Week 2 of YTT: … Is this a sign?
Growing up in a typical Asian family especially with two elder siblings who are both still dependent on my parents and still a constant source of worry for them, my parents had a lot of expectations of me and of course a part of me did not want to add on more worries or disappoint them, given the pain that they are going through with the two elder siblings. I never told my parents before I started the YTT that I was going to be doing it. I didn’t think it would go very well – when I left my job 3 years ago, there were a lot of comments that went along the lines of “why is your husband so much more successful when he has the same degree”, “why did we spend so much money sending you to the top schools?”, and “did you study so hard just to cook and fix the TV at home?”. So imagine if I told them that I was going to ignore my degrees and handful of professional charters, and become a yoga teacher… But yesterday I finally casually told them during dinner that I was doing the YTT. Surprisingly I didn’t get any of the comments that I’m used to getting and they calmly asked me what it is about and if I will be teaching Yoga when I complete the course. I told them that I wasn’t sure yet but at least I am happy and having fun, and I didn’t have to drag myself out of bed at 6am each morning like I did at work. Then to my utter shock, my mother texted me later to tell me that she was proud of me, that she is very happy that I am making full use of my life. I have no idea where that came from, and the mother I’ve known for 33 years of my life would never have said something like that. I don’t think she even said that she was proud of me when I got all my degrees and charters. Perhaps it’s a sign that this might be what I was meant to do? Maybe, maybe not. Whatever it is and wherever this leads, I hope to have the courage and chance to continue to do whatever makes me happy. Joan
About being weird. (HX)
We’re all different. Jessica was teaching us about chakras. Put simply, they’re like seven plates of energy centred in our spine, positioned vertically on top of each other but spinning parallel to the ground. She told us that commonly, people’s chakras spin clockwise. 14th November was a rainy day, so much that the train I was on was stalled due to a technical fault. Every train along the line was – they had to be. Shows how much everyone in this world is inter-related. So I told myself, let it be – be late, it’s ok. Did my pranayama on the train since I was seated. Making a conscious effort to feel my chakras, I felt them spinning anti-clockwise. Suddenly it became clear why I have been considered rebellious and all since young. It could just simply be because I’m pretty abnormal. Rebellious is basically not obeying instructions based on norms, no? Self-awareness is important. It allows you to be at peace with the world and quit trying to fit in. Because you don’t have to. Pranayama usually takes up the first half an hour of the day. I was half an hour late on 14th November. As I came to the end of this write-up, the train was entering my destination station. The stars were aligned in my favour that day. ?❤️ Namaste, Han Xiang
Lessons from YTT thus far (4)
YTT Has… 1. TRAINED UP MY STAMINA IN A SHORT TIME I used to not be able to do 2 back to back 1h classes. Or should I say, I feared it. I feared that I would become too tired and have no energy for anything else. Now with all the weekend 2.5- 3h morning practices we did during YTT, I found myself able to power through 2 back to back regular classes much more easily. The other day, I went for my regular practice at the yoga studio and did 2 back to backs without feeling tired! Sometimes it really just takes a little bit of faith and trying to actually see that you can actually do it. 🙂 2. TAUGHT ME TO OBSERVE AND LISTEN MORE I found myself being more observant to the teacher’s vocal cues as well as how they sequenced their classes.. especially the regular classes at the yoga studio i attend. I would try to observe what the focus of the class was that day, whether it was more hips focused or heart opener focused etc. It was interesting to see how my participation and thoughts changed now with YTT as compared to before.. when i was just going though asana after asana. As Jess said, there’s really a difference when you’re just a yoga practitioner and when you become an instructor. The view moves from inward (self) to outwards (surroundings/ students). I think I’ve somehow moved my view a little bit more outward to my surroundings. 