That is one of the biggest challenges in yoga sometimes, getting the ego out of the way so you can get down to business. The ego is often there, suggesting how you could do something better, how great you are at something else, and sometimes you just have to breathe and let all that criticism and praise go because the next day, you may have the same exact class and all the things you think you were brilliant at are different.

The ego becomes particularly apparent to me when the teacher suggests one pose for level 1 students and a seemingly deeper pose for level 2-3 students. I have been doing yoga for some time and my ego will tell me, you are definitely a level 2 Tania, you can do this! It happened the other day with handstand. It’s been many months since I have done a handstand (and I have never done it without the wall!). So in class the other day, we were offered two different ways to begin and since I was so determined that I was ready, and “good enough”, to do a handstand, I just jumped right in. But I wasn’t prepared so I never got my legs up really and realized that my ego didn’t just guide me in the wrong direction but it actually cheated me out of an asana, so to speak.

There is nothing wrong with getting down to basics. In fact, without a strong foundation, how else can you grow. Level one is level number one! So next time when you’re tempted to go further, check in and see where the temptation lies and really ask yourself what would be best for you, not your ego.

You know those adjustments teachers always talk about in class like move your inner thigh muscles together, or point your pinky finger upwards, or bend your knees and get those hips up in the air, all of these, as minor as they seem, go a long way. It’s amazing how the smallest movement, be it spreading your toes, or getting your arm that much straighter, can make such a big difference. And that is one of the things that keeps yoga so interesting. It’s a constant process of trying things out, making an adjustment here, a move there, and observing what happens. Sometimes we think this can only happen when we’re moving slowly and taking our time, but really any asana at any speed offers an opportunity for change.

So when you seem to be breezing through a vinyasa, even if it may seem to be going by quickly, take the time to adjust. When you’re in downward facing dog, make an adjustment you may have never made before or you know you often forget, like rolling your shoulders out. Or when you’re going down for chatarunga, make sure to have that chest open, even if it’s a little change. Play with it all because while this is a serious practice, it is also a playful one. Have fun with it, and see what works and remember that in this practice, a little goes a long way.

The holidays have just passed, the New Year is nearly upon us and here we are, once again, being thankful for what has happened and making resolutions for the year to come. When I was a kid, my Mom and I would write our resolutions and sometimes, year after year, they would still be there, the same resolutions. We started thinking, what’s the point, why make resolutions if they aren’t going to be fulfilled and now, after having some experience, and through my practice of yoga, I realize that resolutions are a lot like asanas. There’s nothing dramatic that happens, no big, huge changes in your life (at least not often). The resolutions we make are meant to be a step by step process, incremental, slow, steady, much like the practice of yoga. And then there are moments, big moments, where suddenly everything comes together (after eight years of trying, you can do handstand) but it’s important to remember that things don’t happen all at once and that it’s ok. An adjustment here, a learning there.

So this year, as I am writing up my resolutions, or thinking about them, I am also going to be thinking of Bernal Yoga and the teachings I have received there: Don’t push too hard, but allow the breath to take you places you may not have known, remember that things take time and that it’s ok that things take time, that a huge part of doing something is being in the process of that thing and that the best thing anyone can do is to remain centered and be aware of what is going on, moment by moment, step by step.

It was BKS Iyengar’s birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Mr. Iyengar!…So in class, we practiced inspired by the teachings of Iyengar and let me say, boy does my body hurt, in that good, I didn’t know I had muscles there, kind of way. If I understood correctly, one thing about practicing like Mr. Iyengar is that you have to hold poses for longer than we seem used to doing. In effect, if I think of all the poses we did yesterday, not including Vinyasas, I think I can count them all on one hand (maybe a little more). But that was great, because we went deep, we truly felt the pose and we were reminded of the magic of Iyengar and his teachings.

One of his core philosophies is to be in the present moment and that isn’t just about being in the present mentally, but really being present physically. A great way to illustrate this is through warrior two. Being present in warrior two means really finding your center. Not jutting forward to the future, not pulling back to the past but being right here, present, centered, like the line of time is running through your body, you know what I mean? Present, present.

Again, this is especially potent these days where all kinds of things are coming out about the past year: we’re reflecting on what we did, how it went, what we liked, what happened. And then we’re projecting onto the future: what we want for 2011, what our goals are, what we hope to have. So the reminder to be present in our minds and in our bodies is a vital one, a potent one, a necessary one, and something we can be thankful for to BKS Iyengar for teaching that to thousands of men, women and children around the world. So here’s a toast to BKS Iyengar and a toast to the present.

If there is one thing that is consistent in almost every asana, it’s opening your heart. I think, even when we’re invited to curl our back inwards, our heart is open, because of the breath. Tadasana, heart open, warrior one, heart open, upward facing dog, heart open, chatarunga, heart open, pigeon, you start with your heart open. And if you really think about this practice, the constant unfurling of the layers we hold on to around our heart and the opening we offer up, to ourselves, to our fellow yoga practitioners, to the people on the street, to the sky, to the world, it’s a pretty extraordinary practice. It gets to the heart, dare I say, of what we’re all striving for, connection. Because when your heart is open, you are allowing the world in and thus connecting with it.

This can be particularly potent around the holidays. We are running around, we are filled with so many social engagements, we are seeing family members we haven’t seen for some time, we are celebrating, we’re working to finish up projects and we may even feel a little distracted and disjointed because of all of this. So what can we do when that happens. Open the heart. Breathe in. Open again. Breathe in.

Opening the heart isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It really means getting those shoulders back, feeling your chest open up, raising your chin, maybe even smiling and just unfurling. Try it, and see what happens. And then try it at a party or at a dinner, and see what happens. And then definitely try it on the mat, and see what happens. And then maybe turn to someone and share it with them. And connect.

Amazing how standing, just standing, something we do every day, is an asana. Okay, I know, so is breathing, but in this post we’ll just be speaking about standing. And what allows us to stand? Our feet.

Our feet are one of the most important parts of our body, they support everything, they allow us to move, and jump and dance. They keep us balanced and they are a key part to practicing yoga. Even when we’re upside down, we think of our feet.

I love finding new ways to stand and new aspects of how it feels. I never knew how many different parts of my feet there really were until my teachers at Bernal pointed it out. They suggest that we check in and see what parts of our feet we are using when we’re standing, and then suggest we balance those out. Feel the front and feel the back, feel the sides and feel the middle. Feel the entire foot and with that, join your body with the ground below it.

Sometimes when I do that, I feel like a tree. And then once again, I am amazed at how magical yoga can be, that it can actually make me feel like something other than a human being.

So next time you’re standing, really feel your feet. See what parts are keeping you upright. Feel how your feet connect with your ankles and legs and back and shoulders and neck and head and just stand there. And remember to thank your feet for always being there to hold you high.

Yoga is challenging. It is challenging in all the most wonderful of ways. It challenges the limits of the body, it challenges the judgments of the mind and it challenges the habits of the spirit. It forces us to take responsibility and act accordingly. And it allows us to become stronger, more empowered human beings.

Then why is it that when we’re in a pose that feels extra challenging, we want to give up. If we’re getting so strong, how can we just bow out?

Well the truth of the matter is that we’re not bowing out, we’re not giving up, we are surrendering. Therein lies a very fine but potent distinction and one that relinquishes judgment and embraces strength.

To give up is to abnegate control, but to surrender is to listen and, by listening, to trust your body and to surrender your ego to its needs. There is a tremendous amount of strength in listening, really listening to what your body is saying and choosing to respect its voice. And that is what the whole act of yoga is, a listening, paying close attention, being true to what’s at hand and trusting that.

So often in class, we are given a choice as to just how far we want to go and each day is new one—one day we may be able to do Tree and another day we may be falling all over the place. And instead of saying, “oh, forget it, I give up, let me just stand here, or leave class, or leave yoga altogether! (yes, that does happen)…”, say, “ok body, I hear you, and to this I am surrendering and trusting that your limits today can be my guide.”

There is a flow to yoga that sometimes can feel like dancing, or flying, or well, flowing. It’s that beautiful dance between the breath and movement, the grace (or sometimes humility!) that comes with moving from a standing pose to diving down and coming back up. It can feel like swimming in air sometimes, and when joined, very consciously with the breath, it can bring you to the very present moment where nothing else really matters except what you’re doing right there on the mat. Last night in class we moved from side angle pose to reverse warrior back to side angle and then reverse warrior. We were asked to move at our own pace, depending on how we breathe. We have different bodies, different rhythms, so our breath is unique to us. Tap into that and flow with it, seemed to be the guidance, without worrying about what others are doing. Do what feels right to you. And it felt like dancing, our arms cartwheeling through the air, our breath moving us forward, our heart open. And keeping our heart open is one of the most important things we can do, not just on the mat but in all of life.

And that’s what Thanksgiving is about, really. It’s about opening your heart and your home to the people you love. It’s about opening your heart to all that you have received and giving thanks for that, it’s about opening your heart to the harvest, to food and nourishment and life! And yoga, at Bernal, is a process of moving towards that heart opening with every asana, every breath, every dance.

It’s rare that this happens to me but sadly, I have come down with a cold. It’s that one lots of people seem to have: difficult to swallow, foggy head, achey throat, cough. And while, of course, I have been longing to get better, the one thing that I am so looking forward to is getting back to the mat, getting back to the studio and hearing the wonderful voices of Bernal teachers guiding me through asanas.

Here’s what I miss: rushing in to class and finding my regular spot in the studio (we’re such creatures of habit), the smiling faces of all the people that work at the desk, the variety of people in the room, the familiar faces, the new faces, being in downward facing dog for goodness knows how long, feeling like I can’t do it anymore, doing it more, Shavasana, the way the windows steam up when it’s cold outside, the way my body and mind feels after class, the calm.

So I decided, I can’t take it anymore, tomorrow I am going in, and soaking up that Bernal Yoga feeling. I can’t wait…

Sometimes at the beginning of class, the teacher invites us to dedicate our practice. It’s a powerful invitation because it can essentially means that every asana, every breath, is in reverence to this person or thing for which we feel a deep sense of gratitude. It also allows for a more focused practice because as we move, instead of thinking about our next meal or how we were treated at work or the changing light, we have a very clear point of focus. And what is special about dedicating a practice to someone is that the practice becomes more than just about you. It becomes about this person and in becoming about that person, it becomes about the larger community. And community is integral to practice.That’s why Bernal Yoga is so special

Yesterday it was my Grandpa’s birthday so I decided I would dedicate my practice to him. He passed away a few years ago but I still think of him every day and dedicating my practice to him made me feel close to him. It also reminded me of all his wisdom, his nuggets of advice, like “don’t compare” and the story about the boy who went in to get a job with a tailor and the tailor said he didn’t need any help so the boy left and as he was leaving, he knelt down to pick up a pin so the tailor hired him on the spot (details, details!). I thought about other people’s Grandparents and how special they are and about older people and respecting them. And I thought of this while doing bridge and triangle pose and warrior two and it made for a focused and intimate class.

So maybe in your next practice, whether it’s at home or at Bernal, you can dedicate it to someone who has inspired you or something that you love and through each breath, pay homage to that person or thing that brought you to where you are now, on the mat.