Hi all, i am getting quite frustrated still sitting here 'on the bench'. Tomorrow i am going back to my practice. I have had time to reflect these past few days. I realize that yoga has not only transformed my body, but my soul feels so much lighter too. I have learned patience, gratitude, and compassion somehow on this journey. I am not spending any time trying to figure out these things, I am just so grateful to have my yoga...tomorrow.
NAMASTE
- GOOD SUNDAY MORNING
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byilog- November 29th, 10:06
- BACK ON THE BENCH
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- byilog
- November 28th, 9:36
Good morning,
I am back on the bench. my lower back just doesn't want to stretch lately. I can do all the back-bends I want, but a forward bend, even at 90 degrees, sets a muscle to twitter. I miss my yoga practice so much...cross your fingers for me that tomorrow is better. Merci beaucoup.
NAMASTE
- HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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- byilog
- November 26th, 1:10
Inquiring minds want to know...
There were 24 serene faces leaving andrea's yoga class this Thanksgiving day. I heard words such as awesome and wonderful.
Dee, a visitor from new york, won the case of wine...as an added surprise, she proceeded to pass out the bottles. I have a bottle of sparkly chilling as we speak. Thanks Dee. Safe travels.
Wishing you and yours a great day!
NAMASTE
- WONDROUS WEDNESDAY
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- byilog
- November 25th, 11:23
This morning a first timer was in front of me and because the class was well attended, it was difficult not to see what the person in front of you was doing. Plus Stacey was teaching and we always have a few laughs with her. To the point of my tale...this newbie of course was unable to keep her arms up, unbent for the HALF MOON POSE. She kept shaking them out. And, being a newbie yogi, her looks and sounds of discouragement and disbelief were constant.
So, on this wondrous wednesday, i am thankful that i am no longer the newbie. I have a long way to go before i master all the poses, but i am confident that with perseverance i will improve, albeit slowly, i will gain the flexibility i seek.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
NAMASTE
- THANKFUL TUESDAY
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- byilog
- November 24th, 12:43
Today's out of town visitors were Elizabeth's three sisters. They had never practiced Bikram yoga before. We all know: they were in for a treat! I was too busy with my own postures to see how they were doing but i heard Sandy say a few times, "wonderful ladies". I am guessing she was taklking about the three of them. I am sure that they were very impressed with Elizabeth's postures. I glimpsed all three of them looking at her in awe during AWKWARD POSE and FIXED FIRM. Hopefully, they enjoyed the yoga and will open their lives to it.
Today I thank my lucky stars that I have 3 sisters too. Life just seems to be fuller and less stressful with their love and support. If you don't have any sisters, not to worry, you have all your fellow yogi ladies!
NAMASTE
- A THANKS GIVING WEEK
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- byilog
- November 23rd, 11:06
There will be many visitors coming to arizona this holiday season. And, of course, some of those visitors will be coming to yoga. One such visitor came in today and said she was so pleased to find our bikram studio. I told her she was indeed very lucky because this is a special place. To top it off, Karin stepped on her feet. She suggested that had never happened to her before and it was fabulous.
So, today, i am giving thanks that we have the best ladies to guide us thru our postures and that they 'walk on our feet'!
NAMASTE
- MAGIC CARPET RIDE
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- byilog
- November 22nd, 10:00
A few days ago I told you all of receiving my very own ‘yogi toes’ towel. From the moment I first touched it, I knew, it was special. Sure enough, it drew me in, enveloped me in serenity, especially during my Savasanas. And today, i really needed that comfort. It even kept me after class longer than usual. That odd but comforting notion was reinforced when after my practice the other day my secret santa asked me , “so, how did it go?”
I want to thank my SS, again, for she surely knew there was magic in the mat , yet she chose to give it to me. You are fabulous SS!
NAMASTE
- FRONT ROW SEAT
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- byilog
- November 21st, 9:51
I will admit it, at 6:30 this morning i was operating on only a few cylinders. As usual, i was one of the first to arrive. I entered the studio and went in search of the heat. I found it just inside the door. I settled in and awaited sandy's (aka the 'angel') arrival. The lights came on and i was shocked to see myself in the front row, and when i say 'see myself', i mean every beautiful wrinkle, celulite, flab, TMI?
