Mala Beads--what and why

Before I attended my teacher training, I had no idea what mala beads were-- so I thought I would take time to explain since I have made a few posts that include them.

Mala beads are prayer beads, so for all my Catholic friends and family they work similar to a rosary, they help keep track of where you are in saying a mantra. The strands include 108 beads, some including 4 marker beads or others with 2 larger beads all depending on the tradition of the mala i.e. Tibetan, mantra, etc. Many malas use a certain type of stone bead or wood that attaches itself to a meaning, others are blessed by gurus or monks, others are homemade  or just bought for being beautiful.


Many Celebreties have been seen where the mala around their neck, others wear them around their left wrist as a bracelet--there are also mala bracelets.

 

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0171/7374/t/3/assets/blog_Mala_Beads_Celebrity_Julia_Roberts.jpg?5245

 

http://vivsvogue.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/elle-macpherson-435.jpg

HOW, WHY, WHEN, and WHERE 

I use my mala

I try to remember to wear mine on a daily basis, even under my t-shirt. 

When I arrive super early to a yoga class I will sit and go through a mantra.

When I feel a wave of anxiety or other strong emotion coming on I grab a seat and mantra.

To start meditation on days when I am having a hard time finding my seat.

You can do this anywhere and noone needs to know. I have done it on my poof, at my desk, on the train, and in the studio.

Mantra:

"Om gam Ganapataye namaha "

It is to Ganesha- the remover of obstacles. This mantra is to help ourselves release and move past perceived obstacles form within. It helps to calm the chatter of the mind.

Make your own Mala:

Supplies-

•   cord or string for stringing the beads
•  a guru bead (etsy), it is a bead with three holes
• colored floss or a tassle
• beads (108) you can find these on etsy, it's the best deal
• they can be wood or stone
• 6mm or 8mm depending on your preference

• a needle for easy threading
• you can use one of those necklace trays but it is not necessary.

Begin threading your beads on the string, decide if you want to go all the way around with one type of bead or if you want to break it up into 21, 33, 33, 21 with a marker bead in between. 

I began wanting to knot the cord in between the beads but after one or two knots not landing where I wanted them I scrapped that idea and just beaded.

At the end cut your cord, thread both ends of cord through guru bead and attach / tie the cord to the tassle.

Not feeling all DIY--or are the supplies adding up quickly? There are some stunning amazing malas on Etsy.

Lily Baubles-$30 or under- which is a great deal on a mala.

  

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lilybaubles?ref=l2-shopheader-name  

Buzz Meditations- $60+

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BuzzMeditations?ref=l2-shopheader-name

My favorite- from Golden Lotus Mala $30-$60. These are beautiful and the shop is great.

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldenLotusMala

Just absolutely love this one- the frosted agate is amazing

Look for Treasures- $52

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/look4treasures?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Friday 5: five little things I am loving and grateful for this week

It's that time of year when the weather is changing, clothes in the closet are being swapped from summer dresses to big chuncky sweaters, and new catalogs with Holiday goodies start arriving in the mail. It's super easy to feel like what we have isn't right and that we need new this or that or we drool over the new boots in the window of the store on the way to yoga--living in a big city and constantly passing store fronts on my way to and from wherever I decide to go makes it easy to get caught up in the game of wanting what I don't have and not appreciating the things I do. These Friday posts are to help remind me that I have fabulous things and to appriciate all that I have- I am a LUCKY, BLESSED person and I find happiness from within myself not from the items I don't own.

1. Slippers--- paired with a cup of tea, fleece pants, and a bowl of popcorn and you have me! Slippers make the middle of the night and early morning bathroom trips easier and if my feet are warm I am generally warmer all over.

2. Knitting- I have only knit a handful of times before, but for some reason I was called back to it a week ago, it helps with my anxiety, keeps my hands busy and my mind focused, and I can create warm goodies for all. See no. 3

3. Wrist warmers- I am a cold person, I often times see my fingernails turning a lovely shade of periwinkle when it gets cold outside. My office tends to be either freezing or hot and wrist warmers--knit by yours truely-- are the perfect answer to typing in the tundra that can be the grad. student office

4. Puffy Vest- my godfather is amazing and has gifted me some super warm puffy vests, they are perfect to put over a fleece and still have arm mobility. Not to mention they make a great pillow--I took a nap on mine the other day while reading.

5. My Mala- I really love the one above and can't wait till I get a really beautiful one, but for now I just whipped one up on my own from beads I had in a drawer- it ain't pretty but the other day when I felt an anxiety attack coming on I grabbed my beads, sat on my poof, and let a Ganesha mantra take over. I got up about 15 minutes later feeling a whole lot better and in control of my emotions.

Friday 5: five little things I am loving and grateful for this week by cloch1 featuring a down vest

Pose of the week: Utkatasana (chair pose)

And no I don't mean the chair pose that I assume most of the week that looks like this,

but rather the one that makes your thighs scream and the sweat drip down your face-- attractive sounding right? This is a great strength building, warming pose (wonderful for this winter in October thing we are having in Chicago).

 

You can feel this pose working those legs--but without proper alignment you may feel this pose post-practice in the low back or knees. 

Benefits:

• strengthens legs
• tones abdominals
• lengthens spine and neck
• strengthens and opens shoulders
• can reduce flat feet
• builds ankle stregnth

Coming into / out of this pose:

•  feet can either be together with big toes touching heels turned slightly out OR you can have your feet hip distance- I personally prefer option one.
• inhale arms overhead
• exhale bend the knees (keep weight towards the heels so that when you look down you can see your toes--then give them a wiggle) 
• the spine should remain nuetral- don't have a sway back, sticking your butt out and don't over tuck the tailbone. You will know the sweet spot when you do not feel this pose in the lower back.
• try to bring your torso perpendicular to the ground

Modifications, props, etc.:

• placing a block between the thighs offers a little extra work
• you can enter chair through uttanasana, anjaneyasana, amongst other creative poses
• turn chair into twisted chair by hooking the left elbow outside of the right thigh (keeping knees and hips squared) then switch sides or fly into side crow 

 

(http://joypeaceandhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/chair1.jpg)

I think this will be my last pose of the week post for awhile- I am going to be doing a personal challenge and focus on one pose for a month that I really want to make progress with. For starters it will be hanumanasana (full splits) and I will post my progress one a week. If you want to join in on the challenge let me know--"practice makes progress"

Halloween: going green- Costumes for the eco-friendly / budget friendly conscious

It's that time of the year!! Happy Halloween-
I love Halloween, it's up there with one of my favorite holidays because I love getting dressed up. I was probably a huge pain in the butt for my mom because, even to this day, I tend to get big ideas when it comes to costumes rather than keeping it simple. I blame the creative, diy'er in me-- and I brought my wonderful, talented mother with me on the ride until I was in college, then it was my Aunt Lucielle and her sewing machine that suffered. 

I was a tissue box one year- resulting in my now refusal to wear a box with any costume, a piece of pie, a fat ref, and then there was my sister who every year went as a witch, I mean like every year. 

Here are a few samples of costumes over the years---

The one year my sister went as Peter Pan instead of a witch. I mean look at that scarecrow- well done mom, I think she made me costume crazy- that lady brought it.

Because like all tween girls, I wanted to be a fat referee...

Awe 4th grade- white tights and a cherry pie costume sewn by my mom, it was super comfortable and rather adorable.

 

Although not a great quality picture, these Aladdin and Jasmine costumes were a labor of love made from scratch on my aunt's sewing machine-which I managed to jam like five times with the silk and thread.

The astronaut was easy, painters coverall, patches from paper, and straps from electrical tape. I wore all grey and silver that I had at home and just bought a pair of $5 volleyball shorts form Academy Sports that I have worn under dresses and with other costumes.

Holly Golightly- one of my favorite characters. I went to the thrift store and bought a huge tuxedo shirt, threw on tights and volleyball shorts, and the day of made the mask from material, gold trim (both bought for super cheap) along with some crystals I had at home and finished it off with tassel earrings. I can reuse this shirt for Mary Poppins one year, the shorts were form the alien costume and the tights have made a number of appearances.

For me, spending about $50-75 on a costume, especially if both of us need  a costume, is just not an option so here are the steps I tend to take to pick out a costume.

