Cultivating Heaven in 2011

Hiking Beaver Ridge in Knoxville, TN


This last week of the old year has been a revisiting of the old, while developing a greater appreciation for the new yoga-fied lifestyle we've cultivated in the last couple of years. We've been visiting family and old friends in Tennessee, having a holiday Southern style, consisting of food, food, & some more food! We've had a grand 'ole time and send out loads of gratitude to everyone who's showered us with Southern hospitality. Yet, we've also become pretty homesick for our home base in Maui. We're definitely ready to shed the sweaters & get back to our yoga-fied lifestyle of sun, sand, ocean, gardening, and yoga-ing!

In the meantime, we've got just a couple of days left to live it up in Tennessee. We've had a lot of fun sharing some yoga tips with my family, curious to know more about yoga & how they can use it in everyday life. We've worked with my mother on rehabbing her broken wrist, my dad and uncle on back strengthening and poses for digestion, and my grandmother on poses for general health maintenance. I'll explain more about that in the next post. I've been pleasantly surprised at the interest expressed in yoga around here, as this was the birthplace of my yoga path. It's nice to see the seeds of yoga developing here!



108 beans for 108 salutations

 On this eve of 2011, we also kept alive our tradition of moving through 108 sun salutations to welcome the New Year. If you ask enough people, you'll hear 108 different answers about the significance of 108 sun salutations, ranging from Buddhist and Hindu traditions to numerology to astrology. For me, I like to honor the traditions of yoga that my teachers have taught me. It's also a great way to share in the sangha of modern yogis, with celebratory sessions of 108 salutations being widespread. I think the most intriguing symbolic meaning I've heard recently came from an article by Cora Wen:


For your 2011!



1=God or Highest Truth

0=Emptiness or wholeness 

8=Infinity.

To keep track of our sun salutations, we use 108 beans moved from one bowl to another with each completed cycle. As we practiced our salutations, I just happened to be lined up directly in front of a placard on the wall that simply said: Love, Prosperity, Happiness, Good Luck, Longevity. These were beautiful aspects upon which to meditate during our practice. They are principles I intend to cultivate for our heaven in 2011, & we wish a bounty of them for all of you as well.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou & Namaste!

Anahatasana in San Francisco

With nearly as much driving time as hours to spend in the city, we made it San Francisco! Fortunately, we were able to squeeze in a yoga class, too. Bend Yoga, the studio I used to call home when I lived in the City by the Bay, offers a candlight restorative class with massage on Sunday evenings. We thoroughly enjoyed the class, and only wished that it had been 4 or 5 hours longer!

With a grand total of 26 hours in the car roundtrip and a bit of dis-ease to top it off, we also learned quite a lot about car yoga. Perhaps the most fundamental element in the car is the seat. The fine details of a properly aligned seat are as important to a comfortable road trip as strong and balanced feet are to tadasana. This fine-tuned seat requires careful attention that the weight of the body rests directly on the sit bones, distributed evenly from right to left and front to back. Sit tall, finding as much extension through the spine as possible. This stable foundation facilitates extended periods of wakeful meditation and pranayama like ujjayi, kapalabhati, agni sara, and nadi shodhana. It also provides a solid base for marma point exercises that keep the body flexible and energy flowing. Simple exercises involve circling the neck around the spine, and taking gentle circles through the shoulders, wrists, and ankles.

Furthermore, it's important to remember to take rest breaks at regular intervals, and use that opportunity to stretch out those cramped muscles. Use the structures around for support and props, like Scott did for padangusthasana, at left. The bottom line is, whatever the travel situation we find ourselves in, creativity is the driving force behind integrating yoga class, practice, and life.

Next stop for the ICYoga train is Knoxville, TN. The pace of our travels will slow down to a more manageable beast for the next 10 days, so we hope to cultivate even more Yoga on the Go while there. If you have ideas for hot yoga spots in Tennessee, send them to us. We'd love to keep spreading the love!

NAMASTE!

Branching Out

A few days ago, the Yoga-fy tip of the day was, "branch out." That is just what we're doing with Yoga on the Go. This week we were in Encinitas, CA, which is something of a yoga mecca on the West Coast. While there, we were fortunate enough to squeeze in some visits to local yoga sites between meals with family and friends.

First, we paid a visit to the meditation gardens at Paramahansa Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship. The gardens are an immaculately peaceful oasis in the middle of bustling civilization. The SRF definitely has a large presence in town.

Later, we took a class with Lauren from Yoga Swamis, and learned a bit about how the community is handling the recent disappearance of the famous Yoga Yurt. Everyone seems to sorely miss the Yurt, and other studios are generously offering up their space for the teachers to continue their donation classes and community service. Lauren taught a fantastic class with fun mood lighting and original sequencing in a style that clearly came from her heart. Thanks, Lauren!

