Some Things Can't Be Done Solo

As someone who’s been a “lone wolf” in many areas of my life, I’m finally coming around to the value of being in a group of people of like mind. It’s just easier. When one person’s motivation flags, then the group energy carries the individual.  Even one of the most popular Hindu myths about the monkey god Hanuman tells the story of encouragement…

Very early in life Hanuman was given a boon that he would be invincible. As a youngster, he was a devilish prankster and would annoy the sages by hiding and rearranging their prayer and alter materials. As punishment, they put a mild curse on him that he would only know his greatness when reminded by another.  

Much later in life, having searched the entire continent of India for his friend’s (Lord Rama) wife, who had been kidnapped, he was lamenting on the shore that he could not cross the ocean to continue to look for her.  Surrounded by his friends, who knew of his invincibility, they began to encourage him, reminding him that he was capable of anything.  When he remembered his own intrinsic magic, he made himself enormous, and leapt- in the splits- from the tip of India to Sri Lanka, where he ultimately found Lord Rama’s wife, Sita.

I have always loved this story and really appreciated the message, yet there has always been something that has kept me from fully committing to a group mission.  After watching the Seattle Seahawks win the NFC Championship last Saturday, I believe now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a carefully selected team of individuals, all dedicated to the same goal can create magic.  So what are the ingredients for the magical recipe?

For the first time in my life, I watched many of the interviews of the players and coaches immediately after the game, the post game press conference, and the one the next day.  I kept watching because I was mesmerized by the similar messages that I was hearing from each player—same underlying philosophy embellished by that player’s focus and experience.  It was fascinating.

If you watched the game, you know the improbability of the win by the Seahawks after many mistakes and failures, and whether you enjoy football or not, there are inspiring lessons to learn from that game, this team and how they work together. Just a few days before the new moon that represents the nature of operating in groups and finding our “tribe”, the Seattle Seahawks gave us the team recipe for magic and manifestation.  Here’re are some of my favorite ingredients:

RECIPE FOR MAGIC AND MANIFESTATION

Ingredient #1 FAITH 

Coach Pete Carroll talked about what “tremendous faith” it took for all the players on the team just be patient and slowly work their way back not just in the NFC Championship game, but from the middle of the season.  

Ingredient #2 SUPPORT

At the post game press conference this is what Coach Carroll said about why he thought the Seahawks won that game: 

“What happened in the middle of the year is that they found that connection to what team is all about, which is supporting the guys around you. They found that, they embraced it and we’ve ridden that thought all the way to this point, and even to the point where we gather them up going into OT, and we talk about how powerful that belief is and what it can allow you to accomplish. And so many different guys had to step up today to make something happen in this game- it had to be something that they all could feel and they all could get to share.”

(watch his interview here: http://www.nfl.com/videos/seattle-seahawks/0ap3000000460385/Carroll-One-for-the-ages)

Ingredient #3 BELIEF

Quarterback Russell Wilson talk about what it means to believe the people around you: 

“When somebody messes up, or I mess up, or don’t throw the ball right, whatever happens, I’m just going to keep coming back to them.  I told Kearse after that last interception, ‘Hey, we’re gonna win this game.  I’m gonna keep coming back to you and we’re going to find a way to win this game.’ And that’s what we were able to do.”

(watch his interview here: http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Russell-Wilson-Press-Conference-vs-Packers/df4822de-b9fb-45e4-8869-97f5b53dbb29)

Ingredient #4 ADVERSITY and RESILIENCE

Kam Chancellor talked about the unbreakable bond between teammates as the factor that makes them such a good team.  “Everything happened for a reason, we had our adversity at the beginning of the game for a reason— for us to become even tighter, and for us to believe even more.  That’s one thing about adversity, it builds character.”

(watch his interview here: http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Kam-Chancellor-Press-Conference-vs-Packers/11beac37-b515-40de-9ae3-84b827dbd869)

Russell Wilson: “The resilience of our team is what makes the day so special…It’s a team effort, a relentless effort to find a way…”

Ingredient #5 HEART

One of the players, interviewed immediately after the game on the field, said, “it’s not talent, we’ve got HEART.”  Talent will only take you so far when things are going wrong, you need something to keep you going when the going gets tough.

Ingredient #6 DEVOTION

The players did not use that word exactly, in yoga we call it “Bhakti”, but they each talked about their devotion to their team, and to their Creator.

