Good Practice/Bad Practice

A couple weekends ago the Saturday Regulars did a Baron Baptiste podcast as lead by a Kinndi McDonnal. Our usual sessions are the Ashtanga sequence, the Rocket Series, or Shiva Rae’s Sanctuary CD, depending on our mood and who shows up. We’ve done a video by Baptiste before and everyone liked it, but this time the reaction was quite different. It varied from ‘enjoyed the session’ to ‘absolute dislike’ and the group over the next week energetically expounded on why (they are not ones to hold back opinions).



This gave me the idea for this post: what dictates a “good” practice and what dictates a “bad” practice? This may seem like an odd question to be asking, but the reason I asked is, I don’t really have good/bad practices. Some sessions may resonate more than others, but each session is what it is.

There is only one session where I went "I shouldn't be here," - and I recall that so vividly. I was exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. It was a cold dark Wednesday night in winter. I remember driving in (it's a 25 mile drive to the studio) and thinking, "I could turn back here...no, I'm halfway there...but I could turn around here...I should just go home..." I was slow, sluggish and out of sorts the whole session, so much so that the instructor commented on it after class. I went home and straight to bed. But even then, it wasn't a bad session, it just was.

I wondered if factors such as the time of day, the structure of the session itself (studio or home), other practitioners, music, and outside influences (dog whining outside door, people talking in hallway, etc) played into the overall theme. I interviewed 4 people: two are Saturday Regulars, two are from the Studio. One has been practicing for about 15 years, one for about 10 and two for about 2 years. Responses were fascinating and lengthy so I tried to summarize yet still capture the essence of our discussions.

For one practitioner who has a long standing neck injury, she replied that she has good neck days and bad neck days, and factors that influence her practice: are where she is mentally and physically on any given day, the structure of the session, the temperature of the room, if she's able to quiet her mind, and if she's able to re-align her neck during practice.

Practitioner number two had this to say: "...the time of day, session, music, etc., having very little to do with whether the practice is good or bad. It's probably more accurate to say that those things, in combination, can have an effect on determining whether the practice is good or bad, but no single one of those factors, or any of them in combination, will guarantee a good practice or a bad one." He went on to further clarify that doing a sequence for the first time can have an affect on his practice,

Practitioner number three replied: "Well, all of my practices are essentially "good" but I have some not as good days also. I suppose it think about in essentially two broad categories: internal and external. Most of the time I wonder if I have everything in order to 'earn' this practice." He prefers 'yoga' music with it's simple melodies and slow shifting patterns which allow him to focus internally, but doesn't use music at home. He also stated, "As far as other people in the room, hmmm that's a bit trickier to answer. Women are pretty and that can be distracting but out of respect I generally focus on what I'm doing though I admit I've been busted a couple of times."

And practitioner number four: "I don't consider any practice bad. It's like sex, never had a "bad" one. Some are just better than others. I really enjoy music during the practice. I like getting the more rigorous routines in early. Time of day, doesn't matter. Dogs or kids outside I hardly note. I do get distracted by lovely women around me but I use that to get through a particularly long pose (I breath too!) Yoga is very challenging to me. I make very tiny improvements. My balance sucks but I try. I always feel great after practice. When I played racquetball I also felt good after but I did have "bad" games and would be mad at myself for loosing or playing poorly- just big expectations. In yoga I am more humbled by the experience and just feel good about doing my best."



I promised the interviewee's that I would also post my thoughts, but I'll do that in the next post. Meanwhile, what are your experiences? Do you or have you experienced such polarity in your practice and if so, what are the influences?


(Photo from: fotosearch.com)

Why Meditate?

This was too good of a post not to direct your attention to: Linda's Yoga Journey - Wisdom from my Yoga Teacher.

I know many, if not most, of my students deplore meditation. I belong to an informal Saturday morning yoga group where it is frequently 8-10 folks participating. Only 2 of us do meditation after a session, the rest flee as if we are doing something so totally foreign to them. The studio I frequent offers a guided meditation once a week and usually only draws in a handful of people.

