Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

Brock and Krista came to town for a three day yoga workshop. Learned a ton. Highly recommend checking out their classes. It will be different than anything else you have done yoga-wise. They have amazing methods for teaching inversions, arm balances and handstand variations. These were easily some of the most challenging yoga asana classes I’ve ever done. Some random things I’ve come away with from the weekend:

• Fear is by far the biggest limiter to doing a handstand or inversions of any kind.
• Raw strength is less important than core stability and muscle awareness.
• Pressure through the fingers (hasta bandha) is useful for maintaining balance in handstand and other arm balances.
• Have fun AT ALL COSTS
• Staying hydrated – before class not just during – is super important during intensive weekend trainings.
• Learn to fall and be ok with it….if you are going to do handstands, you are going to fall!
• Let your hips lead the way when jumping forward from downdog to forward fold.
• For me, tight hamstrings are a limiter when it comes to moving into certain poses. Need to work on that.
• Have fun with transitions into and out of poses…try new ways to get into and come out of poses.

Have another session with them tomorrow…will add any other tid bits to the list after that.

[updates after our final sessions]

A few more thoughts after a final 2.5 hour practice:

• Proper fuel and hydration are so important. I did a 90 minute vinyasa practice prior to the 2.5 hour intensive sessions with Brock and Krista – and sweated through several yogi-toes towles and several changes of clothes. Having proper hydration is critical. I am using Amino Vital right now, with nuun tablets in a separate water bottle and a PowerGel between classes.  In retrospect I should have drank more water last night or in the middle of the night to prepare. Oh well.
• Building strength around an injury can help an injury heal.
• Play around with variations – e.g. handstand with one hand on a block, arm balances with one hand turned out, etc. keep it interesting.
• Some might say doing so many inversions is not part of the traditional practice of yoga – but Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois and others had incredible practices and frequently went upside down.
• Some teachers might not be cool with you doing things (like jumping int handstands from downdog) outside of the norm – don’t worry about that – if you want to do interesting variations – do it and find a teacher that will support you.
• Again…I realized that tight hamstrings can be a limiter in getting my body into certain poses. Find your limiter and work on it (in class and outside of class).
• Interesting transition: go from forearm plank to low-plank using your back muscles! This can also work with a scorpion to low-plank transition.
• Interesting transition: go from headstand to tripod headstand and back by just moving your arms.

Sunset at the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari beach, where the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea converge.

We are experts at applying effort. We are terribly poor at relaxation. I say “we” since by virtue of reading this blog, you are probably a seeker of self-development and discovery, and not the kind of person that sits around all day doing nothing.

The art of relaxation is a lost art.

In my yoga classes (I teach three classes per week – Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga) I see all walks of life, with a skew towards working professionals. Motivated and hard-working, I find students more than eager to try a new pose or push themselves in some manner. More sweat is not a problem for most people.

I also notice that many students struggle with the later parts of classes, where the tempo slows and the focus is on integrative energy. Turning inward of the senses with deeper and longer asanas (poses). These poses take an ability to sustain effort while also relaxing into the pose. In the finale of every class, we end with a corpse pose “savasana” which requires nothing but stillness while laying face up and arms/legs spread open. Inevitably, people start fidgeting and futzing with things. Fixing hair, toweling off, etc.

Many people have lost their capacity to relax.

It is not gone, just lost. It can be found and cultivated again with practice. The problem with this lost art is that the secret to excellence in any field (especially athletics) is not just with the training, it is with the recovery. If you watch pro cyclists train, they put in incredible amounts of effort in training, but are also among the laziest people in the world when they are not training! Having lived with a house-full of triathletes I can personally attest to this fact. Recovery is as important as training.

Without the ability to relax, your body-mind complex will burn out.

It’s like red-lining your car or using your laptop until the battery runs out. As humans, we have an enormous capacity to adapt and take punishment…but over time, without the ability to truly relax, the price will be paid. It may take a few decades….but it is unavoidable. This applies to corporate execs or people who have their eyes set on that goal as well.

