Sixth Power Yoga Session

It was a cold morning and the studio was not heated up yet, but three ladies showed up to practice the Friday of a long weekend. The students are more comfortable with me now, asking more questions. Since I am not a trained health professional, I have to be careful what I say. I tell them we'll do some poses that help with their ailments, but if the problem persists, to seek a professional. I also reminded them that if the constant vinyasa in between bothers them, they can cut those out of the practice and just work in the postures, holding them longer.

Suryanamaskar A and variations, Suryanamaskar B, Dolphin, Vasisthasana, Utkatasana, Utkatasana w/ twist, Padangustasana, Utthita Hasta Padngustasana, Garudasana (Eagle), Virabhadrasana I & II, Utthita Trikonasana and reverse, Dandasana, Purvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana A & B, Mariachysana, Navasana, Upavishta Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Camel, Paschimottanasana, Supta Padangustasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Savasana

Article: Yoga for Skiers (Yoga Journal)

Another nice article about yoga for skiers. As with the About.com article, these authors touch on the necessary techniques for skiing that can be developed by a regular yoga practice: dexterity, concentration and balance. This article went into more technical detail about each point made earlier.

• skier angulation overuses hip flexors. If hips flexors are weak, the angular motion and "jarring" can be absorbed by lower back muscles. Skiers with tight hips tend to wrench the upper body, and overuse back muscles, to initiate a turn. Keeping hips supple makes for proper balance and encourages good turning habits
• concentration and awareness of your core is vital to both yoga and skiing. When skiing, your torso and core are faced downhill as your body rises and falls with every turn. Being aware of what your core is doing allows efficient turning techniques and quicker reflexes in unexpected situations.
• check your alignment, stay balanced.
  
  • Feet: shoulder-width apart for a stable base. Tadasana (Mountain Pose).
    
  • Knees: in line with the toes. Utkatasana (Chair Pose).
  • Hips: tipped slightly forward. Although an unnatural position for most people, ski boots help encourage this shape in the lower body.
    
  • Shoulders: relaxed. Tadasana.
  • Torso: still; a "quiet upper body" is allows the lower body to do most of the work while the upper body provides stability.
  • Hands: in front of your body to encourage forward movement and initiate pole plants.

The reason I am interested in these is because I have often thought about offering yoga classes at Jay Peak. Sean has asked me if I would consider offering yoga to some of the group tours before they go skiing, or after skiing. His groups are typically 55+ in age, but if they are avid skiers, they must already be physically fit to ski, and likely aware of their physical ability. I still don't think a power yoga session is for them. Esp. since most of them may have never done yoga before.

I think a morning yoga session before they leave for the slopes would focus on warming up the muscles and increasing blood flow--maybe with sun salutations--and some light focus on lengthening (flexibility) of key muscles they will be using that day: opening hips, stretching quads, hamstrings and calves. An "apres ski" yoga session would be less movement, more restorative and focus on alignment, spending more time in poses, using gravity to stretch deeply. Both styles of yoga would take me some time to ensure I offered a well-developed lesson "plan".

I'm 2 today!

Happy birthday to my little yogi boy. I completely forgot to post about yesterday's Saturday session because I was so excited for my son turning two today.

Asteya pratisthayam sarva ratnopasthanam

To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes.

This evening, while my family was home eating dinner, someone came into our cars in our garage and took things from us. The items they took were meaningless and held no great value, but the audacity of the thief(s) is astounding. They even unlocked our side door, leading us to believe that they wanted to return. What would lead them to do this? Boredom? Hope for more later? They left a mess of things so it made us more aware of it. I just don't get it.

What they did get out of this was teaching us a valuable lesson is learned about not trusting others, keeping our things safe and away from greediness of others. But I still can not help but think about the actions. What did they really hope to gain by taking that risk? The value of the loot in exchange for the risk of being caught was truly worthless. But what they took from us was our innocence. We are more careful now. But the thieves should develop a sense of Karma.

And I missed my yoga class! Those bastards!!

Dolphin rings

What is it about dolphins that intrigues humans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5us-v4bntP8
I watched these two videos on YouTube and found myself wishing I was a dolphin. They are beautiful, graceful, intelligent creatures. And Douglas Adams might just be right...

SmartFun yoga books

I recently bought, "Yoga Games for Children" and "Yoga Adventure for Children", both by SmartFun Books and finally had time to look through them.

Both books focus on more than just yoga postures. They include breathing exercises that help children be aware of breath and understand how their breath works. Both books also have helpful guides to indicate age appropriate exercises. And, of course, the poses and activities are fun. Overall, I like the books and think they would be great for teachers and parents to use as well.

About teaching

I often wonder about teaching yoga. Am I good enough? I wonder less now that I am in a position to teach and learn by teaching. It is coming to me well, and the people who come are good enough student to give me feedback if they need to do so.

