Focus Forward Friday: Moving Toward Full Camel

Camel and camel: I love it. Photo via FYeahYoga on Tumblr.

Happy Friday, yogis! Hope you've all been having a week to remember. :) 

Things here have been busy, so apologies for my quiet blog space the past few days. I've got a bunch of great content in the works, though... and I'm hoping to hole up in a coffee shop soon and get some things ready to publish. Let's just say: you won't want to miss next week on the blog!

It's true for camel pose, and it's true for the blog next week. Photo illustration via I Can Read on Tumblr.

Focus Forward Friday: A weekly ritual for deepening your Bikram practice.

Today's focus: you can do backbends; you just have to let go of your fear about them. First off, for you yoga beginners: do backbends scare you? Or maybe advanced yoga students, too: do you get nervous whenever a backbend posture is approaching in the series?

Here's a tip: stay with the words. In the dialogue, the transition from Half Moon right and left bends and the backbend is seamless. When you get to the front of your mat and stand up on your knees for rabbit, there is no break. There's no moment to rest or think about it; you just do it. You let your head fall back, and then you keep going.

At first, this can be terrifying. Bend backward? But my spine hurts like hell! But my head will fall off! But I'm so dizzy I'll fall! Those are some of the thoughts that have raced through my mind, and which sometimes still do. 

Meeting resistance when you get to a backbend just means one thing: you need to let go.

Here's why you can trust Juliana's advice on full camel posture. She's got an amazing one! Photo via Facebook.

Ignore the fear. Enjoy the ride. Lean back, push back, way back -- and just see what happens! Maybe today's not the best for your backbend, but if you keep at it, tomorrow will be.

As always, though, be sure to watch for pain and remember to take care of your own body. Here's some great reading from Yoga Journal on neck placement in camel pose. Or check out this site's step-by-step description of coming in and out of the posture.

Remember: having a teacher in person to watch your progress and make corrections is your safest bet! And it ensures you get all the medical benefits you deserve.

Photo via slidingsideways on Flickr.

For today's focus, I also wanted to bring you the awesome advice I received on getting into Full Camel posture from some of my favorite yogini bloggers. After I posted this request for tips, both Marsha of Breathing Always Normal and J of Lock the Knee responded right away with some incredible thoughts on moving your camel into full camel.

Progressing in this posture is one of my biggest yoga goals right now, so I'll be meeting up with a few teachers at my studio for more personalized advice. I challenge you, readers, to do the same!

From Marsha @ Breathing Always Normal (@breathenormal on Twitter)

When I first went to advanced I was taught to go into full by setting up like regular camel, but putting your hands in prayer instead of on your hips. Toes (and heels if possible) together. Really PUSH your hips forward as you bend back. As you go back, extend your arms until they are straight and try to touch the floor with your fingertips. Keep pushing hips forward. 

Once you can do that then instead of hands in prayer at the beginning you can put you hands in a 'W' on your forehead and imagine your heels fitting in the points of the "W' when you bend backwards. Now I am trying to slide my fingers up my calves to get my head further forward. 

From Juliana (the Dancing J) @ Lock the Knee

Best way to learn advanced postures is IN PERSON from a competent teacher. Period. Find a teacher at your studio who can help you, somebody who knows your practice. There oughta be someone around there who's familiar with this stuff.

Your goal is not to make your lower back more flexible. This posture is about the flexibility of the WHOLE spine - lower back, middle back, upper back. In a good full camel, whole spine is bending evenly. Very hard. I've been improving my spine by just practicing the beginner's series. There are tons of backbends in there. My full camel keeps improving even when I don't get to practice advanced series, just because I keep practicing the 26 and 2.

Remember, yoga practice is about medical benefits. There's no additional medical benefit to sticking your head on your feet. Your backbends will naturally deepen as you improve your spine through consistent practice. No rush.
Thanks for sharing your helpful and motivating advice, ladies. You are inspiring!


And readers, if you have other thoughts or stories about your camel pose, please share below.
Enjoy the weekend, all!

