A Road Map to Urdhva Dhanurasana

Here's an excerpt from a great email I just received from a new Daily Yoga Tip reader, Peggy:

Other than all the good goals like better, healthier living etc. my "intention" is to someday achieve a totally unassisted backbend from a standing position -- something I have never been able to do. It's interesting that none of the videos nor the books I have give a "roadmap" such as first work on opening the shoulders, develop stronger abdominal muscles, do this, do that, and then try a backbend. Will I one day just be able to do a backbend?

Wow. Great question, Peggy.

Peggy brings to light a wonderful mystery. If I practice yoga, will I one day "just be able to" ______________? You fill in the blank.

You might want to bend over and touch your toes. Or, you might want to ride in the car pain-free. You might desire to balance on your head or sit in lotus position for meditation. You might want to look or feel younger.

The truth is, if you practice yoga, you might "just be able to" achieve your desire.

But, you might not.

What Peggy has done, however, is wise. She's started by declaring an intention. She wants to stand in mountain pose, tadasana, and drop over backwards into upward facing bow pose, urdhva dhanurasana.

And more, once she declared her intention, she started looking for a way to get from where she is to where she wants to be. She calls it a road map.

I call it a teaching progression.

When I train teachers, we spend a lot of time working on how to take people just as they are, build progessively over time by giving them experiences, and get them to where they want to be (or even to a place they don't know they want to be...yet).

Sequencing experiences, stringing together a series of small, intentional accomplishments that add up to an enormous breakthrough in performance, is an art. It's a skill that is honed by good teachers.

Want to accomplish something great? Declare an intention and find a guide. Find a great teacher who can give you a sequence to follow, a roadmap.

Peggy's right. A book can't do it. A DVD can't do it. They're not interactive enough. But a teacher can.

If you don't have a teacher, start looking today. Hopefully you'll pick one who teaches progressively, with intention and sequence.

If no teachers are available to you, don't stop practicing! But keep looking for your teacher. He or she is easiest to find when you've declared your intention to find a teacher.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., We're leaving early Friday morning, flying to Philadelphia. The Experience Sanskrit workshop is on the road again this Saturday morning (February 4th) at 9:00 am at the Twisted Guru in Downingtown, PA. It's a fun, four-hour workshop that makes learning and remembering the Sanskrit yoga pose names unforgettable. Register here. You get a 100+ page manual to use and keep.

After the Experience Paradise yoga vacation in Yelapa, Mexico we'll be on the road again doing the Experience Sanskrit workshop in Annapolis, Maryland on March 4th. On Sunday March 5th, we're staying over an extra day at the Golden Heart yoga studio in Annapolis for an Anusara-inspired asana workshop. Don't miss these great opportunities to deepen your practice of yoga. Register here.

p.p.s., Yelapa is calling you. Experience Paradise in sunny Yelapa Mexico. If you've enjoyed these Daily Yoga Tips, you'll really enjoy the live yoga training you'll receive from me and Sallie Keeney when we return to Yelapa February 18-25. Register here. Space is still available.

p.p.p.s., Imagine that! Several days ago I announced the Sanskrit word of the day is angustha, my favorite Sanskrit word. But I didn't tell you what it means, even though I promised I would.

And none of you wrote to rant about it!?! How kind of you. Angustha means 'big toe.' Padangusthasana has the word root angustha in it.

That's a pic of Rusty Wells doing padangusthasana. He's grabbing his big toes on the ends of his pada. (Pada means foot or leg.)

p.p.p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is dhanu. It's a word root found in the name of the yoga pose that Daily Yoga Tip reader, Peggy, wants to do. I'll tell you next time what it means.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

After the Airline

I'm writing you from Lisa Marshall's house in Coppell, TX. Yesterday we were in Fort Worth and had the opportunity to meet a great group of yogis who joined us for the afternoon for another exciting edition of the Experience Sanskrit workshop!

Later this morning, Lisa and her partner Shannon Buffington are hosting Sallie and me as we teach an Anusara-inspired asana workshop at Surya Center for Yoga here in Coppell.

Lisa and Shannon have been wonderful hosts! We are thrilled to be here.

Last night Shannon picked us up in Fort Worth and taxied us to Lisa's house. We sat down for a great evening meal and then headed for the bathroom on the main level of Lisa's place, where...

We conducted a mini-Neti pot laboratory. We worked with Lisa and Shannon to smooth out some of the bumps they were running into as they have launched their regular practice of using the neti pot.

