Every year, as the season shifts into the colder days of late fall I watch students transition into bundled bodies of boots, scarves, gloves, and hats.  Fall gets pretty cool in most parts of the Utah and well, winter is down right cold.  Gratefully students seek shelter to sweat, breathe, and connect, & the studio fills with students eager to heat the room.

I notice shoulders rounded, chins dropping forward, and hearts pulled back & in.  We generally call this the "burr it's cold outside look".  And it's not just the cold air that pulls up the armor of the heart, rounds the shoulders in preparation for the weight of the world, the holiday season is before us.  With the holidays brings added stress of money, family, expectations, and cold/flu season.  This is my cue as a teacher to offer heart openers. 

Backbends are physically challenging, they expose us to our surroundings, while requiring a steady commitment to breath and surrender to something greater than our limiting thoughts.  Yes they challenge what we "think we can do" encouraging us to open up, let go, and discover the warmth of the heart. I consider several postures, not just backbends as heart openers, but yes, backbends are at the top of the list. 

Anatomically speaking, the muscles of the chest, shoulders, and neck, when constricted, limit the fullness of breath. These muscles assist breathing by lifting the ribs up & out,  When the chest is constricted, these muscles begin to tighten and can even trigger a stress response.  Breath becomes shallow,  the body lacks sufficient prana, and the heart sinks into the worries of scarcity.  Opening the heart, assists full diaphragmic breathing.  The diraphragms' central tendon actually massages the heart during exhalation.  The muscles around the heart are nourished, the shoulders give up their hold, and posture improves.  Deep backbends  massage the Kidneys & adrenal glands, which nourishes every cell and revitalizes the endocrine system.

Backbends are a most energetic remedy for the Holiday Blues.  Just like a frustrating mother-in law, or a longer than expected line at the grocery store, backbends require practice, patience, and a willing heart.  They expand from the most sweet of inner spaces, and open us up to our deepest wisdom.  They create space, and the softness to release judgement, and let opinions go.  They also require vulnerability and love.

The physical & pranic offerings of heart opening postures come in handy during the holiday season.  Just about all of us have some level of emotional ups & downs.  The holiday season can be particularly challenging for those who have lost family members, are away from family, struggling with finances, and so on.  I get it- looking back at some of the challenging years I put my parents through as a cherished daughter gone-estranged-hippy-living-in-the-wilds-of-Idaho, who may or may not show up for Christmas.

Backbends open us to the beautiful present.  They charge our prana & strengthen us to let go and forgive.  Even every day letting go's that can add up during times of stress if we close ourselves off.  So get inside, get warm, and open your heart!! 

I'll be focusing on many levels of heart openers throughout November & December!  If you can't make it to the studio as much as you had hoped, we will repeat these postures with the intention that you build confidence to pactice at home when needed!

And some of my favorite music to expand into:

Be the change (Bollywood Dub Omstrumental)  by: Mc Yogi

Lokah Samastah (Sean Dinsmore's Happy Free Mix)  by: Sharon Gannon 

Unity  by: Glen Velez

Memory Gospel by: Moby

Space Weaver by: Lisa Gerrard

shanti om.

Jami

...I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

~ Mary Oliver ~

I love this poem!!  It really was a theme for this late summer road trip.  I wanted to be reminded in the most glorious and reverent of ways... how interwoven the majesty of a landscape is to a song, to a smile, to my heart beating, to the miles, and yes... destination.

I wanted to be reminded that we are born to partake of the beauty of life,

"like a needle
in the haystack
of light." 

Sometimes a change of scenery brings it all back again.  Yes i witnessed "the prayers that are made
out of grass", and "untrimmable light".  I also recognised how much space I had simply turned over to worry, doubt, and struggle.  Uncrowding the mind is one of the greatest gifts we can harness as human beings!  Om Namah Shivaya!!  What I found most hilarious, was the crickets!!  Yeah that's right... they are as loud in the middle of the desert as they are just outside my bedroom window... and the fact that, according to my road travelling ladies, I snore much louder then the crickets chirp.  Ha!

As summer gives way to cooler mornings and shorter days, please remember what you were born to do.  Pause and become present to any given offering from divine.  Look & listen.  Loose the ego self inside this soft world and fill your cup up again.  It is true that you don't have to travel any further than within, and so grateful that a little time on the road, can do just that. Reconnect to the sweetness within, and instruct ourselves over and over in joy!

