Dance has always been a part of my life.  Growing up I so very desperately wanted to be a ballerina, I positively adored ballet and everything that had to do with it.  In my mind I was Angelina Ballerina-the clumsy girl who grows up to become a world-class dancer.  I would dream of one day dancing at the Kennedy Center (my family was living in D.C. then).  Later on it was a drill sergeant of a ballet teacher that turned me off.  There really is something to be said of a woman telling 10 year olds that their butt is too big… it really is sad how something as beautiful as ballet can have such a negative impact on young girls.  Luckily I got out of it without an eating disorder, even at 10 the rebel in me was very sure that I was not the one with the problem, she was.  So I quit, but still loved to dance. 
Being a rather shy person, however during my teen years, my dancing stayed confined to my bedroom and my cd player. 
It wasn’t until many years later after practicing yoga that I have rekindled my passion for dance.  It is through the lessons I have learned on my yoga mat, specifically "being present" that have allowed me once again to feel into my own dance.  Through yoga I am learning to accept my body and learn how to move in it in a way that can honor my true essence.  This is what I have learned these past months experiencing the YogaPlay classes.  Yes, I am probably still the clumsy girl, and so help me I was born with out a sense of rhythm and so what? The truth is that I love twirling around!!!I It is the ultimate freedom, to let your body guide you through movement.  Take your own journey, follow your own path, and above all dance like no one is watching!

Laura

The other day we came across this blog on the Yoga Journal’s website that struck resonance with us. The author, Sadie Nardini, talks about how important it is to listen to your body and do what feels right rather than struggle and force yourself into the "right pose". I believe that purpose of yoga is to make you feel good so I wanted to share this blog with you:

"This weekend, I’m leading a three-day Core Strength Immersion in New York City. After writing my post about respecting limitations while still seeking transformation, I decided to make a public statement, not only to the 60 students in the room, but all the future yogis who will watch the Immersion (it’s being filmed): Let your poses be imperfect.

That’s right; I’ve hit a tipping point in my teaching where I am becoming much more interested in what a student can do to be more honestly themself in a pose, and I care much less how straight they can get their front leg in Triangle.

For an instructor who doubles as an anatomy geek, it may seem unusual to hear me say this, yet nothing could be more my style. Symmetry, or perfection as we sometimes think of it (the "perfect" body, relationship, or handstand), is what you get in a office building, with its level surfaces and, straight lines.

Balance, on the other hand, is what nature does, and it’s wild and free, yet comes to find its own equilibrium after all. Think of a river, which meanders here and there but ultimately reaches its source.  

In your yoga poses, and your life–have you been remaining sensitive to your state of balance, or straining for symmetry? If it’s the latter, this may help give you perspective:

There is not one thing in the human body that runs in a straight line. Our bones, blood, and breath all move in a spiral motion. Our nerves, spine, brain, joints, GItract? Not linear either.

Yet so often, we strive to attain linear poses that our bodies are not made to reach. We want to be in alignment in a way that’s healthy and balanced, but it’s easy to let symmetry-seeking creep into the process. The end result can be a hardening of the outer body, layering on more and more  tension as we try to grip and force ourselves into pre-conceived geometry.

Instead, there is a way of balancing this sthira (strength) with sukha (ease). A way to allow our spinning, waving, spiraling selves to soften enough to find the true edge, dissolve areas of tension, and still move forward into what is our unique optimal alignment.

I speak from experience, because I used to be militant about doing every pose "right." In my quest for the perfect body on and off the mat, I developed an eating disorder as well as a ton of yoga-related repetitive stress injuries. Along the way, I did reach my goal of handstand without the wall. What I did not attain, however, was any sort of happiness or joy. Therefore, in my opinion, I wasn’t practicing yoga at all, but dukha, or suffering. A focus on perfection will always circle back to the big D.

Later in life and yoga, I got so sick (literally) of forcing myself into a box, that I began to seek out studios and teachers who advocated mindful, individual adaptation over form. I noticed that most of these teachers were over 40, many of them much older. Their physical asanas were very different than mine, yet the message is so freeing: Take this practice, poses, lessons and all, and make it yours, without apology or regret.

Approaching 40 myself, I can tell you that a relaxation occurs after a certain amount of time struggling and failing to reach absolute symmetry. You see it in the attitudes of certain grandparents, and it shows up in the practices of longtime yogis.  The amazing thing is, once I let go of my quest for the unattainable, many of the poses, like the hovering jump-forward that I could never before master, became available to me.

Yoga, ultimately is a path of personal transformation, not perfection. Reclaiming this aspect of your practice gets you into direct connection with your core, and asks that you express your truth to the world in the way that’s best for you. When we remember that our growth and spiritual awakening happens only to the extent we can get present, get close to our inner nature, and take actions from integrity–none of which have a thing to do with a false ideal of perfection–life becomes wildly, strangely, perfect after all.

Sometimes, I feel like anything not on the the mat is forbidden territory–or "hot lava," as we called it in my childhood. Yet venturing outside the rectangle can be just what you need to find pockets of tension, and then move and breathe to release them."

If this blog inspires you I would recommend trying Sofiah Thom’s class "Bamboo Yoga". It is a class for those who dare to get of their mats and listen to what their body tells them. Bamboo Yoga is a Vinyasa flow fusion class designed to connect you with your breath, body and creative spirit. Please view our schedule for dates and times.

I am a total book worm. I love to read.  Some of my earliest memories are of reading and going to book stores.  I love book stores.  I remember the first time I walked into a Barnes and Noble I remember thinking, this is my idea of heaven: endless books and the lingering smell of coffee coming from the Starbucks in the corner. I have been living in the jungle for some time now.  And yes, it is paradise, weekends are spent surfing, hiking, playing in the river.  I get to practice yoga in an amazing studio with an incredible view of this costarican paradise, but if there is something that I miss from living in "civilization" is going to bookstores.   And yet I’ve manged to maintain my book habit.  There’s this thing I do, whenever there is a book I want to read, I dedicate to it a couple of minutes everyday, thinking about the book, sending it out there that I want to read it and eventually it makes it’s way to me.  Book exchanges are, in my opinion, one of the best things ever. Sure enough whenever I want to read something eventually, I’ll find it at a book exchange.

That’s why I was so interested when I heard there was a Mudra, Mantra, and Manifestation Workshop with Sherry Ryan at Bamboo YogaPlay.  I realized this is what I’ve been doing with books, it’s the same principle.  I’m looking forward to learning more about this concept that if there is something in life we want, we can learn how to manifest it learning to use Mudras and Mantras.  The whole idea behind it is quite fascinating to me. 

In the mean time if anyone has a copy of Dan Brown’s the Lost Symbol that wants to exchange at the Bamboutique’s book exchange that would make my day!

Laura

 I am a huge Cesar Millan fan.  I have been watching the Dog Whisperer pretty much since it came out.  At first the show’s draw was for obvious reasons, I am a dog lover and have a crazy bull terrier that on occasion gets the best of me.  So I started watching Cesar’s show hoping that I too would learn to be "calm and assertive" with my pooch.  The more I watch the show and get to see the people that Cesar visits the more convinced I become that this show, despite it’s name is not about dogs it’s about us humans.  If you have ever watched the show, you’ll know what I mean.  Yes, on the surface it looks like the ones with the problems are the canines but if you pay attention you realize in reality the human is the one with the issues.  What a truly fascinating dynamic.  According to Cesar it is our energy that influences the way the dog behaves.  So if we are suffering from anxiety we get a neurotic dog. 

So this leads me to wonder, if our energy affects the way our dog behaves, what about those around us?  They must feel it too.  I believe because dogs live more in the now they are more influenced by our energy than people. However we should pay attention to what it is that we are sending out there. 

I have been practicing yoga on and off for about ten years now and am far from getting "it" yet.  Having said that, I do feel there is a shift in the way I interact with others.  I try to be more aware about the way I am feeling when interacting with others and am constantly trying to achieve that "calm energy" that Cesar is always talking about. 

Of course I fail more times that I care to count, but I do try.  Often times during my practice I try to envision my dog’s energy.  This is my intention, to become more like him.  And no, it does not mean that I want to be pampered all day long and chase after sticks and roll around in the sand.  It means that I would love it if I could take everything in stride like he does, not hold grudges, and more importantly to live in the moment.  If you want to learn more about Cesar, you should go to his website www.cesarsway.com and if what I’ve said has sparked an interest in your own practice you should come to one of our yoga classes!

Laura

 

Yesterday I read an article in the New York times about Charles Darwin, one of the greatest minds of our time, in my opinion.  The article mentioned that Darwin suffered  from depression, and he utilized his work to escape from it.  “Work is the only thing which makes life endurable to me,” Darwin wrote and later remarked that it was his “sole enjoyment in life.”  This has stuck with me all day, and has me thinking: well, what am I grateful for in my life? 

Many things.  I am grateful that I live in Dominical, and not some traffic-smog-crazed city.  I am grateful for my little social support group that love and understand me just the way I am.  I am grateful for my darling handsome husband.  I am grateful for my dog, my crazy spirited bull terrier that reminds me every day to live in the moment and not take myself so seriously.  I am grateful for working in Bamboo YogaPlay.  I wouldn’t go as far as say that is is my sole enjoyment in life, but I do love my job.  I get to meet new interesting people everyday.  I am the small talk queen. 

One of the things I love most of my job is the yoga class during work hours policy that we have.  To have the opportunity to deepen your practice in this gorgeous bamboo studio with many different yet equally gifted teachers is amazing.  A truly wonderful job perk!

So my question is, what are you grateful for?  Have you found that thing, or things, in life that bring you enjoyment?  I sincerely hope you have, and if you’re looking maybe you’ll find your answers in one of our yoga classes.  Look for me, I’m the one with the grateful smile on my face.

Laura