In the process of working with Lisa and Shannon, I used the neti pot several times. Guess what? IT FELT GREAT. I hadn't had the opportunity since touching down in Texas to do the nasal rinse yet. This was the first, and it was fantastic.

Did you know that when you travel on a jet airplane, once you get up to altitude the pressurized cabin offers you only one option for the air you breathe? That option is recirculated air. Yummy. Not.

When you fly, don't foget to drink lots of fresh water. And when you hit the ground, rinse out your sinuses using the ancient yogic practice of jala neti.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., We can't wait to meet you at the Experience Sanskrit workshop this coming Saturday at the Twisted Guru in Downingtown, PA. It's a fun, four-hour workshop that makes learning and remembering the Sanskrit yoga pose names unforgettable. Register here.

If you live in the Chicago area, we just set a date in Downers Grove. We'll be there at Yoga Among Friends on April 1st. More details will be available later this week.

p.p.s., Yelapa is calling you. Experience Paradise in sunny Yelapa Mexico. If you've enjoyed these Daily Yoga Tips, you'll really enjoy the live yoga training you'll receive from me and Sallie Keeney when we return to Yelapa February 18-25. Register here. Spaces is still available.
Please forward this message to your friends who enjoy yoga.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

More Plutonian Exploration

Yesterday I said the mission to send an exploratory space craft to Pluto was like yoga. When you begin the journey, you don't really know what you'll find. But you'll benefit most if, like the New Horizons scientists, you set an intention.

The Pluto exploration also gives us other clues about yoga.

But first, a little background. Pluto was named after the Roman god of the same name. In Roman mythology Pluto is the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld.

The planet was named when a little English girl told her grandfather that the planet was so cold and so distant that it should be named after the Roman god of the underworld.

When you think of the cold and distant, when you think of the dead and the underworld, what happens?

Most of us experience some sort of aversion. That which is pleasureable, we pursue. What is unpleasant, painful, or inconvenient, we block off or push away.

When I first began practicing yoga, my teacher encouraged me to be systematic about exploring and getting to know my feet and the back side of my body. They are less readily accessible than the hands and front body. So they are often ignored or unexplored.

Lie down on your back and focus your awareness on your feet. If you lie still, I think you might become aware of just how far your feet are from your conscious grasp, and how unfamiliar they seem.

Similarly, the back side of your body, something you never see, can be a strange and unfamiliar territory.

But to do yoga poses safely, you need to use the back body. For example, you can't do backbends without engaging the shoulder blades and tucking the tailbone. Both of these require awareness of and the ability to control the back body.

[Here's an interesting idea to ponder: I once read about an outdoor survival school at which each student is taught how to use a small hand mirror and an unusual set of postures to perform a daily routine for examining every square inch of his or her body, including the back of the body. Why? They're looking for ticks. If you miss one, a tick bite could be life threatening when you're in remote locations, far from advanced medical care.]

If you're new to yoga, exploring "the dark side" will be new, too--and sometimes frustrating. In fact, you might even dislike it. That's another aversion.

Patanjali talks about aversion in the YogaSutras.

Aversion is one of the kleshas, one of the obstacles standing in the way of attaining the state of Yoga. Attachment is also an obstacle. The others are ignorance, egoism, and the desire to cling to life. (See YogaSutras II.3-8)

If you follow the yoga path suggested by Patanjali, you start to resolve these strong pulls toward what you like and repulsions against what you don't. Your reactions to pleasure and pain, are chitta vritti (fluctuations of the mind). They lead to suffering.

Stop and think about how many times in your life you've been driven compulsively by a fear, something you thought unthinkable. Patanjali says we can master these reactions with practice.

So as you move along your yoga journey, intend to explore fully the dark side, the Plutonian underworld, that which is unpleasant. These might be the things you're ashamed of, your inadequacies, your fears, your disappointments.

This is rich territory for discovery, just like sending a probe to Pluto, but well worth doing.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., We can't wait to meet you at the Experience Sanskrit workshop this Saturday at Soul Fitness Yoga in Ft. Worth, Texas. It's a fun, four-hour workshop that makes learning and remembering the Sanskrit yoga pose names unforgettable. Register here.

Our upcoming workshops are Downgintown, PA on February 4th and Annapolis, MD on March 4th.

