November Musing

In September I was quoting one of my favorite piece of wisdom from the Upanishads.

" Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny." - Upanishads

It is still a profoundly true and humbling quote. Focusing on our thoughts is not easy. The pre-requisite to it, to quiet the mind is even a larger challenge. I hope that you all were able to find some time in solitude and quietude. As we are turning into Fall and Winter it is time for some introspection. 

Finding our more peaceful, more content ways of being could never come at a bad time, but with Thanksgiving approaching it is even more relevant. Families and friends come together around a dinner table to share time, laughter and a meal together to remember and be reminded what is truly important. This month, follow a simple gratitude practice. Every nite, before you go to sleep write down three things you are grateful for that day. They can be from big things, such as your family, peace, your general health, to small things such as the lentil soup you got the chance to experience that day... or a smile you received from a stranger. Just notice by the month's end your heart will be filled with so much love and compassion. Sitting at the Thanksgiving table, it will be difficult to select only a few things you are thankful for to share with your loved ones.

And if you feel so inclined share your blessings, thoughts on gratitude with the Quiet Mind Community on our Facebook page or on our Blog. 

This month is a big one in other ways as well. Many people on the East Coast are recovering from the devastation Hurricane Sandy brought upon them. Our hearts go out those greatly affected. I hope all of you are safe and back to mostly normal routines by now. 

It is also the month of the presidential elections. The future of this country and the world depends on all who can practice their democratic right to vote. In the Western world, the USA has the record of one of the lowest voter turn out of all countries. As a citizen of a former Socialist country, where democratic rights were not granted, I encourage you to get out there let your voice heard. And I am not alone. On this day when there is a great divide in this nation, yoga unites. On Election Day, Nov 6th, the Washington DC area yoga community stands for unity by bringing people together in complimentary yoga classes all day, including Quiet Mind. Please come early with a mat to ensure a spot at class. For information on this effort and also on other participating studios, visit  

www.electiondayyoga.com .

Finally, this month and the next are filled with many wonderful events at Quiet Mind that can help you find that inner peace, formulate your blessings and just to connect, connect, connect with like minded people. To list all the upcoming events here briefly would be impossible so just scroll down in the Newsletter to our November Events (and beyond) section or go straight to the website. We are always excited to see you at the studio. One of the true blessings that we all feel here. Thank you :)

Namaste.

Rita and the Quiet Mind Tribe

October Musing

Last month I was writing about beginnings and intentions. September being the start of the school year, we associate that month with beginnings and resolutions. I hope you all had some fun beginnings, set some meaningful intentions, and now are ready to settle into October and the rest of the Fall. 

This month, circling back to intentions, I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes I not only use in yoga classes but I try to live by as well:

" Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny." - Upanishads

It is a profoundly true and humbling quote. Our mind is full of unfiltered thoughts every minute of the day as we are surrounded by "noise" in our lives. We worry constantly, as expectations weigh us down. From family, friends, and society. There is an image out there what happy, accomplished, successful is and we thrive to achieve it no matter what. We study, we work hard and once we reach one goal, suddenly there is something else out there that family, friends, and society tell us we need to maintain happiness and satisfaction. And it becomes a vicious circle of "overscheduling", "overworking", "overdoing" and "overworry" unless we are able to pause and quiet the outside world down to check out what truly makes us a success in this life. Then focusing our energy fulfilling those dreams.

"Watch your thoughts; they become words...". But how can we even attempt to watch our thoughts when there is so much noise out there and in our minds?  We need to set aside time to reflect and contemplate, to find mental stillness. We need to cultivate silence. There is too much chatter in our minds so we need to unplug at times from the TV, iPad, smart phones, newspaper, the radio, family, friends and society. We need to learn to be comfortable with silence, which is another way saying to be become more comfortable with ourselves. Yoga and meditation help us with quieting the mind and finding this comfort.

Once we start to deepen our understanding of our true Self, our deeper rooted intentions and desires, the chain of actions described in the Upanishads quote will bring us that happiness and contentment. Just think of a situation from the recent past when you were reacting to something negative, and you reacted too fast... Maybe you thought of anger, you perhaps chose hurtful words and upset someone you love or respect. Then try to imagine how the situation would have been if you were operating from that deeper understanding of your Self, and the sense that everything links together. You probably would not have gotten angry so fast, used different words and the situation could have been resolved in a more satisfying manner. Does it sound familiar?

That is what this quote and yoga teach us. Finding our true intentions within our hearts is not easy. But once you do, your words, actions, habits will reflect it and you will have a bright destiny. 

August Musings

Its Summer. It's hot. It's very hot... This is the best time to enjoy vacations close to or far away from home, it is time to cool off at the ocean or a lake, enjoy some mountain breeze, explore new cities or stay at home on a staycation. It is an Olympic Summer afterall as well... :)

I had a great time this past month enjoying a little bit of staycation with my niece who was visiting from Hungary. Yes, we visited the ocean and NYC as well, but the greatest was to be a tourist again in Washington DC. I knew I love this town with passion... But when you run your day-to-day life, it is sometimes hard to appreciate all that our city can offer. There are the museums, the National Mall, the various neighborhoods, the great restaurants, parks, the shops, and of course the Potomac and the Kennedy Center. And lets not forget about the DC Duck :)

Seeing the city through the eyes of my niece was a wonderful experience. And as I was sitting down to write this August musing, I kept making a comparison of being a tourist in my town, seeing things with fresh eyes to having a beginner's mind on my mat when I practice yoga. For those of us who have been practicing yoga for a long time, we take things for granted at times. My Warrior II is just perfect, I can hold my inversion for minutes, and I can sit in meditation for quiet a while. So what else? But at times it is so wonderful to come to the mat and look at my practice with a beginner's mind. I love taking different level classes, different styles and meet new teachers as I always learn something new. Just like seeing the Capital Building at nite, all angles seem different, I enjoy rediscovering nuances about asanas, sequences or philosophical teachings.

