a community yoga blog

now taking massage appointments

2009-10-30T12:09:00.002-04:00

I am happy to announce I am now taking massage appointments.

I have graduated from school, passed my boards and received my license in the mail. I am taking appointments for Thai Yoga Massage, massage therapy and private yoga lessons.

Table massage starts at $65 for 1 hour (sessions available for up to 90 minutes) and Thai massage starts at $75 for 1 hour (sessions available for up to 2 hours).

I will be moving my blog to my new website---www.kvlmassage.com---as soon as it's ready. Should be early November.

To make an appointment, call me at 864.704.5605. I am located at the Mia Alexander Salon & Spa, 105 W. Stone Ave, Greenville SC 29609.

Namaste,

Kelly

june yin: balance the heart energy

2009-06-09T19:49:00.003-04:00

My Yin Yoga workshops have been expanded to twice a month at North Main Yoga. They will be held regularly on the second and fourth Sundays of the months. The price has been lowered to $15/class.

Classes each month will focus on opening the connective tissue and relubricating joints, as well as balancing one of the bodies energy channels (sometimes called meridians) that relate to the current season. As each season has a particular energy or element connected with it, the energy in our bodies follows a similar path through the organs and channels.

June 14 [4-6 p.m.] opening the spine

June 28 [4-6 p.m.] balancing the heart energy

The heart energy corresponds to the fire of summer. An imbalanced heart energy can lead to worry and sleeplessness, among other things.

April Yin cancelled

2009-04-26T17:51:00.002-04:00

My April Yin Yoga class was cancelled at the last minute due to a death in the family late Saturday night. My apologies to anyone who came to the studio expecting class to find the cancellation announcement on the door.

I will be holding two Yin Yoga workshops during May and hopefully each month after, as well. The times will be posted at the studio. The classes will be $15, starting in May.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and your thoughts at this time.

kelly

April Yin Yoga: date change

2009-03-31T13:07:00.002-04:00

The date for my April Yin Yoga workshop has changed. It was April 12. It is now April 26, so as not to conflict with Easter celebrations. (the studio will be closed that day).

More than any other time of year, spring is the time to balance the body's liver energy flow. The body experiences a rebirth after winter and needs detoxification as it prepares to meet the extra demands of summer.

As we balance the liver, which directs the energy flow throughout the body and is responsible for filtering and nourishing the blood, we balance and nourish our selves as a whole. Balancing the liver energy relieves symptoms including a feeling of being stuck, slow morning energy, anger and irritability, headaches, a weak immune system, inability to relax and fatigue.

This month's Yin Yoga workshop will stimulate the liver energy channel and offer an introduction to the Yin practice, tips to boost liver energy and a mostly seated Yin flow, with slow movements, deep stretches, long passive holds, guided breathwork and meditation.

This method stretches the connective tissue-- which wrap our muscles, organs and joints-- and flushes out toxins and emotions trapped inside, while strengthening and re-lubricating the joints and spine.

Date: Sunday, April 26
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Cost: $20

it's official! I'm off to massage school in April

2009-03-25T10:35:00.004-04:00

I have resigned from the Greenville News (effective April 3) and have made my plans to go to massage school official. I start classes April 7.

I will be attending the Asheville School of Massage & Yoga (Mondays through Wednesdays) from through October. Thursdays through Sundays, I will be back in Greenville giving practice Thai Yoga sessions at my apartment as I continue to study with my teacher, Lia Pardy. Please contact me to set appointments if interested. I will also be posting available appointment times on my blog (to the right) for your convenience.

My teaching schedule at North Main Yoga will be changing, starting the first full week of April:
*I will no longer be teaching my 4 p.m. class Monday through Friday.
*I will keep my Saturday and Sunday morning classes (9-10:15 a.m., $5).
*I will keep my monthly Yin Yoga class (next date is Sunday, April 12, from 4-6).

Thank you for being supportive of my new endeavor. Although it is a little scary to be quitting my job (voluntarily) in this economic climate, I feel truly blessed to have friends, family and students who supported my decision back in September to quit Sports Club (so I would have time to start studying Thai Yoga) and now to cut back on classes so I can go to massage school.

I know on my last day at Work I will feel as if I am no longer being pulled in two directions, and that through combining yoga and bodywork, I will find more harmony and balance in my professional and personal life. I look forward to learning more about yoga, the body, and healing so I have more to give to you in the future.

thanks for giving from your heart

2009-02-19T09:38:00.003-05:00

The Valentine's Day yoga fundraiser was a success, thanks to those of you who gave from your heart.

North Main Yoga and Yoganize studio in Greer were able to raise more than $500 together to benefit the Greer Relief shelter. Thanks again to those who made it to the donation classes at both studios and to those who couldn't come, but gave anyway.

share from the heart: a yoga fundraiser for Greer Relief shelter

2009-02-04T10:06:00.002-05:00

North Main Yoga (downtown Greenville) and Yoganize (Greer) have partnered together to raise money for Greer Relief on Valentines Day, Feb. 14.

Greer Relief provides emergency support and assistance to individuals and families in economic distress in the form of food, shelter, clothing, utilities, prescriptions and heat. All money donated will go directly to support families in Greer, Taylors, Duncan, Lyman & Wellford.

Donation classes will be held on Feb. 14:

At NMY [http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html]
Vinyasa Flow [2-3:15] with Liz
Iyengar Style [3:30-4:45] with Janice

At Yoganize [http://www.yoganize.com/Events.html]
All Levels [2 p.m.] with Karen
Meditation on Loving Kindness [3:15 p.m.] with Craig
After Class Social [3:30] with refreshments

thanks and welcome to new yogi friends

2009-02-04T09:57:00.003-05:00

Just in case any of my fellow teacher trainees (from Max's January Way of Life teacher training in Greenville) have found my site, I wanted to say welcome and thanks for sharing your time with me. It was wonderful to meet you all, and I wish you well in your journeys.

In case any of you want to share your insights from the training or anything else yoga-related, please send me your thoughts and I will add them as a guest blog. (also, please send me a short bio so I can add you to the guest bloggers list.)

Also, there's the Namaste Greenville site, an online yoga community of students and teachers in the greater Greenville area. The link is on the bottom right.

I would love to add links to your studios or personal sites, as well. Just let me know if you'd be interested.

Also, if anyone planning on coming back to Gville for Jamie's Anatomy training in May is interested, I may have a futon available during your stay. . .

Namaste,
Kelly

max's workshops this weekend; filling up

2009-01-21T14:23:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder, everyone. Max's breathing workshops at North Main Yoga this weekend are filling up. The Life in Balance class is already sold out, and there are just a few spaces left in the others.

Please register in advance, as these will sell out. (please don't show up and expect to find a space if you haven't registered and paid in advance.)

His vinyasa flow classes (8:30-10:30 a.m., Jan. 25-31; $20/class. . .held at the Kimah Healing Arts Center on Augusta Road) still have room. Again, please register ahead of time and show up early. Max starts ON time. 8^)

Look forward to seeing you there. . .check the web site for an announcement on parking Saturday morning due to he downtown 5k road race closing some roads.

For more information: http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html and http://www.kimah.net/.

new year, new you: using intention to find positive change

2009-01-07T10:33:00.006-05:00

With the new year, change is on everyone's mind. Any good gym member knows this, which is why they are not surprised when on Jan. 2 the parking lot looks like the mall before Christmas.

This does not create more than a slight inconvenience for the seasoned gym member, because--they know--change is hard to get and most people give up too soon. Which is why the parking lots return to normal about mid-March, if not sooner.

I don't say this to depress you or in any way to dampen the zeal you have for the New Year's resolutions you set (or pretended not to set but thought about in your mind anyway). The problem is our approach to change.

By definition, yoga is change. It is transformative. Anyone who teaches anything different or anything less than that isn't truly teaching yoga. Sure, a yoga class can help you lose weight or firm your abs, but that is just a side benefit. Most importantly, yoga can change your breath, which affects your state of mind . . . and everything about you.

We make two mistakes. (1) we assume we have all the time in the world.

In our mind we say this: "I am 26, I expect to live till I'm 80 (at least, may even go for a Guinness record); therefore, I don't have to do anything truly meaningful for about another 25-30 years."

In reality, all we have is the breath we are breathing now. We are not guaranteed another one. I don't say this to be morbid, just to illustrate the point: how much more deeply would we breathe, how much more closely would we see the world around us. . .if we remembered that only This Moment matters?

We also make another mistake. (2) we make war on our present condition.

So we want to change our quick temper. We've finally faced the truth and decided we don't want to end up like our mother (or substitute some relative/boss/neighbor here). So in our minds, our anger becomes something bad--something to be gotten rid of or destroyed. It is now the enemy.

All we have done is create a mini-war within ourselves. Instead, we should use our energy to transform one thing (our anger, worry, fear, tension, procrastination, passive aggressiveness, gossiping, depression, puppy mind) into something new.

Try this: create a personal, two-word positive-negative intention, perhaps something you want to remember this whole year. Think of something you want more of in your life or something you want to be more like (i.e. more patient, strong, calm, content, happy, etc.). Also, think of something you want to release from your life, or an obstacle you want to move past.

Boil both of these--the positive and negative--down into one or two words each. Now use them as a personal mantra. In class (or in your car or wherever) chant the positive word on your inhale and the negative word on your exhale. Breathe in what you want more of, and breathe out what you want to release. With Each breath.

We change change our breath. Our breath will change our mind. Through our yoga practice, we can substitute one state of mind for another, and that will change our lives.

Someone asked me recently, what can yoga do for you? I said: everything. It can change your life, if you let it.
Happy New Year. May it be one of transformation.
Kelly

[thanks to Jamie Elmer for teaching me this intention]

Tis the season: Peace to All

2008-12-22T13:43:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone,
I know it's a few days early, but I'm wishing you a Merry Christmas. May you take time to enjoy family, friends or whatever makes this season special to you.

My favorite Christmas cards are the ones that remind me about the peaceful nature of this holiday, something completely different than the atmosphere at the mall parking lot, if you've braved it lately. I do think it's easy to forget Peace in the midst of preparations. We justify the stress we put ourselves through by saying we're going good things for the people we love.

However, if the world is to truly know Peace, it has to start in our hearts--in each person's individual heart. I was reading Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Peace Making," where he was discussing anger and war and how little things grow bigger. He said that all big wars start from little wars, from individual confrontations or feelings of anger that go unresolved. At the heart of the global and national strife and war are these single moments of anger left to sprout.

Make this New Year a year of transforming your anger (or worry, or fear, or fill in the blank here) into something good, into Peace. For yourself, your family, your community and the other humans you share this planet with.

