In Thursday’s yoga hour class (only $4 at the Yoga Center) I talked about looking for the good. I introduced this theme by talking about a diamond. Imagine a big diamond with lots of different angles/facets. Scientists have discovered that if you look at a diamond under a magnifying glass in the center of the diamond where all the facets intersect they form the shape of a heart… How cool. I also talked about how we can get used to things for example, patterns, habits, people… For this example I talked about the weather. We get used to looking into one part of the diamond, looking at just one facet. For example we have been used to nice sunny weather. I know I personally have connected to this part of the diamond. I knew how to look through this angle of the diamond (sunny, warm weather) I could experience the heart and see the heart. We get used to this facet. We get used to the sunny weather angle to see the heart. We get used to looking at this angle of the diamond to experience the heart. However sometimes the diamond shifts. For example the weather changes (less sun, colder, and darker). It is like we are being shown another part of the diamond, this can throw us off. But we need to remember that even this new angle that the diamond is facing, no matter which facet we are looking into there is still the potential of expiring the heart and Grace. But we need to be sensitive, optimistic, and willing to do the work. The weather changing is just one example that I think is easier to identify. I think the message of this story is that we need to look for the good in all things. In every situation, just like on every angle of the diamond there is a heart that can be seen and experienced. Sometimes it might be harder to feel./experience but it is always there. We can move through our asana practice today with thus in mind.
Can you see the good in every pose? Even if you fall down.
I asked throughout the class what color is their diamond, what form does it take...
sequence
AMS
Lunge curl back twiat version
1/2 moon stretch
mod. parsvak, v2
1.2 moon, v2
low lunge quad stretch
shalabasana + dancer
Shalabarsana + ardha chand. chap.
utl twist
pigeom
janu
bridge
savasna
Friday, October 15, 2010
shine the light of the heart
Quick summary of the call I taught at the yoga center wednesday 540-7. It was a really fun class.
I wanted to continue to talk about the change of the seasons, about how we are entering the phase of dissolution or destruction. I pointed out the Nataraja (we have a beautiful Nataraja/the dancing siva in the studio). I pointed out that in the statue of the Nataraja, in his upper right hand he holds a damaru(drum). This drum represents creation. In his upper left hand he holds fire. This fire represents destruction. This destruction is what we are seeing in the seasons. How the trees leaves have shriveled and fall to the ground (destruction) in order for the tree to eventually create new bud and blossom (creation). This destruction and creation are part of the pulsation (spanda) of life. We need to recognize that this pulsation not only happens in nature but that it happens in our self. We need to recognize that there is a time when we need to shed out old habits/patters/behaviors/people so that we can create new ones that serve us better and more fully. When we refuse to let go what we end up doing is contracting in on our self, and we get hard. When we do this we smoother our inner light so we can’t see it, experience or share it with others. When we contract around our old habits, this doesn’t put our inner light out because this light and Grace is always available to us but it does make it harder to experience. What we need to do is let go of what doesn’t serve us. When we do this we become soft and open. When we are soft we can feel, hold, and shine the light of our heart out. At first when we drop some of these patterns that we have identified with for so long it can be scary and we can feel vulnerable. But this vulnerability creates space for our inner body to expand naturally with joy, wonder, strength, faith, and love.
I have recently re read a yoga journal and in the back I came upon an interview with Aadi Palkhivala where he says “90% of yoga asana is a waste of time. The asana must be done to hold the light of the soul. Most people just want all of the stuff the ego likes: a firm body and ways to impress people. We should ne striving to find a real connection with the divine”.
I love this. Especially the idea that asana is done in order to hold the light of the soul/heart. Today I wanted the students to feel that through their asana practice and through fire (like the fire that siva holds as he dances) we can destroys old habits/patterns/behavior’s/and people so that we may align our self so we can hold, shin, and experience the light of our soul/heart.