Photo via this blogger's post on a 30-day Bikram challenge.

Focus Forward Friday: Rabbit Pose

Photo above via the Bikram Yoga Women's Retreat on Facebook. 

Photo below by yours truly!

Focus Forward Friday: 

A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: rabbit pose. Anyone out there love this asana? It's the deepest forward fold in the Bikram series, and a great compression posture that comes pretty late in the floor series. 

I find that I have a love-hate relationship with this posture, mostly because of my tight cervical spine. I have to be really careful not to overdo it or go too far... yet at the same time, on days when my neck needs it, Rabbit can be the best medicine! It's one of the most healing postures I've found in Bikram.

My advice for those new to rabbit? Really put a lot of weight into your hands. Pull harder than you think you need to. And do use a towel over your heels. I know some studios teach against this, but that's disappointing to me. You don't want the chance of slipping and throwing your neck out of whack. 

Whatever your studio's dialogue style, be sure to take it slow in this posture, and don't expect results overnight. It can take a long time to feel the stretch move from your neck down your spine, but once you do it's totally worth it!

Photo via Bikram Yoga San Antonio.

Another tip: introduce your belly to your spine and really suck your tummy in. By clearing this space in your abdomen, you'll be able to stretch farther and with more ease. Like in Standing Head to Knee, this is a critical first step for this posture. And a reason not to eat much before class!

Rabbit is also great if you've got a cold or have thyroid problems (it's supposed to aid immunity and balance hormones). Score!

To read more about rabbit pose from Bikram headquarters, click here.

Photo via Bikram's site.

Finally, a little explanation about this series. I realized the other day it's not exactly clear what Focus Forward Friday really is, or why I started it. So I wanted to give you all the whole story :)

Photo via Threading in the Choirs.

Focus Forward Friday is a weekly reminder here on the blog. Its main purpose is to remind you of your own strength and that you have the choice to place your focus where you want it to be -- and that goes for when you're in yoga class or not on the mat!

Wherever you are, you have the power to focus forward. To focus on the present moment. To see yourself in the mirror, doing your yoga -- or see your true self, living your life -- wherever you are right now.

But only if you want to.

The series is also a weekly exploration of where a dedicated yogi should place his or her focus. Each topic I choose is meant to inspire you to think more deeply about how you use your yoga both on and off the mat.

You can think of Focus Forward Friday as a little party every week on the blog. Photo via Max Wanger.

The bottom line behind the series is to get you thinking creatively about how to live your yoga one week at a time. I hope it helps! 

If you have any feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Or chime in with a topic you'd love to see me post on next Friday! I'd love to hear from you.

Have a happy weekend, all. Enjoy spring time floating in the air! Get some time with your loved ones and go for a bike ride or have a picnic. I'll be enjoying some time in the hot room, with my Hubs, and with my cousins from North Carolina.

Namaste.

Photo via Sloan Photography.

Focus Forward Friday: Get Sponsored to Do Yoga

Photo via Coffee and Yoga.

Focus Forward Friday: 
A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: the blog sponsorship. Did you read my recent post on how you can get free classes, sweet yoga wear, green products, and a whole bunch of awesome custom yoga advice and motivation from yours truly?

If you missed out, here are the details again.

Who: any yogi, male or female, any age, any location, who practices any style of yoga (not just Bikram!).

When: apps due by the end of January (I can extend the deadline by a few days if you need a bit of extra time). Winners will be announced in early February.

Sponsorship may also induce happiness, relaxation and mind-body connection. 

Photos via Coffee and Yoga.

What: if you are chosen, you'll get a bunch of sweet perks. Free yoga classes (details to be determined). Lots of loot (yoga wear, cool products, treats from me and other blog partners). Excellent advice from an advanced Bikram student who's practiced a variety of styles and who's passionate about sharing yoga with others (and teaching one day!). Ongoing communication. The chance to write for the blog, promote it to your yoga community, and watch it grow. And much, much more! 