When asked about his critics, Jermaine Kearse laughed about how much criticism there was, and then said, “I’m thankful for my teammates, who continued to stand by my side when I was down- there was never negativity…I don’t worry about all that stuff— it just comes down to US, the TEAM.”   Talking about the low moments of the game he said “I just told myself not just to feel sorry for myself, just keep pushing through, you know?  Things aren’t always going to be perfect, things aren’t always going to go your way, but it tells a lot about a person’s character how he responds to things when they’re not going well.” (And if you’re wondering what he did to celebrate after the game, he went to church and then went home and had dinner with his family.)

(watch his interview here: http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Kearse_Baldwin_Press_Conference_vs_Packers/1266d67f-1a77-43b8-be53-ae4184a8f2f5)

Ingredient #7 STICK TO THE PLAN + PREPARATION

Russell Wilson:  “Continuing to believe in the guys around me…I never doubted in our guys…staying the course…trusting the preparation…going back to the fundamentals…”

Ingredient #8 TRUST

Russell Wilson: “Continuing to trust those guys…they show me every day in practice, so when somebody messes up, I’m going to keep going back to them… all the trust and preparation, that’s what leads you there.”

(To complete the recipe, get a “container” the size of your choosing- find your tribe, your community--in yoga we call it “sangha”-- the people that share your vision, add all the ingredients, mix together, and simply support, believe in and count on one another.)

When in doubt, remember the repetitive message from the Seahawks players:

- it’s not talent, it’s heart

-it’s not about glory as an individual—do it for one’s teammates

-Love one another, play for each other, not yourself 

-Believe in each other, believe in the process

-stay the course

-stick to the fundamentals

-gratefulness 

-relentless drive for success for each other

-trust

-play through adversity with team support

Evolving, growing and accomplishing things is hard.  Get your team together, throw in a lot of love and caring for each other and see what happens.

I Believe in You!

Love,

Liz

P.S. Email me back and share your experiences with me- I want to know what’s going on with you!

P.P.S If you can’t make it to The Shala, join our “virtual sangha” at: 

facebook.com/seattlyogashala

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FriendsOfSeattleYogaShala/

Chasing the Yoga High

A couple of months ago, I was at a workshop and the teacher asked about our first yoga "experience" and whether we continued to practice because we were trying to replicate that same feeling again. I don't have any particular insights, except that it reminded me of what they say about drugs, the first high is the best and people keep getting high hoping for that same experience, but it's never that good again.

I'm not sure things are that dire as a yoga practitioner, but I do recall that with my first teacher, at a time when I was healing from a profound heartbreak, tears would roll down my face at the end of class after deep backbends. It was a silent, private thing, and I definitely knew that something important and meaningful was happening to me because of the yoga I was practicing.

Later, I was fortunate to have a teacher that was able to hold this amazing energetic space for a feeling of being in "yoga". I'm sure that feeling is quite individual, and for me it has to do with a knowing that comes over me at certain times, and it's accompanied by color displays in my inner vision and certain sensations in my physical body. It likely had as much to do with my level of development at the time, and yet, I've often lamented the "loss" of that experience of being led in a practice, not having to think, and being with a teacher gifted enough to guide me through a practice that gives me that feeling of the yoga "high".

It's never been exactly like those two experiences since, and I doubt it ever will be again. I realized that I've also thought it hasn't been as good. The recognition came today that I was wrong; it's not only just as good, it's much better. What is different is the less obvious nature of the experience. The territory I walk now is much deeper in the woods. It's quieter, the changes on the surface terrain more subtle, so the work happens below the surface layer, and more substantial the discoveries because of it. There really are no guides for the path that leads within, except the Inner Guru, and as Ana Forrest would say the "Sacred Ones".

The lesson is not that there is no outer teacher for me, but that I must take full responsibility from here on out- for my practice, my life, my healing and the outer expression of what's inside me. Admittedly, I wish there was someone to whom I could turn for all the answers, but the Truth is that everything we need is already inside us, we just have to go find it. And that means whether we are practicing alone, carried by the energy of practicing with others, or led by a teacher, the direction to go is always the same-within. And that's where all the really good stuff is anyways.    

See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//SeattleYoaShala.com 

 P.S.  I've had one spot open up for the Fall Retreat Oct.3-5, 2014 - email me if you're interested!!

more info: http://yogalodge.com/retreats/doyle.html

Who Will Step Into the Seat of the Master Teacher?

