Advanced Backbending Series: Wheel to Handstand

You know I would bend over backwards for you, right, yogis?  Or, in this case, I'll show you how to bend over backwards.  The video, here, is an advanced sequence that I enjoy a lot, so I thought I'd share it.  Please note: it's important to be highly proficient at wheel pose (urdhva dhanurasana) before attempting the first stage, which is simply to lift one leg and place your foot against a wall.  Over time, you'll transition into handstand, initially, with the help of a teacher or spotter.  For backbending tips of all levels, see 6 Tips for Safe Backbends.  

If there's a pose or sequence you'd like to see broken down on video (beginner or advanced), please post a comment.  

Fieldhouse of Dreams: Yoga Reaches Out/Global Mala Boston at Gillette Stadium

In what you might call the Battle of the Beautiful Quarterbacks (also known as the New England Patriots vs. the New York Jets game), Tom Brady's team fell to  Mark Sanchez's 28-14 yesterday.  Despite the Patriots' loss, there was much rejoicing on its practice field, in the Dana-Farber Field House.  Sadly, this had nothing to do with football*.

Instead, hundreds of yogis convened for Yoga Reaches Out/Global Mala Boston, a daylong event featuring talented yoga teachers and musicians to benefit Children's Hospital Boston and Yoga for Single Moms.

I was honored to emcee the whole event and teach during the morning session's Global Mala celebration.  Boston has participated in this worldwide yoga event (the brainchild of Shiva Rea) since its inception four years ago.  10 of Boston's favorite teachers treated yogis to a 108-minute practice that included everything from Vinyasa, to Hip Hop, to restorative yoga.  The featured instructors were (in order of appearance): Brian Lam, Chanel Luck (co-creator of Global Mala Boston), Me, Jacqui Bonwell, Roberto Lim (co-creator of Global Mala Boston), Lynne Begier, Christine Raffa, Amy Leydon, Bo Forbes, and Bonnie Argo.  Here's a video clip from Lynne's Hip Hop Yoga sequence, to one of my fav running songs.  It still makes me think of Heartbreak Hill whenever I hear it (but, in a good way) . . .

Global Mala concluded with music as well, though, not the hip hop variety.  Daphne Tse performed an interlude during sivasana, followed by a set of kirtan chanting before lunch.  After lunch, Ana Forrest, creator of Forrest Yoga, took the stage to lead a challenging, heart opening, thigh scorching, toxic energy releasing practice.  She began the class by invoking the spirits of all four directions: North, South, East, and West (Ana derives much inspiration from Native American culture and philosophy).  I thought you might enjoy seeing a portion of the sacred ceremony.  



In between my emcee and teaching duties, I still found time to enjoy the company of my fellow yogi friends (new and old), soak up the experience of being at Gillette, and goof off a bit.  Shocker, I know . . .

Fellow Boston-based teacher Bo Forbes and me.  (The matching outfits were an accident).  

Feeling the turf between my toes.  

The 40-yard line, like never before. 

Coconut water, anyone? 

The event concluded with another stirring musical performance and guided meditation by kirtan and indie-pop rock performer Wade Imre Morissette.  Keep an eye out for his forthcoming movie musical, "Ultimate Boon," shooting in India soon.

Finally, it was time to go, and the gratitude among us was profound.  The event's key organizers, all inspiring women whom I am proud to call my friends: Chanel Luck (left), Bonnie Argo (not pictured), Sarah Gardner (center), and Laurin Panzano (right), took the stage.

Tomorrow, the New England Patriots reclaim their practice field, and I can't help wondering if there will be some residual love and gratitude in air.  We'll have to ask Tom Brady . . . For more photos of the event, please visit the OmGal.com Facebook fan page, Facebook.com/omgalblog.

*I fully acknowledge that there are certain subjects about which I cannot be neutral and unbiased.  Among these are: Boston sports teams (staunchly loyal), yoga (constructively critical), and mayonnaise (I hate mayonnaise of any kind).    

