Friday, April 27, 2012

Costa Rica YTT - Lovin Every Minute of It!


Love & support is in the air up here at CRYS. There’s also a bit of bittersweetness as we round into the end of these 21 transformational days together. As this was a particularly busy week, loaded down with our teaching practicum, final projects and final exam to tackle, tension and stress were present as well.

Breathe. Pause. Look around. Aw. Being surrounded by the beauty of nature brought us back to the reality of this amazing experience. I am incredibly grateful. Especially for all the priceless lessons and new things I've learned....

Relationships

In relationships, detach from somebody else’s reaction. You are only responsible for your words and actions. NOT for how they react.

Be courageous, take self-responsibility and be completely honest.

Those were a few really important sentences for me. I am blunt. I especially need to learn how to detach from somebody else’s reaction and work on delivering honest, kind, precise messages that are not emotionally charged in the moment.

During this training we all spent a lot of time looking inward and letting go. For many of us that was releasing pain that was inflicted on us by others – whether it was death that was out of everybody’s control or pain we held because of past and present friendships, family, partners; all of the people that we spend time with influence us and our happiness. 

We decide who we dedicate our time to. Time is something we can not get back. Spend it wisely!

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga is a very powerful deep practice with mostly sitting or lying postures for promoting growth, clearing energetic blockages, and enhancing circulation.  With the Yin practice you are holding particular poses from 3 minutes up to 10 minutes or more. Yin yoga targets connective tissue, specifically ligaments and tendons in the joints and spine. Over time, practice of yin yoga can lengthen these tissues, increasing range of motion.

The Yin practice really forces you to surrender and let it all go. Monika Ramos brought in a bit of a Buddhist Meditation technique that I enjoyed called, Tonglen.
Inhale, Find the – discomfort, pain, frustration, judgement
Exhale, relief, peace, acceptance

I really loved the Yin class that Monika taught us. I think it’s an especially important practice for me because I am not naturally limber and am learning to surrender & accept where my body is at now – without judgement! I would love to incorporate at least one Yin session a week into my practice.

AcroYoga

Fun. Really awesome connection you build with your partner. Another practice of surrender and trusting others. You really have to be open with each other and communicate effectively. Here is the definition of AcroYoga from their website:

AcroYoga blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of Thai massage, and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. These three ancient lineages form this practice that cultivates trust, connection and playfulness. There are 7 main elements that make up the practice: circle ceremony, asana, partner flow, Thai massage, therapeutic flying, inversions & spotting, and partner acrobatics. Our highest aim is to bring individuals into a state of union with themselves, with each other, and with the divine. From this place of mutual support the true self can be realized, celebrated and shared for the benefit of all. 

Definitely already planning on taking a workshop to learn to base and add the playfulness of this awesome practice. We had a bit of beach acro fun:










My first time Flying!

Teaching Practicum


Ash decided to try something a bit different and have us co-teach for our final teaching. We were broken into pairs and responsible for teaching a 90 minute class together. Ok I was definitely nervous, but happy to know that Wendy and I could lean on each other up there. Wendy and I worked together creating a sequence for our 90 minute practice. We decided on Dancer for our pinnacle pose and went from there. Here’s how it went….







miss you booty shakin wendy!

 
loving that beautiful smile & tons of verde Kristin
Go Jamie, Get it girl

Yoga Sutras

Throughout the YTT, Ash has been pulling in pieces from the Yoga Sutras. The  Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali are an ancient text consisting of 196 sutras that are divided into 4 chapters/books. The foundations of yoga philosophy were written down in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, approximately 200 AD. This sacred text describes the inner workings of the mind and provides an eight-step blueprint for controlling its restlessness so as to enjoying lasting peace.

The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for yoga practice. The Yamas and Niyamas are two of the eight limbed path:

Yamas - Reflection of our True Nature. The Yama’s encourage us to live in peace with ourselves and one another. I was working with the following Yama – Dedicated to truth and integrity (satya), our thoughts, words and actions gain the power to manifest.
For me this had a lot to do with speaking my truth and finding my voice. If I work towards being an individual with integrity and live by my truth, all of my thoughts and desires will began to manifest.

Niyamas – Evolution Toward Harmony. The Niyama’s allow us to continue our journey inward toward wholeness and discovering our divinity. I was working with the following Niyama – Living life with zeal and sincerity, the purifying flame is ignited (tapas), revealing the inner light.
Stoking my fire, discovering who I am and being confident in that individual has been huge for me. I am light, I need to be confident in myself and let it shine. Who doesn’t love the word zeal either?

