Saturday, December 31, 2011

Why Kripalu? by YoGanesh teacher Erica Arce


Erica (handstanding) with fellow Kripalu instructor Jay Karlinski.

To climb deep down into the rabbit hole of your subconscious and feel within your own mind, body and soul what is present and what comes next ... for me, it was the clearing out of ancient samskaras.

Yoga is pregnant with countless benefits: the unification of the mind, body and spirit; the journey into the realm of non-dualistic nature, and the cultivation of harmony, equanimity and wholeness. It inspires awe - not mention the fact that it just makes you feel really good.

I came to Yoganesh through Co-founder Andrew Tanner, who was my instructor in New Jersey following my Kripalu teacher training in 2009. Andrew was pivotal to the maintenance and growth of my personal practice and thus my teaching. By osmosis, my classes are Kripalu with a sprinkle of Andrew inspiration.

I’m an only child to a single mom, and I had a rough time growing up in New Jersey. There were events from my youth that brought me bouts of impenetrable darkness and all the demons that live there. Through high school and art school, and even through another’s unconditional love, I couldn’t ever really shake the darkness. Not to paint a bleak picture - I certainly had joyful and happy moments, but it wasn’t until my Kripalu yoga teacher training in 2009 that something life changing happened.

Providence brought yoga to me over 10 years ago, however, it wasn’t until 2009, when I completed my 200hr teacher training at Kripalu, that my inner landscape began to dramatically shift. No words could adequately describe it. To climb deep down into the rabbit hole of your subconscious and feel within your own mind, body and soul what is present and what comes next ... for me, it was the clearing out of ancient samskaras (scars), profound healing, the creation of inner sanctuary and life skills, and the road to spiritual evolution.

Kripalu yoga is, among many things, a lineage devoted to bhakti (love, devotion and compassion in its supreme and divine form), Shiva energy (the power of transformation), and asana (postures) as a meditation in motion. I believe that this is what separates Kripalu from any other lineage. Everything I’ve shared in this blog is my reason for why I think you should consistently practice Kripalu yoga and why, if you feel the call to teach, take the teacher training at Yoganesh. It is my hope that as your Yoganesh Kripalu instructor, I can create a safe space and guide you to find your yoga.

By Swami Kripalu:

My beloved child, break your heart no longer.

Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.

You stop feeding on the love, which is the wellspring of your vitality.

The time has come. Your time. To live. To celebrate,
and to see the goodness that you are…

Do not fight the dark. Just turn on the light.

Let go, and breathe into the goodness that you are.

Feb 9 - Jun 24, 2012:  Train to be a Kripalu Yoga Teacher at YoGanesh

Related posts:

Kripalu at YoGanesh's 1 Year Anniversary

Sunday, December 25, 2011

VIDEO: Easy Proper Pigeon - a piriformis workout for the rest of us!

(Re-produced with the blessings of the GalfromdownunderYoga blog)
Easy proper Pigeon pose: make a "box" with your arms to keep the front foot flexed
One of our more "obscure" muscles (in that, you're not really aware of it on a daily basis like your quads and hammies) is the piriformis. This muscle is located deep in your butt, running from the sacrum to the top of the thighbone.  It's one of the the many hip rotator muscles that collectively turn the hips and upper leg outward (called external rotation), and particularly for athletes, provides stability around the knee when twisting and changing direction.

If you sit in a chair, place the right ankle (flex that foot!) just south of the left knee and tip your body forward, you'll feel the piriformis wake up in that very spot. I call this the Piriformis Desk Jockey stretch, because it's an ideal thing to do at your desk. Sitting cross-legged also activates this muscle. 
Piriformis as viewed from behind.

The piriformis skates somewhat close to the infamous sciatic nerve - the one that often gives grief by sending shooting pains down the leg and sometimes numbing the butt.  This Wiki entry eviscerates the area impressively, showing how the nerve actually passes THROUGH this muscle for a certain percentage of the population. Stretching and strengthening this muscle is thought to help alleviate and and avoid sciatic pain.

VIDEO: Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

VIDEO: YoGanesh teacher Lynette Chiang demonstrates an easy way to get into Pigeon pose. 

Apart from sitting cross legged, doing the Piriformis Desk Jockey and a further variation of the latter lying flat on your back (loads of Google images of these moves here) you can kick things up a notch by doing Pigeon Pose.

In its easiest form, it's simply lying face down with one leg tucked under your body, grounding the same side hip down on the mat. 

In its more advanced or "proper" form, the shin is parallel to the end of the mat - rather difficult for all but the most malleably-hipped humans.

I made the video above to illustrate an easy way to get into "proper" pigeon. As you can see I am one of these humans who aren't super open-hipped by design - I'm also one of the child ballerinas who could never really do the splits! None of this genetic stuff need stop you from getting a good approximation to the essence of any yoga move and reaping the benefits.

Yoga Journal describes a more usual way of getting into the pose here. If that's not easy for you, try it my way!

Lynette's Easy Proper Pigeon:

1. Bend the back leg completely
2. Bring front leg shin parallel to mat, flexing foot
3. "Box" that front leg in with the arms as shown below, keeping the front foot flexed to protect the knee
4. Keeping upper body low to the mat, manoeuvre it squarely over your front leg (with flexed foot!)
5. Now - with care - knee-toe the back leg to straighten it, with the entire front of the leg facing the mat. Don't over strain! Drop forehead to mat and exhale to deepen. Stay there a while, all the while "scootching" your back leg to be as straight and long as possible.
6. To come out, the first thing you must do is release the back leg completely, i.e. bend it acutely at the knee. This "unlocks" everything.
7. Stretch out and do the other side.

Just remember 3 things:

1. The FIRST thing you do going INTO the pose is bend the back leg completely.
2. Keep that front foot FLEXED (that's what the boxed arms are for) to protect the knee
3. The FIRST thing you do coming OUT of the pose is bend the back leg completely.

Happy piriforming/pigeoning!

Lynette Chiang aka GalfromdownunderYoga teaches Vinyasa for the rest of us at YoGanesh Manhattan 


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Special Christmas Day Class

CHRISTMAS DAY CLASS, 10am-11.15am:

Many yoga studios are offering just one class on Xmas day and so will we, but a little earlier than most - perfect for you to proceed to the inevitable food coma family buffet with a toned tummy! 

To get you in the mood, instructor Lynette will serve some coconut nog and cookies - AFTER the class of course! (this cool Ganesh ornament spotted at http://www.thewholeheartedlife.com/blog/family/christmas-ornament-nostaligia/)

Please RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/events/265759940151648/ so she knows how many treats to bring. Namaste! 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011


It is worth remembering that there is only one yoga and can only be one yoga. True, aspirants are of different natures and resort to various doctrines and practices to progress along the path. But one who completes the process of yoga understands its different paths and sees that the systematic practice of various disciplines leads to the same place. In the end, all yogas lead to one great Yoga. —Swami Kripalu (1913–1981)