A weekend with David Robson

So I haven't posted in a while and I have to admit it had a lot to do with the my own superstitions! I didn't want to jinx it!  What's "it" you say? Well you might remember that I applied to a teacher certification program at East Meets West Yoga, well...I GOT ACCEPTED!!!!  I actually got the news a couple of weeks ago but its been such a whirlwind around here lately that I didn't get a chance to share the great news!

Needless to say, I'm so excited to embark on a new branch of my journey through life.  This really is an exciting time and I'm so thrilled to share it will you!

Not sure who to give credit to for this but I first
saw it on Pinterest and I love it! Hilarious!

The day I got the news was the same day that launched a weekend of workshops with the amazing David Robson, owner and Director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto.

The first workshop was Learn to Float and boy was it a humbling experience. After introductions, David guided us through Sun Salutations to a hypnotic drum beat that empowered you to focus on movement following the breath and having the inhale = the exhale. Traditionally in my practice I would have believed I was adhering to this but my focus (without me realizing it) was on the movement and matching my breath to it when I should have been focusing on my breath and slowing down/speeding up my movement to match.  Moving to the drumbeat (which I have since purchased from learntofloat.com) exposed how I was moving too quickly through some asanas. I actually chuckled at myself a few times when I found myself already in chaturanga at only the 2nd count of a 4 count exhale.

My aha moment in workshop #2 Hips, Knees and Forward Folds came when I figured out I was always over flexing my feet in seated folds. This took the stretch out of my hamstrings and into my calves. The final workshop was Jumping Through & Back and what can I say other than its going to take YEARS before that happens (if at all).  I learned a lot of things about my body that I just need to accept and work with, like the fact that my torso is the longest part of my body (proportionately speaking that is) so when I'm trying something like jumping back and through I need to work even harder pulling up and in with my core to get my body through the small amount of space my arms allot me.  I also believe this contributes to my collapsing in when doing poses like Utthita Trikonasana and Utthita Parsvakonasana.  Since these workshops, I've been focusing more on finding length on both sides of my body.

As much as I learned from the entire weekend though, there is one overarching idea that has resonated with me above all and it applies to a number of habits I've developed in my practice.  That idea is finding the work in every pose, the real work that is, and getting rid of all the "extra" stuff or breaks. A great example of this is uttanasana or standing forward fold. A pose that in a lot of ways was a "break" for me.  I collapsed in and took a brief moment of rest. David spoke frankly to us about how every time our hands touch the ground we should be rooting down -palms flat pushing the earth back.

Another example that this idea applies to is the body's natural tendency to succumb to the easiest way to accomplish something. I realized I often rely on my flexibility and the strength in my limbs (which ironically I didn't think I had a lot of) to compensate for the lack of strength in my core.  Going forward, I'll be doing a lot more core work! Sadly, this will not win me any friends in class when the teacher asks "any requests?".

Finding Balance

When I think of what my yoga practice means to me the one word that comes to mind is balance.  Yoga empowers me, more than anything else I've found, to balance all aspects of myself and my life.

Balance is something I've been for striving towards for a very long time and only in the last few years have I finally started to grasp (although it is always a work in progress).  In fact, my first tattoo that I got when I was 18 included an infinity symbol which for me is a reminder to never stop seeking balance.

I've always consider myself to be a nature-friendly kinda person.  I enjoy the outdoors, love animals, am a recycling advocate, enjoy making all natural bath products and am quite spiritual in my beliefs.  My career, however, is a stark contrast to that.  I have a very technical, "plugged-in" job as an Instructional Technology teacher -and I love it.  I couldn't live with out my Smartphone or the Internet, in fact as I sit here writing this I realized I left my phone charger at work.  My battery will die soon and I will have to go the entire evening and morning without it!!!!  Ahhhhh!  So reconciling these two very different sides of myself has always been a struggle.  Sometimes I have felt more like a teeter totter than a cohesive individual.

My practice helps me find peace with myself on the good days, the bad days and everyday in between.  Its a way for me to challenge my body and my mind simultaneously.  In a lot of ways my practice has become an extension of me, something I can't live without.  I've found over the last few years that if I miss practice, or go a couple days without getting on my mat I feel it.  And not in the physical sense, or at least not only in the physical sense.  My mind misses it, my emotions become erratic and I struggle with focus.  It is my practice that helps me hone in on who I am as an individual, to embrace it and to find comfort where my passions overlap.

What I hope to achieve...

I've always considered myself, first and foremost, to be a learner.  Even in my career as a teacher, I'm a learner first.  I seek to learn from everyone and every situation whether its the teacher(s) I'm co-teaching with the students I'm working with or the strategy/tool I'm attempting to use.  In addition, my specialization is instructional technology - which is changing everyday.  The way a software works, the tools available and the network in which we work.  They are constantly different and I am always seeking to understand them better, to grow and change with them.  

My personal life is no different.  I enjoy cooking, taking care of my pets and practicing yoga.  My husband is a chef and can attest to the fact that with every dish I make I brainstorm ways to change and/or improve it.  I constantly ask for his feedback on what he would do and the best techniques for accomplishing it.  When it comes to my pets (more about them later) I read books, follow experts, attend training and basically spend as much time as I can interacting and observing them to learn how best to meet their needs.

My practice is one more way in which I am a perpetual learner and I hope to attend teacher training to further my own practice.  There are so many things I still want to learn about my body and its abilities, about the history of yoga, the techniques, approaches - everything I can.  I'm always craving more with my practice.  I want more time on my mat.  I want a deeper understanding of all aspects of my practice, not just the asanas.  This is my primary goal.  

While teaching is something I love to do- its my profession and teaching yoga would be an amazing way to bring two aspects of my life together, I don't see teaching yoga as the end all be all of my training.  If when I'm certified, teaching a class or two fits and makes sense then yes it would be fabulous but for now my objective is to make a stronger commitment to my practice.

My Background

Welcome and thanks for visiting!!!!  This blog is intended as a medium to share my journey as a yogi.  I'm applying to a teacher certification program at my favorite yoga studio East Meets West (EMW) and hope to use this space to reflect and grow.

One of the DVDs I used
way back when!

I first “discovered” yoga around 1998-1999.  I was in college about to change my major, transfer schools and move to a new city.  My understanding of yoga at the time was that it was about stretching and flexibility -which sounded great.  I always loved the way stretching made me feel, not only while I was doing it but after.  So I  bought myself a mat and an at-home DVD.  

For a number of years I practiced pretty irregularly, mostly a combination of yoga and Pilates using only a variety of at-home discs.   It wasn't long before I noticed a yoga studio on Elmwood Avenue and became intrigued.  I signed up for an Intro to Yoga workshop and loved it.  When that expired I took classes at the studio whenever I could -but money was tight.  As I started making a little more money and my insurance improved, I would get reimbursements for gym memberships. I took advantage of it and utilized the cardio machines, weights and group classes.  So for a few more years I bounced around different gyms trying different workouts and always attending their yoga classes. But I was never satisfied.  The classes were lacking direct instruction, adjustments and/or modifications - I always left longing for more.  In the back of my head I was thinking about the classes at East Meets West and how great my experiences had been there.

About 7 years ago I was going through another big change in my life, I had just ended a ten year relationship and was living alone for the first time.  I made a commitment to myself to pursue what truly makes me happy and not settle for anything less.  It wasn't long before I started attending East Meets West on a regular basis.  For a few years I was able to consistently attend at least one class a week and supplement it with classes at my gym as well.  I was fortunate to have found out that one of the teachers at EMW (Patrick) also taught a class at my gym!  It was during this time of practicing regularly (albeit a small amount) that I started to learn there were not only different kinds of yoga but that each teacher provided a unique experience.  

The real tipping point in my practice came in the summer of 2013 when the studio offered month long unlimited passes at a discounted rate.  I teach Instructional Technology in elementary schools so the summer months are significantly more flexible for me.  I purchased two months, attended 4-5 classes a week and  I couldn't believe the difference.  I felt better -physically, mentally, emotionally and even professionally.  September rolled around and I had to go back to work, my unlimited passes expired and all I could think was "how can I possibly go back to one day a week?"  I couldn't.  I told myself to be realistic though (schedule wise and financially) and aimed to attend twice a week.  The school year progressed and I was pleased to find I was attending at least twice, but more often than not, three times a week.   Somehow focusing more on me than on my job made me better at it and everything else I did.

For the most part, my practice has centered around East Meets West.  I've taken classes at a few other studios including Beyond Yoga & Pilates and Blue Lotus, both of which are/were in Rochester. While I've never attended any teacher training, I have gone to a few workshops including one on arm balancing at Midtown Athletic Club (Rochester) and two at East Meets West -an inversion workshop (with Kathleen and Sara) and an Ashtanga workshop (with Sara and Patrick).  It was during these workshops that yoga became more of a mindset/lifestyle and less my workout routine. I truly fell in love with yoga.  Workshops were more than just attending classes, I was learning so much and I wanted more.