“Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer. Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.” ―Kripalvanandji

I’m one of those people that have never cried during or after a yoga class. I’ve heard the stories from fellow yogis who attended a class that brought out a deep emotional or spiritual release that moved them to the point of tears, and I’ve wondered, “What the hell is wrong with me?” Yeah, I’ve gotten a few drops of condensation in the eyes after an especially moving asana practice, but I’ve never achieved a full-on gusher.

Well, I’m happy to report that it finally happened – I got my yoga cry – and it was GOOD!

Plus, I got the added bonus of experiencing my spiritual breakthrough while practicing my all-time favorite, numero uno form of yoga. It was a Thursday, the sun was rising out of the Atlantic Ocean and sending streams of light peeking through the clouds, the soothing sound of waves crashing onto the beach provided the consummate playlist, seagulls were soaring through the air, and the wind and warm air swept across my tired, achy, winter-worn body. I had not been on a beach to practice yoga since October. I had not been on a beach vacation in over two years. I had let myself forget how the combination of all those elements, how that complete communion with nature could lift me to a state of absolute bliss.

Sunrise Yoga Rocks!

As I went through my opening sun salutations and stood with my hands resting against my heart in anjali mudra (prayer position), I was overcome with emotion and began to cry tears of joy. I stood there with a heart bursting with gratitude for the majesty of the ocean before me, for the healing power of the sun and warm winds, and for this awe-inspiring practice of yoga that has brought so much goodness to my life. Instead of rushing to the next sun salutation, I stood there in tadasana taking the time to savor the sobbing, letting the sun shine down on me, fully present in my prayer.

“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.” -John Vance Cheney

I have to say – this might have been one of my coolest yoga experiences to date!

The funny thing about this trip is that, before I went, I spent a lot of time looking into the yoga studios in the area of Florida that I visited, and I had a full list and maps for a few that I was excited to visit. The first day of vacation, I was ready to head out the door to visit one of these studios when my husband (who, I don’t admit enough, is very wise) asked me why I wasn’t heading down to the beach for my practice. Great question, and I’m so glad he was there to remind me! I picked up my beach towel, headed to the beach, and you know the rest of the story. I never picked up that list again, and instead, I had my daily cup of beach yoga nirvana each and every day of my vacation.

Daily Downward Dogs Beach Style

I did make it to one yoga studio, the 3^rd Street Beach Yoga class in South Beach Miami, and I’ll be writing about that yogalicious experience very soon!

I’m home from vacation now, back to practicing yoga inside a studio, but I’m not letting myself get bummed out about that. Instead, I’m listening to the wisdom of Dr. Seuss:

“Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”

And I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, only a little over a hundred days until I get to practice outdoor yoga again on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie again.

“A Yogi should always keep this in mind: Teaching yoga is not like teaching history or geometry. The teacher must impart a life force—a little current—into others.” –Sri Swami Satchidananda from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Hip openers have always been one of my favorite poses, primarily because I have been taught that we hold a lot of tension and stress in our hips, and when I do hip opener poses like eka pada rajakapotasana (one-legged pigeon pose), it allows me to let go of some of that stress I’ve been hoarding in my hips over the last few decades. I’ve got an active imagination, so I picture years of pent up stress just oozing out of my hips, and the release always feels pretty damn good. When I teach a class, I always prompt my students to breathe deeply and, with each exhale, to let go of whatever it is that they are holding in their hips.

During a recent yoga class I attended, while in the throes of pigeon pose, the yoga teacher, Ron White, explained that we hold a great deal of energy in our hips, and when we stretch and open them in poses like pigeon, we are releasing energy or chi. Humm, I thought, this is a little different than what I’ve been taught, but I kept listening with a beginner’s mind. Ron tipped us off to not let this invaluable energy just escape into thin air, but rather to redirect it to another part of our body or mind. He offered a few suggestions: to either send our chi to a part of the body that was sore or tight or to an area that needed some extra loving care.

This yoga class fell the night before I left for vacation, and because I had been trying to cram in as much work as I could before I left, my neck and shoulders were paying the price. They were tight and crabby, so I picked up what Ron imparted and sent my hip chi directly to my neck and shoulders. After a few deep breaths, I felt a flutter of energy tickle down the vertebrae in my neck and through my shoulders. Holy crap, Ron was not kidding; I had transported my chi, and it felt terrific! We held pigeon pose for a while, so I kept my focus on redirecting the chi flow to heal my neck and shoulders and even sent some up to my brain to help with focus. And, the coolest thing about redirecting the energy during a hip opener is that you get to do it all over again when you switch to the other hip.

I made sure I told Ron about my cool yoga experience after class and thanked him for educating me on the fine art of chi. He was responsible for sending a little current of life force into everyone in the studio that night, and he gave me back an enthusiastic smile and thanked me for letting him know.

I love learning new things when I practice yoga. Sometimes it’s something as subtle as getting in better touch with my body and my mind, and sometimes it is a major revelation, like how to channel and transform the precious chi that is leaving my body. This is recycling and green yoga at its finest.

Got a story about how a teacher has left you with a little extra current? Leave a comment below and share your chi!

Recycle Image: Ivan Prole

It’s red carpet season out in Hollywood with award shows like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, and in true red carpet spirit, The Daily Downward Dog studio is rolling out its red yoga mats and finest yoga wear in support of the second annual YOGAR awards.

What are the YOGARS, you ask? Just a fun little way to recognize the best of the 2011 cool yoga experiences and to send out some loving kindness to the yoga asanas and people that have brought so much goodness to our lives.

Each year on the eve of the Oscar nominations, I try to imagine what it must feel like to get that call at 5:30 AM PT from your publicist letting you know that you’ve been nominated for an Oscar. It has to be a major schwing (see urban dictionary – definition #7), and I’m sure each of the 2011 YOGAR nominees has got to be thrilled!

