The Art of Stillness

The art of stillness within

I have become aware of my impatience with the process of life over the years. I have realized, within my behavior and way of carrying myself in the world, I have been conditioned, or rather conditioned myself, to need to possess all that is beautiful as my own, to control and "manage" my destiny in ways that are co-dependent and dysfunctional time and time again. Ironically, I have masked this with a consistent yoga practice, lifestyle, and professional life which keep me constantly aware of the present moment at hand in a beautiful way.

 Although this is excellent, when I sit in stillness I feel an overwhelming sadness wash over me, and the mind spirals into corners that can bring me to my knees if I let it. Years ago my Reiki teacher Judy Theiss told me that I would always have a challenging life if I kept running from the issues at hand through various partners, travelling, and sensory indulgent experiences. She told me to, "Stop running away," and "be within my center." I took it deeply to heart, (but did not follow it right away) noting that she was asking me to stay still to process my emotional backlog, as I had just told her that I was heading out on a journey a week from the day far South for as long as I could stay gone.

 Her advice to not run away echoed in my mind as I departed, and I allowed it to simmer in my thoughts for YEARS, no shit, it still echoes. I even forced myself to live in situations that were acutely dangerous for the sake of sitting within my own life and digesting it, not running away, but rather "processing" it as she taught me. Albeit rather extremist to do so. Being told to stop running away by such an enlightened being was by far the single most powerful piece of advice I have received in this lifetime. She was asking me, in a very subtle and profound way, even through the journey, to find and be within stillness, even as the world moved around me. I realized she was not telling me to never go anywhere in my life, but to remain within my center wherever life took me, and move from that stillness. Much like the idea of Samsara, that the wheel spins around and around, but at the center stillness always abides.

 Often times it is seemingly easier to move in the world in a way that is far from center, rather influenced by societal and genetic conditioning. But what exactly was I running away from? I certainly had heard the concept of being "centered," but had no real tangible affirmation of it within myself.

           I occasionally get glimpses of the true nature of reality, but that is beyond words most of the time. More often than not, I feel as if I'm "faking it til I make it," adhering to what I believe is true north for me and also sharing compassion and love with all living beings, as much as I am capable of. You know the holy type, scooping the cockroaches with two pieces of paper and putting them outside, naming the spiders that built their webs in the corner of my porch....not cooking out of pans if meat had touched them ever, offering all of my food to wooden dieties before even tasting it, staying in relationships long past their expiration date b/c I didn't know what to do next or didn't want to hurt that person even though it hurt me more to be with them....doing too many back bends…waking at 4 a.m. every morning to do yoga before I taught all day into the evening (can you imagine how moody I was by the end of the day, I can barely open my eyes before 8 a.m., which is not advisable if practicing ahimsa, nonviolence, is a priority).I could go on and on about the many ways I have thought I was processing my emotions and life and intentions. It is pretty amazing to observe what lengths we will go to, to find a glimmer of enlightenment, or hope...

Something has shifted lately within me though. Suddenly mastering yoga poses does not seem as important as sitting in where I am within them and observing my mind... Somehow within this paradigm I have been "practicing" for the past several years I have made progress, but have an overriding feeling of emptiness and delusion when I sit in stillness to meditate, as all the "stuff" I have run away from arises in my thought stream. My teacher Heather calls it spiritual bypass, where through a few affirmations, a "spiritual practice", some external acoutraments (maybe some fancy yoga pants, feather earrings, the right mala around the wrist....), and countless distractions, one never ventures below the surface…they only take life at face value, oftentimes seeing a division within what is good and bad rather than accepting all experiences as valid, truth revealing unfolding experiences of life as we know it.

 Seeing a division between good and bad, you and me, us and them, is known as dvaita, or duality. When we see ourselves as separate from the whole, we create a sense of disconnection from the vital life force that is always available to us, within us. When one is living in separation, as in thinking they only need themselves to survive, it is quite easy to see others suffer and continue to enjoy life all the while, they could pass by a hungry child with bags of food and not even drop a dime, or a banana.

On the other hand, when one has had a taste of the oneness we all are, how much we need each other in this life, one who has immersed within the inter-connectedness of all beings…. When the compassionate one is faced with a similar scenario, he cannot so easily pass on the hungry child in the street. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita, "Him I hold to be the Supreme Yogi, Arjuna, who looks on the pleasure and pain of all beings as he looks on them in himself." The concept on advaita, or non-duality reminds us that all living beings and matter are interconnected. God is not some cloud in the sky, God is within the hearts of all. We consist of the same essential nature. That nature is pure divinity.

    As I begin to cultivate unconditional love within myself, I care more about others. I have learned it is so important to love people not only in the entry into your life, be it friend, beggar, lover, challenging friend, animal, but also in their exit from your life, or transition of roles, for example, lover to friend, or teacher to student, to student evolving beyond the teacher and teaching the teacher..... Instead of reactivity, where I venture far from my center and run away from myself, essentially, it is easier to be still and respond to life and others when sitting within my center. Why? Because life is effortless if you live in Love.

I realized at some point in my own misery, what I was running away from all this time was the brilliance of my own heart. I have realized, the art of not running away, or being within my stillness as I prefer to call it, is sitting within one's own center, one's heart center.... "For the mind, O Krishna, is restless, turbulent, powerful, and obstinate. To control it, is as hard, it seems to me, as to control the wind." Bhagavad Gita. I get asked all the time by students, how to calm the mind, how to control the mind from wandering late into the night? It is quite simple, breathe into the heart center. Feel your electromagnetic field emanating from the Supreme Self within you. Radiate it outwardly. Let the mental dialogue play itself out, witness it from a place of unconditional love. Sure, by deeply feeling your heart, you will also become aware of the emotional back log as it unfurls in the mind as grief, anger, depression, guilt, fear, but from a place of watchful compassion, witness it.

 It is the mind that wants to run away, but remember the mind is a tool to be used in accordance with the higher prajna, or radiant wisdom that arises through steady awareness.  The mind is simply a mechanism to help you function, the heart, and the citta, consciousness contain this higher  intelligence. To sit in stillness the heart must be in the driver's seat, not the mind. If you let the mind run the show your thoughts will drive you to madness. You'll wake up halfway around the world with the same problems. You'll meet people to play the exact same characters that you ran away from in the first place.

 If you empty the mind enough, and sit with all of the chatter, allowing yourself to be fully in the process, from the seat of the Self within the heart, eventually the dialog and emotions that create that dialogue, will play themselves out. You will be left with utter stillness. Something that can never ever come from outside of yourself until you realize that nothing is outside of you. When you calm the thoughts, what is left is the residual emotions behind them, as you release the residual emotions, what remains is stillness. The heart contains/is the Self, which is also known as the internal witness, or the atma, soul. The heart IS unconditional love, willing to stand beside you in all of the variety of experiences you are capable of in this incarnation. So much so that it will reliably beat every moment that you are alive. When you realize this same internal witness is within all living beings, you realize All is one. Once you have had a taste of this stillness and oneness within your own heart, it will instantly be felt by others. So much so, that your presence alone will facilitate others dropping from the mind into the heart. Be a light unto yourself first. Stoke the fire of your own heart by unconditionally loving yourself and others. Stay still when things get intense, you are strong enough to weather any storm, that is why you are here.  To be within the question of life. To fall in love with the Great Mystery. When you ignite the heart fire remember, this is a light that does not burn out, but only illuminates countless other flames....In Love.

Journey for the Journey...My life on and off the road.

