The Yoga Connection Volume 3 Issue 2 by The Yoga Connection

Uniting Health, Awareness, and Conscious Living

At Home Practice

Your Mat as a Sanctuary Take Back the LIght

The Search for Suchness Lessons from the Mat

Preventing Injury in Yoga The Fullness

of Fasting

Community

Acupuncture

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Editor’s Note W

elcome to the spring 2012 edition of the Yoga Connection. This issue is gleaming with the brilliance of a yoga community that is growing stronger and more vibrant every day! The obviousness of this is present in these pages. In this issue, Jack Workman, the adolescent yogi extraordinaire, gives us a guided tour of our mats as sanctuaries in this edition’s “At Home Practice.” Sacha Steinhauser inspires us to nourish the soul by not eating, while Christi Sullivan and Somer King continue to provide insight into the technical side of our yoga practices. As always, each writer deserves accolades and appreciation, so Thank You! You are all amazing. I thought that I would enjoy writing a poem for this issue, so I hope you enjoy it as well … For IT to have root within the cause One must give inspiration the reign without pause Unless, of course, One’s cause is a pause Then, obviously, One must give a pause a cause And, when One’s pause has a cause, wise is It to impart extension So, hold slowly to IT, One’s pause with a cause, by means of retention By now, of course, an inspired pause with a cause has gained One’s attention But, because the extension has now One’s attention, there mustn’t be a one deflection And, when One’s attention that has no deflection has root within a pause with a cause, it is wise to lift the feeling So, gather IT up, center IT just, and lift… lift… Lift IT to the ceiling Because, of course, there is no reeling and lifted is the feeling to the ceiling, all there is IT is revealing Alas, it comes to pass that One’s lifted feeling, which was oh so revealing, has begun to lapse and release is never more appealing And, when release from One’s revealing has become appealing, it is wise to let IT expire So, contract IT wisely, the feeling so revealing, and IT will ride the fire But, hold not to IT and release it slowly, for the memory of IT, One shall always admire When it’s done, mourn not for One, many more will IT retire For IT to have root within the cause One must give inspiration the reign without pause Unless, of course … Please enjoy this collection of thoughts and explorations of the vast spiritual science that yoga is, and, please get out there and support the local yoga scene. May all of your sittings be still and any chitta chatter be dissolved. Blessings, The Yoga Connection

For advertising and editorial information, contact: Kate Stephens or Gary Pritchard Phone: (970) 214-6921 E-mail: yogaconnect23@gmail.com The Yoga Connection is a quarterly publication. The information provided in this publication is intended for personal, non-commercial, informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement with respect to any company, product, procedure or activity. Printed on Recycle Paper THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

SPRING 2012

Contents Features

Take Back the Light

Perception

Chandra Sally Waggoner shares her view on Social Media and the seach for Suchness ................ pg 30

Gain perspective as Joe Aiken explores the universe with his daughter ....... pg 7

Compost Old Patterns The Bus Chronicles

Shivaji and Sarada Erickson share how to let your inner growth bloom .............. pg 33

Taylor Isaacson’s life on the bus is a tragic comedy .............. pg 11

Relationships and the Trap of Commitment

The Kitchen Temple

Chuck Hancock goes on the case for a new definition of commitment ................ pg 44

Sacha Steinhauser expounds on the fullness of fasting .......................... pg 12

Community Acupuncture

There’s No Place Like “Om”

Katrina Pfannkuch brings us back into balance and health with community acupuncture ....... pg 14 ISSUE # 10

Stephanie Bennet captures the spirit of several local yogis .................. pg 47

THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Contents Departments

Lessons from the Mat

Studio Profile

Beth Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien helps us prevent injury in our yoga practice ..................... pg 9

Old Town Yoga celebrates their 10 Year Anniversary ........... pg 22

At Home Practice Jack Workman helps us make our mat our santuary .................... pg 24

Journaling Corner Lauri Pointer teaches us the journaling technique, the Wellness Cluster .............. pg 10

Health & WellBeing Directory ............ pg 36

Northern Colorado Yoga Class Schedules Spring 2012 ......................................................... pg 38

Function and Importance of the Posterior Chain Christi Sullivan helps us better understand our backside .... pg 18

Spring 2012 Workshops ......... pg 42

Common Injuries in Yoga

Once Upon a Yogi Time

Somer King shares techniques to help with SI Joint Dysfunction ........... pg 20

THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Learn to let go of the Thorned Bush ....................................... pg 46

SPRING 2012

Perception by Joe Aiken

My daughter is a college freshman in Chicago. On

a recent trip home to Colorado, she made a comment about how she missed the stars. In Chicago, much of the star field is obscured due to the lights of the city. I was surprised that this girl, who is into fashion, keeping up with the Kardashians, and the on-going gossip presented by Entertainment Tonight could have possibly had a celestial perspective. I realized that my perception of her and her perception of the world might be changing and we discussed the nonHollywood stars. The result of this conversation was the following exercise to help us be open to modifying our perception of the world. Take a piece of paper, go outside on a starry night, and look at the Big Dipper. Sketch the approximate location of the stars in the Dipper on the paper. Then connect the dots to generate the two dimensional image of the constellation that we all know. Once you have this flat drawing, modify your perception to include the fact that not all of the stars in the Dipper are the same distance from earth. The light arriving on earth from the closest star left that star about 80 years ago. The light from the most distant star left about 125 years ago. Since light travels at 186,000 miles per second, that means that the light from the most distant star has traveled more than 700 million miles to our time here on earth. That is a long, long, long way. In addition, the stars that make up the Dipper are not all moving in the same direction. In fact, the Dipper was not recognizable as a dipper 20,000 years ago and will not be recognizable as a dipper 20,000 years from now. While all that is amazing and challenges our perspective, it must be considered within the context that all of the stars in Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, are within our own galaxy, the Milky Way. When you consider that our galaxy is estimated to contain 200 to 400 billion stars, and the universe may hold 500 billion galaxies, the massive size of the universe and the infinite expanse of time are nearly beyond comprehension. But, they are there every moment of our life and we can modify our perception by trying to be fully present in this universe. Joe Aiken is currently working on his Yoga practice and on his pottery-making skills. He enjoys making people happy by cooking a good meal and he is a very slow runner. While he occasionally dabbles with the written word, he spends most of his time being a husband, a father to two college students, and an environmental scientist.

My daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception is evolving, and I can work on being grateful for my evolving perception of this life. Take a moment in your practice to breathe into the awesome expanse of the universe, in this moment, and embrace your evolution. And then, go out and get yourself a big Milky Way candy bar. Enjoy!

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SPRING 2012

Lessons from the Mat: Preventing Injury in Yoga by Beth O’Brien

Increased flexibility, stronger muscles, improved balance, feelings of well being—this is yoga!

Tips for a Safe Practice

Popping ribs, torn Achilles tendons, neck injuries, restricted movement in the hips and joints—could this also be yoga? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. A recent article in the New York Times (How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body, January 8, 2012) elaborated on how a yoga practice that is not based upon body awareness and alignment can result in injury. Injuries in yoga classes seem to be on the rise. According to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission, 3700 injuries were reported in 2004. This number increased to 5000 injuries in 2005.

To approach yoga in a safe manner, I recommend beginning your practice with the individual guidance of a well-trained yoga teacher. You may like the convenience and comfort of practicing at home with a yoga DVD. However, you miss receiving specific instruction for each pose and feedback on alignment and breathing. Consider a private lesson to learn basic poses before enrolling in a yoga class. By doing so, you are learning the correct form for each asana (pose) as well as modifications that can make the pose safe and comfortable. You will also gain confidence in practicing yoga and learning to appreciate what your body can do.

Injuries Common to Yoga Practitioners who have previous injuries or physical weaknesses are prone to injury in yoga. Generally, if you come to yoga in good physical condition you are less likely to hurt yourself. If you have an injury (whether from yoga or any other activity), take time to heal. I have seen practitioners come back to class too soon, which sets them up for re-injuring themselves and delaying their return to yoga even further.

Keep in mind that your skeletal structure determines how far you can go in a pose. Some women move easily into hip opening poses, but find arm balances challenging, while the opposite can be true for men. Honor your body by staying aware and realize that some poses may elude you. It is a fallacy to assume that working harder and forcing your body will ultimately lead you to master any pose.

The most common injuries occur to the lower back, knees, and neck. Practitioners who regularly do Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana) and Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) without correct form may strain their neck or back. Other common injuries include hamstring, shoulder, wrist, and knee injuries. These injuries may result from improper forward bending, arm balances, and twists. Certain poses, such as lotus, may pose increased risk to the knees if the hips don’t have the necessary flexibility.

Occasionally yoga students report that they feel pressured to do a pose that does not look comfortable for their body. If a particular pose does not feel good or look right, take personal responsibility and back off. You can also ask your instructor for a modification or substitute pose. Many teachers will teach a pose through demonstration or verbal instruction, asking class participants to decide for themselves whether to do a pose, how deep to go into a pose, and how long to remain in the pose. In this way, both student and teacher work as a team, enabling the practitioner to reap the benefits of yoga.

Individuals who are naturally flexible may also become injured. Several years ago a woman in my yoga teacher training class confided to me that when she first stepped on her yoga mat, she was an advanced practitioner in terms of being able to physically complete poses. However, her over-confidence and lack of preparation resulted in her pushing herself too hard, and she sustained a back injury as a result. Just because our body can do a pose doesn’t necessarily mean our body will benefit from it.

The article in the New York Times may stir up apprehension about whether to practice yoga at all. However, in comparison to other activities, yoga has a relatively low injury rate. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the injury rate for yoga in 2007 was .035%. Activities such as bicycling and golf have a higher injury rate than yoga. In my 15 years of yoga practice, I have remained healthy and free from injury. When I have hurt myself, it was due to playing soccer, horseback riding, and tripping over a suitcase.

Attitude Can Create Risk In addition to the physical practice of yoga, our mental approach to yoga can affect the safety of our practice. If we approach our practice with over-zealousness or greed, we may create risk by doing a pose that we haven’t adequately prepared for. This period of vulnerability occurs when yogis move from one developmental level to the next. For example, a beginning yoga student who completed five yoga classes may think he is ready to move into advanced postures. He may believe that because he does Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), he is ready for an advanced posture such as Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana), possibly hurting his back, shoulder, or neck.

ISSUE # 10

While being aware that injury can and does occur in yoga, we need to keep perspective and recognize yoga’s gifts. I encourage you to make it your intention to follow through on building a safe, happy yoga practice.

Beth O’Brien, Ph.D., is a certified Hatha Yoga Instructor and licensed Psychologist. She teaches vinyasa yoga classes at the Yoga Center of Fort Collins. Your comments are welcome! Email: beth@bethobrienphd.com. Website: www.bethobrienyoga.com.

THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Journaling Corner Tools to Discover Your Authentic Self! by Lauri Pointer

Journal writing is a bit like carrying a therapist around in your book bag.

Only this “therapist” is free, always available, and serves as a fabulous listener and sounding board. This Journaling Corner is dedicated to offering tools to more deeply discover your authentic self, process feelings and emotions, inspire greater wellness, develop your intuition, and stimulate your creative muse. I suggest dedicating a notebook or journal just for journal writing. My preference is unlined so it is like a blank canvas for your soul to pour forth onto the pages with writing, collage, doodling, etc. There are no rules for journaling, only basic suggestions.

Wellness Cluster In the center of your journal page, draw a circle, In the circle, write “Self-Care.” Then begin to brainstorm all the things you do now or have done in the past that you consider self-care. For each thing that comes to mind, draw a line out from the center circle and create a new “bubble” or circle. Write one self-care technique inside each bubble. Your center circle will be surrounded by many bubbles that list in a cluster fashion your methods for self-care. Think about all areas of self-care and wellness: relaxation, leisure, laughter, time alone, time with friends, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, spiritual practices, mental health, intellectual pursuits, emotional support, environmental consciousness, etc. When you are done, reflect on the following: 1. Were there any surprises? 2. Is there something you used to do that you could bring back into your life? 3. Does it seem there is one area of self-care or wellness that comes more naturally to you than others? 4. Pick one thing you can commit to doing in the next two days. Note: Breaking out of the routine of writing in a straight line from left to right across the page utilizes the right brain, our more intuitive side, in the journaling process. This week, play with writing in circles, and chunks, and any other creative ways you can think of to see if you notice a difference when you bring your creative, right brain into your journal writing process.

Lauri Pointer, HTCP/I is a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner/Instructor and a Certified Journal to the Self Instructor with a private practice in Fort Collins, Colorado. She teaches Healing Touch and Journaling classes around the country and in northern Colorado. To receive her monthly Healing Touch & Journaling Newsletter, go to www.LauriPointer.com or contact Lauri at 970-484-2211.

THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

SPRING 2012

The Bus Chronicles

December 2011: I stood outside the closed bus door. Sitting on his throne, GBD glared down at me. Looking at him like a humble servant, I pointed to the door. He didn’t budge. Did I need to press a button? Nope. After a few long minutes, the doors opened to a battlefield. GBD yelled at me before I took one step. Except for my cheery Friday morning mood, I was unarmed. “Nerozumim Český,” I said. [“I don’t understand Czech.”] GBD’s voice got louder and his face got redder. “Jeez! Why do you have to be so grouchy?” I asked lightheartedly. A friend of a friend witnessed my execution. He translated what GBD said: “Leave your (insert explicative) breakfast at home!” Okay, fine. Now I know not to bring my travel coffee mug on the bus again.

by Taylor Isaacson

“Pretend we’re watching a movie,” Ota said. “What’s happening

January 2012: It was another Friday morning. After telling GBD that I’d like to go to “Bakov,” he started yelling. I didn’t have my coffee with me, so I was doing something else wrong. I just didn’t know what. Then I heard him say “Praha.” Ugh! Did we have to go through this again?

My friend Ota and I were riding in the back of the bus. Except for floor lights lining the aisle, it was pitch black.

“Ne Praha. Baaakovvv.”

“I’m on a plane flying home,” I said.

More yelling.

Since then I’ve thought about my life as a movie. It would be a tragic comedy: The Bus Chronicles starring Taylor Isaacson.

“Does anyone speak English?” I desperately looked at everyone around me.

in yours right now?”

“This bus,” the man standing behind me yelled, “goes to Praha!” He pointed to the bus pulling up. “That is your bus!” I apologized and slinked away.

November 2011: I live in Mladá Boleslav, a city 40 miles northeast of Prague. Every week I take the bus to Bakov nad Jizerou for work. All the bus drivers have three things in common: they’re old, grouchy men. I’ve developed a special relationship with one in particular. His name is Grouchy Bus Driver, but I’ll call him GBD for short. Here’s our first morning dialogue as I boarded the bus:

I expected yelling from GBD. But was kindness and patience too much to expect from a stranger?

Me: “Dobr´y den! Bakov, prosím.” [“Good day! Bakov, please.”]

We can learn something from everyone we meet. Yes, even The Grinch in your life has something to teach you. When I told my mom that I got on the wrong bus, she asked if I cried.

GBD: “Ne.” [No.]

“No, but almost. I’m used to it by now.”

Me: Shaking my head ‘yes’ and smiling, “Bakov. Ano.” [“Bakov. Yes.”]

“I would’ve cried,” she said. “I don’t like getting yelled at.” What have my bus chronicles revealed? After the tears comes the laughter. People and situations come and go. No matter who or what makes you cry, it’ll board the next bus and leave town. Tears can’t always be avoided, but neither can laughter.

GBD: “Ne Praha! Ne Praha!” [“No Prague! No Prague!”] Me: “Bakov. Baaakovvv.” GBD: Scowling, “Bakov??”

Everyone has had days when they sleep through their alarm, get to work wearing two different socks, and come home to an empty refrigerator. It’s not funny while it’s happening. But, admit it, it is kind of funny! If you can’t laugh right away, pretend you’re a Sunday afternoon moviegoer. Sit back, relax, and watch your life. You’ll come back from the intermission calm and focused.

Me: Sighing, “Yes, Bakov.” Once I got to my seat, I couldn’t hold back the tears. ‘How does Bakov sound like Praha?’ From the first word I spoke, GBD knew I wasn’t Czech. Then he stopped listening to me. Author S.I. Hayakawa says, “Premature judgment often prevents us from seeing what is directly in front of us.” I’m guessing this is what GBD thought: She’s a foreigner. Where do most foreigners go in the Czech Republic? To Prague, of course! Why would any foreigner want to go to a small town like Bakov? To prevent another mix-up, I wrote “Bakov” on a sticky note and gave it to him with my money. ISSUE # 10

My movie is a tragic comedy. GBD’s movie is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. What’s yours? Taylor Isaacson is an English teacher in the Czech Republic. Her yoga practice is helping her physically and mentally adapt to life abroad. Comments and questions are welcomed! Email: taylor.isaacson87@gmail.com

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t’s funny to think that my career path of restaurateur did not start by having a love affair with cuisine or with business. My initial aspiration into the world of food did not start with food at all, in fact the opposite. I was twenty years old, in college studying Religion, and I had just finished reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman. I was sitting at a picnic table in Anisqoyo Park, Isla Vista, California when I decided that I wouldn’t eat for one week. That was that, nothing would stop me. If Dan Millman could do it, so could I. Hunger was nothing to me those first few days. I continued business as usual; swimming, going to class, watching other kids party, but after the third day, it occurred to me that I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I never knew anybody that had fasted. I started feeling weird, something was changing. At times I felt like crying and old thoughts and cravings from childhood bubbled up from some unseen depth. I’d sit in class and pay more attention to the students than the teacher as insights about myself and my culture slammed into me at the speed of light. “I better do some research into this,” I finally thought. I scanned the “Healthy Living” section of the nearest spiritual bookstore and the book, Cleanse and Purify Yourself by Dr. Richard Anderson caught my eye. Everything in the book cemented my belief that what I was doing was right. My heart told me not to listen to the naysayers, but instead listen to my higher being, whatever that was. By the end of the week, my crazy emotional rollercoaster ride had reached a plateau into a spiritual awareness unlike I had ever known. I felt so connected to God and to a voice that was always there, but I had never listened to. On the morning of the eighth day, I broke my fast with a fruit salad and I still remember the feeling of that food sliding through me and how amazingly tasty everything was! In short, I became truly grateful of food and a spiritual connection to food was born.

To me, fasting is like meditation and both are like a self-cleaning oven. The oven is turned on and burns out all of the dirty stuff. When the energy that is normally consumed by your digestive and metabolic systems is converted into just being, something quite magical happens. First the crud comes out and with that crud also comes vague memories, emotions, and maybe even smells. I remember on a fast, all I could taste and smell was a bologna sandwich on white bread with mayo. I wasn’t hungry at the time and in fact I hated bologna sandwiches, even as a kid, but this odd sense of bologna-ness pervaded my being. Who knows why? It is the Great Bologna Mystery.

Have you ever heard the saying: “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food?” But have you ever heard: “All foods are a drug?” This is true. Everything we eat affects our consciousness. Everything we stick in our mouth and swallow shapes the way we experience the world. Whether it is a cucumber that we picked fresh out of our garden or a blue pill we just shook out of a little orange pharmaceutical container, it is all food and it is all a drug. I use the word “drug” here purposefully because it embodies the dual nature of medicine and poison and also something that shapes our perception by altering our consciousness. But you won’t know that until you have experienced the absence of food. THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

When we begin to clean our house, things can actually get messier. We pull out furniture, go through old piles of junk, the trash starts to fill up. But when all is done, and things are put back in place and the trash has been taken out, we feel good. The house is clean, a job well done. Such is the way with cleansing our body. The reality that my body was a vessel became very apparent to me during that first fast. The “purer” my body became, the more sensitive I became to the dirty stuff. It is like this: there are two glasses of water sitting on a table. One is contaminated with ink,

SPRING 2012

the other one clear. If you were to squirt a drop of ink into the contaminated glass, would you see a difference? No, it is already too dark to see any change. If you were to do the same in the clear glass, would you see a difference? Yes, you would see the ink drop into the clear water and spread itself out, making the water darker. Naysayers claim that fasting and cleansing don’t work and are actually harmful. These are the people of whom a drop of ink does not change their color. They can’t sense that a little blue pill can be harmful like poison. Can fasting be harmful? Of course it can. Your body is not designed to be without food for extended periods or too often. I have encountered this many times in the raw food movement and general health scene as well. People can become too sensitive to anything that makes them feel less than amazing. It is possible to become addicted to the high. I’m not saying that the high in and of itself is a bad thing, but doing anything to maintain it at the expense of your health is. I have seen all too often the good intention of being healthy hijacked by the ego and turned into a mission that is no longer about health but about the game of punishment and reward. There is nothing healthy or peaceful about judgment and idealistic fundamentalism. Usually going off the deep end when cleansing is connected to a deep emotional block and manifests itself as starving oneself. Never starve yourself. Even when fasting you can be feeding yourself with the love of Creation, filling yourself with the tranquility of Peace … but never starve yourself. One of the best side effects of a fast is gaining will power. By setting a resolve like not eating and sticking to it as long as my health allows it, I have come out of many fasts feeling like I could conquer anything. The beautiful thing about the power of the will is that it is transferable. Always listen to your higher self and always approach a cleanse with love. Even if your motivation is to lose weight or look pretty or handsome, you can still approach a cleanse with respect for yourself and where you are in life. Lasting changes happen through habits and not through great revolutionary feats. My expedition into the world of cleansing led me into the raw food and vegan lifestyle, and a love affair with this new form of cuisine started. To me, preparing food for others has always been about changing perceptions and strengthening ones connection to something higher. Since then, my beliefs about health have evolved and matured. I see “purity” as one leg and “strength” as another, and both are needed to walk. I believe there is a time to clean and a time to build. We need the dirty stuff to resist and become stronger. Just like in weight lifting, strength is created by resistance. That is also how immunity works and how strength is gained. Little by little, we clean and build our beautiful temple.

Sacha Steinhauser has been a gastronaut since 1999 when he started a raw food catering business in Santa Barbara, Ca. and has been fascinated by the relationship between food and consciousness ever since. Graduating with a B.A. in religious studies and working closely with people healing themselves with diet and lifestyle change, Sacha’s path has led him to open Tasty Harmony with his wife Jill. In their spare time, Sacha and Jill are parents to five awesome children. ISSUE # 10

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Community Acupuncture

by Katrina Pfannkuch

here are many ways to approach personal health, but one thing is certain – a body in balance is healthier overall. It’s an idea often lost in the shuffle of pharmaceutical ads, stress, and a fast-paced culture that focuses on “more equals better.” In fact, health is often pushed to the last item on the list, unless it’s being compromised. These latest trends in thinking and behavior also mean the concept of preventative care is consistently overlooked, often implemented only after people have struggled with, and managed, a personal health crisis. But, what if there was a way to manage health issues, pain, AND do the preventative work, all within one healing modality? A health practice that was simple, effective, and affordable without health insurance? There is – it’s community style acupuncture.

The Beauty and Balance in Community Acupuncture Community style acupuncture implements the over 2000 year old model of Chinese holistic medicine, and with some slight adaptations, has been transformed into a way for people to get the health care they need at an affordable price. With a sliding scale fee ranging from $15- 35 (depending on the clinic), it’s a way for people from all walks of life to afford the health care they need, and enables them to visit more consistently. With affordable prices and frequent visits, acupuncturists can treat symptoms and work on preventative care much more effectively.

Simple, Holistic and Effective When looking for effective ways to stay healthy, centered, and strong, it may take more than vigilance about diet and exercise. Good health requires an easy, efficient way to create balance between and among all seven of the body’s major systems – muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, respiratory, excretory, and circulatory. It’s the simple core philosophy and goal of acupuncture as a modality.

In contrast, treating only one person per hour cuts down on how many treatments a practitioner can provide, and the cost of the appointment is much closer to $65 or more. This isn’t a negative approach, but it does limit the amount of treatment available per person and for the community as a whole. And, as the population increases worldwide, there is a strong need for an effective, lowcost treatment approach that can support the masses.

By creating balance and alignment among main systems consistently, people are stronger, healthier, and have the energy to live a full, dynamic life. In contrast, when one system is compromised, it impacts the body as a whole, as well as individual systems.

Acupuncturists Lisa Rohleder and Skip Van Meter, based in Portland, Oregon, were the first to transform the acupuncture model to serve “the many” effectively at an affordable price. Their philosophy and approach gave birth to the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA), a national cooperative of acupuncturists, plus other stakeholders, including patients and vendors. It sets “the” example for affordable clinics worldwide, including healing centers such as Fort Collins CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic.

Acupuncture also gets you rethinking the definition of what optimum health means for you. True health is about so much more than being symptom free – it’s about wellness, strength, and vitality in all areas of your body and mind. As a modality, acupuncture can help with it all. THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

SPRING 2012

The Big Picture Impact of Community Style Acupuncture

The true passion behind community acupuncture is about its accessibility and providing a way to treat large numbers of people effectively. It’s about a movement – about changing the way people look at their health and providing them with the support they need to reach wholeness and vitality.

Beyond the health basics, there’s lots of big picture, far reaching benefits of community style acupuncture. It:  Contributes to community health and well-being and supports local business

Robert Evans, co-owner of Fort Collins CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic with Nancy Evans says, “We are all about redefining acupuncture in everyone’s minds: re-framing what it is, how affordable it can be, who it’s for, and why it matters.”

