Intentionality vs. Mindfulness

And if you have an intention, set it now.

I'm not really one for intention during yoga. I don't know what it is. I just practice. Perhaps that is my intention: clarity of mind while practicing. Perhaps I should speak my stream of consciousness and see what's going on in there. I'll admit to talking to myself sometimes. -It's supposed to help you focus on the thought you are speaking. (I'm dipping into what is more or less mindfulness.)

To me, intentionality is the destination. It's also a decision. You have to make a choice on what your intention is. Now, I'm either not good at making decisions (which sometimes I'm not), or I have no desire to set a desired outcome. I'm more about the journey, and I don't have a set destination. That's the free spirit in me. Intention is not necessarily the ultimate end goal.

Intertwined with mindfulness, intentionality gives you "strength" behind your actions. It's not knee-jerk, reactionary. It is a keen awareness behind everything you do.

The more mindful I am, the more I enjoy little, seemingly insignificant actions -such as the mere typing of these words on a keyboard. This is more than mindfulness; the deliberation behind my actions is the intention of thoughts into a tangible format.

My mantra lately has been "a stitch in time saves nine." Nothing typically break-through, but something I need to practice more.

When I do set an intention however, the results are much more fulfilling. To me, mindfulness is the JOURNEY towards your intention.

The Power of Practice

I find the use of the word "practice" for yoga fascinating.

The word practice is often used in reference to athletes (obvious!), but also, doctors and lawyers. I feel like this usage is often overlooked.

Practice is never finished.

Practice must be done often.

You are always learning from practice.

Practice makes you more adept.

The concept of using the word practice is not lost on me. Don't forget that your yoga practice is made up of all your practices.

So don't forget to go to practice!

Chill AF.

I haven't been to yoga in a while.

Not as long as I haven't posted, but a long while.

I'm trying to build up strength again, so I'm going to Level 1's. Today I went to the Community Class and it was inspiring. Sure, they're not as quiet before class starts, but I grabbed a spot in the back and forgot about how much I love just watching yoga.

Also, very happy that I haven't lost as much strength as I would believe.

Might try my hand at this blogging thing again, or might not. Just updating because once again yoga has made me feel amazing.

Kapotasana

Yoga has been wonderful lately.

Recently, I was introduced to the pose, Kapotasana. I'm in love.

I'm not really a heart opener type of girl, but this pose speaks to me. So far, I haven't tried to come down to my forearms, and I can only hold the pose for a few breaths, but it's something I can't wait to work on.

Speaking of heart openers, I've made a little progress with Wheel.

What I really can't wait for is increased core strength. I can get into a tripod headstand setup, but I'm not quite there with the lift. I've also made some progress here.

I also love that I don't really get sore anymore...

I may end up stopping this blog and focus on a pen and paper yoga journal... I'm not too sure on how exactly I want to do it, but I'm looking into it. It's tough to Google "yoga journal" because of Yoga Journal, but I haven't abandoned it just yet. I will actually Google "keeping a yoga journal" after this. That will probably help.

I tandem, I might also just keep a journal on Pinterest. I don't like putting up Google search images and somehow would feel more justified by pinning it.

Any thoughts on keeping a yoga journal?

Still practicing...

Yoga has been on and off lately. More on than off, but I afford to do more.

I'm about to embark on another 30 in 60 day challenge, and for some reason this doesn't seem like it will be too hard for me this time around. (I think last year it was forty classes.)

I've been able to hold Crow for longer, except I do well when I forget to breathe.

Tripod Headstand will get there one day. What I really need to do is work on my core more. It's difficult to lift up through the core for that, but I can feel that I've got the general idea.

I've been pushing up into a pseudo-Wheel! If I can build more strength in my arms, I may be able to push up fully one day. I think my back will acclimate to the stretch as I work with it. Also, I need to make sure I stretch out my quads a bit more when I do this posture.

One day, I noticed my Standing Splits to be a little better than what it used to be. I have to try to remember to try Monkey God with blocks.

I also want to remember to do Dancer. I think the one day I will reach a full expression could be soon if I remember to work on it. On that note, my King Pigeon needs some home practice love.

Recently, I took a 101 Course just because I thought I needed a refresher on some basics. It was cool to see that I HAVE made progress. When I get into a low lunge, my foot reaches all the way. I've trained myself to gaze forward during Chaturunga. The 101 Course was not what I needed. I needed the Level 1 Class.

