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by Nikki Costello basics corpse pose savasana | sava = corpse; asana = pose ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS EASY, Savasana (Corpse Pose) has been called prepare the most diffi cult of the asanas. Indeed, many yoga students who can for rest happily balance, bend, and twist through the rest of class struggle with just lying on the fl oor. The reason is that the art of relaxation is Practicing Savasana before sleeping can harder than it looks. It doesn’t happen on demand: You can’t just say, promote deep, quality “OK, I’m going to relax, right now!” ( Just ask the millions of Ameri- sleep. Position yourself cans who have trouble falling asleep at night.) That’s why Savasana in bed using the same is such a gift. The pose sets up the conditions that allow you to points of alignment gradually enter a truly relaxed state, one that is deeply refreshing and supports you use in itself and that also can serve as a starting point for meditation. for Savasana on your mat. Spend several When you fi rst start practicing Savasana, it can be a struggle to minutes in the pose relax in the pose; you may lie there feeling tense and staring at the relaxing your mind. ceiling. Or, like some students, you might fall asleep the moment you lie down. The essence of Savasana is to relax with attention, that is, to remain conscious and alert while still being at ease. Remaining aware while relaxing can help you begin to notice and release long- held tensions in your body and mind. »  watch Set yourself up for Savasana with an online video. Find it at yogajournal.com/livemag. RELAX THE LEGS DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 49

basics STEP 1 Support your legs on a chair. relax your back and relieve your legs SET IT UP ❉ Place your mat in front of a chair or couch. ❉ Lie in the center of your mat with your knees bent. ❉ Lift your legs, and place the back of your calves on the chair or couch. ❉ Rest the back of the arms on the floor with the palms facing upward. Savasana is a practice of gradually relax- practice. Spend several minutes here tak- REFINE Adjust your support if nec- ing one body part at a time, one muscle at ing long and even breaths. You may notice essary to be sure the entire calf, from the back of the knee to the heel, a time, and one thought at a time.When that your brain becomes quiet and your is supported equally. Place a blanket you do this practice day after day, it con- thoughts slow down, allowing your mind under your head and neck (all the ditions the body to release stress and to become clear and focused. way to your shoulders) so that you can improve your sense of physical and In the full version of the pose, you will can drop your chin and direct your emotional well-being. But when you have rest your entire body on the floor. Extend gaze downward toward your heart. allowed tightness and tension to build your arms and legs outward from the torso If you wear glasses, remove them. Place a cloth over your eyes. Turn up in your body, relaxing—even when evenly and symmetrically. Mentally scan the upper arm so that skin rolls away you lie down—feels impossible. That’s the body from head to feet, gradually from the chest, and gently tuck the why it’s important to practice the other, releasing each body part and each muscle shoulder blades in toward your back PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: JASON NEMER; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: RACINE CHRISTENSEN; TOP: CHAMPION; SHORTS: HOTDROP; MAT: YOGASANA; BLANKETS: PENDLETON; CHAIR: YOGAWORKS LARKSPUR active asanas before attempting Savasana group; take time to notice all the places so the center of the chest is broad because they stretch, open, and release where the body is making contact with and lifted. Be sure no part of the tension in the muscles. They also help the floor. With each exhalation, imag- arm is touching the torso. relax the diaphragm, so the breath can ine each limb getting a little heavier and FINISH Relax the back muscles by move freely. spreading out a little more. allowing them to spread from the Working with props to support one If you feel uncomfortable in any part center out to the sides. Bring your attention to the whole back, feeling part of the body at a time can help you of your body, you may need further sup- the back ribs in contact with the floor. learn to consciously relax and refine your port (see “Optimize Your Pose,” page 54). With each inhalation, notice the back practice of Savasana. Elevating the calves Use props to relieve any pressure and ribs spreading and the lungs filling. on a support (see Step 1) relaxes the legs, release tension so you can fully relax. With each exhalation, notice them which can become fatigued from yoga Lying flat on the floor is an unusual expe- contracting. See if you can feel the practice, exercise, standing long hours, or rience and can feel strange at first, so be floor with all parts of your back, from even from sitting too long. This variation patient with yourself. Over time, you’ll the pelvis to the head. also improves circulation and releases enjoy it more. Even if you feel like moving, tension in the back muscles, allowing try to stay there for a few minutes until A regular practice of Savasana will train you to rest more deeply in your Savasana. it becomes easier. Gradually notice that you again and again in the art of relax- Elevating the back and supporting the a feeling of complete stillness draws you ation, an essential quality for meditation head, on the other hand (see Step 2), helps inside. You may notice that the breath has and a true experience of yoga. As you to open your chest, release the shoul- become quiet and almost invisible. release your physical body, you may even ders, and enhance the natural flow of the When coming out of Savasana, first discover another part of yourself that is breath. If your energy or mood is low or take a few deep breaths. Give yourself a light and free. if you hold a lot of tension in your upper few moments to regain physical aware- back and shoulders, this variation will be ness of your arms and legs, and then slowly Nikki Costello is a certified Iyengar Yoga good for you. Observe the breath as you move your body with gentle attention. teacher living in New York City. 50 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013



kripalu healthy living programs basics transform your STEP 2 life, transform Support your back and head with your health folded blankets. “ I’m so thankful for Kripalu for providing a space where I could discover what was truly important to me.” — Kate S., Mystic, Connecticut open your chest and observe your breath SET IT UP the upper inner arm to roll away ❉ Place a bolster or a stack of from the chest. Keep your armpit folded blankets vertically on your area open and the shoulders releas- mat and another folded blanket ing down toward the floor. Spread where your head will rest. and open the palms and fingers, and ❉ Lie back on the bolster or blan- then allow the back of the hand to kets with your knees bent. soften and rest on the floor. ❉ Place the folded blanket under FINISH Bring your attention to your head and neck. your breath. Simply notice the natu- ❉ Extend your legs one at a time. ral flow of your breath coming in ❉ Check that each leg is equal dis- and going out. For several minutes, tance from the midline of your body. ob serve the breath and focus on REFINE Be sure the blanket is un - filling the lungs evenly, right and By blending current research on der the entire neck, all the way to left. Consciously expand the chest integrative medicine and nutrition your shoulders. If you wear glasses, both upward and outward as you in - with the ancient wisdom of yoga remove them now. Place a cloth hale; release the breath slowly and over your eyes before adjusting smoothly. The practice of breathing and Ayurveda, Kripalu Healthy your arms. Extend the arms at consciously, using this support, will Living programs focus on the health the sides. The arms should be far have a soothing and calming effect of the body, mind, heart, and spirit. enough away from the torso to allow on your nervous system. call or go online elements of practice to make your reservation—and discover ways to improve your health, gain more energy, and transform your life. We are used to engaging our muscles and our brains to achieve our goals, yet in Savasana, we must become equally skilled at letting kripalu.org/healthyliving all that activity go in order for the pose’s beneficial effects to arise. 800.741.7353 It’s hard to let go of the idea that everything important happens when you are moving and taking action. Yet a deeper part of your- Stay connected: kripalu.org/blog/thrive self waits for those moments when you are completely relaxed to reveal its truth. A feeling of connection, clarity, all-knowingness, love, or joy may arise from this state of ease and relaxation—a taste of what meditation offers. mission driven, donor supported stockbridge, massachusetts 52 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

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basics FINAL POSE savasana SET IT UP FINISH Allow your breath to flow ❉ Lie on your back with your smoothly in and out. Close your knees bent. eyes and relax the facial muscles, ❉ Keep your head centered, not beginning with the forehead and allowing it to fall to either side. eyelids. Then relax the cheeks, ❉ Extend your arms to the sides. lips, and tongue. (Relaxing your tongue will release tension in the REFINE If you’d like to use a blan- face, which has a direct effect on ket under your head or something the brain and mind.) Relax the over your eyes, prepare that be - throat and neck. Continue to bring fore adjusting the arms. Turn attention to each part of the body, the upper inner arms away from consciously relaxing each part, the trunk, and gently tuck the starting with the head and travel- shoulder blades in, bringing a little ing all the way down to your feet. lift to the chest. Do this without When the physical body is still and overarching the lower back. Main- at rest, the breath naturally draws tain the arm position, and then you inward toward the essence of stretch the legs out one by one. yourself. Rest with a spacious feel- Allow the inner legs to roll outward ing of light in your heart. ✤ and relax completely. 500-hour ayurvedic yoga teacher training Ready to take your yoga teaching to the next level? optimize your pose Gain new skills for guiding groups Explore these modifications of Savasana. and offering private sessions tailored to your clients’ needs. To relax the eyes To relax the To support your To relax the and mind Gently abdomen neck Place a lower back Learn how to balance individual place a cloth Place a sand- folded blanket Place a rolled- or eye bag over bag, block, or or cushion under up blanket or constitutions using doshic principles. your eyes to a few blankets your neck and cushion beneath bl ock out the horizontally head until your your knees. Discover Ayurvedic techniques for light and relax across your forehead is teaching according to the seasons. the pupils. lower abdomen. slightly higher than your chin. kripalu.org/ayurvedaschool 800.848.8702 mission driven, donor supported stockbridge, massachusetts 54 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013



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wisdom by Sally Kempton reach out Here’s how to cultivate compassion for others—and why opening your heart helps you too. LILA IS A 30-YEAR-OLD actor and yogini, the daughter of a successful TV producer. Last year, Lila’s mother died after a long illness. Grieving and burned out by the process, Lila imagined a long vacation with her boyfriend and the opportunity to throw herself into the off-Broadway play she’d been cast in. Then her father got sick. His friends were sympathetic, but every- one simply assumed that Lila would be the caregiver. It was the last thing she wanted to do. And what made it worse was the fact that she felt no sympathy for her father at all. “He’s so self-centered,” she told me. “I know it’s hard for him. But all I see is this selfish guy who always had to be the center of attention when I was growing up. So, yes, I’m doing it. I’m over there every day. I’m supervising the nurses. But I hate every minute of it. I know it would be easier if I could feel some compassion. I just don’t know how to find it!” Leslie, on the other hand, seems to have too much compassion. Two years ago, Les- lie drove 1,000 miles to rescue a colleague having an emotional breakdown and got him into a treatment center. When the col- league wrote to denounce Leslie for inter- vening in his process, Leslie still offered to take him in after his release. Ex-girlfriends AIMEE SICURO call Leslie in the middle of the night to com- miserate about their love lives. Friends bor- row money and never pay it back. » DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 57

wisdom I can relate both to Lila and to Leslie. painful. The Dalai Lama once said, “If you feels. “If you did feel compassion, how I know what it’s like to feel a compassion want to be happy, practice compassion.” would you be?” I asked her. “Soft,” she deficit in myself just when someone needs Research into empathy and compas- said. “My heart would feel more tender it the most. I’ve also found myself extend- sion is just getting started, but neurosci- toward him. I wouldn’t have so many judg- ing limitless sympathy to people who, in entists now believe that the ability to feel mental thoughts.” I suggested that she try hindsight, would have been better off another person’s pain as if it were your role-playing as compassion, as if she were with a dose of cold-water truth. own is hardwired in us. Empathy occurs, in an acting class. So Lila began to imag- they say, because our mirror neurons give ine herself being compassion. She asked HEALTHY COMPASSION us the capacity to feel and respond to herself, “How does compassion walk? So what exactly is the right level of com- the emotions of others. In fact, all mam- How does compassion come into a room? passion? How do you cultivate compas- mals have this capacity for noticing and What tone of voice does compassion use? sion when you don’t feel it—for instance, responding to others’ feelings. The nor- How does compassion think about her when you’re faced with a really difficult mally standoffish kitty that used to live father?” As Lila “played” compassion, her person or someone who has hurt you? next door to me always showed up at my whole affect changed. Her eyes softened If it’s true, as many evolutionary biolo- door when I was feeling sick or sad. She and her voice dropped into her chest. As gists now claim, that human beings are would climb up on my lap and invite me to she began to talk about her father, tears innately compassionate, then how do you cuddle her—something she almost never came to her eyes. “He’s never felt so let yourself feel your own natural com- did at other times. alone,” she says. “He knows he wasn’t the passion? And how do you differentiate The urge to soothe the distress of the perfect husband and father, but that was true compassion from what one spiritual beings close to us is built into the limbic because he was trying to prove himself in system, allied not only to our the world. And now he feels that none of empathic mirror neurons but it made any difference.” When you realize another also with the production of the “Oh my god,” she said after a minute. person is just like you, brain chemical oxytocin. This “I’m scared too. When I look at him, I “love hormone,” as it’s some- see how much I need to prove myself. I’m you realize that you too times called, is associated with afraid I’ll end up like him.” could be in their situation. mother-infant bonding (it’s And Lila began to cry. Lila had stum- released during breastfeeding), bled on one of the truths of compassion. cuddling, and the impulse to Compassion literally means “suffering teacher called “idiot compassion”—the get up in the middle of the night to make with.” The essence of compassion, as the ap parent kindness that actually enables your insomniac boyfriend a cup of cocoa. Dalai Lama has often said, is the recog- other people’s destructive or dysfunction- The role of oxytocin is to soothe us and nition that someone else is just like you. al behavior? give us the feeling of being held, accepted, You experience someone else’s suffering Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Diction- and at ease. as your own. You feel it inside. You step ary defines compassion as “sympathetic In other words, when you take care out of your self-preoccupation and realize consciousness of others’ distress together of or bond with someone, it feels good that the other person has the same desire with a desire to alleviate it.” When you’re not just to the person being held but also to be happy and safe that you have. feeling compassionate, you recognize that to the person doing the holding. That But suffering with another person is another person is suffering and want to may be why Leslie says he enjoys help- challenging. This is especially true when do something about it. This capacity for ing other people, even when it’s incon- that other person is a family member, close tuning into another’s distress and want- venient. And it’s certainly a reason Lila friend, or partner. In some ways, it’s easier ing to help is instinctual. Charles Darwin feels so bad when she can’t empathize to “feel with” a stranger than with some- wrote that sympathy—not aggression—is with her father. Compassionate action, one close to you. But even with strangers, our strongest instinct. More than that, he new scientific research shows, activates experiencing the truth of another’s pain believed that the species with the most pleasure and rewards circuits in the brain. can bring up your fear of your own pain, sympathy are the ones that thrive. It lowers stress hormones in the blood. It fear that we often hide from ourselves. There are deep reasons why the yogic strengthens the immune response. All of When you realize another person is just and Buddhist traditions consider the which means that Lila is suffering in mea- like you, you realize that you too could be ability to feel compassion such a crucial surable ways from her own compassion in their situation. You see your own fra- quality. Practicing compassion is not just deficit. She’s not only withholding love gility. You see that anyone can suffer. If, in the prerogative of enlightened beings. It from her father; she’s also withholding it that moment, you feel not only your com- is also what evolutionary biologists call from herself. monality but also an inner need to help “adaptive.” And it is definitely one of the As Lila and I discussed her situation, I in some way, your empathy has become factors that make this life both joyful and asked her to think about how compassion compassion. » 58 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

