Yoga's Evolution

Just like many things in our society, Yoga's evolution has started to happen quicker and quicker in recent years. Yoga is everywhere now. Yoga is being mass marketed and used in popular advertising from clothing to yogurt and everything in between. You can find Dog Yoga, Acrobat Yoga, etc.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

I do think that Yoga is diluted in many of these off-shoots. Many people think Yoga is purely a physical practice and many teachers (myself included) have a predominant focus on the physical aspects in class. Many people don't know and may never know of the deeper practices and benefits of the other Yoga practices such as pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sensory withdrawl), etc.

On the flip side, the general dilution is what has made Yoga accessible to others. Some people only want the physical benefits of Yoga (which are great). Some people would be turned off by an overly philosophical class. And the vast variety of asana (physical Yoga) classes out there, means that Yoga has the opportunity to touch more people. My classes are very gentle and have lots of modifications for those that need them. Other teacher's classes are more vigorous. Some classes have chanting. Some have meditation. In this way, people can explore and find the Yoga style that works best for them and reach out to explore Yoga's non-physical aspects if they are drawn to.

For me, I teach a predominantly physical class, with some breath awareness and a philosophical reading. But for my personal practice, I am drawn to the more spiritual aspects of Yoga.

I think Alice Walton discusses this issue great in her article: The Great Yoga Debate

Change is Good

Today's post was inspired by this post from Everything Yoga. It is good to change things up, question the routines. What am I questioning these days:

What is the best way for me to eat? That's a huge, rather dominating question in my life. But with a history of digestive problems competing with a love of rich food, it's something I continue to work on.

What are the important things I want to fit into my life? That was the idea behind my Big Rocks exercise last month.

And the big one that's coming up right now: What is important to me in teaching? I will be reducing my teaching hours in the next couple of months. I want to ensure that I still carry forward the messages I want to carry. With less time to do that, I want to spend some time thinking about exactly what those messages are, how I reach the most students and how I serve my current students with the changes happening.

Focused Intention

Without even realizing it, I slowly let my focus slip away. Over the past few months, I've been more busy with contract work than with teaching. When I was teaching I was focused and present. But when I wasn't teaching, my mind and attention was often on my contract job. I was getting behind on some of the business projects I have going (like getting more audio files recorded for download).

And my business has suffered because of this. I am a big believer in intention. And I had lost my focused intention. Now I am making efforts to restore it.

One way is by committing to a certain number of adminstrative hours each week for the business (regardless of how busy everything else is).

The other thing I've done to remind myself of my intention is to sometimes wear my mala (Buddhist prayer beads). I'm not one to wear my mala all the time. However, if I'm wearing it I do find it a constant reminder that my priority is my teaching and therefore the business. I find this extremely helpful when I'm working at my contract job.

It's all about balance. I need the contract job to help pay the bills. But my purpose is to share Yoga (asana, meditation, and more) with others. And to truly be successful at that requires focus while I teach but also plenty of focus outside of those hours.

Dreams

Who determines whether your dream is valid? Who decides that something is worthy?

As a child, I was encouraged to "shoot for the stars", generally at that time considered to be a doctor or lawyer. I was told I could be anything I wanted. I wanted to be a secretary and a teacher (and I believed I would be rich because of the double career).

As a teenager, I was told I would be going to university, it was just a matter of what path and which one (and there were only 2 options given). Given those parameters, I chose to go into Computer Science.

At 17, I realized I didn't want to be in Computer Science and my options appeared to be limited to other disciplines at the university I was at. I chose Environmental Systems Engineering.

At 20, I was restless and a career counsellor gave me many options in the environmental field and I chose to study Groundwater Engineering Technology.

Throughout my environmental career I remained restless, always feeling like the grass was greener elsewhere. I took many other courses but never found a home. At 34, I decided to follow one of my dreams and become a Yoga Teacher.

Today I am a full-time Yoga teacher (with contract work supplementing my income). There is no greener grass. I am fulfilled and content.

