In the essay, Andy talks about how when he assumes the role of “teacher” in a relationship, it inevitably leads to the downfall of that relationship.

I’ve had boyfriends who like to teach me things before. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

I am the type of person who needs to read the directions a few times, who then needs to then learn by doing. I have to get my hands on it, whatever it is. I think that’s why I have problems with concepts like  finance – although I am a whiz at personal budgeting. If I had a model of the world and the banks and lots of little play money, I could probably figure it out.

My boyfriend hasn’t had the opportunity to teach me much yet.  Well maybe a couple of things and one thing that he was shocked that I didn’t know how to do already. He’s fairly patient with the teaching, but in conversation he has said a few things that if we were in person and not communicating over the phone, I would probably have felt like smacking the back of his head.

For example, one time he said, “You cannot be that naive.”  This was in a conversation where we were both being rather naive, if you really get down to it. Or naive in that when people write or say things, we tend to believe them because neither of us makes a habit of lying.

I do like to have a man show me how to do something. I’ve learned that they enjoy being needed, so I have no problem with saying, “I don’t get this, would you please show me how it’s done.” Plus, I like to learn new things.

Once, I had a boyfriend who was very arrogant, very much an I-know-it-all type. My brake light was not working. We took a look at it and tried to find a replacement. There was no replacement at the first store that we looked it. We looked at the light again and noticed that it was full of water. Hhmm. Interesting.

For some reason, he stopped there.

We went home, I got some tools, I went out to my Mom-van and took the light apart. I turned it upside down, poured the water out, put it back together. It worked again. (Now I park farther under the carport to avoid further leaks).

The interesting thing to me was that when it looked like it wouldn’t be a quick fix, Mr. Arrogance just walked away. It ceased to matter or possibly to exist to him. It took me, Ms.The Only Way It’s Gonna Get Done, to take care of my own problem, because Mr. Arrogance noticed that something more interesting was on Fox News.

My point is this, a man may have a lot to offer and then again he may not. Don’t depend on them to teach you. Teach yourself. When I fixed that light on my own, with no help from my ex, I felt 10 feet tall.

This also goes for setting up your stereo system, your dvd, your home theater system, carrying heavy stuff, putting together a computer desk kit. Just do it yourself. It will feel great.

Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography

Post from: Blisstree

Teaching, Learning, Doing It Yourself

Groundhog be darned, we are on final approach to spring, with March 21 just weeks away.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to plan for the months ahead.  I look at ways to clean up in a lot of areas of my life.  I finish up lingering projects, donate clothes I no longer wear, physically clean everything, shape up my diet and refocus my practices in hopes of making them more productive and fun.

These are my spring rituals, and when I carry them through to completion, I feel happier, more centered and at peace.  I feel as though I can relax and enjoy the warmer days and months that are approaching.

This spring, I plan to focus my practices a bit more on Bikram and Ashtanga yoga, in hopes of sweating off the toxins that I know are clogging my system, and taking my practice to a more physical place.  I’m really interested in seeing what this combo will produce for me, body and soul.

What are your spring rituals?  I’d love to hear about what you do to reenergize and regenerate yourselves in this season of growth.  Drop me a line, I’ll post your ideas and and plans right here, on She Knows Yoga.

C’mon.  Share your stuff with the rest of us! Let’s grow together

Peace.

Image: Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

What are Your Spring Rituals?

Saturday, January 24 is a big day for yoga.  Yoga Alliance Registered Teachers (RYT) and Schools (RYS) will be offering free or nearly-free yoga workshops at hundreds of locations across the U.S.

Created by the Yoga Alliance, the purpose of the event is to provide yoga teachers and schools with the opportunity to meet the “unique” needs of their own individual communities, and to raise funds for local charities. 

As the Yoga Day USA website explains, “in the practice of karma yoga or service to others, these amazing yoga teachers and schools use their talents to help build community and change lives through yoga.”  

To find out how you can join the fun, check the location finder at the Yoga Day USA website.  For more information about the Yoga Alliance, click here.

Help us build our community and extend our service this Saturday!

Peace.

image: Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrate the Spirit of Yoga Across the U.S. this Saturday

As I personally reflect on 2008, with all of its change, turmoil and, in the end, stress, one word comes to mind–balance.

