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10 Free Yoga Classes Benefitting A Local Food Bank
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“Asana” means Yoga Pose
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A new podcast is up. We are… Live From Yoga Birds! Enjoy free yoga classes with Melanie Buffett at home or on the road. In this session recorded September 29, 2010, reconnect with your innate wholeness by bringing awareness to a steady foundation and consistent mindful breath work. Slow flow with powerful holds leading to basic backbends. Sanskrit word of the day: Purna- whole, complete, perfect. Please leave a podcast review at iTunes. Namaste.
Last week I spent 5 days studying Anusara Yoga with John Friend in Cambridge, MA—a 3-day teacher’s intensive and two days of observing and practicing asana classes. I arrived in Boston admittedly depleted from several months of non-stop teaching, definitely needing to ‘receive’ teachings for my own benefit and restoration as well as to further advance in my understanding of the Anusara method to continue to be a good teacher to my students. The 36 hours of training were all that I was expecting and more. Being surrounded by 150-160 yoga students every day, practicing and learning the high arts of asana, pranayama, meditation, and philosophy- mat to mat under the guidance and watchful eye of a masterful teacher is the kind of stuff I live for. John Friend is truly wonderful. In the sea of students in front of him, from 30 feet away, he gave me a verbal adjustment cue of ¼” hand placement movement which opened up an easeful channel of breath and energy in my whole body and pose. This was just one of the many of his simply amazing gestures of guidance over the week. His presentation of the teachings of the Shiva Shakti Tantra was simultaneously playful and serious. The language of which is foreign to me, but the concepts universally and intuitively insightful. I feel lit up, ultimately balanced, and so excited about living life to the fullest!
I spent the week in Boston without an internet connection (that at first caused me panic, then became a liberating situation) practicing hours of asana everyday. My body/mind loves and needed that. I do not take for granted that it was SUCH a luxury. It has been a slow re-entry back into the routine of householder and small business owner. There is a lot of ‘catch-up’ and work to tend to. And I am figuring out how to take the teachings out of the Masonic Hall in ‘The People’s Republic of Cambridge’ (home of Harvard and MIT among other brainiac institutes) and into my Yoga Birds world in Fairhope, Alabama.
I have come away from the week with heightened awareness of what is meaningful in my life—love and relationships topping the list– and how to cultivate more sensitivity in all of my friendships…at home, at work, and most importantly in myself. I reconnected with my BFF and look forward to practicing with more self-sensitivity, which will reflect in and support all of my actions off the mat. ‘Cuz that’s the way it’s always been with me and my friend, yoga.
Yesterday was apparently Epiphany Tuesday. Thunderous awakenings walking the dogs in The Fruit and Nut district of Fairhope! Cracks of light in the tunnel of “What is my dharma?”
After class yesterday Teddy asked me an alignment question about the placement of the feet in Tadasana. I teach hip-width apart, his other teacher teaches big toes touching. Which is correct? My first answer is this (culled from writings of other great yoga teachers)…there are many different paths to get us to the ‘connection’ (of body, mind, spirit, heart) that is the promise of yoga. Different asana systems teach different alignment principles. Different world-views and rituals carpet the world of Yoga, yet all lead us to the same union. I personally have found that Anusara Yoga is a wonderful system for me and I am passionate about teaching its method and specific alignment principles. I also absolutely honor all other teachers’ paths and methods of teaching. I admit, I have been that student/teacher in the past who has thought that my path was superior. But as my path bends and curves, and I continue to grow and mature I understand that all of our paths are fated by our uniquely personal moment-to-moment experiences and choices. There is no hierarchy in this process.
Judith Lasater has had profound influence on my journey as a yogi and teacher of asana. She states that as teachers we must have a clear understanding of our intentions of WHY we are teaching. So for a long time I have pondered, “What is my intention as a yoga teacher?” My intentions have always been good…to help people get healthier, to help people cultivate focus and concentration, to share the good news of yoga, to help people find their best self, to connect people to their breath, to remind everyone that our essence is absolute goodness, peace, joy, and love. Last weekend in Teacher Training we talked about “The Path of The Teacher” and how our teachings of yoga are an expression of our personal practices of yoga which are essentially an expression of the way we live. So maybe my intention has shifted over the years as my practice has evolved and I have grown older.
