Something new.

I have a bad knee. (Just saying that makes me feel like an old man. The knee hurts when it rains, and sometimes, I can tell when it's going to rain.) I took a yoga class several years ago at a studio that shall remain nameless--actually, no, whatever, it was at Jivamukti. In the class they kept doing Warrior Ones, and urging me to square my hips forward. I'm often called out in yoga classes for NOT squaring the hips. The instructor in this particular class came over and squared my hips for me. As soon as she did this, I felt incredible, ripping pain in my left knee...which has bothered me on and off for years. I understand the idea of why they did it. Classically, in Warrior One, the hips are squared to the front of the mat.

It's interesting that so many teachers have hung on to this instruction, even though it completely twists the back knee out of healthy alignment. Just because it's been done for years and years, doesn't make something good, and just because something is new, doesn't make something incorrect.

In Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, which is what I've trained in, and what I teach, we allow the hips to be at an angle in this pose. This keeps you from twisting the back knee in an unhealthy manner, and damaging the sensitive knee joints. Try it, it feels much more natural, and if you twist the upper body and square the heart forward while you pull your low belly in, you're also getting a great, healthy upper body twist that allows some deep core work. Try it this way. Your knees will thank you!

Something that move me today.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle.

The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.

Ayn Rand

Yeah. Truth in that.

Showing Up.

Hillary Clinton recently made a comment that I loved. "Showing up isn't all of life, but it counts for a lot." So smart, so true, from a woman I really admire.

I think about it in relation to yoga practice. Just to get yourself off the couch, and into the studio, on the mat...it's that initial effort that matters so much.

I remember quite well my first trip to a yoga class in Manhattan.

I definitely didn't want to go. I was in a routine of doing my yoga practice at home, with my Bryan Kest Power Yoga video (this was 2000, so VHS was still in wide use.) I loved the independence of being on my mat, stopping when I got tired, skipping out on a savasana here and there if I had other stuff to do, and working out hard when I wanted to. But my hand was forced, and because I was physically dragged into Sal Anthony's Movement Salon, I met a woman who would literally change my life--or at least inspire me to change my life!

Thank God that when I walked into the studio, the teacher looked cool-not hippie-ish, which would have turned me right off...and she wasn't speaking in overly reverent, hushed tones, either. She was wearing black tights, a black tank, and a really pretty, long black cardigan. Her red hair was short, spiky, and sexy, and she wore lots of black eyeliner as well as a cool pair of black glasses. She smiled in a way that lit up the room, walked right over to me, stuck out her hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Sadie," in a way that made me immediately want to listen to her. I trusted her handshake, and knew that I would be coming back to her class. She made me feel that my effort to show up would be rewarded.

The effort was rewarded, to say the least. I immediately learned that I had been doing downward dog completely wrong, and that I was also not as strong in my core as I should have been, I was letting my arms and legs do all the work in the poses. I began transforming my yoga practice in the first 5 seconds of that class, and under Sadie's patient guidance, over the course over the better part of a decade, I have developed physical strength and flexibility, as well as the ability to look within, rely on myself, and make decisions that serve me well.

I stopped working so hard to please everyone, and I learned how to say no to things that weren't helping me shine....I also learned about giving from the heart. I learned that a true gift to others involves working on the self...when you're happy, and feeling energized, strong, and calm, you can give so much more to others. I learned how to draw inside, and mean it when I offer out.

I became a yoga teacher with the goal of helping other people find their brightest light, and shine it out. I became a Reiki practitioner, again because Sadie introduced me to someone who would be another major teacher in my life.

None of this would have happened if I had stayed at home and practiced with my excellent Bryan Kest tape. Now Bryan Kest is a hero of mine. He has a yoga studio in Santa Monica that is run entirely on a donation basis. It's the most incredibly sharing thing I can think of. I think he's an amazing teacher, and an incredible man.

