My close of 2008 Sadhana

My friend Maddy Avena used the term "wring out the old and ring in the new," which I think is delightful. On this snow storm day in my little New England home, I used the found free time to program and follow a 140 minute practice using Shiva Rea's media. Shiva is my favorite yogini, I find her practices to have a range from healing to challenging, her fluid approach is a salve to stiff joints and clogged emotions, and her DVD media is

visually beautiful. All of her A/V media is backed up with glorious soundtracks.

My close of 2008 practice consisted of:

Yoga Shakti:

• Surya Meditation


• Classical Suraya Namaskar

Radiant Heart:

• Bonus Twisting Krya


• Bonus Jala Namaskar


• Full Radiant Heart practice

Yoga Shakti:

• Forward bends and twists


• Inversions


• Pranayama


• Meditation


• Savasana

Namaste

Reflections as 2008 closes

Reflections on my Yogic Journey in 2008, among other things. On 12/31/07 I was beginning the exploration into my first Svadyaya (self discovery) through a 40 Sadhana (practice - path toward goal). An online mentor loaned me a book that had been in her family for years - it was her parents' volume, in fact. Iyengar: His Life and Works was an eye opener for me not only on BKS Iyengar but on yoga in general, and the connections between yoga and Ayurveda through the book's little primer written by BKS' sister, Geeta. This kind mentor also turned me on to John Friend and Anusara yoga which has been a big help.

One of the portions of the book discussed Iyengar working with people with arthritis, including a case study of a man who used daily practices to literally break through his "calcifications." Hey - it can work. I embarked on this first Svadyaya/Sadhana with great hope and confidence. At midnight on 12/31/07 - 01/01/08, I went outside and walked through the neighborhood, thinking of all kinds of new possibilities in store. I'd joined a yoga studio and the owner was telling us that the numbers were lined up for a year of sweeping global change. I didn't stop to think that the global change could maybe not be for the better. Or maybe, it is the end of old ways going down kicking and screaming? New Year's Day 2008 found me at an intention setting ceremony in that yoga studio, which was enjoyable and seeded me with high hopes and a long list of goals. I walked out on a bliss cloud, visualizing good health and fortune, and ended up getting almost immediately sick. That rebounded and rebounded until it ended up as pneumonia and lingering chest pain; I whacked out my hip hiking; my chronic condition came out of remission; husband lost his job; now mine could go any day. But amazingly through it all I kept up a steady yoga practice and I don't know if it's the yoga, but usually these types of situations would have me a hysterical wreck. I seem to be handling it better.

2008 wasn't all doom and gloom, I'd reached a point of having great success with asana and freeing up a lot of stuck and stiff spots - after this flare calms down, I'm looking forward to getting back to that place. Breaking down those calcifications again. I'm going back to the studio's intention ceremony tomorrow but leaving my rose tinted spectacles home. I won't view the practices with cynicism; rather through a humbled viewpoint. My simple intention is to keep practicing yoga and expanding on what I learn, and hope that each little lesson can carry me through another day making the best of it that I can.

Happy New Year! I know a lot of us have experienced setbacks in 2008 - illnesses, financial woes, loss of loved ones, careers, life upheavals. It seems there was more than the usual bad fortune going around. I hope all of you have a good year ahead. We can hope! Namaste - may peace shine down upon us.

Virasana, Svaroopa Style

Just some notes to capture a most delicious Svaroopa pose I learned tonight. Virasana, or Hero's Pose, done Svaroopa style. This should be performed after some preliminary poses, particularly a tailbone opener and a lunge set. We did it tonight after chin tuck (hands clasped behind head, elbows toward ceiling (hugging in), slowly and gently lifting the head with the strength of the arms alone, holding and breathing a few times, then slowly lowering and extending vertebrae by vertebrae. Next we did Tortoise for tailbone on the seated stack (remember narrow block between thighs to press hands into), Baddha Konasana on the stack, and a Lunge (right leg first).

