(From Yogajournal.com)
Gosh! I've totally been one of those people. But, now I use it for inspiration.
Do you ever look at an advanced yoga practitioner in an awe-inspiring position at your yoga studio or in a magazine and think to yourself: "I would never be able to do that!"?
Join the club! Most yoga students can relate to being envious, overwhelmed, or even discouraged when they see someone doing what seems to be an unobtainable pose. But instead of concentrating on your own shortcomings, next time try to focus on the potential you have in your yoga practice—if not physically, then certainly spiritually.
Although there will always be exceptions, most accomplished yogis didn't come out of the womb with the abilities they display in those awesome postures. They used yoga as a tool to gradually improve their flexibility, strength, and concentration—just like you. And remember, yoga isn't about being able to shape your body into a pretzel. It's about what you learn about yourself while you practice that matters.
IN THIS ISSUE
The Wellspring of Joy
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/1157
Polishing the Mirror
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2523
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Bare Bones Butoh 12 performance
It was so great to perform again. It's been a few months, but it's always a blast. I've been developing more work on this ongoing piece I've been showing at Bare Bones called "Purge". It has to do with a struggle of identity with the world inside and outside of us. How so many things influence us from the external world (people, current events, pharmaceuticals, etc) into the internal world (mind, body, spirit, psyche, breakdowns, etc).
This particular installation was about birth and how our experience affects how we respond to this new world around us. Most births are initially traumatic for the baby (depending on the environment they're born into) and mother. During my Holistic Health program we had a module where we got to experience birth regression and how the way we were born has affected us throughout our lives. For example, I was born as a planned C-section, so my mother didn't go into labor, wasn't that nervous because she knew when I was going to be born. So there wasn't any excitement. I also didn't have any choice in the matter. They just opened up my mom and took me out. Think about how that would feel!
So taking this experience into my performance was really interesting. I can't wait to explore this more and longer as my piece was pretty short. The picture I've included depicts coming out of the womb for the first time. I named the image "Shock".
Don't Get Mad, Get Yoga
(From YogaJournal.com)
Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger.
Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to—and there's evidence that yoga speeds reaction time—but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach, reducing suffering for yourself and others.
IN THIS ISSUE
Meditation 101
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1307
Unmasking Anger
Yoga and meditation build awareness. And the more aware you are, the easier it is to break free of destructive emotions like anger.
Studies suggest that chronic anger and hostility are as strongly linked to heart attacks as are smoking, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. Yoga appears to reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from the drama of your own life, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to—and there's evidence that yoga speeds reaction time—but you can take that split second to choose a more thoughtful approach, reducing suffering for yourself and others.
IN THIS ISSUE
Meditation 101
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1307
Unmasking Anger
Friday, November 21, 2008
All Together Now
(From Yoga Journal.com)
All Together Now
Have you ever wondered why public classes are so popular? Yoga is something that, once the foundation is built, everyone could do at home on their own. It's true that we get individualized instruction at a yoga class. And yes, we learn different things from our teacher and other practitioners that we might not discover in our own home practices. One of the biggest reasons many of us enjoy going to class is because it's inspiring and uplifting to share our practice with others. It's exciting to synchronize our movements with those of our classmates, and when we enter a room that's filled with energy, we in turn feel energized.
Even if you never speak to the person on the mat beside yours, there's something magical about connecting with other people to practice. Although every class won't be a perfect fit for our individual needs, we sacrifice to enjoy the company of others.
The next time you attend a public class, why not take a moment to be grateful for the way that the other people in the room enhance the experience of your practice.
IN THIS ISSUE
Bring Connection Home
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1455
Not All Yoga Is Created Equal
http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/165
All Together Now
Have you ever wondered why public classes are so popular? Yoga is something that, once the foundation is built, everyone could do at home on their own. It's true that we get individualized instruction at a yoga class. And yes, we learn different things from our teacher and other practitioners that we might not discover in our own home practices. One of the biggest reasons many of us enjoy going to class is because it's inspiring and uplifting to share our practice with others. It's exciting to synchronize our movements with those of our classmates, and when we enter a room that's filled with energy, we in turn feel energized.
Even if you never speak to the person on the mat beside yours, there's something magical about connecting with other people to practice. Although every class won't be a perfect fit for our individual needs, we sacrifice to enjoy the company of others.
The next time you attend a public class, why not take a moment to be grateful for the way that the other people in the room enhance the experience of your practice.
IN THIS ISSUE
Bring Connection Home
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1455
Not All Yoga Is Created Equal
http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/165
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Free Yourself
Resistance becomes a problem when the psychological immune system doesn't know when or how to let down its boundaries. Then resistance stops being a useful filtering device and becomes a wall, a kind of armor. Sometimes the habit of resisting is so deeply ingrained that you can't tell whether your inner "no" is a legitimate warning or just obstructive. You can live for years with a tendency to resistance that reveals itself in insidious ways: as an inclination to slide away from intimacy; a habit of avoiding difficult emotions by sleeping or watching TV; or simply the onset of restlessness, anxiety, or boredom that keeps you from resting in the present moment. Then, when you truly want to make a change, the wall of resistance can seem impenetrable.
