"1.14 One becomes firmly established in practice only after attending to it for a long time, without interruption and with an attitude of devotion" - Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
This was the intention set for our 2-hour self practice class this morning. It was actually one of the Sutra's that I added to my book of Sutra's to remember as it really resonated with me. It really does coincide quite well in life really, doesn't it? Not just a yoga practice.
If you commit to anything or set a goal for yourself, whatever the goal may be . . . or your school or work, your relationships, your spirituality . . . anything. You only truly receive or provide real benefit if you commit yourself fully, stay with it for the long haul and devote yourself completely. This is a great approach to have in order to be met with success.
Although I started out my morning quite stiff and with a very sore lower back, it was a good class. I practiced "ahimsa" - non-violence on my body and really listened to it and took the modifications when necessary. I committed completely to completing as many of the postures as possible, and devoted myself to my class fully.
We then had our pranayama (breathing with meditation) class and after breakfast went to work completing my script for my entire class prep that I will perform in my assessment next week. We all had the opportunity to work with a partner today and go through the whole thing, including the opening, warm-up, sequence, closing and relaxation. I was actually more nervous and made so many mistakes stumbling for my words than the first time I did just my 30-minute sequence on Saturday. I did my practice with Alicia. The difference was that I wrote out an entire script and so I felt tied to my notes, and because there was so much writing, if I got stuck I had to scan my page to see where I was and got lost and froze.
I will practice it again by myself, talking out loud as though I'm leading someone until I get it right. Saturday Bex and I will practice on each other. Some of my colleagues will be doing their teaching assessment starting this Thursday. I won't be going until next week which I'm not thrilled about as our written tests are next week. Yes, I have more time to prepare and become comfortable, but then it's looming over me while I'm trying to review for the written tests. All I can do is my best.
Also I think I should stay on my mat for a lot of the led portion so that all the transitions from pose to pose just come natural to me because I'm doing them rather than only leading them. I think being off my mat and walking around for most of the class will be something that feels a little more natural and comfortable with a bit more experience. I will try it again with those changes and see how it goes.
I will also be losing the script and going back to just a paper with my postures to refer to and use my script for opening and closing when I only have to focus on speaking and bringing my student into and out of their practice in a relaxed state.
I was extremely exhausted for most of the day today, except for right after practice. Everyone was feeling the same. My brain was not capable of focusing and so I decided rather than attempting to study and get nowhere, which was happening this afternoon, I took off to Palolem to get the last few gifts for people back home. Bex and her mom, Bernadette, and Anand joined me later and we had dinner in Palolem. It was a lovely way to spend the evening and come back to a clearer head for the day tomorrow. Anand gave me a ride back to Patnem on his motorcycle. I haven't been on the back of a motorcycle for years . . . probably since I was pregnant with Jordan. It was so lovely.
The rest of this week will be focused on study and practice of my sequence. It's amazing how quickly this week is flying by and next week is our final week.
Namaste
J
This was the intention set for our 2-hour self practice class this morning. It was actually one of the Sutra's that I added to my book of Sutra's to remember as it really resonated with me. It really does coincide quite well in life really, doesn't it? Not just a yoga practice.
If you commit to anything or set a goal for yourself, whatever the goal may be . . . or your school or work, your relationships, your spirituality . . . anything. You only truly receive or provide real benefit if you commit yourself fully, stay with it for the long haul and devote yourself completely. This is a great approach to have in order to be met with success.
Although I started out my morning quite stiff and with a very sore lower back, it was a good class. I practiced "ahimsa" - non-violence on my body and really listened to it and took the modifications when necessary. I committed completely to completing as many of the postures as possible, and devoted myself to my class fully.
We then had our pranayama (breathing with meditation) class and after breakfast went to work completing my script for my entire class prep that I will perform in my assessment next week. We all had the opportunity to work with a partner today and go through the whole thing, including the opening, warm-up, sequence, closing and relaxation. I was actually more nervous and made so many mistakes stumbling for my words than the first time I did just my 30-minute sequence on Saturday. I did my practice with Alicia. The difference was that I wrote out an entire script and so I felt tied to my notes, and because there was so much writing, if I got stuck I had to scan my page to see where I was and got lost and froze.
I will practice it again by myself, talking out loud as though I'm leading someone until I get it right. Saturday Bex and I will practice on each other. Some of my colleagues will be doing their teaching assessment starting this Thursday. I won't be going until next week which I'm not thrilled about as our written tests are next week. Yes, I have more time to prepare and become comfortable, but then it's looming over me while I'm trying to review for the written tests. All I can do is my best.
Also I think I should stay on my mat for a lot of the led portion so that all the transitions from pose to pose just come natural to me because I'm doing them rather than only leading them. I think being off my mat and walking around for most of the class will be something that feels a little more natural and comfortable with a bit more experience. I will try it again with those changes and see how it goes.
I will also be losing the script and going back to just a paper with my postures to refer to and use my script for opening and closing when I only have to focus on speaking and bringing my student into and out of their practice in a relaxed state.
I was extremely exhausted for most of the day today, except for right after practice. Everyone was feeling the same. My brain was not capable of focusing and so I decided rather than attempting to study and get nowhere, which was happening this afternoon, I took off to Palolem to get the last few gifts for people back home. Bex and her mom, Bernadette, and Anand joined me later and we had dinner in Palolem. It was a lovely way to spend the evening and come back to a clearer head for the day tomorrow. Anand gave me a ride back to Patnem on his motorcycle. I haven't been on the back of a motorcycle for years . . . probably since I was pregnant with Jordan. It was so lovely.
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| Bex, her mom Bernadette, Anand and I out for dinner |
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| Thought the "disko fish" was quite hilarious |
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| Cristina with one of my favorite ladies from the Palolem markets |
The rest of this week will be focused on study and practice of my sequence. It's amazing how quickly this week is flying by and next week is our final week.
Namaste
J
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