BIG BIG NEWS!!!!

I'm so excited!

THIS JUST HAPPENED: 

I just launched a collection of poems and original ink drawings inspired from the Major Arcana.  "May Fall Skyward Earth: 48 rhythms" is available in paperback on Amazon by clicking here.  Available on Kindle by 7/6/2014!

Namaste!

A Brief Glimpse of Yogi Angela Thomson-Brenchley's Journey into Intuitive Receptivity

My good friend and Yogi, Angela Thomson-Brenchley shared with me her story of coming to yoga and her philosophy and understanding of what constitutes a yoga "lifestyle".

***

Angela: I "discovered" yoga very gradually. I taught fitnesses classes at a YMCA in the Midwest. I developed an interest in learning and teaching stretching. Really, this was the seed that began to call me toward yoga. The YMCA offered a stretching workshop for teachers. I attended and shortly thereafter began teaching a "Stretch and Relax" class at the Y where I worked. It was a pretty conservative place. The local YMCA association did not allow yoga, as it was considered non-Christian. 

Somehow, someway, I began to realize that I was interested in more than stretching; I was interested in yoga. I began a self-guided study and discovery of yoga. In retrospect--after many years teaching and after completing multiple yoga teacher training courses, I recognize this was (and continues to be) the most important and effective step I took/am still taking in my journey as a yoga teacher. 

I did not have a guru (never have had, don't plan to--different topic!) Back then, I did not have a yoga teacher, other than myself and the books I studied. One was Erich Schiffmann's The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness. Along the way, I picked up books by B.K.S. Iyengar, as well.  Although Iyengar Yoga is not the path I follow as a teacher, I still refer to those books often and am even currently studying Iyengar Yoga with a certified Iyengar teacher. For me, being open-minded is yogic. I'll take Ashtanga classes. I'll take Kundalini classes. I'll take Sivananda classes. I'll take Yin classes. I'll take classes that thoughtfully mix and mingle lineages.  I don't believe in arguing about who/what is right. I'm open to receive wisdom from many traditions. I use common sense, critical thinking, and intuition as navigation for what I'll call "conflicts among the traditions."  

The next highlight of my journey began when I enrolled in yoga classes offered at California State University, San Bernardino. I took classes there from almost every instructor who offered them, eventually finding myself drawn to take class exclusively with two particular teachers: Amy Wheeler and Beth Lucas--both teachers in the Krishnamacharya lineage, sometimes referred to as Viniyoga. Their classes changed my life. I learned to really focus my asana practice on my breath. They also encouraged slow, flowing asana movement, intelligently sequenced and synchronized with the breath. Both Beth and Amy taught yoga classes in such a way that empowered students to independently continue with a sound yoga practice. As I took class with them and by observing their teaching methods, I was learning how to teach yoga. I also had the wonderful opportunity to train with Amy at CSUSB as a student in her quarter-long professional preparation course for teaching yoga. 

The Krishnamacharya lineage most influences my own teaching. I largely follow its "in" "out" asana sequencing in which one flows in and out of almost every pose with its appropriate breath (inhale or exhale) before holding the posture in a static way. My preferred type of hatha yoga to teach is what I call slow-flow vinyasa. I like to create my own vinyasa sequences. I almost always vary Sun Salutations from their "lineage codified" forms. Often, the practices I design for my students don't contain Sun Salutations at all.  Something important to me is to share with my students breath and posture insights I've gained through my own practice. One simple example of this is Warrior/Virabhadrasana III. I teach multiple ways to approach getting into this pose--no one size-fits-all, no set "it must be done this way always." My latest favorite? Coming into Warrior III from Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana.   

Rather than "yoga as a lifestyle," I prefer to think of yoga in terms of a path toward wholeness, a life-help, a philosophy in which every practitioner--everyone who practices/tries/attempts--gains from her/his efforts and exposure to yoga. Anything that approaches thinking of yoga as a bunch of doctrinal dos and don'ts that lead to negative judgment, or even relative "evaluation" and hierarchies by other yogis doesn't help. I practice yoga because it helps me feel well, plain and simple.

It's kind of popular right now for people to discount asana. I won't do that. It is so integral to many people's practice. Yoga/union of course is not reliant on asana, but it is a time-tested tool that some of our revered yogis continue late into life, even though we might see them as having "mastered that stage in the journey."  

With my personal practice I have many struggles. I'm human! I scrimp on meditation time. I follow my mind's fluctuations down its myriad paths. I stick with the familiar, the loved and neglect the unknown and new. The best thing for me to remember is that my breathwork/pranayama is deeply therapeutic and to respect its power and give it its due devotion. 

My advice to new yoga teachers? Be open, stay open to others and to yourself. Remember that each practice you lead is an opportunity to give. Feeling nervous? Remember it's not about you performing or coming off well, but about the practice, about growing, about sharing, about moving toward stillness (Erich Schiffmann), ease, and wholeness. 

***

You can learn more about Angela Thomson-Brenchley's practice and schedule of classes at http://theyir.org/profiles/atb/.

Utah's Own Vibrant Yogi, Shannan Hansen!

I met the effervescent Shannen Hansen earlier this year during a workshop she lead about stress-reduction and health management.  She spoke on how stress should not be managed, but rather, we should put energy into managing that which find value within, such as our finances, our families, our bodies and health, our lives. She let me pick a bit at her brain to find out more about her


ME: When did you first discover yoga?

SHANNAN: In 2001 at a gym.  I can honestly say that after the first five minutes I was hooked.  It felt like I had finally found my thing.  I looked at the other yogis in the room and thought, "These are my people."

ME: At what point did you realize it was not just about the asana but a lifestyle?

SHANNAN: People enter the realm of yoga through different points.  For me I did come into yoga through the asanas and it took me few years to understand and incorporate the other aspects of a yogic lifestyle. I read a lot in Yoga Journal, went to yoga conferences, watched yoga documentaries, and finally read Light on Yoga (BKS Iyengar) and the Yoga Sutras (Patanjali).  These things have propelled me on the yoga path but I still feel I have a lot of discovery ahead and that is exciting. 

ME: What does the yogi(a) lifestyle look like for you? How do you incorporate personally as a lifestyle?

SHANNAN: To me this is a mindset more than anything else.  The way I see the world and other beings on the planet and the compassion I offer to myself and to others are examples of that.  Choices that reflect the 8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga. It took some time but I eventually stopped eating meat and dairy and began eating healthier food. I try to consume less, make more sustainable choices, and am more aware of my impact on the planet.  I also take all this with a huge dose of reality because there are many moments of hypocrisy where I don't say the right thing, can't control my feelings, or buy something unnecessary.  Maybe that's called being human.  So I am still on the path to living a full yogic lifestyle.    

ME: Which styles of yoga have worked best for you? Which do you enjoy practicing the most?

SHANNAN:That has changed over the years but I have always gravitated toward Vinyasa flow classes and that's what I teach most of.  The last few years I have also grown to appreciate restorative yoga and Hatha yoga.  My go to yoga class for getting grounded and centered as a yogi, is Ashtanga.  It feels the least modern and is always a great challenging. 

ME: What struggles have you experienced (and overcome) in your own personal practice?

SHANNAN: Injuries have set me back several times.  Each time I try to be patient and let my body heal.  When it's time to re-approach my practice I do so realizing things are different and i don't ever force myself to do anything other that what I can in that moment.  I overcame belief that I couldn't do certain poses. I am still working on handstand...:) 

ME: When and how did you decide you wanted to become a yoga teacher?
SHANNAN: After taking yoga for a while at the gym, the teacher there said to me that I should look into becoming certified.  I don't remember why she said it or what she may have seen in me, but it planted a seed.  A few months later I was driving to Las Vegas for my first teacher training and started teaching in 2002.