After that, we took a hot class at Yoga Tropics. The Bikram style class was new for me, and I really enjoyed it. This also led to the Yoga-fy tip about branching out. We can tend to cling to a certain style of yoga that resonates with us. This is, of course the best way to take our studies to a deeper,  more focused place. Yet, we shouldn't forget that yoga has as many different facets as there are different people. It's said that the sage Patanjali had a crown of a thousand cobra heads that could teach as many people their individual yoga at once. In a similar way, modern yoga's plethora of styles offer something for everyone. It's imperative also to remember that we can each learn something from every style. Remaining open to diversity expands our knowledge and consciousness, both on the mat and off.

Now, we're on the road to San Francisco for about a day, so I'm wishing and hoping to fit in at least one class there. It's going to be an action-packed day, though, so keep your fingers crossed.

NAMASTE!

Yoga Goes on Vacation!

We've officially taken our yoga on vacation, and it feels good! It's been over a year since we last traveled, so our savvy traveler skills were a bit rusty. As such, we were fortunate enough to encounter some gentle challenges right away. I believe the yoga-fy tip of the day was, "Let go of expectations." Did that ever come in handy!

The challenges:
1. flight delayed 5 hours
2. forgetting to bring a credit card "safety blanket"
3. the emergence of manic energy
4. unhappy young children on a 5 hour+ flight

The yoga-fied solutions (in order):
1. easy procurement of an alternate flight which was shorter, nonstop, and arrived right on time
2. letting the credit card go, trusting that we've responsibly arranged our available finances and recognizing that we don't want to accumulate debt anyways
3. sliding into meditative mind and breath at every conscious moment
4. maintaining a meditative mind and breath at every conscious moment

We practiced postures wherever and whenever we could, from the gate, to the plane, to baggage claim. Scott felt more inclined to take active asanas like parsvottanasana (at right) or seated postures like simhasana and sukhasana on the plane, while I felt I needed more grounding, so practiced sitting meditation and pranayamas like nadi shodhana.



Garudasana arms

 The most helpful technique I found was putting on relaxing music and sinking into meditation. Jack Kornfield speaks of "taking the one seat in the center of life." I found this meditation to be the most grounding and calming practice of them all. Taking the one seat on an airplane full of people chatting, laughing, yelling, and crying felt like catching a glimpse of God hearing the reverberating sounds of planet Earth. Try it sometime. Check out an excerpt of this meditation here: http://tinyurl.com/39woc83
With all of this, we arrived safe and sound and feeling wonderfully rested. Thank you yoga!

Stay tuned for the next installment: Yoga on the Go tours Encinitas, CA! Have suggestions for studios we should visit in Encinitas? Let us know!

Namaste!



Yoga on the Go

Photo by bagaball, from Flickr Creative Commons

As I prepare for several long journeys by plane this holiday season, I know I am not alone. Not even close. Though I have always been fond of traveling, I am also not alone in dreading the exhausted, drained, and dirty feeling I have post-air travel. Except, this time I have hope. Hope comes in the form of Yoga on the Go. The last time I flew, I tried every which way to incorporate breathing exercises, postures, and simple yogic attitude adjustments into every moment of the journey. The results were palpable, if not down right dramatic. I had none of the usual stiffness in the neck, back, and legs. Usually that stiffness leads to a headache, which I also had the pleasure of skipping. Oftentimes, I would experience a bit of a post-flight cold or some other immune system malfunction, but this time I stayed healthy as can be. I would even say I almost felt rested after my trek through airports and the air.

So I'm preparing to run another, more official Yoga on the Go experiment through 6 airports, 6 planes, and 22 hours of flight time on our travels to visit loved ones around the country. I'll be documenting poses, breath work, sequences, and meditations I find practical and helpful along the way. I will keep you posted on this 3 week-long study with real-time updates via twitter and posts here on the blog all the way through our journey into the new year.

As we yoga-fy our travel time, we'd love to hear your suggestions, too! Tell us how you yoga-fy a journey by air, and we'll include your ideas in our official Yoga on the Go study.

Web, meet Infinity Crossing.

Thaaaaat's right, we finally have lift off! Today, December 1, 2010, we launch Infinity Crossing on the web through our official website:

www.infinitycrossing.com

There you can find out more about us, our philosophy, our teaching, and our practice. You can also purchase classes or private lessons through our online store, a feature that will be growing tremendously in the months to come. Keep an eye out for our exclusive line of merchandise, to be unveiled very soon!

Of course, no web launch would be complete without its trusty sidekicks: Facebook and twitter! Yes, now you can follow our twitter and Facebook activity through links here on the blog and on www.infinitycrossing.com.

Phew! I hope this is enough yoga to tide you over for now.

Once you've seen the sites, let us know what you think! We welcome feedback and love questions, so let us have it! Thank you for choosing to walk this path with us. We look forward to sharing the journey of yoga with you. Namaste.

www.infinitycrossing.com

infinitycrossing.blogspot.com

twitter: @InfinityXing

Facebook: Infinity Crossing

Conscious Relaxation in the Spirit of Gratitude

Sthira sukham asanam (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, 2.46). This sutra reminds us that our poses should represent a receptive strength, demonstrating effort without tension and relaxation without dullness. That last part has become very important for me lately: relaxation without dullness. I'm including more and more restorative yoga and meditation in my practice, the aim of which is conscious relaxation and mindfulness. Our culture tends to define relaxation as checking out, turning off, or tuning out. As much fun as that can be, where does it really get us? If I sit in front of the television for a couple of hours, I always feel more tired than when I first sat down. In many ways, simply checking out is not relaxing at all. Rather, it constitutes ignoring the stresses that reside in our bodies and minds, allowing them to linger and fester. If I'm honest with myself, I'm most successful at deep relaxation when I give it conscious attention. To me, relaxation means letting go of tensions and worries to soften myself as completely as possible. So how do I do this, how do I practice letting go?

