Category Archives: Yoga Teacher Training

Even Yogis Get Nervous

  By | , ,
6 Comments

The last few weeks, I’ve been preparing – like mad – for my final teach in a 200 hour teaching training program.  Despite the usual demands of a very time consuming job and a large family, I’ve  kept up with the work in the program fairly well.  But, I have to say, coming down the home stretch is donkey-kicking my rear.  I am, to be blunt, freaked out and really nervous.  Other people in the program certainly get what I’m experiencing, as we are all together in this place.  However, those friends and acquaintances who aren’t  seem to be a little baffled about why it’s a big deal.

Recently, I’ve heard: “You are a teacher. How hard can it be to teach yoga?”  “You do yoga every day.  It can’t be that hard to just tell other people what to do.”  “Aren’t you yoga people supposed to be really calm all the time?”  hmmm   I’m pretty sure the answers are: hard, yes it can, and supposed-to-be isn’t the same as are.  It’s interesting how we assume that some level of expertise in an area means that all of the characteristics associated with that area will be firmly in one’s grasp all the time.  Doctors should never be sick.  Psychiatrists should never be depressed.  Teachers should have children who get all As.  Yogis should be supernaturally calm and composed every minute.  It’s a lovely idea, but I don’t think it works that way and it’s an important message for both the yoga teacher and yoga students.

Doing yoga can help one achieve a greater state of equanimity and calm.  That’s been one of the major benefits for me in my practice.  And, as a teacher trainee, I also know the philosophical part of this.  I know about aparigraha.  I understand that I should let go of what I’m clinging to (whether that is desire or aversion) and not attach to the fruits of my actions.  Yep, I got it.  But, knowing something and being able to enact it all the time are two different things.

Yoga students and teachers are just people.  They are regular people.  And, when you think about it, the yamas and niyamas wouldn’t be necessary if these traits and habits weren’t pretty natural/normal/usual parts of our human animal-ness.  Yoga teachers and students worry, get mad, have a beer, eat french fries, watch bad TV, read pulp fiction, and so on.  So, if you are a yogi, don’t be too hard on yourself or your peers for being the human blessings that you are.

Namaste,

L

Pregnancy as Yoga

  By | , ,
Leave a comment

In yoga teacher training last night, we talked about modifying a class for a pregnant student. Because of the topic, much time was devoted to talking about why it’s hard to do yoga when pregnant (belly in the way, balance issues, nausea, loose joints). Additional time about the benefits of yoga for pregnant women was also largely about the problems of pregnancy (stress, breathing issues, hormonal imbalance) and how yoga might help. All of that is perfectly appropriate given the focus of teacher training. But, as I thought about the class, and the look on the faces of some of the younger (non-mom) female yogis in the room when the trials and tribulations of pregnancy were being discussed, it occurred to me that what we did not examine is why pregnancy and yoga are such a natural fit.

I would argue that pregnancy, in it’s deepest sense, is yoga. Yoga is union, the connection with others, with Self, with the divine. Isn’t that a pretty good description for pregnancy? During pregnancy, the connection to others, or at least to another, is pretty intense. Of course we are always connected to others, but we manage to ignore it a lot. It’s hard to do that when pregnant, and everything about the social expectations of pregnancy and the physical status encourage the celebration and immersion in that focus on connection to the other. Yoga is connection to the Self – the Self that goes beyond the physical body and is part of something greater and more powerful. This too is something that most pregnant women likely think about often. Pregnancy is pretty amazing. The idea that our physical beings can bring forth a “new” life and the process that gets us there. Wow! It speaks of what part of us goes beyond just self to that Self. And then, there is the divine. I can’t even tell you how many women I’ve spoken to who have had an awakening or re-invigoration of whatever their faith is during pregnancy. Perhaps it’s easier to find that divine when we are in the intimate presence of an experience we feel is so miraculous.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to say that pregnancy is the most yogic thing one can do, or even an important yogic thing to do. As the saying goes: there are many paths to enlightenment. And most of us will tromp down a few of them on our way. But, I am saying we can find yoga in many places, in many forms, and maybe pregnancy is one of them. In any case, it’s a nicer image of pregnancy than the one about the morning sickness, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins 🙂

Namaste!
L

Chanting – It Does a Body Good!

  By | , ,
5 Comments

When I first was exposed to chanting in yoga, I just wasn’t sure about it.  It wasn’t really that I was too worried about what the chant said; it was more discomfort with my own voice, particularly in a language that I did not know.  And I wasn’t convinced that there was any real value. But, I’m also a rule follower, so I gave it a try. And I realized that there was something about the chanting and the resonance of the sound in my head and chest that made me feel amazing, connected, relaxed, and unified with everything and everyone. Now, I pretty much love to chant and do so whenever I can (despite the fact that one of my kids told me it sounded like I was summoning demons to consume her soul).

In a yoga practice, we primarily chant to create union (with others, with Self, with the divine) and send our positive energy out into the world. But, chanting has been shown to also have very real physical effects. Studies of the impact of chanting by neuro-scientist Dr. Alan Watkins, neuro-scientist Dr. Marian Diamond, and physician and psychologist Dr. Alfred Tomatis, among others, have found that chanting decreases physical stress levels, heart rate, and blood pressure while it increases immune system functions and healing.

There are so many wonderful chants that can be part of a yoga class or stand on their own. Three of my favorites are posted below. If you don’t currently have chanting as part of your yoga practice, try it out. You can do so alone (using the wealth of information online), find a group or class to work with, or check around for a Kirtan session going on in your area. However you do it, belt out a few. It can’t hurt and it just might help.

Namaste,
L