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The Washington High School Blue Jay Journal TV crew came in to do a story. Check it out! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOpr6gYfgs Yoga is traditionally practiced in bare feet to help us feel stability and connect directly with the ground or mat under our feet. But why else do we remove our shoes before entering a yoga room and beginning our practice?
On a basic level, shoes track in dirt, making the floor unclean. By removing your shoes prior to entering the yoga room, it helps to provide a clean environment in which to practice. The first of the five Niyamas, the moral virtues of yoga, is saucha {purity or cleanliness}. External cleanliness refers to both the physical body and environment. In some cultures and traditions, it’s disrespectful if you walk indoors with your shoes on. The custom of leaving your shoes at the door is a sign of respect. Removing shoes upon entering a studio or before stepping onto your yoga mat becomes a ritual. This ritual helps to get you prepared to practice and indicates a shift in perspective. We provide shoe racks near the studio door. Thank you in advance for respecting this policy. Namaste  Yes, after 5 years in our current location, we are moving to a new space!!
When Sara and I first decided to work together, we both had a vision of someday expanding to offer multiple healing modalities under one roof. Our goal has always been to provide a relaxing, healing environment for our students and clients. Sara Mehringer, the massage therapist that I currently share space with, is opening The BLU ROOM WELLNESS CENTER at 1807 Heritage Hills Dr. on May 1st. Present Moment will be moving over there as well! In addition to the studio, the Center will offer massage, a meditation room, a naturopathic doctor, and one of 5 Blu Room Ultraviolet Therapy rooms in the country! We are very excited to bring this center to the community and will be sending out more info about the services offered throughout the month! Construction is finishing up, and my first class there will be the 9:30 a.m. class on Monday, May 1st. I can't wait for you all to see it and to start offering more classes and events there! Thank you all for being a part of Present Moment! NAMASTE
I was blessed to be able to spend some time this weekend with Noah Maze, an amazing yoga teacher based in LA. One of our practices focused on Virabhradrasa I. When I say focused, I mean we did the pose about 1000 times! :) While that may be a slight exaggeration, we did do the pose a lot. Noah had us take a picture of our first attempt to show us that sometimes the posture that we THINK we are doing is different from the posture that we ARE doing. If you come in to Vira I the way that BKS Iyengar suggests in Light on Yoga, your knee will be directly over your heel and your hips will point straight ahead. In the first picture, I was CERTAIN that I was doing this. Over time (two + hours) I was able to make subtle adjustments to my posture to make it look like it does in the second picture (the lighthearted encouragement from other students around me was also helpful!) Shortening and widening the base,and opening up the hip flexors, calves, hamstrings and glutes were all important adjustments to make.
As Noah said, I had to "Use the pose to get into the pose." There are still things I can do to "improve" this pose, but I need to take my time and listen to my body. The next time you step on to your mat, really pay attention to what you are feeling when you come into the posture. Try making subtle adjustments to different aspects of the pose and notice if it feels better for your body. If you ever have questions about a posture, feel free to ask! I'm thinking about starting a video blog breaking down postures that are challenging for you. Any posture can qualify for this blog - if you are challenged by it and would like to see it broken down, let me know! Email me at melissa@presentmomentyoga.com with your requests!
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