I wanted to continue to talk about the change of the seasons, about how we are entering the phase of dissolution or destruction. I pointed out the Nataraja (we have a beautiful Nataraja/the dancing siva in the studio). I pointed out that in the statue of the Nataraja, in his upper right hand he holds a damaru(drum). This drum represents creation. In his upper left hand he holds fire. This fire represents destruction. This destruction is what we are seeing in the seasons. How the trees leaves have shriveled and fall to the ground (destruction) in order for the tree to eventually create new bud and blossom (creation). This destruction and creation are part of the pulsation (spanda) of life. We need to recognize that this pulsation not only happens in nature but that it happens in our self. We need to recognize that there is a time when we need to shed out old habits/patters/behaviors/people so that we can create new ones that serve us better and more fully. When we refuse to let go what we end up doing is contracting in on our self, and we get hard. When we do this we smoother our inner light so we can’t see it, experience or share it with others. When we contract around our old habits, this doesn’t put our inner light out because this light and Grace is always available to us but it does make it harder to experience. What we need to do is let go of what doesn’t serve us. When we do this we become soft and open. When we are soft we can feel, hold, and shine the light of our heart out. At first when we drop some of these patterns that we have identified with for so long it can be scary and we can feel vulnerable. But this vulnerability creates space for our inner body to expand naturally with joy, wonder, strength, faith, and love.
That’s what this practice is all about to me. It is a way to let go of what doesn’t serve us so we may hold our light with more joy. Open to grace!
I have recently re read a yoga journal and in the back I came upon an interview with Aadi Palkhivala where he says “90% of yoga asana is a waste of time. The asana must be done to hold the light of the soul. Most people just want all of the stuff the ego likes: a firm body and ways to impress people. We should ne striving to find a real connection with the divine”.
I love this. Especially the idea that asana is done in order to hold the light of the soul/heart. Today I wanted the students to feel that through their asana practice and through fire (like the fire that siva holds as he dances) we can destroys old habits/patterns/behavior’s/and people so that we may align our self so we can hold, shin, and experience the light of our soul/heart.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
100th blog post...thoughts = powerful
WOW! I was about to post this post and I realized that this is my 100th! Blog post…very cool.
That is pretty awesome. Our thoughts are very powerful! Our body can’t distinguish between a thought and reality. There is an evolutionary lag. So… If we think about getting cut off and about crashing into a median while driving our body while naturally respond as if that was the situation, as if that were where we were. There has been lots of research, setting up people to bio mechanical machines and monitoring people’s blood. One study asked people to think about a traumatic event when they were young and their blood chemistry actually changed! We constantly damage our self by just our thinking process. The first drug we use is thinking. The first way we disassociate with reality is thinking! We are born. When we are born we naturally breathe into the abdomen. But through the stresses of society most people by the age of 2-4 years old switch from abdominal breathers and become shallow breathers. When you are breathing in a shallow way you take in half a pint of oxygen when you breathe from the belly you take in half a gallon.
So…The first way we disconnect from reality is by thinking, whenever we are thinking we are not feeling, and whenever we are not feeling you are disconnecting!
What we need to do is get out of our head. Now, more than ever we are using our brain. For example think about how much were use our brain now more than two hundred years ago. We probably read more now than some people will read in their entire life. As helpful as our brain is, as I said above, our brain and our thinking process can cause our body to physically harm its self by stimulating the flight or fight response. Before our brain and our technology got so advanced we use to use and trust our gut. Our gut used to be the original way of intelligence. You have neru-peptides, and neurotransmitters just like the ones in your brain. We need to learn to trust our gut feeling. It takes a while. We actually have the capacity to feel in our gut. So feel in your gut, as things get crazier and things happen faster and faster start to listen to your gut. Feeling the body is really important.
Isn’t this cool! I wrote something similar to this in my precious post. By bringing our awareness into our body, by feeling what is actually happening inside our self we can help make real changes. It is intersting how much we can practice. But at the same time how much do we spend re thinking about bad situations or imagining bad situations. Because even if we arnt actually experiencing if we are thinking about them in the mind then the body IS actually experiencing them. I think this is super COOL! By just our thoughts we can affect our body!!!