I just finished a week-long hip openers workshop with one of my teachers, Eddie Modestini, at Maya Yoga Studio here on Maui. As we focused on hip opening, a crucial lesson for us to examine was that of letting go. In order to open we must learn to let go of areas of stored tension, stress, tightness, injury, or even emotions. We must learn to peel back the layers we've built up over years of unconscious activity. I've begun to approach this by studying a conscious state of relaxation and mindfulness. Cultivating meditation and restorative yoga as integral parts of my practice has helped tremendously. These practices teach me to sit in stillness, remaining wide awake. I focus attention on my breath, as it moves through me, expanding and softening the fibers of my being. Conscious relaxation is meditation in action.

As the holidays approach, and everyone begins talking of gratitude, I've begun to wonder what role gratitude plays in letting go. Usually, when we think of what we're grateful for, it is for things we possess. We think of being grateful for what we have. Yet, as I explore consciously letting go, I've seen that if I approach tensions with an attitude of gratitude, they melt away. To stresses, injuries, challenging relationships, or pain I present gratitude for the lessons they teach me and the role they play in shaping my path. It is then that I can let go of them. If I instead approach those things I want to let go with anger or displeasure, they have a tendency to root themselves more firmly in my being. Cultivating an honest feeling of gratitude for our stresses can be incredibly difficult, I know. But I have found that regular practice in conscious relaxation is a key that opens that door. Start small: try a restorative yoga class, sit quietly for 10 minutes in the morning or before sleep, pause at random intervals in your day for a few smooth deep breaths. As we move into a time of year that is often a paradox of stress and worry amid celebrations of gratitude and giving, consider giving yourself the ultimate gift of letting go.

What's all this talk about kombucha?

Scoby mother and baby at 14 days fermentation

My household is currently in the midst of a home-brewed kombucha craze. Kombucha, which has Russian, Chinese, and Japanese origins, is a tea fermented with a kombucha culture that looks like a mushroom, though it's not actually a mushroom that produces this effervescent, vinegar-ish drink. It's a slimy conglomeration of bacteria and yeast that merely resembles a mushroom. A more fun term for this mass is "scoby," or a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.

Why Drink Kombucha?

Aside from its exhilarating tingly taste, kombucha is purported to proffer many health benefits. A quick internet search will turn up a list of benefits that any snake-oil salesman would drool over. I've seen articles claiming that kombucha will do everything from regrow hair to reduce wrinkles to prevent cancer. Very minimal scientific study has been devoted to kombucha and its effects on the human body, so we have few definitive facts about kombucha's help/harm ratio.

We do know that some of the same live cultures in the kombucha scoby are the same as those present in many commercially available yogurts. A large body of evidence exists showing that such live cultures help maintain a healthy intestinal tract and even lower the incidence of yeast infections in women. It has been shown that Kombucha contains a decent dose of B vitamins. There are also studies suggesting kombucha demonstrates some anti-microbial benefits.

Personally, I drink about 4 oz. in the morning well before I consume anything else, and seem to have some benefits from this. I notice a nice little spike in energy and mental clarity. I've also observed that my usual "digestive irregularities" mellow out when I'm drinking my morning kombucha. What's more, I haven't been sick in a while. Maybe it's the yoga, maybe my diet, maybe my lifestyle, or maybe the kombucha. And yes, I'm very well aware of the placebo effect, too! Bottom line is, I really enjoy drinking a little shot of kombucha in the morning, and if I happen to reap some health benefits from it, too, then all the better!

Potential Risks...

Many of kombucha's fans drink the elixir at their own risk, given that a myriad of concerns over potential hazards have arisen as kombucha's popularity skyrockets. First, kombucha is a fermented drink, meaning it will contain trace amounts of alcohol. When people brew at home, there is obviously a lot of room for variance in actual alcohol content. Most commercially available kombucha products register 0.5% alcohol, or about the same as a non-alcoholic beer.

Kombucha is a sweet tea, because any fermentation process requires sugar. As such, diabetics may want to watch out for potential blood sugar spikes from kombucha.


Generally speaking, good kitchen cleanliness will be fine for most kombucha home brews. Some brewers have developed a more sophisticated process to closely monitor pH levels and check for potential pathogens. Some even recommend thorough sterilization of your utensils. My experience has been fine with good old-fashioned cleanliness. The primary concern here seems to be the introduction of mold to the culture. I abide by the old adage, "when in doubt, throw it out." If you find what seems like mold on your scoby, toss it out and start fresh.


