Tempting though it is, this isn't a blog post about one of the greatest films of all time, The Sound of Music.
No, on this day off from running (I'm calling it a "knee-hab" day because that's how I roll), I'm doing a lot to keep myself otherwise occupied - foam rolling, cross training, gentle yoga, cleaning the apartment, cooking, running errands...and continuing the slow process of outfitting my brand new iPhone with all the playlists I need in my yoga teaching (and running, etc) life.
I used to have a little ol' iPod packed with music from, as you would assume, my very own iTunes account of purchased music and burned CD's. After the untimely death of my dear, loyal Macbook Max, and the many almost-deaths of my iPod, I've been using my iPhone 4 and Marc's iTunes and music library along with some of my old purchases.
It's been interesting dipping back and forth - there is some overlap for sure, but with this new phone I've been able to hook up my external hard drive with all my golden oldies - and, with Marc and his hard drive in PA, none of the stuff I've been more recently listening to.
Going from having 3 Dylan albums on my iPhone to 12 is a good, comforting feeling! I've been reconnecting with beloved Bob, Joni, Janis, Jeff Buckley, and some yoga music I completely forgot that I had and had been living without!
My Kids stuff is mostly consistent, although I had a few great tunes for kid-friendly background music and kid relaxation that I had forgotten about and am joyfully using again.
As far as grown-up stuff goes, I'd love to share some of my long-lost favorites I've recently reunited with. And okay, maybe some kid stuff in there too. Enjoy, in no particular order, a Reunion Playlist!
New Year's Prayer, Jeff Buckley
Feeling Good, Nina Simone
Across the Universe, Fiona Apple OR Rufus Wainwright (or, obviously, The Beatles)
The Tower of Learning, Rufus Wainwright
Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong, Michael Franti & Spearhead
Poses, Rufus Wainwright
Willy, Joni Mitchell
The Circle Game, Joni Mitchell (to be used with caution on moms and moms-to-be!)
I Shall Be Released, Jeff Buckley
Sacred Stones, Sheila Chandra (great for savasana!)
Secure Yourself, Indigo Girls
Welcome Me, Indigo Girls
Mystery, Indigo Girls
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Indigo Girls OR Elton John
Touch Me Fall, Indigo Girls
The Wood Song, Indigo Girls (can you tell I missed them terribly?)
Wonderwall, Ryan Adams
Gayatri Mantra, Deva Premal
Winter Song, Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
Christmas Song, Mogwai (also great for savasana!)
Idiot Wind, Bob Dylan (from The Bootleg Series album)
Silent Ganges, Maneesh De Moor
Om Hraum Mitraya, Deva Premal
Staralfur, Sigur Ros
So there you have it - 24 of my favorite songs that are fantastic for a yoga class or just a chilled out (mostly) playlist.
A bonus track I absolutely have to mention, though it probably wouldn't fit so great into a yoga class, is Tangled Up in Blue as covered by The Indigo Girls on their album 12,000 Curfews. It's long, it's beautiful, it's stunning.
Happy Thursday, all!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
In Search of Sadhana
I've written a lot (a lot - I know) lately about how I've struggled to find a steady practice on my own. Whether it's just not wanting to give my brain a chance to quiet, becoming frustrated that it just won't, or dealing with finding the time to fit it in, I've bounced back and forth quite a bit.
One thing that's also been an issue is that I know I'll do better in a seated meditation if I've done something physical beforehand. That could be breathing techniques (pranayama) or, ideally, some more physical practice along with that.
I've finally identified the big issue with finding a full daily practice that suits me:
I don't need to be doing anymore yoga poses than I already am.
Some days, like yesterday, I'll teach as many as 7 kids classes. On Saturdays I teach 3 prenatal classes. Fridays are a wild card - one mom & baby class, one toddler class, Storytime yoga (basically to toddlers), and a teen yoga class. Not to mention all the extra subbing in between.
I wouldn't be serving my wrists or my shoulders to do yet another downdog, no matter how mindfully and properly I do it. My knees and my hips don't really need another baddha konasana.
