Perception and Breath Facilitation

If you have ever taken a yoga class, you will notice that breath is a big part of it. Whether it is Bikram, Ashtanga, Forrest, Anusara, postures are facilitated by breath. There are a lot of different types of yogic breath: kapalbhati, ujjayi, pranayama, and so forth. The amazing part about yogic breath is that it always has a purpose and an intention... if we are flowing vinyasa style, we follow the pattern of one breath one movement, if we are in a Bikram class, we use our ujjayi breathing to build internal heat. The power of breath can completely change your yoga practice. I have a daily practice, something I committed to long ago, and will be the first to say that sometimes I really do not want to be in class. We as people have a lot going on all the time, between our thoughts, our schedules, making time for people, making time for ourselves, you name it... everybody is busy. Some days I cannot help but think about what I have to do next in the day, or a fight I got into with a friend, or sometimes I am just straight up hungry. Regardless of what is going on, be it distractions on my mat (teacher's music being terrible) or general life crap, I know that the only thing I have to do to be more present and effective in that moment is to shift my perspective. That's where breath work comes in. The concept of shifting your perspective takes will power and a severe conscious effort. There are times when I walk into class, I put my mat down, I get into child's pose, where I usually begin, I start breathing, and then the instructor walks in to teach. My assumption in that moment is that I am going to get what I need from the class in order to go forth with my day and essentially solve all my issues. Not always the case. Sometimes the first song on the playlist is something I really can't stand and judgement sets in REAL fast.
"Seriously? This gal likes this crap? Ugh... Ok, Clare, it's not about the music, you are here for a reason." Focus, intention, and breath are powerful tools to use when trying to come into a space of non judgment. The real challenge is staying in this mindset for 60 minutes... it ain't easy.

In Baptiste's book he has a great way of explaining breath. Aside from this breath "releasing your body's potential" he explains breath as raw energy, that "with every inhalation you literally bring new life into your body, with every exhalation you clean house." I understand that these analogies can be VERY cheesy and literal. I get it. However, when you start actually believing that breath can change things, it works.

My part time job is a glorified cubicle job. I answer phone calls. That's it. But you gotta do what you gotta do right? Rent doesn't pay for itself. As irritating as this job can be, I have not only chosen to take this job at my own will, but it is the best way for me to practice breath work. Whether it's some pissed off customer from California or my uptight supervisor, the best way to learn how to not take shit personally is to take a deep breath! It's so much more than just being a bigger person.... it's not really about that, because that really just comes back to ego. I think about it more as choosing your battles. Because at the end of the day we have a choice whether we want to react or not, like I have talked about before. So when I have a coworker snapping at me for something I view as minimal, I can choose to bitch and complain about her attitude, or I can choose to take a deep breath and not make it my own. I'm not saying it isn't fun to powwow about people's crappy attitudes, because it is, but it really doesn't serve anybody, and as fun as it may be, it starts to affect you the moment you decide to prolong the situation.

Bit by bit the moments we choose to deal with things differently, are the moments when personal growth start to actually move.

Speaking Your Truth: Satya

I went through my first 200-hour yoga training almost two years and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Throughout the training we have many lectures we have to attend to understand different elements of what it takes to be a yoga teacher. One of my favorite lectures was on the 8 limb yogic path. The 8 limb yogic path forms the structural framework for the yoga practice. Yama (universal mortality) is the first part of the path. The assignment for this lecture was to pick one yama or niyama (personal observances) and focus on it for the endurance of teacher training. I chose Satya, speaking your truth. Two years later of talking about speaking your truth I do not fully understand what that means... speaking your truth does not just mean being honest. Sure that is part of it, but it's more so about being authentic with yourself and having your own wisdom. Baptiste shows us that you are your own teacher, that yoga is a path shared by many and that while on this path you must create your own and know what is right for you. "Yoga is about discovering your essential and authentic self, not someone else's."

I think that as humans our ego gets in the way of being able to speak our truth. Traditionally, there were not postures, or asanas, in yoga. It was all praise and meditation. It wasn't until we realized that to move energy you must move your body, that postures were created. The combination of westernizing this practice and being raised under social constructions of pride and ego, it can be challenging to stay focused on the mat without comparing yourself to your neighbor. I by no means think I am a better person because I can concentrate on my own practice and not care if the person next to me is doing something more challenging. This is not hard for me. But then again there is a huge difference between the physical and emotional practice. I have the ability to stay within the realm of what is good for me and know what my body needs and doesn't need in the day. The harder part is taking that strong and powerful feeling off the mat. How is it possible that I can stay authentic with myself and my needs while practicing yoga but when faced with conflict it is harder?

