Restorative Poses for December 2018

Restorative Pose: Reclining Hero

For the month of December we will focus on restorative poses.  That doesn’t mean that we will turn our vinyasa classes into restorative classes.  It just means that we will include restorative postures during every class.  Some students have a hard time with restorative postures.  They might not see their value.  After all, you are not really “doing” anything in a restorative pose.  But, restorative poses are deceptively effective if you give them a chance.  Take Reclining Hero Pose, for example.  Some students can lie down in this pose fairly easily, but can’t hold it for 2 minutes.  That is an example of what I would call deceptive flexibility, when you can force your body into a position but you cannot maintain it because it is not comfortable.  You are not really that flexible.   That is an example of “doing the pose”.  If you can cultivate a sense that you could be in a posture forever, then the pose can do you.   Your body can reap the benefits of the pose and you can reset your resting muscle length.   If you are willing to experiment with props and support your body in a pose, you can cultivate a sense of serenity and equipoise in a pose and you might feel that you could stay forever, or at least 2 to 3 minutes with ease.  In modern exercise physiology we have learned that you need to hold a stretch for between 30 and 120 seconds in order to change the resting length of your muscles.

In class this month, we will start with Supta Virasana, Reclined Hero Pose, to prepare us for Pinca Mayurasana and various Back Bends.  There are modifications for every ability.  I will offer a choice of set-ups for the pose at the beginning of class.  Learn what props you need to be able to hold the pose for at least 5 minutes.  Please be precise with your props, they can make or break your ability to hold the pose.  And, don’t worry; there are straight leg modifications for those of you with knee issues.

November 2018 Playlist

One of My Most Requested Playlists

This is the playlist I have been using in class this past month.  I usually work with a playlist for a 90-minute class.  The playlist is not exactly 90 minutes because I usually spend a few minutes talking at the beginning of class.  My playlists usually start with pop music and end with mellow yoga music.  I often switch songs in and out until I get the right tweak.   I must have tweaked it just right because several people asked me for this playlist:

Woman by Mumford & Sons
Yellow by Coldplay
What’s Up? by 4 Non Blondes
Go It Alone by Beck
Wow by Beck
I Try by Macy Gray
Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band
Royals by Lorde
Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay
How Come by Ray LaMontagne
Glycerine by Bush
Round Here by Counting Crows
Stay by Rihanna
Killing Me Softly by Fugees
Servant Of Peace by Snatam Kaur
Ong Namo Bhagavate by Deva Premal
By Any & All Means by Brad Roberts

1 hour, 25 minutes

For those of you who are on Spotify it is called "My playlist #2"

How to charge for your time as a yoga teacher

The Art of Pricing

Often I get asked by new yoga teachers what they should charge for teaching a specialty class or a private outside of a yoga studio. In this article, I will discuss what to charge for teaching a one off specialty class at some location. In future articles I will address pricing for privates and workshops.

Those specialty pricing questions are often tricky. If you price yourself too high, then you might price yourself out of the job. Too low and you will regret doing it, especially if it is a recurring class. If it is just one and done, then it doesn’t really matter. You’ll learn from the experience whether you felt like you charged the right amount or not and know better for next time.

Some of what you charge depends on whether you really want to do the class or not! However, don’t scalp the person just because you don’t want to do the job. The ethical thing to do if you really don’t want to teach the class is to politely decline and maybe recommend a friend for the job. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, you need to say “yes” a lot. You never know what connections you might make, or which gigs could lead to other opportunities.

It is also ok to do a one-off, specialty classes for free. A friend asked me to teach a class of goat yoga for a fundraiser she was doing. I had never taught goat yoga before and really didn’t know what to expect. Since it was a charitable event I decided to do it for free and donated my time. I googled goat yoga and prepared myself. It was fun and it was a successful event for her but I decided that it wasn’t for me. The next time someone asks me to do goat yoga, I can politely decline and recommend some colleagues.

To figure out your hourly rate it helps to have a formula. What do you get paid at the yoga studio where you work? How does that number feel as an hourly rate? Often, you get paid less teaching a regular, repeating class than you would teaching a one-time private. What does your studio charge for a private with you? If you don’t work for a studio, you can usually inquire what a private session costs at a yoga studio in order to get a ball park. Call around, you may be surprised at the variations! It’s harder to find out what yoga teachers get paid for a class. That info is usually private and it depends on several factors. Yoga teachers make more in big cities than their rural counterparts. Pay also varies with experience and expertise and ultimately how many students you can attract.

