Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Art of Mindful Living News

To those who recently finished up the Bloom session with me here is the link I told you about http://chicago.shambhala.org/

There are many groups around town that offer meditations so I encourage you to explore and maybe tell others on this blog about them just hit the comments section below this post.

There is also talk at Bloom about maybe adding a permanent meditation class in the future if there is interest....so send them feedback if that's something you want to see on the schedule there.

Thank you all for your interest in the class and for your energy you brought to the practice.

Peace,

Michael

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I am going to be teaching 2 yoga sessions at this event

Celebrate Your Life

I was excited to get an email last night from one of my employers about this conference that is coming to town that is seeking a yoga instructor. My favorite speaker (and former minister) will be there. Those of you who take my classes will often hear me quote Marianne Williamson
who will be key noting the event's closing ceremony. There will be a diverse group of folks speaking there so it should be fun.

I will be teaching two classes on Fri and Sat mornings 7-8 a.m.

Wish me luck! Should be a fun event!

Peace!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Remaining Open

A student of mine sent me this. I thought it was good as a reminder of why we meditate.


We come to meditation feeling that parts of our live are difficult and that perhaps a meditation practice will make them less so. But that is not how mediation works. The desire for peace and happiness is noble; the expectation of instant results is unreasonable. Mediation is a matter of slow and steady experience. It is not a cure. It is not a set of moral values. It is not a religion. It is a way - a way to be fully present, a way to be genuinely who we are, a way to look deeply at the nature of things, a way to rediscover the peace we already possess. It does not aim to get rid of anything bad, or to create anything good. It is an attitude of openness. The term for this is attitude is mindfulness.
Buddhists call this mindfulness meditation maitri practice. Maitri is often translated as "unconditional friendliness." Meditation is the practice of unconditional friendliness toward whatever is happening in the moment - the moment during which we sit in meditation, and all the other moments of life, whether things are going well or falling apart. Meditation helps us find an internal witness with which to view external events. This might sound like a small, easy matter, but it is not. In fact, discovering and developing an inner witness may be the most important act of our life. Being able to observe ourselves honestly, with acceptance and friendliness, trains us to do the same with others at home, at work, and in the world.
Mindfulness meditation trains us to be less reactive to whatever is in life that causes us suffering. It gives us an ability to experience without identifying fully with it, and therefore to be more free from it. Because of that experience during meditation, we begin to fear life's pain less, to contract around it less. We become more easy going with ourselves. We still suffer, but with much less of the dramatic flair that only adds to our suffering and makes it overwhelming.
Elizabeth Lesser

Sunday, April 27, 2008

NEW CLASSES

Hi everyone,

I am excited to announce I have a few new classes. Starting in June I will be teaching a Vinyasa class at 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m. at Moksha Lakeview.

come visit me nice and early and start the day off right :)

Also I am subbing in May at Exhale Spa an Tuesday and Thursday 4:45-5:45

I also have an intro to inversion class starting up in June on Wednesday nights 6:30-8 p.m. at Bloom

Peace,

Michael

Should I ?

So I am thinking of doing this and using them for my class plans, or maybe even to put on here to share with you some sequences. What do you think? Would it be helpful? Let me know.

http://www.yogastickmen.com/

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Handstand FAN

I found this on another forum and thought is was good. It speaks to something I think about a lot as a teacher. So next time we're in handstand :)

(note--these are not my thoughts, but from here:http://www.yoga.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=18191&posts=8)

Would someone please tell me what the freakin' Anusara facination (sp) with handstands is all about?


It's funny, but I have been pondering this question as well. I love handstands and it is one of the reasons I love anusara is because they do seem to focus a lot on it. So I began to wonder why?

Here are my thoughts (I don't know if they have any basis is reality):

First, as a teacher handstands are actually safer and easier to teach than headstands and easier to align than shoulderstands. The more I teach, the more I worry about my students and the more I find that headstands are scary because people just don't listen. No matter how many times you tell them not to kick up, they insist on kicking up. You tell them not to turn their heads and they immediately try to turn their heads. But with handstands they concentrate more and they don't risk hurting their necks as much. They hurt their toes and wrists more, but it's better than headstands.

Second, it favors the less flexible person that can't put their head on the floor and walk their feet in really close or can't keep their arms bent around their head. There is much less time with "preparation" poses and modifications. Almost everyone can do it against the wall and a few people can start to come away from the wall. It builds strength in the arms and shoulders that translates better to forearm and headstands...the opposite is not true: headstands and forearm stands do not prepare you as well for handstands.

