How Yoga Changed Me

How Yoga Changed Me

True Yoga Stories

In this series, "How Yoga Changed Me," yogis share their story about the amazing changes they have experienced as a result of their regular yoga practice.

Originally posted @Indy Yogi

Each night, when I go to sleep, I die.
And the next morning, when I wake up,
I am reborn.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

I came to yoga later in life. While I feel yoga is the answer to everything, I’ve been reticent to write a yoga tell all. I’ve secretly wanted to write a yoga memoir after reading my share of yoga confessionals, chronicles of healing, and inspiring tales of redemption. In truth, I’ve also read a fair share of histrionic, over the top narratives.

I’ve never written my yogagraphy,™ mostly because I’m a procrastinator, but also because I’ve never felt my story was a “can’t put it down” dramatic page turner. I’ve read so many tales of people who turn to yoga to overcome career reversals, sexual trauma, addiction, divorce, eating disorders, life threatening illness, serious accidents, and the death of family members or partners. These yogis hit rock bottom and climbed out of the abyss by the grace of yoga. Many authors credit yoga with helping them to climb high enough to reach the pinnacle of financial, romantic, or spiritual success.

I’m fortunate in that I haven’t been plagued by yoga memoir type devastation, but I’m unfortunate in that I feel I can’t compete. I’ve had the normal lows and blows of a typical life, but nothing that could translate into a best seller. I can’t even market my life experiences into a lucrative webinar where I give you the tools to overcome obstacles through yoga to live your dreams or at least put on a webinar of your own.

But I digress. All I have to do here is to testify about how yoga changed ME. I don’t have to claim I’ve overcome all my obstacles or that I am an inspirational visionary who channels my passion into TheYogarazzi™ brand yoga, a clothing line and green smoothies. Keeping it real, I’m just saying that yoga has given me rebirth.

I have been born more times than anybody except Krishna.
~ Mark Twain

Back to the procrastination thing, it takes me forever to get around to doing things. I am constantly making To-Do lists, calendaring, setting deadlines, and starting over. New Year’s, the Equinoxes, the Solstices, the seasons, the first of the months, the full moons, next weeks, and Mondays are all dates when I start over. All these reboots used to cause me almost paralyzing anxiety. What yoga has given me is the ability to relaunch myself over and over. Every day is a new day of rebirth.

Over these many years of yoga, I have had a consistent home practice, and I have not. I’ve dropped in on certain classes consistently, and I have not. I’ve gotten better at certain poses, and I’ve gotten worse and then better again. I’ve gone through times when I can pronounce adho mukha svanasana and times when I cannot. I’ve gone through phases of studying pranayama, meditation, sutras, yamas and niyamas, ahimsa, chakras, meridians, crystals, auras, mudras, healing touch, intuition, alignment, sequencing, and just about anything yogic related. I learn things and forget things until I relearn them. I’m always starting over, relaunching, and rebooting.

Yoga changed me in that I not only know but I feel every day is a new day. I know that if I can’t do a bind one day, even if I’ve done it before, I will do it another day. If I don’t organize my closet one day, I will another day. If I don’t remember not to get impatient in the Starbucks line today, tomorrow I may not only remember but actually not get impatient. One day of rebirth “yoga chitta vritti nirodha” will flow effortlessly from my lips even though it never has in any of my prior daily lives.

Yoga taught me that every time I step on my mat, it is a new experience. My practice is whatever I am able to do that day, but it won’t be the same every day. I don’t have to stress or feel dejected because I will get another crack at it the next time I am reborn.

This yogic opportunity of rebirth has carried over to the rest of my life. Yoga has eased my anxiety about my life. Of course, there are certain tasks that must be done and certain deadlines that must be met on specific days, but there are so many that do not. Just as the seasons cycle, the moon cycles, the sun cycles, and circadian rhythms cycle, I know I cycle as well. I can get back in the new cycle to the things left undone in the old.

Does this constant rebirth cure my procrastination? Obviously not, which is why my webinar is going nowhere and I’ve yet to write my “yogagraphy.” However, I have more chances to work on it. As Scarlet O’Hara, famously observed, “tomorrow is another day.”

-by Ellen, The Yogarazzi, Indianapolis

Paying It Forward @ The Studio

                               ORIGINALLY POSTED @ Indy Yogi

Are Yoga Teachers Underpaid?

