Day 284: Back to teaching Yin Yoga

Tags

connective tissue, fascia, joints, Yin Yoga, yoga, yoga and aging, yoga and flexibility

When I started my yoga teacher training I was sure I would come out and teach Yin Yoga. I did a little.. and I subbed Yin classes here and there but either the timing never worked out for me to have a Yin spot or someone else was hired to teach it. It seems Victoria has an abundant number of Yin Yoga teachers.

For those of you who don’t know Yin Yoga is a style of yoga that involves long holds, usually while being seated or lying on the floor. Sometimes props are used, sometimes not. There are lots of hip openers helping prepare the body for long periods of seated meditation. The energy in a Yin class is quiet, calm and the focus inward.

Yin Yoga is a practice that technically doesn’t target the muscles at all despite it’s ability to make practitioners incredibly flexible. Yin Yoga targets connective tissues, including ligaments, joints, fascia, and even bones to a certain extent. During the postures muscles are encouraged to relax so that the deeper tissues can be stimulated instead. The stimulation/stress is believed to cause a “healing response” in the tissues improving strength and a slight lengthening. The areas targeted tend to be where we feel “stiffness“, especially as we age, even though we usually attribute the feeling of stiffness to our muscles.  In Yin Yoga practitioners get incredibly deep into the body and this can prove to be very intense and challenging sometimes despite Yin being thought of as a beginner class.

So I am back to a regular spot now teaching Yin.. ironically at the first studio where I fell in love with Yoga and was introduced to Yin. Life really is a big funny circle isn’t it? I don’t have many regular yet. I am still building the class and getting to know the studio from the “other side” but so far I am enjoying myself and getting the feel once more for this incredible practice that changed my life.

Day 283: A loss

Tags

processes a death. healing, yoga, yoga and bravery, yoga for health conditions, yoga for trauma

This week one of my students passed away. It was unexpected.. although when I work with populations with major health challenges I suppose a death should not be totally surprising. But it surprised me… I had wondered if she was okay after missing a few weeks of class but people come and go all the time. Sometimes yoga just doesn’t fit in. I truly appreciate that when people do show up it is because they want to be there.

As a grieve the loss of her life I am learning once more from those who attend yoga sessions with me. Me and this woman were not close nor am I unaccustomed to loss and death. But there is an odd relationship that builds between a yoga instructor/yoga practitioner that becomes strangely intimate while at the same time being very casual and light.  People come to my classes and I don’t really know them at all. We might get a few minutes to chat after class but often I know little about their lives. However there is an incredible amount of trust that I feel people who attend classes share with me. They allow themselves to be vulnerable, especially if they are students who are working with trauma and/or major health issues. This takes a huge amount of bravery. I always feel incredibly touched that they are willing to participate and share their experiences in such a public setting.

In classes where people deal with more complex issues in their bodies I tend to watch students a little closer, making sure that they are okay (as best as I can) and changing the pace of the class if I feel people are struggling. As I watch people move in their bodies I see conditioning, blocks, fears, openings.. I see how people push their bodies and how hard they can be on themselves. I learn about myself. I can have no end of sympathy for others.. seeing that we need to approach ourselves with the love we would give a child. But it is more difficult to do this when your are working with your own body, your own demons, your own feelings of failure or inadequacy. I really feel an immense amount of knowledge is passed onto me just by having people come to my class. I am reminded again and again about my own patterns. I am reminded to be gentle with myself as well as with those around me.

Day 282: Centering in the midst of storms

Tags

calming yoga, healing yoga, yga for stress relief

Things have been really busy. The toddler has been sick for ever and has cut out her nap which was my time to “catch up on things”. The teen, well…he is a good kid but he certainly throws me some curve balls that make life challenging. Unexpected emergencies keep coming up. I am behind answering my emails and phone calls. In the past I would be totally stressed at this point but thanks to yoga I am managing to keep myself fairly sane. I have learned so much about our bodies and how they respond to stress. This knowledge helps me cope.  We don’t always have control over what happens to us but we do have an incredible ability to control how we respond.

Here are a few stress survival techniques that yoga has taught me.

