Days 29, 30, and 31

Darn you, December! If you had an even number of days, I would not have had to mess up my pattern. Also, darn you, number 31, for being prime! Factors are your friends.

Anyway. This is the last daily post in the December yoga challenge. I will be posting a final check-in post in a couple of days, but other than that — this is it!

Day 29: Yoga Coffee

My own personal name for shining skull breath (kapalabhati) because, of all the benefits of this pranayama, its energizing capacity is my favorite. (And this particular instructional video is one of the better ones I’ve seen in that it’s pretty clear about contraindications and cautions as well as straightforward instruction.)

[Video by yogayak via YouTube.]

Not that I use it as a substitute for coffee, though. Because that would mean giving up coffee. Eff that.

Day 30: Inflexibility

I have a weird relationship with inflexibility. A lot of body — including some large muscle groups as well as my spine — is pretty flexible. In the event that I’m having some tight muscle issues, they’re usually caused by something acute and temporary — and therefore work themselves out with relative ease (in other words, ease I’d measure in minutes to days rather than in months to years). But the places where I am inflexible — namely, the backs and outsides of my shoulders and the outside edges of my pelvis — are basically inflexible due to bone structure. In other words, I don’t stop moving in a pose there because I feel muscles stretching to their edges: I stop moving in a pose because I hit up — THUNK! — against bone.

So the main thing I want to say here is that the standard yoga advice of “flexibility builds in increments” is sometimes quite true but sometimes also a lie. Soft tissue — muscles, ligaments, fascia — can and often does become more supple over time. Bone, however, does not really change, and mobility limitations due to bone structure (often characterized by “going fine, going fine, BAM!” versus gradually intensifying stretch) are likely permanent fixtures of this time in these respective bodies. I say this not to be unduly negative but rather to be realistic. I hear, “Don’t worry; just keep practicing; eventually you’ll reach [insert flexibility checkpoint here]” way more often than I hear, “It’s okay; sometimes, anatomies just aren’t build this way,” and I think it’s important to balance the message.

Muscle flexibility does increase, and it’s worth working toward. However, just because flexibility does not come in time does not automatically mean UR DOIN IT RONG.

[Video from Sadie Nardini via YouTube.]

The above is a really nice visual and concrete way to modify basic sun salutations for folks with limited flexibility. It’s also worth pointing out that this video clip instructs in a core strength vinyasa style, which, as one might imagine, places a greater emphasis on core strength and activation than do other forms of yoga. Which, I understand if this is not your ideal focus, but I included it anyway because increased attention to the core is almost always a safe way to go.

I think it is absolutely awesome to modify for flexibility, particularly to have less extension in the extremities in order to have greater extension along the axis. I just think it’s worth approaching things knowing that “flexibility” manifests differently in different people. This is a reason why we modify the poses to fit the person, not an indication that something is “wrong” with any given body — no matter how it looks in a shape.

Day 31: Reflections

Overall, it was a lot easier to work daily yoga into my life than I thought it would be. When imagining this challenge, I had envisioned at least a few days of hastily thrown-together asanas at bedtime. Possibly even a day of cheating — scanning back through my day and terming something “yoga” that really wasn’t (e.g., leaning over to pick up the dog food dish is not really half moon if all I’m thinking about at the time is picking up the dog food dish). While some days did not include many minutes of yoga, I’m both surprised and pleased by the fact that I was able to set aside at least a few minutes each day for a truly mindful (albeit sometimes short) practice. That is a good thing, and I hope to continue it.

About posting so many physically focused suggestions, I have mixed reactions. Finding ideas was a lot of work, which by itself is neither positive nor negative. It did help me expand my own ideas about what a yoga practice (even an asana practice) could involve. Consequently, some of that searching was what helped me to find ways to ingrain mindful yoga into my daily life.

On the other hand, though, a lot of the yoga post writing took up some of the physical and mental energy I’d normally dedicate to writing about other topics. I do feel like I’ve neglected those topics — or rather, that I have this unfulfilled drive to still write a lot of things for which I lack both the physical energy and the mental clarity to fashion that drive into coherent words — and I don’t feel like I can do so for much longer.

In short, I’m glad I tried it. I will continue my own daily yoga, but I won’t continue actively searching for new items to share — at least not for a little while. I need to take a break — not from yoga, but from thinking about yoga — in order to think and write about other things.

Day 27 & Day 28

Winding down the Daily Dose of Yoga December challenge. Just a few more days. How have things been going?

Day 27: More on Attachment

Sometimes I think, “What could be so bad about attachments? It’s feeling happiness from the stuff we love.”

