Partner Poses - Double Tree and Partner Pincha Mayurasana

Sometimes while teaching a class I try to incorporate an element of joy and fun.  Partner poses seem to be a great way to do that  and I've had a blast watching some of my clients work together in a trusting relationship as they support each other in partner poses. Awwwww.

So I add them in here or there and almost always hear laughter and delight as the two create a beautiful shape and reap the benefits of a partner pose.

One that is accessible to most is double tree:

Amy and Christy in Double Tree on Madeline Island

For best results work with someone close to your height. Stand beside your partner with your hips together.

Lift the outside leg, bend that knee and use your hands to pull your foot up so it's pressing against your other inner thigh. You should never press into a knee joint so make sure your foot is above or below the knee. Draw your knee back to open your hips.

Wrap your arm around your partner's waist

Reach your outside arms up and stabilize yourself by rooting down on your standing foot and lengthening the spine upwards with strength in the core. 

 Do the other side.

Another pose that I do not recommend unless you have an advanced practice is Partner Pincha Mayurasana:

Jen and Heidi in Pincha Mayurasana at Clean Spirit Yoga Studio

In addition they did have a spotter nearby (me) prepared to assist if things get a little hairy.  But these two strong yoginis Jen and Heidi made such a beautiful shape with their partner pose that this proud teacher had to share.

Namaste.





Lake Superior Snob

Harvest Stompede Walk/Run: Hills of Vineyards

Strength and Support in Numbers

41 children at home with their Dads........

Beautiful historic Fishtown

After wrapping up a great summer on Madeline, I hit the ground running back in Eau Claire, Wi.  Our first week back included prepping four children for back-to-school and re-opening Clean Spirit Yoga Studio.  So understanding that life would be a mini-tornado for at least the first couple of weeks, I still wittingly walked further into the storm when I accepted an invitation to go away for a long weekend to Traverse City, Michigan with eleven girlfriends. 

Adding insult, I'm keenly aware of the impact of traveling with my girlfriends, who not so secretly double as both runners and seekers of fun. As I write this, I'm still feeling the sore calf muscles and the heavy eyelids. It was worth every second.

Most surprising to me about the trip was the beauty of Lake Michigan.  I am not only a Madeline Island aficionado I am also a Lake Superior snob.  I mean, there's a reason it's called Superior, right? When the dunes of Lake Michigan were voted Most Beautiful Place in America I gave a little hmmppff under my breath.  How could a sand hill compete with our incredible rock outcroppings?

Again, lesson learned.  It was fantastic to experience the vast uniqueness of another great lake town.  We did the Harvest Stompede walk/run through the vineyards of Leelanau Peninsula, wine tasted our afternoon away at local wineries, and of course in good girlfriend fashion shopped and ate our days away, while soaking up the beauty of another great lake.

I'm tired; but still smiling.

Back to Life, Back to Reality.

A little bit of Fall in Madeline's State Park

O.K., I've really dated myself with the En Vogue song lyrics in this blog post title but it's been a common theme running through my head the last two weeks as we packed up our family and moved off the island and back to Eau Claire, WI.   It was tough to leave and I think we all shed a few tears on the Ferry ride back to the mainland.

I've decided that the transition is hard not just because we are leaving the island but because life changes so drastically when school begins. I have to remind myself that there are many positives to the change also.  The kids go back to school and we hunker down into a sometimes hectic but often entertaining round of kid activities that keep us busy day in and day out.  Ted ramps up his business with the return of the school schedule and I open my doors to my Clean Spirit Yoga Studio in Eau Claire.  The routine itself of expected days is comforting. 

That said there are a few things of Madeline's summer that I will miss.  Planning for these same adventures in summer of 2012 will be my focus when the Eau Claire winter gets old around March and April.

1. Kayaking.  Whether with a group of friends or women experiencing the beauty of Madeline's sea caves for the first time, I've grown to love the sport of kayaking more than any other since I was introduced to yoga over a decade ago.

2. The State Park.  I spent a lot of time exploring our parks this summer and it never got old.  The beauty is pristine and immense and one would never guess you were in the state of Wisconsin standing on the shores of Lake Superior.  The landscape and vegetation are vastly different from both the Southwestern part of the state where I grew up and (rolling farm hills) and Eau Claire with its rivers and pines.

