There's always more to learn

Teachers need to go back to school sometimes!
I have just returned from training in Italy with the masterful Sianna Sherman and feel enthused, revitalised and ready to share. There were just 10 of us on this second part of an advanced teacher training, making for a specially intimate and immersive experience. We were there to dive more deeply into the juicy flavours of Rasa yoga — Myth, mantra, mudras and magic weave through each class, while great attention is paid to healthy alignment and sound biomechanics. It's a multi-faceted, full spectrum experience for students — the difference between watching a film on an old-school TV set, compared to watching at an Imax cinema!! I hope a little of the magic has rubbed off on me so I can sprinkle it over my students ;)

I am a perpetual student — when not off training abroad, I fit in workshops and intensives with visiting teachers. It keeps me fresh, looking at Yoga and students from different vantage points. I recommend it to anyone!

Some highlights! 

Co-teacher Greta Hill around the flame in the cave ritual

Chanting Gayatri as the sun rose in the early mornings

Beautiful trees around the amazing grounds for walks and meditation ....

Marc-Henri, truly inspirational, warm and kind fellow-teacher,
whose leg had been amputated since the last immersion in May.
Here with Sianna. Marc-Henri and wife Evalise are friendly,
full-of-life and talented teachers.

SIT WITH ME

Morning Magic
Ever had one of those days when you wake up with a lengthy to do list and seem to be running from one job and place to the next, whizzing between chores like dealing out cards in a busy casino? Every day? Stop right now! That used to be me, and still is if I am lured off course! I have found that even a few minutes of silence and inner focus first thing, can improve my day immensely and make it a little more productive or at least give me thinking space and chance to put things into perspective!

I have always done some yoga when I got up, even if it's just 20 minutes of lying on my back and rolling around followed by a sun salutation or two. I know I can move more easily and genuinely feel better, more alert, afterwards. But for the past year or so I have been able to establish a meditation practice to go with it. This has been the catalyst, bringing much more peace to my mornings and hence my days.

It's not easy! Three mornings a week I am up well before everyone else in my home as I'm up between 5 and 5.30 am to teach early classes. I have always had a set morning ritual which is an essential part of those early morning starts for me (though at that time it cannot be long as I need to be at the studios where I teach in time and don't want to have to get up before 5 when I haven't got home from teaching evening classes til 10 pm sometimes).

The place is totally quiet and feels completely different in the magic of those early mornings. I can even go outside now it's not always raining and feel the early sun on my skin — if I have time to unlock all the bolts on the door! Sometimes I have to share my outdoor space with local cats or foxes, but often it's just the birds, insects and me!

The other days when I am up an hour or so later, the family are milling around and my other half switches on the radio even before his eyes are open — and does the same in every room he enters including the bathroom! If you have little ones jumping on you, you will find it very hard to start the day with silence. And you won't want to get up much earlier than you have to when sleep is such a luxury for most parents. There are ways to integrate silence and meditative thought into even the busiest lifestyles. Sometimes just concentrating on your breathing or chanting repetitions of a simple mantra can clear the mind and calm the nervous system, and little children may want to get involved in a good way! If they know what you are doing they will get used to your habit rather than thinking you are ignoring them ;)

You can start with just a few minutes of focusing on the feel of the breath flowing in and out - maybe as soon as you wake up, or maybe by the kitchen window or when you pop off to the bathroom. (I have a yoga mat rolled up in the shower room and often escape there even though I have a studio on the floor above.) Your practice will build gradually and become a comfortable and comforting habit. Many people consciously think of three good things to be happy about or thankful for the moment they wake up and that helps give the day a rosy tint, so they don't get out of bed with a sinking feeling in the belly. That can be a good starting point for meditation.

And once you have cleared the mind, it will be easier to work out which of those pressing chores need to be sorted first as everything gains a little more perspective!  The other time I like to meditate and always found easier, is in the evening. Sunset is supposed to be a magical time, though it's hard to be around at the right time. For me, meditating late at night helps to clear my mind, calm me down and help me sleep a little more easily.

If you want more tips and encouragement on meditation and breathing practices, go along to a class! I have three public Pranayama and Meditation sessions coming up in Stoke Newington. Saturday June 9th, June 23rd and July 21st at 5.15pm to 6.15pm at YogaHome, N16.

It would be lovely to have solitude and a quiet place to sit for morning meditation.... but the real joy is being able to focus inwards in the midst of the hubbub of daily life!

Mudra Magic and the use of Sanskrit

Why Sanskrit?
Teaching the lovely year 5 school groups yoga today, we were focusing on mudras, and how mudras help the, erm, focus, directing and changing our energy. We were using mudras with breath and in postures.

They loved Mushti mudra, both the name and the actual mini fist mudra, especially when we put it in to a Warrior one to Warrior III balancing sequence. The kids were keen as always, though we did a modified version of Kapalahbhati, aka shining skull breath, as a train ride and a couple of them thought it was “totally weird”. They have no idea! They also thought "shining skull" was a kooky name.

In kids yoga, I always use the general translation/common name for the poses, so they know Dog, Cat and Cobra, not the Sanskrit names. They love the animal asanas the most. But I do like to throw in Sanskrit here and there. I'll explain where it comes from, so it was a great chance to explain that Kapalahbhati gets its name from two Sanskrit words – skull Kapala and Bhati light, but it does help to clear the brain and help you focus when done properly so it's like having a clear shining skull! They did all reckon they felt tingly and alive, and they certainly acted invigorated ;)

I couldn't send them back to the class teacher all stoked from shining skull train rides and warriors with mushti mudra, so we did some gentle rounds of bee breath/humming breath and I said it was called Bhramari, the Sanskrit word for a large bee.

“Why are they in an old fashioned language? Why not just be more modern?" one of the 9-year-olds demanded? Well… funnily enough, yoga is an ancient practice!

But does he have a point? I've been to adult classes as a student where the teacher hasn't mentioned a sanskrit word once, just triangles, planks, forward bends and so on, so it can be done.

Personally I like using and hearing the Sanskrit names for poses, it reinforces the feeling that yoga is an ancient practice steeped in tradition, and I'm doing something that many, many people, all over the word have done on this planet for thousands of years before, although it has been played around with over the years. I like to pass on that feeling to my little (and big) charges so they can carry on the tradition, and treat it with respect rather than regarding it as just another form of exercise, though exercise is of course an excellent habit to instill!

We used the "six gates" Mudra (Shanmukhi Mudra) which they found amusing, and talked about withdrawing from the senses (Pratyahara to you yogis out there!). Young as they are, they could see how handy it could be to be able to ignore what was happening all around and stop being disturbed, especially as during relaxation, the kitchen staff started singing loudly in the room next door! Imagine you were in an exam or trying to sleep in the summer with the window open, I told them. The giggles subsided and they all fell silent…. for a few minutes!!

Sankalpa V new year's resolutions

Resolving – to do or not to do

I am not sure I am that fond of making resolutions. I think it can make us dwell on our bad points. So many people say: "I must give up cake/alcohol/coffee, lose weight, get a better job" .... Probably admirable but if you make a resolution like that it surely means you are unhappy about yourself and being overly critical.
Yoga students often "resolve" to try harder, attend more classes and beat themselves up about not being able to do a particular pose. Maybe that sounds perfectly fine, but again it is a negative way of approaching yoga practice.

Perhaps it is the languaging. Just phrasing the resolution as a positive intention — like the sankalpa (a brief postitive intention or resolve we make during certain yoga practices), can create a totally different mindset, reaction and ultimately a better outcome. Goal setting but without the aggression! Of course we are working towards a goal with a Sankalpa — it may be that your Sankalpa is  something like "I have a job I love", if you are seeking that, or " I am healthy" if you are suffering from a long term illness, but it could equally be "I am happy",  "I trust my intuition" or "I find my path in life". A Sankalpa is always brief, couched in positive terms and something that you feel will bring about a good change in your life. 

Formulating a Sankalpa that resonates deeply isn't always easy. Generally it is private, not shared with anyone and personal to you alone. A Sankalpa is generally repeated often, using the same words each time, and kept for a long time. When it comes to fruition you may choose a new one, if it was a short term goal. There are times when you might choose a short one, usually times of transition, as in pregnancy, a Sankalpa may be "I have everything I need to birth my baby', or  "I am a confident mum". Sometimes with teens, a yoga teacher might suggest ideas to help set them thinking, or they may end up sticking with materialistic "wishes" about the latest iphone or wads of cash! Theirs could be "I am successful", or "I know what I want to to", and a common one is "I am confident".

For kids and teens, thinking about and repeating a Sankalpa can help them take ownership of their thoughts and feel a little more in control of their life and future. Decision making and sifting through choices can be very hard for anyone, a chance to be quiet, listen to what your heart or inner voice is saying is a useful tool to staying calm.

Yoga Nidra, deep guided relaxation, is the best time to repeat your sankalpa but you can also do it before a yoga or pranayama practice, as you are settling into meditation, or first thing in the morning when the mind is a little less clouded.
When you repeat your sankalpa, especially in the deep relaxed state of Yoga Nidra, or meditation, you are planting a seed for something to grow and bear fruit, and hopefully it will. It seeps into your unconscious.

So back to yoga resolutions. There's a saying in yoga, to observe ourselves without judgement. Every individual and body type suits some groups of postures more than others, and we should all acknowledge what we are good at and choose to get in touch with the subtleties of yoga, observing the breath and how different postures, breathing exercises and styles of practice affect our thoughts and emotions, rather than strive to create what we think is a picture perfect pose. That said, I am very glad when people take up yoga and resolve to enjoy it more regularly ;)

When we are deeply relaxed in Yoga Nidra, we are more receptive,
the perfect time to plant the seeds of your Sankalpa