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.
Daily Yoga Classes at GOA, Altea
It’s shaping up to be a busy summer. Nothing like doing yoga every day. Since it’s going so well for me over at GOA Altea, Lau and I have decided to collaborate on a a new project: yoga campus 2017! Basically, it is a daily yoga class and healthy breakfast deal.
We understand that the summertime is for chilling. But, we also know that there are people out there who know that relaxing is not only about wine and lying in. Strange is it may sound, we believe that there are people out there who like to awaken early, with a clear head, and care for themselves with exercise, breathing and positive thinking. How do I know that such people exist? Because I am one of them!
I know a lot of people who rent houses for holidaymakers in summertime. Very often, these are three and four-bedroom houses, and the groups that share them are ten, maybe twelve people, children included. Now, being in a large group for any length of time is tiring. I have seen time and again the sunburnt, sleepy faces of mums and dads on holiday. I know that some of those people will relish, absolutely delight in the idea of a quiet hour for themselves in the morning, to stretch and breathe and reconnect with their inner essence. Believe me, yoga changes the prism through which one views the world. So, set your alarm for 8:30, get on over to GOA by 9:00 any morning in July and August 2017 and come practice yoga. Don’t bother eating first, yoga is best practised on an empty stomach anyway. Breakfast is served afterwards, with your VIP card, attractive pricing and lots of care and love.
Need more info? Comment below, like Alteayoga on Facebook, or just mail me on alteayoga – at – gmail – dot – com.
Namaste and a great big Om.
-Rachel
Bring calm into your nervous system via breathing
Here is a short video that deals with the relationship between the breath and the emotions. In a study, scientists discovered that when emotions are elicited in trial participants, their breathing pattern changes. But the interesting thing is that the opposite thing also happens: When breathing patterns are altered, the corresponding emotion is elicited. Let’s allow Emma Seppälä to explain it:
Breathe Better: How to Improve Your Mind, Attention, and Memory
In the video, she demonstrates the yogic breathing technique known variously as Nadi shodhana or anuloma-viloma. Alternate nostril breathing works just fine, too.
Pratyahara
David Frawley of the American Institute of Vedic Studies is, in my opinion, one of the most erudite and informed yoga pundits on the scene today. I shall share with you a link to his writings on pratyahara, the fifth limb of Astanga yoga. If you have been practising with me this winter, you will know that pratyahara has figured in my teachings. I hope that this article enlightens you on its philosophical underpinnings. Om shantih shantih shantih.
Pratyahara: Yoga’s Forgotten Limb
Summer 2017 – Yoga Classes at Hotel Altaya
I am thrilled to announce that I will be offering yoga classes every morning throughout the summer of 2017.
From 1 July until 31 August, bright and early, we will practice hatha yoga in front of the sparkling blue Mediterranean Sea.
Scheduled time is 7:30-8:30. Please get there early and bring a mat, if you have one. We will be on the very agreeable terrace of the Hotel Altaya. Here is the Google Maps reference.
Pricing goes like this: Over the course of a week, there are seven classes. If you come to one class in any given week, starting from any day, the class costs 7€. If you return for a second class that same week, the second class costs 6€. If you return for a third time, the third class costs 5€. And so on, until your seventh and final class for the week costs only 1€. I do it like this to encourage daily practice, and to reward those who have the gumption to keep turning up. But, also, because I understand that some people will only be able to come three times, or five, or whatever, and they also need and deserve encouragement.
The maximum cost of a week of daily yoga is 7+6+5+4+3+2+1 = 28€, IVA included.
We will also be doing a yoga and breakfast smoothie tie-in. Prices and details to follow soon.
So, if you are planning to spend your summer, or part of it, in Altea, please do come along.
Child's pose modifications for Yoga Therapy for Breast Cancer
We usually think of child’s pose, sometimes known as bheki, as a relaxation pose. It figures in yin yoga and restorative sequences and is generally used as a counter-pose after more strenuous work. However, what seems an easy pose actually represents certain challenges to the breast cancer patient.
