It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing yoga.
Once in a while, you’ll pull a rookie move and forget to eat at the sacred two hour threshold before yoga class. Oh no!

Let’s be honest—you can’t not eat. If it has been several hours, you’re already hungry or feeling like your blood sugar is low, you may consider just trying to “brave it” until you’ve made it through class and eat after.

Doing this usually yields an unsatisfactory practice:
>>You don’t have your usual strength to do the full practice you hold yourself to.

>>You end up spending the entire practice “food fantasizing”—thinking about what you’ll eat the secondyou leave class.

>>The worst option—you end up not going at all, using the excuse that you hadn’t eaten and you’d have no endurance.

So you have to eat something, but you know that you can’t eat a full meal—it won’t digest quickly enough and you’ll be feeling nauseous after your first downward dog. I’ve been practicing yoga for 28 years—teaching for 18—and believe me, I have tried everything.

Using myself as a guinea pig, I’ve put together a few suggestions for what you can put in your body and what results these options will give you. I hope you find these helpful, but this is an evolving list! Please comment and let me know which of these worked, which didn’t, your favorites etc.—my fave is the dark chocolate KIND bar.

As teachers, we want you to come and practice, whatever helps get you there—that’s all that matters.

Say a little prayer of gratitude before you take a bite, and I’ll see you on the mat.

Yoga to Promote Sound Sleep

When asked of the Buddha “Are you a man, or a God?” the Buddha replied…

“I AM AWAKE.”

I’ll start with the bad news—in some cases, chronic insomnia has no real cure. While there are many types of insomnia and many reasons for sleeplessness and sleep difficulties, for some of us, no matter the herbal treatments we seek, there may still be no end to the challenge.

It is important to know that if you have tried Western medicine, holistic medicine, meditation and more, and have still not “solved” your sleep issues – this does not make you a bad yogi. For some, trouble sleeping may be a “one day at a time” issue, and an opportunity to learn how to live fully with the challenge.

Yoga is not necessarily a cure for insomnia, but it can have some very soothing effects.  If you are struggling to sleep because your mind is agitated, these yoga practices can often slow the system down enough for you to fall asleep.  For those whose insomnia is unrelated to stress, these rejuvenative postures can relax the body and allow for regeneration, as a nourishing practice is essential. Dive in as if you were wrapping yourself up in a new set of sheets.

Rather than seeing our failure to sleep as a problem, it can be an opportunity to investigate our relationship to the night.  There is an ecosystem of nocturnal animals with wisdom to share.

In Buddhism, the ultimate act is to “wake up” to the truth.  If sleep evades you, possibly it can be a gift, giving us a nudge to ask “what does it mean to be awake?”

Legs up the Wall- Viparita Karani

The Bat

Bats are one of the most complex creatures. They are flying rodents, they hunt at night to avoid competition, and they emit noise designed specifically to produce an echo to reveal their prey. As the moon is reflected light, the bat lives by reflected sound. We can learn from the bat to utilize the art of reflection to reveal our path, point out what will nourish us, and show us what we need to see.

Instructions

Find a clear wall space or a closed door. Sit sideways against the wall and roll onto your side with knees bent in a fetal position with your hips close and your head away from the wall. Shimmy closer, keeping the hips 6-12 inches away from the wall and then allow the legs to rest, soles of the feet facing the ceiling, relaxed and supported.

It is said that for maximum benefit, lifting the arms up and away from the wall will increase blood flow to the head; however, you may find that it is just more comfortable to place the palms of the hands onto the belly and allow the elbows to relax to the floor. Feel free to let the legs relax and flop open, or strap the legs just above the knee to keep them together.

Rest here for a minimum of two to three minutes up to 10, 15 or even 20 minutes.  Rise slowly from the pose. Release the legs by allowing the knees to bend into the chest. Roll to one side and allow the blood pressure to adjust, slowly climb yourself into a seated position. Pause for a few moments to ensure the effect the pose.

Adho Mukha Savasana

Downward Facing Savasana: Gravitational Surrender

For those with trouble sleeping, savasana can actually stimulate anxiety, since spending time on the back without sleep or rest can create an association between the position and the trauma of sleepless nights and worry. Since our physical position is connected to our brain patterns, shifting the body, even just slightly, can generate a dramatically different effect on the thought train.

