Charleston Yogi

Most people start a yoga class to reduce stress. They do not go to their first class with the intention of walking out with more stress, but that is exactly what can happen.  Yoga does reduce stress, but sometimes a few simple tips might help you maximize your effectiveness in class.

One simple idea is that you won’t be perfect. No matter how long you practice your yoga poses, you will never get it right. So let it go. Don’t try to do it just like your instructor. Try to do it as he or she teaches you, but thats it.  Let go of the stiff ideas of having to do it perfect and just do your best. Understanding this releases a lot of unnecessary stress and makes doing yoga fun and relaxing.

A second way to reduce stress is to let go of the idea of maintaining a calm mind. Most people think that when you do some sort of meditation that your mind should be calm and blank. That is called being dead. We have thoughts, we want to have thoughts, it’s getting attached and following the thoughts that causes us the problems. When you are in a yoga class and you notice your mind wandering off, just gently bring it back to focus on the here and now. Don’t beat yourself up, just bring your mind back. If it wanders again, bring it back again. The more you practice being present, the easier it gets.

A third way to lessen your stress during your yoga class is to not get attached to thoughts. It’s like my teacher Lama Ole says, let your mind be like an empty house. If a thief comes in, there is nothing to take, so he or she leaves. So if your mind starts thinking about what your going to eat after class, let it, but don’t give the thought any attention. If you don’t give it energy or follow the thought, it will just fade off on its own.

Those are few ways you can reduce your stress and enjoy your yoga classes better. If you have any questions leave a comment or check out my stress management site at www.istress.org.

Dr. John Zipp DC
Foundation for Stress Relief & Education
Chiropractor, Zipp Chiropractic
(843) 303-4227
www.drzipp.com
www.istress.org
Facebook: Zipp Chiropractic
Twitter: @DoctorZipp
Skype: drzipp

Did you know that one of the definitions of  haṭhayoga हठ is “tied to a post”?   It always makes me smile when I hear people talking about how much they love  their calm, peaceful music, gentle, sleepy yoga classes.  What about “Gentle Yoga”, that’s an oxymoron!

According to Wikipedia:

Haṭhayoga हठयोग is a system of Yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the haṭhayogapradīpikā हठयोगप्रदीपिका.   In this treatise, Swatmarama introduces Haṭhayoga as preparatory stage of physical purification that the body practices for higher meditation. The āsanas and Prāṇāyāma in Rāja Yoga were what the Hindu Yogis used to physically train their body for long periods of meditation. This practice is called shatkarma.

The word Haṭhayoga is a compound of the words Ha and ṭha meaning sun and moon ( हकारः कीर्तितः सूर्यष्ठकारश्चंद्र उच्यते | सूर्यचंद्रमसोर्योगाद्धठयोग निगद्यते || ), referring to Prāṇa प्राण and Apāna अपान, and also to the principal nadis (energy channels) of the subtle body that must be fully operational to attain a state of dhyana or samādhi.  According to the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary, the word “Haṭha” means forceful. It is a strong practice done for purification. In other respects Haṭhayoga follows the same principles as the Rāja Yoga of Maharṣi Patañjali महर्षि पतञ्जलि including moral restraint yama यम and spiritual observances niyama नियम.  Haṭhayoga is what most people in the Western world associate with the word “Yoga” most commonly practiced for mental and physical health.  The word “ha” refers to the solar nadi (pingala) in the subtle body and “ṭha” the lunar nadi (ida). However, when the two components of the word are placed together, “haṭha” means “forceful”, implying that powerful work must be done to purify the body. Yoga means to yoke, or to join two things together, hence hatha yoga is meant to join together sun (masculine, active) energy with the moon (feminine, receptive) energy, thus producing balance and greater power in an individual.  The signs of success in hatha yoga are slenderness of the body, cheerful face, hearing mystical sound, bright eyes, sense of well-being, control over the bindu, increase in gastric fire and purification of the nadis.

The  Bhagavad Gītā भगवद् गीता as well as Maharṣi Patañjali महर्षि पतञ्जलि tell us that the practicing of āsana, prāṇāyāma, and the other four limbs of Haṭhayoga are not necessarily the best way to go about seeking enlightenment.  See “With Intensity of Spiritual Practice” posted earlier.  Yet, if we have chosen this path it makes sense to understand what is expected of us.

Sadhana

This word is frequently translated as conscious spiritual practice.  It is made up of two words: sad from siddh which means to reach, and dānaṁ to give.  So the true meaning of the word is to give oneself over to reaching.

This can seem strange when we think of yoga as stress relief.  What constitutes stress, where does it come from?  If we follow Maharṣi Patañjali’s Yoga sūtra 2.3 we have the answer:

avidyāsmitā rāga dveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ ||3|| अविद्यास्मिता राग द्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः ॥३॥

avidyā-ignorance of the true self, asmitā-ego, rāga-attachment to that which is pleasureable, dveṣa-aversion to that which is uncomfortable, ābhiniveśāḥ- fear of death, these are the obstacles to yoga- kleśāḥ

The order in Sanskrit is important, one leads into the other.  Try it.  If I am ignorant of my Divine nature, then I think I’m perhaps a white, male yoga teacher, therefore I like things which support this pleasurable story I’ve created for myself.  So, of course I must not like things which challenge this incorrect view.  Once I’ve spent years creating and re-enforcing this initial avidyā and it has grown to gigantic proportions and more or less things are acceptable in my world I fear losing it all.  This scenario may repeat itself by the second, hour, minute, day, month, or year.  This continuous attempt at controlling the outcome of events is stress.  Sound familiar?  It’s at this point we usually have exhausted a good many efforts to CONTROL this stress.  We may find ourselves in a yoga class (YAY!!  Hopefully a Jivamukti Yoga Class!) as a last resort.

My Teacher śrī David Life said at a workshop I attended said “If you’ve made it to a yoga class, something in your life isn’t going the way you would like.”  This is important.  Many people think that their lives are perfectly under their control.  They will inevitably become angry at God if they don’t receive something they have pleaded for.  Even worse, they may become violent towards others who they mistakenly believe deprive them of something they feel deserving of.

Many people use alcohol and drugs, shopping and sex, food and exercise to TEMPORARILY relieve this stress.  It transports us away from the uncomfortable place.  Yet, as any addiction specialist will tell you (or any alcoholic for that matter!) when the distracting substance is used up, the feelings which drove the person towards them will return, sometimes hundredfold.  The person may even form a resistance to the substance, requiring even more to escape.

If we go to a yoga class to blow incense, wave candles and only engage in postures which stroke our ego, or that we have lulled ourselves into thinking they’re all we’re worthy of, we are missing out on a great benefit of yoga; the ability to change our perception of the world and our relationship to it.   However, it may be take a little effort.  Everything is initially uncomfortable, challenging maybe.  Your High school degree was challenging, your climb up the corporate ladder, your desire to become a Vegan may have been especially challenging (congratulations!).

This is why Maharṣi Patañjali tells us:

1.12

अभ्यास वैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः

abhyāsa vairāgyābhyāṁ tannirodhaḥ

Mental modifications are restrained by practice and non-attachment

Remember the order of YS 2.3?  If you cut the root of a plant all the growth above the cut dies.  If we practice this sūtra we cut very close to the root-ego, and this in turn will help us realize our divine nature.

1.14

स तु दीर्घ काल नैरन्तर्य सत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः

sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ

Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness

To do be able to attend to the practice for a long period of time (at least 12 years) we have to remember to offer the practice each time.  Almost always the students who come religiously for a while and then give up have been expecting some sort of gain from yoga.  My Teacher śrī Jeffrey Cohen says “What can you do for Yoga, not what can Yoga do for you.”  Try this, next time you practice, take a variation (if the breath allows you to) but before you do, think of a being who may be experiencing a difficult time in their life.  Then, as you move through the posture notice how they are very similar to you in that you too are trying to overcome a challenge, that as soon as this one is over, another will come, and above all how YOU created this challenge.

We don’t have to do funky postures.  Sometimes just being present for each breath and offering every posture to the Divine is enough to make it a very demanding class.  Whether it’s Primary Series, Open Level Class, or Candlelight Waffle Yoga, you can turn each class into an opportunity to grow.  You can lean against your post , or beat yourself up with it.  Or untie yourself from it.