To perform the pose:

• Get situated back on the stack, so that the narrow edge faces you; have a blanket roll near and blocks on either side
• Feet on floor, knees up
• Crawl toes out a couple of lengths
• Reach left hand under bent knees, clasp right ankle and draw foot under and to left until right heel hooks under blanket edge
• Be sure right knee pointing away from belly button
• Draw left leg over, in a Gomukasana-like position (but much more relaxed)
• Draw narrow edge of blanket roll under bent right knee
• Should look like Gomukasana legs with blanket roll directly sticking out from the median of the knees
• Relax for a few breaths with right hand on knee, left hand over it - be sure head upright with ears over shoulders
• Right hand to block, make L-shaped left hand, straight left arm up (no ballerina arms) stretch toward right, pressing into block - turn block position if desired so knuckles face forward
• Slowly come out, repeat other side

Donna said you can also perform a twist in this pose for a deep SI joint release - she would not divulge any information but I can experiment and see what feels right. After that we did another lunge (left first), revisited the chin tuck, and closed with Rotated Stomach, Savasana and of course, Yoga Mudra to seal. Nice practice!

Bluff Point State Park, 09-23-08

BLUFF POINT STATE PARK - SEPT. 23 2008
That is a black butterfly with torqoise spots

My boobs look big with a backpack on - I'm not arguing.

Fred goes in the water ... there you see it. Deepest I ever saw ;-)

There is an osprey up there - a huge one, had black and white patterns under his soaring wings.

Beach roses - a beach rose with a beach bee in it - see they even have rose hips - growing out of rocks, sand and shells, amazing!

Thank you Rachel Carson - for alerting us and gathering advocates for tidal salt ponds and marshes. These "wetlands" (formerly known as swamps) act as "horizontal levees" so ocean tides have room to breath, storms can swell and surge without too much detriment to humankind, and multiple flora and fauna can flourish.

The "sand" is comprised of small beach-washed pebbles and tons of bivalve shells we called "Old Man's Toenails" - we had to wear flipflops to wade in the gentle surf.

Funny how bad things can turn good. A screwed up economy and a bill from your homeowner's insurance for "hazard insurance underpayment" can suddenly turn a planned vacation to Massachusetts into a "Stay-Cation" right at home in SE Connecticut.

Fortunately, SE CT is a gem of the North Atlantic Coast and us two hard working souls have barely had time to explore it - and WHAT HAVE WE BEEN MISSING!!!???? Let's see if this old fart can upload photos with text included ... probably not.

Sedums, lavendars and sages

Oh, how I love the hardy, sturdy survival-type perennials - sedums, lavendars and sages. Over the last 12 years I've accumulated a large assortment for a rocky slope that substitutes for a "lawn" in front of my house. That first trip to the garden center, I was entranced by a plant with thick, hardy leaves that reminded me of a cactus but wasn't, really. A common "Autumn Joy," I was delighted to see it turn pink in fall and attract so many butterflies and bees.

As winter thrashed our New England home, and plows drove up and down the street, I'd shiver inside and sometimes think "those plants outside surely cannot survive this." But in spring there were little circular arrangements peeping up out of the soil, and the sedums grew back even more vigorously! I've since then collected numerous varieties including Matrona, the royal Queen of Sedums, and various creepers and stonecrops. I can't go to a plant show without stopping near anything of the succulent family. And what can go better with them than fragrant lavendars and sages, especially Russian sage and Salvia. This photo is some trimmings of a strawberry flowered stonecrop sedum, some English Munstead lavendar prunings, and a branch of late season purple basil gone to flower. It looks like a wedding bouquet!

Sedums are also "green" plantings - they are wonderful in xeriscapes and can survive without the need of constant watering throughout the season.

Mushrooms at Mashantucket

Today's experiment will be adding a slide show from Flickr.com. I took a walk with my lunch buddies Nancy and Deb on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation where we work. We've been noticing abundant varieties of mushrooms and fungi in stunning varieties of color, shape, size and habit. The fungiscape changes on a daily basis! Nancy tells us that the picture mushroom at left is called an "Indian Pipe."