Tales from the Path. Journeys into the unknown with the sole purpose of knowing oneself deeper. These writings are not for the faint of heart, so please shelter yourself if you are not ready. As I have walked in my body, in this beautiful life, although tragically so at times, I have journeyed. I am from a concrete jungle...a polluted, wretched, beautiful concrete jungle where landfills sit the size of pyramids opposite ancient mounds. Atop these ancient mounds the indiginistas (b/c they came up from Mexico) made human sacrifices much like the Aztec, blood being their holy sacrament, they built a mound to touch the clouds just to get a little closer to God, to show him, look at what we are offering you......funny how modern man mirrors this with their skyscrapers...look at what we are offering you dear lord...corruption, disconnection, rubbish, as they say in a land I once knew.....pure Fuckrie! But truly, the metaphor never escapes me. Each time I come home, I see the mounds, I see the landfill and realize in this modern world, at least in this country, although I truly believe it has stretched far beyond, we have been conditioned, or more accurately, brainwashed into worshiping that which is easily thrown away. Look Lord at what we are offering you.......
    I am a rebel at heart, this is unchangeable. My true awakening began one night on a crazy acid trip in Central Missouri. 17. So young, I bought all of my clothes from goodwill, cut them up , then pieced them back together like a puzzle. I enjoyed going to art shows with my model friend, swilling vino and as my usual self at that time, causing a stir, pissing someone off (usually uptight American college age male), and then running out laughing my ass off, tripping over my heels and winking at the door man.... Enblazoned (is that a word?) friends behind me wondering how this girl act so crazy...I realize now, it was my desire to step out of the oppression. It was my desire to run free. To let the breeze blow my hair into tiny dreads and not be bothered to brush it. To stare at the stars all night long on the beach with a lover and feel the breeze cool, but stay anyway b/c hey, we are alive, Give thanks for the breeze! Yes this is how this journey began. This is what propels it still. The deep inner longing to trod deep within the mountains just to sit silently with the tree dwellers and hear their songs. The need to walk so far that the soles of my shoes burn out with holes, and yet I'm still ready to walk some more in my bare feet..... The internal prayer that occurs when one swims in the ocean for hours on end, no fear, just bliss. The desire to sit at the feet of enlightened ones and surrender this worldly illusion.....to drop the rat race.... Immersion. Oneness. Culture. All of this...Joy is what matters to me in this lifetime. This is what spurred this journey. It is no longer separate trips to me, but one journey. I have been journeying now for 11 years on the road. Yes I settle at times, but in my heart of hearts, I am always a wanderer. This is the difference between a tourist and a traveller. A tourist goes for a week, takes a lot of photos, goes to the local trappings in the guide book, and then goes home. Back to hell. A traveller...ah the bliss, a traveller goes for the sake of going. There is no coming back. Only movement, eternally in the flow. No need for a five year plan. As I say, Five year plan, how about five minute plan? How will we know, five minutes from now, you and I could slip into the unknown again. Leaving these beautiful bodies in our chair, as our soul rises above...or is it that we just merge and expand in every direction? To contemplate death is almost unfathomable, and in me, it invokes the urge to be in the great mystery as much as possible in this life. What else do we truly have but this moment? This is what has spurred this journey. I have seen many exit the Earth this year, and I can tell you , this is what has spurred this writing. Yes JAH this is what has spurred this fucking beautiful journey. The great wino Jack Kerouac also helped at bit.
       Yes sweet 17. Rosy plump cheeks, hoop earrings and a big stick of sensimillia. I do not remember how I found the writings of Jack Kerouac, this is perhaps b/c his books found me. On the Road...a crazy book about his real life hitch hikings and train catching across the United States, back when it was still the United States, not the land of oppression and the home of depression.....his crazy adventures of feeling the breeze and sitting with it rather than running back to the comforts of 4 walls, a flushing toilet, missionary style and all those things. When I think back on his books, and his passion for life, and love, and living, tears hang on the brim of my eyelids, and I feel the beat of the open road in my heart. Why? I know why...I remember my journey. The one I shall tell you.
       

On Merging with the Ocean

This path is bigger than me. It is bigger than you. It is a part of the whole. We all are on it. The places we dwell and decide to take a rest and explore and prod along the way will be different. Decidedly so by the internal pull of our own hearts. Occasionally, and in beautifully rare and synchronistic moments on this journey, we encounter others who motivate, inspire, and enliven us, to step up. To rise to the occasion. To fall in love. To leap into the unknown, the only true compass being the internal guide of the longings of the Heart. I'm talking about those who arrive and remind us to send it 100% and be the human being, friend, lover, stranger who holds doors for others..... that you have always envisioned in your ideal existence. As I write this I find myself in deep gratitude for those whom have guided me unknowingly and knowingly, through their presence in my life.  Beyond time and space there is a Oneness present within me for all of you, and some of you know who you are, others, do not. I am okay with this. I am deeply reverently grateful in this moment. Just as travellers do, we all must part one day, but let me say for myself- I bow to all the Gurus, Teachers, Shamans, Beloveds, Strangers, and Guides who have arrived at just the right time and through their presence have facilitated me to step into the unknown again and again, trusting that what I see in them, is also radiantly alive within me. Perhaps they remind me of my own strength, and this alone is enough. Some things are not meant to be understood but felt. Let us all Re-member this. 

Tempeh Hummus Wraps

I remember I made these for my brother, Sean when he was about 10 years old, and from that point on, he always asked for them...great kid food! You can even turn it into a quesadilla by lighly browning the wrap with slices of vegan mozzarella folded into it first....

