Yesterday, I left my yoga class with $20 cash in my hand. I went to the local grocery store and bought a package of cupcakes from the baked goods section. These cupcakes were not made of whole-grain flour. They weren't trans fat or sugar free. They weren't even organic. There was nothing healthy or natural about them at all. But they were awfully yummy. As I was standing in the check out line I caught myself thinking, "What if one of my students is watching me buy these? Is this the example I want to set?" After some deliberation, I've decided that it's a fine example to set.

Let me explain.

Recently I've been noticing a big misconception in the yoga community about what yogis eat—or at least what they should eat. Take a minute to look around you the next time your workshop or training breaks for lunch. You might not be surprised to see lots of ridiculously healthy foods—fresh, organic produce, trendy energy bars, rice cakes, tofu, etc. This was the case at the last training I took. But when I got back to the hotel where I was staying and started chatting with my roommate, I discovered that we were both starving. We had both packed uber-healthy lunches because we didn't want the other people in the training to think we were unhealthy. It's not that we are unhealthy eaters normally, but it's a feeling that we'd be judged if even one fried or sugared morsel made its way into our otherwise healthy lunch! We had a good laugh about it, and then had a nice, healthy-ish dinner together.

Realizing how ridiculous this phenomenon is, I've recently turned over a new leaf. I think it's healthy to indulge sometimes. In fact, I think it's unhealthy to try to mask the fact that you sometimes eat a cupcake. Instead of pretending to be healthy all the time, I'm embracing the fact that I'm not. It's part of who I am, and I'm not hiding it anymore. Sure, my diet has improved significantly because of my yoga practice, but I'm no saint. And I know I'm not alone. Even the Yoga Journal office has a candy bowl at the front desk that must be replenished several times a day.

Do you ever feel the need to hide your indulgences (food or otherwise) from your peers or your students?

Posted by Erica Rodefer at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Words are infinitely important to me, both as a writer and a yoga teacher. Most of the time, I feel like I'm a decent communicator. I've been working hard to come up with new, accessible ways of describing essential yoga actions to my students since I taught my first class. I look at each class i teach as an experiment. I describe the same pose in as many different ways as I can, then watch closely to see which words actually translate into actions in my students' bodies. When they look up at me with furrowed eyebrows, I make a mental note that that combination of words didn't work. Then, I take a deep breath and try again, and again. This has been effective so far. I've honed the way I describe a number of poses, and I think I'm a better teacher for it. But there's one thing I've never quite gotten a handle on. There's just no eloquent way to describe a butt.

Imagine this scenario:

My students are in Child's Pose after a challenging Sun Salutations sequence. I want them to rest for a few breaths before we move on to standing poses. The tone of my voice goes from playful to soft and soothing. Then, like out of where I say, "Straighten and tone your arms, tuck your toes under, and reach your heiny to the sky for Downward Dog." That's right. I said "heiny." The class erupts into laughter. But I am sure I turned 14 shades of red. It kind of ruined the moment.

This wasn't an isolated occasion. Last week, when my students were resting in Savasana, I instructed my students to release tension in their eyes, jaws, shoulders, neck, and, of course, their "gluteus maximus." (Thinking maybe the scientific word would elicit fewer stifled laughs.) Wrong!

I've had discussions with other teachers who work with kids about this. Every teacher has a different approach. Some teachers just avoid any reference to the butt, and refer to the hips or pelvis instead. But that's not always accurate. Some suggestions I've tried include (but are not limited to): butt, bum, booty, backside, buttocks, rear end, tail bone, sitting bones, and yes, even heiny.

Let's just say, I'm still searching for my word. I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Posted by Erica Rodefer at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)