Yoga with Elliot | Episode 2

Triangle Pose and Hamstrings – Intermediate 30 minute Sequence

Overcoming Technical Difficulties for a longer video

This past week was a very long week of dealing with HUGE file sizes. I finally found a much more efficient way of producing videos with Adobe Media Encoder, where I don’t have 50 Gigabit files that I have to move between my phone and computer. I think I spent over 20 hours waiting for my computer to try to process the video, only to fail because of lack of hard drive space. I eventually uninstalled almost all of my applications and made space for the large file and I learned how to create much smaller video files using the Media Encoder.

A Longer Intermediate Sequence

I want to enable people to practice yoga on their own whenever they have an internet connection. This sequence is a great foundational sequence for working into the backs of the legs. It is also efficient, 30 minutes and a couple of those minutes are just resting on the ground.

I did my best on the audio quality, but I don’t have a sound proof room or studio. Just doing the best I can with that I got.

List of Postures

Standing meditation
2x Standing back bend
Forward fold
2x Half-lift
5x Chaturanga on knees
Cobra pose
Down dog
2x Sun salutations
Chair pose
Standing splits, right leg in front
Low lunge
Dragonfly twist 3 breaths
Runners lunge
10 breathes Triangle pose
3 legged down dog 5breaths
Tippie toe to forward fold
Halfway lift
Sun A moves
Standing splits
left leg in front
low lunge
twisted lunge
runners lunge
triangle
3 legged dog
Downward dog 5 breaths
Chair pose
Twisted chair
Floating leg twisted chair
High lunge 5 breaths
3 legged downward dog
Knee to forehead x 10
High lunge 5 breaths
Pyramid pose 5 breaths
Revolved triangle pose
Hanumanasana
3 legged down dog
Sun a
Chair pose
Twisted Chair
Floating leg
lunge
10x forehead to knee
lunge
pyramid
revolved triangle
hanumanasana
Jump through to meditation
Forward fold 10 breaths
Spinal twist
Happy baby
Savasana

August 30, 2020August 30, 2020

Finishing the a Xeriscape estate in Antelope, CA

Over the month of February, I had the pleasure of planning and installing a full yard landscape. I love to work by myself, but this was a particularly taxing project. Mostly because I decided to do the tear out completely by hand, instead of renting a tractor. (I’m getting pretty good with heavy equipment :D)

I had a few friends come out and help me, but I did the vast majority of the work myself and I have to say, it came out really nice! Here is a clip of drone footage:

Functional Creek Beds and Drought Tolerant Plants

The Sacramento area is famous for a combination of droughts and heavy rains. This makes for an extremely interesting biodiversity in the region.

Creating functional drainage in a yard is a big part of plant health. Roots needs to breath oxygen, as much as they need to absorb water. Standing water and overwatering are a major reason for plants dying.

This Creek bed was a great way to create sloping in the yard that will allow the water to exit efficiently, meaning that there won’t be any pooling or standing water. It makes for a wonderful contrast between the rock and the plants and bark.

The creek is supported with 3″ drain pipe and outlets every 10-12 feet. I also used fabric exclusively for the creek bed.

Irrigation and Water Supply for Plants

The second biggest challenge, after forming the creek, digging the drains, and moving all the rock was to find water outlets for each of the areas of the yard. Lots of the old pipe had been abandoned, so it took a tremendous amount of testing to figure out how to get water to each of the different area of the yard.

I put an appropriate emitter to each plant and secure them in via huge steel staples. I also ran new timer wire along the house to the locations of the newly installed valves, both with pressure reducers. Then I installed a new timer, rain sensor, and wifi module for the timer so I can access it online. It also updates with the weather. I try to automate watering as much as I can.

The Xeriscapes Plants

I Installed well over 100 plants out there, and probably got pretty close to 150. All of them are small and will grow in, maximizing the value and lifespan of the plants. I really don’t like to buy mature plants. I put a layer of redwood bark around all of the plants to increase pest resistance and provide them with some extra nutrients.

