Musings from a life learning yogini

Here comes the next one! The class will be limited to 10 students, shoot me questions if you have them.

 

I receive a lot of questions about these progressive handstand series and who can take them. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions:

 

*You don’t need to know how to handstand. That’s why you’re coming!

*You don’t need to have been upside down before.

*This class is for all levels, so we’ll work where you’re at. We can move into groups to work or work individually depending on everyone’s levels.

*Once you have the knowledge and know the drills, this series is about regular handstand practice with coaching, so you can work throughout the week and then come back for more instruction, practice time and tips from the group!

*You don’t have to practice throughout the week, but if you want to improve, you’ll need to. It’s like anything. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.

*Depending on where you’re at, I will help you build strength and flexibility and work on learning to fall out of handstand safely, balance, and press. There are exercises, drills and conditioning to learn all of that. It’s not magic. It’s practice.

 

$100 for the full series of 5 classes. I am going to keep the class limited to seven students for this session. Six full-session students and one spot if you can only make some of the classes. If you’ve not taken my series before, I require you to register for the full series as I introduce new knowledge, drills and skills at each class. If you’ve been to my series before and you cannot attend all five sessions, I will hold one spot open for that purpose. It will be first come first serve, so if you want certain dates, let me know.

 

To register or with questions, please email me at: purcelldeb@gmail.com

A couple months ago I began posting a series of “Meditation Tips” on social media, but realizing that not all yogis are on social media, I’m posting them here as well. If you have questions or want to get together to chat more on this topic, let me know. I’m also thinking about creating a regular meditation group where we can meditate, discuss challenges and observations etcetera, so we can grow as a community together. I hope you enjoy!

 

Ever since I learned to meditate, I have wanted to create a community where we can ask questions, share experiences and help each other on this path. In the past month during my yoga teachings I have spoken about meditation in detail and as a result, have received a number of questions. What do I do if I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work? How did you start meditating? Can you recommend any books? As a result, like my handstand tips, I’d like to begin a series of “meditation tips” in the hopes of answering questions and starting a discussion to support each other on this path to finding further clarity, calm, enlightenment. Tip #1: Set up an altar or space where you can meditate so that when you look at it or sit, you are reminded of why you meditate. It’s easy to google “Buddhist altar” to get ideas for what you can include in yours. Here’s mine: a statue of the Buddha, prayer flags, mala beads, a quote, an item from my childhood that has special meaning, and gifts from my kids- my biggest reason for meditating, so I can set an example and be my best self for them.

 

Meditation Tip #2: Meditate every day. No different than wanting to build body strength, if you want to grow mind strength, the practice needs to be regular and disciplined. It may seem, at least at first, like another ‘to do’ on your daily list. However, once you start to notice benefits and changes in your daily life and find those moments of complete peace and calm within your meditation, it becomes worth it and doesn’t remain an annoying “to do” for long (at least on most days ). What benefits have you noticed after beginning a regular meditation practice? For me, within 3-months of meditating daily, my mom, grandma, sister and partner- all around the same time- commented independently that I seemed calmer and yelled less (shit, did I really yell that much??).

 

Meditation Tip #3: Start a meditation practice when life is easy. This meditation tip is one of the best that my teacher Kevan Gale gave me. During hard times, your mind spins uncontrollably. You’ll never find success in your meditation practice if you start during hard times. Start during easy times, find success, and start building the strength of your mind so that you have those skills and training for when hard times hit.

 

Meditation Tip #4: Find what works for you. In meditating every day, you’ll likely start to notice what works and what doesn’t, for you. I don’t meditate before bed- it makes me sleepy. Meditation will help your sleep (it’s an awesome side effect), but I find I get too tired and my practice is lost if I meditate before bed. I try to meditate in the morning after having completed a few “to do’s,” before the afternoon lag sets in.

 

This is less a meditation “tip”, than a reason to meditate: happiness. I have just started reading “Happiness” by Matthieu Ricard: “I have come to understand that although some people are naturally happier than others, their happiness is still vulnerable and incomplete, and that achieving durable happiness as a way of being is a skill.” For happiness to move from external events (which are out of our control and fragile) to an internal way of being, we need to build it.

 

Meditation Tip #5: Meditate daily for 15-min when you first begin. This was recommended by my teacher. It worked for me, as when I first started meditating, it could take me up to eleven or twelve minutes to find complete stillness in my mind, the space that is so effing fantastic I don’t want to get up, I just want to stay there forever. It is so peaceful. If I never found that space, I’m not sure I would have known it existed and that I could find it. 15-minutes also didn’t feel like too long of a time commitment. I started to meditate for longer periods when I felt ready.

Here goes round #3 at Kahlena! It makes sense and I say it often, but the proof is in the pudding… for those who really like handstands and want to progress, regular practice is necessary. Many of the yogis who have come to one or more of the series Kahlena has put on, have commented that due to not wanting to stand out or draw attention to themselves or give an impression of disrespect, they don’t practice handstands as often in class as they’d like to, as would be ideal for them. They’ll do some handstands in class, but not get in enough practice to progress. They have found that coming to these weekly handstand classes at Kahlena gives them the practice and coaching (from myself and each other) they need to progress. And progress they do. It’s one of the most fun parts of teaching handstands to the same group weekly, is seeing the incredible progression, the excitement, the smiles, the ‘ah ha’ moments.

 

So this is why we’re doing it again!

 

Saturday’s April 7-May 12 from 10:30am-12pm @ Kahlena Movement Studio in Edgemont Village.

 

Click this link to register, or send me a message for more info: http://kahlena.com/events/progressive-handstand-series/

Bridges seem to be a barrier to handstand series. Those who live on the Northshore like to stay and the DT crew likes it in Vancouver. If you’re a Vancouverite who makes it to the Shore for this series, we’ll buy you an umbrella. 😉

 

Our first handstand series at Kahlena went well, so we’re going for round #2!

 

It’s for all levels. We’ll work strength, and depending on where you’re at in your practice, you’ll learn to fall or balance or work on your press. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but honestly, the only difference between you and someone who can handstand better than you is practice. My favourite saying is: “If you build it, it will come.” There’s no magic. So, this series is a regular time, with coaching, to practice. There are a lot of “ah ha!” and celebratory moments when handstanders face their fear of falling or find their balance or feel the press! It’s a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

 

Check out the poster for more info and let me know if you have any questions!!