You are already there... but you knew that.

 A common theme in my writing is about the search for some kind of meaning, purpose, or inner peace in our lives.   Not surprising since the spiritual quest is just this -  an attempt to uncover a deeper meaning to this time spent in human form.   Searching for something that is "missing", something that will give our life purpose and will explain to us the reason for being.

And, of course, we all know that the reason for being is just that - BEING.   Often we lose sight of this and think that more stuff, more knowledge, more money, more (fill in the blank) will give us the answer.   We set goals, we achieve them, we set new goals because achievement feels great - but does it provide the answer?  Probably  not.    What it may reveal to us is that what we are seeking is not external, but rather it something we already have.    

"You cannot do yoga.  Yoga is your natural state.  What you can do are yoga exercises which may reveal to you, where you are resisting your natural state"  -  Sharon Gannon

At the start of each session of yoga I teach, I always ask students to tell me their name and ONE word why they have decided to take a yoga class.   I find one word can really allow students to narrow down their primary reason for attending a class,  as well as give me a general idea of what the class is looking for from me.  The words students give are generally similar from class to class, words such as "peace, flexibility, strength, happiness, calm, relaxation, me, break, quiet".   

What these words also speak to are a deeper quest.  There is something these students are seeking through practice, something they may feel they need more of, or are missing entirely in their lives.   

After everyone tells me their words, I read the Sharon Gannon quote.   Starting a yoga session by stating, "you cannot do yoga" is sometimes a bit of a shock.   But, we came here to do yoga!   As I read the rest of the quote,  it becomes more clear that we are here for some physical movement, but perhaps there is something else we have come to do.  

These words the students have chosen, they are already those things.  Their natural state is relaxed, flexible (in mind), calm, strong, happy, peaceful.   The practice of yoga exercises will allow them to access a sense of stillness where they begin to realize that what they are seeking already exists.  We already possess all we need to be happy.   Hatha yoga can be a way to begin uncovering this state of happiness, of BEING that we already are.   

"Yogas citta vritti nirodahah" -  Patanjoli's Yoga Sutras 1-2 

The definition of yoga, "yoga is the stilling or calming down of the whirls of perception - our thoughts about the information our senses provide".   We practice with concentration, concentration on the breath, on the movements of the body, and on the sensations that we are feeling.  In that concentration we begin to notice less chatter, less noise in our minds, and a greater sense of stillness and ability to be present in the moment we are in.

Through this, we begin to feel "yoga" - our natural state.  A state that is calm, strong, flexible, whatever we seek - it is already there.

Practice:

Laying down on your back, breathing deeply into the belly, place your hands on your belly if you would like.  Notice first the sensation of the breath alone before you begin to breathe deeply.  Then deepen your breath and relax your belly with each inhale.  Let the exhales flow out with ease.  Maybe a gentle drawing in of the low belly at the end of the exhale.  Notice the subtle pause at the start and end of each breath.

Cat/Cow - on your hands and knees, moving with the breath.  Inhale - lift tailbone draw chest forward and look up, Exhale - drop tailbone to floor, draw in through belly and chest and look between the knees.

1/2 dog - From hands and knees position, reach hands forward, fingers spread and soften shoulders so the head moves between the arms, lift tailbone gently.  Continue to breathe deeply here.

Downward facing dog - tuck toes under and lift up into a triangle shape with floor, hold for a few breaths, trying to be aware of how the posture is affecting the breath & mind.   Bring knees to floor, and stand up.

Tadasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Ardha Chandrasana (Mountain, Hands up pose, 1/2 moon) - focus on grounding the four corners of the feet, strengthening the legs, neutral pelvis, long spine, soft shoulders, soft gaze, lift through crown of the head.  Lift arms alongside ears, catch wrist and lean away from that side, then come to centre and catch opposite wrist then lean away.

Vrksasana (Tree pose) - from mountain pose, take weight to one foot and lift other foot to the calf or keep toes on floor with heel on the ankle.  Square hips forward (don't worry about the knee just yet), and try to find a sense of mountain pose here.  Hands together at your heart, or arms reaching up along side ears.  Hold 5-7 breaths, repeat other side.

Half Surya Namaskar (Half Sun Salutation) - From mountain pose, reach arms overhead, then bend knees and fold belly to thighs softening neck and shoulders, hands come to shins and lift chest 1/2 way to make #7 shape with body (knees can stay bend), soften belly to thighs again, then hands to knees with a flat back and long spine, inhale to stand.   Repeat

Trikonasana (Triangle) - stand in center of mat, feet legs distance apart, turn right leg so toes face to short end of mat, step left heel back slightly.   Reach arms into T position, then pull right hip into body as you extend FORWARD over the leg (keep knees soft, but not locked, nor bent),  release hand to shin or a block, bring left hand to hip and turn shoulder to sky, reach left arm up if shoulder allows,  and take right eye to gaze at left thumb.  Hold 5-7 breaths. Repeat other side.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2) - stand in center of mat, step legs wider than triangle.   Turn right foot forward and place hands on hips.  Keeping spine perpendicular with the floor, sink hips straight down while knee lines up over the right ankle.   Strong legs, ground in feet, right inner thigh lifts to the sky.   Arms reach out in T position, shoulders soft.  Gaze over right fingertips.   Hold 5-7 breaths, repeat other side.

Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended side angle) - From warrior lunge, extend body out over right leg and place forearm on the thigh, left arm circles down to floor then up alongside the ear.  Gaze in armpit.  Feel the line of energy from the outside edge of the left foot, up through leg, along torso, and through the arm.  No wimpy arms.   Strong.   Hold 5-7 breaths, repeat other side.

Parsvottanasana (Intense side stretch) - Starting at top of mat, step back with the left foot about 2-3 feet.   Angle foot very slightly to help with balance.  Square hips forward, and catch opposite elbow behind back.  Inhale, lift chest, exhale with a long spine, fold forward lifting tailbone slightly.   Neck is soft, breath full and deep.   Keep spine long and legs strong.   No locking.   Hold 5-7 breaths and repeat other side.

Seated hip openers - sit down and catch the knee with one hand, foot with the other to open the hips.

Salabhasana (locust) - Laying on your belly, bring arms alongside body with palms facing down.  Inhale, lift chest, shoulders down the back.  Strong grounding in pubic bone, inner thighs lifting to sky.   Lift hands and legs away from the floor, triceps strong, shoulders engaging down the back and toward the spine.   Neck is long, gaze forward of mat.  No clenched bums!   Hold 5-7 breaths, repeat

Setu Bandhasana (little bridge pose) - lay down on your back, feet on floor under knees.   Arms in barbie, robot or trex (pick one, they are all the same!) position,  hands pointing up to sky.   Ground through feet and lift hips.  Strong inner thighs pull toward groin, pelvis more in a cat tilt, grounding into back or arms lift sternum to wall behind.   No clenched bums!  Hold 5-7 breaths, repeat

Reclining Twist - arms in t position, drop both legs to left, gaze goes right.   Hold several breaths then lift legs through centre and drop to right, gaze goes left.   Deep breath into belly.  Long slow exhale.

Savasana (corpse pose) - let it ALL go, relax here for as long as you would like.


Next Class at the Grand Theatre in Indian Head is on September 24th.   There are drop in spaces available.  Click the tab above to register.

First class (this sequence) at Argyle Park Community will be on October 6th.   Call the community centre to register.

Surya Yoga in Indian Head, Saskatchewan

Yoga at the Grand Theatre! I was so happy to see that we have lots of space available for those who want to drop in for sessions at the Grand. I have added a few drop in spaces to each class. There are two available spaces for the early class, and 6 for the later class. You can preregister for those spots to ensure you get one by signing up online. Visit:https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/admhome?studioid=184134

Click on the classes tab on the top right
The schedule will pop up and you will be able to click the calendar to find the date you want to attend.
Click "Sign Up Now" next to the class you would like to attend and the system will prompt you to create a profile.
Once you have done that you can register for the class and make sure to select "register as unpaid" so that the system will allow you to register without credits.
All done.

Your alternative would be to give me a call or text at 306-551-3497 with the dates and class times you want to attend and I will manually add you from my end.

Drop in rate per class is $12/GST.

The classes will run on the following dates: September 24, Oct.1, 8, 22,29.

See you there!

wading into deep water.... politics, sexuality, gender, ego... and a haircut.

I want to start this post off by stating a few very important things.  First, Evie, who I know mostly from the internet is a pretty freaking rad human being.   I have the utmost respect for her, and her bravery.  After all, it is this kind of bravery that invites dialogue, and perhaps resulting in understanding and growth or change.  

I'm a feminist.  A radical feminist.  Since day 1.

I also disagree with Evie.  

I've watched the Ragged Ass Barber story unfold since the original phone call Evie made to book an appointment for a haircut.  My original comment on her thread was in support of the barbershop, but that the guy she was talking to was clearly an idiot.   His comment that, "if I allow lesbians to get their hair here, then their girlfriends with long hair will want to get their hair cut, where will it end" struck me as the hyperbolic "the gays are taking over the world" type argument we've all heard before.  

From a customer service standpoint, this guy is an idiot!  There are several ways he could have communicated his intent without polarizing the argument.   Maybe just a simple, "Yes, of course you can book a hair cut, but I would like to let you know that my intent with this business is to service men only, and to maintain a male only environment - do you feel comfortable with this?"  Law not broken, choice is placed in the hands of the customer, point made about the business.   Maybe Evie would have booked, maybe not.  

But, the conversation was clearly reduced to a "this place is for men only, women are not allowed".   Which of course, is discriminatory.

I think there is a need for legislation on these kinds of matters.   When a portion of any given society is traditionally disadvantaged for any reason, there needs to be measures in place to protect these people.  There are very real human rights violations that must be addressed with legislation.  

If I'm being totally honest here.  In danger of losing my membership to the feminist club.  Being denied a haircut by a private business that would prefer to service a male client base is not a human rights violation.   It is discrimination, yes.   It is also a great place to start a dialogue about sexuality, politics, gender, and the all too troublesome ego.  

And so the argument goes that since there are women only gyms, defining a barbershop as a men only space is pretty much the same deal.   That's simplifying a pretty complex issue.   I don't think that the women's salon has ever been a space of intimidation or even harassment for men.  So much so that they need to have a men only space to get their haircuts in.   However; I have had the experience of working out in both types of gyms, and I think the comfort level and the open supportive environment of a women's only gym is extremely valuable.  

If a man were to walk into one of the classes at a women's only gym, or in fact, in any gathering of women - the energy would change.   This, for me, is the crux of the argument.  

Women's only & Men's only spaces - a simple concept, and something that I feel is vital to our growth & expression as sexual beings.  I am going to quantify that when I talk about masculinity and femininity going forward in this conversation - I do not mean specifically the "male" and "female" sex because there are women who are more masculine identified and men who are more feminine.

There is a quality to our sexual essence, a certain energy.   I've talked often in this blog about David Deida's work and I think bringing his description of the masculine and feminine dynamic into this argument can be helpful in explaining my viewpoint.

According to Deida, the masculine is consciousness and the feminine is everything else.   The masculine is still, the feminine is fluid.  We all have elements of both, and can generally flow quite well between our masculine and feminine qualities.   Deida suggests that a spiritual sexual practice is the meeting of those two energies.  

Deida speaks of the masculine and feminine in "stages'.  Stage 1 masculinity being the controlling 1950's macho man, and femininity is the submissive housewife.   Stage 2 masculinity and feminity is a balance, with men and women having well cultivated masculine and feminine sides.   It is in this "fair" and "balanced" approach to sexuality that we begin to see men and women having equal access to everything - from belly dancing, to boardrooms, and well, haircuts.   And, Deida is always clear to say that we MUST travel through stage 2 in order to move on to stage 3.

Stage 3 is a practice where we cultivate HEALTHY masculinity and femininity.  We flow with skill through both as needed and then when we meet for intimacy we can meet as spiritual sexual beings fully in our masculine or feminine.   It is this polarity that creates spiritual intimacy.  A sense of one-ness (see how this fits into the yoga blog now?)

I see women's only and men's only spaces as places where we can begin to cultivate healthy forms of sexuality.  The women's gym I went to has empowering language plastered to the walls, there is an atmosphere of being fully expressive, strong, and powerful - as a woman!  Another space in which I experienced this type of strong feminine energy was at a pole dancing class.   A women's only space to explore and feel into wild feminine sexual energy.  

Now - back to the men walking into the women's only gym.  Had a guy walked into the class while we did our kick ass knee push ups, or whatever - the energy would have changed.  Had a man walked into the pole dancing class, suddenly something empowering becomes something that feels objectified.  We know this, and I'm certain we have felt this.   There are a thousand different reasons why - deep patterning, ego, the felt sense of polarity between the masculine and the feminine.   Whatever.   Women act differently when there are men around.   Men act differently when there are women around.

I can't say that every woman in that gym identifies more with her feminine essence, or every man in the barbershop with his masculine.   In fact, this might be where my argument falls apart slightly.  Perhaps, public spaces can't be men or women only spaces because humans are far more complex than that.  

But, what I can speak to is the intuitive sense of the owner of  Ragged Ass Barbers has in creating a space that services men, that allows men to gather in a pretty harmless way.  I mean, they probably aren't sitting around objectifying and disrespecting women while they get their haircuts, actually, I suspect they are probably creating beautiful harmonies together.   This gathering could potentially be a place to begin cultivating healthy masculine energy.

We tend to ignore the human element in these arguments.  We have seen this often in the backlash Evie has received.   Some may say she brought this on herself, but her bravery in speaking up for what she feels is right certainly shouldn't have resulted in the need to hide her online identity, or to put on a disguise when she leaves her house.   The hateful reactions Evie is receiving shows a deep level of unconsciousness when it comes to sexuality, and sexual politics.   I'm guessing there is a deep intuitive sense hidden within these people, that communion in groups of men is an important part of cultivating healthy masculine identity.  The problem is that our culture has fucked up what it means to be a masculine.  Instead, we end up with sick stage 1 macho culture that breeds misogyny.   And so, masculine people don't know how to respond intelligently to these situations.

They say stuff like, "no women allowed, and I don't want to cut your lesbian girlfriend's long hair next, so you can't come here".  Instead of expressing, as a human being, to another human being that these spaces where men and women can go and be in the company of people who are the same gender are important to our development as healthy sexual beings.    And perhaps understanding that just because the law says we have a right to equality in all public establishments, it doesn't mean that we need to make that happen.  Perhaps, taking this argument down to its human elements.  Leaving out the ego that clings to our spaces, to our rights to be in any space we choose to and instead feel with our heart that not every space is for us.   That, as humans we can lovingly choose to accept that sometimes we aren't wanted somewhere that we would like to go.   And that perhaps, we could kindly choose to go elsewhere.  

Additionally, if we feel very strongly that we would like to keep our spaces a particular way - accepting that now and again, we are going to be challenged on that idea.   And, when we are, we should probably respond with equal kindness and understanding recognizing that what we think isn't always what is and so erring on the side of compassion is probably our best choice.