#365yoga Day 311: Something’s Got a Hold on Me
07 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in 365, Students, teaching, the process, Yoga Sol Tags: #365yoga, Iyengar, Kurunta, netta sella, rope wall, Teacher, Teachers and Centers, yoga, yoga kurunta
Well, dang it, this is the 2nd time I have tried to write this post. WordPress ate the first version. I shall try again!
I know it has been a long time since I have written here. It blows my mind how fast time passes. The fact that it is already the 311th day of the year boggles my mind. Where does it go? What have you been doing? I know what I have been doing – YOGA! Lots of yoga – and learning new stuff all the time.
I love Yoga Sol for many reasons. I feel deeply connected to the space and the business and the people who call it their practice home. It is beautiful. It is unique. It is accepting and open and fun. We have more than 20 classes a week and, while we are predominately a flow studio, we are by no means only a flow studio! We have Atma Jayam, Dance Flow, and Iyengar. Our teachers have multiple styles and teaching backgrounds, but they all have a passion for teaching and they all bring something wonderful and unique to the studio.
Our Iyengar teacher, Netta Sella (Google her – you’ll be blown away by her awesomness,) has taken Yoga Sol by storm. Netta brings discipline, alignment, history, anatomy, and props to our students. Lots of props. Many props. And we love her for it. As the Iyengar practice grew at Yoga Sol, more props started showing up. Pretty soon, Netta’s following spread far and wide and her classes filled beyond expectation. It became clear that we had the opportunity to add one more thing to Yoga Sol that would make us stand out amongst other yoga studios in town: a Yoga Kurunta wall of ropes.
Yesterday, most of the teachers of Yoga Sol and a couple of students gathered together to learn how to use this amazing wall safely, how to teach it safely and mindfully, and how to use it to help people reach their best alignment, modifications, and extension. Netta led us through 2 hours of training and laughing and correction. I have been practicing yoga for half of my life and I must say, the 2 hours of using those ropes yesterday opened my eyes like it was the first time I ever rolled out a mat. The length of my body, the extension, the openness of my heart and shoulder girdle, the decompression of my spine…! Incredible. Just marvelous!
I have taught the wall a bit here and there last week and again today. I will be using more often as it has the potential to transform a practice like nothing I have ever seen before. I am thrilled to say that it’s a part of Yoga Sol and am so grateful to this path I am walking that has brought me to this place. It has definitely got a hold on me – and I feel so good!
The following pictures are from yesterday’s training. Most were taken by Netta, one or two were taken by Beatriz Wallace. Many thanks to you both for allowing me to post them here.
#365yoga Day 102: Private Eyes
12 Apr 2011 3 Comments
in 365, PDA, Students, teaching Tags: Asana, attention, Private yoga session, Teachers and Centers, United States, yoga
Today I am preparing to teach a private outdoor yoga session with a long time student. We’re meeting tomorrow and I’m very excited about it! It will be the first time she has done yoga outside (my favorite place to practice,) and I don’t believe she’s ever had a private yoga session before, either. I’m giddy with the joy of being able to bring these experiences to her.
There is something amazing about practicing outside. You are in fresh air, feeling the sun on your skin, hearing birds, and feeling the earth beneath you (often when I practice outside, I skip the mat entirely.) It’s magical and the feeling of being one with the universe is undeniable. You can feel the energy from the earth come up through your hands and you can feel your own energy swirling around you like a spring breeze. I get all goosebumpy just thinking about it!
Teaching private yoga sessions also thrills me. When I teach group classes, I do my best to get around to each student and lay my hands on them at least once to either adjust, assist, or affirm what they are doing. There is power in the human touch and I find it to be an incredible component of a good class and a good teacher, but let’s face it – there are days when I can just not get to everyone as often or as in as much detail as I feel might be beneficial. This is where the private session comes in. When I do a private session, I am almost all hands on. I might demonstrate something, but usually it’s my student on the mat (or on the ground,) and me actually teaching and explaining each move step by step and where the hands or feet or breath should be for that particular student to make the most of the asana and practice. I can focus my energy and my vision entirely on that particular student and, I believe, can make significant and lasting changes in that student’s practice. We might spend 10 solid minutes working on the proper alignment in Trikonasana, for example, so that the next time we meet, he or she will know exactly where to go and how to get there that particular day. In subsequent private sessions, we can move on to different things because we’ve already covered the basics. Of course, a student might approach me to do a private session based entirely on arm balances or releasing the tension in the lower back or whatever, but if that is not specified, you can bet I’m going to work on alignment. Regardless of what we are covering, however, my eyes are focused solely on my student. They get my undivided attention, it’s all about them. What a great gift to receive, an even greater gift to give!