This year we’ve added some new categories, and everyone is welcome to join in the YOGAR fun by voting and adding their very own nominations. I won’t delay the suspense any longer; here, my yogi friends, are the 2011 YOGAR nominees…

Drum roll!

Best Asana

Ustrasana (Camel Pose): In need of a little heart opener mashed-up with an awesome back bend? Camel pose had the ability to make us laugh and cry and at times made us downright dizzy, but this asana dug deep and pulled off an amazing heart-opening performance. It’s one of those asanas that yogis either love or hate, so with a great deal of controversy, Ustrasana is bringing some much needed drama to the 2011 Best Asana race.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2): Forget about the acting performance of Sigourney Weaver in Alien, or Ryan Reynolds in the Green Lantern. Yeah, those were some kick-ass performances, but if you want to channel your inner fierce yogini goddess or kick-ass yogi warrior, just find your way into Virabhadrasana II, and it’s gonna deliver a star-worthy performance.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog or AMS): Last year, Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) pulled off a major upset and won Best Asana hands and head down over the highly decorated downward facing dog. I guess you could say adho mukha svanasana is a bit like Meryl Streep; it just always seems to win. I mean, face it: Have you ever been to a class where you didn’t do a few downward dogs? AMS is multi-faceted in its roles, moving with ease from the place we go to get the body stretched and prepared for practice to a delightful place of rest. This year, AMS really stepped up the game and is once again a huge contender to walk off the yoga mat clutching yet another more-than-well-deserved YOGAR.

Best Yoga Victory

I was fortunate to have many yoga victories this year. I got the head a little closer to the knees in paschimottanasana (seated forward bend) and the head a lot closer to the floor in prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward bend). One of the things I love about yoga is that, in essence, each time I come to the mat, there is always the opportunity for a victory, and this past year, there were two that really stand out. I would love to hear about yours, so nominate one or several!

SirsasanaII (Tri-pod headstand): This past summer, in a major coup, I pulled off my very first (unassisted) inversion and was more than just a little giddy about it. It felt so empowering to know that my core was strong enough to pull up those legs.

Fully present savasana:  I got really good at turning off the monkey mind this past year and had many repeat performances of fully present savasanas. All I can say is aaaaaahhhhhh…

Savasanaaaaahhhhh!

Best Supporting Asana

Plank Pose: They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in yoga, it takes a lot of plank poses to build up the necessary arm and core strength to get to some of those more challenging asanas. Plank pose never gets the recognition it deserves, and this year it’s getting a major shout out with a nod in the Best Supporting Asana field.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Despite its rock solid performance each and every year, tadasana has been snubbed many times in this category. We are so proud to pay homage to the master and forerunner of so many asanas. Ain’t no mountain high enough…

Balasana (Child’s Pose): Just like AMS, balasana is a Best Supporting Asana spoiler and usually walks away with the YOGAR hardware each and every year. We’ll see if tadasana or plank can give this kid a run for the money this year.

Best Musical Score

Take a listen and then cast your vote – or let me know about a yoga class playlist that you created that really rocked!

A Lovely Yoga Day – Join me in a sing-a-long with The Daily Downward Dog’s yoga song parody of the classic Bill Withers’ “A Lovely Day.” This song is a sure-fire yoga class playlist pleaser.

Navigating New Musical Horizons – The YOGAR voting committee likes it when someone goes outside of the normal genre, and this playlist definitely fits the bill. As I waivered on what kind of music to use in my yoga classes this year, I took a real departure, and this playlist features music with no lyrics and is a little bit heavier on the spiritual side. The YOGAR committee responded with a enthusiastic thumbs up.

I Just Want to Light You Up – You can’t go wrong with a playlist that mashes up Pink, Shawn Mullins, the New Radicals, and Ray LaMontagne. Lots of cool messages were weaved into these songs, my favorite being “You Get What You Give.”

Best Set Location aka Destination Yoga Event

No, I didn’t travel to any of the cool yoga festivals or destination retreats in 2011, but that doesn’t mean that a girl can’t dream. I am going to make it to one of the festivals or Yoga Journal conferences this year, so help me out and tell me which ones you went to, or which ones you think are best. If you had to recommend only one event/yoga destination for me to attend, what would it be?

Wanderlust Festivals (Vermont/Squaw Valley/Colorado)

Yoga Journal Conferences (New York/San Diego/Colorado)

India/Bali/Costa Rica/Jamaica, etc.  There are just too many yoga destinations and retreats to list here, so I want to hear from you. Fuel my wanderlust for travel and yoga by telling me who you would nominate and vote for.

Best Cool Yoga Experience

The year of 2011 is going to be hard to top, as I attended workshops with the likes of Rodney Yee, Max Strom, Kathryn Budig, and Cora Wen. I find it incredibly cool that I live in an area that brings so many yogalicious yoga teachers in for workshops, and quite frankly, there are so many that I can’t even make them all. Here’s my list of my favorite cool yoga experiences:

My Close Encounter with Rodney Yee at Yoga High in Columbus, Ohio.

My Close Encounter with Max Strom at Yoga Bliss in Rocky River, Ohio

Learning how to Aim True with Kathryn Budig

Living my dream and teaching beach yoga on the shores of Lake Erie all summer long!

Sharing some hot yoga and yoga philosophy with Delicious Dylan of the Weinermobile

Best Director

I have attended so many amazing yoga classes this year that I can’t even begin to whittle down the list to just a handful. Again, I feel truly blessed that I live in an area with such a strong yoga community and so many awesome yoga studios and teachers.

I think the best award that any yoga instructor can get is a kind word expressing how much you enjoyed their class or letting them know how they have helped you on your yoga journey. In this coming year, please take the time and show your “Best Directors” some love and gratitude.

