my son, saying a resounding "YES!"

About two years ago, our then near three-year-old had this hilarious habit of asking

questions and then immediately asking, “Yes? Or nope?” And we could really get him going with it. If he forgot to ask yes-or-nope, we would ask “yes?” and he would say yes-or-nope over and over and over and over and over and, yeah, you get it. It sent us, as well as innocent bystanders, into fits of giggles nearly every time.

So imagine that little pull of my heart strings when I opened an email from Anusara teacher Hillary Rubin that discussed a more timely idea of yes-or-nope. Hers was a reminder that when we come across a “no,” a “yes” is happening at the same time. There is a shift that we all too often don’t see, because we’re attached to the “nope.”

This hit home with me this past week as I was on a girls-only day on the slopes. Wouldn’t you know it, about the second or third run in I fell hard after hitting some ice and smacked my rear end in the same spot that I had badly bruised about six months before. A spot that I thought had healed was still taking it’s sweet time to get back to 100% and I was so afraid that I had really done some damage with that fall. And to make matters worse, I did it AGAIN on the next run.

The next day, with my tailbone between my legs (well, actually, it had jammed over to the left a bit and knocked my sacrum off kilter), I went to my chiropractor’s office and begged for mercy. In tears. Tears. Not tears of pain, because it truly only hurt on impact, but tears of anticipation of the impending answer to my question: “Should I still snowboard this season?” Her recommendation was, simply, nope. “Do you ski?” was her next question.

Nope.

BUT. I have new skis! They were my Valentine’s Day gift from my husband last year (yes, two days before our second baby was born, but that’s another story). And my “yes” door opened. I’m going to take a lesson. My thighs will be roasted and I will curse the day I got those skis, but I’m going to do it.

Finding the “yes” can be empowering, don’t you think? Can you be more open to the “yes” in your life?

Yes? Or nope?

Related posts:

1. That’s so rad.
2. The art of whispering.
3. Sunshine and stars.

Upon requests from students/fellow yogis, below is a list of DVDs for home practice, CDs for inspiration, and a wonderful new website for yoga gear and clothing:

Anusara DVDs
Yoga Foundations with Hillary Rubin
Yoga to the Rescue with Desiree Rumbaugh

Vinyasa DVDs
Shiva Rea’s DVDs

Beginner DVDs
Rodney Yee’s DVDs

New CDs that are rockin’ my world!
Jai Uttal, Dial M for Mantra
Cheb i Sabbah, Devotion

Yoga Gear/Clothing:
www.theycatalog.com

Related posts:

1. Music. Sweet, sweet music.

Class sequence:

Sukhasana (easy pose/cross-legged sitting pose)
Down Dog (focus on shoulder work)
Lunge, then straighten front leg (each side)
Vinyasa (Plank, Chaturanga, Cobra)

Lunge, then take the ear to the front ankle by bowing
Triangle, bound
Other side
Vinyasa

Dolphin in Down Dog, then move to
Dolphin in Chaturanga, then move back to
Dolphin in Down Dog
Rest: Child’s pose, arms extended

Move mat to wall to work on Pincha Mayurasana with Headstand forearms. Practice kicking up while keeping the shoulders on the back and melting the heart.
Rest: Child’s pose, arms extended

Work with block between hands in Pincha Mayurasana, still at the wall. Again, practice kicking up while keeping the shoulders on the back and melting the heart.
Rest: Child’s pose, arms extended

Lie on back for leg work:
With legs extended, Lift heart & lower back, flex feet, plug right leg into pelvis, then lift. Do the same with left leg.
Lower right leg two inches, lift, switch.
Lower right leg halfway, lift, switch.
Bend knees, feet to floor.

Come back to wall for final Pincha Mayurasana work. Forearms down, palms at wall (thumbs up, pinkies at floor). Practice kicking up while keeping the shoulders on the back and melting the heart.
Rest: Child’s pose, arms extended

Down Dog to Pigeon prep extended, then with twist; both sides.
Baddha Konasana, with twist, both sides.
Intense Eastern Stretch x2
Hug knees in

Savasana

Visit Hillary Rubins’ Website, Podcast # 53, for an extended version of this class. So uplifting!

Related posts:

1. Intermediate Class. April 14th.
2. Power Yoga. April 17th.
3. Power Yoga. April 24th.

Sukhasana – prep for practice and chanting
Sun Salutations A – 3x; on third refine Down Dog
Forward Bend work with blocks to find Mulabandha
Vinyasa to Crescent, arms scissored, both sides
Vinyasa to Forward Bend, then Warrior III w/ hands on blocks
Chaturanga work, dolphin hands and lift hips from floor
Vinyasa to Chair pose, scissor arms
Vinyasa to Warrior II, then Extended Side Angle
Vinyasa to Chair pose with twist
Up Dog work
Jump to sit
Boat pose, with lift, 3x
Boat pose to half boat, 3x
Bridge pose
Upward-facing Bow
Knees to chest
Reclined twist, knees together
Core work: extend one leg up and lower other to 6 inches from floor, both sides
Knees to chest
Reclined twist, knees crossed
Knees to chest
Supported savasana

Related posts:

1. Power Yoga. April 24th.
2. Intermediate Class. April 14th.
3. Intermediate Class: Pincha Mayurasana. April 22nd.

Sukhasana
Table
Down Dog
Straight Leg Lunge with twist
Vinyasa (Plank, Chatarunga, Cobra)
Crescent with right foot forward, press clasped hands to ceiling with palms facing up
Vinyasa
Crescent with left foot forward, hands clasped behind the back
One legged Down Dog
Forward Bend
L-Pose at the wall
Uttanasana
L-Pose at the wall, lift one leg at a time
Uttanasana
Down Dog
Tree w/ cactus arms, left leg standing
Warrior III, right foot back, press into wall
Vinyasa
Warrior III, right foot forward
Tree w/ cactus arms, right leg standing
Handstand at the wall, butt to wall, scoop tailbone
Handstand with tree legs, each side
Child’s pose
Bharadvajasana (seated twist), each side
Supported Bridge
Knees to chest
Savasana

Peace to you!

Related posts:

1. Intermediate Class: Pincha Mayurasana. April 22nd.
2. Power Yoga. April 17th.
3. Power Yoga. April 24th.