But I read a good article on Yoga Journal about "To Each Their Own, to Teach Their Own" with some good points I want to remember (copied from the article):

• If a student objects to your style, then it is their responsibility to change--find another teacher. You are who you are. And so long as you are teaching the techniques without ego, honestly and as you have been taught, the way in which you present is the real you. As a teacher, you have the right—and some might say the obligation—to bring all of your talents to the table and express the teachings through yourself. And students always have the right to listen or walk away.
• It's important as a teacher to be in an open space to receive students' feedback, because it really tells more about where THEY are at than where you are at. As long as you are honest with yourself about your own motivations and choices, you will be on solid ground with most students. In fact, you must find some ground to stand on in order to be a rock for the people you teach.
• A yoga class is a divine appointment that students have made with themselves. It's your job to deliver the teachings, not engage with the ego of your students. To deflect critism without getting on the offensive or defensive, merely say, "You are right. My style is not for everyone."

Other helpful hints in finding you way through critisism:

• Know Thyself, Open Thyself. Your teaching is a combination of age-old wisdom that cannot and should not be changed, and the unique translation of that knowledge through you. You're just the mailman, not the mail. You are delivering, and your style of delivery is unavoidably the manifestation of your own being. Certainly, it never hurts to listen to criticism, to see if possibly it has some merit; but you can't stifle yourself after you've tuned in. What flows through you, the way it flows through you, is the grace of the divine. Being able to simultaneously hold both a sense of humility and a knowledge of your own importance will make the road easier to travel.
• Strength in Numbers. It's harder to reject feedback that comes from more than one student, and over a longer period of time. If one person complains, listen. If more complain, act.
• Shopping Around. On one hand, students are free to leave if they can't take the heat. But on the other hand, it may be your responsibility to suggest they stay through their own discomfort. Western students feel free to shop around for teachers and leave when the going gets tough. They want it to be the way that their ego wants it to be, to feed them in the way they want to be fed and that's not always the best thing for spiritual development. As a yoga teacher, you can try to guide them through the difficulty. Sometimes just talking to them once allows them to stay and find their way. But if it is repeated, then suggesting another studio may be the best course.

Article: Why Yoga Benefits Skiers

I found this article on About.com that talks about the benefits of yoga for skiers. The reporter interviewed a Killington yogi named Karen Dalury. Karen and the author point out that the key skills and techniques needed for skiing--balance, flexibility and concentration--are all honed and sharpened by proper yoga practice. I like some of the following points made in the article:

• Technology and improvements to equipment have helped reduce most common leg fractures, but it still leaves the knee at a high risk for injury.
  
• Developing a yoga practice that increases the dexterity, flexibility and strength of support of the muscles surrounding the knee can help reduce injury. Particularly, strengthen the inner and outer thigh, calf and abductor and adductor muscles surrounding the knee.
  
• Engaging core muscles into balancing learned during proper yoga practice can "bear the load", or redirect the weight bearing off the knees and into the core body
• In skiing, angulation of the hips is involved when we lean on our edges. Angulation is not something we regularly do so flexibility focus on opening the hips helps us reengage massive muscle groups that we have forgotten in our "sit to do everything" world.
  

Fourth Power Yoga Session

I had a record 6 people attend today, and another man! My sinuses were still packed up, but did not interfere too much.

Suryanamaskar A with extended legs, Suryanamaskar B, Vasisthasana ("side plank pose" with both legs down), Utkatasana, Utkatasana w/ twist, Padangustasana, Padangustasana w/ hands interlaced, Utthita Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana I & II, Vrksasana, Standing 1/2 Padmasana (lotus pose), Uttita Hasta Padangusthasana, Purvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana A & B, Navasana, Pidgeon, Upavishta Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Camel, Paschimottanasana, Supta Padangustasana, Dhanurasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Savasana

Skier Rider Yoga

Signed up for skier/rider yoga clinic with YVT. First class was tonight. I love the change from traditional ashtanga. I love Kathy's enthusiasm. I love getting ready for snow!

Attempting to start...

my independent research study. I have several resources and I spend an hour reading through them this afternoon. The most obvious thing I see is that several different book call the same poses different names. I have some books from the mid-70's and some that were published more recently. I'm comparing them now. I'll give me thoughts in the blog as I go along.

But, I an doing a good job procrastinating. I think I am waiting for some kinds of spark of inspiration. I better just schedule my first teaching session--it will provide a spark for me.

Third power yoga

This morning I taught power yoga again. I had a male student today! The other three were repeast yogis. My sinus infection/cough did not stop me, but did make talking and breathing difficult. I had a little less confidence, but still was able to get through the poses without a mental block.

Suryanamaskar A, Suryanamaskar B, Padangustasana, Utkatasana, Utkatasana w/ twist, Utthita Trikonasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Virabhadrasana I & II, Arda Chandrasana, Utthita Parsvakonasana to "Reverse Warrior", Vasisthasana ("side plank pose" with both legs down), Paschimottanasana, Purvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Upavishta Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Navasana, Supta Padangustasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana

Breath is Life

One of the things I have changed since pursuing my yoga training is my focus on breathing. Not just doing more pranayama exercises, but being more mindful and conscious of every breath I take, and being more aware of the importance of breathing.

