Every day I wake up thinking about yoga. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. It is my deepest passion, my guiding light, the shining star in my sky. 
Yoga teachers are bound to one fundamental rule: you can only teach what you know. And knowing yoga is about doing yoga. You cannot teach postures that you cannot do yourself. You cannot create the discipline necessary to establish a home practice, even if that home practice is as humble as getting on your mat once a week, unless you yourself have a home practice. And you cannot impart the power of yoga to ease suffering and pain if you do not use yoga yourself to ease your own suffering.
An example: I got really sick over Christmas. And I was alone. After days of coughing, breathlessness, helplessness, I found myself in a state of terrible anxiety. I am going to die, I thought. We are all going to die, I thought. Death, sadly, has a 100% success rate. it is the most elemental, primordial fear that we humans have, and it is a rational fear. Because it is scary to think that our days are numbered, that all that we know will pass, that all the people we love will walk off this mortal coil one day and the worst thing is, we know not when.
I have a particularly intense relationship with all this because of the cancer rehab work I did. I watched people I loved, my patients, die year after year. I avoided the funerals because I had to maintain some sort of professional distance. In the last year I worked in breast cancer rehab, I had four women lie on my table weeping, and all of them were younger than me. How can you process that? How can you deal with the fact that illness is real, that all the yoga and chanting in the world will not heal a tumour, and that even the doctors are helpless in the face of this. How? how do you deal with that?
Well, first you freak out, if you’re me. Yep, it lay on me like a shroud and I carried that mantle for years. I tried, I tried my very best. But then it got too much and I ran. I rejected the world of oncology, I didn’t want to know. And then I got real. I realised that I possessed the skills to ease this particular suffering, this terrible elemental pain that we all share. I have yoga. My mission in life is to teach the yoga I know to ease the suffering of our human condition. There, mission statement. I don’t know if I ever had one before!
Yoga will not change the fact that we are mortal. Yoga will not make you live forever. But yoga can make you still in the face of all that fear, all that sadness, all that fragility. Yoga can teach you to sit still and say “Yes, okay, it is like this.” And dear, dear people, that stillness is so necessary to this world. One day you will be called upon to be still in the face of a storm and if you know how to breathe, to chant a little prayer, to ask the Universe for guidance when you yourself don’t know what to say, when words fail you, when your heart wants to burst, you lie in the hands of your maker, this incomprehensible, beautiful, contradictory, frustrating world that we live in and you say “I don’t know, please help me”, then you have the power of yoga.
And if all this is getting heavy, but you’ve stuck with me until now, thanks for listening. And let me tell you this – yoga is about joy. Yoga is about the joy you find when you understand and accept the reality that is ours, and you say – HEY ! But I am ALIVE! And I have love inside me! I have so much love to give and there is always somewhere to put my love! And then you smile, and you laugh and you are present and available and, and, and….you feel HAPPY! So dear readers, this is what I did when I was sick. I sat and I chanted and breathed until I remembered that this life is the one I have, and it is marvellous, beautiful, miraculous, just as your life is marvellous, beautiful and miraculous.
Now get out there and have a great Friday! Live, love, laugh. I will be teaching in less than an hour, and I will probably hug all my students afterwards. Cos I am like that.
Get on your mat! Yoga to ease the symptoms of menopause
I came across this article about the benefits of yoga for peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women. I just had to share!
The study was done by researchers in Germany, and examined groups of women in the USA, India, Brazil, China, South Korea and Germany. What is really interesting about the breadth of the study groups is that the women would have had vastly different lifestyle and diet habits. So, the observed positive effect must come from something outside of existing diet and lifestyle. In this case, the researchers conclude that yoga helps specifically with night sweats and hot flashes.
I worked for twelve years in rehabilitation of women who have had breast cancer. As you may know, many breast cancers are sensitive to oestrogen, so one of the therapeutic strategies is to provoke a chemical menopause. This may sound harsh, and it is, for the ladies. Later, the woman may take a hormone disruptor (aromatase inhibitor or similar) like Tamoxifen for a period of five to ten years. So, I have seen my share of ladies going through the menopause, believe me. The hot flashes and night sweats are very disruptive.
