In another installment from our Assistant Director of Trainings, Andrea Russell, we learn the benefits of the Classic Sun Salutations and how to practice them.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
Yoga on the Road
While the glaciers covered much of North America’s midsection and smoothed the land into submission, a tiny sliver of the Middle West managed to escape glaciation. The Driftless Region contains a fascinating rise and fall of the land, in stark contrast with people’s view of a flat and lifeless Midwest.
Tucked into a corner of the Driftless Region was a small experiment in communal living, sustainable agriculture, and yoga. Cress Spring Farm was home for an ever-changing array of characters, and even twenty-plus years later many of the meals, practices, and stories remain memorable.
Uttered casually in the kitchen one morning, I still clearly remember Roger stating broadly, “if you can’t take your practice on the road, it ain’t worth shit.” Since many of us spent a good deal of time traveling, this comment piqued our interest.
I don’t remember if Roger ever elaborated, but I did find affirmation that traveling is one of the best times to maintain, or even deepen, a personal yoga practice. When routines are upended, as they often are when traveling, an opportunity for reinvention arises. If your connection to practice is tenuous, travel presents an opportunity to reinforce your commitment. If your connection to practice is largely aspirational, travel presents an opportunity to jump headlong into a daily routine. If your connection to practice is tenacious, travel presents an opportunity to explore loosening your grip on the familiar structure of your practice.
Between pleasure travel, teaching trips, and meditation retreat, I spend four to six weeks each year on the road. Over the past couple decades, that adds up to almost two years of practicing in hotels, dormitories, guest rooms, and monastery rooftops. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about taking yoga practice on the road.
With regards to the physical practice, I pack very lightly. My bolsters, blocks, cushions, and yoga-straps have never needed their passports, as they always stay behind at home. If I’m confident my accommodations will be carpeted, then I simply pack a yoga rug to place atop the carpeting. When accommodations have harder floors, such as when traveling in South Asia, then I also include a thin travel mat to put beneath the yoga rug.
The blankets on your bed can do double duty as… blankets. And a scrunched-up pillow works surprisingly well as a meditation cushion.
What to practice? Some days I’ll meditate first thing in the morning, and forego the physical practice. On other days yoga asana may be my primary physical activity, and I make a point to budget some time on the mat. As you can probably glean, meditation practice is my primary focus, and even if it’s only a short time on the cushion (or scrunched-up pillow), I’ll set my alarm as early as necessary to spend at least a few minutes each day meditating.
With regards to the physical practice, I generally emphasize the poses that counteract the effects of planes, trains, and automobiles. This often includes Psoas Wake-Up, and some form of a psoas stretch, such as high or low lunge.
Most on-the-road asana sessions also include a handful of Sun Salutations, to get the juices flowing. If there’s more time, I may include some standing poses to further tone the vestibular system.
I rarely have an asana session sans Headstand and Shoulderstand. Since travel often includes lots of sitting, inversions are a wonderful antidote to the lymphatic stagnation that accompanies sitting in one place for a long time.
Many people complain of irregularity when traveling, and I generally include a few twisting poses in a travel-practice to keep this unwelcome travel companion at bay.
This is typically the extent of my practice while traveling. Some days will consist of a short meditation session only – no asana or pranayama practice. Other days I may budget more time for physical practice, and include a short routine (containing Psoas Wake-Up, psoas stretches, Sun Salutations, Headstand and Shoulderstand, twists, and sometimes a few standing poses). In general, I try to keep it simple, roll with things as they unfold, and not get too hung up on a “gotta-do-it” attitude or set structure.
Have a safe and happy holiday season. And best wishes on your practice if the holidays include travel!
Tucked into a corner of the Driftless Region was a small experiment in communal living, sustainable agriculture, and yoga. Cress Spring Farm was home for an ever-changing array of characters, and even twenty-plus years later many of the meals, practices, and stories remain memorable.
Uttered casually in the kitchen one morning, I still clearly remember Roger stating broadly, “if you can’t take your practice on the road, it ain’t worth shit.” Since many of us spent a good deal of time traveling, this comment piqued our interest.
