You may have the expectation that the physical yoga practice itself will help iron out these kinds of days, helping to somehow neutralize them or drive away the suffering. But the reality is, our practice helps us to be present in such moments. Sometimes we come to our mat as an escape from the stressors in life, but ultimately, this practice will actually bring those stressors front and center, so that we are fully aware of them and of their effects on us. The result of this process, at times, is an uneasy practice.

You may have one of those days when you feel every pose is a great physical challenge. Or you may have one of those days when every little distraction is maddening. Or, you may end up crying in a heap for no explainable reason (or for a crystal clear reason). These are a few manifestations of a hard day on the mat. They happen. They’re tough. But these are the days that can open us up to the subtler practice of awareness.

By simply recognizing your experience of a hard day on the mat, trying to not get sucked into the long and droning dialogue in your mind that wants to explain away your experiences, you can step back and take the position of the observer. Find your breath and notice your experience. Inhale. “I feel tired.” Exhale. “This pose feels impossible and horrible today.” (You may notice that your mind wants to add all sorts of commentary, “This pose feels horrible because I am weak and will never be able to do it like Peggy Sue over there. Why bother?” Try to notice when your mind has added commentary, and come back to your breath as a way to again simply notice what is happening in the moment. Lather, rinse, repeat—the mind will be persistent with its commentary.)

It may be comforting enough to know that what happens on the yoga mat is a reflection of what happens off the mat. Some days are better than others. The same tools apply on hard days as on any other day—use your breath as a tool to help anchor your mind in the moment. Simply breathe and notice your breath. Follow your inhalation and exhalation. This will help you find the space that allows you to take a backseat, so to speak, and become the observer. It is there that insight arises. Learn how to view these days as teachers—opportunities even—and let them help you go deeper.

Nourishing and expansive, vyana governs the movement of prana through the nadis—the 72,000 energy channels that flow throughout the body. Vyana also dictates the flow of blood and nutrients through the circulatory system, the flow of chemical and electrical impulses through the nervous system, the movement of fluid through the lymphatic system, the movement of muscles and joints, and even the flow of thoughts and emotions. Truly, vyana brings it all together.

When vyana is out of balance, everything feels out of balance—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Certainly each vayu contributes to overall balance in the body, but without vyana to coordinate them all, balance cannot be achieved. Like an orchestra without its conductor, it just won’t sound the same. Similarly, you won’t feel up to par unless vyana is well-balanced.

Overall, a balanced yoga practice will help vyana to flourish. Standing poses are particularly beneficial, because they involve movement of every part of the body, from the center outward. Warrior poses, Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), and Utkatasana (Chair Pose) are excellent balancers of vyana. In addition, the vyana-balancing pranayama practice of nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) will also be beneficial.

A regular yoga practice, complete with asana (postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and moral contemplation, will work together to bring about overall balance—vyana being the driving force behind all of it. Thus we have the underpinnings—the very mechanisms—that demonstrate how yoga helps us find balance.

There is an important aspect of this relationship of breath to movement that is often left out. Not only should breath be linked to movement, but the breath should initiate the movement. Even before your arms begin to rise in Sun Salutation, your inhalation should start. In this way, you use the energy of the breath to lift your arms. Likewise, before you fold forward, your exhalation begins and guides your descent.

Practicing yoga in this way—with the breath initiating movement—will change your practice. It will take you deeper into the practice in a way that heightens your awareness and participation. Sure, you will not be able to initiate every single movement with breath at first, but try to incorporate it as much as possible. You will see that it gets easier and begins to feel more natural. Just like everything else in yoga, it takes practice.

As you get more comfortable with beginning each movement on the mat with breath, you will notice that your breath becomes more even and deep, which confers a feeling of ease to your practice. Also, you may start to take this breath practice off the mat. You may find inhalation helps you up as you move from seated to standing, and the exhalation helps guide you as you sit down. Experiment with your breath this month to see how your practice evolves when you let the breath take the lead. It will open you up to some new experiences both on and off the mat.

