Thanks for joining!!! This will be fun Ok, so we are completely new at this. We want to open up this blog for questions and to share information about yoga and life in general :O) So let's begin with a few simple questions:
How is your yoga practice going?
Which style do you practice the most?
What makes a fantastic yoga instructor versus a medicocre one?
Has yoga changed your life?
Namaste'
Jenny
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Like many of us, I came to yoga at a point of crisis, the depths of which I wasn't aware of until I delved into the practice. I had recently lost access to a form of self medication and escape that I had relied on to cope with the intensity of my feelings, and there I was, on the mat, experiencing all of the barbs and rough edges, the whirling storm of reactions and lacerating thoughts. Since I came from boxing, I associated effort with aggression and competition. Fortunately I landed in a beginner's class that gave me the space I needed to find where the true challenge of my practice was, in gradually releasing my armor and opening to whatever arose on the mat. The best teachers I've had were able to convey not only technique, but to also sense what was happening in the class energetically and to tune their instruction to that frequency. I attended an amazing class by Matthew Sanford, an Iyengar instructor who is paralyzed from the chest down. He spoke of adjustments not merely as technical corrections of form, but also as a way of enhancing the student's energetic experience of each pose. His comment opened up another dimension in my own teaching as I explore ways of helping students maintain the integrity of their practice without succumbing to the tyranny of the pose.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful message to share Brandon about shifting paradigms and how we react, or shall we say, not react to life. You're so right about the energy lines and feeling them in the pose. When I began to feel the energy run in my body, I knew that the asana had found me and was teaching me to come more into it. I think we so often strive to perfect our poses and rush the process, but until those poses are ready to find us, the force can be too much. Isn't it better just to breathe and relax into the asana rather than fight to get into something we may not be ready to endure..yet? Such a metaphor for life!
ReplyDeleteHi Blair, Julia and Cathal! Welcome to our blog! Whatcha got?
ReplyDeleteI was a raving party-er whose limits were as blurred as his incoherent speech. That ridiculous behavior had to end. So when I opted for something better, not knowing what that would be, I landed on a meditation cushion: my first yoga. It seemed that the desire to finish college would be motivation enough. Yoga, in all its forms, is the gift that keeps on gifting, and this is what sustains me.
ReplyDeleteAll dynamic teachers have the same thing: passion. Each teacher has style and technique. It could be unique, fresh, or "special," but without the passion, you're mediocre. Passion comes through only one way: full-on. That does not mean the level of energy must be explosive. Passion can be quiet and sincere, yet full-on in it's awareness and attention to others. Mediocrity is lifeless movement. It is either purposeless motion or purposeful inanity. Passion burns through these half-steps, it consumes the doubts, and channels spirit even when the mind and body are weak. Passion is not of this realm. And yoga is my vehicle of choice to carry me into fits of quiet passion.
Namaste
http://yogasayswhat.blogspot.com/