Get Your Global Mala On!

For more information about the Global Mala tradition around the world, each September, and to find a celebration near you, visit the Global Mala Project's website.  To sign up for the Boston event at Gillette Stadium, where I'll be teaching, please visit the Yoga Reaches Out website.

The clip below, featuring my friend and one of the event organizers Bonnie Argo, offers more details regarding the festivities in Boston, including a workshop with Ana Forrest.  Bonnie's accent is way cooler than mine, too.  Enjoy!



Peace,
Rebecca

DRINK, Pray, Love: Water for Widows

The yoga community is abuzz this week over the film Eat, Pray, Love, based on the eponymous spiritual memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the movie soon, so please stay tuned.

In the meantime, I am moved and humbled by a much shorter film, by Katie Ullman and her classmate at Vanderbilt University, Vasanth Kuppuswamy.  You may recall that this inspiring om gal and I (along with help from a dear mutual friend, Abby) collaborated to create a yoga benefit here in Boston called Put Your Money Where Your Mat Is.  I taught a class at Brookline Ballet, and all the money raised by the yogis in attendance was donated to Katie's fundraising efforts for a freshwater pipeline in India, serving an ashram for widows with nowhere else to go.  You can see photos of the event here and watch a short film about Katie and Vasanth's fascinating, sometimes-frustrating, and heartfelt journey.

Thanks to their "karma yoga," the women at the ashram in Vrindavan, India now have access to one of life's most basic necessities: clean water to drink.

Hidden Beach Yoga Benefit

If you're reading this blog, you're probably aware of yoga's myriad benefits.  
Some of the most highly touted perks include stress reduction, increased 
flexibility, and improved strength. However, there are many more fringe 
benefits as well, such as one that may come in handy at the 
beach this summer. (See video).

Are you better able to bend over and tie your shoes now that you practice 
yoga?  Possess a new found focus that makes you a Jenga champion?  
Sleep sounder at night?  What are the unexpected ways in which yoga 
makes your life easier, happier, more fun, or, even, less sunburned . . .

Yoga at the Great Lawn: The World's Largest Yoga Class

At 4:45 p.m. on June 22, 2010, Central Park’s Great Lawn is meditating on the evening ahead. Mostly, it’s quiet, even with sound-checks happening onstage and hundreds of volunteers convening at scheduled rendezvous points across the massive swath of green. The event’s featured yoga teacher, Elena Brower, needs to keep speaking so that the audio/visual team can adjust her mic. She talks to those around her, giving occasional shout-outs to nearby friends. She discusses logistics with a member of the event staff, “I won’t be doing the OMs. I’m going to introduce Dharma Mittra, and he’s going to do the OMs.” Then, she experiments with the verbiage of how she’ll announce Mittra, a yoga pioneer who’s been teaching in New York City since 1966. Even in rehearsal mode, she’s succinct, gracious, and real.

Photo: Sound-check with Elena Brower, Wah!, and others.

But, she’s a little nervous too. Understandably so. She’s preparing to teach the world’s largest yoga class, with more than 12,000 yogis registered to attend. To keep herself anchored and appease the guys in the sound booth, she continues her banter. She begins to recite a mantra—om namah shivaya—saying it repeatedly with various inflections and at different volumes. She’s not chanting but, rather, substituting the sacred syllables for standard sound-check lingo. She could say “testing 1-2-3” or recite her ABCs, but one gets the impression that Brower doesn’t care much for throwaway words.

The cavalry of yoga assistants arrives at the Great Lawn.