Best Seva

For the last YOGARs, I asked readers to help me out by nominating their favorite seva artist. If you are not familiar with seva, it is the spiritual practice of selfless service and the desire to uplift and assist people, giving help and compassion to others with no thought of what is to gain or what is to be lost by doing so. The practice of seva becomes a path to self-realization, which is the essence of yoga.

Last year, I was introduced to Sean Corn and her organization, Off the Mat and Into the World. I also had the honor of working with Girls With Sole and am super excited to attend teacher training with Street Yoga this coming March. Help me out again this year; share the love and spread the word about an organization or person that is a shining example of seva.

Help Me Live My Dream

I have to admit: ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed about winning an Oscar. In actuality, it’s a pretty crazy dream being that I never pursued acting professionally. I guess it’s more of a fantasy.

Well now, I have a chance to win an award, and I’m asking for your help. If you live in Ohio and have attended one of my beach yoga classes (and liked it), please nominate The Daily Downward Dog Beach Yoga at Firefly Beach in the Funcost.com Reader’s Choice Awards. Deadline for nominations is January 27. Even if you don’t nominate DDD Beach Yoga, please nominate a local yoga studio so that we can spread the word about the great places to practice yoga in and around Sandusky and Huron County.

Cast Your Vote TODAY!

The red yoga mats have been unrolled, and I’m opening up the YOGARS for additional nominations and votes, so please leave a comment below and nominate or vote for any of the categories above. Heck, if you have a cool category that I’ve missed, go ahead and bring it – I’m open to sharing the YOGAR love.

The YOGARS will be presented on Monday, February 27.

2010 YOGAR Winners

Purple Music Note Image:  Billy Frank Alexander

“Forget your selfishness, make others happy, and you will be the happiest person. By seeing others happy, you can’t be unhappy. But by making everyone unhappy, you can never be happy yourself. So, at least for your happiness, bring happiness to others.” – Sri Swami Satchidananda, from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

I had just started to read The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (a guidebook for the study and practice of yoga), when on page 11 this lovely quote popped up and really struck a chord with me. I pulled out my yellow highlighter so I’d remember the message, and I even put a few stars next to it. To this day, it is still one of my favorite passages in the book and is one that I bring to mind often.

What a concept…make other people happy, and you’ll be happy too!

Case in point, thankfully one of my jobs is being a yoga teacher. My job allows me to bring peace and happiness to others, and guess what? It just so happens to bring me a great deal of joy too!

There are many ways to bring happiness to others, and I’d like to introduce you to two organizations that are helping to bring smiles and nurture the minds, bodies, and souls of at-risk youth.

Girls With Sole

I was very lucky to be introduced to a fantastic organization here in Cleveland called Girls With Sole. Liz Ferro started this non-profit organization to foster hope and healing for girls who have experienced abuse and who need someone to believe in them so they can believe in themselves. Liz, along with adult volunteers, brings fitness activities (from traditional team sports and dance to yoga and nutritional advice) as well as free running shoes, sports bras, and fitness journals to participants.

I recently got to be one of those volunteers and taught a group of twenty teenage girls their first yoga class. Yeah, there was a lot of giggling during class, and I didn’t quite get the message across about lying in stillness during savasana, but I have to say, I have never seen such a beautiful group of fierce yogini goddesses standing tall in their virabhadrasana (warrior) poses. I’m quite certain I was the one who learned the most that day, and as Patanjali promised, doing good for others made me pretty darn happy too. I had a major yoga high the rest of the day and for quite a few days following the class.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Liz is one of those people that can light up a room. She’s full of energy and is a real joy to be around. She was recently featured in Cleveland Business Connects and was quoted as saying, “There is no shinier badge of honor than making a difference in the life of a child.”

Girls With Sole is always looking for financial support and volunteers, so please visit www.girlswithsole.org or e-mail Liz at girlswithsole.org for more information. You can also follow Girls with Sole on Facebook.

Street Yoga

I’m a big believer in the universe sending messages, and the Street Yoga organization has been gently poking at me quite a bit lately. I first heard about Street Yoga in a tweet-up a few months ago and have since learned more  about this non-profit organization that teaches yoga, mindful breathing, and compassionate communication to youth, families, and their caregivers who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, abuse, addiction, trauma, and behavioral challenges. This awesome practice of yoga encourages them to grow stronger, heal from past traumas, and create for themselves a life that is inspired, safe, and joyful (aka filled with HAPPINESS!).

Mark Lilly founded Street Yoga in 2002 by organizing a handful of yoga teachers to teach yoga at a day shelter and school that serves homeless youth. Because Lilly’s life was deeply bettered by yoga, he wanted to share his love of yoga with others. Over the last ten years, the organization he started has helped reach thousands of kids in cities like Portland, Seattle, New York City, and San Diego.

And now, I’m super excited to announce that Cleveland is going to launch its very own Street Yoga program! Woot woot! Imagine my surprise when I found out that Street Yoga – along with local sponsors Urban Lotus Youth Yoga and The Studio Cleveland – will be putting on a teacher-training workshop this coming March 30-April 1.

Street Yoga coming to Cleveland…surely this is more than a gentle love tap; this is one huge, honking sign from the universe!

Street Yoga teacher training focuses on teaching the skills needed to serve youth with yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness practices. The course, which is a 14-hour CEU workshop (NASW approved for continuing education contact hours for social workers and for continuing education credits for yoga teachers through Yoga Alliance), will provide real world knowledge and techniques to assist volunteers in teaching at-risk youth. Trainees will also be encouraged to dig into their personal experiences to draw out their own courage and compassion as a teacher.

I had been thinking about attending the Street Yoga teacher training in Chicago this year, but when I found out about the Cleveland training, I figured it was just the nudge I needed from the universe to get me to sign up. I would love to see some of my fellow Cleveland/Akron area yoga buddies join up with me! If you are interested in participating but need some financial support to do so, Street Yoga has generously offered a partial scholarship to a Daily Downward Dog reader.

Win A Scholarship to the Cleveland Street Yoga Teacher Training

Yes, you can pick up a partial scholarship to attend the March 30-April 1, Street Yoga teacher training. The partial scholarship is for $145, which will cover one half of the workshop fee. If you would like to win the scholarship you must have an open heart and desire to work with these populations. You also need to be available to attend the training workshop which will be held at The Studio in Cleveland. The workshop times are not yet set, but will likely include a session on Friday evening and all-day sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

To enter, please leave a comment below about what draws you to serve others with yoga. If you want to get verbose you can even add a little about what your intentions for service might be after the training. Entries will be received until February 29, 2012 and the winner will be randomly selected and announced here by March 1, 2012.

Like Girls with Sole, Street Yoga is always looking for financial support and volunteers. Check out their website at streetyoga.org, and if you are interested in starting up Street Yoga in your ‘hood, get in touch with Mark and his team.

I’ll leave you with one last thought about happiness, this time from the vocal stylings of Frank Sinatra:

“Make someone happy,

make just one someone happy.

And you will be happy too.”

I love it when I go to a yoga class where something the teacher says really speaks to me. A few weeks ago, I attended a class taught by Jennifer Bishop and experienced quite the yoga epiphany.

While reaching our arms up and overhead in utthita parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose), Jennifer talked about the fact that we spend so much time during our days stressed out and hunched over our computers and steering wheels that our bodies get closed up. She went on to explain that the postures in yoga help us to open up the body, letting go of stress and creating space to counteract all those hours tied to our i-[you fill in the blank]s.

In a nutshell, Jennifer had described a typical day for me. Yeah, I get away from my desk and spend a lot of time doing yoga. But, I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk not always with the best posture, and I know that my neck, shoulders, and back pay the price for me doing so.

This message was reaffirmed when I recently attended a yoga anatomy workshop. The teacher, Gina Schatz, explained that we have fascia* that connects all of our muscles together, and this fascia runs from the crown of our head to our toes. Gina explained that fascia – and our body in general – does not like to sit for long periods of time. There are studies that show that if you sit for 45-49 minutes, you should counterbalance that time sitting with hip openers for 20 minutes to undo the kinks and tightness that was created. Here’s the really wild thing: If you sit for 50 minutes or more (hello, this is me!), you need to move and stretch for 3 to 4 hours to erase the effect of the sitting. Our bodies are not designed for a sedentary life.

Yowza! As if I needed another reason to practice yoga, there it is.

I always knew I loved yoga, but now I know that one of the reasons why I was called so deeply to the practice is because my body has the wisest mind of all and was telling me, “Yo Maria, what up with all this computer time? Go find your yoga mat again, stretch, breathe, relax, and give us a break.”

Thanks to Gina and Jennifer, I’ve set a little alarm on my iPhone that I turn on daily. It goes off every 45 minutes to remind me to get up, stretch, move, go for a walkasana, break out a few downward dogs, hug my husband (also know as hugasana), or do anything that lets me decompress and keep my body and my fascia happy.

*Stay tuned for a full report on my yoga geek-out weekend of anatomy!

The theme in my yoga classes this week came from the book The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I guess you could say I’m a little late in getting to this material since the book was published in 2008, but what the heck. I use The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as class themes all of the time, and those were first recorded around 300 A.D., so I think I’m not quite past the expiration date on The Last Lecture.

I had always wanted to read Randy’s book, but I hesitated because I knew it would be a tear-jerker and would most likely stir up some feelings about my own father’s death. When it was selected as one of the book picks by the yoga book club at Yoga Bliss Akron, it gave me not only the courage but the impetus to finally give the book a go.

For those of you not familiar with The Last Lecture, I’ll provide a quick reader’s digest of the premise. Randy was a successful professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. He won awards for teaching and researching, and he worked with Adobe, Google, and Walt Disney, to name a few. More important to me than his academic and career achievements, Randy was also married and a father of three young children. For someone who seemingly had it all, you never know when your life is going to be taken from you, and Randy was faced with an incredible challenge at the age of 47 when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and told he had only a few months to live.

It’s not an uncommon practice to ask a professor to give a “last lecture,” where they consider their demise and ruminate on what matters to them and what wisdom they would impart to the world. The irony of this book is that Randy didn’t have to imagine; this truly was his last lecture.

Here’s a quote from Randy about the lecture: “Under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. I lectured about the joy of life, about how much I appreciated life, even with so little of my own left. I talked about honesty, integrity, gratitude, and other things I hold dear. And I tried very hard not to be boring.”

As I was reading the book, I couldn’t help but notice all of the parallels between the wisdom Randy was imparting and the teachings in Patanjali’s yoga sutras and the eight limbs of yoga.

One of my favorite stories from the book is one about a woman who pulls up behind a man in a convertible on one of those warm, gorgeous, early spring evenings. The woman notices the man with his arm hanging over the driver’s side door, fingers tapping along to the music, head bobbing, hair flowing through the wind, and she thinks to herself, “Wow, this is the epitome of a person appreciating this day and this moment.” When the car turns the corner, she sees the  man’s face and realizes it’s Randy. The woman witnessing the scene was one of his co-workers and later wrote to Randy to tell him how she was incredibly struck by the sight of him and how contented he seemed, despite his current situation. She tells Randy, “You can never know how much that glimpse of you made my day, reminding me of what life is all about.”

I shared this story with my classes because it really speaks to santosha, of being content with wherever you are in life, living in the moment, with no fear about the future and no regrets of what has passed. Randy obviously was not letting drama overcome his life, nor was he feeling sorry for himself; he knew life was good, and he was going to enjoy each and every moment he had left to live. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could always live with such peace, with such a sense of contentment, no matter what cards we are dealt? Randy’s attitude was that today, right now – well, this is a kick-ass day, and I am going to enjoy it.

