One of many valid prespectives on how to teach yoga

It has been a while since I have posted but inspired by tonight’s Yoga Dance Class i have some thoughts to share. Reflecting on my own teaching style and asking my self why do i teach the way i do ? Was i taught to do it this particular way ? Am i emulating what i have experienced in other classes and enjoyed ? Am i just repeating what i have heard others say ? Or am i coming from my own direct experience and sharing what i have experienced to be true, not just what i have heard or seen. There were various flavors of yes and no for each question, but with these questions came a perspective that i feel would be a valuable one to consider. Making no claim this is a correct or superior perspective, each teaching style has something to offer. Here is one of many:

The thing that got me thinking about this in the first place is that i often don’t assist while i am leading a class. I find it difficult to maintain a good rhythm and flow , while assisting individual people (perhaps this is something that comes with experience). You also never really know if a particular person on a particular day would even prefer having an assist. If they do happen to prefer one and they notice others getting an assist, they may start to subtly crave one and throw off the balance of the mind. Any form of outside stimulation , like a physical adjustment or a verbal command directed towards an individual can be a distraction to the meditative aspect of the flow. Of course there are benefits as well for being physical guided into proper alignment or verbally corrected if your doing something that may injure you. There is a place for each perspective, here i focus on the non assist perspective.

When i say non assist i am referring to no physical assists, as well as no verbal assists directed at a particular person. So if your not assisting either physically or verbally what are you doing as you teach ? Practicing. Just like everyone else, we come to yoga to practice. What are we practicing ? Absorption. Absorption with our direct experience. Being fully present. Awake and aware, content and non attached. Taping into our energetic nature and observing as it unfolds. Although when you need to lead a class, how do you direct the practice of others ? By being completely present with your own practice and describing in as much detail as possible, exactly what you are doing moment by moment. As you feel the adjustments you make in your own practice coming into alignment, describing that experience. Clearly seeing what your doing physically and mentally, then finding the words to explain. Not only then are you practicing what you preach , but you are only preaching what you yourself are practicing in that moment. Instead of having thoughts about what you will teach and how you will teach it, actually practicing your self and just describe what you are aware of.

This can be a practice its self for the teacher. Staying so present with your own practice that you are able to explain exactly what your body is doing. Letting the students take in that information and apply little parts of it that relate to them at that moment. While still allowing the freedom of the students to make their own decisions on what feels right in their body. With out ever correcting them , but offering general detailed enough alignment principles that they will correct them selves when ready. Finding the alignment in their own body which only they have the direct experience of. No one else can find that for them.

I offer this approach as an option to consider. Making it very easy to show up to teach. Simply practice and describe. Do not disturb, the natural flow of each persons individual experience. This may not be the optimal approach for beginners, but can potentially be used once a practitioner has become aware enough to not injure themselves. What do you think ?

Metta,

Danny

An interesting article from a must read author and book, Mark Singleton Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice

http://themagazineofyoga.com/blog/2010/10/13/mark-singleton-part-two/

Chanting with Laksmish

Found a little clip of my Sanskrit teacher at KPJAYI in Mysore...

Photos from Lindsay's Garden

It was a beautiful day in the garden.  Thanks Lindsay!

Namaste!

"If It Hurts, You're Doing It Wrong."

Do yoga daily! Does that sound like it takes a great deal of discipline? David Williams thinks not, as he has been practicing the Ashtanga system of yoga daily, with the exception of moon days and Saturdays, since 1973. David is a dedicated practitioner, because he is fascinated by yoga and its many benefits . To him, discipline implies punishment. Upon meeting the very fit and energetic fifty five year old David, the benefits of yoga become readily apparent.

• "If it hurts, you're doing it wrong."
• "One millimeter past a stretch is tearing."
• "You cannot heal pain by adding more pain."
• "Yoga will cure everything except injuries caused by improper yoga practice!"
• "Do not tug."
• "In India, the words yoga and meditation are synonyms."
• "What is most important is what is invisible [moola bandha, deep breathing, and mental focus]."
• "Yoga is a path to self realization and liberation ... it is meditation in motion."
  "Pay attention, be aware, be present in life."

