I got to take a class led by a childhood friend of mine last Wednesday evening at the Cosmic Cafe here in Dallas. Robin Riddle recently received her yoga teacher certification through the Dallas Yoga Center and teaches this one public class every week. The class and Robin’s teaching style are soothing, quiet and almost meditative. I found myself able to do practically the entire class with my eyes closed. I’ll be back.

The 6-week series will start April 21st, and run for 6 consecutive Wednesday evenings, from 7-8:15pm.

Go to my Beginner’s Yoga Series page for more information and to register.

One of the bonus features is the extended interview with B.K.S. Iyengar, who gives us this little gem, speaking of the physical work, the asana practice, as preparatory work for the spiritual: “It is a preparation, but everything is inherent in it.” This is my favorite moment of the film. Mr. Iyengar began studying Yoga because he was a very sickly child. He practiced Yoga to improve his health and it wasn’t until after years of practice, when he reached his twenties that he felt restored and strong. When asked about his learning of and interpretation of yogic philosophy, he replied that he didn’t really embrace it until later in life, in the 1960’s, largely because it was impractical to his goal of getting well when he was younger. “Who has time for philosophy when you’re ill?” If you’ve read “Light on Yoga” you understand Iyengar’s approach to Yoga asana practice as a tool that promotes good health, strength, physical vitality.

But “everything is inherent in it.” I take this to mean asana practice is, or can be, about more than physical preparation. I take it to mean the exercise of yogic philosophy can happen within the physical practice. Iyengar teaches us that Yoga is the union of body and mind with the soul. In a way, that union can happen whether we are aware of it, or whether we try to achieve it or not. This is the happy irony of a Yoga practice and is also something reflected in the film: we try so hard, we reach for, strive for, yearn and move toward what we think we are supposed to achieve and the Indian gurujis smile and laugh at our labors.

“Everything is inherent in it.” It’s not out there, waiting for us to reach it. It’s in us. It’s in our practice. Just keep practicing.

Yoga Mannequin - Vrksasana

Putting aside for the moment my ongoing series on Jung and Yoga (series?! But there’s only one article!), I wanted to share some thoughts and some resources on yoga apparel. That’s right: yoga clothes. One of the most talked about issues in the yoga community I’ve found is the affordability factor: not only of yoga classes, but also the high cost of some of the clothes suitable for a comfortable yet challenging and confident practice.

Lower-cost apparel: You might think that a big-box retailer like Target (that stocks brands such as Champion sportswear (produced by Hanesbrands, Inc.) would be the go-to place for inexpensive, easily replaceable yoga basics like bra-top camisoles, leggings and light-weight tees. Ditto for Wal-Mart and perhaps some of the others. Their yoga wear is well-made, stands up to a lot of wear and washing and it fits the tighter budget. But lower-cost usually means materials procurement and manufacturing are outsourced. Outsourced usually means environmental or human/worker rights abuses. Do a little research the next time you need tank tops or a pair of yoga capris and are thinking cheaper is automatically better.

“But cheaper is what I can afford. How can I shop and keep a conscience?” For all their alleged faults, Target/Champion and WalMart also stock Danskin, a sweatshop-free company that also makes some of the best plus-size sportswear. Gap, Inc. (Old Navy, Banana Republic, and now Athleta) has for years been taken to task for worker abuse and child labor violations in the countries where it manufactures its brands. In 2008, they came up with a plan you can read here. Perhaps they are doing the right thing. I hope so because Old Navy also puts out very quality, low-cost yoga apparel.

Other options include thrift and 2nd hand clothing shops, which are great resources for tanks and t-shirts (not so much for pants).

Higher-end apparel: Pricier apparel is sometimes pricier because the materials are different or more expensive themselves. Organic and natural fibers have no synthetics or dyes and will allow the body to breathe easier. High-tech materials are more expensive to produce. Again, invest up front in these and they will last longer than inexpensive wear.

Here are some links to some of the boutique brands:

Athleta – owned by the same group that owns Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. It appears that Athleta still manufactures here in the U.S., but you can click here to read Gap, Inc.’s efforts to be a more socially responsible company.

BePresent – they of the very pretty logo you often see on the waistband of their split leg yoga pants.

Gaiam – A complete natural and organic lifestyle company. They also manufacture inexpensive yoga props (mats, bolsters, straps, etc.) you can find at Target.

Lucy -I have not tried any yoga wear by Lucy, but hear good things. They also offer an instructor discount.

Lululemon - Vancouver, BC based company that often holds in-store yoga demos and offers an instructor discount.

prAna – another very eco-conscious manufacturer of active and casual wear. Shop their online outlet for good deals.

Factors to consider in your own purchasing decisions:

1. How active are you? Power yoga junkie? Do you cross-train and incorporate other activity into your routine? If so, you probably already have a handle on yoga and other sportswear that allows the body to wick away moisture. Both lower-cost and boutique brand yoga apparel is out there for you. On the other hand, some folks swear by 100% cotton for moisture absorption.