Another sutra/lecture parallel I found came in the form of truth or satya, which is one of the yamas or moral codes that are part of the eight limbs of yoga. Randy talked about telling the truth, and if he could add three more words to that phrase, he would add – “all the time!” As we stood firm and tall in mountain pose, I asked my students to consider if they were standing in their truth. Are you being completely true to yourself and to others? 

In another chapter, Randy hit on truth when he talked about not obsessing over what people think about you and how much time each day is wasted worrying about this. I love his mathematical formulation that we would all be 33% more effective in our lives if we never worried about what is in other people’s heads. Just imagine how much your yoga practice could flourish if you stopped worrying about what other people think you look like in a pose. Just think how much more fun your practice could be if you kept your practice on your mat, not letting your mind wander off with self-doubt or comparison, just truly focusing on how beautiful your body and breath are right here in the moment.

Team Tigger or Team Eeyore?

Another favorite chapter was the one about making a decision about being either Tigger or Eeyore – you know, the characters in Winnie-the-Pooh. Well, Randy challenged his readers to pick a camp, either embracing the fun-loving attitude of Tigger or the sad-sack Eeyore. Randy was pretty clear on where he was pitching his tent; he was a full on Tigger! Even when faced with death, he could not let go of the Tigger inside of him. He just couldn’t see the upside of becoming Eeyore. Even though he had just a few months to live, he decided to pack as much fun as he could into that time. We all get to make this same choice every day, and the Team Tigger concept is going to be my reminder to choose happiness and living life to the fullest each and every day.

Dream, Baby, Dream

If you know me and have been reading this blog, you know that I am a big fan of going after your dreams. The major theme of Randy’s lecture was about fulfilling your childhood dreams and, more importantly, helping to enable others to achieve their dreams.  Fortuitously reading this book at the beginning of 2012, when I just so happen to be setting out new dreams and intentions, was incredibly timely and advantageous.

I’m not really sure if I remember all of my childhood dreams, but I know at one point early on I wanted to be Cinderella, marry David Cassidy, and be a star of the Broadway stage (I think there was a fantasy about winning an Oscar in there too). There have been many times in my life where I felt like Cinderella. In fact, I was definitely channeling Cindy on my wedding day, and even though I didn’t get to marry David, I somehow managed to find my soul mate. I also landed a major role in my high school musical, so I’d say I did pretty well in the childhood dream department. Take some time out today and think about your childhood dreams and what has become of them. My motto is: It’s never too late to go after something that is important to you or that makes you happy. I started yoga teacher training when I was 47 years young, so I’m just saying…you can start working on those dreams at any age.

Do you need a little nudge to get you going this year? Pick up Randy’s book. It is a super quick read and is chock full of motivational nuggets to get you moving towards your dreams. Better yet, hopefully it will inspire you like it did me to really focus on helping others to go for their dreams as well.

Even though Randy spent a good deal of time talking about living out your dreams, he clued the audience in at the end that it’s not about achieving your dreams, but rather it’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you!

I’m going to do my best to carry out the messages of this book throughout this year, staying fully present, full of gratitude and contentment no matter where the year takes me, being truthful, full of integrity, and letting go of vanity and pride and worry about what others think. I’ll also be signing up for Tigger Camp – who wants to come with?!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t have time to read the book or listen to the lecture – this is the 10 minute reprised video version from Randy’s visit to Oprah!

Stuffed Animals Photo: Robert Linder

This past year, I’ve done my best to try out lots of different flavors of yoga. If you read my post yesterday, you know that a week ago I got to have my very first Bikram yoga experience at Bikram Yoga Cleveland, and trying Bikram was more than just trying out a new flavor; it felt like I had traveled to a whole new country to try out the local cuisine.

I had my advice from fellow yogi friends and the Twitter and Facebook yoga communities (see Confessions of a Bikram Virgin Part 1) and I was ready to take on this hot new world of Bikram. For those of you not familiar with Bikram yoga, it is a 90-minute class that consists of 26 yoga postures conducted in a room heated to 105 degrees! So without further delay, here are my major takeaways from my virgin Bikram trip:

Free Your Mind and The Rest of the Clothes Will Follow. The tips about wearing as little clothing as possible were right on the mark. I wore a pair of clingy shorts and a yoga tank top, which I thought was plenty good. About twenty minutes into class, I wished I was wearing a bikini. When you look around the room, people have on short-shorts, the ladies’ midriffs are exposed, and the men are pretty much shirtless (or will be before the class is over). I believe Bikram yoga goes miles in bringing out a person’s ability to lose their inhibitions. I did a review on K.Deere Haute Yoga Wear (see pic below) a while back and went on the record to say there was no way in hell I would wear those short-shorts and expose my pasty white cottage cheese thighs to the yoga world. Now, I’ll eat my words and say that I would proudly sport my thighs in those pants in any Bikram class. Bye bye, inhibitions. Hello, love of the body!

Bum Bums from K. Deer Haute Yoga Wear

Kristine, the designer of K. Deer Haute Yoga Wear got a good laugh when I told her I was finally ready for her Bum Bums. She is offering a special discount on her yoga wear to Daily Downward Dog readers. Just enter the discount code DDD15 when you place you order and you’ll receive a 15% discount.