 Provides affordable, effective health management and preventative care  Allows the body to heal at regular intervals through frequent appointments, rather than lapsing back into illness consistently

How Does Community Acupuncture Work? Community acupuncture clinics are very simple and can be set up just about anywhere. They provide between six to 10 “stations” (a mixture of massage tables and recliners) and one to four practitioners to manage the flow of patients simultaneously. According to Darcy Greenwald, L.Ac, M.S.O.M and head acupuncturist for Fort Collins CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic, the key to success with community style acupuncture is using tools for quick ID and treatment of symptoms, while also being mindful of creating balance between comfort level and results.

 It’s the right “spirit” at a time when we need a “calm” revolution in health care  Simple, mobile set-up makes it easy to treat most anywhere (including disaster areas) and enables practitioners to treat more people Fort Collins CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic is taking this model one step further, using the community style approach to partner with local non-profits to provide services for staff members and their clients. Current collaborations include Turning Point and SAVA (Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center). They offer acupuncture care to help keep the staff strong, stress-resiliant, vibrant, and ready to serve others, and can assist with low cost health options for their clients, too. The Healing for Good arm of the clinic also seeks out partnerships with non-profit organizations to create custom fundraising events that generate funding for both nonprofits and innovative community health services.

She uses a few different pulse diagnostic tools in addition to listening to the patient’s symptoms and challenges. If called for, she can also provide cupping services and herbal support to coincide with acupuncture treatments. “Chinese medicine is a wonderful holistic approach that can work for a variety of conditions, is affordable, and gets to the root of a problem. It may take eight to 10 treatments to get through more complex issues, but we can treat chronic pain and illness, injuries, migraines, insomnia, infertility, and more,” says Greenwald. Acupuncture is also a good next step for people who have tried other options with minimal or no results. “Twice a week visits are ideal when treating a problem,” adds Greenwald, “but once a week is a good start.”

Fort Collins has more than one place to experience community acupuncture care. In addition to Fort Collins CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic, Integrative Acupuncture Clinic, and SourcePoint Community Acupuncture also offer the community based model.

One obstacle for people who want to try acupuncture for the numerous health benefits is a fear of needles. Nell Clark, owner of Integrative Acupuncture Clinic and nurse at Poudre Valley Hospital, says there are ways to get people used to the idea, including trying acupressure first or using pediatric size needles to test the process. “The biggest thing for people to realize is that they need to manage their own self care. Integrating acupuncture with other modalities such as massage, chiropractic, and other supportive healing techniques helps to create the necessary balance for wellness.”

The Health Care Reality Finding simple, affordable health care options in 2012 is more than a highly debated topic in government and the news – it’s a major challenge for people right here in our own community. Community acupuncture clinics offer an effective option for people who need affordable health care and want to get to the source of their dis-ease.

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Fort CommUnity Acupuncture Clinic : www.CommUnityAcu.org

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Integrative Acupuncture Clinic: www.integrativeacupunctureclinic.com

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Source Point Community Acupuncture: www.sourcepointcommunity.com

Katrina Pfannkuch, creative business consultant, Reiki Master, Writer, and owner of Buzzword Communications, LLC.

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Thai Yoga Bodywork by Dana Weinkauf-Talbot Q: What is Thai Yoga Bodywork (aka, Thai Yoga, Thai Massage, or Nuad Boran)? A: Thai yoga bodywork has been around for over 2000 years. It was developed by Dr. Shivago, who was the personal physician to the Buddha. He traveled to India and studied Ayurveda, and to China where he studied traditional Chinese medicine. He took this knowledge and created this energy-based healing system. It has been passed down through families, scarce medical texts, and village shamans. Like most Eastern healing modalities, it had been slow to make its way into the western world, but in the last decade, has become an increasingly popular treatment here. To over-simplify it, it’s a cross between yoga and massage. Q: What does a typical session include? A: The goal of Thai Yoga Bodywork is to improve health and feelings of well-being by releasing blocked energy from strategically located energy lines throughout your body. Stretching, rhythmic compressions, acupressure, assisted yoga poses, and rangeof-motion exercises are just a few of the techniques that will be utilized during a typical session. Energy balancing techniques are also used to encourage healing. As with a traditional massage, you have a responsibility to honor your body and communicate with your practitioner about the pressure or intensity of the stretches. Q: I do not practice yoga or get massages. Will Thai Yoga Bodywork still be good for me? A: Absolutely. While Thai Yoga Bodywork is an excellent way to compliment anyone’s yoga practice, it is also beneficial to athletes, soccer moms, and couch potatoes alike. It is also very different from traditional massage, and no oils or lotions are used. Thai Yoga Bodywork is an extremely detailed and comprehensive bodywork modality, so there are techniques for all body types and levels of flexibility. Q: What should I wear? A: You will need to wear comfortable, moveable clothes, as you will remain clothed throughout the session. You will lie on a mat, and unless otherwise instructed, you will relax your body and mind (no helping, please, since it makes it much harder for your practitioner). Q: How do I know if my practitioner is qualified? A: Check the website: www.thaihealingalliance.com. As the site explains, “Thai Healing Alliance International (THAI) is a nonpartisan network of students, therapists, and teachers around the world who adhere to basic guidelines for the safe and effective practice of nuad boran and other Thai healing arts.” They have a search option where you can locate a Registered Thai Therapist in your area. It is always a good idea to ask your Thai practitioner about their experience and educational background. ISSUE # 10

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The Function and Importance of the Posterior Chain by Christi Sullivan

in Bridge Pose. The next role of the glutes around the hip is abducting the leg. This requires moving the leg away from the mid-line of the body, or externally rotating the hip.

hat is the posterior chain? It’s the backside of your body, and its primary muscles include the lower back, gluteus maximus (glutes), hamstrings, and calves. This area is often neglected and misunderstood. There are two main reasons why. First, many people sit 8-10+ hours per day, with the result that the quadriceps/psoas become adaptively short and tight. The glutes then neglect their primary role as hip stabilizers and extensors. The second reason the posterior chain is neglected is that none of these muscles are seen in the mirror. Even in strength training, yoga, or running, the glutes do not reflect all the hard work. So the question is ... are you really working them?

The role of the glutes is to engage the pelvis in a posterior tilt. This role is misunderstood and is often poorly executed. Most people end up extending from the lumbar spine instead of from the hips. When you cannot rotate the pelvis properly, it is due to weak glutes, and short/tight quadriceps/psoas, thus resulting in back pain. Visualize your pelvis as a bucket full of water. When in neutral, the water is going nowhere, but as the quads/psoas begin to tighten, they pull the pelvis down slightly, and water pours out the front. This is an anterior tilt. In a posterior tilt, water is poured out the back, but you must be careful how you do this because it comes from the cocontraction of the lower abdominals and the glutes, not from the lumbar spine. The glutes role at the spine is simple. If you don’t have strong glutes, you are going to extend and flex at the spine instead. Strong glutes encourage good lifting and movement techniques. The glutes also have the best leverage of all the muscles in rotation-based movements.

The focus here will be on the function and importance of the glutes. When the glutes become inhibited, the posterior chain is not functioning properly. The lower back and the hamstrings then have to take on the work of the glutes and, along with these muscles being overworked, the IT Band, TFL, and the piriformis also take on an additional load, leading to a whole cascade of lower back, hip, knee, ankle, and foot problems. Although yoga feels good when stretching the over-used lower back and hamstrings, the majority of poses used in classes over stretch the posterior chain and over work the anterior chain. This result is not exclusive to yoga. There are other workout programs in gyms that can be just as unbalanced.

The glutes role is to provide stability at the sacrum through an action called “force closure.” Force closure is an outside force and is required if the joint is to have movement. The fibers of the glutes and hamstrings attach to the sacrum, and when they contract, help create this force closure for stability. But, there is also a mechanism called “form closure.” This is a fused joint, and the closest example we have is the sacroiliac joint (SI-J). This is why the sacrum requires the additional stability from force closure created by the glutes.

The role of the glutes, when it comes to the hip, is hip extension. From a standing position, you engage the glutes when you lift one leg behind you while standing on the other. You must maintain the center of gravity of the ankle with the other glute. This position rarely equates to the pelvis being level. In general, when the pelvis is level in balance work, you are hanging off the passive structures of the hip and continuing to weaken glutes. In the bottom half of a squat (i.e., Chair Pose) or bottom position of the lunge (i.e., Warrior Pose), hip extension is the movement upwards to drive up out of the bottom of the pose. Hip extension is also done from the floor when supine, such as

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At the anterior hip (front) when you use mainly the hamstrings without the co-contraction of the glutes, the glutes will pull the head of the femur forward into the acetabulum (hip socket). Without the cocontraction of the glutes, or strong glutes, you are going to get anterior hip pain. The glutes pull backwards on the

femur and track it properly in the hip socket, thus preventing anterior hip pain. The glutes also help keep the knees tracking out (knees tracking on 2nd and 3rd toes) when in low positions like a squat. This is when glute medius has the best leverage and becomes an internal rotator. Muscles change roles in hip extension/flexion depending on the depth. Through fascia connection via the thoraco-lumbar fascia of the low back and the IT Band, there is a relationship made between the glutes and the feet. The most profound expression of the glutes and feet interaction is through sprinting, but this can certainly be the case for lesser intensities such as walking and jogging. The hip extensors absorb a vast amount of braking force to help propel the body forward. Proper glute activation and strength is necessary for force to transfer and movement to be efficient. The glutes also play a role in posture. All you have to do is observe forward head posture, rounded upper back, potbelly, flat sagging butt, and the pain people are suffering today to see the importance of the glutes. What are the enemies of the glutes? Pain in the lower body will inhibit the glutes; it is a protective mechanism. If the glutes are inhibited, you won’t be able to do sudden or explosive movements. This is to save whatever is injured and provide an opportunity for repair. The problem is that when the injury is healed the glutes don’t immediately reactivate. When I test the recruitment order of the posterior chain, 9 out of 10 people cannot activate the glutes, and the body and brain skip right over them. Sitting is another enemy of the glutes. When you sit all day, you are in the position of hip flexion, and there is adaptive shortening and tightening of the quads/psoas. When this happens, there is also the additional neurological response of shutting down the opposing muscle (the glutes); this is called reciprocal inhibition. Getting up, moving throughout the workday, and training with full range of motion will help to counteract the bad effects of sitting all day. Getting the glutes to work properly takes a multi-pronged approach - proper isolation when stretching quads/psoas; myofascial release (foam roller work), glute activation work, and working through full range of motion.

Pam Werner-Salsbury , NCTMB, RYTÊÊUÊÊCertified Massage Therapist

412 West Olive Fort Collins, CO 80521

970 372-7265

References: 1.

Bret Contreras, T-Nation

Mark Buckley, FMA Strength Training

Perry Nickelston, DC, FMS, SFMA Dynamic Chiropractor, Dynamic Chiropractor—July 15, 2011, Vol. 29, Issue 15

pamwernersalsbury@gmail.com www.studioblissmassage.com Relaxation, Deep Tissue & Thai Yoga Massage ÊÊUÊÊ Private Yoga Instruction

Christi Sullivan has an A.A. in Physical Education and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology. She is the founder of Loveland Yoga and Core Fitness in Loveland, Colorado. Christi has worked with professional athletes, weekend warriors and stay at home moms to help all live healthier and more functional lives. Home birth and women's health care along the Front Range

Common Injuries in Yoga: SI Joint Dysfunction by Somer King

acro-iliac (SI) joint dysfunction is probably the most common issue that both yogis and yoginis experience throughout their years of practicing yoga. As a fun side note, I have had energy healers tell me that the sacrum is the balance of your masculine and feminine energies. It is said to be your body’s center point. It is important to note that your sacrum is the most stable when it is wedged perfectly between the ilium bones at approximately a 30 degree angle forward. This supports your lumbar curve and allows the pelvis to handle your body weight when erect.

What causes the pelvis and sacrum to rotate out of alignment? The typical sway back posture is when the upper thigh bones are pushed forward and the lower back is flattened. This will put weight through a posteriorally (backward) rotated pelvis. The sacrum loses its 30 degree angle forward and can become unwedged from between the two ilium bones. When the hips and the lower back are tight, the SI joints will receive excessive amounts of movement in a yoga practice. If your body doesn’t get the rotation from the hips and lower back, it is more likely to get it from your SI joints.

It is more common for females to experience SI joint problems (or as I like to see it “events for learning more about yourself”). Since most women tend to have looser ligaments than men and the SI joints are held together by ligaments only, it is not surprising that females more commonly have problems with their SI joints. Females also have a wider pelvis with less sacral segments that are fused to the ilium (pelvic bones). All of these factors can decrease the stability around the pelvis. Since these joints bear the weight of the entire spine and upper body, they need to be strong and stable!

Have you ever had an injury around the lower back, pelvis, or even legs? If you haven’t received specific bodywork to release the scar tissue or old fascial (connective tissue) adhesions that all strains and sprains leave, this increasingly tight fascial tissue can pull the pelvic bones out of alignment. An acute SI joint misalignment can also be caused from stepping off of a curb or stair unexpectedly or dramatically standing with your weight shifted toward one hip.

