It’s really important as a teacher to do your practice. You want to be in the most Sattvic, balanced, state possible so you can be of service to your students.
Deep Relaxation with Shiva Meditation
Back to Basics!
I just finished a wonderful week of study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India. I had a great time exploring the Yoga Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita with Mr. V. Srinivasan, working on Vedic chanting with SaiKripa, and learning new meditation practices with Padmini. Sri T. Krishnamacharya is such a big influence on our modern teaching and practicing of yoga. Is there a yogi practicing today who hasn’t been at least somewhat influenced by Mysore Ashtanga, Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Krama and the Yoga Therapy teachings of T.K.V. Desikachar? All of the founders of these yoga styles were students of this great yogi. What an incredible figure in our yoga community.
Yoga doesn’t ask you to believe in anything.
So many symbols in yoga to help us better understand some of the complicated philosophy. Yoga doesn’t ask you to believe in anything. You have to take your own journey. No one can take it for you. The teacher can point you in the right direction but it’s up to you to walk the path. Think of yoga as the place where science and spirituality meet. Here’s some pictures from our light ceremony on the first night of the retreat. The candle represents you and your inner light. Samkhya philosophy teaches us that we are on a journey in yoga from darkness to the light, from Tamas to Sattva. Tantra philosophy teaches us that the microcosm is the same as the macrocosm. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. Change your behavior on your yoga mat and you will change your behavior off your yoga mat. Change your relationship to that challenging pose that makes you feel uncomfortable and you will change your relationship to that challenging person or situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. You can change your relationship to the world in one second. The mind is constantly falling down, constantly complaining. Life is filled with many more lows than highs. Yoga teaches us to practice gratitude. Shift your perspective. Lift yourself up. Right now, think of how incredible it is to be right here and right now. Breathe into this moment. You don’t get this moment again. Better enjoy it before it’s gone.
Sunya Yoga in Shenzhen!
My student, KiKi owns the studio Sunya Yoga in Shenzhen! I had so much fun teaching at her studio last weekend. We had a really fun Shiva Power master class on Saturday morning. I led a Deep Back Bending workshop on Sunday morning. Thank you to everyone who came to practice with me. The students were so open hearted and very receptive and I think this had a lot to do with KiKi and the energy she is putting out into the world.
Great 2 weeks at Space in Shanghai!
I’m really impressed with this company. Grateful to Robyn for inviting me to collaborate and teach at the studio. Thank you to all the amazing Space staff for being so welcoming and for all your support. And thank you to the wonderful students who have been coming to my classes. It’s been a pleasure practicing with you and helping you to deepen your practice and understanding of yoga. This weekend I’m leading my last 2 workshops — Handstand on Saturday and Backbending on Sunday!!! See you on your mat!!! Namaste.
When did you first start practicing yoga?
Fun pictures at the Guangzhou Dreamer Yoga Festival.
My first yoga practice was when I was studying acting in the UK at RADA for a summer program. We did yoga in one of the movement classes. I don’t know if they were allowed to call it yoga back then because of the perceived connection to religion. I looked back on what we were doing when I started practicing regularly after I’d returned home from the program and realized we’d been doing yoga in some of our movement classes.
Out of your comfort zone.
The Things That Are Working!
So often we complain about things that aren't working in our lives. It is so important to be grateful for the things that are working in your life too.
I was picking up some things at the grocery store tonight. One of the things I grabbed was a piece of garlic bread. They had individual sized pieces of garlic bread! I was so excited. Individual pieces of garlic bread! Incredible. You don't understand. They didn't used to do this and I asked them to make these individual pieces of garlic bread for me a few weeks ago. I have to explain this to you. A few weeks ago, I had asked the people at the bakery to please make some smaller pieces of garlic bread. I was always disappointed when I was shopping, finding only giant, family sized, pieces of garlic bread, when I just wanted a small piece, to heat up for myself. So, they started to cut some of the garlic bread into smaller pieces and began to offer this as well. It was such a small thing but it made me so happy. So, I started to add a small piece of garlic bread to some of my meals over the last two weeks. Perfect. Just enough for me to add to my meal without having to throw any away. Perfect!
Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 2!
This was our first official day waking up at Semilla Verde. I was up at a little before 5am to do my practice so I could lead the group through a morning session at 6am. We did a sun salutation practice, followed by a seated seedless meditation.
After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to the port to head to Bartolome Island.
Steve, a really nice, down to earth guide was to lead us on this journey. We lucked out with Steve as he turned out to be a walking encyclopedia.
Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 1!