With the passing of BKS Iyengar in the wee hours of the morning August 20, 2014, I wonder what is to become of this beloved practice.  Of course, it will continue to evolve and grow and change, and yes, I know "it's ALL yoga", but I can't help but wonder (with more than a little trepidation) about who will step into the shoes of the Masters that have been passing since I began teaching.  Here's an article I wrote in January 2013 after the death of Georg Feuerstein...

There have been few words for the disillusionment I've felt lately with the trivializing of yoga (as a practice and the training of a lineage of teachers), the introduction of the "yogalebrity", and the general lack of foundation in yoga philosophy. From where will the next generation of "Master" teachers emerge?
 
There's a fantastic article on the female pioneers in yoga- you can read it HERE. There's a generation of Master Yogis, aged from around mid-50s and into the 90s, taught by their teachers, that have continued and contributed to a beautiful tradition for us, and they won't be around forever- I just wonder, "Is this the legacy they intended to leave, and what is our responsibility in it? My hope is that we respect the lineage, the tradition and the practice enough to keep ourselves steeped in it- the whole of it, and keep it going.
 
The recently deceased Georg Feuerstein, a prolific author, dedicated yogi and master teacher, said:
 
"The (yoga) scriptures furnish the context for the actual practice of yoga. Many yoga practitioners perform postures, breathing exercises and other techniques without having a clear idea of their purpose within the larger path of yoga."

As teachers and students of the practice, I believe it's our moral imperative, out of respect for those who taught us, our teachers and our teachers' teachers, to maintain a connection with the tradition. Without the greater context of yoga, it's just exercise and breathing.
 
Whatever that means for you, I encourage all of us to take those moments to show our gratitude and respect for those who came before us. The most meaningful way to honor the practice is to be a sincere student of the practice. And it's this sincerity and dedication that bears the fruit of the practice- making our lives, and the world, a better place through better human beings.
 
See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//LizDoyleYoga.com 

The Yoga Unicorn

The best stuff to teach always comes from one’s own practice, and in yoga experiential knowledge is considered to be the highest form of knowledge.  This is why I’m so excited to share the techniques in my classes that have so recently come together for me in the last month and a half.

When I spend time with Edward Clark (//Tripsichore.com), without fail, I have a new recognition of how lazy I am in my practice.  I don’t mean that I’m not doing enough chaturangas, I mean that I am not using the resources of my body (muscularly, Pranic energies fueled by the breath, et al) in even the simplest of poses, let alone transitions.  And the truth is that if I am honest about using everything to breathe my way into poses, the simplest poses require more effort than doing the hard stuff without the technique.

The latest epiphany was exerting effort through the back body to stabilize the torso.  This is particularly effective technique for backbends and pressing into inversions, but dramatically impacts stability in everything.  The Tripsichore breathing methodology is profound, and there’s so much to the seemingly simple premise of keeping a long neutral spine through pranayama technique while doing asana.

Edward recently wrote a few words about the muscularity of the breath.  In other words, we should actually be employing muscular effort to deepen the breath in a way that is coalescing and consolidating the body as Prana (fueled by the breath) moves the body through space.  The key is not to “just breathe”, but to use the breath as a vehicle through which Prana is manipulated, and Edward goes on to say,

“Few people seem to realise the muscularity of the breath…there is a great deal of physical effort put into a very precise movement.  Ordinarily, I suppose, we associate this level of effort with large movements…running, jumping…but one of the remarkable things about yoga is the discovery of what happens when you put that much effort into something that seems relatively limited….you know, instead of flailing ones arms or legs around, you put all that effort into moving the middle of your pelvic bowl a relatively small distance.”

To accomplish this involves a sustained level of concentration and effort to put some real depth and breadth of power behind the smallest of movements.  As it turns out, this intensity of focus (dharana) and careful placing of the body through manipulation of Prana (vinyasa) is what yoga is all about.  It’s a very intense process to master this technique, and I can assure you it’s worth it—repeated effort ultimately results in formerly elusive magic that makes everything come together to achieve what you could not do before.  And that, my friends, is better than a Unicorn smelling of fresh baked bread eating sunshine and rainbows.

