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Kripalu sunshine
Warm glow and pranayama
Found my Mother Ship
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I am taking ten days for learning, chilling and Middle Ground nourishment.
May you too find space to expand and quiet to drop into this week.
Namaste
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Kripalu sunshine
Warm glow and pranayama
Found my Mother Ship
~
I am taking ten days for learning, chilling and Middle Ground nourishment.
May you too find space to expand and quiet to drop into this week.
Namaste
Today, I head north to Kripalu Yoga Center in the Berkshires. There’s still snow on the ground and cold winter temps to greet me. The perfect time to be nourished and restored.
I will stay in touch this time around.
Cheers!
By the time you read this I will be at Kripalu Yoga Center in the Berkshires.
I am excited to be here for a five day program offered by Dr Timothy McCall (Physician and author of Yoga as Medicine) and Ginny Jurkin ( Physical Therapist and fellow Kripalu Yoga Teacher)
Ginny and I met at a module in our 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training, and we had a lot of fun together. I hope we get to play again in this wonderful learning environment😎
The intention of the program is to refine our ability to observe subtleties of anatomical alignment, breath, and even the elusive flow of prana, or life-force energy, in a wide variety of poses.
We will learn to view the body holistically, looking at the ways bones and muscles work together and how to assess tensegrity, which includes alignment, the smooth flowing of breath, and the balance of effort and ease in a posture.
We will also explore ways to work with imbalances and abnormalities, allowing us, our students, and our clients to go more deeply into poses for improved health, balance, and well-being.
Having a therapeutic approach to teaching yoga is so valuable, especially when working with older populations.
I’m looking forward to bringing back new insights into my classes and to share with my private clients, and fellow yoga teachers.
I will not be active on Find Your Middle Ground this week, but have scheduled some posts that I thought you might enjoy while I am away.
In the meantime, breathe easy my friends 💛
The first level of Yoga Teacher Training recognized by Yoga Alliance, is 200 hours. Not all schools are the same, so its important to find the one that it is right for you.
There are three key aspects to take time to consider, before making this substantial investment of your time and money in becoming a yoga teacher.
What am I passionate about?
What aspects of yoga am I really interested in?
What gifts do I want to share with my students later on?
What is the population I want to teach?
What support will I get to teach this population?
And then…
Does this align with a particular Yoga Teacher Program?
If you have read this far, I wish you all the best on your journey. It is an incredible one to embark on, that will undoubtedly change your life..
Namaste 🙏
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I will be away from February 24 through March 5 at Kripalu center for yoga and health
We all need to take time for ourselves and nurture our inner being and creative spirit. This trip is for a Yin Yoga Teacher Training program. I look forward to being in community with some wonderful, kind and talented yogis.
While I am away I will be taking a break from social media and blogging. Thank you for your understanding 🙏
See you on the other side 💛
This is a haiku that I wrote and shared at the graduation ceremony of my 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu.
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In life’s pendulum
The highs and lows of being
Seek Self in the waves
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Find your Middle Ground
The mother ship is calling
Kripalu Center
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Yoga skills and tools
Challenged body and stretched mind
Space. Peaceful being
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Prana life force freed
Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Allow
Yoga’s real essence
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Say yes to the breath
Letting go. Letting it flow
Drop down. Re-align
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Overflowing love
Connections and friendships
Embracing true Self
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Heartfelt gratitude
So much learned in just one year
More than most lifetimes
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Thank you my teachers
Sudhir, Larissa, Coby
Rudy, Sudha .. twice
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This is how it is
Unexpected freedom fries 😉
Here, Right here … And now
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Namaste
p.s. Affirmation for today onwards: I am an advanced Level Kripalu Yoga Teacher!
Wow. What a journey.
🙏
When I was at Kripalu last week I met amazing teachers from the world of physical therapy, structural therapy and nursing, as well as wonderful yogis who teach and inspire a diverse range of people.
You don’t have to be fit, flexible and under 40 to do yoga or enjoy all its benefits! But it is important to find a teacher with experience and skill to avoid injury or making your condition worse… That is why I attended this module.
I have acquired more knowledge and skills for safely teaching people of all sizes; those recovering from illness; moms-to-be; kids; seniors and people with disabilities; people impacted by trauma, depression or anxiety and a large population of shoulder and back pain sufferers. For the yogis out there I also learned about how to support people in rebalancing their doshas and bringing mind body and spirit into harmony.
This module was called Teaching Special Population Groups, but it seems to me that most people I come across fall into the one or more of the above categories. The norm is in fact special. I like that 🙂
The main theme was to support whoever comes into a yoga class with compassion and skill.
The supporting theme that became evident early on is that sitting is bad for your health and well being. We are a chair culture and it isn’t doing our bodies any good.
Lee Albert said that sitting is the new smoking! Its bad for everyone’s health. If you want to find out more about his perspective as an Integrated Positional Therapist, then there are lots of tips on his website.