Typically yoga teachers anywhere from $20 for a newer, inexperienced yoga teacher up to $100 an hour for a seasoned, popular teacher with a following in a big city. Once you have some of these numbers, you can play with them in a formula and come up with a price.
Let’s say that the class somebody wants you teach for them at their store, arboretum, office or back yard is an hour long. It takes you 30 minutes to get there and 30 minutes to get back. So you have 2 hours of your time invested in this class. If you figure that your hourly rate is $25, ask for $50 for the two hours. If that doesn’t feel like enough, plug in $30 an hour and now you’re up to $60.

Try different numbers until you feel justified in asking for that rate without apologizing. You have to feel comfortable asking for your price because once you commit you cannot change your mind. Also, you have to be just as comfortable with them saying that you are asking for too much money. Individuals and smaller operations typically can’t afford as much as larger business or corporations. But you still have to be able to look someone in the eye and ask for your price. If you can’t do that, then that is a sign that you are not asking for the right amount.
If the commute time, one way, is longer than the amount of time you are actually teaching, you might want to seriously consider passing this off to a colleague. People want to pay you for what you are doing for them, not necessarily for driving to get to them. I’ve taught some classes about an hour from my where I work for the experience and the exposure, but I have never gotten any students from that area as it is just too far for those students to travel to find me and in the end it wasn’t really worth it.

Sometimes people don’t want to pay what I charge for my time and that’s ok with me. I have a lot of training and experience. I’m also fortunate that my schedule is pretty full and that I can’t say yes to every opportunity that comes along. I’ve also learned from being miserable doing something that really wasn’t worth my time. Because I also train yoga teachers, I often can refer other teachers for jobs that I don’t want to do or can’t do. There is also good karma in that, sharing the wealth and opportunities.

As you can see, pricing is an art, not a science. While it helps to have a formula, you often have to go with your gut. And remember that pricing is ultimately an energy exchange. It should feel good to both parties in order for it to work.

Good luck. And let me know in the comments below if this was helpful, or if you have any other questions.

Chapter 3 verses 9 to 12 The First Four Sutras on the Architecture of Change

 Y.S. 3.9  Vyutthana nirodha samskarayoh abhibhava pradurbhavau nirodhaksana cittanvayo nirodha parinamah

Vyutthana  outgoing, emerging
nirodha   control, restraint
samskarayoh  conscious imprints
abhibhava  overpowering
pradurbhavau to manifest, appear
nirodha control, restraint
ksana instant, moment
cittanvayo  connected with consciousness
nirodha control, mastery
parinamah   development

Study of the silent moments between rising and restraining subliminal impressions is the transformation of consciousness towards restraint.

Y.S. 3.10  Tasya prasanta vahita samskarat

Tasya   Its
prasanta   peaceful
vahita  flow
samskarat  subliminal impressions

The restraint of rising impressions brings about an undisturbed flow of tranquility.

Y.S. 3.11  sarvarthata ekagratayoh ksayodayau cittasya samadhi parinamah

sarvarthata  on all objects
ekagratayoh  single-pointed focus
ksaya  destruction
udaya  to rise
cittasya  of the mind
samadhi   absolute absorption
parinamah  transformation

The weakening of scattered attention and the rise of one-pointed attention in the citta is the transformation toward Samadhi.

Y.S. 3.12 Tatah punahsantauditau tulya pratyayau cittasya ekagrata parinamah

Tatah  Then
punah again
santa  subsiding state, quiescent state
uditau  rising state
tulya  similar
pratyayau cognitions, means of actions, cause
cittasya  ­of consciousness, mind
ekagrata  one-pointedness
parinamah  transformation

When rising and falling thought processes are in balance, one-pointed consciousness emerges.  Maintenance of awareness with keen intensity from one-pointed attention to no-pointed attentiveness is ekagrata parinama.

 Commentary

The mind is made up of samskaras (subliminal imprints).  There are two types of imprints: outgoing samskaras that propel the mind into any kind of activity and restraining samskaras which are activated in meditation and restrain the outgoing samskaras.

When we are too distracted by our sensory experience desire, frustration and anger can arise.  These bring disorientation, dissatisfaction and a sense of being ungrounded. Through the practices of  These are all external means of restraining consciousness or the samskaras, whether we focus on God, or the breath, or in asana by learning to direct and diffuse consciousness.