These are just some of the astute observations of David Williams during a four day workshop I attended. Beginning September 30, 2004, my view of yoga was changed forever. The workshop was an almost 180 degree turnaround from my strict alignment based training of the past eleven years. If it hurts, you are doing it wrong, was a principle theme of David's workshop. Based on the number of injured Ashtanga yogis I have met, perhaps this is a very good rule to follow. He shared with us the Ashtanga system of yoga as it was taught to him by Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. It is a bit different than one might experience at a led Ashtanga yoga class in the west where competition plays a large cultural role. When David first ventured to Mysore there were not any led group classes and yoga was only taught individually and passed
along to others in the same manner.
David's fascination with yogis was what led him to India in 1971, for he desperately wanted to learn “the yoga”. Through serendipitous events and some hardship, he eventually met his teacher, Pattabhi Jois. One evening, Manju Jois (Pattabhi's son) was performing a yoga demonstration where David expressed his sincere desire to learn. However, Manju said he was traveling and had no organized classes. He had learned from his father. Manju also told David that his father only taught Brahman men. Upon meeting Pattabhi in the flesh, David's enthusiasm and sincerity were so apparent that he agreed to teach him. David was instructed for four months, learning the first, second, and half of the third series of Ashtanga yoga. When David's visa expired he returned to America and began teaching classes at a yoga and kung fu studio.

Soon thereafter, Pattabhi Jois contacted David wanting to come to America. David arranged what would be considered in today's terminology a "workshop". Each student contributed enough to pay for Jois and his son, Manju, to come to America. Jois and Manju stayed for four months. During the workshop, David told us the story of Ashtanga yoga and how it came to be taught by Pattabhi Jois in India. It is as follows: Krishnamacharya was the head professor at Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Mysore. He decided he wanted to learn yoga and ventured to Mt. Kailash in Tibet and then Varanasi in search of a yoga master. Daily for eight months, Krishnamacharya would request to meet with the master and daily for eight months, he was refused. One day, his request was honored and after passing a rigorous Sanskrit test, Krishnamacharya was invited to learn yoga. Upon completing his eight years of training, he returned to the Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Mysore.

It was only a short time before fourteen year old Pattahbi Jois became one of Krishnamacharya's students and began to learn the Ashtanga system of yoga. Jois tells that he was basically an apprentice to Krishnamacharya and had to beg to be taught yoga. A few years later, the asthmatic sixteen year old nephew of Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar, came to Mysore. Iyengar's family sent him to his uncle to learn yoga only after exhausting all other possibilities of treatment for his lung/breathing disorders. Jois taught the sickly teenager. Later Krishnamacharya decided to retire and move to the coast, leaving Jois in charge of the yoga program. Jois was twenty-three at the time. Jois
became a Sanskrit Vidwan (master) as well as the yogasana teacher at Maharaja's Sanskrit College.
David’ s first focus is on the moolabandha, deep breathing, and continuous one pointed concentration. “If it hurts, back off. If it is one millimeter past a stretch, back off. That way no one gets hurt”, mused David. He suggested we use our breath to move ourselves into a posture, rather then pulling or tugging on toes, legs or arms. He also stressed the importance of symmetry. Everyone is stronger, tighter, weaker, etc. on one side. Try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand! “Openings" as so beamingly referred to by some are actually tears and rips, David asked that no one have an "opening" during his workshop!
Here are some differences between most ashtanga classes I have attended and David’s workshop, they are:

• no vinyasas between sides (this is how it was taught in Mysore)
• cobras rather than up dog (ie knees on floor) ... what a difference that makes when you do bunches of them!
• to prevent injuries: no shoulder stands, headstands or handstands (during first series class)
• to prevent injuries: no backward somersaults

