Let Your Heart Be Known - Steve Gold

Steve Gold - his name may be familiar to you. He is a musician and he's "kind of a big deal" around the yoga community. His music has been played at Wanderlust Festival, Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, KeyArena, BHAKTI FEST SPRING OmMERSION, Bhakti Fest, Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Esalen Institute, Yoga Journal San Francisco Conference, and Varsity Theater.

Gold has supported a variety of charitable organizations including Y.O.G.A. for Youth, City Of Hope, and Surfrider Foundation. He is also an Ambassador for Yoga Energy Activism, a grassroots effort lead by yogini Shiva Rea to inspire mindful use of our natural resources.

“Singing is my mainline to the divine,” says Gold.

His second full-length album, "Let Your Heart Be Known" (2011) includes plenty of soulful yogic tunes, but my favorite has to be So Much Magnificence. It is lovely and quietly introspective.

For a full biography, performance dates, to purchase music, and more - visit Steve Gold Music.

Wish I Could Run Away and Join the Circus

Since I appear to have missed that boat in this one - In my next life I want to join the circus.
The animal-free kind of course. I don't support that other crap.

Source: http://fuck-yeah-cirque.tumblr.com

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss_paws/

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoxasths

Sianna Sherman explains Open to Grace

I saw this short video a couple days ago on Yoganonymous and felt I had to share it. Sianna Sherman is easily my favorite yoga teacher ever. Here she shares a little information on the first universal principle of alignment in Anusara Yoga: Open to Grace. Most people don't know what the hell floaty kind of thing "open to grace" means and I think this video sums it up pretty well.

I do have to say that the background color of this video makes me think of Sesame Street for some reason.

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Hungry for Adventure

Completely expresses how I've been feeling lately. Time to plan a trip.

Prop Spotlight - Blocks

Lets talk a bit about props. I used to be completely anti props. I was a major purist. All I needed was myself and the ground. Nowadays I'm really into my props when I need them. I still don't use bolsters and stuff, but I use blocks and straps pretty regularly. If you don't have any of your own blocks I recommend you get some. I own 2 pairs - one foam and one cork, but one pair should be sufficient for anyone. Some people get cork or wood for home and foam for taking out in public. There are also wooden blocks, but I've never used them so I can't say anything about them one way or the other.

I find that foam blocks are great for balancing on, putting under my spine (less hard edges), doing things where I fear I might drop them on myself, etc. I like my cork blocks for pretty much everything else. They're more eco-friendly, solid, wear well, and easy on the eyes. They're considerably more expensive, but if you can swing it they're worth it. I got mine for christmas one year.

Something to keep in mind: 
Using props doesn't always mean that you're doing the "modified" version of something. Even if it did that doesn't mean you don't need it sometimes. Let go of your ego and get some props. I like Yoga Accessories for that.

Just a few of the things you can do with blocks:

Place a block between your thighs to learn to draw your legs toward the midline.

Restorative bridge was the first pose to make me love blocks. Opens up the front hips.

Under shoulderblades a block helps open your chest. A M A Z I N G !
If you try this - roll to the side to come up. Not forward or you can hurt vertebrae.

Helps provide extra lift while you work on building more strength to hold yourself up.

Helps keep your poses from being soggy... and helps prevent pulled groins while still making you do the work.
I also suggest this method for pigeon pose.

Brings the ground to you so you can work on alignment more than depth.

Please don't try these poses without speaking to your Dr. first if you have any medical/physical problems (or if they're just beyond your capabilities - be honest). If you're unsure - seek a teacher's advice/supervision. Seek Peace At Your Own Risk!

Tiffany Cruikshank - Express YourSelf!

I'm completely in love with this video. It exudes joy from all it's pixels. I think they captured the essence of play and sunshine in yoga. It came out a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to space out some of the video posts. Enjoy!

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Recycled Post - Inspiration Board

I just re-did my Inspiration Board so I thought it was a good time for a recycled post!

Read last year's post about the process of setting up your own Inspiration Board - Here.

One-Moment Meditation

I found this awesome video recently and I even did the meditation presented in the video. I found it amusing that knowing it was a one-minute meditation I still found myself feeling like it was the longest minute ever. I've meditated for upwards of 45 minutes, yet this one minute was super-hard. How silly. 

 I felt great afterwards though.

   

 Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Unboxing #NDL01 from Quarterly Co.

In a flurry of small changes on the blog lately - you may have noticed the appearance of a link at the top of the page to Quarterly Co. You may wonder exactly what that is, but haven't checked it out yet.

"Quarterly Co. is a subscription service that lets you receive awesome things in the mail. You can subscribe to people you find interesting and, once every three months, they will send you a package right to your doorstep."

I signed up a while back, and yesterday I received my first package from Quarterly Contributor No More Dirty Looks

"No More Dirty Looks is a blog focusing on the best, prettiest, and most effective clean products on the market. With their mailings, founders Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt hope to reawaken a tradition of self-care while also showing that clean, organic ingredients are all you need to look and feel your best."

