One of the strongest medicines available (no Rx required!) is right under your nose...

Just breathe!

Tis the season to do YOGA!

While some people are still cursing the holiday decor that has been on store shelves since Halloween & the Christmas carols playing overhead in said stores, MY Christmas spirit kicked in, full throttle, over the  Thanksgiving holiday. It may have had a little something to do with all my aunts, uncles, & cousins driving in from all corners of the country to celebrate Tofurkey day (& my fiance & I's engagement!) together in Pennsylvania. All the festivity & happiness packed into that one weekend would be sure to get any scrooge into the holiday spirit! Fortunately (or unfortunately for the bah-hum-bug people), that joy has overflowed into the playlist for my Yoga class this afternoon at a local Catholic high school:

Moola Prayer -- Sudha, Maneesh De Moor

M3 Mantra Remix -- Mark Bell

Carol of the Bells -- The Bird & The Bee

The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act 2: (Dance of the Reed Pipes) -- Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev

Amazing -- One Eskimo

Moment of Surrender -- U2

One Love/People Get Ready -- Bob Marley & The Wailers

O Holy Night -- Musiq Soulchild

Peace on Earth -- U2

Ganapati -- Girish

Across the Universe -- The Beatles

Silent Night -- Sarah McLachlan

*Being mindful of the fact that you never want to offend, disrespect or alienate anyone in your classes, this playlist, understandably, may not be appropriate for all classes (especially those at larger studios or fitness centers with students of multiple religious backgrounds) but..I'm hosting an after school class for teachers at a Catholic school so, I think I'm safe.

Happy Holidays! 

"In most cases, our so-called limitations are nothing more than our own decision to limit ourselves." ~Daisaku Ikeda

Do Yoga, Do Good

"Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God" -- Neem Karoli Baba

If a 90 year old can do it...what's your excuse?!

Click the title to read the article!

Hellllo! I'm back! Part One...

Wow! It's been ages since my last post! What a lame blogger I've turned out to be! In my defense, there was a lot of good Yoga to partake in over the past few months & I was just trying to soak it all in. So to fill everyone in, here's a quick run-down of the amazing Yoga experiences I've been fortunate enough to participate in & learn from since March.

Meet the Innovators weekend workshop with David Life & Sharon Gannon, founders of Jivamukti Yoga in Washington, D.C. (March 27-28th, 2010)
I attended this workshop with another instructor from Lifesource Yoga & I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say that this workshop was a monumental, life changing experience. Just FYI...David Life & Sharon Gannon are living Yoga legends so, on the 6 hour drive to D.C., Deirdre & I sounded like teenagers unsettled by our raging hormones going to meet our heartthrob.  We wondered what they'd wear, if they'd live up to their fame or be caught up in it, if they were truly still in love with one another, if they'd really interact with us, & OMG what if they touched us?! Honestly, we were like little kids!

I am ecstatic to report that David & Sharon superseded our expectations. They are truly divine beings. The love, peace, humility & complete lack of judgement that radiates out of them is almost too much to bear. Both D & I were in total awe of them, captivated by them, yet both found it difficult to look directly at them. Ironically, these two Yogis with all the success & clout they have, were the MOST hands on of any of the other Yogis I've attended workshops with. Both worked the room the entire time & personally made adjustments to each student. I saw David Life get down next to a student & walk her step-by-step through Sirasana (supported head stand). Not only did he instruct her step-by-step through the pose, but he stayed there with her until she got it. D & I also received several assists throughout the weekend from each of them. This might not really seem like a big deal, but it is! Having David & Sharon offer you an assist or adjustment would be the equivalent of having Bono sit down to help you right a song & oversee the development of the song until it was ready to go the record compay & become a hit. Ok, I feel like I'm slipping into star struck teenager mode again so, on a more significant, meaningful level what I took away from their teachings & being in their presence was:

• No matter what you do, whether it's practicing your asanas to grocery shopping to listening to a friend sharing the details of a trying situation they're going through -- do it with intention.
• The only way that we can find true happiness & peace for ourselves is to wish for others to have true peace & happiness in their lives & make sure that our words & actions contribute to the peace & happiness of other beings. It's the simple law of Karma; what we put out into the universe (whether it be thoughts, words, actions) will come back to us.
• Non-judgement. Not judging ourselves, nor others; you never know what another person could possibly be going through & yet without taking a second to consider this, we'll easily pass judgement on another person. We also fail to give ourselves enough credit & instead criticize, compare, & judge ourselves to others. It might be a lifelong endeavor but...try to cultivate as much empathy in yourself for others AND for yourself as possible.

