Teaching the Yamas and Niyamas

I felt fully recovered enough to begin teaching yoga again in mid-January, and have now taught eight classes. I am truly enjoying teaching again.  I have been giving a series of classes centered on the Yamas and Niyamas, the ethical principles of yoga. The Yamas are ethical restraints: non-harming, non-stealing, non-lying, moderation, and non-greed. The Niyamas are personal practices to cultivate: purity, contentment, discipline, self-knowledge, and surrender to ultimate reality.

Last week’s class centered on Tapas, or self-discipline. Tapas is the will and discipline to do what it takes to achieve a goal. In the process, the heat of Tapas (Tapas can be translated as “heat”) burns off impurities. Everyone who has committed to a consistent yoga practice can feel the benefits of that commitment. It doesn’t even take that many classes before the changes in the body begin to be felt. We may also find that we feel calmer, more relaxed, and better able to focus in our daily lives, as well.

My students and I have braved record-breaking cold, snow, and ice for these classes. I think we have all enjoyed exploring the ethical principles of yoga together. My students continually impress me with the growth they show in their practice. I am deeply grateful for their presence, dedication, and openness to asking for clarification and direction. The continue to teach my as I teach them.

A student!

Last week no one showed up to my first scheduled Gentle Yoga class. I was a bit disappointed, but actually I was mostly fine with it. Having no students gave me a chance to bring in the props I have gathered and find a place to store them in the back room of Pearls of Wisdom, where I’m giving the class. I was also able to figure how to set up my classroom to best use the space, and then do the practice – a dry run or dress rehearsal, if you will. It’s all good.

Yesterday, though, I actually had a student! She was enthused and ready to do yoga. However, it wasn’t the student I was expecting. I was expecting to have a woman who has had wrist surgery and can’t put much pressure on her wrist, including getting up from sitting on the floor. So I had planned a session entirely of poses in a chair and standing poses. The student who did come is experiencing plantar fasciitis and has no trouble getting on the floor. So I had to switch gears in the middle of my planned set of poses and try to address her foot issues.

What a great learning experience for me. We did some foot stretches and I taught her a couple of good massage techniques to use. I also did some good leg stretches with her: seated wide angle forward bend, cobblers pose and garland pose. I missed some good poses for plantar fasciitis, though, like Warrior I and staff pose. So much for thinking on my feet! I’ll have to add those to the workout if she returns.

For my first time out teaching I felt awkward; my instruction patter didn’t flow and having to switch gears through me off. But I don’t think I did all that badly, either. Remembering how nervous and awkward I was the first time I taught pranayama, I think I did okay. :-)

Teaching yoga

Today is a big day for me. Today I start teaching my first ongoing yoga class: Gentle Yoga For Inflexible People. I'm teaching on a volunteer/donation only basis, which I feel is right since I haven't yet even begun a yoga teacher training.  

I have been planning this class for almost two months now. I haven't said anything here because I didn't want to jinx it, in case I changed my mind or it didn't happen for some reason. But...today is the day! It's happening!

I have put this class together based on the yoga that I have been able to do as I have regained my strength and flexibility over the past year or two. I'm also using a lot of material from Peggy Cappy's Yoga For The Rest Of Us book and DVD series of traditional yoga modified for various body types and abilities. The DVDs in particular are useful; Peggy's students in her videos are of varying ages - including above age 70 - and she demonstrates poses modified for their varying levels of flexibility. 

The meditation class I've been teaching this year has expanded to include a short warm-up and breathing (pranayama) exercises. Teaching this class has been incredibly rewarding and fun for me. I'm having a ball with it! I have been having more fun than I've had since I went to massage school. When I am teaching I feel completely in the moment. A sure sign that I'm doing something right. 

From this joy, the idea came to me to expand my teaching to include a yoga class. Plus, I feel certain that the practice will benefit me as well, by helping me get stronger and prepare me for an faster-paced traditional hatha yoga class. My goal is to start attending a regular yoga class in the winter, and hopefully start yoga teacher training next fall.   

But first, tonight's class. Several of my students from the mediation class have promised to attend this evening. I have practiced; I know the poses and routine I'm going to do. I am just about as ready as I can be. I am nervous, but really excited as well. 

Solid foundation

Wow, it’s been two month since I wrote anything here! I guess that's because things are pretty much going on fairly well. I have settled into a very comfortable exercise routine made up of physical therapy exercises for the low back, qigong, and yoga. It takes about 45 or 50 minutes to do all the exercises that I like. During the week I do about 30 to 35 minutes twice a day. On weekends I usually spend an hour exercising and stretching. I usually like to try a new qigong exercise at the end of my routine on the weekends, and do some meditating as well.

I have been getting stronger. I can do Warrior 1 now, at least on my more energetic days. The feeling of strength in my legs and core that I feel when doing that pose really lift me. It makes me feel solid and grounded.

As you can see, I have much more flexibility and strength in my low back than I have had in over a year. To help regain that flexibility, Pigeon pose and a modified Cobra pose (always followed by Child’s Pose) have been part of my routine for months.