David stayed on his mat during practice and led the class by doing the asanas with us, rather than moving about the class. David taught us that if moola bandha is being properly done, the uddiyana is automatically engaged. The gazing point in most forward
bending postures is the navel, rather than the toes. This engages the chin lock, as instructed by the Yoga Scriptures. He said that if someone has their chest completely on their thighs and chin between legs, then they can look up and gaze at toes, however this
is not appropriate for those who cannot get their head to their knees, and does not give the benefits of the chinlock. Keeping the head down completes the natural curve of the spine and allows for the aid of gravity. David's dialogue does not include many Sanskrit words and he believes that knowing Sanskrit does not make someone a better yogi. The opening and closing chant are not taught because he has found that some students have no desire to invoke Hindu Gods. David teaches from his mat and claims that most people learn better by observing as well as hearing instructions, rather than just listening. He says that savasana is the MOST important part of practice. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Savasana or corpse pose is the time when our body utilizes the prana created by the breath and moola bandha. Prana is life force; prana heals us. Keep the body and the
mind still; do not think (because mental energy is more taxing than physical). Our genetic code and DNA know exactly where healing is needed and will automatically send prana to that area. Cover up with lots of blankets to keep the internal heat as long as possible. David suggested that if one is at home, get in bed under the covers! Depending on one's physical limitations, David may ask someone to repeat sun salutation A and sun salutation B three, five or even ten times, then return the next day for more of the same or to add new poses. When instructing privately, David has time to fully assess each individual, their capabilities, goals, and injuries. During a group class there is not time for that special attention, therefore he does not teach headstand or shoulder stand during first series because he does not want even one person to injure themselves. He also talked about resting on moon days and Saturdays. Consistency is the key. When Jois taught David in Mysore, there were no vinyasas between right and left sides. This began in California because classes became so popular and crowded that Jois added vinyasas to make certain everyone mastered the basics.
After more than twenty years of exclusively teaching private classes, David has recently decided to travel and instruct groups in an effort to introduce the original ashtanga system as it was taught to him by Jois. David does not refer to his workshops as teacher trainings; he wants to appeal to everyone and even though someone may be a student with no intention of ever teaching, no one knows the future. One may end up teaching many people or perhaps just a friend. He considers us all potential teachers.
Most yoga in our lives will be practiced alone so we need to make it fun and make it feel good; that is the key to being able to do yoga at age ninety! A minimum of ten minutes per day. Sun salutations A and B along with the three finishing postures. It sounds easy. The question is ... are you fascinated enough?


http://www.ashtangayogi.com/HTML/article5.html

Subji (sub-jee)

with love from Milk Baba


olive oil or sesame oil HOT in bottom of pan
throw in seeds and spices.
throw in onion mixture.
then vegies with water
let cook a while then add tomatoes last

Baba also sometimes slips in 
peanut butter or cream cheese or ghee.


five seeds of some sort:
banchaphuran  is the name for all five
also pronounced panchaphuran.

spices heaping in a bowl:
cumin
corriander
gurumasala powder
cayanne
paparika
meganut powder
chili
salt
black pepper
anything else that catches your eye

more spice:
onion
garlic
ginger
any pepper

chop very small:
potatoes
beet
carrot
sweet potatoe
zuchini and or yellow squash
asparagus
any other vegie you can get your hands on
mushroom
tofu

in separate bowl:
last time putting
tomatoe

RAM RAM SITA RAM

Second Series?

I googled second series for a good chart to follow, and this is what it came up with...
(quite possibly the most anatomically un-useful chart ever!)

Junior Yoga Workshop

Last week, I volunteered at my son's school to lead a yoga workshop outside for four days. In each workshop with eight children, I had to fill up about 4 hours of time. Although we were in a tent, it was still hot on some days, and stormy on others. So needless to say, flexibility was KEY.

Kids can't just do poses for four hours. Attention span, physical endurance, behavior issues all came into play. I have developed a bag of tricks I'd like to share with you all.

Each child had a yoga mat, and I started off with some basic warm ups not just to limber up, but to remind them of their "personal space". With arms and legs spread, we swept our arms around in an imaginary bubble. If two "bubbles" touched, the kids rearranged to make sure they had enough space.

We then began to go through poses. I have read many different kids' yoga books to come up with 36 poses that can all be named after animals or objects. The reason I did this is because I have a bag of little plastic animals and shapes that the kids use to learn from. They closes their eyes, reach into the bag, draw one out, then we learn that pose. Those animals are also good for Savasana breathing at the end: I place one animal on each child's chest and have them watch the animal rise and fall with their breath.

We did modified Sun Salutations. We did handstands using the baseball backstop. We did partner poses. We also did the three Warrior poses in a series I call "Flight of the Arrow" (I changed the names to "Archer" poses). We start in Warrior 2, "put your hands together in front, and draw back your bow". Then we "make the arrow" by putting our arms up into Warrior 1. "Place the arrow in the bow" (bend forward with arms parallel to ground, bent over knee) "then let the arrow fly!" by bringing the back leg up into Warrior 3.

One thing that amazed me was the fact that almost every child could do Crow by the end of the workshop. And it was, by far, the most favored pose. As I said, poses are physically demanding, and frustrating for some children who are still learning balance and coordination. That is where some hands on stuff comes in!

