Au Revoir, Om Gal!

Dear Om Pals:

I'm venturing to the South of France to teach yoga on a biking trip through Provence for one week led by DuVine Adventures. I'll be sure to share the scoop on the experience upon my return (particularly the part about me getting on a bike- that moves- for the first time in nearly a decade).

Your "hOMework" while I'm gone? Be sure to register for my yoga workshop on October 25. It benefits Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, making your yoga practice an act of "spiritual activism," a term coined by author and Buddhist meditation teacher Lama Surya Das. Plus, it will be a blast! Just click the Pay Pal button to the left.

Be sure to bring your own mat, towel, water, block and strap (if you use them). The class is heated. Directions are uber easy and available on the school's website.

Your other assignment? Root for those Red Sox!

Merci et Au revoir!
Om Gal

Om Gals Go High Fashion

A photo of me and om pals Alisa Neely (style "scout" extraordinaire) and Robin Hauck (editor of Misstropolis.com) at the Bombay-inspired Sam Mendoza fashion show last week. Read Alisa's Fashion Week lowdown, here.

Quote: Hopi Elder

"We are the ones we've been waiting for."

-Hopi Elder

Counting My Blessings

I love the beach. Born and raised on Cape Cod, I can't recall a time in my life when the ocean didn't represent complete bliss for me. You know that tranquil, blessed feeling of peace that we find in sivasana or in meditation or in church? A reflective place where the world falls away and everything makes sense? It's the moment where song lyrics are written, life decisions made, and sorrows dissolved. For me, more often than not, this moment has an ocean view.

Not too long ago (about 3 weeks and 20 degrees ago, to be exact), I spent a weekend at the beach, where I tried to surf for the first time. It just might be my new favorite activity! I also enjoyed one of my oldest, favorite activities: Disappearing down a stretch of sand and walking until fellow beach goers transform from people, to specks, to solitude.

I walked for a long time, knowing that this makeshift pilgrimage would serve as the day's yoga practice, and I relished every sandy step, snapping imaginary photos in my mind in attempts to preserve the perfection of each moment lapping right up against the next. I think my gait even acquired a skip at one point. Turning my face skyward, like a lizard seeking warmth, I thought 'I don't want to be anywhere else than where I am, right now.' Then, rather abruptly, I realized I wasn't alone.

Two massive dogs were playing in the ocean just a few yards away; maybe there were three. As I approached, I quickly realized that these were the largest black Labs I'd ever seen; then, just as quickly, I realized they weren't dogs at all, but massive sea lions. At this, my jaunty, silly walk froze to a standstill. My jaw dropped, and I think I omitted some sort of noise, one of shock and excitement, tinged with a hint of fear. These sea lions were HUGE. And, seemingly multiplying . . .

When I counted seven, I thought, 'An auspicious number for a magical event,' but soon, there were nine. As I counted up to ten, I think I laughed out loud, looked around, and wondered where everyone was? How could they all be missing this? Why was this natural wonder happening to me, alone? Prior to that day, I'd never seen one sea lion, let alone a gaggle of them. Giddily, I counted the bellies of two more creatures, until finally topping the count at lucky number 13. Surely, it was a sign. Of what, I didn't know . . . Should I play the lottery? Heck, I felt like I had just won the lottery! I hoped the mental snapshots that I took would last forever.

So far, they've served me well. In the past two days, I've experienced several blessings so powerful that they brought my movements to a standstill and dropped my jaw in amazement. Some of these moments occurred at Global Mala on Sunday in recognition of the U.N. International Peace Day and in the presence of like-minded yogis and esteemed meditation teachers like Ek Ong Kar Singh and Lama Surya Das. Others happened last night at a local hospital where I greeted a relative after she awoke from a long, complicated rest.

Somehow, the sea lions keep surfacing in my mind, as massive, playful blessings that I am thrilled to uncover. Only the sea lions numbered only 13, and my blessings- I am still counting.

Quote: Good Deeds

"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."

-William Shakespeare

U.N. International Peace Day

Today marks U.N. International Peace Day, which you may choose to celebrate in several different ways. For yogis, hundreds of Global Mala events will take place in dozens of countries to simultaneously complete 108 sun salutations in solidarity and support for each community's peace-promoting nonprofit organizations of choice. I'll be emceeing a portion of the Boston event at Cyclorama today, and I hope to see you there!

However, there are also plenty of other ways to acknowledge the special nature of this day on your own. Whatever you do, make a point to spend a portion of your day doing something that brings you and/or others a feeling of profound peace. As Mother Theresa once said, "There are no great things, only small things done with great love," calling forth our ability to promote peace with even our smallest actions.

Please feel free to report back with thoughts on Global Mala Boston, reflections on the day as a whole, or perspectives on your own expressions of peace, today.

Splitsville

Unless you're an ice hockey goalie or captain of a cheerleading squad, the ability to perform a split will not enhance your life in any identifiable way. It won't make you better at your job, more compassionate to humanity, or more attractive to your peers. On the journey toward enlightenment, any new found flexibility in your groin is relatively low on the packing list.

Nevertheless, a split or hanumanasana, in Sanskrit, is a highly effective yoga posture that you might consider incorporating into your practice more often. Following my 33-hour adventure relay insanity fest of last weekend, I've been easing more of this movement into my daily practices. It's certainly not an easy posture, but when approached mindfully and modified as needed, it provides thighs, hamstrings, and hips with a targeted dose of length and expansion. Be sure to square your hip bones forward; don't collapse onto your tuckus, and don't be shy about using blocks under your front hamstring or beneath either palm to support you.

I like this pose, not only for its ability to address my tight hammies but also for the metaphor it represents. Hanuman (see image, above), in the pantheon of Hindu gods often associated with the practice of yoga, which originated in India (also birthplace to Hinduism) is the great monkey god, who famously leaped from the southern tip of India to Sri Lanka in the epic spiritual text, the Ramayana. Often, when I struggle in this pose, I call to mind super-hero-like powers that would allow me to leap over obstacles in my life with ease. I visualize grace, faith, and strength- all the qualities that one needs to take great leaps in life, and I begin to appreciate the pose for this quality. We've all been there before- standing at the top of the bunny slope peering down, considering a major life change, or putting our heart on the line for something important- and it's beautiful when what we do on our yoga mat helps us weather those experiences with more confidence and less fear.

Ultimately, asanas are simply vehicles for a greater purpose; they help us practice focus, patience, and peace in simulated moments of challenge. Our lives and yoga practices are best served by finding the poses and styles of yoga that resonate most with each one of us as individuals- understanding that our needs change constantly. Likewise, we are changing constantly. One day, one challenge, one decision, and one leap at a time . . .

Have your own opinion to share about this pose? Questions? Tips? Post a comment! All the cool kids are doing it . . .

Breaking News!

I'm teaching a yoga class/demo before a screening of Enlighten Up! on Saturday, 9/20 at the Kendall (details above). See you there!

Quote: Healing

"Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you- all of the expectations, all of the beliefs- and becoming who you are."

-Rachel Naomi Remen

Enlighten Up!

Watch what happens when Boston filmmaker (and former yoga teacher at the same studio as yours truly) Kate Churchill chooses a subject, introduces him to yoga, and follows him around, recording his inevitable transformation. The result is funny, informative, thought-provoking, and insightful. Most of all, it's honest. You will love it.

Opening at the Kendall Square Cinema this Friday, Enlighten Up! is the perfect pre or post-yoga activity this weekend. Please report back with your thoughts. I saw it last night and left feeling thrilled that the themes and discussions that I'm compelled to address, here, on the blog had come to life on camera with so much candor and compassion. Bravo! Namaste! Enjoy the show!