To read the rest of Edward’s message on the muscularity of yogic breathing click HERE

To come to my classes and learn the “Unicorn Techniques”, there are classes Monday-Thursday 12N and 5:45PM at Seattle Yoga Shala.  Email me at lizdoyle@msn.com and I’ll send you the info.  You can also check out my website HERE: //LizDoyleYoga.com

Riding the mythical beast called Prana,

Liz

Here are the rest of Edwards comments on pranayama:

I suppose it is worth stressing that pranayama and breathing are not really interchangeable terms.  Breath is a mechanism through which prana is manipulated.   Essentially, any model one produces for what is meant by prana would be likely to include in its definition (though perhaps only tacitly)  that it is a way of looking at things that makes them have some kind of coherence.  E.g. the model of kundalini being a serpentine  energy that arises from some point  the base of the spine suggests a place where the movement of energy commences and a path through which it travels.    This possibly lends coherence to the movement  of the body and/or mental processes that happen when this model is used to interpret experience.  Coherence or unity being an alleged aim of yoga…an aim that would include the intentions of a practitioner and the resolution of their actions…could be evaluated then in terms of how well they were able to behave as if they were making prana/kundalini run through their body in a coherent fashion.   Breath would be part of this.

It is odd then that a slow and muscular breath is felt to be a just an optional add-on for most vinyasa practitioners rather than the place that any movement commences.

Few people seem to realise the muscularity of the breath…there is a great deal of physical effort put into a very precise movement.  Ordinarily, I suppose, we associate this level of effort with large movements…running, jumping…but one of the remarkable things about yoga is the discovery of what happens when you put that much effort into something that seems relatively limited….you know, instead of flailing ones arms or legs around, you put all that effort into moving the middle of your pelvic bowl a relatively small distance.

Apropos injury…one of the compelling reasons for the use of a slow breath is that it slows the practitioner down enough to be able to observe when they are getting into perilous territory.  It is hard to breathe slowly and go into a place where you injure yourself.

Mind The Gap

If you’ve ever been to the UK and taken the tube, you’re familiar with the admonition to “mind the gap” (the space between the train and the platform).  I didn’t realize this was probably a personal subliminal message to me for the last two and a half weeks, as even my best friend’s daughter Mathilde kept saying “Mind the Gap!”

For those who’ve been keeping up with my Facebook posts, you know I’ve been in London for the two week inaugural Tripsichore PLUS Practice training course with my teacher, Edward Clark of Tripsichore Yoga.  In summary, I was plagued with various and intense pains and an injury- to read the full first week in review click HERE.  At first it was very difficult to stay in the practice, and I would occasionally stop to skip a pose or two.  Edward encouraged me to stay with the vinyasa of it (the “gap”, if you will), even if I wasn’t doing the poses exactly, and that would allow me to stay with the breath.

So that’s what I did.  But the uber lesson for me came from the intensity of sensation moving through mundane daily tasks.  Now I was suddenly aware of how my arms had to move to do simple things like fold laundry, and now that I’m home, shift gears in my car.  It’s been an abrupt and vivid recognition of how I favor one arm in general, and now that I’m injured, how I have automatically adjusted the asymmetry to favor the other arm, especially in movement.

The physical discomfort required that I intentionally slow down and become mindful of the gap or transition between positions and physical goals.  Moreover, to give more weight to how I move from one thing to the next than the starting and ending point.  There’s an obvious Life metaphor here, and at the risk of being patronizing, can you imagine what it would be like to be this intentional all of the time with everything?  Sometimes Life demands it- through injury, grief and the like, but most times we get to choose our level of Mindfulness to the Gap.  What’s become clear to me is that, especially as a vinyasa practitioner- one who purportedly holds the “Gap” paramount- is that it’s far less important WHAT I’m doing than HOW I do it and how I get from one place to the next.  This applies to EVERYTHING- the practice, physical and mental movements, relationships, my Life’s Path, the list goes on.

Regrettably, it’s caused me to further reflect on how my habitual drive and myopic focus has been a detriment to my experience of Life, and how I’ve missed out on the much more interesting understanding and lessons of the Gap.  In my opinion, this is where all the real yoga takes place, even when it’s not fun.  So, until I see you again, please “Mind the Gap” on the tube and in Life.

In the Gap,

Liz
//LizDoyleYoga.com

P.S. If you’re interested in working with Edward personally, please join us the weekend of October 5-6, 2013 for a weekend of extended practices, workshops and lectures.  Click HERE for more info.

P.P. S.  If you'd like to take class with me, I offer 8 classes per week at Seattle Yoga Shala, and you can get more info HERE

The Yoga of Adversity

A week in review- the Tripsichore Plus Practice Course

It's been a great, though difficult, learning process this last week.  Last week I was surprised to start the week with mysterious and extreme pains that were not present when I left Seattle.

 It was frustrating to  be unable to participate in the practice the way I expected/wanted, but these experiences always give me a greater understanding of my students when they are enduring the same stuff, so I'm grateful for the reminder.