Some people have reported feeling ill after drinking kombucha, while many more feel great after consuming it. Please use common sense, and if you choose to brew your own kombucha, do your homework first. Read through some of the seemingly endless information available online, and decide for yourself if it's something you'd really like to try.  If you do try it, take small doses first to guard against any potential negative reactions.

Ok, I've Done My Homework, and I Want To Make Kombucha! What Do I Do?

Well, it's helpful to have a scoby and a cup of starter tea from a friend! You see, with every batch of kombucha brewed, a new scoby grows on top of the mother scoby. So once I started brewing, I was quickly overrun with scobies! I was fortunate enough to have a friend start me off, but what if you don't know anyone who brews kombucha? 

There are some resources online for purchasing a starter kit, and the brewing sites I've listed below contain some of those retailers. Check your local area for stores that sell kombucha, and contact them to inquire about their sources. They may have a local brewer with more than a few scobies to share. 

Of course, scobies have to come from somewhere and some renegades out there have published instructions for how to make your own kombucha mushroom. I always love steps to greater self-sufficiency:

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-your-own-Kombucha-mother/

Once you have a kombucha mother and some starter liquid, you can begin brewing! Check "The Food" section of this blog for the instructions that give me a great batch of kombucha every time. 

There are also tons and tons of kombucha brewing recipes available online. Some I like are here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Kombucha-Brewing-Instructions/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Big-Batch-of-Kombucha/

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/kombucha

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/how-to/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-083972

A final note on the home brew craze

I garden, yoga, and brew my own kombucha. All of these practices are firmly rooted in self-sufficiency. That's one of the greatest appeals of these practices for me. Anything that gives me a greater say in seemingly unpredictable outcomes makes me feel more empowered and in control of my destiny. Even something as small as brewing kombucha contributes to this. I suppose that's why we're seeing a resurgence of do-it-yourself activities like this one. After all, it's fun to make your own "stuff," and I'm always surprised at just how much I learn along the way. 

Happy Brewing!

Yoga Gave Me a Better Butt

That's right, yoga gave me a better butt. I say this not merely in reference to my much stronger physique from yoga, though that is a lovely perk. Rather, I'm referring to the trade I made with yoga, that turned out to be one of the best deals of my life. I offered up the butts of my smoking habit to yoga and not only did it happily accept my offering, but also gave me, among many other wonderful things, that better butt in return. I've spoken briefly of my success with smoking cessation through yoga, but I feel compelled to write about it in more detail at the moment. Perhaps I can share something that will be useful to my fellow smoking cessation warriors out there.

First and most importantly: Never underestimate the power of intention! If you've been to any yoga classes, you've probably heard more than a few times an instructor suggest that you "set an intention for your practice." This can be anything from focusing your attention on a particular breakthrough you'd like to have on your mat, to opening yourself up for greater insight into something off your mat. I like to practice this every time I come to my mat. I can't count the number of times I've reached deeper into a pose or had an "Aha!" moment that was directly related to an intention I set for my practice. The power of an intentionally focused mind and will is one of the strongest forces on Earth.

I approached my Yogic Renaissance with the express intention of quitting smoking and living a healthy lifestyle. The gritty details: I was a half-pack a day smoker for 6 years, had already tried to quit once, and relapsed in 1 year. That year was beset with cravings, weight gain, and general malaise. I had gone "cold turkey" and that applied to my recovery as well. I did nothing to replace the void left by smoking except eat more and give myself plenty of pep talks. That year did teach me a lot, though. I learned that, for me, the psychological addiction to cigarettes was far, far more intense than the physical addiction. I used cigarettes as a crutch to help me cope with every little stress in life, as well as every little insecurity. Taking them away was like ripping a baby's blanket from her hands and leaving her laying there cold, exposed, and downright unhappy. And let's face it, I enjoyed smoking. I even relished it. I wouldn't have been smoking if I didn't find pleasure in it. So the challenge was to find something I enjoyed more than I enjoyed smoking, and for that something be mutually exclusive to the dirty little habit, so that I could effectively push it out of my life.

Enter Yoga! It didn't happen overnight. In fact, it took nearly a year of yoga every single day to completely kill the smoking demon. Yes, I felt ashamed smoking in between yoga practices. Yes, I was paranoid that other people in classes could smell cigarettes on my clothes or hair. Yes, I dreaded that someone from class or even a teacher might catch me on the street mid-puff and I'd be mortified. Yes, I felt like a hypocrite for a while. I even felt unworthy of calling myself a yogi as long as I was smoking. But I loved yoga so much. I loved the way it made me feel physically and mentally, I loved the deeper breaths I could take, I loved the noticeably lower stress levels, I loved the bliss I felt after practice, I loved the community, I loved the ideas and philosophy of it, I loved the feeling of being at home wherever I may be. I LOVE YOGA! The more I found to love, the more I threw myself into it, and the less I wanted to smoke. Surprise!