• by theyogarazzi
 
• March 28, 2015
 

Yogis can be so passionate about doing the right thing. Even if they haven’t nailed all the yamas and niyamas, most are down with the Golden Rule. Seems like #BeTheChange is as popular as#YogaEveryDamnDay.  So, it is a total mystery to me that so many yoga studios don’t pay their people. The same person who is happy to sign a petition to increase the minimum wage doesn’t want to pay it.

The internets are full of laments and diatribes about how little money there is in the yoga biz.  A disabled car, a rent increase, or an illness can put  someone over the edge financially. Back in the day, a yogi could live comfortably traveling the circuit with a begging bowl. Today, anti-panhandling ordinances criminalize that game plan.  Many end up launching sad crowd funding campaigns which result in more pity than cash.

There are so many reasons why instructors struggle. A preeminent reason  is the tradition of performing labor for no money for a business which profits from that labor. Both parties can cloak it in spirituality, but it isn’t divine not to pay or receive a fair wage for services rendered. Any can chose to donate time and services, to give a gift or offering, but it has to be a conscious choice, where there is a choice.

Instructors and students work the desk, baby sit, clean the studio, handle paperwork and engage in social media in exchange for the chance to teach at a studio, or to attend free classes. It’s euphemistically called “karma yoga.” It’s definitely a bargain for the studio, and possibly worthwhile for some thrifty students, but it’s not a gift or a good deed. It’s a job. There is nothing wrong with bartering or in-kind trades, but they must be called what they are. Services which save the studios money should not be considered benevolence to the person doing the job.

An owner who gives one instructor a free class without paying the other is not giving anything;  This is no different than having instructors teach a room full of Grouponers, teacher trainees, birthday class customers, and promotional winners without compensation. Those sweet teacher trainings help to keep the studio lights on, but what about the lights of the instructor whose class is full of trainees but doesn’t receive  any of the tuition? Instructors can not easily reject nonpaying studio sponsored students if they want to be on the schedule.  It’s cool to offer freebies, but even cooler to pay the instructor for every mat in the room.

Beyond instructors, studios save money  by having the desk staffed and the place cleaned for free. It’s a faux feel good thing to believe the studio is doing an earnest yogi a solid by offering free classes. It isn’t a gift, the volunteer worker is performing necessary and beneficial labor. Moreover, people who need to work cannot afford to work for free. Ten hours of free work for free classes may necessitate  another ten hours of wage work somewhere else. The volunteer is then working 20 hours to have the opportunity to take one or two free classes schedule permitting. Frugal people may benefit; poor people do not.  It’s noble to reach out to under served populations, but having them mop the floors is not karma service.

Since many people can’t afford these free jobs, studios are likely losing potential paying students through these volunteer gigs.  How reliable are they? A casual volunteer who knows she can’t make her free Monday night class is less likely to show up for her busy Saturday desk gig. A staffer with a paycheck is much more vested in the success of the studio. What’s in it for her? Not money. Not the class she can’t take.

I used to be a criminal defense attorney in private practice. I had clients in bad situations who had no chance for a just result without a lawyer.  Typically, these situations were the result of poor choices, but sometimes people were in bad spots through no fault of their own. Regardless, I did not feel compelled to freely offer my services when a client told me they wouldn’t pay my fee because they had other (i.e. more important to them) bills to pay. It was common for potential clients to suggest I go to court without a retainer when their rent  or car payment was due. This arrangement did nothing to pay for my rent or car, and there was no guaranty any work I did would be valued if it was not a priority to the client. Plus, I wasn’t at all responsible for their misfortunes.  I did  pro bono work, but I chose it.

I don’t run a studio, and I know many people are down with these practices. I also realize working in yoga is different than working in law or at Walmart or Exxon. Hopefully, everyone experiences many boons in addition to financial gain. Yet, I still believe the valuable owner should truly honor the valuable worker. #BeTheChange. Read Marynka Burns to keep the doors open with student fees, not employee wages. WWGD?

Kundalini @The Mall

ORGINALLY POSTED @  Indy Yogi

Mall Yoga: Kundalini and Gong at Lululemon

• by theyogarazzi
 
• March 19, 2015

Mall Yoga for Mall Yogis

At the local mall, fitness stores offer “complementary,” i.e. free, yoga classes. They feature local studios, popular teachers, and “brand ambassadors,” i.e. personalities chosen to create a buzz.  It’s not a trade secret that retail establishments hope participants will be sufficiently inspired after yoga practice to shop.  Conversely, participants hope the store will gift them free stuff, or at least snacks. Some do buy, and some resolutely do not. Anyone who rues the commodification of yoga is probably not there.

