Taking on Iyengar on Inversion

I love yoga.

If you know me, and this blog, you know that I am a geeky and scholarly yoga practitioner and a teacher for nearly two decades now. You also have heard me make fun of modern day yoga teachers hustling for popularity and trying to outdo each other. You've heard me criticise the yoga industry. But you've never heard me take on the saints of yoga. Here I expose the Lion of Pune for spreading false information and his own misunderstandings and inaccuracies and in the process, I hope to teach everyone the lesson of not believing everything being said in a yoga class.

I recently ran into a video which had 2.5K shares on Facebook showing Iyengar in a demonstration and a lecture on inversions. The video was put out by Iyengar Yoga Australia. If you want to watch the video, click HERE.

First, Iyengar makes the claim that "early yogis" came up with inversions, and shortly after he clarifies that "early" is "when civilization began." Ok, but which civilization are we talking about? If we are talking about the Indus River Valley Civilization, a Bronze age civilization, we have no evidence of them doing yoga. If we are talking about Vedic civilization, then we have evidence of people doing yoga, however, by yoga, they meant meditation and strange ascetic practices and rituals and no postures. In the 15th century, Hatha Yoga Predipika describes the first inversion posture - the Viparita Karani - a half shoulder stand. However, Iyengar is talking about headstand in the beginning of this video.

He then proceeds to explain about the "hypothalamus" at the base of the brain, which according to him regulates the perception of hot and cold and is the "seat of the emotional center." Yes to the first part. No to the second part. It's the amygdala and the hippocampus which control emotions. And the hypothalamus controls autonomic nervous system responses and endocrine function through the pituitary gland, meaning hormone release and regulation.  I am not a neuroscientist but even I know that.

Iyengar also makes the claim that Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, has "dealt with this pose," meaning headstand, but Patanjali never makes such claims. He never discusses what "asana" to be considered in the sutras. Patanjali states the qualities of asana such as "ease" and "steadiness" but never what the actual asanas are.

This is a good segway for Iyengar to go into the "three nervous systems of the body" which he names as the "peripheral nervous system, the autonomous nervous system, and the central nervous system."
Sounds good, but not exactly accurate. The peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system are the two main nervous systems. The "autonomous" nervous system is actually the "autonomic" nervous system which is one-half of the peripheral nervous system. The PNS consists of the autonomic and the somatic nervous systems. All this is in relation to structure. As far as function goes, the PNS can function in two modes - sympathetic and parasympathetic response having to do with either "fight or flight" or "rest and digest" responses. It seems to me that Iyengar is mixing things up pretty liberally and making it sound very convincing.

Why? Because it seems to fit neatly into the energetic system of the body described in the Hatha Yoga Predipika, namely ida nadi, pingala nadi, and the sushumna nadi. But while the yogis of yore were talking about energy channels, Iyengar is talking about anatomical parts. We are yet to discover the exact correlation of the energy channels to anatomical parts. According to him, pingala, the solar channel, connected to/passing through the "solar plexus" is synonymous with the sympathetic nervous system. And while it is true that "at the pit of the stomach," aka. the solar plexus is a juncture of nerves and ganglia which are part of the sympathetic nervous system response, putting us in fight or flight, what follows as an explanation of how going upside down "nullifies" the effect of what seems to be a description of daily stress by drawing on the "lunar" or the parasympathetic NS energy, is pure mish-mash. In fact, we've seen that there is a huge difference in the kinds of inversion we do as to the types of effects we get. We have modern day science to give us these details.

A headstand is taxing on the PNS, although it is liberating for the functioning of the heart as it does indeed help with the venous return of blood to the heart. From a neurological perspective, the increase in blood pressure to the brain, doubling, and the inverted perspective is actually activating the fight and flight response in the body. This is the reason inversions should be approached carefully, and with patience. A headstand should be held in small increments and as tolerance builds over time, one can increase the duration.

My favorite line is "the central nervous system is a very difficult system to handle." Well, the CNS is just the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves directly exiting the spinal cord. We actually do not "handle it" despite his claim that it needs "proper judgment" to function, to be handled properly... I get lost here. The CNS is an information highway. The brain, where judgment comes from is the very center of the CNS.

The mish-mash doesn't end here. He calls the "autonomous" nervous system, which is actually the "autonomic" nervous system, "semi-voluntary." There is nothing "semi-voluntary" about regulating the function of smooth muscle around your organs, for example. Yes, you can control or not control your breath. You can directly, or indirectly affect the beating of your heart. But most of what the autnomic NS does, is totally out of one's control, because most of it is completelly out of one's awareness or ability to perceive its functions.

Somehow "lunar" supplies the energy while the "solar" is resting, because "lunar" is at the base of the brain.... This makes no sense whatsoever. Even if you look at the whole thing energetically only, the solar and the lunar channels crisscross at multiple points and definitely not at the base of the brain. If you are looking at the whole thing neurologically, the hypothalamus is not at the base of the brain. It's more centrally located.

And what does it mean "the central nervous system also gets to feed?" Because the CNS is constantly "fed" with various stimuli on which the brain makes you respond in one way or another. Saying that "Hatha Yoga Predipika explains very well on the physiological level" the whole gibberish he just delivered is an insult to the folks who have actually read the text. The HYP was written well before we figured out the existence of the CNS and the PNS, and there isn't a single word in there about physiology. What one will find in the HYP is a model of the energetic body and the energetic channels, as understood at the time. Again, we have not been able to correlate the energetics to the anatomy. And definitely not to the degree, or the effect Iyengar is claiming.

Finally, just because we can't see that something has happened to the subjects holding headstands for 5 min, it does not mean that nothing is happening to them. I can't see what is happening in China from my couch in California, but I am pretty sure something is happening in China at this very moment.

Please, folks, whenever in a yoga class, use your critical thinking capacities. Do not believe everything that comes out of the mouths of yoga teachers. Do not do anything you don't feel comfortable doing just because someone makes claims about the benefits of it. Ask questions about some of these claims to see if the teacher actually understands what they are talking about. Charm, charisma, and confidence are not a substitute for knowledge, sound reason, and facts.

A Few Words on Fulfilling Relationships.

The English poet John Donne told us:

“No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.”

Yet, we act as islanders, entire of our selves. Worse, we often act as if the entire Universe revolves around our island. We also complain that we feel alone, isolated and frustrated with our relationships which don’t go according to our preferences. We rely on medication to keep ourselves up, and beat ourselves down when we find ourselves in the same kind of relationship trouble we swore we will never repeat again.

We know that we cannot live without other humans. We learn from each other about each other and about ourselves. We challenge, inspire, help, support and get in the way of one another all the time. In and through relationships we discover who we are, what we are all about, what we like and dislike, what to do with ourselves.

According to human needs based psychology, we are all after the same things. Universally, across cultures, we all strive to fulfill the same six basic human needs. The only difference is the strategies we develop to do that. These needs are for safety/ security, variety /novelty, significance, love/connection, growth, and contribution. Poor strategies for fulfilling these needs result in poor results, backfire and we often feel worse off than we started out, even if initially we get to enjoy some benefits. A slight complication to the theme is that for each individual one or two of those needs are predominant. There are developmental reasons for that, but suffice it to say that, two people with conflicting primary needs who are unaware of what drives them can easily cause each other more hardship than necessary when in reality they could be helping and complementing each other instead.

Fulfilling relationships are built on understanding each others’ needs and being willing to extend ourselves to the other person for more than just selfish reasons.

