Day 8 of sharon-flu' and sadly out of practice 2 weeks before my next training module, but this has cheered me up:

8 Dirty Little Confessions of a Yoga Teacher

By Erin Motz

Just when you thought you knew what I was thinking during yoga class :)

1. That mini page of “notes” at the front of my mat? Actually, it’s my grocery list. Oops - must have been a long day! And that vinyasa we just powered through? Invented on the spot.

2. I’m going home to eat a half-pint of Ben & Jerry’s after class… and not even that froyo healthy version. We’re talking Double Fudge Brownie goodness!

3. Even for me, savasana can be a challenge. Unfortunately, that 200-hour teacher training doesn’t provide an “off” button for a highly-active monkey mind.

4. Sometimes, I step out of a pose to “make adjustments” because my legs are burnin’ in that Warrior II we’re holding! I’m cruel, I know...

5. Contrary to the popular belief that all (or at least, most) yoga instructors are vegans or vegetarians, I happen to feel that burgers, red wine, carbs (especially the sourdough variety) and rich cheeses are sensational.

6. When I practice at home by myself, I’m all about the restorative, easy going, OMG-that-feels-amazing style of yoga. In other words, you won’t catch me sitting in Chair or holding any crazy arm balances for longer than a breath or two.

7. The more laughs, heavy sighs, and deep exhales I hear in class, the better I feel. When you’re working, relaxing and having fun, I’m a happy little yogi.

8. Never, not even once, have I ever taught a class and wished I could be doing something else. We say it about pizza and sex, but in this case, even a “bad” yoga class is still pretty awesome in my book. If I’m totally honest with you, I practice to feed my teaching, but I teach to feed my life.

The bends

Reading a fascinating section about back bends in Donna Farhi's book, yoga, mind, body and spirit. Seemingly there is a muscle, called the hyoid, that connects the back of the base of the skull with the top of the sternum. So to create a long neck and to avoid compressing the cervical spine you need to keep your chin level. Donna Farhi also has a lovely instruction for back bends that could be applied to pretty much all core work. You imagine that you are drawing your intestines and stomach in towards your spine so that they support your spine rather than hanging off it. Very useful for plank, chaturanga and pretty much any balance.

Tuesday, 10 July: Started off with Sadie Nardini’s core work.  Excellent warm up, really like her practices. 

Wednesday, 11 July: 2 for class today.  Started with the Sadie Nardini core work then moved into a few Surya Namaskar A.s with variations (lunges / vira I) and some seated exercises.  Spent some time focusing on Adho Mukha Svanasana positioning. Students were beginning to look a bit puffed so finished with a restorative of legs up against – well - the balcony door and sivasana.

Saturday, 14 July: Practised for an hour at home, starting with some surya namaskars and moving into a vira II, trikonasana, Ardha chandrasana sequence that I like. Then decided to do something I don't like:padagustasana.  Using the strap for my yoga mat made it possible to do a reasonable straight leg version, but reading Donna Farhi on seated postures this evening I realise that my problem may lie in the relationship between femur and pelvis as I bend/ raise my leg.  Apparently the femur should descend and can be encouraged down by placing a thumb in the crease of the hip. Going to practise during the week.

Think I'll be working up to this one:

http://blogs.yogajournal.com/challengepose/2012/07/hanumanasnana-in-pincha-mayurasana.html

WEEK 17

Monday, 9 july
6:15 class in the yoga room with cathy. Interesting pranayama in plank. Cathy recommended a teacher called Sadie nardini for core work.  Going to look her up now.


Definitely going to incorporate into my students' class on Wednesday.  Who am I kidding?  For a figure like that I'm going to start practising it tonight!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGSv3EnIego  

WEEK 16

Monday, 2 July Very very tired. Worked til 7 so didn't make my regular class. Forced myself on to my mat at home. Once I'd done a few surya namaskars I felt settled and practised for about 30 mins, based around the ashtanga primary series. Would happily have stayed in Sivasana forever, but eventually peeled myself off the mat for fear of falling asleep.  Another busy week ahead.

Tuesday, 3 July: 7pm class with Tony.  Very intense practice and left achingly tired.  Some interesting sequences:

·         Start in Ardha Mukha Svasana  to squat – repeated

·         Ardha Mukha Svasana to a low lunge with a bind, then a supported side plank with top foot placed on the floor in front of the lower leg.

·         Tadasana - Dancer Pose (Natarajasana) – then a variation holding back foot with both hands – extended raised leg to front and held.

·         Paschimottanasana

·         From supine prepared for half lotus. (padmasana)

·         Half Padmasana from sitting while reaching for opposite foot

•       Krounchasana (Heron Pose) - can't wait to try this on the boys!
• 
    
•  
• Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)
•    Twist
•  Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
• Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow or Wheel Pose)
• Sirsasana
• Shivasana – at last!

WEEK 15

Monday 25 June: Shattered after working all weekend and family stuff on Sunday night. And hay fever.  My great intention of going to the 7:45 class were defeated by the need to take my sneezy self to bed and sort out bank card-less boyfriend.

