The Yoga Positions and Their Secret LivesA Site Map
What it is, Why it got here, and How to use it
What it isThis website project is a labor of love. It has grown up naturally out of the practice of yoga that I share with my community. And, like all things that grow naturally, its path has been at times meandering and organic, at times direct and focused, at times - maybe not so much growing.You can read on about how it grows, or doesn't, below, or skip to the poses (there are actually poses). Why it Got HereI started this project because everyone kept telling me I needed a website, and I knew I should have one, as a professional person. But the very idea seemed strange and unfamiliar, and a little bit uncomfortable, having my name and schedule on the internet. Aside from being generally low tech, I have always lived a pretty private life, and been somewhat introspective in my off hours. But when someone gave me the idea that I could write my way to a website, just answer students questions, and write the stories I tell in my classes, something clicked. It felt somehow possible, even exciting. So I dove in.I've heard many people say that when they first discover Anusara Yoga® it feels like a truth they already knew, but had forgotten, and that's definitely how it was for me. I encountered this practice like you would an old, best friend - falling quickly into a kind of intimacy, such that it soon became a part of me. Like coming home. That's how it happens. Then, once you're deep in to the practice, you spend your days sifting through its rich teachings, and little treasures and insights related to those teachings begin to trickle like water from your fingertips into everything you touch. And so it is here. The first three sections of the sight are meant to loosely invoke the Universal Principles of Alignment™: 
Soften, strengthen, stretch - You see how it goes. I chose the name, the Secret Lives of Yoga Poses, because I have often joked with friends and students about how life situations resemble the work we do on the yoga mat.
How to Use ItThe website is divided up into sections, delineated by the buttons on the left. You can think of these sections as rooms in a house, with a conversation going on in each room. Like at a party.When you click on the buttons, and enter the rooms, there will be some writing, which is like the conversation in that room. There will be text links and picture links embedded there (I know, I know, I need more pictures), and those text and picture links are like doorways to other, smaller rooms, with conversations going on in them that are related to the conversations in the bigger rooms. Some of those smaller rooms can be entered from more than one larger room - in fact all of the rooms have many doorways leading in and leading out. It's like a beehive, sort of, with the homepage in the center. Some of the text and picture links take you to instructions for performing poses. Please understand, however: I don't recommend that people learn yoga positions, from a website. It's probably not possible, and could be unsafe. These should only be used to inspire you to find a class, or supplement the class you're already taking. Other links lead you information about aspects of the practice, like how we use the feet, or why it matters to engage your muscles, or ways to cultivate mindfulness off the mat. Others take you to past blog posts that describe a pose or and aspect of the practice as it showed up in my daily life. So there is an order, though it may appear to be a random one. Because all things are ultimately connected. It's like one of the twisted up yoga positions, maybe like bound twisted triangle... Site Mapsoften strengthen stretch Portland blog archive Poses SoftenThis section discusses some of the many ways in which he practice of yoga poses, and related practices of meditation, intentionality, and so on, can soften the edges of our perceived separateness, setting the stage for fullness and freedom. (Check back for a page or two on poses for meditation, and some restorative yoga positions.)The main page is about meditation and is called Meditation Techniques - Softening in Order to Awaken Meditation Exercises - Making the Inner Body Bright Some instructions for simple meditation exercises. Mindfulness Activities Some instructions for beginning a simple mindfulness practice Gratitude Lessons This was a bog post, but has particular ongoing value Gratitude Diary Same with this one Meditation and the Principles A little about how I apply the Universal Principles of Alignment™ to my meditation practice Savasana and Adhikara An article about the intrinsic value of practicing deep rest. StrengthenThis is a favorite section of mine because it deals with the part of the yoga practice that has been most eye opening and most earth shaking and most empowering to me - the way that strengthening the body is connected to strengthening our connection to spirit, and to a deeper experience of ourselves.There are articles about the meaning of strength, inner and outer, and instructions for yoga positions that build it. Developing Self Awareness in the Yoga Practice is about how the body is also an aspect of the Self. Muscular Endurance Exercises More on the relationship of body and soul, and some directions for working the arms in your standing poses. Foot Help A must know for any practice of yoga positions. Mountain Pose The fundamental yoga pose, and its secret life as, well, a mountain. Knee Strength Exercise Warrior Two, and its secret life as a proclamation of valiant self love. Core Strength Exercises And how they function to deepen our alignment with truth. StretchStretching, yum. The gravy of the yoga practice. This section discusses physical stretching, as in how we should go about lengthening our muscles for an increased sense of well being, and also the broader implications of the practice of intentional expansion - the secret life of the yoga stretch.There are also some stretchy yoga positions described in some detail. The main page is titled Yoga Stretches. Hypermobility Syndrome is a discussion of the possible pitfalls of over stretching without a proper understanding of how to protect your joints by hugging in. Urdvha Hastasana Reach for the sky and free your heart. Cat Cow Awakening the spine? Awaken it gently, please. Anjeney Prep #1 Opening the quadriceps to begin the process of re-connection with the center Groins Stretches and Eye of the Needle Pose Discuss the emotional release that can come with the opening of the hips. Cobra Pose The story of Adi Shesha, and how to cultivate the courage to transform. PortlandAn overview of the offerings of the Portland KulaThis is a few words about what kula is (the word "kula" is Sanskrit for community), and then links to Portland Oregon related stuff, such as: A listing of Portland Yoga Studios that I resonate with (Anusara®, mainly) Portland events, like visiting teachers, kirtans, and so on. The BlogI am a journaler. Big time. I think most yoga teachers probably are, and most Anusara yoga people definitely are. As my practice has deepened, my journaling has become a guru of sorts - pointing me to the metaphorical nature of living in this body, on this planet, in this universe. I started the blog to share and show how life seamlessly trans-morphs into yoga poses, and back again, and how you can use awareness of this pulsation to expand and enrich your experience of both.I don't post every day. I have a very full schedule. I usually post a little more often than weekly. Inspired? Know what I'm saying? Want to share a question or experience? Please do! Go here to talk about it. The Secret LivesThis is the blog archive. The whole thing, in order, from oldest entries to the newest ones. These are basically reports of the secret lives of yoga poses as they show up in my, life and in the lives of the people around me. I try to link these stories and reflections to the poses they remind me of and lead me to as often as possible.The PosesI encourage you to read all the other stuff before you begin. But if you're like me, you may want to get a feel for the possibilities of yoga, and yoga positions, and how they might fit into your world. So I've made this tidy little list here.The first page, Yoga Positions for Beginners, talks a bit about beginning a yoga practice, anxieties that may come up, and how to deal with them, how to find a class you like, and so on. Then, when you're ready, find a teacher and dive in. Check back regularly for additions, or write to ask for a specific pose. go from Yoga Positions - A Site Map to the Home Page
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