I humbly bow at the lotus feet of my great Teachers

ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः

om śānti śānti śāntiḥ

*Looking for an affordable way to practice yoga, plus an opportunity to support and give to others in need?  Then check out Charleston Twestival on Thursday, March 25th!*

Tweet, meet, and give. That’s what Twestival is all about – using social media for social good.

Twestival Global is an event where local businesses and social networking individuals come together in over 300 international cities to support a good cause.  Twestival events worldwide are planned and completely carried out by volunteers.

This year, on Thursday, March 25th, hundreds of people in cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness.  The organization they will support is Concern Worldwide.

Concern Worldwide was founded over 50 years ago to meet the needs of people living in extreme poverty, for whom every day is a fight for survival.  Concern’s education programs currently reach over 700,000 people in 25 countries across the regions of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.  They build schools, train teachers and outfit students with uniforms and school supplies in the world’s poorest nations.

To kick off Charleston’s local celebration of Twestival,  Caryn Antos of Yoga Benefits will be heading up a yoga event in Marion Square Park.  Come on Thursday and do your own practice, or follow Caryn’s guided lesson that begins at 1:30.  The event is donation-based, so bring cash to support a good cause.  All yoga practice levels are welcome.

Yoga Benefits is a local organization that teaches yoga to at risk children.  That is how Antos, the founder of the organization, is related to and was approached about volunteering her time for the Twestival mission.

Antos started Yoga Benefits because she believes that everyone can benefit from yoga.  “Yoga is powerful and empowering,” she said.  “It can help people work through fear, anxiety, sorrow, and aggression and turn those emotions into confidence, peace, compassion and love.  When I started teaching yoga, I did it because I wanted to share what I have learned.”

We at Charleston Yogi and Antos believe that a personal dedication to wellness is a pathway to large successes, and that yoga can build not only a stronger and more confident individual, but a healthier, more powerful community.

For Antos, donation-based classes are a way to share yoga with others without having to put a price on the value.  “I already know there is value on the lesson,” she stated, “but assigning a number to it might mean that some people will not participate.”  Antos has been an instructor at The Sutra Shack, a donation-based James Island community studio, and often supports causes similar to Twestival, where people can donate their practice to a good cause.

Charleston’s Twestival doesn’t stop with yoga in Marion Square Park.  The schedule of events on Thursday, March 25th is as follows:

1:00pm – 3:00pm: Yoga fundraising event in Marion Square Park.  It is asked that you bring a donation for Concern – whatever you can spare.  Maybe it’s what you would have spent on coffee that day, or lunch out with co-workers.

5:30pm – 7:00pm: Meet at Rebekah Jacob Gallery (169 King Street) for networking and pre-event cocktails.

6:30pm – 9:30pm: The event will move along to The Real Estate Studio (214 King Street).  DJ Natty Heavy will be donating his time and entertainment for the event.  Shine your shoes and check out some of the things that are up for grabs in the silent auction.

Tickets for the evening events are $15, which includes music, food, adult beverages and a silent auction.  100% of ticket donations and funds raised will go to Concern Worldwide.

Thanks to the generosity of EF/AVHHF, all donations and ticket sales are being matched through March 25 up to $100,000.  To make a donation via Charleston Twestival to Concern Worldwide, visit http://charleston.twestival.com.

(Charleston’s local Twestival celebration is sponsored by Charleston Yogi, Yoga Benefits, Blackbaud, Rebekah Jacob Gallery, Stasmayer Incorporated, The Buccaneer, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Red Dog Designs, Holaola Screen Printing, The Real Estate Studio, DJ Natty Heavy, Ben Arnold Beverage Co, Baked, The Modern Connection and Palmettobug Digital.)

**Charleston Yogi and Yoga Benefits hope to see our fellow yogis out in Marion Square on Thursday!  Come and donate your practice to Concern Worldwide. Even if you cannot contribute with a monetary donation, take time to be a part of your community and offer your energy and support to someone who truly needs it.**

Want to keep up with all these fab organizations?  Follow them on Twitter!