Love and Peace to you all,
Kelly

addition to schedule: T/Th 5:30 class

2008-12-22T13:41:00.001-05:00

I will be teaching the Tues/Thurs level 2-3 vinyasa flow class at North Main Yoga (5:30-6:45 p.m. $10) while my friend and fellow teacher, Emma Chandler, goes to India. This will last from Jan. 1-March 5.

This is a $10 class (my regular classes are $5). The later start time might allow some of you to make it to Gville and see me more often!
8^)

book group starting again: Jan. 18

2008-12-22T13:38:00.001-05:00

The book group will be starting again in January, and as with each new book, the group is reopening for new members. This casual, living room-setting, chat while eating yummy food (doesn't all this make you want to come?) book group is designed so you get the most out of it without wasting your time.

Winter Book (4 meetings: jan-april): Jack Kornfield's "A Path With Heart"
We usually meet on Sunday afternoons, from 2:30-4. Our first meeting will be Jan. 18. So buy the book and start reading when you can. We'll read through part 1, through page 67, for the first meeting.

Just let me know if you're interested so I can put you on the list to get directions and reminders.

Vinyasa flow classes w/ Max

2008-12-22T13:36:00.000-05:00

A reminder and something new:

--Max's Jan. 23-24 breathing workshops are filling up. Please call or e-mail NMY to register (advance registration and payment required). $60/class at NMY, but well worth it.

--Also, Max has opened up his morning vinyasa flow sessions during his teacher training to the public as well. The classes are 8:30-10:30 on Jan. 25-31. $20/class. Pre-registration recommended. These classes (and the teacher training) will be held at the Kimah Healing Arts center on Augusta Road.

All info is located on the special events page: http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html

Early registration deadline approaching for Max's breathing workshops

2008-11-24T09:28:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder, the $10 discount period for Max's breathing workshops expires on Dec. 1. This is the last day to sign up for his workshops at $50/class. After Dec. 1, cost will be $60/class.

These workshops [Jan. 23-24] will fill up quickly, so full payment is expected at the time you sign up.

For anyone who's taken my classes and resonates with the emphasis on the breath, you will not want to miss these workshops. More details below:

Friday, 6:00-8:00pm: Breathing, Chanting & Meditation
Max is known for his cathartic breathing events. This workshop is known for its healing, penetrating effect, leaving students feeling renewed and open. In our breath their is so much power to be harnessed and so much grace to be found. In this workshop, we will begin by integrating breathing exercises and gentle movement. This will build into a vinyasa flow class, then the second half of the class will focus on simple chants, unfolding into a meditation. (all levels)

Saturday, 10:45-12:45: Life In Balance
Develop grace, strength, and concentration with standing balance postures. Learn how the habitual practice of balance poses can increase your longevity by many years. This workshop will begin with a talk about internal and external balance. Then, after warming up we explore simple standing balance postures and transitions. This class is ideal for all levels, even those who think of themselves as "clumsy." These techniques are known to calm the mind and increase one’s patience and compassion toward others. (all levels)

Saturday, 3:00-5:00pm: Learn to Breathe, to Heal Yourself and Your Relationships
How does the way we breathe affect our stress level, quality of sleep, depression, and even our relationships? Breath penetrates, breath invigorates, and breath heals. Breathing exercises and gentle yoga will be sequenced to create profound release and calm. Other benefits may include increased energy and mental clarity. (all levels)

Registration
Send a check with your payment to North Main Yoga, 10 W. Stone Ave, Greenville, SC 29609. Please send a note with your email or a phone number in case we need to contact you. You may also pay before your favorite yoga class. Space will not be reserved until all payments have been made.

one virtue, one sin

2008-11-09T15:59:00.001-05:00

According to the Sufis, there is one virtue and one sin.

The virtue--taking a breath in awareness. The sin--taking a breath in negligence. From Hazrat Inayat Khan, "May we be a breath of life to the body of human kindness."

[thanks to Liz for this reminder. to view the rest of her blog on pranayama practice, visit the namaste greenville link to the bottom right.]

Yin Yoga sequence from Nov. 8 workshop

2008-11-09T14:52:00.003-05:00

For those of you who missed it, or for those of you who attended my Yin Yoga workshop at North Main Saturday and want to practice it again. . . .here is my sequence.

The practice was about 1 hour, 45 minutes. This was designed to give Yin beginners a well-rounded introduction to the practice. It starts with compression poses for the spine and then ends with lots of forward folds. The holds get progressively longer.

Keep in mind the poses may not be appropriate for everyone, and that I was able to modify for everyone's body in the room, so pay attention to your edge or try alternative poses. For those with injuries--especially if you have spine injuries, disc issues, joint injuries, inflammation or arthritis--please get more background before starting.

More information about the Yin practice and the technique behind stretching the connective tissues can be found in Paul Grilley's "Yin Yoga: an outline of a quiet practice." I would highly recommend reading before attempting a Yin practice on your own.

Do not approach a Yin practice the same way you would a regular practice. The poses are even named differently to give the practitioner a different mindset. . .

Here are the 4 basics to remember as you enter and exit the poses.

1. Ease into the pose slowly. [there is lots of time to go deeper. the simple fact of holding the pose for a while will deepen the stretch by itself.]

2. Release into it and be still. [make no effort if you can help it. let your body sick toward the ground. continually scan your body for tension, and keep giving in to where you already are. watch your mind. breathe through the anxiety if it arises and commit to being still, unless your edge requires you move.]

3. Stay a while. [Hold the poses long enough for the connective tissue to stretch. the tissues are thick and fibrous. they need time. don't think of attaining a certain place or achieving anything. simply be. make each pose a breath meditation.]

4. Release with care. [after an intense opening, ease back to neutral. don't whip your body back and forth. take short resting poses between holds. these are as important as the "real" poses. listen to your body and notice how you are reacting. sometimes we don't really feel the pose until we release it. a flow class rarely gives you the opportunity to notice these changes unless you're aware.]

YIN SEQUENCE:
[a little heat is built up at the beginning, and a little flow is added in places. breath soft and deep ujjayi. feel free to play with the hold times. these are just suggestions--the longer you hold, the more intense it will be. pose names are taken from Grilley's "Yin Yoga."]

hold times are in [ # ]:
--childs
--down dog [1]
--dragon: any version A-C [1/side]; short plank in between each (optional tripod here)
--infant [3-5 breaths]
--childs [same length as infant]
--seal [2]
--thread the needle (on elbows and knees, thread one arm palm up to opp. side, rest down) [1.5/side]
--sphinx [2]
--rest on belly [until spine is neutral]
--puppy/8-point pose (a childs pose with arms walked forward, chest to floor) [2]
--childs [1.5]
--sleeping swan [3]; then come up into swan [1]. . .switch sides and repeat
--childs w/knees together

--flow: round spine up into cat tilt, walk hands to both sides, still rounded. cat/dog tilts, reach right elbow and hips towards each other, switch sides, sway hips from side to side. . .

--butterfly [4-5]
--wide-kneed childs (toes together)
--saddle (knees wide, toes together under butt) [3 or longer] (optional half saddle: hold both sides the same length)
--wide-kneed childs
--half butterfly [3/side]

--flow: dragonfly, version A. with the breath inhale arms up to center, exhale twist to side. repeat for a few breaths.

--dragonfly, version B: forward fold. (I recommend placing blankets or bolsters under the knees) [3-4]
--savasana [1-2]
--right angle legs (pigeon variation: start right leg bent at knee, shin parallel to front of mat, left leg same shape, knee out to side of mat, sitting on the right hip, fold forward) OR shoelace [2-3]
--starfish twist (come to sitting in right angle legs, turn chest to right and fold. left hip will ride up and over with you as chest comes to mat, arms overhead. [1/side]
--repeat either right angle legs OR shoelace and then starfish twist on left side.
--(optional: two legged (legs together) forward fold OR dragon fly fold [3])
--savasana [2]
--(optional: childs [5])
--either straight into savasana OR choose from snail or supported bridge, hold as desired. OR do both in that order.)
--reclined twist
--savasana [10-20]
--seated meditation [use your favorite breath meditation here]

[please call/write me with questions or modification needs]

yoga for a cause: karma weekend nov. 1-2

2008-10-26T19:13:00.004-04:00

The Upstate Yoga community has come together for a Karma Yoga weekend: Yoga for a Cause to benefit the Harvest Hope food bank. The fall is normally a time when food bank shelves are thin, and that is even more the case now.

As the economy has worsened, we naturally turn our focus to our own lives and pocket books, and perhaps increase our fear in doing so. Doing something for others takes the perspective off ourselves in a freeing, healthy way and can develop compassion for those around us.

Several yoga studios will be holding classes the weekend of Nov. 1-2 for donations only. All proceeds will benefit those in need in our region.

Visit http://www.northmainyoga.com/ or http://www.upstateyogis.com/ for class schedules.

Thanks to the following studios for participating in the area's first joint yogi cause: North Main Yoga. 90 Degrees Yoga. It's Yoga!. Yoganize. Yoga Place

whatever it is, yoga will help

2008-10-26T18:42:00.002-04:00

"yoga is all about renewal. . .
when depressed, yoga enlivens.
when stuck, yoga helps untangle.
when in pain, it softens the blow.
when tired, yoga refreshes.
when tight, it loosens things up.
. . .it's like returning to the void, where all things become possible again."

[patricia gray, yoga gallery]

[guest blog] liz: finding your Teacher

2008-10-19T17:29:00.004-04:00

[note from kelly: I second everything Liz says about Max. I hope to follow in his example with my students.]

You may wonder what makes a teacher great. What is a teacher versus an instructor? What makes one teacher different from another? What makes a teacher right for you?

I have often heard when you are ready, the teacher will appear. I have been very fortunate to study with the same person for 9 years. This is something that is fairly unheard of in the West and especially this day and time. People are often seeking, seeking, seeking and find breadth over depth... That is to say they learn a little from a lot of people, rather than a lot from a few select sources.

Here is how I knew my teacher was the right one for me. It is my hope that this will help guide each of you on your path...The first sign was the way I felt after my first yoga class with Max. I had been to yoga classes for 4 years off and on and never found a teacher that I could stick with. Brian took me to Max's class one morning and I felt different, somewhat changed from a one hour and forty-five minute class. I began to go to class more frequently and then Max started to chat with me before or after class.

