Mary's Yoga Thoughts

The "Bodhi Flow" is a four-tiered vinyasa, intended to open and strengthen the body from the "inside out".- Bodhi Yoga YTT Manual Each tier can be practiced four times before moving on to the next, or they can be practiced in sequence 1-4 and then repeating all.  Tier one is about warming the body with forward folds and downward dog. Tier two begins to open up flexibility, including low lunge and triangle. Tier three increases strength and stamina with chaturanga, warrior II and more. Finally, tier four is for releasing tension with a tucked roll, and utilizes a special mudra at the heart center.  All together, it is a beautiful, challenging, juicy sequence that expands and contracts, balances both sides of the body, opens hips and chest, and feels good. Each tier can be adapted to any moderate level of mobility.    Bodhi Yoga

I love that the breath is a tool I have with me always. No matter where I am or what I'm doing. Breath is incredible because it is both involuntary and voluntary. It runs on autopilot in the background of my life, sustaining me without my having to think about it or monitor it at all. And yet! When I want to, I can control it. Pranayama, or breath regulation, is a part of yoga that I have brought into my every day life.  I try to use the breath as a way to calm myself, or energize myself (depending on what I need in the moment). I utilize a long deep exhale to create space between stimulus and response. This helps me remain calm when responding to the many stressors and sensory overwhelm of raising 4 young children. I used my breath in all of my (quite traumatic) labor and delivery experiences, allowing the focus on it to hold me completely still during moments of delicate medical procedures, or to move me through many hours of contractions.  My favorite feeling during a yoga ...

I have problems with my neck. Many years ago it was injured and its never been the same since. I've been to several chiropractors over the course of years to care for it. There was a time when I could float up into headstands (with my arms holding most of the weight, of course), but its been a long time since I let myself try one again. Its not worth the pain and stiffness that might follow for days and weeks afterward. The other day I was in a yoga class. Feeling a little self-conscious and trying to re-focus my mind time and time again on my own mat, my eyes wandering to see what the other students were doing. Comparing myself to their younger, leaner bodies.  The time came when the teacher prompted us to take a shoulder stand. Normally I would have peacefully opted out, to protect my neck. But my EGO showed up. It told me I had to show the teacher and the other students what I could do, especially since I'm becoming a teacher myself. I took the shoulder stand, and immediatel...

Beginning a yoga practice is simple. You dont need to slide into the spilts or bend your body into a pretzel to practice yoga. All you need to do is breathe.  Yoga is all about becoming present. I think of presence as bringing my busy mind to meet my body. Rather than thinking about the past (what happened with my child this morning) or the future ( what should I pick up at the store today?), I bring my mind to the NOW. It helps me to focus on my physical sensations. What can I feel right now? My legs on the chair. The way the fabric of my shirt rubs against my belly. The temperature of the air on my skin. The inhale and exhale of air through my nostrils. I focus on filling up and emptying my lungs as thoroughly as I can. I slow down. And I just notice things. I observe. Sounds around me. Smells. Tightness in my muscles. And I breathe, in and out. In and out. Sometimes the stillness is all I need. But sometimes, when I tune into my body like this, even briefly, it tells me what it ...

I fell in love with yoga in 2011, while struggling through the brutal world of infertility. The fact that I couldn't get pregnant rocked me to my core. It strained my marriage, my faith, my emotional health, and my relationship with my own body. I felt betrayed and angry.  The group fitness room at my local gym became my sanctuary. Twice a week, when our teacher, Holly, would dim the lights and guide us through a yoga practice, I felt peace and presence. I learned to appreciate my physical strength and loved the sensation of alignment and bringing my awareness to my body and the power of my breath. I was invited to challenge myself in new ways, to adapt, and to become more flexible, on and off the mat.  Since then, I have abandoned and returned to my practice over and over. Over the years, yoga practice has carried me through many rounds of IVF, four pregnancies (two high risk), postpartum healing, rehabing injuries, grief and joy, weight gain and loss, times of confidence and...