A Journey Within

Over the years, many of you have asked for recordings of my guided imagery meditations. I'm excited to share my first recording with you. 


Here is "Journey Within" -- a guided journey through the layers of our being (called "koshas" in yoga).


You can sit back and follow the audio, eyes closed, or you're welcome to enjoy the beautiful images.


Welcome to the "Journey Within."  Enjoy!

Yoga DOESN'T Wreck Your Body

In today's New York Times magazine, there's an article titled, "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body," by William J. Broad. 

Here's a link to the article, which is adapted from "The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards," by William J. Broad, to be published next month by Simon & Schuster. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

If you are a yoga practitioner, and/or a teacher of yoga, you'll want to read the article, and you may want to weigh in with your own perspective, joining the hundreds of readers posting comments on the Times's online thread. 

Here are the comments I sent in earlier this evening:

"Yoga can be enormously beneficial when practiced sensibly, with modifications, in a manner that awakens presence and self-empowerment. Thousands of studies document yoga's benefits for body, mind, stress, and healthy lifestyle. 

This article focuses on what can happen when people practice yoga to the extreme, pushing themselves beyond what their bodies are designed to do. Injuries occur when students practice in a forceful way that violates functional range of motion, health considerations, or common sense. Ill-informed, aggressive instructors teaching yoga as a purely physical workout only fuel this harmful trend.

The first law of yoga is "ahimsa" (non-harming). Students of yoga must assess whether they feel safe with their instructors. They must also take responsibility for their practice and be willing to modify or omit poses, especially if they have injuries or health conditions that require a moderate approach. As yoga teachers, it behooves us to pursue studies that help us teach safely, and to commit to creating a respectful, non-competitive atmosphere through our words, actions and touch.

People get hurt practicing baseball, golf, tennis, working out, cheerleading, and running; surely these American-as-apple-pie activities account for far more injuries than yoga ever will. Yet no one is calling for an end to these sports. Nor should they for yoga."

* * * * * * * * * *

On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude to some of my most influential teachers, for sharing with me their great knowledge and their unswerving commitment to safe, sensible, highly adaptive yoga, and for supporting me as I share these teachings with others: Mukunda Stiles, Sara Meeks, Adrienne Jamiel, Cheri Clampett, and Leslie Kaminoff. I am most fortunate to have the benefit of their wise guidance.

I am also deeply moved that the students who come to Stone Yoga "get it" and enjoy practicing yoga in ways that are respectful of their needs. And I am honored that the teachers I have the privilege to train are deeply committed to teaching safe, sensible yoga to their students. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 !

This photo arrived in my inbox this week – I just had to share it!

As I sit down to write something for the end of 2011 and the start of 2012, this picture keeps coming to mind. Out with the old, in with the new.

But for me, this photo also captures something even more powerful. If you’ve ever tried to take a picture and you wanted to get it just right, you know it isn’t easy. It takes work: an idea, a plan, skill, time, and lots of patience.

With this photo, that must be especially true. I imagine that the photographer tried many times to get the perfect shot. And right at the moment when the shutter clicked, things may not have gone quite according to plan. Maybe too much sand was washed away -- oops, there goes all of “2011,” a wee bit too soon: redraw, reshoot. Maybe there was a footprint nobody noticed until just then -- uh oh, that’s a do-over. Maybe droplets from the ocean splashed across the lens -- quick, wipe it off, try again.

And that’s what I wanted to share, this idea that life is like that. We pause at that always-magical moment, as one year slips away and another begins, and we create our dreams and resolutions. Then, life comes along, and things don’t go quite according to plan. We have to regroup, reenvision, recreate our dreams, and reinvent ourselves, over and over again.

And just like in this photo, where the photographer worked to get it right, so can we. We adapt to life’s ups and downs, we tweak our vision, we reinspire ourselves, and we do our inner work, so that we can, hopefully, get it right.

Tonight at midnight, as 2011 is washed away and 2012 arrives, fresh and new, I will take some mindful moments to be grateful for all the things that went right in 2011, and even for some that didn't but taught me valuable lessons along the way; for family and friends, for amazing students, for wonderful, generous teachers, for skilled healers, for the people who inspired me, for all the kindnesses that came my way. I will look ahead with hope and delight, to a new year and all the possibilities it holds.

And I’ll know that it won’t just happen in one shot; it’ll take work to manifest an awesome year. I’m OK with that. It’s worth it. I’m ready! 

Starbucks Refugee

Who knew that “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” would become the Leitmotif for Starbucks earlier this week? It did, of course, when day after day we piled into the crowded store to warm up and charge our worn-out computers and cellphone batteries.

