7 Random Things About Me

I was tagged for this so long ago, I don’t remember who tagged me! (Sorry)! It is a fun one, though, so I thought I would put it out there now.

Here are the rules:

- Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. (If you can remember who tagged you that is...)
- Share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
- Tag people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
- Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here they are!
o I am a closet Rocker. It is true! I can hardly sit still when I hear Bruce Springsteen or the Steve Miller band.
o I also love Lionel Richie. I got tickets for a concert in high school and even my boyfriend wouldn’t come with me! My science lab partner said he would love to go and my boyfriend was relieved! ☺ (On a bright note – that same lab partner then took my to Billy Joel as a thank you!) (And did I mention I am a “Fanillow” too! )
o I really do not enjoy shopping. I can hardly even go into a mall for a “quickie”. Even catalog shopping isn’t fun because I often have to return it for another size and returning something feels so inconvenient. My friends often give me hand-me-downs and I love them for it! Pre-washed, I know they won’t shrink, and I never set foot in a store.
o My favorite movie of all time: True Lies. (I think it has to do with the fact that I wanted to be James Bond when I was little. Never a teacher or a mom or a nurse, just a spy!)
o I love to sweat when I am exercising! I love the feeling of working my body that way.
o I cannot figure out lyrics to songs. It can be quite amusing to listen to what I say. (I thought “Midnight toker” was a “Midnight talker” – which makes sense if you know me – I talk a lot!)
o I studied at the London School of Economics. Go figure! ☺
o “Louie” (pronounced Lou – ee) is my family’s nickname for me and has been for as long as I can remember. My middle name is Louise and apparently when I was learning to talk I called myself “La La Louie”. It was used so exclusively when I was young that I thought it was my name. When I went to study in Italy, it became “Luigi”.

Now I want to here from you! and especially: Karen, Marya, Beth, Tammy

Samskaras: Part II

To take the analogy a bit further from Part I, when we drive through such deep ruts, aren’t you completely fixated on the ruts? It can be a bit scary to go through them and you are focused on the work involved. Ironically, if you were to look up, not only would you see that you are actually in a vast Africa Savannah and can see for miles, you would also find that driving through the ruts is easier as well when you are focused on where you are going.

Ruts keep us stuck in our old consciousness with our limited perspective. Look up! There is an infinite array of things you can do!

Samskaras: Part I

There is this wonderful Sanskrit word I just love: Samskaras. It actually has around 20 meanings (almost literally, check the The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga by Georg Feuerstein). My favorite translation is “mental permeations”. It refers to having a set mental pattern. In other words, we think the same way every time the same thing happens. You always feel annoyed when your Dad tells that story from when you were young. You always feel irritated when the person in the cube next door begins to talk loudly on the phone. You always feel stress and tension when you see traffic ahead. Interestingly, in studies done on the brain, researchers have found that the more we think something, the stronger that thought pattern becomes. Our brain literally builds more connections for that path! The stronger the pattern becomes, the easier it is to go down the same path.

I like to see a samskara as an African mudhole. You know when you drive through mud, ruts appear. The more you drive through the mud, the deeper the ruts become. Once the ruts dry, it can be incredibly difficult to choose a different path.

If you do choose a different path and try to come out of the rut, you may fall right back into the track, but you have shaved a bit of the rut away in the attempt which makes the next attempt a bit easier. Each time you choose a new thought, a bit more gets shaved away as a new track forms. Interestingly, that is just what brain researchers have found. When you choose a new path, a few links of the old are broken, weakening the old pattern a bit.

I use this analogy frequently with coaching clients and my yoga students. It can feel frustrating when you think you have “failed” at changing thought patterns. Success is not evaluated by completely letting go of the old thought pattern and using the new one, success is each time you are conscious of the old pattern and changed it a bit. Each time it changes, you have weakened the old thought pattern.

What's for Dinner: Spinach Balls

I love this recipe! They are good hot, cold and even frozen. Incredibly versatile and yummy, too!

• 1-10 ounce package frozen spinach


• 1 cup oat flour


• 3 eggs


• ¼ nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese


• large chopped onion


• ¼ cup olive oil


• ½ t garlic powder


• 1 t salt


• ½ t thyme (maybe more)


• ½ sage

1. 350 degrees


2. Mix half the spinach and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the rest of the spinach and pulse until mixed. Be sure to keep the spinach “chunky”.


3. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out “balls” (they are a bit runny) onto a cookie sheet. I make small cookie sized, but feel free to make them any size you want.