1. Get Inspired- look at your DVD's are there any characters or people you would like to play

- think about when you were little, any toys you use to play with that would work

-is there anyone people tell you / significant other that you look like (Christian gets Aladdin sometimes so we went with that)

2. Get Resourceful- use what you, your friends, and your family have. If you need something, head to the Thrift store--maybe there you will find inspiration as well.

-if you must buy something, buy something that can most likely be used again, for the alien costume I wore that shirt out all the time.

- keep the basics, nude tights if taken care of can be worn another year, false eyelashes can be resused (clean them)

3. Get Crafty- When you make your own costume you can be sure that no one else will have the same costume as you.

- it doesn't have to be perfect, if you go for the overall idea with some good details people will get the look , and it is a costume so if you need to clew and staple instead of sew go for it

4. Costume Box- afterwards keep all your stuff organized in a costume box, it will come in handy the following year, you can loan things out to friends, and you never know what you can reuse. If you have kids or one day will this costume box will provide hours of joy and years of costumes. 

Crafting Basics- news paper or an old towel to craft on, hot glue gun, pins, and an imagination.

I am soooo excited what Christian and I came up with for this year--it's going to be one for the books.

Hint: Shopping list includes--feathers, blue and purple paint, red material, cardboard, duct tape. The inspiration came from my sister!

Pose of the week: paschimottanasana (seated forward fold)

As the weather gets colder and our bodies begin to crave warming and grounding foods, paschimottanasana serves that same purpose but as a pose. The act of folding forward is introspective, we fold onto and towards ourselves by hinging over our legs and flexing our toes towards our torsos;  and we also move inwards in regards to perspective, it is a moment to come back to the breath and your intention. Unlike back bends which are heart openers, forward folds protect our heart making us feel secure and safe. Because of this, paschimottanasa calms the nervous system as we fold and ss the sits bones root down and the backs of the legs press towards the earth we feel  grounded physically as well as emotionally. 

 

 

 

This is a great diagram for coming into the pose from dandasana!

I am sure my yogini Meghan would not believe that this is my pose of the week because when we were working on this at TT (teacher training) we made adjustments on each other so that we were in the pose without a curve in the spine. I got as far forward as the man in figure 3/3, I was bummed. I had this beautiful image of me laying out over my legs with a straight spine and my nose to my knee. EGO check and runners hamstrings- I swore I wouldn't ever teach it. I was just joking of course, because as the saying goes, "the poses you like the least are the ones you probably need the most." Amen- here is to practicing my Poschimottanasna. 

Benefits:

• helps with digestion (can aide in weight loss)
• combats anxiety, depression, insomnia
• helps relieve menstrual aches and pains
• relieves headaches and certain back pains
• can increase appetite
• stretches HAMSTRINGS
• legnthens out spine
• releases shoulders

Coming into / out of the pose:

• sit on a blanket with your sits bones at the very front edge of the blanket
• with legs out in front of you, remove the junk in yo trunk so that you can feel both bones on the blanket.
• sit up nice and tall as you inhale
• flex your feet, toes towards your face
• exhale pull bellybutton towards spine and HINGE AT THE HIPS
• keep your back straight for as long as possible, once at that limit take a nice long inhale and legnthen
• exhale drawing your naval in again, fold deeper into the space you just created and feel free to round the spine (rounding evenly thoughout) 
•  either relax the arms along side the leg or reach for the feet

Modifications: 

• use a strap around the feet if you can not reach them on your own-- you are not driving a herd of wild reindeer so relax your arms and hands on the strap to a gentle grip.
• if you can easily reach your feet you can place a block on the other side of your feet and reach for the block
• You can prop yourself up for a restorative variation by placing bolsters on your legs and relaxing onto the bolster.

Forward folds are great counter poses for twists and back bends. This is a mild forward fold and is used to counter camel, danurasana (bow pose), simple seated twists, and ardha matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes)

photo 1:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5762110332_2e15f0220c.jpg

photo 3: http://compassionworks.com/832/

5 things to help you fall asleep and sleep deeper

I have always had the great talent of being able to fall asleep almost anywhere. I was always the first one asleep at sleep overs and I rarely make it through a movie that starts after 7 pm-- always have been this way and probably always will. Staying asleep or going back to sleep is a whole other ball game- once I am up, I'm up.