2. What’s your budget? Can you spend a lot up front or a little over time? Higher-end gear is an upfront investment that will last longer (sometimes) than lower-priced yoga wear.

Know of other yoga outfitters? Smaller or locally based? Let us know in the comments!

Photo by H. Cartier-Bresson from the cover of "Memories, Dreams Reflections"

I’ve been reading Carl Jung again. June Singer’s “Boundaries of the Soul: The Practice of Jung’s Psychology” is an excellent Jung primer (originally published in 1972; Singer died in 2004 when she was well into her eighties). It is an in-depth exploration of Jung’s work that is full of insight from the point of view of a practicing Jungian analyst. I’ve read Jung’s memoir “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” many times over, but reading almost any of his technical work can be a daunting task, to say the least and sadly there are very few books that take the reader through the full spectrum of Jung’s fundamental contributions to the field of psychology. I’m enjoying it as much as any of the very good fiction I’ve read in the last year or so.

What is it about Jung’s work that is so captivating? I’ve always felt something fundamentally true about Jung’s concept of “individuation,” a term coined by Jung to describe the process by which we become psychologically “whole.” It allows for the unease I’ve long felt with myself, the self-doubt and suspicion that I’m not living in the fullest, truest expression of myself; that there is work still to be done, insight yet to be gained. Jungian psychology posits that obstacles can be recognized and worked through by analyzing not only the conscious memories of significant events that have helped to shape your personality, but also the symbols of psychic processes revealed in your dreams.

At this particular point in my life my attraction to Jung is largely informed by my Yoga practice and my next few posts here will explore some of Jung’s work as it relates to the work of a personal Yoga practice. The discipline of Yoga as described by one of my favorite teachers, is a “journey toward understanding the self.” The Yogic journey, like the path toward individuation, is lifelong work, and involves mastery of the body and stilling the fluctuations – the “busyness” – of the mind. And I love that quote because it speaks so plainly of what I’ve always felt is what a Yoga practice truly reveals and gives to the practitioner: a way to know who you really are. And it does this by teaching you to look outside yourself and to acknowledge and develop the witnessing mind, detached and purely observant, without judgment. But is the true goal of Yoga — Samadhi or liberation from the constraints of the ego — compatible with that journey? Is it enough to gain that understanding of the self without ultimately losing the self?

It is this tension I want to explore by examining Jung’s writing about Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga in particular. I’d like to find a way toward answering the question, “in what practical ways can our Yoga practice (or any meditative practice) contribute the process of individuation?”

Join us from 12-1:15pm Monday, 12.21.09 at CHI Studio for a special Winter Solstice Yoga class.

We’ll begin with low lights and more restorative (yin) asana including supine postures and forward bends. We’ll move gradually toward opening the front body, releasing the light of the heart center through chest openers, back bends and slow-moving Sun Salutations (yang). After savasana we’ll end our practice with a seated meditation honoring both the seasonal and personal transformation and balance of the Solstice, surrounded by glowing candlelight.

This class is suitable for all levels of yoga practitioner. Beginners are warmly welcomed. Come join us for the perfect, no-stress opportunity to honor the spirit of the season.

This will be an All Levels class (Beginners welcome!) that will focus on – you guessed it – the Digestive System! An energizing flow series will incorporate spinal twists and inversions to keep the digestive organs working in top form.

I think Mr. Iyengar explains it well. The following is from his “Light on Yoga”:
“Aum: According to Sri Vinoba Bhave, the Latin word Omne and the Sanskrit word Aum are both derived from the same root meaning ‘all’ and both words convey the concepts of omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. Another word for aum is pranava, which is derived from the root nu meaning to praise, to which is added the prefix pra denoting superiority. The word, therefore, means the ‘best praise’ or the ‘best prayer.’” Patanjali uses the word pranava in the Yoga Sutras.

Some thoughts on the significance of 3:

Interpretations A – U – M:
Waking, dreaming, dreamless, combined: state of transcendence
Speech, mind and breath (prana), combined: living spirit
Length, breadth, depth, combined: divine, formlessness
Absence of desire, fear and anger, combined: “perfect man”, wisdom grounded in the divine
Masculine, feminine, neuter, combined: all creation together with the Creator
Past, present, future, combined: the Creator, transcends time
Teachings of mother, father and guru, combined: knowledge of the self
Asana, pranayama, pratyahara, combined: Samadhi, transcendence
“Tat Twam Asi” – “That Thou Art”, the realization of man’s divinity within himself, combined; realization of this state, “which liberates the human spirit from the confines of his body, mind, intellect and ego.”

T.K.V. Desikachar talks about OM as an audible symbol we use to invoke isvara, which we can think of very loosely – as it has no direct translation – as “divine power” or supreme state of being. To begin to reach toward the experience of isvara we meditate and use the sound of OM as a mantra to let our minds merge the sound and the concept of that supreme state. He describes “the full meaning of om” as the sound that conveys “all that can be expressed in words, but also that which cannot be expressed in words.”