Afterall, our practice is always changing because we change. We are more stressed, less stressed, happy, sad, dealing with an injury, having babies, or simply getting older :)

This August observe and explore something new about yourself and your practice. Keep a beginner's mind when you come to the mat, and even if something is presented to you in a slightly different way than what you are used to, give it a chance to surprise you. Just like seeing our beautiful city from the river from a DC Duck, find lots of twinkles and hidden gems in your Summer practice.

Yoga Into Summer Challenge - Musing #6 - What Makes You Happy

Last week I was "musing" about how memories can bring us happiness, calmness, a quiet mind. How did your memory treasure hunt go? I hope you were able to relive a few memories with all your senses again. Perhaps you found a memento you purchased on a trip, an old recipe that you cooked with your grandma, a letter (ok, maybe more likely an email:)) from a loved one, a photo from a birthday party or something else. Share with us on our Blog if you would like to. It is always nice to learn from each other.

This week let's carry on a step further. If we are able to recall memories that bring us happiness how about starting to pay attention to what makes us happy. I know, I know it is a fairly large topic to grapple with. But again, we learn to be patient and observant in our yoga practices so just give yourself time.

I was in a restorative class a few weeks back when Gracy was reading from a book called The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown . (Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.) A book as its title suggests is a great accumulation of research on a movement of letting go, on becoming more mindful about what is truly important in our lives, what is worth working towards. Sounds familiar? Yes, you probably hear those messages in Quiet Mind yoga classes.

The chapter Gracy was reading to us was about Play and Rest (Chapter 7), letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self worth. Which is hard. In our society, in our city the first question people ask, who do you work for? How many degrees do you have? How many weekends a month do you work? We seem to think that the more overtime hours we put in, the more exhausted we sound, the more important we are. There are times in our lives when overworking is inevitable of course. But when times are calmer Dr. Brown suggests taking a good look at ourselves. Making a list of "joy and meaning" - when things go well in your life, when you feel happy what does it look like? Her and her family's answers included: "sleep, working out, healthy food, cooking, time off, weekends away, going to church, being present with the kids, a sense of control over our money, meaningful work that does not consume us, time to piddle, time with family and close friends and time to just hang out". Comparing this list with their dream list - accomplishments and acquisitions mainly - bigger house, cars, large salary goals - on this list everything required making and spending more money.

They realized that letting go many of the items on the second list, things they wanted to acquire and accomplish they would be living their dream now. Not in the future, but right now. Just as any changes in our habits, our outlook, our routine, this is yet another not so easy process. But can be so rewarding. It does not mean that you will not move into that bigger house, have that car, get the degree you want, it just helps you put it in perspective if you really need it, or you want it because that is what you think you are supposed to do. Allow yourself more time and clarity of what is truly important, what makes you happy NOW.

Hammad and I made our list as well (with our puppy, Chewy in mind of course :)), and there were some surprises there too. Some question marks and some stuff to work through but it was a great exercise. It will take some time to live by it, and I am also aware that the list will change as our life circumstances change. One thing that I came away with is that meaningful work does make me happy. I am so happy everytime I step on the mat, I am happy when I am teaching yoga, I am happy when I am writing. If I can be lucky enough to do those for the rest of my life...

I wish you good soulsearching, finding things that truly make you happy and enjoying them. NOW. Oh and if you have not seen it watch the great documentary Happy. Or look at our Summer schedule coming out next week, and join us for a movie nite watching the film together :) Happy times :)

Yoga Into Summer Challenge - Musing #5 - Memory Treasure Hunt

I was reading an article about how pleasant memories have a great effect on our body and mind. A scent, a melody, a flavor, sound, laughter can transport us back to a place of joy and happiness even if for a moment. It can lift up our mood and all of a sudden we can feel the same way as we did when the memory was created. Time stops and our body reacts pleasantly. Some scientific studies show that these memories and positive thoughts free up a hormone called DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) that is responsible for rejuvenation, send more blood to the brain and our heart-beat becomes calmer. We become calmer, come up with better ideas and just feel happier. So in case you feel down, pull up some fun memory and get in a better mood.

Have things around that bring those memories up. Photos, books, small presents, songs, poems, and more. Enjoy them when you are down. The photo above I just found again as I was clearing out my photo libraries. It was taken in Szeged, my home town a few years back in one of the main squares of the city. It was a gorgeous Spring day with warm and soft rain and we were out with my little niece and nephew. We were playing hide and seek, chasing pigeons, had ice cream and just walked and walked. Just looking at the shiny cobble stones, the kids running after the pigeons I am there again. I can even see everyone faces, the clear streets after the rain and dripping ice cream on my nephew's chin. One of the many happy memories from my "h(om)ecomings".

And how does this relate to yoga? Yoga that teaches that we need to be in the present moment? Well, we have to arrive to that present moment from somewhere. We are made up of so many memories, ingrained experiences we carry from our recent and generations-back past (as discussed in the first Blog Entry), our aspirations for the future and certainly we are complex. In my view yoga is here to help us sort through all this mind-stuff. When you teach your body to move with your breath, to breathe with your movement, when you find the clarity of the mind for a (nano-)second in your practice you are making choices on the mat and off the mat as well: what should influence you, what should stay with you and what to let go of. And those experiences (even from your mat) will steer you towards a more peaceful and happy existence. Yes, we know now that this journey is a long one, but hey, more time to make even more lovely and recallable memories. :)

Therefore, if we want pleasant memories, what we do now is vital. In my yoga practice, I try to make each breath and its coordinating movement bring me joy and pleasure. And - even though it is harder - I try to do the same off the mat in my every days as well.

This week dig deep and bring up some fun and happy memories, give yourself a little time to "indulge" in those memories and notice how you feel. Happy memory treasure hunt! And if you would like to share it with us, please do on our Blog. We can always learn something from eachother.

Namaste

:) Rita

Yoga Into Summer Challenge - Musings #4 - The Soul Gardener

It is spring time. It is time to plant the seeds and to tend to your gardens. The beautiful gardens outside and our inner garden as well. Just like in the real gardens, the work in our inner garden can be challenging at times. Therefore, today I just wanted to share two little fables I found while reading the Yoga International magazine. They are about accepting what we have, who we are, where we are at any given moment...

