Tag Archives: Yoga

Yoga Teacher Training – Starting Thoughts

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WOOHOOO!  I’m starting yoga teacher training!  I’m SO excited!

Image from stgeorgeyoga.com

Yes, I’m a little enthused, can you tell? I’ve been wanting to do this for over a year, and I think the time is right. I’m beginning my 200-hour training at my favorite yoga studio, Yogawood,in Collingswood, NJ.  I can’t say that I don’t have some nerves about it all, primarily related to my physical challenges with rheumatoid arthritis and being able to “keep up” with the program. But, I’m feeling quite dedicated to it, so that’s something, right?

There are a number of things that I hope to achieve in my training, and since I’m sure I’ll be blogging about it, it seems fair to lay them out here and then I can revisit them later as I go.  But, before I do, I just want to give a shout-out to my family for supporting me in this adventure.  It’s going to take some time and effort, and not just from me, so I really appreciate theVeganAsana family buy-in (extra thanks to the spousal unit for sponsoring these classes for mother’s day, b-day, and anniversary gifts).  Ok, so on to the four big goals and hopes for the training.

  • I hope to deepen my practice.  I’ve made a lot of changes in the last few years of doing yoga, and particularly over the last 2 years with more dedicated and regular sessions.  But, I know there is so much room to grow, both physically and mentally.
  • I want to grow my understandings of yoga history and philosophy.  I read (a lot), but there is something about sitting with a group of peers and talking through what you are reading that really helps you to own the knowledge.  When my students (not yoga, the other ones) are trying to learn something and struggling, I tell them to talk about it with their parents and roommates and romantic partners.  That act of verbalizing and engaging about what you are reading and learning really helps to bring it home.
  • I want to be a part of a group of people dedicated to exploring yoga.  In Buddhist thought, we might call this a sangha.  I’m not sure what the term is for a group of yogis (gaggle? herd? hive? school? murder? clutch? swarm? coven? dunno).  But, whatever it is, I want to be part of one and share that energy.
  • I want to share my excitement about yoga with others – those in my class and eventually beyond.  I’m sure my family and friends get tired of hearing about it.  (Have I mentioned how much better my body feels? Have I told you that I don’t yell much anymore?  Have you heard that my resting BPM has dropped substantially?)  So, I need new victims listeners.

And then there are the mini-goals (things like learning to reliably get into handstand without the wall and figuring out how to get from Chaturanga to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana without my thighs touching the floor).  So, yep, that too, but those I can flex on some (ha ha!  what I did there,  you saw it?) because the body has a will of it’s own.

Anyway… YOGA YAY!

Namaste,

L

    A Grateful Stance or The Seven Wonders

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    Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful. ~ Buddha

    I’ve posted this quote on The Veganasana facebook page before, and it’s one of my favorites (admittedly, I have many favorites).  I love this reminder of all that we have in this life.  Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of whining and complaining around me.  Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone needs to have a little whine now and then.  It’s good for clearing out that emotional stuff and it’s nice exercise for the vocal chords.  Plus, it is true that we all have our troubles, our sorrows, and our pain.  But, the flipside of that coin is that we also all have something(s) for which to be grateful.  I’ve been working on cultivating my gratitude for a good while, not always as successfully as I would like – I can sometimes be uber-whiny.  So, I am going to take a moment here to put out there seven the wonders of my life (there are more, but I’m going to cram as much as I can into seven).

    ~ I woke up this morning.  See what I did there?  That’s a biggie.  I woke up.  I opened my eyes and took another breath and I got to spend another day with my friends and my family and my coworkers enjoying this beautiful world.  Nice.

    ~ When I woke up, I was in my body, with all of it’s pretty cool parts.  Yep, I have RA – and it’s flaring a little right now.  Uh huh, got that lymphodema in the right leg, reflux in the gut, and a kickin set of allergies.  BUT, I’ve got eyes and they see such beauty.  I’ve got limbs and they allow me to move and do things and wear nice pants : )   I have muscles and joints that allow me to participate in the practice of yoga, which I adore.  I’ve got a digestive system that does frankly fascinating things (everybody poops – I don’t know if you knew that, but I read it in a book once – true story and very cool).  I’ve got a heart that keeps beating, all the time, and I’m not even doing it.  I’ve got a mind that allows me to think about stuff and ponder it and write blogs about it and study and understand it.   I could go on, but seriously, isn’t the body nifty?

    ~ I’ve got people I love.  I have a spouse who makes me giggle so hard that I snort and keeps me intellectually challenged.  I’ve got kids who love me and annoy me and amuse me all at the same time.  I’ve got siblings and parents who bring me much joy and give me a sense of place.  I’ve got in-laws who have added a wonderful whole additional set of family cultures to my life.  I’ve got friends who keep my head above water, listen to me when I’m not feeling grateful, and make me laugh until my stomach hurts.  Nice.