Take as much care learning and sincerely practicing relaxation as you do trying to “do” other stuff in this world. Start each day with 10 long and deep breaths. Meditate for 10 minutes a day or more. Practice yoga or go for a run WITHOUT headphones and music blasting in your ears. Sit by the ocean or a lake and do nothing but watch the world.

Make it a practice to relax.

This is ridiculously cool! I love a lot of things about Bing (great shopping and cashback, travel fare comparisons, best weather summaries around, etc)….but this takes the cake!

Great visual image search of The Yoga Journal pose gallery. You can sort the poses by difficulty, focus, therapeutic benefit, etc. Check it out!

Bing yoga pose visual search

The Dale Chihuly sculpture at The Bellagio in Las Vegas.

I have a friend who works for master glass sculpture artist Dale Chihuly, and we were talking about the sculptures a bit. It got me thinking about how amazing this art is. If you’ve ever been to the Bellagio, that’s his work hanging on the ceiling as you enter the main lobby. The thing about glass is that it can be incredibly brittle (I am well-known to break wine glasses all the time). Glass sculptures can be oh so delicate. However, add a little heat, and the glass becomes fluid like a syrupy liquid, you can bend shape and transform it into the most fanstastical creations. Heat can be freeing and liberating.

In my yoga classes I spend a lot of time generating heat in the physical body, so that we can move safely and deeply into back-bend and hip-opening postures. After a few sun salutations, even stiff legs can feel quite loose.

For all of us, heat can come in the form of literal/direct heat as one would find in a heated yoga practice, or generated internally through focused breathing. It can come from the intense heat of continued focus and effort. It can come in a deep way through meditation. It can come from emotional “heat” due to stress, longing or news both good and bad. Heat can be incredibly uncomfortable but it is also through this heat that we are able to bend and shape ourselves in new ways.

The Sanskrit term that best captures this notion of heat is called “tapas” which literally means “heat” but also references a practice of spiritual purification through the burning off of negative energy. In yoga it is also one of the “niyamas” or self-restraints that are mentioned in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Intense transformative fire is said to emanate from the third-eye of Lord Shiva, a powerful force that eliminates all evil. Evil doers beware!

Without heat, deep change is impossible. Welcome the purifying heat. When things get challenging and you feel the intensity build, understanding that you have a unique opportunity to grow in incredibly profound and new ways. It’s a chance for you to make your masterpiece.

An ancient Hindu story tells of Lord Hanuman carrying an entire mountain in the hope of it containing a herb that can cure Sri Lakshmana - who was like a brother to him. Such is the love that one being can have towards another.

What would you do for someone you truly love?

Would you do whatever it takes to keep them healthy? Would you go out of your way to keep them safe and to protect them from trouble? Would you spare no effort to make sure they received a proper education? Would you give them all the care they needed? Would you give them the attention they deserve? Would you push and challenge them to be more than they “think” they can be? Would you lift their spirits when they were in a “funk”? Would you laugh with them? Would you be truly present when you were around them? Would you be totally OK with their physical appearance just the way they are? Would you support them in their struggles and celebrate their victories?

If the answer to any or all of these questions are YES YES YES, then please do ask yourself just one last question.

If you would show that kind of love to another being, why not start by showing it first to yourself?

In yoga classes I often ask students to “set and intention” for the class as we begin. This intention, or purpose, can set the tone of the entire class. An empowering intention can make be the difference between moving through class with “the wind at your back” and struggling through in a hope that it will come to an end quickly! Intention setting is not some esoteric principle. It is something that we do every day whether you know it or not.

Today my intention was to "tip-toe through the tulips" - mission accomplished!

Think about your own day (pick a day, like today). If you went to work or school or on a trip somewhere, when you walked out your door to start your day, you had an intention with regards to where you were going. Whenever I put the keys in the ignition of my car, I have a point to why I am turning on the car. Either it is to get to work, go to the store, visit a friend or do something else with a purpose. There is always a reason, even if the reason if to just go for a joy-ride!