Whether I am contemplating my work load, family obligations, goals or personal life, I find myself tipping one way or the other, and not in a constructive way.  I place too much emphasis on one aspect of my life, often sacrificing the others.  Looking at the end result, it’s just not a productive, healthy way to go.   

As I look forward to 2009, I am determined to make a real change.  My practices in yoga and meditation respectively, and in Pilates as well, are driving me to make much-needed alterations in my priorities and my thinking.

In many ways, yoga is all about balance.  With a strong practice, there is no doubt we can all enhance our physical sense of balance.  Through our meditation, we can teach ourselves how to prioritize our emotions and perceptions through mindfulness and awareness. 

Pilates, with its emphasis on building core body strength enhances my body’s ability to meet and effect change.

Though not exactly a New year’s resolution, I plan to continue emphasizing all three practices into 2009.  What will be different for me will be my resolution to utilize all three to reorder my priorities and indulge in a little self-care and love, to strike the right balance.  In fact, I think it’s the first time I will be putting myself first to a greater degree.  I know it sounds a wee bit selfish, but it’s not.  In the end, if I take care of myself, while learning a little bit more about me in the process, I will ultimately be able to use that information to enact a proper balance, and I won’t be the only one who benefits. 

My family, friends and colleagues will also reap the rewards of working and interacting with a healthier, more sustainable soul and spirit, one who is much less prone to anxiety, and much more aware of her place in the universe.

That’s just a look ahead to my path in 2009, and where I hope my practices will take me.  I’d like to hear about your resolutions, too.  And don’t forget to offer up your questions about yoga, meditation and Pilates to me right here, and I will be sure to answer them in the most balanced, substantive way I can.  There’s a lot that we can all accomplish, but even more that we can achieve together.

Peace.

Post from: Blisstree

Striking a Balance for the New Year

Hello everyone!

Just a quick reminder to all of you getting into a practice, or hoping to expand your yoga wardrobe a little!  Be sure to enter the contest currently running on She Knows Yoga to win a cozy pair of new yoga pants from bepresent.com.  Just follow the simple rules below, leave me a comment and let me know how yoga makes your life a little better and you are good to go!  I’ll be drawing the lucky winner’s name December 12. Good luck and have fun! 

A Comfy New Pair of Yoga Pants Could be Yours!

If you’ve checked out my Holiday Shopping Guide, then you know She Knows Yoga is raffling off a pair of Agility Pants (pictured above) from bepresent.com. These normally retail for $63.00, and would make a nice gift for someone you love who loves yoga, or a lovely treat for yourself.

The pants sit on the hips and feature back slits. an adjustable drawstring waist, darted knees and patch pockets.  Color and size will be based on availability.

Here’s how to enter:

Check out the yoga wear at www.bepresent.com.

Leave a comment for me at She Knows Yoga on how yoga and meditation have changed your life, and how you think the agility pant would help you enjoy your practice more.

Go ahead and offer up a link exchange between your blog and She Knows Yoga to increase your chances to win!

Don’t miss your chance! Contest ends December 12.

Peace. 

Post from: Blisstree

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Win at She Knows Yoga!

Still searching for the right gift for your favorite yoga lover, or a little something for yourself?

Our friends at YogaDirect.com are offering a 10% discount exclusively to She Knows Yoga readers for the holidays. Go online and browse, and when you finish shopping,  just enter promo code SKY10 at the check out.  Yoga mats, bolsters, eye pillows, everything you might want or need for your practice. If you’re looking for other products or shopping ideas on the mat or off, be sure to visit my holiday shopping guide page for even more goodies.  More to come!

Peace. 

Post from: Blisstree

Even More for Your Holidays at She Knows Yoga!

I felt this was a really appropriate topic today.   Returning to work after two weeks off, I thought I’d be a little more relaxed. Wishful thinking
.  I didn’t realize it until my should started throbbing at about 9 p.m. last night.  Anxiety was beginning to permeate my body, ever so slightly.

My right shoulder is always the first to go.  It’s what I call my stress “search light,” sending out signals that I will soon be tied up in little knots.

It goes from throbbing to burning to out-and-out pain.  Then it moves to my into neck and lower back.  It’s a lot of fun!

So I knew it was time to do a little breathing, and to get into one of my favorite poses, the Seated Forward Bend.

