My friend Katy's photo from Uganda.
My beautiful, loving teacher Rima, the apple of my eye, gave us a love note today. When we were settling into class, the community of devoted Rima-students milling about and laying out our mats, Rima placed xeroxed sūtras beside each of us. She told us she made them as love notes, especially for each one of us.
The love notes had a sūtra written upon them,
“kshana tat kramayoh samyamad viveka jam jnanam. By Samyama on the sequence of indivisible moments of time, the past, present and future are known simultaneously, along with the nature of objects.” -Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, III:53
We chanted the Sanskrit and discussed the sūtra in terms of the focus of the month, vinyasa krama. To be conscious of each moment, to understand that everything is changing at every tiny increment of passing time, to begin to understand time itself, and to be conscious of your breath and the sequence of your movements within time. To inject this experience of living with intention. This is what this sūtra and this focus of the month is about and so much more. And Rima was able to express this to us in the sweetest and most beautiful way. Love you, Rima, so so much.
Beautiful Lakshmi.
Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of beauty and wealth. She is the embodiment of grace, charm and purity, and represents generosity, prosperity, and material success. She has beautiful golden skin and 4 arms. Her hands drip coins (as my amazing teacher Yogeswari says) and hold lotus blossoms. She is a mother goddess (meaning you can add the prefix Mata which means mother, to her name) and the lotus blossoms she holds indicate her fertility and beauty.
In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi took refuge in a sea of milk, when the Gods and Goddesses were exiled. She was reborn again during the churning of the ocean and all of the Gods immediately fell in love with her when they laid eyes on her enrapturing beauty. Her hand in marriage was given to Vishnu, the great sustainer, and as his wife, she is his female counterpoint.
My friend Dan Colen's bubblegum art.
I am so grateful because I have lots of new clients right now. Everyone wants to better themselves, and they want a yoga practice to help them do it. Any period of transformation, introspection, or newness is imporoved by the addition of a yoga practice. It helps us see clearly, stay in touch with our bodies, and stay focused on what is important amidst whatever is going on. It connects us to ourselves and makes us feel empowered when we might otherwise feel intimidated.
Of course, starting to practice yoga, when we have never done it before, is challenging. It can make us feel vulnerable, challenges our ability to stay focused, and, of course, challenges our bodies. Coming into the asanas in the physical practice can be seen as arbitrary and awkward. Why am I taking my body into these wierd shapes? I take solace in the fact that these shapes, poses, and seats have been practiced for thousands of years. They are more than just shapes and there is ancient power and wisdom in performing them.
When we are first doing the poses, we have to get used to them. We have to get them into our bodies. Once we get more comfortable coming through the vinyasa and holding poses, we can begin to subtly refine our physical bodies. We can begin to breathe deeper during our practice, quiet our mind for longer, and focus our attention more directly. I used to be afraid I would “lose” my practice, suddenly regress if I had to miss a week or 2 of class. Now I am confident the poses, the entire practice is within my body.
My teacher in India told me, “at first, the practice is effort-full, and then it becomes effort-less.” I still have to work on the mat, but I am no longer afraid that my practice will slip away.
When you are starting out on the journey, remember that in order to reap rewards, you have to work hard. Stay with the practice and soon it will be intrinsic.
A picture from Yoga Vida's first live music class, with the Blaire Reinhard Band.
So, you know I am obsessed with live music during class. It’s such a treat and gift! Having live music in class truly makes practicing into an incredible experience for the senses. Yoga Vida NYC, this incredible new studio near Union Square, is doing live music yoga classes every Saturday at noon during their 75-minute flow class. I think this going to have to become part of my Saturday routine; rise, shine, practice! They have had the Blaire Reinhard Band and the incredible electric harp of Mia Theodoratus so far. I can’t wait to see, hear, and experience whatever they are offering this weekend!
It's such a beautiful space, too. University and 12th.
Amazing work by my friend, Ben Milch.
In yoga, the breath saves us, guides us, takes us. The breath allows us to perform the asana practice with a mind that is connected, focused, and quiet. Focusing on the breath forces the mind to let go of all the other thoughts that want to crowd in there, and gives us the space to be in the present moment. The breath gives us the physical strength and peace of mind to be able to deal with whatever is in front of us. If you take a deep breath, controlled, steady and with awareness, you can immediately feel the effect it has on your entire being.
The more you breathe, and develop your lung capacity and strength, the more you can feel your breath breathing your body. On a deep inhale, everything expands away from the center and on the exhale it retreats and the body is empty again. When you practice breathing and infuse it with awareness, your breath becomes the most powerful tool, on and off the mat.
Rita's dogs, painted by Rita.