"Mulla Nasrudin decided to start a flower garden. He prepared the soil and planted the seeds of many beautiful flowers. But when they came up, his garden was filled not just with his chosen flowers but also overrun with dandelions. He sought out advice from gardeners all over and tried every method known to get rid of them but no avail. Finally he walked all the way to the capital to speak with the royal gardener at the sheik's palace. The wise old man has counseled many gardeners before and suggested a variety of remedies to expel the dandelions but Mulla Nasredin had tried them all. Then they sat together in silence for some time... And finally the royal gardener looked at Nasrudin and said: "Well... then I suggest that you learn to love them."
-- Sufi

From Soul Food to Nourish the Spirit and the Heart - edited by Jack Kornfield and Christina Feldman.

The fable teaches us to love all our little flaws, making peace with possible injuries, health conditions that might seem as an obstacle in letting our deep and true self bloom. They are there for a reason. By accepting them, caring for them we learn. The greatest power we all possess is the ability to make choices about ourselves. How we want to conduct our lives should come from a deeper understanding, a deeper wisdom.

"Nasrudin was an old man looking back on his life. He sat with his friends in the tea shop telling his story.
"When I was young I was fiery-I wanted to awaken everyone. I prayed to God to give me strength to change the world... In mid-life I awoke one day and realized my life was half over and I had changed noone. So I prayed to God to give me the strength to change those close around me who so much needed it... Alas, now I am old and my prayer is even simpler. God, I ask, please give me the strength to at least change myself. "

-- Sufi 

From Soul Food to Nourish the Spirit and the Heart - edited by Jack Kornfield and Christina Feldman.

What are the "dandelions" in your life? Find them, name them, sit with them, and start trying to love them. It is not always easy but what a great and freeing feeling once you do... the choice is only yours. And once you do, you become a great example for many to follow...

Happy "soul gardening"!

Yoga Into Summer Challenge - Musing #3 - Back in the USA

After such a lovely trip I am back in the USA and back at the studio. It is nice to be back. My aunt put it best about my travels between Hungary and the USA: "You are lucky; you leave home to go home, whichever direction you travel". Both places are homes for me, which is indeed a blessing. Of course it also means that I miss the one when I am in the other. For many of us who are from other countries and live here it is something we are used to. And it is sometimes hard. My way of bringing Hungary home with me is in words. I buy mostly books and my favorite magazines whenever I go, making traveling, other shopping and of course packing difficult. Oh how I miss those flying days when we could check in two bags and there was almost no weight limit :)

Now I do need to restrict myself to 4-5 books and equal amount of magazines. But it is so worth to have the written word in my mother tongue. Why go into so much trouble? How about the Internet, you might ask? And yes, that is also wonderful but books are still hard to come by online (Any day now... Amazon/Kindle will sure get into the business of distributing Hungarian books) and I like the old fashioned way of paging through magazines as well. So you can see that I do need them. This way I have a few months of reading material and they usually run out just in time before my next trip. That is a lot of books over the years for sure...

One could either say I am a patriot and an avid reader or that I am a hoarder of books. Borderline of difference. Either way I have been thinking during this trip about ways to maintain my reading habits but without breaking my back and our book cases. And of course Yoga comes to rescue... again...

One of the Yamas, Aparigraha, non-attachment comes up a lot in our teachings. As you can read in our Yoga Challenge Blog from last year, Aparigraha is often associated with not clinging to material possessions, emotions, values, thoughts and characteristics.

There are many interpretations of Aparigraha out there, the most often heard one is abstaining from greed. Is my collection of books in Hungarian too much? Should I not gather any more? To follow Aparigraha one needs to look at their possessions inside and out. If our life revolves only around objects that can be lost or destroyed, we find that we are either upset over the loss of these items or are constantly worried that we may lose these items. Of course we dont want to give up everything we just need to find balance. And whatever we do, we should feel comfortable and content with our choices.

I like this interpretation by Nischala Joy Devi: "Aparigraha gives us the secret to earthly life. Take a moment to feel gratitude for the great blessings that surround you... Even when you acknowledge the bounty, is there still a lingering apprehension that part or all of it may be taken away? That the well might run dry? Just thinking that a resource is limited initiates fear, thereby lessening the joy in the present moment." Well, that is certainly not the case with me and my Hungarian books. I can never run out of them, since I already read them. And I feel good about the books on the shelves but I would be also happy to share them with others as well. (Let me know if you want to borrow some Hungarian literature :))

By the teachings of yoga and the principle of Aparigraha, I know that deep in my heart I have all I need. My books help me to feel connected all the time. Even though the feeling of longing is not an easy one, I am thankful that I can spend the majority of my time in this country. But I am also happy that I come from another culture. Both are important. I have these two sets of experiences, languages, cultures and food of course. And lots of shelf space :)

How about you? When you look around you and deep into your heart, what are the things that truly ground you without weighing you down?
Happy explorations of Aparigraha this week.

Namaste,

Rita

Yoga Into Summer Challenge - Musing #1 - Our past, present and future

H(om)e, sweet H(om)e...

Greetings from Szeged, Hungary! I arrived almost two days ago to my hometown and have been spending time with my family. It is my father's 70th birthday celebration to which my larger family will be coming together. I have been planning it for a while, including working with my cousin on putting a DVD together of my dad's photos and family videos as a surprise. It enlists various events through a 50+ years long timeline...

This trip has been on my mind (and heart) for a while. As one of our lovely regular students, Jeanette put it this trip "is a celebration of life". It made me think that through family members' birthdays, we not only celebrate a precious loved one (young or old) but at the same time we consciously or subconsciously also reflect on our own lives. How the lives of these loved ones have affected our own story and how the stories within a family are intertwined generation by generation.

I saw a movie here called The Door, an international collaboration directed by our Oscar winning director, Istvan Szabo and starring one of my favorite actresses, Helen Mirren. The movie is an insight to the Communist era Hungary, with a marvellous and artistic depiction of the changing rules, lives and political system from a perspective of one family. In a Werkfilm Helen Mirren was quoted saying that she loved doing this movie, because it was a study of a nation's past, through the members of a family's emotional ties to each other.

She continued saying, it is so crucial to understand on a deep level what made our parents and grandparents moved, happy, afraid, what made them excited, hopeful and how they planned their future... Our present. We carry all of this wisdom within us, and our children will carry it further...And if we are aware of this inner truth, we have a good chance of creating the best self we can, because we have an insight, we understand.

My yoga teaching philosophy is to empower all my students with this deeper understanding of themselves. Yoga teaches us to do so, through the asanas (posture practice), pranayama (our breath control) and the relaxation and meditation practices. I believe each and every one of us are so unique and we should celebrate and utilize all the gifts we received. Through Svadhyaya, self-study, one of the Niyamas, moral guidelines (read more about it in our last year's blog entry) we cultivate this deeper understanding; what works for us in body, mind and in our hearts. This deeper understanding is influenced greatly by where we come from. In DC, one of the most international cities in the world, we feel that the city is so vibrant through the multi-cultural energetic field we all create. Now that I am home with my parents, looking through the photos, editing the video of my father's (and inherently my own) life, I am facing much of my own unique truths. Yoga, Svadhyaya, and finding our unique story is a long journey, but is beautiful.

Maybe this week ask yourself the questions Dame Helen Mirren was asking. What are the things that you carried on with you through the lives of your ancestors that makes you beautifully unique? Through this lens where does your strength lies within you? And maybe ask some of your close friends the same questions. Who knows you might even find some similarities in life stories ... both old and new...

Viszontlatasra!

What is Yoga Off the Mat? Student Inspiration by Cara George

No matter what level or frequency of practice, anyone who has a relationship with yoga will at some point apply their practice off the mat, whether deliberately or inadvertently. Normally, I find myself thinking about yoga in more "traditional" settings, like adjusting my posture in my desk chair, or doing a few sun salutations in the mornings before scrambling out the door. However, I recently noticed this off-the-mat connection in two seemingly unusual places.

A few weeks ago, I had to endure an almost hour-long MRI and felt panicky when the technician warned me that if I moved even an inch during the scan, we would have to start the process completely anew. Knowing that I'd likely feel rather claustrophobic and fidgety, I started my own personal shavasana the moment that the technician slid my whole body inside the machine. Completely enclosed, for a moment I wanted to scream for them to let me out. But, I instead closed my eyes, allowing myself to become as comfortable as possible and as limp as a noodle. Throughout the whole process, I concentrated my mind on different parts of my body, breathing into the stillness that I felt and becoming more and more relaxed. Although the machine produced strange banging noises, I even dozed off at one point, still breathing heavily with my eyes closed. I was interrupted only by the voice of the technician, coming through over the speakers, asking, "Are you okay? Are you SURE?"

When the MRI was over, the technician pulled me out of the machine and I felt overwhelmingly relaxed and awaken. He shook his head in disbelief as he exclaimed that I was the best patient he had ever seen! Not a bad way to boost one's self confidence, in a strange way...

Alternately, yoga influenced a recent experience in a less beneficial manner. During any yoga practice, we are always aiming to be mindful of breathing. But whereas long inhales and exhales produced an overwhelming calm during my MRI, it was not so convenient while snorkeling in Shark's Cove in Hawaii. As a novice snorkeler, (plus the typical anxiety one may feel when visiting a place called "Shark's Cove", which ironically -and fortunately- did not have sharks) I felt nervous affixing the mask and tube, and while under water tried to calm my anxiety with deep inhalations, which each time resulted in choking on sea water and fully embarrassing myself.

It's remarkable how yoga influences our every day lives, making us react with the world around us in a different way. What are some conventional - or not-so-conventional - places that you bring your practice off the mat? Are there times that yoga has been especially beneficial - or had the opposite effect?

If you would like to share with us your experience of how yoga affects your life, please send me an email at rita.maximilian@gmail.com. All the entries (Starting with Cara's) will be found here, on our Blog.

Me, Myself and My Asana Quiet Mind Photo Competition

Amanda Hull
So in the picture attached, I was enjoying the sunset on a beach in Grenada (island inthe Caribbean) this past August and decided to do a few handstands. My boyfriend caught a few great pictures. Looking back through the pictures reminds me of a time of peace, joy, and the true brilliance and beauty of nature. I can still feel the sand between my fingers and the wave washing up if I close my eyes.

Vijay Palaparti

I wanted to submit the following photograph for the QMY Photo Competition. Please note that this is not a photograph that was taken by me, but a photographer in Chennai, India. I feel it strongly represents the intersection of yoga with my career as an classical Indian dancer and choreographer. Specifically, I draw away techinques of breathing and maintaining some kind of mental balance in the exercise, which can be very athletic and demanding at times. It has very meditative qualities as well, and a strong foundation in expression. This photograph is an example of how principles in yoga, drishti, specifically, are necessary to maintain balance. It's very hard to stand in certain poses and postures with a focus (as I stand in the pose in the picture). If the focus wavers, then there is a tendency to fall. So, from a physical perspective, drishti is so important to what I do almost on a daily basis. And beyond that, it relates to life in general. Focus is essential and helps.

Azat Mardanov

I've taken it at Grand Canyon during my coast-to-coast road trip/move from DC to CA. It was on just a few days notice and I'm confident that without having Yoga practice in my life I would be more stressed, procrastinating or hesitating. Life in CA is much different then in DC, I'm trying to be present - atha yoganusasanam! I'm grateful that I had opportunity to participate in 200h YWTT at QMS and meet with wonderful people!

Helen Palfreyman

This photo was taken in Wadi Rum, the desert of South Jordan. I traveled there with a group of girlfriends and spent 3 days sleeping out in the desert under the stars and enjoying nature and time with good friends. During our trip there, we all started practicing yoga in the middle of the desert with those of us who had practiced yoga teaching those who hadn't. Here we are doing a warrior two in the morning as the sun was coming up. Just a reminder that even far away from a yoga studio, you can still practice yoga. The tranquility of Wadi Rum was the perfect place to experience this.

