Day 268 Intention ~ Play To My Audience

Day 268 Intention ~ Play to My Audience

I have three yoga classes today. All are very different audiences. The first are at the Centers for Families and Children. Most of these students are stressed out and just need some gentle poses and breath work to find ease and relaxation. We always practice yoga nidra also to soothe them even more. 

The next group is a group of seniors that need to go a little bit more slowly and gently. I also need to be clear and talk a little bit louder. They still do many of the standing poses, but just enter into the poses a little bit differently and more gently than in a full on vinyasa flow class. They usually have more questions or things that are harder for them to do, so it's always a good lesson for me also to discover what directions and processes are the best to help them get the most out of their practice. 

Lastly, I have a class at the community center. It's an open level class and it runs in 6 week sessions. Some of the folks have been coming since I started teaching this class 3 years ago and are getting pretty advanced; this time there are also a number of new people that are new, not just to my class, but to yoga in general. Although this class is more vigorous than the other two today, we are still working on some basic poses for the newer people. 

I used to go into classes with a whole plan and if I got off of that class plan, I was thrown off completely. As time went on and I got more experience, the plan became less strict. I always have something in mind that I would like to work on, but depending who is there and their injuries or limitations, teachers need to be able to adapt to what is going to be best for their clients that day. We always want to offer a safe, maybe challenging class to our students. A class that makes them learn how to listen to their own body, to feel stronger, more flexible, relaxed, and wanting more.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 129 Intention ~ Practice Outside

Day 129 Intention ~ Practice Outside (finally!)

There is a little strip in my yard that my neighbors can't really see me when everything is in full bloom. My Rose of Sharon offer a lovely natural privacy wall, but they are not quite there yet. Regardless of that, it was wonderful to head over to my little strip this afternoon and practice. 

At the beginning of the year, I made an intention to myself to practice everyday this year, even if it is just a little bit. I've been pretty good about it, but have slacked a tad bit as of late for various reasons. So today, I am back! 

There is something special about breathing outdoors (even with all the pollen floating around thanks to my new spirulina regimen) and getting back in touch with nature. Sure the flow isn't quite as graceful on a lawn with different lumps and bumps all around, but it is what it is. Practicing arm balances become a little less frightening when you have soft smushy grass underneath you. I enjoyed letting birds and lawn mowers be my playlist as I flowed from pose to pose and even as I wasn't afraid to flip right over when attempting to stick pincha mayurasana (a.k.a. forearm stand). 

It's also just nice to change your "work" space sometimes. Even in yoga studios, students tend to always place their mat in the same spot...attaching themselves to that space. It's better to move around, be open, and it may even change your perspective on the class or on your practice. 

I hope that you all get to practice today & are having an amazingly beautiful day like we are here in good ol' Cleveland! 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 114 Intention ~ Stay Productive

Day 114 Intention ~ Stay Productive

I've been in vacation mode ever since we got back to Cleveland at 3 a.m. Monday morning. Luckily for me, I've only had a few classes and work that I can do at home since we returned. But today, I am kicked back into full gear and need to stay productive to get it all done. 

I used to just go into a frenzy whenever I had a long laundry list of things I needed to get done. Now, I think of the tortoise and the hare. Slow & steady win the race. 

As with our asana practice, keeping the breath slow & steady gives us strength and a more calming meditative effect to our poses. If we breathe into each pose whether it's vinyasa flow or just when holding a pose, we find that the body starts to open, tense muscles start to release and we discover new spaces and strength in ourselves. We also notice the mind starts to focus and remain calm. 

When we are stressed out, the breath becomes shortened, if not, barely there. This leads the body to react and tense up. Muscles strain, the mind becomes fuzzy and unclear and we may feel hopeless. Stop here. Try to notice when this is happening, and stop. Take (at least) 10 nice slow calm breaths and regroup. If you can keep this breath throughout your day, no matter what is going on around you, you will find that you will be able to get more done and stay productive. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 104 Intention ~ Slow Down

Day 104 Intention ~ Slow Down

I remember the first class I ever took with my teacher, Marni Task. At the time, I was pretty new to hot power vinyasa. Sure, I had done vinyasa in a room temperature setting, I had also practiced hot yoga, but Bikram, not in a flowing vinyasa. I found that I would often struggle to find ujjayi breath in these hot classes and would stumble and bumble my way through the poses as fast as I could. 

She came up to me and told me to slow down. And, guess what, it changed my practice. To this day I think of that when I am moving a little bit slower in class than the 20 year olds around me or when I am teaching and I see a student rushing through chatturanga, and upward facing dog. 

When you slow it down, you can feel your breath, heck, you can feel the pose. I have heard comments from different people who think moving more slowly is easier or more "beginner". Holding the poses longer is not easier in my book...I feel that it builds more strength and allows you to go deeper. 

It is beginner friendly because that newer student has a chance to get into the pose with more time, they also get to feel it in their bodies and make adjustments in alignment if needed. They get to find union between their breath and their body...connection...yoga. 

Today, 4 years after that first class, Marni reminded me (and the whole class) to slow it down again. This time coming out of savasana pose. As we all started to wiggle our fingers and toes ready to roll up and om...ready to move on to the rest of our day, she reminded us to slow it down, to move as if you are just learning how to use those muscles again. It was a nice reminder for that moment and for the rest of my day.

Til tomorrow...

Shanti,

Marcia