And yet, when I did some research I found that 85% of Yoga Teachers in BC make less than $25,000 per year teaching. I'm still in that 85% but I work full-time because this is my calling and I believe that before long I'll be able to support myself teaching. If I had presented this as my career plan as a child, teenager, at 17 or at 20, I'm sure I would have been told to give my head a shake and pick a more practical plan. But without question this is the right path for me.

Who determines whether your dreams are valid?

The A word, S word and F word

That's right: Ambition, Strive and Future. What did you think I meant?

Why are these bad words? They don't have to be. Just like the ego isn't a bad thing, as long as I don't get stuck in it.

I am self-employed, a small business owner. The networking organizations talk about setting goals, long term planning, etc. So I spent some time recently doing some long term planning. It was actually a fun exercise of where do I see myself in 1 yr, 2 yrs, 5 yrs and so on. I did it because I knew what my vision was for the next year but hadn't thought much beyond that.

My thoughts during the planning included "what is the logical progression of my career", "how do I reach more people once my classes are full".

And then the next night I was doing an oracle reading and the question came up "What is your heart's true desire?" And I immediately realized it wasn't what I had projected in my planning. My true desire aligns with what I'm doing now and my vision I already had for about a year down the road. Everything beyond that was getting into a business so busy that it wasn't at all what I wanted. Everything beyond that was feeding my ego and a cultural drive to always be moving upward.

Striving isn't a bad thing, but what am I striving for? My true goal is happiness and I'm happy, so why would I need to get somewhere else?

Thich Nhat Hanh said it well: "The Heart Sutra says that there is 'nothing to attain.' We meditate not to attain enlightenment, because enlightenment is already in us. We don't have to search anywhere. We don't need a purpose or a goal. ... In aimlessness, we see that we do not lack anything, that we already are what we want to become, and our striving just comes to a halt."

The Yoga Conference - Restorative Yoga

This year I just went to The Yoga Conference for 1 day (Sunday). I took a 6 hour workshop called Learning to Teach Restorative Yoga and Nourish Bone, Blood and Breath taught by Djuna Mascall.

What an amazing experience! I have taken Restorative classes before and have had a personal Restorative practice for a while now. But I really always thought of Restorative as relaxation and it was great to learn about all the nourishing aspects of Restorative and how it works on the fluid body.

I taught my first Restorative class last night and it was great to share these amazing poses with one of my students. I hope that more students try this class out as I think it is a great complement to either a Hatha or Yin Yoga practice.

Now I'm looking at how I incorporate what I've learned into my own Restorative practice. Last night I did a supported Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) variation and it was amazing! It was great to be in such a fabulous inversion without the effort I usually need to put into it.

The other thing we learnt a little of in the workshop was Somatics. I am really excited to study more on this amazing mind/body integration practice.

13 Things - My Take

I came across a link to this article: 13 Things Your Yoga Teacher Won't Tell You, and wanted to give my take on their list.

1. I don't have all the answers - That should be obvious, but I certainly say it enough times in case it's not. All I can share is my training and my experience and only you can determine if something in that works for you.
2. Clean your mat - Always a good idea, but I don't tell my students to do this. I do tell them that I clean the mats in my studio between each use and clean my own mat weekly.
3. I love teaching yoga, but teaching is torture if I haven’t been able to do my own practice in awhile - Just not true for me. I always have some type of practice going on and Yoga always feels great.
4. Yoga is not a magic bullet or a pill you can take to solve your bad attitude if you’re not prepared to put in the work yourself - Okay, I probably wouldn't ever say that. It's true, but I also don't find students who feel this way are who I generally encounter.
5. Wear deodorant - I would definitely never say this. I have yet to have someone in my class that smelled bad, like BO bad. I have had a few with excess fragrance smells (from lotion or other products). And I would certainly never tell someone to wear deodorant since I don't (now one of my dirty little secrets is out).
6. I may be smiling at you when you walk in late and loudly slam your mat on the floor next to your meditating classmates but that doesn’t mean I approve - Again, these just don't seem to be the students I have. When someone comes in late, they do it quietly and apologetically. And I am just happy they made the time to come.
7. I am not doing this for the money - I definitely don't do this for the money, I do it for the opportunity to share Yoga with others. But I also make my living at it, so I'm grateful for what my students are able to offer.
8. I have poses I dread and avoid practicing and teaching - I don't know about dread. I do have my less favorite poses, usually ones that trigger tension somewhere in my body. And I probably do teach them a little less, but since they tend to be advanced poses that makes sense for my classes.
9. I hate yoga sometimes - Never, absolutely never!
10. When people have matchy-matchy yoga outfits and every single prop, designer yoga mat and accessory on the market, I question what their practice is really about - Wow, that would seem judgemental of me! Some people like the clothes, some people like the props. And if that makes them more excited about Yoga, I say "why not?" I don't think I can assess what someone's practice is really about by looking at anything external, whether it is their clothes, mat or poses.
11. It’s one thing to modify a posture if you’re having trouble with it. But don’t just ignore the teacher and freestyle your way through class - It might be a bit weird for the other students if this were happening. But generally if a student is doing a different pose than the rest, they've either discussed it with me or they let me know why at the time. And since it is their practice, they need to do what is right for them.
12. I am not a doctor - This I say all the time. I am not a doctor or a physical therapist. I am not a spiritual adviser. Just like #1, all I can share are my experiences and what has worked for me and then it's up to you to figure out where you go from there.
13. Yoga is HARD - Yes, I say it, but not too often. Yoga is hard, but that isn't necessarily what I want my students to focus on.
    

Interview at Newsy Jacuzzi

NewsyJacuzzi.com - Nadine Schwager from Hollandaise Media on Vimeo.

Is There a Right and Wrong?

My City of Nanaimo Parks & Recreation classes started up again this week. It has me thinking about right and wrong.

Phrases I hear from new students:

• Am I allowed to bend my knees?
• Am I breathing right?
• I didn't know I could do that!

It can be easy to think there is a right and wrong way to do Yoga asanas and to meditate. Certainly there might be a right and wrong way according to certain traditions and schools. And there is most likely a right and wrong way for each individual.

But what works for someone is the right way for them. All I provide are tools and guidelines to help others on their own paths. At the end of the day, it is up to each person to figure out what makes the most sense for their body and their mind.

Enjoy the journey!

Yogawoman

Check out the fantastic trailer for Yogawoman here. I think I'm going to love this film. I'm going to see if I can set up a screening of it here in Nanaimo!

It Is What It Is

I love this post from The Joy of Yoga: How I am not really all that needed

I'm sure all of us Yoga teachers would love to be in top form every day. But some days we just aren't. And it's great to see this shining example of how well our students do with little instruction.

I know that there are days where I give more detailed instruction and information on each pose. And there are days where what I say is simpler. Both are good, in different ways.

I'm a strong believer in what is meant to be will be. Therefore, I assume that me swaying back and forth between detail and simplicity is somehow what is meant to be in my teaching. I always thought it gave a balance between helping my students to get what they can out of their Yoga but also giving them some quiet to explore on their own.

But reading The Joy of Yoga's post made me realize that the quieter times also gives my students a chance to see how much they really know about the pose. That is when I get some questions about alignment. In the past I've occassionally felt guilty, thinking I should have said what the student was asking about. But, I think some times having to ask the question brings your attention to it in a way that just being given instruction doesn't.

I know I certainly enjoy both styles when I'm in a Yoga class.

September Newsletter

My September newsletter has been posted, view it here.

Feedback Requested - Restorative Yoga

I'm soliciting feedback. I am considering doing some training in Restorative Yoga (click here to read about Restorative Yoga). I currently teach gentle Hatha Flow and Yin Yoga.

The reason I'm thinking of including Restorative in my teaching schedule is that a lot of people seem to really be drawn to the stress-reducing side of Yoga. However, having said that, I have way more students in Hatha Flow than in Yin. I think a lot of people don't feel ready to make that jump of holding the pose for longer. But Restorative is different in that you get to be very relaxed throughout the entire class (while in Yin you are really working at your edge).

If I do start teaching Restorative Yoga, I will be dropping Family Yoga from my schedule (although private sessions will still be available on request). If anyone has any feedback, I'd love to hear it.

Yoga for Men

I suspect most of my readers are women and I know most of my students are. However, I would also guess that most of you have a man in your life (spouse, dad, brother, friend) who you think would benefit from Yoga. Here's a great article to share with them:

8 Yoga Benefits for Men

What is Your Yoga Style?

I love this flowchart: What's Your Yoga?

Of course, some people might ask where the styles I teach are? Yin Yoga just doesn't appear on this chart. There are some others missing as well and that makes sense as there are limitations in preparing such a nice concise presentation. Hatha Yoga: that's a little more complicated. All physical Yoga is Hatha Yoga. So why do some classes have special names (i.e. Iyengar) and others just say Hatha (or in my case Hatha Flow)?

Physical yoga has gone down many paths, as evidenced by the flow chart and the vast number of Yoga studios and teachers out there. However, if the Yoga you teach (or practice) doesn't fall into one specialized category, Hatha is a good description for it. The Yoga I teach takes influences from Ashtanga, Iyengar and Viniyoga as well as other styles.

This flowchart is a neat tool to demonstrate how diverse the Yoga traditions are.

Yoga Mat Question

The following question was submitted on my Facebook page:

Nadine, I have a semi new yoga mat and it is so slippery I can't do some poses as far as I want to for fear of falling. Can you recommend any good mats that I'll 'stick' to? I need a mat as doing yoga on the carpet is just as slippy for me. Thanks!

My answer:

Before recommending options for new mats, there are a couple of things you could do with your existing mat if you haven't already tried them. First: wash the mat well (sometimes it takes a while for the new mat film to wear off otherwise). Second: try a towel over the mat with a little bit of water to help with traction.

If neither of those options works for you, a new mat is the way to go. In my experience, thicker mats are generally stickier. I also find conventional mats stickier (the ones with waffle construction rather than a different type of texture pattern). Several of my students swear by the inexpensive mats at Winners.

Another couple of things: don't apply lotion to your feet in the hour before you're going to use the mat and engage your feet (active pressure down through your foot). This will help you get the best grip you can on whatever mat you use.

Good luck!

Gaining Clarity

I love how sometimes doing something that doesn't quite sit right helps to clarify where I'm going in my life.

I love teaching Yoga. I feel with every fibre of my being that it is what I'm meant to do with this life.

Earlier this week I was working at a Yoga Teacher Training camp. I loved the chance to work with the lovely goddesses taking the training. It was a rewarding experience being able to share with them and also to learn from each of their individual personalities.

However, working at the training camp isn't my purpose. While I may continue to work at the training camps on an occasional basis, I certainly affirmed that my studio is where I belong. I just know in my heart that the best place for me is to share Yoga on an individual basis.

My long term plans do include helping to train other Yoga teachers on modifications for their students, but my primary purpose is to work with my students on developing their practices (asana, meditation, pranayama, etc).

I am grateful for this opportunity to gain clarity and focus. And very happy to be back in the studio teaching.

August Newsletter

My August newsletter has been posted, view it here.

For the next 5 days I will be working at Herizen Yoga Teacher Training, and will blog when I return.

The Fine Line of Religion

At the end of most of my Yoga classes I do a reading. Since I started teaching, most of my readings have been from Deborah Adele's Yamas and Niyamas. I love this book. The readings were on a variety of subjects including self-love, balance, surrender, courage.

But I wanted to branch out my readings to other voices as well. I started doing some readings a couple of weeks ago from Thich Nhat Hanh's You Are Here. The first two readings were great on letting go and emotions. Then I chose another reading that would have been for this week. It was on the nature of no-birth and no-death. But something was grating at me about reading it to my students.

I realized it is a reading about a particular religious perspective (Buddhist). And while I'm happy to share with my students my views if they want to know them, I want the readings to be accessible regardless of their particular beliefs. So, while I love Thich Nhat Hanh's messages, I will definitely only be reading those that pertain to mindfulness and not those that wander into Buddhist teachings.

With that, I'm moving back to more Yoga based books that look at things from a broader sense for my readings.

July Newsletter

My July newsletter has been posted on my website, view it here.

Happy Canada Day!