Student Spotlight

Carol Philipps

  
I retired at the end of June 2009 after 30 years as a registered dietitian working with Child Nutrition Programs. Since my husband still has years to work before he can retire, my short-term retirement goals were humble: 1) get at least eight hours of sleep a night (which hadn't happened in a long time), 2) increase my physical activity level, and 3) declutter the house.

Goal 1 was easy. I turned off the alarm clock the day after I retired and now wake up whenever I want, usually about eight hours after I've gone to sleep.

Goal 2 took a little longer. Well, eight months to be exact. I had been looking at the Inner Fire website, wondering if I could do it and if I could afford it. But it wasn't until a friend from church mentioned that she was hurrying off to a class at Inner Fire that I actually signed up for one of the Saturday introductory classes. (Thanks, Jenn!)

In March 2010 I started practicing at Inner Fire Yoga, and have taken 3 or 4 classes a week since then. I had tried yoga on and off, here and there, since about 1970, but never stuck with it for more than a few weeks. This was strange, since intellectually it seemed to me like yoga would be a perfect fit. I think the difference is that until now I had never been part of a studio dedicated to yoga. Yoga classes offered through various recreational programs, books loaned to me by my quirky California aunt, and public TV series/DVDs are no substitute for a studio the caliber of Inner Fire.

Inner Fire provides the instructors, community of learners, and facility to keep me coming back. Most important are the instructors. I love that they keep learning and sharing their new insights with us. I love the variety of instructors - I learn something new from each one of them. Even though the dialog is prescribed for hot yoga and the sequence is predictable in Inner Fire Flow, each instructor has a slightly different approach that helps me learn more. I love the way they tailor the classes depending on the presence of new students or regulars - I learn something to improve my practice in either situation. I love the way they urge us to do the asanas correctly, focusing on the intent, providing hands-on corrections when I can't figure out if my hips are level or my back is flat, but honoring individual abilities or difficulties while still praising the attempt.

The community of yogis and yoginis at Inner Fire is so helpful and supportive. I remember when I first started hot yoga and was dying after class, someone told me, "You were in the hottest part of the room today. Next time try over by the door." And my first yin class after several months of doing hot yoga - I was carefully lining up my mat perpendicular to the mirror and someone gently told me, "Joan likes us to put our mats in a circle for yin." I'm now trying to offer that same help when I can.

Last, the facility - what a calm, welcoming, clean, respectful place to learn and practice. The on-line scheduling tool is a great incentive for me - once I've scheduled my classes online, they're on my calendar and part of my week. Having clothing, mats, other supplies, and a massage therapist on-site makes it even easier to continue practicing.

The benefits I've realized from practicing yoga at Inner Fire have been both expected and unexpected. The expected benefits include maintaining low blood pressure, better posture and balance, and improved focus. The unexpected, but no less welcome, benefits include the ability to "hover" in a semi-seated position for more than 15 seconds if needed without my thighs quavering (Thank you, Utkatasana!), no dry skin last winter, more body awareness, and mental clarity.

Retirement Goal 3 is still waiting to happen, but maybe with the lessons I've learned while practicing yoga at Inner Fire (just get started, that's the hardest part; joyously celebrate every improvement, no matter how small; keep working and improvements will come) my house will eventually be as decluttered as my mind.

Power Yoga Immersion
with Tamal

Wednesday, October 6^th
6:30-9pm

Inner Fire Yoga welcomes back Tamal for a night of riveting Power Yoga. Deepen your practice in this beautifully choreographed Power Yoga class that includes an introduction to the yogic lifestyle topped with a sweet guided meditation. Be challenged, laugh, feel inspired by Tamal's teachings and music, and flow into a powerful concious state of mind.

$35 by Oct. 4^th
$40 Oct. 5^th & 6^th

Sign up now!

Tamal has been practicing yoga his whole life. Born and raised in his family's yoga ashram in Hawaii and California, he has been teaching for the last 10 years. Tamal has developed a strong following nation wide. His vigorous Power Flow classes are filled with humor, music, and meditation. His yearly retreats, workshop, and teacher trainings are a way into the life and times of being a modern yogi. Tamal's goal is to help you be in the world but not of the world, to be truly peaceful and happy.

To learn more about Tamal, click here.

► Free Yoga All Day
► Free Chair Massage 10-12:30pm
► 20% off all Inner Fire Logo Items
► 10% of sales on retail products will be donated to Headrush.

► Potluck and Raffle 6-8pm

Class and Massage donations taken will go to HEADRUSH.

10% of sales on retail products will be donated to Headrush.

To pre-register for any of these classes, click here.

Inner Fire Yoga has raised over $25,000 for charities since opening in 2002.

• 2 yoga classes per day; power flow and yin yoga
• regular meditation sessions
• beautiful, beach-front accommodations
• three gourmet healthy meals per day

For more information, including sign-up, rates, general information, terms and conditions, click here.

As you may know, the asanas (the postures) we do in class are but one of the eight limbs, or paths, of yoga. Around 2,300 years ago, Patanjali, an Indian sage, first recorded the previously oral tradition of yoga practice in his Yoga Sutras, in which he explains the eights limbs of yoga. The limbs provide a structure for your practice on and off the mat, and are designed to help you along the yoga path.

The limbs are as follows:

• The Yamas: The Five Moral Restraints
  • Ahimsa: nonviolence
  • Satya: truthfulness
  • Asteya: nonstealing
  • Brahmacharya: moderation
  • Aparigraha: non-covetousness/non-possessiveness
• The Niyamas: The Five Observances
• Sauca: purity
• Santosa: contentment
• Tapas: zeal, austerity
• Svadhyaya: self-study
• Isvara-pranidhana: devotion to a higher power
• Asana (the postures
• Pranayama (mindful breathing)
• Pratyahara (turning inward)
• Dharana (concentration)
• Dhyana (meditation)
• Samadhi (union of the self with object of meditation)

At first glance, the limbs seem to lend themselves to a linear progression: you do the first limb and then proceed to the second, and so on. However, we actually practice all eight together.  In Rolf Gates' book Meditations From The Mat, he elaborates on this concept, saying: "It's not possible to practice the first two limbs, they yamas and niyamas, without the support of the practices outlined by the other limbs. As we practice asana and pranayama, the postures and breath work that comprise the third and fourth limbs, we refine out relationship to our body, creating the necessary circumstances for brahmacarya, or moderation, the fourth yama. To practice living in the truth, or satya, the second yama, we must have a mind that has let go of the habit of distraction and developed the habit of concentration. Concentration is deliberately cultivated in dharana, the sixth limb. We must actually do everything all the time."

Throughout Gates' book, which is written in very approachable prose, he explains each of the limbs and how they have been a part of his life, thus helping readers understand yoga, and in the process, better understand themselves. It's a great read. I highly recommend it.

1. Keep the hips parallel and facing forward.
2. To come out, bend the right leg and draw it back toward the body.
3. Hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths, and then repeat on the other side.
4. Keep the hips parallel and facing forward.
5. To come out, bend the right leg and draw it back toward the body.
6. Hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

Beginners:
Place a blanket under the front heel to help you slide forward.
Use a block under each hand to support yourself, if you cannot straighten the back leg completely. You can also place a block under the front leg for support, if it does not come down to the floor. Be careful! This is an intense hamstring stretch. Only come down as far as is comfortable.

Advanced:

If you are able to straighten both legs and come all the way down to the floor, interlace the fingers over your head and take a slight backbend.

[Reference: About.com]