Yoga and Weight Loss

This is a topic that some have asked me: "Will I lose weight doing Yoga ?" The short version of my usual answer is "Not directly, but Yoga can help you get to a place physically and mentally where you are more ready for weight loss." 

Here is a great article that answers this question well: 6 Ways Yoga Supports Weight Loss

Looking Forward To...

5 things I am looking forward to:

1. Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder. I'm already doing the Five Tibetan Rites each morning, but I look forward to reading some of the details about them in this book.
2. Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep). I did do this amazing practice a couple of years ago while on retreat. But I look forward to exploring it further on my own.
3. Great Vow Monastery. I don't know when I'll get the chance but I look forward to visiting this monastery someday.
4. New authors. I read a lot of fiction. And I read fast. So I recently needed to add to my list of authors. I have several new authors on request from the library and look forward to reading their books.
5. Dinner out tonight with great friends and yummy Thai food.

The Wonder of Change

I am alternately drawn towards change and drawn towards routine. I often describe myself as someone who loves a rut, until it's time for a new rut. I think I owe part of that to a childhood and early adulthood that involved lots of moving. This is my 28th home. So while part of me craves consistency the other part is always looking to the next move.

And one thing I do know and appreciate is that change is the only constant. I am still finding my way in so many things in my life. In the same way that I encourage my students to find what is right for them, I am also doing the same for myself. I feel a little like I've found a comfy bed, but now I keep adjusting things so I can sink a little deeper into this place.

What has been shifting around for me lately?

I've made some changes to my Sadhana (spiritual practice) so that it has become something I can't imagine my day without; and today I'm going to add another phase to brighten my day even more.

I may have finally found the answer for how to sit during meditation. After writing 2 blog posts on it (one in July, one this month), things have changed yet again and I'm mostly loving where I'm at but I expect some more small shifts as I sink a little deeper into it.

And my food is undergoing a shift to more vegetable based meals and less meat ones. Or at least my heart is behind that shift...now I just need my mind and taste buds on board.

And I'm sure more changes are on the horizon, since that is part of life.

I'd also like to thank Kirsty over at Yoga Kirsty for re-posting my October 12th entry.

Technology - a fickle love affair

I don't know about you, but I have those days. When I think it would be good to go back to the days before electricity. That moment is fleeting and I come to my senses realizing I love hot running water, an electric stove and many other "conveniences" of our times.

But electricity lead to technology and suddenly we're in an age of technology everywhere.

What do I love about technology? The ability to Google anything from lyrics to a song to the heaviest organ in the human body (yes, we had a reason to Google that). My iPod loaded with my favorite songs. The ability to plan an entire vacation sitting in front of my computer. Texting and email, because I'm really not a phone person.

What would I sometimes rather do without? Facebook telling me everything that's going on with someone I barely know (yes I know, I can change my settings). The microwave, because I really question the quality of the food that comes out of it. How easy it is to waste an hour or more in front of the computer.

But for all the back and forth, I admit I am still mostly a techno-lover. What brought on this post today? I just borrowed an e-reader from the library and am about to find out how it compares to reading "real" books.

What Does Good and Bad Really Mean?

I love this post from Everything Yoga. The next time you label something "good" or "bad", see if you can figure out where that label is coming from.

How to Sit for Meditation - the Drama!

I've been regularly meditating for a couple years. And the saga is ongoing on how to sit for meditation and what I sit on. I'm not a chair meditator or a lying down meditator (although I have students in both camps), so I'm talking solely about sitting options on the floor.

To me, there are two standard options: cross-legged or Rock Pose (aka Hero Pose). Since I play with both, I'll discuss both.

I sit cross-legged during my evening meditation, when my back and hips are a bit looser. I love the feel of this one. But what to sit on? I have tried nothing, a rolled up Yoga mat, round meditation cushions, cylindrical bolsters, rectangular bolsters, folded up blankets, blocks and probably a few other things. After all of that the winner for me is: a rolled up Yoga mat. It provides the right height, it's comfortable and it allows my tailbone to draw down, which is important for my back staying comfortable. If my back gives me grief, I am close enough to a wall to slip a pillow in behind me.

I sit in Rock Pose during my morning meditation, when my back and hips are a bit tighter. Due to my back injury, this is how I learnt to meditate. What to sit on? I have tried blocks, blocks with blankets, stacked meditation cushions, meditation benches, bolsters and various other household items that seemed to be able to provide the right height. The winner for me: a meditation bench. However, since I don't own one yet, I'm currently using a foam roller (that I have from my running days) with a pillow on top.

Figuring out how to sit comfortably is an individual endeavour and there are plenty of supplies out there to make your meditation more enjoyable.

