Author Archives: Tracy Weber

Yogi Skydiver

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This week’s blog entry was written by guest author Annika DiNovi. Annika is a graduate of  Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program. She can be contacted at an***********@***il.com.

Last year I embarked on a wonderful journey, the Teacher Training program at Whole Life Yoga with certified yoga teacher and therapist Tracy Weber. As I began the program, I was excited to deepen my yoga practice and explore boarder aspects of yoga including philosophy, meditation, and the methodology of viniyoga.

Through Tracy’s teachings, I came to understand that “viniyoga” literally means “adaptation and proper application.” I discovered, through my studies and deepening practice, that yoga facilitated growth in all areas of my life, both on and off the mat. But, I was not prepared for just how adaptable viniyoga truly was…

About 9 months into my study with Tracy, my husband and I went on a great adventure – we went skydiving! It was a beautiful Sunday, the sun was shining and summer was just around the corner. I clearly recall, prior to loading the airplane at Skydive Snohomish, a bit of hesitation and anticipation. “What was I getting myself into?!” I allowed the anticipation to turn into excitement – there was no turning back.

And, excitement it was! What an experience – I still can’t find the words to describe the feeling – thank goodness my husband loved it as well. The following weekend we were both back at the drop zone enrolling in the program to become licensed skydivers – we were hooked!

As we began the coursework, the first and most essential skill to master was the ARCH, this crates a stable surface for flying. The ARCH is practiced by lying on your belly, lifting your arms in a goal post position and lifting your legs both several inches off the ground. We practiced this countless times to build muscle memory.

Our instructor jokingly said, “I hope you’re good at yoga, you might be sore.” Little did he know – this was yoga! We were practicing cobra in preparation to fly – I couldn’t believe it!!

As I mentioned before, yoga has truly facilitated growth in ALL areas of my life. When Tracy teaches that viniyoga is adaptable, she isn’t kidding! At the drop zone where we skydive there is a quote, “take risks, not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping.”

This has been a remarkable year; Tracy’s teachings have encouraged my growth in many ways. In reflection, I’ve learned that life is too short not to enjoy it. Allow yourself to grow, allow yourself to be challenged in new ways both on and off the mat and share your experiences with others.

Hope to see you on the mat soon – if I’m not there, I’m in the sky!

Namaste.

Annika

Article on Viniyoga for Back Pain–Complete with a Practice!

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Articles touting the benefits of Viniyoga seem to be popping up everywhere (and that’s a good thing!). One of the newest examples is an article called “Watch Your Back” in Yoga Journal. This article talks about Viniyoga’s proven benefits in reducing back pain. Specifically, it discusses the Group Health study on Viniyoga for low back pain and shares the personal case study of a woman who healed her back using Viniyoga.

The student, Terri Stoeker, has a back pain story much like my own.  Like Terri, my back injury cane “out of the blue,” though it had likely been building for quite some time.  Unlike Terri, I suffered for years–seven to be exact.  During that time, I tried a number of methods for healing: physical therapy, acupuncture, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medication, osteopathic manipulation, counseling on pain management, ice, rest, and massage therapy. At one point, I even said that I’d dance naked around a witch doctor’s fire if that would help.  The one remedy that healed me, after seven years of failed experiments, was Viniyoga.

Terri’s relief came quickly.  Mine took a bit longer. But after seven years of pain, a few months to get relief seemed like nothing.  In fact, since my doctors and I had already given up hope, the fact that I healed at all is nothing short of a miracle.

I’d like to share two of my favorite quotes from the article with you.

The first is from the student, Terri Stoeker:

“You can let your back control you and change your life into something sedentary and painful, or you can find something that can keep you healthy and get you back to 95 percent normal. I was told I would never run or garden again. Now I can do those things. I have to be careful, I have to take care of myself, but I live my life. Yoga has done that for me.”

The second is from my teacher, Gary Kraftsow.