This is a very simple pose, and for me, stretches all the right areas.  Here’s how it goes:

 -Sit with a folded towel under your buttocks

- Place a folded blanket or towel on top of your shins, close to your feet, and a pillow  or bolster on top of your upper thighs for support

-Bend forward over your legs, and grab your feet with your hands

-Rest your forehead on the blanket, and your abdomen on the pillow/bolster

-Hold for up to three minutes

This pose does wonders for me.  It stretches my shoulders, neck and lower back, all in one move.  It’s quite simple and effective.  Give it a try and it will really loosen you up.

Peace.

- 

Post from: Blisstree

Fight Anxiety with this Simple Pose

There’s a lot to yoga–and meditation, Pilates, and especially to what I call the yoga “lifestyle.”

One of the most wonderful aspects of any yoga or meditation practice is how much you can deepen it over time.  I really do tend to be your typical American–impatient with myself (and sometimes others), eager to be an expert at something (like yoga) almost immediately.  

But that attitude is counter-intuitive to a yoga or meditation practice.  There are so many layers to delve into, so many depths to plumb, that it is just not possible to be what any of us would consider “expert” in a few years, let alone a few days.  

If you are new to your practice, or perhaps just considering getting into yoga or meditation, then give yourself the luxury of time and patience.  For many advanced practitioners that you read about, these are pursuits that can–and should– span a lifetime.  That’s the true beauty of it.  You can learn, grow and reap the benefits each and every day. 

I’m hoping many of you who are considering a practice use this dormant winter season to select the right “seeds” to plant in your garden.  Now really is an excellent time to begin, learn and grow. 

I’ve invited everyone who reads my blog to provide me with questions or topics they’d like to see answered or discussed on this blog.  I especially encourage all of you who are new to this to share your ideas and questions with me so we can all develop our practices and learn from each other.

It may be a little cold inside, but let’s share our warmth and curiousity, and take one step at a time together as we watch our “gardens” grow.

Peace.

Post from: Blisstree

Practice Patience

One of the most important–and with my schedule, too often overlooked–things I have time to do when the year winds down, is catch up on my reading.

Because, yoga, meditation, Pilates and what I call the “lifestyle” are such deep and studied topics, I am going to begin a new tradition with this blog.  I’d like to share with all of you some of the books I have found helpful and instructive, and recommend them to you to check out and share.   

My first choice would be the The Heart of Meditation, Pathways to a Deeper Experience, by Sally Kempton.  This is an amazing book that explores Eastern Meditation, and one that will open your eyes and your heart.  Pick it up, and I promise it will deepen your understanding and your practice.

There’s an awful lot of discussion about the benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets.  There’s a school of thought that such a diet can even help reverse Type II diabetes.  Dr. Neal Barnard’s book by that name, The Reverse Diabetes Diet, proposes (and is supported by research) that the low-fat vegan diet controls blood sugar three times more effectively than the American Diabetes Association’s diet.  If you or someone you care about is afflicted with diabetes, it’s definitely worth taking a look at this book. 

If you’re looking for a book that will provide you with illustrations of yoga positions and details of breathing techniques, then The Light of Yoga by B.K.S. Ivengar, first penned back in 1966, is still a staple for your library and practice.  Whether it’s for you, or a gift for someone special, this is a wonderful addition to a yoga lover’s library.

Hope you’ll have some time to catch up on your reading and meditation this holiday season. Makes all the difference in the world.  That’s my wish for all of you.

Peace.

Post from: Blisstree

Recommended Reading for the Holidays at She Knows Yoga

As part of my contribution to this year’s Holiday Shopping Guide, I included a lovely treat for yoga lovers of all levels!  I wanted to be sure to call it out here as a special welcome to She Knows Yoga.

Beginning today and for the next two weeks, readers can go to My Yoga Online, enter a special promotional code, and enjoy access to online instruction, information about sustainability and the yoga lifestyle, and generally hang out, learn more about your practice and get great tips, too!

Here’s how it works:

Beginning TODAY, just follow this link, and enter promo code RY097381 to activate your free two-week trial.  What a great way to relax through the holidays.  It’s that simple, and that fun!

What a great time of year to bolster your practice, or if you’re new to yoga, to really get a good head start on your practice.

Enjoy, and Peace.

Post from: Blisstree

Check Out Two Free Weeks of Yoga Starting Today!