“Satya Pratisthayam kriya phalasrayatvam. To one established in turthfulness, the fruit of one’s actions naturally result according to one’s will.” -Yoga Sutras II:36
Satya means truth and honesty. It is one of the yamas, which are these great universal vows that tell us how to interact with the world. In this sutra, Patanjali, the father of yoga and the man responsible for creating the Yoga Sutras, is explaining the benefits of practicing satya. When we are honest at all times, we mean what we say, and say what we mean. There is no separation between the words that come out of our mouths and our actions. And the fruits of our actions reflect this honesty by fulfilling our will. When you can breakdown the separation between your words, thoughts and actions by infusing everything you do with honesty, you manifest your will and live the truth. Start simply… be honest to everyone, including yourself.
I have uploaded all of my yoga playlists to MySpace so they are readily accessible for you whenever you might want to listen to them or practice to them. I have 7 playlists ready to rock, ranging from sacred mantras sung by Deva Premal to Cut Copy dance electronica and old-school, beautiful rock like Lynyrd Skynyrd. Please visit my profile to listen to the mixes. Enjoy! You can click on any of the playlists below to go straight to them.
As yogis following the eight-limb path of ashtanga yoga we are constantly trying to withdraw our senses (pratyahara), whether it be through meditation, fasting, or simply closing our eyes and taking a deep breath. In taking our attention away from outside stimulation, we create internal awareness. We want to be free from the distractions of the outside world and firm of mind. Rather than get caught in the up’s and down’s of everyday life, they become like small ripples that don’t change who we are. Drishti is a method of sense withdrawal that I have been using recently while practicing asana and it is very powerful.
Drishti is a steady, calm gaze taken during the asana practice. Sharon and David, in describing drishti write, “One gazes toward the hazy realm of perception beyond the clearly focused.” I have really come into practicing this gaze naturally. By allowing the focus of my vision to slip away, I am able to let the rest of the room slip away and travel further and further into my own movement, breath and body. Try looking straight forward, but allowing your gaze to melt away from the outside as it becomes internal.
Kermit in Downward Facing Dog.
Adho Muka Svanasana is the keystone pose of vinyasa yoga, and it feels so good! Basically, you are making an inverted V shape with your body, with equal weight on the hands and feet. The hands should be shoulder distance, with the fingers spread and the entire hand pressing down. The feet should be hip distance, with the heels flat on the floor, or at least reaching in that direction. Relax your head, neck and shoulders and make sure your head can swing freely in all directions and the shoulders are on the back, rather then bunched up by the ears. The spine should be straight and stretched, sinking towards the floor, opening the chest. Reach your hips up and back, creating space for your spine to extend to. Pull the stomach in to support the spine and make sure the lowest, floating ribs aren’t sticking out. The back of the legs get a phenomenal stretch here, amped up by reaching the heels to the floor. Breathe here and remember the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Once you have practiced a lot, down dog becomes a resting pose and a refuge during a tough practice. Try it in your living room, like me.
Me in Downeard Facing Dog. Picture by Harper.
The front of Liquiteria.
Here are some juice places in NY that I love! If you want to do a cleanse yourself or simply add some fresh juice to your diet, these are the places to go.
- Liquiteria: 170 2nd Avenue at 12th Street. This is the best juice place in NY in my opinion. They have the most amazing juices ready for purchase in the fridge (Royal Flush and Grasshopper are so delicious) and they can also make you whatever fresh juice you would like. Oh, and they have amazing soups, which I can’t wait to enjoy tomorrow.
- Organic Avenue: 101 Stanton Street Between Ludlow & Orchard. This place has awesome juices in really cool glass bottles and also offers pre-designed cleanses that you can have delivered to you.
- Juice Generation: 171 West 4th Street at 6th Avenue. I love the Cold Warrior, which is a hot drink made with green tea, fresh oj, ginger, echinecea, vitamin c and zinc. If you feel a cold coming on, drink this and you will feel bettter. They have a ton of smoothies, and different fruits and veggies available for juicing.
Simple Raw Juice Bar.
- Simple Raw Juice Bar. 203 Mott Street Between Kenmare and Spring. This is a new place, right in my neighborhood, that makes amazing juices and shakes, all raw, all the time. If you get coconut water here, they crack a fresh coconut, pour the water into a Vita-mixer and then use and ice cream scoop to scrape out the coconut meat from inside the shell. They add the meat to the blender and whip up the freshest, most deliciously pure white coconut water in the city. And the libido shake is amazing, too. The girl who owns and runs the shop is rad, too.
- Lite Delights: 51 E Houston Street Between Mott & Mulberry. This is the cheapest juice place on this list! If you want a freshly pressed juice made with whatever veggies and fruit you like and you don’t want to break the bank, come here. They have amazing food, too, and awesome freshly baked banana bread, energy cookies (my favorite) and other little treats.
- The Juice Bar inside Life Thyme Market: 410 Avenue of the Americas Between 8th and 9th Street. Everyone in the West Village loves this market, and the juice bar inside is incredible. The juice guy here will make you anything you want or whip you up something delicious if you can’t decide. Amazing smoothies and they crack their own fresh coconuts for the water and meat to blend into your juice if you want.
Click here to see my favorite restaurants to eat veggies at, too.