Jessica Phillips-Silver

Practicing yoga at home with Ellie, my 14-month old yogini, the greatest teacher I ever had. First a headstand... Ellie watches to learn... Did she learn this mudra from our Buddha?... She shows me updog...and when it comes to child's pose, she is a natural. This is why we learn yoga from our children. She is my guru and I am hers. The light in me mirrors the light in her...Namaste.

Ibtisam Vincent
Some days the bus seems to take *forever.* (Yet another reason to travel by bicycle when I can.) When I find myself getting impatient waiting for the 54 bus, I like to break out my yogic breathing and a pose or two -- it calms me while simultaneously entertaining my bus stop compatriots. Eagle arms often elicit funny looks, but when I really want to confuse them and impress them with my sense of balance I'll break out tree pose....

Arielle Mir and Talal Mir

Both were taken during a hike in Saguaro National Park, in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson is Talal's hometown and a place of tremendous natural beauty and tranquility. When you are walking among the centuries-oldcactus, the wisened stone, and wild flowers, the sound of your breathand the birds chirping are all you can hear. Talal's Vrksasana represents the steadiness, patience and groundedness of the saguaro cactus, who take up to 75 years to grow each "arm." Arielle assumed the pose of the sunning desert reptile along the trail. In Utthan Pristhasana, Arielle finds opening and grounding simultaneously, similar to the feeling that being in the mountains evokes.

Emma Sandoe

Attached is my photo of me doing yoga in the morning in my backyard. Every morning I wake up by 5:30am and most days go running after a morning stretch on my balcony. Hip openers are my favorite in the morning. It's wonderful to do some positions that require focus and concentration while I listen to the city waking up.

Shenandoah Gale

Few words and an image to express gratitude to Quiet Mind and to the Quiet Mind community for nurturing namaste in our little corner of the world.

Trisha Nakano

Title: Upside Down on the Top of the World
Location: Yushu, Tibet, 2009

To experience the most perfect sky you have ever seen, visit Tibet. It is a blue that cannot be described or captured properly on film. The sheep dotting the horizon on the rolling green nomadic lands seem to reflect the perfect, fluffy cumulus clouds. But, the spaciousness of the landscape is in stark contrast with the political situation.

This picture was taken a few years ago at about 14,000 feet while my husband, Tenzin, and I were leading a yoga trip in eastern Tibet. A word of caution: don't try this on your first few days at altitude. Altitude sickness is no fun. This, of course, was after about 2 weeks of acclimation.

My advice: If you want to visit Tibet, do it now and spend some time (if the political situation allows) with the people of the older.generation.

Liz O’Connell

"Vrksasana at Sunrise, Kerala, India"

It was still pitch black our when we began our hike that morning up the mountain. Like vinyasa teaches us to "place in a special way" we marched mindfully in a line, one after another; taking each step carefully, one foot after the other. We reached the top just as dawn was breaking and practiced a true Surya Namaskar--saluting the brilliant rising sun.

Allison Manuel

My favorite Asana.

Bonnie Foote

“Me, My Cat, and Our Favorite Asana” (Savasana)

New Year's Yoga Inspirations - Holly Meyers

2012 Intention: There is No "On" or "Off" the Mat

Life's ironies are entertaining, no?

At the beginning of each class, I invite students to set an intention for their practice. "This 'Sankalpa' is a positive reflection, affirmation or dedication that brings purpose to your time on the mat," I say. At the end of each class, I encourage students to live their Sankalpa in everyday life. "Make a gentle intention to carry this purpose off your mat and into the rest of your day."

As a DC-area Community Builder for nonprofit Off the Mat, Into the World, I use "yoga off the mat" terminology frequently. To be frank, however, I am not comfortable with the idea of dividing my yoga practice into two separate entities - "On" or "Off" the mat.

To me, yoga is life, and life is yoga.

It wasn't always this way. In the early 90s, my messy life was emotionally painful. Yoga was something I did to feel better. I didn't think about how the practice might affect me after class – much less how it might affect the world around me. My 1st style was Kundalini (funny thing - there are no mats in Kundalini yoga!). Although I may not have realized it then, our closing song planted a seed about yoga's potential beyond the room where I was practicing: “May the long-time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you guide your way on.”

Around 1999, I started practicing Hatha yoga and the teacher's closing dedication said, "May our bodies and minds be healthy, may our thoughts be filled with love. May our practice be free of obstacles, and may we carry its benefits into the world." This same teacher talked about yoga’s Eight Limbs, which I understood as a process of growth from intention, through action, and to manifestation. That seed planted in the early 90s? It started to sprout conscientiousness about my responsibility to somehow share the gifts that I had so generously received from this healing practice.

In November 2008, I completed my Yoga Teacher Training at an Ashram, where for four weeks we were immersed in yoga – everything we did with our bodies, hearts and minds came from ancient origins. The trainers’ primary advice as we ran off into the wild blue yonder of teaching yoga? “Be a yogi.” And the seed grew into a tree whose cycle of life would organically nurture its own needs and nourish the earth from which it came.

At my very 1st teacher meeting at my very 1st yoga studio job, we were asked to introduce ourselves, describe our yoga style, and then say what we do "off the mat." In other words - what do we do in our non-yoga life? I was stumped. Because it’s all yoga – whether I’m practicing flexibility in a studio or with co-workers…whether I’m practicing balance in a pose or in planning my commitments…whether I’m practicing compassion for my own pain or for unhappy people around my neighborhood…or whether I’m practicing presence in my breathing or with a loved one.

So my 2012 yoga intention is to nourish the roots that stem from my early days of practice, and re-commit to living yoga day-in and day-out. No mat required.

New Year's Yoga Inspirations - Trisha Nakano

What does the New Year mean to you on and off the mat?

I have given up making resolutions. They tend to make me feel bad when I don’t stick to them. For me, the new year offers a time to re-calibrate, to come back to a deeper intention. It is a time for me to think about how I want to step forth into the new year.