That is pretty awesome. Our thoughts are very powerful! Our body can’t distinguish between a thought and reality. There is an evolutionary lag. So… If we think about getting cut off and about crashing into a median while driving our body while naturally respond as if that was the situation, as if that were where we were. There has been lots of research, setting up people to bio mechanical machines and monitoring people’s blood. One study asked people to think about a traumatic event when they were young and their blood chemistry actually changed! We constantly damage our self by just our thinking process. The first drug we use is thinking. The first way we disassociate with reality is thinking! We are born. When we are born we naturally breathe into the abdomen. But through the stresses of society most people by the age of 2-4 years old switch from abdominal breathers and become shallow breathers. When you are breathing in a shallow way you take in half a pint of oxygen when you breathe from the belly you take in half a gallon.
So…The first way we disconnect from reality is by thinking, whenever we are thinking we are not feeling, and whenever we are not feeling you are disconnecting!
What we need to do is get out of our head. Now, more than ever we are using our brain. For example think about how much were use our brain now more than two hundred years ago. We probably read more now than some people will read in their entire life. As helpful as our brain is, as I said above, our brain and our thinking process can cause our body to physically harm its self by stimulating the flight or fight response. Before our brain and our technology got so advanced we use to use and trust our gut. Our gut used to be the original way of intelligence. You have neru-peptides, and neurotransmitters just like the ones in your brain. We need to learn to trust our gut feeling. It takes a while. We actually have the capacity to feel in our gut. So feel in your gut, as things get crazier and things happen faster and faster start to listen to your gut. Feeling the body is really important.
Isn’t this cool! I wrote something similar to this in my precious post. By bringing our awareness into our body, by feeling what is actually happening inside our self we can help make real changes. It is intersting how much we can practice. But at the same time how much do we spend re thinking about bad situations or imagining bad situations. Because even if we arnt actually experiencing if we are thinking about them in the mind then the body IS actually experiencing them. I think this is super COOL! By just our thoughts we can affect our body!!!
exhale fully
The breath is super important. I was listening to a podcast from Abdi Assadi (this is someone I have recently gotten very interested in he does lots of shadow work). In this podcast Abdi talked about how one of the problems that happens when we breathe is that we are not exhaling all the way. I thought this was fascinating. I do different kinds of pranayama every day and the thought that I might not be exhaling fully when I practice pranayama and on a throughout the day really intrigued me.
This means not only are we holding old energy (prana) in our bdoy but we are then inhaling on top of that stale air. When we exhale all the air out it helps slow down the speed of the mind. First we need to work on exhaling. Right now pay attention to where the breath is. It is probably in your chest, start breathing with more awareness. Notice how the breath shifts toward the belly. Now as exhale and toward the end of your exhale start to count with moving your tongue (I even whisper the letters out loud). What that does is allow the lungs to exhale the air without forcing the lungs to tighten. Continue to do this, breathe into the belly, breath out..1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18… Repeat this for the next few minutes. Lengthen the spine, relax your shoulders and relax your jaw.
Can you feel the difference in your body! Say something out loud just a word or two and see how deep your voice is. That is the relaxation. This is free, no vitamins, no diet, no belief system needed! The breath just works.
Sit back practice and enjoy.
This means not only are we holding old energy (prana) in our bdoy but we are then inhaling on top of that stale air. When we exhale all the air out it helps slow down the speed of the mind. First we need to work on exhaling. Right now pay attention to where the breath is. It is probably in your chest, start breathing with more awareness. Notice how the breath shifts toward the belly. Now as exhale and toward the end of your exhale start to count with moving your tongue (I even whisper the letters out loud). What that does is allow the lungs to exhale the air without forcing the lungs to tighten. Continue to do this, breathe into the belly, breath out..1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18… Repeat this for the next few minutes. Lengthen the spine, relax your shoulders and relax your jaw.
Can you feel the difference in your body! Say something out loud just a word or two and see how deep your voice is. That is the relaxation. This is free, no vitamins, no diet, no belief system needed! The breath just works.