Eventually, he began to speak to me about how I was feeling or what was happening in both of our worlds. It was at this time that he invited me to take his teacher training. We were in the midst of studying ahimsa (non-violence or pure love) when September 11th happened. I will never forget the yoga class I took on September 12th. I knew at this time, more than any other, Max wasn't an instructor, he was a teacher, teaching us about more than asana. I became kinder, less reactive, and more aware of all of my actions and their effects on others.

When Brian and I left LA, I thought I had left my teacher. I cried about it for two years actually. Every time I went back to LA, I would cry when leaving (Max' s studio a the time) Sacred Movement. Max would ask if Charlotte was really that bad... "Well, yes and no. I have no teacher!"

I must have sounded pretty silly to Max, since he was still my teacher. Lucky for us, we opened North Main Yoga and Max has been our guest here each year. On top of that, Brian and I travel once per year to study with Max somewhere else. Each year we get to take his classes and learn more from him. Each year, his teachings reach me on a new level. When I hit a low, somehow he calls to ask if everything is alright. Whenever I feel I am ready for the next step, Max is there to teach me with something new.

This summer, I got to study with Max and his friend, Pir Zia. When I was there, Max and I spoke of how students can get in a rut practicing with the same teacher. This thought kept going through my head. How do we know if a teacher is right for us? I spoke to Max about this further when he was (in Greenville this September).

Here is what you can ask yourself: Does your teacher serve your purposes? Has your life changed as a result of his or her teachings? After a time studying with this person, are you still angry and resentful? If so, it may be time to move on. As you change, has your teacher been able to grow with you?

If you have studied with the same person for a year or more and you have not shifted, it is time for a new teacher. There is one one thing to consider as honestly as you can before changing teachers--Ask yourself if you are truly listening to your teacher. If you take class consistently, but are unwilling to listen to your teacher (for physical adjustments or emotional ones); then you may need to stay with the same teacher, but expand your mindset to include all of their instructions in your practice.

We seek out teachers with knowledge that we trust. When we don't listen to them, we are shutting ourselves off from potential growth.

We see students all the time that come from other places. They tell us how "advanced" they are, but they are the first ones to cuss when falling out of a balance pose. My favorite was a student visiting from the west coast who told us she was a fourth level ashtanga student. One day we got a voice mail with a barrage of profanity... Then another one. The third voice mail was sweet as pie, "Hi, I want to come to yoga today." It was the same woman on all three messages. I am not sure she was with the right teacher.

Take some time to reflect on why you come to yoga. Do you get what you want? Or what you need? Do you feel a shift in yourself that you take with you when you leave the yoga room? Are you a kinder person due to your yoga class? Or do you leave more arrogant then when you arrived? Does your ego take over and tell you how great you are? Do you have more humility? After thinking about these things honestly, you will know if your teacher is right for you.

[to read more of liz's writing, visit the namaste greenville site. link to the right.]

[guest blog] anna: coming home to power: manipura chakra

2008-10-19T17:26:00.007-04:00

[note from kelly: thanks to anna ferguson for this focus. the manipura chakra is connected to many key functions, on many levels of our exisitence.]

This month, I have been focusing a great deal in my classes on the manipura chakra. Our digestion is so fundamental to our well-being and focusing on this chakra and energy in the body can help us increase our health, energy and vitality.

The Manipura Chakra. . . .Element: Fire. Color: Yellow. Verb: I can. Attributes: Power, will, energy, transformation.

Our third chakra, a yellow lotus of ten petals, is located at the solar plexus—the place where we get those butterfly feelings when we feel scared or powerless. Its element is fire—that radiates and transforms matter into energy, giving light and warmth. This chakra represents our "get up and go," our action, our will, our vitality, and our sense of personal power. Its name, Manipura, means "lustrous gem."

We can think of it as a glowing yellow Sun, radiating through the center of our body. On the physical plane, the third chakra rules metabolism, the process whereby we turn food (matter) into energy and action. Digestion troubles, stomach troubles, hypoglycemia, diabetes, ulcers, or addictions to stimulants (such as caffeine) are all related to malfunctioning of the third chakra. Weight problems may also be an indication that the body is not properly turning its matter into energy.

[To read the rest of this article, please go to: http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/254]

the only scenario in which caffeine and meditation do mix

2008-10-19T17:23:00.005-04:00

announcing: Meditation Coffee Talk and Q&A with American Buddhist Nun, Kelsang Nyema.

when: sunday, Oct. 26, 3:30 p.m.
where: Coffee Underground [corner of Coffee and Main Street, downtown Greenville]
price: donations are welcomed to cover Nyema’s travel expenses.

more: Join American Kadampa Buddhist nun, Kelsang Nyema, for coffee and informal discussion about Buddhism, meditation, and spiritual practice. She is happy to answer any questions you have on these topics, so be sure to come with lots of questions!

even more: visit http://meditateinsouthcarolina.org/

[thanks to craig for this announcement. craig is hosting meditation sessions at NMY this fall. see the events for more information]

[guest blog] max: freedom from fear

2008-10-19T17:21:00.003-04:00

[note from kelly: this was copied with thanks from Max's Oct. 12 newsletter. to subscribe visit Max's page to the right. the title is my own.]

"Freedom From Fear"
Warm greetings from Beijing. What a time. There have been so many world changes in only two weeks, and the extraordinary recent events in our global economy have many of us extremely frustrated and frightened. Contraction is happening quickly, even here in Beijing, the heart of the most robust economic engine in the world, factories are already closing due to a sudden decrease in demand.

When world events such as these, events outside of our control, shift suddenly and challenge our livelihood and sense of survival, we naturally feel anger, fear, and discouragement. It is situations like these that put to the test our beliefs in ourselves, our spiritual vision, and our moral fiber. Events such as these reveal who we are and what we are capable of.

As we watch our leaders fail us, anger and fear are natural responses but we must not dwell in them too long. Our anger will dissipate only when we channel that energy and begin to take action to repair and renew our circumstances. Action with a clear and ethical path replaces anger with strength, and empowers us to make the changes we need for a life richer in substance.

Fear: We tend to fear change, especially imposed change from exterior forces. In fact it could be said we most of us spend a lot of time and money creating the illusion of permanence and safety. Times like these remind us that life is more mutable than what we like to believe it is. This material life, including our very body is ever changing and impermanent.

Ultimately in this life, every one of us will lose the material form of everything - but we never lose what is truly ours. What is ours we keep eternally.

As I have journeyed through my own life, I have realized that the most wonderful and meaningful moments are connected to my heart, and not the circumstances of the day. I have had some of my most fulfilling days when I owned only a suitcase full of possessions, and have had considerable distress while living in material comfort. The external circumstances usually did not make a lot of difference on my scale of happiness.

As I look back though the past, all of my most powerful memories are all connected to either spiritual epiphanies or to love, the people I was interconnected with. The big "goals" that I set for myself as a young man fade from my memory like they were mirages, meaning less and less. True quality of life has always been determined, whether I knew it or not, by the degree of my own inner peace and my ability to love and accept love.

Once I began a daily yoga practice that cultivated these aspects, I became less interested in “self-determined circumstances of pleasure,” and more engaged and integrated with what was in and all around me. In other words, I began to let go of demanding happiness in a certain form, and began to let Providence determine the form, believing its vision of what is best for me is far superior to my own, by comparison, very narrow view.

The writer/teacher Viktor Frankle, a concentration camp survivor said a fascinating passage in his writings after World War II: “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”

Today we cannot pretend to know the outcome of these global financial events. Catastrophes create new opportunities. Often when things explode in our face, they also blow open new doors. We can reinterpret this negative situation into A Wakeup Call for Action and Wisdom.
To have our courage stripped away by others is something we cannot afford to let happen. Money and property can be taken away by others, but our strength of spirit and human good is ours alone to keep or give away.

With love and brotherhood--Max

[guest blog] max strom: peace not war, unity not division

2008-10-07T23:53:00.004-04:00

[note: this is copied from Max's latest e-mail newsletter. I find he expresses better how I am feeling lately with the unsettling current events. I trust he will not mind me borrowing.]

"Here at home all eyes are on Wall Street and the Capitol as we wait to see if our leaders will steer the course straight once again. Economically we are in a uniquely unstable time, but the roots of this instability stem from the realm of ethics, or lack thereof. I believe that the economy is ultimately ethic-driven as much as business-driven.

The Iroquois had a profound axiom they used in their governing of a nation nearly one-third the size of the USA: "In every deliberation we must consider the impact on the seventh generation... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine."

This future-sighted wisdom resulted in a period of 500 years of prosperity and peace. In our present day government, all sense of distant vision seems to have eroded to the nearsightedness of a ninety-year old person resulting in the current economic dilemma.

The gift of living in a democracy is we have the tools as a people to quickly and deeply affect the course of the future, as we are, after all the fourth branch of the government. I encourage you to vote this November, but not only for President but for congressmen and women who are authentic. And more than that, I encourage us all to use the many options available to us to lift up leaders who are not only educated, but wise, not only speak of greatness, but like our forefathers and mothers, leaders who are so invested in their beliefs they are willing to pledge their fortunes, honor, and their very lives to see them through.

In the Presidential race tempers are flaring all around. Many people are investing themselves in dividing our nation into two camps- two kinds of people. But the practice of yoga is a practice of unity. “If it isn't unifying, it isn't yoga.”

Our challenge as yogis during this polarizing time is to resist the temptation of the “us and them” mindset, and to resist anger toward perceived enemies. This is always the case, every single day, but it is more evident during times like these. The essence of most spiritual teachings includes loving our neighbor, and also our enemies.

As practitioners of peace and unity we will vote in this election but we will not hate or demean others. We will forgive the candidate we oppose as we vote against him or her. We will vote, but not condemn.

Peace is not only the absence of war, but also a way of seeing the world, and making choices is how we express and manifest that vision of the world. In dark times, like the night sky, stars become visible and more evident. Become one. Life is full and ever amazing."
--max strom

[for more information on max, visit his page on the right under people and places. max will return to Greenville in January.]

all my classes now $5; financial assistance available if needed

2008-10-07T22:14:00.004-04:00

My schedule has changed slightly: my saturday morning class at NMY is no longer $10. All my classes are now community yoga=$5.

Please see my schedule in detail on the right.

The North Main studio owners have said, and I just wanted to pass it on, that no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Those who need assistance will be given it. Those who can and would like to help, may contribute on behalf of those in need.

For more information or to contribute, call 241-0870.

Max to return in January

2008-09-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

For those of you who attended any of Max Strom's workshops this weekend, I'd be interested to hear what you thought or felt afterward. Please start a comments section.

