Happy Birthday to Me!

We’re so accustomed to not being able to sit still, so much so that the idea of even trying to meditate is laughable to some. Or, even if we’re able to somehow cajole our minds into some state that resembles absolute focus, the effort and effect is only momentary.

Which got me to thinking…is there anything in our lives that involves time and being in the space of a “moment” that humans are actually good at?

Then it dawned on me, having just celebrated a birthday, that the process of aging is inherently impossible to rush. Whether you turn 2, 11, 37 or 98, it doesn’t matter…once you’re “in” an age, you’re firmly rooted in that “moment” of our life. Chances are that when pressed to recall a life event, you’ll look back and refer to either the year or your age at the time.

Passage of Time II by Riebart on flickr

Getchyer motors runnin’ folks, cuz we’re going to India!

Bikes in Varanasi (Image Copyright Phyzz Yoga)

Next February, I’ll be leading an amazing uncommon voyage to India next year with one of my beloved teachers, Patti Hammerle. We’ve put together an amazing, life-transforming itinerary. Won’t you join us?

Here’s the skinny:

Black Bee LLC and Phyzz Yoga Present…Purusha: An Uncommon Voyage to India

In Sanskrit, Purusha literally means “dweller in the city, ” referring to the spiritual Self that resides in the “city” of the body; the eternal, omnipresent, indestructible, unchanging entity that is the essence of everything in the universe.  Join us as we explore the rich, wonderful, chaotic, historical, and spiritual “bodies”of India with heightened senses and open hearts.

Our guide is Patricia Hammerle, fluent in Hindi, veteran traveler and lover of India. Patti has done graduate work in both Hindi and Sanskrit at the University of Washington, and currently teaches both privately and at the Seattle Language Academy.

We will see the country by plane, train, and automobile – traveling as locals do. Simple and deluxe accommodations.

Dates

Feb 16 – Mar 7, 2012*

*Program begins in New Delhi late evening on the 16th; plan to leave Seattle on the 15th. Accommodations include the night of March 7th.

Highlights

Parts South:

• Mount Arunachala: believed by locals to represent the whole world; circumambulation brings liberation of the soul; Ramana Maharishi ashram
• Chidambaram: One of the 5 holiest Shiva temples in India, where prayers continue to be conducted since their inception their thousands of years ago
• Pondicherry: The French Riviera of the East, Sri Aurobindo ashram

Parts North:

• Varanasi: city of Shiva, also known as Kashi, a center of pilgrimage and sacred ritual; ghats and boat ride along the sacred Ganges River, experience the ancient ritual of Aarti Puja
• Delhi: the teeming capitol, music, temples, Sikh Gurudwara chant, Sufi Qawwali, Old Delhi

Registration and Payment

• Cost: 3,150
• Deposit: $300 ($150 non-refundable) to register. Remainder due in full by December, or over 3 payments in September, November, and January.
• Limited availability. Email india@phyzzyoga.com to register, or for more information.

Inclusions

• All in-country travel (Seattle to India airfare not included in the trip cost)
• All accommodations
• All classes and group activities (hiking, temple fees, yoga, meditation, chanting, etc. as available)
• 2 meals daily

Hindi Classes

To prepare for the trip, basic Hindi classes with Patti are available, price dependent upon group interest. Please indicate interest when registering.

First Yoga For Runners Workshop at Title Nine Sports in Greenlake (Photo by Running Evolution)

I’ve started offering Yoga For Runners classes monthly at Title Nine in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle in conjunction with my running coach buddy, Beth of Running Evolution.

You can sign up at the Facebook event invite if you like, or drop me a line in the comments below if you’d like to come. They’re super fun, especially when the weather is nice, like last night for example:

It was so gorgeous last night we held class outside! (Photo by Running Evolution)

No joke: I was a yogi long before I ever fathomed that I could ever call myself a runner. In 2007, I set a personal goal to run 1 mile straight, and in the years following, painstakingly worked my endurance and distance up from there. I just ran my first Half Marathon this past May in Vancouver. It was amazing. Here’s proof:

Vancouver Half Marathon Finisher = me!

I love setting personal goals and following through. Last year, it was climbing a mountain. This year it was the Half Marathon.

What’ll next year bring? Well, for one, a trip to India. Click here for more details on that!

A friend and student of mine at Office Nomads passed this article on to me. I can’t tell you how often I get questions about why there are so many “flavors” of yoga. This article provides a pretty dang good start at answering that question. Plus, I heart Lifehacker.

Enjoy!

How to Find the Right Style of Yoga for You

Hey Phyzzers! The Phyzz Blog welcomes guest bloggers Patrick and Carling – the kinetic vigilantes. Please read on for their fabulous take on taking your practice to a whole new place…literally.

Enjoy!

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“Where do you want to take your practice?”

Heard that one before, huh? Not surprising, as this seems to be a question which is commonly tossed around in yoga circles. It seems that no matter how much we work to get out of our minds and into our bodies, practitioners still ponder the poses they want to “master” or go deeper into.

There is another interpretation of this question that is commonly forgotten. We choose to take this question a bit more literally – as in, where do you want to take your practice?

Doing yoga outside of the studio adds a new dimension to your practice, one that asks you to really find your own practice – without the silky wooden floors, brightly painted walls, or consistent heat. When you take your practice to somewhere outside of the traditional, step out to experience something new, you might just find that you have a whole new set of elements to work with. Those level floors may be replaced by uneven rock or sand, without walls your eyes will meet new drishtis on trees, buildings, the horizon, who knows! The consistencies you are used to may be gone, but enlightenment may show up where you least expected it – in the new environment of your practice.

The kinetic vigilantes movement started because we believe that you can take your practice anywhere! Yoga was not meant to be confined to a small room, but spread with the people in your life. One of our teachers commonly says “Your yoga practice is a gift to the people you interact with on daily basis” which is one of the beliefs kinetic vigilantes was built on. So whether you practice in a kitchen, living room, studio, office, beach, forest, street corner, or mountain top – we invite you to take it somewhere new, because it will return the favor, we promise! Let your practice follow you wherever it is that you decide to go!

“This experience was a life-changer for me” ~J.K.

“This place is so incredibly special.” ~J.T.

Just as it did last year, it’s taken me nearly a month to fully process the experience of a week spent at La Duna.

When people ask me, “How was Mexico?” The only real word I manage to get out is “magical.” And truly, it was.

I feel so lucky to have had the chance to lead a group of delightful people to this truly special place, one that will always, always be close to my heart. We had such an amazing week filled with warmth, healing, contemplation, adventure, laughter, and love.

It’s hard to believe that, just a few weeks ago, this was my day:

Rolling out of bed in my little cabin to the promise of an amazing sunrise; enjoying a slice of banana bread and coffee before making my way up the dune to sit contemplatively with the group as the sun warmed our backs; practicing yoga underneath a beautiful palapa in the mornings, and on a gorgeous, seaside dune under a ceiling of stars and increasingly full moon.

We zoomed across the sea, raced manta rays, and played hide and seek with sneaky whales. We snorkeled with sea creatures, munched on homemade ceviche on a white sand beach as we took in the water’s unbelievable turquoise hue.

We explored canyons and beach on foot and on horseback, dove into emerald mineral pools to cool off, and took in the ancient history of the terrain.
I feel so incredibly blessed to have found this place, and to be able to share it with others. I hope you’ll join us for our next trip!

Stay in the loop for future retreats to La Duna and our other destinations by signing up for our newsletter, or dropping us a line.

Full album of photos (Facebook) 

Hello Phyzz Phans! The following post is brought to you by Maria Rainier, who has deftly tackled a subject near and dear to my heart quite recently – getting your practice in while traveling. Having just returned from a long trip myself, I can’t tell you how important it is to keep your yoga practice up, even if it’s not for the full amount of time that you usually practice.

Enjoy!

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Yoga on the Go: Travel Tips to Keep You Balanced

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it’s easy to succumb to the stress of an unpredictable schedule and allow your yoga practice to be tossed out the airplane window. But these times of travel-induced disruption of balance and calm are the very times that you should be making your best effort to keep yoga in your routine. It’s difficult to keep your normal yoga practice in your schedule when you’re traveling, but there are plenty of ways to incorporate enough yoga to keep you going and ease you back into practice when you return from your trip. If you have travel plans for the near future, check out these tips to help you benefit from yoga on the go.