    ~ I have a job.  Rockin.  And, you know, it’s a pretty cool job.  I get to contribute to the life of the mind of a whole bunch of people day in and day out.  And I get to work in a nice climate controlled building with bathrooms and running water and pictures on the wall and computers and a little mini fridge in my office and a teapot.  That’s pretty sweet.  I’m freakin’ lucky, huh?  Sure, every day and every moment isn’t a delight.  It doesn’t always go the way I want it to or the way I think it should, but still.  When I think about all the jobs I could be doing and that would be way less enjoyable for me and when I think about what having this job allows me to do for myself and my family… well…

    ~ I’ve got hobbies that I enjoy.  I get to blog.  I get to read. I get to tweet. I get to do yoga (did I mention that I love yoga?).  I get to read about and cook vegan and vegetarian food.  I get to listen to music and watch TV.  I have time to do these things.  I have the ability to do these things. I have the financial wherewithal to do these things.  I’m in a pretty swell place.

    ~ I’ve got people I don’t love.  Yep, them too.  There are people in my life who I don’t feel super warm and cuddly about.  They aggravate me (sometimes intentionally).  They dislike me.  They make things harder.  Maybe they say things that are painful.  But, they help me grow.  They help me to work on my sense of humor, my equanimity, my gratitude.  They help me to see the areas I need improvement in.   So, I’m grateful for them as well.

    ~ I’ve got pets and other animals around me.  Animals rock.  There is something about having a dog or a cat, or even a lizard looking at you with eyes that say, “I trust you with my life and my wellbeing” or “I’m SO AMAZINGLY HAPPY you came home!”  They really do bring something special to my life and I’m so glad that I get to have that experience.

    So, there you go – the seven wonders of my life (and yes, I do know that I crammed about 27 things into each one).  Sorry about the gooey-ness  and positivity of the post. If that stuff annoys you, see me later and I’m sure I’ll find something to complain about.

    All in all, I’m one lucky and grateful person.  Are you?

    Namaste,

    L

    Competition is nature?

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    When we are in competition with ourselves, and match our todays against our yesterdays, we derive encouragement from past misfortunes and blemishes. Moreover, the competition with ourselves leaves unimpaired our benevolence toward our fellow [human].
    ~ Eric Hoffer

    I’m competitive.  I’ve admitted it before here and now I’ll do it again.  I can talk about the problems inherent in competition and how  much more competitive it makes us when we live in an individualistic culture.  But, even so, I’m competitive.  Whatever I do, I want to be good at it.  Actually, I often want to be better than others.  I don’t always want to be the best (but sometimes I do).  And I feel bad about that.

    Photo by Roger Hooper

    But, at the same time, isn’t competition somewhat a part of our animal nature?  Every animal that lives in a pack, herd, swarm, flock, murder, clutch, or hive competes for position within the group, and competes with other groups for power or resources.  So, it’s reasonable to expect that humans will do so as well.  I mean, sure we try to get beyond our animal natures, but at the end of the day, as my daughter used to say, we are all meat.

    In yoga, there seems to be a general feeling among many practitioners that competition isn’t good.  It’s interesting, because even the Buddha sometimes used competition between his Bikkhus to encourage them in their practice and learning/teaching of the dharma.  So, why should we not be competitive in yoga?  Part of it, I would say, is because competition between self and others can encourage one to pay more attention to what others are doing than to your own behaviors.  As my yoga instructor today, Micki, noted, you should literally “mind your own business,” as in devote your mind to what you are doing, and not to what others are doing.  Additionally, to think about yoga as a competition with others tends to put the focus on what we can do with the body, some of which is a factor of our physical body features – not of our effort or practice, and reduces attention to what the physical practice does for the mind.

    And yet, competition can also inspire our practice.  Competition with the self (can I go a little further today than I did yesterday?) can encourage us to try a bit harder or stretch a bit deeper.  It’s easy enough to stop pushing against the edge when we get into a position in a way we find acceptable if we don’t maintain a bit of self-competitive spirit.  Even comparison with others can be beneficial.  Now and then, a yoga teacher will instruct the class I’m in into a pose that I first think is pretty much impossible for anyone who is not that teacher.  But, when I take a quick glance around the room and see that others are making their way into some degree of the pose, I get comforted in the realization that it isn’t impossible and inspired to try.

    I guess the bottom line may be the middle path (or would that be the middle line?).  As with so many other things, perhaps too much competition isn’t so good and too little competition isn’t so helpful, but a middle amount of competitive spirit can be “just right.”  Maybe we can call it the Goldilocks of Competition?

    And now, back to the bears.

    Nameste,

    L