yoga humor, yogini style, yoga personality, yoga tips - Y is for Yogini

shoulder girdle mantra { head + shoulders above the rest }

photo credit: red paper clip

Patanjali bless YogaWorks. My YTT curriculum and books are educationally solid. One of YW's little gems is their Shoulder Girdle Mantra:

sternum lifts
widen across the collarbone
shoulder heads back
shoulder blades widen away from each other 
and descend down the back

I find this extremely helpful from both the student and teacher perspective. We carry so much tension + stress in our shoulders. Often, the weight of the world is supported there. With this little mantra, you'll remember to open your heart and let the tension slip + slide right off.

sara ivanhoe's yin + yang class { go pleeeegggghhhh }

artwork credit: strangetowngurl @ photobucket

Cost of a parking ticket (damn you City of Santa Monica!) to take Sara Ivanhoe's class at YogaWorks: $61

Benefit of being able to take classes from one of LA's finest yoga teachers: Priceless

I've heard her name a million times, but what made me take my first Sara Ivanhoe class was her Birkin Yoga article at The Huffington Post. I love that she tells it like it is and doesn't pull punches. My kind of girl.

If you haven't read it, do. Among other things, she mentions a yogini who would regularly make "dramatic exits" from class, Birkin bag swaying, yogini ass sashaying (ok, that's the part where I embellish). Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't find parking and was 5 minutes late to class. Eek! I was thinking, "Oh, hells, she's going to think I'm another one of these self-entitled a-holes."

But she didn't. In fact, when I came in late, she welcomed me AND helped make space for me in the crowded classroom. I think I fell in yogini love with her right at that moment. :) (Note to boyfriend: If you're reading this now, I don't mean it in that way. No need to go pea green!)

Aside from being a stellar class in many ways, she said a number of things that resonated with me, making the class that much more of an experience:

1. "soften your edges" - she encouraged us to radiate out through the pose, but also to melt into it and enjoy
2. "there's nothing more interesting than what is going on with your body and breath right now"
3. "instead of controlling, trust yourself to just go pleeeegggghhhh" - i need to work on this; less striving-for-perfection, more "pleeeegggghhhh", more yin!

Sara also played a not-oft-heard old favorite of mine, Turn Your Lights Down Low (Lauryn Hill + Bob Marley).

Loved it. And will be back for more.

{ yogaworks teacher training } first weekend complete, body ouchy and stiff, mind full

This past weekend was the first in my teacher training. I'm really happy it's out of the way. Not to say I didn't enjoy it (I did), but most firsts in life are foundational, providing a strong platform to build upon.

I have a ton of awesomely yogic things to blog about already, but here are a few quickie thoughts:

{ two-hour asana practices each day = so sore muscles, hobbling around the house today, i'm a stiff biff. }

{ it was wonderful to see Kia again, she has the most amazing energy. }

{ David Kim, who is Kia's teaching assistant for this training, is excellent. }

{ i'm incredibly glad i chose the 6-month extended rather than the 4-week intensive or the 12-week. }

{ i've already met some sweet fellow yoginis. }

{ there is so much to learn. it's overwhelming and honestly, i'm anxious about all of it. }

{ i do know, however, that this will be an interesting and immensely positive journey. }

This is where it hurts, lol:

 artwork credit:  acesportinggear.com

{ first day of school } 9 hours to go!

Good golly! My YogaWorks Teacher Training starts 9 hours from now. I'm too excited to sleep! Everyone else probably feels this way, too. I'm pumped, nervous, and looking forward to everything we're going to learn.

For reference, this is what my tummy looks like right now:

artwork credit:  abstract.desktopnexus.com  

We actually had an assignment to do beforehand to bring along to the first class. I'm such a nerd -- I obsessed over it, like I do with everything. In the end, I wrote from my heart (and my brain) and I'm good to go.

Wish me luck! I'll tell you ALL about it when I get back!  :)

{ iyengar } paul cabanis' 1/2 class @ yogaworks main street

In addition to my upcoming YW Teacher Training, I also receive 6 months of unlimited yoga at any of the LA studios -- what a bonus! Although I hadn't heard anything about Paul Cabanis directly, a look into his background intrigued me, so I attended his Iyengar 1/2 class at YogaWorks Main Street (Santa Monica) today.

It was nice to see what a wide variety of students he attracts and the class was more full than I had expected. He is slight in form and figure, but not in presence or personality. I found his quirky sense of humor to be refreshing and he had many of the students giggling throughout class.

Hearing people laugh good-naturedly and heartily is always uplifting!

This class is very focused on form and alignment, with adjustments aplenty by Paul and his assistant. It felt like a workshop, but an interesting and rewarding one, with dashes of humor and fun. Paul brought in aspects of philosophy, spirituality, and psychology (all much appreciated). Savasana was lengthy and his dialogue throughout was thought-provoking, yet calming (a feat not often accomplished).

Because I enjoy more flow in my yoga, this may not be a class I go to every week, but I will most definitely be seeing Paul at least once a month.