A few months ago, I was working with a particularly ornery 3 year old. I asked him, “Do you want me to help you clean up the blocks or do you want to do it yourself?” “I want to do it myself!” “Awesome. Here’s the bag.”

With choice, brings empowerment. Recently, one of my mantras has been, “At any moment, I can choose to wake up.” I can choose to be grumpy or I can choose to laugh it off. I can choose to become obsessed with material wants or I can appreciate the many, many blessings in my life. In recognizing that at every moment I have a choice, I begin to understand that I am responsible for the life I create.

It so happens, that my birthday is the day after new years, so folded into my reflections of the past year is a recognition of the passage of time. Over the holidays I was at my parents’ house sorting through boxes and boxes of childhood memories. I found cards that read, “Wow! 17! We are getting so old” and “Wow! Can you believe we are 25?” I can bemoan the fact that I am no longer 17 or 25 or I can choose to relish my progression in my 30s. I can choose to love this life, or I can choose to reject who I am. It is all a choice.

The days when I could luxuriate in a 2-hour practice on my mat are a distant memory. Now, I gingerly sneak asanas in during naptime or while playing on the floor with a 1-year old crawling on, over and under me. I practice pranayama to calm my baby down and dharana when I focus on the overwhelming love I have for the tender soul in my arms. The two hour asana practices (and a full night's sleep) will re-enter my life at a later date. For now, I choose to embrace a multidimensional yoga practice and wake up to the beauty that is my life.

Sending many, many blessings to you this new year...

New Year's Yoga Inspirations - Gracy Obuchowich

One of my favorite Buddhist sayings is "How you do anything is how you do everything." The idea of this is that the way we approach the smallest, seemingly-unimportant tasks of our life is a perfect way to look at our entire relationship to life itself. My yoga practice reinforces this by showing me that the way I approach my practice is the same way I am living my life.

On the positive side of this, I am really consistent in how I show up to my practice. Most weeks, I go to the same 2-3 classes and make sure that I get a little home practice in as well. In my life I also see this consistency. I've maintained amazing friendships for decades now and have many repeat clients in my professional life. I can see that I also take myself out of a pose when I feel too much strain or any kind of pain. I am happy to rest in child's pose until the moment when I am ready to rejoin the class. Similarly, I am good at giving myself rest when I see the tell-tale signs of stress in my life (racing thoughts, short breath, sensitive emotions). I've found that the retreat of a hot bath or an hour of my favorite Netflix series (I am watching Felicity again right now--it's just as amazing as it was when I was in high school) does wonders to relax me so I can interact with the world again.

However, I can also see how easy it is for me to slip into my ego while I am on the mat, just as in the rest of my life. I can have a hard time accepting adjustments from other instructors, thinking that because I am also a teacher, I really know best. As much as I don't like to admit it, this is also indicative of my personality. After working in two different non-profits, I saw how much I struggled with being managed. It forced me to make a big change and now I've worked for myself for more than three years. Although I've love my work and schedule, I can also look deeper and see that some of this independence could have been born out of a fear of being wrong and the shakiness of not knowing.

I've been aware of this for a while now which has helped me to be much better at acknowledging my triggers. I breathe through these vrittis (fluctuations of the mind) as they arise on the mat and then choose to lovingly accept the feedback in the spirit it was offered, because there are a lot of awesome teachers who know things that I don't and that is okay. As a result my practice continues to deepen and I can see this reverberate off the mat as well. Last year I planned a yoga retreat to Costa Rica with another friend which involved lots of collaboration and feedback and I found myself being loving the experience of connection and growth.

How does your practice relate to the rest of your life? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you come out of a pose as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable or push your self past exhaustion? If you look deeply, your whole life will be there. Decide what works for you and what you would like to change. Your mat will help you listen to the wonderful teacher within.

New Year's Yoga Inspirations - Bonnie Foote

My winter practice steals in on me. The frozen trees outside the window pull my gaze in and preach silence. My morning energy practice becomes just sitting, just breathing, just letting the shoulders fall. Just letting the energy fully settle in my heart takes an hour and is completely absorbing.

I tried a stillness practice over Thanksgiving, for the second time, just me, my cat and 48 hours of Savasana. It’s not boring. The thoughts swirl and swirl and swirl, like snowflakes (remember snowflakes?), and you learn how much you can sleep, which is a lot. Then just as the thoughts start to settle the last hour comes from nowhere with a gold light that slams you to the ground you were already lying on, arms splayed and totally happy, like a silly carpet angel. After that I didn’t practice for a while; my body really liked being still.

Coming back to the practice after more stillness is embarrassingly revelatory. It should have been obvious to begin with: when I’m steady, when I can let go, when I’m not tight and shaky from my day, my poses go further. So that’s what I’ve been working on: not building up the tension in the first place... taking my time, not overstuffing the day, letting the transitions and the travel take as long as the transitions and the travel need to take, maybe longer. I think of Thich Nhat Hanh, who enjoys getting to airports early and waiting, and try to emulate him. This doesn’t always work. I think the Metro god thinks it’s funny. Sorry, Saturday’s Intermediates... When I remember, I attend to the pauses between poses. I try to speak calmly and try not to beat myself up when I don’t--as still happens every time I teach a standing sequence. You can notice this in class, but promise to take pity! I think I will be working on all this for a very, very, very long time.But also, other things will come in. A few bulbs are sprouting, to tell us so. It’s going to be an interesting year, decade, century. I’m looking forward to spending 2012 with you all. Please feel free to remind me, sometimes, as things get more and more intriguing, to be still!

Lots of love, Bonnie

New Year's Yoga Inspirations - AmyDara Hochberg

New Year's Yoga Inspirations #1
by AmyDara Hochberg

What does the New Year mean to you, on and off the mat? Do you perceive a year as linear or cyclic? Do you replace the previous year's calendar with days filled with events and milestones, with a new one whose blank days glow with hope and anticipation?

