That was fun while it lasted...

Summer is over, folks.  For most people, returning to work on the Tuesday after Labor Day is not a big deal; the long weekend was a nice break, but it's back to business as usual.  For teachers, it's a different story.  We are 10-month employees, and our two month respite is over.  I know, I know, what I complaining for - no one else gets that much time off, and "gets paid" for it.  (can someone please explain this to my dad:  teachers do NOT get "paid" for the summer unless they choose to take a reduced paycheck for the months of the school year so that their salary may be spread across 12 months rather than 10.  If a teacher gets "paid" for the summer, it simply means he/she elected to be paid less from September through June.)

Lots of teachers were lamenting into their Labor Day MaiTai that "summer went too fast" or they "can't believe it's over", and at some point, it begins to sound cliche.  I was so busy (in a good way) this summer that it felt nice and long, and I think I'm ready to get back to a routine.  I think part of the reason I feel this way is because I never really got into a routine this summer.  The "routine" was to change it up every couple of weeks, so it always felt like I was going-going-going.  Perhaps I'm hoping that going back to school will normalize everything for all of us.

In any case, Summer was fun while it lasted.  We had some great trips as a family, caught up with friends near and far, and made great memories.  For our family, it turned out to be the "Summer of Baseball", with full credit going to my DH for planning out visits to some fun cities and tacking on an MLB game for the boys to catch.  In June we took a long weekend in Philadelphia to see the Phillies.  My brother got married in Virginia in July, so we took the "long way" home, stopping in Washington DC for some sightseeing...and a Nationals game (boy was that stadium HOT!).  The first weekend in August, we took another long weekend and drove to Baltimore, for some Inner Harbor touristy stuff, but the boys were able to catch an Orioles' game.  Finally, week-long family vacation to Miami would not have been complete without a stop at the Marlins' stadium - by far the best.  Air-conditioning!!!  Frozen Adult Beverages!!!  A light-up Marlin ferris wheel (that never saw any action because no one hit any homers)!  Best Stadium EVER!!!  Summer of Baseball, indeed.

So what does fall hold for us?  For starters, September is National Yoga Month, so hopefully your plans include some time on the mat - I know mine will.  Kids will ease back into their routines of homework, sports practice, and music lessons.  Grownups will continue to schedule work and juggle kids' schedules behind the scenes.  A fall detox might be in order - if only to help your body internally adjust to the cooler temperatures (and perhaps lose a couple of those pesky pounds that crept up on you courtesy of all the MaiTais and sundry Frozen Adult Beverages).  Whatever your plans may be, remember to slow things down a bit and appreciate, notice, and express gratitude.  These are some of the wonderful themes I will be focusing on while teaching yoga this month, but they are sentiments that are perfectly okay to take off the mat, as well.

Even if you don't make it to a yoga mat this week, or next, Go Slow.  Notice the gradual change of seasons.  Appreciate the new routines.  Feel gratitude for the memories you were able to make in the summer, and look forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead.

Namaste.  The light within me salutes the light within you.

Teaching schedule update:  my 1-hour Yoga Foundations is changing time, starting this week!  Saturday mornings, 8am to 9am Prasanthi Studio in Pelham.  ALSO, I'm teaching a FREE community class at Yoga Haven on Friday, September 27th.  I'd love to see you on the mat!

Hip Openers!

Hip Openers are wonderful postures that help restore strength and especially flexibility to the muscles of your pelvis.  Since the hips are the largest joints in your body, we yogis typically call these pelvic stretches "hip openers".  This class of posture benefits everyone, from pregnant women to people new to yoga!  Here's a summary of a few of the "classics".  Read on, then vote in my latest poll (right over there --->)

Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II) click to see Stretches the groin and shoulders, stimulates the abdominal organs and builds stamina!  Can relieve backaches...especially during the second trimester of pregnancy!

Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) click to see Stretches thighs, groins, abdomen, and you'll definitely feel it in your hips.  In addition to stretching out the entire pelvic region, it also stimulates the abdominal organs while opening the shoulders and chest.

Bound Ankle Pose (Baddhakonasana) click to see Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees.  Soothes sciatica!

Monkey Pose (Anjaneyasana) click to see Stretches the quads, groins, and even the psoas.

Soooo, which is your favorite?

24-hour Party People

  Ten years ago, this movie was made about Factory Records and the Manchester music scene in the 70's and 80's.  My husband made me go see it, even though I felt like a bit of a fraud because I wasn't really a Joy Division fan, I didn't really have a full grasp of who Shaun Ryder was, and really was a bit clueless - but it was a GREAT title, hinting at the fact that some people just don't know when to stop partying, and life somehow becomes this indulgent, decadent 24-hour party.  **Those of you who know my husband know this might be an accurate description of how he goes about things.  (It's hard to keep up with all the fun...)

Today is my husband's birthday, and suffice it to say, we've got a little bit of fun lined up.  3 whole days of it...and I'm wondering if this is what it feels like to be a 24 hour party person (minus the heroin, mind you; that's just plain illegal!).  There's bound to be some over-indulging.  HOW do you fit in a yoga practice?   "Over-indulging" really doesn't seem to have a place in yogic philosophy - a philosophy which teaches the value of living simply, of being satisfied with what you have in the here and now, not necessarily in shutting the place down (which we have been known to do on more than one occasion).   In the midst of excessive partying, however, a yoga practice might be "just what the doctor ordered"!

There are many levels to the beauty of a yoga practice, and that's what I love about it.  Sure, there's physical beauty as you work through your postures, but there is also great beauty in breath work and mindfulness.  The meditative aspects of the practice give you the opportunity to reflect (was that last taco such a good idea?), to re-center (the ground is down, and the room has stopped spinning), and to re-set.  The breath work helps to calm your nervous system (especially one that's feeling a little queasy after one too-many beverages).  The asana actually helps to rejuvenate the body, doing more than just strengthening and lengthening.  You can use your posture to restore things to normal, and twisting postures, in particular, are wonderful at detoxing, physically squeezing your internal organs and "rinsing" the toxins out (ever notice how you have to go to the bathroom after a yoga practice?)

So, are we in agreement?  After a night of heavy partying, first stop is your yoga mat.  Even if you just lie there and meditate, you're still doing yoga...but if you have the energy for a gentle practice, it can be a great boost to your well-being.  And if you don't "learn your lesson", and pick up right where you left off with the excessive partying?  Well, good things there's no "Yoga Police" who are going to come around and admonish you for ignoring the Yamas and Niyamas!  Yoga's a rather forgiving discipline, and will be waiting for you whenever you're ready to step back on the mat.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday, Darling Husband, and I'm looking forward to celebrating many, many more with you!

Don't forget to vote in my latest poll to the right --->

Try Something New!

Jason Crandell said that "Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are."  What he means by this is that even though your yoga mat is a familiar place and your body is a familiar vessel, every time you step onto that mat with your body is a chance to experience something new.  Will you find yourself more flexible this time?  Will one side of your body be stronger than another?  Are you aligned?  Is it hard for you to find balance today?

Our bodies are constantly speaking to us.  If we don't take the time to slow down and listen, we might miss what's being said.  If your body feels the need to make you listen, it will yell or scream at you (a sensation you might interpret as "pain" or "ouch").  Yoga affords us that chance to slow things down and breathe, and observe.  As in any good relationship, it's a good idea to stop and "listen" before you get to that point of pain or ouch.

The act of self-study has an important place in the practice of yoga.  In sanskrit, it's called Svadhyaya (S-vud-hee-ah-ya), and it is one of the 5 Niyamas - the ways in which you relate to yourself.  Whether you've only recently begun a yoga practice, or you've been a regular at a studio or class for some time, your mat provides a good space for you to relate to yourself, to study yourself, and get to know yourself a little bit better.  Each time you try a new pose, slow down and observe your body in the posture.  Listen.  Is your body speaking to you?  Is it telling you that this pose feels great - or is it telling you that this pose is approaching your "edge" of what's good.  Study how your body flows into and out of the pose, and study how it reacts.  Will a modification help your body react better, or will your body be happier if you kick it up a notch and go a little deeper?

