Your Twitter and Facebook Questions Answered

About to eat a dosa bigger than me

Over time people ask me questions in Facebook or Twitter and I welcome it! Here is a group of them which I thought may help others and start conversations.  Feel free to send me your own and I will post them with fuller answers (Twitter only gives 140 characters) from time to time.

Twitter

@socialhotchoco Priscilla Wood

@ClaudiaYoga Hi Claudia, I want to incorporate Yoga into my practice, what is the minimum I should do to get me ready for meditation? Thanks

The minimum would be enough so that you feel healthy and you can sit down with a straight back for long periods of time (say at least 20 minutes in the morning and 20 in the afternoon as a suggestion to begin with). 

The main thing we are looking for in meditation is to be able to focus, while in a quiet state, and a body out of balance or a back that is not straight does not help. 

Also of note is that the amount of time spent doing asanas is not as important as the quality of time put into it, so no matter how much asana you practice ensure that you are present and with your body.  Think of it as a meditation of sorts.

I love Ashtanga because of the daily aspect of it, how it takes the mind out of the game as you know that six times a week you just get on the mat and go to where you can.  Other styles of yoga are good and can work but few have a pre-determined routine and hence require a teacher dictating the class. After some basics are covered ashtanga does not require one, at least for the basic intro.

My suggestion would be to try the standing sequence of ashtanga, then backbends and forward bends and the closing sequence.  It is a start and it might give you a base from which to launch into more and more practice.   Let the ret come.

@socialhotchoco Priscilla Wood 

@ClaudiaYoga ok thanks, I want to do one pose and hold it for a while, which pose would you recommend x calming mind prior meditation?

The sited forward bend or paschimotananasa.  In it, I would aim to bring the chest towards the upper tights, never forcing, and staying long.  Once 10 or 20 long, very long breaths have gone by, it will be slightly easier to go a little further, to engage the mula bandha (tighten the anus) and pull the upper back from the rib-cage, in a forward motion.  

Then, when the real edge is found, lower the head to touch the nose to the knees, even if the back is rounded. Let gravity work through you. Stay long, breath deep, find the edge. Repeat.

In this video (in which I do the end of the standing sequence and the beginning of the seated one)  from 2:53 onwards, you can watch me on a regular practice day and on the first sitted forward bend of the day.

I take my sweet time, breathe long and work by infinitesimal moves in straigthening the back forward while keeping the feet flexed.

See what happens when you finally come out of it.  "Relaxed" might not begin to describe your state of mind.

@philippineyogi philippineyogi

@claudiayoga when I read your article I've lost faith to yoga alliance. :)

There is a lot of animosity in the blogsphere about the yoga alliance.  It is an old institution and it has not quite caught up with the times. The blog 'yoganomics.org' has more on that if you are interested in getting more information.

The truth is that I do not know all the ins and outs of it, what I do know is that every studio I have spoken to about teaching yoga, knows it and wants it.  By 'it' I mean the paper that says you are 'registered' with them, as they are not a certification but just something more like a directory, a registry.

It is what it is for now.

I would have never dreamed to teach a yoga class with just a 200 hour course (which is what the yoga alliance guarantees). I feel that teaching yoga needs constant practice, and a life time dedication to it.

The certification for ashtanga yoga is a very lenghty and different affair.  Just to be authorized to teach primary series takes between 3 and 6 (or more) trips to Mysore and a very deep dedication to the practice.

@AngiePvdM Angie Pappas

@ClaudiaYoga how long did it take you to develop a steady daily practice of ashtanga yoga? Struggling with that right now...

A very long time, almost 3 years of practicing twice a week, then three times a week, then back to two.

I find that building up to the 6 times a week Ashtanga routine is a work of art, it takes time. Life needs to change, schedules rearranged, relationships notified. It is not just a change in yoga every day vs. little yoga, it is a whole life transformation. And it is one that is very worth-while.

That being said, I know of people who start practicing 6 times a week right away. It can happen!

@gato108 Cat Scott Larimore

@ClaudiaYoga I can blame my chocolate cravings on Ashtanga? Phew! I hope my dentist understands :)

I get a sweet tooth in the afternoon of strong practices.  Heck I get a sweet tooth on all afternoons.  I am not sure if it can be blamed on ashtanga but I like to do so ever since I heard a teacher say that there was such a thing as "the sweet tooth of ashtanga".  I liked the sound of it.

As per dentists understanding, I am sure they would provided we floss every single day.

@richard_beck Richard Beck

@ClaudiaYoga can you recommend a yoga mat for once a week use? Thanks!

For just once week I would not even stress it.  The studio where I practice, PureYoga, keeps the mats pretty clean (I believe they are cleaned after every session), so I would just use that.  Whatever you do I would just recommend not spending a lot of money and getting a rectangular mat, none of that circular non-sense.

Non of that!

@anneharkness Anne Harkness

@ClaudiaYoga where on 28th st is the good Chai? am visiting NY and staying in that area this weekend.thx!

The good chai in NYC is on 28th street between Lexington and Third on the north side of the street.  It is a very unpretentious deli, and you need to ask for 'chai' in particular, then they will know that you know what you are talking about.  They will get it out of a special cream-colored thermo they keep just for all the Indian cabbies that come around to get a cup. It is pretty good.  The closest to Indian chai I have found in NYC.

That is a big pot of chai in Mysore

@JasonRaznick JasonRaznick

@ClaudiaYoga is it important to always wake up this early?

I believe the earliness of it has more to do with the temperatures in India than anything else, matter of fact I think I remember a very senior student of Pattabhi Jois saying how he once told him that in cold countries that get very little light it might be better to practice at noon, as early in the morning things might be way too cold.

When practicing in Mysore, South India, it becomes very obvious very  quickly why it is important to wake up early for practice. It is just too hot later on.

I happen to prefer to do the practice early, but some people swear by afternoon practice which has the advantage of providing a more supple and open body.  I just work it in the morning!

@NaturalYogaFreo Gaynor Stanicic

@ClaudiaYoga Any recommendations for where to get laundry done#Mysore?

If you are staying with an Indian family ask them.  Earlier this year we were able to hire the person that cleaned the house to do our laundry. If not the case then there is a little shop on the main street of Gokulam that does it, but I would not be able to point out an exact address. Might be better to ask.

FROM FACEBOOK

Question from M.A.: 

I'm a soccer player and I want to start doing yoga so that I may be more flexible and less susceptible to injury. As a beginner who is somewhat flexible (I can tough my toes etc.) what exactly should I start with? I read some of your site, but was unable to get a beginner perspective.

Answer: The style I do, Asthanga, would probably be good for you since you play soccer, and hence probably are used to hard work and the competitive spirit. Ashtanga is intense and good for guys because it is an in-depth exploration of all muscles and joints in the body and it also has a lot of arm balances and strength (which appeals greatly  to men) I will send you a free copy of my short book on it 21 things to know before starting ashtanga.

Ashtanga also invites awareness on every pose, and it helps in learning more and more about the body. If done correctly it can teach us how to prevent injuries.  by 'correctly' I mean without forcing. Ever.

Question from JP:  

Where do you practice when you visit Buenos Aires, in Argentina?

Answer: I practice with Pablo Pirillo, he is in a lovely neighborhood called Palermo Soho. Link is attached. He travels to Mysore too, during the January-February period, or at least that is what happened last year, so if you go during that time you may find an assistant teaching.

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And there you have it! If you have questions about ANYTHING (yoga, pranayama, life, relationships, calculus, traveling, you name it!)  Tweet me at Twitter.com/ClaudiaYoga or Facebook me.