I need to update this more often. Writing about my progress makes me excited to do more.

Recent Yoga Pandora Love: Ghost Loft station... next up will probably be Emancipator.

Namaste, beautiful people.

Thich Nhat Hanh Living Mindfully

Be forewarned: this video is two hours long. Worth the whole watch, but let me recap.

My favorite part was the first forty minutes with Oprah interviewing Thich Nhat Hanh. His lack of ego humbles me, and often his speech moves me to tears. A memorable part for me was his description of his practice: to learn to care for your suffering in order to care for the suffering of others.

The Dhamma Brothers segment was interesting for me because if I ever am in a place of knowledge and resources, I would love to bring these types of programs to prisons, rehabilitation and mental health facilities. In all reality, I feel like there's something I could do, but my life is too much of a jumble right now.

I hope to watch at least Thich Nhat Hanh's interview to begin my New Year. I've created a New Year's Inspiration playlist, and I'm hoping it'll get my head in a good place for the rest of the year. Heck, maybe I should watch it every six months.

Anyway, I hope this has moved you as much as it has moved me, and I hope we are all taking our lives in more positive, compassionate, and mindful directions.

Namaste.

I did morning yoga. -What?!

I may be currently laying in bed, but I actually did yoga in the morning for the first time in 3 or so years.

I'm not a morning person at all, and the fact that I'm doing it on a Monday is even more impressive. I spend weekends at the S.O.'s place. He snores. Monday's I play sleep catch up. Today was nicely different. 

Went to a Hot Power Fusion at Core Power for the first time.  I normally don't like hot classes, but I thought it might be nice on a winter morning (despite the mildness of winter so far). And it was!! 

For some reason today was one of the few days I wake up energized. I'm hoping to go to a 6 am class every now and then, but, if I can go a few times in a month, I'll consider it a success. Like I said not a morning person at all.

With the New Year coming, I'm glad I already have a pretty steady practice and I don't need or want to have an "overhaul" resolution. I'm at the point where I want to keep it up at least, but practice more in general. It's lovely to feel my progression. 

As for now, I feel great. I think I'll either watch a little YouTube or put on a podcast and enjoy my coffee. Then, it's GTD time!

Have a great week lady and gentlemen yogin!

Namaste. 

The lives of my very well loved yoga mats.

I bought my first mat in 2010. It's a brown, Gaiam brand mat - no longer available on the site. My only and deciding criteria was that it was the thickest mat available at the time. Which is not that thick (5mm) compared to some other ones. (I'm looking at you Jade mats!).

In retrospect, I really think my preference for thick mats stems from previous experience with knees on ground action. I actually practiced without a mat with Yogi Toes recently, but the Chaturunga taken on the knees situation was not nice.

Anyway, back to my first mat. I can't believe it's only been 4 years. Still not sure if it feels like longer or shorter... :-T This has been my mat at X-Sport and Core Power Yoga. This is also the mat I took to my first Wanderlust in the City this past May. I still use it in home practice, but I definitely upgraded with my next mat. A nice mat actually does make a difference!

Gaiam Sol Dry-Grip

It's black like a real yogi's! :-P But in all seriousness, look at that beautiful mandala-esque print. Click here to buy. (I am not paid at all for this endorsement.)

I only own two mats (so far!), but this one is the favorite child. It seems like this is Gaiam's favorite child too. This is the one mat prominently featured on the site and in ads. It can still be slippery once I get sweaty shoulders down to do core work, but it's a non-slippery dream when dry. Also at 5mm, its constructed to feel thicker, with more padding. I got this one at the end of 2013, and its already got some substantial love.

Check out the design up close!

As you can tell, I am partial to Gaiam. I may want to try the Jade mats. They have some REALLY thick ones that feel as if they'd be (even more) less slippery. If I wanted a thin mat, I'd just get a travel one. And there's just too much controversy, true or not true, regarding Lululemon. Prefer to avoid instead of support, even though their mats are VERY popular and do seem to be of great quality.

Either way, I'll let you all know the next time a mat joins my family!

Namaste. 

Gliding through my practice.

When taking time out for a home practice, maybe what you need to do is make is special. Light some candles, turn off the light, and put on your favorite yoga Pandora station.

Mine today was "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service station. 