The real turning point for me, I think, was the day that I decided to confront all those feelings of shame and paranoia about being a "smoking yogi." In a beginner's class that I had begun to regularly attend, the teacher asked us each to give a reason why we were practicing yoga. When my turn came, I said, "I'm practicing yoga to quit smoking." There was a pause. "Ugh, they must think I'm terrible, gross, full of you know what," I thought. And then came the story that somebody else used to smoke, too and yoga helped so much, and how great it was to be quitting, and encouragement upon encouragement. Gone were the feelings of dread and mortification. I now truly felt like a woman on a mission. I had to state my intention out loud for everyone to hear, in order to hear it myself and fulfill it. I am now smoke-free for 1 1/2 years. I never have cravings, not even for a second. I didn't put on any weight, and I'm in the best shape of my life. And it's all because of yoga.

Photo by María Barros Cabalar

Of course, this is my experience, and anyone else's will be different. I feel that sharing my story adds to the wealth of information revealing that the seemingly impossible is actually possible. We've heard the celebrity stories of smoking cessation through yoga, from Christy Turlington to Jennifer Aniston. The modern medical establishment is even beginning to conduct studies on the effectiveness of yoga as part of a smoking cessation program that focuses on wellness training. Some of those studies are described here:
Yoga for Women Attempting Smoking Cessation
Yoga as a Complementary Treatment for Smoking Cessation
Yoga for Smoking Cessation Feasibility Study
Testing a Social Cognitive Theory Based Behavioral Intervention of Yoga for Smoking Cessation
Preventing Postpartum Relapse to Smoking Using Yoga and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

If you're a smoking yogi like I was, or are looking to utilize yoga to replace smoking in your life, congratulations! You're taking courageous steps on a path to better health and a better quality of life for yourself. It is one of the most important things you will do in your life. As you walk this path, these are some critical points to remember:

Love Yourself

Practice Your Yoga Every Single Day, No Exceptions
Imagine Yourself a Non-Smoker
Surround Yourself With Supportive People
Don't Give Up, Ever.... Even if You "Fail," Keep Trying
Never Underestimate the Power of Intention

And now, to lighten things up a bit, here's 

Jai Ambe Dave Stringer & the Smoking Yogis. 

Enjoy!

Book Review: Walking Through Illusion

I always seem to find that things, ideas, people, and events arrive right on time, serving their purpose to deepen insight, learn something, or teach something. This book's arrival in my mailbox turned out to be no exception. Walking Through Illusion, by Betsy Otter Thompson, is a recounting of the author's own experience with soul-searching told through the allegory of a conversation with the biblical Jesus about his life experiences and those of the people around him. While some research had been done into biblical accounts of the people's lives we read about in this book, the author emphasizes that it is rather, "an emotional accounting of what might have been," and that, "the true research for this book was done in my heart (pp 232, 233)." Seeing the structure of the book as an allegory for the author's own emotional journey, then, more clearly reveals the nuggets of wisdom within, rather than getting caught up in historical or theological implications.

As for everything arriving on time, I immediately and gratefully recognized timely reminders of principles I need to keep in the forefront of my actions and thoughts. One of the foundations of the message in this book is that we are each capable of and responsible for manifesting our own reality and the lessons we need to learn to remind us of our beautiful and enduring essence. According to the author, "Nothing changed overnight, but overnight I knew that change was possible. I also knew that I was the one to enact it (p 42)." She goes on to emphasize that we can direct our efforts of manifestation through the basic principle of the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. She explains it neatly as a law of physics: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So, in order to manifest positive and nurturing experiences in life, we must put forth actions, thoughts, and emotions that we would want reflected right back to us. The author also represents this principle through the analogy of the mirror: "for every emotional action taken, an emotional mirror returned (p 2)." These are all empowering reminders of the consciousness I strive to cultivate in my thoughts, feelings, and actions. They are seemingly simplistic and basic, these ideas of manifesting the reality we desire by acting according to the golden rule and a fundamental law of physics. Yet, it is surprisingly difficult to maintain awareness of them and act accordingly at all moments of our lives. This seems to me to be one of the principle reasons for living life: to explore these principles and all their repercussions in order to fully understand ourselves and that of which we are made.

Such are the messages Ms. Otter Thompson's book had for me. There are numerous more life lessons she has explored and shares through a variety of stories. That seems to be a particular strength of the book, for each allegory has the opportunity to convey a useful concept where another story may not resonate. All things considered, it is a bravely open account of the author's emotional journey to empowerment and peace. It's nuggets of wisdom are universal, and I'm sure any reader will find timely reminders for his or her journey as well.

Find out more about this book and the author:

http://www.betsythompson.com

http://www.betsyotterthompson.blogspot.com

Home Practice: Yes, It's Important!

In fact, it's down-right necessary! If you've read my profile, you know that I started practicing yoga when I was 16, going to classes with my mother. When I went to college, though, my practice tapered off into near nothingness. It wasn't until I was 25 that yoga reemerged in my life. Scott, my partner, challenged me to 90 consecutive days of yoga, betting that it would relieve many of the nagging little health problems I was experiencing, including those related to my scoliosis, and even help me quit smoking. I accepted the challenge and haven't missed a day of yoga practice since. The benefits to my health and the improvement in my quality of life have been tremendous. I quit smoking and, because I replaced it with a healthy habit I love, I have no desire to smoke and no cravings, ever. All of this is a direct result of my consistent daily yoga practice.