Samana vayu is related to Manipura chakra located at the solar plexus. It is responsible for the processing and assimilation of all that is taken in—food, emotions, perceptions, and breath. Samana is used to assimilate these energies so that they can be used optimally.

Samana vayu helps us to take in what we need and release what we don’t in an even balance. This represents balance between the flow of prana and apana. An imbalance of samana vayu presents as health conditions including digestive disturbances, slow metabolism, malnourishment, or obesity. In our daily lives, if we are feeling out of balance, samana is likely to be affected.

Pranayama practices that balances inhalation with exhalation are helpful as a way to balance samana. By matching the length and depth of each inhalation and exhalation, prana meets apana, thereby helping to balance samana. Asanas to practice for optimizing samana include Parivritta Parshvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose), Utkatasana (Chair Pose), Shalabasana (Locust Pose), Marichyasana (Sage Twist), Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold), and proper engagement of Uddiyana Bandha, or navel lock, upon each exhalation.

A healthy diet and good digestive health are important aspects of working with samana vayu. Also, making time to observe our mental health—taking in that which we need and discarding that which does not serve us—helps to set the balance that arises with samana vayu. Take some time this month to think about what aspects of your life need balance, and work on bringing everything back toward the center as a way to work on your samana vayu.

Over the past few months we “TT’s” have been deeply entrenched in the work at hand, perhaps at times feeling unequal to the task, and understandably rather self involved! Now, as we prepare to turn the last page of this life chapter, we can glance up beyond our noses and consider ‘what happens now?’. We all have some ideas……

Laura is inspired to bring the peace of Yoga practice to women who desperately need peace. Carol has more tools to enhance her work in Wellness Management. Dea’s seniors will be the beneficiaries of her new skills and refreshed commitment.

Julie is full of characteristic enthusiasm, ready to bring new things to her students at home. Ashley’s goal was to deepen her own personal practice and has found, along the way, the desire and confidence to teach. Brandy has a dream to combine her love of Yoga with her Art.

Sally says the program has exceeded her expectations in developing her personal practice. Sonya will infuse the wisdom of Yoga into her professional life and her photography. And, I predict that Lynn, after she’s had a chance to percolate on the Bhagavad Gita, will soon be emailing us from Long Island, saying “can I ask you a question….”.

Me? Well, this experience has certainly changed me and I guess I need a little time to assimilate – sort of an extended savasana! One thing I know for sure: the limitations I had placed on myself have been significantly altered, my comfort zone expanded, my sights lifted. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to help others find that? Perhaps bringing Yoga to people who may never have imagined it is “for them”? We’ll see where the path leads.

We all have some ideas, yet I think that every one of us embraces the belief that the work itself has been the reward. We are left with open hearts to whatever may lie ahead, as we take our places in the Yoga community, accepting the responsibility and joy of sharing what we have learned.

Very soon, the exams will be over, the celebratory gatherings will pass. There will be hugs, well wishes and promises to stay in touch, to have lunch, to see each other in class. Regardless of how much or how little we see each other in the future, we are forever connected and we know this is not an ending. We’ve hardly scratched the surface on the subject of Yoga. And the answer to the question “How long will it take me to ‘get this’” is “The rest of your life”.

Namaste’

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I couldn’t possibly sign off on this Teacher Training Blog series without expressing our deepest gratitude to Bonnie and Jennifer. My, they are patient! They are wise. They are loving. They are kind. They are fun. They are charming and beautiful. We are blessed to have them in our lives. Our immediate community and our extended Yoga community are blessed by their presence. I could go on and on, but they are also humble, and they know how we feel.

Somewhere over the past few weeks, we have passed through some kind of invisible door – bringing us all to a more confident space, where we are able to relax a little, have fun, to laugh at ourselves and, yes, at each other. The big thing – the really BIG THING – has been our Community Class experience, where we each choose a local Charity and teach a class for donations. As I write this, only 3 of us have not yet completed this rite of passage. I’ve been fortunate to attend all my fellow students’ classes and can say that, to a person, life BEFORE your Community Class and life AFTER are so different – it’s like you’ve moved to another planet.

