We have to laugh at ourselves sometimes, right?

This is a great reminder that we shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously all the time. So remember while you watch, laughing at ourselves is essential to happiness!

“Is that guy sitting lower than me? He must be shorter, man I’m good, I’m a warrior.”

“My arms are sprouting out of my back. I am a butterfly!”

Two months ago, be present—one today’s leading yoga clothing and apparel companies—celebrated 10 years of continuously solid production.

For a company birthed in owner Amy Lopatin Dobrin’s basement, up against an unsteady economy and the evolution in environmentally friendly style over the course of a decade, it’s no small feat to have not only remained in business, but to have lost not an ounce of integrity—or “sold out”—in the process.

To show their gratitude, some of our community’s top teachers have come together to give thanks to the company who knows how to continuously be present:

Roberto Lim
“I love my be present Baja Shorts because they are as comfortable wearing on the street as they are when I am in the studio. Congratulations Jon and Amy for 10 years! May joy and prosperity continue to flow into be present!”

Gina Caputo
“Congratulations on 10 OMazing years to Jon & Amy whose combination of devotion, creativity, courage and perseverance have resulted in an extraordinary company. Surrounded by beloved friends and family, creating fun and sustainable products, setting the bar for mindfulness in business—you inspire us all! Thank you for the privilege of being part of be present!”

“What do you get when you combine a 37-hour flight with bag screenings at each of the three stops along the way and Bali in April at 90 degrees and 100% humidity with daily downpours? Say hello to my little friend…the Kona Pant. Not only can you pack these down like a pro but they are the most functional garment imaginable in sunny, humid, monsoony places. Lightweight and dry in a wink, and give you that all-important thigh sun protection when cruising through the paddies on your scooter! I wore mine with the Modal Racerback [Tank] because when it’s that warm, my skin needs to breathe. I love that it doesn’t cling fit and allows for some circulation. Right now all the Sun and Moon Konas are killing me with their cuteness and the Concord Grape Modal [Racerback Tank] is jellylicious.”

Jason Nemer
“be present has been one of the most generous companies I have worked with. The owners Jon and Amy have always been committed to doing good in the world as they style out yogis in cool clothes. They are always playing with new eco materials and their grounded ethics about people, relationships and the planetary web is one of the reasons Be Present is a global brand. I admire and support 100% of what be present does and how they do it.”

Dave Porter
“Happy 10 Year Anniversary to Jon and Amy and the entire be present crew! You guys rock! Thanks for all you have done for me, and for so many others, over the past 10 years. Best wishes to you all for the next 10!”

Coral Brown
What it means to Coral to “be present”:  “To be present is to Be Alive. Being present is living an examined life, it is about diving in head first, it is the art of recognizing your Self and your purpose and then fulfilling that purpose with a firm sense of commitment, joy and the occasional haphazard leap into the abyss!”

Favorite items from be present: “In the winter I live in the French Terry resort pant—who doesn’t love pockets, and the Long Versatility Pants—love the snaps! Summer is the Kona and the Island Short. I love to mix and match the Modal Easy Cami with the Ribbed Racerback Bra. Currently, the Renew Elite Tank and Crop Pants have been rocking it on the mat!”

David Romanelli
What it means to David to “be present”: “Embracing the things we love most but to embrace them as rituals. In the modern world, we lack rituals. To light a candle, to put on a good tune, to set the scene and then take a bite of something absolutely delicious, such as chocolate, is away of creating a moment amidst the madness.”

Favorite items from be present: “Organic Cotton Be Present Tee and Movement Pant”

Bo Forbes
“Happy 10th Anniversary to Jon, Amy and the gang at be present! be present is one of the most conscious companies I’ve ever collaborated with: they combine innovation with social responsibility, coolness with eco-awareness, and creativity with mindfulness. They’re always looking for ways to benefit others through their work: our recent collaboration, the Restore hoodie, will offer 25% of proceeds to the Arthritis Foundation to help raise awareness of arthritis as an illness that affects people of all ages. The hoodie is amazing: it’s soft, sleek, and colorful- and a great reminder to indulge in the therapeutic and contemplative practices of yoga along with the active ones. Happy Anniversary, be present! May your creativity, warmth, and generosity continue to yield abundance for the next ten years!”