3. Teaching yoga at The Lightkeepers Lodge, on the beach, and the dock.  One of my dear Eau Claire friends was visiting and kindly remarked that she appreciated my Eau Claire studio but nothing compares to a savasana on the dock with the lapping of water underneath. That, along with teaching daily classes with Christy Wandrei from Yoga On The Rock, was one of my favorite summer experiences.

4. The Retreats.  Meeting like-minded women and sharing my love of both yoga and the island was a fantastic experience.  I love my job.  Next summer look for more retreats with Yoga and Kayaking and Yoga and Art returning, and two new adventure retreats Yoga and Bike, and Yoga and Horses (more info to follow).

5. Quality Family Time (QFT).  We had a great summer.

Last night, after shopping all day for back-to-school stuff (is it really possible that Target doesn't have a single  Number 2 pencil left in stock???), Ted and I went to a surprise 40th birthday party.  As we danced the night away with great friends we had missed all summer it felt really good to be home again.  

 

Yoga for Runners

Yoga is for everyone.  But specifically my experience working with runners is that once they see the benefits of incorporating yoga into their training program they are passionately hooked.  I have a runner's dozen of yoga poses and will incorporate those into my blog this spring but in the meantime my absolute essentials for yoga are featured in Athleta's Chi blog. 

I am thrilled to be able to write for such a great community of athletes and hope that if you are lacing up your running shoes this spring, you remember these great poses.

Namaste and happy trails!

Yoga and Kids

Kids in Savasana

My favorite yoga students are little people. I think it is because they are instinctively  drawn to the movement and breath of their bodies without being embarrassed or self conscious of the world around them. I am fortunate enough to be able to teach yoga to kids at my youngest child's school. Despite their differences in ages and abilities, the majority of them seem to have a basic understanding that the combination of movement and breath is a good thing, and one to participate in.

Our kids today are busy and are often expected to live in their parents hurry-up world.  They are asked to sit still and engage all day in the classroom and then often spend their evenings doing lessons or participating in competitive sports.  I am as guilty as every one else at over scheduling my kids.  My argument, every other child is active; I don't want mine to miss out on something....although I admit at times I'm not sure what that something is.

And yet there are arguably benefits to busy and engaged kids. For example, the confidence building that comes with years and years of practice. Also, as my three oldest have each honed their musical skills I have observed that they choose to engage in their musical practice as their own personal de-stress period.  Music in its own art form is for them much like a good yoga practice is for me.....the opportunity to get lost in something beautiful and engage in the mind, body, spirit connection.

My children are fortunate to have the have the opportunity to practice yoga.  My oldest daughter has even begun to come to some of my classes with her friends.  It is such a gift to me to have the opportunity to work with kids, to see them develop body awareness, learn self-control, flexibility and a mind-body connection.  Most of all they learn right away how to take yoga out into the real world. (This is a concept that many adults seem to have such a hard time with).  Kids will tell me that when they are stressed they will pull out their mat and curl up into a child's pose.....the awareness of the necessity of giving your body a break once in while is inherent in kids.

All kids benefits from yoga but interestingly, recent studies on yoga and kids have  confirmed the fact that yoga is very good for the child who struggles with attention disorders.  These children crave movement and sensory/motor stimulus. I have found that specifically addressing kids with these challenges and asking them to transition into a pose that requires thought, movement, and balance gives them confidence and ironically a sense of calmness.  The trick is to get beyond just "doing" the pose and instead to thinking  about what the postures means.  One can grow like a tree, rooting his roots into the earth and feel strong and tall. 

All children benefit from yoga in one way or another. It's a style of learning that is natural for kids. As kinesthetic learners they can transform their understanding of yoga into a value of self health and relaxation. It encourages their self esteem and gives them a base to deal with life's challenges. The understanding of a sense of compassion for their bodies is a great gift to children.

One of my favorite books to to get your preschooler engaged in yoga is : My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste.

Yoga in the New Year?