Sit back practice and enjoy.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Dissolution
I took a drive up emigration canyon today. It was so beautiful. So much shri! All the leaves are now orange, red, and yellow. Some of the leaves are now starting to wilt, weather, crumble, and have fallen onto to the ground. This beauty of the seasons changing reminded me dissolution. Dissolution is one of the 5 acts of Shiva (I wrote about all 5 acts in more detail in http://authenticselfyoga.blogspot.com/2010/09/fall-equinox-five-divine-acts-of-shiva.html). Normally when I think about dissolution my first thought is something bad, that I am losing something, that something changing, that something is dying. I naturally contract around dissolution, resist the change. But seeing the beauty in natural that was a result of this change, reminded me of what I know deep deep in my heart. That change is good, all things will eventually wither and die, and we out of our freedom can choose how we can respond. We can choose to resist and contract around the change or we can open up to the change and allow the dissolution to help us shift in our life.
Seeing this dissolution inspired me to think deeply and honestly about what in my life is in the stage of dissolution. Like I said before I like to hold on to thing (this is one of the patterns I am trying to let go of). What habits are shifting (or have been shifting for a while) and are ready to dissolve out of my life. The leafs seem to shift through these changes with ease and beauty. However the patterns don’t dissolve so easily, something they take a lot of strength. I know I cling to things like a dead dread up leaf instead of having the strength to drop it to the ground and know that the dead leaf will be what helps me open more beautifully and fully.
I think that this act of dissolution is very softening. When we let go of habits, patterns, behaviors, and tendencies we soften and we become vulnerable (that is what I am realizing I struggle the most with, the vulnerability that comes with dropping some of these patterns I have cultivated for awhile). But when we become soft and vulnerable what blooms from us, blooms from such a deep place in the heart. The softness and vulnerability that went towards the cultivation of this opening is so big and so beautiful. When we allow our self to be open and from such a deep place the offering we make with our self, in our life can really touch people. It can really help us better serve the people and the planet.
Dissolution is just one part of the five acts of Shiva. After Dissolution comes concealment and the revelation. So as we let go and allow some the dissolution to happen come back to the heart and remember that a revelation is just around the corner So I encourage you to think about what maybe dissolving in your life?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
waterford
I teach a class for the faculty at Waterford. Waterford is a private school that goes from 2 pre k up to 12th grade. It is quite funny I teach here because I used to go to Rowland Hall St. Marks which is the rivial school of Waterford. Ha-ha.
Anyways. I absolutely love the group of students we have been working together for over a year and they have all made tremendous growth. I remember when I started working with them I showed up and there were probably around 20 students and all seemed very hesitant. We started the practice with questions because I could feel that people had lots of stuff on their mind. All of the questions revolved around "how hard is the class going to be". Many people wanted me to know that they thought the class should be very easy because most hadn’t had any exposure to yoga. A few people spoke up about injuries. So we started with a very gentle class. However as people started to gain familiarly, strength, and better alignment we started to go a little deeper into the practice both physically and spiritually. By the end of the year the students were doing hand stands, headstands, arm balanced.... Students were even requesting a more challenging class. It has been really amazing to be part of this transformation. I do see transformation a lot. But this is normally in a studio setting and I normally think the transformation that I see in students is coming from the wonderfully teacher I work with. I normally don’t think it is me. Don’t get me wrong I know people enjoy my classes. However I feel like I am just another student who study’s diligently and then passes on what she knows. However working with this group of students who don’t practice with anyone else it is a really nice reminder that I helped these students in their transformation. I was receptive to what they needed and may offering really made a difference.
Big smile
Moving on. We are starting another year together.
I taught a class to them on September 28th.
Main teaching point: fist principle (foundation, inner body bright, outer body soft), shoulder loop (starts in pallet curls head back, helps maintain natural curve of neck)
I talked about how though our life we have programmed our self in certain ways. Specifically that if we round our shoulders forward and down we will experience more ease. However this is not the case. I spoke about how the practice of yoga asana 9postures) can help us re program our self. When we roll our shoulders forward and down we unplug from he heart. This reminds me of what happens when we are reaching toward something. Think about a baby reaching out to grab something. The shoulders unplug from he heart. We do this all the time reaching for material things to bring us happiness. What we forget to realize is that these things will never bring us lasting happiness they will always change and eventually go away. What will never go away is our heart (at least as long as we are alive). If we can learn to plug in, to stay connect to our heart we can find stability and contentment no matter what challenges confront us.
