Downward Facing Dog, aka Down Dog, aka Adho Mukha Svanasana, must be one of the most ubiquitous poses in yoga classes across the world. While I have not practiced all the styles of yoga, I can’t think of one class in which Adho Mukha Svanasana wasn’t a constant. You start class with it, well at least fairly early on, you use it in between asanas as a way to rest and, for those that practice Surya Namaskara based classes (that’s sun salutation and no, I don’t know these by heart, the magic of the internet is helping me remember the Sanskrit words), it is part of each one of these. And yet, every time, even after hundreds of Adho Mukha Svanasanas, I still find myself adjusting and wondering, am I doing this right? Sometimes I think an entire class should just be dedicated to Adho Mukha Svanasana. It brings deeper meaning to the song, the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone, the hip bone’s connected to the…you get the gist.

So what is it about Adho Mukha Svanasana that keeps it so interesting. Well, for one, there are lots of body parts to be paying attention to. While the asana may look like an upside down V, the subtle changes in the body make it much more powerful and specified then that. What are those subtleties? The hardest one for me is keeping those shoulders open when you’re down. That means literally feeling the top of your arms unfurl like a new leaf opening up on a palm. Really get those shoulders open and away from the ears.

The other subtle but potent adjustment is having your thighs role out, as if someone is placing their palms on your inner thighs and rolling out the flesh and muscle. But no need for someone else, you can do it yourself. Get those thighs out.  And at the same time, get that butt in the air. One effective way of doing this is bending the knees, sticking your but up high, and then straightening the legs. One more thing, really feel the stability of the hands as the index finger and thumb remain stable and grounding. At the same time, you shouldn’t be leaning too much into the hands. There should be and equal balance of sorts of the hands stretching forwards and down and the feet stretching backwards and down. Then allow the head to fall properly, comfortably and deeply in between the arms.Wow, that’s a lot to remember!

OK, so what do we have. We have hands firmly placed on the mat, index finger and thumb secure and stable, long outstretched arms with the shoulders rolling out, head resting between the arms as you gently look at one place with a sense of concentration, back straight, butt high, then legs down, thighs turned outwards, feet parallel, heels reaching for the ground. And then, of course, breathe. And breathe. And breathe.

There is no question that yoga is healing. For the past week, I have had a pain in my shoulder that just would not go away. I thought to myself, yup, this is it, the first signs of aging. Nothing I seemed to do helped until I came to class. Somehow with all the stretching and the forward bending and the Trikonasana-ing, the pain went away. But it turns out that part of the pain may have come from the way I am doing Chaturunga. Chaturunga is one of the hardest asanas for me. How to gracefully go from plank, into an open hearted push-up and then bring your chest open for upward facing dog seems very challenging, even though I have been doing this on and off for 12 years. Yesterday, after hundreds of chatarungas, I realized I needed an adjustment: shoulders.

So this is how it goes. You’re in a forward bend, you straighten your back to prepare and you get into plank, legs strong, back straight, butt high but not too high, inner elbows facing each other, hands firmly planted. From this you go down, not too far down, but down, elbows in, close to the body, chest open and, here’s the key, shoulders open. From what I understand, you don’t want to curve in, to look down with your whole body. You want a feeling of openness throughout. Then, with grace, you move up and out of chatarunga and into upward facing dog, and then, smoothly, downward facing dog. Yes?

It’s amazing how many times I have done this Surya Namaskar A and I still am learning. Every time, it seems to be a different sequence. And that’s what keeps yoga interesting, the changes and shifts that are constantly happening. And beyond that, and possibly most importantly, our reaction to those changes and shifts. It’s important, I find, to smile in these moments. And the smile doesn’t have to be outward but to give yourself that sense that it’s ok, that it doesn’t have to be perfect, that there is no perfect, that we’re here to learn and to grow and that we do that every day and sometimes we do it with our shoulders pulled back and our chest open and other times we do it differently. The point is, we’re all in this together, right?

Yoga has come to mean so many different things for different people. For some, it’s exercise. For others, it’s a physical healing. Some come for the meditative aspect of it and others for the community it fosters. But what binds all of these is commitment and devotion. If we are to practice properly, we must practice regularly. And in this case, by practice I mean actually getting into asanas. Now, that doesn’t mean everyday, it doesn’t even mean every other day. But we certainly need to be committed to coming to the mat regularly.

So this raises the question, to what are you devoted. Where do you put your energies on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? Is it work? Is it family and friends? Is it yoga?

Asking this question is quite important because in the answering of it, the commitment deepens and you suddenly realize what is working and what isn’t. Maybe we’re putting too much devotion into work and not enough into personal development. Maybe we want to see our family more often but we replace that by devoting time to shopping.

