What makes a bad yoga class? For some, it’s the teacher and their instruction. For others, it’s the studio environment like its location, decor or smell. Sometimes it’s the community. Overall, the energy isn’t a right match. For me, it’s instruction that doesn’t focus on proper form which can create injuries.
I remember a pre-pandemic moment arranging my hectic morning schedule to make it to my favorite yoga class, taught by my favorite teacher, on-time. I showed up. Surprise! There was a substitute. Ugh! Most people left. I was already there and decided to make the best of it.
I switched my mindset.
I opened myself to a different experience. I didn’t judge her. I just stayed with myself with a new guide. I learned the teacher is within. With practice, you can make your own modifications and allow your inner teacher to emerge. Knowing what’s right for you and meeting yourself on the mat is all that’s needed. Whatever mood you are in. This is key for kids too!
A 10 year old girl recently shared this with me after our first yoga class together, “My mom does yoga. When she comes home, I ask her how it was. She always says, ‘Never a bad class.’ Now, I get it!” I loved that!
Free to be or not to be? That is the question. Can you love who you love? Can you choose whether or not to bring a child into this world? Recent events have me asking questions about what freedom is and how quickly it can be taken away.
What is freedom?
The United States of America is supposed to be the land of the free, but are we? When six people can force a nation of women to carry an unwanted child, something is wrong. When what the majority of Americans want is not honored, something is wrong. When the separation between church and state deteriorates, something is wrong. Something is wrong when a former president incites violence in our nation’s capital to maintain power. Something is wrong.
Redirection and distraction.
The unprecedented issue with the Supreme Court of the United States is taking away rights that were previously granted – with more at risk. If you live in one state, you may be free and equal. If you live in another, you may not. How is that united? How can we direct much-needed energy toward our climate, or the economy, when we have to re-direct it to reclaim what is now lost? It’s a distraction of monumental proportion.
Creating energy for what you believe in.
Distractions are deterrents. Yoga helps decipher distraction from action. It stirs everything up so it can come to the surface. It creates freedom in your body, mind, and heart to prevent dis-ease. Yoga helps us feel lighter when the issues of the world are heavy. Being more buoyant creates energy to stand up for what we believe in. For me, that’s equality and freedom. What is it for you?
We’re halfway through Pride month. We’re celebrating the power of connection and its impact on your health, education, and identity. I supported a mother who’s son recently transitioned into his true self. It wasn’t easy. Yoga helped. Here’s how:
Acceptance - This was so hard. It started with listening deeply to her daughter at the time. Her struggles. Her anxiety. Her depression. Her disordered eating. Her social suffering. Her just not feeling right in her body. Nothing was working to overcome these intense feelings until she said it out loud. “Mom, I need to be a boy.”
Leadership - Then, heartbreak. This mom and I walked through grieving the loss of her daughter and her fear of failing as a mother. Could she have done something wrong or different that would have changed this outcome? She was brave. She lead with love. They got professional support that made a positive impact.
Compassion - I witnessed two transformations: one with mom who not only accepted her son, but stood up for him with his grandparents and anyone else who challenged her dedication to her child’s health. The other was the shift from female to male. He is thriving now.
Transformation comes from acceptance, leadership and compassion. We learn those skills in yoga on the mat. Yoga transforms the body, the mind and the heart. The burn that makes us stronger. The acceptance of our limitations. The ability to breathe and overcome challenges. Cultivating compassion for ourselves and others.
This is what PRIDE is. Knowing who you are. Being proud of who you are. Loving yourself first so you can love others. Let’s do this.
If the dad in your life suffers from stress (and who doesn’t?), a yoga class could be the best Father’s Day gift you give him. Here are the top 3 reasons fathers do yoga with or without their kids.
1. Reduced stress. Heart disease is still the number one killer of men in the U.S. and cancer is the second. Parenthood is stressful! Stress behaviors affect factors that are proven to increase risk of disease. Yoga stimulates every system in the body to work better and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to become more dominant than the adrenalin-based sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).
2. Better decision-making. One resent study indicates the key predictor of success among leaders is self-awareness. What, really?! Yep, self-awareness. The ability to observe, monitor and regulate the way you think, feel and act from moment to moment. It’s the strongest influence on your decision making. Making better decisions yields better outcomes. Practicing awareness is what yoga is all about - from the inside out!
3. Higher EQ. Empathy and compassion are required at home, and in the workplace to reduce conflict, miscommunication and inefficiencies. Becoming a student of yourself - knowing yourself deeply - helps you understand your family members and the people you work with. The biggest mistake is to see the world through your own eyes and not the perspective of others. Embracing differences and solving problems is critical to happiness and success. Yoga helps you feel everything through the brain/body connection.
There is no more powerful tool for helping people develop self-awareness than yoga. It’s the journey of becoming your best self physically, mentally and emotionally so you can lead, protect and excel at home, at work, and in life. Discover your true self and create meaningful change to be the most free version of yourself.
Want to try? Attend the IYK® Father’s Day Event on Sunday, June 19. A portion of proceeds benefits Bay Area Big Brothers.
According to reports from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, 1 in 7 children ages 6–18 have a diagnosable mental health condition. And that’s…pretty staggering. Many are now calling the current mental health crisis "the next pandemic.” It's more important than ever to reduce the stigma around talking about mental health, increase efforts to educate people about mental health and mental illness, and connect people with resources to get help if they need it.
How does yoga fit into children’s health? Yoga is preventative care. We see a full range of children from the highest performing student-athletes to the most challenged under-resourced kids. They all have the same things in common: they experience stress.
The pressures are very intense at both ends of the spectrum and in-between. Stress manifests the same way in every body. The Automatic Response System (ARS) most commonly, flight or flight, gets activated repeatedly and the Central Nervous System has to be regulated or health suffers. It’s that simple.
The practice of yoga, and all its elements, including breathing, mindfulness and meditation are proven to reduce stress. Yoga also amplifies confidence, resilience and joy. It’s fun. Kids like it. It reaches all walks of life and models the healthy habits we all need to succeed. Coping skills are rarely taught anywhere else. Some schools are making progress with social-emotional learning (SEL). Yoga nourishes the body, mind and heart of all students regardless of their religious or cultural background. It’s an equalizer and a unifier. What could be healthier than that?