What I'm seeking - and I'm asking your help, please, readers! - is some kind of physical practice to help ground me in the mornings and/or the evenings.
I've started brainstorming and have so far come up with three ideas - I'm on the hunt for more!
First and foremost - I must incorporate more foam rolling into my life! As a runner, it's non-negotiable. The miles are going to continue to creep up as the marathon edges closer, and I promised myself (and Marc) that I would stay super vigilant about taking care of myself and preventing injury. Foam rolling - which is a self massage/myofacial release - is an essential partner to stretching for any runner's self-care.
Second, I've recently learned about something called Brain Gym from my boss Shari, Karma Kids Yoga's Founder & Director. She's taking courses to learn more about Brain Gym (an educational kinesiology program) and how to share it with kids, and she shared with me their concept of "Pacing" in the mornings to help bring calm and focus. It's great, and one of the things about it that's so nice is that it's a very short series of exercises that I can squeeze on the busiest (or laziest!) of mornings.
Third, I've been thinking of some kind of program revolving around joint mobility/warming up. I'll be taking my dear friend Catherine's Zen Flow yoga class tomorrow night at my local yoga studio, The Giving Tree, and her Zenyasa class always incorporates a sequence of joint mobility. Perhaps I should take notes!
I'm still on the hunt for more ideas, or for a good way to incorporate all of this into a consistent daily practice. I'm open to suggestions and eager to hear what your morning routine is - even if it just consists of coffee, pastries, and the paper!
One thing that's also been an issue is that I know I'll do better in a seated meditation if I've done something physical beforehand. That could be breathing techniques (pranayama) or, ideally, some more physical practice along with that.
I've finally identified the big issue with finding a full daily practice that suits me:
I don't need to be doing anymore yoga poses than I already am.
Some days, like yesterday, I'll teach as many as 7 kids classes. On Saturdays I teach 3 prenatal classes. Fridays are a wild card - one mom & baby class, one toddler class, Storytime yoga (basically to toddlers), and a teen yoga class. Not to mention all the extra subbing in between.
I wouldn't be serving my wrists or my shoulders to do yet another downdog, no matter how mindfully and properly I do it. My knees and my hips don't really need another baddha konasana.
What I'm seeking - and I'm asking your help, please, readers! - is some kind of physical practice to help ground me in the mornings and/or the evenings.
I've started brainstorming and have so far come up with three ideas - I'm on the hunt for more!
First and foremost - I must incorporate more foam rolling into my life! As a runner, it's non-negotiable. The miles are going to continue to creep up as the marathon edges closer, and I promised myself (and Marc) that I would stay super vigilant about taking care of myself and preventing injury. Foam rolling - which is a self massage/myofacial release - is an essential partner to stretching for any runner's self-care.
Second, I've recently learned about something called Brain Gym from my boss Shari, Karma Kids Yoga's Founder & Director. She's taking courses to learn more about Brain Gym (an educational kinesiology program) and how to share it with kids, and she shared with me their concept of "Pacing" in the mornings to help bring calm and focus. It's great, and one of the things about it that's so nice is that it's a very short series of exercises that I can squeeze on the busiest (or laziest!) of mornings.
Third, I've been thinking of some kind of program revolving around joint mobility/warming up. I'll be taking my dear friend Catherine's Zen Flow yoga class tomorrow night at my local yoga studio, The Giving Tree, and her Zenyasa class always incorporates a sequence of joint mobility. Perhaps I should take notes!
I'm still on the hunt for more ideas, or for a good way to incorporate all of this into a consistent daily practice. I'm open to suggestions and eager to hear what your morning routine is - even if it just consists of coffee, pastries, and the paper!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Bird by Bird
Yesterday I was chatting with one of my best friends, kids yoga teacher and actress extraordinaire, Laura Frye, about the awesome upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream she's in. (Directed by her super talented hubby Lenny - Check it out and get your tickets, NY'ers!) One of her castmates is an avid runner and marathoner who likened the experience of their incredibly unusual and challenging take on the play with running a marathon. Quick summary of the show's conceit: Puck is played by one actor who draws names out of a hat to determine which roles the other 9 actors will play. Every night. This means that the entire cast needs to know the entire play and be able to effortlessly ease in to each role on a millisecond's notice.
Just a touch intimidating, yes?
This castmate of hers, however, likened tackling this challenge to running a marathon - if you look at the big picture of having to run 26.2 miles, it can be way too much to process and self doubt can come in like a tidal wave. Taking it mile by mile, tiny chunk by tiny chunk, however, makes things much more doable.
For Laura, Lenny, and the cast, it's a great metaphor for how to tackle putting an entire play in your brain. For me, it's both excellent advice for my own very first marathon (which is an uncomfortably close 89 days away!) and a great metaphor for...well, anything at all, really.
At work, looking at each and every thing I'm responsible can be overwhelming.
In the middle of a hard yoga class, thinking about doing every challenging we just did again on the other side and the class is only 30 minutes in can be overwhelming.
Thinking about how long it will be until Marc comes home (I know, tiny violins) can be overwhelming.
Wondering how we'll be able to afford to have a kid one day and move into a bigger apartment - also overwhelming.
Essentially anything in life that could be intimidating can be broken down - truly anything. It's such a simple concept and a piece of advice we've all surely heard and given before, and it's so very easy to forget.
Author Anne Lamott speaks to this most eloquently, I believe, in her excellent Bird by Bird. Marc has loved her work and this particular book for years, and the quote below was the first thing that popped into my head after my conversation with Laura:
When faced with a daunting task, whether it be mighty or mundane, just keep the phrase "bird by bird" in your mind. It keeps you more calm, more present, and ultimately more successful and whatever life is throwing your way.
Just a touch intimidating, yes?
This castmate of hers, however, likened tackling this challenge to running a marathon - if you look at the big picture of having to run 26.2 miles, it can be way too much to process and self doubt can come in like a tidal wave. Taking it mile by mile, tiny chunk by tiny chunk, however, makes things much more doable.
For Laura, Lenny, and the cast, it's a great metaphor for how to tackle putting an entire play in your brain. For me, it's both excellent advice for my own very first marathon (which is an uncomfortably close 89 days away!) and a great metaphor for...well, anything at all, really.
At work, looking at each and every thing I'm responsible can be overwhelming.
In the middle of a hard yoga class, thinking about doing every challenging we just did again on the other side and the class is only 30 minutes in can be overwhelming.
Thinking about how long it will be until Marc comes home (I know, tiny violins) can be overwhelming.
Wondering how we'll be able to afford to have a kid one day and move into a bigger apartment - also overwhelming.
Essentially anything in life that could be intimidating can be broken down - truly anything. It's such a simple concept and a piece of advice we've all surely heard and given before, and it's so very easy to forget.
Author Anne Lamott speaks to this most eloquently, I believe, in her excellent Bird by Bird. Marc has loved her work and this particular book for years, and the quote below was the first thing that popped into my head after my conversation with Laura:
“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Art of Self Soothing
We all have people we turn to in times of crisis - people we might refer to as our "rocks," close friends or spouses or family that we rely on to help bolster us when we're down, calm us when we're stressed, and tell us things will be okay when we can't seem to say it to ourselves.
As all-important as those people are, it's just as - if not more - important to have some tools in your mental/emotional toolbox to soothe yourself. This is something I've thought about a lot at different points in my life, usually when a friendship unexpectedly implodes, or when I've been far from my family and feeling alone. Now, a few days out from when Marc will be off on his first regional gig - yay! - I'm faced with forging ahead without my rock to give me a squeeze at the end of a hard day.
Not to exaggerate things, of course - with the magic of technology, we'll be able to stay in touch as often as we please, and since he's not going that far from the city, I'll be able to visit him twice. On the scale of long-distance hardships, ours is nowhere close to being the hardest a couple can bear. He's still in the same country, and he's doing Pride and Prejudice, not going off to war. Still - life is all relative, and for us, it's a big deal.
So what does it mean to "self-soothe?" Being able to comfort yourself as you would comfort a friend, or would like to be comforted, to me is all about consciously making a choice to treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. You change your internal dialogue to one of support and positivity, and cultivate the ability to tell yourself that it will all be okay.
The yogic practice of mantra is invaluable to this. When I was interning at Florida Studio Theatre, far from my mom and from my CNU family in Virginia, and going through a phase there where nothing seemed to be going right, the mantra that popped into my head one day was, "At this present moment, everything is exactly how it should be."
A little wordy, but that's what stuck for me, and it truly helped me. The funny thing is, if someone else had tried to tell me that, I'd have found it far more irritating and condescending than helpful!
It could be something super simple like, "Strength" or, "You've/I've got this." Whatever it is, it's a choice you make in the midst of stress to either stay attached to being stressed, or to give yourself permission to feel better and break out of it. For me, I know it's a tool I'll need to use during a very hard run (like this morning's near-disaster!), when I'm overwhelmed after a crazy day at work, or when I'm just plain missing Marc and feeling sorry for myself.
Running without music or headphones for me is a great time to tap into an active meditation of sorts where I'm in a position to more consciously choose my thoughts and ask - are they helping or hurting me? A physical yoga practice or seated meditation practice is also a wonderful place to cultivate this mental relationship with yourself and ability to self-soothe.
Try choosing one mantra or one tool to use throughout your week, and instead of immediately reaching for the phone to call a friend and vent, see if you can sit with it, breathe through it, and if you can help yourself. Like anything else, it takes time to build up that "muscle," but it's worth taking the time to try it.
As all-important as those people are, it's just as - if not more - important to have some tools in your mental/emotional toolbox to soothe yourself. This is something I've thought about a lot at different points in my life, usually when a friendship unexpectedly implodes, or when I've been far from my family and feeling alone. Now, a few days out from when Marc will be off on his first regional gig - yay! - I'm faced with forging ahead without my rock to give me a squeeze at the end of a hard day.
Not to exaggerate things, of course - with the magic of technology, we'll be able to stay in touch as often as we please, and since he's not going that far from the city, I'll be able to visit him twice. On the scale of long-distance hardships, ours is nowhere close to being the hardest a couple can bear. He's still in the same country, and he's doing Pride and Prejudice, not going off to war. Still - life is all relative, and for us, it's a big deal.
So what does it mean to "self-soothe?" Being able to comfort yourself as you would comfort a friend, or would like to be comforted, to me is all about consciously making a choice to treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. You change your internal dialogue to one of support and positivity, and cultivate the ability to tell yourself that it will all be okay.
The yogic practice of mantra is invaluable to this. When I was interning at Florida Studio Theatre, far from my mom and from my CNU family in Virginia, and going through a phase there where nothing seemed to be going right, the mantra that popped into my head one day was, "At this present moment, everything is exactly how it should be."
A little wordy, but that's what stuck for me, and it truly helped me. The funny thing is, if someone else had tried to tell me that, I'd have found it far more irritating and condescending than helpful!
It could be something super simple like, "Strength" or, "You've/I've got this." Whatever it is, it's a choice you make in the midst of stress to either stay attached to being stressed, or to give yourself permission to feel better and break out of it. For me, I know it's a tool I'll need to use during a very hard run (like this morning's near-disaster!), when I'm overwhelmed after a crazy day at work, or when I'm just plain missing Marc and feeling sorry for myself.
Running without music or headphones for me is a great time to tap into an active meditation of sorts where I'm in a position to more consciously choose my thoughts and ask - are they helping or hurting me? A physical yoga practice or seated meditation practice is also a wonderful place to cultivate this mental relationship with yourself and ability to self-soothe.
Try choosing one mantra or one tool to use throughout your week, and instead of immediately reaching for the phone to call a friend and vent, see if you can sit with it, breathe through it, and if you can help yourself. Like anything else, it takes time to build up that "muscle," but it's worth taking the time to try it.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Honeymooners
If only I had the shot of me doing a yoga pose on top of a mountain in Italy's Cinque Terre, I could post that and call it a day with the blog! Alas, we need a special connector cord before we can download Marc's 1,000 pictures from the honeymoon so I'll have to think of something to say instead.