Language:
Plug in
Heart
Lengthen
Freedom
Stability
Broaden
Happiness
Contentment
Expand
After teaching for about 30 mins I paused and asked if there were any question (I love this group of students my nick name for them is genie pigs, they are up for anything). A student I love asked what melting the heart ment. I term I have been using for a very long time. It was a wonderful oppurtuniny to break it down. The student who asked a very big wonderful man didn’t know the terminology but his body knew it. I asked him to demonstrate this in chaturanga and cobra. He did a wonderful job and it helped him and the students grasp the concept of melting the heart.
Anyways. I absolutely love the group of students we have been working together for over a year and they have all made tremendous growth. I remember when I started working with them I showed up and there were probably around 20 students and all seemed very hesitant. We started the practice with questions because I could feel that people had lots of stuff on their mind. All of the questions revolved around "how hard is the class going to be". Many people wanted me to know that they thought the class should be very easy because most hadn’t had any exposure to yoga. A few people spoke up about injuries. So we started with a very gentle class. However as people started to gain familiarly, strength, and better alignment we started to go a little deeper into the practice both physically and spiritually. By the end of the year the students were doing hand stands, headstands, arm balanced.... Students were even requesting a more challenging class. It has been really amazing to be part of this transformation. I do see transformation a lot. But this is normally in a studio setting and I normally think the transformation that I see in students is coming from the wonderfully teacher I work with. I normally don’t think it is me. Don’t get me wrong I know people enjoy my classes. However I feel like I am just another student who study’s diligently and then passes on what she knows. However working with this group of students who don’t practice with anyone else it is a really nice reminder that I helped these students in their transformation. I was receptive to what they needed and may offering really made a difference.
Big smile
Moving on. We are starting another year together.
I taught a class to them on September 28th.
Main teaching point: fist principle (foundation, inner body bright, outer body soft), shoulder loop (starts in pallet curls head back, helps maintain natural curve of neck)
I talked about how though our life we have programmed our self in certain ways. Specifically that if we round our shoulders forward and down we will experience more ease. However this is not the case. I spoke about how the practice of yoga asana 9postures) can help us re program our self. When we roll our shoulders forward and down we unplug from he heart. This reminds me of what happens when we are reaching toward something. Think about a baby reaching out to grab something. The shoulders unplug from he heart. We do this all the time reaching for material things to bring us happiness. What we forget to realize is that these things will never bring us lasting happiness they will always change and eventually go away. What will never go away is our heart (at least as long as we are alive). If we can learn to plug in, to stay connect to our heart we can find stability and contentment no matter what challenges confront us.
Language:
Plug in
Heart
Lengthen
Freedom
Stability
Broaden
Happiness
Contentment
Expand
After teaching for about 30 mins I paused and asked if there were any question (I love this group of students my nick name for them is genie pigs, they are up for anything). A student I love asked what melting the heart ment. I term I have been using for a very long time. It was a wonderful oppurtuniny to break it down. The student who asked a very big wonderful man didn’t know the terminology but his body knew it. I asked him to demonstrate this in chaturanga and cobra. He did a wonderful job and it helped him and the students grasp the concept of melting the heart.
new book, new class
I don’t like going so far btw posts so this is a quick recap.
I keep track of the yoga classes I teach in a little 5.5 x 8.5 sketch book. I finished my 5th book last week. In these books I write down my sequence either very detailed or a rough idea, my theme, the date, the type of class and the length. The focus is normally on the sequence. I have been trying lately to focus less on the specific sequence and overly pre planning the class and instead being open to the students and receptive to what they want/need for that class. As I start this new book my plane is to emphasis the theme, the main teaching point (ex. universal principles of alignment), and the specific language I want to be using. I will still include the date, name of class, and length. I also want to start writing a brief reflection after about how the class went, feedback I got, and/or insights.