Do you perceive your yoga practice as linear or cyclic? Does chanting OM at the end bring your practice to full circle? Or do you perceive your practice as starting with centering and ending with savasana? Is your practice an ongoing journey, or do you wonder why your hips feel tighter than the last time you were on the mat, or are you wishing that you could already attain that elusive asana?

Can you let go of the past and the future, and focus on your breath in the present moment? Notice how deeply you can inhale, and how slowly you can exhale. Notice the small sensations in your body's movements following the breath. Notice where you feel the breath in each asana. In savasana, observe the softness of your slow, deep breath while your body absorbs the effects of asana practice.

What is your typical day like? Do you start off with a stretch and a big yawn, gauging the temperature and the light beaming through the window? Or do you blast out from under the covers into the shower, throw your clothes on, and rush to your tasks? Likewise, how do you approach bedtime? Do you have a ritual that acknowledges the conclusion of your day?

Listen to your body, your mind, and your heart. The answer lies within you.

Approach life off the mat the way you would like to approach your yoga practice on the mat. Try small changes. Light a candle or burn incense in the bathroom during your shower. Or turn all electronics off and sit with a hot cup of tea, and think of ten things that you're grateful about your day. You will discover that, no matter how frustrating your day was, it went better than you thought.

November Musings

Fall is definitely here, with the Vata season of wind, dryness, cold and lots of movement. You might feel that your mind is racing with ideas, you want to do ten different things at once, but still the best best best is to curl up with a good book and some tea on your sofa and wedge out while the wind blows the colorful leaves outside your window...

Fall is my favorite season because it allows us to turn our focus inward. The days are getting shorter the weather colder but I find that the heart.. on the contrary... gets warmer. It is maybe the huge amount of soup and tea and other hot concoctions I tend to eat and drink during Fall and well into Winter :) but I feel warm and fuzzy inside. The lights are magical and the trees around our home are staging their annual magic color play. Walking outside I feel like I am part of this play. That I got a role in the script, the Overlooker... But then I realize that it is not about just observing... It is a lot about truly parttaking. As Jolene quoted in one of her classes: "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home" (Gary Snyder). We tend to forget that we are part of nature, the seasons, the food chain, the whole circle. During the Fall I feel it the most.

We live in cities with all the conveniences, comfort, civilized utilities that make our lives easier but they also make us forget how the stars shine, how it is time to go to sleep when it gets dark and that it should be OK to sleep more... With our busy lives it is impossible to follow the natural clock all the time. But how about trying to become more aware of it? Maybe this season do something each day that brings you closer to nature and the cycle of things. Maybe it is sleeping in (hmmm... I can see a reoccuring pattern for me there :)), go for a walk in Rock Creek Park, eat yummy, harvesty soups or anything else that helps you connect. If you can connect to the world around you, it is easier to connect with the precious world inside of you... Take AmyDara's Vinyasa/Restorative classes to rest and relax after moving on your mat... Or of course Gracy's restorative is always a fabulous option.. Or one of the 6.30AM classes to start your day full of inspiration and energy... Or bring some more leaves to the studio and tape them to the wall... :)

Whatever you do, try to do it from the heart. The best place in this world. Mainly now as it is all warm, and fuzzy...

Happy Yoga!

Namaste,

Rita

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Dhyana and Samadhi

What a week we have behind us! Earthquake and hurricane in our area... Unexpected turbulance around us leads the yogi and the yogini to look within and find reprieve from all that is the external world. This is our final week of the Summer Yoga Challenge and the exploration of the Eight Limb of Yoga. I am so glad that so many of you participated and I hope that you all will carry something new that you learnt with you in your hearts… It is a perfect week to explore and contemplate on the last two limbs, Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (enlightenment, bliss)…

In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar likens the analogy of water taking the shape of its container to the mind being transformed into the shape of the object it is contemplating. This elicits an important truth: that which we dwell on in our minds becomes how and who we are.

Dhyana is absolute concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. Therefore, dhyana is meditation or perfect contemplation. It is the next step following up on Dharana (one pointed concentration). Although there is a notable separation between dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation) in yogic philosophy, there is also an intimate connection between the two.

In Dharana, the mind is put through various rigors of trainings to restrain its waywardness and to refine its awareness to the ultimate degree of one-pointedness. Achieving this state is an active process that requires much effort. But it is precisely when this one-pointedness of mind ceases to be an active effort and then just happens naturally, without any effort, that we have achieved the state of meditation. So Dhyana, as far as it can be described with words, is an unbroken stream of concentration, whereby very little sense of self remains.

At this level, it becomes increasingly more difficult to use words and the reasoning, conscious mind to describe the experiences of yoga. After all, the state of meditation, by its very nature transcends our material human experience and everything that is related to it.

The eighth limb in Patanjali's text is Samadhi. Samadhi translates to enlightenment, bliss, or Union with the Divine. Patanjali describes the feeling as ecstasy. This is the ultimate goal of the practice of the other seven limbs of yoga.

This state is described as a feeling of complete inner peace and unity with the Divine and with every other living creature on earth. They completely experience the oneness of all life in the universe. Samadhi is a state of awareness and consciousness with the body, mind and senses completely relaxed.

There is no timetable or order to reaching the state of enlightenment. The steps and practices in the previous seven limbs are all intended to provide the path to enlightenment and the profound peace that accompanies it. It is something that is experienced on a personal level and not a goal that is attained in a specific time frame. Samadhi requires devotion and regular practice of yoga and meditation to clear the mind and experience the peace and unity of enlightenment. And we all so need it more than ever…

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Dharana

Welcome to the sixth week of our Summer Challenge. We are looking at the sixth stage of the Eighth Limb Path: Dharana, Dharana is a form of meditation that can be called receptive concentration. With the help of Dharana, a set of conditions are created that helps the mind focus in one direction and object, rather than concentrating in many directions, thereby diverting the mind. The term 'Dharana' is given to both the practice of deep concentration and the state in which you achieve deep concentration. Ideally, 'Dharana' should be performed at every moment of the day to gain utmost control of both body and mind. Easy enough, right :)?