Prana is life force. Without or life force, we expire...die. Sometimes, I realize that it has been a while since I took a real breath. I then inhale and fill my lungs with fresh air, and expell out all the air, removing stale air that seemed to be hanging around in the lungs too long. Other times I wonder how long can I go without a nice, deep inhale? What happens to my body if I don't take care of "recharging"? What if I forgot to breathe?

I think about this conscious breathing and a small part of me thinks that doing this will keep my mind and body healthier, cleaner, "fresher."

Pratyahara Saturday session

Sense withdrawal or pratyahara, was today's Saturday session topic. We talked about the senses a little bit and examples of pratyahara, like when you change the senses to a more intensified focus or withdrawing from other senses to focus on the task of a particular sense. We listed ways we have experiences pratyahara for each of our senses:

Smell
1. zeroing in on who's baby has a poopie diaper
2. identifying if the strange smell in the house is a gas leak
3. inhaling the scent of roses to relax and enjoy

Taste
1. ascertain if I ate something bad
2. enjoy the taste of real, dark chocolate
3. test a recipe's edibility

Touch
1. feel if there is a fish bone in my mouth
2. searching for car keys in the bottom of my bag
3. feel around behind furniture for a particular toy

Hear
1. distinguish if it is my child crying or the other kid
2. defining a sound (ie a boat or motorcycle)
3. determine where the "meows" are coming from to find where the cat got stuck

See
1. determining an object far away
2. reading
3. looking for a child in the woods

Pratyahara, although considered "sense withdrawal" is the time of change when we go into the sense withdrawal. Kathy wants us to notice the following instances:
- when we are falling asleep
- a situation that intrigues us
- a situation that repels us
- when we begin to notice that something is funny

Blindfolded/Earplugged Experience
We spent over an hour practicing yoga, blind-folded and with earplugs in. At first, I was hesitant and slow. I kept reaching out my hands and feet to find the corners of the mat. During suryanamaskars, I checked in with my body and mind. My breath was "in my ears" and I focused on its volume and quality in my head. I found myself adjusting and strengthening my ujjay breath. I also checked in more with my bandhas, feeling if they were engaged or not.

After a while, I began to build pace as I started my standing postures. This is when standing and lunging became a little difficult. I kept feeling like I was moving, like on a sailboat. A slight sensation of motion sickness, but never developed into nausea. I became off balance, and because of this I had to reminded myself more than usual to lock bandhas. The standing big-toe posture was nearly impossible. I missed having my focus point or other point of reference--a knot of wood to stare at or a crack in the wall. So, I imagined the knot in my mind's eye. This helped tremendously and I was able to hold steady and get deeper into the posture.

As I moved to seated postured, things became easier and I found my mind clearing. I began to sense more "little things" like the touch of my hair on my cheeks, a small itch on my shoulder, pants falling down. These thing I never notice before, or if I do, I clear the sensation without thinking about it. While blindfolded, the sense of these annoyances was magnified.

I found myself visualizing myself doing the yoga. I could not see my hands and legs in motion, but I imagined them, the way I remembered seeing them before. It was as if I were watching myself do yoga, not really doing it.

Discussion
We had a long discussion about how yoga, and attending the workshops, has changed our life. Many of us felt an almost depression after we spent the entire week together in July, then we had to return to our daily lives. Kathy described it like putting on armor. How do we continue to practice yoga, when the rest of the world is not? We have to deflect everything else and try to take care of ourselves first.

One person talked about how a friend left his "real world" and entered into a peaceful commune. It was easy to live in a yogi way there. He found that there were no challenges to it, and left the peacefulness for the rest of the world again, where he could actually practice yoga, and strive to be a yogi without having the yoga already done for him (in a sense).

In a future blog, I will write about how yoga has changed my life and how in everything I do, I think about the consequences and if I am happy with my decisions. Particularly with what I consume and how I raise and love my children and family.

Kathy reminded us that we are always connected with the divine. How we chose to honor that connection is how we live our lives. Through discernment, we learn what to do with our lives and how to make choices. Through contentment, we learn to be happy with our choices.

We discussed a little bit about the difference between self-depreciation (mentally beating yourself up, ie "I'm too fat") and self-improvement.

Kathy reminded us that we should read biographies of great yogis and learn about the world's religions. Learn what is Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Suism, Buddhism, Judaism, etc.

I made a note that I need to work on my splits.

We ended class learning some assists, particularly assisting Adho Mukha Svanasana.

More confidence

I taught another power yoga class again this morning. Four people again, but a three were different than last week (so one return!!). One seemed a bit disappointed that Stacey was not there, but I just went ahead. I thought I had a good plan. This time I did prepare a bit, writing down poses I wanted to do the night before. But I did not use a cheat sheet like at boot camp a few months ago. I'm more confident now. I added a few moves to get the blood pumping, still think I can get them moving more. Next week, I'd like to add Utkatasana and more balancing postures like tree, half moon and warrior 3.

Suryanamaskar A, Suryanamaskar B
Padangustasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Virabhadrasana, Utthita Parsvakonasana to "Reverse Warrior"
Vasisthasana ("side plank pose" with both legs down), Paschimottanasana, Purvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (one-legged king pidgeon pose), Baddha Konasana, Upavishta Konasana, Supta Padangustasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana