Claudia Azula Altucher's Blog, page 7
March 20, 2015
Yoga: 7 Poses To Relieve Back Pain Video
The post Yoga: 7 Poses To Relieve Back Pain Video appeared first on Claudia Yoga - Ideas From a Yogi Entrepreneur.
Testimonial About This Short Practice: I wanted to express my gratitude. I woke up today with no back pain after doing your back routine for the first time yesterday. Erin Peterson (Twitter)
The Benefits of doing this short sequence (it’s less than 10′) regularly is that you will feel your back come alive, and your posture will improve. [if you can’t see the video click here]
As you practice it, you will have a powerful and elegant stance every time you enter a room.You will even breathe easier and have a more centered attitude no matter what happens.… Read the rest
The post Yoga: 7 Poses To Relieve Back Pain Video appeared first on Claudia Yoga - Ideas From a Yogi Entrepreneur.
March 15, 2015
For The Latest Posts Go To ClaudiaYoga.Com From Now On
Hi, I've moved all of these posts, and all the comments to
ClaudiaYoga.com
(a WordPress blog) because it gives me a lot more functions.
Will this blog still be here? Yes, but the latest posts will appear, from now, at ClaudiaYoga.com .
I appreciate you reading me and hope we stay in touch, remember to bookmark ClaudiaYoga.com
See you there, and tell me what you think... do you like it?
Claudia
Will this blog still be here? Yes, but the latest posts will appear, from now, at ClaudiaYoga.com .
I appreciate you reading me and hope we stay in touch, remember to bookmark ClaudiaYoga.com
See you there, and tell me what you think... do you like it?
Claudia
March 11, 2015
The Yoga Podcast Ep# 5 David Garrigues: The Devotional Aspect Of Yoga
Last Spring I had a chance to take a workshop with David Garrigues at his institute in Philadelphia.
I was impressed by his enthusiastic, expressive movements, the passion in his way of teaching, and the softness (I cried like a baby) of the chanting part.
[If you can't see the photo of David with the PLAY button to listen, click here , alternatively go to I-Tunes for all of The Yoga Podcast ]
David touches a nerve with the devotional side of yoga because when you sit through a chanting session and he is playing the harmonium and singing mantras you "feel things".
It would be very hard not to. In my case I cry like a sissy...
It's really embarrassing for me. We talk about it in the podcast, but I still wish I could hide when my emotions go raw like that.
He is easy to approach even if dead-serious about the practice, because he has a great sense of humor, which is necessary, wouldn't you say?
The ONE THING I really got from David was to use support for the shoulder stand.
I don't buy into the no-props anymore. Not after his workshop, because I can see, and feel the difference when I do it with two blankets underneath me.
The "gesture" or the full expression of the pose can be accessed much better when there is support because the body gets help in getting straight and there is a lot less strain in the neck.
Another thing that David had me see differently is that a pose, an asana, is a lot more than just a pose...
It is a GESTURE. A symbol, a yantra, a work of art...
That simple definition "GESTURE" made me look at the whole practice differently...
Even as I am getting into a pose, any pose, I feel like I am gesturing in, forming something, co-creating together with the space around me.
[Click here to start listening]
And I know that this can sound vague...
But the more we do asanas, the more we begin to see the profound inner world they take us into, and that is what fascinates me about David's special way of teaching.
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
What brought David to the practice almost 35 years agoIn the Summer of 2013 David survived a pretty intense car accident, what he experienced.Why is it that in our 30s we might want more poses but at 40 more pranayama?David recently wrote about the practice of yoga being only for spiritual purposes, not emotional or physical healing, I asked him how is that soWhat was the inspiration behind writing Vayu SidhiWhy did he call it Vayu Sidhi? The role of devotion, and why is it that I always cry when people chant?The surprising short poem that took David a long time to understand - I have to say, the poem stayed with me for a long time... simple and so very real, so no b/s.
About DavidWebsite Twitter Workshops Facebook YouTube Instagram Institute in Philadelphia
Books and DVDs by David Garrigues
Download of The Primary Series (Class lead by David) Vayu Sidhi Beginning The Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series Traditionally Counted Vinyasa A Guide To Ashtanga Yoga Pranayama Ashtanga Yoga The Intermediate Series Disk 1
Upcoming Book Edited By Joy:
This is what Joy says about it:
Books / Authors that David RecommendsHealing Back Pain: The Mind Body Connection By John Sarno Mind Over Back Pain by John Sarno
TRANSCRIPTClaudia Altucher: So hello, and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled to have with me today David Garrigues. David is the director of the Ashtanga Yoga School of Philadelphia. He's one of a few teachers in the United States to be certified to teach the ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga System by the late Pattabhi Jois who is the founder of this system. He teaches workshops all over the world and he has several instructional DVDs on the primary and the intermediate series of ashtanga yoga, as well as a book that comes together with the DVD on the fourth limb pranayama, the branch of breathing. And he has also recorded two devotional or kirtan CDs called Jaya Sat Guru and Bad Man Bhakti.
David, welcome. Thank you for joining us today in the Yoga Podcast.
David Garrigues: Thank you for having me, Claudia.
Claudia Altucher: So let me ask you a question right off the bat. Is Garrigues a Spanish name? Do you have any Spanish connection?
David Garrigues: [Laughs] It's a Basque name. So right near – it's in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, but I think it's on the French side.
Claudia Altucher: So we're not related. Not a chance [Laughs].
David Garrigues: I don't think so. But I had a bass teacher once that he insisted it was Garrigues. So who knows?
Claudia Altucher: Who knows?
David Garrigues: Yeah [Laughs].
Claudia Altucher: So David, you started practicing yoga about 25 years ago. Is that fair to say?
David Garrigues: Well, even more.
Claudia Altucher: Even more.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Can you remember what brought you into it? What was it that – why yoga? What happened?
David Garrigues: I can remember it perfectly because it was a very amazing thing happened. I was young. I was sixteen. So that was 30 – more than 35 years ago. A friend, he – I was a dishwasher. That was my first job when I was sixteen years old at a restaurant.And there's always an eccentric dishwasher that's, like, older, they – 'cause it's just kind of a job you can do. And so there was another guy, a dishwasher, an older guy, and he was into all kinds of crazy stuff, but he was into yoga. And he took me out to a park and taught me the Surya Namaskara, the Sun Salutation outside. I just – I loved it. I thought it was incredible and I started doing it by myself outside on the beach every morning.
Claudia Altucher: Where were you then?
David Garrigues: I was in West Seattle. I lived – I'm from Seattle and I lived on Alki Beach in West Seattle, and I would go out in this little park and do it. And I even wrote a paper about it in – for my school and I called it "The World Is A Sacrament". So I got – it was very devotional and it took – me, right away I took to it and was just sixteen years old and didn't know anything about it. And I actually continued to practice the Sun Salutation without knowing anything else about yoga for some years, actually.
Claudia Altucher: So there was a devotional component that got you right away? You sensed there was something in it for you?
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That's very interesting.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Now, if I may fast forward, you had this story recently. In the summer of 2013 you were driving in New Mexico and you had a pretty intense car accident.
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yeah. Yep.
Claudia Altucher: And what happened? Tell me.
David Garrigues: Well, it was a real freak thing because it was in the middle of summer in New Mexico on the highway and was going reasonably fast and all of a sudden we came across something I'd never encountered 'cause I'm not from there, but an unbelievable hail storm. Radical. Giant balls of hail and a torrential downpour. Unbelievable. It went from clear to like that to you couldn't see twenty feet in front of you. And it was just – the cacophony of weather. Whoa. And I tried to stop, tried to put on the brakes, and it totally didn't work. We started swerving totally out of control at 75 miles an hour. Totally out of control.
And so we were – fishtail to one side, and Joy's there next to me. She's going, "We're okay." Then we swerved to the other side. Three times. Just all the way across the road, completely thinking –
Claudia Altucher: Oh, my gosh.
David Garrigues: – the thing was gonna – if it would have – it could have rolled. It could have easily just caught and rolled. And then there was other cars too that were off – that had already spun off to the – off the road. And so finally it slowed down enough that it righted and we – and then – but I ended up off of the road going really fast on the grass.
Claudia Altucher: Wow. Jeez.
David Garrigues: [Laughs] And then finally it came to a stop and that wasn't over then because there was, like, three feet of water. The car started sinking in the water. And I tried to open it and it was like water started coming in the car. So I – somehow I managed to back up and get out of it and drove off and nothing happened. Not a scratch or anything, but…
Claudia Altucher: That's almost a miracle 'cause when you go into water and mud backing off doesn't just happen.
David Garrigues: No, I know. It was [laughs]…
Claudia Altucher: That's incredible. And I just want to say Joy [Marzec] is your partner who's also an amazing yogi, movie director, and an amazing person. But what I got from your newsletter is that when this was happening, which is terrifying, you had some insights –
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: in this because you kind of confronted death right there.
David Garrigues: Yes
Claudia Altucher: And you said here, I have it, "In those few lucid moments, I saw my shadow clearly and I saw that my shadow contributed to me being in this dire situation. I saw the wrongness of my impatience, my continual dissatisfaction, the kind that hinders, not helps." And that's an eye-opening moment there. When you're confronted with death, you…
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Well, I'm glad you're here.
David Garrigues: Yes. And it's amazing when that veil gets ripped out like that and how lucid that is. And then when I talk to other people about it, it's so hard because when the danger's over, you remember and you take something with you, but then also, I don't know, it's so strange how that work, the maya, the illusion. It's so easily comes back that you get impatient again. But I definitely learned from that and it stuck what me, some of that.
Claudia Altucher: I guess that's why we call it a daily practice, having to come back to what's real. "Okay, I'm still facing death. There's no need to rush [Laughs]." It's very hard for me.
David Garrigues: Right. And the practice exactly brings you back to that. Every day.
Claudia Altucher: You also said something recently that caught my attention. When it comes to the difference in practice through age, you say, "At 30 I want more and more Asanas, I want more practice. At 40, I want my pranayama." What happens as we age with the yoga practice as we grow older?
David Garrigues: It's not as much as I want my pranayama. It's more I definitely explored the Asana in a different way and I'm not as drawn to the transitions. I'm drawn to the Asana itself and to what – and to being there in that place. And so – and that, to me, was, I guess, unexpected because of how physical I am and how athletic I've been and just how much I love movement and dynamism and how much – that's one of the reasons I really love ashtanga is the flow and the real amazing transitions that link everything together.
But certainly, aging has just made that less important, the flow and the movement, and made the stillness and the breathing and the exploration of the position – this is different than pranayama. It's actually like I'm interested in the very basic shapes like triangle and shoulder stand and what they reveal meditatively within internal awareness and consciousness and breathing. And it's something very different than a sitting practice or even a pranayama practice because it is still a shape, and it's something – and there's variety involved in it. When you do inversions, that's really different than a seated type of work. And so it's just coming to love that more. And fewer Asanas.
Claudia Altucher: I feel the same way. I'm 46 right now and I find that the more I step on the mat and the pranayama practice grows, the breathing practice grows, then it – I don't even need to do so many postures because you start to get kind of more juice out of each of the postures. You identify new things happening in the body. So I guess would you say the Asana has enough in it to bring you inwards from being totally out there and thinking about where the next paycheck comes from to going really to that central axis that you talk about and to focus your energy within you?
David Garrigues: I do. I say, for me, there's – because it's combining so many important elements that – 'cause there is a seated kind of meditation type of aspect that would not require Asana that – other than sitting, but it's more than that because it is physically expressive. And I also liken – I think Asana is yantra.
Claudia Altucher: What is yantra? What does that mean?
David Garrigues: Yantra is like mantra, but it's – so mantra is mind instrument, so it's a corolla of the mind, a sacred sound that you utter. And yantra is a – it has to do with form and order and a physical device for meditation or shape. And so Asana is that. It's a shape or a form, a certain ordered-pattern form and there's an aesthetic quality to it to. That it has something compelling to the eye or to the senses. And so for me, that's why the Asana can do what you're saying. It draws you in completely because it has so much interest for somebody that – I don't know. There's an aesthetic aspect to it, right?
Claudia Altucher: Yes.
David Garrigues: And that's included in movement and posture that is particularly compelling to me.
Claudia Altucher: I was lucky enough to participate in one of your workshops earlier this year and you were calling it a gesture. It's not just a pose that you're doing. It's a gesture.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: And you said the difference between a beginner student and an intermediate student – do you remember what you said? You said it's the gesture.
David Garrigues: It's the…
Claudia Altucher: You said is that you maintain these – I guess the yantra, we could say. Would that be fair to say?
David Garrigues: Yeah. And that the yantra – to make a yantra, a skillful yantra, is to make a gesture. And that gesture has – like mudra, the word mudra, which is an important…
Claudia Altucher: What does that mean, mudra?
David Garrigues: Mudra is – well, it means seal or it has many meanings, actually, but it means like a stamp. So you – like a king when he signs his thing, he leaves his stamp. That's a mudra. But it's also a gesture, like a hand gesture they have. The classic mudras are like dancers. Indian dancers do all the hand gestures or all mudras. And then in yoga they have those – the classic ones too for meditation and things. But it's a broader term that any – all the transitions between the postures in the ashtanga system they're gestures. So you gesture between the posture. And they're alternating, opposing patterns, those gestures, that they're – so your gestures reveals one pattern when you inhale and another pattern when you exhale, and those are opposing patterns.
But then the Asana itself is a gesture. And in that way, it can be a kind of very slow unfolding gesture. It could take ten minutes to complete this gesture that is headstand or whatever you're working on.
Claudia Altucher: And then these opposing forces that happen, say, for example in the down dog where your heels are going to the ground and the seat bones are aiming towards the ceiling or even in the headstand where you're inverted and everything is upside down, learning to breathe in the face of these opposing forces, I guess that's part of what yoga is all about, right? Even when you step off the mat –
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yes.
Claudia Altucher: – maintaining that equanimity. I think you talk about equanimity in your book as well.
David Garrigues: Yeah. And so that – and it's a very curious thing, opposing forces, because they – in one sense, if you get – go right to the root of it, of yoga, the source of all that is you is completely equanimous. In fact, it seemed as, like, all equal, everything, like there's a unity that exists. And then what actually starts kind of creation or manifestation is imbalance. So form is based on imperfection and in that sense, like ignorance in a way. And so those – and the opposing forces are the quintessential pair that come right from that equanimity. And that – and so all the forms get created from just those two original forms like the yin and yang.
And so what's interesting is you have to use those opposing forces to get to the unity, to get back to it, to kind of return to this source that we've forgotten. And so the – that's how you do it, with breathing, with the inhalation and the exhalation. And like what you're saying, by stamping the heels down and lifting the sitting bones up or pushing the thigh bones back as you resist. They're everywhere, those. And then you learn how to use those to get, to find that center line, that elusive middle that is dynamic.
Claudia Altucher: and I suppose when you add all of these elements and you just go to regular practice, you step on the mat. But with this kind of knowledge, then it becomes a whole exploration trip into just the Sun Salutation [Laughs]. It's amazing how much can go into it, right?
David Garrigues: Totally. Yes.
Claudia Altucher: It's incredible. You said that in the book "Vayu Siddhi", by the way, that you wrote, and which to to me is total poetry. I find you to be a poet because the descriptions are very vivid, there's a lot of – the way you write is just very – it's very well written. And you said that the inspiration for this book came to you during a period of immobilization.
David Garrigues: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: What happened to you? How did this book come to life?
David Garrigues: You won't believe this. So we – it was after Guruji [Patthabhi Jois] passed away, my teacher. And the next time I went to India after he passed away, I was supposed to go to Mysore and Joy and I got to Bangalore, that's the city that you fly into to go to Mysore, and we – for some reason I couldn't go there. I got totally – just I couldn't go. And so we decided – I started looking for other places we could go and we ended up going to this place really remote. It's called the Andaman Islands. So it's a set of islands that are off the coast of – the East Coast of India and they're completely remote. There's Aboriginal tribes living on some of the islands. It's just crazy wild and you have to get – you fly in a plane and then you go in a boat.
And finally we – so we went there and I was gonna focus on my practice and we ended up staying at this place where there was a yoga shala up – you walked up these stairs and it overlooked the jungle and everything. And so I was amazingly stoked for this kind of time just to retreat and do that. And then I also – there was surfing there [Laughs]. So I got a little bit distracted with some surfing. And for some reason, a really – I don't know, within one week, less than a week, I was working on Twist, the stand –
Claudia Altucher: I'm not even gonna ask what that is. I'm not sure I want to know [Laughs].
David Garrigues: Well, it's a twist, but I trenched my back, tweaked it really bad.
Claudia Altucher: Oh.
David Garrigues: I could barely walk.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TRANSCRIPT
Check out this episode!
I was impressed by his enthusiastic, expressive movements, the passion in his way of teaching, and the softness (I cried like a baby) of the chanting part.
[If you can't see the photo of David with the PLAY button to listen, click here , alternatively go to I-Tunes for all of The Yoga Podcast ]
David touches a nerve with the devotional side of yoga because when you sit through a chanting session and he is playing the harmonium and singing mantras you "feel things".
It would be very hard not to. In my case I cry like a sissy...
It's really embarrassing for me. We talk about it in the podcast, but I still wish I could hide when my emotions go raw like that.
He is easy to approach even if dead-serious about the practice, because he has a great sense of humor, which is necessary, wouldn't you say?
The ONE THING I really got from David was to use support for the shoulder stand.
I don't buy into the no-props anymore. Not after his workshop, because I can see, and feel the difference when I do it with two blankets underneath me.
The "gesture" or the full expression of the pose can be accessed much better when there is support because the body gets help in getting straight and there is a lot less strain in the neck.
Another thing that David had me see differently is that a pose, an asana, is a lot more than just a pose...
It is a GESTURE. A symbol, a yantra, a work of art...
That simple definition "GESTURE" made me look at the whole practice differently...
Even as I am getting into a pose, any pose, I feel like I am gesturing in, forming something, co-creating together with the space around me.
[Click here to start listening]
And I know that this can sound vague...
But the more we do asanas, the more we begin to see the profound inner world they take us into, and that is what fascinates me about David's special way of teaching.
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
What brought David to the practice almost 35 years agoIn the Summer of 2013 David survived a pretty intense car accident, what he experienced.Why is it that in our 30s we might want more poses but at 40 more pranayama?David recently wrote about the practice of yoga being only for spiritual purposes, not emotional or physical healing, I asked him how is that soWhat was the inspiration behind writing Vayu SidhiWhy did he call it Vayu Sidhi? The role of devotion, and why is it that I always cry when people chant?The surprising short poem that took David a long time to understand - I have to say, the poem stayed with me for a long time... simple and so very real, so no b/s.
About DavidWebsite Twitter Workshops Facebook YouTube Instagram Institute in Philadelphia
Books and DVDs by David Garrigues
Download of The Primary Series (Class lead by David) Vayu Sidhi Beginning The Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series Traditionally Counted Vinyasa A Guide To Ashtanga Yoga Pranayama Ashtanga Yoga The Intermediate Series Disk 1
Upcoming Book Edited By Joy:
This is what Joy says about it:
Maps and Musings is a book of yoga based off of David's journal entries, finalized articles he's written, interviews he's done with me, brilliant notes of struggle and inspiration written on envelopes or pieces of scratch paper, poems and sutras he identifies with, and of course his drawings that redefine yantra and asana. The book will be released this May.
Books / Authors that David RecommendsHealing Back Pain: The Mind Body Connection By John Sarno Mind Over Back Pain by John Sarno
TRANSCRIPTClaudia Altucher: So hello, and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled to have with me today David Garrigues. David is the director of the Ashtanga Yoga School of Philadelphia. He's one of a few teachers in the United States to be certified to teach the ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga System by the late Pattabhi Jois who is the founder of this system. He teaches workshops all over the world and he has several instructional DVDs on the primary and the intermediate series of ashtanga yoga, as well as a book that comes together with the DVD on the fourth limb pranayama, the branch of breathing. And he has also recorded two devotional or kirtan CDs called Jaya Sat Guru and Bad Man Bhakti.
David, welcome. Thank you for joining us today in the Yoga Podcast.
David Garrigues: Thank you for having me, Claudia.
Claudia Altucher: So let me ask you a question right off the bat. Is Garrigues a Spanish name? Do you have any Spanish connection?
David Garrigues: [Laughs] It's a Basque name. So right near – it's in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, but I think it's on the French side.
Claudia Altucher: So we're not related. Not a chance [Laughs].
David Garrigues: I don't think so. But I had a bass teacher once that he insisted it was Garrigues. So who knows?
Claudia Altucher: Who knows?
David Garrigues: Yeah [Laughs].
Claudia Altucher: So David, you started practicing yoga about 25 years ago. Is that fair to say?
David Garrigues: Well, even more.
Claudia Altucher: Even more.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Can you remember what brought you into it? What was it that – why yoga? What happened?
David Garrigues: I can remember it perfectly because it was a very amazing thing happened. I was young. I was sixteen. So that was 30 – more than 35 years ago. A friend, he – I was a dishwasher. That was my first job when I was sixteen years old at a restaurant.And there's always an eccentric dishwasher that's, like, older, they – 'cause it's just kind of a job you can do. And so there was another guy, a dishwasher, an older guy, and he was into all kinds of crazy stuff, but he was into yoga. And he took me out to a park and taught me the Surya Namaskara, the Sun Salutation outside. I just – I loved it. I thought it was incredible and I started doing it by myself outside on the beach every morning.
Claudia Altucher: Where were you then?
David Garrigues: I was in West Seattle. I lived – I'm from Seattle and I lived on Alki Beach in West Seattle, and I would go out in this little park and do it. And I even wrote a paper about it in – for my school and I called it "The World Is A Sacrament". So I got – it was very devotional and it took – me, right away I took to it and was just sixteen years old and didn't know anything about it. And I actually continued to practice the Sun Salutation without knowing anything else about yoga for some years, actually.
Claudia Altucher: So there was a devotional component that got you right away? You sensed there was something in it for you?
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That's very interesting.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Now, if I may fast forward, you had this story recently. In the summer of 2013 you were driving in New Mexico and you had a pretty intense car accident.
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yeah. Yep.
Claudia Altucher: And what happened? Tell me.
David Garrigues: Well, it was a real freak thing because it was in the middle of summer in New Mexico on the highway and was going reasonably fast and all of a sudden we came across something I'd never encountered 'cause I'm not from there, but an unbelievable hail storm. Radical. Giant balls of hail and a torrential downpour. Unbelievable. It went from clear to like that to you couldn't see twenty feet in front of you. And it was just – the cacophony of weather. Whoa. And I tried to stop, tried to put on the brakes, and it totally didn't work. We started swerving totally out of control at 75 miles an hour. Totally out of control.
And so we were – fishtail to one side, and Joy's there next to me. She's going, "We're okay." Then we swerved to the other side. Three times. Just all the way across the road, completely thinking –
Claudia Altucher: Oh, my gosh.
David Garrigues: – the thing was gonna – if it would have – it could have rolled. It could have easily just caught and rolled. And then there was other cars too that were off – that had already spun off to the – off the road. And so finally it slowed down enough that it righted and we – and then – but I ended up off of the road going really fast on the grass.
Claudia Altucher: Wow. Jeez.
David Garrigues: [Laughs] And then finally it came to a stop and that wasn't over then because there was, like, three feet of water. The car started sinking in the water. And I tried to open it and it was like water started coming in the car. So I – somehow I managed to back up and get out of it and drove off and nothing happened. Not a scratch or anything, but…
Claudia Altucher: That's almost a miracle 'cause when you go into water and mud backing off doesn't just happen.
David Garrigues: No, I know. It was [laughs]…
Claudia Altucher: That's incredible. And I just want to say Joy [Marzec] is your partner who's also an amazing yogi, movie director, and an amazing person. But what I got from your newsletter is that when this was happening, which is terrifying, you had some insights –
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: in this because you kind of confronted death right there.
David Garrigues: Yes
Claudia Altucher: And you said here, I have it, "In those few lucid moments, I saw my shadow clearly and I saw that my shadow contributed to me being in this dire situation. I saw the wrongness of my impatience, my continual dissatisfaction, the kind that hinders, not helps." And that's an eye-opening moment there. When you're confronted with death, you…
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: Well, I'm glad you're here.
David Garrigues: Yes. And it's amazing when that veil gets ripped out like that and how lucid that is. And then when I talk to other people about it, it's so hard because when the danger's over, you remember and you take something with you, but then also, I don't know, it's so strange how that work, the maya, the illusion. It's so easily comes back that you get impatient again. But I definitely learned from that and it stuck what me, some of that.
Claudia Altucher: I guess that's why we call it a daily practice, having to come back to what's real. "Okay, I'm still facing death. There's no need to rush [Laughs]." It's very hard for me.
David Garrigues: Right. And the practice exactly brings you back to that. Every day.
Claudia Altucher: You also said something recently that caught my attention. When it comes to the difference in practice through age, you say, "At 30 I want more and more Asanas, I want more practice. At 40, I want my pranayama." What happens as we age with the yoga practice as we grow older?
David Garrigues: It's not as much as I want my pranayama. It's more I definitely explored the Asana in a different way and I'm not as drawn to the transitions. I'm drawn to the Asana itself and to what – and to being there in that place. And so – and that, to me, was, I guess, unexpected because of how physical I am and how athletic I've been and just how much I love movement and dynamism and how much – that's one of the reasons I really love ashtanga is the flow and the real amazing transitions that link everything together.
But certainly, aging has just made that less important, the flow and the movement, and made the stillness and the breathing and the exploration of the position – this is different than pranayama. It's actually like I'm interested in the very basic shapes like triangle and shoulder stand and what they reveal meditatively within internal awareness and consciousness and breathing. And it's something very different than a sitting practice or even a pranayama practice because it is still a shape, and it's something – and there's variety involved in it. When you do inversions, that's really different than a seated type of work. And so it's just coming to love that more. And fewer Asanas.
Claudia Altucher: I feel the same way. I'm 46 right now and I find that the more I step on the mat and the pranayama practice grows, the breathing practice grows, then it – I don't even need to do so many postures because you start to get kind of more juice out of each of the postures. You identify new things happening in the body. So I guess would you say the Asana has enough in it to bring you inwards from being totally out there and thinking about where the next paycheck comes from to going really to that central axis that you talk about and to focus your energy within you?
David Garrigues: I do. I say, for me, there's – because it's combining so many important elements that – 'cause there is a seated kind of meditation type of aspect that would not require Asana that – other than sitting, but it's more than that because it is physically expressive. And I also liken – I think Asana is yantra.
Claudia Altucher: What is yantra? What does that mean?
David Garrigues: Yantra is like mantra, but it's – so mantra is mind instrument, so it's a corolla of the mind, a sacred sound that you utter. And yantra is a – it has to do with form and order and a physical device for meditation or shape. And so Asana is that. It's a shape or a form, a certain ordered-pattern form and there's an aesthetic quality to it to. That it has something compelling to the eye or to the senses. And so for me, that's why the Asana can do what you're saying. It draws you in completely because it has so much interest for somebody that – I don't know. There's an aesthetic aspect to it, right?
