An Alison Miller Blog

I was in the locally famous cafe, Anthony’s, of Paia, Maui last week. While waiting in line for my scrumptious blueberry smoothie, I overheard two gentlemen speaking. The conversation was highlighting, largely, the increase in cost of shipping of goods to Maui. The undertone of the overall conversation was one of dread and unhappiness. Whether it was the flooding of sugary blue that entered my belly or simply years of training to be self-reflective I had a flash of insight during there conversation. I created a movie screen in my mind. I could see the joy of these men. I saw them laughing and talking about what they were happiest about. I imagined a yoga retreat of an instantaneous nature descending upon them. Providing the feelings of being relaxed, inspired and deeply connected to their best selves. Now, keep in mind, the unassuming cafe patrons had no idea what I was creating in my mind. Yet, there was an immediate lift in their tone and the first gentleman, who had a daughter, was suddenly disctracted by her request for a blueberry smoothie! He laughed and smiled and the conversation changed direction. A short and sweet story to share the way we can uplift ourselves and each other - retreating to the yoga of the mind. Can we twist the neural pathways of our perceptions like we twist our limbs like pretzels? Can we hold the vision of others as their radiant, happy selves even when they, themselves, are feeling otherwise? Give it a try. Next time you hear a conversation of an unenlightening nature add your yoga of the mind and enlighten the conversation, silently to yourself, notice what happens! Love to hear your results.

Yoga is a scientific system that approaches life uniquely and powerfully. We
can see the principles of the yoga practice demonstrated in nature. Imagine
yourself walking through a lush Maui bamboo forest while observing the
trees, waterfalls and flowers. Now imagine you can see beyond the surface of
these natural wonders. Imagine seeing the root system of the symphonic
bamboos, seeing the smell of the fragrant ginger flower petals or imagine
the feeling of being immersed below the bed of the waterfall streams. All of
these imagined experiences draw your consciousness into a union with that
which exists beyond the human eye, yet can be felt through the senses. Yoga,
like nature, has many parts, when observed, reveal a world that can be
experienced deeply yet is not initially seen at first glance. It is a
practice that requires time, dedication and consistency. The fruits of the
practice are in the devotion. A forest grows in a steady slow nature, as
does a yoga practice. A flower blooms to give the gift of fragrance. Yoga
asana births a fragrance of light that shines through the human skin.
Waterfalls flow giving movement to pools of water and giving us the gift of healing and pleasure. Practicing yoga one experiences a flow that feeds our soul and gives our soul a land in which to swim.

The Heart of Sun Salutations

Did you know that the sun salutation series is designed to awaken the power of the heart. The ancient yogis believe that, in the heart, lives a higher seat of wisdom than the mind. While we are accustomed to making decisions (which defined in Latin means “to cut off, to fall dead”) by using the mind, which slices and picks apart our life, we can create great tension and potential confusion as to what the best choices are for feeling fulfillment in life. Where the mind can leave us racked with indecision, the heart is steady and accounts for the whole of our life situations rather than just a section of it. Imagine being in a situation where you are blindfolded. Now imagine hearing the sound of rushing water. Without the sense of sight you are left to determine the origin of the water rushing. Is it a leaky faucet, a bathtub overflowing, a water hose in the backyard, a rainstorm? If you are familiar with the area, perhaps you will be able to determine the origin of the sound. However, you are left blind to the full reality of the situation; because, you cannot confirm with your sight, a sense we typically reply upon for confirmation. When we use the mind alone to determine the course of our lives we, in a sense, are walking blind. More to come about activating the heart!!!

Aloha friends,
It has been months since the kiss of these keystrokes traveled to the world of blogging. Ahhh…. this technological world - a blessing and a curse simultaneously. The previous months have been filled with growth, travel, trials, tribulations, and great joy. In a nutshell, falling in love with the wisdom of insecurity has been the pillar this modern yogi has been leaning on to navigate our changing times. I’ve been focusing on the economy of self and letting the roots of being exist in the unmanifested. I understand there is a power in living from the Self rather than the self, delineated from the capital to small S. The Self to which I am referring is the aspect of the soul/spirit that incarnates into our human form and can, if given the chance, weave this life with magic. However, this is very unsettling for the rigidity and tenuous relationship the mind has with the world and the way it wants things. For example, in the month of March, I traveled to Cabo San Lucas to teach yoga to a vacation group. On my trip home, the airline, on which I was booked, went bankrupt. I was stranded! For days on end other airlines allowed passengers to attempt to fly standby to return back to Hawaii. The airline reservationist asked me if I would like to be stranded in California or Arizona. Inherent in her question, I could see that it was not offering any solution that my mind would like. So, I let go of my mind, took some deep breaths, and chose California. Upon arriving in California, I found out one of my good friends, a traveling musician, would be in town, for one night only, playing a concert in a town not too far from the airport. Hah, said the Self! It is the Universe who will guide you. Do not rely on airlines. Rely on your spirit and the Universe to guide you to the right place and time. The next day (after attending the concert) I found a “reasonably” priced flight back to Hawaii. So, plans change…often. When we can let go and trust, the Universe is always out for our greater good. Magic can happen.

The inhale is the part of the breath that symbolizes the ability to take in life - the ability to create, draw in new opportunities, new relationships, new challenges and goals. The inhale, naturally followed by the exhale, can be rythmically timed to create a healing response.

In the yoga practice, it is said, that the practice on the mat is a symbol of how we live our lives off the mat. If we are frustrated and judgemental with ourselves in our postures then it is likely we are judgemental and frustrated with ourselves off the mat. If we hold our breath on the mat it is a clue to that we may also hold on to things in our life. If we hold or grasp on the exhale it is likely we have difficulty letting life flow, allowing new things to come into our life and allowing the old to flow out. The breath is a very symbolic limb of the yoga practice. Imagine the inhale as being symbolic of your ability to take in new life, ideas, relationships, thinking patterns, and the unexpected. Now imagine the exhale as being a symbol of your ability to let go, to release, to destroy - negative thinking, old thought-forms that don’t serve your highest good, relationships -personal and professional - tensions and toxicities. For today, see if you can practice extending your exhale longer than your inhale in your breathing patterns. Consciously count the length of your inhale and your exhale. Now lengthen the exhale to allow the breath to exit two to three counts longer than the inhale. See if you can practice this exercise for 5 minutes every hour and then choose to lengthen this practice, up to 15 minutes or more, on days when you are needed extra helping letting go. Notice how easy it begins to be to let go and let if flow! As they say in Maui - relax and let go!

Yoga is a an amazing diagnostic tool. A regular practice of yoga can give you immediate feedback to the strengths, weaknesses, and muscular imbalances that are currently existing in your body. For instance, if you are asked to practice a shoulder bind (both shoulders pulled behind the back with hands clasping eachother), and you are unable to wrap both arms behind the shoulders, this gives you immediate feedback that the musculature in your shoulder girdle and/or rotator cuff are inhibited. This information is important for three main reasons. 1. Shoulders are designed to have range of motion where the shoulderblade can easily lift up and away from the back body giving the arms the freedom to move behind the back. 2. With regular awareness, into this area, you can begin to actively target a yoga sequence to release the shoulders BEFORE injury occurs. 3. To receive, on a regular basis, feedback about your body’s flexibility is empowering! When you understand where the body is limited you can change it!

Many times I hear students asking questions, such as, what is pranayama? How is pranayama distinguished from our regular breathing patterns? What is the best way to breathe? In this blog entry I will address these questions.

Prana - refers to a life force energy. Yama - is the active process of observation. Pranayama is the active process of observing and controlling the breath to create a desired response in the body. Prana - refers to life force energy that exists in all living matter. Have you ever noticed when you are standing next to the ocean sea how the air feels alive? It is actually the ions - the energy particles - that a causing the elating feeling in the body and mind. When we breathe in and out we are also actively taking in and releasing energy.

Pranayama has four parts to it: 1. Inhale 2. Exhale 3. Space at the top of the inhale 4. Space at the bottom of the exhale. Actively controlling these four parts of the breath are what we call a pranayama practice. In regular daily breathing patterns we, typically, do not focus on the space between the inhale and exhale, which are the key parts which distinguisha pranayama practice from regular daily breathing.

One of the best ways to breathe, to cause long term health, is to breathe from the bottom of the belly. Many times, due to habit, we breathe from our chest and miss the opportunity to deliver the most amount of oxygen to our system as possible. Try this now. Place your hands on your belly. As you inhale let your belly expand like a balloon. At the top of your inhale and the beginning of your exhale let the belly begin to deflate. As the belly deflates actively pull the navel towards the a back side of the spine. Do this ten times with the hands on the belly. After you have completed your tenth time remove your hands and now focus on steadying the breath so the length of the inhale matches the exhale. It has been said that the mind follows on the coat tails of the breath. Steady breathe equals a steady mind. Practice is the true teacher. Let your own experience guide you. I recommend starting a breathing practice with the initial aim to breathe from the belly and then focus on aligning the breathe to an even pace. Start this exercise, practicing 5 minutes a day- working up to 15 minutes a day.

In addition to Maui being on of the most extraordinary islands of natural splendor, it is also an island lush with amazing yoga teachers and practitioners. Today I had the privilege of viewing the filming of Nancy Gilgoff’s yoga dvd featuring ashtanga practitioners 50 and over. The room was packed with the celebrities of the Ashtanga world. Danny Paradise, David Williams and Johnny Smith, to name just a few, were all there. Packed mat to mat, the room percolated with devotion and discipline. What could be more inspiring than being with twenty plus practitioners, all over 50 years old, and could easily could put any 20 year old to shame with the ease of their handstands, jump throughs and marichyasanas. The prowess displayed by each of these yogi’s is a true demonstration that we can become younger as we grow older. Our bodies are temples, if we choose to treat them this way, that can provide us with great health and joy into our later years. Amazing!

Living and practicing yoga in modern times is possible. Here in Maui there are many practitioners of yoga who adhere to the eightfold path. The abundance of nature and wealth of spiritual seekers here on the island creates a wonderful combination for exploration.

Here are the eight limbs of the yoga practice:

Yama [moral codes]
Niyama [self-purification and study]
Asana [posture]
Pranayama [breath control]
Pratyahara [sense control]
Dharana [concentration]
Dhyana [meditation]
Samadhi [contemplation]

The yoga practice functions most optimally with the inclusion of each limb. Like a bicycle, which conists of many parts (wheels, brakes, pedals, handlebars, frame etc.), the yoga practices requires all limbs to create the pathway to enlightenment.