maureenlouiseyoga

[maureenlouiseyoga]

Hello Neti!

I realise that us yogis get a lot of slack for being a bit 'out there' with our healthy wholesome eating habits, contorting ourselves into various pretzel like poses, and our Sanskrit infused chat, so this yogic ritual of nasal cleansing may seem equally ridiculous to the average Jo. But I would highly encourage you to give this this a go. I tried a nettie pot for the first time the other day and had a bit of a 'eureka' moment! A bit like that new clean feeling you get when you've been to the dentist for a scale and polish... But inside your head! The basic concept is taking a tea pot shaped vessel (kind of like an Aladdin's lamp!) filled with a warm saline solution, and pour it into one nostril and let the water drip through your nasal passage and out the other nostril. I was sceptical and a bit nervous that it would make me gag and cause that uncomfortable drowning sensation that you get when you jump first feet into water as a kid and forget to exhale out your nose, but it was totally fine, just maybe a little awkward. I have since learned that this practice is actually recommended by medical professionals to treat hay fever symptoms, sinus pain and pressure, and allergies, so it is a legitimate thing to do! I must admit, there is a moment of discomfort when the water first passes over the bridge of your nose, but this quickly passes and you hardly feel a thing. It only takes a couple of minutes to do each side. Maybe it's not a ritual that I would look forward to everyday, but it is definitely one worth doing, and one that I've done a couple of times since and it gets easier every time. I've been fortunate enough not to suffer from sinus discomfort or allergies but I did feel a big difference after giving it a go, and I will now be a flying the Neti flag in front of all my hayfever suffering friends and family!

[maureenlouiseyoga]

Lessons learned in pregnancy yoga

Last year my world turned upside down when I found out I was pregnant- quite unexpectedly! I was determined, however, that I would continue my practice throughout my pregnancy and after. During these few months I learned more about yoga then I had in the past 10 years, and very little of it was anything to do with the physical asanas. Here are a few lessons learned.

Be guided by intuition rather than ego. One of the five Yamas of the eight limbed path is Aparigraha which means non- possessiveness, and letting go of things that no longer serves us. The first thing I found in my yoga practice and in my daily life in pregnancy was that my intuition became incredibly heightened. My body was craving the most nutrient green food, and rejecting toxins such as caffeine. My intuition became my guide in my practice as well, and it felt very obvious which asanas were harmful and should be avoided, and which were beneficial for relieving discomfort, and even which were necessary for my forthcoming labour preparation. Every practice was a new lesson, even every downward dog felt a little different depending on my mental and physical state and the position and movement of my baby. I approached my mat with curiosity wondering what I would learn about myself that day, rather than what asana I could get myself into, because the truth was that my practice was physically getting weaker, as my muscles would tire quicker and my bump got in the way! Non attachment became a concept that I began to understand, and rather than rating my practice as good or bad or strong or weak, I stopped putting judgment on it and just did it, and thanked myself for it after.

Creating a yoga community When I attended the pregnancy specific classes I felt a great sense of community which I find can sometimes lack in regular vinyassa classes as people are in a rush to get on their mats and leave abruptly after to get on with their lives. This would begin with the teacher making an effort to learn their student’s names and a bit about them, as well as introducing themselves and sharing a few things about their background and experience. After the class there was also some group discussion which often led to sharing our experiences of helpful services and opportunities within the community. Sometimes the group would to go out for a coffee or meal together to a nearby cafe, or engage in a non yogic activity together. I believe these are all practices that could be extended to regular classes as well, especially as meadowlark has its own cafe next door!

Dedicating your practice Ishvara-pranidhana - a surrendering of your efforts to something greater than yourself. The first time I was at a class while pregnant, the teacher asked the class to set and intention for their practice. This was something I did regularly, but it was generally for my own benefit and what change I wanted to see in my personal life and practice. In pregnancy, my intention became one of dedication to this little life inside me and it made every breath feel more substantial, my mind became more focused and my whole practice more positive. This is now a habit that I have made a part of my regular yoga practice, to offer positive vibes out as prayer to another person who could benefit from it.

Ahimsa. Ahimsa is a Buddhist and Hindu term meaning compassion and refraining from harming (yourself or other beings). I became friends with yoga. My yoga became supportive and nourishing and I would start my practice by being aware of how I was feeling at that moment, then I would honour that feeling, and adjust my practice accordingly, rather than just mindlessly going through the movement as I was being guided by the teacher. I really found this to be a valuable lesson, that yoga could be about just accepting ourselves as we are without judgment or even ambition, but with self care, and surrender and even humour, because it is supposed to be fun as well!

[maureenlouiseyoga]

Lessons learned in pregnancy yoga

Last year my world turned upside down when I found out I was pregnant- quite unexpectedly! I was determined, however, that I would continue my practice throughout my pregnancy and after. During these few months I learned more about yoga then I had in the past 10 years, and very little of it was anything to do with the physical asanas. Here are a few lessons learned.

Be guided by intuition rather than ego. One of the five Yamas of the eight limbed path is Aparigraha which means non- possessiveness, and letting go of things that no longer serves us. The first thing I found in my yoga practice and in my daily life in pregnancy was that my intuition became incredibly heightened. My body was craving the most nutrient green food, and rejecting toxins such as caffeine. My intuition became my guide in my practice as well, and it felt very obvious which asanas were harmful and should be avoided, and which were beneficial for relieving discomfort, and even which were necessary for my forthcoming labour preparation. Every practice was a new lesson, even every downward dog felt a little different depending on my mental and physical state and the position and movement of my baby. I approached my mat with curiosity wondering what I would learn about myself that day, rather than what asana I could get myself into, because the truth was that my practice was physically getting weaker, as my muscles would tire quicker and my bump got in the way! Non attachment became a concept that I began to understand, and rather than rating my practice as good or bad or strong or weak, I stopped putting judgment on it and just did it, and thanked myself for it after.

