Aber: woher nehmen wenn nicht stehlen?

7 zutaten für mehr antriebskraft

1. vorhaben in babysteps aufteilen

aller Anfang ist schwer – und so ist das auch mit dem Start eines Projektes (oder mit dem Verlassen des Hauses, um sich auf den weg ins Yogastudio zu machen)…

kannst du deine aufgabe, dein to-do oder deine Absicht, zu der du dich nicht motivierten kannst, in kleinste schritte aufteilen? zum Beispiel: du wolltest mal wieder joggen oder spazieren gehen, aber das sofa hat heute enorme Anziehungskraft? dann zieh doch schon mal deine Laufschuhe an. so hangeln wir uns an einer kette von taten mit kleinem aufwand zu unserem eigentlichen ziel.

2. auf Konstanz setzen

„slow and steady wins the race“: du must nicht 24/7 an deinem vorhaben arbeiten – das ist in unserem schnellen, vollgestopften Alltag oft nur sporadisch möglich, selbst wenn wir top-motiviert sind. aber du kannst eine Regelmäßigkeit herstellen. such dir deinen „jetzt mache ich wieder einen meiner babysteps“ Turnus realistisch aus. ein mal pro Woche? alle zwei Wochen? was ist ohne große umstände oder großen stress machbar? bleib in deiner Planung eher konservativ, dann kannst du dich selbst überraschen. Konstanz ist besonders wichtig, wenn es darum geht, weiterhin motiviert zu bleiben.

3. etappenziele stecken

Vielleicht hast du ja auch schon mal Mitten während einem Set von 20 Bauchaufzügen folgendes gedacht: „Wenn ich jetzt noch 5 mache, dann sind es nur noch 2 mal 5 und dann bin ich fertig.“ Ertappt? Wenn du das kennst, dann hast du dir instinktiv Zwischen-/Etappenziele gesetzt, um dich weiter zu motivieren.

Solche Etappenziele helfen, deinen fortschritt greifbar zu machen und die Distanz zum Ziel gefühlt zu verkürzen. Streue sie also großzügig in deinen Projekt- oder Trainingsplan ein und nimm dir bei erreichen einen Moment der Achtsamkeit, um die „Aussicht zu genießen“.

4. erfolgs-kalender führen.

Nichts ist motivierender, als auf das erreichte zurückzublicken – besonders wenn es visuell schön aufbereitet ist. Markiere doch die tage im Kalender, an denen du aktiv geworden bist oder ein Zwischenziel erreicht hast! Weitere kreative Ideen: Mit einer Polaroid-Kamera den fortschritt dokumentieren. so kann der Sammlereffekt eintreten: du möchtest die Serie fortsetzen. Wir bevorzugen dafür ja einen schönen analogen Kalender, und du?

5. verbündete dazuholen.

Such dir einen motivations-buddy: gibt es jemanden, die/der sich mit dir über deine erfolge freut,  die/den du mit ins boot holen kannst? vielleicht hat dein trainings-/motivations-buddy ja die gleichen ziele und möchte aktiv mitmachen; aber auch als cheerleader sind diese verbündeten unersetzbar. Nebeneffekt: Wenn du jemandem von deinem Vorhaben erzählst erzeugst du Accountability für dich selbst (also sanften Druck, auf deine Worte auch Taten folgen zu lassen). Und ja, auch deine social media community wie z.B. instagram kannst du virtuell als verbündete einladen, mitzufiebern.

6. pausen einplanen.

This is not a drill! einer unserer wichtigsten Tipps: auch mal pause machen. wenn auf dem Weg zum Mount Everest eine Pause eingelegt werden muss, verurteilen wir doch auch nicht die/den Bergsteiger*in dafür, dass sie/er die Kräfte schont – oder?

das schöne Sprichwort: „When you get tired, learn to rest not quit“ greift hier in vollen Zügen. Dein Fortschritt wird nicht zunichte gemacht, nur weil du einen Tag Pause brauchst. Es ist ok sich nicht zwanghaft entgegen aller Müdigkeit zu motivieren.

Dies erfordert allerdings Ehrlichkeit mit sich selbst: brauche ich eine pause, Ruhe, Schlaf – oder prokrastiniere ich? Komme ich meinem Ziel im großen Ganzen näher, wenn ich heute Energie tanke? Wie würde ich mich fühlen, wenn ich dennoch „ein bischen was“ mache? Besser? Schlechter…? Mit diesen Antworten müssen wir „selber groß sein“ und Verantwortung für unser Wohlbefinden übernehmen.

7. start before you’re ready: nicht erst auf antrieb warten.

motivtion und Antriebskraft kommen mit unserer Handlung. warten wir mit den taten, bis wir motiviert sind, werden wir zum prokrastinator und blockieren uns selbst. indem wir babystep by babystep beginnen uns in die richtige Richtung zu bewegen, zünden wir unsere Triebwerke und generieren die energie, die wir für den erfolgreichen Start benötigen.

So geht es weiter in der Serie:

in den nächsten Wochen bis zum season finale am 11.03.23 lernen wir,

• mit unserer energie besser umzugehen,
• schlummernde ladung anzuzapfen, und
• energiebringende routinen zu etablieren.

nichts mehr verpassen:

abonniere uns doch in den sozialen Netzwerken! hier findest du alle Infos.

(inklusive einer kleinen Harry-Potter-Reference)

 – ein Essay von Josefine Grath

Mein Ohr brummt wie ein Dieselgenerator. Mal wieder. Ein Augenrollen kann ich nicht vermeiden. Der Blick in den Spiegel zeigt dieses Roten betont von dunklen Ringen unter erschöpftem Blick. Auch meine Haut fühlt sich zurückversetzt in die Pubertät – eine Tatsache die durch mein nervöses Kratzen nicht unbedingt verbessert wird. Auch diese nacht war ich wieder zweimal scheint’s ohne Grund aufgewacht und hatte den Pfad zurück ins Schlummerland binnen Sekunden verloren.

„Du machst zu viel“, dröhnt mir der durchaus korrekte rat meiner besten Freundin im ohr – verstärkt durch das brummen des – nennen wir das kind beim Namen – stressbedingten tinnitus. „mach doch mal pause!“ Gute, sinnige Idee ihrerseits – schlechte, halbherzige Umsetzung meinerseits. denn mit einem freien Wochenende war’s wohl nicht getan. „Mmmmmpf…“, denke ich und wende den Blick wieder auf mein Smartphone, das mit einem fröhlichen Piepsen meine Bildschirmzeit von durchschnittlich 11 Stunden und 7 Minuten am Tag kundtut.

In einer Welt, die schneller und schneller wird, immer noch und noch vernetzter, immer „onliner“ – in dieser Welt in der wir Menschen oft ohne es wirklich zu merken konsumieren und uns konstant auf nicht nur Lärm, visuelle Signale, Licht, Gerüche sowie sozialen Stimulus reagieren – ist das Entstressen so wichtig geworden wie noch nie zuvor.

Die Lösung der westlichen Gesellschaft? Unzählige Meditations-Apps, immer neue Detox-Produkte und Wellness-Anwendungen, die uns den Stress aus Gedächtnis und Antlitz (denn das sollte doch bitte jugendlich faltenfrei bleiben) ziehen sollen. Dabei übersehen viele Menschen vor lauter Bäumen den Wald oder besser vor lauter Apps die zugrundeliegende Gabe: Yoga kann viele Bereiche unserer Stresserfahrung mindern.

Stress: Physisches und psychisches Ungleichgewicht im Körper.

Zwar unterscheiden wir zwischen körperlichem und psychischem Stress, dennoch möchte ich hier die These in den Raum stellen, dass Stress zu großen Teilen dann entsteht, wenn unser Körper aus dem Gleichgewicht gerät. Körperlich dann, wenn zum Beispiel wichtige Nährstoffe in der Nahrungsaufnahme fehlen oder wir zu viel einer anderen Substanz konsumieren; wenn wir uns durch Schlafmangel ans Äußerste bringen, oder wenn wir unseren Stoffwechsel durch zu viel Ruhe in den Winterschlaf bringen; wenn unsere Muskeln durch Bewegungsmangel verkümmern oder Mangels Pausen in den Zustand der Dauererschöpfung gebraucht werden..

