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 <title>Blog Posts of thejoyofyoga</title>
 <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/blog"/>
 <updated>2010-07-30T15:36:00+0000</updated>
 <author>
   <name>thejoyofyoga</name>
 </author>
 
 <entry>
   <title>Sarah Powers Vinyasa Flow Video</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Sarah-Powers-Vinyasa-Flow.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-30T15:36:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[The guy she adjusts in the front row towards the beginning is her husband. It's a good sequence, but check out that "yoga teacher" voice. I wonder if she talks like that when she's asking for someone to pass the salt...]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Dog Yoga</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Dog-Yoga.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-29T20:32:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Long time readers of this blog know that some very ridiculous and unsual things have happened in my classes. Multiple cell phone checking. Mentioning male sexual bits. Young ballerinas. This, however, might win. Today a student in one of my smaller classes (it's at a gym, but only 3-5 folks show up regularly) brought her new puppy to class. For the entire class. The puppy napped on one of the Svaroopa blankets the gym has and would venture out to visit his new mommy on the mat every once and awhile. She would have to pause whatever she was doing and take him back to his blanket and toy. For savasana, I held the puppy on my lap for the entirety so puppy mama could relax and I could cuddle. I mean, it was so freaking cute I thought it was great, but, nevertheless, highly unusual. Your call... could this be one of the silliest things, ever? Dog Yoga]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Ashtanga Primary Series</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Ashtanga-Primary-Series.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-28T14:55:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Image from yoga-online.ca]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Yoga for Menstruation</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Yoga-for-Menstruation.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-27T14:44:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Menstruation. That time of the month. Period. Aunt Flo. There are some schools of yoga asana that say don't practice while the flow is a-flowin'. I'm in the school that says listen carefully to what your body wants to do and wonders if the schools that say never practice when you are a-flowin' are rules dictated by men. But, I digress. Here is a practice if your body tells you it would like to move. They are poses that, supposedly, help with cramps and bloating. A great article to read on the subject by Geeta Iyengar is here . Yoga for Menstruation Also remember to eat well. There's a lot of nutrients leaving the body at this time and eating dark, leafy greens (or dark, not leafy chocolate) can help there.  Nadi Shodna Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing). 5-10 minutes Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide Angle Pose) Take your torso towards one leg, through center, and then towards the other leg Cat/cow spine in table Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog). *Since the uterus is tipped here, its important check in to see how you are feeling in this pose. Some recommend this pose for cramps, others caution against all inversions. Uttanasana (Forward Fold) Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Sun breaths in Mountain Pose Supta Pavana Muktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose). Repeat other side Gentle reclined twist, either side Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose). Hold for a good, long while Viparita Karani (Legs up the wall pose). This is a good inversion that doesn't reverse "the flow"]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>I wrote a story</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/I-wrote-a-story.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-26T12:36:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[I wrote a story for children. Looking for feedback. Thanks! (Sequence is at end...) The Three Sisters Bake Shoppe The Three Sisters Bake Shoppe was neither in the center of town, nor existing on the edge of it. It was somewhere in between. Likewise, the three sisters themselves were neither tall nor short, plump nor petite. They were somewhere in between. Their mother, believing that all things tidy were good, named the three sisters in the order of the alphabet: Alice, Beatrice, and Catherine. In the Three Sisters Bake Shoppe, the customers called Beatrice Bean. It was a child that started calling her that. One day, the little girl (Penny) saw Beatrice (Bean) pulling a pan of sticky buns out of the oven. “Bean the Baker!,” she shouted, for no good reason at all. And so it was. The three sisters loved their bakeshop. Bean was the baker because she loved to bake, Alice was the waitress because she loved to talk, and Catherine was the cashier because she loved to count. It was all wonderful and good, and continued that way for many, many years. Until something happened. Or, perhaps better put, someone. The Mysterious Mister Major came into town early in the morning on a Monday. Some say he got off the overnight bus from Cincinnati, others say he popped into thin air. No one is certain. One thing everyone will agree upon, however, is that very same morning, he headed straight for the Three Sisters Bake Shoppe. The door bell tinkled above as the screen door flew open, as though pushed by a strong wind. The Major entered the bakeshop, his neither too long nor too short (somewhere in between) hair