Max will be returning to North Main Yoga Jan. 25-Feb. 3 to teach his foundation-level teacher training couse: "Building the Temple." Registration is $1,100 before Nov. 1.

He has also set dates for more public workshops: Jan. 23-24. Please view the local events listing for more information.

next book for reading group: "Wisdom of Yoga" [group open to new readers, sign up now]

2008-09-02T13:15:00.003-04:00

Announcing the next book for our reading group: "The Wisdom of Yoga" by Stephen Cope.

If you are interested in signing up (totally free) and receiving e-mails about the times planned and reading assignments, please e-mail me by this Saturday. After that I will switch all book-related e-mails to only those on the book group list, so as not to clutter everyone else's inboxes.

I do encourage attending all meetings for the sake of the discussion, but I understand if you have to miss one (or more). Don't let that stop you from signing up if you're interested. (Or, if you'd rather read the book on your own and not attend the meetings, that's fine too.) The last thing I want is for this to become a "school project" hanging over your heads. Read, enjoy and benefit as much as you want to, I say.

book info:
"The Wisdom of Yoga: a seeker's guide to extraordinary living" by Stephen Cope.
ISBN #: 978-0-553-38054-5.
$16 off the shelf (should be available at Barnes & Noble--if not in stock, they can order it in about a week).
About $11 from amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Yoga-Seekers-Extraordinary-Living/dp/0553380540/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220374128&sr=1-1)

[note: it is available for free shipping if order is over $25, so if you want to buy ahead, I'd recommend Pema Chodron's "Start Where You Are"]
[another note: if you need to borrow a copy (and you're not a highlighter) for the sake of saving money, I can probably convince a few friends to loan out their copy. . .just let me know]

The reason I like this book is that for those of you who read through "Heart of Yoga," this dovetails nicely into the sutras using the discussion on the mind we just finished. Even so, you don't need to have read the first book to understand this one. . .

I am thinking we'll break the book up into sections, like last time, and finish it in three months (taking a break during December before we start the next in January).

The following are tentative dates (all Sundays, from 2:30-4): Sept. 28 (first meeting), Oct. 26 and Nov. 23. Reading assignments to follow. . .

thanks to all my Sport Club yogis

2008-09-01T20:13:00.001-04:00

Now that I am officially no longer employed at Sports Club, I wanted to say a proper thank you to all of you. Don't worry. No diatribes coming. . .

To those of you who suffered through my first class ever two Decembers ago and stuck with me, thank you. Your support helped me gain my feet and work out my first kinks without becoming overwhelmed.

To those of you who had just started practicing with me before I left, thank you for opening your minds to something new. May your practice grow. To those of you who shared personal feelings and experiences with me, thank you. Your trust has made me a better teacher.

To those of you who threw yourself into your breathing practice, thank you. Each class was a beautiful thing surrounded by your breath.

I am not just saying these things. Teaching for me is a gift, both one I give to my students and one I receive back. It is not a job. To have had students like you has made the last 20 months a constant learning process and a constant joy and reward. Thank you for sharing your lives with me.

I do hope you will continue to stay in touch. I will be working closely with Jennifer (who is taking over my SportsClub classes) through December, at least. Her first class is this Wednesday, so please support her as she grows.

She will be filling her own shoes, not mine. Just as everyone has a different path to follow, so every teacher teaches from their own heart.

please welcome Jennifer, my replacement at Sports Club

2008-08-21T12:27:00.002-04:00

I am happy to announce that Jennifer Earley will be replacing me at Sports Club, starting in September. She will be assisting my last few classes to make the transition for both her and you more comfortable.

Jennifer has a true passion for yoga that I know will take her far. Please introduce yourself to her when you see her in class and let her know of any injuries, old or new.

Jennifer and I will continue working closely together through the end of the year.

"goodbye" party: Aug. 30

2008-08-21T12:26:00.002-04:00

As you know, my last day at Sports Club is Aug. 30, and there will be a get together that evening.

It is strange to announce my own goodbye party, and even stranger because I hope this will not be a true goodbye for us. I do hope to stay in touch and see you in classes at the studio.

However, Samantha has been kind enough to organize a little parting celebration for me, and I hope you can all attend. Feel free to bring spouses, etc.

[when] Saturday, Aug. 30 from 5-7 p.m.
[what] pot luck party (contact samantha to coordinate what to bring: 630-740-3998)
[where] the deck at the Greenville Sports Club on Congaree Road (I've been told it's out back by the tennis courts)

class recordings, anyone?

2008-08-18T10:15:00.004-04:00

I plan to record my last classes at Sports Club so I have something to leave with my students who (will or) will not be able to take classes with me at North Main Yoga, starting next month when I switch over.

I'm looking into ways to post the recordings online so you can download for free whichever classes appeal to you. Check back later for links and such.

If you'd like to do it the old-fashiond way, I will list the classes available and you can bring me 1 blank CD for each class you want and a list of the class date(s) by Aug. 30, my last class at Five Forks. . .

weekend yoga events: Aug. 15-17

2008-08-15T09:27:00.003-04:00

I've advanced these events already, so here is a reminder about yogic things to do this weekend.

*Friday [8.15] is the Yin Yoga class at the FF gym (6:30-7:30, no fee). bring extra blankets if you have them.

*Saturday [8.16] is the day of free yoga at North Main. I teach from 1-2:15 if you want to come check out the studio. 75-minute classes run all day, starting at 9 and ending at 6:45.

*Sunday [8.17] there is a meditation lecture on Giving at NMY. (3:30-5. $7)

For more info on any of these events visit the special events page at http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html.

Max discount deadline today & his (sat) breathing workshop is full

2008-08-15T09:23:00.003-04:00

Just a quick reminder: today (Friday, Aug. 15) is the deadline to get Max Strom's workshops (sept. 5-7) at North Main Yoga for $50/each. As of tomorrow, they will go up to $60/each.

I know many of you have already paid to secure your spot, so thanks.

Also, the Saturday afternoon workshop ("How Well do you Sleep" on breathing) is full. If you have already registered for that class, please pay as soon as possible to keep your spot.

If you did not sign up for that class, but you'd like to be put on the waiting list, e-mail your name and phone number to nmyoga@bellsouth.net. She will let you know if spaces open up.

leaving Sports Club

2008-08-11T22:31:00.004-04:00

After much, much, much thought, I am leaving Sports Club.

I submitted my resignation letter Monday morning, effective Aug. 31. I hope to teach out the rest of the month, but may hear otherwise from the management. I'll keep you posted. I am leaving on good terms. It was a personal decision, made up of many factors.

I cannot express with words how deeply I will miss you, my students at Sports Club. Some of you were patient enough to bear with me through my first class--when I was too nervous to look up, much less venture off my mat.

As much as some of you have said I have taught you, you should know you have taught me so much more. The last 20 months of teaching have let me evolve and learn each day, and I thank you.

Thank you for your commitment to your practice, your openness to going inside yourselves, your support and enthusiasm, your willingness to breathe.

I will write more later, but for now, please know that I hope to keep in touch if you are willing. I will be expanding my schedule at North Main Yoga, starting in September. [I will be teaching my community yoga class Monday-Friday, from 4-5 ($5), and Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10:15 a.m.]

Namaste.

namaste greenville

2008-08-06T11:24:00.001-04:00

View my page on Namaste Greenville

[guest blog] liz: being content, on and off the mat

2008-08-06T11:12:00.004-04:00

[note from kelly: I copied this post from the namaste greenville site (click here http://namastegreenville.ning.com/ if you want to read the comments section). thanks liz]

"why it's harder to look inside ourselves" by liz delaney

There is this great story that I first read in a children's book, but later discovered it is a Sufi tale as well. Here goes... A man is outside his house looking for his keys. His friend comes by, sees him and asks what he is looking for. The man replies, "I lost my keys."

The friend says, "Let me help you. Where did you lose them?" The man says, "Inside." Friend says, "Then why are you looking out here?" The man responds, "Because there is more light out here."

This describes some of us so well... It is so much easier to look outside of ourselves rather than within. This is part of the human condition. Look around you and I am sure you see people who seek happiness in the form of money, accomplishments, food, shopping and the accumulation of things. Always wanting more, more, more, but never finding the thing for which they are searching. What would happen if they turned inside?

The same is true in yoga class. Brian and I have been practicing a similar sequence for eight years and have been content with this. We never questioned it until someone asked us why we never teach the "harder" poses. It took us some time to really think and process through this.

Slowly, it occurred to us that if you are always seeking the "harder" poses, aren't you really trying to achieve something? Maybe trying to add it to your list of accomplishments? Our teacher once said the best way to lose the ego is to do the same poses over and over, but hold them longer and breathe deeper. The ego tells us we need more to be happy, again bringing us outside of ourselves. Isn't the aim of yoga to lead you within?

Our yoga practice should be just that- a practice for your daily life. Whatever manifests itself on your mat is usually what goes on in your daily life. When you practice yoga, do you strive to push yourself as hard as you can? What happens when your teacher changes his or her style, do you rebel in your head and do what you want to do anyway? Can you be content doing just what the teacher asks of you or do you always have to add more? What happens when a distraction occurs out the window, can you keep your focus or are you silently cursing the person causing the disruption?

When you are in yoga class are you thinking about what you did before or what you will do after? Can you enjoy your yoga practice for exactly what it is in that moment? What would happen if you just turned within?

Take a few moments today and think about your yoga practice and then think about your daily life. How often are you content in either situation? Are you happy just existing, being fully present, or do you need to consume more to be happy? Try spending a day (or even a yoga class) simply existing within to find the light that exists there. You never know what you may find.

[comments for liz? post them here]

new studio on woodruff road opening

2008-08-05T13:51:00.003-04:00

Announcement, everyone: my friend (and guest blogger) Chris Brown is opening a new yoga studio on Woodruff Road sometime in September.

The studio will be located in the Maxwell Pointe strip mall at the intersection of Woodruff Road and Highway 14. I'll let you know more details when I have them.

Just wondering: how many of you would be interested in taking classes there?

how much environmental distraction is too much [when practicing or teaching]?

2008-08-04T11:24:00.005-04:00

I am sure there are people out there who have never taken a yoga class in an environment that is nothing less than serene, "zen" and heavenly.

For the rest of us, have you ever been taking (or, for that matter, teaching) a class where the number of distractions present makes it almost impossible to be present? Or more specifically, where sounds from the racquetball elimination game and the nursery behind the neighboring walls are competing for attention, or where the room temperature is in the general vicinity of an industrial freezer, or where people are coming and going like a speed dating service?

