Your Desire To Learn Is All You Need For Teacher Training!

I had a question about the decision to start yoga teacher training. I have been thinking about doing it for probably five years now, but have yet to take the plunge. I practice regularly, but due to time (and money) constraints I have not applied.I know that teacher training would be a great thing for me, but I am having trouble figuring out if I am advanced enough for it...I wanted to see if you had any words of wisdom on knowing when it is right. 

What a wonderful question, right!? How do you know when the time is right to enroll in a teacher training (TT) program? Although I think the answer definitely is a very individualized one, here are some things that I've learned about TT, both from working with teachers and being a teacher over the  years...

Practice :The label, "advanced," is definitely controversial in the yoga world, I do think that in order to enroll in teacher training you should have some level of comfort with the asanas,this doesn't mean that you need to know how to do every arm balance, inversion, or "advanced pose," as I definitely didn't know these things when I did TT  and still cannot do many, many  poses and transitions!

Desire to learn: More important than the practice, in my mind, is the true hunger and desire to learn more about yoga. You have to want to try, to push, to learn, to experiment, to study, to devote your time and energy to practicing and teaching yoga. I think this makes one much better prepared to jump into such an intensive study of the subject, and eventually, makes one a much better teacher and leader. When I enrolled in TT I couldn't do a handstand and most arm balances, , but I had a hunger to learn everything, and that desire led to my learning how to teach and eventually do these poses over time (many of which I learned how to do during TT!). But to be clear, this desire to learn should be broader than just the asanas--it should also include other aspects of the practice, such as pranayama (breathwork), meditation, anatomy, philosophy, etc. 

Life situation: If you know that you want to do TT and have the time/finances/space in your life to do it now, do it NOW. I know lots of people who had been wanting to do TT for years, but kept putting it off because of one thing or another; then, when they finally do it, it's life changing and they wish they'd done it years ago. If it's something that you know you want to do eventually, but you can do it now, just do it, so that you don't end up feeling like you've wasted many years not following your dreams. I know this sounds cheesy, but if your life opens up a bit and you have space--just enough space to take the plunge and make it work--then do it. 


Overall, I guess what I'm saying is TT = a big decision. But also, TT = Amazing. 

Teacher Training will change your life 

 Vinyasa Teacher Training Starts Jan 10th Registration Closes This Saturday Jan 3rd

Do It Your Way

Create your vision for 2015!

 In order to GET what you want, you have to know what you want, and in order to know what you want, you have to know who you ARE: What lights you up, what brings you down, why you have made the decisions you have made up to this point, and where the potential for making a change is.
So that is where we begin – with YOU. 
If you are dealing with any life changing decisions or with emotional distress, this workshop will help you see all the components in your life more clearly. 

What to expect:

You already know more than you might think you do, I have some fun exercises and prompts to pull out everything you already KNOW you desire but may not yet be in your awareness. We will discuss deeply, laugh, learn, but most importantly we will get you understanding what you want in LOVE, CAREER, MONEY. And bring them all together to form a vision of the life you want. A life that lights you up. A life you love.

Do It Your Way:January 3rd 3-5:00pm

Traveling Light

This time of year is a  good time to be thinking about clearing out old stuff. This can be literal like your closet, or more figurative like the baggage you carry around in your  mind. This baggage is stuff that we no longer need but keep holding onto.What baggage are you hanging onto? Fear? Doubt? Regret? Anger? Resentment? Or are you  “shoulding” yourself to death? . 

Any of these sound familiar? I know that I have definitely  fell into all of them at different times of my life. So how does yoga help clear out baggage? Yoga helps us to  focus our energy on what really matters instead of all of that stuff  that drains our energy. 

Traveling light spiritually and emotionally has to do with leaving your baggage behind; refusing once and for all to lug those memories, those hurts, those "failures"  around behind you. When you let go of what you do not need, you create more space inside for good energy to fill up.  It is that simple.

Yoga is the practice of being present. Focusing on exactly what is happening around us right now, breath, by breath, by breath, by breath. I am reminded of a mantra I use when I am feeling like my mind keeps getting ahead or behind me. Inhale, “I am,” Exhale, “here 

 See You On The Mat

Lighten Up

I have a tendency to be one of those “serious” yogis. I study a lot, I like alone time and  silence, and genuinely love practicing at home. 

I remember in  Eat Pray Love  the Balinese healer said to Elizabeth Gilbert

“Why they always look so serious in Yoga? You make serious face like this, you scare away good energy. To meditate, only you must smile. Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clean away dirty energy. Even smile in your liver. Practice tonight at hotel. Not to hurry, not to try too hard. Too serious, you make you sick. You can calling the good energy with a smile.