Claudia Altucher: Yes.
David Garrigues: And that's included in movement and posture that is particularly compelling to me.
Claudia Altucher: I was lucky enough to participate in one of your workshops earlier this year and you were calling it a gesture. It's not just a pose that you're doing. It's a gesture.
David Garrigues: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: And you said the difference between a beginner student and an intermediate student – do you remember what you said? You said it's the gesture.
David Garrigues: It's the…
Claudia Altucher: You said is that you maintain these – I guess the yantra, we could say. Would that be fair to say?
David Garrigues: Yeah. And that the yantra – to make a yantra, a skillful yantra, is to make a gesture. And that gesture has – like mudra, the word mudra, which is an important…
Claudia Altucher: What does that mean, mudra?
David Garrigues: Mudra is – well, it means seal or it has many meanings, actually, but it means like a stamp. So you – like a king when he signs his thing, he leaves his stamp. That's a mudra. But it's also a gesture, like a hand gesture they have. The classic mudras are like dancers. Indian dancers do all the hand gestures or all mudras. And then in yoga they have those – the classic ones too for meditation and things. But it's a broader term that any – all the transitions between the postures in the ashtanga system they're gestures. So you gesture between the posture. And they're alternating, opposing patterns, those gestures, that they're – so your gestures reveals one pattern when you inhale and another pattern when you exhale, and those are opposing patterns.
But then the Asana itself is a gesture. And in that way, it can be a kind of very slow unfolding gesture. It could take ten minutes to complete this gesture that is headstand or whatever you're working on.
Claudia Altucher: And then these opposing forces that happen, say, for example in the down dog where your heels are going to the ground and the seat bones are aiming towards the ceiling or even in the headstand where you're inverted and everything is upside down, learning to breathe in the face of these opposing forces, I guess that's part of what yoga is all about, right? Even when you step off the mat –
David Garrigues: Yeah. Yes.
Claudia Altucher: – maintaining that equanimity. I think you talk about equanimity in your book as well.
David Garrigues: Yeah. And so that – and it's a very curious thing, opposing forces, because they – in one sense, if you get – go right to the root of it, of yoga, the source of all that is you is completely equanimous. In fact, it seemed as, like, all equal, everything, like there's a unity that exists. And then what actually starts kind of creation or manifestation is imbalance. So form is based on imperfection and in that sense, like ignorance in a way. And so those – and the opposing forces are the quintessential pair that come right from that equanimity. And that – and so all the forms get created from just those two original forms like the yin and yang.
And so what's interesting is you have to use those opposing forces to get to the unity, to get back to it, to kind of return to this source that we've forgotten. And so the – that's how you do it, with breathing, with the inhalation and the exhalation. And like what you're saying, by stamping the heels down and lifting the sitting bones up or pushing the thigh bones back as you resist. They're everywhere, those. And then you learn how to use those to get, to find that center line, that elusive middle that is dynamic.
Claudia Altucher: and I suppose when you add all of these elements and you just go to regular practice, you step on the mat. But with this kind of knowledge, then it becomes a whole exploration trip into just the Sun Salutation [Laughs]. It's amazing how much can go into it, right?
David Garrigues: Totally. Yes.
Claudia Altucher: It's incredible. You said that in the book "Vayu Siddhi", by the way, that you wrote, and which to to me is total poetry. I find you to be a poet because the descriptions are very vivid, there's a lot of – the way you write is just very – it's very well written. And you said that the inspiration for this book came to you during a period of immobilization.
David Garrigues: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: What happened to you? How did this book come to life?
David Garrigues: You won't believe this. So we – it was after Guruji [Patthabhi Jois] passed away, my teacher. And the next time I went to India after he passed away, I was supposed to go to Mysore and Joy and I got to Bangalore, that's the city that you fly into to go to Mysore, and we – for some reason I couldn't go there. I got totally – just I couldn't go. And so we decided – I started looking for other places we could go and we ended up going to this place really remote. It's called the Andaman Islands. So it's a set of islands that are off the coast of – the East Coast of India and they're completely remote. There's Aboriginal tribes living on some of the islands. It's just crazy wild and you have to get – you fly in a plane and then you go in a boat.
And finally we – so we went there and I was gonna focus on my practice and we ended up staying at this place where there was a yoga shala up – you walked up these stairs and it overlooked the jungle and everything. And so I was amazingly stoked for this kind of time just to retreat and do that. And then I also – there was surfing there [Laughs]. So I got a little bit distracted with some surfing. And for some reason, a really – I don't know, within one week, less than a week, I was working on Twist, the stand –
Claudia Altucher: I'm not even gonna ask what that is. I'm not sure I want to know [Laughs].
David Garrigues: Well, it's a twist, but I trenched my back, tweaked it really bad.
Claudia Altucher: Oh.
David Garrigues: I could barely walk.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TRANSCRIPT
Check out this episode!
March 10, 2015
13 Easy Ways To Market Your Book
1.- Add Your TEDx Talk To Author Central in Amazon
Pay special attention to your “Author Page” in Amazon. It is gaining visibility and momentum.
People can now “follow you” in Amazon, your bio is showing, and even your Twitter feed…
And… You can upload your TEDx Talk, in fact, if you have one don’t wait another minute… Do it!
Even more, if you have upcoming events they can appear there as well.
To find this page sign up for Author Central and then go to Author Page… Claim your books, and have your bio appear for all of them.
Can’t wait to have my own TEDx Talk!
2.- Ensure Your Book Description Has Good Copy
The book description is the first thing people see, so you have about two sentences to capture their imagination.
Think about the rules of copy-writing:Why is your book urgent?What problem does it solve?What is its unique Proposition?
Answer those questions in short, easy-to-follow sentences.
Make it clear, and make it memorable.
For example, this how I described my book, and I am NOT saying it to brag, I put it here because I put a LOT OF THOUGHT into it…
3.- Make Sure To Have An Audio Book Read By YOU
Kindle and paper back, especially if “self-published” are not enough, people LOVE listening to the author’s voice.
There is an intimacy that develops when you read your words to your audience, and it pays off because a stronger link is established.
Then your readers are more likely to stay in touch with you, give you feedback, and tell you about themselves.
As an author I always want to hear about what the people reading me think, what they struggle with, what they want… And the intimacy of audio, in my experience, opens that door.
It’s easy to record a book in a professional studio. Then use ACX.com to upload your book to Audible and all other distribution channels.
I just released Become An Idea Machine in Audio Book form
4.- Do A Reddit: I Am A…
When we released Choose Yourself, back in 2012, James organized a Reddit “I Am A…” and ended up answering questions for 6 hours straight.
The interaction with the audience was fantastic, and of course it helped spread the message.
It was great for talking to people directly and it helped the book, especially on that opening week.
Here is the TRICK…
DO SCHEDULE it, so that it goes into their Google calendar and you have more people joining.
Use this to schedule it.
You have to determine “what you are”, which should be based on the title of your book, or your accomplishments…
So for example, for my upcoming one I am saying that “I Am An Idea Machine”
5.- Do A Slideshare A Week
I find Slideshare (.net) is full of terrible presentations. Which means there is an OPPORTUNITY for good ones!
They all want to sell a product and it is too obvious, or they put too much text on the images, or they just get boring.
Therefore a GOOD Slideshare stands out.
When I did the first one for Become An Idea Machine it got featured in the main page, and it got about 4K views, and a lot of sharing.
Become An Idea Machine In SlideShare
The IDEAL is to use their templates because you only get to write two lines. And two lines ONLY is enough… Otherwise is complicated
Simple is elegant, so keep it short and to the point, and ADD VALUE
The week after the launch I made another one with a CHALLENGE for people to get started listing 10 ideas per day. You can see that one here.
6.- Get A Foreign Rights Agent
Getting your book translated into other languages is the way of the future.
If you are self published you need to get one. We are lucky to have found this agency where Marleen (the Co-Founder) is especially careful and selects great books, and she promotes them all over the world.
Choose Yourself has been translated to over a dozen languages, and The Power Of No to 7 languages (so far).
These little pieces of information add credibility to the book.
You can find Marleen Seegers at 2 Seas Agency .
7.- Guest Blog EVERYWHERE With Good Content
Content is king.
So add it, everywhere. Medium is great, Your blog, other people’s blogs, Quora, LinkedIn… Everywhere
Because my book proposes 10 ideas a day, I have been doing that… The 10 ideas gets me in the right frame of mind…
I recently wrote 10 ideas to the CEO of Honda To Disrupt The Car Industry And Win …
Will he listen? Probably not, but the ideas were good, because I thought deeply about them.
Then in your bio you can have a short one-liner saying you just released your book and link to it.
8.- Make Info Graphics
We need to remember people read in different ways. Some are more visual, some like to get deep into the words and savor their meaning.
But infographics prove to be a superpower for authors!
Because they make the information easier to digest, and they serve as a catalyst so people can quickly decide if they want to read more or not.
Here is the one I made for Become An Idea Machine .
9.- The Podcast Tour Is Powerful
The podcast tour is the new book tour. Some say that. I am not so sure, I still believe the face-to-face interaction offers an extra level of sharing, because people “feel” your energy, which is not so easy with just voice…
Nevertheless, when Tony Robbins released his book recently, he went on all podcasts. I was having trouble believing that he was everywhere…
But he did it because it works, and if there is someone who studies what works and replicates, that would be Tony… So, find all of the people you know and ask to go. But ask nicely!
Always offer something for their audience, ALWAYS ADD VALUE.
For example, for my book I posted on Facebook I would give away the PDF for free to the full audience of anybody who would have me on their podcast.
I went on lots of them.
That is not possible for published authors in the traditional way, but maybe you could offer “a few” to be raffled, or something…10.- Make a Deal With Lists That Sell Books When They Are At A Lower Price
There are several sites now that offer “a book for a buck” or “deeply discounted books.Some charge, some don’t.
If you are self-published you have the advantage that you control the price, and so you can make a “deal” whenever you want, If not you’ll need to talk to the publishers.
These lists go to huge numbers of people.
If you are paying to go on a list, then insist of seeing the copy that will go together with the book, make sure it is good…
11.- Leverage YouTube
Make short videos about snippets of your book and how you are using the techniques you presented, and how they are working.
Or interview people who are doing that.
If your book is fiction, then maybe tell a little story, create a cliff hanger.
12.- Promote Everywhere
Use your social media power to the max, share on Twitter, Facebook Google+ etc…But you already knew that…
One thing I am doing with Become An Idea Machine is re-tweet and read all the blogs of people who are writing 10 ideas a day together with me.
It is very satisfying to share ideas. And I love to see how people interpret and think in different ways.
It enriches both their lives and mine.
13.- Become An Idea Machine
Everyday I try to come up with a new idea for promoting the book.
A few days ago James and I had our books be #1 and #2 under “Entrepreneurship” in Amazon…
I thought that was interesting, so I said that we were having a "FIERCE COMPETITION" in our house… which was a joke, but people get it, and it got some re-tweets.
I hope you become an idea machine with me and help me come up with more ideas! Please share with me
And do please subscribe to my private list so we can stay in touch.
To Become An Idea Machine Click Here
Pay special attention to your “Author Page” in Amazon. It is gaining visibility and momentum.
People can now “follow you” in Amazon, your bio is showing, and even your Twitter feed…And… You can upload your TEDx Talk, in fact, if you have one don’t wait another minute… Do it!
Even more, if you have upcoming events they can appear there as well.
To find this page sign up for Author Central and then go to Author Page… Claim your books, and have your bio appear for all of them.
Can’t wait to have my own TEDx Talk!
2.- Ensure Your Book Description Has Good Copy
The book description is the first thing people see, so you have about two sentences to capture their imagination.
Think about the rules of copy-writing:Why is your book urgent?What problem does it solve?What is its unique Proposition?
Answer those questions in short, easy-to-follow sentences.
Make it clear, and make it memorable.
For example, this how I described my book, and I am NOT saying it to brag, I put it here because I put a LOT OF THOUGHT into it…
“HOW DO I TRANSFORM MY LIFE? The answer is simple. Come up with 10 ideas a day. Every day. It does not matter if they are good or bad, the point is to exercise your idea muscle, to make it sweat.
“People say ideas are a dime a dozen but that is NOT true. Ideas are a dime for three, but if you try to come up with ten by opening this book to any page, you will feel your mind stretching, working, sweating.
People say execution is everything, that is ALSO NOT true. Execution is a subset of ideas.
When you exercise your idea muscle every day you become an idea machine, you are unstoppable.
When a GREAT idea comes your way you are inspired, you feel moved, you HAVE to take the next step. Execution happens automatically.
Try the 180 prompts in this book, list your ten ideas every day and see your life transform, in magical ways, in front of your eyes.”
3.- Make Sure To Have An Audio Book Read By YOU
Kindle and paper back, especially if “self-published” are not enough, people LOVE listening to the author’s voice.
There is an intimacy that develops when you read your words to your audience, and it pays off because a stronger link is established.
Then your readers are more likely to stay in touch with you, give you feedback, and tell you about themselves.
As an author I always want to hear about what the people reading me think, what they struggle with, what they want… And the intimacy of audio, in my experience, opens that door.
It’s easy to record a book in a professional studio. Then use ACX.com to upload your book to Audible and all other distribution channels.
I just released Become An Idea Machine in Audio Book form
4.- Do A Reddit: I Am A…
When we released Choose Yourself, back in 2012, James organized a Reddit “I Am A…” and ended up answering questions for 6 hours straight.
The interaction with the audience was fantastic, and of course it helped spread the message.
It was great for talking to people directly and it helped the book, especially on that opening week.
Here is the TRICK…
DO SCHEDULE it, so that it goes into their Google calendar and you have more people joining.
Use this to schedule it.
You have to determine “what you are”, which should be based on the title of your book, or your accomplishments…
So for example, for my upcoming one I am saying that “I Am An Idea Machine”
5.- Do A Slideshare A Week
I find Slideshare (.net) is full of terrible presentations. Which means there is an OPPORTUNITY for good ones!
They all want to sell a product and it is too obvious, or they put too much text on the images, or they just get boring.
Therefore a GOOD Slideshare stands out.
When I did the first one for Become An Idea Machine it got featured in the main page, and it got about 4K views, and a lot of sharing.
Become An Idea Machine In SlideShare
The IDEAL is to use their templates because you only get to write two lines. And two lines ONLY is enough… Otherwise is complicated
Simple is elegant, so keep it short and to the point, and ADD VALUE
The week after the launch I made another one with a CHALLENGE for people to get started listing 10 ideas per day. You can see that one here.
6.- Get A Foreign Rights Agent
Getting your book translated into other languages is the way of the future.
If you are self published you need to get one. We are lucky to have found this agency where Marleen (the Co-Founder) is especially careful and selects great books, and she promotes them all over the world.
Choose Yourself has been translated to over a dozen languages, and The Power Of No to 7 languages (so far).
These little pieces of information add credibility to the book.
You can find Marleen Seegers at 2 Seas Agency .
7.- Guest Blog EVERYWHERE With Good Content
Content is king.
So add it, everywhere. Medium is great, Your blog, other people’s blogs, Quora, LinkedIn… Everywhere
Because my book proposes 10 ideas a day, I have been doing that… The 10 ideas gets me in the right frame of mind…
I recently wrote 10 ideas to the CEO of Honda To Disrupt The Car Industry And Win …
Will he listen? Probably not, but the ideas were good, because I thought deeply about them.
Then in your bio you can have a short one-liner saying you just released your book and link to it.
8.- Make Info Graphics
We need to remember people read in different ways. Some are more visual, some like to get deep into the words and savor their meaning.
But infographics prove to be a superpower for authors!
Because they make the information easier to digest, and they serve as a catalyst so people can quickly decide if they want to read more or not.
Here is the one I made for Become An Idea Machine .
9.- The Podcast Tour Is Powerful
The podcast tour is the new book tour. Some say that. I am not so sure, I still believe the face-to-face interaction offers an extra level of sharing, because people “feel” your energy, which is not so easy with just voice…
Nevertheless, when Tony Robbins released his book recently, he went on all podcasts. I was having trouble believing that he was everywhere…
But he did it because it works, and if there is someone who studies what works and replicates, that would be Tony… So, find all of the people you know and ask to go. But ask nicely!
Always offer something for their audience, ALWAYS ADD VALUE.
For example, for my book I posted on Facebook I would give away the PDF for free to the full audience of anybody who would have me on their podcast.
I went on lots of them.
That is not possible for published authors in the traditional way, but maybe you could offer “a few” to be raffled, or something…10.- Make a Deal With Lists That Sell Books When They Are At A Lower Price
There are several sites now that offer “a book for a buck” or “deeply discounted books.Some charge, some don’t.
If you are self-published you have the advantage that you control the price, and so you can make a “deal” whenever you want, If not you’ll need to talk to the publishers.
These lists go to huge numbers of people.
If you are paying to go on a list, then insist of seeing the copy that will go together with the book, make sure it is good…
11.- Leverage YouTube
Make short videos about snippets of your book and how you are using the techniques you presented, and how they are working.
Or interview people who are doing that.
If your book is fiction, then maybe tell a little story, create a cliff hanger.
12.- Promote Everywhere
Use your social media power to the max, share on Twitter, Facebook Google+ etc…But you already knew that…
One thing I am doing with Become An Idea Machine is re-tweet and read all the blogs of people who are writing 10 ideas a day together with me.
It is very satisfying to share ideas. And I love to see how people interpret and think in different ways.
It enriches both their lives and mine.
13.- Become An Idea Machine
Everyday I try to come up with a new idea for promoting the book.
A few days ago James and I had our books be #1 and #2 under “Entrepreneurship” in Amazon…
I thought that was interesting, so I said that we were having a "FIERCE COMPETITION" in our house… which was a joke, but people get it, and it got some re-tweets.
I hope you become an idea machine with me and help me come up with more ideas! Please share with me
And do please subscribe to my private list so we can stay in touch.
To Become An Idea Machine Click Here
March 6, 2015
Jayson and Me: On What It Takes to Become An Idea Machine
Jayson Gaignard is someone you want to know, he is a SUPER connector (as in 2/3 degrees of separation to anyone you can think of).
And today he is interviewing me in on ultra successful podcast "MasterMind Talks" to go over what it takes to Become An Idea Machine ---
[Click here if the image is not showing]
But that is not all... He is also giving away 9 Free copies of my book to listeners ... The show is 20 minutes long
https://soundcloud.com/jayson-gaignar...
And today he is interviewing me in on ultra successful podcast "MasterMind Talks" to go over what it takes to Become An Idea Machine ---
[Click here if the image is not showing]
But that is not all... He is also giving away 9 Free copies of my book to listeners ... The show is 20 minutes long
https://soundcloud.com/jayson-gaignar...
March 3, 2015
Ultimate Guide To Healing Back Pain
Ever saw an old lady or man walking down the street all hunched down? Do you think that just "happens" because of "old age" ?
NO!
That happens because of habits... BAD HABITS, kept over a long period of time.
If you hunch every day for 80 years you get that, if you pay attention to the body you don't.
It is that simple.
When you look at our evolution you will notice that we are a PEAK POINT IN HISTORY when it comes to SITTING DOWN AND STARING AT A SCREEN.
We are constantly sitting, and not exactly keeping good posture.
Then we wonder why our backs hurt?
Here are 10 Ways To Stop Back Pain
1- RELAX YOUR FACE, JAW, EYES, NECK, SHOULDERS
Because as soon as you think "relax the face"something happens automatically in the body...
You REMEMBER that you have one.
I do these every time I remember, and immediately get to take a deep breath.
Try it and see, it might happen for you too, and as a reflex.
If it doesn't yet, don't despair, simply add a big deep breath at the end.
And by big deep I mean just a good breath, no need to force anything. We are talking about letting go of tension.
2.- CHECK YOUR POSTURE
Are you respecting the normal curvature of your spine? Are you slouching? Is your neck protruding forward? If so, accommodate and adjust, because the number one cause of injury to the back is how we sit for long periods of time.
The key to back health is to respect its normal curvatures.
It is that easy.
Respect the cervical, the thoracic, and the lumbar natural curve and you are ahead of the game.
Just by reading this you are already more likely to NOT suffer from back pain.
Because when you remember to respect the curvatures you are setting the odds in your favor for health.
Think of it this way:
Lead with the chest, as you walk and seat, not with the neck...
Keep the back as straight as you can within normal lifeWatch yourself when you are at the computer.
There are great resources to help us remember, for example:
You can get one of these lumbar support pillows .
I have one at my desk and I love it because it helps me keep the lower back straighter than I would otherwise.
It has been recommended by one of the pioneers in alternative back pain treatment (Robin McKenzie - see books below), and...
For the cost of a movie ticket and a snack I am investing in a healthy future back for as long as I live.
The interesting thing about the lower back curve is that as you straighten this area, the other two tend to FOLLOWTry it and see for yourself.
3- CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING:
Driving is a dead trap for the back.
There I said it!
Even after all the ergonomic design advances on my 2013 model I still cannot drive more than three hours without feeling my back hurting.
I see people on the road and I cringe!
Some of them have their chins forward, overcompensating for the back being so slouched back.
Some never adjust the length for their legs and so they are forced to almost round their backs to reach the wheel.
When driving, it all comes down to awareness.
When you drive, be VERY CONSCIOUS of how you are treating your back.
Take usual breaks (every three hours max), and do the exercise I recommend in point four.
Because your back will thank you.
4.- STRETCH THE FRONT OF THE BODY
Because we are always sitting the front of the body is usually crunched, and we seldom give it an opportunity to stretch.
I suggest you do this every hour.
YES, you heard that right...
EVERY HOUR :-)
Because your back needs to be healthy to support your brain so can become an idea machine!
Here is a SHORT video of the exercise...
Notice the warning at the 1:33 minute mark
That DID happen to someone I know.
So do stand up to do the exercise because I care for you.
Stand up, feet hip-with distance, put your hands behind you on the lower back, and stretch back as far as you can. Breathe there. Then come back on an inhale.
The YOGA SECRET HERE is to INHALE AS YOU COME BACK UP.
Believe it or not THAT is counter-intuitive...
As you try the exercise you will see...
But when you breathe IN as you come back up you are getting your whole body to collaborate because you are using the power of the inhalation, of oxygen coming into the body to re-align it, after stretching the front.
Stretching the front of the body HOURLY re-sets the back, and reminds us of the curvatures.
We get to respect the spine!
5.- WAKING UP WITH LOWER BACK PAIN
If you have intense pain in the lower back when you wake up, lay down on the floor, face down, and adopt a simple cobra position [see photo by Thomas Broening, courtesy of this site].
Notice that it is a SIMPLE cobra pose, elbows on the floor.
Then relax the lower back and stay there for a while .
This is the FIRST AID exercise recommended by McKenzie for acute lower back pain repair.
It is the go-to first thing to do if your lower back 'goes'...
You do need to repeat it again and again during the day.
I've personally tried it and it works. McKenzie has 7 other exercises in his book to do after this, and they all involve a gently curving of the back and a gentle counter-curving of it.
A stretching of the front of the body and then a stretching of the back of a body... Just like we do in good yoga classes.
Remember to BREATHE.
Breathing and good alignment is key to restoring the back to health.
6.- RIGHT BREATHING
Many of us pay no attention to the breath... We take it for granted because why not?
Check this out...
Yogis measure their life-span in BREATHS rather than in years. Who said that? I did, because I noticed...
I don't have a Harvard research backing me up but just look around...
Do you have a cat or a dog? Did you notice how fast they breathe? and how long do they live? not that long....
On the other hand, turtles (of special kinds) that breathe very slow get to live hundreds of years!!!
The back cannot function well if the "THREE PART BREATHING" is not in place.
And the three-part breathing also helps us live longer, so it is a DOUBLE WIN!
I made a podcast (see below) so you can learn this exercise to the sound of a drum.
It is very easy AND EXTREMELY RELAXING so be careful.... You may fall asleep.
Whenever I offer this exercise at workshops people tell me they LOVE IT.
Try it once and you will see how easy it is to become aware of breathing into all parts of your torso.
7.- TAKE A 'GOOD' YOGA CLASS
I know it is not easy finding a good teacher, I am as disillusioned as you are with the amount of b/s and fluff on the internet about people who call themselves yoga teacher when in fact they are just "only more experienced in asana"...
So, finding a good instructor maybe difficult. It requires instinct, good rapport, and more importantly SEE IF THEY FOCUS ON THE BREATH.
Any instructor worth its weight will make breathing the priority... If there is forcing, of any kind, or abuse of any nature... get out of there!
But if you do find a good instructor that you click with, then you are in luck.
I've been interviewing amazing teachers I find around the world for my yoga podcast, check them out.
Why a yoga class?
Because a good yoga class un-does the damage we inflict on the body by poor breathing and bad posture
8.- LIFT HEAVY OBJECTS WHILE BENDING YOUR LEGS
When that Amazon package arrives think twice!
Or, for example, when taking things out of the trunk of your car:
Bend your knees as you lift heavy objects, because that way you leverage the weight within your body as it goes through a powerful exertionYour back will thank you.
9.- NEVER TALK ON THE PHONE BY PLACING IT BETWEEN EAR AND NECK
Don't do that because you will cause the neck to strain and then later you may wonder why it hurts. Now you know.
If you need to multi-task (I recommend not doing that as the brain simply cannot do it), then put it on speakerphone.
When you put the phone between your ear and neck you are causing the equivalent damage as if a tornado, a tsunami and an earthquake hit your back... No kidding.
10.- FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
When you have financial stress the mind, clever as it is, will organize the biology of your body so that blood does not reach the supporting tissues around your back...
How smart of her right?
YOUR MIND WILL STAGE A COUP AND CAUSE BACK PAIN!
Can you believe that?
This was of course discussed by Dr John Sarno in his book " Healing Back Pain "
The book made it so big that Howard Stern himself recommended it in his ultra popular radio show.
This is why I am putting it in the recommended books.
Because the stress of financial problems creates a diversion, so that we believe we have back pain, because the body knows we are not ready to deal with the financial issue mentally.
So, if you resonate with this:
Make a plan, talk to someone, find a way to start dealing with financial issues, because that way you will avoid future back pain.11.- THE ONE YOGA POSE ENDORSED BY THE MAYO CLINIC
I usually get a chuckle when something yogis have been using for over three thousand years appears as a "new discovery by science"
That is the case with "shalabasana" a popular and easy posture from yoga which can help prevent back pain.
When the clinic recommends it they suggest you put a pillow under your stomach...
That might help in the beginning as the trunk really is supporting all of your body, but eventually you get used to it.
The good thing about this posture as you can see is that the whole spine is lit up...
Every supporting muscle HAS to engage.
So doing this posture and breathing in it daily can be a blessing for the back because it tones all supporting engines.
Oh and one more thing!
Come to my workshop on PREVENTING BACK PAIN: April 11th At Sky Baby Yoga and Pilates in beautiful Cold Spring, NY (2PM-4:30PM) -
You can call them 845-265-4444 to register.
RESOURCES :
For a short yoga class you can do in the morning use this video, o este en Castellano
For a 30 minute class with the minimum viable poses needed to stay healthy use this
Healing Back Pain , By Dr. Sarno - This is the book Howard Stern recommended and in it he goes over how financial stress is sometimes the cause of acute back pain attacks.
Treat Your Own Back by Robin McKenzie: This amazing little book has all the seven exercises you can do on your own whenever back pain appears. It is simple and easy to follow, and the best part is that it works.
Treat Your Own Neck by Robin McKenzie - Also with seven short and easy exercises to treat acute neck pain. Of course, nothing beats prevention as per the post you read here, but if it strikes, these work... Although, I will say I had better luck with the previous book than with this one... The neck is a lot more delicate, so take care of it.
The McKenzie Rol
l - Design by him and his team this is what I use at my desk to ensure that the lower-back stays in place (as much as possible) and then the rest of the spine follows its lead...Pain Free by Pete Egoscue - This book has gotten a lot of attention lately, and so has Egoscue and his method. I found the book to be relevant and helpful, but it does have too many exercises, which compared to McKenzie (above) makes it seem more cumbersome, more like I would need to go to one of his classes.
Have a question? Ask me!
March 2, 2015
February 25, 2015
The Yoga Podcast Ep# 4 Matthew Sweeney - Making Yoga Work For You
You know that episode where you introduce your guest and you do it all wrong? And then he has to stop you -very politely- to make corrections? Well, this is one of those episodes...
If you cannot see the big photo with the play button you can listen by clicking here . Or listen in I-tunes -
[Also: please forgive the quality of the Skype audio that gave us a little echo here and there... Bali-NYC/Skype connections can be iffy sometimes]
But the good thing is that Matthew Sweeney is a really cool guy, he was not disappointed and he wanted to correct things because he has two partners on the beautiful yoga place they share in Ubud, in paradise Bali, and so he told me.
And I left it on the podcast together with my "other" mistake because I think it is good that you hear the spontaneity of how it all went.
I met Matthew through a photograph. And it is not as woo-woo as it sounds...
I was in Mysore, it was 2008, and one night, during one of those frequent electricity cuts, my friend Martina and I started looking at his book "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is".
We looked specifically at the advanced postures, we were in a rush -back then- to see how we would be making our bodies into pretzels (NOT!)...
And so, we were looking at photos like, well, pick any of the photos in the sample page below... really, ANY...
Then we would look at each other, Martina and I, over the flickering candle light and go:
"Noooooo... That is impossible !"
What I love about Matthew is that he works very hard at the practice, at teaching it and at keeping it real.
He has "beef" with the usual teacher trainings when they are impersonal and the teacher does not get to know the students (think those courses that teach more than a hundred at the time).
He also does not believe that one system can be good for "everyone", because he has seen the results...
People leave the practice when it is too rigid, when it won't adjust to the issues and the lifestyles and DNA of each individual person.
And that is sad.
He is also adamant about getting to know personally the people who will go in the world and teach what he teaches.
His teacher trainings have many levels, but they are not there to annoy anyone, but rather to build a solid relationship, to do it right.
And, because his practice is so extensive and has happened over such a long period of time, he has created his own sequences, which you can download (see about Matthew section at the bottom of the email)
[Click here to start listening]
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUTThe restaurant he is opening in Bali, at the yoga retreat, and what they will serve (hint: I love dosas)His experience with Pattabhi Jois (who received him before he even got out of the taxi cab)
Matthew's teaching space in BaliThe differences between the approaches of Iyengar and JoisWhat happens we you practice yoga and you want to be "honest" about itMatthew's personal definition of yoga today... which has to do with what is happening to you nowHow the issues of food and sex need to be resolved for a proper asana and yoga practice in full to workThe different levels of kindnessHow he has become "uncool" (in certain areas) in front of his 16 year-old daughterHow we was inspired to create the posters that eventually became books by Dharma MittraMatthew's big beef with most yoga teacher trainingsHow the "moon sequence" that he developed, helps bring some balance (satvic energy) to the extreme (rajasic) practices some of us doHow he teaches pranayama and whenWhat is the one thing that took him a long time to understand
ABOUT MATHEW
Website
Workshops and Retreats 2015 and 2016
Newsletter sign-up for updates from Matthew
DVDs books and posters (available for instant download as well)
Facebook
TRANSCRIPT
Claudia Altucher: Hello and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled today to have Matthew Sweeney with me. Matthew is the director of the Yoga Shala Bali in Ubud. He is a yoga teacher, a Star Wars fan, and a twice black belt in martial arts. Matthew has explored and practiced four, or even five I think, of the Ashtanga Yoga series of Sri Jois, who is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, as well as the teachings of Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, among many other teachers and trains of thoughts.
He started teaching yoga in 1996; at first Ashtanga Yoga, but as he went on he received thousands of students with unique challenges and he developed his own sequences. He is the author of two books, Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, and Vinyasa Krama, in which he explores the sequences –
Matthew Sweeney: I’m sorry. We might need to interrupt that because I think a couple of things are incorrect there. I might need to revisit.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, please, please correct. Tell me.
Matthew Sweeney: Okay, just the start because I’m not the director of the Shala Bali here. There are three shareholders, so if the other shareholders heard that they would probably be a bit upset with me. So maybe we restart that one. And the other one is – I remember this, I’ve just got to think about it – the year that I started. I started teaching in 1992.
Claudia Altucher: In 1992. Would you mind if we leave this like this because I think it’s spontaneous and it’s good and then your partners hear how loyal you are, which is a great thing. I’m sorry about this, that I didn’t have it right.
Matthew Sweeney: No, no. It’s not a problem, it’s just I don’t want to get in trouble.
Claudia Altucher: Of course. I understand. And it’s good to know you started in 1992, then. I had that – I didn’t get that right so I’m glad you told me. But I do know, and this perhaps you also have some DVD’s that can be downloaded with two sequences, Vinyasa Unlocked and the Moon Sequence. Is that right?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s correct.
Claudia Altucher: Yes, and many posters of sequences that are quite impressive.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: So I didn’t quite get the bio right, but Matthew is here to help which is a great thing. So Matthew, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming in.
Matthew Sweeney: No, thanks for having me.
Claudia Altucher: So it’s 6:00 p.m. there in Bali?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s right.
Claudia Altucher: What did you do today?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, today we rode around looking for furniture and bits of – tables and chairs for a little Indian Dosa restaurant that we’re starting to create.
Claudia Altucher: Nice. Is that together with –
Matthew Sweeney: A little Indian restaurant called Dosa Corner.
Claudia Altucher: Very nice. I love Dosa’s.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, I know. So do I. I love South Indian food, so yeah we thought we’d – there’s not good South Indian so much here in Bali so we thought we’d make a good little sort of, yeah, chi shop and Tiffin.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, how nice. So this is in – this retreat where you’re teaching, which you share with other partners, and it looks amazing in the photographs. It looks really nice overlooking rice fields and –
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That looks really, really nice.
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah, it’s lovely.
Claudia Altucher: And let me ask you, so what’s the weather like there?
Matthew Sweeney: Ah, well hot and – hot and humid pretty much all year around, though at the moment it’s nice because it’s raining almost every afternoon so it cools off.
Claudia Altucher: That’s good. When was the last time you saw the snow?
Matthew Sweeney: [Laughs] That’s an odd question. Oh, a long time ago. I think the last time I really saw snow was probably in Germany in 1993 or ’94.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, because in all your pictures you look like there’s always sunshine around you and you inspire me because I thought if I follow Matthew’s teaching I’ll probably never see snow again, which –
Matthew Sweeney: I mean I have to say, I’ve actually been talking to my partner, Lauren, about this. She really wants to have a white Christmas somewhere so we’ll probably go and do the snow in one or two – well, not this Christmas but maybe the Christmas after that.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, okay. Well, you know –
Matthew Sweeney: It’s not that I’m against the snow, it’s just that I love _____ -
Claudia Altucher: Warm weather.
Matthew Sweeney: And warm weather.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, me too.
Matthew Sweeney: I like the snow. I like the snow for one week of the year, but that’s all.
Claudia Altucher: We’re exactly the same. We have a nor’easter coming in here in New York, so it’s going to start snowing any time, so it’s a lot of fun. And I have some good news for you. You’re a big Star Wars fan and I understand this weekend the first trailer or the new movie is coming out.
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, yeah. I heard some rumors of this, so yeah, I’m very curious. I loved the first three movies and the following three, they were okay. They just scratched the Star Wars funny bone. So yeah, we’ll see what the next are load are like.
Claudia Altucher: That’s how you started into yoga, right, martial arts and Star Wars? What was it about martial arts that got you thinking along these lines?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh well, I love – I guess I love Bruce Lee and all of that kind of stuff. I grew up wanting to be, I don’t know –
Claudia Altucher: A Jedi master.
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE
If you cannot see the big photo with the play button you can listen by clicking here . Or listen in I-tunes -
[Also: please forgive the quality of the Skype audio that gave us a little echo here and there... Bali-NYC/Skype connections can be iffy sometimes]
But the good thing is that Matthew Sweeney is a really cool guy, he was not disappointed and he wanted to correct things because he has two partners on the beautiful yoga place they share in Ubud, in paradise Bali, and so he told me.
And I left it on the podcast together with my "other" mistake because I think it is good that you hear the spontaneity of how it all went.
I met Matthew through a photograph. And it is not as woo-woo as it sounds... I was in Mysore, it was 2008, and one night, during one of those frequent electricity cuts, my friend Martina and I started looking at his book "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is".
We looked specifically at the advanced postures, we were in a rush -back then- to see how we would be making our bodies into pretzels (NOT!)...
And so, we were looking at photos like, well, pick any of the photos in the sample page below... really, ANY...
Then we would look at each other, Martina and I, over the flickering candle light and go:
"Noooooo... That is impossible !"
What I love about Matthew is that he works very hard at the practice, at teaching it and at keeping it real.
He has "beef" with the usual teacher trainings when they are impersonal and the teacher does not get to know the students (think those courses that teach more than a hundred at the time).
He also does not believe that one system can be good for "everyone", because he has seen the results...
People leave the practice when it is too rigid, when it won't adjust to the issues and the lifestyles and DNA of each individual person.
And that is sad.
He is also adamant about getting to know personally the people who will go in the world and teach what he teaches.
His teacher trainings have many levels, but they are not there to annoy anyone, but rather to build a solid relationship, to do it right.
And, because his practice is so extensive and has happened over such a long period of time, he has created his own sequences, which you can download (see about Matthew section at the bottom of the email)
[Click here to start listening]
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUTThe restaurant he is opening in Bali, at the yoga retreat, and what they will serve (hint: I love dosas)His experience with Pattabhi Jois (who received him before he even got out of the taxi cab)
Matthew's teaching space in BaliThe differences between the approaches of Iyengar and JoisWhat happens we you practice yoga and you want to be "honest" about itMatthew's personal definition of yoga today... which has to do with what is happening to you nowHow the issues of food and sex need to be resolved for a proper asana and yoga practice in full to workThe different levels of kindnessHow he has become "uncool" (in certain areas) in front of his 16 year-old daughterHow we was inspired to create the posters that eventually became books by Dharma MittraMatthew's big beef with most yoga teacher trainingsHow the "moon sequence" that he developed, helps bring some balance (satvic energy) to the extreme (rajasic) practices some of us doHow he teaches pranayama and whenWhat is the one thing that took him a long time to understandABOUT MATHEW
Website
Workshops and Retreats 2015 and 2016
Newsletter sign-up for updates from Matthew
DVDs books and posters (available for instant download as well)
TRANSCRIPT
Claudia Altucher: Hello and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled today to have Matthew Sweeney with me. Matthew is the director of the Yoga Shala Bali in Ubud. He is a yoga teacher, a Star Wars fan, and a twice black belt in martial arts. Matthew has explored and practiced four, or even five I think, of the Ashtanga Yoga series of Sri Jois, who is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, as well as the teachings of Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, among many other teachers and trains of thoughts.
He started teaching yoga in 1996; at first Ashtanga Yoga, but as he went on he received thousands of students with unique challenges and he developed his own sequences. He is the author of two books, Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, and Vinyasa Krama, in which he explores the sequences –
Matthew Sweeney: I’m sorry. We might need to interrupt that because I think a couple of things are incorrect there. I might need to revisit.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, please, please correct. Tell me.
Matthew Sweeney: Okay, just the start because I’m not the director of the Shala Bali here. There are three shareholders, so if the other shareholders heard that they would probably be a bit upset with me. So maybe we restart that one. And the other one is – I remember this, I’ve just got to think about it – the year that I started. I started teaching in 1992.
Claudia Altucher: In 1992. Would you mind if we leave this like this because I think it’s spontaneous and it’s good and then your partners hear how loyal you are, which is a great thing. I’m sorry about this, that I didn’t have it right.
Matthew Sweeney: No, no. It’s not a problem, it’s just I don’t want to get in trouble.
Claudia Altucher: Of course. I understand. And it’s good to know you started in 1992, then. I had that – I didn’t get that right so I’m glad you told me. But I do know, and this perhaps you also have some DVD’s that can be downloaded with two sequences, Vinyasa Unlocked and the Moon Sequence. Is that right?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s correct.
Claudia Altucher: Yes, and many posters of sequences that are quite impressive.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: So I didn’t quite get the bio right, but Matthew is here to help which is a great thing. So Matthew, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming in.
Matthew Sweeney: No, thanks for having me.
Claudia Altucher: So it’s 6:00 p.m. there in Bali?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s right.
Claudia Altucher: What did you do today?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, today we rode around looking for furniture and bits of – tables and chairs for a little Indian Dosa restaurant that we’re starting to create.
Claudia Altucher: Nice. Is that together with –
Matthew Sweeney: A little Indian restaurant called Dosa Corner.