Ok, I might be dramatizing it a bit. But only a little bit. The question is this: at what point does an environment make it impossible for yoga to happen? Or does it ever?--Is my struggle to concentrate in the midst of construction noises, for example, a sign of my non-enlightenment?

I am serious here. This is not a question I like asking, because it could (and probably will) turn out that the second answer is the correct one. But I do need feedback.

So: where is the line between living (or practicing) in the midst of confusion and distraction while being calm and in the moment AND teaching or practicing in an environment that is soooo not conducive to yoga that the struggle to overcome it ceases to be yoga at all?

Am I the only one with this dilemma? please comment.

help the hungry; get $5 yoga classes [all month]

2008-08-03T17:42:00.003-04:00

Just a reminder, since I've mentioned this many times already, but the North Main Yoga studio is offering all classes this month for $5 when you bring in a canned good.

The studio is celebrating its third-year anniversary and using the month to give back to the community while collecting food for a local pantry. [the food pantry has not been decided, so if you have a suggestion, e-mail Brian or Liz at the studio--their info is listed along the right.]

The community yoga classes are always $5, so you are welcome to bring a canned good to these classes, but they will not be discounted.

free yoga: Aug. 16

2008-08-03T17:33:00.002-04:00

As part of North Main Yoga's third-year anniversary celebration, the studio will be hosting a day a free yoga classes. Come try a new style or teacher or your favorite (for free).

The schedule is as follows [all classes are Aug. 16]:
9-10:15 [Iyengar style] Janice
10:45-12:15 [Vinyasa, level 2-3] Brian
1-2:15 [Community Yoga: gentle vinyasa] Kelly
2:30-3:45 [Women's Health] Jennifer
4-5:15 [Vinyasa, level 1-2] Liz
5:30-6:45 [Sivananda] Caroline

For style descriptions, visit the studio's website at www.northmainyoga.com.

slim august schedule

2008-08-03T17:26:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have been asking, my teaching schedule for August at the gym was cut almost in half this month (not by my request). I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

If you would like to give feedback about the schedule changes, Libby Stewart (group fitness supervisor for all 3 clubs), is the one you'd need to contact. Her e-mail can be found online at www.sportsclubsc.com.

(I don't know that I even need to say this, but) If you do e-mail Libby, please be polite and constructive.

why you should try yoga, according to max

2008-07-26T22:58:00.002-04:00

So, here's a little-viewed video on youtube of Max at a yoga conference in Malaysia. [thanks to liz for the note. beware: the video is a tad grainy.]

in it, he talks about what brings us to yoga--and what keeps us coming back a year later. maybe you'll recognize yourself.

or, maybe you're still wanting something else, needing to be somewhere else, unable to sit still, unable to sleep. if so, you need to try yoga.

enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHyitEcGsY&feature=related

[remember: Max is coming to NMY Sept. 5-7 to teach 4 workshops. One is on breathing and sleeping better. the deadline to get the early registration fee ($10 less/class) is Aug. 15]

why we (sometimes) 'OM' after class

2008-07-19T15:29:00.001-04:00

It's the end of class, and somewhere from the depths of savasana you think you hear the teacher's voice rousing you. So, all warm and loose, you roll to your side and then up to seated. If your eyes were opened, things would still be murky. But your eyes are closed, and everything is dark.

And from this hazy state, your teacher asks you to join the class in chanting three OMs. You freeze.

At least that's what I did the first time. Confused thoughts ran through my mind. . .the same thoughts that you may have experienced when I or another teacher sprang an OM on you after class.

I forget who it was, but someone asked me after class Wednesday what OM meant. It's a good question--one with many answers.

Although OM has highly significant meaning in Eastern cultures and religions, it is possible to chant it without belonging to those religions and without affirming them. They all draw from the same ideas that make "Amen" sacred to Protestants.

My teacher described it once as the universal sound, or a vibration that cleanses and unifies the whole being--body, mind and soul. It makes sense to chant it after a yoga class in which the purpose is just that.

The following is a definition I'm borrowing from Om Village:

"Om, according to the ancient scripts of the Vedic civilization, is the sound of life. It is the infinite vibration that shimmers through the Universe, providing life and sustenance to everything. Om is the beginning and will continue till the end; the one constant that unites all of creation at its deepest level.

The chanting of Om revitalizes the body, soothes the mind and nourishes the soul. Hence, Om is considered the most powerful of all Indian mantras (chants), and is the prefix to or the beginning sound of all other mantras.

The Upanishads (Indian Vedic texts), describe Om (or Aum) as the complete sound that encapsulates the entire range of sounds the human voice can make. It starts with A at the base of the throat, moves on to U with the tongue and the palette, and ends with M where the lips are closed and no more sound emanates.

If Divinity were to be represented in sound codes, it would be Om. Om is the purifier, the all powerful tool that awakens in us the deepest reflection of Spirit, or God, or the Universal energy. This is because Om is the representation of this energy and flows through our breath in our waking and sleeping state. Om is the essence that unites all of us at our most intuitive level."

So, if you ascribe to a certain religion, you can chant OM to unite with your God. If not, it still has deep meaning. If the word is still frightening, you can always substitute "Amen."

OM to you.

[questions or comments? want to know how to OM boldly? comment here]

simpsonville studio change

2008-07-19T14:56:00.002-04:00

An announcement for all my Sports Club students:

Starting Monday [7.21] the Simpsonville Studio 3 will be converted into a Pilates Reformer ONLY studio, and all yoga classes will be moved to Studio 2.

meditation class [Aug. 17]: being more giving

2008-07-16T14:55:00.004-04:00

As part of the North Main Yoga studio's third-year anniversary next month, they will be hosting a meditation class on a subject that reflects the gratefulness of the owners and teachers for being in the community. Thanks to Craig for this announcement:

dana practice: the practice of giving
During this class, we will listen to a teaching on the cultivation of a personal giving practice, followed by a meditation on the practice of giving.

Dana (generosity) is one of the Six Paramitas (perfections) of Buddhist practice. Through the practice of wisely offering others our time, kind words, material goods, etc., we can generate vast amounts of merit, increase our inner peace, eliminate our delusions and help our entire community in both temporary and lasting ways. We will discuss the benefits of giving, as well as how to give in the most appropriate and beneficial ways.

details
*to be held at North Main Yoga [Corner of North Main and Stone Ave, Downtown Greenville]
*Sunday, August 17th, from 3:30-5
*suggested donation: $7 [Proceeds from this class will help support the Ganden Center’s various educational programs.]

For further information about the Ganden Buddhist Center, please visit: www.meditateinsouthcarolina.org

The Ganden Center will resume regular, bi-weekly meditation classes at NMY beginning this Fall. More details to come.

[note from kelly: although this meditation technique will be taught from a Buddhist perspective, the ideas are useful for all practitioners, no matter what religion they ascribe to or don't.]

questions for Craig? post them here, and I'll see he gets them.

[guest blog] chris: learning how to work with our minds

2008-07-12T15:22:00.002-04:00

[note from kelly: chris just returned from a weekend with Shala in Asheville, studying the Yoga Sutras. his quotes come from a translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Chris reminds us that no matter what brings us to our practice, the end goal is our mind]

"progressing toward undisturbed calmness"
--by chris brown

Most of us come to yoga for flexibility or strength. Maybe our doctor or our friend told us it would help us to be a little calmer or to relax our high blood pressure. Some come for a spiritual goal or to find some sort of prayerful meditation as they sweat away a difficult day at work. Some practice to give that "Type A" personality a break for a time or to let go of some past difficulty.

Yoga will work for all of these things and more, but none of these things is exactly what yoga was designed for. According to Sutra 1.2 of Patanjali, “The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.” We have heard that it is all in our minds from Buddhists, psychologists, even Beck. Yoga teaches us to begin learning how to work with our minds.

Yogic philosophy suggests that we come into this world fairly complete and as we grow up we develop a sense of ego that allows us to deal with the world around us and also separates us from the Self, which is thought to be that infinite part of us that connects with all others. Carl Jung called this connection the collective unconscious. Christians refer to it as the Body of Christ.

Other philosophies and religions tell the story of how we all connect in this world or somewhere out there in the infinite. Quantum mechanics explores how all matter comes into being from energy and has begun to explore how our thoughts and actions affect the matter and the force.

Sutra 1.30 states that “Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground and slipping from the ground gained – these distractions of the mind-stuff are the obstacles.” We can use yoga to deal with all of these challenges, but we must understand that the yogic solution to the symptoms of these obstacles requires not force but rather practice, study, and surrender. What we face, we face because we need it to progress on our unique path.

Our society likes blame and responsibility so long as it attaches to someone else. From a yogic viewpoint, we are the authors of our own experience. We are responsible for everything in our worlds. The sutras give an insightful way of dealing with others. Sutra 1.33 states that “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.”

So in the breath and in the sweat we find that release that allows us to slow down our minds and meditate. Most yogic thought regards Hatha yoga as a way to strengthen the body and calm the mind to prepare for the important practice of working with the mind while relaxing the sense of I and mine, and creating a sense of unity with that which holds us all in grace.

Practice often, Namaste--Chris
[comments, questions for chris? post a comment here]

[guest blog] anna: accepting what is

2008-07-09T15:08:00.003-04:00

[note from kelly: I met Anna at Shala's Yin Yoga training in Asheville, where she teaches. thanks to her for allowing me to copy this story here. . .sometimes accepting "what is" requires only a deep breath and a new perspective. sometimes it means fighting for your life. whatever it means for you today, this story may give you new courage to accept WHAT IS]

"when life asks us to open to what is, rather than what we wish it could be"
--anna ferguson

I received the below message from another teacher recently, and I felt compelled to pass it on. After having gone through my own health crises in the past two years and having to shoulder that burden both financially and emotionally from a medical system which is sometimes sadly ignorant of healing practices, I feel Sarah and her family's challenges deeply and to my core.

Please read her story here. She is being asked to open to WHAT IS in life, rather than what we wish would be, truly living in the present moment. Bless and adorn her journey with anything you can give; it is a gift to all of us, for we are all one.
--namaste, anna

Last fall, Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been using Chinese medicine and diet to treat her condition. Recently, her oncologist told her that she was no longer a candidate for surgery and that chemotherapy and radiation could only prolong her life, not cure her.

Despite the diagnosis from her Western Doctors, Sarah's attitude is positive. Instead of succumbing to the fear that comes up when a doctor tells her she is going to die, Sarah has decided to pursue her life with everything she's got. Sarah believes she is going through this journey for a reason and will come out the other end with the tools she needs to help others face their own fears.