ME: Tell me about your teaching style: instruction, prepping, planning.
SHANNAN: I practice yoga in my home everyday.  I believe that a strong personal practice is the best tool to being a good teacher.  When I am preparing for a class I think about the students.  My personal teaching philosophy is that yoga is an individual experience.  The way our bodies move through the poses and the way we feel in each pose is unique and often unexplainable.  So I never want to force my students into a shape or make them think they have to copy me.  I want them to learn to listen to the story of their own bodies.  I often think of a sequence or general theme for the day, but when I arrive, I assess who is on the mat, their skill level, their energy, etc.  I teach to them and try not to worry about my own agenda.  This came with time, however.  I wasn't always able to improvise so easily. Years of teaching and years of my own practice have given me that ability.

ME: What advice do you wish someone gave you when you first became a teacher?

SHANNAN:  Power yoga doesn't mean you have to kill your students.  I'm not sure why, but when I first started teaching, I really wanted my classes to be hard.  I wanted to work the students and make them sweat.  I planned complicated sequences with little to no resting and pushed the students to go deeper.  A friend and fellow yoga teacher actually pointed out to me (luckily early on in my career) that the students were working so hard to survive the sequence, they weren't using proper form.  I also started recognizing that the when students are so focused on pounding through hard poses, they lose the chance to relax and heal.  I started backing off and creating more balanced classes and soon learned how to appreciate the subtle nuances of yoga.  Yoga can be challenging without it being dangerous.  In fact, sometimes the smallest adjustments, the simplest movements connected with breath can be very intense.  I'm grateful for the things I've learned a long the way and I am think I am still evolving and learning every time I step on the mat. 

ME:  Any last words of wisdom...

SHANNAN: Listen to your students more than you talk.  Don't take it personally if they can't or don't want to do the sequence you're presenting.  Allow them to come and enjoy the class getting what they need, not what you want them to receive.  Do yoga often. Enjoy.  

***
You can learn more about Shannan Hansen, her practice, and the classes she offers (including online courses!) at www.mindandbodyyogatherapy.com.

Clap Along with The Clapping Monkeys!

If you haven't heard The Clapping Monkeys yet, then THIS and right NOW:





The Clapping Monkeys are a kirtan band based in Southern California and use harmonium, banjo, flute, guitar, cello, bass, harmonica, drums, and of course, vocals.  As described on their Indiegogo account, The Clapping Monkeys explain that "kirtan is a form of devotional chanting put to music. It gets you out of your head and into your heart... singing is the heart of kirtan and everyone sings along at a kirtan concert.  No one cares what you sound like.  All voices merge together to become One Voice."  Their current goal is to further unify in a single voice by recording an album within the year.

To learn more about the Clapping Monkeys visit www.theclappingmonkeys.com, and visit their Indiegogo page to find out more about their upcoming album here.

I Was Interviewed!

How fun! A friend of mine just interviewed me about my yoga practice!  Yay!

Sarah: How long have you been practicing yoga? 

Zo Manik: I've been erratically practicing an asana practice since 2004.  Every single time I get asked this question, the year changes, I think it's because I came to terms with the idea of my doing yoga perfectly as being completely ok.  I used to think that when people said "Oh, I've been doing yoga for 15 years" it meant that they showed up every day on the mat probably doing crow and headstand.  The reality is, of course, that they probably didn't and that they too (like myself) have a delightfully imperfect practice that was perfect for them right then.

My asana practice doesn't require mat work every single day, though sometimes I have gone through long spells of daily practice.  Sometimes I don't even use a mat.  As my practice is deepening, however, I would like to play with asana every day because there is that epiphany the body has after even just a 10-second Tadasana; it's like the "ah-ha!" of haiku, such seemingly small gestures awaken the senses and create a whole experience.

S: What got you onto the mat in the first place?