My favorite qigong exercise for spine flexibility is called Turtle Neck. I sit in Baddha Konasana and scoop my head down and forward, then up, and then back and down. The head basically moves in a forward circle in the air and the spine follows. It’s called Turtle, but the movement seems rather snakelike to me. Doing the movement with the legs stretched forward works the back in a slightly different way, lower down the back.

It’s absolutely essential now for me to listen to the needs and limitations of my body, which can at times vary on a daily basis. Some days I manage only a few seated forward bends and perhaps a side bend or two. Other days I feel much stronger. I have been seeing, though, continual improvement, though at almost a glacial pace. As long as I have patience and don't push, things work out okay.

The chiropractor I was seeing through all last year closed her doors at the beginning of this year. I’ve been seeing a new husband and wife chiropractor team since late March. I like this practice. Bonus: they have massage therapists on staff so I get massages covered by insurance! However, perhaps because of their different adjustment techniques, my mid-back is now unstable and tender. Still, I feel confident the soreness there will work itself out. At least I now have a good foundation in my stronger, more limber lower core.

Learning

I've spent the past couple of weeks researching qigong resources. So far I have found:

Simple Qigong Exercises for Back Pain Relief. This is a great DVD. It focuses on a very flowing way of moving, and gives instructions on how to progress as a beginner. I think this will become a cornerstone of my back care.

Qigong Empowerment: A Guide to Medical, Taoist, Buddhist, Wushu Energy Cultivation (Paperback). This book is an amazing resource. 348 pages long it's actually five books in one. Each section focuses on a different school of qigong: medical (for healing ailments), Taoist, Buddhist, martial, and emitting and absorbing qi. I'll be using this book as a reference for many years.

Heal Yourself With Qigong. This one focuses on medical qigong. It's a bit simplistic compared to the tome I mentioned above, but even so I've already gotten some exercise ideas from it. And since it only has 186 pages, I believe it may find a place on my shelf at work. Should be helpful for those mid-day qigong breaks I like to take.

I have been reading and practicing some new exercises; expanding my understanding of qigong. Soaking up the teachings, trying to figure out what works for me, what I'm drawn to. But my study has been a little chaotic, jumping from one practice to another as I try to figure out what I like best. Now that I have an idea of what works for me, and what I feel I need, it's time to start grounding my practice. Only by developing a quiet, steady practice will I be able to delve deeper into the energetics of the movements.

I am already starting to put together a morning routine consisting of some of my favorite exercises and stretches. I find that I would like to do a little more than I have time for in 30 minutes; maybe I'll expand it to a 40 minute practice on days when I have time. I'm still unsure what I would like my evening practice to look like. I think I may pick a few different sets to rotate between.

The weather is getting warmer now, which should help my practice, since qigong is supposed to be best practiced outside. Soon I'll find myself moving outside for my practices. Wouldn't it be lovely to practice qigong while watching the setting sun?

Yoga at last!

I did hatha yoga this morning! For half an hour! It was Kripalu Gentle Yoga, nothing vigorous, but still, I did Down Dogs and Warrior 2! I've done a few gentle poses here and there before, but this is the first time I've done a full yoga sequence in 2009!

AIAM

I have now had an acupuncture treatments once a week for the past three weeks. I'm lucky enough to have a school of alternative medicine in my town (American Institute of Alternative Medicine). I knew they offered student acupuncture treatments, but I have never taken advantage of them before. But a friend at work who has had back problems about as long as I have (only hers are much worse) recently started getting treatments there, and swears by it. So I decided it was time for me to try it out.

Just be

As I left my chiro appointment yesterday...my back full of trigger points, Dr. K told me...I wanted nothing more than to relax into a session of yin yoga. I just wanted to relax into a pose, not thinking about how I should push into the stretch or how long to hold it, but just let myself be in the pose. As I haven't done yin yoga in months, I set my interval timer to two minutes per pose, so as not injure myself in a pose held too long. I also made sure to avoid certain poses like twists or cobra that I though could have stressed my back.

 

Afterwards I felt emotionally tender. Yin yoga can do that. Today, though, I feel great. My mind clear and intelligent, my emotions hopeful and positive, my back more at peace than it has been for days.

Forced inactivity

As it turns out, I apparently can't do even a minimal exercise regime right now. Last weekend I did an easy half hour on the elliptical. I tried not to use my arms at all, but kept them on the heart rate bar. I also did some light house cleaning--maybe an hour, cooked soup, and folded laundry. You know, day off stuff.

The next day, my traps and rhomboids were screaming---pain levels up to 5 on a 1-10 scale. Not good.

I know when I'm beat. I have to lay off physical activity for a while, until my back muscles heal (the chiropractor confirmed that this is all muscular, not nerve pain). Who knows how long it will take: a few weeks? A month? Two months? I truly hope it is less than two months. I'm addicted to exercise. And being handicapped in my normal day-to-day tasks, too, drives me crazy.

It is easy to get discouraged, to whine and complain. But I know of three people who are dealing with health issues worse than mine. How can I complain of my own suffering when their suffering is worse than my own?