How did I afford to practice yoga everyday? After all, an unlimited pass at a yoga studio costs around $160-200 a month. The answer is simple: HOME PRACTICE! I started my daily practice by purchasing unlimited passes at a yoga studio, but quickly realized that my meager budget really had no room for this expense. Fortunately, in his infinite wisdom, Scott had given me a starter yoga kit complete with a mat, blocks, and a strap along with a few practice DVD's. With dedication and careful study, I developed my daily yoga practice primarily at home for the first year.

I emphasize to my students and friends that yoga class is not the place to practice. Don't get me wrong, going to class is incredibly important. It's the place to study and learn new things, refining your practice under the guidance of a trained teacher. Class is necessary. However, the place to practice is at home, on your own time, in your own space. Practicing at home is the essence of svadhyaya, or the study of the self. This deepens your practice, and makes it uniquely yours. Once we begin down this path, the benefits just roll in.

Because the home practice is so important, I've dedicated a page here exclusively to home practice topics. I've started it off with my tips on how to start your home practice, based on the blueprint I followed with much success.  I hope you will find some strategies there that resonate with you. Happy practicing!

Laughing All the Way

In my practice the other day, I decided to focus on a little section of B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga that presents variations of salabhasana, or locust pose, and dhanurasana, or bow pose. All was going according to normal until I came to this variation:

Images from http://www.familyhistoryfiles.com

"Well, how hard could that be?" I thought. You see, reading the instruction I found that I was supposed to take dhanurasana and then simply roll onto one side, roll back up to center, then roll to the other side. Right. I'm always up for a challenge, though, so I decided to charge ahead. Once in dhanurasana, I try to roll easily to the right. Nothing happens. So I start rocking side to side, building momentum to roll over that frontal hip bone that keeps putting on the brakes. Rocking a little more, and I've got it! I'm going over! And over, and over, in slow motion, almost like a giant tree falling from a great height. Falling, until.... BOOM! I land on my right side with a resounding THUD. Instantaneously, laughter bursts through. Laughter so pure and hard and deep that before I know it, I've got tears streaming down my face, snot pouring from my nose, and I can hardly breathe. I haven't experienced an uncontrollable, riotous laughing fit from my yoga in some time. And it feels so good!

This got me thinking about "Laughter Yoga." I've heard brief stories about it here and there, and especially of it's purported health benefits. Yet, I believed it to be a very small, almost obscure facet of modern yoga. As it turns out, I was wrong. Watch the video below to see what I mean.



This comes as such a poignant reminder of the beautifully diverse tools that yoga can offer us to help heal ourselves and prevent future suffering. I just had a visit from my Auntie this week, who wanted to visit her old home of Hawai'i in the midst of her battle with lung cancer. She is the latest in a merry-go-round of family members to tangle with some form of the disease. I only had a brief visit with her and of course found that catching up on family stories took most of our time together, pushing a discussion of yogic healing techniques off to another day.

How perfect that my practice then led me to this easy, fun, and accessible exercise of laughter! Learning to laugh even when you feel you have nothing to laugh about is really the heart of what yoga is trying to teach us. If we can peel back the layers of suffering in this existence to find our pure joy within, then we have found our essence. It is then that no misfortunes can move us, and we will be able to feel peacefully content at all times. I will definitely be sending some resources to my Auntie, to get her laughing all the way on her path through this life.

It's so simple that we don't even think about it: laughter is good for you! What do you have to laugh about?

http://laughteryoga.org/

http://www.laughteryogaamerica.com/

(Deep Breath) On Yoga and Religion

I’m pretty new to the blogger scene. So I take time in my day to research other blogs, and yoga blogs in particular, to become more familiar with their setup, design, content, and authors. We are something of a community after all. Upon going about my usual research today, I found the yoga blog world to be abuzz with a particular article claiming that Christianity and yoga are mutually exclusive. My interest, and apparently that of many others, was piqued, and I feel compelled to clarify some misunderstandings revealed there. The article in question was written by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which is one of the largest seminaries in the world and carries heavy weight with the Southern Baptist Convention. His piece, “The Subtle Body - Should Christians Practice Yoga?” argues that, “When Christians practice yoga, they must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga.”

He wrote a follow-up on his blog after being inundated with emails expressing quite the opposite.  In this follow-up, Dr. Mohler defends himself by saying that his critics offer no scriptural or theological arguments, but merely opinions. Yet, in his original article on the subject, Dr. Mohler surprisingly offers no substantial theological evidence in support of his opinions. Instead of citing the Biblical text that he claims to be in opposition to the practice of yoga, he cites a book (Stefanie Syman’s The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America) about yoga and its modern assimilation into Western culture. Reading Ms. Syman’s book is certainly on the to-do list now, to see for myself why it stirred Dr. Mohler so. Dr. Mohler’s only other citation beyond his own belief, is one sentence from a Denver Seminary professor quoted as such, “a respected specialist on the New Age Movement, warns Christians that yoga is not merely about physical exercise or health. ‘All forms of yoga involve occult assumptions,’ he warns, ‘even hatha yoga, which is often presented as a merely physical discipline.’” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines occult as, “matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them.” The assertion that yoga involves “occult assumptions” does not necessarily distinguish it from Christianity. Jesus’ many miracles, including rising from the dead, seemingly had much to do with supernatural power. In fact, by this definition, the belief in an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God involves quite a bit of assumptions regarding supernatural or supernormal powers.

