Earth Yoga Blog

retreat Q and A

compassion2012 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:10:28 +0000

We have gotten a few questions about the level of yoga to be led during the retreat. The practice will be gentle with modifications for those that need to back off or those that want an extra challenge. Also, we intend for this to be a weekend to really nurture yourself, taking the time you need to reconnect with some peace and quiet as well as the joyful celebration of life and love. The first evening will be introductions to each other and the weekend ahead. There will be yoga, meditation, sound healing and art available all weekend long. However, if you feel that a long walk on the hiking trails throughout the beautiful grounds, or quiet time by the lake is what’s calling you, you are not obligated to any planned activities. There will be designated “down” time. During this time, if you would like to meet one-on-one with an instructor for yoga, meditation, sound healing or art, you will have the chance to coordinate with someone. Down time also includes the availability to continue to work on your mandalas. The art mediums will be ink and colored pencil. For more information and to register contact Genny 225-610-7250.

compassion2012 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:49:34 +0000

“Embark on a journey of guided meditations in nada yoga, the yoga of sound, using sound vibration as medicine to resonate, massage, and heal the subtle body, awakening the heart’s song within.”

CULTIVATE COMPASSION RETREAT

Here is some more information on sound healing and the way it will be used during the retreat…

Sound healing focuses on using the voice with biij sounds and mantras, bhajans and kiirtan, as well as low sound healing instruments. They will be blended in a unique way with guided meditations using strong symbolic internal imagery and light. Vibrations activate the seven primary chakras of the subtle body system, using vowel sounds and harmonic intervals to resonate the muscular, glandular and skeletal system. Sound massages and dissolves crystalized stagnations in the subtle mind-body complex and nadiis to facilitate a well balanced opening of the heart center. In this way we are open to finding our unique song and key signature.

This has the potential to be a really fun and energizing meditation for all. Best of all, it’s a collective experience, the eternal om, which has incredible heart opening and unifying effects on a practicing group!

–Shakti Devii

upcoming workshop

compassion2012 — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:23:17 +0000

February 10th-12th at the Solomon Retreat Center, join Genny Nadler Thomas, Shakti Devii and myself for a weekend retreat to cultivate compassion. This nurturing retreat will immerse you in yoga, meditation, sound healing, and art. The poses will work to soften the heart, release tension and invite you to meet your thoughts with compassion. Embrace healing using the vibrations of sound that resonate in the heart chakra and its energy lines. Immerse yourself in an atmosphere of rest and comfort as you’re guided through meditative inquiries. Discover your own personal, visual expression of compassion through the art of mandalas. All levels welcome! Stay tuned for more information.

Yoga: Creating comfort for those with cancer and lymphedema by Jillian S. McKee

compassion2012 — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:47:42 +0000

Many of us began our yoga practices seeking relief from the various maladies that accompany modern life. For some of us, it was overwhelming stress. Others among us may be drawn to practice as we overcome more serious physical conditions. No matter what brought us here, a core truth prevails; yoga strengthens and comforts as it heals. For yogis whose bodies are fighting cancer, or in recovery from it, these healing attributes are
lifelines.

What Is Lymphedema?
The body’s lymphatic system can be viewed as a clean up and waste removal specialist. It carries lymphatic fluid and immunity factors to the areas where they are needed, and then sweeps away old cells and toxic debris. When the vessels of the lymphatic system become obstructed, fluid retention results and symptoms of lymphedema appear. These may begin with a feeling of heaviness in the affected limb that progresses to more noticeable swelling. If allowed to persist, the swollen tissue may become fibrotic, or hardened, leading to permanent enlargement and impaired mobility.

Common cancer treatments, such as lymph node dissections, radiation, and surgery, can trigger lymphedema. This is known as secondary lymphedema, and its onset may not occur until months or years after cancer treatment. Prevention and self-care for the potentially disfiguring condition depend upon strengthening the circulatory system. Because lymphatic flow is also linked to the blood-pumping action of muscular activity, yoga is an ideal means of intervention.

What Yoga Poses Are Best For Lymphedema?
The accumulation of fluid associated with lymphedema occurs when lymphatic fluid cannot return from the limbs to the thoracic region of the body. Thus, any pose that utilizes gravity to assist in correcting the proper flow will be beneficial. For those whose lymphedema symptoms are concentrated in the legs, gentle inversions like Plow Pose are ideal. Elevating the legs in plow pose has the additional benefit of creating an instant relaxing effect throughout the body. Since lymph flow is enhanced by a relaxed state http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/479 , incorporating it in your yoga routine offers double the rewards http://avanikate.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/deepening-awareness-in-your-poses/ . Other poses that are exceptionally lymphedema-friendly include Cat Pose, and Staff Pose with arms raised, http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2480 .

Yogic Breathing for Lymphedema
For those who cancer manifested in the upper region of the body, as with breast cancer or mesothelioma http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/ yoga emphasis on coordinating movement with mindful breathing is exceptionally beneficial. When lymphatic flow is impeded, tissues are
harmed not only by swelling, but by being deprived of oxygen. Yogic breathing opens the muscles of the chest and shoulders while increasing oxygenation, thus countering these negative outcomes. Practitioners are rewarded with an increased sense of serenity, vitality, and detoxification. Whether you are in recovery from breast cancer, or have just received a mesothelioma prognosis http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/prognosis/, making yogic breathing a part of your daily routine provides comfort at any stage of the cancer journey.

Jillian S. McKee
Check out my new blog!
center-yourself.blogspot.com

Student/Teacher Chant

compassion2012 — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:41:28 +0000

There is a chant that I sing in the beginning of every class I teach. It is a prayer of intention and a tradition at Kripalu. The sanskrit has been translated by one of my teachers, so it is not an exact translation. You can come across different translations, but this is the one I hold close to heart. Since chanting this prayer I have been asked its meaning. At the beginning of the Asana Practice page I have written it out for you in both the sanskrit and its translation. Namaste.

Week Four/C’mon baby, let’s do the twist…

compassion2012 — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:34:56 +0000

“Imagine what it would be like if we couldn’t twist. We couldn’t swing a bat or a golf club. We couldn’t greet someone standing next to us without turning our entire body. We couldn’t even twist the lid from a jar. We would walk like marionettes and dance like robots. Twisting is needed for every activity that involves moving to the side and front simultaneously. Lean diagonally across a table – you twist. Throw a ball – you twist. Scratch your left foot with your right hand – you twist. Not only that, every inquiry about anything not directly in your line of sight requires twisting. It might be something as simple as looking around a room to determine where to go and what to do next, or it could be something as complex as twisting the head, neck, and trunk around…in an automoile to confirm that no one is alongside and slightly behind you before you change lanes…

Take walking. As you stride forward with one foot the opposite hand comes forward – right foot left hand, left foot right hand…This creates a moderate whole-body twist, and a slight twist in the gait not only balances the body, it calms the nervous system.“ excerpt from Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by H. David Coulter.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase…Go walk it off.

This week’s classes have combined twists with lower body strength and balance as we move from one pose to the next. (For example, moving from Utkatasana/Chair with a twist directly into Parivritta Parsvakonasana/Rotated Lateral Angle.) Keep the spine in alignment and enjoy! http://avanikate.wordpress.com/asana-practices/week-fourlets-get-twisted/

Week Three/It’s All About the Back

compassion2012 — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:39:41 +0000

We tend to rely on our back relentlessly. Without the rest of the body supporting the back, especially the stomach, poor posture and overwork can lead to pain and injury. This week we are focusing on strengthening the back, building muscle and bringing length to the spine. In front of every strong back is an even stronger stomach; core, core, core. Be sure to lengthen out of the lower spine instead of compressing it. Allow the bend in the back to arise from a lift in the ribs and chest as opposed to a compression in the low back. To do this, it is imperative to maintain a solid foundation through the pelvis. Keep your lower abdomen and pelvic floor lifted and your tailbone reaching down. Here’s to a good, strong and healthy back.

Week Two in Class

compassion2012 — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:53:51 +0000

The poses I choose before the week begins, and the poses we do in class, vary. I have an intention of working with a focused awareness that shifts from week to week. However, what I have in mind and direction the class actually takes has everything to do with the energy of the students and the direction they lead. I say this for the students who may be reading this and who were also in class…”hey we didn’t do that”. What has remained constant so far is the focus, which I am trying to make a concerted effort to acknowledge at the beginning of practice. The asanas move from there. Week two was helped along with a visual aid…the detached leg of Buzz Lightyear standing in a wide legged stance. You teach from life.

What we did this week in yoga.

compassion2012 — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:07:31 +0000

Teaching excites me and inspires me to constantly learn more and explore. Because I have a tendency to go off in a million different directions, I’ve started to write. What I am teaching during the week has become part of my diaries and I thought I would share this with you. I am two weeks behind in posting what I am teaching in class, but will try to get the past two weeks and this week up quickly. For the most part, the asanas listed are for the intermediate level student, but can be modified and simplified for a more gentle practice. In my experience, the best teachers are the ones who never stop being students. I have been around some amazing teachers lately…and most of them are my students. Thank you for keeping my feet on the ground, my head on my neck and my heart full of love.

practice what you preach

compassion2012 — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:03:21 +0000

This weekend, I braved the stores in search of a few remaining holiday gifts for my family. Throughout the onslaught of traffic, packed parking lots, throngs of people and crowded lines, I maintained a steady flow of breath, hummed a few Christmas songs and made a practice of letting go of the perfect gift when it was nowhere to be seen. After a full weekend of this and no headaches, I felt in a good place to plan my classes for the week. I felt embolded with my ability to keep my calm in consumer mayhem and searched for readings on maintaining the holiday spirit within, releasing the demands of the pretty postcard image of the season. Best to accept and allow what is, and let the rest go. I had put my son to sleep, my husband was still working, so I had the house to myself. I set upon my evening by wrapping presents and imagining my child’s delight upon opening them. Until…I realized to my horror that I did not, as originally thought, order the Buzz Lightyear Deluxe Action Wing Pack. It is quite amazing just how rapidly my bubble of calm burst and splattered all over my peace and acceptance of life as is. I tore into my computer, demanding the shipping confirmation email produce itself and alleviate my anxiety and fear. How could I not have ordered the Wing Pack? It has motorized wings that lift and lower. It has flashing wing lights. It has motion sensor activated flying sounds. I began to scour the internet in search of my wings and everywhere I looked “out of stock” looked me dead on. Finally, finally, I found them. Kmart would happily ship them to me and I would have them here before Christmas Eve. Whew! All was again right in the world. I was glad I had no witness to the before and after.

The next morning I had an email from Kmart…”please forgive us, but we no longer have the item your ordered in stock.” ‘Please forgive us?!!!!’ After another heart palpitating internet search, Amazon granted me my wings and for an exorbitant fee is presently expediting them in their sleigh to my home.

So, needless to say, I shared this story with my students instead of my words of wisdom offering advice on how to keep the peace and calm. Laughter is the best medicine after all.

Happy Holidays!