Teaching Power Yoga

Tomorrow I teach my first real power yoga class. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I will be teaching from Sept 6 to Nov 8 at a local health and fitness club run by a good friend. I have not attended yoga in studio for over three weeks. I am feeling a little out of it and wonder slightly if I'm up to the "challenge". I trust my previous training and years of experience to guide me thorough tomorrow. Good news is that it's only 45 minutes long....I'm used to 1.5 hours!

The Invitation

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's desire.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed for the fear of future pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, or to remember the limitations of human beings.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusations of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it is not pretty every day,and if you can source your life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver moon "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are now or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

(Note: a little over ten years ago, someone gave me a copy of a copy of a copy, etc. of this poem. After being on my fridge for a while, I lost it. I recently found it online, and was renewed by the power of its prose and words. Older now, I connect more with it than I did ten years ago. I post it here so I can often remember its message.)

YogaFit

I have heard YogaFit mentioned twice. Once from my friend and local health club owner, and once from my teacher when she was discussing Yoga Alliance. My friend has said she was trying to get a YogaFit instructor to Vermont because it is a system that is structured for the "gym". But they don't seem to respond. My teacher mentioned YogaFit as a group that Yoga Alliance does not recognize as yoga. And I can see why after reading the book.

As a "classically trained" yogi, I'm surprised at the picture of yoga that Shaw paints. Although she states that she has a "deep respect" for traditional yoga, the books organization comparisons deliver a different message. She does her best to omit traditional yoga terms, but then signs her letters "Namaste'". It is also clear that "YogaFit" is an advertising tool. It is targeting a particular group of people, and the book points outrepeatedly where one can empty their wallets to YogaFit. But, aside from her superciliousness and overbearing marketing, I found the organization of the book helpful for planning yoga sessions in gyms and health clubs where importance on the physical self is emphasized--so I bought it.

After viewing the YogaFit website, it looks like Yoga Alliance has worked out a deal with YogaFit to certify YogaFit instructors. I also notice that YogaFit offers more traditional yoga resources (like a book on Chakras!) that Shaw's messages indicated that YogaFit would NOT do. I guess in the end, traditional yoga does offer more...

Yogaha karmasu kaushalam

Satchidananda's Weekly Words this week are about how everything you do is yoga and when you do something, you need to do it with complete mindfullness and do only that thing. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita, "Yogaha karmasu kaushalam" which means perfection in your every action is Yoga.

It reminded me of my personal epiphany I had in teacher training several weeks ago about how yoga is not the complete clearing of one's thoughts--ie, think of nothing. It is the focus of thoughts on one thing, or steadying the random thoughts to concentrate on something.

To do this, it is setting ourselves on a path to do that one thing well.

Neti and Nauli

My second attempt at Neti was a failure, but several days later I tried a third time. The eye burn still occurs, but I am able to get a clear stream in and out of my nostrils. I do feel the benefits from this form of cleansing. I will try to remember to keep doing it through the winter as the air gets drier and viruses run rampant.

As for Nauli, this has been going on rather well. I have developed a routine to practice nauli after my morning "movement" and before I eat anything. My 22 m/o son seems to think it is funny to see me hunched over pulling my guts up and down and attempting to get them to roll in each direction. Sometimes he comes over and looks up at me with a look of sheer delight and giggles as I grunt and wiggle.

A very neti experience

I tried a neti pot today. The very short instructions that came with the pot read, "Fill the pot with warm water and 1/4 tsp non-iodized salt. Bending over the sink, tilt head to the left side, position spout at entrance of right nostril, water will automatically flow through one nostril and out the other. Gently blow nose, refill your pot and repeat in other nostril. There is no sensation of water going up your nose."

First of all, "water will automatically flow through one nostril and out the other" makes it seem like you can just direct the flow of water right into your sink. WRONG. I had water all over the place. It leaked out the pot, it leaked out the incoming nostril and it leaked and dripped everywhere BUT the sink!

Second, I must point out that the directions stated in bold, italicized AND underlined print that, "there is no sensation of water going up your nose." If something is bold, italicized and underlined, one would think it is a special note to be considered. So, I believed them. And, I have to admit, the sensation was not of water going up my nose...but of water going straight to my brain. I felt like I snarfed up an ocean right into my forehead! I sputtered and blew (not so gently as the instructions suggested in a font not bold, italicized and underlined). I'm pretty sure water came out from under my eyes.

After some composure, cleaning up of the sink area and coughing out water a few times, I tried again. This time I put my head right in the sink, tilted my head farther over, squeezed my eyes shut and suppressed the feeling that I was drowning. It seemed to work better. I repeated on the other side and even sneaked a peek at how ridiculous I looked in the mirror. This time, water WAS flowing out the other nostril in a stream much like that of the neti spout. Success? I'm not quite ready to say that I'm an "old pro" now.

Teaching Yoga!

I confirmed with my friend, a local health club owner, that I can teach "power yoga" at her club on Saturdays through the Fall. I'm very excited!

Finding clear understanding

I'm rereading The Heart of Yoga (Desikachar). I can not get enough of the first few chapters. I have read them three times. Each time I uncover something new that I want to think about. Particularly, I'm going back over his description of avidya (incorrect comprehension) as the root cause of the obstacles that cloud our mind. These obstacles are asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesa (rejection) and abhinivesa (fear). Desikachar states that the branches of avidya cloud our perception, and as a result of the activity, we are dissatisfied.

I have been thinking about this, and about a recent Weekly Words from Satchidananda about how expectations bind us. If we do something with expectation, we are generally unhappy if our expectations are not met.

I thought of many scenarios when one might be unhappy, and I was able to attribute it to an expectation in some form or another. I think that avidya can simply be removed by dropping our expectations.

Wednesday practice

I went to Kathy's class again tonight. Things felt good. Class was packed. I was flowing well through surya namaskars A and B and for once, my parsvakonasanas were feeling good. However, when I went deep into prasarita padottanasana B, my ab muscles seized, particularly on my left side. I went down on my mat and tried to breathe them loose. I could feel each muscle slowly unloosen, like unzipping a zipper one tooth at a time. I relaxed, did a bhujangasana, and took a break through the rest of the poses. AFter feeling better, I rejoined the class at parsvottanasana; I lay my head to my knee and seize! the abs bunched again! This time I left the room, drank some water.

I debated rejoining class, staying to observe, staying to assist and just going home. This was a free night w/o kids for me, so going home was a waste of free time. It seemed kind of late to start assisting, so I chose staying to observe. As I reentered the room, I looked quickly for a free spot to sit and watch. There was nothing in an area that would be out of the way of yogis practicing. So, I chose to go gentle and rejoin class. The rest of my practice was good, and fun. But I wonder how sore my abs will be tomorrow.

Sthira Sukham Asanam (Yoga Sutra 2.46)

Asana is a steady, comfortable posture.

Literally translated, sthira means "steady, alert". This quality of an asana may seem fairly easy to obtain, but an asana is not complete without sukha: ability to remain comfortable and light. We are not comfortable in a posture is we have to keep shifting. For instance, sitting cross-legged. after a while we feel a cramp or pressure in our muscles. We shift to find a comfortable position again.

This principle can be fulfilled with practice and with dissolving toxins. Doing poses over time allows us to be come more and more comfortable in the pose. But, also necessary is steadying the mind and body. Toxins of the body and mind create tension. Once we free ourselves of the tension, we can relax and concentrate.

August weekend - Day three

Discussion about chakras and postures. Are there any posture that "awaken" certain chakras? Idea is that asana awaken all the chakras, generally.

Kathy had a side note about a swami who went to maha samadhi (death). The people prepared his body in the hot Indian sun, but his body did not begin to decompose for 18 days. Most people begin decomposing after about 3 days. The theory is that he had taken in so much pure light that his energy/life force took very long to leave his body.

I polled the room to find out what was every one else's "1 thing they would teach" from Friday's class. Six people said they would teach breathing, and one each said how to OM, savasana, balasana (child's pose), tadasana (mt. pose), and balancing.

Yugas
We spent a good amount of time discussing the yugas. There was so much info that I have posted it in a separate blog today so I can refer to it in the dated contents later.

Study
Kathy talked about the healing benefits of watching people do activities. You absorb the energy of them doing yoga, for instance, and it helps your yoga practice. In the next few weeks, we should take the opportunity to just sit and watch a yoga class of video. Even if we laugh through it, but watch the movement and flow of the teacher or student.

We practiced for an hour, ending with techniques that help us do inversions. We also worked with pidgeon pose in different ways. Kathy showed us a way to roll over our foot in pidgeon so that the sole of out foot is on the ground. Very relaxing!

The Five Tibetan Rites
...kicked my butt! There are five actions, or "rites", that help restore your energy and awaken your chakras. Each action you do 21 times or less. Check out this Web site for a very detailed description of the Five Tibetan Rites.