Leading up to doing your Class, there is so much apprehension and preparation that, even those who have taught in the past have found it a challenge. We all want so much to integrate what we have learned, and aspire to do The Yoga Sanctuary proud! For me, well, I was terrified. This business of teaching a class has loomed in front of me since December, as I imagined myself forgetting the names of body parts, when to inhale, when to exhale and making a complete fool of myself. Or worse. Tears might come.
So, I worked on my sequence diligently. Practicing on my generous victims. Leaning on Jennifer’s advice and wisdom. Writing out everything I hoped I would say – editing, questioning, refining, finalizing the sheet of paper I would use as my cue card, my crutch, should memory completely fail me during my “routine”!

Then, as surely as the birds leave in Spring to fly north, it was suddenly MY DAY. In a vague fog, I found myself walking into the studio under my own power. Then after a lovely talk about my Charity, the Peace River Wildlife Center, I was “up”. Miracle of miracles, as I looked out at all those lovely, goodhearted people, and felt them ‘with me’, it was as though Tinkerbell waved her little wand and I knew that whatever happened was going to be ok. As one of the other ‘girls’ remarked after her Class, “I felt all that good energy, saw all those friendly faces. We were all there for Yoga and for a good cause. I knew it was ALREADY perfect.” That’s the peace that comes with LIFE AFTER your Community Class!

Now we are approaching ‘crunch time’ – review of our work and demonstration of what we have absorbed over the past few months. It has become obvious that each of us has brought some strengths to the program – some have a real knack for Asana, some have had experience with the philosophical aspect of Yoga, and some are near experts on anatomy. Safe to say, though, that everyone has been challenged – perhaps more than they expected to be. And, haven’t we all faced the challenge! Haven’t we all grown!

Haven’t we all opened a window and let the light shine in on us a little brighter? It IS already perfect.

First of all, you’re not alone—everyone experiences thoughts like these from time to time. As your practice progresses, you will experience good days along with occasional days you wish you had stayed in bed. The same goes for the asanas (postures)—some are exhilarating, some relaxing, and others downright bothersome. Indeed, the nature of your yoga practice mirrors the ups and downs of life itself. Luckily, on the mat we have some tools to help us ride these waves.

When you encounter challenging poses in yoga, the key is to familiarize yourself with your limits. When you know you have reached your limit—in which you still have some semblance of steadiness and a hint of ease (use your breath as the gauge)—honor that limit. Instead of trying to stay in a pose for longer than your composure allows, take a modification.

For example, if you have been in Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) for a while and your arms are burning (or your shoulder is crying) you could bring your hands to your hips. If your legs are shaking and losing stability, you could straighten your legs. Or, if you can only hold Adha Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) for so long before your wrists feel the pain, take Balasana (Child’s Pose). In fact, take Child’s Pose any time at all. Even if everyone is standing in Tree Pose! If your body tells you it needs a rest, please listen to that—it’s the most important teacher of all.

If there is a particular pose that you find uncomfortable, pay attention to the cues your body is sending and modify the pose in a way that feels good to you. It’s OK if your pose doesn’t look like that of the person standing next to you. This is your practice, and the postures should fit your body, not your body to the postures. Take solace in the fact that you can play a little and make your practice your own. That is what yoga is all about.

The balanced function of apana is important so that we are able to release negative energy, destructive thoughts, and physical toxins. The work of apana will be lessened by improving the quality of prana, or the inward flow of energy. Prana and apana work in a push-pull manner, each helping to balance the other. Minimizing the input of negativity and maximizing the input of positivity will help improve the balance of prana and apana.

Apana is all about release—physical, mental, and emotional release. In the same way that we must carefully mind what we take into our bodies and mind, we must equally cultivate the proper release of energy from our being. Thus, holding on to destructive thoughts, or suppressing negative emotions, or even the act of holding our healthy digestive functions can all have a detrimental effect on us. Learning to release, in every sense of the word, can be a freeing process. Tap into the energy of apana to guide this process.