When you combine a private lesson in a public outdoor place, however, something even more incredible happens: the student really feels what it’s like to focus internally, to experience that moment when all that matters is what’s going on on her mat. I love teaching in a park. At first students get a little nervous about people walking around and watching. I admit, it can be a little intimidating, but it’s also wildly liberating! It doesn’t take long for the student to forget that people are around, to forget that they aren’t alone in their backyard, to forget that there is anything going on in the world other than their practice and that, my friends, is what yoga is all about! Just as arm balances and inversions almost always bolster confidence in a student, practicing in public also gives a boost! If you can practice Kapotasana in the public, you can wear that skirt or ask for a raise or say YES to whatever you’ve been on the fence about! I have never watched a student walk away from a private outdoor yoga session feeling anything less than accomplished, empowered, invigorated, and inspired.
Is there any wonder why I love my job?
Have you done yoga outside? Have you taken a private class? If so, what do you love about it? If not, why not? What is stopping you? Get out there, get your hands and feet in the grass, and let your eyes, all three of them, shine!
Okay. I tried. I really really tried to publish this post without including this video, but I just couldn’t. So I’m sorry and you’re welcome.
#365yoga Day 82: Back in the Saddle Again
23 Mar 2011 1 Comment
in 365, Students, teaching, the process, Yoga Sol Tags: #365yoga, Savasana, Teachers and Centers, yoga
Heh. I was a whole year old when that video was recorded. moving on…
I have a confession to make. I realized yesterday that I didn’t remember the last time I actually took a class. Seriously, I sat on my deck and thought about it and wondered when it was. I still don’t know when it was, but it was too long ago. If it’s been more than a week, it’s too long and it’s been WAY more than a week. I mean, yeah, I do a home practice and I teach several times a week, but you know as well as I do that it’s not the same.
I sat out on my deck with my husband and vented again about how I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed and spun out and strung out and needing to bust out and at a loss for words. That patient man hears me say this frequently. He doesn’t give me answers, but instead waits for me to figure it out. Not that it’s that difficult – the answer is ALWAYS the same: Go take a yoga class.
This morning I got up, got dressed, made my morning juice, and hit the road to Yoga Sol to attend Polly’s class. I laid my mat in the middle of the room so I wouldn’t be tempted to leave it and adjust the other students. I rolled it out, sat down, and began with a beginner’s mind, a student heart, and a full breath. For an hour, I bent and stretched and reached and breathed and flew. I brought the yoga to me and I brought myself to the yoga and it was a magical hour of union. I actually managed to take a Savasana – oh yeah, baby.
I left energized, centered, feeling calm and confident and able to attend to the tasks laid out before me. I felt alive and happy and eager. I felt the practice enter me deeply and shine out amongst the road ahead. I slipped so easily, so gratefully, back into the role of student. It’s just like riding a horse – and I’ll bet I’ll even be a little saddle sore tomorrow as a result. 
#365yoga Days 48 & 49: Sweet Inspiration, Sweet Rewards
18 Feb 2011 1 Comment
in 365, Students, teaching Tags: #365yoga, blessings, inspiration, joy, Judith Hanson Lasater, kids yoga, love, parenting, rewards, Student, Teachers and Centers, White Lotus, yoga
Just so you know, that’s Grammy Award Winner Derek Trucks up there. He was at the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ festival last year. Yep, it’s kind of a big deal. C’mon down this year Sept 9-10 for a little blues boogie of your own!
I wrote about taking Polly’s class a couple of days ago. That same afternoon, I taught my All Level (that usually ends up being more like level 2) class. People were sweating and moving and grooving and working hard. The best part, however, is that these folks were using Ujjayi breath without even realizing it. I talk about it every single class. I lead folks through it at the beginning of every single class. I walk around in every single class demonstrating it. EVERY SINGLE CLASS and yet, folks are resistant to using it. I don’t know why, but they are (the folks who don’t use it are missing out — yep, I’m probably talking to YOU!) Anyway, it was such a thrill to hear my students start breathing “correctly” and I was instantly transported back to the hours and hours spent in the practice room at White Lotus where the only sound we heard was the sound of Tracey or Ganga’s voice and the sound of 30 sweaty yogi(ini)s breathing the Prana in unison.
It is such a glorious, inspiring sound!
