily than you might think. When I broke my foot last year I continued to practice even though I couldn't do any standing poses. I continued doing some sort of sun salutation even though it might be unrecognizable to someone as a sun salutation (see the video below). I gained new insight into my breath and the subtelties of many of the postures I had been practicing for years.
So if you have an injury now or have had one in the past, or are just curious about how you would deal with one if it came up, come to my "Yoga with Injuries" Workshop on Friday 11/14 at 7:00PM. This will be a discussion of how to approach yoga with an injury, both in setting up your own home practice and also in modifying your studio practice. Everyone welcome!
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