3. TAUGHT ME THAT DRISHTI IS IMPORTANT I note that in certain poses, if Drishti is not maintained, it will cause my mind to wander and then I will fall out of balance or fall out of the pose. This is especially true in one legged standing poses and inversions like pincha maryuasana. I remember when I first started learning pincha at The Yoga Mandala, my Drishti was all over the place. Alexis had to constantly remind me to keep my line of sight between my elbows or else I won’t be able to kick up. I initially found it very difficult to keep my drishti on the mat because it was so close to my face and a the mat was just patch of black I was going cross eyed just looking at the black space. Finally an epiphany came when I saw a white spec of lint on the mat. I picked it up and decided to use that as my focal point for my pincha. It was super effective! 4. TAUGHT ME THAT YOGA IS ALOT ON BODY AWARENESS (AND TECHNIQUE) I remember when I first tried to get into super soldier. I thought it was a crazy pose because the then me could only reach my foot and hold it like a quad stretch. When I attempted it again (after a really long time) during our YTT, I realised there was so much technique involved in it and that all I needed to do was to note the techniques and attempt to execute them correctly (assuming my body is ready and open) 1. getting my shoulder under my standing leg 2. revolve my chest as I grab my foot 3. Rotate my hip outwards such that the knee points to the sky. It was later on I found that the sanskrit name of Super Soldier was actually Viparita Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana. Parivrtta in itself which means revolve, explains it all. In trying to get into a bharadvajasana bind, or any other bind for that matter, its important to open the shoulders and close the gap between the arm and the body. There’s also alot of other subtle things that I’ve learnt to be more aware of due to our learning sessions and adjustment clinics. Things like having a micro bend in your elbows and knees, and tucking in the tailbone and the ribs (think vogue) and engaging the core. All these help to refine the asanas we were doing with better understanding. 5. REMINDED ME AGAIN THAT PRACTICE AND ALL IN COMING I’ve seen that happening so many times with our YTT batch mates! Its an awesome feat seeing each of them taking turns to achieve new highs in their practice, reach poses that they previously felt was unattainable. It is true that our new found knowledge on asana techniques and with proper warm ups to open up specific areas and practice will help hone the asanas we’re doing. To greater heights with these guys 🙂 Signing off again with a Namaste! Janice @jannypenny Sept 2018 Weekend YTT Writing my backdated thoughts from 23 October 2018
Yoga Nidra – I was mindblown (3)
Today’s topic at YTT was Yoga Nidra aka Yogic Sleep. “Yoga nidra or yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, like the going-to-sleep stage. It is a state in which the body is completely relaxed, and the practitioner becomes systematically and increasingly aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions.” We got to have a 30min session of it after learning about it. (with pillows and blankets to boot! Shiok.) So basically Yoga Nidra is like savasana but an extended version. The instructor will guide you to flex and release different parts of your body from feet up. Then you relax your breathing and slowly enter yogic sleep. when its time to awaken, an ohm would sound. then you follow the same sequence you usually do to get out of savasana. Holy smokes – it was AMAZEBALLS. You know that feeling after a power nap? Yeah that feeling! Damn rejuvenated. Like the aches and pains and fatigue from this morning’s practice was all gone. (Actually I daresay the feeling afterwards is better than a power nap) I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness and when the ohm sounded for us to get out of Yoga Nidra, the body felt so heavy like its glued to the mat. But that’s exactly how you’re supposed to feel. Apparently sometimes people even feel an out of body experience feel during this state. If only I can do Nidra sitting up. I would totally do that during lunchtime at work to catch up on some sleep. 😛 Namaste guys! Janice @jannypenny Sep 2018 Weekend YTT (backdated thoughts from 13 October 2018)
Heightened body awareness (2)
