Namaste: नमस्ते

The 30-Day Yoga Challenge is complete! Congratulations to everyone who participated! Even if you only did yoga for a few days in a row, that is a start and you should be very proud of yourself.

For me, this was a very eye-opening experience. Not because I found Nirvana or discovered that I can twist myself into a neat little pretzel, but because I realized how difficult it really is just to shift gears for five minutes a day to anything other than the emergency that life often becomes.

And that is okay.

At the beginning of October I thought: “this will be too easy”, but by the time I reached mid-month and began packing to move overseas, going to one too many parties, last minute errands, airport hassles etc. I couldn’t possibly find the time. Yoga quickly became a last priority, and that just made me feel guilty and inadequate. What does that say about me? I’m not sure, and I don’t think it’s useful to analyze it. I do know that creating any sort of obligation made the endeavor less appealing, like required reading in school. Yuck. Next time, perhaps I should leave all expectations at the temple door and accept that I am just a person with choices to make, all of them divine, whether or not I hit the mat every single day.

I was happy to gets lots of feedback from a variety people who participated in the yoga challenge. The following are some comments from just a few of them:


Sienna, Age 5 (pictured above)
Q - Why do you like yoga so much?
Because you learn lots of poses. And the teacher taught us where yoga came from...India. And that the Indian dress is called a sari - but you have to do your yoga wearing Indian pants.
Q - What’s your favorite position in yoga?
Lotus- full not half.

Laura, Age 18
I did the yoga challenge more than once! Hah. I actually did it quite a lot...not everyday because I definitely did fall pray not as much to the "I’m too busy" but rather "I’m too hung over" hah. But ya, I thoroughly enjoyed the sun salutation…the name itself was enough to attract me. The poses were very effective and after a few times, where I was still attempting to remember the poses, it helped me to reach quite a calm state of mind. It was a lovely 10-minute break in my day that helped me to focus as well as feel as though I was being active. Thanks for giving me an excuse to find balance ;)

Sheila, Age 56
Overall, I found it great. I must admit though, that I was not always in a "yoga state of mind". This is hard to accomplish while doing the sun salutations and watching a brand new episode of Desperate Housewives all at the same time. The benefits I have found are 1) starting the routine which I hope to continue 2) overall more nimble in all movements, less awkward. 3) Definite improvement in arm strength...wrist all the way up to upper arms which is what I need. 3) More conscious use of breath although this is still a weak spot for me.

At the conclusion of a yoga practice, it is customary to bring both hands to your heart, bow and say: “Namaste” (na ma-STAY). This is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “I bow to you” (nama = bow; "as" means I; "te" means you). This gesture represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within all of us, located in the heart, or heart chakra. By bringing your hands together at your heart, closing your eyes, and lowering your head, your spirit acknowledges the spirit of another. It may seem a little silly, but I find that even this simple gesture can remind me of everything beyond the room where I sit, and the body I am inside.

Thanks for your participation and support this month! I hope you enjoyed the 30-Day Yoga Challenge and continue your practice.
Namaste.

And So it Begins

Here we go ya’ll…30 days of yoga! Are you ready for it? I have really been looking forward to this challenge and I promise to keep you posted on my own record (which may or not be perfect, but I’m hopeful).

The following sequence should be done everyday for the next 30 days. If you already practice yoga and have a favorite position or series that you want to add, please feel free to do so. Of course your routine over the next month will depend on how much time you have and how you are feeling. The reason I have kept things simple is so that I have a goal that I know I am capable of accomplishing. Once I begin, I usually have a hard time stopping – it’s getting started that’s always the obstacle.

Listen to your body over the 30-day practice. If you feel pain or discomfort, stop.

A note on Yoga Breathing
Throughout this practice, you can try practicing Ojai Breath.
Ojai Breathing, or "Mirror Fogging Breath", opens up your breathing passages, helps your breathing relax and it helps circulate energy in your Energy Body. It's one of the easiest breathing strategies.

Let's explore the sensation we'll be looking for with Ojai Breathing. Open your mouth and breathe outward, as if you are trying to fog up a mirror. Or as if you are softly saying 'hah'. Notice how that opens up the back of your throat? Notice how it makes a rasping sound?

With Ojai Breathing we're looking for those same feelings, only you'll be trying to feel them when you're breathing in. Try it with your mouth open. Then see how relaxed you can make it.

To get the full benefits of this breathing technique, put the tip of your tongue up on the roof of your mouth just behind your upper, front teeth. Let your tongue rest there lightly. This further opens up your throat and closes off your Energy Body so that you can better circulate Energy. This breath will sound much louder than regular breathing. It is full and deep. As you inhale, fill the abdomen and then continue inhaling as you expand and fill the chest. Then exhale first from the chest as it empties and falls and then continue exhaling from the abdomen as it draws inwards completely. This is one round of the full yogic breath.

