Yoga Teacher Training: A teacher called pain

"I choose to ignore that pop I just heard"
"Is my kidney supposed to hurt in downward dog?"
"I am going to get my knee in lotus position if I have to tear my ACL to do  it!"
"It's supposed to hurt, right?"

If you have silently said these things to yourself during your yoga practice you are not alone. As beneficial as yoga is to the entire system, some poses...pose a risk. Knees and shoulders are susceptible, as are lower back, elbows and wrists. This is where awareness and honesty must be part of a practice.

I can tell you that I have powered through warning signs. It's not worth it. In fact, it is not what yoga intends for us. However, we live in a world that says, "No pain, no gain," "Push through the pain", "Never quit", etc.

In yoga these beliefs can cause injury. Many positions put joints in a somewhat vulnerable position and if not respected and practiced with mindful awareness things can happen. The concept of backing off is terribly important. Subtle shifts can alleviate improper alignment. It is about awareness and knowledge of correct alignment.

As a student teacher I am very focused on learning as much as possible about proper alignment and ensuring that the student understands what that is for each pose. But ultimately, people will do what they want. Sometimes the best teacher is pain. Physical, emotional...it forces us into awareness and change...sometimes!

I have experienced this type of injury by going too deeply into a side stretch and overextending my hip. Geuss what? I am now very aware of what my body is telling me in side stretches.

Thank you pain!!!

Yoga Teacher Training: Poetry of the Flow

Vinaysa flow, the synchronization of breath and movement, brings as closer to that place of well-being and peace, serenity and acceptance. The brass rings of recovery. If done correctly this particular yoga style can transform one's thoughts and focus. It is a moving mediation, a poem written dynamically though the breath
and within the body.

As I continue my practice and my training, one of my goals is the undoing of some of the habits I dragged into class with me. Like an old, musty sea-bag stuffed full from years of meandering down backwaters of fear and self-delusion...full of broken tools, tools that simply never worked and perceptions of self that created shadows upon everything.

As we have all experienced at one time or another in our own personal journeys, we may have acknowledged the sea-bag of self doubt and delusion. We may have said, "Look, this old way of living isn't working for me. Holy crap, I need to change things up and pronto!"  "Whoa easy Tonto!", I say to myself. Awareness does not necessarily bring about desired change, as we all know. I say 'not necessarily' because I do believe that there are times when a person's awareness can bring about a dramatic and radical shift. But usually, as in my case, it comes along by coming out of the cave, plodding down the path and showing up on the mat. Oh, and then we take what we discovered about ourselves off the mat and into the world at large.

Change occurs at a glacial pace. Water wears down rock, but imperceptibly.

With my awareness focused on breath, movement and intention I can experience a sense of relief and sometimes bliss.The relief comes from cessation of thought. Bliss comes from the physical change happening inside the body: Oxygenation and flow of blood to lungs, limbs and vital organs. This creates a sense of peace and joy.

A surrender to the poetry of body, breath and intention...


Namaste, Friends 

Publish Post

Yoga Shout Out: Some Like It Hot!

Sweat pouring like a little cloudburst around my mat. The result of exertion. The bodies response to overheating. A warning to slow down. But there we are in our sweat proof shorts panting and dripping, refusing to stop. We see a gathering pool in front of our mats. We think, "I need one of those yogi toe mats to sop this stuff up. Crap! Now I can't do a downward dog because I am slipping. My mat is now a Slip n' Slide (If you are to young to remember what that is too bad for you!). Why is the teacher pushing us. It's too much. Oh thank god, she just called for a Child's Pose. How about a paramedic while your at it because I really think I could have a heart attack here. But I am not going to stop! Then the teacher says,, "Jump to a forward bend, come to standing pose, arms overhead, and hands resting at your side...and breathe" Oh thanks teacher. As if I am going to forget to breathe! Oh, I guess I did stop breathing there for awhile while I was thinking. Never mind.

You have just witnessed an excerpt from inside my head. Paradoxically, the purpose of yoga...well the ultimate outcome, should be the cessation in the fluctuations of the mind. Impossible you say? I say impossible too! But it's okay becuase sometimes you just get into a loop of thought. So I try not to fight it too much and just let it pass.

Back to heat and sweat. The nice thing about doing some rapid sun salutations is that it generates internal heat. That in turn heats up the muscles and tendons and consequently we can be a bit more limber, which of course helps the poses.

This heat building is typical of Ashtanga yoga, where in the beginning of class a rapid succession of up and down "sun salutations" generates the heat for the remaining poses. In Bikram yoga, the heat is produced for us. This may be helpful for those that are not at all flexible. This style can help those with extreme inflexibility start to open up more quickly.

I think it's fun to mix it up and try them all. Why not? Life is about adventure.
So take yourself on one.
Some like it hot, some don't.
But eventually you are going to sweat in class.
So enjoy it because that means that you are putting forth the effort
and the systems in your body will be happier for it.



Namaste, Friends