Day 3 and 4- Yoga and Meditation Challenge

DAY 3

Classes: 
Alana Kessler's Ashtanga inspired Vinyasa flow at Sangha Yoga Shala
Self Practice at the gym for 45 minutes

Meditation:
15 minutes

Notes:


Alana's Ashtanga inspired Vinyasa was surprisingly delicious.  I shy away from ashtanga because I prefer the unexpected sequences and flow of a vinyasa class rather than the perfect structure of the asthanga series.  Alana's class perfectly balanced the two.  The precise breath count felt like each pose was allowing my mind to take a break and to deeply enter each pose.  At the end of the class, I felt like I had meditated for an hour and 15 minutes.

Speaking of meditation, I can't seem to meditate on my own for as long as i'd like, now more than ever.  Putting pressure on myself  had the opposite effect on what I was trying to accomplish, and now I feel forced to meditate which makes me feel anxious about meditation thus making it much harder to achieve a calm mind.  Add the fact that i checked my bb as soon as I woke up, drank a bit too much wine and do not have earplugs, and there goes my meditation practice.  

I should have known better- Lama Kelly had warned us about the effects of checking our phones before meditation.  Also, she told us to get ear plugs so unexpected noises don't distract us (there is construction next to my apartment).  So I bought some earplugs and the challenge continues.

DAY 4

Yesterday I took a break from the challenge since I taught yoga all day long!  I practiced for about 45 minutes on my own.  

I was not sore yesterday.  My muscles got used to the beating quickly!

Day 2- Yoga and Meditation Challenge

Classes: 
Jivamukti with Cassandra
Conquering Lion Yoga with Lisa Jacobson

Meditation:
NONE. WTF.  (Too sleepy in the AM, high on caffeine in the PM).

Observations:

Cassandra's class was amazing!  It was really, really challenging in a good way. Clear instruction into full standing bow, and some crazy pose that looks something like the one below, but the arms are in knees, chest and chin arms.  Your chin is on the floor!  And now my chin is slightly bruised.  But it was really fun.  I also loved her class included handstand practice, forearm stand practice into scorpion, and half-moon pose with bow variation.




Lisa Jacobson's class at The Three Jewels:  If you've not had a chance to go to Lisa's class, you are really missing out.  Lisa's class started with a Dharma talk that made me all warm and fuzzy, a feeling that lasted throughout the entire class.  The class itself was a challenging, with many twists.  The music was awesome, and her adjustments are like getting a massage every time.  I felt surprisingly energetic through the class even though I had just finished the class at Jiva.  Lastly,  the savasana adjustment I got from Lisa is probably the best one I've had in my life- lavender oil massage on my shoulders and a scalp massage that felt I was at the hair salon.  I left the class high on yoga.

P.S.  My muscles are sore as f&^k!

Day 1- Yoga and Meditation Challenge

Classes:  
Jivamukti at 3:00 pm with Jessica,  I practiced alone at the gym for 45 minutes.

Meditation: 

Only for 15 minutes on my own, 5 minutes in Jessica's class.  Total of 20 minutes.  

Observations: 
I am sore! but in a good way.  My shoulders and hamstrings.  

Jessica kicks ass.  Her instruction is so clear, I never get confused.  She is also very good at keeping her breath count nice and even and she is so lovely.

I have been practicing handstand almost every day for months.  I don't always stay up, but yesterday I stayed up for about 15 seconds!

I need to work on meditation, way more than yoga.  I should quit drinking coffee in the morning for it is almost impossible to meditate with caffeine.  I may try a guided meditation at The Three Jewels and also some online guided meditations tonight.

Today:
Jivamulti at 4:00 pm and  Lisa Jacobson's class at The 3 Jewels, 6:00 pm.  Let's see if I am able to move tomorrow.

Deep down, I'm loving this adjustment.  Alyssa is amazing. 