After I did these rites, I did not feel energetic. I felt just the opposite. I wanted to lay down and sleep. I did not want to move. Some students felt nauseous, but I did not feel sick to my stomach. I felt HEAVY. Very heavy.

After lunch (which, thankfully, we ate AFTER the 5 Tibetans) we talked more about chakras, but I felt too heavy to pay attention.

Singing Bowl
Genevieve brought in her Tibetan Singing Bowls. She described their uses and the power of sound. Related to the chakras, apparently the notes of a scale (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti) correspond with the ascending chakras. The sounds of the bowls, either struck like a gong or rubbed with the mallet, are used for meditation. More information is found at this Web site.

We sat back-to back in pairs while a third person induced the singing bowl around us. We meditated through the sound, being aware of vibrations that ensued.

I loved the singing bowl so much that I went to Tradewinds and bought one. As Genevieve suggested, I listened to several, holding them close to my body. The one I chose has many overtones and was the only one I could get to vibrate my chest. I guess you could say that it sang to my anahata chakra! The bowl is pictured to the left. I do not know what the symbol in the bowl means; I hope it is a kind of blessing and not just "Made in Nepal".

10-20 Things Important for Optimal Health
Another one of Kathy's lists. :) First, I define "optimal health" as when I feel my best. Then I began to list, but in categories:
Proper Nutrition

• portion control
• balanced meals
• whole grains
• fresh produce
• adequate hydration

Proper Exercise

• daily practice of a physical activity
• stay within physical limits, push when body is ready
• let injuries heal
• allow body to rest

Relationships

• intimate time with husband
• focused time with kids
• healing torn bonds
• nurturing friendships
• purposeful actions and words
• showing gratitude
• being happy
• seeing the positive in everything

Self

• right amount of sleep
  
• meditation
• listen to body's cues for needs
• touch (hugs, kisses)
• follow intuition
• being aware of each molecule, cell, organ, limb of the body and acting on the signals it gives
• promote self-esteem
  

Environment

• clean air
• UV light
  
• temperature
  
• beautiful sounds
  

Yugas

In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of epochs. One cycle of these epochs is a Maha Yuga. One Maha Yuga is made up of four epochs: Satya, Treta, Dvarpra, and Kali. Each ascending phase of the cycle from the Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga is followed by a descending phase of equal length back to the Kali Yuga, then another ascending phase which begins it again. An alternative thought is that at the end each descending Kali Yuga, the world will return to the Satya Yuga and begin a new decline.

Traditional thought of the timeline of the yugas is a ratio of 4, 3, 2, 1.
Satya Yuga = 1,728,000 years
Treta Yuga = 1,296,000 years
Dvapara Yuga = 93,312,000
Kali Yuga = 432,000

The alternative thought to these epochs is the descending phase of Satya Yuga lasts 4800 years, the Treta Yuga 3600 years, Dwapara Yuga 2400 years, and the Kali Yuga 1200 years. The ascending phase of the Kali Yuga then begins, also lasting 1200 years. The ascending phase of the Kali Yuga began in September of 499 AD. Since September 1699, we have been in the ascending phase of the Dwapara Yuga.

1. Satya or Krita Yuga
Self-realization is developed through dhyana (meditation)
Humans are living primarily in the anadamayakosha (blissful form)
Also known as the Golden Age
Average life at the beginning of this yuga is 100,000 years and decreases through time.
In this highest yuga, the great majority of people can experience spirituality by direct intuitive realization of truth. The veil between the material and the transcendent realms becomes almost transparent. It is a period free from any kind of unhappiness or misery.

2. Treta Yuga
Self-realization is developed through yajna (sacrifice)
Humans are living primarily in the vijnanamayakosha: (awareness form)
Also known as the Silver age.
Average life at the beginning of this yuga is 10,000 years
In the Treta Yuga, mental power is harnessed and inventions dissolve the illusion of time (inventions are characteristic of both Dvapara and Treta yugas). Clairvoyance and telepathy are common skills.

3. Dvapara Yuga
Self-realization is developed through archana (worship).
Humans are living primarily in the manomayakosha: (mental form)
Also known as the Bronze age
Average life at the beginning of this yuga is 1000 years
In the Dvapara Yuga science becomes important and people experience the spiritual in terms of subtle energies and rational choices, inventions are abundant, particularly those that dissolve the illusion of distance (between people and between things). The end of this age is associated with the death of Krishna, and the events described in the Mahabharata.