Whatever it may be, there is no question that when we practice, we are committing to something and this act can inform us of ways to do the same in other areas of our life.

There’s a very special feeling that comes with ending the work day and knowing that a yoga class at Bernal Yoga will have the impact to sort out all the kinks that came in the day. And while the studio and the instructors are certainly integral to that impending sense of comfort and ease, the whole process of walking to class initiates that feeling of relief. First there is the special evening light of Bernal Hill. It’s about 6 p.m. (or 7:30 if you’re going to a later class) and depending on the time of year, the sun is going down and the sky has that brilliant pink, blue, purple and coastal light that comes with living in San Francisco. The walk or drive to Bernal itself is filled with gorgeous views. I happen to drive from the Mission and I always end up traversing the bottom of the hill to see the expansive view of San Francisco and the Bay. And then there’s the quaintness of Cortland Street itself: the wonderful grocery store across the street that students often run to after class for a few goodies for dinner or breakfast the next day, the shop with all the gorgeous flowers adorning the sidewalk in front of it, the independent bookstore down the street with great reads and magazines to browse through, the coffee shop with delicious pastries and artisan coffee, the bakery, the restaurants and the people walking home, beginning their evening. Bernal Yoga, by virtue of its special locale, offers an experience beyond the practice of yoga. It offers a sense that you are part of a larger community, one that stretches outside of its walls and into the street, and people, around it.

A lot of stuff comes up when you hold a pose for a while, especially one you think (ok, I think) is so standard and, well, comfortable like downward facing dog. Last Saturday morning, Carlin had us hold downward facing dog for some time and she mentioned we would be in the position for a while. She suggested we start thinking about what it feels like, what parts of our bodies are we becoming aware of, maybe even for the first time, is something hurting (if there’s pain, go into child’s pose), or is there shaking (don’t worry, she reassured, that’s vriti). As we have been reminded in former classes, Mr. Iyengar said that it’s precisely when you want to get out of the pose that the pose actually begins. And, believe me, there were many moments that I wanted to get out. So why did I stay? Was I trying to prove something to myself, was I trying to prove something to others, to the class, to Carlin, was I actually enjoying it, was I curious? All of these questions may not be the same ones that come up for you, but the questions that do come up, and the answers that follow are one of the central reasons we practice yoga, to better understand ourselves so that we can be free. We take yoga so that we can listen: to our bodies, our minds and our hearts.

Many times in class we hear yoga is not only about what you do on the mat but what you do off it as well and that is so true. Carlin’s class has stayed with me since Saturday. I have thought about the joys and frustrations I felt and why. At one point, she asked some of us to contain our energy and outbursts and I have since thought about the importance of containment. I think the Dalai Lama, whose 75th birthday it is today, sums it up in a beautiful way in this quote: “Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.”

If you walked past Bernal Yoga at midday Monday, you probably heard the harmonium, drums, and lots of joyful voices singing love mantras.  Yes, it was a yoga class…and kirtan rolled into one.  And it was beautiful.

Debbie Steingesser truly believes that the practices of yoga, dance, and music are designed to help you fall in love again and again.  It was only fitting then, that The Kirtaniyas (Vijay, Raskia, and Nitai) joined us for the afternoon as we chanted to the long lasting love between Radha and Krishna.

Debbie encourages students to move as they feel, whether it be in a pose or in dance.  In this class, the Kirtaniyas’ infectious spirit had students moving energetically about.  In between vinyasas and chair poses, we swayed to the music and enjoyed an impromptu group dance around the studio.  I can attest that it was as fun as it sounded to the onlookers who came to the door.

The addition of live music to this practice was a lovely treat.  Vijay played the harmonium, Raskia sang, and Nitai played the drum.  As they led call and response chants to Radha and Krishna, I found my voice growing stronger and stronger, and my heart growing wider.

This was a dynamic experience that allowed me to sing, dance, and practice yoga all at once.  The openness and love I gathered from this afternoon will stay with me for a long time, and I hope to share it with anyone interested in a yoga class with live music soon.

We missed KT while she was off in the homeland. KT is originally from England (thus her very cool accent although, according to her, she was asked in England if she was from the South in the US). KT has not been living in England for a while. Before San Francisco, KT was in Hawaii where she was doing, amongst other things, an intense teacher training. It was wonderful to have her back. One thing that Bill had said about her was that KT tells you exactly what she is thinking, she is an open book and she shares what’s on her mind. I love that, especially in a yoga class, because in so doing, she reveals her vulnerabilities and tendencies and allows us to see our own and acknowledge the ways in which we would like to grow and develop. Something that Bill did not mention, although I am sure he knows, is just how funny KT is and I was reminded of that last week. She’s always cracking a joke, be it at herself or at the wonderful absurdity of the world we live in. She makes us laugh, she offers us a chance to laugh at ourselves and she is so warm and real through the whole thing. She is not trying at all. You see KT in class through and through.

Last week in class, KT was speaking about what it was like to go back home and to know it’s not where she wanted to live. There happened to be a few other English people in the class, all of whom had made the same decision, to leave England and live in America. It brings to mind the question of how we define and create home. Is home where we were born? Is it where we feel most ourselves? Is it where we live? And how many different homes and communities do we have? Bernal Yoga is a home for many and we are so lucky to be living in a city that offers so many different experiences of home.

It’s always special when Bill or Savonn come to teach class at Bernal. While all the teachers are brilliant, there’s something special about taking class from the founders. My first introduction to Bernal was through Bill. His straightforward style, paired down to asanas and instruction with a selective reference to the spiritual side of the teachings makes for a very focused class. Don’t get me wrong. I love the metaphorical associations between yoga and life, like what comes up when there is challenge, or how to breathe through a tough moment. Those help me with my day to day. But there’s a focus and calm that I love about the way Bill teaches. He has this encouraging way of letting us know, in subtle ways, be it walking through the room or offering a supportive “good” after we get into a pose, that he is there for us. And because he has been part of Bernal for so long, it’s almost like taking class from a cousin or a friend, someone that has been in your life in one way or another for a while, a wonderful familiarity.

Turns out Bill also taught Thai Massage over the weekend and some Bernal teachers took the class so we may find moments of massage over the next few weeks.

Bill also told a great story about KT, a brilliant teacher. He said that when she came to Bernal, she went to Bill and simply said, “When do I start?”, having just met him. “Have you not heard about me from Stephanie?”, she said. Needless to say, she was hired and with great pleasure. Bill said he felt honored to be teaching a class she usually teaches. As did we.

Bernal Yoga is full of magical wisdom. After being away for two weeks in New York, I was craving class and after Carlin’s Saturday morning class, I realized just what I was missing. KT is out of town and so Carlin, who studied under the same teacher as KT, was taking her place on Saturday. She mentioned at the beginning of class that hers can sometimes be a tough one, with poses held and flow encouraged. It also happened to be a hot day outside, a wonderful rarity in San Francisco, so we were drenched in sweat during class. And it was wonderful.

Carlin incorporates a powerful combination of asanas and insight. On this Saturday morning, two lessons particularly stayed with me. The first was about ease and the extent to which we somehow resist it in life. So often we think we are striving for ease in our lives. It’s the clutter of the mind we want to settle, challenges we want to overcome and possibly avoid, the static of the everyday we want to clear. But Carlin wondered to what extent do we seek out the challenging, how do we make things more difficult for ourselves and why. Are there ways we make things uncomfortable rather than resting in what may seem like mundane simplicity. It was a very interesting point and really got me thinking.

The other point Carlin made, and one that I have thought about before but not in the same way, was about how we react when we are in a difficult pose. If we look at that reaction in a moment of an uncomfortable asana, it may inform us about how we are in other uncomfortable moments in our lives. Do we check out (I wonder what I’ll be having for dinner), do we get frustrated and self-critical (wow, I really am not very good at headstand), or do we explore deeper (how can I open my chest more?). It’s an interesting question and a reminder, once again, that yoga is a metaphor, a tool to better understand ourselves and the way in which we think and live. Yoga is a practice of the mind, body and soul and the lessons we learn on the mat are ones we can hold with us wherever we go.

And one final thing Carlin mentioned: Our time in class is a time for us, a time where we can really listen to what is happening inside and out, a time where there are no interruptions. What a privilege.

Yoga is a daily practice and it doesn’t necessarily have to involve movement.  The term yoga means “union” and that union is that of the mind, body and breath. That doesn’t have to happen through Asanas. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the foundational text of yoga, very much speaks to some of the more internal movements, like breathing and meditation. For instance, the sutras speak about the eight limbs of Raja Yoga which include, amongst other things,  Ahimsa meaning non-violence in act or thought, Satya which means truth in word and thought and Pranayama which refers to the control of the breath. None of these involve asanas, no downward facing dog, no warrrior, no pigeon. Yoga is as much about the mind as it is about the body, in fact maybe even more so. One of the focuses on yoga is liberation, from the binding thoughts of our minds and the movement is another means to access that. When our muscles are stretched, we let go of something, a shift happens, and it may not seem immediate but with a commitment to practicing on and off the mat, that freedom is inevitably felt.

BKS Iyengar once said:

“Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity.  This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self-realization.  Yoga means union – the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul.  Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.”

But maybe one of my favorite quotes about yoga and an important reminder is:

“Don’t just do something – sit there!”