Calm Under Pressure by Karina

My espousal for yoga is so strong that I am a second year yoga student. I enjoy the practice of yoga more and more as each day passes. 

Unlike my first year, I consciously chose yoga this year because I wanted to take it once again. The sensation I receive after a practice of yoga is astonishing. 

The things we practice in yoga can be applied to everyday situations. During a calculus test, or a really busy day at work, I thinking about past practices and do some breathing exercises. Breathing aids me in reaching a sense of equanimity. Calm under pressure, which was a state that I couldn’t reach a couple of years ago. 

This may be a bit far stretched, but I honestly believe that practicing yoga on a daily basis has helped improve my grades. I went from being an average student into becoming an above average student earning A's and B's. 

My first two years of high school weren't all that great. But my last two, when I started practicing yoga, were great. Yoga was taught me that the way I do anything is the way I do everything. If I feel strong on the mat and I have a balanced locus of control, then I feel the same way in everything that I do. I feel strong and confident about my grades, which parallels to how I feel on the mat. I found equilibrium on the mat, which eventually helped me find equilibrium in life. Especially during the period when I had to complete a lot of college applications...but even that went smoothly. 

I love yoga. It's become a great impact on my life, which is filled with nothing but bliss. I am excited to become a yoga teacher and to teach others the wonders of yoga and how the philosophy can be applied both on and off the mat. Yoga is a sensation that I am unable to receive anywhere else. These emotions I sense should be shared among everyone else in the world, from local to global.

Have an amazing yoga-tastic day!

-Karina A

Acknowledgement

Dear lululemon athletica, Rob, and Alison: 

Thank you for your generous donation to In-Powered's metta grant application, and for making the trip to visit our training in Houston! What inspires me the most about becoming a yoga teacher is the capacity to sway the sense of relaxation that I receive while doing yoga onto others around me. And, because of your willingness to support my training, I am now ready to follow this new path onto becoming a yoga instructor. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed my blog entry. I so look forward to sharing my energy amongst others! 

The Journey of a Nerdy Kid Just Trying to Get an Athletic Credit

by Evelyn Rodriquez

My personal yoga journey began in a pretty simple way. I needed an athletic credit, I hated gym, so I decided to take yoga instead. I had no idea what to expect really, the closest yoga experience I had  at that point was trying out the free DVD's that McDonald's gave away when you purchased a salad. 

I decided it was time to try something new, so I signed up for the yoga class without knowing that it would change my life.

My first day of practice was probably the most shocking. My expectations ranged from extreme acrobatics and levitation to simply sitting cross legged while constantly repeating "OM." It was nothing like that. 

Instead I tried movements that I wouldn't even think to do on a normal day. Some of the poses were really challenging, but I enjoyed that. The rhythmic breathing and movements made me more aware of my body than I had ever been before. It may have been a little odd at first, but I learned that breathing is everything, and the way I am on the mat reflects who I am in other parts of my life, and that was just on the first day.

The more I practiced, the more I felt like I gained control of myself. I  no longer felt like the clumsy, stressed, and low self-esteemed girl I always limited myself to be. Yoga taught me valuable lessons that a kid just doesn't hear enough when placed in the barriers of a classroom. "Don't take things personally" became my life motto, and it seemed like after all the lessons I learned from one class I had undergone some sort of mindset metamorphosis. Yoga helped me gain the strength, confidence, balance and philosophy I wouldn't have imagined I could have accomplished.


Ever since that first day I stepped on a mat, I no longer restrict myself because of the fear of failure. Yoga is more than just stretching and meditation. It teaches valuable lessons, creates supportive environments, and is just overall life changing. Yoga created a sort of asylum or haven that I couldn't get anywhere else. 

To put it shortly, yoga made me a happier and better person. I will never regret signing up for that class, and I want to create that feeling in others too. I commit to be a part of this movement because I am determined to help others improve their lives too, one pose at a time. 

Acknowledgement

Dear lululemon athletica,

Thank you so much for your generous donation to In-Powered through your metta grant! Because of your magnanimity, I get the opportunity to become a yoga teacher. What inspires me the most of becoming a yoga teacher is having the ability to purvey the bliss, self-awareness, and strength that comes with such a wonderful practice. Now, because of your charitable support of my training, I get to do that and more! 

Please allow me to share a blog entry that also serves as a part of my teacher training application. Thank you so much! I look forward to meeting you when you visit Houston, and to be able to inspire communities with the joyous practice that is yoga.

In-Powered Guest Blog by Amy

Ms. Cash's Yes Prep Yoga Class

 

Yoga: A four letter word that has many different meanings and connotations for everyone. The Merriam Webster dictionary says that yoga is “a system of exercises for mental and physical help.” This definition does not do yoga justice, especially in terms of my personal experience with the practice and everything it has provided me.

The reason I started practicing yoga was purely out of curiosity. I saw Mr. Houston teaching a class and I was in awe and fearful at the same time. Given my experience in dance and gymnastics, I figured that I would be able to do yoga, but I never considered that it was anything more than just stretching.

The gift of chaos within my class schedules allowed me the chance to actually take this elective yoga class. I admit that I was initially reluctant because I preferred to enroll in dance or something else, but I needed a PE credit and yoga was my only option. While our class is packed now, there were only five students on that first day.

Just as soon as Ms. Cash started preaching about the Four Agreements, I was hooked. I tried everything in my power to keep the school from changing my schedule, and lucky for me they didn't!

I have come to realize that, as people in a constant moving society, we never get the chance to really stop and just feel the stillness. The hypnotic sensation of air coming through my nostrils was (and is) pure and utter bliss. This amazing sensation was something I was totally unaware of. I am a very hyperactive person and I rarely had a chance to intentionally be forced to sit and breathe.

My everyday routine used to mean I was always on the run. And, as a high schooler, I juggle multiple commitments: my classes, dance, and my desire to truly define myself. This constant juggling act created a lot of stress throughout the years, which eventually caused me to develop frequent panic attacks starting in the 8th grade.

I haven’t had one single panic attack this year, which really surprises me, and leads me to correlate yoga with the sudden extinction of my episodes. The Four Agreements were somewhat an emphasis of what I have already believed in. I just could not really put these ideas into words. I used to carry around baggage that really held me back from realizing my true identity. Now, as a junior in high school, I’m beginning to understand who I REALLY am. Through our class sets of Four Agreements meditations, I came to realize the true colors and hues of Amy Garcia.

This eureka moment lifted a heavy confusion on my shoulders. I accept my flaws, my circumstances, my upbringing, my quirks, and, most of all, my body. I ponder everyday how majestic a body is. It does us so much good, yet we hurt it and poison it and deprive it. I learned to appreciate my body and all that it does for me, rather than all the things it does not do for me or how I want it to look.

Body image should not be created based on social media and pop culture, but rather the inward gratitude it deserves. I acknowledge that I am still working on this idea. I also acknowledge that I have reached a greater sense of confidence beyond my bubbly personality.

I do plan on doing yoga for many, many more years, and I am forever grateful that Ms. Cash and Mr. Houston brought yoga to Yes Prep through In-Powered. As I reflect back on my junior year, I’m so grateful that this class was here for me. I have had the chance to meet great, genuine people through the class. More than that…I had the chance to meet my truest self! I’m pretty sure a P.E. class couldn’t have facilitated this type of change in me.

Namaste.

Amy, Yes Prep - North Central High School Yogini

Community is the New Currency

When people ask how me how we conceived the idea of the “In-Powered” Kickin’ Kombucha, I always feel obligated to share a little secret: Community was the creator, the real currency.

Let me give you a little background. In late January, Cristina and I were blessed enough to rock a goal coaching session with a legitimate BADASS! Jacki Carr, co-founder of Rock Your Bliss, is making shift happen in her own world by inspiring others to live their best lives through yoga, coaching, retreats, and (that all-important word) community.

Jacki’s goal setting session revealed a HUGE opening. In-Powered was ready for a finer balance between its IMPACT and its SUSTAINABILITY.

Instantly, an inspiring question blossomed in my mind: “How can we do both…at the same time?”

Let me explain what I mean by a “balance between impact and sustainability.” In-Powered has grown multiple programs that are changing the lives of students, prisoners, and those struggling with homelessness. Cristina, Roger, The In-Powered Team, and I have thrown our hearts into our work – often with little concern for any financial gain.

What became clear through our coaching session was that In-Powered was ready for greater economic viability to ensure that our programs would be around well into the future. In fact, a “non-profit” that disregards its financial responsibility does a disservice to its clients, which is why I now like to refer to In-Powered as a “MORE-than-profit” organization.

In a single word, Danielle Fanfair and Marlon Hall, the creators of the “IN-POWER” documentary, answered my question of how to affect change and create sustainability.

Cross-Pollination!

Danielle and Marlon were featuring “INPOWER” alongside their documentary about Kickin’ Kombucha. It only made sense to ask Kickin’ Kombucha’s team, Robert Lopez and John Ermis, about creating a new flavor that could benefit our respective work. In each of our conversations, Robert expressed a strong commitment to supporting amazing things happening in the Houston community. His unequivocal “YES” was a signal that Houston’s business community is ready and willing to support fresh, meaningful ways of creating community.  

The final product, a wicked blend of berry and ginger in a bottle that includes our mission statement, is a beautiful example of how local businesses can nourish charities while creating profit. It’s such a simple and powerful model: You purchase an “In-Powered”, Kickin’ donates $0.25/bottle, and people get yoga. You Get2Give!!!  

I’m so honored by the tremendous response from the In-Powered community. It has been amazing to see the Instagram and Facebook posts and hear the buzz. What’s not to like about getting a wicked drink, supporting a local business AND helping a charity make a difference?

Sounds like my kind of community!

In-Power On,

Dan

In-Powered Guest Blog by Juan

Ms. Cash’s YES Prep Yoga Class

My Yoga Experience

Yoga had not really interested me, so why am I in yoga?  In a way I decided to be in yoga, though I didn't initially agree with it 100%.  I originally wanted physical education as my first option because yoga was one of my secondary choices.  Since I did not get my option, I was “stuck” with only three choices: yoga, theater, and study hall.  I’m not much of an acting person, so theater was out of the question from the start.  Study hall seemed useful, even though it did not count as a credit, because I would be able to finish my homework there.  I wasn't so sure about Yoga - mostly because I had never taken a yoga class ever before.  However, I stayed optimistic and decided to try out the class and see if it was as interesting as my peers said it was.

My views of yoga before Ms. Cash were overall neutral because, honestly, I didn’t know much about it.  All I knew that you did “meditations”, “stretches”, and other awkward things with your body.  Yoga was something I really did not pay attention to, but it was because I had limited information about it.  I now see yoga as a much positive aspect because I have fun in the class.  Ms. Cash has taught me and my classmates how astonishing yoga actually is.  It is a place to relax, express your emotions and have control and clarity of the thoughts inside your mind.  At first I had some issues in joining yoga, now I am glad that I decided to take yoga as one of my classes.

Yoga has also helped me improve the abilities of my mind, body, and my daily life off the yoga mat. I used to have some trouble dealing with my stress. Though this was not a big issue, I still needed some assistance in clearing my mind.  Yoga provided that for me, with breathing exercises and expressing our emotions towards the class.  

Yoga has also helped me physically because I am experiencing more flexible and less tension in parts of my body I didn’t know were possible. My legs, for instance,  feel more relieved, my arms are gaining strength from the poses, and my breathing is much more controlled.  Now,  in my daily life, I can rely on yoga to help me with non-school stress or to clear my mind from the day.  Yoga has assisted me very much in my life, for the better, and I have no reason to complain with the opportunity provided for me now.

Being "Present" by Dan Houston

I'm getting more and more present to the notion that it's impossible to be present. YES, you heard correctly! It's impossible to be completely, 100%, unequivocally present. 

OK, take a moment and try something. Speak - and consider - the sentence again: I'm getting more and more present to the notion that it's impossible to be present. 

This revelation grew out of a conversation with a prison inmate with whom I share the practice of yoga. During our conversation I noticed that David's dialogue continued to slide into stories, words, and experiences from his past. I also noticed that he was operating primarily from a context of guilt and fear.

Yoga has empowered me to create a life of abundance from a context of possibility - a forward and upward trajectory in life. So, as David began to slide into his past, and resign himself to a heavy, energetic reaction, I committed to sharing a question that has empowered me to live in the realm of creation.

Question: Based on where you are right now...what's possible for you as you move forward? 

Initially, David became excited and shared, "What's possible is that I be a man of honor."

Without realizing it, I had launched into coaching mode. My next question burst forward led by sheer intuition and genuine interest. I asked, "What, specifically, does that look like for you?" It became immediately clear that the question shook David slightly, and he openly expressed a feeling of uncertainty and fear around going back to the "free world".

I asked him to draw in a single, full breath and take on the idea that he and I get to create our futures by "being present." That the best time for our future is right NOW. I sensed that the idea landed well as I watch a shining smile grow on David's face.

At that moment, stirred by the energy of David's expression, an entirely novel thought crashed into my consciousness. It hit me that we have two essential ways of living: We're either living in the a passive past...OR we're constantly actioning our future.

Aside from my own intuition, my only evidence here is my scant knowledge of the anatomical systems of the body. My understanding is that human sensory systems function on a perpetual delay. By the time your brain fully absorbs the words you're reading in this sentence, the "present" moment is already in the past.

We're constantly chasing a train of conscious presence; yet, we never quite reach the caboose to hop aboard.

I'm learning that the collective joy, mystery, and beauty of life resides in the chase itself. My conversation with David opened me up to the experience that yoga is really about becoming "more and more 'present'" - a continuous and unattainable practice of moving toward a positive, empowering future.   

In-Powered Guest Blog by Luis

Ms. Cash’s YES Prep Yoga Class

My experience with yoga all started with me not being able to find a class that would provide a gym credit and fit my schedule. So I looked at the possible class I could take during my 6^th period. And there it was...yoga. 

I thought about it for a while. What if I do take yoga? Would people laugh at me? Would they think I’m weird or something along the nature of that?  

I pondered it over for a day and decided to try it out. If I didn’t enjoy then I would just look for another class to be in. So I tried it for a few days and I enjoyed it. It was something I had never tried before nor did I ever think that I would try it. 

The whole philosophy of yoga just induced me more. It was an oasis of calmness from my everyday routine. It’s a good thing providing this class to kids in school. All day we carry baggage that burdens us. And in yoga we get to release it. We get the opportunity to find that equilibrium that we once lost. 

In yoga I can actually feel the limitations that my body puts on me. And I like that. I like being able to feel my boundaries, so then I can overcome it at some point. Mentally it has opened me up even more. Deeper thoughts flow, understanding and compassion compose more of my thoughts. 

I have even reached the point unconscious consciousness. The point of when one is aware that they are unconsciously awake, and it’s a profound state of being. 

I even enjoy the mats. They feel like small vessels of blissfulness. It’s like having your own space to be free. As a senior in high school I would have never fathomed the thought of joining yoga, but I’m glad that I did. Now I know that there is more to it than just stretching and meditating. It’s about change and transformation for the better of one’s self. It is something that should be shared with the world. And I do commit to be a part of this movement.