The class was full, i had no where to go. Luckily i came to my 'new found' yoga senses and told myself how lucky i was to even be there. Another lesson learned. It was a great practice.
NAMASTE
- OH, Sandy O.
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- byilog
- November 20th, 11:54
I always look forward to Friday and Saturday Yoga.
Sandy O. teaches the early morning class those days.
I anticipate her calm and gentle guidance thru each pose. She somehow manages to encourage me to stretch further, to stay focused, to engage all my muscles, all the while speaking in her angelic tone. I thank heaven for her.
NAMASTE
- KICKING AND SCREAMING
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- byilog
- November 19th, 12:19
Yesterday, a first day yogi arrived in the studio. This newbie was not happy to be there and in fact announced that he was not there under his own will. I thought back to my first day. I did not want to go to yoga class. I just didn’t want to be in a room where the temperature was in the 100’s. I was not interested in spending 90 minutes doing boring yoga. OHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM was not a word in my vocabulary.
Boy, was I wrong. And I sure hope that newbie decides to stay. Bikram Yoga and all that goes with it, has so enhanced the quality of my life. We yogis are all so fortunate.
NAMASTE
- BACK IN THE SADDLE
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- byilog
- November 18th, 12:49
I took a day off from my practice because my back was 'acting up'. i was surprised today just how many more postures i could do. still no half moon pose, and no sit ups, but everything else was working today. Yippee!
Completely unrelated, but note worthy for me... My secret santa gifted me a yogi toes mat cover. I have been dreaming of owning one. For those of you that use a towel over your mat, you do not know what you are missing. The yogi toes towel has a rubber back so there is no slipping off the mat. I am so very excited! Thank you secret santa!
I leave you with, every day is a gift, maybe that is why it is called the 'present'.
NAMASTE
- On the Bench Due to Injury
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- byilog
- November 16th, 1:06
Hi All,
I am feeling sorry for myself today...overdid it this weekend what with all the lifting, cleaning under beds and rearranging the closets. I am just not a teenage any longer. I practiced yoga this morning but only a few postures were possible. Karin suggested i concentrate on the stretching. My main objectives were to relax, breathe, and stretch. Needless to say, my savasanas were perfect!
NAMASTE
- TRICEPS
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- byilog
- November 15th, 9:58
Good Sunday Morning
Karin is always saying that we work our arms in each and every posture. One day I was preparing for triangle, or warrior pose. I had stepped over my mat, and my arms were stretched out parallel to the floor. Karin again suggested that we tighten all our fingers together, including the thumb to forefinger. I noticed that when I engaged my fingers my triceps were no longer sagging and my arm muscles were more pronounced. EUREKA, no more lifting weights for me, I could tone my arms in my yoga class.
The moral of the story, sagging triceps beware, bikram yoga is here.
NAMASTE
- FIXED FIRM POSE
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- byilog
- November 14th, 9:14
Many things are coming to my mind about my first weeks of classes as I continue celebrating my anniversary. Some poses are not going to come easily as we have muscle and joint limitations. If we are lucky, the limitations are not insurmountable, which brings me to Fixed Firm Pose.
NAMASTE
- RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
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- byilog
- November 12th, 11:43
As i think back on those beginning days of yoga, many things come to mind: one in particular. I would like to offer a long overdue 'thank you'.
Often, the teachers suggest to the newbies, that they look at someone in the front row to see just how a posture is done. I had the very good fortune to be behind Jeanette during that first week. It was fabulous to watch her and to try to perform the poses as she did. She was always so tranquil, a calming force for me. I am so lucky that she was there. I guess i was in the right place at the right time! I remember apologizing to her that i must have been a distraction as i was falling out of poses constantly. I think she said something about a) no need to apologize, and b) that her concentration was such that i was not a distraction. I see now she was being truthful. i am hardly more than an advanced beginner, but when a newbie falls out of a pose i just take another breath and smile.
Merci beaucoup, jeanette!
NAMASTE
- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
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- byilog
- November 11th, 10:43
It was one year ago today that I first visited this Bikram studio. My friend, Michele, had been singing the yoga praises for months. I thought it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I played tennis and golf. Michele had missed many days of classes and I could see that she was in need of attending. I said, “We’ll go to yoga tomorrow, together”. I was not looking forward to the experience, but friendship prevailed.
As is said, “the joke was on me” and I am still smiling. I loved it from that very first practice. I am so thankful, my life changed, definitely for the better, on that special day. So, today I am celebrating! And, I would like to wish Stacey a Happy 3rd Anniversary
NAMASTE
- LET THE BLOOD FLOW
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- byilog
- November 10th, 11:45
Sandy Ranger often stresses the importance of the 'straight spine positioning' as in planting the chin on the mat before turning your head to Savasana after the floor pose, Cobra. that reminds me of a pilates instructor who suggested that the most beneficial sleeping position is, straight spine: flat on your back, arms at your side, head flat on pillow. Has the light bulb gone off in your head too?
it is all about the unrestricted flow of blood. The healing and the feeding of the organs is at it's height during sleep, i think. Spending the entire night restricting the blood flow, as in sleeping with an arm tucked under you, is counterproductive. I also find that when i wake during the night, if i put myself in Savasana i have an easier time falling right back to sleep.
Oh, the joys of our yoga...
NAMASTE
- THE CHAKRAS?
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- byilog
- November 9th, 10:48
Good Monday Morning,
Karin is always talking about the CHAKRAS. I decided it is about time i researched this concept.A chakra is believed to be a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. The word chakra literally translates as wheel or disk and refers to a spinning sphere of bioenergetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. Generally, six of these wheels are described, stacked in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the middle of the forehead. And the seventh which is beyond the physical region. It is the six major chakras that correlate with basic states of consciousness...
Each chakra in your spinal column is believed to influence or even govern bodily functions near its region of the spine. Because autopsies do not reveal chakras, most people think they are a fancy of fertile imagination. Yet their existence is well documented in the traditions of the far east.
well, my research has only further piqued my interest and i will continue to study this concept and report back when i better understand it all. Until then...
NAMASTE
- HOLE IN ONE
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- byilog
- November 8th, 4:54
Dedicated to my fellow yogi golfers..
13 years ago i became the proud owner of a callaway, big bertha driver. I used it all that season, and by the end of the season, i still could not hit it. recently, i decided to give my body the challenge of just how far could i twist myself thereby improving upon my golf swing and give myself a better chance of hitting that driver. i was shocked. And after the shock came the bliss. here's why...
HOT YOGA 101: hot yoga builds core strength, increases flexibility, improves stamina and helps you relax. (There is that RELAX word again) . I think the new found flexibility translated into a more fluid swing. The core strength allows one to maintain a stamina needed to play 18 holes. And the relax part, well, after all, it is only a game.
HOT YOGA IS HOT!
NAMASTE
- RELAX, just do it!
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- byilog
- November 6th, 4:16
Hello all,
Yesterday I was decorating the patio by placing flood lights in various planters. At nightfall i decided to check out my handiwork, and turned them all on. About 10 minutes later a fire started in a newly potted plant. Who knew potting soil was flammable? I turned quickly to run thru the sliding glass door to fetch a pail of water. Of course the door was closed and I went "splat!". To add insult to injury, I consumed a tad too much champagne at the party last night, on the newly decorated patio.
This morning i awoke feeling quite puny. But i went to yoga class. If you read yesterday's blog, you might remember that i spoke about the Standing Head to Knee Pose. I said i was going to follow Bikram's recommendation and try being very relaxed. I began my practice this morning telling myself to just relax. Well, i was so relaxed today that i hardly remember going thru all the poses. I really didn't seem to notice anyone around me, but stayed quite focused. i am most anxious to try my new 'relaxed' practice this weekend.
wishing everyone a glorious weekend
NAMASTE