Here is a list of the different species that I installed out there:

Azaleas
Australian Tree Fern
Dianthus
Verbena
Daisies
Savlia
Sweet Broom
Loropetulum
Leather Fern
Western Sword Fern
Asparagus Fern
Elfin Aloe
Elfin Thyme
Stock
Camelia

April 20, 2020August 30, 2020

the E.T. – Go Big

Enjoy this Electro-House track from ‘the E.T.’

the E.T. – Go Big Download

Deep out there in the darkest parts of the sky lie the outer edges of the universe, where life has evolved far beyond the comprehension of humanity. In this space an alien race has come and gone, totally and completely forgotten except for the remnants of their technologies. This is the story of the one who finds a dormant supernova extractor in the darkest corner of space. The pinnacle of alien technology. Upon revitalizing the star, the one is visited by the ancient celestial builders, the creators. This knowledge awakens the dormant genomes of his ancestry and brings him into unison with this ancient, celestial star-builder and destroyer. And he begins to build new stars, to create life itself. Thus, the builder of worlds remembered his ancestry and ascended to the throne of godhood.

October 12, 2018October 12, 2018

Nose Breathing & the Lungs

The Benefits of Nasal Breathing

Ventilation and The Sympathetic Nervous System

Breathing is a fundamental act of life. In humans, breath represents the gateway between the mind and the body. Also called ventilation, it is the first action we take when we are born, and the last before we die. The lungs are the primary mover of energy within the body; when stressed, the breathing rate elevates. Yogis and practitioners of meditation are particularly interested in breathing as a way of becoming more aware of the body.

Ideally, a yogi can breath in and out through their nostrils ceaselessly. Some people have physical limitations in their ability to do this, so as always, consideration must be taken the unique deviations of an individual skeleton. The physiological difference between breathing through your nose and through your mouth is tremendous. Clearing your nasal and air passageways can be a simple part of daily maintenance, or caring for the body’s optimal organic function. Yoga is the exercise of “stilling the mind” through the restricted the flow of breath. Using the nostrils is key to that restriction.

The “Energy” Organ

The lungs are a primary source of our energy level. They extract oxygen from the air we breath primarily on the exhale. About 5% more of the oxygen in the air is extracted into our lungs when we exhale through the nostrils as well (air has been measure to enter ~21% and leave ~12% while breathing through the nose | ~21% and leaves at 16% through the mouth).

“When you exercise, carbon dioxide levels increase significantly which alert the chemoreceptors, which subsequently notify the brain’s respiratory center to increase the speed and depth of breathing. This elevated respiration rids the body of excess carbon dioxide and supplies the body with more oxygen, which are needed during aerobic exercise.” (Sarah Novotny and Len Kravitz, Ph.D, UNM, “The Science of Breathing”)

Nose Breathing and the Diaphragm

Because the nostrils are smaller then the mouth, air exhaled through the nose creates back flow of oxygen during the exhale. It slows the air escape so the lungs have more time to extract oxygen from them. They also increase the humidity of the air that travels into the lungs and Similar to closing the end of a teapot, breathing this way creates pressure in the diaphram and allows for a deeper exhale. A more complete exhale activates accessory breathing muscles to the fullest capacity which includes all of the abdominal muscles. All of this occurs muscularly while the sustained, increased oxygen level affect the muscles and nervous system regenerating it and allow the yogi to continue practicing. The key is slowing down the pacing so that the body can sustain its oxygen level.

Let’s look at the different parts of the anatomy involved with breathing.

Muscles involved with Breathing

Sternocleidomastoid
Scalenes (neck)
Trapezius
Latissimus Dorsi (upper back)
Pectoralis
Diaphragm – primary breathing muscle
Rectus
Internal Obliques
External Obliques
Transverse Abdominus
Serratus Muscles (ribs)
Illiocostalis
QL (lower back)

The bottom of the diaphragm is extremely important as it separates the upper portion of the torso from the lower and assists in the ventilation process. This is key to understanding why full capacity respiration is so important to the human body. Most of the organs lie within the Thorax, or chest cavity, so the lungs have a very complex and interesting relationship to the rest of the organs, especially the organs of the digestive tract.

How your Lungs Affect your Organ Anatomy

Because the nostrils are smaller than the mouth, air exhaled through the nose creates a back flow of air (and oxygen) into the lungs. And because we exhale more slowly through the nose than we do though the mouth, the lungs have more time to extract oxygen from the air we’ve already taken in. This affects the vital nervous system connections to your lungs and heart. Not breathing well through your nose can alter your heart rate and blood pressure. It can also increase the intensity and frequency of the human stress response. Many researchers have said that mouth breathing can also be misdiagnosed as ADHD. This is why yoga can be extremely important and useful for children and to alleviate the negative aspects of stress response (cortisol release).