1 package of organic tempeh sliced thinly
1 Tbsp. (+/-) Refined coconut oil or grapeseed oil (no olive oil as it is not a high heat cooking oil and becomes rancid)
Pinch of Salt (Celtic Sea salt or Hawaiiain Sea Salt are two of my faves)
1 spelt wrap or tortilla or your choice
Hummus either your favorite store bought or homemade
Tahini dressing (see recipe below)
Sliced Tomatoes
Mixed Greens
Generous portion of Alfalfa or home grown mung bean sprouts
Sri Racha hot sauce (optional)

Saute the tempeh in a small amount of oil, until it is lightly browned on both sides (be sure to carefully flip each piece so both sides have a crispy texture) Add a bit of sea salt to season the tempeh, set aside and let drain on a plate covered with a paper towel.
Place a wrap on a plate and spread hummus over the middle of the wrap.
Arrange the tempeh over the hummus in a way that you can roll the wrap up neatly.
Next layer the mixed greens, tomatoes, and sprouts.
Then pour tahini dressing over (you decide how much)
Maybe a little Sri Racha too if you like spice.
Roll it up, enjoy!
If you wish to prepare the night before to bring as a lunch, leave the mixed greens, tomatoes, and sprouts out of the wrap, and bring them in a separate bag the add to the wrap just before eating. Yum!

Tahini Lemon Dressing

1 cup of Tahini
1 small lemon juiced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. Bragg's Liquid Amino's
1/2 handful of basil (opt.)
water if neccessary to thin out texture (start with just a pinch and add more as you go along, be careful not to add too much....)

Blend all ingredients until the dressing is thick and creamy, yet pourable.

Lucid Dreaming Applies to Waking Life

"By acting a certain way while dreaming, one can cause psychosomatic changes in one's being..."  Carlos Castaneda in The Art of Dreaming

I first read Carlos Castaneda's The Art of  Dreaming years ago and was amazed to learn that I had effortlessly been lucid dreaming for many  years, so much so that I thought the lucid dream experiences I was having were normal experiences that everyone had every night. It started as foreseeing crime events, or dreaming of a person and later on ending up meeting that person in waking life. Then I read about the 4 Gates of Dreaming as described in The Art of Dreaming, written by Carlos Castaneda. The first gate is very simple: "Stabilization of the dreaming body- Arrived at when one perceives one's hands in a dream. " Carlos Castaneda

In lucid dreaming Toltec shamanism guides you to train yourself to become aware that you are dreaming by looking at your hands. As soon as you are capable of looking at your hands in your dream state, often you will instantly become aware that you are in a dream. Those who develop this skill eventually are also able to control the course of the dream, or at very least, wake oneself up out of a dream that isn't going in a nice direction.

After years of practicing this technique, sometimes successfully; I would be able to see my hands, and guide myself into very mystical realms...other times to no avail the chitta vrittas, or the modifications of the mind stuff (a.k.a. mental chatter), like a hurricane, would sweep me into complex inescapable realms, that are surely real...until I wake up of course. 

Simple right? Just attempt to look at your hands when you are dreaming. The idea being that if you become aware of your hands in your dream, you step out of the dream and witness it happening from a very powerful awareness. Like watching a movie. To me this idea is strikingly similar to what the ancient yogis asked us to do with realizing that everything around us is maya, or illusion. We are all viewing life through our own lense. It is through awareness of this that we can step out of the maya that binds us to one set reality and begin to understand that our reality is a direct reflection of what is going on within us. Along with this one begins to realize how mould-able reality is, and consciously co-creates reality through intention followed through with right action. 

"If you can have control over the thought forms and change them as you want, you are not bound by the outside world. There's nothing wrong with the world. You can  make it a heaven or a hell according to your approach. that is why the entire Yoga is based on chitta vritti nirodhah ("The restraint of the modifications of the mind stuff is Yoga." Sutra 2:1). If you control your mind, you have controlled everything. Then there is nothing in this world to bind you." Sri Swami Satchindananda, from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

I have realized that looking at my hands in dreaming and calling awareness to witnessing the dream movie play out, is very applicable in waking life as well. To pause, "look at your hands," and become aware. You are the eternal witness. Everything that spins around you is the maya, or dream stuff of "real life." 

Imagine if we all took a moment, or several each day to pause and "wake up from the dream". To "look at our hands." To realize this place within that is eternally witnessing, still, Divine in Nature. When we step into that place of stillness it becomes more effortless to honestly examine our actions, words, thoughts, and our relationships with others and ourselves. Shedding the light of awareness on our conscious or unconscious intentions....Allowing yourself to pause and "look at your hands" (literally of figuratively this practice works), breathe, and become aware, the more effortlessly we will have clarity in the direction our life is headed. Be fully aware that what you think is what you live, be willing to call yourself to awareness and examine these patterns, what needs to be released, lean deeper into it, examine it like a lover. Nourish it, eventually with the light of awareness it will dissipate until it is so far from you not one thought arises about it again. The result is subtle (or not so subtle sometimes!) shift in reality as we know it. Remember what a dear friend of mine says ,"Every disappointment is a blessing." It's up to us to create alchemy with our life circumstances. The more aware you are of yourself and your conditioning, the more you can step out of the movie and infuse your life with intention towards manifesting what nourishes you.