Psychisch geraten wir dann in die Bredouille, wenn wir nur noch Anspannen und Verspannen, anstatt loszulassen und zu entspannen; wenn wir unter Dauerstrom stehen und keine Pausen nehmen; wenn unsere Ängste eine Fight-or-Flight-Reaktion provozieren, diese Energie aber keine Entladung finden kann; wenn wir mit unserer Umgebung in Konflikt stehen oder Einsamkeit empfinden anstatt Gemeinschaft. Aber natürlich auch dann, wenn das Leben uns einen Strich durch die Rechnung macht – durch den Tod einer geliebten Person oder durch schwere Krankheit. Wir geraten ins Trudeln.

Balancieren lernen: Yoga als mentales Stabilitätstraining.

Yoga hilft uns nicht nur physisch das Balancieren zu erlernen – man denke an die Tree Pose oder den Tänzer, in dem wir mit ein bisschen Übung dank unserer schnell-lernenden Faszien in Kürze selbst mit geschlossenen Augen mühelos zahlreiche Atemzüge verbringen zu können. Nein, in der modernen Yogastunde lernen wir auch mental zu balancieren, indem wir unsere negativen Emotionen zuzulassen – und gehen lassen; indem wir die Balance finden zwischen dem, was uns zu schaffen macht, und dem wofür wir dankbar sind. Wir unterfüttern unseren Geist mit Dankbarkeit um somit unsere Seele zurück in die Balance zu bringen. „Seelische Resilienz“ – so könnte man diesen Coping-Mechanismus ebenso beschreiben.

In der Yogaphilosophie tief verankert ist das Prinzip des „Detachments“ – des Loslösens, Loslassens. Aus der Yogaphilosophie heraus ergibt sich also ein wichtiges Instrument auf dem Weg zum „resilienten Ich“: Denn zugleich bedeutet dies, sich von seinem Ego und all dessen Facetten zu verabschieden – Stolz, materialische Wünsche, Emotionen „and all“. Wir sind die Leinwand, über die der Film flickert – nicht der Film, der abläuft. Wir sind das Meer selbst, nicht die Wildheit oder Seichte der Wellen. Unsere Gefühle – Wut, Trauer, Sorge – machen uns nicht aus. Unser Geist kann sich davon erholen.

Statt Davonrennen: Fight or Flight Response durch Asanas lösen.

Die oft unbewusst ablaufende Fight-or-Flight-Reaktion unseres Körpers als Antwort auf physischen und mentalen Stress findet oftmals keine Entladung – oder wann bist du das letzte Mal schreiend aus dem Büro deines Kollegen gerannt (oder hast sie/ihn zum Duell gefordert) nachdem es zum Konflikt kam? Dieser Stress verbleibt dann in unserem Körper und bringt uns im schlimmsten Falle sogar in die sogenannte Allostase – also über unsere veträgliche Stressschwelle hinaus.

Stress, ob real in Form von realer Angst (bspw. Ich höre Schüsse) oder irrealer (bspw. Versagensangst, sollte man eine Arbeit nicht perfekt erledigen können) hat profunde Auswirklungen auf unser Nervensystem sowie unseren gesamten Körper. Wir werden buchstäblich unter Strom gesetzt; der Körper mobilisiert alle Kräfte um zu Flüchten oder zu Kämpfen. Angenommen dieser Stress verbleibt in der Form von Cortisol als Dauerbelastung in unserem Körper, dann bringen wir unser gesamtes System aus dem Gleichgewicht: wir werden krank. Heute geht man davon aus, dass bis zu 80 Prozent aller Krankheiten durch Stress bedingt oder verstärkt werden! Was also tun?

Selbst wenn wir uns entscheiden mental loszulassen: um nachhaltig zu Entstressen muss unser Körper nachziehen – oder ggf. bereits die Vorarbeit geleistet haben. Unsere Asana-Praxis gibt hierfür den idealen Rahmen. Sie bringt das Herz-Kreislauf-System in Gang, ernährt unser Gewebe und hilft körperliche Verspannungen in Form von verklebten Faszien, verkürzten oder dauergespannten Muskeln zu lösen. Dabei trainieren wir mit einer aktiven Yogapraxis auch unsere neuromuskuläre Ansteuerung, koordinieren und stimulieren unsere inneren Organe (sowie die Verdauung). Der verkrampfte angespannte „ready to fight or flee“ Körper öffnet sich und erlaubt uns eine tiefere Entspannung im Anschluss (und bestenfalls auch einen super Schlaf post-Yogaunterricht).

Raus aus dem Alarm-Modus: Klarheit in der Ruhe finden.

Lösen wir den Körper aus der sympatischen Stress-Reaktion ermöglichen wir nicht nur die physische Regeneration sondern beginnen auch das mentale Heilen. All unsere Asanas zielen im Grunde genommen auf ein Ziel ab: die Klarheit, die uns die Mediation bringen kann. Die Gedanken zur Ruhe kommen lassen. Re-evaluieren, was wichtig ist.

Im modernen Yoga lernen wir in der westlichen Gesellschaft die Stille wieder zu schätzen. Allein zu sein mit den eigenen Gedanken ermöglicht uns, zu Verarbeiten – ob unterbewusst oder in der aktiven Bewusstseinsebene. Geleitete Meditationen bieten hierbei auch für unerfahrene einen guten Einstieg und bieten einen nachweisbaren Ausweg aus der Panikreaktion. Doch auch unser Atem ist beim Kontrollieren unserer Stressreaktion ein wichtiges Tool.

Pranayama-Power: Reizüberflutetes Nervensystem mithilfe unseres Atems zur Ruhe bringen

Das Kernstück des Yogas, die Kontrolle des Atems, wirkt maßgeblich auf unser Nervensystem sowie unser Herz-Kreislauf-System ein und kann somit zum wichtigen Instrument werden, um unseren Körper in Homöostase zu halten. In anderen Worten: der Schlüssel zum Entstressen liegt in uns! Angeboren – unbewusst – automatisch.

Yoga hilft uns nun nicht nur buchstäblich unseren Atem zu finden, sondern auch bewusst wahrzunehmen. Es lehrt uns die Kontrolle unsers Atems ins physisch durchaus anstrengenden Positionen – eine Fähigkeit, die wir mit wenig Transferleistung in unserem alltäglichen Leben anwenden können.

Doch auch ganz konkret vor Ort, im Yogastudio, auf der Matte, können wir diese Entspannung des Nervensystems, das Umschalten vom sympatischen-Stress-reaktiven-„lass-mal-Alarm-schlagen“-Nervensystem ins parasympatische Nervensystem wechseln.

Expecto Parasympatikus: Unser „Schutzzauber“ vor bösen Dauerstress-Dementoren

Das Zauberwort ist: Erholung. Um Balance zu finden müssen wir raus aus dem sympatischen Nervensystem und seinen unbewussten Panikreaktionen und hinein in das parasympatische Ruhe- und Regenerationsnervensystem, das uns hilft die Homöostase zu reetablieren und unseren Stress buchstäblich zu verdauen. Hierbei kann Yoga langfristig, sowohl als auch kurzfristig zur ersten Geige werden! Denn:

Durch Yoga-Praktiken wie Pranayama, Yoga Nidra und Meditation – um nur ein paar zu nennen – helfen wir unserem Körper die Weichen umzustellen. Wir ermöglichen uns, „runter zu fahren“, erlauben uns für die 60-90 regulären Minuten einer Yogaklasse mit Achtsamkeit in unseren Körper hineinzuhören. Während wir im Lärm unseres Alltag zu reizüberflutet sind, um unsere Verspannungen und andere Symptome zu entdecken, hören wir nun zu. Wir erden uns durch unsere Sinneswahrnehmungen – Schwere! Atem! – und sind ganz bei uns. Bye bye Stress. Hallo Erholung.

Je regelmäßiger wir uns diese Zeit für uns nehmen, desto mehr generieren wir das Gegengewicht, das wir brauchen um die Waage auszugleichen: auf der einen Seite unser stressiger Alltag mit vielen Dingen, die wir leider nicht beeinflussen können. Auf der anderen Waagschale: Unsere durch Yoga geschulte Selbstliebe, unsere kultivierte Achtsamkeit. Und ganz viel optimistische Dankbarkeit.

