炸裂的一个周末
忍不住感叹，这个周末真是精彩纷呈啊！ 周六上午我们学习了鸽王和手倒立，被虐得特别爽哈哈，只是自己的状态不太好，因为前一晚排课忙到凌晨一点多才睡，早上来上课前也没吃早餐，又困又饿，整个人快死过去，不过还是尽力撑过了上午，中午的时候大家一起吃了披萨，然后开始理论考试。我又懵圈儿了，因为这周我的心思都放在排课准备上，我的基础差，花了很多时间去找资料和研究体式，本来打算排好课就复习理论知识，结果到周五晚才完成所有排课内容，想着只能周六晚再好好看一遍资料，结果计划赶不上变化，现在就要考，也只能硬着头皮上了，考完后就觉得特别沮丧，感觉我应该做得更好的，但却没有让自己感到满意。我反思，是我自己的错，我没能做好充足的准备。那么接下来的教课，我要尽全力做好。 到了下午，大家都嗨了，我们临时拿到了自己的毕业照，我握着Nicole老师递给我的证书，简直都不敢相信我竟然真的坚持到了毕业，我对一旁的茸儿老师说我总觉得这个证书是不属于我的，她搂着我的肩膀笑着说证书写着你的名字呢。我看着证书都有想哭的冲动（不过忍住了><)。然后大家欢欢喜喜拍了毕业照，还有各种闹腾的圣诞照。 接着高潮来了，大家围在一起拆Jessica姐姐定的大蛋糕，蛋糕超级漂亮和创意十足，有制作的Nicole老师、茸儿老师和小c老师的小人儿，还有我们班每个人的名字，于是我们开启了疯狂拍照和拍视频模式哈哈。看着大家，真的是感慨万千，时间过得真快，缘分让我们聚集在一起，经历了那么多笑与泪，现在竟然都要毕业了。真的舍不得每一个人！舍不得亲爱的三位老师！ 下周Nicole老师要飞回国了，我们都纷纷去熊抱了她，会想念她的。不过我们不允许伤感，因为还等着她回来为她庆祝生日呢，后会有期！ RYT200 周末班 Li Yin 2018.11.26
回顾瑜伽课程刚开始的那些天
时间很快，200小时的课程还有最后一个礼拜就结课了，回想这三个月的时光，真是关关难过关关过。 开始的时候因为我的基础很弱，而同期的同学水平都很不错，内心是很紧张和焦虑的。但老师跟我们说只要你坚持练习，你会发现有些体式你现在做不到，之后就都可以了。前期对我来说是辛苦大于享受的，高密度的训练加上梵语和作业，那段时光是有些难熬的，但慢慢的会发现自己身体上的变化，不止是体式上的改变，身体的平衡和力量也在加强，果不其然，体式也慢慢可以做到了。信心满满积累，同学们也越来越融洽，老师们也是严谨又可爱，现在很喜欢我们的大集体，每个礼拜都相约在教室里互相鼓励和学习，相信缘分让我们相遇，缘分的安排非常妙呢～ Yolanda
Journey #4
on the 25th, I taught an ultra-beginner class. IT WAS VERY VERY HUMBLING!! People from different backgrounds, age and strengths came and I got to say, it was really a challenging and humbling experience for me. I totally changed my sequence and went with the flow as I evaluated the students’ strength and flexibility. Being the good teacher I aspire to be, I want yoga to be very accessible to anyone and everyone. I had to think on my feet on what should I plan next and how should I get them into it? Most importantly, what are the benefits of doing certain poses, so that they understand and hopefully, do it at home if they wanna release tension in their mind and body. Moreover, I felt even more confident and comfortable teaching. I really enjoy aligning them as well hahaha! Its like showing love to them when you manage to get them to melt into a pose and feel the great benefits of it ( loosening tension, strengthening certain muscles , etc ) wanwen
Journey #3
24/11/2018 is the day I taught a public class. Before my class, my heart palpitated out of high nervousness. I couldn’t think straight and neither can I remember my own sequence. I skipped lunch to be alone to calm and remember my sequence. As I see my friends coming in, I was at the peak of my anxiety! I stuttered a little when I speak and I just could not stay composed and calm. All of a sudden, kristine came into my mind. I remembered how calm and composed she was when she led her first public class. She was also extremely nervous, but she manage to overcome that and stay focused in her teaching. I had to do that. As the class went on, I managed to quell my anxiety by immersing myself in the joy and fun of teaching! I am glad that I had to teach a public class because it compels me to put others above myself, builds my confidence and improves my communication skills. Though I had to modify my sequence significantly, I was shock with the fact that I was happy about it. Knowing that my ego is pretty high, I thought my irritated face will manifest because I love to challenge people. But nope. For the first time, I am able to strip that ego away and genuinely want to help others to feel good in class. Wanwen
Week 4 of YTT: Learning to appreciate the work behind Yoga Teaching
For my 6th and final blog post, I wanted to talk a little about learning to appreciate the hard work behind yoga teaching. It’s now the 4th and penultimate week into the YTT course and moving on from focusing on ourselves and our postures, to teaching and bringing that focus and love to someone else. It’s surprising to realize how much work there is to become a good yoga teacher. It’s easy to assume that teaching yoga is not that hard – just walk around, give some cues now and then, and show a few cool moves; however, in reality, there are so many things happening at the same time. Also, just because a person is good at yoga, it doesn’t mean that they can teach it well, and there is also a big difference between a yoga teacher and a good yoga teacher. My head is spinning with learning all these new terms, connecting my body and the brain, learning how each pose feels for my own body so that I know what the future student should feel, learning about how each pose feels for other people’s body because my students won’t always have the same body type as me, learning about the human body as well as beyond the physical body, the many different schools and teachings of yoga, and a lot more. At the beginning, the physical pain was definitely more prominent but as the days go on, it turns out that the physical activity – doing the yoga poses – is actually the easier part of yoga teaching. About teaching – I was definitely really scared and shy at first. I don’t even know why, because I’ve given classes on complicated investment strategies before so I had a lot of practice facing a large or small crowd. I guess it’s because I’m not confident in whatever I was teaching – and not being that well attuned to my body, and so unable to link up what I’m saying with how it should feel; also of course, not enough practice. After a couple of times, I did realise that coming up with your own words is also a little easier than memorising word-for-word the instructions that we were given. Sometimes we don’t use the right politically-correct words, but after knowing how it feels for us and how it should feel in a certain pose, instead of trying to bring up the memory of all those words, it’s actually much easier to talk about how to get into the pose the way we would get into it. When you’re just a practitioner, it’s easy to feel whether a yoga teacher is good or not. And we tend to gripe a lot when we have a bad session – the teacher sucks, she has no idea what she is doing, she can’t even do the pose, yada yada. While there are teachers who are just teaching to make a living and don’t care about their students, I think we don’t appreciate how hard it is to be a good teacher and how much effort and experience it takes to become a good one. Now, I feel that I don’t thank the good ones enough for all the work that they have put in to give us a good session. I also think that we don’t give enough chances or encouragement to the ones who are still trying, but are not there yet – as Singaporeans, we are very quick to complain. Nobody becomes a great yoga teacher overnight; it takes time and sometimes we are so quick to judge that we don’t give people enough time to become what they could be. I had sessions with teachers who were obviously new to teaching and still unsure; I never returned for another session. Now with social media and the growth of keyboard warriors, the time that people have to grow into something good have shortened because bad news travel fast. While I did not complain about them, I also never offered encouragement nor gave them a second chance – and now I know how much work there is behind it, I feel bad about it. Next time, Namaste with a full heart, and remind the ones who are still trying to keep it up and don’t give up. Joan
“What are you afraid of?”
Okay, so this one theory lesson stuck with me even until now. Back then, when Jess said, ‘meditation’, I imagined scented candles in a dark room and instrumental music playing in the background. So when the question “What are you afraid of?” came up, I flatlined *insert long beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep here* Because I had a whole bunch of those nasty things shoved into a box -a titanium one thankyouverymuch- under lock and key and tucked away somewhere in the dustiest corners of my brain. Certain things have already happened so long ago but I’ve spent so long beating those thoughts and feelings away, I’ve never really taken the time to properly confront how much they’ve affected me in terms of my confidence and self-esteem. Because it was just so painful. It wasn’t easy for my classmates and I to open up about our fears and insecurities. It’s wasn’t easy for any of us to let ourselves be vulnerable in front of other people. But I’m grateful for the lesson. The exercise in which we were keeping our dristhi at a candle flame helped immensely. We were in a way, ‘forced’ to hold onto only one thought at a time and even so, was taught not to entertain it. To just accept and let it pass. I found myself asking ‘why’ most often. Why I reacted the way I did, why I think the way I do, why I am the person I am today. As of now I still don’t have all the answers. I just know that letting fear dictate what I do or don’t, is a terrible cage to put myself into. It’s a terrible way to spend the rest of my life. I’ve learnt so much and tried so many things for the first time- daunting as they may be- throughout this YTT. It’s a precious feeling and I don’t want to lose it. Anthea
Leo Yaik 2018 September 200 Hrs (6)
“Standing on the Shoulder of Giants” It has been an amazing journey. There is no better group of people I would have asked for to experience this short 3 months, 2 days a week, 6 hours a day with. So for my last post, I would like to write something about them. Christine Your first class blew my mind away! In fact, I can safely say you blew everyone’s mind away. You were so composed, so confident and so sure in every movement, every adjustment and every instruction you gave. You are born to be an instructor! Melissa I was pleasantly surprised when one day you suggested us to switch our usual places around. It takes a lot of courage for one to step out of their comfort zone and I absolutely admire you for that. Thank you for always being the first one to lead the class. Thank you for trying out my cardio class. Thank you for being you and keep that signature frown! Charis You are an inspiration! Your enthusiasm, constantly pushing yourself to be better physically and mentally. You always have words of encouragement and compliment for whoever needs it. In you, I found my own strength in my practice. In you, I found don’t give up and neglect areas I am not good at. Continue to shine and never ever let that fire burn out. Anthea From never done a teddy bear to doing a beautiful Astavakrasana, you are a testimonial of how much one can improve in such a short period of time if you put your mind to it. Witnessing you having breakthrough after breakthrough is so encouraging. The motivation I found in you to be better is something I will always remember. Janice My alignment partner for most part of the course. Your chirpiness, strength and determination is what kept me going in class when I feel I can’t do it anymore. Having you as my mat neighbour is a continuous reminder to give my 100%. You are the one that pushed me to finish all my duck dives, Chaturanga and jump squats. You are the one that pushed me to do another vinyasa instead of just stay in Adho Mukha Svanasana. I found my limitation during the course but you made me found the strength to break through them! Wanwen Our age being almost 2 decades apart, you bring the voice, perspective and values of youth nowadays to the group. You live in a different world than the one I used to grow up in. You are facing different challenges, different difficulties and different social pressure. Have faith and patience. Be strong and perceptive. It might be harder for you know, but I believe you will come out stronger than I ever had. Jessica, Alexis, Mario This journey wouldn’t have been possible if not for you. There is so much to thank and so much to be grateful for. I am where I am now is because you allow me to be on your shoulders. And this is the best version of me by far. Thank you! Thank you giants. Leo Yaik @ahtut
Leo Yaik 2018 September 200 Hrs (5)
“To teach is to learn the second time” My first class went almost how I thought it might turned out. I blacked out. Not blacked out as in I froze up in class. Blacked out as in I don’t recall what happened during that one hour. It was the same the first time i drove a car or during my first public speaking. The script that I have been mentally preparing didn’t happened. None of the scenarios I prepared myself to handle happened. The only thing that I anticipated would happen was my blacked out and that happened. The first unanticipated thing was how different everyone is. I am inflexible and with fresh memories of the difficulty I faced when I first started, I thought I could relate. However, everyone is built differently and I missed that fact. The challenges I faced was so different from others. That froze me up when I try to figure out how to help them. Being inexperienced in dealing with these scenarios cost me the opportunities to make my students better. The second unanticipated thing was how often I need to remind the students the same thing again and again. I can’t mentioned it once and expect them to remember throughout the class. This is probably something I forgot to notice when I started out since all concentration is already on trying to get better into a pose. The third unanticipated was the support and the encouragement from my family, colleagues and friends. Even my partner’s father came! The applauses from my classmates after I finished my class was what snapped me back from my blacked out. I am so humbled when they feedback that they enjoyed and felt they benefited from the class. Seeing all smiles and the tired satisfaction look on their face was the best thing I can hoped for. When I told my classmates we will meet at the finish line, I realised now it is only the beginning of another learning journey. Let’s continue learning and be better! Leo Yaik @ahtut
Leo Yaik 2018 September 200 Hrs (4)
“No man is an island” I think I have a better version of that phrase. I would say “Every man is an island and we connect them with bridges”. These bridges need to be built to connect an island to another island. These bridges need to be maintained for the islands to stay connected. Just like every individual need to establish and maintain a relationship to be connected to another individual. During one of the classes, we had the opportunity to have our photos taken. The photo taking started quite smoothly with us taking individual poses. Then it came to the part of taking a group shot. Being the least flexible in class, I was worried because of the limited poses I can do. I was worried that I would let the group down. I was worried that the photo won’t turn out nice. I was wrong. My classmates are aware that everyone has their own limitations and how to play to each own strength. The efficiency and silent connection we had wasn’t something I expected. Within no time, we were in position. The result was amazing! It was not just the photo but the entire process. There was absolutely no ego. Everyone was super encouraging. Some hold their poses longer for other to get into their pose. Some watched out for others to make sure they are doing alright. No single island can achieve what we achieved that day. If I ever thought Yoga is a solitude experience, there will be so much I am missing out. We can only learn so much individually. Collectively, if we are willing to share, we can open up new horizons for each other and bring each other to new heights. So look around and see if there might be new bridges you can build. Look around and see if there might be bridges you need to maintain. You might find that an island need not be an island after all. Leo Yaik @ahtut
Week 3 of YTT: Loving Your Own Body
This last week we learnt about the skeletal structure of our bodies. It was really interesting to find out more things about your body that you never knew about before, especially when you have already been poked at and prodded a lot by medical practitioners. Of course, the inner kaypoh in me was also really excited to look at and examine other people’s body, but it’s a little creepy to say that out loud. As part of my lupus treatment, I had medication that could lead to bone loss, so I had bone scans once a year for 10 years until we were sure that side effects were unlikely. I thought I have rather healthy bones since no one had pointed out any issues before – I knew that I didn’t have skeletal scoliosis and that my bone density is higher than normal. I didn’t, however, know that I have lordosis, kyphosis, or that there was even a name for uneven muscles on both sides of the body. I used to laugh about being lopsided – it was a lot more obvious when I was playing basketball and my two arms look like they belong to different people; when you do hundreds of thousands of lay-ups with the same leg and same arm, it takes a lot of discipline to train the other half of the body – discipline I didn’t have. It’s also fun realising what activities could have led to the issues – I don’t dance, but I think the lordosis could have been from years of martial arts and being stepped on by the instructors. The kyphosis from bad habits – hunching over the computer and locking my knees; honestly I didn’t know any other way of standing other than locking my knees; it was somewhat amusing to realise that other people actually microbend their legs naturally. It was also amazing to know that yoga could help correct some of these issues that we have – and how we could tailor our practice to target our issues. A classmate was feeling sad about her body, but the way I see it, yes they are issues that we have to work on, but they are also our battle scars. The human body is such an amazing thing; each of us have such a different body but yet capable of supporting us in its own way. Some of us have worse problems that they were born with, rather than molded by years of mistreating our body, but at the end of it, here we all are, attending the same YTT course and having a full life. Despite all the problems we have, I think we should all be proud of our bodies – it’s helped us to make it as far as we have and now we know how to treat it well to help us go further. Joan