In the same way, when students roll-out their yoga mat they are their for a reason, be it conscious or not. In making a conscious and directed purpose for practice there is an opportunity to create a positive meaning for the time and effort spent. It is also a chance to anchor a practice to something positive. After all, it is a lot easier to push through a physically challenging asana if there is a motivating reason for it! In the same reason, it is easier to deal with a challenging situation at work or while traveling if you have a motivating force behind your actions.

Red, red and more red! These tulips are incredible!

As with yoga class, there is power in setting an intention for your day. When I get up every morning, I  set an intention for how I intend to be to be during the day. The intention is never based on an outcome (which is impossible to control) but always centered on my own way of being (which is completely within my control!). Here are a few examples of empowering intentions – in the form of “Today my intention is to….”

• …be an outstanding example for others
• …see the humor in every situation
• …stay present
• …relax and have fun
• …see the best in everyone
• …focus on doing what matters
• …serve without expectation
• …to give it my best effort, nothing more and nothing less

Try this practice out for the next few days. When you wake up in the morning (perhaps after a meditation) make it a point to set an intention. Come back to it on a regular basis (perhaps every time you have something to eat or drink), and watch your days take on a whole new meaning.

Empowering intentions can indeed add some color to your life!

"Cool Buddha" from my visit to the Relational Yoga Mandiram in Colorado

Two days ago I completed a 30-day meditation challenge. You can read my posts during the challenge here. The challenge was as follows:

I commit to, starting today and for the next 30 days, meditating twice a day for 20 minutes each. Once in the morning and once in the evening.

The challenge began simply enough, and became progressively more challenging as life seemed to get in the way of my attempts to sit still and focus. First allergies, then a cold, then several late nights and busy work meetings made sitting still a challenging task! Despite the challenges I persisted and eventually found my time sitting to be easier and more fulfilling. By the 10 days of my 30-day challenge my meditations took on a whole new shape. I was no longer having to force myself to sit. It became more enjoyable and I began to notice more profound benefits.

I’ll share my approach to meditation, the challenges I faced and the benefits received as a guide for those of you that want to take up a similar challenge yourself. Suffice it to say, that at the end of my 30-days, I took 1 day off and did not meditate at all (even though I wanted to!) simply to keep myself from getting in the trap of trying to “keep a streak alive.” However, this morning I did sit for 20 minutes again and will do so again this evening. This is no longer a challenge for me but a way of life. I’m going to keep this up.

My approach

• Sat still in silent meditation for 20 minutes, every morning and evening
• Often meditated after exercise or yoga practice (makes it easier to sit still and focus)
• Chose the same place every time, mostly in a dark room (without tons of light shining on my) and away from noise
• Set a timer for 20 minutes (I use my iPhone, it has a built-in count-down timer and the alarm is soothing!)
• When cold, I draped a shawl over me (including my head) just leaving room around my mouth to breathe
• Sat on the floor (light carpet or yoga mat), and avoided using excessive props and pillows (if you need props or pillar, or even a chair to start, no problem, if you can sit cross-legged on the floor, do that)
• Rested my hands, palms faced down, on my knees
• Kept my spine straight, but with its natural curves
• Imagined an apple balancing on my head to keep from slouching (just initially)
• Kept eyes closed no matter what
• Breathed in and out through my nose (not loud or with “ujayii” breath as in yoga asana practice, but with a normal breath)
• Focused on my breath to start (in fact, you could spend the entire 20 minutes just noticing your breath, I would often do this)
• If you know a mantra or empowering phrase, you can  repeat that, often I would do this, but it is not necessary. You can also focus on an emotion or idea like peace, love, harmony, etc…
• No matter how much my mind wandered, I brought it back to my single point of focus (breath, mantra or whatever you are using for that)
• No matter how badly I wanted to see how much time I have left, I did not open my eyes! (it helps to keep any clocks out of sight so you aren’t tempted to look)
• When finished, I ended in namaste (with hands in prayer at heart center) and that is it!

