YOGALOFT UNIVERSITY
ON THIS PAGE YOU WILL FIND A VARIETY OF inspirational TEXTS WRITTEN BY YOGIS.
IF THERE ARE ANY TOPICS YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT, LET US KNOW!
The yogi’s path to inspiring environmental consciousness
by pragya kothari & fernanda rubim
3 may 2020
We have all heard that the meaning of the word 'yoga' is union. Ancient yogic texts like the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita teach us that there is more to this practice than meets the eye. Maybe understanding this connection with the universe is a far stretch for most of us today. But, it doesn't have to be so abstract and our natural environment can be the bridge between that oneness and union.
We believe that ‘prana’, that single life force, that cosmic energy permeates the universe on all levels. Then through that philosophy of yoga, the practice on our mats where we cultivate this prana connects us with all other all living beings that share this planet with us. This realization is what causes the shift in perception of the mindful yogi that changes his/her consumption patterns to be more respectful to their surroundings. After all the energy they give out is the energy they take in.
It is well known that yoga is founded upon principles that promote awareness of one’s sense of connection, inborn unity, and interdependence with all things. Clearly these beliefs convey ecological consciousness and perhaps more importantly inspire conscious, environmental stewardship for the betterment of our society and our planet.
This write up is meant to serve as a guide for us to incorporate this innate and sometimes dormant ecological consciousness into our daily actions.
Practical ideas on how to live more sustainable
Change your light bulbs. Switch to better sources like LED, florescent light, it has serious impacts on your energy consumption.
Turn your computers off at night. Even on energy saving mode you are using a lot of energy
Unplug all of your electronics when they are not being used, instead of leaving them on standby.
Hang dry your clothes rather than use the clothes dryer.
Switch to partial or complete green power from your utility company.
When in office, turn off all the peripherals such as printers, speakers and scanners when not in use.
Stop rinsing dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. This will raise some eyebrows but honestly, it has to be a decision based on when you are running the dishwasher and if you simply drank tea in that cup.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce the usage of packaged food items. Reuse scrap paper. Recycle old jars.
Wash vegetables and fruits in still standing water and reuse this to water the plants at home.
Take your own bags with you to the grocery store. You reduce the use of plastic, especially single use. The small reusable bags which fold up into nothingness are a real life saver.
Where avoidable, choose warm or cold water rather than hot water t wash clothes, surface, etc.
Instead of buying bottled drinking water, install a water cleaning system on your sink or alternatively buy water purifying jugs like Brita.
Baths are a luxury, and while sometimes unavoidable the water wastage may still not be worth it. Switch them for short showers for a quick win.
Plant a tree, start a vegetable garden, grow your fruits or herbs and the satisfaction of watching them grow is a feeling like no other.
Use indoor plants to accessorize your home, you can switch them between rooms ot refresh the look and feel of the place.
Recycle everything! When not sure, enquire about it, almost all phones, laptops, tablets have producer buyback programs.
Rainwater harvesting to water your lawns and garden.
Use recycled products whenever you can. This includes printer ink, paper, cardboard, etc. Even a reusable mug is good to have when you want to go green.
Receive all you bills via e-docs only and set up a direct debit or pay them online to reduce paper wastage.
Get e-tickets for the movies and concerts, instead of buying paper tickets. Even file your taxes electronically to cut back on paper usage.
Reduce the amount of junk mail that you receive, reconsider all your magazine and mail subscriptions and check for the possibility to have them as e-magazines instead
Reuse scrap paper. Print on both sides of the paper to reduce paper wastage.
Buying products in bulk reduces the amount of packaging needed, thus providing considerable benefits to the environment.
Buy organic food, make fresh meals and try out new recipes every other day, exchange with friends and get chatty
Buy vegetables and fruits that are grown locally. They definitely taste better on account of being fresher but also have a better carbon footprint as they reduce the use of paper, plastics and shipping material.
Switch to cloth diapers instead of disposables. Even if you use one cloth diaper a day that will result in 365 fewer disposables in the landfill each year.
Use public transportation or carpool to work. Better yet, walk or cycle when the weather is permitting.
Take your vehicle into the repair shop for regular maintenance. This will reduce emissions and more.
If you have items around the home that you no longer need, do not throw them away. Instead give them to someone who would use them, donate to a thrift store or have a garage sale and put some cash in your pocket
Involve yourself in making your city clean and green. Encourage everyone in your neighborhood to join or start a recycling program and buy eco-friendly office products..
Assess if a consumer wish is a must-have or nice-to-have. If a must-have, verify if possible to borrow, build or exchange instead of buying.
If buying is unavoidable, prioritize local and 2nd hand.
Choose packaging-free stores. If packing is unavoidable, prioritize paper rather than plastic.
Eat fruits and veggies seasonably. Reduce animal products intake, especially meat.
Move through walking, cycling, public ground transportation.
Be conscious of the water bill when brushing teeths, taking a shower, flushing the toilet.
Reduce waste choosing reusable cups, bottles, cutlery, bags, cloth napkins.
Save food by freezing, dehydrating, fermenting and if it cannot be saved use it as compost.
Separate your waste and donate, when possible, what you don’t use.
If you have investments, make sure your money is invested in sustainable projects. Most of your banks offer sustainable investing opportunities now, ask them for more information.
Be creative: work with what you have including ways of exploring your surroundings during holidays.
Shop eco-friendly. Tons of environmentally friendly products are sold even in Luxembourg and you can find a link to some of these below.
Remember everything in our possession is on loan to us, it is precious and should be cared. If we cannot give something back in exchange, we should not take it. Our decisions matter.
Local initiatives in Luxembourg
Media recommendations
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
Demain
Cowspiracy
An Inconvenient Truth
Trashed
A plastic ocean
Mit Freude aus der Komfortzone
simone zeimes
7 mai 2019
“Leben ist Bewegung” sagte schon der Wissenschaftler Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
Von höchster Bedeutung sind seine Studien über die Anatomie des Menschen. Seine erstaunlichen Kenntnisse waren Ergebnis zahlreicher Experimente. Heimlich besuchte Leonardo den Friedhof von Mailand wo er Knochen und Schädel zersägte und Leichen häutete um die Nerven und das Muskelsystem zu studieren. Er arbeitete nachts, weil das Sezieren von Leichen als Sakrileg betrachtet und mit Gefängnis bestraft wurde. Er war der erste, der die Auswirkungen der Arteriosklerose entdeckte.
Prof. Dr Dietrich Grönemeyer, Arzt und Bruder des berühmten Sängers Herbert Grönemeyer empfiehlt "Turne bis zur Urne”. Also Sie sollten nie aufhören, sich regelmäßig zu bewegen.
“Leben ist Bewegung und ohne Bewegung findet Leben nicht statt. Damit ist alles auf den Punkt gebracht und dieser Titel erscheint im Internetzeitaler moderner denn je. Tippen auf dem Touchscreen ist als “Bewegung” allerdings zu wenig. Mann muss seinen Allerwertesten schon regelmäßig erheben und möglichst auch das tun, was schon der Name “Bewegungsapparat” vorgibt: BEWEGEN! Die Muskulatur”schreit” förmlich nach “Action”, aber viel zu vielen Menschen fällt eine regelmäßige Körperaktivität aus verschiedensten Gründen immer noch zu schwer.
Der Begriff “Couch-Potato” hat sich als Begriff etabliert, um diese nahezu unüberwindliche Trägheit vieler Menschen zu beschreiben. Die “Argumente” gegen ein “bewegtes Leben” sind so vielfältig wie die Ausreden. Dabei ist es so einfach heutzutage ein körperlich aktives Leben zu führen. Angebote gibt es flächendeckend nach ganz individuellen Bedürfnissen und Zielsetzungen. Leider fällt es vielen einfach schwer die nötige Freude während der körperlichen Anstrengung zu entwickeln.
Die Freude am TUN ist aber auf Dauer das alles entscheidende Kriterium. Sich intensiver mit dem Körper zu beschäftigen und ihn während der Aktivität sozusagen neu zu entdecken ist dabei sehr hilfreich. Wem das nicht reicht, sollte sich in Erinnerung rufen, dass er nur diesen einen Körper hat und dessen Pflege mehr ist als nur eine Investition von Zeit und Geld. In unserer schnelllebigen Leistungsgesellschaft ist körperliche Fitness Voraussetzung für dauerhaften Erfolg und gute Gesundheit bis ins hohe Alter.
