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Yoga On & Off the Mat

Last week we considered Om (pronounced Aum and also referred to pranavah), a syllable that many spiritual traditions consider the primordial sound – the sound from which all sounds spring. Namaste is another sacred chant prevalent in yoga that carries similar significance and symbolism.

In very general terms, Namaste (or Namaskar depending on the dialect or region), translates to “The God (Spirit) in me greets the God (Spirit) in you.” In Sanskrit, “nama” means to bend or bow. “Te” means you. Together: I bow to you.
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Yoga On & Off the Mat

Om … We chant together, palms pressed in prayer position in front of our hearts. Om … The syllable extends from our lungs to vibrate and fill our bodies. The single, simple chant permeates the room. As sound fades to silence, we begin again. Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti … The room feels alive. The chant connects student with student, student with practice, student with teacher. Again the sound ebbs and we sit together in the vibration — in the silence that really isn’t silence at all. After a few moments we each gesture and say Namaste. [more]

Yoga On & Off the Mat

Like an awkward extra limb constantly smacking into strangers and slipping out of the plastic bag invariably slung over my shoulder, I lug my yoga mat everywhere — even, especially, on vacation. Without it, I am sure, flexibility will be lost; my asana practice paused. But should it be? Yogis have been practicing on rock, sand and otherwise unpadded, un-sticky surfaces for millennia — why can’t I?

Am I too attached to my sticky mat?
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Yoga On & Off the Mat

Most of Missoula was still asleep. The morning light, just creeping over Mount Jumbo’s broad back, was soft as I ran through the shadows along the creek. I slowly twisted north, first on road, then trail, crisscrossing between Ponderosa pines and tall grass still wet and heavy with dew. Once my stride settled, my breath followed. My heartbeat steadied. My mind fell into the moment. I was awake, alive, and strong.

This is why I love to run. It is the feeling that my lungs and legs could carry me forever. It is the freedom, rhythm, and grace—just as if I were floating from one yoga posture to another…

Yep, there’s that comparison again: Yoga and running. What an unexpected but wonderful pair!
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Yoga On & Off the Mat

As I contort myself into intricate pose after pose, I can’t help but wonder: Why am I doing this? How is touching my toes to my nose furthering my spiritual path? In this week’s installment of Yoga, On & Off the Mat I ponder the possible conflict between traditional yoga’s unattachment to (if not disregard of) the physical body and a practice that seems focused on the physical form. This is the third and final “foundation” piece, after which I peer outside the typical yoga box into topics such as sleep, work and play. [more]

Yoga On & Off the Mat

Welcome back to Yoga On & Off the Mat. As I wrote last week, the first three articles of this column lay the foundation by asking what is yoga and what is Hatha Yoga, and what’s the point of all this toe touching anyway? OK, I admit it—they lean toward the dense side. But they sort of have to—the practice and tradition of yoga is vast, dynamic and diverse, and it is only fair that I give enough background before relating it to work, relationships, holistic health, sleep, food, and the many “on and off the mat” topics I plan on covering.

Click here to read the first article: What is Yoga?

Click below for the second, this week’s installment: Hatha Yoga: The Forceful Tradition. Up next: Do I Really Need to Touch My Toes? [more]

New Feature: Yoga On & Off the Mat

What is yoga to you? Is it stretching? Is it meditating? Is it looking cute in Prana pants and learning new party tricks? Or is it running down the trail and weeding the garden? Chances are, we each have some yoga in our life. Yoga first crept into my life as an intriguing idea, then a topic of study, and finally, about six years ago, as something I did with my body. Indeed, the umbrella of yoga is broad and dynamic, and Yoga On & Off the Mat explores the shapes and shadows under this umbrella – at home, at work, in a studio, at an ashram, on the trail, in the doctor’s office ... I look forward to hearing about you and your yoga and any topics you find intriguing. The first three articles of this column lay the foundation by asking what is yoga and what is Hatha Yoga, and what’s the point of all this toe touching anyway? After that, a blend of personal essays, interviews and reporting will follow. I am always open to suggestions, story ideas and new stretches. Thanks for reading.

-Brooke Hewes, www.newwest.net/yoga [more]

I have always considered hope a benign sentiment. Hope is optimistic—it is the stuff of sunshine and rainbows, not obstacles, and certainly not tragedy. And then I read Thich Nhat Hahn’s book “Peace is Every Step.”

“When I think deeply about the nature of hope, I see something tragic,” writes the Buddhist monk. “Since we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment.” Only when we refrain from hope, continues Hahn, can we fully be present. So while hope may be helpful, it is never enough.
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Greening Yellowstone

More and more, I am discovering a population of self-proclaimed Yellowstone junkies -- that is, avid lovers of Yellowstone National Park. They are park employees, patrons, and among the 3 million that visit the park annually.

They are those who, even without glimpsing a grizzly or lynx or any of the other 59 resident mammal species, glean comfort just knowing that these critters exist somewhere amid Yellowstone’s 3,472 square miles -- somewhere in the first, one of the largest, and arguably the most biologically and geologically spectacular national park.

Yes, a lot of people actively love what has been referred to as the nucleus of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. And I am far from the first person to wonder, in light of the sometimes conflicting National Park System mandate to both protect and promote, if Yellowstone and its 466 miles of roads, nine visitor centers, nine hotels and lodges, 12 campgrounds and more than 1,500 buildings, is being loved to death. [more]

Get to the Market!

Sustainable foodies often tend toward a “local” or “organic” preference depending which they deem more environmentally responsible. Most are likely to say both is best, but when strapped for cash, which way is a foodie to turn? In Missoula and other New West cities with robust farmers’ markets, the “local” is taken care of. And more, organic is offered, too. But when it’s not, or when it’s price prohibitive, seeking out alternative suppliers or digging deep for the extra dollars to buy organic is, in some cases, worth it. [more]

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