I love NMDL - the blog and the book, so I was quick to sign up and thrilled to receive this box in the mail. I urge you to sign up for these mailings too. The surprise element is so fun, and the products are totally worth my $25 every 3 months. Alternatively, you could just follow the blog for free - and still get lots of clean beauty info and deals on great products.

I haven't tried any of these products before but I've been wanting all of them, so this collection is perfect for me and I'm happy. Bonus: Smells great! Can't wait for the next package ♥  I can't say enough good things about them, so I'll just get on with the unboxing pictures.

Inside was this small packet/letter of info about the products and the people that made them.
Leaving me well informed and extra excited about my new stuff.

Leap Organics lavender with clove and orange bar soap,  Soapwalla
Kitchen deodorant cream, and Hydrea beechwood Body Brush.
Complete with use instructions.

Everything in quotes came straight from Quarterly Co.

You may recognize the NMDL book from the 2011 Yogi Gift Guide

This is not a sponsored post - I'm just excitable that way.

Trying Ashtanga

You all know I'm a big ol' Anusara junkie, but I tried something like 9 styles of yoga or more before I got all cozy with Anusara. There's plenty more styles around too so I'm making a conscious effort to branch out and try new styles in addition to my regular practice. Maybe I'll learn a few things.

I got this Kino Macgregor Ashtanga DVD for christmas and I've started following along with it once or twice a week. It's the primary series with beginner and advanced variations for most of the sequence. While I know that DVDs are far from being representative of the classroom experience - I have to say I was a little too scared to visit an Ashtanga class. Maybe later. Ashtanga is challenging. Not crazy difficult - just definite work. My hop forward to hover in handstand is getting stronger and my upward dog is getting more practice than ever. I'm enjoying it for sure.

Next stop - Bikram, Iyengar, and Aerial Yoga classes.
I'm especially psyched out of my mind about that last one.

Reminders on the Wall

Just some inspirational wall-hangings I found while looking for home decor inspiration.

Source: gypsyville.com

90 Minute Asana Practice in 3 Minutes

My Thursday and Friday were pretty well spent on making my first video ever. Made this on my phone. In the process I learned more about my phone, about how inept I am with video editing software, about how confusing copyright law is, and how much more nervous I am about sharing videos than pictures. I'm thinking I'll make more videos later, but for now I'll just let this one go out into the world and mature on its own.

So this video is a 90 minute practice that I did - and I then chopped it up into a million pieces and threw 95% of the pieces away. What's left is like a super speed highlight reel of that day's work. Hopefully you like it. If you do - share it around. If you hate it - show it around too. blech.

 

Asana Practice in 3 Minutes from April Armistead on Vimeo.

Some of you may have already seen this on Elephant Journal, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, or on plenty of other sites I don't quite follow. Thanks to everyone who's been posting it. ♥

Rest to Cultivate Growth

As yogis we practice hopefully everyday. Except when we are resting. There should be some off-days scheduled in there somewhere. I took about a 2 month long rest in the fall. Some of it intentional, most of it not. Everyone has these little periods where we don't practice. Sometimes they're a couple days sometimes they're months long. During that time - I always worry that when I get back to the mat I'm going to be completely incapable. Not that it matters, but it's going to be uncomfortable. There's a little piece of me that whines when I'm in down dog for the first time after a week or more without it. That little piece whines about everything.

That's the inertia speaking. The longer something sits the harder it is to get it going again. This applies to anything. Objects, relationships, yoga practices, attitudes, good habits - Anything.

So when I came back to my practice I feared I had lost some strength because muscles are all about "use it or lose it". Turns out I lost a little but it was regained so quickly to be not worth mentioning. My build had grown only slightly softer.With that very mild softening though - came an ease in how I carry myself that's hard to describe.

Everything feels a little simpler and I have made a dozen breakthroughs. Both in physical and subtle practices. I guess our inner self and our outer practices can be like muscles. Muscles don't grow while you're lifting heavy things. Muscles grow later in the dark while they're being rested. Quietly sowing the seeds planted during the hard work.

So by all means - plant your seeds, do the work - but don't forget to provide the rest your system needs to really flourish.

Press to Handstand

So with the whole Briohny Smyth underwear video there's been a lot of buzz about pressing to handstand. No matter where you stand on the Too Sexy or Not debate - you probably agree that her handstand press abilities are solid.

Now everyone wants to know how to add this fun little number to their practice. Here are a few videos to help you out. Featuring Kino Macgregor, Briohny Smyth, and Ranil Kumara with a few different methods to get you floating tall.

Word of warning: Kino admits it took her 5 years to get this down - so expect to put forth some dedication and time into learning it.

The sliding thing Briohny does with the blanket I've done quite a bit. I picked it up from a Sianna Sherman workshop. It's work and I can definitely say it's helpful.

A similar method for the gym is with a stability ball. You'll either love it or hate it.

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Videos.

Oh, the Places You'll Go at Burning Man!

If you love Dr. Seuss as I do (and especially if you love adventures and colors and happiness like Burning Man) then you'll likely love this video that's been floating about. A Burning Man vision of Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go!

And a quote that I think pairs well with it:
"If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else." - Joseph Campbell

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video

Urdhva Dhanurasana Walkthrough

The effects of hunching over at your desk, rounding forward in your car, and keeping your head down as you walk are all going to be countered by backbends. You may not even realize how crummy you feel until you practice some nice chest openers and truly feel better. Add this classic backbend to your practice - or start a practice just so you can work towards it.

Bonus: Heart openers increase your capacity to give and receive love. In practical application this could mean you're less likely to yell at the lady taking 30 minutes to buy stamps and more likely to graciously accept compliments and well-meant gifts.

I like to place Urdhva Dhanurasana (aka Upward Bow) towards the middle of my practice. If you have a shorter or less experienced practice then it may be more appropriate for you to place it near the end so you will be adequately warmed up. I'd suggest doing at least 3 urdhva dhanurasanas per practice. The third one always feels way better than the first one. Resist the urge to draw your knees to your chest in between each pose. Once you're done - lie and rest for a minute. Do a couple of light twists and/or some forward bends to neutralize the spine.

In pictures this looks like a lot, but it's actually a pretty fast process once you learn the steps.

Before you ever attempt Urdhva Dhanurasana solo:
You should be well-versed and comfortable in Bridge Pose. The link there is to my post on tips/instructions for bridge. If you're not comfy in bridge pose yet - just keep practicing that for now.

Let's Begin:
For some reason whenever I say "backbend" people think of dropbacks and get scared. How 'bout we do it the least scary way? Start from the floor.

Lie down. Feet about hip-width apart (for stability) near your butt. Very important -  Feet parallel.
At first - reach your hands down at your sides - just touch the end of your heel.
Later you can bring the feet in a bit closer to start if you want to. 

Place your hands out beside your ears - right about shoulder width apart. Wider apart is better than closer in.
Fingertips pointing the same direction as your toes. Fingers wide.

As your root into all 4 corners of your feet and hands - press up just enough to be on the top of your head.
Grip your fingers - spread your toes. Draw your shoulderblades further onto your back. Press your chest forward. This will roll your head a little more towards your forehead. Keep lifting in the hips.

On an exhale - press up to straight arms. Come up onto your toes and lengthen your tailbone down toward your knees. 

Now walk your feet in closer toward your hands if you can. Press your chest forward .

Keep drawing your shoulders back to support your open heart. Lower your heels once you've walked in.
Strong arms - strong legs. Press your chest forward again. Look down at your hands. Breathe.

In general, this sequence is for anyone, but please don't try this without speaking to your Dr. first if you have any medical/physical problems. Seek Peace At Your Own Risk!


If you're reading this post there's a good chance you want to read these too: 
Great Backbends in Unexpected Places
Backbend Work - In Pictures

Handy Yoga Timer

In the aftermath of all this holiday business - take a moment and maybe $2 to treat yourself for a change.

Yogis these days have all sorts of interesting things at our disposal. What's something we could really use though? Timers. Whether for timing meditation or timing each pose during a home practice. What's an easy way to know when you've been in a handstand at the wall for 2 minutes (or that you've had your students there that long)?

This Yoga Timer App by Simple Touch Software.

I've noticed my teachers using this app a lot in the past year. Maybe for you too - this could be perfect.

Screenshots from Apple

Yoga by Equinox with Briohny Smyth

Came across this little videomercial yesterday. I think it's beautiful and Briohny shows a lot of control and skill. Very admirable practice. Check it out. ♥

Update: To learn to press to handstand like a boss - Click Here - for video tips from various sources including Briohny Smyth.

 

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

Benefits of Handstands

Apparently yogis aren't just over-excited. Handstands really are good for you.

Fun Fact: Male pandas do handstands to attract the opposite sex via scent. By inverting, they can urinate higher on a tree trunk, which is how they dominate the competition and entice females. 

Read more about the benefits of handstands HERE.

Open Flower

Near your breastbone there is an open flower.

Drink the honey that is all around that flower. - Kabir

I'm working on becoming more active on my Twitter page, so follow along for lots of article sharing and quotes and whatnot. Not too active though - I'm resisting using twitter from my phone. I don't need to tweet everything I eat or something.

Shit Yogis Say

This vid is basically a lululemon commercial, but it's funny. Do you recognize yourself in any of these? 

I know I saw myself in there somewhere. Right around 37 seconds for sure. I'm fully aware of it.

 

Readers via Email - Click Here for the Video.

New Year - Fresh Intentions

I don't really do New Year's Resolutions. When the new year comes I might have some intentions for my year, or some hopes, but I don't resolve things.

New dress. New socks. New Hair.

This year I hope to be more open to those around me and I intend to create new friendships. I hope to love and appreciate with all my heart, so that I may make the most of what little time I have on this planet as a human. I intend to live with freedom, expression, and a wild inner light to better uplift those around me simply by proximity. I intend to truly see the sun, the moon, the flowers, and the inner goodness of those I meet. I hope to hug more, receive more, and do more.

What are your hopes and intentions for the New Year?