Push Through or Back Off?

This is not a blog going out to hundreds of people, so you guys get a little special-ized Calley-centric perspective on yoga / health / wellness as I've gathered bits of info and practice over the last twelve years. And welcome to the mailing list for the new-comers!This week I was reminded of the importance of practice. As in, not talking about it, not thinking about it, actually doing it: practicing. Life has been a bit of a juggling act for me lately, as I'm moving into new business with my VO / production work, keeping the day job, teaching yoga, and somewhere in there hosting a podcast (that's been a liiiiiiiiiittle bit on hiatus through this time). I have not been getting on the mat as much as I want or need in the past month +, and so last week when I re-committed to not just squeezing in yoga here and there, but really dedicating time to practice FOR myself... ay ay ay. I'm a little rusty in some poses, I'm a little sore in some places, and I got a big fat cold.

Enter the perfect scenario to talk about pushing through or backing off? For me in this time period, pushing through means giving myself T.I.M.E. on the mat. As in, dedicate the whole freaking hour, because frankly there's only so much I can get done in terms of bettering my health and practice in 15 minutes (though I am ALWAYS the champion of 15 minutes is better than no minutes. Its the tactic I always recommend for people wanting to do more yoga - 15 minutes every day will take you farther than 1 hour per week in my experience). But once I got on the mat, and re-acquainted with my beloved Astanga primary series, I was reminded that oh yeah... I don't have the same stamina right now. Time to back off. Take some extra breaths. Sit in the pose a little longer, till I can really feel my body shift and move INTO the pose. If you don't know what I mean, go sit in child's pose or down dog or even stand on your floor in tadasana (aka mountain pose, aka standing with the attempt to have equal weight and balance in the left / right and front / back body) for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES. I mean it. Put a timer on. You will then understand that "pushing through" or "backing off" is a moment - by - moment adjustment, and only you can actually DO either of those things. A teacher can recommend, but at the end of the day, we're all our own keepers.Hope to see you tomorrow (or this) morning!

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)

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Don't Be A Barnacle

Before I tell you WHY you shouldn't be a barnacle, know that you're getting a double post this week, as I finish this cycle of talking about chakras, and how they can help guide your practice.

First a cheater - this was last weeks:

Chakra #6 of 7

I'm leaving you with simple words on this Saturday - the first of the new year.

Health is not hype. 
Its not something you can read in a magazine, or buy in the right pair of exercise pants, or get on an app. Health is a practice, its the way we see ourselves, the choices we make every day (or week... some days you just gotta get the Ben and Jerry's pint and eat the whole damn thing). Its the pits we fall into and then how we choose to either be thrown by them, or find a way - maybe a new way - to get out of them.

Your health is only yours to own and to practice. And with the freshness of the new year, this can be a great time to make an effort in that direction, whatever that means for you. This is what yoga has given me time and time again. Yoga is the the thing I can count on no matter what to treat me well, give me space, and help me find the light.

Change in unavoidable, but choosing to evolve with the change is easy to avoid. And that's why we have community, trial and error, and ultimately, ourselves.

Tomorrow we welcome the new year with a brief description of Ajna - the 6th Chakra which helps us observe the inner and the outer as a witness, an observer. It is a great place to start the new year and attempt something new without beating ourselves up for what we have done, or not done, before.

And now  Chakra #7 of 7

We're at the top, folks! The crown of the head, the point in the body where we no longer exist only physically, but where we start to understand a sense of greater connection - that we really are all a part of something larger than ourselves. I don't mean to get all Avatar on you guys (though I will completely admit to being a cheeseball about how much I LOVE this movie), but truly the challenge in accepting that we are a part of a larger unit is attachment. 

And enter the CROWN CHAKRA - SAHASRARA. This is the place where thought ceases, and is taken over by the sensations of peace, bliss, serenity, joy, and a feeling of the deeper meaning of life. The challenge of realizing these sensations is that they are just that - sensations. You can think about it, you can't muscle your way into it with logic - it is a letting go of our logical need to put it in a box, to control. You have to allow the thoughts to go, and the feelings to take over, and this is not an easy task. 

Do you see why I say don't be a barnacle? Not to sound like such a stereotype, but you gotta just let go...man.  Tee hee. This is why we breathe. It's why we practice being in our bodies and get out of our minds. There is value in unplugging, allowing the brain time to rest and not be in a state of work, and damnit if this isn't a huge tool towards greater happiness, and health. Which is kiiiiiiiiind of the point. We're all working on this together, one big happy (amongst other emotions) humanity. 

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)