Additionally, lying on one’s back can sometimes create feelings of vulnerability and lack of protection. On the other hand, this position of downward facing savasana turns the direction of energy flow into the earth. The natural downward flow of energy, or gravity, is called apana vayu by the yogis. As yogis, all we need to do is to ride the wave of the downward flow. Students who express irritation at traditional savasana often find lying on their bellies soothing.

Instruction

Lie face down on your belly on a padded surface. The arms can rest at the sides with the palms facing up or stacked to create a pillow. You may keep your neck straight by placing your forehead down or you may turn your head to the side and rest on your cheek. When choosing this option, be sure to time yourself and switch sides to create balance on the neck. When the legs are relaxed, the feet generally “flop” open with the heels dropping out gently to the sides.  Allow this to happen for maximum relaxation.

Follow the breathing tips and remain in adho mukha savasana for 3-20 minutes. Press yourself back into child’s pose for three to five breaths and then press up to sitting.

Chandra Bhedhana

Moon Breath

In the yogic system, the right side of the body is symbolized by the Sun, “ha” and the left by the Moon, “tha.” Together, they create Hatha, a balance of sun and moon energies. Most yoga teachers lead practices that begin with the right side of the body, or the Sun side.  Whatever “side” we do first, we do best, as by the time we get to side two, the body is fatigued. Thus, the sun side of the body is often receiving our full attention, while the Moon may be slightly short changed. It is no surprise then, that we often are left energized, but not necessarily relaxed.

Chandra Bhedhana is a circular breathing technique which nourishes the Moon channel and softens the Sun; to do so, we inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right.

When practicing, reflect on the power of the Moon, the energy of our internal world. To this day, most religions and cultures operate on a Moon calendar. The Moon, although quiet in countenance, is a powerful force on the water element; it affects the ebb and flow of the ocean and the tides. As our bodies are mainly composed of water, it is no wonder that the moon has such a powerful effect on us. Honoring the moon is a practice of humility and an opportunity to ask for guidance.

Instruction

Find a comfortable seated position. (You may sit on a chair or rest your back against a wall.) The priority is to sustain an extended, long spine as the tendency is to lose the erect posture due to fatigue.

Locate the middle and index finger of the right hand (even if you are left handed.)  Make a peace sign with the right hand and then place the tips of those two fingers into the notch where the forehead and nose meet.  To balance the effort of the arms, you can use the left palm to support the right elbow.

Sitting tall, slightly drop the chin. Exhale through both nostrils, then with the right thumb, close off the right nostril and inhale through the left. Pause. Then, use the ring finger to close the left nostril and exhale out the right.

This is a circular breath, so you are always going inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right.  Try to balance the length of the inhalation and of the exhalation, then lengthening the breath once the pace is comfortable.  Becoming curious about the path the breath travels helps us stay present and become more personally aware.

Practice a minimum of three rounds to feel the effects; continue up to five minutes. Complete with a few rounds of softly coaxing the air to travel through both nostrils with ujjayi breathing.

Supported Child’s Pose

Possum

Thanatosis, or “playing dead,” is a famous defense mechanism of the possum to ward off unwanted attention of a predator or potential mate. So much so that it has even become known as “playing possum.” One of the few nonviolent acts of defense, “playing dead” can be a powerful tool in navigating adversity.  We all struggle with challenges in the urban jungle regarding career and relationships. Often, instead of reacting violently, this strategy can be successful in making a problem simply go away. And whether or not we are facing adversity, coming into relaxed stillness can be beneficial to our nervous systems: By playing dead for a few minutes, we can awaken and be reborn feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

Instructions

Lay out a yoga mat or find a soft surface, then place a blanket over the entirety of the surface to create padding. Find a yoga bolster or stack several folded blankets to make a rectangular supported lift at least six inches high, but no more than a foot or foot-and-a-half off the floor.

Sit in a kneeling position, bringing the big toes together and the knees as wide apart as comfortable. Roll up a hand towel and place it lengthwise under your ankles for support.

Place the short end of the bolster so the length of the bolster stretches away from you; rest your torso on it. You can either have the bolster close enough into you so that your head floats off the top of the bolster and slightly hangs forward symmetrically, or you can allow the bolster to support your head as well and turn your head to one side. When choosing this option, be sure to time yourself and switch sides of the head. The hands can rest on the bolster to create a pillow, or bring the arms down by the sides, whichever is most relaxing. Follow the tips to work with the breath and remain here for 2-20 minutes.

Seated Twist

(With breath retention on the exhalation)

The Owl

The owl is possibly the most famous of all night creatures. Its signature move is extreme flexibility of the neck, turning the head signifies the enhanced perspective, or “seeing things from all sides.” The owl also perceives even small amounts of light within the darkness, allowing it to past the obvious to give the owl its reputation of being wise.

Practicing breath retention on the exhalation allows the body to slow down and feel the power of emptiness. Conversely, holding the inhale is invigorating and helps us to feel full. When practicing on one’s own, breath retention should be simple, without effort. For a full investigation of pranayama techniques, please practice under the guidance of a teacher.

Instructions

Sit comfortably on a cushion, blanket, or bolster, with your left leg bent, left heel pointing towards the outside of the right hip, knee pointing straight ahead. The right leg goes over the left with the right knee pointing directly towards the ceiling, right foot on the floor just to the left of the bent left knee.

Place your right fingertips down four to six inches away from the outside of the right hip to create length in the spine.  Place your left hand onto the right knee and guide it towards you or bring the outside of the left arm outside the right thigh.

Begin with a nice deep inhale to sit up tall and then gently twist to the right on the exhale. Look over the right shoulder as far as is comfortable for you.  Continue to lengthen the spine as you inhale and twist further on the exhalation.

Softly holding the exhalation soothes the nervous system while holding the inhalation wakes us up. At the end of each exhalation, pause for a few moments (try counting to a slow five) to feel empty, without straining. When you inhale, make sure NOT to gasp or gulp air in.

Hold the twist for at least one full minute then release and switch sides by switching the crossing of the legs. This is a long hold for a twist, so please be gentle in the transition.

Anantasana

Reclined Buddha, or Vishnu in Yoga Nidra

Anantasana, one of my top five yoga poses, is often considered to be the deity Vishnu resting on his serpent in the act of Yoga Nidra (a state beyond sleep). As Yoga Nidra is one of my main yoga practices, I love this interpretation of the pose.

It is also called The Reclined Buddha.  The Buddha in this reclined position has many meanings:  One is to show the Buddha in his final moment of enlightenment before his death. The other interpretation is the Buddhist notion that even when sleeping, mindfulness is practiced; this is a reminder that sleep is not a moment to check out.

It can be agreed that whatever the ascribed archetypal origin, Anantasana is a posture of enjoying the relaxed moment.

While practicing Anantasana, find the places in the body that are afraid to relax. Allow the head to become heavy in the hand, allow the belly to spill forward in an unattractive manner.  Ask yourself,“Where else might I let go?”  “If I were to really let go, how would I feel?” And if you’re courageous… “Who is the ‘I’ that is letting go?”

Instructions

Lie on your right side with your knees bent into your chest and your head resting on a flat right arm.  Your left hand drapes over your hip with the elbow heavy.  Enjoy stage one for a few long breaths.  Then, bend the bottom right arm until the elbow is pointed out to the side and the head rests in the right hand.  There should be no effort in the neck, the head should relax fully. (This is my favorite stage; you can stay here for minutes if you like!)  Lastly, and only if you want to add more, take the middle and index fingers of the left hand and take hold of the left big toe.  Slowly and gently begin to straighten the left leg bringing the left foot towards the ceiling.  Stretch to your comfortable level of flexibility.  Relax here for 30 seconds up to several minutes.  Be sure to practice for the same amount of time on side two.

Breath Suggestions for All Poses

Begin breathing in through the nose and then slow down the exhalation through the mouth allowing it to be slower and longer than you may think you can do, until you are fully empty. Beginning this way will kick start the relaxation process signaling your body that it is time to slow down.  Then watch the breath slow itself down on its own.

