Saturday, May 12, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Yoga Chitti Vritti Nirodha
The more I do yoga, the more I crave doing yoga. It's a wonderful cycle, really. The more yoga I do, the better I sleep, the better I feel, the better mom/partner/person I find myself being...striving to be.
I came to yoga not to become a better person but to fix my aching body. What has happened is a miraculous inward folding and outward blossoming to which I can only attribute to a clearing of the energy channels ("nadi" in sanskrit) that opened the pathways to healther ways of thinking...or least is creating the opportunity to create healthier ways of thinking.
A friend reminded me the other day that one of the great yogic philosopher's said that people come to yoga for a myriad of reasons...but one way or another, everyone ends up creating the union that yoga intends to provide - the coordination, coexistence, cooperation of the breath, the mind and body. And from that union, we are able to "clear the mind of clutter." The second yoga sutra (the title of this post) says just this: "Yoga is the clearing of distractions of the mind." Of course it's not easy. If it were, it wouldn't take lifetimes for gurus to achieve their bliss. The poses (900+ variations and more) are the way to work out the kinks in our mind.
Not that is not to say you just break into a few down dogs and suddenly your OCD tendencies disappear (h boy if only). But what it does is create an awareness of what drives you into spirals, so that you can slowly slowly slowly peel, push, twist, massage and breathe away those triggers. Even if ONLY when you are on the mat. And perhaps moment by moment, it will spread into your life beyond the mat. For real yoga is the way which we conduct our lives OFF the mat.
I have a few personal struggles that test my patience daily. Lately I am acutely aware of them to the point of distraction, and it's frustrating. But I have to remind myself that being AWARE of them is part of the process, as before they were just things I did/thought/reacted to. I'm moving backwards to identify their root causes, and each time I practice I notice they bother me, at least on the mat, less and less. With repetition, with patience, with understanding, perhaps I can carry that peace into those moments between the asanas.
I came to yoga not to become a better person but to fix my aching body. What has happened is a miraculous inward folding and outward blossoming to which I can only attribute to a clearing of the energy channels ("nadi" in sanskrit) that opened the pathways to healther ways of thinking...or least is creating the opportunity to create healthier ways of thinking.
A friend reminded me the other day that one of the great yogic philosopher's said that people come to yoga for a myriad of reasons...but one way or another, everyone ends up creating the union that yoga intends to provide - the coordination, coexistence, cooperation of the breath, the mind and body. And from that union, we are able to "clear the mind of clutter." The second yoga sutra (the title of this post) says just this: "Yoga is the clearing of distractions of the mind." Of course it's not easy. If it were, it wouldn't take lifetimes for gurus to achieve their bliss. The poses (900+ variations and more) are the way to work out the kinks in our mind.
Not that is not to say you just break into a few down dogs and suddenly your OCD tendencies disappear (h boy if only). But what it does is create an awareness of what drives you into spirals, so that you can slowly slowly slowly peel, push, twist, massage and breathe away those triggers. Even if ONLY when you are on the mat. And perhaps moment by moment, it will spread into your life beyond the mat. For real yoga is the way which we conduct our lives OFF the mat.
I have a few personal struggles that test my patience daily. Lately I am acutely aware of them to the point of distraction, and it's frustrating. But I have to remind myself that being AWARE of them is part of the process, as before they were just things I did/thought/reacted to. I'm moving backwards to identify their root causes, and each time I practice I notice they bother me, at least on the mat, less and less. With repetition, with patience, with understanding, perhaps I can carry that peace into those moments between the asanas.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Free Classes at Fitzee Foods
I'm excited to announce that I will be a guest teacher this Wednesday 5/2 and Monday 5/14 at Fitzee Foods in Liberty Station (Point Loma), from 7 to 8pm. Please check out their website for more information about this great company and other fitness classes they provide!
http://www.fitzeefoods.com/community/calendar/
As always, you can email me at jackie (dot) gadd at gmail dot com with any questions, comments, etc.
http://www.fitzeefoods.com/community/calendar/
As always, you can email me at jackie (dot) gadd at gmail dot com with any questions, comments, etc.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Yoga 4 Kids at Silverman Preschool
I'm so happy to announce that the Silverman Preschool in San Carlos has chosen to include yoga for kids as part of their after preschool enrichment program! They are offering to families of the preschool a series of eight yoga classes with me for just $88 dollars, from 1:30-2:30 on Thursday afternoons!
We did two demo classes yesterday with the 3-4 year olds and the pre-K (4-5) and they were FANTASTIC! Introducing the children to the breathing ball and Tibetan singing bowl are always favorite activities - they all OM'd (well, "Sha-LOM'd) with Ruach (vigor!)!. I even received a text from a mom after school that the first thing her son mentioned when she picked him up was that he loved yoga with Miss Jackie!
I'm also honored to be teaching a demo class next week with a Point Loma play group - we hope to make it a regular class for them!
Here is the promo info for my kids classes. If you would like to bring B'yomYoga to your school (preschool, playgroup, elementary school, home school) just let me know and we can work out schedules and pricing!
About our class: our FUN 45 minute sessions will blend age-appropriate yoga poses and breathing techniques with kid-oriented songs, stories, games, gentle massage, and the always popular rest time!
We will learn ways to take our bodies and minds from silly to calm well as lethargic to energized. Creatively interwoven are lessons on self control, kindness, cooperation and love for self and others.
About me: I have been a yoga enthusiast and practioner for eight years, and teaching children and families since 2007. For me, this is a lifestyle and lifetime commitment and I wish to to bring the joy of yoga to all.
We did two demo classes yesterday with the 3-4 year olds and the pre-K (4-5) and they were FANTASTIC! Introducing the children to the breathing ball and Tibetan singing bowl are always favorite activities - they all OM'd (well, "Sha-LOM'd) with Ruach (vigor!)!. I even received a text from a mom after school that the first thing her son mentioned when she picked him up was that he loved yoga with Miss Jackie!
I'm also honored to be teaching a demo class next week with a Point Loma play group - we hope to make it a regular class for them!
Here is the promo info for my kids classes. If you would like to bring B'yomYoga to your school (preschool, playgroup, elementary school, home school) just let me know and we can work out schedules and pricing!
About our class: our FUN 45 minute sessions will blend age-appropriate yoga poses and breathing techniques with kid-oriented songs, stories, games, gentle massage, and the always popular rest time!
We will learn ways to take our bodies and minds from silly to calm well as lethargic to energized. Creatively interwoven are lessons on self control, kindness, cooperation and love for self and others.
About me: I have been a yoga enthusiast and practioner for eight years, and teaching children and families since 2007. For me, this is a lifestyle and lifetime commitment and I wish to to bring the joy of yoga to all.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Yoga on PBS!
While I try to get work done sometimes I set up Eli at his Dad's PC to watch DVDs. Today I thought I'd try playing with Hulu instead. I looked up Thomas, but they only have his short vids at the namesake website. So I found Sid the Science Kid with a link to PBS.org. I didn't know they had full episodes of the great cartoons at their site.
I clicked on the first video for Sid, and lo and behold - IT WAS ABOUT KIDS DOING YOGA!!!
Check it out here (select the icon of Sid) http://pbskids.org/video/
I clicked on the first video for Sid, and lo and behold - IT WAS ABOUT KIDS DOING YOGA!!!
Check it out here (select the icon of Sid) http://pbskids.org/video/
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