May 2020 Pose of the Month: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge Pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (setu = bridge; bandha = building or lock; sarva = all; anga = limbs; asana = pose) or Bridge Pose

A bridge is a structure built over some sort of obstacle, be it a river, a railroad track, another road, etc. In essence, a bridge is a connector of two things that may originally seem impossible to connect. Spiritually, a bridge can be seen as a union, as our bodies are a union between earth and sky, and a bridge is a link between two different situations. Right now, as we are in the midst of a global pandemic and many of us are following “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders, we are, in a sense, on a bridge between the “normal” that we once knew and a “new normal” that has yet to be seen. We have also figured out a way to bridge the gaps in being separated by bringing yoga online via Zoom, by having FaceTime happy hours, by using masks and gloves and other sanitation supplies to move about in the world. Some of us are using this time to open our hearts to see all of the beauty that we may have missed while moving along in a sort of haze that everyday life had once been. Some have been able to use this time to really consider all of the abundances that filled their lives but had been taken for granted, so in understanding that, some have been able to really let go of what once might have been thought of as a key necessity, but in reality was being held or gripped tightly fearing what might happen if we were to let go. So now, we are being asked to let go. 

In yoga, a bridge is one of the quintessential backbends that open our hearts to new and different ways of thinking and of living. We work into deeper backbends by taking it one step at a time, slowly opening our shoulders, deepening our breath, expanding our collarbones, strengthening our legs, lengthening our quads and hamstrings through systematic movement. According to Judith Hanson Lasasater’s 30 Essential Yoga Poses “Bridge Pose symbolizes the connection between the inner and the outer world, the mind and the body, and the individual and the Divine.”  

While we may not yet see what is on the other side of the bridge, we are taking this moment one step at a time and trusting that what is waiting for us is something beautiful that will take us further in our journey of expansion through the heart. Practice bridge with all the joy that awaits.

How To

• Place feet hip width distance apart with heels directly below knees

• Press elbows and shoulder heads down into the floor, lifting chest, and bringing shoulder blades toward one another. Keep your gaze straight up.

• Press into your feet and slowly send your knees forward; then lift your hips away from the floor. 

• Optional: hold outside edges of mat and pull arms apart to bring shoulderblades more underneath the back

• 2nd Option: interlace fingers under body, stretching knuckles to the front of the mat, continuing to open the chest

Variations

• Supported Bridge Pose (shown in image)

  • Bring block, folded blanket or bolster under the the hips/sacrum - triangular flat bone where hips and low back meet.

• Bridge Pose on a chair 

  • holding onto the back of the chair and lifting chest up and out

• Wheel Pose (shown in image)

• Wheel Pose over a bolster

  • Bring your spine - tailbone to shoulders - on bolster, feet on ground, arms overhead w/fingers toward shoulders

• Wheel Pose on a chair (shown in image)

  • sending feet through the opening in the back and bringing arms overhead w/fingers toward shoulders

• One-legged Wheel Pose

  • Step one foot toward middle of body

  • Bring opposite knee toward chest, then lift foot to sky

Benefits

• Strengthens the erector spinae muscles (vertical stabilizing muscles of the spine)

• Strengthens hamstrings, quadriceps, hip and gluteal muscles

• Opens and stretches the abdomen, chest, and shoulders

• Increases flexibility in upper back

• Stimulates thyroid and pituitary glands

• Helps to alter moods

• Give a sense of an expanding, open heart

• Calms the mind

• Energizes the body

Prep Poses: 

• Ardha Bhekasana/Half Frog Pose (also one-legged Bow Pose)

• Anjaneyasana/Low Lunge

• Ashta Chandrasana/Crescent Lunge or High Lunge Pose

• Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose

• Bidalasana/Cat and Cow Pose

• Dhanurasana/Bow Pose

• Garudasana arms/Eagle Arms

• Salabhasana A & C/locust pose arm apart & interlacing fingers

• Supta Virasana/Reclining Hero Pose

• Tadasana/Mountain Pose

• Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-facing Dog Pose

• Ustrasana/Camel Pose

• Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I

What this Pose Preps You for:

• Urdhva Dhanurasana/Wheel Pose

• Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose

• Eka Pada Rajakapotasana/ One-Legged King Pigeon Pose

• Salamba Sarvangasana/Supported ShoulderStand

Counter Poses: 

• Simple twists

• Apanasana/Knees to Chest Pose

• Supta Baddha Konasana/Reclining Bound Angle Pose

• Ananda Balasana/Happy Baby Pose

• Balasana/Child’s Pose

• Seated forward bends

• Savasana/Resting Pose

Contraindications & Cautions

• Hiatal hernia

• Neck injury

• High Blood Pressure

• Take precaution when pregnant

What I Learned at Summer Camp (aka Creating Everyday Bliss Retreat)

by Erin Vehige

I have a tendency to spread myself thin. I have multiple jobs that take me all over the St. Louis Metro area. Sometimes putting on 100+ miles in one day. And if I tally up all of the time I spend driving, preparing, researching, showing up, teaching, answering questions, meetings, writing, editing, etc. I’m sure I’m putting in close to 70 hours a week. I know many people who do more and many people who do less, and yet, they still feel the pull of work over the amount of leisure time given to themselves. Because work doesn’t stop with the work you get paid to do. There is still cooking, cleaning, laundry, putting laundry away, yard work, family obligations...you know what I mean. 

All this to say that I knew I needed a break, but I didn’t really know what that break would look like. Despite being a yoga student for many years and a teacher for 5, I had never been on a yoga retreat before, but I felt like that was what I needed. I’d admired from afar people talking about retreats and restoring themselves and feeling refreshed and like a new person, but it always seemed a little too far out of my reach. I would say things like “I don’t have the money.” “I can’t take that much time off work.” “I need to fix my car instead.” Other expenses and time commitments would get in the way. But this year was different for me. I realized I couldn’t afford NOT to do something just for me anymore. So I did a crazy thing...I turned 40.

Yeah, so that’s not so crazy, but I decided to do it in a big way. I said yes to not only one, but TWO yoga retreats with a European vacation nestled in between. The day after I returned home, my big birthday hit and I celebrated the beginning of a new decade by sleeping most of the day. It was a beautiful thing I never allow myself to do...until I went to adult summer camp (aka a yoga retreat called Creating Everyday Bliss with the godmother of yoga, Judith Lasater and her amazing daughter Lizzie). And bliss I did find, but how do you bring that back home? 

(All statements found in quotations below that appear without direct/immediate attribution come from Judith Lasater. Some are direct quotes; others are quoted how I remember and may not be exact).

9 Things I Learned at Summer Camp

1. “You should only be fasting when it’s your night to cook.”

   The evening before the sweat lodge day, Eric, a sweet and generous staff member at Feathered Pipe Ranch where the retreat was located, mentioned that it was a good practice to fast the day of the sweat. I had had a light breakfast and was planning on following the recommendation of fasting during lunch but as I emerged from the yoga room into the dining hall, I was brought face-to-face with the best comfort food ever: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup. It felt like I was being tested. Could I resist? What would happen if I ate? Would it be okay? I decided it was a sign from the Divine that I HAD TO have it. So I did. The seat next to Judith was open; I sat down, and eventually told the table the story above. Judith turned to me and first said something like, “One doesn’t fast when their at the Ranch.” (Seriously the food is TOO good). Then she said the above, “And really, you should only fast when it’s your night to cook.” Eat the meals made with love. Enjoy and savor food created from the heart. And use fasting as a way to get out of cooking! Ha!

2. “Yoga will ruin your life”…(in the best way possible)

   “Yoga changes the life you’re having so you can open to the life that is yours. Yoga is not really about love and light; it’s more about darkness & fear. You have to meet your own fears before you can release them…It’s like peeling an onion.” ~Judith Lasater

3. Tada Drashtuh Svarupe Vasthanam 

   Pantanjali Yoga Sutra 1.3 translates from Sankrit to “Then the seer abides in its own true nature.” This sutra was our mantra for the week of Restorative Camp with Judith. We chanted it before every class to center ourselves in the practice each morning and afternoon. At first the sutras can seem out of reach, but with a little attention, they begin to come alive. It is probably worth noting the sutras that come just before this third one. 