“We’re not talking about fancy yoga or power yoga  here. You don’t need an hour-long class or a special outfit or a fancy mat to do this. This practice is available to everybody. You can learn it easily and use it to feel better and really begin to manage your condition.”

The article comes complete with a yoga practice that may help decrease back pain.  But be forewarned, the photos are misleading.  In fact, they only show part of each position.  The movement between positions is vitally important in Viniyoga.  So I highly recommend using the text to guide your practice, rather than the photos.  Better yet, sign up for my Yoga for Healthy Backs class!  In the mean time, read the article, and tell me what you think!

Go Viniyoga!

Tracy

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle!

Don’t Miss the Trees

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“Yesterday is a cancelled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have – so spend it wisely.” Kay Lyons

I woke up Thursday morning actually looking forward to the 30-minute drive to my Mercer Island vet. No, I don’t enjoy I-90’s rush hour traffic, and although I love my vet, I wasn’t giddy with joy at putting my dog, Tasha, through yet another exam for her most recent slate of health issues.

I wanted to see the trees.

Seattle’s had an unusually gorgeous fall this year. The trees are turning color, and the ivy has become my favorite shade of red. Tasha’s vet appointment provided the perfect excuse to explore the fall colors before the weekend’s forecasted rain. I loaded Tasha into the car, turned on the radio, and set off on my journey.

Five hours later, it occurred to me. I hadn’t seen a single tree. No, they hadn’t all mysteriously disappeared, transported to the planet Adrastea by mysterious alien aircraft. I’d simply been too distracted to notice them. I don’t even know for sure what distracted me. I wasn’t particularly stressed about this appointment. Traffic was a breeze for once, so I wasn’t worried about being late. I’d even had a good night’s sleep the night before.

I suspect I spent the entire drive grumbling at my dashboard, annoyed by the political talk show I’d turned on—always a good use of my time. But regardless of the reason, I totally missed the colors, in spite of my intention to look for them. On BOTH directions of the drive.

Which made me wonder. How many other beauties do I miss in my daily life even when I intend to look for them?

According to The Yoga Sutras, the primary goal of yoga is to control the random fluctuations of our minds so that we can see clearly and react appropriately.  In short, yoga teaches us how to be present in every moment—fully appreciating the beauty of this life, while not being derailed by its inevitable challenges. Even if one of those challenges is an obnoxious talk show host.

I invite each of you to be fully present at least a few minutes each day. Turn off the TV and the radio. Silence your cell phone. Don’t check Facebook for an hour or two; your “friends” will still be there later. Unplug from your fast-paced technological life. Take in your surroundings; smell the scent of fresh rain. Communicate with the real friends standing next to you.

I started Thursday afternoon by taking Tasha for a two-and-a-half hour walk. She joyfully immersed herself in all of her favorite fall scents. I finally noticed the trees.

Namaste

Tracy Weber

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle!

ABCs of Yoga

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This week’s blog entry was written by guest author Roy Holman. Roy is a graduate of Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program. He  can be contacted at ho**********@***il.com and at http://holmanhealthconnections.com.

I had a chance to ask T.K.V. Desakachar a question when he was leading a workshop in Portland a few years ago: “Do you think we in the West are too asana focused?” His eyes lit up and he said,”Oh yes! By age 60 one should be doing 20% asana, 40% meditation, and 40% pranayama.” His father Krishnamacharya once said, “Nowadays, the practice of yoga stops with just asanas.”

Many of us get into yoga for Exercise reasons, which is fine. We may begin yoga for physical reasons–perhaps to help heal an injury–and stick with yoga for other reasons; perhaps we become more centered or peaceful. Some of us may even begin yoga for the other E word: Ego. We may wish to impress people with our fancy poses or even sexy body. As Yoga Sutra scholar Chip Hartranft puts it, “In fact, hatha yoga practice may initially be driven to some extent by narcissism.  After all, hatha yoga can appeal to us because of the powerful way it addresses some of the self’s most cherished preoccupations–health, attractiveness, sexual energy, and longevity.”