Packing Your Practice

Unless your regular mat is thin enough to fold, you probably don’t want to take your regular yoga mat along with you, but you can easily purchase a travel version that can be folded to fit into your luggage. These mats don’t take up much space and provide you with the tacky surface you need to prevent slipping. As for clothing, if you plan to do most of your yoga in your hotel room, you canobviously wear whatever you want (or not) ! Ifyou plan to attend classes at studios where you’ll be traveling, pack quick-drying clothes that won’t stink up your whole suitcase if they get sweaty.

For the Technophiles

Make use of apps, podcasts, and online videos for take-along yoga instruction. There are several free applications for Apple products, and free podcasts and videos can easily be found online. For example, try the Yoga Stretch app and Yoga Journal’s iPractice. These tools can help you keep your practice on track while you travel.

Yoga for the Road

Try these poses and simple techniques while on an airplane or riding in a vehicle. By keeping yoga integrated in this relaxing and effective way, you’ll be better prepared to do a few more advanced poses when you’ve arrived at your destination.

• Standing forward bend – try this in the bathroom if you’re flying, or anywhere that allows you enough space to reach down and touch your toes. Just make sure that the seatbelt sign is off and that there’s no turbulence, or you could end up bumping your head. Focus on letting the weight of your head lengthen your spine.
• Twist stretches – sitting in your seat, put one hand on the outside of the opposite knee and twist toward that knee, looking over your shoulder and taking 5-10 deep breaths. Repeat on the other side, remembering to keep your chin parallel to the floor.
• Alternate nostril breathing – this technique can be used anywhere to relax your entire body. Fold the index and middle fingers of one hand in toward the palm, then use the thumb of the same hand to press against one nostril. Inhale through the other nostril and then block it with your ring finger, holding your breath. Release your thumb, exhaling through the first nostril. Repeat until you feel calm.

Essential Hotel Room Poses

Before diving into poses from your regular routine, try a few of these to help expel the toxins that build up during travel.

• Cat stretch – on all fours, alternately arch your back with your head down as you exhale, then invert the pose by lifting your head and relaxing your spine into a concave posture as you inhale. Repeat until you feel the tension releasing from your muscles.
• Cleansing breath – sit with your legs crossed and the backs of your hands resting on your knees, thumbs touching index fingers. Quickly contract your abdomen to expel all of the air in your lungs out through your nose. Now, relax the abdominal muscles and allow your lungs to fill with air of their own accord. Repeat this technique ten times.
• Spine stretch – lie on your back with your legs resting against a wall at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees. Stay in this position and observe your breath.
• Now you’re ready to do a few poses from your routine and finish as usual with the corpse pose.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at the Online Schools site and performs research surrounding online kinesiology degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Phyzz yogi Suzi Tucker was one of the lucky few who headed to the first Phyzz Retreat at La Duna last spring. After being introduced to yoga classes with Phyzz at Office Nomads, Suzi decided to take the plunge and head south for a week of yoga, meditation, and excursions.

What was Suzi’s favorite part of her experience? Well, it was hard to narrow down: “There were about 1001 wonderful things about that retreat,” she told us.

“La Duna is magical! You have the ocean, the desert, and the mountains all right there in the same place.”

The idyllic setting inspired Suzi to take life at a different pace than she usually does.

“I got up to watch the sunrise every day while I was there. I’m not normally a morning person! But it was just so beautiful.”

While on the retreat, Suzi took advantage of all the opportunities made available to her. She practiced yoga, enjoyed great excursions like swimming with sea lions, and even meditated for 30 minutes each day. “I never make time for meditation at home!”

Suzi had only rave reviews to pass along about the hosts at La Duna, Miguel and Gabriela.

“They are sweet and wonderful and take such good care of you.”

They took great care of Suzi, who has some special dietary needs. “They took note of all my needs and rolled with it – it was such a relief to not have to think about it for a whole week!”

“I’d definitely go again,” Suzi shared with us. And hopefully she will. On her first trip there she was lucky enough to get a special greeting from one of the La Duna locals:

“A whale sang to me!“

Now if that doesn’t tempt you to join us on the next trip, I’m not sure what would.

Want to join us on the upcoming retreat to La Duna? Check out the details here and RSVP! We’d love to have you join us.