It is amazing how the world opens up when we are there for each other and how each one of us can blossom in a wonderful relationship. At the same time, it is equally amazing how too often we are the ones who shut the door on happiness because we are unskillful in fulfilling our own needs and making it someone else’s fault.

Consider all of the things you think are wrong with one or more of your relationships. Where do you assign the blame? Are you accounting for your own part in them? What needs are you trying to satisfy by the way you are acting? Could you do something different? Do you understand what the other person needs? These are but a few questions you can ask yourself to figure things out. If you are interested, you can join me for THIS online 4-Weeks course on Exploring Relationships and Sexuality, from the privacy of your own home.

Wishing all of you fulfilling relationships! You can make it happen.

Act And Let Go

We often hear “surrender,” “be at ease with whatever comes,” “wanting causes suffering,” “let go and just be…” It seems to make sense in a yoga class. But when hear the same being said off the mat, we often have something else to say. We have responsibilities family responsibilities, friends, jobs, clubs, hobbies, dreams, plans, and goals… What does it mean to let go and to be at ease with whatever comes? Is everything really perfect? Just one look at the news and you start doubting. Your dysfunctional, habitual patterns, procrastination, failed attempts at achieving your goals, job losses, divorces, kid troubles, how can you accept yourself as perfect? You keep going to yoga classes and letting go while you are there and you keep your ambitions, frustrations, goals and greed to your self. 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna, the great warrior who is no longer sure he should fight, that any action is better than inaction. He also tells him that he has the right to work, but not to the fruits to his work. That selfless service is sure to grant you passage to immortality. Krishna tells Arjuna that the ego-mind uses the senses for self gratification, and those who dwell in the ego-mind find no grace, no contentment, no joy and are subject to the continual cycles of rebirth. So, how do you act without acting? “Established in the Self,” Krishna answers, one is in a state of equanimity, at all times. In equanimity, there is calmness and there is space full of potentiality. When one is established in the Self one is connected with Divinity at all times. Therefore, one is at ease with whatever comes, knowing that impermanence is the name of this game.  Everything will eventually pass.

When in this state the mind does not flicker uncontrollably and franticly in all directions.  Established in the Self you see your situations for what they are and through the calmness of equanimity you also see what needs to be done, what must be done, and how. In essence, the necessary actions reveal themselves because you have allowed the space for that to happen. You will be wiser in your choices and you will be acting with compassion, faith and certitude. You will also not grow attached to anything you do and anything you have.  Instead you will live with gratitude.  Your actions will no longer be for you alone. They will be in service and with purpose.  When acting in line of your dharma (duty) no bad karma can be accumulated, teaches Krishna.  When acting in selfless service all karma is dissolved.  Established in the Self the mind becomes a useful tool, which you can put away when you are done and call upon it when it’s needed. The mind is not a bad thing; it’s just a busy thing that needs taming. As Eckhart Tolle puts it in the Power of Now – you are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold – that is how important you are….

This sounds amazing and simple! Unless you don’t believe in Divinity or the willingness of the Universe to help you out. And if you are confused as to what actually constitutes your all wise, centered, and Equanimeous Self, what would you surrender to and who can you trust for inner guidance?

In that case, trust yourself. Your own life with its twists and turns has a way of showing you what you need to know. Look at your relationships. Look at past events when you felt hurt, angry, misunderstood, justified to commit random acts of unkindness. Look at how you handle similar situations. Look at the results you get from such handling of similar situations. Ask people close to you for feedback. See a therapist, a life coach, or read a book or two, or a dozen. Educate yourself and study yourself. Examine your life because you’re worth it. Then make the choice to do better. “Action is better than inaction,” said Krishna to Arjuna. And I concur.

And while you are at it, keep your eyes on the prize – better life, better job, better relationships, better fun, and yet, remember that only your actions are within your control. Things can happen regardless of what you do, and how hard you try. You may do better than expected. You may get lucky. You may find something along the way you did not expect and get side tracked. You may do worse, or never reach your destination. But just trying, just learning, just figuring things out, changes you forever.

You can never step in the same river twice, says a Chinese proverb. This includes the river of your life. Every day a new You lives to see the sunset. Rejoice at this opportunity. Make the most of it. Let go of holding on to your old mistake. Let go of holding on to old stories. Make new ones – mistakes and stories. That’s what you are here for. And that’s what being a human means. You’ll never get anything right, even though some people will tell you can or you did. In your own mind, you’ll always know what you could have done better, the short cuts you took, the imperfections. Let go of holding on to the idea of perfection. Being awesome is not the same as being perfect. Being perfect is unattainable. And that’s perfectly OK. Everything is perfectly imperfect at all times, including you.

If everything is totally perfect, as in no need for any changes, improvements, enhancements, modifications, and experimentation beyond what already is, then what would you do with this life of yours? That’s the very perfection of the situation!

Enjoy.

7 Things To Keep In Mind For a Rewarding Yoga Practice

By now, if you have not heard that yoga is good for you, you must have been living on a different planet for at least a decade. Yes, yoga is great for anyone and everyone. But not all yoga is created equal and not all yoga teachers are equally inspiring, knowledgeable, or qualified. It also matters why you want to practice. Here are 7 things to help you along the way so you can have a rewarding experience.

#1 Pick the style and level that works for you.
An internet search on the styles of yoga can be a good start. A call to the neighborhood yoga studio can help too. But ultimately, trying a few classes and figuring out what your body appreciates most, is the most reliable way to know. Start with the easiest thing you can find. Take an Intro class. Book a private to get evaluated. However you decide to start, please, go slow and be patient with yourself and your body.

#2 Shop around for a yoga teacher.
 Just like with the yoga styles, you can look up teachers’ bios on the websites of each yoga studio and kind of get an idea of who is who. However, all yoga teachers know to write their bios in the most compelling light, so even the most inexperienced ones out there sound good if they have a little writing talent. Also, as a newbie, you may not know any of names each teacher lists as their teachers or be unfamiliar with the yoga language used. Again, the best thing to do is give people a try. Talk to your friends and see who they recommend. Go to a class or two with each teacher that peaks your interest and see for yourself which one you jive with. Your teacher can make you love your practice, or hate it. Your teachers must be patient with you and your body. Hopefully humble. Hopefully not show off what he or she can do. And hopefully, encourage everyone to pay attention to themselves in a kind and mindful way.

#3 Don’t do it if it hurts.
Yes, you are not required to do every single yoga pose offered in a class. You do have a choice. Skip things, rest, just watch if something is unfamiliar. If your body hurts, it’s screaming at you to stop doing whatever you are doing. Yoga is not an Olympic sport and no one gets any medals at the end of a class. So, don’t push the envelope. Get to intimately know your limitations and your body’s quarks and peculiarities and rejoice that they are there. It means that you have something to play with and observe. You have a body. This means you are still alive. That’s good news. We condition this body by repetition mixed with compassion. We also condition this mind with mindfulness mixed with surrender. It all works out at the end. I promise.

#4 Don’t look around the room.
You are not the person on the mat next to yours. Also, you won’t like it if someone is staring at you all the time, even though you may be wearing the coolest Prana pants in the class. Keep your beeswax on your mat and remember:  you got this body, just the way it is, partly from your parents, partly from your attitude, partly from your experience. Therefore, you have a unique combination of body/mind that does not look or perform like any other one. Enjoy your uniqueness. Explore it. Embrace it.