Letztlich sollte die Freude an der Bewegung und Anstrengung aus der Erkenntnis entspringen, dass der Körper ein Wunder der Schöpfung ist.
Vielleicht gelingt Dir beim Yoga diese Freude an der Bewegung wieder zu entdecken und den Körper wieder bewusster wahrzunehmen.
Vielleicht ist Yoga ja genau das Richtige für Dich. Yoga schenkt Dir eine neue Harmonie für Körper und Seele. Du wirst die Erfahrung machen, dass Du achtsamer für all Deine Regungen wirst. Deine Bewegungen werden fließender, Dein Körper wird elastischer, Deine Seele kommt ins Gleichgewicht, dein Geist wird klarer und Deine Atmung wird tiefer und ruhiger. Du fühlst dich mehr im Einklang mit Dir selbst.
Etliche Studien haben zudem nachgewiesen, dass die verschiedenen Übungen Beweglichkeit, Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden fördern, den Blutdruck und die Hormonausschüttung normalisieren, Schulter- und Kreuzschmerzen lindern, Muskeln, Gelenke und Bänder stärken und das Immunsystem stabilisieren. Probier es doch einfach!
Connecting the dots - yamas and niyamas
by Fernanda Rubim
26 february 2019
A zen saying states ‘before enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment I chopped wood and carried water’. The outside world remains the same but the mind is now calm and uncluttered. Its fluctuations no longer trigger unthoughtful actions. Space has been created.
It is like a ripple free water pond, a clean windshield. The deep bottom underneath, the road ahead, despite always there, are now seen. Because there is no distortion, it is possible to better steer the way avoiding dangers and holes. Through safer routes, the ride becomes enjoyable and the destination is not as important as before.
It is more often felt that the kingdom of God is within us and all that is needed is available.
It is not an overnight transformation but a life long journey on which every experience no matter whether good or bad holds a blessing. The challenge is to identify the teachings so that we can deconstruct the barriers preventing an authentic connection with ourselves and the world.
Love is everywhere. It does not need to be sought.
When embarking on this inside trip, the yamas and niyamas are the north star, the compass, the GPS.
Compassion (ahimsa), truth (satya), generosity (asteya), balance (brahmacharya) and equitability (aparigraha) are the yamas while purity (saucha), contentment (santosha), resilience (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya) and surrender (ishvara pranidhana) the niyamas.
The yamas deal with the relationship with ourselves and the others, whereas the niyamas foster a soulfulness living. They connect among them like the beads of a yoga mala.
click here to continue reading and to discover the yamas and niyamas
Yoga Nidra & Yin Yoga - a blissful match!
by Mettā (Valérie)
9 September 2018
I’m writing to you from a “post nidra state of bliss!” Even after my 5 hour drive all the way from Amsterdam back to Luxembourg I’m feeling a deep sense of gratitude.
Summer vacations are for barefoot walks, ice cream, and yoga teacher trainings! Well at least mine are, though I would love to hear about yours. I try to save as much money as I possibly can during the year in exchange for profound knowledge, wise teachings, new inspirations, spiritual connections or whatever the mighty Universe has planned for me in those teacher trainings. This lets me deepen my knowledge about my sweet spot – Yin Yoga – in particular anatomy in combination with the connective tissue (fascia) this summer. Additionally, I had the privilege of receiving a very precious gift from Uma Dinsmore-Tuli & her husband Nirlipta Tuli.
“Yoga nidra, literally meaning the Yoga of Sleep, is an extraordinary and powerful practice. It is a great gift that enables everybody to enter a deep state of healing, rest and awakened awareness that is a profound spiritual practice. (…) Yoga nidra, not only allows for us to be well rested at a physical level, but it also, with practice, can empower us to remain fully connected with other dimensions of understanding and awareness that heightens our intuition.” -Uma Dinsmore-Tuli
The practice of Yoga Nidra, aka the Yogic Sleep:
The student has no need for previous knowledge nor experience, which can be a big relief before entering a yoga studio for some people.
