Author: Kathrin

Stay true in your practice

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Step back

From time to time I believe it’s a good approach to step back. Step back in my own practice, as well as in class with my students. Back to basics. All class focusing on correct alignment. Taking time to look at the details. Slow down. Practice to feel the postures. Also experience the difference when the alignment is not fully correct. Sometimes back to modifications and simple, basic postures. It works like readjusting the body and setting new anchors.

No rush

Stepping back is quite challenging for our minds. Particularly for those who claim themselves to be ‘advanced’. Let me give you an example of just one pose: after a very stressful day, go into Vrikshasana, tree pose. The graceful, steady stance of a tree. While maintaining your body balance, feel your roots, feel how they reach out through your mat, the floor, into the ground, guided by your breath. This is a huge opportunity to understand what’s going on with you. Are you able to properly connect? How about your balance that day? Are your thoughts wandering?

It might sound boring, but yogis, practice is not about more more more. It’s not about the ability to do the most complex or advanced poses. Practice is about your connection to yourself. It’s about withdrawing your senses, going internal. A meeting with yourself, a meditative state. Bring your attention to whatever pops up in your mind. What are your thoughts telling you? What do you feel?

The Ashtanga approach

Practicing Ashtanga means a commitment to practice 6 days a week, except moon days. A strong commitment. A useful one, no doubt, as it also strengthens our willpower and discipline. But. Yes, there’s a but. Yoga also teaches me to listen to my body. So what if my body says clearly, no? What if my body threaten to injure itself if I keep on pushing? I keep my commitment to practice 6 days a week, but adjusted the content into ‘yoga’. I’m on my mat each day, Ashtanga on the schedule, but if anything shouts out a clear ‘no’ (laziness doesn’t count!), I allow my body to get into the driver seat: a nice yin practice, a music driven flow, just a bunch of sun salutations, maybe a pranayama session or a meditation. Sometimes my body surprises me and I find myself doing the primary series, although my body told me a different story before 🙂 However, on my mat every day, that’s it.

Stop the competition approach. You are on a journey to yourself! Make your practice mindful and take care. Allow any progress to happen naturally, no matter if on a physical or mental level. Step back from time to time, take your time yogi and enjoy the ride!

Happy holidays

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Yogi!

Enjoy a wonderful christmas break, nourish your body with seasonal food and good wine. Don’t care about any rules, enjoy and have fun, your heart filled with gratitude.

While keeping your practice, maybe give yin yoga a try – this calm and deep stretching fits quite well into the season and not just your body will thank you, as it’s a great practice of letting go. Let the year go, with all it’s good stuff, with all the shit. Let it go, it’s past. Empty yourself and get ready for a fresh transition into 2017.

Take care, namasté

 

NEW classes from January – join me! 

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Happy to announce my new classes @ ATHAYOGA! Join my classes and feel welcome in the beautiful studios in Zollikon and Zürich. I love the atmosphere in both studios, very warm, open and inviting. While the studio in Zollikon is large and open with a stunning view onto the lake, the one in Zürichs’ old town is smaller, cozy and feels like practicing in a living room, which leverage beautifully the feeling of being family.

Yogis, join my classes, spread the word, bring friends! We will start with the new year in January 2017, so bring your New Year’s resolution to life!

From January, 10th 2017: 

Tuesday 14-15:30, Ashtanga led class, half Primary (for Ashtanga newbies) @ ATHAYOGA Zollikon

We practice a modified and shortened version of the Ashtanga primary series. This class is accessible for all levels, but we focus on Ashtanga beginners, meaning there will be modifications for the more difficult postures as well as transitions. We look at all details and adjust the speed so it fits everybody. The specific sequences of asanas are linked by vinyasa and your deep and steady Ujjay breath will bring you further into each posture and sustain you to Savasana.

Ashtanga is the Sanskrit term for “eight limbs” and the 3rd limb is the asana practice. The primary series (there are 6 series in total) is called Yoga Chikitsa, or yoga therapy, as it detoxifies and realigns the body.

From January, 18th 2017: 

Wednesday 18-19:30, Vinyasa Flow class @ ATHAYOGA Zürich

In this class we practice different variations of Vinyasa Flow. Vinyasa means coordinating breath with movement to flow from one posture to the next. This style allows some variety, as there’s no predefined sequence. Each class will have a leading subject, focusing on a certain section of the body, a muscle group or following a particular intention, either fast or slow.