October Love List

Seems to be a week of lists. 20 things I'm loving right now:

1. Spicy food; could be that I just had a great lunch at Delicados.
2. My morning sadhana (spiritual practice): a great way to wake up leaving me a combination of energized, yet serene.
3. Ritz Thin Crisp Crackers.
4. Catching up with friends.
5. The Guru Ram Das mantra.
6. Revenge (the TV show, not the act).
7. Lumosity.
8. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching; it's taking me a while to read it, but I'm really enjoying this book.
9. My evening sadhana: a nice relaxing before bed ritual.
10. My mom doing the house cleaning again.
11. Homemade strawberry yogurt (I'm not making the yogurt, just the mixture).
12. Cool fall weather.
13. My students: always a joy and a challenge.
14. Bananas and peanut butter.
15. Getting to do some fun contract work for good money.
16. My body feels like it's getting used to the morning exercises.
17. Clearing some old stuff off of my to-do list.
18. My new Yoga Cat calendar, a gift from one of my students.
19. That I'm totally okay with having a video on the internet of me in a hot tub! If you haven't seen it, click here.
20. Figuring out how I'm going to expand my spiritual explorations.

13 Things - My Take

I came across a link to this article: 13 Things Your Yoga Teacher Won't Tell You, and wanted to give my take on their list.

1. I don't have all the answers - That should be obvious, but I certainly say it enough times in case it's not. All I can share is my training and my experience and only you can determine if something in that works for you.
2. Clean your mat - Always a good idea, but I don't tell my students to do this. I do tell them that I clean the mats in my studio between each use and clean my own mat weekly.
3. I love teaching yoga, but teaching is torture if I haven’t been able to do my own practice in awhile - Just not true for me. I always have some type of practice going on and Yoga always feels great.
4. Yoga is not a magic bullet or a pill you can take to solve your bad attitude if you’re not prepared to put in the work yourself - Okay, I probably wouldn't ever say that. It's true, but I also don't find students who feel this way are who I generally encounter.
5. Wear deodorant - I would definitely never say this. I have yet to have someone in my class that smelled bad, like BO bad. I have had a few with excess fragrance smells (from lotion or other products). And I would certainly never tell someone to wear deodorant since I don't (now one of my dirty little secrets is out).
6. I may be smiling at you when you walk in late and loudly slam your mat on the floor next to your meditating classmates but that doesn’t mean I approve - Again, these just don't seem to be the students I have. When someone comes in late, they do it quietly and apologetically. And I am just happy they made the time to come.
7. I am not doing this for the money - I definitely don't do this for the money, I do it for the opportunity to share Yoga with others. But I also make my living at it, so I'm grateful for what my students are able to offer.
8. I have poses I dread and avoid practicing and teaching - I don't know about dread. I do have my less favorite poses, usually ones that trigger tension somewhere in my body. And I probably do teach them a little less, but since they tend to be advanced poses that makes sense for my classes.
9. I hate yoga sometimes - Never, absolutely never!
10. When people have matchy-matchy yoga outfits and every single prop, designer yoga mat and accessory on the market, I question what their practice is really about - Wow, that would seem judgemental of me! Some people like the clothes, some people like the props. And if that makes them more excited about Yoga, I say "why not?" I don't think I can assess what someone's practice is really about by looking at anything external, whether it is their clothes, mat or poses.
11. It’s one thing to modify a posture if you’re having trouble with it. But don’t just ignore the teacher and freestyle your way through class - It might be a bit weird for the other students if this were happening. But generally if a student is doing a different pose than the rest, they've either discussed it with me or they let me know why at the time. And since it is their practice, they need to do what is right for them.
12. I am not a doctor - This I say all the time. I am not a doctor or a physical therapist. I am not a spiritual adviser. Just like #1, all I can share are my experiences and what has worked for me and then it's up to you to figure out where you go from there.
13. Yoga is HARD - Yes, I say it, but not too often. Yoga is hard, but that isn't necessarily what I want my students to focus on.
    

Happy Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd do a gratitude list. There are, of course, all the conventional things I'm grateful for: family, friends, cat, students, health, home, etc. But I thought I'd do a list of 5 more material things I'm grateful for:

• The PVR. I know it might be weird to be grateful for TV, but it is so nice to watch what I want, when I want.
• My Blackberry. This is definitely the best purchase I made in regards to my business. I don't have to log into the computer to stay connected.
• The library. I don't know what I'd do if I had to pay for books; probably read a whole lot less.
• Astro for making a nearly lactose-free yogurt.
• Jockey for clothes that look good and are well made.

Interview at Newsy Jacuzzi

NewsyJacuzzi.com - Nadine Schwager from Hollandaise Media on Vimeo.

Take a Deep Breath

Some breathing exercises from Everything Yoga: Fill 'er Up

Sharing my Sadhana

I'm feeling a lot of energy lately and I think that I owe a lot of that to my spiritual practice (Sadhana). So I thought I'd share what it looks like right now (it does evolve and shift along with me). I don't necessarily do all of this every day, but when I do fit it all into a day, it's a pretty great day!

Morning Sadhana:

• Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)
• Kundalini Yoga practice including Sat Kriya and Kirtan Kriya Meditation

Mid-day Sadhana:

• Buddhism or Kundalini Yoga reading
• Mantra Meditation (Guru Ram Das mantra)
• Yin Yoga
• Hatha Yoga

Before bed Sadhana:

• Oracle reading and Journaling
• Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation
• Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani) while listening to music that I feel connected to
• Nadi Shodhana

October Newsletter

The October newsletter is up: click here.