Recently I have been faced with a situation that is challenging me to be authentic, and I am telling you... holy crap, not easy. In this particular case, being authentic means being able to articulate with words what I need for myself and from this person. Standing your ground not from a place of ego but from compassion and self respect. I think there is a lot fear behind being truthful to yourself and to others. Who are we going to hurt, what risk do we take in being truthful? How do you come to a place of acceptance with your words and intentions? Yoga can definitely help to express thoughts and intentions, however it is by no means the answer. By creating awareness around the things you need to do for yourself and then acting on them is the only way to achieve anything. Otherwise you are left in a place of questioning and dissatisfaction. I honestly believe if you have the strength to practice all of this on your mat, it's possible to bring it out into some real conflict. It comes down to a matter a self discipline, a life long path.

If you haven't picked it up yet, start reading Baron Baptiste Journey Into Power, because like I say, everybody needs a little help with articulation sometimes...

Journey Into Power

Book number 1: Journey Into Power: How to Sculpt Your Ideal Body, Free Your True Self, and Transform Your Life with Yoga written by Baron Baptiste. I'm not gonna lie, I judge books by their covers, which is maybe why I have a hard time reading them. I almost never read current novels. My mom was a book editor in New York City for a long time and so I typically go off of her suggestions... which are always the classics. Classics are hard to disagree with, they are amazing, and if you didn't like it, you at least read the whole thing and have something to say about it. When I bought Journey Into Power, I wasn't that excited to read it. It's hard cover, looks like a textbook, and has a dude in Crow Pose on the cover looking way too serious. Also the title... I'll keep my opinion to myself. This book was recommended to me by another yogi, and I figured "why not, i'll see what it's all about." The truth about this book? It's good. Aside from being direct, it's easy to read... literally, anybody could read this book, but I suppose that's why I like it. It's pretty preachy, but Baptiste knows what he is talking about, and he is clearly a very inspired person and best of all, he gets it. Whatever path you are taking to resolve your struggles and get on a better path, there is something for everybody in this book.

In the first chapter of this book he has a section titled "The Power of Yoga to Rewire Our Minds." Yoga teaches us to be fearless, to not dwell on those things that are preventing us from moving forward, to soften our reaction time, so many things that we are capable of on our mats, but once we are faced with the reality of every day life, all of a sudden our yoga goes out the door. There is a lot of bullshit every day that we can choose to be a part of or not. I believe the universe is constantly challenging us. Today for example, I met up with a friend who ran into somebody who I recently had a falling out with and the very talk of this person made me angry. It's amazing, we have people in our lives that bring out the worst in us, we think awful things, but we have the choice to react a certain way.  We are constantly being given the opportunity to choose. We do not always choose wisely, but it is there. Somebody doesn't "like" your Facebook status, and the first thought is, "what the hell is their problem?" Honestly, does it matter? The choice is there as to what kind of energy you give it.

Baptiste says, "This yoga is the ultimate laboratory for awakening. Your yoga mat is a place to invite in stress and meet it head-on, to rewire your mind on a daily basis. All the ingredients you need are there: the challenges, the resistance, the doubts, the frustrations, the fears, the possibilities. You challenge yourself on a physical level, and the mental resistances rush right up to the surface. At those moments, you have a choice: You can either break down or break through."

Gotta love the power of positive thinking...

It's Not Just Another Yoga Blog...

Welcome to Mat Vernacular! I don't really know where to start here. I suppose I should tell you why I have started this blog...

Let's just say the idea came to me when I deactivated my Facebook page a whole 3 days ago. Yes, after seven years I have decided to leave the world of social networking (although not entirely...my Pinterest page will stay alive). The decision came to me when I sat down to look at my life and do some "housecleaning" if you will. I asked myself "how can I be more productive with my life?" Not "how can I make myself busier..." That is definitely not the goal here. I am plenty busy. Here's what I do. Career wise, I teach yoga at a studio in Denver called Core Power Yoga, some of you may know this establishment, and I also am a Thai Massage therapist. While I am not working to make money I am focusing on my own yoga practice, rock climbing (my passion), cooking, and spending time with great friends. I have a very fulfilling life... which is why I am writing a blog, right? Not so much.

I don't find it satisfying to write about all the great things in my life and prove to the world that I'm awesome. Although that can be fun, I am more interested in life's struggles... what makes a person real and tangible. I have been teaching yoga for a year and a half, not long at all, and practicing for eight. I am now at the point in my teaching when its really time to bring the yoga off the mat. I'm not quite sure what that means but I have an inkling.

If you are anything like me, articulating myself when I am super "feelingsy" is not easy. So I have become a recent book reader. Crazy, huh? I love novels and nonfiction, however they are not relatable to my life and my personal growth. I have started building my "Yoga Library." This collection includes books by authors who are renowned in the yoga world and people who write about yoga. That's what this blog is about. Everybody needs a little push to become a better person and to improve the quality of their life. Just as yoga is not the answer to all of our problems, reading books by Baptiste and Forrest are also not answers to mine. They are however, tools to solve the question, "What is the real yoga?"