Yoga

Please join me this Friday, June 21st for a free outdoor summer solstice community yoga class at Washington Park in Burlingame, CA. Class begins at 5:30PM. Meet at Washington Park at 5:30PM or at Lululemon Burlingame at 5:15PM and we will walk over together. Bring a yoga mat, friends, and be ready to play! Questions? email me here: michelle@michellemyhre.com

If you wear short shorts for yoga, we have you (barely) covered this summer with a lot of different style options. Longer shorts are a little harder to come by, but we found some solid choices there too. With inseams from 2 to 10.5 inches, how much thigh you want to show is completely up to you. Check out our guide to women's yoga shorts....Read Full Post

"I am free if, and only if, I plan my life in accordance with my own will; plans entail rules; a rule does not oppress me or enslave me if I impose it on myself consciously, or accept it freely, having understood it, whether it was invented by me or by others, provided that it is rational, that is to say, conforms to the necessities of things. To understand why things must be as they must be is to will them to be so. Knowledge liberates not by offering us more open possibilities amongst which we can make our choice, but by preserving us from the frustration of attempting the impossible. To want necessary laws to be other than they are is to be prey to an irrational desire--a desire that what must be X should also not be X. To go further, and believe these laws to be other than what they necessarily are, is to be insane." Isaiah Berlin, "Two Concepts of Liberty"Over the last few days, I have been reading Berlin, and this passage in which Berlin describes positive freedom--the freedom that comes from my imposing a law on myself and choosing to direct my life in accordance with this law out of my own autonomous self-direction--jumps out at me. Berlin himself is ambivalent about this notion of positive liberty. On the one hand, this notion of freedom as rational self-direction can be found in the works of a long line of liberal-minded thinkers (Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx, to name a few), and expresses the lofty ideal that being free is not just about not being restricted in one's actions, but is ultimately about being able to direct one's life in accordance with an ideal of one's own choosing.On the other hand, however, positive freedom becomes morally problematic when one tries to translate it into a systematic political arrangement. First, if people are truly free only if they are able to live their lives in accordance with an ideal of their own choosing, then, assuming that freedom is the most important thing for people to have, having this ability to live self-directed lives must be what people really want, even if some people are too benighted/ignorant/stupid to know this on a conscious level. And it is not enough for the state to leave these benighted/ignorant/stupid people alone to their own devices; left to their own devices, these people will probably do things that are not only harmful to themselves, but might also threaten the freedom and lives of more enlightened folks. So, for the good of all, these benighted/ignorant/stupid people who do not know what is best for themselves must be educated and, if necessary, coerced into becoming truly free (Fichte: "Only the truth liberates, and the only way in which I can learn the truth is by doing blindly today, what you, who know it, order me, or coerce me, to do, in the certain knowledge that only thus will I arrive at your clear vision, and be free like you."). And we all know how the story goes from here. Much of the excesses committed in the names of the many "isms" (communism, fascism, even liberalism) of the twentieth century can be traced at least in part to what are arguably at least initially well-intentioned efforts by a group of intellectual elites to "educate" the ignorant and bring them up to shape for the new world order of absolute freedom that is soon to come. Scary and depressing stuff, if you think about it. How can something that is so noble and lofty on the individual level become so monstrous when applied on a large scale? I don't have any easy (or difficult) answers to this question, and I don't want to gloss this issue over by spouting platitudes, so I'll leave it at this. But here's something else to think about: Aren't we subjecting ourselves to a similar process in our Ashtanga practice? Assuming that the goal of the practice is moksha or liberation, and that only the truth liberates, and the truth is presently not within our field of vision, wouldn't this mean that in doing our daily practice, we are, in a sense, blindly putting ourselves through a p

The final chapter in our Chakra studies leads us to finding a comprehensive understanding of the Chakras, and thus allows us to further our estimation of ourselves. We began with identifying the characteristics of the Chakras in the Chakra 101 series, and then followed up with how the Chakras relate to yoga poses in Chakras 102. Now, we will dive even deeper and discuss the Chakras as they fully relate to us and learn meditation techniques to focus on each with sounds. The Chakras energy centers of our bodies record our life’s journey. As we grow and live our lives, our Chakras accumulate the energy that we put forth and receive. Essentially, these invisible recording devices are storing all the physical, emotional and spiritual expressions we all experience as human beings. When we begin to investigate our Chakras, both individually and together as a holistic energy system, we are able to use this understanding as a tool to affect the changes that we each want to make in our lives. And, while we talk frequently about the Chakras in yoga classes and other wellness modalities, we must remember: we are talking about our energy systems. Our energy systems were identified and well understood long before science came around and began to rule what most would call “Modern Medicine” today. Since people acknowledged long ago that living things had an energetic consciousness, it makes sense that the practices outside of today’s modern medicine are what suits and benefits our Chakra’s balancing, healing and unblocking. Meditation, Yoga, Reiki, Crystal Therapy, and many other healing modalities can work separately or in conjunction to optimize and help us keep our energy systems free flowing and clear. One immediate tool for working with balancing your Chakras is using meditation and Bija Mantras to connect to each Chakra location. The word ‘Bija’ is translated as ‘seed’, and a Bija Mantra is the “Seed Sound”. Bija Mantras are formed from the semi-vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet: YA, RA, LA, VA.?? Each Chakra has its own Bija Mantra, and because of their Sanskrit pronunciation, they can be felt in the location of each Chakra’s center when recited out loud. Reciting the Bija Mantras also purifies the nadis, which are our subtle energy channels. In addition, when recited in sequential order—from Root Chakra to Crown Chakra—these Sanskrit sounds are felt from the back of the tongue to the front of the tongue moving through all the way to your lips.?? Pretty incredible, yes? Let’s revisit and dive into each individual Chakra, and identify its Bija Mantra. We will start at the bottom and rise up—following the flow of universal life energy that exists within each of us. Muladhara, our First Chakra, records our experiences that deal with our physical health and financial well being. Since these can be considered as two defining points for survival, it is critical that we have a clear relationship with our First Chakra, as it is the foundation for all other Chakras. Also, when looked at from the perspective of its defining characteristics; one can agree that when our own health and financial situations are unstable, everything else in our life becomes unstable as well. The Bija Mantra for our First Chakra is LAM. [Pronounced as LAUM] Svadhisthana, our Second Chakra, is the location where all of our sexual experiences are recorded, and this Chakra in itself determines our own level of sexuality. Most likely, if you are reading this, you are a normal human like the rest and are subject to the natural human desires that are embedded in our energy, and the survival aspect of our genealogy. While celibacy can be recommended, but may not often the first choice for one when considering to balance this Chakra, it can also be approached with considering and observing how you give and share yourself, both your physical body and your energy. The Bija Mantra for our Second Chakra is VAM.

Summer officially arrives this week, bringing with it afternoons in the park and rooftop parties and beaches. The thing is, though, every summer needs a soundtrack, and while every year there seems to be a rush to anoint a certain tune The Song of the Summer™, Flavorwire via our friends at Flavorpill decided to go one better and choose a quintessential summer album for every one of the past 50 years. Here are 15 of our favs from that list. To view all 50 albums, please keep reading over at Flavorwire. :: 1963 | The Beach Boys:  Surfin’ USA :: 1965 | The Who: My Generation :: 1968 | Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay :: 1973 | Bruce Springsteen: Greetings From Asbury Park :: 1978 | Bob Marley & the Wailers: Kaya :: 1979 | Donna Summer: Bad Girls :: 1982 | Prince and the Revolution: 1999 :: 1984 | Run DMC: Run DMC :: 1989 | The Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique :: 1993 | Salt ‘n Pepa: Very Necessary :: 1996 | The Fugees: The Score :: 1999 | The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin :: 2004 | Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days :: 2006 | Lily Allen: Alright, Still :: 2013 was left up to the reader, so our pick for this summer’s album is Lorde: The Love Club, EP What’s your pick for this summer’s album? We’re always looking for new music. Is this list missing anything? Let us know below!

Happy Summer Solstice Everyone! We hope that you have had a fabulous weekend, and that you are gearing up for an awesome week and an awesome summer of fun times and lots of yoga! We have selected some of our favorite yoga and wellness events going on across the country, from Wanderlust in VT, to Chakra Workshops in Chicago, Raghunath in Philly, and more, so check out our weekend picks below, and get out there and have some fun! Don’t see events listed in your city? Want to submit an event of your own? Email us at Submissions@yoganonymous.com and let us know the deal! Stratton Mountain, VT Thursday, June 20th – Sunday, June 23rd Wanderlust Festival is kicking off it’s season with Wanderlust VT this weekend! Wanderlust is a one-of-a-kind festival bringing together the world’s leading yoga teachers, top musical acts and DJs, renowned speakers, top chefs and winemakers, and much, much more — all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. We’re talking about fun in the sun and dancing under the stars. Hiking on peaceful trails and gettin’ your down dog on at the top of the mountain. Sipping poolside cocktails with your friends, and then enjoying a tasty farm-to-table dinner with views of the surrounding mountain peaks. Early morning meditations and all-night chakra spinning musical performances – it’s an all-out ecstatic celebration in the most awe-inspiring locations in the world. Click here for the Full Scoop! Chicago, IL Friday, June 21 – Saturday, June 22 Join Amber Cook this weekend at Moksha Yoga for 3 workshops designed to help you flow through your chakras! Explore the chakra’s through your practice. In these workshops, look forward to minimal lecture and more practice. Amber believes practice related to what you are learning allows you to retain information with more ease. In each session you will practice asana (postures), pranayama (breathwork), mudra (hand postures), bandha (energy locks), and visualization associated with each particular chakra. Each session will include essential oils and music related to the chakras. Click here for the Full Scoop! Philadelphia, PA Sunday, June 22nd Don’t miss out on an epic day of yoga with Raghunath at Dhyana Yoga in Philly this Sunday! The day will include an advanced asana workshop, sacred sound & mantra, a lesson on the Bhagavad Gita, an hour of advanced headstands, and even a class focusing on hands-on assists – whew! Click here for the Full Scoop! Boulder, CO Friday, June 21st Don’t miss out on GaiamTV’s documentary night at Bodywork Bistro’s Living Arts Center! The evening includes high-vibe snacks from TumericALIVE and NudeFood, with video content carefully curated from GaiamTV’s extensive collection of mindful material. The series concludes Friday, June 21, with an interview titled “Emergence of the New Human” featuring Jim Self. Founder of Mastering Alchemy, and an international speaker and author, Jim Self has been leading seminars and teaching healing, clairvoyance and personal energy management courses since 1980. The interview will be followed by a brief, guided meditation which will introduce attendees to one of the many practical tools for mastering Alchemy. We will finish with group discussion, snacks and casual mingling. The event is family-friendly, free and open to the public. Suggested donations of $5-$10 go to benefit Angel Organic, a local non-profit dedicated to bringing nutrition and mindfulness practices to underserved populations. Click here for the Full Scoop! Venice, CA Friday, June 21st Join Hemalayaa Behl at Exhale in Venice for a Dance Awakening on Friday Night! Awaken your spiritual power through this guided and free-form dance evening! Inspired by the exuberant, bold and expressive moves seen in Indian films, this event infuses various other vibrant dance traditions along with affirmations to empower every cell in your body. After an hour and half of Hemalayaa’s sweet guidance, your