How: email me at aliveinthefire at gmail dot com for an application. Then I'll send you the form to fill out with more info on your background, your yoga practice, and what you plan to bring to the blog space and community if you are chosen. Note: you'll want to be sure to read the fine print and sign digitally before you send back. Photos welcome, too! I like being able to put names to faces, and if you've got a shot of yourself doing your favorite posture, that's perfect.


A quick note: only dedicated yogis need apply. I plan to choose someone as my go-to person for discussing yoga-related topics and creative ideas for the blog. I expect to find someone who's creative, fun, laid-back, punctual, hardworking, and kind. I want someone with extreme enthusiasm for their yoga, for the blog, and for making positive changes in their life. If you're not ready to make the commitment, please don't ask for an application.


Along the same lines: please feel free to use your creativity here! You'll need to fill out the application, but if you are so inclined to add to it, share the blog with your friends, increase the followers and invite people to check out the Twitter, by all means -- go for it! Going above and beyond won't hurt your chances :)


Are you ready to take your yoga practice to the next level? 


Contact me today. (aliveinthefire at gmail dot com)

This is not the end; there is no end in yoga. Photo via Coffee and Yoga.

Focus Forward Friday: Do More Than Bikram

Photos via Google and the Breakti website. Go Anya!

Focus Forward Friday: 
A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: trying new styles. Have you ever taken a hot Vinyasa flow class? Or tried Forrest yoga? What about Breakti? I bet you'd be up for a little breakdancing along with your yoga flow. I certainly would!

This month I've been adventuring around Chicago to new studios, and my body has been thanking me for trying new postures, meeting new teachers, and mixing it up on the mat.

I highly recommend you expand your Bikram practice with a few other classes each week. Often studios have intro specials or free community classes if your budget is an issue. You can always contact teachers and studio owners, too, and see if you can work something out.

If you've tried a new style you love, share a comment below! I'd love to hear how expanding your practice has helped your yoga, physically and mentally. I'd also love to hear if you have a favorite yoga book or DVD you're into lately.

I'll be sharing some stories very soon about practicing at a California Bikram studio, at TruHarmony Chicago (vinyasa), and at YogaNow Chicago (a Forrest class). Stay tuned!

Namaste and happy Friday, all. Enjoy your yoga!

A 12-Step Program for the Beginning Bikram Yogi: How and Why to Quit the Fidget

Um, how exactly do you expect to hold this if you're twitching all over the place?

I hate to admit it, but the other day another girl really got to me during Bikram class.

We’ve never met, I don’t know her, and it’s probably wrong to form an opinion about this chick without even having spoken to her…but man, you should have been there. It was ugly:

She couldn’t get through three seconds of class – during postures and in between them – without fidgeting. She was wiping sweat. She was checking herself out in the reflection of the side-wall window. She was adjusting her hair. She was squeezing her belly paunch and making dissatisfied faces at her own reflection. She was making eye contact with her friend across the room.

In short, she was doing everything but the postures themselves.

And dudes, it was pissing me off. When it comes to dealing with difficult emotions, anger’s not my forte. I don’t enjoy building up a large dose of fury within myself. And when I do, I’m generally not sure how to handle it.

And goodness knows: the heat in the Bikram studio is enough to make my blood boil and turn my face red – I don’t know about you, but I don’t need another reason to swelter. Not to mention, the 90-minute meditation is supposed to be a soothing sort of practice.

Short and sweet: you should be still – frozen, motionless, absolutely static and silent – for a pretty big chunk of class. Whether you’re technically in savasana or simply resting in between sets of the standing series postures, you should be a living statue!

By literal definition, finding stillness is as important as utilizing integrity and depth in the postures themselves. Heck, it’s inherent to their very name – asana refers not just to the physical fulfillment of the position, but also finding calm within that configuration. You arrange the different components of the body in a specific way, but what’s more: you do so for the purpose of achieving balance, promoting physical health, and attaining mental relaxation. It’s like the name of “standing separate leg head to knee pose” – the phrase “head to knee” implies that you must make contact between the exactly forehead and the exactly knee in order to receive the medical benefit of the posture. Not the nose. Not the chin. The forehead. In this same way, every asana requires the reaching of stillness. It’s not an option!

