KC – Falling out safely (1/6)
03/08/2019 Day 9 I woke up before alarm rang at 5.30a.m today. I was worried about the lesson today – how to fall out safely from headstand. Jessica drew a perfect one-legged forearm wheel pose on the board, saying this is the pose we are supposed to fall out from headstand safely into. Ah ha! I’ve never attempted a one-legged forearm wheel pose before! While I was busy handling my anxiousness, Jessica explained and demonstrated how to partner with a friend to practise the fall out. And, the practice started! No time to be anxious anymore, I knelt down, pressed both forearms all the way into the mat, my friend supported strongly on my left leg, and I somehow ended in one-legged forearm wheel, safely. Ah-ha! My back, my forearms, and I survived! We practised a few more rounds. The confidence grew after each fall out. I believe this technique (and the wall) will help me in my inversion practice.
Yan Han – unlearn, relearn (2/6)
I didn’t think that I would ever take 3 hours to complete one sun salutation. But even after that 3 instructive hours (and counting) of breaking down each pose and breath, there’s so much to work on. There’s always something to work on. YTT is where we are taught to be teachers, but in yoga there is always something to learn and improve on, and we are always students. We’re always a work in progress. The means is the end. The first few sessions were humbling and enlightening, as we sought to unlearn habits that do not serve our bodies well. We went back to basics. Continuously adjusting and re-aligning ourselves physically and mentally in each pose was pretty tiring, but gradually I found myself being able to focus better and (almost) instinctively know what I should adjust (yay small steps to greater body awareness). We also started to get a taste of what it means to be a yoga instructor, having to lead the class in sun salutations (in Sanskrit!!). I now have a greater appreciation for the wonderful yoga instructors who make it all seem so effortless. Teaching makes one a better student too.
Yan Han – how it began (1/6)
For the first few years of my yoga practice, I only attended Bikram Yoga classes. There was something about the heat, sweat and consistency that kept me turning up for class. I’ve been relatively athletic throughout my student years (netball, soccer, running…) and was all for cardio. I thought Bikram provided a similar sense of satisfaction. The sequence was always the same; predictable but always challenging. I could track my physical and mental progress. It was comforting because anywhere in the world, you know that the Bikram class will be the same. So I started yoga hoping to improve my strength and flexibility, and had not much interest in the ‘spiritual’/meditation side of yoga. Then I gingerly took further steps into the the bigger yoga universe (step out of your comfort zone right?) I tried Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga. I love the dynamic flows and sequences. (Haven’t looked back at Bikram since!) There is always another more challenging asana to try to nail. Along the way, I’ve picked up some breathing and meditation techniques, but outside of class, I usually only practise the challenging poses that I want to nail. 10 years on, it feels like I hit a plateau in my yoga practice. I am mostly ‘chasing’ asanas, trying to achieve one and then moving on to another. I want to take a step back. Go back to the basics, go deeper, get a better appreciation of yoga as a whole. Not just as a form of exercise, but perhaps as a way of life. Somehow found myself signing up for a YTT. Jessica’s highly entertaining and genuine personality as well as her ability to make astute observations about complete strangers drew me to TYM. Here goes!!!
Yvonne – Letting go (3/6)
I wrote about the high you feel when you’re in the full expression of an inversion, but I didn’t write about the frustrations and pain (mentally, emotionally, physically) that comes along when you’re chasing it. We are full steam ahead on inversions now, some of us attempting pincha or headstands for the first time while others are working on improving their alignment. For inversions, other than the fact that you have to be physically strong to go into the pose, you also have to be mentally prepared to go up. In my opinion, the mental aspect is just as important, and I hate to admit but I am severely lacking in that department. I felt so much frustration when my leg just won’t float up even though it felt like I am so close to getting there. I felt the same when Jess came to encourage me to try a handstand and I fumbled around like a bag of potatoes. It’s a mental and emotional block that everyone in their yoga journey will feel at some point in their life. I would like to let go of that, and also to remind myself and everyone else that this is perfectly normal. Reminder to self: Let go of the fear and embrace the possibilities of what my mind and body is capable of achieving.
Yvonne – Weightless (2/6)
We began our short instruction moments in class in Week 4 and my mind felt weightless as it was my turn to begin. I’ve always felt like my inexperience is insufficient to bring people into the poses especially when there are so many experienced yogis in the class. I’m really glad that my batch of YTT mates are always so encouraging, there really wasn’t anything to worry about and for once my nerves didn’t act up even though this is akin to public speaking! It was really enjoyable to look around the room and see the alignment of everyone, and going through what (in my opinion) are good and what can be improved. — We also started on inversions. This is second in line of my most dreaded yoga asanas (behind backbends). What if I fall and break my neck? What if I vomit my breakfast while being upside down??? Jess came over to assist all of us individually, to help us to get our legs up or to help us find the line. Felt like a dopamine kick honestly – it was a new sensation which never in my life would I have thought inversions would feel like. The moment when my body felt the line… Weightless.
Yvonne – Tuck, tuck, tuck (1/6)
TUCK – summary of my first 3 weekends of YTT. I recall how that simple instruction of tucking in the ribs and the tailbone made “simple” poses soooo much harder. I left the studio after week 1 thinking that was the hardest sun salutation I’ve ever done! This is a very common habit for most people I believe, which affects the execution of even the most basic asanas (tadasana, your sitting poses, even downward dog). Made me wonder how many people in the world are “doing” yoga by just fitting into the shape, not really engaging your core and end up indirectly injuring themselves? But the first step is always awareness. Of course, I occasionally fall back into my comfort zone when I’m tired from the practice, but instead of being overly harsh on myself, I learnt to recognise my improvement instead and that’s what’s most important.
Charmaine – Responsibility (2/6)
Observing my classmates’ bodies today reinforced the idea that the onus of continued growth falls on us as teachers (and even as practitioners). The body is complex, varied, and is constantly in a state of flux, so there are never-ending things to learn. Going around trying out different gyms and studios has made me realise that, ironically, people have to have some form of knowledge or experience with the sport, or with human physiology to discern whether or not they’re receiving suitable cues/ advice. Which shouldn’t be the case, especially since most students who attend classes wholly trust what the teacher says (myself included, until YTT further opened my eyes as to how others, as well-intentioned as they are, really might not know what’s good for my body). It brings home the fact that teachers are highly responsible for the alignment cues they ask a student to take, and a lapse in judgment or presence of mind could be scarily injurious. Guiding a person into a pose while taking into consideration the body’s special set of limitations takes dedication, empathy, and focus to execute; and all this shouldn’t be compromised even in a group class. Thus stems my anxiety about teaching. Jessica’s attention to detail about ALL our issues (and we’re in no way a small batch!) reminds me that if I ever teach yoga after graduation, that every body is different (not in a special-snowflake way, but in ways with real implications to movement), and having an open mind and heart to continue learning, growing, and connecting isn’t just essential, but mandatory.
Charmaine – Ego (1/6)
A third into YTTC and I think the most important reminder from Jessica so far is to leave your ego at the door when it comes to yoga (and perhaps life). It’s inevitable that sometimes frustration arises when I can’t get into a pose that I really want to nail, but continually forcing my body and not being safe (or even happy) is really just the height of folly. Besides, that isn’t the point of yoga, and what we do on the mat usually reflects our behaviour and mindsets off the mat. Asking myself why I’m practising with such rigidity, and what I’m hoping to gain from being so hard on myself reframed my perspective quite a bit– or else I’d just be eternally chasing asanas/whatever else it is in life while fighting the same feelings of inadequacy. Reminding myself not to take me too seriously, releasing my expectations, and approaching the pose (and anything else I do) with the mentality that this is “play” and it’s all in good fun is a really liberating feeling. More so than the ephemeral rush that comes with finally being able to, say, fold into a pretzel or hold advanced inversions for longer periods of time. The brain slips into old patterns of thinking, but hopefully this reminder will stick for longer and longer periods of time. Reprogramming in process 🙂
Brenda on letting go of ego 3/6
I attended a class on national day. It was a yin-yang practice. The teacher set a class theme of going to only 80% of our strength and abilities, i.e. to pull back as it was a public holiday. breathing easy, the poses came easy breathing heavy, ego was at work Next to me, she rushed through her vinyasa and lost all alignment in a bid to enter the shape of a deeper twist. When i started practicing, I was just getting into the shape without observing the space between breaths, and injuring myself in the process. I now practice with more consciousness. Of the breath, of the physical asana and to nourish my body with what it requires and not what the ego requires. Practice safely so as to practice on. 9 August 2019
Brenda on judgment 2/6
I recall attending an Anusara class one monday evening 2 weeks ago. Anusara practices feature partner work quite often. During partner work for pincha, my neighbour on the next mat skipped his practice claiming a shoulder injury and offered to assist me in my practice. I was skeptical of his offer but accepted it. Without any need for instructions, he was assisting like an expert as he assisted to hold on to my legs to help me balance as i hopped into pincha. We both celebrated success that evening and had loads of fun. Thank you stranger. I had pre-judged you as an someone who would not be my equal, but you turned out to be a better yogi than I – offering your heart and your practice to your fellow classmates. We’ve all judged another person at some point in time but judgment is made up of our own personal thoughts and opinions and doesn’t tell reality. Judgment limits our life experience and closes us from making a connection. The practice of yoga is a practice of love. So let’s withhold judgment. 28 July 2019