It's been a week since Marc and I got back from an absolutely spectacular honeymoon, and it feels like a lot longer. It's been disorienting shaking the jet lag (which I believe we finally have) and not just going back to work, but going back to work at the kick-off of one of the busiest times of the year for Karma Kids Yoga - back to school! Add in to the mix my new job of assistant manager bringing with it way more responsibilities than were on my plate this time last year, plus the start of marathon training (completed my first week's worth of training runs today with a slow 5 miler!) and things are more than a little nuts.
Going from the warm, sunny, stunning French Riviera where each day there was a minimum requirement of one bottle of wine and one baguette each and seafood coming out of our ears to cool, crisp autumn days, stunningly beautiful yellow leaves, and the packed, hustling melting pot that is New York has felt like walking through a wormhole. And lest we forget, one of our all time favorite shows is ending on Sunday and has been consuming us since we caught up on the episodes we had missed over the honeymoon (if any blog readers are fans, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT JESSE??)
Needless to say, I'm not here to offer pearls of wisdom, anatomical insights, or philosophical lessons. I've just been working on balancing keeping the absolute perfect relaxation of the honeymoon in my heart in the midst of New York craziness, while also gratefully jumping back into yoga, running, and green juice to help my body feel back to normal after the metric ton of perfect butter and olive oil I consumed over two weeks.
I get the sense that this blog may take on, once again, the feeling of a running blog moreso than a yoga blog over the next 16 weeks of training, but my running and my yoga are always so very intertwined. I'm excited to see what comes up in my world and what inspires me to write and share with all of you!
It's been a week since Marc and I got back from an absolutely spectacular honeymoon, and it feels like a lot longer. It's been disorienting shaking the jet lag (which I believe we finally have) and not just going back to work, but going back to work at the kick-off of one of the busiest times of the year for Karma Kids Yoga - back to school! Add in to the mix my new job of assistant manager bringing with it way more responsibilities than were on my plate this time last year, plus the start of marathon training (completed my first week's worth of training runs today with a slow 5 miler!) and things are more than a little nuts.
Going from the warm, sunny, stunning French Riviera where each day there was a minimum requirement of one bottle of wine and one baguette each and seafood coming out of our ears to cool, crisp autumn days, stunningly beautiful yellow leaves, and the packed, hustling melting pot that is New York has felt like walking through a wormhole. And lest we forget, one of our all time favorite shows is ending on Sunday and has been consuming us since we caught up on the episodes we had missed over the honeymoon (if any blog readers are fans, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT JESSE??)Needless to say, I'm not here to offer pearls of wisdom, anatomical insights, or philosophical lessons. I've just been working on balancing keeping the absolute perfect relaxation of the honeymoon in my heart in the midst of New York craziness, while also gratefully jumping back into yoga, running, and green juice to help my body feel back to normal after the metric ton of perfect butter and olive oil I consumed over two weeks.
I get the sense that this blog may take on, once again, the feeling of a running blog moreso than a yoga blog over the next 16 weeks of training, but my running and my yoga are always so very intertwined. I'm excited to see what comes up in my world and what inspires me to write and share with all of you!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Saturday Sadhana & Refreshing Honesty
Normally on a Saturday morning I'd be at Karma Kids Yoga's Peace In Studio, teaching the coolest group of pregnant ladies ever some prenatal yoga and prenatal Pilates. Being the holiday weekend, however, we're closed! So instead of sleeping in (I made it to 7:50!) I decided to get up and do something I haven't done in way longer than I want to admit - I practiced yoga and meditated here in my own apartment.
I've been very disconnected from my own practice lately, as I've written about here and there the last almost-year, and which is probably evident in my lack of inspiration of blog posts a lot this summer. I've been getting caught up so much in my job of yoga (and managing) that I've lost touch with my practice of yoga - it's been hard to distinguish the two. Usually when you get home from work, even if you love your job, you seek a respite from it. I was finding the yoga of work and the yoga of home too similar to remember what it was to get peace and comfort from sitting and meditating. Also I've become a massive adult-onset ADD New Yorker who is addicted to her iPhone, which makes sitting in meditation seem like almost a waste of time because I can't get over my desire to make a schedule, check facebook, or I suddenly remember 47 things I need to add to my to-do list.
This morning, though, was lovely. I found a nice 30 minute yoga session on YouTube (still haven't done a self guided asana practice in awhile - that'll come, I'm sure) and then did a little pranayama and meditation for a few minutes. It wasn't earth-shattering or revelation-filled, but man it was nice. I'm not putting any big expectations on myself for the next two and a half weeks - as it will be my honeymoon soon! - but I'm hoping very much that I can rebuild my practice-muscle and my discipline and my desire for my own practice. It can't do me anything but good. When things get crazy this coming fall at Karma Kids, I need to remember that 30 minutes of legs up the wall and meditation after a long day are going to go a lot farther in relaxing and unwinding me than 60 minutes of Master Chef (but oh my god, that show is awesome - and I haven't seen this week's yet, so no spoilers.)
To close, I want to share a link that I saw a couple yogi friends post on facebook that made me laugh. Some of these I relate to, some of these I think a lot, and some of them I don't relate to so much, but they're all fun: Things Your Yoga Teacher is Dying to Tell You (but probably won't)
Happy holiday weekend, everyone!
I've been very disconnected from my own practice lately, as I've written about here and there the last almost-year, and which is probably evident in my lack of inspiration of blog posts a lot this summer. I've been getting caught up so much in my job of yoga (and managing) that I've lost touch with my practice of yoga - it's been hard to distinguish the two. Usually when you get home from work, even if you love your job, you seek a respite from it. I was finding the yoga of work and the yoga of home too similar to remember what it was to get peace and comfort from sitting and meditating. Also I've become a massive adult-onset ADD New Yorker who is addicted to her iPhone, which makes sitting in meditation seem like almost a waste of time because I can't get over my desire to make a schedule, check facebook, or I suddenly remember 47 things I need to add to my to-do list.
This morning, though, was lovely. I found a nice 30 minute yoga session on YouTube (still haven't done a self guided asana practice in awhile - that'll come, I'm sure) and then did a little pranayama and meditation for a few minutes. It wasn't earth-shattering or revelation-filled, but man it was nice. I'm not putting any big expectations on myself for the next two and a half weeks - as it will be my honeymoon soon! - but I'm hoping very much that I can rebuild my practice-muscle and my discipline and my desire for my own practice. It can't do me anything but good. When things get crazy this coming fall at Karma Kids, I need to remember that 30 minutes of legs up the wall and meditation after a long day are going to go a lot farther in relaxing and unwinding me than 60 minutes of Master Chef (but oh my god, that show is awesome - and I haven't seen this week's yet, so no spoilers.)
To close, I want to share a link that I saw a couple yogi friends post on facebook that made me laugh. Some of these I relate to, some of these I think a lot, and some of them I don't relate to so much, but they're all fun: Things Your Yoga Teacher is Dying to Tell You (but probably won't)
Happy holiday weekend, everyone!
Friday, August 23, 2013
Fly like an Eagle
First of all, I apologize to everyone for getting that song stuck in your head. However, it's the first thing that popped into mine for a title because today I'd like to talk about Eagle Pose - aka Garudasana. This pose is translated in English to "eagle" but according to almighty yogajournal.com, it literally means "devourer." Garuda was the vehicle of the god Vishnu, which was purportedly identified with the, "all consuming fires of the sun's rays." You learn something new every day!
It's easy to see why this pose is associated with something all-consuming, though. You're double-wrapping your legs and arms around each other, and in advanced variations, folding over on yourself. For some, it's an extremely challenging pose. Aside from having to balance on one foot, and remember which is right and which is left long enough to get the correct knee and elbow stacked on top of the other, this tremendously challenges the flexibility of the upper back and shoulders, the hips and thighs, and builds strength in the ankle.