It’s clear that things are going well as the event nears. By 5:30 p.m., the weather is cooling down (ominously so, we would soon discover). Volunteers, staff, sponsors, security, and media all seem to be coordinating nicely. I’m roaming between my posts as a member of the media, for OmGal.com, and an assistant teacher. I bounce happily from the press tent where I am offered interviews with a “celebrity yoga guru” per an earlier press release from her people (I have never heard of her) and obliged by Dharma Mittra for an impromptu photo, to the lawn to watch thousands of yogis take their places, unroll their mats, and prepare to make history. I tell Mittra he is free to sit or stand as he pleases for the photo, so the septuagenarian jokingly gives me a muscle-flexing move (a la the Governator). It’s so unexpected for a man of his stature that I’m not quick enough to capture it with my humble digital camera. My brain captures it indefinitely. Below, he strikes a more traditional pose.

Sri Dharma Mittra

All around me, thousands of others are capturing the experience in their own ways. Some are dancing to the musical performances, while others limber up with a few asanas. Many take photos and talk with their friends—some they’ve just met while standing in line for the event. One woman wears a multi-color leopard-print body blanket of sorts and paints people’s faces, including my friend Daisy.

Yup, there's a person in there.

Daisy, who gave Om Gal a plug on NBC (I didn't even pay her).

Reggie Watts, who’s equal parts musician, beat-boxer, comedian, and emcee, adds a party atmosphere, partially because he thinks he’s been asked to host the MTV Video Music Awards.

Buddy Wakefield, a slam poetry champion admits to being a little overwhelmed by the size of his audience. Presumably, he’s used to smaller venues (aren’t we all?), and now, he’s shining on stage beneath a news helicopter and before an audience that makes him feel “like Bon Jovi,” New Jersey’s chosen son. Wakefield dedicates one poem to “anyone’s who’s in it—the sticky tar pit of it,” which jars me from being a yoga teacher/blogger/media gal bouncing to and fro, to being an anonymous yogi among thousands, thinking to myself, “Yeah, who doesn’t know that sticky tar pit?”

This feeling of being swallowed by a beautiful and powerful collective rises up again, when, under the threat of thunderstorms, Elena Brower welcomes Dharma Mittra to the stage around 7:15 p.m. to chant the OMs as planned. “Speak loudly, and do one OM because that’s all we have," I overhear her kindly say to him from my perch below the stage. At the sound of this one unified OM, rising up from the lawn, toward the steamy, gray, ready-to-open sky, I can’t jot another note or snap another photo. I shrink down to the grass, amidst the real camera crews and journalists, join my hands in prayer, and, through a quivering chin and vibrating chest, I OM with everyone else.

It doesn’t matter than Brower makes it through only a few sun salutations before Mother Nature closes the curtain on the night’s yoga history making. It doesn’t matter that 13,000 people scurried home sheltering themselves from the downpour with their newly gifted yoga mats. It’s irrelevant that I went to dinner in pajamas because my clothes were drenched. And, nobody cares all that much about whether a world record stands or not.

It matters only that it can be done: a collective realization among a mass of modern yogis that no experience, event, song, sun salutation, mantra, or moment is ever a throwaway, and it takes far more than a thunder shower to dampen the yogi spirit.

To see more pictures of the event, visit facebook.com/omgalblog.

Yoga at the Great Lawn: Reggie Watts Welcomes Crowd of 13,000

In my lifetime, I will never be as cool as Seattle based entertainer Reggie Watts. I can only wish to be half as cool as his hair alone. Here, he welcomes 13,000 yogis to yesterday's Yoga at the Great Lawn, the world's largest registered yoga class, led by new found om gal-pal Elena Brower, with musical performances by Watts and others.

Thunderstorms abbreviated the event, but it was still a sight to behold. I have plenty of pictures and stories to share, so please check back later.

Summer Yoga Events & Escapes

Some people like to laze away the summer months at barbecues and baseball games, while others prefer to run, bike, swim, surf, and soak up every extra hour of daylight in more physical pursuits. Of course, most of us enjoy a combination of the two, happy languishing in a hammock or hanging off a rock face, reading a book by the shore or practicing sun salutations on a sunny porch.

To help yogis maximize their leisure time during the summer months, many event organizers and yoga teachers offer unique, yoga-inspired experiences. These events range in size and vibe, from intimate island retreats to high-profile festivals featuring celebrity musicians and yoga teachers.