My challenges (all avoidable with practice and care!)

• Felt sleepy while meditating if I didn’t get to bed early enough
• Had trouble concentrating if I would eat right before meditation or ate heavy foods or overate (or ate late in the evening and then meditated before sleep)
• Tempted to look at a clock or timer to see how much time was remaining. In many cases, I would open my eyes and look right before the time was up!
• Legs sometimes felt ancy…..not pins and needles, but ancy like I wanted to get up and do something
• Mind would wander incredibly, especially if I was late for work or had other important matters to do
• Allergies made it very challenging at times, with constant sneezing and a runny nose, I persisted through this
• Was extremely tired a few times, due to a cold and late work days, made meditation incredibly challenging
• Listening to music or watching a movie (especially action movies) would make meditation more challenging

My benefits

• Less attachment to other people’s actions towards me – especially words and things they say or do that would normally tick me off. Things would just have a far more neutral effect on me
• Incredibly enhanced ability to concentrate on single tasks – especially creative tasks and challenging work that requires focus. I wouldn’t be joking to say that my productivity at work doubled in the past month on a per-hour basis. Not in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality of work.
• Better connections with people. I noticed a better connection with people in yoga classes I teach, and also in several personal relationships and also in the workplace.
• Easier control over what I eat – size of portions, type of food, etc. I’ve noticed that I’ve become far more away of what I eat and have noticed having to eat less or just moderate my food intake in a more natural way. I think this is due to less impulsive feelings which let me notice when I am really full and stop eating at the proper time, and also make smarter choices about what to eat.
• Overall feeling of happiness and well-being. This is perhaps the single biggest benefit. I generally just feel happier. I feel like there is a purpose and direction for what I am doing and things don’t get to me like they used to.

That’s it, if you decide to take up a meditation challenge of your own, please let me know in the comments. It is very well worth it!!!

"Yin and Yang" photo from Eric Bardo

In the Yoga asana practice that I teach we spend a good portion of each practice in an energetic fiery flow that builds “yang” energy. Simply put, you get very warm, start sweating profusely and raise the overall energy level of your body. The closing portion of class is designed to be more cooling, contemplative and introverted energetically speaking – more “yin” in nature.

The “yang” however only exists relative to the “yin.” If the entirety of the practice was more gentle, a few sun salutations would be construed as fire-building. In the practice I teach, sun salutations are heat building, but could also be construed as more gentle given the numerous poses we do that build even more heat (extended side-angle pose, dolphin pose, plank pose, arm balances etc.). I remember being in a class with a master teacher last year, where after several hours of intense asana practice the teacher had us hold dolphin pose for a while. After a minute of struggle, she mentioned that if we wanted a break from dolphin, to just straighten our arms into downward dog! For those of you that practice yoga asana, you know that holding downward dog can itself be tiring if held for a while. However, in the context of all the other asanas we were doing during this particular practice, it seemed quite effortless. Downward dog felt as relaxing as child’s pose!

In the same way, when I was in high school we use to train with all kinds of equipment to increase the intensity of our practices. We used to wear drag suits (old torn suits with pockets sewn in then) and tie inner-tubes around our ankles. We’d swim miles like this. When we’d take them off, we’d start swimming sets that would normally be grueling, but they would seem easy in contrast to swimming with all that darn equipment!

My friend asked me the other day what I would do if I could do anything I wanted, if I was 100% financially and otherwise secure. I didn’t have a great answer when she asked, and I still don’t. However, that question got me thinking. I have been thinking about what it would be like to live in a world where everything was great. Where nothing bothered me. Where I didn’t have a concern in the world. Where everyone was happy and I was always happy. Where nobody ticked me off. Where the bus always came on time and where days were always sunny. I started thinking about what this world would be like.

I didn’t like it.