Then I remember: post-holiday let-down (and hyphen-fest).

I will not lie. Particularly when I was younger — but even now, to a substantial extent — I look forward to the holiday rush. Not the shopping, and not the packing or the crowded airport traveling, but the activities an introvert might more naturally enjoy: decorating the tree with my sister, wrapping presents with the pets nearby**, even making and serving dinner with my not-so-extended family bustling in and out of the kitchen. There’s an adrenaline rush in the build up to Christmas, and part of me likes that excitement.

On the flip side, though, there’s always the day after Christmas. When I was little, I used to string out opening my new gifts — not the unwrapping part but taking them out of the packaging — because I wanted to make the feeling last. At some point, though, the food prep always turns to dishes and leftovers, the presents to small bits of wrapping paper on the floor, the decorations to the “how are we going to fit that back into storage” game. The moment passes, and the post-Christmas let-down takes its place. For a still happy moment, it kind of sucks.

That said, one way I have matured since, say, age six is that I don’t put quite so much stock in the holiday adrenaline rush. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but I work to have not so much of my happiness invested in it. Strangely enough, when I have less attachment to the build up, I also have less disappointment with the let-down. It’s easier to observe and enjoy both types of sensations — the faster pre-Christmas pace and the slower post-Christmas one — without wanting to cling to one to avoid the other.

** I realize this is the second time I’ve blogged about wrapping Christmas gifts. Seriously, from the time I was maybe eight years old to as recently as last year, I would try to finagle ways into wrapping gifts that weren’t even mine.

Day 28: Winter Blues Yoga:

I tried this sequence the other day and kind of liked it:

[Video by Esther Ekhart of Ekhart Yoga via YouTube.]

And I think at least part of the reason I say I only “kind of” liked it is because I tried it on a day when I was looking for a somewhat more vigorous practice. But it was at the top of my subscription feed, so I thought, “What the heck?” and tried it.

It’s a fairly gentle flow, starting off with a seated body scan and incorporating a few sun salutations, gate pose, sphinx, and bridge, among others. Maybe it was just what my body needed at the time, but I really liked the sphinx pose. What made it particularly awesome was the amount of time we got to spend there, and the instruction focused on making a strong, active pose.

The idea behind this sequence is that it stimulates particular energy in the body that makes it easier to deal with shorter, darker, colder days. I’m not sure I felt that from this practice, but then again — I live in Arizona. Even in December, we are not exactly hurting for sunshine.

Day 25 & Day 26

One of the last few Daily Dose of Yoga posts. Feel free to use or disregard at your discretion.

Day 25: Undoing:

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.

– Lin Yutang via Quotations Page

I often run up against the urge to Get Shit Done, and this urge is especially prevalent and pressing at Christmas. Like, if I do not Do All The Things, it will not actually be Christmas.

For example, I have a Thing about wrapping gifts. If I ever give you a Christmas (does not apply to, say, birthday or other gifts, largely for reasons of tradition) present in only a gift bag, that is generally a sign that:

• I am in even more of a holiday rush than usual.
• Your gift is some fucked up shape and/or contains many small pieces.
• I might not actually care that much, after all.

Okay, so that last one almost never actually happens. But it is often one I am thinking. “I am wrapping these gifts so awesomely because I care about this person.” Which, I mean, is fine as far as it goes — but in the long run, is anyone’s Christmas going to be ruined because I did not add curly ribbon to their package?**

Similarly, I have this Thing about Christmas cooking. Whether it is cookies beforehand or meals on Christmas Eve and/or Day — and in spite of the fact that I’ve become much more flexible about what constitutes appropriately festive food — having the “right” Christmas foods is a big deal to me. Sometimes I get so worked up over food prep that it stresses me out in terms of enjoying the actual day. Part of that is because I legitimately enjoy the food prep itself — and I don’t want to deny myself that enjoyment — but some of it is feeling the pressure to Get (Food) Shit Done.

So I’ve slowly been learning how to undo for the holidays — starting with Thanksgiving (see food prep pressure above) but especially focusing on Christmas (i.e., food prep pressure plus All The Things). And consciously deciding to do some things and mindfully choosing to leave others undone it is very much its own practice. I am not there yet, in Christmas or in everyday life, but I am slowly coming to the realizations that: a) no, pierogi are no the be-all and end-all of Christmas; b) no one really cares whether their present is in shiny paper or not.

** Seriously, if your Christmas has been or is about to be ruined for lack of curly ribbon, comment here or email me. I will bust out the scissors and go to town.

Day 26: Reclined Bound Angle

Whether I use props or not — and for other people, that’s largely going to depend on individual anatomy — to me, this is a posture about letting go.