Personally, I marvel at the fear and arrogance surrounding the concept and even suggestion of meditation: I can't sit still, it's boring, I have better things to do with my time...the list of excuses I've heard goes on. And they are excuses. I've used some of them myself.

But I ask you, please READ Linda's post. She has some amazing insight that might just change your mind.

Om
Shanti
Namaste

Teaching Flow, part 2

In my previous post, I asked the question on how do you teach "flow". Sara responded in kind with some more great questions that after some thought I decided to post about.

"I am curious to know how you find the time in the class to break down a pose. I liked what YogiClairebear had to say about making it a sort of "mini master class."

In Hatha class I take time to break down 1 or 2 poses per class but also flow through other postures without lots of focus.

Also, I usually demonstrate multiple levels for each pose and them go back to the "easy" level so students feel ok about choosing to pick level one or two and not push too far. How do you demonstrate?"

While all styles of yoga draw from the same poses, how they are put together varies tremendously. For this discussion, I'm going to focus on the three styles I'm familair with: hatha, vinyasa, and ashtanga.

Because a vinyasa or power/ashtanga class is based on movement, to stop a class and break down a pose can be disruptive mentally and physically. In David Swenson's weekend workshops, he often compares the ashtanga sequence to a train starting out on a journey. Once the train is rolling, you don't step off with the expectation of getting back on again. If you get off, move to the closing postures and savasana. To clarify, you are working toward a moving meditation and by stepping off the mat to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, wipe your face, etc, you are disrupting your flow. You've lost your mental focus and perhaps have cooled down the body.

In addition the vinyasa/ashtanga system, the idea is as the body flows, it will "find" the pose over time. Because the poses may only be held for a matter of breaths, there is not so much "breaking down" of the asanas. However, there is A LOT of verbal cuing: hands here, feet here, shoulders here, etc. There is almost no time for an instructor to go around to each student - rather, a good instructor will scan the class and pick one or two people to quick talk to or lightly adjust.

For me, the amount of demonstrating I do will depend on the class and more importantly, *who's* attending that session. In my Ashtanga classes, if it's the core regulars, I can focus on verbal cues, verbal technique and individual attention as they (mostly) know where they should be working. In my YMCA vinyasa classes, I do more demonstrating as the group changes significantly from session to session.

For the demonstrating, I use the cues, "Level 1, start here; level 2 move here; level 3 if your body is willing today; and if you are one of my Level 4 folks, move there - and I won't demonstrate Level 4 but rather stay in Level 1 or 2.

On occasion, again, depending on the group composition, I may actually structure a class around technique. This then turns the session into a hatha class, but ya know, that's okay. A bit o' change does the body good!

Whew! I would never have thought trying to describe how I lead a class or the concept of "flow" could be so in depth. Facinating.

Teaching Flow

I had a fascinating discussion with a practitioner recently. This gal doesn’t come to my classes but prefers the Iyengar and Hatha based classes the studio offers. She explained to me that while she enjoys the flow of a Vinyasa and Ashtanga class she finds that she has a tendency to injure herself because it brings out her competitive side and so avoids those classes. I completely understand; it is hard to step back and say I don’t have to keep up with flexy-bendy chick in the corner or muscle-dude in the front row because you don’t want to appear to be weak to the rest of the class (yes, yes, an ego discussion is a whole different topic…).

However, her most interesting question was: How do you teach ‘flow’? I admit I was speechless for a moment. Indeed, how does one teach ‘flow’ to a class?

Well, first there is the basic definition:
(from About.com by Ann Pizer) Vinyasa Flow Yoga combines flowing postures with rhythmic breathing for an integrated body-mind workout. Nyasa means "to place" and vi means "in a special way." The entire sequence is structured to gently stretch while building strength and toning muscles through a variety of standing and seated postures. A good class format will incorporate alignment, modifications, and breath work that is appropriate for all levels of practitioners.