After a minute or so, the breath will find its own equilibrium.  Yes, you may practice ujjayi breath for these poses, but with only a soft soothing sound, a meditative breath for these restorative poses.

Rather than altering the breath, simply observe the path the breath travels.   Notice if the breath pattern is smooth, if the inhalations and exhalations feel balanced. Observing the breath is a form of mindfulness, which is a great technique for steadying the thoughts.

When we are sleeping we are not altering the breath, and these poses are meant to lull us into sleep, so once the tension has been cleared from the breath, allow it to settle and mimic sleep- your body will get the hint.

Nidra Vicchara

Vicchara is the practice of inquiry, the Sanskrit word nidra means sleep.  The act of asking a question brings us into the present moment. Ask yourself some questions to begin the practice of inquiry. When engaged in this practice, I recommend a journal dedicated to sleep and rejuvenation. When practicing vicchara, don’t be seduced by the desire to jump to an answer. Once we “know” something, we file it away and are no longer open to new wisdom.  Keep asking!  Here are some to get you started…

•How or when did you first experience trouble sleeping?

•How has your trouble with sleep affected your relationship to others?

•How has it affected your ability to achieve your goals?

•What steps are within your control that you can take to heal your relationship to sleep?

•How can your increased wakeful hours be best utilized?

•Why do you think that sleep has manifested itself this way to you specifically?

•How might you see this “problem” as a gift?  This “liability” as an asset?

•Most importantly, what does being “awake” mean to you?

A festival set at the amidst the nutritious air of Ashland, Oregon and the healing waters of Jackson Wellsprings, can be called  PRANAFEST.  Just the environmental components alone would leave a yogi feeling nourished and revitalized- refueled with Prana.

For its inaugural year, Pranafest put together an ambitious and diverse line up.  Top yoga teachers Micheline Berry and Govindas and Rhadha provided a solid foundation, while breath and healing workshops rounded out the offerings.

Friday night, kirtan favorite, Wah! offered a new format, the healing concert.  While many of us have spent years dancing to high energy “Hanuman” and “Jai ma!” tracks, Wah! is bringing to the center stage one of her true talents.  Born of the original “Savasana” and Savasana 2” releases, the healing concert is meant to be a guided relaxation that uses mantra to soothe and “heal” the body.  Wah provided a lullaby to ground all the festival attendees, a much needed, balancing touch.

Saturday afternoon, I spent soaking up the hot springs and teaching a Yoga Nidra class including some yin postures, pranayama and a long Yoga Nidra session. We focused on Samadhi, dissolving the body into the infinite, allowing our individual form to be absorbed by the absolute form.  The Ashland yogis needed no convincing of the benefits of letting go, they relaxed easily and rode the wave of prana...

I spent Saturday night exploring the town of Ashland with Donna Delory.  After a farm to table meal at Larx Hotel and a quick stop to drink from the fresh Lithium fountains in the town square, we headed back to the festival just in time to catch the end of “The Breath of Life.”  Wow!  Deepak Ramapriyan and his gang just took off like a rocket. They played in the little “casbah” type space that rocked an intimate but “old school” setting right next to the hot springs and cafe.

Donna and I headed over to the main stage for Jai Uttal playing his Queen of Hearts tracks.  The juxtaposition of Kirtan and Reggae is so ecstatic, it just intoxicating.  Jai is the ultimate headliner- radiant and joyful.  What a treat to see him so devoted to his yoga teacher wife, Nubia Teixteira, giving us all an example of what divine partnership is all about- SITARAM!!!!

Sunday morning I caught the end of my friends Govindas and Radha’s class.  As usual- it was slamming!  These two have such a smooth flow of highs and lows, movement and stillness infused with Bhakti every step of the way.  Again, an inspiring example of divine partnership- RADHEGOVINDA!