“Mall yogis,” to coin a term, mostly realize a free class is an advertisement for the brand. What they may not realize is that the class instructors are probably not getting paid. Occasionally, the instructors are offered clothing or a gift card. Frequently, they leave without any swag as these classes are pitched to the studios/instructors as a sweet marketing hook up, a way to introduce themselves.

Mall yogis show up weekly to these in-store classes. Some almost never practice anywhere else, and that’s okay.  These classes offer exposure to many instructors. Whether someone practices only in a mall or also in gyms and studios, nowhere is it as easy to sample so many instructors as at these in-store mall classes. Don’t forget that many yogis struggle with time, location, and money restraints.

No matter the mall or the store, there is usually a generic mall yoga template; an all-levels vinyasa class, heavy on cat/cow warm ups, sun salutes, and a crow or  pigeon accompanied by a popular play list, and not too much savasana.  Instructors may vary the template, but generally not by very much. Occasionally, there is pranayama or a meditation, less often a dharma talk, but not too complex. Yet, the class is enjoyable. It’s not likely the most serious or challenging class, but it lends itself to fun, ease, and camaraderie. It’s a good class to meet up with friends. The casual vibe and low pressure environment  make the experience non-intimidating.

Now for Something Completely Different

One Saturday last month, Diane Hancock, who teaches kundalini yoga every Sunday at Cityoga, garbed all in white, accompanied by her enormous gong, stepped to the front of the Indianapolis Lululemon store. The regulars expected a familiar version of the mall yoga class where a perky instructor, sporting malas or the latest store gear, cues them into down dog.

In a setting where people expect a physical workout, these mall yogis didn’t know they would spend most of the class in easy pose learning kundalini yoga. Maybe they hoped for energetic chatarungas to tone their abs and arms. Instead, they felt their abs and arms while vigorously breathing and chanting.

Diane capably and confidently introduced the class to kundalini yoga, a style not often encountered at the mall. In a clear, concise voice, she explained the meaning of Sanskrit chants, dristis, mudras, pranayama and the intent of the practices.  Early on, the energy was restless. People looked around uncertainly. The first movements and chants were hesitant. Diane never wavered in her confidence. As the class evolved, the energy changed. The mall yogis opened up to discovering breath and awareness in new ways.  A few still seemed a bit unnerved,  but most enjoyed the experience.

By the time Diane rolled out the gong, the mall yogis were ready to relax into the vibrations. The store acoustics were actually quite conducive to the sound. As the frequencies vibrated off the running jackets and spinning tanks, they were able to surrender to the deep waves of sound, and maybe find some peace before dashing off. The Lululemon educators appreciated the moment of calm before they turned on the lights and opened the doors.

Afterward, one mall yogi whispered disappointedly there was no “real yoga”in the class. Another announced happily she had never been to a yoga class that emphasized anything other than physical movement. Many approached to ask questions about kundalini yoga or share observations. Diane never doubted these mall yogis would appreciate exposure to any aspect of yoga, including kundalini.

Retail stores don’t discourage mall yogis from purchasing pricey yoga pants, it’s what they do. However, these in-store yoga classes can be experienced as more than marketing and shopping opportunities. For the instructor, the class template doesn’t have to be so generic. For the student, the class doesn’t have to be so predictable. A little kundalini gong with the vinyasa is a good thing, even at the mall.

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Photo By: Courtesy of Diane Hancock

Yoga Local

 ORGINALLY POSTED @  Indy Yogi

Indy, Support your Local Yoga Community!

• by theyogarazzi
 
• February 26, 2015
 

As a yoga enthusiast, I dig community. I love to hop around the local yoga scene, hitting major events and intimate classes. Yoga in Indy is both a big city with lots of little neighborhoods and a small town where everybody knows your name. There is the big Indy Community and smaller communities.

Back in the day, there were few teachers and fewer yoga studios. You didn’t have a lot of choices. Now Zionsville is becoming the Santa Monica of Indy. Once the gyms, CrossFit boxes, community centers, churches, and schools reach their limits on hosting yoga, classes will probably popup at the Super Targets.  Yet, there will still be yoga ghettos and vast swaths of population who will remain unaware of  yoga world. The yoga community is open and insular at the same time.

It’s easy to drop in almost anywhere. The odds are you will know the instructor and/or some of the students (many of whom are also yoga instructors). It’s like going to Cheers except you drag your bar stool around with you. Walk in, drop your mat, and you are at home.

Because you don’t actually have to know anyone to practice on your front porch mat, you can enjoy a solid practice anywhere. You don’t have to be afraid to roll without your besties. While it may be tough to play tennis without reassurance someone will return your serve, dropping into yoga is like  hooping at the gym or the park. You can always get buckets. While the courts are competitive, yoga is not supposed to be. It should be easier to throw down your mat when you aren’t worried about  throwing down. Plus, trash talking in yoga class is highly discouraged.

You can meet up with friends, run across friends, and meet new friends in the shared class experience. That’s community. What’s interesting about the pastiche of the community is that while you can see the same people at different times at different studios, you will still find some people that only go to one studio. This preference might be geographic, practice, or price driven,  but it might also reflect a teacher/vibe preference.  While an athletic yogi generally doesn’t prefer a devotional studio and vice versa, cross pollination does happen. For some yogis, their community is strictly the free community class. You may only see them at the weekend mall class, but it is as much a tight knit enclave as any studio or gym.

While you may only encounter certain yoga students at their singular space, you will almost certainly encounter the same instructors at many spaces. Somewhere, teaching yoga is wildly financially lucrative, but in this community, teachers must lead many classes in many places to garner any income. Wherever, you see a teacher, if he/she emits a friendly vibe and knows your name, the community becomes more accessible.

If you practiced yoga in a super metropolis, you could easily go to  one or many studios on a regular basis and remain totally anonymous to the instructor and other yogis in a mega class.  In this community, not so much. The connectivity of the community can be annoying and heartwarming. When you want to go here and not there, friends wonder why you didn’t go there with them or formally invite them here. When you go to one teacher’s class, another wonders why you didn’t/don’t come to “my” class.  (Sigh). Yet, it’s so nice to be welcomed, wanted, encouraged, appreciated, and missed. You just can’t get that from anonymity.

Perhaps our Indianapolis yoga community is less established and less sophisticated than others. Perhaps are numbers are smaller. Maybe our community has unique practices and quirky ways, but it is ours. Join  in my enthusiasm. Get to know the neighborhoods and be part of the big picture.  Participate in  community wide events like Monumental Yoga. Check out Indy Yogi and its calendar to stay in the community loop. Let’s support our community. Namaste.

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Mindfully Clueless

Like many yogis, I would like to be mindful. I would love to be awake and aware of WTF I'm doing. I'm not so good at that.

I regularly send packages to Malibu, Berkeley, and Portland. Recently, I sent a birthday gift to Portland and cursed the post office when the tracking showed the package bouncing from post office to post office before ending up back on my doorstep where I discovered I wrote the Berkeley address on the Portland label. When I checked the label before dropping the box into the bin, the address looked okay to me, but context is everything.

Last week, as is my habit, I stopped at the Starbucks on Mass Ave on my way to work.  It was about 8:30 a.m., and metered parking is required from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Religiously, I put money in the parking machine for my space because I know how religiously the "Parking Ambassadors" sweep the street.  I can usually duck in and out quickly, but  unlike many patrons, I don't chance it.  25¢ is cheaper than $20 bucks, $40 if you procrastinate for more than 7 days.

The parking spots were filled with snow and ice. The car next to my spot had obviously been parked overnight. It was totally covered in snow.  I hoped the ambassadors wouldn't give tickets on a day like that,  but I wouldn't risk it.

I  was the only one in line at Starbucks. I ran out to see a man approach the car next to me and take out a snow scraper to begin clearing his car off. His windshield was still blanketed in white. My windshield had a parking ticket attached!

I knew I wasn't inside long enough for my spot to have expired. Indignantly, I punched the number to my parking spot, The Yogarazzi was going snap a pic of the remaining minutes except there were no minutes. Watching the man industriously sweep the snow from his car, I decided to punch his number. He had 4 minutes left from the time I had dropped in my quarter.

Snap! I put the money on the wrong parking spot. Because I wasn't sufficiently mindful, I suffered the fate I tried so hard to avoid--the $20 parking ticket.  While I chastised myself, the man finished clearing off his car and drove away. He was unaware he could have been $20 poorer or $40.00 if he was a procrastinator .

What a clueless Yogarazzi. Not only had I gotten myself a ticket by paying for the wrong spot, I hadn't even  thought to drop some coin on the other spot to save the overnighter a ticket. I did a "pay it forward" kind of act without knowing, let alone intending, to do so. I can't even get props for saving his ass. Mindfully, I decided to pay the ticket right away. $20 is a good act/lesson. $40 is a trip to remedial parking  mindfulness school.