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