New Relationship Nudges

Love = YOGA. This intense, loving, new relationship has me waking up with a “Christmas morning” kind of magic I felt as a kid. Fluttery sensations tickle me around my heart area, and the world just seems more friendly. The deep sense of belonging and connection I feel with him spreads out to everything and everyone in my world and beyond. My body feels comforted and cradled like surrendering to the sway of my jungle hammock.

Yet the nudge of fear elbows me unexpectedly from time to time. Those momentary old mind interrogations block the flow of bliss. “Is this for real? How are we doing? Will he pull away? What happens next?” mind asks.

Thankfully, I don’t pay much attention to the content anymore, and I have learned through yoga and meditation practice to let my mind settle down and focus on my body’s sensations. Okay, so let’s feel it Stefani… so there is some edginess of uncertainty (waiting for shoe to drop syndrome)… some restless longing to merge again… some fatigue from the fun-filled nights. Patience. Patience.  I accept it. I feel it. I cultivate a feeling of kindness toward myself for plunging into the unknown waters of profound love. I integrate my experience. I move on.

“It’s all good. Te amo,” he thoughtfully texts, and I once again I bathe in the warm relief of our love connection.

“I will love you a minimum of forever, and take responsibility for whatever appears to get in love’s way,” I tell him before I traveled abroad last week. I have never said that to anyone before. I know that I know it is true, and it is scary! I am all in. No turning back now!

My friend Dori reminded me a few weeks ago that finding balance in a relationship is like balancing an egg on a spoon.

And yes, I agree with him. It is all good. The good of growth. 

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The Reluctant Yogi: One Pose or One Minute a Day Philosophy

Have you taken some yoga classes and read some yoga books, but still find yourself unable to practice on your own?

Try my one pose, or one minute a day philosophy to jump start your yoga practice and overcome your resistance.

The truth is, a daily yoga practice could last one minute or several hours. Give yourself the freedom to decide. Sometimes we may think we want to practice for only five minutes and then two hours magically fly by. If you put pressure on yourself to practice for a long time, you may never practice at all. When students or teachers tell me that they can’t practice or get started practicing on their own, I suggest they try my “one pose or one minute a day” plan. They seem so surprised when I suggest this. Give yourself a break and practice one of your favorite poses on a daily basis, or practice one minute of yoga per day. Notice where it takes you. One minute may turn into one hour before you know it. Let me know what happens! I look forward to your comments here on the blog.

This excerpt is taken from my new book, Yoga at Your Wall.

http://www.YogaAtYourWall.com

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Candid Replies to Yoga Questions You Were Embarrassed to Ask: Feeling Competitive?

Even though I know yoga is not about competition I find myself looking at other students and comparing myself. I don’t want to do this, but it happens anyway. Do you have any suggestions?

This is a very honest question. I have noticed many students doing this in class. I know that most all of us have felt competitive in life at one time or another. Well, at least you are aware of it! So when you catch yourself feeling competitive in class or in life, just bring your focus once again to your body, your breath, or the feelings behind your impulse to be competitive.

What is your intention for being in the yoga class? Are you trying to impress someone? The teacher? Was this a pattern in your family of origin? Was competitiveness encouraged between siblings?

It is all part of the process of becoming aware of our tendencies and thoughts. Certain mind-body types have this tendency more than others. If you are curious, read more about the “pitta” body type in Ayurveda.

Forgive yourself and focus back on your own practice.

Love, Stephanie Pappas

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Candid Replies to Yoga Questions You Were Afraid to Ask: Feeling Angry in Class?

Once in a while I feel angry with the teacher for making us do certain things in class. Why?

There are different reasons why you may feel angry: the teacher may be over-zealous or lack empathy, you may be pushing yourself too hard, you may be physically over-heated, you may be angry at something else, or you may be picking up on someone else’s anger.

In the first case, the teacher may be pushing you too hard in class, or not instructing to your level of ability. Once a student told me that they felt angry because a teacher asked the class to perform headstands, but did not offer any instruction for how to build into a headstand for the students who were unfamiliar with the techniques. If this is the case, I would suggest speaking to the teacher after class and offer your feedback.

You may feel angry because you are not honoring your body and resting when you need to if the class is getting too challenging. Listen to your own needs and body signals.

Love, Stephanie Pappas

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Practicing Yoga at Your Wall

Doing Yoga at the Wall in the Sunshine

Why practice yoga at your wall?

What walls do for us: they provide structure, containment, safety, shelter, limitations, support, and de􀃫nition. As an aid in your yoga practice, a wall helps you articulate precise alignment and form in each pose, supports you when you want to relax, assists you when you want to try a new posture, and motivates you to more fully energize your body.
A wall is your teacher when there is no human teacher around to guide or adjust you in a yoga posture.

“I thought yoga at the wall would be wimpy, but it was really challenging!” said Eadaoin, one of my advanced yoga teacher trainees, after taking one of my yoga wall classes. Her comment ignited my enthusiasm to write this book.
And after experiencing the legs-up-the-wall restorative relaxation pose, Charlotte said, “I have never felt so relaxed in my whole life!”

Some accuse the wall of being a crutch; how unfair to both you and the wall! In my experience the wall feels like a trusty friend, one who always tells me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not. Until becoming friends with your wall, when you practice yoga postures you have only the floor — a horizontal reference point — to know where your body is in space.
When practicing at the wall, you have a vertical reference point for your further orientation. You can lean on it, align yourself with it, push off of it, or press into it. The wall not only assists you, it adds another degree of challenge to your practice.
When you leave the wall and go back to practicing on the floor, you have a whole new level of awareness of your alignment and a different experience of your body. You may visit the wall more often than you can imagine. Through this practice, I became “one with my wall.”

Doing yoga at your wall is logical, portable, and practical. Have you ever wanted to lie on the floor and
stretch in your hotel room while you were on a trip, but the 􀃬oor just didn’t look all that clean or appealing? It’s a perfect time to practice your wall yoga.

Or maybe you’re dressed in a suit or a dress, ready for a meeting or presentation, and feeling a little stressed. You want to do some yoga, but you know you will wrinkle clothes if you get on the floor. It’s yet another perfect opportunity to find your nearest yoga wall.
The benefits of practicing yoga vertically serve you well at home, at your office, and anywhere there is a wall to befriend.

Join me on our journey to expand the possibilities of your yoga practice with my new book, Yoga at Your Wall.

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Yoga at Your Wall

Yoga leads us to the realization that Life is not coming AT us, it is coming FROM us.

* Yoga allows you to unlock and unblock nuggets of truth from deep inside yourself.

* Yoga practices cultivate self-care, self-awareness, and self-responsibility.

* Yoga offers you a deeper appreciation of your body – which is your temple this time around.

* Yoga helps you age gracefully and with dignity.

* Yoga offers us the awareness of who we are, and who we are NOT.

* Practice makes your heart grow fonder.

* Yoga is a process of learning, and unlearning.

* Yoga leads to knowledge of the Self and the dawning of the truth that

* Yoga offers us a means to be kinder and more compassionate with ourselves.

* Yoga is more than just touching your toes.

* Yoga is more than fitness. It includes something for all levels of our being: lungs, organs, glands, emotions, mind, spirit, muscles.

* Yoga has the power to bring you into the present moment and accept yourself as you are.

* Yoga is a great way to feel connected in your community.

* Yoga classes are a way of encountering like-minded individuals.

* The breath is more important than the postures.

* Yoga is a friend for life.

* Yoga is the best preventative medicine and it costs nothing!

* Yoga is like a self-therapy and self-massage.

* Yoga is a gift passed on through the ages and never gets old.

* Every time you do a pose or take a breath you do it in a fresh new moment.

* Practicing with friends or loved ones increases understanding, intimacy, and “belongingness.”

* You can practice yoga on your own by listening to your own innate intelligence –

that same intelligence that is there to heal your cuts and wounds.

* Yoga transcends race, culture, religion, class, and age.

* You can practice yoga when you are feeling well, or not so well.

 

 

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Yoga – Radiant Body, Reverent Breath

What I’d really like to share with you about the yoga practice…

Now for sale my new yoga book for all levels

• Yoga offers you a deeper appreciation of your body –your temple this time around.
• Yoga helps you age gracefully and with dignity.
• Yoga offers us the awareness of who we are – and who we are not.
• Yoga offers us a means to be kinder and more compassionate with ourselves.
• Yoga is more than just touching your toes.
• Yoga is more than fitness. It includes something for all levels of our being: lungs, organs, glands, emotions, mind, spirit, muscles.
• Yoga has the power to bring you into the present moment and accept yourself as you are.
• Yoga is a great way to feel connected in your community.
• Yoga classes are a way of encountering like-minded individuals.
• The breath is more important than the postures.
• Yoga is a friend for life.
• Yoga is the best preventative medicine and it costs nothing!
• Yoga is like a self-therapy and self-massage.
• Yoga is a gift passed on through the ages and never gets old.
• Every time you do a pose or take a breath you do it in a fresh new moment.
• Practicing with friends or loved ones increases understanding, intimacy, and belongingness.
• You can practice yoga on your own by listening to your own innate intelligence –
  that same intelligence that is there to heal your cuts and wounds.
• Yoga transcends race, culture, religion, class, and age.
• You can practice yoga when you are feeling well or not so well.
• Yoga just feels so complete.
• http://www.YogaAtYourWall.com

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