my five elements/ koshas...flowing vs. holding

There are five elements that relate to the five koshas (sheaths/layers) including: earth (annamya kosha), water (pranamaya kosha), fire (manomaya kosha), air (vijnanamaya kosha) and space/either/sky (anandamaya kosha). Here is the dominating order of my koshas/elements:

1.Fire: I feel like I have a lot of passion. Fire is a burning, transformative power energy that is always seeking the next level. Fire is always rising, and aspiring for greatness. I always try to do my best. I need to monitor my fire because too much fire can be destructive.

2.Air: Air is very quick moving, it never stops and it never it gets stuck. I feel like I have a very quick moving mind, very dexterous. I can take topics/subjects/metaphors and apply them to many things. I can learn about an aspect of inner spiral in utkatasana (chair pose) and then figure out how to apply that aspect of inner spiral in all other poses. I can learn that inner spiral is a way to draw into the self. Inner spiral starts at the medial (inner) heal and wraps around like an ace bandage all the way up to the floating ribs, the core slightly engages, and then the inner spiral comes out the back and widens the back. So when you inner spiral you draw into your front body (which is like a metaphor for drawing into yourself) in order to expand more fully on your back body (which is a metaphor for expanding and interacting with the universal…the rest of the world).

3.Earth: I feel I am stable and have discipline. The earth is solid, hard and unweaving. When I am passionate about something (ex. The study of yoga) I am strong and unwavering I have a lot of disciple. If I teacher tells me to do something I hear it once and will remember and practice it with discipline. When problems arise, I have strength, and determination. However in terms of my doshas (my ayurvedic constitutions) I am pitta (fire), and vata(wind). So I balance my kappah dosha(earth) by eatting heavier foods, avoid spicy foods (which is my weakness, I love the fire in my mouth) and applying oil to my body.

4.Space/either/sky: Sky is unbounded and wide open. It is having a beginners mind. I think the longer you practice yoga the more you can develop this mind like “I know what I am doing…I have been practicing for years…I am the shit…”Being like the sky is being soft and humble. Like no matter what a teacher teaches even if you have heard it a thousand times before you can still learn, you can choose to be open, willing, and humble. Every experience is new and every experience presents a new opportunity to learn. It is having an attitude of “just try it”. When I was younger I was a competitive snowboarder and I also was a little depressed. I felt like I shouldn’t be humble I needed to be the best and show others that I was awesome. I didn’t have a lot of the element of sky. Aftering practing yoga I stopped competing in snowboarding and feel much more open and soft. I feel Anusara has helped me to be humble. Every Anusara class I take; I learn more about myself and about the practice. The more I learn about Anusara yoga and myself, I realize I know very little and I have SOOO much more to learn. This is so humbling. I have said this before..But one thing I love about the humbling experience of Anusara is that as I get my ego smashed down, instead of feeling like I should go cry, I feel empowered and eager to learn and practice more. I know that the poses I do, if I do them with fullness (Purnatva) and with heart they are perfect. Just like my neighbors pose are perfect even if we don’t look the same. Of course I could always use more sky, more humbleness, and more openness. I am sure the more I practice Anusara yoga the more humble I will become.

5.Water: Lastly I think I have the least amount of the water element. Water is flexible, humble and it is down moving. When an obstacle comes in the way like a rock, the water doesn’t freak out, it goes around any obstacle. It goes with the flow. I like plans and order. When obstacles come up it is harder for me to be flexible and say “that’s okay”. For the past five years I have been practicing vinyasa style yoga. I thought the flowing nature of this yoga, that moves with the breath pretty quickly, would help me become more flexible and flowy. I did get good at flowing. However, that became my plane, what I expected. I was used to holding poses for just a few breaths with less emphasis on alignment, and flowing quickly. Now I think that holding poses and practicing alignment for an unknown amount of time, actually adds more water element to my practice.… here is a fun fact…I learned that the muscle spindles take 90-120 seconds to release, to make sure that we aren’t in danger. That means it is good to come into a pose to move around and find the alignment and then to hold the pose for more than 90 seconds so the muscle spindles have a chance to relax. This is very different then the way I used to flow and practice but I think it brings more water more fluidity to my life. Learning that things don’t always have to go the way I think they should. For example, I don’t always have to lift my leg up as I inhale and swing it through as I exhale. I can just step my foot straight between my hands. I still love flowing but I also love what I learn with my mind, body, and heart when I hold a pose.

