We Want You, Shakti Yoga Studio starts Community Yoga Blog.

As the life of spring rejuvenates us into the summer season Shakti Yoga Studio is also doing some rejuvenation.Yes, believe it or not, we will soon be trading our winter coats for rain jackets and our winter boots for galoshes. We may even begin to see some grass if we look in the right places.

I’ve been asked to tell you about our very special and very new community blog at Shakti. As the first writer of the blog, I feel very blessed. I’ve been practicing yoga for about 10 years now and I’m currently a yoga-teacher-in-training at Shakti. I’ve been working my own form of Karma Yoga with the studio for nearly a year now and like the seasons my work has changed too.

How to Make a Beautiful Yoga Rice Bag

We are thankful to fellow yogini Jess Huber for sharing with us her instructions on how to make a beautiful rice bag – a useful yoga prop and eye pillow! Please see below for her blog entry, which is one of many that can be found on Jess’ own blog at http://www.corporealknowledge.com/ibody.html

The use of the term “ibody” in Jess’ article needs some explaining. From her own words “ibody use instead a term that synthesizes the personal “i” while constantly and consistently invoking and grounding my body in every sentence, every thought, and action ibody communicate on this website (corporeal knowledge). ibody represents the synthesis between body and mind my (academic) work attempts to achieve.”

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ibody am attending a three hour restorative yoga workshop today. Because the instructor is a lovely and thoughtful person, she emailed those of us registered to suggest some props that may enhance our practice today, and our experience at the workshop. She suggested we bring a “sand bag” or rice bag. So of course, ibody took that to mean, an opportunity to sew! That’s right, in honour of Earth Day, this month’s Eco Weekend “How To” Special will teach you how to make a five pound rice bag that you can use as a yoga prop, gentle weight for exercises, or a very firm pillow. This is a great chance to use up that rice in your cupboard leftover from your pre-organic days. ibody did not purchase any material or ribbon. This is just what ibody had in my closet from a blanket ibody made for my niece, and some excess purple ribbon ibody had lying around.

You can absolutely accomplish this project without electricity, sewing by hand. However, because of the weight of the rice, ibody would double stitch every side and test the bag by dropping it, or tossing it around. For me, this is an excuse to hear the comforting hum and buzz of my the sewing machine my mother gave me for my eighteenth birthday. It’s a rainy day, and ibody am six sleeps away from meeting her on a plane. 

You will need:

• 2 pieces of scrap material about 10 x 14 inches 
• Thread of your choice
• Sewing machine, or tight hand stitches
• 5 lbs of rice, lentils, or split peas
• Ribbon is optional
• Funnel

Begin by cutting two scrap pieces of material into 10×14 inch pieces. Material will rip straighter than can cut, so simply cut a quarter inch slit and rip.  Satisfying and good sewing practice!

Next, pin your ribbon in place, and sew all four sides of the ribbon onto the “good side” of one of the pieces of scrap material. After you finish sewing, cut off any excess ribbon. 

Pin the two “good sides” or what you would like to be the outside of your rice bag, together. Remember that you need to have the insides, on the outside when you sew because you will turn your bag inside out after you finish the initial square of sewing. The black in the background of this photo is my piano bench. No, it’s not leather, don’t worry. That’s right, ibody do not have a table, so ibody use my piano bench as an occasional coffee table or sewing table. Why don’t ibody have a table? Because it’s a 300 square foot apartment and my teeny electric Yamaha was more important than a table in my life!

Sew an almost complete square around the edges of your two pieces of scrap material that are pinned together. Almost is key here. You need to leave a window or hole to fill your bag with rice. ibody use a triple stitch here because five pounds of rice is a lot of rice and you want it to stay inside the bag. 

Next, go around again. Sew another line outside the line you just completed. Use a triple stitch again, or a very strong stitch for your supportive line. This is to ensure that all the rice stays in your bag. Not sure that rice falling everywhere is a particularly restful, mindful, or desired experience for you in the middle of a yoga class. By using a machine and thicker material, ibody am attempting to avoid that event.

Leave a few inches open so you can pour in your rice. You do not have to be picky about how far apart your two lines are. Because ibody use scrap material, my lines are closer at some points and further at others depending on how much material ibody had left outside my initial line. Be sure to back stitch at every juncture. The stronger your sewing is, the stronger your bag will be.

Now, you can gently turn your bag inside out. ibody use a skewer stick to help the corners be turned fully out. 

Using a funnel, gently pour five pounds of rice, lentils, or split peas into your bag. ibody used a combination of rice and split peas for this bag. 

ibody do not keep a scale in my house, so ibody held the bag in one hand, and a five pound weight in the other, until both felt the same to me. Worked great!

Once you have the desired amount of rice in your bag, add a few bits of lavender just for good relaxation and restorative practice. ibody just shook the lavender ibody have over my hand. Again, this Eco Weekend “How to” Special involves only what ibody had at the house.

Now that you have your bag filled, let me wish you luck. Sewing five pounds of rice shut with a machine is a bit tricky. However, do not be frustrated. Go slowly, use a triple stitch, be gentle, and you will be fine. Deep breaths, remember that this bag is going to be part of a restorative, reflective, and relaxing practice. You want the energy you put into your bag to reflect that gentle practice. You will be surprised how easy this task can be if you just remember to be mindful at every step.

Now that your bag is complete, place on your mat and enjoy your practice. If you’re wondering, yes, my mat is vegan, eco friendly, and made out of actual rubber plant. My rice bag though, is a lovely, weighty addition to my practice. This is a simple but productive and fulfilling project that can bring satisfaction to your weekend. Use material that you have, or that holds meaning for you, and enjoy the results! Namaste!

Spring Cleaning: For the dusty soul.

This month in the Shakti Community Blog, Mel Squarey shares her experiences of cleansing. You’ll learn about why we cleanse and some tips for deciding how you would like to cleanse this month for Shakti’s community spring cleanse. Mel says “If you ever thought about cleansing it’s a good idea to start with a community of people who are doing it at the same time. It offers you the support and confidence that is absolutely necessary to get a full appreciation of a cleanse. You’re worth it!” Find it here : (Insert Link)

This month, at Shakti Yoga Studio, students and teachers will take part in the May Spring Cleanse. This is a community effort to stick to something for a whole month in the hopes to achieve a goal that is very important to the individual. A cleanse in the common sense is often thought of in terms of food. What we consume, in part, is a big thing in the community of yoga. But, it is not merely this part of our lives that we must cleanse.

Yogi Highlight: Ashley O’Brien

For those of you who’ve been reading the stuff I write on the Shakti Community Blog, I am starting another type of series. A series of articles that come not from my opinions, but the opinions of others. A series of blog articles that specifically highlight yoga community members and their practice.

In the past year, I worked with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland Labrador, as a part of that position I got to geek out by partaking in doing public folklore. I went about collecting peoples oral stories about our province’s traditions. Then I got to write about these great people, celebrating their contribution to the heritage community.

Now that I’m moving on in life, I see the importance of this act and I strive to continue to do this. The community I have most closely associated myself with in St. John’s is the yoga community (among others in serious running) and as the inside folklorist (of my own volition) I am dedicating this series of articles to others. Those people that are an important part of the yoga community and may not even know it.

Now that you know, I’ll be on with it.

Hips don’t Lie!

Have you ever found yourself in a pose and for no reason whatsoever you are filled with an incredible emotion? Well, for me, it’s hip openers. If anyone has ever seen me practice, I’m quite open throughout my body but when I’m doing hip openers, oftentimes I’m filled with intense anger and frustration.

At first when these emotions would appear, I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Here I am, doing something I really love, and I’m angry ,so I would push the thoughts away or just pull out of the pose.

I’ve been practicing yoga for about 6 years now and have tried various styles over those years. One style that I practiced frequently about 4 years ago was yin yoga, where you hold a pose for an extended period of time, 1-5 minutes even 20 minutes for some people.

Making Time To Decompress; An act of contemplation.

Contemplation, the simple act of allowing time for thought, is not something that we may think about as a part of our yoga practice however this simple action can be very rewarding. In fact, the practice of contemplation is deeply rooted in the traditions of yoga.Yoga is the path of ‘union’ and ‘discipline’ to reach a state of being that we almost always call enlightenment in the West. This is true, however in yoga we often speak of this concept of ‘enlightenment’ as Samadhi. It is important to point out that the Sanskrit word for contemplation is Samadhi.The path along which yogis and yoginis attempt to travel seeks to reach an end where our inner True Self unites with our Object of Contemplation, this is Samadhi.This means that through an active practice of the yogic path we slowly form an identity where we are completely united with the universe, one is not different from the other. The Object of contemplation may be God, the Universe, or the Ultimate Reality.

This sort of contemplation seems very technical yet, in its simplest form we can practice it everyday without recognizing that contemplation. For example, we may be thinking about what we heard on the morning radio, forming our opinions, and having reactions.

Your Practice, Your Intentions

We come to the mat in search of ease. Everyday we unroll our mats and prepare for class. In those quiet moments we may be thinking about what happened before we came to the studio or what will be going on when we leave.We might choose to practice a short meditation or some breath awareness. We might do nothing at all except sit there like a lump on a log. This is the way it begins. Then the teacher might say something about setting your intention.Intention?

Your mind starts racing around the possibilities of what this means and how to do it? We think, “Maybe my intention should be peace, or love.” “Wait what about dedicating my practice to someone ancient…” “What one should I choose?” “I don’t have a clue what this teacher is talking about, let’s sweat already.”An intention is the way in which we direct our mind to an aim. They can be set outside of the yoga studio and they can easily become a part of your everyday routine.  When we think about intentions without knowing much about them we can confuse them with goals.Intentions differ from goals. Goals are set on imagining future outcomes, they’re primarily concerned with life in the future rather than in the present moment. Intentions are set based on how you are being at a present moment.

Mat Trap: Finding your perfect posture partner.

I’ve been writing my own blog for some time now. The 2011 year brought me up to speed with the world wide web’s capability to reach people and self-document. So, now that we’ve begun a new year I’ve taken a step toward writing for others instead of just myself.

When sitting back and contemplating where I should begin I thought about when I first began this journey I call my yoga. I thought about all of the new people who will find their own yoga practice this year and about my peers in our yoga community at Shakti Yoga Studio who have been practicing for some time. I asked myself “What is a topic that can be interesting from the perspectives of different yogis?”