Yoga Poses Blog

Jul 27, oregon yoga retreats

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:43:36 GMT

oregon yoga retreats with Anusara - inspired yoga teacher Alison Alstrom

Jul 21, The Practice

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:26:30 GMT

Next gathering Sunday August 1st in NE Pdx - Come work hard and Play!

May 21, Noah Maze in Portland

Fri, 21 May 2010 19:41:18 GMT

Noah Maze, Certified Anusara Yoga teacher, will be visiting Portland May 21 2010

Apr 22, Douglas Brooks in Portland

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:32:14 GMT

Douglas Brooks in Portland, April, 2010

Feb 12, Om Namah Shivaya

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:49:07 GMT

a repost in honor of the mahashivarati holiday 2/12/10 A couple of weeks ago, in my classes, I spent several days exploring the cultivation of faith as a practice. It's one of the most life transforming gifts of yoga - the understanding that the experience of faith can not only be chosen and pursued, but actually practiced in the body. continue reading

Jan 6, Anusara Yoga-related Stuff in Portland

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:43:13 GMT

A list of Anusara and Anusara related events in Portland, including Douglas Brooks in April, Noah Maze in May, and more

Dec 20, A Pose for the Winter Solstice

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:03:01 GMT

Have you ever noticed the place between your breaths? At the very end of your inhale, or when you're just about to breathe in again, there is a moment, maybe an infinitesimal one, of stillness. In the layered and reflective manner of all things, this moment is reflected in pulsing breath of the universe as we move though the seasons. The winter solstice time is here, and the western hemisphere will now begin its movement toward longer days and warmer weather, and a more outward inclination on the part of the plants, the animals, and the humans that live here. If nature draws inward in the fall and winter months, and extends out again in the spring, then the solstices are the focal points. They are midpoints, or mudhyas, of the season. When reflecting on this movement in my personal practice, I feel closest to solstice-ness in Downward facing dog. Think of the way we pause there, just for a breath or two, between the dynamic energies and sometimes opposing directions of the other asanas. In a flow based practice centered around the sun salute, down dog becomes a sort of matrix - a hub from which and into which so many other poses flow. It, too, becomes a midpoint, a mudyha. The energetic focal point in down dog (the mudyha of the mudyha), is the heart, and it is here, at the heart, that we land on the date of winter solstice. Winter solstice, and the myriad cultural celebrations that have grown up around it, is the heart, the hearth, of the year. I imagine it as a connecting place, between the muscular actions of the cooler seasons - drawing us inward to behold the divine as she resides within, and the organic extension that is prevalent in the spring and summer months - the reaching out across the web of consciousness to celebrate the divine as she is reflected in all of the many forms around us. I'm not sure whether the many ritual festivities of winter are meant to celebrate the fact that we are once again moving toward light, or to show us the light, the tejas, that can be found in the darkness itself. Either way, from my heart I bow to the light within all of you. om (2009 winter solstice is at December 21 at 17:49 universal time, which is 9:49am pacific standard time. This post was adapted from an earlier post. May your holidays and every days be blessed)

Oct 31, Playing dress-up with the Goddess Shakti

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:40:14 GMT

Halloween is one of my favorite yoga holidays. In my early yoga practice, when my teacher showed up to class in a witch's costume on October 31st... continue reading

Sep 22, Balance Grows - Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:11 GMT

Today, September 22nd, marks the official first day of Fall in the western hemisphere, and a kind of mid-point in the global pulsation of the seasons. Equinox means "equal night," and refers to the fact that twice a year, once in fall and once in spring, the day and the night are of equal length. This happens because of the earth's position in relation to the sun - as it spins on its axis at equinox time, there is no torque - there is balance. It is remarkable to consider the brilliance and complexity of a universe in constant motion, evolving and dissolving, shifting, changing, growing, morphing, pulsing. And strangely, it is at these moments of harmony - at the equinoxes, and also at the solstices (where the day and night are at their most unequal) that the energy of this motion is most evident to us. Balance grows. Try it for yourself - strike a pose today, a simple, still point pose, like tree or mountain, and practice the principles of effort and surrender with exquisite focus. Or, do your entire practice with the same approach. See if you can find the places where the energy inside you builds amidst the stillness, or the equanimity of your action.

Sep 6, An Oldie But a Goodie...

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:12:58 GMT

Strengthen - Developing Self Awareness Conversations about developing self awareness are usually focused on non physical aspects of the self - the mind, the emotions, the personality, and so on. But many people, myself included, have accessed profound revelations of self awareness through the body. The body is the self, too. In tantric philosophy, the body is perceived like all things in the universe - as a manifestation of divine intelligence. Like a memory, a sound, a drop of water or a mountain, the body is understood to be pure consciousness vibrating at the exact right frequency to elicit its specific density, and to create its individual form and fabric. Seen in this way, it's clear that our muscles are no less our true selves than our deepest dreams and desires. Embodiment is a gift. Developing self awareness is one way we show appreciation for that gift. continue reading

Aug 21, Cobra Pose

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:50:49 GMT

On Vulnerability, Courage and Self-Creation

Jul 24, From The Archive

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:19:15 GMT

This seems pertinent today. How valuable to look back and learn from your own words... I hope others can also find it useful. Sep 18, 2008, Deep Forward Bends And psoas stretches. That's what I'm doing today. In their public lives, they are uttanasana, pigeon, anjeneyasana, uphavista konasana, hanumanasana. In their secret lives they are reconnecting with self, with deep inner self, after so much crazy outward facing activity in connection to the workshop, the wedding, etc.. Outward-Facing Me pose followed by Inward-Facing Me pose. Naturally. The muscles of the deep inner hips can be the first to contract under stress. Emotions are held in our hips, they say, but I also think of the inner hip muscles, especially psoaz, as the freakout muscles. For me, when there's a lot going on, even if it's a lot good, the freakout muscles contract. The groins themselves get tight, pulling the thighs forward and narrowing first the pelvic floor, and then the lower back. This will inhibit the apana, or grounding energy, and you get that feeling of being all wound up, or pulled up. Did you ever hear the expression, "Don't get your panties in a bunch?" The thing about living in the universe is that we can't control it. And anything unexpected, so anything, can be stressful. In response to this stress we usually either contract, or freak out, or we totally let go, disengage, space out, lose touch. I don't know a lot about Ayurvedic medicine, but I believe this is known as a vata imbalance. Vata is the most unstable of the energies, in that it will be the first to go out of balance when anything changes - your location, as in traveling, or the weather, the seasons, your schedule, circumstances, anything. That's why in the yoga practice we always go back to the bow. Humbly bowing before what we can't control is the medicine for feeling out of sorts with the universe, the feeling that comes from too much trying to manage the unmanageable. As embodied beings, we instinctively want to do, to create, to shape our lives. And this is as it should be. But it is good to know when enough is enough. In my forward bends today I make the intention to give the reins back to nature, bowing to the place within me where the universe dwells. And when it's time, she'll no doubt hand them back to me, in keeping with the pulsation of all things. But I hope it's not right away, 'cause I could kinda use a break...

May 30, Happy Birthday Teacher, Friend

Sat, 30 May 2009 14:37:40 GMT

Today marks the 50th birthday of Anusara Yoga's founder, Mr. John Friend. All over the Global Anusara Community there will be 50 Sun Salutes, and poses held for 50 breaths, and 50 repetitions of the om Namah Sivaya Mantra. And 50 times as much gratitude, dissolving into giddy laughter 50 times as often. Why not join in? At a class, in your home practice, let's honor this great teacher who has uplifted the hearts changed the lives of so many. We'll be celebrating at The Practice tomorrow at CMC in Portland. Join us?

Apr 24, New Moon Again

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:07:32 GMT

It waxes, it gets full, it wanes, and is new again. What a beautiful expression of the eternal pulsation of the universe our moon is. When the moon is new we begin a phase of building. So much of building is in the thoughts we think and reactions we have to our everyday lives. Do you want the glass half full? Cultivate that attitude with particular attentiveness now. You can also make specific intentions during the new moon times around qualities and circumstances you want to bring into your life. It's a good time for strengthening poses - long holds in the warriors and simple one legged balances. Use your breath to infuse your very cells with your intentions, constructing your future self by your own design. Go slowly and with care, as buildings that lack a solid foundation are liable to fall. My apologies for the typos and grammatical errors in the last post. I was tired. They have been corrected, at least I hope so. Please feel free to point those out to me at any time. Or - send me your thoughts on yoga to post here yourself, or your questions to be answered. Go to the ask/tell page and have at it. For more on moon based astrology, I like Carol Barbeau's website, Illuminations.

Apr 21, How is Practicing Mandalasana Like Doing Your Taxes?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:13:06 GMT

The first thing you'll probably want to know is "what is Mandalasana?" To clarify, I've added a link to a video of Chrisandra Fox doing the pose at the bottom of this post. Well. I am sorry to have been away so long, but I have been working hard, and formulating new frontiers for the Website project. I have also been, yes, doing taxes, and enjoying the beautiful spring we're having here in Portland. As to my question about mandalasana and taxes? I posed it to some friends, and together we came up with this: when doing both mandalasana and your taxes, You start by bowing in respect to something that connects all of us. Then, you stay grounded, and keep your head on straight even when the world feels like it's spinning. You stay open to possibility and pour your heart into your endeavor. Then, if everything lines up just right, you get a big return! I would like to invite you to share your thoughts on yoga here at any time. The website project is on its way to becoming more of a collective enterprise, and less of my solitary one. It will take some doing, so have patience, or become a contributor! Go to the page that says ask, tell. And here is that link I promised

Mar 27, Savasana in Practice

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:54:44 GMT

A few months ago I wrote a post about savasana (also called corpse pose), inspired by a reader who had searched the internet using the term "yoga earth rain pose" and found their way here. This morning I added to that page some additional information about the benifits of savasana, what it is, and how to practice it. This link should take you to the new stuff. Savor the deliciousness.

Mar 20, Happy Spring -

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:26:12 GMT

Please take at least a moment today to wonder at the magnificent balancing act that is mother nature. We are what we appreciate. You might think of the equinox as a midline - or midpoint - the space between the breaths, where becoming and dissolving meet, and pause to notice one another, and for a moment there is stillness. New to the website project are some words I wove together on living (happily) with shoulders for the Concordia News. A sort of intro to Living in the Human Body 101. Maybe you can share it with a friend. Blessings

Mar 12, More on Mantra

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:28:48 GMT

inspired by so much sweet response to the last post - some more words on mantra medition, including a bit on what it is, how I use it, and how you might, too. - Alison ... Simply put, mantra meditation, also known as japa meditation, or simply ajapa, is the use of a word or phrase repeated over and over to oneself as a dharana - a focal point for the meditation practice. Japa meditation is usually done out loud, though in a very quiet voice, almost a whisper, and mantra meditation, or ajapa japa, is done silently. This is an ancient practice, and its mastery is probably far beyond my grasp. And yet, anyone can meditate. I've been doing it all my life. And I find that conscious repetition of meaningful sound can bring tremendous peace and insight. continue reading

Mar 9, Om Namah Shivaya

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:04:01 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, in my classes, I spent several days exploring the cultivation of faith as a practice. It's one of the most life transforming gifts of yoga - the understanding that the experience of faith can not only be chosen and pursued, but actually practiced in the body. We learn actions in the yoga poses that build spaciousness right into our physical structures, and we cultivate awareness of the breath moving within that spaciousness, and what we see is a reliable, consistent pattern - there is emptiness, and then there is fullness. It is simply so. Dark is followed by light, fear by comfort, over and over again. We learn to rest in knowing that this rhythm doesn't cease, even when the poses are challenging. Then we have this knowing to return to when challenges come up in our life off the mat. It's a powerful skill to have. So I had been talking about this cultivation of faith, and about developing the skill to trust that life is moving along as it should even when it hurts or seems all wrong. And then, with stunning timing I received news of a tragedy that has taken the life of a bright and beautiful young woman who was my student and friend. She had sent me some beautiful emails about her experiences in my yoga classes and workshops - insightful, intelligent, provocative. And I was writing to ask her if she would be interested in collaborating with me on some kind of writing project. When my email was returned I did a search, and uncovered the shocking news. I will tell you that it stopped me in my tracks. It unraveled me, turning every incidental task of my day into an overwhelming obstacle. I couldn't write about it. I could hardly practice. But I did, practice. And I taught, too, and eventually, it helped. continue reading

Feb 27, Inner Spiral, Outer Spiral

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:42:17 GMT

Inner and outer spiral are the third and fourth principles of Anusara Yoga, which is the method I practice. There are five in all, called the Universal Principles of Alignment, and not surprisingly, they can be applied to every pose we practice on the mat, and also to the myriad identities of the poses that show up in our day to day lives. The two spirals are currents of energy, and also actions that we perform to line up with, or affirm those currents of energy. They are always meant to be performed in balance, but as the universe is nothing but pulsation, one or the other often will appear dominant, or require more focus and attention at a given time. In relation to the website project, I have been facing largely inward these past couple of weeks, taking in learning and information from the events and energies, and rhythms and happenings of my days. In the spirit of balance, here is an offering in the form of question from a student about the action we call outer spiral, written last May, followed by my response to her. namaste, Alison

Feb 11, Happy Hanuman Day

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:39:17 GMT

Or at least that's how I've decided to think of it. Today is the 11th, and eleven is the number associated with Hanuman. And it's Wednesday, which may or may not be officially associated with Hanuman, but has been referenced in connection to Hanuman, in the sense that Hanuman shares traits with Mercury, and Wednesday is the Day associated with Mercury. Hanuman is also called Anjeneya, or son of Anjena, and in addition to hanumanasana (the yoga splits), anjeneyasana is the pose to practice to celebrate the strength of humility that Hanuman exemplifies. Read about the pose dedicated to Anjeneya, Read about the Hanuman and Mercury in a previous post

Feb 8, The Full moon, Yoga for Beginners, and Desiree Rumbaugh in Portland

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:16:38 GMT

Happy full moon eve. As the moon reaches the place in our sky where it can be fully illuminated by the sun, we can all use a reminder to take a good look at the fullness of our lives. This moon phase can help us perceive things with a broader perspective, and to prepare for the cycle of releasing that will follow as the moon wanes back toward new. What in your life are you ready to let go of? What thought patterns, habitual actions in your body and life need shedding to make way for what's to come? Asana and all physical activities should be practiced with with little extra mindfulness today and tomorrow, as the full moon raises the dynamic energy of change and also the possiblitlty for accident and injury. Practice with your mind on poorna, or fullness, the perfection of the moment as it is, to help keep your striving in check. I have been working on a page for beginner yogis, which is timely, because full moons are a the perfect time for all of us to walk though our lives as if we are seeing everything for the first time. This heightens awareness, and intentionality. And really, it's never a bad idea to review. For Portlanders and Anusra Yoga enthusiasts, I have also prepared an online registration form for Desiree Rumbaugh's upcoming visit on the weekend of April 24th and 25th. Enjoy. Yoga Poses For Beginners Desiree Rumbaugh in Portland Mindfulness Practice

Feb 1, A Gentle Awakening

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:23:45 GMT

Just sos you know, this email came with permission to be reprinted. Without such permission I always address questions privately, or here in the blog, but in an anonymous way. "I am personally in love with waking up the spine to Cat/Cow. I know the core needs to stay active in dropping the heart, but without ex-injury in the neck or back, is it safe to go as far as curling the head back to meet the tail way above the heart? How do I watch for over stretching? enjoying ur blog, many thanks, jeremy" Jeremy, Thank you for writing. It's exciting for me to engage with other lovers of yoga this way. As for your practice of cat cow, I can't give you advice per se, as I have no way of seeing you, or your pose. For help finding guidance that is tailored to your specific needs, here is a link to a listing of Anusara and Anusara-inspired teachers worldwide. I can offer some thoughts, though. I would say it's pretty clear from your letter that you have a very flexible spine, and the first concern I would have is, in fact, the over stretching that you mentioned. I did a little research on the subject of hypermobility, and put down my thoughts on a dedicated page, here. I am encouraged that you mentioned in your letter the need to maintain engagement in the core. But, as a person who tended very much in the direction of over flexibility in my early practice, I can assure you that for we bendy types, enough engagement is almost always more than we think. Even more confusing is the strange phenomenon that causes hypermobile types to feel a constant longing to stretch. When people are very stiff, and begin a yoga practice, they often have powerful revelatory experiences - revisiting and releasing past experiences and the emotions associated with them, as their muscles begin to let go. It is commonly believed that bodies tighten and restrict movement in response to the stresses and pain and suffering that come with human life. It is my opinion that many naturally stretchy people hold emotions and experiences by moving around and away from them. In other words, I think natural mobility can be another way that the body, guided by the instinctive but primitive intelligence of the fight or flight response, protects us from difficult experiences and emotions, but also from our own growth and ultimate wholeness. I have had powerful experiences of revisiting and releasing old baggage by learning to engage, and to be present with my body in the here and now. Maybe going deeper, hugging in more, and finding the true center, will finally provide the awakening that you are looking for? namaste, P.S For more on hugging in, you might want to check out this page, too.

Jan 27, The Focal Point in Bridge Pose

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:59:26 GMT

For those of you that were wondering about the focal point in bridge pose (five in one day, wow), it's the palate. And also, here is the dictionary definition for the word "palimpsest." palimpsest |ˈpalimpˌsest| noun a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain. figurative something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form. Some words are poems all by themselves. a

Jan 26, Beginner's Mind

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:41:22 GMT

So here I am again, sitting before a window, looking out over a Portland that is covered in snow. I feel none of the anxiety I felt last time it snowed. I now have a positive reference point for the experience of life's snow-i-ness. We survived it. It was beautiful, and even fun. I have been reflecting on the concept of beginner's mind. The moon is once again "new," and this recent letting go period of the moon's waning phase has been a particularly powerful one - for the cosmos, for us here on planet earth, and for me personally. In full moon times we are asked to release things we no longer need in our lives, to shed outmoded thought patterns, and ways of being that don't serve us anymore. That influence, together with mercury moving backwards (which directs us inward and toward the past) in Aquarius (which encourages us to think and act in new ways) has delivered me today to a rather profound sense of renewal and freedom. The phrase, "Beginners Mind," is usually meant to invoke a state of being where we hold no preconceived ideas about whatever it is we are experiencing, a state of freedom from our projections. With a beginner's mind, we would be able to receive each moment with absolute curiosity and openness. Like a very young child. And honestly, I wonder if that's even possible. I don't mean that in a cynical way. In a sense, we are essentially recycled beings - made from the stuff of our pasts. I imagine every moment as a layer upon all the layers that came before - to use a favorite word of mine, a palimpsest. That is not even to mention what we bring with us from lives spent as other bodies, and the uncountable snapshots contained within the memory files of our energetic bodies, or cell memories, or soul memories. I don't have the answers, of course. But this path I'm on has led me toward a sense or more rather than less. To embrace the all of the universe, or multiverse, we must also embrace the all of ourselves. It isn't necessary to erase the lines of all previous experience, or even helpful. The word renewal is itself a sort of oxymoron. New is new. New again is not really new at all. But we can experience the moreness of mind. Like graduating to a new level, it happens when our perception of some fundamental reality - the confines of the universe, the complexities of the relationships within it, or the parameters of our own possibilities - expands. We call it a breakthrough - the experience that what we previously understood to be "it" was just a small part of "it." Or of "I." We can practice it with yoga. Even by just watching the breath. Feel yourself expand. Taste the flavor of it. Absorb the sensations of becoming. Moreness mind. It will shift you.

Jan 25, So Far So Far

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:56:09 GMT

Hello Yogi People. I have been slow to post to the blog the last few weeks, but not because it hasn't been on my mind. It's more that there is so much I want to offer. There are a couple of new pages, written mostly for organization's sake - re ordering and re structuring while mercury is retrograde - and I have been spending quite a lot of time working out the details for bringing other voices to the conversation in a formal way. Im very excited about that, and I'll keep you posted. In the meantime I'll share with you what I have been working on. They are drafts, which is to say they are not quite as fully fleshed out as they will be, but here they are. More stretches for the deep hips and a site map and complete pose list, with a little history thrown in

Jan 19, Mountain Pose - Hugging In

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:50:28 GMT

Mountain pose, or tadasana, teaches steadfastness amidst the glorious diversity of the universe.

Jan 11, Yoga Earth Rain Pose

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:05:49 GMT

It sounds like a poem, doesn't it? Someone, somewhere, in the last few days ... continue reading

Jan 3, Like Adi Shesha as the Couch

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:25:04 GMT

Tonight Sun salutes - Backing off, filling up, letting go. We get strong, so we can let it go. What hangs in the balance? Everything. Life. You have to play the edge. The edge of balance. In the standing poses - breathe, soften. We've worked so hard. Lets see if you can accept the benefit of your labor, your struggles, your sacrifice. Can you fill your heart up, and your chest, can you really inflate, past your previous capacity for fullness, and then can you let that be? Just let yourself be great, be huge, be substantial, be significant. Can you do it? Soften around your own magnificence. And will it make you cry? It might. At the edge of balance, power and weakness are the same. At the razor's edge, to love yourself is to be so humble, you can't help but lay your body down and become the earth. And other beings will walk over you. And they'll lay down on you, and you'll be like Adi Shesha, as Vishnu's couch. comment

Jan 2, 108 Sun Salutes - Divine in 2009

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:20:49 GMT

On New Year's resolutions, self honoring, living in balance, neck pain, and 108 yoga sun salutations. click for full blog post

Dec 29, Your Thoughts, and a Truly Inspiring Video

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:43:12 GMT

So it may seem that I have abandoned this writing venture, but actually I have been busily toiling away as usual, only to questionable effect. In fact it may be to effect at all. I ultimately might decide to let go of the story I have been trying to compose ever since the first day of snow in Portland, which was, I believe, December 14th. I haven't abandoned it yet, but If it keeps eluding me, I might have to accept that the story just doesn't want to get written, and move on. I'm just saying. In the meantime I've moved a couple of things around on the sight, and this process will probably continue as I collect myself in preparation for the new year. In particular, I added a button to the home page that links to the comment form. I did this because I want you all to know that I mean it when I invite you to share your thoughts. Finding the lessons of yoga, or of any spiritual practice, reflected in daily life is universal. I'm sure you have a story, or perhaps a question, and I'd love to hear it. If it's o.k. with you, I'll post it, too. For Portlanders, or for people visiting Portland, I added a page with my studio calendar embedded. The calendar is kept up to date with class subs, special events, and so on. You can get to it from the Portland page, or by clicking here. And now, for your viewing pleasure, here is a truly inspiring video of Darren Rhodes practicing yoga. It's not entirely unlike the crane video. There is a way in which we learn certain ephemeral, un-voice-able details about the freedoms we aspire to reach by watching those to whom it comes so naturally. I hope you enjoy it. comment
Tanutara: Making of the Anusara Syllabus Poster from Ross Evans on Vimeo.

Dec 24, Some Much Needed Clean Up, and the Christmas Truce

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:29:50 GMT

Today is my birthday, and for my present I received a newly cleaned out by my loving husband dedicated space to write and practice in. Divine. I spent the morning happily in it, cleaning up little around the website, and did some much needed improvements on a past post that I wrote in answer to a student's query on yoga and endurance. You can read it here . I was going to post about my birthday, and the rituals that I have developed around it over the years, but now it is time to live those, so instead I will leave you with a link each to a two articles on the Christmas Truce, an event whose description will surely move you. One is at wikipedia, and one is at firstworldwar.com. Peace on Earth

Dec 22, Happy Winter Solstice

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:37:32 GMT

Today is the winter Solstice, the midpoint, or mudhya, between winter and spring...If nature draws inward in the fall and winter months, and extends out again in the spring, then the solstices are the focal points. read more

Dec 12, Bridge Pose Over Troubled Waters

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:35:34 GMT

So I think I might need to keep a Gratitude Diary. I recently posted a piece on the power of intentional gratitude, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. But I might need to prescribe myself a stronger medicine than the occasional gratitude booster shot. read more

Dec 8, Timed Standing Poses

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:13:45 GMT

First a word about the video I posted yesterday - did you watch it? I tried out a few different introductory sentences before posting, but none served the piece so well, to my mind, as the element of surprise achieved by no introduction at all. I stumbled upon it completely by accident, and I felt it offered more on the subject of freedom than any amount of my words ever could. My classes this week have been focused on on the subject of practicing expansion. I put my neck out while taking my exam. After a few days of suffering from limited movement and all around agitation, I sought help from the chiropractor I work with and received a wonderful and freeing adjustment. Then a day or two later, as is common with chiropractic care, my neck went right back out again. This process of being brought into alignment by a capable doctor, feeling immensely freed by it, and then watching my body shrink right back toward bound again has made me very contemplative about the value of readying ourselves for growth, of buoying our capacity to accept an expansive experience when life chooses to offer one. The readership of this blog has also doubled this month, which provoked in me an instant case of writers block. Do you see the parallel here? Practicing yoga is good for flexibility and strength, but even more than that, practicing yoga deepens our understanding of, and our relationship with, the patterns of nature within us. It can make us more willing to accept the twists and turns of life without struggle, more patient with the obstacles we run across. Perhaps most exciting is the way that hatha yoga, with it's attentiveness to awareness in movement and breath, serves to familiarize us with the experience of expanding itself. Potentially, this familiarity can help us to receive our own growth, when it comes, with greater poise. In order to maintain equalibrium while I watch body and my words assume a broader scope, I have modified my practices of asana and website writing to one of steady attention to the basics. In the website - reordering pages for better navigability (let me know if you have trouble finding anything), and preparing supporting pages like a site map and a privacy policy (yawn). In the body - standing poses. Yep, in honor of maintaining the feeling of fullness that comes with a happy cervical spine, my yoga practice this week consists of steady and careful lunges, warriors, parsvakonasana - the basics. No going upside down, no getting twisted up or digging deep for me until I feel fully comfortable with my new and expanded relationship with the perfection that is my essence. If you haven't yet, take a moment for that video, now. blessings, and namaste, Alison comment

Dec 8, Blue Crane Pose

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:05:16 GMT

Learn To Fly from Christian Letruria on Vimeo.

Dec 2, Mindfulness Activities

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:27:21 GMT

Mindfulness activities are simple meditations on the life you're already living.

Nov 27, Gratitude Lessons from the November New Moon

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:05:31 GMT

Gratitude lessons from this Thanksgiving morning: I am sitting on the unfinished wooden floor of a tiny room...

Nov 20, On California's Proposition 8

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:22:42 GMT

I wrote an essay concerning California's propositon 8 on Saturday morning in a rush of deep feeling. I know, I should have been working on my exam, however... Love is important. It's what were made of. You can read it at jointheimpact.com

Nov 19, P.S.

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:16:41 GMT

A post Script to the last post - Here is a beautiful photo of Desiree Rumbaugh, a beloved friend and teacher, in the full pose (urdhva prasarita ekapadasana). Third image down. If you want to try it yourself, here is a link to some very basic instructions - not great, but all I could find. Understand, this is not a beginner pose. I would modify the instructions by adding that both hands on the floor (rather than holding your ankle, as shown) is helpful for all but the most accomplished of yogis for balance and support, and that hands on blocks, or a on low table or the seat of a chair, is more reasonable for most humans. Also, that the leg will go much less high than in either photo the first several (several hundred, several thousand) times you do the pose. That's not the point. Just try to lift that guy up. It's not easy to blossom like a flower. comment

Nov 19, Expanding Like a Flower

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:19:48 GMT

Begin - day eight of this ten day odyssey that is the Anusara Certification Exam. For those of you that don't know, Anusara Certification is not your average yoga teacher credential. It requires hundreds, which usually runs into thousands, of hours of study, and a rather grueling testing process that is of two parts. Part one is the 10 day written exam that I am in the midst of now. Don't get me wrong, it's not unpleasant. In fact I've been feeling a kind of giddy happiness since I began it - being forced to hunker down with my beloved studies is a luxury. What makes it grueling is what's at stake. I am writing for my teachers eyes. And editing, and re-writing, and re-wording and re-stating and fact checking, until I have a twitch beneath one of mine. It is a powerful and sometimes excruciating experience to have the best of your self pulled out of you, kicking and screaming like a newborn baby. And that's not the only part of this process that is reminiscent of birth. The very length of the ordeal makes it a test not in the "quiz" sense, but a test in the sense of "to test your mettle." I'm being asked to show, if maybe only to myself, what it is I'm made of. When something matters to us, we learn to what degree we are actually capable of expanding. Expanding, really pushing out beyond our previously accepted limitations, is hard. It's just hard, to widen and broaden yourself from within, to actually change the shape of your identity with nothing more than your own determination. And yet it's what nature does, it's what all forms of life do. Think of a tulip or a daffodil. Think of a two year old becoming a three year old, and then a five year old, and then a college professor or a mailman. The pose of the week is urdhva prasarita eka padasana - the standing splits. How do get your way foot up there in the sky? You soften, dig deep, and push. Think of me, and wish me luck. Alison comment

Nov 13, Paying Attention as Yoga, continued

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:07:24 GMT

Inhale, the cool rich scent of rain and earth, and decomposing foliage... exhale, gratitude. Inhale, sunshine and blue sky in a week of darkness and downpour... exhale, what a profound blessing to have eyes that see. Inhale, the sound of a neighbor talking to his toddler son, another one playing guitar on the front porch, a plane taking off in the north... exhale, and also to have ears that hear. Inhale, my tired body, all the work I have still to do before this day is over... exhale, surrender. An unbelievably beautiful day in Portland today.

Nov 11, Nov 11, 2008, when you said "within and without..."

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:25:41 GMT

A student from my Sunday class wrote this question (and I paraphrase): ...when you said, "within and without," did you mean going inside and being with all other sentient beings? Well, yes. So... what I write about here often spurs the themes I explore in my weekly asana classes. I say "spurs" the themes because of the way each foray into a particular notion or idea takes us more deeply into its center, and thus reveals infinite possible paths or threads to follow. Among its many meanings, spur means "a thing that projects or branches off from a main body," and, to " cause or promote the development of; stimulate."* Likewise, a foray into your own individual experience, or being, or truth, will reveal many versions of yourself and many possible threads, or branches to pursue. What I meant when I spoke of "within" and "without" was the journey of self knowledge that takes us down each path and back again to the core. In yoga asana we practice awareness of that journey in the context the body - drawing in from the disparate branches of our fingers and toes to the core body and extending back again, to root into the feet, to reach the heart upwards, etc. This practice then hones our abilities to recognize and retrace the less concrete branches of our selves; our thoughts and feelings, our relationships and choices, the events and opportunities we attract into our lives. The scriptures of this beautiful lineage, itself a branch of the greater lineage of yoga, tell us that each of us is but a spur of the universal intelligence, or energy, or presence known as sivasakti. We trace the exquisite map of the body and find ourselves tracing the map of our self, of the precious and uniquely individual being that we are at our essense. Only to find that this essence, too, is but a spur, a branch, or facet of something greater. Metaphor is one of the great marvels of the universe. To the perfect expression of divine intelligence who was the writer of the above query: I hope this helps. See the last two posts also. Same theme, different expressions. love alison P.S. I begin my certification exam today. Please wish me luck. comment * I got these definitions from the dictionary program that came with my mac book - Version 1.0.2 (1.0.2)

Nov 11, Playing Dress Up With the Goddess Shakti

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:14:33 GMT

I wrote this page in a coffee shop on the morning of Halloween. It appears to have gotten sucked into cyberspace and lost. So here I re-post. read about it

Nov 9, "...who looks inside awakens"

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:35:30 GMT

A storm is blowing in over Portland this morning. Dreary weather by some standards, I know, but I am always grateful when nature makes her power known - it reminds me of what I'm made of, and fills the mundane details of the day with meaning. I have stepped back from the website project lately for a number of reasons. First, I have been called to other, non cyber - based responsibilities - the studio, my classes, my garden, my health. And I continue to struggle with the why of all this hard work I am doing, all this writing, at a place in my life when I don't exactly have a surplus of free time. I have also been rather consumed with processing and absorbing the events of the election. It is beautiful to be caught up in the celebratory whirlwind. But then it takes some contemplation to find balance again. Here is a quote that was recently passed on to me by a friend - she said it was from Carl Jung - "Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens" So true. These are powerful times. What I urge you to remember, amidst all the celebration and anticipation around the leader we have chosen, is that he is but a reflection of us - as is the present administration. Of all of us. It seems that this time, we are reflecting expansion instead of contraction, the flow rather than the ebb. So do celebrate. Bask in joy if you feel it - I know I do. But try to keep one eye fixed inward, on the alignment of your own heart that brought this to pass. In the vision of tantra there is but one pulsing force - call it love, or god - expressing itself in myriad unique and individual forms, and making up what Douglas Brooks calls the "multi-verse" that we are. This is true regardless, but we make it more powerful when we become complicit with it. We awaken when we look inside ourselves because what we see there is that which we share with all beings - even beings who themselves choose not to look. Whatever our political or religious leanings - we are of one heart. And yet, it is our loving attention to our very uniqueness that guides us to that common center. We look within to awaken to our truth. To manifest that truth, to expand it into - is it possible - an external reality of liberty and justice for all, we look fearlessly and lovingly into the hearts of others, and see ourselves reflected there. comment

Oct 28, New Moon Today

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:47:57 GMT

It's intention setting time. Traditionally a time to plant seeds in the earth, new moon times are powerful for planting seeds for your own growth, development and transformation. The new moon in Scorpio (that we're having tonight) is the most powerful new moon of the year. If you'd like to read more about the new moon, astrowisdom.com is an astrology website that I find to be smart and well written. To formulate and clarify your intentions, continue your hip opening practice to go inside and connect to the deep intelligence of the core body. Open the outer hips, the inner hips, and then build strength and awareness in the belly. comment

Oct 26, Lightening Up, and Remembering the Mother

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:01:30 GMT

I went to the woods yesterday. Yesterday morning's class theme was humor, and where humor fits into yoga, and our spiritual lives. I thinks it is obvious to most of us that it does, but it's fun to talk about why. We laughed a lot, but we usually laugh a lot. My trip to the woods was pilgrimage and therapy, and also preventative medicine. I have agreed to take on three new classes, which chances are will fall on my last remaining possibilities for days off. I will still have time off, but no more days off. It will just be through the winter, and it will be fine, and the stability of the extra income, plus the restfulness of teaching somewhere where I'm not in charge, will be welcome aspects. I'll have to keep my sense of humor in good shape to maintain balance within the confines of my new schedule, and walking in the deep woods, cradled in the arms and breath of mother earth, I filled myself up. Other things I'll need are: Committed spontaneity. Disciplined incongruity. How very yogic. comment

Oct 24, How Mercury in Retrograde Manifests

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:24:12 GMT

Thoughts on Hanuman, how mercury in retrograde manifests, the tenor of the times, and (finally) an update on the practice log I promised in an earlier post.

Oct 14, The Rests Between the Notes

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:14:42 GMT

The sun is slowly coming up over my street in Portland. I am so happy to be awake, and paying attention to this beauty. Lately I have been back at it, like before I was sick, going going going, an endless day with hardly any night. The places in the middle are where the yoga is. Yoga = union, two things coming together. Seams and midlines mark the places where yoga happens. Is it so surprising that the yoga postures deal with the joints, and with the tissues that connect our many parts to one another... Paying attention to the spaces in life - how it feels to touch something, or someone (two things coming together) or how it feels to wait (two moments coming together) or how it feels to rest between the many responsibilites of our lives, is how we savor those lives. Savoring existence, and particularly the limitations, or boundaries of existence (and the seams those boundaries make) is the point. We mustn't forget the yoga for all the poses... I took yesterday off, but not entirely off. I had work to do for the studio, work around the house. It was a good start. But I am committed to taking a day off again, soon, a whole day, to walk in the woods, and pay attention to the space between summer and winter. comment

Oct 8, Expansion is Our Nature - and Our Nature is Divine

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:39:31 GMT

There seems to be a taboo against developing ability in relationship to yoga asana. As if the motivation toward self-improvement were counter to being at peace - with one's self, and with things as they are. Of course I see the point. I think this view is in part a reaction to the current trend toward de-spiritualization of the yoga practice - an approach to yoga that turns vinyasa into a type of aerobics, and another forum in which to criticize ourselves and others. I've heard there are people lobbying for "yoga" to be an olympic event - this, of course, is absurd. It would be interesting from a gymnastic standpoint, like any athletic event. But it wouldn't be yoga. I absolutely agree that striving toward externally imposed standards of accomplishment in the performance of physical feats of posture is not yoga. On the other hand, aspiring toward something is one of the most purely human, and therefore one of the most divine experiences of embodied existence. Think of it this way. We are, as the yogis tell us, nothing but a manifestation of pure spirit, or energy. Of sakti (shakti). This is the same pulsing, vibrating force that is the basic ingredient, the materia prima, of the universe. My teacher Douglas Brooks, says it this way. You are "nothing but" the universe. And she you. We know that the universe is not static, but is constantly shifting, morphing, expanding, transforming. It is supremely of your deepest nature to do the same. To desire to expand is divine. The methods that we choose in pursuing that expansion are as varied in scope and efficacy as are the embodied forms that this vibrating energy takes. In other words, choosing to build yourself, to transform or expand your abilities, is entirely in the realm of self respect, self honoring, and self love. It is how you do it that matters. And how do we do it? We line up with the rhythms of nature. Of our nature. Although I imagine there are myriad ways to do this, the way that I know is by following the principles of Anusara yoga. And so I practice. In the spirit of Kula, I am going to share the progress of my own strength recovery efforts on a designated page here. (It may take until the end of the day for the page to be up and running) namaste, Alison comment