A lesson that hurt.

I have been asked to submit some yoga photos to a company that is thinking of branching out into the USA.  Although I love to have my picture taken, I don't have many yoga pics!  Note to self: get some done!.  I decided that Golden Gate Park would be a great place for some last minute snapshots, so off went.

I was in my yoga pants and sports bra doing my thang, when a yellow jacket decided I would be a tasty meal.  The yellow jacket can sting more than once, and it did!  I felt a sharp sting on my back but I didn't know what it was so turned around and casually told Rob that I had been stung by something.  He is allergic to yellow jackets, but still flicked it off of me and then ran away to safety.  I thought it must have been a bee and started hunting the floor so I could squash it and get my revenge, when ZAP, it got me again.  This time in the groin, and this time I could see it.  I started freaking out and doing some sort of crazy dance, screaming "get it off, get it off". Why is it that when you have a visual, it makes things so much more painful?  I have the same reaction when I cut myself and see blood.

My pseudo photo shoot came to a screeching halt with me whining all the way home about the indignation of all of it.  You see, I never wear makeup and do my hair fancy, and the one time I do, I get stung by a wasp, twice!

Yogic Lesson:  Practice non violence on all living creatures, even when they are not practicing that on you.

Life Lesson:  When stung by a yellow jacket, flick it off then RUN, run as fast as you can.  Don't wait around looking for something to squash, chances are it will come back and bite you in the a$$.
 
Namaste,
Jacqui.

Yoga for Hope.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I am super excited to be invited to assist in this years Yoga for Hope in San Francisco.

A little about City of Hope:

For almost 100 years, City of Hope's pioneering research has brought the world closer to cures for many life-threatening diseases, including Cancer, HIV and Diabetes.

Compassion drives their innovation. As an independent medical and research institution, they can break through the barriers that traditionally stand between scientists and physicians, accelerating the application of laboratory findings to more effective treatments.

For many people, City of Hope is where hope begins and I love the approach they have adopted that when you treat the body, you also treat the soul. 

Yoga for Hope  is an event that brings awareness to the benefits of yoga for patients with life-threatening illnesses.

The proceeds from the event go to benefit research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.

Please join us, as some of the best instructors in the city lead hundreds of yoga enthusiasts in aiding City of Hope's efforts to expand awareness of the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection when battling cancer, diabetes or HIV/AIDS.


You can find us at Union Square, come breathe, move and play for a great cause.

Date: Saturday, September 17th, 2011

Event Day Registration: 9:00 a.m.

Yoga: 1-hour sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Pre-Registration: $35

Event Day Registration: $40

For more information on City of Hope, click here.

For more information on Yoga for Hope, please click here.

Thanks to my little warriors, Leah and Reef for their inspiration.

The beauty of age.

I am going to be 30 this year, my birthday is in a couple of months and the life that I am actually living is very different to the life that I thought I would be living.

I am so grateful for the wisdom and peace that has come with maturing, although I am not so thrilled about some of the other things that are shifting and changing.  I slather my face with anti-aging lotions and potions in the hopes of fighting the wrinkles that will inevitably appear.  We all have a terminal illness, it's called life and there is no escaping the aging process unless I curl up and die in this youthful body today.  I don't want to do that, I want to live, I want to age, I want to grow and I want to find peace in this process.  I don't want to look in the mirror 30 years from now and not recognise myself because I have been nipped and tucked and injected with fillers and plumper's and who knows what else.

My mother has always been my hero, I have always loved her so completely. I look at her and she is so beautiful, she is completely her and she is so comfortable in her skin. I cover up my thighs because they are not as toned as I would like, and I wear long clothing to cover my legs because they are not as tanned as I would like, and I buy push up bras to create an illusion of having more that what I do. I want to grow into someone like my mom that has found peace, and is living her yoga, even though she is not aware of it.

I read this today and it has me meditating on the process of growing older with dignity and grace:

"Come my child, I have something to show you."  My head reeled.  I had so little private contact with her up to this point.  She was notorious for being a stubborn, cantankerous old woman who's displeasure could be amply displayed but not readily allayed.
To my horror and surprise, the old lady began to unbutton her gown,  Slowly and painfully, the gnarled, arthritic hands began to reveal what was better left hidden.  Before I looked away in embarrassment, I caught a glimpse of her breasts, pendulous and glistening but shriveled like giant black prunes, hanging from her bony frame. 

"Now you have the beauty of youth, so you can shudder at my wrinkled breasts", she said, chuckling to herself.  Her grin was accentuated by a few remaining teeth hanging from thick pink and brown speckled gums, I was at an utter loss as to how to respond to her.  But she continued: "But just you wait and see, as the seasons pass, your waist shall grow thicker, your hips shall be round and full like the moon, and your breasts will hang low like fruit that has passed it's ripeness on the tree." 

She clasped my right hand in hers.  Then she laid it on her wrinkled cheeks and made me caress each crevice.  I could feel the roughness of her face, the soft bristles of her eyebrows, and the undulations of her forehead as she guided my hand gently over her profile.  As she did so, she spoke softly.
"That was from the tears I shed at his birth.  It was painful.  It hurt like the lightning that splits the tree.  Right there - that line was when he began to talk.  Oh how I laughed and laughed!  That furrow there - feel how deep it is.  That was when he left the farm to join the struggle.  Dear God how I worried.  And that little crease is from grinning at the sweet memory of his success.  And that one - ooh, it still hurts - that was when they threw him into the jail and beat him."
"You look at us old women and think we are afraid to show our bodies.  But that is not so.  My beauty is here now", she said, pointing to her wrinkles.  These are the marks of life.  My face, just as it is, the map of my toils and joys, is as precious to me as your little waist and rounded breasts are to you.  This is a testimony to the love I have given my family.  It is a body of love.  You see it as an old, dry, lifeless thing, but one day you will understand that each beauty has it's season.  The body of youth knows its day and must live it to the fullest.  The body of the harvest, too, has it's time.  That is mine.  It is a body that has reaped and sown and gathered unto itself.  Someday, too, will come the body of the earth, the final eternal one, to which we must all return.

"A woman's body follows the moon, it is not still and hard like a man's.  Her happiness and sadness take many forms, each day the brightness of her light and the mysterious depths of her shadows may change.  A woman is close to the earth, yet near to the heavens.  She grows like the harvest, she becomes ripe like fruit.  The body of your youth stays with your youth, and the body of the harvest, that is the body of your later years."

She had shown off her body as a magnificent monument of the human spirit over hardship.

I am so blessed to have a strong woman as my role model. I thank my mother for being so beautifully true to herself, and I hope to become a woman that my children are proud of.

Love yourself.

Namaste,
Jacqui.

Peacock.

The peacock is the national bird of India, and is associated with Saraswati, a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge.

There is a fun asana called Mayurasana, which translates to Peacock Pose, and I love the origin of the name.  The peacock is one of the only animals that can successfully digest a scorpion.  Therefore, the idea behind practicing this asana is to get a stomach of steel, where you too are immune to stomach ailments. 

This pose is wonderful for the digestive system and aids in detoxifying the entire system. Due to the pressure  of the elbows against the abdominal area, blood circulates to the abdominal organs, improving digestion and preventing the accumulation of toxins.  It also develops and strengthens the forearms and wrists.

There are a number of ways to get into this asana. The best way for me, when I was first playing with this pose was to start with my legs curled close to my body in either lotus or baddhakonasana (butterfly).

Come to stand on your knees, with your arms in front of you, fingers facing towards your knees. Bend your elbows, leaning your front torso onto the backs of your upper arms and burrowing your elbows deep into your belly at or below the navel.

Once you have your arms in position, you can start to work on lifting your legs by bringing your body weight more forward and looking a few feet in front of your face.

If you would like to go further, you can start to work with straightening your legs by coming to plank and lifting one leg then the other leg, working with balance.

Once you are ready to lift both your legs, keep in mind that you are trying to keep them together and stiff.  On your exhale, lean your weight forward to your hands and lift your legs, stretching your trunk and head forward.  If your legs and buttocks are firm and active, this slight shift of weight will lever your feet off the floor without too much effort.

Hold for 10 second, gradually working your way to 30-60 seconds.  To come out of this pose, lower your head and feet to the floor, bend your knees and lift your torso off your arms.

As you practice this more, try to keep your hands, forearms and elbows together. 

Remember that this is your yoga practice, not yoga perfect.  Have fun and fall often!  Falling is part of learning, it means you have pushed yourself to new places. Besides, you don't have that far to fall, you are almost on the ground anyway.

You will get all the detoxifying benefits just by resting your elbows into your belly,  there is no pressure to ever lift your legs off the ground.  If arm balancing does not feel right for you, just work with the first step.

Namaste,
Jacqui.

Be kinder than necessary.

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.  (Abraham Joshua Heschel.)

I have always admired people with high paying jobs, executives, lawyers and the sort.  I would get so self-conscious around bright people that I could find no words to say to them.  I then started to feel more self-conscious around them, thinking that they were thinking I was simple.  The spiral went deeper and deeper until I fell so far into the vortex of shame that I would want to leave social functions, and often did.  As soon as I got into the car, I would think of great things to say, things that would prove I wasn't a complete airhead, but of course, it was too late...I was socially awkward!


I had made these clever folks into super-humans, they were no longer people at all. Even if they had said something that I didn't believe in, I probably would have thought it were deep and profound. 

I never thought I was stupid, I actually think I am quite intelligent when I apply myself and speak my truth.  But this is a skill that is still being cultivated, I am still working on becoming me, not trying to be anyone but ME.  I am working on not saying something silly and hurtful just to get a giggle out of the crowd.  I have come to realise that I am not a traveling comedy show, because my comedy was more often mean-spirited than fun.  I am striving to see the beauty in each person and each situation.  And I hope that through the beauty and strength I see in them, they can start to see it in themselves.  This isn't easy!