Claudia Altucher: Very nice. I love Dosa’s.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, I know. So do I. I love South Indian food, so yeah we thought we’d – there’s not good South Indian so much here in Bali so we thought we’d make a good little sort of, yeah, chi shop and Tiffin.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, how nice. So this is in – this retreat where you’re teaching, which you share with other partners, and it looks amazing in the photographs. It looks really nice overlooking rice fields and –
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That looks really, really nice.
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah, it’s lovely.
Claudia Altucher: And let me ask you, so what’s the weather like there?
Matthew Sweeney: Ah, well hot and – hot and humid pretty much all year around, though at the moment it’s nice because it’s raining almost every afternoon so it cools off.
Claudia Altucher: That’s good. When was the last time you saw the snow?
Matthew Sweeney: [Laughs] That’s an odd question. Oh, a long time ago. I think the last time I really saw snow was probably in Germany in 1993 or ’94.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, because in all your pictures you look like there’s always sunshine around you and you inspire me because I thought if I follow Matthew’s teaching I’ll probably never see snow again, which –
Matthew Sweeney: I mean I have to say, I’ve actually been talking to my partner, Lauren, about this. She really wants to have a white Christmas somewhere so we’ll probably go and do the snow in one or two – well, not this Christmas but maybe the Christmas after that.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, okay. Well, you know –
Matthew Sweeney: It’s not that I’m against the snow, it’s just that I love _____ -
Claudia Altucher: Warm weather.
Matthew Sweeney: And warm weather.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, me too.
Matthew Sweeney: I like the snow. I like the snow for one week of the year, but that’s all.
Claudia Altucher: We’re exactly the same. We have a nor’easter coming in here in New York, so it’s going to start snowing any time, so it’s a lot of fun. And I have some good news for you. You’re a big Star Wars fan and I understand this weekend the first trailer or the new movie is coming out.
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, yeah. I heard some rumors of this, so yeah, I’m very curious. I loved the first three movies and the following three, they were okay. They just scratched the Star Wars funny bone. So yeah, we’ll see what the next are load are like.
Claudia Altucher: That’s how you started into yoga, right, martial arts and Star Wars? What was it about martial arts that got you thinking along these lines?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh well, I love – I guess I love Bruce Lee and all of that kind of stuff. I grew up wanting to be, I don’t know –
Claudia Altucher: A Jedi master.
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE
The Yoga Podcast Ep# 4 Matthew Sweeney - Making Yoga Work For You
You know that episode where you introduce your guest and you do it all wrong? And then he has to stop you -very politely- to make corrections? Well, this is one of those episodes...
If you cannot see the big photo with the play button you can listen by clicking here . Or listen in I-tunes -
[Also: please forgive the quality of the Skype audio that gave us a little echo here and there... Bali-NYC/Skype connections can be iffy sometimes]
But the good thing is that Matthew Sweeney is a really cool guy, he was not disappointed and he wanted to correct things because he has two partners on the beautiful yoga place they share in Ubud, in paradise Bali, and so he told me.
And I left it on the podcast together with my "other" mistake because I think it is good that you hear the spontaneity of how it all went.
I met Matthew through a photograph. And it is not as woo-woo as it sounds...
I was in Mysore, it was 2008, and one night, during one of those frequent electricity cuts, my friend Martina and I started looking at his book "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is".
We looked specifically at the advanced postures, we were in a rush -back then- to see how we would be making our bodies into pretzels (NOT!)...
And so, we were looking at photos like, well, pick any of the photos in the sample page below... really, ANY...
Then we would look at each other, Martina and I, over the flickering candle light and go:
"Noooooo... That is impossible !"
What I love about Matthew is that he works very hard at the practice, at teaching it and at keeping it real.
He has "beef" with the usual teacher trainings when they are impersonal and the teacher does not get to know the students (think those courses that teach more than a hundred at the time).
He also does not believe that one system can be good for "everyone", because he has seen the results...
People leave the practice when it is too rigid, when it won't adjust to the issues and the lifestyles and DNA of each individual person.
And that is sad.
He is also adamant about getting to know personally the people who will go in the world and teach what he teaches.
His teacher trainings have many levels, but they are not there to annoy anyone, but rather to build a solid relationship, to do it right.
And, because his practice is so extensive and has happened over such a long period of time, he has created his own sequences, which you can download (see about Matthew section at the bottom of the email)
[Click here to start listening]
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUTThe restaurant he is opening in Bali, at the yoga retreat, and what they will serve (hint: I love dosas)His experience with Pattabhi Jois (who received him before he even got out of the taxi cab)
Matthew's teaching space in BaliThe differences between the approaches of Iyengar and JoisWhat happens we you practice yoga and you want to be "honest" about itMatthew's personal definition of yoga today... which has to do with what is happening to you nowHow the issues of food and sex need to be resolved for a proper asana and yoga practice in full to workThe different levels of kindnessHow he has become "uncool" (in certain areas) in front of his 16 year-old daughterHow we was inspired to create the posters that eventually became books by Dharma MittraMatthew's big beef with most yoga teacher trainingsHow the "moon sequence" that he developed, helps bring some balance (satvic energy) to the extreme (rajasic) practices some of us doHow he teaches pranayama and whenWhat is the one thing that took him a long time to understand
ABOUT MATHEW
Website
Workshops and Retreats 2015 and 2016
Newsletter sign-up for updates from Matthew
DVDs books and posters (available for instant download as well)
Facebook
TRANSCRIPT
Claudia Altucher: Hello and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled today to have Matthew Sweeney with me. Matthew is the director of the Yoga Shala Bali in Ubud. He is a yoga teacher, a Star Wars fan, and a twice black belt in martial arts. Matthew has explored and practiced four, or even five I think, of the Ashtanga Yoga series of Sri Jois, who is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, as well as the teachings of Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, among many other teachers and trains of thoughts.
He started teaching yoga in 1996; at first Ashtanga Yoga, but as he went on he received thousands of students with unique challenges and he developed his own sequences. He is the author of two books, Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, and Vinyasa Krama, in which he explores the sequences –
Matthew Sweeney: I’m sorry. We might need to interrupt that because I think a couple of things are incorrect there. I might need to revisit.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, please, please correct. Tell me.
Matthew Sweeney: Okay, just the start because I’m not the director of the Shala Bali here. There are three shareholders, so if the other shareholders heard that they would probably be a bit upset with me. So maybe we restart that one. And the other one is – I remember this, I’ve just got to think about it – the year that I started. I started teaching in 1992.
Claudia Altucher: In 1992. Would you mind if we leave this like this because I think it’s spontaneous and it’s good and then your partners hear how loyal you are, which is a great thing. I’m sorry about this, that I didn’t have it right.
Matthew Sweeney: No, no. It’s not a problem, it’s just I don’t want to get in trouble.
Claudia Altucher: Of course. I understand. And it’s good to know you started in 1992, then. I had that – I didn’t get that right so I’m glad you told me. But I do know, and this perhaps you also have some DVD’s that can be downloaded with two sequences, Vinyasa Unlocked and the Moon Sequence. Is that right?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s correct.
Claudia Altucher: Yes, and many posters of sequences that are quite impressive.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: So I didn’t quite get the bio right, but Matthew is here to help which is a great thing. So Matthew, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming in.
Matthew Sweeney: No, thanks for having me.
Claudia Altucher: So it’s 6:00 p.m. there in Bali?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s right.
Claudia Altucher: What did you do today?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, today we rode around looking for furniture and bits of – tables and chairs for a little Indian Dosa restaurant that we’re starting to create.
Claudia Altucher: Nice. Is that together with –
Matthew Sweeney: A little Indian restaurant called Dosa Corner.
Claudia Altucher: Very nice. I love Dosa’s.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, I know. So do I. I love South Indian food, so yeah we thought we’d – there’s not good South Indian so much here in Bali so we thought we’d make a good little sort of, yeah, chi shop and Tiffin.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, how nice. So this is in – this retreat where you’re teaching, which you share with other partners, and it looks amazing in the photographs. It looks really nice overlooking rice fields and –
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That looks really, really nice.
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah, it’s lovely.
Claudia Altucher: And let me ask you, so what’s the weather like there?
Matthew Sweeney: Ah, well hot and – hot and humid pretty much all year around, though at the moment it’s nice because it’s raining almost every afternoon so it cools off.
Claudia Altucher: That’s good. When was the last time you saw the snow?
Matthew Sweeney: [Laughs] That’s an odd question. Oh, a long time ago. I think the last time I really saw snow was probably in Germany in 1993 or ’94.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, because in all your pictures you look like there’s always sunshine around you and you inspire me because I thought if I follow Matthew’s teaching I’ll probably never see snow again, which –
Matthew Sweeney: I mean I have to say, I’ve actually been talking to my partner, Lauren, about this. She really wants to have a white Christmas somewhere so we’ll probably go and do the snow in one or two – well, not this Christmas but maybe the Christmas after that.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, okay. Well, you know –
Matthew Sweeney: It’s not that I’m against the snow, it’s just that I love _____ -
Claudia Altucher: Warm weather.
Matthew Sweeney: And warm weather.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, me too.
Matthew Sweeney: I like the snow. I like the snow for one week of the year, but that’s all.
Claudia Altucher: We’re exactly the same. We have a nor’easter coming in here in New York, so it’s going to start snowing any time, so it’s a lot of fun. And I have some good news for you. You’re a big Star Wars fan and I understand this weekend the first trailer or the new movie is coming out.
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, yeah. I heard some rumors of this, so yeah, I’m very curious. I loved the first three movies and the following three, they were okay. They just scratched the Star Wars funny bone. So yeah, we’ll see what the next are load are like.
Claudia Altucher: That’s how you started into yoga, right, martial arts and Star Wars? What was it about martial arts that got you thinking along these lines?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh well, I love – I guess I love Bruce Lee and all of that kind of stuff. I grew up wanting to be, I don’t know –
Claudia Altucher: A Jedi master.
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE
If you cannot see the big photo with the play button you can listen by clicking here . Or listen in I-tunes -
[Also: please forgive the quality of the Skype audio that gave us a little echo here and there... Bali-NYC/Skype connections can be iffy sometimes]
But the good thing is that Matthew Sweeney is a really cool guy, he was not disappointed and he wanted to correct things because he has two partners on the beautiful yoga place they share in Ubud, in paradise Bali, and so he told me.
And I left it on the podcast together with my "other" mistake because I think it is good that you hear the spontaneity of how it all went.
I met Matthew through a photograph. And it is not as woo-woo as it sounds... I was in Mysore, it was 2008, and one night, during one of those frequent electricity cuts, my friend Martina and I started looking at his book "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is".
We looked specifically at the advanced postures, we were in a rush -back then- to see how we would be making our bodies into pretzels (NOT!)...
And so, we were looking at photos like, well, pick any of the photos in the sample page below... really, ANY...
Then we would look at each other, Martina and I, over the flickering candle light and go:
"Noooooo... That is impossible !"
What I love about Matthew is that he works very hard at the practice, at teaching it and at keeping it real.
He has "beef" with the usual teacher trainings when they are impersonal and the teacher does not get to know the students (think those courses that teach more than a hundred at the time).
He also does not believe that one system can be good for "everyone", because he has seen the results...
People leave the practice when it is too rigid, when it won't adjust to the issues and the lifestyles and DNA of each individual person.
And that is sad.
He is also adamant about getting to know personally the people who will go in the world and teach what he teaches.
His teacher trainings have many levels, but they are not there to annoy anyone, but rather to build a solid relationship, to do it right.
And, because his practice is so extensive and has happened over such a long period of time, he has created his own sequences, which you can download (see about Matthew section at the bottom of the email)
[Click here to start listening]
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUTThe restaurant he is opening in Bali, at the yoga retreat, and what they will serve (hint: I love dosas)His experience with Pattabhi Jois (who received him before he even got out of the taxi cab)
Matthew's teaching space in BaliThe differences between the approaches of Iyengar and JoisWhat happens we you practice yoga and you want to be "honest" about itMatthew's personal definition of yoga today... which has to do with what is happening to you nowHow the issues of food and sex need to be resolved for a proper asana and yoga practice in full to workThe different levels of kindnessHow he has become "uncool" (in certain areas) in front of his 16 year-old daughterHow we was inspired to create the posters that eventually became books by Dharma MittraMatthew's big beef with most yoga teacher trainingsHow the "moon sequence" that he developed, helps bring some balance (satvic energy) to the extreme (rajasic) practices some of us doHow he teaches pranayama and whenWhat is the one thing that took him a long time to understandABOUT MATHEW
Website
Workshops and Retreats 2015 and 2016
Newsletter sign-up for updates from Matthew
DVDs books and posters (available for instant download as well)
TRANSCRIPT
Claudia Altucher: Hello and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled today to have Matthew Sweeney with me. Matthew is the director of the Yoga Shala Bali in Ubud. He is a yoga teacher, a Star Wars fan, and a twice black belt in martial arts. Matthew has explored and practiced four, or even five I think, of the Ashtanga Yoga series of Sri Jois, who is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, as well as the teachings of Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, among many other teachers and trains of thoughts.
He started teaching yoga in 1996; at first Ashtanga Yoga, but as he went on he received thousands of students with unique challenges and he developed his own sequences. He is the author of two books, Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, and Vinyasa Krama, in which he explores the sequences –
Matthew Sweeney: I’m sorry. We might need to interrupt that because I think a couple of things are incorrect there. I might need to revisit.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, please, please correct. Tell me.
Matthew Sweeney: Okay, just the start because I’m not the director of the Shala Bali here. There are three shareholders, so if the other shareholders heard that they would probably be a bit upset with me. So maybe we restart that one. And the other one is – I remember this, I’ve just got to think about it – the year that I started. I started teaching in 1992.
Claudia Altucher: In 1992. Would you mind if we leave this like this because I think it’s spontaneous and it’s good and then your partners hear how loyal you are, which is a great thing. I’m sorry about this, that I didn’t have it right.
Matthew Sweeney: No, no. It’s not a problem, it’s just I don’t want to get in trouble.
Claudia Altucher: Of course. I understand. And it’s good to know you started in 1992, then. I had that – I didn’t get that right so I’m glad you told me. But I do know, and this perhaps you also have some DVD’s that can be downloaded with two sequences, Vinyasa Unlocked and the Moon Sequence. Is that right?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s correct.
Claudia Altucher: Yes, and many posters of sequences that are quite impressive.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: So I didn’t quite get the bio right, but Matthew is here to help which is a great thing. So Matthew, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming in.
Matthew Sweeney: No, thanks for having me.
Claudia Altucher: So it’s 6:00 p.m. there in Bali?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s right.
Claudia Altucher: What did you do today?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, today we rode around looking for furniture and bits of – tables and chairs for a little Indian Dosa restaurant that we’re starting to create.
Claudia Altucher: Nice. Is that together with –
Matthew Sweeney: A little Indian restaurant called Dosa Corner.
Claudia Altucher: Very nice. I love Dosa’s.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, I know. So do I. I love South Indian food, so yeah we thought we’d – there’s not good South Indian so much here in Bali so we thought we’d make a good little sort of, yeah, chi shop and Tiffin.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, how nice. So this is in – this retreat where you’re teaching, which you share with other partners, and it looks amazing in the photographs. It looks really nice overlooking rice fields and –
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That looks really, really nice.
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah, it’s lovely.
Claudia Altucher: And let me ask you, so what’s the weather like there?
Matthew Sweeney: Ah, well hot and – hot and humid pretty much all year around, though at the moment it’s nice because it’s raining almost every afternoon so it cools off.
Claudia Altucher: That’s good. When was the last time you saw the snow?
Matthew Sweeney: [Laughs] That’s an odd question. Oh, a long time ago. I think the last time I really saw snow was probably in Germany in 1993 or ’94.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, because in all your pictures you look like there’s always sunshine around you and you inspire me because I thought if I follow Matthew’s teaching I’ll probably never see snow again, which –
Matthew Sweeney: I mean I have to say, I’ve actually been talking to my partner, Lauren, about this. She really wants to have a white Christmas somewhere so we’ll probably go and do the snow in one or two – well, not this Christmas but maybe the Christmas after that.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, okay. Well, you know –
Matthew Sweeney: It’s not that I’m against the snow, it’s just that I love _____ -
Claudia Altucher: Warm weather.
Matthew Sweeney: And warm weather.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, me too.
Matthew Sweeney: I like the snow. I like the snow for one week of the year, but that’s all.
Claudia Altucher: We’re exactly the same. We have a nor’easter coming in here in New York, so it’s going to start snowing any time, so it’s a lot of fun. And I have some good news for you. You’re a big Star Wars fan and I understand this weekend the first trailer or the new movie is coming out.
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, yeah. I heard some rumors of this, so yeah, I’m very curious. I loved the first three movies and the following three, they were okay. They just scratched the Star Wars funny bone. So yeah, we’ll see what the next are load are like.
Claudia Altucher: That’s how you started into yoga, right, martial arts and Star Wars? What was it about martial arts that got you thinking along these lines?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh well, I love – I guess I love Bruce Lee and all of that kind of stuff. I grew up wanting to be, I don’t know –
Claudia Altucher: A Jedi master.
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE
February 20, 2015
11 Reasons Why Women Need To Become Idea Machines Now
We are at a point in history where we have to stop pretending we are not brilliant beings. We, as women, need to become idea machines, pronto.
The power that comes through it is a gift we owe to the world.
We have to own our talent and admit that we have something to bring to the table.
We are in a magnificent position to affect change in the world in a feminine way. There is no winning in playing small anymore.
I said that recently at Fei's podcast,
And... Of course....
In true "Idea Machine style"...
that conversation invited me to elaborate and come up with ten/eleven reasons why it is so important for women (and men, of course) but specifically, in this case, for women, to become idea machines.
Here are them:
1.- WOMEN STILL GET PAID LESS THAN MEN
And...
Ideas are the currency of the 21st century
Because the old job and the retirement, or even social security is rather "iffy" at best these days.
We don't exactly know how the money will come, but then again, in the past way of life, we also didn't exactly know, because if we did then we were at a "job", where the number was small and fixed...
And nobody ever generates wealth that way.... Because there is little value added at a fixed, "boring" job.
Thinking of wealth in terms of ideas levels the plain-filed.
Just like the Philharmonic orchestra got more women into their pool of talented musicians once they started auditioning by hearing music BUT with a screen covering the gender.
Just like that screen... ideas allow us to level the field.
2.-LET'S ASK MORE QUESTIONS
I will tell you one thing that disheartened me while reading Lean In ...
Sheryl says that when she gives talks it is always men that raise their hands and ask questions. Women rarely ask.
I am not saying we should be CEO's, or start companies, or run Facebook's operations, and I am also NOT saying we should be more like men...
NO.
I am just saying we need to start raising our hand and speaking up... And asking questions.
In the book "The Confidence Code" (see recommended reading below) I read that studies show that women will apply for a job (or ask a question) only if they feel 100% prepared.
Men will apply for a job if they feel they are 70% prepared!
And ask a question even when they don't have one.
This is something I've been sensing quite a bit, and that is why these days....
I ASK QUESTIONS. Every time.
[Keep calm image from here]
Even if I don't know know what I am about to ask...
Just as I did in the last conference where as I lifted my hand I had no idea what I was going to ask. But I did have a question!
So yes, the question was formulated between the moment the hand started going up and the moment the speaker said: "yes"?
It is evolutionary for us to raise our hands, to ask, to take risks, to be bold.
Because our voice is missing from the conversation otherwise.
LISTING TEN IDEAS A DAY gets the idea muscle ready, flexible, in good shape, and trained to look for questions, to look for answers, to look for the "gaps".
Then it is easier to ask questions.
3.- THE TRANSFORMATION IS DECEIVINGLY SLOW BUT POWERFULLY POTENT
Some people have began listing ideas together with me since the book launch, and many are sharing them (sometimes daily in Twitter)
I heard of someone who sent 10 ideas to a music festival, and now that festival has him help them with their croudsourcing efforts.
I sent 10 ideas to 99Designs because I used their services three times in three months and I had enough experience to know where they could improve.
The CEO Wrote me a letter this week:
Hi. I'm the CEO of 99designs and I just wanted to let you know that we really appreciate your thoughtful feedback. We actioning items immediately that we can address around better communication/messaging and we are actively recruiting additional customer support representatives to ensure that everyone sees a chat window when needed (peak times sometimes makes chat unavailable to some users).
Are you happy with your final design for your book cover? Is there anything else that I could do for you? Really happy to help in anyway and thanks again for the tough love... We are always striving to get better and feedback like yours helps make that possible. Kind regards
We had some follow up conversations, I thanked him for listening.
[Tortoise image from here]
He told me that he was going to talk to his staff and share the list with them...
Now, the point of this is to show how it is deceivingly sow. ..
You may say me: "C'mon, a letter is nothing that is not money!"
And you would be right.
But this is the way the world works these days.
We send ideas....
We add "real, actionable, and good" value to others and...
It starts with a thank you letter ...
It may continue with an invitation to come over and talk to the staff (as it happened to James with Amazon where they flew him to Seattle)... and then...
Relationships are built, you meet new people, you get new ideas, you get BETTER ideas...
We don't need to see the end result, we just need to list ten ideas today.
It does compound fast...
For example James got his book Choose Yourself, and his next book "The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth" in hard cover (which Amazon never does for self published authors) --- BECAUSE OF HIS SENDING OF IDEAS
He was able to make a deal with a list to sell Choose Yourself... in hard cover.
That is now the "POWERFULLY POTENT" part appears... it is a compounding, not a staight line... it is an endless...giggly spiral and curvy up and down-ish sort of gibberish doodle... that is how a trajectory in the real world looks like now.
4.- GETTING OUT OF DEPRESSION
Last summer I went to Thailand and I was suffering from one of those bursts of depression I get often.
I was shocked when, after taking my pulse, Paul Dallaghan gave me a pranayama prescription that encouraged more solar breathing (right nostril)
I don't want to go into details on that because I believe a prescription is that, something personal, but I did see the "RESULTS"
We as women are more "receptive, lunar, open to communication, wanting to be liked" and on and on
NOT ALL OF US, of course...I don't want to generalize... And I know some women have a lot of sun energy in them...
[Leaving depression image from here]
I am just saying that as per ME, and in my own experience, my feminine energy is more earth while men's is more sky...
Female is moon (ritual, nurturing) man is sun (possessive, abrasive)
Of course we all have both.
But I feel, at least in MY CASE, that I need to activate my solar energy a bit more.
ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM DEPRESSED
It is all nice for me to write my morning pages, journal and do collage, but...
THE 10 IDEAS A DAY engages my mind in a completely different way.
It gets me going in a way that is foreign to my basic nature of silent receptivity and listening and praying...
LISTING TEN IDEAS A DAY connects me with the "how can I help" energy in a more practical, go-get-it... sun way
5) REMEMBERING TO GIVE TO OURSELVES
When coming up with ten ideas a day we will have days in which it simply is impossible.
Life is incredibly difficult, and things happen.
As women we tend to want to help, soothe, and give.
This is a wonderful feminine quality but it is also important to remember that our own soothing, helping ourselves, and giving to ourselves is critical.
So we may skip a day of doing the ten ideas if the world goes upside down. But we can take it again the next morning. Because our ideas are important.
Because our contribution, the way we see the world, our thoughts, translated through a fine-tuned intuition of ideas IS IMPORTANT.
Whenever I find myself upset now-a-days I immediatelly think of listing 10 things I could do.
I start with the most ridiculous ideas (because there are no ridiculous ideas, they are just ideas, I don't judge)...
It is usually through those that I give myself permission to actually get out some pretty good ones...
Ideas can save lives.
Ideas can save our stressed out days.
Ideas can save relationships.
Ideas can help us.
6) CONFIDENCE
This is a tricky one for us women...
There is an imbalance in how we are perceived weather we admit it or not...
A Harvard study had two groups of women take a math test.
The first group had to identify their GENDER before the test, the second one had to identify their ETHNICITY
There were Asian women in both as I understand....
Guess what group did better?
The one that identified themselves as "Asian" rather than "women", because " Asian women are good at math" right? We all know thaaaaaaaaat..... riiiiigggghttttt?
These stereotypes DO EXIST. Denying them gives us no favors
Acknowledging them is better because then at least we know what we are dealing with.
How does that play out in "confidence"?
Have you ever had an idea and then you said it and then later someone else (perhaps a man) took it and used it as if it was his?
This happened to me not once, but many, many times...
I find it to be my responsibility to point out that that was MY idea... not because I want to be better than but to reassure MYSELF, to regain my own sense of self-confidence.
I find that coming up with ten ideas a day gives me the confidence necessary to trust the words that come out of my mouth.
[Confidence fish photo from here]
By the way, this does not mean I turn into an *as&*. If I say something that is out of line I still can acknowledge I was wrong.
I am wrong many times... And I have no problem saying I am sorry.
But being an idea machine helps me identify when I am sure, in my bones, that what I am saying is the right thing ...
And when you have that kind of confidence, when you know that is something is the right thing for you, in your soul, then nobody can stop you.
7) WHAT IS MY PASSION? FOR TODAY?
I laugh when I hear people in Quora ask "how can I know what my life purpose is"?
Nobody can know that...
Since I was born I have had at least 8 different "lives"...
[Today image from here]
There is no way at 15 I could've said "I will be a writer" forever...
It just does not work that way.
I am currently a podcast host, and author, a partner at a private publishing firm, a blogger, a yoga teacher, an idea machine....
And with the idea machine, the PURPOSE changes every six months or so....
Because as we start coming with lists of what we are interested on today, our lives change.
When we pay attention to what is igniting our inner fire today, then life has no evolutionary choice but to lead us in the direction of what we feel passionate about... TODAY
8) CUTTING OURSELVES SOME SLACK
Last week I overheard a beautiful young woman with four kids say that she does not push herself enough.
She had just finished two hours of yoga asana.
I HAD to ask her: "Do you hear yourself speak?"
I was not mean, I was encouraging, I think any woman with four kids is a super hero period.
So, speaking of cutting ourselves some slack.
Let’s remember that most of the time we do everything that men do, feel all the same stresses, and still make the bed and cook breakfast, thank you very much.
Ideas help us recognize our brain power, our dedication, our power of transformation, and the results we bring into the world.
And if you are ever in need of some padding in the back do this:
List your "I DID LIST" for today
List all the things you DID, TODAY
You WILL BE SHOCKED. Guaranteed...
9) WHEN THINGS FALL APART:
When things fall apart, as they do, having a toned idea muscle allows the wisdom of the feminine energy to change perspective, to notice where our strength lies.
Heck! We are showing up for our daily practice!,
It helps us to reassure ourselves that this, too, shall pass.
And there is nothing like going 10-ideas on a problem... Because it shows different ways of looking at it, and in doing so we shift our perception
10) THERE IS NO BEAUTY IN PLAYING SMALL
I am married to a strong man and I can see what happens when I play as if I am less, or not as important, and also, what happens when I act from my full power, as an equal, and sometimes even as a wise-teacher.
It is much more productive and leading to peace and balance when I stand in the fire-center of my power and own it.
