Teacher, Touch Me

Yoga was absolute bliss this morning. Bliss!

Why, you ask? Well, having Dolly back after a couple weeks without her is one reason. Another is that we tried a new asana today (more about that later). But the real reason? Touch, plain and simple. I got lots of "extra love" as I call it—assists, help to deepen postures, loving, stress-relieving strokes. All done professionally, meaningfully, and masterfully, as Dolly is the queen of this.

Now, there are always two sides to every story. Some students do not like to be touched (though I think it's a rarity). And for some teachers, touch is not only difficult mentally, it is difficult physically. You have to sort of know your students' bodies and abilities if you're going to assist with backbends, for example. You've got to understand the techniques of assists in order to apply the right kind of pressure in the right places, so as not to jolt or hurt your students. A lot of teachers are also unable to give of themselves in this manner, and prefer not to touch at all, and that's understandable. But let me make a case for the value of touch in yoga. Because I think it really takes the practice to the next level for students.

First, help getting hands together in a bind or a twist enables students to stretch that little bit extra, opening muscles for future possibilities. For students with a more advanced practice, assists that enable them to get deeper into certain postures provides them with more sensation, more release, and seriously...more euphoria! Touch in this instance is an enabler. As a teacher, you are the helping hands.

Second, and perhaps more important, is the feeling of a beloved teacher's warm, loving touch on the body. Think about this. We live in a world in which our children are not allowed to hug each other at school. We keep our distance from each other. Smiling at strangers is even highly questionable! Technology allows us to eliminate a lot of face-to-face interaction with other human beings. In the U.S. especially, beauty—or lack of it—also plays a large role in the amount of physical contact each of us receives.

Now think about why most people come to yoga. It's not just the physical aspect. It's the mental clarity it gives, the spiritual connection to ourselves, the earth, our classmates, something larger. People are in class because they are looking for something deeper, more meaningful, otherwise, they could just ride a bike or take a walk. Yoga is the melding of the physical, mental, and spiritual. There is no telling what is going on in a student's life outside of class, but you know that they are in class because yoga brings them a certain peace that is more than physical. I believe touch—even a simple stroke down the back of a student in a forward fold—is nurturing, neutralizing, and in a small way, answers our need for love. Love is the crux of the human condition, is it not? We all need love, spend our lives either looking for it, trying to hold onto it, giving it, or lavishing ourselves in it. Touch in yoga is love, a salve for our wearied, twenty-first century souls. For some students, a teacher's touch in yoga is the only human contact they ever have!

If you are a teacher, I hope you will think more about the tremendous gift your touch can be. Even if you aren't one to do more technically complicated assists, perhaps you will consider how much a simple touch means to the majority of your students.

Twister Yoga

Alas, there is no such thing (at least I don't think there is).

But...there is Twister. Yeah, you know, the game with the colored dots? And there are yogis to be found in every corner of the globe. So here's the recipe: add flexi yogi bodies of the male and female kind to one Twister game mat, throw in a couple cocktails, and I think there is a party in the making!

Seriously, a friend and I have been contemplating this for an upcoming soirée that will likely include many yogis. I mean, I can think of at least one person I'd like to play co-ed Twister with...can't you? While playing, there has to be potential for a Downward Dog, a Tree, an Eagle, at least? Tell you what...if we do break Twister out, I will be sure to get some photos and let you all know how it went.

Presents for Your Favorite Yogi

Thank all that's good that these days, there's more yoga stuff out there than ever. From clothes to mats, to jewelry and DVDs, there is a perfect present out there for every yogi.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Gorgeous, Indian-influenced jewelry by Rosena Sammi. Check out the Kismat Collection to see her Om Shanti Necklace, Om Necklace; the Fashion Collection for the stunning Mandala Earrings. Prices run from $110 to $320, and up.
  
  
• Yoga clothes. For those of you not in close proximity to Asana Activewear, I'm sorry for you. BUT, if you're ever passing through Charlotte, NC, do not miss this place. Owners Gary and Leslie have the BEST selection of activewear in town if you're looking for gear more interesting than what's available at your local big box store. It's a great looking store with a selection that has been edited with a very discerning eye. You will not be disappointed.
  
  Lululemon Athletica also has some great looking pieces for guys and girls. Plus a cool site with gorgeous, real-people-doing-yoga photos. I like.
  
  
• Yoga music. Give a gift certificate to Omstream.com. Yoga, meditation, and world music can be downloaded for playing on you iPod or mp3 player. Listen to samples, see suggestions, or download entire playlists.



• Cool mats. I should practice what I preach and invest in some fun mats, but I'm still sticking by my favorite Nike mat. If you're looking, here are some ideas...be sure to check out Get Your Crow Flying with Cheeky Yoga Gear and More Unique Mats to see more.
  
  Circles Mat
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Prana Reversible ECO Sticky Mat

An om for...

me, God, someone I fancy, my future progeny?

