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Karen Devaney

A Little Yoga Goes a Long Way

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Woman practicing yoga in tree pose during sunrise
How did it get so late so soon? Dr. Seuss

We have all felt the crunch of time snapping at our heels; demanding deadlines, frantic last minutes, looming workloads. In today’s modern world, time has become a precious jewel coveted and protected, how many times have you said, if I only had more time? It is understandable why you may find a thousand excuses to skip your yoga practice. But the truth is when you are the busiest you need yoga the most. Carving out a practice amid the mayhem will keep you balanced and connected to your mat. When life is pulling you in a thousand directions, stay steady with your practice by modifying; a short practice is better than none.

If you can’t take a full class or do your regular hour home practice, rather than skip it all together modify. Decide what it is you need. Maybe you were able to sneak in a walk at lunch, when you go home, find a quiet space (that may mean pushing a bed over to make room) and lay your matt down. Perhaps you do a few sun salutations, a few standing poses, and then settle into legs up the wall. Fifteen or twenty minutes of yoga and pranayama can have profound benefits to your nervous system, restoring your ability to walk through the busy days calm and centered.

Get up while the rest of the family or roommates rise before the bedlam begins. Set your alarm and take twenty or thirty or ten minutes even to do a practice. Start in Tadasana (mountain pose), move through forward folds and back to mountain a few times to warm up your spine. If you like to flow with your asanas, create a short Vinyasa then allow enough time to do a few seated poses and final rest.  Or hold a few poses breathing slowly, and again, always leaving enough time for corpse pose. Remembering to focus on your breath and or intentions. This is a wonderful way to set the tone for your day.

Maybe mornings are not your thing, you feel too rushed, too stiff, too sleepy. Try taking a few minutes in the evening to practice, to dissolve tension, to let go of the day. If you have children, make it a family affair. Establish twenty or thirty minutes before dinner, as yoga time, put on soothing music, breathe, and reconnect to your practice. When you build yoga into your life, it is like eating healthy. You may not always have time for an elaborate sit-down meal, but you can afford time to nourish yourself with something delightful like an apple, an avocado, a bowl full of brown rice and veggies. An evening practice is a soothing farewell to the day. It doesn’t have to be a long to reap the benefits yoga imparts; improved digestion, serener nervous system, soothing sleep.

If you have a space at work or a studio nearby that you can walk to at lunch, maybe this is the time you take for your practice. Or close your office door, turn off the lights, and throw your mat down for a few moments of yoga. You will be astounded how this clears your mind and makes you more efficient for whatever work is waiting for you. It has been scientifically studied that students and workers who do yoga on a regular basis are able to navigate through the workload more efficiently, it stimulates creativity by waking up your chakras (energy centers) and allowing your body to tune inward. Pushing through deadlines without giving your brain a break is like trying to drive a car with no gas.

Imagine not talking to your partner, lover, spouse for days on end.  Soon tension builds, you begin to feel disconnected from the relationship, perhaps even resentful. It is the same for a yoga practice. Touching base, checking in communicating with your inner self does not have to is important to keep connected. It doesn’t have to consume you. Give yourself permission to honor your practice, Click off the screens, rather than scrolling Facebook or handing your precious time over, set up boundaries for your practice, create a sacred space for it. Be clear, make it a priority, even if others inadvertently try to derail your efforts, simply get back to the mat and know that a little yoga goes a long way.

Yoga…From Student to Teacher…A Never Ending Journey

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     Sixteen years have slid by since I first stepped on to a yoga mat, finally ready to commit to the practice.  I was living in Monterey, California at the time and dealing with both physical and emotional reasons for seeking mind-body healing. What I didn’t know, at the beginning of this journey, was yoga’s soft-spoken ability to seep into areas of my life that were fragmented by fear. Yoga gathered a circle of my splintered selves and invited them to meet one another; to join hands and unify. We all have sides of ourselves we reserve for private viewing only; the lonely, the frightened, the angry, the jealous, the immature, the happy, the giddy, the sad. Getting on my mat consistently gave me hope that I could dare to live to dream; that all circumstances are subject to change.

     Yoga surprised me at every turn and still does.  What began as a physical practice gradually morphed into a way of living in the world.  I smile remembering my utter commitment to the postures; wanting to perfect them, studying the correct Sanskrit name for each.  When one of my first teachers exclaimed that she could teach an entire class on breath work; I thought she was either exaggerating or a lunatic. Soon enough though, the breath revealed its illustrious power and I began to realize pranayama differentiates yoga from exercise.  The slow steady awareness of my breath began to carry me inward and the layers of societal conditioning and hurtful experiences started to melt away. Often, an issue I imagined I’d already dealt with would arise during a practice as if a pose had unlocked a trapped door. Those stuffed feelings bubbled to the surface where I could then exhale them away. Their power over me dissolved…

yoga practicing woman doing a handstand in an orchard

…This happens over and over in yoga, emotions or thoughts flare up but the breath anchors the mind to the practice, where I can see more clearly.  When a pond becomes smooth after the ripple of a stone or the wind; vivid reflections appear. Yoga began to quiet my mind to stop the current of thoughts that vied for my attention. In the eye of the storm lies a serene place of stillness a haven from the hectic whirl of life. Yoga was and is my haven. When we moved to Bend Oregon, and it took longer than usual to find a place to live, I practiced yoga anywhere I could; in a cluster of trees, the ocean, a motel room, a musty gym with a leaky ceiling. It occurred to me that yoga was within and like my breath could travel anywhere I went. My practice became as essential to my well-being as taking my insulin every day (I’ve been a type I diabetic since the age of five). It kept me grounded and gave me choice. and hope in my own inner strength.

Although I still love a strong asana practice, I have learned to listen (not all the time mind you) to my body’s needs.  Sometimes settling into legs up the wall with a heart opener constitutes a practice.  Other times, I may do a two-hour session of power vinyasa.  I carry my mat around like a child’s cherished blanket.  While traipsing through Europe my mat graced the floor of airports and the dirt of vineyards; yoga grounded me to that true self that could lend an ear to the mind, body, and soul listening for direction.

When I began to teach yoga, I realized that I was merely a conduit.  It was through teaching and assisting others to be self-accepting that I learned to take my own advice. Who cares if you hold the wall while doing a balancing pose—it’s the intent, the breath that is the essence of yoga.  Unlike gymnastics, yoga is not a competitive sport and the more I taught the more I began to understand the true light of yoga; the gift of seeing a piece of ourselves in everyone. Yoga taught me to ditch judgments and condemnation and to give way to the commonality in all beings. That even the great sages and saints (and the modern yogic gurus) deal with temptation. Yoga has not saved me from meeting angry people or shielded me from crankiness on days that are packed with annoying things like traffic or the common cold —it has though helped me return to the breath and the practice to renew my sense of self.

The self that is unplugged from daily demands and worries; the self that is free to dance like a child in the rain filled with wonder and gratitude for the simplicities of life despite challenges. The yogic journey is a never-ending road with curious turns that reveal new insights, like the splendid colors of the ever-evolving sunrise.

Yoga Keeps You Honest

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silhouette of left human hand

People often tout that yoga keeps them strong and flexible, but have you ever heard how yoga promotes honesty? Many of us approach yoga through an injury or when hunting for something alternative to our exercise regime or when on a quest for inner peace.  When you develop a habit of doing yoga on a regular basis, you begin to realize the deeper, more profound effects of the practice.  How then does yoga specifically, keep you honest?

First, when you step onto your mat, whether for the first time or the hundredth time, you must gently come to terms with where you are in that moment. Do you have pain in your back, neck, or shoulders? Are you anxious, are you tired or full of trepidation about being new to yoga? Acknowledging the truth about where you are beginning, helps you with self-acceptance and growth. It is okay to admit you’re not over the moon about practicing, perhaps you have a list a mile long of things you think you need to do. Once you’ve shaken hands with your present state, you can begin to breathe and work through the challenges, letting them go one breath at a time.

The asanas or poses require honesty. If you are new to yoga, be realistic, like anything novel, it takes time and practice to understand the nuances, to become proficient. You don’t learn a foreign language overnight, it takes years of study, speaking, practicing. The same is true for yoga.  There are many postures that I simply cannot do, even though I’ve been practicing yoga for twenty years. Because of how my body is structurally made; the only way I could sit in full lotus is if my legs were disconnected! You can have a beautiful truthful yoga practice, without mastering each pose. And remember, our bodies are uniquely made, the truth is, not all poses are good for all bodies.  For example, if you have lumbar stenosis or high blood pressure, doing headstands is not recommended.

Don’t be deterred by what you are not able to do, focus on what you can do.  Everyone can breathe. The breath is what differentiates yoga from other forms of exercise. Breath control or pranayama as it is called in Sanskrit calms and quiets the mind from the mayhem of chatter.  Kabir, the 15th-century mystic and poet once said; “In this visible matter is the invisible bird. Pay attention to her, she is singing your song.” You can learn to honestly pay attention through the breath and the flow of energy through the asanas. And if you have one of those days where you can’t squeeze in a practice—simply close your eyes and breathe for ten minutes. You can reconnect to that quiet space within, and that is yoga.

Yoga teachers cannot teach you honesty in your practice, it is through personal persistence and patience that you discover your truth. There are many styles and schools of yoga, find those that speak to you.  Remember a yoga practice is dynamic and ever-changing, just like your body. What you preferred at one point, may give way to something new.  Be honest with what you need from your practice; the calming quality of restorative, the physical opening of Vinyasa, or perhaps the repetition of Kundalini.

Classes are a wonderful place to experience the energy and inspiration of others. The challenge of classes is to keep your competitive or judgmental side at bay. Just because the woman in front of you can touch her toes, doesn’t mean you have to, particularly if your body is not ready. New students often get injured in classes, because they don’t want to modify or use a strap or a block. I always remind my students, this is not a performance, wrap up your ego and pick it up on the way out. Yoga holds space for you, modern society dictates enough of your time, use your yoga practice as a safe-haven to fully express your unique self.

Yoga supports your efforts to live with integrity, to be true, to be honest, and like all things that are worthy, it takes time and practice. It is a platform for mindfulness. When you become mindful, you wake up to the truth, and there is no more looking back at dishonesty as a choice. Yoga doesn’t require you to wear the right clothes or hold a handstand to become honest. All you need to pack with you on this journey is your willingness to let go of pretense in order to embrace your true self.