A yogini living in a world full of jaded people

In a previous post I told you about my #dailygratitude tweets every night before I go to bed.  I feel like being grateful for what I do have is changing me.  I am less worried about keeping up with the rest of society, and I want to give back more.

Recently, I had a Pampered Chef party with friends and family.  Being a host, you get some free items.  There was only really one thing I went into this wanting, to make cooking a lot easier.  I found a couple items I liked, but decided to get some things for other people as well, since the holidays are coming up.  My consultant told me that for hosting a show in November, I would also get a free turkey.

At first, I thought that was pretty cool, and then I got to thinking.  I don't have what I need to bake a turkey, and it's just me and my husband.  My family and his family live here in town too, but I know his mom already has what she needs.  My mom liked the idea of me bringing the turkey, but again, I only have cookie sheets.  I don't have a roaster or anything.  So maybe I should pass it on to someone who might have a better holiday with a free turkey.  It's not a lot, but to someone who has less than I do, maybe it would mean more.

I discussed this with a few people who shall remain nameless, and I was met with a resounding "keep it."  Everyone I talked too said there are plenty of charities out there so I should keep it and feed my family.  At first I was really hurt.  "Am I not seeing the real picture here?"  Then I thought on it more and decided that I am seeing plenty clearly.  Without people like me, those charities would not exist.  I still want to do something nice.  So even if my mom is expecting me to provide the turkey (she doesn't know about me wanting to give it away) I can still get a turkey for my family, and give one to someone else.

I want to be some of the light in this dark world.  It's a tall order for many of us, but if I make someone's day better, then I am doing a good job.

So on that note, do any of you know of any local charities in Colorado Springs that could use something?  Not just for the holidays, but maybe even year round?  Maybe even national (I'm just not shipping a turkey)?  I saw that the local Panera will take donated turkeys during the 18th through the 25th at least.

Love and light,

Chess

Things I learned form class this week: 11/12/13

Another list for you to peruse.  Maybe you will find some inspiration here.

1.  Practice, practice, practice.
2.  It will get easier.  I used to not really be able to do a plank.  Now I can do it for a number of seconds.  Side plank on the the other hand needs more work.
3.  Setting the intention to let things go is a good idea for practice.  I can't control everything, and I need to let go of that which does not serve me.
4.  I still need to work my hips more, but Pigeon is pretty fabulous for that.
5.  I am stronger than I think I am.  Doing Cresent Lunge and twisting is a great mental strength builder.  I think I can, I think I can, I know I can.
6.  Boat pose is still really hard for me.  I need to keep working on my lower abs.  Wheel of Karma, here I come!
7.  I am really glad I ordered a new mat.  My current one is starting to fall apart.  That's what you get for buying a cheap one.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.  It served me well though, for how much I used it.
8.  I still need to do reclined twists more.  It hurts so good!
9.  I should really take up a little bit of meditation.  That, I think, is my next step.
10. I am still very interested in becoming a yoga instructor.

Namaste my friends,

Chess

Yoga Pants and Thighs

In a few of my previous posts I have mentioned what type of Yoga gear I tend to buy, and the fact that I have thick thighs that make some poses difficult for me.  Recently, the founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, mentioned in an interview that some women's thighs cause their product to pill.

I am of two minds on this.  I have thick thighs, and they do rub together when I walk, sit, move, etc.  I have experienced pilling in many of my pants.  My jeans wear thin there, even, and cause me to buy more sooner than I would like.  It is a natural by product, often, when fabric rubs together like that.

However, Chris Wilson really could have done a better job explaining that.  Instead of making it sound like it is our fault that we have thick legs, he could have explained it much like I did.  He could have even applauded the women who experience that for being active in his line of clothing.  But instead, he makes women like me feel inferior because we don't have a Thigh Gap.  See this related article on that.

Now a lot of women, and some men, are boycotting the brand, much like Abercrombie after the statement made about the type of clientele they want in their stores.  I never shopped at Lululemon to begin with, as their prices were expensive and I had already heard stories about larger women being shunned in their stores.  Now the company has another black mark against their name, and I am willing to continue supporting other companies when it comes to Yoga clothing.

