Create Your Own Yoga Magic

One of the very first posts I ever published on this blog, when I started last year, was about yoga. I really can’t stress enough how much yoga means to me. And although I know all the benefits, intellectually speaking and from my own experience, sometimes I stray from the mat. The last few years I lived in St Louis USA, I was going to yoga classes religiously and had no need for my own practice at home. Now when I have returned to Sweden and have yet to find all my bearings, keeping up with yoga by doing my own practice has been vital. I am right now testing out a few yoga classes and I am confident I will find good instructors in Malmö. Maybe not as good as Cat, my very first yoga teacher who was amazing and Gloria, yoga teacher extraordinaire who was the last instructor I practiced with, but still, I will find some. Meanwhile, my own practice has grown to be very important to me. I don’t know why I at times stop practicing. I think sometimes I have this idea in my head in order for workouts to be good they need to be aggressive. For quite a while I took pride in my ability to be able to workout 2 hours each day and I looked up to the sayings “No Pain, No Gain” and “Blood, Sweat and Tears.” Weird, as I always saw great results with yoga. I wish I can inspire others to take up this gentle, but effective, kind of workout. Or at least give it a try. My mom has been practicing yoga at my dad’s fitness club for the past 4 years and she loves it. My older sister Ida has started tagging along with me in Malmö when I have tried different sessions and I think I can make a believer out of her too! I always think it’s good to attend classes if you can, but they can come with a steep price tag. I would say, start at home then.

Buy a mat, and buy a yoga mat, a so called "sticky mat." Do not buy a thick workout mat that claims to be a multipurpose one. My mats are generally 3 millimeters thick. My favorite brand of yoga mats is called Gaiam. I know you can find Gaiam merchandise in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. Not sure of Sweden. I have had one mat imported by my sister. When you start, you really only need a mat. Maybe a block too. A block is a device used when you can’t quite reach for example the floor and you can use the block as an extension of yourself. And if you wish, you can also buy a strap. A strap can be used to stretch your legs higher etc. I have seen some yogis use old ties as straps...just an idea. I would also perhaps dedicate a shawl for your yoga practice. The shawl can be used to wrap yourself up when you lay in savasana (corpse pose...yes, it’s laying still). I have a pashmina shawl my dear American Host Dad once gave me. Means a lot to know it’s a gift from him. Some people also have a small blanket on hand to be able to roll it up and sit on. A rolled up blanket will get you a bit off the floor and you will get the correct position for your hips and sits bones when you are sitting upright. However, a block, a strap, a shawl and a blanket are stuff you don’t need. They are good to have, but you don’t need them in order to start a practice. A mat however, for me, is vital. One yoga teacher once told me that all your previous work and energy is kept in the mat. This notion kind of appeals to my hippie side. I share one of my mats with my mom and it makes me happy to know she is using it. Some of my fellow yoginis/yogis have worn out their mats by using them so much. I have never had that happen (yet!), but I have learned to not keep my mat in a cold car in the middle of the icy winter season. Or in the sweltering hot weather in the summertime. My mats have never been destroyed, but have felt a bit odd after both experiences.

With Tara Stiles

After purchasing a mat, I would say go on YouTube. There are so many yoga videos out there! Are all of them good? Probably not. But a lot of them are! Many of my friends watch “Yoga with Adrienne.” I have followed a few of her videos too, and in my humble opinion, she is good. But my all time favorite to follow is Tara Stiles. Stiles is the yoga rebel from New York City who has with her relaxed, approachable attitude to yoga revolutionized the industry sort of speak. Feels a bit weird to write “industry” in the same sentence as “yoga.” I met her during one of my visits to the “Big Apple” and I had such a fan girl moment! Ask my sister, I don’t think she has ever seen me react to meeting a celebrity that way. It’s just this is the kind of celebrity I love. Tara Stiles is a real role model and her message is of peace and to have fun. She could not have been nicer as we chatted for a while and seriously, I was on cloud nine for hours if not days afterwards. Such a special moment.

