The Ultimate Yoga Betrayal

Oh my.  You studied this yoga method 20 years ago.  You've taken classes in another yoga method and even another and another.  One day you slip up in your current yoga class and do a pose from another class.  You’re exposed.  That teacher knows and she doesn’t like it.  Woops.  She makes sure all your classmates know.

Most teachers don’t care if you’ve shopped around or even if you go to classes with your friends that are taught in different yoga methods.  Some teachers are avid, loyal, devotees to one method and only their method.  Your teacher’s found out and maybe even investigated.  You are cast off her yoga in list.  You’ve studied with other teachers from other yoga methods and even worse you don’t just practice the “classical poses.”

Hey!  Isn’t yoga about what supports and helps you?

You enjoyed your Hatha yoga class 20 years ago and you still do those poses.  They feel good for you.  Today those poses are a part of you.  You really enjoyed taking classes from Indian teachers and they kicked your butt.  That Guru you studied with taught you the most powerful fire breath you’ll ever do in your life.

Remember that hip intensive.  What a weekend!  You were in better shape then and it was intense.  Ten years later you still do those poses you learned that weekend but they are easy now.  Those hip poses became a part of you.

How gentle and supportive was your Kundalini yoga class?  The meditation at the end was powerful.  Where did you go in your mind?  Was it a past life event?  The bullet was coming at you and you wanted to see where it hit you but your Kundalini Yoga teacher gently ended the meditation.  Yoga memories live on.

Have you reached out to learn a new yoga method because of research?  You read about how that yoga method could better help you.  You did it just because of the research not because of the certain method or teacher.  

The National Institute of Health is studying the benefits of yoga and has published their findings.  The government has also done studies.  Eric Small, an Iyengar Yoga teacher, with his yoga studio in Beverly Hills, assisted with a study at an Oregon University.  Research abounds in the yoga field and you could discover more about yoga and its’ benefits and how it can help you through reading research.

No matter what you do in yoga remember it’s about you and it’s for you – to support you.

If you commit the ultimate yoga betrayal and study multiple methods and choose to practice yoga from different yoga teachers and methods that work for you, you’ve supported you.  Ultimately yoga is for you and to help you.

How's Your Yoga Dog Today?

Upward or downward, my dog does the best “Yoga Dog”.  She practices it at least daily, many times, and it just comes natural to her.  She lengthens her paws forward and arches her back, extending and lengthening her spine with her head slightly up.  I can see it on her face that it feels good.  Perhaps you’ve watched your dog or a friend’s dog do their “Yoga Dog”.  You can tell by the look on their face that lengthening and stretching makes them feel good.

Just like our animal companions and/or friends' animal companions, millions of people wake in the morning and practice Downward Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and Upward Dog pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) lengthening their spines.  Many of these people practice their “Yoga Dogs” in a sequence of poses called the Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara).  They may repeat the Sun Salutation 12 times. That’s a lot of “Yoga Dog” Poses being done in the morning and throughout the day around the world.

Both Downward Dog pose and Upward Dog pose can be done with a prop or a chair.  Sometimes it’s hard to reach the floor or while healing after an injury it helps to support your back by using a chair to do Downward Dog and Upward Dog.  Even using blocks at the wall can help assist you with your Yoga Dogs.

When your calf muscles are tight your heels may not reach the floor.  When this happens raise your heels up.  As you practice daily watch your calves and hamstrings lengthen allowing your heels to reach the floor again.  Daily practice helps you to remain pliable but if you take a break, or if unforeseen events occur in your life, you can always start again.

As you can see, Downward Dog and Upward Dog are not only practiced by people but by dogs and other animals.  A lot of yoga poses are named after animals.  Perhaps 1000’s of years ago people studied, observed, and imitated animals discovering benefits of how the actions that the animals performed helped them.  Today those actions, now called yoga poses, can help you.

Challenge Your Eagle Pose with Yoga Props

Right about now you’re thinking Yoga equals physical like exercises some people call postures or poses.  For example, you twist your arm this way around your other arm and stand on one leg and wrap your leg around that standing leg and you’re now doing a pose called Eagle (Garudasana in Sanskrit).  At first you feel a little unbalanced or maybe you feel strong and pliable.  Either way you feel you did it.  Overtime practicing it, we hope daily, you feel more comfortable in Eagle pose.   

Somewhere in the process you discover a place deep within yourself.  You find a silence, a center of peace.  A lot is going on within you as you achieve your Eagle pose.  Remember just focusing your mind, by keeping your mind silent, with no thoughts helps you to maintain your balance.  As you achieve the Eagle pose more frequently your shoulder muscles lengthen, your ankles strengthen, and your calf muscles can lengthen and strengthen.   

Wow!  Eagle pose sounds challenging BUT rewarding.  You may ask what if I’m a little challenged.  After learning the Eagle pose in a safe environment, with your yoga teacher’s assistance, you could use a wall as a prop.  With the wall behind your back you could safely discover how to balance in Eagle pose.  While sitting in a chair, another prop, you could focus your attention on the upper part of Eagle pose wrapping your arms, which helps you lengthen your shoulder muscles.  You have many options.  

Props are tools to help you achieve a pose.  You can achieve Eagle pose with some adaptations and enjoy the benefits.  Your teacher can lead you to discover how to accomplish poses with modifications and props.  You can soar above the challenges like a real live Eagle.  In the path of yoga we all have challenges as we challenge ourselves.  Props are tools to help us overcome our challenges and achieve our yoga poses.  Eagle really does symbolize rising above the challenge.