Tuesday, 26 June 7pm class with tony.  Things to remember: started lying down stretching  legs up I the air and curling one at a time into chest

·         Rolled in cross legged circles which made everyone giggle.

·         Practised hopping from cross legged to plank as a prelude to shoulder stands.

·         Little bunny hops to go into shoulder stand.

·         Few minutes free practice at the end in which I practised the side crow. Very very nearly there. Problem was placing my hands too far away from my hips.

Thursday, 28 June Exhausted after working in cork on Wednesday and flat out trying to catch up in Dublin today. Was doing a radio show at 8:30, so had a bare 20 minutes and zero energy for yoga. Worked through ciara's gentle Hatha sequence, with padagustasana (holding leg perpendicular from body? Is this the correct name?) from lying down using a strap so I could get a good stretch on my long suffering hamstrings. Sivasana was heaven. Had to peel myself off the mat before long for fear of falling asleep.

Away for the weekend so unlikely to get in any practice, but will try to compensate by getting the yoga anatomy book and turning my attention back to Donna farhi.

WEEK 14

Wednesday, 20 June Ashtanga with Joe. Really enjoy the ashtanga primary series. Decide to take the time to write it out (in Sanskrit, thereby realising how many of the names off-hand I don't remember / can't spell!).  Going to try a modified sequence with my students.

·         Surya namaskar A x 5

·         Surya namaskar b x4

·         Tad asana

·         Utthita trikonasana (r&l)

·         Parvitta trikonasana (r&l)

·         Utthits parvakonasana

·         Parvritta parvakonasana

·         Prasarita padottasna x 3

·         Parsvottanasana

·         Utthita hasta padagustasana

·         Arena baddha padottasana (standing fwd bend in lotus)

·         Virabhadrasana I

·         Virabhadrasana II

·         Vinyasa

·         Dandasana

·         Paschimottanasana (fwd bend)

·         Puvottanasana (upside down plank)

·         Setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge)

·         Urdhva dhanurasana (wheel)

·         Sarvangasana

·         Halasana

·         Paschimottasasirsane

·         Sirsasana ( hdstand)

·         Balasana

·         Svisaana

Thursday, 21 June:

Just RH and I this eve. I want to get a practice in too so we go through the primary series with some modifications and adjustments.  Rory is very pleased and enjoyed the more demanding practice. He's particularly pleased that he now finds down dog very comfortable (may have to stop teasing him about his 12 year old girl arms :p).

Friday, 22 June  6pm class in yoga room. I love the way Michael guides you into the poses.  Things to note: started in adho mukha svasana,

Sunday, 24 june Worked most of the weekend but fitted in a short and not particularly creative practice with a lot of surya namaskars.

Week 13:

Monday, 11 June: Endless wait for the bus so arrived late and flustered.  Not a great practice in terms of mindfulness as was more occupied by the hassles arriving and the many, many pulled muscles in my legs and upper arms courtesy of a vigorous dressage lesson on Sunday.  Aching a lot, think I might need to take tomorrow as a rest day. 

Wednesday, 13 June: Full house today for yoga in Bloomfield. 6 of whom 2 were first-timers and very bulky (slightly rowdy) rugby players.  Did a warm up on all fours. Followed by some modified surya namaskars and surya namaskars with lunges.  I had planned the class to target core and upper body for my long term students so we did dolphin, and leg lifts (which stopped the giggling).  As my rugby players have very tight hamstrings and hips I left out the more challenging hip openers I'd planned and did a seated sequence and some twists, finishing off with happy baby for giggles.

Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June: Anatomy and physiology weekend.

Week 12: 4 June 2012

Tuesday, 5 June: Working at home on a wet and grey Tuesday, so decided to try out my local yoga school in Ranelagh.  Very disappointing, but some useful pointers about what not to do: (1) set out bundles of props for all the student – just messy; (2) speak softly – you are not a PE teacher; (3) surya namaskars should be guided to some extent – otherwise the students do different things and end up not knowing what direction to face or what side they are on when the S.N leads straight into another asana.  Only useful thing was an exercise to stretch the quads – knee on a soft block, leg bent back with the foot pressing against the wall at hip height.

Wednesday, 6 June: Rory H., S and G for class this evening.  I’m going to try to focus on shoulder strengthening exercises to help the boys with their Adho Mukha Svanasana. Grace is excellent and has been doing yoga for years so I assist her into a  handstand and we try out a few arm balances.

Thursday, 7 June: 20 minutes of self-practice before work.

Friday, 8 June: Caught in traffic because of the rain so eventually gave up on making the 6pm class and arrived home hungry and tired.  Short practice by myself so took the opportunity to practise the arm balances with which I continue to struggle. Just about got into a Parsva Bakasana (side crow) and a Bakasana (crow).  Somewhat like headstands I think it will just happen in a few weeks.

Saturday, 9 June: Up unusually early and out for 9.30 class in Yoga Room.  Really challenging practice with a substitute teacher whose name I missed.  Incorporated elements of kundalini and movement with the breath that I think would be a great warm up for my beginners – and has the added advantage that they will feel a little silly while doing it!  A much slower practice with poses held for longer, really felt the effects after.

Week 11: 28 May 2012

Monday, 28 May: Regular 6.15 class in the Yoga Room.  Inversions are getting a lot easier!

Tuesday, 29 May: Rory H. got another private yoga session.  We’ve eventually mastered downward dog – he the pose, I the teaching.  Resolve to go to a few beginners classes to get inspiration for my own.

Week 10: 21 May 2012

Saturday, 26: A week of referendum work got in the way of any yoga practice this week, so atoned with an early morning class in the Yoga Room with Michael.  A lot of shoulder strengthening work, which led somewhat expectedly to a Pincha Mayurasana.  Lot more comfortable this time.

Week 9: 14 May

Monday, 14 may

6:15 yoga with Brian. Always feel like the whole room is working together during this class.

Wednesday, 16 may

Gave my friend R. a one hour beginners’ class.  Introduced some modified surya namaskars with lunges and hip openers.  All the boys have really hunched and tight shoulders.  Need to look for exercises to loosen them.

Thursday, 17 may

6:15 ashtanga in Samadhi. First headstand on my own! Never been to one of jess's classes. Really good way to teach utthita hasty padgustasana by doing it first lying on the floor then using a wall for balance and a strap.

Sunday, 20 May

 45 mins self-practice using a sequence Tony did with us.  Started with 5 Surya Namaskars a & b to build up some heat and wake me up after a busy weekend.  After several attempts – and a short rest – finished with a headstand.  Again need to be more conscious of the value of incorporating rests!

Week 8: 7 May 2012

·         Monday: Enjoying the practice but can’t work up much enthusiasm for the sutras/ chakras/ etc.

·         Tuesday: Lots of inversions incl first successful supported head and handstands.  Feel a little dizzy and nauseous by the end of the day.

·         Wednesday: Real life always seems determined to intrude into my head once everyone else is back at work so a little hard to focus today.

·         Despite feeling like I never wanted to see a yoga mat again, gave the boys a short class based on Ciara's gentle Hatha sequence. Lots of lying down! Forget how challenging downward dog can be if you're not flexible. Arms and shoulders are a surprising problem.

Week 7:

·         Monday: aching after yesterday.  Have to work late so missing my usual class : (

·         Wednesday: tried out teaching sequence on reluctant, inflexible boyfriend.  Think he’s hooked.

·         Saturday: Module 2 begins

Week 6:

·         Monday, 6.15pm class with Ciara.

·         Wednesday: first time teaching my friends Una and Seamus.  Neither had practised before.  General consensus was that complete beginners need more reassurance that they are doing things correctly / not incorrectly and that I should assume that everyone knows common gym postures like plank.

·         Sunday, 12.30-2.30 ashtanga workshop with Brian in the Elbow Room.  Great class, lots of twists and binds.  Still endeavouring to bring softness and grace to my practice and finding it more natural now.  Had a good chat with Brian and my friend Ruth, who is doing her training in the Elbow Room.  Very useful to have someone else doing the training elsewhere, we’re swapping information on forums and workshops and sharing our respective book collections.

Week 5:

·         Monday, 6.15pm class with Brian:  Freakish cold snap so we did some really good warming movements to start.  Make a mental note for the opening of my ‘Yoga at Work’ class this week.

Week 4

·         Tuesday 30 mins self practice. Try to bring attention to my practice

·         Wednesday read chapt 5&6 of the heart of yoga. Intrigued by the section on pranayama and recognise some of the effects of excessive apana in myself. Holding an inhale or exhale has always been a problem for me. Another symptom of my lack of easiness of which I a trying to be mindful.

·         Astanga yoga class run by a friend of a friend in Lj.  Not particularly challenging but as the instructor is newly qualified it offered a good opportunity to pick up some dos and donts.   Notes:

-          trikanasana introduced v early on in the practice ESP given evidently mixed ability of class.

-          no modifications offered even though one student was worki g with an injury (bandaged hand from a deep wound with a bread knife)

-          good preparatory breathing exercises if a little tedious.

·         Thursday: Pilates class to mix things up. Reminds me how tight my hamstrings are these days, note to self to look up strengthening exercises for quads and hamstrings when I get back to Dublin.

Week 3

·         Monday 6:30 class with Brian. Not very focused today

Week 2:

·         Went to Joe’s Level 2 class  in the Yoga Room on Wednesday evening.  Usually this style of class doesn’t appeal as it doesn’t feel dynamic or fast enough.  Today, I appreciated the graceful, relaxed manner of the practice.

March 2012

Week 1:

·         It took a couple of days after the first module to turn my attention back to practising.  In the mean time, I had been reading the Heart of Yoga and become aware of this concept of sthira and sukha.  I am constantly attracted to sthira aspect, becoming stronger and pushing myself further in poses.   I resolve to bring a greater sense of ease, gentleness and grace into my practice.

·         Did a few short sessions at home on my mat over the weekend, trying to hold this intention of ease and grace in my practice.