[Video by Esther Ekhart via YouTube.]

More than any other pose — even savasana — this is the one where I realize that no muscular effort is going to move me deeper into the posture. The only way for me to get more from this pose is to do less.

Day 23 & Day 24

We are coming toward the end of the December Yoga Challenge, though there’s still about a week to go. Maybe the real challenge will be whether I can post another week of daily meaningful suggestions!

Day 22: Doggie Savasana

Protip: Savasana is the perfect position for tummy scritches.

What was that I was saying about meaningful suggestions again?

Still, if it made anyone smile, I maintain that it was worth it.

Day 23: Yoga for Athletes

The downside of this video is that it’s an hour long, probably not ideal if one is trying to fit some yoga into an otherwise busy day. The upside is that it certainly didn’t feel like an hour while I was doing it.

[Yoga Class for Athletes with Michelle Rubin. Video from Do Yoga With Me via YouTube.]

The instructor introduces the class as being aimed toward athletes who might not have a regular yoga practice but who are looking to get some benefit from yoga. I don’t disagree, but I also don’t see any reason this class should be limited to athletes. What I mean is that for me, it was a fairly gentle restorative practice that seems like it would be accessible to a wide variety of people, whether or not they’re new to yoga and whether or not they consider themselves athletes.

The program starts out with a seated series focusing on the neck, shoulders, and wrists. Then it moves to stretching the feet and ankles as well as incorporating some seated core work (hi, boat!). Afterward, there are a couple of reclining sequences, involving more core work and some hip stretching. Because so much of the asanas are seated or reclining, this is a pretty do-able routine for folks who might have issues standing or placing a lot of pressure on their wrists. (There is one seated pose that involves leaning some weight back into the wrists, but playing with the angle can modify how much weight actually goes there.) Additionally, the instructor is there with two additional people, one sometimes demonstrating a more intense version of a pose, the other sometimes demonstrating an option requiring less strength or flexibility.

Finally, though this is not the way it’s presented, I think the class could be broken into two segments for people who are pressed for time — provided one incorporated some final relaxation each time.

Day 21 & Day 22

More daily yoga suggestions! Feel free to use whenever and/or modify.

Day 21: I’m Sick and Tired and I Hurt and I Haven’t Got Time for This Shit Practice:

Who doesn’t need a practice for days like these? Mine — which I generally try to sneak in during the afternoon of an already fairly active day (so I’m usually not super stiff) — looks like this:

1. Integration: Child’s Pose — I hold it for a couple of breaths, just long enough to check in that it’s physically safe for me to do a short practice and to commit myself to the idea that I will do it.

2. Thread the Needle — I do a short vinyasa here, entering and exiting the pose on one side before I hang out in my fullest expression of it for the day (which is actually not very deeply twisted since it comes so early in my practice). I stay in this place for 5 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

3. Half Sun Salutes, enough to loosen up to the point where my fingertips are on the ground with a flat back (which is my usual level of flexibility there but is definitely not everyone’s).

4. Sun Salute with a Low Lunge/Half Pyramid Vinyasa — I do 3 rounds of the vinyasa, hanging out in each final half pyramid and low lunge for 5 breaths.

5. Sun Salutes — I do 3-5 of them, jumping back into chaturanga and forward into ardha uttanasana whenever I can because my goal here is to bring a lot of heat into my body.

6. Sun Salute with Triangle — Sometimes I go through warrior 2 and reach forward and down into triangle. Sometimes I go through a lunge and reach out and up into the pose. Either way, I hang out for about 5 breaths on each side.

7. Camel — Twice, for maybe 8 or so breaths each time. The first time, I take a variation that lets me feel out what’s happening in my spine that day. The second time, I take a deeper variation if that feels appropriate.

8. Pigeon — I like to enter from downward dog and hang out on each side a good long while: upright for 5-ish breaths, maybe with some controlled pulses; another 5 or so to move forward into my shape; and staying there for maybe 10-12 breaths to relax into it. Longer if I want because I’m about to be done.

9. Restoration: Maybe through a quick neutralizing down dog, then back to child’s pose. I don’t usually take savasana afterward but do stay in balasana long enough to use it as a final relaxation.

With relaxation, this takes me somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. For others, I imagine that might vary some based on repetitions and pace.

Day 22: One Moment

By self-control over single moments and their succession there is wisdom born of discrimination.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 3.51

As I’m writing this, though not as you’re reading, there are 11 student days left before my semester break. That’s 77 contract hours with students (though I’ll spend more), 4620 minutes.

It’s nice that I don’t have to have a plan for how to keep myself together through all of that time. Just this moment, and maybe the next.

Day 19 & Day 20

Another day of yoga suggestions. This time, both of them have to do with sinus discomfort. Because if it is that time of year again for me, it may well be that time of year again for others. After all, I must have caught this little bugger from somewhere.

Day 19: Alternate Nostril Breath

Granted, the last thing I want to do when I’m having sinus congestion is try to breathe the same amount of air through one fewer nostrils. And yes, when I practice this during a but of sinus congestion, it is uncomfortable and somewhat difficult. But if I stick with it for a little bit — I try to do 2 rounds of 5 breaths each — I do feel a little better, at least temporarily.

[Video by eHowFitness via YouTube.]

As an added bonus, this is a great calming breath for me. In fact, I think of it more as a “take a minute, don’t strangle anyone, and breathe” breath than I do as a sinus-clearing breath. Perhaps this is because I’m only getting half the oxygen supply to my brain, but as a relatively short-term fix, it works.

Day 20: Forward Bends for Boogers

[Video by eHowFitness via YouTube.]

I have a hypothesis, tested by me, that what these poses actually do is bring all the snot forward so it comes out of my nose while I’m bending.

Protip: Keep Kleenex or other brand facial tissue handy.

So they are messy — and a little gross — but effective.

Day 17 & Day 18

In case you’re new or if you’re an “I don’t notice patterns” kind of person, this is another continuation of December’s Daily Dose of Yoga.

Day 17: Non-Attachment to Results

Tongue-in-cheek edition. I tried writing something for today. I tried writing several somethings for today — somewhere around 900 words of total somethings, in fact. They all sucked. No, really. Sometimes, I wonder about the quality of my writing, but most often I go, “Well, this blog is free and not even for school credit,” and put it up anyway. (Not that I don’t respect my readers, but I do believe the biggest mistake writers or would-be writers make is Not Writing, so I try to err on the side of avoiding that.) But really, no. I wrote; it was not good.

But I’m not sorry I put forth the effort to write today, even if no actual postable piece came of it.

Day 18: Revolved Half Moon

This was a requested pose, and it’s one where I totally understand how it might end up on a list of poses I love to hate, though it’s ceased to be there for me. Additionally, from the dearth of YouTubery explaining the posture, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people are playing, “Let’s not talk about revolved half moon and pretend it didn’t happen.”

[Video from Core Power Yoga via YouTube.]

Folks: If revolved half moon is a pose with which you personally struggle and if I’m not addressing the heart of that struggle here, please feel free to say so and/or ask questions in the comments. I am going 100% on personal experience and guessing here.

For me, the main difficulties of the pose have been these:

1. Balance.
2. It is very much a strength pose in the core, the butt, and the standing leg.
3. Twisting “enough.”
4. Even when all of the above are working, it feels fucking awkward.

And for me, the solutions I’ve found:

1. Balance: Start practicing revolved half moon with both hands on blocks. Also, if the space is available, it can be helpful to practice with the standing hip against a wall (so that if you lose your balance while twisting, the wall is there to catch you before you fall). As you become more comfortable with the balance, you can move away from the wall and/or with one hand on a block (or zero hands on blocks).
2. Strength: It’s important because balance in this pose is to some degree dependent on the stabilizing muscles — core, butt, thighs. But it’s tough because I’m not sure of any other way to strengthen the muscles except hanging out in the pose and building strength. I mean, of course, one could work with other strength poses to build similar muscles, but still, we’re talking about hanging out with the pose (maybe until it burns a little or a lot), building strength. For me, this was a slow progression — on the order of several months of daily practice. It happens, but it does not happen fast.
3. Twisting: This is never a deep twist for me, let’s put that right up front, no matter how much my muscles are working to make the twist happen. (I think some people expect revolved half moon to look like the mirror image of half moon, which it totally does not for me.) All I can say is, follow your breath: Lengthen the spine on the inhale, release into the twist on the exhale. Again, this is something that only happened for me over many months — and only continues to happen over several breaths in the pose — but I did (and do) eventually feel the release happen.
4. Awkward: Well, um, yes. Because there’s internal rotation of the standing hip into the raised side of the body — rather than out into the open — I think it’s normal for revolved half moon to feel more constricted than does ardha chandrasana. Additionally, having the standing hip point pointed down is necessarily going to restrict the range of motion in the lifted hip. Which means that virtually all of the twist has to come from the abdomen and chest rather than the pelvis. In short: There are a whole lot of anatomical reasons why revolved half moon might feel awkward, particularly as compared to the more open half moon. There may be nothing to be done except to accept that the awkwardness is the way the pose is supposed to be.