Blessings on the path within,

Jami

With so much going on, and summer moving almost too quickly, the concept of common place miracles has inspired my practice tremendously.  This poem by Polish author Wislawa Szymborska is just that... a miracle...

Commonplace miracle:
that so many commonplace miracles happen.

An ordinary miracle:
in the dead of night
the barking of invisible dogs.

One miracle out of many:
a small, airy cloud
yet it can block a large and heavy moon.

Several miracles in one:
an alder tree reflected in the water,
and that it's backwards left to right
and that it grows there, crown down
and never reaches the bottom,
even though the water is shallow.

An everyday miracle:
winds weak to moderate
turning gusty in storms.

First among equal miracles:
cows are cows.

Second to none:
just this orchard
from just that seed.

A miracle without a cape and top hat:
scattering white doves.

A miracle, for what else could you call it:
today the sun rose at three-fourteen
and will set at eight-o-one.

A miracle, less surprising than it should be:
even though the hand has fewer than six fingers,
it still has more than four.

A miracle, just take a look around:
the world is everywhere.

An additional miracle, as everything is additional:

the unthinkable

is thinkable.

So beautifully acknowledged... so cooling for the mind.  During particularly challenging asana, when the mind is heated and ready to react, I hear the words, "just this orchard, from just that seed..." I give my mind the permission to be with the miracle of the many from the one.  Just one breath... just one more breath... soft face, steady gaze, expansive heart.  Ripen your practice from the seed within, and witness your entire life become a most abundant orchard... the world is everywhere!

warmth and om rays,

Jami

Photos in order of appearance by:

 pasotraspaso

JelleS

My favorite place to begin:  Foundation

Foundation, or root has everything to do with connecting the physical body with earth below, and also to our individual roots.  When we ground the physical body we sense our life existing much further then the on going fluctuations of the mind that once separated us.  We relax into the reality that are basic needs are being met in this moment and give ourselves permission to shift and change within this support.   Mentally exiting our work day, the freeway, the heated discussion from earlier.  It is a conscious choice and level of awareness to embark on the healing practice of unity.

Breath is next:  Ujayii Pranayam

Ujayii is particularly beneficial in the practice.  As a collective we breathe for all life, one another, and ourselves.  We hear the sound of our own breath, as a continuous reminder as to how we are contributing to the group flow.  Breath is the sutra of life.  It provides constant feedback as to the integrity of our practice, while purifying, strengthening, and opening us to communion.  Breath brings us back again and again, and fortifies our commitment to presence.  When the mind pays attention to breath, mental distractions and thoughts of separation cease.  The mind becomes full of the inhale, exhale, and the life of the entire being.

Intention is brilliant

With the unique history of a life, a week, a day, for any one of us, Intention is precious.  It opens us to become more intimate with our personal needs and purpose for showing up to practice.  Intention asks us to get clear, and commit to our dharma.  To harness the strength and surrender of asana as a means to deepen our yoga in life.  To study our tendencies to separate, judge, or check out.  Intention is our personal roll call.  We attend to our specific needs while honoring the group practice.  We may have very personal breakthroughs during class, that soften the illusions of separateness and competition.  We open to how we impact the we space, and how others impact us. 

David Whyte speaks of this so eloquently:

WORKING TOGETHER
 
We shape our self  
to fit this world

and by the world  
are shaped again.

The visible  
and the invisible

working together  
in common cause,

to produce  
the miraculous.

I am thinking of the way  
the intangible air

passed at speed  
round a shaped wing

easily  
holds our weight.

So may we, in this life  
trust

to those elements  
we have yet to see

or imagine,  
and look for the true

shape of our own self  
by forming it well

to the great  
intangibles about us.

~ David Whyte

Isn't this weather something to talk about !?!

Have a miraculous week,

Jami

photos by: Meanest Indian

The whole world is too small too small

To contain them.

Yet they live in happily in the smallest particle

He takes the role of witness

Out of love of watching Her.

But when Her appearance is withdrawn,

The role of witness is abandoned as well.

 Through Her,

He assumes the form of the universe;

Without Her, He is left naked.

