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