4. Bake for 10-25 minutes (depending on size)

Spinach Balls @ Group Recipes

Yoga in the French Alps

Yoga in the French Alps
Originally uploaded by kajo55

I found this photo so inspiring! Both the pose and the location...just wanted to share.

Seated Forward Folds

I have been studying seated forward folds for the year in my study of Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender). Since forward folds are the pose of surrender, this seemed appropriate. I just realized I grip the tops of my feet to “pull” myself into my pose! (So much for surrender!) Check it out. Do you do it?

Aligning with the Intention of Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is a very powerful pose. Or, at least, that is its intention. To fully engage the energy of the pose, you must have a balance between grounding and lifting. Often, the balance is tipped one way or the other. If you are overly grounded, the pose is heavy and lacks the expansion. If you are overly lifted, the pose is too light and lacks grounding. The intention of the opse is to be like a mountain, grounded and open to whatever comes. What are you?

Too grounded: Do you have a hard time lifting your chest? Do you feel as if you are standing in a hole? Do you tend to ruminate about the past?

Too lifted: Do you feel your weight in the soles of your feet? Do you grip the tops of your feet? Does your ribcage come forward? Do you tend to spend time thinking about the future?

Musasana: A New Blog

I want to introduce a new blog I have created with the women with whom I am beginning a new company. On this blog we investigate one yoga pose in-depth each month. We share our thoughts and experiences as we study this one pose. Please join us! We would love your comments as well. Musasana

New Use for Yoga Mats

I bet you hadn't thought of this one!! He taped it together and made it his "skirt".

My Son Eats Meat

It is true. My 4 year old eats meat. It was a difficult decision for me, I have been vegetarian for over fifteen years for a variety of reasons and my seven year old daughter is flourishing as a vegetarian. My husband and I suspected our son needed meat for 6 months before we finally fed it to him four months ago. My husband also eats meat so it isn’t an anomaly in our house. He was vegan for several years in high school and just couldn’t keep himself grounded. He needed meet for balance. He still does. I can tell when he hasn’t had meat for awhile and have been known to suggest he go out for a hamburger so he can feel better. My son is similar. He doesn’t seem to enjoy food very much and yet was very interested in meat when he was around meat from babyhood on. He was thrilled to eat it. He is even more excited about beef than cookies. It is an interesting process in letting go of what you expect and allowing others to do what they need to do, especially when it is with your children. When I surrender to what he needed, I felt myself soften and the rest was easy. Seeing him flourish on beef also helps me surrender. It was clearly the right decision.

Surrender - Being in the Heart

I just realized that surrender is about being in the heart! I spend so much time in my head, ruminating, planning, thinking, analyzing and reanalyzing. None of those things are necessary when you are truly surrendering! I had created this meditation awhile ago when I realized the energy bubble around my head was buzzing when I meditated and the energy in my heart was still. I wanted more energy in my heart for meditation. I thought you might enjoy it too. May it bring you more into your heart and a state of surrender:

Energy In The Heart

Inspirational Quote

“Ultimately, whether we achieve the final posture or not is insignificant. Those who do not believe this may be quite disillusioned to discover that nothing particularly remarkable or even pleasant happens when you finally put your feet on the back of your head. If our practice has been driven by hopes of radiant delight in that final moment, we may find ourselves asking, ‘Is this all there is?’ when we achieve our so-called goal. The delight, the remarkable moment, was happening all along, but we were too busy getting somewhere to notice.” (Donna Farhi)

How many of you needed to hear that one today? Another great quote comes from Ramanand Patel, one of my favorite teachers. In a particularly challenging class when we were working up to a pose that makes you wish you had no ligaments, he wryly commented, "I have been in the final pose. There is nothing there. There is no hurry." We often need reminders of these thoughts. Yoga is not about the final pose. Frankly, it isn't about getting stronger or more flexible either. Yoga is about growing, evolving, learning more about yourself and ultimately growing in consciousness by taking your body where it hasn't been before.

My Time With Judith Lasater

This is what I did last weekend:

Surrender: Part II (or is it III or IV?)

Okay, I am back and what an interesting month it has been! Between being sick, attending a conference, going on a trip, and having internet on the fritz, I kind of feel like March was a blogging blur. I feel I abandoned my blogs! I feel renewed energy and a bunch of ideas are flowing around my head and I can’t wait to share them with all of you!

