Intensive summer training - Day One

Today marks the first of seven days of intensive yoga training. At the beginning of class, Kathy told us to come up with five foods we can eat that won't upset our stomach during yoga practice. Here is my list:

1. Oatmeal
2. Granola bar
3. Bread or toast
4. Serving of fruit (ie Banana)
5. Crackers
   

We started the day with asana practice going in depth on suryanamaskar A and B, then all standing poses. After, we broke into groups and each took turns "teaching" suryanamaskars and standing poses. In my group, I explained that I have been invited to teach a power yoga session at boot camp. One of the women gave me some idea since she worked with some people that do Iron Man challenges. I talked through my first suryanamaskar outloud. It's different when you get out of your head and into the mouth. :) After which, we broke for lunch.

During lunch, A group of us discussed "things" and items that we have and getting rid of things we don't use. Kathy relayed her day when she got her family to find 100 things that they could get rid of, and trash did not count. I listened while I purused more book. Found out that I really want Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy by Gregor Maehle.

After lunch we listed 25 things we do in our lives that is yoga, with the thought: "yoga is the cessation of the fluxuations of the mind" as our guide.

1. Sleep
2. Give son a hug or kiss
3. Cuddle with husband
4. Zone out on a fire
5. Watch clouds in the sky
6. Listen to a waterfall
7. Watch waves crash on a beach
8. Listen to waves crash on a beach
9. Feel a breeze on my face
10. Listen to an instrument (ie flute, violin)
11. Lay on a couch with sleeping child
12. Get a massage
13. Practice asanas
14. Rock in a chair
15. Do a crossword puzzle
16. Meditate on an object
17. Float in the water
18. Practice pranayama
19. Sing or hum a tune
20. Chant OM
21. Listen to others breathing
22. Write in my bolg
23. Follow a recipe

We described these actions in 5 or more words:

My words: Quiet, calm, peace, happiness, clarity, relaxing, "mantra", gentle

Others' words I liked: Present, connected, centered, balanaced, rhythmic, absorbed

Then we listed 10 things we can do to keep our mind available in a "present state":

1. Focus on an object or point on wall
2. Force self to use mind's eye and visualize an object
3. Focus on a flame
4. Visualize flame from memory
5. Listen to and focus on breath
6. Do simple tasks
7. Narrarate your actions
8. Focus on keeping mula bandha
9. Self-guided relaxation head to toe
10. Pranayama

We discussed these in groups and with the rest of class. I had an epiphany while talking to Maggie from New Jersy. She is a math professor and has beem teaching yoga for several years. She said that doing math centers her and keeps her inpresent. We discussed this, and another student said that would be something painful for her, but writing would be her centering activity. I thought again about the saying "yoga is the cessation of the fluxuations of the mind" and the fact Maggie was doing math to still her mind, yet she was USING her mind. All this time I was thining of ways to clear the mind of NO thought. What I did not think about was that we don't need to do that, but be aware of the thoughts that ARE there and listen to one at a time. Doing an activity that keeps the mind busy IS yoga as long as we are focused on that action and being mindful of it. We are stilling the FLUXUATIONS, not the mind.

Homework assignments Kathy gave us for the week are to recognize the states of conciousness and reflect on them. She particularly said we should recognize when:

1. we felt completely free
2. we recognize something that made us think it is summer
3. we have a connection with someong, we shared a concept and total understanding with little debate.
4. we fall into a meditative state for anything
5. we had a total surprise and it put us in a good state
6. we recognize then you are stressed
7. have to exercise/create tapas to get to a pure mental state
8. you have caught yourself in a loop on a particular thought (ie. "don't forget to..." feed the cat, get gas)
9. you have found yourself in a useless loop of thought and have to work to clear it

These thoughts are to help us Appreciate our Minds. She said that one things we do with our students is help them come to the present during their yoga practice. Keep them so busy on practice that they can do nothing except be present.

Then Kathy told us to list (and then we practiced them) 25 ways to turn upside down.

1. Have someone flip you over
2. Have a machine flip you over
3. Swim down to bottom of pool
4. Handstand
5. Headstand
6. Shoulderstand
7. Forearm stand
8. Legs up on a wall
9. Handstand scorpion
10. Headstand scorpion
11. Shoulderstand scorpion
12. Forearm stand scorpion
13. Splits in Handstand
14. Splits in Headstand
15. Splits in Shoulderstand
16. Splits in Forearm stand
17. Widelegged Legs up on a wall
18. Legs in lotus or crossed in Handstand
19. Legs in lotus or crossed in Headstand
20. Legs in lotus or crossed in Shoulderstand
21. Legs in lotus or crossed in Forearm stand
22. Legs bent at knees in Handstand
23. Legs bent at knees in Headstand
24. Legs bent at knees in Shoulderstand
25. Legs bent at knees in Forearm stand

We ended practice defining the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.