Cut-to applying yoga practice and teaching to: life, family, work, errands, finances, etc…These past few weeks I feel continually faced with situations that either ‘rub’ or have had the makings for a reaction. It is my tendency to react rather than to simply absorb the moment, process it with breath, and then respond compassionately. That tendency has, of late, been thankfully quiet. Maybe it is because fiery reactionariness (new word!) takes too much energy and I am running low, or maybe it IS all of the sitting meditation, or maybe it is simply Divinity. Whatever it is I am so thankful.
As a teacher I honor that yoga students will choose the asana path that resonates most with them. My feelings do not get hurt when a friend or student decides she likes another teacher’s style more than mine. Yoga teaching is an artistic expression of a distillation of all that we have sifted, studied, and practiced from the great ocean of yogic literature through the ages. Let us celebrate the many flavors of Hatha yoga!
The world isn’t all Yoga teachers and students either, right? But I do think everyone is on a Path that is determined by our unique experiences and choices. And I think that we simply must honor every person’s path, whether we agree with their actions, or not. We certainly should not and do not have to ‘go along’ with everything a person on a different path is doing, but we must honor the freedom of all beings and celebrate with gratitude and responsibility that freedom in ourselves. So my intention has simply become NAMASTE. I honor you. I may not agree with you, or accompany you, or promote your path, or practice your yoga, but I HONOR YOU—quietly, non-judgmentally, whole-heartedly. This is my intention. My teacher. My teaching. My practice. My path. Thank you Lord!
My second answer is stand well and with dignity. Whatever that means to you. Namaste!
The past several weeks of work have been a whirlwind. The activities of covering the schedule of daily classes at the studio to presenting the whole weekend of Teacher Training to running the ‘behind the scenes’ nuts and bolts of a small business have left me admittedly a bit depleted. It is funny though, when I am in the actual moments of teaching, I feel exhilarated and excited like a deeper energy is welling up and directing the course. One of the cooler things too is that while it is happening, I am fully aware of my witness consciousness’ awareness of it. Awareness of awareness. I always heard about this phenomenon, and now I am actually experiencing it on a regular basis. I cannot help but think this insightfulness is a cause de the more frequent and consistent sitting meditation sessions.
But then there are the times lately, outside of the classroom when dealing with important responsibilities of daily life…taking care of family, dogs, house keeping, bill paying, eating healthfully, and taking care of myself. Oops. It seems that I find myself in a state of imbalance. Not enough sleep, too much coffee, an enormous pile of laundry… But I think this happens to so many of us in our go-getter, attainment-oriented, career driven culture. I am re-reading Eat Pray Love (which is hysterical, insightful, entertaining, and just plain fun) and laughed out loud at this line:
“Of course, we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box and staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure).”
So I found myself in this state yesterday, and got a little worried because I know that I have another 6 days of work ahead of me- lots of teaching and book keeping, and house guest coming and a yoga workshop to host, and the house, and the groceries, and blahdeblahdeblahdeblah…
And then I remembered why I am doing all of this. Hatha yoga is a system, that when practiced skillfully, heals, energizes, brings us to our best selves, is fun, and creates community. Our area needs more yoga classes and therefore needs more trained yoga teachers. When I remember that it is all in service to the people and health of our community, I am re-energized. Then I remember that in a few short days, I too will get to be a student again in a classroom with my teacher. And then a week later I travel to study with John Friend, the leader of this fantastic Anusara Yoga that I love so dearly. I will be a student with other teachers who are out there working to bring the light of yoga into their communities. Practicing alongside them, sharing stories and experiences of our paths. The predictability of the energetic benefits of being a student once again jazzes me up and makes me excited to be in the midst of doing my dharma. And then I realize what a great gift and blessing it is to be so tired from THIS work. I am so so so blessed and grateful for this moment—every facet of it. And psyched beyond belief to be going to work to teach yoga at Yoga Birds this morning. Somebody pinch me! OM.
I love the energy of the beginning of the academic school year. Even though I haven’t been in ‘school’ in ages, I still reminisce about the smell of a brand new Wonder Woman lunchbox and the awesomeness of freshly sharpened pencils. But mostly I like the excitement in the air. It is contagious and feels full of new possibility.
