The Yoga Lounge

For the past eight years I have been honored to provide volunteer yoga services to the participants of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pacific Coast Chapter 50 Mile Challenge Walk. Prior to being their yoga provider I actually walked the challenge from 2004 through 2011. (Full disclosure, in 2009 I did all the fundraising but my OB didn't think it advisable that I walk at 8 months pregnant. Turns out I left the event early to give birth to my son).

The Yoga Lounge, 2019

As the yoga provider I help kick-start the event Friday morning with (humorous) stretching/warm-up during Opening Ceremonies, and Saturday and Sunday mornings I greet the walkers in the breakfast room with foam rollers and tennis balls for self massage and suggestions on chair yoga poses to stretch the quadriceps, hamstrings, back muscles, hips, or whatever else needs a morning wake-up.

Friday and Saturday afternoons I host the BYOM Yoga Lounge, a quiet, prop-equipped room that includes:

• Yoga mats and blankets
• Multiple sized bolsters
• Blocks and straps
• Stretch bands
• Chilled golf balls and smaller rubber balls for foot massages
• Tennis balls and lacrosse balls for larger muscle massage
• Small foam rollers
• Aromatherapy mist
• Quiet music and ambient lighting 
• Chairs for those not able to get onto the floor

I like to think of the service as yoga "triage." Walkers (and staff and volunteers who have spent up to 12 hours on their feet supporting walkers) come in, let me know what body part/s need soothing, and I try to set them up with yoga poses, restorative or otherwise, that will help to stretch, ease, strengthen, and soothe their body stresses. They can also do their own thing, using the props as needed in a quiet space. I supply aromatherapy mists, body lotions, as well as handmade magnesium chloride muscle rub for soothing aching body parts (click to order this on ETSY https://www.etsy.com/shop/BYOMyoga)

Mg Muscle Rub

For some, just taking off shoes and socks and rubbing the soles of the feet on iced golf balls (spiked with a little essential oil) can be delightful. For others the act of lying horizontal, on a blanket, or a supported bolster with feet down, knees up, can be the low back release that does the trick after pounding the pavement for 20 miles.

Walking 20 miles (or even just being upright all day) can create postural challenges (hunching over). Simply lying supine, with arms overhead and resting on blocks can open the shoulders without causing wear and tear on the shoulder joints (see Constructive Savasana below).

Hips, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps also take a beating on long walks, so I have a variety of supported floor based yoga poses I introduce, encouraging everyone to hold for at least three minutes, utilizing long slow breaths to maximize the calming effort for muscle and nervous system relaxation.

Some of my time-tested favorites:

Deer Pose/Lazy Pigeon: Prone, legs bent, bottom leg knee closer to body. Torso can be supported on a bolster. perform on both sides. Similar to Pigeon but far less intense on the lower knee and less stretch on the back leg quad/psoas.

Prone Dancing Shiva/Prone Pavritta Hasta Padagusthasana: Prone extended leg and arm twist. hand and big toe do not have to touch. lower leg extends, body working to "fold" on top of lower leg, pushing through lower heel. bottom hip can be supported (as shown) on block or bolster. restorative version has torso on bolster (not hip). perform on both sides.

Supta Pavritta Hasta Padaghustasana (with props): Supine Twisting Hand to Big Toe Pose has a strap between the hand and top leg that cross over the body, pushing through the heel. upper leg can rest on a bolster/block. Restorative version does not use a strap, or has strap around top thigh and looped around upper arm (see pic). perform on both sides.

Broken Wing/Figure 4: Prone, one leg hiked up to the side at 90 degree like hugging a pillow, ankle below knee. Head turned to one side. release for glutes and outer hip and low bag. Torso can be supported on a bolster. perform on both sides.

Constructive Savasana: Supine, on floor or supported by bolster esp. with low back support. if on bolsters, use additional blocks/blankets under length of arms to prevent hyper-extension of shoulders.

Legs up the Wall/Vipariti Karani: Supine, sit bones at or near wall. bolster under length of body including pelvis and head, or on floor. legs can be gently bound at upper this with strap to support adductors. arms overhead for shoulder stretch or by side, palms open. eye pillow optional. gentle weight/blanket over body or on hips for grounding/low back release optional. gentle weight/blanket on/over feet optional.

Supported Prone Savasana: Prone, bolster/rolled blankets under belly, legs extended at end of bolster or separated to allow knees to descend off sides (similar to frog). arms crossed under head on bolster or floor. rolled blanket under shins for low back support. flesh can be distributed over edge of bottom bolster/between two bolsters for comfort rather than struggle with compression.

Savasana (Restorative): Supine, with bolsters under torso/hips, head, and additional rolled blanket or bolster beneath knees to release low back. arms supports. option to cover eyes, gentle weights/blanket on bellow/hips.

Deer Pose/Lazy Pigeon

Prone Dancing Shiva Variation

Revolved Hand to Big Toe Variation

Revolved Hand to Big Toe Variation

Legs up the Wall

Broken Wing

Prone Savasana Variation 1

Prone Savasana Variation 2

Constructive Savasana

Restorative Savasana Variation

Traditional Savasana

If you are looking for a Yoga Lounge provider for your charity event keep BYOMyoga in mind! The NMSS is near and dear to my heart and you'll see me here every year I'm able to provide service. Check the About Me page to see other events at which I volunteer this type of service, or teach Adaptive/Chair yoga classes. Namaste!

Toy Drive for SDCCS2 - a time for Seva and Paropakāra

This is the time of year when we all start checking things off our shopping lists for friends and family. Some opt out of the shop/give materialism and simply exchange good will and good company. Some agree to "not shop" and make donations to worthy causes in one another's names. Some donate time at food pantries, soup kitchens or sorting/distributing clothing at shelters. Some work on pet adoptions, or just spend time nourishing the love in their families. Some travel to protest sites, to needy countries, to hospitals or wherever a loving soul, another pair of hands and a few more dollars might help further a positive effort.

I applaud any way you choose to enrich the lives of others, and restore some sanity to what might be an otherwise daunting and crazy time of year, especially in our global and local political climates.

If you are local, and so inclined, I am collecting new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages for the families in the community of where my son goes to school. A few decks of cards, a science book, a set of construction blocks, an easy reader set, coloring books and crayons, toy cars, a huggable stuffed toy, a hiking journal, a kid's yoga mat - any thing you have or could pick up easily at a minimal expense would be so gratefully appreciated.

You may bring them to any of the classes that I teach around the county (no need to ship anything from out of town please) and I will bring them en masse to the donation box at our school. We have 20 families on our holiday list to whome we'd like to bring a little extra cheer.

In Sanskrit Seva means selfless service. There are a number of words that are synonymous with charity or giving or the act of that. Here is a short list I found:

Atisarjana: the act of giving away something or making a donation.
satkriyā: a good action, charity, virtue
vara: Charity, alms
āmiṣadāna: gifts of material sthigns (in buddhist philosophy)

but my favorite so far is paropakāra: assisting others, benevolence, charity

What's yours?

Pinatas, Ahimsa, and Charity

I take a small departure from the purely yogic world to talk about something that came up for me at my son's 6th birthday party yesterday.

Instead of a traditional candy filled pinata, we filled one with 720 ping pong balls, and told the kids that when the goodies fell out of the pinata, they were to collect whatever they wanted, and then put them in any of six boxes around the party site - 2 each for charities that Eli picked out. Ever ball was worth five cents toward that chartiy. Children were welcome to take some home as well. Though Eli thought the kids would be upset there was no candy, then scramble to shove ping pong balls into pockets and shirts and hands and pants seemed to entertain them well enough, as well as playing "basketball" tossing the balls into the boxes.

I was pleased with my cool new idea, saving quite a bit of money by not buying candy, and sparing parents and kids the sugar hang-over as well as reducing the "gimme more candy" scramble the invariably leaves some kids crying.

But it turns out my new "trend" isn't so new... at some point in history, pinatas were used to help children learn religious lessons, with one of them being Charity. From the interwebs ""Finally the piñata symbolized ‘Caridad’, Charity. With its eventual breaking, everyone shared in the divine blessings and gifts." (see http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/459-history-of-the-pi%C3%B1ata).

Which brings me to my point. With these sweet and celebratory roots of the tradition, it pains me to see children elbowing one another to get at the candy. Which is why did the HUGE quantity of ping pong balls AND made the kids use a wiffle bat (so that more kids had a chance to play, and EVERYONE would get prizes).

But I started to question the practice in general when I saw that children that were having a difficult time NOT punching and hitting the pinata long before we were playing the game because they KNEW (well, assumed) that there was a ton of candy inside. I heard them say they "couldn't wait" and "I really want to SMASH it" That bothered me. A Lot. I mean, it's just a little game that sometimes gets you some candy - why was it jacking them up so damn much?

