Chocolate, Beer, and YOGA?

Last night, I taught a great yoga class...we all worked really hard, and Bill Mead played some amazing percussive music for us during practice. We were all sweaty, and it was the beginning of the weekend for me. We had some beer left over from a party that was held at The Fierce Club a couple of nights before in the fridge; so I offered it, along with some post-yoga chocolate to my students.

The reaction was interesting.

"That seems so un-yogic. Chocolate and beer..." was the general response from some of the hardcore yogis. While this response was tongue-in-cheek, it spoke to me. I got it. Many people believe yoga means no fun. No life. Just rigorous exercise, sitting quietly in lotus position, and drinking kamboucha and wheat grass juice.

There are so many ideas about what yoga is, and isn't. Many Jivamukti yogis will tell you that if you aren't vegetarian, (they don't even use the word vegan--it's all or nothing with them), you aren't doing yoga; you're simply performing asanas (poses). The whole vegetarian controversy--and it's definitely a controversial subject in the yoga world--deserves, and will receive its own entry one of these days.

Other yoga teachers say that because most of the teachers I work with use English rather than Sanskrit names of the poses, we're not providing a true yogic experience. Sorry, but I'd rather my students know what I'm talking about. I don't speak in Sanskrit during my every day life, and neither do my students. We're not from India. I personally find it offensive when yoga teachers use the Indian origins of yoga to intimidate their students and shroud yoga in a cloak of mystery, so that they can persuade their students that they have the real "scoop" on yoga.

I worked around a lot people at my last job who were only attracted to the "mystical," "higher" aspects of yoga, but most of these people, (many of whom were long-time devotees of this or that swami,) were morally bankrupt--with little respect for their co-workers, students, or anyone outside of themselves. This isn't to say that sincere seekers are morally lacking...just that many of the ones who make a big show of how "spiritual" they are---it's just that--a show.

If your yoga teacher walks around with a big smile of mystical self-satisfaction on their face, and talks about life-changing trips to India, and how people in this country are not as spiritual, or other such nonsense, and don't practice yoga because they're not doing it the way it's done in India, well...I think I'd be on the lookout for a yoga teacher who can teach you how to bloom where you're planted. The last time I checked, most New York City yoga students live in New York City, not India, and it's my strong belief that the practices should be adapted to fit the demands of New York City. There is no one way. There is no one place that has a monopoly on yoga, and there are many teachers who will lead you down some interesting paths. Just make sure your teacher is interested in actually helping you, rather than promoting a personal agenda that ends up only gratifying the teacher.

In yoga, we strive for balance. So if you want to have a little beer once in a while, or enjoy a piece of chocolate, and you don't have a problem with it, I don't have a problem with it. I think we're given physical bodies in order to experience physical sensations, and to get a taste of paradise right where we are. The key is moderation, balance. I'm not training monks. I'm hoping to help you find joy and balance in your life, here and now, right where you are.

There are very few real yoga scholars in the world. The philosophy of yoga is so vast, so huge, that there are very few people who know anything about it. There are very few real "swamis."

One respected yoga scholar recently told a friend of mine that almost every yoga teacher is an "amateur" as far as the knowledge of of yogic philosophy goes. There's so much to absorb that it's practically impossible for most people to read it.

So don't come into yoga with a lot of preconceived notions about what it is. The best yoga teacher you can find is your own practice. You will learn what's right for you. You will go deeply into your self, and learn to shine brightly from the depth of your being. When you're shining like that, from a deep place of self-knowledge, you can make the world better just by being around.

Honor Your Gifts.

Anyone see Whitney Houston the other day on Good Morning America? Wow. So sad to me, where she is now, and how she wound up there.

I was never a Whitney Houston fan, but that VOICE, it was something! I could appreciate it for the thing of sheer beauty that it was. I remember as a kid actually being moved to tears by the perfection of her instrument, and the control she had over it--all that power, all that clarity, those crystalline notes, and it was just there; it seemed to come so easily to her...the creation of beauty. I know so many people who would have killed to have that voice.

It's not there anymore. A lot of people are saying that Whitney lost her voice because she got older. I would refer them to Cyndi Lauper, who is almost ten years older than Whitney--her voice, always regarded by critics as one of the strongest in rock, has gotten even better as she's gotten older. She's stronger, clearer, and more powerful...she's also more elegant in her phrasing, and more expressive in her delivery. She's still hitting those high notes, too, and her latest cd was pretty amazing by any standard.