If for any reason during the posture portion of the series you feel you cannot continue, simply sit in a comfortable position and continue breathing. Remember, yoga stops when you lose consciousness of the breath. If you are not breathing fully, you are only stretching.

Here is the Sun Salutation posture series. Take note of the breath in each position. Click on the pictures to enlarge, if desired.

Begin by standing in Mountain pose, feet about hip width apart, hands either by your sides or in prayer position. Take several deep breaths.






On your next inhale, in one sweeping movement, raise your arms up overhead and gently arch back as far as feels comfortable and safe.






As you exhale, bend forward, bending the knees if necessary, and bring your hands to rest beside your feet.






Inhale and jump, or step the right leg back.








Exhale and step the left leg back into plank position (if you did not jump back). Hold the position and inhale.






Exhale and lower yourself as if coming down from a pushup. Only your hands and feet should touch the floor.






Inhale and stretch forward and up, bending at the waist. Use your arms to lift your torso, but only bend back as far as feels comfortable and safe. Lift your legs up so that only the tops of your feet and your hands touch the floor. It's okay to keep your arms bent at the elbow.



Exhale, lift from the hips and push back and up into "downward dog". Spread your fingers wide and ensure that the weight from the top half of your body is on the palms of your hands, not your wrists. Do not worry if your heels do not touch the ground (mine don't!). Take five deep breaths here.



Inhale and jump, or step the right foot
forward.







Exhale, bring the left foot forward (if you did not jump) and step into head-to-knee position.







Inhale and rise slowly while keeping arms extended.








Exhale, and in a slow, sweeping motion, lower your arms to the sides. End by bringing your hands up into prayer position.

Repeat the sequence five times.




During the 30-Day Yoga Challenge, you may want to consider the following things:
- Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
- Wake up and drink warm water with a lemon.
- Tell 10 positive people about your 30-Day Yoga Challenge so you have lots of support.
- Monitor your inner dialogue. You are what you think.
- Be kind. Treat yourself and others with kindness when you eat, exercise,
play, work, love and everything else.

Please feel free to email me with any questions you have over the next month. I am here for answers and support! Good luck and Namaste.

The following people have signed up for the Yoga Challenge. Good for you!
Mikkel, Sheila, Trevor, Geoff, Nigel, Shay, Kelli, Jim, Janet, Julie, Suzanne, Chicky, Paula, Sandy, Kate, Sienna, Rowan, Emily, Laura, Candice


sources: http://audioyoga.com/AY4/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=465&Itemid=140
http://www.yogasite.com/sunsalute.htm
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/yoga/Benefits.html
http://myogapractice.com/30_day_yoga_challenge

The 30 Day Yoga Challenge

If I was anything else but tanned this summer, I was lazy. My gym membership ran out, it was "too rainy" to run, and who wants to bust out the squats and lunges during a European vacation? Not me.
So in order to get my body back into some level of physical fitness, I am beginning my 30-Day Yoga Challenge, which means practicing yoga every day for a month…and I want all of you to join me. Now before you start making excuses, I will explain how easy this will be and dare you to find a reason not to. If you have five minutes a day, to dedicate to a very simple series of movements and breathing over the next month, than I guarantee you will feel amazing. You don’t need any special equipment (although a yoga mat would be a good idea), and you don’t need a fancy yoga studio to do it (a dock on the river at sunset would also be a good idea) (sorry, that was mean).

Even if you have never done yoga before in your life, you will be able to participate in the yoga challenge. Yoga is a system comprised of three practices, the most important being the breath, so if you can breathe, you can do yoga. The physical and mediation practices of yoga are also important, but I think that just committing to a month-long practice of breathing and simple stretches will be enough for me. I am also trying to curb my tendancy to bite off more than i can realistically chew.

The 30-Day Yoga Challenge will begin October 1st, so you have just over a week to psych yourself into participating. Get your friends and family involved too, as it is good to have some support. The practice postures will be a series called the “Sun Salutation”, or “Surya Namaskar”, which is a series of 12 postures performed in a single, graceful flow. The Sun Salutation builds strength and increases flexibility (however, I should mention that this series does NOT include the posture pictured above, I was just showing off). Different styles of yoga perform the Sun Salutation with their own variations. However, the flow I will be presenting covers core steps used in most styles. If you are already familiar with the Sun Salutation, that is great. Let this be an opportunity to see what a difference it makes to practice daily, and feel free to add your own postures, as you like! Even if you cannot practice everyday this month, set small goals for yourself and take it day by day.


Here are some of the many benefits of practicing yoga:

Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.

Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.

Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

Still not convinced? Well, only the practice itself will be able to show you the immeasurable benefits of yoga. So, challenge yourself. Join me in the pursuit of reuniting with the body, the breath and the flow of it all.

If you are interested in joining the 30-Day Yoga Challenge, write me an email at: sarahlbritton@gmail.com and I will post your first name on the “participant board” in October. Good for you!

Namaste.