Dieses Essay habe ich im Rahmen meiner Yogalehrerfortbildung beim moveorespiro in Stuttgart geschrieben. Ein riesiger Dank geht an unseren Dozenten Stefan Sick, der sein Wissen zu „De-Stress & Recover“ mit uns geteilt hat und daher diesen Text mit Hintergrundwissen gefüttert hat. „I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.“  Danke!

editor’s note: I had to edit this post and exclude all of the instagram posts because it slowed the website down incredibly much. go check out our instagram to find all posts and insights! xo,  jo & grimm

day 30!

day 27 + 28 + 29

I just don’t want to post anymore right now

yeez if you have been following this blog you realized that my enthusiasm for posting daily quickly evaporated. at times I felt like it was 30 days of posting instead of 30 days of yoga. therefore, I let it go. I stopped trying to film everything and take pictures, as I not only felt really uninspired, but also wanted to focus on being more present. sorry (not sorry) guys! I hope you still found this blog entertaining! talk to you tomorrow on the final day!

day 20

two thirds done

private class day! | pranayama today: bhastrika! | silent meditation: 5min.

day 19

monday hit me hard…

classes scheduled today: 1. | feeling very: bleh (=emotional, fearful, unenlightened).

day 18

sundaze.

classes today: 2. | first morning of doing nothing in foreverrrrr.

day 17

uh oh! a cold is coming.

sneeze. | cough. | ugh.

day 16

emotional cleanse?

classes scheduled today: 2. | thoughts: 1 876 924 934/second.

day 15

happy halftime!

no classes today! | home practice: self practice! | thinking about:…

flow states

what are flow states: have you ever completely forgotten time during an activity? like you were just in your flow – not stressing, simply moving on your instincts? that is a flow state.

why they are important: they show us where our natural inclinations lie – where we have to flow to in order to be happy.

just a quick not on my self (yin) yoga practice: It’s funny how I always think „well I may just do 15min of nice movement and breathing“ and it ALWAYS ends up being 30min or more. i seriously just arrive in this flow state with myself – sometimes with a lot of thoughts on my busy mind, sometimes (if i am lucky) just barely aware of any thoughts at all.

day 14

V.i.t.a.l.s

yoga classes I teach today: 2. | stress-o-meter: elevated. | level of tiredness: sleeping beauty before the 100-year long nap…

who are you? do you know your true self?

as I have explained before, we are aiming to use these 30 days of yoga to discover previously unknown parts of ourselves. to find our true self in order to become our higher selves. How?

But what does that even mean? Continue reading

every part of today’s entry that’s written below here comes from an amazing article I found on psychologytoday.com  written by Meg Selig.

V = Values

“Values“—such as “helping others,” “being creative,” “health,” “financial security,” and so on—are guides to decision-making and motivators for goals. Research shows that just thinking or writing about your values can make it more likely that you take healthy actions. The motivation provided by worthwhile values can also keep you going even when you are tired, as shown in many psychology experiments. If you want to self-motivate, know your values!

I = Interests

“Interests” include your passions, hobbies, and anything that draws your attention over a sustained period of time. To figure out your interests, ask yourself these questions: What do you pay attention to? What are you curious about? What concerns you? The focused mental state of being interested in something makes life vivid and may give you clues to your deepest passions.

T = Temperament

“Temperament” describes your inborn preferences. Do you restore your energy from being alone (introvert) or from being with people (extrovert)? Are you a planner or go-with-the-flow type of person? Do you make decisions more on the basis of feelings or thoughts and facts? Do you prefer details or big Ideas? Knowing the answers to temperament questions like these could help you gravitate toward situations in which you could flourish and avoid situations in which you could wilt.

A = Around-the-Clock Activities

The “around-the-clock” category refers to when you like to do things—your biorhythms. Are you a morning person or a night person, for example? At what time of day does your energy peak? If you schedule activities when you are at your best, you are respecting your innate biology.

L = Life Mission and Meaningful Goals

“What have been the most meaningful events of your life?” This was a question I liked to ask when students would see me for career counseling at the community college where I worked. One woman of about 40 years old got teary-eyed as she tried to answer. “Recently,” she told me, “I found it incredibly meaningful to care for my aging father as he declined and went into hospice. I was able to be there and hold his hand when he died.” As we talked about the difficulties and rewards of her father’s last days, she had an “aha” moment and realized she wanted to become a hospice nurse. (She accomplished her goal and was one of the leaders of her class.) Ask yourself the same question: “What have been the most meaningful events of your life?” You may discover clues to your hidden identity, to your career, and to life satisfaction.

S = Strengths

„Strengths“ can include not only abilities, skills, and talents, but also character strengths such as loyalty, respect for others, love of learning, emotional intelligence, fairness, and more. (See here for a list of character strengths). Knowing your strengths is one of the foundations of self-confidence; not being able to acknowledge your own superpowers could put you on the path to low self-esteem. Become a person who “takes in the good,” listening for compliments and noticing skills that could be clues to your strengths. Here’s an example: An acquaintance tells you that she loves the soothing sound of your voice. What could you do with that knowledge? Likewise, knowing your weaknesses can help you be honest with yourself and others about what you are not good at. You might decide either to work on those weaknesses or try to make them a smaller part of your personal or professional life.

Again, for more, see this cool article  on psychologytoday.com  written by Meg Selig.

amazing right? have fun writing down your thoughts on your v.i.t.a.l.s.! As for our yoga practice today:

what we did: #yogalab class! handstand kickups.

What it felt like: definitely had to slow down as I feel a head cold coming on!

day 13

twisting it out / from another perspective

 osteopath: 1; josefine: 0 | stress-o-meter: unsustainably throwing energy out of the window. | today: special class on the „revolved series“ with the challenge participants!

what we did: kapalabhati + 50min of technical yoga practice for twists, revolved triangle etc + kapalabhati round 2 + 4min of silent mediation.

What it felt like: after having my cervical spine reset by my osteopath I felt oddly immobile and sore in the vertebrae – I needed this check-up badly it seems! It felt ridiculously good to tuck in and release my belly during the „fire breathing“. probably because this finally shook out my still-a-little-sore abs.

day 12

energy flows where attention goes.

 woke up at: 5:53 am (?) | sore-o-meter: 4 out of 5. | yoga classes I teach today: 1 wonderful slow flow. 

day 11

rest & relax

 yoga classes to teach later today: 2 (asking myself „how“ every time I move because…. |  sore? yup. SORE SORe (6 out of 5). | to-do today: walkies, walkies & walkies, and snuggle the puppy, and daydream.

day 10

yoga festival time!

From 11am until 6pm: at YEZ yoga festival in stuttgart! | YEZ yoga classes I took today: 3! what a treat! | yoga classes taught: 1 | sore-o–meter: 6 out of 5 (feeling it creep in already before going to bed… 

for the rest of my day’s resumé: check this post. #lazy. and #sore. #eventypinghurts

day 9

all hail the weekend!

yoga classes taught: 2 | sore-o–meter: 0.3 out of 5 (feeling surprisingly good!) | that’s all.

day 8

simplify!

no classes today – wohooo | time for personal yoga practice! | much happy. | very gratitude. | wow.

the question „what can I do to simplify my life“ has been a very fruitful one to ask myself from time to time. when I am practically drowning in responsibilities, to-dos and stress I oftentimes forget that, me being a central european middle class white woman (she, her), I have the (white hetero cis) privilege to choose what I burden myself with in most of the cases. too little sleep? boho! what’s stopping me, a healthy 28yo, from going to bed earlier? don’t like to have too many appointments after work? well then maybe just choose to not set any?

what is troubeling you? is there an easy way to relieve the weight, to simplify? do you have to let go of unattainable goals, of friendships that are simply too much work, of a hobby that feels like a chore? take today to take action!

day 7

another year, another meh (?)

yoga lessons today: 1. | sore-o-meter: 1.5 out of 5. | grinch-o-meter: 3.5 out of 5.

ok officially back at the old office life – and already it’s draining my energy. Thus, no wonder I felt a little insecure and grumpy today, with lots of positve energy seeping from me the moment I leave my puppy at home to go to work. anyways.

a source of energy today: handstand playtime with my yogis at the studio *face lights up*. That and planning  3 yoga retreats for 2020. stay tuned!

day 6

Tuesdays are for going beyond

yoga lessons today: 1. | a bad thing that happened today: first day back at work. | two good things that happened today: I saw my work colleagues again after xmas break(1)! I had pancakes for breakfast (2). | videos now successfully uploaded: 3 out of 4.

what we did: a private class of sorts for the powerwomen who joined the challenge at the studio. see the following instagram post for more insights!

