[dooley]

Meditation to me can be an effective form of stress reduction and can improve quality of life. It can lead to a state of thoughtless awareness and allows you to focus on the present moment. You are able to become a different person. How can you achieve all this. Meditation has to become a habit. A time you set everyday to meditate. You can meditate sitting or lying down. It can be five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, or longer. It can be very difficult to accomplish but with practice you entire into a new frame of mind. One that allows you to be calm in moments of strive. It changes you you are and how you look at life in general. In other words, awareness of peace is achieved when mental charter is decreased.

Meditation is not a form of concentration, loss of control, exercise, or about turning off your thoughts. You are learning to observe them with out judgement.

Mindfulness is the ability to be present. To rest in the here and now and be fully engaged with whatever we’re doing in the moment

Meditation and mindfulness are two important. Each practice enhances the effectiveness of the other. Being mindful gives you the opportunity to be present in the moment and when you use mindfulness with meditation practice, for example when you do a body scan, which focuses on being present in each area of the body in order to relax and prepare for meditation. One becomes part of the other

Meditation is a skill and takes consistent practice to get comfortable.

[dooley]

When you are teaching outside a yoga studio, you need to do your homework. You need to see what props they have. What type of students you will be teaching. Have they done yoga before? Then you need to prepare for the class by bringing any props that you want your students to be using. Your sequencing may change depending if they have any experience doing yoga.

The place I am doing my Karma yoga only has block, so I had to borrow straps to use. Some of the students didn’t have mats, so I brought the extra mats I had for them to use. When we were doing the yoga at the 5K, we were on a hill. We had to be aware of the people who were on the slop of the hill when we were doing certain poses. Most balances poses were a challenge for them, so we needed to make adjustments on how they did the pose. it was a great experience helping the runners get ready for the race.

Always make sure you do your research when you are not teaching at a yoga studio. This way you can be prepare for anything.

[dooley]

I have learned so much about myself through this journey I am not sure where to begin. I do want to teach yoga. You could say that is my one of my “ah-ah” moments. I have always know that teaching was my passion. I always believed it was to teach in an education classroom, and now I believe that has changed. Being a yoga teacher what I want to do.

Yoga has taught me so much about myself. It has allowed me to see my hearts desire. I have been able to build strength in my mind, body, and spirit. When I did my first demo, I was told that I had found my teaching voice, and that let me know I was on the right path to what I needed to do in my life. I have gained so much inner peace and happiness with this journey.

When I began my journey with yoga, I did have a strange feeling inside of me that there was more I needed to do but was not sure what that was. Being presented with teacher training was the moment when I realized I was meant to do it, even though that fear of doubt wanted to creep in and tell me different I chose not to listen. Doing my karma yoga proved to me I was on the right path and I felt very happy.

I am ready for this new journey to begin.

[dooley]

Doing yoga in my home for several years, I knew you needed to pay attention to your breathing. It wasn’t until I went to a yoga studio in Kent did i realize how important breathing is to practicing yoga. It wasn’t until I started going to other studios and hearing other instructors cue how important breathing was to help guide you through the pose that I started to really see a difference in how correct breathing can help you through your practice.
When the instructed cued us pay attention to how each breath would feel inhaling and exhaling, I believing cuing the breath throughout a class is important to help the students keep their focus on breathing.

I was able to see a difference in how I felt after a few classes were I was paying more attention to my breathing and notice the difference I was feeling during the poses and even the positive energy I felt after the class. I would have to remind myself throughout the practice to turn my focus back to my breath. Always hearing the cues about your breathing throughout the class helped me to stay focused not just on the pose but the breathing as well.
It was difficult at first, but as I began to practice my breathing more did I started to see a major change.

Learning the three-part breath really brought the true concept of how our breath can effect the body. When you have to direct your breath into your abs, rib cage, and chest at different times helps you feel the breath move through your body. You begin to use your senses more on three-part breath. You don’t just feel it the breath as you inhale and exhale but you can taste the breath, you can hear the breath as it moves through the body. All this play a part in helping you realize how the breath impacts the body.

[dooley]

When it comes to arm balances and inversions, not all poses are fit for classes, especially beginner classes. They can be incorporated into level 2 or 3 classes, as long as the students are comfortable with the pose and the teacher as well. The one thing I learned from Colleen is that if you are not comfortable with doing the pose yourself or in your own practice don’t teach it to your students. I agree with this. You don’t want to go into class and teach a pose you are uncomfortable with.

The are many benefits for these poses. Some poses help the body by lengthen and strengthen the core, legs, upper torso/arms, and improve balance. Other poses may help with opening the chest, help with stretching the lungs, throat, and shoulders. There are benefits for the mind such as calming the mind, staying focused, and expressing freedom.

There are some poses that I incorporate into my daily practice that I would feel comfortable teaching in a class, such as Wild Thing, Side Plank, Shoulder Stand, and Head Stand. I would teach these poses because I have practice them enough that I would feel comfortable enough to teach them in a class. I would be able to give the verbal cues needed to help them into the pose. The poses I wouldn’t teach would be Crow Pose, and Side Crow Pose. I have not attempted to do these poses in my own practice, so I don’t want to try to give the verbal cues they would need to help them into the pose and I wouldn’t be able to demonstrate the pose as well. Maybe one day I will be able to do that.

[dooley]

Having a basic understanding of anatomy is important when it comes to teaching yoga. Learning from Anne was awesome in so many ways, but overwhelming as well. My brain was in overload. I do feel I have a better understanding of anatomy due to what I learned in her class, once I was able to process the information it become a little more clearer to me. I lack understanding all the terminology that relates to the muscles, joints, and bones, but again feel the books will be a great point of reference, especially when I am planning my classes. The article helped me realize that I can just focus on the main aspects of anatomy such as the structure, composition, and function of the spine, since the spine is the central axis of the body. Having this information on the spine makes sense since so many of the poses are connected with movement in the spine. I also liked how the article stated we have to start somewhere, so when planning my sequences for my classes, I will focus on reading and comprehending on the muscles for the poses I plan on teaching in class. I believe by doing this the information will become more understandable, because we will not be focusing on learning it all at one time. Just will take one pose at a time.

[dooley]

I have always exercised in the morning at home. When I started doing yoga I continued to keep that routine. It has always been my way of starting the day. The one thing that did change was going to a studio. I would go to the studio during the day or evening but not in the early morning. I picked a 6am class. I wanted to see how different it was from doing my home practice. I enjoyed the class. The teacher was very good. She started out slow with a calming voice. The moves were slow to begin but after getting our bodies and mind awake the pace moved a little faster. I had great energy to continue my day.

It is important as a teacher to be aware of the time you are teaching your class. When doing an early morning class you have to plan your class with the idea that people are still not awake, so having your centering be based on a calming meditative state such a focusing on some deep breathing to relax the mind and body. Then you could awakening the body more with some stretching. The evening class could consist of the stretching and relaxing the mind too, especially if someone is coming from a stressful day. They would be able to unwind and prepare for a quiet evening when they get home. The day or afternoon class could be more geared toward keeping the body and mind energized or focused to complete the day.

I am willing to teach any time of the day.

[dooley]

Assist in my practice have been both helpful and hurtful. I had one hurtful assist. The teacher came over without asking if she could touch me and pushed down on my foot not knowing the reason for not being able to put my foot all the way down to the floor. I have had a helpful assist. The teacher came over while doing side angle pose put her body slightly up against my to help me straighten my pose. This was very helpful because I was able to make that slight adjustment in the pose.

I plan to begin with verbal assist in my teaching. As a new teacher I want to build confidence and become comfortable with helping my students with physical assists. With all the classes and wonderful teachers I have had, I know that verbal assists can help a student make any adjustments they may need for the pose that will allow them to feel comfortable in their body. Once I can confidence, as well as learn about my students, I believe I would start doing physical assists.

[dooley]

I enjoy music very much. Music is big part of what I do on a daily basis. I love music. Music gives people the optportunity to reflect on things or to focus on the moment. When I began doing yoga at a studio, they always played meditative music, which I believed helped you get into the mood of doing yoga. It did have a calming effect on how I stayed focused in the moment and the posses. I believed at that point in my yoga journey that was the only music acceptable in a yoga class.

I have learned from going to different studios and classes that any kind of music can be played in a class as long as the teacher made the music fit the class. A teacher also has to understand the students in their classes. Some my be distracted by the music but some my be inspired by it.

I always believed music needed to be part of a yoga, until I had a conversation with a teacher on the subject of music and he gave some good points on playing music in class. The one point he stated was teachers can use that music to not use cues as often and let the music lead the students. He did suggest for new teachers that not having music gives the teacher a chance to focus on their cues as well as get comfortable with cueing. He also suggested playing the music on low volume so it doesn’t distract you from your students or cueing. This advise gave me a new perspective on playing music.

[dooley]

This is one of my favorite quotes because I am a hands on learner. I want to keep this quote in mind as I am teaching my students so I am aware of how they learn and what they need.

I enjoy my mentor. We talk on a regular basis. I am so glad that I am able to reach out to her anytime I have a question. There are several key concepts she helps me on. She reminds me to stay focused in the moment. In other words, to keep my Vata mind from overthinking everything. Not to look to far ahead on the reading and classes, and I really need to do that. She encourages me to take as many new classes as I can so I am able to experience different teaching styles. She reminds me not to let them overwhelm me. Just to take in the important concepts that the teacher is teaching and bring that into my teaching style. She encourages me to stay consistent with my personal practice and work on my finding my own words.