9 years ago did I think I would ever have the strength to do a side plank?  Did I ever think I'd have the balance to do Tree pose?  Could I imagine I'd have the stamina to do 9 Sun Salutations in a row?  Not a chance! ...but by spending my time on the mat, listening to my body, I slowly, surely progressed in my practice.  I still can't do a split, and my inversions leave a lot to be desired, but there always needs to be something to work towards, always something new to try.

With a "studious" level of attention to your practice, step-by-step, you'll begin to feel comfortable with your practice, and that's when it's time to try something new...because life gets boring when you stay within the limits.  If you don't give yourself a chance to try something new, you'll never know what's possible!

JUST FOR FUN!  Don't forget to vote in the survey at the top of the blog:  "Which is your favorite brand of yoga pants?"  Only a few days left to respond, until a new question is posted!

Sunday Yoga!

I can't wait to get on my mat later today.  My legs are exhausted (instead of going to the gym yesterday, I got my exercise by speed-walking about 4 1/2 miles in less than 40 minutes.), and the only two times I've been on my mat this week have been to lead other yoga students.  That's not to say that I mind teaching yoga - quite the contrary - it is so much fun to challenge my practice and my experience by thinking of interesting ways to make the poses flow.  I have a lot to work on in terms of finding the right language to give direction, but it is a welcome challenge, and practicing on my own at home enables me to put together a sequence and see if it "works".
The fact that I can do a home practice speaks volumes to me in terms of how far I've come in my yoga practice.  It used to be that I couldn't practice on my own at home.  I didn't have the patience to center myself and slow things down for a warm up.  I didn't know which sequence of poses to follow.  I didn't want to bother with a cool down or savasana.  This was troubling because I couldn't conceive of how to lead others on the mat if I couldn't lead myself.  It seems all that has changed...
I am looking forward to a warm up, knowing that I should focus on my legs because they are so tired.  I know I can work on a standing pose flow, and I have a new "Challenge Pose" to work on, courtesy of Kathryn Budig, and of course, there's the lovely pose above.  I'm confident that I can do some semblance of Budig's pose, but I'm not so sure I can do the pose above.  If it doesn't work, I will try it against the wall, and if that modification is successful, I'll have yet another pose in my arsenal to play around with!  Wait until my students get on their mats on Wednesday!

"Moksha, or 'Freedom', is the pinnacle of your yoga practice...  You want 'freedom from' and 'freedom to' " - John Friend

Take it to the Ropes!

Upon entering the Yoga Haven2 studio in Scarsdale, NY, you will undoubtedly notice the wall of ropes hanging from loops along one side of the studio.  Beginning yogis, unfamiliar with yoga, might feel a little apprehensive:  "Will they be tying me up to the wall in this class?"  On the other hand, those who are a little more familiar with yoga become intrigued by the possibility of practicing with the mythical "ropes".

Just one of many props invented by B.K.S. Iyengar to improve alignment and support your asana practice, the ropes can bring your practice to a fun, new level.  Anyone who has ever sat on a swing and enjoyed the almost weightlessness or swaying back and forth, being suspended from above can appreciate the fun you have when practicing yoga with ropes.  As soon as I saw YH2 was offering a "Ropes Workshop", I signed right up!

The workshop was led by Jill, who, in addition to being a well-established Iyengar teacher, was also the instructor for the History and Philosophy portion of our teacher training.  She is a serious student of Sanskrit, and quite skilled in chanting - at least far more skilled than I can ever hope to be - various mantras and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  She is also rather well-known for being extremely precise in her instruction.  This is typical for Iyengar teachers (Erich Schiffman recounts being cuffed on the chin by Iyengar himself during practice for not keeping his chin precisely level during a pose), but for the yoga student who is less humble, this precision can be frustrating.

Jill began the workshop by reminding us to practice Ahimsa (non-violence/non-harming), Svadhyaya (self-study), and Tapas (discipline) while doing our work.  This was not a "yoga class", so there were no warm ups, no savasana, just 2 1/2 hours of perfecting postures, feeling the difference with ropes and without.  This was the chance to study our practice and notice how the ropes support our work in the postures, and perhaps encourage more perfect alignment.  We needed to know our limits and not work past our edge, avoiding injury (non-harming).  We also should approach the practice with discipline, at least giving everything a try, no matter how impossible or acrobatic it looks. (Who am I kidding? This was a level 2 class, and everyone in there was after the acrobatics!)

We were able to experience subtle variations on postures, and perhaps work smaller muscle groups that we might not normally have access to without the ropes.  For instance, in a simple Adho Mukha Svanasana, we push down equally with our palms and balls of our feet to lift our hips into the "inverted V" shape.  With these props, your hips are lifted by the ropes, so a different group of muscles in the upper arm are isolated and worked.  With regular ropes work, I can envision it making a real difference in the sculpting of the arm.  Trouble is, workshops like these don't come around often, and when they do, they are a little pricey ($45 would be hard to cough up every week).

By the end of the 2 1/2 hours, my hands were sore.  I had a touch of rope-burn, and complained a little, to which Jill replied, "Oh, well, you're building strength in your hands, and when you're 80, you'll be able to open that jar of pickles on your own."  I also had done some wacky iterations of Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Wheel, and even Childs Pose with the assistance of the ropes.  The proverbial jewel in the crown was the final posture of the session, an inversion:  We did Sirsasana (headstand) on the ropes.  This is the pose you can see in the photo above, with the students' legs in a diamond shape, the ropes suspending them upside down from the wall.  It was great!  After the long workshop, it felt like no time at all had passed, and despite working my muscles for 2 hours solid, I wasn't tired.  I felt limber, invigorated, and ready to go throughout the rest of my day with a feeling of lightness and strength.  I guess that's what happens when you get to fly a little from the ropes!

"Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you really are." - Jason Crandell

When is the best time to practice? (Part 2)

As alluded to in an earlier post (click here), yoga is not all about the Asana.  Yoga is a practice...something you do to connect with your inner self.  A yoga practice asks you to slow down and notice.  This is fairly difficult for many of us who are pre-programmed to be "busy" all the time.

Yes, I am one of those people who has a hard time just sitting.  There's always something to do, some chore to complete, some place to be, some person to assist with some task or another.  I find that yoga is good for me because it forces me to stop "doing" and just start "being"...but just sitting there will make me feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin, so the asana (moving my body into and out of specific postures) helps focus my attention on the present moment.  For someone who is somewhat proficient at multi-tasking, when I start moving on the mat, it requires my undivided attention to keep these ol' bones from falling.  I am forced to focus exclusively on balancing myself, moving gracefully, living solely in the present.  This is common with a lot of people, so it's worthwhile exploring when the best time is to practice ASANA.

You can "practice" yoga at any time, but depending on the time of day, you might need to make a decision about which type of Asana is best...but this of course, depends on your body, your mood, and your level of experience.  For example, upon waking, many people feel stiff and wouldn't even think about hopping right onto the mat for a sun salutation (or two).  Other people notice the stiffness, and think a few rounds of sun sals will work it right out and get the juices flowing.  The morning is a good time to slowly warm up - perhaps doing more warm-up poses than typical and gradually progressing to a few standing poses to build some strength for your day.  The afternoon, when most people are already well into their day, and energy levels are up, might be a good time for a more vigorous asana practice; something with more vinyasas and a little hopping and/or jumping (although I must say that an early morning practice never stops Kate from throwing some hops and jumps at us!).  The evening is when the majority of people are winding down for the day.  I know there are a few night owls out there, and they want a peppy pm practice to get their energy levels up for a long night, but I'm not one of those kinda birds!  An evening practice can be more restorative and gentle, with perhaps more of a cool down and longer savasana than is typical.

