True Confessions of a Yoga Teacher
perception
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Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2012 7:05 PM
What is the practice of yoga? It is many things for many people, but for me
it has given the gift of mindfulness, of awareness. Of a greater sense of gratitude as well as
consciously being in my body. Forgetfulness, It is not just a
mental issue; it can also show up in the body.
No one is immune to the habitual state of forgetfulness, CRS (cant
remember shit) as I often call it. We
are told we can keep our minds alert thru mental exercises, so why not the
body. As this forgetfulness or lack of
awareness shows up in the physical body we lose awareness of sensation in
certain muscles and or muscles groups in the body. |
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Kimberly Hardick: Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:48 PM
Reflections on our
Reflections We all have the ability to Sense energy, but many of us lack
the awareness of self, and it is thru this self awareness that we can tap into
our innate ability to accurately sense energy. For just a moment, listen to the sounds around you, both
inside the room and outside. Don’t try
to identify it just sense it. What about
fragrances, do you smell anything? Touch,
can you feel the clothes resting on your skin, your hair on your neck or face,
maybe a gentle breeze made by your breath. |
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Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:41 PM
One of the complaints I hear repeatedly is “Wow, my hamstrings are tight.” But are they really? Could it be that they are just not as strong as your quads and are having to work overtime to compete with the growing strength and tightness of your quads. How many exercises do you do to strengthen your quads? I am sure there a quite a few. How often do you find yourself performing these exercises? Now, name all the different ways you strengthen your hamstrings. Not as many and I would guess you probably do them, o, hardly . |
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Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2012 11:27 AM
Pain and suffering, it is
everywhere, but so is joy. It is our
true authentic self. Do you ever wonder how to rise above and become unaffected
by the pain and suffering of others. Does this mean we must lose sight of
compassion? How can one not be
affected and react to the negative energy while maintaining and staying in a
space of peace?
It can be difficult to rise
above it, not react, and stay in a place of joy, of love and acceptance. Avoidance of people, places and things is not
always possible. |
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Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2012 12:10 PM
Registered my Assana!
O The importance put
on a piece of paper. It becomes the end
of the journey for some. The summit, the
pinnacle, and unfortunately THE END. I
see to often as the owner of a yoga studio and a yoga mentorship/studentship
program. It is because of what I see and
hear in the yoga community that I see no value in the Yoga Alliance. I have not always felt that way, even encouraged
my teachers to join, I mistakenly believed it would ·
Make them better teachers |
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Posted on Sunday, December 18, 2011 5:33 PM
Patience with self. How many times I use this as an intention in my classes, how very seldom I am finding I practice it outside of the class. I accepted from the onset of my injury that it was going to be a practice of patience and acceptance. I just did not know it was going to take so long! LOL The simplest of tasks took so much more energy as I hobble around balanced on one leg. The right side of my body having to do twice as much work not to mention these arms of mine were getting a daily work out. |
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Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2011 1:59 PM
You have the ability and the power to touch the
lives of everyone who you come into contact with and with everyone each
of those people come into contact with. Think of the possibilities.
The second of the 8 limbs of yoga are the five
internal practices of Niyama (observance). Niyama can be described as
the rules that need to be observed by individuals, on a more personal
level. - Sauhca
- Samtosa
- Tapas
- Svadhyaya
- Isvarapranidhana
 So lets begin with Saucha, the first of the Niyamas, it literally means |
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Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2011 7:44 PM
The most important aspect of letting go is to
notice. Notice where you feel it in your physical body, and notice how
good it feels when you just let go!Apiragraha,
the fifth of the Yamas means not grasping, but for the sake of
simplicity lets just say the art and act of letting go. Easier said
then actually practiced. I remember the very first time I felt this
peace that comes from a practice of letting go. It was in the early
days of my yoga practice and I was in a Nia class. |
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Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2011 9:47 AM
I wonder who came up with these ideal forms anyway?Brahmacharya
is the fourth of the Yamas, and one that does not come with out a bit
of misunderstanding and mystery. Lets look at this as our life force,
prana, energy, chi. How many times I find myself busy busy busy, yet
feel as thou I mindlessly spinned my wheels and accomplished nothing. I
flit from this task to that task, from here to there and by the end of
the day I am so exhausted yet feel like I have nothing to show for it. |
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Posted on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:45 AM
It is easy to get ourself hung up on expectations, and it is these expectations that cloud our view of the truthSatya is the second principle of Yama and means commitment to the
truth. Once again this principle brings with it a duality, it can be
associated with your daily practice of life on or off the mat. What you
find to be truth today, may or may not be your truth tomorrow. This
can be a source of healing as you are then able to release expectations
based on past experiences. |
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Posted on Monday, May 16, 2011 3:02 PM
(this post was written over a year ago when I was healing a broken ankle. I am currently transferring my blog from one site to another and as I reread what i wrote and share them again, I am being reminded of the beautiful lessons that can come when we are open)  Patience with self. How many times I use this as an intention in
my classes, how very seldom I am finding I practice it outside of the
class. I accepted from the onset of my injury that this was going to be
a practice of patience and acceptance. |
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Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2011 9:35 AM
It is easy to get ourself hung up on expectations, and it is these expectations that cloud our view of the truth Satya is the second of Yama's and means commitment to the
truth. Once again this principle brings with it a duality. It can be
associated with both your daily practice of life on or off the mat. What you
find to be your truth today, may or may not be your truth tomorrow. This
can be a source of healing as you are then able to release expectations
based on past experiences. |
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Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011 7:41 AM
A practice grounded in strict form only feeds the inadequacy you may feel in your physical body and in your ability. Samtosha means contentment,
accepting the truth 'as it is". Not to be confused with happiness or
complacency. The is the ability to accept your circumstances and learn
how to discern that which we can change and that which we cannot.
