My Path to Yoga

By Beth Paxson

My first true passion in life was cross-country skiing, a sport I took to at a young age. As second youngest in a family of five, I spent a lot of time trying to keep up - a dynamic that didn't last long! I have always been a fast, kinesthetic learner and at age 10, I set my sights on the Olympics. In 1980, that vision became a reality.

Athletic competition at that level requires commitment, strength, flexibility, determination, and focus. While I did not come away from those Olympic Games with a medal, the qualities required to reach that goal guide me every day.

Twenty-two years ago, I attended my first yoga class at Gudmestad Yoga, an injured athlete seeking relief from pain and stress. A remarkable seed was planted that October afternoon in Athlete Level 1 class! Several terms later, I moved into Julie's Athlete Level 3 class and gradually gained a deeper comprehension of the body I thought I knew so well.

As I continued to explore yoga, I was also pursuing licensure in massage and bodywork. Several years later, Julie asked if I would be interested in exploring the idea of teaching. My intention was and continues to be helping people understand their bodies and find the path toward healthier and happier lives.

It is with great honor, love and excitement that I take the reins and carry this legacy forward.

Namaste

We finish every yoga class when the teacher says "Namaste" and the students repeat it back as a salutation of respect and open-heartedness to end our practice. Included in this lovely tradition is the "prayer" position of the hands, placed in front of the chest. How can we refine this position to deepen our connection between teacher and students?

Begin by pressing your palms together, feeling the pressure between the bones of the right hand and the bones of the left (the center of the palms won't make contact), then back off the pressure so that you feel only a light touch. Then place the base of the thumbs, where the thumbs join your palms, at the bottom of your breastbone. Your thumbs should stretch up along the breastbone, while the other 8 fingers stretch away toward the person you're greeting.

When placing the hands in this position, it is common for the elbows to come forward and the chest to recede backward. Instead, consciously move the elbows back and lift the chest up and toward your thumbs. This lift opens your heart and helps you connect heart-to-heart with the person in front of you. Bow your head and as you say "Namaste", know that in that moment you are meeting the other in a place of respect and compassion.

Yoga Can Help You Find Your Authentic Self

By Laila Deardorff

Like many beginners, I began practicing yoga to heal a physical ailment. We hear a lot today about the increased flexibility, strength, balance and stress reduction that yoga provides, which can help us to heal. And after practicing long enough, you may also notice the more subtle benefits, including those that come from purposeful movement and breathing, from clearing your mind, and from paying attention. The first glimpse of these benefits may well come in savasana.

In earlier times before it was packaged to the masses, yoga was a method of getting the body comfortable to sit for extended periods of time in meditation. This quieting of the mind is even more important in our current society. The world is speeding up and getting noisier, and there's pressure to conform to society and familial norms. We are on a never-ending treadmill that's heading to the next new trend or technological advance.

When we continue on that treadmill, many issues may arise. We may never get to know who we truly are or our true purpose in this lifetime. Or the stress of not being our authentic self and living our best life may cause illness. I know, I fell into that trap. I studied hard, got good grades, and thought I would be happy in an accounting career, where I secured a good wage. However, as I climbed that ladder, I became more and more miserable and developed stress related illnesses. This was not what I was meant to do and I certainly did not know who I was.

Through my practice of yoga I was able to get off the treadmill and hear my inner voice. This listening helped me change my path to one that is true to myself.

Lesson learned: if you feel you still haven't figured yourself out, don't despair. Let the quieting aspects of the practice bring awareness to your inner monologue. Once you hear the cycle of compulsive thought processes, you can step out of that prison of your mind. The asanas quiet the body so you can listen to your heart. Of course this takes practice, but when you pay attention with a clear mind, your authentic true self will begin to reveal itself.

Anatomy Awareness in Asana

August 5 - 9, 2019
Cost: $650

Join Julie Gudmestad PT, a certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and E-RYT 500 for this weeklong Workshop at our studio in Portland, Oregon. Inspire and deepen your yoga practice. During this series we will learn to "see" muscles in action and correctly describe the movement. We will use and practice anatomical language to help deepen your understanding of human movement patterns. We will study how muscle imbalances can contribute to pain and disrupt the injury healing process. And we'll learn which poses and sequences can help you make progress with challenging poses.