4. Kali Yuga
Self-realization is developed through daana (alms).
Humans are living primarily in the pranamayakosha: (life force/energy form)
Also known as the Iron age.
Average life at the beginning of this yuga is 100 years. At the end of this yuga, the life span is 20 years.
In the lowest epoch most people are aware only of the physical aspects of existence. The predominant emphasis of living is material survival. Temples, wars, and writing are hallmarks of Dvapara and Kali yugas.

In the higher ages (Treta and Satya), writing is unnecessary because people communicate directly by thought. Temples are unnecessary because people feel the omnipresence of God. Wars are rare but do occur, such war is described in the Ramayana. The descent from Satya to Kali is associated with a progressive deterioration of Dharma (righteousness) manifested as a decrease in both the length of human life and the quality of human moral standards. As humanity descends through the yugas, life span shortens, and physical bodies become more and more dense.

August weekend - Day two

Discussed chakras most of today. Chakra literally means "wheel" or "disc". There are seven main chakras we discussed and they exists at the intertwining points along the two main nadis along our spine: Ida and Pingala. Each is associated with a color as indicated in this "stick figure" self portrait in meditation with the chakras colored in.










After this drawing, we got up and practiced for an hour on our own.

After we finished samadhi from our practice, Kathy asked us to draw ourselves in a pose with the chakras indicated in color as well. Here is me in utthita parsvakonasana. Kinda looks like Elastigirl.












Kathy asked us to answer questions about the practice we did today.

Did you feel like you were planning the practice or just doing what came to you? I was mostly just doing what came to me, but I planned it so the poses stayed within the realm of standing poses before sitting poses, before finishing poses.

Were you practicing freely, or a sequence of postures? If in a sequence, was it something you normally do, or something you were trying to learn? I was mostly practicing freely, but trying different poses together in a sequence to play with how they flow together. Most of the time I was just reciting the opening prayer to learn it. I held each pose until I could recite the whole prayer in my head without having to look it up.

We broke for lunch, and I saw to articles that I want to look up and a book I want on my wish list. I'm putting them here for future reference.
"Sports, Women, Yoga" by Beryl Bender Birch
"Yoga for Runners" by Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola (Yoga Journal)
"Ashtanga Yoga Primer" by Baba Hari Dass

After lunch, Luisa gave her presentation on prenatal yoga. She recommended some books, one of which is Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful by Gurmukh. She also recommended Midwinter Day by Bernadette Mayer. Here are Luisa's notes for pranamammas. Happy Birthday Luisa. I hope we meet again soon.

We paired up and sat back-to-back so our chakras were close. We then OMed the seed sound (bija manta) of each chakra (see Chakras for details). Kathy read more about each chakra. I have listed some basic facts about each chakra in a separate blog below, but all of the information is the book: Chakras: Energy Centers for Transformation. Scott came in and we repeated the bija mantra again, slow first, then fast and blending the sounds together: LLLVVVRRRYYYHHHAAAuuuuumm.

I asked if we could do the Maha Gayatri Mantra again before class was over, for reasons related to all of the koshas:

1. Annamayakosha: to speak it, feel my mouth form the words
   
2. Pranamayakosha: to bless Luisa's baby
3. Manomayakosha: to hear the beauty in it when everyone speaks it
4. Vijnanamayakosha: to be aware of its relationship to the chakras
5. Anandamayakosha: to unite everyone together in a blessing

Maha Gayatri Mantra
Om Bhuh
Om Bhuvaha
Om Savaha
Om Mahaha
Om Janaha
Om Tapaha
Om Satyam
Om Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat
Om Apajoti
Raso Amritam
Brhama Bhuhr Bhuvaswarom

Chakras

7. Sahasrara Chakra
(Color: pure light)
Location: crown
Seed sound: silent OM, visarga (a particular breathing sound in Sanskrit)
Loka: Satyam (truth, reality)
6. Anja Chakra
Location: third eye, point between eyebrows
Seed sound: Aum
Loka: Tapas (austerity or penance)
Element: supreme element in which all elements are present in purest form
5. Visuddha Chakra
Location: throat
Seed sound: Haum
Loka: Jana (humanity, where spiritual darkness ends)
Element: Akasha
4. Anahata Chakra
Location: heart
Seed sound: Yaum
Loka: Maha (balance)
Element: Air
3. Manipura Chakra
Location: solar plexus, above navel
Seed sound: Raum
Loka: Sva (celestial)
Element: Fire
2. Svadhishthana Chakra
Location: genitals, reproductive organs
Seed sound: Vaum
Loka: Bhuvar (astral)
Element: Water
1. Muladhara Chakra
Location: root, base
Seed sound: Laum
Loka: Bhu (physical)
Element: Earth

