Yoga-How It Changed A Woman's Image in Society!

There is something about a barefoot woman that captivates everyone.

We can theorize and come up with intelligible answers, but we really can't boil them down to one single one that's right.

The fact is, that the barefoot woman, as an image, is more enduring than any other social image.

When Taylor Swift (left) appeared in her video for her song "15", she was barefoot-the song was a huge hit and it made no difference that the audience of focus, when we specifically refer to lyrics, was teenage girls. 

Today, an ever-more-popular image of the empowered woman is a woman doing Yoga. Yoga, of course, is always practiced barefoot. 

Yogi and professional Yoga Teacher Paula Van Alstine poses in Uthitta Hasta Padangusthasana (left) and Astravakrasana (right)

Yoga is a force of positive empowerment becasue it helps a person, female or male, find a sense of self and true inner strength, so no matter how others see us, we like how we see ourselves.

Yoga is NOT a religion-but the connection still matters

WHY?

by Vincent Gerbino 

Many who’ve felt disenfranchised from traditional spiritual paths of their families begin to find new spiritual energy when they start doing Yoga as adults.

Yoga is not a religion, despite its very close connection to the religions of the Hindu region and culture that it came from.

Yoga is a spiritual discipline much like the traditional martial arts-people who practice martial arts sincerely and fully tend to have strong sense of purpose, or morality and a great deal of constructive self-discipline.

But Yoga often prompts practitioners to curiously explore spiritual forces and symbols that are not familiar in their old world. It’s easy for a Western Christian or “post Christian” to make her or himself an honorary Buddhist of sorts-one is fascinated by the totally-different cultural aspects, and equally important is the fact that the other religion’s image isn’t tainted by what one knows about the religion that was her or his birthright.

A very wise Yogi named Yogi Bijan, recently departed and a foremost authority on Kundalini Yoga said that finding enlightenment through Yoga doesn’t necessitate changing religions or even ignoring the religion of one’s birth that one may be at odd with while soul-searching here on Earth. “Christians should not become Hindus and Hindus should not become Christians,” he said in his book The Kundalini Yoga Experience.

Yogi wasn’t telling people they didn’t have freedom of choice, but rather, that any religious practice must be sincere and from the heart. Any religion that makes the practitioner truly feel and find Divinity in the self and others and in the world is a valid religion. True Divinity can never be a “false god” by any religion’s standard.

If ever there was a positive aspect to the religion of ones birthright, a Yoga practice typically will heighten those positive aspects. Practicing Yoga enables a person to accept his or herself fully, flaws and all, and helps the person see all of her or his positive traits. Any religion that’s tied to a culture, and to the people who made rules in your life that you didn’t like or agree with, will have a negative side, Justas we all have a negative side of our own sometimes.

In the end, Yoga is not a religion, but it is a positive compliment to any and every religion.

Yoga for Beginners

Yoga:   What beginners should know 

If you posess normal mobility in your joints, you can and wlll reach this point from regular practice.

Why you shouldn't hesitate to start:


Lots of people are interested in starting a Yoga practice but hesitate and say stuff like:

"I'm not good at that"   OR   "I'm not flexible"


Why you will succeed by trying:

• Like anything, you get better by continuing to practice. What's great about Yoga is it can be started at any age. You don't need to start young, nor do you need to be an athlete. 

• Most people aren't flexible, and non-flexible people actually have an advantage. Why? Because you have to concentrate on getting into the pose, calculate the range of motion that's based on your existing mobility limits, and that teaches you the mental focus technique that Yoga is so good for.

Fun facts about the author:

• When I started doing Yoga, I could not even touch my toes
• I didn't start my practice until I was 30
• I kept with my practice becasue it made me feel good emotionally and gave me an ability to focus that I never had before
• I took up teaching Yoga becasue I had to give to others what it gave to me

If you in in Metro Denver, I can create a custom Yoga program for you!

e-mail me at:   yogarunner@earthlink.net and put "custom program" in the subject field. If you want a list of where I teach group classes, e-mail me and put "group classes" in the subject field.

Namaste

Yoga Woman-Connect With Your Inner Awesome

"Connect with Your Inner Awesome" instructions from a Radical Optimist Guru

Sarah poses in Eka Pada Sirsasana

Sarah Lowenstein is many things.  