I don’t remember if Roger ever elaborated, but I did find affirmation that traveling is one of the best times to maintain, or even deepen, a personal yoga practice. When routines are upended, as they often are when traveling, an opportunity for reinvention arises. If your connection to practice is tenuous, travel presents an opportunity to reinforce your commitment. If your connection to practice is largely aspirational, travel presents an opportunity to jump headlong into a daily routine. If your connection to practice is tenacious, travel presents an opportunity to explore loosening your grip on the familiar structure of your practice.
Between pleasure travel, teaching trips, and meditation retreat, I spend four to six weeks each year on the road. Over the past couple decades, that adds up to almost two years of practicing in hotels, dormitories, guest rooms, and monastery rooftops. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about taking yoga practice on the road.
With regards to the physical practice, I pack very lightly. My bolsters, blocks, cushions, and yoga-straps have never needed their passports, as they always stay behind at home. If I’m confident my accommodations will be carpeted, then I simply pack a yoga rug to place atop the carpeting. When accommodations have harder floors, such as when traveling in South Asia, then I also include a thin travel mat to put beneath the yoga rug.
The blankets on your bed can do double duty as… blankets. And a scrunched-up pillow works surprisingly well as a meditation cushion.
What to practice? Some days I’ll meditate first thing in the morning, and forego the physical practice. On other days yoga asana may be my primary physical activity, and I make a point to budget some time on the mat. As you can probably glean, meditation practice is my primary focus, and even if it’s only a short time on the cushion (or scrunched-up pillow), I’ll set my alarm as early as necessary to spend at least a few minutes each day meditating.
With regards to the physical practice, I generally emphasize the poses that counteract the effects of planes, trains, and automobiles. This often includes Psoas Wake-Up, and some form of a psoas stretch, such as high or low lunge.
Most on-the-road asana sessions also include a handful of Sun Salutations, to get the juices flowing. If there’s more time, I may include some standing poses to further tone the vestibular system.
I rarely have an asana session sans Headstand and Shoulderstand. Since travel often includes lots of sitting, inversions are a wonderful antidote to the lymphatic stagnation that accompanies sitting in one place for a long time.
Many people complain of irregularity when traveling, and I generally include a few twisting poses in a travel-practice to keep this unwelcome travel companion at bay.
This is typically the extent of my practice while traveling. Some days will consist of a short meditation session only – no asana or pranayama practice. Other days I may budget more time for physical practice, and include a short routine (containing Psoas Wake-Up, psoas stretches, Sun Salutations, Headstand and Shoulderstand, twists, and sometimes a few standing poses). In general, I try to keep it simple, roll with things as they unfold, and not get too hung up on a “gotta-do-it” attitude or set structure.
Have a safe and happy holiday season. And best wishes on your practice if the holidays include travel!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Rabbit Pose
In Part 2 in our series on Headstand, Scott shares a pose for people who don't feel comfortable with Headstand, which delivers most of the benefits.
Friday, October 12, 2012
The Benefits of Headstand
In Part 1 of a new series, Scott describes how a pose many traditions consider the most important of all poses, can be done by anyone, and some of the lesser known benefits. In particular, how people born Caesarean section can gain special benefit from headstand.
Includes the debut appearance of Amelia the kitten.
Includes the debut appearance of Amelia the kitten.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Uddiyana Bandha video
In Andrea's second video, she presents the Alignment Yoga approach to Uddiayana Bandha, and a simple Pre-Yoga technique to begin accessing it.
This exercise helps wake up vital energy in the lower belly, and can help ease tension in the lower back, jaw, neck and shoulders.
This exercise helps wake up vital energy in the lower belly, and can help ease tension in the lower back, jaw, neck and shoulders.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Yoga and the Political Season
The angle of the sun and the cooler nights are a reliable indicator that autumn is upon us. And every four years, the arrival of autumn hearkens the arrival of something more than cooler weather – it announces the arrival of the US presidential elections.
When you live in a town like Madison, WI, politics are an inescapable part of daily life. Whether you’re liberal or conservative (or somewhere in between) it seems like everybody has an opinion – and quite often, a strongly held opinion!
Each election cycle, I’m reminded how individual members of the yoga community often make assumptions about the other members of the community. Because we share an interest in yoga, we may assume we share other beliefs and interests, too. Sometimes that may be the case, though quite often, it’s a sort of wishful thinking or projection.
Sharing an interest in yoga may predict elements of behavior, but the vastness of the human experience virtually guarantees that the person on the mat next to us contains multitudes. Unfortunately, I often find members of the yoga community assuming that other members of the community share the same outlook and political beliefs.
When we assume that other people think and believe what we do, we miss an opportunity to stretch our minds. Like an unstretched muscle may retract into stuckness, the unchallenged mind often retracts into rigidity. While we may point fingers to the “other” at the suggestion of mental rigidity, I think it happens on both sides of the political aisle. There is likely to be some wisdom embedded within the various viewpoints, and being able to recognize the wisdom of the “other” can build community more effectively than self-selecting into self-reinforcing groups.
As we enter into another election year, I’m hoping the community of practitioners at Mound Street Yoga Center can keep in mind the diversity of our community. I believe each of us hopes these practices can help us live happier and healthier lives, with less dis-ease and distress. Since it’s likely we’re looking for the same benefits in our yoga, it seems possible that similar motives drive our political beliefs and choices.
When you live in a town like Madison, WI, politics are an inescapable part of daily life. Whether you’re liberal or conservative (or somewhere in between) it seems like everybody has an opinion – and quite often, a strongly held opinion!
Each election cycle, I’m reminded how individual members of the yoga community often make assumptions about the other members of the community. Because we share an interest in yoga, we may assume we share other beliefs and interests, too. Sometimes that may be the case, though quite often, it’s a sort of wishful thinking or projection.
Sharing an interest in yoga may predict elements of behavior, but the vastness of the human experience virtually guarantees that the person on the mat next to us contains multitudes. Unfortunately, I often find members of the yoga community assuming that other members of the community share the same outlook and political beliefs.
When we assume that other people think and believe what we do, we miss an opportunity to stretch our minds. Like an unstretched muscle may retract into stuckness, the unchallenged mind often retracts into rigidity. While we may point fingers to the “other” at the suggestion of mental rigidity, I think it happens on both sides of the political aisle. There is likely to be some wisdom embedded within the various viewpoints, and being able to recognize the wisdom of the “other” can build community more effectively than self-selecting into self-reinforcing groups.
As we enter into another election year, I’m hoping the community of practitioners at Mound Street Yoga Center can keep in mind the diversity of our community. I believe each of us hopes these practices can help us live happier and healthier lives, with less dis-ease and distress. Since it’s likely we’re looking for the same benefits in our yoga, it seems possible that similar motives drive our political beliefs and choices.
As the election season heats up, if we find ourselves inspired to express political opinions within the yoga studio, can we:
Namaste,
Scott
alignmentyoga.com
- Express our opinions without insulting or degrading other viewpoints?
- Listen when we hear other viewpoints?
- Open our hearts to consider that the “other” likely believes their way is a path to cultivate more happiness and/or healthiness, too?
Namaste,
Scott
alignmentyoga.com
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Dead Bug series - essential Pre-Yoga
We're overjoyed to welcome Andrea Russell, Assistant Director of AY Trainings, to our blog. She has taught yoga for over 10 years and been involved in Alignment Yoga trainings since they began.
In her first video, she demonstrates a classic Pre-Yoga technique of Alignment Yoga - the Dead Bug series. This invigorating exercise develops your core and increases coordination, especially between the right and left sides of the body (and the brain).
In her first video, she demonstrates a classic Pre-Yoga technique of Alignment Yoga - the Dead Bug series. This invigorating exercise develops your core and increases coordination, especially between the right and left sides of the body (and the brain).
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