Today was a great sunny day to combine our exercise with some mushroom hunting. But beware! Unless you are an expert, never eat a wild mushroom. Some are very poisonous.

Farewell to a wonderful Yoga Teacher and Hello to my first Headstand!

Thursday night at Blissworks Yoga of New London, was a night of sadness and light. Sadness because the most wonderful vinyasa teacher, Constance Kendros, taught her last Thursday evening class. Light, because Constance assisted my 50 year old bod into its first supported headstand! I have some physical limitations but don't let them limit my mental approach to vinyasa. Instead, I modify and work around poses that are outside my scope. Often my modus operandi is to do the preliminary pose and then marinate in it, relishing the benefits of those baby steps while the class does the grown-up versions of asana such as headstand and crow.

Whenever the teacher announced the next asana was headstand, my baby steps version consisted of:

~ accepting myself as I am
~ measuring out the arm distance and placing my head between the triangle forearms
~ assuming Dolphin pose
~ walking the feet in as far as possible and relishing the deep spinal and side body stretches
~ getting used to feeling the top of my skull on the mat and the pressure on it

Recently the thought flashed in my mind while doing Baby Headstand - "I think I can do this." I wrote to Constance after learning she was leaving, and told her! Well lsat night she compared our final Thursday vinyasa flow to our own Olympics, and encouraged us to really push, to go for the gold in our last lap. And for headstand she saw me pull my mat to the wall and said "You wrote me that you are ready!" And with her coaxing and help holding one foot to the wall, up I went! TWICE! Bent knees the first time and straight the second.

It feels WONDERFUL to be upside down. I'm still high, 24 hours later. Thank you, Constance, for turning my world upside down - best wishes in your new career and I hope to see you on the mat at Bliss.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - camera shy!

At various points this day I've attempted to capture images of this lovely visitor to my butterfly bush. He seems to know when I peek around the corner with camera in hand, for he will delicately rise from his feast and float over the stockade fence, lighter than light itself. Yet when I amble toward him without a camera, he stretches his wings and combs through the buddlaea buds, drinking minute drops of nectar. First photo is a fleeting image of Mr. Eastern Tiger with his swallowtail wings folded, sipping from my butterfly bush. The second photo, for identification, is courtesy www.botany.wisc.edu/spalding/naturephotos and actually depicts a female Eastern Tiger.

At one point I was out there trimming back plants and Mr. Eastern was prostrated, resting on the bush as two brilliant orange monarchs feasted beside him.

Sacrum opening, binds, standing twists and Bird of Paradise!

Tricia McEvoy of Blissworks Studio, New London, CT led us through the following series last night - it was Blissful indeed! (the following video courtesy of Cindy Mastry as posted on ExpertVillage.com)

The Bird of Paradise Yoga Pose -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

• Warmup: seated squat on block, feet flat on floor close in as possible. Bring right palm to right instep; trace inside of right leg with left fingers and use as a guide to open left arm to sky and twist left side body upward; repeat other side.
• Deep yogic squat and remove block, breath deeply, hands in prayer and pressing into shins. Then assume a "sumo" stance, and reach left arm behind calf, attempting to wriggle shoulder under knee bend, bring right arm around in plane to bind, straighten legs and fold inward head pointing toward floor. Repeat other side.
• Uttanasana with hands around ankles, bent and squat for a few reps with "HA" kriya ... then stood and rotate side to side, arms flapping like on Altar of the Heart, increasing swing so opposing heels lift as arms flap and hit the body, adding "HA" kriya.
• Tadasana, mindful sacrum and shoulder positioning, arms up, fold forward, straighten back to look up, fold forward, rise, hands in prayer over head, bring hands down to heart while squatting into Utkatasana, repeat several times.
• Flow: proceed to basic cobra flows, Warrior I to II to back flow to side angle, each time opening ribs toward ceiling, with side standing poses in binding - side angle 3X each side flowing between. Culmination:
• Bird of Paradise each side.

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