After recently attending a Kids training where we were learning kids yoga through silly games,  singing songs and doing funny partner poses. I felt this sense of lightness and joy overcome me and I then realized how serious I can be. We had a very insightful conversation about this topic ,It was interesting to see that for some teachers and students the tendency  to take themselves too seriously occurs before the class and it carries into class and  others feel it in the midst of teaching or practicing, while others feel it as beating themselves up after the fact.

If you look at images of adults practicing yoga, there’s a significant trend. All those serene and yet serious faces. In perfect looking poses, with clothes that fit just so and nary a wrinkle or catch in them. No skin folds. Often photoshopped into a pristine and sometimes hard to recognize version of themselves. Not a lot of room for playing. 

 In kids yoga It’s silly! Giggles and  games. Posing like trees that wobble and fall, and they’re okay with trying again! When kids make it into Relaxation pose at the end of their class, they still have the tiniest of smiles. They get to play, and then they rest.

Of course, focusing whilst in your practice is important and ultimately as Patanjali says we are looking to achieve a steady and comfortable seat ‘asana’ in our yoga practice.  With this steadiness comes a level of detachment from everything around and the more we practice the more we develop this ability to detach and look inwards.  But does this mean we should lose a light heartedness in our practice?

Yoga can be deeply playful. An experiment in joy. I’ve been known to take myself waaaaay too seriously, My own personal Yoga is about finding balance between the two.Yoga means union, after all.I invite you to join me. Stop worrying about whether or not your balance stinks, you’ll look bad, or that you’ll do something wrong. Be willing to giggle a little (or a lot), and take yourself less seriously.

The real yoga is invisible

The real yoga we  practice is most often invisible. Our yoga practice invites us into feeling our aliveness more fully and being in touch with the rich inner languages of sensation, emotion , thought and intuition.

"One of the underlying teachings of the Bhagavad Gita is that the purpose of yoga is to make the unconscious conscious. The unconscious includes everything you are not aware of. The stuff with which you eventually make creative leaps is waiting in your unconscious. Indeed, according to the yoga tradition, a clear vision of ultimate reality resides in your unconscious. When you awaken spiritually, that understanding becomes conscious. Once you are able to quiet the mind, you stand at the threshold of timeless wisdom, the inner teacher that is your soul. According to yoga tradition, this light is ever present, yet all too often it goes unrecognized. It is the guiding force that dwells within each person and empowers us to see and act in a way that is free from conditioning and everything that holds us back. I believe it is one of the ancient tradition's most inspiring and life-affirming messages."

- Rod Stryker, author of the Four Desires 

PS If you haven't read this book, it's one of my favorites. 

Love, Diane

Your Yoga Prescription

 Yoga can provide us the prescription we need no matter what we are feeling

SUN SALUTATIONS. Energizing for your emotional body and can help lift you out of lethargy, depression, mental fatigue.

STANDING POSES. These are very grounding as well as energizing. They immediately engage your body-mind connection and bring you into the present moment. They are good to do when worried, distracted or agitated.

BACKBENDS. These are energizing, uplifting poses. They create more energy when you are tired. If you are already nervous they can make you over stimulated if they are difficult so you can also practice passive backbends. These poses also open you up emotionally which may cause strong emotions to arise.

TWISTS. Cleansing and balancing. They help release stress from your body-mind. 

FORWARD FOLDS. These are calming, quieting in their impact. They are restful poses to calm you down when you feel agitated or hyper and restful when you are fatigued. 

HIP OPENERS. These are very grounding and balancing. They help release tension and bring you into the present moment. 

INVERSIONS. These are soothing, balancing and centering. 

An Inside View On How Yoga Increases Athletes Performance

I was first introduced to yoga when I became very serious in my ice skating career. Many people associate figure skaters with flexibility and grace. However, most skaters don’t just practice skating, and become flexible. Many skaters took ballet, but I found yoga to be the perfect parallel practice.

Yoga isn’t just for figure skaters, it has become a huge part of training among professional sports teams. Such as the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, NBA player Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James from the Miami Heat, and Ray Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens just to name a few. Triathletes, marathon runners, swimmers, MMA fighters, and pretty much every sport you can think of has started practicing yoga to benefit their performance.

Yoga is the perfect practice to incorporate into every athlete’s routine. Many endurance athletes develop shortened hamstrings, and hip flexors because they don’t stretch out their muscles. Yoga not only elongates muscles, but also works the muscles around the joints. Gaining full movement in the body helps performance as well as preventing injuries caused by tight muscles.