The biggest idea and the one I want to explore here is around my study of surrender this year. For those of you who read my blog often, you know I choose a theme each year to focus on. This year it is Ishvara Pranidhana, or surrender. What is surrender? We talk about it a lot. “Letting go” and “trust the universe” are the catch phrases of our current times, but what does that mean? How does one “do surrender”? I am a “doer” and I want to know what I can “do” to surrender. This question is one I am still answering for myself and continue to explore it on my mat in my practice (where I always turn when I have questions). You can read what I do to “practice surrender” yogically here.

Ironically, though, it seems surrender is more about not doing and instead merely being. Relaxing into the space of the moment, the process of what you are doing, and being fully present. It means not forcing yourself into the future nor being stuck in the past. When you surrender, you are open to what the future might hold for you (not your idea of what the future might hold for you) and you are grateful for whatever the past had to teach you so you can move on.

For now, surrender to me means not worrying because I trust God, the Universe, the process, the bigger picture, whatever phrase works for you, to guide me into the experiences I need to have to grow more into the person I know myself to be. It means not doing things out of fear (doing things because you are afraid something else will happen) and instead doing things because you know they will bring good things to you. (Coming from love not fear – intrigued to read more about that idea? Read my other blog entries here and here.) Surrender also means trusting that even the challenging times have their purpose and I needn’t add to the challenge by worrying about them.

As a recovering control addict, I find the balance between doing what I want to do and going over the line to doing what I feel I have to do for something to succeed extraordinarily fine. It is what I am working on now – it is only April!

YJ Asana Column: Revolved Janu Sirsasana

Ever struggle with reading the asana column in Yoga Journal while trying to perform the actions? Or get your spouse to read it to you? Me too! I finally recorded reading it for myself and thought you might enjoy it as well. This recording is Charles Matkin's article on Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana. I talk you through the entire process, repeating for the other side. Let me know if you enjoy the recording and I will do more. Enjoy! Recording

Recovering

Hi, Everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile -- I have been very sick! I am better now and am preparing a few new posts. I will put them up soon. Peace, Laura

What Does My Breath Mean?

I sent this email to my Master Class group. (I teach a group of teachers once a month. We study one pose in-depth and then do Pranayama). I had a few comments on what I said so I thought it would be helpful for others so I am posting it. Hope it helps you better understand yourself. I am including the links to the breathing exercises I refer to in the post. Enjoy them!

Exhale

Inhale

Getting to a deeply open and relaxed state for both aspects of your breath (inhale and exhale) is essential for moving forward with the breathing into more complex breathing exercises. Begin with the exhale breath and work with that one until you have been able to do it comfortably for 5 sessions in a row, then do the inhale. Be patient! You may be comfortable right away or it may take you 12 months. It doesn’t matter. Be where you need to be.

As you experiment with the breathing, remember what they represent and use what you find to deepen your learning about yourself. The inhale is the stimulating aspect of the breath, it is connected with the sympathetic nervous system (the “on” button for us). It stimulates the stress response. The exhale is the relaxing aspect of the breath, connected with the parasympathetic nervous system the off or relaxation response. Ideally, we want to be balanced between on and off. What are you discovering about your inhale and exhale? What is that saying about your own stimulation or relaxation?

Also, on a deeper, more emotional level, the inhale represents the ability to receive and the exhale the ability to give and release, and surrender. How well do you receive? How well do you give? How well do you trust, deeply, in the Universe?

Be sure you begin a journal to track what you learn. You are headed down an amazing journey and you want to remember what happens.

(Windows Users: Right-Click on the link for the podcast you are interested in downloading.
Macintosh Users: Option-Click on the link for the podcast you are interested in downloading.)

Surrender

“…it’s hard to see the bigger picture when you think you are the great controller of your life.” (Donna Farhi)

“As I emptied my cup, the world flowed in.”
(Rolf Gates)

I have two quotes for you this month. They have similar thoughts and both are beautiful. In December, I decided to spend this year studying the last of the niyamas, Ishvara Pranidhana or surrender. Like many of us, I have long been the “great controller” of my life with deep-seated fears of letting go and trusting in the process of life. The more I let go, the deeper I go into my heart, to an inspired place from which to live. Both Rolf and Donna are right, I am seeing a bigger picture and the world is beginning to flow in in ever increasing and powerful ways.

I struggled with how to conceptualize “letting go” as we often hear these days. What did that mean? How could I just stop worrying and stressing? I did what I often do when I am unsure, I turned to my mat. Just as our lessons in life show up on the mat, lessons learned on the mat move into our life. Poses create awarenesses and feelings in our body and we can use them to help us do more in our life. I know forward folds are about letting go and being present so my practice has been almost entirely forward folds for two months. I also know child’s pose and Savasana are about surrender so I do them every night before bed. Finally, I knew the exhale aspect of my breath is about letting go so my breathing practice has been focused exhaling as well. In my meditations, I visualize handing over my worries to someone I respect and trust with my problems. Other than my practice, I didn’t “think” about letting go.

