WEEK FIVE OF YAMA THERAPUTIC YOGA TEACHER TRAINING (YTT)

WEEK FIVE OF YAMA THERAPUTIC YOGA TEACHER TRAINING (YTT)

 

We start each YTT with asana. Afterwards, we discuss how we feel after yoga. I normally do not think about how I feel after yoga. I just enjoy it. 

 

It is interesting to think about the effects my yoga practice. As I think about it, I feel like my breath is flowing slower and more evenly after yoga. My mind is more still as well. I can think about my thoughts rather than fight to organize them. My feet and toes are more relaxed, but my ankle and tendon are sore. I have tendonitis that is irritated by yoga. 

 

We then talked about creating our own practice, the importance of setting up a place and time to practice, and the benefits of yoga. There are so many benefits gained from yoga: 1) increased energy; 2) increased trust; 3) increased flexibility; 4) increased physical strength; 5) increased focus; 6) relieved pain, and so forth.

 

For me, yoga is about leaving the present and going on a spiritual and physical journey. . . .

 

“Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth... This is the real message of love.”

― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Teachings on Love

 

We then talked about Centering, the beginning of the class that sets the intention of the practice. Centering helps bring me to a state of calm and allows me to make the transition from being externally focused to being internally focused. Centering can generally take five to ten minutes. I find that if the centering is too long I lose focus and start to feel restless, just the opposite of how I want to feel in yoga. It makes me feel like I am being cheated from my yoga class. 

 

I love the physical part of yoga. I think it is also important to read your students and cater to what is appropriate for them.

 

We also talked about yoga "off the mat". Yoga off the mat is just as healing and powerful as yoga on the mat. Off the matt, I try to lead a life of kindness to myself and others. As I think about it, my favorite yoga teachers have a calming presence that make me want to be around them. People tell me that I have a calming presence and they call me Miss Positive!  I trust the Universe will provide me with what I need to be a good person.

 

“Radical Acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and our lives as it is.”

― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

 

“The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.”

― Tara Brach, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart

 

From a yoga perspective, I think about the Yamas and Nymas to guide me in practicing yoga off the mat.

 

THE YAMAS

My attitude and relationship to the world and how I stay in harmony with myself and others:

Ahimsa – non-violence

Satya – honesty

Asteya – non-stealing

Bramacharya – appropriate use of energy

Aparigarah – non grasping, not being greedy

 

THE NIYAMAS

How I take care of myself:

Saucha – purity, cleanliness of our bodies and minds inside and out

Santosha - contentment

Tapas – the fire in me, self discipline, eat well, practice chakra healing

Svadyaya - self study, self inquiry

Ishvara Pranidana – turning over to the divine, yielding to the power of the universe

 

We covered stress and the physical effects it has on our mind and body:

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.”  

― Wayne W. Dyer

 

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”

― Thích Nhất Hạnh

 

I will write a separate blog about my thoughts on stress. I feel we often choose whether or not to be stressed. Stay tuned…