The Man in the Mirror. If Bikram yoga had a theme song – hell, if Bikram yoga even had music playing – I’m thinking it should be “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Unlike most yoga studios I attend, in Bikram yoga there are mirrors on the wall, and you are asked to gaze at yourself and look inside. I was in the second row in class and was partially blocked by the person in front of me, so I wasn’t always able to see myself in the mirror. I’m not sure if I’m really digging the whole mirror thing. I like the message of looking into your eyes and smiling, but I’d rather close my eyes and look inside my mind and my body.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’re going hot, hot, hot! (On second thought, maybe the David Johansen cover version of this song would be a better yoga theme song for Bikram.) I like hot yoga and try to go to a few classes a week at Yoga Bliss Akron in a studio that is set to 85-90 degrees. Each time I walk into the hot room at Yoga Bliss, it feels downright tropical, almost like going to Florida after being in the frigid Ohio winter weather. Ninety degrees is plenty hot; 105 degrees just seems a bit gratuitous. It wasn’t a pleasant hot vacation experience; instead it felt almost oppressing as my lungs started to tighten toward the beginning of class.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sight of the sweat I saw pouring off the man in front of me. It was literally flowing off of him like a river forming a huge puddle on his mat, even with a towel. I have to admit, my dream did come a little true in that I didn’t sweat as much as I thought I would. I’m just not a big sweater, probably because I don’t drink enough water, but it was so damn hot in there that the humidity may have been evaporating my sweat before I even started to drip. If I were to take up Bikram, the whole hydrating thing would be one major benefit as it would force me to drink more H₂0.

Beginners Welcome. Bikram yogis are extremely nice and very welcoming to newbies. When I first walked into the studio, the room was dark, and I went to place my mat in the first open spot I saw. There were two rows of mats forming and mirrors on both walls, and I didn’t know how the class was set up. The woman on the mat next to me asked if I was new, and when she found out I was, I thought it was very cool that she suggested that I move to the back row so I could watch the other students. Then someone else moved so I could put my mat next to Cherie. I got settled in and looked next to me where there was a very serious looking young girl (sans mother) who could not have been more than 10. Wow, I thought, Bikram is really recruiting them young.

The instructor of the class, Danielle Hoffman, had the names of all the new students and called them out so she (and the rest of the class) knew where we were located. I was impressed by the way she remembered our names, kept an eye on us, and gave just the right amount of direction and encouragement to each of us. There are little to no hands on adjustments in Bikram (which I liked), and Danielle was able to provide spot on verbal instructions to get each student in the right alignment.

I have always thought it was kind of weird and a bit showy that Bikram teachers stand on a platform at the front of the class. Now I know that it is absolutely essential that they do so because they have to keep an eye out for anyone that might be ready to pass out!

Danielle was there to greet me upon my arrival!

Danielle did a great job of explaining how to get into the poses and the benefits of each, and we were told to sit down at any time if we got hot or tired. In fact, we were encouraged to stay in the hot room the entire class and just sit if we needed to (not forced to stay, like a few stories I had heard).

The young girl next to me was one of the main reasons I stuck it out through class. I figured that if she could do it, then I better well be able to keep going. Her name was Alex, and it turns out that she was 11 and this was only her third Bikram class. I’m probably going to burn in Bikram hell, but when we talked after class, I made sure to let her know that there were other types of yoga and that she might want to give a few of them a try before she puts all her eggs in the Bikram basket (she assured me she would).

You need to bring a towel, but not just any towel; I’d recommend a NamaSTAY yoga towel. I’m a big fan of having a towel on my yoga mat during hot yoga classes, but I never truly appreciated the importance of it until I practiced in 105 degree heat! NamaSTAY yoga towels have a flap at each end that wraps around the mat to keep it from slipping, and it absorbs the sweat to keep you grounded and stable throughout class. Cherie Greenwald is the inventor of the NamaSTAY yoga towel, and I predict that she will someday become famous in the Bikram/hot yoga community for developing the best hot yoga towel ever! [If you would like more info about NamaSTAY towels and would love a special discount offer, please check out my review.]

You can do this! If you have been practicing Hatha yoga, in my opinion, you can handle the 26 postures that comprise a Bikram class. I had this notion in my mind that it was going to be extremely challenging and that I would collapse in a big sweaty ball on my mat, unable to do half of the postures. Granted, I didn’t get fully into all of the poses, but I was able to do them. Bikram created this practice from Hatha yoga, but there are no inversions, no really intense arm balances, and in my opinion not too much core work. The real genius in this practice is that Bikram put together the 26 poses to work every part of the body and to give all of the internal organs, veins, ligaments, and muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function (yeah, I picked that up pretty much verbatim from the brochure). The extreme heat and the twisting and stretching flushes away the toxins, or waste products, of all the glands and organs of the body.

Of course, it takes a great instructor to guide and motivate people through the heat, and Danielle had just the right mix of encouragement and perky enthusiasm to keep the class of over twenty happily sweating and twisting away. My only regret is that I wish I didn’t hold back at the beginning of class. Not knowing what to expect, I did not push myself as hard as I could have because I was concerned about conserving energy. But being a virgin, the class was exploratory for me, and next time I’ll know how far I can take myself.

Savasanaaaaahhhhh!

I’m Only Here for the Savasana! Savasana rocks, and Bikram yogis get that! Towards the second half of class, there is a break for savasana in between almost every pose. It is not only awesome but is a real life-saver towards the end of class when you need that break to catch your breath, let your heart rate slow down,  and of course, let the benefits of the previous posture literally bake in!

Every Breath You Take. Breathing is the one thing that I don’t think I was doing properly. I’m a fan of ujjayi breathing where you inhale and exhale out through the nose. This form of breathing keeps the heat inside the body. However, when I put that logic to use, I figured the last thing I wanted to do in a Bikram class was stoke the fires even more. Hell, I was afraid I might combust. So, I was breathing in and out through my mouth, and I have to admit at times it was forced. I must have missed the breathing instruction portion of the class, and like a dork I didn’t ask. It’s pretty quiet in the Bikram room, and I wasn’t sure if questions were welcome. In any case, before I go to another class, I’ll be sure to get the breathing correct. Please leave a comment if you have any tips for me!