The take-away is that it really is up to you  - or should I say your body, because ultimately, the flesh and bones are what Asana is about.  It's important to honor the limitations (and requests!) of your body when choosing the type of yoga practice that best suits you.  If a practice is too vigorous for you in the middle of the day, your body will let you know - open your mind to listen to it.  If your limbs are up for more of a work out in the morning, go for it.  A yoga practice is about SO many things, including finding your edge, and know that there is no perfect time or place to do yoga, other than the present.

An Apprenticeship

When you want to become a classroom teacher, you quickly realize that it is a fairly involved process.  There's the History and Philosophy of Education, there's Best Practices with which you should become familiar, and there's even the "anatomy of a school" - how administration is organized within the district, the school, the department, and even down to your classroom.  There are also endless hours of observation that you undertake, carefully learning under the guidance of a "master teacher" - or at least one who, hopefully, has been teaching for a good number of years.  Finally, you enter your "student teaching" phase - one where the master teacher hands over the proverbial "reigns" to a class or two - allowing you to craft a lesson, execute it, and with the teacher's help, assess how everything went.

In the yoga teacher training program, we hit upon every bit of these aspects of a traditional classroom teacher training, except one.  We learned the history and philosophy of yoga, we learned to dissect the foundational postures of yoga, and we learned the anatomy of the human body.  We read, we practiced, and we observed.  We wrote up lessons, we demoed lessons, and we took tests.  What we didn't do was "student teach".  Is this a necessary component?  Perhaps it might be.

Student teaching is a valuable part of a classroom teacher's training.  It allows you to craft lessons and execute them, but if something isn't quite right or needs adjustment, your cooperating teacher is right there to help you out of a jam.  There might be situations that arise where you are unsure of protocol or how to handle them.  Having that experienced teacher there with you, as another pair of eyes, ears, and sometimes hands, can lend a security to your lesson delivery.  "Master" teachers know how to think on their feet, they know how to quickly shift gears and guide a lesson to meet the needs of their students - and this is something that is gained only with experience.

This ability to "read the room", "problem solve", and "go with the flow" can't be taught in a classroom - it is learned on the job, and it's so much easier to pick up when you're an "apprentice" rather than a newbie tossed into a situation.  For this reason, I think a "student teaching" of sorts might be a valuable part of a yoga teacher training, especially when you have such a varied background of experience, body-type, and ability in a yoga classroom.

Luckily, I've found a "seasoned", heck, I'll even say "Master" yoga teacher to apprentice under.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity - not because I'm too chicken to undertake my first yoga class on my own.  I'm honored that another teacher is willing to share her craft with me, letting me learn the subtleties and nuances of a class while she's there as "backup".  She can help me dissect my lessons and help direct them in a positive way, simply because she's likely seen it before and been in that situation.  Truthfully, I think apprenticing is a good way to gain positive teaching experiences and help me to become a better-rounded teacher.

So, for those of you who are local, I'll be beginning my Apprenticeship at Prasanthi Studio, 136 Fifth Avenue in Pelham this Saturday - teaching a Yoga Foundations: Beginner Series, from 11am to 12.  Hope to see you on this next part of my yoga teaching journey!

Namaste.

When is the best time to practice? (Part 1)

Establishing a regular yoga practice can be rather challenging for anyone...and not just for people who are new to yoga, although they are overwhelmed with the postures, the language, the philosophy and the history behind the practice of yoga.  Even "seasoned" yogis can have a hard time committing to a practice.  I recognize that I am in a very busy time of the year in my regular career (why must the end of the school year always be so crazy?!?), but I am finding it unusually difficult to get myself onto my mat.  There is the time factor, and there's also the motivation factor (who has energy at the end of a dizzyingly busy day - and who has the energy to squeeze in a practice before you get to work?).

It's the ultimate irony that when you need yoga the most, it seems so elusive!  You begin to fall into a pattern:  "well, I didn't get to it this week, but next week will be less busy, so I'll get to it then".  These patterns don't help - they ultimately become patterns of avoidance, and the time between yoga sessions will get longer and longer.  The stress will be building and building, and the insecurities will set in: "It's been so long since I've practiced.  I just don't know if I'll remember how to do anything..."

The beauty of yoga is that you can do it at anytime.  All that's required is a little mindfulness.  Most people forget that yoga is not just the asana postures you see above.  Asana is just one eighth of "YOGA", and even that can be done anywhere - it doesn't require a mat or acrobatics.  Solely limiting yourself to asana is limiting your yoga practice.  Once you open yourself to the realization that yoga is not a physical exercise, not just a "workout", you can see that it's a body-mind-spirit experience, and you can do it at any time.

If you're like most people, you tend to focus on asana, so we can start there in my next post ("When is the best time to practice?  Part 2"), but keep your mind open to the possibility that just sitting quietly for thirty seconds and listening to the sounds around you while you focus on your breath is "yoga".  I can almost guarantee that you will feel more calm and focused, perhaps even energized for the next item on your agenda.  Thirty seconds, that's it.  Try it right now... slide your hand off of the mouse, hold your hands in your lap, and just breathe.  If your mind is so fidgety, bring your attention to your breath by counting how many breaths you take during those thirty seconds - that's a start, and it's a start to your yoga practice.

Did it work?  Do you feel a little more calm?  Thirty seconds is all it took...Next time you can expand your practice to 45 seconds.  You can even do that while you're waiting at the next traffic light!

Namaste.

As I was driving to a yoga class this morning, I passed my time on the highway by thinking about how busy I have been and how long it has been since I blogged.  I knew it was (finally) Friday, and I knew that I have been crazy busy all week, but it dawned on me that if I tried to explain to someone just *how* busy it has been, I couldn't remember a single thing I have done all week!  I would have to pull out my phone, look at my calendar, and then recount how I had some bit of busy-ness every single day (and how nerdy would that be?).  I have just been living day-to-day, focusing on the day's tasks, responsibilities, and events, not trying to think too hard about what the next day would hold.  True "yogic" philosophy - be here now, endure the present, live in the moment.  But because I wasn't doing this fully, I couldn't remember where I had been.  I woke up on Monday morning, knowing it would be a busy week, and now, here I was, on my way to a 6am yoga class on Friday.  And it's still not done.  Saturday has me involved in 5 different things.  I actually have it planned into my calendar for tonight that I have to "plan Saturday".

Why does life get like this?  And can yoga help?  Simply put, "I don't really know why" and "Thankfully, YES."  Maybe life gets busy because we have a hard time saying "no".  Some people have a hard time sitting still and "being".  We like "doing".  But Diann used to remind us frequently that we are "Human Beings", not "Humans Doing".  This morning, I brought myself to the mat because I so rarely get to practice with Marguerite, and I made a commitment to myself last Saturday that I would make it to her 6am Friday class.  Once I got there, I realized how very much I needed to be there.  Marguerite built her class to work us up to crow pose (Bakasana) - a flying posture, but the class began with a sequence to center us, to bring us to the practice, and it was during this time I figured out that I really needed to be grounded for a little while.  I've been flying around for the last 5 days, and I hadn't fully appreciated some of the wonderful things I was a part of.

Now, the class did get us up off our tushes and into some standing postures, and true to her promise, Marguerite got us to fly into crow by the end.  What I can take away is that yoga helps us in these whirlwind times by just slowing the pace down and allowing us to bring our full attention to the task at hand.  We build the strength that will carry us on to the next task and we cultivate the patience necessary to "juggle".  Plus, we get to have a little fun along the way, as we fly like birds into some of the postures.  By Savasana, we get the chance to re-center our spirits, absorbing the benefits of the practice, and perhaps reflecting on how the experience on the mat made us feel different than we felt at the start of practice.  Hopefully, a sense of relaxed confidence will carry us along for the rest of the day - or at least for the drive back home after class.