Affirmation: "I willingly and lovingly create my reality." 

Hips Openers to Awaken the Root and Sacral Chakras

Hip Openers powerfully stimulate and balance the muladhara, or root and svadisthana, or sacral chakras. By physically rooting our pelvic floor and the base of our spine into the Earth, we plug ourselves into the vibrational current of the planet. When we open our hips we restore our reproductive organs, which at a base level represent the original creative force driving existence. Through creating balance in these chakras we can become grounded, comfortable within our own identity, and inherently creative. Before you practice this sequence, sit in a meditative position and meditate on something you would like to let go of that you feel prevents you from expressing yourself fully. Do a few moon salutations of your choosing such as Shiva Rea's (look up Moon Shine with Shiva Rea: Yoga at Home with Yoga Journal is an amazing demonstration by Shiva Rea) with focus on mindful long deep breaths.

After you complete the sequence close with Savasana. Offer the practice towards releasing what you chose to focus on letting go of. Surrender the fruits of the practice to the Universal Current. Honor the Supreme Self, and of course, have a green juice.

1. Tarasana; Star Pose- Sit with the sole of the feet together. Allow the knees to drop open to each side. Use the hands to pull the flesh back from under the sitz bones. Your heels should be about 2 ft. from your pelvic floor, but choose whatever distance feels the most comfortable to hold for an extended period. Tilt the torso forward and take a hold of the feet. Inhale elongate your spine, exhale, roll the body forward effortlessly drawing the forehead towards the heels. Relax into this yin posture for 2-5 minutes. Allow the exhalation to be longer than the inhalation. 

 

2. Wheel of Life Twist- From Star Pose, keep the right leg in external rotation (with the knee falling open to the side), Rotate the left leg so it mirrors the right leg, with both feet pointing back and the knees at 90 degree angles. Begin to walk your hands to the right, allowing the spine to twist so the breastbone faces the floor. Strongly engage mula bandha. As you inhale lengthen the spine, as you exhale, twist a little deeper. You might be able to rest your right forearm on the floor, fingers tucked under your straight left arm. Strongly spread the left palm open on the floor and energetically (Without actually moving the hand) try to drag the hand towards the shoulder socket. This will traction your spine and stretch your quadratus lumborum muscle. Change sides by slowly walking your hands back and unwinding out of the twist. Keep the legs as they are, place the hands behind the hips, and pivot on your feet until your knees now point to the left. Repeat the twist to the left.

3.Mandukasana; Frog Pose- Love it or leave it, this is adductor heaven, or hell....from Wheel of Life twist, come onto hands and knees. Keeping your knees bent at a right angle, begin to open them out to each side. Keep the heels in alignment with the knees and flex the feet gently. Keep the pelvis in alignment with the knees, the tendency is to come too far forward with the pelvis, if in doubt, rock the seat back a bit. Attempt to get the knees wider than the outside of the mat. If you are comfortable release the forearms to the floor, Keep pulling the front ribs up towards the spine and breathe. If you are very open in your adductors you can rest your stomach on the floor. Hold for 1-5 minutes. To release, gently walk the hands forward, and come onto the stomach. You might rock the hips side to side to release them. 

4. Urdhva Muka Svanasa; Upward Facing Dog- A must after frog pose! From prone (on the stomach) position, place the hands under the shoulders, press the tops of the feet into the floor. Inhale, leading with the heart, curl the upper body away from the floor, elongating the crown of the head up and possibly back. Pull the upper arm bones back and counter this by lifting the chest forward and up. Allow the knees to come off the floor by pressing the tops of the feet down. Without moving the hands, energetically draw them back towards the hips. Notice how this propels your heart center up towards the ceiling. Keep the buttocks soft by activating mula bandha and gently pulling the navel in and up. Hold for 10 breaths. Find Down Dog.

