It's all about Perspective

On Sunday, we had our second teacher training course. After spending the last few days reflecting on what I had learned from the session, it has become clear to me that a message of ‘perspective’ appeared over and over again albeit in very different ways. I am thankful for being open to these teachings and learning from them as I truly feel that the lessons I discovered from Sunday's session will be invaluable in guiding both my teaching and personal yoga practice. What’s even better is that I have noticed a real change in my daily awareness. There has been a subtle shift in my ‘thinking’....a true change in perspective.


It all started as we began to learn how to give adjustments. I taught  Virabhadrasana II(Warrior II) to the rest of our small group, once everyone was in the pose, I began to  walk around the room and give the appropriate adjustments. I looked at each person from the front and made sure that they were in good alignment and doing the pose correctly. As this was my first 'go' at doing this, and as my fellow trainees are seasoned yogis, I only briefly glanced around the room and gave a few small adjustments where needed.


After each 'practice teach' we have a quick round of feedback. This time, our teacher pointed out that not only is it important to look at people from the front, but also to look at them from the side and from behind. Getting the full picture of the person in the pose will highlight where they may need a bit of tweaking. In addition to this, he suggested that it is also helpful to assess the class as a whole by standing in the corner of the room and taking everyone in from a distance. This little bit of distance creates space and gives the teacher a wider perspective to work from, which can be helpful for assessing where your attention is needed most. These two bit of feedback may seem simple, but I now realise how essential they are to teaching effectively and efficiently.

Over lunch we were discussing our homework, which had been to study the Yamas (universal morality) and Niyamas (personal observances), set out by Patanjali as part of his Eight Limbs of Yoga. I had been struggling to get my head around the Niyama: Tapas (disciplined use of our energy, or right-effort). I mentioned that I found it difficult not to feel guilty if I let my home practice slip or wasn’t able to attend class for one reason or another that week (and destructive feelings such as guilt, are certainly not what want when practicing the Yamas!).

It was made clear to me that Tapas can be achieved through doing all of the normal things we do every day, such as looking after and caring for children, being a good wife and friend etc...as long as we are directing our energy and paying good attention to what we are doing (remaining present), then we will be practicing Tapas throughout the day.

Having this highlighted, made me realise how important it is to sometimes take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I often become so focussed on one thing or the small details, that I become blind to the bigger picture. Of course, the little things we do every day are important and we should take care to do these with care and awareness. However if we  maintain a broadened outlook whilst engaging in these daily tasks, we will have a more balanced perspective and therefore appreciate and even ENJOY doing the simple things, rather than getting bogged down by the details!

As I go about my day, I try to remind myself that truth or reality is changeable and relative at all times. It is about how you SEE it, how you percieve it, rather than WHAT it is. This is true in yoga practice: one day I might be stiff and sore, the next day flexible and open; Or when looking after the children; Many days are fun and playful, others seem long and taxing; and also within relationships, which are sometimes full of love and intimacy and other times are draining and challenging. "The same wind blows on us all", it is not our life circumstance that determines our happiness or inner state of being, it is our perspective on what life brings our way.  

If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a minute to step out and observe the beautiful blue day sky or  the deep, dark, starry night sky. Recognise and appreciate that it is bright, clear, beautiful and immeasurably vast. These observations remind us that we are just a tiny dot in the infinity of the universe. This does not mean that we are irrelevant, insignificant or unimportant - Quite the opposite!! Appreciating the interconnectedness of all things, and of our role in that interconnectedness, is the key to finding true inner peace.

Namaste. x


“Small adjustments often bring about the biggest change” ~L.W.R

 "We create the world with our thoughts and our perceptions.' This means that the only thing we know about this world we are living in is how we perceive it." ~Buddha

"We all have the ability to respond in any manner we choose. A respons-ability to react to whatever comes our way" ~ L.W.R


 

Home practice? Give it a try!

At the end of a long day after running around after the children, cooking, cleaning, wiping noses, and more cleaning (two toddlers makes for a lot of mess!), I am always exhausted! Once I’ve finally put the munchkins to bed, getting my yoga mat out is often the last thing I WANT to do, but the first thing I really NEED to do. There are many days when I’d so much rather just grab a glass of wine and snuggle up on the sofa to watch the One Show (i've got a thing for Matt Baker ;-).

