Let go of that which does not serve you.
Freedom after letting go. Pen & watercolor by me.
Today, I started a new job. My hours are slightly longer. The office is farther from my house. The job will be much more challenging and busy so I will have less time for blog reading, tweeting, pinning, etc.
This is a very good thing. My brain, just like any muscle, was beginning to atrophy. I’m ready for this fresh new challenge.
However, in order to cope with the added stresses of my new lifestyle, I need to do something I often instruct my students to do:
Let go of that which does not serve you.
On the mat this means any tension you’re carrying, a pose that’s so challenging it makes you frustrated, a memory of a fight that is still angering you, a breath you’re holding in.
For me, it means letting go of little things that take up my valuable and limited time. I need to be able to devote quality time and attention to my work, to my husband, my friends and family, my sanity, my health, and my house.
This means:
- Fewer blog subscriptions (just checked; I have 138).
- Unsubscribing from stupid email lists that I don’t have time to read (daily Yoga Journal emails… ugh)
- Allowing this blog to be silent until I feel compelled to write. I’m currently thinking of combining my yoga and art blog into one at this domain, but I don’t really have time to think about that right now.
- Saying “no” to requests for freelance design
- Sadly, it might mean giving up my Monday night yoga class. Trying to get there today after work (longer commute!) was a little hellish.
- Hiring a cleaning lady. Seriously, cleaning is the very last thing I want to do. I would rather weed or mow the lawn than clean a bathtub.
Yoga is going to remain a very big part of my life, but with this new chapter, it might mean more practicing and less teaching.
Speaking of which… gotta get ready for bed to make Mysore by 6:00 tomorrow morning!
Namaste,
Cat
Yoga Music: 3/18/12
My class takes a much deserved Balasana (child's pose) after a rigorous flow.
Yoga Playlist for my Vinyasa class, 3/18/12:
Opening, Gentle warm-up
- Lull // Andrew Bird
- Free to Run // Gomez
Sun Salutations, getting moving
- Under African Skies // Paul Simom
- Sun it Rises // Fleet Foxes
- Beast of Burden // The Rolling Stones
Flowin’
- Change // Blind Melon
- The Cave // Mumford & Sons
- Sounds Like Hallelujah // Head & the Heart
- Eyes of the World // The Grateful Dead
- California Stars // Billy Bragg
Coming down / Floor poses
- Thinking About You // Radiohead
- I’m Standing In The Light // Dr. Dog
- The End // Pearl Jam
- Angel From Montgomery // Old Crow Medicine Show
- Landing Field // Calexico
- Morning Yearning // Ben Harper
Savasana
- Shanti (Peace Out) // MC Yogi
Hope you enjoy!
namaste,
cat
Yoga for Athletes at VO2 MultiSport
This past Monday, I stepped foot inside VO2 MultiSport for the first time. To me, this is a hidden gem in St Matthews, although I have a feeling that serious tri-athletes, marathoners, and swimmers already know all about it. There’s a great retail store in the front when you first come in, but what makes this facility special is the training room in the back.
I was there for a free Yoga for Athletes class offered Mondays from 6:30-7:30 PM taught by Dana Skrodzki.*
It makes sense that VO2 offers a yoga class being that their motto is:
VO2 specializes in the three areas of multisport, with one mission – to help athletes get the most out of every breath. TRAIN HARD. BREATHE EASY.
We yogis are all about the breath!
The space is not your typical yoga studio with bright lights and sunshine and incense burning. It’s an old garage/warehouse that they’ve spruced up that mostly serves as a cycling practice room. It was dark, edgy, manly – and I loved it.
The training room where the yoga magic happens.
There appeared to be some regulars – athletes who are spending 90% of their time cycling or running who want to balance out their rigorous training with some stretching and strengthening. Dana took us through some great balance poses, hip openers, lots of planks (ouch!!), and some great shoulder girdle strengthening exercises. The vibe was casual and fun, the music was upbeat, and Dana was a riot.
It’s a great yoga class if you’re not interested in all the “Oming and chanting” you might associate with other yoga classes (although not all yoga classes are like that). If you’re interested in checking out a class, give them a call or email them to secure a spot in class – they can only fit a limited amount of yoga mats in there!
I’ll be subbing for Dana this coming Monday, February 26th. So come by to see me AND see the space!
131 St. Matthews Avenue
Louisville, KY 40207
502.290.7433
info@vo2-multisport.com
Hope to see you Sunday morning (my last $5 class!) or Monday night (it’s FREE people!)
cat
[photos taken from VO2 MultiSport's Facebook Page]
*Sarah Ayers has also regularly taught the class but is currently tending to other obligations in life; she is still given credit on their homepage.
Effort Now, Benefits Later
How I felt this morning
I woke up this morning feeling bloated, tired, and stiff. It took every ounce of willpower to get myself out the door and to the studio for the Mysore-style Ashtanga (read about different yoga styles here). Once I showed up on my mat, I thought everything would magically fall into place and it would be my Best Practice Ever.
Ha! “Good one,” my body said to my brain. I went through the motions of the Primary series, but couldn’t focus. If I had a hard time with a bind or a deep forward fold, I didn’t work on it; I just let it be and moved on. My jump back from Bhuja Pidasana was a big sloppy mess. The opposite of this:
As I left class, I confessed to my friend Grace, a classmate of mine from the yoga teacher training at Yoga East, how I had totally half-assed my practice. Grace, in all of her infinite wisdom, said:
At least you showed up. That is what matters. You put the effort in now, and you will reap the benefits later.
Just a few simple words made me feel like my morning had not been a complete waste.
Grace teaches a $5 community class on alternating Thursdays at the Yoga East Kentucky Street studio. You should go to her class so you can bear witness to her wonderful Graceisms.
The end!
Namaste
Cat
Yoga Music: 2/19/12
Yoga Playlist for my Vinyasa class, 2/19/12:
Opening, Gentle warm-up
- Buddha’s Lullaby // Manose
- Lifeboy // Phish
Sun Salutations, getting moving
- Let Down // Radiohead
- We Are Young // fun.
- Don’t Carry it All // Decemberists
Flowin’
- Starlight // Muse
- Instant Karma // John Lennon
- Sigh No More // Mumford & Sons
- Time to Move On // Tom Petty
- Over My Head // Fleetwood Mac
- One For Me, One For You // Bright Eyes
Coming down / Floor poses
- Sneaker Pimps // Sneaker Pimps
- Solitaire // Wilco
- The Trapeze Swinger // Iron & Wine
Savasana
- Shanti (Peace Out) // MC Yogi
Hope you enjoy!
namaste,
cat
Yoga Illustrator: Annick Poirier
Yoga Journal uses illustrations in every issue, and always for their main articles on philosophy. I am always taken by Annick Poirier’s whimsical and colorful illustrations. I love how she combines realism with abstract shapes, graphite rendering with flat blocks of color, and knows when to just leave a shape empty and flat.
Beautiful work. Go see more of her work for Coca Cola, Volkswagon, and other major players at her website, www.AnnickPoirier.com.
If you love pretty yoga pictures (illustrated and photographed), check out my Yoga Pinterest Board! Weee!
namaste,
cat
Map of Louisville Yoga Studios
Great Googly moogly (pun intended), there are a LOT of yoga studios in Louisville. Looks like someone needs to open one in the West End!
Click image for the full clickable, driving-directionable Google Map and as usual let me know if there are any errors, additions or omissions.
Namaste!
cat
Yoga Music: 2/12/12
Yoga Playlist for my Vinyasa class, 2/12/12:
I accidentally created this playlist in reverse in iTunes (watch that first column sort button!) so I had to play it in reverse in class. It worked pretty well until the wind-down when my “get moving” songs started to play, so I just switched to some generic relaxation music for the rest of class. But this is how it was meant to be.
I guess this just gives me an excuse to recycle this playlist in the future.
Opening, Gentle warm-up
- Buddha’s Lullaby // Manose
- Om Nashi Me // Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
- Prince Caspian // Phish
Sun Salutations, getting moving
- Helplessness Blues // Fleet Foxes
- I’m Amazed // My Morning Jacket
- Spirit in the Sky // Norman Greenbaumv
Flowin’
- Good Lovin’ // The Grateful Dead
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered // Stevie Wonder
- Lost in My Mind // The Head and the Heart
- I Believe in You // Cat Power
Coming down / Floor poses
- Ooh Child // Five Stairsteps
- Ooh La La // The Faces
- How to See the Sun Rise // Ben Sollee
- Mariachi // Ani Difranco
- Ten Thousand Words // The Avett Brothers
Savasana
- Aqueous Transmission // Incubus
Another shout out to Downward Dog for the idea for Aqueous Transmission for Savasana. I used to listen to a lot of Incubus, and have a vivid, fond memory of listening to that song while driving home from a friend’s house with the windows down on on a warm summer night and feeling totally blissed out. The sound of the crickets and the gentle rolling of the guitar riff… ahhhh.
Hope you enjoy!
namaste,
cat
Illustrating for fellow yogis
I’ve made a few yoga buddies through Twitter, one of whom is a Twitter Pro, Thais G of the blog Living in the (k)Now. (You might remember her from my #25yogathon post) (which I did not succeed at).
“T” saw my illustration for the #25yogathon post and asked if I would do an illustrated header image for her blog to which I happily obliged. Visit her blog or click the main image above to see the header at actual size.
If you are interested in an illustrated/hand-lettered header image for your blog, shoot me an email and we can discuss pricing/timing, etc.
You should follow me on Twitter too! It will be awesome!
Namaste,
Cat
What Type of Yoga Should I Try?
When most people think of “yoga,” they think gentle and stretching. And then they hear people talk about that hot yoga where the room is 108º. And then there’s Madonna whose arms can’t be that ripped from some gentle stretching…
It’s important to understand that there is more than one type of yoga. And you can find just about any of them here in Louisville.
Let’s get started:
Hatha/Gentle
Technically, any yoga class involving movement and breathing (so, uh, all of them) is considered “Hatha.” Pretty much every style of yoga stems from this broad term. However, you will see many classes described as a Hatha Class. This is typically an all-levels yoga practice that includes twists, stretching, and strengthening. They call it “all-levels” because all poses can be modified for either a brand new yogi or an advanced practitioner.
- Learn more about Hatha
- What Gentle Hatha looks like
- Where to find Hatha in Louisville:
- Pretty much every single studio.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga is one of the most ancient forms of yoga. This traditional practice follows a specific series of postures that are to be completed in a particular order. You are only given a handful of postures at a time, and as you improve, you are allowed to move on to the following pose in the sequence. A traditional Ashtanga class is done in the same way they do it in Mysore, India, which means everyone starts and stops at different times, and the teacher walks around giving adjustments and personal attention as needed. This is what I have been mostly practicing lately and I have a lot to say on it… stay tuned for more posts.
- Learn more about Ashtanga
- What Primary Ashtanga looks like
- What a Mysore-style class looks like
- Where to find Ashtanga in Louisville:
- Yoga East offers Ashtanga classes in the Mysore tradition AND a “slow flow” option that makes the sequence accessible to beginners.
Rocket
This is a variation on the Ashtanga sequences; basically you don’t follow the strict progression rules of Traditional Ashtanga and you just jump right in to Advanced poses so you “get there faster.” This class is pretty challenging and a lot of fun.
- Learn more about Rocket
- What Rocket looks like
- Where to find Rocket in Louisville:
- Yoga on Baxter
- Occasionally at Yoga East
Iyengar
B.K.S. Iyengar taught most of his life in what is basically a YMCA in India, so he took the strict discipline of yoga that he knew (Ashtanga, see above) and added props so the “average person” could get into some challenging postures. His style of yoga is very alignment-focused. The requirements to be an Iyengar teacher are VERY STRICT and there are only a handful of Iyengar teachers here in Louisville. However, you will find many teachers who have studied his techniques and apply his alignment principles to their classes. This class is good for beginners and regular practitioners who would like to fine-tune their alignment.
- Learn more about Iyengar
- What Iyengar looks like (minus the bootie shorts)
- Where to find Iyengar in Louisville:
- Yoga at Crescent Hill (Iyengar Certified)
- Trilliquin (Iyengar-inspired)
- Orbis
Anusara
This type of class is similar to a Hatha/Vinyasa class but is more spiritually aligned. There is a lot of opening to Grace and aligning with the Divine. The founder of this type of yoga, John Friend, was originally an Iyengar teacher so the alignment principles are the same but are streamlined as the Universal Principles of Alignment.
- Learn more about Anusara
- What Anusara looks like (full class! Yes!)
- Where to find Anusara in Louisville:
Vinyasa
A general term used to describe a class that has flowing sequences that are connected to breath (inhale as you go up, exhale as you go down, etc) and has a fluidity between a wide array of yoga postures. These classes tend to be a bit faster paced than a traditional Hatha class, but you don’t need to know yoga to try it. This is what I teach and I love it.
- Learn more about Vinyasa
- What Vinyasa looks like
- Where to find Vinyasa in Louisville:
- Yoga on Baxter
- Yoga East
- Eternal Health Yoga
- Heat Yoga & Wellness (Hot Vinyasa)
- Shine
- Betsy’s Hot Yoga (Warm Vinyasa)
- Rivers Edge Yoga
- Rising Sun Yoga
- Yoga I.S.
Yin
In Yin yoga, there are only a few postures that are each held for a very long time. As you hold a pose, you slowly release and relax into a pose, focusing on deep connective tissues. This can be very relaxing and meditative, but some feel it’s a bit dangerous to overstretch your muscles like that.
- Learn more about Yin Yoga
- What Yin looks like
- Where to find Yin in Louisville:
Bikram / Hot Yoga
Named for the yogi who trademarked his personal style, this class moves through 26 postures in a specific sequence and is performed in a room heated to 105º at 40% humidity. If the class style is called “Hot Yoga” the teacher probably doesn’t have Bikram’s blessing to teach his trademarked style, but it will be very similar to what is described above. Little known fact: Bikram is technically a beginner’s yoga because the postures are somewhat simple and there are no inversions (upside down poses) or other arm balancing poses. This is a good class for someone with shoulder or wrist issues who don’t like the idea of doing lots of downward dogs.
- Learn more about Bikram
- What Bikram looks like
- Where to find Bikram (Hot Yoga) in Louisville:
Find Your Yoga Style – Still can’t decide? A yoga teacher in North Carolina made a very handy flow chart to help you find the yoga style that is right for you.
And as always – be sure to check each studio’s page for their updated schedules and specific class descriptions.
Namaste!
-Cat