5. Prasarita Padottanasana Kriya; Standing Wide Angle Forward Bend Cleansing- From Down Dog, frog leap your feet around your hands. Open the feet so they are about 3 1/2-4 ft. apart. Let the toes point straight ahead and rock a little more weight into the heels. Keeping the weight in the heels, walk your hands forward as far as you are able to, so that your upper body mirrors Down Dog. Root your fingertips into the floor and notice how this allows you to engage your shoulder blades and draw them towards the spine gently. With an exhale, keep the arms and legs in place and bend your knees, sinking the hips towards the floor, track the knees open, keeping the over the heels as much as possible. With an inhale straighten the legs and return to the original position. Repeat 5 x. You may hold the positions as well after pulsing for 10 breaths each. When complete, Vinyasa back into Down Dog.

6. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana; One Legged King Pigeon Pose- From Down Dog, Inhale and place your left knee on the floor at the base of your left thumb. Open the foot towards the right hip and slide the right leg as far back as possible, keep in the hips squared. Gently press through the ball of the left foot, and perhaps slide the foot forward so the left shin is aligned with the front edge of the mat. Energetically keep trying to pull the left hip back and the right hip forward to create a rooted feeling into the Earth. Draw the navel towards the spine and inhale the hands back towards the hips, extending the spine up into a mini back bend. Hold for 10 breaths. Fold forward, extending the arms out in front of you and hold for another 10 breaths. Gently release, Vinyasa through to the other side. Think of this pose as plugging your tailbone into the current of the earth, each inhale visualize light energy from the earth being drawn into the root of the spine and up through the Sushumna Nadi to the crown of the head. Every exhale allow the light energy to release back down the spine and into the earth. Return to Down Dog. Repeat on the right side.

7. Hanumanasana; Monkey God Hanuman's Pose- I love this pose as it symbolizes taking a leap of faith into the unknown, trusting your heart to guide you along the way. It is dedicated to Hanuman, who selflessly serving his dear friend Rama, leaped across the Indian Ocean from India to what is now Sri Lanka to find Rama's true love, Sita from where she was being held captive, and also spy on her demonic captors. The path was wrought with peril, but Lord Hanuman through his Devotional Love and Selfless Service came through victorious and found Sita. As you do this asana, meditate on where you would like to make leaps and bounds in your own life. Visualize your self lovingly overcoming any 'hurdles' in your path.  A good affirmation is, " I move forward with grace and ease.'

From Down Dog, Inhale, extend your left leg up, exhale curl the left knee towards the forehead, keeping the hips high, gaze forward and lightly step the foot between the hands into a low lunge. Come onto your fingertips of blocks if you have tight hips. Keep the heart lifted and a gentle bend in your left front knee. Continue to inch your right leg back until the length of your right back leg rests on the earth and the front knee is straight. The pelvic floor will eventually rest on the earth. Keep the top of the right back thigh on the floor by tucking the back toes under.  If you cannot do the full pose, keep a gentle bend in the front knee and rest the hands on blocks, align the blocks with the sides of your hips. Like Pigeon, energetically draw the front hip back and the back hip forward to keep the hips squared. Inhale, engage the core and lift the heart towards the sky. Hold for 10 breaths. Add a twist if you would like. If the left leg is in front, twist to the left, take a hold of the back leg with the left hand, and the front, outer thigh with the right hand. Inhale lengthen from the base of the spine up through the crown of the head, exhale twist from the core a little deeper. Unwind from the twist slowly. Vinyasa, and repeat on the right side. 

8. Uppavistha Konasa; Spread Wide Angle Forward Bend- From Down Dog, lightly jump or step through to seated. Gently open the legs out to each respective side and flex  the feet. Place one hand behind the hips, and the other in front of the pelvis and scoot the pelvis forward a bit, keeping the heels pressing into the floor, deepen the straddle an inch or two. Keeping the toes pointing straight up, place the hands between the legs and begin to gently fold forward. Maybe you can get the forearms on the floor, in time the entire torso will rest on the floor. Keep the sitz bones rooted into the floor by activating mula bandha and scooping the tailbone. Hold for 1-3 minutes. To release come up reverently and slowly. Once you are upright, scoop the hands under the backs of the knees from behind your legs, rock back onto your sitz bones and inhale to draw the legs together (think Boat Pose). Vinyasa.

