Teaching Appreciation With Yoga Classes

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

When we are in an expansive state of being, our hearts are ebullient and our spirits are light. One of the fundamental reasons that may have prompted you to become a professional Yoga teacher is the sense of lightness, well being and expansiveness that a regular practice of postures, breathing exercises and meditation techniques generates. You may have also discovered over months and years of practicing Yoga that your own regard for yourself is higher. 

In addition, you probably have noticed that you take care of yourself better now than you did before you started practicing and teaching Yoga. One of the reasons that Yoga expands self-love is the sense of accomplishment and self-appreciation that is generated over time. On the flip side of the proverbial coin, a dedicated practice of Yoga also has the ability to uncover our weaknesses and idiosyncratic foibles, both physically and psychologically. 

As a professional Yoga teacher, you have probably learned that patient, persistent effort and unconditional kind regard for yourself and your students tends to generate the most effective positive change. When you approach your own goals and level of accomplishment in your personal Yoga practice with patience and dedication, you will be more able to approach your students with the same level of diligence. In addition, it is important to engage in your own personal practice with kindness towards your self. 

By implementing patience, dedication and kind regard in your own personal practice, it will become second nature to teach your classes in the same loving manner. A wonderful way to help you stay heart-centered when you teach Yoga is to focus on appreciation. Appreciation can include the gift of having the time, health and physical space in which to teach. Appreciation can also include gratitude for the dedicated efforts of your students. 

By grounding your teaching with a feeling of appreciation, your students will feel more supported and safer in your Yoga class. Take an opposite example to illustrate this point. Several years ago, I was taking a Yoga class at a well known and highly reputed holistic educational retreat center. When I entered the class, I was surprised that there were only five participants. It wasn't long before I found out why the class was so poorly attended! 

The Yoga teacher, who was leading the class, was quite militant in his insistence to do exactly as he instructed, regardless of what my own individual needs were. He insisted that I ignore the signals that my body was giving me, and that I compliantly follow his commands. At the time, I was still healing from a serious knee injury, so rather than damaging a delicately healing knee joint, I slipped out the door. In this situation, I felt disrespected and unsafe. 

In the same way, if you disrespect the individual needs of your students by insisting that all of your students adhere to a preset sequence of Yoga postures, you will likely generate resentment and fear. This will undermine your students' progress in the practice. An effective antidote to this situation is to cultivate a feeling of appreciation for your students and for the opportunity to teach Yoga classes. 

When you cultivate an internal stance of gratitude your own heart will open, which will generate feelings of empathy and understanding between you and your students. Your students will also learn how to generate feelings of appreciation and love for themselves, by emulating you when you exemplify a grateful heart and mind in the way that you teach your classes. In turn, expanding a sense of appreciation and self-love, both on and off the Yoga mat, has the profound ability to truly transform your students' lives for the better. 

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.

© Copyright 2016 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Compassion in Teaching Yoga

By Gopi Rao

It is said that the art of yoga may be practiced anytime as long as those involved remove their shoes first! All joking aside, yoga has, for thousands of years, been one of the best ways to maintain a prolifically positive quality of life and well being. The most unique aspect about yoga is that it requires involvement from not only one's mind and body, but the spirit as well. The ostensible meaning of the word “yoga” is not easily nailed down in an etymological sense. The concept of yoga is perceived in many different ways. This explains both why and how so many different varieties and “schools” of yoga have emerged over the ages. However, the most enduring aspect of the art of yoga comes from the realm of empathy and compassion. Yoga unites all of the senses, which gives way to a seemingly magical, truly palpable sense of heightened mental clarity and balance. This is why yoga has been known as an integral healing tradition for millennia.

Yoga instructors are infamously well tempered both physically and emotionally, and rightfully so. Yoga is not about garnering power or achieving a vain amount of muscular strength. It is about endowing a sense of respect for one's body – the spiritual vessel. Through this method, yoga instructors are able to personalize pose routines based upon the experience level of the students. Regardless of whether one is teaching beginners or seasoned professionals, the greatest teachers of yoga are the most patient and kind. This is because compassion is unattainable without patience. Imagine a tree with no roots, or a song with no chorus. Both can be completely real within one's mind, but could never exist within our reality.