That about does it for the known effects of respiration through the nose, although I’m sure the benefits to the organs, specifically the digestive tract are understated. Share what you know below!

References:

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018

Modern Electronic Music Creation

Falling in love with EDM production

It was almost 4 years ago in India, when I first started learning to write melodies and drum loops. I had downloaded a trial version of Ableton Live, top of the line, modern electronic music production software. At least in little ways, I think I’ve worked on my music each day since I got into my first groove in India. Many times, there isn’t always a computer to write my thoughts down. However, I am almost thinking of some melody or baseline. I also have a deep passion for EDM; I am always listening actively to the music that is around me. Some days I would spend 16 hours in front of the computer making a track, including this one I made in Kathmandu on my 26th birthday (back when I first start producing, this track is over 3 years old!

Electronic Synthesis Techniques

I got into making electronic music because I enjoy the avant-garde nature of modern synthesis and the revolution that is taking place in the music industry as technology evolves. My music evolves with the technology 🙂

Ableton Live

Creating modern electronic music with the best tool.

The best example of why Ableton is the top of the line for production is the release of Ableton Live 10 earlier this year. This release drastically changed my production process, as well as added a bunch of new tools to my belt for mixing audio and sound design. It also tremendously increased my efficiency. I also use various virtual synthesizers and analog modeled software to achieve a professional from my computer including Zebra 2, Serum, Sylenth1, Waves plugins, the Izotope Mixing Suite, and the newly acquired Spire. I also use Splice‘s sample libraries for a lot of drum samples and most of my vocals. I am hoping to upgrade to a new computer relatively soon though and start working with more vocalists ASAP! 😀

Make sure you download a free trial from their website to try it out!

3 Finished Albums and counting

I have produced 3 quality albums now that I consider to be good pieces of artwork. I’ve written a lot of singles in between the albums as well and I’m really just trying to continually improve my ability to produce and mix sound, while releasing a decent amount of what I am making. However, my released music is small fraction of what I make; most of the sound design and mixing that I do gets thrown away. Recently I reformatted my computer so all of the sounds from EROS and before are now lost to time. So remember that all of my tracks are pretty highly curated and that I have spent a lot of time browsing through samples to find the ones that resonate.

Other Artists Inspire Me

Modern artists constantly uplift me and inspire me; especially underground artists that are busy making their own sound and their own styles of music. Of the Trees, ToadFace, and G Jones are just a few examples of this kind of unique individuality represented in their music. All three have brand spanking new albums coming out right now, so check em out. Its almost as if they’ve put their personalities into their music.

I very recently released 2 singles

And I am really happy with them. Turn the volume up and play with a subwoofer! They are house/dubstep hybrids, so I hope you are too concerned with genre. My sounds continue to evolve and so does my mixing knowledge and ability to create cool shit! But my mixing ability has drastically improved over the years, which truly makes the difference you can hear as my ability to make modern electronic music has progressed.

I now have a complete virtual studio and pretty much all of the mixing tools that I need for a professional sound!

Check out the latest modern electronic music track that I have mixed and mastered with Izotope plugins:

the E.T. – Blaster [Bass-House]

the E.T. – Current – [Dubstep]

Onward with More Art!

I am learning Adobe Illustrator and will get into after-effects to make music videos. ‘the E.T.’ is on a mission to express some art! This is only the beginning! I have a lot of visuals coming out with my next album, EROS, Part 2, and plan on doing a lot more with my visuals as I get better the modern software used to make them.

Make sure you subscribe to ‘the E.T.’ on Youtube!

Youtube is where I update all of my visuals, so make sure you subscribe to stay updated!

August 11, 2017August 11, 2017

Reggae on the River 2017

Reggae on the River 2017 Experience

The Overall experience on Reggae on the River 2017 was that of an extremely chilled out group of hippies partying away their summers on the river. Almost no fights to be seen. A dab bar in the VIP section and enough ganja to kill small cats. Plenty of food from all over the world, and the blazing hot 100 degree Humboldt sunshine.

The Vibe – (check out a video here)

The river was flowing solidly this year which was great because the sun was extremely hot. The festival takes place in a river basin so finding shade is a must to survive the hot sun of mid-day. Lots of ages, families, and diversity within the community at Reggae.

The Lineup

The Headliners slayed their sets, especially the Friday and Saturday crew including Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, J Boog, Cherine Anderson, and Sly and Robbie, who were the primary acts of the festival. Each of the artists brought their own unique vibe which is important because the reggae begins to get repetitious usually on the first day. But this only highlighted the talents of Bands like Slightly Stoopid and Stick Figure, both of whom stood out from the crowd, followed closely by J Boog and Cherine.

Cherine Anderson had a voice not soon to be forgotten…

Look for big things coming from this entertainer in the future, especially at Reggae on the River, her voice and personality were unique, provocative, and extremely fun. One of the top performers at Reggae on the River 2017

J Boog takes Hawaiian Reggae to the next level…

From love songs to songs about meeting strangers, I’d imagine that J Boog’s music is for everyone. The full band smashed on the main stage, and J Boogs voice was a fantastic, so were his back up singers.

Slightly Stoopid takes technical to the next level

From switching over basses, guitars, playing various instruments on stage seems to be the norm for these guys. Expect huge things from their performance, they are highly professional and their sound is undeniably unique and recognizably better live.

Stick Figure Blew my Mind

These guys are a band to watch. They already have some major hits from their last album including “Fire on the Horizon which I think is their best track yet.” They also have collaborations with Slightly Stoopid and Rebellution, so make sure you check these up and comers out!

Camping

Camping is all about shade and placement on hillsides. Bring your own shade and get their early to avoid getting stuck in the middle of the river bed.

After Parties and Late Night

The after party is pretty dope, but ultimately uneventful. The DJs take over the stage and the vibe is just okay really, the music on certain nights is decent, but the inability to step away from Reggae kinda hurts this part. Would be nice to hear some house music down there, or at least some more experimental bass type stuff, and a better lights show.

Conclusions

The show at Reggae is dope, but traditional. Expect the headliners to be the main party and the after party to be kind of weird. The bathrooms are typical of festivals, the food is pretty good actually, and the headliners blow up the main stage for a ton of fun. Luckily, I get to work back stage, so check out some of the pictures from the festival!

Personal Notes

I had a great time and enjoyed working the festival. But its actually really tiring to stand in the same spot for 10 hours straight. I’ve been before, but this is the first year I’ve written about it. Working kinda makes the festival less enjoyable, especially when compared to LIB in 2014. I got to see some of my favorite artists live though, so that was great!! The people there are awesome. Late night isn’t too great, so don’t expect much from it, but the music is incredible.

June 1, 2017June 1, 2017

Elliot’s Wednesday Flow Yoga Class (Duration:1H 30M, Date: 5/31/2017)

Today I taught my flow yoga class that I sequenced and also used last night (which I actually won’t do anymore, cause some people back in the morning ;p), it was a pretty intense, there is warrior 3 and some lunging but extremely fun and rewarding sequence with lots of abdominals. The playlist is at the bottom of this page as well.

The flow began with breath cueing and ends with a bit of time for Savasana, the recording lasts about 90 minutes. There are a few sun salutation As and Bs and some great yogic exercises that I have come up with on my own and adapted from other people that I have studied with.

I hope the quality of the recording is acceptable, feel free to comment!

Please enjoy a Free Download of this challenging yoga class below

[purchase_link id=”69277″ style=”button” color=”blue” text=”Elliot’s Yoga Class” direct=”true”]

Here is the Spotify Playlist

April 13, 2017April 18, 2017

Humbled Hero’s Flow 1:30 Yoga Sequence

Recording from 4-11-2016, 7pm Flow Yoga Class at East Wind Yoga

Download the recoding from class below. I have created a detailed description of the sequencing and the postures/variations that you can use to deviate from the sequence seamlessly.

Humbled Hero’s Yoga Flow

[purchase_link id=”69185″ style=”button” color=”blue” text=”Humbled Hero – 1:30 Flow” direct=”true”]

Posture 1: Hero’s pose w/ alternate nostril breathing

Posture 2: Child’s Pose with side-body stretching

Posture 3: Side plank extensions

Posture 4: Dolphin – Turbo Dog warm-up

Posture 5: 3 Legged Dog

Posture 6: Low Lunge>Cat>Airplane with arm under thigh

Posture 7: 3 Legged Dog squeezes>Dancing Shiva>3 legged dog>low lunge with backbend>pyramid>flamingo

Posture 8: Half lifts x3 – couple sun salutes

Posture 9: Crow Pose 5 Breathes

Posture 10: Standing Splits>Warrior 1

Posture 11: San Salutation B

Posture 12: Warrior 1>Humble Warrior> Bound Warrior 3

Posture 13: SS-Lunge-twist-W2 – 40 breathe

Posture 14: Padanghustasana>Warrior3 Transitions 5,4,3,2,1,

Posture 15: Chair+Twists

Posture 16: Wide Legged fold

Posture 17: Warrior 2>ext.Side Angle>ext.Half moon 30 reaches

Posture 18: Half Moon>Triangle>Splits>Upright hero>Eka-Pada-Virasana

Posture 19: Abs – elbows to knees – 10 breathes

Posture 20: Abs – stretch wide thigh to floor – 10 breathes

Posture 21: Abs – chop wood V-Ups hold at the end, cross ankle under, lift chest

Posture 22: Spinal twist 5 each side

Posture 23: windshield wiper up to bridge

Posture 24: Abs – Scuba Steves, Alternate Legs up and down

Posture 25: Bridge/Wheel

Posture 26: Abs – 20 V-ups lower back on floor

Posture 27: Wheel, leg extension

Posture 28: Supta Baddha konasana

Posture 29: 60 Supta Baddha pulse crunches

Posture 30: Reverse tabletop

Posture 31: Vertical hamstring stretch

Posture 32: Hip-opener

Posture 33: Single Legged Spinal Twist

That about does it for the sequence. There are some variations that I will bring in as well, but this is the core of the sequence. The main parts are the Warrior 1 to Warrior 3 transition through humble warrior, and the Padangusthasana to Warrior 3 transitions.

December 2, 2016

Back to Blogging (why I’ve been away from the blog)

Thanks for sticking with me…

I am continuing this blog for the foreseeable future. For those of you who follow this blog, thanks you so much for your support! I am definitely not one to give up on things and this blog is no exception. For the next few months, I am going to try and post an article every day; sometimes, hopefully, more.

The reason for my temporary hiatus was my focus on music; producing music came as a very unexpected change in the direction that I want to take my life and I am honestly still adjusting my goals to figure out where I want to go with my music. But it definitely involves big events, visuals, and all kinds of interesting stories surrounding the music itself. It’s one more medium for me to express myself and its certainly my favorite.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to spend time blogging because I like making music so much. Writing is great, but there is something special about making music for me; I can spend hours and hours on a song without even really noticing. On my 26th birthday, I spent the entire day making music and loved it.

New Ventures

This blog is going to transform into more of a resource for your yoga practice. I plan on uploading as many recordings from my classes as I can, as well as adding photos of poses and making videos about sequences, advanced variations, and general tips for practicing yoga away from the studio. Ideally, this blog can be a resource for you as you practice. If you want to know anything specific, you can always feel free to ask or comment on a post.

I am still writing a book and plan on continuing to post it on the site; currently, I am very focused on music, but soon I should be finishing it up and getting it edited. I have a few more fiction stories that I am working on, but The Wanderer will be finished kinda soon, I promise!

Staying Focused on the Blog

As much as I would love to post about politics right now, I am avoiding the subject completely. I prefer not to think about politics in my personal life, so I will just extend that into my blog world. Yoga is and has always been my first priority. Someday, I do hope to open a studio in Sacramento, but that day seems kind of far off right now. Music is a close second priority. Honestly, there’s just nothing I’d rather do than make melodies and bass lines. Writing comes third, then painting and the other things that I do in my free time like painting, or taking pictures, etc.

Ultimately, I hope to make this blog my home base for delivering my message of yoga to the world. So expect some youtube videos soon, check back for more class recordings, and get excited for some cool, very free, exercises that you can do while you travel or whenever you want really. All you need is some space.