Day 15 & Day 16

Another installment in the Daily Dose of Yoga challenge. As always, feel free to modify as befits you.

Day 15: NerdFest

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

– J.K. Rowling via Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Clearly, Dumbledore was a yogi. Because dreams are awesome, perhaps even necessary. But they don’t work when the dreamer’s fixation on the dream impacts their ability to live in this moment, this day. Because living in this moment is a challenge every day.

Day 16: Lolasana

Confession: I can’t do the full version of this pose.

Double confession: The person in the clip was brave enough to admit that they couldn’t, either.

[Video from Tranquil Space Yoga via YouTube.]

Which I think is pretty key. Pendant pose teaches me that even if I can’t do the full pose — and I know I can’t do the full pose — that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. There’s a lot of benefit in trying the steps to build up to the full pose, in living where I am today. Trying to go further is awesome and sometimes necessary, but so is appreciating that the first part of going further means experiencing — living — where I am today.

Day 13 & Day 14

Another pair of suggestions for folks who are participating in the Daily Dose of Yoga December challenge. Of course, you can use them even if you’re not participating.

Day 13: Cow Face Arms

Last time, I started outlining the idea of poses I love to hate, which does not include gomukhasana arms but does include gomukhasana hips. That said, from reading around, it sounds like for most people, this situation might be reversed — so cow face arms deserve some attention as well.

[Video by Expert Village via YouTube.]

First, some points of body awareness:

• There is a difference between stretching, which might feel broad and opening, and pinching in the shoulders — which feels, well, like pinching. Most times, pinching in this pose is a sign to back off to avoid shoulder injury.
• Being mindful of keeping the elbows as vertical as possible can help avoid torquing the shoulders or elbows.
• Particularly for yogis with flexible backs, there can be a temptation to arch the back and jut the ribcage forward in order to make the hands meet. However, since one of the intents is to stretch the spine, keeping the spine long and neutral helps to accomplish this.
• Similarly, there can be a temptation to bow the head forward in order to make space for the elbow at the top of the head. While a little chin tuck might be unavoidable, a neck that’s way out of line with the rest of the spine might be an indication that a different arm variation is in order.

Speaking of different arm variations:

• The least intense one for me is to place the upper arm in the traditional gomukhasana position, using the opposite hand to apply gentle pressure to the lifted elbow to deepen the stretch — as shown in the video above.
• Also shown on the video above, a second option is to place both arms behind the back but without worrying about whether the hands meet at all. Pressing the flats of both hands into the back keeps the arms active, the joints safe, and the stretch happening.
• Not shown in the video but offering a little more resistance is the option of using a strap (or anything strap-like and non-elastic). For me, the easiest way to do this is to hold the end of the strap in my upper hand, draping the strap down behind my back. Then, when I reach my lower arm around my back, I find the strap. I can gently pull both sides for more resistance and stretch, and/or I can gradually work my lower hand up the strap so that my hands come closer to meeting.

Day 14: One of My Favorite Sutras

The posture should be steady and comfortable.

– The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2.46

Not because it gives me an “excuse” to back off on a posture, or to not challenge myself during my asana practice. Rather, because it reminds me that the purpose of practicing asana is to prepare the body and mind for meditation. And if I’m choosing between going through, modifying, or skipping the next vinyasa — or any other pose — there are worse guidelines than, “What best clears my brain?”

Day 11 & Day 12

Why, yes, another installment in the Daily Dose of Yoga challenge. As always, feel free to use, modify, or ignore at your own risk and will.

Day 11: Poses I Love to Hate

To be 100% honest, my initial reaction to a lot of the comments on my post asking for asana suggestions was, “Damn, if that is not one pose I hate!” Which does not make it a bad suggestion and doesn’t even mean I’m not intrigued by the idea of studying and analyzing it. It just means that right now, it is a pose I hate.

Right now, most of the poses that fall into this category are poses that confuse or frustrate me in the way they fit together. In other words, it doesn’t seem like I’m not strong or flexible enough to enter the posture. But I still can’t, and I can’t quite figure out why.

I used to have other poses I hated, though, because of flexibility, strength, and alignment issues. For some of them, I gained flexibility or strength — or corrected my alignment — and so now they’re less physically frustrating for me. For others, I learned new expressions or warm-up postures that make the final pose more accessible to my body. And for some, I’ve just had to accept that they are going to be difficult for the foreseeable future (which does, yes, help me hate them less). This isn’t true for every one, but some of the poses I used to hate, I now love.