I like to think of the chanting of OM in our classes as a way to open our practice, to further focus our attention, and to set our intention for the hour. When a roomful of yogis bring that sound out from within, the communal effect is also quite amazing, and quite beautiful. The next time we chant, contemplate the “trinities” of your own life experience and bring that to your asana work or to your meditation time. Make the OM meaningful for you. As Mr. Desikachar says, “With the sound OM we say everything.”

Pranam~

It’s autumn and soon enough the holidays are upon us again. What’s the first sign for you? Changes in the weather? The first leaves turning on the trees? Scary jack o’ lanterns and bonfires? Changing seasons cause us to pay attention to what our senses are registering in us, perhaps more at this time of the year than any other. Why is it that so many people love the seasons of spring and fall so much? The senses are fully, actively engaged; almost overwhelmed.

One of the surest signs for me (and my husband) is in what we want to cook and eat at home. Big bowls or plates of warm, comforting stewed things; or an impulse to bake rises up. I begin tagging recipes in the holiday issues of my food magazines.

One thing that’s different for me this year though is a deepening awareness of how my body reacts to food. I was born thin and have been blessed with a very high-functioning metabolism for most of life. My body literally burned with digestive energy at night and my weight hasn’t fluctuated more than 3-4 pounds over the past 20 years. I’ve always been very conscious about what I eat and have for years leaned much more toward a whole foods diet, but have been able to eat pretty much what I want without worrying about calorie-counting. Classic pitta constitution.

Manipura Chakra

Then I turned 40 and almost immediately I noticed changes. Many of them were normal, natural, but some have noticeably altered the way I feel and move. My digestive system is becoming more sensitively attuned to what I’m feeding it and in some instances has strongly resisted my desires to keep giving it the strong, spicy, acidic diet I’ve always loved. It’s as if the fires of digestion have smoldered to the point where they create only acrid smoke that has nowhere to go but back up the digestive tract! When I pull out my Ayurvedic cookbook and start actively reducing the pitta elements in my diet, I feel so much better, and not just in my belly!

Let’s look, too  for a moment, at the belly in psychological terms. In Kundalini yoga (the most psychically [i.e., psyche]-oriented of all of the schools of yoga), the belly is the location of the manipura chakra, the center of transformative fires. At least symbolically, engaging a strong manipura energy (through the practice of Kundalini Yoga) is a positive force and necessary for continued growth and transformation. In Carl Jung’s interpretation, manipura is where we burn through our passions and desires in order to begin to realize our individual nature. In the wisdom of the chakras, manipura is where we put forth ambition, where we exercise power and is sometimes associated with the years when we are forging (to use another heat-related metaphor) our careers and defining who we want to be.

Around the time of my most recent bout with these uncomfortable changes to my system, I dreamt intensely for two or three nights in a row, twice a recurring dream where I was trying to teach yoga in my studio but was constantly thwarted, interrupted or otherwise distracted by people and things and activity. I’ve decided to work with the imagery in these dreams in terms of who I am in the scheme of my own life at this moment. What is it that I think I want and what’s still in the way that I have ignored or repressed? In other words, it’s perhaps not enough that I changed my life to pursue a path I felt would bring me a deeper sense of satisfaction along with the opportunity to really give something of value to people (and that desire came relatively late in my life). That alone will not bring me to a fuller realization of myself. There are still boxes full, rooms full of stuff and relationships to unpack that in my dreams, are literally, in my way.

Following the course of kundalini, I might consider that becoming a yoga teacher is still (unconsciously) bound up with the ego’s desires and “burning through” that want could create the space to more deeply connect with what my yoga practice means to me, and how I can take that deepening awareness – that more genuine relationship of my self to myself – to my students. Through yoga we become more real to ourselves. It follows necessarily that we become more real to those around us.

Which is all to say I’m very focused on the mid-region, in my own practice, but in my teaching too; especially at a time when we’ll feel compelled to overindulge a bit here and there. I always assumed my yoga practice alone would keep me fit physically and mentally but as I get older I want to bring more practices into my life that benefit the whole person: Ayurveda, restorative yoga, pranayama and meditation. These practices enhance the equanimity, the sense of balance and calm I get from yoga and give me the energy, the joy to pursue all the things in my life that keep me sane and present and help me to grow and stay creative: my teaching, music, art, food, home, family and friends.

Be extra aware of and nice to your “belly” this season – both with what you put in it that will help keep your agni, your digestive fires, balanced and active, but also, give some thought to the psychic force of the manipura chakra. What’s vivid, burning, and intensely alive for you right now and what does it mean for your own, unique sense of personhood? What’s the fire in your belly?

I continued my class with my private school teachers over the summer as well, which brought a level of continuity and deepening of their commitment to their practice. We continue on through the new school term with a weekly class that meets in the school’s new dance studio. The school is offering yoga classes for students this year too and the demand is high!

If you’d like more information about forming a group class of your own (either one-off or ongoing) send me an email! I especially love working with new students and those looking to transition from Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced work. A one-off class for a special occasion can be fast-paced or slow and restorative. There are as many options for classes as there are interested students!

Pranam~

Shannon