

Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Older

a Beginner's View

A Short Look at Yoga Fitness & Creativity in Aging

Articles - Reviews - Creativity

Copyright

© 2011 by Felipe Adan Lerma

via his postings on Yoga-Adan.com

Book & Cover & Graphics Design by Author

Cover Image and All Photography by Adan & Sheila Lerma

All rights reserved.

*

More Free Books at : http://felipeadanlerma.com/free/

*

Published by Felipe Adan Lerma at Smashwords

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

*

Inside Index

About This eBook

Articles

Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)

Teaching Yoga Limitations is Teaching Awareness (a beginner's view)

Muscle Memory - Tidbit Post # 5

Opening a View of Gratitude

Reviews

Himalayan Institute : "Aging Gracefully" : An Article for All Ages - Review

DVD Review - "Yoga" from Stronger Seniors (Anne Pringle Burnell)

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part One

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part Two

DVD Review - Denise Austin "Personal Training System" (yoga stretch)

Creativity

Partner Musicality

My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook

Creativity & Yoga, Thoughts

Poetry

Aging Gracefully - Original Inspirational Poetry

Evolution of a Pose - Original Yoga Poetry

Yoga is a Sport - Original Yoga Poetry
Baseball - Original Sports Poetry

Nursing - Original Medical Poetry

Special Education - Original Poetry

Middle School Teacher - Original Education Poetry

I Heard You Sing - Original Love Poetry

Extras

Resource Links

About the Author

Final Word

eBook Titles - Includes link to more free titles

Dedication

Inside Index

*
Forward

More Free Books at : http://felipeadanlerma.com/free/

*

Intro

"Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)" is a unique ebook among the collection of creative work I have late this year begun to digitize.

Except for a poem or two, all the selections in this work are culled from my website. My mission statement there is : "a Beginner's View : Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts".

Though many of the articles speak to nuance for those of us who are seniors ;-) much of the material is applicable to anyone wanting to be or remain as fit and healthy as they might be, plus be creative and happy.

That's a lot to want form life, but it seems to me that life wants us to want that from it.

Included in this volume of work are articles on fitness and creativity, reviews of articles on aging and DVDs for seniors, plus selections of original poetry.

Many of my other works in eBooks are extensions of the sampling of work found here.

*

Available eBook Titles

Current list of available titles and where available is on my Authors Page on my site.

*

Final Thoughts

My wife Sheila and I both teach yoga and fitness classes, and hope to have a copy of this work available for anyone wishing an overview, a beginner's view granted, but an earnest overview of what it means to age in today's world of available knowledge and activities.

In my view, I can see where, from our first breath, we are aging.

Thus aging is not a negative per se, but merely means change.

Our bodies and minds and hearts alter.

The more we can become aware of how we alter, the more we can assist ourselves more wisely, in exercise, thinking, feeling, and being creative.

This awareness, I've long believed, is a process....

Our deepest best wishes for all,

adan

december 21, 2011

Inside Index

*

About This eBook

***

"Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)"

a Beginner's View

A Short Look at Yoga Fitness & Creativity in Aging

Articles - Reviews - Creativity

by

Felipe Adan Lerma

***

Intro

25,500 Words, Over 30 Color Images

Though I began my blog site early in 2011, with the idea of combining my interests in the arts, with yoga and fitness, and do so from the vantage point of six decades ;-) it wasn't until my recent 61st birthday in October, that I began to realize how much of an interest I really had, in my "senior's perspective.

I had already written the title article for this ebook, as a way to express that, we aren't really getting old, so much as we're getting old(er). Aging. Aging gracefully hopefully. Which is a notion expressed in two enclosed pieces, an article and a poem.

"Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)" is an organized collection of works selected from articles I've posted on my website, www.yoga-adan.com.

I've included, as expressed in one of the subtitles, articles and reviews and a special section on creativity.

More Free Books at : http://felipeadanlerma.com/free/

Inside Index

*

Articles

The articles, I am glad to say, have been exceptionally well received by folk of all ages. As they should be. Not because of anything I say particularly, but because the fitness and self-regard ideas are central to all of us, at any stage of our lives. Granted, the articles focus on fitness as a senior needing to recognize limitations and the need for exertion recovery, among other things; but seeing one's limitations as an opportunity to gain awareness of ourselves, would have helped me considerably when I was younger and too small for sports I would've loved to smash around in. ;-)
Muscle memory, which I had only heard of via rehearsals in community theatre, when we would learn live-fake fights scenes ;-) would have been a useful idea to have explained. With examples of how it was both useful, and led to training plateaus. And how both recovery and variety would have helped me maintain fitness, and my interest in being fit. Or how, even ten minutes of continuous activity could be beneficial for me.

My articles included in this eBook, give a nice starter view regarding aging and fitness, especially for us seniors. Sheila, my wife, and I have both studied through AFAA, and obtained our Group Fitness Certifications, and continue to be astonished at how much we didn't and should've known.

Reviews, below, details some of the trainings and other useful material we have come across.

Creativity, the final section,is really the beginning of what we can enjoy in our live.

Inside Index

*

Reviews

Two DVD reviews for home use are included.

Please be aware, I do not use or have affiliate links, nor ads, in any of my eBooks, or my site.

Denise Austin, familiar to many people for her peppy cheerful information rich dvds, has many levels and styles of home activity that can be done. My review is on a short ten minute segment I have used continuously since I found it in 2004. It is filled with wonderful stretch and yoga movements I enjoy doing most mornings each week.

If you are familiar with yoga or stretches, these will be welcome reminders. If you are not familiar with either type of fitness activity, these will be a great introduction to a full range of postures. You may, of course, want to make confirm with your health provider before beginning.

The other dvd is from the nationally recognized program, Stronger Seniors.

Reviewed is the disc on chair-based yoga for seniors. My wife Sheila and I use it and the other equally useful dvds as needed. Strength, stretching, aerobic, and core work sections are included on the various discs. Anne Pringle Burnell, who created and heads Strong Seniors, is as versed and amiable and generous an exercise leader anyone could ever ask for.

Also reviewed, is a SilverSneakers instructor course Sheila and I took in Houston. SilverSneakers, as many folk also know, offers a nationally recognized and available set of classes that also cover strength, aerobics, balance, stretching, and yoga, for seniors of all ages and abilities. These classes are live, and offered at many national gyms and YMCAs.

The concentrated depth of information available and applied by SilverSneakers, for anyone aging ;-) is intensive, time-tested, and time-proven. Music from various eras was provided during each of the three instructor classes my wife and I attended.

"YogaStretch - Stress Reduction" was the class we took that is reviewed in a two part article below.

Theres is no doubt in my mind that there are many more equally useful quality programs for seniors, but these are programs I can speak for directly. And it is the fitness theory and practice certifying process through AFAA that actually gave us the basis for learning more.

The next review, is of an article.

"Aging Gracefully," from the Himalayan Institute, is an excellent first person account, with extremely useful information of how we've generally viewed aging in the past, and new positive encouraging research on our brains while aging.

Integral to the article, is the author's experience with knowing both much of the older and newer information, understanding it intellectually, but grappling with applying it emotionally and personally.

It is a fascinating account, and I chose to do a rare article review of it, because I felt, the information and integrity of the first-person personal view, was extremely important to anyone interested in aging.

For almost all of us who wish to live creative happy lives, the essence of the article is very optimistic.

Inside Index

*

Creativity

Creativity is the final section of "Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)."

Here I celebrate many of the wonderful things I've been blessed to be able to do. Nothing fancy. Nothing overly complicated. Just stuff I've enjoyed doing.

Sheila and I co-created a fun music dance video for Zumba® for a contest they held. I've written an article about how we went about it, enclosed video stills, and have a link to the video itself if it is still available on Zumba's Facebook page. The lady who filmed it for us, Linda Hartwell, is herself 74 years old! This was fun. ;-)

Also included is a history of my writing efforts since "way" back, the purpose of which is to show how an important interest can prevail through time, and that we should respect that part of us that wishes to be creative. And, that it's never too late. ;-)

"Yoga and Creativity, Thoughts" is a recent article of mine, and has received lots of attention from creative folk. It is not an end all look at creativity and yoga, or creativity, and yet isn't really limited to just yoga. I feel fitness in general is important. Depending on one's viewpoint, either I was "creative" long before I knew of yoga, or yoga exists differently than normally, formally, thought of. I tend to believe it is both. ;-)

The final pieces are two poems dealing with perspective in aging, "Aging Gracefully" and "Evolution of a Pose."

Both view life, and the "poses" it takes through the years, from the vantage point I have now. I wasn't blind to all this when I was younger, just viewed it with the energies and hopes and expectations of a younger person.

I respectfully hope that, if my wife and I are fortunate enough to be graced with more years, more decades, that vantage will still enjoy the capacity to "have" perspective. ;-)

My mom, whose image graces the beginning of the first section, Articles, has been a good example for me. My wife Sheila, whose image begins the section, Creativity, has also. As for myself, of which my image begins the Reviews section, well, I'll leave that for others...I'm happy to just be participating right now. ;-)

Thank you much, sincerely,

adan

postscript - sheila & i continue to enjoy teaching senior fitness classes ;-)

Inside Index

More Free Books at : http://felipeadanlerma.com/free/

*

Articles

Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)

Teaching Yoga Limitations is Teaching Awareness (a beginner's view)

Muscle Memory - a Tidbit Post # 5

Opening a View of Gratitude

Inside Index

*

posted on my website april 08, 2011

Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

nice thing 'bout getting old(er) — my yoga-to-dance aha! moments! – # 5

***

PREFIX

i had to make a decision -

rewrite my stream-of-consciousness-leaning post

or explain it better, before the body of the post

i chose the latter

*

Why a Summary of this Post :

this particular post, is more stream of consciousness and complex than usual, at least for me

like my visual art, like the way i practice and teach asana work, the process by which i write, is usually more important to me, if i can choose so, than the (current) result

it is my innate "journey" -

within the context of the process, minimal necessary alignment or form or safety, is my only restriction

they are my natural limitations -

the summary below is "the alignment" – the framework i was discovering

the full article below the summary is "the process" – the exploratory discovery

*

SUMMARY

* i am getting old(er)

* getting old(er) has its perks

* one perk is it's ok to "allow" oneself to listen to one's body (limitations & inclinations) more fully, within the framework of what's best for me

* what's best for me, physically, as in asanas, aerobic, or resistance work, is partially, though importantly, defined by current fitness theory and practice

* current fitness theory and practice says i should listen to my body and modulate my effort and intensity as needed for both improvement, and for recovery

* current fitness theory and practice says, as i age, my necessary needed effort of intensity, to maintain health and fitness, decreases slightly

* aging, experientially and physically, has given me needed insights

* women, as evidenced by the number and quality of blog posts i've encountered recently on online yoga blog posts, seem to be expressing many of the same style insights i've only recently become more aware of

* most of these blogs are yoga orientated

* most the women writing today are relatively, or much younger, than myself; yet are expressing a similar demand and right to express themselves as they are (in preference) – where they are (in expertise)

* how?

* how are women as a group creating and achieving a movement in consciousness, unrelated to their ages, that took age to confirm within myself?

* i extrapolate that, as the seasons turn from spring to summer, to fall and winter, and back through again, there's a shift in consciousness occurring, and women are (currently) at the forefront

* why?

* the common almost unspoken denominator, is there's a fitness revolution, physically and mentally, and the most effective fitness-factor combining most elements, seems to be yoga

* the women have caught on

* so, playfully, with a symbolic basketball-elbow to the head   i challenge my fellow dude-guys to, well, pick up the slack

*

below, in my original full article, is the process by which i reached the above, now visible, summary-conclusions

***

Intro

the nice thing 'bout getting old(er) is, it's a collection of things

a bundle, a grouping, a cluster, a bunch of stuff

nice not to have to rely on just one item

*

Getting Old is a Relative Thing -

more relative than usually believed

technically, we each are getting older the moment we are born -

even if we don't feel older

so that's why the title says "old(er)"

*

but i do feel, at 60, that i've "begun" to get old, even if not yet old

Adan, a Little Older

what's prompted me to ponder on this, isn't my aches and pains or loss of speed or range of motion – those are incremental, and vary, via things like my diet, the weather, my mood

and it's a mood, an online mood, that's caught my attention

i've noticed, almost like a wave, a tide of postings, mostly by ladies, on the topic of finding a way of allowing themselves to be "where they are" within their practice -

and without a guilty or harpy-inner voice telling them that their practice is "not good enough" or "needs perfecting"

i for one, welcome it

*

if what's occurring is real, a real change of mood, reflecting first across the pond of yoga, that it's wrong that "only" fierce or perfect poses lead one to perfection -

but rather, that perfection of the human experience is in the moment, changing moment to moment – (1)

then, an allowance for "process" becomes possible...

if this surge of standing up for oneself as a process, is a fad, a flash, but a sparkle in an inky night, that's ok -

but something about how much truth there is in this swell of sentences, about being in one's own moment, not a guru's or name-teacher's or well-intentioned person's moment, says, this flash will endure -

like the beginnings of a new sun, the flashes gather, a new sustaining light -

*

A Sampler List

among the many sites that have spoken of this self acceptance, via various individuals, mostly female, that either run the site or were a guest on that site, are :

the yoga lunchbox

yogadork

live.love.yoga

recovering yogi

flying yogini

elephant journal

the magazine of yoga

think body electric

curvy yoga

 yoga journal

and i guess me too

*

The Aha! Moment, First Part

so today, impromptu-ly deciding to attend a jazzercise-aerobic early-in-the-week cross-training -

feeling tired from sorting boxes stored too long to want anymore – i instinctively pulled back on my rom and rpe (rate of perceived exertion), giving myself more time than usual to "warm up" during the routine

and i did ache, and i did question whether i truly now was not only feeling old(er), but was actually being old

i thought to myself, if i am old, well, i am; i work out, i eat well, i rest, so minus a bionic replacement of most my parts   this is where i am, right now

and i thought of the posts above, mostly written by women, as i eased my rom (range of motion) a bit further out on extensions (though not nearly as much as usual, half way through a workout-hour) and suddenly realized how lucky i am to be getting old(er)

let me count the ways, or a few of them

i don't need an excuse (like partied too late last night, or forgot the alarm) to ease up

my body more clearly gives me feedback (and sometimes what feels like direct instructions!)

no one expects as much from me...

*

The Aha! Moment, Second Part

but it's something from fitness to yoga this time, not yoga to dance, that makes the connection for me this time

it's mingled with the sentiment from the many first hand yoga posts above, pocketing readers' attention across the yoga-verse of blogs

apparently, this yoga-fitness-feedback loop i write about, is a two-way ac/dc circuit

*

it's fairly commonly known, as i've written about, in my  cross-training and recovery article, that, within a person's recovery time-period from exercise, a reduced physical capacity commands respect

the body is finite, as every respectable yogi master maintains, so...

Adan Lerma

common sense (not willful arrogance) says, when the body's tired, only so much energy is still available in the musculature, and only so much work is possible

otherwise, "accidents" may happen...

the same corollary, in addition for recovery, is true for children, and even teens below a certain age -

so what about old folk?

or old(er) folk?

like me?

well of course! says the compassionate gallery of readers!

fitness theory and practice says, one's maximum heart rate is determined by subtracting one's age from 220

as one ages, the  max hr (heart rate) number decreases, dropping the training heart range as well

not much, but it does -

thus, how much energy i need to experience the same number of daylight and evening hours well, drops also

* my amount of exertion needed to keep myself fit, dips *

i can keep up by slowing down – sorta

otherwise, the same force and energy used today, that i used five years ago, is much higher up the training range – a range, if exceeded, means creeping toward peak training numbers

and folks, no one goes peak to peak day after day and lives long to tell about it

*

and no worries, i don't plan to cheat, and skid too low down my training range

but it's good to know there's an appropriate range for my RPEy (2)

it's good to know the range, well...ranges, day-to-day

today, my-yoga thanks my-fitness – aha!

*

Final Thoughts...