Monkey #1

Monkey #2

I must admit, I often hear those pesky voices in my head saying “go on, it’s been a long day, just put your feet up and relax!” and they sometimes do win me over...because let’s face it, some days REST is just as important as maintaining a good yoga practice. BUT on the days when I do get my mat out, I can confidently say that I ALWAYS feel more grounded, renewed and restored - and you can't beat feeling like that!

The first thing I do at home is create my practice 'space’. I light candles, closed the curtains, put on some music (if I'm in the mood), and roll out my mat. I begin in Childs Pose (Balasana), to become more grounded and focussed and to let the tension from the day just melt away into the ground. This is the time when I dedicate my practice session, whether it be as simple as focusing on feeling the breath in my body, or as specific as releasing positive energy into the world to send to a friend who's having a tough time. Either way, both of these rituals serve to focus my-Self and bring me into the present moment.  

I often base my home practice around the poses that I am most comfortable and adept in Triangle Pose(Trikonasana),  Warrior 1, Warrior 2, a variety of Twists, some backbends if I need an energy boost in the daytime, and as I generally practice in the evenings, I always include some Seated forward bends to calm my nervous system and get ready for sleep. I then try to incorporate a few poses from class that week that i’ve found challenging and want to work on. This week it's been Half moon pose and  Revolved trikonasana. 

Warrior 1: Virabhadrasana

Full Wheel Pose: Urdhva dhanurasana

Single leg forward bend: Janu sirsasana

  Surprisingly, my home practice sessions are where I often have the most ‘breakthroughs’ in terms of advancing in a pose, and also feeling at ease and confident in mypractice. Practicing at home is a completely different experience to being in a class, led by a teacher. At home you really need to 'tune into yourself' and really listen  and TRUST the teacher within. You don’t have to be ‘advanced’ in yoga to start a home practice all you have to do is be willing to trust yourself and listen to what your body needs and can do in the present moment.

My main ‘rule’ for practicing at home is that I practice ‘intuitively’ and do what my body feels it needs to do on that day. I never push myself too far and I always try to maintain focus on my breath and staying present.

In class, as I am under the guidance and supervision of a teacher, it is safe for me to push myself and work against that outer edge of resistance. It is here, under the watchful eye of my teacher that I can really test the boundaries of my ‘self’. This is safe because my teacher is able to asses my alignment and make any adjustments that will prevent injury and ensures that I am practicing safely.  At home, I feel it is most important to just listen to the ‘flow’ of myself and enjoy the practice for what it is and where I am at this moment.

If you’ve ever contemplated starting a home practice....my only advice is to GET YOUR MAT OUT and GO FOR IT. You will be amazed at how quickly your ‘inner teacher’ will come out and show you the way. Before I started practicing at home, I was paralysed by the fear that I just wouldn’t know what to do and couldn’t imagine my session would last even more than 10 minutes!! But that first day, when I laid out my mat, I was amazed at how quickly a half an hour went by!  Now an hour can feel like the blink of an eye, and I am just disappointed that I don’t have more time to dedicate to spending on my mat.

If you’d like to give home practice a try, here are a few tips that i’ve found have really helped me:

1.)    If you are an absolute beginner, make sure you go to a few classes or get a good DVD to learn the basics (I really like ShivaRae’s DVD’s)

2.)    Practice what you know! Once you feel comfortable doing a few poses....keep working on them! You can never really fully ‘master’ a pose, there’s always room to improve...so keep practicing the basics and when you are ready, you can build on those and advance your practice organically.

3.)     Create a space. Make sure you clear away an area (tidy up those toddler toys!) and have a clean space with room enough that you don’t bump into furniture ect. Make the space ‘sacred’ by lighting a candle, putting on music...whatever floats your boat. You don’t need a lot of room (my living room is tiny!!) but just enough so that you feel free enough to practice without distraction.

4.)    Remove ALL distractions! Unplug the phone/turn off your mobile phone!!! This is your time to just be...phone calls and texts can wait!

5.)    JUST BE. Even if you only have 10 minutes a day to practice. Give yourself over to that 10 minutes. A little every day is better than 2 hours once a week. If you commit to making your practice part of your daily routine, you WILL start to feel the benefits of yoga. A true sense of Inner peace will permeate your being and you will feel WONDERFUL.

6.)    Leave all judgements aside. Accept yourself where you are. Where you are at this moment is exactly where you are supposed to be. The body you have at this moment, is exactly the body you are supposed to have. Embrace it, discover it, celebrate it.  

Namaste (I salute the light within you).

*If you have a minute, watch the video link to 'Namaste'. It's very funny - I'd love to be part of his congregation!