Variety is the spice of life.  Well, for Bikram, consistency is the way of life. Twenty-six poses, each one repeated twice. Every class, every time. Twenty-six poses, rinse, pause, and repeat. I get the concept, but this yogini needs a little variety to spice up my yoga practice.

The Hills are [not] Alive With the Sound of Music. In case you didn’t pick this up already, there is no music in a Bikram class. No music! I have to admit, I needed the silence so I could concentrate on the instructions, but I would definitely miss the music if I did this practice on a regular basis.

Afterglow. Well, I don’t think I really had one. I will tell you that it took 45 minutes for my face to go from full-on lobster to my normal pasty white freckled glow. I didn’t feel the extreme yoga high, which really bummed me out. Instead, I felt very lethargic and experienced some pain in my lower left back. The brochure for the studio states that this is absolutely normal and is a good sign that your body is cleansing. Being that I attended this class two days after Christmas and had been gorging on big holiday meals, cookies, and wine (which explain the lethargy) – my body needed some well deserved rest after purging the enormous amounts of sugar and toxins I took in over the holidays. The next day I did feel awesome and had a little high, so maybe the Bikram afterglow just took a day to settle in.

I’m not going to go into any of the crazy stuff that Bikram has done recently, primarily because I don’t want to get sued for writing about him! B.C., please take mercy on The Daily Downward Dog – I am just here speaking my truth.

I totally understand why people love Bikram so much. It does feel good to sweat out those toxins, and the practice seems more like an “experience” or better yet, a mash-up of a mental and physical challenge. You go in with a fighting spirit, ready to beat the heat and to let go of the negative chatter in your mind so that you can do some amazing things for your body and your health. When you make it through an entire class, it is a major feeling of accomplishment. Cue: Rocky theme song!

Click here to view the embedded video.

So the big burning question that the Twitter community had for me the next day is whether or not I would attend another Bikram class, and the answer to that is yes.

But, will I fully embrace Bikram and attend regularly? The answer to that question is no. I need the variety, I need the music, and I need to drink a hell of a lot more water! I’ve put another notch on my yoga belt, and I’ve got lots more flavors to try. And, isn’t it cool that we have so many flavors of yoga to try?

Like I mentioned in my previous post, if you have always wanted to try Bikram, I would highly recommend that you give it a try, and if you live in northern Ohio, please make a visit and support Bikram Yoga Cleveland.

Hot Bikram Yoga and Cleveland Snow - the perfect combo! Woo Hoo Cleveland finally has their first Bikram yoga studio!

Thanks again to Danielle and Bikram Yoga Cleveland for such a great virgin experience and to Cherie and Alex, whose presence helped encourage and lift me through the entire class. The newbies didn’t get any applause at the end of class, but I know we all felt a major sense of accomplishment.

So, how was your first Bikram experience? I would love to hear from you, so please join in the conversation.

Want some more confessions? This wasn’t my first trip to the confession booth, check out The Daily Downward Dog’s Confessions of a Kirtan Virgin and Neti Pot Confessions.

Rockstar Capris 

I’ll be forever grateful to my older brothers for taking me to my very first rock concerts. By the same token, I’ll be forever grateful to Mondetta Performance Gear (MPG) for turning me on to my very first pair of rock star skintight yoga pants. Both events were not only life changing but truly magical!

My appreciation and love affair for yoga pants that stay up during class is still going strong after trying out a new pair of Gamma Capri leggings from MPG. Yeah, I used to be a baggy black cotton yoga pant girl, but now I’m sporting a pair of gray, well actually, MPG calls them “smoke” (yes, moving on from black to gray is a big fashion step for me) capri leggings with a super cute zebra print as trim on the bottom and the sides. And, get this: running down along the side of the zebra print is white sequin piping! Can you say Rockstar!

Rock Star!

If you know me, you know that I would normally look at a pair of flashy leggings like that and say, “There’s no effing way I’m wearing those.” But, I’m telling you, MPG has caused me to have a complete metamorphosis in the way I dress. The combo of smoke, zebra, sequins, and skin tight somehow works for me! As I’m writing this, I’m totally cracking up, because it sounds like I just described something a big-haired ’80s rockstar would wear! In fact, MPG, I think you might want to get in touch with David Lee Roth for an endorsement deal.

Ruching – A Yoga Girl’s Best Friend

Admit it, you like your yoga clothes to be tight and clingy so that you don’t expose your privates in class when hanging out in those upside down yoga postures. Sometimes, though, the clingy is just a little too – well, clingy. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could have clingy without skin tight? Well, you can, with the amazing super powers of ruching!

Meridian from Mondetta Performance Gear – Goes from Yoga Mat to Lunch with the Girls

To demonstrate, check out this awesome top. Notice the elastic-gathered side seams, or what I like to call ruching. Those magic folds of fabric provide an optical illusion that helps erase the dreaded muffin top. And, the shirt is long enough that the ruching can even be pulled down to cover up the booty. Nice! The top actually “ruches” a great deal more than the picture above shows and the poly/spandex featherweight fabric feels yummy.

You also can’t really tell from this photo (if you go to the MPG site, you can zoom in on the detail), but that same cool zebra print design is on the cap sleeves and the top portion of the back of this shirt. I’m not normally a fan of any kind of animal print on clothing, but this detail provides a really stylish and fun feel to the shirt without being over the top.

Back view of Meridian yoga top with zebra print detail!

Both the Gamma leggings and the Meridian top have passed my machine wash test, holding up perfectly after several washings, and they dry fast, and DON’T WRINKLE!

MPG has clothes for yogis too!

About MPG

I just want to go on the record and say that I love the folks at Mondetta Performance Gear (MPG). I know that love is a strong word, but if it weren’t for MPG, I’d probably still be showing up to teach yoga in faded black yoga pants and my well-worn “Life is Good” t-shirts.