Practice was nice today. Built heat, but went at a soothing pace. Still jacked with energy because that's what it'll do to me, but I'm a night person anyway.

Gotta get off the screens so I can sleep sooner rather than later. Maybe listen to the Star Talk podcast while I do Savasana in bed. 

Oh, and I've rediscovered the single-task lately. It not only obviously makes you focus more, but you feel more fulfilled once the task is done. 

Om Shanti

Namaste. 

Oops! I missed a month!

Been taking it easy with the classes lately, but have cultivated the habit of a home practice. I really want to go to more classes to get inspired, but there aren't really any 9 pm classes. I'm not a morning person, so a nighttime yoga practice is just lovely. Granted, 6 pm isn't that late for the class I would want to go to, but afternoon, early evening is just prime GTD time.

Life's been good, but I definitely need to practice on the weekends. I spend the weekends with the S.O., but that's not really an excuse! I could definitely benefit from that.

Oh, and I want to brag about my Crow... it's actually not much to brag about, but I definitely feel more progress, more stability.

Namaste!

Impressed.

Class was lovely today... It was teacher training and everyone did great!

I wasn't nearly as weak as I thought I would be. I'm assuming my muscle memory had time to do its thing.

It felt really good to get on my mat again.

Namaste.

Soooo laaaaaazy.

Have I ever taken a break!

It's almost September... I don't think I've been to class this month. I'm going tonight, though. Not even practicing at home. Well. Every now and then I'll do a (count: one) Sun Salutation, but I don't count that.

I can feel it in my body. I'll stretch a bit... What I really need is a class or a session at home. I don't know where the time has gone. I'll blame YouTube.

Once it cools off, I'll be able to open my windows and maybe get some sessions in the morning.

Let's hope tonight builds up my motivation.

Namaste.

Finished the challenge, and where did the time go?

I finished the challenge, guys!

I feel like every season there should be a challenge. It would definitely get my motivation up to go to yoga.

Honestly, I finished the challenge on the 31st, then the next thing I knew it was the 6th of August. Like where did the time go?

Gotta get on my mat more...

No pics today. Updating from a tablet.

Namaste!

So close!

Guys, I'm so close to finishing the challenge! Four more classes to go! Four more days! AHH! Even if I don't complete the challenge, I should still be proud of myself. I really hope this has cultivated a more consistent practice.

I've started sequencing. I only have about half an hour to forty-five minutes, but I'm excited. It's actually really fun and once you're thinking about the postures, more ideas come to mind. I should try sequencing before hitting the mat at home. I find myself doing a lot of Child's Poses while trying to come up with the next posture after doing my old stand-by's. The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown helps a lot too.

What I think is cool is how you can totally make up a pose that you may not find in a book, but if you know the language, you have a name. Now, I'm not saying Sanskrit, but for example: Supine Twist... Supine Twist with Quad Stretch. I suppose teacher training will teach me what not to do, but I don't expect yoga to be like that. As far as I know, yoga poses are infinite! (Infinitely awesome!)

Getting ready for class tonight!

Namaste

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi by Brian Leaf

So I stumbled upon this book, much like I stumbled upon Yoga Bitch. I suppose they're non-fiction memoirs, but that doesn't really matter to me. I was thoroughly entertained. Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi is even more entertaining than Yoga Bitch!

The back blurb will tell you everything you need to know... actually more. It's just a genuinely entertaining book that doesn't need a description. And well, if you like yoga, even better!

Challenge Update

Haven't gotten too creative at home lately, but I have been vigilant with the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge... 12 more classes to go through the 31st.

I'm going to try to meditate more. I need to practice Full Lotus a bit more. I haven't quite gotten to where I was before my knees were injured. There'd be tension, then release as I became more comfortable in the pose... now, it's a sharper discomfort that I don't think I should push through.

Not really much else to update on. Just enjoying yoga in it's myriad forms.

I think once the challenge is over, I'll be less motivated to come to classes, but to practice more at home. I'm looking forward to getting creative. Last summer/late August, yoga pulled me out of a depression, or should I say was a symptom of recovery. Those were joyous mornings.

Namaste.

Yogi or Yogini?

If I'm correct, the answer to all this is Yogin.

This isn't really a big deal, but what do you consider yourself? A Yogi or a Yogini? Is it because of your gender or simply your sex? Do you consider how you like to practice?