The most difficult thing to do, along with keeping one's spirits up, is to find a way to keep doing the practice.  It's much easier to stop and start from mental perspective, and yet physically and yogically, the right thing to do is to stay with the breath and the practice.

The first week was a real struggle for me physically and as a result, mentally; as fun and exciting learning new things has been, the physical discomfort was demoralizing.  I would be lying if I said I did not think about quitting every day-- and night, since I was kept awake by the pain and a noisy neighborhood!

The additional burden of worrying that I was a disappointment to Edward and Nikki didn't help, but I kept going through the tedious and excruciating work of detailed refinement of Tripsichore breathing and alignment.

Over the weekend I spent a relaxing time with my mom and my best friend in the Cotwolds (English countryside) and didn't practice a lick.

Hesitatingly, I showed up again Monday.  It was the day of my "check-in" meeting, and I confessed my concerns about what Ed and Nikki were thinking, my performance, and my worthiness as a Tripsichore teacher.  They assuaged my worry, but the real message is to just keep practicing, no matter what comes up-- this IS the practice.

The good news is my aches and pains are waning and I'm starting to feel more normal, but those details shall wait until the week 2 review!

What I learned the first week is to above all, be humble.  The hardest work is not always crushing every maneuver, but navigating the way through practice with pain, difficulty and other limitations whilst maintaining attention to the practice of breath, alignment, and mental quiet.  Staying true to the breath practice is paramount, and breath is the best guide.  I also learned that nothing takes the place of persistence, and to just continue, because everything ebbs and flows- the good times and the bad.  I was reminded this morning when I ran across a BKS Iyengar quote:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

Enduring and curing,

Liz Doyle

//LizDoyleYoga.com

Take a class with me- next session starts September 9, 2013

Maha Sadhana 

M/W 12N and 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/532039330201285

Yantra Vinyasa 

T/Th 12N

https://m.facebook.com/events/468905803225524

Tripsichore Crash Course

T/Th 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/192641117573949

The Relevance of Vinyasa

 

Edward Clark of Tripsichore Yoga will be in town October 5-6, 2013 for workshops, lectures, and practices (read more details by clicking HERE).
  
One of the lecture/practices is on Vinyasa and it's relevance in the larger context of Yoga and the Practice.  I asked Edward to write a few words about the workshop, and I think you'll find it interesting.  Read on...

 

VINYASA 

Though Vinyasa and "Flow" forms of yoga are among the most popular practices, their lineage and place in yoga orthodoxy are rarely articulated.  This workshop looks at the ways in which the Tripsichore vinyasa practice integrates pranayama and philosophy to make possible the accomplishment of difficult work on the mat. 

 

The concept of vinyasa as applied to yoga philosophy could either be considered very ancient or radically new.  In either case, vinyasa seems to be the great contribution to yoga of this particular generation of yogis.  Most yoga discipline has worked on refining one's self in the direction of greater stillness - an absence of movement in the mind and body.  Superficially, vinyasa would seem to contradict this.  However, the mental focus and physical technique needed to bring about continuous fluid movement can also bring one to a "seat" of great stability and clarity. The stability is not only in the posture, but in the transition between postures - to the point where there is no distinction between movement and stillness.  The place of vinyasa in the history of yoga is yet to be determined, but as yoga has become a worldwide pursuit, it is probably safe to say that its importance now also lies in how people begin to apply it outside the more traditional places it has been practised.  

 

VINYASA, in our definition, is the evenly metered flow of movement, breath and thought resulting in a smooth, uninflected state of being.  The vinyasa techniques are pursued to bring about clarity and stability to one's thoughts and actions.  

 

In seated meditation, there is an inclination to go inward. Looking inwardly has been a major thrust of yogic practice. But one has as many inward distractions as one has outward distractions, so I am a little bit inclined towards harnessing the senses rather than get rid of them. In vinyasa yoga, you don't stop in a posture, you stay in a flow. There isn't a pause of any kind. And so the idea of eka grata is focusing on the flow itself. 

 

 

This makes more sense if the idea is understanding the totality of the universe which must contain within its singularity many things which appear to be contradictory. When we talk about things like cosmic consciousness, it's not just the cosmos of the inner landscape we're talking about, it's the enormity of the universe, and that's not just something that takes place within our own vista locked in the cranial vault. 

 
 ~Edward Clark

Join us October 5th and 6th!
  
See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//LizDoyleYoga.com