Tonight in Melody's class, we began with three oms. Mel asked that as we om each time, we om with a particular intention, om with a person or being in mind. I loved this, because these days, I should pray more than I do, but inevitably I don't. So when I practice, and I'm breathing and om-ing, it is my prayer, my connection with the Divine. I love how Melody brings the focus in every class to a connection with something larger than ourselves. She rocks. Period.

I've spent my life as a Greek Orthodox Christian. But I'm beginning to see how I'm becoming more like many yogis I know who are deeply spiritual, without participation in organized religion, per se. I can't say that I will ever leave Orthodoxy, as it gives me a lot of other things I don't get anywhere else. Then again, having said that, at the moment, I'm a bit put off as I am researching what it will take for my church to divorce me after the state does, and I'm not liking the draconian rules that, as my sister-in-law put it, will practically require me to "wear a big red letter" on my chest. No, I did not commit adultery. Hell no. But the rules for divorce in the Greek Orthodox church are so stringent that I might as well be branded with the "A," 'cause once the state divorces me, and until the church divorces me, I'm a bit of a pariah. It's ridiculous. But that is another matter—and another blog—entirely.

Sorry for the diversion...the crux of the matter is this: yoga, when it is practiced with honorable intent and taught the same, provides such a deep spiritual connection that it is easy to begin to feel like you can forego the whole church scene. I've never been an every-Sunday churchgoer, and I'm actually only currently involved in Greek Orthodoxy because I (luckily) found a more progressive Greek church and defected to it at about the point that I was planning to bail once and for all. But I'm getting sidetracked again, so let me re-focus: yoga is good from beginning to end. A to Z. Alpha to Omega, as the Greeks would say. What you get, when it's delivered purely, is not just a physical challenge, flexibility, and centeredness. You get the feeling that you have a sort of omniscience, and a contentment that can't be pinpointed to one particular thing. It is a general goodness, an overwhelming sense of calm—equanimity—that threads itself through every aspect of your life.

Progress

Had an inspirational and challenging practice tonight with one of my favorite people: Melody. We focused on backbends to open the chest and heart—and normally, I'm not a big fan. Backbends are tough on me physically, and I've felt the emotion they can bring on—it's always a little unsettling for me to venture deep into backbends because I always wonder if I'm going to end up in tears as a result of the opening and the surge in emotion.

But here's what I loved about this class tonight, other than it felt fabulous...Mel's backbends were gentle and her sequencing was excellent. We did a very challenging series of Warriors with the requisite Power Vinyasa flow, plus lots of pranayama exercises. But we started on the floor with Bridge, which was a nice departure, then Melody skillfully moved us into Flip Dogs, Camels, and modified Crescent Lunges through the rest of the practice. Thus, in effect, we were opening our hearts all along, in a very non-intimidating and subtle fashion.

And you know what? I think—no, I KNOW—I'm in a different place emotionally. Because I didn't feel any painful emotion rising. Only contentment, peace, bliss. Damn, that's an incredible feeling, to not be afraid of yourself—to be able to step outside yourself, take a good look, and know that you're in a good place. If they could bottle that feeling, I tell you, the world would be an infinitely better place.

There was also another aspect to this practice that I particularly appreciated...but before I get into it, I must give a little background info. If you don't know Melody (sorry for you), then you don't know that she is a deeply intuitive and beautiful being. She "brings it" as purely as my other favorite yogini, Dolly. There is an honesty and humility in her intention as a teacher, and it is reflected in the size of her classes. She threads connection to the spirit, to the universe, throughout her classes, and this really resonates with me. Particularly because of my predeliction for living in a BlackBerried, technlogically-centered, perfectionist existence. Getting outside of my head is a challenge, so every reminder that I am nothing but a small piece of this intricately woven universe is especially appreciated.

In the beginning of our practice, Mel asked us to breathe in and ask for that which we want from the universe. Now some may think this silly, but I am not of that ilk. Because breathing in and asking for want you want Law-of-Attraction-style is nothing more than "you get back what you put out" in a more more eloquent and concentrated manner. So I breathed in deeply and asked the universe for what I wanted, and was grateful when later in our practice, Melody brought us back to this intention, reminding us to recall that prayer and to send it out again. Essentially, that is yoga, this blending of mind, body, and spirit. But as we all know, some teachers are more gifted in marrying the three than others.

One more little side note: I missed Mel's class last week because of a scheduling issue, and ended up taking Dolly's class instead. Tonight Mel said to me that she was sorry I missed Mountain Climber and Flying Splits last week, which I love. Here's the interesting thing: as most of us know all too well, sometimes what you want and what you need are quite different. What I have learned above all else in this first year of my practice is this: being outside your comfort zone is where the real progress happens. It's good to do the backbends even when you don't particularly like them. It's good to breathe through the urge to run from an asana. It's good to try what you haven't before. Because in the end, you never know where you'll find that connection, that bliss—and you'll never know if you don't try. It takes courage, patience, tenacity, discipline, there is no doubt. But the person you can become in the midst—that...well, that could be your most stunning achievement, more profound than any yoga pose.