...has to do with the ladies who wrote some of the above posts

there's some of us guys around writing stuff similar, like  nick potter on yoga lunchbox (and probably bob weisenberg at elephant journal, but haven't read enough of his work yet) -

but i gotta admit, either we guys are mostly ignoring the writing on the digital walls, or, like me, have just been taking it for granted that perfection's in the moment

but not the ladies

their demands of themselves to take back their own authority and decide their own form of yoga experience, strikes me as fresh, attentive, and enduring

i don't feel this as a pushing away of guys, but rather, a demand for authenticity

but still, why this thread? now?

this boiling to the top of the heated yoga-comment-rooms, these rumbling-rubbings from the rubber mats at home and in the studio?

why this sudden (apparently) surge of web-wide yoga-demand to be as they be, in their personal moments in time?

have the yoga ladies of america and new zealand and europe and elsewhere suddenly contracted a space virus, to soon wrinkle into future-now  dorian-grey-portraits of themselves? aging like me into a finally-inevitable acceptance of pace and place?

have they gotten old(er) like me, in years and years and years...?

they don't look like that's it

*

Yoga-Fitness-Yoga Flash Points

no, i believe yoga is returning fitness' initial surprise aha! moment, is returning the favor back again, and has volleyed back an irresistibly smiling new aha! moment in return...

the individual moments of awareness among the women are happening so densely, a collective-like fuse appears to have been lit (3)

yoga, the ladies seem to be saying, doesn't have to be guru-like dominated

kindness and self acceptance must be the rule

within a way to remain healthy

yoga, it's being found,

accommodates that

*

though

i do think

women are growing

old(er) - it's of

a maturing

of self

of acceptance

of consciousnesses -

on the mat -

yes

the gals have caught on...

the world is theirs

to make...

*

guys, i think it's time to pop the top off a fresh one, the game's on...

Adan - Play Ball!

but don't worry, there's no losers

we can all win in yoga -

play ball!

(4)

namaste – con dios – god be with you

***

***

***

yoga-to-dance aha! moments series

 "30 Year Sampler, Stories Poems & Images" \- an ebook review

***

footnotes

(1) eric franklin, in his books and website and videos, talks frequently about how even the most conditioned of dancers, experiences their body and movement, differently, even if only slightly so, day-to-day

(2) i suggested calling this, my Rate of Perceived Exertion for yoga – RPEy in  part 3 of my meditation posts

(3) i read recently, maybe a tweet, i searched but couldn't find it, that each of us is responsible for our enlightenment (which i agree with) and that a collective enlightenment is not possible (which i disagree with)

it's like saying the elements of the sun can fuse and enlighten the dark of space individually, yet not collectively

the collective-timing of individual parts, i believe, creates the collective happening

(4) oh us guys like doing stuff together much like the girls, even if more so in activities like sports

i think most guys would agree, sports are just a more apparent means of "playing the edge"

the challenge for yoga then, to interest more guys, is not by creating harder rougher hotter more intense forms of yoga, but allowing each guy to feel the ok to play their own edge, with their own practice, in the direction that interests them

the challenge for yoga teachers is creating the opportunity then the experience to allow that internal edge to appear, be tested, and played with

and that's something for all of us, male or female – thank goodness

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Article Summaries & Index

*

posted on my website may 18, 2011

Teaching Yoga Limitations is Teaching Awareness

(A Beginner's View)

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

teaching yoga limitations is teaching awareness (a beginner's view)

***

Intro

Starting Question

why would i even want to teach limitations? especially yoga limitations!

actually, i think i already was wanting to...

*

Target Audiences

originally, i thought learning limitations in yoga, was something for only a small unfortunate group of us ;-)

but surprisingly and fortunately, this isn't as true as it seems it'd be

i say fortunately, because we can all benefit

*

whether it's because of age, or experiencing mobility limiting injuries, or a case of bad-enough illness, i've come to believe that learning limitation based modifications is useful for almost all of us :

\- sedentary people of any age

\- elderly with progressively mounting inactivity, but wishing to re-activate

\- anyone too tired to "practice" their regular routine ("practice" being the yogic-correct way of referring to exercise as an acknowledgement that this is a lifetime process of adjustments)
\- anyone weak and recovering from an illness

Brick on Floor

\- anyone recovering from injury needing to rehabilitate their body

\- anyone who "gets around" but knows they could be more fit, and wants to, but at an easy enough pace they can acclimate themselves to doing more, and, maybe more importantly, feeling they can also slowly carefully integrate more motion into their thinking and feelings

\- anyone wanting to demo and do a fitness routine with someone else, a friend or family member, who wants to begin, but is afraid of beginning alone (often afraid of mistakes, injuries, and/or motivation)

i think most of us are familiar with the feeling and frustration we've felt working our way back to health, mobility, and fitness because of one or more of the above circumstances

my article, "Nice Thing 'bout Getting Old(er)" goes into more detail on how i became much more aware how limitations can be good ;-)

*

Becoming Aware

i think this philosophical limitations-perspective in me had been percolating and added to and stirred with 60 years experience the whole time, but, to me, couldn't've been evident to me any sooner -

i was too hyper-busy physically and mentally -

yes, aging, was something i needed...

yet, not everyone needs so much time, thank goodness ;-)

a good example of someone much younger, and already aware of much of the nuances and benefits of working with limitations, incorporating props and good fitness information, is elizabeth gallo, at her site "me and les girls"

jill miller, also, consistently, via her yoga tune up videos, provides clearly depicted, easily understood, short clips, often involving one or more prop pieces

age, it appears, is not a necessary prerequisite, to appreciate the value of limitations, and from there, modifications and exploration

the online yoga community is alive with practitioners from all walks of life advocating similar ideas

my own links page has pages i've personally been to, enjoy, and learn from

***

Philosophical Bases

In General

my philosophy, from the beginning of deciding to teach yoga, was to combine fitness theory and practice (1) -

in preparing and reviewing myself practicing what i thought i'd like to present in a yoga class, i frequently felt frustration

Adan Lerma

the most common cause, to date, has been discovering nuances that would take more time than i already do explaining tie-ins for yoga with fitness

no earth shattering revelations, just simply, it takes time to present ideas, like, range of motion, with and without intent; demo; plus have the class practice them...

folks in my classes would probably smile and roll their eyes if asked if that were true ;-)

*

Core Kernel

thus, from the start of my yoga-adan blog, i began my earliest posts with the intent to present and demonstrate the disarmingly simple idea that :

\- each person is unique, yet similar to other people

*

Core Details

when available or appropriate, i'll link to a post i've made, discussing the subject in a particular line

a) each of us must breathe, but our breaths can differ

b) begin each class with 3 part full natural (aka yogic) breath; discuss  reasons for variations of breathing (mouth vs nose, or either)

c) most resistance, it seems to me, to a fitness approach for most people currently not exercising (this is shocking: (2) ), whether in yoga or another fitness activity, begins because the core kernel truth above, that each of us is unique, yet similar to every other human being on the planet, is not only rarely acknowledged, but even less so applied in a class setting

d) most classes cannot individualize beyond a certain point in a practical manner and still function as a group class

e) most attempts to individualize classes either seem to fail, or have limit themselves to a handful of people

f) i believe, that an up-front ubber-super-primarily beginner's slow-slow class, where medically-able de-conditioned people, could attend, would address most of the concerns in a-e above

***

Theory In Practice

Theories

in addition to posting a breathing thought-discussion, aimed at reassuring regular people of their ability to modify their breathing and begin as needed, as they needed, i also quickly added a multi-part discussion entitled, "Asanas (Poses) – do I HAVE to do the pose this way?" -

followed by another multi-part thought-discussion, this time dealing with  the question of, what is mediation?

*

Practice in Process

the  teaching process itself is showing me the validity of the following ideas as they are currently working in a class setting (subject to change of course) :

a) the slow-slow process would include fitness info in a stop-start manner within the work-out (3)

b) resistance and aerobic components would be introduced gradually, after half doz or more purely basic posture-alignment-fitness yoga sessions; stop points in the sessions would emphasize where or how traditional resistance and aerobic movement-activities "tie-in" or differ from yoga practice

c) the learning modes of visualization, auditory, and kinetic, would be slowly introduced after two or more months

Child's Pose with Brick

d) an emphasis, then, for a while, based on the attendees, would be placed on understanding and experiencing both the differences and the similarities, between yoga poses, aerobic movements, and resistance work

e) gradually, the class format would return to a high % of yoga poses, with a stronger appreciation of the connectedness of human movement in varying activities

f) students would gain confidence and recognition that any fitness practice they enjoyed, including ADL's (activities of daily living), would benefit them, not just yoga

g) recognition of, i believe, yoga's most enduring quality : an enhancement of awareness across all human experiences

h) students could comfortably decide which fitness activities to do, when to do them, and whether to do them at home, in a class, or both

i don't expect this list to remain unchanged, though i do believe most the changes'll be elaborations on these points

we'll see - i'm generally willing to learn ;-)

*

Common Reasons I've Encountered for Resistance to Using Props -

\- a pose-goal culture reflected in all activities (like, gotta hit a home run in baseball, skate circles without falling, run or jog marked distances on paths, do a pose perfectly without wobbling propping or working slowly to it)

\- related to above, expectations that the final goal (or distance ran or hit a ball) is the only indicator of success of effort

\- a hurried culture internalizing the concept of a nano-second into a human brain that, i think, would rather listen to music ;-)

\- a now instantaneous-internalized culture not wanting to "waste" time with preliminary or beginning stretches (basic fitness info, warming up, holding a stretch or pose, etc)

\- lack of role modeling ("i've never seen that", or, "i don't know how")

*

Reasons I Suspect for Resistance to Using Props -

\- lack of limitations-based visualization instruction (we're filled with images of olympic gymnasts, super bowl or world series mvps we love to watch and can't emulate, but feel compelled to)

\- lack of instruction regarding exploration, its value, or its continuousness

\- memories of running jumping skipping effortlessly as a child

\- memories of feeling stronger and adult-like as a growing teen

\- memories of effortless effort (dancing all night, exercising with seemingly effortless breathing, and rebounding (not just recovering) from illnesses and injuries

\- the lack of or small number of visible active healthy older folk in our daily living environment

***

Experiential Example

Child's Pose, Settling In

i've always liked child's pose, so gentle and calming

great for catching my breath, just letting my body fit in, slope and stretch, as it feels it needs to - sometimes just so my body can catch up for when i'd like to resume activity, and i can be of one mind one body again ;-)

and, actually -

by letting myself rest (a renewing-receptive effort), i've basically said to my mind

First Rest, in Child's Pose

(myself) to let up, and let my body (myself) catch my breath, and made myself one mind one body in one direction (resting), so i can balance, and go then more effectively and safely the other direction (a renewed exertion-active effort)

*

Child's Pose, Beyond Recovery

what i've discovered for myself though, is, child's pose is really a multi-layered limitations-useful pose :

possibly all poses really are, but this thought came to me in child's pose, so i'll focus from there ;-)

1) initially, of course, the first limitation is that of taking a pause into child's pose, which, from reading several yoga blogs, leads some practitioners to feel they're being inadequate for even taking time to benefit from child's pose to rest

thus far into child's pose, no prop has been used, so some feel this is just a partial limitation, and therefore "ok"

2) but i have some mild limitations with my cervical discs, thus the use of a brick or pillow to rest my head, sometimes is a more immediately effective limitation-use, and allows me to more-quickly more thoroughly rest and recover

this second example is more normally viewed as a true limitations maneuver

3) what i've found though, by allowing myself this second limitation, is a third, more interesting limitation layer, exposing  yoga's loophole, allowing me to play my edge

my edge is like a final frontier of limitation-usefulness, exposing  variations within variations that a growing self-awareness blesses us with

*

Child's Pose, Playing Yoga's Loophole, Playing Your Edge

child's pose, which i'd always easily naturally associated with the cute child-like-resting-stance i used as a small child, my resting-stretching action-pose...

...suddenly brought me an awareness of my body as a schematic-fit-image of the most finely-tuned workout-fitness gym-like room-ready organic-yoga-machine ever created

well, 'cept for maybe my dear departed leo the cat ;-)

*

i visualized i embodied every lever pulley and leveraged system i'd sparingly came across in a small gym, plus some i think i imagined!

first, planting my hands to the ground before me, my forehead resting comfortably and

Stretch-Rest-Pull in Child's Pose

securely on a soft giving brick, i drew a mental line from my fingertips to my shoulders along and down my back past my hips to my imaginary tailbone tail beyond me, and pulled away from my hands and toward the slanted sky-line, gently -

took liberty with several breaths, then -

slant-wiggled each hip laterally, like a pulley line i could slide from side to side, pausing at each extremity of set-rom (where i could comfortably naturally stretch to without strain, or pain) -

and finding that lateral range of motion (rom) now planted my hips and tailbone where they'd extended, and keeping hands flat in place, strain-stretched fwd in a reverse stretch-pull, breathing maybe a little heavier now, this was harder

most of this, i believe, at this time, for me, would be either much harder, or near not-doable, without the limitation-setting-freeing factor of props...

teaching others along with myself to use limitations to our own advantage, is a distinct pleasure for me ;-)

*

More Prop Use Examples, Online

1) two nice examples of doing more by judicious use of smart-limitation props, are:

ann pizer's post on yoga.about.com "how to do monkey pose - hanumanasana"

and

gaiam's "beat the blues with heart-opening yoga" by kate hanley

2) and further info on child's pose, again with the option of props, is available via yoga journal's recent article, "coming home to child's pose"

from the yoga journal, "Here's a pose for those days when you need to find stillness and comfort; when you need to come home to yourself"

coming home to one's self...

yes ;-)

*

Promising New Yoga Teacher's Site Online

just opening this week, teachasana.com, on "Happy Buddha Day, Happy Scorpio Full Moon" day, as elizabeth gallo put it on twitter, promises to be an interesting trove of info for yoga teachers, including material on modifications

and really, if you like yoga, practice yoga, and want to do more with yoga for yourself, isn't that what teaching's about? ;-)

***

Misc Teaching Limitation Pluses

* a person can comfortably build bone from "where they are" fitness wise; for a great article, please see "Good to the Bone" in the may issue of Yoga Journal

(this doesn't appear to be the same article i found on their online search database of the same title, though similar; i felt the may issue article to be much better)

Child's Pose, Resting

* starting with limitations takes the pressure off of being perfect

* one can have all  the benefits of being an old(er) person, while still young ;-)

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

***

footnotes

(1) afaa, aerobics and fitness association of america, does a great job of offering various certifications involving fitness, including specialty workshops in subjects that include yoga

(2) from WIN, Weight-control Information Network

"Q: How physically active is the U.S. population?

"A: Only 31 percent of U.S. adults report that they engage in regular leisure-time physical activity (defined as either three sessions per week of vigorous physical activity lasting 20 minutes or more, or five sessions per week of light-to-moderate physical activity lasting 30 minutes or more). About 40 percent of adults report no leisure-time physical activity...(5)

"In contrast to reported activity, when physical activity is measured by a device that detects movement, only about 3–5 percent of adults obtain 30 minutes of moderate or greater intensity physical activity on at least 5 days per week...."

a yoga site that seems to approach the question of weight closer to AFAA's position, of gaining enjoyment from movement, and focussing on fitness, but also addresses many of the emotional psychological aspects, is anna guest-jelley's curvy yoga site

(3) though any movement, for someone who's been sedentary, is a huge plus, afaa and most fitness sites, say that even 10 minutes of aerobics can be beneficial

a google search for "benefit of 10 minutes of exercise" comes up with a huge variety of sites with info

 ten minute segments can even be cumulative

and though a yoga sequence such as i'm describing, is not typically an "aerobic" workout, when working with very beginners, de-conditioned into almost no daily movement, 10 minutes is gonna feel very aerobic to them ;-)

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Article Summaries & Index

*

posted on my website may 18, 2011

Muscle Memory - Tidbit Post # 5

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

muscle memory - a tidbit post # 5

***

Tidbits

tidbits are, by definition, tiny bits

*

a google search indicates further elaboration -

qualities such as "pleasing" and "choice" are mentioned -

"small" and "bite-sized" also come up...

