When you go through yoga teacher training, there’s a lot of discussion on what you should and shouldn’t do. You learn phrases like “roll your shoulders away from the ears”, “breathe into your hips”, and “tighten the pelvic floor”. (You’re doing each of these now, aren’t you?) You learn to ask before touching a student, and that firm touch is good and caressing soft-touch is kind of creepy. You learn about bandhas and ohm-ing and how to say, “Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana”. But they don’t really cover music, other than to say it’s kind of up to you whether you play it or not. Music falls into that category known as “finding your authentic voice as a teacher.”

I wish my teacher voice was contemplative, peaceful and had more sitar or harmonium. Sadly, though, I’ve found I’m more “Kung Fu Fighting” than Krishna Das. I can’t help it. I love creating playlists full of songs that dictate the energy in the room and that make students laugh when the yoga gets challenging. Its a sensory way to remind students that a regular yoga practice is both a tool for reflection and self-study, as well as a chance to release their stress and engage with their world. Plus I find it easier to hold a chair pose when you get to do a fancy martial arts kick on your way to standing.

Last week, my Wednesday night HWY students were talking about the goofy crap that erupts from my iPod, and it ended in a playlist creativity dare, and this is the result:

Yoga Country
Treefingers – Radiohead
The Grass is Blue – Norah Jones
Jolene – Mindy Smith
Burn Down the Trailer Park – Paul Thorn
Harper Valley PTA – Martina McBride
Rose Garden – Southern Culture On The Skids
Gunpowder and Lead – Miranda Lambert
Fist City – The Little Willies
SOS – The Meat Purveyors
Little Ways – Dwight Yoakam
Cowboy Man – Lyle Lovett
More Man – The Meat Purveyors
Something Stupid – The Mavericks
Tequila Is Good For The Heart – Paul Thorn
Run – George Strait
Paper Wings – Gillian Welch
Shanti (Peace Out) – MC Yogi

The early reviews are positive. Eureka! Perhaps I’ll add a little “Boot Scoot Boogie” and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” to the next one.

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Most people think I am picky. Not a picky eater (there are only four or five foods I really won’t eat) but particular about how certain things should be. So here is my pickiness for the day: I don’t think one should post links to a recipe unless one has actually made said recipe, hopefully several times, and heartily recommends it. Otherwise, the only information getting conveying is that the pictures made the food look yummy, and I don’t envision that to be helpful to anyone.

In that spirit, I am sharing a go-to recipe that I culled from Bon Appetit years ago. I actually lost it for about a year—it is written on a ripped up scrap of paper—and when I found it again I was excited in a way that most people reserve for winning a few hundred bucks at a casino. In my fantasies I make this every Sunday morning, drinking strong coffee and reading the New York Times travel section, but in real life I make it probably once a month and wish I did more often.

Why make granola? 1. You know exactly what is in it. 2. It makes a lot! 24 ounces, or 50-100% more than a typical box/pouch of granola. 3. It will save you money, particularly if you buy the fancy granola. Need more reasons? 4. Endless flexibility and variety. Don’t like almonds? Use pecans. (oooh – or how about hazelnuts?) Got extra dried blueberries? Toss those bad boys in. 5. No packaging to throw away! 6. My house smells amazing right now.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a big bowl, combine:

5 cups regular or thick cut oatmeal
1 cup chopped nuts (or sliced almonds—no chopping!)
½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¼ tsp salt (it does makes a difference in the flavor, so try to leave it in)
1/8 tsp cinnamon (I often double this)

Now, in a small saucepan on medium heat, mix:

1/3 c. vegetable oil
¼ c. honey

Let the mixture warm up and coalesce (it won’t combine per se but it will melt together). Remove from heat and stir in:

4 tsp vanilla

Pour the hot mixture over the oats and nuts, mix well, and empty all onto a large baking sheet. Place in your oven for 30 minutes, reaching into the oven with a long spoon and mixing the granola twice during that time to promote even browning. Take out of the oven and cool for ten minutes. Stir in:

3/4c – 1c chopped dried fruit/shredded coconut/sunflower seeds/whatever

Keeps well in a Ziploc bag or lidded container, once completely cooled.

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It is the time of year when many of us make resolutions to be more active. But if your current idea of activity involves wrangling the remote control, jumping into a rigorous exercise program can do more harm than good. Here are four reasons to give yoga a try this resolution season:

Yoga can be done by anyone—truly anyone. We know a teacher who gives private yoga lessons to a bedridden woman. How can she do yoga? Coordinating breath with movement, emptying the mind of distractions, concentrating on extending muscles and moving joints (the facility of which increases with practice) are the foundations of the physical part of yoga. These are things that can be done on the bus, in your office, or in the bed that you rarely leave. I need a whole other blog to rant against the sexualization of yoga in our culture, the lack of diversity of the people on the cover of yoga magazines, etc. But in the real world, yoga is done by paraplegics, people with MS, and nonagenarians. It is done by athletes, veterans, and toddlers. Yoga isn’t just for skinny young women in expensive workout pants. It is for you.

Yoga is a gentle way to begin getting more active. In addition to stretching the muscles, yoga also lubricates the joints and develops balance. Holding up the weight of your own body in the poses builds strength, while moving more rapidly through the postures can elevate your heart rate. We like to call yoga a “gateway exercise”, so while yoga can be the entirety of a successful fitness program, it can also give you a base of flexibility, coordination, strength and endurance to try other types of activities.

Yoga may improve some disease conditions and symptoms. It has been shown effective for reducing pain during activity and increasing range of motion in sufferers of osteoarthritis. Two small studies showed that a yoga regimen can reduce high blood pressure and also reduce the number of interventions required to manage coronary heart disease. Yoga has been shown to cut the number of asthma attacks and the need for drug intervention in managing asthma. It’s not a miracle cure, but the combination of physical activity and stress reduction seems to have a positive impact on some diseases, with research ongoing.

Yoga can keep you young. Yup, I said it. From the textbook Human Anatomy and Physiology, “Exercise that coaxes joints through their full range of motion…is the key to postponing the immobilizing effects of aging on ligaments and tendons, to keeping cartilages well nourished, and to strengthening the muscles that stabilize the joints.” Additionally, the rib cage becomes more rigid with age, which causes shallow breathing and humped-over posture. Deep, controlled breathing is the only exercise that the muscles between the ribs get, and a regular yoga practice can keep those muscles supple for the long haul.

So give a yoga class a try. You won’t have to chant, or bend into impossible positions, or buy a whole new workout wardrobe. Come as you are—yoga will take you.

References:
Garfinkel MS, Schumacher HR Jr, Husain A, Levy M, Reshetar RA. The Journal of Rheumatology [1994, 21(12):2341-2343].
Patel C, North WRS. Randomised controlled trial of yoga and biofeedback in management of hypertension. The Lancet, 306, 7925, 93-95.
Manchanda SC, Narang R, Reddy KS, Sachdeva U, Prabhakaran D, Dharmanand S, Rajani M, Bijlani R The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India [2000, 48(7):687-694]
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985;291:1077

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In addition to being a yoga instructor and studio owner, I am pursuing a Masters in Nutrition from Eastern Michigan University. So when I learn things in class that I think you’d want to know, I promise to share them here.  All of the information I provide below is straight from my textbooks.

I did a fair amount of research when deciding what kinds of food items we wanted to carry, and it was obvious to me in short order that for the type of activities we offer, sports drinks probably don’t make sense.  Here’s why:

1.  Because sports drinks are often filled with junk (artificial flavors, dyes, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners.)

2.  Because unless you are participating in a triathalon, marathon, or other endurance event lasting three hours or longer, you don’t need real-time electrolyte replacement.  Your next meal is soon enough to replace the sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride you have sweated out during your 60-75 minute class.  Even for BollyGroove Cardio!

3.  Because sports drinks are expensive.  Not because the product costs a lot to manufacture, but because Coke and Pepsi pay millions to the celebrity athlete endorsers.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Peyton Manning.  But I am fairly sure I don’t need to pay him every time I buy a bottle of Gatorade—he does well enough on his own.

4.  Because glucose replacement isn’t necessary unless you are engaged in strenuous endurance activities lasting 45 minutes or longer.  With that said, if you want some carbs either before or after class, we encourage you to try something natural.  Like fruit.  Again, I’ll bet most of you don’t eat the 1½ -2 servings of fruit every day that is recommended.  We have a great selection of dried fruit, both chewy and crunchy varieties.  The ingredient lists on each product are very brief – fruit number one, and sometimes a fruit number two.  We even have some tasty dried corn and edamame that will be available soon if you want to get a serving of veggies in.  Calories in each product range from a low of 45-50 (I refer to it as “G2”) to 100-120 (“original formula.”)  And as a bonus?  Most of the fruit contains a decent amount of potassium and a bit of naturally occurring sodium, to get you started on replacing lost electrolytes.

5.  Because you need, I mean really need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and I’ll bet you don’t.  Additionally, fluid losses during endurance activities can reach 1.5 liters per hour depending on exertion, humidity and your conditioning.  If you sweat during class, drink water.  Plain, tasty Chicago water.

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There’s a good reason a lot of us don’t exercise as much as we should.
We hate it.

It’s a lot of work. In fact, it can be downright unpleasant. It takes time and planning, and there are a lot of other things we’d rather put our energy into.
When we exercise, many of us turn into red, panting, sweaty messes, which is exactly when we run into an ex-boyfriend and his super fit wife, or we realize we’re standing next to our nerd-crush Ira Glass at the water fountain. Exercise is inconvenient. It requires extra showering. What’s to like about this? We’ve tried exercise, it sucked, and we are just not meant to be together. We cross the street when we see it coming, and we’ve moved on to better things.