Here's a cursory list of key yoga events this summer. I plan to participate in many of them and wish event organizers and presenters (many of whom are readers, supporters, and friends) much luck as they entertain and inspire yogis around the country.

June 22, Yoga at the Great Lawn: The World's Largest Yoga Event

Event organizers, Flavorpill, anticipate 10,000 yogi attendees to take class taught by Elena Brower in New York City's Central Park. I'll be there: representing OmGal.com in the press tent, assisting class, taking in musical performances by Buddy Wakefield, Grammy nominee Dalien, WAH!, and others, and catching up with NYC Gal over Pinkberry afterward . . . Don't be silly; she won't be at the event. It's during happy hour, people. My ode to Pinkberry, below.

June 26-July 2, Urban Yoga Retreat

Conceptualized by my friend and fellow Boston-based yoga teacher, Chanel Luck, the Urban Yoga Retreat allows busy yogis to go on a retreat but save their vacation days. Classes occur in the early morning and evening each day, with a more intensive workshop on the weekend. I'll be guest teaching on Wednesday, June 30. The program is hosted by the swish Sports Club/LA. Check out the clip below, featuring Chanel and me playing with our food-- an obvious sign you'll have fun in our yoga classes, too.

July 8-11, Telluride Yoga Festival

Packed with veterans to the yoga conference teaching circuit, such as Richard Freeman and Tias Little, and new faces like Alanna Kaivalya and Scott Blossom, this weekend features topnotch yoga classes, music, and unbeatable scenery.

July 16-19, Yoga Rocks the Mountain

With most concerts and many yoga classes held outside against a picturesque Colorado backdrop, it's easy to imagine reaching elevated states of consciousness at this Aspen event. Featured teachers include fellow Intent voice and blogger David Romanelli, known for his wine, chocolate, and yoga workshops, and Lisa Black, a Baptiste alum like myself and the owner of Shakti Vinyasa Yoga in Seattle, WA, along with many other talented teachers.

July 25-28 and July 29-August 1, Yoga on the Vineyard

My first summer job was aboard the Island Queen, a ferry which travels to and from Falmouth, MA and Martha's Vineyard, so my Cape Cod roots and love for the Vineyard run deep. I'll use any excuse to pack up and set sail for the preferred island retreat of the Clintons, the Obamas, Spike Lee, James Taylor, Carly Simon, and others. For yogis, Amy Leydon's retreats, boasting hearty doses of yoga, mindfulness, local cuisine, sun, and sea, provide the perfect opportunity for you and your yoga mat to wash ashore.

July 29-August 1, Wanderlust Yoga & Music Festival

The most high profile yoga event of the summer, this festival in Tahoe, each year, features classes and concerts from big names in yoga and entertainment. This year, headlining yoga teachers include Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Baron Baptiste, and more, along with musical performances by Michael Franti, the Brazilian Girls, Moby, MC Yogi, and oodles of groovin' others.

Please feel free to add your own yoga events and escapes by posting a comment.

Good Day, Sunshine?

This morning I awoke from a quality night's sleep, shuffled around the house getting my bearings, and settled into 15 minutes of meditation before a busy day. When I opened my eyes, a singular life question loomed . . . Did that really happen?

Of course I am referring to the thorough unraveling of my Celtics last night in game 6 of the NBA Finals-- a painful bait-n-switch, wherein a stellar team of basketball's finest eerily transformed into a hapless collection of rattled men scrambling up and down the court like my parents' chickens when the family dog circles their coop.

No synergy. No grace. No swagger. Just lots of running, pecking, and kicking up dirt.

Walking through Back Bay this morning, I saw Bostonians shake their bewildered heads over coffee. (These late-night games have us all a little bleary-eyed). They wondered aloud how it could be. A giant, implied "WTF" has descended upon us.