5 days, 10 classes

 I am challenging myself to take 2 yoga classes and meditate twice a day until Friday.  If the regimen sticks may be I can reach Emptiness by the end of winter  (I kid, I kid).

As of the schedule for this week, I am all over the place!

12:15 today:  Viva Vinyasa open level
7:30 tonight:  Quick Fitness
7:00 am tomorrow:  Crunch, Fort Green
7:00 am Wed:  Quick Fitness
7:30 pm Wed: Quick Fitness
9:00 am Thursday:  Quick Fitness
Noon Thursday:  Sangha Yoga Shala Williamsburg
No classes on Friday and Saturday- Happy New Year!
Sunday 10:00 am:  Quick Fitness, Chakra new year series begins!

Phew!

xoxo

P

Gather, Rejoice, Repeat

As the year comes to an end, I am going to look back through my journal, 6x book, emails and Facebook to sort out what my year was like.   Although cumbersome, I will do this to rejoice on all the little things that I accomplished, to pat myself in the back on all the things that I've improved on, things I've learned, and to thank all those individuals that have made a difference in my life.  Lastly, I will put together my resolutions.   

My list will probably look something like this: 

- Sleep less (yes, I have a sleeping problem)

- Meditate for 30 minutes a day

- Save money

- Surf at least 20 times in New York (ECK!) 

- Yoga four times a week

- Talk to my nephews twice a week (I can hear them already saying "Why is tia Patricia calling me again?")

- Go to at least 4 art exhibits per month.

- Be punctual

- Be generous. 

These are all feasible, I hope.   

When it comes down to making and achieving resolutions, I work on making changes as if I was working with a kid.  For example, telling a child that he is awful at math, punishing him, taking the Wii away until he gets the homework perfect, and then telling him that if he doesn't improve within two weeks he is gonna probably never learn, is just f*cked up.  But yet, I used to put similar pressure on myself,  made ridiculous resolutions and failed to focus in the little steps that took me there.  I'd look at my past failures,  felt like shit for not achieving them, hit rock bottom, then make peace and start again.  What a violent way to make goals! 

Rejoicing on the little changes and goals I've achieved- rather than beating myself up for the ones I didn't- has been life changing.  This happened naturally; I noticed how happy I would feel when people around me made little changes to their lives that mattered, such as when one of my students finally did chaturanga correctly, or when my friend finally stopped partying every night and cut it down to partying 3 times a week. If I can feel  happy for the little changes the people around me are achieving towards a goal, why can't I do the same for myself?  

So as we all look back through our last year, we should rejoice on the little steps we accomplished.  Rejoice on all the baby steps the people around you have accomplished, and then go back and rejoice on yours.  So what if your wife is still annoying, at least she left you alone during those two games of ______ and then cooked dinner.  Or so what if you didn't get a boyfriend this year? At least you stopped looking in all the wrong places...   I stopped smoking this year, and although I have a cigarette here and there, I can say that I don't smoke anymore.  That's how this works. 

You may not have reached your resolution, but any effort towards that goal counts.  Next year (and every day after) you will have chance to try again. 

Nochebuena

Back home in Venezuela, tonight is the night we celebrate Christmas.  We cook all day, we hang out with family, and open our gifts at midnight.  This year I traded the tropics and have stayed put in New York City, something I've not done in about 10 years.  I plan on having dinner at my mentor's house and tomorrow will be crashing Christmas breakfasts around Williamsburg with peeps that also stayed behind..

Check your local studio for amended schedules.  As for my teaching schedule, Friday morning class at Viva Vinyasa is cancelled for the next two weeks, Quick Fitness on Friday at 7:00 pm is also cancelled for the next two weeks.  I am teaching all over next week and subbing for good friends that are out of town.  I will post my schedule on Sunday.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season! xoxoxoxoxinfinity

Summer Yoga Retreat, continued

My little sis and her boyfriend just returned from a vacation in Panama.  She loved it and said I'd probably love it too. And since I've been looking for a place to go spend the summer, I started to research Panama.  Panama looks so beautiful!    So in addition of spending June and July there, I am now thinking of doing a yoga retreat there (in addition to the Italian retreat).  I've gotten in touch with the owners of that hotel and they seem really open to it.  If the price is right, then its on.

I am excited, for by the time of the retreat, I will (hopefully) be certified to teach Conquering Lion Yoga.  May be some of my lovely classmates will come with and teach as well.   I may also teach surfing, or bring along someone that can teach surfing full time, we'll see.

P.S.  I am teaching tomorrow at Crunch in Park Slope 6:30 class and permanently have the Friday 10:00 am at Viva Vinyasa in midtown.  This is all in addition to my other classes at Quick Fitness, Viva and Sangha Yoga Shala.  Hope to see you!

Focus of the Week

During the past couple of weeks, I've had a hard time focusing.  I sit in front of my computer for hours waiting to come up with creative ideas for school-related papers or dharma talks, all while I check Facebook, read the New York Times online, and think about my next yoga class.

This is scary turf for me.  Before I started meditating, I suffered from a disease I believe every New Yorker suffers from- ADD...  I used to run around like a maniac attending meetings, going to school, I'd help friends with their creative projects, take on yoga classes I couldn't take on, and volunteer.  Everything I did was with great intention, but it was way too much.  Rather than dealing and focusing on one thing at a time, I chose to deal with 100 different things, never committing my full attention to one item.  It was a vicious cycle.  My non-New Yorker friends thought I was insane.  My New Yorker friends were right there with me, doing 100 things per day.  It was pretty bad.

    

That's changed a lot since I've started meditating.  By working on staying focused during meditation, my racing mind has calmed down a lot.  I feel liberated from the craziness of what used to be my thoughts and I have learned to say no.   I've learned to calm my life down through managing my thoughts.     

Drishti, the focus of the week, is defined as the focal point where one’s gaze lies to attain concentration and alignment to find inner and outer balance. When meditating, one's drishti should be in the breath for the first 5 to 10 minutes of meditation.  This helps direct the meditation towards stillness of the mind.  In asana practice, for example, in warrior one, one's drishti should be directed to the palms, as it helps the gaze forward, ground the feet and calm the mind.  

Exploring drishti in asana practice can be either scary or liberating.  One can assess at what level of concentration one is currently on, deal with it, and improve it.   For example, if you're prone to loosing your balance in a balancing pose, your eyes are probably wondering around,  most likely your mind is full of moving thoughts that pop in whenever they want- your drishti is all over the place. In that instance, keeping your drishti in one place for the entire pose count is your challenge.  By keeping drishti in one place, everything will align, beginning with your thoughts and allowing the body to follow.  

On the other hand, if you're grounded in balancing poses, your drishti is in good form. You most likely can gaze at one spot and immediately calm the mind, your drishti aligning to work with your body,  You are ready to explore different drishtis because the stillness of the mind is not affected the shift in the focal point.   It's very liberating to experience this.   

No matter where you are in your drishti practice, concentration can always improve for the goal is to reach Emptiness. Drishti is working ground for the most of us.  

Let's get on it...  And if you read this entire post, you're on a good path. 

Staying focused while demonstrating Adho mukha svanasana

There's nothing cute about this winter wonderland

Whatevs.  May be I'll try snowboarding..

Schedule

Catch me at the usual places and times, I am all better.

And thanks for reading.  I got some nice compliments from random people recently.  I guess I should start spell checking.

love.

Last minute cancellations

I've managed to catch a flu of some sort. None of my mother's ayurveda recipes are helping and I had to resort to good ol' fashioned antibiotics to soothe my throat.  It's day 2 of no solid food- I'm not digging this involuntary fast at all and I am dreaming of a grilled cheese with tomatoes.

I cancelled yesterday's class at Sangha and tonight's class at QF because I have no voice today. Sorry about that.

I hope to see you on Sunday!

Patricia