Twestival Global: @twestival

Concern Worldwide: @concern

Charleston Twestival: @CHSTwestival

DJ Natty Heavy: @nattyheavy

Charleston Yogi: @CharlestonYogi

SNORES

HA! Just the words snores and farts bring a chuckle to the body and smile to the face. The normal bodily functions somehow bring out laughter and embarrassing moments.  I recently taught a class when a student started to snore heavily during final relaxation (corpse pose/ savasana). The room was already silent, there was a peaceful presence in the room, the lights were dimmed, and the music played softly and then we hear a big fat grandpa-like snore, the one from the back of throat. I chose not to say anything  when I noticed two of my friends cracking up uncontrollably, bodies shaking, hands over mouth. I went over to her and rubbed her neck and she stopped, but as soon as I walked away, the snoring began, even louder this time.

The room was filled with thirty people, and all I could think of was; this is really disturbing to others. So, I walked back over, lifted her legs and gave her a gentle tap on the feet. And then what do you know? Yep… she started snoring with a great big roar again. At this point the whole front row was busting out in laughter and I couldn’t even talk without my voice cracking, holding back my laughter…oh that calm soft voice we teachers get at the end of class to awaken the mind back to the body. “Bring awareness to your breath”…blah blah blah….hehehehe.  And we all let it go…it just turned into a laughing yoga session and a beautiful teaching opportunity of what it means to enter final savasana. Two important lessons were learned that day for me as a teacher and for my students.

1. Honor thy body, if you fall asleep, that is yoking to what your body needs that day.
2. There will be times that savasna will transcend us into higher states of consciousness. A time in which the physical body enjoys being absorbed with the soul, to connect with a deeper part of ourselves or hopefully communing with The Divine essence of LIFE. That the time is so sweet and peaceful that we don’t want to fall to asleep because we will miss that depth and nourishment, which fills our spirits.

FARTS

So what about farts? They are normal too! It makes complete sense that gas is expelled by the detoxifying postures such as twisting poses that aid in digestion and allow the body to release.  I remember taking both my boys to infant massage classes at 8 weeks old to bond and to help alleviate gas. They were so constipated, the poor little guys. And the exercises suggested were knees to chest (apanasana), and even rubbing the belly in a clock wise motion, the same flow as the large intestines to help push it all along.  There are ways to prevent and aid your personal digestion, and this is what happens to you in yoga class. Try to eliminate before class and keep a food diary to see if there are any foods that trigger flatulence, like acidic foods; beans, dairy, yeast. And perhaps add spices such as cumin, coriander, or caraway that help counteract the gas.  It is better to let it out then keep it in! LETTING IT ALL GO!  Remind yourself we all fart! Laugh it off!

LAUGHTER

I will never forget attending a New Year’s Day class at Holy Cow Yoga with Amy Quesenbery and being guided into a laughing meditation. At first I was like, “What? This is silly!” And that’s exactly what it was; silly, fun, contagious, and therapeutic.  The challenge was to stop laughing when the instructor said, “stop laughing.” Infusing the discipline of the mind that yoga offers. Laughter is so good for you and is way more contagious then any cold or a yawn. I was laughing so hard at others laughing that I totally let go of my desire to be in control. It was a true mark of a change in my practice (thank you Amy!) that I now teach a laughing meditation regularly.  Laughing relieves stress, boosts the immune system and strengthens relationships. I felt like I did about 1,000 crunches! No need for an ab workout with a laughing meditation.  Laughing relaxes the whole body and eases tension in the muscles up to 45 minutes after. Laughter also releases endorphins, the happy chemicals that are released in the body.  The Proverb “A happy heart is good medicine,” is utmost merit for laughing increases blood flow and may help in preventing heart disease.  Laughter creates lightness and joy in heart, mind, and soul.  Just say, “hee, hee, ha, ha, ho, ho! “Are you laughing?