Excerpts from The Union Of Shiva And Shakti  by: Jnanadev

Creation does not come from confusion!  It has a rhythym, vibration, essence!

In the laguage of Tantra we discover the Self cannot be seperate from it's own self expression.  The drum beat is not seperate from the drum.  Expression always seeks to reunite with it's Essence.  Matter seeks union with Spirit.

Shiva Aspects:  Essence  Being  Insight  Choice

Shakti Aspects:  Expression  Becoming  Action  Karma

This poem is epic, full of truth, inspiring!

In any moment I retreat, or make myself

small, seperate, or impossible, this poem brings freedom, liberation, and love.

Music playlist for this week:

Prana (Sahana Vavatu) by: Yoga Rhythms compilation

Dance For The Maize God  by: Xaivier Quijas Yxayotl

Camel Train by: James Asher

Mahatma's Message by: MC Yogi

 Sri Rudram by:  Anant Jesse

Duality  by:  Tumbara

Om Namah Shivaya (Bigger Mix)  by:  Steve Gold

Miracle City (Overground Mix)  by:  Seoan

Hope (Radio Edit)  by:  Fat Freddy's Drop

Raghupati Ram  by: Bhagavan Das

Stars (Instumental)  by:  John De Kadt

om sista+brotha om,

Jami

~Lalla

Happy May Day Yoga Souls!

This is the letter I wish to send out, post marked and stamped from my soul to yours!

Inspired by the fertility of the creative force present in the deepening colors and fragrance of life at this mid point between spring and summer.  The fertile prana of  our innermost intentions, and re-aligning the ways we "be" in the world by expressing this inwardness.

I hear drum beats, I witness Shiva and Shakti in play, I adore every flower, leaf, petal.  And elephants!  I am seeing elephants in the clouds, in my dreams, in the ganesha mantras we've been moving to in class.  The transition of obstacle to understanding... the distinction between the temporary fluctuating mind and our deepest presence.  In times of obstacle (distraction, loss of presence), we must re-align!  Sutra 2vs23 reminds us there is no need to attatch to past mistakes.  It is   suffering/obstacle that provides us with the opportunity to make the distinction between the temporary and the eternal.  This is why we practice.  As the offspring of such divine love, maybe Ganesha is reminding you and I that deep true love knows no obstacle.  Only presence. 

Finally the latest of playlist inspirations:

Prana(Sahana Vavatu) by: Yoga Rhythms Compilation

Midnight Raga by: John De Kadt

Ganesha Mantra II (Group Chant) by:Larisa Stow

Ganesha Mantra by: Larisa Stow

Juice (Remix) by: Seoan(Deep B.)

Mahatma's Message by: MC Yogi

Let Your Heart Be Known by: Steve Gold

Allah Allah by: Arjun &the Guardians

Inside by: Moby

Invocation to Water by: Shaman's Dream

Holy Ma by: Heather & Benji Wertheimer

May the sweet fragrance of spring call us to presence, peace, and passion!  Jai Ganesha!

Jami

Photos by: Meanest Indian's & Biggunben

I love this poem.  The first time I read it I was reminded of the presence of shakti in the "restlessness of early spring".  It is almost a description of Kali, risen from illusion (sleep), a dawning of knowledge (early spring), as she sharpens her claws against silence (yogic skills), with black fists and long red tongue.  Just as a bear awakening from winter, she is strong, fierce and hungry for change.  She is nature, prakriti, perfect love.  I reflect on the skills sharpened though the deep winter days of introspection, and what manifestations of the practice are coming down the mountain of spring.  Is our attitude embracing the work ahead, new windows of opportunity, or do we too easily become satisfied with the familiar, the habitual, the mundane?  Do we remember our own strength and ability to hunt and seek and progress on our path, present to the perfect love we are unfolding?  Our practice, our ever evolving way of love.The Goddess of change,  the transformation of spring.  Winter uprooted by the bright fire of truth. 

Asanas to root us in the the power of our center.  To be with the transformation of spring triumphantly, and to channel our inner Kali.

Malasana: Yogic Squat or Goddess Pose- strengthens the ankles, legs and mula bhanda.  Adding a twist to each side to utilize the strength and vitality of the core. And the purification of spring cleaning.