If you live in the Chicago area, we just set a date in Downers Grove. We'll announce it later this week.

p.p.s., Yelapa is calling you. Experience Paradise in sunny Yelapa Mexico. If you've enjoyed these Daily Yoga Tips, you'll really enjoy the live yoga training you'll receive from me and Sallie Keeney when we return to Yelapa February 18-25. Register here. Space is still available.

p.p.p.s., When you come to the Experience Sanskrit workshop, you'll learn that my favorite Sanskrit word root is angustha, as in supta padangusthasana and other poses you do all the time. I'll tell you tomorrow what it means.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Exploring Deep Space

I'm fascinated by all the talk this week about Thursday's rocket launch of the New Horizons spacecraft. It's the fastest ever built. But it won't arrive at its destination, the planet Pluto, until 9 1/2 years go by. A 3 billion-mile journey takes time.

When it gets there, the spacecraft, loaded with 7 instruments, will photograph the surface of Pluto and its moon, Charon.

It's powered by a nuclear reaction of some sort. Well, not just any nuclear reaction. The electricity on board New Horizons is generated by the natural decay of plutonium, of all things.

Consider this. The scientists directing the exploration don't know what they'll find when the space ship arrives and sends back its valuable information.

But they know where they intend to go.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't have any plans for what my life will be like in 9 1/2 years. In 2015 my daughter will turn 21. I suppose her college days might be over then. I'll be 55.

Frankly, I'm not ready right now for either of those numbers to roll up on the odometer of life. I've got some work to do.

Of course, I think this whole thing is a lot like yoga.

You can blast off today. I hope you will. It will be an auspicious start. You can begin practicing yoga today.

The blessings of a regular yoga practice are many. [I taught an Experience Neti Flow workshop today at which a woman who had diminished hearing in one ear was able to hear clearly when she left! Wow! Can you imagine how thrilled she was?]

The journey of yoga, much like the journey to Pluto, is one of exploration. You don't know what you'll discover along the way.

The ancients promised if you practice, you could attain the state of yoga. In that state, you can directly experience your true nature.

This journey may take a long time. But for some, it is short.

Patanjali declares that "the goal is near for those who are supremely vigorous and intense in practice."

The word saccidananda comes to mind. Although the exact details of what you'll discover on your yoga path aren't known, the sages found, and remind us, that our true nature is saccidananda. It's a word comprised of three roots: sat, chitta, and ananda.

These three words sum up who you really are, the you you should expect to find as you go about your yoga way.

Sat means being. It means you exist. You are. Profound, eh?

Chitta means mind. It means you are conscious. You are aware.

Ananda means bliss. It means you are joyful. You were designed for happiness.

I invite you to begin your yoga practice today. But like the scientists who set out to explore Pluto, I recommend you begin with an intention.

You may intend to have thinner thighs. You may intend to improve your posture. You may intend to quit smoking. You may intend to eliminate low back pain. You may intend to slow down. You may even intend to directly experience your true nature.

But please set an intention. Every time you practice, set an intention. It will give your efforts meaning and motivation. When you can't remember why you're bending forward or twisting into a pose, focus on your intention!

That rocket never would have lifted off Thursday had a lot of people not intended for it to reach Pluto.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., If that report about the woman who's hearing improved got your attention and you'd like to read more about the yogic art of jala neti, click here to read one of my earlier Daily Yoga Tips.

p.p.s., Have you seen our new women's pink cap sleeve t-shirt that says "chitta happens" on it? It's got Patanjali's second sutra in English and Devangari script in the design, "yoga is the stilling of the movement of the mind." You can see it and order yours here.

p.p.p.s., Here's what Jennifer B. said about the Experience Sanskrit workshop last Saturday in Kansas City, "I just wanted to tell you and Sallie how much I truly enjoyed the Sanskrit class! I had so much fun, and the chanting was such a soul lifting experience.

My only suggestion for the class would be if you could somehow do a two part series, there is just so much to learn - I feel like I'm ready for more!"

Every time we conclude an Experience Sanskrit workshop students ask for more! It's a fun and unforgettable way to master the Sanskrit names of the yoga poses you practice every day.

Our next Experience Sanskrit workshop is coming up next Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. You can find out about it and other workshop dates at www.ExperienceYoga.org. Register here.

We'll bring Experience Sanskrit to Downingtown, PA on February 4. Register here.

p.p.p.p.s., Would you like to bring the Experience Sanskrit workshop to your yoga studio? Send me an email and we'll start working on a date. It's easy. Send it to info@experienceyoga.org.

p.p.p.p.p.s., Speaking of exploration. We still have room in our Experience Paradise yoga vacation to Yelapa, Mexico. Talk about ananda! Daily Yoga Tip readers from all over the U.S. will be with us this year. We have friends coming from Alaska, Oregon, Missouri, New York and Texas to spend the week with us (Feb. 18-25) doing yoga, exploring the beauty of Yelapa, and exploring the saccidananda. Don't miss out. Register today. Find out more at http://www.experienceyoga.org/vacations.asp.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Too Much Neti? How Do You Know?

