45 Days...

... until I go back to Mysore India!!

My to-do list is crazy long, mostly getting all of my yoga classes covered with great teachers and making sure that my Yoga Teacher Training students will be well taken care of and have lots of things to do, study and practice while I'm away.

The KPJAYI shala just re-opened in India. I read one student's notes from the first Sunday conference that Sharath gave. http://ashtangapictureproject.com/?p=628 It was inspiring, informational and made me even more excited for my trip. I can't wait to sit on that rug in the shala and listen to Sharath speak.

This time I am slightly more learned about travelling to India and I am sure I will make plenty of mistakes and find lots of obstacles, but hopefully not the same ones I made last year...

I will not be bothered by the lumps in the shala carpet. I will not get my nose pierced at the local hospital. I will not drink water with little worms in it. I will not step on a bloated dead rat and get guts on my heel. I will not get locked out of my bank account and end up crying for 48 hours thinking I will starve to death and die from lack of funds. I will not believe that ATMs are reliable. I will not bring black havaiana flip flops (like everyone else has) and therefore will not have them mistakenly taken/stolen from outside of the shala. Twice. I will not eat grilled cheese sandwiches for a week straight when I get sick of Indian food and become constipated for 3 days. I will not try to ingest triphala ayurvedic powder if I do get constipated. I will not buy an expensive crapload of medication at home before I travel over to India, since now I know how cheap and available it is there.

Hmm, that's about it. My new adventure is going to be taking an oil bath each Saturday while I'm there. I'm sure I need it... http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/06/the-oil-bath-an-ayurvedic-home-remedy/

More to come closer to my trip! I fly away on December 3rd. Bon voyageeeeee :)

As if yoga wasn't challenging enough on land!

Everyone knows I love yoga.
I also love surfing, and more recently "SUP"ing, which stands for stand up paddleboarding.
SUP boards are much bigger and more stable than surfboards, and ideally you SUP in calm water conditions. This leads to the possibility of practicing yoga postures on a SUP board.

Last year just for fun I tried a few poses on my friend's SUP board, a downward dog, a three legged dog (harder!), a warrior (surprisingly very hard!), some backbends and finally I got the courage to try a headstand. I wobbled and bobbled, but somehow I didn't fall into the water at all.

This year I have been playing around a lot more, seeing what is possible. And, I have fallen in a lot! While I realize that doing poses on a board is not the same as practicing yoga, it definitely asks me to apply everything I have ever worked on in my yoga practice on and off the mat.

Yesterday I tried doing some "drop-backs" into a backbend on the board. Literally my whole world was turned upside down. When you do this on your mat, in a yoga studio, the ground is flat and doesn't move. You can see he ceiling and wall behind you as you go backwards, giving you a relative idea of where you are in space and where the floor is. I started to drop back on the board, with small waves under foot, and as I put my head back, all I could see was big wide open blue sky and moving clouds. AHHH! It was very unexpected and disorienting but like I have learned to do in many situations, I relied on faith, my grounded feet and legs and core, and just had to trust that I would be ok. I would either land, or I would fall! And either way, I would be ok. I landed. My arms crumpled a little bit to help me balance, but I survived.

It thrills me how I have to pull together absolutely every part of my knowledge about yoga, in order to practice postures on a SUP board. It requires equal amounts of strength and softness, balance and flexibility, trust and surrender, a willingness to fail and humility, concentration and calmness, steady breathing and total awareness. What am I working on now? Handstand on the SUP. So far I've only gone for bunny hops and giggles, but I know it's possible!

I highly recommend giving this rising sport a try. It takes a while to get used to the board and the balance. You should paddle around a few times before attempting to do yoga postures. But it is truly so much fun! I am going to run a few little mini SUP-Yoga retreats down at the Toronto beaches toward the end of summer if you want to come out and try it, with some expert instruction from me, on how to fall with a smile :)

Check out www.manayoga.ca for details.

There's also a great little company that rents boards, gives lessons, group paddles and SUP yoga classes in the Toronto Beach called "WSUP". Speak with Gudrun, she's amazing.

Happy SUPing!

Knock Knock...

Who's there?

It's India!

... that's it... no joke... lol

Apparently India has been knocking on my door louder than I thought. Ever since I went to India last summer I knew I would go back, but I had no definite or near plans. It was just hanging out casually in the back of my head as something I would at some point do again. It's not really very realistic to think one can just saunter off to foreign countries once a year for a month or more. Especially not someone who works for a living and has pets. Leaving home is not easy for me, not even for a long weekend, let alone a long trip like that. If a yoga teacher doesn't work, the yoga teacher doesn't get paid! No 'vacation pay' for us - no siree!