   Sutra 1.1: atha yoga anushasam “Now the discipline of yoga (is being presented),” and Sutra 1.2: yoga citta vritti nirodhah “Yoga is the resolution of the agitations of the mind.”  So in simple terms, once we come into yoga, we begin to reveal who we already have been. Yoga is not about changing you; it is about taking away the labels, the masks, the have-tos, should-dos, and need-to-dos in order to reveal the masterpiece that is our True Self, True Nature. Like the sculptor Michalangelo only revealed what was already in the stone. Two of his most famous quotes speak directly to this: 

   “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” 

   “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

   So, too, are we masterpieces that can be revealed when we let the outside layers be chiseled away with the practice of yoga, and more importantly, the practice of rest. Yes, rest is a practice.

4. “Alignment before Range.”

   While we heard this phrase again and again over the week in regards to our physical bodies, some of us also came to the conclusion that “alignment before range” can really be applied to many things. 

   In the Body:

   Another one of Judith’s many sayings is “Your body is smarter than you are” so allow it to do its thing. 

   ~It is okay to have your legs wider apart when doing backbends because the shape of our sacrum may be wider than others. 

   ~Let your shoulders come up by yours ears. How else are you going to get the secret stash of Oreos in the back of the top cabinet?

   ~Let your back hip come with you in Triangle Pose. Also keep your front leg straight and don’t collapse in the side waist or drop the top shoulder to reach the floor. 

   Off the Mat — The Duck Index:

   ~Remember as a kid, or maybe you’ve seen kids, throwing bread to ducks? There usually is no greater joy for kids than this. So Judith came up with the Duck Index. This is a scale between a joyous yes (10) and a “someone is going to pay for this” yes (1). You know those yesses, don’t you? The ones where you really want to say no, but you’re afraid that you’ll upset the other person, but then you say yes and because you’re having a miserable time so is the person you said yes to because you’re making them pay for you to have said yes. Yes? So try to invoke the Duck Index when making decisions and if it isn’t over a 6 or 7, say no.

   ~Ask yourself “does what I’m about to do include taking care of myself; is saying yes to someone else saying no to me?”

   ~No is a complete sentence. 

   Essentially, the Duck Index is about Alignment before Range. Are you in alignment with your True Self? Are you being truthful about your body, mind and spirit’s needs? If you are not, then you are not doing yourself any good even if you are “doing something.” Make sure that everything you are doing aligns with your purpose before stretching yourself to make it happen. There will be days that you don’t want to go to work and doing the thing is a 2 on the Duck Index; we all have them, right? But then when we start to put together the why then we start to see how doing the thing brings us into alignment and then we are able to reach a little more and find the range and it brings it a little higher on on Duck Index. What value does the thing bring?

5. “The Airport Is an Ashram.”

   “The workshop begins as soon as you arrive at the airport; notice the tendency to judge, cling and wanting it to be different; you can bring to that environment a sense of ease...this can change the world.” ~Judith Lasater

   The theme for this year’s Restorative Summer Camp was Spaciousness, and how can we create that spaciousness in our everyday lives. It is easy to find the space when you are on retreat, have very little access to Internet or phone service, the closest town/city is 30 minutes away, and there is a team of people cooking with great love for three delicious meals a day, including desserts. You literally have no obligations except to just be. But how can you take the spaciousness from retreat and bring it back into your daily life off of the mat?

6. Unplug Daily: "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." ~Anne Lamott

   One of our lifetime homework assignments was to give ourselves a 20 minute restorative pose EVERY DAY. This can sound very difficult, but when you really assess how you spend your day, I’m sure you can find 20 minutes to retreat. 20 minutes to unplug. To restart. And when you do, you will find that you run more efficiently, more effectively with more energy and more focus. How do I know this? I’ve been home now for 16 days as of this writing. Of those 16 days, I have made time for this practice 14 times. My life has shifted (and will continue to shift) dramatically since I’ve been home. Maybe it is because I went on retreat in the first place. Maybe it’s because I stepped away for 3 weeks, but maybe it’s because I learned how to step away for only 20 minutes most days that I see the space that I can create for myself to be more productive. I actually use my planner now. I schedule my rest. And when I rest, my creative ideas flow. Some days more than others, but every day, I GIVE myself the time. 