Sara poses in Baddha Konasana

She is, professionally, A Yoga Instructor and a meditation teacher. She's also very active in Denver's feminist community and is a strong supporter of veganism and for working to end cruelty to animals.
 

A unique statement about herself: she calls herself a "Radical Optimist"



. View and share same interview from Gaia Yoga of Colorado's blog.

Sarah poses in Uthitta Hasta Pdangusthasana

1. How has Yoga empowered you as a woman?

First and foremost, yoga has taught me how to really reconnect with my body. As women, our society encourages us to have a disconnect from what it feels like to fully occupy our WHOLE body – we nit-pick specific parts of our bodies we like or don’t like, disassociating with its sensations of pain or pleasure. Yoga invites us to go within and occupy the WHOLE body (engaging the toes as your belly draws in and your fingertips extend outward). On the mat is a time to practice this embodied wholeness, embracing whatever sensations arise without the need to disconnect. I love that.

The feet of Sarah, Radical Optimist Guru in sandals

2. Before you began doing Yoga, did you go barefoot very often?

Not very often. When I danced, as a child with Cleo Parker Robinson’s dance company, being barefoot was the expectation, but once I took other forms of dance, we put shoes on and I lost that connection. It wasn’t until I had a stronger yoga practice in my late teens that I began to fully appreciate my full foot on the earth and spreading my toes wide. I learned from the amazing teacher, Rainbeau Mars to fully love my body, from my toes to my head. Yogi toes are BEAUTIFUL! Now it’s hard to keep my shoes on most days!

The Teacher at Work-Sarah assists a student in a special a pose modification for mobility development

3. When did you start practicing Yoga?

I began practicing yoga, on a small scale with my step-Grandmother and younger cousin when I was about 12 years old in their house. We would perform a few poses and that would be it. I practiced initially at home, trying some pretzel yoga (pushing and twisting my body to look like the pictures I saw) with no awareness of how it felt or who I was when I got into the poses.

 After a while, my practice began to deepen – my physical poses were a mirror for who I was off the mat (emotionally, physically and spiritually). I wanted to know more and that’s when I decided I wanted to learn how to teach others and share what I had discovered. I completed my 200 Hour Yoga teacher Training at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat center in Rollinsville, CO in July 2007; living at the ashram for almost 3 weeks straight. I learned a lot about myself, about yoga and it fueled me to unveil more about yoga.

4. What made you decide to teach it?

I really wanted (and still do) want to share the profound and deep teachings yoga has to offer beyond the physical practice. I graduated from college getting my BA in Psychology and minored in Religious Studies where I learned more of the academic perspective on healing. After that, I spent many years exploring different forms of yoga, to delve into the varied perspectives this profound practice offered and I’m still learning more every day. Yoga has offered me this integration of so many of my passions (music, dance, humor, mythology, Buddhism, Psychology, art, creativity and introspection) that I am passionate about sharing each week with my students. 

I am so inspired by so many varying forms of creativity and love to bring them to the table to help students make connections to life in a deeper way. I love helping others find their unique voice, connect with their bodies and become who they really are from the inside out! I am very excited to be currently working on my 500 Hour Teacher Training with the amazing Shannon Paige.

5. As a Yoga teacher, you’re a woman who not only has the power of authority also the ability to empower others. What’s one way you encourage your students to empower themselves?

I love to integrate dance breaks into my classes. Yoga asana practice can become very bogged down in precision (which it should, to prevent injury) but sometimes we need to shake it off and just let it go. Dancing like no one is watching with a group of strangers or even friends can be so liberating! It gets us in touch with our bodies, own unique rhythms and creativity to learn to connect with this on and off that mat is incredibly empowering!

6. What’s an empowering message you would offer to women and girls?

Be yourself. Connect with your innate intelligence, creativity and beauty at least once a day. Speak your truth. Stop chasing skinny and instead chase good health. Empower other women and see them as your sisters rather than your competitors. Celebrate your body and encourage the women and girls around you to do the same. Trust yourself. Connect with your inner awesome. Trust me it’s there, you just need to find it! And finally, if you fail or you fall, dust yourself off and get back up again!

7. The Yoga community has also been very welcoming to men. How can we continue to make sure that the Yoga community remains a place where women can empower themselves and have it still be as open as it is today?

I think we as a society in general need to empower ourselves and others and encourage all genders, abilities and means to join the community. I think yoga, of late, has easily gone down a path to be accessible for only wealthy people who tend to be white. It can be discouraging for anyone outside of that bubble to feel welcome such as people with less expendable incomes, people of color, people with varying abilities and body sizes and the LGBTIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual)community.

I think it is our job as yoga teachers and practitioners to open that door WIDE open and invite everyone in, not just the privileged few who can afford to go to a weekly class. I am very encouraged by organizations like Denver Yoga Co-Op whose mission is to offer yoga to everyone, regardless of financial means or abilities. When we open that door, we invite others to feel empowered and thus, we feel empowered by them – it’s a beautiful cyclical relationship that benefits everyone!

8. Add something else that is your unique thought on this discussion……
Yoga is a mirror for who we are off the mat. It is our opportunity to practice and discover who we REALLY are, in a safe environment. We can fall, we can begin again, we can laugh, we can cry, we bring our whole self to the mat. We can open the door to that darkness within ourselves, that which we refuse to look at, shine a light on it and give it space to open up and teach us more about ourselves. Because whatever we deny or refuse to look at will continue to follow us around. So instead, invite it in, as an honored guest of your conscious, say hello, listen and encourage yourself to embrace this darkness within – ultimately transforming our wounds into wisdom.

As one of the teachers I admire, Douglas Brooks has said, “inhabit all of yourself, not just the parts you like.” Thank you for your time. It has been an honor to speak about my passion with you! 

You can learn more about Sarah on website: www.sarahlowensteinyoga.com

Thank you, Sarah!

**All photos of Sarah Lowenstein used with permission

Blessings

Women-Only Yoga classes? When this makes sense

Yoga for women only: when is this right?

The strength of the Yoga community is its ability to be open and inclusive, promote open mindedness, self-transformation and general understanding. So how, then, could Yoga classes exclusive to one group be justified? In particular, we’re talking Yoga classes just for women.

The discussion almost seems like overkill, since most Yoga classes have a female-to-male ratio of at least four to one. But maybe that’s because Yoga simply appeals naturally to women and its nature has to be learned by most men, just as female fans of American football may need a little exposure to before they become interested in it.

Yoga classes have become of place where women transform their lives, learn to love themselves as they are and empower themselves for the long term. This fact is quite crucial to societal transformation when we consider how many women have been abused and need a safe place to start rebuilding their lives. 

That's why Sumora, a 20-year veteran Kundalini Yoga teacher says some Yoga classes should be offered exclusively for women. 

Yoga Instructor Sumora of Massachusetts

"I think it's great that there are men who wish to practice yoga.  I wish I knew more than the one I know.  :-)   I know that there are those that disagree, but I believe there should be yoga centers that are women-exclusive.  Many women are survivors of abuse.  They have no desire to exercise or practice yoga in the presence of men.  These needs must be addressed and women-only studios is the way to go."

-Susan Sumora Morgaine Stanley, professional Kundalini Yoga Instructor

Sumora is an active feminist as well. Click to read all of Sumora's recent interview that included her above statement.

Colorado Yoga instructor Vincent Gerbino

As a male Yoga teacher, I agree with Sumora that women-only classes have their place. Who knows, maybe someday, there will be enough male interest in Yoga to have men's Yoga classes may also be discussed. 

Controversy has always surrounded gender-exclusive fitness programs. Technically, gender discrimination is never permitted. Private studios may request that gender boundaries by voluntarily respected, but this may be the extent of what is permitted. The fitness industry has always faced this challenge.

The Radical Optimist Guru Speaks From Her Mat and Beyond

"Connect with Your Inner Awesome" instructions from a Radical Optimist Guru

Sarah Lowenstein is many things.  

She is, professionally, A Yoga Instructor and a meditation teacher. She's also very active in Denver's feminist community and is a strong supporter of veganism and for working to end cruelty to animals.

A unique statement about herself: she calls herself a "Radical Optimist"

Today, Sarah speaks to us about her experiences in life-she rarely ever went barefoot before she began practicing Yoga. It's funny how Yoga and going barefoot share the strength of creating peaceful empowerment. 

*Some material has been edited for length. View the unabridged interview on Gaia Yoga of Colorado's blog.

1. How has Yoga empowered you as a woman? 

First and foremost, yoga has taught me how to really reconnect with my body. As women, our society encourages us to have a disconnect from what it feels like to fully occupy our WHOLE body – we nit-pick specific parts of our bodies we like or don’t like, disassociating with its sensations of pain or pleasure. Yoga invites us to go within and occupy the WHOLE body (engaging the toes as your belly draws in and your fingertips extend outward). On the mat is a time to practice this embodied wholeness, embracing whatever sensations arise without the need to disconnect. I love that.

The feet of Sarah, Radical Optimist Guru in sandals

2. Before you began doing Yoga, did you go barefoot very often? 

Not very often. When I danced, as a child with Cleo Parker Robinson’s dance company, being barefoot was the expectation, but once I took other forms of dance, we put shoes on and I lost that connection. It wasn’t until I had a stronger yoga practice in my late teens that I began to fully appreciate my full foot on the earth and spreading my toes wide. I learned from the amazing teacher, Rainbeau Mars to fully love my body, from my toes to my head. Yogi toes are BEAUTIFUL! Now it’s hard to keep my shoes on most days! 

The Teacher at Work-Sarah assists a student in a special a pose modification for mobility development

3. When did you start practicing Yoga?

I began practicing yoga, on a small scale with my step-Grandmother and younger cousin when I was about 12 years old in their house. We would perform a few poses and that would be it. I practiced initially at home, trying some pretzel yoga (pushing and twisting my body to look like the pictures I saw) with no awareness of how it felt or who I was when I got into the poses. After a while, my practice began to deepen – my physical poses were a mirror for who I was off the mat (emotionally, physically and spiritually). I wanted to know more and that’s when I decided I wanted to learn how to teach others and share what I had discovered. I completed my 200 Hour Yoga teacher Training at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat center in Rollinsville, CO in July 2007; living at the ashram for almost 3 weeks straight. I learned a lot about myself, about yoga and it fueled me to unveil more about yoga.

4. What made you decide to teach it? 

I really wanted (and still do) want to share the profound and deep teachings yoga has to offer beyond the physical practice. I graduated from college getting my BA in Psychology and minored in Religious Studies where I learned more of the academic perspective on healing. After that, I spent many years exploring different forms of yoga, to delve into the varied perspectives this profound practice offered and I’m still learning more every day. Yoga has offered me this integration of so many of my passions (music, dance, humor, mythology, Buddhism, Psychology, art, creativity and introspection) that I am passionate about sharing each week with my students. I am so inspired by so many varying forms of creativity and love to bring them to the table to help students make connections to life in a deeper way. I love helping others find their unique voice, connect with their bodies and become who they really are from the inside out! I am very excited to be currently working on my 500 Hour Teacher Training with the amazing Shannon Paige.

5. As a Yoga teacher, you’re a woman who not only has the power of authority also the ability to empower others. What’s one way you encourage your students to empower themselves? 

I love to integrate dance breaks into my classes. Yoga asana practice can become very bogged down in precision (which it should, to prevent injury) but sometimes we need to shake it off and just let it go. Dancing like no one is watching with a group of strangers or even friends can be so liberating! It gets us in touch with our bodies, own unique rhythms and creativity to learn to connect with this on and off that mat is incredibly empowering!


6. What’s an empowering message you would offer to women and girls? 

Be yourself. Connect with your innate intelligence, creativity and beauty at least once a day. Speak your truth. Stop chasing skinny and instead chase good health. Empower other women and see them as your sisters rather than your competitors. Celebrate your body and encourage the women and girls around you to do the same. Trust yourself. Connect with your inner awesome. Trust me it’s there, you just need to find it! And finally, if you fail or you fall, dust yourself off and get back up again!

7. The Yoga community has also been very welcoming to men. How can we continue to make sure that the Yoga community remains a place where women can empower themselves and have it still be as open as it is today? 

I think we as a society in general need to empower ourselves and others and encourage all genders, abilities and means to join the community. I think yoga, of late, has easily gone down a path to be accessible for only wealthy people who tend to be white. It can be discouraging for anyone outside of that bubble to feel welcome such as people with less expendable incomes, people of color, people with varying abilities and body sizes and the LGBTIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual)community.

