Child's pose

Ahhh....child's pose...
When all else fails, this beautiful, restorative pose can help heal the soul.  When the world is just too much to bear, kneel, sit back on your heels, and place your forehead on the floor.  Grounding.  Settling.  Letting the chaos swirl around you, but not in you.
This pose is a beautiful stretch for the low back, the quadriceps, the ankles, and even the shoulders, if you stretch your arms out like the woman in the photo.  But to me, its real benefits are emotional.
This winter come inside your self, inside your body, and breathe in child's pose.

Yama: Brahmacharya

Today’s Yama is Brahmacharya, or control of the senses. I believe this one is HUGE in today’s world. From the youngest ages, our senses are bombarded with input, both good and bad. On a basic level, we control some of this input for children & ourselves with parental control on devices. We chose to block certain channels on the tv, certain e-mails, and things like that. But do we have enough control?



What junk is coming into your mind? Have you ever been watching a tv show, and thinking “this is really bad”, but you’re still sitting there, mindlessly watching. It could be that the show doesn’t align with your values, but it could also just be poorly done. And yet, we sit there, just staring at the screen. Or, a commercial comes on that’s just not what you want to see. This is the time of non-stop political ads, and the candidates are hoping their message will get through to you. Is it?


I know I’ve talked about this before, but my husband & I removed the television set from our home over a year ago. He still watches his sports, by going to watch with a friend or relative. But we don’t have it at home. We love the peace it has brought to our surroundings. We now have ultimate control over what we watch and listen to. We could use netflicks, or some other service on the laptop, but we don’t even do that. It’s a conscious choice when we watch, and what we watch.

Who are you 'following' on twitter, facebook & other social media.  Does what they say align with who you are & who you want to be?  What about at work?  Do you listen to the gossip and negativity, or do you exercise your right to walk away?


Brahmacharya can help provide mental clarity, and a more balanced mind, body & spirit. I’d like to challenge you today to try going one evening without the tv, or other devices. Just notice. Be aware of how controlling the senses changes things for you.


For more on the Yamas, see Ahimsa, Satya, and Asteya

Anxiety & Depression & Yoga

We had an awesome class today with Brooke Sullivan, RYT-500, from Asheville.  She is a ParaYoga instructor, and offered a workshop about Yoga for Anxiety & Depression.  I LOVED Brooke's class, and thought I'd share just a few of my notes with you, just in case you missed it.
Anxiety & Depression both have so many causes.  Nervous system imbalances, imbalances in the digestive system, respiratory ailments, and past trauma are just a few of the root causes that Brooke mentioned.
But one of the ways to combat both anxiety & depression is through a yoga practice.  Yoga can show us how to listen to "what's up with me".  It can help us identify specific causes of the way we feel, so that we can acknowledge and heal.  Also, by forming our bodies into the asanas, or poses, we can release & re-open portions of our bodies that have been shut down.  This allows the stories, or emotions to come to the surface, so we can effectively cope. 
A big key is the breath.  By breathing all the way down into the belly, we can free up stuck energy, and really notice how our bodies & minds feel.  A large portion of our workshop today focused on lying still while focusing intently on the breath.
If you'd like to experience more of Brooke's teachings, check out her website:  www.vitalyogi.com to see where and when she's teaching next.

New daily meditation practice

So, lately, I've really made an effort to focus & meditate more.  And all this work, while sometimes annoying has only led me to a deeper appreciation of yoga.  I'm here to tell you:  It really DOES work.  So, each day, I've done two solid practices:  1-I meditate for 10 minutes (I know, for some of you, this is child's play, but I'm a secret type-A personality and for me, this is a big deal!), 2-I chant mantra.  Yes.  108, with mala beads & everything.  It's been amazing!  The mantra is my favorite.  At the beginning, I look at all of those beads & think, "oh, boy, 108 is a lot!".  But by about halfway through, I don't want it to end.  Sure, I get some strange looks from my husband & animals, when I happen to be chanting around them.  But it's worth it.  And the meditation is getting easier.  I'm actually thinking of moving up to 15 minutes....big time!

So, what's your practice?  Do you meditate?  Use mala?  Do a walking meditation?  What brings you to calm?