As always, what happens on the mat, came into my life. I am letting go. I feel control has much less hold on me. I am much more open to flowing with what comes in and, perhaps more importantly, what goes out of my life.

Think about issues you are struggling with in your life, things you are “thinking” a lot about. How can you take the issue to the mat? You can use poses to build courage, open to love, release grief, soften to the present, and much more. Not sure what to do? Email me. I am happy to help. Yoga is our gift and we can use it for so much more than merely stretching our bodies.

What's for Dinner: Cauliflower Soup

Have I got a recipe for you! It is incredibly easy and so yummy! I can sense a taste of butter in it. (No, there is no butter and my husband has pointed out that it has been 4 years since I tasted butter so maybe my butter taste buds are a bit sensitive!) This recipe come from Vegan Italiano.

• 1 large head of cauliflower. (You can use a huge one here. Just add more stock, if necessary.)


• ¼ C olive oil


• 4 large cloves of garlic


• 4 C vegetable stock (I use Rapunzel brand vegan stock. I love it!)


• ½ t salt (I haven’t needed to add it since my stock is salty enough).


• ¼ c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (again, never used)

1. Cut up cauliflower into bite-size pieces and blanch or steam until crisp-tender.


2. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the garlic and, stirring constantly, let it cook for 1 minute.


3. Add the cauliflower and cook until begins to brown. (I have yet to see it brown. I just cook for 5-10 minutes and then continue with the recipe).


4. Add stock and bring to a boil.


5. Puree 2/3 of the soup.


6. Return to the pot and heat, add parsley.


7. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup @ Group Recipes

A Year of Living Compassionately

Let me tell you about a program I created a few years ago. I call it A Year of Living Compassionately. The story of how why I created it is long and can be read here. For now, suffice it to say that I became acutely aware that I was not the deeply compassionate, loving mom I wanted to be. What was coming out of me was disheartening and I wanted to make a change.

I discovered many things in my year of self-study. The first lesson is we all have a balance of positive and negative energy inside of us. You know which one is outweighing the other by what is coming out of you. If you are feeling negative, negativity is outweighing the positive. I also learned that I was frequently tipped to the negative and was unaware I was feeling and being negative. Because I was so accustomed to feeling it, it felt normal, and I just assumed it was positive. Finally, I learned that if I consciously feed myself with positive things, it helps me tip to the positive and I was unconsciously feeding myself a tremendous amount of negativity.

I also discovered that I could change my feelings to the positive by making the negative influences more conscious so I could make better choices for myself. I also learned more about what feels positive to me and filled my life with those influences.

The program is based on those precepts and the results have astounded even me. One participant, who’s area of challenge was her family of origin, took a vacation with her family merely 5 months into the program and said the time with her family could only be described as “lovely”. Another woman changed her marriage from one of great friction to one of love and deep companionship. Another stay-at-home mom went from sheer frustration to joyfulness in her position.

Interestingly, when I get the question “What is a Year of Living Compassionately?” I still don’t have a pat answer. You would think I would by now. There is so much to the program and it is so powerful, I have a hard time putting its power into words. I have one student who put it beautifully. “It is just about being happier”. Well put, is all I can say. It just seems like so much more. Then again, what else is there?

The program consists of a different topic each month. Each topic comes with a 4-5 page reading with my thoughts around the subject as well as ideas to deepen your learning during the month. My partner, Marya, and a I send out a weekly “Module Morsel” in which we share a portion of the module and a suggestion for your focus that week. You may also participate in a teleclass at the end of the month with us to discuss what you learned and talk with other participants.

Besides helping you find happiness, the program is also a wonderful community; an opportunity to have an online and teleclass discussion group with a group of people on the same path as you are.

What I love most about the program is its accessibility. Whether you are someone who is just beginning down the spirituality path or someone has been doing it for some time, there is something more you can learn. (I have been through the program four times now and just continue to deepen my learning.)

You can check out the program and download the free Pre-Assignment Module at the website: www.ayearofliving.com. You can register for the free weeky inspirational eNewsletter. You can read the blog from the pilot year in which I wrote several posts for each topic, summarizing what people gleaned from their month. You can also participate in this year’s Compassion Club blog.

Here’s to your year of living compassionately.