inner power yoga

Dear yogis and yoginis,

Do you remember the reason you first stepped onto your mat? Perhaps a friend dragged you to a studio, or you had some extra time after running on the treadmill and a yoga class was just starting in your gym. What did you think? If you are like most of us, you might have thought that the particular style taught at that random studio or in your neighborhood gym is the only way to practice yoga. You might have gotten hooked instantly or may have enjoyed the experience, but did not seek out other opportunities for a while.

There are many different yoga styles out there nowadays taught by teachers who bring their own uniqueness into the room, so we can all find what fits into our expectations of what yoga is or should be for us. At Inner Power Yoga, we teach and practice vinyasa yoga, where movement and breath are continuously linked together uniting body, mind and a higher consciousness. We get stronger and more flexible for sure, but also develop deeper presence and awareness. Vinyasa yoga is meditation in motion; we are constantly changing our forms, but try to remain fully present with the help of our breath as an anchor.

The original Vinyasa system is Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, where a set sequence is practiced; the First Series focuses on forward bends, while backbends highlight the Second Series. (The other four series are Advanced Sequences.) We are offering Ashtanga classes now at IPY on Saturdays and Sundays at 4 pm to introduce this wonderful practice to our students. Please come and check it out!

Thank you to all the little yogis and yoginis who braved the snow and came for our Kids Yoga Workshop! I am so glad the kids had such a great time! We are starting a 4 week Kids Yoga Series this Saturday at 2:30 pm. Our first 4 week session is sold out, but we will let everyone know when additional kids yoga classes are scheduled.

We are honored to be chosen as “Studio of the Month” by our favorite store, Lululemon Athletica. Our teachers will be leading a free class at 10 am every Sunday in February at the Tysons store! Please come, practice with us, and check out lulu’s new offerings!

Thank you all who came to Jess’s class and donated to Doctors without Borders; we raised $220 for this organization to help provide essential medical care to the people of Haiti! Every little bit counts!

We are hosting special guest teachers Keith and Tara for a Valentine’s Day Partner Yoga Workshop. This is a great opportunity for those of you wondering about yoga, but have not taken the plunge. This will be a fun thing to do on Valentine’s Day! For details please see the Events page on our website and send a note to ursula@inner-power-yoga.com to register.

On March 7, Tanya will be teaching Fundamentals of Vinyasa Yoga for new students and students who would like to brush up on the basics of the practice. For details on this workshop, please see the Events page on our website and send a note to ursula@inner-power-yoga.com to register.

Incorporating a regular yoga practice into your life can make a big difference long after you leave the studio. We would like to offer unlimited yoga for $95/month as our February Special to encourage you to come and practice often!

Wishing you happiness on your mat!

Warmly,
Ursula

there were prayer sessions, pujas, ceremonies for Guruji all around the world, including mysore, yesterday honoring sri k. pattabhi jois who passed away on may 18. many beautiful thoughts and remembrances have been written about him since that day by the hundreds of students whose lives have forever changed because of him.

Guruji’s teachings not only built our global ashtanga community with many wonderful teachers and students, but his influence also extended to several leading teachers of other vinyasa traditions today; shiva rea, sharon gannon, david life, and seane corn have all considered him their teacher at some point on their yogic journey and have expressed their gratitude for his teachings.

his legacy is one of the most influential in our current “yoga world.” I can’t imagine him not finding those banana leaves at the mysore library with the sequences on them, as legend says, can you?

I have had a chance to meet him twice. he led practices in helsinki, finland a couple of years ago in a big volleyball stadium without a mike. his booming voice chanting the opening mantra was the strongest of all 200+ of us in that space. then a year and a half ago in mysore I saw him again. this time illness clearly had taken its toll on his body, but still the smile and twinkling eyes were there as he sat in his chair at the shala watching us practice.

I was sad when I first heard the news of his passing, but now I feel only gratitude to this wonderful man named pattabhi jois, and for the gift of ashtanga yoga he broght to our western world.

thank you, Guruji, you will be in our hearts forever!

Dear Yogis,

I wanted to let you know that I will be leading a Vinyasa Master Class at Little River Yoga on 5/31, for details please see www.littleriveryoga.com or send me a note, and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Also, I will be teaching 3 vinyasa classes at the Ashtanga Yoga Center this month:

Wednesday, May 20 at 6.15 pm
Wednesday, May 27 at 6.15 pm
Sunday, May 31 at 4 pm.

Hope to see you soon!

Hugs,
Ursula

most of us, yogis, have our favorite asanas, and we also have those that are difficult, challenging and uncomfortable. let’s just call them “second favorite” poses. for me, those were backbends, any and all kinds.

early on, I tried to avoid them at all cost, which was not too difficult since my personal practice was Ashtanga, and there are not too many backbends in the primary series. but then came second series with all kinds of goodies, and I had to make peace and befriend all those great postures. it has taken me a while, and I am still working on it, but now I absolutely love backbends, any and all kinds. I still can’t say I feel comfortable a moment before kapotasana, but I look forward to practicing them.