There are four letters that precede E that may get ignored.

A might stand for Awareness (not just asana).  Our practice begins and ends with awareness. We can begin to notice what draws us to the mat (or away from the mat). Awareness involves no judgment, just noticing how we feel in each pose, what draws us to certain styles of yoga and to which teachers. What is our motivation? What are our patterns? Additionally, A also stands for Ahimsa (nonviolence), the most important “yama.”

B is for Breath. Connecting the breath to the movement, to me, draws me out of the head and deep into the body and the yoga practice. I begin to lose  myself and find my Self. Breath seems to bridge body to spirit. Pranayama–breath regulation–is a profound but underappreciated limb of yoga.

C is for Compassion and ties into ahimsa mentioned above. We are often so tough on ourselves. Can we accept where we are?  Can we have compassion for ourselves even if we realize that, due to our low self esteem, we indeed practice partially because of the egoist reasons mentioned earlier? Can we have compassion for ourselves when we find ourselves
comparing ourselves to other students or judging the teacher?

D is for Devotion and Divine.  While reading about the great Krishnamacharya’s life and practice, it struck me how dedicated and devotional a yogi he was. He once said,  “…the reason for learning yogasana is not just for good physique but to obtain atmajnana (spiritual progress.)” Yoga teacher Dharma Mittra, known for his ability to do thousands of incredible poses, said,  “The postures mean absolutely nothing, no matter how adept one is with them, if they’re not done is a spirit of devotion.”

When I studied at Oneness University in India, there was a big focus on devotion to the Divine.  It was humbling for me to see that I was really  more into ego and control than surrender, trust and a devotion to the Divine.

Whether you define this devotion as one to your Higher Self, God, Universal Intelligence or whatever, I suppose that all paths eventually lead there even with our egoist detours. Indeed, we need look no further for the Divine than within our most sacred, essential Selves.

E also stands for Enjoy, so let’s enjoy this beautiful yoga journey together!

Roy

Cakravakasana: the “Un” Cat-Cow

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Cakravakasana (also called “Cat”) is often confused with a yoga pose called Cat-Cow.  Although the two poses look similar, they have completely different effects and intentions.   For most students, Viniyoga’s Cat is much more beneficial than Cat-Cow.  So much so, that my teacher calls it the “un” Cat-Cow.

According to Gary, approximately 75% of Americans have increased thoracic kyphosis.  Put in English, we have upper backs that are already too rounded.  This happens primarily because of the activities we do in daily life.  We sit in chairs, type at computers, drive cars,  and do other activities that leave us in a hunched forward position.  To balance that, our yoga practice should strengthen and flatten our upper backs as well as stretch the fronts of our shoulders.

On the other hand, most of us have tight and weak lower backs, with increased lumbar lordosis. Meaning our lower backs are weak, tight and overly arched.  To balance this, our yoga practice should both strengthen and stretch our lower backs as well as strengthen our abdominal muscles.

Below is a photo of a student doing the pose most people call Cat-Cow.  In the position on the left, she arches her low back in the “Cow” position.  In the position on the right, she rounds her upper back in the “Cat” position.  This increases the curvature of both her upper back and lower back—exactly the opposite of what most students need.

In the two photos below, the same student performs Cakravakasana.  In the position on the left, she uses her abdominal muscles to support her low back while drawing her shoulder blades together to flatten her upper back.  In the position on the right, she gently pulls in her belly while folding her hips toward her heels, gently stretching her low back.

For most students, the two positions of Cakravakasana effectively work together to restore balance to the spine and release back tension. Cat-Cow, on the other hand, may contribute to spinal imbalance and even increase back pain–even if it feels good while you’re doing it.

Cakravakasana Instructions:

  1. Come to hands and knees, placing your hips directly above your knees and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders.  Your knees should be at least four inches apart, and your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
  2. On inhale, draw your shoulder blades together and lengthen your spine, keeping your belly lightly pulled in and your chin tucked slightly down.  Do not allow your lower back to arch or your hips to move beyond your knees.
  3. On exhale, contract your abdomen while moving your hips toward your heels and your forehead and elbows toward the floor. Notice the gentle stretch in your lower back.
  4. On the following inhale, return to the hands and knees position in step 1.
  5. Repeat 6 – 8 times.

Cakravakasana is a gentle pose you can use to release tension and stretch your back any time of the day.  I hope you enjoy it!

Namaste

Tracy Weber

          A Killer Retreat

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, and check out Tracy Weber’s author page for information about the Downward Dog Mysteries series.  A KILLER RETREAT is available for preorder now from Whole Life Yoga. MURDER STRIKES A POSE is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble,  and book sellers everywhere! 

 

Designing a Series Class–Response to a Student Question

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I look forward to answering your questions in this blog.  Please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail your questions to tr***@***********ga.com.

Alicia asks: I’m designing my first four-week yoga series, and I am feeling stuck. I’m confident in sequencing an individual class, but unsure about how to build a series. How much of the series should change week to week, and how much should be consistent? How do you make a series flow as a whole?

Series are fun to teach and can be much more powerful than drop-in classes. With a consistent set of students and a defined goal, a series teacher can build on the learnings of each class, and students often notice dramatic progress. But series classes have an added level of complexity. As you’ve noticed, the whole series must be sequenced, not just each individual class. I have a few thoughts that may help.

“Begin with the end in mind.”

The above quote, from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, sums up my first recommendation best. Ask yourself, “What do I want students to take away from the series?” Then build that intention pose by pose, week by week. Students need to do a pose several times before they understand it. Which poses will most effectively achieve the goals of your series? Those are the ones you should repeat most frequently.

One goal of my Yoga for Healthy Backs series, for example, is to gently strengthen and stretch the low back. So Bhujangasana (Cobra) and Cakravakasana (Cat) are core poses that repeat each week. Students in my recent Energize and Strengthen series, on the other hand, wanted to learn Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand). I spent the first two weeks building up to it, and then I repeated it in the last three classes. Only through repetition could students improve their form and confidence.

Remember the days between classes.

Do you plan to give your students home practices as part of your series? If so, every pose in the home practice should be repeated throughout the series. I recommend teaching a pose at least twice before asking a student to do it at home. Make sure the student can do the pose comfortably and with reasonable form, even when you’re not present to guide them.

If a pose is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

In an asana-focused class, pay close attention to your students’ form each week. If a pose seems appropriate for their bodies but their form is compromised, teach it several times with a focus on correct form. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) is appropriate for most people, and it is an important pose in this lineage. It is also difficult to learn. Teach Uttanasana in every class until students can do it correctly.

Don’t repeat your mistakes.

If you discover a pose is too strong for your students, don’t teach it again. For example, even though Pascimatanasana (Seated Forward Bend) is simple, many people are too restricted in their hips, backs, and hamstrings to do it safely and effectively. I might plan to teach it in a series for fit beginners. But I’d throw it out in a heartbeat if students didn’t have the strength and flexibility to do it safely.

Be willing to toss your plans in the trash.

Sometimes your best work isn’t appropriate for your students, so try not to get attached. You may need to change your design significantly after you see how students respond to the first class or two. When I develop a new series, I start with an overall goal and a weekly outline of sub-goals. But I only design the first class. Each subsequence class is developed after I teach the class preceding it. What seems like a good idea in theory is sometimes a disaster in practice. I almost always simplify my original plans.

I hope that helps, at least as a starting point!

Namaste

Tracy

More information about Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program can be found at our web site:  Yoga Teacher Training at Whole Life Yoga.