You simply arrive at the Yoga Shala to create a comfortable nest for yourself, made out of cushions, bolsters and blankets, eventually adding eye pillows, socks, and everything else you might need to feel at ease. Closing the eyes or leaving them open is always up to the nidra receiver. Once the comfy nest is all set up, there is actually nothing to do any more, just: “Ready, settle and go!”
The Yoga Nidra practice starts when the space is carefully held by the teacher, which might involve some cleansing of the energy field of the room and/or the people wrapped in their nidra zone. Settling and preparing the group can include the gentle reminder of observing their breath without any judgement, the invitation to get connected with the here and now, the letting go of whatever no longer serves them in the present practice. This is followed by setting a Sankalpa, an intention/goal for the practice or beyond which might return at the end of the practice as a gentle reminder to feel, smell, see, think, etc. about something to engage with. With or without Sankalpa the student dives, walks, and glides mentally and emotionally towards a place of rest and ease. This is followed by a guided rotation through some body parts to fully embody the practice of Yoga Nidra that will be completed by adding some opposites like dark/bright, cold/warm, fire/water or even more subtle poetic opposites… all depending on the teacher’s choice. After the dualities, the practice eventually leads back towards the initial intention, the Sankalpa. This very gentle method (hopefully) brings the student out of the practice more at ease than before entering the studio.
Do people drift away? Oh yes, some people do; they are so deeply sleep and rest deprived that they might think they attended a sleepover at the studio. But maybe that short rest was exactly what they needed most to get some time off from their busy lifestyles. I’d guess we received more than 40 Nidra sessions in this week’s teacher training, which left me feeling blissful, spaced out, weird, confused, happy, emotional, sleepy… long story short… I encountered many Nidra styles by different people which simply left me feeling different each and every time.
“It is a practice with its roots in the earliest Indian philosophical writings, and it is also one of the fastest growing and most popular contemporary practices of yoga in the west. There are many different forms of the practice, to suit a diversity of needs and types of people. It is really important to remember that even though we describe it as a “practice”, it is, in fact, a very special state of consciousness: the meditative heart of yoga.” -Uma Dinsmore-Tuli
Yoga Nidra & Yin Schedule Click HERE
Mettā hugs,
Valérie (Mettā Yoga Luxembourg)
Courage vs fear
by simone zeimes
4 may 2018
David Swenson, a great Ashtanga Yogi used to say: “There are fears that help us to live and fears that prevent us from living”.
Often fear is used in an unskilful way, preventing a person from experiencing life to the fullest. I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph of it. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. (Ambrose Redmoon)
Living with fear stops us from taking risks and I believe in a greater spiritual power, from which I have derived strength in moments of fear.
I am not a courageous person by nature, I have simply discovered that, at certain key moments in my life, I had to find the courage in myself in order to move forward and live. It’s like a muscle and it must be exercised. And I discovered that it was the fear of my own courage!!
Courage to me is doing something daring, no matter how afraid, insecure or alone you may be feeling. Courage is taking action, being scared silly to the point where you are trembling, but you do it anyway. It strengthens us and gives us unbelievable self-confidence.
Each mistake or failure teaches us something. Unhealthy thoughts can chain us to the past and can create fear. We can, however, change our destructive thoughts in the present.
With our yoga practice we can always bring our awareness to our breath. Our breath is always present and brings us back to the present moment. There is only one moment, it’s always the present moment.
After reading the book: “Tremble! But do it anyway!” I am always asking myself: What will be the worst thing that can happen to me if I do it anyway? (In French «Tremblez! Mais osez»)
A last quote from W. Churchill: “Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision”.
Namaste
Loneliness
by simone zeimes
14 September 2017
I would like to share some thoughts about “loneliness” and “solitude”.
I enjoy my loneliness knowing that the aloneness creates an environment for my heart to flourish. This is a path to happiness, peace, completeness that takes me a step closer to my ultimate goal….my greater reality…my true nature. In this environment, I can take space and charge my batteries and I can learn a lot about myself.
To some people, it sounds selfish to focus on oneself, but trying to find happiness in other people doesn’t work, it must come from within ourselves. Sometimes we just need to disconnect and enjoy our own company.
I learned to be alone and to like it. There is nothing more freeing and empowering than to enjoy your own company. I don’t call it “being alone”, I call it “enjoying my own company”.