9.Setu Bhandasana, Supported Bridge Pose- After the deep hip openers, it is nice to equalize the sacrum with a gentle back bend. From Down Dog jump or step through and lay on your back. Bend the knees and place the feet on the floor hip distance apart, about 8 inches from your hips. Bend the elbows so the fingers point towards the ceiling and press the upper arms into the floor, drawing the shoulder blades into the back body. Inhale, leading from the tailbone, roll the hips vertebrae by vertebrae off the floor. Be mindful and feel the unfolding of your spine. Notice if anywhere feels blocked. If possible, take a hold of the ankles from the outside and draw the chest towards the chin by lifting through the heart.Keep the knees directly over the heels, not forward of them. If you struggle holding your ankles, wrap a strap around the front of your ankles and hold an end of the strap in each hand. Press the back of the head into the floor. Eventually you will be able to maintain your cervical curve in the pose, by pressing the shoulder blades and back of the head down, the base on the neck curves away from the floor. NO strain please! Hold for 10 breaths. Repeat again or turn this into a restorative posture by placing a block under the sacrum and relaxing fully for 1-5 minutes. Release and hug the knees into the chest, rocking side to side to unwind the lower back. 

10. Viparita Karani; Legs Up the Wall- Set up your mat perpendicular to the wall, bring a bolster and two blankets with you. Place the bolster about 6 inches from the wall, so that the long end of the bolster is parallel to the wall. Roll the blanket up and place it where your neck will be once you are in the full position. Sit on the bolster near the wall, and scoot one of your hips to the wall, so that you are sitting sideways to the wall. Engage your core a bit as you lay down, and swing your legs up the wall, rolling onto your back so that the hips are near the wall, hanging off the edge of the bolster, the bolster is under the lower back. Adjust the blanket under your neck so you are supported as you lay on the floor. I personally like to place the soles of my feet together, allowing the knees to fall open to each side, like Baddha Konasana. Use whatever leg variation feels most relaxing to you. Hold for 5 minutes. Roll off onto your side and sprawl into Savasana when you are ready. 

Om Shanti! 

10 Poses to Keep You Warm this Winter

In the wintertime the tamasic guna (slow, tired, calm, sluggish, depressed) tends to stagnate with the lack of sunlight and physical activity. This Yoga sequence is specifically designed to make you sweat like it's the middle of summer, even in the depths of winter.
 Before you do this sequence sit for a moment and establish your connection to your Ujjayi breath. Invoke with three OMs. Warm up with your favorite Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation) that incorporates lunging, such as Surya Namaskara B from the Ashtanga lineage. 

After you practice relax deeply in Savasana and savor the stillness.

1. Utkatasana with Kapala Bhati, Fierce Pose with Shining Skull Breath- Stand with your feet together. Inhale, bend the knees deeply and circle the arms over head. Interlace the palms together and extend the index fingers in Kali Mudra. Rock your weight into your heels and 'sit back' in your imaginary chair. Keep the gaze towards the floor about 5 feet in front of you. Add Kapala Bhati pranayama by forcefully exhaling the air out of the nose by pumping the navel back towards the spine with each exhalation, the inhalation is passive. Do this breath steadily for about 1 minute. When complete, stand upright, hinge forward from the hips, straighten the legs if possible, (or keep knees bent if the hands do not touch the floor with straight legs) and hang forward like a rag doll in Uttanasana, standing forward fold . Breathe deeply and feel your heart rate slow.

2. Bakasana, Crane Pose- squat down with the inner edges of the feet together. It is okay if the heels lift off of the floor here. Open the knees wider than the torso and place the forearms on the floor between the knees. Allow the head to be heavy for a moment and offer the pose. Lift the gaze, draw the elbows diagonally back so the shins rest on your upper arms. Root your hands shoulder distance apart and press the finger tips into the floor fiercely.  Keeping the hips low and attempting to 'glue' the soles of the feet  to the pelvic floor, rock the body weight into the hands and feel your toes lift from the floor. Keep the inner edges of the feet together as much as possible, spreading the toes. Lift the gaze and attempt to slide the knees up into the armpits and straighten the arms. Take a Vinyasa back into Downward Facing Dog.

3. Parivritta Eka Pada Adho Muka Svanasana, Three Pointed Star Pose- From Downward Facing Dog, allow the feet to be hip distance apart and the palms shoulder distance apart. Turn the right heel in so the toes angle out at a 45 degree angle. Slowly extend the left leg up and back, spread the toes. Lift the gaze forward towards the hands, root the right palm into the floor. Lift the left arm off the floor and extend it back towards the right ankle. Take a hold of the outer right ankle and extend the left leg higher. Keep the right arm straight and strong. Allow the gaze to drop towards the feet if balance is strong for you here.

4. Anjayanasana w/Garudasana arms, Crescent Moon Lunge- From Three Pointed Star Pose, Place the left palm on the floor and lightly step the left foot forward between the hands. Stay on the ball of the back foot and mindfully extend the spine and circle the arms over the head. Keep the back leg as straight as possible and press strongly back through the ball of the right foot. To balance this energetically send the front knee forward and hug the thighs in towards one another. Wrap the right arm under the left and find Garudasana, eagle pose, arms, pressing the palms together and lifting the elbow to shoulder height. If you are balanced lift the heart and elbows up and back. 

5. Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana, Standing Split- From Crescent Moon Lunge, unwind the arms, place the hands on the floor about 12 inches in front of your left foot. With a small hop launch your right leg off the floor. Plug the right hip deeply into it's socket by drawing the right frontal hip bone towards the low right rib cage. Keeping the pelvis squared with the floor, take a hold of the left ankle with the left hand, continuing to keep the right fingertips rooted on the floor for leverage. Tighten the right hamstring and spread the toes to extend the leg up towards the ceiling. Vinyasa through to Down Dog. Repeat the entire sequence with the right leg from Three Pointed Star.

6. Pincha Mayurasana, Forearm Balance- Sit on your heels. Place a block in on the floor in front of you and take a hold of it between the webbing of the thumb and index fingers. Bring the forearms to the floor and keep the elbows shoulder distance apart. Root the palms shoulder distance apart  and squeeze the block between the hands. Curl the toes under and lift the knees off the floor. Allow your gaze the be at the midway point between the forearms. Extend one leg up, exhale, and gently hop or float up to find your balance on the forearms. Strongly pull the navel back towards the spine and zip the pubic bone towards the navel. 

7. Dhanurasana, Bow Pose- From Down Dog, roll forward into plank and release the torso to the floor. Come into Sphinx Pose (upper body is supported by forearms, elbows under the shoulders, palms shoulder distance apart.) Bend the knees and press the balls of the feet towards the ceiling. With an exhalation find Mula Bandha (contract the pelvic floor towards the navel) and feel how this creates space between your sacrum and your lower back. (keep the buttocks as relaxed as possible). With an inhalation slowly widen the elbows and reach the arms back, keeping the hands off the floor, keep your knees bent (do not hold ankles yet). Use  your core to lift the torso off the floor. Tighten the hamstrings and lift the knees off the floor. Feel yourself supported from the innermost muscles in your core. Now take hold of the ankles and kick the legs back powerfully. Lift the heart up and rock, inhale back, exhale forward. Relax and repeat 2-3 times.

8. Eka Pada Urdhva Dharnurasana, One legged Upward Facing Bow Pose (Wheel)- Roll onto your back after performing Bow Pose. Bend the knees and place the feet about 6 inches from the hips, feet hip distance apart. Place the palms on the floor in alignment with the ears, elbows pointing up towards the ceiling, fingers pointing towards the shoulders. With an inhalation, root then hands and the feet firmly down, lift the hips off the floor and place the crown of the head on the floor. Exhale here softly. With your next inhalation, being careful not to let the elbows splay, straighten the arms and lift the head off the floor. Like bow pose, keep Mula Bandha engaged and the buttocks soft. Heel toe the feet closer together, so they are about 6 inches apart. Inhale lift the left leg off the the floor, curling the left knee towards the navel. Once the leg is drawn as close to the navel as possible, straighten the left knee and reach the spread toes towards the ceiling. Repeat with the right leg. Roll out of the pose as mindfully as you went into it. Relax and repeat 2x. 

9. Garudasana Twist, Eagle legs twist- Curl the knees towards the chest, wrap your arms around your shins and rock side to side to release the spine from the back bending. When ready, open the arms perpendicular to the torso, palms facing up. Cross the left leg over the right, above the knee, and attempt to wrap the leg foot around the right ankle (if it doesn't fully wrap around the ankle don't worry, keep squeezing the upper legs together). Place the right foot on the floor and gently scoot your hips a little to the left (until the knees start to drop to the right). Release the knees as far to the right as possible, whilst keeping your left shoulder blade on the floor. To refine the twist, draw the left hip away from the lower left ribs. Inhale the legs up after a long hold, and repeat with the right leg crossed over the left.

10. Karnipidasana,, Ear Pressing Pose- Lay on your back. Press the finger tips into the floor. Squeeze the straight legs together. Inhale and roll the legs over the head, balancing the body weight on the shoulder blades and back of the head. (Plough Pose). Bend the knees and squeeze the ears shut with the inner knees. Wrap your arms around your legs and Restfully breathe here for 2-5 minutes. A long hold in this pose will restore the body fully from the agni (fire) inducing sequence.

Om Shanti