I teach this pose a lot in my prenatal classes for women who suffer from pubic symphysis pain, general pelvic pain, and tight shoulders (the latter usually affects all my students, pregnant or not!). It can also feel very nice for anyone suffering from sciatica. This past month I've also been practicing it a lot at Bikram Yoga NYC . I don't regularly practice Bikram (I have some big differences of opinion - not to mention issues with the founder himself) but I do enjoy it from time to time, and Eagle pose is always one of the poses I look forward to the most in the practice. Although I disagree with the teaching and alignment of some of their poses, I think Eagle is usually taught quite well in a Bikram class. These photos are both from Bikram students/instructors practicing the pose
To come into Eagle Pose, start by coming into utkatasana, usually known as chair pose. To do the right side, lift your right leg up and cross it over the left, like you were crossing your legs in a chair. The right foot can touch the floor if you're still working up to the full balance. Regardless of where that right foot lands (most advanced variation has it wrapping around the left calf), keep squeezing the knees toward each other, making sure the hips stay level. Feel like your outer hips are squeezing in toward each other.
From there, keeping your gaze steady on something eye level or higher that's not moving, wrap your left elbow on top of the right. (Right leg on top, right arm on bottom.) Squeeze the elbows together. If the shoulders and back are extremely tight, the hands might not touch, and that's perfectly okay. Eventually you'll be able to press the backs of the hands together, and then finally press palms together. In Bikram, they also work toward getting the elbows down so low that the fingers are below the face (pictured right).
Finally, if you're feeling steady, you can carefully shift your gaze toward the floor and come into a forward fold, making a C with your spine and curling in on yourself.
Unwrap your arms and legs, and take the other side. It feels so delicious afterward! You've challenged, stretched, and/or strengthened nearly your body - stand in Mountain Pose, tadasana, and notice the effects.
It's easy to see why this pose is associated with something all-consuming, though. You're double-wrapping your legs and arms around each other, and in advanced variations, folding over on yourself. For some, it's an extremely challenging pose. Aside from having to balance on one foot, and remember which is right and which is left long enough to get the correct knee and elbow stacked on top of the other, this tremendously challenges the flexibility of the upper back and shoulders, the hips and thighs, and builds strength in the ankle.I teach this pose a lot in my prenatal classes for women who suffer from pubic symphysis pain, general pelvic pain, and tight shoulders (the latter usually affects all my students, pregnant or not!). It can also feel very nice for anyone suffering from sciatica. This past month I've also been practicing it a lot at Bikram Yoga NYC . I don't regularly practice Bikram (I have some big differences of opinion - not to mention issues with the founder himself) but I do enjoy it from time to time, and Eagle pose is always one of the poses I look forward to the most in the practice. Although I disagree with the teaching and alignment of some of their poses, I think Eagle is usually taught quite well in a Bikram class. These photos are both from Bikram students/instructors practicing the pose
To come into Eagle Pose, start by coming into utkatasana, usually known as chair pose. To do the right side, lift your right leg up and cross it over the left, like you were crossing your legs in a chair. The right foot can touch the floor if you're still working up to the full balance. Regardless of where that right foot lands (most advanced variation has it wrapping around the left calf), keep squeezing the knees toward each other, making sure the hips stay level. Feel like your outer hips are squeezing in toward each other.
From there, keeping your gaze steady on something eye level or higher that's not moving, wrap your left elbow on top of the right. (Right leg on top, right arm on bottom.) Squeeze the elbows together. If the shoulders and back are extremely tight, the hands might not touch, and that's perfectly okay. Eventually you'll be able to press the backs of the hands together, and then finally press palms together. In Bikram, they also work toward getting the elbows down so low that the fingers are below the face (pictured right).Finally, if you're feeling steady, you can carefully shift your gaze toward the floor and come into a forward fold, making a C with your spine and curling in on yourself.
Unwrap your arms and legs, and take the other side. It feels so delicious afterward! You've challenged, stretched, and/or strengthened nearly your body - stand in Mountain Pose, tadasana, and notice the effects.
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