Yoga: Day 4

Another interesting and enlightening day!

Jamie started us out with asana practice this morning. The first hour or so was pretty vigorous and I was standing in a patch of sun shining in through one of the skylights. It was so HOT! I finally had to move my mat into a tiny corner that was not in the sun so I didn't pass out! Luckily, Jamie moved into some more "healing" poses. I don't mean that they were easy, because they weren't. However, we got to move our mats to the walls so I was able to get away from that sunny spot:-) We learned poses you can do to relieve or stretch injured hamstrings, sciatica, and other back imbalances.

After lunch, we sat in a circle and everyone shared their physical injuries. This was amazing! Out of 33 people, only 2 people had NO injuries in their bodies! Everyone else is currently dealing with something: shoulder injuries, knees, hamstrings, groin, back, neck, compressed discs, broken or sprained parts, and more. This opened my eyes to a few things: first, I am not alone in my injuries. I even met another woman who sustained a rather serious injury from a yoga class and we commiserated! Second, I need to dig deeper into my student's injuries. People really don't like to talk about them, or they forget about them, or they don't think the injuries will matter in yoga. They will matter, they do matter, yoga teachers and other body workers need to know about them.

After this, we practiced teaching shoulderstand and all variations, and adjusting people in shoulderstand. I had sort of mixed feelings about this part. First of all, some of the things we learned about some of the asana were very different from things I have learned in the past. I asked a lot of questions! Max and Jamie assured me that the things they were saying are correct. I felt confused until other students started coming up to me and saying that they ALSO learned things the way I learned them. I don't mean to be cryptic here, but I don't want to cause further confusion, either. At any rate, we all sort of decided that Max and Jamie are teaching the very safest ways to practice and teach the asana. I'll just add their information to my bag of tricks and use it as I need it.

During the practice session, I was told that I am "too nice" when I teach, and that I need to be more forceful with my directions. So, LOOK OUT yoga students!! Get ready for boot camp! That's an order!
Just kidding. I appreciate all the input and direction and I'll do my best to learn from all the things I'm being taught this week.

Today I met even more yoga teachers, so now I have an entire list of classes I am anxious to try. Feast or famine, huh? Also, I met a lady with fabulous curly hair! She lent me her curly hair book, gave me a list of curly hair products, and referred me to her curly hairdresser. I am dreaming of having beautiful curls, just like Megan's!!

Good night, now.