I have so far taught two classes out of this book.
On September 28th I taught a class at the yoga center.
The class was mainly new students 40+ yrs old with a few seasoned 30 yr olds.
The main teaching point:1st principle....foundation, inner body bright... outer body soft.
Theme: staying grounded.
I wanted to do lots of balancing poses and talk about how we can support our self when we are balancing. I wanted the students to think about which part of themselves they connect with when they are balancing. "Where do you feel grounded?" "Where do you pull your strength from?" The places that we pull this strength from to physically stay grounded from is always available to us, whether we are trying to stay centered physically, mentally, emotionally, or all of the above.
I wanted to make a point to talk about grace. That grace is always avalible to us, and that grace is the force that reveals our true nature to us.
I wanted to continue to remind the students to think about what they love? Value? And cherish? And suggest
that they center their selves with an openness that these thoughts provide.
I told them that when I think about grace and opening to grace. I think about seeing something amazing and how it makes me feel inside. For example seeing the shining stars, the full moon, the vast ocean... these sights make me feel soft but when I see them I can’t help but stand taller, and prouder... knowing that I am deeply connected to that same beauty.
I again wanted to mention our natural tendencies that may come up while trying to balance or in life. The tendency to feel sad, angry, or full of fear. But that through the practice of physical postures (asana) we can help shift our tendencies and instead choose how to respond.
Language:
Soften
Receive
Stability
Freedom
Expansion
Circumference
Side body long
Fullness
Lift
Regal
Remember
Lengthen
Grounded
Settle
Love
I keep track of the yoga classes I teach in a little 5.5 x 8.5 sketch book. I finished my 5th book last week. In these books I write down my sequence either very detailed or a rough idea, my theme, the date, the type of class and the length. The focus is normally on the sequence. I have been trying lately to focus less on the specific sequence and overly pre planning the class and instead being open to the students and receptive to what they want/need for that class. As I start this new book my plane is to emphasis the theme, the main teaching point (ex. universal principles of alignment), and the specific language I want to be using. I will still include the date, name of class, and length. I also want to start writing a brief reflection after about how the class went, feedback I got, and/or insights.
I have so far taught two classes out of this book.
On September 28th I taught a class at the yoga center.
The class was mainly new students 40+ yrs old with a few seasoned 30 yr olds.
The main teaching point:1st principle....foundation, inner body bright... outer body soft.
Theme: staying grounded.
I wanted to do lots of balancing poses and talk about how we can support our self when we are balancing. I wanted the students to think about which part of themselves they connect with when they are balancing. "Where do you feel grounded?" "Where do you pull your strength from?" The places that we pull this strength from to physically stay grounded from is always available to us, whether we are trying to stay centered physically, mentally, emotionally, or all of the above.
I wanted to make a point to talk about grace. That grace is always avalible to us, and that grace is the force that reveals our true nature to us.
I wanted to continue to remind the students to think about what they love? Value? And cherish? And suggest
that they center their selves with an openness that these thoughts provide.
I told them that when I think about grace and opening to grace. I think about seeing something amazing and how it makes me feel inside. For example seeing the shining stars, the full moon, the vast ocean... these sights make me feel soft but when I see them I can’t help but stand taller, and prouder... knowing that I am deeply connected to that same beauty.
I again wanted to mention our natural tendencies that may come up while trying to balance or in life. The tendency to feel sad, angry, or full of fear. But that through the practice of physical postures (asana) we can help shift our tendencies and instead choose how to respond.
Language:
Soften
Receive
Stability
Freedom
Expansion
Circumference
Side body long
Fullness
Lift
Regal
Remember
Lengthen
Grounded
Settle
Love
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
This week in my weekend for InBody Yoga Teacher Training we are continuing our exploration of the yamas, from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras....
-
(I wrote this paper for my immersion part 3) The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is based off of Classical Yoga, which is dualistic. We see this dua...
-
We have freedom in our life. We have the freedom to choose how we want to live our life. We also have the freedom to choose our perspectives...