Reasons to Quit the Fidget:

1. Find peace. Bottom line. Isn’t this a big reason you’re stepping foot into the Torture Chamber, anyway?

2. Stop annoying the hell out of the yogis around you.

3. Balance. What a concept, right? And you were wondering why you couldn’t hold standing bow…

4. Energy. You’ll actually have more to put toward the real Bikram, rather than your frenzied fiddles.

5. You won’t feel so sorry for yourself! One of my favorite moments in yoga is when, right in the middle of class, an instructor randomly blurts, “Great, now stop looking so sad! Next set…” They slide that quick little sentence in with the other instructions like it’s part of the dialogue, when in reality it should be. How many times have you looked around the hot room to see some pretty miserably contorted facial expressions? Or made them yourself?

6. When you feel sorry for yourself, you quit sooner. So when you stop feeling sorry for yourself because you’re so tired from wasting energy fidgeting and because you couldn’t balance if you life depended on it (see #3, #4 and #5) – then you’ll actually be able to stay in the pose until “change” rather than pooping out early.

7. Your body actually needs that sweat you keep wiping away. One of my favorite instructors brings this up often, calling people out when they stop to reach for their brows, or worse, down for their towels.

8. You’ll be able to breathe better.

9. You leave the drama at the door. You get a chance to get away from our insane, insanely fast-paced world instead of allowing the madness in the door.

10. You learn discipline. You learn. Discipline. You. Learn. Discipline!

11. You stick together as a class, and you benefit from the energy of those around you. Holy crap, I can’t stand when people move at their own pace. And granted, at first I found it difficult to stick with the instructor and the rest of the yogis around me, but once you learn what a blessing this can be, people who throw it off become extremely pesky!

12. Uh, it’s part of the DIALOGUE. And what’s rule #1 in Bikram? Obey the freaking DIALOGUE!

So what happened with Miss Drama, with her jitters and spasms, her ridiculous song and dance, her sad faces when she couldn’t hit any of the postures with Bengal tiger strength? As a matter of fact, turns out none of my fierce, defiant glaring in her direction helped a damn thing. She just kept on squirming around like a restless worm. And she reminded me of another reason it does you no good to get distracted from those around you in the yoga room:

It just takes away from your own practice.

But hey, there was one redeeming factor. Crazy girl inspired me to stay for a second class.

It just so happened that my first one sucked so bad and I was so all over the place that I just couldn’t resist sticking around for the 7:30pm. And that, my friends, was an adventure in and of itself. Stay tuned for the next post!

Private Practice: Just You and the Mirror

Photo Via Health Food Nation.

After some careful thought about yesterday's post -- and with the help of my sexy, remarkable fiance and his willingness to love me no matter what -- I came to a realization that might have the power to revolutionize my Bikram practice (or, if applied more widely, my life!):

In the hot room, your focus should be forward. Your practice grows when it is intensely, deeply, passionately focused.

Sounds simple enough, right? Keep your eyes on the mirror and you should be good to go.

But in reality, it's not always so easy. We want to look around the room, see what local characters have joined tonight's class. We start to compare our bodies to those around us. We check to see if friends are around. We guess what that guy over there does for a living, whether that old lady up front will be able to keep up, how the woman one row back can possibly be so flexible. Or smelly. Or whatever.

If your mind is wandering around all over the place,
what are you practicing?

Bikram reminds us: "The whole Bikram class is one big brainwashing session." Or, one of my personal favorites which one exceptional teacher from my studio often repeats throughout class:

"If you let someone steal your peace, you lose."

So next time you find yourself aware of how crowded the torture chamber is, and the endless amount of distractions available to you -- the unceasing number of emotions, thoughts, disruptions present all around -- let them go. Get out of your own head. Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Not only will it prevent you from falling out of the balancing poses in the standing series, but it will strengthen your entire practice from the inside out.

Bikram is a collective experience and requires a group energy, but it is first and foremost a private practice. Keep it between just you and the mirror!