I think it would lack color, energy and interest. I think it would get boring. I think that the surprises and excitement that I get from my life is partially the result it being full of highs and lows, good days and challenging days, tough luck and good luck. I think without the “bad” the “good” wouldn’t seem so “good”. I think the trick in this whole situation is then to just accept and deal with the challenges as natural events. Not get caught up or impacted by them in a major way (far easier said than done!), and understand that it is only through this contrast that life can have any color and interest at all.

Bellevue Buddha

Every now and then I do challenges to either learn something new or re-commit myself to something I already do – but not enough. They say that 30 days is just enough time to make a habit and from my experience it is long enough to get “over the hump” that usually comes with any kind of change in routine – and actually start to see the benefits.

I have been meditating on and off since late 2003, having learned a technique from John McAffee at the Relational Yoga Mandiram. You can read about one of my fasting and meditation retreats a few years ago. Since that time I maintained a regular twice-a-day meditation routine. 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. On occasion I would sit longer, but this was the typical day.

However, for the past couple years I’ve been slacking. Sometimes I will sit for just five minutes before getting distracted. Sometimes a week would go by without sitting at all! While I do practice yoga regularly (and during 90 minutes I do experience a heightened flow-meditative-state), there is still nothing like sitting still for a few minutes. It is perhaps the most challenging of all aspects of a well-rounded yoga practice.

So, I’m starting a new 30 day challenge. Here it is:

I commit to, starting today and for the next 30 days, meditating twice a day for 20 minutes each. Once in the morning and once in the evening.

I’ll blog about my experience as the days go on. I sat already for my two sessions today. They went by surprising quickly, and my mind was quite still. I’m guessing not all days will be this easy . If you have never meditated before, here are a few tips:

Find a spot that is flat and firm, use this spot consistently for all of your sessions. Don’t meditate in a bed or on a cushy couch. If you get cold in the morning wrap yourself in a shawl.

• Try to sit cross-legged, but if your legs and hips are two stiff, fold up a blanket and sit on it, allowing your ankles to rest of the floor with crossed legs. Use as many blankets as you need! If this doesn’t work for you, find a stiff backed chair to use.
• Set an alarm clock for the allotted time. Start with 5 minutes and build up to 20 minutes. Do not open your eyes until the alarm goes off. Resist the urge to peek!
• Find your spine in a position where it’s straight, with natural curvature. Avoid the tendency to slouch. This will just induce sleepiness! Imagine that you are balancing an apple on your head
• Rest your palms on your knees face down. Alternatively, you can rest your palms one on top of another in your lap.
• Breath in and out through your nose. It doesn’t have to be a loud and audible breathe like they teach in some yoga classes. Just breath normally. Allow your mouth to close and bring the tip of your tongue to the upper palate, and rest it there.
• Continue to notice your breath, if you mind wanders, bring it back to your breath. No matter how many times your mind wanders, keep bringing your awareness back to your breath.
• Try to remain motionless, no matter what! Even if your body tingles or tickles. This is the point, don’t get distracted. You can do pretty much anything for 20 minutes.

That’s it! There are other techniques that people use as part of a meditation practice, but this is the most simple approach. It is highly effective and infinitely challenging. Give it a shot!

Hiking is a great way to get your mind out of your way

You are capable of doing far more than you think you can do. So stop thinking.

You brain will take you out of the game if you let it, so don’t! I spent the past week as an assistant at a yoga teacher training. I was witness to literally dozens of transformations during the program. I saw people get into poses they didn’t think they could do, find deep stillness and happiness and uproot lifelong bad habits.

Most of the magic happened halfway through the program. By that time, the marathon yoga classes, lectures, meditations and disconnection from distration (like phones and computers) had created an environment where people could let go, stop thinking and just be. Like magic, once the mind was put to bed, the real work began and people lit up and really found their personal power.

Our minds are wonderful tools and knowledge is valuable, but finding your own truth and personal power is not a journey of thinking by the mind, it is a journey of your being. So put your mind to bed – go for a run, practice yoga, meditate, play with your kids, go for a hike – do whatever it takes, and let your journey begin.