When the restraining samskaras are in effect, the outgoing samskaras lay dormant and vice versa.  In the process of turning inward for meditation, we need to be able to change the normal state of our consciousness from one which is outwardly focused to one that is more internally focused.  We begin this process by practicing the limbs of yoga: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyhara,  in order to learn to control the effects of external stimuli.

A meditation practice to help restrain the outgoing mind.

This takes tapas (effort).  We sit and make a commitment to stay still.  One practice that helps to turn the mind inward is the practice of following the breath.  In every breath there are four parts: inhalation, pause, exhalation, pause.  During meditation, one can practice by focusing on the easy rise and fall of the breath.  Without trying to change or shape the breath consciously, you simply begin to notice the length of each inhalation and exhalation and allow them to become even.  After a few breaths draw your attention to the slight pause between the breaths.  This pause is often termed “the gap”.  Without grasping for the gap, notice its presence between the breaths.  Sometimes it is possible to slip into that gap in meditation.  Then you are in the state of restraining the samskaras.  This is an early state of meditation and of the experience of Samadhi.  You may experience this pause for a fraction of a second.  And as soon as you notice you are in the gap, it disappears.  But it is a beautiful moment when the mind is still.  Often it is hard to tell how long you may have been in this gap; it could be seconds or minutes.  It is the experience of the present moment just as it is.  This is called ekagrata parinama.  You have succeeded in transforming the mind from being distracted into one-pointed concentration.

Follow this guided meditation for relaxing the body and getting into the gap between the inhalations and exhalations where the mind is still.

Bibliography for Sweet Surrender

This year’s theme for my 9th Annual Women's Yoga Retreat was “Sweet Surrender.” One of the hardest spiritual practices is letting go. Letting go of all the would haves, could haves and should haves. Letting go of having to have the universe act according to my own preferences. Letting go of irritations. Letting go of stuff!

For the basic idea of de-cluttering of your stuff, I recommend Marie Kondo’s book The Magical Art of Tidying Up. In it, she not only gives you tips and techniques for getting rid of your extra stuff, but she also tells you that by getting rid of your stuff, you will discover exactly what you need to do in your life. I find this very interesting, because the Yoga Sutras promise the same thing. In her translation of Aparigraha, Swami Nirmalananda says that “Becoming established in non-greediness gives you knowledge of the how and why of your birth.” Y.S. 2.39

For those of you who don’t think that having too much stuff is a problem. I recommend that you consider the correlation of weight/wait and stuff/time. Caroline Myss, a medical intuitive, talks about the psychic weight of having too much stuff and how the more weight you carry around as stuff, the longer it will take you to evolve, or or change. She says:
That constant irritating voice telling you to clean out the closet or organize photographs or any of those tasks that relate to cleansing “stored stuff” is actually a very sophisticated intuitive directive that is a prelude to change. All of your “stored stuff” should be considered psychic anchors that keep your world psychically heavy and slow moving. People always remark that they feel “lighter” after they have cleared out closets and basements – that is a psychic lightness, a cutting of ties to countless past times zones that have been hanging in your energy field literally like “psychic weight”, adding “waiting” time to everything in your life. Thus, your ideas feel more and more like unattainable fantasies because you do not have the energy required to transform an idea from “thought into form”. Even holding on to “stuff” that needs to be shed requires energy; never mind all the psychic energy that goes into to holding on to wounds. Combine all the many forms of psychic weight that a person holds on to and the end result is that a person ends up postponing more and more of his or her life because even the simplest task – like clearing out a closet – looks to be overwhelming. I’ve said so often to people, “How can you hope to pursue your highest potential when you are not even managing half your potential now?”
I also recommend her book: “Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can.” Where she talks more about our desire to change, but our inability to give certain things up. It is this inability to let go, or surrender, that keeps us stuck.

And finally, Michael Singer’s book, “The Untethered Soul,” is one of the best books for learning about letting go of your small “s” self and finding your capital “S” Self. I read from his book about removing your inner thorns. This was about how, when something catches us or irritates us, rather than letting go, we tend to hang onto the “thorn.” We tend to worry it, irritate it and build a protective apparatus around it rather than pulling it out and letting it go.

Chapter 3, Sutras 7 & 8 The Context of Internal and External

Y.S. 3.7 Tryam antargaram purvebbhyah
Tryam these three
antar internal
anga limbs
purvebhyah than the previous ones

These three practices, or limbs of yoga: dharana, dhyana and Samadhi, are more internal than the previous ones.