She is exploring several alternative cancer treatments and raising money to go to a clinic in Mexico where she can be under the care of oncologists while she undergoes deep detoxification and uses complementary medicine to treat her cancer. A serious martial artist, Sarah has a very tough exterior. Anyone who meets her can tell she is not to be messed with. But this is not why I think she has courage.

The definition of courage is moving past your fears. To a tough cookie like Sarah, nothing is scarier than being vulnerable. Sarah is learning that in order to heal, she needs help. She is learning that people want to help and support her, and she is learning to soften her toughness to accept that help.

In our yoga practice as well as in life, we want to begin from a place of softness. We call it opening to grace. When we open to what is going on right now in our lives as if it were grace, we are able to live life fully right now, no matter what challenges we face. To Sarah, cancer is grace. It is an opportunity for her to open in ways she never has before.

[to read sarah's story or donate in any way, click here: http://www.supportingsarah.blogspot.com/]

upstate yogis unite!

2008-07-05T22:03:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Liz, there is a new way to stay connected to your favorite local yoga teacher or find new teachers, studios, events, resources and too many other things to name. . .

Check out the two new sites, posted this month:
http://www.upstateyogis.com/
http://namastegreenville.ning.com/

Join, create your own page, or look at the Upstate-wide charity fundraiser coming up in November. . .

[questions, comments? leave them here, or e-mail Liz at lizdelaney@bellsouth.net]

[guest blog] liz: commit to being here

2008-07-04T15:05:00.004-04:00

[liz spent a weekend retreat at Kripalu in June with Max Strom and Pir Zia Inayat Khan on yoga and Sufism. her retreat offers an example, if intensified, of the struggle we face each time we roll up our mats and leave the studio.]

"Wife, Mother, Yogini"--By Liz Delaney

Bags packed. Kids’ schedules written. Keys in hand. I am off with no kids, no husband, no phone. I am not sure what to expect of my first weekend away by myself. I am hopeful for some rejuvenation and down time.

I arrive at Kripalu with my nervous system still reacting. I am not sure if it is fear from flying or fear of leaving my two small children. I show up for my first yoga class struggling to be present. Max (my teacher) walks over to me and says, “You look like you’ve just spent hours in an airport.” I think to myself, “You don’t know half of the story.”

Class settled me down slightly; I am still worried about the kids. Should I call? What did I forget to tell my husband? Even though I am worried, I am excited about the prospect of a full night’s sleep uninterrupted.

Instead I have a fitful sleep and awaken at 5:30am. (I am not a morning person, so this doesn’t make sense to me.) I have no excuse but to walk down the hall and take the 6am gentle yoga class before breakfast.

I walk in and find child’s pose, the only pose that feels right at six in the morning. The teacher asks us to rest and find our intention, then adds, “You may simply wish to commit to being here.” Commit to being here! That’s it! At home I long for solitude, time for yoga and meditations. Since I have gotten here, I long to be at home with my family. Commit to being here. So simple… So why is this so hard?

The weekend of classes on breathing, meditation and asana left me feeling whole and understanding my world in a completely different way. I feel more open, more mindful, forgiven and full of gratitude. Everything feels as it should be.

I am ready to go home, committed to enjoying everything and letting go of my qualities that hold me back. I feel like a being of light. My movements have slowed down; my mind no longer races faster than I can keep up. I believe that this has been the next step on my journey awakening my spirit. My experience with these great teachers is beyond what can be conveyed with words. All I know is that I am fortunate to have received such powerful teachings.

Flying home, my normal fear is replaced by a sense of wonder and freedom. I return thinking how different I will seem. Everyone will see the transformation as I walk, eat or breathe in awareness. This lasts about an hour after my arrival home. I walk in to the best greeting in the world from my four year old and six month old.

Moments later both are in tears and whining. I can’t get a word in edge-wise to share my experience with my husband. I am deflated, sad and a little raw. Somehow, I am worse the next day. Then it hits me: commit to being here. I let myself sit, raw and rough around the edges then my husband starts to laugh, “No wonder great teachers never had kids. They’d never get very far.”

Now I know the truly enlightened are the ones who have children, jobs, schedules, whining, crying and can commit to being here with love for it all. It is easy to resent the things that take time away from nurturing our spirits, but when will we see these things as gifts to open our hearts even more and challenge us to go beyond?

Anyone can find peace on a yoga mat in a quiet room. The true sages are the ones who find it among the struggles of day to day life. These are my teachers and I am committed to being here wife, mother, yogini, messy path and all.

In the words of Pir Zia Inayat Khan, “My life is part of a greater purpose. There is an exactness to who I have become.”

--Liz and her husband Brian own the North Main Yoga studio.
[questions for liz about Kripalu or her reactions to the Sufi teachings? comment here]

'an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind'

2008-07-01T13:37:00.003-04:00

[or why the dalai lama believes tibet's nonviolent cause will prevail in that neck of the woods and closer to home]

Those interested in the Olympic saga--which is bringing the clash between China and Tibet to the global forefront again--might want to read this article on Salon today: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/07/01/dalai_lama/index.html.

Although it addresses what some might say is a larger, more removed example of the urge to fight back against injustice, it reminds us of why nonviolence is so powerful.

As the Dalai Lama says, following the mentality of "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." If we could just remember that when someone flicks us off in traffic or when (insert your drama of the day here) happens. . . .

monthly yin yoga class to start July 18

2008-06-29T18:50:00.002-04:00

Starting in July, a monthly Yin Yoga class will be added to the Five Forks schedule. The first class is from 6:30-7:30 p.m., July 18, in the mind/body studio.

The class will be a mostly seated yin flow, with slow movements, deep stretches, long holds and guided breathwork. If you're used to flow yoga, this will be a new experience.

Yin works to stretch the connective tissue and awaken the energy flow that runs through it, while strengthening (and re-lubricating) our joints. Yin also calms the mind and takes you deep inside yourself.

For more information, see the "anyone (y)in-terested" blog in the June archives section.

[any questions about Yin? wonder if it's right for you? e-mail me]

class stays; "hot" yoga change at five forks

2008-06-29T18:13:00.005-04:00

The HVAC system still isn't working at Five Forks, so the "hot" of Hot Yoga has been removed from the schedule until further notice.

I will continue teaching an all-levels yoga class during that time slot (8:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays) at Five Forks. There will be no charge for the class (even though the asterisk is still on the schedule denoting a fee. . .that is a mistake).

[guest blog] craig: on a meditation retreat and personal practice

2008-06-27T08:48:00.006-04:00

[note from kelly: this is a long post, but craig wrote from the heart, and I think it's worth reading in its entirety.]

"Reflections On A Meditation Retreat in New York"
--by Craig Metcalf

I recently traveled to Kadampa Meditation Center in Glen Spey, New York for a five-day meditation retreat. It was my first time to attend the annual National Kadampa Buddhist Festival. I must say, the retreat had a profound impact on me and opened me up to so many new ideas and possibilities.

Prior to attending the retreat, I'd been practicing meditation on a mostly solitary basis. I would attend courses and workshops offered through the Ganden Center in Columbia but, for the most part, I was practicing alone. Even so, I found great solace in my meditation practice and slowly began to see its benefits in every area of my life. I became less angry; less worried about and preoccupied with the past and future; less critical of my self and others; and less likely to blame others for my problems. With daily practice, my mind became more and more settled and my ability to cherish others increased. My wish to help others and give to others grew exponentially. My heart began to open in such a way that I could see clearly, in very subtle and inexpressible ways, how we are all so intricately connected.

Meditation has the power to heal us in these (and many other) ways. It helps us transform our mind so that we can become of true and lasting benefit to all other living beings. We benefit others with our meditation practice because, as our mind becomes more and more peaceful, we begin to eliminate our mental delusions such as anger, jealousy and greed. Over time, as these negative states of mind begin to decrease, we naturally begin to act in more virtuous ways. So, I was already reaping some of the many benefits of meditation practice prior to the retreat. However, the retreat opened up so many new and wonderful doors.

Upon checking into our rooms, a group of us took a shuttle bus from the hotel to the temple. As we entered the grounds and made our way up the long drive, I saw the temple for the first time. I'd never seen anything like it. While it is a new and modern building, its architectural design is reminiscent of the ancient Buddhist temples of Tibet. From simply looking at the temple, I could tell right away that I was in a very special place. It may sound rather kooky, but I could actually feel the peaceful energy emanating from the entire site.

It stands to reason, though, that one can literally feel the positive vibrations since it is a place where people are constantly engaging in meditation. Every day, people go to this temple for the express purpose of eliminating negative states of mind and increasing the positive. There is no anger, greed, jealousy or hatred generated within the temple. In our society, it is indeed rare to encounter such a pure environment.

teachings from the retreat
The Festival included several Kadampa Buddhist lineage teachings from some of the most well-respected Buddhist monks and nuns of that tradition. These were most helpful and provided powerful insight into the nature of the mind and the profundity of our precious human life. We learned about the importance of utilizing our lives for the betterment of all living beings. This includes the practice of giving generously to our fellow human beings. We can give our time, our kind words, our positive thoughts and our material goods; such as money, food and clothing to those in need of these things.

According to the Buddha's teachings, the main purpose of our human life is to achieve, through practices such as meditation, total enlightenment so that we can, in turn, help lead others out of samara. Practices such as giving material goods; helping the sick and dying; and donating our time to a worthy cause make our present life meaningful and create the cause for us to receive help from others if we fall on difficult times in the future. More importantly, they create the cause for us to take human rebirth in our future lives so we can continue on the path to enlightenment.

We listened to teachings on the fleeting nature of all phenomena. We are not guaranteed any certain amount of time in life and death may come at any time. Keeping this in mind, we should strive to make our life truly meaningful by helping others and eliminating our negative states of mind. We learned about the nature and function of 'karma' and how all our negative states of mind lead to actions (or karma) that cause us to take lower rebirth. It is said that it's easier to attain full enlightenment and become a Buddha than it is to attain human life after taking a lower rebirth, due to negative actions.

purifying the mind
Keeping this in mind, it becomes clear that we should strive to abandon our negative actions now, while we have this rare opportunity, and begin to cultivate virtuous actions that will cause us to take fortunate human rebirths in the future. If we continue to take human rebirth and are able to continue cultivating our positive minds through meditation and engaging in virtuous actions, we will eventually attain full enlightenment and achieve Buddhahood. We will have purified our mind completely and there will be absolutely no trace of any negativity in our mind. We will be free from all suffering and will be able to relieve the suffering of all living beings through the power of our immense compassion and wisdom.

