So... Do You Want to Learn Yoga?

DISCLAIMER: I know that these poses are not perfect and I do not claim to be proficient in yoga. ;)

 

Yoga has been a love of mine for over ten years. That said, I will go months without practicing, which hinders my progress in advancement. I actually don't strive to advance the way that many do, but rather to maintain. I began yoga as a way to tone my muscles and keep fit. The reasons I do it now are to keep my body from deteriorating now that I'm getting older.

My family has a history of really nasty joint diseases and I also have patella femoral syndrome. After the birth of my fourth child, I began experiencing excruciating hip pain, especially in winter. I know that I am becoming arthritic, and when I am not practicing my yoga my joints suffer terribly. Yoga also can help lose or maintain weight, though that is not a reason for me.

However. If you read this blog with any regularity, you will know that I am a self-teacher and self-proclaimed cheapskate. I don' need no stinkin' yoga classes!

I started out with Wai Lana yoga dvd's (actually, I think I started back when VHS was still being used with regularity. I love Wai Lana, and have the Little Yogi's Dvd for my little ones though I dare say they love to practice their stretches whenever they see me do it.

Yoga with Wai Lana makes me so happy. She is so calm and peaceful and her smile brightens my mood whenever I see it. Her voice is also soothing, but I admit it presents a challenge near the end when she does the relaxation to not fall asleep. I have done this a few times and woke up on the floor completely startled that it had happened.

After a while, I felt the need for something a little more custom.

I began researching the different yoga postures. I went to websites such as Yoga Journal, Mind Body Green, and especially Yoga.About.Com to learn everything I could about the more basic poses.

Mostly, I wanted to know what effect each posture was known to have, to maximize my benefits and purpose. I asked myself, "what do I want Yoga to do for me, physically?"

The answer was of course, help alleviate my joint pain and prevent my muscles from deteriorating from lack of use. So I made a list of those postures that suited my needs the most. I grouped the postures together and came up with 3 different routines that I would alternate, taking care to give attention to all of my muscle groups so none would be neglected.

Youtube searches helped me to see the proper way to get into each position without harming myself and making sure that I understood how to do the postures correctly. Poses such as downward facing dog, the warrior poses, or extended side angle would actually damage my joints further if I did them improperly. I used mirrors and had my kids take my photo while practicing so that I could tell how I was doing. It was very humbling to see myself at first.

I also wanted to know about the history and philosophy of Yoga. It's not enough for me to simply know how to do some of it for my own benefit. Yoga, I perceived, is not simply a manner of exercise. It is a life style, even so much as a religion. While I do not practice all aspects of yoga, I do honor and recognize them. I meditate and reflect and focus on my breathing.

I went to the library and checked out books on Yogis and Gurus and studied them. Among my favorite by far is "B.K.S. Iyengar, The Path To Holistic Health." I have found this man to be a complete inspiration and the book is a treasure trove of information.

I am still learning and improving and striving to be in sync with the rhythms of my body that yoga teaches.

If you need anymore inspiration to try yoga, for whatever your personal reason, take a look at this:

So, Do You Want To Learn To Knit...?

But you don't know if you'd like it, if you could manage it, if it's for you at all? And you don't want to buy a bunch of specialized equipment that will sit on a shelf in your closet, mocking you for your failure every time you open the door?

I felt the same way, and I just couldn't bring myself to splurge on a hobby that I was 90% sure I wouldn't be able to master. But I wanted to try it so badly! When I started hanging out with a neighbor who knitted, I was compelled even further but I still couldn't get past my hang-up of being wasteful, and I didn't know her well enough to feel comfortable borrowing supplies.

I was sitting around my house one day, pining for the opportunity. I had some yarn left over from an old crochet project, years ago. But I had no knitting needles! Oy! What's a poor lass to do? Make them, duh!

So, my first set of knitting needles were a pair of plastic hangers. And my first set of dpn's (Double Pointed Needles) were a dowel rod and fingernail polish. If you look around your house, you might find something you can use! I know a girl who learned to knit on plain old pencils and when she was sure she would keep at it, she got herself a pair a knitting needles.

For the record, you CAN get inexpensive aluminum knitting needles at most craft stores or even big box stores, but if you're sitting at your computer right now thinking, "I might like to try this out," go ahead a grab some plastic hangers and get started!

You can cut the bottom rung off of the hanger, but take care to get it as close to the bend as possible - because it's likely hollow inside. Sharpen it with a pencil sharpener, but again - try not to wear it down too far, until you get to the hollow part. Leave the bend on the other end of the rod, to hold your yarn on.
Or, just take a dowel rod and cut it to size. Sharpen one end and sand it well. Apply 3 coats of nail enamel, sanding lightly in between coats. You can put all kinds of things on the other end to act as a stopper.

Now, if I ever learn to make a set of circular needles from stuff around the house, you'll be the first to know!

What are you going to do with some yarn and some ghetto make-shift knitting needles? Watch some videos! These ones are my favorites and I was able to learn from them. These are very, very basic instructions, but it will be enough to get you started. I personally prefer the videos with British instructors, it sounds so much more elegant when replaying their instructions in my head.

Casting on:




There's a rhyme that helped me remember the steps to do a knit stitch, I can't remember where I heard it. It goes, "Through the front door, around the back; through the window, and off jumps Jack."

Choose EITHER continental style or english style knitting to start with. The only difference is the hand you hold your working yarn with, so don't fret that you have to know both. You won't need both until you're well practiced with knitting.

Knit stitch, Continental Style:





Purling is just knitting, turned around. If you take a knitted sweater and turn it inside out, the little dashes you're seeing are purl stitches. You use a combination of knits and purls to make designs.





Finally, binding off so that your stitches are all closed up and won't unravel:





One last tip, because it stumped me even though I had been warned about it - pay attention to the direction that you are wrapping your yarn around. I was wrapping mine the wrong way for the longest time, and my knits would not stretch. Also - this was how I learned the basics. My friendly neighbor started offering free classes at her house and so I got an extra leg up.

It takes time, but it's worth it.
Play around! Get adventurous! Go knit!

Our Bully Culture Part 2

Thanks Heather, for helping to put this together!
This second article on our bully culture is a compilation of music videos and links to other articles that relate to bullying.


Videos: