Our friend Paul Zipes recently shared with us a post from his blogger friend Auntie N over at Icy Exhale: Defrosting the Human Condition. We left compelled to share her post as it tells a story about what yoga is, what it isn’t, and unfortunately what it is often perceived as being. Thank you to Auntie N for allowing us to share this post!

The Sting In the Yoga Buzz

An online journal I read as often as they post new articles recently took a vacation.  They posted a nice little piece about how they were taking two weeks off and promptly took two weeks off.

So this website is all yoga all the time, but they’re the back alley sort that makes me happy and I’ll tell you why.  They’re the bell ringers and the bullshit callers regarding all things Yoga-lebrity.

I’ve used this word in articles both here and abroad, but I’ll break it down for you.

There are people who grow up and move to LA because they want to be movie stars.  There are people who move to New York because that’s where you go when you want to be a writer.  There are people who want to be famous athletes when they grow up and they pursue that.  Then there are people who decide that they want to become a yoga teacher when they grow up because a person can become famous from this and this alone.  Once a Yoga-lebrity becomes famous, usually they become too expensive for the peasants to train with and so move on to Lady Gaga and Madonna.

What’s interesting is that I’ve been in the presence of a Yoga-lebrity and the yoga practice they deliver is no better than the high quality loving instruction I receive at my local yoga studio – or participating in a Pilates class for that matter.  I’m just saying.

My favorite website’s motto is “Giving the contemporary yoga culture the star treatment.”

As soon as they went on hiatus all hell broke loose and I watched with woeful eyes that these watchdogs were nowhere to be seen.  A prominent yoga teacher is sued for sexual harassment while another member of the elite yoga stars resurfaces with a new revamped style and ethic after returning to the world of instruction not seven months after several allegations of sexual assault and misconduct are reported by female students.  That makes three heavy hitters in the upper echelon of the yoga community hit with a scandal.

In addition, there was a tasteless “April fools” joke perpetrated by Lululemon that I don’t have the stomach to revisit here.  Let it be enough that there were yoga mats made out of cow hide.  With your purchase, they’ll tell you the name of the cow on which you’re bending and shaping yourself.

Perhaps my favorite is a write up on Marilyn Monroe’s yoga prowess and how she was an ardent practitioner with several centerfold shots of her in various “leg in the air” poses.  Let’s not forget what a great role model she is for young women, but add that she does yoga to the mix and there you have a recipe for admiration that the new Pope would do well to try.

I’d like to add that there is a video on another online yoga journal that features a completely nude Play Mate practicing all manner of yoga poses.  I can imagine the liberation she feels in Warrior II without the cumbersome experience of panties.  This video is the most viewed video this site has and the numbers keep rising.

I like to know what’s going on.  There was a time when I subscribed to Yoga Journal because I thought I was learning new things, but eventually I  realized they were reusing sequences with new, prettier and skinnier models in more serene settings.  There wasn’t anything new to be learned from these glossy pages.

Apropos of nothing, today when I arrive to teach my 3:30 class I realize pretty quickly that I have at least two sick students, maybe more.  The two I’m sure aren’t well are recovering from variations of the flu.  Though they’re on the road to recovery, both are a little wane looking but need to move around a bit to feel more normal.

One lady says, “I’m better but still not at a hundred percent.  I’m just gonna do what I can, if I fall into child’s pose just keep going.”

This is a perfect opportunity to give a little demonstration of the healing aspects of yoga practice.  People with congestion and especially those recovering from a cough, sometimes it’s nice to do gentle chest opening poses and to spend time in extended variations of forward folds.  I can’t say the three teenagers who came to my class had the best time, but they were champs and didn’t mount a resistance to the slightly longer relaxation period at the end of class and they certainly didn’t besmirch my choice of ambient and soothing music for the occasion.

It was an excellent tool, having two people in class “not one hundred percent” because yoga practice is something you should be able to do all the time and is available to everyone.  It’s not a thousand dollar mat or hundred and fifty dollar transparent pants that makes a yoga practice.  In fact, yoga postures make up one eighth of what yoga practice actually is.

Fundamentally, the cash cow that the yoga industry has become with the naked yoga videos and industry leading celebrities, turns as many people off of yoga than it attracts them to yoga.  If I’d never known a thing about yoga and saw The Real Housewives getting their dog on, yoga would be the last thing I’d want to practice.

Luckily I got into yoga before it became cosmopolitan and cliquish, or maybe I just didn’t see it until I began trying to follow the trends in the business side of things.  As it turns out, the world turns with or without the flash of cosmopolitan yoga-lebrities.  I think that the world of yoga is inside a person, in their congested chest and burning heart and aching mind and that’s where the focus needs to be.