1. Breathe. It is amazing how often we forget to breathe. Notice your breath.
2. Sigh.. or in yogic terms do some “cleansing breaths”.
3. Relax the shoulders, soften the face, particularly the jaw.
4. Feel your feet… the connection of your feet on the earth. Spread toes.
5. Massage the bottom of your feet with a ball.
6. Scan the body mentally, head to toe, softening each area as you go.
7. Smile, it changes how we feel.
8. Spread arms out wide and make yourself bigger, taking some deep breaths.
9. Come into the present moment. Notice what is around you. Feel your body, notice the smells, tastes and colours in your surroundings.
10. Lie on a bolster in heart bed posture.

Day 281: My loooooong year of yoga

Tags

householder yoga, yoga discipline, yoga with a family

So I started this blog in July 2011 with the intent of doing yoga everyday and writing about. It is now October 2012. As you might have noticed that math doesn’t really add up. Part of this is because I have been doing yoga but haven’t found time to write about it. Part of it is because I done yoga and had nothing to say about it. But part of it is because I haven’t done yoga everyday. I tried. In the end though I realized I just didn’t want to do yoga every day nor do I think it would have been healthy to do so.

I do it most days.. at least a little bit. But I would say on average, about twice a month I just don’t even want to think about yoga. Which is interesting because in the Ashtanga tradition there are two moon days a month in which rest is encouraged. Also interesting is that those days are often when I don’t want to practice.

Yoga is about balance and sometimes maintaining balance means not doing anything. As I learn more about more about quieter styles of yoga I realize that bailing, not doing, giving up.. all of these things are thought to be negative in our society. But sometimes giving up is the best thing in the world. My last relationship is a great example.  Sometimes hiding in your bed, reading a book and eating a package of marshmallows instead of doing yoga IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. It all comes down to balance. No I cannot live off of marshmallows… Yes I have to go to work when I don’t feel like it sometimes. I like doing a LOT OF YOGA but I am not a renunciate. I don’t live in a cave. My life is full and honestly most things in my life are good and nothing I would want to give up. Yoga fits in nicely most of my days but not all.

Day 280: Try try again..

Tags

flow yoga, yoga, yoga isn't always fun

I read this post recently in which a fellow yoga teacher talks about hating her first yoga class. Ironically it seems many avid yoga practitioners don’t fall in love with yoga immediately. I know in my case it took a few tries and a few teachers before it really caught my attention.

The thing is… yoga has a huge amount of variety in how it is taught. The beauty of all this choice means yoga has the potential to move you (or maybe touch your heart) at all kinds of different times in your life. And what might be totally enjoyable for you at one time may be your version of a hell class at another. I have gone on many extreme love/hate rides with Vinyasa Flow classes.

So if you don’t like yoga… maybe try another teacher. Or maybe now isn’t the time. That doesn’t mean you can’t try again later. I cannot express how grateful I am that despite my initial repulsion.. I tried again. Yoga has a funny way of surprising us when we least expect it.

Day 279: You are not alone

Tags

buddha, the four noble truths, yoga, yoga for depresion, yoga for pain

Because I teach very gentle yoga I end with many people in my classes who are going through stuff. This might be emotional processing or it might be physical limitations/disease etc. Often I don’t know what is going on for people unless they tell me. Despite my previous belief that a yoga teacher could see whenever I was crying or in pain during class I now know that isn’t always the case. You can’t always tell when someone is having a rough time… nor can you always know when someone is sick.

I have been quite surprised at the amount of stress and physical pain that is out there in the world. Most of the people that come to class look healthy and emotionally strong but as I get to know them better stories come out about why they are in a gentle yoga class. Lots and lots of people come who are working with ‘hidden diseases’ or intense emotional pain. It has really opened me up to the reality that we all suffer sometimes. Really deep and heavy stuff happens to people on a regular basis.  I believe as a culture we are taught to hide our pain so most of us aren’t aware of the depth of emotion around us. No one wants to be around a depressed person right? Or hear some whining about how they are in pain?

But many of us are in pain… I guess seeing this reality through the lens of a yoga class has really shown me how important it is to tread lightly and treat strangers with kindness whenever possible. Maybe the Buddhist’s know what they are talking about after all when they speak of the four noble truths.

Day 278: Happy new home Ajna Yoga!

Tags

Ajna yoga, ajna yoga teacher training, yoga in oak bay, yoga in victoria

Last night I went to a open house/celebration for a new yoga studio (opened by the ladies I did my teacher training with). The food was great and the new space wonderful but mostly I was really impressed by the amount of teacher training grads that were there… Really. The room was packed with them.

In some ways I suppose this is my “competition” so being happy with such a glorious amount of yoga teachers may not be a good thing. But the reality is most of them have found some sort of work teaching yoga to a huge variety of people. There seems to be a place for all of us to be teaching if there is motivation to do so.  It was pretty cool to look around a room packed with yoga teachers and then think about all the yoga being offered in this town of ours. How amazing to think of the thousands and thousands of people who make yoga a part of their life in the Victoria, B.C. area.  I feel pretty blessed to live in an area of the world where yoga, health, wellness and alternative healing are so accessible and accepted by the masses.

Day 277: Holy congestion!

Tags

healing yoga, yga for colds, yoga for congestion, yoga for the immune system, yoga transitions of seasons

Well, it has started to rain here.. and it seems everyone is stuffed up. In general everything feels wet and soggy. Three yoga classes in a row I have pretty much cancelled all the forward folds.  I tried a chest opening forward fold today. One person started coughing so much she had to leave the room.  There were no more forward folds for the remainder of class.

The thing is.. forwards folds are thought to be good for congestion and colds. But I guess with the slower practices I teach it just doesn’t work out that way. So I have been focusing on postures that stimulate the thymus gland instead. Opening up the lungs get our immune systems working.

Feeling snotty? A little run down? Fighting something? Here is a list of possible postures that may help.

• Reclining Bound Angle Pose
• Legs up the Wall Pose
• Camel Pose
• Saddle Pose
• Fish Pose

May you all be healthy and happy!

Day 276: Hold your head up high

Tags

body psychology, changing life patterns, move your body, open up, yoga affects moods, yoga heals

One of the things I really noticed during some rough patches of my life was how I could change my outlook by lifting my head high, plastering a cheezy smile on my face and faking it… Really, it worked wonders. As I got more into yoga I noticed more and more how body postures affected my moods. Yin Yoga was one class that really released a lot of old emotions. Ashtanga Yoga made me feel confident and proud. In general yoga has cracked me open… physically  emotionally and spiritually. Yesterday, a local yoga teacher Guy Friswell, shared this video below which is a great little clip about the body/mind connection. How we move our body affects how we feel. Really. So if your feeling a little blue try a smile, lift your head up high.. or spread your arms wide and take in some deep breaths. Then notice if you feel any different.

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Day 275: I feel like I have turned to the dark side

Tags

lifestyle marketing, yoga, yoga at Lululemon, yoga lifestyle

I taught a community class at Lululemon  It was a restorative yoga class designed for marathon runners post their Good Life Fitness Marathon. I like the causes the marathon raised funds for so I felt it would be good to support these runners. But it was at Lululemon and I really struggled with this.

Why you ask? Well Lululemon is a lifestyle marketing company. They sell clothes but in reality they are selling an idea of how to live.  The concept is to “rise above mediocrity” and in general with this kind of marketing you are led to believe that if you buy their product you will feel a little piece of the lifestyle concept they are selling. Their clothes are really expensive. Like really expensive. It is way too much money for the actual quality of their items. I have bought used Lululemon clothes before but I have never bought anything in their store. I always feel a little embarrassed advertising their logo. I often cover it. I would rather buy local eco clothing from my friend at Salts Organic if I was in a position to spend a little extra.

In general I don’t support Lululemon’s business model. An example of what I mean is on their manifesto. It states that “Friends are more important than money” yet they price their items through the roof. Production of their clothing has shifted away from domestic manufacturing. The decision for this was to make more money. Their clothes are made in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam etc. I read some where too that apparently they also changed their XL size to be a size 12 (less fabric? less cost perhaps?) Friends might be important… but money is money and this company is certainly interested in making some.

So ya, I taught a class there..  A class about non doing, about resting, about letting go of wants and desires, about accepting where we are and being perfectly okay with it. And the thing was….the staff were amazing. They were intelligent, receptive to what I taught, happy and generally seemed to love their work and the idea of spreading yoga to everyone regardless of body shape or income. They genuinely seemed to care about their local community.  They were incredibly nice. As for the space?  I have to admit I really enjoyed turning off ALL THE LIGHTS in the store. All the products were pushed aside and we TURNED OFF THE DAMN BLARING STEREO. Suddenly Lululemon was a peaceful place. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed teaching there.. but now I can’t shake this feeling that I have turned to the dark side.