Firstly, the classic arm positions in child’s pose – arms alongside the legs or extended and next to the ears – can be challenging for these students. To lay the arms alongside the legs suggests that the person is low enough into the pose (ie: backside is sitting on the heels) so that the upper arm is on the floor. My ladies aren’t all able to do this. Also, anyone with serratus-flap reconstruction is going to find the required rounding of the shoulders hard on the affected side. The extend the arms taxes both serratus anterior and trapezius. There are some people who just can’t lift the extended arm that high. This calls for a modification! Read on…
The ankles can present a problem in ladies of a certain age. If there is undue strain on the front of the ankles, the pose becomes unstable. A simple solution is the prop the ankles on a tubular prop, or simply roll up the end of your mat and use that.
If there is a bit of belly – and let’s face it, with all the cortisone administered in chemo, most students arrive a bit on the heavy side – we need to make room for it. Simply separating the legs helps the body settle comfortably into the deep forward bend.
In people who carry neck tension – and most mastectomized and reconstructed ladies do – you will see that the cervical curve persists in this pose. Do your best to bring attention to the dorsal zone, instructing students to separate the shoulder blades on the inhale. Tell students to pull the chin down towards the sternum. (For those who are comfortable on the pose, you can suggest a little breath retention after each exhale.)
Arm Modifications
Take the arms out to the side, just above shoulder height, with the elbows bent. Keep a slight pressure between the forearms and the floor. Splay the fingers and keep a slight pressure on the fingertips. Keep awareness at the fingertips.
Into joint – healing the shoulders
The shoulder joint is the joint in the human body with the greatest range of motion. To keep the shoulder joint stable, we have the wonderful rotator cuff, a group of small muscles below the armpit and shoulderblade. Sadly, these little muscles are ofter under-developed, leaving the shoulder unsupported and prone to pain and dislocation. This little sequence is very healing for shoulders. I learned it from Claude Maréchal, the head of the Viniyoga lineage in Europe. But, the shoulder-drop to the floor with the arms at vertical is pure Rachel…my little contribution to the sequence to make it more healing…Try to do this six times, twice a day.
Receta falafel
Mi interpretación de la clásica tapas libanés…
Ingredientes:
(Todas las cantidades approximadas)
Habas frescas, crudas, y peladas 0.5-1kg
Harina de garbazo 250g
Cebolla 2 peq o 1 grande, troceada fina
Semillas de cominos 1 cucharita
Semillas de sésamo 3 cucharita
Hierbabuena y perejíl troceada fino o machacado en
Sal 2 a gusto
Tahini (crema de sésamo) 1 cuchara de sopa
Levadura Química 1 cucharita
Aceite para freir (yo uso aceite de coco)
Método
Pela las habas. Escurre muy bien antes de pasarlas. Incluso, dejalas en la nevera tapadas por un trapo durante un día entero. Pasa la habas para hacer un purée.
Añade la harina de garbanzos y la cebolla.
En el mortero, machaca las semillas, añade al bòl.
Machaca las hierbas y la sal en el mortero. Añade y mezcla bien.
Añade el tahini removiendo bien. El tahini actua como aglutinante. Se puede variar la cantidad de tahini según la consistencia de la mezcla final.
Añade la levadura y deja reposar unos 10 minutos.
Calienta el aceite en una sartén pequeño. Forma bolitas con la pasta y frie hasta que forman una crosta y se suben a la superficie. Escurre con papel de cocina.
Tipicamente, se come con humus, salsa de yogurt con hierbas finas, salsa de ajo, guindillas en vinagre, remolacha de ensalada, una semillas de granada, etc.
Yoga in Daily Life
Dear readers,
I am thrilled to report that I shall be publishing monthly articles about yoga in the local newspaper, The Post. Here is the first edition...