In fact, solitude is often a springboard to greater self-awareness, greater creativity, fresh insights, and new growth. And with this, you can start to feel that there is so much love around you!
When you are in a relationship, the greatest gift you can give to your partner is the space to be him or herself without the threat of you leaving- without possessing the other, without becoming dependent of the other and without becoming addicted to the other.
When we are on our yoga mat we are in fact alone and the way we act on our mat, is often the way we act off our mat. The things we struggle with on the mat are often the things we struggle with off the mat.
So for me, I find a healthy relationship with myself through my yoga practice.
I also want to thank all the yoga teachers at yogaloft. for being able to be their student and to be able to learn from them, because every Yogi is always and forever a student.
Namaste
santosha - contentment
by simone zeimes
19 june 2017
Recently Dr Itai Ivtzan held a workshop at yogaloft "Moving deeper into Yoga –integrating positive mindfulness" which was so inspiring. A big thanks to Pamela for inviting Itai to yogaloft!:)
The workshop was so inspiring, Itai talked about the "Yamas and Niyamas"- the ethical and moral principles in yoga, keys to true yogic strength, power and transformation, on and off the mat.
In this text I would like to tell you about the Niyama “Santosha”- the practice of contentment, which I have found through my yin yoga practice.
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned on my mat is the practice of contentment, a quality greatly nourished by gratitude. Embracing Santosha—being content with who and where we are, as well as what we ‘have’ can be extremely challenging. But when contentment is joined by gratitude, this practice reminds us that we are whole, even when we might otherwise view ourselves as living in lack.
Santosha assists us in welcoming our successes and failures with good humor and grace. Santosha teaches us to embrace ourselves with kindness and gratitude so that we may find the lessons in all of life’s seasons and events, no matter how joyful or devastating they may initially appear to be.
Learning to be content in any given moment has taught me to view my life from a place of wholeness rather than one consumed by lack. By observing and developing awareness without JUDGMENTS, we are led to accept ourselves and our circumstances and through this acceptance, our ‘real selves’ emerge. When our perspective broadens in this way, we can let go of the need to change, understand or fix various situations that may present themselves in our day to day lives.
Experiencing contentment reveals the present moment as full and complete, with no need for change or longing. Through santosha, we learn to say “thank you” for whatever is present in any given moment, because we realize that this moment is perfect as it is. This practice allows us to stand in a profound place of self-realization and gratitude for all of life’s circumstances that lead us to these moments of insights.
Even the moments in life that might not traditionally be perceived as “blessings” guide us to places of deeper knowledge of the self.
My best teacher was and is still my yin yoga practice.
Namaste
'Yoga + Running' an Interview with David Swenson
by Fernanda Rubim
21 MAY 2017
Yoga + Running
In spirit of the ING night marathon of Luxembourg held on May 27, I interviewed David Swenson, one of the world’s foremost practitioners and instructors of Ashtanga Yoga, about his experience of running two marathons and keeping up with his 6 days a week Ashtanga practice.
Why did you start running marathons?
David: I was a physical person, I did martial arts, I was surfing, hiking, and climbing mountains. I heard about a marathon happening in 2 months and I thought, “I will run it!”…. but I never run that far before so I will try 5 miles. I did not have a coach. I had not really prepared, but I was young and enthusiastic. I was not trying to win. I was interested to see if I could do it, as a kind of personal challenge.
How do you feel when running a marathon?
David: It was like a meditation. I enjoyed the feeling of moving my body and getting at that zone that runners will talk about, hearing my breath, moving through space, and feeling my body moving. It was great, I enjoyed it. My second race was harder than the first. My father wanted to run half of it with me. I wanted to stay with him but his pace was slower than mine. Because I was trying to run slower and not in my natural cadence I felt more tired. Yoga flow and vinyasa, helps with this understanding of cadence and rhythm.
Did you practice yoga before, during and/or after the marathon? If yes, did it benefit your running?
David: I just did my practice. I think the yoga really helped me. For instance, as you become tired as a runner, your gaze tends to drop down to the ground in front of you. So if you activate these energy centers, it helps you to lift up and your gaze will also rise from the ground in front of you to the horizon. Because it was a distance race, I was able to see how long could I run just breathing through my noise and how many steps I could take in each inhale and exhale. As a sprinter, this wouldn’t work.