What it felt like: peaceful.

day 5

slow flowinnnnn

yoga lessons today: 1. | videos I re-filmed after I hated the quality of the first draft: 2. |  best thing that happened to me today: my beautiful goofball of a dog.

what we did: long yogic walks (i.e. very mindful and aware of the beauty of our frozen surroundings). than a 60min slow flow with pranayama (nadi shodhana) and 10min of meditation. our topic today: intuition.

What it felt like: yum.

day 4

the holidays are almost over

yoga lessons today: 2. | wanted to get up at: 8:30 am |  got up at: 10:00 am (now #grumpy) | Harry Potter movies watched: 1 (childlike happy state). | Sunday strolls: 70min (unsatisfying).

23:59 – sluggish day, powerful classes; sore
felt really sluggish today and definitely feeling the anxiety of having to get back to work on Tuesday rising. my answer: yoga. smiles. snuggles. attainable goals that energize me.
*scribbles on vision board hugging the dog.*

what we did: 45min of core work and arm balances + 60min of yummy yin yang flow – the latter with a definite restorative component as many of the challengers as well as myself are a little bit sore.

What it felt like: very joy-filling and happiness inducing. also: extra long shavasana.
*heart pounding with delight.*

day 3

hip openers

yoga lessons taught today:2. | hangriness moments: 1. |  journaling? yes. | walkies? yes! | doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day? YES!!!!

15:00 – checking in after a beautiful yoga morning at the studio.
all of the challengers showed up for themselves today, participating in one of the two classes – WELL DONE!!!!

what we did: a 60min class of gentle vinyasa flowing + 60min of active stretching, mainly hip openers. note: lot’s of strength and mobility excercises for the hips! I hate doing only hip stretching. this was definitely me today:

What it felt like: my hips felt really truly relieved for the first time after the holidays. my hip flexor allowed me to bend deeply today, though I sense tight hamstrings. brace yourself for a hamstring activation class, ladies and gentlemen…

today, I have a little task for you. check this instagram post (in German, sorry!) to start diving deeper into your higher self.

day 2

january 3rd: easing into it… or not.

yoga lessons today: 2. #teacherlife | personal yoga practice minutes – plan: 30. | slept: 7.5 hours on & off (=meh). | hours spent uploading/video rendering: roughly 5 (and still going… whyyyyy).  

9:00  – good morning from the yoga side of life!

haha just kidding – I just woke up and I feel as if a truck ran me over. I am pretty sure that is not the way the yogic life is supposed to feel…? I stayed up way too late last night, finishing up the first of three yoga-flow videos I am providing for the challenge, for home practice.  sigh. for me, a big part of this challenge is establishing a healthy routine that I can keep up through the busy days of life. let’s see how we go. look what arrived in the mail today!

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OK Y‘ALL • I usually do not share my „other work“ on here unless it‘s about my yoga school marketing. But I simply am in love with the little booklet I made for the yoga challenge #hpy30 – I HAD TO. See in class my sweets! #motivated #lookwhatImade #yogachallenge

A post shared by Josefine & Yogadoggo Grimm (@josiesyoga) on Jan 3, 2020 at 6:57am PST

22:00 – wonderful yoga classes today!

what we did: a 60min prenatal yoga class + 60min vinyasa flow for core stability. both had lots of twist using only your muscle strength, so no pulling yourself deeper if your abdominal muscles won’t support this.

What it felt like: flowy! I felt like they were fun, round classes to teach. sadly there was no time for my personal savanna. will do that now. but at least I got to snuggle the pup.

here are some more musings and a little video of me teaching for today:

day 1

january 2nd: let’s go!

 walkie count: 2. | hours spent in front of laptop to (over-)plan 30-day-challenge: 2… or 4. | yoga lessons today: 1. | personal yoga practice minutes: 0 (as of 18:00). | woke up at: 13:00 #restforthewicked

dear readers,

today is the day! we are embarking on a 30 day journey to the self, through the self –  … ok I definitely borrowed this saying. because – surprise – 30 days of yoga is about more than just 30 days of getting rid of winter rolls and Christmas fluff. This January, we will look into establishing a yogic routine on the pillars of…

• asana practice
• breathwork
• meditation
• letting go/detachment
• the Yamas -a code of conduct (non-violence, non stealing, non-excess, non-possessiveness, truthfulness)
• the niyamas – looking inside yourself and your actions (see picture below)
• bonus: an Ayurvedic daily routine consisting f. e. of a vegetarian Ayurvedic diet, a daily schedule aligned with the elements.

at 6pm we had our Official kick-off yogaclass at the studio.

what we did: a 75min yin yang flow focussed on looking at our foundation – feet, pada bhanda, knees, thigh rotation.

What it felt like: a good thorough start. deliberately easing into it. 

xo for today, Josie 

previously…

 Check out the „rules“ in German  

Release. Relax. Reflect. Recharge.

What does that even mean?!

A guide to the modern yogi’s Rs.

Prologue: happy place yoga retreat
At the end of July, I hosted my first yoga retreat in Kühtai, Tirol (Austria) – and it was incredible. You just read our motto up there – the four Rs, which are thrown around a lot in the yoga (Instagram & Pinterest) world. and while the participants of our alpine yoga by now know the answer, I thought I’d help with a brief definition & action plan on how to tackle these concepts.

#retreat

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.“

― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

sometimes life just gets too much. when you feel overwhelmed with tasks, social appointments and don’t seem to get your sh*t together – maybe it’s time to retreat. to take yourself out of the noisy surroundings of everyday life and into stillness, solitude and silence. and you do not necessarily have to go on a yoga retreat to accomplish that…

action plan: choose a quiet spot to spend time by yourself
– a bench in the woods? a hike in the mountains? an afternoon under your favorite apple tree? ideally without electronically devices, connect to the noise within yourself and try to quiet your thoughts by focussing on one of the tasks at a time. if possible, even disconnect from your everyday life and spend a few hours in idleness! to quiet your senses and prepare yourself to get back out there. that’s what a great retreat is all about.

asana to retreat: diamond shape.
start seated in butterfly pose with the soles of your feed touching, your knees wide apart. while keeping your feed together, push them further away from you to create a diamond shape (duh) before you. bow your head, release any tension you may hold in your body, enjoy a back body and outer hip stretch and retreat into the soothing space you have just created for yourself.

#release

“To cry was to release all sorts of ugly little pressures and tensions. Like waking out of a long, dark dream to a sun-filled day.”

― Anne McCaffrey, Nerilka’s Story

we bottle up a lot of tension in our bodies – both physically and mentally. however, we weren’t made to hold so much stress. we were meant to escape the predator (picture a saber tooth chasing your ancestor) and then release all of the fight and flight responses from our body to relax again. in today’s society, our predators are oftentimes our own thoughts and worries. the stress to deliver and perform at work. the stress to balance our work and social life. the stress to stay on deadline, hydrated, physically fit, eat healthy and maintain a social life at the same time as making sure to sleep 7+ hours per night and establish a moisturizing skin care routine – phew I got exhausted just from typing this list. it’s time to let go! time to release! but how?

action plan 1.1: find your exit valve!
for some – actually many – the ideal way to release tension is to excersise. To actually give our body the physical flight and fight response it craves. Have you not before felt like a good run (i.e. „running away from your problems“) cleared your head? We can let go of stress a lot better if we release through a good workout every once in a while. that’s also why savasana feels so f**king amazing after a dynamic yoga lesson. #yogasm

action plan 1.2: purging!
some of our stress, however, won’t even leave us by sweating it out. these are the more mental components of our tension – anxiety, sadness, worry. from experience, I suggest doing what I call an emotional clease. yup it’s what it sounds like: open that valve of tears and/or anger and open the floodgates. for women this works especially well right before our periods. use that hormonal emotionality to channel all of the negatives, really diving into your feelings and letting it all go. the best way to do that is to write it all down. whatever bothers you. whatever annoys you. to whoever hurt you. to whoever you can’t forgive.

asana to release: half pigeon pose.
there is a thing to be said about the connection of a deep and comforting stretch having an impact on our ability to let go of negative emotions. in addition, as this pose to many is a challenging stretch, it symbolises how sometimes we have to breathe and think into the sore spots in order to make them better – and release.

#relax

„Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.“

— Ray Bradbury

relaxation is about being in the now. unclenching your muscles, unclenching your mind. forget about the climb, forget about the way down and just enjoy the view on top. it is about letting go of yesterday and letting go of tomorrow. about accepting and appreciating this very moment. so…

action plan: right now – relax your shoulders, relax your eyebrows, take a big deep breath.
what does it feel like to be alive right now?

asana to relax: savasana
(ok I think everybody saw this one coming) or reclined butterfly pose supported by a bolster. work on learning to actively relax your shoulders, legs and the space in between your eyebrows. focus your breath on your lower belly to imitate your sleep breathing pattern and indicate to your body that it’s time to unwind. in savasana we allow ourselves 1-10 min of letting the world keep turning while we keep still and relax. take that time! even if it’s just for a minute – ignore what comes next and enjoy.

#reflect

“When our mind is in shambles and we dare to reflect on the story of our life, we may discover, in the stream of our thoughts, the fault line between what we have underfelt and what we have overthought on our way.“

― Erik Pevernagie

now that you are calm and free of tension (see previous steps) it’s time to discover yourself: reflect on your values, your ideals, your plans! where can you put boundaries in place so that no unnecessary stress enters your system? where have you been out of your integrity, i.e. acted in a different way than your values suggest?

action plan:  journaling, list-making, finding your values.
now comes the hard part –  pinpointing the essence of who you are. at least once in your life, you should actively think about an answer for the following questions

• what are your 3 most important values? what do you stand for?
• what are your top 5 qualities?
• how would you describe yourself as a whole?
• what are you grateful for?
• can you find negative behavioral patterns that you have repeated?
• if you could improve anything about you, what would it be? and what are the steps to improve it?
• what are your dreams? what do you live for?

(asana) to reflect: meditation.
to some, this might seem like a contradiction („Am I not supposed to not think during meditation?“) but: during meditation we can truly reflect on one aspect of ourselves. pick a question or topic close to your heart and close your eyes. first, observe your breath. then observe your feelings. examine your thoughts on the issue.  draw your mind back to this one answer you are trying to find and watch „your brain storm“ for the solution (see what I did there).

#recharge

“Self-care is how you take your power back.”

― Lalah Delia

we have eradicated everything that is draining energy from us – now let’s refill! But what does it even mean to recharge yourself? It means applying enough self-care so that you may walk into whatever task is at hand energized, optimistic and in your power.

action plan: what gives you energy? do that!
yup, let’s do another list! we all have people in our lives, that make us feel refreshed as if we have just come back from a spa weekend; places that let us forget about everything that seemed so important before; we all have favorite things to do that make us realize how good life can truly be. write your’s down. put at least 10 items on the list. then try making space for these rechargers in your weekly schedule, strategically and mandatorily.

asana to recharge: (supported) bridge pose
backbends such as the bridge pose are said to be extra awakening and thus recharging.  I chose this super comfy pose as it allows our blood to flow back towards our centre with ease and while we can turn this pose into a challenging workout-backbend, the supported version is accessible to all energy levels and also helps us recharge post-workout.

#refocus

„your attitude determines your direction.“

― pinterest

none of the steps above will yield longtime success if with all the energy you have regained and all the insights into yourself you have gathered you do not adapt your life to fit your needs. this is what refocussing means: to redirect your attention to those things that matter to you.

action plan: prioritize!
check your values! deriving from what you expect from life, what you stand for – is what you are busying yourself with truly helping you create the life you want to live? Or are there other things you should be doing instead? start saying no to distractions and yes to tending to yourself and making your dreams come true. sometimes this takes baby steps – but in this way you will still move forward.

asana to refocus: dancer’s pose
focus on your breath, gaze over the palm of your hand, determinedly pointing ahead. you got this! if you just focus on what’s truly important.

Epilogue: Sources & Thank You’s
I am a product of the people who taught me. So a lot of my ideas aren’t new (are there any new ideas on this planet?). A huge thanks goes out to my teacher Rachel Hanberry who aquainted me with Journaling, to one of the best teachers I ever had, Dr. Ron Steiner, for his insights into yoga movement and stress management. Also I would like to express my gratitude to my friend Lara, a fellow yoga teacher and blogger, who introduced me to the idea of an action plan in my blog posts! I love that Idea.

the beautiful pictures were taken by my dearest friend Anna Kopp. Go visit her instagram!!!

1. doggo copies your energy.
2. doggo does a relax.
   
3. doggo wants snooze.
4. doggo is so so happy to see you!!!!!!!

Good job, you brave readers who decided to continue on and read the implications of these findings. Let’s dive right into this! I’ll give you a treat afterwards ok?

1 | The Energy we bring into a room echoes right back to us – good and bad.

It changes how people react towards us. This is easily the most important lesson I learned from becoming a team with my dog.

On some days, I was frustrated with how hyperactive Grimm became even after long walkies and pipi breaks and even when he had a full belly. I had even offered him something to chew! Still, he would not lie down and relax. Instead he jumped at every move I made as if someone had stepped on his tail (“I MUST be in the way!”) . He stood in front of me panting, his nose wet from anxiety and his tongue hanging out (“We going walkies now!?! *heavy breathing* “I dunno what to do with myself”).

It took a while, but I started noticing how his nervosity coincided with mine! His hyperactive days where days when my mind was fluttery and cluttery and jumping from one task to the other. My gentle giant merely picked up my vibes, ready to jump to action himself.

Ever since, when my dog will not settle down to relax, I take time to check in with myself:

“what energy am I currently exuding that he could be picking up from me.”

And usually it’s right there that I find anxiety and restlessness within myself. I take a step back from my frustration and take a deep breath. I can then patiently help both of us slow down the pace of our hearts and thoughts until we can release the tension and hyperactivity. this technique is also a great way to deal with: difficult conversations with people, work meetings, making a good first impression and making people feel safe to open up to you.

2 | Choose a calm relaxed state over being giddy with joy.

As much as I love when my dog bounces off the walls with happiness (his long chicken legs all over the place), I have come to realize that his ideal state is being utterly and entirely relaxed. Snoozing or just sitting around, watching his surroundings.

This has helped me reevaluate my expectations for my own life. An exciting life is great and all… But isn’t the best feeling in the world that Sunday-morning-no-plans-well-rested-utterly-relaxed kind of feeling?

When at first during my yoga teacher training I learned about detachment I rejected the idea. To strive for contentment in simplicity and gratitude seemed so… dull? When at first I was confronted with a notion that seemed to say “don’t feel so much” I was repelled. On second thought: how much of our energy do we use up trying to climb those high peaks of passion in order to find joy, or how much energy do we need to drag ourselves back up the hill from deep valleys of sadness that may follow an exciting but complicated love affair?

My dog helped me wrap my head around that it is not the lack of emotion yoga tells you to find. It is a deep satisfaction with a calm contentment with ourselves, detached from material belongings, detached from wanting to own our partner, even our dogs. The fulfilling bliss of of an uneventful life of gratitude, if you want so. Grimm helped me understand why at some points in our lives we choose comfort and warmth over drama. Some choose it earlier, some choose it later.

here are two versions of my dog. when you read through the scenarios, try to decide, which would be the better version of my dog, the one that we would bow to when we say namasté. I think I know already which one you will pick…

Scenario 1: attachment & excitement

My dog loves baseballs. He becomes super excited about us throwing a ball to him – we can never toss it enough, even when he has already retrieved it about 300 times. He has endless fun chasing after his ball, chewing on it, showing it to us just so he can run away and not let us touch it. Some people will say „great! really power him out! he’s a big dog, he needs a lot of exercise, right?“. Here is the outcome:  He is so attached to this tiny leather thing, that he trembles with anxiety as soon as we take it away, even just to toss it back to him. His nose is wet, his eyes wide. He starts panting – from stress!

Scenario 2: relaxation & calm

On the other hand, he has a stuffed animal called Monster, that he had ever since he was a small puppy.  Grimm often retrieves it from his doggy bed when he is tired, takes it between his paws, nibbles on it contently, happy as can be, while his eyes fall shut and he just gently snoozes away. Soon enough he will let go of the by-now very mangled monster and roll onto his back, in pure bliss.