Music to Soothe the Stressed-out Yogi

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Don’t let the cover art fool you.  This series of CDs is my favorite tool for deep relaxation—whether it be for my dog, my meditation practice, or my students’ Savasana.  For those of you who don’t know, one of my passions (besides yoga) is anything related to dogs, especially if it might help my reactive girl Tasha.  So a few years ago, I flew to Ohio and attended a dog training seminar on tools to help anxious and reactive dogs.

One tool they mentioned was music, specifically the CDs in the photo above. I was skeptical at first, but the trainer used a video to prove her point. It showed a dog literally climbing off the walls, as its exhausted owner tried not to cry.  When the trainer popped the CD in the stereo, the transformation in the animal was nothing short of astounding.  It stopped jumping, barking, and running in circles to lie on the floor and listen.   Proof enough for me.

I had my chance to try it a few days later. My girl was in major freak-out mode over the mailman who, according to Tasha, is an ax-murdering psychopath just waiting for an opportunity to break into her house.  I turned on the music and waited. Tasha stopped barking, walked up to the stereo speaker, lay down and sighed.

Intrigued, I did some research.  I won’t bore you with all of the details, but if you’re interested, you can read about it here. Turns out, canines and humans have something in common. We’re both soothed by music that is:

  • Classical (as opposed to pop or heavy metal)
  • Simple in arrangement
  • Played by a single instrument (in this case piano)
  • Slow in tempo (50 – 60 beats per minute)

I wondered if my yoga students would love it as much as Tasha did, so I snuck it into the studio’s CD collection.  After they got done snickering about the dog on the cover, my students started asking me where they could buy it.  I now carry it at the studio, and it outsells even the yoga mats.

There are several CD’s in this series, so you can experiment to find the one you like best.  My personal favorite is Volume 1.  Not surprisingly, it’s also the volume the researchers found to be the most profoundly relaxing for their canine test subjects.

I hope you try one of these CD’s and you find it as deeply peace-invoking as Tasha and I do.  Let me know what you think!

Namaste.

Tracy Weber

Yoga in the Peace Corps: Khotso and Namaste

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This week’s blog entry was written by guest author Barbara Meyer. Barbara is a graduate of Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program. She  can be contacted at el*********@***il.com.

For thirty years, I’ve wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer. One year ago, my dream came true—my husband and I received our invitations to serve as Peace Corps volunteers. After several months of preparations and clearing 30 years of accumulated possessions out of our home, we departed for Philadelphia to meet our fellow volunteers. Three days later, we were in southern Africa’s Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. Khotso is a common greeting here, meaning peace in Sesotho. Our host families greeted us with wild ululation, song and dancing and dozens of people pressed against usas we walked to our home for training—a traditional thatched roof rondavel with no electricity or running water. Among the items that made the final cut into my two suitcases were my yoga chimes, a golden silk shawl from India and a travel yoga mat.

During three months of training,I was able to use yoga for stress reduction when things got rough. Since moving to my work site (for two years), I’ve been practicing yoga three to four days per week. We live in a studio (half of a duplex) set in a garden with an amazing view of the mountains. Despite the cramped space, my husband agreed that we needed to preserve the space by the window for yoga.

The Peace Corps ads say it’s “The hardest job you’ll ever love.” One of the hard parts is daily uncertainty about so many aspects of life. Aside from creating my own job on a daily basis, I’m learning a new language (Sesotho), a new culture (Basotho), meeting many new people and trying to figure out how pretty much everything works.

Yoga has become more precious to me since becoming a Peace Corps volunteer. The challenge of cross cultural living in a poor country brings some strain. Children often knock on our door in groups of three or four and say, “I am asking for bread.” Or they may ask for candy, money or a job. When walking through the village, similar requests are made by children and adults alike. The struggle is that we have the means to help some but not all. How do we decide when to respond and when to pass by? In contrast, at our work site, a hospital, many Basotho are extremely well educated with good professional jobs. Life in a developing country is complex. The HIV rate is 23% among adults and many children have lost one or both parents to HIV. Unemployment is nearly 50%. There is so much to think about! And have I mentioned that we live on $250 per month in a town with no restaurant? In fact, no store where you can buy cheese or chocolate! For this reluctant cook, starting from scratch (e.g. make own tortillas and injera) on a daily basis has been a test of my self discipline.