I myself have been crossing this particular juncture in the past two years and the night sweats thing comes and goes. But, as a practising yogi, I will say that my transition has been smooth, and I am not overly bothered by the symptoms. If anything, I feel lighter in my body and more stable in my mind. I did not expect to have a relatively early menopause (I am only 45), but I did expect that my symptoms should be bearable. And in fact, yes, they are.
It is worth noting that the positive effect of yoga might also lie in the way the women perceive the symptoms. It is now known that the intensity of pain or physical discomfort is partly an issue of perception. “A study from the University of Colorado at Boulder released on Jan. 12, 2015, reports that the ability to use your thoughts to modulate perceptions of pain utilizes a completely separate brain pathway than the pathway used to send the physical pain signal to your brain. This discovery is a breakthrough”
So, let’s just sum up, shall we? Yoga seems to be effective at easing symptoms of menopause, even adjusting for diet and lifestyle difference. Yoga is a safe and practical solution. Viniyoga, which adapts the practice to the individual, not the individual to the practice, is a style that can help women who might have co-pathologies like osteoporosis/osteopenia, overweight/obesity, arthritis, and so on.
Have I convinced you yet? Don’t worry, I will keep trying if not. Why? Because I care about your health, even if I don’t know you (yet).
Love, Rachel
On yoga and loneliness (the scourge of our times)
In this morning’s post, I mentioned one of the benefits of yoga is the relief of loneliness. This is not often mentioned when people talk about yoga. Mostly, yoga is said to relieve back pain, insomnia, sluggish digestion and various other physical ailments. Those of us who practice yoga with any degree of seriousness know that the psychological and emotional benefits of a sustained yoga practice outweigh the physical gains.
You see, as this article points out, loneliness can be as dangerous to a person’s health as bad habits like late nights and too many fags. And yoga, when done in a group setting, ie: a class, helps relieve loneliness.
Loneliness is the the illusion of separateness, of separation, and is a trick of the ego. What do I mean by that? I mean that the ego sets out to convince us that we are disconnected from one another. In the simplest sense, our ego sets us apart from other by comparing and judging. “I am more intelligent/worldly/attractive… than so-and-so.” Or, we think that others are ignorant, “so-and-so has no common sense, can’t they see that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, these people are all sheep”. Those sorts of thoughts are so incredibly common that we often don’t even realise that we are having them. But, their effect is devastating. If left too long, we can end up truly isolated. I have lost count of the number of students who at some point in their 50’s realised that their old friends have fallen away and new friends are increasingly hard to find. Uh-oh and a big ouch if that happens to you.
What to do? Tame the ego is the obvious thing. It is not easily done, but the cool thing about yoga is that it sets out a tried and tested path for taming the ego. The first step is defining the ego, knowing it is there but that the ego is not YOU. Then, once you know what to watch out for, you start to watch its tricks. You get used to that stupid, petty little judgemental voice steering you wrong and, eventually, you stop listening to it. Then, in the stillness, you get more and more used to listening to the quiet-voiced corrections of the heart.
Yep, sounds a bit esoteric, I know. But it goes something like this: the ego says “look at the stuck-up prick holding court at the bar again. My goodness, what a loser. And all those people listening to him…I have nothing in common with these idiots.” But, when you know that it is the nasty little voice of the ego slamming around in your head, you just say “shut up”. And, in the silence you hear another voice saying “look at that fragile person in need of attention. And all those fairweather friends listening in for want of anything better to do, like real communication, or even blessed silence. Their suffering is my suffering. Let all creatures live happily.” That, my friends, is the heart talking.
Yoga teaches you to turn everyday situations around so that we can see the beauty, fragility, and love that is all around, all the time. THAT is what yoga does. And the group class is fun-da-mental for this process. In the group class, we fall out of postures. We suck at the forward bends. We fart (well, not me personally, but you get it, right?). In the group class our cracked heels are exposed and sometimes we turn up late. And sometimes we cry. And sometimes we laugh, and sometimes we spontaneously hug. All this happens in yoga because we still the fluctuations of the mind (Yoga citta vritti nirodhah) and insodoing discover that we are all a lot more alike than we originally thought. Out the door with the illusion of separateness, all hail connection.
