Going Vegetarian?

Before starting teacher training we got an email recommending that we all get rid of our coffee addictions and take up vegetarianism. The idea behind getting off caffeine was that a lot of poses and meditation we do will require that we be of a calm state of mind so having a stimulant in our system would hinder our ability to gain the full benefits of certain aspects of Yoga. That was fine because I don't drink coffee (thanks momma). The purpose for asking us to give up meat was in respect for all things living. We are what we eat and if we are consuming the energy of another living being it can convolute our own.

Whether I believe that or not is to be determined. Out of respect for the teachers I am trying to cut meat out of my diet. Those of you that have known me for a long time remember that vegetarianism is not unfamiliar to me, but it was only for 40 days a year. I always knew the commitment would end. But since then I've also developed really healthy habits, so I didn't doubt that this would be easy.

How wrong I was. Lol. Even though I'd been vegetarian before I was not working out as much as I do now, so the diet change has been tough. After going two or 3 days without  meat I get this weird headache and feel awkward or off kilter. Eating some sort of meat (chicken, fish, pork) cures it within 5 hours and I feel myself again. I'm aware of the typical B12 deficiency but I tried to anticipate that with a daily egg. Seems that one egg is not enough. According to the NIH I should  be eating 4 eggs a day to get the adequate amount of B12. This is my problem with vegetarianism. You have to up your intake of food/protein by almost 4 times to compensate because meat is such a dense source of nutrients. If you work out, you are eating often and a lot. So this is quite the experience with trying to find balance in the food I eat and finding time to go to the grocery store in between yoga classes. I have failed or cheated more than once (maybe >8 times >_< ) in the past 3 weeks.

I'm trying not to submit to the supplementary pill popping, but that just might happen. I don't like multivitamins because I don't need all those extra things. This is America, and I have a job. I am not malnourished so I don't need to take a pill that is 120% of all the vitamins and minerals I need. And I don't believe that I should need to take a pill when I can find some sort of delicious food to eat that has those nutrients.

The first new food I've tried is quinoa (pronounced "keenwa"). It's pretty good actually. It's supposedly a new "Super Food" that carries antioxidants and nutrients. It absorbs flavor really well too. [Picture is quinoa with onions, tomatoes, basil and vegetable broth.]

Is this vegetarianism thing gonna pan out? Probably not. I don't feel like killing animals is a bad thing and would be fine if I owned a farm and had to kill a chicken a day. But I'm trying to face this as a challenge and hopefully learn a lot more about nutrition and food along the way.

Why Yoga?

Over the past 4 years I've tried my hand at a lot of different sports: cycling, running, dance (social, modern, hip hop), Capoeira, Karate, swimming, weight lifting, etc. All of which are great workouts; you gain a skill and get strong in the process. You sweat out your stress, escape your day to day responsibilities, and return refreshed. So why am I choosing to teach Yoga over strengthening my skills any of the other sports?

Yoga is about loving yourself. Not in the stereotypical LA superficial way, but in the kind, considerate, take care of yourself before you take care of others way. I started doing this before Yoga. Catholicism challenged me to practice most of the same values: love others, treat your body as a temple, and avoid the vices (greed, envy, etc). Having a difficult person in my life helped me practice some of those virtues, like turning my anger into kindness or trying to approach a bad situation in a calm and understanding way. Since I left the religion I've held onto the same fundamental beliefs but I have missed the community. I found that community in Yoga. There is nothing like joining a group of like-minded people. What's more is that Yoga introduces and cultivates these positive moral and social habits in its practitioners without the overarching umbrella of religion. A yogi can choose to incorporate as much or as little of the beliefs as they want, but either way they will gain the benefits of strength, stability, flexibility, and calm through practice. The elongated breath, the heat you build, and the focus you work on in class translates to a calmer personality off the mat. Strength and stability build confidence and self-worth just like any other sport. I believe that anyone who practices Yoga will feel better as a person in areas of their life other than in the studio. These are a few reasons why I want to teach Yoga. 

I think the idea I love most about the philosophy is that you should pay attention to only your practice. Avoid comparing yourself to others because you will always be different and you will change from day to day. Listening to your body and your needs is the best way to getting better at Yoga. If you feel you can push yourself, then push yourself. If you feel that you need to rest, then rest. There is no judging and no right or wrong. I think once people truly accept this concept in their daily lives they can finally be comfortable in their own skin and will find some contentment or peace. Don't conform to society; find out what is good for you not what people tell you what is good for you. Ally did a talk last year about this idea and she explains it pretty well. I've included the link below and I agree with everything she said. I'm glad she's my teacher because she is definitely someone I can look up to. (I am finding inspirational teachers too, AJ! ;-D )

TEDx - Ally Hamilton

Yoga Journey

This is really becoming a journey. At the first class Ally and Charlie (the instructors) talked about how they wanted this experience to become a transformation for us. Transformation. When I first thought about that I was kind of skeptical. How would I become transformed? I'm already in a good place with who I am and what values I cherish. I know myself pretty well and take care of myself (food, exercise, lifestyle). I've spent a lot of time self reflecting, because that's who I am. I spend copious amounts of time in my head just thinking. I could sit and think for hours and not know how long it had been.

But today's class was about the philosophy of Yoga. The origins, teachings, and spirituality involved. Yoga-Sutra or yogic teachings are based upon the idea that everyone and everything is composed of energy. You are energy, I am energy, trees are energy, the stars have energy, and so on. Our energies are different depending on our emotions and actions, but energies nonetheless. I believe this because to put it simply, you feel it. You feel more energized after a good meal or a great workout. When you meet someone you feel their energy; sometimes you click well immediately and sometimes your energies create a repelling force.

Yoga is all about cleansing that energy and making it pure so that you can find a "higher self" or inner peace. In order to really find that purity you need to practice the Yoga-Sutras of which some are: compassion, truthfulness, kindness, discipline, contentment, and study. A majority of which I already practice to some extent. I have a great self awareness that helps me catch negative energy so that I can try to redirect it into positive energy. For example when get jealous over another person's beauty I can catch it and consciously stop myself and try to turn it into admiration. I am not perfect. There are definitely some areas that could use work, but having these things spelled out for me helped me identify where I could start to delve a little deeper. For instance I've been going on dates, but if someone wants to keep seeing me when I don't feel the same way I'm not always truthful in my responses. I make excuses like "I'm sorry I have plans that night" When I should just tell them that I don't think it would work out instead of leaving it open ended or just letting the silence be the answer. Silence is rude. I'm rude.

Anyway my point is that this is starting to become a journey for me. Expect more blogging in the near future. This blog might end up becoming a book like "Yoga and the Quest for the True Self". Who knows. P.S. I hear that is a really good book.