I mentioned last week that the AYA2 (Ashtanga) House Recommendations were being turned into a small booklet designed by Laura Shaw Feit of Small Blue pearls and http://lshawdesign.com. Well, here it is available free to download to your iPad (you just have to register) or it's a couple of quid for the printed copy.Downloaded the pdf but kind of want a printed copy, have to check about International postage. Just did, ordered a copy, postage about a quid to the UK. $5.20 including postage, bargain.------So then I thought, how about a House Recommendations for the HOME Ashtangi, for the Home shala........SAME book.and highly recommended, will provoke thought and reflection for the home and shala ashtangi, beginner and more experienced alike, which is always good right ( off the mat obviously).Here's What Small Blue pearls has to say about it."Designed and produced by yours truly, this incredibly helpful resource is now available as a free digital download (there are choices on format here) as well as a lovely printed version to keep mat-side. The printed version costs under five bucks and covers the printing and shipping only. Let's all thank Angela Jamison for crowdsourcing and curating this awesome pamphlet!"LINK TO BUY PRINTED COPY OR DOWNLOAD FOR FREEI like the cover so much that I thought it deserved a larger shot all of it's own along with the contents and the introduction (double page spread here to give an idea of the design. Love the layout, marries well with the tone.http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/585165No doubt the main area the Home Ashtangi and the Shala Ashtangi part ways is in the question of relationship, we practice at home, solo, we have no relationships. This chapter (see below) perhaps provoked the most reflection for me, sometimes painful or at least uncomfortable, it's the area in which I'm most stubborn.Are we missing out? Hard perhaps not to feel that you are on reading this section. No doubt we gain/develop something too, an independence and self reliance.... I'm reminded of the suggestion that Ashtanga focuses on the breath therefore Ashtanga includes pranayama, that Ashtanga encourages a highly focused drishti therefore Ashtanga is meditative. And yet if you actually practice pranayama and if you practice meditation then it's pretty obvious that it's not the same thing. Ashtanga is excellent preparation for pranayama and seated meditation but it's no substitute for either. In pranayama you're just focused on the breath, nothing else is going on, same with your seated meditation. Likewise perhaps with Shala practice. We might argue that the Mysore shala is a room is filled with eighty solo practices or a smaller Shala being a room with ten solo practices but that's not the case, not really. Home practice is solo practice, the only energy in the room is your own, the motivation, encouragement, the discipline.... the will is yours and yours alone. If there's any surrender, going on it's directly to the practice, your 121 is with the divine.That's the stubborn bit, there's truth there and yet.... I think my practice has been developing nicely thus far. I've stuck with it for six years plus, managed to get on the mat everyday for practice. I've progressed through to Advanced B, realised the error in racing ahead and gone back to basics, to foundations... first principles, developing a practice with a stronger focus on the breath. I've moved into the other limbs, studied shastras somewhat.... it seems to be moving in a healthy direction but have I really done that solo?Haven't I built relationships through blogging about my practice,? It's not the same perhaps as sharing a shala and yet there are nodding acquaintances, regular readers who never comment but I recognise their flag and less commonly noticed city come up on the Feedjit gadget, I know they come, that we share a practice. There are others who comment regularly as I do on their blogs and then some who have become dear friends, there's love he

Yesterday I practiced second series. I forgot bakasana, hahahaha.......but this is OK.Today I practiced also second series with focus on back bending. After 2 hours my concentration faded away. Then I did the finishing sequence even though I was not through the entire series. I think my strategy is good. I do much more back bending asanas before kapotasana than intended. But this helps me to get deeper into kapotasana and more important I like to do it then because my back is so much more prepared for this deep back bending.Yesterday I practiced 2 hours without breaks and today 2 hours 15. I measured the time, because most studios offer Ashtanga classes that last 90 min. If I want to focus on flow and primary series this might be enough time. Otherwise it's too short. I don't want to hurry when doing yoga.One core asana of second series is pashasana........I spend some more time here, too. Main changes is that I don't roll back on my heels anymore. I start twisting with both feet flat on the floor. I rolled back now for 4 years with only tiny improvement. The new method to get into the pose seems to help me.Motivation and ambition are back.The weather also makes a difference. It's hot here now. The balcony doors were open when I practiced. It was wonderful. The heat makes me sweating. The body is so much softer.Healthy eating is supportive. I enjoyed my salad.I wish you energy that takes you to the mat.