I have had students over the years who have been able to do many advanced backbending postures at ease and don’t understand what the hoopla is about, because they are naturally bendy. it’s no big deal for them to get to their ankles in kapotasana or walk their hands up on the calves from urdhva dhanurasana…oh, the lucky ones! we, as normal not bendy people, still like them. but I, along with many others, appreciate those poses so much more, because I had to work hard to get to where I am today.

I will be teaching a backbending workshop on 4/18 at DMY (for details, please see www.dancingmindyoga.com; ). this workshop will be suitable for those who are in the process of learning to love backbends, and also for those who are naturally bendy as I will be offering more advanced variations as well. my goal is to help deepen the experience and take out the fear of practicing backbends. if you have any questions, please send me a note!

i have been practicing for over a decade now, and I notice more and more the effect of foods on my body. the quantity and quality of food ingested influences my practice as well as the amount of liquid i had, ideally mostly decaffeinated and non-alcoholic.

so I can understand that so many of my students are struggling to find the type of food they eat prior and after the practice as well as the timing. i am not a nutritionist and food is such a personal issue, it’s difficult to comment on what’s helpful for someone else, but I am happy to share what has worked for me.

we are all unique with different body types and nutritional needs. for many yoga practitioners, following a vegetarian diet is a moral choice they make; practicing “ahimsa”, non-violence as a basic precept of the ashtanga system. others find a vegetarian diet with as much variety as possible beneficial to their asana practice.

if you practice in the evening, try to have a snack at least two hours before practice and make sure to hydrate throughout the day. most of us lose our appetite right after practice, so eating a light dinner post practice would feel natural.
if you have a morning practice, some schools advise a completely empty stomach which does not work for some practitioners; they get light-headed and weak, especially those with low blood pressure. follow your body’s clues! a consistent yoga practice fosters sensitivity, we become very aware of the subtle and not so subtle messages that our bodies are sending to our brains. we just need to listen. try to have as much fruits, veggies, whole grains as you can, and limit your processed food intake. for me finding the right carbs was key; I grew up on crusty european breads and very much enjoyed the delicious german pastries in recent past. but I did not enjoy the heavy feelings I used to get when I stepped on my mat the following day.

for ashtangis, the issue of food is paramount as most of us practice a demanding sequence very early in the morning. having coffee before practice is enticing for several reasons; it helps us wake up at 4 am and get out of bed when it’s dark and cold outside, also having an empty stomach is essential in some asanas. this is a very personal choice, and whatever decision a practicioner makes it’s important to be non-judgemential towards others. it’s a good idea to practice moderation in everything we do, on-and-off the mat.

in mysore, most of us have a very light dinner early, anu’s famous smoothie comes to mind. I have found that eating early, slowly and consciously help me feel light, energetic the next morning.

again, these are just my observations I have had over the years. I do crave bad carbs during the winter months from time to time, but I learn quickly; the mat is like a mirror, good and bad. try and experiment with different healthy food choices and you will find your perfect pre and post meals.

we know that yoga originated from india thousands of years ago, and now it is one of the most popular forms of exercise, not only in the US, but in the whole western hemisphere. but what we consider yoga nowadays, is only a style of hatha yoga, one of the limbs of the 8 fold yoga system of Patanjali.

do we really care that we only teach and practice asana and perhaps pranayama during our practices? does it matter that most students have no idea who Patanjali was and what the yoga sutras mean?

most of us come to yoga to get stronger, more flexible and less injury prone. what is in the Bhagavad Gita does not concern most western students and chanting sounds weird to them. yet, they are still yoga practitioners.

some forms of hatha yoga, like jivamukti, does weave philosophy and chanting into the practice, and ashtanga practitioners are familiar with the sanskrit name of poses and counting. but the majority of yoga teachers do not feel that their students are better served by them knowing and sharing their feelings on the yamas and niyamas. bringing yoga into the students’ every day life from the mat is not something they strive for. the primary focus is to give them a good work out, perhaps infusing the instructions with an uplifting and motivating message. as yoga teachers, we are taught “to teach to the majority”. so if the majority of our students are not interested in anything else but the physical and perhaps mental effects of yoga, like being less reactive and becoming calmer, then it seems we should focus on that and not waste our time studying the sutras. this ancient script has no relevance to how we live our lives today.

on the other hand, how would our students even find out that there is more to yoga than just a set of poses we practice if we don’t bring it up during, before or after practice? but then again, would they be interested in yoga off the mat?
one of the most popular and widely practiced yoga style today is a strict set of poses practiced in a heated room in front of mirrors. the most advanced practitioners go on to compete in championships, and the teachers are discouraged to add anything personal to the script they learned during teacher trainings. their loyal followers appreciate what this system has given them; their lives have improved no doubt, they would not be going back time and time again otherwise.

as no shoe fits all, there is no yoga style that is for all. we are all different, and we look for and appreciate the different benefits yoga has to offer. how deep we get into it, it’s up to us. what we share with our students depends on our comfort level, knowledge and ability. but we need to be true to ourselves, what we believe in, and what our authentic voice says. we all have a teacher within, we just need to be strong enough to trust.