Day Nineteen

So I admit I was a little tired last night and didn't get to finishing my post.  Somehow the television turned on and after that it was all a blur. But, don't fret, as I've included one for today and yesterday!  In Philosophy yesterday we discussed the five pillars of the Yamas (Great Vows), considered as moral injunctions, of practicing yoga.  They are:


1.  Non-violence, non-harm, non-injury
2.  Truth, real, genuine, honest, virtuous, truthful
3.  Abstinence from stealing, non-misappropriating 
4.  Continence, self-control
5.  Absence of greed for possessions, hoarding, withholding thoughts


These principles are outlined in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Bks Iyengar as a means to live in the outside world while remaining a yogi.  


During our discussion it was brought up that as yogis, we are allowed to have good attachments - for example, family, friends, love, and of course, yoga!  But, it's also detrimental to hoard possessions as it distracts us from what is true and real - life and those around us.  I remember going over to a relative's house when I was little and seeing stacks and stacks of newspapers and magazines around their house.  It was confusing for me to understand why someone would want to hold on to so many pieces of paper, especially when it became a hinderance in getting around the house.  But, to her it was a comfort to keep these articles around for whatever reason.


Hoarding doesn't have to include just physical objects, at least not in my opinion.  We can hoard negative thoughts against others (which reaches into the principle of non-violence) or we can hoard thoughts by not sharing them with others.  Over the last year I've come to value honesty more than ever as a main principle in keeping relationships with friends and family.  This doesn't mean you have to tell someone straight out if you think their having a bad hair day or if they might not look their best.  But we should be clear and direct in how we feel, without malice but good intention.


These five pillars aren't only for yogis and can be practiced by anyone. I encourage you to evaluate them and see what a difference it makes in your life and those around you.


_Peace and Love

Day Eighteen

What a day!  The week started off a bit rough and even though I had Sunday off I felt drained on Monday. Today was entirely different though.  It's fun to see the different energy that can come through on any given day at the yoga studio.  Studying every night and going through posture clinics every day can be exhausting.  Luckily, all the teacher trainers are positive individuals with a passion for yoga (and not to mention pretty funny people!).

Click here to see a video from our posture clinic today (Travis is instructing Adho Mukha Shvanasana, Downward Dog, and Ekapada Rajakapotasana, Pigeon).

This reminds me that while there are plenty of people who will support someone in their passion, there are always those individuals who doubt the success of following a dream.  I've had people question my intentions about leaving behind a good paying job for something that provides no immediate security.  It's disheartening, and sometimes discouraging, to be put in a position of defending what your heart tells you to do.  But, in the end, I am beyond thrilled with the experience thus far and have no doubt that the other teacher trainers and myself will continue to succeed in our endeavors.        

_Peace and Love

 

Day Seventeen

Every morning after meditation we'll sit and chat for about 5-10 minutes about how we're feeling, what we thought of it, and any general announcements for the day.  It's a nice way to start the day and get everyone going.  Personally though, meditation has been pretty difficult for me.  There are very little instances I can recall when my mind wasn't thinking ahead in anticipation of the next event.  Even when I'm listening to people talk it's hard for me to actively pay attention because I'm contemplating what will happen afterward.  So instead of just letting myself be in mediation, I'm overwhelmed by the millions of thoughts rushing through my head.  I do acknowledge this though and I am working to become focused on the now.


After meditation today we discussed the process of acknowledging thoughts and then letting them pass - not concerned with the past or the future, but the stillness that our mind can achieve through conscious meditation.  And, ironically, or perhaps meant to be, in Philosophy today we studied Sutra 1.1 from Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Bks Iyengar.  It is, as described by our instructor Robin, now; is the discipline of yoga.  In other words, being in the present will determine one's practice and ultimately help them achieve more in each posture.


Several questions were brought up which I found to be quite thought provoking:  
-Why are we keeping things (memories of the past or fantasies of the future) that aren't helping us in the present?
-Why do we neglect the now and think only in anticipation of what will happen?


Essentially, we can't do anything about the past - it's done and there's no changing it (sorry Marty McFly).  I have a difficult time with this because I'm always thinking about what could have happened or what I should have done differently.  And on the flip side, I'm a huge planner which means I always want to know what will happen next.  What's the weather going to be like?  What am I going to eat for dinner tomorrow (when it's only breakfast time today)?  


And then, the big revelation - the only thing you can control in the world is your attitude.  We can't change what people will think of us, but we can operate in the now and be present, foregoing any negative feelings that may interrupt our peace.  Sounds pretty "yogi/hippy" I know, but really it can apply to any person, you don't have to practice yoga to take on this approach to life.  With that, I encourage you to just be and not dwell on what did or what might happen.  In the end, if we spend so much time focused on everything besides what is actually happening, we'll lose sight of what's in front of us - life!


_Peace and Love

Day Sixteen

Okay, I know there are a lot of people out there (maybe yourself included) that claim they can't do yoga because it hurts their back.  And believe me, even though I may only have had minor lower back pain from sitting at a desk all day, it still bothered me enough to a point where I couldn't entirely relax.  But you don't have to just believe me - there are plenty of people who have shared similar if not more extreme pain only to have their aches improve with yoga.


