asana Archives -

Self Teacher Study – Freedom Yoga Immersion

I just completed Erich Schiffmann’s Freedom Yoga Immersion on Yoga Anytime. This online platform is “a community of yogis dedicated to the global sharing of the teachings of yoga.”

Erich Schiffmann is an American yoga master who has been called one of the innovators of modern day yoga. When this series came out in 2015 he had been teaching for 42 years and practicing for 48 years. His primary teachers include Krishnamurti, Desikachar, and Iyengar. Schiffmann is one of my yoga teacher’s teachers and his book “Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness” is a personal favorite.

I’ve never studied with Schiffmann so you can imagine my excitement when I saw a coupon code on his Facebook page for a 30 day free trial of Yoga Anytime. I jumped at the opportunity and signed up for his five day immersion. It took me three weeks to complete the seventeen hour course.

The immersion was divided into philosophy discussions, guided meditation and asana practices, as well as Schiffmann’s signature Freedom Yoga practice. I skipped the silent Freedom Yoga sections and just observed the first couple of asana practices (videos are not my favorite learning style for asana).

Whenever you’re starting with a new teacher it’s always best to keep an open mind. If the “cup” of our minds is full it can be difficult to absorb new teachings. And when it comes to learning yoga use what works and leave the rest. So let’s start with what worked…

My favorite part was the guided meditations. Schiffmann is an expert meditation teacher. He understands that meditation is the main practice of yoga, and that meditation is what promotes and facilitates the realization of what yoga is about. Some of the meditations were absolutely delicious. I enjoyed his directions to “snuggle” parts of my body into the mat and to “squeegee myself clean” when doing body scans.

Schiffmann emphasizes the idea that yoga is a lifestyle – that it is so much more than “metaphysical P.E.” (love this!) Regarding the asana portion, I appreciated his preference for the “simple stuff.” He describes the asana practice as being very easy although the mindset is very advanced. The sequences are effective at opening the channels (nadis) in a gentle way that is suitable for all levels.

I enjoyed his stories about his yoga journey. He described a turning point of when he felt like he was always doing someone else’s yoga. After years of disciplined practice he said that his yoga felt like a dud. It was only when he learned how to channel lines of energy through his body that he became empowered with his own practice. This marked the beginning of Freedom Yoga.

Goof Off with Purpose

Schiffmann is an advocate of learning how to channel our own practices. He recommends beginning with systems of your choice. The discipline of learning established systems is important as it helps to “get you in the game,” but being dependent on a teacher is kind of a drag. Once you’re trained the practice begins to teach you and that’s when it becomes fun again. Otherwise it can feel like you’re stifling yourself. As you dive deep and allow free form movement to occur eventually it will flower as an intuitive practice.

Getting Online

The main technique (discipline) of Freedom Yoga is listening. Schiffmann describes this process as “getting online” or cultivating an intuitive connection with the infinite. He recommends beginning just by getting curious and presenting the question:

Something’s going on here , … ,

Stay tuned for Freedom Yoga Immersion Part II.

Basic Goodness – Summer Air

Happy summer solstice! I hope you were able to soak up some of the blessings of this day. I’m in the city this week and decided to honor the sun with an outdoor practice. I went to my favorite spot in Riverside Park that overlooks the water and set up shop. Kicked off my shoes, placed my backpack right next to my mat (one can never be too careful) and closed my eyes to meditate.

The mental knots of the day started to unravel as my senses tuned into the sounds and smells of the park. The sweet fragrance of linden blossoms interwove with the sharp odor of fresh asphalt. I chanted Om in harmony with a passing ambulance siren.

I’ve been practicing inside a lot lately so the change of scenery took a little getting used to. The ground was uneven and I had to stop every so often to blow the occasional ant off my hand or foot. It made me a little twitchy but I remembered that yogis used to practice on the ground with no mats. And looking at the trees while being upside down is great for shifting perspective.

The very best part was dancing with the wind. There is something so magical about the summer breeze in the city (I swear it has a life all of it’s own). The effect of practicing asana in those warm gusts of air is so transformative – talk about wiping the slate clean.

