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Dear Miss Yoga,
I attend your evening classes, and I've heard yoga is done best on
an empty stomach. So I usually have a snack an hour or so before
class. It seems however, that yoga encourages digestion, or somehow
excites your stomach, and I am always struggling to keep it from
gurgling during class! It especially breaks my concentration (and
most likely those around me) during savasana! Is there an
explanation for an active stomach during yoga?
Sincerely,
Guilty Gurgler
Dear Guilty Gurgler,
First of all, free your tummy. Let her gurgle to heart's content. In
most poses, we encourage a soft belly.
Sometimes it is tough to figure out what to do about chowing down for
evening classes. Most traditions recommend practicing on an empty
stomach. However, if you factor in the time to get to class, the
fact that you are burning calories and occasionally elevating the
heartrate, and the hour and half of class -- that's quite a lot of
time sans grub. And if you are really hungry, it will distract from
your focus. Hard to be at one with your breath when you can't stop
thinking about bacon.
So you are munching on a light snack before class -- maybe you need
something heartier. I recommend a light snack for most folks. Something that doesn't
feel too heavy -- a granola bar or maybe a smoothie. It will also
give you a little energy after a long day. We must honor our tummies
as we learn to honor ourselves.
Snackingly,
Miss Yoga
Dear Miss Yoga,
My yoga pants really hug my tush, but it's hard for me to get into a
peaceful place when wearing the type of underwear that I'd normally
wear
with that type of pant. What should a fashion-concious yogi do?
Thong song
Dear Thong song,
Excellent question. It has recently been brought to my attention
that there is a whole world of undies out there just waiting to be
discovered by frustrated yoga ladies. Should you ever make the 9:15
AM Continuing Hatha class, a group of wise gurus can suggest
specific brands to encourage support, softness, and minimize lines.
They sometimes enjoy this topic more than, ahem, yoga.
There are also a world of thongs that may perhaps feel more peaceful
than your current brand. Another option -- and this may be a bit
controversial -- keeping with the openess and freedom we learn from
yoga, you could try going without ... be free!
Encouragingly,
Miss Yoga
Dear Miss Yoga,
I find myself always rushing to get to yoga. I know life gets in the
way and we can't always control this, but I feel like the rushing
cuts into my meditation time and means it takes me longer to get
focused. I'm still rehashing the hurry to get to class in my head.
Any advice?
Sigh,
Rushing Rama
Dear RR,
I sympathize. When I lived in Boston, I was quite aware of the
paradox of standing at the T-stop, wishing, praying, pleading, that
the train would arrive soon so I wouldn't be late for yoga class.
I've also been known to haul my tushie with tremendous speed down
Charles Street. Imagine the run in Jerry Maguire but add a yoga mat.
And a foot or so. When I arrived, heart beating, pulse racing, and
neck warm from my scarf and turbo coat, it wasn't so peaceful.
Here's my advice: plan more time than you need. If you are a morning
yogi, pack your yoga clothes before you go to bed. Set your alarm to
wake up earlier than usual. Allow yourself more time to wake up and
move around with ease -- no rushing. If you are leaving from work,
same idea. Build in the wind-down time you need at the office. Leave
for the studio earlier than you might normally. Incorporate a couple
minutes to set up your mat, establish your seat in the room, and
create space apart from your day.
We all have days where it seems like the world is conspiring to
prevent us from making it to class. BUT! Imagine how you'd react if
you didn't practice yoga :) And remember to breathe.
Understandingly,
Miss Yoga
Dear Miss Yoga,
I've been doing yoga for
about six months and feeling pretty great. Down-dog is a really
great stretch for my back and my hamstrings, but my wrists really
hurt after a while. Am I doing something wrong?
Sincerely,
Disappointed Dog
Dear DD,
You are not alone, my friend
and yogi.
Poses like downward-facing
dog and plank ask a lot of our wrists; we are supporting a large
portion of our body weight! Most folks could use a little
strengthening, here; often, wrist comfort in down-dog comes
with practice. Are you using your legs? Consider
using your leg strength to balance the effort between lower and
upper body.
If your wrists continue to
hurt in dog pose, you may be collapsing your weight at the base of
your wrists. You can also place a towel or rolled-up mat
below your forearm -- try your down-dog imagining your are lifting
up the forearms so as not to touch the towel. This will
encourage you to distribute your weight more evenly through your
hands. And stretch away! Arf.
Proud of you,
Miss Yoga
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Dear Miss Yoga,
So
what's the deal with you and the blankets? Do you seriously think
the world is going to end if we don't fold our blankets perfectly
evenly?
Fed
Up with Folding
Dear Fed Up,
Sigh. I wish there was
another way, but yes.
Yes, the world will end.
Folding with feeling,
Miss Yoga
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Dear Miss Yoga,
I know breathing is an important part of yoga but I just forget to
pay attention to it and also when we have guided meditations -- it's
just a little ... boring? I really like how the poses feel and
challenging myself with new ones but the whole breath thing isn't
working out yet. Is that okay?
Breathless
Dear Breathless,
Of course it okay.
Everything is okay in yoga except negligent folding. (See
above.)
When one embarks on building
a yoga practice, there's a lot to absorb. Sometimes we are so
busy keeping up with what to do with arms, bellies, toes, etc, that
the idea of coordinating our breath seems like the instructor is
asking a bit much.
But I can't lie to you.
To exclude the importance of the breath in asana is kind of like
staging a ballet but forgetting the orchestra. In yoga the
breath is perceived as "the life force" and more specifically, the
link from mind to body. The breath is what pulls it all
together, what brings life to the poses.
So, first of all -- let go
of judgement. Incorporating breathwork might be a longer
journey for you than bringing your head towards your knees in
paschimotanasana. In your next class, begin with breath
awareness. You don't need to start out with any fancy
pranayamas -- just pay attention. Perhaps if you are
practicing on your own, you can experiment with moving and out of
poses using inhales versus exhales. And if the mind races
during seated meditations, maybe you should experiment more in this
area. Approaching what challenges you most. You never
know -- it might be just the thing you need. But most
importantly, practice patience.
Fondly,
Miss Yoga
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Dear Miss Yoga,
What's with that guy in your class -- I set up my mat the other day
and he accused me of taking his "spot"? Are there assigned spots in
yoga class?
Sincerely,
Too Shy Shy
Dear Too Shy-Shy,
Sigh. That's my Dad. We're
working on practicing non-attachment, but it's a long journey. One
breath a time. In the mean time, your presence in class is valuable
to me and you have my permission to set up your mat wherever you'd
like. Except in the bathroom. Then I'd have to yell so you can hear
me. And nobody wants that.
HUG,
Miss Yoga
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