Shambhala Mountain Center Blog » Yoga

Pacing Your Yoga

brian — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:49:23 +0000

It amazes me how many people avoid yoga because they see pictures of people in twisted poses and think they could never do that. Or people who go to one yoga class and feel intimidated because the teacher and students are practicing poses that look impossible. Why, I wonder, would anyone think they could practice an advanced yoga posture right off the bat? To me, that is as ludicrous as a non-runner feeling inferior because they can’t go out and run a marathon. Would you jump into running 26 miles without beginning by running one mile, or a quarter mile, and gradually working your way up? Yoga is no different.

When I started practicing yoga 10 years ago, mainly to cultivate the peaceful loving presence I’d seen in yogis and yoginis, I looked at my teachers’ flexible strong bodies and wished my body could be the same. But I didn’t expect it to happen over night. In fact, I don’t know that I really thought my body would ever become so flexible that I could sit in Easy Pose with my knees easily resting on the floor rather than sticking up six inches, or bring my head anywhere close to my knees in Standing Forward Bend. I started with gentle yoga classes, even as my friends were pushing themselves in vigorous flows. I knew and honored my limits since I was dealing with adrenal fatigue and was not in my 20s, or even 30s anymore. A few years later I lived at a yoga center and began practicing daily. I started pushing myself a little more by taking moderate-level classes. When a pose was too challenging, I didn’t mind simply not doing it. I dabbled with a couple vigorous classes but found they didn’t suit me.

As I continued practicing yoga daily, within the limits of my strength, flexibility, and stamina, an amazing thing happened. Not suddenly mind you, but so gradually I rarely even noticed. My adrenals became rested. My strength improved. I even gained some bicep and tricep definition in my arms—an amazing feat considering that as a child my arms were so skinny that my friends affectionately called me “chicken wings.” I was able to hold poses—practically effortlessly—for minutes at a time. One day I noticed my knees actually did rest comfortably next to the floor in Easy Pose. Just this year, my head naturally touched my knees in Standing Forward Bend. My heart rate is lower, as is my blood pressure. I find myself stressed less often, and live an easier pace of life and feel more compassion for myself and others.

But none of this happened on day one, or two, or even 100. Yoga is a path and a process. One that will lead to improved health, strength, flexibility, endurance, and yes, inner peace. But you must start where you’re at and simply show up, do what you can, and not worry about what your body isn’t ready for. Hmmm. Maybe I should start training for a marathon…

© 2009 Shambhala Mountain Center.

Lori Batcheller is Shambhala Mountain Center’s senior editor. A certified 500-hour Kripalu Yoga instructor, she teaches yoga classes in Boulder, Colorado, and workshops at Shambhala Mountain Center.

Find your yoga at Shambhala Mountain Center. Choose from Anusara, Ashtanga , Kripalu , Lîla Yoga™, Integrative Yoga Therapeutics™, and more.

Choosing Your Yoga

brian — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:05:03 +0000

Anusara. Ashtanga. Kripalu. Lîla. Hatha. The numerous styles of modern yoga can seem daunting to even experienced yoga students. While all styles of yoga stem from the same ancient practices developed 5,000 years ago in India, it’s good to do some research to decide which style and class level is right for you before jumping in to a class. If the class is described as beginning, intermediate, or advanced, it’s still best to find out the teacher’s background, for every teacher is different. I know more than one student who dropped into a yoga class, saw people twisting their bodies in ways that seemed unimaginable, and slinked out, returning only many years later when they realized yoga is not about being a Gumby, but rather about getting to know your body as it is and gradually gaining strength and flexibility both in class and in daily life.

If you’re young and physically fit, more vigorous styles like Bikram, Asthanga, and Power Yoga will better suite your higher energy. If you’re dealing with an injury or chronic illness or are in your later years, restorative classes or yoga therapy might be more appropriate. Yoga classes specifically for depression and anxiety have been developed by such renowned teachers as Amy Weintraub and Bo Forbes, and some styles, such as Kripalu and Anusara, were developed for transformation and spiritual awakening. If you’re a stickler for detail, Iyengar Yoga might appeal to you. You’ll find that all styles incorporate hatha yoga, or the physical poses we’re most familiar with, along with varying amounts of pranayama (breathing techniques), shavasana (relaxation) meditation, and perhaps yantra (symbols) and mantra (hand gestures).