Yogi is for masculine energy, and Yogini is for the feminine energy:

Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. 

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime. 

(via Wikipedia)

What's not to say a practice can't evolve. I would've definitely called myself a Yogi last year, but this year I'm more a Yin, Yogini. I love watching Meghan Currie videos (if you haven't YouTubed her, do it now!), and that lovely woman is defintiely a Yogini, but she remixes (fast-forwards) her practice into one with Yang energy.

What would you classify yourself as?

Living the Yogic Lifestyle

I am not perfect.

I am nowhere near perfect.

I drink. I smoke. I own and wear leather. I have Emu (sheepskin) boots. I enjoy sex.

Well, that's really it. I guess it comes down to the yogic principal of ahimsa. The hardest thing for me is smoking. With yoga being a practice of focusing on your breath, I can't help but feel like a hypocrite when I light up. (Although, I go a little easier on myself, since it's pure tobacco.) It doesn't help when all your friends have been doing it with you for years with no intention of quitting.

Admittedly, this all began before the idea of "yogi" became a bit of an aspiration. I've always had an inner hippie, but due to lack of time and education, that languished. But here I am now. I have the time to become a conscientious consumer. I want to become more eco-friendly and eco-conscientious. I want to consume less. I definitely have a shopping problem. How I plan on fixing that is by only shopping at thrift stores. I love leather, but now, I will try to only buy secondhand. The book, Wear No Evil has made being an eco-conscious fashionista a tangible reality.

I still apply chemicals to my body almost everyday in the form of makeup and perfumes. I have moved on to Simple face wash with simpler, hopefully less toxic (to myself and the environment) ingredients.

I want to eat healthier. Slowly, I have begun -eating raw avocados with seasoning. Grocery shopping more, eating fast food a little less.

The philosophy of Jainism holds a fascination in my heart, but it is so ascetic, it's not really tangible for myself here and now.

Yoga has brightened my life, and in turn has caused me to think about ahimsa more and more. I think just the word non-injury could be a great focus of my practice.

Namaste

Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan

I recently read the book Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan.

This is a great starter book for someone looking to be more eco-conscious with their clothing choices.

In short, Eagan lists out an "integrity index" of sixteen factors to be wary of when purchasing clothing. She says to focus on 3-5 aspects in order to be realistic, style being the first factor to consider.

For me, I personally like reduced water usage, biodegradable, local, and secondhand. If there are causes I would like to support, the first one that would come to mind is Charity: Water, or any other organization dedicated to clean water, and reducing water usage. It turns out a single, cotton t-shirt can use massive amounts of water to create and dye. I will now look for vegan leather that is a byproduct of the meat industry or at least is secondhand. For one, it's biodegradable, and two, pleather contains myraid chemicals. I would much rather see a trashed leather jacket naturally wearing out, than a pleather one living indefinitely in a dumpster. In general, I mostly shop at thrift stores, and try to support Made in the USA items. Even more locally, I would also like to support Chicago artists and companies. And I love thrifting. It's the thrill of the hunt. I've found some great things while thrifting. It's just an added bonus that I'm giving these items a second lifecycle.

In short, it's not that hard to be SOMEWHAT eco-conscientious after reading this book:

You're eschewing fashion for the sake of fashion, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice it.

For more check out: noevil.com

And buy the book!

All things yoga related, today.

Ahh. Today is a blogging day, so here's a general updatement of anything yoga:

Been doing good on the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge. I'm at 15/16 classes, with a class I'm going to tonight, so 16/16 really. Not bad. When it comes down to it, you can miss 20 classes or do a class every weekday and skip the weekends. This challenge has really got my motivation up to go to class. Can't wait for Core Restore -the restorative, Yin class- tomorrow!

Went to my first Level 3 due to a double sticker day. Really liked it. It was very well paced for it being a 75 minute class. I was exhausted for the rest of my day though -perhaps also due to lack of sleep?

I stumbled upon a fun little book called, Yoga Bitch by Suzanne Morrison. It was in the Yoga non-fiction section of the library (it's definitely fiction, but if it wasn't, it would've had to be the greatest yoga book out there). But I was glad I found it anyway.

Downloaded the Yoga Sutras and re-checked out the Bhagavad Gita. I've already read the Bhagavad Gita, but the version I currently have is more what I was looking for.

AHH! Can't wait for class tonight! Might go to the library, too!