*

thus, this series of tidbits, of small bite-sized posts, are both my choice, and, hopefully, pleasing ;-)

if this tidbit comes from, or leads to, a much longer, more complex post, a link will be provided, thank you much

***

Intro

i've often recently heard that the body is our friend -

though anyone of us who have ever been seriously ill or injured could legitimately disagree, generally, for the purposes of enjoyment in our daily lives, i'd have to agree, the body is our friend -

it tries in many ways to make our lives better and easier, especially when cared for with knowledge and compassion -

i believe it is the lack of these two latter items, knowledge and compassion, that negate the good and accentuate the problems with our "friend"
and though judicious use of exercise, time for rest and recovery, proper nutrition, and the potential to enhance our use of air and energy through improved fitness, are great examples of our mutual friendship with our bodies, it is with "muscle memory" that i find is my favorite example

as we age beyond a certain point, and no longer are a bursting bud of new life ;-) and our need for rest and recovery between sets of activity increase with our years, and enhanced fitness slowly mutates to more maintenance than enhancement ;-) i've found that muscle memory of the good things we've practiced and enjoyed, has become a more and more trusted guide to my quality of life

***

Muscle Adaptation

Previous Posts

yesterday, i extended  my comment-discussion post on j brown's yogadork post, asking if yoga's mind-body connection is optional, in which j brown brought up the fitness feature of adaptation

today i extend my own extension from yesterday, "adaptation in yoga fitness and nature, thoughts" with a focus on the question of adaptation itself

once our body "adapts" to a movement or exercise routine, the fear, in fitness, is that the person will "settle" into a rut, and not only become bored, but at best, simply maintain the then current level of fitness

i've tried, in my post from yesterday, to address that issue, both, with the suggestion that "maintenance" in itself is not always bad, but also, that it is sometimes good and even desirable

i also tried to suggest ways a person can take advantage of knowing that one can and will plateau, and, with a conscientious reduction in practice, even regress in fitness, mainly via following nature's natural sequences of seasons (peak growth, rest, recovery, renewed growth), and benefit...

*

Images Used

also, yesterday, i used a  photo of a rock wall with vegetation flourishing along-side the wall

Flowers By the Wall, Memories I - Original Photography Adan Lerma

the article was about differing types of adaptation, and i felt the image reflected a notion of life adapting as needed, and still being beautiful

to carry the image-thought forward into today's post, which is about a component of adaptation, muscle memory, i've used various images from the same garden, flourishing by the same stone wall

*

Disadvantages of Adaptation

this is not to say there's not a downside to adaptation by our bodies to whatever our current level of effort may be -

i know i can get complacent (which doesn't mean i just might need to rest) ; bored (which doesn't mean i can't  choose to play my own edge) ; or be  stuck in memories of how i moved in the past (which doesn't mean i can't change and recognize my "new"  old(er) age ;-) ) -

or that i may (and probably do) have ingrained habits of moving around that aren't optimally aligned - or have had injuries (ankle, knee, wrist, and neck for me!) that produced muscle memories needing adjustment -

but how will i learn new advantageous ways of moving, breathing, and feeling?

by consciously learning and creating new muscle memories ;-) correct ones!

***

Google Search Findings

a google search  entry, about muscle memory (2nd to last fitness tip on that page), reinforces my idea above :

"Start reincorporating old workout habits into your exercise routine. This will reactivate your muscle memory, and your body will remember how it once achieved great fitness"

 if that link doesn't work, please try a [ new general google search ]

other good points include :

"The more often you do a certain activity, the more likely you are to do it as needed, when needed...This is one of the reasons that with many activities that involve the body's muscles, like playing an instrument, learning appropriate technique is always stressed. You want your muscle memory to reflect the correct way to do things, not the incorrect way"

and :

"growth and connection of the neural pathway takes lots of repetition and time to establish itself. But  once it's connected, the brain is literally 'hard-wired'"

all these things are incredibly encouraging to me

***

Mental and Emotional Memory

one of the seldom spoke of benefits of muscle memory is how it benefits us mentally and emotionally

in this regard, i will speak mainly from my own limited experience :

Flowers By the Wall, Memories II - Original Photography Adan Lerma

* returning to a home routine or outside class after a minor lay-off, maybe going only once a week, or not going for a week or two, i know not only the class or home practice routine, but the routine my body and mind will go through getting back into shape

* getting back into shape, for me, means getting back to an enjoyment level of an exercise routine

* an enjoyment level of such a routine for me, can mean moving to the beat of any music being played (fluidly or with more punch, as i prefer in the moment), or feeling the strength inside a stretch and playing the pose as i please; but it implies my range of motion (rom) is unrestricted for my mood - i'm warmed up properly

* essentially i am remembering recalling relishing the memory, in the present, of creating a new memory, in the moment, of a prior movement i've enjoyed

* the net result is, i'm reminded of myself, who i am to myself, the better part of what i feel i can be and want to be (kara-leah in new zealand has a great post on  her recent experience of this after an illness)

* the residual result is a confidence in myself, what i can do, what i can aspire to feel like, even if only in moments

these experiences are better for me, it seems, if when i need, i remind myself that i can also still vary that remembered welcome experience, whether with more dynamic energy, more subtle energy, or simply more experimental focus - just seeing what's what ;-)

ie, muscle memories are still that, memories, available to me in my current "present" as material for new memories being created now ;-)

though i'm referring mainly to my own experiences in yoga and aerobic dance, i find many of the same mental and emotional memory "muscles" exist when i write poetry, play with photography, or even paint

i guess if something is fairly universal in human experience, it really means exactly that, we'll find it all over the place in things we do

of that i'm very glad ;-)

***

Spiritual Memory

Flowers By the Wall, Memories III - Original Photography Adan Lerma

my final extension of the idea of adaptation in fitness, and how it also benefits us emotionally and mentally, is how the whole extension of improved efficiency in our lives, applies spiritually

technically, supposedly, our spiritual side is complete, and wouldn't need any memory nudge

and i suppose that pure kernel of god within us is just that, un-needing and all-being

but like the angels working for their wings, or our pets earning their own gifts from god, we as humans sure seem to be in the midst of a huge process! ;-)

so i do believe, that nudges of memory, of what parts of us which "already" are where we are evolving to, reminding those other parts of us that are "still becoming," is much like the re-initiating of physical fitness - a welcome capacity

and probably a needed one too ;-)

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

tidbit series

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Article Summaries & Index

*

posted on my website may 26, 2011

Opening a View of Gratitude

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

opening a view of gratitude

***

Intro

gratefulness, for me, like most things in life, is a continuum and a process...

Adan Lerma

some things i've always had gratitude for, some things i'm learning a gratefulness of, and some things i'll just be grateful i learn of them at all...

*

Impetus

a recent post by kristin shephard on her yoga journal blog "beginner's mind" got me thinking about gratitude during savasana, then in general...
her article,  "gratitude admist chaos," even if you're not familiar with live community theatre, is worth a wry-smile and read ;-)

in her article, kristin describes some of the "chaos" and how her practice of savasana helped her cope with directing the play :

"Here's what I'm grateful for: Hours before this bedlam began, I was on my living room floor in Savasana, thinking, 'Thank you, thank you, for everything that happens today.' No matter how chaotic the day becomes, I will be back on my living room floor tomorrow morning, saying, 'Thank you, thank you, for all of this...'

"It's because of this, I think, that I never feel lost in the chaos. The nuttiness feels temporary, superficial, and less jarring than it used to. It is something I'm doing, not something I am...

"Has yoga given you this?"

the whole concept appealed to me, and i responded :

"having done outdoor-amphitheatre and community theatre in the past, for nearly 10 years, with all three of my kids in tow at various times in the shows, i can, now, pleasantly relate ;-)

"however, your description of your use of and for savasana, i hadn't thought of or come across, i really really like it (kinda like liking sally fields at all her academy awards ;-) )

"i wanna think on it, dwell on it, practice, then introduce it into my own classes

"thanks so much! sincerely,

"adan"

so i did, i thought about it, dwelled on it, practiced at home, then introduced it into my class, as a variable

this is what i came up with

***

The Process

First Foray

i'd already introduced the practice of visualization, as a variable to choose in pose work, in my classes, and my idea was to now incorporate the notion of gratitude

Gratitude, Sheila, Beginning - Original Photography Adan Lerma

within the simple movement of prayer hands from the heart up and outward -

(what some call the beginning of a swan dive; plus recognizing some people's outward hand/arm movement would not go above their heads due to blood pressure concerns) -

images that brought the person something positive were suggested -

a brain smile, a small smile, a chuckle or laugh, a grin, lighted eyes...

whatever they saw, and saw as something positive for them

*

The Window

breaking down the hands-to-the-heart and beginning of a swan dive movement, the outstretched arms and hands seemed a nice place to pause and rehearse what might be visualized - and visualized as something positive -

we began with opening drapes from a second floor window -

and seeing something pleasing -

Gratitude, Sheila, Searching - Original Photography Adan Lerma

children playing, greenery and flowers, nearby branches with chirpy birds, an outstretched ocean...

we repeated this segmented movement three times, each time holding our chest-opening arms wide a few breaths longer than before, each time imagining feeling calmly surprised how the scene seen through the window was as nice or nicer than before...

\- that the pleasing scene was still there each time we looked through that window

\- that one was glad (grateful) it was so -

and upon closing the curtains felt assured one could depend on seeing something good, again...even if only in our fun playtime together there...

*

The Skylight

the class, in the following session, repeated the same idea, but this time opening a lacy gauze of curtain to an easily reached skylight -

seeing a beauty of a morning sky with lightly streaked cotton wisps of clouds -

followed by a softened sunset of changing reds and pinks and yellows -

and finishing with the deepest star filled night remembered...

each sequence again held a few breaths longer -

again growing grateful for the continuity

*

Self Initiated

adapting the open-arms open-heart movement posture, and letting each person further adopt their own images, gave results like :

\- finding keys that'd been mis-placed

\- coming across a grandchild's lost toy

\- seeing money on a shelf

\- spotting a favorite food

\- remembering a scent or smell of something special

it's endless of course, as it should be if it reflects living in our world ;-)

the only requirement was they had to fashion something from feeling good

it's hard to be grateful for anything, without that confirming caress from our hearts

Gratitude, Sheila, Finding \- Original Photography Adan Lerma

and it's harder still, but necessary, i think, to have the mind agree, even if it only's agreeing to accept on faith what the heart has found ;-)

home, i like to think, is where the heart and mind agree...

*

Savasana

it seems anti-climactic, and maybe in a good way is and should be, but by the time the visualizations above and others were introduced and experienced, all that remained in savasana, was to allow each person time to be and decide their own things to be grateful for

when a window opens that's been good for us, or cupboard doors pull apart revealing what enchants us, or our smile gazes through opened gauze-lace at the night-cooled stars -

what would you see? what would you find?

that you are grateful for?

*

for me, it was to have found a time and age, to appreciate teaching -

for having classes, my classes...

***

Chaos and Comfort Found

Synergy

kristin's post, which gave impetus to this post, was keyed on gratitude amongst chaos

ironically, or synergistically maybe, as i prepared my own article, two other related posts went up; also keyed on chaos, equally recognizing redeeming point-of-views

"finding comfort in chaos" by nikki, at her blog site live.love.yoga is one, with chaos and comfort and images of homemade children's treats that leave you smiling ;-)

and the other is, "#365: day 140 flower" by nancy at her new flyingyogini site, who is equally at ease and comfortable when in the swirl!

*

My Own Blog

chaos and gratitude ;-)

i'd be remiss if i didn't acknowledge my own whirlwind wind-down windup of our move to vermont in less than a week

Sheila, Gratitude - Original Photography Adan Lerma

i'd also be misleading if i said i felt as comfortable as the ladies above in continuing the pace sheila and i have had the past few months -

leading and learning in yoga classes, sorting and packing and donating decades of details, coordinating movers while moving addresses and passwords...

i'll take the easy pass on this one, and claim  the soft couch of simply getting old(er) ;-)

i know, barring the unknown i can't know but accept, i'll recover my second wind i left in the hall cupboard, but usually find, 'bout half way into those extending open-arm breaths -

and be ever so grateful when it's time for my savasana, my return to resting pose...

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Article Summaries & Index

*

Reviews

Himalayan Institute : "Aging Gracefully" : An Article for All Ages - Review

DVD Review - "Yoga" from Stronger Seniors (Anne Pringle Burnell)

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part One

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part Two
DVD Review - Denise Austin "Personal Training System" (yoga stretch)

Inside Index

*

posted on my website sept 29, 2011

Himalayan Institute : "Aging Gracefully"

An Article for All Ages - Review

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

 himalayan institute : "aging gracefully" : an article for all ages - review

***

Article Outline

Intro

The Author

The Article

Personal Illness

Old Models of Aging Are Not Appealing, Nor Accurate

Substantiation of a New Aging

Dr Oz, and More

Regarding Substantiation

How the Article and Ms Willoughby's Story (for now) Ends

(My) Disclaimer

Final Thoughts

About the Article

About Myself

Links

***

***

Intro
aging gracefully...

what a commendable goal -

what a desirable process and journey!

how could i not be attracted to a title like that ;-)

*

this article had an immediate and deep impact in enhancing how i feel about aging, with nicely woven composite of threads that, it becomes apparent, are just that - threads of one cloth : the author's life, ms deborah willoughby

and in many ways, of the same material of our own lives i think - definitely mine ;-)

knowing things intellectually i haven't fully integrated in my heart

ideas about growing older that aren't as we thought

having to learn and re-learn a lesson before it "sticks"

struggling with limitations unexpected and unaccepted

keeping current on new encouraging research about growing old(er)

adjusting

the comprehensiveness of the full article, plus the moving first person account of the learning and application of that information, convinced me it would do more justice to both my reaction to the quality of the article and the article itself, to do a short review of the article

add that, though the article is written by, as the author writes, "the Himalayan Institute's president, as well as this magazine's editor" at the time of her experience, i didn't get the sense of an agenda -

and at my age, i don't consider writing about aging an agenda ;-)

***

The Author

deborah willoughby, is the former president and editor of the Himalayan Institute's magazine

her article is  entitled, "aging gracefully"

she begins with her clear honest details of her first-hand personal struggle to apply her intellectual understanding of aging, within the precepts of yoga, to adapting to actually aging...

then she gives a slight review and history of the changing view of the aging of a person...

followed by new scientific research contradicting old concepts of being old(er)

yes, this is an article for the ages, all ages, our ages -

especially if one plans on aging ;-)

*

The Article

Reviews: Articles

Personal Illness

ms willoughby recounts that, five years ago, the change that affected her was sudden, and unprepared for -

"on a picture-perfect August morning, the life I'd been living ended abruptly. A hole opened in my retina"

in addition to then being "the Himalayan Institute's president" she was "as well as this magazine's [yoga international] editor"

a struggle ensued, where she would have her eye operated on, corrected, then re-injure it; the struggle being both that the repair and injury were repeatedly recurrent, but that she found she was having difficulty applying her intellectual understanding of how she could be handling herself, to her actual life

"Part of the reason I didn't recognize myself as having entered this amorphous phase of life is," she wrote, "that I didn't (and don't) feel old."

and she describes how, as we age, we enter a "shift from the external to the internal that is the hallmark of the forest-dweller stage of life. Though this was no leafy stroll in the woods, at least not at first." - nicely put ;-)

but, "it's brand new territory...with average life expectancy at 78 and rising—exceeding 83 for anyone still around at 65—a new stage is emerging in the years between midlife and full-blown senescence. We aren't even sure yet what to call it. Late middle-age? Full maturity? Retirement? The silver years? The encore years? Second adulthood?"

*

Old Models of Aging Are Not Appealing, Nor Accurate

ms willoughby recounts the view many of us have grown up with regarding the stages of life, and thus aging :

"we're heirs to an ingrained belief that age-related changes are negative—harbingers of decline, disease, dementia, and various shades of loss. And this isn't only a modern assumption—it's been with us for centuries. One of the most quoted Shakespearean passages is the speech about the seven ages of man from As You Like It. Here the world is seen as a stage on which we play many parts, making our entrance as infants, wending our way through school, trying on various roles as adults, diminishing as we age, and finally stumbling off the stage in 'second childishness and mere oblivion.'"

she also describes how, as our understanding of aging has improved and changed, we often simply looked at our older years as a second middle-age

in this scenario, a declining aging is transformed, into, says ms willoughby, a "successful aging" which "often boils down to an effort to flip the script back a few pages and replay the middle scenes as long as possible..."

but a new view of aging isn't simply a sensible rebellion, with new ideas to hang new paradigms on -

there's actual new evidence regarding aging...

*

Substantiation of a New Aging

already enamored of ms willoughby's entertaining and self-honest review of herself, and how we've often thought we would age, this new area of information is the bones that give the muscles and nerves and blood of our lives something to hang on to, physically -

"While it is true that muscle mass declines, reaction time slows, and short-term memory wavers as we age, in some key areas, our capacities expand rather than erode. As we move through our 60s and 70s and into our 80s, the brain and central nervous system are altered in some surprising and life-affirming ways...

"as it happens, the brain constantly reconfigures itself in response to experience, forming new cells throughout life. To cite one specific example, neuroscientists now tell us that the dendrites in our brains increase in both number and length in the third stage of life...

"studies show that as we move into life's third stage, we use both hemispheres of the brain more efficiently; our ability to integrate cognitive and emotional intelligence expands, and along with it, our ability to integrate competing issues and solutions; the limbic system (the area of the brain that produces and regulates emotional response) grows calmer; and we pay more attention to positive experiences than we do to negative ones...."

i wrote the himalayan institute, and asked if they had references to go with those very encouraging words, and they were gracious enough to send me the following, via ms constance molleda, editorial assistant, at  yoga international

"Thank you for your question. The information about the brain in Deborah Willoughby's article came from a lecture: "Uniting the Heart and Mind: Human Development in the Second Half of Life", 2004 Special Lecture by Dr. Gene D. Cohen. This lecture was part of the "Mind Alert" Series of lectures, which were in turn part of a Joint Program of the American Society of Aging and MetLife Foundation...

"Here is a link to the information in the lecture :

 http://www.gwumc.edu/cahh/pdf/Mind%20Alert%20Lecture%202004.pdf

"Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. Thank you again for you inquiry...."

the link in ms molleda's msg above is now no longer working; when i'd received her answer about a month ago, it was...

a google search for the title of the lecture, did point me to an abstract on the  online site for the national institute on aging

other links led to other interesting byways for this evidently now hard to find article ;-)

i'll re-contact ms molleda, and if i get new info, will post here with an update notation, and possibly post an update article if the info is solid enough

[ update 101011 ] - received the following link updates from ms molleda; my sincere appreciation to her for her efforts and updates on the links to the lecture information informing this article :

I did some cyber digging on the American Society of Aging website (www.asaging.com) and found the original PDF.

Here is a link to the website that has an assortment of lecture series, including Dr. Gene Cohen's:

http://asaging.org/mindalert-lecture-monographs

Also, here is a direct link to the PDF:

 http://asaging.org/sites/default/files/files/booklet_2004.pdf

again, my deepest thanks to ms molleda and the himalayan institute for all their assistance

also, i'd like to add that, the pdf article above is wonderfully titled, "Uniting The Heart And Mind: Human Development In The Second Half Of Life" - nice ;-)

*

Dr Oz, and More

fortunately my wife sheila is a loyal avid follower of dr oz on tv, and he's made many references to the plasticity of our brains, vs being hard-wired in cement, so to speak ;-)

a search on dr oz's site for "plastic brain" brought up a few short responses

luckily sheila either tapes each show, or gets my attention enough for me to realize how lucky i am ;-) so i've heard dr oz speak of the plasticity of our brains as we learn

it's amazing to me, and hugely heart lifting, to believe, in fact, that we aren't necessarily destined to deteriorate, but can both continue to learn and continue to tone our bodies!

*

another google search, just for  plasticity of the brain, brings up a huge number of articles written since the time of the 2004 lecture mentioned in "aging gracefully"

*

Regarding Substantiation

it's not like we have to know exactly how or that our brain changes as we learn

and it's not like this is cutting-edge new, as evidenced by the lecture basis in ms willoughby's article being in 2004

no, it's more that, like in meditation, or practicing poses (long held or moving), or in breathing, long held limiting ideas, and body alignments, and stresses, can be helped incrementally

a sledge-hammer usually doesn't work, because we don't like being sledge hammered, and if the new information is essentially gonna squash us flat, forcing us to have to reflate to get back to normal functioning, we're gonna dismiss what we can't handle - at least i tend to

sometimes i just know it's gonna have to take some repetition and re-enforcing, before i accept the "new" way of looking at things -

especially if what i'm looking at new is, well, me ;-)

*

eric franklin frequently brings up, especially in his books, how, for dancers, knowing how one's body works, assists us in moving more correctly, more enjoyably, more beautifully

again, is it necessary for a gifted dancer to know the details of how he or she moves, to dance to our hearts' awe? historical anecdotal evidence says, of course not!

dancing from wholeness, from the heart, from joy, can often accomplish that

but for me, learning to be more whole again, learning to join the music (internal or external) to all of me, mind heart and body, the more i know, the more i can apply what i practice

the universe has given me a mind, not to pay "no mind" to, so to speak ;-) and neither to let it become "me" - but to unify myself, balance myself, as best and as gently as i can ;-)

*

How the Article and Ms Willoughby's Story (for now) Ends

well, i can't tell you that! ;-)

this is a real story by a real person with real things happening and re-happening and having to be dealt with, one way or the other

this is a story i feel strongly anyone should, at a minimum, enjoy reading through

her depth of knowledge of the stories that feed our subjective life is deep, and often re-told either in humor or gentle wording

one of my favorites is,

"There's a saying in India that a dog walking through a cotton field doesn't come out wearing a suit of clothes"

*

how she manages to deal with internalizing her intellectual understanding, into emotional understanding, and other choices she's made in her life since first suffering her illness, is fascinating

how her story relates to anyone of us, is an opportunity -

for reflection and thought, if nothing else ;-)

i truly believe it's worth the read....

*

(My) Disclaimer

i am not a member of the himalayan institute, nor a subscriber to yoga international

though i do believe they are fine examples of the best that people do...

***

Final Thoughts

About the Article

i don't feel i did the article full justice, but maybe gave a taste of the intriguing density of very human thought and grounding ms willoughby brought to her article

there's a gentleness in her approach of reviewing her unexpected challenges and changes that appeals to me

she's kind toward herself, and makes me believe i can be as kind in turn...

*

About Myself

finally, that i don't follow many of the ancient yogic beliefs, does not negate my admiration, respect, and mutual acceptance of much of how that ancient system is applicable today

for me, much of many of the best thought and spiritual threads in the world today, have much in common with each other

it's just that i have, for me, an acceptable belief structure i grew up with, enough of it intact with my current state of beliefs, that i don't feel the need to change that -

and honestly, i don't think there's gonna end up being much difference how we get to the same spot we all inherently believe we're a part of.... ;-)

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

Links

 Grandma (poem)

 Aging Gracefully (poem)

 Wellness and Yoga, a Family Resemblance – a Tidbit Post, # 3 (article)

 Teaching Yoga Limitations is Teaching Awareness (a beginner's view) (article)

 Nice Thing 'bout Getting Old(er) — My Yoga-to-Dance aha! Moments! – # 5 (article)

*

 Himalayan Institute : "Aging Gracefully" : an article for all ages - review

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website march 02, 2011

DVD Review - "Yoga" from Stronger Seniors

(Anne Pringle Burnell)

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

DVD Review - "Yoga" from Stronger Seniors (Anne Pringle Burnell)

***

intro

i hadn't intended to have two dvd reviews in one week, but tomorrow sheila and i are taking the silversneakers' instructor yoga class, and wanted to brush up on the only chair based / assisted yoga work i'm familiar with before hand, the stronger seniors "yoga" dvd

it should be an interesting comparison for us -

silversneakers' various classes, of which we've taken two, are dense with fitness information, modifications, contra-indications (1), and an actual usable sequencing format designed to provide a fully rounded health enhancing experience

i expect no less from silversneakers' yoga class tomorrow ;-)

and speaking of expectations, for a dvd, stronger seniors' "yoga" by anne pringle burnell (2), won't give you much less than a full bodied, beginning-middle-and-end, high quality class-alternative

if your biggest complaint is not having a class or dvd with a "full" yoga experience: warm up and grounded beginning of meditation, followed by a combination of flow and held poses, ending with a guided meditative savasana, then this is gonna be a treat for you ;-)

***

things i liked:

* anne pringle's trademark humor, welcomeness, and fitness comprehension

* both a longer and a shorter-basic viewing options (3)

* short, bonus "foot" workout
* three alternating instructors often offering three full versions of each movement (4)

* modifications within modifications often presented

* captioned breaks between opening meditation, the seated & standing pose work, and ending breathing-relaxation section

* use of english with most sanskrit names for easier remembering and identifying

* large range of poses modified for this dvd, including: a mini-cobra (5), half eagle pose, up & down dog, monkey pose, warrior I, mountain pose, a nice sun salutation sequence, and myriad twists and forward bends

* full class sequence of an opening meditation, held and flowing poses, plus savasana (final relaxation)

***

Reviews: Clear Sailing?

***

things i would've liked:

* my perennial favorite wish item: closed captions (6)

* additional pose captions, both in english and sanskrit

* and word that another yoga dvd was on it's way from anne ;-)

closing thoughts:

i've never met anne, though i've received a msg from her via comments about her dvd -

yet both my wife and i feel completely comfortable with her presentations - wonder at how much we still learn after so many viewings - and marvel at her consistently warm manner and breadth of knowledge through all her dvd's

we have  all the stronger seniors dvd's, and hope there'll be more ;-)

*

closing challenge:

i'm very strong on believing people need to choose which way they want to improve and lead their lives, so it's not lightly, that i playfully, and with the reader's forbearance, issue this gentle challenge to those who are fit and well :

if you think, because you are fairly or even "very" fit, that you would not benefit from the stronger senior dvds, you may find, as my wife and i have, that they offer a full bodied relaxing workout between our more usual sets (jazzercise, yoga, zumba, resistance work, etc)

if you are a fit and well person, but have had times you couldn't exercise like you'd like, due to illness or injury or needed recovery time (7), try these series of workouts to see if they could be a good back-up for you

if you are fit, and know people who would like to improve their health, but are afraid to start, these are a great way for someone to begin; especially if you do it with them at first ;-)

*

namaste - con dios - god be with you

dvd review series

***

footnotes

(1) when first learning about contra-indications and modifications, i was moderately shocked to realize, these were cautionary concerns i could've been helped by knowing when i was younger - ie, these are not just for seniors ;-)

(2) anne's bio is about 1/2 down the the strongerseniors "about us" page

(3) this review is mostly focussed on the "basic" shorter routine, which is about 40 minutes in length; the longer set is closer to an hour

sheila and i both prefer the shorter sequence, which at over 1/2 hour, is a nice length for our needs

(4) it's a huge benefit to frequently have 3 distinct movement options; edna and james do a great job of helping anne, and james actually leads certain segments

(5) though not intended, but much in line with the rush of merging information processing within me lately, anne's chest opening cues reminded me of some of ray long's anatomy cues, such as for  enhancing the breath

(6) i've begun to think i should have this "wish item" on my desktop for quick reach to paste into future reviews ;-)

the frustration of kinda hearing, sorta hearing, maybe hearing what was said, especially when important, is compounded by the fear that what was missed, was "really" something important, if not just down right interesting ;-)

i've also begun to suspect, since so few dvd's provide closed captions of the spoken text, that maybe the cost is prohibitive, or difficult to obtain - i don't know

i do know a great dvd example of how beneficial closed captions are, with an option to not use them, is via gary kraftsow's two viniyoga dvd's

(7) recovery, or rest, is beginning to be hyped as the "forgotten variable" and for good reason

two good places to read about this (among many), are,  livestrong.com, and via a search for "training recovery time"

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website march 14, 2011

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part One

"YogaStretch - Stress Reduction" -- Intro & Differences

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

silversneakers yoga instructor course "yogastretch - stress reduction" --
part one, intro & differences

***

INTRO

silversneakers introductory basic information

silversneakers is a national organization offering balanced fitness and wellness classes for older adults, typically 65 or older

instructor classes (1) from silversneakers, as per our experience, are information-dense, practical orientated, and applicable for any adult with either an illness or condition needing modifications (2)

classes are also all arc and flow gracefully with introductions, warm-ups, workout work, cool downs, and final relaxations

Pinks & Greens

the silversneakers yoga classes are no exception

silversneakers yoga classes

three complete separate yoga classes are offered by silversneakers

this review covers only the one yoga instructor class sheila and i have attended

originally, the three classes were notated as 1, 2, and 3 - apparently however, people assumed the classes were not only a sequence, but had to be taken one after the other

sounds reasonable to me ;-)

to make the yoga classes more approachable for instructors, the numerical notations for the yoga classes were removed, and the classes renamed

all three yoga classes now offered, are prefixed with the name "YogaStretch" -

the first yoga class has no further notation, but the second and third classes, formerly #'s 2 & 3, are now known as, "Restorative Breathing" and "Stress Reduction"

the instructor class i will review, and that sheila and i attended, was the latter, "YogaStretch - Stress Reduction"

***

***

DIFFERENCES FROM OTHER YOGA CLASSES

***

1) primarily, this style yoga class is set to be done with chairs, either sitting, or available as support in standing poses

2) secondarily, there are's no floor or mat work

3) typically, the distinction is seen as that these yoga classes are for seniors, specifically people age 65+

Corner Fence, Flowers, Bird Bath

this unintentionally masks the fact that most everything taught, targeted to concerns usually associated with the elderly, is applicable to any adult of any age with similar problems: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, large size, de-conditioned, or recovering from or adapting to an injury or surgery

ironically, this focus on sensitivity for the need for possible modifications, which does set silversneakers yoga classes from most other yoga classes (3) , is then in turn a negative on classes that are for so-called normal participants, in the sense that there is an insensitivity to the individual as an individual

the irony is that many yoga courses and people pride themselves (itself another irony) on being "different" and "more" than sweaty gym or aerobic fitness classes

this is not to say there are no, or few (just too few) yoga instructors or studios sensitive to the individual, but more importantly, it is the responsibility of the participant to verify or seek this sensitivity

4) silversneakers has a required class format, of which a few yoga schools do also

one of the required class format components, is a seated fitness style warm-up to limber and warm the larger muscle groups first

the warmup includes, among many items, movements such as shoulder rolls, leg lifts, rag doll arm, knee massage, and wrist rotations

though i've seen or experienced what was called a warmup period in yoga classes, predominately they were full sun salutations that are, i believe, unsuitable for most people who are either de-conditioned, working from a stiff joint orientation, or just plain been sitting in a car or subway for an hour or so, stiff and still when they enter class

a meditative breathing warm up helps, but does not get to the range of muscle limbering that a simple fitness warmup will, especially for the target population for these classes (please see # 3 above)

5) the use of a small inflated ball for dexterity and balance work

i can't truthfully say i've seen ball work in any yoga class i've been to, though the prop concept isn't too far off

yet, this is more truly a fitness segment, emphasizing agility, balancing, and dexterity

yes, this could be done with various typical asanas, but these fit more easily into the chair or standing-chair-assisted format, and, i gotta tell you, are darn right fun! ;-)

***
Part Two - Similarities and Conclusions

part two goes deeply into the similarities between a silversneakers yoga class and other yoga style classes

some differences may seem obvious, but many may surprise you ;-)

 SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course "YogaStretch - Stress Reduction" -- Part Two, Similarities & Conclusions

***

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

footnotes

(1) my wife sheila and i had taken two prior silversneakers classes, MSROM (muscular strength and range of movement) and CardioCircuit

plus we are both AFAA group fitness certified instructors, and Zumba licensed for Zumba and Zumba Gold (for seniors and de-conditioned adults)

this was sheila's first yoga instructor class, and i have my 200 hour yoga teacher certification, with training under lex gillan

(2) modification work taught to instructors includes, among many aspects, adjusting for cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, large participants, and stress

these considerations are also equally valuable for adults under 65 with these ailments, and for de-conditioned adults

the guidelines match well with those my wife and i learned in our studies with AFAA

(3) other yoga classes similar to those of silversneakers, that i am familiar with, are those from stronger seniors from anne pringle burnell

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website march 16, 2011

SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course Part Two

"YogaStretch - Stress Reduction" -- Similarities & Conclusions

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

silversneakers yoga instructor course "yogastretch - stress reduction" -- part two, similarities & conclusions

***

originally, part 2 was part of one longer article on silversneakers' yoga instructor course

i was undecided about splitting the post into two segments, or letting it remain one long piece, and finally, after feedback from various sources, plus my own review of the longer version as it appeared online, decided a two part posting was best

all three silversneakers instructor courses my wife and i have attended have been densely-rich in information, roundedness, and helpfulness for both the instructors and eventual class participants

thus, doing justice to silversneakers' yoga instructor course demanded i be fair to my own assessment - a lot needed to be covered ;-)

***

SIMILARITIES TO OTHER YOGA CLASSES

***

so, are there similarities between yoga classes for seniors and younger folk?

of course ;-) especially so with the silversneakers yoga classes!