Our bodies were built for walking, squatting and lying down. Sitting on a chair or in the drivers seat for extended periods of time creates misalignments that lead to chronic back pain and shoulder issues, as well as other health problems. Specific yoga poses can counteract this … and lead to better alignment and healthy backs and shoulders.
Yoga has its roots in spirituality and the journey to oneness, but it has evolved into an amazing tool box full of tools that can support every body in bringing peace of mind and physical well being.
I feel grounded in this knowing, yet am excited to share these new perspectives with my yoga peeps.
Have you ever thought about doing something that you know would be a challenging experience, yet you feel it will also be one that gives an opportunity to learn about yourself and grow?
In coming to the decision about doing this, you know you will have to face certain aspects of yourself and habitual patterns that aren’t serving you … You will have to let go …
A deeper part of you knows that its the right thing to do, and the human part of you (ego) comes up with all sorts of excuses and reasons for weazling out and avoiding this scary and threatening place.
I’m feeling it right now … and it reminds me of when I came to the decision to give up smoking. It was much easier to keep smoking than to face the reality of the harm I was doing to myself and its hold over me. By stopping I would also be letting go of the comfort, reassurance, security and yes, companionship of my ciggie.
Within all of us is a core of honesty and integrity that is part of our higher self. Our lower ego self wants things to be the same, and in my experience tries to negotiate with the higher voice by coming up with all sorts of arguments and counterpoints to deflect and avert. It gets a kick out of outwitting the better part of me 😉
So which voice do we choose?…
When we are aware of the inner workings of our mind, the chatter and strategies of our very human ego … then we really can see that there is a choice.
The choice I am considering is whether to go on a social media retreat while I am away on the next module of my YTT 500 Yoga teacher training at Kripalu.
Even when we embrace our higher self and choose to do the right thing, its important to recognize how our ego shows up. Denying the lesser part of ourself, only brings resistance and more struggle.
My ego really wants to share with you what a brave and challenging thing it is going to agree to. Its afraid it will feel disconnected and will miss the stimulation and community.
My higher self knows that this will give me an opportunity to be with the discomfort of disconnection from the external world and allow me to find more inner connection while I am away.
Your support is much appreciated as I switch off from Friday Sept 19th until Sunday Sept 28th. 🙂
” Life at its best is a series of challenges. A big enough challenge will bring out strengths and abilities you never knew you has. Take on challenges and bring yourself to life.” anon
I have just returned from 10 wonderful days of teacher training at Kripalu. I came home with a cold (like most others in the group!) and a heart full of appreciation and warmth for the gifted people there. I also learned about advanced assisting in yoga.
It’s now very clear that “advanced” assisting is not about manipulating a person’s body into a pretzel position! The Kripalu approach is to take into account the whole person with compassion and understanding. It goes further than the physical and into the inner layers of our being – called koshas in Yoga.
From the kosha perspective, yoga helps us bring body, breath, mind, wisdom, and spirit (bliss) into harmony. The koshas are interwoven layers within us. You have no doubt experienced this in your own body: When you are tense or strained, your breath becomes shallow, your mind becomes easily agitated, and wisdom and joy seem far away. When you are filled with joy and communion with life, these feelings permeate your entire being.
It reminded me that there is so much more that our physical bodies when it comes to yoga. Its an exploration of what is within us, as well as how connected we are to others and the world around us.
As I take care of my cold and snuggle in on this snow filled day, I’ll simply let the wisdom and insights from last week be absorbed, knowing that they will be expressed with joy in their own time.
Accepting what is, will bring us to our middle ground…. Nyquil also helps 😉
Namaste
This is a wonderful inspiration for connecting with our joy – and to relish when we are on one of the highs of life. I am leaving for Kripalu tomorrow for my next module of my RYT500 yoga teacher training.
Yep – feeling joyful !! 🙂
My thanks go to Judith Lasater:
JOY IS BIG
Your joy is too small, caged by the jailor of your thoughts.
It lives in the land beyond Infinity and is big beyond measure.
It teaches each tree to dance her own private blissful dance with the wind.
It is what the moon sings every night, holding us as we sleep with her streaming light-song.
Joy lives in your own drunken electrons, billions of them, spinning and dancing without end in their own intimate Universe, longing for You.
Do not look for joy anywhere else.
It is living in you, and gives meaning to all Existence.
Turn your heart’s eyes inward right now, and let them gaze in awe at the immensity of your Joy.
Open to this and all creation will celebrate.
Open to this and all mysteries will be revealed.
Open to this and you will fear nothing.
Open to this and you will begin to live fully in the space between each breath, each heartbeat, each note.
Joy is the language of the Goddess. Listen!
Your joy is big beyond measure.
I’m so excited to be going to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires – Western Massachussets!
I’ll be beginning my Level 500 hours of yoga teacher training tomorrow evening.
I wanted to let you know that I’ve scheduled posts but will not be actively engaged in the blog for a week or so.
I’m so looking forward to bringing back new wisdom and insights to share!!