When I speak what I know to be truth, when I say what I mean because I know it in my bones to be truth, when I trust the words that come out of my mouth and yet have the humility to recognize if at some point they were not so wise.
I don’t know everything, or anything.
I am not a genius, but as a female I am as powerful -if not more sometimes- than the male energy.
My energy as female is needed in the world, badly.
And if we don’t return to nurturing this part of our energy, if we don’t bring to the front the feminine energy that births wisdom we are doomed.
This is the time for all of us as women to bring our voices to the front, to speak up, to let our ideas count, and to do what we know we have to do.
We can elevate the conversation.
We can bring up a notch, from silly gossip ot what really counts...
To how can we own our power?
How can we be more honest with ourselves?
How can we help each other, woman to woman (and men too... I love men)
How can we make sure when a woman is interrupted, that we say "excuse me, I would like for her to finish her thought"
How can we be more kind to one another?
How can we get out of the way of our feminine wisdom?
Listing ten ideas a day seems to be working for me.
11) FUNNY
A few weeks ago I got another of those bursts of depression.
I bought an audio book... Ellen... "Seriously I'm Kidding"
It made me feel better.
We women are GREAT at a sense of humor because we have to.
I noticed one thing listening to Ellen, she has a phrase going somewhere and suddenly it will turn crazy...
For example: she will say:
No woman is perfect... Except for Penelope Cruz
There is always that twist, that funny turn.
I've never laughed more than when in a group of women who trust each other...
We are witty people...
[Ellen image from here]
This is why I am recommending the book (audio better really), because we can bring our brilliant sense of humor to the world too...
One list I am going to be doing is "sentences that end in a funny twist..."
For example:
Amy Schummer: "I went to LA last week... Have you ever had your self esteem lowered?"
See the "twist"? We are great at it, and you KNOW IT !
RECOMMENDED READING
Lean In
Seriously I'm Kidding
Become An Idea Machine
The Confidence Code
Bold
The power that comes through it is a gift we owe to the world.
We have to own our talent and admit that we have something to bring to the table.
We are in a magnificent position to affect change in the world in a feminine way. There is no winning in playing small anymore.
I said that recently at Fei's podcast,
And... Of course....
In true "Idea Machine style"...
that conversation invited me to elaborate and come up with ten/eleven reasons why it is so important for women (and men, of course) but specifically, in this case, for women, to become idea machines.
Here are them:
1.- WOMEN STILL GET PAID LESS THAN MEN
And...
Ideas are the currency of the 21st century
Because the old job and the retirement, or even social security is rather "iffy" at best these days.
We don't exactly know how the money will come, but then again, in the past way of life, we also didn't exactly know, because if we did then we were at a "job", where the number was small and fixed...
And nobody ever generates wealth that way.... Because there is little value added at a fixed, "boring" job.
Thinking of wealth in terms of ideas levels the plain-filed.
Just like the Philharmonic orchestra got more women into their pool of talented musicians once they started auditioning by hearing music BUT with a screen covering the gender.
Just like that screen... ideas allow us to level the field.
2.-LET'S ASK MORE QUESTIONS
I will tell you one thing that disheartened me while reading Lean In ...
Sheryl says that when she gives talks it is always men that raise their hands and ask questions. Women rarely ask.
I am not saying we should be CEO's, or start companies, or run Facebook's operations, and I am also NOT saying we should be more like men...
NO.
I am just saying we need to start raising our hand and speaking up... And asking questions.
In the book "The Confidence Code" (see recommended reading below) I read that studies show that women will apply for a job (or ask a question) only if they feel 100% prepared.
Men will apply for a job if they feel they are 70% prepared!
And ask a question even when they don't have one.
This is something I've been sensing quite a bit, and that is why these days....
I ASK QUESTIONS. Every time.
[Keep calm image from here]Even if I don't know know what I am about to ask...
Just as I did in the last conference where as I lifted my hand I had no idea what I was going to ask. But I did have a question!
So yes, the question was formulated between the moment the hand started going up and the moment the speaker said: "yes"?
It is evolutionary for us to raise our hands, to ask, to take risks, to be bold.
Because our voice is missing from the conversation otherwise.
LISTING TEN IDEAS A DAY gets the idea muscle ready, flexible, in good shape, and trained to look for questions, to look for answers, to look for the "gaps".
Then it is easier to ask questions.
3.- THE TRANSFORMATION IS DECEIVINGLY SLOW BUT POWERFULLY POTENT
Some people have began listing ideas together with me since the book launch, and many are sharing them (sometimes daily in Twitter)
I heard of someone who sent 10 ideas to a music festival, and now that festival has him help them with their croudsourcing efforts.
I sent 10 ideas to 99Designs because I used their services three times in three months and I had enough experience to know where they could improve.
The CEO Wrote me a letter this week:
Hi. I'm the CEO of 99designs and I just wanted to let you know that we really appreciate your thoughtful feedback. We actioning items immediately that we can address around better communication/messaging and we are actively recruiting additional customer support representatives to ensure that everyone sees a chat window when needed (peak times sometimes makes chat unavailable to some users).
Are you happy with your final design for your book cover? Is there anything else that I could do for you? Really happy to help in anyway and thanks again for the tough love... We are always striving to get better and feedback like yours helps make that possible. Kind regards
We had some follow up conversations, I thanked him for listening.
[Tortoise image from here]He told me that he was going to talk to his staff and share the list with them...
Now, the point of this is to show how it is deceivingly sow. ..
You may say me: "C'mon, a letter is nothing that is not money!"
And you would be right.
But this is the way the world works these days.
We send ideas....
We add "real, actionable, and good" value to others and...
It starts with a thank you letter ...
It may continue with an invitation to come over and talk to the staff (as it happened to James with Amazon where they flew him to Seattle)... and then...
Relationships are built, you meet new people, you get new ideas, you get BETTER ideas...
We don't need to see the end result, we just need to list ten ideas today.
It does compound fast...
For example James got his book Choose Yourself, and his next book "The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth" in hard cover (which Amazon never does for self published authors) --- BECAUSE OF HIS SENDING OF IDEAS
He was able to make a deal with a list to sell Choose Yourself... in hard cover.
That is now the "POWERFULLY POTENT" part appears... it is a compounding, not a staight line... it is an endless...giggly spiral and curvy up and down-ish sort of gibberish doodle... that is how a trajectory in the real world looks like now.
4.- GETTING OUT OF DEPRESSION
Last summer I went to Thailand and I was suffering from one of those bursts of depression I get often.
I was shocked when, after taking my pulse, Paul Dallaghan gave me a pranayama prescription that encouraged more solar breathing (right nostril)
I don't want to go into details on that because I believe a prescription is that, something personal, but I did see the "RESULTS"
We as women are more "receptive, lunar, open to communication, wanting to be liked" and on and on
NOT ALL OF US, of course...I don't want to generalize... And I know some women have a lot of sun energy in them...
[Leaving depression image from here]I am just saying that as per ME, and in my own experience, my feminine energy is more earth while men's is more sky...
Female is moon (ritual, nurturing) man is sun (possessive, abrasive)
Of course we all have both.
But I feel, at least in MY CASE, that I need to activate my solar energy a bit more.
ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM DEPRESSED
It is all nice for me to write my morning pages, journal and do collage, but...
THE 10 IDEAS A DAY engages my mind in a completely different way.
It gets me going in a way that is foreign to my basic nature of silent receptivity and listening and praying...
LISTING TEN IDEAS A DAY connects me with the "how can I help" energy in a more practical, go-get-it... sun way
5) REMEMBERING TO GIVE TO OURSELVES
When coming up with ten ideas a day we will have days in which it simply is impossible.
Life is incredibly difficult, and things happen.
As women we tend to want to help, soothe, and give.
This is a wonderful feminine quality but it is also important to remember that our own soothing, helping ourselves, and giving to ourselves is critical.
So we may skip a day of doing the ten ideas if the world goes upside down. But we can take it again the next morning. Because our ideas are important.
Because our contribution, the way we see the world, our thoughts, translated through a fine-tuned intuition of ideas IS IMPORTANT.
Whenever I find myself upset now-a-days I immediatelly think of listing 10 things I could do.
I start with the most ridiculous ideas (because there are no ridiculous ideas, they are just ideas, I don't judge)...
It is usually through those that I give myself permission to actually get out some pretty good ones...
Ideas can save lives.
Ideas can save our stressed out days.
Ideas can save relationships.
Ideas can help us.
6) CONFIDENCE
This is a tricky one for us women...
There is an imbalance in how we are perceived weather we admit it or not...
A Harvard study had two groups of women take a math test.
The first group had to identify their GENDER before the test, the second one had to identify their ETHNICITY
There were Asian women in both as I understand....
Guess what group did better?
The one that identified themselves as "Asian" rather than "women", because " Asian women are good at math" right? We all know thaaaaaaaaat..... riiiiigggghttttt?
These stereotypes DO EXIST. Denying them gives us no favors
Acknowledging them is better because then at least we know what we are dealing with.
How does that play out in "confidence"?
Have you ever had an idea and then you said it and then later someone else (perhaps a man) took it and used it as if it was his?
This happened to me not once, but many, many times...
I find it to be my responsibility to point out that that was MY idea... not because I want to be better than but to reassure MYSELF, to regain my own sense of self-confidence.
I find that coming up with ten ideas a day gives me the confidence necessary to trust the words that come out of my mouth.
[Confidence fish photo from here]By the way, this does not mean I turn into an *as&*. If I say something that is out of line I still can acknowledge I was wrong.
I am wrong many times... And I have no problem saying I am sorry.
But being an idea machine helps me identify when I am sure, in my bones, that what I am saying is the right thing ...
And when you have that kind of confidence, when you know that is something is the right thing for you, in your soul, then nobody can stop you.
7) WHAT IS MY PASSION? FOR TODAY?
I laugh when I hear people in Quora ask "how can I know what my life purpose is"?
Nobody can know that...
Since I was born I have had at least 8 different "lives"...
[Today image from here]There is no way at 15 I could've said "I will be a writer" forever...
It just does not work that way.
I am currently a podcast host, and author, a partner at a private publishing firm, a blogger, a yoga teacher, an idea machine....
And with the idea machine, the PURPOSE changes every six months or so....
Because as we start coming with lists of what we are interested on today, our lives change.
When we pay attention to what is igniting our inner fire today, then life has no evolutionary choice but to lead us in the direction of what we feel passionate about... TODAY
8) CUTTING OURSELVES SOME SLACK
Last week I overheard a beautiful young woman with four kids say that she does not push herself enough.
She had just finished two hours of yoga asana.
I HAD to ask her: "Do you hear yourself speak?"
I was not mean, I was encouraging, I think any woman with four kids is a super hero period.
So, speaking of cutting ourselves some slack.
Let’s remember that most of the time we do everything that men do, feel all the same stresses, and still make the bed and cook breakfast, thank you very much.
Ideas help us recognize our brain power, our dedication, our power of transformation, and the results we bring into the world.
And if you are ever in need of some padding in the back do this:
List your "I DID LIST" for today
List all the things you DID, TODAY
You WILL BE SHOCKED. Guaranteed...
9) WHEN THINGS FALL APART:
When things fall apart, as they do, having a toned idea muscle allows the wisdom of the feminine energy to change perspective, to notice where our strength lies.
Heck! We are showing up for our daily practice!,
It helps us to reassure ourselves that this, too, shall pass.
And there is nothing like going 10-ideas on a problem... Because it shows different ways of looking at it, and in doing so we shift our perception
10) THERE IS NO BEAUTY IN PLAYING SMALL
I am married to a strong man and I can see what happens when I play as if I am less, or not as important, and also, what happens when I act from my full power, as an equal, and sometimes even as a wise-teacher.
It is much more productive and leading to peace and balance when I stand in the fire-center of my power and own it.
When I speak what I know to be truth, when I say what I mean because I know it in my bones to be truth, when I trust the words that come out of my mouth and yet have the humility to recognize if at some point they were not so wise.
I don’t know everything, or anything.
I am not a genius, but as a female I am as powerful -if not more sometimes- than the male energy.
My energy as female is needed in the world, badly.
And if we don’t return to nurturing this part of our energy, if we don’t bring to the front the feminine energy that births wisdom we are doomed.
This is the time for all of us as women to bring our voices to the front, to speak up, to let our ideas count, and to do what we know we have to do.
We can elevate the conversation.
We can bring up a notch, from silly gossip ot what really counts...
To how can we own our power?
How can we be more honest with ourselves?
How can we help each other, woman to woman (and men too... I love men)
How can we make sure when a woman is interrupted, that we say "excuse me, I would like for her to finish her thought"
How can we be more kind to one another?
How can we get out of the way of our feminine wisdom?
Listing ten ideas a day seems to be working for me.
11) FUNNY
A few weeks ago I got another of those bursts of depression.
I bought an audio book... Ellen... "Seriously I'm Kidding"
It made me feel better.
We women are GREAT at a sense of humor because we have to.
I noticed one thing listening to Ellen, she has a phrase going somewhere and suddenly it will turn crazy...
For example: she will say:
No woman is perfect... Except for Penelope Cruz
There is always that twist, that funny turn.
I've never laughed more than when in a group of women who trust each other...
We are witty people...
[Ellen image from here]This is why I am recommending the book (audio better really), because we can bring our brilliant sense of humor to the world too...
One list I am going to be doing is "sentences that end in a funny twist..."
For example:
Amy Schummer: "I went to LA last week... Have you ever had your self esteem lowered?"
See the "twist"? We are great at it, and you KNOW IT !
RECOMMENDED READING
Lean In
Seriously I'm Kidding
Become An Idea Machine
The Confidence Code
Bold