But I can do my practice. I try to keep my thoughts centered on surrender. On letting the pain and frustration pass through me like clouds, like rain, like breath. I turn the inner eye to watch them pass. I breathe, and ask for the path of surrender. I meditate, and ask only to witness, but not identify with the suffering. I remain mindful of my friends as well, as I practice. As I breathe and ask for non-attachment to the ephemeral, I hope that my friends, too, can find this.

I can only do what I do. I am finding my pranayama and meditation practice to help me not only in the spiritual way I just described, but in other ways as well. The work does help physically relax the muscles and reduce pain. Also, by providing another point of focus for my body, I distract it from the pain. Finally, keeping this practice gives my mind and energy something to focus on that isn't related to my physical problems. It helps fill the gap in my life that my asana practice used to fill.

Surrender

As I lay in my bed last night, propped up on pillows because when I lay on my back the pressure on my spine impinged a nerve, making my hands go numb, I couldn't help feeling very sorry for myself. I want more than anything to able to do an hour-long hatha yoga practice. I want to get that good workout feeling, feeling cleansed and refreshed. I have been dedicated in my practice for over a year, building it slowly and steadily. And yet, it seems that I have been blocked again and again by my body's recurrent problems and limitations.

But I stop and remind myself that my current back problems arose out of the positive changes I have made this year: getting really good shoe orthotics to treat recurrent plantar fasciitis, exercising, yoga--these have uncovered congenital problems, including scoliosis, that have lain dormant until now.

"The pathways [of nourishment and elimination] must be clear of obstructing forces in order for prana [nourishment] and apana [elimination] to have a healthy relationship.  In yogic language, this region must be in a state of sukha, with literally translates as "good space."  "Bad space" is referred to as dukha; which is commonly translated as "suffering." - Leslie Kaminoff, in Yoga Anatomy

Perhaps my current back problems are a necessary cleansing, creating space for more expansion, for growth, for something new to take its place. It may feel now like an obstacle to  my practice and to the exercise that I crave. But perhaps this is a necessary pause, a time when pulling back is necessary for future growth. A blockage to the flow of prana must be cleared out of the way before further expansion and growth can take place.

I have come through many obstacles in my life, some of which have seemed truly insurmountable. I have moved through them and been happier, stronger, on the other side. I have looked back and been amazed and grateful for the changes that have taken place. If I reframe this time to be a necessary period of cleansing and clearing, perhaps it will be easier to get through to the other side. Though it may not look like it at this moment, I keep telling myself that this, too, is a time I will look back on in wonder and gratitude for the gifts it has brought me.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks

Home practice

Nona of Everyday Yogini recently posted about her experiences in starting and keeping up a home practice. I decided that was a good topic to start off my own yoga blog.

I'd kept an intermittent home practice for several years now, but found it difficult to keep it going through busy times or after a break such as an illness. A year ago I made a commitment to practice more consistently. To help me track my progress, I began keeping a log of my practice. Over the past year my home practice has become part of my life, and I've been able to practice an average of 4-6 days a week.

My primary reasons for keeping a home practice are practical: time and money, especially time. Three years ago I moved to an old country farmhouse about 30 miles outside the city where I work. Depending on normal traffic levels, my commute to work--or anything else--in the city takes between 35 and 50 minutes. I honestly hate the thought of adding the extra driving it would take to go to a yoga studio, or (worse yet) waiting around in town after work for an evening class. (Though I have continued to attend a meditation class after work once a week, which I love.) Also, when I started my home practice a year ago I was very low on money, and trying to save for a new car. I couldn't really justify the cost of a class at the time, though I'm in better shape financially now.

Another reason I had for focusing on a home practice instead of classes was that I was coming back from an injury to my shoulder and had to be very slow and careful with myself. There was no way I could do chaturangas like I used to do in class. I know now, though I wasn't aware of it at the time, that I was experiencing the beginnings of osteoarthritis. This past year I have come to terms with having arthritis, and have slowly learned how to manage my symptoms with exercise, diet, and supplements. Easing myself into a yoga practice, starting back at a beginner level, slowly building my strength, and backing off when I needed to has been a large part of learning to live with arthritis. Had I tried to follow along with a class I'm certain I would have injured myself, or at the very least become frustrated that I couldn't keep up with my fellow students.

Practicing at home, I have been much more able to listen to my body and go at my own pace. I have mostly practiced along with DVD's, switching them up to add variety to the practice. NetFlix has been a wonderful aid in helping me audition different videos and find what I like best.

Now that I've been practicing for a year, I know enough to be more self-directed in my practice. Listening to what my body's needs are, I find I can focus on those areas that want the exercise, and modify or eliminate those poses that would stress whatever part of my body is having trouble at the time. I'm finding that sometimes I forgo the DVDs altogether, and simply focus on the poses that I feel drawn to at that time.

One of my new year's resolutions this year is to aim for increasing my practice to an average of 6-7 days a week. (The other resolution is to start keeping this blog.) I would like at some point to start taking weekly classes again, but I definitely won't be giving up my home practice.