On Success

Do you undermine your own success by distracting yourself with things that aren't relevant in your life or underestimating your own strength to overcome adversity? You need to trust yourself and your instincts and do right by you.

Silver Sneakers FREE Yoga classes at local libraries

This information has been moved to the Silver Sneakers page on this blog. Click here to check it out!

Yoga with Provisions II - more yoga, more provisions!

http://byomyoga.blogspot.com/p/events.html

Back by demand, Yoga with Provisions returns on Sunday August 9. Once again, we'll start with a little more than 75 minutes of yoga at the wonderful San Diego Creative Arts Project, the move on to Polite Provisions (or Soda & Swine) for cocktails and sustenance (for a discount). NEW: included with your ticket price is one house beer (aaaah, so refreshing), and a chance to win a complete premier set of Yoga Joes, the evolved army "men" in yoga poses support for our returning people in uniform. We'll also be collecting additional donations for Give Back Yoga/Warriors for Healing, to show we care.

Class size limited, so email me or message me on Facebook to reserve your spot ASAP. In the meantime, explore your universe and have a great July.

Yoga with Provisions recap

"Release what holds you back, and the universe will provide."

- byomyoga (inspired by just about everyone she knows)

Just a few shots from the amazing Yoga with Provisions class held yesterday at San Diego Creative Arts Project. 15 beautiful souls joined together to move, breathe, be, release, and welcome in the provisions of the universe (and a few cocktails providing by Polite Provisions afterwards). Thank you all for sharing the experience with me. Thank you Laura at San Diego Creative Arts Project, for the idea and the space, thank you Heidi at hphart.com for the photographs that bring out the joy, thank you Aaron at Polite Provisions for the whatever-it-was-was-delicious victuals!

Starting savasana - cultivating body awareness and centering ourselves

Adjustments in Durga-Go (cat cow sequence)

Balance - ah yes, balance.

Spinal flexion/extension

Prepping our shoulder for poses to come in Urdvha Hastasana (upward hands pose)

Anjanayasana - option on the knees, reach for the heavens

Lunge pose option 2

Drawing the hips and heart open in Warrior II

Open the left side and breath in "reverse triangle"

Opening to the right 

Deepening our Virabhadrasana (warrior) II

Delightful side flexion

Hamstring release in utthanasana (forward bend)

Tripod Dog (tri pada adho mukha savanasana)

Dogs in black and white

Dogs in color

Child's pose option - prayer hands

Relax the shoulders

Child's pose option (polar bear)

Child's pose assist - breathe through the back
 

Savasana-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Holding space for the class in Savasana

Fetal pose - preparing to awaken renewed

Waking up

Love to all!

Self with Provisions (i.e., the photographer Heidi and sweet TerriSue)

Lucid Dreams and Lowered Expectations

In a rare occurrence of lucidity, dream-me thought "shit, why am I whinging at the dream-person that is frustrating me? why am i being the opposite of who I want to be?" I woke up sad, but aware of the rarity of that "aha" moment.

To that end, in a particularly challenging yoga class today I was actually brought to tears; not big sobbing ones, but hot weepy ones that come on stronger when you hold your breath. I was carrying the frustration of the dream and personal conflict, plus a sympathetic nervous system response (adrenalin surge and anxiety spur) to a particular difficult asana. I needed to STOP making my blissful practice the opposite of what I wanted it to be.I needed to be lucid about what I was experiencing and not victimized by it. So I sat my sweaty ass down, took a deep breath to loosen my throat lock that was just holding in all that negativity. I wanted this practice to be joyful, and I had to choose to make it that way.  I wiped away my tears, breathed into my hips (a bit of a tensions reliever) and carried on with content dharana (concentration) instead of frustration based in unrealistic expectations.

As far as the dream was concerned, like always, a few hours away from the waking moment and the conjured emotions dissipated (but the lesson was well remembered). As for the personal conflict, I resolved that the issues were really, truly, external to me, and only *I* had the power to prevent myself from emotional collateral damage. I realized that I could lower my expectations (of myself, of the universe) as over those things I have no control, but that doesn't mean I should lower my standards for the kind of person I want to be(come).

Sometimes recognizing the futility of the fight is just what we need to create more space for the possibility.