A beautiful transformation that I will not soon forget.

The Journey

This video was passed on to me by a few students. The transformation is so unbelievable that I got goosebumps. The thing that resonated with me the most though was how it all began. Arthur’s story reminds me of my own weightloss journey. He lived for 15 years gaining weight and unable to walk without cruches because that’s what they told him was the reality of the situation. But whose reality?
For Arthur all it took was one person with the belief that he could change and it short circuited all that other crap he had been fed. For me, when I was 19 I had a roommate Rich, who was a model that would take me to the gym and on runs at night. I remember the first run he took me on that was supposed to be a 5k but after a few wrong turns turned into more like an 8k. He was literally running in circles around me. I was so slow an elderly woman could walk faster. That was the furthest I had ever run! Countless nights he would take me on runs and at the end of each run we would go home and have a couple of beers and he would give me compliments like “you were so much faster”, or “remember when you could only do 3 miles?”. One in particular completely short circuited my belief system and that was “dude, you are getting so skinny!”. Skinny and Tanner were never uttered in the same sentence EVER! It’s like there was a glitch in the processor (my brain) and new information that was coming in all of a sudden started to be perceived in a different way. Within 3 months I lost 30+ lbs and have been obsessed with exercise, nutrition, and physical wellness.

Ironically for Arthur it was Diamond Dallas Page, a former WWF wrestler in his 50′s who for the last 10 years has been teaching “Yoga for Real Men”, and now what he calls DDP Yoga. I’ll get to the irony in a moment. DDP was injured himself from countless wrestling matches and had to end his career or risk permanent damage. When he started practicing yoga he could barely touch his knees! Over time he became back pain free and felt inspired to share what he learned with others. As the video shows, Arthur needed just one person to believe in him with conviction and tell him that he could make a change, and low and behold his belief system shifted from “I will never” to “yes I can, one day”/”never give up”!

The irony for me was that this past weekend we had a teacher training weekend and watched Enlighten Up, a documentary where a girl hires a journalist to immerse himself into yoga for 6 months to see how transformational it can be in his life. They travel the work to practice with many teachers, one of which is DDP. One of the trainees was slightly put off with his irreverence to the spirit of yoga. In one scene I believe he says “it’s not about namaste, it’s about T and A!”; making reference to the very hot, large chested, and scantily clothed women he had asked to join for practice. The trainee expressed her discontent and we talked about it briefly. I left it at: “For some people this is a gateway into practicing yoga and if they are able to gain some benefit from it, then it serves it’s purpose. There are many that would decry sacrilege at the abomination at what we call yoga at Y2, but people benefit from it.”

This video supports my argument.

In the movie, they try and answer “what is yoga?”. They conclude that there wasn’t a firm definition, that it was whatever you want it to be. I think that is the perfect definition. Some find a workout in yoga, while others find refuge from what they are dealing with in their lives. Some are seeking the freedom from back pain, while others are on the path to enlightenment. What ever yoga is for you is perfect for you right here and right now.

Going back to the impact that Rich had on my life, I might point ou that when I told Rich at the end of the Summer how big of an impact his words of encouragement had he said, “I was just bullshitting you! I just wanted to make you feel good!”. LOL. RIch is a car salesman by the way…

Lift up those around. Give compliments just to see someone smile or make them feel good. Lift up those around you and they will be there to lift you up too.

If you have personal stories of how yoga has helped you or how someone in you life has inspired you to make a positive change in some way please share!

Peace,
TB

Krishna Pattabhi Jois was an Indian yoga teacher who developed the popular and gymnastic style of yoga referred to as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.

Yoga Guru

No, this is not a question of who would when in a battle royale! (Clearly Guruji’s ujayii breath is too powerful a weapon against any mortal, plus if he got his mulha bandha lock on Mr. Myagi it would be all over…) What this is about is what they common in how they taught. One was the yoga guru of Ashtanga yoga, and one was a karate master, BUT each taught the fundamentals from the beginning and only when the student was ready did they introduce the advanced techniques. Going along with this analogy I (thought up a week ago) in Ashtanga Yogathere are 6 series, a lot of people spend their whole lives on the 1st, and in fact only 1 person (that I have been told of) even practices the 6th series and that is R Shirath Jois, grandson of Shri K. Patthabi Jois (aka Guruji which is a name given out of respect). In fact very few practice the 4th or 5th ashtanga yoga series either. There is so much to be learned and practiced in the first 3 series for most people that to think about going beyond would be a little silly. Besides Guruji even says “3rd series on: NO BENEFIT”! [tooltip_parent]

Pop Quiz

Q: How many Karate Kid films were made starring Ralph Macchio?
A: 3 films! (we could only handle so much…if they went to 6, then I think similarly only one person would be willing and able to attend and sit through it…)[/tooltip_tip] 3 and 3?! Coincidence? I think NOT! For those who don’t remember (or weren’t born), the plot of a Karate Kid movie was always the same when it came to how Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-son. He would give him a rudimentary task like “wax on, wax off” and then would show Daniel-son the applications that had towards advanced techniques. And each movie started out going back to the basics until he was ready.

Wait for it…I’m tying it all in now….kinda

Similarly, Gurji spent MOST of his time teaching yoga asana and very little time teaching the other limbs of Ashtanga Yoga (more advanced yoga techniques). That doesn’t mean that he didn’t teach the other limbs; he did to those that were ready. Guruji knew that in order for a student to be mentally and physically ready for those other techniques they needed to be strong mentally and physicall, AND asana lays down that foundation.

Personally, I don’t say much of anything in my yoga classes other than calling out poses. Occasionally I’ll have some nugget of truthiness to offer (or more often some inappropriate joke to share), but the majority of the time I just say poses. Since I have been teaching I have seen my regulars cry, laugh, and be moved by coming to my classes both mentally and physically. My point in bringing that up is because I don’t say anything but poses, and yet still yoga works it’s magic!

Whether you know it, or believe it, or not: YOGA CHANGES YOU! There are those moments on your mat where you get really quiet and really focused, you narrow your focus and you start to develop an understanding of your own wiring. It’s amazing! Enjoy that process!

Don’t rush the process

There is a reason why trigonometry is not taught to toddlers!  Learn from the masters like Mr. Miyagi and Guruji and “Wax on, Wax off” and “Practice, practice, practice…all will be coming”. Look at Ralph Macchio’s career: just when he thought he wasn’t gonna get ANY further in life, BAM….he lands a small part in My Cousin Vinny! In yoga we call that samadhi my yogis! Samadhi!

Interview with Patthabi Jois on Yoga

Peace,

- TB

Awaken The Giant Within

Big Fan

I have long been a fan of Tony Robbins! I remember when a client of mine gave me the full cd collection of Personal Power 2 (all of them were in plastic except the first one! ha!). Those cd’s completely reshaped my perspective on life. This video is all about FOCUS. In yoga we practice every second and every minute on our mats trying to narrow our focus. In yoga you focus on your breathe, your drishti, your bandhas, your balance, on engaging our muscles intelligently, etc… It is a constant battle, the mind can is constantly influx, BUT there are tricks to directing where the mind turns to from one moment to the next: RITUALS! In Ashtanga Yoga the series is always the same so it is VERY MUCH a ritualistic practice. This helps to calm the mind and build a neural network that eventually allows you to focus less on what your doing (because the body knows what to do) and more about the internal “you”; this leads to meditation. Really the hardest obstacle to overcome is not the finding of a ritual to practice, but rather stopping the one you are practicing now of NOT choosing a more LIFE EMPOWERING, LIFE CHANGING, LIFE GIVING ritual. The hardest part is DECIDING you want to make a change.

It was Tony Robbin’s who taught me that “to decide” means in Latin, dcdere, or, to cut off. Meaning that you “cut off” all other possibilites because you made a decision; you decided.

Yoga means “to unite or to yoke (connect)”.

Tony Robbin’s is self improvement guru, and probably the best there every was, but in my book he is also a yoga master because he helps people realize the limitless potential they have allowed to remain dormant inside of them. He re-unites people with themselves. That is what yoga is all about: reuniting you with you; teaching you how you work from the inside out; and what makes you tick!

Check out the video and get FOCUSED!

“Blessed are the flexible for they will not get bent out of shape.” – Anonymous

Yoga 101 – Be flexible

This quote is so commonly used within the yoga community that it may be cliche to those that have been practicing for a while.

Flexible about what?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.” Are you merely a starter, or are you also a finisher? When the entusiasm for a new idea fades, when the odds against you increase and the results diminish, when it looks as if success is impossible, you must keep forging ahead. Admiral Robert Peary attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he finally succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein produced five shows on Broadway that were flops before staging “Oklahoma,” which was seen by almost five million people during a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. Quitting is more about who you are, than where you are or what you’re up against. We all have our excuses.

The truth is external things don’t stop us; it’s what happens to us on the inside! Most of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential. We can pretend that people, things, and situations outside of ourselves are to blame, but in reality most failures are just the result of a lack of bulldog-like tenacity. Leonardo da Vinci said, “obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed on a star, does not change his mind.” You must have a mindset to tenaciously pursue your dream. The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. There is no insurmountable barrier except your own inherent lack of purpose and persistence.

(My mother sent me these words of encouragement the other day btw…Mom’s are the BEST!)

Yoga makes you flexible in more ways than one

For the beginner this may seem like mumbo jumbo, but for anyone that has spent even 6 months plus on their yoga mat this makes perfect sense. Patience has a bend; gratitude has a bend; humility has a bend; reaction time to those things that annoy you has a bend; etc. Yoga transcends all the poses, and all of the sweat, and all of the work you do on your 12sqft of mat space. It is the MOST common analogy made: what you practice on your mat helps you off of your mat. When you practice being patient with yourself over the frustration of not being able to do a pose today, that practice makes you patient with yourself over all aspects of your life. It’s as if you have a patience muscle that you spend 60-90 mins doing reps with, challenging it sometimes beyond fatigue. This is why yoga changes us and why, when you start down the path, for most you can never turn back. The yoga journey never ends. It sort of reminds me of when Neo was offered the Blue pill or the Red pill. Once you have taken the Red pill (yoga) you can’t turn back; the lights are on and you start to see the world in a whole new way!

Hooray for Yoga! Hooray because through the yoga practice people find balance in their lives, renewed strength in their bodies, and conviction in their souls! Hooray that moms can take yoga so they don’t want to kill their children or gnaw off the heads of their husbands! And hooray that because of yoga you meet people that you may have never met and that have inspired you to do things you may have never done! And finally hooray for yoga… because otherwise I wouldn’t have a yoga studio, with a yoga website, where I created a yoga blog, and I get to share my excitement over quotes my mom sent me about overcoming obstacles and making them your little bitches!

Love you all!

Peace

- TB

A beautiful woman that has used yoga to age ever so gracefully.

Tao Porchon-Lynch

Read more about Tao and her wonderful life here -> http://www.taoporchon-lynch.com/

Give us a hand and take a class for free! Really it is that easy!

Here is how it works

• How To Sign Up:
  
  • Let front desk know you would like to volunteer for a class (specify day and time).
  • Come in 30 minutes prior to class start time for brief task training.

  
  Duties Before Class:
  

  • Swiffer the edges of both studio room floors.
  • Refill spray bottles for both studios: Windex, alcohol, Mr. Clean (half water, half Mr. Clean).
  • Check with front desk if garbage and/or recyclables need to be taken out back.

  
  Duties After Class:
  

  • Clean the floors one entire row at a time from side to side using a little elbow grease to produce a smudge-free floor (this is the fastest method and ensures the entire floor is cleaned).
  • Clean the mirrors using ONE or TWO squirts of Windex on a microfiber cloth for all of the mirrors and then put it in the laundry basket. *Please note: Continuously spritzing Windex directly on the mirrors ends up soaking the microfiber cloth and leaving the mirrors with smears.
  • Front desk will then email you access to the Google calendar to sign up for future classes.

  Thank you so much!

  We appreciate your dedication to this practice and to Y2 Yoga studio! That’s it! The class you take is on us!

  ]]> http://y2yoga.com/2010/11/volunteer-program/feed/ 0