I learnt something interesting about my body (and my classmates bodies) over the past weekend. We learnt how to spot bodily issues like kyphosis, lordosis, flat back, scoliosis, hip tilt, etc It was then I discovered have lordosis, C shaped scoliosis and the right side of my body is significantly more dominant than my left.. oh and flat upper back. What a myriad of issues! I was particularly intrigued by my lordosis issue because people with lordosis usually have hyperextended knees and the butt and stomach sticks out, i.e. the hip is not aligned. Its the epitome of the bad posture my husband and teachers have told me about countless of times. No wonder I always get called to “tuck my ribs in” and “microbend my knees” because that’s apparently the counter measure for people with this lordosis issue. And no wonder my husband always complains about my posture. He always says that I sit on my stomach or sort of stick my stomach out. (but now i know its because of my spine!) To counter lordosis, one must learn to realign posture. By tucking the ribs in, it will lessen the curvature in the lower spine and also forces the stomach to be engaged, while microbending the knees will allow flexion in the pelvis instead of letting it jut out. It was interesting and I was definitely enlightened! I also further understood the limitations my body had because of my scoliosis. I knew I had this condition during my teens and it wasn’t very serious in my opinion but talking about our spines during YTT brought me full circle to my condition again. I would think the muscular dominance in my right side is also partially brought on by my ) shaped scoliosis. Its no wonder for certain side bends and twists I always found it easier go deeper on my left than on my right. Its more obvious in poses like compass and grasshopper pose. I can do it on my left but only sometimes on my right. Even in my forward bends like prasarita padottanasana and uttanasana, due to the muscular dominance on one side, my right side is higher while the left is more sunken in – so it looks like my hip is tilted. In terms of strength, the left is definitely my weaker side. I’m less stable when i kick up to handstand with the left leg. Similarly in Vasisthasana, I find myself not being able to hold as long on the left than on the right. Suddenly I feel like I have become more aware of my own bodily condition from this experience, as well as learnt how to look at others. Though I think looking at others really takes experience to know what is what, understanding myself better is a start. I feel like I now know what to work on to better my posture. Till the next, Namaste! Janice @jannypenny Sep 2018 Weekend YTT (backdated thoughts from 8 October 2018)
忙到炸的一周
忙到炸的一周！！！真的是一眨眼就到周五了！ 这周我学校有郊游、毕业典礼、家长会、year end party，全部集中在这几天，忙到真的是就差睡在学校了。还好随身带着瑜伽服，中午吃饭时间就关着门偷偷在课室里练习体式，上下班也在地铁上背梵语，但是明天就要考试了，感觉没准备好（暴风哭泣）！！压力山大！ ！ 记得上周末我们学习了双人飞，Nicole老师说我们班很好的一点是大家都很nice，懂得替对方着想，在相互配合的过程中，一点抱怨都没有。很开心听到这些，真的感觉我们的团魂（还是班魂？）杠杠滴。在学双人飞时，我和博士、先慧姐姐一组，本来我挺不安的，因为我基础很差，她俩都超厉害的，很担心拖他们的后腿，但是他们非常耐心包容，让我很自在放松，没有丝毫不舒服的感觉，整个学习过程很享受，而且在过程中完全信任对方，去共同完成一件事的感觉很棒很开心！还有就是周六下午的教学课，我们学习了业障。那天下午真的是很珍贵的回忆，大家都说了很多自己的经历和感受，有笑有泪，又爽又走心。真的很爱我们班这样的集体氛围了。 就是考试来得太快就像龙卷风，加上这周特级忙，所以也是压力满满了。 刚去参加了同事亲人的葬礼。还剩今天最后一晚的练习。唉，也只能尽力而为了，希望明天大家考试都顺顺利利。 2018.11.16 YTTC Li Yin
练习头倒立心得
在家自己练习头倒立，一下子就上去了，突然的很开心，还记得老师教我们第一次尝试的时候，手不知道怎么用力，肩膀也不受控制，双腿就是上不去，总感觉身体不受自己控制，偶尔脚上去了，也是马上掉下来。当时心里的郁闷无以言表。试过好多次，都没有上去，心里问自己，为什么做不到。 第二次练习的时候，可以抬起双腿上去了，只是马上掉下来。现在在家轻轻松松就做到了，因为我有记住老师说过的要点，每天练习，让自己身体的力量建立起来了。 所以，我最深的体会，真的是需要持之以恒的练习，记住方法，时间会给我所要的。感谢小C老师和茸儿老师悉心的指导····· 菲菲RYT2018十月平日班
啦啦 10/2018 RYT200瑜伽教练班 心得（6）
为期一个多月的RYT200就只剩明天最后一天了，想想真是有很多点儿不舍！不舍每天早起与大家一起呼吸，流汗。不舍中午与大家一起午餐，聊天。不舍老师们的尊尊教诲，严厉与爱。最后这两天考试，都仿佛回到了小时候，紧张焦虑，小C老师还打趣说这是不花钱就回到青春的好方法。哈哈哈~ 很爱这个短暂组成的小家庭，虽然我们都还有很多不足，但是大家都在努力，都有变化，有进步，老师都有看在眼里，我们要做的就是多练多练多练，无论体式还是教课。这里只是我瑜伽之路的一个开始，我会认认真真地一步一个脚印地走下去~ 明天还可以继续教课，我要珍惜机会，再次突破自己，让老师看到我的用心，你们说的话，我都有记在心里，我爱你们，敬爱的老师们和可爱的同学们，最后也要祝福The yoga mandala越来越好！
不做家庭主妇
The Yoga Mandala RYT200 理论考完了 体式考完了 即将毕业? 接下来的时间尽量保持在学校一样的自律??? 这次瑜伽导师课程之旅 不虚此行… 遇到了散发能量的人生导师??? 她们教会我的不只有瑜伽体式与理论 更是生活中做人的准则 ✅✅✅ 更认识了一群志同道合的好同学 好战友 ?♀️?♂️?♀️ 一起流汗 一起hold ??? 感恩遇到的一切美好事物? 未来的路已经有了方向➡️ 将瑜伽进行到底是必须滴✌?✌?✌? 希望找到瑜伽老师的工作…… 走出家庭 走出陈先生的身后? 赚自己的钱 发自己的光 不做家庭主妇 ?????? 我也要像我的老师一样 传递能量☀️☀️☀️ 也希望自己身体样貌永远保持在这一年的年轻状态? 就算在过五年 十年 别人看到我说：你怎么还这么年轻啊? 我可以骄傲的告诉他们：因为我练瑜伽呀??♀️??♀️??♀️ 哈哈? 感恩遇到良师??? 感恩遇到益友?♀️ 感谢The Yoga Mandala 带给我身心的改变 Namaste?
正确的练习瑜伽
通过老师教我们的调整手法，我发现瑜伽的调整和正位是最重要的。以前自己跟着网络视频练习，只是跟着拉伸，根本没有进步。现在通过在the yoga mandala 的学习，让我收获很多，老师教我们从正确的方法练习，自己先做正确，深入了解一个体式，从关节活动和肌肉来分析，帮助自己做到正确的体式，避免受伤，才会知道怎么教别人瑜伽。如果有时间的话，我还会报名在the yoga mandala学习RYT 500的课程。 感觉The yoga mandala 的每位老师耐心的指导。 菲菲2018平日班