When the game started it was innocent enough. But some kids were so riled up, they tried to use the bat to tear the pinata from its hangar, tried to punch through the bottom and stab at it with the bat. Then when the first gifts fell from our pinata, a few grabbed at it and started to aggressively tear the panels open so they could dump out the contents. And then it got ugly (uglier) - kids on the ground having fun picking up the ping pong balls, but what I was drawn to watching were the few that tore the darn thing down from the tree, using hands, feet and the bad to beat it into submission, to absolutely dismember it. When the ball gathering had completed, the (battle) ground was littered with little yellow streamer paper and shreads of cardboard, dirtied and damp, he whole thing discarded and dismissed, as they all went on the enjoy the party.

I'm being a bit (ok, a lot) dramatic here, but what I felt when I watched this take place was a complete oxymoron of emotions. One the one hand, the charity experiment was WORKING - kids were loving the game, parents were loving the game, and there was much joy as balls rolled all over the grass so kids were spread out and NOT climbing on top of one another.

On the other hand, I felt a sinking failure as a parent: that my son and his sweet friends would participate in a mob that was bent on destroying something innocent. That platiutdes like "oh kids will be kids" and "they need to get their aggression out on something" were running through my mind and uttered by others. That I created a scenario that encouraged aggression and unregulated release of it through destruction. That I had tried to teach Tzedakah (charity) and Tikkum Olum (healing the world) but Ahimsa (kindness/non harming) had been lost - or at least misinterpreted.

I should have said "please do NOT get all Lord of the Flies on the pinata - once it opens we'll get the goodies out but we will NOT be tearing the thing apart limb from limb." I should have, but I didn't. I didn't want to be that parent that ran into a feverish group of children yelling "STOP" and (probably) not being heard, because, well, "everyone does this."

When did this trend to "grab the goods and then tear that thing limb from limb" start? And why do we... why did *I* ....let it continue?

Studies show that even young children can be easily led to participate in mob mentality (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mob+mentality+children+studies&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0CBwQgQMwAGoVChMIiamBvP33xwIVgtSACh1YjQxP)

And as adults we engage in it all the time in SEEMINGLY harmless ways: sporting events, rock concerts, piolitcal rallies. How often do WE just let our "spiritedness" out in what might be a less than savory manner - how often to we show our children it's ok to act out, to lash out, to lose self control, as long as (you think) it's not harming anyone, or if there is a reward (candy?).

Anyway, I'm more than pleased that in the end, a few kids really really liked the message, as did my friends. And i know that it's just a pinata, really I do. But the issue of "what do we teach when we aren't paying (enough) attention" seems to be something to which I'll certainly (try to )be paying more attention.

Two Yoga Events and MORE this Spring/Summer

Just trying to gather up some good info to pass on about Yoga and Health and Family related events this Spring. Thank you SoCalKidsSanDiego.com and San Diego Coast Life being such AMAZING resources!

April 13 at the Del mar Fairgrounds is the Hullaballoo Family Music Festival!

April 13 is the El Cajon Library Multicultural Family Fiesta that celebrates the cultural diversity of its community and customers. The event will feature a wide variety of entertainment, international refreshments donated by more than 30 restaurants and markets, and an information fair.

April 13 and 14 Healthy Living Festival at the Del Mar Fair - Free Admission

April 20 is Suzie's (organic) Farm Strawberry Jam: a fun, family-oriented farm experience focused on everyone’s favorite summer fruit. Strawberry Jam kicks off Suzie’s Farm “Event Season,” which will be hosted at their new property Suzie’s at Sunset, on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

April 21 at Legoland and April 28 at NTC Liberty Station: SDCCU Walk MS - a wonderful set of events for a wonderful (and close to my heart cause). Walk, or just wander around the event to see what happens when people come together! You may even be inspired to sign up for the 50 mile MS Challenge Walk coming end of September!

April 27/28 is San Diego Kids Expo and HAPA yoga will be there, with yours truly and the lovely Jules Kirkiby to demo kids yoga at 11AM and 3PM. Hapa has tickets for $5 for adults (kids are free).

May 5 KIDSFEST San Diego Liberty Station, NTC Promenade, San Diego, CA
KidsFest will transform the NTC Promenade in Point Loma into a 100,000-square-foot wonderland of pure, uncomplicated play for the entire family, with activities designed to stimulate and celebrate the imagination.

May 18 Yoga for Hope San Diego - Do yoga, raise money for City of Hope - join local and national renown teachers like Bonnie Jones and Seane Corn to OM and support Cit of Hope!