Yoga & Football

What is the ratio of football-yoga lovers to just yoga lovers?!

Every Saturday and Sunday I wonder how individuals choose football over yoga. Does one automatically choose Football over calming their body, mind and spirit?! Does Football create enough euphoric energy to replace the need for release and relaxation!? Can we have yoga and football in one day!?

After a long week of working and studying, football fans seem to release their stress by tailgating and watching football athletes compete. Football-yoga lovers need to choose or find a way to accommodate their two favourite weekend activities- yoga and football. Perhaps an early yoga class before a full day of football would provide more balance and prevent them from making a decision. A class that has football games during asana practice might also suit some practitioners. Colliding Western sport traditions with Eastern lifestyles is a challenge. Perhaps, there are weekend yoga classes with televisions tuned into football stations? I know that there are now drive through strip bars in Pennsylvania, so I would not be surprised to see a yoga room with television screens tuned into a sporting channel.

The next problem for football-yoga lovers is that often a town hosting a big football game suffers from the increased traffic. If major University is situated in the middle of a city the whole town can be extremely inconvenienced due to one football game. Making a choice to accommodate all that you love can be a real challenge. I feel somewhat sorry for the football-yoga lovers. The week days are always full with activity and then during the weekend it is hard to let go of one love for another. I personally would never choose watching football over yoga but I am learning to understand those who do. In a 'selfish' world, I choose maintaining my health over anything else. Mind over body.

The magic behind teaching yoga

Yoga classes are created for a variety of different reasons- community, love, peace, energize, unity, relax, breath, stretch, strengthen, open, evolve, rehabilitation, friendship, silence, stillness, equality, harmony, humour, rhythm, flow, balance, fantasy, spiritual, coolness, happiness, sensation, release, enlightenment... each person has their own story + reason.

Instructing yoga has a variety of different meanings to myself. Guiding a yoga class is a different experience each day. Sometimes the mind and body are not in happy places. The thought of guiding a practice is contemplated negatively. Reflecting on the true reason yoga practice began helps to clear the negative energy and freely guide another practice.

Guiding students through a practice where each individual in the room wants to be there is an amazing feeling. The magic of unity truly comes into play when a yoga practice is in session. Whether the group is flowing through a vigorous Ashtanga practice or deep into relaxation during Yin practice the yoga energy exists.

I love sharing my experiences and feelings toward yoga instruction with other instructors and practitioners. Sharing brings out the honest truth and helps maintain some sort of mental balance. Each practice I lead is a privilege. I am always honoured to have new and familiar students in the room. Smiles and serious faces also help to accent the mood and keep the flow. Yoga seems to always reveal our true beauty.

Young Vampires NEED Yoga

At the beginning of True Blood Season II Vampire Bill is working hard to manage his true love, Sukie, and his new responsibility, a baby vampire. According to Vampire Bill 2/3 of vampires do not survive past their first year. Young vampires cannot control their emotions. They are stripped from their lives and placed in a very different setting. The sunlight is taking away and they need to remove themselves from their families and familiar world. In Vampire Bill's case his young vampire has uncontrollable feelings and puts Bill in akward situations.

Yoga for young vampires could be highly beneficial. Channeling the vampires to physically relax and find peace of mind with his or her new lifestyle. Calming the mind to draw them further from their emotions and closer to looking at the whole picture. Yoga might be an answer for the young vampire rage.

peace * love * darkness

Yoga on Tuesdays!

Arranging to teach yoga classes on different is a challenge because attendance varies. Planning and providing a class can be a little nerve racking when you do not know the attendance outcome.

Lately, Tuesdays at Journeys In Yoga Studio have been packed with wonderful people. We always seem to have a few new students, however, a large portion of our yoga practitioners keep returning each week. The returners really make an instructor feel good and confident about what they are conveying in each class.

Tuesday seems to be the popular night to practice physical activity. People might not be up for practicing Monday night after a weekend of relaxing or socializing but they seem to be re-energized on Tuesday. I predict that Tuesday is one of the most popular days of practice.

It is also great because there is Fire Flow II and Core Flow at Journeys In Yoga Studio.

Vampire Yoga II

During the month of October Vampires become a popular topic of discussion. The familiar Halloween season reminds us about the walking dead. Designing a yoga class for Vampires really makes me excited after watching the show, True Blood.

Vampires and Mortals will simultaneously practice pranayam and asanas exercises in the same room. These two wonderful groups of people can find a way to be harmoniously be together. Vampire Americans can once again feel connected to their mortal roots, while mortals can show more acceptance and compassion towards former humans. Finding a common ground for vampires and mortals will help them develop skills to live and to work together.

Beyond the yoga community effect: Practicing yoga with help the stiff vampires who are sleeping in hard and restrictive coffins. Twisting, bending and folding will provide opportunity to release tension where Vampires find strain and discomfort. Opening their chests may release their heart chakras. Opening the heart chakra will bring forth emotional release and perhaps giving the Vampires a chance to revisit store emotions held against mortals and other Vampires. Releasing their chests has the potential to create a more peaceful society comprised of Vampires and mortals.

Instead of looking at each groups differences look to find common ground. Look to find ways to modify a situation and accommodate both sides.