The first activity we did was to review the poses using marshmallows and toothpicks. One large marshmallow, 6 mini marshmallows, and 9 toothpicks. After we assembled, the kids arranged the figure into yoga poses that they learned. The best part, of course, was eating the marshmallows at the end!


The second activity was coloring mandalas. I bought the stained-glass mandala coloring book by Dover publishing. Using markers, the kids had some quiet time coloring their mandalas to take home.

Other things I did was teaching them about breathing, placing their hands on their chest to feel their heart, ribs, belly and how they move while breathing. I also made up a story with words that were the yoga poses they learned. As I said each yoga pose word, they were to show me that pose. I.e. "Then the EAGLE landed on the TREE."

I had fun and plan to continue this workshop for years to come.
Jaycie

Please watch - it is very short. xoxo kath

Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes | Video on TED.com

Wisdom and Yoga – Vipassana insights on Yoga pactice

What is your purpose of practicing yoga ? Why do you do it ? What does it do for you ?

On the surface Yoga practice is great exercise. Asana and Pranayama how ever you happen to practice them are great for the body and mind. Given that the body and mind are so interrelated keeping the body in good health will also help to keep the mind in good health. Some might also practice yoga for temporary stress relief, deep relaxation, getting into your body and out of the constant chatter of the mind. You come to your practice with all of the struggles from the day and hopefully leave rejuvenated ready to face what ever comes your way. Although when challenging situations come up, things don’t go as you expected or deep emotions bubble up where is that peaceful feeling that you left your practice with ?

Physical health, relaxation, and a few moments of peace are nothing to be taken lightly and if that’s what brings you to Yoga your still doing much better than many others struggling to find those things in life. Although with a deeper understanding of the practice there is an opportunity for more than just a temporary relief. How about liberation, happiness independent of conditions, insight into who you are, a sense of lasting peace that does not fade in the hard times as well as the good times.

Through my recent experience at a 10 day Vipassana course, during which we were encouraged not to practice yoga, a few things about my own practice and what Yoga means to me became a little more clear. It was apparent to me, that at some level i was indeed attached to yoga practice. That great feeling you get working the body, and the deep relaxation that comes when you are done. What an amazing feeling ! Who would not want to have that ? To what extent though is that useful ? Does yoga just become yet another thing in your life that you feel like you need to be happy ? Something outside of your self that is bringing you this happiness. If only i could practice yoga everyday , maybe a few times a week , ahhh then i would be really happy? That feeling of craving that might arise after a stressful day, “practicing some yoga would really make me feel better right now”. If you know anything about yoga philosophy you probability know that yoga is about being in the moment, allowing things to be as they are, contentment and non attachment. I make no claims to say that your not actually doing that, but really investigate your own experience especially when it comes to practicing yoga its self.

I really feel that the insight from Vipassana mediation has much to offer a Yoga practice. Turing it from a temporary relief to a real beginning of transformation and change. Here are the basics of Vipassana mediation and why it is useful:

Buddhism is primary based on what is called the four noble truths:

1) There is suffering

2) The origin of suffering is craving and aversion

3) There is a way to stop suffering

4) This is a path leading to the end of suffering ( Enlightenment )

You could go on in great detail about these four topics, but what is important for my purpose here is the second noble truth. Simply put the very root of our suffering is because we crave things that we like and avoid things we don’t like. If the world was a perfect place and we could always get what we want and completely avoid the thing we don’t want then there would be no problem here. Unfortunately at least from my own experience that is not the case, sometimes we don’t get what we want and sometimes we can not avoid situations we would not like to be in. What is interesting here is that we often attribute the cause of this suffering to outside factors. If only i could acquire some thing or have some experience then i would be happy. Even when we get that thing or experience we are still not satisfied looking for yet another external thing to bring us happiness. If only that person would change or act differently to me then i would be happy. We attribute our happiness outside of our self’s because we don’t understand what is going on at a deeper level. How do we maintain peace and balance of mind though all of life’s ups and downs ?