My most solid teachers in the Mind Body scene have been practicing quietly and in earnest since the eighties at least, before there was so much of a scene and simply work to be done to remain aware, strong and self-possessed.  These are the people I want to emulate, whether I’m running a class full of mantra work and flying crab crow pose or I’m practicing quietly and in earnest in the back of the room on my own mat.

This week in yoga culture was a great example of reasons to unplug and tune in.  There is nothing new under the sun, only discoveries to me made.  For the love of God, get thee to a mat my friend, or your local studio.

Recently we introduced you to Semper Sarah and the work she does with Veterans. On Saturday December 1st, 2012 in San Diego, CA Sarah is holding a bootcamp workshop for individuals who have experienced the effects of stress, trauma, and grief on the mind, body, and spirit.

This one-day event will “equip participants with the tools to start living a happier, healthier, and more successful life that very day”. The idea for the bootcamp came to Sarah after returning from Iraq and battling the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and sexual trauma. She realized she could help others by sharing her road back to health. Participants will gain a greater understanding of how to make realistic yet unique changes that will reduce the stress, suffering, or unhappiness in their lives.

Click here to find out more information on the event or to sign up! The cost for the event is currently $97, until tomorrow when it goes up to $297. Event participants will have first access to Sarah’s new book, Just Roll with It: Stop Comparing, Competing, and Self-Defeating which will be released at the event.

Since it is National Yoga Month we wanted to take a moment and point out another fellow yogi working within the Veteran community, as she herself is a Veteran. While looking through Sarah’s website, I noticed this blog post that I wanted to share.

In this post Sarah goes on to explain how important it is to tune into your breath. I think this is an important issue, not only in yoga class, but also in any situation. Most people go throughout their daily experiences not even noticing their breath.

Sarah explains that “But overall, breath can be more than just something that keeps our gears turning.  Breath can be the oil on those gears, the metaphorical love that keeps the flame burning, our vitality.  In life, the “breath” represents what is the most important to us.  The breath, literally, is our life force and something we cannot live without.  Yet 99% of the time, we breathe mindlessly, effectively living mindlessly.”

 It is important to keep this in mind as we move throughout our day, not only reserving it for our yoga class. You can find Sarah over at her website or on her facebook!

Over the past month I’ve had the chance to teach two yoga demos for Southern Nevada VA’s MOVE program. Going into these demos, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had been given a “run-down” about the usual participants, that typically the population was over 50 years old, 300 lbs+ and had limited mobility. It was a different population than my normal participants, but I was excited to be teaching within the VA and even more excited to be teaching these Veterans wellness skills to improve their health!

I was incredibly nervous going into the first session. However as the participants began to make their way into class, making small talk and asking about the session, I was anxious to get started! The actual group was quite a bit different than I was expecting. I had participants ranging from approximately 30 years old to 75 or 80, with an assortment of health issues. Some looked relatively healthy, some had physical injuries, some were there just for weight loss assistance, and some clearly had a number of health problems. Prior to the class I had assumed it would be mostly females that showed up, since the participants have their choice of which classes to attend and the “stigma” of yoga is that it is mostly for women and as much as I would put that assumption to rest, that was subject to the individuals who actually showed up. Which to my complete surprise was only 1 female and about 12 or 13 males.

The sessions were scheduled to be 45 minutes and I had planned the first 20 or so for “yoga and breathing 101” where I tried to squash some of the yoga myths while introducing the participants to the many different physiological and psychological benefits of yoga. From here I showed the participants chair-based movements they could do at home, this provided options for individuals who were limited mobility and for those who were relatively healthy but new to yoga movements. I introduced them to some simple but beneficial breathing techniques and then continued on to show some out-of-chair movements where chairs or counters could be used for balance assistance. I also gave a run down of props (using the FANTASTIC supplies that have been donated, thanks to some amazing individuals!) and then taught some more traditional beginners movements that could be built off of the chair based movements for the more able participants.

Overall, the group was incredibly receptive and open to the information. Many individuals wanted more information afterwards and I provided a packet with some resources they could utilize as well as a few sample sequences (both chair based and traditional).

Afterwards one of the VA volunteers approached me and informed me that I had received a great turnout, which was rare for new programs and that I had some participants who came out that hadn’t been attending the sessions in quite some time. One participants specifically who had asked quite a few questions during the session and was very receptive to the information, was recently diagnosed with cancer and hadn’t been attending any sessions since the diagnosis. I felt so honored/grateful/amazed that this individual who must have been going through so much, made time to come into my demo. All the hurdles and stress that come into working within a VA disappear when you have moments of gratitude such as that one.

Jillian

Back a few months ago, we posted about a nonprofit organization, Stiggy’s Dogs, which is very close to Jillian’s heart. Please take a moment to check out that posting if you haven’t already.

This month Stiggy’s Dogs is up for a $25,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation’s Aprons in Action program. The grant would allow Stiggy’s Dogs to build temporary housing for veterans who are in training with their psychiatric service dog. The temporary housing units supply a controlled and safe environment for the training and bonding process.  These “bunkhouses” will allow the veterans and dogs in training to work on their skills and tasks in order to become fully deployed psychiatric service dogs and handlers while simulating the environment each veteran has in his or her own home for a true training experience.

Stiggy’s Dogs is up against three other groups and the contest ends on July 31st, 2012. They are currently in the lead with 2259 votes and it would be fantastic to keep it that way!

How you can help:

By logging on to Facebook and going to the Home Depot Foundations page. From here you select the Aprons In Action tab where you can vote once a day.

Please take the time at vote if you can. At least once, or if you remember to vote once a day that would also help out tremendously. Stiggy’s Dogs is a great organization that really deserves this grant to help them continue to help Veterans recover from the cost of war. It only takes a few minutes and every vote counts!

Here at War Retreat we work with many other organizations which support Veterans. One of this fantastic organizations is Semper Fidelis Health and Wellness, which has teamed up with another super awesome organization, the Veterans Yoga Project, to fund a 6 day retreat for Veterans. But as we know, funding a retreat is not always the easiest task.

100% of the money that is raised will go to funding tuition for the Veterans to participate in the 6 day retreat at Feathered Pipe Ranch.

Please consider taking a moment and checking out Semper Fidelis Health and Wellness and looking at the donation site and if it within your ability, please feel free to donate to the cause. It will help these groups be able to do great things, supporting these Veterans who have given so much.

It isn’t always about yoga here at War Retreat. Sometimes we like to talk about other groups that support the military or PTSD in other ways. Today I would like to introduce you all to Stiggy’s Dogs.

Stiggy’s Dogs is a non-profit, which offers Psychiatric Service Dogs (which are former shelter dogs that they train specifically for each Veteran…how cool, right!) to Veterans dealing with PTSD and TBI.

Jennifer Petre is the founder of Stiggy’s Dogs, which she began in memory of her nephew HM3 Ben Castiglione, who gave his life while taking care of “his Marine” as a Corpsman in Southern Afghanistan in September 2009.  I became aware of Stiggy’s Dogs because I went to high school with Ben back in Michigan.

This program not only helps Veterans but it also helps shelter dogs at the same time. The dogs are taught tasks such as reminding the Veteran to take their medicine, waking them up from a nightmare or when an alarm clock is ringing, to directing them through a crowd. The best part is the dogs are free to the Veterans. Stiggy’s Dogs supplies all of the training as well as the supplies for the dogs (crates, bedding, toys, leashes, and they are all up to date on immunizations).

So please, check out Stiggy’s Dogs on their website, on Facebook or Twitter and make sure to pass them on to anyone you think might be interested.

-Jillian

After an encounter on base at Nellis last night and after the mention of the Warriors at Ease training on our Facebook page, I thought this was a good time to mention cultural sensitivity.

Unless you were (or are!) in the military or you have some sort of military understanding and background, it can be overwhelming going into a military setting. There are many more rules to abide by on base than off base. For example, when I first moved to 29 Palms I ran to the Exchange one afternoon to grab something for lunch. As I was walking in I was stopped by a female Marine who proceeded to tell me I couldn’t go in wearing flip-flops. What? I couldn’t wear flip-flops? Since then the rules have changed, but it was my first taste of the on base experience.

The moral of this story is to show you that teaching on base is not as simple as getting the job and teaching the classes. You need to educate yourself on the population that you are working with. You need to be aware of the rules and regulations that change once you get on base.

The reason I mentioned the Warriors at Ease training was because cultural sensitivity and the military environment are topics that are greatly covered in the workshops. It can be very helpful for those who are completely new to the experience and it can be a refresher for those who have had these experiences before.

I thought this would be an informative post after an experience I had last night as I was heading to teach yoga on base at Nellis. The end of the duty day on base is typically marked by a ceremony, where the flag is lowered and “Retreat” is played. All activity, even if you are driving, on base stops for those few minutes and then proceeds once the song completes.

As “Retreat” began, I slowed and stopped, just beginning to exit a stop sign. Although all the other cars around were doing the same thing, one car pulls up (quicky) behind me and lies on their horn. I pause for a second, hoping she will realize everyone is clearly stopped. But she does not, honks again,then manages to speed off around me.

Normally I would just shake my head and try not to let it bother me. But this ceremony is a tradition in which to honor the U.S. Flag, explained in detail in this article. Is getting to your destination .3 seconds earlier really that much more important than stopping to partake in something that is such an important part of military tradition? I don’t think so.

So please, those of you who are interested in working with the military community. Invest in educating yourself about the history, traditions and rules and regulations of being on base. Please

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, here is a video from YouTube of the end of the duty day ceremony.