Dr. Mohler goes on: “Yoga begins and ends with an understanding of the body that is, to say the very least, at odds with the Christian understanding. Christians are not called to empty the mind or to see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine.” Why then does the Bible in 1 Corinthians 3:16 state, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 goes on, “Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” Here, the practice of yoga seems to beautifully complement the Bible’s call to “glorify God in your body” and honor the body as the “temple of the Holy Spirit.”

What Dr. Mohler calls an emptying of the mind, appears to be a reference to meditation. He says, “Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God — an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation — not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables.” He again attempts to draw a distinction that does not necessarily exist here. What are “incomprehensible syllables” to Dr. Mohler are the Word of God to others. In fact, the Word of God to which he refers (the Bible) would be incomprehensible syllables to him were he to encounter the texts in their original language, rather than the modern translated and edited versions we have today. Moreover, Jesus undoubtedly gave numerous examples of meditating to hear the Word of God and to commune with God in the Bible. His 40 day fast in the desert is but one incidence among many (Matthew 4 and Luke 4). He would often leave his disciples for long periods of time to sit quietly and pray, or meditate as it may be (Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, and Luke 4:42 are a few examples). Even more intriguingly, historical evidence mounts suggesting that Jesus would have had contact with Buddhism, as scholars draw compelling parallels between the teachings of Gautama, the Buddha and Jesus.

While the tone of Dr. Mohler’s article is mostly subdued, he does venture off on a particular extremity: “While most adherents of yoga avoid the more exotic forms of ritualized sex that are associated with tantric yoga, virtually all forms of yoga involve an emphasis on channeling sexual energy throughout the body as a means of spiritual enlightenment.” How can this be, when one of the ethical disciplines, or yamas, recognized by most yogis is brahmacharya? This is often translated as outright celibacy, but for many modern yogis translates into “leading a life of pure thoughts, pure actions and pure aspirations.” Such unsubstantiated conjecture on the part of Dr. Mohler only further reveals that he has little to no familiarity with yoga, and is instead cherry-picking evidence to support a belief masquerading as fact, and to stir up fear.

Dr. Mohler concludes, “Nevertheless, a significant number of American Christians either experiment with yoga or become adherents of some yoga discipline. Most seem unaware that yoga cannot be neatly separated into physical and spiritual dimensions. The physical is the spiritual in yoga, and the exercises and disciplines of yoga are meant to connect with the divine.” I agree with this description of yoga. However, he is operating on the misunderstanding that the spiritual aspects of yoga are inherently tied to Hinduism and Buddhism (2 distinctly different systems), when in fact, yoga’s roots reach farther back in time than either system. Yoga has evolved its many facets over time as it has been incorporated into and found new characteristics in use as a component of various spiritual practices. Evidence of yogic postures in stone carvings dates back to 3000 BC.

Yoga means union. It is anything but a divisive practice, nor does it exclude anyone of any faith. A thoughtful analysis of the evidence reveals that yoga can eloquently complement not only Christianity but any faith, while also equally appealing to those who are uncertain or profess no spiritual faith at all. It truly has something to offer to everyone. On this topic, I don’t think I could put it better than Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on Yoga, “Yoga is not a religion by itself. It is the science of religions, the study of which will enable a sādhaka (seeker) the better to appreciate his own faith.”

Welcome to Our Studio!

I'm pleased to invite you to our private studio in Paia! Our space is very intimate, ensuring a personalized yoga practice for each student. As many of you are aware, we conduct classes here open to the public 5 days a week. Some of you have been calling ahead to reserve space, and that is greatly appreciated. However, we always welcome drop-ins, so if you've got a last minute hankering for yoga, just come on in! Jean Marie is also available for private and group private lessons. Simply call 808-463-9413 or email jeanmarie@infinitycrossing.com to schedule or make inquiries.

October Special: 

Bring our flyer with you to your 1st class, and receive that class FREE!

"The Buddha"

This elegantly informative film by David Grubin is a must-see for anyone interested in learning more about the Buddha and Buddhism. It beautifully integrates the story of the Buddha's life with insights from modern practitioners. Documentary, fluid animation, prose, and poetry meet on the middle path to make this film entertainingly educational. It is a well-rounded refresher for those already familiar with the narrative of the Buddha, and a perfect introduction for anyone as yet unacquainted.

The film was originally broadcast on PBS, and you can find more information about it on the website: www.pbs.org/thebuddha. You can also see clips of the film there. Better yet, "The Buddha" is now available on Netflix Instant Watch! So the next time you sit down to watch a movie, pull up "The Buddha." You won't be disappointed!