Lavender Essential Oil

At Mountain Yoga, we employ many forms of aromatherapy, from candles & incense, to pure essential oils.  According to Web MD, Aromatherapy is defined as "the use of essential oils from plants as therapy to improve physical, emotional & spiritual well-being".
Lavender essential oil is a favorite at our studio. We mix a few drops in some water & use as a calming spray that helps deepen sivasana.  Lavender has some hormone-like effects, but with few bad side effects.  It may improve the quality of life for cancer patients by relieving their stress & anxiety.  Lavender has been proven to enhance relaxation, relieve anxiety and help with depression.  The scent of it has even been proven to enhance sleep.
I like lavender essential oil, especially during these cold winter months.  It helps my mood, and calms my monkey-mind.
For more information, check out WebMD, aromatherapy.
My favorite lavender oil is here:  www.youngliving.com/essential-oils/Lavender, but you can find it at any health food store.  If you go to young living, you can use my distributer number:  1064064.
Happy sleeping!

Shopper's Recovery

Shopper's Recovery

Viparita Karani

If you went shopping this morning, you probably need a little recovery time.  I've got the perfect pose for you:  Legs-Up-the-Wall!  This is a wonderful, restorative pose for any time you need a little recovery.  This pose is called Viparita Karani in Sanscrit, roughly, "reversed action".  Sounds good, doesn't it?
Legs-Up-the-Wall relieves your legs, povides a gentle stretch to your legs, low back and neck, and even calms the mind.  This is a great pose to practice during menstruation, as it seems to ease cramping.  Please avoid this pose if you have serious eye problems, such as glaucoma.

To begin, find a section of wall at your house that you can scoot up close to.  Sit very close to the wall, with your left hip touching the baseboard.  Gently swing both legs up, while lying your toso down on the floor.  If you're like me, you slid away from the wall already.  So just use your arms to help you scoot a little closer, until your backside is on the baseboard, or until your legs are as stretched as you like.  If your feet start to tingle, just hug your knees into your chest for a few breaths, and try again.  When you're ready to come out of this pose, just roll slowly to your right side, and rest there for a minute before using your arms to press your way back up to sitting.

Use the time in this pose to breathe deeply into your belly and to meditate.  Allow your stress to melt away...

full-body relaxation technique

Welcome to our new blog!

Today, we'll cover a full-body relaxation technique that we experienced in class this morning.

-Begin by lying on your back. If the room is cool, cover with a blanket. If you have low-back stuff going on today, place a bolster or large pillow under your knees. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths and relax your mind.

-Bring all of your attention into your toes. Curl them and squeeze. With a giant exhale, relax your toes, feeling the stress melt from them.

-Next is your feet. Tighten all the muscles in your feet. Notice how uncomfortable this is. Your feet are true workhorses, often referred to as "dogs". Needless to say, we abuse our feet. We stuff them into shoes and walk on them all day. With a giant exhale, relax your feet and wiggle them around.

-Bring your focus to your calves. Point your toes and tighten your calf muscles. These are the most underappreciated muscles in the body. They carry us around all day, and receive very little care. Exhale & release tension from them.

-Next, your shins. Pull your toes up, toward your knees and notice the muscles on the front of your lower legs. Exhale and relax them so much that they seem to "melt" off your bones.

-Now your quadriceps, the large muscle group on the front of your upper thighs. Engage these muscles and pull your kneecaps slightly up. Your quadriceps get very tight when sitting too long. Exhale again, and allow any tension to release from the muscles.

-Move your thoughts to your hamstrings (the large muscle group on the backs of your thighs) and your buttocks. Tighten all these muscles. An imbalance of the back of the leg and hips, compared to the front of the leg and abdominals often causes severe back pain. Notice the strength of these muscles. With a giant exhale, release and melt into your mat.

-Now the low and mid-back. See if you can isolate these muscles as you tense them. Exhale, release, and feel your low back melt.

-Bring your attention into your belly. Tighten your abdominal muscles, and notice how tightness here affects your entire body. This area is closely associated with your emotions. As you carry tension through this area, it can change the way you digest food, the way you feel, and even the way you breathe. Relax through your belly and allow the breath to flow in and out in a comfortable fashion.

-Close your hands into fists. Tighten all the muscles through your arms and shoulders. See if you can feel each individual muscle. Notice, and determine if this is a familiar feeling. Do you carry stress in your hands & shoulders while driving? Exhale and allow all that tension to slide out the tips of your fingers.

-Finally, engage the muscles in your neck, your jaw, and your face. Make a face like you do when you're angry. Notice how this angry expression affects your entire body, and even has an impact on your emotions. Exhale and allow your expression to return to normal.

-Tighten all the muscles in your body at once. Really squeeze here and notice how uncomfortable you are. Exhale fully and release down into your mat.

-Lie still for another 10 minutes here, paying close attention to your breath. When it's time to get up, move slowly and intentionally. Notice the feeling of calm you have and try to carry some of that throughout your day.