I think it's a matter of honoring your talent. We're born with talent and gifts that make us unique. While most of us do not have the gift of a voice like Whitney, or Cyndi, or Adam Lambert, we all have things at which we excel. I think we have a responsibility to our gifts.

We have these gifts because we are supposed to use them, and make a gift of them to others.
Whitney Houston was meant to belt out The Star Spangled Banner, and inspire millions with thoughts of patriotism. She was meant to sing those sweet love songs. She was meant to age gracefully, and become a legendary old-school icon in her old age, and to be joyfully sharing her music with the world for many years. Cyndi Lauper was meant to tell a generation of women to get some fun, some life for themselves. She was menat to become an artistic voice for the disenfranchised...the drag queens, the gay kids, and all the people who look to her now as an inspiration. She's using her gift to make positive changes, working on opening a group home for gay and transgendered kids, and singing out against oppression.

Whitney, well, she made her own choices.

Drug abuse is never a good choice. It's physically damaging, not to mention what it does to your self-esteem, your family, and your loved ones. Yep, I know people become addicted to drugs. I was addicted to one of the most addictive drugs, tobacco, for many years. I have a different voice now because I smoked for so long. I made a really dumb choice once when I decided to smoke, and repeated the choice because I became addicted. I stopped smoking, but I know I chose unwisely.

Whitney's gift, because of some poor choices, is gone. She says she's stopped using drugs. I hope she has.

Yep, she has a "comeback" album. I decided to listen to it after her really sad performance on GMA. While better than what she managed to do live, (blaming her poor performance on talking to much while being interviewed by Oprah,) it sounds pretty generic, vocally. The voice could belong to any number of singers. And from many people, it would be a pretty good cd. For Whitney, it sucks. She sounds old, and tired. She's no longer an ingenue. But she's not ready for the old folk's home, either. She should still be singing beautifully at 46. She should be in her "leading lady" phase right now. Listen to other "divas" her age and older. The ones that cared enough to take care. They have honored their gifts, and they have voices to show for that honor.

Whitney lost her clarity, her sparkle.

I'd like to challenge each one of you to honor what makes you special. To treat what you're doing as if it matters. To remember that what you're given is precious, and part of your dharma is to share that gift with the world. You have the power to make the world better. Your responsibility to your gift is awesome-it's basically a responsibility to the world. You're supposed to shine your light out for everyone to see...to make your contribution. If you have a gift, honor it. Commit to nourish yourself. Eat well. Get rest. Have fun, but remember to take care of what you're given. Drink water. Do yoga. Make choices that empower you. Kick the rest to the curb.

Your Joy!

I just saw a video on YouTube that rocked my face off, as my friend Brooke used to say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8DCt3Lmi28&feature=related

Apparently, a lot of people have already seen it, so you might be one of them. If so, I apologize.

I've been thinking about weddings a lot lately, so when my friend Jody just told me to watch this video, I got inspired to write down my thoughts.

I've been to exactly two weddings in my life that were joyous. I've always wondered why, on what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of a person's life, the ceremony accompanying the happy day is usually so solemn, staid, and stuffy. It never feels like a happy day, especially to the guests. It just feels like something you have to do because your friend, brother, ex-girlfriend, sister, cousin, of boyfriend's brother, etc...is getting hitched. Weddings tend to feel like a chore.

So after seeing this video, I realized that when and if I ever get married, I want it to be like that.

I want people laughing, dancing, wearing sunglasses, throwing flowers, drinking champagne, and toasting me and mine from the beginning of the ceremony to the end of the reception.

If I get married, it's going to be because I am so in love, and so happy about it, that I want everyone I know to come and share in that happiness. I don't want anyone to stress out, or be put out, or worried about my day. I don't want anyone to be worried about buying new clothes, or getting me the right gift...I want a throwdown style party. No solemn music. No tears, unless they are from happiness and laughter.

Of course, right now, I don't have the option of getting married because some people believe that my love and commitment is less meaningful than theirs. Hopefully that will be changing soon. I'm in the mood for a party!

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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