“Go Yoga Jane is dedicated to helping people discover the awakening and transformative practices of yoga, meditation and a life lived in balance and harmony.”

Recently,  my daughter Ivy and I celebrated her 26th birthday by driving up to the north shore and staying at one of our favorite chilled out spots called “Bobs Cabins.”  We left Sunday morning around 10am and arrived on the north shore around noon. We always have a blast. Ivy and I talk about many things going on in our lives. This is one of the great joys of having an adult daughter, and one as wise as mine. Ivy is a loving soul and a fun spirit so the combo can’t be beat. She is always ready for anything and loves to laugh and enjoy life. When we arrived in Duluth we stopped at a little place overlooking Lake Superior and had a couple of summery drinks and noshed on some food, with pigeons trying to land on us and the sun shining brightly. After that we drove north on Hwy 61 and reveled in the gorgeous hues of Lake Superior, the way the sun plays on the waves and since it was very windy we were able to get the fresh lake air circulating through our city lungs. Refreshing.  There were wild flowers everywhere and wild lupins were exploding along the side of the road. Bob’s cabins are very funny in some ways. They are old school with old everything in them, and that includes  kitchen items like “trivets.” Remember trivets? They are some type of an iron made structure for hot dishes or hot pots to be put on a table. Do you have one? When you open the windows in the cabin, the wind from the lake blows through the cabin and it’s sort of like you are in a boat, out on the lake. Very intense because our cabin was very close to the lake. We brought some firewood down to the shore line, made a big fire and sat there staring into it for a long while. Then it rained and we went in and talked some more. We never run out of things to talk about. The next day we drove back to the concrete jungle. We will go again soon….it is always special for us to do this. I’m lucky that Ivy is my daughter and that we like each other alot and have fun whenever we hang out. Look at those gorgeous lupins. Much Peace-Yoga Jane

Before we start practicing mindfulness meditation, we need a little help to understand how to practice it. We need to have the right information and a clear understanding of the practice to work with awareness intelligently. This information will work at the back of your mind when you meditate.

Meditation is watching and waiting patiently with awareness and understanding. Meditation is not trying to experience something you have read about or heard about.

When meditating both the body and mind should be comfortable and open to the experience.

You are not trying to make things turn out the way you want them to happen. You are trying to know what is happening, “as it is.”

You have to accept and watch both good and bad experiences. You want only good experiences? You don’t want even the tiniest unpleasant experience? Is this realistic? Is this the way of the dharma?

Don’t feel disturbed by the thinking mind.  You are not practicing to prevent thinking, instead you want to recognize and acknowledge thinking as it arises.

The object of attention is not really important: the observing mind that is working to be aware is of real importance. If the observing is done with the right attitude, any object is the right object.

Just pay attention to the present moment. Don’t get lost in thoughts about the past. Don’t get carried away by thoughts about the future.

OmOmOm

Yoga Jane

Does practicing yoga make you feel good? When I practice I feel vibrant and lighter in body, mind and emotions. I like to feel flexible…and it feels good to be strong. And I do mean flexible and strong on all levels. I love the community of real yogis and yoginis,  and the possibility in every class and every practice. Practicing yoga is about awareness. Sometimes that awareness is all about my body and it’s limitations or strengths, other  times it’s about watching how my thoughts never stay in one place. Yoga helps me to soften my edges. It’s one of the most humbling things I do. You can’t always get what you want practicing yoga, but you might just get what you need.

What does a regular yoga practice offer your life? Write to me and share your insights. You don’t have to write a short novel, just a couple of statements or ideas. Be creative.  Maybe you write a koan, or  a word or two…whatever moves you. It’s very encouraging to hear many different views on what yoga means to you.

Peace,

Yoga Jane

London, May 18: Sri K Pattabhi Jois, one of the leading figures in the world of yoga, has died. He was 93.

Jois, from India, was a yoga teacher and practitioner famous for popularizing Ashtanga yoga in the West.

Ashtanga yoga is based on synchronising the breath through a progressive series of postures.

He died in the southern Indian city of Mysore on Monday May 18, a press statement from the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute said.

Jois considered yoga to be a form of mind medicine. He was a brilliant and dedicated man who devoted his life to yoga.

“Ashtanga yoga is helping many people throughout the world to balance the mental, physical and spiritual pressures and stresses posed by the modern world we live in today,” he said.

Pierre Bibby, chief executive officer of the British Wheel of Yoga, said: “He was a massive influence on the development of yoga, and greatly respected.

“He did a great deal to broaden the appeal of yoga, and make it more accessible to a Western constituency.”

Born in Kowshika village in the state of Karnataka in 1915, the yoga guru began to learn the art from his teacher T. Krishnamacharya at the age of 12, a biography on his institute’s Web site said.

It seems to me that anger is on the rise. I especially notice it while I’m driving. It makes sense I guess. If a person is trying to reach their destination and they are running late, they become agitated and because we are all anonymous in our car,  it’s easy to lash out and honk the horn, yell or give the special finger sign. Maybe if a person feels pushed around in their life, the car is one place they feel like they have some control.

If we multiply all of the gazillions of people driving around like this every day, it’s no wonder we get frazzled being on the road.  I used to enjoy driving much more than I do now. I avoid certain places and times of day just to not get into that icky experience of being stressed in my car.