We can and do experience temporary states of pure inner peace through such practices as meditation but these are short lived. This is because we still have seeds of delusions deep within our mind. During meditation, these seeds are not watered. They lie dormant within our mind and so they do not sprout, giving rise to feelings such as anger. But when we are not engaged in the concentration of meditation these seeds are easily watered and give rise to such delusions.

For instance, we can achieve a very peaceful state of mind during meditation and then, shortly thereafter, encounter someone who criticizes us. That person's comments instantly give rise to feelings of anger and irritation. So, at present, our inner peace and happiness is only temporary. Our minds are in constant flux, going from one extreme to the other and anywhere in between. This illustrates clearly that our minds are not yet pure.

A Buddha, on the other hand, has mastered his or her mind in such a way that the seeds, themselves, have been eradicated from the mind. There is no basis for any type of delusional state of mind to arise. His or her mind is completely purified and, therefore, a Buddha's mind of inner peace and happiness is constant and never-ending. A strong meditation practice will, over time, begin to transform our mind so that we gravitate more and more towards the mind of a Buddha.

what if everyone wished to take away others' suffering?
The actual meditation practice during the retreat was absolutely incredible. As mentioned before, the temple, itself, is an emanation of peace. While engaged in meditation with the other hundreds of people there I was overcome with a deep and profound feeling of lightness; 'lightness' is the only way I can describe it and the word really doesn't do justice to the actual feeling that came over me. All those people gathered in one place, holding their collective mind purely and single-pointedly on one object of meditation, such as bodhicitta (the mind that seeks to liberate all living beings from suffering), was a powerful experience to say the least. The human mind is a very powerful force. I could feel the collective state of mind we were all generating through our meditation practice and the positive energy flowed freely through the entire temple.

This led to thoughts of "What if?” What if everyone on the planet simultaneously took ten minutes each day to meditate on peace? What kind of collective effect would that have on the planet and all the living beings in this world? If several hundred people gathered together can generate the amount of positive energy I felt, what could several million or even billions do?

Prior to the retreat, I had an inkling of the benefits of practicing meditation with others but, having attended the New York Festival, I understand much more clearly how practicing with a sangha (a community of practitioners) benefits one's own practice and the practice of all those in the sangha. I remember thinking at one point, "Every single person in this temple is meditating on my behalf, in an effort to help reduce my suffering. And I, my self, am meditating on behalf of everyone in this temple, in an effort to reduce their suffering.”

Many of us had ever met each other before (in this life) and didn’t know the first thing about one another on a superficial level. Yet we were all there; people gathered from all over the U.S. recognizing one another as fellow human beings and valuing each other as we would a rare and precious jewel. We were also recognizing that we all have within us the power to bestow upon one another the gift of lasting inner peace; we all have within us the Buddha nature and we can and should encourage one another to develop that pure mind.

Since the retreat, my meditation practice has grown in so many ways. My concentration (the ability to hold the object of meditation single-pointedly for longer periods of time) has increased. My delusions have decreased. My relationships with friends and family have improved. My willingness and ability to let go of things and situations that hold no real meaning or benefit has increased. My desire to help others has increased. And it all just keeps getting better as times passes.

you don't have to be a buddhist to meditate
As a Buddhist, I cannot say that the Buddhist path is the only way or that it is right for everyone. Choosing a tradition to follow is a highly personal affair. I can, however, say that meditation can be of immense benefit to every single human being on this planet. One need not be Buddhist to develop a meditation practice. There are other traditions, including Christianity, that encourage meditation.

When we first begin to meditate, our minds are, of course, undisciplined. We find that we can’t concentrate for very long and our mind wanders from here to there and back again. This is completely normal because we usually live life in a very 'un-present' manner. Our thoughts are often stuck in the past or in the future. Without even noticing our state of mind, we worry about what happened yesterday or last week or what's going to happen tomorrow or next week. So, when we make an attempt to bring our self into the present moment, our mind tends to rebel and quickly goes back to its ‘normal’ un-present state. This 'monkey-mind', as it's sometimes called, will decrease with time.

The more we meditate, the more our mind will become settled and focused on the present moment. (Incidentally, yoga asana practice is an excellent way to calm the 'monkey mind' and prepare the body for meditation. Try meditating directly after an asana practice. Asana calms the central nervous system, reduces the body's tendency to fidget during meditation and focuses the mind by bringing it into the present moment.)

how to start a meditation practice
If you decide to take up a meditation practice, my suggestion is to begin slowly. Try meditating for 3 minutes and slowly increase to 5, then 10, and 15, and so on. Moving slowly in this manner will teach you that you can, indeed, meditate and you'll notice that even a 3 minute meditation session can have a positive influence on your entire day. Eventually, you will be able to sit for an hour without loosing concentration on the object of your meditation. (The object of your meditation session can be any object which, when focused on single-pointedly, gives rise to a peaceful state of mind. This could be love, peace, happiness for all living beings, the downfalls of negative actions, or even one’s own breath.)

If you'd like a more detailed explanation of meditation practice, including what it is, how to do it, the meditation posture, etc., you can visit the following webpage: http://www.aboutmeditation.org/ This is a Buddhist site. But even if you're not Buddhist, it will give you many helpful tips on developing a strong meditation practice.

May Everyone Be Happy--Craig
[have questions for craig? post a comment here]

not just a nuisance, noise can kill

2008-06-25T10:44:00.003-04:00

Ever wondered why life is just so darn loud? Why refrigerators have to hum, why car alarms last for hours, or why people walk into a yoga studio talking on their phone?

An article in today's Salon.com caught my eye: it says that noise, white or otherwise, is polluting our world and slowly stealing our lives away from us. Not just distracting us--slowly killing us.

It's worth a read. My favorite part: "Not only can too much loud noise damage your hearing, or disrupt your sleep, it can literally suck the life out of you thanks to the human body's fight-or-flight response. "The human auditory system is designed to serve as a means of warning against dangers in the environment," explains Louis Hagler, a retired internal medicine specialist in Oakland, Calif. "Noise above a certain level is perceived by the nervous system as a threat."

The body responds to that threat with an outpouring of epinephrine and cortisol, the so-called stress hormones. "Your blood pressure goes up, your pulse rate goes up, there is a sudden outpouring of sugar into the bloodstream so the body is prepared to meet whatever threat there is in the environment."

All the more reason to make the yoga studio a sanctuary. When you consider the fact that your practice starts as you enter the room, turning off your cell phone and iPod outside the room and talking quietly (if at all) will become acts of compassion and peace toward your fellow classmates and teacher.

enjoy: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/06/25/noise_pollution/index.html

finding good in the seemingly unyogi

2008-06-25T10:11:00.002-04:00

I was sent a link to City Voter, which ranks the best diners, salons, pet shops, etc. in town. Apparently, it wants to know which is the best yoga studio in Greenville. Exactly.

And while that could be seen as totally unyogi, there may be another side to the discussion: the online vote also allows adding other studios and teachers and writing feedback, which is always helpful. This could be a way to inform people about the growing yoga community in town.

So check it out, vote if you like, and add others too. No pressure, no boasting. Nothing that violates the spirit of "namaste"--bowing to others and honoring the universal connection we have with all living beings.

here is the link: http://cityvoter.com/competitions/1143/best-yoga-studio-in-greenville

hunger hurts, you can help this weekend

2008-06-23T17:16:00.003-04:00

The more you dig into your yoga practice, the more inclusive it will become. Which is why I couldn't pass over this food drive announcement.

Liquid Highway (here's to independent businesses!) will be hosting the staff of Metamorphosis Church on their E. North St. rooftop this weekend, as they fast in honor of a food drive for local pantries and shelters.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will bring canned food donations to the coffee shop that will be delivered to the Triune Mercy Center, Samaritan House, Gateway House and Loaves&Fishes. This will help local food pantries during what are typically the driest months of the year.

It's called the "Hunger Hurts Greenville: a 48-hour Fast and Food Can Drive." June 26-28, starts and ends at 8 p.m. those days. For more information or the schedule of events, visit http://hungerhurtsgreenville.com/Main.html.

max's sept. workshops limited to 30 a piece

2008-06-18T22:09:00.003-04:00

For those of you considering attending my teacher Max Strom's workshops in Greenville this Sept. 5-7, be advised: each workshop is limited to 30 students, due to the limited space at the studio.

So, register soon and pay the discounted fee early ($50/workshop). Choose from the class descriptions below.

Friday, 6-8pm - Vinyasa, Grace & the Music Within: Known for the moving music he plays in his classes, Max offers this flow class sequenced to a particular body of music aimed at evoking grace and beauty within. "Today, music has often been made a pastime, a means of forgetting God instead of realizing God. It is the use one makes of things which constitutes their fault or their virtue." -Hazrat Inayat Khan (all level class)

Saturday, 10:45-12:45 - Flowers Grow through Concrete: The most powerful asanas are balance postures, because by law of "focus or fall", they demand more dynamic concentration and bring us into the present moment. This workshop will begin with a talk about internal and external balance; how we can use our mind to best balance in asanas and more importantly in our lives. After warming up, we will explore simple standing postures and arrive at handstand.

This class is ideal for those learning to kick up, or those who wish to balance without a wall. The postures are used as tools for internal balance as opposed to achieving something. (intermediate class)

Saturday, 3-5pm - How Well Do You Sleep? (the Power of the Breath): This workshop deals with the modern plagues of sleeplessness and anxiety. Since every adjustment to the body affects the mind, opening the joints, spine and chest area, and igniting our breath also has a profound emotional effect. This workshop is known to create a profound sense of serenity and gives you knowledge to take home with you to help you sleep and live more at ease. (all level class)

Sunday, 10:45-12:45 - Spiraling Inward Toward Heaven: In this class we explore strengthening and healing the body, primarily with postures that internally rotate the hips. This is especially healing for the lower back and neck. Spiraling energy inward promotes self-inquiry and true core strength. (all level class)

To register, e-mail nmyoga@bellsouth.net or call 241.0870.

Max will return to Greenville Jan. 25-Feb. 3 for a teacher training and more workshops. For more on Max, see the link under "people and places."

if you've never tried a kirtan, Saturday's your day [or aug. 30]

2008-06-16T14:35:00.007-04:00

This Saturday, North Main Yoga will host the group, Anjali, for a kirtan to celebrate the summer solstice. My students may recognize Anjali music in class (the 'passing through' song, for one) from the CD Yoga hOMe, from Kristin Luna Ray, one of the group members.

For those of you who've never been to a kirtan before, let me demystify it: you don't have to dance. you will get swept away in the music. you don't have to know the songs by heart (that's what the songbook is for). you will want to go back.