Just like we did with prana vayu, we can turn to our breath to help facilitate the flow of apana. The next time you have a troubling thought, emotion, or sensation, use the breath to help you release it. Each exhalation is a release, and carries apana with it. The act of completely embodying release upon exhalation can help you tap into the outward flow necessary for the removal of negativity you may be holding on to. By utilizing your exhalation to help you find release, you be able to improve the outward flow of apana.

In considering the topic of Finding Your Voice, I felt it more than appropriate to ask some of my fellow students to express their feelings, thoughts, observations about their own experience in the YTT program. Their remarks appear in quotes throughout this article.

“ As we progress though this training, the respect and gratitude I feel toward our teachers grows. It is my intention to find and nurture my own fledgling voice so that their gift to me can become my gift to others.”

Right from the start of our Training Program, we have been reminded how important it is to ‘find your own Voice’. Initially, I took that to mean the voice with which we would instruct our future students, should we decide to teach. The words we would choose to cue postures, our individual styles, using our knowledge to create classes that suit our own abilities and also are appropriate for those looking to us for guidance.

“As I dive deeper into the teacher training I come to realize that it’s not how ‘bendy’ you can be. It’s about being in alignment and personal growth.”

Over the past couple of months, we have waded into the deep waters of ancient and modern wisdom from great minds, great spirits, great hearts – sifting through philosophies, concepts, and approaches to what is known as a Yoga lifestyle. We are absorbing information, gleaning values and beliefs that will become part of who we are. Throughout this process, I’ve become aware that I am developing a much broader perspective of what it means to find your Voice – the verbal and nonverbal expression of your true Self.

I have come to believe that Finding Your Voice is grounded in Finding Your Truth – the crowning glory of self exploration and study. Who am I, what do I believe, what are my core values, where do I find Peace? What brings me Joy? How do I find the center that allows me to face each day with equanimity? And, just as important: who am I not and what no longer serves me? What do I need to let go of? We seek these answers for ourselves, and in the discovery, we find our Truth.

This is truly the work of a lifetime ~ isn’t it? We struggle through data and experiential overload, considering various options and paths, hopefully, hearing ever more clearly the music that calls us to sing it with our own Voice.

More often than not, we explore alone. But, for us, in this brief segment of our lives, we are in the good company of like minded seekers.

“We are helping each other to emerge from our cocoons, to blossom, and prepare each other to spread our wings and fly. This is the true spirit of Yoga. And we are blessed to be able to experience it”.

Just as the yoga practice often begins as a physical practice that is body-centric, it can be helpful to begin your yoga-off-the-mat practice by simply noticing how you hold yourself throughout the day. Wherever you find yourself sitting—at a desk, in the car, or at the kitchen table—notice how you are seated. If your back is rounded and your shoulders slumped forward, straighten up! Ground your sit bones and lengthen your spine upward. Then, feel your shoulders open and pull down the back as they relax away from the ears. Do this every time you remember until it becomes natural for you to sit up straight. Your body will become more comfortable over time, as a result.

Next, remember to breathe. Sounds easy, sure, but the simple-yet-profound breathing practices we do in yoga class often stay in yoga class. Our busy lives and multitasking tend to leave little time for us to experience the present moment. Luckily, the breath is one thing that can only happen in the present moment. It sounds silly, but even though we breathe all day long, we are rarely aware of it. A great way to incorporate breathing into your day is to take a moment for three deep breaths—a moment in which all you do is take three deep breaths. Go ahead, take them now…

Great! You’ve already begun. Just these two practices can make a big difference in your overall well-being. And that is only the beginning. Once you cultivate more awareness of your body and your breath, you will begin to notice how your mind gets involved, whether in relation to your own experiences or your interactions with others. Begin simply, here and there, and just notice how your yoga practice truly unfolds. You may find a whole new way of being.