As any yogi will tell you, there's no better way to shake a giant "WTF" than a few sun salutations, particularly sun salutation B, with the strength and alignment of its Warrior I pose. Performed after sun salutation A (video demonstration here), sun salutation B is a well-rounded series of movements upon which many ashtanga, power, and vinyasa yoga classes are built. Traditionally, they are practiced in the direction of the sun (hence the name, signifying our "saluting" of the sun), as it rises or sets.

Today, yogis on both coasts and around the world, Celtics and Lakers fans, and sensible people who could care less about sports, will dutifully practice their sun salutations. Perhaps at sunrise, sunset, or some time in between, until they can do it all over again tomorrow. Ahhh, tomorrow. A fresh start for all, especially the Celtics.

Happy Sun[Salutation]day: Sun Salutation A How-To Video

After you finish watching the World Cup and before the Celtics and Lakers tip off, hop off the couch and celebrate Sun-day with a few sun salutations. Traditionally performed facing the direction of the sun, this sequence of yoga poses benefits the entire body. Sun Salutation A (shown here) contains lengthening, strengthening, back and forward bending movements. Sun Salutation B, which provides a bit more lower body emphasis, is coming soon.

As always, I'd love to know what you think, especially if you're a beginner or pass along these How-To clips to beginner yogis.

Quote: Material Things vs. Spiritual Development

"Toward material things, which necessarily have a limit, it is best to be satisfied with what you have, but with regard to the limitless development of spiritual qualities, you should never be satisfied with a mere portion, but continually seek higher development."

-His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

5 Yoga Poses for Swimsuit Season

Do you remember having a favorite outfit as a kid? A prized article of clothing (perhaps a party dress or Little League jersey) that you would have worn every day of your life if possible?

Mine was a Miss Piggy bathing suit. I wore it all the time. I wore it to the beach. I wore it while jumping through the sprinkler. I wore it around the house in the middle of winter. For me, happiness and high fashion were captured by a pig wearing pearls and a boa.

Stories of women (young or old) enthusiastically donning a bathing suit 365 days a year are few and far between, so I thought this one was worth sharing . . .

More than likely, both gals and guys become a tad wary of stripping down to bikinis and board shorts at the start of each beach season. To help soothe the angst and slim your "asana," here are my 5 favorite yoga poses for summer.

1. Utkatasana Modification for Lean Legs: Traditionally, utkatasana (also known as chair pose) is done with both feet together and an upright chest position. The variation below is different, to inspire a bit more dynamic action in the legs and additional length in the torso and spine. To really cook your thighs, see how long you can stay in the lowest point of the posture. Be sure to breathe deeply using ujayi, which, coincidentally, sounds a lot like the waves at the beach.

2. & 3. Yoga Inspired Abs for a Strong Core: Many styles of yoga build extraordinary abdominal strength, among these are Ashtanga, Anusara, Forrest, Iyengar, Power, and Vinyasa. Here are a few of my favorite abdominal strengthening movements--ideal for developing the core power needed for many arm balances and inversions, protecting your spine from injury, and counter balancing your backbends (e.g., dhanurasana (bow), urdhva dhanurasana (wheel), ustrasana (camel), etc.). While getting a svelte tummy is no day at the beach (it's hard work!), its benefits are both body-healing and eye-appealing.

4. Handstands in the Sand for Sleek Arms and an Adventurous Spirit: Tis the season to practice your arm balances without fear. Grassy lawns and sandy beaches (see above left) provide perfect opportunities to try poses that seem intimidating in a studio environment or dangerous on a hard surface. The added benefit is that these carefree poses make you feel like a kid--while sculpting strong arms to boot.

5. Padma Mudra for a Beautiful Heart: With all this talk of looking lovely while wearing less, it can be tempting to believe that beauty is an external experience. Not so, friends. If being beautiful and thin made people happy, tabloid magazines and reality TV shows, which make their billions by cataloguing the insecure, neurotic, and/or ugly behavior of beautiful and thin starlets, would cease to exist. Moreover, the primary purpose of yoga is not to chisel your booty but to reveal your own inner light- beautiful in all its calm and confident brilliance- to you, and to the world. Padma Mudra is a nice reminder of this.