The border between what is internal and external is relative to the depth of our practice. To the novice, the external world is that which is outside their skin. The adept yogi will suggest that even your body is external. What’s more important than identifying a border is knowing the direction of internal. Morals are external. Actions are external. More inward than these is the pose we hold. The breath is more internal than the pose. Letting go is more internal than the breath. Focus, meditation and Samadhi are the most internal, but just for now. When you abandon the “I”, the “actor”, then we find ourselves at the beginning of a much deeper internal. Where even the act of completely dissolving the soul is an external reality, because the abandoned soul is some specific soul, and who you are is something far greater, far more pervasive than just this infinite soul. Even souls come and go. Think of what peace a falling leaf would hold if it knew it was the tree it fell from.

Y.S.3.8 Tadapi bahirangam nirbijasya
Tadapi that which also
bahir external
anga limb
nirbija seedless Samadhi

But even these eight limbs of yoga are external to seedless Samadhi
There are two faces to enlightenment. One is the one we see and celebrate like the Buddha’s image, the parables of Jesus, performing acts of charity and practicing together. The other is one we can’t see and will never fully understand because of the limitations of human perception. This is like the Zen koan that has no answer, or devotion without reason, or the absolute uncertainty of presence. These latter examples are seedless because there is no face to them. They exist just a fraction ahead of our ability to understand them. Love is the best example of these two sides. On one side, we see the object of our love and why we love them. But the seedless side of love is how true love is unconditional. Just like a mother doesn’t askher chid for anything in return. Just like the sun never says to the moon, “You owe me”. (Hafiz) Seedless love is more internal. It’s more primordial. The more internal the perception, the more universal it is to all things. The more available it has been and will be throughout time.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana or Handstand

Adho Mukha Vrksasana or Handstand

Adho downward
Mukha face
Vrksa tree

Adho Mukha Vrksasana literally means downward facing tree pose. We generally call this pose handstand.  This is a very challenging but empowering pose. Most adults don’t go around standing on their hands, but in yoga class we often do.

The ability to stand on one’s hands is emotionally tied to the ability to support one’s self.  This is especially empowering to women who, in the past, may have been socially and culturally taught to be dependent on a man for support.   Stereotypically women are also generally weaker in their upper bodies than men.  Sometimes women don’t think that they can do handstand. But, when we build the foundation carefully from Child’s Pose and Downward Facing Dog, into Handstand, it can be a very safe and rewarding posture.  And, when students lift up into their first handstand, they are inclined to give out a whoop of excitement.  It can be very fun and confidence building.

One of the most crucial aspects of this pose is the flexibility in the shoulder girdle.  It is important to be able to raise the arms over head and make them straight and parallel.  Because of many things in modern life from poor posture to smart phones, movement in the shoulder girdle is often compromised.  When movement in the shoulders is limited, compensation will occur in other parts of the body such as the wrist, neck and back.

During this month of practicing Handstand, we will also work on the mobility of our wrists and back while opening the chest and shoulders.

One of the ways we might practice is by doing handstand lying on the ground.  Take a look at these two photos of one of my students in Handstand:  one is standing on her hands facing the wall and the other picture is actually the same photo.  I just flipped it around so it looks as if she is lying on her belly.  You know my saying:  There are only 12 yoga poses and the variations are just done in different relationship to gravity.

Chapter 3, Sutras 4 to 6 The Technique of True Perception

 Y.S. 3.4  Tryam ekatra samyamah

Tryam  these three
ekatra   jointly, together
samyamah  defining, holding together, integration

These three together: dharana, dhyana and Samadhi, constitute integration or samyama

Samyama is a technical word defining the integration of concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and absorption (absorption)

The following analogy shows the organic relationship between dharana, dhyana and Samadhi.  When one contemplates a diamond, one at first sees with great clarity the gem itself.  Gradually one becomes aware of the light glowing from its center.  As awareness of the light grows, awareness of the stone as an object diminishes.  Then there is only brightness, no source, no object.  When the light is everywhere, that is Samadhi.

Y.S.3.5  Tajjayat prajnalokah

Taj  from that
jayat by mastery, by attainment, conquest
prajna  awareness, wisdom, judgement, discrimination
alokah  light, luster, insight 

From mastery of samyama comes the light of awareness and insight

Y.S. 3.6  Tasya bhumisu viniyogah

Tasya   Its (samyama)
bhumisu  degree, step, stage
viniyogah application

Samyama may be applied in various spheres to derive its usefulness

This sutra affirms that no-one can expect success or mastery without regular practice, and also warns one not to jump to higher stages of practice without first establishing a firm foundation through the primary steps of yoga.