I’m not so blithely optimistic that I think I’ll learn to love every pose I still hate. But I do think it’s perpetually useful and fascinating to examine and re-examine why I hate what I hate.

Day 12: Cow Face Leg Variations

(There’s probably no way to make that title sound un-odd, is there?)

[Video by Yoga with Esther Ekhart via YouTube.]

Anyway, gomukhasana is both a reader requested pose and a pose I currently love to hate. That said, I think I may hate it for slightly different reasons than are standard. Most people I know do not love it either because it is intense in the shoulders or intense in the hips. I love to hate it because it confuses the hell out of my hips. My problem is that I have trouble lining up my lower limbs so that my hips feel enough stretch. Changing the leg positioning can help me direct the stretch toward my outer hips, though not all of the variations below do that for me (but I thought it would be good to include all the leg variations I could find):

1. Extend the bottom leg straight out, like in dandasana. For me, this does reduce the sensation in both outer hips, though especially the bottom one (as might be expected).
2. Keep the legs as in ardha matsyendrasana. This is actually not the stretchiest for my hips either. However, if I’m not going to be staying in the pose long — say, in class — it’s a lot easier than the maneuvering I do to feel my hips.
3. Rock the pelvis forward and press up onto the hands for a few seconds to let the legs slide into better alignment. This is actually a huge help for me, I think mostly because it lets me slide my thighs with less weight on them.
4. Sit on a block, bolster, or other prop. I enjoy this because it actively changes my hip angle, which does increase the stretch in my hips while reducing tension in my low back. (Can be combined with #3.)
5. Adjust the heels, closer to the torso to soften the stretch, farther away to intensify it. (Can be combined with #3 and/or #4.)
6. Recline. A version of the leg position can be done lying on the back. Cross the legs over the torso, aligning the knees as much as is comfortable. With flexed feet, hold one foot or ankle in each hand. Bring the knees toward the chest, applying gentle pressure on the feet; you can play with foot position to maximize the benefits for you.

Next time, I’ll look into gomukhasana arms, which, I have to admit, is a pose I do not hate.

Daily Dose of Yoga Check-In #2

For those on the daily yoga December bandwagon:

What’s changing? Have you tried anything new? Like it? Is anything becoming consistently harder or consistently easier?

What’s staying the same? Might any new habits be starting to gel?

Day 9 & Day 10

Another post in the daily yoga challenge for anyone who’d like additional suggestions. With this update, I’m being cutesy and going with a hot and cold theme.

Day 9: Ujjayi Breath:

Sometimes translated as “victorious breath” or “conquering breath,” this is probably the pranayama I (along with a lot of other US yogis?) use most often. Since it helps create heat in the body, it’s often used at the beginning of an asana practice to warm the body faster than it would otherwise. And since it creates an audible sound (at least audible to the breather), it can help focus the mind for meditation, while seated or during a vinyasa practice.

[Video by Amy Patee via YouTube.]

And as the video suggests, now that it’s getting colder (yes, even in the desert, it gets colder), I’m starting to use this pranayama to help loosen up my low back and hips in the morning after they’ve “frozen” in place all night. (They do not actually freeze, but I often sleep pretty curled up, moreso during the colder months, and the muscles do start to feel clenched in those positions.) While I usually try to combine morning breath work with movement, the pranayama is one thing I can do even when my movement options are limited (in the car, carrying lots of stuff, etc.).

Day 10: Sitali Breath

Like ujjayi breath can be used to warm the body, sitali pranayama can be used to cool the body, whether more physically (in a hot room or on a summer day) or more emotionally (feeling flushed from anger or embarrassment).

[Video from purejaiyoga via YouTube.]

I don’t have much cause for cooling pranayama this time of year, but I thought it was a nice complement suggestion to the ujjayi. Also, curling my tongue into a straw feels cool.

Day 7 & Day 8

This is another suggestion post in the Daily Dose of Yoga challenge. As always, feel free to modify.

Day 7: Attachment & Aversion:

Attachment is that magnetic pattern which clusters in pleasure and pulls one towards such experience.
Aversion is the magnetic pattern which clusters in misery and pushes one from such experience.

– The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2.7-8

No big secret: I like doing things whose overall result is pleasurable, and I dislike doing things whose overall result is painful. Also no surprise: I cannot live my life always experiencing pleasure while never experiencing pain. It just doesn’t work that way.

Because it’s a bad endo day, I’m thinking of my relationship to pain in very physical terms. I would really, really like to find a way to not feel like my pelvis is exploding right now — but 16 years of attempts hasn’t produced anything that works acceptably.** Realistically, this is probably not going to be the day when I experience a magical pain-free breakthrough. Realistically, this is probably going to be another day when I practice meeting my aversion head-on and staying equanimous through pain.

And you know what? As much as I don’t like that, it’s helpful to have it as a skill. Similarly, as much as I don’t like some parts of my asana practices (quad work, I am looking at you!), learning how to keep the rest of my body appropriately calm through that intense burning helps me recognize where I can let go and to let go where I can.

I’m not saying that every unpleasant situation should be met with calm acceptance. Some things, I think, I should be averse to; some things are outright bad or oppressive, and those deserve to be met with some fight. That said, not everything I’m averse to — fishing soggy pieces of old food out of the dish drain, strengthening and stretching my quads, even handling endometriosis pain I can’t relieve — is evil or even worth avoiding.

** I don’t mean that nothing helps at all or that I don’t use anything for pain. Just that nothing — particularly nothing that’s legal for or accessible to me — reduces pain to where it doesn’t interfere with my daily functioning. I also don’t mean that I’m looking for suggestions in this post.

Day 8: An Intense Quad Stretch

This is a stretch I usually use when my body is already fairly warmed up — so maybe well into a vinyasa practice or after a run. Otherwise, I run the risk of my quads just being too tight to get much out of the pose.

No matter how stretchy I feel beforehand, this pose is always an exercise in meeting my aversions. My thighs are big muscles, and it takes them a long damn time to relax. And the relaxing process, it fucking burns. Not so acutely that it feels like — or that I’m worried about — anything tearing, but really, like I’m kneeling just a bit too close to a campfire but am not quite ready to back away.

Daily Dose of Yoga: Check-In #1

Depending on your time zone and when you work in your yoga, you’ve probably been working with this challenge for approximately the past 5 days.

A few questions for discussion. Feel free to weigh in on all, some, or none of them.

First, what have you been doing with your yoga? Have you been working on a regular asana practice, incorporating meditation or mindfulness into your daily life? Both or neither? Something else entirely?

What successes have you had? What have you liked or found that you’d be able to use on a regular basis?

What difficulties have you had? What might help you overcome (or work around) those difficulties?

Or anything else you’d like to add!

Day 5 & Day 6

This is another set of suggestions for December’s Daily Dose of Yoga. Again, feel free to use, modify, delay, or ignore these suggestions as you see fit.

Day 5: Satya & Swadyaya

Truth and self-study. Or, as I like to combine them, self-truth as a result of self-study.

Which is a sort of an abstract philosophical lead in to these truths about myself:

1. Sometimes I feel self conscious about needing to take restorative care of my body, afraid that if I admit that I’m not up for a vigorous asana practice, this means that I am weak or unfit — and afraid that… someone (me, other people, the universe at large) will view this weakness as a moral or character failing rather than as what my body or mind happens to need at this time.
2. On the flip side, sometimes I am lazy. The end of a good, fiery practice feels awesome and purifying, but getting through the fucker is a shitload of work. Pushing my body to the edge may well be fulfilling, but it is seldom lighthearted, thoughtless fun.

Those two truths coexist within me. Either, both, or neither of them may surface as what serves me on any given day. In other words:

• Sometimes I am not lazy and also not preoccupied with taking restorative care of my body beyond what I consider “average” for someone who is able-bodied. There is no real conflict here.
• Sometimes, I feel physically unable, but my brain feels pressure for me to do, do, DO. In cases like these, I have to listen very carefully so that I give my body the breaks and restoration it needs.
• Other times, I feel physically able but am mentally lazy: I know I can do it with no negative repercussions, but I just don’t want to. It’s days like this that I just need to get over myself already.
• And still other times, I feel lazy but also recognize that underneath it, there’s a real issue with my body going through a vigorous practice. At times like these, I need to recognize the superficial laziness for what it is but also honor the deeper need to be gentler with myself.

The self-reflection comes from hearing these different needs, wants, and excuses from my body and deciphering which is which. The satya comes from adjusting my practice according to which voice is true today, regardless of which voices I hear loudest or most often.

Day 5: Yoga Journal’s Strengthen Your Core:

I don’t often use Yoga Journal videos because a lot of them tend not to make accommodations for larger bodies. In that light, this one is something of an exception. True, there are some portions — for instance, when the instructor recommends placing yoga blocks on the mat but so there is still hip clearance (there is no such place for me) — that still fit this description; however, I found that I was able to do most of the postures without modification — and the modifications I used were relatively straightforward (my blocks came off my mat to accommodate my hips; I moved on with my life).

[Video from Yoga Journal via YouTube.]