Some people say singing and chanting in a kirtan is an emotional release, letting the vibrations and sounds of the chants flush and restore the body and mind. Come and try for yourself.

This Saturday, June 21. 8 p.m. $10.
http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html

"heart of yoga" group full

2008-06-16T12:35:00.007-04:00

The book group is full. I had to cut it off at 15 due to the size of my living room and my desire to keep it casual. I'll be sending an e-mail with directions soon.

Please check the blog for reading questions and to post feedback/questions as you read. If there is interest, I plan to hold another book group after we finish this one in August.

[any suggestions for future book topics? would you prefer a focus on the physical, mental or emotional aspects of yoga?]

anyone (y)in-terested?

2008-06-15T19:29:00.004-04:00

I completed a Yin Yoga training at the Asheville Yoga Center at the end of May, and I've been wondering since whether any of my Sports Club students would be interested in it. . .

In a very short description, Yin Yoga is the counter to the more physical (yang), flowing practice we do so often. It aims to quiet the body and mind and go deeper inside. You could think of it as meditative, not that that's a departure from the flow class.

The main difference is the internal work. Yin poses work to stretch the connective tissue more than the muscles stretched in active poses. In yin poses, you hold a stretch passively, near your edge, without moving, for a long time (about 3 minutes or more).

My teacher, Shala Worsley, said that flexibility is 40% muscle and 46% connective tissue. Stretching the connective tissue (which wraps all of the body's muscle and organs) increases the energy flow, releases toxins that get caught in the shortened, tight (think shrink wrapped) tissue and rejuvenates the joints and spine.

So, I'm wondering if anyone is interested in adding it to the schedule. I'm thinking once a month to start. Any suggestions?

book group feedback

2008-06-14T13:41:00.004-04:00

For those signed up for the "Heart of Yoga" book group (or those reading on your own at home), I will be posting some questions to think about as you read in the next week.

In the meantime, if you have trouble with ideas in the book, need explanation as you go along, or just have comments that can't quite wait. . . .please post a comment here.

I'd like to make the process, not just the discussion, interactive.

debunking the "yogis are pretzels" myth

2008-06-13T18:00:00.015-04:00

"The yoga postures and breath are tools to rebuild and transform ourselves. The goal is not to tie ourselves in knots--we're already tied in knots. The aim is to untie the knots in our hearts. The aim is to unite with the ultimate, loving and peaceful power of the universe."
--max strom

Sometimes, when I ask strangers if they've tried yoga, they give me a squidgy look and say, "I'm not a pretzel."

Whether it's because high profile yoga marketing (yoga journal, anyone?) typically puts athletic, contorted models on the cover, or because someone sitting in meditation doesn't sell ad campaigns, some non-yogis step into their first class with an overwhelming sense of smallness and/or anxiety.

They are the brave ones. The rest are kept outside the door by their misconceptions of a yoga class.

If they do try yoga and keep coming back with this misconception, it morphs into something potentially damaging. This thought process pushes some students to think the more "advanced" their practice becomes, the more complex their poses "should" be. And so, you will see a group of power yogis who can't breathe in triangle attempting a 1/2 moon balance, possibly reaching back for their ankle to bind. . .

It reminds me of another "max-ism:" He once said, "It's not the pose you can do that matters, it's who you are when you get there."

He is teaching two commonly missed ideas. One, that the journey is more important than the destination (if you are concerned with being perfect in a pose, you are probably missing the mental connection to it, and therefore any possible transformation). And two, that the internal is more important than the external.

Chances are, if we are berating ourselves for wobbling in warrior 3, we are not doing yoga. Chances are, if we are praising ourselves for our new found strength in chatarunga, we are not doing yoga.

If we are seeking only to fold and twist and (remove our lower ribs to fit into a Colonial corset) and pull ourselves into an "advanced" pose, then we are only entangling ourselves further into our spider web-like ego.

Being mindful--without pride or judgment, in any pose, on and off the mat--is yoga. And that is, as Max says, what unties the knots in our hearts.

[what do you think? how has your perception changed? what helped that happen?]

yogafest: free sampler in asheville [june 21-22]

2008-06-12T12:33:00.008-04:00

It's that time again. Twice a year the Asheville Yoga Center opens its studio for the weekend free of charge. This is a great time to try various yoga styles you've been curious about, or just escape to the mountains for a class and lunch (I highly recommend Salsa!).

The schedule is below. No registration necessary. Also, look for the North Main Yoga studio to follow suit in August, I believe. (more details to follow. . .)

Asheville Yoga Center (http://www.youryoga.com/)
Saturday, June 21
8:45-9:25. Flow Yoga 2--Stephanie
9:30-10:10. Flow Yoga 1&2--Candra
10:15-10:55. Flow Yoga 1&2--Melanie
11:00-11:40. Anusara Inspired Yoga--Joe
11:45-12:25. Flow Yoga 1--Libby
12:30-1:10. Back Care Yoga--Steph
1:15-1:55. Gentle Yoga--Melanie
2:00- 2:40. Yin Flow Yoga--Julia
2:45- 3:25. Beginner Yoga--Mado

Sunday, June 22
9:30-10:10. HOT Kundalini Yoga--Sierra
10:15-10:55. HOT Flow Yoga 1&2--Spencer
11:10-11:50. Flow Yoga 1&2--Allison
11:55-12:35. Prenatal--Jane Anne
12:40-1:20. Yin Yoga 1--Libby
1:25-2:05. Gentle Yoga--Chenin

[HOT yoga is 80-90 degrees - bring a towel.]

meditation course: June 28

2008-06-08T18:21:00.005-04:00

Attention those of you interested in deepening your understanding of how the mind works:

Michelle, from the Ganden Center in Columbia, will be offering a day course, called "Life is But a Dream," on the concept and practice of emptiness on June 28 at the UU Church in Greenville.

The course information is as follows:

Session One: 10-12:30 p.m.
All our problems come because we do not understand how things exist. We perceive ourselves, our environment and all other phenomena to be inherent, solid, existing from its own side having no relationship to our mind. Due to this mistaken perception we then develop the delusions of anger and attachment and act in harmful ways. In this session we will identify our mind of ignorance and develop an understanding of how it is the main cause of all the suffering and problems we experience in our daily life.

Session Two: 1:30-4 p.m.
In this session we will develop an understanding of how things exist by understanding Buddha's teachings on emptiness. Only by seeing things as they really are can we become free from the inner source of unhappiness.

You do not need any previous experience of Buddhism or meditation to attend this course. Confirm your attendance online at: http://www.meditateinsouthcarolina.org/

One session only: $20, both sessions: $35. (The course fee includes a vegetarian lunch.) Class will be held at the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1135 State Park Road; Greenville, S.C. 29609.

[From my experience with Michelle at the NMY-sponsored meditation talks, she is non-dogmatic and insightful. You will leave with a new awareness of how our minds behave and control what we perceive as automatic reactions. Her talks are useful whether you follow Buddhist teachings or not. Proceeds will fund the center's prison outreach ministry.]

--Thanks to Craig Metcalf for this alert.

hello, blog!

2008-06-07T16:53:00.004-04:00

Welcome to my new blog. It's a community blog, because I feel strongly about creating a discussion between students and teachers that takes yoga off the sticky mat and into everyday life.

Feel free to use this site to comment, journal, provide insights after class or submit questions for me to answer about certain poses or things I say in class.

Also, please submit ideas of things you would find useful for me to include on this blog. Happy reading.

how yoga found me

2008-06-05T14:55:00.011-04:00

Max once asked us in a teacher training to remember our first yoga class.

It happened one Saturday morning in the spring of 2005. I can't remember the exact date. At the time it was not important. I was living in Joliet, Illinois, and my mom was visiting me for a bit. So, I convinced her to come with me to a class I had been eyeing for a while--as moral support.

I had been yoga-curious for months before that. After class, I felt as if that had been what I was searching for without realizing it. Some of you may know what I'm talking about.

Jamie, the woman teaching the class, was the neighbor of my (then) sister-in-law. She taught in her cocoon-like basement, dimly lit with candles. It would become my safe haven. I had moved to Illinois a week after getting married, nine weeks after graduating from college. I didn't know anyone besides my (then) husband's family and the teenagers I managed at a Barnes&Noble about an hour's drive from my house. I felt uprooted and ungrounded.

Jamie led us through a standard yoga sequence, with long holds and lots of vinyasas. My first chatarunga left me lying on the floor in disbelief. In savasana (something I was wary of due to my Baptist upbringing), she covered us in blankets and read a short meditation to us.

I was hooked. I kept coming back, gradually increasing my holds in Warrior 2 from a short 10 seconds to longer and my vinyasa count from 1 proud, sloppy chatarunga to 10 and higher. Unbeknown to me, I was laying the foundation for a practice that would keep me safe and (somewhat) sane through my coming divorce.

The real change was not physical, even thought that's what drew me to the practice to begin with. It was happening deep inside me, undoing a foundation of cynicism and layers of (invisible) armor meant to keep others out. Slowly, I began to realize it was only keeping me in.

In broad strokes, I would move that winter from Jamie's basement (thank you wherever you are!) to the mind/body studio at the Lifetime Fitness gym nearby. Traveling across the flat stretch of gray sky and earth, squished close together, only made walking into the earthy studio that much more welcoming. I had several wonderful teachers there (sorry I don't remember your names), in particular an ashtanga teacher who did funny nose breathing things and a vinyasa flow teacher that made me remember how the world looked upside down.

Nothing could follow me into that room. At a time when I felt emotionally homeless, that yoga studio and the one I would find in Greenville became my home. But I had not learned how to conquer my troubles off the mat yet.

After much thought (and an intervention attempt from my extended family--thanks for the thought), I would move with my dog out of the house I felt trapped in for months, into the guest bedroom of my friend and co-worker Megan, and eventually to a dingy little apartment back "home" in Greenville.

I felt lost and free altogether. It was a time of uncertainty and possibility.

My yoga journey has been one of rebirth, mostly due to the circumstances in which it found me. Which is why, when I found Max, I realized why yoga felt right for me. By diving beneath the surface--that constant changing storyline of our lives--we can find the truth.

So when you step onto your mat next--whether you're a beginner, and you're still getting used to going barefoot for the first time since grade school, or you're "advanced," and you've already played out the day's class in your head--stop for a moment. Open your mind to the possibility of learning something new. Quiet the mind and listen. Simply let go.

No matter what brought you to yoga in the beginning; remember, it's the journey that counts.

[how did you find yoga? do you remember your first class? what kept you coming back?]