August weekend - Day one

I feel like we never ended our seven day intensive training. Here we are, back together a week later. Focus is on anatomy and physiology. Kathy brought in several new book to look at. Chakra: Energy Centers of Transformation and Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine by Harish Johari. Also, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

Our different bodies, childhood to adult
We lay down on our mats as Kathy asked us to feel different pressure points of bones and muscle and ligaments sinking into the mat. Where is the most weight? (ie butt, chest, head) Where do we feel the lightest? (fingertips, mouth, toes). We were just being aware of how our body lay on the ground.

We then thought back to when we were babies, toddlers, children, and thought about how our body was different then and now. We were asked to think to how our body changed, if we remember any physical experiences that stand out as trouble in growing or bliss in growing. I remember in my childhood, before teens, I seemed to be able to run all day and play without getting tired. When I got tired, a drink from the hose and catch my breath, and I was off running again! I remember I could try anything (trampolines, somersaults, etc) and not feel any aches or pains the next day. As my teens came on, I was more aware of how my face looked than my body, and feeling unhappy about that.

Kathy asked us to think back to our earliest memory. Mine is of losing my favorite red cup. There was a canal behind our house. I was maybe 1 1/2 or 2 years old. I remember playing with my cup in the canal. My parents were calling for me. When they found me, they did not notice that I dropped my cup in the canal and it was floating away. They were too happy that I was not drowned in the canal. I was crying and tried to tell them about my cup, but I could not talk well then. They did not understand.

Then we were asked to think about the last time we had to use our bodies like children, but as adults. Mine was just yesterday as I tried to swing on a bar that was clearly for little kids. I could not lift my feet off the ground high enough to swing, when I did, it hurt the muscles in my back. Another more vivid memory like that was when I was seven months pregnant with my second son. My first son decided to ignore my requests for him to come out of a bouncy castle. I had to wriggle my body under and around the plastic barrier that kept the kids safe from falling out. The barrier was about 4 foot hight and narrow. I tried to crawl in, but my belly was too big so I had to lay on my back and ungulate around the plastic barrier to get my son. Took a lot of effort.

Koshas
Kathy drew a diagram of the koshas and explained how we descend from one to the next. This discussion reminded me of the kosha charted with yamas and niyamas at the session in April (which I still need to complete). The kosha are sheaths of the self:

• Anna-maya-kosha: "food-body-sheath" is that physical part of which you can touch, that which needs food for sustenance.
• Prana-maya-kosha: "life force-body-sheath" or "air-body-sheath" is that vital force sustained by our breath.
  
• Mano-maya-kosha: "mind-body-sheath" is the astral sheath responsible for thoughts and creativity.
  
• Vijnana-maya-kosha: "awareness-body-sheath" is the sheath that says you are you in relation to other things. It the wisdom that you exist.
  
• Ananda-maya-kosha: "bliss-body-sheath" is that part of you that is pure waves of energy, what you are attaining during samadhi.
  

States of consciousness are waking, sleeping, dreaming and meditation

"Good Postures"
Lists of postures we think are good for...
5 postures for bones: sirsasana (headstand), matsyasana (fish), mariachyasana B, mariachyasana D, uttanasana (standing forward bend)
4 postures for organs: nauli, adho mukha vrksasana (handstand), apanasana ("upside-down child"), urdhva dhanurasana (backbend)
3 postures for muscles: uttkatasana (fierce), shalabasana (locust), pincha mayurasana (forearm stand)
2 postures for breath: nadishodana (alternate nostril breathing), kapalabhkti (skull-shining breath)
1 thing we would teach our students: ujjaya breathing (how to take a slow, full breath)

Homework

1. Watch "A stroke of insight," by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
   
2. Research Yugas
1. Krita Yuga
   
2. Treta yuga
3. Dvapara yuga
4. Kali yuga
   
3. Read up on Koshas
4. Familiarize ourselves with the Chakras
1. Muladhara: root/base of spine/pelvic floor (red)
2. Svadhisthana: sacral/reproductive organs (orange)
3. Maniapura: solar plexis/gut/navel (yellow)
4. Anahata: heart/center of chest (green)
5. Vishuddha: throat (blue)
6. Anja: third-eye/center of forehead (purple)
7. Sahasrara: crown chakra (pure light-white)
   
5. Bring in ear plugs
   

yoga chitta vritti nirodha = yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind