Teen Yogi Checks In

With homework starting to increase and college acceptances beginning to roll in, this month I have been trying to focus on self care. For me, that means a number of things (starting with getting more sleep). Instead of letting stress get the best of me, I’ve been making an effort to slow things down and spend more time doing things I enjoy. For me, I’ve been trying to spend  more time getting into the studio. With so many extracurricular activities after school, the morning classes have become a great way for me to start my day on a positive note. Class starts at 5:30, which is about the time I usually wake up for school. Pushing myself to wake up even earlier has helped me reinforce my goal of going to bed earlier. I’m usually a night owl, but I’ve found that shutting my computer down after 10pm has helped me fall asleep faster and feel more refreshed in the morning.

Along with my goal of relaxation, this month I have been trying to push myself to take advantage of opportunities that are outside of my comfort zone. Last week, I decided to join the track team. Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me joining track was HUGE. I have pretty severe asthma and I don’t really enjoy running (that was an understatement). But I decided to join track as a senior because I want to rise to the challenge. Right now, I’m one of the slowest girls on the team, and one of the only seniors who will be on JV, but I’m okay with that. For me, it’s not about being the fastest sprinter or the highest jumper. I just want to push myself to be faster than I was when I started.

Lastly, I wanted to share a project I’ve recently been working on.  I’m currently taking AP Macroeconomics, a college level economics course at my high school. As I was sitting in class one day attempting to study all of the graphs, I came up with this random idea to connect yoga to economics. I developed a cool worksheet with pictures of yoga poses, and over top of each pose I drew a graph that we’ve learned in class. I ended up spending a class period teaching the class about yoga while helping them study for the upcoming exam at the end of the year. This project was not for a grade, however I really enjoyed being able to connect what I’m learning in class to something I love. The session went really well, and I invited everyone in the class to join the teen yoga class at DRISHTIQ offers on Wednesdays. Hopefully, I’ve been able to spark someone’s interest!

Taking a Break.

We did it. Don’t worry. We all survived 2016! I could not wait to have a break because boy I needed it. With school and exams my brain was fried. Just like all of you, I yearn for the time that I can just fly away from stress and responsibility – an escape. I guess that’s sort of a neat way to describe a break. I know for me at least, after that school bell rang, I ran and never looked back. Over break, I’m that person who doesn’t know what day it is, and frankly, I really don’t want to know. When I know what day it is I’ll just start thinking of how much time is left before I am trapped into the quicksand of routine again. I’ll think about how much farther away the next reward is, the next break.

The past few weeks I got to spend a lot of time with my family. We went up to Michigan after Christmas. There I finally got to see my grandparents because the eleven-hour car trip makes it tough to get up there. We probably only get to see them once a year. My Grandma is starting to show the early signs of dementia and he short-term memory is the worst. We don’t really know if she remembers us being their last week. It makes it so much better when we get to finally see them, but at the same time, so much harder.

Over break I also got to do some more yoga. For instance, Sasha from the front desk and I went to Deb’s yoga flow on Monday. In the class, Deb had us testing our strength, balance and flexibility at a constant and continuous pace; breathing in and out as we flowed from posture to posture. I really enjoyed the class and the whole pacing theme really made me think about how rewarding it was.

In a way, the break was like one big reward. A reward for surviving the first semester of the school year or a reward for the responsibility you have encountered and taken on. But instead of looking for the next big reward, we need to focus on the little ones — the simple things That happen in your life like visiting family and going to a yoga class.  These are all rewards to us! All of these little rewards are what have built up this break as that one massive reward and I’m not ready to let go. But they don’t just happen on a break, they happen single every day even if you don’t realize it. By just coming to yoga and being more mindful of those rewards, we are building up a much better reward than a break, but a reward of a more healthier and happier lifestyle. The small rewards help us pace ourselves between breaks. They don’t simply drag us through our lives to reach get to that big reward, but they happen so we can enjoy the journey. In a way these little rewards are like little breaks every day. A yoga class is an escape just like a trip to paradise is. If we are more mindful of our little rewards, then maybe an escape won’t always mean running from the school and not looking back.

Teen Yoga Scholarship Winner

I am so excited to be the 2017 Teen Yoga Scholarship Winner, and I can’t wait to blog about my journey over the next year.

A little bit about me, I’m a senior at Mason High School and I love to dance, write and (poorly) play the guitar. I started attending yoga classes at DRISHTIQ last winter with one of my friends just to alleviate some of the stress of finals week. I ended up enjoying class so much, that I came back to the studio and took classes during summer vacation.