Developing an awareness of your resistance style is the first step in working with it. Yoga and meditation often help develop and break through these styles of resistance. Try to respect your feelings of resistance as well as let the feelings that seem less beneficial to your life dissolve. Part of this is pure conditioning from those deep-seated beliefs that success, love, meaningful work, social justice, and whatever else you value come from outer-directed effort and that inwardness is somehow a waste of time. More often, however, the resistance stems from fear—fear of your emotions, fear of the unknown, and, finally, fear of your own essence, your own grandeur. To move past resistance in your practice is to free yourself in ways you have never anticipated.
IN THIS ISSUE
Free Yourself
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2516
What Are You Resisting?
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2580
Developing an awareness of your resistance style is the first step in working with it. Yoga and meditation often help develop and break through these styles of resistance. Try to respect your feelings of resistance as well as let the feelings that seem less beneficial to your life dissolve. Part of this is pure conditioning from those deep-seated beliefs that success, love, meaningful work, social justice, and whatever else you value come from outer-directed effort and that inwardness is somehow a waste of time. More often, however, the resistance stems from fear—fear of your emotions, fear of the unknown, and, finally, fear of your own essence, your own grandeur. To move past resistance in your practice is to free yourself in ways you have never anticipated.
IN THIS ISSUE
Free Yourself
http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2516
What Are You Resisting?
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2580
Monday, November 17, 2008
Relaxation Yoga for the Holidays
Come and escape with yoga during the holiday madness! In this 4 week series, you will learn yoga poses that will help you de-stress from the holiday season. The poses will be supported with a variety of props to help bring passivity to the body which will restore energy, calm the mind, and maintain your health. It's an opportunity to give yourself a "time-out" from all the shopping, cooking and wrapping that we rarely do during this busy time of the year. Give yourself the gift of yoga this year. Please bring a yoga mat and two blankets. Other props provided by teacher. All levels welcome!
Mondays 12/1-12/22
6:30pm-7:45pm
4 classes for $50
At War Memorial Community Center
6655 Mission St., Room 202
Daly City, CA
Registration:650-991-8012 or register at the first class
Bare Bones Butoh Presents 12: One Night Only!
BARE BONES BUTOH PRESENTS 12
A Benefit to Help Bring Other Butoh Masters to San Francisco
WHEN: Friday Nov 21, 2008 ONLY!
The performance starts at 8:00 pm
WHERE: Studio 210, located within the Old Sears Building at 3435 Cesar Chavez (inset from the corner of Cesar Chavez and Valencia).
There is plenty of on the street parking. It's four blocks from the 24th St. BART Station, and MUNI buses #27, #26, #14, and #49 will drop you off a block from our door.
TICKETS: $5-$20 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Additonal donations are always graciously accepted and gratefully appreciated.
WHAT: Bare Bones Butoh Presents is a Butoh/performance art/ritual performace showcase/platform for local and international performers to show new works we're in the process of developing, try stuff out, hone our improv chops, redo/revisit material we've done before but want to continue to explore, or even to bring out old favorites we would just like to do again. The audience only pays a minimal fee, so everybody wins!
Hosted by a veteran group of Bay Area Butoh performers, Bare Bones Butoh Presents employs the grassroots ethic of working together to sustan our artistic culture.
Thus far in its over two year (!) history, every Bare Bones Butoh Presents show is a Benefit Peformance. It serves not only as a performance outlet, but also as a fundraising platform which supports local Butoh and Performance Artists in need. Our 12th show is no exception. All proceeds from these performances go towards enabling Butoh SanFrancisco to bring out of town and international Butoh Masters to our fair burg, thus enriching the entire community.
Bare Bones Butoh is community building and performance all smushed together into two evenings.
WHO: The weekend line-up this time around consists of performers Christina Braun, Deborah Butler, Darya Chernova, Shelley Cook, Michael Curran, Elzza Doll, Martha Matsuda, Liz Saari-Filippone, Constance Taylor, and Bob Webb.
Surprise guests (local, national, and international) are also frequently known to make an appearance. It's that kind of show.
We hope to see you there as well.
For further information please contact: bobwebb20@hotmail.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
When it's been awhile....
I always have a twinge of anxiety when I'm going to perform and it's been months. I just finished school and put the dancing on the back burner. The last time I performed was August which isn't a long time, but I feel like it is. I'll be performing next weekend at a very low-key, informal venue which comprises of some of the most amazing, supportive butoh and performance artists in the bay area. There's a BIG part of me that just wants to improv and then a little part that says, "You need to rehearse!". Sometimes it's just more fun to improv. It's a time to REALLY play with the audience and what comes up in the internal. Butoh is so internal for me but as I write this, playing with the external might be the way to go. The internal is much more juicy but maybe it's time to change it up. Take risks! Wowsers! Now that will be fun!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Mission Accomplished
Wow what a weekend I had! I graduated from the Holistic Health program and now a Holsitic Health Practitioner! Yay! I survived my 20 minute talk and graduation ceremony. It was such a full weekend of love and appreciation from students, faculty, family and friends. I was amazed at how natural and smooth my talk went. I think being a yoga teacher helped a lot and of course, I had the most supportive audience ever! But my teacher's feedback was very warm and constructive. It was like I could do it again and I can't wait to do it again! Now it's just to sit back and bask in all the love.
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