Vashistasana:  Side Plank- Streamlining power with play, in the bouyancy of a satvic arm balance.  Accessing the potency of our backbone, inner listening, and quiet strength.  Balance as a whole being.  Tone through the core and legs and stretch directly from the heart up and out.

Virabhadrasana II: Warrior Two- Focus and dedication, this posture raises the prana of the first three chakras directly into the heart.  Stretch the chest and arms from the heart as the center where love and spirit.  This posture fortifies our commitments and sharpens our mental agility.

Salamba Sarvangasana: Supported Shoulderstand- rejuventating, restoring, and nourishing the vision of the ajna chakra (3rd eye).  This posture will replenish the lower limbs and offers an oppurtunity to taste the divine feminine.  This posture reminds us of the steady calm within the shift and change of life and spring.  The power of our inner knowing, particularly when aligned with our words and actions.  This is not an asana for the half-hearted!  It is surprisingly challenging when the mind is distracted or the lacks stability.  Yoke the two through steady ujjayii pranayam.

We might see an additional snow storm.  Cabin fever may run high for a warm sunset and the smell of sun-heated soil.  It is coming!  Continue in the practice, show up in your life whole-heartedly and be present to the Shakti of Spring... she is unpredicatable, fierce and fabulous!

Shaktified,

Jami

We begin using the psoas at a very early age, around eight months.  Even though you may not remember practicing to sit up and stay up, your psoas got the message loud and clear that this would be a regular occurrence, and the circuitry within the motor cortex was developed to perform this task unconsciously.  This is one way the body can conserve energy.  The only drag is that we forget how to awaken postural muscles that are not only hidden in the body, but hidden in the unconscious mind as well. 

Intimately involved in the fight or flight response,  the psoas muscle helps to prepare you to spring into action, or curl you up into a protective ball.  Psoas is so intimately involved in such basic physical and emotional reactions, that a chronically tightened psoas continually signals your body that you're in danger, eventually exhausting the adrenal glands and depleting the immune system. Qite a realization isn't it?   Psoas awareness can open the door to a more sensitive attunement to your body's inner signals about safety and danger, power, and control.  to a greater sense of inner peace.

Awareness in Yoga asana creates an ideal environment to listen to the psoas, and optimally release and lengthen this over worked and under paid muscle.  Practicing asana will enhance body clairvoyancey, which means the body's intelligence will efficiently anticipate action and determine which muscles will best handle the job or movement. 

Let's start with a picture.  Even in a practice not intended on psoas awareness, just knowing where this muscle exists within you will open up the conversation. 

Attaching to the 12th thoracic vertebral body, L1-L5 (vertebral bodies and intervertebral disc, crossing deep over the anterior hip to attach to the Lesser Trochanter of the Femur.  Subtle body connection: 3rd, 2nd, and 1st chakra resonance.  When we talk about the hips as a major place of emotional and energetic storage, psoas is at the top of the list.

Just as the description of any healthy muscle, psoas must have tone and suppleness.  The ability to fully contract, and fully non contract.  An asana practice that allows for both, stira and sukah is essential.

The strengthening series I have offered this week in practice is found in Ray Long's book:  Key muscles of Hatha Yoga vol. II.  Through this series of standing postures, psoas awareness is isolated by remaining (isometrically contracting Psoas) in the asana for 3-5 breaths in each posture, bringing poas under conscious control.

Warm the body through 3-5 classical surya namaskars before this standing series:

Practicing one side all the way through, adding a vinyasa to transition to second side.

1.  Trikonasana  (side flexion of trunk at hip joint)

2.  Parsvottanasana (flexion of trunk at hip joint)

3.  Parrivrtta Anjaneyasana (Rotation of trunk & Flexion at the hip joint)

4.  Prasaritta Padottanasana (firm flexion at hip joint & inversion benefits)

Handstand or forearm balance are particularly insightful postures to practice post standing series. The result is often experienced as powerful stability through the core and hips.  This is a result of the brain recruiting the newly awakened psoas in action beyond the regularly scheduled program!  Manipur (3rd chakra) also contributes energetic courage & confidence.

Closing a practice with longer held psoas stretches is a recipe for balance.