As a yoga teacher people often tell me that they have put yoga on their list of New Year's resolutions.  Although I think that is great and will attest that January's classes are always packed, I have a few suggestions to ease the inspired student into the New Year.  With careful thought and consideration about your yoga, there will be less threat of a crash and burn one month later due to a lofty and overgeneralized goal of "getting healthy."


Consider your Yoga a Solution instead of a Resolution:


An article in O magazine spoke to me  several years ago.  She proposed we change our approach to the New Year's resolution and see the lifestyle change as a solution instead of a resolution.  Losing weight is usually at the top of the resolution list but without a clear and concise plan on how to make that happen; results will allude us.  I'm not suggesting to practice yoga only for the weight loss benefits but the truth is that the practice itself  helps to create a mind set of healthy eating and living. A teacher once told me that yoga is a process, you can't force your body into a pose; it needs to unfold before you.  A mindful regular practice unfolds for many students as a healthier body and mind.


Practice for the Benefits


Several minutes on a mat each day has been shown to reduce blood pressure, improve cardiovascular function, and increase focus and mind clarity. This is a minimal list of benefits but medical research offers us many more. Recent science tells us that yoga for cancer patients speeds recovery and reduces your risk of recurrence.  Students tell me on a regular basis that their back pain has minimized or completely disappeared.  The thing I hear most of all is "I just feel better."  Practice not because it is on your New Year's list but because instead it is just plain good for you.


Try it (more than once)


Every yoga teacher has heard it, "yoga is too slow for me."  When I ask that individual how often they have practiced it is almost always "I tried it once or twice." Remember every teacher brings something unique and special to his or her particular teaching style. Find the teacher and the style that  meets your need. Yoga Finder is an online yoga directory that will give you information about the studios and classes in your area. Try a few different styles and classes.....more than once.


Be Patient


Unlike other exercise disciplines yoga does not ask you to set a goal and then work like hell to achieve it.  It asks you to be patient and develop an awareness of your body's abilities. I must admit that as a teacher I feel a great sense of pride when a student begins to feel the benefits and delights in the advancing of an asana. But I take more pride in the fact that my students don't injure themselves forcing a pose. So if your resolution in the New Year is to be flipping into side crane by February first, re-evaluate.  Learn to appreciate the process and incorporate your breath. It is so much more rewarding when you become aware of how your practice has gently nudged you forward and you begin to reap the benefits.

And Lastly, Create a Yoga Community

It inspires us to be with like minded individauls.  Find a group of friends to practice with or just a studio that fosters a positive and non-competetive setting.  We know that community itself is essential to our health.  Pair that with yoga and you have a beautiful thing.

Wisconsin's Winter Wonderland

Every year I'm dreaming of a white Christmas and this year looks like it's a sure thing.  We got hit today with a whopping 15 inches so far and its still pretty blustery out there.  The bad news is the holiday party I was really looking forward to isn't going to happen as just venturing out from our driveway is Mission Impossible but as I'm lying next to the fire with a yummy glass of wine and "It's a Wonderful Life" playing in the background,  I'm embracing what a gift this snowstorm is to our family. 

This morning I was scheduled to teach a  a class in my Clean Spirit Studio.  Nine  were scheduled to attend and as news of the impending storm began yesterday afternoon, slowly the list dwindled.  It turned out to be a private session with one brave soul stomping in with snow boots and a yoga mat under her arm which was really a lovely start to my day.  Husband made eggs for breakfast and instead of splitting up in two directions to take the two oldest to basketball games we stayed at home.  Our youngest Tess and I made a pan of fudge,  a bit gritty, but still very much edible.  Ted was the abominable plow husband and hung a few lights.   And dinner was a vegetable Cannelloni which I would have never had the time to make had I been spending my day in the school's gym watching basketball games.

The frantic pace of the Holiday season typically throws me out of whack.  I love this time but so often want to hit the pause button just so that I can momentarily appreciate the present.  And yet looking at my weekend schedule before the storm hit; I admit I didn't think I would even have time to take a breath.

The storm forced us to celebrate the Holidays in a very yogic fashion. I feel in tune with the season and renewed energy  to connect with close friends and family. Next week already looks overbooked, but who knows, the chances of a second storm coming through are looking a bit high.  Big smile.