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:
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….
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| 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! |
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| loving that beautiful smile & tons of verde Kristin |
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| 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
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.
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Kids Yoga fun...even more fun for adults!
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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!
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.
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| 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.
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| My wonderful teacher Ashley Ludman |
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