Om. What is om?

I was recently introduced to chanting as part of a yoga class. Chants are chanted in the original sanskirt language. The first time I heard a chant I was intrigued, as I have become more familiar with chanting I have started using Om to end a yoga practice. At first this was a little awkward but the last time the group all chanted Om together it was a transformation! It was awesome the voices of all the group came together as one. Our voices all together made a wonderful vibration that brought the group together. Each person’s voice could be heard but they were all together as one integrated whole the sound and vibration connected the group, not just or voices but the vibration and emotion. It was really beautiful to be a part of. This simple chant can be powerful.

Namaste Cheri

Bodhi Yoga.

Is Yoga for Everbody?

Is yoga for everybody?

In my opinion the answer is a resounding yes

In my experience yoga can be done by any- body, not just those who are more physically fit or thin or those who are young. I started a class and instructed a group for a chair yoga class and they were all over 60. Just the stretching and light isometric exercise along with the ujjayi breathing is very helpful for all ages.

For myself I have only been practicing yoga for three to four years and I am starting to incorporate  yoga  as a way of life.

Some sports or exercises are so competitive and have only one winner.  With yoga no one has to lose for the other person to win. There is a little competition in a class setting, it’s human nature to compare yourself with others. The great thing about yoga is everyone can explore the edges of their own practice. There is room enough for everyone to win.

What do I mean by that ? and what do I consider to be a (win ) in my practice. I have come to love the chants, something I would not have experienced on my own. Yoga is done in an environment where you can try new things and be comfortable. Maybe It’s a new pose or chanting or om or just showing up for any exercise class. Another benefit is the history and the mystique. The being part of something bigger than yourself and the awareness of the collective. I also notice my stamina is greatly improved. My breath work is paying off I can work harder and longer. There is a satisfaction in doing a difficult pose that I thought initially was out of the realm of possibilities to ever attain. I have heard that yoga slows the aging process and I am all for that. So in my opinion that’s why you should consider incorporating a regular yoga practice.

Bodhi Yoga.

what are you looing for?

Breath within the breath? The pranic energy between the poses?

One of the goals of yoga is to gather and harvest the life energy and create an unobstructed  and

balanced flow of  of pranic energy through the body.

In yoga class I try to encourage the practitioners to experience this flow of energy.

One way to do this is hands on adjustments. A little change of hand position (Hand facing forward) in

Trikonasana   enables the yogi to rotate the shoulder and get more lift in the pose. Is an example of  a

simple but effective way to let the praic energy flow. There are adjustments with most poses, I won’t go through them here.

 The yoga group that meets with me Tuesdays and Friday mornings are especially fond of the

adjustments in savasana pose.

 I receive comments on how good the adjustments feel and the openness after an adjustment. One class

member said “ you have healing hands. That feels so much better.”

I think that trying to find the place where the pose is balanced and you feel the energy throughout your

Body.This feeling  is one of the main reasons why people practice yoga. To find the joy or the (laghima )a

sanskirt word that means to levitate. To do a asana with grace and ease in this instance.

 To Quote Syl Carson “ The space between the pose is as important as the pose itself.”


Bodhi Yoga.

small ajustments big results

Hands on adjustments are a new part of my yoga class. I think helping the yogi with an adjustment is important because if I can give a little direction on how a posse should feel and how to position your body correctly to feel the correct flow of energy in the pose. This is a wonderful feeling when you are grounded in a pose and the energy is coming through your pose. I like the triangle pose because the flow of is Rajasic energy flowing from the head to the back foot and Thomas from the straight arms and balance. triangl  is also sattva  energy  if you do the posture from your core energy  you can experience  (steady Joy) one definition of the word Asana or pose. A little help in the form of an adjustment can help open the chest and back and make room for your pose. I have been using the adjustments in class for a couple of weeks and everyone thinks it is a great complement to the practice they like the feel of the stretch and extra space in the pose.i have attended classes where there are no direction on how to do a pose and defiantly no hands on adjustments to bad because they add a lot to the practice.

Namaste  Cheri

Bodhi Yoga.

yoga questions and answers

The question I have been asking myself is what kind of a class do I want to offer my students? I have only attended a few classes with a live instructor most of my yoga study is on video.  Instructional video’s  are  good and I learned a lot using them but you can’t beat a live class.   The classes I have taken at the bodhi Yoga center have been exceptional classes.  I hope to incorporate the things I have learned there when I teach.

1.       The environment should be clean and bright. Free from distraction, such as cell phones and outside noise. And a place that fosters personal reflection and focus on personal practice.

2.       Friendliness is also important, to feel a part of the collective and be welcomed as part of the class even if you are at a different level than others in the class. there shouldn’t  be a feeling of  competition with other students.

3.        I want to offer a balanced practice starting with seated postures and vinyasas, standing postures, forward folds twists and back bends . Counter postures between the poses so overworking one muscle group will be avoided.

4.        And an appropriate length of savasana at the end of the class is very important some say 5min. for every 30min.in your personal practice. You can let the wisdom of your body decide. Savasana is an important time for relaxation. Just relax and unwind completely. Your body and mind will have the time needed to integrate and assimilate what you have just learned, and assist your body In the repair of organs and muscle tissue.

5.       Hands on adjusting  is important. Adjusting  your body  trains your muscles to feel the pose . Adjustments align your body so you are in the correct alignment to deepen a pose. Not to mention it feels nice to get a greater stretch.

6.       I have been looking around at different styles of classes and there are some things that I definitely don’t work for me. But I’ll just keep them to myself for now.

So that is my initiall list of components for  great yoga class. Hope to see you there.

Namaste,Cheri

Bodhi Yoga.

Yoga where do I go from here?

The practice of yoga for me is a grand adventure, for the mind, body and spirit. In yoga there are the obvious benefits for the body such as improved memory, reduced stress, decreased anxiety and improved productivity in all aspects of life. As of late I have been thinking about pushing my edges. A saying I learned from Syl Carson in a Bodhi yoga class. What is pushing your edges?  I love to ski and pushing the edge on skis would facilitate a turn, there is a similarity with yoga pushing your edges facilitates a turn but this turn is inward. Doing my best to perform an asana and being present in body and mind.  This is yoga for the mind. Pushing my edges can also be looking inward to see who I really am. Pushing the edges of what I believe, and can I expand what I believe.  This in my opinion, is yoga for the spirit.  So if you are wondering what you might find in a yoga class you just might find yourself. Namaste cheri

Bodhi Yoga.

Questions about yoga

Is yoga beneficial?

 I went to the Museum of Idaho and saw the Bodies Exhibition.( It was awesome.) it’s a exhibition of real bodies  they show all the body parts and body systems the circulatory system was so amazing they had a body that they had removed everything but the heart, veins and arteries.

So how does that relate with yoga being beneficial? I’m paraphrasing but they said that deep breathing benefits the body similar to aerobic exercise. I thought that was news worthy. I just wanted to encourage anyone who is thinking about getting more exercise to try yoga and Ujjayi breathing it does the body good. I have been teaching a chair yoga class as part of my certification as a yoga instructor. The class is a group of retired people who get together every day to walk and we do yoga twice a week. In class we stretch and do asana poses that can be done in a seated position and of course we start each class with deep breathing. One of my class members stated that she walked up a flight of stairs and didn’t have to stop to catch her breath. We are seeing positive results in only a few weeks.

Namaste Cheri

Bodhi Yoga.