Building upon our circumstances to become a better you.
I
am learned this in quite a unique way when I broken my ankle this time last year. |
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Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 7:39 AM
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."As
I am exploring the wonders of mastery, I am seeing this quote in a
whole new context. For me the asanas of yoga have never come easy, and I
am always exploring new ways to bring about ease and agility which then
allows me the ability to share. It has been in my lack of natural
ability, my practice of exploring and being open that enable me to teach
what I know. I am an artist, a
skill I am not currently practicing, yet I can remember people asking
me why I did not give lesson. |
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Posted on Monday, April 11, 2011 7:41 AM
Today I want to invite you to be honest with yourself both on the mat and off. Be honest about what works for you and what does not work for you. Choose a life, a practice, that is meaningful, not just familiar or popular or what your neighbor is doing. I encourage you to Slow down, reenter and reclaim the space that is your body. Remember, the body does not lie. It is the mind that lies to not just ourselves but to each other, Wake up to the truth that is our potential. |
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Posted on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 8:12 PM
Compassion for where you are today, Do not let
the memory or ideal of an asana be your guide, rather respect and have
compassion for your body today.The Yamas, the foundation of your yoga practice and the first of the 8 limbs of yoga. There are 5. - Ahimsa
- Satya
- Asteya
- Brahmacharya
- Apiragraha
They are also referred to as the ethical disciplines in the performance
of asana, according to Iyengar in his book the tree of yoga. He likens
the Yamas to the roots of a tree, and from here the rest of the practice
will flourish and grow. |
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Posted on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 7:16 PM
Touch! Such a treat in a yoga practice, to receive the gentle confident, guiding touch of a teacher. I call thisThe Art of Compassionate Touchwhen
working with teachers. The confident guided touch of a yoga
instructor has more then just a temporary effect in the practitioners
body. It is often associated with what I like to call an Aha moment. I
am then able to really process and understand what is taking place in
my body while in the asana with a deeper awareness. |
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Posted on Monday, January 24, 2011 4:47 PM
Touch! Such a treat in a yoga practice, to receive the gentle confident, guiding touch of a teacher. I call thisThe Art of Compassionate Touchwhen
working with teachers. The confident guided touch of a yoga
instructor has more then just a temporary effect in the practitioners
body. It is often associated with what I like to call an Aha moment. I
am then able to really process and understand what is taking place in
my body while in the asana with a deeper awareness. |
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Posted on Sunday, January 09, 2011 8:02 PM
How do you choose what style of yoga is best for you? First of
all it is important to look at the intention, both yours and the
teachers. The intention of any true yoga practice is one of growth,
removing obstacles that prevent growth in your spiritual and personal
life, be it a physical, an emotional, intellectual or spiritual
obstacle. The ego and pride, intellectual obstacles, and aversion
and desire, emotional obstacles,are surprisingly the intention of a lot
of the different types of yoga. |
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Posted on Sunday, January 09, 2011 7:52 PM
This is good sound wisdom for anyone, not just for the yogi. As a yoga teacher I remind my students over and over to leave the ego at the door. As I visit different studios I am beginning to realize how difficult this can be for me. I know my limitations better than anyone, yet why do I often insist on pushing beyond the scope of my ROM? Because I am a Yoga Teacher?!I think I need to not tell them I am a yoga teacher when I first go into a class. I try my best to go into each class an empty vessel, as a beginner. |
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Posted on Sunday, January 09, 2011 7:38 PM
Perception is a funny thing. I am often taken by surprise at others
perceptions of me. Both the good and the bad. I recognize now that
perception is also a mirror, and having this understanding can be as
much a blessing as it is a curse. I recently had a bio written for me,
thru the eyes of a young woman whom I greatly admire. I read this bio
and thought, wow this is someone I want to be, strive to be yet do not
see myself as such. Yet it is me as she sees me and I am learning how
many see me. |
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