alana: what does it mean to make our spine loose like seaweed? Should i do this in every yoga pose?

eoin: When I cue students to fold forward from the hips, I tell them to let their heads get heavy on their spines and free the arms to dangle side to side like seaweed undulating in an ocean current.  When we relax our body and mind we can feel the rhythms of our energy body and we release all stiffness, tension and stress.  This opens us up to a deep experience of presence and bliss.

It wouldn’t be practical to do this in every pose. Different tools are needed in yoga depending on whether we are sinking into the gravitational field or trying to lift up and away from it.  Sinking into gravity feeling our energetic self is more yin and resisting gravity engaging muscles would be more yang. It is important to have this yin softness while resisting gravity and the stability of yang while being passive.  Finding this balance in all poses is the ongoing dance of a great yoga practice.

Photo credit: Ali Kaukas
alana: what does it mean to make our spine loose like seaweed? Should i do this in every yoga pose?

eoin: When I cue students to fold forward from the hips, I tell them to let their heads get heavy on their spines and free the arms to dangle side to side like seaweed undulating in an ocean current.  When we relax our body and mind we can feel the rhythms of our energy body and we release all stiffness, tension and stress.  This opens us up to a deep experience of presence and bliss.

It wouldn’t be practical to do this in every pose. Different tools are needed in yoga depending on whether we are sinking into the gravitational field or trying to lift up and away from it.  Sinking into gravity feeling our energetic self is more yin and resisting gravity engaging muscles would be more yang. It is important to have this yin softness while resisting gravity and the stability of yang while being passive.  Finding this balance in all poses is the ongoing dance of a great yoga practice.

Photo credit: Ali Kaukas
alana: what does yoga have to do with the ocean?

eoin: The Ocean is my biggest fuel.  To me, it is a shrine of beauty and interconnection. When I stand in front of the ocean I realize that I am no longer contained by four walls, nor am I walled in by my problems or stress. Instead, there is part of me that is as vast and beautiful as an oceanic horizon.  Touching this place in all of us, is the source of health and our deepest joy.  One of my life’s major goals is to allow more people to feel the same magic I do when I am by the ocean.

alana: who is YOUR teacher(s) and how did you find them?

eoin: I found my teachers by following my interests; first in yoga philosophy, then in meditation, then the physical practice, and later an interest in the mind-body connection.  My curiosity and passion guided me to find people who were qualified to help me evolve my understanding.

Ravi Ravindra, Nadia Toraman, Pattabhi Jois, David Swenson,  Gioia Irwin, Orit Sen Gupta and a host of many other have all been my yoga teachers over the years.  I really learned the benefit of a spine moving like seaweed from Body Mind Psychotherapy Teacher Susan Aposhyan.

Where do you find energy, connection and renewal?

Our ambassador Eoin Finn - a yogi, surfer, and blissologist - shares what surfing has taught him about how to navigate through life and get where you want to go.

watch the video

He's been one of our ambassadors since the dawn of the Groove Pant. It's impossible to be in a bad mood around him. If you haven't experienced Eoin Finn, either in person or on DVD, you have a good thing coming. Read on.

Eoin (pronounced "Ian") Finn is not a yoga instructor - not entirely, at least. He's a self-proclaimed Blissologist, yogi and surfer. He recently toured North America in support of his latest endeavor: the Blissology Project, a DVD series challenging folks to cultivate bliss for four weeks through daily yoga, meditation, nature appreciation, food awareness and gratitude. He's home now, so we decided to celebrate in true lululemon style: midday yoga at the office and good food. We caught up after class to talk bliss.

Define Blissology.
It's the art of slowing down, getting off of auto-pilot and observing the path you're on in life.

The Blissology Project in five words. Go.
Creating an Upward Spiral by making Bliss a Habit! (Editor's note: Yes, he gave us eight, but who's counting, right? What's an Upward Spiral? Eoin explains below.)

What's involved in committing to the Project?
Very little, really. My focus in creating the Blissology Project this way was to demonstrate how we don't have to take a lot of time to create change and transformation in our busy lives.

It's meant to be under an hour a day. The goal is to engage in all five of the Blissology Commitments each day. The DVDs and supplementary booklet make it easy. Spend 30 minutes doing yoga (or the 50-minute routine if you can). Next, spend ten minutes meditating, one minute on nature appreciation and gratitude each and one minute of food awareness at each meal. It's surprisingly simple to do.

How did you come up with the idea for the project?
I analyzed the lives of happy people around the world and realized most of them had small but powerful daily habits. I figured if people could commit to these habits for four weeks, the level of bliss we could tune into would be profound. The real trick with designing the four-week challenge was to encourage these habits by keeping it simple.

You obviously had amazing experiences on tour. What was one outstanding highlight?
In general the highlight was sharing all the Blissology Commitments in each yoga space with people every morning across North America. It was amazing to see how people really lit up.

One comment in particular that stands out was in Toronto when we were talking about gratitude. One woman said, "I am grateful for a second chance at life." It made us all consider how precious life is and the importance of committing to health and a positive attitude.

We're all about being teachers and students. Through teaching, did you learn something unexpected that really moved you?
I learned the power of daily commitments to change behaviour. I often found myself looking around at small miracles in the world and feeling so blessed, when typically before I would have been irritable in the same situations.

For example, I had to teach a class way out in East L.A. and got slammed in bumper to bumper traffic. In the midst of the gridlock, I saw the full moon coming out above the pink snowcapped mountains at sunset. I caught myself thinking, "Now that is a nature appreciation moment! Thank God I am going so slowly so I can take in this beauty."  This is what I call the Upward Spiral!

Admittedly, four weeks is a bit daunting at first. If we can't commit to the Commitments, what is the one thing we can focus on to become blissful in baby steps?
Gratitude. It is so easy and it has such far reaching effects. Simply stopping and acknowledging three things you feel grateful for almost instantly brings you that inner sense of vibrancy we need to create an upward spiral.    

want more?

• Learn more about Eoin on his ambassador page.
• Challenge yourself. Pick up the Blissology Project DVD series or download individual videos through Eoin's website or at your local lululemon store.
• Stay inspired. Follow the Bliss Blog.

Thank you to Eoin for bringing his bliss to the office! How are you bringing the bliss to your world?

describe yourself in 5 words

Tuned into something very big.

what are your 1-year, 5 year and 10 year goals?

One year goal: By January 2011 I have created and launched an inspiring Blissology Project lifestyle program that will set off a global love revolution!

Five year goal: By January 2016 I will have a centre where people can study yoga and blissology and experience the wonder of the ocean. The ripples will be felt around the world!

Ten year goal: Our baby (due in Feb. 2011), will be 10 by then, so by Jan 2021 I will do a daily triathlon of surf, yoga and hammock-chilling every day for a whole month with my wife Insiya and our family at our Sri Lankan bliss palace on the beach.

how did you come up with the term blissology?

Blissology is a word that I came up with in university. It's the art of finding sustainable happiness by getting in touch with a force that helps us feel more love, kindness, and connection.

what is the blissology project?

It's a global movement to create more love and positive thinking by committing to six "Big Easy Bliss Commitments": yoga, meditation, nature appreciation, food awareness, gratitude, and a wild card using both online and local communities.

People are participating in the project all around the world from L.A. to London to Sydney.

what's next for you?

Continuing to inspire others to live from the same place of love. I will be at lululemon stores in January talking about how to create a life mission, which is the perfect complement to goal setting. As a surfer, I always tell people, "why bob around in life, when you can surf?"

Read Eoin's lululemon ambassador profile >>
Learn more about the Blissology Project >>