1. Monday, March 22 at 7pm.   Mass Midwives Birth Circle at the Cambridge Women’s Center.  “Each meeting will include positive birth stories in all settings as well as additional topics regarding pregnancy, birth, and parenting. Come meet women who treasure their birthing experiences.”  For more information see above Women’s Center link or email info@mfom.org

2.   Mothering Magazine – I get a digital subscription and it’s awesome!  No magazines cluttering my house!  I wish more magazines did this – I’d subscribe.    Occasionally, Mothering also offers packets of helpful information, like this Sleep Packet.   The number 1 thing new moms discuss is sleep – their lack of it, and their babies’ ever changing patterns of it.   This packet has a lot of helpful information about sleep during the first year of your baby’s life.

3. A new pamphlet out from Childbirth Connection called Comfort in Labor.    This is a helpful guide to print out and use when you go into labor.  Also,  I highly recommend having a doula if you’re giving birth in a hospital – she’ll help you through all the things this handout mentions, and more!  

4. One of my favorite articles to come out in the last few months on the NYTimes concerns laboring women’s right to eat and drink during labor.  This has been quite exciting, because if you’ve been in labor you know it’s a lot of work and you need *fuel.*   Midwives and doulas have been encouraging moms to snack for years in labor, and hopefully this lifting of the ban on eating and drinking during labor will go by the wayside quickly. 

 I’ll leave you with some cute pictures of our mom and baby class that happens on Friday afternoons.   Happy families!

It reminds me of how I’ve felt the last few months as I’ve been running.  During the two 5K races I’ve run, I’ve had several moments where I just keep moving forward.   It doesn’t matter what I look like doing it, it doesn’t matter if I’m going fast or slow, it doesn’t matter if it’s up a hill or down.    I couldn’t believe, both times, that I actually finished the race!   Apparently, even when I didn’t believe it, I was “progressing” – I was moving forward!

I realized reading this article that this has applied to my yoga practice as well.   Over the years, of course I’ve been in a rut at times.   I feel run-down, preoccupied by other things, or just a little un-creative.   But I’ve known, deep down, that the more I can just get the on the mat, and keep practicing, the better it will go.   Sometimes I’ve just sat on my mat.   Sometimes I’ve danced through a yoga practice.   But the commitment has always been there, and so has the evolution. 

As part of the upcoming Yoga Odyssey, my online program that helps you create a daily yoga practice, I’m so excited to commit to taking a class once a week.   In that way, I’ll keep moving forward, because it’s been awhile since I’ve gone to a regular class.  

How are you moving forward, in life, and in your practice?   I look forward to hearing about it here, or during the Odyssey (early registration for the Odyssey ends September 10!).

Be well,

Barrett

Mom and Baby Yoga – Fridays 1:30 – 2:45pm Starts today!  Taught by Barrett

Sunrise Yoga – Thursdays 6:30-7:45am Starts April 30, taught by Sarah

I’m really excited to be starting my new moms yoga class today at Black Lotus!! This is one of my favorite classes to teach, and one of the most challenging – there’s a lot going on.  I think of the class as controlled chaos

But, it’s extremely helpful for new moms.   We focus on a mom’s essential needs postpartum:

-          to move and breathe in a way that feels invigorating but restful

-          to strengthen and tone the physical body postpartum, especially focusing on the pelvic floor and abdomen

-          to relax mentally and go with the flow of caring for a newborn

-          to enjoy time with your new baby

-          to connect with other new moms in a supportive space

We do this by making the babies as comfortable as possible in the beginning of class.   I invite moms to come early, to feed and swaddle their babes and make them content.   Then we get down to business with yoga!   Of course, sometimes babies will need something during the 75 minutes of our class.   We have specific standing, sitting, nursing, and lying down postures to practice with the baby as well, so you can stay in the yoga zone even if your baby needs to be held for a bit.

We also work in stages, so the class is appropriate even if you’re newly postpartum.   When you first begin attending, you’ll work with the most gentle postures, and after several weeks, you’ll move into more intermediate and advanced postures.

Also at Black Lotus, Sarah is offering a Sunrise Yoga class starting April 30!

This 8-week class will help you dedicate time in your life to your yoga practice in two ways: Class will meet every Thursday morning from 6:30-7:45 AM for 8-weeks beginning April 30.  In addition, every other week, Sarah will post a 5-20 minute podcast for you. These podcasts will be mini-yoga classes to help fortify your practice and  give you some material to work with on your own. Pod casts will have the following topics: yoga at your desk; breathing easy; feel the stretch (for flexibility); rinsing out (twisting series). Tuition for the full course is $99. Please call or stop in to Black Lotus to reserve your spot today! 617.899.4775

See you on the mat!

Barrett

New moms and babies at a recent brunch I hosted at my house

I’ve never been a runner – it doesn’t come naturally for me. Sometimes I’ve felt bad about this, and felt like my body just wasn’t cut out to have that kind of stamina.  Yoga throughout my teen years and 20’s was a great way for me to feel good about my body and feel “in shape.”  It seems like I have tons of endurance and stamina in yoga, which has been validating. 

But I’ve always wanted to run.   A few years ago, I started running, but I went too fast and an old back injury kicked in.  I’ve had some stops and starts since then, but now that I know soem things to do to stick with it and not feel injured, I’m really committed.

And I just signed up for a 5K race for next month! 

Over the years, I’ve figured out that I do best if I run every other day, and do lots of yoga on the off days.  I’m mostly running on the treadmill so that I can control how fast I run and how long I go, so that I don’t overdo the training and tweak my back.   And if my back gets a little achy, I know what I need to do if my back starts to hurt.   Basically, I do lots of gentle yoga stretches and some good self-massage with tennis balls and foam rollers and Yamuna Body Rolling.  I also love to soak in a hot tub, especially right after a run J

Here is one of my favorite asanas, which I do just a little right after I run and then as part of a long practice the day after:

Lying down hamstring stretch (Supta Padangusthasana), holding in the center as shown, and then going to each side – holding each variation for a LONG time (2 minutes or more)

If you’re interested, I can tell you others    This is probably my favorite, but there’s so much to choose from! 

Happy spring everyone – I hope we all get outside a lot more this month and take some deep breaths, whether you’re running, walking, biking, or practicing yoga

Be well, and enjoy your practice,

Barrett

So with some encouragement from Gadi and Zeenat (ok, A LOT of encouragement), I started passing the word along to students, other yoga teachers, and to the press.   Today the DailyCandy featured the Odyssey – check it out!   As a result of this and other promotional work, I think we’re going to have at least 30 more participants than we have had in the past!  The more people who participate, the richer the discussion and overall experience for everyone.  So, I’m pretty happy about that! 

These days, every time I practice, I’m thinking about that exciting group energy that is building from the Odyssey. I love that about really good classes, too – the energy of the other yogis stimulates your own practice. It’s interesting that even though yoga is a personal experience, and highly individual, having some kind of sangha (community) is REALLY helpful.   I’m going to think about that a bit more…

Namaste,

Barrett

Though the holidays can be fun, I love love love being back to my life!   We just got back from visiting our families in Buffalo, and I practiced about 30 minutes total of yoga in the past week.   Coupled with about 20 hours of driving, and OUCH!  I was out of sorts.

I pulled up last night, and went directly to teaching two classes back to back.  Then up again early this morning to teach two more.   So when I arrived home this afternoon, I immediately rolled out my yoga mat and had a luscious practice for about an hour.   It set me right, physically and mentally!   I also made a massage appointment for next week, when I know I will really need it (right before the start of the Odyssey).  

I’m loving taking care of myself, and I’m so excited for myself personally to undergo a month of consistent practice, bolstered by the Odyssey.  In my practice, I took it slow, as I’ve promised myself I would.   It’s kind of my resolution during the Odyssey – I think I’ve been trying to cram in a lot of postures into limited time, and it really doesn’t work!   You’d think I’d know this after 10 years of teaching, but sometimes you need to learn the lessons very experientially.   I’ve learned it!   I’m slowing down, even it means I only do half as many postures as I want to.  

Happy New Year everyone!  We’re having a party at our house tomorrow night.   Maybe I’ll be able to convince some attendees to do a group yoga pose, champagne in hand….

Namaste,

Barrett

We’re starting to get a critical mass of yogis signed up and ready to practice – very exciting!   I wanted to post because the early registration deadline is December 15.   Register by December 15 for $30.  It’s good to register in advance because you’ll be able to mark your calendar and go through holiday time without this hanging over your head to do.   Also, I’ll send you a preparatory email with tips (including optional book, video, and music selections) on December 16, just to get you thinking about setting up your life for a little more yoga practice.

In the spirit of preparation, here’s a little article I wrote about how to practice at home.   It might help you roll out your mat today, and definitely will help you as you embark on the Odyssey next month.

Enjoy!

KICKSTART YOUR HOME PRACTICE

If you struggle when you try to practice at home, you’re not alone!   Many people are daunted by the prospect of creating a yoga experience without a teacher to lead them.  I have been leading a month-long self practice course several times per year wherein students have explored how to develop their own practice. 

Here are some tips that have come out of those courses:

1) Take a moment to plan the logistics of your practice. 

Sometimes this is the biggest impediment.   Where in your house will you practice?   At what time?   Can you free yourself from distractions, like phones ringing and kids/pets needing attention?   Sometimes students have needed to talk with their family members to make sure they will have some uninterrupted time to devote to their yoga practice.

2) You only need a minimal amount of time.

Often, we sabotage ourselves by thinking we need to find 60-90 minutes to practice yoga, because that’s how long a yoga class is at a studio.   Thankfully, that’s not true! Yoga postures are so potent that you can feel a difference after only about 10 minutes.   Commit to 10 minutes of practice for the next week or two, and notice how much better you feel.  Within a short amount of time, you’ll likely want to practice for a bit longer.   Students have often commented to me that it is easy to find more time when yoga has become part of the daily routine.

3) There are lots of postures to practice.

As for what to practice, draw your inspiration from any number of sources.   Many yoga books have suggested sequences to follow.   Several websites offer free yoga sequences, such as yogajournal.com.  Consider writing down a practice that your teacher led you through in class, or even ask your teacher to write something out for you to practice at home.  Many of my students simply practice the traditional morning yoga warmup of  Sun Salutations – energizing and easy to remember! 

4) Be kind to yourself. 

In our home practice program, my students have mentioned over and over how much they needed to hear that any little bit helps.   It’s okay if you don’t practice for a day, or even a week!  Life happens – the important thing is not to feel so guilty that you never start again.  And it’s okay if you only practice for 10 minutes and never longer – I bet you still feel better than when you weren’t practicing at all.  Many of us need one space in our lives where we don’t have to be perfect.  We don’t even have to be good.  Yoga can be that space.  Give yourself permission to do nothing but child’s pose for your yoga practice, if that’s what you feel.  Cut yourself some slack if you don’t make it onto your mat – can you just close your eyes for a moment at your desk and take a deep, relaxing breath?   That’s yoga at work for you as well!

Enjoy your practice – Namaste!

One of my favorite classes all week is my Postpartum class on Thursday mornings.  All the moms I’ve grown close to in Prenatal class suddenly disappear once they have their babies. Over the past year that I’ve been teaching this postpartum class, I’ve been able to stay in better touch with my students and continue to observe and support their entry into parenthood (even if they’re already parents to older children).  Plus I get to hang out with cute babies

New parenthood is hard!  Most of my students are smart, organized professionals who have a fair amount of resources, and still they can really struggle with the first few months postpartum.   Not only do babies require a lot, but so do moms – proper physical exercise after carrying a baby for 40-some weeks, nourishment for supporting feeding a baby, learning to cope with a new sleep pattern, figuring out a new work/social schedule, etc. 

So, anytime a new resource comes up that can help new moms, I’m all about promoting it.   My dear friend Christi Collins has written a fantastically practical and super helpful Ebook called “How to Eat to Survive Motherhood.” 

I learned a lot by reading it, some of which I’m excited to impart to my students – for example, what the most important nutritional needs are in the postpartum period, and practical foods to have on hand for those needs.   

But if you are a new mom, or looking to help out a friend who is a new parent, I highly recommend you buy this Ebook.   This Ebook has recipes and worksheets that I think will take the important informational content and make it actionable.

Check out Christi’s site here to buy the Ebook.   Even if you’re a new mom who has it pretty together, this book will help you feel even better.   And I can’t emphasize enough, that if you’re a friend of new parents, please consider giving something other than a cute outfit for the baby.   I know it’s fun to pick out those things, but parents really need a good home-cooked meal, or a massage, or a yoga class, or an afternoon of babysitting or help with chores.   This Ebook could be the perfect gift.   

Also, my new mom’s class is Thursday mornings from 10-11:15 at Black Lotus for any mom.   You are welcome to bring babies up to crawling (usually 6-7 months).

Namaste,

Barrett

I’ve been reading up on Pranayama as well, particularly enjoying Richard Rosen’s Pranayama: Beyond the Fundamentals, and my all-time favorite, Donna Farhi’s The Breathing Book.  In her book, Farhi writes:

“Breathing is the most readily accessible resource you have for creating and sustaining your vital energy…The process of breathing is the most accurate metaphor we have for the way that we personally approach life, how we live our lives, and how we react to the inevitable changes that life brings us.”

I think it’s true.  I’m feeling it in my practice every day.  Revisiting my experiences over the past year with scuba diving (see yesterday’s post) reminded me of how much my breath mirrors my life. 

If you’re interested in the workshop this weekend, it’s at Black Lotus in Cambridge, MA on Sunday November 2, from 1-3pm.  

Namaste,

Barrett     

I’m fasting tomorrow for Yom Kippur.  Although I’m writing this before the fast gets underway, I can project what it will feel like, having done this many times   It’s hard at the end!

But there is something about the fasting that is designed to help us focus and get really present.   I remember in college someone saying to me that the way they got through Yom Kippur every year was by sleeping all day.   If they weren’t conscious, then basically they wouldn’t feel the hunger pains and they wouldn’t suffer as much. 

You might guess, correctly, that I think this misses the point.  If the point of life is to sleep through our challenges, then that’s pretty pointless!   Yoga helps us wake up!   Wake up and go through the challenges with our eyes wide open, learning the whole way.

I think a spiritual fast can do something similar – help us be present with difficulties, not to shut them out or shut ourselves down.   And for sure it helps us wake up from the mundane act of eating by withholding food for a day.  

So, tomorrow, at long last, when I break the fast, I hope the act of eating feels more conscious and sacred, and I hope I am filled with gratitude for how amazing the simple joy of eating can be.   In all things, we can eventually become awakened to and appreciative of the world around us.  

If you’re fasting tomorrow, I hope you don’t sleep through it – napping is different   Of course, we might grumble a bit when the going gets tough, but see if you can use your yoga breath in those moments.  And for those of you not fasting, I hope you can make each meal a conscious and sacred joy.   

I don’t teach Yin Yoga, but I certainly end up practicing in a Yin style quite often. The hallmark of a Yin Yoga practice is that you hold postures longer than you might otherwise, for 3-5 minutes on average. This feels Looooonng if you’re not used to it, but it is a great challenge for us vinyasa yogis who are used to flowing through postures more quickly. I just did a lovely Yin practice today (so nice on a Friday afternoon!), and it’s inspired me to write a bit about it.

Here is some more information about why Yin Yoga may be helpful, from the June ’07 issue of Yoga Journal:

“On a physical level, Yin enhances the natural range of motion in the joints. By keeping your muscles soft, you release deep layers of connective tissue, creating more ease in any style of yoga and in seated meditation. On an energetic level, Yin enhances the flow of prana (life force) in the tissues around the joints, where energy often stagnates.”

I often start or end my practice with some Yin postures. You can also do a completely Yin practice, with no active flowing postures.

My introduction to Yin Yoga came years ago, with Paul Grilley’s book Yin Yoga . You can read an article he wrote about Yin Yoga here.

Here’s one of my favorite Yin Yoga postures, one of the few I actually teach. It’s called Saddle Pose and you can see it demonstrated here.

I use this frequently if I’ve just taught a sequence of hamstring lengthening postures because Saddle Pose emphasizes lengthening the opposing muscle group, the quadriceps. I also teach this posture in my new mom’s class. It’s very helpful in the postpartum period to help the pelvis realign in general, and the tailbone specifically to move back into place. Moms love this posture.

If you try to practice this posture, start by leaning back on the hands. From there, move down to rest on your elbows, and only if that feels good should you try the full posture as pictured. Be mindful of your knees and ankles if you have particular sensitivities in those joints.

Lastly, you might consider finding a teacher who knows the principles behind Yin Yoga. For local Boston folks, consider attending Jenn Goodman’s upcoming workshop at my favorite studio, Black Lotus. The workshop is in October (I have a Pranayama workshop in November and an Arm Balances workshop in December as well).

You might also check out my friend and former teaching colleague Biff Mithoefer. He has a book, the Yin Yoga Kit, and teaches some occasional workshops.

Enjoy your practice!

Barrett

I was hoping to get this blog out while the movie was still in town, but I couldn’t (technical difficulties!).  I sent an email to a good number of my students encouraging them to attend.  4 students went with me this past Tuesday, which was really fun for me to see it again, this time with students. We had a drink together afterwards to discuss the ideas that the documentary explored and our reactions to it. 

Each of us found the movie interesting, and we really loved the tone of the movie.  It’s not preachy, it’s able to question yoga and its place in the modern world, and overall it feels pretty honest in terms of the protagonists’ struggle to find meaning in the yoga practice, and ultimately, in life.  

Here’s the trailer for the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKQw0-IlJiY

And here’s an article from the Globe:

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/09/12/a_skeptic_goes_to_the_mat/

I hope if you weren’t able to see it this time around, that you’ll see it when it comes around again, or when it’s out on video!  To be on their mailing list, check out the website for the film:  www.enlightenupthefilm.com

Namaste!

Barrett