Counting Crow

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

crow.jpg

I’ve been working on Crow Pose. So
many of you have mentioned loving Crow, hating it, hoping
to master it, or dreading it, that I finally looked it up.
That’s how new I am at all of this.

Hands in front of feet. Up on toes,
knees on upper arms. One foot off the floor, then the other. Feet
crossed, look forward. Count.

Well. I’m great until the second foot
comes off the floor. Most days both feet will cooperate. And who
can’t look forward?

But the counting! Never have five
breaths taken so long! In fact, unless I breathe very, very quickly,
and I’m not sure hyperventilation is recommended as part of a yoga
practice, I can’t get past three. Sometimes I can’t get to two.  

(What’s the big deal about five breaths, anyway, I wonder as I collapse after my tenth try.  Well, the big deal is that until I get to five, I’m not actually holding crow, I’m just passing through Crow on my way to a banged head.)

This afternoon, I will try Crow with chanting. Chanting is new for me. I don’t know anything but Ohmmmm, and Shanti, Shanti.  Love them both.

Today’s chant will be, “I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly.”

I’ll let you know if it works.

Tell us how you feel about Crow. If you’ve told us before, tell us again. Let’s have a Crowfest.

Thanks to yoga for ridiculously challenging poses, and for that infernal count of five breaths. Thanks to you, always, for the conversation,

kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook,  on Twitter, and on iTunes

Posted in bakasana, breath, challengingyogapose, counting, crowpose, Yoga | Comments Off on Counting Crow

Laughasana

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

oliver1.jpg

The other day I recommended yoga to a
client, suspecting she’d benefit hugely from a regular practice. I
suggested she go to a local studio with great teachers.

Her response was to ask, “Do they
laugh there? Because I really need to go somewhere where we can
laugh.”

At my studio, the teachers are
lighthearted and genuine. There is the odd giggle, but it isn’t a
belly laughter kind of place. And, come to think of it, I have done
classes at other studios where the climate is far more serious, where
you’d be frowned at for laughing.

I understand the value of quiet focus.
I don’t love being distracted by crazy noise around me. But
I suspect that silence can be intimidating for beginners, who
might appreciate something lighter.

I wonder what you prefer, and whether
your preference has changed with time and experience. Is there room
for us to laugh together, or is disciplined silence the way to go?

I’d love to tell my friend that yoga
has room for all of us.

Thanks to Karen for the excellent
question. Thanks to my sister Tory for her laughasana photo, above.  Thanks to you for your answers, and for this wonderful
conversation,

kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook,
and on Twitter.  Also at iTunes, as though we don’t have enough options already.

Posted in Yoga | Comments Off on Laughasana

Was Lost And Now Am

Posted on November 30, 2010 by kristinshepherd

Bangkok is filled to spewing with smells, sounds, heat, motorcycles, and people, people, people. It’s overwhelming by 8am.

This morning, after the best coffee i’ve had in a long time, i set out walking what was supposed to be five minutes to the water taxi stop (A huge canal snakes through the old city), and got completely lost.  Which was okay with me.  I had a vague idea i was headed toward interesting stuff.

The first thing to present itself, after 4,000 street stalls selling flowers, fried things, noodley things, and apothecary-ish things, was an exhibit of modern sculpture.  Two rooms, in the middle of nowhere.  The sculptures, particularly one called Sorrow, made me feel at home for the first time in three or four days.  Who knows what that says about me.

And then, lost again, overwhelmed again, i was wandering in some back alley, wondering whether i had enough steam to pursue the sights. A Buddhist nun passed me.  She had extremely short hair and wore white robes.   A few seconds later, I heard “hello” from behind me.  It was the nun.  I said “sawatdi,” which is supposed to be hello, though no one yet has understood my pronunciation.

“Meditate?” she asked.

“Yes.  I do,” i answered.

She motioned me to follow her.  I did, through alleys and more alleys.  “Vipassana,” she said at some point, over her shoulder.  (Vipassana is one form of meditation.)

We arrived at a doorway with 10 or 12 pairs of shoes arranged  on mats.  She pointed at mine.  I took them off.

“You meditate before?” she said.  At least i think that’s what she said.

“Yes.”

She opened the door and pointed toward a second room.  I followed her finger.

In the room were 20 or 30 people in white robes, sitting cross-legged on mats.  The nun, behind me, pointed at a mat.

I meditated with them for maybe two hours.

It was heaven.  They chanted for the last few minutes.  When i opened my eyes, another white-robed nun was in front of me.  She mimed eating and pointed to yet another doorway.  So i joined them for lunch – the best meal i’ve had in Bangkok – and then for washing dishes. It was tough to leave.

There are two thoughts for me.  One is that miracles happen everywhere you

look, or don’t look, as it turns out.  Another is be grateful, Kristin, for the way things unfold.  And those two thoughts are enough for today.

Thanks, thanks, to that nun for her generosity and clear sight.

And thank you for the conversation,

kristin

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Making Peace

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

buddha.jpg

I’ve made peace with Triangle Pose. This statement may not rock your
universe, but my mouth is hanging open.

I have not enjoyed Triangle Pose. No,
no, it’s more than that. For a year, I have approached Triangle
with a tense jaw and significant resentment of the long-dead yogi who
thought Triangle was a good idea in the first place. “Oh, god,
here we go,” is what went on in my head for a year during every
practice, when it came time for the Dreaded Pose.

Why? Because I have short, tight
hamstrings. Worse on the left, I thought, until a few months ago,
when my right hamstrings tightened just enough to match the left.
Yes, ancient yogi, they tightened after eight months of practice.

I give up, I thought. Threw my hands up, or more accurately, threw my tight legs half way up and just went back to practice the next day, not bothering to
resent the pose anymore.

And somehow, without any fanfare,
without any gnashing of teeth or knuckles, without any deep
contemplation, Triangle became … all right. My hand reaches no
lower on my leg than it did before. I probably look no different
from the outside than I did a year ago, but something inside is at
rest.

I wonder if this is, at least in part, what practice is
about? Not results, but making peace.

It also occurs to me that this practice
of peace might come in handy with my mother and with my body, to name
a couple of biggies.

Are you practicing peace with any
particular pose? (Or with your mother? With yourself?)

Thanks to yoga for unexpected lessons.
Thanks to my hamstrings and my mother, and thanks to you for the
conversation,

kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook,
and on Twitter.   Also on iTunes, if you can believe it.

Posted in hamstrings, makingpeace, trianglepose, Yoga | Comments Off on Making Peace

Live Your Business With Open Arms

Posted on November 23, 2010 by kristinshepherd

Over lunch today, a friend and i discussed the ownership of ideas, and whether or not you need to protect them (and your future, and your finances) by not sharing your ideas.  What if someone else uses them? What if we share and then there’s no room in the market for us anymore? Isn’t it wrong for someone else to use my ideas?  Etc.  This is the way we were brought up to think.

All of that thinking reflects a lack of trust in ourselves, in others, and in the basic goodness of the universe.  (If trusting the universe seems ridiculous to you, just ignore all of this and go on being proprietary with your ideas.)

I think business can be done with open, generous arms and complete transparency.  In fact i think that’s the only way to do business and remain human.

In the middle of this discussion, Shari, the waitress, came to our table.  I told her the raspberry cheesecake was delicious, and asked her whether the recipe was a secret or whether she’d share.

Of course we share, she said.  Our recipes are healthy and delicious.  Why shouldn’t the whole town have them?

This is good business.  Will sharing the recipe stop us from going? No.  Will it grow her business?  Yes.  Can we all apply that to our businesses?  I hope so.  Because love wins.  Every time.

Thanks to Shari and the owners of VegOut for the great cheesecake and the great advice. And thanks to you for your thoughts,

kristin

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Yoga Goes Viral

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd
spring in high park.jpg
I returned to yoga last year with a feverish intensity. Within two months I’d started a home practice just for the pleasure of it, and it seems there’s no looking back. I was ripe for it.
After Christmas, my lovely man began classes in order to help his low back and hips. He will not miss a Thursday night Yin Yoga class now.  (If you’d told me that three years ago, I’d have laughed in your face. So would he.)

Then my sister Tory started, just to balance out her running and cycling. She’s got the fever, no question. She just took a “floating class,” which has something to do with transitions between poses. That’s way over my head.

My daughter’s been doing yoga classes at university this year, and is looking at a Master’s thesis involving yoga. I’m not kidding.

And this morning, my niece, Gabriella, sent a note telling me she enjoys the blog (how lovely is that!). Gabriella began classes shortly after Tory, and loves it as much as the rest of us do. She’s just landed a job at her yoga studio in Toronto. One of the stipulations is that she has to do either Mysore or classes six days a week. Incredible! I asked her how it’s going, and she’s sore, and head over heels.

It’s like a virus, isn’t it? Like something bursting into bloom. It makes me wonder how there can be anyone left at this point. How long will it be before we’ve got them all–our parents, our kids, our friends, our coworkers, the guy at the hot dog stand–in our classes? Practicing Crow at home. Hanging out on Yogajournal.com. Working on new moves at lunch.

Has yoga gone viral around you? Were you infected by someone close? Are you still contagious?
Thanks to yoga for spreading the healthiest virus ever, and thanks to you and all the rest of the little yoga microbes, for the conversation,
kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook,
and on Twitter.

Posted in ashtanga, bakasana, cranepose, crowpose, family, homepractice, mysore, Yoga, yogacommunity | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Yoga Goes Viral

All The Time In The World

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

For the foreseeable future (one week? three weeks?), I’ve got all the time in the world. I’m celebrating the end of one career by spending time with the dog (my lovely man is working) at our cabin on an island in Northern Ontario. That means no electricity, no running water, and no watch. All of which means heaven.

11_16_BM_cabin.jpg

One of the purposes of this Great Adventure is to do as much yoga and meditation as I’d like, without having to squeeze it in between meetings, phone calls, and … well, 30 other time wasters I have perfected.

Just me, the dog, a wood stove, and a mat.

Today is day five. So far, I figure I’m doing an hour of yoga each day, and about three hours of meditation. These are, of course, approximations based on having no watch and absolutely no familiarity with where the sun is supposed to be at any hour of the day. I’m guessing, is what I’m saying, but I do know my regular home practice, and this feels about the same. (The meditation just feels like forever, at each sitting.)

Between hauling huge pails of water from the lake to the cabin, and learning to chop endless bits of kindling (at the risk of sounding melodramatic, these are the essentials of survival here), yoga has become an extraordinary luxury for the first time. Not a discipline, not something I’m trying to do more of. That yoga hour, followed by a freeze-my-face-off dip in the lake, is my visit to a spa each day. Absolutely unnecessary for my physical survival, absolutely essential for my well-being.

It makes me wonder. Is yoga your discipline? Your pleasure? Your creativity? Your hard work? Your prayer? Your relaxation? Your hobby? Your reason for being? Your luxury? How much yoga would you do if you had all the time in the world?

Thanks for the rare opportunity to have free time. Thanks to yoga for its luxuriousness, and thanks to you for the conversation,
kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook, on iTunes, and on Twitter.

Posted in homepractice, sitinmeditation, solitude, wellbeing, Yoga | Tagged | Comments Off on All The Time In The World

1000 Truths

Posted on November 11, 2010 by kristinshepherd

This week a friend called me on the phone for help. I could hardly hear her for the banging in the background. Contractors, she said. Three of them, working on different projects in the house. I’m going crazy, she said. Crying for no reason. Hate my work, strung out with the family, don’t know where I’m going. Give me something.

It was impossible not to laugh, because we have all been there.

Here’s what she wanted to be reminded of:

There are 1000 truths in front of me at any time.

There are contractors smashing things downstairs. True.

Work is tough. True.

Family is tougher. True.

Don’t know where she’s going. True.

Those are four truths. She is honest and justified in leading with those.

But.

The contractors are making the house beautiful, not to mention warm for the winter. True.

She’s excited about what work might become when this awful patch is over. True.

Family is tough right now because she’s  standing up for herself for the first time in decades. True.

She doesn’t know everything about where she’s going. It’s been a long time since the future looked so open and full of possibility. True.

She loves her husband, she’s healthy, November is unusually warm, and she still have a sense of humour. True.

There are always 1000 truths in front of me. I am honest and justified in focusing on any of them.  But some of them empower me, and some of them are completely deflating. Some of them make me optimistic and happy, some of them make me feel like hell.

Choice is mine, and if you believe that your thoughts have consequences for your life tomorrow, the choice is pivotal.

1000 truths. I choose.

Thanks for the conversation,

kristin

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Falling for Warm Poses

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

Home practice is wonderful these days. Mornings are getting cold here. We
wear gloves while walking the dog. Most often, it’s still dark out.
I look like a teenager who’s lost her skateboard: a hoodie,
baseball cap, baggie pants, running shoes. The dog and I shiver for
the first two blocks.

Maple leaves at cabin.JPG

Yoga is the best way ever (in the
history of the universe, I am tempted to say) to create warmth in a
body. There are other things that work. Long underwear is good, but
ugly, uncomfortable, and depressing after summer. Sex is good, but
not seven days a week and not at 4 or 5am (if you disagree with this
one, you’re probably too busy for yoga). Spicy food is good and
heats from the inside out, but we don’t cook much, and who wants
jalapenos at that hour?

So. I begin today’s practice with the
intention of creating heat as quickly as possible. I reach up as
though the sunrise depends on it. My forward bend is a strong swan
dive. I hold Plank for a few seconds. I hold Chaturanga for two
breaths. Upward-Facing Dog for two breaths. Already I can feel it.

And by the time I’ve been through two
or three Sun Salutations in my dark living room, there is so much
warmth inside this body that it can stay black outside all day for
all I care. It’s like being your own weather
system.

Do you know this feeling?

Do you have favorite poses for creating
warmth? Why don’t we collect all of them and stay warm through
winter? (Unless, of course, you live at or south of the equator, in
which case you are much smarter than I am.)

Thanks to yoga for generating something
so beautiful from the inside out, and thanks to you for the
conversation,

kristin

Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario.  Join her on the web,
on Facebook,
and on Twitter. (And I would join her in the dark, and I would join her big aardvark …)

Posted in buildingheat, chaturanga, homepractice, plank, sunsalutations, upwarddog, Yoga, yogaforcoldweather, yogapracticeforbuildingheat | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Falling for Warm Poses

A Yogi’s Really Big House

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Kristin Shepherd

Sting has said that yoga is the most
interesting thing in his life since music. In my beginner’s eyes, yoga is a house
with 1,000 doors in it leading to 1,000 different rooms.

big house.jpg

Physical Flexibility might be the name
over one door. Physical Strength is close by. Emotional Strength and Emotional
Flexibility have sliding doors. I didn’t see them at first. Chanting is down the hall. Meditation and Learn-to-Breathe are
somewhere near Chanting. Maybe Belly Dancing is there, too.

Self-Awareness might be an entire
floor. Stillness, Peace, Confidence, Humility,
Patience, Joy, Community, Acceptance–all in my house. Perfect Yoga Clothes might be in your
house. (I’m envious.)

I suspect that a room called Beautiful Yoga Body is
in every house, as soon as you walk in. There might not even be a door on that one. I pass right by it without
seeing, most days.

Competitiveness and Perfectionism are
grungy little closets in my house. They’ll disappear as soon as
I’m ready to renovate.

Questioning Your Entire Life is a great
room. Lots of daylight in there. Same goes for Loving All That Is,
Even The Ones You Don’t Love To Love. Big, beautiful rooms.

Tell us about your house. Do you live in just a few rooms or have you spread out? Which is your favorite room? Are there any rooms that make you nervous?

Thanks to Paul and Lori, who now own the house in which I grew up. Great picture. Thanks to yoga for its complexity, and
thanks to you for the conversation,

kristin

Dr. Kristin
Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All Things
Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario. Join her on the web,
on Facebook,
and on Twitter.








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