"No change, no pause, no hope! Yet I endure. I ask the Earth, have not the mountains felt? I ask yon Heaven, the all-beholding Sun, Has it not seen? The Sea, in storm or calm, Heaven's ever-changing shadow, spread below, Have its deaf waves not heard my agony? Ah me! alas, pain, pain ever, forever!" 30Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts. Act 1 - Scene 1 Percy Bysshe ShelleyToo much?So my Superman post from a couple of days ago, got over the Viral throat infection, got rid of the rash that was on the heels of the throat infection, feeling of great health and well being, like Superman in fact.Hubris much?They come in three they say.So I'm being sensible, responsible. I might have felt like the Man of Steel but I'd been poorly, so I forced myself to settle for half Primary followed by David Garrigues' Ashtanga Pranayama Sequence, and Gregor's Yoga meditation exercises, LAM LAM LAM LAM, VAM VAM VAM, (love this).......Yesterday morning I thought I'd practice up a little further to Baddha Konasana, don't know what happened. Nicely warmed up, taking it easy not going too deep until perhaps Marichiyasa D where instead of the lighter finger bind I'd been doing all week I felt comfortable going a little deeper and binding at the wrist.That felt fine, Navasana, Garbha P, Kukkutasana,.....Kurmasana was nice and deep, chest on the floor, hips nice and open so went into the Dwi pada Sirsasana ( legs behind head) entry to Supta Kurmasana and the Tittibasana exit. Everything seemed fine until I settled into baddha konasana, felt this pain in my back, low off to the left side of my back. Sitting up in baddha Konasana it felt like something was being compressed.Took a savasana and it felt like the Kidneys? Kidney stone? Please God not again! No, never had them in the left kidney ( and haven't had a green smoothie since).Tried Shoulderstand but that was painful too, again as if something was pushing down on the/a muscle.It's been there ever since, sitting up is so painful have to roll on to the side to get up, laying down is painful, standing and sitting even more painful.POP QUIZ, what have a done, which muscle have I pulled, tweaked, whatever.Was going to post a picture of my own back but thought readers might prefer the Feminist Ryan Gosling. X (or rather an oval) marks the spot/area of ....discomfortHope Ryan doesn't mind but he does Yoga too, No?Ashtanga?Still from the movie The Place Beyond the PinesWas so psyched to start getting my practice back on track too (sigh). The thought does pass through the mind...Am I too old for this?No, of course not. It's going to happen, cycling, swimming, whatever exercise I do there are going to be the odd tweaks, better to exercise than not. And besides I approach my practice a little more sensibly than I used to, strong breath focus, more awareness of shifting the bodyweight to make transitions easier rather than powering through.... That's perhaps the most frustrating aspect though, I'm listening to my body so much more than I perhaps used to, happier to settle for a lighter bind or expression of a posture if I feel a little tight or less open than usual and yet I still tweaked something. Wouldn't mind so much if I did it doing something stupid, at least then I'd know what to avoid.No, actually the most frustrating aspect is that I could happily put up with putting my practice to one side for a while, do whatever Vinyasa krama is available to me as long as I could enjoy the more time available for pranayama and meditation but Sitting up hurts worse than anything....I could try laying down pranayama and meditation, lets see how that ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzGoing to read Kevin's posts for the last six months so I don't feel too sorry for myself : ) There's some Promethean endurance for ya. ------Sitting up to blog aches too, guest post(s) anyone?PS. Bigging this up a little because I know it seems my practice always goes along swimmingly and I

Clementine Fields is giving away a $200 gift certificate! This week's question: How do you get your glow on? ENTERING TO WIN IS EASY: Add your answer to our weekly question in the comments section below. For another chance to win, enter on Facebook too! Join your My Yoga Online community on Facebook and enter to win! Share the love: Tell your friends about this great giveaway. Just click “SHARE” at the top of this post. This weeks prize: Clementine Fields carefully researches the most natural and beautiful products to sell. WIn a $200 gift certificate to their website! Shop for your new favorite product from their exclusive line of body, skin, hair, and home products. Clementine Fields is a Toronto-based online boutique specializing in unique, organic, natural and utterly luscious products everyone can enjoy. Every product is personally selected because we love and believe in them. Our mandate is that products have to feel beautiful, be clean and effective, and pretty enough to sit on a vanity. The inspiration for Clementine Fields is simple - health and beauty in one. Let us help you get your glow on! Win a $200 gift certificate to Clementine Fields! Clementine Fields on Facebook Clementine Fields on Twitter Clementine Fields on Pinterest The fine print: Click here to read the official contest rules. By submitting a comment on this blog or commenting on or ‘liking’ the Facebook post, you agree to the official contest rules.More Yoga