1) breathing & meditative grounding:

after the mandatory silversneakers-format class introductions and announcements (bringing everyone up-to-date & introduced) , a surprising array of modified breathing options are available to present to the class - these are some of them
what i'd call a kind of bellows breath, and here is called the breath of fire, is modified to a vowel breath - the vowels, a e i o & u, are said, with a very slight inward abdominal pull if at all

Floating Yellow Bell

other modified breathing techniques:

include bee breath(bhramari pranayama), the cooling breath(though some participants may not be able to curl their tongue, which is ok), and the barrel breath(shaping and using the arms in a barrel shape)

the ahhh-ooo-mmm breath reminds me of the multi-part ohm breath from my yoga immersion and early meditation days ;-)

and of course full natural abdominal breathing is taught and encouraged

this struck me as an impressive list of options for breathing exercises

2) the warmup sections (see # 4 above under "differences") for the legs, shoulders, knees, ankles, feet, and wrists and hands are titled salutations

examples are "salutation to hips," and "salutation to knees, ankles, and feet," and are done mind-fully, bringing the attention to one's presence in the now -

this helps bring a fuller yoga experience to the fitness-warmup...

3) asanas: (1)

ahh, the asanas ;-)

please recall that these postures are either chair based or chair assisted -

also that while the chair use might mask the usual benefits of a pose, they remain challenging for anyone needing assistance, thus providing not only benefits an individual can enjoy, but -

also giving an individual needing modifications the opportunity to actually do movements that benefit them

while previous silversneakers yoga classes introduced sets of poses still available for class use, more postures were introduced in this class, including:

half triangle, thread the needle, sunbird, sun salutations, half moon, and camel -

plus a variety of asana options using the trademark silversneakers ball, including a vinyasa sequence (with a standing chair pose!) and open-the-gate

most anything using the silversneakers ball is a challenge, and fun ;-)

4) deeper stretch (longer held seated poses)

often using two chairs, like for modified pigeon and staff poses, neck stretches (again using a ball), plus cat and cow stretches

5) savasana (final relaxation)

the lights are dimmed, appropriate music is played, and all are encouraged to rest, restore, recover, or simply be

***

***

SORTA SIMILAR FEATURES ;-)

***

the following two, in comparing silversneakers yoga classes vs other more usually thought of yoga classes (at studio or retreats) could fit into either the similar or different lists

Grapes - Distinct and Similar

arguments could be made either way, so here they are, as "sorta's" ;-)

1) instructors are also encouraged to keep the spirit of mind-body wellness typically thought of in conjunction with yoga classes, but by emphasizing the "six dimensions of wellness" -

physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and occupational

yoga traditionalists, generally feeling these wellness components should be addressed in their sanskrit forms, such as via the yamas, etc, are, i believe, missing a central point of yoga, best said by a silversneakers handout to new or prospective participants:

"the practice of yoga is fundamentally an experience of exploration and an act of kindness toward oneself. yoga helps us to live life as consciously as possible, opening us to the power that lies within"

it reminds me of lex gillan's often spoke words during my teacher immersion with him, to make yoga accessible to people, without scaring them off, introducing concepts in a form familiar to people - and lex is very strong about eventually learning and using the sanskrit names of poses (i'm not totally convinced)

2) a huge selection of yoga mudras are also taught for availability for a class

as per our silversneakers instructor handout:

"there are nerve paths that directly link the hands to the neck..."

"practicing mudras can be called pure brain training..."

a sample listing includes, jnana mudra, chin mudra, bhairava & bhairavi mudras, ganesha mudra, and anjali (prayer) mudra -

sheila found these hand postures particularly appealing, and will be incorporating them into our yoga classes....

***

***

PARTICIPANTS WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THIS STYLE CLASS

***

1) seniors

2) people needing modifications for any number of reasons, such as injuries, illness, and surgeries

3) individuals who feel too de-conditioned and confident to enter what appears to be a full force exercise or yoga class

4) anyone wanting to be able to offer suggestions to a friend or family member needing help being more fit or well

this of course will be most effective if the friend or family member has someone to exercise with them, for company and support ;-)

5) regular exercisers needing an "in-between" workout that is toning and effective, yet, allows some recovery time from more intense workouts

6) regular exercisers feeling they need to scale back due to a slight pull or injury or illness

***

***

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

***

did i mention a silversneakers yoga class, any silversneakers class, is dense with wellness and fitness and attentiveness for the participant? ;-)

the only group i know that offers as rich an experience to a participant needing chair or chair-assisted work, is the stronger seniors group led by anne pringle burnell(check out the music video link, nice)

the difference is, silversneakers is a live class, and stronger seniors offers dvds

both are useful, both are wonderful

try them...really ;-)

 SilverSneakers Yoga Instructor Course "YogaStretch - Stress Reduction" -- Part One, Intro & Differences

***

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

footnotes

(1) approx 10 poses are introduced in each of the 3 silversneakers yoga classes (please see the intro beginning of article)

though i have not had the opportunity to take the other two classes yet (classes offered are rotated throughout the calendar) i was able to get the class dvd for the first class, which is "yoga stretch," without a suffix title (this class' suffix is "stress reduction") - no dvd is avail at this time for this third class

when able, i'll review the dvd for the first silversneakers yoga class, and see if i can do a review of that class, comparing it to this third yoga class format

it was emphasized to us that we do not need to have taken the classes in sequence to benefit from them

based on the fully balanced class format and presentation of this yoga class sheila and i took, it is typical of other (non-yoga) classes we've taken from silversneakers, complete onto itself, and ready to be taught

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website april 11, 2011

DVD Review - Denise Austin "Personal Training System"

(yoga stretch segment)

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

dvd review - denise austin "personal training system" (yoga stretch segment)

***

my comment, for this dvd is,

"the bottomline, i've used various 10 min segments on the dvd, for seven years, and the stretch segment is still my favorite of any and all dvd stretch sessions i've ever watched, owned, rented, or worked out to...

"denise deserves this comment as much as i'm glad to give it ;-)

"thank you!"

*

the bottomline, up top, is :

the 10 min stretch segment of this dvd is something i have done almost continuously for about seven years -

*

i'm still practicing it, still getting new things from it, and still enjoying it

and i don't know which of those 3 things is most important ;-)

*

up front, knowing the wide diversity of expressed opinions regarding denise's presentation approach, i'll say now, i'm firmly with the side favoring her manner of talking, her voice, and her (for me and my wife) sense of genuinely caring for the information she presents and the people listening -

so, fore-warned ;-) ...

***
things we liked:

(concentrated on the yoga stretch segment)

* ten minutes is a great segment block

* the anatomical information is light but very helpful for reminding where to focus

* frequent reminders to breath

* good posture / alignment cues

* lots of friendly cheerful encouragement

* great demo presentation of form by denise herself

* denise's calm ease of movement, in simple and complex poses

* option to play video with music only, or with instruction

* incredibly wide range of popular poses: up and downward facing dogs, walking the dog, pigeon, twists, lunges, child's pose, and more

* fluid sequencing that doesn't feel rushed

* well balanced routine covering major muscle groups

* frequently adds additional little extra movements to what would normally be the full movement, ie, adding a head turn or hand or foot movement - these feel more like finishing touches "on-top" rather than just add-ons

* descriptions of how the exercise being done helps in activities of daily living (adls) - something strongly emphasized by national fitness orgs like AFAA, Stronger Seniors, and SilverSneakers

* one of my favorite lines in any dvd, "these are all just modifications" - nice, said near the end of the routine, so reassuringly, you know you did well - yes!

(10 minute core segment)

* doable time unit for a (for me) fairly challenging core routine

* progressive move up in difficulty

* consistently have felt a well-rounded conditioning of over-all core area

(other segments)

* 2 exertion levels for cardio segments

* 3 exertion levels for upper and lower body work

(over-all)

* mix and match segments to create a longer workouts, including repeating a segment within one workout session

* easy to skip each intro section via the fwd-section button on the remote

* no commercials to work through

***

Reviews: Clear Sailing?

***

things we would've liked:

* "one" 10 minute yoga segment isn't enough to link or piece together a long enough routine when more is needed

* captions, captions, captions ;-)

* more yoga! (1)

***

Closing Thoughts:

*

post dvd work:

i've done this dvd enough times now, i often will repeat a movement or two, after the dvd is done, that'd felt particularly good doing

i'm also beginning to, also after the dvd routine, repeat a segment adding a variation stretch or movement

most people know i strongly believe in continually  developing one's own poses

*

dvd's vs live instruction -

an excellent thought-provoking, complex-sloshing, important review, on the merits of yoga dvds (and images) vs live instruction, is in magazine of yoga's article, "critical culture, walter benjamin"

i'll eventually do a second post of my own pro's and con's on this important subject, as i continue experiencing the differences - as always, life is a process

and obviously, both  as a yoga teacher, and as per  my first post on the subject of dvds vs live instruction, i value both formats ;-)

*

the final bottomline : still one of my all time favorite yoga or fitness dvds...

*

namaste - con dios - god be with you

dvd review series

***

footnotes

(1) denise's relatively new yoga dvd, "yoga body burn," (via netflix) despite it's trendy-fitness orientated title, appears to carry on her tradition of solid enjoyable knowledgeable routines

i also hope to review it in the future (don't have my own copy yet)

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

Creativity

Partner Musicality

My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook

Creativity & Yoga, Thoughts

Inside Index

*

posted on my website august 28, 2011

Partner Musicality

Poetry from Yoga - Making Our First Music Video

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

partner musicality, poetry from yoga - making our first music video

***

Article Outline

Intro

Special Thanks

The Video Title: Amigos de Oro, y Mas - en una "Pause"

The Link to the Zumba® Dance-Video!

Lessons Learned

• Enjoy the Process

• Slow Steady Rehearsals Each Day Produce Results

• Enjoy the Results

More Photos from the Video

Final Thoughts, Yogic Union, Being at One, while Partnering

• Personal Stance

• Intellectual Stance

• Faith

***

Intro

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 1

*

well, sheila and i had only a few days with only a few spots of time here and there, to create and practice some choreography, but we really wanted to have a video to have fun doing

so despite an even more shortened time frame for hurricane prep, plus the usual logistical challenges in terms of having someone shoot the video for us, and have a place to shoot, we got it done! ;-)

***

Special Thanks

a very very special thanks to linda hartwell, owner and operator of the hartwell house vermont bed & breakfast

without her determination and patience, from fiddling with shooting video on a small but very capable  polaroid digital camera, through handling workers hauling weighty lawn furniture into storage, and the arrival of a last minute plumber, and two "very" curious pets, sam & pepe, linda helped us create a space on the deck behind her fine house, then patiently shot the takes we needed
*

additionally, i must again give thanks to Zumba® for promoting the creation of such varied video expressions from all over the world -

without that encouragement and openness, i doubt we would have got ourselves to climb the video and digital curve necessary to even have done  my first dance-music video, "dance & musicality, my poetry from yoga – making my first music video"

***

The Video Title: Amigos de Oro, y Mas - en una "Pause"

literally, "amigos de oro" means : friends of gold -

and "y mas" means : and more!

culturally, this would actually translate, in english, to "friends with benefits" ;-)

*

uh, the "en una 'Pause'" part is more sorta like tex-mex ;-)

but that's ok, at least by me

btw, here in vermont, some of the folk starting mexican food restaurants are calling their food ver-mex!

i figure if it's good enough for us texans, it's good enough for these good folk here vermont

besides, it tastes good ;-)

***

The Link to the Zumba® Dance-Video!

 https://apps.facebook.com/promosapp/163636/entry/188754

don't worry, i'll post the link again in this post ;-)

***

Lessons Learned

Enjoy the Process

as mentioned above, sheila and i had quite a few obstacles producing our little partner video ;-) not least of which was simply starting so close to the deadline

still, we knew, once we began hashing out the steps, and rehearsing, that we wouldn't get to do it as well as we'd like, but that we'd do the best we could, and enjoy the process

viewing the final cut, it's clear to me we were much sharper early on

also, counter to our own preferences, but necessary due to classes and chores, we taped in the afternoon, when we were already tired, and still needed to go for groceries and do more hurricane prep (i am writing this portion on sat night in a text file, having already lost internet connection at home via our cable and internet service on our iphone, even with no rain arriving yet)

but we enjoyed ourselves, and i think that shows all the way to the end -

it was fun ;-)

*

Slow Steady Rehearsals Each Day Produce Results

sheila and i would plan our movements, ad lib, re-do, and do a run through at least a few times each day, and each day we got further and further into the song before we'd either forget what we'd intended (even with it written down!) or decide to alter the moves

it's a slow but sure way for us to come up with a polished fun final product

so "next time" ;-) we'll start earlier!

*

Enjoy the Results

seems self obvious

but i do think many times many of us, including myself (even if less so than when i was younger) may persevere and accomplish whatever it is we'd wanted to do, but then not enjoy not only the doing, but the results

and even though i recall several times years ago, where i had a terrible time doing something, but enjoyed having "finished" a project a great deal, i can't really enjoy the results as much any more, when i don't also enjoy the process...

i must be getting old ;-)

***

More Photos from the Video

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 2

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 3

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 4

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 5

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 6

*

Sheila & Adan in "Pause" video 7

*

all images in location at the hartwell house vermont bed & breakfast

*

please see the video, at :

 https://apps.facebook.com/promosapp/163636/entry/188754

***

Final Thoughts

Personal Stance

debate has continued since who knows when, the first cave people? whether (re)union with the divine, or a sense of oneness of oneself and god, or the clarity or quality of that supposed connection, is purer as an individual than while with a partner

i've always felt instinctively (as a human being) and intuitively (as an imagined angel ;-) ) that either path would work

it's often pointed out that one doesn't need a partner to achieve self-actualization or enlightenment or a sense of oneness with the universe - yea, well, that's part of my point, either way should work

partner work, be definition, is twice the work, but maybe with more than 1x the return too, time will tell ;-)

*

Intellectual Stance

i could simply say that, in my heart this is true for me (either path will work), and i'd get much digital-applause, but i'm assuming this as true within my heart a priori, that is, it's a starting premise for me

but that doesn't prove anything, though we all know the heart is often it's own sufficient proof ;-)

yet, god has given me a brain that likes to try and figure things out...so...

this is what i've come up with as an intellectual justification to my heart's intuition, that either path, alone or with others, will get me back home (oneness with god) :

it's a question -

if we are all to be one again, how would we be one, without all of us connecting to one or more of the other of us, some how, in some way?

*

i've heard it expressed that we are like drops from the ocean, and will simply meld back into the larger ocean of the universe -

that's ok, but don't water droplets also meld into each other? even en route back to the big ocean of life?

*

taking another tact, if our return to oneness is a more solid meld, maybe like the densest rock or drop of gold or unknown substance ever known or imagined, maybe even some ultimate black hole that subsumes everything into one thing that then compresses itself to burst out again - within that impregnable density of rock or motionless moment of oneness, there is still molecular movement -

hard for me to imagine myself much larger than a micro-nano-mini-molecular, and still individual, light of energy

and if it's assumed i might have merged with other bits like me to become a solid-non-divisible-oneness, then we're back to oneness via partnering...

*

Faith

ultimately, the weight of belief within my heart, the ways of believing with my mind, and the way of being with another, gives me faith that, all paths lead to the same good conclusion....

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website october 05, 2011

My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook

(Sports Poetry)

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

my writing history, the road to my first ebook (sports poetry)

 note added 101811 - things move fast when one is creating in a new medium, and my first ebook has turned out to be "30 Year Sampler, Stories Poems & Images, Felipe Adan Lerma" and my sports poetry ebook, well in-progress, is now named "100 Sports Poems" - [ more information is available on this special page, including samples of both ebooks ]

***

Article Outline

Intro

A History Recalled

• First Recalled Writing Efforts

• Late Teen Years Efforts

• College Efforts

• The 90's \- Selling Personalized Poems

• Early Online Efforts

Future Content

• Known

• Unknown But Possible

• Recommended Sites for eBook Info
Final Thoughts

• Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts

• Wishes

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

***

***

Intro

i've often heard myself say i've been doing art and arts related activities most my life, including stuff usually thought of as fitness - writing, painting, running, jumping, dancing -

not much sitting still, that would come later ;-)

*

these activities have held my interest all these decades, though usually in some rotating fashion

writing would alternate with painting, and for many years, music, for my arts attention, creating an undulating art chain -

with dance and other fitness things like baseball and jogging alternating and maintaining the fitness link

more recently, those two links or chains, have begun merge

thus, my blog's mission statement of :

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

it's been an interesting 60 \+ years so far ;-)

***

A History Recalled

a few of my decades, in a few lines of letters -

First Recalled Writing Efforts

i recall distinctly, one summer, i was about 6-7 years old, sitting in the shade on the porch of our parents duplex apt, my younger brother and sister helping me create more of the neat little pictures and scribbled stories the three of us had been chain producing and putting in our neighbors' mailbox, when the mailman came up the steps

we all three smiled up at the what seemed a tree of a slate blue uniform, fully expecting to be told how "good" we were doing

instead, in a voice, a bit like my first grade teacher, but not in a lady's voice of course, "is your mother or father home?"

uh oh...

*

Late Teen Years Efforts

just over a decade passed by without any memorable writing or art events i can recall happening, though my imagination certainly seemed to keep in full gear via learning to play trumpet, square dancing, track, baseball, running & bicycling through bayous and train yards - generally goofing around ;-)

so at about 19 or so, same time i discovered dali and started painting large canvases with nothing on them but an object melting off the edge of some table or chair (which some neighbor girls i remember thought were "really cool"), i started jr college

my  first child helen was already over a year old, and i worked full time delivering hot shot packages in my own van, so i attended school at night at south texas jr college, which now is the university of houston downtown campus

it was during this time i also met the folk that introduced me to  alice bailey and her idea of the seven rays, the esoteric philosophy society, meditation,  and some hatha yoga

this was a busy burst of new exciting things going on in my life

my journalism class would re-open my writing door

*

a fluff assignment, meant to make us want to do it, was to review a movie, any movie, we liked

"car wash" was showing then, so it was an easy fit

from that, my first review ever, car wash, sudsy cleansing for the blues, came out; it was pretty good! i'm pretty sure i still have a copy somewhere in one of my stored boxes, probably one of the writings boxes with all the original hand written poems with my son - if i ever find a copy i'll be sure and post it ;-)

*

now i was hooked, again, on writing!

but it would take me til now to realize why it'd been so easy to do such a nice write-up -

i really liked the movie!

ie, having a strong or passionate connection, and as i'm learning, creating or enhancing a connection, is the "switch" that turns on creativity

ie, ie,  being aware, awareness, expanding consciousness, ala yoga ;-)

*

i did write more movie reviews, and even some dance recital reviews, and really enjoyed the process, but a couple years had passed, the economy was tanking, vietnam was still going, and taking care of my family was taking front focus

eventually, after going into the air force, and returning to houston with an honorable discharge full of benefits, including educational benefits, i would return to college -

and more writing...

*

College Efforts

my preparations to leave florida and the air force in '76 included registering for the fall semester at my old jr college - it had transformed into what is now the university of houston downtown campus

as a kind of circle completion, sheila and i took our afaa choreography and group fitness certification workshops there, and i got to see the wonderful improvements to that great location down near allen's landing where i'd pretended to be a hippie "back in the day" ;-)

i spent a semester there, transferred to uh's main campus, then discovered their clear lake campus, where a build-your-own-degree-of-interests type program was offered

freedom to explore my interests, and express them, was something i desperately wanted, and needed...

*

my creativity exploded -

*

with, within a range, freedom to choose classes and create a major suited for me, i'd take 2-3 required basics (which i loved, mostly humanities related) and 2-3 lets-see-how-i-like-this electives

i'd worked most my life, including summers since i was 12, and to take classes full time, courtesy of my GI benefits, and have 2+ weeks off between each semester, well, i was in study-hall heaven sunk into finding everything i might enjoy learning about ;-)

literature, comparative religion, history of ideas, cultural anthropology - oh, and the arts ;-)

pottery, painting, poetry, short stories, novels, stage scripts, screenplays, readers theatre, live theatre, community theatre -

geez!

*

i wrote a science fiction stage play as part of my BA in Theatre

I wrote short stories, i wrote poems

i wrote a novel for my first Masters in English Lit

i wrote another novel for my second Masters in Humanities

one of the novels i wrote initially in first person, was asked by my masters committee to re-write into third person, and did - though most everyone agreed the first person account was sharper, even if much shorter

*

i moved to galveston for the first of many times, destined to stay this first time for over a decade

the fog, and a girl (sorta in the fog too i guess ;-) ) initially attracted me to the island of  jean lafitte

something of the grit and sense of having to move carefully to find one's way, fit me

i started painting again, using dry watercolors the way i'd use oils later

*

 my first published poem, when it ended, was published during these college years

eventually, when i have time, and re-access my stored writings, particularly my novels

i'll review then e-book (i think i just created a new verb ;-) ) them

i sent out many inquiries and manuscripts

a few standard rejections trickled back

my need to express shifted

marrying sheila in '81, we found ourselves dancing more often, and my eye hungered to express things more in texture and color - i started nearly a decade of working in acrylics

[ late note added 10-01-11 : sheila found a small box with an envelope of short stories from about '81 & '82, that escaped being stored, so sometimes in the "relatively near future" i'll see about transcribing them to digital; but this'll be after my current ebook, and now also e-article, projects are done ;-) ]

[ late note added 10-08-11 : new decision : will epublish 3 of the short stories first, at a great incentive price point, then the sampler poetry collection, and then the sports poetry ebook (which keep growing ;-) ) ]

*

The 90's - Selling Personalized Poems

i'd begun showing in art shows, festivals, and malls in the early 80,s -

dickens on the strand, mardi gras in galveston, the houston international and montrose festivals in houston, town square festivals around texas, street fairs, churches, barns, and community centers - you'd think i was doing guerilla yoga!

maybe i was ;-)

art shows, of any kind, are rarely quite busy for the whole duration

busy spurts are common, dead periods too

so i began handwriting poems

in my booth

*

somebody asked what i was doing

"writin'"

"can i see?"

"sure, just a poem"

"not bad, reminds me of my dad too"

"yea? thanks (i guess)"

"can you fix me one too, but from me to my dad?"

"uh, sure!"

*

within the year i'd bought the cheapest portable printer (this was the early ninety's remember, way back ;-) ) - it only printed black in

experimenting, i found a decent parchment tone paper i liked, used the same foam core sources i had for my art prints, sized everything to a standard size for easy framing, and wallah! i'd added a personalizing "arty" portion to my booth's "artsy" offerings

slow periods i kept writing, still using pen or pencil on a small stencil pad of paper

it saved room, cost little, and i like the "feel" of it all

*

somebody new asked what i was doing?

"are you writing more of these?"

"tryin' to," i smiled

"do you have more?"

"naw, just these"

"can you write me one for my  mom?"

"oh, i've got some, they're -"

"i saw those...while you were on break"

"oh..."

"she's a teacher"

"ohhh..."

*

and i started writing  occupations

then more family stuff, uncles, aunts,  grandma

anniversaries, sports,  special requests like graduating from nursing school

once i got started with some subjects, like  baseball, i'd create a poem for everything i could think of; these, the whole range of something like baseball, will be in my first poetry ebook, on sports

sheila started joining me at certain shows we felt i couldn't handle

some shows we couldn't go to the bathroom or eat

some shows we shoulda stayed home ;-)

*

we went to the national stationery show in ny at the javits center, where almost a decade later, i'd go to art expo

both trips were great fun, and both trips found us finding great contacts and opportunities

but when we returned to galveston (or austin), and the momentum ended

the internet, by the late 90's was, we thought, booming ;-)

so went online

*

Early Online Efforts

both in the late 90's, then again in the late 2000's, a decade later, we tried some sort of online offering of the poems, but with only minimal success

in the late 90's, most of the effort was toward fulfilling wholesale orders of unpersonalized writings to gift and card shops, and had some success

in the late 2000's, though technology and the internet had advanced light years, success was still minimal, though a bit more was accomplished via google's adsense program

both experiments involved a great deal of face time selling, and left little time for creating

also, neither attempt allowed for a full representation of the scope of our titles

that has now changed ;-)

*

Emergence of eReaders

it is with the growth of epublishing, beyond anything possible or imaginable before, that the future has circled back to the days sheila and i would set up in a mall, lay out half a dozen tables, place our hand-made containers on them, lift the handmade lids we'd made for those containers, and present hundreds and hundreds of titles that people told us they wanted...

i now have, some written with my wife, (updated 062614) over 60 titles in fiction, poetry, and photography

***

Future Content

Known

the e-publication of over a thousand poems

the addition of quality features only now possible

the opportunity to have a body of work "out there" for myself, my family, and others to benefit from

novels and short stories waiting to be reviewed rewritten and released

paraphrasing real estate : content content content ;-)

*

Unknown But Possible

new opportunities to expand from what i can offer :

audio / visual presentations of my poems

visual projection of images from cell phones onto walls and the air

enhanced awareness and creativity on my part from the stimulus of being heard

*

Recommended Sites for eBook Info

first, i need to say these will be added to my links page (tab at the top of each page)

now, in no particular order, for you to enjoy exploring, links to online sites i've found so far that have helped me technically or inspirationally or in some unknown way that feels right ;-)

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

http://www.bloggingbookshelf.com/ \- [ renamed The Backlight ]

http://ibisreader.com/

http://www.onespoonatatime.com/

http://blog.threepress.org/

http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/

included is an epub reader site, a formatting site, how to make money blogging site, a publishing epub writer's site, and more! ;-)

as i find more that interest me, i'll be sure to list them on my links page under "arts" links

***

Final Thoughts

Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts

if there is a thread in my life, if there are threads that make the best of  a rope to hang onto when you get to the end of your rope (an idea expressed by thomas jefferson), then yoga, the conscious knowledge of the awareness from yoga, has been the thread that's tied my two life long interests -  fitness / sports & the arts

*

Wishes

do i wish i'd known more about epublishing when it'd first started, and gotten started a year or two years ago?

sure...

do i wish all this today had been available back in the late 70's and early 80's when i had my first deep burst of writing creativity?

of course!

but does that make me any less happy that it is possible today?

nope ;-)

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

 note added 101811 - things move fast when one is creating in a new medium, and my first ebook has turned out to be "30 Year Sampler, Stories Poems & Images, Felipe Adan Lerma" and my sports poetry ebook, well in-progress, is now named "100 Sports Poems" \- [more information is available on this special page, including samples of both ebooks ]

[ note added 111111 - much progress has been made epublishing, please see links below for more information ;-) ]

*

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

101 Sports Poems Vol 2 – Dance, Yoga, Martial Arts, Drill Team, Twirler, Ice Skating

 Photography Plus : Digital Photos, Photo-Poem, Photo Essays, Artist Commentary

 Stories Poems & Images, 30 Year Sampler

*

YouTube Videos

*

Poetry eBooks Update Page

 "Yoga is a Sport" - Original Yoga Poetry

 Texas to Vermont – Have Yoga, Will Travel (New Beginning)

 Adam Light Creations, Parent DBA of Yoga-Adan, a History

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

posted on my website november 09, 2011

Creativity & Yoga, Thoughts

"creativity & yoga aren't similar, they are of the same breath" - and so begins an exploration of creativity and awareness and yoga; wordpress' new gallery images feature is included for the first time

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that  works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

creativity & yoga, thoughts

***

Article Outline

Intro

Definitions

• A Thread

• Implications

• Assumptions and Beliefs

• Mind, Heart, and Intuition - Yoga & Creativity

• Creativity and Awareness

The Artist as a Creative Example

• Intro, Kindred Spirits

• Emmanuelle, Plans on a Comet

• Brija, StableRoots

• Kara-Leah

• YogaDork
• Studio Mothers

• Himalayan Institute

• The Magazine of Yoga

Final Thoughts

• Yoga-Adan, What About Me?

• Preparations, Again

• "101 Sports Poems" a Series

• Details

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

***

***

"creativity & yoga aren't similar, they are of the same breath"

Intro

i came up with the idea of having a "thoughts" article category, sorta as a way to have an easy way to write about something, and not have to research it so much, ha! - yea, right, l0l !!

i ended up just fooling myself into having to think harder ;-)

*

Creativity & Awareness in Yoga v1, Original Digital Art, Adan Lerma

*

i figured, point out a few times i felt i'd gotten creative, maybe point to an article, well, ok, maybe two ;-)

heck, i have at least a painting and a couple of poems that could fill in some color and tone

maybe a photo, and i even have some digital art up now

like a piece of organic low-sugar cake with coconut!

well...

a funny thing happened on the way to the "send" button

i couldn't think what to say...

what follows, has been "working" since my first saved draft as recorded in my wordpress acct,

"12 August, 2011 @ 9:02 by yoga-adan"

***

Definitions

A Thread

ok, so what is creativity?

Creativity & Awareness in Yoga v2, Original Digital Art, Adan Lerma

obviously i can point to examples, my own and others, of creative efforts, whether pleasing or not ;-)

merriam-websters says creativity is,

" 1 : the quality of being creative

2 : the ability to create"

and further defines "creative," at least in part 2 of 3, as,

2 : having the quality of something created rather than imitated : imaginative <the creative arts>

and while the further definition of "create" is similar, i thought the info on the "origin of create" further down the page, was particularly interesting :

"Middle English, from Latin creatus, past participle of creare; akin to Latin crescere to grow...

First Known Use: 14th century"

*

Implications

"akin to Latin crescere to grow..."

"something created rather than imitated"

"being creative...the ability to create"

there's much here, it seems to me, with huge implications -

it's obvious that our current state of being in bodies, is a result of a creative effort, growing something new that's not merely an imitation

so how's that fit in with an unchanging soul, immutable and at one with the universe?

not easily it seems ;-)

yet, the paradox of duality may be more an answer than just a perplexing condition of our lives

*

Assumptions and Beliefs

i accept that there is oneness in the universe, unchanging, at least from our perspective

yet that oneness allows or wants or initiates diverse creations of changing living and inorganic objects

is it infusing the more-dense less-aware parts of itself it knows it will never lose, with more awareness of itself, as we are all contained within it?

a larger macro of what we attempt to do in breathing and awareness during asanas or other, more off the mat movements?

is it simply what we would perceive as breathing, naturally pulsing with its own life, and we are an expression of that oneness?

maybe some combinations of that and much more?

*

i don't believe it's possible to know the answers fully, or in a way of thinking or feeling we know all there is - we have to rely and be satisfied, at some point, with faith with what we do think and feel, and thus with what we assume we know...

are the words yoga or art or music or religion or god the things themselves?

maybe parts of that which they are themselves, being signifiers

being details, parts of the whole of what they point to

so, in that respect, i've come to believe :

"creativity & yoga aren't similar, they are of the same breath"

so far, my reasoning, which is an expression of both my feelings and my thoughts, is not only simplistic, but riddled with assumptions and a priori starting points, any of which could be wrong or the views of someone who, if not touching one isolated part of the proverbial huge elephant, is maybe touching one tiny portion of a huge global canvas or sculpture ;-)

but so it must be...

i have to function, i have to live, and i have to go by what i know, right now...

*

Mind, Heart, and Intuition \- Yoga & Creativity

the gentleman i first learned about meditation from,  known as william david before reclaiming his birth name, way back in the early 70s at the esoteric philosophy center in houston's montrose area (then a hotbed of new age stuff)

he pointed out to me a few things, as i was free-thinking out load about an image,

"that's your intuition"

"but all i'm doing is thinking..."

"the faster your thoughts, the more they bundle themselves into intuitions"

"i don't get it, i was just putting ideas together..."

"when you slow down, they are thoughts, ideas...when you leap and jump, they're intuitions - and when they are tied to your heart, they're your truths"

i've never needed to go past that yet, just understand it within myself better

yoga, creativity, the arts, fitness, life!

they're like thoughts and intuitions and heart-felt feelings - all of a kind...

