Teaching Yoga on the Fly

Teaching on the Fly: a terrible idea or a blessing in disguise? 

One of my mentors and dear friends once said "When people find out you are a creator in the arts you get asked to do "favors" in your community more times than you feel comfortable." This woman is a fantastic choreographer and one of my favorite women to dance with, and she does give of her talent on a regular basis. What she meant by her statement is that sometimes there are worthy causes to share your talents and sometimes there are times that just aren't worth your time and energy. (That sounded more snobby than I intend, I'm merely talking about times being worth the energy you put into them. My point is about good energy, not about being an elitist when it comes to your talents.)

In a previous post I talked about Smeagol Brain and how when I get over worked I tend to push away anything and everything and hide in my Smeagol cave. (My living room.) Well, when I am not experiencing symptoms of Smeagol Brain I am usually working on my stuff (Gettin' it done.) I am making goal boards, and checking things off lists, and watching inspiring Ted talks all to keep my fire going. BUT I still hesitate to agree to teaching on the fly. Why? Because of Nervous Camille. She comes and goes sometimes not really for any particular reason, other than I feel nervous to put myself out there. Sheesh between Smeagol Brain and Nervous Camille there are a lot of mental roadblocks to navigate around. (I'm sure I am not alone in this,  we all have our blocks, don't we? So we all have to motivate each other, am I right? I digress.) 

Well I am learning (slowly) how to navigate around the mental roadblocks and say yes to opportunities. I am trying to move past my blocks, meditate and ponder on opportunities given to me. There are times when I know that I do not have room in my schedule for the favor/opportunity asked of me and I know I need to say no. This is okay. 

Most of the time however, there is room in my schedule I just need to ask myself if there is room in my mind, asking "Can I do this, and will it be worth my time?". This is when learning how to meditate and visualize come into play. In an ideal time frame I would have a couple of days to "sit with it" as my instructor would say. The time frame of my decision varies from situation to situation, but what I am learning is my "sitting with it" (no matter how long) is the important factor in my decisions.

 My time to think, breath, visualize and feel what the situation will ask of me helps me to work past Nervous Camille, soothe Smeagol Brain and come to a healthy conclusion about the opportunity at hand. Sometimes I say no with no reason other than it didn't feel right. This is okay too. As long as Nervous Camille and Smeagol Brain aren't the ones making the decision, it is okay for me to say no. Other times I say yes hoping the opportunity will help me to learn and grow and often I am right. 

Nobody but me can say whether my answers are right in each situation. (God can, and He will one day, but for now I have to listen to myself and when He speaks pay attention.)

What should we take from this? We should take that instincts can be honored when you take the time to understand them. We should take that sometimes our minds block us from opportunities to grow and progress. We should take that when you give yourself the room to process decisions in a way that works for you, you'll find that your decisions will feel more like your own not Smeagol's and not someone else's. Take the time (even if it is 5 minutes) and sit with your thoughts. Your yoga knowledge and your personal knowledge can help you navigate life on and off of the mat. Believe and honor yourself and shine your light.

I received my wonderful yoga training @ www.gobodhiyoga.com

Namaste'

-Camille

Progression in Poses

The Importance of Progression in Poses

Before anyone gets the wrong idea when I say progression, what I am really talking about is the natural progression sequence that takes us to our pose. Natural progression is when we prep our bodies for a specific pose by going through postures that benefit the primary body part used in the pose. 

This may all sound like gibberish, so I am going to give you an example. Today in class one of the students asked if we could work on ways of getting into Lotus pose. The instructor agreed and then guided us as we stretched our hamstrings, out IT bands, our glutes and our hips. We went on a journey of poses as we opened our hips, loosened our hamstrings, warmed up our IT bands and opened up our glutes. We took time, trying to listen to our bodies and heed to what the body needed to do. It was meditative, opening and centering all at the same time. 

Why didn't we just go into lotus? We could have, and knowing how my knees work, I wouldn't have been able to get both of my legs into position. (And I know I wouldn't have been the only one.) We did the natural progression sequence to guide the body into the pose instead of forcing it. What happened after the sequence was magic. Our bodies felt more fluid and malleable and the pose came much more naturally.

In my yoga practice and in my teaching I have realized how important natural progression into poses is for me. Last post I talked about how our bodies are different and have different needs each day, some days a pose may come easily and some days the pose will be impossible. Natural progression can help in both of those situations. Natural Progression can guide the body into the pose in a way that benefits the body whether the pose was already possible or not. The sequence is just as important as the destination, as it can give you the releases the pose would, if you are not able to fully get into the pose. 

Doing yoga this way requires patience and tuning into your body's needs, and in the beginning it can seem tedious. The good it can do is worth the time it takes to allow a journey into your poses instead of just doing a pose. So I say be open to a journey when you need one, you  may even learn things in the journey, who knows?

Til next time,

-Camille

P.S. I received my yoga training @ www.gobodhiyoga.com