Besides the bandhas and ujjayi breath, are there any physical poses (asanas) that were beneficial?
David: If you do 3 ‘surya namaskar A’ it will take 3 minutes and your body will be hot, read to go. Or you can do 3 ‘sun salutation A’ plus ‘3 sun salutation B,’ it will take 5 minutes and your body will be really warm before the race. When I finish running, I do a few sun salutations again to help me to wind down and I also do some seated asanas.
What would be your advice for yoga runners?
David: People ask “If I am a runner should I stop yoga?” and I ask them "does running make you happy? If yes, then run and do yoga". The running will not help your yoga but the yoga will help your running. Many athletes who practice yoga have a longer career than athletes that don’t. The applications of yoga are endless. It helsp us with so many things. Yoga is much more than becoming an asana machine… It is beneficial to our bodies and our minds. It is a means, of striping away tensions, helping us to be more calm, enhancing focus and ultimately becoming a better person. So, take something you’re passionate about, do yoga, and use it to enhance your experience.
The Season of Giving- Assists!
By DEVON Healey
17 January 2017
Many years ago, when I walked into a yoga studio for the first time, I distinctly remember thinking- yeah… I got this. At the time I was athletic, young, open to anything new and exciting and certainly physically capable. At least that’s what I thought. During my first yoga class the teacher poked, prodded, moved, disentangled and generally destabilized my entire being. If looks could kill, she wouldn’t have survived the class. Afterwards, I said to my girlfriend – “did you see that?! That teacher had her hands all over me! Good God she touched my belly!” I was incredulous, despite having an open and extroverted personality; I found the physical touch… disarming. My friend laughed, “well yeah” she said “you’re new to yoga, she was just adjusting you…” At the time I didn’t understand what receiving a ‘hands on adjustment’ or ‘assist’ meant. Certainly it had something to do with my not being good enough right? It took a long time in the studio and many, many teachers later before I realized the power and opportunity of a well-executed assist.
In those early years, I felt the grumbling dissatisfaction of inadequacy when the teacher walked over to me- what was I doing wrong? How did I mess up? I thought I was doing ok! I often placed my mat in the back of the class, hoping to remain semi-invisible in the hopes of “not messing up”, the less the teacher touched me, the more I assumed I was getting it right. It wasn’t until I met one of my first yoga mentors that I realized what an assist was actually about. It had been a long day and I wasn’t in the mood for feeling insufficient, I just wanted to move. The teacher got us into a simple pose and then walked over to me, “oh great” I remember thinking “here we go…” her hands were strong but sensitive and she gently adjusted my body into a slightly different position than I had been in before and suddenly the pose felt better, brighter, more grounded. It was in that moment I realized the power of being adjusted in my yoga poses. Instead of being punitive, I started to regard them as pearls, small moments of wisdom from which I could learn about my body and yoga practice and bit by bit, grow and improve. I quickly went from the back of the class to the front, where I hoped the teacher would see me more and thus, adjust me more. What other things could I learn? What other secrets were locked away in the gentle movement of an arm or leg?
Sometime later, when I decided to become a teacher myself, I ran into a different problem. Instead of receiving the assists, I was now giving them. For the first 6 months or so of my teaching, I walked around the studio with my arms outstretched like a sort of yoga teacher zombie, the students were scared, and rightfully so, I didn’t feel confident in touching other people in a meaningful way. But like yoga- I practiced (bless those friends and students who let me “experiment” on them, poor things) and became more confident with time. I also learned important lessons on the intimacy of touching another person, especially one you don’t know well. Assists in yoga are intimate in nature as hips, bellies, legs, chests, shoulders and many other parts of the body are involved, places were not used to being touched by relative strangers. Adjustments in yoga should not feel creepy, weird or ambiguous, if they do- us teachers want to know! And you should feel free to talk with your teacher about how you want to be touched. Of course for many of us that conversation feels awkward (myself included) but I cannot know what’s in your body or mind, the only way I can respect, appreciate and help you grow in your practice is to communicate with you. I often tell a teacher on my way into a yoga class- “my shoulder is sore today, no shoulder assists for me please!” Or, “Its been a long week and my back is tender, would you mind not adjusting me in any forward folds?” I have not once met a teacher who thought I was rude or unfriendly and frankly if they did, I wouldn’t be going back to that class. But in fact, they always appreciate knowing what’s going on with me and how to help me have the best practice I can. The same applies in my teaching, by hearing from you; I’m better able to give you what you need. Indeed there are many times when you’re tired, feeling sad, hurting, or just plain don’t want to be touched, in which case a simple “no assists today please” on your way into class is more than sufficient and I will always respect your decision not to be touched. When you asked not to be touched, I don’t think you’re weird or anti-social, I think you are practicing the deep listening that is so integral to growth and a safe and healthy body. If you want to tell me why, I appreciate it, if not, that’s just fine too.
