Saturday 14 April 2012

Yogini me?

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for 
living that suits all cases.
Carl G. Jung

I had a light bulb moment today when i was thinking about Being a Yoga teacher. The thought of it excites me yet naturally I am also wondering how i will be as a teacher. I have been trying to be positive and catch myself when I am thinking"I don't think I could be" and daring myself to say "i WILL be" Every Yoga class I have been to has been different, not only because of my state of mind and body at the time but also because of the etcher. Each teacher brings different qualities...all of which i have enjoyed and respected. Some talk through the Asana, assisting with adjustments and detailed direction. On the flip side, there are teachers who have barely said a word.

How will I know if i am a good teacher? I guess I will have some idea if nobody returns!! he he

Warrior

Thursday 12 April 2012

Daily Mantra

What it is

The hot Vinyasa class I went to last night challenged me in more ways then one. It was physically the most difficult I have ever been to. There were no alternatives...just, what seemed to me to be...very advanced asanas. The instructor was amazing and inspiring, however, I was left feeling out of breath and to be honest a little inadequate and far from being able to teach Yoga myself. When I go home I decided to do some reading and came across this article. In particular, this part of the article:


What it's not:

Poses. Poses aren't advanced. As long as we're learning poses, we're all beginners. Which is a great place to be! Also, all our bodies are different. Your shape in a pose is not aiming to be my shape in a pose. There are no universal angles or shapes, just your angles, curves and shapes. Your yoga, your life. Which leads us to "advanced" yoga.

What it is:

Moving into you. Every inch of you. There is no inch of you that is any less important than any other inch. No picture of a pose is a better place to be than each millimeter along the way, from one position of your body to the next. There is no moment that is less worthy of your attention and interest than any other. Think of your moving in yoga like a Japanese tea ceremony. Give your greatest attention to things that appear smallest. The universe is in those small things.

When you become the world's most attentive interested person - in you - that's advanced yoga. Connect to you in this way, and you connect to everyone. That's reality. We're all connected, and it's not even mystical to say this any more. It's physics. So whichever way you like to go there, it's yours. We're one!

When you get here, things get easier. You practice yoga as practice for life, because it's the same thing. How you yoga is how you live. Explore this a little.

If your yoga is forcing, pushing and struggling to get into some kind of pose - maybe because someone told you it's advanced, or because Bob is doing it - then you're practicing struggle, impatience, and discontent with you, where you are. Ignore Bob! Pay attention to you. Everything you need is right there, waiting for you to tune in.  t's not in a pose, it's in you.

If your yoga is calm, easy, relaxed - if you're practicing all the things you actually want in your life, like feeling good right where you are in your own body - this is when the good stuff happens. Rather than being good at doing everything the hard way, you become good at doing hard things the easy way. Rather than always thinking you need to smash through fears and obstacles, you learn that you can be calm and capable in any situation, no smashing required. Doors open for you, because people want you in there, and because you learn to open them for yourself - on your own calm, capable feet.

All this is a way of saying, "advanced yoga" is changing your mind to change your life. Poses, breathing and concentration aren't separately practiced, but integrated as one complete whole. Just like in life, we often need to move, breathe and pay attention all at the same time! When we orient our minds in a healthy way, we get healthy in our bodies and capable in our lives. Suddenly those poses that seemed so tough aren't tough at all. How we move in our bodies, and in our lives, is only limited by our creative capacity to invent ourselves. When you believe in you, your power to be the originator of your own yoga, and your own life, is limitless. And it's available to all of us.
Michael Taylor co "Mind Body Green"

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Pondering today

I was lying in bed last night thinking about my past...smiling at all the amazing times I had as a child with my family, travelling and meeting so many wonderful people, love and all the events that have led me to where I am. As with the Buddhist religion, Yoga focuses on being in the present moment...especially during meditation and physical practice. I am finding that practicing Asanas helps me to focus. It is becoming easier to focus on my breath, the posture and working towards the edge. My challenge will be with meditation. I am trying hard to catch myself as my mind starts to wander. I heard a teacher say "watch your thoughts as they go by" I am going to try it tonight at the end of class in meditation time. 

Monday 9 April 2012

Taking a new path

As part of my Yoga Teacher Training course, we have been asked to Journal. I have kept a written journal since the commencement of the course on march 25th but have decided to blog my entries. I am currently trying to decide whether to undertake the 30 day challenge at my local studio. I really only have a lot to gain from doing it so I just need to take the leap!... It starts in May. I have found meditation quite challenging...usually it is left until the end of the day and I am finding the best place is in the shower! It is the most difficult thing to calm the mind, not engage with the racing thoughts and focus on the breath. I think the key is not to try too hard actually.