Vinyasa Pose of the Month - Hanumanasana or Split

Hanumanasana is a pose that requires diligent physical practice, but also an open mind and heart. When Hanuman lands in Sri Lanka to rescue Sita from the demon king, Ravana doesn’t believe that Hanuman could have leapt across the ocean to his island kingdom. Hanuman tells Ravana, “Withdraw your heart from Sita, or that will be a costly theft, for it’s by her energy that I jumped over the sea.” It’s devotion or the energy of the heart that will help you find the gateway to the posture.In order to perform Hanumanasana, the pose based on Hanuman’s famous leaping ability, we need to stretch the hamstrings and the quadriceps. Often people fold forward or bend backward with more ease, but Hanumanasana requires both. So, as we work on doing a split this month we will stretch our hamstrings in poses such as Forward Folds, Triangle and Pyramid and we will do thigh stretches in poses such as Low Lunge with a thigh stretch, Dancer’s Pose and Warrior I.

If you find that your hamstrings or quads are really tight and more like steel cables than muscles, you might want to look at the psychological/emotional issues associated with those muscles. The hamstrings are connected to the knees, which are symbolically used to bow down to a higher power, and so tight hamstrings can often mean a deeper level of surrender is needed. The thighs (quadriceps) hold onto past conflicts, such as traumatic childhood memories, anger or resentment. This is an area closely associated with sexuality and intimacy. This comes from the book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.

If we did Hanumanasana as frequently as we did Down Dog, imagine how good our splits would be!

Keep practicing. I’ll see you in class.

Chapter 3, Vibhuti Pada, The Powers of Yoga. Sutras 1 to 3

This chapter describes the capacity of the mind which can achieve a state free from distractions. Such a mind can probe deeply into objects and concepts into dimensions previously unknown. This knowledge, or power, can become a source of distraction and can prevent a person from reaching the highest state of being. When we put our whole heart and soul into achieving a goal on our path, gratifying rewards and results incidentally come our way. We can easily become so enamored of what we have accidentally achieved that we mistake it for the goal itself. These are the powers that yoga is said to bestow on a serious practitioner, but they are not to be confused with the true state of yoga.Imagine a young person who wants to be a great actor, a worthwhile goal. On the way he acquires fame, and if he is not steadfast in his purpose, he makes fame alone his new goal. The siddhi, or power, of renown has beguiled him and swallowed him up. In this example, the young man has let himself be side-tracked, has substituted an agreeable and merited by-product of his efforts for the real goal. At best his progress is stopped, at worst he is consumed and illusion has displaced reality.

Verses 1 to 3 Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi – the last three rungs on the ladder of yoga.

Y.S. III.1 Desa bandhah cittasya dharana
Desa - place
bandhah - bound
cittasya - of the mind, consciousness
dharana - concentrationFixing the consciousness on one point or region is concentration.

Y.S. III.2 Tatra pratyaya ekatanara dhyanam
Tatra - there, then
pratyaya - idea, concept
ekatanata - one continuous flow
dhyanam - meditation

A steady, continuous flow of attention directed towards the same point or region is meditation.

Y.S. III.3 Tadeva arthamatranirbhasath svarupasunyam iva samadih
Tad - that, hence
eva - the same, actually
artha - object
matra - alone, only
nirbhasa - luminous, shining forth
svarupa - own naturesunyam - empty, devoid ofiva - as if, like
samadih - state of enlightenment

Samadhi is when one loses themselves completely and exists only within this point of focus.

To get to these last stages of yoga, you kind of have to start at the beginning. In order to have peace of mind, your conscience has to be free of guilt and worry. The yamas are practices for how to treat others: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation and non-hoarding. The niymas describe practices for yourself: cleanliness, contentment, effort, self-study and surrender. Asana is the third limb and helps our bodies to be strong and limber, enabling us to sit comfortably. Pranayama is the practice of breath control to help us learn to control our energy , which effects our mental state. Pratyhara is the next stage. It means the withdrawal of the senses. This means that we can sit still and not fidget or keep jumping up to do things. If we can sit still, we might be able to concentrate. If we can concentrate, dharana, we might be able to meditate, dhyana. If we are able to meditate, we might be able to reach the final and highest goal of yoga: samadhi, freedom from disturbance of any sort at any time.