However, it is not only the instructor who is held to a higher standard. Students must also be patient with themselves. Rome was neither built nor destroyed in a day. It takes time to overcome obstacles put before us. It also takes time to fortify new abilities within oneself. This is why compassion is of utmost necessity when it comes to properly understanding the balance and the intention behind practicing yoga. Breathe deeply, be confident, and give thanks for the holy reality in which we live from day to day. This is the most important way to make progress when practicing the art of yoga.

The Perfectionist Trap in Teaching Yoga

All kinds of people with all kinds of personalities attend yoga classes. One of the most complex challenges for a yoga teacher arises when they encounter students who are perfectionists. In their drive to master every element of every pose, these students frequently lose sight of their original motivation to come to yoga in the first place. Rather than being a time to become centered, to focus, and to meditate, for them yoga is just one more thing to memorize. The practice becomes stressful because they are so focused on getting it "right" that they miss the big picture. In this article, I will tell you how I approach these students in the hopes that you can learn from my example.

Of course, in yoga we cannot make anyone feel judged, and these students are particularly vulnerable to the feeling that they are somehow not meeting the expectations of a teacher. They have likely faced this kind of vulnerability for their whole lives. It can manifest in different forms: some students push themselves to do everything perfectly and will practice for hours until they are satisfied, while others compare themselves to their classmates and want to become the best student. These attitudes are not beneficial to their growth and development, so they will be better off if you can somehow illustrate a different way of doing yoga.

It is very tempting to try to correct these students and tell them what they are doing is wrong, especially if you feel irritated when they ask a lot of technical questions and seem to be missing the point. But first of all, you should recognize that just being in yoga could be a big step for them. It might show that they have some awareness of the fact that there is too much stress in their lives. So you need to make sure yoga is still a welcoming place for them. Talk to them, but instead of telling them what they are doing is wrong; discuss the beauty of yoga and its powers to guide your focus. This positive approach will show them what they might be missing in yoga. In the end, however, it is their journey, and you cannot take it for them. As much as you want to just tell them they are doing it wrong, they need to come to such a realization by themselves.

© Copyright 2016 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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The Dance of Shiva: Transformation

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

Shiva is one of the primary Hindu deities. In many ways, Shiva is the quintessential Yogi. He is often depicted with a trident staff in his right hand and a crescent moon behind his head. The energy around Shiva scintillates with an electric blue hue, the color of deep meditation. To engage with Shiva’s energy through song, mantra repetition or worship, is to invoke the energy of transformation. Shiva is known in Hinduism and in the Yogic scriptures as the great transformer. He is said to have the ability to illuminate that, which holds back a seeker, both on the material plane and on the spiritual level of existence. 

To engage in the process of transformation, it is first necessary to clarify what you would like to transformation. You may a certain level of dissatisfaction or unease with certain aspects of your life. Or you may long to fulfill longstanding dreams or goals that have yet to be accomplished. In order to transformation the external circumstances of your life, it is necessary to excavate the underlying beliefs that are holding you back. It is also often necessary to come to terms with any number of painful or otherwise unresolved emotional experiences, which are preventing you from moving forward in your life. 

In business organizational terms, the health of a business can be defined as an organization’s ability to truly align itself with its highest aspirations and to implement the steps necessary to achieving those goals. In the same way, you are the leader of a micro- corporation, your own life! The first step to restructuring the business of your own life is to clarify what needs to be transformed. Although there is a great deal of emphasis on being in a constant state of “doing” in our culture today, sometimes it is necessary to slow down in order to drop into the fertile, creative void within; the place where inspiration naturally arises. 

During the flowing series of Yoga postures that comprise a balanced Yoga class, you will most likely move from a series of Sun Salutations to standing postures, balancing poses, backbends, inversions, and seated forward folds. In many vigorous forms of Yoga, the emphasis is frequently placed on the strengthening standing asanas and core exercises, instead of the more internal seated forward bends. However, invoking the transformative energy of Shiva is also quite powerful in the practice of the more internally focused, seated Yoga postures, such as Tortoise Pose. 