7. Yutori

   Yutori is a Japanese term or concept meaning spaciousness, but the kind of spaciousness that you plan so that you have space around time for pleasure and joy. In an interview on Krista Tippett’s On Being, poet Naomi Shihab Nye mentioned Yutori and used a student quote to explain: “it’s leaving early enough to get somewhere so that you know you’re going to arrive early, so when you get there, you have time to look around.” We learned to stop using time as an excuse. It is not that we don’t have enough time to get something done or to do something that we would like to do; it is more like we did not give ourselves enough space in time to complete that task or to do that thing.

8. “No Rushing. No Waiting.”

   Yutori reminds me of another lifetime homework assignment: No Rushing. No Waiting. These are two concepts I have to repeat to myself many times throughout the day. When I find myself hurrying to the next thing and getting frustrated that I’ve not allowed myself enough time, I remember this and then say to myself “Time is Big.” This is a quote I learned from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, but it applies here as well. I may be in a hurry, but I don’t have to let the hurry rush me to the next thing. I can still be present in the now. The same thing is true for the opposite statement: No Waiting. At times, I may find myself in heavy traffic or a long line. I can be frustrated and bothered and upset and maybe even getting angry, or I can choose to be in the moment — the RIGHT NOW — look around, watch, notice, see, observe and discover the life happening. Maybe a beautiful sunset is on the horizon; maybe a child is laughing in the line ahead. Recognize the space given to you in that moment and allow that moment to fill you with awareness and presence. 

   ~Ask yourself: “What is my current relationship with rest?”

9. Water Is Life Giving.

   “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” — Kahlil Gibran

   By the water, you can make lifelong friends in less than an hour. Whether you are sitting in silence watching the sun go beyond the pine trees or you’re admiring an osprey hunting for food in the stillness of the lake, the water is there to replenish you after a day in the mountains. There is a reason that a babbling brook is a sound recorded and used in sleep machines because a real life brook feeding the lake was my nightly meditation. Small sprays of water on fire-heated rocks can create enough steam to fill a sweat lodge, and sweat can pour from your body releasing thoughts of doubt, self-consciousness, sadness, elation, confusion and lost direction. The ripples of the lake are metaphors for the ripples of life that all our decisions have and the ripples of friendships formed around the water. Water will remind me of my invisible sangha for the rest of my life. The sangha I share with everyone on this earth and beyond it. 

Get Out of Your Head & Into Your Spirit: Meet Lena Dolter

1. How did you begin practicing and teaching yoga?

   I’ve been practicing yoga for over 20 years. I took my first class in a Bally Total Fitness gym, I was the only person in class. I fell in love with the way it made me feel, and it came fairly easy to me. I was never a “sporty” girl, so being able to “do yoga” made me feel like I was good at something physical. I’ve been teaching a long time! I started teaching step aerobics in my twenties, pilates in my 30’s and I’ve been teaching yoga for 5 years, I think :) 

2. How has yoga been transformational in your life? 

   Yoga has showed me what I’m capable of. It’s funny, for some time, yoga was something I “did”. It was like a task I checked off my list, doing it, but not really IN it. My practice has evolved as I have evolved. I have a lot more peace inside my practice than I did even 5 years ago. There’s way less ego in what poses I “can do” in my practice and a lot more presence in how I show up inside the poses on my mat. Much like in life, when I came to yoga from a place of wanting to nail a pose, I was in my head, competing with myself. Yoga continues to teach me to be in my spirit, heart, and body. I’m not always successful, but my home practice really does ground me into my BEING, and I hope that translates into how I teach.

3. What’s your favorite part about teaching yoga? 

   The energy of the room, I love a full room of yogis, it makes the vibe high and the movement more fun. I love to bring my personality to class, I think it’s more fun :) and helps students take themselves less seriously.

4. What do you do to prepare for class? 

   Honestly, not much. I used to labor over playlists and sequences, but I am just a better teacher when I show up open to what the students need. Sometimes I have a pose in mind, or a new way to teach something, recently I came back from a yoga festival with a lot of good nuggets, and a few have been put to use in classes, but I don’t ever plan a class from top to bottom. Teaching yoga taps into my creativity, and I’m really good at knowing how to flow from one thing to the next in the moment, that’s why I love it so much. When I get to find the flow through what the class needs, those are the best classes. 

5. Do you have a favorite pose or movement? 

   I LOVE backbends, give ‘em to me all day long :) Anjaneyasana, or low lunge is a staple in my home practice. And I love to “dance my yoga” :) at home, and sometimes in class :) 

6. This is a little different...If you were a yoga pose what would you be and why? 

   Hmmm my intuition says, GATE POSE. WHY? Physically it stretches the side body so open and makes room for deep breathing. Symbolically, I like the idea of being part of bridging something together. 

7. What’s your favorite type of music to play while practicing? 

   Gosh! At home it varies, I once led myself through an all backbend practice while listening to John Mayer! (love him) but it depends on what my energy is, most mornings my practice is light and either nature is my music, or songs I can sing along with Kirtan style. I’m highly influenced by music choice, and it definitely takes the class up a notch if the music is more energized, so I’m pretty cautious about what I play so I don’t turn the class on their heads! My heavy rotation includes: My 2018 faves made for me by Spotify, a couple playlists that I LOVE are my friend, Michael’s, they have a good balance. And a new one I made for the summer solstice inspired by all the kirtan sang at the Yoga festival in Boulder. 

8. Do you have a playlist you’d like to share? This is one of my friend’s, love it  - https://open.spotify.com/user/palumbeau/playlist/78lL5ZqIAUEkDBGLrdYirb?si=iEUKb0oVTHGOiIKF4sTbXw

   And this is my summer solstice playlist 

   https://open.spotify.com/user/lenadolter/playlist/7H2IOJsTRVoofZVaL8YGUg?si=NxokLMjPRTWhdo1YRxY84g

9. Does your personal practice differ from how you teach? 

   Some days my body is all good with linear movement, and other days I add in more dance, more free flowing movement. I am mindful that how I move isn’t how everyone else wants, or is comfortable moving, so I sprinkle in what I feel is a good offering for most humans in classes.

10. Recommended reading (yoga and/or non-yoga) 

    Non yoga reading I recommend ANYTHING by Brene Brown, but specifically I recommend, Braving the Wilderness and The Gifts of Imperfection. PHENOMENAL books. Braving the Wilderness has the capacity to change lives if you put what she teaches into practice. 

    Yoga books I recommend: Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater, and for anyone studying to be a teacher Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar, is a MUST HAVE. It’s like an encyclopedia for yoga, a reference book for life. 

11. How would you describe yourself? 

    I describe myself as inspiring, graceful, determined, dedicated, soft, real, honest, raw, and truthful. Introverted extrovert. I love food. Like really love it, it’s more than just eating for me, it’s an experience. 

12. What do you want people to know about you? 

    I’m not perfect. I’m real sensitive. I can cry easily at both things that are tragic and things that are inspiring and uplifting. I left my FT corporate gig 6 months ago to pursue my true work in the world. I’m not originally from STL, and it’s NOT easy not being from here. I’m destined to live in CO. Who wants to help me get there :)? 

13. Outside of yoga what is your passion/Where can you be found? 

    Ya know, I am REAL good at helping women get clear on their next steps. As a successful, driven woman myself, I knew I had a passion and a desire for something more, but for many reasons, I stayed where I was, until the Universe handed me what I KNEW was the catalyst for me to make a change for myself. My passion, and purpose is helping women, specifically women like me, driven, successful women feel calm, centered, and confident to take their next step. I’m a Clarity Coach, and I help you break free from the soul sucking grind and discover the confidence and courage to trust yourself enough to move forward without fearing failure. 

    You can find me online at https://www.lenadolter.com/ 
    IG @lenadolter https://www.instagram.com/lenadolter/?hl=en
    FB lena dolter  https://www.facebook.com/lena.dolter
    FB BIZ https://www.facebook.com/Womaninflow/?modal=admin_todo_tour

    Physically you can find me in my house or yard :), PuraVegan, Fridas, Seedz, at Forest Park on a nice day, or Clementine’s cuz I LOVE their vegan chocolate ice cream! 

14. Tell us a fun fact about yourself! 

    My guilty pleasure is stuffing dates with peanut butter. I love MARA NATHA PB and Trader Joe’s Chia Flax seed PB. I pretty much could live on PB :) 

15. Anything else?

    My favorite # is 13 and I love teaching at Blue Sky.