Zo: Yoga always fascinated me.  When I was a teenager I got in trouble for photocopying an entire book "Yoga for You" by Elaine Landau (which I still have today!) but when I went home I struggled to understand how to interpret the body's movements, or breathing.  The meditation portion was a beautiful revelation to me; I was never really into sports or athleticism as a kid.  My favorite things to do were read books and do homework (yup, I was that kid).  

But something kept bringing me back to yoga; there was this whole life system around it, it wasn't just about being on the mat.  In 2004, I picked up a Yoga/Pilates Dvd by Jennifer Krys and I fell in love with the simple movements which made the body feel so strong and sensuous.  It was like I could be both woman and warrior.

S: What made you stay? What about it has kept you going with yoga?

Zo: The only real answer to what keeps me doing yoga (the whole system, not only asana) can only be analogized as water.  If a body lacks hydration, it starts to react: fatigue, dry mouth, hunger, headaches, insomnia, even body systems go to hell.  But when hydrated, the body runs efficiently, the mind is quick, the eyes are sharp, even pooping comes easier.  If yoga is removed from me, I fall apart.  It's water.

S: What styles have you worked in? Which do you enjoy most?

Zo: The concept of styles is something I've only more recently engaged, but I have yet to find my go-to.  I love the kriyas (or what I call the infrastructure) of kundalini.  There's something really calming about having a specific routine in that everything is already sorted out for you--the time, the reason, the asanas, the breathwork.  All the details are splayed out like a buffet and you can say, "I'm having digestive issues" or "I really want to create space in my hips" and ta-da! Yogi Bhajan has the remedy.

But, truthfully and at the heart of it, I veer towards what I call an intuitive flow.  This is where I let Heart and Spirit dictate what will be created on the mat.  I suppose this may be the problem of becoming a poet before becoming a yogi; the impulse of call and response or play and creation supercede any systematic modality, no matter the benefit.

S: What have you struggled with in your personal yoga practice, physically or mentally?

Zo: So, this is where I out myself as a perfectionist.  I have a bit of "Hermione-Granger-syndrome", a term I often use in speaking about my students and even some of my colleagues.  I (except for a few short stints of anxiety and depression) was a grade A student.  I love having all the answers, I love getting it perfect on the first try.  I fight and struggle EVERY SINGLE DAY with non-attachment to perfect outcome.  What ends up happening is that I get so stressed out about being perfect, that I scrap an idea altogether and/or not show up because I won't be perfect.  It isn't even about what others think about my lack of perfection, though that is a small part of it.  The reality is, is that I hate not living up to the ideals I have brainwashed myself into believing to be true.  

Funny enough, yoga is BRILLIANT for this, though.  All that movement and breathing and thinking and non-thinking and sensory exploration shatters blockages in the solar plexus chakra, the location of confidence (and fear).  When I step outside of my fear center or rather MOVE regardless and drag fear kicking and screaming with me, it bleeds into other areas of my life.  My yoga teacher training program kicked my ass back into the classroom, where I once thought I could teach and have my own students.  It was weird, it was as if I woke up one day and realized I had no choice--I had to teach, because teaching, sharing for me is also water.  And yoga as water hydrated those parts that I had let fear dry out. 

S: Is your yoga practice largely done through classes, or do you have a home practice?

Zo: My practice is done 99% at home.  I do take classes now and then, and I actually feel it in me to take more but my schedule can be such that I am unable to meet at offered class times. I really dislike skipping around among teachers or dropping in on random classes.  I like to take courses from a teacher or two, get a feel for their methods and philosophies.  I think this is where the serious student "Hermione-Granger-syndrome" comes into play for a benefit.  I learn best in an arena where I feel understand who is sharing the information and why so I prefer having a small handful of teachers and their methods to build from, rather than skating surfaces of a multitude.  (This is also why I am terrible at reading more than one or two books at a time, despite my having to do so when I was in university and grad school!)

