yoga yoga yoga!

It's my lifelong dream and wish to help people understand yoga. It's really not that hard and believe it or not it is so very little about a pose. It's so much about connecting the mind and the body, much like we do in training. It's really no different than swimming biking or running, in those times when your head is just silent, and you are moving from your heart.

What I see very often is this.... and as I articulate this..... see if you can grasp the feeling rather than the words...... someone new comes into class. They are first surprised about the heat. Then the class begins and they think: my butt is in the air.... it is too hot..... what did that teacher say.... what's this Darth Vader type breathing...... oh my GAWD I am sweating...... I don't get this........

That's a lot of mental traffic. That's a lot of resistance. That's a lot of resistance to giving up the control we all like to have over our lives. In the beginning it's normal, it's part of the process.

After a class or two you begin to think less and you begin to move more. You stop comparing yourself to the yoga stud in the room and you stop competing with the woman who is older/younger than you.

You start to notice that the mental hamster wheel that constantly spins in your head begins to slow down and if you are really lucky.... it even stops. Rather than trying to fight through poses, survive poses and even perhaps "win" the pose..... you start to relax into them. You realize that you are good at making things hard. And you are not good at letting things just happen.

Yoga has been around for hundreds of years and while there are several styles, schools, types of yoga.... the essence remains the same. The poses have not changed. It isn't like there are new yoga moves like there are bikes and helmets and swimsuits. That's not a coincidence either. Each asana or pose or series of poses is linked to a part of your mind, dare I say spirit. It awakens, brings to the surface and opens doors within you that you never realized you had closed.

DVD yoga is good, but you don't get the full effect, as you are trying to watch a screen while you are upside down. The teacher isn't there talking you through it or better yet giving you physical assists. Plus at home there is a phone, children, a pet, distractions.

So as you slide through your off-season I encourage you to be open minded and try something different. The first 3 classes are the worst. You are awkward, uncomfortable, uncoordinated. You begin to have feelings of this is not for me.... essentially you have already written the end of the story before it has even begun.

As an athlete my recommendation is the style of yoga that I practice and teach: Baptiste Vinsaysa..... find a studio near you by clicking here. (We do OM in the beginning of our practice, rather than laugh at it, find out the meaning.) I know many of the teachers throughout the country so I can certainly give some input if you need it, especially you Colorado folks! There are lots of other styles from Bikram to Gentle Hatha..... you have do explore and see what fits you.

So this year spread your wings a little bit. Get a little bit muddy, and embrace something new with an open mind. You never know what just might happen if you spread your wings. You just might be able to fly......