Laurie and Kelly have given me great advise. When I take their classes, I am able to approach them with any questions or concerns I have. It is a joy to see so many teacher who are willing to step up and guide their students to become a wonderful teacher.

I feel that teaching yoga is similar to teaching children. You have to know your students and what they are able to accomplish in class. Not every person is the same and will not be able to do the same as another student, so reassuring them of that. You have to be warm and welcome them to your class. They have to know you are just not there to teach. You are there to help them learn and grow in their practice.

[dooley]

This discussion question has been a challenge for me to answer. I have written several answers and then deleted them. I first started thinking that the pain is not specific in dealing with what kind of pain. I was thinking physical, mental, and chronic pain. I also was looking at the obstacles he describes in Sutra 2.3 misapprehension, confused values, excessive attachments, unreasonable dislikes, and insecurity, and when I read the description for each it helped clarify a few thoughts I was having on pain and how it can be anticipated and avoidable.

When we do yoga we are training our mind to think in a different way. We become more clear on some of the obstacles we face. I have always believed in mind over matter just didn’t really know how to make it work to reach that potential on having my mind set to go through these obstacles/pain. We have to set our minds to distinguish what is perceived from what perceives. What is perceived includes the external objects, the mind, and the senses. We need to be have our mind and senses open to the objects around us to help us perceive the pain that may follow the obstacles. So if you have chronic pain you would need to be open minded with the senses to help control the level of pain you know is coming and prepare the means necessary to help you deal with the pain. I believe this also applies to other types of pain. Once we have our mind/senses aware of what is ahead we can makes those adjustment to prepare.

I believe as teachers once we start to make progress in understanding the obstacles and preparing the mind/senses to help with those obstacles we can bring this into our class and relates to our students to understand there will be obstacles in life and we can face those painful obstacles with a positive mind and attitude. Whether we are our on our mats or off. This could be achieved through learning to breath to relax the mind but also to be present in the moment

Diana

[dooley]

I began my journey with the Yamas & Niyamas in a workshop. I was so impressed with what I read but didn’t focus too much on it. When I was exposed to the material again by attending the book club it reopened my yes to the true meaning of the principles of the Yamas & Niyamas. I went home and began my journey with completing the weekly question to each fabulous jewel. I was amazed I what I learned about myself. This was a difficult journey because I had to face some challenges/fears in my life that I didn’t want to acknowledge but knew I needed to. By focusing each week on a certain aspect of the jewels helped me to face those challenges/fears with confidence. I am able to keep incorporating these principles in my everyday life. I have put sticky notes around my house to help me focus on a particular aspect of the jewel, for instance fear and confidence is a challenge I face whenever I want to accomplish a goal I have set for myself, especially if that goal is out of my comfort zone. Having these sticky notes with words or phrases allows me to tell myself I can do this and this will allow me to make positive changes in my life and be a better person. The one phrase that I have used mostly is “Courage is found by facing our fears”. I have even put these phrases on my phone to help me when I am not at home. The sticky notes and keeping a journal have helped me stay accountable.

It is hard to just focus on one of the Yamas & Niyamans because they intertwine with each other. When you have understood the Ahimsa: Nonviolence you a can start understanding the Salya: Truthfulness and apply what your have learned about yourself from the previous Yama and keep building a better road to who you want to become. The cycle continues throughout the rest of the jewels and you find your mind, body, and spirit as at a new level that you thought you could not achieve.

Along with my yoga practice, the Yamas & Niyamas have changed my life forever.

[dooley]

This quote sums up what yoga is all about to me. Self-Awareness! Since yoga means to unite, which plays into this quote. I have come to comprehend the true meaning of this quote through my yoga journey. I knew that yoga dealt with the mind and body connection, but never truly was able to bring them together through my practice. Since I have grown in my practice, I am becoming more aware of how to bring the mind and body along with the breath to focus on self-awareness. This journey will help me to bring self-awareness to my students by using that language to help them become area of “the self”.

Diana

[dooley]

A good yoga teacher means just being a good teacher. What does this mean? Well, it means a teacher who has the dedication, has the patience, and has the love for their practice. It doesn’t mean doing the most difficult poses perfectly. It is also about having good energy and being passionate about sharing what you know.

The dedication comes from being on your mat on a daily basis. I believe this helps develop the patience the teacher needs to grow their own practice, and this will create the love for helping others.
Being a good yoga teacher also means having good energy along with having the passion to guide their students to grow in their own yoga journey.

I compare being a yoga teacher to a teacher in education. You have to make your classroom about the students. What do they need? How are you going to assist them in those needs. You want to empower those students to believe they can achieve their goals. This holds true when you are teaching a yoga class. It is all about letting them know that this class is not about you as being the teacher it is about them and creating a classroom where they can leave feeling empowered and confident.

[Author]

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