Post by Amy Jendro
Let us get straight to the point, NO! There is not a ‘perfect’ posture, although we may think there is. Why? Because perfection in the body does not exist! Each of us have experienced our own traumas (falling out of a tree, slipping on ice), activities (baseball pitcher, cross country runner, golfer), repetitive motions (truck driver, computer worker, guitar player). We are a mixture of our lifestyle choices and daily habits that create patterns in our bodies that result in our own specific postural alignment. For us to believe we can obtain a perfect posture and strive toward that goal will only bring frustration and discouragement.
Instead, let us begin to change our perspective from attaining a ‘perfect’ posture to ‘moving into balance’. By moving into balance we begin to understand ourselves as we are and we can unravel the mysteries of how we hold our habit patterns and begin to break through. We discover what is going on in our own life that is creating an imbalance and we work towards making the changes required to make us feel better.
There is a saying in the Yogic texts:
This is perfect,
That is perfect,
When perfection is taken away from perfect,
Perfect alone remains.
You are perfect the way you are, most of us just do not know this yet or believe it to be true. It is those good old egos of ours that think we need to strive to perfection. Perfection does not exist. Believe it!
So how do we move towards balance? Begin by taking a different approach in your yoga practice. Try not to strive towards a destination, like hands to floor in forward bend. Instead, begin to feel how your body moves from beginning and end, from start to finish, and then back again. Discover, explore and get curious versus pushing, forcing and striving. You may be surprised what you discover as well as find a sense of balance and well-being within.
This webinar ‘How is your spine doing?” hosted by Lucas at YogaBody is a fantastic clip to help you understand your posture and finding your balance within. It is approximately 58 minutes long but well worth the time:
http://www.yogabodynaturals.com/backcare-freebie1
Enjoy your exploration! As always Central Lakes Healing Arts supports you and your practice; if you have any questions throughout your exploration, please let us know and we can try to assist you on your journey.
Namaste.
Beginning next week, CLHA will begin a new series of classes - Yoga Fusion
Monday and Wednesday nights from 5:30-6:30 with Amy Jendro
Post by Amy Jendro
Since my training began last October, many folks asked what is it about yoga that you like so much? Which led me to explore that question for myself and thought it might be good to share.
My personality is of the type of independence and resistance. Nobody could tell me what to do. In fact, if someone told me what to do, I would do the opposite. If I was told I could not do it, I would despite the fact if it was even was something I wanted to do.
As I grew older, my independence created many opportunities to expand in my environmental career, allowed me to gain great lengths in my athletic adventures, and led me to my husband who honors and understands that part of my personality.
However, my independence also brought separation and an attitude of the need to be better; constantly striving to be different and unique and pushing so hard to better myself at everything I did. If I did not do this, I was nobody, a failure. This is how strong this part of my personality is.
Enter yoga. Of course, like most, my yoga practice began because my body was sore and very unhappy. Long hours of running on pavement, created so much tension in my hips I would walk with a sight limp, my neck and shoulders where so tight I couldn’t look over my right or left shoulders. At first, I thought yoga would provide me with the tools to keep pushing through, to be bigger, better and stronger, and it did.
Then my practice grew into something more. Sometime, somehow, somewhere during my mat practice, my perspective changed. I began to listen to myself.
The biggest change in my life came when my focus switched from self-improvement to self-discovery. I was perfect the way I was, no need to strive to be any other way, the problem was I just did not see it nor understand it.
Why yoga? What I love about yoga is it allows me to keep my independence. Nobody told me do this, do that; believe this, believe that; you are this; you are that. Instead yoga said ‘listen to your own experience’. It is your own direct experience through which you learn and develop your depth of character. Nobody, NOBODY, will ever have the same exact experiences as you. It is up to you to know yourself, to trust yourself, to know what is good and bad for you.
There is an opportunity to learn about your self in every moment of every day. The trick is to be present in the moment to be open to that experience. For example, how often do you find yourself missing out on part of a conversation because you began to get lost in your own thoughts, going off on a mental tangent? That is you not being present, missing out on that present experience.
So I do yoga, I allow myself to be present in my practice and it carries with me through the rest of the day. If you give yourself an opportunity to learn from each experience, then there will be no other option but to grow in depth and character, to really understand who you are, not who others perceive you to be.
Explore the experiment, the experiment of the self discovery of you. Let yoga be an opportunity to discover who you are, for your own self. Yoga will never tell you who you are, or what to believe in. It is only a tool, a tool to figure it out for yourself. That is why I love yoga.
Namaste.
Namaste
The fall schedule brings more AM classes and changes to Tuesday and Thursday evening. Saturday starts 30 minutes earlier. See you at class!
On Labor Day there will not be class for Yoga Fundamentals. Amy will be on vacation in Bayfield Wisconsin.
This Saturday July 30th Amy Jendro will be running both 9am and 10:30am classes at CLHA. Make sure to make it in! Work begins on the fall schedule. Feel free to email class times that fit best your schedule at clharts@gmail.com Some of you know about plans of opening in Nisswa. I am excited, but it will be at a turtles pace, slow and steady. Students have been sharing stories of their growth and learning with friends and family, thank you for spreading the word. Welcome new students, we look forward to assisting you on your path.touch the feet of the god.
Come join us next Monday, June 20th from 5:30-7:00 as we explore the crazy world of backbends! You may be surprise at what may be limiting you in these poses…limited spinal extension, shoulder inmobility, missing our pelvic stability, not engaging our core strength and of course the number one factor for most limitation, not connecting to our breath.
Our classic asana for exploration will be Camel Pose (Ustranana).
Love to see you all there, and remember the best part of Yoga Fundamentals is having FUN exploring who we are and what our bodies can do!
Amy
Students look under yoga tab for summer class changes.
No Wednesday evening class and new Friday AM class beginning 6/3! Class starts at 10am.
On Saturday, 6/11 9am class is cancelled but I will be teaching at 10:30am. Come get your yoga on after the Sour Grapes Run!
Namsate
Somatic exercises change your muscular system by changing your central nervous system through motor-sensory re-education. When you learn somatics, you learn to retrain your central nervous system to function more efficiently.
For example if you can twist your spine to the right, but not as far when you go left, your limitations are probably not due to genetic inadequacy or lack of effort. Rather this happens as a result of involuntary muscular contractions caused by long term stress and developed habit patterns.
Join Amy in Yoga Fundamentals on Monday, May 30 5:30-7:00 to break through your habit patterns that may be limiting your yoga practice and maybe even your life!!
As a special treat, since it is Memorial Day, we will finish class with a 15 minute relaxation technique called ‘61 Points’.
Hi all…..Amy here from CLHA!
Join in on the fun on Saturday, July 9th up at Duluth’s beautiful bay front for the Twin Ports Bridge Festival. The studio I am currently in training at, Yoga North, will be participating in leading a Community Yoga class during the event. Tickets are only $29 for the entire event, which includes headliner Michael Franti & Spearhead!
Here is more:
The Twin Ports Bridge Festival will be a day devoted to celebrating each other, our diversity, and our togetherness.
The program includes musicians Michael Franti & Spearhead, Cloud Cult, James Moors, and Sarah Krueger; speakers Pete Feigal and Xavier Bell; group yoga demonstrations; outdoor kids’ activities; a nonprofit showcase; local food & craft vendors; and more to come.
Tickets ($29 for adults, FREE for kids 10 and under) go on sale April 16 at http://laughingstockdesign.biz.
For more information, visit Event Website:
