Understanding Yoga

"A profound way to connect, yoga in the broader sense, is a te  rm that encompasses everything you do.  Yoga is any activity, observance, action, inquiry, etc. that you do that helps you feel balanced..." Syl

There are questions that one may ask if they are contemplating integrating Yoga into their life as I did:

How will Yoga benefit my life?

Practicing Yoga will connect and awaken body, mind and spirit to be able to work the best for you. Developing a regular yoga practice helps to endure your daily stressors  with a lasting sense of calm regardless of what you circumstances. Linking the breath with focus and movement helps cleanse the body of both physical and emotional toxins to help you become more centered and have a more healthy body and mind.

What is the best way to start a your Yoga practice?

First you need to find a competent teacher who has knowledge, insight, training, experience and the ability to to explain the poses and help you get into the them with perfect alignment to the best of your ability, using hands on adjustments as needed. This will help you understand the basis of a yoga practice and how to approach your new practice.  I have found that Bodhi Yoga Center is a great place to be.

Will doing Yoga conflict with my belief system?

The goal of practicing Yoga is to create balance. If you allow Yoga to make it's change in you it will deepen your positive relationships and beliefs and create a well toned body, more focused mind and peaceful emotions and spirit.  In other words, yoga can help you understand "yourself" and deepen what you already believe is true for you.

Getting Started in Yoga

When one is thinking about beginning a yoga practice you may have unanswered questions. I will cover a few personal experiences here but you will find an in depth information at www.gobodhiyoga.com  under FAQ

"Yoga is any activity, observance, action, inquiry, etc. that you do that helps you feel balanced..." 

With the many life changing experiences in my life, practicing yoga has helped me to be calm and grounded and more connected with others.

I was caring for a handicapped husband and working full time and needed a stress release. With the encouragement from my husband I began my journey down the yogi path. I began attending Syl Carson's classes regularly a year before my husband passed away. I developed a sense of calm and peace that I have never experienced before.  I grew to appreciate the knowledge she shared, her calm confidence and her very clear instructions. She made sure that each posture was aligned so I would get the best benefit from it. In Syl's words this is how I began to feel. "The goal of practicing Yoga is to create balance.  The aim is to help you create a more authentic life.  So if you allow yoga to "change" you, it will deepen all your positive beliefs and relationships, and create a well-toned body, a more focused mind, and peaceful emotions and spirit. In short, yoga helps you become more "yourself", it accentuates what you already believe that is true for you."

This helped me get through the death of my husband and adjusting to being alone. I practiced with Syl for a year more and  then was able to go on a mission to Germany with my sister who had also lost her husband. ( http://schwestersisters.blogspot.com/ )I had the confidence to serve well and continued to do a yoga practice on my own at least once a week. I remained in touch with Syl. We used her videos and listened to her CDs. I shared my knowledge with the young Sisters in the mission.

While I was gone Syl acquired a permanent home in which she shares her wonderful knowledge and instruction.  I came home to the Bodhi Yoga Center and my much missed "yogi family".  I felt this was where I needed to focus and so I enrolled in the 200 hour Teacher  Certification.  This began another amazing journey.  Each month for 5 months we met for a weekend of enlightenment, learning and hands on experience under the instruction of Syl. Again I felt the centering I much needed as I adjusted back to my single life.

Following is the curriculum included in the instruction:

500 Page Manual Included in the Bodhi Yoga™ 200-Hour (Yoga Alliance Approved) Teacher Training.  Many DVDs and CDs to use in a home practice
 

Breath, Bone & Gesture 
Introduction to Yoga,  
Foundations of ASANA & Sequencing of Practice, and
Inspired Teaching through  the Bodhi Yoga™ Approach  

Anatomy of  Movement
The Twelve Systems &
Seven Tissues of the Body,
Contexts of Yoga Practice
& Bodhi Flow Vinyasa  

Wisdom of Ayurveda 
Natural Progression: Bodhi Yoga ASANA
Yoga Marmas & Acupressure
Inspired Practices for Hands-on Adjusting-from a Thai Partner Yoga Perspective 

Discovering Your Voice
The Emotions of Movement
Structures of Sanskrit in Yoga 
including Sacred Chant 
& Teaching the Language of Movement  

Choosing Your Path
Teaching Specialized Yoga Classes-Including Bodhi Yoga Kids™  Intuitive Instruction & Energy Healing Aspects of Yoga.

As you can see this is a very comprehensive and informative training.  I felt is well worth my time and money.  I highly recommend it.

Teaching My Family

My daughter, Kelli,  had been asking me when I was going to teach, so she could come.  So for her birthday I prepared a special class for her and invited all her siblings and any spouses who wanted to attend.  Syl was so kind to allow us to use the Bodhi Yoga Center for the occasion which also applied to some of my teaching hours.

 Hands on adjustments are very helpful and feel great.

We held a space in our hearts for all the family members who were not there including their father who passed away four years ago this month.  It was a wonderful bonding healing family experience. 

I honor and love them all. I am so very blessed.

Week 4: BREATH, BONE, GESTURE

Breath is Rajasic, Bone is Tamasic and Gesture is Sattvic

BREATH
Pranayama for balancing the Gunas can be used to either calm or energize.


BONE

Articulation, Alignment and Joint Functions 

GESTURE

Bandhas are gathering contractions deep in the body's cor line that help circulate heat through out the body and direct energy a d strength within the Asana.  When we get our Bandhas right, they actually unlock the potential of the pose and creates a deeper understanding of the potential of each asana, and is the foundation for the powerful Gesture aspect of the asana.

 

http://www.gobodhiyoga.com/whatisbodhiyoga.shtml

  

 

Week 3 GUNAS

I think we are to talk about the Gunas this month. I will describe the best to my understanding what they are.

Gunas are the three ways in which Prakriti (Shakti) manifests herself into the physical. They are the three energies that govern anything happening on the physical plane. They show up in everything we do.

1. Rajastic Energy: Rajas currents, movements or feelings are spirals seen from the side with a forward and backward, inward/outward movement. Rajas movement is dynamic, insistent and passionate. A Rajastic approach to practicing yoga would be the seeking of power, stimulation, and esternal engagement by how cool the yoga posture looks.

2. Tamasic Energy: Tamas currents, movements or feelings are long lines, upward and downward. Tomas are strong, deep and internally focused. The Tamasic approach to yoga practice is dominated by subconscious forces and motivated by fear which may keep one from trying a pose or resisting receiving touch or hands on adjustments.

3. Sattvic Energy: Sattvic Currents, movements or feelings are transvers from east to west or movement in space from side to side. Sattvic movement is light, delicate, clear, and graceful. The Sattvic approach views yoga practice as a journey, with each yoga posture as a potential for both steady joy as well as challenge.


The Gunas are relevant to the Yoga asanas (poses), in relationship to:
* lines of energy
* edges of pactice
* struggle and intention of each pose

The Guna is present in the temperament and approach we use in a pose or series of poses.

In each pose we explore the movement of the Gunas and feel a sense of which Guna needs pacification and which needs to magnified to reach the potential union of Body, Mind and Spirit for a true "Yoga".

The Gunas are manifested through Prakriti (Shakti- Mother Nature) and illuminated by Purusha (Shiva -God or higher power)


http://www.gobodhiyoga.com/whatisbodhiyoga.shtml

Week 2: A DISCOVERY

This week there are no grandchildren to entertain so I am able to attend the regular Yoga Classes at the Bohdi Yoga Center . Syl is skilled in instructing and teaching new things as we go along. 

Monday, in the Restorative Yoga Class she talked about Dissociative Reflex. She made up this name but her description of it was very profound to my soul. This is what I remember of it:

When things are uncomfortable our brain dissociates with the body. It is as if it goes through a swinging door. Sometimes the door does not swing back for one reason or another and we are stuck in the dissociative state. We need to find a way to get that door to open back to our body and make a re-connection. This touched my heart as I felt that this is the state I have been in since childhood. I feel a deep desire to connect and see the person I really am. It has been a painful difficult struggle over the years to be able to accomplish all that was expected of me by me or by others. I feel that I may be on the right path.

I found Bodhi Yoga Center on Facebook.

Week 1: TRAINING BEGINS

I began my journey with Syl Carson one year before my husband died and continued one year after before I was called to Germany as a missionary.  I did my own practice a couple times a week to keep it up.  On returning to Utah, after two years in Germany, I felt drawn to immerse myself in Yoga and knew that Bodhi Yoga was where I would get the best training.  I signed up for the TeacherTraining and the journey begins.



My intention is to perfect my practice, connect and learn the inner me and feel peace. I do not know if I will teach but I am open and hope my heart can lead me to be able to reach out to others and help them along this path also.


This piece of the teaching stood out to me and gave me encouragement and hope.

"Asana is the Sanskrit word meaning Posture, a steady position of the body, "a state of being, steady and joyful". Asana postures are methods of working with one's body in order to prepare it for further stages of spiritual development, mental stability and physical health. They also help one acquire initial concentration skills and provide an entry level development of energetic structures of the complete human being."

Here are the Yoga Immersion Teacher Certification Yogis
Cyl, our mentor and instructor is in front




Teaching Grandchildren

Since I was babysitting some of my grandchildren the first week I practiced on them

We Warm Up

We learn how to breathe. Feel the stomach expand when you breathe in and then the chest. Now breathe out..and let it all out.

A Good Twist


No One Does a Child Pose Better Than a Child