So, come on and do some yoga with me, with us. With anyone, because honestly, although I try to earn a living at this, if you take away from this post the desire to try yoga and you go with another teacher, or a YouTube video (but with a friend, natch!) then I am totally cool with that. You can let me know if I have inspired you, even a little bit, by leaving a comment. Because you know what? Even I am prone to the lonelies, even I need to feel the love. There, I said it.
I shared a quote from Mike Lousada the other day, and it resonates here too:
“Love is the deep truth of being. Anything else is an ego story designed to keep us feeling separate and alone. Surrender to that deeper field of Love and Life will open to you”
New Year, new you
Good morning dear yogis, or yogis-to-be!
Wouldn’t you like to make 2018 the year that you take up yoga? Yoga is so ubiquitous now, it seems almost silly not to at least try?
But why should yoga be everywhere, and now? Because it complements any other form of physical education or sport, but can also stand alone. Yoga can be used by anyone engaged in demanding sport like football, running , CrossFit, to help rehabilitate muscle and connective tissue, improve breathing technique and oxygenation, and generally settle you down after a hard workout.
Yoga is completely adaptable for all ages and fitness levels. Especially Viniyoga, the style of yoga that I teach. The central tenet of this style is that the yoga adapts to the person, not the person to the yoga. This means that viniyoga sequences are modifiable, which is not the case in many yoga styles. As we know, the European population is ageing, and ageing brings with it certain changes such as connective tissue stiffness in post-menopausal women, overweight and obesity, problems with bone density, heart disease, sleep problems and a host of other concerns. While yoga is not a magic pill, it certainly helps practitioners to feel better in their bodies, to sleep better, to accept more gracefully the changes associated with ageing, and to overcome loneliness.
Yes, what I say about loneliness is very important. Yoga is fundamentally a solitary practice, a journey within. But, in the West, the social aspect of yoga, the group work, is tremendously important. If you join a yoga class, you will find like-minded people, and that sense of separation might be temporarily eased. Loneliness is a big problem in Europe. Yoga, quite apart from all the other physical benefits, can help overcome this pervasive sense of aloneness.
So, please come along to class and see what it’s all about. You will be welcomed with open arms and a big smile.
Peace, namasté, Rachel
New post on alteayoga.es
Hey lovelies. I am trying to move over to alteayoga.es. So, any new posts will go there first. Here is a link to something I wrote this morning. Toodle-loo.
http://alteayoga.es/2017/11/07/the-mysterious-path-of-the-yogi/
Turn around….
I have been giving classes at GOA for nine months now. Every day is a privilege. I honestly can’t believe how conducive that room is towards the inner experience of yoga. The sea beyond, the salty, iodine-rich air, the birdsong…wait…birds? Where are the birds? Oh, yes, look at those windows at the back of the room. What? They open? Sliiiiiide. TA-DAH! And thus we discovered the hidden treasure of GOA upstairs! The gardens of the Edificio SKI behind us. Mature trees, well-kept gardens, fresh shady corners, a shimmering swimming pool. What more could one ask for, honestly?
I call it Krishna tricks. The idea that you don’t know what you don’t know and that many times what you discover is humorous, tricky. When I first came across the concept of the Trickster God (and this concept exists in many diverse cultures), it changed my relationship to the Divine. I had been raised with the idea of the schoolmaster God – judgemental yet forgiving, but somehow always out of reach. The trickster God likes to remind you of his presence by letting you in on the joke. Just when you think you know something, you realise that you know nothing at all. And so you retain the beginner’s mind, a childlike innocence. Not all is said and done, not all is known, nothing is set in stone, especially not your personality traits or character, whatever you might believe that to be. Life becomes a lot more fun when you think it’s conspiring to make you laugh…
Krishna played some tricks in the yoga room last week. He reminded me that what is behind is just as important as what is in front. He reminded me to open that back window and to look through it. JSK.