By practicing yoga I was able to lengthen my muscles, as well as strengthen and tone weaker areas. Yoga helped me build my upper body strength, and solid core muscles. Yoga will work muscles that other exercises cannot engage, providing athletes with strength in all areas of their body.

One of the greatest things yoga taught me is how to breathe in and out through my nose, utilizing the entire capacity of my belly, ribcage and upper chest. I was able to practice my routine multiple times in a row, rather than once needing to catch my breath. I was able to push myself to practice longer, and try new things. The breathing techniques also helped my endurance when long distance running.

Practicing yoga helped me become fully aware of my body. I was able to realize when I was working too hard, or when I could work harder. This new control of my body helped calm my anxiety. Preparing for competitions and performances not longer felt scary. On the ice I was able to block out theaudience, judges, other competitors, and just be with myself. I learned how to keep my mind in the present moment, alone on the ice, just like when I’m on my yoga mat. This mind body awareness is a huge benefit for athletes in practicing, performing, and pushing their limits.

In 2006 I had a serious fall on my tailbone. I read how yoga helped people quickly recover from injury. As I continued to practice yoga, I realized it was the ultimate well-rounded exercise. By the time my tailbone healed I was so fascinated with yoga I wanted to deepen my practice, and allowed the younger generation to take over the skating world.

I still run, bike, skate, and do various recreational activities. I’ve noticed weeks where I do more cardio exercise than yoga, and I feel my body start to break down. Incorporating yoga helps balance out my body. It brings nourishment, mobility, and restores the body.

Overall yoga has reshaped my entire body, inside and out. There are so many kinds of yoga making it available for everyone to have their own yoga practice that fits what he or she wants to get out of it.

Jessica Garris just graduated from CFYC 200 Hour Power Yoga Teacher Training

http://jessialfordgarris.wordpress.com

Benefits Of Inversions

 BENEFITS Of INVERSIONS:

*reduces production of the stress hormone, cortisol, helping to relieve minor depression and anxiety

*increases circulation to your upper body

*stimulate the thyroid and pituitary glands, helping regulate your metobolic rate—meaning daily handstand practice could help you maintain (or reach) a healthy weight.

*relieves pressure on your feet and legs 

*builds up your core strength

*strengthen arms, shoulders, and upper body muscles

*increases blood flow to your lungs

*works key muscle groups such as your hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thigh muscles, obliques and lower back

*relieves pressure on your feet and legs 

*builds up your core strength

*strengthen arms, shoulders, and upper body muscles

*increases blood flow to your lungs

*works key muscle groups such as your hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thigh muscles, obliques and lower back

Save The Date April 5th Defy Gravity: Inversion workshop with Jamie

Our Tribe: Teacher Training

We are a diverse bunch.  Our occupations range from stay at home mom to abuse counselor and the tribe has an array of talents and interests -- we have bakers,artist and a zumba instructor, one who has a green thumb and another who is an awesome baker.  Some of us are parents and some who have never had children and we all share a love of yoga. We have laughed a ton and  even cried , but mostly we have grown.

Each training session has began with meditation and a yoga class. Then we’d come back to our classroom, sit in a circle and talk about our practice and our experience .  

The bulk of  learning for our tribe, as our teacher calls it, comes in the form of self-work and inquiry.  

Diane has  taught us that yoga and meditation will help us clear away the chitti vritta, or chatter in the mind.  We were encouraged to feel deeply, live fully and love completely. To be present to whatever we are feeling.

Our foundation is of physicalness, empowerment and possibility . Diane uses great insight , tons of humor and amazing analogies to drive home the point that the more open and seeking you are the more potential you have to recognize your greatness.

I witnessed myself and my tribe transforming this past weekend -- we went from being a group of acquaintances to trusted friends. 

Ultimately, the most profound lessons I have learned  so far in Power yoga teacher training  is that I am already perfect and whole and that my path as both a teacher and student will be more joyful and fulfilling if I am kind to myself and others.I’ve learned how to let go of the things that don’t serve me and I’ve found the confidence to shine as brightly as the sun. I think my tribe would agree.

Next Power Yoga Teacher Training Begins June 2014

Awake to what is important!

My husband lost a family member and seeing his pain reminded me so much of losing my dad almost one year ago.I look at death as reminder to keep me awake to what is important.Steve Jobs delivered this commencement  in 2005 .Almost everything- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure-these things fall away in the face of death leaving only what is truly important.

Our time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. 
Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

 Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.