UN International Day of Peace - September 21st

If you ask a yogi or yogini, "Why do you practice yoga?" the answers will be as diverse as the practitioners themselves. However, one thing on everyone's list is certainly peace. Whether we are seeking peace of mind, peace within our bodies, peace in our hearts, or peace with each other, yoga most definitely serves that aim. Indeed, peace is both the journey and the destination on our yogic paths.
So of course we should honor the UN International Day of Peace with our yoga practice. The date is September 21st. According to the event's website (internationaldayofpeace.org):

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date... Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, or just sitting in silent meditation. Or it can involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact of millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense.

International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Take this opportunity to make peace in your own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time. Imagine what a whole Day of Ceasefire would mean to humankind.

This is a tremendous opportunity to focus our energies together at a shared time toward enhancing peace in our lives. It seems that our world is embroiled in so many ongoing conflicts: political, environmental, and interpersonal. What a wonderful chance to unite our intentions to create Peace!

The Global Mala Yoga Project (yogamonth.org/globalmala/) serves as an organizing force for Peace Day Yoga events. The project's intention is to unite the world's yoga community to form a "mala (garland) around the Earth" through our collective practice. They suggest incorporating sacred cycles of 108 into your practice, such as: sun salutations, rounds of mantra, rounds of kriya, or minutes of meditation. The project also emphasizes incorporating seva, or service, into your Peace Day events, whether through local action, raising funds for charities, or just helping make a loved one's day a little easier.

We will definitely honor Peace Day in our personal practice and our classes wherever possible. The important thing to remember, though, is that "Peace Day" is merely a collective reminder of that which should be our intention everyday, in everything we do. A beautifully simple saying goes like this:

"No Yoga, No Peace. Know Yoga, Know Peace." 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

2010 Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco

Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini taught the morning "5,000 Yogis for Peace" class at this year's Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco. It's a 3 day event held annually in Golden Gate Park, that began as a benefit for Mumia Abul Jamal, and has grown into a huge peace rally with live music, arts and educational booths, and a community of non-profit organizations, among many other things. It's a fantastic event, and if you have the opportunity to attend one in the future, please go! You will love it!

www.powertothepeaceful.org

1938 Footage of T. Krishnamacharya and B.K.S. Iyengar

Let's Fire This Blog Up!

Aloha all! It's a very exciting time right now, and the perfect opportunity to ramp up the blog. We just finished a 200 hour teacher training at Maya Yoga with Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini. What a wonderful experience! We learned so much about ourselves and our practice. Nicki and Eddie possess a wealth of knowledge about yoga in all its facets. They know how to bring you back to the foundations and rebuild your practice in a stronger, more conscious fashion. Scott and I are deeply grateful to them for sharing the knowledge of their rich lineage with us.

The studio in Huelo is positively idyllic. We continue to study there with Dominique Pandolfi. She too draws from a deep well of experience. I am constantly humbled by her sweet teaching.

So where are we going from here? I'm now working full-time on growing our wellness business. I teach small group classes and one-on-one lessons every day in our private studio. Check my new schedule for class times. I'll also be posting there any classes I'm teaching at other locations. A new website is in the works as well: www.infinitycrossing.com. I'll announce its launch here on the blog in the coming weeks. There you'll be able to find out all about our business, focusing primarily on yoga, but also providing avenues into diverse lifestyle aspects like bodywork, aromatherapy, home gardening, and photography. Our intention is to nurture lifestyles of holistic wellness that radiate health and happiness from the individual to the community and ultimately, the world. Some exciting work is developing here, so we'll keep you posted!

Our Mission and Current Ventures

Infinity Crossing operates to nurture lifestyles of holistic wellness. Our individual interests are as diverse as will be our pursuits. Our current ventures are home-grown, small scale experiments that we will grow into more far-reaching projects by stages. Examples of present ventures include:

• An herb & vegetable garden of constant evolution, learning and enjoyment
• Daily yoga practice (teacher training upcoming in August)
• Surf as much as possible as a means of communing with nature, learning, engaging in challenging physical activity, relaxing, and of course having fun!
• Photography, woodworking, and a myriad of other artistic pursuits
• Mechanical projects designed to increase our energy efficiency in a number of facets
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! We experiment with making our own household products, reuse containers, yard debris, bags, fabric and anything else possible, compost food waste, and recycle in ever-expanding ways.
• Constantly continuing education through a dynamic reading library and the plethora of online resources, like iTunesU, for expanding our knowledge of, among many things, business practices, finance, yoga, anatomy, nutrition, home improvements, philosophy, gardening, etc
• Actively searching out business opportunities that advance our mission:

*Yoga Studio

*Wellness Center (Yoga + massage, acupuncture, garden, boutique,

cafe, etc)

*Property for a Wellness Retreat (Camp Infinity Crossing!) including

all of the above plus surfing and a lovely place to stay

*A restaurant or other business serving the community through which

we can disseminate positive energy, starting with food, fun and

music, evolving into a place that promotes the holistic wellness

operations we simultaneously conduct.

We have the team, the right intention, and the passion for our work. Our primary challenge at the moment is capital. We remain open at all times to any opportunities through which we might fulfill our mission. Until such time as the first tangible opportunity manifests itself, we continue to "practice what we will preach" by living the lifestyles of holistic wellness that we hope to help others create for themselves in the near future.