It's okay to stop once in a while and breathe.  I just have to get through this weekend, and I can start "being" again.  It will be a welcome respite!

The rhythm of life is when you experience your own body, mind, and soul.

CYT vs. RYT?

Yep, that's me.  RYT-200, a card-carrying "Registered Yoga Teacher"!  I got my card in the mail from the Yoga Alliance last Wednesday.  Considering that I have spent every Wednesday since September spending time on my mat in yoga school, it was only fitting that I received my card on a Wednesday.

But what does RYT mean?  Is it any better than CYT (which was the distinction I earned on May 8th)?  CYT means "Certified Yoga Teacher", and can be bestowed by a yoga school upon someone who has completed a training with that school.  The difficult thing, is that in the Western Hemisphere, teaching Yoga is a relatively new discipline, and as of yet, there is no legal regulation on what level of training is necessary for teaching yoga.  Basically, you can attend a 2-hour workshop, and receive a certificate saying you attended said workshop, and you can say you are "certified".  Obviously, this is not on-par with someone who has completed a 200 hour teacher training (such as the one my colleagues and I completed), and luckily, most yoga schools have rigorous 200 hour trainings.  Anyone who has spent 200 hours in training to do something should be fairly competent at it, so a CYT usually holds a fair bit of gravitas.

That said, it's worthwhile to point out that the 200 hours can comprise just about anything - perhaps it's 200 hours of chanting.  Or 190 hours of anatomy and 5 hours of asana and 5 hours of breathwork.  In order to be truly proficient, you need to have a good balance of History and Philosophy, Asana work, Breathwork, how to do modifications, know the difference between Pre-natal yoga and Restorative yoga, and more.  A Quality 200 hour program will offer that, but how do you know a program "measures up"?  That's where the Yoga Alliance comes in.

It is highly controversial, because yoga is a discipline that is hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of years old, and here we are, in the West, with our exposure to yoga in its infancy, creating an "alliance", trying to impose "regulations" and "certifications" on the practice of yoga.  However, as is the case with anything that becomes wildly popular, there is the tendency for people to "cut corners" and generate "knock offs" in an effort to meet demand.  The Yoga Alliance wanted to preserve the integrity of yoga teaching, and ensure that schools who were training yogis had a good balance of instruction; basically, the Yoga Alliance wants to make sure that people who were claiming to be yoga teachers really knew their stuff.  People who have been teaching for decades and DO know their stuff are among the biggest opponents of "the Alliance", as they may not have the CYT from an official school, but they do have years and years of practice under gurus and service in ashrams to their credit.  To an experienced yogi, those sorts of "qualifications" actually garner more respect than any certificate, no matter how many seals and curliques on it.  But for people who are newer to yoga, the RYT designation provides a sort of assurance that your yoga teacher knows his/her stuff.

I am a middle school teacher by day, and as a state employee, there were rigorous certification requirements for me to complete in order to hold a job in New York State.  At the end of my graduate schooling (I went to school in Boston) and administrative evaluations and student teaching, I was certified to teach. In Massachusetts.  In order to teach in NY, I had to go through it all again (except the schooling!).  Once I got my NYS certification, I knew I could pass muster with any public school in the state, and any hiring district knew that I met the minimum standard (once I began teaching, of course they realized that I EXCEEDED the minimum standard!).  With such importance of recognized certification in my day job, I felt it was just as important to seek a nationally recognized certification for yoga teaching, as well.  Being a RYT provides a level of competency for my students, an assurance that the teacher training I went through was "the real deal".  Besides, I'd already spent 200+ hours (my program also required us to be a student in 52 yoga classes, which were not part of the 200 classroom hours) and thousands of dollars earning my certification, so what was another $85 to get my RYT?

So, I'm Certified, I'm Registered, you can look me up in the Yoga Alliance directory, and find the link to my blog.  I'm "official"...now I have to start finding a place to teach!  Stay tuned...

One door closes, another opens

 So, this picture could have easily been me last Wednesday as I was sitting in the yoga studio with 17 of my cohort, frantically scribbling our answers to the written final exam.  We studied our Sanskrit, we memorized our sutras, we learned our anatomy, we freaked out a bit, panicked a lot, but it's over.

Today, we sit on eggshells, awaiting the results of, arguably, the hardest exam I've taken in recent memory.  That said, I don't regularly take exams (I'm usually administering them to my 8th graders!), but I think this was certainly challenging.  Is it because my brain is a bit older than it was the last time I had to take an exam?  Is it because the test was such different subject matter than what I do on a daily basis?  Who cares!  It was hard, and I know for sure that I didn't get a 100.  And I'm not done.  I still have my final Test Class to give this Wednesday.  I have been practicing this class with friends in my living room, colleagues at work, and reciting it to my kids at breakfast.  It's just 30 minutes, and on Wednesday night, I'll be teaching it to 6 students in an effort to *finally* finish the requirements for my Yoga Teacher Certification!  I'm a nervous wreck.

Why am I so nervous?  This is something I've been preparing to do for the last 8 1/2 months.  That's almost as long as a pregnancy, and I've done that twice!  I wasn't one bit nervous about giving birth.  I knew it was something I wanted very badly, and I knew it was something I was born to do.  I also knew that it was something where it was expected I would make mistakes, need to be forgiven, and sometimes need to "do over" (eg, that first diaper change...).  If becoming a mother didn't freak me out so much, then why is becoming a yoga teacher freaking me out so much?

I love doing yoga, I love learning about it, I love what it has made me, and when I think about sharing that with yoga students of my own, I feel so hopeful and excited!  I somehow still have cold feet about starting this.  And yes, I do mean "starting", for the teacher training is drawing to a close, but another door is opening.  I'm a bit intimidated by what I might find past that open door, and I'm approaching it with trepidation.

I have been through a lot in this training, I've learned things I never could have imagined learning, my perspective has changed on a lot of things, and I've met some really incredible women - friends I never would have made otherwise.  We are almost like a sorority, forever bound by this common experience.  I am not "besties" with everyone, but I still share a bond with them that I will value and treasure for a long time.  We've become comfortable, safe, and secure in our Wednesday night environment, and now that's all about to change.  We have to get out there and put our theory into practice; we have to get out there and do it.

I have many friends who have helped me along the way, with a kind word of encouragement, with a vote of confidence, with some time on the mat, or a glass of wine, and I am so eternally grateful for that friendship.  In addition to that, I am eternally grateful for and feel blessed by the friendship and fellowship of my cohort sisters, as well.  I truly couldn't have accomplished this without them.  Each week they were faithfully there, learning alongside me, and not knowing me prior to this training, still offering encouragement, support, and yes, even a vegan cookie or a glass of wine!  So, as one door closes, another opens as we take the next step forward on our journey. I hope our journeys' paths stay nearby so we can visit once in a while.  Thank you, Wendy, Debbie, Lisa, Charlotte, Danielle, Michelyn, Connie, Jana, Nan, Nancy, Elena, Susie, Sue, Jillian, Dawn, Terri, Jennifer, Hannah and Allie!  I would be honored to take your class anytime.  Namaste.

Doing your Dharma

There is a wonderful "Yoga Wisdom" article in the May issue of Yoga Journal about how yoga can help with job satisfaction. The article, by Sally Kempton, explains how the teachings in the Bhagavad Gita can help you make sense of the ups and downs of the workplace.  Since we have been reading and studying (and trying to make sense of) the Gita during teacher training, I found the article particularly interesting.

As a Middle School science teacher on the cusp of two very busy, full weeks of State Assessments in Math and English, the article was also quite timely.  The main point of the article is how yoga can help you love your job, and it goes beyond figuring out whether you "Live to work, or work to live".  It's more about finding out what your "Dharma" is; your duty - but "duty" in the sense that there is one job that you alone excel at  - and that is the one job that will bring you happiness if you fully engage in it.