Now that’s a good boy. Here is the outcome: He is the version of my dog that gives me peace by just looking at his contentment. The version of my dog that makes me smile and relax and unwind. I often get up to pet his belly offering, put my head between his front paws and listen to his calm heartbeat. And life makes sense.

3 | We need more rest than we think.

A lot of dog owners seem to think that it is necessary to entertain, run, and play with their dog 24/7. But while some breeds definitely have a strong basic need for lots of movement – huskies for instance – a lot of dogs will be a lot happier when they learn to relax and be bored for 18 hours a day.

Side note: please please please! Look up what your desired breed was bred for! Centuries of breeding towards a specific goal will sometimes yield catastrophic results when in the hands of the wrong owner – or rather the owner with the wrong expectations. For example when you put a husky (bred to pull heavy sleighs in icy temperatures for hundreds of miles) in a 2-room city apartment, no wonder he destroys your belongings in the blink of an eye and is hyperactive all the time. Or, and this is my veterinarians favorite example, if you try to turn a Kangal, a Turkish guard dog into a dog everyone can pet at your fence… well let’s say you bought a guard dog, you got a guard dog.

Those 18 hours of rest I mentioned before often surprise people. Packs of wolves do not hunt the entire day. They rest, lazily, for the majority of the day. So why are you taking your dog on 8 hour adventure tours? Let your puppy sleep, go about your business – and soon enough you will have a happy calm dog.
The same goes for us: When we pack our weekends with activities we imprint new memories into our brains and/or often exercise our muscles until they are sore. Give yourself some rest, too. A break. Allow yourself to be bored sometimes. It sparks creativity!

Does the phrase “give your mind a rest” ring a bell? Here it comes, the meditation reference: Meditation can become one of the ways how you give yourself a break. I say “can become” because to some people (me included) it does not come easy to focus in that way. With the already fast-paced world speeding up all around us, us humans, too, we have to relearn how to be with alone with our own minds (no squeaky toy, no baseball to toss). Stop sneakily avoiding the re-introduction to your thoughts by scrolling through your phone. That’s not giving your mind a break, that’s blanking out so you don’t have to deal with the thoughts and worries building up within yourself.

If your dog has to rest for 18 hours per day – what’s the amount of resting time you guestimate you need to be a calm an happy human? Are you taking the time you need?

*to clarify: to rest does not necessarily mean to sleep. it means to recover strength, mentally and physically. this can happen sitting down, while talking to a friend and also while practicing your asanas. generally, to rest is the opposite of being occupied by a task, to-do or worry.

4 | You can make somebody’s day by the way you greet them.

First impressions do count- also when it comes to how you welcome people into your sphere. And by this I don’t mean you have to pull them close and open up entirely – no. I simply mean the way you say hello to people can change the day that they are having.

Choose kindness, always.

Whenever I come home, even on the busiest, crappiest, most depressed days of the week, Grimm is right there to greet me. He snorts and wags his tail, brings me one of his favorite toys, or even better: takes my house key from me and parades around my legs, so happy to see me it’s infectious.

And just like that I let go of all things that didn’t go my way on that day. Of all the things that have caused me anxiety. Imagine the happiness we can bring to our friends and family if we put all our positive energy into our hellos. Those are the hellos that make us feel welcome and at home. They make us feel like we are in exactly the right spot in this world.

who’s a good reader!!?!

here’s your treat: An exercise to bring more yoga to your dog training

Before each training session, whether your training is to go on walks or teaching the dog new tricks, remind yourself that relaxation is key – and relaxation comes with in-/exhalation.

1. Stand tall, in mountain pose. Have your dog sit or lie down next to you.
   (chose the option he/she can hold longer, some dogs like Grimm don’t like sitting up for a long time)
2. Take 10 deep breaths. Notice how you feel. With each breath, deepen your inhales and extend your exhalation. Let your breath flow smoothly, without pumping or pressing air into your lungs. If your dog moves impatiently, take him back to the correct position and start anew (yes, 10 more breaths).
3. If after 10 breaths you still feel impatient or tense, back to square one: another 10 breaths.
4. When you feel relaxed and calm, look at your dog.
   Did he/she copy your vibe? Or seems impatient?
   If impatient: you already know what’s coming. Give me 10!
   If calm and attentive: Start your training.

If you continue with this training, your dog will eventually know that the fun only begins if he/she relaxes. In addition and most importantly: You will be a better trainer because you are creating a calm and patient atmosphere for your furry friend.

What lessons for life have you learned from your dog?
E-Mail me your edits! I would love to hear from you and add your voices to this blog post.

About yogateacher Grimm, the labradoodle

Labradoodle Grimm, born in April 2016, was named after the magical creature “Grim” (omen of death turned Sirius Black) from the Harry Potter books, a large black shaggy dog. He more than grew into his name! He is ¾ giant poodle which explains the fluff and his Shetland pony size.

I picked him up from my amazing breeder Eva when he was 10 weeks old and already the biggest puppy of the litter. Eva breeds and trains guide dogs for the blind, so Grimm and his siblings were bred to be very mellow, courageous, calm, patient, intelligent dogs.

Grimm is therefore perfectly equipped for helping to reduce stress, an excellent enduring partner for long walks in nature as well as city adventures – and perfect also for assisting with the relaxation part of happy place yoga classes: he is an expert savasana model and indicator for when the entire class has let go of their tension (he then rolls onto his back and offers his belly to the universe). Grimm and Yoga have helped me overcome my severe stress-related allergies by re-balancing my life towards joy and mindfulness as well as shifting it back outdoors into nature.

When I am not at work I take him wherever I go. He happily snoozes in any location including clothing stores, cafés, ski-gondolas & trains. In 2018 I even took him along to my yoga teacher training at Yoga Beach house in the south of France where we finally got to swim in the ocean together (off the bucket list!).

the  full moon lights the way to reflect on what we have created in the past month, what we can release to move forward and also: let’s not forget to go get whatever we dream of.

Here’s my little checklist for the next night of the full moon:

YOGAPANTS. | get comfy! #sweatpants & #blankies

BREATHE. | take a moment to notice your breath. Hold your breath after a big inhale. Feel the air circulate your body. Listen to your heartbeat.The full moon corresponds to the peak of your inhale, wenn your lungs and belly are full with prana, air, life force.

PRACTICE YOUR ASANAS. |  the full moon is in the kapha element – the slow, the dense. So chose a more static, more yin-y kind of flow. I take my yogis through the moon salutations slowly, meditationally – embracing the „tha“ (sanskrit for „moon“) in hatha yoga with deep stretches and an open heart.

JOURNAL! Take notes on what you have made happen for yourself in this past moon cycle. Create a vision for the next. Set an intention and write it down. Check on your last intentions: what has been healthy and manageable to pursue? (f. e. to “drink more water”. this is easy to follow up on even in your busy life schedule. versus “go for a run every morning at 5 a.m” because… come on. Some days we just want to sleep in…)

CHARGE YOUR CHRYSTALS | yup I just wrote that. It’s a nice ritual to put your jewellery and gems into the moon light to charge them with calm female moon energy.

RELEASE & LET GO | of whatever didn’t work for you. Emotions. Unrealistic plans and expectations. This next moon phase is your moon phase! You got this!

happy full-moon howling everyone!

7 facts to know about our root chakra to understand ourselves better

 1

when your root chakra is in balance you you can experience life without fear. this allows to develop deep connections to your sourroundings, to the people who share your life with you and ultimately to yourself.  notions connected to an in-balance muladhara are: security, stability, confidence, ease and not least basic trust.

 2

 when the muladhara is out of balance our primal instincts take over, provoking a (even physical) fight or flight response. this leaves you feeling: anxious, in existential angst; you might feel alone in this world – not connected to friends and family. at the same time, you are scared of the unfamiliar, and fear changes.

 3

the root chakra’s energy flows along the bottom three vertebrae of your spine – from the tailbone, to the sacrum up to the L5 vertebrae. it is highly interconnected with the locomotor system of your legs. if your vertebrae and thus your chakra is physically blocked, there are a wide aray of leg injuries & hip issues that can ensue. also affected are your sexual organs and sex drive.

 4

the nerves surrounding your root chakra connect to the kidneys and the plexus sacralis.

