a Few words on meditating with honesty

MEDITATION = HONESTY
We recently spent a few weeks on the topic of progress. In yoga asana, it's straightforward to measure progress in strength, flexibility and balance. A complex posture that incorporates all three in an explicit (flashy!) way is Eka Pada Koundinyasana. It takes time and patience to achieve, and once it's there, it actually starts to feel easy.

But consider progress in a far more challenging facet of yoga: meditation. Progress takes honesty; I can't cheat in a handstand, but I sure can cheat in meditation. I need to acknowledge the reality that I might only stay focused for two breaths before my mind drifts to any or all of the following:

-negative thoughts or grievances
-dreamy or inspired thoughts
-planning

So why bother? The value of meditation is not just in the short periods of focus, it's also in the awareness of the times that I'm spinning. Self-awareness gets my mind back on track, if only for another two breaths. The next time, it will be three. I might even find the meditation not as smooth as previously but that, too, is progress. Practicing meditation strengthens my mind so I'm more equipped to manage the roller coaster off the mat.

Some words of encouragement: Meditate often. Be honest with your progress. Accept minor distractions; they'll make your practice stronger. Don't be intimidated by people sitting quietly for thirty minutes. They might have control of their brains, but not necessarily of their minds. Use some mindfulness tools like breath counting or sense observation. Lately, I've been imagining I've just gotten out of a capsule where I could not see the sun, feel the breeze, or hear the birds, and suddenly I can... this usually gets me another few moments of focus.

Enjoy. You've got a lifetime.

Let's celebrate wellness without crisis!

Let's talk about crisis. Gosh, we've seen plenty of those in the past couple of years, individually and collectively. And crisis can bring change, but it's bittersweet. Usually the change is good, but it's unfortunate that it takes a crisis to make it happen.

Often when someone takes up yoga, it's because they're experiencing a crisis - they're feeling broken in some way - and they're looking for help.  A yoga practice gets them back on track, and it can be a long road to reconnect mind to body.

But recently something special has happened: people are taking up a yoga practice when they're feeling great. This has already been a record teaching year for me. My in-studio coaching sessions are back-to-back, and the public classes I teach are full. I'd like to think it's all because of my utterly engaging presence, but really something else is going on: people feel good and are soberly building up even more resilience. Consider how unique this is;normally when we feel good we sit back and indulge in less, er, constructive activities.

Imagine the benefits of working on wellness when we're well: we're more equipped to absorb what we're learning, there are fewer hurdles to overcome, and we're optimizing our resilience in order to better cope with the next crisis when it inevitably comes (sorry). 

May we all be bold enough to celebrate wellness with more wellness!

Let's take a deep breath.

Hi everyone

Last month we worked on the least flashy, yet most important aspect of yoga: breathing. And golly does it take work! It’s a sneaky phenomenon…breath drifts in and out of control depending on how strenuous the activity (or thoughts!) Ironically, sometimes we hold our breath when we need it the most.

It’s quite wonderful to be in a roomful of hard-working yogis who cultivate such equanimity that panic and ego-driven gasps cannot be heard. When I remind my students to let breathing drive the duration of a pose or movement, the pace literally slows by half.

So how do we make sure that our breath stays front and center? Practice. There are lots of different breathing techniques worth exploring. Some are energizing, some cooling, some heating, some calming. But breath work really all comes down to these reminders:

• every posture and transition is an opportunity to improve breathing

• strength and flexibility are beneficial side effects of good breathing

• breathing drives the speed of movement, not the reverse

• if it's hard to breathe, then an adjustment to speed or shape is necessary

Here’s a mindful breath practice that incorporates these points in an easy way:

Sit comfortably
Inhale and exhale through your nose
Be patient with your breath
Lengthen your breath, just a little
Introduce a pause after an inhale, then continue when it feels right
Introduce a pause after an exhale, then continue when it feels right
Observe your chest and stomach expand with an inhale
Observe your chest and stomach contract with an exhale
Bring your palms together in front of your chest
Open your arms out to the sides while you inhale fully
Bring your palms back together while you exhale fully
Repeat this breath-driven movement four more times

Challenge yourself to really focus on subtle, calm breathing during your practice, and throughout your day. The payoff of good breath awareness is immense.

A new gig.
Starting in December, I’m honored to be teaching yoga the first two Fridays of each month at Sunnylands. These classes are quite a phenomenon - up to 300 people of all ages and abilities from around the world appear on the lawn of this beautiful, historic site. Those of you who are local, come and try it out! It’s a fun, free, socially-distanced outdoor experience. Get there early! 10am start time.

A new platform.
I’m switching to a new booking system on January 1 so if you’re an active student, you’ll get an email prompting you for updated contact and billing info. You'll also gain access to your account so you can check in on class schedule and credits.

Happy practice!

Stefane

Yoga can help us feel SAFE.

Hi everyone

Happy September! Two more units of yoga study have happened since the last newsletter: safety and relaxation. There have been some interesting, open-minded exchanges with students on these topics, so read on!

I've also recorded another 10-minute mindfulness walk for you to enjoy, this time through a lush tropical garden. Scroll down!

But first, here's an illustration to remind myself of why I practice yoga. And it does take reminding. Often.

Safety

There's a difference between being safe in yoga and feeling safe. Being safe in my practice means knowing what I'm doing, and moving in and out of postures injury-free. With a solid foundation, this is pretty straightforward. But feeling safe can be a moving target; to feel safe I need to trust the instructor, trust myself, and be comfortable with vulnerability. If I allow myself to be vulnerable – admitting there's something I don't know, that I feel unsafe – then I can address it with honesty and work toward the next level in my practice. Consider whether you feel safe during your practice; maybe that needs some attention.
 

Relaxation

There are also two ways to interpret this: if I'm lying on my back it's fairly easy to relax. But what about in a lunge?  Or a headstand? Or the splits? Can I relax in a strenuous posture? Yes. By returning to my breath, I can clear my head and identify only the body parts that need to engage. In effect, I'm working to relax my mind; the physical and mental stamina from this conditioning is a useful side-effect. Even if parts of my body start to tremble with exertion, I can hold the posture longer because my mind is nottrembling. Consider this during your practice. You'll see a difference.
 

Safety + Relaxation = Recovery

One of my long-time teachers recently pointed out that safety and relaxation are necessary for recovery. If I don't feel safe or relaxed, then recovery takes longer. It's easy to imagine many circumstances beyond the mat where this is true: recovery from mental trauma, addiction, physical illness or injury all require safety and relaxation. Assuming the basics of shelter, food, and medicine are in place, then my task is to simply 'get out of my own way' and let my body and mind do what they're built for: get me back on my feet and happy.

A ten-minute walk through a tropical garden.

Speaking of relaxation, I've recorded another 10-minute mindfulness walk to transport you, just for a bit, away from your desk. Put your headphones on, sit back, and enjoy. Other walks are archived here.

Back to the mat.

Summer is drifting away. The light has changed; later sunrise, earlier sunset. If you've taken a break from yoga recently, this is a good time to get back to your mat. Think of your practice as an anchor, a source of ongoing learning with school days well in the past, a place to build resilience and flexibility, a place to slow things down and savor the reality of change as you make your way through the rest of the year. Whether it's with me or another teacher, make time for yourself to re-establish a regular practice. You'll be glad.

Happy practice!

Stefane

yoga is a tool for change

Hi everyone

This spring, think about creating some change. Consider reacting differently in a difficult situation, consider trying a new kind of food, consider sleeping on the other side of the bed. The fact is, breaking from routine in a more major way is still a way off (like traveling! Or birthday parties!) but even a minor change in routine can have a big impact on attitude.

Yes, yoga is a very useful constant amid turbulence, but the fact is a yoga practice itself is always in flux: "I did crow yesterday, why can't I do it today?" My practice is an anchor, but it's also a tool for discovery, which means it's a tool for change. When I remind myself of that, I'm delighted with the result on and off the mat.

Here's a very simple, but impactful video of...clouds. Yes. Clouds.

It's less than 3 minutes long. Take a break and watch it.

As I shot this, what at first seemed like static shapes I realized were volumes in constant flux. I only had to be patient for a moment to see this, and then I was mesmerized. They weren't just changing, they were disappearing, appearing, rotating and moving. This is my mind. This is the world.

If you're feeling stagnant and a little too entrenched in routine, remember that your yoga practice is a way to create new patterns. New neural pathways. New ways of addressing obstacles. Don't let your practice be precious. Hammer it, bend it, twist it, reshape it. That's part of learning about your body and mind. For your next few practices, try something different: stop resisting the flux that surrounds you. Try some new poses; try your go-to sequence in reverse; focus your attention on your hands the whole time; start your practice face down; practice with your eyes closed.

Something good will come of this effort. You'll see.

This Holiday, Please be Vulnerable.

Hi everyone

A student of mine recently started to sob during one of our private sessions. He had been practicing a bind, and a small adjustment to pull his shoulders back and expand his chest triggered such a wave of emotion that he had to release from the posture and collect himself. After a moment I asked him what was going on. He said, “I’ve never done this pose before. I felt so vulnerable. But also strong. I felt joyful…I guess?”



Recalling this situation makes me emotional myself. I admired his willingness to be vulnerable with me, not just by attempting a new posture, but to allow me to see his raw emotional reaction. And then he had the capacity to very thoughtfully explain what was happening! Furthermore, this student likely would not have been able to accomplish that particular posture (Baddha Parsvakonasana, yoga nerds) in the first place had he not allowed himself to be vulnerable. This is proof that there is strength in vulnerability.

Now, I see that one of the most generous things I can give myself, friends, and even my students is vulnerability. Unburdening myself of the effort to hide things does not mean dumping my problems on others. Vulnerability spans my hopes, fears, problems and aspirations, the good and the bad, the ideas and the complaints. Being vulnerable simply means thinking about and sharing the particulars of my humanity to find common ground and strength.

This holiday (especially this holiday), please be vulnerable.

Speaking of vulnerability, I've committed the ultimate act: writing a book and opening myself to judgement! This book is a collection of relatable, yoga-inspired insights from everyday situations. It’s for yoga enthusiasts looking for a different angle off the mat, and also for non-yogis; readers don’t need a yoga practice to find this book valuable. Yoga is functional training for living, and this book is an inclusive and accessible guide to help navigate life’s terrifying, joyful, and unexpected journeys.

Get one for yourself and one for that person who's been asking you, "what's so damn great about yoga?" Now you'll have some answers! Do it now to get it in time for the holidays. (scroll down to see some reviews)

BUY

As always, remember you can join me for private yoga sessions to suit your schedule, or you can join drop-in classes online. I'd love to connect with you.

Monday 4:30pm PT, mid-level, 60 minutes
Wednesday 7:30am PT, mid-level, 60 minutes
or
Privates sessions to suit your schedule

See you on the mat!

Stefane

Reviews for "How to Not Be a Monster"

Even Your Monster Wants This Book
What gem this book is! It’s true we all have a monster(or three!) inside of us. The author has an authentic tone while relaying very valuable truths about life. This book is chock full of wisdom nuggets, and Stefane Barbeau brings a genuine relatability with anecdotes that have shaped him and his inner monster, and how we can move through life in a more mindful, simple, peaceful manner. I highly recommend this book for all- it’s certainly relevant for yogis but would benefit those who have never unrolled a mat as well. I hope Mr. Barbeau writes another. Five stars!

Thoughtful and wise life lessons
How to Not Be a Monster is a wise, friendly, thought-provoking, practical, and gentle book by an experienced teacher and thinker. Even if you haven’t thought of yourself as (or considered becoming) a monster, you’ll find a trove of important life lessons in Stefane Barbeau’s exploration. This book is a sterling example of what the best of self-improvement writing and reading can be. Highly recommended.

Personal and relatable - wonderful!
I am thoroughly enjoying this inspiring book. It has many personal anecdotes that are so easy to relate to and I am continually intrigued. The stories, observations, and ponderances show how our complex layered thoughts and feelings are just normal. Everyone feels jealousy, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, etc. How to Not be a Monster certainly weaves in the many benefits of yoga practice, as the subtitle implies. It also explores how we can learn to be aware of our reactions to people and events, and how to step away, take a breath, and re-evaluate our reactions. I do not practice yoga and can't wait to read more and more in this lovely book. Highly recommended!

Incredibly impactful and helpful.
I found this book incredibly relatable, and while I do practice yoga, I think it's a great read for everyone. It's so much more than a book about yoga - it's about how to live better. Every chapter delivers thoughtful words of wisdom that can be applied to any aspect of your life. One of my favorite chapters about learning has a great observation about reaching plateaus as you gain knowledge: "The time between plateaus is when I'm the most vulnerable, but also the most vigilant." I have felt exactly this way when I've embarked on a new career path, but never captured the emotions as succinctly.

Buy This Book!
I look forward to reading this again and digesting more of Stefane's thoughtful guidance. I highly recommend to anyone, whether you practice yoga or not. Whether you practice yoga or not, you will certainly see yourself (and others)in one or more of these stories. I SO appreciate Stefane’s wisdom, vulnerability and perspective. This is the kind of book that I will keep on my nightstand for continued inspiration, awareness and reflection. I have a monster inside of me, for sure. She’s a bit more tamed than decades before and perhaps has even a little more grace after reading this book.

Inspiring and authentic
I just finished reading How to Not Be a Monster and it will definitely be a “go to” guide regularly. It is inspiring, honest, and insightful. I’ve been an irregular yoga student for two decades, always with the back-of-the-mind intention to make it a daily practice. The author both illustrates the off-the-mat applications of a yoga practice through stories of his own journey and reminds the reader that even just a few minutes a day is a worthwhile practice. The authenticity the author brings to the pages makes this book hard to put down and very accessible.

This book is for everyone, not just yogis
I have practiced yoga for 45 years. Some days I wake up and my biggest challenge is forward bend. Other days I feel I can conquer the world. Regardless, yoga is my ballast and Stefan's book inspires me to go beyond my own physical and mental barriers. He writes, "I can stick to the simpler postures and still benefit physically. The more advanced postures are for my brain--overcoming ego, challenging my memory, building focus." There are tidbits of wisdom and inspiration throughout this unique book.

So helpful!!
Finally, a book written just for me! Ha. Kidding, not kidding. I absolutely love how deep yet easy to read this book is. Each section is so valuable; I know I’ll go back and read it again and again. Although I’m a long-time yoga practitioner, I know this book would be useful for anyone, whether they are experienced in yoga philosophy, or not.

A great read!
This book is a gem and a welcome treat for me. It shows how yoga has calmly and logically enabled the author to deal with life’s situations. It has shown me that not only does yoga help you maintain physical fitness, but mental and psychological health in life as well. The book delves into the author’s own experiences, some of which are quite funny. I also enjoyed the author’s sketches. I think there’s a bit of monster in all of us, and I feel this book will help me deal with mine. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

This book is not just for yogis (or monsters!)
How Not to be a Monster is a fantastic read and you don't need to be a yogi (or a monster) to benefit from its pages. It is a book filled with relatable anecdotes, wisdom and tools that can help you cope with the feelings and reactions that stress can induce. The benefits of yoga are both physical and spiritual and though this book strongly advocates these virtues, I think this book could be equally benefit those who do not wish to practice yoga or spend time on the mat. The book offers a multitude of tools to shift your perspective and responses to a stressful world. If you ever experience moments of feeling like a monster such as saying something you regretted afterwards, or reacting harshly before having all the facts before you, then you will enjoy what this book has to offer. I found this book an easy and enlightening read and I would highly recommend it.

BUY

Consider your yoga practice an experiment.

Hi everyone

Been a while, huh? I've had a busy few months adapting to new ways of teaching online and, more significantly, learning to more skillfully manage expectations. 

Which brings me to my yoga practice. Despite my best efforts to put expectations aside and not muscle through my practice hell-bent on an anticipated result, sometimes I still find myself disappointed. But I've discovered a way to avoid the burden of expectations: consider my practice an experiment. If I simply 'see what happens' while I'm practicing, several good things happen: I'm more objective about my progress, I learn more about the process, and I often discover unanticipated, useful things about how my body and mind work.

Experimentation elevates my yoga practice from mindless repetition to mindful exploration. And since I'm basically using yoga to get better at living, this applies off the mat as well: cooking a meal, cleaning the house, having a conversation, working at a job. Experimentation keeps things interesting.

In the spirit of experimentation, I've created a couple of weekly live stream classes in addition to all of the private appointments. Folks have been asking for an anchor. They start Monday, September 28. Join us! You can book up to 30 minutes before the class, and if you've paid but can't make it, you can access a recording up to a week later. Online yoga works! I've taught 15 sessions a week since March and seen beautiful progress in clients.
 

Monday 4:30pm PT, mid-level, 60 minutes, $18
Wednesday 7:30 am PT, mid-level, 60 minutes, $18

BOOK

I was up in the high desert last weekend, and recorded another mindfulness walk. It's 10 minutes long, and astonishingly refreshing. Challenge yourself to take a break and watch the whole thing. You might see a jackrabbit. You can find more mindfulness walks here, along with some sample yoga videos.

If you're new to my newsletter: Clinic Yoga is a learning-based yoga practice that equips you to sustain lifelong physical and mental fitness. I'm happy to speak with you directly to schedule private sessions.

Oh, and here's a shot from outside the studio last week. That ain't normal. We do have clear skies now. Phew.

See you on the mat!

Stefane

resilience = strength + flexibility

Hi everyone

Weird times, huh? I find myself struggling to understand my emotions over the past week. After my daily asana practice, I've been sitting on my mat, quietly trying to address the unknowns of the present and future...trying to at least be comfortable with the discomfort.

Most of you are used to me barking out orders for how to get your legs higher, adjust your hips, pull your shoulders back...all these physical adjustments that will lead to breakthroughs.

Recently, I had a very different breakthrough: my studio windows face a garden of sturdy cacti, blooming aloe, fresh-leaved palo verde, and humming birds. Everything is going about its business, and moving forward, whether it's raining, sunny, windy, 40 degrees or 120 degrees. The resilience of nature comes not just from strength, but also flexibility. Nature rolls with the punches, growing when it can, and recovering when it needs to. 

All I needed for this breakthrough – the idea that my own resilience requires strength and flexibility – was to stop and look out the window, to re-connect just a little bit with nature, to get past the ignorance (or arrogance) and remember that I'm part of this ecosystem, just like the cacti and humming birds. 

As such, I've included a video I recorded a few years ago on the east coast. It's a ten-minute walk through nature. That's it. There's no surprise at the end, nothing funny or sad, no words of wisdom. It's just a chance to tune into the details of nature, without a destination. I find it comforting and refreshing. Please take ten minutes to watch and listen. (I suspect you have time.) Challenge yourself to stick with it and just roll with where it takes you. You'll be glad.

Take care of yourselves, your families, and friends. See you on the mat soon, if I'm not already doing FaceTime sessions with you!

Stefane

motivation is a tricky beast.

Hi everyone

I sometimes have students tell me they dread coming to a yoga session, but that when they’re finished, they’re very glad they came. Apparently, the feeling at the end is enough to motivate them to come back. (Sometimes, just barely!) I know that I don't torture people, so what's going on here? Wellness takes work. Is it useful to have an expectation that everything we do, including the pursuit of wellness, should be pleasurable for the entire duration of that activity? I suspect if I myself clung to that hope, I'd stop all activities altogether. There are always bumps in the road; they're what make us resilient. 

I’ve asked myself how I can help manage students' motivation; the best answer, I have found, is equanimity – taking a step back from the emotions associated with an activity, be they positive or negative, and just observing the sensations. Emotions are an unreliable benchmark - there one moment and gone the next. But as for my body: do my arms, legs, neck, and back feel good? If I'm exhausted, or even a little achy, is it possible that even that might feel good? 

And then, more subtly, emotions aside, does my mind feel good? Do I have some clarity? Do my burdens feel like less of a big deal, even a little bit?

In other words, does my overall being feel better at the end a yoga session than when I arrived? The answer is usually YES. The work in a yoga session leads in a really simple way to that one, simple question. The answer - YES! – is the motivation, the reason to come back, and the thing to conjure if doubt starts to creep in as the next session approaches.

As the year unfolds, tune into your body and its sensations, and let the answer to that simple question – do I feel better now than before? – be your motivator.

Here's the Friday 9am drama club...er...yoga session. I admire their unwavering consistency and lighthearted acceptance of the ups and downs of yoga.

Slow Your Breathing, Slow Down Time

It's the home stretch to the end of the year. What happened??? I want things to slow down!

And yet...I'm impatient.

When I become impatient, it’s because my expectations of timing have not been met. When those expectations are fabricated by me – for example if I’m working to achieve a hand-stand or an arm balance by a certain day – I’m setting myself up for disappointment. Goals are useful, but unless I’m competing professionally in arm-balancing, it’s foolish for them to be fixed to a point in time. The only expectation I need to have of myself is to practice. To be clear: patience is by no means complacency; in fact, it takes more effort to remain patient outside of time constraints because there’s no opportunity to give up.

Waiting for someone to take a photo requires patience. Why not use yoga? If you're wondering what's going on here with the getup, look up "mummering"; it's what my husband used to do in Newfoundland. Fun and totally creepy.

So what about timing involving others, like deadlines or a lunch date? I once had the insight while driving in a panic through heavy traffic to get to a new client meeting to say 'fuck it. This is out of my control.' and I let out a deep sigh of resignation. Ten minutes later I arrived at the meeting on time. I'm not preaching magical thinking here; I would have arrived at the same time whether I was relaxed or not, but relaxing slowed my perception of the passage of time, I burned less energy worrying, and my attitude going into the meeting was that of post walk-in-a-breezy-meadow.

My breathing is connected to my sense of time, and therefore to my patience.

When I teach, I encourage students to use this tool: mark the passage of time with breathing. Clocks are unnatural; I use one to start and end a session, but in between those markers, there's an opportunity to experiment. When students start to count their breaths, invariably the breathing slows and they relax mentally, even if they’re in a strenuous posture. They’re being patient with their circumstances, and in turn patient with themselves, which is transformative.

So, the year is NOT over. Keep going. Breathe slowly. Your time is as long or as short as your breath will allow.

bad + yoga = good!

Why am I so bad at accepting good things that happen?

Every Friday (when we remember), my husband and I spend a few minutes talking about the good things from the week. Sometimes I think, “well, I don’t have anything good to list this week.” But I do. Even the tiniest thing, like “I managed to unclog the vacuum hose” is worth mentioning. In fact, often it's ONLY the small things that make it to the good list. Why do we do this? It's an incredibly refreshing and mood-altering practice.

But it's hard. Somehow, I've learned to pair good with bad. "I had a great job interview yesterday" is normally "That interview went fine, but Sheila is probably trashing me now." (Damn Sheila.) Why? I might focus on the negative so that I can inoculate myself against future pain. But this is rarely the result; it just brings more negatives and I feel like crap. Decoupling good from bad, and if necessary identifying absurdly insignificant positive events (“I enjoyed a glass of water today.”) starts to rebuild my outlook. Once I start listing and accepting the good, it gets easier. Over time, I feel less burdened. Lighter.

Yoga is my filter. It has taught me to celebrate the tiny efforts, the tiny steps forward that accumulate to make a change. On the mat, freed from daily patterns of behavior, I've learned to look for the success that's unique to me: stepping my foot an inch closer to my hand, holding my balance for a breath longer, making the time for myself to get on the mat in the first place. Otherwise, I'm just going through the motions and not learning a thing.

"Good" is in the details. I just need to dissolve my protective cynicism and look for it. Try it. Today. Right now. Take one minute to strip away the bad and accept the good.

See you on the mat!

Stefane

Let's talk about breakthroughs!

Let's talk about breakthroughs. Can you think of the last time you had one? Was it at work? Home? Was it managing to get your dog to not bark at the UPS delivery person? Was it staying off you phone for the morning? Mastering a new dance move? Singing Bohemian Rhapsody uninterrupted? Typing blind? Catching a peanut?

How did it happen? It seems like breakthroughs just appear...but they don't. Breakthroughs are the result of patient, consistent, tiny increments in learning. In other words: practice.

This is me in a one-legged crow. For years, not only could I not do it, but I didn't even understand how to do it. I couldn't get my head around it, even when someone showed me step by step what to do. Then one day, I calmly stepped onto my mat, warmed up a bit, and pulled it off. Now I can do it. I figured out how to ride that bike, so to speak.

The surprising and somewhat magical thing is that I have not really been practicing this pose. I've been doing lots of yoga, though, and that was preparation, both mental and physical, for this more advanced posture.

The work leading to breakthroughs can be unrelated and even unconscious. We can be experimenting with adjacent drills and then, there it is! Understandably, the subtlety of context surrounding a breakthrough is also why some things are hard to teach, and you just need to trust yourself, the process, and the passage of time.

Next time you're struggling to move to the next level in a life, work, physical or mental matter, consider not just the path in front of you, but the adjacent paths that might lead you to success.

See you on the mat!

Stefane

PS - folks departing PS for the hot season: FaceTime yoga works! I've done it with many clients, and it does the trick for maintaining your practice while you're away, plus I get to see your sweet face! Hit me up!

Yoga Posture Clinic

Join me Saturday, December 1 for an informative, 2-hour session to look in detail at the mechanics of yoga. Take advantage of this opportunity to watch someone else for a change! Learn about anatomy, take notes, and share your own observations and challenges with a group of like-minded students. Think of it as a life drawing class, but for yoga. We'll start with a group warm up, and then have a series of progressive demonstrations and adjustments that will bring a new understanding to parts of your practice, like arm balances, inversions, backbends, forward bends, or twists. All levels are encouraged to attend.
 
This is a special event with only 10 spots, so book early! $30 per person.

Go here to book now. (And go here to see all the hard work everyone's been doing lately!)

See you on the mat!
Stefane

Be Your Own Portable Wellness Machine

Hi everyone

I just got back from two weeks of travel. I had a cold the WHOLE time (bleh), but I was clear-headed enough to make two observations:

1. A break from anything is helpful. Sometimes distance give us an objective assurance that we're on the right track. Magically, some time spent not doing whatever we're fixated on makes us better at it. The students that I've seen since I'm back did not lose a thing in their practice. Everyone is fine. Go figure.

2. A yoga practice does not have to be a big freakin' production. Let's remember that we only need a 2 by 6 foot piece of floor. We can be naked. We can be in a tux. We don't need a mat. Most mornings while traveling, amid the clutter in very small hotel rooms, I did a yoga practice. And it lasted about four minutes. That's all I needed to slip into my body, and to remind myself that I am my own portable wellness machine.

Given the reality that you don't see me every day, I challenge you, for the next week, to do four minutes of yoga each morning when you get out of bed. Be your own wellness machine. Just stand up, do a lunge, and switch sides. Move your arms around. Bend forward. Breathe slowly. (You know what to do.)

But of course, don't forget about me and your yoga mates! See you on the mat!

Stefane

Here's a group showing me how my airplane would work. I was like, "I know, I know." But they insisted.

We're Halfway Through the Year; Give Yourself a Tiny Push!

It's June in Palm Springs, and the heat is melting my motivation. My solution: do one, tiny thing. It creates a sense of accomplishment that will invariable lead to doing more. One tiny stretch. One tiny bend. To get a ball rolling, it just needs a tiny push, and focusing on the tiny things is what Clinic Yoga is all about.

Here's a new way I can help: The 5-Session Yoga Takeaway. If you're new to yoga and eager to get started with your own practice, commit to this next step in your fitness journey. These 75-minute sessions are designed to take you from square one to a personal yoga practice in a fun and sustainable way. We'll start with the basics of breathing, movement and balance, and move into building strength and flexibility. You'll gain an understanding of the physical and mental benefits of a simple series of yoga poses and 'graduate' with a yoga sequence that's tailored to you; it will be something you can work on every day with confidence and a sense of progress.

Want something even tiny-er? Well, okay: use coupon LOCALYOGA15 when you book your first session for a 15% discount.

If you've been eyeing Clinic Yoga for a while, and maybe even came for a session already, now's the time to commit. Don't forget, you get to have a tiny nap at the end of each session too. Yoga's got you covered.
 

Ten-Minute Mindful Walk

What a pleasure to record! These walks nurture my body and brain. Take ten minutes to look, listen and breathe. Better yet, go for your own mindful walk!

Ten-Minute Mindful Walk

Take ten minutes to refocus your day. Look. Listen. Breathe.

A mindful walk in nature, free from distractions other than the rhythmic sound of footsteps. Take a few minutes to breathe, relax, and re-focus your day.