This begs the question, "Is my current job in-line with my Dharma?"  Many of us, in this economy, feel lucky to have a job at all, and don't necessarily feel like we are in a position to start questioning whether we are cut out for the job we're doing.  The Bhagavad Gita suggests that if you aren't happy, then you probably aren't cut out for your job, no matter how much material success it brings.  This is a hard pill for people to swallow, Americans, in particular, who build their careers on the promise of hard word equating with great reward and success.  Financial matters are a large part of this puzzle, but not the only piece.

In my line of work, our merit is increasingly determined by "results" - this is not a foreign concept to most people in the work force.  However, the "results" in education are judged by standardized tests - THIS is a foreign concept when for the last 16 years, educational research shows that there is no such thing as a "standarized" student.  Regardless, instead of creating inspiring lessons that help kids to become independent questioners, thinkers, and innovative learners, a good deal of time must be spent on preparing for the standardized tests.

Testing generates a lot of stress among the students.  Each year there are new benchmarks that must be achieved - the bar is raised and educational freedoms are reduced.  The actual testing mode is basically a "lockdown", and teachers turn into warden-like proctors who are allowed to do little else than offer an encouraging pat on the back and make sure all the bubbles are filled on the answer sheets.  In turn, seeing his/her students in such distress creates a lot of stress for a teacher, and here is where the Gita attempts to curb the cortisol (cortisol is a hormone that is abundant in times of high stress).

2.47 says "You have a right to the work alone, not to its fruits".  This is a hard concept to come to terms with...especially when, like most people in the workforce, your performance is evaluated on and connected to the outcome.  However, the Gita encourages you to do your Dharma.  If you were cut out for this job/duty/role, the outcome will be just fine.  If it's not satisfactory, maybe you're doing the wrong Dharma.

This is much, much easier said than done, and few of us have the luxury of approaching outcomes and bottom lines with this sort of non-chalance.  However, in times of stress, at the 9th hour, when you know you've done everything you can, all the i's have been dotted and t's have been crossed, meditating on this verse in the Gita might, just might, let you surrender the stress and let go.  Afterall, isn't that what yoga is all about?

"Live simply, expect little, give much.  Fill your life with love, scatter sunshine.  Forget self.  Think of others and do as you would be done by." - author unknown (to me)

CD Review: Putumayo World Yoga

There are lots of things we fledgling yoga teachers talk about:  What to do if you're attracted to a student, Whose level one class is good, Whose level two class is killer, when can we find time for a study group for all that Sanskrit, whether or not we can handle Restorative yoga, and whether or not we like Iyengar (I happen to like it; more on that in another post).  One of the most pressing conversations, however, is finding good music to put on your "Yoga Teacher Playlist".
Yes, as a Yoga Teacher, you will need a playlist.  I have taken class with very few teachers who do NOT use music while teaching (and by "few", I mean Jill - who teaches Iyengar - is pretty much the only one who doesn't use music).  I think music is important for setting a proper mood for your class.  It all boils down to preference.  Some of the teachers I practice with use upbeat music, throwing in some contemporary tunes once in a while.  Others are bold enough to go full on pop (Diann frequently used Madonna - and she could get away with it!)  One of my colleagues in my cohort uses Bobby Ferrin and Maroon 5!  I love to sing along when I know the words, and I would probably get distracted with my instruction upon hearing familiar lyrics, so I knew that wouldn't work for me.  I enjoy it when my teachers use popular music, but when I'm doing the teaching, I need something that I'm not going to sing along to.
Enter Putumayo's World Yoga!  I found this CD while shopping at Whole Foods.  They have a whole rack/display of Putumayo's offerings, and over the years (months, really) I have purchased a CD or two from them.  My hubby is always dismayed when I pay full-retail for CDs, because iTunes is just so convenient (especially when you don't love ALL the tracks on a CD) - but for this one, the $14.99 purchase price was well worth it.  I am in love with this CD, and listen to it every chance I get.  In fact, I have used many of the tracks from this CD in the playlist for my "test class" (Yes, I have to prove that I am capable of teaching yoga by giving a test class - it's not unreasonable, but that doesn't make it any less stressful!)
Putumayo is a great company.The music arm of the company has been around since 1993, and they specialize in non-traditional music.  I have several of their CDs - including the original "Yoga" CD (which I don't like as well as this new release).  Their offerings are mostly compilations and I've not been disappointed with any thus far - although I admit I like some more than others.  In preparing for our vacation to Paris last year, I purchased the French Playground for the kids, along with the French Cd for grownups.  Both are great, and put you in the mood for baguettes, cheese, and fine wine.  In perusing their website, I see they have a "Vintage French" CD...guess which is next on my list of purchases! ;)
World Yoga is currently in heavy rotation around our house.  Favorite tracks include artist from Sweden, Uganda, Tibet, and North America.  The tunes range from soothing to upbeat to relaxing, and (key point!) many are in other languages, so I can't sing along, much as I'd like to.
I think if I don't sing along, I'll be sure to get more students in my classes, so this might be the selling point.
Buy World Yoga by Putumayo NOW.  You won't be sorry, whether a yogi, a civilian, or someone who just wants to chill.

"Celestial Incandescence..."

I wish someone would say that about me!
This past Sunday, the New York Times ran an article about the "First Lady of Yoga", Colleen Saidman Yee.  It was basically a biographical account of how she came to be the female half of the Yee Yoga Empire (her husband is yoga-media mogul Rodney Yee).  Together, the Yees own two yoga studios, with another in the works, and have appeared in numerous DVDs. In fact, the NYTimes article seems to coincide with the press release regarding Colleen's first solo DVD release later this month.  She is self-depreciating in the article, claiming that she wouldn't like to be famous because of all the recognition you get, but at the same time, telling the writer that she doesn't recognize celebs when they come to her studio to practice with her.  "Yeah, right."  You don't "recognize" Jon BonJovi walking into your yoga studio to practice?  Well, one thing's for sure, if the teacher doesn't recognize him, the other students in the class sure will!

The article details Colleen's past - her "perfectionist drive", her modelling career and subsequent struggles with substance abuse, and of course the sensational divorce caused by her hooking up with Rodney Yee during her time in his Yoga Teacher Training Course.  Didn't he give her the page that I got in my Teacher Training Manual?  You know, the one about ethical guidelines when it comes to relationships between teachers and students?

I get that Yoga Asana is a physical practice, and there's not a whole lot that doesn't get aired on the mat.  Teachers will place their hands on students to offer adjustments.  There's sweat.  Sometimes shirts ride up.  All of these observances just emphasize the need for professionalism on the mat.  When we were going over these guidelines in class, someone asked what to do if you become physically attracted to a student in your yoga class?  The answer was obvious to me - you ask the student to stop coming to your class, and if you need to, continue your relationship outside of the yoga classroom.  Not every situation will be solved in such a cut and dry fashion, but it seemed to make sense to me.

I don't really have strong opinions about Colleen and Rodney's relationship, but apparently a LOT of their faithful students did.  Their affair, afterall, broke up both of their marriages, and probably severed a lot of the relationships they had with their yoga students.  As you can see, they're still happily married, and quite successful, so their affair doesn't seem to have had lasting effects.  They certainly are both talented enough in their own rights to keep 'em coming back for more!  Nonetheless, they are not the only yogis attributed to hanky panky on the mat.  In fact, considering that they are still married, it's quite tame.  Scandalous!

Well, I'm not looking to be a Celebri-yogi (but if Adam Levine saunters into my yoga studio, I'm giving a shout out, okay?), nor am I "looking for love" (happily married nearly 13 years, thankyouverymuch), but I do hope to have my own cache of loyal students one day, and maybe, just maybe, someone will be overheard talking about my Celestial Incandescence.  It just sounds so lovely!

"Be compassionate.  Not just to your friends, but to everyone." - Bhagavad Gita

The end is in sight...

52 yoga classes in 9 months?
 Piece of cake! (NOT) 

So close...yet so far...
This is a call for all the yoga teachers out there to come clean about how much work was actually required to get their certification.  Because it's A LOT.
My friends keep asking when I'll be done (hopefully it's because they are eager to come to my yoga class - wherever that may be).  My casual acquaintances wonder why they haven't seen me on the social scene lately, and when I explain, they nod their heads because they have NO idea what's involved.  The only people who truly know how much time and energy are my fellow yogis-in-training, and I'm assuming, those who have been there before us.  My husband might have a vague idea, but he's a "husband", so you never can be sure how much attention he's actually paying.
In any case, the end is in sight.  To the left, you can see my Class Log - a log of all the yoga classes I've attended as a student.  It has since been completed (note that my 24th Level 1 class was unfulfilled at the time of the photo), and I am truly grateful for this time on the mat.  I have to say that while daunting at first (at times it seemed that the sheet would never be filled!), my attendance at these classes of various levels, styles, and teachers really kept me motivated to stick with this teacher training.  It is important to reinforce the idea that you never stop being a yoga student.  Experiencing different levels and styles of classes (my prior experience was with mixed-level hatha classes), really helps a teacher trainee to discern the difference between the amount of instruction needed for a beginning student, an inconsistent student, a faithful student, an advanced student, and more.  I didn't think I'd like Restorative yoga, but I know it has a place in my practice.  I thought Iyengar would be foreign to me, but it turns out that one of my favorite teachers of all times (Diann!) teaches with quite of bit of Iyengar tendencies.
All of this time spent on the mat (over 60 hours, mind you!) doesn't even count towards my 200 Hours of training - it's sort of an "added bonus".  However, this bonus is worth more than any of my yoga teacher classroom hours, simply because I have been able to see and experience the theory put into practice.  I get to be absorbed in the moment on my mat - doing the basic, first exercises that brought me to seek teacher training in the first place - all the while reinforcing my learning of the posture names, the intro and exit from postures, the sequencing of postures, and the language of teaching yoga.  It's the "hook" that got me where I am today, and even though my Class Log is now full, it's still the hook that keeps me coming back for more!

"Yoga is the giver of untold happiness" - Bhagavad Gita

Om is where the heart is...

In Teacher Training class last night, one of our cohort asked about "Om" as an opening to a yoga practice.  "Do we *have* to Om?", she asked.  Thankfully, the answer was, "No....", but you could tell the next suggestion was going to be "but it would be nice if you did....."
As someone who has taken the bulk of my yoga classes over the last 8 years in a gym setting, with mixed-levels, and 55 minute classes, "Om" hasn't really been part of my practice.  Very rarely is Om chanted in this type of setting.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Om-ing - When a teacher at the studio starts or ends her practice with an Om, I happily join right in.  I just don't think I'm at the place yet, as a teacher, where I am comfortable leading the start of my class with an Om.  Oh, and then there's the fact that the class that I teach is a free 30 minute class afterschool in middle school where I work.  I've barely gotten up the courage to touch my colleagues during posture assists, let alone ask them to chant with me.  Plus, the class is just 30 minutes...Ain't nobody got time for that!
Even still, just because I'm not there "now", doesn't mean that I'll never do it.  I'll admit to practicing the Om in the shower (at our Teacher Trainer's suggestion!), and it doesn't sound so bad.  I know that a yoga practice is about establishing a mind-body- spirit connection, and Om definitely helps to foster that.  I just think I need a little more time.

"...beginning our practice with an Om:  Inhale deeply.....and.....Ooooooohhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm" - me, in the shower.

I got a ticket and it's BU115H!T!

I'm sure Victoria Beckham could talk her way out of
a speeding ticket! (I hope I looked this good getting mine!)

Say WHAT?  A "Yoga Blog" and you're calling B-S on something?  Where's that in your Yamas and Niyamas?  Well, truthfully, if I had been concentrating better on following the speed limit (it was set a ridiculously low 25MPH) instead of happily zipping around town, feeling good about all the errands I was getting done, I may have avoided all of this consternation.  I fully admit that it is my fault, and now I'm suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous MIS-fortune!

Rewind several weeks.  My 5-series is having electrical problems - several times per week the on-dash computer asks to reset the clock, I get warnings that the car's 4x4 drive is malfunctioning and my braking distances are somehow compromised.  It's frustrating, so I decide to take the car in and have it looked at.  I have a great service center, I must admit.  The center will provide you with a loaner car while your car is being fixed, and once your car IS fixed, they make sure to wash and vacuum it.  Suffice it to say, my car always comes out better looking than when it went in.  This particular time, they provided me with a 3-series as my loaner.  It's a bit smaller than my car, but it has pretty much the same engine, so it goes f-a-s-t.  So fast, that I don't even realize that I'm speeding. Or at least, that was the case that fine winter day...

For a variety of reasons, I ended up taking a personal day on the day that I scheduled my service appointment.  I had lots of errands to run, and I am in the middle of yoga teacher training, so I figured I might be able to knock out a few of the classes that are held during the day.  I was planning on doing a "double" - 2 classes in one day.  I dropped my kids at school, made it to the morning yoga class, and tried to squeeze in some errands back near home before the early afternoon class.  In my yoga-induced state of bliss, I apparently zoomed off down the road. According to the officer, I was doing 50mph in a 25zone.  Silly me, my defense was "I drive this way all the time!"...meaning that I take this route regularly, never noticing that the limit was 25 (especially when I am just keeping up with all the other cars on this road!).  When it's written up on a ticket, though, it sounds like I'm admitting to being some speed maniac who daily drives twice the speed limit.  I had a defense:  this isn't my car, and I'm unfamiliar with its "pickup".  It was the truth.  The officer wasn't buying it.  I needed to admit my guilt, sign the affidavit, and await the judgement.

The judgement came:  $250, payable by money order or credit card only.  Ugh.  Can't I just write a check?!?  It is a pain to get a money order, so I paid by credit card.  Yippee...paying online garners you a $5 convenience fee.  I have to find time to go and pay in person, because in the interest of identity fraud, I'm not mailing my credit card info.  FINALLY, I pay the fine, await my hefty credit card bill, and figure that my ordeal is over.  Ha ha... fat chance.  I get a $25 meter ticket the very next week.  Same deal.  Pay in person.  I'm SO over this law-breakin' streak.

I now am SURE to drive 24mph on that road, much to the road-raging frustration of every single car lining up behind me.  I enviously watch the cars in front of me, speed away, secretly hoping the copper pulls out of some side road, like he did for me, letting them know that the speed limit is 25 and the Town of Eastchester will NOT stand for that.  But they never get stopped, and the line behind me gets longer and longer.  Still, I don't care.  I am not going to break the frickin' $250 speed limit law.

But the good old department of Motor Vehicles is not done with me yet.  No, sir!  Today, I receive a notice in the mail that I have accumulated 6 points on my license as a result of this incident.  Super!  Now my insurance will be going up.  The New York State DMV also assesses a fee of drivers who accumulate 6 or more points on their driving record within 18 months.  Yes they do.  This fee is $300 for 3 years, payable in 3 yearly installments of $100 each.  So now my $250 ticket has turned into a $550 ticket, in addition to any increase in Insurance premiums.  I might be mis-reading this, but according to the fine print, it appears that if this were a drug or alcohol related incident, I would be assessed $250.  Where is the justice in THAT?!?

So, yes, readers, this SUCKS. I'm trying to put this unfortunate event behind me, and New York won't let me.   Fair warning, my friends:  don't speed in Eastchester, NY.  And if you're behind me, and I'm going too slow for you, Mr. Speedy McLeadfoot, don't you dare honk at me.

My experience as a "Yoga Maid"

Over the course of this week's Teacher Training sessions, we have been learning about the art of "Assisting" yoga postures.  We had a 6-hour session about it on Sunday and a 3-hour session about it last night (Wednesday).  It certainly was interesting, and borderline one of the most useful things we have learned thus far in our training.

Assists are those juicy little pushes and adjustments the yoga teachers offer during practice.  When done properly, they feel wonderful and help the yoga student to really experience what a posture's full expression feels like.  Basically, the teacher guides you into the pose so you get an idea of what you're supposed to be doing.  In class, the assisting teacher was nicknamed "Yoga Maid" because we truly were waiting on our students, offering props, support in the posture, and adjustments to enhance each posture.  As a bonus, during my time as a "yoga maid", I found myself taking a lot of asana stances just to protect my own body while assisting.  When it was my turn to be a student, I saw that it was a full practice for me, but with not as much work, because my "yoga maid" did a lot of the effort in the poses.   When a teacher assists a posture, he/she is also getting in a tiny workout.

The only problem is that in reality, the adjustments are few and far between.  Why is that?  The most likely reason is that perhaps the yoga class is large and the teacher doesn't have time to get to each student during a posture where they might need adjustment.  Then there is the factor of actually touching people you don't know.  It IS an art because a yoga teacher has to be sensitive his/her students' personal space, knowing how hard or soft to adjust a pose.  I got a fierce case of the giggles during class last night because some of the adjustments place student and teacher in compromising postions (see picture above - and that's a "tame" one!).  Usually, the student is face down or facing away from the teacher, so he/she doesn't realize how close the teacher's face (or other body parts!) are.  In Savasana, lying on your back with your eyes closed, it might be startling to open your eyes and find your teacher straddling you for the sake of adjusting your shoulders.  It feels wonderful, though, so keeps those eyes closed, and allow your teachers to adjust away!

And what did I learn from this experience?  There's no room for "shyness" when it comes to being a yoga teacher.  I'm going to have to touch people.  People whom I don't know.  It might be a little weird, but now that I've experienced it, I know it will really enhance their yoga practice, and maybe even get them coming back for more!  Students might busy themselves with their own practice, not worrying about how the teacher is making the poses more supported, deeper, and more relaxing.  Just enjoy the ride!

"To be great, feel great, act great." - teabag wisdom

Was Albert Einstein a Yogi?

image by FineArtAmerica.com

What do you think?  Does he look like a yogi?  Well, I've already blogged about it before, and we all know that looks can be deceiving.  But Einstein...?

In History and Philosophy, we have been reading and studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which outline the Ashtanga, or "8-limbed" path of finding enlightenment.  The first 5 limbs are guidelines that help you to deal with the physical aspects of "being".  For example, they instruct on the importance of breathing, of relating to the world, of being yourself, of posture.  Isn't it interesting that Asana, or yoga postures, the thing we most associate with "Yoga", is only one limb on this path?  I've spent 10 weeks observing the Yamas and Niyamas, I've been doing Asana (oh BOY have I been doing asana!), I've been breathing, and I've been studying.  Now it's time to focus on the last 3 limbs.

The last 3 limbs are sequential, hierarchical.  They must be practiced in order:  you begin with concentration (Dharana).  Once you concentrate, you can start to meditate (Dhyana).  Only after you've established uninterrupted concentration, can you achieve the deep state of peace, knowledge, and inter-connectedness that is known as Samadhi.  What does this have to do with Einstein?

In class this week, our teacher used him as an example of Samadhi, because he became "one" with his complete and total knowledge of the atom.  As a science teacher (but not a physicist), this was a "WOW" moment for me.  I agreed - he was someone, if there ever was anyone, who was completely absorbed in the knowledge of particle physics.  I understood exactly what she meant - that he had such a deep state of knowledge about something that he was Samadhi...but his area of knowledge is about the universe, so this suggests that he was one with the universe.  That's pretty darn mind-blowing.

This, of course, begged my question about whether or not he himself identified with and attributed his knowledge and experience to a yoga practice. I emailed my teacher, and she succinctly said "No.", but the thought of it tickled me.  Some beings who achieve Samadhi are so enlightened that they leave their human forms permanently.  Others dip in and out, and continue to interact among those of us who are "lesser" forms of ourselves.  We might call them "Gurus".  Seeking them out and trying to learn from them is where the devotion to a guru comes from, but ultimately, it's something you need to work on by yourself.  Concentrate, meditate, and experience Samadhi.

Was Einstein "Om-ing" away on his tuffet, concentrating on atoms, coming up with E=mc2?  Was he the guru to budding astro-physicists? Who knows.  Let's just say that not much surprises me these days.  Too bad he's not around anymore to ask.  Maybe he's left his human form, and is out there enjoying Samadhi.

"Everything which is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom" - Albert Einstein

And back to our regularly scheduled program...

For many of us in the Northeast, today we are coming off of a week-long school vacation, typically known as "Mud Week".  Lots of folks leave town in search of warmer climes.  Lots of other folks leave town in search of fresh powder for downhill skiing.  And still lots of people (like me!) stick around in search of the chance to recuperate from the busy-ness of a daily routine. (but then end up catching up with all of your friends and late bedtimes ensue, resulting in even less recuperation and more need for it!)

It was a good break.  We did a little Skiing, a little skating, a little hair-cutting, a fair amount of staying up past bedtime, and a LOT of yoga.  When I look at my class log, it's starting to seem as though I might finish all of the required classes some day;  I'm making progress...

However, with just 2 1/2 months left in my training program, there are some mixed feelings coming to the surface.  There's the feeling of accomplishment, that this journey is coming to a crossroads.  I don't want to say "ending", because if there's one thing I can take away from this entire process, it's that the journey is never complete.  We are just approaching a new path on the journey, and it's up to me to make a decision on how to continue.  One thing is certain, and that's that I've grown and experienced so much more than I ever could have imagined when I began the teacher training.

There is also a feeling of sadness that this part of the journey is ending, though.  My weekly routine of going to "Yoga School" is going to change.  One of these days I'm going to be finished with all of my reading and writing "assignments".  I'll be able to go back to reading for pleasure.  That's not to say that I don't enjoy what I'm reading...but it's just not as pleasurable when you have to get through so many pages by a certain date.  Then there's the writing - I haven't written a book report in years, and I'm faced with the prospect of writing not one, but THREE of them in the next two and half months (and this means I have to read the books that go with them.  These are not your Grisham quick-reads, either.  They're heavy-duty yoga philosophy texts).  I'll be relieved when they are done, but I think I might actually miss the presence of an assignment to do.

Finally, there's the feeling of fear - fearing the unknown, and what's "next".  How do I market myself as a yoga instructor?  Do I even want to take that step?  If I get a job, how is this new pattern going to affect my "free time"?  Will people even like taking class from me?  There's a lot of unknown out there...

I suppose it's time to apply what I've learned from all this reading, and that's to remember to be here now.  Be present.  What's finished is past and what will be is not a certainty.  The only thing is to take each moment as it comes (remembering to fully appreciate each moment as a gift!), and b-r-e-a-t-h-e.
...and now back to our regularly scheduled Monday...

What is all this Universe, this life, birth, death?  What is the purpose of all this?  What is at the bottom of all this?  What is the goal of all these activities?  Remain in these questions for as long as you can, remain longer and longer, you will know the Truth...which state is the natural desire of everybody in unclouded moments. - Shivapuri Baba

It is what it is.

This week, as I contemplate
the Niyama "Isvara Pranidhana",
the phrase "It is what it is" takes on a new meaning for me.

Last week, I was contemplating Patanjali's Sutra 2.44, which is about Svadhyaya (pronounced Svad-i-a-ya), or studying so you can commune with your "chosen deity".  Boy, do I know a thing or two about studying...I've been studying Anatomy and Physiology (98 on that test, thankyouverymuch), I've been studying History and Philosophy (95 on that test, thanksagain), and I've been studying my posture and alignment whenever I'm on the mat.  One thing I have to say about embarking on this path to become a yoga teacher is that after 8 years of regular yoga practice, I feel like I don't know anything about yoga.
I mean, I can recite the 8 Limbs of Patanjali's path to Ashtanga Yoga; I can tell you the names of postures in Sanskrit; I can tell you who teaches the weekend level 1 class at my teacher training studio.  But communing with God?  I'm not quite there yet.  It appears that I just need to study some more, and if I stick with it, eventually, the "form will appear - as a human form, a light, or a sound."  Intriguing.

This week, I'm working on Isvara Pranidhana, or "total surrender to God".  I wasn't quite sure how to approach the study of this, so I sought out other translations of the sutra, because, afterall, I mess up subtleties in Facebook posts written in the English language - who's to say there aren't subtleties in Patanjali's Sanskrit?

What I found was that Isvara Pranidhana is about acknowledging that there is a larger reality that we cannot control or know.  "Surrendering" to this idea doesn't necessarily mean "giving up"/ "waving the white flag".  It means opening up - allowing yourself to witness the grace and beauty of a moment without needing to know what it's all about, without needing to control the process, without feeling attached to the outcome.  It's about the ultimate:  Living in the present, witnessing and acknowledging God's grace because "it is what it is".

A few weeks ago, I was talking on the phone with my mom, and she was really unhappy with the way things had turned out in a situation at work.  She kept repeating over and over, almost like a mantra, "It is what it is."  Her tone was one of great disappointment, defeat, almost.  Perhaps a little letting go of the ego, perhaps moving the energy up a few notches away from the Manipura (power Chakra) and into the Anahata (heart Chakra), would have opened the possibility that there is some mystery to the way things work and why things happen a certain way.  We don't have to give up, but we can observe, experience, and move on with fluidity, grace, and tranquility.

So, it may be "what it is", and it doesn't have to be disappointing.  It reminds us to "Be Here Now", experiencing the world and processing all it has to offer.  Offering up or "surrendering" these moments can open the possibility of Samadhi.   I think it takes a special kind of humility and courage to do it, and I have a lot more studying to do before I get there.

"Niyama consists of purity (saucha), contentment (samtosha), acceptance (tapas), study of spiritual books (svahdyaya) and self-surrender (isvarapranidhana)" - Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2.32

How Austere can I be?

Hey, look, it's Jennifer Aniston
practicing Tapas!

This week's Niyama, or "observance", is Tapas.  Tapas means observing Austerity and Discipline.  Just how austere can I be? Well, it turns out, not very austere at all, but I gave it a try anyway...

It seems that there are some pretty badass ways to observe “Austerity”.  Some people go barefoot for a period of time (not so easy to do in wintertime!).  Some people refrain from talking for a period of time (not so easy to do when you’re a teacher!).  Some people decide to eat simple, easily-digested food (which also happens to be pretty bland).  In fact, a great number of austerity tactics centered around food and diet, so I chose to utilize a little more discipline with my eating habits this week (ha ha ha!  "disciplined" eating during a week where I had dinner and drinks out with friends, and a huge Chinese New Year's eve dinner party planned)

I am a huge multi-tasker, and one of the things that I’ve become accustomed to is reading while eating.  In the morning, I read the paper during breakfast. At lunch, I’m usually reading students’ papers or our mail.  At dinner, I read other things like magazines, catalogs, even books.  My mind isn’t concentrating on the quantity or quality of the food I’m eating (no wonder I'm having trouble losing weight).  Eating almost becomes mindless, because my mind is focused on something else.  Not only that, it's incredibly RUDE.  I’m not enjoying my dinner company or joining in with friendly dinner-table conversation.  Am I a dysfunctional eater?  I need more discipline, and decided that this would be an appropriate step in the right direction.

This act of treating meal-time with more discipline has not been easy; at every meal I had to consciously remove reading material from the table before I sat down to eat.  Sometimes, I caught myself reaching for  some reading material when I was having a snack.  It turns out, this is a terrible, deeply-ingrained habit I'm dealing with.  When I sit down to eat, I start reading without even realizing what I'm doing.  I need to snap out of it, and with discipline.  As the week draws to a close, this is one of those austerities that I need to continue to attend to.  Once I get used to this simple austerity, perhaps I can work on more serious ones.  

"The ultimate practice of Tapas:  Love yourself and your life exactly as it IS.  Change nothing, but live with more presence and consistency." - Gaia Flow Yoga

Santosha FAIL

Contentment.  Serenity. Feeling positive.  "Santosha" embodies all of these things, and I haven't scratched the surface in observing them this week.  In fact, I've been in an awful mood, and disgruntled and dissatisfied with everything.  Epic FAIL on my observance of the Niyamas.

Yesterday was Monday, and I felt like I was fairly disciplined over the weekend (I did yoga, I studied for my History and Philosophy test on Wednesday, I graded my students' labs & tests, I even went to church!), but I stepped on the scale and started the day "up" a pound.  (Another pound, I should add, because I've just added on pound by pound, and at this point, my clothes are starting to not fit.  Not cool.  THAT is a problem because I like my clothes, and I can't afford to buy new ones!).  I could have avoided my bad mood by not stepping on the scale, I suppose, but that would have been dishonest.  I "accepted" my number, stepped off the scale, and pledged to be more mindful with regards to diet and exercise.

I showed up to school, and not one student in my 1st period class had done their reading assignment over the weekend.  This was frustrating, because I had spent a good deal of time over the weekend grading their tests and labs, and they couldn't be bothered to read an article on Human Growth Hormones.  I could have avoided my bad mood by not assigning weekend homework, I suppose.  I "accepted" their inability to discuss the article, and re-assigned it for the next day.

I returned home from work to a delicious smell - my husband had cooked a huge pot of gumbo for dinner.  Immediately my mind focused on my diet, knowing that gumbo has sausage which isn't very healthy, and I worried about the scale again.  I "accepted" that dinner was made, and ran out to run an errand.
Later, I came home just in time for dinner to be served, and instead of finding serenity in the fact that I didn't need to worry one single bit about shopping for ingredients, I didn't need to cook the meal, I didn't even need to clean up the prep for the meal, I focused on what wasn't done - things like the kids' backpacks being "unpacked", the homework papers still scattered on the table, legos that were all over the floor.

I wasn't content, even though I had so much to feel positive about, so much to be grateful and thankful for.  I'm ashamed of myself, especially since this is a week where I am supposed to be seeking contentment, observing Santosha.  I owed my husband a HUGE apology this morning - whether or not he "accepted" it is another matter; I wouldn't blame him if he didn't!  I owe myself a "re-do", and I need to re-evaluate my ability to find "contentment".

Good thing tomorrow is another day!

Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.” 
― Lao Tzu

The Niyamas

Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, sets forth 8 limbs to follow on the path to "Kingly" Yoga practice.  Yes, dear readers, it's a "path", which means there are lots of things to observe along your journey.  And, if you're the impatient type, I hate to break it to you, the journey never ends.  Each step you take creates another foot on the path.
For the last 5 weeks, I have been "restraining" myself.  That's what the Yamas (see lower left arm on the diagram) are all about - restraint.  The world comes at you from all directions on your journey, and you need to restrain yourself:  don't harm, don't lie, don't steal, don't lust, and don't hoard.  For the next 5 weeks, I'm going to be "observing" myself, as dictated by the Niyamas (see 2nd lower left arm on the diagram).
First up?  Saucha.  Cleanliness, purity.  Well, I took a bath each day this week, so I'm off to a good start!  If only it were so simple.  No one said the journey would be easy...

"Niyama consists of purity, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study of spiritual books, and worship of God" - Patanjali, Yoga Sutra 2.32