5

 the colour of the root chakra is red, it’s assigned element is earth. fittingly, it is said that if you consume root vegetables – especially red ones – they will help you get your root chakra energy flowing. here are some examples: beetroots, radishes, carrots, potatos, parsnips.

6

the root chakra is said to be closely connected to the relationship we have with our mother, as she is the first person we connect with in this world. she instills in us the sense of comfort and steadiness which we carry forth within our root chakra.

 7

interestingly, the root chakra is connected to the sense of smell. this also derives from it’s dependency on our early childhood, as the sense of smell is the first sense we use to navigate in this world; as babies for example we feel safe when we smell our mother.

root activating yoga flow in 3 phases

to activate the root chakra we stay with the element earth – meaning that I chose more static poses that are held from 3 to 5 breaths after settling in. this allows for you to really sense into the root chakra area and activate mulabhanda. here are some ideas on how to bring your base into balance though yoga.

1 | grow roots into the ground

start in easy pose, send your attention to the root chakra, deepen your breath. find the root chakra pressure point on your forearm one finger width underneath your wrist.

lengthen your legs out into seated forward fold. make sure to hinge in the pelvis, not the lower back. find the pressure points on the inside and outside of your heel.

move through warming-up cat-cows, attention drawn to initiating movement from the root chakra.

make your way to mountain pose and rest. notice how you are rooting down through your feet. imagine growing roots deep into the earth. engage mulabhanda. stay for at least 5 breaths.

2 | rise from your roots and find strength

begin the active part of your practice with tree pose. make sure to raise your leg only after grounding down through the standing leg’s heel and engaging your core muscles.

flow through moon salutations, remaining in each of the poses for 3-5 breaths. remember, the root chakra is about steadiness, yet ease. support yourself with blocks and bolsters to be able to find this stillness and lightness in your poses. I chose moon salutations over sun salutations not only for them including poses which are great for root chakra activation (mountain pose, garland pose, triangle pose for example) but also because they connect with the female, the moon and thus reflect the root chakras intertwinedness with the relationship we have with our mother.

I chose eagle pose and standing splits with eagle arms as peak poses for this flow. the emphasis in both is grounding down firmly, thus enhancing the experience of connection to the earth, while developing wings and lifting off the ground- ok getting carried away with the metaphors here. but you get the idea.
from standing splits step back into high lunge, keeping the eagle arms until on your third exhale you disentagle, opening your arms to your side.

you can add a slow dancing warrior sequence. find steadiness especially in warrior 2, drawing your legs together, feeling fierce and strong. move into triangle pose, then lift off into half-moon as your second peak pose. I love ardha chandrasana as an example of how activating mulabhanda, connecting to your foundation and engaging your core are game changers when it comes to balancing. additionally, this pose again offers steadiness and the sensation of weightlessness at the ame time.

3 | feel safe and light

in your ensuing cool-down, make sure to rest in child’s pose for extra feeling of safety, of being at home in yourself. counter the forward bending with a relaxing bridge pose, releasing tension from the root chakra while firmly rooting down through your feet.

do not forget to savasana thorougly.

playlist

themes:
groundedness, ease, steadiness, serenity

my personal favorites:

Roots – Billie Marten | steady – fujitsu | easy – ella mai

this playlist covers 90min of vinyasa yoga + 10-15min of mediation
(including time to shuffle around after getting back into a seated position after long sweet savasana).

meditation mantra

“I am strong, stable and at peace.”

recipes

found on yogajournal.com

Thai Red Curry Coconut Squash Soup

Mulled Black Pepper-Hibiscus Wine

1 cup red wine
1 ½ cup water
1 hibiscus tea bag
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
3 green cardamom pods
8 black peppercorns, cracked

Place the red wine, water, tea bag, honey, cardamom pods, and peppercorns in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture comes to a roiling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more to allow some of the alcohol to burn off.

sources & further reading:

Patricia Mercier: „the little book of chakras“

a cute little compilation of what there is to know about the chakras and how to align them. this book includes helpful excersises that won’t take a lot of time out of your day but teaches you mindfulness when it comes to sensing into your energetic body.

ISBN: 1856753700 – english / german 

David Rotter: „Wurzelchakra“ – chakra.net

i especially loved the (tabular) overview Rotter gives over the implications and connections of the root chakra to our physical body as well as its mental influences. you will find a list of foods, aromas, scents and christals in his detailed list to help align your chakra. however, his examination has a stronger tendency to what could be called „esothericism“.

you can find the article here (german).

Funnily, it was the no-coffee-tidings that had me ask myself „am I in over my head?“. And you know, how there are people who overthink all the time? Who will analyze every possible interpretation of a sentence for a hint, for a trigger to catapult them back into total anxious insecurity? Yup – I am one of these people. Caffein-fueled nervosity crept over me, surging against the sand castle of my self-confidence: „What if I am not advanced enough for the course? What if It is too spiritual for me?! Oh God – WHAT IF EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT YOGA IS WRONG?! How will I get up at 6:30 every morning WITHOUT COFFEE?!?“ you know, just those questions. not panicking or so.

Spoiler alert: I passed.

In September, I made one of my biggest dreams come true for myself. I completed in the 200 hours yoga teacher training in Biscarosse, France at the beautiful YOGA BEACH HOUSE. I now have the honor to call myself a certified and registered yoga instructor. the 20 days i spent in training by the Atlantic sea have been revelatory and transforming, if not easy sailing at all times… in this context, let me briefly introduce you to my teacher Rachel Hanberry: Rachel, chief yoga mentor (CYM), source of inspiration, and mama to all the yogis at yoga beach house, helped me and the other students embark on our yoga teacher journey,  nudging us back into the calmer deeper waters when we came close to rock bottom. you will read her name a lot in the following list of revelations/epiphanies and lessons.

7 lessons my yoga teacher training taught me about myself and yoga practice

1 | surprise! asanas are just the tip of the iceberg.

yoga is your dietician, personal trainer, cheerleader, therapist, anger management coach, soul searcher and on top of all that it is a warm and cozy big reassuring life-long hug. in other words: yoga is a philosphy of life which encompasses the way you think, the way you move, what you eat, how you tend to yourself, how you love yourself and others. Do not „captain obvious“ me just yet: while this is something I had known prior to my yoga teacher training, what I learned is to perceive yoga in the bigger context of selfless service. in teaching yoga, I can give back to the community.

I started practicing yoga about 5 years ago. let me set the scene for my yoga beginnings: a stress-related autoimmune disease knocks me out; I start changing my life, attitude and diet; I pick up yoga because it allows me to  a) calm my nerves through breathing and b) get a good sweat and cool down in one class. with the recent rise of yoga as a tool for fitness, many of my yogis come to me for a good workout. to me, this does not contradict the yogi spirit: asanas are the „gateway drug“ to the peace of mind only mindfulness, self-love and meditation can bring. eventually, if you want to evolve, you will incorporate more and more of the yogi principles in your every day life – naturally, as you expand your knowledge of yoga. As your teacher, I will guide you on your yogic path in the same way as my teachers have guided me. I will tell you all the funny stories of how I knocked my toe on this stone or that (for example that one time I tried to meditate after my second cup of coffee), or even how I stepped into dog poo on the way (figuratively and literally). see? the path of yoga does not have to be charged with non-functional spiritualism, we can use it’s tools to find self-love, calm and a nice yoga booty as the cherry on top. this is how I give back.

2 | brahman, saging and the energetic body: open your crown chakra to the spiritual!

if you feel like you need to take a deep breath to stomach the esothericism of this paragraph’s title now is a good time to do so. we’ll wait.

what I learned at yoga beach house when it comes to spirituality is that I can choose not to shut down into defiance when confronted with what I do not deem logical or bluntly put „too esotheric“. And above anything else, Rachel Hanberry proved to me that if I stay open and curious I can expand my horizon and learn – and even might be surprised.

