What is Yoga?

The practice of yoga is a blend of art and science that creates union between body, mind and spirit. Its objective is to generate awareness of our thoughts, movements, and behaviors to live as fully realized beings intimately connected to the unified whole of creation. Living a healthier life brings about a sense of peace when we suffer less injury and degeneration and we are better able to take care of ourselves and our family. Yoga is compassion in action.

Yoga has numerous benefits to the body, makes you feel very good, and has much less incidence of injury than most forms of exercise. In each class, you will get instruction in breathing, stretches and movements, called asana (AH-san-a), and meditation.  You will likely feel calm and peaceful, and with regular practice you will feel more inner peace in your day-to-day life.  Many people report great improvement of degenerative conditions for which they once needed pain medication! Yoga also emphasizes the principle of non-harming which includes kindness to oneself with patience and respect for your own body’s capabilities. Although yoga can be challenging at times, it is not a competition, and it is best done with an open mind.

Although anyone of any background or worldview can practice yoga, the primary philosophies behind the teaching comes from two ancient Indian sages named Patanjali (Pa-TAN-ja-lee), who wrote The Yoga Sutras, and\the Buddha who both came from India more than 2,000 years ago.  It was originally taught as a physical discipline to purify and prepare the body for long periods of meditation and stillness. It is during this stillness that transformation takes place. While most people experience a peacefulness similar to spirituality, yoga is not intended to create or replace any religious beliefs.

Yoga will compliment any fitness routine you currently engage in or it can be your main form of exercise. One thing is for certain: the more you do it, the better you’ll feel. You can enhance your understanding by taking classes and viewing many useful articles and books you can borrow or buy. We encourage you to take a look at our favorites on our website’s Resources page. We also offer private sessions, enrichment courses, and yoga teacher training.

The level of transformation that takes place is directly related to how involved you become with the practice. Yoga is completely natural, and nature takes its time. Don’t give up. We are here to teach you and guide you toward your personal goals and transformation.  Lastly, remember that the ultimate authority on you, is you. To paraphrase the Buddha:  “Don't blindly believe what is said or believe because others convince you. Find out for yourself.”  In other words, if what we teach resonates with you, put it into practice, but always be true to yourself.  

Spring into love with yoga

I am more in love today with my yoga practice than I ever have been.  As for one who is prone to human failings and lack of discipline, I have deep gratitude for things (can we call yoga a "thing"?) that can gently and firmly keep me aligned with truth. 

Is there not something in the corner of your mind that strays you from your truth?  And do you not absolutely love who, or what, can hold you truthfully to your moral compass, your priorities, and your goals with authenticity?  I do.  It holds me accountable.  It holds me to my truth.  It holds me to my higher purpose which is essential for my soul's growth.

This is my yoga practice. Although the rough times and the easier times come at me equally, the practice of coming to the mat (or the cushion, for meditators) during the easier times makes the harder times a little easier to get through.  Over time, the perception of "difficult" and "easy" starts to blur.  And when that happens, it is much easier to find joy in even the most mundane of activities!  (Imagine feeling joy much of the day, even as you go about your daily chores!!)

In the beginning, the hardest thing to do was developing the discipline to roll out the mat.  Once I got on it, however, my body just knew what to do.  I had to schedule yoga time-- whether I thought I needed it or not-- because I knew the routine would benefit my scattered mind.  Later on, my body would tell me to do yoga and I created a special space in my home to do it. 

Over the years, I have developed a relationship with yoga like a good marriage.  It takes work.  It takes discipline.  But it always feels like love.   Sometimes, tough love, and I need that. 

Why won't they listen?

So you’ve been telling your friend for a while now that they need to take better care of themselves— but they just won’t listen!  Maybe they don’t know HOW to change?  What can you do to help?

1. Be an example. Let your light shine with a healthy attitude by being an example of good health. Eat in moderation. Set aside a little time to meditate and to practice something you learned in yoga class, even for a few minutes. Get in good company with other healthy people.


2. Share your experience. This is the yogic principle of satya: being honest about yourself and your truth. Be clear about the main things that you practice to stay healthy, and invite them to do it with you. Invite your friend on a walk, or share a healthy meal. Reinforce your own healthy habits by talking about what drew you to yoga and how you feel as a result. Ask them to join you at your favorite yoga class. They will likely feel better that same day and you will, too, for helping someone in need.

3. Be encouraging, not pushy. Everyone has to find their own way through hard times, but you know that peace of mind is found through three, simple, daily actions: proper breathing, moving your body, and meditation. Encourage your friend to take 2 minutes every day to just breathe. The simple act of breathing encourages mindfulness, which calms the nervous system in just minutes. This is the foundation for your yoga practice.

4. Be patient and kind. Loving-kindness toward all beings is the yogic principle of ahimsa. We can feel frustrated when someone we care about is blind to the source of their own suffering, but we don’t want to make them feel worse by lecturing them. When your friend decided to take a prescription to deal with stress related pain, perhaps they were ignorant of the snowball of side effects, or didn’t know they had a better choice. Lifestyle changes aren’t made overnight, and it will take the patience of a caring friend who can make a big difference in their life with small acts of kindness.

You can help someone in need by introducing them to Full Circle Yoga. We have a variety of mind-body classes that will help them breathe easier from the very first class, no matter where they started from.

~Kristen

Take your meditation into the World

Through the traditions of ancient India, the ritual basis for doing asana has been purification of the body.  No doubt about it, a healthy body is the temple for a clearer mind.  Now, Westerners may use the practice to strengthen and tone, but the intention of the practice is actually to prepare the body and mind for meditation, which is quite helpful in dealing with the pressures of daily life.