Namaste,

Chess

Things I learned from class this week: 11/05/13

This week, instead of a list of things I learned from class, I want to present poses I have a hard time with, and the reasons.

In the beginning of class, we always start in Child's pose.  I have a hard time with doing it like it's shown in the link I provided.  I have thick legs, so getting deep into this one is not possible unless I widen my knees out so I can get my torso between my legs.  This allows me to get my rear end a lot closer to my feet than if I try it with my legs under my torso.  This is a great modification if someone has larger legs or a larger belly, and can't get into the posture well.

Another one I find difficult is Eagle.  The arms are not difficult for me after an instructor taught me to raise my arms above my breasts, and then bring them together.  However, once again my legs get in the way and I cannot come close to wrapping one leg around the other.  I end up putting one leg in front of the other, to the point where my foot on my wrapped leg could be a kickstand.

Along the same lines, I have problems with Cow Face pose.  The arms are not the problem, but I can't get my knees to line up, like shown in the link.  My legs just get in the way with this one.  I do the best I can and pull them as close as I can.

I have a hard time with any bends.  Forward fold, either standing or seated, are rather painful for me.  Wide Legged Forward Bend is even worse. My calves are very tight, so I find these poses to be excruciating.  I still work on them, because I would love to not being in pain when these are utilized so often.  I even try to do the standing forward fold whenever I am drying my hair after my shower, just to stretch those muscles.

I still cannot do Upward Facing Dog.  I don't have the arm strength yet to do that one, so I do Baby Cobra instead (that one is about half way down on the page I linked).

What poses do you have a hard time with?

Love and light,
Chess

Yoga gear- for women

*I want to place a small disclaimer here:  I am a woman, so everything I write comes from that perspective.  I do not claim to know the male perspective on anything.*

Things I learned from class this week: 10/22/13

1.  Mercury in Retrograde can be a good thing.  Especially when you use it as a focus in your practice.
2.  Having a different spot in class is weird. ( I arrived later than usual and normally prefer a spot near the wall for my glasses and in case I lose my balance).
3.  It is really hard to focus when you are next to someone who talks the whole way through.
4.  I can actually do a side plank pretty well.
5.  Flipping  the Dog or Wild Thing is actually pretty cool.
6.  I really need to do a reclined twist more often.  It feels so good.
7.  Back bends are still really good after sitting all day at a desk.
8.  I want to do yoga at work during my breaks.
9.  I shop for better food after yoga.
10. I am still excited t do the YTT.

Love and light my friends,
Chess

Sciatica

Yesterday I posted a little about the Yoga Anatomy workshop I attended yesterday.  One of the issues I currently have and was brought up during the workshop was sciatica.  Sciatica is a numbing or painful feeling down one or both legs when the sciatic nerve is irritated in some way.  It can also present as pain in the lower back or rear.  Most of the time it is when a disk in the back is forced out of alignment and then presses on one of the nerves.

In our natural state, our lumbar spine should curve slightly forward.  This gives us that sway in our back, down to our rear.  For those of us that have a desk job, it is easy for us to lose our proper posture, which not only gives us that slump, but forces our lumbar region to curve out toward the back.  Doing this forces the connective tissue around our spine to work harder, but also allows for any of the disks to slip a little.  When this happens, we end up with some malady and usually pain.

Sadly for me, it is the sciatica, so this has helped me to work on that.  One suggestion I got was to sit less.  Of course that would be lovely, but my desk is not set up to stand, so I will need to get up more often and stretch a little.  Aside from that, I should work on poses that force the lumbar spine into the natural resting position a little bit more, such as backbends including Locust and Bridge.  They are a great counter to sitting with the huge curve in my spine all day.  I can also do poses such as Tadasana or various lunges that force my body to stack properly.

I find that when it flares up, I have difficulty with any forward folds or even Downward dog, so I tend to just back up on those and not force them as much as some of the others.  I also find that twists are good as they are taking the focus off the lower back and placing them on the upper back.

Love and Light,

Chess