flowing behind him. He was dressed head to toe in the darkest blue suit; the suit was so dark that it looked black until you got really close by, squinted your eyes, and tilted your head to the left. While his forehead was quite wide, and his jaw quite narrow, he was very, very handsome. The first person he saw, and the first person that saw him, was Bean. “I am the Mysterious Mister Major,” he announced. “And I am Bean,” replied Bean. Most people think that the Mysterious Mister Major was, in fact, the Magical Mysterious Mister Major, because sooner than you could say Hot Cross Buns, Bean had fallen in love with him. She had fallen so much in love with him that she forgot to bake. Alice and Catherine would show up early in the morning, and there wouldn't be any toasty warm bread, no steaming pies, and certainly not a cookie in sight. Bean would be off staring into the Major's eyes on some park bench in the center of town, which wasn't really all that near to the bakeshop, but not far enough away to excuse her forgetting. So, Alice or Catherine would stomp off to go find Bean, and drag her back to make Bean bake. By that time, however, there would be customers outside, but no baked goods to give them. The Three Sisters Bake Shoppe started to loose all of their customers. No one came by after awhile, because neither did Bean. She spent all of her time with the Major and forgot about the bakeshop. Alice and Catherine tried to make it work without her, by buying their breads, pies, cakes, and cookies from supermarkets, but it didn't taste fresh. They each tried baking, but they weren't very good at it. Alice was good at talking, Catherine was good at counting, but only Bean was good at baking. “Oh, Alice, what shall we do?,” cried Catherine. “My sweet sister,” answered Alice, I surely do not know.” In the meantime, Bean and the Major had fallen even deeper in love. The whole town would come to them on the bench, in despair, yelling for Bean to bake, for the Mysterious Mister Major to go back to Cincinnati and leave their town and bakeshop in peace. Everyone was so angry about it, it made everyone angry about things they had never been angry about before, until everyone was mad about everything. They were so angry, in fact, that they didn't notice that Bean truly loved the Major, and the Major truly loved Bean. It was Penny, who named Bean Bean, who finally figured out how to make Bean bake. She went to Alice and Catherine, who were sitting sadly in the Three Sisters Bake Shoppe, which now only sold coffee and tea to angry townspeople. “Bean is a baker! A baker in love!,” cried Penny, “Tell her please. Be nice. Not mean. And ask the Magical Mysterious Mister Major (if he is indeed Magical) if he would like to do magic shows with pastry!” “You win more friends with cake than bagels,” said Alice. “Makes sense to me,” replied Catherine. So, the townspeople walked from the bakeshop, which was neither on the edge of town nor in the center, to the bench, where the very-much-in-love couple sat. “Please, sister, please return! We miss you! And Mister Major, please do magic in our bakeshop! We love Bean and we can all love you, too!,sang Alice and Catherine. Bean looked out of the Major's eyes and at her sisters. Because everyone had been mean to her, she just had wanted to stay with the one person who was nice to her: The Mysterious Mister Major. When she saw how much they had missed her, she knew they could all work together, even if the Major's name didn't follow in the alphabet. And so they did. The end [Image of bakery sign: The Three Sisters Bake Shoppe (...and Magic House!)  -- Scribbled in different lettering at bottom. Penny stands under sign, through window see sisters, Mysterious Mister Major, and people] Here's a great sequence from Maria Cristina , from Moving through my Vinyasa. If you got this far... thanks!]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Coffee substitute</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Coffee-substitute.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-25T15:47:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Got this email from a friend of my sister (Rachel). Any suggestions? I mentioned chicory root/barley drinks. Here 'tis: Hi there, we met briefly at Rachel's bday party.  Rachel said you might have some ideas for me.  I am trying to phase coffee out of my life and I need a healthier replacement b/c I crave a milky drink.  I have tried teechino and mate and I hated them both.  Any other suggestions? So... any other suggestions? Thanks to all my healthy friends out there! Coffee Substitute Here's a great exercise to use as a coffee substitute. It lightly hits the adrenal glands, facilitating the flow of adrenaline in the body. Good morning, indeed! Take the feet 2.5-3 feet apart. Swing  your  arms  like empty coat sleeves , gently hitting your own back as they move side to side, exhaling "Ha!" as you twist the torso. Allow the knees to bend slightly and the feet to pivot naturally. Gradually increase the speed in which you twist. Don't force the arms, allow them to move naturally. Continue, increasing speed, for 1-2 minutes. Take 30 seconds to slowly decrease the speed. Close the eyes. Pause. Notice the breath.]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Garden goodies!</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Garden-goodies.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-24T12:56:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[All veggies in images are from the garden! Yippee! What grows in your garden these days? Garden Goodies Some things, because of the heat, are on their way out. Fast. But, tomatoes are coming in fast and furious, which makes us for everything else. Goodness, I love the 'maters! Begin by lying on back Supta Padangustasana  (Reclined Big Toe Pose) Supta Trivikramasana  (Reclined Vishnu Pose) Urdhva   Mukha   Paschimottanasana   (Upward Facing Fold Pose) Repeat steps 2-4 on other sid e Supta Pavanmuktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose). Repeat on other side Vajrasana  (Diamond Pose) Gomukhasana  (Face of Light Pose). Repeat on other side.  Virasana  (Heroes Pose) Supta Virasana  (Reclined Heroes Pose) Gentle twist to one direction. Repeat to other.  Take hands behind hips for gentle chest opener Supta Kapotanasana  (Reclined Pigeon Pose) Kapotanasana  (Pigeon Pose) Adho Mukha Svanasana  (Downward Facing Dog) Repeat steps 12-15 on other side Tadasana  (Mountain Pose) Uttanasana  (Forward Fold Pose) Urdhva Hastasana  (Upward Hands Pose) Parsvottanasana  (Intense Stretch). Repeat other side Urdhva Hastasana Tadasana Natarajasana  (Dancer's Pose). Repeat other side Prasarita Padottanasana  (Wide Legged Forward Fold). Interlock fingers behind back to get a back and shoulder stretch as well.  Janu Sirsasana  (Seated Head to Knee Pose) Upavistha Konasana  (Seated Wide Angle Pose) Repeat steps 25 and 26 on other side Supta Matsyendrasana  (Reclined Twist). Repeat other side Savasana]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Elvis Doing Yoga</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Elvis-Doing-Yoga.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-23T10:19:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Found this from someone off of Twitter. Can this please count as the sequence of the day? Please?]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Be who you are...</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Be-who-you-are.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-22T21:29:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” —Fritz Perls For some reason, this reminds me of Dr. Seuss.  Anyway, realized how much of my ego, as noted in the comments on yesterday's post, is wrapped up in my teaching. Which sets me up for events like Tuesday night's (see Wednesday's post). I am pretty good at reminding myself before every class that this class isn't for me, it's for the yogis who enter that room. To that end, I rarely have a class plan these days. I watch people walk into the room, talk to them beforehand, and think about what might work as warm ups progress. But... I'm still very attached to students liking the class and liking me .  Being a yoga teacher is not about being liked. Often, some of the better teachers I have had have brought up a lot of anger in me. Giving assists is about helping students go deeper into their practice, it is not about me. All this is stuff I am working on; the more I realize it, the better a teacher I will really be, as opposed to wanting to be viewed as.  Does that make sense? How do you drop by ego in your teaching, but also in being a student? Any mantras, manifestations, hints, or helpful words? Be who you are... Which goes back to the original quote. Being authentic, and not worrying about being the teacher you think they want you to be, will leave you with more authentic relationships in turn. Maybe smaller classes, but deeper ones. Again, working on it.  Anjali Mudra  (Salutation Seal) Bharadvaja sana I  (Bharadvaja's Twist) Ardha Matsyendra sana  (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) Baddha Konasana  (Bound Angle Pose) Janu Sirsasana  (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend) Upavistha Konasana  (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend) Agnistambh asana  (Fire Log Pose) Gomukhasan a  (Cow Face Pose) Padmasana  (Lotus Pose) Svara Yoga Pranayama  (Yoga of Sound Breath) Supta Baddha Konasana  (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Savasana  (Corpse Pose)]]></summary>
 </entry><entry>
   <title>Things not to do in a yoga class</title>
   <link href="http://www.myyogahub.com/thejoyofyoga/Things-not-to-do.html"/>
   <updated>2010-07-21T12:33:00+0000</updated>
   <summary><![CDATA[Last night was an off class for me. It started at 5:00, and at 5:15 one student rolled up her mat and left. The class format was, with some variations, a repeat of what I had taught at noon to great reception, and at this point I hadn't gotten much past Sun A's. Made me a bit self conscious. Then, at 5:45, the same thing. Someone else rolled up the mat, didn't look at me although I tried to make eye contact, and left. The first person avoided me as well. The second person, in theory, might have had another appointment, but had come late to the class to start with and had made no indication of having to leave early. Another checked her cell phone twice during class. Two left during savasana. What's the deal, folks? I understand realizing a class format or teacher style is not for you. No worries, really. But, please folks, please just acknowledge the teacher by nodding your head, mouthing "thanks" (because you should be thankful, even if you didn't like the class), or making some eye contact. If only to let me know you didn't injure yourself. If you know you need to leave early, come early, and let the teacher know. It's more respectful. If you can't come early and you need to leave early, it might be a better idea to find a class time that better fits your schedule. Or do a self practice. Same goes for leaving during savasana. Let me know. Finally, unless it's a really excellent reason (like, family is in labor) don't check your cell phone. Like, ever. What suggestions do you have for yoga students? Things not to do in a yoga class You may fart, burp, sigh, do variations on every pose, and drop into child's pose for extraordinary lengths of time. Heck, do your own sequence for a bit if you really need it. But, know the teacher is bringing amazing amounts of energy, love, and respect into that room. Bring some of your own, too.]]></summary>
 </entry> 
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