Over the last year, they have sent me some of favorite yoga togs (that’s me at thevery top of the post, modeling my very first MPG outfit), introduced me to the wonderful world of skintight leggings, and have just given me a new reason to rejoice with my awesome new Meridian shirt and its magical ruching. Quite simply, MPG has figured out how to mash-up comfort, style and performance in clothing that you will want to wear both on and off the yoga mat.

MPG recently celebrated its 25^th Anniversary (woot woot), and since the beginning, they have always dedicated a portion of their profits to arts and athletic organizations throughout North America. On a global scale, MPG also funds AIDS and poverty relief efforts in Africa through their Mondetta Charity Foundation.

Here are a few more cool things to know about MPG:

• They are offering Daily Downward Dog readers a 20% discount on all retail purchases. Just use the coupon code dddlovesmpg upon checkout to get the 20% discount. But hurry because this code expires on 2/28/12.
• MPG has great active wear products for men too!
• Each time you purchase an MPG product, the removable tag comes with a code to utilize in an online Get Fit Giveaway, where you can win weekly and monthly prizes and a grand prize of $1000 in online shopping credit.
• They have generously offered Daily Downward Dog readers a chance to win free MPG performance gear.

WIN MPG!

One lucky Daily Downward Dog reader will get the chance to pick one piece from MPG’s Fall/Winter collection (excluding outerwear) for either men or women. It’s simple to win. Just get your rockstar on and help spread the word about how awesome MPG is by taking one or more of these actions:

• Go to www.mpgsport.com and take a look around. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for their newsletter.
• “Like” MPG on their Facebook page.
• Follow @MPGtweet on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway on Twitter: I’m going rock star with @MPGtweet yoga gear & @downwarddog | You can too with their Rock Star Ruching Giveaway! http://bit.ly/sMA8iH
• Post this giveaway with a link on Facebook.

Leave a comment below and let me know which actions you have taken, and you will get an entry for each one.

This giveaway is open to all residents of the U.S. and Canada and you can enter through Monday, January 9 at noon EST, when one rockstar winner will be randomly selected from all entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and also announced here on this post and on The Daily Downward Dog’s Facebook page.

MPG, please bring back Lucien to model again!

It’s that time of year again, when the dreaded “R” word threads its way into our vernacular. A new year is about to commence, bringing with it a rapidly spreading fever and overwhelming desire to declare our resolutions. And, yes, I’ve caught the fever too, as I’ve already posted my dream poses for 2012.

For the record, I don’t like to set resolutions, and worse yet, I really don’t like posting them up on The Daily Downward Dog (just a little public accountability issue I have). Last year, I set a goal for myself to embrace my meditation practice. I was on fire with my love of meditation and still am. I can’t say that I meditated each and every day, but I did deepen my practice, and that will continue to be a goal I set for myself each and every year.

Rather than getting hung up on setting long-range resolutions, I thought this might be a good time to focus on setting intentions. Intentions to me are bite-sized resolutions, and one of the reasons I dig them is that I can set a new one each and every time I come to the yoga mat.

I always love it when a yoga instructor asks the class to set an intention for their practice. The good yogini in me knows that these intentions should be focused on things like staying present while on the yoga mat or stopping myself from being so judgmental about how far my heels are from the floor in downward facing dog. But, the aggressive Type-A yogini in me occasionally likes to throw in a few intentions about the things that I want to manifest in my life.

Now that I’m a yoga teacher, I get to share that practice by including a few quiet moments at the beginning of class where I ask my students to close their eyes and focus on their intentions. I explain the importance of setting an intention, and I caution them to be careful and to aim high because, according to yogi and author Max Strom, our minds really do want to do their best to give us what we ask for.

To provide a little guidance on the practice of setting intentions, I offer my students a few examples to gently nudge them in the right direction. I shared this list back in October on Intent.com, and now I want to share my top ten yoga intentions with you here.

Intentions should always be stated in a positive way, so here goes…

Top 10 Yoga Intentions

1. Let go of baggage and move on. (You know, those grudges you hold, the people you need to forgive, relationships that need to end, etc.)
2. Make a transition in my life. (Are you thinking about a move or a transition in your life in 2012? Set an intention to get you on the right track or to ask for guidance to get you where you want to go.)
3. Unleash my fears. (This is especially good for new yoga students who may have some trepidation on their yoga mats.)
4. Be more patient. (You can apply this to just about any area of your life. ‘Nuf said!)
5. Open my heart (and mind) and send this love out into the world.
6. Practice being non-judgmental of myself and others.
7. Find my purpose in life. (Personal intentions are fine; just don’t put out intentions to win the lottery. Instead, ask for ways to make a difference and to help others.)
8. Choose to be happy. (We have so many choices we can make in life. Choosing to be happy is pretty damn simple and always provides an excellent return on investment.)
9. Let go of stress – not only for the next 60 minutes on my yoga mat, but also as I go through my week off the yoga mat.
10. Free my monkey mind and let go of the incessant chatter – to let my mind be free and immersed in the union of the body and the breath.

In reality, this list can never be limited to just ten, and really, the most important thing is to listen to your heart and to use your yoga mat to begin your very own spiritual journey.

Whatever your intention is, repeat it to yourself three times, and as you breathe in a deep inhale, imagine it sealing into your heart. Just remember to practice caution because when you direct your mind and heart in a new direction, it can be very powerful!

So, if you’re beating yourself up over unrealized 2011 resolutions or are having trouble settling into the new year, forget about those lofty resolutions and set some economy-sized intentions on a daily basis – both on and off the yoga mat. Live in the present and stay mindful, attaining peace and serenity one day at a time!

Would love to hear about your intentions for the coming year, so please share your thoughts below.

If you’re hankering for more New Year’s inspiration check out my 2010 New Year’s Eve monologue and yoga class playlist!