Now, I’m so excited for the opportunity to continue taking classes at DRISHTIQ over the next year!

One of my favorite things about yoga is that anyone can do it, no matter how old or young you are. I always tell my friends that it’s not about flexibility, it’s about a willingness to learn and accept your body’s strengths and weaknesses. As a former dancer, there are some days when my body is feeling super flexible, and I’m able to stretch my leg up to the ceiling. On the flip side, there are other days when I feel like I can’t even touch my toes. No matter what state your body is in that day, you have to be willing to let it go.

In 2017, I am looking forward to coming into class consistently. I am hoping to stop by at least twice a week (maybe even more). After all, as Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde, “exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make people happy”.  With senior year being super stressful, I need to make sure that I take care of my body and set time aside to do the things that make me happy.

I can’t wait to start coming to class and I am excited to see what things 2017 brings!

Pacing Yourself

Exercise has always been a way to balance my busy life – whether when I was a student in school, in a public accounting firm or running my businesses over the years. I love all forms of exercise, but I am most passionate about yoga, spinning and running in my life as a way to release stress and be ready to take on each day. When I was out running one morning, it occurred to me that pacing myself running or in my yoga practice, is much like pacing yourself in your job or business that you run.

When I start out each run, it takes me awhile to feel good, get my breath in line and get a good pace. Even in my yoga practice it is the same thing, I start out getting in touch with my breath, clearing my mind and stretching slowly so I am ready to go. It is the same when you start out in business or a new service you want to offer in your business – you can’t start off too fast. To really achieve success and optimize the opportunity, you need to plan and ground yourself with goals you want to achieve in the short and long term. I know if I start out a run too fast I peter out – it’s the same thing with business, you need to know where you are going to have meaning in what you do each day. Even when it’s really hard, you can set the intention to visualize and focus on your end game.

When I was out running, I noticed a runner on the same path ahead of me getting ready to start her run. That moment of anticipation of whether it’s going to be a good run or not happens right in that split second. Once she started running, I ended up following her along the path for a while until eventually the path split and I went another direction. It was nice having her in front of me to focus on my pacing, but it was ok when she split off and went in her own direction as well. It reminded me of the many mentors along the way that I modeled either different parts of my business after or milestones I wanted to achieve myself that they had paved the way. Not all of them knew I was admiring them from afar, nor did they know me. Some did, because I reached out to them when I wanted to learn something from them and developed relationships that I could call upon for advice along the way. When it’s been time to split off and take my own direction, that part of them have stayed with me. My successes (and failures) are my own and a mix of so many people along the way that I aspired to and learned from. But when each time was right, it was time to split and take my own path.

In running, the most challenging part of a run can be going uphill. But, how do you take the downhill? When you are in the midst of a yoga practice, and its heating up and really challenging, what do you do? To me, it’s at these types of crossroads that test our ability to persevere in business. If you just let the downhill take you with it without doing it with purpose, or if you let your mind take over during a challenging sequence in yoga, instead of coming back to your breath, you aren’t controlling your destiny. In business, when you are going uphill, everything feels hard. But when you are coasting, that’s a testament of the type of entrepreneur you are. Do you coast? Or do you take that time to control the downhill and run it with purpose, set proper goals for the next phase of your business, new customer acquisitions or at least think about what the future looks like. If you coast, will you be caught in the next uphill and stagnate or get behind in your business. Where can you look for opportunities and keep growing your vision for what you want to do? In yoga we learn to breathe through the chaos and clear the chatter from our mind. When things are the toughest, its important we distinguish the noise from reality and clear out what isn’t useful.

When I finish a run, I feel accomplished. I measure myself against my last run or what I had intended for that run when I started out. When I finish a yoga practice, I feel refreshed and open. My mind is clearer and I can move a little more slowly through what comes up next in my day. As each day finishes in your job, try to find a way to identify accomplishments or progress you have made. Even if it was a day of different areas of failures – what have you learned by it and how can you improve the next day? How can you take time and step back from your day and review it and feel more open to take on your evening or your next day at work? Find ways to stay on the path of learning from your business and listening to what your customers or employees are telling you. Taking that time to reflect can help you pace each upcoming day, in addition to the upcoming goals you have for your business.

Getting Back to Our Roots

I had an interesting experience in my yoga class. The instructor was playing random music from Pandora, and chose a classical station to end our practice with. What she didn’t realize when she turned on this station was how it affected me. I immediately went back to being a teenager as soon as I heard the first piece play. Life takes us in so many directions; we sometimes forget where our beginnings were. The pieces that were played were ones I played as a High School student on my viola in a local symphony orchestra. For that moment in time, I wasn’t in that yoga room anymore. I transcended back to my childhood bedroom where I practiced every note of those pieces over and over again. I heard the notes I used to struggle with and was amazed I still remembered the whole piece. I then found myself remembering working on those same pieces with my viola teacher, the things he said, the goals we set, the measures upon measures we worked on over and over again so it would come out sounding right.

As the piece continued…I remembered the feeling I would have on stage. As the music grew louder during the concert, the stage floor vibrating and pounding with the instruments, the conductor waiving his arms furiously with the music and remembering the exhilaration I used to feel that sometimes brought tears of happiness to my eyes when it all came together on stage. All the work that led up to that final concert and how amazing it felt to be a part of an Orchestra at that moment in time.

We all have forks in the road – when it was time to make a decision on college majors – the choice was between music and business for me. I chose business, and packed my viola away. However, just because I no longer spend hours practicing my viola and playing concerts, the experience of playing came into my business life without realizing it. These roots that we have inside us, create the education for us on how to conduct our careers later. I learned through playing viola, the concert was the fun part, practicing was not; but it was necessary to be able to achieve a successful concert. The discipline and redundancy of playing the same notes over and over until you got it right – is the same discipline you need in business. We all are performers, in one way or another. Whether we are presenting in a meeting, pitching a sale to a prospect or speaking at a conference, we have to practice and know our subject matter better than anyone else does.

The way you win in business is to have discipline and to set goals. Making decisions too fast is really hard not to do. Making sure that each decision is in alignment with the goals you have with your business is even harder. Taking your yoga practice in your business can help you with slowing down and making sure the steps are in place. Learn to breathe. Take a deep breath before making a decision and think through the impact. Just like in our yoga practice or playing an instrument, it’s the details that count. No one may actually know what happens behind the scenes before it all comes together, but the time has to be taken to go through the steps and “practice” to achieve the outcome you want. No one may know when you couldn’t touch your toes or you played out of tune, because the end result creates an amazing business that the outside world appreciates.

Take some time to go back to your roots. Let yourself go back to something in your life that had real impact to how you do things today. Was it the right way to do it? Are you following a path because you have always done it that way? Or is it time to step back and assess how to do it differently and set goals that take you into a different direction. Make sure you are achieving the successful outcome that you want. Practicing the wrong note over and over will not translate into a good experience for the audience of a concert. Going into a pose incorrectly over and over will create injuries and frustration that you are not getting it right. Instead aim for the appearance of a seamless orchestral concert where the audience doesn’t understand the mechanics to get there, nor needs to. You did the work and took the necessary steps behind the scenes so they get what they paid for.

Enjoying Being a Beginner

When new students walk into class to practice yoga for the first time or a business opens its doors for the first time, a very similar experience happens. They both look around at what others are doing and want what they have today even though they are just beginning. I see in both cases they can be quickly disappointed if it doesn’t come fast enough. A yoga student may see the flexibility of the person next to them or see another person fly into an arm balance and ask how fast they will be able to do the same thing. An entrepreneur looks around at the success of other businesses that have been working in the same field for years and expect the same revenue and success as them in their first year.

Setting Expectations

How do we set the right expectations so we don’t disappoint ourselves and are able to enjoy the process of starting something new? Over the years I have seen people take steps through the journey and have intention as they go through the process and achieve success. I have also observed firms and clients alike try to rush through implementations without taking the steps to train, create unrealistic goals and a tremendous amount of stress for themselves and those around them. In yoga, I see students try to muscle through poses rather than understanding their breath and proper alignment first. They miss that if they slow down and learn the poses it will help them into each posture naturally with very little muscle involved.

I did the same thing when I started yoga. I started and stopped yoga a few times thinking I could never do what I saw others doing – whether that be their flexibility or ability of being still in a pose. Then I finally decided to go to a Beginners class and that changed everything for me. I finally understood where to put my feet, hands, gaze and utilize my breath. I also began to understand that I needed to stop focusing on the people next to me, that I may never do what they can do. I learned to be okay with that. I stopped being competitive and starting enjoying the practice. There is no reason that starting a new business line or service shouldn’t be the same. You should enjoy the excitement of starting something new and all the learning ahead of you. The climb is exciting and opportunities open up that you never realized were available.

A practice in presence…teen yoga blog

Usually, I take my phone in with me to yoga class.

The other day, I was in class, in a triangle pose, and I silently started wondering how many people might have liked my new photo on Instagram.  I turned my head to look at my green 5C iPhone at the front of my mat next to my two blocks, mat strap, and water bottle.   I know my phone is safe out in the cubbies, so why did I feel the need to bring it into class with me?

I felt pathetic having wanted to check my Instagram account during class, so I decided to try leaving it outside.  And I felt more pathetic when I realized it felt unusual, uncomfortable even, to be doing yoga without my phone next to me.

So what was it about that phone that made me feel so clingy?

I don’t know about you, but I love taking photos.  I’m artsy and creative, and love taking photos that capture the moment.  Sometimes, however, it is easy to forget that my real life is much more important than my virtual life.  In High School, it doesn’t always feel that way though.

Many people feel the need to post exactly what they are doing all the time, to show everyone else how great their life is.  Everything that really “happens”, happens on social media.  So we stay plugged in, thumbs tapping away to make sure we don’t miss what’s “happening”.

But I quickly came to the realization that I am not my phone.  My phone is a tool, and that’s all it was ever meant to be.  For teenagers, life is quickly becoming a thing that happens while we are looking at our phone screens.

It is imperative that you give everyone the attention they deserve.  On social media we think we somehow get more attention there than anywhere else.  Maybe, this generation needs to turn their minds from, “who in the room is going to give me attention?” to “whom in the room can I give attention to?”.

You are a person that, at times, needs the focus to just be on you.  On your mat is a time to give your body, your spirit, and your mind the attention it deserves, without the distraction of a text message.

This past week, the summer challenge has been to surrender.  Maybe in honor of this challenge, surrender the time you usually spend on your phone for a moment with a friend, a family member, or even for yourself.  Depending on who your are, this may look a little different; maybe you need to spend a couple hours away from your phone, maybe a day, maybe even a few days.  But however you choose to do it, allow your mind and spirit to fully embrace the moment you’re in; allowing yourself to, wherever you are, be ALL there.

Why Athletes LOVE Yoga!

DRISHTIQ Yoga is lucky to have the opportunity to serve the athletes in the surrounding area.  Yoga is a PERFECT accompaniment to any exercise or sport.

From casual runners and golfers to professional athletes, athletes doing yoga benefit from yoga’s ability to increase blood flow throughout the body and to important joints, fascia and ligaments.  Yoga also centers around focus, balance and connection to the body which changes the way any athlete moves, attends to or performs in their given sport.

Two such athletic teams – Mason Girls basketball, Mason Girls Softball have both embraced the benefit of yoga for their athletes.  Don’t take it from us, read the testimonials below!

“Yoga was definitely an asset to our team’s preseason workouts.  The softball players, who had been working out in the form of  weights and cardio conditioning for months, were surprised by the amount of strength and endurance it took to get through a yoga practice.   They all commented about how challenging their classes were but also how great they felt after.  The technique of learning to use their breath through movements is something they use through all types of exercise.  By far their favorite class was the restorative as their bodies were very sore from all the strength training we were doing as a group.  We will definitely incorporate yoga into our pre-season workouts earlier next year and more often!”  – Lian Muff, Varsity Softball Coach, Mason High School

“On a trip to an all-star event with 2 of my players, I asked them whether they thought the yoga experience was beneficial to them and they both said, “without a doubt!” They went on to explain how in the past, their bodies and especially their legs felt worn out at the end of the season but this season, they felt so much more relaxed and refreshed. Yoga, without a doubt, allowed the players to maximize their mind and body and helped us reach the state championship game.” Rob Matula, Varsity Girls Basketball Coach, Mason High School.

DRISHTIQ is ready and willing to host your team for a pre-season workout, or a recovery yoga session full of rest and restoration.  Please let us know if you are interested in learning and experiencing the benefits of yoga in your sport.

Your most troubling yoga questions….answered.

Question #1: How do I learn arm balances and challenging postures?

The answer to this question is two-fold.

First of all, it’s important to realize, yoga is a journey- not a destination. Your postures will constantly evolve and come to realization. Your understanding of yoga and mindfulness in your body will also change and grow.

Secondly, challenging yoga postures and inversions are realized in the body slowly and after much experience. You should come to a lot of yoga classes and learn all the “in-betweens” in your basic yoga practice. Yoga is designed for mindful movement with breath. This “basic” practice allows you to become aware in your body and when done consistently, builds confidence, erases the fear involved in more challenging postures/inversions, and adds strength in the body(even in places normal calisthenics do not strengthen).

Arm balances and challenging postures, do not magically happen. The only arrive after a long period of yoga practice. Especially, when those practices are done with instructor’s guidance on proper alignment and only after muscle memory is established

This is why in your regular yoga flow, the instructor may stop and ask you to become even more mindful of where you feel the pose in your body. They may ask you to find the tiny abdominal muscles that hold you upright or keep your lower back from tilting one way or another.

All of this “practice” moves you into more challenging postures and inversions.

Question #2: How Do I learn the different kinds of breathing used in yoga?

Take a BIG deep inhale and sigh it out. Notice the way the feeling in the body changes when you do so. Yoga teachers and practitioners know, the way you breathe is often indicative of how you are feeling inside. For example, get scared- short quick breath results. Whether you are sleeping or close to sleep, soft shallow breathing occurs.

If you are interested in learning the types of breath used in yoga, LOOK NO FURTHER! DRISHTIQ Yoga has just begin to offer 30 minute Pranayama (breath) and Meditation classes. Your yoga instructor will guide you into your breath and share different types of yogic breathing. From there you will enjoy a meditation session.

No worries if you don’t know how, that’s why we’re here. Come learn about the different types of breath. Get into your body; find union among your body, mind and spirit. Leave refreshed and proud you are able to change the feeling in the body, simply using breath and sitting quietly.

Question #3: How many classes a week should I take to really feel the benefits of practicing yoga?

Anyone who has ever tried a yoga class knows that after just ONE yoga class, a body feels the benefits. The immediate sense of space, calm energy and feel good feeling of a yoga class is what brings the practitioner back again and again.

However, if you have tight hamstrings, tightness in the hips or shoulders, etc., want more strength in the deeper abdominal muscles or increased release in the ligaments and fascia, a regular practice of yoga (2-3 classes at least) a week can really go along way to changing the body in ways that are really unimaginable when you first start taking yoga classes.

DRISHTIQ provides a variety of yoga classes to suit your needs. From Restorative, Yin to Heated Vinyasa Flows, each class is designed to suit a variety of different abilities and needs in the body.

If you can’t make it to the studio, even a short practice at home when you wake up in the morning, or just before bedtime can help you feel even more benefits from yoga in your life.

Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments below to let us know how many yoga classes you take a week and whether or not that is enough to meet your body’s needs. Also tell us how yoga has made a difference in your body!

If We’re Honest…

It’s easy to feel like we need to have everything together, all the time, including at a yoga studio. Sometimes we all feel like we need to put on a show when we come to a yoga class.  We all want to feel like the person who has it all together wherever we go, including on our mats.  In short, sometimes, you feel like you need to meet all the “requirements” to do yoga.

This is not what yoga is.

Try not to view yoga as a checklist item.  Yoga is something that invests in all parts of your day.  It affects your mood, your mindset, and it gives you energy and relief.  It’s a detox, a challenge, a healing, an exploration, an acceptance, and an appreciation.

If yoga were about expectations, there would be no point in practicing.  Yoga IS a relief because it allows you to express how you feel.  Every feeling demands to be felt.  Yoga allows you to feel it in a healthy process.

Yoga is a constant journey; a constant change.  Wherever you are emotionally, physically, and spiritually, it’s about thanking yourself in where you are today.  You can’t help your body or mind by judging, or scolding yourself.  And you certainly can’t improve anything without accepting how you feel.  With love and kindness comes acceptance, with acceptance comes change, and with change comes improvement.

I invite you to bring everything you have onto your mat and be honest with yourself.  Take a moment to fully take in what you are feeling through yoga.  Listen to yourself like you would want someone to listen to you; compassionately and without judgment.  Listen to what your body has to say, and choose to let it go.  You are human, and you did the best you could.  So breathe it in, and breathe it out.

If we’re honest, we all know what it’s like to feel ten inches tall compared to everyone else.  Sometimes, we all feel like everyone else is staring.  But just take a deep breath, because it’s more than likely that someone else in the yoga studio feels the exact same way.

It doesn’t matter who you are – we all have brokenness to bring to our mats.  It takes strength and courage to be honest.  Whether you’re feeling content, or frustrated, just thank yourself for being strong enough to step on to your mat.

When you step on your mat ask yourself, “how are you doing?”

Then, let your practice be a reflection of how you are doing.