This is where yoga comes in. Three or four mornings a week, my first activity of the day is to clear my yoga space and lay out the mat and clean towels on the floor. I face the river valley with mountains beyond and lengthen my breath. As I proceed through the asana practice, I feel the slowing down and calming that yoga movement brings. Through pranayama breath practices, I have to let other thoughts go as I focus on the counting or the technique for the day. That brings me to meditation. I have chosen three qualities that I want to enhance in myself, qualities that I need on a daily basis here and sometimes find in short supply. I like to end with a short chant that we used to close each class during yoga teacher training. Chanting helps me to visualize the support of the community of people I have met through Whole Life Yoga. It is easy to feel alone in the Peace Corps! Because of my practice, I carry these friendships with me through my day. I end my practice with three chimes. Folding up my travel mat (thanks for the tip, Suzanne Stephens!), I feel calm, peaceful and happy. I am ready to face the uncertainties of the day with some equanimity.

One year into my Peace Corps service, things have become easier. We are building relationships with people here and our work is starting to show results. Maintaining a sense of non-attachment is so useful. Things have a way of moving forward then backward often at a very, very slow pace. One project that I abandoned as a lost cause resurrected itself months later. Someone came up and asked me to get a replacement for a stamp that had been designed for the outpatient department months earlier. I didn’t even realize that they had started to use it again!

Another gift I received from one of my teacher training colleagues was a really useful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

In my Peace Corps service, regular yoga practice is as necessary as food. The emotional grounding that comes from yoga practice has helped me immensely to meet the challenges I face. Thank you so much, Tracy and the Whole Life Community for all of your support.

If you are interested in reading more about our adventures in Lesotho, our blog is www.alesothojourney.blogspot.com

Namaste,

Barbara

More information about Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program can be found at our web site:  Yoga Teacher Training at Whole Life Yoga.

 

 

 

 

The Gift of Depression

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I wrote this post in early June, but decided to wait until now to share it publicly.  I hope you benefit from these sutra teachings and my personal learnings.

I’ve been fighting a case of the blues for the last several weeks—the kind that makes me want to sleep twelve hours  a day and cry about  every sad story I hear on the news.  Friends cite lots of reasons why I might be depressed:  a pet that recently died, another that is sick without a defined cause, the difficulties of running a business in our current economy, Seattle’s gray June weather, even that dreaded life transition that happens to women of a certain age.

But internally, I know none of those reasons fully explain my lethargic mood.  This sadness has roots deep in my heart. I would feel it even if I were independently wealthy, still in my 20’s, and basking on a sunny beach. The Yoga Sutras call my mental state Daurmanasya, or depression and negative thinking.  They go on to say that Daurmanasya is simply a symptom of something deeper: an obstacle on my path to personal growth.  Sutra 1.31 lists four symptoms that indicate the presence of an inner obstacle.

  • Duhkha: Psycho-emotional suffering
  • Daurmanasya: Depression or negative thinking
  • Angamejayatva:  Instability of any kind, including body, work, and relationships
  • Svasaprasvasa: Disturbance in the breath, including  uncontrolled crying, laughing, or bursting out.

According to the yoga teachings, those symptoms are simply a subconscious warning sign.  When you feel them, you’re up against an inner obstacle, whether you’re not aware of it or not.

Sutra 1.30 lists nine specific obstacles:

  • Vyadhi: Sickness or disease
  • Styana: Fixation or being “stuck in a rut”
  • Samsaya: Doubt
  • Pramada: Carelessness and  impulsive knee-jerk reactions
  • Alasya:  Lethargy, burnout, and lack of passion
  • Avirati:   Inability to withstand the temptation of the  senses
  • Bhrantidarsana: Distorted self esteem ranging from low self esteem to arrogance
  • Alabdhabhumikatva: Not achieving the level you expected of yourself and losing heart
  • Anavasthitatvani: Achieving a level but not being able to sustain it.