I've just realized that if I listed out all other workshops/teaching experiences I've had the pleasure to be a part of after this particular one, this would be an overwhelming mega, mega blog post. I will instead create a different post for each workshop/teacher training I've been through. Thank you for reading Part One! I'll be posting again soon....PROMISE! I have so much Yoga goodness to share.

Peace & Love,
G

Tips of the Trade: Preparing for Yoga Teacher Training Article (Click Here!)

My 20-hour training weekend is now just a month away& I am still as excited about it as the day I enrolled. (Not to mention, a little anxious!) It's just like the night before the first day of school all over again. Growing up, (& even in college... I can't lie) I always felt like I should know what questions the teachers were going to ask me & already be able to answer them before I went into class that first day. But, just like with school, at any level, the whole reason you're going is to LEARN. If you already have all the answers, there would be no point!

Breaking Down Bird of Paradise

Earlier this week, a new student at Lifesouce Yoga & I were chatting between classes about how we began practicing Yoga & how long we'd each been practicing. As a fairly new student, Miss Shalamar was really interested, or rather intrigued, by some of the more advanced postures that make so many people who are unfamiliar with or new to Yoga scratch their heads & say, "Now wait...how in the world did she get her leg there!?" She even brought over an old issue of Yoga Journal we had at the studio with Seane Corn (one of the most incredibly strong & flexible yoginis around), on the cover & asked if I could get into the pose she was photographed in. Unfortunately, that particular pose was not one that I have accomplished yet so, I offered to show Shalamar a similar pose that also involved binding & a leg extension called Bird of Paradise. Bird of Paradise is one of my very favorite poses but more importantly, in terms of our conversation, it's a pose that was a monumental achievement in my Yoga practice. After first seeing the pose, Shalamar was certain there was no way she could ever do it. So, I began to break it down for her step by step & like with any new piece of information we receive or subject we're learning, it's always easier when broken down into manageable/digestible "chunks" (PR people think, sound bites!).  As soon as I showed her the basic poses she could do to prepare her for Bird of Paradise, her view of the pose immediately shifted from unattainable to attainable goal! She, graciously, even went so far as to say she was "inspired" by the insight I had given her on breaking down the pose which, was extremely humbling for me.  She was even the one to point out to me that I had just TAUGHT her how to work up to the pose. I, personally, am still so in awe of my teachers that I apparently don't realize I've picked up some of their knowledge through practicing with them!

So, why am I posting this? To toot my own horn? Hardly! The real reason I decided to share this with the whole blogosphere is that just a mere two to three days after Shalamar & I had this conversation, Bird of Paradise was in the next two vinyasa classes I went to that week! I guess it was the universe's way of saying that I had talked the talked so now I needed to walk the walk in class. I gladly did & then felt the further need to share my break down of the pose with all three people who read this blog. Enjoy!

Getting into this pose starts with establishing strong warrior 1 legs first. Front quad parallel to the floor. Knee directly above the ankle.

From warrior 1, you exhale & open up into warrior 2.





















From warrior 2, you move into side angle by bringing your elbow down to your quad.

As this becomes less challenging, you'll work to place your hand on the ground & open up your chest & heart as if you were about bend all the way over to into a backbend. 

Once you've accomplished this, you can work on binding. If you're right leg is forward, you want to reach your right arm under your right thigh & your left arm over your back until your hands meet in a bind.

From here, you'll work on stepping your left foot up to meet the right while, maintaining the bind.

Once you're here & have established your balance, you want to begin to the lift your torso & the right leg up.

From here, begin to extend the right leg.

It may seem impossible at first but, give your body time. As you work through each posture & become more confident in each, you will find yourself quickly working towards achieving Bird of Paradise, or any other posture with this mentality! To me, that's the beauty of Yoga... Each day you find your limit. Then, the next day you might only be able to meet that same limit, but the day after that, you're body might be ready to move the bar & assume the more advanced expression of a posture. With time & patience you really can achieve just about anything. With Yoga, there truly is always somewhere to go!

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti!

Gretchen the Yoga Teacher!