Finally, a big point is that handstands are very good at illustrating the balance of Muscular and Organic energy that is the cornerstone of Anusara yoga. Muscular energy is that inward energy that contracts the muscles and pulls muscle onto bone and limbs into the sockets and draws your energy to your midline. All of which are essential to handstand. Equally as essential is the application of Organic energy. That which moves from the core out and shines and expands. It opens the heart and grows out in every direction. As you push into the floor and shine up through the balls of the toes you apply organic energy. When you are in handstand you really start experience that sensation of balance.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about...

What are your thoughts?

Open to Grace

One of my favorite quotes is "order creates space for grace to blossom." This week I got to see some blossoming in many of my student's practices, which was so much fun for me. I had several folks get into headstand for the first time on their own, and one student found a fcreative and engaging way to come up successfully in twisted crow (parsva bakasana).

I like to celebrate those moments. Just as we celebrate and welcome the changing of winter to spring, spring to summer, we should welcome the new life our practice springs forth. Just as in wintertime life is there teeming below the surface, the same is true in our practice as well. There is always something there waiting for us to uncover and reveal it. When it gets revealed it's exciting and fun!

The concealing and revealing is the dance of this practice. Sometimes we're learning the steps, and sometimes we are the dance. Both are good and important. We need the order (learning the steps) to create a fertile ground for big revealments our practice. I like to think of this as just opening up to deeper expansion of who we are. We just keep getting bigger--in a good way as the practice makes us more open and radically expanded. More expansion, more light. It's so good.

I like the idea too, and I know it's true just from seeing it in my own life that as we change, the world around us changes. The greater container of life and light we are it becomes infectious-- spreading beautifully to anyone who is open to feel it. That's grace.

Great job on the expansive leaping everyone!

Peace to you and happy weekend!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Heading to A2 and other workshops too

Hey if you're in a2 check this out:

http://www.a2yoga.com/events.html

Hope to see you there!

It was great seeing some of you at the Dalai Lama event. Whew that was something else eh?

Hope to spend more time chatting and catching up. It was so nice to actually take class with Jo! My thighs were thinking of her fondly for several days. Thanks Jo. I love you.

Check out Bloom for a whole slew of workshops I am doing there over the course of the next months.

Shakti Moment

My head today was filled with so many ideas of what to co-create with my students. I entered into class unsure of what to do. I released my sense of control and turned it over to them with trust that the creative force of their wishes and my guidance would provide a fertile ground for play today.

Trust that Shakti force is all I can say. Bravo to the energy you all created at Bloom today.

I am looking forward to more of that!

Peace and happy sunshine days to you!

Monday, April 21, 2008

3 P's

Anusara Yoga often refers to the three A's which include Attitude, Alignment, and Action
which I find so helpful with my teaching and practice. I have also found lately as I work with both continuing and beginning students the need to talk about the 3 p's which are Patience, Persistence, and Practice.

Patience- To remember to start each day and practice feeling into the "whatness" of the present moment experience and really committing to working with that. To deeply connect with the rhythm of breath and heartbeat as a grounding place and to gradually build up from that foundation--one breath at a time. Remembering that practice is not a race, nor life, but rather a beautiful unfolding into more and more spaciousness. There is no hurry to "get" poses or to "get" peaceful, those are gifts that slowly and thoroughly open over time. Patience is exploring what it means to pierce deeply into the life experience. How cool is that?

Persistence- You fall, you get up. You fall again, you get up again. With grace and a sense of Humor you persist, not because you have too, but because you have patience and know the rewards of practice outweigh those of giving up. Persistence gives you a chance to say YES to the moment. Maybe in the last moment things didn't work, but now you open up to the freshness of this breath and this action and take action with confidence and enthusiasm. Watch to see if anger or frustration arise as you keep trying, and see if you can soften and open to what's real. Say to yourself, the truth is I am just doing crow pose, or whatever it may be. Remind yourself about what it is your doing, smile, breath, open, aaaahhhh. Nice.

Practice- There are so many good books on Yoga. We can talk and theorize on it too. However magic happen when we do. Practice whenever you can--you can do Yoga all day long if you want. The asana's and breathwork connect us to the universal most clearly if we're not used to being there, but once you feel what that is--do it when you can.

How to do yoga all day long:

1. Breath consciously when you're driving to stay calm (Ujjayi pranayam).

2. Yoga before you shower (or after I guess)- just some sun salutes to start the day

3. Silently bless everyone you meet

4. Practice some form of asana daily if you can. Try for 15 min at least even if you don't have a home practice you can get good ideas from what you do in classes.

5. Begin and end each day with some form of meditation centering breath work, or restorative yin yoga

6. Try to be doing what you are doing as you are doing it all through the day. Be in the moment as the moment.

I am sure you get the idea and can think of other ways throughout the day to do Yoga

Maybe post them here! Also can you add some more to the Three p's? Give an example of your P in action?