If you are unsure which videos on YouTube are good to use, perhaps you have a friend who does a lot of yoga and can ask him or her to send you some links. Feel free to ask me! And start small. It’s better to do 15 minutes of yoga a few times a week than 1 one hour session and not do it again for 2 weeks. I would also recommend having your mat somewhere quite visible. Not in the back of your closet underneath a pile of clothes, shoes, sport bags and climbing ropes. To have it out it will remind you to keep a regular practice. And I don’t mean have it rolled out; I am not that devoted to let it permanently take up precious space on the floor. If you happen to be a princess/prince living in a castle or a high-fly CEO with a mega mansion, and have a spare room you can devote to yoga, by all means have the mat rolled out at all times. This Viking Princess just don't have that kind of real estate...for the moment. However, as yoga is a huge part of my life and lifestyle, I don’t mind seeing the roll. And speaking of rolls, I was recently asked, as part of an exercise in a very formal setting, to present myself by making a drawing of the things that mattered to me. Later I had to make a presentation and tell people about the items on the drawing. I had a rolled up mat to symbolize my love and devotion for yoga. I am not very good at drawing (my sister Ida snagged all the talent in that department) so it came out looking like a marijuana joint. I had to make sure to explain what the roll really symbolized…and what it did not stand for. Point is, have the mat so you see it. Yoga can be done anywhere…I have practiced on the sandy beaches of Miami, at a swanky upscale yoga studio in central Sydney and on a theater stage (no people in the audience though!) in St Louis. Just get crackin…and still, that is not a drug reference.

I just hope this will inspire someone to take up yoga. If you do it at home, it’s free. The only expense at first is the mat. I can’t stress enough how beneficial yoga is. Of course for the obvious reasons that moving your body and stretching is good for you. But I also feel that when I do yoga regularly, I want to eat better. I want to feed my body nourishing food and drink more water and green tea. I love what yoga does for mental hygiene. Yoga is not a competition. Yoga is listening to your body and be kind to it. I have had friends with eating disorders who have been helped by practicing yoga. And yoga is not just for “skinny bitches.” Surprised by me using the word “bitches”?  Well, let me tell you the story of why I say that: I was standing outside a studio in St Louis along with others waiting for our class to start. A lady (well, she was not quite a lady, but I will be nice) who was a bit heavier set walked by us and said out loud: “And those skinny bitches stay that way by just laying there, doing nothing?! I bet they don’t eat anything!!” and walked off. Well, we do eat, lots actually (I have many times unintentionally impressed people with my ability to consume massive amounts of food), and yoga is not just for skinny girls. It’s for everyone, men and women of all sizes and ages.

To continue to be inspired I think it’s good to follow people on Facebook and Instagram. Heck yes use social media for good purposes! Someone I would recommend to keep an eye on is Rachel Brathen, a.k.a. “Yoga Girl.” Brathen is a native Swede who currently resides in Aruba. Among the many things she does is to teach yoga on top of surfboards in the water. For me as a yogini and surfer (wannabe), this is rad! Another wonderful person to look to is Tao Porchon-Lynch. She is dubbed “the world’s oldest yoga instructor.” Porchon-Lynch is 96.

And my dear reader, yoga without breathing is just stretching. Now, I did not come up with that saying myself, but have heard it from many teachers over the years. So make sure you are aware of your breathing, not just on the mat, but in everyday life.  How about you take a deep breath right now? Did you do it? Did ya? Did ya? :) I hope this blog post can convey my love for yoga, inspire someone to try it and cement my own regular practice. One last thing: Girls (and guys) always make sure you have pretty painted toenails, you will be spending a lot of time looking at those suckers when you have a regular practice. What I usually have on my toe nails: Spring Street from New York Colors, a perky red/orange shade. Namaste...over and out.