#5 Do connect breath and movement.
This is the essence of the physical practice of yoga. If you are not keeping track of your breath and moving from it, you are totally missing out on what you are there for. Slow down. Breathe. Feel the body and the breath express the postures. This breath can show you where you are tensing, resisting, loosing focus. It will help you stay present. It will keep your mind relaxed and at ease with whatever comes. 

#6 Use your core muscles.
Yes, you have them. They could be in need of some attention, conditioning, and reconnecting to, but they are there. If you are not moving from your core, you are a rootless, wobbly pile of an injury-waiting-to-happen.  If you move from your core, you are elegance and confidence in action, deeply rooted and gracefully flowing…like a pro…even in the gentle class.

#7 Don’t be an armchair yoga practitioner.
Yes, you know those folks who always talk about something and how awesome it is and don’t do it. That’s an armchair yogi/yogini. While you may be exercising your brain imagining the possibilities, you are not getting anything else done. Stop talking and start walking….to your neighborhood yoga studio. I’ll see you on the mat.

You can reach me for a private lesson at 805-909-1401. Or take one of my classes. Text me for a schedule. 

Technology changes everything.

Hello, folks.

It appears that I am writing less. That's because instead of writing, I am using video to communicate. You can find my vlogs on my YouTube channel.

Go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJKrPrNJN3z78Vd45D7Fsg

You can subscribe to the channel and all new videos will be delivered to you. Or you can sign up for my newsletter and once per week or less, you will receive and email from me which usually contains the links to the latest 2 or 3 videos.

As always, thanks for your support.

Valentina

Interesting Facts About Yoga Teachers, Yoga Studios, The World of Yoga, etc

Millions of people love yoga these days, making it an Industry with everything an industry needs in order to be an industry - customers, service providers, culture, events, regulations, research, innovation, etc.

Therefore, you may want to know, or at least, find the following facts of interest:

1) Yoga is good for the economy. Yoga practitioners report spending over $16 billion on clothing, equipment, classes, accessories, etc. That's a lot of yoga mats, yoga classes, and yoga pants!

2) One in three Americans has tried yoga on their own, not in a class, at least once... And I can always tell them apart when they show up to class. Either their alignment is totally off, or they recite their injuries just before class apologetically admitting that they were following a video on youtube or on one of the now plentiful on-line yoga on-demand sites. My suggestion to all newbies and folks interested in doing yoga: Find a good teacher and get some basics under your yoga belt before you attempt to play at home without supervision.

3) Half of yoga practitioners say that they eat green, eat sustainably and locally, and volunteer in their communities. Yay for yoga changing the world and building community!

4) 75% of all Americans agree that "yoga is good for you." Now, they have to get on the mat and see what happens. Imagine what this country would look like if 75% of us practiced yoga! I mean, we'd probably be better at picking our politicians.

5) Yoga practitioners are an active bunch. Over 70% of them participate in other forms of exercises, compared to less than 40% among the non-practitioners. That's probably because yoga makes everything else we do much better.

6) 86% of yoga practitioners report having strong mental clarity! That's a whole a lot less people on antidepressants!

7) For every yoga teachers right now, there are two teachers in training. So, give it another year and there will be more yoga teachers than you can shake a stick at :)

8) Only 17% of current yoga teachers have been teaching for more than 10 years. Find them. Follow them. And soak up everything they have to tell you. These are the people that know their stuff!

9) Of all the yoga teachers out there, there are less than 8% who are full-time teachers. Now find the full-time teachers who have been teaching for over 10 years and you'll be on the fast train to planet Awesome Yoga. 37% of the teachers teach less than 5 hours per week (that's 3 - 5 classes), and another 30% teach 5 - 10 hours per week (that's 4 - 10 classes).

10) Only 27% of yoga studio live more than 10 years. Most disappear within the first 5 years. So, make sure you use up all your class passes in a timely manner! Most of them will not tell you when they are closing down and will not make any refunds on unused classes.

How do I know all this? Well, I read the latest research :) You can too. Click HERE to geek out if you wish.

Yoga, pole dancing, and the strength to be yourself!

For some people, yoga is simply another way to work out and stay active. More power to them.

For others, yoga is an escape from reality, an identifier which differentiates them from the rest of the unenlightened and not so spiritual people. Too bad for them.

Some like the challenge of ever more difficult postures, improved strength and flexibility, agility, mental clarity, mindfulness, or the contribution yoga makes to the rest of their lives and activities...

We all find in yoga what we are looking for!

About a year ago, I started pole dancing - a demanding athletic activity infused with grace and poise, and allowing for infinite self-expression. As I became enamored by the possibilities and watching my body change, one day it dawned on me that I was doing yoga on that pole. And, if it wasn't for yoga, I'd never be on the pole.

I warm up with yoga. I cool down with yoga. I stay connected to my body, protecting it from injuries because of yoga. I have the elegance afforded by flexibility developed in yoga. I have the strength and endurance built by yoga. Every movement, every spin I do, I drop into a peaceful stillness visited many times during my yoga practice.

That is, until I had to perform in front of other people, who were mostly friends and fellow polers...then I lost my shit. Out went the composure. In came the stage fright. But that's another story.

Back to yoga.

I can't think of anything I've done in the last 20 years that has not been enhanced and informed by my  yoga practice. This includes not just physical activities, but life changes, relationships, my world view. It appears that I've found in yoga a source of inner strength, vitality, health, and a mental attitude to keep me on track. I've learned to discern and perceive subtle nuances in my own mind, body, and life, and appreciate them. I've learned to remain present, be assertive, know the difference between "i want" and "i need," and appreciate what life brings my way, even if it does not appear to be enjoyable.

I've learned to be more patient. I've learned to savor the moments and to let them go, to make room for more moments. I've learned that attachment kills the inspiration to be fully embodied in my experiences. I've learned to recognize my own BS and not to take myself seriously, while greatly respecting myself! I've learned to never apologize for who I am, only for my mistakes, and that there's a difference between who I am and what I do. At the same time, I remind myself that my actions speak for who I am.

I've learned that if I can get myself into a situation, I can get myself out of it. Personal responsibility is the key to freedom. No one owes me anything. Life is what I make out of it. My attitude determines my experience of living, working, eating, relating, dreaming, achieving, and the level of enjoyment I experience.

Because, the dusty ol' yoga books say, the mind is both the source of suffering and the source of liberation.

And this is all i have to say about that!

Yoga on!

Just make sure you have a good teacher. No amount of good attitude can fix the damage a bad teacher can inflict on you and your development. And just like the apple does not fall too far from the tree, your life and practice will resemble the life and practice of your yoga teacher. Remember this next time you decide to follow a clueless 20-something year old with nothing but drama in their life and matching lululemon outfits.

Onward and Forward!

Inversions when you have a sinus infection.

Recently, a yoga teacher recommended that a student in her class should do a headstand while having a sinus infection. She's not the only one. Commonly, yoga teachers tell their students that doing inversion while congested will help decongest, because, supposedly, the extra blood flow to the area will clear the congestion.

This is one of those yoga urban legends, just like many others, that are not only unsubstantiated by any kind of science, but are actually potentially a very dangerous advice. Here's why.

A sinus infection, and also severe types of cold congestion, fill up the sinuses which are normally full of air. Mucus takes over the air spaces, on the account of which we can't take a normal breath. This mucous expands and creates pressure all around it as bacteria grows in there and creates an infectious situation. This is why doctors prescribe antibiotics. They want to kill the bacteria and by doing so, to decrease the inflammation to the area.  This, of course, is not the only way, but more on that later...

In a head stand, the blood pressure to the head and the brain increases dramatically, almost doubling. Which is why head stand is not a suggested pose for people with history of seizures, epilepsy, brain disorders, strokes, and even eye disorders such as glaucoma. The increased pressure can literally blow the weak links in the brain, causing at the very least, very bad headaches, and the very worse, a brain aneurysm. In the case of glaucoma, there is already strong pressure in the eye and increased pressure from the inversion can cause damage to the optic nerve and bleeding of the blood vessels in the eyes, even loss of vision.

When you have a sinus infection, you already have lots of pressure in your head. There are 4 pairs of sinuses. Frontal sinuses (behind the forehead), Maxillary sinuses (behind the nose), Ethmoid sinuses (behind the nose), and Sphenoid sinuses (behind the eyes.) Because of the bacteria present during inflamed sinuses, the increased blood pressure can force the bacteria into the bone, into the areas around the sinuses, creating the possibility for the following conditions to occur, according University of Maryland Medical Center:

Osteomyelitis - infection of the bones of the forehead and other facial bones. In such cases, one usually experiences headache, fever, and a soft swelling over the bone known as Pott's puffy tumor.

Infection of the Eye Socket, or orbital infection, which causes swelling and subsequent drooping of the eyelid, is a rare but serious complication of ethmoid sinusitis. In these cases, the unfortunate individual loses movement in the eye, and pressure on the optic nerve can lead to vision loss, which is sometimes permanent. Fever and severe illness are usually present.

Blood Clot, another danger, although usually rare increases when you are in a full inversion. The inversion and the pressure it builds can cause a small blood vessel to burst causing a blood clot to form. Usually in the area of the ethmoid or frontal sinusitis. If a blood clot forms in the sinus area around the front and top of the face, symptoms are similar to orbital infection. In addition, the pupil may be fixed and dilated. Although symptoms usually begin on one side of the head, the process usually spreads to both sides.

Brain Infection. The most dangerous complication of sinusitis, the likelihood of which increases when one is fully inverted, particularly frontal and sphenoid sinusitis, is the spread of infection by anaerobic bacteria to the brain, either through the bones or blood vessels. Abscesses, meningitis, and other life-threatening conditions may result. When you increase the blood pressure to the area you are forcing not just blood flow into the sinuses which most practitioner think is a good way to clear the sinuses, but you are also forcing an exchange of liquids with the sinuses. This means the bacteria in the sinuses via the blood, enters the brain. In such cases, you may experience mild personality changes, headache, altered consciousness, visual problems, and, finally, seizures, coma, and death.

Now, next time you hear a yoga teacher give you medical advice in a yoga class, preceded by "this does not feel good, but" think twice. Remember, most yoga teachers today started doing yoga yesterday and did their yoga teacher training from yoga teachers who started doing yoga last week. 

Secondly, very few yoga teachers actually bother double checking the information they are given during training and just run with it like it's the Gospel. 

Doubt your yoga teachers and protect yourself! Don't take anecdotal evidence as fact. Your brain is worth your extra consideration. 

Now, what does help sinus infection and congestion... well, the good old neti pot with a saline solution keeps the bacteria count down and keeps the mucus membranes moist, which is a great preventative and a great way to clear the breathing passages when you are in trouble. Breathing most air/steam infused with eucalyptus oil also works wonders. Staying hydrated. Exercising the right side up is awesome. A yoga practice itself is a great preventative and it helps move things around, as long as you don't do full inversions. There are also tons of OTC medications and your doctor will be happy to give you antibiotics if you really think you need it.  

Incidentally, I am teaching a weekend on inversion at Smiling Dog, March 11 - 13, so if you are into it, call Smiling Dog and sign up. Meanwhile, have a safe yoga practice.

See you on the mat. 

Yoga vs the Gym - response to recent news and UT study.

A recent story on KSBY just came to my attention. The story discussed the difference between yoga "workouts" and gym workouts, and which one is better. The conclusion stated that both provide the same benefits but people doing yoga were slightly more flexible at the end.



KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News

I beg to differ.

First, I was not able to read the actual "study" because all the credential links point HERE, and if you go there, you'll see that it mentions nothing about such study, only general information on fitness.

Second, I want to know what kind of yoga people did and what type of workouts people did. This news report, gives you some idea: yoga 3x per week for one hour each, stretching, balancing, and core work, gym - treadmill pushing the heart rate. Now right there, i can see a problem.

If you've ever been at the gym you know that there are people who basically "stroll" on the treadmill and others who sweat like there's no tomorrow not just pushing the heart rate but busting the treadmill with inclines and speed. However, most people watch TV and stroll and/or chitchat with the neighbor. Which kind were the research subjects? What were the "fitness parameters" measured? If heart rate was the main parameter, than yes, strolling down the street would be compatible to a yoga class that only does stretching, balancing, and core work. You don't break a sweat. In fact, if the same treadmill heart rate intensity was compared to someone doing restorative yoga, the treadmill will win while the restorative yoga person is chilling out on the ground actually lowering their heart rate.

Lowering the heart rate is why people with high blood pressure would benefit more from yoga than any kind of gym workout. Other benefits of yoga include mental clarity, improved sleep, which in turn improves insulin/sugar cycles in the body and decreases stress hormones responsible for gaining weight. Further, flexibility increases while one does yoga, but not so on a treadmill. Yoga takes the joints through their full range of motion, keeping them healthy and decreasing inflammation. Running on the treadmill does no such things but if you overdo it you'll get a muscle ache, increasing inflammation, and you will be compacting your joints which over time has a negative effect on your knees and hips. Runners are some of the youngest demographic with the most hip replacements!

On the other hand, if the treadmill subjects were compared to people doing yoga in a power yoga class, or a vyniasa class, heart rates would be very compatible. However, ask yourself the question, if a treadmill-only person goes to a vinyasa class, will they get their butt kicked? The answer is usually "yes" because yoga also challenges one's coordination, self-acceptance, and the ability to stay focused and present. There's no TV to watch the news while going through sun salutations.

I mean the above in the ideal case when people going to yoga classes are actually doing yoga. One reason the study may have shown no difference between yoga and the gym could be because the quality of yoga has diminished to a point that it is no better than the gym.

Thinking of my private clients and why they do yoga, I can say that there are people who cannot, for various reasons, go to the gym and/or the gym exercises would be harmful to them. Yoga is the only, or one of very few options they can take to stay moving. Others come to me to get their head in the right place, to digest psychological challenges and to feel grounded. Some come to stretch in peace and have me help them because alone they can't do it the same. Yet others, come to fine tune their practice, to rehabilitate injuries they got at the gym, and so on... How versatile is the treadmill compared to yoga?

At the end of the day, I too believe that some movement is better than no movement but if you really believe the study that 2.5 hours per week of movement will keep you healthy, you are out of your mind. The older a person gets, the more movement they need. Gentle to moderate movement is better than hard-core movement. If one eats the usual 1800 - 2800 calories diet per day but only burns 500 calories per week, that person is headed for the fat house. Then it doesn't matter if they are doing yoga or going to the gym. Obesity and being sedentary are America's biggest killers, indirectly causing an epidemic of heart disease, diabetes, and slew of other problems.

In conclusion - media loves a headline, but digging into the details a different reality usually emerges. Anyone going to the gym should also be doing some yoga, in my humble opinion. Yoga is also great for cross training purposes and will benefit any other type of athletic endeavor. If you are not doing yoga you are missing out, but then again, make sure you are doing yoga not just something that has "yoga" in the label but it is actually another gym workout.

What's your take on this? Love to hear it from those going to the gym and those going to yoga. Comments are appreciated! Share this post of you know someone who can benefit from it.

It helps they say...

The art of stillness - The place that travel writer Pico Iyer would most like to go? Nowhere. In a counterintuitive and lyrical meditation, Iyer takes a look at the incredible insight that comes with taking time for stillness. In our world of constant movement and distraction, he teases out strategies we all can use to take back a few minutes out of every day, or a few days out of every season. It’s the talk for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the demands for our world..

This is a TED Talk worth watching: 

Yoga then and now...

We no longer practice yoga as it was practiced when it was originally created. When yoga appeared in Vedic times, social drop-outs hid in caves and experimented on the dirt floor by the fire. A yoga studio with a nice floor, windows, and climate control works better for most practitioners today. We've invented the yoga mat in a thousand varieties and colors and replaced the loin cloth with yoga pants. Not only are women allowed to practice today, but they also outnumber men 3:1.

Perhaps these are improvements. Unfortunately, we have also substituted the discipline of personal development and spiritual liberation with pride of achieving ever more strenuous postures and attachment to a "yoga image." Most practitioners today enjoy the physical workout of yoga and further develop their ego muscles by posing for the camera and anyone who would applaud their presentation.

Twenty years ago, when my yoga journey started, I was a youngster learning from the elders who by then had decades of experience and practice and took the yogic teachings philosophically. Today, the elders in the community are taking yoga from the youngsters who started doing yoga relatively recently, have no wisdom that comes with life experience, and only superficially are informed about yoga philosophy. The yoga elders are passing away, or leaving the scene because they can't bring themselves to compromise the practice just to gain popularity. Youth seeks action not wisdom. Today's practitioners seek escape from reality instead of understanding of reality. They seek yoga high not yoga insight. They grasp after deep back bends and ignore the opportunities for deep inward searching.

Sadly, the quality of today's yoga teachers will determine the experience of today's yoga practitioners and how their personal journey will unfold. When I first opened the yoga studio in 2002, the usual question from interested individuals went along the lines of "What is yoga? I've never tried it, do you think I can do it?" Today, the usual conversation goes something like this: "I've tried yoga and it's not for me. I've tried yoga and I got hurt. I've tried yoga and it was too fast. I've tried yoga and I didn't like it." I spend years educating people of the benefits of yoga through my newspaper column and TV program, just to see these people going to random yoga classes with random yoga teachers and never getting the benefits I, and scientific research, promised them. Instead they find themselves discouraged and possibly hurt.

Once I had a conversation with a hotel staff in Vegas who saw me doing yoga outside by the pool early in the morning.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Yoga," I responded.
"That's not yoga," she looked surprised.
"What do you mean," I inquired.
"I've taken yoga and it was totally different. You move very slowly and you stay in the same shape for a while and you make a sound when you breath. You are not sweating."
"Oh, that's just my style. You should try another class where people do what I do," I encouraged her.
"I've been to 5 yoga classes at 5 different studios here and it's always the same. I am not trying it anymore,"

This conversation broke my heart.

There is another version of the story too, where the yoga teachers, as uneducated about yoga as they are, but enthusiastic and full of confidence, lead their classes and give people the wrong information, usually a variation of some diluted yoga philosophy interpretation they read somewhere. Sometimes, things that they misunderstand or misinterpret. My favorite one is that moving fast will cleanse the nadis (the energetic channels of the human body.) First of all the energy system of the body as described in yoga philosophy is articulated very poorly. Most of the modern day interpretation of the nadi system comes from cross-referencing from Chinese medicine where things are more detailed. There is absolutely no mention anywhere in the yogic texts that moving fast from pose to pose will cleanse, or open, or in any other way improve the energy flow through the nadis. However, there are ample amounts of mention that regular yoga practice keeps your body energetically in balance. There is also plenty in a way of suggesting mindful movement, learning to stay present and connected to one's experience, witnessing one's experience dispassionately with discernment, and remaining non-attached to the results of one's labor. To encourage people to move fast is to take away the opportunity to practice mindfulness while moving because there's no time for mindfulness. The next pose is upon you before this pose has ended. To encourage people to keep trying harder and harder and up the ante on the level of difficulty for the sake of "getting better" is actually a spiritual disservice. It goes directly against the intention of the practice. It builds ego muscles.

Yoga was not practiced so one can get better at yoga. Yoga was a vehicle for one to become a better human. A good yoga practice should not leave you proud of your yoga practice. It should leave you soft on the inside, compassionate towards self and others, open to whatever comes, grounded, and spacious. Back bends don't make better humans. Mindful back bends make room for bad things to be released so the good inside can shine. Yoga poses in general help us find where we are stuck and give us the opportunity to let go of what we are holding on to. Not so, if we go fast. Not so if we do poses to get better at poses. That's gymnastics. That's acrobatics. That's contortion. All of those are awesome in their own way, but they are not yoga. They are performance and entertainment intended. Yoga is a mental attitude, an approach to practicing life in general. The postures are just a training ground for a mindful living through whatever comes. Your yoga should be a private affair and you, the only one witnessing it.

If yoga is not making a difference in your life and attitude, you are not practicing yoga. You can get a better work out at the gym, more fun at zumba, and more sweat in a body combat class. It will be cheaper too. If you want to practice yoga, practice with a teacher whose life is a testimony of their yoga practice, not with a teacher who tells you they are awesome, or seem nice. If your teacher doesn't have it together, they can't put it together for you either.

Find a real yoga teacher and change your life forever.

Why you NEED a coach!

When I think of all the ways I've struggled in life and how often I've hoped that someone would help me out, I wonder why would anyone go through so much suffering when easier way exists. Simply, get a coach. When athletes want to win, they get coaches. When executives want to improve performance, they get coaches. When you get stuck in life, you tough it out, muck around, curse, cry, and feel sorry for yourself. I know I did. In my teens, I had a coach and made it to Olympic team. In my thirties, I lived alone and didn't know coaches existed for things other than sports and suffered terribly because of it. Now I am a coach and I give you sound reasons why you should have one too.

1) Coaches are people who can help you reach your goals, personally, professionally, relationally, etc.

2) Coaching can be a perk to employees, but employers can greatly benefit from paying for their coaching. Professional coaching can drive sales, employee engagement, creativity, workplace satisfaction, and bottom line results. According to a Manchester Consulting Group study of Fortune 100 executives, the Economic Times reports "coaching resulted in a ROI of almost six times the program cost as well as a 77% improvement in relationships, 67% improvement in teamwork, 61% improvement in job satisfaction and 48% improvement in quality." Additionally, a study of Fortune 500 telecommunications companies by MatrixGlobal found executive coaching resulted in a 529% ROI. The CIPD concludes "coaching is not just perceived as a nice-to-have intervention." (2011, CBS Interactive Inc.)

3) A good coach can help you create positive change in whatever area of your life you need it. Change is difficult. Doing it alone can be even more so. With a coach to keep you motivated, focused, and to support you, change will feel more like transformation and less like a root canal.

4) Good coaching focuses on your strengths. They empower you and help you be yourself. Coaches advocate for you. They are the outside observers who love to see you succeed! Good coaches don't tell you what to do, or what you should do. They help you find your way.

5) Coaching produces rewards far beyond the cost. Psychologically, coaching can keep you balanced, clear-headed, focused, and motivated. Professionally, coaching can help you reach your career goals and improve your financial situation beyond the few dollars you spend on getting help. A thriving relationship is more than worth the investment in coaching. However you look at it, coaching more than pays for itself.

As one of my clients said: "Everything gets better with coaching, even the parts of your life you didn't know you could make better."

Do yourself a favor. Stop struggling and get a coach. Better yet, get me :)
info@thisfulfillinglife.com / 804-242-3181

What do you really want?

I can't help but notice how happiness seems to be everyone's highest priority. Lately, I've been considering the possibility that what people actually want is not happiness. The elusiveness and ambiguity of happiness causes suffering as we strive to find it. Meanwhile, people who live meaningful and purposeful lives seem to be better off than the happiness seekers. Perhaps, what we really want is fulfillment--the feeling of fullness we get when we look around and things seem to make sense, someone needs us, we contribute and surround ourselves with what matters most to us.

If this rings true, than you need to look into several distinct areas in your life and evaluate yourself on your situation there.

1) Your physical body. You can't get too far in life without a healthy body. If the body is not healthy your time and energy is spent driving to and from the doctor's office, worrying, complaining, and paying Big Pharma for questionable cures. You also deny yourself tons of experience because you simply can't do them. With a healthy body you can participate in life to the fullest. Clearly yoga is one of the best ways to get a healthy body.

2) Your emotional body. What good is a life full of awesomeness if you can't count your blessings? Seriously, an attitude of gratitude goes a long way! Working on the scars past experiences have left on your psyche goes even further. Mental health is in crisis in this country. How can this be when we have so many resources? Take advantage of them. Yoga can help develop mindfulness and help you identify where you are stuck.

3) Your relationships. Yep, if your relationships suck, everything sucks. Evaluate your relations and make a decision who to keep in your life and who to let go of so you can move on. You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most...find some good people to hang out with.

4) Your work. What you do should not be just a way to make a pay check so you can pay your bills. If you spend at least 40 hours per week working, plus commute time, you are spending a huge portion of your life! A pay check is necessary and you may have to do anything you can to get it, but being selective in your work will pay you in a sense of growth, fulfillment, and motivation to continue. Choose wisely.

5) Your finances. If you can't balance your check book, if you have to borrow money constantly, if you have no savings, you are living on the thin edge of instability and insecurity. It takes a toll on you. It makes you do things you otherwise would not - like take meaningless jobs just to pay the rent, or get mixed up with the wrong crowd all together. Financial health, on the other hand, gives you space to breathe and room to be creative, choosy, and take care of your needs. It gives you independence.

6) What you contribute. If you are not giving, you are not living. You have to find a place where you can be useful beyond your own pleasure and convenience. To live for yourself only is a very small life. To live for others, to make a difference in another's life, to offer of yourself makes you feel bigger than your problems and your little world. It expands your capacity for compassion. It opens you up to new experiences, more gratitude, more humility, more life.

And that's that... It's what i do--help people find fulfillment through addressing what needs improvement from the areas above. Ever feel like you need me, just contact me at (805) 242-3181, info@thisfulfillinglife.com.

Follow this blog and keep in touch! 

Body, mind, heart….the many definitions of yoga.

The usual article about yoga tends to start by defining what yoga is. The usual definition of yoga is a dry intellectual explanation that goes something like this: “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind,” or “Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word to yoke, which means…” and usually a description of what gets yoked follows. Sometimes it sounds like this: “Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline originating in ancient India and found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and ...”

There is this misperception that yoga is a practice of physical movements peppered with a mixed seasoning of new age ideas and ancient wisdom. It is supposed to be your highway to health and a fountain of youth,  cheaper and more fun than constant visits to the doctor or your cosmetic surgeon. 

For a lot of people that is exactly what yoga is. Generally whatever your expectations are from the practice, that’s what you are going to find in it and get from it. If you are coming to the practice for great abs and butt, you will be the person seeking ever more challenging workouts and you will be the person pushing the limits of your body in a yoga class until you are sweating profusely, exhausted and “feel the burn.” If you are the kind of person looking for connection, you will find yourself in classes where other students like to chat and hang out with each other, and find yourself in kirtans (devotional gatherings with music and chanting). If you are the kind of person who’s looking for transformation, you will have a giant library of yoga books, attend workshops, and notice how every yoga class you take makes you feel – physically, mentally and emotionally.

That’s why each one of us have a different definition of what yoga is. If you sit and think for a moment what yoga is for you, you will find your own definition, and if you stick with the practice long enough, you may find that your definition is changing. Hopefully, if you are in the yoga abs and butt category, you will indeed change your definition over time, or else, you will be missing out on most of the practice.

My first experience with yoga, even before I knew what yoga was, or that it even existed, was when I was ten years old and sitting under a blackberry bush being quiet so I can see the Universe "out there" reflected in me, "in here." I was having a mystical experience without knowing it. This goes to show you that mystical experiences are available to anyone regardless of training, age, gender, affiliation, or location. Children like me, who were pretty much left to figure things out on their own and before their heads got full with experiences, impressions, and definitions (samskaras), and who didn’t have to struggle to physically survive, are probably more open and likely to stumble upon something profound than adults who are already molded into a worldview, stuck in life's responsibilities, and generally more skeptical. I don’t think, I am special. It took me years to realize I was having a mystical experience and I was only able to appreciate it when I grew up enough to learn a few things, get a few definitions, and realize that I have built a few walls of my own.

Later in my teens, I acquired my fist misunderstanding of yoga to be a strange undertaking of a few people who live in India and sleep on beds of nails, walk around naked, try to hold their breath for too long ,and show off contortionist skills to amazed bystanders. I have no idea where that came from! Perhaps I saw it on Bulgarian TV.  My grandmother, years later, when she found out that I was doing yoga, puzzled and openly disappointed asked my mother “Why would Valentina want to do this? What is the future of someone sleeping on a bed of nails?” My own mother, when she found out that I had become a yoga teacher lamented: “You spent all this time and sacrificed so much to get a real education (referring to my economics degree)! Why would you want to throw it all away?”

Over the years, my definition of yoga has changed dramatically. I have come to realize that my child mystical experience has more to do with who I have become than what my family tried to imprint on me, or what I planned on becoming.  It left me with an insatiable yarning to find meaning beyond what meets the eye. It stuck inside and made me evaluate my undertakings as “sukha” or “dukha” (wholesome/happy vs unfitting/suffering). Sometimes willing, sometimes kicking and screaming, I managed to follow the instinct created by that mystical experience into a journey of self-discovery which has paid off with experiential understanding of human nature and the nature of reality. This, in turn, has brought about tenderness, appreciation, and compassion in someone like me who’s not that tender, appreciative, and compassionate to begin with. It's made me a Self-reliant optimist, even in times of funk and hardship. 

My definition of yoga is: “A personal practice of transformation that tames the mind and reveals its limitless creative potential, purifies and shapes the body into the most amazing instrument of action through with creativity can manifest, and opens the heart to universal connectedness that humbles, challenges, and further transforms anyone willing to withstand it.”

Yes, I love me a challenging physical practice and always look forward to one. But my definition of yoga expands beyond that and infuses that with meaning beyond shape and form. I find my asana practice to be one of the best opportunities to practice mindfulness of my psychological tenancies. I notice the impulses of the ego to push the limits, the tenderness of the heart reminding me to listen deeply into the body, the passing of life and vitality which brings sadness and utmost gratitude for that which is still present now, the emotional reactions to the thoughts that arise, the reactivity and at the same time the vastness of speciousness and deep silence within which everything is born, takes shape and returns to. An asana practice for me is one of the best places to experience the multidimensionality of humanness because it is a safe container for vulnerability.

Ultimately, our intentions determine our actions and the outcomes of these actions end up serving our intentions, even though the outcome may be something we didn't expect or plan for. My intention has been to grow, explore, and fulfill the potential within me. I’ve been many places I didn't expect to find myself and each and every place, person, situation, and event had something to show me about me.  That’s karma, the law of causality, and interconnectedness of events. One is liberated by solving the riddles karma delivers your way and transcending the samskaras, the unconscious mental habits and conditioning that lay at the bottom of every karmic occurrence.

Yes, it’s an ongoing process, because we make more karma as we are going along – sometimes out of ignorance, other times because we can’t see the connections between things. Sometimes, we make decisions out of ego which is unable to let go of its usual way of seeing and doing things just yet.  Other times, our attachments and aversions run so deep we don’t know they are there. Sometimes, it’s just dumb luck and reactivity towards it from deeply ingrained conditioning…  Basically, it’s safe to assume that for as long as we are on this planet and have a body, we all are going to have plenty to do in the karma department.

Beliefs usually are at the basis of our intentions. We intend for something we believe we want, deserve or need, something that we consider good. Something we believe is worth our time and effort. We don’t set intentions to suffer unreasonably, to be dishonest whenever possible, to cause others to suffer, and to feel miserable pretty much all the time.  But sometimes we actually believe that we don’t deserve love, connection, and prosperity. We actually believe we are incompetent and unable to get from where we are to where we intend to be. If intention and beliefs misalign we find trouble because we find no fulfillment and prove to ourselves that “this stuff just doesn’t work. “  By examining our beliefs we learn massive amounts about ourselves. We find all our samskaras.  As we unearth them, than we have an opportunity to transform them, thus transforming our beliefs and setting intentions that match our deepest convictions, our highest visions, and our most sincere aspirations. 

So, what is your intention for your yoga? Does your yoga serve your intentions and how? Are these questions you even think about? There are no wrong answers, only sincere answers and pretend answers. If your answers are sincere, your practice will be a good start on the endless road of transformation. If your answers are wishful thinking, or parroting things you’ve heard or read somewhere, than your practice will give you something just for practicing – like numerous health benefits that are attributed to yoga, but those will be temporary, limited, and not that different from other forms of exercise, because that’s all you are doing – exercising.  Yes, exercising is better than not exercising, but there are a lot of unhappy people who are exercising every day. There are a lot of people with broken relationships, who are exercising every day. There are a lot of mean and selfish people, who are exercising every days. 

If you want to know if your yoga is “working” take a look at your relationships. What is your relationship with yourself, with your partner, or children, or co-workers….all of your relationships? If you find things you can improve upon, go back to the mat, to the books, to meditation, and contemplation. The Greek Olympics used to have a slogan, or perhaps they still do… “Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy spirit.” That’s not too far from what Yoga is all about, is it?

Heal your mind, transform your body, open your heart.  A mind that sees clearly and is free of obstructions envisions the future. A body that’s healthy, energized and agile creates the future. A heart that’s open and wise, shares the future with all others.

Ultimately, yoga is really not about you, is it? But without you it won’t happen. 

Take a class or one of my workshops, and you will see what I mean. If you are on journey and need guidance and support, consider my coaching services. It's always a pleasure and an honor to help people along their unique paths. info@thisfulfillinglife.com / www.ThisFulfillingLife.com

Starting Over..

Starting something is a lot of fun.  Starting a new book promises a new time alone. Starting a new diet promises a dream body. Starting a new TV shows promises new drama. A new date promises new flirtation. New friends promise new fun. Starting a new chapter in life, holds the potential for renewal, growth and new adventures. Basically, most people have stared new things more times than they can count - hopeful, excited, nervous, scared, expectant or reluctant.

The question i have then is, why do we not like re-starting something as much as we like starting it in first place. I've read books more than once and found them to be more meaningful the second or third time around. I've tried to learn Italian 3 or 4 times and everytime I restarted, I learned a little more. Once I tried to make eclairs and went through some 36 eggs for multiple unsuccessful trials. It was fun nevertheless and the dog had a lot of flat eclairs to enjoy.

I've met other people like me, starters and restarters. But I've also met many folks who start and never finish but instead of restarting, they just give up, whatever it is. Some give up on their dream bodies. Others give up on their dream marriages. And others give up on stopping bad habits, on learning new things and on working on their lives. For some, to restart something is to admit that you failed once. If that's how you think, i feel sorry for you. A prominent social psychologist from Stanford University, Carol Dweck, had done some interesting research concluding that there are really just two kinds of mindsets out there. The folks with the fixed mindset seem to think that they are born with everything they've got and change is something that happens to others. They stick to their opinions, the way they do things and how they think of themselves. As a result of that they spend all their lives trying to prove to others how good they are, how special they are and how important they are. They start things up and they don't restart if it doesn't work out the first time because it would mean that the first time around the results they got did not match their expectations of themselves and it would be mighty difficult to try to prove how great you are if you just bombed your first trial.

Meanwhile, other folks, with what she calls a growth mindset, spent their time learning and growing. They don't mind restarting again and again, relearning, retrying. They are open to change and welcome it with open arms, no matter how difficult it may be. They never fail because everything is a learning opportunity and because every endeavor is a stepping stone to the next one. There's nothing to lose but a little ego skin in the process, so why not dive right in!

I am just restarting my blog. As you can see, my last post was in November. All this time i was looking for a platform to do everything for me - website, blog, and drive my car. I kept trying and testing and at the end I came back to what I already had....and restarted my blog.

I also just restarted juicing. After a cheese rich and pastry bountiful vacation to Paris, I, not only forgot how to use my juicer, I even forgot how good it felt to have a fresh squeezed juice daily, and went on eating chocolate and bread even at home. My first restarted juice was orange, carrot and apple and it was absolutely delicious!

I also restart my mediation practice every Friday because I quit every Thursday due to my travel schedule which keeps me working and traveling from 5:45 am - 11:30 pm.

I can think of a million other things I restart or should restart and will restart. I wonder what could you restart today that would make a huge difference in your life! Just one thing! Common, you know you have it!

Be brave!

Peas in a pod

Jim Rohn said that you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most. You may wonder who Jim Rohn is. He is best known for his personal rags to riches story and his 40 years of personal development seminars, founded on well crafted philosophy and psychology of living. When a person like that says something, the rest of us better listen.

If you want to amuse yourself, put pen to paper and write down the names and qualities of the 5 people you hang out with the most and take the average. See if you still like yourself. You may love yourself. You may decide it’s time to re-arrange your friends’ list. No need to wonder if your grandmother knew Jim Rohn, just because she told you “Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are.” It’s more likely that Jim listened to his grandmother, and look what that got him and countless others.

It is interesting to wonder about our hidden potentials and secret dreams. In her very influential book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron warns all of us that creativity is the electricity of life and a God given gift, a responsibility which if left unrealized, leaves us feeling unfulfilled, jealous of others and generally stuck with flat lives. You may wonder what does an artist, an entrepreneur, a housewife, a teacher, an engineer, or a bartender have in common, and you may conclude like most out there, that they have nothing in common. Like most others, you will be wrong.

Creativity is what we all have in common as we are the very expression of creativity – from the moment of our conception and even before. Creativity is what is needed in every aspect of our lives, from solving problems, to writing a play, to painting a room, to starting and running a business, to cooking dinner. If we approach life like a series of tasks on a to-do list, we end up waiting in line at the pharmacy for the next refill of antidepressants.

The other commonality is that we all have friends. Even the introverted types like me, who prefer the company of books and keeping the bluffs trail in Montana De Oro all for my own self. The friends we have will either help or hinder our creative expression. I young lady came to see me and told me in all seriousness “No one wants me to succeed!” I was shocked and hurt to hear this. How is she to live in a world where she felt like being herself and aspiring to become what she wants to become will be met by people who are not interested in her growth. I told her that it was simply not true - “It's just that you have not yet met the people who will want you to succeed.”

To have friends that in some way inspire your creativity, stimulate your self-expression, and support you in whatever way they can on your journey of life, are the kind of friends you should be surrounding yourself with. At the same time, you should consider being this kind of friend too, because you are also needed in realizing other’s dreams. Without your heartfelt participation, someone else’s life will be flat. Without your honest self expression, a piece of the mystery of the Universe will have to be left unrealized. Without your willingness to rise above your fears and limitations, the only faith that awaits you is the well worn out spot on your couch… and then you die.

Where would you like to start today? What area of your life needs a creative infusion?

Valentina Petrova is the person to go to when you need help sorting yourself out and enjoying a fulfilling life. She is a strategic interventionist, life & transitions coach and so much more, once you get to know her. info@thisfulfillinglife.com /805-242-3181/ Facebook – CoachValentina.


This piece was originally published in Indulge SLO Volume 1 / Issue 6

Yoga As Self Transformation

An article everyone doing yoga should read. It's old and timeless and absolutely awesome.

YogaAsSelfTransformation.pdf

Feel free to comment on the impression this article has made on you.

It's interesting for me personally to remember how the article felt when i first read it some 15 years ago. Then to read it again from time to time and see how it has shaped my practice and my teaching.

Happy reading.

The F Word

Fun, freedom, fulfillment—“F” words abound. Friendship, family, future. Fancy this, we really need to “F” ourselves and others, if we are to enjoy the other “F” words.

Continue reading... http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/08/the-f-word-valentina-petrova/

Vulnerable

When the going gets tough the tough get going... I used to misunderstand this saying. Tough meant stoic, harsh, determined, shear power struggle until I won. Then one day it occurred to me that I was exhausting myself being tough. I read about body armor and stood in front of the mirror identifying myself as a "Challenger/Defender" and wondered if it was a coincidence that wherever I went, something got unsettled. I used to joke that my middle name was "Change".

Years later a friend of mine pointed out that my proper middle name "Sasheva" was sexy and it purrs. Funny but by then I had already thrown away most of my more tough looking attire, and lace, flowing skirts and sheer fabrics were already occupying a sizable portion of closet space. By then I had been given my alter ego – the flamboyant tango dancer, an ample amount of room to express herself and yes, she could purr, dance and glide through life.  

Still, I had never really put it all together until he started calling me Sasheva instead of my given name. At first it sounded weird because no one has ever called me by my middle name. Underneath the discomfort I found a smile. Underneath the smile I found an authenticity that put into perspective the changes that have been happening in the last 5 years of my life, most of which were creeping in even before.

I realized that the meaning of tough has changed for me to mean something like the nurturing, soft persistence of water on its mission of shaping the Grand Canyon. Tough had a raw softness and exposed vulnerability to it that made for more sincere and honest interactions. All of the sudden the laws of physics totally made sense in terms of human relationships. Every action produces an equal and opposing reaction, therefore if you push, they shove. The further you pull away the stronger you snap back, just to crash at the point of origination, thus there was no escaping the realization that I was my mother after all. Sensitive dependence on initial conditions is chaos theory, fancy way of saying that we are all interdependent and we should pay attention to that.

It’s easy to say “I don’t care” when we actually do and care a lot. What we get in return is “I don’t care right back at ya” and no one is happy. It’s harder to put into words feelings because feelings are elusive and words are clumsy in comparison. Yet, life is about nuances. The very search for the right words is a space we share with each other and is more meaningful than slamming a door in the other’s face. Furthermore, being vulnerable is special because it gives someone else the opportunity to reach out, connect and lift you up. We all love to be needed and valued. If none of us is ever vulnerable, then who will ever feel needed and valuable in return? We rob each other of the opportunity to share our goodness with each other when we are stuck in our armor and warring states.  

Honesty is what makes it all jive together. Without honesty with our own selves, we won’t know what it is we are doing, needing and communicating. We may mistake needy for vulnerable and manipulative for caring. We may mistake lace for weapons and purring for a growl. In yoga language – discernment and practice lead to liberation. In the language of quantum physics – the observer has a lot to do with what is being observed. In the language of physiology – we feel better when we are with people who feel better themselves.

When I think of tough now, I think of the goddess Isis and her magical ways with which she cared for everyone – sinners and saints, maidens and artists, slaves and aristocrats, the living and the dead. Motherly but purposeful, soft but assertive, clever and carrying. The river Nile flooded every year with her tears of sorrow for her brother Osiris, out of which came fertility and life sustaining nourishment. If she decided to say “I don’t care” and acted stoic, what would the outcome be? Probably she would not be a goddess.

I found a picture of Isis, just the way I had dreamt of her wearing the head dress of Hathor with the sun disk between the cow horns, kneeling on the ground with her arms outstretched into beautiful wings as if ready to embrace the whole world. I printed it and pinned it above my computer desk, to remind myself to check in with Sasheva once in a while and to keep softening.

Who is your intrinsic god/goddess? 

Valentina Petrova

info@thisfulfillinglife.com

Do Something that Matters

“Life is too short” is a familiar cliché very few people pay attention to, until it’s too late and you are out of time. Do you ever take inventory of the way you spend your time? How much of the time you spend, you actually use purposefully, productively, meaningfully? How much of time you throw away on TV ads, pointless speculations, meaningless interactions on social media, useless tasks, soul sucking things you really don’t want to do, arguing, complaining, and so on?

If “Time is money” than what value would you put on all that time you are throwing away? What value would you put on the priceless moments of utter joy, connectedness, love, and the feeling of riding on the momentum of purpose and inspiration?

What is the value of a life without regrets? If you can imagine one such life, you can make it happen. To make it happen, you will have to commit to doing what matters most to you. To find out what matters most to you, you will have to tap into your personal source of wisdom and inspiration – your heart. In your mind, you may be full of rationalization about what you do and why. In your heart, those same rationalizations are dissolved in the ocean of knowing that no amount of rationalization will really make you feel better. The only thing that would make you feel elated, fulfilled, happy and content is you doing what you are here to do.

We all have many gifts to contribute to the tapestry of living. We have talents, unique points of view, ideas, inspirations and dreams. With every dream we kill, a little part of us dies away. With every inspiration we forego, a little life in us shrivels up. With every gift we withhold, we are a little more impoverished. A life time of holding back and rationalizing our actions and choices, results in one day looking back and wishing you could have another chance. But there’s no going back. So, why not do it all, just right, NOW.

For every brave moment you choose to be yourself, you grow a little taller and more confident. For every contribution you make from your authentic gift registry, you grow a little bigger than yourself.

What you do in your life is not only important to you but for countless others you will encounter, even through 5 degrees of separation. Therefore, doing what matters is not just your personal bee’s wax. What you do, ripples out and creates waves in all directions, spilling into the shores of co-creation.

Do what matters! Today!

Valentina Petrova info@thisfulfillinglife.com