I loved the Anusara immersion (part 1). I am so excited for my personal practice, I feel I have so much to work and focus on….fun fun fun!!!

chit (to know more) ananda (to be more happy)

I re wrote my last blog...So it is very similar but with some differences.

This weekend I took the first part of the Anusara immersion from Adam Ballenger, the owner of Kula studio. I learned so much. Its funny, I would say for the past 8 months I have been practicing Anusara yoga daily, reading about the principles, watching the John Friend teacher training DVDs and I actually thought that I was getting a grasp on this wonderfully full and amazing system of yoga. Then I took the immersion, I smile and I realize how little I know and how much there is to learn. I feel humbled and empowered to learn more, study more, and practice more. I know this past weekend was just a tiny taste of what Anusara has to offer…and I am salivating.

After taking the immersion, even though my body is so sore from many hours of practice and sitting, I am feeling such a strong pull to my matt, and wanting to practice all I have learned. Now I am very aware that I rely on hyper extending my knees (not doing shin loop) in most of my advanced poses, again so humbling. I love that this humbling experience doesn’t make me want to cry and hide under my bed sheets, but instead it is a motivation to keep me practicing.

It’s funny how I found Anusara after practicing and teaching more Iyengar vinyasa flow for many years. When I started doing Anusara I was always thinking “how can I take these wonderful principles of alignment and flow with them”. But now I enjoy holding in the asansa going over my new mantra…open to grace (foundation, inner body bright), muscular energy (hug muscles to bones, periphery to midline, periphery through core lines to focal point), inner spiral (expanding), outer spiral (narrowing), organic energy (shining out from focal point along core lines and out through periphery, expanding away from midline, and shining out through skin), loops (ankles back, tops of shins forward, top of thighs back, scoop tail bone, expand kidneys, shoulders back and behind heart, top of ears back), and shins in thighs out…

One of my favorite things I learned over this weekend was John Friends reasons for studying yoga. I think his reason has been the same as my intention for the past few years but I never was able to articulate it in such a simple way. The reason to practice and study yoga is to know more (chit) and to be happy (ananda).I love this it is so simple and so meaningful. I love how I can take this on any level, learning more about my body, my mind, my relationship with others, my relationship with myself, my inner energy…And from learning this knowledge I can be happier. Now I acknowledge that this isn’t always easy. Sometimes it is really really hard it requires a lot of tapas heat, discipline, and effort. I do believe with my whole heart, that the more I practice yoga, the more I study, the more I continue to learn about myself and spirit, learning that there is no separation between the two ( non-dual) the more happy I will become.

This is also the reason I meditate. It is my intention when I sit. From sitting whatever my practice may be, silence, mantra, visualization…I know that in my practice even if it is short it is helping me learn more, to discover the truth of who I really am, and that learning more is contributing toward my happiness. Now I see each day, each obstacle, every activity as an opportunity to learn more, to gain more chit so that I may experience more ananda, delight, bliss, and happiness.

I practice and study yoga and meditation so that I may know more and to be happy! I even chant this before my practice in the Anusara invocation “sadchitananda murtaye”.

anusara immersion 1 part 2

So happy for my second section of Anusara immersion to start. I am learning so much about the principles of alignment, which are fabulous because they apply to every pose. in other traditions i have practice i needed to learn the alignment for each pose differently. i learned what alignment to do I virabhadrasana (warrior 1), the alignment in virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2), Trikonasana (triangle pose), Succasana (seated position)...but in Anusara you use these five principles: open to grace, muscular energy, inner spiral, outer spiral, organic energy. and you apply these five principle in a dynamic way to every pose. Then there are more refinements that include the seven loops and shins in thighs out...it is fabulous...My practice, my teaching, and my life is changing. I am so grateful for learning this wonderful practice of Anusara. I am learning to CHOOSE to align with grace, with Shri (beauty) and with the divine. This makes my happier, my mind calmer, and my relationships better.

Anusara Immersion #1 part 1

What an amazing weekend.
This weekend I took the first part of the Anusara immersion from Adam Ballenger, the owner of Kula studio. I learned so much. Its funny, I would say for the past 8 months I have been practicing Anusara yoga daily, and reading about the principles, watching the John Friend teacher training DVDs and I actually thought that I was getting a grasp on this wonderfully full and amazing system of yoga. Then I took the immersion, I smile and I realize how little I know and how much there is to learn. I feel humbled and empowered to learn more, study more, and practice more. I know this past weekend was just a tiny taste of what Anusara has to offer…and I am salivating.

Whenever I have free time I find myself drawn to my matt. Haha, instead of finishing my many finale projects and papers and studying, as school is wrapping up :)(although I am studying), I can’t help but want to practice all I have learned…my foundation of hands and feet, opening to grace, all the loops. Now I am very aware that I rely on hyper extending my knees (not doing shin loop) in most of my advanced poses, again so humbling. I love that this humbling experience doesn’t make me want to cry and hide under my bed sheets, but instead it is a motivation to keep practicing.

It’s funny how I found Anusara after practicing and teaching more Iyengar vinyasa flow for many years. When I started doing Anusara I was always thinking “how can I take these wonderful principles of alignment and flow with them”. But now the more I learn (and this might change my flowy friends, no worries) the more I enjoy holding in the asansa going over my new mantra…open to grace (foundation, inner body bright), muscular energy (hug muscles to bones, periphery to midline, periphery through core lines to focal point), inner spiral (expanding), outer spiral (narrowing), organic energy (shining out from focal point along core lines and out through periphery, expanding away from midline, and shining out through skin), loops (ankles back, tops of shins forward, top of thighs back, scoop tail bone, expand kidneys, shoulders back and behind heart, top of ears back), and shins in thighs out…ahhhhhmazing!! So if you are coming to my class we might be holding poses longer… To top it off I learned John Friends reason for studying yoga that I have absolutely fallen in love with. This new intention, which isn’t really new. I think it has always been my intention but now I can just articulate it better, makes holding these poses for minutes and going over the mantra even more enjoyable…Are you ready: to know more (chit) and to be happy (ananda)! Isnt that great! We practice and study yoga so that me may know more and to be happy! Does chit, ananda sound familiar? in the Anusara invocation “sadchitananda murtaye”.

(another blog will probably follow shortly about this intention chit, ananda…but teaching two classes today, tons of homework, and then there is that energetic draw to my matt that I can’t resist…

Twists...its spring!

Spring has sprung!! Spring is a time of manifestation of planting seeds that we want to blossom.

This week I thought it would be great to focus on twists. Using the action of a twist is similar to weeding the garden before you plant your seeds and flowers. When we twist we massage and tone the entire visceral system, and bring great circulation to the spinal disks and muscles. We also increase the mobility for the lungs allowing us to breathe more fully. John Friend writes in the Anusara teacher training manual that “when the twisting action is completed and the organ is returned to its original position, fresh blood surges into the organ flushing out wastes and purifying the organ.…It is a natural and powerfully effective way to detoxify the organs and glands, thereby boosting the health of the whole body.”

As humans we cling and attach to so many things. We tend to attach to things that bring more suffering into our life out of habit. We cling to fights we had a day, week, a year+ ago. We cling to limiting ideas and thoughts…we don’t think we are good, or strong, or special enough…

I like to imagine when I twist (or weed my inner garden) that not only am I letting go of physical toxins but I am also letting go of limiting ideas, inner hostility, negativity, self judgment…as if twisting was a way to let go of anything that no longer serves me. If we can twist out toxins, ideas, thoughts, stress and tension, we can create more room and space to plant new seeds of love, happiness, patience..anything that we want to bloom in our life.

Can we use the physical action of a twisting in our asana practice to help remove any “weeds” in our garden so we may plant new seeds with an open heart.

Akshaya Tritya is on Friday...a very auspicious day

(I have learned about Akshaya tritya from Flow Yoga SLC, to learn more about Vedic astrology check out their Vedic Lectures www.flowyogaslc.com)

Akshaya tritya is approaching. Akshaya tritya is a very auspicious time according to the Vedic calendar when both the sun (Surya) and the moon (Chandra) are both in certain positions together along with the Shukla Tritiya tihi (third day after new moon). This year Akshaya tritya is from Friday April 16th at 1:15pm until saterday April 17th 6:15am.

There are many legends on this day, but two most popular ones are from Mahabharata.
1)When Pandavas on a 12 year exile, Lord Krishna gave a bowl to Pathram on the Akshaya tritya. This bowl was a Akshaya (that which never ends) Pathram and every food put in the bowl was never ending and she could feed everybody.
2) Sage Ved Vyasa is considered the one who wrote down the Mahabharata, but while he was writing he understood that he thinks faster then he can write, so he asked Ganesha to help him write down Mahabharata on this Akshaya Tritiya day.

Akshaya tritya is a great day to start anything new. …Just like spring. What seeds do you want to plant so you can cultivate and experience the beautiful flowers.

Muscular Energy, Organic Energy and The Focal Points

In Anusara yoga we focus on focal points within the body. These points lie on the central energy axis along the spine called the sushumna channel. We use these focal points as an inner drishti (gaze) to draw energy and collect energy in (muscular energy) and then to expand and extend energy out (organic energy).

There are three focal points: the core of the pelvis, the bottom of the heart, and the pallet of the mouth. In every pose we do, there is an active focal point.

The focal point of the pelvis is located at the bottom of the sacrum and the top of the coccygeal process. This focal point is activated in standing poses, seated poses and by default whenever the three focal points are in one line, like chaturanga dandasana and plank. So in these poses we draw energy and strength into the low belly. We find inner stability and then from the core of the pelvis we root down and extend out.

The focal point of the heart is located at the bottom of the heart and the top of the diaphragm. This pose is active in most arm balances and in AMS*. In these poses we draw energy into our heart. We find our inner strength and then from the heart we share and shine our beauty and energy from the inside out.

The focal point the palet is located at the upper palet. We draw our awareness to this point whenever the head is in contact with earth including sirsasana, sarvangasana, sethu bandha… In these asanas we draw into the roof of the mouth finding strength and balance and then we organically extend out through the crown, out through the toes, the skin, the eyes… sharing our radiance.

When we draw into a focal point it is called muscular energy. We draw in from the periphery toward the active focal point. We hug the muscles to the bone. I like to think of this drawing in action to be an opportunity to check on ones self. Am I honoring my body in the pose? Am I being healthy in my life? Am I taking me time? Am I doing things that make me happy? Through muscular energy we connect and remember our innate goodness, our inner radiance, and our authentic self.

From drawing the energy in, from connecting to our self, we then extend back out. This energy extension is called organic energy. Just like muscular energy is about uniting with the self, organic energy is about sharing our self and contributing to the whole. It is sharing and radiating our beauty with the whole. It is our way to play with the universe and add our unique beauty. It is connecting to our inner radiance and shinning back out from the focal point out through the limbs and through the skin.

We want to create a dynamic balance between muscular energy and organic energy. We don’t want just to be one but to have harmony. When we create this harmony between effort and ease, strength and flexibility… we can fully connect to our heart. If we are just muscular energy, just strength, stability, effort, steadfast we become ridged. If you imagine a big, dry, hard rigid tree and something stressful happens or a big gust of wind comes along the tree will snap and fall down. If we have too much organic energy, if we are to flexible and soft we get limp. Like a baby tree, a young sapling with shallow roots, when stress or wind blows the sapling will flail in the wind until it gets uprooted and falls over. This metaphor is a good example that we can’t just have one we need balance. We want to be like bamboo, strong yet flexible. Remember, however, that this balance is dynamic it will change and shift from pose to pose and day to day.

May we always remember to connect to our self, to remember our inner beauty and then choose to share our beauty and heart with the whole.
Om SHANTI

*Audo Muka Savasana