S: When do you enjoy practicing yoga?

Zo: I will practice whenever I feel like it and whenever I don't, but I love love LOVE to practice in the morning, post-shower.  There is something so delicious in being clean and creating agni as the framework of my day.  It wakens me up and brings me from dreamstates or worries and wishes to the breath, specifically the exhale, and this now-moment.  Plus, all those sun salutations are incredible for drying my long hair!

Q: Do you listen to music when you practice yoga? If so, what kind?

A: I don't listen to music in the morning because I prefer the quiet of just my mind, my hands and feet and my breath.  The earlier the practice, the better because Gaia's profound silence bites through even those subtle sounds and there's this interplay of personal significance versus insignificance that melts physical boundaries.

I do however play music at other times and it really depends on what I'm needing or feeling.  I have a Pandora station I named "Zen Garden", another named "Sitars & Beats".  But then, I have this wild Youtube playlist called "Body Moving Music"of music from A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, and Flosstradamus that really gets my ass moving, where Beats Antique is the down-tempo group for savasana.  This kind of a pump-me-up playlist is particularly incredible for when I need to get out of my own head.  The bass and beats allow the physical, sensory and sensual to path me out of ruts to create space for newness.  Going back to the example of water, it's as if the water has been turned to wine or whiskey or a double barrel IPA, and it helps me to unblock my lower three chakras, which is crucial for me because I'm always floating in my upper chakras.

Arcs, Curves, & Spirals: A Life Sermon from the Peering into the Grids of Deep Fascia

"The shortest distance between two points on the surface of the globe is an arc, not a straight line; all of the tissues on our body are arced tissues." -Gil Hedley in Integral Anatomy V2 pt1: Deep Fascia and Muscle

If you look in nature, there are no straight lines.  All of nature is comprised of a beautiful geometry of organic shapes, most often of spirals.  The double helix, the shell of snail or a conch, the river water's flow, even the flow of blood in our veins is all in spirals, and what are spirals, but an (in)finite piecework of arcs and curves meeting for greater purpose?


When I was a kid at some random elementary school age, I remember having to sing at a recital, "The shortest distance between two people is a smile."  I don't know who wrote that song nor do I remember the rest of the lyrics, but Gil Hedley's comment regarding the fibers and fascia of the body tissues reminded me of those young-sung words.  And it's complete truth, right?  If you want to increase distance between you and a quarreling partner, hold a straight face.  But if you want to increase the warmth and decrease the proximity whether you're at opposite ends of a sofa or a table or a large room, a smile is enough to bridge that gap.

And speaking of gaps, what of curves of life?  Who among us since birth has lived a straight life, walked linear path?  No, those curved detours actually brought us closer to the destinations we sought.  The truth is, those ultimate destinations would never have been actualized in all its glorious current fruition without those roundabout paths.  Chances are the straight path is too easy, too boring, and we would have hitchhiked to more exciting terrain.  It's in those straight line paths we experience the least amount of growth, the least amount of support and fruitful abundance, and find ourselves at odds with our purpose.

On of my Teachers, the body-insightful Lisa Ann, once said, "Adapting a pose is asking a person to move their limb to a different position."  The key here is not in getting that person out of that pose, but in offering a different interaction of the pose.  The pose itself, even the ideal of a pose,  is not a flat, straight action made of perfect right angles.   The arc and spiral of the radius and ulna in raising the arm, the curve of the thigh, the arced soles of the feet, nothing is ever straight, so why force an ironing out?  The greatest expression of any pose is the personal ability to finesse the line of strength and testing of wills.  This will vary from person to person and be made up of organic, dynamic shapes, stemming from (guess what?!) the spiral movement of the bodily breath.

Gil Hedley is showing much more than the curved grids of the body fascia.  He is showing how micro and macro are in fact one, that our paths are organically attuned to where we need to be right now.  Look to the inside of the body, the fascia, the helix, or even the minutiae of a shell and you'll find the signs all read the same thing: Curves Ahead. 