On balance – Part II
In yesterday’s post, I hardly had time to get started. Talking about the balancing act between prâna and apâna, I likened it to the accumulation and ridding of material things. I wanted to finish the post by discussing the IN and the OUT of yoga practice.
Most of us arrive at a yoga practice carrying a lot of impressions (samskaras). When used therapeutically, yoga helps us to unpick the essential from the superfluous. Let’s use fear as an illustrative example. A healthy amount of fear, or caution, is necessary. Otherwise, we might try to fly off mountainsides, or jump into strangers’ cars at 4 in the morning. But too much fear can stop us talking to interesting strangers at parties, travelling to unknown lands or otherwise enriching our human experience. So, the continuous practice of yoga, especially challenging postures that elicit a certain amount of fear (say, backbends, breath retentions) allows us to watch our fear response, get to know it intimately and then, ultimately, control it at important moments.
So, yoga can be used to unpick the essential from the superfluous. When there is a dominance of prâna>apâna, there may be a tendency to flightiness, an abundance of ideas without the capacity to distinguish the good ones from the mediocre, and an inability to realise/materialise one’s own ideas. Somatic manifestations like headaches, twitching eyelids, tooth grinding, jaw tensing, ear ringing, panicky breathing, neck and shoulder tension, pounding heart, tingling fingers and nervous habits like skin picking, smoking and nail biting are all related to prâna>apâna. (please bear in mind that prâna and Prâna are two different things. The lowercase version refers to the vayu that dominates the upper body. Uppercase refers to the universal energy that sustains all Life.) When prâna is in balance, our thoughts are fast but not fleeting, we have good recall and can crosslink ideas as well as exercise intuition. When prâna is overactive, we are nervous, irritable and irascible. When it is underactive, we are forgetful, fretful and worried.
Of course, we need adequate prâna to sustain life. Likewise, we need adequate apâna, also. Apâna dominates the digestive organs and pelvic region. When it is out of balance, all manner of digestive troubles may ensue, as would varicose veins, swollen ankles, heel spoor and other foot disorders, cellulite or peau d’orange as well as general sluggishness or tiredness. When apâna is strong, we are able to rid ourselves of waste material (urine, faeces) but don’t excrete too much (frequent urination, irritable bowel). When it is weak, we may have flatulence, constipation, diverticules and pelvic prolapse.
Of course, should anyone out there reading this believe that yoga alone can cure any of the above named disorders, I have to do the responsible thing and state this this post is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose any medical problem. Go to your doctor, FFS. But, if they can’t put a name on what ails you, as often happens, ie: you don’t have a diagnosed and named pathology, then maybe some self-care in the form of yoga can prove helpful.
How to balance prâna and apâna? Coming soon…but Krishnamacharya would probably say apanâsana and dvipâdapitam…
Namaste and may you be filled with joy. JSK.
On balance – Part 1.
I have been offline for most of the past month. Firstly, it was due to a fault on my ADSL. Latterly, because I have been staying away from home for a few days.
It is a strange thing to be semi-connected in times like these. Of course, I had my iPhone, so Whatsapp, Facebook, email and the like were a-ok. But, due to the limitations of screen size, I read more than I wrote.
This can be compared to the twin, yet opposing, forces of prâna and apâna. Prâna in the intake and upper energy, apâna is the emission and lower energy. They are inseparable, and each influences the other. In prânayama, we can modify the inhale by modifying the exhale, and vice versa.
One relationship of IN-OUT that I like to contemplate is that of material goods. We are spirits in a material world and most of us have far more things that we need. But, it is when we get to a point of having far more things than we really want that it can get sticky. You see, getting rid of stuff is hard. Apart from the sentimental value that we may place upon an item, there is also pure attachment, as well as ecological considerations. I was a pack-rat in an earlier life due to all three things. I know how hard it is to debride oneself of possessions. But it is absolutely necessary.