Nowadays I relish in both the reception and giving of adjustments in asana practice, because I know how good they can feel and how much one can learn. My intention is that my assists are thoughtful and direct (you should know where were going), that the pressure of my hands and body feels right for your body, and if it doesn’t, that you tell me (“Too much Devon!” Or “More! I want more!”) and most importantly that you feel my hands on adjustments come from a place of love and respect. Your practice is ever evolving but you, as a human being, need no fixing, you’re perfect just as you are. When you start to think of an assist not as a “fix” but as an opportunity, you open a door into a whole new world of possibilities. As always, your questions and comments help me grow as a teacher, if you’re curious about a pose, let me know and I’ll adjust you! If you’d like a bit more attention- like I do- that’s great to know too. At the end of the day, I think I can speak for all of us teachers when I say that we are here to support you, with our hands, and with our hearts.
See you on the mat!
With love,
DevoN
What is Yin Yoga?
By simone zeimes
1 December 2016
Yin Yoga is very accessible to beginners, but also interesting for advanced students. It is often more challenging to quiet the mind rather than stay in the pose.
Soft and slow, most poses are done on the floor. Yin Yoga focuses on Yin tissues of the body: connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, fascia) and bones. Gravity and time (poses are held for 3 to 5 minutes) help to release deeper into the pose and apply healthy stress to connective tissues, making them stronger, more flexible and increases circulation in the joints. Connective tissue, which is most concentrated in the joints, responds best to a slow, steady load, which is why we stay longer in the pose. It is critical to keep the joints fluid and active; otherwise the connective tissue will slowly shorten to the minimum length needed for activity. After a few years of neglecting the joints, you’ll notice it’s more difficult to flex the knees or arch your back.
Yin Yoga also balances the meridian lines (energy channels according to traditional chinese medicine), releases chronic tension, as well as negative emotions.
Profoundly relaxing on a physical and mental level, it opens up the body on a whole new level.
There is a sense of peace and serenity that develops in a Yin Class. your body might start to feel space and openness that you don’t stop to feel when you practice a dynamic yang style and you might feel a deep peace within yourself that is completely new to you.
Generally speaking we live in a Yang dominated society and culture. All we need to do is look at the huge amount of stress related diseases to see that this is true. Yin Yoga creates a window of peace and harmony so desperately needed in our fast paced world.
If you haven’t practiced Yin Yoga before you may be surprised at how different it is than more active forms of Yoga. The focus in Yin Yoga is quite unique. In more active or Yang forms of Yoga, the focus is typically on building strength and flexibility in the muscles as well as internal heat. This is done by doing shorter holds in the poses and repetition of dynamic movements. In Yin Yoga the focus is on targeting the connective tissues, fascia and joints. This has a profoundly different feeling in the tissues as well as the nervous and energetic systems of the body.
When you first come out of a Yin Yoga pose, you will have the urge to move slowly and may even want to groan and moan. The sensation in the body after a Yin Yoga pose is often referred to as the rebound effect or the echo of the pose. If you have ever rung a bell or gong, you know the sound is the strongest initially and then dissipates over time, until you eventually no longer hear the sound at all. The resonant sensation of a Yin pose in the body is like that. At first the feeling is strong, then it gradually softens until you can no longer feel it. This is why we typically take a small rest time between poses, to stop and feel.
Yin Yoga is based on concepts of Taoist Yoga, targeting the connective tissues. In Yin restorative yoga we practice relaxed floor based asanas (poses) often using the support of props when needed.
experience it and you will love it!