What is SI joint dysfunction? Dysfunction can mean many things and the SI joint can have pain for many different reasons. The most common issue is misalignment of the ilium bones and sacrum causing shearing at the SI joint surfaces, which results in inflammation. People will generally report pain deep in the glute on one side. Pain can be experienced lower, but usually not lower than the knee. This would be if the piriformis (your deep hip rotator that runs over the sciatic nerve) is so tight and is compressing the sciatic nerve.

What makes inflammation around the SI Joint worse? When your pelvis is out of alignment and you don’t know how to fix it, I would recommend not going to a group yoga class. This is because forward bends and twisting can really aggravate your symptoms. Stretching an already inflamed joint will undoubtedly increase your pain. Sitting without a sacral support or standing with your thigh bones pushed forward can aggravate and prolong the condition.

There can also be an underlying arthritis or degenerative condition, which wears away the cartilage between the joints. Unnecessary wearing away of joints often comes from years of poor alignment and weight distribution through this central area in the body.

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What can help heal the SI joint? A combination of physical therapy and proper lower body alignment training for your yoga practice can get you on the right track for recovery.

Research has shown that the transverses abdominis is the only muscle that has a stabilizing effect on the pelvis and lower back. Education :

Methods include: •

Manual physical therapy

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Deep myofascial release to loosen the tight fascia (connective tissue) or adhesions that may be pulling the pelvis out of balance (usually from an old injury)

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Lower back and/or hip mobilizations to decrease excessive motion going to the SI joints

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Muscle energy techniques, that use your own muscles to pull the ilium bones back into alignment. A physical therapist can show you a few different self-correction techniques as well, so if this is a common occurrence you will have the tools to try and fix it on your own.

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Ultrasound and ice help to decrease inflammation

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Home exercise program

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Specific stretches to lengthen what is tight, but avoid aggravating the SI joint at the same time

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Pelvic and core stabilization: Think mula and uddiyana bandha

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If you know what poses are more likely to throw your pelvis off, you can learn to be extra cautious with your alignment in those poses to avoid strain at the SI joints.

The “Common Injuries in Yoga Series” appear in each issue of Yoga Connection magazine. The article is created by Somer King at Evolve Physical Therapy and Yoga. Evolve is located in South Ft. Collins, CO and offers many holistic solutions: Yoga, Physical Therapy, Massage, Reiki, CranioSacral Therapy and Intuitive Healing. Visit www.evolveptandyoga.com for more information on yoga classes, workshops and retreats.

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Fort Collins First Official Yoga Studio Celebrating 10 Years of Serving the Community

reviewed by Erin Nickel and photographed by DeFiore Photography

expanded, the studio now offers even more space for classes, workshops, or fun celebrations for the community members.

s social beings, we crave community. Whether we admit it or not, the truth is that we desire experiences and relationships that remind us we are part of something infinitely bigger and more honest than our daily struggles. While many of us come to our yoga mats or hastily seek out a yoga class to relax or attain optimal physical health, there exists another enticing motivator for our practice; that of cultivating a sense of community. Through its diversity of class options and instructors, Old Town Yoga seeks to remind us that cultivating community is a vital component of our yoga practice.

While the physical infrastructure of Old Town Yoga creates a foundation for yogis to find inspiration and practice, the eclectic class options also cater to a variety of needs and individual interests. For those curious novices, Old Town Yoga offers numerous beginner classes, all designed to teach the fundamental aspects of an asana practice. For the early birds, the studio offers morning classes, many of which are designed to energize and rejuvenate. For the athletes at heart, the studio offers vinyasa classes, and for those seeking solace and stillness, the studio offers gentle restoratives.

Deemed Fort Collins first official yoga studio, Old Town Yoga has been sitting at the heart of downtown Fort Collins for nearly ten years. Located on Jefferson, amidst quaint coffee shops and stores, the studio offers an inviting atmosphere. Upon entering, a newcomer will most likely be greeted by the owner Jake Van Vonderen, who welcomes you with his soft kindness and insight. Deeply engaged in the daily intricacies of the studio, Jake is a regular presence at the studio.

Because the studio is deeply committed to creating a myriad of opportunities to embrace the entire community, Old Town Yoga continues to grow in its class options, most recently adding Kundalini, pre-natal, and a variety of others classes. Having attended several classes at Old Town Yoga, I continue to be intrigued by the vast selection. My personal favorites are the vinyasa classes.

Whether it is a weekly scheduled class, workshop, or open house, Jake clearly embraces his role in the Old Town Yoga community. Before class, perhaps you will have some time to peruse the eclectic mixture of yogi attire, books, or sources of inspiration, laid out in the front part of the studio. Recently remodeled and THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Caught in a moment of honesty, I admit I may have grown stagnant and a bit too comfortable with my personal practice. So, I came to class in need of a source of rejuvenation and a reminder

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of the myriad of reasons why I seek out yoga. I left the class with a profound feeling of satisfaction, knowing I had challenged my body, mind, and spirit. Regardless of the specific class you attend, I suspect that you too will share in my experience. You might even leave having met a new friend. While the typical drop-in fees are $14, Old Town Yoga always offers reduced-price classes, ranging from $9-$14. These classes serve as easy moments to expand your practice and experience the studio, without the obligatory financial commitment. As a new student to the studio, you can try out three of the most enticing classes for only $27.00. In addition, Old Town Yoga offers monthly memberships at $89.00, auto monthly for $69, as well as both ten and twenty class punch passes at reasonable prices in their effort to provide affordable, diverse yoga classes to the local community.While the atmosphere and variety of class opportunities are vital in creating a community, it’s the enthusiastic nature of workshops and unique programs that most set Old Town Yoga apart from its peers. Nearly every month, the Old Town Yoga newsletter highlights moments for curiosity and celebration, enticing to all yogainspired folks. In March, one can find opportunities for personal transformation through the workshops on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression from a yogic perspective, facilitated by Jim Vassallo. This coming June, the studio is featuring a Thai Yoga Body 180 hour certification program led by Dana Weinkauf-Talbot. The goal of Thai massage is to create feelings of health and wellness by releasing blockages from strategically located energy lines throughout the body. While enticing to all yogis, the program is specifically designed to enhance the knowledge of massage therapists and current yoga teachers. This opportunity serves as one more way to engage more profoundly in conversation with others in the community. On a more regular basis, the studio offers Yoga Alliance teacher training opportunities, at both the 200 and 500 hour levels. These programs delve deeper into the practice and application of sequencing, asana, anatomy, meditation, and a variety of other yoga-inspired curiosities. For those honest in their curiosity of yoga, but not wanting to become a yoga teacher, the studio offers a Living Yoga Immersion through which students can fully immerse themselves in the teachings of yoga in a way that is authentically tailored to their personal goals. Through the Living Yoga Immersion, one explores the practice of asana, the reality and intention behind meditation, and pranayama. Participants also have the opportunity to develop an individual yoga practice, as well as explore what it looks and feels like to experience the yogic philosophies beyond the mat. The sanctuary of the studio offers a safe place to voice the questions and curiosities surrounding transformation, nourishment, and self-study. Whether it’s the teacher training programs, a partner workshop, or perhaps an individual class coupled with a workshop, I’m certain the experience of Old Town Yoga will serve as a powerful reminder that our journey becomes a little more real when it’s shared with others. A yoga teacher and life-long student of the intricate ways in which yoga can transform our lives, I’m well aware of the integral risks in this commitment. Sometimes the journey can feel lonely as we continue to peel away at the layers of our practice. This selfstudy, while it is honest, is not always easy. Sometimes, simply knowing that others share in these experiences provides us with enough strength to muster through the tough stuff to seek the light at the end of the tunnel. In the face of a society that is constantly moving far too quickly and with far too much fire, Old Town Yoga offers us a space to practice, amidst a community that is compassionate and committed to growth. ISSUE # 10

Erin Nickel currently teaches yoga and creative writing in Loveland. She is passionate about inspiring others to explore, honor, and celebrate their authentic selves. Through writing and through teaching, Erin continuously finds creative ways to integrate her passion for yoga with her passion for engaging meaningfully with the world. Outside of a yoga studio or coffee shop, one can find Erin trail running, back country skiing, or purusing at the nearest book store.

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At Home Practice

Your Mat as a Sanctuary Making Your Yoga Practice a Sanctuary by Jack Workman Photography by DeFiore Photography

Within you there is a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. ~Herman Hesse

am naturally drawn to my mat when I am feeling stressed, misunderstood, and overwhelmed. My mat is my sanctuary where I can unwind from worries and doubts that have challenged me during the day. Fear is at the core of feelings like worry and doubt. Practicing yoga creates a sacred space for me to accept and understand that fear by placing me in the seat of the observer. Yoga has helped me find my center and claim my authentic self. My mat has become my oasis where yoga waters and nourishes my spirit. Our mat is a refuge of stillness where we can witness ourselves without judgment. Practicing offers an opportunity to take a straighton look at the movement of life and greet it with humility and understanding. Yoga brings to the surface the underlying fears that accompany our challenges. For example, when doing Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose), you may feel vulnerable and defenseless because you are exposing your tender core. However, this pose invites you to greet the fear of defenselessness with understanding and love. By observing the vulnerability that arises in Supta Baddha Konasana, we learn to feel comfortable with being open in our lives off the mat. As we surrender to our experience, we find self-acceptance and arrive at a place of authentic expression. Yoga lets us observe ourselves for where we are in the moment while realizing that a passage to growth lays before us. No matter what I have experienced before I practice yoga, or what I think I am going to experience later, when I feel my mat and the earth support me, a sense of truth awakens within. By truth, I mean the ability to look at my challenges and sit with them. I step out of myself and watch the struggles of my life as a story where I am not emotionally attached. From a perspective of observing, I have the ability to understand and greet my feelings with compassion and love. Your mat can become a sanctuary where you can find your center in the chaos of life. Practicing yoga creates a place of safety and acceptance where you can just BE. I like to call it a simple existence, where the layers of pain, sadness, hate, and doubt are unraveled and the authentic self is revealed. Find a comfortable space where you can lay out your mat and do the following sequence. You are headed to your inner sanctum. You are headed home. THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

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This sequence focuses on one of the most iconic yoga poses, Padmasana (Lotus Pose). Naturally, Padmasana gives the feeling of an open groundedness in the body, which is key in finding sanctuary on our mats. In Lotus Pose, our feet press down on the hip creases, causing the sitz bones to find grounding on the mat. When we are so strongly rooted into the mat, feelings of stability and safety develop. From this rootedness, the spine can effortlessly extend upward. This combination of groundedness and openness creates a wonderful environment to observe the emotions that arise within us. It is important to realize that Padmasana may be challenging and sometimes even inaccessible for yogis and yoginis with tight hips. But with time and practice, you will be able to execute Lotus Pose in a safe and comfortable way. This sequence will help you work toward full Padmasana, but I encourage you to take the modification that will be provided if Lotus Pose brings pain and stress to your physical body. We must honor our current condition so we can allow ourselves to grow into the asana.

1. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Start by lying on the back, arms resting by the sides, palms open to the sky. Bring the bottoms of the feet together and let the knees fall out. If this is too much stretch on the inner thighs, place a rolled-up blanket under each knee. Once you feel settled, feel an even flow of breath running in and out of the nostrils. Let the earth support you as you observe what happens emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually within you. Stay in this pose for 20 breaths.

2. Apanasana (Reclining Knees to Chest Pose) From Supta Baddha Konasana, bring the knees together and gently hug them into the chest. Roll from side to side, giving the back a massage.

3. Sucirandhrasana (Eye of the Needle Pose) From Apanasana, let the bottoms of the feet plant on the mat. Place the right ankle on top of the left lower thigh just above the knee. Flex the feet to protect the knees. Lift the left foot off the mat and thread the right hand through the hole you have created. Clasp the hands behind the hamstring. Ground the shoulders and the tailbone. Breathe here for ten breaths then continue by doing the same on the opposite side.Â Return to Apanasana by hugging the knees to the chest.

4. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) From Apanasana, rock and roll all the way up to standing at the top of the mat. Take the feet hip width apart, and let the second toes face toward the top short edge of your mat. Feel a balance between the three points of each foot–the base of the big toes, the base of the pinky toes, and the heels. Spread the toes and feel the energy rise up the leg all the way to the crown of the head and the fingertips. Stay here for five breaths.

5. Eka Pada Utkatasana (Standing Figure Four Pose) From Tadasana, bend the knees. Take the right ankle over the left lower thigh. Bring the hands to heart center. Take the shoulders back. Find your lumbar curve by sticking out the butt, and drop low in the standing knee. Let your drishti (gaze) focus on the floor ahead. Use the wall for balance, if you like. To intensify, take the sternum forward and down; eventually the lower ribs rest on the bent right leg. Stay in Eka Pada Utkatasana as long as seven breaths and then continue to the opposite side. Once you have completed both sides, return to Tadasana.

6. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) From Tadasana, step out wide lengthwise on your mat, facing your second toes toward the long edge. Then bring the right second toe to face the back short edge of the mat and let the left toes pigeon toe in. Find your heel-to-heel alignment. Bring the arms to a T position. On your inhale, reach with the right arm past the back of your mat. Take the left hip back as you reach. On your exhale, take the right hand down to the pinky toe side of the foot on the floor and reach the left hand to the sky. Use a block under your right hand if you need support. Stay for five breaths. Inhaling, come back upright. Continue with the opposite side. Once you are completed on the left side, return to Tadasana.

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7. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold Pose) From Tadasana, gently bend the knees and hinge forward at the hips. Feel the feet root and let the head become heavy. Let the hands hang heavy. Stay for five breaths.

8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) From Uttanasana, plant the palms and step the feet back into your Downward Dog. Create an upside down V with the body. Reach the hips to the sky and let the heels soften to the mat. Melt the center of the chest to the mat as you widen the shoulders on the back. Take five deep breaths.

Eka Pada Kapotasana (One-legged Sleeping Pigeon Pose)

From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right knee forward to the right hand and let the ankle come to the mat. Angle the knee at a two oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock. To intensify, widen the angle of the knee. Gently flex the right foot. Extend the left leg long, toward the back of your mat. On your exhale, fold forward over the right leg. Reach the arms out long, or stack the palms under your forehead for support. Let your awareness expand throughout your entire body as you take 15 breaths. Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re finished, plant the palms and step back to a Down Dog. Continue with the opposite side for 15 breaths, then end in a Down Dog.

10. Dandasana (Staff Pose) From Adho Mukha Savasana, step or jump through to a seated position. Extend the leg out long and flex the feet. Engage the pelvic floor and the core. Lengthen the crown of the head to the sky as the shoulders blades come together on the back. Plant the fingertips or palms by your sides. Take five deep breaths as you feel the body becoming stronger.

11. Agnistambhasana (Fire Log Pose) From Dandasana bend the right leg and take the ankle over the left lower thigh. Continue by bending the left leg so the left ankle will end up under the right knee. Flex the feet and spread the toes. If you have tight hips, support the right knee by placing a blanket or block under the knee. To intensify mindfully, fold forward. Take 10 breaths. When finished, return to Dandasana and continue with the opposite side.

12. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) From Dandasana, bend the right leg and take the left hand to the right pinky toe side of the foot and the right hand to the right ankle. Point the right foot, flexing the toes back as you point the foot. Carefully work the pinky toe side of the foot into the left hip crease. Let the right foot and ankle stay strong. Bend the left leg, and bring the heel in under the right leg. This is Ardha Padmasana (half lotus). Stay here if the right knee has trouble reaching the floor. To intensify, take the left leg over the right leg, work the left pinky toe side of the foot toward the right hip crease. Whether you are in Ardha Padmasana or Padmasana, notice the heaviness of the sitz bones, and the effortless upward extension of the spine. Rest the palms facing down on the knees, and as you take 10 deep breaths what happens emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually within you. Return to Dandasana and continue with the other side, placing the opposite leg on the top.

13. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

From Dandasana, lie onto the back. Open the palms to the sky. Let the whole body become relaxed and heavy. Close the eyes. Let go of your controlled breathing, and let the layers of sadness, doubt, pain, and fear unravel, as the authentic self is revealed. Stay for five minutes. To exit, first roll gently with an exhalation onto one side. Take two or three breaths then press your hands against the floor and lift your torso, dragging your head slowly after. Come to a cross-legged pose; bring the palms to heart center, bowing to your truth. NamastĂ¨! You can practice this sequence on Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YouTube channel, YogaIsAwesome, or his FaceBook page, JackWorkmanYoga.

Jack Workman teaches mindful vinyasa flow classes at Old Town Toga in Fort Collins and Monk Yoga in Loveland. He has been a certified yoga teacher since 2010, assisted Jason Crandell at the 2011 Estes Park Yoga Journal Conference, and is a junior at Fossil Ridge High School. For private or class instruction, contact Jack at jackworkman78@gmail.com

Take Back the Light: Social Media and the Search for Suchness by Chandra Sally Waggoner

hotographs and text roll across the computer screen in a slow rhythm -vibrantly tan bikini-clad girls clutch red plastic cups on a white beach; an old friend does a headstand beside a waterfall, eyes closed and exuding a disarming serenity; a colleague from an internship many years ago tweets about the stress of traveling from a weekend in the mountains with hundreds of media and tech glitterati, then back to measly press events in her native New York City. It’s late, and the third steeping of yerba mate seems like a worse idea now than it did at noon. As I click among the photographs and stories, ‘Likes’ and comments, I feel happy for my friends and acquaintances. It’s a mixed feeling of “good for them!” mixed with only a dash of—well, of what? Something nags at me about the images. They seem almost too rich, too insistent, as if the eyes of my friend in a headstand might pop open and his Buddha-smile might whisper, “So, what have you done lately?” a soul. By soul I simply mean to describe the beauty, elegance, fascination, or even the horror of the moment, the part of the moment that is rich with pure experience. It’s that swelling in the chest when you catch sight of an enormous moon behind dense shadows of naked trees, or the moment in an asana when there is such utter stillness that you feel no difference between the air and your own breath, or even your own skin. It’s the beauty that baffles you.

To be fair, I do quite a lot. But, I realize, this is not necessarily the point. The images and posts are charged with a significance—a Suchness, to borrow a term from Aldous Huxley’s mescaline phase—that transcends what they actually depict or describe. First, we must define Suchness, which is no small feat. Aldous Huxley was content to let the word speak for itself but, not being on mescaline, I am perhaps a bit more concerned with clarity. “Suchness” simultaneously describes the aura of a moment or object and the experience of that aura. Most attempts to capture Suchness with words succeed only in suffocating it, so perhaps an analogy will be useful here.

It’s all of this and infinitely more. Such lofty descriptions of the sensation of Suchness can lead us to forget that even the most mundane moments—in fact, all moments—have this soul. Our minds, so quick to categorize and compare, focus on one or two moments that feel really good and identify Suchness only with those. So, many of us spend our days at work thinking about

If every moment has a body (or form) and a mind (or content), then Suchness is the third component, what we could tentatively call

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SPRING 2012

how incredible it will be to leave and do something more fulfilling, relaxing, or exciting. Or, maybe we dream about exotic vacations, or romances in which the other person lives to please or satisfy us, and does so perfectly. Perhaps we look back on a time in the past when we felt fulfilled and built it up fantastically, impossibly, so that no other moment can hope to compare with it. In other words, we rob each small moment of its Suchness and project it on to idealized moments set either in the past or the future.

necessary to find the pose with relative ease, but by fighting with the body and forcing it into a certain position, a position we imbue with Suchness simply because it is advanced. Many of us think that in meditation, too, the point is to ‘stop all thought’ or to somehow beat the ego into submission and to fight our minds into a semblance of serenity. We often feel that we must attain these impossible ideals to have a legitimate practice, or one that sparkles with Suchness.

But, this is nothing new, and anyone who studies philosophy, psychoanalysis or any spiritual discipline knows that. Relatively new—and, I would say, a bit problematic—are the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter that permeate and increasingly define every aspect of our lives. We post our own stories and images to give the impression that our lives are very rich, or exciting, or dramatic, or serene; everyone can choose what story they want to make of themselves. The identities we project are buoyed by ‘comments’ and ‘likes’ and ‘followers’—or dismantled by the lack thereof. At the same time, other people’s images, stories, and witty quotes become repositories for the Suchness we feel our own lives lack.

This is not the case. Suchness—or that indescribable richness of experience pointed to by the word—is in every object, every interaction, every moment, if we decide to experience it, here and now, with no stipulations, wistfulness, or judgment. The old adage says that practice makes perfect. I want to propose a radical adjustment to that saying. Our practices, our lives, and, indeed, our selves are already perfect—if we choose to see them that way.

Chandra Sally Waggoner lives, loves, writes and teaches yoga in Fort Collins. She can usually be found reading or playing outdoors with her wonderful man and dog companions. She received degrees in journalism and religion from Syracuse University in 2009.

Part of this is due to the nature of the photograph itself. A photograph captures one instant of time and imbues it with significance. A photograph is also created with the purpose of being shared or displayed. The act of taking a photograph is fundamentally alienating; when we get behind the camera, we remove ourselves from the moment in order to capture it for later. We become like the many tourists I saw in France walking through the Louvre experiencing the art solely through the eyepiece of a video camera. The photograph of a moment replaces, or at the very least, obscures, the experience of it. I’m not in any way suggesting that photography is inherently ‘bad’ or that it has no positive function. But, if we do not acknowledge the alienating capacity of photography we run the risk of allowing images to become more significant—and to be imbued with more Suchness—than experience itself. Out of all the social networking sites, Facebook in particular seems to expedite this process of alienation and replacement. Now it is not simply our own images that we idealize, or our own memories that we live through. Now we have access to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other people’s carefully crafted and selected images and stories. We spend hours of our lives saturating ourselves with other people’s images, convinced we are actually accessing their experiences. When we compare these images, fortified with the Suchness we project onto them, with our own experiences, we often seem to come up short.

神道 Shen Dao ~ “The Way of Spirit”

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICAL CLINIC, INC.

Simply deciding to erase yourself from the digital fold is not necessarily the answer. Buddhism teaches us that grasping and aversion are essentially the same. Nor can the experience of Suchness be attained by attempts to rationalize it into being --“I’ve done a lot of pretty cool things. I’ve traveled, I have a cool job, I teach yoga…” This approach still associates Suchness only with those pursuits we feel ‘look good’ from the outside.

Michael Johnston

Licensed Acupuncturist (CO, NM) Doctor of Oriental Medicine (NM)

Licensed Acupuncturist (CO, CA, NY)

700 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado (N.W. Corner of Mountain & Loomis)

(970) 416-0444 • www.tcmclinic.org Hours: Mon, Tues, Fri & Sat

We see this in yoga and meditation as much as on Facebook. Through teaching, I meet many people who are almost apologetic about their practices because they can’t “do” this or that pose. The fastest route to injury is to pick some unlikely pose and try to “do” it, not by building up the strength, concentration and flexibility

ISSUE # 10

Olivario Pijoan

8:00 am ~5:00 pm

Acupuncture • Chinese Herbology NCCAOM Certified

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Compost Old Patterns

And Inner Growth Blooms! by Shivaji and Sarada Erickson

One of our lineage teachers, Swami Rudranandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (aka Rudi), most notable gifts was his ability to distill and transform the highest wisdoms of Eastern traditions from the esoteric into language and practices easily accessible to our culture. His main teaching was that the arena of our lives, with all its karmas, both desirable or not, serve as the primary substrate, or fuel, by which our spiritual growth is made possible. Rudi practiced an enormous capacity to digest and transmute his ordinary life, ultimately making it a transcendent expression of spiritual life. He spoke of strengthening our spiritual mechanism through our meditations to actively break down, transform, and surrender our tensions surrounding our own samskaras. Rudi also spoke often about the need to let our spiritual experiences compost into the soil of our own practice so that our growth would continually evolve and become more fertile. With spring coming, I am reminded of this great tantra and would like to take a quick opportunity to share a simple practice of it.

wonderful process begins when a yearning from deep within seeks a higher awareness and expression in our lives. The philosophy and practices of yoga have been enumerated over the millennia in an effort to guide us in the personal transformation this initial spark ignites. Throughout all stages of our spiritual growth, we encounter a dynamic interplay of our own patterns intersecting with new challenges. This can be a source of confusion as we may feel an overwhelmingly heavy attachment to our own patterns, or samskaras. These samskaras can seem like a hindrance to our growth. We may feel our old patterns interfere with where we sense our transformation is moving us. Ultimately, we must realize this way of perceiving the process is an illusion. As yogis, we can utilize a higher tantra. The obstacles we have created serve as fuel, or even compost, for our spiritual growth. As spring approaches, we are reminded of the supreme elegance of natural processes. That which was previously in decay now serves as sustenance for new life by way of compost. This unites life and death into a greater and singular whole. Although we witness this grand marvel on a large scale, the amazing thing is that we can learn how to practice this analogously in our own lives.

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Rudi’s Tension Release Practice—Sit or stand comfortably. Imagine or feel your inhale is imbued with spiritual light (you can also imagine it as crystal clear water) and draw it deeply into your heart chakra in the center of the chest. Understanding that spiritual energy has more than enough power to break down any tensions you may have, feel an opening in the heart as you momentarily pause between the inhale and exhale and silently repeat “I consciously wish to surrender negative tension.” As you exhale, visualize and/ or feel tensions leaving out of the heart center, down the arms, and out the palms as a black, sticky tar or smoke or slurry of water. Repeat process with each breath for several minutes. It is like taking a cleansing shower on the inside!