Head on over to bepresent.com today to check out some of their brand new spring items and purchase some new threads! 

“I’m feeling so stuck in my life right now. What would Ganesha do?”

Enjoy this original parody from our friends over at Big Happy Day, shot on location at Shakti Fest. It’s “so Shanti”, you’ll definitely be “feelin’ the Bhav”, “energetically speaking that is.”  Via BHD.com:

“Swimming in an ocean of devotional hippies, yogis and artists, this video was easy to make- we just captured them in their natural setting at Shaktifest, 2012!”

Over the years people have asked if yoga is a religion.

Some believe that in order to practice yoga they need to change their denomination. Others are afraid that the practice of yoga will interfere with their personal belief system.

This subject came up again during one of my one of my yoga teacher training weekends, as my students and I discussed the importance of studying the sacred texts and yoga. During this particular weekend we were talking about some of the most important texts that form the base or foundation of yoga as a spiritual practice.

Sacred books like the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras, and the Upanishads talk about loving the Divine, becoming your best, abstaining from harm, etc. These same principles can also be found in the Bible, the Torah and many other spiritual and sacred volumes. As we started to read and discuss each Sutra, written well over 5000 years ago, we could see how easily these foundations are applied today regardless of what your beliefs are.

I am not sure when or how people find themselves having to choose between yoga and religion. Yoga to me has never been about any particular sanctity, nor trying to get people to believe in something they don’t.

As I see it, yoga has brought myself and many others closer to our own personal convictions. Yoga has also given me the opportunity to learn more about myself, to deepen my connection to God, the Divine, the Creator or the Universe (whatever you choose to call it).

One of the many translations for the word yoga is union. Yoga strives to bring all aspects of our beings into wholeness regardless of what or whom we choose to give credence to.

Even though yoga started in India, many practitioners around the world are not Hindus. I have not been to any yoga class where they  have asked me if I was part of any specific religion in order to be able to participate in class.

I have personally taught classes where I had people come from different religions whether they were  Christians, Jews, Buddhist or Hindus—it did not matter. We all came and continue to come to our yoga practice for different reasons, but at the end our mutual goal is to become one with ourselves and the Divine.

Some view yoga as a physical practice or exercise, while others believe and know that yoga is much more than that. Yoga is a system of wellness that helps bring our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being into union.

Yoga is a spiritual practice that helps us remember to live an honest, loving and respectful life. It encourages us to treat others with kindness and respect. It tells us to remember our true essence.

You may find that in many classes the teachers and other participants chant OM. This word has no religious connotation and you can choose whether or not to participate while it’s being chanted. You will also hear words like “Namaste” and/or “Shanti”. These words mean “I honor the Divine within you” and “peace”. These phrases can be said regardless of any particular religion.

If you have been thinking about trying a yoga class, but you are hesitant because you think you have to change who you are or what you believe in, now you know that the only requisites to try a yoga class is to be yourself and breathe.

Have you ever noticed yourself not doing the things you know you need to do to feel better about yourself, your life or a particular situation?

For example, you feel stressed and know yoga and meditation would be the best thing for you, but instead of doing them you watch a movie, go out for a drink, or just keep pushing yourself to “do more”. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur, you know making that phone call, sending that email, or writing a regular newsletter is the best thing for you and the growth of your business, but you put it off and let your fear get the best of you. You could be trying to get healthy, and instead of changing what you eat, moving your body and exercising (in a fun way), you keep eating the stuff and doing the things that keep you where you don’t want to be.

Why do we sabotage our health, happiness and overall well-being? Why is it so hard to do the things we know will make us feel better?

As someone who has grown a spiritual practice over the last seven years I have come up against that same resistance—putting everything else before me—while learning how to truly be with myself everyday, and look forward to and love every moment. As an entrepreneur who succeeds by being productive and action-oriented, I know what it’s like to sabotage my success by procrastinating or not taking care of my health.

I am also someone who has broken the habits of using alcohol, sugar, food and other ways of numbing myself; effectively preventing myself from knowing me, or feeling my emotions. It’s through these things that I’ve learned to make healthier choices and honor myself.

1. Drop the guilt.

Stop feeling bad about the shit you didn’t do and think you should’ve done. It doesn’t matter. What matters most is what you do right now, and now and now. Every moment you come back to your breath, inhale deeply and exhale fully is a rebirth, a new beginning and an opportunity to make changes.

Quit beating yourself up. Accept where you’re at and what you have or haven’t done. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and be the empowered super human that you came here to be.  You are Infinite Spirit and your awesomeness is way more humungous than all the crap that keeps you small, low-vibing and unhappy. Drop that unneeded guilt and make better choices in this now and all the nows moving forward!

2. Listen to your body’s wisdom.

You have 60 trillion cells of infinite wisdom twinkling inside of you, working together for your highest wholeness! Unfortunately most of us keep ourselves so busy that we forget about going within when we feel stressed, sick, in pain or out of balance. Instead, we go around and we ask for everybody else’s opinion about what’s wrong with us or we just flat out ignore the red flags until we have a downward spiral crash. The first place you should always turn is to yourself.

I teach a practice of turning inwards and listening to the body’s wisdom so you can decipher the hidden messages of your body and spirit by learning to listen. The pain and stress you feel is the body’s way of communicating messages of truth to you. When you feel those red flags it means something needs to change. If you don’t listen, you won’t hear it.

Usually the act of listening is enough to  dissolve the negative energy and create new choices with more ease. If after you’ve done all you can do to listen to your body and still you have no clarity, then go seek help elsewhere.

3. Do what is fun and feels good.

If it’s not fun, you won’t do it…for long. Ever notice how we fall off the wagon so easily with diets, exercise programs and all sorts of other stuff we say we’re committed to? Why is that? Probably because they’re not fun!

Whether it’s your spiritual practice, transforming the way you eat, running a business, working a day-job, exercising or whatever: you have to make it fun. If you don’t, then you won’t do it and you’ll be unhappy.

My intention for all my services, adventures, articles and videos first and foremost, is that they are fun. Fun for me and fun for you. This makes growing and loving life a whole lot easier; as apposed to it being a push, a struggle and a pain in the ass.

Learn to see it all as an adventure and learn to make it all fun. It will take practice, but if you want to be happy every moment of everyday, it’s well worth figuring out, and there’s no time better than now.

4. It’s all about vibes.

It’s all about doing the things that will raise our vibrations to the highest level in all moments! When we increase our frequency our addictions, judgments, thoughts, habits, relationships and every part of ourselves  transform. When making choices—whatever the choice may be—ask your body and self (not your mind): “will this fill me up with energy” or “will this take my energy away.” As soon as you ask, you will instinctually know in your heart.

Choose the things that raise your vibes and your life will be easier, more fun and you will live in the land of love, magic and pure possibility. Breath work is the number one way to raise your vibes, so learn it and do it everyday.

I hope some of these Grounded Perspectives will serve you well in making choices that fill you up to higher levels of love and divine appreciation for this beautiful life we’ve been given. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to offer any further insights. If you have any insights on how you’ve moved through the resistance of doing what you know you should do, please comment below and let everyone know!

About the Author:

World adventurer, spiritual comedian, social entrepreneur, meditation guide and lover of life,   Brad Morris is on a mission to raise the love vibe globally through his inner-vative approach to making meditation fun and easy. He helps people get into the zone by de-bunking the meditation myths that complicate the simplicity of an awesome practice. He also stirs the pot of laughter within with his Conscious Comedy Video Productions and unique, playful outlook on life.  BradiDude takes his passion for growth, adventure and travel and leads groups on wild and transformational spiritual adventures around the world and is a regular author with FinerMinds Blog! He has impacted oodles of lives world-wide on the big stage as a speaker, as well as through leading hundreds of meditation groups and workshops. Learn to Meditate … Take the 40 Day Journey with Brad Morris by clicking this link! This dude is ‘being the change’ by simply living his Cowabunga Life and passionately inviting others to do the same for themselves. You can check out more cool stuff about Cowabunga Life & BradiDude at  www.CowabungaLife.com

I’m a yoga teacher, a full-timer.

Teaching yoga is an easy gig. It’s a pleasure for both instructor and pupil because we all find nourishment in time we spend on our mats no matter how different we are. Asana is a powerful equalizer. I love the physical practice and the comforting rituals like weird chanting, vinyasa and tying my hair up in a samurai ponytail like I’m going into battle.

It fulfills me and inspires me to see my students become stronger and happier, flow by flow. Teaching yoga is manual labor and for me, it’s a labor of love. I’m from a working class family and this feels like a working class profession, like farming, nursing or baking. We are growing. We are healing. We are providing.

I cannot stop myself from practicing seven days a week. I feel an irresistible pull to learn from my teachers. Their words ring in my ears long after I roll up my stanky ‘Duka and go home. Some of these words and new ideas are fresh and vibrant. Others are stale.

Let’s strike a deal, fellow yoga instructors. I’ll never ask you to ‘stretch’ or ‘let go’ if you’ll kindly archive some of your own golden oldies:

1. Sits bones or sitz bones or sit bones.

Ischial tuberosities sounds way cooler. When I get to class, I’m ready to receive. I’m eager to study what you have to offer. You don’t need to dumb it down. Give me the anatomical terms, sugar. I know you’ve studied them. Your knowledge is a turn on.

2. Fog up the mirror.

I cringe at myself for saying it. The mouth-full is so heavy. Darth Vader called, he wants his breath back, CYT / RYT. The force is not witchu’. Remember Gmork, the big black wolf character from The NeverEnding Story? He gets a gold star for fogging up the mirror.

You should see my uddiyana bandha.

3. The lovely so-and-so will be subbing my class.

When a yoga teacher calls the sub lovely, beautiful or delightful (puke), it means they may, subconsciously or not, want the stand in to sound fluffy, not skilled and well, sub-par. Women in particular, do this to each other.

Have you taken your sub’s class lately? You should. That way, you might have something specific and solid to say about his or her teaching. If you leave your students with a sub who you think is inadequate or merely ‘lovely’ you are doing them a disservice. Don’t sell out, pretty pony.

If I’m subbing for your class, please call me dangerous, creepy or say I’m a close-talker who gives inappropriately familiar assists. Trust me, yer’ numbers will go up. In turn, when you sub for me I will call you the captain of crunch, the supreme queen of grilled cheese and confess that you are indeed harder, better, faster, stronger than Ms. Pac-Man. If that isn’t enough I will let the world know that you are a unicorn. The uterus in me bows to the uterus in you. I think we’ve reached an understanding.

4. Breathe

Let’s not belabor ‘the breath.’ It’s implied that I am using my lungs. Yoga teacher, if you tell me to ‘just breathe’ as if it will solve the world’s problems I will eat you in your sleep.

5. Hot room

This phrase is one tired, broke ass hooker. Put ‘er to bed. It was clever at first. I felt like I belonged to an exclusive club. ‘See you in the hot room.’ No, I’ll see you in hell before I ever say that shit again.

Let’s call it the free cheeseburger machine, the bad place (like where your underwear go after spending too much time in rabbit pose),  or how about your mom’s hot room?

6. Yummy

I’m sorry that you’re vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, and lager-free. Meatballs and cake are yummy, GD locust pose ain’t. Describing a challenging posture as yummy will not make it sound more accessible to me.

Could you tell me how it makes you feel? That will entice me to try it. Yoga is a sensual practice. I see it, I feel it, I hear it, I sure as shootin’ smell it, but I don’t know if I want to taste it. Savor it, maybe. Why is it always the scrawniest teachers who want you to believe yoga is yummy?

7. Low boat

Because I hate that it’s really hard. If you’re going to make me suffer through this rosy posy, could you at least tell me I’m on a mothafu%$in’ boat, please? Since we’re out at sea, I’ll gently make my next point:

8. Ocean Breath

Smells like fish poo and oil spill. Makes me think of the Titanic, and then Celine Dion. It’s a cry for help. Don’t say it. When ‘Ocean Breath’ comes out of my mouth to describe how to explore a fuller lung capacity, it makes my teeth itch. There’s got to be a better way. Tornado breath? Breath of eruption?  S.O.S.

9. Walk the dog

Bring one of those blue poopie bags with you too. No, merci.

Can we call it rabid dog? And get all freaky with it? Please? I know our American culture is very dog happy and that’s charming, but I don’t want to actually feel like I am a dog taking myself for a walk. Woof.

10. Back issues, neck issues, knee issues, sphincter issues.

If you think I have back issues, let’s talk about your daddy issues, pal. Just offer up the modifications, ok? I don’t wanna cry (again) in savasana and I don’t need anyone to remind me of my issues, yogster.  Issues don’t sound sexy. And why am I here if not to feel sexy and issue-free?

11. Workout

I just like wearing leg warmers. Don’t be fooled. I’m not here to work out like it’s 1986, goofball. Workout is the cheapest word we could use to describe yoga. I put too much value on my practice to label it a workout.

The body I have, the unconventionally rockin’ and healthfully rounded body I will live in the rest of my life, is reliable and strong. It allows me to engage in a vigorous yoga practice every day and rarely does it tire or fail. There’s nothing to work out.

I’m taking your class to see what light and possibility I might work up or work in, thank you.  If you tell me you’re going to work me out, I’ll show you pics of how I worked your sister out.

12. Problem area

Just think of me as Christopher Walken, meet your new guru. Would you offer to help Christopher Walken sculpt his problem areas? Bitch, please. Christopher Walken would cut you. Lock the knee!

I will just sniffle and awkwardly pull my pungent tank top down over my muffin pudge, or as you so succinctly put it, my problem area.  Pictured left is Mr. Walken, age 22, and that is what my core looks like under my 35 year old mother of two problem area.

13. Kick asana

As in ‘come to my kick asana acro vin yin cheesy poof workshop to have your chakras imploded.’ You don’t have to market your class to me with little gems like that. I already like your class.

You are a good and capable teacher. You kinda’ remind me of my little brother. Maybe you could come over and eat Captain Crunch with me. We could watch Thundercats. You don’t need a yoga fad or a gimmick to attract me to your teaching. I paid the drop-in fee. You are enough.

When I come to you, I want to experience your teaching. You don’t have to use the same ol’ verbiage you’ve heard repeatedly in the yoga teacher canon to get me to believe you. Tell me exactly why you’re teaching me a pose, what it strengthens or opens, and how I might practice it off the mat.

You don’t have to sell me yoga with promises that it will detoxify me, get me in a bikini or change me. I don’t want to feel like I’m in the grocery store checkout line. Give me warmth, comfort, and your take on the ancient practice of yoga that you know and love. That’s plenty.

About the Author:

Hally Marlino is a blue collar mama from Madison, WI. She’s a former U.S. Army trained combat medic, a former actor with a BA in Theatre Performance from UW-La Crosse and a former yoga skeptic. When she’s not teaching freestyle vinyasa around the isthmus, you’ll find her bike-riding and beer-appreciating with her family. Hally is exactly half ballerina and half wrestler, but her yoga classes are totally legit. She promises. Find her at yoga-beast.com.

There’s something to be said for dressing the part, for honoring the occasion.

I learned this lesson early on from my chameleonic grandmother who wore everything from opera gloves to mud boots, as circumstances dictated. Needless to say, I was surprised to hear it echoed in the biography of Master Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras!

Master Patanjali, as it turns out, was not only a highly realized yogi, but also an accomplished ayurvedic physician, great philosopher, expert Sanskrit grammarian and pioneer in the field of traditional Indian dance. The costumes and movements of ancient Indian dancing were designed so that the dancer would not just perform, but actually take on the identity of the deity they were praising in the dance.

I loved this idea, that clothes themselves could elevate a practice—and a practitioner—from the mundane to the magical.

In some sense, this is why I came to work for Hyde. I had been away on a yoga and meditation retreat and wore Hyde literally every single day. I had packed other pants, but each morning when I got dressed, all I wanted to wear was the Divine Drawstring. Because they are unfailingly comfortable and remarkably unobtrusive—not at all bulky or bunchy—I almost forgot I was wearing pants at all.

Something about the freeing outer experience of the clothes gave rise to a freeing inner experience: I was able to let go of how I ordinarily conceive myself and step into a new perception. I felt beautiful, graceful and, dare I say, perhaps even a bit divine.

My love affair with the pants (the Divine Drawstring in particular, but also the Twisted Seam Legging—so flattering!) led me to explore the wide array of Hyde tops. I had never paid too much attention to tops before. Foolishly ignoring my grandmother’s example, I figured my cast-off tanks and tees would work fine for yoga. But when I tried an “official” yoga top (my favorite is the Kitkat, followed closely by the Vira), a strange thing started to happen: not only did I notice a discernible difference in the ease of my asanas (no longer were misplaced seams irritating me in chatturanga and too-baggy tee’s falling in my face in headstand), but also a new-found joy and confidence overtook me in the poses themselves.

Something shifted, silly as it sounds, when I was wearing these beautiful, comfortable clothes. I felt like I was elevated to another level of practice, simply because I was dressing the part.

Perhaps like Master Patanjali’s ancient dancers, I was I was able to experience myself as a yogi—happier, kinder, less judgmental of myself and others—just by taking on a yogi’s outer appearance. Any remaining doubts that I was somehow still an imposter, doing someone else’s practice, fell away. The experience of being beautifully and appropriately dressed for class has led to a deeper connection with the—my!—practice.

And while my teacher continually reminds us to keep our gaze focused in one spot, my eyes admittedly wander around the room. I see what other people are wearing. No one looks as chic, happy and unburdened as the yogis in Hyde. In addition to how the outer look enhances the inner feeling, my personal theory (and I suspect Master Patanjali would back me up on this) is that Hyde yogis breathe more easily in class—and thus enjoy yoga more—because the organic cotton actually breathes! Hyde does not make anything resembling a corset or girdle, nor do we use materials which to me feel more appropriate for a scuba suit.

My understanding of yoga is that its goal is to bring us to place entirely free of all our self-perceived limitations. So we may as well practice in clothes that are similarly liberated. Hence my love of Hyde.

About Hyde Yoga:

Hyde is a Brooklyn-based, yogini-owned and operated line of organic yoga apparel. Born in 2005, Hyde continues to make comfortable and beautiful yoga apparel that moves and breathes with your practice.

About the Author:

Brook Cosby is a New York City-based teacher of meditation and yoga philosophy, freelance copywriter and director of special projects at Hyde Yoga. Known for her clear and compassionate elucidation of ancient techniques for reaching stillness and opening the heart, she teaches meditation at Kula Yoga Project and is on faculty with the acclaimed Conquering Lion Yoga Teacher Training Program. She began her yoga practice after graduating from Dartmouth College in 2000 and has since completed over 1000 hours of training, including Conquering Lion  and Jivamukti.

Do twisting postures make you want to revolt?

By now, most of us have found ourselves holding our breath, gritting our teeth and mentally counting down the moments until we can release poses such as revolved triangle, right?

Smurf yoga—or, holding your breath in a pose until you turn blue—is certainly not the answer.

Revolved triangle pose, in my experience, is on the top of the “we don’t love it” list. Add to that pose revolved extended side angle or revolved lunge and suddenly frowns appear, faces sink and a time clock begins before losing students via the domino effect (exiting from the pose one by one before the 5 breaths are completed).

So what is it about these twisting postures that make us want to bolt? Is it the self-awareness that becomes more apparent as we are forced to face the extra loving in the midsection? Is it the frustration with our body’s inflexibility within the spinal column? Perhaps as we are wringing out our intestines and abdominal organs, we’re also limiting the space the lungs have to take in their maximum breath. Some practitioners may even find themselves caught on the borderline of anxiety or fear that they will not be able to take a deep enough breathe to stay in the pose.

So with all of these stress-inducing thoughts towards twisted postures, why do them at all?

There are a ton of physical benefits to twisting postures. They sculpt the abdomen and obliques (love handles). The compression and stimulation of the abdominal organs such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines and bladder help with the removal of excretory waste as well as relief from gas pains. Maybe pick a day and skip the coffee and do a twist instead!

Twists also assist with circulation. Limiting and then releasing the flow of blood through the body allows fresh movement of oxygen through the blood stream and assists with tissue healing.

Sounds great, right? Well that’s not all! They also neutralize the spine after back bends and help keep our natural spinal rotation and soft tissues pliable. Rest assured that over time our bodies will remain healthy enough to twist this way and that without losing length or increasing the risk of random injuries.

If you happen to participate in sports like golf, soccer, martial arts, football, baseball, tennis and others that involve twisting for full range of motion, then a yoga practice that involves some of these revolting twisting postures is essential as a complimentary practice to your sport!

So moving away from the physiological let’s explore the other areas in which we stand to gain from twisting like a pretzel!

How we perceive our practice and poses mentally can immediately create a conflict in our minds. In yoga mental conflicts are not necessarily fights going on in our heads. It simply means that we have not found santosha (contentment) with the pose. 

Santosha—meaning we neither revel in the posture nor feel any form of aversion to it. We simply do the posture and focus on remaining present and in the moment. By releasing ourselves from the conflict in our minds, and finding contentment in these poses, we will experience a more level and open flow of the mind during our physical practice.

Ujjayai (victorious) breath should be used to take the “Smurf” yoga out of your practice.

In twists, the compression of ribs and lungs can make it impossible to take full big breaths and it can also be a troubling experience to try to breathe using our mouths. Instead focus on the ujjayai breath skills where there is the slightest constriction at the back of the throat. This allows for the elongation of the duration of each inhalation and exhalation.

Allow the breaths to last five counts in and five counts out. This technique mirrors fogging up a window with using the mouth and creating that condensation effect, but instead of using our kissers, we should be using our nose for both the inhalation and the exhalation. Remember, if we are not breathing, we are not practicing.

So instead of revolting the next time we’re faced with a pose that rivals Gumby, by taking the opportunity to breathe, mentally explore the experience of being present in the pose, connecting with santosha, our patience is rewarded—and think about how yummy our bellies, backs, obliques and digestives system will feel.

Instead of thinking how much longer until I get out of this pose think “Viva la Revolution” and bring on the twists!

Namaste,

Sinda

My daughter enjoying the sunshine and practicing yoga on her own.

Mothers Day is a time to recognize the women in our lives who teach, guide, support and drive each of us to become positive members of society.

I spent my marriage not celebrating Mothers Day, at least not for myself. I was told, without fail, year after  year that I was not my former husband’s mother. It was not meant in a spiteful way per say. He just did not comprehend that he was supposed to honor me—he viewed Mothers Day as a day to celebrate his mother.

This left my children feeling hollow. They felt they should do something, and wanted to do anything to show they loved and valued me. It caused anxiety for my them, and they still have a sense of negative emotion tied to this holiday.

This is my first Mothers Day divorced, and I am changing this pattern. For myself and my children.

We are celebrating and we are celebrating big.

Now, as a single parent, I did not want my children to feel stressed to create a day for me. I decided this year to honor not only myself but the other families in the community. To teach my children that we can create something that for more than just me.

This morning I had an epiphany of sorts: to gift my community with Mothers Day Yoga. But how? In the course of a few hours I, very last minute, created an event for Sunday that myself and my children can be proud of being part of. Four free yoga classes in Boulder—one for parents and one for children (at each time slot)

We are celebrating all families of all shapes and sizes this year with these classes taught by my beautiful friends. I will be adding an additional memory to participants in the yoga classes by photographing the families and gifting them an image of their day together.

My gift to myself this year is teaching my children to give back. My gift to my children is showing them it is not about tangible purchases. My gift to the community is showing you I value you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo Cred: 360being.com

The article below was originally published on The Huff Post.

Krishnamacharya has three qualifications for a yoga teacher.

As the source of much of modern day yoga, and the teacher of luminaries like B. K. S. Iyengar and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, this guy clearly knew what it took to possess the wealth of wisdom that yoga embodies. Of course, there is one primary qualification of being a yoga teacher—enlightenment—but in lieu of that ultimate spiritual experience, Krishnamacharya offered three other qualifications for those who assume the post of teacher.

The first, is to have a connection to a lineage.

This is an indication of where the student has been, who has been the custodian of their learning, and responsible for their knowledge. The most important relationship in yoga is the relationship between teacher and student.

We’ve all heard of the term guru, and while it’s gotten misconstrued and possibly watered down into a layman’s term lately, the original meaning of guru was simple—one who helped to remove darkness in order to reveal the light.

Yogis are seekers of some higher truth, and the greatest obstacles to realizing this is our own ignorance (avidya) and ego (asmita). A guru is someone who very directly and personally helps us to realize our own blockages and assumptions through teaching and challenging us to overcome them. This is a difficult and sometimes inglorious process.

A teacher is one who is unafraid to point out our pitfalls and arrogance when we think we’ve learned it all or have all the answers. Contrary to western thought, yoga values cohesion and deference to our seniors, as well as the realization that we don’t have to go it alone or reinvent the wheel.

If our teachers were masters, we can copy what they did with some degree of success. This takes the pressure off “reinventing the wheel,” and lets us practice our teaching in a way that’s already been successful.

A yoga teacher can only lead us as far as they have gone themselves, so with that in mind, it is wise for us to choose the teachers who have gained some degree of happiness and freedom within themselves, because then they can show us how to get there.

The second qualification for yoga teachers is to keep a daily practice.

Once the guru has shown the way, it is critical that we actually put that method into practice to test it’s validity. In the yoga tradition, it is said there are three ways to come to know something: through teaching, through inference and through personal experience. The most valued way to know something in yoga is through personal experience. The most amazing teacher may be able to give us the key to happiness, but until we put that key in the lock and turn it, we won’t know it for ourselves.

As teachers, our daily practice is how we let the yoga we’ve learned and love actually do it’s job. It needs time to do its work on us. And time is key. In his book, Outliers, Malcom Gladwell explains the 10 year or 10,000 hour rule of success. Gladwell asserts that mastery in any field requires an enormous commitment—10 years, or 10,000 hours.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika also suggests that mastery of asana practice requires 12 years of a daily practice. The yoga sutra states that mastery occurs with steady practice over a long period of time. It just takes time for the yoga to do its job, to rewrite our internal script and patterning so the default habits, reactions, and patterns reflect that of a yogi—one who is completely at ease.

In order to put in our 10,000 hours, we must diligently work on our own practice and allow the yoga to live within us. When it does, then the teacher can teach not just what someone told him or her, but can teach what he or she truly knows.

Finally, the last qualification of a teacher is that we truly like people.

We have to work with them, right? So, it would make sense that we work and play well with others. Most important in liking others is the ability to create a compassionate and empathic connection.

At this final stage, there is little room for ego, as the teacher’s goal is to look upon students as already whole and complete, as opposed to someone who needs “fixing.” It’s a unique perspective, and as a teacher sees what a student is capable of, the student sees the opportunity to rise to that occasion.

As Dale Carnegie would say:

“When dealing with people, remember, you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but rather creatures of emotion.”

If we can inspire and encourage students to move (safely) beyond their limitations, we will have done what our teachers once did for us, and in this way, we render the magic Krishnamacharya’s wisdom. When we have known great teachers and heeded their instructions, we are able to impart that wisdom to others.