My Bhakti Vinyasa class can only be described by the All Star musicians that led the way.  Deepak Ramapriyan on violin, Ben Leinbach on drums, Prajna Vieira, a local sitar, harmonium and tabla player (if you folks read this post, please comment and chime in with your names!)- all topped by Donna Delory jumping in for an ecsatic explotion.  The intention was to have a sweet savasana song, but none of us could contain ourselves.  We danced, we chanted, we hugged, we laughed, we cried and oh, right- we did some yoga.

After class I had to dash off to the airport, but I had just enough time to get a sneak peak at Pragna and Ben doing their solo set on the Casbah stage, playing some songs from their new release Amrita.  And it was.  Simply sweet- nectar of sound.

A huge nod to promoters Paul Andrews and Janet Marley for putting it together and staying happy and playful.  All in all everyone gets a full thumbs up.  Pranafest is on its way!

The highlight for me, however was the fact that- turns out-  I was born in Madison.  My family moved when I was 3, but I was born at the university hospital and spent my earliest years at 6001 Piping Rock Road.  I took a few minutes to swing by my birth home and low and behold- living in the house currently is a beautiful couple- and the woman, Brenna, is a yoga instructor! What are the odds?  An undeniable connection through time. 

My only memory of Madison is of a tiny hill (that felt huge at 3 years old) that my family used to sled down during the winters.  I drove around until I found the same hill, behind Falk Elementary School.  Madison is a beautiful, soulful place and I am excited to go back for Bhakti Fest Midwest again next year!

Next up is Wanderlust, and a trip down the Rogue River in Oregon.  Hope to catch you soon...

Prem,
Sara

“I love airports,” I found myself saying as I picked a friend up the other night. “People are going places.”

I realize this is an unusual experience.  Nothing seems to challenge our yogic sense of peace more than being delayed at the airport.  Traffic, shopping, family karmas and overbooked flights can send even the most centered practitioner into a scattered frenzy.

You will be surprised to hear what has helped me the most in times of agitation. It is not the breath, although please do keep breathing at all times! It’s dristi, the gaze of the eyes. The word dristi comes from the Sanskrit root drstr meaning ‘to see,’ ‘to gaze,’ ‘to focus on,’ or  better yet, ‘to direct.’

Yoga teaches us that wherever the eyes go, our energy goes.  Many of the asana practices that we learn in the West teach us to look up. Gazing upward has its benefits, including increased energy and an added challenge to balancing. But there are drawbacks as well – the most obvious being that it strains a lot of necks! Looking up also has the potential to agitate an already over-stimulated nervous system. The other issue: keeping our eyes still is much more difficult when they are focused upward. Therefore our eyes dart all over the room, looking somewhere, anywhere for some help.

If our eyes are ‘all over the place,’ so are our bodies. We end up scattered. When we focus our eyes, our bodies focus and, thankfully, our energy gets focused as well.

How many times have I forced myself to look up in half moon pose only to strain my neck, stop breathing and fall over? One day I realized that I was doing this out of habit – something someone told me to do, something I read in a book (which was written within the last hundred years). None of the ancient scriptures dictate looking up; it is not pre-requisite to enlightenment.

When I need to get grounded, I look at the ground.  When I’m in a challenging asana and really want to focus, I look down.  When I need that same level of absolute concentration, I look down. And when do I need that level of focus more than when my flight is delayed?

Try this as an experiment: Next time you are waiting for a flight, do the usual thing and people watch. Inevitably there will be someone madly tapping away on their laptop, someone will be talking just a little too loudly on their cell phone while someone else is stuffing a French fry in their mouth. As your eyes dart around and you try to keep track of everyone, create stories in your mind of what their lives must be like. Try to make sense of their existence for them. Pause. Watch your energy leaving you and going to them; watch it dwindle away.  Where your eyes go, your energy flows.

Pause again and look down. Know that the world is swirling around you, but you don’t have to look at it. You don’t have to comment or help it along. You’re just you. Just as you would in a crowded yoga class, balancing in tree pose, look down, and bring your attention and energy back to you where it belongs.  Try this in the shopping mall, at your family dinner, but mostly at the airport.

I promise you, you’ll still get there at the same time, and you just might arrive at your destination a little less frazzled and a little more rested. You may even feel so energized that you find yourself saying, as I did to my friend that day, “I love airports!”