I think it is our job as yoga teachers and practitioners to open that door WIDE open and invite everyone in, not just the privileged few who can afford to go to a weekly class. I am very encouraged by organizations like Denver Yoga Co-Op whose mission is to offer yoga to everyone, regardless of financial means or abilities. When we open that door, we invite others to feel empowered and thus, we feel empowered by them – it’s a beautiful cyclical relationship that benefits everyone!

8. Add something else that is your unique thought on this discussion…… 
Yoga is a mirror for who we are off the mat. It is our opportunity to practice and discover who we REALLY are, in a safe environment. We can fall, we can begin again, we can laugh, we can cry, we bring our whole self to the mat. We can open the door to that darkness within ourselves, that which we refuse to look at, shine a light on it and give it space to open up and teach us more about ourselves. Because whatever we deny or refuse to look at will continue to follow us around. So instead, invite it in, as an honored guest of your conscious, say hello, listen and encourage yourself to embrace this darkness within – ultimately transforming our wounds into wisdom.

As one of the teachers I admire, Douglas Brooks has said, “inhabit all of yourself, not just the parts you like.” Thank you for your time. It has been an honor to speak about my passion with you! 

You can learn more about Sarah on website: www.sarahlowensteinyoga.com

Thank you, Sarah!

**All photos of Sarah Lowenstein used with permission

Blessings

Living in the moment

Our busy lives can give us tunnel vision.  We forget about history and repeat past mistakes.  We neglect to think of how what we do now will affect the future.  

It's funny how this total disconnection with the past and future really turned off our metal senses in the present tense. 

Yoga does an excellent job of slowing down our psyche and calming our minds. Even if we cant go to some pretty place to do asana, we can take a Yoga break whenever we have five minutes and the room the do a few poses.

Take a Yoga five or ten-minute break once during your work day 

Focus only on what your doing during that short break-just the motion of the pose and your breath. 

In your Yoga practice, try to live IN the moment, not FOR the moment. 

A Yoga practice means all things, and all moments, are connected. Living IN the moment means loosening the connections between past, present and future, enough so that the present can be appreciated for what it is.

Best Yoga Mat Bag!

The Best Yoga Mat Bag...hands down!

In general I hate Yoga mat bags, It’s not so much the bag but the cramming of the mat into one end of the bag, and having to re-roll it three times to get it right and having it snag the next time I take it out.

• What if there was a mat bag that zipped lengthwise? 
• What if it was one you could wash?
•  What if it was made in the USA instead of some overseas sweatshop?
• Could this actually happen?
• Well, yes, it finally has!

   

Finally, a Yoga mat bag that honestly IS convenient!

The 101 Yoga Mat Bag has been brought to us by the “Apron Babe”, a woman who owns the corresponding business the Apron Shop in New York.

They’re American-made! Apron Shop’s bags are made in the USA- high style with a conscience! That’s living your Yoga practice!

These bags are made of heavy canvas cotton with a no-rust zipper so you can wash them; and they hold oversize mats quite well.

You carry them over your shoulder or on your back and you just zip to get your mat in and out without disturbing your flow.

After all, you do Yoga so you can feel alive, awake and vibrant. So your mat bag shouldn't break your positive flow.

Yoga Empowers Women-a perspective

Yogini Paula Van Alstine in Eka Pada Sirsasana.   Photo by Liesl Clark of Claris Photography


"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
- T.S. Eliot

Thank you for stopping by to read!

Paula had more to say just before her recent photo op that includes this picture.

A powerful woman is many things, and Paula reminds all of us that true power is defined as the freedom from the need for power. 

Paula Van Alstine is a feminist and a woman who is in charge of her own life, with a meaningful career and two children she is raising as a single mom.  She manages a successful career in Yoga and is an inspiration to many.

Paula has seen a lot of reality and knows what she's talking about. She tells us this:

Want to feel more powerful? Practice kindness and
forgiveness. According to some wonderfully wise Sages
when you practice Ahimsa (non-harming) you become kind,
confident, grounded and amazingly powerful...try it on, see how it looks.

and she also said this.....................

So are you a role model or a troll model? Do you walk it or just talk it, represent it or you watch as u sit...take the first step, then keep going- you will amaze yourself to find what you are capable of. Love all because you can. Peace in, peace out!

Read more about Paula: Click here