Over the last year or two I have found myself waking up in the middle of the night with a racing heart and not being able to slow my mind down enough to fall back asleep. At some point last year, grad schools started to affect my ability to fall asleep- NOT OKAY WITH ME!

These five things help me fall asleep-- and I truly believe help me sleep deeper. I use one or multiple combinations of these tools every night depending on time available and my resting heart rate.

1. Lavender Oil- I rub a few drops of lavender oil on my feet (then rub my hands on my sheets and or temples). The lavender oil helps to calm the nervous system (aromatherapy) and it is believed that if you rub essential oils on the soles of your feet they will get carried throughout the body to where they are most needed. Plus your sheets smell amazing.

2. Bath- I love a good, long, hot bath. I will add some epsom salts and essential oils depending on what time of year it is or how I'm feeling. Bubbles are always beautiful and luxurious as well. To me there is something calming about the water and not doing anything else. Light a candle- it's all about a calming, soothing environment.

3. Meditation- The whole point is to calm the mind and to release tension. It is recommended to shut down all electronics and screen interaction about a half hour before trying to fall asleep in order to begin quieting the mind. Meditation is a great way to spend that time- start with just ten minutes.

4. Chamomile steamer (or other variation)- Any sleepy-time or chamomile tea will do. Steam a glass of milk or even just heat it up in the microwave, steep tea bag in the hot milk, add a small bit of honey and enjoy (maybe in the tub).

5.  Breathing-  no you don't need a mask but I liked the visual. A good calming breath that I use to fall asleep begins with a regular inhale and then I slowly work to extend my exhale so that eventually it is twice as long as the inhale. It is recommended to do this through your nose but I am an open mouth sleeper so I do this with my mouth instead of nose. The focus on your breath helps to calm the mind and the extended exhale is soothing to the body. I use this one every night at some point- especially if I wake up in the middle of the night.

Hope this helps some of you find some deeper quality sleep or find sleep a little sooner.

Good Night

ZZZ...


5 things to help you fall asleep and sleep deeper by cloch1 featuring tea cups

Friday Five: little things I am grateful for this week

1. Quinoa- I love this grain/protein combination. This week I added it to my veg. chili and it fives it a similar texture to using ground beef.

2. My wool fuzzy socks- they are so warm, since temperatures at night and early morning are in the low 50's I really enjoy tucking my toes into these warm little suckers.

3. Our Variegated Rubber Tree- The beautiful colored leaves are so fun to look at and we have done a great job of growing it, watching it survive makes me proud.

4. Poncho- I scored an amazing poncho at a resale store, it is gray, comfy, and warm. I just find there is something elegant yet cozy about a well done poncho. Pair with skinny jeans, flats, bag, and a hot cup of coffee and I am set.

5. Steamers- Two weekends ago I decided to iron and starch all my husbands shirts while watching a show (it was an attempt at validating watching TV instead of reading by making the TV watching productive--yes I am slightly ashamed of my motives). I sometimes think I was meant to be a 1940's-60's housewife baking, crafting, decorating, and playing bridge with the ladies but every time I try to iron I am reminded that I wouldn't hack it and that my husband would always have to go to work with wrinkly shirts--unless we had a maid to iron which I am not against. I am also super thankful that we have a steamer and that C is an enthusiast steamer and does it each morning while I lay in bed getting those last ten minutes of yummy, cozy sleep.

Friday Five: little things I am grateful for this week by cloch1 featuring thick wool socks

Pose of the week: Parvritta Janu Sirsasana

AKA: revolved head to knee

 

I mean holy hotdog sir! This would be one of the fullest expressions of the pose, for the rest of us we will be somewhere around here---->

 

or

 

All of which are great

Benefits: the why

•   great hamstring and groin stretch on the extended leg
•  the twisting action helps to cleanse the liver and kidneys
• lengthens the side body and spine 
• stretches the shoulder 
• helps fight anxiety, insomnia, depression, and fatigue
• is good for mild backaches and headaches

Coming into and out of the pose:

• sit with your legs extended out in front of you, sit up tall with your sits bones rooting down
• open your legs wide into uptavista konasana
• bend your right leg placing your right foot on the inside of your left thigh
• inhale your arms overhead
• exhale extend over your left leg, keep the chest open(ing) towards the sky
• bring your left arm along the inside of your left leg

Modifications and props:

• place a blanket under your sits bones to help you open up 
• keep top arm in cactus, wrap it around the back, grab the toes

Switch sides to even out!! 