One of the most useful lessons in yoga, is the idea that we all get to practice warriorship. That doesn’t mean being aggressive or inflicting pain. It means that we get to practice being brave enough to be gentle. When things come up that annoy us (aversion) we can take a breath, see the issue for what it really is and not react with anger. We can stay calm and be gentle to other people, which is being gentle with ourselves. It’s a great way to nurture open-heartedness towards our human condition. We are all in it together. Not separate.  Seeing that can be a way to feel less isolated, less frustrated and less self-important about the little things.

Next time you’re on the road, have fun being an observer, a warrior and a gentle driver.

Peace,

Yoga Jane

Usually when I begin to blog I am one of these things: 1-overwhelmed by possibilities with a scattered brain  2-underwhelmed by possibilities with a dull brain   3-trying to figure out how to inspire in a simple and useful way 4-being a malicious self-critic and unable to write anything  5-completely in the zone and confident about what I want to say.

To me writing is a pursuit like many other interests or hobbies, where there is a struggle to get down to it, be disciplined,  regular and consistent. In my work as a yoga teacher, I relate the struggle to write, to my students struggle in developing a consistent yoga practice. One that weathers all of the tests of life. Illness, happiness (yes believe it or not many people stop practicing yoga when they are elated), new job, old job, new relationship, break-ups, travel, busyness, more busyness and even more busyness. There is no one way to tackle this issue. It’s very personal. The guru can’t always help. It’s better to find your own inner guru and listen up. Create something that works for you so that it is meaningful and helpful in your particular life.

Here a few helpful tips to keep you consistent and grounded in your practice:

1-Almost every time we practice we feel better!  Remembering that helps us to see the value in practicing more consistently. The more we practice the better we feel the more we practice.

2-Come to your mat as a beginner each time. Baby steps. Even if you are quite advanced just approach your time on the mat gently and with ease. Feel the poses body-mind-emotions.

3-Try practicing the same sequence for many days in a row before you switch it up. This helps us to feel grounded in the poses and then grounded in our bodies which carries over to a more grounded emotional state and life.

4-Write down your sequences and have fun creating new ones. Try practicing for a half-hour if you are busy and then add a few more poses if time permits. Allow yourself to build your practice patiently and slowly.

5-Stay connected to your breathing. Your breathing carries you through all of the dynamic arising, abiding and dissolving through each pose.

6-Ease up. Yoga can really enhance your wellness, balance and inner life in many ways. But yoga only feels that way if you really love it…if you really don’t love it,  find something else that you do.

Just imagine what would happen if everyone all over the world were practicing yoga daily. Would it make a difference? It’s a fun thought. Just a big worldwide yoga mala going on every day. Obama would start every morning by practicing  sun salutations! Children would get to school and begin with yoga. CEO’s all over the world would schedule regular morning yoga beginning with OMMMMMM each day. All professions, all walks of life, all ages, all races, everywhere…nothing but asana.

Peace-Yoga Jane

Right now is a good time to slow down. Here you go:

For the next ten minutes allow yourself this time to quiet down and feel present in your life.

Sit down in a chair or on the floor and get comfortable. Give yourself this time. Gently begin to notice how your breathing feels.

Let your body settle and feel your breathing open up and become deeper. Feel it opening into spaces where tension resides…

During your exhale feel and allow tension to dissolve…visualize it leaving your being…

Let it be okay that you are slowing down and giving yourself this break from daily stress.

Sit for several more minutes without judging the experience as either good or bad…just let it be.

Peace-Yoga Jane

Today I worship the sun. I am ever grateful for it’s shiny luminous qualities. The color of a sunny blue sky is my favorite color. It’s the color of life, growth and movement.

Without the sun our planet and all of its inhabitants couldn’t exist.  The sun in the spring is spectacular, fresh and energizing. Complex yet very simple. Breathe it in…soak it in…cherish it.

This week my writings on gratitude generated lots of good chat. Maybe that’s because in our crazy culture of trying to find happiness, discover peace and feel inspired, being grateful is something we can all do…right now.  When we are reminded to feel grateful, it’s like an old friend inspiring us to remember what we already know. That our life contains so much richness and beauty. Right now.

Peace,

Yoga Jane

Practicing gratitude is a great way to notice all that is helpful, lovely and precious in our lives. A nice time to begin is first thing in the morning, while the day is fresh. It is a great way to connect to “sukha’ which means happiness, ease, pleasure or bliss in sanskrit. Suka helps us to focus on being content with what our lives contain right now, instead of in the past or somewhere in the future. We don’t need to wait until something dramatic happens to bring the practice of gratitude into our lives.

An easy way to practice gratitude is through a gratitude meditation. Try this:

Sitting in meditation either in a chair or on the floor, begin to feel grounded through your tailbone and lower body.

Gently bring your awareness to the natural flow of your breathing. Let it rise and fall easy and without strain.

Give yourself this time to go inward to a quiet place and let go of concerns, worries and daily doing.

Feel completely present in your body and breathing, noticing where your tension is and allowing it to soften.

As your awareness relaxes into your breathing, allow yourself to feel and acknowledge something that you are grateful for.

It can be something really basic. Notice and feel how your body and breathing respond to feeling gratitude. Be present with that.

After you feel more settled you might want to choose other things like loved ones, friends, hobbies, something nice that is happening in your life, or even the weather or place you live. Let the warm feelings of gratitude permeate into your breathing, body and emotions. Notice how that feels. Continue like this for several minutes.

When you are finished you might want to write down what you are most grateful for right now, and keep it near you to inspire you.

Today I am grateful for all of you! Much peace-Yoga Jane