The effect reminded me of a scene from a movie I just saw – Fearless with Jet Li. At one point Li’s character is learning how to work in the rice paddies in the countryside. Whenever a warm breeze moves through all of the villagers stop what they are doing, stand up and close their eyes. At first Li’s character is too caught up in feeling insecure and competitive and stubbornly keeps working. Later on he realizes the basic goodness of taking those pauses. Basic goodness is a term that was coined by Tibetan spiritual teacher, Chogyam Trungpa:

“Discovering real goodness comes from appreciating very simple experiences. We are not talking about how good it feels to make a million dollars or finally graduate from college or buy a new house, but we are speaking here of the basic goodness of being alive — which does not depend on our accomplishments or fulfilling our desires. We experience glimpses of goodness all the time, but we often fail to acknowledge them. When we see a bright color, we are witnessing our own inherent goodness. When we hear a beautiful sound, we are hearing our own basic goodness. When we step out of the shower, we feel fresh and clean, and when we walk out of a stuffy room, we appreciate the sudden whiff of fresh air. These events take a fraction of a second, but they are real experiences of goodness.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa

How did you celebrate the solstice today? Did you have any opportunities to practice basic goodness? Feel free to leave a comment in the box below.

More Taoist Travel Tips

I’ve just had one of those full-tilt travel days – the kind of day when there’s no time to eat and lollygaggers seem to be EVERYWHERE. The sounds, smells and sensations of the city have been noticeably intense. It wasn’t possible to do my home practice but I did have an opportunity to practice off the mat. Here are a few more of my Taoist Travel tips.

Internal Arts

At times like these it’s easy to get stressed out but frustration would only add to the challenge. So I try to view days like today like they’re a game. Shifting my perspective helps to streamline things and makes these challenging experiences more enjoyable.

Next time you’re in a situation where you can’t do your daily asana practice you might try visualizing yourself going through your sequence. You could also try listening to a recording of a guided meditation. Some people find that having something tangible helps them stay focused and will use a mala to practice mantras in silence.

Foot Washing

Another Taoist Travel Tip is to clean your feet after you arrive at your destination. Washing off the dust of the road and putting on a clean pair of socks is a simple yet effective way to renew yourself after a long day. Physically, the act of cleaning your feet relaxes your whole body. Foot washing also helps to clear out any energetic “muck” that you might have picked up along the way.

Last but not least, it’s always good to keep a sense of humor. Keep an eye out for something that makes you laugh. Even if it means that you’re the only one laughing at your jokes – just keep going with it. When the going gets tough a good laugh will lift your spirits and fill your sails.

Do you meditate when you’re on the road? What techniques do you use? Feel free to leave a comment in the box below.

Safety Tips – Cross-Training with Yoga

Cross-training with yoga is a popular discussion topic these days and people will sometimes ask me if I lift weights or do cardio. There are ways to effectively combine Eastern and Western forms of exercise but there are a few common mistakes to avoid.

To be clear, when I’m using the word yoga in this context I’m talking about the physical practice of asana, not the 5,000+ year old tradition. Asana-based yoga classes are the most recent evolution of the 1980’s aerobics fad and most YMCA’s, gyms and health clubs offer a variety of them. Yet many of these businesses do not educate their clientele on how to safely incorporate yoga into their work outs.

Contractive vs. expansive strength training.

Free weight training is designed to build strength by repeatedly contracting the muscle towards the central axis of the body. Yoga poses such as Warrior 2 build strength by holding the posture and lengthening the muscles away from the central axis of the body. Contractive strength training shortens the muscle whereas expansive strengthening promotes a balance of strength and flexibility.

People who practice routine contractive strength training (such as bodybuilders) may have a tough time holding poses like Warrior 2. If you’ve been weightlifting regularly and want to start practicing yoga it can helpful to switch to lighter weights. There are some corporate yoga studios that offer classes that combine light weight training with yoga.

Asana and Cardio.

Any kind of joint impacting exercise should be done BEFORE practicing yoga. Asana opens the joints so it’s counterintuitive to run on a treadmill after practicing yoga. While there are cardio machines like exercise bikes and ellipticals that don’t impact the joints they do tighten the muscles. It’s a good idea to stretch for five minutes before doing cardio and then do an extended yoga practice afterwards.

A good warm up is key.

It’s worth mentioning another potential safety issue that frequently happens in gym settings. Oftentimes members arrive well after a class has started, sometimes as much as a half hour into the class, or else they might leave early. Many instructors don’t say anything as the success of a class is based on attendance numbers, but this can be quite dangerous.

For your safety you should plan on attending a group yoga class from start to finish. You wouldn’t jump on a treadmill and start out at peak speed, nor would you end a weight lifting session without a little stretching. Just like any other system of exercise there is a formula to a yoga class, and this formula is designed to give you optimal results.

Thinking about cross-training with yoga? I’d love to speak with you. Book a free no-obligation consultation today.