TEARS

My mat has become my sacred place to let it all go, a place to bow to the Lord in worship, adoration, and reverence. A place to come to my knees in repentance; stretched out palms in receiving His grace, and a place to stand on Holy ground. A prayerful expression of love and gratitude to the God of the Universe and Savior of the World, Yeshu Nam.  Not only am I moved in laughter but also to tears. If you ever experienced a tear flow during the flow of a class you are not alone.  Tears, like laughter, relieve stress and cleanse the body from emotional grief, but also a release of joy too.  Tears have enzymes that act like antibacterial agent called lysozyme and without it, eye infections could lead to possible blindness. Emotional tears are scientific phenomena, for human beings are the only creatures that shed tears beyond just lubricating the eyes and preventing dehydration. Tears have similar healing benefits like laughing, to releasing endorphins, cleansing the body by eliminating toxins and feeling lighter in heart. Biochemist William Frey spent 15 years of research studying the miracles of tears and found that  “suppressing tears increases stress levels, and contributes to diseases aggravated by stress, such as high blood pressure, heart problems and peptic ulcers.”  When we step on our mat, we step into the world of our inner self and discover the things that are pent up inside.   So like the sweat that falls from our brow in head stand, the tears that flow from our eyes will fall at His feet to cleanse the deepest parts of ourselves.

LET GO…LET GOD

Recently, I received a complaint from a student about the music choice I had chosen for savasana. I had never received a complaint before about my playlists, but this one had said it was not yogic. The song, granted, could be seen as offensive (which I warned the class prior to playing it) but the message was positive and needed, in my opinion, to be shared with the class. The songs I play in my classes are not the soft music with Tibetan bowls or anything played by Krishna Das. My music is typically music I like and associate with. Currently this is a lot of indie rock and a lot of these songs are loud and fast. Occasionally I will throw in some hip hop or a playlist dedicated to 90′s alternative music. But the idea that a song is not yogic to me is ludicrous. Its not the music, the beat or the meaning that is important. Its the focus one has toward the music.

This brought up an interesting topic that is usually overlooked in our practice. That is music’s place in yoga classes. Traditionalists could say that there shouldn’t be any music. Contemporaries could say use it as it adds to the flow of the class. When I started out teaching, I believed in the former and that music deserved no place. Yoga needed a place to be sacred and nature is the most sacred sound. Today though, I see it completely different. Music should be used as it enhances our practice and actually challenges us further.

Yoga has the ability to allow our minds to focus. This actually is a much harder task than even the hardest of poses or sequences. Think of your mind as a muscle and focusing on one object for a certain time requires constant practice. This exercise is often in combat with our monkey mind and any thoughts that pop up to interrupt our practice. An hour yoga class becomes rather difficult to focus the entire time but constant effort and practice allow this focus to sharpen itself.

There are two ways to focus during a class. The first is to focus on one thing. This could be an intention, your breath or your movement in your poses. The idea is to never leave your mat and allow all other distractions to not even be a concern. The second way to focus is to accept and welcome the entire environment around you and allow yourself to move freely through it. It may seem like a farce to say to focus on your environment, but allowing yourself to use all five senses to equally take in everything and be amazed by your surroundings is a way to shift your attention to the present. All distractions than are natural and cease to become distractions. Focus itself than is either attention on one thing or all things.

Music itself than becomes a way to hone your focus. Whichever focus is chosen, music can play a part. If the chosen focus is to concentrate on one point, music is a challenge to not focus on it. Think of meditating. Meditating is great when it is completely silent but a struggle when there are tons of outside noises that can distract. Is life silent? Does the world stop making noises when you want to sit? The answers are no. Meditation and focus require a challenge of sorts to keep us strong in what we want to focus on. Music than becomes a challenge to maintain we keep our focus, so that it may make us stronger in our practice. On the other hand if the focus is drawn to the equality of five senses and the present, music becomes part of our environment. When this occurs, the beat gets into our head and the music takes us. We become a part of the song and it lifts us to whatever feeling it is giving us, whether it is slow or fast.

Usually, I offer a choice of songs for savasana. I ask the class “Happy or beautiful?” These refer to two songs I absolutely love and fit perfectly for final relaxation. They are Sigur Ros’ Festival and Ara Batur. These songs emit the wonderful feelings for finishing a great class. It was these two songs that made me want to use music the way I do and without apology. Songs can lift us, move us and put us in places we are uncomfortable with. It seems like yoga and music are similar in that fashion. Why wouldn’t they be shared together?

Harry Dinwiddie will be exploring mixing music, yoga and art as he will be teaching a new class at Eye Level Art at 103 Spring St. Tuesday nights at 6:30 starting Feb 16.