In yoga class, you’ll often hear teachers instruct students to “find the edge” in a given posture. The edge is not the point where you can’t breath or the point where you feel nothing at all, but somewhere in between. I like to teach my students to look for a point of mild discomfort where you can still breath deeply, but there is definitely a sensation of challenge. Pigeon pose is a great place to experiment with your edge.

In pigeon, we focus primarily on relaxing our muscles so that we can allow gravity and our own body weight to open our hips. Usually when I first enter into pigeon my body is a little surprised by this sudden stretch, therefore my muscles contract. At this point my edge is very apparent and very near. However, after a few deep breaths my muscles will relax and my edge will have shifted. I may need to stretch my torso forward and reach my forearms ahead to get back that sensation of challenge. By surfing the edge, you’re able to not only gain optimal physical benefits, but also to keep your mind steady, a practice that offers mental clarity and fresh energy to the mind-body-heart. –Michelle Laxton

Inversions, postures in which we place the heart or feet higher than the head, can be challenging and sometimes nerve-wracking to learn. I vividly remember my first experience with headstand. After practicing yoga for about a year, I was feeling confident and decided to take a level three class. Two minutes into class my self-esteem plummeted when everyone popped into headstand with no guidance or assistance. The following 100 or so seconds were pretty much the longest seconds of my life.

I was scared of headstand as well as level three classes for a few weeks after that fateful day, but was finally coaxed to give it another go by a fantastic yoga instructor, Manel Rodrigues. Manel was encouraging and helped me learn headstand at my own pace. After a couple months, I was comfortably balancing in headstand.

If you’re just beginning to dive into full inversions, I encourage you to take a workshop or connect privately with a teacher if you have the resources. The techniques and assistance that can be shared in these settings are critical to enter into postures like headstand, handstand, and forearmstand safely and with confidence. If you’re beginning to venture into full inversions or looking to refine your alignment, Maral Hadidi will be leading a workshop on inversions in November. Her sweet, approachable style of teaching will undoubtedly create a fantastic atmosphere to experiment and grow your practice. –Michelle Laxton

There is a beautiful sentiment from many cultural mystical traditions that states: “When 2 or more people come together with a prayerful mind then miracles happen.”

When we practice Yoga together this is also the case.  A prayerful mind really means a focused, intent, genuine, devoted mind.  With this kind of mind there is little that is not possible.  In my time practicing and teaching Yoga I have noticed that when I practice with others the energy is much higher.

There is a wonderful Sanskrit mantra that expresses this idea:

Sahana vavatu sahanou bhunaktu / Sahaveeryam karavavahai / Tejasvinavadhitamastu /Mavid visha vahai hi / Aum Shanti Shanti Shantihi

Translation:  Let us be together / let us eat together / let us produce the energy together / let there be no limit to our energies / let there be no ill feeling among us.  Aum Peace Peace Peace!

Together, when we practice we are like a symphony.  This is one of the reasons it is good to have a personal practice.  When we practice on our own we have the space and time to discover certain things which may be overlooked during a group practice.  Our sensitivity to our energy becomes heightened and we are able to fine tune our Yoga.

Then we bring our practice to the the Kula (energetic orchestra) and create amazing energetic music.  The teacher is like the conductor and the students like the musicians.  In this case it doesn’t matter how well one can stand on their head, or do the splits.  What matters is the prayer mind.  The mind of patience and devotion.  The mind of exploration and adventure.  The mind of Unity!

Peace and Love my Friends,

Joshua Graner

Joshua@all1mind.org

“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” When I first heard this quote a few years ago, I absolutely loved it. As a yogini it naturally made me smile, but it also made me think. Flexibility of the body is a wonderful benefit of a regular yoga practice, but flexibility of the mind is also a great benefit that is often overlooked.

Try taking a mindfulness approach when practicing mental flexibility. Simply notice the next time you find yourself frustrated, annoyed, or bothered. Are you upset that a substitute is in for your regular yoga teacher? Do you wish you had another six inches of space around your mat?

Beyond mindfulness, take your practice a step further challenging yourself to see the experience as an opportunity to develop mental flexibility. If you’re open to the substitute teacher, you might find that his style of teaching resonates with you. If you embrace the close confines of a popular evening class, you might find that the greater number of yogis in class gives you a boost of positive energy and a chance to make new friends.

It may be easier to perceive yoga as something we do for a specific period of time, in a specific place. However, if you take your yoga with you in the car, at the dog park, and in your own living room, you’ll find the possibilities to grow your mental flexibility abound. –Michelle Laxton

Whether I’m practicing yoga at home or in a class, each time I sit on my mat and close my eyes, I take a few moments to observe how I’m feeling physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically. We often move through our days at lightening speed and seldom take time to self-reflect. A few moments of mindfulness can inform your yoga practice, showing you how to work towards greater balance in your life.

Some days I’ll notice that I need more patience. Some days, more joy. Other days, I’ll need to heal a certain part of the body. Before my first aum, I join my palms together in anjali mudra and set my intention to create whatever it is I need that day. My intention resonates in every breath and every posture, and after my last aum, I know I’ve given myself the gift of greater wellness. Next time you find yourself on your yoga mat, consider setting an intention that most serves your mind-body-heart at that given moment. –Michelle Laxton