*

Creativity and Awareness

as i mentioned in my article, "Creativity & Awareness, a Conscious Response to Adaptation in Fitness & Yoga," i feel creativity is kin with awareness, maybe a conjoined twin in essence -

awareness of...

* the rustle of air filtering past leaves and limbs and hair and eyes

* the now-you-see-it-now-you don't stars of winking light

* the first smiles of an infant who knows you're near

* a hand touch when you're in thought, by someone who thought of you

* an eye blink from star to stars and twinkles in your eye

* words that aren't the thing but bring them wrapped in language to your heart

* sounds with pictures pulsing in them

* being alone in a mass of others and feeling joined

* knowing each moment would have to be said thought felt but can't, not yet...

maybe awareness and creativity are similar to the continuum expressed above, between reasoning and individual thoughts, with intuition

it seems, at times, there's too mad a rush to condemn the mind and thoughts, and yet rush as madly to express, whole-heartedly, that all is one

that appeals to me as little as the scientific-like person who disparages the values of emotion and the heart

neither extreme of being seems to reflect the notion of being more holistic within oneself

so, for now, i'll continue to value both my mind and my heart, with awareness the mediator and messenger to creativity...

and maybe messaging ;-) between my heart and mind ;-)

***

The Artist as a Creative Example

Creativity & Awareness in Yoga v3, Original Digital Art, Adan Lerma

Intro, Kindred Spirits

artists, of all stripes, have always been an odd necessity of humanity

even folk not doing typically thought of activities of art, when they are exceptional, or unique, or certainly odd enough to qualify, as if by default ;-) are thought of as artists :

con-artists, beguilers, shamans, dancers in the infield in baseball, great lovers -

below, knowing i'm not beginning to scratch the surface of the artistic talent to choose among, i've listed a few of those i'm currently or recently been following, that in the near term, have struck an artistic chord in me, in my integrative efforts

in addition, they tend to be, like me, working both yoga and an art related activity into their mix

so these are currently folks of a kindred spirit for me ;-)

*

Emmanuelle - Plans on a Comet

a young lady in europe (brussels and france) into music and yoga and art and photos and dance and teaching

browse her articles, check back on her, do a google search, she's got a lot to offer

music and yoga seem to be her favorites right now -

with an inquisitive playful turn of mind

if there's a comet on the site -

it's emmanuelle!

*

Brija, StableRoots

a disarmingly charming interestingly tortured soul near the coast of england, who likes to paint and explore yoga as an awareness toward healing and merging more with her art

honest in turns haunting and humorous

there's a raw point of emergence visible in her words worth watching

should i admit i see some of the-me of long ago in her words?

i guess so ;-)

wordpress provides some convenient "category" codes for bloggers, and brija has notated some of her articles under her "art category"

*

Kara-Leah

based in new zealand, but heard worldwide,  i've reviewed one of her bio-exploratory-yoga articles on her flagship site, the yoga lunchbox

my byword-feeling for kara-leah, is authenticity

exploring her sites is exploring an authentically articulate voice

it can be unsettling, and it can be inspiring -

she also has a self titled site focussing on her creative writing work

both sites have featured articles where she's explored how music is entwined with her yoga

kara-leah's musings about her creative process, also strike me as familiar ;-)

she recently posted  a typically good article on the creative process

*

YogaDork

not the typical creative activity most people thing of, like painting or writing or singing -

ms yogadork, as i privately like to call her ;-) works in the creative coal mines of humor ;-)

irreverent and broad in scope, yogadork is a welcome reminder of how silly we can all get about yoga, and all other things human

one of my first ever introductions to this site was very early thing year, to  a video spoofing yoga via a production number from the play, "Chicago"

as the article puts it, " If choreographed yoga has your nadis in a twist, prepare yourself for the Bob Fosse-fied Broadway Musical! It's Yoga Tango! All jazz hands and breathy ujjayi to the tune ofChicago's "Cell Block Tango."

and still one of my favorite ever!

if you crave a little humor with your yoga once in awhile, then check these guys out ;-)

*

Miranda, Studio Mothers

a creative website i've only recently come across, miranda is currently in the midst of a project of creating a work of art every day for the month (aedm)

her project for  day 5, about herself as a young girl and her father, is exceptionally touching

her site focusses on helping busy mothers be the creative selves they want to be

though of course anyone, including us guys, are welcome ;-)

into painting and collages and more, miranda adds, "And breathing. Breathing is good."

if you know some of my yoga writings, you know i very much go along with the belief that  breathing is fundamental, including creatively

miranda's site seems a great place to check out if you're a busy mom - or anyone else ;-)

*

Himalayan Institute, "Awakening the Artist"

the himalayan institute has provided countless exceptionally clear articles on important aspects of living, such as "Aging Gracefully" -

"Awakening the Artist" follows in that strong tradition

written by karen macklin, who writes, "Artistic expression can be deeply fulfilling, but accessing creativity isn't always easy" -

with an article subtitle that reads, "Tap into higher inspiration and refine your artistic skills with yogic tools and teachings that empower creative expression"

i gotta agree! mostly ;-)

the need for concentration, and how to develop it if needed, are discussed

as are the needs for "stillness and presence" and  awareness and inspiration, breath and discipline, dealing with distracting negative emotions, "to feel free to have joy again in their performances" -

\- Quibbles -

and yet, as a practicing artist, i'll have to quibble ;-)

the author, quoting respected yoga teachers :

1) yes, maybe, at first, "The task of the yogic artist is mostly just to get out of the way" -

yet, i believe, eventually, the more fulfilling task is to be in and of "the way"

2) and yes, optimally, "Word, color, or movement choices don't come from practical considerations—they come from intuition and a deeper place of seeing"

and again, the true solution, for me (an on-going process) is not to disdain practical considerations, but to merge them with intuitive processes (easier said than done)

but don't think the author is for having the creative person put themselves in a cave, away from others, rejecting recognition

""If you want to really change the world with your work, you may have to make a spectacle with it, and that can be very beautiful. It may be your dharma to be really out there"

\- Bottomline -

even with my quibbles, if i need to return to roots and re-ground, which happens ;-) then i do need to "get out of the way" and "come from intuition"

so with this, i recommend "awakening the artist" whole-heartedly ;-)

*

Susan Maier-Moul, The Magazine of Yoga

i've left the magazine of yoga, "an online journal which promotes engaged everyday life as the key principle of freedom" for last -

they have been my first and best lasting stand-by for all things articulated about yoga -

fascia, trainings, interviews, music, poetry, art, and food -

 susan the editor-in-chief presents a smorgasbord of ingredients that satisfies, nourishes, and leaves me eager for more (after digesting my current portion of course)

it's hard to further articulate the vastness of appealing work on the magazine of yoga

i recommend you go to the main page, and cruise down the right side of the page

topic categories with numerous links within each group currently include:

On the Lit Mat * Conversations * 3x5 Practices Index * The Iconic Susan Blood * West Coast Bureau * Four Words * Bodies and Voices * Book Reviews * Poets * Really Healthy * Is Anybody Else Hot? * Music Matters * Written in Pencil * Studio Life * Curvy Literacy * Magofyoga

whew! ;-) yes ;-)

***

Final Thoughts

*

*

Yoga-Adan, What About Me?

i have lots of plans up ahead

my texas to vermont series usually still has a good bead on short, medium, and long-term projects

the trick is, on my part, shifting the term-length of a given desired or needed project, from short to long or vice-versa

the fun is, also for me ;-) is doing exactly that ;-)

*

Preparations, Again

in my first texas to vermont post, "preparations," i needed to prepare for, and accomplish, my wife sheila and mine's move from to vermont from texas

you may have heard the expression, about things incredible, "that's a trip!"

well, this was that literally and symbolically ;-)

*

right now is similar - though my move this time, is from the state of having decade's of creative content t0 share, from earlier this year back through the last 40 years -

writings, poems, photos, paintings -

much...

and now move, kicking and screaming, but with eagerness! to a new state of available sharing, courtesy of the new digital age of opportunities

so, like that time period earlier this year, i will continue my site, posting each week, but again, as back then in that may-june period of moving, post more of my creative work (poems, images) and less time-necessary "thought" work ;-)

*

"101 Sports Poems" - a Series

the move in-progress right at this moment, specifically, is that of organizing, formatting, and presenting, a collection of mini sports poem volumes, comprising 101 original works

this is an important and major move for me

i've already presented two ebooks, one representing a sampler of mostly written work, the other an over-view presentation of visual work

now, i return to words, but specifically poetry, and even more to the point, sports poems

sports have been important to me most my life

sports now blends with yoga and thought

it's an interesting project ;-)

*

Details

i intend to concentrate and finish the work necessary to publish the full nine mini sports poem volumes, and the larger full collection of sports poems in those nine segments

kinda sounds like what the article from the himalayan institute was talking about huh?

told ya this stuff was interwoven ;-)

*

what i also intend to do, as part of my creative postings, these next necessary number of weeks, is create poetry speaking directly to my interest in yoga in fitness and the arts -

the work i will be preparing for epublication is sports related in poetry form, gently infused with yoga and fitness

the work i'll prepare and create for postings on my site will be, to start : yoga related to the arts

it's be a busy creative time, just in time for the holidays ;-)

namaste - con dios - god be with you

***

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

Poetry Series

eBooks Information

Photography Category

 101 Sports Poems Vol 1 - Baseball, Press Release

 30 Year Sampler, Stories Poems & Images, Felipe Adan Lerma

 My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook (Sports Poetry)

 Photography Plus : Digital Photos, Photo-Poem, Photo Essays, Artist Commentary

*

YouTube Videos

*

 thoughts series articles

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

*

Poetry

"Aging Gracefully" - Original Inspirational Poetry

Evolution of a Pose - Original Yoga Poetry

Yoga is a Sport - Original Yoga Poetry

Baseball - Original Sports Poetry

Nursing - Original Medical Poetry

Special Education - Original Poetry

Middle School Teacher - Original Education Poetry

I Heard You Sing - Original Love Poetry

Inside Index

*

posted on my website september 28, 2011

"Aging Gracefully" - Original Inspirational Poetry

Inspirational poetry and video on aging, looking back at the stages in one's life. Video rendition is in readers theatre style.

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

"aging gracefully" - original inspirational poetry

***

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Aging Gracefully

Aging

gracefully

starts with being

loved

as a child.

The scrapes and hugs

blend into a smoothness of

being in the world.

Aging gracefully

continues

as
a young person

respecting

both that yes more

is to be learned and seen

but willingness is taking the road

with firm steps of faith.

Steadiness

in the middle years

adds grace

to meals and car rides and

nights spent sitting by a child's side

while

the old(er) years

finally see that

being in the world is

being in our world

of changing

leaves

and rising clouds with

passing winds in changing

lights of days and nights.

Aging gracefully

is

the breathing of the passing of our seasons.

© 2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxrDjGvVOBs

*

Commentary

as i mentioned yesterday, in the commentary to my poem,  grandma, this week, i post a review of an article from the himalayan institute on aging

 the article is titled, "aging gracefully" and the title has seemed like a pesky if beautiful butterfly refusing to be content with flitting around and about me, til i penned this poem ;-)

just goes to show, as the article tomorrow will point out, emotionally internalizing our intellectual leanings, is, a challenge -

and, as i often like to remind myself, a process ;-)

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

poetry series

poetry ebooks information

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website october 10, 2011

Evolution of a Pose - Original Yoga Poetry

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

evolution of a pose - original yoga poetry

***

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Evolution of a Pose

As a tiny child

(I am told)

I

liked to lift

my chest

off

the floor

and peek about

and smile at those around me.

*

As a quietly raucous teen

(i've been reminded)

i'd lift my chest

from the

hot
beach sands

that are galveston

to peer around

at my peers.

*

As a young man intent

on learning asanas

i'd lift prone from

the mat

to

the third chakra

i knew must be in there

...somewhere.

A

cobra

i was, i was told.

Maybe, with smiling fangs?

i wondered...

*

In the service

i'd lift my chest

with my breath as

i pressed my finger

on the trigger.

I was a

cobra

now

i thought.

*

As a dad

i'd lift

my head

as my children

learned to lift their head

then their chest,

core muscles moving

them

to the crawling mobile stage -

and i recall

(i would tell them)

they'd lift their chest

off

the floor

and peek about

and smile..at all those around them.

*

The cobra pose is but

a stage of skin

between

the playful peeking child

and the grateful mom and dad.

The pose

is the peeking child

within.

Nothing more. And never nothing less.

© 2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

this week i follow my new yoga poem, evolution of a pose, with a review of a lecture sheila and i attended recently, at the university of vermont, titled "it's a stretch: is connective tissue the link to yoga's benefits?" -

this lecture led directly to a merging of my long-standing idea, that some poses with names like "cobra" might be better named closer to their more probable origin, people - with some developmental data presented at that lecture -

from which this poem emerged ;-)

*

longer than most my poems (though not all, like "when it ended" written in '81) - my goal was to see if i recognized this one pose, from beginning to present, in some form or other, in my daily life

i found the exercise unusually satisfying ;-)

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

***

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

poetry series

poetry ebooks information

 My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook (Sports Poetry)

***

did this poem feel like it conveyed an emotion or idea you could relate to?

would you like to see me read this poem on a video on YouTube?

please feel free to leave a comment, thank you ;-)

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website october 10, 2011

Yoga is a Sport - Original Yoga Poetry

"the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

***

yoga is a sport - original yoga poetry

***

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Yoga is a Sport...

Yoga

is a sport

of breaths

on runs and jogs

through trails of forests

rivers and neighborhood

streets lined with lights,

of beating hearts

set to moving feet and

arms arched to music playing

simultaneously inwardly and outwardly,

of lines of sight

from eyes to hands to hearts

of balls hit and tossed and thrown
against backdrops of vectors seen as one

fabric - one web,

of liquid races in the waters

of feet felt along the paths

of whispers

and whistles sung

by the winds and waters

on our runs and swims and dives

deep along the edges of

our comfort zones

as we compete

and play

within

the yogic loophole -

our edge.

Yoga

is the sport within....

© 2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

i had some small debate within myself if yoga was a sport or not, intellectually anyways ;-)

in my heart, i knew - i know it is, but differently than maybe first thought so...

*

last week i wrote  a review of one woman's journey from intellectual to emotional understanding / acceptance

this week i have a minor mirror reflection of that same process

how could yoga be a sport!? i asked myself

sportsmanship? i answered

self-sportsmanship?

yes!

i think that's it... ;-)

*

later this week, i post  an update related to my upcoming sports poetry ebook, "my writing history, the road to my first ebook (sports poetry)"

this is a detailed look back at my writing efforts since i was a child, through college, and the last few decades

it wasn't til recently, because of increased awareness via yoga, that i even began to tie and integrate my interests in fitness, the arts, and of course, yoga

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

***

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

poetry ebooks information

 "Cross Country" – Meditation, or Illusion?

 The Yoga Loophole – "Playing Your Edge"

 My Writing History, the Road to My First eBook (Sports Poetry)

*

poetry series

 sports poetry

*

101 Sports Poems Vol 2 – Dance, Yoga, Martial Arts, Drill Team, Twirler, Ice Skating

 Photography Plus : Digital Photos, Photo-Poem, Photo Essays, Artist Commentary

 Stories Poems & Images, 30 Year Sampler

*

YouTube Videos

***

did this poem feel like it conveyed an emotion or idea you could relate to?

would you like to see me read this poem on a video on YouTube?

please feel free to leave a comment, thank you ;-)

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website july 10, 2011

Baseball- Original Sports Poetry

"a beginner's view : the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

baseball - original poetry

***

summer, the fourth of july, and now the all star game!

it must be baseball ;-)

*

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Baseball

Playing hardball

takes a little guts.

Fast flying pitches

creasing your chest.

Balls hit like rockets

skidding the infield

or launched to the outfield.

Base runners

like rabbits to

beat the throw.

And then the full count.
Bottom of the ninth.

Two out.

Like Life, you sometimes

work your way to this

moment of truth.

Play ball.

© 1994-2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

don't get beaned, have fun, be safe, and keep hydrated ;-) play ball!