Every now and then I go online (usually to expedia.ca) and check out airline tickets. I usually check flights to Hawaii (it's my favourite place ever, I've been 4 times, it feels like home and it's one of the only places I feel safe surfing), and I also check flights to Bangalore, India - where you fly into if you're going to Mysore to study Ashtanga Yoga.

About a month ago tickets to India were pretty cheap, around $1300. I think that planted the seed. Last time  I went, my flights were over $2000, but I had an extra stop in Goa on my way home. A little over a week ago the tickets were back up to $1500/$1600 so I figured I missed the boat on that one. I'd keep checking. I think my 'thing' is, if an idea gets doable enough (cheap flights!) then I just do it! I tweeted about the price hike and a response from an online Yogi friend said - check 'skyscanner.com'. I did. I found a flight for $1287!! Holy Cow! I booked it. BOOM. Right then and there. I was going to India! I got a confirmation email from a company called "The Flight Network" and was just awaiting my e-ticket. It did not arrive. I waited. I finally emailed the company and they said the price was invalid and the ticket was not issued. My heart dropped. It was too good to be true. I was angry at their misleading 'confirmation' email and their poor policies and customer service.

However, now that India was in my head, I was still going to make it happen. I went straight to the Jet Airways website and found a flight for $1450. Not bad, sort of in between. Still much cheaper than last year. Booked it. ACTUALLY for realsies booked it. Ticket received. Yay. Thank you JET AIRWAYS for not lying to me like FLIGHT NETWORK.

Next I went to the Facebook page for the community of Ashtanga Yogis in Mysore. I threw out a request for a room to stay in, walking distance from the shala, for my dates. BOOM. Got a reply from a lovely lady offering up a room in her lovely house. I responded thinking it might be beyond my budget but it ended up being totally reasonable. RESERVED IT. Yay.

She (Tracy) is involved with an organization there called PFA - People for Animals, who rescues and looks after stray, abandoned, abused, neglected, injured, sick and dying animals. They have over 200 dogs, loads of cats, bunnies, owls, a pelican, monkeys, horses, pigs... So I am excited to find out more about that and help out however I can when I get there (visiting, feeding, cleaning, petting, loving). I also may do a bit of fundraising before I go there, so I can help buy food, medicine and supplies for the poor needy helpless animals.

So I'm pretty set and very excited! Now I have to start working out a multitude of details...

Getting my yoga classes and coaching covered while I'm away. Getting my pets taken care of (the cats are easy, the ferrets are not). Getting over the fact that I won't have Christmas with my family and friends. Getting a new passport. Getting an Indian Visa. Getting a travel medical workup/checkup/meds collection/shots, etc! Packing list. And most importantly I have to apply to study at KPJAYI. Apparently this year it is extra busy and extra hard to get in, so I am nervous about that. I will be applying online PROMPTLY the minute registration opens. If Sharath's class is full, well I'll still go and study with Saraswati which would be a different experience, but still great. I feel like no matter what happens from here on out my second trip to India will be entirely worthwhile.

Here we go again! Stay tuned! 

Calm yourself, fool! ~Sharath

Ok so Sharath Jois didn't exactly say "calm yourself, fool"...

But that more or less is what he has been saying and teaching for the past few days that I've been here in Encinitas practicing with him. I've had three led primary series classes so far, and have three more to go. As is expected, each day feels a little "worse"... More tired, sore, etc. It doesn't help that I'm in a lovely, hilly beach town and am walking everywhere. In flip flops. My shins and hip flexors are screaming!!! Despite that, I have really enjoyed my practice each morning at 6:30am in a room packed with at least 100 people, and a maximum of one inch between each yoga mat on all sides. Today I got full on head-butted rolling around in garbha pindasana, by my friend Lidia who was going a little slowly (usually it's a head to knee, or head to butt connection). It kinda hurt and I could help it, I said "DUDE!" really loudly... a few people around us looked and laughed. Lidia has scored a trillion adjustments so far from Sharath AND Saraswati, while over the three days I've been adjusted once. Which was great. On the first day we were dead center and front. Saraswati just happened to be standing in front of me during supta kurmasana and reach down to cross my legs behind my head. THANK YOU! It's technically the only adjustment I need in the primary series, although, who doesn't like their leg being held up a little bit in uttitha hasta? :)

Ok ok, on to what Sharath said in the little mini conference chats he is giving each morning right after practice.

Day 1
Sharath explains how asana (physical yoga postures) comes first. He says even though in the yoga sutras yama and niyama are the first two limbs of ashtanga yoga and asana is listed as third, he says that those develop concurrently with your asana practice. You refine those as you go deeper into your asana practice, so really asana is first, as is stated in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

He went on to create a metaphor. He said asana is like the foundation of a house. First, you must lay down a good foundation (asana). Then, when you go to build the rest of the house (your spiritual building) it won't collapse. He tells us that asana comes first in order to lay down the groundwork for gaining a deeper spiritual understanding and existence. If you want to go further, first start here, with your asana practice.

He also talked about how asana practice makes the body steady, light and strong, which are also pre-requisites for deeper study, especially pranayama. As we already know, a steady body equals a steady mind. How can we try to concentrate on spiritual endeavours if our body is very sick?

Day 2
Saturday morning after practice Sharath started to talk more about pranayama. First, the explanation. I love when he clears this up because it's commonly mistaken. Pranayama = extension of the breath. (NOT breath 'control'). Prana + ayama, instead of prana + yama, the "a" in the middle is a long "a". Anyways - I'm a Sanskrit geek!
He says that to extend your breath is to extend your life. We are each given about 100 years. If you get sick you will die sooner. If you practice pranayama, you can live longer.

He says we are doing pranayama, without even really knowing it, in our asana practice, since we are breathing through the nose only, in a slow and steady manner. If you pant, breathe too quickly, or hold your breath, you are agitating your mind. To calm the breath is to calm the mind. He said that the body is in charge of the breath, and the breath is in charge of the mind. When emotions (anger, laughter, any) take over then the breath and the mind become erratic, so we need to keep control of those. It sort of seemed like he was telling us not to be too happy. Which I suppose is in line with a lot of Hindu texts (Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, etc), that tout holding your equanimity in the face of sorrow and joy and not being taken away by either extreme. He ended the chat by saying something jovial like, "I hope you extend your breath so you can extend your life, haha".

Day 3
Pranayama was the topic again this morning. He reminded us quickly of what he brought up yesterday then went on to saying that pranayama is very important. When done properly it can remove illnesses from the body and mind. If done incorrectly however, it can invite diseases in. So "be careful!" he said. He went on to talk about how much stress EVERYONE has in their life these days, that it's unavoidable and we need measures to reduce our stress. He showed us all a pranayama technique, which we all did along with him. It's called Nadi Shodana and it's an alternate breathing technique. I'll admit, this is one form of pranayama I have never really enjoyed (maybe the point isn't to enjoy them though). Danny Paradise has taken me through this exercise many times. I usually end up leaving to blow my nose because one nostril get clogged. Fail! No benefit!

So first Sharath showed us the proper hand mudra to use. Using your RIGHT hand (never left he says), hold the palm up facing your own face, thumb sticking up, index and middle finger curled tight into your hand, and last two fingers outstretched and together. Kind of like a Hawaiian surfer, but not quite.

-Put the thumb over your right nostril and close it completely.
-Take a long, easy, slow, natural inhale through the left nostril.
-Take off the thumb, close the left nostril completely with the last two fingers and take a slow, long exhale through the right.
- Do that five times.
Then do the opposite:
-Inhale through the right nostril, exhale through the left, five times.
This is one "set". (10 breaths total). He says if you have time, to do two sets. Morning, noon, night, whenever you need it. It's a technique to calm the mind. It's also very good if you have respiratory problems or allergies which affect your breathing, and is also good for anxiety and hypertension.
It actually did feel calming to me. Even though the left side was slightly clogged. Not as much as another guy's though. His nose whistled really loudly every time he exhaled! Teehee. Whistle nose.

Sharath finished by saying that you should always enjoy your practice. He mimicked us and talked about how after practice everyone asks "how was your practice" and if you were very 'bendy' you say "practice was good!" but if you weren't bendy you say "it was ok". LOL! So true. He knows his crowd ;) But he said, no matter what happens, if you are very flexible or not at all, you must enjoy your practice. I agree.

Three more led primary's and Sharath-chats to go. Will report back!

Here are a few photos from the practice with Sharath and Saraswati snapped this week...

Hotel California

The title of this blog is appropriate because I'm sitting in my hotel... you guessed it... in California! I flew to San Diego yesterday from Toronto, and took the lovely short drive up to Encinitas. It's my third year coming here for a week of Ashtanga practice with Sharath and Saraswati at the Jois Yoga Shala. Every year when they finish teaching their season at the Shala in Mysore India, they do a world tour, teaching classes and giving conferences. They visit the Jois Shala in Conneticut (closer to me, but not as lovely a vacation!) and they visit New York also. BUT, if I'm getting on a plane, it's going to be to somewhere hot and sunny with a beach, an ocean and some palm trees. It's one of those places that is starting to feel like home to me now, that I come back here 'every year' (I hope to continue this tradition!). I'm staying in the same hotel, Days Inn, a very humble but clean and well equipped hotel, cheap as dirt in my opinion, and walking distance from the yoga shala, the beach, and the main strip of shops, cafes and restaurants. Perfect for me!

This year I flew in with two friends, which is different and fun, Emma: amazing yogini and yoga teacher, and Lidia: one of my students who is basically just being thrown into the deep end here! Led Primary series with Sharath... Whoa! I'm excited for her, she's ready.

Yesterday we all went to the opening blessing ceremony, the Puja. The same priest from Mysore India was there, as was there last year. There were flower offerings, fruit, food, fire, incense, chanting, singing, the priest talking on his cell phone in the middle of the ceremony... LOL! All of the usual Puja goings on. Here's a photo of Ganesha being adorned, removing obstacles for the studio, the practitioners, the teachers...

So now I'm up early, woke myself at 5am (really feels like 8am for me because of the time change so it's no biggie), made chai tea, a small little cup of oatmeal (you're not supposed to eat before practicing yoga but I HAVE to! I've tried everything and I just feel ill and miserable and distracted if my belly is totally empty. Hits me about half way through, right at Marichasana... anyways). I'm showered, dressed, and about to go knock on Lidia's door to walk to the Shala together as the sun comes up. Emma opted for the 830-10am class.. LAZY GIRL! Just kidding. I get it. Sleep is nice. I just don't want any when I'm in such a lovely place. I want to be done my practice by 8am so I have the whole day to enjoy the beauty that is this place. 

5 Bad reasons to want to take a Yoga Teacher Training course

5 Inadequate reasons to want to take a yoga teacher training course

1.       You want your work clothes to be yoga pants, and/or you want a discount on your Lululemon clothing.

While it’s true that yoga clothing will be your work clothing, this is (obviously) not a good enough reason to become a yoga teacher! Lululemon does in fact have a ‘research and design’ program for those who work in the business to become members of, offering a small discount for their feedback about the quality and functionality of its products, but trust me, it is not very significant considering the amount of yoga clothing I go through, teaching up to 5 classes a day. It’s not cheap! If this is your goal, then maybe finding a sugar daddy/mama is a better option for you.

2.       You have recently learned that if you teach one class a week at your local gym you’ll get a free membership.

Again, while this may be true and a nice benefit of being a yoga teacher, it does not suffice as a reason to put yourself through a YTT program and then teach others who are hoping for a teacher who is passionate about what they do, and not just worried about getting a free pass to the gym. I work at various gyms and clubs, and trust me, there is no extra time or energy to work out anyways, after teaching multiple classes per day, travelling to and from them all, and keeping your own yoga practice regular.

3.       You already work in the health and fitness industry and getting another certification will look good on your resume.

Already having the education and knowledge from teaching fitness classes can be a great asset if you also want to become a yoga teacher. Familiarity with anatomy and energy systems, as well as being comfortable in front of people can really be handy along the path of learning how to teach yoga. But yoga is definitely not just fitness. It’s not a ‘certification’ meant to pad your resume, or something to add into the end of your step class as a quick stretch for the participants. Yoga is a rich tradition and a complex practice involving many more elements than most fitness programs and qualifications out there involve. Teaching yoga requires devotion, true understanding of and love for the practice, immersion in the lifestyle of yoga and deserves more than just a quick course and a stamp on a piece of paper. I think there are plenty of ‘mind-body’ certifications and classic stretch style courses and classes out there that would be better suited for someone merely looking to add to their fitness teaching repertoire. A yoga teacher training course warrants much more interest, fervour and dedication than that.

4.       All you friends are doing it so why not? It seems like a trendy thing to do.

While it’s true that yoga is gaining in popularity and yoga teacher trainings are popping up seemingly all over the place, this does not mean it’s the right thing or the best thing for you. Such a course is a big commitment that demands much time, passion and dedication. If you are just tagging along with a friend or a trend, you will be wasting your own time and money. Think about this choice until you are certain it is what you are ready to do.

5.       You want an extra job to supplement your income and this seems like a pretty fun one.

It is possible to make a living as a yoga teacher, but you will soon realize that this is definitely not a job you get into for the money! Teaching yoga is all about serving others. The time it takes to prepare for each class, travel to and from, use gas and parking money or bus fare, nearly makes the pay not worth it! Teaching yoga must be a labour of love, and if it is, then you will certainly be able to do it as a decent living. Getting into it as a means to extra income is unfortunate as you will be dissatisfied with the outcome as will your students who will feel your interest is not as much in them as it is in your remuneration at the end of the day. Save yourself and them the disappointment.

5 Good reasons to consider taking a Yoga Teacher Training Course

5 Good reasons to consider taking a Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) course

1.       You have been practicing yoga for a very long time and believe you have learned as much as possible from taking local yoga classes and you wish to go deeper and learn more about the practice, about your own practice and about yourself.

You have been taking yoga classes for at least 6 month, hopefully a year or more at the point where you decide you might be interested in taking a teacher training. If you have been practicing for 5 or 10 years, even better! The better developed your own practice is, the better chance you will have of being an effective teacher. Like most of us, you probably started out with one class a week for a while, and then gradually stepped it up to two, and then three, and started to really see things happening and changing. Maybe you have even realized that a daily practice with one rest day a week is the best yoga schedule if your time and money situation has permitted for that. What next? The postures and the breathing seem to be coming along well, but what are all of the other elements of the practice? You might be wondering, “How do I truly immerse myself in the practice of yoga and develop myself as a person committed to this lifestyle?”

2.       You have practiced yoga for long enough to realize the benefits and positive changes in your life and feel like you must share this with others.

You tell all of your friends and family members how great you feel thanks to yoga. Your body is strong and lean and healthy. Those aches and pains are gone. You sleep well and have loads of energy. You have changed the way you eat because after all of the hard work you do on your yoga mat detoxifying your body, you can’t imagine putting garbage into it anymore. Your mid is calmer and your thoughts are more positive. You have developed patience and compassion and really listen to people now when they talk to you. Your goals are better defined and you know what makes you happy. You can’t believe how yoga has changed your life for the better and imagine if you could help others find this path as well? Maybe being a yoga teacher is just the way to do this, making the world a better place one yoga student at a time.

3.       You feel like you can successfully do most yoga poses but want to understand more about them and why you are doing them.

You feel good and you know you are getting more flexible and balanced. But what are all of these yoga postures all about? You wonder who made them up, what their names mean, is it just gymnastics? Where do these movements come from and what is the point? You are curious about the energetic effects, and the connection to come concepts you have heard your teachers talk about like chakras, kundalini energy, bandhas and so on. And when all of these yoga postures have been attained then what next? Are there other yoga postures that are more advanced? Or are there ways to go deeper into these seemingly simple yoga postures? A good yoga teacher training program can definitely lend answers to these questions.

4.       You know that there is more to yoga than just the physical postures and wish to learn about the other elements such as history, philosophy, theory, chanting, breathing, meditation.

You recently learned about the yoga sutras and wonder if there is information in that treatise that would benefit your yoga practice or wonder if it’s all just mumbo-jumbo. You also heard that “Ashtanga” means ‘eight limbs’. Eight? Like an octopus? Or like a tree? What are all of these limbs? And how about those little statues and paintings around the yoga studio, who is that elephant god and what is the significance to yoga? You are curious about the roots of yoga and its links to the religion and culture from whence it came. You find chanting pretty scary since you have no idea what you are saying when you repeat after your teacher and you feel like you sound foolish. What is this OMing all about anyways? And meditation is a whole other story. You are pretty sure you have never sat still long enough to quiet your mind properly, but you would really like to learn how because you are aware of its rewards.

5.       You love practicing yoga and feel that a career serving others and making the world a better place would be fulfilling and is the path you want to go down at this point in your life.

If you are thinking about becoming a yoga teacher, you need to surrender to the fact that it is not a career path that will bring you fame or fortune. Unless having a few students truly appreciate you is what you consider fame, and having the ability to potentially change a few peoples’ lives for the better, to you, is fortune. You are someone who feels content just making other people happy as an end in itself. You are prepared to be a positive healthy role model for others and put your students’ needs before your own every time you teach.