That sound carried me through to my Gentle Yoga class yesterday. I felt so inspired that I actually took a leap of faith and allowed my 10yo son to practice with us as I taught. Now, remember, my 1oyo has been doing yoga for 3 or 4 years, but he takes YogaKids yoga (a great program that I love love love, but it’s quite different from the AshGanga method.) I was wondering if he’d be able to hold through, to be respectful and do the entire practice without disrupting anyone. I will admit, I had my doubts and actually rescinded my decision to allow him to join the class for a few minutes — and then I saw the hurt in his eyes. He said, “But Mom, I REALLY wanted to practice with you, to take YOUR class, to be on the mat with you!” How do you say no to that? So I cleared it with my students and, having gotten their permission, rolled out a mat for my son.
The most amazing thing happened: my son became just another of my students! I never thought it would happen. I always feared I would be distracted, he would be distracting, I would not be able to spread my attention equally, etc. I was wrong, oh so very wrong. Before I knew it , I was walking around giving adjustments and suggestions to my students and I suddenly realized I was adjusting my son! MY SON! Not just a very short student!
It was the sweetest, most amazing, most awe inspiring, proudest moment I have had as a mother, AND as a teacher, in as long as I can remember. I was so very close to not letting it happen. I was so very close to trying to control the situation so much that I missed the greatest gift I could have ever been given. I’m so grateful that yoga has taught me to let go, to let things unfold and bloom like the thousand-petaled lotus. I’m so grateful, so grateful, grateful.
It’s been beautiful outside. I came back from Memphis and Spring had arrived. Crocus are sprouting up in the yard and we’ve been outside almost every minute we are able. My kids thrilled me by spontaneously busting out some “Outsideasana!” I couldn’t help but join them, of course. 
The rewards of this practice are so, so sweet! They come at unexpected times in unexpected places. They come in big packages and small packages, old and new packages, and sneak up on you when you least expect them. Let them happen. Be open to them. Bloom like the Lotus. I promise, you’ve never tasted anything so sweet!
Ardha Chandrasana: the moon Alice would have happily visited.
01 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Students, teaching Tags: ardha chandrasana, Asana (yoga), encouragement, half moon, Practices, teaching, yoga, yoga students, yoga teachers
I like good TV. Good TV usually translates to old TV to me and one of my very favorites is The Honeymooners. It’s old, it’s antiquated, and it’s not always politically correct, but it is classic and it makes me laugh. Ralph is always telling his wife, Alice, that one of these days he’s going to send her to the moon. While this would normally get me up in my soapbox, there’s no need – Alice always gave as good as she got. Still, knowing what her husband, I often think she’d have liked to go to the moon to escape for a bit.
Wouldn’t we all?
While we don’t all have the ability to don a space suit and putt a few rounds up there, we can each make it to the moon any time we want. All it takes is a little balance, a little patience, a little guidance, and a lot of extensional energy. Enter Ardha Chandrasana: Half Moon Pose.
Half Moon looks like a simple asana and, with practice it becomes one, but don’t be fooled -a lot goes into it. It takes balance and coordination and confidence and body awareness and practice. Many people find it challenging because they are going too far too fast too soon. Just like everything, you have to crawl before you walk or, in this case, you have to hover before you can fly.
Here’s a few tips:
- Starting from Adho Muka Svanasa (downward facing dog), step your right foot 1/2 to 3/4 the way up to your hands. This distance will really depend on the length of your torso, but this is a starting point. This leg will be bent.
- Take a breath and feel the connection between the front foot and the earth. Lift up the toes, spread them out, and then lay them back down. Think “Gekko Toes.”
- With both hands still on the ground, start to shift the weight to the front foot, just enough for the back foot to feel light. Work on gently straightening and bending the front knee. You’re not flying up yet, just getting the feel of the balance.
- Take the left hand to your hip. The right hand will be forward and to the right of the right foot.
- Press the ball of your left foot into the earth, extending the energy out the leg. At the same time as you are extending through the left leg, extend through the crown of your head. At this point, keep your gaze down to the ground. Dual extensional energy at work here.
- Continue extending through the crown of the head as you press into the earth with the right foot and let the left foot gently lift off the ground. Keep your right knee bent slightly as you lift and extend.
- With your breath, press into the earth with the right foot as the leg straightens. The right leg works like an elevator for the rest of your body. Now you have Tri-Extensional energy: left foot extends out and slightly up (keep it hip level,) crown of the head extends out in front of you, and the right foot extends into the earth.
- Breathe. Don’t forget to breathe.
- Gently extend the left arm up skyward, keeping the arm in line with the shoulder.
- Only when you feel fully, completely balanced should you consider rolling the left hip open. Take your time. There is no rush.
- The same goes for looking to the side or to the sky. There are no prizes there. If you choose to change your gaze, keep the chin very slightly tucked so that your don’t pinch your cervical spine. Remember: it’s an extension, not a compression.
- To come out of the pose, return the gaze to the floor. Lower the left hand to the ground in line with the right hand, extending out through the fingers. Level the left hip to meet the right and let gravity gently float the left leg back down to the earth.
- repeat on the other side.
It doesn’t take a POW to the kisser to get there. The moon is within reach. Take breath, take a chance, and blast off.
Namaste
Sarah and Polly bring AshGanga to CoMO!!
18 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Students, TCB, teaching, White Lotus, Yoga Sol
Have you noticed the colors looking a little brighter, the food tasting a little better, the air a little sweeter? That’s because our Polly is back in CoMO! Ahhhhh, nothing like Home Sweet Home … unless, maybe, Sol Sweet Sol!!
We were so blessed to spend 16 amazing, inspiring, transformative days at White Lotus in October. There simply not words enough to share the incredible exprience! We did it for ourselves, for Yoga Sol, and for YOU. You all were in our hearts and minds every single day. We learned new things every day that pertained to each and every one of you. There were several times we thought of you and how what we were learning would benefit you individually as well as in a group. Dear friends, we learned and we loved… and now we bring it home to you.
Please join us for a very special class this SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20th, at 9 a.m. as we bring the yoga of the White Lotus Foundation, AshGanga Yoga, to Yoga Sol! Enter quietly and with reverence and be prepared to experience the Lotus here in Columbia: Breath, movement, energy, spirit, strength, inspiration, and love, love, love, sweet love!
We adore our Yoga Sol family and are so excited to share this with you.
Yoga Sol starts NOW — and ALL are welcome!
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes- alignment matters, doncha knows?
08 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Students, teaching, White Lotus Tags: alignment, Asana, Bhujangasana, Cervical vertebrae, Dhanurasana, Health, Hip, Knee, Toe, Trikonasana, Ustrasana, yoga
The incredible Ganga White
WHITE LOTUS PART 7
Oy. Alignment. Entire libraries could (and have) been written about proper yoga alignment. There are books and courses and videos and workshops and more pictures of skeletons in muscle suits out there than you could ever imagine, and yet, people are hitting the mat and stacking their bones all willy-nilly without a second thought. Those same people are getting hurt, getting arthritis, and getting fed up.
WHY DO FOLKS DO THIS?
There are several reasons, really. Many of us have been taught incorrectly. For a long time the whole “heel to arch” deal has been the master alignment in warrior and many other standing poses, gazing at the sky has been the ultimate goal, and bending in half at all costs was encouraged. Guess what? I’m a yoga teacher and my hips and knees scream at me when I align my front heel with my back arch (and this is true for more folks than not, honestly,) while I can bend in half doesn’t mean I should do it (nor, you, either,) and, as the incomparable Tracey Rich says, “Why are you hurting your neck trying to look at the ceiling? There are no prizes up there, people!”
While it’s so incredibly important to listen to your teacher, his or hers should be the 2nd voice you listen to. The first voice you listen to is your body’s. Let’s clear something up right now: if it hurts you, chances are you are doing it wrong. Pain is information. If the pain stops when you come out of the asana, it’s cool, you’ve done no damage yet, so change your asana. If it still hurts after you’ve come out of the asana, you’ve already done some damage, get it looked at, and then change your asana!
So let’s review:
If your neck hurts, you’re doing it wrong. Your neck is comprised of very important vertebrae called the cervical spine. It is meant to arch and curve in slightly, but when it’s in proper alignment, it looks straight from the outside. If you are leading with your chin, stop it. If you are crunching your shoulders up to your neck, stop it. There should be a very important right angle between your ears and your shoulders. The crown of your head should always extend, the chin most often should be tucked or dropped slightly to expand the cervical vertebrae (don’t go dropping it to your chest, that’s bad, too.) The neck should be lengthening, not shrinking and compressing. And for heaven’s sake, if you’re craning your neck to look at the ceiling in Trikonasana or Ustrasana, STOP IT! There are no prizes up there, unless the prize you’re looking for is a neck brace. Have questions about this? Ask me in class. I’m here to help you.
If your knees are talking to you, you’re doing it wrong. Now, I’m not talking about when we do kneeling poses and the floor is hard (although, if your knees still hurt in those poses, double your mat, folks!) If your knees are hurting you in any of the Warriors or other standing postures, chances are you’re not using them correctly. In standing postures that have a bent knee, the knee should be directly over the 2nd toe. 99% of the time, the knee should NEVER go forward of the ankle (there are some lunges when you are fully supported by your other leg and hands in which this is okay, but they are rare and your teacher will point them out when it’s okay to bend beyond 90 degrees.) If you are feeling a crunch in your front knee, check that it’s not overly bent, that it’s not falling inside the pose. Also, check your leading foot! Is it pointing straight ahead? It should be! Check your torso – are your hips and heart in the same plane? They should be! Is it your back knee or hip that has a bone to pick with you? Chances are you’re putting too much torque on those critical joints! Consider stepping the back foot out several inches so that you can keep the heel in line with the hip!! WHAT? Yep, I know it’s revolutionary and strange and seems wrong, but call me crazy, I like things that work! The integrity of the pose is not compromised one little bit if you step the back foot out several inches to keep the heel down in Vira 1. OR, if you really wanna shake things up, try doing Vira 1 ON YOUR BACK TOES! Just blew your mind, didn’t I? If you come up on your back toes with toes pointing forward , you can square your hips to the front of your mat, sink your tailbone, open your sacrum, and stretch the hamstring and quads the way the pose is supposed to do. If you are on your toes, however, be sure to extend the energy out of the back heel so that the knee is supported by a strong leg. Have questions about this? Ask me in class. I’m here to help you.
So you want to do a backbend but your neck and low back have other ideas (like avoiding pain?) Listen to your neck and back! Please remember that backbends are, foremost, poses of extension and never compression! It’s about getting the spine to expand and stretch LONG, not to crunch it and bend it in half so you can fit in a suitcase. Backbends take time and patience. Even simple backbends such as Bhujangasana are often done wrong resulting in pained necks and low backs. Try extending further out through the crown of your head instead of just shoving yourself up there. There are no medals or prizes for getting arms straight. Be gentle with that low back, eh? Same with Ustrasana. It’s a quad stretch, not a neck and low back crunch. Press forward through the thighs and LIFT THROUGH THE HEART! It’s not about bending back, it’s about extending up so far that you have no where else to go but back. Please – Yoga is not a bend-off. Don’t compete. The only winners are those folks who can still walk and stand. I’m quite certain you’d rather be able to walk comfortably all your life than to force yourself into a full Urdhva Dhanurasana once. Have questions about this? Ask me in class. I’m here to help you.
Yes, I’m here to help you. If I come by and touch you or help you make subtle (or not so subtle) adjustments, I’m not judging you. I have done more than enough years of doing more than enough wrong things. I’m here to help, to encourage, to reinforce what is right and to help what is incorrect. You’re paying me, make the most of your money! We’re in it together. Learn from me!
Head upon neck. Ears above shoulders. Shoulders above hips and above wrists. Hips above knees. Knees above ankles and toes. It all matters, dontcha know?
Om Shanti!
And we’re (almost) off!!
15 Oct 2010 1 Comment
Polly and I will climb aboard a big silver bird tomorrow that will take us to California.
WHITE LOTUS OR BUST!
After much thought and inner debate, I decided that I will be taking my laptop. My time on it will be limited, but I will try to update a little it on this blog here and there to let you know what we’re doing, what we’re bringing back, and the whatnot.
Live Well. Live Loud. Live Love.
xo
Sarah
Confessions of a Yoga Teacher
10 Oct 2010 1 Comment
in Students, the process Tags: confession, Harley-Davidson, Kid Rock, Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, satya, Sesame Street, Sirsasana, truth, yoga
My gig is the greatest gig on earth. I am absolutely convinced of this. I get to connect with people. I get to move bodies and spirits. I get to play music and play .. period. I am blessed beyond measure to be a yoga teacher. My students are my primary blessing. People are amazing, folks. REALLY amazing. What a gift to be able to share moments with each one of you! Folks crying in Savasana, folks laughing in delight in Sirsasana, folks healing in Eka Pada Rajakapotasana … I am blessed to be a witness to it all.
Because you have trusted me with so much, I will be open to you.
- I can’t dance. Okay, well, I can dance, I just cannot dance well. That doesn’t stop me, however, so watch out.
- Bikes confuse me. I get them, I understand how cool they can be, and I could probably ride one if my life depended on it. Maybe even if a concert ticket depended on it. Honestly, however, I prefer my own feet.
- I don’t love my own body. I’m trying, I’m working on it, but I’m a work in progress.
- I love the idea of Vira 3. I do not love the practice of Vira 3.
- I get my right and left confused. Side effect of mirroring classes.
- I cuss. A lot.
- I was a minister’s daughter. This caused me a lot of pain and angst and a personal midlife crisis when I was 17 (being a preacher’s kid ages you more than a 4 pack a day habit. Trust me on this.) It took a long time for me to feel comfortable with my own idea of spirituality. Now that I have it and am fiercely grounded in it, I get to create a safe place for folks to explore their own beliefs. I think this makes my mother in law think I’m going to hell. That whole “Yoga is Demonic” bullsh*t that is going on is kind of right up her ally. You might think that this causes huge problems. It doesn’t. At All. We agree to disagree and have deep respect for our own right to have our own beliefs. If I can do that with my mother in law, SURELY the world can do that with total strangers. Take note, folks.
- I like heavy metal, some rap, and Kid Rock. I also like YoYo Ma, opera, Miles Davis, and Neil Diamond.
- I admit it – I like tv. Sorry.
- I’m a dog person. If stranded on an icy mountain with my husband and my dog, I’d eat my husband first.
- I cry at Silent Night, A Sesame Street Christmas, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” the book “My Hippy Grandmother” and the final episode of “M*A*S*H”
- I am powerless over the draw of a tattooed man on a Harley-Davidson. SWOON! Interestingly enough, my best friend and life partner, my husband, has neither a Harley NOR any tattoos and I wouldn’t change it or him for anything in the world.
- I color over the unbelievable amount of grey in my hair. I’m 34.
- If I could, I’d be tattooed stem to stern.
- Sometimes I think I learn more than I could ever hope to teach.
- I’m blessed, I’m lucky, I’m in love with humanity. I’m alive. I’m grateful. I’m present. I’m a yogi.
Yoda Yoga: Teaching with the Force
27 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment
in Students, teaching, the process Tags: Energy, Health, intuition, Jedi, Religion and Spirituality, Sirsasana, Teacher, Urdhva Dhanurasana, yoga
When I teach, there are certain phrases I repeat over and over again: bring your navel toward your spine, release your shoulders down your back, lead with the heart, etc. You’ll also hear me say things like, “Send the energy out of your left heel,” “breathe into the right lung,” and “root your mula into the earth.” If you’ve taken more than one of my classes, you’re bound to have heard all of those and probably more. I like words. I’m pretty good with them. I use them to create images and instruction. I use them to guide and inform and adjust.
I spent a good deal of time in the beginning of my teaching career not touching my students. I think probably all yoga teachers are like that in the beginning. It’s intimidating enough to be in the front of the room teaching, the idea of laying hands on someone can be downright terrifying. In those early weeks and months, I got pretty good at using my words alone to get folks to move their bodies in a way that improved the stability or effectiveness of a posture. I also got pretty good at going to a student and hovering my hand above / behind / beside them and saying, “move your arm (leg, heel, ribs, etc.) toward my hand.” It worked well enough to get me through to the stage where I felt comfortable enough to lay a gentle hand, give gentle pressure or traction, and gently adjust someone physically. There’s a healing power in the human touch and I am no longer afraid of it.
That’s not to say that I always have to use my words OR my body while teaching. I’ve been observing how this dynamic plays out and I’m starting to experience teaching moments that feel like I’ve become a Jedi! I can walk around the room and, when I come near my core group of regular students, or even amongst highly intuitive newer students, they automatically pull their knees a little further out to the side in Vira 2, drop their shoulders, sink deeper into Vira 1, reach further through their ribcages in Trikonasana. They will reach through their heels and press their forearms into the mat in Sirsasana, press their hips a little higher to the sky in Urdhva Dhanurasana, etc. I don’t have to touch them or say a word – they just see me coming and do it all on their own.
How does that happen? I think it’s because they know, intuitively, where they can adjust themselves to make the best of their practice. I was speaking to one of my students about this just this morning and she said, “Well, I never even think about it until I see you coming and then I just know what you’re going to say!” Perhaps she knows what I’m going to say, but I feel it’s more along the lines of she knows where she’s supposed to be. That’s intuition. That’s inwardly directed yoga. It’s within us all. The joy of teaching yoga is being able to provide a safe space for students to explore this part of themselves and discover it is alive and well, strong and powerful.
It is The Force … and it’s already with you.
Namaste