Namaste.

Reading my poems: "Thin", "A Cold Cereal", "Skin", "Pinata", & "Celery"

Thanks for viewing!


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May we continue to see the art & poetry in all that we do & all that we are.

Om Shanti!

The Foot as Way of Life

"We don't use our feet to their full capacity.  Remember when I said earlier that the foot is the only part of your body that is evolved specifically for the purpose of having a relationship with the earth?  Well that kind of begs the question of: What earth? The earth that was present when this thing evolved is not present for most of us. It's been leveled, it's been paved, it's been predictable. Nature has given us these all-terrain vehicles which we never take off-road." -Leslie Kaminoff 

I love Leslie Kaminoff.  Even if you don't have the slightest interest in yoga, his understanding of the body and his method of delivering what can be a dry subject with too many systems and parts to remember is interesting and personal.

That being said, I found his explanation on going barefoot enlightening, not just for feet, but for life in general. 

Apparently, 75-80% of the body's proprioceptors (those mechanical receptors in a joint structure which delivers information to the nervous system) are located in the ankle area. Predictable surfaces (such as carpet, flooring, paved streets, sidewalks, etc.) weaken these sensory receptors.  He explains how shoes, in fact, do not support nor create strong feet but actually damage feet in the long-term, for example, by stomping when walking to create that sensory reception not felt in on foot "muffled" (his term) by a shoe.  Barefoot walking does feel lighter on the feet, no?  By muffling (shoeing) the feet, those ankle proprioceptors are not exercising their fullest receptive potential. 

It should come as no surprise, then, that one of the best ways to clear up mental fog and return to the personal center would be to go outside and stand barefoot on Earth.  It's not just about feeling grass beneath your toes (sure that's part of it), but it's about awakening and re-invigorating those nerves on the foot pad and the proprioceptors of the ankle for the body to re-establish its support base, both physically and spiritually.  

We know that it is crucial to have a strong core for physical fitness and strength.  By strong core, we don't mean 6-pack abs (if that's what you mean, then you're sorely mistaken and setting yourself up for injury) but a strong trunk consisting of both abdominal, back, and side oblique muscles.  A stronger body trunk allows for greater weight-bearing with less injury for its limbs.  We are told to lift with our knees not with our back, but a strong body trunk supports much of that weight.  

Just as it is with the feet, the foundation for almost all our movement which bears immense weight every day; strong feet with sharp proprioceptors will prevent and decrease ankle injuries.  Go barefoot for a day, then see what happens in your work out.  My bet is that your squats will feel more stable, your lunges more powerful, and your running a bit lighter.

And go barefoot for the greater, personal reason: To re-connect the energetic relationship of the Self to the Earth and return empowered, centered, and restored.  Clearing up that head fog and confusion is like a home-coming, returning to a personal center to understand the new gains and loss of the current Self so that we can move forward  in greater awareness and truth.

So, just do it--go barefoot.  Feel the Earth, search out unpredictable and naturally-occurring surfaces.  Your ankles, your fitness, your greater Self will thank you.

You can watch the rest of Leslie Kaminoff's video on the anatomy of the feet in regards to barefoot walking here.

Human Muscular System

(Images courtesy of http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_rice_terminolog_2/3/776/198840.cw/index.html)

Anterior:

A.   Trapezius
B.   Deltoid
C.   Rectus Femorus
D.  Tibialis anterior
E.  Soleus
F.   Gastrocnemius
G.  Sartorius
H.  Rectus Abdominus
I.   Biceps Brachii
J.   Pectoralis Major
K.  Sternocleidomastoid

Posterior:  

A.   Trapezius
B.   Deltoids
C.   Triceps
D.   Biceps Femoris
E.   Achilles Tendon
F.    Gastrocnemius
G.  Semitendinosus
H.  Gluteus Maximus
I.   Latissimus Dorsi