Best wishes for a beautiful and blessed summer!

Rebecca

3 Yoga Poses to Spark Afternoon Energy (Plus a Caffeine Confession & a Quick Video)

Hi, everyone . . . My name is Rebecca . . . And, I’m an addict. My drug of choice is caffeine, specifically, steaming, piping hot black tea with soy milk. Tame, I know. It’s not even coffee, which- let’s face it- has more street cred. Nevertheless, I am a shell of a person without it.

Writers before me have had their vices. For Kerouac, it was Benzedrine; Hemingway had his booze. Oscar Wilde got wild on absinthe. Meanwhile, I reach for assam—preferably organic, however, in a pinch, a good old Tetley tea bag (British Blend, please) will suffice. I can’t help but wonder whether a more substantial substance might elevate my writing chops to the level of my predecessors. Maybe the hard stuff makes for a literary heavyweight? Alas, there’s something more than a bit hypocritical about a yoga writer who regularly slugs back absinthe while encouraging readers to practice a path of balance and moderation. So, I stick with tea.

When energy wanes, I admit, it's often my pick-me-up trick of choice, but I have others too, including a decaffeinated selection of asanas, ideal for the late afternoon hour of desktop slumping, catnap longing, and proper teatime drinking (traditionally around 4 p.m.).

Allow yourself to steep in one of these yoga poses for as long as needed:

Start with a Simmer

Spark a little energy spurt by warming up the body with this simple variation on utkatasana (above) or try some invigorating breath work. I learned to do a Breath of Joy from my first yoga teacher more than 14 years ago and have kept it in my bag of tricks ever since. To my own students, I describe it as the asana-equivalent of espresso (no disrespect to tea). The beauty of this movement is that it can be done anywhere (no mat needed) and by anyone (even yogi kids love the energizing effects of this powerful breathwork): begin standing. Next you will inhale three times while moving your arms like the conductor of an orchestra (inhale once arms together to the level of your navel; inhale twice arms open wide to the level of your chest; inhale three times arms together overhead). Finally, you'll exhale all the breath out with an emphatic "ha" sound as you transition into a low squat, reminiscent of a downhill skier (arms behind you, as shown in the above video).

Flip Me Over . . .

Backbending postures, too, provide an excellent source of energy, particularly if you sit at a desk or spend large amounts of time driving a car. Both of these activities can constrict the chest, with shoulders hunching and posture caving forward. To counterbalance this blocked energy, add a few repetitions of urdhva dhanurasa (wheel pose) to your yoga practice. Or, try a standing back bend (also referenced in today's video) by scooping your hips forward, lifting your chest, looking up, and possibly letting your head fall back gently, opening your chest and throat. You can do this with your arms overhead or supporting your low back with your hands. Be sure to breath in your backbends, through your mouth, if needed. Otherwise, use ujayi breath.

And Pour Me Out

Few poses have my heart like inversions, particularly sirsasana (headstand). Anatomically, the benefits are simple: tip yourself over (yes, like a tea pot) and you receive a rejuvenating supply of fresh blood to your brain. However, you need not be a seasoned yoga student to experience the benefits that headstand creates. A more accessible approach includes a standing forward bend (uttanasana), often referred to in yoga classes as “rag doll.” Spend a minute or two in either of these postures, and once you return to an upright position, your uplifted energy and clearer thinking will remain.

Ab-solutely Psyched It's Friday?

Strengthen your core with this yoga-inspired abdominal exercise. Having a strong center protects your spine and supports arm balances and other yoga poses . . . and makes a swimsuit more flattering (just saying). Be sure to pull your abdomen down toward the mat the entire time. Your head and shoulders stay grounded as well.

If you have any history of back injury or are just starting out, please be sure to modify. This is advanced abdominal work and should be done slowly at first. Start with 3-5 repetitions and work up to 10-12.

How to Do Side Crow

If you enjoyed yesterday's video demonstrating how to fly like a crow, you'll probably enjoy the next incarnation of the pose, which is side crow or parsva bakasana. Here's how to do it . . .

How to Do Crow Pose

Spring is for the birds-- from chipper robins to bold blue jays to sprightly sparrows. Each heralds the arrival of the season of growth in its own way. Even the iconic marshmallow Peep, a different kind of bird altogether, signals spring.

For yogis, a certain bird, too, often signals a new season of growth in one's practice. Crow pose (also known as crane or bakasana in Sanskrit) is typically the first arm balance that students learn as they begin to advance their practice. The following brief videos that I recently created in collaboration with FiVi.com will help you take the leap and learn to fly, or finesse your current soaring skills.

The Benefits of Arm Balances

A Step-by-Step Video on How to Do Crow Pose

Come back tomorrow for Side Crow!

Experienced yogis: please feel free to add your own tips and hints for exploring arm balances.

2009: Year in Review

A few of the year's highlights in this little yogified corner of the blogosphere . . .

It started with a radio appearance at the end of 2008 when I went on Mariellen Burns's show in Boston to chat about setting life goals and healthy intentions in 2009. It was great; I brought Mariellen an amaryllis plant; she joked about killing it on contact. We fielded questions from listeners and weighed in on everything from losing weight to finding a recession-friendly fitness program to starting a yoga practice and more. Then, some guy called in and went bat sh*t crazy on everyone. I'm not kidding. Click here to listen to the show.

Days after I enraged listeners, err, listener (singular), with my highly controversial statements regarding extremist ideas such as drinking plenty of water, we rang in 2009. I shared a post about making and keeping resolutions; President Barack Obama took office, and, soon thereafter, I took to the icy streets of Boston to begin training for my first marathon (Boston). Following my first 9-mile run through the infamous Newton hills, including the one they call "Heartbreak," I went home and cried. I'm not sure if it was the icicles that formed in my hairline as temperatures dipped into the single digits or the realization that Heartbreak "hill" is actually a series of four punishing, sloping inclines that stretch on for eternity, but I was rattled.

Always the entertainer, Om Bro provided comic relief with a wellness inquiry of his own (from a post in late January):

Om Bro: How do 3 a.m. shots of whiskey fit into your 09 health and wellness plans for me?

Me: Hmmm. By whiskey, do u mean “wheat grass?”

Om Bro: Sure, you can call it that.

Then, in February, I gave Cupid a piece of my mind.

In March, marathon training kicked into high gear, as did my fundraising for Fit Girls, the charity for which I ran. I co-hosted a party along with Lululemon to raise money for the running, reading, and community service programs that Fit Girls provides young girls, and I taught a Yoga for Runners workshop at A Little Yoga, one of many new studios that opened in Boston in 2009. Thankfully, I survived a 21-mile training run, the longest run of my life at the time, in the month of March. Check out the video footage of me- dazed and exhausted- icing my knees with frozen edamame. Resourceful , eh?

March also featured a helpful post called "Different Styles of Yoga Decoded;" it remains one of the blog's most highly trafficked articles and prompted lots of great comments from readers.

In April, I ran the Boston Marathon. The whole thing. I wish I had a triumphant photo to share with you here, but honestly, I look like a half-tranquilized horse on the verge of vomiting in just about every one. You may recall my om gal-pal Christina declaring, "There are no hero shots [in the Boston Marathon]." For the record: She's right.

In May, I revealed "Zen and the Art of Swimsuit Season," went on the radio again (this time on The Frankie Boyer Show), raved about a fun yoga flick called Enlighten Up! by another om gal-pal, Kate Churchill, and . . . [insert drum roll, please] . . . spent a day in the presence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Here's the recap; photos and videos included.

Things heated up around here during the summer months. In June, I did my best Flashdance impression for a photo shoot for ShoestringMag.com, fielded a great question from a reader in Chicago about being a yogi and drinking alcohol, and got a little goofy in a video with one of my best yogi gal pals, fellow teacher Chanel Luck.

We also bid good-bye to Michael Jackson in June. May he rest in peace . . .

July delivered more insightful questions and feedback from readers, including how to handle grief through yoga. This post was picked up by the Boston Globe's website, Boston.com, and featured on its homepage. I was very grateful, still am.

August went like this: I turned 30 and met Deepak Chopra on the same day. It was a life moment. Enough said.

September marked the 3rd annual Global Mala event, celebrated on the U.N.'s International Day of Peace. My BFF requested some fitness advice on how to edge out her family in their own version of the Biggest Loser, and I cried every time I tuned into the actual show, along with the rest of the country. (What, you didn't sob at each weigh-in? Seriously? Have you no soul!).

I've neglected to mention it, but I started keeping secrets in October, such as the one about some new VIP private yoga clients on Boston's sports scene. Shhhhhh. I also explained why yoga is safe for sore knees, who are some of yoga's most influential pioneers, and what the heck yamas and niyamas are.

With November came a cameo appearance from Om Bro . . . and a spike in web traffic from OmGal.com's female-skewed audience. Coincidence? Hmmm.

Yoga for Athletes from OmGal.com from Rebecca Pacheco on Vimeo.

We closed the year in December with healthy snacks for weight loss, a killer gift giving guide for yogi types, and correspondence from my recent trip to Kripalu. Thank you, everyone, for reading, commenting, asking questions, becoming a Fan on Facebook, following on Twitter, passing along your favorite posts to friends, attending my workshops and classes in Boston this year, and so much more. You are among my biggest blessings in 2009. Now, let's raise a glass of kombucha, and set our sights on 2010!

If you have any requests for content you'd like to see in the new decade, things you liked in 2009 or didn't like, please comment. Om shanti!

Saptah Chanting Ceremony at Kripalu

Despite insecurities surrounding my wretched singing voice, I participated in last night's Saptah chanting ceremony here at Kripalu. The long-standing tradition is the yoga and meditation center's way of celebrating the conclusion of one year and beginning of the next. We opened with a mantra honoring the Hindu god Ganesh, known as the Remover of Obstacles. It's customary in India to pray to Ganesh before beginning any new ventures (e.g. the New Year, a new job, business, project, relationship, etc.), as his guidance will help ensure a clear path to success. Here's a very brief clip that I thought you might enjoy. Best of luck with all your upcoming ventures in 2010.

If you're interested in learning more about chanting, here's an informative post about getting started.

Yoga for Athletes w/ Om Gal & Om Bro

Yoga for Athletes from OmGal.com from Rebecca Pacheco on Vimeo.

Yogis often ask me if yoga practice is enough to keep fit, and my answer is always: YES, as long as the style of yoga that you practice is vigorous (and consistent) enough. On the other hand, if you prefer a very gentle, restorative practice, then additional exercise is probably needed to ensure adequate cardiovascular health, weight management, immune system support, etc.

Meanwhile, athletes frequently seek my input on how to supplement their training programs with yoga, and sometimes, they even wonder how effective yoga can be as its own form of training. Is it challenging enough? Can it take the place of some of an athlete's strength and conditioning work? Again, the answer is YES.

So, I recruited my "little" brother, a former professional lacrosse player, to show you how. Recently, we combined our workouts at the storied New York Athletic Club to create a video for yogis, athletes, and yogi/athletes to illustrate how traditional strength training can be substituted or complemented by yoga.

Here, Reece (a.k.a. "Om Bro") demonstrates some high octane exercises, which I then translate into effective asanas with similar benefits. The exercises and asanas range in difficulty, but please bear in mind, a baseline fitness level is needed for all of them. As with any new exercise program, please consult your doctor first.