If your yoga practice leaves your body feeling great, but your mind is still easily distracted and disrupted, remember the tools you have been given:
Steady, deep breathing. (ujjayi breath)
Relaxed, steady gaze. (drishti)
Balance on the four corners of your feet. (padabandha)
Open your heart center. (love and compassion direct all thought)

And now a spontaneous poem.  (No joke, it really, truly was.)

The yoga mat is our class
While the world tests our resolve to stay the path.
Have no fear, the mind be clear.
Your inner voice knows what to do.
These simple tools will get you through.

Be well~

Kristen

Lessons from my Pregnant Belly

Regardless of the many challenges I've had growing up and finding my center, I've been relatively lucky to have a lean figure with no weight problems, not to mention a small frame-- ahem, and chest.  As a yoga teacher, I try to guide my larger framed students into poses that are appropriate for their bodies, but you really have to walk in someone's shoes (er, bra) to know how they feel on the mat. As a pregnant yoga teacher, I am learning a thing or two about working with the curves and bulges of a larger and more sensitive body.

Teaching large framed bodies have been a welcome challenge for me; but I know that I seek to understand how their body moves relying upon my spacial awareness and visual skills to determine appropriate adjustments and modifications for them.  But what makes certain poses more comfortable for their body are clearly different for me-- when I'm not pregnant.  Being pregnant has slowed me down and changed my practice to accommodate my curves in a big way. Especially this last month, and I have two more to go.  Because now I have a large belly and breasts where I didn't before.  And this changes everything.

For example, the stepping-forth transition in Sun Salutations from down dog to lunge is more like a bear crawl to get my leg forward.  And when I get the leg forth, it's off to the side of my shoulder, because even if I could get my knee around my belly, it would then be in my armpit squashing my chest. Up dog is more like a table with my head lifted.  Even child's pose in late pregnancy is more like preparation for lion pose with my hands on the floor near my knees, because I simply cannot get my head to the floor and blood pounds in my head whenever I lean over.

As a teacher, I have had to change the modelling of my poses based on what my body can do while simultaneously my guidance is geared toward the needs of the students.  A really good teacher can guide through language and rely less upon demonstration of the poses, so being pregnant has created a situation that nearly forced me to change how I teach, for the better. 

Being pregnant with this changing body of mine is narrowing my teaching schedule and the types of asanas I can do,

Why yoga can make you a better parent

     Have you ever felt disconnected from your children? Feel wrapped up in your own emotions?  Have difficulty understanding what your child’s behavior is telling you?  Whether you have a child who challenges your patience occasionally or challenges you up a wall on a regular basis, there is no doubt that parenting is hard work.  It takes a clear mind and a strong mental discipline to respond to your child in an appropriate way as they go about their business of becoming who they are. 

     Good parenting is rooted in awareness and consistent reactions to the behaviors that you want to shape. Sometimes we are simply unaware of our child because of our own emotions and mental clutter. Sometimes we are inappropriate or inconsistent in our reactions, and so we create confusion for them. Since our goal is to show love and bring out the positive qualities of our children, we must be mindful of our own behaviors and emotional reactions when we are with them.  

     Yoga, which means “to yoke” or “to unite” the body, mind, and spirit, is excellent practice for emotional and mental awareness.  Sharing the practice of yoga with an experienced teacher in a small class is a supportive system of healthfulness and mental calm that can be transferred easily into the home.  A consistent yoga practice is a training ground for diffusing and processing the negative emotional and mental clutter that prevents good parenting. It then it becomes so much easier to see when heavy emotions arise in your daily life and can determine how to best deal with them without negatively impacting yourself or your family.  

Getting better connected with yourself and your mental processes through yoga and mindfulness will result in better parenting. When your emotional and mental climate is easily observed from the inside, the results will be seen and felt from the outside.  Children, being natural absorbers of our emotional climate, will feel more secure with their boundaries when we can more easily observe our own. 

What yoga can do for your MEMORY

     Forgetting something lately but you can’t remember what it is?  This is a common symptom of overstressed, overworked brains.  Information overload from the endless distraction of computers, television, advertisements, magazines, and video games can actually make you more likely to forget simple things.

      When absorbed regularly and without limit, these types of distractions are like a mental junk food: we eat it to feel satisfied but it doesn’t do anything to truly nourish us AND it leaves us feeling tired, with a lesser mood.  Mental junk food, just like its edible counterpart, creates stress on the brain because it can’t digest it properly.  The effects of prolonged mental stress strain our lives, our relationships, our peace of mind, and our adrenal glands leaving us with mental clutter, stirring negative thoughts, and a feeling of being quite unsatisfied. 

     The keys to memory are the amount of attention we pay to doing something, the positive feelings derived from the action or the outcome, and the importance of the thing or event.  Yoga is effective for the three keys to memory since the first order of business in a yoga class is to notice the present moment by paying attention to our breathing.  Once our breath is steady and deep, we begin the physical stretches and poses, called asanas (ah-SA-nas), that bring us to how we feel in our bodies.  As we move deeper into attention to our own bodies, our minds relax and we notice more positive feelings arise with little or no commentary from our brains, just good feelings of spaciousness, lightness, and energy.  Getting used to noticing good feelings on the mat can hook us into the state of mindfulness that is needed toward things of importance in our daily lives. 

     Lastly, yoga is a form of gentle mental discipline to draw attention to one thing at a time. We can best learn and remember what we give proper attention to, what we derive positive feelings from and feel is important.  We think you are important, too. Come visit us.