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wisdom Compassion Play To cultivate compas- awakened consciousness, in which the picking up groceries, or just sharing a sion when you just can’t seem to access it, barriers between you and another person meal. Doing something is important here. try a 10-minute practice in which you play dissolve, and you actually—rather than It doesn’t have to be huge, but it’s impor- the role of being compassionate. intellectually—experience profound in - tant to make a real-world gesture. ✽ Begin by breathing in the feeling of com- terconnection with others. This practice can be so transformative passion. Now imagine how a person filled You can cultivate bodhichitta by cul- that it’s worth doing daily. You’ll see how with compassion sits. Ask yourself: tivating your awareness of fundamental it can affect your opinions and interac- How does this compassionate person commonality. Try meditating on the fact tions with every person in your life. That’s before you walk? that all of us are connected to each How does she think about others? other, that all of us suffer, and that How does she drink water? all of us are embraced by the uni- It takes discernment to How does she eat food? verse. You will begin to know that know how to help another ✽ Assume the character of a person who all of us have the same needs, the person and when to suggest is feeling compassionate. same drives, the same desires and You can do this practice for a few min- doubts and struggles. So when you they help themselves. utes or a whole day. At the end, reflect help another person compassion- on how you felt. Take a deep inhalation, ately, it’s without a feeling that it’s breathing the feeling through your body. “me” helping “you.” It’s much more as if because the real key to activating your Then consider a compassionate act you “I” am helping another form of myself. compassion is to recognize this feeling of can perform. This can be anything from interconnectedness. calling a sick friend to giving money to a Develop Empathy This is one of the clas- homeless shelter to committing yourself sical practices for cultivating compassion. SEE YOUR INNER OBSTACLES to some form of volunteer action. When It’s particularly good when, like Lila, you I once worked with someone who had a you do it, see if you can stay present with need to find compassion for someone you hard time accepting feedback. I was his the feeling of being compassion. dislike or resent. boss, but I soon learned that whenever I ✽ First, bring to mind someone in your suggested that he do something differ- DISSOLVE THE BOUNDARIES life who is facing difficulty or in pain. It ently, he would take on a deer in the head- Most of us find that when we kindle com - could be someone you know well, some- lights look and immediately make a joke passion, even for a few minutes, it changes one distant, even someone you saw on TV. or just pretend I hadn’t said anything. the way we speak and act with others. (So ✽ Now, consider this: After a while, I became intensely annoyed will meditation; a group study recently Like me, this person desires happiness. by his defensiveness. done at the University of Wisconsin Like me, this person wants to be free from One day, when he had stonewalled revealed that the meditators in the group suffering. another colleague’s mild suggestion, I were significantly more prone to actions Like me, this person has experienced grief, heard a tone in his voice that I recognized. like giving up a seat to a limping stranger loneliness, and sorrow. It was a tone I’d heard in my own voice than the nonmeditators.) Even more Like me, this person is trying to get what over and over again when someone else’s interesting is the fact that when we act on he or she needs in life. feedback had triggered my shame about our feelings of compassion, it can change Like me, this person is evolving. not doing something perfectly. In other us. Acting with compassion opens us to ✽ Next, consider that person’s suffering. words, the defensiveness that so annoyed capacities we didn’t know we had, pow- Imagine that you are suffering the same me in my colleague was also in me. I ers that seem to come from beyond the way. Think about how you’d feel. Think prided myself on being able to accept personal self. about how much you would want to be feedback, but that impulse to withdraw A friend who worked for 36 hours free from suffering. into a defensive shell was still there. As I straight helping rescue people trapped ✽ Now imagine how much less alone you recalled my own moments of defensive- by the 2004 tsunami in Thailand told me would feel if someone actively felt your ness, I could feel the shame behind it, that there came a point when she realized pain and wanted it to end. Can you do this shame that probably came from child- that it was no longer “her” helping. “Some- for the other person? Can you actively hood and some adult’s unthinking criti- thing took over,” she said. “I don’t have desire that their suffering end? cism. At that moment, I understood why that kind of energy on my own. And after a ✽ Put yourself in the other person’s place, my colleague couldn’t take criticism—and while, I wasn’t seeing a difference between and then feel for a moment that their pain also why his reactions annoyed me so. these other people and myself. It became is also yours. Hold the wish that their suf- Suddenly, a warm feeling swept over me helping myself.” My friend was experi- fering ends. me—a feeling of warmth for my col- encing one of the gifts of compassion. This Then, if possible, do something kind for league but also for myself. I saw each of is the state Buddhists call bodhichitta, or them. It could be a phone call, a donation, us as we might have looked at three years DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 61

wisdom old—sweet, soft, malleable, innocent. I This is a very significant part of the prac- thought of all the ways adults unthink- tice. You want to become aware of the ingly trigger shame and fear in three-year- uniqueness in your child-self, a unique- olds, and for a moment, I thought of all ness that you carry to this day. the three-year-old selves we have buried ✽ Notice the effect on your heart. inside our functional, coping adult selves. One reason it’s so important to cultivate It was a moment of purest compassion— self-compassion is because it helps keep for my own bumbling qualities, for my you free of what we’ve already called “idiot colleagues, and also for the entire human compassion”—the kind that my friend race, stumbling through this life as best Leslie sometimes demonstrated. One we can. I loved my colleague, and at the on line quiz about compassion contains same time I loved myself. se veral questions that measure your com- passion for your partner by how much you HELP OTHERS, HELP YOURSELF are willing to sacrifice for them. Several of That brings us to another of the secrets the comments point out that self-sacrifice of real compassion. If you want to exer- in a relationship may not be true compas- cise real, lasting compassion, you need to sion at all but a form of weakness, like the develop some compassion for yourself. “kindness” of a parent who won’t disci- Lila’s difficulty with her father arose in pline his child for fear that the child won’t part from her intolerance for certain like him, or the sympathy of a friend who qualities in herself. If you haven’t learned keeps listening to you complain about how to see your own shortcomings com- your unfaithful lover or your unsatisfy- passionately, you’re not going to be able ing job without ever suggesting that you to look at others without judging them. do something about it. At its worst, idiot Then, no matter how nice you are to some- compassion enables negative and even one else, part of you is going to be notic- destructive traits and behaviors, and actu- ing their mistakes, feeling impatient with ally prevents growth. their failures, and secretly wondering if It takes discernment to know how to their troubles aren’t all their own fault. At help another person and when to suggest some point, developing compassion for they help themselves. Some discernment others is going to require you to extend can come only from experience—act- compassion to yourself. ing compassionately and watching the results. But as we cultivate compassion, Cultivate Self-Compassion If you’re we can also cultivate reflection. One way accustomed to being your own worst to do this is by asking ourselves questions. critic, cultivating self-compassion may be I like not only, “How can I help?” but also, challenging. Try this exercise in which you “What’s motivating me to help?” “How treat yourself with the care and love that can I help in a way that connects this per- you would a small child. son to his own resources?” and “Who’s ✽ Sit quietly, and watch your breath for a really helping whom?” few minutes. This kind of self-inquiry has shown ✽ Then bring to mind a time when you my friend Leslie how to draw boundar- felt cared about—even in the smallest ies without closing his heart. He tells way. See if you can access the feeling of me that these days, when he listens to a someone caring for you. Notice how your needy friend, he first checks into his own heart feels, how your body feels. state. He tries to center himself in his own ✽ Now imagine yourself as a child. You awareness. Then it’s more likely he can be might even remember a time when you a mirror to the other person’s higher Self felt unhappy as a child. rather than simply a sympathetic ear. He ✽ Imagine that your adult self is cradling says that more and more, he finds himself the child. Feel the instinct to care for the coaching people on next steps rather than child. Tell the child that you’re here. Begin taking the other person’s steps for them. to tell the child how you see the innocent, Leslie got to this place by cultivating loving, gifted essence within him or her. self-compassion. Over the years, mostly 62 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

through meditation, he has grown a deep connection with his own Self, his essence, the part of him that is intrinsically worthy Sivananda Ashram and wise. These days, he’s not just a per- Yoga Retreat Bahamas son you go to when you need sympathy. Being around him lets other people step into their own connection with the uni- versal Self. Just as a skilled yoga teacher can tap a student’s natural ability to hold a Handstand or a backbend, a person whose compassion comes from the essential Self can help others see their own essential beauty and strength. If you’ve ever had a moment of re cog- nizing the part of yourself that is uniquely you yet free of the contractions of the false-self ego, you know what it feels like to be connected with your essential self. She is naturally generous, confident, wise, and loving. She has no problem giving blessings and no problem receiving them. Look Beneath the Surface One of the most compassionate gifts we can give a person is to see that person as their ess- sence—to look beyond their masks to the Expand your horizons beauty that everyone holds inside. ✽ Sometime, when you’re walking or rid- ing a bus, glance around. Notice which faces draw your sympathy and which ([SHULHQFH WKH EHQHÀWV RI D Swami Swaroopananda Krishna Das spiritual practice as you retreat faces seem off-putting. Then picture the Amy Weintraub John Douillard Joe IURP WKH VWUHVVRUV RI \RXU strangers as small children, looking at the daily routine and discover a Dispenza Snatam Kaur Russill Paul world with hope and joy. (As in the self- healthier, happier you. Practice compassion practice, thinking of some- Stephen Sinatra Gauravani Jai Uttal \RJD RQ VSDFLRXV SODWIRUPV one as a child can trigger loving feelings.) shaded by swaying palms, or David Newman 0DUF +DOSHUQ Edwin See if you don’t feel the rise of something IDFLQJ WKH &DULEEHDQ 0HGLWDWH like sympathy—or compassion. with the sunrise and sunset. Bryant .DP 7K\H &KRZ Radhanath ✽ Go another step. See if you can see the Enjoy talks and workshops by essence in that person, the loving, wise, world renowned speakers: Swami Roshi Bernie Glassman being that lives inside them. Rubin Naiman 0DWWKHZ )R[ Vianna ✽ Then ask yourself, “What is the highest Stibal 0D\D 7LZDUL Amit Goswami gift I could offer this person?” Imagine yourself offering it to them. And many others... Notice how that blessing softens your heart. Notice how connected it makes you feel. Hold the possibility that your com- Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses: ‡ ‡ ‡ passionate glance might—just might— Dec 4 - 31, 2013 Jan 4 - 31, 2014 )HE 0DU 0DU have opened them up to feeling a little ‡ ‡ Apr 1, 2014 $SU 0D\ 0D\ -XQ stronger, a little happier, a little more compassionate themselves. ✤ Sally Kempton is an international teacher Sivananda Ashram 1.866.446.5934 1.242.363.2902 of meditation and the author of Awakening SERVE LOVE MEDITATE REALIZE Yoga Retreat Bahamas www.sivanandabahamas.org Shakti. Learn more at sallykempton.com. U NITY IN DIVERSITY DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 63

CHOPRA CENTER EVENTS TO IGNITE YOUR PURPOSE & PASSION Yoga • Meditation • Mind-Body Wellness OUR GIFT TO YOU Join Deepak Chopra Perfect Health DVD and featured guests Visit chopra.com/2014gift to order your free copy today! Andrew Weil *Shipping and handling fees will apply. Caroline Myss Byron Katie Marianne Williamson Martha Beck Jean Houston Brent BecVar Claire Diab Danielle Mika Nagel Are you ready to experience physical healing, emotional freedom, and higher states of consciousness? Join us today. Find the event that’s right for you at chopra.com/programs or call 888.736.6895

home practice with Larissa Hall Carlson shine on Stoke your internal fire with an invigorating sequence that gets you glowing from the inside out. the practice mind-body key focal PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: KATRINA LASHEA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN; TOP: PRANA; LEGGINGS: ELISABETTA ROGIANI science, can inform your help squeeze out sluggish- calm and clear and spread benefits points The principles of Ayurveda, India’s ancient system of To help you stay mentally medicine and yoga’s sister In Ayurvedic terms, twists ness, and balancing poses asana practice to enhance the rising heat throughout build heat quickly. Both your body, breathe through your experience of transfor- mation. In this invigorating your nose while slightly re quire effort and concen- sequence of balancing and tration. Your challenge is to constricting your throat to maintain a calm mind amid create the smooth, rhyth- twisting postures, you will stoke your inner fire, known mic, ocean-sounding Ujjayi all of the physical work. Pranayama (Victorious in Ayurvedic texts as agni. When you’re able to do this, and steadily, emphasizing tice feeling clear and radiant. complete exhalations. Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 65 DE CEMBER 2 013 you’ll emerge from the prac- Breath). Breathe softly

home practice with Larissa Hall Carlson REPEAT POSES 2 TO 4 ON OTHER SIDE. BEFORE YOU BEGIN If you can, practice on an empty 1 VRKSASANA 2 UTTANASANA stomach. Stand in Tadasana (Moun- TREE POSE STANDING FORWARD BEND tain Pose), and begin a steady ocean- Shift your weight to your left foot. Bring Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Fold sounding breath. Soften your gaze. the sole of your right foot to your left inner forward from your hips. Lower your hands Relax your jaw and tongue. Enjoy thigh. Press palms together overhead. Take to the floor, bending your knees if you need 3 to 5 breaths in the following poses 10 to 15 breaths, pausing at the end of each to. Lengthen up through your tailbone and unless otherwise noted. exhalation. Exit and repeat on second side. down through your crown. 6 UTKATASANA 7 TADASANA 8 UTTHITA HASTA CHAIR POSE, VARIATION MOUNTAIN POSE PADANGUSTHASANA III Keep your knees bent, and unwind from the Lower your heels to the mat. Straighten EXTENDED HAND-TO-BIG-TOE POSE III twist. Lift your arms to shoulder height, and your legs, and stand upright. Extend arms Interlace fingers under your right knee, hug- extend them out in front of you with palms overhead, and relax your shoulders. Balance ging it toward your chest. Grasp your right facing each other. Lengthen your spine, and weight evenly between the balls of your feet foot with your left hand. Straighten your broaden your collarbones. Lift your heels. and heels. Lengthen through the crown of right leg (as much as possible), and twist Relax your gaze and jaw. your head and fingers. right. Right arm extends at shoulder height. 12 PURVOTTANASANA 13 ANANTASANA 14 SALABHASANA UPWARD PLANK POSE SIDE-RECLINING LEG LIFT, VARIATION LOCUST POSE, VARIATION Extend legs out in front of you. Place your Lie on your left side with your head cradled Lie on your belly. Press your pubic bone hands behind you, fingers pointing to your in your hand. With your right hand on the down, and lift your head and chest. Interlace hips. Lift your hips, and press the balls of floor in front for balance, lengthen through fingers behind you, and draw your shoulder your feet into the mat. If comfortable, drop the heels, and lift legs as high as possible. blades together. Lift your legs and arms up the crown of your head back. Come down, and repeat on second side. and back. Exit and rest for a moment. 66 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

3 ANJANEYASANA 4 PARIVRTTA TRIKONASANA 5 UTKATASANA LOW LUNGE, VARIATION REVOLVED TRIANGLE POSE CHAIR POSE, VARIATION Step your left foot back, and lower your Place your left hand outside your right foot. Stand up. Bend your knees toward a right knee to the mat. Press palms together Come onto your left toes. Legs straighten; angle, and keep weight on your heels. Palms at your heart. Twist right from your waist left heel spins down. Twist right, and extend press together. Twist right, and hook your to hook your left elbow onto the outside your right arm up. Exit pose, and step feet left elbow outside your right knee. Breathe of your right knee. together. Repeat poses 2 to 4 on other side. down toward your belly and midback. REPEAT POSES 5 TO 9 ON OTHER SIDE. 9 PARIVRTTA ARDHA CHANDRASANA 10 MALASANA 11 BHARADVAJASANA REVOLVED HALF MOON POSE GARLAND POSE BHARADVAJA’S TWIST Release your right foot, and unwind the Step your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend Come to sit. Bend your knees, and swing twist. Fold forward from your hips. Lift your knees, and come into a squat. Palms your feet outside your left hip. Place your your right leg to hip height, and place gently press together at your heart level, left hand on your right knee and your right your right hand in front of your left foot. and your elbows press into your inner knees. hand on the fl oor behind your right hip. Twist left, and raise your left arm. Release Twist with an even spine to the right. Come pose. Repeat poses 5 to 9 on other side. out of the twist, and repeat on second side. 15 BALASANA 16 JATHARA PARIVARTANASANA TO FINISH CHILD’S POSE, VARIATION REVOLVED ABDOMEN POSE Come back to center, release Begin to press back into Balasana, Lie on your back, and draw knees into your your arms and legs, and enjoy pausing partway to place fi sts against chest. Lower legs down to the left. Gaze Savasana (Corpse Pose). your belly. Then fold over your thighs. at the ceiling. Take 10 to 15 breaths, pausing For detailed instruction Relax your belly, and fi ll your back at the end of each exhalation. Bring knees on Savasana, see page 48. body for 10 to 15 breaths. to center. Repeat pose on second side. DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 67



✳ ✳ Let the symbolism behind the pose Natarajasana inspire you The beauty of working to stand strong in your center to ward a difficult pose is while life whirls around you. that, in the best of circum- stances, the desire for the form of the pose eventu- ally falls away. Natara- jasana re quires open hips s we celebrate the end of the year and shoulders, and back- and the beginning of a return to longer days, it’s a fitting time bending ability beyond to reflect on the cycles of endings and beginnings that make up the reach of most mortals. every aspect of our existence. One of the great symbols of this Whether or not you ever constant cycle of change is the image of Shiva Nataraja, the King take the final pose, we of the Dance. Shiva Nataraja is portrayed in Hindu mythology hope these im ages inspire as the aspect of Shiva whose ecstatic dance of destruction lays you with the transfor- mation possible through the foundation for the creation and sustenance of the universe. de voted practice. Depicted in southern Indian art dating back to the 10th through The following poses are 12th centuries, Shiva Nataraja dances at the center of the wheel just one way to se quence of samsara, a cosmic ring of fire that symbolizes the eternal cycle toward Natarajasana. of birth, life, and death. Practice the poses acces- The name Shiva derives from a Sanskrit root that means “liber- sible to you now after a thorough warm-up. Then, ation,” and liberation or freedom is what the dancing four-armed with attention to building Shiva Nataraja expresses. He can’t stop the passage of time or strength, balance, and the fire that surrounds him, but he can find bliss amid the chaos. agility, you may be able His dreadlocks shake as he balances on the demon of avidya, or to add the more difficult ignorance. In one of his hands, he holds a drum on which he beats poses over time. Along the passage of time. Another hand holds a conch shell, recalling the way, the fire of the practice may leave you the power of the sound of Om that reverberates through the uni- free from desire for the verse. In a third hand, the flame of vidya, or knowledge, reveals final pose, as you embody continued on page 89 steadiness and joy in your own Shiva’s dance. ✳ JENNIFER RODRIGUE by Alanna Kaivalya photography by Wari Om

✳ warrior pose I Virabhadrasana I

Anjaneyasana ✳ low lunge For expert instruction on these and dozens of other poses, go to yogajournal.com/poses. ✳ monkey god pose Hanumanasana MODEL: ELINORE COHEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: IVAN MENDOZA/WORKGROUP; TOP: FREE PEOPLE; CAMI: BAR; LEGGINGS: ELISABETTA ROGIANI; JEWELRY: SATYA Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 71

Eka Pada Urdhva ✳ Dhanurasana one-legged upward bow pose

✳ lord of the dance pose Natarajasana Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 73

Yoga gives pro snowboarders a leg up—and can improve your ride too. by Diane Anderson

Pro boarder Terje Haakonsen handplants on a beach in his native Norway.

CARVING THROUGH FRESH POWDER against a backdrop of endless blue sky and crisp winter air—it’s a thrilling, adrenaline- pumping rush that’s familiar to anyone who has strapped boots onto a board at the top of a mountain. It’s why snowboarding is one of winter’s most popular sports, with an esti- mated 6 million-plus boarders in the United States alone. It’s also one of the most physically demanding sports, thanks to turns that require pistonlike actions in the legs and air-catching maneuvers that have you exploring your body’s full range of motion. And then there are the crashes. Falling is an unavoidable part of the sport, and, just as in yoga’s balancing AGE 39 poses, there’s a certain grace in yielding when CLAIM TO FAME Quarter-pipe world record you lose your balance. As snowboarding gains popularity, more holder and creator of the Haakon flip and more pro snowboarders are embracing “I wouldn’t still be a professional snowboarder at the level I am yoga for the balance it provides. French- if I hadn’t taken care of my body with yoga,” says Ashtanga Yoga born Caroline Beliard-Zebrowski’s 12-year practitioner Terje Haakonsen. “Most of my other sports break career of freestyle, slopestyle, and half-pipe my body down. Snowboarding, soccer, and skateboarding are competitions and backcountry video shoots rough on the joints and muscles. But yoga builds my body up left her with several injuries. Hoping to reha- and wakes up all the little muscles so that all of the parts are working together as a team.” bilitate and ride again without pain, Beliard- Before he goes up on the slopes or explores backcountry Zebrowski took up vinyasa yoga. terrain, Haakonsen does his morning Ashtanga practice, which “As an athlete, I thought I knew my body, he says gets his blood moving so that he’s warmed up before but yoga really helped me discover it,” she getting on a lift. “It’s the best way to start the day,” he says. says. Beliard-Zebrowski eventually retired from competition to become a yoga teacher for professional boarders and even got mat leads to living my life with calm and pur- her husband, former pro snowboarder Gary pose that I take into my snowboarding,” says Ze browski (see page 80), on the mat too. the four-time X Games gold-medal winner Today, Zebrowski and Beliard-Zebrowski and 2006 Olympic silver-medal winner. “It’s so work to gether coaching surfers and snow- much more than exercise. Yoga is a system that boarders at yoga retreats in the southwest teaches me how to have balance in my whole of France, California, and Tahiti. life, in my relationships, and the work that I In addition to helping riders recover from do.” Today, Bleiler is studying for her teacher PAGES 74-75: FRODE SANDBECH; TOP: ADAM MORAN injuries, says half-pipe pro Gretchen Bleiler, certification in primordial sound meditation yoga also offers them a competitive edge. Ble- at the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California. iler says her practice, which includes asana and Read on to learn how some of the sport’s meditation, has given her tools to handle the greatest athletes came to yoga and how their stress of competing. “The clarity I find on the practice takes them higher. 76 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

AGE 33 CLAIM TO FAME Featured in The Art of Flight and 2008 Quicksilver Natural Selection bronze-medal winner You know you’ve made it when the world calls you by your initials. Canadian freestyler DCP spent 14 years competing all over the world, sponsored by Burton Snowboards. During this time he discovered yoga and found that it increased his flexibility (key for competitive moves, such as midair board grabs). Today, the Power Yoga practitioner breaks into a few poses to stretch and open up his hip flexors before he attempts the jumps and cliffs he’s known for. “Yoga helps me connect with the present in a real snowboarding situation, where I can be focused in the moment and watch my breath in the air,” says DCP, who revels in meditation, Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), JEFF PATTERSON Vrksasana (Tree Pose), and the Warrior series. Such awareness extends beyond the board, he notes, and provided solace when he lost a dear friend and his brother-in-law in an avalanche. “Yoga slows me down and takes stress away,” says DCP. “I’m more flexible in my body but also with life’s circumstances.”

Some yoga poses emulate the physi- alignment-based yoga and breath cal actions of a maneuver you’d make techniques. The following poses help on a board, says yoga teacher and strengthen muscles and increase the avid snowboarder Eoin Finn, who trains range of motion you need to keep your pros and World Cup athletes using moves loose and fluid on the mountain. the move the pose CARVING UTKATASANA Requires pistonlike (CHAIR POSE) actions in the quad- Opens up tight calf mus- riceps and a strong, cles, strengthens legs, stable core. and teaches core stability. INDY GRAB PARIVRTTA PRASARITA Requires a healthy PADOTTANASANA range of motion to (REVOLVED WIDE-LEGGED avoid lower back injury. STANDING FORWARD BEND) Lengthens and strengthens obliques while lengthening the hamstrings, calves, and also back muscles. METHOD GRAB ARDHA USTRASANA Requires flexible and (HALF CAMEL POSE) open quadriceps, Lengthens the whole front hip flexors, chest, as body and, with practice, can well as neck muscles. increase range of motion. AGE 29 CLAIM TO FAME 2007 X Games bronze-medal winner and 2009 Slopestyle best-trick winner Split boarder Chanelle Sladics has broken body to ride with,” says Sladics. “I be - so many bones that she’s lost count. She’s came a stronger, more agile athlete.” long lived on the edge: skydiving, cave Sladics says 10 minutes of practice free-diving, snowboarding in extreme con- a day with a focus on hip openers and ditions. About eight years ago, she says, Pigeon Pose in particular has helped her she was feeling depleted and realized that ride better and bounce back more quickly. her sports were taking a toll on her body. “After riding four or five days in a row, my The future yoga teacher became inspired body is spent, but I go home and get on by her practice to make over her diet, and my mat,” says Sladics. “Most bodies can ILLUSTRATIONS: KAGAN McLEOD she increased her flexibility, going from only handle five hardcore days in the park. someone who could barely touch her toes On day six, when I wake to see beautiful to someone who doesn’t start the day powder outside, I’m stoked because I don’t without stretching. “Yoga gave me a new have to pass it up.” 78 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

CINDY SANTINI

AGE 29 CLAIM TO FAME Member of Team France in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games In 2009, Gary Zebrowski was in peak con - dition and training for the Olympic half-pipe at a French ski resort when he suffered a 12-foot fall. When he got up the pain in his left knee was so intense that he had to ride down the mountain on the back of a ski patrol snowmobile. The doctor told Zebrowski that he’d need surgery and at least eight months away from any kind of board. “So many questions were turning in my head. The 2010 Olympics were just seven months away. I was on top, aiming for a medal,” he says. “I had two choices: have the surgery and kiss the Olympics Eoin Finn suggests these three poses after a day on goodbye, or bypass the surgery.” the mountain to stretch tight muscles and decompress Zebrowski opted to skip the surgery and joints that get worn and torn when you’re shredding. seek other options for rehabilitating from his injury. “I spent three months in Breck- enridge, Colorado, and established my own training program with yoga,” he says. ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA He worked with his wife, yoga teacher (DOWNWARD-FACING DOG) and former pro boarder Caroline Beliard- Zebrowski. Zebrowski did Surya Namaskar Lengthens the spine and stretches (Sun Salutation) as part of every warm- calves, hamstrings, and back up. Balancing postures helped with knee muscles, which tighten at the end stability. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) of a day on the board. Imagine addressed core and leg stability, while breathing space between your Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle spinal disks while melting muscle Pose), Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), tension in the back body. and Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) added strength and flexi- bility. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward KING ARTHUR’S POSE Bend) and Uttanasana (Standing Forward Lengthens the whole front body, Bend) worked his tightening hamstrings. especially the quadriceps, hip flex- For mental preparation, he practiced daily ors, abdominals, and chest, which pranayama and meditation. He eventually gets tight from the tucking action made it to the Olympics, and though he snowboarding requires. Enjoy this was still injured, he finished thirteenth in deep stretch for several breaths. his event. “Practicing yoga really helped me to find my deepest strength in order to finish the competition,” he says. ✤ SUPINE PIGEON POSE Diane Anderson is a writer based in Loosens tight hip muscles, like San Francisco. the gluteus maximus, that bring power to virtually all snowboarding moves. Breathe deeply, as if inflat- ing your hips, for up to one minute before repeating the pose on the other side. 80 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM

ERIC BERGERI

New York April 24–28, 2014 | Hilton Midtown EXPERIENCE YOGA JOURNAL IN THE CITY! Photo by Wari Om ELENA BROWER • KATHRYN BUDIG • SEANE CORN • Nikki Costello • Jason Crandell Tiffany Cruikshank • Dana Flynn • Bo Forbes • ANA FORREST • RICHARD FREEMAN • Julie Gudmestad Amy Ippolitti • Alanna Kaivalya • Leslie Kaminoff • Eric Kipp • GARY KRAFTSOW • Cyndi Lee VINNIE MARINO • Claire Missingham • DHARMA MITTRA • Sadie Nardini • SARAH POWERS Raghunath • SHIVA REA • Natasha Rizopolous • David Romanelli • Sianna Sherman ROD STRYKER • David Swenson • Colleen Saidman Yee • RODNEY YEE FRIDAY EVENING KEYNOTE BY CAROLINE MYSS GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS

reviews B OOK S I MUSIC I VIDE O Q YOGA JOURNAL What inspired you to record One Creator? A KRISHNA KAUR I sing in my yoga classes, and my students kept encouraging me to make a CD. I was reluctant at first, but now this album feels like an important part of my dharma. There were certain mantras that my teacher, Yogi Bhajan, would teach me, and certain songs he always asked me to sing. They have a spe- cial meaning for me because they help me to feel that relationship I have with him. So, I feel I’m being called to serve in this way. To carry the music is a blessing. high spirits One Creator Q YJ What’s your musical background? A KK I grew up in a large family, and Krishna Kaur we entertained each other by singing and Widely known for her heart-centered teach- Spirit Voyage Records playing gospels. Singing was a natural ings and her commitment to service work, form of expression for us. We sang from Krishna Kaur has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for 33 our hearts. Later, I spent time in the the- years and training teachers around the world. She’s the ater, dancing and performing in musical comedies in New York City, until I met founder of Y.O.G.A. for Youth, a nonprofit program offer- Yogi Bhajan and became a yoga teacher. ing free yoga classes to low-income youth in Los Ange- Q YJ What’s the value of service from les. This year, at age 74, she reveals another side of a yogic perspective? A KK When you begin to embrace herself with her debut kirtan album, One Creator. The service as a major part of your practice, album blends divine poetry with sacred chants she it means you’ve really begun to live the KRISTINA CLEMENS learned from her teacher, the late Yogi Bhajan, and is about you, as an individual, becoming teachings of yoga. Your practice isn’t just infused with the sounds of jazz and blues, making it a enlightened or free from fear, anger, and one-of-a-kind contribution to the world of yoga music. frustration. It’s about being able to share DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 83

reviews I books what you’ve discovered with others so that the whole society can benefit. Q YJ As an African American leader in the yoga community, do you feel you have a unique perspective on yoga? A KK I don’t recognize myself as any par- ticular leader. I’m just out here serving and doing what I love and what I believe in. I’ll go wherever I’m asked and give whatever I can to share the light that I got from my teacher. Yoga is a universal art and science. It doesn’t matter what color you are, what your culture is, what lan- guage you speak. But image-wise, yoga looks white, thin, female, and middle- to upper-class. I hope my presence inspires people in the African American commu- nity and other communities of color to practice yoga. SHANNON SEXTON story time Little Gurus: A Yoga Discovery Book Olaf Hajek Bohem Press A flying monkey brings a flower to a prince while a child dances on an ele- phant’s painted trunk. These and other whimsi- cal scenes make up the pages of Little Gurus, an oversize chil- dren’s picture book from celebrated Ger- man illustrator Olaf Hajek. While most children’s yoga books have stories or detailed instructions, Hajek’s book relies on his stunning pictures alone to light up a child’s imagination, letting them dis- cover yoga on their own terms. The book features lush illustrations of a happy cast of characters—devas, dancing girls, sad- hus, mandrill monkeys, fish, frogs, and but- terflies among them—that model more than 20 common yoga asanas. Across five spreads, Hajek’s scenes evoke the myths and art of India, with his characters pos- ing amid ornate lotuses, temples, and jungles, and even balancing on Shiva’s hands. Children will get absorbed in this colorful introduction to yoga, and its appeal will deepen as their practice does. A final spread provides a helpful key to the poses in the book. Little Gurus is a true treasure for the family yoga library. ELIZABETH KENNEDY » 84 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

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reviews I books MMI College of Ayurveda New Program begins in January take care month-by-month guide. She gives dietary REACH REACH Yoga Mama Yoga Baby: Ayurveda and suggestions, including how to tailor your Yoga for a Healthy Pregnancy and Birth meal plans to your personal constitution, Margo Shapiro Bachman and recipes for dishes like kitchari (a BEY B B BEYOND ONDD Sounds True rice and dal stew recommended for preg- A A ASANAA ASANA A For any mother-to-be won- nancy), and for prenatal and postpartum dering how the teachings herbal teas such as a nourishing brew of of yoga and Ayurveda can raspberry, oat, and nettle. support her during preg- The book also includes yoga poses and Asana nancy and birth, author sequences as well as instructions for how Pranayama Margo Shapiro Bachman, an Ayurvedic to adapt your practice to each stage of Meditation practitioner, yoga teacher, and mother of pregnancy. In addition to asana practices, Ayurveda two, serves as an excellent guide. In Yoga Bachman offers instruction in meditation Devotion Mama Yoga Baby, she draws on her per- and pranayama. She also outlines instruc- Community sonal and professional experience to share tions for a variety of nourishing activities Reflection insight, advice, and encouragement for including daily oil massage with essential Philosophy staying healthy during pregnancy and or herb-infused oils. post-pregnancy. Bachman covers labor and birth at Drawing from her long study with Ay - length, and offers advice for the precious urvedic experts including David Frawley postpartum period to help moms manage and Vasant Lad, Bachman outlines the the precarious balance between taking fundamentals of Ayurveda and clearly care of a newborn and essential self-care explains how the healing art applies to practices. Publisher Sounds True also all aspects of pregnancy, birth, and the offers a separately sold CD of the same postpartum period. Everything a yoga title with audio recordings of practices in mama needs to know is here in this the book. JESSICA BERGER GROSS YOGA TEACHER TRAINING & PROGRAMS Ongoing Yoga Teacher Training 200 & 500 hour programs '(& ²¬-$1 $QQXDO 1HZ <HDU·V <RJD 5HWUHDW -$1 ²¬ Going Deeper A focused meditation retreat %(*,16 (9(5< 0217+6 <RJD 6HUYLFH &RPPXQLW\ A residential service learning program TRAINING TEACHERS SINCE 1978 Located in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains in Watsonville, California. www.mountmadonna.org/yj [email protected] 408.846.4064 86 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

turn a new leaf “Healthy is the new skinny,” Nardini The 21–Day Yoga Body: A Metabolic Make- writes, and she advocates focusing one’s Go this over and Life-Styling Manual to Get You fitness efforts on feeling good, not on Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous in Just 3 Weeks achieving a certain body size. far, and Sadie Nardini Her recipes—including frittatas, veg- Three Rivers Press gie and grain salads, stir-fries, smoothies, you can Sadie Nardini, a Brooklyn- sautéed seafood, and grilled fi sh—sound fi lling and satisfying (and they often come based vinyasa yoga teacher with wine recommendations). There’s no actually and wellness consultant, is passionate about the trans- calorie counting here, just a basic edu- cation in eating fresh, whole foods and unplug. formations that can hap- pen when you commit to practicing yoga a helpful shopping list for getting your and eating well. With her new book, The pantry stocked with healthy supplies. 21–Day Yoga Body, she offers an accessible Nardini’s teachings come from the program of wellness and personal life basic principles of yoga, but she takes a change that includes daily yoga sequences, decidedly irreverent approach to the tra- meal plans, recipes, and inspirational dition, referring to the sage Patanjali as teachings to keep you motivated. “Pat” and offering life guidance on such By following her three-week program, topics as “deny drama,” “date yourself,” Nardini claims, readers can gain energy, and “bow to the bitch.” While this peppy add lean muscle mass, and shed extra guide to overhauling your health is not pounds. But the program is designed to geared toward more advanced students, be the catalyst for a more permanent and the book may appeal to newer students profound lifestyle transformation, one who want to make a commitment to daily that stems from cultivating a positive atti- yoga practice and healthy living off the tude and body image. mat. JESSICA BERGER GROSS » CALL OR EMAIL FOR DETAILS 800.989.8085 [email protected] Our small group adventures in India may not guarantee eternal bliss. But def nitely an incredible curry. IntrepidTravel.com/unplug 800 970 7299 | | | | w w w. z ebrayo ga f loor.c om | 80 0.989. 808 5 DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 87

reviews I videos, music Statement of Ownership, creative flow that includes violin, viola, cello, acoustic Management, and Circulation Gravity & Grace 2: Yoga for Longevity guitar, and drums. Peter Sterios There’s something deeply moving 1. Publication Title: Yoga Journal Elevate Films about Kaur’s strong yet tender voice in 2. Publication No.: 116-050 3. Filing Date: 9/24/13 Six years after the release songs like “Amen”—a glorious, original 4. Issue Frequency: of his first yoga video, San hymn that features yogic lyrics and a 9 times per year: February, March, May, June, August, Luis Obispo-based yoga swelling female chorus—and “Mera Man September, October, November, December instructor Peter Sterios Lochai”—a shabad that sounds like a 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 9 offers an excellent update, gentle love song. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $21.95 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Gravity & Grace 2. With Some of the chants and hymns are hun- Office of Publication (Not Printer): creative sequences filmed against the dreds of years old, and along with Kaur’s 475 Sansome St., Ste. 850, San Francisco, CA 94111 backdrop of the central California coast thoughtful English lyrics, they express 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters of General Business Office of Publisher (Not Printer): and a lush musical score created by love and longing for the divine. The songs 475 Sansome St., Ste. 850, San Francisco, CA 94111 Masood Ali Khan, Sheela Bringi, and are imbued with purity of heart that’s 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses Johnee Gange, this video is a memorable so alluring, you may want to keep this of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: class for beginners and adepts alike. album on repeat for days and weeks to Publisher: Bill Harper, 300 N. Continental Blvd., Ste. 650, El Segundo, CA 90245 With 35 years of yoga experience in - come. SHANNON SEXTON Editor: Charity Ferreira, 475 Sansome St., cluding extensive training in Iyengar Ste. 850, San Francisco CA 94111 and Shadow styles, Sterios has devel- musical journey Managing Editor: Jennifer Rodrigue, 475 Sansome St., Ste. 850, San Francisco, CA 94111 oped a unique, creative style. His teach- Tales from the Grand Bazaar 10. Owner: Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. ing incorporates thoughtful alignment Bombay Dub Orchestra 300 N. Continental Blvd., Ste. 650 presented in the form of a slow, breath- Six Degrees Records El Segundo, CA 90245 conscious vinyasa flow. He offers unusual With a background in 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning 1 Percent or More of variations that can turn a simple position, scoring films, composer- Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other such as Child’s Pose, into a kind of mini programmers Andrew Securities: None practice that deepens your experience of T. Mackay and Garry 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months the pose. The full, 100-minute practice Hughes of Bombay Dub 13. Publication Name: Yoga Journal on the DVD is comprehensive: There’s a Orchestra possess a distinctive gift for 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: seated warm-up; a sequence for flexibility, conveying a sense of place through their November 2013 including reclining poses; a strengthen- music. Their new album, Tales from the 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: ing standing sequence; and a restorative Grand Bazaar, blends dub beats and elec- Average No. Actual No. of Copies of Copies of cool-down. The four segments can be tronic soundscapes with recordings made Each Issue Single Issue practiced individually or in any combi- with local musicians in Jamaica, Bombay, During Published Preceding Nearest to nation, depending on the time you have Istanbul, Los Angeles, and New York City. 12 Months Filing Date available and your needs. The result is a musical journey that feels a. Total No. of Copies (Net Press Run): 446,536 437,204 b. Paid Circulation: Gravity & Grace 2 is not too demanding; like strolling through a Turkish market- 1) Mailed Outside County Mail 258,048 255,893 it’s accessible to experienced beginners. place or meditating at a temple high atop 3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and But Sterios’s creative teaching style offers a mountain in India. Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution 52,413 51,036 new ways of seeing—and exploring—the Slow, reflective passages give way to c. Total Paid/Requested (b1 + b3): 310,461 306,929 poses, which makes it valuable even for hypnotic grooves that invite the body d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County grizzled yoga veterans. RICHARD ROSEN to move. And Jamaican reggae’s cel- Copies 30,237 29,520 4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution ebrated “riddim twins,” bassist Robbie Outside the Mail 3,443 1,957 spirited away Shakespeare and drummer Sly Dunbar, e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 33,680 31,477 The Cosmic Gift | Sirgun Kaur add addictive beats. Indian vocals thread f. Total Distribution (c + e): 344,141 338,406 g. Copies Not Distributed: 102,395 98,798 Self-released their way through the enticing sound of h. Total (f + g): 446,536 437,204 Singer-songwriter and world string instruments like the sitar, i. Percent Paid (c / g): 90.2% 90.7% Kun da lini Yoga teacher sarod, and oud. It all adds up to a relaxing Sir gun Kaur’s first solo dream vacation for the ears. With its bal- 17. This Statement of Ownership will be printed kirtan al bum, The Cos - ance of tranquility and energetic momen- in the December 2013 issue of this publication. mic Gift, inspires and tum, Tales from the Grand Bazaar makes 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: lifts the spirits with its soaring chants. The an ideal companion to yoga practice—a album features a mix of English lyrics, kir- way of touching the heart of the land of tan mantras, and shabads (Sikh hymns) yoga’s birth without ever leaving your Patricia B. Fox, General Manager 9/24/13 with a rich instrumental accompaniment mat. ALAN DI PERNA ✤ 88 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

joy to the world YOGA JOURNAL Issue 261 (ISSN 0191-0965), continued from page 69 ups and downs, knowing that a part of established in 1975, is published nine times a year (February, March, May, June, August, September, the internal light of our true nature. One you is connected to all the pulsations of October, November, December) by Cruz Bay of Shiva’s right hands is held up in Abhaya time and space. Publishing, Inc., 475 Sansome Street, Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94111, (415) 591-0555. Annual Sub- Mudra, a gesture of fearlessness. It’s the Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose) scription: U.S. $21.95; Canada $28.95; overseas fearlessness that comes from knowing is an homage to this idea that you can be $43.95. Single copies U.S. $5.99; Canada $6.99. one’s own transcendent nature—that steady and joyful at your center while Agreement number 40063731 assigned by Canada Post. Mailing list: Occasionally, we make our though the mortal form you inhabit will change happens around you. When you subscriber list available to carefully screened change and die, there is an energy within make the shape of the pose, you embody companies unless the subscriber advises us both the wheel of samsara and the hub. As otherwise. Send all subscription matters and notices of changes of address to: Yoga Journal, you settle into this backbend, balanced P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL, 32142-0235. E-mail Natarajasana is steadily on your standing leg, your heart the subscription customer service department: [email protected]. Call a reminder that you, lifted and open, feel free to reach a hand subscription customer service, Mon.–Fri. 7 am–10 pm forward in one of several positions. Either CDT; Sat. 8:30 am–5 pm CDT: (800) 873-8807 too, can live from your hold the hand up in a “stop in the name of or (386) 246-0197 from outside the United States. center and dance. All issues of Yoga Journal are now available love” kind of gesture that is the equivalent on mi crofi che from ProQuest, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., of the gesture of fearlessness that Shiva Ann Arbor, MI 48016. Copyright 2013 by Cruz Bay uses; or join the fi rst fi nger and thumb in Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written you that will continue on, like the pul- Jnana Mudra, the yogi’s “okay” symbol. permission from the publisher. Yoga Journal is not sation of an atom or the light from the Or simply turn the palm up in a gesture responsible for advertising claims. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Francisco, CA, and at addi- supernova of a dying star that reaches that signifi es you are ready to surrender tional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address earth with its beauty. to the change that is afoot. ✤ changes to: Yoga Journal, P.O. Box 420235, Shiva’s heart is the center of the wheel; Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. CANADIAN UNDELIVERABLES: Send to Station A, P.O. Box 54, the hub that stabilizes him within the Yoga teacher Alanna Kaivalya's new book Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. The editorial content of Yoga great cycles of cosmic change. The image Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Journal should not be used as a substitute for is a reminder that you, too, can live from Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan is available professional health care. Talk with your doctor before starting any new exercise regimen. your center and dance, celebrating life’s for preorder at Amazon.com. NEW Master of Science in Yoga Therapy %H DPRQJ WKH YHU\ ¿UVW \RJD WHDFKHUV LQ WKH QDWLRQ ZLWK D JUDGXDWH GHJUHH LQ \RJD WKHUDS\ IURP DQ DFFUHGLWHG XQLYHUVLW\ 0DU\ODQG 8QLYHUVLW\ RI ,QWHJUDWLYH +HDOWK RIIHUV GHJUHHV DQG DFDGHPLF FHUWL¿FDWH SURJUDPV LQ <RJD 7KHUDS\ _ 1XWULWLRQ _ +HDOWK :HOOQHVV &RDFKLQJ _ +HDOWK 3URPRWLRQ +HUEDO 0HGLFLQH _ $FXSXQFWXUH 2ULHQWDO 0HGLFLQH Online and campus options for many programs muih.edu 800-735-2968 DE CEMBER 2 013 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM 89

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yoga scene love connection We came away from a fun partner yoga class with a deeper connection and sense of play. We were trying to infuse this pose with romance, but at the time I was thinking, don’t fall into the pool! We got married a month later. STEPHANIE STA MARIA WITH THIRUN NADASON, pictured in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia be part of the yoga scene Submit your favorite yoga photo JOHN CHO to [email protected]. 96 Y OG A JOURNAL. C OM DE CEMBER 2 013

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