My Yoga Road-- my first class reflection.

Yesterday I did something, well two things, that I hadn't done before.  I went to an Air Fit class with a friend and while I was getting dressed I started thinking about my first experience with yoga. I don't know what inspired it and I am not sure why I have not already looked back at that first class at some point during this past year while my practice greatly evolved and totally changed my life.

My first experience with anything slightly resembling was Body Flow at the gym I belonged to with my parents the year after I graduated and  lived at home. It was a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates, and a little yoga. We did some warrior poses, a dancer here and there, and savasana. I liked the ab work pilates offered and I enjoyed dancer pose because I could use my flexibility, but savasana-- I HATED it, I would usually leave before the awkward five minutes where we uncomfortably, sweatily, laid on the floor.

My first official yoga class was at the gym I belonged to near New Orleans and was with a great instructor who was Iyangar trained. I have always been, what I considered, pretty flexible-- I mean I set records in the school sit and reach each year, but little did I know that according to yoga I was far from flexible. I was so UNCOMFORTABLE and FRUSTRATED the entire class.

From the moment I walked in the door I felt lost, there were blankets, straps, huge pillow (read bolsters) and everyone in the class already seemed to know what to grab and how to set up, so I copied them all. I set up my mat and looked around at people stretching-- wasn't this a class to stretch? Why were they stretching ahead of time? This is a question I still sometimes ask myself.

 There wasn't a flow during this class (thank God), I would have been lost. I was constantly looking at the other people to see what I was suppose to be doing. I felt that in each pose the teacher had to come and adjust me and once she did I felt that pose in places I didn't know exisisted. We used the props to make the poses more intense.  When the instructor said fold forward I just bent forward bending in my back, SPINAL Flexion vs. HIP Flexion as I now know it, she came over, had me stand up, stick my butt out and hinge at the hips. HELLO HAMSTRINGS!

Finally we got to a point where we laid on our backs with a bolster under us and our legs up the wall and I thought THANK GOD! Just when I thought it was starting to wind down, now I was awaiting the awkard laying on the ground moment at the end of class, we did some funky roll/handstand/body to the wall move and the work began again.

I remember looking at this man in his 50's and being super impressed with his flexibility, he had said he had been practicing weekly with a private lesson for him and his wife once a week as well.

I left that class sore, tired, sweaty, and frustrated feeling highly inflexible. I went back a time or two but it wasn't until I moved down the street from a great studio that my practice started to pick up. I would go to the community classes twice a week- one a gentle and the other an all levels vinyasa. Little by little I started to catch on.

The best decision I made was to join a six week beginner class at Namaskar studio with Tina Ward. We focused on a family of poses each week, down dog and tadasna one week, warrior two series another, etc. I was able to go into higher level classes from there and feel confident in my alignment and execution of the poses.

It was during those six weeks that I thought huh, this is it, this is why people go back, I learned about breathing, patience, the idea of a practice, and I was hooked!! I signed up for a work study at the studio and a year later I was completing my 200 hr. training.

YOGA IS A PRACTICE, give it time, give it a solid number of classes, and be patient with yourself before you give up.

Friday Five: five little things I am grateful for (a day late)

1. Walls: I love the various ways to use walls during yoga class.
2. Baking Soda: One of the best home made cleaning product ingredients- pair it with vinegar and it's cleaning gold.
3.  Baskets:  Although the majority of mine are plastic, baskets help make organizing  easy and fridges/closets/shelves look prettier.
4. Mint.com: A financial planning website, was introduced to me by my friend Lauren who's husband is an accountant, and it is great for helping set budgets, goals, and know where my money goes (which is mostly my stomach).
5.  Popcorn:  Some people might call it an obsession or addiction and I wouldn't disagree. I have a massive popcorn problem and watching terrible old Spanish plays via dvd is made more enjoyable by my fluffy, salty friend. There are worse things I could be snacking on, but I probably should eat less of it in one sitting.