Today in posture clinic we went through the back strengthening series. That's what I love about yoga!  There are breathing exercises, balancing postures, back strengtheners, and even detoxifying postures! Obviously I'm an advocate for the series, but when I first began to practice at Huntington Beach Hot Yoga, I struggled with each posture, including the back strengthening portion.  I used to dread them like a trip to the dentist or going to the DMV, and even today I am working to find the correct positioning and placement of my body.  


But with practice (discipline!) and an awareness of mind and body, I can honestly say I have progressed.  Here are some pictures from today's clinic (mom, you can see my instructor standing up in the last picture):

  

So even though I clearly despised some of the postures (and believe me I still have a few less "favorites" today), I learned that with patience, good things can come of your determined will, and not just in yoga.


_Peace and Love 

Day Fifteen

Anatomy was actually fun (yesterday)!  I even  managed to score a 24/25 on my test.  Yea!  After our usual lecture we split up into teams of two and were assigned a specific posture.  One person from each team was instructed to dialogue the posture, and the muscles and joints it targeted, while the other person introduced the posture and then demonstrated it to the rest of the class.


Here are some pictures!

Nielan and Cecilia demonstrating Halasana (Plow Pose).  Helps with spine cervical flexion and lengthens the glutes and hamstrings!

Kim and Annamarie showing us Dhanurasana (Bow Pose).  This one is great for knee flexion and spinal extension as well.  It also works the legs to extend the hamstrings through the hip joints!

Stephanie and Tawny share the benefits of Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide-Angle Pose).  This is an intermediate seated forward bend.

And here's me with Jackie talking about the benefits of Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose).  This is a great pose to lengthen the biceps, psoas major, and the sternocleidomastoid!  

I'm so excited to be applying this anatomy mumble-jumble to the poses in yoga!  I guess that goes to show that even in things we don't enjoy there is something positive that can come of any experience.

_Peace and Love  

Day Fourteen

It's Friday!  Normally that would mean the weekend is ahead and plans are to be made, but since teacher training is also on Saturdays, I still have one more day to go before a well deserved rest.  Maybe because my mind was in the "end of the week mode" I felt withdrawn and tired today.  There's nothing easy about doing two classes a day - that's 180 minutes of exercise in over 100 degree weather!  I'm not asking for a pity party, but at times it does feel strenuous and fatigue begins to kick in when you least expect it.


For the most part we spent time today practicing postures and leading each other through the beginning of the floor series. It's an interesting feeling to know that you are getting a cardio workout even when you're on the floor doing postures.  Although we're only on the floor for 30 minutes, there's nothing easy about holding bow pose or going into the deepest backbend in camel.  But, that's also what makes the entire series a great benefit to your body and mind.  In fact, I think it takes even more concentration during the last half hour because it's very easy to let your mind disconnect and just end up laying there.


Similarly, I find that in my previous jobs I reached a state of comfort and didn't feel the need to challenge myself anymore.  I by no means missed assignments or fell through on communications with clients, I just did the work and left it at that.  But, as we all know, the danger lies in being comfortable.  If there isn't a challenge in whatever we do, then suddenly we stop pushing ourselves to strive for more, and instead let the time pass by, one meaningless day after another.  So even though there are days when I'm exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep, it feels good knowing I am pushing myself to achieve something that is personally meaningful.    




_Peace and Love

Day Thirteen

Lineage.  It's a word often used when referring to your personal family history and requires a look at those that came before you in order to gain an understanding of your culture and background.  In yoga, it's just as important to learn about the yogis and gurus who came before us to realize why it is we practice the type of yoga we do, and how it came to be.  


When I first decided to attend a hot yoga studio in Orange County I did what any tech savvy young adult does these days - I yelped it!  (For those of you not familiar with the online service, Yelp is essentially like Yellow Pages but with customer feedback).  Huntington Beach Hot Yoga came up as the clear winner so I decided to attend their 20 days for $20 promotion - smart marketing!  Prior to my first visit in October of 2010, I had attended a Bikram yoga class so I was somewhat familiar with the postures.  


Yet through these last couple of days in teacher training I have gained more knowledge as to who this guy Bikram is, where and who he learned yoga from, and what exactly the Dayton method is (currently practiced at HBHY).  My instructor/guru, Jason Wilkerson, studied under Bikram Choudhury who founded the Yoga College of India and is well known for his series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. Interestingly enough, Bikram began practicing yoga at the early age of three and won numerous competitions, eventually named "Yogi Raj" (King of the Yogis).  But seventeen years later he was crippled as a result of a weight lifting accident and doctors told him he would never walk again.  Six months later, Bikram was up and about - crediting his system of Hatha Yoga.


There are plenty of other "founders" in the yoga community who came before  Bikram (and much more on him as well).  In fact, during Philosophy class on Tuesday we were able to pick a person off the lineage tree and prepare a short presentation on them for today.


 


For those of you who practice at HBHY and have wondered what the "Dayton Method" really is, it was founded on the knowledge that Jason received from Bikram and adapted into a series of 28 postures and 2 breathing exercises practiced in a heated room.  Dayton is a family name and thus the reason Jason named his practice as such.  If you're newer to yoga and haven't practiced the Dayton method yet, I highly suggest you give it a try!  


I cannot say enough about how yoga has changed my life for the better. It's such a beautiful and spiritual connection to your mind and body. And ultimately, it brought me out of the grey cube and into something that I am excited to wake up each day to and be a part of.  I hope you share the same enthusiasm in whatever it is that you live for each day!


_Peace and Love