I might use this type of practice for any of the fist three Day 4 instances that I mentioned, depending factors like severity of pain or time issues. It’s intense, yes, but it’s also short. While this can be a bonus for me when I’m feeling fine and am just pressed for time, it can also be a way for me to compromise my conflicting body and mind truths. If I’m physically able but mentally lazy, sometimes a shorter time at a more intense practice is best for me. Similarly — or conversely? — if I’m mentally energetic but have limited stamina reserves, that same short but vigorous practice can let my drive feel validated without overly taxing my body.

I’m not suggesting that this asana practice is right for everyone 75% of the time; it’s not even right for me 75% of the time. I am, however, suggesting that it’s important for folks to find ways to balance the various needs of and demands on their bodies. This is one of mine; others are going to look a lot different according to individual abilities and needs. The important things are to listen to oneself and to be honest regarding the messages communicated.

Day 3 & Day 4

Continuing the Daily Dose of Yoga with suggestions for December 3 and December 4 — or whenever you like, if you like them, according to how they serve you or not.

Day 3: Considering Ahimsa

I’ve most commonly seen ahimsa translated as “nonviolence,” which is, as far as I know, accurate. However, when considering it as part of a yoga practice, it might be helpful to consider it in a broader or deeper sense. I’ve also seen ahimsa described as “do no harm” and practicing compassion, and as practical matters, both of those strike me as more complete and therefore more helpful. For instance, it’s certainly possible for me to be technically nonviolent toward myself or others while still doing them harm or regarding them without compassion.

Shunning someone out.

Self-deprecating talk.

Guilting anyone for something that has already happened.

Nonviolent — but, I would argue, not really in line with an observation of ahimsa.

And you know what? Developing a consistent practice of ahimsa — learning to feel and act compassionately toward others and ourselves — is tough. It’s worthy of being considered a yoga practice in its own right. Because as the sum total of my life, what matters more: how compassionate I am, or how many sun salutations I could do?

Day 4: Heart Opening Asana Practice

This was uploaded by Esther Ekhart, one of my favorite yoga channels on YouTube. It fits in quite nicely with Day 3′s discussion of ahimsa:

[Video from EkhartYoga via YouTube.]

It starts with a fairly fiery core practice that builds into some heart-opening postures. I’ve only viewed (and tried) the practice once, so my memory is not the most informed, but — This is a practice that assumes ability to get into a number of common asanas without assistance. Additionally, it assumes some familiarity with said yoga postures; they are described some but not in a whole lot of detail and not with too many modifications offered. (To give a complete picture, though, Esther Ekhart has another YouTube channel that details a lot of individual poses with much more instruction and modifications. I get the impression that the new channel’s intended audience mostly includes people who are familiar with the first channel.)

Physically, core awareness and control helps create support for safe backbending, which a lot of heart opening postures involve. In terms of chakra work and the subtle body (if you’re into that sort of thing), activating energy in the heart center can help cultivate the capacity for love and compassion within ourselves. Whether that’s strictly true or not, I find that a heart opening practice does serve to remind me to consciously think about how to do no harm.

Day 1 & Day 2

This post is part of my Daily Dose of Yoga December challenge. Each day is a suggestion for thoughts, breath techniques, or poses that are meaningful to me and that I hope will be meaningful to others. Of course, I don’t expect that everything that works for me will work for everyone else — and even when it does, it may not be quite the right fit for a given day. You should feel free to use, modify, delay, or ignore as works best for you.

Day 1: Listening

My goal for this challenge is to do some yoga every day in December, knowing that some days, I will have time and energy to do a vigorous asana practice while for other days, I’ll have limited or no time (or space) for asana at all. And of course there are the days when I’ll have sufficient time but limited energy or sufficient energy but limited time or both of those but pain, etc. My body is a complicated creature, and figuring out what it wants can be tricky.

And admittedly, there can be ulterior motives in the way. Sometimes, I am lazy and don’t want to do what I know I can do and what would be good for me. Other days, I don’t want to admit my real limits: I want to do what I know might not be therapeutic or even safe. Developing a habit of listening to my body — and discerning real need from excuse — is essential to keeping myself safe while growing in my practice. If I can even manage to do that every day this month, that is a good goal.

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Day 2: Restorative Knee Sequence

No special reason for this. I search YouTube (and other places — but mostly YouTube) for various interesting sequences. Sometimes I find what I’m looking for, sometimes not. I found this one when I was actually looking for beginning or morning routines. This is not meant to be either, but it seems like a nice restorative sequence that would be relaxing for anyone to do, knee issues or not:

Also, I think this is a practice a lot of people could do in bed — which means that if I hit bedtime and haven’t done my yoga for the day, this one is it!