The e-mail I Wish I’d Never Sent

23 Thursday May 2013

Once it’s in cyber space there’s no getting it back, it’s out there…forever. Think about Google. Google remembers each thing we search so that the next time it can make a more informed decision & come up with better results.

But does the memory of what you once wanted, thought, or were searching for get in the way of what you need now?

Our minds are like computers. They are like Google. All we think gets stored. Our mind patterns get stored on our mental hard drive, saved for later. Stored until we come to a similar situation, conversation, or confrontation and in that moment all that stored info comes rushing forward.

Think about it. The first time you thought a negative thought, like ‘I’m not good enough’ when you failed a test or made a mistake. That thought got stored, it left a trail in your mind. So the next time you make a mistake it comes roaring back with more fervor “I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” If we don’t watch out the Google of our minds can create an endless stream of negativity.

So how do we begin to change our thought patterns, to create positivity trails in the mind that lead to more conscious living & acceptance?

1. Pay Attention: Watch your thoughts. Notice what situations bring up reaction. In that moment remember when you first had that thought. Think about why you are having that thought now, trace the pattern.

2. Shift the Pattern: Once you’ve noticed the pattern, it’s time to shift it. Begin to replace the negative thought, “I’m not good enough”, to something more productive “I will learn from this and grow.”

3. Rinse and Repeat: Repeat the new phrase to yourself over and over. Begin to trace a new thought pattern, create a line of positivity. Next time you are in the situation notice what first comes up. Overtime, with repetition & practice & will, the old negative thought pattern will erase and the positive one will flourish.

So be kind to yourself, let your Google search of the mind reset. And believe that a change in attitude can bring a change in life!

MUCH Love,
Jo Beth

Learn to Fly: Bakasana Pose Breakdown

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by jobethyoga in Anatomy, Vlog

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In most yoga practices when you begin to work with arm balances you start with Bakasana (crow pose). Bakasana is a wonderful arm balance that many more poses sprout off of. So let’s talk about Bakasana and the steps that can help us fly into it!

To begin with, always make sure you are warm before you practice any pose. I suggest starting with 3-5 Surya Namaskar A rounds, or any other warm up flow you like.

Starting form tadasana, separate the feet hips distance. bow over your legs into uttanasana, take 3-5 breaths opening the hamstrings. Allow the hips to sink into malasana squat, hands at heart center press the shoulders firmly into the thighs, opening the hips.

From malasana shift forward place the hands on the earth. Straighten the arms and place the knees as high onto the arms as you can. GAZE FORWARD. Shift you weight onto your arms creating a shelf. Begin to lift one foot at a time. With both feet off the earth hold for 5 breathes, lifting from uddiyana bandha & the belly.

Tips for BAKASANA:
-If you are new to Bakasana start with your feet on a block. It will make the pose more accesible
-Think about lifting from the core, so that not all your pressure lands on your wrists
-Look forward! If you don’t you will do a somersault
-Give yourself time, arm balances are hard & they take a lot of practice. Don’t feel like you have to get this right off the bat

Benefits of BAKASANA:
-Strengthens arms & wrists
-Stretches the upper back
-Strengthens & tones the abs

Many poses grow out of Bakasana, it is the perfect arm balance to begin to build an intermediate practice. So take a deep breath, lift that core, and take flight!

MUCH Love,
Jo Beth

*Yoga is not meant as a medical cure or treatment. If you have concerns about the practice make sure that you consult a physician to make sure you are healthy enough to practice. Jo Beth Richards Yoga claims no responsibility to any effects you may have resulting from this informational video. Listen to your body, if it doesn’t feel right–don’t do it!

Meditate to Tap into Center

08 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by jobethyoga in Vlog

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In last week’s blog we talked about importance of grounding & nurturing. This week’s Vlog continues on with that same theme, because grounding is so important & so often underestimated.

Life is busy, period. There is a lot going on in the world, in our own lives, in our own minds. So in a world that’s so busy how do we learn how to tap into center?

Let’s be realistic we can’t drop our responsibilities. As householders we have families & loved ones to support. We have careers to attend to. We have people depending on us. And with all this going on it is easy to get swept away in the current. It’s easy to allow ourselves to be constantly moving (body AND mind), to always be busy.

But where does this constant motion lead to? Exhaustion, you know, you’ve felt it.

Consciousness is something that we have to work on everyday. And there will be days where it’s really hard and that’s ok. Life is still goig to happen. There will be days where you drop a bowl & it shatters or you lock your keys in the car. What we can learn (over time) is to tap into the center core of being so that when these things happen, instead of being swept away we are stable & centered.

If we are constantly in motion we run the risk of having life pass us by. That would suck.

So let’s try to tap into center using meditation.

Taking the time to be still & be quiet is powerful. Meditation teaches us how to be aware & conscious. It teaches us to live on that conscious level of being, how to lived tapped in.

This week I am challenging you (& myself) to make a habit, a ritual, to meditate just 5 minutes a day. Now you may be thinking that you’re too busy. Your mind might say…I have laundry, dinner to cook, the house to clean, work to do. We can all make excuses all day long, I know I have. You just gotta do it.

You will find 5 mintues if you want to. So take that 5 minutes, put the phone away, turn off the TV, shut the door & be still. Sit in a comfrotable position for your body (not lying down) and be with your breathe. Tune back into center, let that consciousness surround you and embrace you.

And if the mind wanders bring in back to the breath by saying to yourself breathing in (on the inhale) and (on the exhale) breathing out.

Notice what happens on day 4, day 5, day 6. What has shifted? Are you a little bit more aware? So I am challenging you to take 5 minutes each day and see what a difference it can make.

MUCH Love,
Jo Beth

P.S. I would LOOOVE to hear how your meditation goes. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Pigeon Pose Breakdown

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by jobethyoga in Anatomy, Vlog

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Pigeon is the king of hip openers. It shows up in almost every vinyasa yoga class, why? Because it is so supreme at releasing the hips (& our pent up emotions). Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (a.k.a. one legged pigeon) is trickier than it may seem, not in a hip way but in a knee way. So let’s talk a little bit about this king of hip openers so that we can deepen our practice…

The pigeon that we are used to doing most often in class isn’t the full pose but in fact the beginning variation. The full pose of pigeon, often called ‘king pigeon’, is bending the back straight leg knee, catching the foot, and bring the foot as close to the head as possible. This can be done with or without strap.

Some benefits of Pigeon include:
Stretches the thighs, groins and psoas, abdomen, chest and shoulders, and neck
Stimulates the abdominal organs
Opens the shoulders and chest (full version)
Opens the hips!

The last benefit of pigeon is probably the one that matters most to us. We sit a lot, myself included, it’s hard to avoid it. You sit a work, in the car, at the dinner table, on the couch. All of this sitting causes the hips to tighten and pigeon releases that tightness so that we can have maximum mobility.

Free your hips in your sweet pigeon!

MUCH Love,
Jo Beth