We left from LAX on Friday morning. I was flying with three other students coming from Los Angeles: Amber, Alexa and Jaro. We flew to Panama City and then on to Guayakil, a small city in Ecuador. We met up with two more students, Peter and Tina, at the airport in Guayakil. They had arrived on a different flight but were booked at the same hotel that we were. We spent the night in Guayakil.
The Five Restraints from Classical Yoga
Yogis! One of the things I've been talking about in class this past week comes from classical yoga and the 8 limbed practice of astanga yoga, written down by Sage Patanjali around 2000 yrs ago.
Classical yoga gives us our description and systematic approach to concentration and meditation practices, leading us into a state of samadhi, a state in which the mind is quiet. When we say we are looking to "go inward" and "quiet the mind" in yoga, we are referring to classical yoga. When the mind is quiet, the classical yogis tell us, we are able to experience the most subtle aspect of who we are, the pure consciousness part of ourselves, the part of us that is beyond the body, mind, thoughts and ego.
Savasana, Sense Withdrawal, Taking the Mind Inward.
It’s one of the most important poses in a yoga class and often one of the most misunderstood poses. The Final Resting Pose. Savasana.
My teacher, Sri Dharma Mittra, includes savasana in the category of the eight essential poses in yoga. Dharma is well known throughout the world for being a master teacher and having created the asana chart, which hangs on many studio’s walls, featuring Dharma in 908 asanas. According to Dharma, though, there are just eight ESSENTIAL poses: Head Balance, Shoulder Stand, Fish Pose, Lotus Pose, Cobra Pose, Seated Forward Fold, Seated Twist and The Final Resting Pose.
The Cell Phone!
Yogis! We’ve been talking a lot in class this past week about Vedanta Philosophy and Non-Dualism and the influence of this philosophy on our modern yoga culture.
Vedanta gives us the idea that we are ultimately connected to everything and everyone and any separation that exists between us is only an illusion that is only in our mind.
Classical Yoga philosophy tells us that in the stillness, when the mind is quiet, we have the opportunity to experience the pure Consciousness part of ourselves. This is what the yogi’s call Self-realization, the realization of the Self, the experience of the pure Consciousness part of our self.
Shiva Yoga
We finished our second last weekend in my Shiva Yoga 200hr Teacher Training Program last night. I can't believe there's just one more weekend left. I'm so proud of all of the trainees. What a special group. Their level of understanding of yoga practice and yoga philosophy is getting pretty incredible and it's been so inspiring to watch them each grow so much this past year.
Yoga Is the Journey to the Center of Your Wheel
Yoga Is the Journey to the Center of Your Wheel
So much of our practice is about getting to a place where there is more peace and calm, a place where we can be of service to others, a place where we can hold space for others, a place where we can support each other, a place where we can empathize and have compassion for each other and a place where we can love each other.
I’ve been talking a lot in class about how the practice is like one of those children’s wheels in the park that spins around. The children laugh and scream, holding on tightly, as the wheel spins faster and faster.
Your Energy Affects Everyone Around You
Your energy affects everyone around you.
If you choose restraint you encourage others to restrain themselves. If you choose to stay calm and focused in the middle of intensity then you encourage others to choose to remain calm and focused in the middle of intensity.
In yoga, as a yoga teacher, I watch this happen all the time and it’s fascinating. When the group is focused and present (even newer students who have trouble staying focused and staying present), get caught up in the group energy and are pulled along. Everyone stays focused.
The reverse is also true. When several new students are in class together and are unable to focus and unable to stay calm in the middle of intensity, the whole class starts to become distracted. Everyone gets caught up in the group energy and pulled along. Sometimes even the strongest students get caught up in the distraction and are unable to stay focused and present.
It's Up To You!
When the Student Is Ready the Teacher Appears
One of my teachers used to say the world is like an echo. You get back what you put out. If your message is, "I hate you!" The world sends you back the message, "I hate you!" If you're message is, "I love you!" then the world sends you back the message, "I love you!"
We are all vibrating at different frequencies. It's why sometimes we disconnect with people. You're not vibrating on the same frequency as them. They're not really hearing you. You're not really hearing them. You're not really 'getting' each other.
One of the things that I've noticed since teaching yoga is that the clearer I get with the signal that I'm sending out, the clearer I get with what I'm teaching, with what I'm offering as a teacher,...it's like that signal gets heard loud and clear by the people who want what I am offering. These students pick up on it and they find their way into my class. We gravitate towards a teacher that we're ready for. When the student is ready the teacher appears.