Even as I type this list, I have to smile and shake my head.  Doubt and burnout practically leap off the page. I’ve been down this road before.  In fact, these two old friends seem to be recurrent themes in my life.  I don’t yet know what their return means, but that’s the beauty of yoga: I don’t have to.  Sutras 1.32 – 1.39 outline a list of practices I can do to help, regardless of the cause. Historically, I’ve found meditation and reflection to be the most useful.  So it’s back to the mat for me.

And here’s the gift.  As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The teachings say that each time I overcome an obstacle, I grow.  I become more resilient and more able to withstand similar issues in the future.  When I come out of this darker period, I know I will be changed. I don’t know exactly how, yet, but I’m sure I will be stronger.  I will have greater clarity about who I am and the role I am meant to play in this world.  And that is truly a gift.

So the next time you find yourself sad or suffering for no clear reason, know that yoga offers tools to help. Try not to run away or bury those feelings.  Instead, give yourself the gift of time, reflection, guidance, and practice.  Like a caterpillar painfully struggling in its dark cocoon, you may emerge brighter, more alive and more vibrant that you ever imagined!

Namaste

Tracy

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle!

Keeping Yourself (and Your Students) Safe with Viniyoga

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This week’s blog entry was written by guest author and Whole Life Yoga teacher training graduate Jacqui Trent.   Congratulations, Jacqui, on your recent graduation! Jacqui can be contacted at ja*********@***il.com.

When I started this training program I’ll admit – I had no idea what Viniyoga was.  I knew very little about other lineages, but this one was completely foreign to me. My experience was in general Hatha/Vinyasa flow that didn’t really follow any sort of rules.  I’ve been in
group classes where we’d start the practice popping right into headstand, without any regard to the neck or shoulders, and (I won’t lie) I loved it!  I wasn’t sure about all these (in my first impression) “restrictions.” Now, as a WLY graduate, I have so much appreciation for these restrictions!

In January of this year I got quite a shock.  All of a sudden I felt an intense pang from my neck and shoulder all the way down my right arm as well as awful sciatica.  It basically came out of nowhere.  This pain was so debilitating that I had to completely stop all yoga and running and since then it’s only gotten worse.

While I couldn’t really say that my prior yoga experience caused my pain, I know that it didn’t help.  Every week for the past nine months, it’s become more and more apparent to me.  I should never have been starting a class in headstand; my neck and shoulders were in no way shape or form prepared for all that weight.

Two things Tracy has ingrained into our heads: “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should” and “you have to ask yourself if the risks outweigh the benefits.”  Had I not been going through this training when my pain started and had I never heard those words, I guarantee you I would be doing headstand right now (as well as other poses that could be harmful for me) instead of typing this article.

Another amazing thing I learned from Tracy is the art of sequencing practices. Yes, there are rules, but they meant for protecting and preparing the body for poses. While daunting and completely overwhelming at first, I’ve really come to love designing classes!  It’s like a puzzle.  How can you keep your student(s) safe while also meeting their needs? I’m still working on maximizing my sequences, but I believe that will only come with time.

Finally, (although I promise you I’ve learned quite a bit!) I’ve learned how to teach a class without having to do the entire practice with the students. It is my goal to talk students through the practice and only demo if needed and when it’s safe for my body (grabbing a demo student if I can’t do it). This not only allows me to more closely observe my students; it also saves me from injuring myself even more by trying to demonstrate a pose.

While I may have started this training slightly skeptical, I really see the value and beauty of this lineage.  It baffles me that not everyone would put as much emphasis on protecting your body as Viniyoga does.  It has stopped me from further injury and taught me how to keep my future students safe.  These principles will definitely always be a part of my teachings!

Jacqui

More information about Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program can be found at our web site:  Yoga Teacher Training at Whole Life Yoga.