Yesterday I took the first step towards officially becoming a certified Yoga teacher when I (very excitedly) made my deposit for Jonny Kest's 20-hour teacher training weekend. Granted, once I complete this 20-hour training I will still have a ways to go (you know, just a measly 180 or 480 hours...) to obtain my full Yoga teacher certification. Regardless, this is a very exhilarating step for me in my journey towards becoming a Yoga teacher because once I have these initial 20 hours under my belt, I will be allowed to teach in some studios & can therefore gain direct, hands-on experience leading others through their Yoga practice. My hope is that, as I hone my teaching skills in these classes, I will be able to help other students find that place within themselves where Yoga becomes more than a cardio-intensive, glute shaping work out. I would love for everyone to find the place where their Yoga comes to life! If I'm able to make half the impression my incredible teachers have made on me, I'd love to have students coming to my classes because they know they're not only going to leave class drenched in sweat, but also with a calmer mind, the ability to breathe through trying situations, & a more peaceful, positive, & loving disposition. I feel that becoming a Yoga teacher & helping others find that sense of equilibrium between the body, mind, & spirit through practice of the asanas is a true honor.

I am absolutely beaming with happiness right now & cannot wait for my training weekend to begin!

Peace & Love,
G

Ms. Christie Turlington, such a beautiful, intelligent, & inspiring Yogini.

Stretch Out Before You Head Out

As an Ohioan, I fully understand that it can be harder now, during these gray, dreary months of winter, more than ever to get out of bed in the morning. On many such a morning, when the covers are finally peeled back & our feet hit the floor, our bodies are not truly awake yet. Somehow, though, our body's autopilot kicks in & we're mindlessly scrambling our way to the shower because we've overslept or begrudgingly dragging ourselves to the coffee pot for a caffeinated jolt of motivation. While the shower & coffee will definitely help us appear more prepared for the day, they won’t do a thing to ease the muscle tension, aches, or pains which, can occur from the way we sleep, as well as from starting day with a lack of awareness.

Not allowing our bodies just a few moments to fully wake up each morning can also affect us emotionally. Just think of the effects your physical fatigue & discomfort will have on the unfortunate loved ones, co-workers, friends, or strangers you’ll encounter as you make your way through the day feeling irritable, agitated, & full of negative or blocked energy.

To make all our lives a bit more pleasant, I put together a short series of stretches I found myself doing instinctively each morning as I eased my way into the day. All of these stretches are very basic Yoga poses that anyone can do; whether, you’re a beginner or an advanced yogi who doesn’t have time to practice until later in the day. Give the poses a try tomorrow morning while you’re waiting for the shower to warm up or while the coffee brews. I’m confident that taking the time each morning for a few gentle stretches, coupled with some deep inhalations & exhalations, will leave you feeling a little happier & slightly more calm, no matter what the day ahead may throw at you.

Tadasana

Stand with feet together, feeling grounded through the four corners of your feet. Stand tall with your hips tucked under, spine super straight, & shoulders pressing back & down your back. You can stand with your arms hanging down at your sides or you can press them together in prayer at

heart center. Take a few deep inhales & exhales here. On an

inhale, prepare to move on to the next pose...

Inhale your arms overhead. Actively & purposefully reach up from your rooted feet through your legs, waist, shoulder sockets, all the way through the very tips of your fingers. Take a few breaths here & on an exhale begin to hinge at the hips as you move into the next pose...

Uttanasana (Standing forward fold)

As you exhale, hinge at your hips & fold forward. Let gravity pull your head down as your sits bones reach higher & higher. As you hang here, let the weight of your head naturally pull you forward, deeper into the stretch. You can also wrap your hands around each elbow to create a sort of cradle around your head. If you'd like to go further, you can interlace your hands at the small of your back & then lift them up off your back & towards the floor. Take a few breaths here, in whichever modification you choose, & then, prepare to move on with your next inhale...

On the inhale, begin to come up as if you were returning to a standing position but, stop half way up, create a long, flat back. You want to

imagine your tailbone, spine, neck & head form one perfectly straight line. Hold here until for a moment & then as you exhale, fold back down into your legs.

Use your next inhale to lift you all the way back up to standing. Circle your hands up & overhead as you come to stand. Close the pose by bring your hands through heart center in prayer.

Cat/Cow

Find your way down to the ground, on all fours, in "table-top" position. You want your wrists to be directly under shoulders & your knees should be hip distance apart. These poses are great for awakening the spine & core.

Enhale as you arch your head up & back as you let your stomach sink towards the floor & you push your sits bones up towards the ceiling . This is Cow pose.

On your inhale, drop your head down to the floor. Then, lift your stomach up & as your arch your back up towards the ceiling like a cat.

You can repeat the Cat/Cow series 3, 4, or as many times as you like using deep inhales & exhales to move you from pose to pose.

One Man Come In the Name of LOVE

Today, in honor of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I encourage everyone to make an effort to live a life in which your actions are non-violent, & motivated my love rather than hatred. In yoga, this yama (or universal ethical principle) is called Ahimsa, which means non-harming. Living a yogic lifestyle encourages yogis/yoginis to live by thoughts & actions that cause the least amount of harm to themselves & to all beings. Through the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali teaches us that, "non-harming is essential to the yogi because it creates good karma -- not only for the person or animal that is not harmed, but for the yogi who has refrained from causing harm. Good karma leads to eternal joy & happiness."

People look at the actions of individuals like Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, Ghandi and think, I'll never be capable of making as significant a difference in the world as they did. This is not true. Your actions don't have to be grand. Simple, small-scale efforts to decrease the suffering & increase the happiness in even ONE person's life matter just as much as an extremely generous gesture such as Bono donating a few million to bring aid to Africa. Each action, the seemingly insignificant & the impressive, bring good karma & make the world a better place. So, do something today to make a difference. Find a few articles of clothing in your closet that you haven't worn in the past year & donate them to a homeless shelter or a battered women's shelter. If you're not ready to commit to vegetarianism yet, just avoid eating meat for ONE meal -- "Producing a single hambuger patty uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car twenty miles & enough water for seventeen showers." (Jivamukti Yoga -- Sharon Gannon & David Life, pg. 60-61). Or simply, bite your tongue before saying something negative or hateful about another being.

"I've decided to stick with love; hate's too heavy a burden to bear." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Adding Scorpion to my practice!

Warm up with Yoga & Soup!

It has been frightfully frigid here in Ohio over the past week or so. So, how did the Irishman & myself stay warm this past weekend? By doing some hot yoga, cuddling, & making two very delicious vegetarian soups, of course! Both soups are flavorful, hearty & very easy to make. Pair either soup with a side salad or a loaf of crusty, artisan bread & you'll have yourself a tasty dinner that will warm you from the inside out.

Curried Pumpkin Soup
Heat 4 teaspoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup diced onion & saute 2-3 minutes (until translucent). Add 3 teaspoons curry powder, ground black pepper to taste, & stir to coat. Add 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, 2 cups of canned pumpkin, 2 peeled, cubed potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover & simmer 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat & stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro.
(Makes 2 dinner sized servings or 4 side servings)

32 Bean, Vegetable & Barley Soup
(*There is no actual recipe for this soup. We are lucky enough to have an awesome Whole Foods-esque store near us called The Mustard Seed Market. At the Mustard Seed, they have bins of dried legumes, beans, oats, flours, & nuts. One of the bins had the 32 bean combo. We bought about...4 scoops worth & then Nick, the master of free-style cooking, added spices, veggies, etc. at will. Anyone can easily do the same. Tailor the soup to your own taste buds & the quantity you need! Here are the ingredients we used:

32 Bean & Vegetable mix (place in a large sauce pan, cover with water & bring to a boil, then reduce heat. When beans are al dente, remove from heat & set aside until ready to finish soup), potatoes (peeled & cubed), celery, carrots, vegetable stock, white wine, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, garlic, canned pumpkin (we had some left over from the previous night), coriander, & oregano.

BON APPETIT!

Living without expectations

Today i got a nice, big taste of why Yoga teaches us to live without expectations...

I went into the Yoga studio bright & early this morning to work my 7:30 am -11:00 am desk shift with the expectation of then taking the 11:00 am Power Yoga class. I had been so looking forward to this class. My body was just craving an strenuous, steamy, & challenging Yoga practice. Instead, no one showed up to work the next shift so, I gave up practicing my asanas to stand at the desk for another hour and a half. What made it worse was that every other employee I encountered this morning on their way into classes seemed to know that this other person was not going to show up. I couldn't help but feel slightly taken advantage of & dreadfully disappointed that I wouldn't be able to get my vinyasa on. It was like experiencing Yoga withdrawal!

Regardless, Living Yoga lesson of the day learned: When you live WITH expectations you are only setting yourself up for disappointment, resentment & sadness. You can't be let down when you expect nothing & live each moment as it comes.

Namaste Yoga loves!

Home Practice Helper!

Yoga Journal has a great sequencing tool on their website that is great for building your home practice around or for teachers to use when planning a sequence for class!

Just click on the title of this post (Home Practice Helper & it will take you directly to the sequencing tool.)

Universal Health Care! (FREE MC YOGI DOWNLOAD)

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
chorus
if you believe in universal healthcare / then throw your hands up in the air
throw both hands up in the air / everybody everywhere throw your hands in the air
if you believe in universal healthcare / then throw your hands up in the air
cmon throw both hands up in the air / for everybody everywhere universal healthcare

how can we spend a trillion on war / but we can’t afford to get people insured
while the rich get rich the poor stay poor / tell me what are we paying our taxes for
we spend more on war than we do on a cure / while insurance makes a killing the sick get ignored
break your arm you might break the bank / the whole system needs fixing and we just can’t wait
so go tell your senator, tell the congress / tell the president how much we want this
how much we need this, how much we bleed this / lets put the pressure on and together we’ll achieve this
a public option? more like an emergency / internal bleeding in need of care urgently
tell the insurance companies and doctors / our patience can’t wait any longer

Mr. Leiberman what about the people and / all the kids livin’ on edge teetering
hanging on by a thread / laying sick in bed left for dead
while you travel around on the world in your corporate jet / getting special interest money while the country’s in debt
your wife’s hobby working for the lobby / promoting pharmaceutical and insurance monopolies
not to mention campaign contributions / sounds like a problem we need a resolution
the solution a peaceful revolution / but we seem to be stuck in an illusion
cuz they got us split right down the center / conservative and liberal but always remember
at the end of the day we’re all same / whatever happened to hope I think it’s time for some change

this pop a pill culture addicted to quick fix / treats the symptom not the cause so the problem persists
it’s just that we need to get up off the sofa / go for a walk maybe try a little yoga
let’s be more healthy if every American / ate organic food and was more vegetarian
we could prevent unnecessary disease / let’s motivate educate so that we can succeed (let it roll..)

New Year: New Blog & New Resolution

Working in a doctor's office I encounter multiple people on a daily basis complaining of back pain, neck pain, stress, & anxiety. In those cases where it applies, I encourage our patients to begin practicing Yoga. When I do this, they ALL look at me like I've just proposed they fly to Mars by flapping their own arms. It's astounding how many people overlook the practice of Yoga because they are so caught up in the misconception that Yoga is all about twisting yourself into a pretzel. Granted, as you get more advanced in your Yoga practice you will find yourself in some interesting positions, BUT the asanas (or poses) are just one-eighth of Yoga! Yoga, in all reality is a lifestyle & so many people forget or just don't realize this. Even those who practice regularly tend to forget that your Yoga practice should continue from the time you roll up your Yoga mat after a practice until you roll your mat out again for another physical practice. I, myself, am guilty of neglecting my off the mat practice in the past & that is why my 2010 New Year's resolution was to truly begin LIVING my Yoga practice. What does that mean? For starters, it means practicing the other 7 limbs of Yoga with as much frequency & dedication as I've been practicing my Asanas.
The eight limbs of Yoga are:
1.Yama -- Universal Moral Commandments (Non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence, non-coveting)
2. Niyama -- Self-Purification by Discipline (Purity, contentment, ardor/austerity, study of the self, dedication to the Lord)
3. Asana -- Postures (practicing the postures improves your steadiness, health & lightness of limb)
4. Pranayama -- Rhythmic Control of the Breath ("Prana" means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind energy, strength. "Ayama" means length, expansion, stretching, restraint)
5. Pratyahara -- Withdrawl & Emancipation of the Mind from the Domination of the Senses & Exterior Objects (Sattva-- illuminating pure/good quality; Rajas-- the quality of mobility or activity which makes a person active & energetic, tense & willful; Tamas-- the dark restraining quality which obstructs & counteracts the tendency of rajas to work & of sattva to reveal)
6. Dharana -- Concentration (concentrating wholly on a single point or on a task in which you are completely engrossed.)
7. Dhyana -- Meditation (the integration of body, breaths, senses, mind, reason & ego with the object of your contemplation -- The Universal Spirit)
8. Samadhi -- A State of Super-Consciousness Brought About by Profound Mediation in Which the Individual Aspirant (Sadhaka) becomes One with the Object of His Meditation; a state beyond consciousness
(Iyengar, B.K.S., 'Light on Yoga")