If you are interested in picking up a copy of the sutras this is the one that I really could relate to, afterall I am a woman –

The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras

Final Projects

I loved each and every one of them. It really showed a bit of our personality and I learned something from each of them. From acroyoga, to energy work & yoga, kids yoga, yoga for men, yoga and swimming, yoga nidra, yoga & surfing, yoga & the immune system, yoga & listening. Many of these short presentations sparked my interest. I especially wanted to pass on a couple of videos that Jen shared about Kids Yoga:


The Vinyasa Yoga for Youth had me tearing up. Growing up in this day in age is not the easiest, so much pressure and frustration to feel “normal”. My eyes were really opened at what Yoga could mean for even an 8 year old. Loved it.


Kids Yoga fun...even more fun for adults!
Downward dog tunnel, YES!
Yoga & Ayurveda
My final project was on Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the sister science to Yoga. I was first interested to Ayurveda about a year ago at a Yoga retreat. Jill is a really amazing Ayurvedic practitioner and I love getting her newsletter. Anyway since then I’ve always wanted to learn more and I thought it’d be a great topic to share with the group.

Ayurveda is the Science of Life. It is the world’s oldest holistic health care system dating back at least 5000 years. Ayurveda teaches us how to come back into balance with our true nature (inner-elements).

“Ayurveda is unique in that it takes the individual into account, rather than simply diagnosing disease and illness based on symptoms. Self awareness is the essence of Ayurveda and the foundation for good  health. The foundation of Ayurveda is in the understanding that our behavior is our most potent tonic. Specific principles in diet and nutrition, daily routines, exercises and techniques are utilized to stabilize the body & mind. Many of the remedies for common ailments can be simply and quickly prepared in your own ‘kitchen pharmacy’ with widely available foods, spices and herbs.” – Ayurveda Alchemy

Part of Ayurveda are the Doshas. A Dosha is an individual’s inherent physical and mental nature. Each persons constitution is a unique combination of the five elements, with some elements more predominant than others.
The 3 Doshas:
Ø  Vata = ‘wind’ and is responsible for movement in the body and the mind
Ø  Pitta = ‘that which cooks’ and is associated with the body’s metabolic system and the energy of transformation. Pitta is responsible for mental and physical digestion
Ø  Kapha = the energy that forms the body’s structure. It is responsible for building of tissue and lubrication of the body and mind.
Ultimately you want to strive for your 3 Doshas to be in balance (tri-dosha). A fundamental principle in Ayurveda is that an imbalance of the elements in the body creates an energetic imbalance in the body. If the imbalance is not addressed it can lead to illness or disease. Often a change in diet and lifestyle, which in essence is removing causative factors, is all that is needed to bring the body and mind back into its natural state of harmony.

The most exciting part of my Ayurveda presentation – this was the first time I wasn’t nervous out of my mind. I wasn’t talking fast, stumbling, getting flustered or trying to just get it over with. I really was enjoying sharing my knowledge and wished that I had more time. Woo hoo, one step to opening my 5th Chakra and finding my voice.

We graduamatated!



I was definitely sad to say goodbye to many of my new lifelong friends, the delicious meals and wildlife up here at CRYS – howler monkeys, hummingbirds, dragon flys, all the sounds of nature; even stupid cicada bugs. I will miss those silly crazy loud things.

My favorite memory? everyday. We each answered this question together and none of us were able to just pick one J The afternoon that really stands out to me is 5 Rhythms and pool time after. After two hours of dancing, meditating, releasing and feeling blissful during 5 Rhythms practice and we all ran for the pool. Fully clothed and sweaty, we jumped in the pool and couldn’t stop smiling. I know I can’t sufficiently capture the day with words or photographs, but just thinking about it makes me smile once again:
Luckily I didn’t have to say goodbye to all my fellow yoginis yet since half of us stuck around Guinoes for a few more days J I hope each of you do expect to see my face again very soon! Seattle, Colorado, Canada, NY, NC and CR once again, I will be there sooner than later. Each of you get your bootay to SF too. Amor Mucho Siempre!

The funny thing about YTT is you leave with more questions than answers….here’s to continuing to explore!
My Vision Board....

Muchas Muchas Gracias to my beautiful teacher Ash. I will be forever grateful for the transformation you helped me through. I look forward to our paths crossing again soon.
My wonderful teacher Ashley Ludman
Yay for some 600 pictures on Picasa:
Costa Rica YTT

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Costa Rica YTT – “Shit on Should”


Shit on Should. Best quote ever. (Thanks Kori for this one). We all do it, am I right or am I right? I should have came in early….I should drink less… I should go to the gym. Stop shoulding on yourself!

I have another quote to add “Trying is lying, just do it!”. Um, wow okay. How different do these two statements sound: I am going to try to call my family more vs. I am going to call my family  more.  Removing the try, added quite an umpf to my words, right? I know not the best example, but pay attention to your speech & say what you mean! Your words have more of an impact on your emotions and life than we realize.

In addition to the shoulding and trying quotes, we’ve had some really great discussions and lessons that I thought I’d share.

Chakras

Let me start off by saying how intrigued I am about chakras. This was one of my favorite topics we worked with in the YTT.  There are many many books on the chakras and I will just graze the surface, but here we go. 

Yogis have used the chakra system for thousands of years as an integral part of holistic healing. Understanding and using your chakras can promote physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

Our bodies appear to be solid, but, in fact, we are 99.99% empty space filled with energetic, vibrating atoms, according to quantum physicists.  Our entire body vibrates at a basic frequency of approximately 8 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as the basic electromagnetic field of the Earth.  We are literally attuned to the Earth.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning "spinning wheel of energy". These energy centers within our bodies receive and transmit energy, and each is situated at a major endocrine gland along the spinal column, and nerve bundle within the physical body, called a plexus. In one of the books, I saw a drawing of each of the major nerve bundles and how each associates with a chakra and it really all just clicked for me. It makes sense!

There are seven major chakras. Each chakra in our bodies govern certain areas of our physical and emotional self.
The 1st Chakra (Root - Earth) governs Physical Needs and Security. The 2nd Chakra (Sacral - Water) governs Sexuality, Emotions, and Desires.  The 3rd Chakra (Solar Plexus - Fire) governs Power.  The 4th Chakra (Heart - Air) governs Love, Forgiveness, and Compassion.  The 5th Chakra (Throat - Ether) governs Communication.  The 6th Chakra (Brow) governs Intuition and Reasoning.  The 7th Chakra (Crown) governs Spirituality and Understanding.
The chakras are interrelated; one affects another. The Root Chakra is the lowest of the 7 chakras and spins the slowest or resonates at the lowest of the 7 vibration frequencies.  The Crown Chakra is the highest of the 7 chakras and spins the fastest. 

For a sense of health and well-being, we want to be a well-balanced, well-developed person on every level of our Chakras. Balancing the chakras is not a one-time cure. Like cultivating physical health and well-being, this is a lifelong process. Just as the state of our physical health largely depends on our habits, so does the state of our chakra balance.

Imbalances occur when there is too much (excessive) or too little (deficient) energy flowing through the chakras. 
A block in a chakra means something is getting in the way of the free flow of energy through that vortex. It's sort of like having an artery that is clogged with plaque, only instead of a physical block, this is a metaphysical block that is composed of stagnant emotional energy. The closure or imbalance/energy blockage doesn’t usually occur in response to a single event.  It’s the repetition of similar events without relief that eventually closes off the chakra or causes the imbalance/energy blockage. By understanding how each chakra affects a particular body function and life issue, it is possible to identify where a chakra is malfunctioning.

Here are examples of excessive, deficient and balanced characteristics in the Throat Chakra (5th) which governs self-expression:
Excessive: talking too much, gossiping, difficulty being silent, not listening well, being argumentative, acting like a know-it-all, being critical, sore throats, overactive thyroid.  
Deficient: trouble expressing yourself/difficulty putting things to words, fear of speaking, lack of confidence in your opinions, weak voice, under-active thyroid, asthma , neck and shoulder problems
Balanced: expressive, eloquent, a great communicator and a good listener. 

As soon as I read these characteristics I realized that I have a deficiency in my throat chakra. Hello neck and shoulder problems. At times even when I completely understand a topic I struggle when it comes to explaining the topic to others, it never comes out right and I get frustrated. I’ve always avoided public speaking when I can. What am I doing at a YTT training then right? A yoga teacher does quite a lot of public speaking. Well it’s exactly what I need to be doing to open up this chakra.

There are many ways to balance the chakras and clear any energy blockages/imbalances.  Some useful therapies and tools are: Energy Work – Reiki or Acupuncture, Intuitive/Spiritual Counseling, Physical exercises from hula hooping, swimming or yoga, Positive thinking, Clear Intention, Massage, Journaling, Breathe exercises.

For example, The tools I am using to open up my throat chakra and bring it into balance include journaling, chanting, reading aloud and yoga poses such as camel or bridge.

Ok whoa, that was a lot of text and I only skimmed the surface when it comes to chakras….If you are interested in learning more here are some great books I plan to buy myself:

Chakra Meditation: Discover Energy, Creativity, Focus, Love, Communication, Wisdom, and Spirit



Anything by Anodea Judith:


Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System As a Path to the Self



Acting the Chakras Out
I know that is some heavy stuff up there and to lighten it up a bit Ashley had us put together skits with the chakras. During these 15 minute skits, each group acted out the deficient/excessive characteristics for their particular chakra. We decided I was a neutral actor in this skit and was the teacher – great public speaking practice that I definitely needed.

Overall, we all ended up having more fun than we expected with this assignment – I literally was laughing for an hour straight. The moment I know we will never forget is when Lili was playing the part of excessiveness in the 2nd Charkra which governs your sexual organs. Let’s just say she was being quite the flirt with her yoga teacher Chris when the pose was happy baby…."does this make you happy, baby?”  If you’re not familiar with this asana, google it haha.

Being the Victim

“When you heal yourself, you’ll heal 7 generations past and 7 future.”

My back, my shoulder, my arm, my hamstring, my this, my that….So many of us have been taught and still do play the victim role. I know I do.

I’ve always identified and victimized myself as having a bad back. My mother and grandmother both have had multiple neck and back surgeries – watching their pain has scared the shit out of me. It’s also created this thought process in my head that genetically that’s why I also have pain in my back and what can I do about it. This negative thought process has limited me.

My struggles with my back do not make me a victim.  I need to shift my thoughts from the victim role to my back being a challenge in my physical body. I can work on:
-Strengthening my core to support my back
-Being aware of my posture
-Both stretching and strengthening the weaker muscles in my back

Let your challenges be your greatest teachers.  Even in painful and difficult moments find the joy/teacher or lesson in the pain – which can be emotional or physical.  Remember Every moment is teaching from grace/god/the universe!

Once again acceptance: Accepting where I am now in my physical practice. I am by no means naturally limber and that is okay. Yoga doesn’t require you to be a pretzel. Every single one of us has a different body and our own unique practice. We will never ever have the exact same practice as somebody else. So own your practice and make it yours – for me that includes many modifications and blocks! Thank goodness for blocks and straps.

With focus, dedication and by listening to your body, we all have the ability to move further in asanas. The biggest reminder for myself is to be patient – this won’t and shouldn’t happen overnight.

Creativity

A very big part of this training has been focused on creativity – from dance, music, writing, painting, vision boarding. AH! Whenever somebody talks about being a journalist or that they enjoy I writing, my reaction has always been “I’m not a writer! I’m a math brain, I’m not creative!” Says who? Why the hell do I pigeon hole myself like that?

Clearly this blog, especially the last few posts that have been heavily text focused, and all the journaling/self-reflection during this training has opened up the creative side of mind that I never use and have chosen it to be that way. I choose differently. I am a writer! I can write. These are my words.

Maybe I’m not a natural painter for example, but I highly enjoy photography. My camera is the paintbrush and my photographs are how I express my experiences.

Even if I'm not a natural painter, I can do it. In addition to the Chakra skits, we each created a representation of the Chakras and how we understand them through art. It was really a challenge for me to just let it all flow - don't think too much or compare to others. just allow it to be. It was really beautiful to see all of our paintings:

I know some of this might sound silly, but opening up and embracing the creativity within myself has been a revelation.

Teaching

Our first teaching exercise was in small groups, working with Sun Salutation A & B. Easy! Ha. Wow so much harder than it looks. Here were the guidelines: Active cues (exhale vs. exhaling), no demonstrating or using the sansrikt or English name of the pose. 

Teaching out loud was tricky. I naturally wanted to do the flow as well and say move into downward dog – the important piece is to understand what you are doing in your body and describe that action. Somebody who has never practiced yoga before is going to be lost if you start saying downward go, uktasana, cobra, akward pose etc. What a great first exercise for us.

We’ve also started to draw some beautiful stick figures in our journals to note down any particular poses or sequence of poses we enjoyed. Lots of laughs around this. For anybody who is a yogi, think about drawing eagle pose for example…draw it and let me know how it works out :)

As I am writing these posts, I’m realizing there is no way I can fully capture all of my experience in words. I'm already writing a ton and I've only touched on a few topics we've covered. Overall, this journey has been quite the roller coaster, but one of the best choices I have made in my life! hands down.

Where words fall short, let photographs speak:

Howler Monkey right outside the studio

Sunset at Playa Guinoes


Ashley showing a modify assist with me. Felt so good!
Ash teaching us an assist with Chris. You look so happy Chris haha


So serious, I need to lighten up...and get the knee way closer to 90 degrees