* Tortoise Pose or Kurmasana

Kurmasana is also known as Tortoise Pose because it resembles the position of a tortoise when it contracts into its shell. In the same way, by allowing yourself to withdraw your senses from external stimuli during your practice of Tortoise Pose, you will enable yourself a few moments to drop into the creative void within your own heart. From this place, you are afforded the opportunity to witness a spontaneous welling up of inspiration and wisdom from the depths of your own being. 

The physical benefits of Tortoise Pose include profoundly stretching out the shoulders, upper back, neck and groin muscles, in addition to gently stimulating the processes of digestion. Tortoise Pose may also relieve some headaches, as it facilitates the flow of fresh blood and oxygen through the brain. Kurmasana, or Tortoise Pose, is usually practiced towards the end of a Yoga class and prior to Shavasana. As a counter-pose to Kurmasana, it is advisable to practice a back bending Yoga posture, such as Fish Pose, either prior to or just after your practice of Tortoise Pose. When you are ready to practice Kurmasana, come to a comfortable seated position on your Yoga mat. 

If your hips are tight, place a folded blanket underneath you for support. Place your legs in a diamond position with the soles of your feet gently touching. With an inhale; raise your hands over your head in Prayer Position. With your next exhale, bend forward and place your lower arms underneath your calves with the palms of your hands flat on your Yoga mat. If this is not possible today, simply place your hands flat on your mat on the outside of your knees or calves. If you have the flexibility to bind in this pose, clasp your hands behind your back. Hold Kurmasana for three to five complete, full breaths. When you have completed your practice of Tortoise Pose, release the posture and come back to a comfortable seated position on your Yoga mat. 

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com. 

Improving Yoga Student Safety: Modified Pigeon Pose

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

Many Yoga teachers often strive to balance offering their students a challenging and creative series of Yoga postures and breathing exercises, while still maintaining a high degree of student safety in their classes. For some Yoga teachers, this quandary may prove to be quite difficult. This balance can be especially challenging to establish if you are a new teacher. However, with the graceful and strategic use of modified Yoga poses and supportive props, you will be able to lead your students through a challenging series of asanas and pranayama exercises, without risking their safety. 

The artful use of modified Yoga poses and props, such as chairs, bolsters, blankets, and straps, can immeasurably increase the variety of Yoga postures that you can offer to your students during class. The intelligent use of props and modified postures develops with time and teaching experience. Using props and suggesting appropriate modified postures will support your ability as a teacher to lead your students through a comprehensive, challenging and exhilarating practice of Yoga postures, without sacrificing your students’ safety or well-being. 

This is particularly important when you are teaching a multi-level class with intermediate and beginning students all mixed together. In many Yoga studios, health clubs and community centers, the students who are attending Yoga classes are often at various levels of aptitude and physical fitness. In order to keep the more advanced students challenged and the beginning students “up to speed” with your class, while not risking injury, spotting students who would benefit from modifying a pose or two and using strategically placed props, is quintessential part of the art of teaching Yoga well.  

* Modified Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Pigeon Pose is a wonderful Yoga posture for deeply opening the hips and alleviating sciatic pain and lower back stiffness. This hip-opening posture also improves the overall alignment of the spine and helps to release feeling of anxiety, trauma and stress that is so often energetically lodged in the hip area. Pigeon Pose is quite simple to modify, if you are teaching some students who are quite tight throughout the hips, groins and knees. By placing a blanket underneath the folded leg in Pigeon Pose, many students, who would otherwise find the pose to be too uncomfortable to perform, will be able to benefit from the practice of Pigeon Pose with a minimal amount of discomfort and stress to the knee joint.  

For those Yoga students who find that entering into Pigeon Pose without the support of a folded blanket or bolster is too intense or puts too much pressure on the knee, the use of props in Modified Pigeon Pose will help these students to practice the posture in a much safer fashion. Pigeon Pose is usually practiced after a series of Sun Salutations and standing asanas and prior to backbends, inversions and seated forward folds. Before leading your students through the practice of Modified Pigeon Pose, make sure that the students who wish to practice the modified version have a folded blanket or bolster nearby to place underneath the hip of their folded leg. 

When you are ready to lead your Yoga students through the practice of Modified Pigeon Pose, have them begin to flow through the beginning postures of the Sun Salutation until them come to Downward Facing Dog. From Downward Facing Dog, guide your students to place their right lower leg parallel to the front of their Yoga mat or as close to parallel as possible. For those students who need some extra support, have them place a bolster or folded blanket underneath their right hip, so that their hip bones are parallel to the front of the room and there is minimal pressure on the knee joint. Ask your students to hold Pigeon Pose for three to five breaths, and then remove the blanket or bolster if they are using one, and slowly move back into Downward Facing Dog. Repeat Modified Pigeon Pose on the left hand side when your students are ready. 

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com. 

Yoga for the Winter Blues: Garland Pose

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

In the Northern Hemisphere, it is quite common for Yoga practitioners to experience a downward turn in their mood as the days continue to grow shorter and shorter. With the brief amount of sunlight available to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere during the heart of the winter, a drop in mood is quite common as serotonin levels begin to diminish in the brain. Serotonin is one of the "feel good" neurotransmitters in the brain that helps to keep your mood bright and optimistic. 

If your serotonin levels drop in the winter due to a lack of sunlight, you may feel much less motivated to accomplish your goals and your mood may be much more pessimistic than usual. Chronically high levels of stress and anxiety can also substantially drop serotonin levels in the brain. This can be especially true during the holiday season. If you are overwhelmed, stressed, do not get enough exercise or sunlight; you may experience a substantial drop in your mood over the next couple of months.  

If you choose to practice Yoga several times a week, or even on a daily basis, you will improve you are strength, flexibility and peace of mind. You will also improve your cardiovascular fitness if the intensity level of your practice is in a moderate aerobic range. Many aerobic forms of Yoga, such as Power Yoga, will raise your heart rate substantially and help you to improve your strength and cardiovascular fitness. 

However, if anxiety and stress are exacerbating symptoms of depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder, incorporating Yin poses into your regular Yoga practice will help to balance your nervous system, allow your body and mind to release stress and tension and restore your vital life force energy. The practice of Yin Yoga poses is substantially different than the practice of vigorous Power Yoga sequences. Yin Yoga can be considered a softer, more passive and receptive form of Yoga. 

The practice of Yin Yoga utilizes the natural process of release and unfolding through the gravitational pull on the body. Many Yin poses are practiced in a restorative fashion with bolsters, blankets and blocks. These props help the body to unwind and release stress and tension without strain. By incorporating Yin poses into your regular Yoga practice, you will allow yourself to rest and unwind in a gentle fashion, which will help to mitigate the effects of anxiety and stress on your body and mind. 

* Malasana or Garland Pose 

Malasana, or Garland Pose, is very effective for increasing a sense of spaciousness in the front upper torso, elongating in the Achilles' tendons and for stretching out the shoulders, neck and lower back. If you are currently healing from a knee injury or a lower back injury, please practice Garland Pose carefully. If practicing Garland Pose causes you pain, please practice Cat-Cow or Extended Child's Pose instead. Both of these poses will also stretch out the front of your torso, neck, shoulders, and lower back. Garland Pose is usually practiced after a series of Sun or Moon Salutations and standing asanas. 

When you're ready to practice Garland Pose, lower yourself into a squatting position on your Yoga mat. Keep your knees hips' distance apart. Place your hands in Prayer Position and apply slight pressure to the inside of your thighs. At the same time, apply slight pressure to the outside of your elbows with your knees - If your Achilles tendons are very tight today, place of rolled blanket underneath your heels for support. In order to practice Malasana or Garland Pose in a Yin Yoga style, clasp your hands together and place them at the base of your skull. 

Gaze down at a point on your Yoga mat just in front of your feet and keep your elbows pointing down. Breathe deeply and fully, remembering to inhale and exhale smoothly and completely. Do not actively pull on the back of your head, simply allow the weight of gravity to release stress and tension throughout your neck, shoulders and lower back. Hold this Yin-style Garland Pose for three to five breaths. With your next inhale, release your hands and place them back into Prayer Position. With your next exhale, release the pose and move gently into Extended Child's Pose before continuing on with the rest of your Yoga practice.

Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a Yoga and health-related freelance writer and academic support specialist. 

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