All-clear, dear pragmatic yogi. my yoga practice was never deeply spiritual either. I had not saged my room before or cleansed any crystals. This probably derives from my history of playing club sports like European handball, really just for the physical aspect of it. After ditching the Handball court, in yoga I would finally honor my body with mindfulness, feeling into each muscle as it was moving. this was and still is today the spirituality of my yoga practice. after a couple of years of practicing yoga, I started to feel into and believe in energies; positive and negative vibes that radiate out from our minds and into our bodily tissues. I believe in the nervous system and how it affects everything in our body. I believe that energies can be traced back to the nervous system and that the chakras feed from this energy. I understand energy.

energy is the currency my mind is willing to accept when it encounters the spiritual. find your currency! this will give you an access point to the spiritual side of yoga, to the yoga philosophy, to many a conversation about out-of balance chakras and maybe also to incense sticks (who knows?!). I understood the energy of a full moon when we gathered in a circle of powerful women (spirituality level: old celtic tradition, socially acceptable because the moonlight is kind of nice, right?). I understood and felt the strong energy surging through me when I muttered the mantra of the Godess Durga 108 times in meditation after my initiation, asking for her protection (spirituality level: muttering prayer in sanskrit?! um… this is where I would have felt silly prior to my teacher training); feeling a lightening energy after understanding that we are all part of the same absolute, that all Gods are manifestations of the one Brahman and it does not matter who we pray to (ok… I think I lost most of my readers by now).

disclaimer: your connection to the spiritual can be utterly atheist. unless you chose God, Allah, Shiva etc. to be your currency for spiritualism, you are free to keep religion out of the picture. I did not religiously pray to Durga, I tapped into the powerful rhythmic energy that swung with the words „om Sri durgayai Yamaha“. I did not praise the Lord for creating the moon, but felt how its energy moved the cells of my body. spiritualism is a chose-your-own-adventure story.

3 | hello ego: keeping a beginners mindset at a stage where you want to step up and be the teacher is damn hard 

the effort is worth it! when taking up a beginner’s mindset you will pay attention to details of yoga teaching and practice you might have missed due to the inflexibility of „what we think we know about yoga“. Being a great teacher means you have to put yourself in the shoes of your newbies, every single class („what the heck is a vinyasa? and where is my big toe supposed to point again?“).

sounds so enlightened, hey? full disclosure: my ego was my biggest enemy in the 20 days of my training at yoga beach house in biscarosse. this in itself was a massive revelation to me. don’t get me wrong – I knew I had been blessed with plenty of self-confidence but this was the first time I noticed my ego got in my way. after three years of daily yoga and lots of workshops, i could feel my impatience and ego team up to rustle my feathers as the fellow students and I – and righfully so – went through the mechanics of the sun salutations the 1345 time in the first two days.

Head-coach Rachel Hanberry gave us the most valuable piece of advice already on the first day: „Adopt a beginner’s mindset“. I listened and nodded eagerly. but: easier agreed to than done! I came to yoga beach house to learn and to be a student. if it hadn’t been for the intensive daily self-discovery through journaling and sometimes uncomfortable journal prompts about who I really am I probably would have let my ego take the wheel. In this case, I took a big step back, took a deep breath, unplugged my ears and listened.

4 | new me, who dis? the best yoga teachers have connected to who they truly are.

to know who you are as a person gives you a concept for your teaching.  do not underestimate the power of a woman with a journal! she knows herself, she knows her values, she knows where she is going, she knows who has her back. And she will be a much better yoga teacher than anyone who talks self-love yet would not recognize their bare soul if they met it in the streets (ok I really wanted to use this metaphor, just bear with me).

At Yoga Beach House Rachel introduced us to Elena Browers „Practice You“, a beautiful journal which gives you  plenty of pages to write your heart out and examine yourself. With the help of writer Pixie Lighthorses book „prayers of honoring voice“ we reflected on ourselves. sounds easy right? far from it. the most transforming and life-changing experience i made at yoga beach house was not the asana practice or anatomy class (which I adored! shoutout to my amazing teacher Julia Kannewisher). It was to dedicate your thoughts to yourself.

5 | „shine“ what to where?! keeping cues simple

what makes yoga yoga in the simplest form is the conscious connection of inhales and exhales with movements. My teacher training taught me to first come back to basics cues – breath cues – so as to guide my students more effectively.  I don’t know what it is about teaching yoga  that made me think I have to wrap my cues in metaphors in order to make class more interesting: „shine your chest to the sky“, „roll down into forward fold like a wave“, „imagine you are roadkill to deepen your savasana – really MEAN IT guys, FEEL IT!“ (ok maybe I n ever used the last one…).While some of those pictures can help students release further into the pose („melt your heart towards the floor“ suggests a warming releasing sensation of expansion in the chest while bringing yourself closer to the floor in puppy pose for example) – often they can distract from really sensing into the movement as the mind is occupied picturing the various stories our cues tell.

“Keep it simple“ – I can still hear James & Rachel Hanberry say on various occasions. I remember the first lessons I taught at yoga beach house. I was so intent on delivering a perfect class that I mechanically rattled out ALL of the cues I knew for the various poses. And I mean all of them. My perfectionist self bombarded my students with a string of instructions; some anatomical, some metaphorical, all of them well-meant reminders to adjust one thing or another or keep breathing and please do also not forget to feel into your foundaton – ooop, neutral pelvis please guys. I overshared with my students! When I practice yoga, all of these cues run through my head – i just literally blurted out the stream of my yoga practice conscience. After my class, Rachel advised me to focus on one area that I wanted to focus on in the class today as probably only 40 percent of my cues reached the yogis in front of me. I found this advice extremely helpful and am hereby passing it on to you:

• chose a focus for the class you are teaching.
  (for example: strong through the feet, active legs, neutral pelvis, twisting from the thoracic spine…)
• cue inhales and exhales and your focus area.
• enjoy switching your focus the next class and enriching your student’s and your own practice one step at a time.
  bonus: it easy to read up on your focus area to prepare for class! especially if you are not trying to cue the entire body at once – believe me

6 | nobody can teach you how to meditate but yourself.

when sitting down to meditate, do not force yourself to think nothing. let your thoughts fly past and focus on one thing only. this is what my teacher training and especially my fellow yogi students and teachers, who led our meditations, taught me. and I also learned that practice makes perfect. to me, meditation was the daunting part of my yoga teacher journey. i knew of its benefits, i wished i could do it, but i deemed myself not spiritual enough. (doesn’t this sound familiar to starting yoga practice in the first place?)

I often feel like my mind is all over the place, and buzzing with ideas and concepts and thoughts. never really still. always jumping from one conclusion to the next. imagine a puppy so excited it can’t sit still. imagine it trembling all over its body from all this emotion and excitement running through it. is it happy and overjoyed? possibly! will it feel drained at the end of the day because it used up all its energy for all of the trembles and all of the exitement? absolutely! imagine you could give this puppy a warm blanket where it can rest and relax. THAT is what meditation feels like to me.

after 20 days of meditating twice a day for 15 minutes, have i learned how to meditate? honest answer: kinda?! what I experienced first hand is a glimpse of the wonderful blissful feeling that meditation gives you! yoga beach house provided me with all the tools to teach myself how to meditate: breathing techniques, routines and most importantly the confidence to try. I will teach myself how to calm my mind. I will teach myself to focus. eventually.

• minutes i can sit still to meditate 1 month after my yoga teacher training: 15.
• minutes actually spent in meditation: 5.
• most common thought that perturbes my meditation: what should I eat after I finish my mediation?

7 | INTEGRITY.

stay true to yourself. stay true to your word. show up. live up to your values. listen to your own teachings.
the most important lesson i have carried with me from the French coast is to live a yogic life of integrity. Rachel & James gently showed me where I was out of my integrity so I could work on those areas. they instilled in me an awareness of what this intangible word means in our everyday life.

what integrity is to me: if you live what you believe in, there is a clear path in front of you. a path that is truly yours to walk on – your dharma. integrity is the compass of your journey – now all you have to do is let it guide you.

Thank you

to my teachers Rachel Hanberry, James Hanberry and Julia Kannewischer for sharing their knowledge with me; for your patience with me as I was gaining the upper hand over my ego and for the many smiles, amazing brunches and dinners we shared and not least your warm blanket of support and answers to all of our questions.

Thank you to my beautiful fellow graduates, my girls, who I had the great honour of being taught by at Yoga beach house: Steffi, Jess, Ceilie, Brooke and Lizzy – never forget that Brahman is everywhere, sand is everywhere, and a fond memory of our time together is everywhere we go, too. Forever in my heart.

Thank you especially to my editor-in-chief Ceilie, whose beautiful storytelling captivated us during our yoga teacher training and who is one of the most well-spoken free spirits I have ever met. I will buy all the books you ever write!