Turning Up the Heat

Here we are, 10 months open at Land Yoga and some of you are at or very close to, 10 months of yoga practice. There come certain times in the life journey of the practice when things must shift. I sense that right NOW is one of those times.

I want to speak to you directly on the concept of Tapas. In Sanskrit, Tapas means heat. It is used to describe an internal or spiritual suffering/burning which is a key element in the process of attaining yoga. Many refer to Tapas as self-discipline since this is the main way we express Tapas in our yoga practice. The act of showing up day after day despite excuses and rationalizations, makes us strong and powerful.

Each individual requires something slightly unique to keep their inner fire strong. One of the teacher’s roles is to look into the student and know when and how to challenge him properly. At this moment, I see collectively that it is time to bump it up.

I want you to know, that your current perspective on who you are and what you can do is wrong and stifling. Your abilities are beyond what you can presently imagine. But this is easily rectified. You must allow your mind to accept a larger possibility for yourself. Do this by recalling your previously shattered conceptions of yourself and realize that just as you shed those, you will also shed this next layer of limits. Then you will see what you thought impossible is not only possible, but probable, and quite easily attainable in the scheme of things.

Growth can be painful. Often to gain something we must make room and we do that by releasing something else. This can be painful, but as my teacher likes to quote, 'no pain no gain'. In fact what we learn from the concept of Tapas is that the pain is not a byproduct of growth but in fact Essential to growth and that by moving forward through the pain, we gain great strength.

I have seen personally the benefits of daily yoga practice, which has made me incredibly strong and immune to the waves of life which derail most. I do my actions from a place of duty and with little attention on outcome or result. From a witnessing perspective, I see that all we do comes back in some form and frequently in some beautiful and humorous way. It is nothing we can control, so I do what needs to be done and leave outcome to the universe. This is an extremely relaxing and peaceful way to live and I want it for you.

All from daily practice.

All within your reach.

Michael and I both believe it is time for you to take the next step in your practice and that is why I am going to offer all our 3x weekly students a chance to increase to an unlimited membership for just $10 from now through the end of May. We want you here! And our ability to help you when we see you 4-6 times a week verses 3 times is increased exponentially. If you’re not sure if it’s working or if it’s worth the monthly, now is your time to commit to it. When you take that one small step in the direction of commitment, the practice gives back in a big way. It is simply waiting for you to approach.

For our students who are already on unlimited memberships, we offer this: Those with perfect attendance in May (ladies should still take lady's holiday) will be invited to join Michael, Dana, and I for an exclusive class we will teach together followed by a private conference where you will have a chance to hear our comments on the practice and have your questions answered.

As always, we are watching, caring, with you, as your practice unfolds

with love... OM!

Support Support

Your YOGA STUDIO needs your HELP!

There has been A LOT going on in the world of New York Yoga in the last couple months and I've been waiting for the right time to share this information with you and reach out for your support. Mostly, I hoped I wouldn't have to. YOU are INCREDIBLE already getting behind tons of causes and contributing where ever it is needed and I don't take that lightly.

NOW we NEED your HELP.

The group of concerns come from the classification of yoga studio and the people who teach classes at yoga studios. How we are CATEGORIZED means a lot for how we are seen in the world and also translates in terms of taxation and licensing.

You should KNOW: Your Yoga Studio is NOT a Gym

Your yoga studio is more like a place of prayer. And though you are perfectly entitled to come and practice with your own personal intensions, even if those intensions are touching your toes, or losing 5 pounds, Yoga means to unite with a greater power, however that translates to you.

Please Sign HERE.

You should KNOW: Your Yoga Teacher is NOT an employee

Your Yoga teacher lives the fun, hectic life of an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, working at multiple studios, gyms, homes, and schools. It would make no sense for them to be an employee at the 5-10 locations they teach sometimes just a single class at. Like all things, being FREELANCE has it's PROS and CONS, but that is what they are.

Please Sign HERE.

You should KNOW: Your Yoga Studio has the RIGHT to Quiet.

As we head towards Harlem Park to Park Earth Day, an event I have been working on for months now, I can't help but think about NOISE pollution and our rights to a little space for QUIET as we welcome our neighbor's new restaurant NEXT DOOR.

Those of you who know me, or follow my posts, know the great support I have for local business. I announce new openings, spend my money at the stores and restaurants in our community, and feature them at our workshops and events. Living, working, being together is what it is about for me!

We must find a way to COEXIST and THRIVE together!

The NEIGHBORHOOD should be ENHANCED and each BUSINESS should be BOOSTED by the addition of a new one.

BUSINESS OWNERS have certain RESPONSIBILITIES to their COMMUNITY.

RESTAURANTS, especially where there is ALCOHOL being served are RESPONSIBLE for the noise coming from their space and should SOUNDPROOF properly.

Demand that JADO SUSHI do the RIGHT thing and SOUNDPROOF their space including their Kitchen Area!!!

Email your concerns to nobu@thewineryonline.com

Thank you for 10 beautiful months!

OM! Lara

Future Leaders and the Power of Yoga

This week Land Yoga hosted a group of teenage girls as part of their Girl Talk program created by Aurora Rose of the Future Leaders Institute. Ten young women funneled into our lobby carrying sweet after school snacks, chatting and giggling as they squeezed onto our sari covered window bench. Some stood. I know I did. Behind my desk. Ready. For anything.

Being barefoot, taking deep breaths, and putting bodies into new shapes for the first time is often tramatic for adults (I've had more than one break down in tears after being asked to sit still and breath for five minutes), with teen girls, anything could happen. And this group of teens, I knew, were selected specially because of difficult backgrounds. Breath.

I watched carefully their teacher's tone and energy and used that as a reference for how to best engage the students. We spoke for quite some time in the lobby about what it means to own your own business. I wanted them to understand both the feeling of absolute freedom to make every small to large choice regarding the business and the deep responsibility that entails. And then we were off to the special yoga room.

The sacred yoga space is one of no judgement. Only vibrations of love and support and respect could enter this space. They got it. After setting expectations I asked the girls what they new about yoga and what they thought yoga could do for them. I often begin new groups this way, choosing poses and breathing styles that serve as examples to their suggestions. For balance we looked at tree and a natural conversation about focus bubbled to the surface. For strength, we practiced dolphin and then I gave them a rare demo of karandavasa as an example of what daily committed practice could lead to, and of course we applied this to any passion.

But how did we end up on patterns and habits? Oh yes. It started with some questions on India and on Ashtanga Yoga. I told them that Ashtanga means eight limbs and went through the limbs quite quickly until I landed on Pratyahara, withdrawing of the senses. Suddenly we were in the deep end.

I broke it down simply. You're walking down the avenue and you pass Levain bakery and your sense of smell grabs onto something. Then their is recognition, a word that goes with that smell: Cookie. Then their is a feeling or impulse reaction to that word. I want a cookie. I need a cookie. I shouldn't have cookies. Etc. Most people, I told them, don't even realize that these three things are happening. They just feel them all as one and connect with the final desire or aversion to the object (in this case a cookie) and are already in action or more accurately, reaction, before the moment has even passed.

Real power, I explained, comes when you can step outside these mental patterns, recognize what is occurring and then make a choice that is independent of instinct. Was this making sense? They said it was. Aurora jumped in with a more relevant example of the feelings they get when a teacher at their school is bothering them. Suddenly we were talking habits in a pretty serious way. I demonstrated how there's a trigger and instantly the adrenaline is rushing through the body causing the heart and breath to race. In our yoga practice we activate the same feelings of stress on the body by putting ourselves in challenging positions, like balancing, and then we teach the body how to relax in a difficult situation and how to stay in it with out reacting. Over time, this practice is translated into a similar slowing down in the "real world". Slowing down means having more time and space and freedom to choose.

Were they really getting this? It seemed they were. I saw understanding and real joy in their eyes at receiving the gift of choice and I was touched and suddenly fully getting myself what it is I do and how many young people I might help in the future. The power of yoga.

___________________________________________________________

The Power of Yoga is the title of the talk I will be giving this Saturday, March 10th at 2PM. It will include my experiences all over the world teaching yoga to people who have been through major trauma. This talk is By Donation Only with all the profits going to the non-profit Odanadi to Stop Human Trafficking. Before that, at 12:30pm there will be a yoga practice of 108 Sun Salutations also to raise money for this important cause. Just $20 to participate. Register at www.landyoga.com. Again, all proceeds going to End Human Trafficking. This is part of a GLOBAL event happening in 30 countries this year. I hope you will join us for one or both parts of this special event.

Yoga Together

There has been a real growing trend at the studio of members getting their significant others into yoga. It makes me really happy to see this happening, because it demonstrates that the practice has strongly benefited the individual, so much so that they feel a real need to share it with their partner. Inspired by that, Land Yoga is offering a Couple's Discount all February long. New couples join anytime during February and get One Month Unlimited for $125 each. Members' partners join for just $100 for their first month!

Here are some couples who are going down the yoga path together:

JESSICA AND ALAN

How old are you and how long have you been together?

Jessica is 31, Alan is 33. We have been married for about 2 years and together for a little more than 6.

How long have each of you been practicing?

Jessica: I have been practicing yoga, on and off, for about 10 years. I had a pretty consistent Vinyasa practice for about 4 years when I found Ashtanga through Lara and Land Yoga.

Alan: Only for about a year, but my real practice started with discovering Ashtanga at Land Yoga.

Did the one who started first influence the other?

Alan: Absolutely, I started going to yoga in order to share the experience with Jess… and because my back hurt!

Jessica: Well, I think we were both excited when we saw a yoga place was opening up in the 'hood, but I was the first to go and try it out. I knew I had to be the guinea pig! I was pretty instantly hooked and it didn't take much convincing for Alan to try Ashtanga and become hooked as well.

Does one encourage the other to go on a day to day basis?

Jessica: I think we both encourage each other in different ways. I think when one of us doesn't feel like going, seeing the other one get up early to practice gives the extra push.

Alan: Yes, Jess will push me at 5:30, once the alarm has gone off a couple of times, so I'll get up and get out the door. She is also great at giving me the support and inspiration that I need to keep from letting the practice slip too much. I always benefit from outside encouragement when participating in anything that requires some discipline and consistency over time.

Jessica: Maybe I push him out of the bed at 5:30 because if he goes, I am more likely to go!

How has yoga changed you individually and as a couple?

Jessica: Personally, yoga helps me stay in touch with my physical body and it makes me carve out time in my life to breath, relax, look inward and focus on myself (these things do NOT come naturally to me!). As a couple, yoga has enriched our lives by remaining a positive shared experience we have together. Plus, it definitely doesn't hurt that we each feel better physically.

Alan: Ashtanga has helped me to find a place of calm in what is often a very hectic daily life. Of course, I have also seen a large improvement in my flexibility. My personal practice is deepened by the fact that I share it with Jess. It also adds a shared spiritual element to our lives that was missing before.

Do you talk about the practice at home?

Alan: Jess has been a huge help in starting my yoga practice since I can talk to her about it and ask her questions. Though she usually tells me to ask Lara!

Jessica: Yeah, I think we usually check in with each other on days we both go. Ask how the practice felt today, or tell the other one about a new pose or new accomplishment. It's nice to share how yoga is affecting us on a daily basis.

What changes have you noticed in your partner since he/she started practicing?

Jessica: Alan has definitely become WAY more flexible and I know he doesn't have as many minor aches and pains. Plus he seems more at ease when his practice is regular.

Alan: Jess has been practicing yoga since I've known her, but it feels like it has changed our relationship for the better since practicing together.

From both of us: Beginning our Astanga practice together seems to have come into our lives at just the right moment. It has been a big year for us, what with our first baby on the way, and our shared yoga practice feels like an addition to our daily lives that keeps us healthy, clam, and connected - to ourselves and each other. We are extremely grateful for Lara and Land Yoga.

With a background in art and architecture, Jessica manages a small arts non-profit in Manhattan called Dieu Donné. Founded in 1976, the organization is a unique artists space that specializes in offering artists the opportunity to create contemporary art in the ancient medium of handmade paper.
For information on Dieu Donné visit the organization's website: http://www.dieudonne.org/

A musician and music lover, Alan teaches music at the Bronx Charter school for the Arts where he leads the beginner and advanced school bands. He is also a saxophonist for The Shrine Big Band, which plays the first Sunday of every month at the Shrine in Harlem. Their next gig is Feb. 5th (Super Bowl Sunday).
For more info on Bronx Charter school for the Arts, check out the school's website: http://www.bronxarts.net/
For more info on the Shrine and the Big Band's upcoming gigs visit the Shrine website: http://www.shrinenyc.com/

Alan and Jessica are also expecting their first child mid-March and are thrilled to become parents to a a little girl!

ALLISON AND BILL

How old are you and how long have you been together?

Allison: Together 6 years & going strong!!

Bill: Yeah!!

How long have each of you been practicing?

Allison: I have been practicing since Land opened in June and Bill recently started practicing in November.

Bill: Yeah!!

Did the one who started first influence the other?

Allison: I think Bill was first inspired by my dedication to practice almost everyday and sometimes going very early in the morning before work. In November we watched the documentary Ashtanga, NY together and Bill commented how good movement and stretching is for the human body, a week or two later Bill began to practice. early in the morning before work.

Bill: I also figured, "if it's good enough for Willem Dafoe, then it's good enough for me."

Does one encourage the other to go on a day to day basis?

Allison: Of course--sometimes I come home after a long day at work and he is ready to go and practice. Other days, I am the driving force. I feel blessed to have the encouragement and positivity from my significant other. As I go deeper into the physical/mental aspects of the practice I really appreciate Bill walking the path next to me.

Bill: That is cute, but very true.

How has yoga changed you individually and as a couple?

Allison: As individuals we are much stronger physically and mentally; we can see the change in each other. As a couple we are able to explore our individual challenges separately and enjoy the moment of time we are practicing together.

Bill: Other aspects have changed as well, but they shall remain quiet in case puritanical minds are reading. Seriously though, I broke my left ankle bad in two spots this past April 1st and Ashtanga Yoga has been incredible for brining back the flexibility of my ankle & literally gives me a spring in my step when I am finished with a practice. I sometimes feel like going for a run afterwards, but I'm just not there yet. I also work on my feet all the time as a sound engineer so yoga is improving life there as well, helping my ankle to remain strong & not feel any soreness. Come see me in the Summer(Apr thru Nov) as my main gig is running sound production on the Rocks Off Concert Cruises(http://rocksoff.com/). They are a ton of fun--trust me!!

Do you talk about the practice at home?

Allison: At home we talk about how well we feel after yoga and how different positions make us feel. We also discuss feedback from our instructor & try to commit ourselves toward doing the practice properly & with respect.

Bill: We actually don't speak with one another...we just stare at the wall & wait until we can practice again the next day--kidding!!

JESSICA AND RYAN

How old are you and how long have you been together?

J: We're both 32 and we've been together 4.5 years. We own a business together in Yonkers- a recording studio for classical music. Ryan is a composer and I am a visual artist.

R: 32, together 4.5 years

How long have each of you been practicing?

J: I've been practicing at Land since 13 November 2011. I took my very first class in Spring 2006, and I've been practicing occasionally since. The practice has become more and more important for me over the last year, becoming nearly daily. I tried yoga for the first time because I was attempting zazen and it WOULD NOT WORK (whatever that's supposed to mean), so I just went to a class at the Y in Brooklyn out of 'what could it hurt?'-thinking. Ryan has been practicing a few weeks.

R: I have been practicing 3 weeks

Did the one who started first influence the other?

J: I think so. The business is very demanding and stressful and he sometimes has postural/fatigue issues from sitting at a console for millions of hours on end. Ergonomic chairs can only do so much, so I convinced him to get Rolfed first, which was helpful with pain/tension, but he was resistant to the idea of yoga. After starting a Mysore-style Ashtanga practice and describing it to Ryan, he thought he might find it appropriate.

R: Yes

Does one encourage the other to go on a day to day basis?

J: Yes. We both like going. He's more willing to just get up and go straight to work (the studio), though. I have more trouble going to bed.

R: Yes (sort of:)

How has yoga changed you individually and as a couple?

J: I'm not by nature good with routine, and I've been very unsettled since I was young. I've also suffered insomnia for a long time. I'm in recovery from addiction, and yoga has helped me negotiate a peaceful, positive way of existing with myself, which has been very difficult. My will is extremely strong and I am given to being violent with myself without being aware of it in the moment. When I was practicing with different teachers and with variable styles and sequencing, I started to hurt myself because I'd press forward regardless of my mindstate. I didn’t know how to focus on breathing. I was constantly reacting, and over-reacting. I wanted to find a way of practicing that would be more of a mirror or space of reflection, and Ashtanga has been wonderful for that. I can trust the sequence and breathing, and try to observe daily differences, but not worry about them. The practice is there tomorrow, and will be different again, but also the same. More directly, it's helped me with sleep, it's helped me eat more (mixed blessing!), and it's helped me develop more patience and compassion for myself and others. I'm also finding a better attitude toward duty, routine, and responsibility, especially in work and housework.

As a couple, it's been nice to share this with Ryan and learn his thoughts. He'll probably experience the practice differently, and it might mean very different things to him. For me the changes have been profound but subtle, and they're hard to describe. It's about being present, somehow. Being ok with whatever is there, including negative-seeming feelings. It's nice to have him starting a practice so that he can experience some of the positive effects of calming/focusing the mind too. Explaining the experience is pretty unconvincing- you sorta have to see for yourself, I think. Didacticism doesn't work here, and I'm proving that now.

Right now my practice is longer than his, so he goes off to read while I finish. That's been nice to see; he's been absolutely consumed with work for the last few years and it's great to know that he's taking time to focus on health and interests unrelated to work.

R: How has yoga changed me individually? I was pretty severely out of shape, and so, early as I am in my practice, my attention is still predominantly centered around the basics of the physical experience and endurance. But this has given me a new sense of self-awareness and connectedness that is very empowering and satisfying, and I'm excited to keep progressing. It has also been important for me to have a commitment that isn't work-related, something that I can work on and return to each day that is a separate from my job.

How has it changed us as a couple? I think that in a very simple and immediate way, it gives us a routine shared activity, and this leads to extra time together that we wouldn't otherwise have - driving to and from Land, going for coffee after practice, etc. But I know that the shared knowledge and experience that we're both gaining from practicing together has a deeper significance. It's limited for the moment because Jess is much more advanced and has a longer practice; but I'm hoping that we'll be able to share more and more as I go further.

Do you talk about the practice at home?

J: Yes, definitely. 50% is, "Go to bed! We have to go to yoga!" "Are you coming to bed? We have yoga in a few hours!" "We have to go to bed early so we can go to yoga!" "Why am I not in bed? You're going to be tired!" I don’t want my experience or ideas to color his too much, though. There's a lot to be discovered in just getting up and doing it, and it will be exciting to see what he finds.

R: Yes!

What changes do you notice in your partner since he/she started practicing?

R: I've noticed a profound change in Jess since she started. She is more centered, calm, has more energy and positivity, and just seems generally healthier than ever. I also believe that it has played an essential role in her return to art making, and it has greatly helped her achieve more stability in her recovery. It has really been amazing to see how the practice has played a central role in her transformation.

J: Ryan has been stretching more when he's sore or tired, and he's paying more attention to his posture. The concepts of breathing fully and of mula bandha seem to have connected to some things he learned about in Rolfing, and that's having a positive effect on his respiration and carriage. Our cat Stan was also christened with a new nickname (she has many, and this one is derived from her nickname Stu): Stula bandha. It's entering the household consciousness, or maybe rather the small-collective unconscious! :)

Jessica is in a group show in NJ that opens next week:

From the Mezzanine

curated by Jennifer Dudley

1 Feb – 2 Mar 2012

Kresge Gallery

Ramapo College of New Jersey

http://www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/galleries/kresge.html

Ryan has a release of one of his pieces on a CD (http://counterinduction.com/season/concert/274) but not until late April.

Here's the link to their studio, www.oktavenaudio.comand www.ryanstreber.com,

A Week of Kids!

Your child is doing yoga but what is it he/she is doing? Certainly not what they do in adult yoga class, right? My kid can't even sit still for ten minutes!

Kids yoga is very different from adult yoga. The goals/principles are similar: Physically it's about understanding the body, finding balance, strength, and releasing tension. And all ages at some point deal with handling emotions and energy and stress, but the approach is different.

Here's the Land Yoga Kids' Week in review:

TUESDAY 4-7 year olds

This week we sat in a circle and everyone got a chance to ring the singing bowl. The children enjoyed focusing all their energy on holding the stick properly and using the right amount of pressure to make the bowl "sing". They practiced their sharing by passing the stick to the next person when it was their turn.

We stayed very still and quiet to see how long we could hear the bowl sing and we practiced making our own vibrations by chanting OM! and letting the M sound linger on our lips. Then we chanted other words like Love and Peace (the kids's suggestions) and talked about how those sounds made us feel.

THURSDAY TWEENS 8-11

This class is about building confident, kind, creative young people and we love it! We focused on the yoga term, AHIMSA this week, which means non-harm, or peacefulness. We talked about the different kinds of harm that occur in mind, word and action and we spoke about ways to create more peacefulness around us. Our physical practice includes a flowing combination of challenging poses like boat, crow, and pigeon, followed by lots of time for rest, relaxation and breathing.

SATURDAY 2-3 YEAR OLDS

Two and three year olds love moving their bodies like animals and nature and imitating the world around them. This week we used feathers and balloons to explore our breath and then stretched our bodies like a cat, cow, snake, dog, seal and more! Then we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and acted out the parts to music with our bodies. We finished class with relaxation and a nice long foot rub!

SATURDAY FAMILY YOGA

Our newest class brings parents and kids together to bond over a positive activity! We work on lots of partner and group poses and encourage fun and relaxation. Requests are encouraged! This week one child was feeling a little tired, so we built the class with restful poses. The students put their legs up the wall and explored how other poses like butterfly felt against the wall as well.

Spaces are still open in our Kids Classes and series may be pro-rated. Contact Lara at landyoga@gmail.com for more details. Looking forward to seeing you there!

What did you learn?

Asana is like an ocean - you have to immerse yourself in it completely and explore its bottomless depths. Any asana can take you to a state of yoga. But if you just remain on the surface, your experience of yoga will remain limited. It will only be physical exercise. -Sharath Ji

Coming home is always interesting. The flood of questions never cease. Me, I'm quiet. When we turn inward we tend to talk less, eat less, need less. Content to be, yet committed to my work in a world of turbulence and in a city of sleepless souls, I float like a ghost, alien to it all. I imagine it's similar to the experience of a diver emerging, feeling the affects of change in pressure. We've been diving deep here.

To build on Sharath's beautiful analogy, sometimes you step into the water and and you just don't know how deep it is. I remember clearly when I visited Montauk this summer how one moment I was standing waves up to my waist and then the ground was gone. Yoga can be like that. Most people have no idea of the depth when they first stick their toes in. The water is cloudy and mysterious. But as it starts to settle, more layers are revealed.

We approach yoga from the physical standpoint because yoga is a state to be experienced. Though it can be discussed and analyzed, ultimately it is felt. So, you come in and you start to move your body and match those movements to your breath. Perhaps over time you feel a little lighter, more flexible, stronger. Maybe you start noticing some other changes as well, temperament, sleeping, eating, cravings, desires, more awareness of choice in action. For some people courage increases and will power also builds.

One day you may have a feeling of nothingness in an asana when eyes are steady on dristhi and ears on breath. Then deeper questions may arise.

For each practitioner the experience is unique. Some will dive in very fast, but may race back up for air when they see how bottomless it is. Better to practice as Guruji always advised, "slowly, slowly, all is coming". When you are ready the right question comes bubbling up to the surface and the appropriate answer is there in the book you happen to be holding, or out of the mouth of your teacher or sitting inside your heart where it's always been, just waiting.

I've been diving deep here, but the deeper I go the more I feel the vastness of my landscape, the bottomlessness of this ocean. I will not be able to tell you I now know yoga, just like I couldn't return from Montauk and tell you I know the the ocean. And it will not be too helpful for me to recite to you what I learned, just like a simple recounting of the sand, shells, and water wouldn't give you more than an outline of the beach. Rather, I will take you out into the water and I will show you where to go and when you are ready I will guide you deeper and you won't ask, "what did you learn?" You will feel it for yourself.

Downward Defenses

Sick in India, as you can imagine, is not too much fun. And this weekend it hit me. The whole body aching, nose running, cold, flu thing. I tried to stomp it when I felt it coming, but when you are practicing mat to mat and the bug is in the shala, that bug is coming for you strong.

Luckily Saturday is our rest day. No class. But what about Sunday? Sunday is led intermediate, probably the hardest class of the week. I woke up and I was not feeling too hot. Should I practice? The body was barely up, yet the mind was already jumping like a monkey with its excuses and justifications.

It is in these moments that the value of the habit of daily practice is so recognizable. In fact, yoga practitioners are notoriously disciplined especially in their morning routine. Each morning when the alarm goes off I sit up. No Snooze! I give thanks for the new day so full of potential. I turn on the geyser which heats my bath water, and go prepare the coffee. (Yes, my guru was more than fine with coffee.) Drink the coffee. Take the bath. Yoga clothes on. Chanting. Sitting practice. Maybe some writing, and off I go.

Routine can be very powerful, especially in freeing the mind. See, the monkey mind is stuck kicking and screaming and having its predictable tantrum, but yoga has made the master mind strong. The monkey mind will say anything to get us back into bed, so the master mind has to be very smart. The master mind says, "Don't worry, of course I'll let you go back to bed if that's what you really need, just go turn on the geyser in case." The monkey mind screams, "Your head feels like a ton of bricks. You're sick. Get back in bed!" But the master mind says, "Maybe you're just tired. Go fix the coffee. You love coffee. You can always drink it back in bed."

Well, once I had my coffee and my hot bath I did feel a good deal better. I did the fever test (You shouldn't practice with a fever.) and I didn't think I had one. I could breath through my nose and I was already caffeinated, washed and dressed, so I guessed I should go. I'm not going to lie; I didn't feel too well as I headed over. My body felt weak and I was getting out of breath very easily. My monkey mind said, "How are you going to practice when you can even walk without getting out of breath?!"

My master mind said, "If you have to stop, you'll stop." "Plus, you know what's going to happen, right? You are going to have an annoyingly good practice."

And I knew that that was the truth.

Annoying because of course we don't want to be sick, and we don't want to admit that the trying so hard we do when we are well is actually what often gets in our way. My teacher always says how some of the best practices are on those days when you barely made it to the mat. And I agree. On days like today, when the body is a little bit tired and a little bit sick, it simply can not hold any tension which is not completely necessary. Because of this we float in and out of poses with ease. All defenses gone, we just are. And that is yoga.

On a side note, later today, our teacher asked us if we want a day off for Christmas and nearly everyone preferred to practice (except those with kids, fair enough!). AND when he was asked if maybe he wanted a day off (which, with the shala packed from 4:30am-11:30am and evening classes and a family, would not have been unreasonable) he laughed and said he'd rest when he was gone. Surrounded with that kind of commitment, who is going to call out sick!

Pictures.