If you’re a hater of exercise, all of this makes sense emotionally. But honestly, when you read that paragraph you must admit it sounds pretty silly. If anyone else gave you excuses like that, you’d tell them to buck up and get on with it. So take your own advice and get moving. The real problems most of us have with exercise are totally surmountable. Here’s how:

Problem #1: Look at me. Do I LOOK like an athlete?

Yes. Yes, you do. Athletes come in all shapes and sizes. Swimmers, football players, volleyball players, cyclists, ballerinas, weightlifters…the only physical thing they have in common is that they’re all human.

We’ll give you a little tip, though. You can trick yourself on this one. Buy workout clothes. We’re talking fitness apparel, made out of tech fabric with fitnessy traits like ventilated side panels to keep you cool in the heat, and thumb holes to keep your sleeves pulled down in the cold. Especially when you’re starting out, little games like dressing the part can help get you moving. Think of it as a costume or a uniform or whatever you like…when you dress the part you act it, so spend a little money on yourself and make it easier to succeed.

Problem #2: Exercise is not fun

Actually, some exercise is not fun, and some exercise IS fun. The trick is to find an activity you actually want to do. This may take a little trial and error, but everyone will eventually find something they enjoy. Which leads to…

Problem #3: I’ve tried exercising, but I’m just too busy to fit it in. I never see my family and friends as it is.

So when you’re trying to find something you like to do, get a friend or family member to come along. A) You’ll get to see each other regularly. B) You can have some quality friend-time before, after, and even during the activity, if you play your cards right. And, C) You can keep each other honest so that you don’t skip workouts and get side-tracked. Do not underestimate the power of a workout buddy. We have run many miles together that would have otherwise been spent on a couch because neither of us wanted to be the one who cancelled on a workout.

Problem #4: But my friends are all fitter than me.

But they’re your friends, right? Which means they want to spend time with you, they probably could use a workout themselves, and nothing says you have to move at the same pace. Find a way to workout together at your own pace. When Jane and I run together, Jane runs an 12 minute mile and I’m more like a 16. So she runs at her pace and loops back once in awhile to say hi. I bitch about getting winded, she says I look great anyway and she wishes she’d worn warmer clothes, then we separate again for another mile or so. It works for us, and it might work for you. Or, try a dance class where one of you can high kick and the other can shuffle at her own pace.

Problem #5: But seriously, I don’t know what I’m doing, and I HATE not knowing what I’m doing.

As adults, we’re not used to doing new things, so it’s only natural to be uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations. The thing is, you’re not going to learn to do something if you don’t give it a go, and if you look back at pretty much everything good in your life you’ll see that there was once a time where you didn’t know what you were doing…but you kept at it, figured things out, and now look at you. You just need to have a little faith in yourself and soldier through the early days until you find your stride. Go to classes with other beginners. Time your workouts when the lake path is less crowded. Find a teacher or a studio or a gym that’s comfortable and friendly and puts you at ease. They’re out there, so keep looking ‘til you find one.

And most importantly, lighten up. This is supposed to be fun, remember? Let yourself make a mistake now and then. Don’t worry if you stumble here and there. I have fallen off of treadmills and elliptical trainers more times than I care to admit, and by the third time, I figured out that people laughed at me because it was FUNNY, and I laughed at myself, too. And then got back on, because it really wasn’t that big a deal.

Problem #6: You don’t seem to get it. I REALLY hate being bad at anything…and let’s face it. I suck at exercise.

You may not be an Olympian, but you don’t suck at exercise. No one “sucks” at exercise. We’re just at different fitness levels, with different bodies, different abilities and different challenges. You just think you suck because you’re busy comparing yourself to everyone else. Well, they’re not you. So stop it. If you catch yourself judging your abilities, stop it, and instead think about the things you can do that you couldn’t have a week or a month or a year ago. Every class you take, every mile you run makes you just a little stronger, just a little more capable, and a little closer to your fitness goal. Pretty soon, even YOU won’t be able to say you suck.

Keep at it, and before you realize it, exercise will be a part of who you are. You’ll start to call yourself a runner, you’ll know the lingo in yoga class, you’ll start thinking of things you’d like to do and start thinking of how you can actually do them. You’ll learn to love exercise because, most importantly, you love yourself.

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Here at Ganesha our studio speaks for itself, it’s beautiful and friendly. The colors we chose are bright and inviting. Each room is designed with purpose and comfort in mind, giving a wonderful appeal to the entire studio.

But we are more than just another pretty space. Our classes are undoubtedly the reason we personally designed each room with such love and care. Our teachers are what make all the magic happen. So come in a look past all the vast pretty-ness surrounding you. Try a class with us, first class is always free!

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