But practicing at home with the tv on doesn't allow for the kind of interaction you get in a classroom setting. Using a dvd is fine in a pinch, and I think a lot can be gained from yoga dvds, and youtube. But that life-changing, earth-shattering connection I made with someone who has become a guru for me, that came because someone shook me out of my comfort zone, challenged me to go to a class, and because I made the decision to show up.

When it came out as a dvd, I bought Bryan's Power Yoga video again. I still use it a lot. But when I start to feel lazy, and think it might be fun to take some time off, and skip class, I remember Derek Milman taking me to Sadie Nardini's class at The Movement Salon.

I think about how I probably would never have been inspired to teach yoga, or learn Reiki, or change my life. I think about how much self-confidence I gained through my yoga practice with Sadie. I think about how much stronger I am now, both physically and emotionally, and I think about how, because I got up, got off the couch, and went to class one hot summer afternoon, I found a new calling, new confidence, and a new career that truly allows me to share my love for yoga, and hopefully help people. Not to mention a great teacher and a wonderful friend in Sadie Nardini.

Showing up. It's not everything. But it sure can take you a long way.

Get on the mat. Come to the Fierce Club. Go for a walk. Say yes to something you truly want to do. Do something a little scary. Take a chance. Live a little! Hell, why not live a lot?

This Won't Win Me Many Fans.

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook today that was pretty critical of Oprah. I liked it. I thought the article was pretty interesting, and though it's probably flying in the face of wisdom to say this-had some very good points. Basically, the idea talked about Oprah's choice of "experts" when people come on to present ideas that may directly impact people's health. The majority of the article referred to Suzanne Somers and her ideas about hormone replacement therapy. For those of you who don't know, or won't believe this, Suzanne Somers has now styled herself as an expert of menopause, and is giving medical advice, claiming to use natural ways of rejuvenating herself through some controversial therapies. Yep, Chrissy Snow from Three's Company.

I've always felt two ways about Oprah. On the one hand, she was amazing in The Color Purple. She also has constantly brought things that interest me into the light on her show. I remember seeing Shirley Maclaine talking about chakras on the Oprah show so long ago, I'm embarrassed to say. I remember her having topics on her show that were uplifting, and I always think of her as someone who generally takes the high road.

I've also thought she oversteps her bounds, and uses her influence to promote ideas that are not necessarily beneficial. She probably does think she's helping people, but many times, I just think she comes across looking stupid, and easily influenced, as well as prejudicial against the "establishment." Which is fine. I'm not necessarily someone who agrees with everything that comes out of a doctor's mouth just because it's coming out of a doctor's mouth, and I really HATE to take prescription drugs. I also believe there is a mind/soul/body connection, and that attitude, faith, and more practical things like healthy diet have a lot more to do with your wellness than most medicine does.

But, I digress. Oprah. Wielding her endorsement like a sword. "Read this book. Vote for this man. Don't get vaccinated. Shoot hormones into your vagina. Don't worry about what your Doctor may say. I do. Suzanne Summers does it, and look at us! We're awesome! Yep, I have a doctor on my show, but conveniently, he doesn't really usually disagree with my guests."

So. Basically, before you take medical advice from a talk-show host, why don't you check with a doctor? Why don't you use common sense and ask someone who has actually studied medicine, and biology? A doctor who doesn't have her interest in getting her own tv show produced by Oprah at stake? And then form your own opinions.

I'm NEVER one to take things at face value. I have some of my own ideas that run contrary to western medicine. But I keep them to myself. I'm not willing to put anyone else's life or health at risk for my benefit.

I've also seen a lot of people take responsibility for their own well-being and accomplish miracles. But again, that is a choice that is right for some people, not all people. Do what works for you.

Don't hate me. Think for yourself. Don't let Oprah do all your thinking for you. She's awesome and all, but she is as prone to mistakes as the rest of us. Ask yourself if you're really ready to trust Oprah and Suzanne Somers with the well-being of your physical body???

Don't hate me, ya'll. Just trying to keep it real.

See below:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/183842

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