Friday Five: five little things I am grateful for (a day late) by cloch1 featuring a sunbeam air popper

Swedese home decor, $1,190 / Framed chalkboard / Sunbeam air popper / Baskets - Living Room - Danmark, $31

TBT: Sukava Bodhe: Chicago Area Yoga Festival

The first weekend in September this year was Sukhava Bodhe's kick off for the hopefully annual festival. Hosted about 1.5 hours from the city on a beautiful old farm, yogi's camped out, flowed, mediated, breathed, slacklined, and had access to amazing vendors and performers.

I was unable to take any asana classes due to a finger injury, but that didn't really seem to matter because the schedule was so full of other options. Besides classes offering various yoga styles the festival hosted mala bead making workshops, thai massage (self and partner), slack lining, bee keeping, paddle board yoga, pranayama, meditation, nutritional classes, kirtan, and more.

What was so great about this festival is that you could drop into any class, there was no pre-registration for the classes so you could plan as you went. The festival also offered tons of discounts and sales right before the event to make it more affordable. For the complete cheapos of the  world like myself they offered volunteer opportunities in exchange for free admission.

I met some great yogi's, found some new, local products I want to try, and got to take classes with senior teachers.

The two days that I attended we were hit with very severe storms the first night and a strong down pour the second afternoon. The festival still went on and worked around the weather.

One of the class venues after the storm, the silks were so pretty.

This pond was so cute, people were always out on boards or swimming since when it wasn't raining it was warm and sunny!

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Tons of acro classes to take and people acroing all over the place. An acro-camp is held at this same site over summer (how fun)!

Slacklining and slackline yoga- I tried this and it was soooo difficult!! I would love to try again, the focus, balance, and relaxation required is intense.

Fresh honey from the Bee Keeping class, we were able to just break off a piece and eat it. I have never had such good honey- it makes me want to keep bees. 

I will post information next summer regarding SB 2014- Yogis of all levels, even people who just like to camp and play in the pond would enjoy the festival! Bonfires and drum circles!!

Time to order business cards: Vote to help me decide

Pose of the week: Virabadrasana III (warrior 3)

This week I need to be a warrior! I have a midterm, a pile of stuff that needs to be graded, a budget that I am trying to stick to, and a final to give (its the week before fall break so all things Loyola tend to be crazy).

The battle may change, be it stress, school (are those one in the same?), a frustrating situation, but my weapons are my breath and my heart, and of course those killer abs-- after all core strength is super important in yoga.

The warrior poses in yoga are foundational for so many other poses, additionally they are used in many beginning classes, but don't be fooled these poses are challenging.

Benefits

• strengthens legs, ankles, back, abdominal muschles, shoulders, and arms (holy cow)
• helps build balance

Preparing for the pose and coming into the pose:

• Before even attempting this pose find your breath (prana) and your gaze (dristi)
• warm up with anjaneyasana (crescent lunge), uttanasana (forward fold), vrksasana (tree pose) and vira 1 (warrior 1)
• from vira 1 gently push off the back foot bringing all the weight into the front foot
• root down through the front food, keep the leg muscles activated
• begin to tilt forward bringing the chest parallel to the ground and lift the back leg
• keep your hips square-- this may mean that your foot is only six inches off the ground and thats great because you are still receiving all the same benefits
• keep the back foot active (think flexing the foot and pushing out through the heel) and the toes pointing down to the floor.
• place your hands at heart center, out to airplane, or extend you biceps up by ears reaching the fingers forwards

Props and Modifications:

• a block on the ground under your hands allows for greater stability and a longer holding of the pose
• doing the pose with the back foot pressing into the wall is a great way to help you balance and is also super challenging, this may work the body more than the pose in the center of the room
• try coming into the pose from tree pose or from tadasana

Counterposes: I always feel this pose in the hip of the standing leg, it is an aggravating tightness and it makes me want to open my hips.

• malasana (yogi squat)
• supta baddha konasana (reclined butterfly)
• balasana (devotional pose / child's pose)

Have a great day and be a fierce warrior!