Learning to relax, confessions of a worrier

You don't have to be laying in a hammock
on the beach to find true relaxation.

You know when you are lying in final relaxation (savasana) and sink into that lovely place between being asleep and being awake? Like you are floating in space and time. Your nerves are calm. Your mind is clear. You just are.

That is the state of being relaxed. Being utterly relaxed.

The older I get and more responsibility I take on (work, teaching yoga, wedding planning...) the more I truly value how important it is that I learn how to relax myself. And I don't mean laying on the couch after a long day watching TV relaxed. I mean post-massage, soak in the tub, long beach vacation relaxed. You know that feeling?

To me being truly relaxed feels like I am able to exist in this world without effort. No strings attached. I can just be.

relaxed [ri-lakst]

adj.

1. being free of or relieved from tension or anxiety

2. not strict; easy; informal

It wasn't until I had been practicing yoga for a long time and started to leave every class with that blissed-out feeling, that I realized what true relaxation feels like. And that most of the time I was not operating from this place of ease.

I am not a relaxed person by nature. I am anxious. A worrier. I worry about most things. I've had to learn, over time, and lots of stressed-out days, that I need to consciously allow myself to relax. To let go. That even if I don't turn every little thing over in my head a million times that things will be okay. And even if I don't do everything in my life perfectly that things will be okay.

I've had to learn how to relax. I've been mindful over the years of what activities, for me, lead to a state of relaxation. Here are my favorite ways to relax:

• Attend a restorative yoga class (or any yoga class)
• Soak in the tub, candles lit, incense burning, eyes shut
• Meditate
• Sit on my stoop with my fiancé Doug, sunshine on my face and a cold beverage in hand.
• Hike or do yoga in the woods on a sunny day
• Yoga nidra
• Dance to live music (reggae or bluegrass usually; kirtan too)
• Work with my hands, especially in the dirt
• Ride my bike on an open country road

You'll notice that many of mine have to do with yoga, relaxing the physical body, and being outside. That is just me.

What relaxes you? How can you bring more relaxation into your life?

If you enjoyed this post, sign up below for more relaxation resources via my free yoga for relaxation e-starter kit!

Glowing with gratitude: April

 Growing up, every Thanksgiving my mom would have us go around the table and say one thing we are grateful for. My brothers always rolled their eyes but I secretly enjoyed it. As we’ve grown older, I think we’ve all started to appreciate this practice.

Then last year I did a Yoga for Veterans with PTSD Teacher Training and part of what we learned was how to lead a group in a gratitude practice. I had never heard of this as a daily ritual but I am a recovering negative thinker/worrier so I thought I’d give it a try. I did a 30-day gratitude practice and although I haven’t been disciplined enough to keep it up as a daily practice (sigh) I continue to practice gratitude regularly.

 

My gratitude practice helps me appreciate the abundance in my life and this world.

 

In an effort to hold myself accountable to this practice and to encourage you to practice gratitude, once a month I will share some of my gratitudes from the past month.

 

So here goes, my April gratitudes:

• Teaching a new weekly yoga class (7 am {!} sunrise on Tuesdays @ Buddha B Yoga). That means three weekly classes and more regularly seeing students.
• A weekend in the woods @ Sky Meadows Virginia State Park with my fiancé Doug whom I adore. We played for 48 straight hours among chirping birds and purple flowering trees.
• Nats games with peanuts and “take me out to the ballgame” which always remind me of my fantastic father who took me to games as a kid.
• Time at Bluemont Vineyard working out the details with our wedding coordinator. The views are spectacular there and every time we go out there I get more excited for the big day in September!
• Commuting on my bike—it is the fastest and cheapest way to get to work and gets the energy flowing in the morning!
• You, my lovely blog readers. I’m so thankful that my readership is steadily growing and that people actually enjoy reading what I have to say!

 

Now it is your turn. Check out my post about how to start a gratitude practice and start being thankful!

3 reasons to practice yoga outside

Happy May! Spring is in the air. The days are light longer and the temperatures are slowly rising. Now is the perfect time to take your yoga practice outside!

If you've met me, you probably know I am a nature lover. I escape the city to go hiking and camping every chance I get. And I practice yoga outside whenever I can find a quiet piece of land to salute the sun. 

If you've established a solid home yoga practice, try taking your practice outdoors. 

Here's why:

Salute the actual sun
Sun Salutations are the foundation of a physical yoga practice and when you are outside you can salute the actual bright beaming sun. As you lift your arms overhead and lift your gaze, there is nothing greater than seeing the vast blue sky and feeling sunshine on your face. As an added bonus, you'll get your Vitamin D fix for the day too!

Connect to the earth
When you lay your may on the grass and find your way into downward facing dog, spread the fingers wide and plant your hands firmly into the ground. There is nothing more grounding than feeling the solid earth beneath your hands. As you move into a lunge or forward fold and do the same, take pause to feel your connection to the steady and stable earth as your stress and anxiety melt away.

Practice without distraction
One of the reasons I love camping is because being out in the woods with no cell phone, computer, planner, or to-do list removes distraction. It allows me to be fully present in each moment, experiencing the world as it is. Practicing yoga and meditation outdoors can provide the same respite. Leave the gadgets and lists at home, and practice outdoors. Notice how the monkey find can focus and you can be more full present in each moment.


As Pantanjali wrote in the Yoga Sutras, sthira-sukham āsanam, the connection to the earth should be steady and joyful.

Find your piece of earth and salute the sun. Observe how it changes your practice.

Know your asana: Warrior 1 (virabhadrasana 1)

Solid. Proud. Grounded. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Warrior 1.

Warrior 1, virabhadrasana 1 in Sanskrit, is a foundational yoga pose. It provides the foot, leg, and hip position for many other poses, such as pyramid pose and humble warrior pose) and is weaved into Sun Salutations during most yoga classes.

Warrior 1 image via fitsugar.com

 The pose

1. From standing, step your left foot 3 to 4 feet back. 
2. Angle the back (left) foot so that the toes are facing the top left corner of your yoga mat or at a 45 to 60 degree angle. The front foot's toes are pointing straight ahead.
3. The feet should be hip distance or find heel to heel alignment (a straight line back from the front heel would hit the back heel). 
4. The hips are closed, so think about drawing the left hip forward and the right hip back. You are working toward having the hips square to the front of the mat but your body may not allow for this position, which is just fine!
5. Bend the front knee so it stacks directly over the ankle, the shin perpendicular to the floor. You can work toward bringing the front thigh parallel to the floor.
6. Reach the arms up overhead, alongside the ears, with the palms facing each other. The palms can also come together just in front of the ears. Draw the shoulders away from the ears.
7. Draw the lower belly in. 
8. The gaze in this pose is straight ahead or up at your connected palms.  

Hold this position for 5 to 10 breaths. Switch and repeat on the other side.      

Benefits
Everyone will feel this pose in different places. Generally, Warrior 1 stretches the ankle, calves, and thighs as well as the chest and shoulders.

This pose also strengthens the legs, hips, arms, and the entire core area.

For me, Warrior 1 is a grounding pose. With the feet planted firmly on the ground and the arms reaching strongly overhead, how can you not feel like a proud warrior in this pose?

Yoga playlist—April (and exciting schedule update!)

April playlist
This month's playlist had lots of fun electronic beats, kirtan as well as some of the usual suspects (MC Yogi, Michael Franti) you'll find on many of my playlists. Thievery Corporation rocks out three times in a row on this playlist but I love having a solid 15 minutes of their yogi-tastic tunes.

Here is my April playlist for your listening pleasure:

• All my days by Alexi Murdoch
• Porcelain by Moby
• Shedding Skin by MC Yogi
• Immortal by Wade Imre Morissette
• Tarana by Thievery Corporation
• Resolution by Thievery Corporation
• Heaven's gonna burn your eyes by Thievery Corporation
• Kashi vishwanath gange by Krishna Das
• Hey World by Michael Franti and Spearhead
• Tishmel by Mumford & Sons
• Beyond this moment by Patrick O'Hearn

Schedule update!
For those of you who come to my classes at Buddha B, I have an exciting schedule change starting this week! 

With the addition of a second practice room at Buddha B, I've added a 7 am Tuesday all-levels sunrise vinyasa yoga class. Come wake up with some sun salutations and a well rounded hour long practice to get the day started right! This week's class is already full online but do you really think everyone who signed up ahead of time is going to drag themselves out of bed that early? We shall see!

For my complete yoga offerings, including a free weekly class at a DC library (I teach it once a month while other teachers rotate the other weeks), check out my schedule page.

sthira-sukham āsanam
The connection to the earth should be steady and joyful.
~ Patanjali's Yoga Sutras II:46

Happy Earth Day!