The word yoga literally means to join or unite. To me, my understanding of the word is the practice. I used to think of yoga only as the physical asana practice but now my understanding of and use of the word encompasses the eight limbs of yoga, a meditation practice, the ayurvedic practices we learned, the anatomy, and of course the asana practice. I guess to me it does mean to join, referring to the joining of all these beautiful and incredible practices, stories, and ideas we learned throughout this course. There is also the sense of community and union that yoga brings even without being face to face or knowing anything about another person. To me, “yoga” means the way of living that suits our minds and bodies best and allows us to spiritually, physically, and emotionally thrive on this Earth.
Centering at the beginning of a yoga practice is extremely important for a few reasons, the most obvious being that many people come into a yoga class to de-stress, relax, and detach from the outside world and instead feel connected to and grounded in our bodies. Centering does just this, providing a great transition for students, and teachers, to slow down, become aware of the breath, and begin a yoga practice. It is also a good opportunity to set an intention or focus for the class. Warm ups, too, help bring us back to a steady pattern of breath, while waking up and warming up our joints and muscles to prepare for the rest of the practice. Without a warm up, there is a higher likelihood of incorrect alignment and possible injury. Many asanas benefit from some light stretching or movement before getting into the pose, and thus a warm up can improve our ability to move into these poses and hold them.
An anatomical region sequence focuses on one part of the body (core, hips, etc.). The sequence focuses on stretching and strengthening the muscles and joints in those anatomical regions, looking at agonist and antagonist muscle pairs. These sequences are helpful in preventing joint stacking and providing a better understanding of what should be engaged/stretching during different asanas. A peak pose sequence is similar in that there is a conscious effort to engage and stretch certain muscle groups, however a peak pose sequence is moving up to a specific asana. The asanas and movements prior to the peak pose will be focusing on the areas of the body which the peak pose utilizes in order to prepare the body to move into the final asana. In both sequences the movements/flows following the warm up will be focusing on a body region, and the difference is that in a peak pose pose flow there is a peak pose practiced afterwards, prior to restoration/neutralization. These methods of sequencing are brilliant and by making a mini peak pose sequence for crow pose my cousin, who has been practicing yoga for years, finally got into her crow!
The most noticeable difference between Vinyasa and Hatha yoga is the length for which the poses are held. In Vinyasa yoga there is a focus on moving through asanas using smooth transitions while focusing on and using the breath. Vinyasa can end up being more of a cardio workout because of the quicker pace and usually moving through more asanas, opposed to Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga also utilizes control of the breath but moves at a slower pace than Vinyasa, thus moving through less asanas but holding them for longer. Hatha yoga provides stretching and there is more of a focus on alignment. I used to prefer Vinyasa yoga because I enjoyed getting a workout from a yoga class, and I still do love it but I think my preference has switched to Hatha yoga. I find myself benefitting from holding poses longer and having more of a chance to stretch and prioritize my alignment. It also feels like a more grounding practice for me which is something I have needed more recently than getting my heart rate up so much.
One reason to offer modifications is in case of injury. Some poses are difficult with certain injuries and modifications allow students to continue practicing with the others while not injuring themselves further. Another reason to give modifications is to not have a flow be too challenging. One example of this was explained really well by Jason: a modified chaturanga dandasana with knees down should be offered, especially in sequences that move through a lot of them. They take a good amount of strength and during sun salutations or other flows that include numerous vinyasas can be very tiring and can lead to poor or incorrect form due to exhaustion, so offering this modification is very helpful.
One pranayama exercise that I really enjoy is kapalbhati. To practice kapalbhati, sit with your eyes closed and body relaxed. Take a deep inhale through the nose, filling up the chest. Exhale out the nose forcefully using quick contractions of the abdominals and there will be almost automatic inhales through the nose following. Repeat this ~30 times. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly. Take a few deep breaths and go through a few more rounds of this. It is an activating breath and so works well in the mornings. I feel it has such an impact on me because it very quickly and intensely gets me into my body. That is the reason I enjoy breathwork, the grounding sensation, and this breath is very powerful.
The three gunas are the ayurvedic qualities, sattva, tamas, and rajas. Sattva, the state of balance and harmony, is what we all aim towards, and can do so by balancing our rajas (active/energized) and tamas (inactive/dark). Through learning about the three gunas I have become much more mindful of what I interact with daily, whether that be what I eat or what activity I engage in. I now am able to notice when I feel more balanced, and am more able to listen to my body about what I need at that moment. This understanding has brought me a lot of clarity and peace. I try to spend more time in nature, and I do not have as many rajasic foods (I cut out caffeine) because I have noticed I am sensitive to those.
The four stages of life, or ashramas, are Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retired), and Sannyasa (renunciation). I feel I am still on the Brahmacharya stage, which I am grateful for because I love to learn. I am still studying in school (and am a student in this course!) and have a few years left until I am done with the degrees I would like, and so I will not be moving onto the next stage until that portion of my life is done. I am very grateful to have been able to be a student for so many years and have learned so much, and I am also excited for the next stage when I get there.
The five modifications of the mind (vrittis) are correct knowledge (pramana), incorrect knowledge (viparyaya), imagination (vikalpa), sleep (nidra), and memory (smrti). I feel I mostly live in pramana; it is important to me to be taking in valid information when I learn, and that the process of learning something correctly can only be fully done through personal experience. I do try to stay in pramana and avoid viparyaya by taking a step back and removing my emotions before a new experience.
What are 2 do’s and 2 don’ts when teaching a yoga class? Do’s: cue breath often - many people hold their breath. See if any students have specific injuries/limitations and offer modifications when possible. Don’ts: avoid using cues that may be harsh on the body, such as “drop” (instead use a gentler word such as “lower to the ground”). Don’t make a big deal of it if you make a mistake, just move on/laugh it off, it is not a big deal.
The Yamas, the first limb of yoga, are the human qualities that are inherently within us all, including ahimsa (non-violence), sathya (truth), asteya (no theft), aparigraha (non attachment), and brahmacharya (non excess). These can be applied in our daily lives because they are always within us, we just have to remind ourselves that we can possess the yamas if we turn inside and contemplate. The Yama that feels the most relevant to me is asteya, as it does not only mean no physical stealing, but also not to steal from/copy others and lose yourself in the process. Asteya holds the idea that we are all unique and should work on enhancing that uniqueness rather than comparing ourselves to others. I do this by trying to figure out what my personal passions are and being aware of what brings me genuine joy regardless of how it connects with other people. I try to stay more true to myself and I have really begun to understand we are all unique and I do not find myself comparing myself to others. This is a big step for me and I am very grateful! I think asteya is a quality that would benefit many people, especially in today’s world.
The Niyamas, the second limb of yoga, are guidelines that can help us stay on a good path to yoga. They are sauca (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (heat/burning), svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvarapranidhana (contemplation of a higher power). Sauca encourages one to “purify” themself every day by dealing with the impurities of that day, so that you aren’t bringing past issues into the next day. Santosha is the satisfaction/gratitude that comes from understanding what gifts you have already received. Tapas is the heat/burning that comes from a build up of impurities that will allow for healing. Svadhyaya is a way to deeply understand ourselves and cultivate inner strength that will be invaluable during real adversity. Ishvarapranidhana is just a connection to a higher power or God. We can practice these by knowing them and spending time reflecting on and contemplating them. I connect the most to sauca. I used to have a hard time with it and would sometimes find myself holding negative feelings day after day about the same thing, and now with the understanding of sauca I feel I am able to process and leave it behind and begin fresh on each new day. I find it is helpful to journal and in theory leave those “impurities” on the paper. I am not perfect at this but have made progress.
The sympathetic nervous system controls the body’s fight or flight response, while the parasympathetic nervous system controls the rest and digest response. To elicit a parasympathetic response one can stimulate the vagus nerve. We can do this by utilizing cold therapy (cold shower or an ice bath), controlling the breath, getting bodywork (massage, acupuncture), or by practicing yoga or meditating.
To me, meditation means taking a pause, connecting to my breath, and trying to slow down my mind. I used to have a very closed idea of meditation and ended up feeling discouraged and “bad at it” for years. I would attempt to sit in silence in one of the widely used meditation asanas and try to have no thoughts and would get frustrated pretty easily. I now understand that meditation is just the act of focusing on the breath, being fully present, even for a short period of time, and allowing space for clarity and to put a stop to harmful rumination. Punnu’s soul sync meditation has been my favorite since he first showed it to us.
There are countless benefits of meditation: improved quality of sleep, ability to have better communication in relationships, improved focus/concentration, better physical health, lower general levels of anxiety/stress, and better, more mindful decision making are among some of the most significant benefits.