Counseling & Psychotherapy Maggie Tibbetts, LCSW

Combining traditional therapy approaches with mindful and meditative techniques Work with issues of: depression, anxiety, relationships, grief & loss, and life transitions

Years of practice have taught me that the 970-988-4173 biggest changes we make in our lives maggieStibbetts@gmail.com happen in the collection of small choices 218 Peterson Street, Ft. Collins, CO 80524 we make every day. Do we make the time to meditate or practice asana even when we feel we are too busy and cannot stop? Do we make an energetic effort to witness and surrender our reactions in order to rise above tension instead of choosing to engage and exacerbate it? Do we choose today to make some healthy decisions? Or, do we say to heck with it all and continually overindulge in the same thing we did the last several days, weeks, months, or years? With each decision moving us in the direction of growth, our momentum in that direction increases. Eventually, the struggle with a particular samskara dissolves and we feel a new sense of freedom inside. The desire to engage in the old pattern is no longer there. What no longer served us has become compost for new growth, just like the cycles of nature. Yoga presents us with the skill to harmonize with the world around us. Harmonize this spring by liberating the enormous energy stored in patterns that no longer serve you (composting!) to inspire new growth!

Shivaji and Sarada Erickson are the founders of Om Ananda Yoga and are Acharyas in the Shambhava School of Yoga. This recognition is given to individuals who have dedicated their lives to the spiritual path and helping others along the way. They lead yoga and meditation classes and a variety of teacher trainings. Shivaji holds a MS in Biological Science with an emphasis in anatomy and physiology and is a Adjunct Professor at FRCC. Sarada holds a MS in Human Nutrition and works with nutrition education for low-income families. Both deeply enjoy walking and sharing the yogic path.

ISSUE # 10

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Media Reviews times you come to the same obstacle, the easier it is to catapult yourself over it, crawl under it, or shimmy around it until finally it becomes second nature. When Jon no longer sees himself as less important, less loving, less delightful, less sacred than those around him, the obstacles of this human will fade.”

Book Review

This book gave me more compassion for others, and insight into my own life. If a book discussion on this sounds interesting, please contact me at alanlstar@msn.com. Alan Starner has been studying Eastern and Western spiritual teachings for over 30 years, and teaching yoga for the past 8 years. He is currently focused on yoga philosophy with an emphasis on Rajanaka.

Music Review

reviewed by Alan Starner The book, Your Soul’s Plan by Robert Schwartz, is about prebirth planning, which is said to occur before we take human embodiment. Our advisors and loved ones meet to help us to plan the major events of our lives, based on the lessons we want to learn, and the gifts of love we want to share. The events are not cast in stone, and there are alternate paths. It’s a startling concept. The book tells the story of 10 people: two with a physical illness, a parent of handicapped children, a deaf woman, a blind man, two lives impacted by drug addition, the death of a loved one, and two people who had serious accidents. In each case, the pre-birth planning sessions are explored through interviews, and the use of a medium.

reviewed by Tim Harman While people make music, music makes them – or at least it changes them.

The common thread through these stories is what the author calls “learning through opposites.” From this perspective, we plan the challenges of our lives in order to experience the opposite of the quality we are trying to create within ourselves. For example, the first story is about Jon, a gay man with AIDS. He grows up in a religious community that thinks homosexuality is a sin. He is shamed by his parents, and even has shaming experiences with his gay lovers. Then he contracts the most shamed illness today; AIDS. After much time and anguish, Jon is able to accept himself fully and find the strength to love himself unconditionally. Through a lack of love in his life, he develops self-love.

LeeLah’s debut album, Kali’s Fire, fuses eastern, western, folk, pop, rock, gospel, and electronica elements and influences with the personal transformation of the people who made the music. The quintet was formed when songwriter/vocalist/reed-player Kenny Workman was inspired about two years ago to bring together two important spiritual streams: his lifelong immersion in music and a new-found commitment to yoga. He recruited yoga instructor and vocalist, Gwyn Tash, and percussionist and yoga studio owner Jake VanVonderen. Bruce Bertea (guitar, keyboards, bass, and production) and Tim Hughes (keyboards) filled out the roster, and the band was named Lila, which with this opus, gave way to LeeLah, a search-engine-friendly re-spelling of the Sanskrit transliteration “Lila,” meaning something like “the play of life.”

This concept of learning through opposites is difficult to understand. One of Jon’s guides put it this way: “Those [souls] who come together to assist one another imbue their personalities and their perceptions of Jon in a way that brings about the obstacles he must overcome in order for this truth to become apparent to him. It is almost like an obstacle race. The more

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Expecting some variation on droney, trancey, chanty peaceand-love mantras, my first surprise – and revelation – were the title track, Kali’s Fire, and the darkish, borderline Gothic, even

SPRING 2012

Geigeresque cover art featuring the Indian goddess version of a busty, slim-waisted, strong, resolute, even possibly threatening hot babe playing with a ball of fire. Do I hear Kali intoning, “let’s all take a calming lotus position and focus our third eyes on the inner mounting flame?” Hmm. All songs but one (the Workman-penned, “Sat Nam”) feature Gwyn Tash’s vocals and lyrics. Tash is blessed with a strong – even dramatic – voice. Workman is equally expressive on his song, alternating lines with Tash after the first verse, and sharing the harmonies. VanVonderen’s percussion parts are critical to the album’s cohesive texture. Tim Hughes offers up acoustic piano parts – and their rootsy, sometimes-gospel approach are both a great complement to the acoustic guitars and an effective contrast to Bertea’s often otherworldly synths. Which brings us to Bertea’s herculean contributions to the project. The album was recorded in his studio, and he performed not only as a writer and arranger, but provided much of the acoustic guitar, all the electric guitar, bass, and synths – while acting as recording engineer and co-producer (with Tash). Rippling clean electric leads stand out in “OM Namah Shivaya,” and effective clean guitar figures are landmarks in other songs. Bruce is clearly a master guitarist. This debut album is stuffed with riches: stand-outs for me are the loop-like, floating chant of “Peace of Happiness,” the lilting repetitions of “Gayatri Mantra,” the pop sensibility and rock overtones of “Right Here, Right Now” and “Moonlight Mantra,” the long build of “Sat Nam,” and the long dreamy drift of “Pranayam.” You’ll have your own favorites. Kali’s Fire is available for download on iTunes, Amazon, and other outlets. Or, you can pick up a CD at Old Town Yoga, Mindstream Yoga, or by sending a check for $18 (which includes $3 S&H) to Kenny Workman, 149 W. Oak, Ft. Collins, CO 80524. LeeLah will be playing FoCoMX 2012 (Fort Collins Music Experience) on Saturday, April 14, at 6pm at the Spotlight Music Cafe stage, College at Harmony. The yoga community should embrace Kali’s Fire with open arms – and I’ll be listening for the next installment.

Tim Harman is a songwriter, musician, home recordist/producer, and Macintosh publishing consultant. He also manufactures Tru-Arc guitar bridges, blogs for Gretsch Guitars, and gigs occasionally with his band Small Blue World. He lives in Bloomington, IN, has gone through yoga phases, and once took a three-day lecture course from the Dalai Lama.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING DIRECTORY Yoga & Pilates Studios Evolve PT & Yoga 925 East Harmony Road, #450 Fort Collins (970) 672-1106 www.evolveptandyoga.com

Yoga Adobe Vickie McLane Berthoud, CO (970) 498-0490 www.yogaadobe.com

Holistic Yoga School, International Krista Allen, BSc, ERYT (970) 222-6355 E-mail: HolisticYogaSchool@gmail.com www.HolisticYogaSchool.com

Yoga Center of Fort Collins 210 E. Oak Street Fort Collins, CO 80521 (970) 231-0496 www.yogacenterfortcollins.com

Loveland Yoga & Core Fitness 100 E. 3rd St. Loveland, CO 80537 (970) 292-8313 www.lovelandyogacorefitness.com

Yoga Teachers Be Well Yoga Kimberlea Smarr Therapeutic Yoga Fort Collins (970) 396-7238 yoga.kimsmarr@gmail.com www.kimsmarr.com

Mindstream Yoga 2733 Council Tree Avenue, Ste. 129 Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 266-YOGA (9642) www.mindstreamyoga.com

Beth O’Brien Yoga Instructor Fort Collins, CO (970) 491-9689 e-mail: beth@bethobrienphd.com

Monk Yoga 202 East 4th Street Loveland, CO 80537 (970) 231-4683 www.monkyoga.net

Jodie Bell Belle Yoga Yoga Instructor (970) 222-1322 Jodie@BelleYoga.com www.BelleYoga.com

Old Town Yoga 237 1/2 Jefferson Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 222-2777 www.oldtownyoga.com

Nicole Murphy Grace Yoga, LLC Fort Collins and Loveland (970) 646-2022 E-mail: graceyoga@live.com

Om Ananda Yoga 115 N. College Ave., Ste 200 Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 581-8825 info@omanandayoga.com www.omanandayoga.com

Om Sattva Yoga Donation Based Yoga Alice “Ali” Duncan (970) 217-1587 Ali@anaponya.com www.anaponya.com

The Other Club Fitness Center 1227 Riverside Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-221-4348 www.theotherclubfitness.com Rising Lotus Yoga 4201 S. College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 372-9992 www.risinglotusfoco.com

Shirley Smithson, EdD, ERYT, CYT, IAYT Yoga Instructor/Children’s Yoga Teacher Trainer, Enrichment/Therapeutic (970) 353-1708 sasmithson@hotmail.com www.childrenimagineyogarts.com

The Yoga & Pilates Center at the RAC 2555 S. Shields Street Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970) 490-1300 www.raintreeathleticclub.com

The Yogi Way Brandi Nelson, RYT, Reiki MT, HTPA Energy ,medicine combined w/ Yogic Practices Fort Collins (970) 237-9771 www.theyogiway.com

Certified Yoga Therapists Mary Axelrod Certified Massage Therapist Fort Collins, CO (970) 204-1794 www.callmary.net

Angie Noe, E-RYT, Certified Yoga Therapist Tranquility Yoga Therapy AFAA Trainer 3610 35th Avenue, #8 Evans, CO 80632 (970) 388-3351

Planetary Influence Kerry Shamblin Vedic Astrology (970) 207-4088 www.planetaryinfluence.com kerry@planetaryinfluence.com

Ena Burrud, E-RYT 500, Certified Yoga Therapist Treetop Yoga Therapy 19 Old Town Sq., Ste. 238 Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 488-0828 www.treetopyogatherapy.com

Soaring Spirit Yoga Faith Brandt Fort Collins, CO (970) 308-4378 www.soaringspirityoga.com soaringspirit@frii.com

Therapists Colorado Physical Therapy Specialists 210 W. Magnolia, Suite 110 (North) 115 E. Harmony, Suite 160 (South) Fort Collins, CO (970) 221-1201 www.copts.com

Studio Bliss Massage Pam Werner-Salisbury, CMT, RYT 412 W. Olive Street Fort Collins, CO 80521 (970) 372-7265 pamwernersalsbury@gmail.com www.studioblissmassage.com

CommUnity Acupuncture Robert Evans Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970) 689-7281 www.CommunityAcu.org Hawten Slaton, CMT, RMT Certified Massage Therapist Holistic Alternatives Massage Therapy 109 West Olive Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 690-5527 www.callhawten.com

Susan Guio, LCSW Spiritual Psychotherapy Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 232-9232 www.spiritualpsyche.com

Inner Life Adventures Mindfulness Based Counseling/Coaching/Psychotherapy Chuck Hancock, M.Ed., NCC Kathy Williams-Tolstrup, M.Ed., NCC, EMDR (970) 566-4095 www.innerlifeadventures.com

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Thai Yoga Body Work Dana Weinkauf-Talbot, CMT, RYT, RTT Fort Collins, CO 80521 (612) 385-4201 www.massageyogabodywork.com @beherenowmyb

Lauri Pointer, HTCP/I 210 E. Oak Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 484-2211 www.LauriPointer.com

Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic 700 West Mountain Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80521 (970) 416-0444 www.tcmclinic.org

Maggie Tibbetts, LCSW Counseling & Pschotherapy 218 Peterson Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 988-4173 maggieStibbetts@gmail.com

The Window Bodywork and Classes 115 N. College Ave., Suite 210 Fort Collins, CO 80521 (970) 215-8821 www.thewindow-fortcollins.com

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Rising Lotus Yoga

NORTHERN COLORADO CLASS SCHEDULES

4201 S. College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 372-9992 www.risinglotusfoco.com Monday 6-7am Early Bird Vinyasa Flow Jordan 9:30-10:30am Beginner Flow Yoga Jordan 4:30-5:30pm Kids Yoga Amy 5:45-6:45pm Vinyasa Flow Amanda Tuesday 12-1pm Midday Vinyasa Flow Hannah 4:30-5:30pm Evening Strength Flow Adrienne 6-7pm Form and Function Adrienne Wednesday 6-7am Early Bird Vinyasa Flow Jordan 9:30-10:30am Vinyasa Flow Kristen 5:45-6:45pm Vinyasa Flow Amanda Thursday 10:30-11:30am Prenatal Yoga Pam 12-1pm Midday Vinyasa Flow Pam 4:30-5:30pm Kids Yoga Amy 6-7pm Vinyasa Flow Hannah 7:15-8:15pm Restorative Yoga/Yin Yoga Hannah Friday 6-7am Early Bird Vinyasa Flow Laura 9:30-10:30am Viniyoga Rowan 5:30-6:30pm Charity Flow (donation-based) Staff Saturday 7:45-8:45am Early Bird Vinyasa Flow Kristen 9-11am Kids Yoga Amy 11:15-12:15am Strength Vinyasa Flow Staff Sunday 8:45-9:45am Strength Vinyasa Flow Kristen 10-11am Restorative Yoga Adrienne

class schedules are subject to change- please verify before attending

Spring 2012 Monk Yoga

202 E. Fourth St., Suite J, Loveland, CO (970) 231-4683 www.monkyoga.net Monday 5:30-7pm Dharma Yoga Liz 7-8:15pm Beginners Dharma Yoga Liz Tuesday 10-11:15am Dharma Yoga Liz 12-1pm Dharma Yoga Liz 5:30-6:30pm Hatha Flow Yoga Maria 6:45-8pm Restorative Yoga Vickie Wednesday 6-7am Vinyasa Flow Stephanie Thursday 7:30-8:30pm Vinyasa Flow Stephanie Friday 7:30-8:30am Awakening Flow Chantal 12-1:15pm Hatha Flow Maria 5:30-6:30pm Prenatal Yoga Chantal Saturday 8-9am Vinyasa Flow Jack

The Other Club Fitness Center

Yoga Center of Fort Collins

1227 Riverside Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 221-4348 www.theotherclubfitness.com

210 E. Oak Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521 (970) 231-0496 www.yogacenterfortcollins.com

Monday 11-12pm Gentle Yoga Cathy/Hillary 4:30-5:30pm Pilates Plus Nancy Tuesday 6-7am Yoga All Levels Cathy 9-10am Pilates for Seniors Valerie 10-11:15am Yoga All Levels Cathy Wednesday 11-12pm Gentle Yoga Cathy/Hillary Thursday 6-7am Intermediate Pilates Valerie 10-11:15am Yoga All Levels Cathy Friday 10:15-11:30am Yoga All Levels Hillary Saturday 8:45-9:45am Pilates Plus Nancy

Monday 9:30-11am 12-1pm 4-5pm 5:30-7pm 7:15-8:30pm Tuesday 12:15-12:45pm 5-6pm 6:15-7:15pm Wednesday 9:30-11am 12-1pm 6-7:30pm Saturday 9:30-11am Sunday 7-8:30pm

All Yoga classes are Viniyoga based in their approach. First class is always free! THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Level 2 Iyengar Yoga Basics for Neck Gentle Yoga(call Cathy) Level 3 Iyengar Yoga Level 1-2 Iyengar Yoga

Cathy Cathy Cathy Cathy Cathy

Zen Meditation Vinyasa Yoga Flow Anusara Yoga

Cathy Beth Tomi

Level 2-3 Iyengar Yoga Yoga for Strong Backs Level 1-2 Iyengar Yoga

Cathy Cathy Cathy

Restorative Yoga*

Connie

Dances of Universal Peace

Grace

* One Saturday each month, check website

SPRING 2012

Loveland Yoga & Core Fitness

Om Ananda Yoga

100 E. 3rd St., Loveland, CO 80537 (970) 292-8313 www.lovelandyogacorefitness.com

Monday 9:15-10:15am 12-1pm 4:30-5:30pm 6-7pm 7:30-8:30pm Tuesday 9-10am 12-1pm 4:30-5:30pm 6-7pm Wednesday 9:15-10:15am 12-1pm 4:30-5:30pm 6-7pm 7:30-8:30pm Thursday 9-10am 12-1pm 4:30-5:30pm 6-7pm Friday 9:15-10:15am Saturday 7:45-8:45am 9-10am Sunday 10-11:15am 5:30-6:30pm

Fitness Fusion Vinyasa Strength Yoga Gentle Yoga Candlelight Yoga

Amy Jasmine Christi Kristen Kristen

Vinyasa L-1 Strength Yoga w/ weights Vinyasa Vinyasa

Jonathon Christi Kristen Jennifer

Fitness Fusion Well Flow Yoga Detox Flow Strength Yoga Level 1 Candlelight Yoga

Amy Marcy Christi Christi Jennifer

Vinyasa L-1 Strength Yoga w/ weights Vinyasa Yoga Level 1 Fitness Fusion

Jonathon Christi Erin Amy

Vinyasa

Jennifer

Fusion Flow Vinyasa

Kim Kim

Strength Yoga Lunar Flow

Christi Kim

115 N. College Ave., Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 581-8825 www.omanandayoga.com Monday 9-10:15am Yoga Flow Nina 11:30-12:50pm Level 1 Yoga Ena 4-5:15pm Power Flow Jasmine 5:30-6:45pm Hatha Yoga Kate 7:00-8:15pm Gentle Yoga Diana Tuesday 7-8am Power Flow Adrienne 9-10am Yoga Tots* (ages 2-5) Rebecca 12:15-1pm Yoga Flow Bess 4:15-5pm Kids Series (*pre-register) 5:15-6:15pm Prental Yoga Jodie 5:30-6:45pm Ashtanga Yoga Daniel 7-8:15pm Yoga and Meditation Bess Wednesday 9-10:15am Yoga Flow Sam 11-12pm Mom-n-Me (*pre-register) Ena 5:30-6:45pm Yoga Basics Rachael 7-8:15pm Hatha Yoga Sarada/Rachael Thursday 9-10:15am Level 1 Yoga Mike 12:15-1pm Yoga Flow Sam 5:15-6:15pm Prenatal Yoga Sarada/Aramati 5:30-6:45pm Hatha Yoga Paul 7-8:15pm Yoga & Meditation Aramati Friday 9-10:15am Yoga Flow Sam 12-1pm Yoga Flow Nina 4-5:15pm Yin Yoga Alisa 5:30-6:30pm Power Yoga Kristen 7-9pm Kirtan (*see website for dates) Saturday 9-10:15am Kundalini Yoga Kevin 10:30-11:45am Yoga Flow Rachael/Emily 5:30-6:45pm Intermediate Yoga Sarada/Aramati Sunday 7:45-9:15am Guru Gita 2nd & 4th Sundays Staff 9:30-10:45am Hatha Yoga Aramati 4:30-5:30pm Prenatal Yoga Rebecca 5:45-6:45pm Yoga Flow Rebecca 7-7:45pm Meditation Staff

Yoga Classes w/ Janna Pijoan 700 W. Mountain Ave., Ft. Collins, CO 80521 (970) 222-8528 Tuesday 5:30-7pm Intermediate Yoga Saturday 9-10:30am Intermediate Yoga

Janna Janna

Belle Yoga, LLC 1200 S. College Ave., downstairs from Cafe Vino (970) 222-1322 www.BelleYoga.com Tuesday 12-1pm Wednesday 6:30-7:45pm Thurday 12-1pm Saturday 9-10am 10:15-11:30am ISSUE # 10

*Specialty classes: $10 Drop-in, 5-pack $45

All Levels Yoga

Print Your Class Schedule or AdvertiseYour Upcoming Workshop! Contact TYC for more information (970) 214-6921 or yogaconnect23@gmail.com

All Levels Yoga All Levels Yoga Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yoga (~5-9 yrs old) All Levels Yoga

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Mindstream Yoga

Sunday 8:30-10am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 5:30-6:30pm 7-8pm

2555 S. Shields Street, Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970) 490-1300 www.raintreeathleticclub.com Monday 5:30-6:30am 9:15-10:15 am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 1:30-2:30pm 4-5pm 5:30-6:30pm 7-8pm 8:15-9:15pm Tuesday 5:30-6:30am 9:15-10:15am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 1:30-2:30pm 4-5pm 5:30-6:30pm 7-8pm 8:15-9:15pm Wednesday 5:30-6:30am 9:15-10:15am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 1:30-2:30pm 4-5pm 5:30-6:45pm 7-8pm 8:15-9:15pm Thursday 5:30-6:30am 9:15-10:15am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 1:30-2:30pm 4-5pm 5:30-6:30pm 7-8pm 8:15-9:15pm Friday 5:30-6:30am 9:15-10:15am 10:30-11:30am 12-1pm 1:30-2:30pm 4-5pm 5:30-6:30pm Saturday 7:30-8:30am 9-10am 10:30-11:30am 12-1:15pm 5:30-6:30pm

MainStream PowerStream YinStream PowerStream CrossStream FusionStream PowerStream CrossStream MainStream

Jill Daniel Daniel Teressa Teressa Jill Jill Toni Toni

CrossStream CrossStream MainStream SageStream PowerStream CrossStream PowerStream FusionStream MainStream

Heather Heather Chrissy Cara Cara Julia Julia Fay Lauren

MainStream SageStream FusionStream PowerStream TRXStream HotStream PowerStream-XTD CrossStream MainStream

Jill Chrissy Joanna Jill Theresa Daniel Fay Stephanie Darla

CrossStream CrossStream MainStream YinStream PowerStream SageStream PowerStream FusionStream MainStream

Heather Julia Julia Jill Jill Joanna Daniel Fay Lauren

MainStream PowerStream SageStream PowerStream TRXStream FusionStream PowerStream

Kati Cara Cara Fay Theresa Claire Ali

MainStream CrossStream SageStream PowerStream-XTD MainStream

Ali Stephanie Jack Jack Darla

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HotStream PowerStream SageStream MainStream Cross Stream

Claire Claire Joanna Chrissy Stephanie

Raintree Athletic Club

2555 S. Shields Street, Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970) 490-1300 www.raintreeathleticclub.com Monday 9:15-10:15am Heated Power Yoga Stephanie 10:30-11:45am Breathing into Yoga Kathy 12-1:15pm Hatha Yoga Jennifer 5-6:15pm Yoga for Runners Colleen 6-7:15pm Anjali Restorative Yoga Kathleen 6:30-7:30pm Tai Chi Ken Tuesday 5:30-6:30am Heated Power Yoga Alex 8:30-9:45am Yin Yoga Faith 9-10:15am Prana Vinyasa Flow Kimberly 10-11:15am Pranayama Flow Alex 10:30-11:45am Gentle Yoga Marsha 12-1pm Pilates Helene 4:30-5:45pm Gentle/Restorative Yoga Marsha 6-7:15pm Hatha Yoga Paige Wednesday 9:30-10:45am Hatha Yoga Andrea 12-1:15pm Hatha Yoga Jennifer 5-6pm Yin Yoga Jill 6:30-7:30pm Pilates Mariah Thursday 5:30-6:30am Heated Power Alex 8:30-9:30am Pilates w/ props Lee 10-11:15am Pranayama Flow Alex 12-1:15pm Yin Yoga Faith 6-7pm Heated Power Yoga Alex 6-7:15pm Hatha Yoga Emily Friday 8:30-9:45am Pilates Jenny 9-10:15am Prana Vinyasa Flow Kimberly 10-11:15am Hatha Yoga Tamara 5-6pm Hatha Alignment Andrea Saturday 8:30-9:45am Hatha Yoga Kate 9-10am Heated Power Yoga Emily 10-11:15am Yin Yoga Faith Sunday 9:00-10:15am Intro to Vinyasa Yoga Emily 10:30-11:30am Hatha Yoga Tamara 4:30-5:30pm Community Class (Vinyasa) Emily

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Directed at creating the highest level of energy, vitality and freedom. www.LovelandYogaCoreFitness.com Christi Sullivan 100 E 3rd Street Loveland

970.292.8313 ISSUE # 10

Come in for a free week! THE YOGA CONNECTION MAGAZINE

Introduction to Yogic Meditation with Michael LloydBillington at Old Town Yoga. Tuesdays, April 30th from 5:457:45pm. In this introductory mini-workshop, we’ll explore the yogic understanding of meditation, the basic principles, and common challenges for those new to meditation. $20 pre-pay $25 day of. Contact OTY for more information or to register: (970) 222-2777.

Kid’s Yoga Class Series with Jodie Bell, Tuesdays from 4:15-5pm at Om Ananda Yoga. Kids yoga explores different ways to breathe, move, find balance, and concentrate--all in a safe, creative, and fun environment! Pre-registration is required; For ages 6-10 years old. Week long sessions for $36; March 20th, 27th, April 3rd and 10th; April 24, May 1st, 8th and 15th. Contact Om Ananda at (970) 581-8825 for more information or to register.

Kundalini Yoga & Meditation: Shuniya-The Stillness in You with Marianne Monteleone at Old Town Yoga. Saturday, March 17th from 3-5pm. In this Special 2-Hour class, you will experience a kriya (Kundalini yoga set), mantras (sound current), and pranayam (breath work) to create SHUNIYA, stillness, zero. $25 pre-pay/$30 day of. Contact OTY for more information or to register: (970) 222-2777.

Family Fun Yoga Workshop taught by Chantal Febvre at Monk Yoga. Free introductory class on March 24th at 10am. Workshop March 31st, April 7th, 14th, and 21. Yoga for the entire family, 6 weeks old and up. Visit our website for more info: www.monkyoga.net Kids Yoga with Sierra Goldstein at Monk Yoga. Second and Fourth Thursday of every month, starting in March. 3-6 year olds (parents are required on the premises). Visit our website for more info: www.monkyoga.net

Introduction to Kundalini Yoga with Marianne Monteleone at Old Town Yoga. Saturdays in April, from the 7th to the 28th, 1:30-2:45pm. Learn and experience some fundamentals to Kundalini Yoga & Meditation in this 4 week series. 4-week series: $60 preregistration / $75 day of. Contact OTY for more information or to register: (970) 222-2777

Yoga and Meditation Day Immersion at Om Ananda Yoga. Saturday April 7th & Sunday October 7th, 9am-4:30pm (includes lunch, bring a snack to share if you wish). Immerse yourself in the practice of asana, meditation, and chanting for a refreshing, inspiring day. Be nourished spiritually and renew your Self. 2 immersions offered: Investment: $75, $60 students. Preregistration required 4 days prior to immersion. Contact Om Ananda at (970) 581-8825 for more information or to register.

Stress, Anxiety & Depression from a Yoga Perspective with Jim Vassallo at Old Town Yoga. Saturday, May 5th from 10-12:30pm. In this workshop, we will explore the origins of stress, anxiety, and depression. Discuss the steps we must take to overcome our greatest fears. This workshop can be a valuable tool for teachers, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals. All are welcome. Discussion only, so please dress comfortably, bring anything that you will need to be comfortable as well as a pen and a writing pad. $25 pre-reg $30 day of. Contact OTY for more information or to register: (970) 222-2777.

Yoga Nidra-Magical Mystery Tour with Ena Burrud, Certified Yoga Therapist at Om Ananda Yoga. Saturday, April 14th from 1:30-5pm; Come experience your sub-conscious terrain from a progressively relaxed physical and mental state. The mind learns to move through dramas, resistance, anger, and pain. $30 if before Mar. 31st, $38 after. Back by popular demand! Limited Space. Call OAY at 970-581-8825 to register.

Thai Yoga Bodywork 180 Hour Certification Program with Dana Weinkauf-Talbot at Old Town Yoga. Everday from June 8th through June 15th. Time TBD. Learn Thai Massage techniques to improve health and feelings of well being. This certification program is designed for massage therapists who would like to expand their practice, and for yoga teachers who would like to learn new techniques for hands-on modifications and more effective private yoga sessions. Total Program Cost: $2150 (Includes Manual); Early Bird Registration: $1900 Register by May 11th and save $250. Registration must be complete no less than 3 days prior to the course start date. Contact OTY for more information or to register: (970) 2222777.

Kid’s Yoga Day Camp at Om Ananda Yoga. Kids will have a blast at our fun filled day camp! They will enjoy free-spirited activites in a structured environment that integrates the wonderful body/mind/heart benefits of hatha yoga with traditional summer camp activities. Activities include: nearby outings, hatha yoga, music, jewelry making, crafts, and games. Ages 5-10; 3 week-long sessions: June 11-15, 18-22, 25-29, Bring own lunch, simple snacks provided. Monday- Friday 9am-3:00pm. Investment: $250 per week, 50% discount for siblings. Contact Om Ananda at (970) 581-8825 for more information or to register.

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Relationships and the Trap of Commitment A Case for a New Definition of Commitment by Chuck Hancock Everything about us, within as well as without - our relationships, our thoughts, our feelings - is impermanent, in a constant state of flux. Being aware of this, the mind craves permanency … There is only one fact: impermanence. ~J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

n my last article, I wrote about expanding our definition of relationship to look at our relationship with everyone and everything. Through doing this and creating true intimacy in our relationships, we are more able to clearly see ourselves and grow. In this piece, I want to focus on a single aspect of intimate relationship that can trap us and limit our ability to be healthy and grow: commitment. And before you turn the page thinking this doesn’t apply to you because you don’t have a partner or think you already have commitment, remember, we have a relationship (and commitment) with everything, so this applies to our jobs, meditation, yoga, fitness, spiritual practice, and more.

It’s not the relationship or commitment that is the problem, it’s our depending on or clinging to it and the fear of it ending that keeps us from fully expressing ourselves and bringing life to the relationship. When we are dependent on the other and fear that it will end and we conform to what we think the other wants, we are cutting ourselves off from our life force. We are selling ourselves short, living in fear, and not bringing our full self to the relationship. We are depriving ourselves and our partner of our best. But, how do you commit to something that is guaranteed to end? It’s easier if we remember that we can count on nothing to be there tomorrow, and that is true for everything. We may as well not hold on to false expectations. When we remember that it will end one day, it’s a good reminder to bring our best energy to the relationship now. Any commitment not alive in the present moment is based on living in the past or wanting security in the future.

When I look up commitment in the thesaurus, I see it’s associated with words like liability, must, need, and ought. Yuck! In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), it is well known that if you throw “should” into a statement you have the perfect recipe for unrealistic expectations, cognitive distortions, guilt, and plenty of negative self-talk. Actually, nothing “should” or “must” be any particular way other than what it is. In one of my favorite quotes, Virginia Satir says, “Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” So we want to eliminate words like “should” and “must” from or vocabulary, but does that mean we also throw away commitment?

Really, the only thing we can commit to is being fully in relationship right now in each moment, to deepening our relationship, to growth and understanding, and to speaking our truth of the moment, knowing we could be wrong or it may change. By committing to be honest with ourselves and honest with the other in relationship, we are able to see where we are, how we can work with it, and we can grow. The other part of commitment is being present and being willing to hear our partner’s truth, and be okay when it changes too.

One way to view commitment is as a static, permanent obligation. We assume once we commit to a relationship, be it a partnered relationship or a job, that it will always be there, and as long as we conform to another’s expectations, we will be fine and the relationship will last. This leads to the implicit contract of dependence that many of us have with our partner or employer. When we buy into the illusion of permanence, we have a false sense of comfort and security and our relationship can become dull, lifeless, and confining. Even good relationships that bring us joy can grow dull and lifeless when we depend on them. And, when the relationship goes away, it can leave us struggling to find ground.

True commitment helps us to trust and stick it out a little longer, even when our partner’s current truth is a little hard to hear. With true commitment, we practice unconditional acceptance of ourselves and our partner, for who they are, where they are, right now. And, not having an expectation that we or our partner will do this for us perfectly every day, they are human just like us. As we grow and change, we are bound to do so in ways that are difficult for our partner. If we have no commitment, most of us find it easier to just leave. So having commitment can help us to feel safer to speak our truth and grow together, knowing our partner will be willing to hear us out and not just bolt out the door. Even those of us that are “happily married” probably have never defined our commitment in these terms; rather we choose to avoid conflict to keep the peace. But, the price for this false peace is the deeper connection, love, and growth that is possible in authentic relationship.

The reality is that the relationship will end at some point. We will die and the job will change. If we don’t keep working toward deepening our relationships, they will grow flat and the other person may want to leave. The same is true with the relationship to our jobs. If we don’t show up authentically, speak our truth, and keep growing, it grows stale. It’s easy to assume the vows we make and the paper we sign somehow protect us from change. It will end one day, it will not always be there, so why would we just rest on the false sense of security of a paper commitment? By living with the reality of impermanence, we are able to live more fully, co-creating the relationship we want.

You could have this level of commitment in any relationship. This type of honesty is more likely with a friendship, because the risk is lower if they walk away. If you’ve had any good lifelong friends,

“When you truly embrace your human impermanence you connect with the power you have, and influence you have, over the time you have.” ~Steve Maraboli

moment, but did I go too far? I was scared to be that honest with a man I didn’t know, but I took the risk to share my true thoughts. In the next part of the exercise, the receiver was to share the impact of the experience. He shared that it felt like a gift, given to him for no real reason.

you’ve probably been through so many conflicts and deepened in your relationship you don’t need to fear them leaving you because you know you’ve done it before. Speaking your truth can lead to conflict, which when met with commitment to relationship and understanding, can be worked though creating deeper healthier relationship.

Commitment is a gift to ourselves and others in our lives. So show up fully and offer your truth. Give your full self in each moment, accept yourself and honor your partner in this truth. Commit to yourself and others to show up fully in each moment. When we do this, our relationship with ourselves, others, and our practice will deepen. Then instead of a trap, commitment turns into the key that sets you free.

When we are committed, we send the message to our self, our job, our friend, our partner that “I’ll be there for you,” which creates safety for us and the other person to be real and honest. When we feel safe enough to take the risk to speak our truth in that moment, we open ourselves up to see our beliefs and patterns and then when we see them clearly, we can actually change. We can improve our relationship with ourselves, our friends, partners, job, and with our own life. Commitment takes constant renewal and questioning. Why am I doing this? Is what I’m doing leading me closer to this purpose? What is my desire? Commitment made once and depended on like a crutch is a trap and it grows old and stale. A true commitment can only be made in each moment, and when it’s approached with that mindset, it’s alive, fresh and becomes both fuel and passion.

Chuck Hancock, M.Ed., NCC is a National Certified Counselor and a Registered Psychotherapist in the State of Colorado. Chuck is trained in the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, which he uses to facilitate people in a mindfulnessbased, experiential, body-centered form of selfexploration for stress, anxiety, relationships, career issues, and more. He can be reached at chuck@innerlifeadventures.com

If everything is impermanent, what can we commit to? Showing up fully in the present moment and giving fully of ourselves, speaking our truth. Recently I was a participant in a men’s group and in an exercise, I told a man I had just met that I could see his sensitivity and fear. His eyes watered. It was true for me in the

Once Upon A Yogi Time

The Thorned Bush by Swami Pushkaryananda

nce upon a yogi time there was a sadhu (good man who is a renunciate) traveling by foot from one town to another. He took a walk after his morning meditation. The air was crisp and the birds were singing and giving him company as he entered the forest. Before noon, the sadhu decided to take a break and sat down on a rock. Suddenly he heard someone screaming not too far away from him. He decided to come closer and offer his help. In a small opening in the forest, he found a man yelling in pain and hugging a thorned bush. The sadhu watched as the man kept screaming, “Please somebody help me, please!” The sadhu came closer to the man and said, “I think I can help you, but you have to listen to me.” “Yes, I will do anything but make the pain of the thorns stop,” the man said. “Very well, relax your body and lift your right arm up and bring it back slowly,” the sadhu said in a calm voice. “I am doing it sadhu and yes, it feels good, thank you,” replied the man. “Very well, now you will do the same with your left arm, lift it up and bring it back,” the sadhu instructed. “Ah! I feel better already, thank you,” the man said. “You are doing great, now listen carefully and bring one leg back and then the other and after that slowly take a couple of steps back towards me,” the sadhu patiently said. The man did as the sadhu said and turned around to face the sadhu. “Thank you! You are a blessing to me today,” the man said, vowing to the sadhu. “Now that you are away from the thorned bush, tell me, how did you get into that situation? That is a beautiful bush, I wonder if you were trying to take the flowers?” the sadhu asked. By now the man looked at the sadhu suspiciously and started to walk closer to the thorned bush and said, “I see what you are doing evil one, you want the bush for yourself and that is why you wanted me far away from it, isn’t it? The Sadhu replied, “No, you are wrong, I heard you screaming and came to help you. Don’t be silly, no one wants your bush, nor your pain.” “No, I see your intentions clearly and won’t let go of it. I found it, it is mine, it gives me meaning and purpose,” the man said as he ran back to the thorned bush and hugged it tightly again. The Sadhu took a deep breath, blessed the man, and turned around to continue his path. Far away in the distance, he could still hear the man screaming for help. What a story! Why is it so hard to listen and let go of our pain? When we ask for help, do we really want it? Are we willing to do what it takes to remove it? In the words of Sri Goswami Kriyananda, “Freedom comes through letting go. But, the only way you can let go is if you can stop the flow of negative emotions in your subconscious mind. It is hard sometimes to tell the difference between a weed and a flower. You need to turn inward and establish that inner feeling, that centering, so that you can see clearly which inward emotions are destructive to your life and to you.”

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SPRING 2012