The word 'Dharana' simply means 'unbending concentration of mind'. Working with complete focus and concentration is something that satisfies every individual at the maximum. Each of us, feel a sense of frustration, when we are not able to focus. The inability to focus may be because our minds were racing with ideas, judgments, worries, songs, or even memories. The main idea underlying Dharana, is the ability to focus on something (uninterrupted both by external or internal distractions). We will plant the seed of Dharana this week for our practice on the mat and our existence off the mat.

How one achieves Dharana? Well, going through the previous weeks of learning about the Yamas, the Niyamas, the Asanas, Pranayama and Pratyahara. We start to see a progression in walking on the road inward to that sacred, unwavered Self. Last week we were practicing pratyahara, control of the senses to get us ready for Dharana. The mind must be mastered and senses withdrawn in order to truly meditate. This is not an easy thing as the senses and mind have been our masters for so long.

Next, we work toward being able to concentrate and keep the mind from roaming for some length of time. It is best to be situated in an area with as little distraction as possible. Begin focusing the mind on one object. Our attention will get diverted over and over again. As disturbances arise it is best to just notice and then kindly dismiss them. As with most practices, the more we do it, the more skilled we become. It is definitely a long journey but we have the rest of our lives to walk on this path.

And what is Dharana good for? Dharana helps in channeling one's thoughts on a certain thing. It makes sure that we reach a level of awareness in anything we do, by focusing on every step we take. Dharana can bring richness to one's life. With the help of deep contemplation and reflection, one can create the right conditions. Dharana works with the objective to achieve the mental state, where the mind, intellect, and ego are controlled. The mind becomes purified by the practices. It becomes able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Dharana also helps in the cessation of fluctuations in the mind, one of the major reasons for practicing yoga.

Usually our minds are paying attention to many different things at once. As soon as our senses become stimulated they pull our attention in many directions. As our minds wander from one stimulus to another we become reactive emotionally, hormonally and energetically. The practice of Dharana, at the time, when you are struggling with anger, restlessness or expectation would help in balancing those struggles. Dharana is the practice of training the mind, to concentrate and focus, in such a way, that we can possibly avoid frustrations.

Ready to try it? This week, and many more weeks to come.

Namaste.

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Pratyahara

“The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the sense disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.”
~ Yoga Sutra 2.54 Translation by TKV Desikachar

Welcome to the fifth week of our Summer Challenge and to Pratyahara, the 5th stage of Patanjali’s 8-limbed path. One could refer to Pratyahara as “withdrawing the senses away from the external surroundings and distractions.” Withdrawing of the senses does not come easy to most of us. In our fast-paced, media driven world we suffer from sensory overload. The result of constant bombardment from television, radio, computers, newspapers, smart phones, magazines, books — you name it. Our commercial society functions by stimulating our interest through the senses. We are constantly confronted with bright colors, loud noises and dramatic sensations. We have been raised on every sort of sensory indulgence; unfortunately, it is the main form of entertainment in our society.

According to David Frawley: “The problem is that the senses, like untrained children, have their own will, which is largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to do. If we don’t discipline them, they dominate us with their endless demands. We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we don’t know how to keep our minds quiet; we have become hostages of the world of the senses and its allurements. We run after what is appealing to the senses and forget the higher goals of life. For this reason, Pratyahara is probably the most important limb of yoga for people today.”

Sense withdrawal means that the senses cease to be engaged or connected to the objects in our thoughts. It does not mean the suppression, repression, or stopping of these thoughts. They may naturally slow down or decrease to some degree, but the method itself is to break the contact, to cease connecting with the thought patterns. This means allowing thoughts to flow without interruption, while the senses are simply not diverted into those thoughts.

In the past weeks, on the eight-limbed path of yoga, we started with the world outside and around us and have been working inward. The first limbs of the Yamas and the Niyamas had a lot to do with our conducts in the external world we live in. Asanas, our physical practice bought us in contact with our bodies, taught us awareness and connectedness to our senses concerning our bodies. Then last week we talked about Pranayama, breath control or life energy extension; starting to focus on our breath, trying different breathing techniques to best serve our practice. We connected our Asana practice with Pranayama and experienced a better focus and moving meditation.

With Pranayama, we brought the air around us into our bodies. By doing so consciously, our sense of connection between the external and the internal deepened. However, Pranayama is still a practice of using our bodies to control and experience the breath. Apart from Pranayama, another device that we used to find this connectedness was focusing on the third eye (Ajna Chakra, the place between the eye brows) as we moved through our practice with closed eyes. Even when the eyes were open we directed our gaze at one point, the Drishti, to allow for even more awareness of our bodies and the movements in the mind.

Now, together, Pranayama and Pratyahara start to move our efforts and intentions toward our inner worlds. While doing a posture, our thoughts turn to the sensations we are feeling in our muscles and our bones. We may notice that our emotions become excited or dulled. We observe the breath and attempt to be present with all of these observations. This very process is the beginning of practicing Pratyahara. Of course, it does happen that some days our minds are distracted by the temperature, by other people in the class, by overly negative (or positive) thoughts about ourselves… Even this is an opportunity to practice Pratyahara, by trying to notice it happening, withdrawal from the racing thoughts, and come back into the moment. Especially in the setting of a class, the eyes and ears are usually the most distracting sensory organs. For this reason, it is helpful to close your eyes, and to focus on the breath (which will draw the energy of the ears inward).

With Pratyahara, the transition from external to internal awareness goes one step further. By observing our senses, their activities, and our responses, we can gain an increased understanding of how easily our thoughts can be redirected by the random input from our senses. Gradually, we gain skill at releasing our minds from the current of constant thoughts and drawing them back to our chosen area of focus. Even when a light flickers outside, our gaze stays steady. Even if the fire tuck passes by, we don’t waiver :). When practicing yoga postures, each time we realize our mind has wandered and bring it back to our experience in the pose – that is Pratyahara.

This week we will practice Pratyahara with Pranayama techniques we already learnt, mantra meditation, and visualization techniques. Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around. So I am looking forward to our nice long Savasanas :)

Namaste.