This is a time of movement and change and progression. My husband teases me about my fetish of moving furniture around. But really, why not adhere to the energetic currents and change up a room every so often? This past week we re-vamped the design of the boutique and created a sweet little sitting area. It feels welcoming and comfortable and I foresee great conversations happening there. The studio has always felt like an extension of my home. It really is an expression of part of me. If you want to know me on a deeper level, and you think I seem ‘un-accessible’ (I have been called that and worse J ), next time you are in the studio, take a deeper look around at the details. And this is me! It is in my genetic code to entertain. Everyday at the studio feels like having guests at the house to practice yoga. I love keeping such great company at the little studio. Thanks for coming over so often!
So if you haven’t been to Yoga Birds in a while, get on the ‘back to school train’ and re-organize your schedule and body to prepare for a whole new world of possibilities in the coming season. Namaste Peace Love Joy and WonderWoman!
The purpose of the Global Mala Yoga for Peace is to unite the global yoga community from every continent to form a “mala around the earth” through collective practices based upon the auspicious cycle of 108 (mala beads) as the yoga world’s offering to further the UN International Peace Day which falls on Sept 21st 2010.
Join Yoga Birds for an ‘open mat’ celebration Saturday Sept 18th for 108 minutes of sun salutes in a fun, festive community atmosphere. Refreshments on the patio to follow. All are welcome. Bring the kids! FREE.
RAFFLE!! Come by for a chance to win a yoga mat, yoga bag AND a 3-month unlimited class package!
The mindfulness meditation sessions at Yoga Birds this week have used sound and hearing as the primary objects of attention. It’s a simple yet profound technique of sustaining awareness on the soundscape around you. It is no surprise that most of us lose a connection with sounds of the present moment to the volume of inner-mind noise. Just awakening my awareness to the ‘sounds of silence’ …the hum of the fridge, the chirping crickets, the car passing outside my window…all bring me back to a presence of this seat, this moment, this breath. My usual whirling (or more like howling) mind ceases. I feel infinitely spacious and light. A unique, contented, restful quality descends upon me that is akin only to sitting meditation. I want to practice this state of awareness as much as possible so that I might learn to LIVE with this spaciousness all (or I would even settle for most) of the time. It is just so wonderful. Come sit with me!
I am still reading and enjoying and being guided by the wisdom in Ruiz’ The Four Agreements. After meditation today I took pen to paper and jotted down the following…
Be Impeccable with your word. = Truth.
Don’t make assumptions. = Reality.
Don’t take things personally. = Compassion.
Always do your best. = Action.
Truth (Satya). Reality (Tattva). Compassion (Karuna.). Action (Karma.).
SatyaTattvaKarunaKarma
I think I have found my Mantra! Whoa. Life is BIG! OM!
This week in my Anusara-Inspired® Yoga classes we are working on progressive sequences to Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana. This is a full backbend with straight arms and one leg extended. It is a BIG pose with beautiful lines, one of my all-time favorites.
Backbends are exhilarating. They bring lightness and vitality to the body/mind that ward off lethargy and depression tendencies. The physical emphasis is on opening the heart, lungs, and chest (not bending the back as deeply as possible, which is a common misconception about backbends). One of my other favorite backbends is the supported Bridge pose where the hips rest elevated on a yoga bolster. It is total Bliss and we do it all the time in my classes in Restorative Yoga or to cool down in a vigorous asana class.
Someone commented yesterday that she can straighten her arms in reverse table top, but can’t find straight arms in the full backbend. She is a highly intelligent woman with a very strong and consistent practice. She understands yoga, but her current ‘block’ in the backbends does not surprise me. Backbends come with a certain amount of healthy fear-for you can’t see where you are going. Part of her resistance is instinctual caution—a wise and good quality that smart people have! Backbends require cultivating a trust in knowing ‘what’s got your back’. This is where the elements of consistent practice and engaging fully with your foundation come in to play.
I joke about my journey into backbends—my work is in cultivating ‘healthy fear’ and more controlled skill. I was the kid who was just fine with the Nestea plunge, or diving backward into the water. I have had to work on being cautious and to not go so fast and deep into unknown or unseen territory (not just in backbends).
Everybody can enjoy the benefit of these wondrous poses because their primary purpose is to bring balanced vitality to the front and back sides of the body. And the real measure of success of practicing these poses is not by how deeply one can get into the backbend, but how much easier sitting and standing and walking with a firm and upright back becomes. And we can all use a healthy dose of that!