Creating a yoga community When I attended the pregnancy specific classes I felt a great sense of community which I find can sometimes lack in regular vinyassa classes as people are in a rush to get on their mats and leave abruptly after to get on with their lives. This would begin with the teacher making an effort to learn their student’s names and a bit about them, as well as introducing themselves and sharing a few things about their background and experience. After the class there was also some group discussion which often led to sharing our experiences of helpful services and opportunities within the community. Sometimes the group would to go out for a coffee or meal together to a nearby cafe, or engage in a non yogic activity together. I believe these are all practices that could be extended to regular classes as well, especially as meadowlark has its own cafe next door!

Dedicating your practice Ishvara-pranidhana - a surrendering of your efforts to something greater than yourself. The first time I was at a class while pregnant, the teacher asked the class to set and intention for their practice. This was something I did regularly, but it was generally for my own benefit and what change I wanted to see in my personal life and practice. In pregnancy, my intention became one of dedication to this little life inside me and it made every breath feel more substantial, my mind became more focused and my whole practice more positive. This is now a habit that I have made a part of my regular yoga practice, to offer positive vibes out as prayer to another person who could benefit from it.

Ahimsa. Ahimsa is a Buddhist and Hindu term meaning compassion and refraining from harming (yourself or other beings). I became friends with yoga. My yoga became supportive and nourishing and I would start my practice by being aware of how I was feeling at that moment, then I would honour that feeling, and adjust my practice accordingly, rather than just mindlessly going through the movement as I was being guided by the teacher. I really found this to be a valuable lesson, that yoga could be about just accepting ourselves as we are without judgment or even ambition, but with self care, and surrender and even humour, because it is supposed to be fun as well!

[maureenlouiseyoga]

[maureenlouiseyoga]

[maureenlouiseyoga]

First class!

Did I ever have butterflies in my belly going into this class! The element I was most nervous about was my voice and what would come out of my mouth. Would I stutter and mince my words leaving everyone confused and embarrassed for me? Would I be constantly getting my left and rights muddled up? Well I did my best to set myself up for success and didn’t include hard to cue complicated asanas, but - as is the way for most things in life -the reality is never as daunting as what you psyche yourself up for and I think I did alright! My first class was a group of mostly men - mostly heavily bearded and tattooed men- who meet every week for two hours of combat training and felt that they needed to work on their flexibility. So there were 12 men and 3 women (less bearded but heavily tattooed!) with very little to any experience with yoga, but generally had a good fitness level. They felt that a 45 min class would be appropriate. I really enjoyed creating a custom made class for them, and was happy with the sequencing of it in the end. It was really just a variation of the Ashtanga primary series focusing on the standing poses, a couple of balances like tree and crow, a long held plank, vasisthasana, dolphin press ups, some seated forward folds 4 Navasanas, some backbends, then we were done! I ran out of time before I got to do any inversions but I had planned to do shoulder stand at least. In reflection, I think it went well, and that their needs and expectations were met. They were all pleased and asked if it could be a regular thing, so that’s a promising start. To critique it I would say that it was very demonstration led, which I would like to modify for next time. They were very new to the practice though, so seemed to really need the visual demonstration and didn’t have the knowledge of any pose names to make cueing a bit easier. I kept it pretty lighthearted but they were all working very hard and sweating by the time we got to our second virabhadrasana B. I was impressed by their dedication and eagerness to push themselves through fatigue and get out of their comfort zone. I didn’t find it an easy task! I found it difficult to get the balance of talking through the cues of where to put your feet and what to do with your arms, as well as trying to find time to give verbal adjustments (engage your quads, externally rotate your biceps) while also allowing space for some silence and stillness between poses. It’s a delicate balance - but it was the first time I’ve heard my voice in this situation, so it can only get better! One little tip that got me quite excited in my preparation days leading up to the class; I stumbled upon a website which I found super useful called yogaclassplan.com. It was a great tool to plan and print out a pictorial reference of my class sequencing and keep a record of my classes. Basically they have a massive selection of silhouette stick figures of all of the asanas and you click and drag them into your class plan ‘et voila’! It isn’t free though, and it’s payable in Canadian dollars as its Vancouver based, but I opted for the two week free trial, and loved having a printed document of my class to have as a quick reference while teaching.

[maureenlouiseyoga]

[maureenlouiseyoga]

Hey there!

…and here begins my online ‘yogi for life’ blog! So - a bit about me, I’m a Scottish / Canadian gal - born in Scotland grew up in Canada and have moved around back and forth between these and numerous other countries throughout my life. I’m an avid skier (and snowboarder!) who will always have a piece of her heart in the Canadian Rockies. Yoga started out as a form of fitness and fun and grew into a way of life and source of happiness that I could call on anytime. I’ve grown to love the balance of playfulness, intensity, and calmness that I get from a regular practice, and I learn so much about myself though yoga. I’ve been wanting to deepen and intensify my practice and influence more people to step onto a yoga mat to see for themselves that there is so much healing and strengthening on every level that they can access with a little motivation and a lot of breath. I would love to find a way to inspire people out with our usual ‘yogi demographic’ to find some time in their lives to practice, and I hope one day my classes will be a place where men and women of all walks of life will feel comfortable getting out of their comfort zone and practicing together.