1.  Anjaneyasana, knee down with back bend

2.  Ustrasana

3.  Supta ardha or full virasana

4.  Setu bhanda sarvangasana and or Urdvha Dhanurasana

5.  Adha Matsyendrasana or your favorite twist held at least 5 full breaths each side.

It's a beautiful day to take a walk around Psoas City Park!

I found this photo... thought it was cool... I love elephants.

Shanti,

Jami

Twisting postures contribute greatly to our physical, and emotional strength.    Consider the Merudanda, or spinal column as that which houses the central nervous system.  This is the axis of the body just as Mount Meru is the axis of the earth. Stacking 7 cervical (neck) vertebrae above 12 thoracic (trunk) vertebrae and 5 lumbar(lower back).  With the sacrum as a most noble foundation, the spinal column is truly a work of art.  A confident structure of stability that assists us in creating appropriate boundaries, standing up for ourselves with an open heart, the ability to bend and bow and even rotate our perspective when we are limiting our own capability to evolve. 

The sturdy vertebrae and intervertebral discs are the structural representation of highly organized matter and energy.  The spinal cord is not divided or separated from the brain. It is a continuous stream of information and intelligence. All the cranial, spinal, and essentially every other nerve cell in the body is  connected with the spinal cord.  The organs of reproduction, respiration, micturition, digestion, and blood-circulation, are all controlled by the spinal cord. The great river or Shushumna nadi runs the length of the spine.  This is synonymous with the the spinal cord, and also exists as the path to enlightenment.  It is the channel through which Kundalini Shakti  awakens and ascends, from the root of the spine to the crown of the head (it's true home).

From this description, it is clear that the spine manifests wellbeing not only on a physical level, but mental/emotional as well.  Each nerves ability to respond to stimulus in alignment with the truth of that particular situation is directly related to the vibrance and stability of the musculoskeletal, nervous, and every other system of the body, including the subtle body of nadis, chakras and marmas.  Living a life of equanimity is more clearly understood as we cultivate practices that work with all levels of our being.  Therefore the statement:  We Revolve To Evolve!!

Indian yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar describes twists as a "squeeze-and-soak" action: The organs are compressed during a twist, pushing out blood filled with metabolic by-products and toxins. This is a healthy compression, and especially effective when we re-establish a long tall spine afterward.  Consider how delicious downward facing dog feels on the muscles of the entire back and abdomen after a long and deeply sustained twist.  When we release the twist, fresh blood flows in, carrying oxygen and the building blocks for tissue healing.

1.  Slumped spines limit movement, compress the spine, and can lead to harm especially if the body is not properly warmed.

2.  Although the cervical spine were built for the greatest motion in twisting,  (looking over your shoulder) the thoracic and lumbar spine will twist.  There is a gorgeous layering of posterior, lateral, and anterior muscle groups of the torso, that all contribute to rotation of the spine!

3.  Twisting of the spine is initiated by the pelvis, shoulders, or any combination of the two, depending on our awareness and how we choose to twist.

4.  Spine rotation of the trunk leads to better forward and back bending postures!

5.  Your spinal discs, abdominal organs, glands, and muscles of the the torso are dependent on twists to maintain vibrancy, youth, stamina, nutrient uptake, as well as powerful detoxification!

6.  The chakras along the spine benefit from the simulating effect twists create at a glandular level as well.  Balanced refreshed glands are directly related to a balanced, inspired, and refreshed life, and the current of prana within the shushumna nadi!

7.  The free flow of prana within the most gracious shushumna nadi and the ida and pingala nadis, contribute to deeper insight, clarity, and intuition, in the asana practice and life.  Twisting cleanses these sacred channels to create greater abundance in the flow of life.

Chanting the Bija mantra for each chakra as you flow through 7 Surya namaskars, is a beautiful offering to warm and center body and mind for twisting asanas.

Root:  Lam

Sacral: Vam

Navel:  Ram

Heart:  Yam

Throat:  Ham

Third Eye:  Aum

Crown:  Aum

There are many asanas that fall under a different category (arm balance, seated forward fold) that are excellent twisting asanas.  Here are a few of my favorites to mix into a home practice as you choose!

Trikonasana

Astavakrasana

Camatkarasana (wild thing)

Parsva Bakasana

Ardha Chandrasana I

Janu Sirsasana

Spring cleaning for the entire body! 

See you in the evolution,

Jami