Think about this: When you set out to buy something, you will often invest a lot of time in choosing, comparing characteristics, price-checking and what-have-you. Whether buying online or on the High Street, you will pay for transport of some sort. It is a process that takes time and energy. Yet, conversely, we will often throw things away rashly or badly. If this is not clear to you, I invite you to take a look at the trash by the kerb of an evening. All sorts of stuff, from furniture to computer parts to recyclables will be there. We hate being told to separate our trash, or that we will be charged for its collection and disposal. Maybe, if you are reading from somewhere more evolved, like Sweden, this won’t ring true. But here in Spain, it certainly is. The funny thing is, the expats also get used to the laissez-faire attitude to waste disposal and after a few months to years living here are just as likely to leave their dog’s doo-doo on the street as anyone else. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity.
So, I need to close this soon. To sum up: prana and apana need to be in balance in order for harmony to exist. In must equal out. If it doesn’t, something is wrong. Figure out what it is and fix it. Preferably with yoga!
The Guru is in you. Practice and all is coming. Love in all around. JSK.
Ambient music for yoga
I came across this lovely offering on Youtube. If Christmas Day has been busy and your mind-body is revved up with rajas or bogged down in tamas, look for sattwa on your mat and in your heart. After you have digested your food, do a gentle practice, give thanks and be joyful. Whatever meaning Christmas may have for you, if you are reading this, you are alive, literate, connected to a vast electronic web and web of life. I am not perfectly happy all the time. That’s WHY I practice yoga, to still my mind. But I have learned to be grateful, and thankful, and appreciative of the miracle that is life, and I too have life, therefore I am part of the miracle. Be happy, dear souls. Breathe in, breathe out. Om.
ReCetA – Muesli
El desayuno es el plato más importante del día, ya sabemos. Pero leche con ColaCao ó Nescafé y galletas de trigo, a pesar de ser un desayuno muy común en España, no es la mejor opción para una dieta saludable. Sobre todo, un desayuno así tiene poco aporte en proteína, un elemento imprescindible a la primera hora.
Se llama “desayuno” porque al levantarse sin haber comido durante más de cinco horas, el cuerpo se encuentra en un estado de “ayuno” de proteína. Es importante, entonces, tener una fuente alimentaria de proteína, para impedir que el cuerpo retira proteínas de los músculos y tejidos. Para mi, la semilla de cáñamo es una de las mejores fuentes de proteína para la dieta vegetariana. He inventado la receta aquí abajo para abastecer mis necesidades proteicas y a la vez ahorrar dinero, evitando el consumo de comida industrial.
Ingredientes: Copos de avena (gruesos) (2 tasas), coco rallado (1 tasa), almendra natural (un puño), aceite de coco (3 cucharas soperas), melaza de cebada maltada (3 cucharas soperas), pasas de uva, canela , nuez moscada , cúrcuma en polvo, sales de cloruro de magnesio, sal rosa de Himalaya.
Método:
Triturar con una batidora normal y corriente los copos de avena y el coco. Machacar en un mortero las almendras, y ralla la canela y la nuez moscata.- Derrite el aceite de coco y la malta de cebada en un baño María, mezclando bien.
- Añade el resto de los ingredientes a los copos y coco, mezclando bien con las maños.
- Añade el aceite y malta a los ingredientes secos, masajeando bien para mezclar.
- Poner la mezcla en una bandeja y introduce al horno calentado a 210º por arriba.
- Apaga el horno y deja la mezcla en el horno hasta que se tueste.
- Retira del horno y deja enfriar. Añada las pasas de uva.
- Guarda en un bote de cristal tapado.
- Come con semillas de chia, semillas de cáñamo y leche vegetal (arroz, coco, avena, avellana, cáñamo etc.)
Creo mucho en la práctica de cantar mantras cuando uno cocina. Mi favorito es “Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram” ó “Ram, Ram, Ram, Sita, Ram”, pero es una elección muy personal. 
Cualquier mantra cantado con amor y intención llenará tus platos de buenas energías y vibraciones. Om.