It is said that there are five things that make up our experience:

1) Physical Matter

2) Consciousness

3) Perception / Evaluation

4) Feeling / Sensation

5) Reaction / Mental Conditioning

With everything that we experience through any of the 6 sense doors ( Sound, Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch, Mind), anything we experience outside or that we generate inside with our own minds:

We first are aware of it through Consciousness. We then perceive it through the lens of our past experience and conditioning, evaluating the raw data and making logical sense out of it. That evaluation results in a positive, negative or neutral sensation arising somewhere in the body (regardless if we are able to detect it). We then react to that sensation with craving or aversion. Wanting to hold on the the pleasant sensations and get rid of the negative ones. This is not something we are normally directly aware of, when very strong emotions or sensations come up we are very aware of them. When very subtle emotions or sensations come up we are not aware but the deepest level of the mind is always aware and reacting to sensations on the body. We think that things outside our of selves are making us feel good or bad, where we are recognizing the object, evaluating it and then reacting to the sensation that was produced. Mind and Body are interconnected, with an experience in the mind manifests a sensation in the body. It is in fact our reaction to the sensations that we are holding on to or pushing away, not any person , experience or material object that is the root of our habitual reactions.

Through the practice of Vipassana you first focus your attention on the breath to calm the thoughts and focus the mind. You do this in a very specific way concentrating on the very small area right underneath your nostrils. Simply observing the breath as it passes through the gateway of your nose, in and out. You begin to become aware of the very subtle sensation that the touch of the breath has as the inhale and exhale come and go. As the breath becomes more subtle the sensations become more subtle and your mind becomes more subtle maintaining awareness of the increasingly subtle sensations. Eventually your mind becomes so focused that you are constantly aware of this subtle level of sensation that is always there, right under the threshold of ordinary awareness, even if the breath is flowing or not. At that point you are ready to begin to scan your entire body , bringing this focused mind, becoming aware of the subtle sensations that are present through out the entire body. These sensations will manifest in many ways, some times pleasant, some times unpleasant, some times you don’t notice anything, sometimes extremely blissful, sometimes painful or horrific. Just like life sometimes good , some times bad. What will become very clear is that all of these sensations are impermanent, constantly changing, pulsing, vibrating. They come and the go, stay for a little while and then dissipate, arise and pass almost instantaneous. When you get to this very subtle level, nothing is solid that you can hold on to, even a very solidified pain when probed deeper is changing and pulsing. If all these sensations are impermanent and constantly changing what is the purpose of clinging to or avoiding them ? As soon as you reacted it has already come and gone. The practice now is to simply, objectively observe the sensations with equanimity. Meaning seeing them for exactly what they are, not identifying with them, not reacting to them, allow them to be and pass through you. To the extent you can be aware of sensations and have equanimity towards them, the process of purification and liberation has begun.

Understanding this how do we relate it to Yoga practice. In Yoga you are already slowing down the mind, focusing on the breath, you are already aware of sensations in your body. What may be missing is this concept of equanimity. Balance, non reactivity, freedom from attachment or aversion. On the surface we all understand this, but it can be really hard to do, speaking for my self at least. It can also be a fine line, for instance how can you approach a pose with complete non attachment yet still exert some effort. If your in a simple forward fold, you get in there and reach your edge. Some craving may arise to want to go a little bit deeper, you almost have your chest on your thighs but not just yet. At this point what is really the goal ? Is it to get as deep as you possibly can in the pose, get your chest flat against your legs ? Or is it to bring your self to your edge, where you need to be in that moment and let go. Become aware of the sensations in your body and observe them with equanimity. If there is a pleasant sensation that arises because maybe the stretch feels good, maybe your deeper than you have ever been before, don’t become attached to it just observe it knowing that it is impermanent and will change. If there is an unpleasant sensation that arises because maybe there is a little bit of strain, or something in that moment triggered an emotional response, don’t push it away just observe it knowing that this too will pass.

Combining the insight of Vipassana meditation with Yoga practice may be able to transform and not just bring temporary relief. Don’t believe me because logically this all makes sense, experiment, practice, know for your self through your own direct experience. Go to the level where the subtle mind is reacting with attachment or aversion to the sensations throughout the body. Our mind has been trained to react, to cling to the things we like , avoid the things we don’t. Not recognizing the impermanent nature of all these sensations we try so hard to control but never can. It’s not too late, this pattern can be changed with time and practice. Practice patiently with determination. Bring this awareness into your yoga practice. What ever sensation arises observe it, as it is, with equanimity. Bring this awareness into your meditation, what ever arises observe it, as it is, with equanimity. Free your self from the habit of reacting and just observe, allow sensations to be, allow your self to be. Be Liberated !

Metta,

Danny