I've written several Daily Yoga Tips about jala neti, the yogic practice of nasal irrigation.

Today, I answer a question from a regular Daily Yoga Tip reader who says,

Kevin: Thank you for the Neti pot tip. I have tried it and had good results. Question: Can a person overdo it? For instance, morning & night. Also, does a person's sinuses show a continuous improvement after, say, a week or two?

Thanks, Jerry C

This is a great question, Jerry.

Frankly, I once believed that you could not overdo it. But I've changed my thinking on that.

I changed my thinking because of experience.

First of all, I think it is safe to assume that if you are breathing and you don't live in a bubble, you are regularly exposed to pollutants, irritants, pollens, particulate matter, dust, bacteria, viruses, smoke, and a host of other things. You get the idea.

So, if you are regularly rinsing this stuff out of your sinuses, you'll be healthier and happier. And not just in your head and throat. All over.

Think of the energy your immune system conserves by not being forced to deal with all of these onslaughts. That same energy can be used to deliver optimum health elsewhere in your beautiful and marvelous body.

To answer Jerry's second question, I've found that you'll experience continous improvement in your sinuses for several weeks, depending on what condition you are in when you start.

If everything is functioning well when you start, you'll notice some improvement and then you'll stay ahead of trouble.

If you're not doing well when you start, you'll gradually feel the health of your upper respiratory system improve over the weeks, until it begins to function optimally...

or, until you are exposed to something that your sinuses don't handle well. You might have a minor setback. But regular jala neti will give your system the help it needs and you'll be back to optimal functioning.

In addition to washing out the offending substance, when you neti you also wash out the mucus that accumulates in your sinuses in an effort to deal with the pollutants you breathe in. Sometimes that mucus is the stuff that obstructs breathing and leads to a host of other difficulties.

Mucus produced by your body is a natural, healthy thing. It helps trap the gunk in your head. Then the cilia, tiny hairs in there, move the mucus and the trapped sludge toward an opening (throat or nose) and you expel it with a sneeze, a cough, or by blowing your nose.

If you neti too much, you can wash away the precious mucus that protects you. Then you'll be even more susceptible to infection.

So how much is too much? I don't know. But you do.

Generally I suggest daily nasal irrigation, because doing it daily makes it a habit. It becomes part of your routine, like brushing your teeth or taking a shower.

I've noticed that when I skip the neti pot routine, my nose and sinuses start to not do so well...but I'm not aware that they're getting worse UNTIL I'M MISERABLE. I'm better off if I do it every day and stay ahead of trouble.

Sallie Keeney and I taught the Experience Sanskrit workshop yesterday in Kansas City. It was fabulous! Thank you to Kelli Austin of Sunshine Yoga for being our host! And thank you yogis of KCMO. We've never heard chanting like that before!

We opened the workshop by chanting the invocation used by Anusara yogis. It begins "Om Namah Shivayah Gurave."

One translation for this opening line is:

I bow to the goodness within myself, known as Lord Shiva, who is the true teacher.

Here's the deal. You already know how often you should use the neti pot. The truth and beauty of it are already within you. You simply can't hear the voice of your teacher until you practice.

Practice using your neti pot every day for several months. You'll start to know when you feel just right.

You'll start to know when haven't done it enough. You can't wait to run to the sink and feel purifying flow and the subsequent energy release.

You'll start to know when you've overdone it, too.

This is what the practice of yoga is all about.

Patanajali's second YogaSutra says, yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah, "yoga is stilling the movement of the mind."

Christopher Isherwood offers this translation:

2. Yoga is the control of the thought-waves in the mind.
3. Then man abides in his real nature.
4. At other times, when he is not in the state of yoga, man remains identified with the thought-waves in the mind.

When you practice, you reach the state of yoga. In the state of yoga, you see your true nature. You see directly who you really are. You hear the voice of your true teacher, you! At other times, you're distracted by sense perceptions and mental reactions.

Practice. You'll know just when you've hit the sweet spot.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., If you'd like to read more about the yogic art of jala neti, click here to read one of my earlier Daily Yoga Tips on the topic.

p.p.s., We've made available a really cool women's pink cap sleeve t-shirt that says "chitta happens" on it. The graphic design is really great. And it's also got the second sutra in English and Devangari script in the design. You can see it and order yours here.

p.p.p.s., Here's what Julie Tenenbaum said about the Experience Sanskrit workshop yesterday in Kansas City, "Wow. Again. Your workshop was as good as you said it would be. Informative, fun, interesting, engaging. And you may quote me on that."