The following is a brief description of a few yoga styles. When choosing a class, try to sample a few styles—and teachers—then settle into the one that feels right to you. As you grow and change, you might decide that another style would be more appropriate. Always listen to your body first, and never strain or struggle in a yoga class.

Anusara Yoga is an integrated approach which blends precise physical biomechanics and spiritual elements. It is both physically transformative and therapeutically effective. This upbeat practice creates an attitude of opening to grace, integrates awareness of the entire body, and involves practicing postures as an artistic expression of the heart.

Ashtanga Yoga is a fast-paced demanding practice involving a progressive series of postures synchronized with the breath. Designed to produce intense internal heat and profuse, purifying sweat, this practice detoxifies muscles and organs, and is great for building strength and flexibility.

Kripalu Yoga uses classical hatha yoga postures and breathing techniques to help students enter a state of “meditation in motion.” The practice includes three stages: postural alignment and breath; longer posture holding and meditation; and spontaneous posture flows. This practice serves as a catalyst for physical healing, psychological and emotional development, and spiritual awakening.

Integrative Yoga Therapeutics™ combines the classical elements of yoga—therapeutic vinyasa, restorative yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises—with the latest advances in mind-body medicine to address issues such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic pain disorders, fertility, and more.

Lîla Yoga™, known as a “philosophy in motion,” combines creative sequencing of postures (vinyasas) and complimentary yoga postures (asanas) into powerful patterns of movement to warm the body, focus the mind, and awaken a deeper sense of presence. The practice focuses on the power of the mind, energy patterns, trusting the intuitive, and living with more agility and grace.

Lori Batcheller is Shambhala Mountain Center’s senior editor. A certified 500-hour Kripalu Yoga instructor, she teaches yoga classes in Boulder, Colorado, and Introduction to Kripalu Yoga at Shambhala Mountain Center.

Yoga’s Beauty? Ultimate Acceptance.

brian — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:22:00 +0000

While sitting in a yoga class, you’ll notice that there is a variety of body shapes around you. Sure, there is the slender, tall and lean person to your right. Then to your left is a woman with ample hips and thighs, and behind you is a man who is over six feet tall with long legs and a strong back. It’s then that you realize the most beautiful aspect of yoga – its acceptance of all body types.

With a variety of body types, we move through our poses differently from each other. Some of us get assistance from blocks or straps, while others bend ever so slightly rather than folding completely over. But, as you work through class you learn that each personal style can be correct based on what is comfortable for each individual body type. In fact, yoga happens when we practice asana with sthira-sukha, or steadiness and comfort, making for no perfect way any of the yoga postures “should” look.

How one looks, how one moves, one’s lifestyle, health, or how one performs the asanas has little to do with the true practice of yoga. Yoga is the process of learning to be aware of self and others, finding an authentic, natural way to move your body. Yoga is balance and flexibility; yoga is breath; yoga is connecting the breath to the movement; yoga is living in the present moment with mindfulness; yoga is increasing the flow of energy; yoga is stilling the myriad fluctuations of the mind and ultimately achieving bliss.

The beauty of yoga is that it accepts the physically fit, physically unfit, short, tall, fat, thin, flexible and inflexible. You’ll never hear a yoga instructor mention an ideal type of yoga practitioner, simply because it does not exist. No ideal shape, size, age or heath status will dictate who should or shouldn’t practice yoga. It doesn’t matter what you believe, what you have, or where you come from. Yoga in its purest state is an invitation to celebrate your own unique experience.

Experience one of the many yoga class and yoga retreat options at Shambhala Mountain Center. We offer instruction for all levels in our pristine and natural setting. Contact us today to learn more.