The word Vinyasa means “breath-synchronized movement.” In other words, the teacher will instruct you to move from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale. This technique is sometimes also called Vinyasa Flow, or just Flow because of the smooth way that the poses run together and become like a dance.

And then we can become more specialized with Anusara, Sadhana Chi, Shakti, and other styles.

But the question remains, how does one teach a class how to move with the breath in a fluid manner? CAN it be taught? Is this something that is intuitive in some and not others? Is it a matter of saying to the ego, “no, you are not part of this class”? Can you teach someone to let go and just ‘flow’?

One thing I'm trying with my classes is a "ratcheting back" concept, to work at 75-90% rather than 100-110% because what I've observed is the tendency to "muscle" or "power" one's way through a session. If you are muscling/powering your way through a session, are you really flowing? Are you moving lightly and with thoughtfulness from one posture to the next or are you more concerned with getting as "deep" into the posture as possible? Are you letting the breath and body dictate where you need to go on that particular day?

So I bring the question to the blogworld - how does one teach flow?

Where Are All the Men?

An acquaintance and fellow practitioner passed this article along to me: Where Are All The Men

This article takes a different look at why guys aren't practicing, pointing out such factors as social obstacles, physical hurdles, unrealized physical benefits, and the emotional challenge.

And after reading that article, I read this one: Model Men: Find out how yoga changed the lives of three men.

How yoga changed the outlook for a millionaire, a football player and a former Marine.


But it was interesting how neither article addressed the media's portrayal of yoga. Especially given Yoga Journal's portrayal of women/men in yoga.Coincidence? Intentional? Perhaps if they de-feminized the magazine a bit they might attract more guys to the practice.

Thoughts? Are the articles representative of the guys you know and the area you live in?

Morning Interlude

Like many folks, I spend a lot of time on the computer. Too much time in my opinion, but that's how it goes. I have however, been trying to limit my computer time at home - which is a bit of an oxymoron as I sit here on a Saturday morning typing up this post.

It's not that I spend an inordinately HUGE amount of time on the computer at home, but I have found myself checking e-mail or perusing blogs over breakfast and dinner (I dine alone)and that rather defeats the whole "being in the moment" concept. I'm not paying attention to the nice meal I just made, my poor hounds are waiting patiently for me to read 'just one more post' before they are fed or we go outside to play. And I cannot forget to mention the absolutely beautiful morning weather I am missing by staring at a flat screen instead of watching the sunlight drift through the leaves and mist.

So I have made an intent to turn away from the computer and eat my breakfast outside, or at the very least at the kitchen table. At 6:30 in the morning the mosquitoes can be quite feisty. Weekdays I don't have a lot of time, but even 15 minutes can make a difference. How you start your morning will carry with you all day.

Weekends though become like a miniature retreat, an hour or hour and a half to just sit. This Saturday I lit the mosquito repelant candles, grabbed my tea and breakfast, and my current study: the Dhammapada by Eknath Eswaran and I sat outside taking that precious "rest between the busy-ness".



To just take a moment and watch the hounds run around and play and hunt. To laugh when Kia-dog "gets a bee up her bonnet" and runs around all crazy like, tongue hanging out and a silly ass grin on her face. To listen to the migrating warblers. The occasional car going by on the road. The far of sounds of a train. The not quite so far off sounds of a highway being torn-up and re-done. The soft rustle of the leaves in the morning breeze.

My world. My moment. Impermanent and perfect.

Yoga North Open House!

If you are in the area and have a moment to come and visit the studio:

Yoga North's Fall Open House is on Sunday Sept. 13 from 2–5pm. This gathering is great fun. There is delicious food, free yoga classes and discounts on everything!

New to Yoga North—FREE PASS for first class
10% OFF everything
QUALITY yoga wear & gear,cds & books
Snacks & PRIZES
Learn about our weekly Philosophy classes and Teacher Training
FREE 1/2 hr yoga class demos—demos are active participation wear comfortable clothes