Enough said, move your ass to class yogis!

Here you go: ATHAYOGA

Photo Credit: Roland Fischer, ATHAYOGA Zürich

Nourish yourself

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Sometimes, it doesn’t need much, a moment for yourself, just some minutes me-time. Calm down, release, recharge and most important: establish a deep connection and feel yourself.

Take a moment, sit down. If possible on the floor, cross legged. Lengthen your spine, close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath. Allow your breath to be audible. Listen. Feel. Slow and deep belly breaths. Now make your exhales longer than your inhales.

Continue. While listening to your breath, recognize the messages your body is sending. Start with your brain. Bring your awareness into the center of your brain. And soften. Recognize how same time your face softens. Your forehead, your jaw.

There might be other parts of your body claiming ‚here please‘! Bring your awareness to each section. Maybe your hips, your knees, your feet. Sit still, don’t move, keep your position. Only your awareness wanders. Allow this particular region to release. To soften. Any stiffness or tension will immediately disappear. Your body will thank you.

When you’re ready, close with sitting one more minute in stillness. Take a deep inhale and exhale, before you open your eyes.

Some minutes to get in contact with yourself. Some minutes of self-care. Some  minutes of precious nourishment. Because you deserve it.

Hari Om Tat Sat!

KathrinLeave a comment

I’m a Taurus and they (who the f*** are ‚they‘?) say, I’m resistent to any change. Not true. Not. At. All. I love changes, I love progress, I love growth, physically and mentally. As a Taurus I just need to ensure that I’m properly grounded. What I need is stability. My feet (or hands) touching the earth.

When I started yoga, I was looking for a class without any of this spiritual chichi. It should be fitness, just that. I found that class – at least I thought so. Hahaha, I was so damn wrong! It got me in my first class, this ‚yoga thing‘.

It took me years to admit that there’s more and that it’s not feeling any bad. Gosh, was it a waste of time? All these years? Nope, it was my journey. A slow one, yep. I don’t like slow. Hmmmm, probably that might be the reason why!

However, the past couple of days I recognized some huge changes. Finally I opened myself fully to all this ‚spiritual shit‘. Not on purpose and this is the best of it, I just observed the change. All of a sudden the words of Deepak Chopra reached me. All of a sudden meditation brings me into deeper levels of myself. All of a sudden I kinna inhale the Upanishads. All of a sudden I have a glimpse of the meaning of existence. All of a sudden, I opened myself.

This is what yoga is about. Changes. Finding your true self. Nobody said it’s easy. But so worth it! Go for it yogi. Stay true to yourself, it’s YOUR journey. And remember: ENJOY!

Hari Om Tat Sat!

Yogamusic – yoga and music

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Are you practicing with music? Have you got a yoga playlist?

Well, opinions are divided and I believe, everybody should do whatever feels good. There’s no wrong or right.

I attended a lot of classes with music. This kind of music I call ‚pling plong‘, very slow, gently in the background. I thought it’s just part of this yoga thing. But I couldn’t see any reason, it didn’t do anything with me.

During my home practice, I tried different music styles, and found out, that I prefer it loud, a good beat and swing, matching my mood that moment. So I kind of danced through my practice. This felt much more like a flow! I immersed into the music, which creates the rhythm. No playlist, I chose whatever fits that moment. But sometimes I struggled finding the right fit and it seemed I was more busy with this, or I even tried to adjust my practice to the music, which felt odd.

The music stopped when I started my Ashtanga practice. I found my music internally, my breath. What a difference, very intense! For quite a long time it was just this, my mat, my breath, my body, my soul. ME.

Recently I gave music another try and I have to admit, I love a good beat during my warm up. Yes, my old joints need a proper warm up and I allow myself to focus on my body and just move with the music. I stop the music to chant the opening prayer and switch to my breath music. For me – an excellent combination.

What about you yogis?

The heart of yoga

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During your practice focus on your breath. Your breath initiates the movements. There’s nothing but breath. The rhythm of your inhales and exhales. Without the breath there is in fact no yoga. Your steady focus on the breath is what makes your practice deep, intense and finally a moving meditation. Not asanas, but breath is the heart of yoga.

On the mat you let go. Each inhale nourishes you, with every exhale you let go. Stiffness, inflexibility. Limiting beliefs, bad habits, fears. Judgement. Your breath creates the rhythm of your practice. You feel what you are doing without thinking about it. Learning to trust. Yourself.

Your breath is your music. Listen to the sound of the ocean you create. Allow the waves to flow through your body, wash you internally. Making your body smooth and flexibel.

Let the wind of your breath drive your movements – stretch, bend, fold, bind, lift, open. Turn the world upside down. Feel. Free yourself and open your heart.

Allow your breath to lighten you up inside. Start shining.

From this point on yogi – just promise me you’ll keep a steady focus on the breath while practicing! This is yoga.

How to transform air into breath

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Yogis!

Read my new post @ YOGA LIKE A BOSS – all about pranayama and breathing and me…. Sorry, German only!

„Wie Luft zu Atem wird

Oh, was für ein Thema! Atmen, das war eine grosse Nummer für mich. Ich meine nicht den Automatismus, das Luft holen zum Überleben, das klappt prima. Aber jedes Mal, wenn ich darauf geachtet habe, wie ich eigentlich atme, dann ging es plötzlich nicht mehr. Es ruckelte, schüttelte mich, ich habe mich Luft-verschluckt……“

Read more

The season in my body

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We are changing — even if it’s still very warm these days, the nights are getting chilly, the mornings show up dizzy with the first indication of fog. I usually feel the weather change in my leg, due to a couple of surgeries, but it’s different now. I’m used to a proper warm up before practicing, particularly if it’s cold, but it looks like my age is counting in more now.

During summer my body was soft, smooth once it was up to the right temperature. The last days were totally different. My bones and joints are cracking here and there, even after warming up. I have to be very careful, particularly in all half lotos postures, so my practice requires high awareness and also sometimes stepping back into modifications.

I feel like I have aged 20 years plus overnight. Most of my gas tanks seems quite low, and rather than continuing to push myself, it’s important to emphasize ease and grace.

I feel the season changing, the fall in me. It’s not just an outside spectacle, it happens within me too. Both a blessing and a curse of age: we are getting more sensitive to nature.

I feel kind of energetically encouraged to do anything that feels delicious to me. Moving my body in a way that comes naturally. Might be a strong Ashtanga practice, but I also allow myself a music inspired stretching flow or yin yoga. I’m a Taurus, ruled by Venus, I need passion. These days my passion focuses on my true self by valuing self care over the grind. And finally dive deeply into my sacred space.

It’s about people, not poses.

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Some teachers teach poses; some teachers teach people. Some students want to work on their fitness, some students want to improve, grow, work on their body and mind. For some it’s work out, for some it’s magic.

What’s wrong, what’s right? Nothing. Just different approaches. We can practice yoga as a cardio workout. We can practice yoga to increase our flexibility. We can practice yoga as a moving meditation. We can practice yoga as a reflection on our body’s reaction to the work. We can practice yoga as a spiritual experience. And everything in between. There are teachers out there for each approach, nothing wrong, nothing right. No matter what you do, as long as you feel good, you’re doing it all right.

But what does it mean to teach people, rather than poses? Well, we are still talking about asana practice, meaning we go through postures in class. First priority – yes this is about poses and part of the game – is to do them correct or find a suitable modification. Not to master them, but to protect ourselves from injury. Now it’s up to you, leave it here or go to the next level, which means for me, teaching how to connect with ourselves. Go internal to feel what you are doing. Listen to your body. Respect your limitations of the day. Learn to breathe and let the breath initiates the movement to finally fly through the asanas. When holding the postures, find stability as well as ease. Enjoy what you are doing. Learn from what you can and can’t do so far. What is your body telling you? Why is there a stiffness, why does it hurt here, why isn’t there any progress? Is there really no progress? Why in a hurry?

Yoga can be so much more than bending your body into a pretzel or standing on your hands. If you just want this, absolutely fine. Go for it, it’s a great fitness tool. If you are open to receive more, get the journey started and allow yoga to change your life. To change yourself. Learn to differentiate between yourself and your ego.