In a yoga class, you have people from all walks of life and it is so rewarding when they come up to you and thank you for your help, your touch, your guidance.  It feels so good to make other people feel good, and in doing so I feel better than ever and feel more able to freely share myself with them.

I have learned that in teaching and assisting a yoga class, it is never about me.  It is all about the other person and to give them a piece of you, to share yourself and your truth, is the greatest gift to give.You all have a gift, you may not be a doctor saving lives, but you have the power to make a meaningful contribution, speak your truth!

I still find myself feeling a little anxiety in some social situations, but the more I connect with what is really me, the easier it gets.  Just figuring out what samskaras (storeis) are mine to keep and mine to let go, so much of what I base myself on, or measure myself on is from someone elses scale, and how could I ever expect to measure up?


Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.



5th Chakra, the throat chakra
Sanskrit: Vishuddha

Speak your truth. Lying violates the body and spirit.
To realize when you are lying to yourself its necessary to KNOW your truth.


xoxoxox.
Namaste,
Jacqui.

Right Side Up & Up Side Down.

Chin Stand is a super fun inversion, that isn't explored too often in group classes.

Ganda Bherundasana (Formidable Face Pose).

This asana registers as 56* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga.

In the full expression of this pose, only your chin, neck and upper ribs are touching the mat.  It is incredibly intense on your throat, neck, back and arms.  I recommend only working on this asana with an experienced teacher.

To prepare yourself for this pose, you can try to become comfortable breathing with your chin and neck pressed against the floor.  Once you can breathe comfortably, you can try to lift one leg at a time and explore the concept of balancing with your weight on your arms (bicep strength is key). 

Start working on yoga push ups by coming to your knees, lifting your feet towards your seat and bending your arms so that your chin can touch the floor in front of your hands.

I like to come to the full expression from a one legged downward facing dog, bringing my weight over my arms as in plank and then bending my elbows as in push up and resting my chin lightly on the floor.  Once I have established the correct position for my arms, I kick my other leg up to mee the one that is already extended.

Once you have your balance in chin stand, you can start to work your feet towards your head.  This is a very intense back bend and puts even more pressure on your neck and chin.  Please be sure to have an experienced teacher assisting you.

Keep in mind, that even the preparation for an advanced asana is a challenge.  The physical and mental preparations to overcome your fear is rewarding.  It does not matter wether you ever take on the full pose, working with your body and building strength makes you an advanced yogi in itself.  Loose any attachment to the end result and work with what your body is able to accomplish today, who knows, it may surprise you tomorrow.

Namaste.
Jacqui.

If you want to sing out, sing out.

My parents told me that when I was little, I would wake up early in the morning, recite the Lords prayer and then sing all the songs I knew over and over until they got out of bed. 

I remember being maybe 5 or 6, and every night my mom would take a bath and I would sit on the toilet singing to her.  Bless her patient heart, she never once told be to bugger off and leave her in peace.  I would sing all the songs in my repertoire, and when I was done, I would start all over again.  I loved to sing! 

When I got a little older, I auditioned for the school play.  We were doing "Joshua" from the bible and I so badly wanted my chance at a solo.  I still remember the song.
"Josh-u-Joshua, be very bold, be strong in the Lord cause he's a might God.  Every place you put your foot down in the promised land, it's yours, it's yours, it's yours."

I ended up being cast as an old peasant lady.  Never mind a solo, I was only on stage for one song, and put so far to the right I might as well have been in the wing.  We were recording a CD that year for the parents and I remember being at the recording studio, I was belting out my lines with all the soul I could muster.  We kept doing take after take after take, and eventually our music teacher, Mrs Rogers came to me and asked me to
"sit this round out".  That happened to be the final take!  I was so disappointed, my name was on the credit list, but I never even got a chance to sing on the tape.

As I got older I would hear it more and more "Your voice is even worse than mine." or "Wow, you sing really badly" or "Maybe you should stick with dancing".  My personal favorite, "Singing just isn't for everyone."  Ummm....Yes it is! If you have a voice, even a 'bad' voice, SING!!!!!

I developed such shame around my singing. From being something that brought me such joy, I became so embarrassed by my voice.  I think that when I started shutting down my singing voice, my other voice followed.  I was still a chatterbox, but there was a part of my confidence, my magic that wasn't the same. 

My mom tells stories of me talking to strangers when I was really little.  If I saw an old lady, I would say "Hello Granny".  I would dance for anyone willing to watch, and sing to anyone willing to listen.

Fast-forward 20something years to today. In January of this year, I started to become friendly with my singing voice again in Pedro's class.  For so many years I was ashamed of my voice and finally I had a safe place to sing.  I was really uncomfortable at first, singing Hare Krishna songs with a bunch of strangers, but I have come to LOVE kirtan. There is something so freeing about singing in a strange language, with a group of people that would never tell you to sing quietly or to "sit this round out". 

Thank you to all my teachers that chant, I now sing all the time at home and might eventually have the courage to lead a song in one of my own classes.

There are no bad voices in this world, only bad listeners. 

Have a beautiful weekend.

xoxoxox.
Jacqui.