Jackie A. said, "I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and meeting you both. I've been a subscriber to Kevin's Daily Yoga Tip for just a few months and always enjoy the sense of humor that comes through his postings. It was great to be able to experience that sense of humor in person. It sure made a rather "dry" subject a LOT more fun!"

Our next Experience Sanskrit workshop is coming up in just two weeks in Fort Worth, Texas. You can find out about it and other workshop dates at www.ExperienceYoga.org. Register here.

p.p.p.p.s., Would you like to bring the Experience Sanskrit workshop to your yoga studio? Send me an email. It's easy. Send it to info@experienceyoga.org.

p.p.p.p.p.s., Sallie and I are conducting the Experience Neti Flow workshop this coming Saturday at Show Me Yoga Center in Jefferson City, MO. Read the details here. Register here.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Top Ten Tips of 2005

If you have some time off from work today and tomorrow, you might enjoy looking back at the Top Ten Tips of 2005.

Of all the tips I've written, these are the ones that get the most attention from you, my readers.

Enjoy!

1. Toes Up Against Your Arch Enemy read it here

2. Plantar Fasciitis, Make the Pain Go Away read it here

3. Yoga Toes read it here

4. Get on Track to Eliminate Knee Pain read it here

5. Kyphosis and Bending Backwards read it here

6. Experience Neti Flow read it here

7. Finger Position Eliminates Wrist Pain read it here

8. Foot Pain, Sprained Ankles, & One-Legged Balancing read it here

9. Jala Neti Keeps You Clean and Ready to Go read it here

10. Put a Little Bounce in Your Wellness Routine read it here

Check back tomorrow and I'll tell you which ones are my favorites for the year.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., Yesterday when I wrote my yogic movie review, I forgot to mention that on the way out of the theater I saw a poster for the new Curious George movie that will be coming out in February. The headline on the poster says "Show Me the Monkey!"

I honestly don't know the first thing about Curious George.

But I do know there's one yoga pose dedicated to a famous monkey, and it's NOT Curious George. It's Hanuman. Hanuman is known for his incredible powers and feats of strength, as well as his unmatched devotion to his master, Rama.

Every time we conduct the Experience Sanskrit workshop we tell the story of Hanuman and his amazing leaps across the straits to save is master's beloved. When you look at the pose we commonly call the splits, you can see how this pose is reminiscent of Hanuman's incredible leaps.

Read more about Hanuman here in my Daily Yoga Tip called Honoring the Warrior.

Better still, register for an Experience Sanskrit workshop coming your way soon. We'll SHOW YOU THE MONKEY. Believe it or not, nearly everyone in the room does the splits, hanumanasana, at the Experience Sanskrit workshop. It's true! See workshop details at http://experienceyoga.org/workshops.asp.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

A Subtle Adjustment

Did you know that your New Year's Eve celebration last night was a little longer than usual?

That's right. The official clock keepers, whoever they are, added one second, a leap second, to the end of 2005. The last minute of the year was actually 61 seconds long.

This subtle adjustment is necessary because as the earth gets older it doesn't spin around as fast as it once did.

There's a lot of wisdom there that you can apply to your life.

While I sit here at my computer writing this, there's not much I can guarantee. But I can guarantee that, like the earth, you're getting older, too.

So do what the time geeks do:
1) Monitor the situation, be conscious. It's one of the greatest benefits of a true yoga practice, you become more aware. Pay attention and you'll see how your body is changing, and maybe slowing down, as you get older.
2) Do no harm. Ahimsa. It's the great yama. It's the great vow. Adjust your practice. Slow down, if necessary, so that you don't harm yourself.
3) Don't stop. Notice that the time geeks didn't "stop time" or even try to stop it. Don't stop your practice either, just because the old lumbar ain't what it used to be.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., Our pink Women's CHITTA HAPPENS cap sleeve T's are selling already. Up until now you've only been able to get one of these shirts at the Experience Sanskrit workshop.

But you can get one now. They're $18 plus S&H. ORDER HERE.

This 100% cotton garment is made by American Apparel. It's imprinted with Patanjali's second sutra in both Devangari script and English: yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah.

The translation is there, too. Yoga is stilling the movement of the mind.

Here's a close-up of the graphic design. Click on the image for a larger view.

See more pictures here. Click here for a size chart.

p.p.s., Have a great day and a fabulous 2006.

Copyright 2006. All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737