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

***

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

poetry series

sports poetry ebook updates

*

eBook Page - all titles

101 Sports Poems - The Poems

101 Sports Poems Vol 1 - Baseball

 Photography Plus : Digital Photos, Photo-Poem, Photo Essays, Artist Commentary

 Stories Poems & Images, 30 Year Sampler

*

YouTube Videos

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Home

Related articles

  *  Press Release - Poetry for and Celebrating Teachers Students & Education Specialties (yoga-adan.com)

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website september 14, 2011

Nursing- Original Medical Poetry

"a beginner's view : the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

nursing - original poetry

***

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Nursing

Your career in nursing has

brought out all the best in you.

You've bloomed into a complex

caretaker presenting so simply

the heart to care plus a mind to

understand and instruct us.

Yours, is a dexterity of touch -

swift and sure to heal when needed.

Lingering and warm when requested.

Even if silently asked for from open

or shut eyes. And you lavish on us

that most precious of life's

commodities, the one that

cannot be bought or sold \- 
your quality time.

© 1994-2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

heart and mind, caring and knowledge -

an optimum combination for oneself and to offer to others -

that's yoga, that's nursing...

*

i re-read my commentary on this poem when i'd posted it on my previous site, and decided to simply repost most of it here, as it simply still stands as true to me

*

Artist's Comment: though appealing to most nursing people, this particular poem appeals and is attractive to recent nursing graduates or those re-entering the field

the recognition of the dual responsiveness demanded of the best of nursing personnel, the need for both swiftness and a slow steady heart, the pause to listen and the quickness to act, is a highlight of this work

adan - january 18, 2008

*

i would hope, as with my poem dispatcher posted earlier this week, in this time since the 10th year since 9-11, that our understanding of each other deepens, through this marvelously meandering miracle called the internet

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

poetry series

poetry ebooks information

"Nurses Doctors & Medical Health Specialists" - eBook Info

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Home

Related articles

  *  Press Release : Poetry for "Nurses Doctors & Medical Specialists" (yoga-adan.com)

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website july 18, 2011

Special Education - Original Poetry

"a beginner's view : the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

special education - original poetry

***

written about 15 years ago, this simple poem has continued to elicit requests for reprints

i've posted the poem and my commentary from 2008

the only thing that's changed, is, in addition to my cousin and nephew i can thank for the insight of this poem, i can now add my brother-in-law's grandson

*

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Special Education

It's not the

special training

or the special

inclination

to help

those hindered

that makes special

education so special.

It's the special people
one is given

to spend special

time with.

© 1996-2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

Artist's Comment: i was initially surprised at the depth of positive response to this writing, but shouldn't have been; i have both a cousin and nephew i've learned much about the specialness entrusted or given to our lives at so many levels

primarily, as i've tried to express in this poem, the specialness stems from the person

adan - january 6, 2008

*

if yoga has helped me realize anything, it's how special we all are really -

just that some of us, those most innocent and dear and in need of care, ask, and bring, a specialness rare in life...

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

poetry series

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Home

Related articles

 Press Release - Poetry for and Celebrating Teachers Students & Education Specialties (yoga-adan.com)

 ESL Teacher (beginner's view) - Poetry for Teachers (yoga-adan.com)

 Press Release : Poetry for "Nurses Doctors & Medical Specialists" (yoga-adan.com)

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

not yet posted on my website, as of december 19, 2011

Middle School Teacher - Original Education Poetry

"a beginner's view : the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

***

middle school teacher - original education poetry

***

middle school teacher is not yet published on my website, but will be relatively soon

elementary school teachers may smile knowingly when i say "middle school teacher" is one of my better school teacher poems, and will smile even broader when they see that, i feel, i've done them as much justice as the middle school teacher ;-)

*

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Middle School Teacher

You see it in their faces,

the struggle.

Part child - part adult.

Their foundation is laid but you're

here to smooth the edges so the new

home still being built will last.

And they don't even know how

transparent they are.

But that's ok, you can then comfort
the child while leading the adult -

reinforcing the good already there

then introducing all the new good

they can accept. You

are like a giant helping hand

reaching out to the students' pasts

grabbing hold of all worth saving then

giving them an ever so friendly

push toward their futures.

© 1994-2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

Final Thoughts

i'm glad i decided to add some additional poetry samples to this ebook

it helps provide a broader sample of the poetry in some of my poetry ebook collections, and probably reflects some of the careers of those who, like myself, are glad to realize some "nice things 'bout getting old(er)" ;-)

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

poetry series

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Classes

Home

Related articles

 Press Release - Poetry for and Celebrating Teachers Students & Education Specialties (yoga-adan.com)

 ESL Teacher (beginner's view) - Poetry for Teachers (yoga-adan.com)

 Press Release : Poetry for "Nurses Doctors & Medical Specialists" (yoga-adan.com)

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

posted on my website, as of december 15, 2011

I Heard You Sing \- Original Love Poetry

New Love Poetry for 2011. To be included in the new "Lovers Loving & Being Loved" eBook collection from Adan Lerma, coming soon.

"a beginner's view : the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it's a process..."

*

i heard you sing - poetry for lovers

**

if the words endure, they do so because they link the links -

***

Intro

"i heard you sing" is an original love poem i just wrote today finishing my selections for my next ebook, "Lovers Loving & Being Loved," due out in a week or so

happily i also received an email from the  poetry site dVersepoets, which provides different prompts poets are welcome to, respond and post a link to, on their site

typically, that sort of stuff doesn't appeal to me, but the initiating essays for each prompt, written by different contributing working poets, are consistently unusually well writ, informative, and sometimes downright entertaining ;-)

so i'm willing to "try" and contribute...

*

The Prompt

in this case, the title of the essay is "Form For All – Ballads, Carols, and Lullabyes"

my cue, from the article, for the ok for my own poem, i've decided ;-) is :

"Some Carols such as Joseph Was An Old Man were definitely popular belonging to the culture of the 'folk'; while later ones such as Charles Wesley's Hark the Herald Angels Sing are the product of more sophisticated literary efforts..."

*
Yoga

mine is probably closer to the culture of the folk, though my sentiment is definitely tied to a sense of finding deeper meaning

despite some schools of yoga off-putting human experience, i tend more to the idea that if all is really one, then our experiences here, have value elsewhere, and will be carried forward, however that might be

and yoga's true gift to me, awareness, is what's helped clarify that general perception i've had, for much of a long time

i hope you enjoy the poem ;-)

namaste´- con dios - god be with you

***

I Heard You Sing

and

i found myself

needing a breath

more air

more clarity

more you

*

waves of feelings

from your words

formed

with so much

music

music of you

*

carrying me

home

where home

is

scented and warm

my heart cooking

baking

with you

*

i heard you sing

my eyes to tears

my smiles to miles

yes

i hear you sing

© 2011 adam light creations / adan lerma

***

Other Yoga-Adan Links You Might Like

Poetry Series

*

YouTube Videos

eBook Page - All Available Titles

***

INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS

About Me

Classes

Home

Related articles

  *  Press Release - Poetry for and Celebrating Teachers Students & Education Specialties (yoga-adan.com)

  *  Wild Music – Original Arts & Love Poetry

Inside Index

Poetry Index Page

*

eBook Titles

Other Family Fiction & Poetry Titles

Gently Infused with Fitness & the Arts™

*

www.felipeadanlerma.com

*

Other Free Books

Listed on my site at :

http://www.felipeadanlerma.com/free/

*

Grandma & Grandpa Stories

Available by Subscription and Direct Purchase

Eiffel Tower Pose on Family Yoga Day (Paris Shorts)

Grandma and Grandpa in the Latin Quarter (Paris Shorts)

Grandma and Grandpa @ Dirty Sixth Street

Slumming in Paris, Parts 4 – 8

in-progress

Grandma and Grandpa Do Lunch in Austin

Grandma and Grandpa at the Eye Doctor

*

Other Items of Interest

Gifts

Audio Books

*

www.felipeadanlerma.com

Inside Index

Extras

Resource Links

About the Author

Final Word

Inside Index

*

Resource Links

Please note: There are no Affiliate Links anywhere in my ebooks or website.

Links that don't work :

Also, I have checked links, but some will sometimes "paste" incorrectly; if so please let me know, and I'll correct as soon as practical. Thank you much.

Links Categories

Links to Specific Articles on Yoga-Adan

Category Links to Author's Website

General Links to Author's Website

Links to Sites Outside Author's Website

***

Links to Specific Articles on Yoga-Adan

Balance & Yoga, Tidbit Post # 8

 Memories, Baseball & Yoga - Thoughts

 "Cross Country" - Meditation, or Illusion?

Muscle Memory - a Tidbit Post # 5

 Pyramiding in Yoga - a Tidbit Post # 6

 Yoga is a Sport, Original Yoga Poetry

Does Cross Training = Recovery Time?

 "Athletic Training (yoga fitness dance adls etc) - Original Poetry

 Dance and Musicality, My Poetry from Yoga, Making My First Music Video

 Heart Openers with Elastic Bands

 The Yoga Loophole - Playing Your Edge
 Playing my Edge with Photography, Variations

Texas to Vermont - Have Yoga, Will Travel (Settlin' In)

Art Hop, Burlington Vermont, Sept 9-10 '2011 - At the Festival

Asanas (Poses) - do I HAVE to do the pose this way? part 2: no, but...

Return to Links Categories

***

Category Links to Author's Website

Dance

 Sports Poetry

Poetry - General

 Poetry - Family

Photography

Video / Film

Reviews \- DVDs, Festivals, Articles, Lectures

Texas to Vermont

Teaching

Paintings

Music

Return to Links Categories

***

General Links to Author's Website

eBook Updates

Media Room

Videos

Main Page

About Me

Links

Return to Links Categories

***

Links to Sites Outside Author's Website

Please note: There are no Affiliate Links anywhere in my ebooks or website.

*

Artist's YouTube Channel Page \- my personal YouTube channel that i've only recently started putting "playing around" videos on to get a handle on this great medium; i anticipate lots of interesting uses here

***

Yoga or Personal Sites

The Magazine of Yoga \- one of my favorite sites since i began earnestly seeking new information on the internet again earlier this year on yoga, fitness, and the arts; editor Susan Maier-Moul keeps the site humming where you can't hear the compressor or furnace, but you sure can feel the difference in the air; based out of manhattan, with contributors from around the world

Plans on a Comet \- Emmanuelle, a fascinating young lady yogi in europe with a command of words and music and images, also publishes on the Magazine of Yoga above

Think Body Electric \- Carol Horton, based in Canada, expresses a fearless-like attitude toward attempting to understand truth, exceptionally articulate and caring and fair in her writings and thoughts

Himalayan Institute \- clear simple straightforward information about many thing "yoga" without the sense the one "must" join or accept all things discussed; high integrity; campus is actually here in the U.S., in pennsylvania, but with a global reach

Flying Yogini \- consistently humane human blow by blow of being a mom (to her "elves") and being a dedicated knowledgeable yet still learning yogini; randomly rotate reflections of her life in humor, thoughtfulness, and at times down right inspiring posts; almost always has an embedded music video to punctuate her theme of the day, frequently shows her own photo work too with the same purpose

YogaDork \- nyc humor with your yoga or yoga in your humor, some of it thoughtfully brain-smiley, others of it outright lol-gotta-see it or hear or read it again (often has video too!)

Caryn Mirriam Goldberg \- Poet Laureate of Kansas, 2009-2012, wonderful mix of words and thoughts

jomul7 blog \- a blog i've only recently came across; is where i found the photo-poem that's inspired me to write my own, much tamer effort ; some very interesting perspectives

StableRoots \- Brija, a young artist yogini off the coast of England; honest sometimes raw often humorous reflections on her life ambitions and problems, nice artist / yogini balancings

Kara-Leah \- an accomplished yogini and writer in New Zealand; has posted some of the most authentic self-exploratory yogic-based articles i've come across; a  review on my site of an article Kara-Leah wrote regarding her past drug experiences, and they are NOT a lasting view of enlightenment, is particularly powerful

Neel the Muse \- poet and English teacher, with short interesting poems, frequent posts through-out the week; knowledgeable and creative

Lex Gillan \- my yoga teacher trainer, based out of Houston; has been around since the 70s, opened the oldest still existing non-guru based yoga studio in the U.S.; his eclectic accepting approach to all schools of yogic thought drew me to his trainings, and I've never regretted it

***

Fitness

AFAA, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America - though, i assume, providing similar information as that from ace and acsm (each with a slightly varying "leaning"), afaa is the fitness organization both my wife and i decided to use to "learn" fitness ;-)

the information from afaa has been invaluable providing us a base of understanding where why and how we were either doing things right or not-right the most our lives, in terms of fitness, and allowing us to extend that new knowledge to people we've met, our friends and our families - yes, invaluable

SilverSneakers, next to AFAA, foundational for both my wife and myself in learning about health and fitness and wellness we can apply on a daily basis; and of course the emphasis on seniors just adds and reinforces our beginnings with AFAA

Zumba, underestimated as "just fun" by many people, though there's nothing wrong with fitness routines that are fun! actually kinda necessary; what Zumba additionally brings is a latin flavor that both the participant and instructor can "get into" ; the latitude given to teachers to lead their own "flavor" without having to commit to only doing Zumba is a huge plus

Jazzercise, after many decades where i grew into middle age, quit exercising, and got dangerously overweight and unhealthy, it is joining Jazzercise on my wife's birthday, on Valentine's Day (called sweat heart's day by jazzercise ;-) in 2001 (Sheila had already been going since 1990 or so) that I began a long road back to health and fitness (and i'm still working on it!)

the music, the moves, the exceptionally well rounded routines incorporating aerobics, strengthening, and stretching, often with familiar yogic postures, keeps Jazzercise one of our favorites

Stronger Seniors \- Anne Pringle Burnell's site and available DVDs for seniors, is absolutely the best combination of at home chair based routines my wife and I are familiar with. Anne's manner, humor, and easy way of providing fitness information while exercising, makes doing any of the routines fun for us. My  review of Anne Pringle's Stronger Seniors Yoga DVD was a pleasure to write.

Return to Links Categories

***

Inside Index

*
About the Author

Born and raised in Texas, and now living in Vermont, his wife Sheila's home state, Adan brings a gentle infusion of yoga and fitness to bear on life long interests in writing, painting, dance, photography, and the arts in general.

Determined to learn about the ideas of Western Culture that have informed our civilization, Adan put himself through college with the help of his GI Bill benefits. More recently, he has added certifications in fitness and yoga.

His self stated mission on his website, reads, "Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts."

*

M.A. Humanities,  University of Houston Clear Lake

M.A. English Lit, University of Houston Clear Lake

B.A. Theatre Arts, University of Houston Clear Lake

AFAA – Group Fitness Certification

CPR/AED – American Heart Association

Zumba – Zumba & Zumba Gold Licensed

SilverSneakers – MSROM (Muscular Strength & Range of Motion); Cardio Circuit; Yoga Stretch – Stress Reduction

Yoga 200 Hr CYT – Lex Gillan, The Yoga Institute

Inside Index

*

Final Word

Aging and staying fit are not incompatible.

If anything, a little patience thrown in with the desire to remain active, should mean better training and less injuries, even if with a gentler exertion slope during routines.

That sense of not needing to be in a hurry to regain a strong sense of fitness, is one of the most significant things I've learned the last few years of learning about exercise and health.

Add in the equally valuable improved sense of awareness of how one is doing in the present moment, and my creativity has made itself felt more cleanly, more clearly.
What has emerged in this new more fit creativeness, wasn't always itself clearly seen or anticipated, but the process, the act of being creative, is more clearly in view.

And like a more consciously done set of exercises, creativity with more awareness, is simply an enhancement we can have in our lives.

If you have enjoyed "Nice Thing 'Bout Getting Old(er)" please tell someone you know, who might also enjoy reading these articles.

As always, the articles in my other eBooks, and on my website, www.yoga-adan.com, are ad free and without affiliate links.

Thank you much, sincerely,

adan lerma

november 19, 2011

Inside Index

*

Dedication

Though I've been active most my life, with lapses I've eventually came back from ;-) it was my wife Sheila who first started doing Jazzercise, over twenty years ago, and finally got me to go too just over ten years ago. And it was also Sheila who thought of and brought to my attention, the idea of us learning about fitness theory and practice, and first found AFAA as our potential certifying agency and place to start learning about fitness from. So with a deeper forward-bend-bow than I could do just a few years ago, and with a fuller deeper more appreciate inhalation of breath, I thank Sheila for her dedication and focus on keeping us keeping on. Thank you ;-)

Inside Index

###