A refugee camp with latte.

An odd camaraderie arose as we ordered our cappuccinos and politely shared couches and – more to the point -- outlets. We took turns plugging ourselves in, nodding and smiling at each other, strangers thrown together due to the power outage. We became a shape-shifting community of sorts, coming and going, not much in common except the cold houses we had escaped from, and the desire to connect with the world, at least for a little while.

Working b

y candlelight
10/31/11

As challenging as these past few days were, they offered strange comforts, too. Without TV, radio or the internet to lure us into our separate corners, we suddenly had time to talk, to go to sleep early, to settle into a slower, more mindful rhythm. I felt like a pioneer in earlier, simpler times, when fire and food were not so easy to come by, and when being with others was what kept us connected.

Well, the power’s back on in my neighborhood, and life is back to normal, more or less. The classes at the studio are back on track. Most folks have been able to move back home after staying in hotels, or in the homes of friends and family. The trees -- cracked, splintered and wounded -- stand as stark reminders of the storm that whipped through town, but the clean-up is well under way, and the streets are almost passable now. I don’t have to write by candlelight anymore.

My heart goes out to those who are still without electricity, heat, and the comforts of home. And I won’t miss the bone-chilling cold nights curled into a fetal position under mounds of blankets. But I find myself holding onto the sense of shared survivorship I felt at Starbucks. And I feel an enormous sense of gratitude for things I’ve taken for granted: electricity, a hot shower, the internet at my beck and call. It’s easy to forget how fortunate I am. And so, as costly as this recent storm has been on so many levels, the lessons I've learned are priceless.

Rosh Hashanah Message of Presence and Peace

As Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, arrives, I feel the way I do when I practice pranayama: for just a moment, I feel suspended between inhale and exhale, between exhale and inhale. Rosh Hashanah invites us to spend time just that way, the old year behind us, the new year just ahead. We hover and pause, and reflect and hope.

What an extraordinary opportunity to be in the here and now!

Should we fully appreciate the blessings of the past year? Of course. Should we learn and grow from our experiences, and seek to manifest a wonder-filled year to come? Absolutely.

But we can also pause in this moment in time, and recognize that this one moment is worthy of our full attention. The truth is that all we really have in this moment IS this one precious moment, rich with sensation, observation, and feeling. It invites us to slow time down into moment-to-moment awareness, cherishing each impression as it offers itself to us: the smiles around a festive table; the warm glow of candles; the fragrances of a festive meal shared with family and friends; the crunch of newly fallen leaves beneath our feet as we walk the dog.

As much as I treasure this opportunity for pure awareness, I know that it is not restricted to Rosh Hashanah, or to any one tradition. We all have the current moment, and can embrace it, or let it slip by unnoticed. Whether it's the sound of the Shofar that stirs the soul, the sound of a Conch Shell, or the sound of a fellow student practicing Wave Breath, this I know: that we are all permitted entry; we're all invited to the party of the present moment!

Let's open ourselves to the power of now. Let's slow down and pay attention -- perhaps to our breath as it comes and goes: is there a greater gift? or perhaps to the snap in the air as we move into autumn; or perhaps to the sensation of warmth and joy as we do a good deed.

If there is sadness and challenge, it's good to know that we can experience it in all its raw force ... but that this moment, too, will change; the law of impermanence letting us know that even the moments of greatest difficulty will surely yield to others. Healing is possible.

And so, the message of Rosh Hashanah is one that is relevant for all: we can reflect back and learn; we can look forward and hope; and we can learn to embrace the present moment. We can learn to pay attention -- to an impression, to a friend in intimate conversation, to a thought, to silence, to our lives. 

May we make the most of each precious, present moment and not squander this gift -- be it on feuds or global unrest and war.

May we all have a happy, healthy and sweet New Year, filled with moments of joy, connection, community, friendship and peace.

YOGA AND SPIRITUAL ... JEWELRY ?

I recently wanted to reward myself with a "little something" for a job well done. And so, you might ask: What does a yoga teacher buy herself as a gift? Well, spiritual jewelry, of course!

 

The Chopard diamond-encrusted OM pendant was out (WAY too blingy). But the red thread Me&Ro bracelet I found, with the tiny silver slider inscribed with “metta” (lovingkindness) fit the bill nicely. Ah yes, a constant reminder to be kind, gentle, compassionate. The perfect spiritual piece of jewelry.

 

Until, that is, I happened to be in a meeting with a gentleman who is not "into yoga." He noticed my metta bracelet and asked what it was. When I explained, he asked, “How much did you pay for that?” “$90." He laughed and exclaimed, "So you bought a piece of thread with a tiny silver button and a tiny silver doo-dad on it, for $90 bucks?”

 

That gave me pause. Spiritual jewelry. Hmmm.

 

I learned something valuable from that exchange: that sometimes, even I, a yoga teacher supposedly inured to such silliness, can fall prey to the marketing of spirituality.

 

I don't need a wildly overpriced bracelet to remind me to be spiritual. There are myriad opportunities for bringing spirituality into daily life: being a good listener; offering a free yoga class; cultivating gratitude; getting involved in social action for a better world.

 

No, I don't need a bracelet to remind me to do these things. I do them gladly.

 

But this little lesson did teach me one thing: to keep things in perspective. And to recognize that spirituality doesn't hinge on a little red string. It resides, quietly and patiently, in our hearts. And we can tap into it anywhere, anytime, for free. No strings attached.

There IS a Yoga You Can Do

If you’ve ever thought about doing yoga, but were daunted by the glossy magazines showing lanky women baring lots of skin, doing pretzel-like poses that look beautiful, but make you wonder whether you’d have to call the Fire Department to help you get out of them, take heart: there IS a yoga you can do.

Yoga is an ancient discipline from India that is thousands of years old. In yoga’s early days, only men did yoga; it was designed to help them stay healthy so that they could sit in meditation and dedicate their lives to spiritual pursuits. We’ve come a long way since then. Today, men, women and children can enjoy yoga. Freed of the religious underpinnings that originally were a part of this discipline, the yoga now practiced in the West is non-denominational and appropriate for everyone, of any religious denomination or belief system. Many celebrities do yoga to stay fit, and hospitals and the wellness community have embraced yoga for its benefits for the body and mind.

Some of yoga’s many benefits are:

-       enhanced strength and flexibility

-       improved bone strength

-       better health

-       a sense of well-being

-       improved breathing and lung capacity

-       greater stress-hardiness

-       better concentration and focus

-       a quieter, calmer mind

-       reduced feelings of anxiety and depression

-       a better outlook on life, and a more positive way of viewing one’s world

Sadly, many stay away from yoga, thinking they aren’t flexible or fit enough to enjoy this ancient practice. The good news is that nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone can do yoga – you just have to find the type of yoga that suits you best.

With yoga’s ever-increasing popularity, a plethora of yoga styles have emerged. Many cater to those who want a fitness-oriented workout that sculpts and tones, burns calories, or provides a challenging cardiac workout. However, there are ways to do yoga that are gentle, and that allow people to move at a safe pace, with modifications that make the practice user-friendly and accessible for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Instead of doing complicated, highly choreographed flow sequences, difficult poses that require the flexibility of an Olympic-level gymnast, or yoga done in super-heated studios, one can take sensible classes that offer simple easy-to-follow sequences, or that offer basic poses (called “asanas”) taught with modifications that make each pose safe, easy and fun to do. Adapting yoga for people’s unique needs by making it simpler and less extreme, and by using props and sensible modifications, goes a long way to creating an atmosphere in which each and every student can feel welcome, comfortable and successful. Some studios offer Chair Yoga classes, or classes uniquely suited to seniors, students who are injured, aren’t flexible, or have conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, cardiac disease, or other health conditions that require special consideration. Those embarking on a yoga quest would also do well to seek out classes that aren’t too crowded, so that they can receive the attention they need.

Teachers who create an atmosphere of compassionate awareness, and encourage their students to have a non-judgmental, non-competitive attitude, and who take the time to get to know their students so that they can keep them safe, can make the difference between an enjoyable, fun experience and a yoga “nightmare.” Classes that emphasize that “less is more,” and that go beyond just the physical aspects of yoga to create a contemplative atmosphere that includes gentle breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and meditation, will provide a pleasant yoga experience that leaves students feeling relaxed, refreshed and renewed.

Students can search for qualified teachers specializing in gentle, adaptive, prenatal, children’s, seniors or therapeutic yoga by contacting organizations such as the national Yoga Alliance, International Association of Yoga Therapists, Yoga Journal, and others.

So, don’t let yoga’s daunting image hold you back. If you’re stressed, or a bit out of shape, or just want do some gentle stretching in a non-competitive atmosphere where you can feel at home, know that the right class, and the right teacher, are out there waiting to welcome you. Because there is most definitely a yoga you can do!

____________________

© Charlotte Chandler Stone, CYT, E-RYT500; Article written for Inner Realm magazine, July 2011 issue